How many teachers actually teach evolution?

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Tuesday February 08, 2011 · 8:18 AM PST

2011/02/08 · 08:18

The New York Times gives us these stunning numbers:

Teaching creationism in public schools has consistently been ruled unconstitutional in federal courts, but according to a national survey of more than 900 public high school biology teachers, it continues to flourish in the nation’s classrooms.

Researchers found that only 28 percent of biology teachers consistently follow the recommendations of the National Research Council to describe straightforwardly the evidence for evolution and explain the ways in which it is a unifying theme in all of biology. At the other extreme, 13 percent explicitly advocate creationism, and spend at least an hour of class time presenting it in a positive light.

That leaves what the authors call "the cautious 60 percent," who avoid controversy by endorsing neither evolution nor its unscientific alternatives. In various ways, they compromise.

Poll

119 votes Show Results

If you were a biology teacher, you would:

119 votes Vote Now!

If you were a biology teacher, you would:

Teach evolution and ignore creationism completely

57 votes

Teach evolution and discuss creationism while reinforcing the difference between faith and science

38 votes

Treat both evolution and creationism as equally valid

2 votes

Teach creationism and discuss evolution as "merely a theory"

7 votes

Teach creationism, ignore evolution

1 vote

Throw pies at creationists

14 votes

It looks like James O'Keefe has a new target: Planned Parenthood.

KroneckerD

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Friday January 28, 2011 · 8:13 AM PST

2011/01/28 · 08:13

According to a report from TPM that's a few days old, Planned Parenthood offices in five states and D.C. have had an interesting visitor:

A man said he needed treatment for a sexually transmitted disease and then, once alone with a staff member, implied that he ran an interstate sex trafficking ring that involves minors and illegal immigrants.

Planned Parenthood believes that these visits are hoaxes, but has contacted both the FBI and Attorney General Eric Holder and asked them to investigate the claims.

Poll

128 votes Show Results

How does this one smell to you?

128 votes Vote Now!

How does this one smell to you?

Smells like grade A Breitbart-style bullshit.

93 votes

I don't know - it could be for real.

2 votes

Oh geez, not this shit again.

30 votes

Smells like a freshly-baked pie

3 votes

There's no need to get excited over Obama's earmark announcement.

KroneckerD

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Wednesday January 26, 2011 · 6:48 AM PST

2011/01/26 · 06:48

In last night's State of the Union Address, President Obama covered a lot of topics. There will be plenty of analysis and parsing of everything he said over the next few days/weeks on this site, and I've already noticed a bunch of people getting upset over a simple throwaway line in the SOTU speech:

And because the American people deserve to know that special interests aren't larding up legislation with pet projects, both parties in Congress should know this: If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it. I will veto it.

OMG he's gonna veto any bill with earmarks!!!!! PANIC!!!!

Not so much.

Poll

72 votes Show Results

Are you bothered by Obama's earmark remarks?

72 votes Vote Now!

Are you bothered by Obama's earmark remarks?

Yes. He should have defended earmarks.

2 votes

Yes. He's legitimizing a Republican idea.

9 votes

Meh. It's a throwaway line anyway.

13 votes

No. I like that fact that he pissed off Boehner.

12 votes

No. I think it was a smart move politically.

21 votes

No. I don't like the earmarking process in general.

8 votes

As long as he doesn't veto pie, we're cool.

7 votes

If you know anyone who's not vaccinating their children...

KroneckerD

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 13, 2010 · 8:57 AM PDT

2010/09/13 · 08:57

...out of a misguided fear of thimerosal-induced autism, please send them this article:

No link found between vaccine mercury and autism

It's a report of an extensive CDC study entitled "Prenatal and Infant Exposure to Thimerosal From Vaccines and Immunoglobulins and Risk of Autism" which has been published in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatrics today.

Poll

76 votes Show Results

Do you know anyone who refuses to vaccinate their children?

76 votes Vote Now!

Do you know anyone who refuses to vaccinate their children?

Yes, they're very convinced that vaccines are dangerous.

39 votes

Yes, but they're just misguided and a little knowledge might sway them.

5 votes

No, but I know people who are nervous about vaccines.

19 votes

No, everyone I know is comfortable with vaccinating their children.

11 votes

Everyone I know is vaccinated against Pielio.

2 votes

I'm not proud of this American export

KroneckerD

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday August 30, 2010 · 6:39 AM PDT

2010/08/30 · 06:39

The demonstrators appeared one day in December, just as children at an elementary school for ethnic Koreans were cleaning up for lunch. The group of about a dozen Japanese men gathered in front of the school gate, using bullhorns to call the students cockroaches and Korean spies.

Yes, you read that correctly. A dozen fully-grown Japanese men gathered outside a Kyoto elementary school to shout racial slurs at Korean children. As this NYT report from yesterday shows, they're part of a right-wing Japanese organization called the "Citizens Group That Will Not Forgive Special Privileges for Koreans in Japan", better known by its Japanese abbreviation, the Zaitokukai. They are only one of many such groups in Japan - and more people are joining these groups every day.

KroneckerD

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday March 29, 2010 · 6:53 AM PDT

2010/03/29 · 06:53

The best investigative magazine in this country has published a report on Glenn Beck's favorite armed militia group, the Oath Keepers:

Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason

Oath Keepers is a little different from your run-of-the-mill right-wing militia groups in that it specifically courts soldiers and police:

There are scores of patriot groups, but what makes Oath Keepers unique is that its core membership consists of men and women in uniform, including soldiers, police, and veterans. At regular ceremonies in every state, members reaffirm their official oaths of service, pledging to protect the Constitution—but then they go a step further, vowing to disobey "unconstitutional" orders from what they view as an increasingly tyrannical government.

This is a great article and I suggest that you read it - MJ interviews several active-duty (and disabled) soldiers from the Oath Keepers as well as several members of the leadership of the organization.

Poll

147 votes Show Results

Oath Keepers is:

147 votes Vote Now!

Oath Keepers is:

An honorable group with a proud mission.

6 votes

Like most militia groups - a bunch of armed right-wingers who aren't nearly as honorable as their stated mission.

43 votes

A dangerous group made up of dangerously ignorant armed men.

70 votes

A bunch of pie-throwing fools.

5 votes

Pornography for Glenn Beck.

23 votes

RSS

How many teachers actually teach evolution?

It looks like James O'Keefe has a new target: Planned Parenthood.

There's no need to get excited over Obama's earmark announcement.

If you know anyone who's not vaccinating their children...

I'm not proud of this American export

Mother Jones looks at "The Oath Keepers"