Idiocy and global warming

Unfortunately I live in Longmont. Well, not because I live here, but because of some of the teaching. From Pharyngula comes this tip. And the original article. I seem to remember from my experience in debate and judicial proceedings within my denomination that not all evidence is equally credible. But the students seem not to have been taught such by the teacher responsible for their learning.

ABC's and McCain

Thoughts from Kansas has a good post on the McCain debacle while being asked about the transmission of AIDS and condoms. Simply put the promotion of ABC's

Abstinence,
Be faithful to your partner, and
Condoms

is the most effective way of preventing the spread of any and all STD's.

McCain stumped.

This is just plain scary. A presidential candidate who has several children is unable to come up with whether or not condoms help stop the spread of HIV - McCain was unable to answer this question. This should be basic knowledge for every child approaching puberty. I cannot believe that any adult would be unable to state that condoms help prevent the spread of STD's, especially one that is running for a major public office. So let me mention this again - I don't believe in sexual activity outside of a life-long commitment, but until both of you have been tested for STD's use a condom. Condoms, properly used, help slow the spread of the HIV virus and other sexually transmitted diseases. If you can't wait, then be careful.

Genetic cleansing

Sounds like an old story made new once again. Genetic cleansing - this time not for Jews - for homosexuality. A religious leader, Rev. R. Albert Mohler, is calling for people to change the sexual orientation of their child within the womb. It really does seem a stretch to call a predisposition a sin. And to try to change it in the womb? Hmm. If I remember by biology and zoology correctly - it's been awhile - the species which are more monogamous have smaller testes in the male, perhaps we could help out with the sin of adultery by shrinking the testes of males in the womb?

Practicing pickups.

It's not just humans that go out to pick up a mate in pairs. I suspect almost everyone has gone to the bars or some other place with a buddy. And there's good reason to do so. From Science, "It pays to be the wingman".

Sexual Conversion Therapy

Sexual Conversion Therapy edited by Shidlo, Schroeder and Drescher is a collection of articles on Reparative and similar therapies. It gives a scientific perspective on both the religious and psychological programs. One of the major problems with all reparative therapies is the lack of clinical studies. While there are many anecdotal accounts of cures and clear evidence that for some those attempts to change were harmful, there are no clear evidences of change that happens as part of clinical or religious therapies. There is evidence that some people change in sexual orientation through their life-time, but this is not the same thing is clear evidence that any of these programs can bring about such change.

This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is worthy of careful reading and thought.

P.S.
A final note from one of the articles...

"I don't for a moment doubt that Irving Bieber regarded me with affection and
wanted only the best for me. Unfortunately, and tragically, that does not
alter the dominant reality that his intended good did me in fact literally
irreparable harm"

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. And I don't doubt for a moment the sincerity of many in the change movements, but it's not just whether someone wants to change their sexual orientation that is important. More important is will they be harmed by the attempt to change especially when the success rate - even with the most positive of reports - is so low and with that possibility of harm should something with a low success rate be attempted?

I'm not getting tested.

I saw this at fundies say the darndest things.

"I'm not getting tested for anything at this point. My boyfriend and I have both prayed seprately and together, asking God to free us from any pregnancy right now. If I were to take a pregnancy test, I would be doubting God and that to me
is wrong."
IwishIknew, Faith Community Network

Guess why I'm in favor of sex ed that goes beyond abstinence only? If you're having sex, prayers alone won't keep you from getting pregnant. As in God will answer every prayer, but that doesn't mean that the answer is what you're praying for.

Scientist?

How does one tell a scientist from a non-scientist. Well a degree isn't enough. There a pleny of people who have degrees in science, but just aren't scientists. A scientist actually does research and publishes it. And by research I mean looking for what is happening in the natural world, examining the experiments to see if there are false reading or happenings that can be misconstrued andmore. But one doesn't just take a degree in a scientific field and become an authority on all things scientific. For a nice little rant about this from a medical doctor go to Respectful Insolence.

Creationism's Trojan Horse by Forrest and Gross

Barbara Forrest was one of the experts at the trial over evolution Katzmiller vs. Dover. This book which traces the rise of Intelligent Design was one of the reasons. Alone this would have been enough to show that Intelligent Design is creationism dressed up, but with the documents produced for the trial the relationship between creationism and Intelligent Design was shown beyond a shadow of a doubt. The fact that school board members from Dover lied under oath would have been enough, but this book shows the rest of the story.

Galileo's Birthday

One of the people upon whose work the greats of today stand was born today. Happy Birthday Galileo!

Young Earth Creationism

A young earth creationist is getting his Ph.D. and I think I was right to be disturbed. But as Uncertain Principles makes clear the degree is about completing the requirements and he has done that. Actually working as a scientist is the next step and publishing papers in peer-reviewed journals, presenting concepts and possible theories that are falsifiable and more are the next steps. I'm not sure where this case will go from here. We'll have to wait and see. But if he's done the work he should get the Ph.D. A degree, using the products of science, doesn't make one an actual scientist. A scientist does a bit more. And one of the things is looking at the facts rather than twisting them to suit some pre-conceived beliefs.

P.S. and I know all of us at times do twist the facts to suit our beliefs, but the attitude we have should be of looking for the truth no matter where it leads rather than looking at what we believe and cherry-picking only the facts that support our beliefs.

Parenting - it's not about gender

Pam's House Blend alerted me to another study, in the continuing trend of actual academic studies, that points out gay, lesbian couples make perfectly good parents. Wait for the load of something or other trying to explain away this study.

Intelligent Design - deceptions o.k.

At Stranger Fruit there are some pertinent comments about someone who lied his way through graduate school to get credentials. I guess I just don't get the idea that anything is more important than being true to self. I spent a number of years denying my sexual orientation, but I was lying to myself at the same time as others. Knowingly going in and lying about your beliefs. Well that just seems to be the game of scammers. Pharyngula has some information and there's also an article in the New York Times. The thing that puzzles me is why would you claim to follow the One who is the Truth and say something different from what you believe to be the truth? I don't get it.

Homeopathy and quackery.

Respectful Insolence pointed towards another scientific review of homeopathy. While there's a certain case that can be made for homeopathy being better for people than medical cures at the time of origin, that has long since changed. Double blind studies, revew of patient files rather than anecdotal evidence and more shows the homeopathy just doesn't work. It's popular, but as more than one mother has said, "Would you jump over a cliff because your friends are doing so?" Evidently more than one person would. But that doesn't change the fact that homeopathy just doesn't work. This isn't the only study showing that, just one of the latest.

Haggard and the ilk

Haggard seems to believe he's cured after three weeks of counseling. I suspect that he's in denial. If one is paying for sex and using crystal meth, then there is addictive behavior. No one in their right mind thinks that solving those problems happens in a couple of months. I certainly respect the sincerity of Haggard and the people who claim he's cured. I just think they're deluding themselves. Have they done any physical tests - e.g. brain wave activity or blood flow during arousal? - they're are a number of ways to test whether or not change has happened. But I suspect none of the tests have been used.

I sorrow for Haggard and his delusions, but even more for his wife and family. The problems he's experiencing won't go away until he figures out that he's either homosexual or bisexual. Someone who pays for sex with a person of the same gender just isn't straight.

Science Week

A number of science related blogs are trying to spend this week only posting about science. Some of them are at scienceblogs.com. While I do appreciate the work of many science blogs in exposing charlatans and fakes, it is also interesting to read about what they are working on and what is being discovered.

Biological Exuberance by Bruce Bagemihl

Biological Exuberance is not a book I just pick up and read straight through. It is too dense for something like that. And it is a collection of evidence rather than a novel. However it clearly shows that homosexuality or same sex sexual activities is not just a cross-cultural happening but crosses species. Saying homosexuality can be cured is going against the evidence. Homosexuality is clearly a part of the natural world.

Gay animals

One of the less than accurate misrepresentations about homosexuality is that it is against nature. Since many animals have been observed in same-sex sexual activity - armers and ranchers have known for years to put the bull in with the cows when then start mounting each other - it seems a bit ridiculous to call so prevalent an activity as unnatural. Well, for those who want to know more, here's a web site about gay animals.

Science, Magic and Psychics

James Randi and a psychic together - lots of room for talking past each other. Dispatches from the Culture Wars has the transcript and an analysis. Frankly I don't want to know the future. I don't want to anticipate the bad things and want to be surprised by the good. Yet even more than that I have a distaste for those who prey on people worrying about and missing those who have died. It really is strange (or more than that pointed) that this psychic can't find out where the million dollars is that Randi has set aside for anyone who can meet his challenge.

War on Science

From Crooks and Liars comes an article about an evangelical war on science. While I might quibble that not evangelicals have an antipathy to actual science or make what they believe the Bible says as being more accurate on science than actual science, still the point is valid. Checkout the artile