Intelligent Design Theory: Science or Religion?

FLORIDA UPDATE

Quote:

Ben Stein weighs in on evolution fight
(BY MARC CAPUTO, Miami Herald, March 11, 2008)

Quote:

FLORIDA UPDATE
Hays says. ``There are problems with evolution. Have you ever seen a half-monkey, half human?''

only in the bible, and all the errors, omissions, and contradictions in the bible.

If we allow you to use the ark story, and boy do you use it, to dump the Bible you will be dumping all the good stuff as well.

It's interesting that these ID people can be so creative with their imagination about evolution (half human, half monkey) all while scientific evidence shows us why some conclusions were made concerning the human species/primates., but when it comes to the specifics of the bible, they are rigid in what they believe such as the 7,000 year old earth, the world flood, Noah's ark, all those miracles that happened - only in the bible, and all the errors, omissions, and contradictions in the bible.

Amusing, to say the least.

State and Grade
How the Fordham Foundation report graded evolution teaching in each state's science standards.
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Alabama F
Alaska D
Arizona B
Arkansas D
California A
Colorado B
Connecticut A
Delaware A
D.C. B
Florida F
Georgia F
Hawaii A
Idaho B
Illinois D
Indiana A
Iowa No grade
Kansas F-
Kentucky D
Louisiana C
Maine F
Maryland C
Mass. B
Michigan B
Minnesota B
Mississippi F
Missouri B
Montana B
Nebraska C
Nevada C
New Hamp. F
New Jersey A
New Mexico C
New York C
N. Carolina A
North Dakota F
Ohio F
Oklahoma F
Oregon B
Pennsylvania A
Rhode Island A
S. Carolina A
South Dakota B
Tennessee F
Texas C
Utah B
Vermont B
Virginia D
Washington B
West Virginia F
Wisconsin D
Wyoming F
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real life wrote:

wandeljw wrote:

FLORIDA UPDATE

Quote:

Grant To Train Teachers On New Math, Science Standards
(By Marc Valero, Highlands Today, March 9, 2008)

Chromosomes, DNA, strands, cell division - Hill-Gustat Middle School eighth-graders learned about genetics Tuesday after viewing an illustration and then an enlarged photo of a human genome.

"Everybody in this room started out as one cell at one point," science teacher Amy Bubb pointed out to the class.

She then asked her students to jot down the definition of mitosis or the process of cell division.

From genetics, the class then moved to evolution.

Bubb is one of nearly half of the state's teachers who will get trained on Florida's new science and math standards.

The U.S. Department of Education's Mathematics and Science Partnership program recently awarded Florida a $5.9 million federal grant for the training. The grant was issued to in a partnership program among the University of South Florida, the University of Florida and Florida State University.

The Heartland Educational Consortium, which is based in Lake Placid, will receive $100,000 for the first year.

Consortium Director Frank Gibbs described it as an "absolutely enormous undertaking."

Florida Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith said, "Florida's new world-class math and science standards are vital to the growth of bio-technical, aerospace and alternative energy industries in our state. These funds give our teachers the training they need to prepare our students to pursue education and careers in these areas."

The three-year program will be funded with an additional $8 million expected to be awarded in the second year and another $8 million after that.

For herself, Bubb was interested in seeing how evolution was going to be addressed in the new standards, which have fewer concepts for teachers to cover.

"I'm excited they are going to train us on that (new standards), so that will be interesting to see what they've got to say," she said.

Are Florida's teachers so ignorant that they cannot read the science standards for themselves, understand them, and develop lesson plans in accordance with them?

Teacher Bubb is 'interested to see how evolution will be addressed'.

Is it too much to simply ask her to read the standards?

The science standards have only been updated within the last month or so, in an arena of vast disagreement. If I was a teacher who was bound contractually to specific certification requirement, Id make sure I had it fully correct.

What are you doing promoting the Bible shpendi?

The first thing I'd do is read them for myself and not rely on being spoon fed the parts that someone else thought were important.

a Bic lighter in 15th century Italy could well get you burned at the stake.

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, a conservative research group populated with former officials of the Reagan and Bush Administrations and headed by Reagan's former assistant education secretary Chester Finn.

rap wrote-

Quote:

a Bic lighter in 15th century Italy could well get you burned at the stake.

Bagged you a Princess more like.

rl

Quote:

The first thing I'd do is read them for myself and not rely on being spoon fed the parts that someone else thought were important.

Who says that such is not being done? Reading for oneself and "APPLYING" are two quite different items entirely.

For herself, Bubb was interested in seeing how evolution was going to be addressed in the new standards

Grant To Train Teachers On New Math, Science Standards
(By Marc Valero, Highlands Today, March 9, 2008)

Chromosomes, DNA, strands, cell division - Hill-Gustat Middle School eighth-graders learned about genetics Tuesday after viewing an illustration and then an enlarged photo of a human genome.

"Everybody in this room started out as one cell at one point," science teacher Amy Bubb pointed out to the class.

She then asked her students to jot down the definition of mitosis or the process of cell division.

From genetics, the class then moved to evolution.

Bubb is one of nearly half of the state's teachers who will get trained on Florida's new science and math standards.





Florida Education Commissioner Eric J. Smith said, "Florida's new world-class math and science standards are vital to the growth of bio-technical, aerospace and alternative energy industries in our state. These funds give our teachers the training they need to prepare our students to pursue education and careers in these areas."


For herself, Bubb was interested in seeing how evolution was going to be addressed in the new standards, which have fewer concepts for teachers to cover.

"I'm excited they are going to train us on that (new standards), so that will be interesting to see what they've got to say," she said



Im including the larger part of the article and challenge you to show me where it can be assumed that she has not read the standards . Since her only quote has to do with the teachers involved in training her. Youve not talked with Ms Bubb and neither have I. However, Im probably correct in assuming that she, among the others involved, have read advance copies .

Your efforts at baseless criticism probably result from a shortcoming in critical thinking

No mon frier, this is once that I cannot agree with Twain, a Connecticut Yankee if he landed in Italy or Spain would have been swarmed, marched before the local Torquemada and probably burned alive.

http://www.flascience.org/wp/
Just cruising for a lawsuit
March 6th, 2008 by Brandon Haught
The St. Petersburg Times has a good post on its education blog about the creationism bills ("academic freedom act") filed in the state senate and house. The main question on the reporter's mind is: what problem are these bills supposed to address? The reporter correctly notes that it's the teachers who want to teach scientifically-accepted evolution who are feeling the pressure to downplay or even not teach the subject at all. Where are all the poor, oppressed teachers who want to teach something else? Honestly, I have no doubt there are plenty out there flying under the radar, especially in rural counties where their alternative views on science are essentially protected by the conservative community. Think of all those northern county school boards that issued anti-evolution resolutions. Setting that aside, though, where are all the persecuted teachers losing their jobs over their alternative views? Who will the proposed bills protect? Even the legislators who filed the bills have trouble answering that question.

I would encourage reporters to go a step further when digging into this issue. Note how Rep. Hays throws out an old canard about evolution having holes in it. Every scientific field/theory has holes in it. Heck, that's practically a defining characteristic of science itself. It's the never-ending pursuit of knowledge to fill in the holes. Will all the holes ever be filled? No. But that's what draws folks into the science field and keeps them busy. Once again we see evolution being singled out, which is a purposeful ploy to fool the general public. Joe and Jane Public don't need to know about all those other sciencey holes and stuff. They just need to know that there are holes in evolution. Ignore all the holes that have been filled over the years, folks. They mean nothing. I daresay that if you press Hays to come up with the details concerning some holes, he would say something silly, like there are no half creatures running around out there, so that means evolution is a crock. Oh, wait! He actually did say that!

"No one yet has found a half-animal of this or a half-insect of that," Hays continued. "And they certainly haven't found any half ape and half man." It's painfully obvious that Hays has no clue what he is talking about. Just stop and think for a moment. Human transportation certainly has changed over the years. So, by Hays' reasoning, we should see some half buggies and half Ferraris out there, right? Hays needs some education on things like transitional fossils. Or maybe he thinks these chimeras he demands science to produce should literally be something straight out of circus side show exhibits. In that case, I have no idea how to get through to someone so potentially reality-challenged.

Before attacking evolution on the political front, Hays, Storms and others should be required to take a simple evolution exam. Nothing too complicated is needed. Just some basic concepts called for in our brand new science standards, say from the middle school level. I don't expect our state legislators to be experts on every subject they deal with there at the state capital, but I do expect them to do some basic research and educate themselves on the subjects. This is especially important when the legislator is the one filing the doggone bill!

The St. Petersburg Times blog post focuses on the teacher aspect. But let's not forget that students are addressed in the bill, too. "Public school students in the state's K-12 school system may be evaluated based upon their understanding of course materials, but may not be penalized in any way because he or she subscribes to a particular position or view regarding biological or chemical evolution." A good question to ask here is what happens when a student fills in an exam question concerning evolution with: "I do not believe in evolution and based on that belief refuse to answer this question." Or how about if the student goes the hard core route: "According to such-n-such verse of such-n-such chapter of the Bible, God specially created man." The teacher then marks these answer as wrong and the student gets no credit and possibly fails the exam. Is the student being penalized? Can the teacher then be disciplined or even sued based on this bill?

Does this sound like academic freedom to you? It sounds much more like freedom from education to me. These bills are nothing more than the setup to an expensive lawsuit.