151
Adam Tjaavk
Complexity
02/07/2005 05:28:00
Self-Organization, Complexity, & the Origin of
Life |Austin Cline |About:Agnosticism/Atheism
One of the most common arguments used by creationists against
evolution is that it is "impossible" for complexity or novelty
to come about without the direction of some outside intelligence
directing the entire process. This isn't true - it's known to
happen not only in biology, but also elsewhere in some very
familiar circumstances.
http://atheism.about.com/b/a/179790.htm
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
152
Adam Tjaavk
Schools Confront Science of Life Debate
07/07/2005 12:17:00
Schools Confront Science of Life Debate
Ben Feller |AP/WWRN
http://wwrn.org/article.php?idd=17734&con=4&sec=43
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
153
Adam Tjaavk
Evolution & the Catholic faith
09/07/2005 19:34:00
Evolution & the Catholic faith
Leading Cardinal Redefines Church's View on
Evolution |Cornelia Dean & Laurie Goodstein
New York Times
An influential cardinal in the Roman Catholic
Church, which has long been regarded as an ally
of the theory of evolution, is now suggesting
that belief in evolution as accepted by science
today may be incompatible with Catholic faith
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/09/science/09cardinal.html
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
154
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Tulsa Zoo creationism
09/07/2005 22:04:00
Tulsa Officials Reverse
Decision On Zoo Creationist Exhibit
TULSA, Okla. -- A city board reversed
direction on Thursday and rejected plans
to add a creationist exhibit to the Tulsa Zoo.
http://story.oklahomastar.com/p.x/ct/9/cid/84aeba5
e9b6e1230/id/975f5eeb4f8011b1/
=
http://tinyurl.com/athvl
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
155
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Tulsa Zoo creationism
10/07/2005 14:27:00
It's All Happening at the Tulsa Zoo
New York Times Editorial
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/10/opinion/10sun2.html
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
156
blackshadowcouk
Club should stay
10/07/2005 16:59:00
Goole - Howden – Thorne Courier July 7 2005
Viewpoint - (Letters page)
Club should stay
Thorne Youth Club will close this month and the building will be
demolished.
The reason is that the Emmanuel School's Foundation (formally
Vardy Foundation) insists that the club is removed from its site when
Thorne Grammar School closes in July to be replaced by Trinity
Academy.
There is adequate space for the youth club to stay.
It could be fenced off and remain independent of the academy site but
must go to satisfy the sponsors.
Doncaster Lea hoped to re-site the youth club in the old Thorne Health
Centre which is due to be replaced by a new building on Fieldside. The
new building, however has been delayed.
Despite being aware of this for at least a year Doncaster LEA has done
little to find an alternative premises.
Finally, this week it suggested the use of two temporary classrooms at
the bottom of Church Balk until Christmas 2006.
These would offer totally inadequate accomadation at the site which
already has parking problems which would cause unacceptable safety
hazards for the club members.
Shame on Doncaster LEA and the Emmanuel Schools Trust for caring so
little for the young people of Thorne.
If the Emmanuel Schools Foundation lives by its proclaimed Christian
ethos and cares about the young people of Thorne it should allow
Thorne Youth Club to stay.
Tony Brookes
Thorne/Moorends Town Councillor
Fieldside
Thorne.
157
Adam Tjaavk
One Longsome Argument
11/07/2005 12:09:00
One Longsome Argument
Dennis Trumble
Skeptical Inquirer
By any objective measure, the evolution
of species ranks among the most successful
scientific theories ever. So why is the
message not getting through?
http://www.csicop.org/si/2005-03/evolution.html
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
158
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Evolution & the Catholic faith
13/07/2005 14:10:00
Re: Evolution & the Catholic faith
Questions for Pope on Evolution Stance
Cornelia Dean |New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/13/national/13pope.html
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
159
blackshadowmeuk
Evil Harry Potter day cancelled
16/07/2005 00:33:00
'Evil' Harry Potter day cancelled
A primary school cancelled a Harry Potter day over complaints it
could lead children into "areas of evil".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/4682519.stm
160
blackshadowcouk
Site Update
17/07/2005 13:48:00
Update,
I have managed to reorganise all the information on Black Shadow &
Creationism into one website, which I have uploaded to Creationism.
Black Shadow has been taken out of service, although it will
continue to contain a link to Creationism for some time.
There is still a problem with lack of content on the new site, but I
had been holding off adding further material until I had decided a
better structure. The main problem has been that any additional
pages (or name changes) to the first 3 levels have to be
incorporated into all the pages – i.e. the whole lot has to be
replaced. Now I have deeper levels I will restrict any page
additions or heading changes to these. Changes to the upper levels
will be few & far between.
Any updates will be posted here so that new information can be
accessed without having to trawl through the whole site.
Alan.
161
blackshadowcouk
Update No 1 (17 Jul 05)
17/07/2005 23:58:00
Update No 1 (17 Jul 05)
Reposting this as original seems to have vanished into thin air.
New page at Intoduction – Uk Schools – Trinity Academy –
Miscellaneous – Photos (Souvenir)
A Souvenir of
THORNE GRAMMAR SCHOOL
1705 – 2005
From the Goole – Howden – Thorne Courier (14 Jul 05)
Website states -
Anyone who listened to either The Vardy Foundation (now the Emmanuel
School's Foundation) or Doncaster council, could have be forgiven
for believing that the children in Thorne didn't even have a
school to go to; so complete was their over the top hyping-up of the
new school & simultaneous hysterical denigration of the existing
one.
Okay, Thorne Grammar School may have had a few problems but these
were steadily being addressed and there was no excuse for bad-
mouthing it into the ground. In fact, it has had a long & proud
past, recently highlighted by a 4-page pullout in the Goole –
Howden – Thorne Courier in recognition of its imminent closure.
I have split this into 8 bits & reproduced it here. Click on the
thumbnails for a larger image.
Have also uploaded these to the Photos section of the forum.
Alan.
162
blackshadowcouk
Update 1 (continued)
18/07/2005 00:07:00
Sorry, the URL is:
http://www.creationism.co.uk/html/photos.html
164
Adam Tjaavk
Chinese elephants
18/07/2005 13:09:00
Poaching making China
elephants evolve tuskless
Reuters |Wired News
http://news.lycos.com/wired/story.asp?section=Science&storyId=1064483
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
165
blackshadowcouk
Update 2 (18 Jul 05)
18/07/2005 23:57:00
Update 2 (18 Jul 05)
UK Schools – Trinity Academy – Trinity Press Reports –
Record Results
http://www.creationism.co.uk/html/trinity_press_reports.html
From the: Goole - Howden - Thorne Courier (14 Jul 04)
Thorne Grammar celebrates record results.
By Stephanie Bateman
Record results in maths and science have been recorded at Thorne
Grammar School.
KS3 tests are taken by all students nationally in May each year,
they represent a progress check before the step to GCSE courses in
September.
This year 63 per cent (science) and 74 per cent (maths) of students
have achieved the government's L5+ benchmark for students at the
end of Year 9.
Director of Science Gillian Bennett said: "This fantastic
achievement is the result of hard work from students & staff."
Director of mathematics Susan Grace added "Our statutory target
was 69 per cent and we wanted our last year as Thorne Grammar School
to end on a high."
"With 74 per cent of students achieving a L5+ and 45 per cent
achieving a L6+ we have certainly achieved that."
Thorne Grammar's headteacher for its 75th and final year is Doug
Blackledge, he said: "Many of the students who have just achieved
this success have done so with the support not only of their
teachers but also their tutors and year leaders."
"We must not forget too that many of the students who didn't
quite manage the L5 benchmark did make good progress and achieved a
level that was in line with their personal best. They should be as
pleased with that as I am."
Commenting on the school's closure and transition to Trinity
Academy this year, he added:"Thorne Grammar School will be
remembered with great affection by very many people in this
community, and rightly so."
"Time moves on though and we must now look to the future at the
academy. I believe that the building is ahead of schedule and the
final plans for how the new school will operate are nearing
completion."
"I'm excited by the prospect of seeing the whole community
benefit from this wonderful opportunity, I only hope that we are all
able to make the most of it."
Comment
Remember everyone, this is the same school that we were being
mislead into believing by the government, council & supporters of
the then Vardy Foundation (now the Emmanuel School's Foundation),
was so far beyond help that it justified pulling it down.
This reprehensible & demoralising denigration of a school seems to
fit into a pattern first established at King's Academy & repeated
at Thorne, then Northcliffe. Teachers in Coventry should be aware of
this – because they are next.
166
Adam Tjaavk
Fighting back
21/07/2005 09:56:00
Fighting back
Classroom Evolution's
Grass-Roots Defender
Virginian Group Sees
Threat To Darwinist Teaching
Peter Slevin |Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic
le/2005/07/19/AR2005071901868.html
=
http://tinyurl.com/8g4wx
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
167
blackshadowcouk
City adademy would have Christian ethos Jun 24 2005
22/07/2005 20:22:00
City adademy would have Christian ethos Jun 24 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15662796%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/bryba
Christian multi-millionaire BobEdmiston could be the sponsor of a
pioneering city academy at Woodway Park School. PoliticalEditor
FIONA SCOTT talks to his right-hand man about the project
The multi-millionaire Christian evangelist who wants to sponsor
Coventry's first city academy does not want it to be registered as a
faith-based school.
Bob Edmiston's right-hand man in charge of the academy project,
Steve Chase, explained yesterday how the school would operate.
He said it would be open to anyone, of any faith "or even no faith"
but be based on a "Christian ethos" with Christian values and
principles.
He said: "They are probably more towards the values society
generally would want children to have anyway - honesty, integrity,
work ethic, caring, concern for others, a sense of social
responsibility, good behaviour, respect for others, tolerance, all
those sorts of things."
The school will teach creationism as well as Darwin's theory of
evolution, in the "appropriate lessons" and it would teach children
about other religious faiths, he said.
Mr Chase said: "What we've said is we will teach evolution - because
it is a theory still, unless someone has found the missing link and
proofs to put it to bed once and for all - and creationism, in the
appropriate subjects.
"Certainly evolution is usually taught in science and creationism is
usually in RE, but that would not exclude a closer look at
comparative theories of the origins of the world in either subject."
Mr Edmiston is the sponsor who wants to put £2 million into
Woodway Park School in Coventry to turn it into one of the
government's city academies. If it goes ahead, the government will
invest another £25 million, which will give the school a new
building.
Mr Edmiston made a fortune building up the IM Group, which imports
Subarus and Daihatsu cars, and was listed as the 123rd richest man
in last year's Sunday Times rich list.
He also founded charity Christian Vision, which has a network of
Christian radio stations around the world, broadcasting to South
America, India, Africa, China and Indonesia.
Asked to define creationism, Mr Chase said: "If you ask 20 people
you'll get 20 different answers. It will range from extreme dogma -
and this won't
just be Christian, but quite a few religions - (which) say God
created and that's that. He did it in six days and then had a day
off.
"That's the Christian version. Many faiths have slightly different
slants on that. Many faiths believe in a creator.
"At the other extreme, even within faith circles, would be it was
creation through evolution.
"In the end, none of it is proved conclusively. It's Darwin's
theory, isn't it? The theory of evolution. It has various different
interpretations of that. I wouldn't want to say, myself. They are
not mutually exclusive necessarily."
168
blackshadowcouk
City academies a step closer to reality Jun 29 2005
22/07/2005 20:59:00
City academies a step closer to reality Jun 29 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15679284%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/88whr
By Lucy Lynch
Controversial moves to create two Tony Blair's city academies in
Coventry have moved a step closer.
After a meeting yesterday, the city council will now tell the
government it wants to replace Woodway Park School in Wigston Road,
Woodway Park, with a city academy run by Christian millionaire Bob
Edmiston.
The cabinet meeting also agreed that councillors would support
telling the government they want to merge Sidney Stringer School and
Barrs Hill School in a single city academy once a sponsor has been
found.
And they agreed to have a consultation exercise on both proposals in
September and October.
If the schools become city academies, they would be rebuilt with
£25 to £30 million of government funds and £2 million from a
sponsor, who would have a substantial say in the running of the
school. They would be independent from the city council.
Some of the councillors at the meeting are against the idea, fearing
that sponsors with strong Christian views would impose their faith
on pupils.
Cllr Dave Nellist (Soc, St Michaels) said: "This is far more
dangerous than faith schools. Forty per cent of the academy sponsors
are Christian and they are all fundamental-ist Christians.
"There is the question of other academies teaching creationism on a
par with evolution which is going back to the middle ages.
"If I won the lottery would I be able to open an academy on Marxist
principles?" Cllr Derek Benefield (Lib Dem, Stoke) said: "I am
concerned that the government is playing politics without children."
Cllr John Blundell (Con, Wainbody), Coventry City Council's cabinet
member for children's services, said: "This is the beginning of the
process and not the end and there will be opportunity for a full
exploration of the issue." He was confident Woodway Park sponsor Mr
Edmiston would continue to run the school with input from Coventry
City Council and wouldn't impose his religious views on pupils.
He asked people who were worried to look at the website for Grace
Academy, a city academy in Solihull sponsored by Mr Edmiston and due
to open in September. ..SUPL:
169
blackshadowcouk
Vote will decide academies plan
22/07/2005 21:04:00
Vote will decide academies plan Jun 21 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15650944%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/7fww6
By Lucy Lynch
Councillors are to vote on whether to give the go-ahead for two city
academies in Coventry.
The Evening Telegraph last week revealed plans to replace Woodway
Park School in Wigston Road, Woodway Park, Coventry, with a city
academy run by a millionaire Christian businessman.
Under the proposals, Barr's Hill and Sidney Stringer secondary
schools would be merged, creating a single city academy as part of
the Swanswell development.
Members of Coventry City Council's cabinet will meet next Tuesday to
talk about the academies.
They are expected to vote in favour of telling the government they
want to press ahead with the two city academies.
They are also expected to approve a consultation exercise on both
proposals during September and October.
A report written for the meeting by head of children's services
finance Chris West says that both schools need rebuilding and that
waiting for Government funds from the Building Schools for the
Future scheme wouldn't result in any new schools until 2013.
The report says: "Academies offer an opportunity to begin to make
significant improvements in the educational environment for children
in advance of building schools for the future."
The sponsor for Woodway Park School is evangelist businessman Bob
Edmiston. A sponsor has not yet been found the for the Barr's Hill
and Sidney Stringer project.
The government recently announced a target of 200 new city
academies, which are independent of local councils.
A sponsor provides £2 million of the cost with the government
picking up the rest of the tab of up to £30 million. The sponsor
then appoints the majority of the governors and has a substantial
say in how the school is run.
170
blackshadowcouk
School governor raps academy bid
22/07/2005 21:09:00
School governor raps academy bid Jun 29 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15685069%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/8vaoj
By Lucy Lynch
A governor at one of the schools which could be converted into a
city academy has hit out at the plans.
Rob Windsor, governor of Sidney Stringer Community Technology
College in Cox Street, Hillfields, Coventry, who is also a socialist
city councillor for the St Michaels ward of the city, said he
was "shocked" and "concerned" by the proposals. These are to replace
Sidney Stringer and Barrs Hill School, in nearby Radford Road, with
a single city academy in the planned Swanswell development, and to
turn Woodway Park, in Wigston Road, Walsgrave, into a city academy
run by Christian millionaire businessman Bob Edmiston.
City councillors agreed at a meeting this week they would support
the Woodway Park plan and also support the merger between Sidney
Stringer and Barrs Hill once a sponsor is found.
City academies are independent from local authorities, answering to
the government and to a sponsor.
The sponsor typically contributes £2 million of the £25million
to £30 million cost and has a substantial say in how the school is
run.
But Cllr Windsor said: "I was shocked to hear that the school where
I am a governor, Sidney Stringer, is to be considered as one of Tony
Blair's and Ruth Kelly's city academies."
He claimed the pooling of resources between Sidney Stringer and
Barrs Hill schools had been used as "a Trojan Horse" in the academy
plans.
But he added: "The biggest issue is allowing religious
fundamentalist entrepreneurs to buy into state education and
manipulate the curriculum to meet their various fundamentalist
beliefs."
He said a Parliamentary select committee was already looking at how
city academies work, based partly on an inspection of the Unity
Academy in Middles-borough, which was recently deemed to
be "failing" by Ofsted.
City council education bosses say an academy is the quickest and
best way to new school buildings, particularly as waiting for other
government funds will not result in any new school buildings for
Coventry until 2012 at the earliest.
171
blackshadowcouk
Labour''s Tom hits out at academies
22/07/2005 21:31:00
Labour's Tom hits out at academies Jul 13 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15731685%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/7fnzt
By Fiona Scott, Political Editor
LABOUR councillor Tom Ruddy rebelled against his own group over the
issue of Coventry City Council courting private sponsors for
schools.
Last night, his party backed the ruling Conservatives in a vote to
go ahead with consultation over creating two city academies out of
three secondary schools in Coventry.
But Cllr Ruddy, who represents Henley ward, joined an unsuccessful
attempt to stop the whole process in its tracks, voting with Liberal
Democrats, Independents and Socialist leader Dave Nellist.
Afterwards, Cllr Ruddy, , who did not speak in the debate, said he
was against the principle of city academies, in which sponsors pay
£2 million and the Government around £25 million for new
buildings.
Sponsors get to elect the majority of school governors, can appoint
the head and teachers, and do not have to follow the national
curriculum
He said: "Effectively, you'd have no control."
Multi-millionaire Christian evangelical businessman Bob Edmiston is
prepared to put up the £2 million required to turn Woodway Park
School into a city academy.
Another mystery sponsor is talking to the council about backing a
new city academy to replace Barrs Hill and Sidney Stringer Schools.
Liberal Democrats, seconded by Independents, put up the rebel
motion.
LibDem Cllr Russell Field said: "Of particular concern is the
possibility that a sponsor with a strong religious agenda could turn
a state school into a religious school, which pupils within the
catchment area would have little choice but to attend.
"This totally contradicts a parental choice agenda.
"The concept of academies has yet to be proven and the Government's
increasing pressure to force local authorities into setting them up
is gambling with our children's future."
Independent Cllr Kate Hunter (Radford), an ex-Labour Party member,
said: "It's obvious when Tony Blair said: ' Education, education,
education' he meant 'private education, private education, private
education'."
Socialist leader Dave Nellist challenged Conservatives: "You people
run businesses. Are you telling me you'd give control of a company
to someone who owned only eight per cent of the shares?
"Or that if we win two more seats in the next (local) elections, we
will get control of the council - of course not!"
Conservative cabinet member for children's services John Blundell
said it was right to go ahead with consultation and people could
raise concerns then.
He said it would be wrong to dismiss out of hand a way of getting
new school buildings for city.
172
blackshadowcouk
I quit over city academy plan
22/07/2005 21:36:00
I quit over city academy plan Jul 15 2005
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=
15741011%26method=full%26siteid=50003-name_page.html
http://tinyurl.com/cnyj5
By Fiona Scott
FORMER Lord Mayor Dave Edwards has resigned from the Labour Party in
disgust over its support for city academies.
A lifelong party member for 52 years, he is now preparing to oppose
the plans to bring two of Tony Blair's £25 million city academies
to Coventry.
The ex-boxer and rugby player said: "I really feel like bloody
crying - and I'm a great, big 70-year-old bloke.
"All these years I've spent on the doorstep arguing the case for
Labour - I was even a parliamentary candidate once."
He is a former education committee chairman for Coventry City
Council who campaigned in the 60s to bring comprehensive education
to the city. He opposes the principle of city academies, where rich
sponsors get control of local authority schools for a donation of
£2 million.
An atheist, he also worries about the Christian fundamentalist
background of super-rich businessman Bob Edmiston who wants to
sponsor Coventry's first city academy at Woodway Park School.
Mr Edwards said: "He's a fundamentalist, and fundamentalism is a big
issue as far as I'm concerned. Fundamentalism is causing all sorts
of disasters all over the world."
The final straw for him came when Labour councillors refused to
oppose plans for two city academies in Coventry - because it was in
Labour's General Election manifesto.
Mr Edwards said: "It wasn't discussed, as far as I know. It's never
been debated within the party - it was sort of inserted without
discussion.
"I said to them then 'I can't stand this any more'." He believes the
religious element is being imported from America.
He said: "I think Bush and Blair are very close in their religious
beliefs and I think the whole world of education is being shifted on
to a new agenda adapted from Bush's agenda in America." Mr Edwards'
wife Tamar left the Labour Party last year. She introduced him to
the party when they were teenage sweethearts.
Her parents Tom and Lil Davis were founder members of the Labour
Party in Bedworth.
173
Max Wurr
Who is this...?
24/07/2005 06:14:00
http://www.finalfrontier.org.uk/
Are they evil? Do we need to destroy them?
As an emissary of Satan (snicker) I suggest that we should. And pickle
their blood too. Or something.
Max
174
Adam Tjaavk
Team strip
25/07/2005 12:20:00
Butterfly unlocks evolution secret
Julianna Kettlewell |BBC News
Why one species branches into two is a
question that has haunted evolutionary
biologists since Darwin
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4708459.stm
_____________________________
octoTerpsichorean impetus >8<
purveyor of pointers to the
perspicacious & preposterous
175
blackshadowcouk
Update - Academy tour for Schools Minister
30/07/2005 00:32:00
UK Schools – Trinity Academy – Trinity Press Reports -
Academy Tour.
From the Goole Times (28 Jul 05)
Academy tour for Schools Minister
Schools Minister Andrew Adonis has given his full backing and praise
to Thorne and Moorends' new academy following a visit to the
school which opens in eight weeks.
Lord Adonis toured the three-story building and met senior teachers
and education officials. Escorted by principle Ian Brew and David
Vardy, project director of the Emmanuel School's Foundation, the
sponsor of the academy, Lord Adonis was shown the lecture hall,
restaurants, staff room, science laboratories and classrooms in the
£24 million building.
Lord Adonis commented: "This is clearly going to be a fantastic
Academy. There is clearly a palpable sense of excitement and
enthusiasm in this community."
He added: "Thorne has undergone social transformation. It's
had a very tough time in the past so it is absolutely right and
appropriate that it should be at the forefront of investment for
excellence in education."
End.
There is an enclosed photo, which I have uploaded along with the
article, to the photos section.
If I can find the time before Tuesday, then I intend to reply to
this.
176
George Jelliss
Re: Who is this...?
30/07/2005 20:33:00
--- In BlackShadow@yahoogroups.com, "Max Wurr" <mail@m...> wrote:
> http://www.finalfrontier.org.uk/
>
> Are they evil? Do we need to destroy them?
>
> As an emissary of Satan (snicker) I suggest that we should. And
pickle
> their blood too. Or something.
>
> Max
Some of the things they say on that site are quite hilarious!
The Moon is made of different elements from the Earth?
Their arithmetic explaining the population growth from 8 people
to 6 million in 4400 years!
It makes you wonder if it's all a spoof.
But surely no sane person could sustain it.
177
Richard
Re: Re: Who is this...?
30/07/2005 20:45:00
bgcolor="#ffffff"
"If the Universe is billions of years old, there should not be any space dust." I'm convinced...
Richard
->
----- Original Message -----
From: George Jelliss
To: BlackShadow@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 8:33 PM
Subject: [BlackShadow] Re: Who is this...?
--- In BlackShadow@yahoogroups.com, "Max Wurr" <mail@m...> wrote:
> http://www.finalfrontier.org.uk/
>
> Are they evil? Do we need to destroy them?
>
> As an emissary of Satan (snicker) I suggest that we should. And
pickle
> their blood too. Or something.
>
> Max
Some of the things they say on that site are quite hilarious!
The Moon is made of different elements from the Earth?
Their arithmetic explaining the population growth from 8 people
to 6 million in 4400 years!
It makes you wonder if it's all a spoof.
But surely no sane person could sustain it.
178
Richard
London Underground protection
30/07/2005 20:49:00
bgcolor="#ffffff"
Has anyone thought of simply hanging a bag of pork scratchings in each carriage?
Richard
179
Adam Tjaavk
Texas schools Bible course dispute
01/08/2005 12:40:00
Texas schools Bible course dispute
Bible Course Becomes a Test
for Public Schools in Texas
Ralph Blumenthal &
Barbara Novovitch
New York Times
HOUSTON, July 31 - When the school board
in Odessa, the West Texas oil town, voted
unanimously in April to add an elective
Bible study course to the 2006 high school
curriculum, some parents dropped to their
knees in prayerful thanks that God would
be returned to the classroom, while others
assailed it as an effort to instill relig-
ious training in the public schools.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/01/education/01bible.html
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Adam Tjaavk
ID or Darwinian evolution
01/08/2005 13:26:00
Dr Stephen Meyer of the Discovery Institute
& TV naturalist Sir David Attenborough on the
teaching in schools of Darwinian evolution.
Today |BBC Radio 4 | 8m 31s
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/
today4_darwinian_20050801.ram
=
http://tinyurl.com/aezwo
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181
Adam Tjaavk
Bush approves ID in schools
02/08/2005 13:50:00
Intelligent Design
Gets Bush's Nod
Schools should discuss that explanation of the
origin of life along with evolution, he says
AP, Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/features/religion/la-na-int
elligent2aug02,1,5303075.story
=
http://tinyurl.com/8btg2
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182
Adam Tjaavk
Christian fundamentalist schooling
02/08/2005 19:10:00
Christian fundamentalist ideas
in the classroom raise eyebrows
Frederick Studemann
Financial Times
http://tinyurl.com/93j8r
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183
blackshadowcouk
Update - letter to editor.
03/08/2005 00:03:00
Update. UK Schools – Trinity Academy – Goole Times.
In reply to the article in last weeks Goole Times, "Academy tour
for schools minister", I have e-mailed them the following reply,
which should be printed.
Sir,
I wish to comment on last week's article: Academy tour for
Schools Minister.
Although the new Thorne academy is undeniably an asset to the area,
there is nevertheless a great deal of controversy surrounding the
academies program.
For example, academies are expensive & for every two built, you
could build three conventional schools. This is considered by many
to be a gratuitous waste of taxpayer's money.
There is also concern over the policy of allowing private sponsors
to run them, whom it is claimed will bring in extra expertise,
especially from business.
However, just because many of the sponsors are successful in their
chosen speciality does not mean they are going to be equally
successful in others areas such as education.
Furthermore, many of the sponsors are attempting to impose their
personal religious beliefs on the schoolchildren in their schools
and it is wrong that the state should be funding this
indoctrination.
For example, the Emmanuel Schools Foundation has been embroiled in
controversy over the teaching of creationism. They are for example,
recruiting employees based on their religious beliefs (which is
discrimination), encouraging pupils to have unnecessarily negative
views about homosexuality & frightening them with the threat of hell-
fire.
Not only are state schools being handed over to fundamentalists, but
many are also being converted into religiously segregated, faith-
based academies. In a society polarising along religious lines, this
is extremely undesirable.
The government say they wish to see a speedy implementation of the
academies program because many schools are failing. However, they
have had two full terms in office to tackle this problem & their
response now, smacks of crisis management.
They were in charge & they should take responsibility for their own
failures rather than blaming them on everyone else as they are now
doing.
As the Academy program unfolds, so the reports of problems grow. All
the hype & expensive buildings cannot mask the fact it has been
badly researched & is socially divisive. Of all the ways they could
have invested money in education – this was probably one of the
worst.
Alan.
There is a lot more I could say on this subject, but there is a
limit of 350 words.
184
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
03/08/2005 14:08:00
Bush Remarks On 'Intelligent
Design' Theory Fuel Debate
Peter Baker & Peter Slevin
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic
le/2005/08/02/AR2005080201686.html
=
http://tinyurl.com/8b2sh
Inspiration for Doubters of Darwin
Bush appears to give moral support to the
'intelligent design' camp by again backing
public schools' teaching of an alternative
to evolution |Johanna Neuman |LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-
na-creation3aug03,0,3586432.story
=
http://tinyurl.com/adv48
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185
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
04/08/2005 14:50:00
Unintelligent
Editorial
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion
/editorials/articles/2005/08/04/unintelligent/
=
http://tinyurl.com/9bxyd
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186
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
04/08/2005 16:03:00
A Question For The President
Carl Zimmer |Corante
http://www.corante.com/loom/archives/2005/08/02/a_
question_for_the_president.php
=
http://tinyurl.com/cysts
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187
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
04/08/2005 20:55:00
Bush Remarks Roil Debate
on Teaching of Evolution
Elisabeth Bumiller
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/03/politics/03bush.html
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blackshadowcouk
Interesting CADPAG article
04/08/2005 22:28:00
Transferring this across from CADPAG so I can pick it up with FURL.
10th September 2004
To all concerned people and parents in the Doncaster area, Last year
Kings School opened in Middlesborough, two of its pupils were my
nephew and niece.My opinions on these "faith" schools are based on
the experiences of my sister and her children. Consultation with
parents about the changes were kept to an absolute minimum. The
school required a very expensive uniform, including items that could
only be purchased from school, and an extensive sports kit. My
sister applied for assistance with the costs of this new uniform but
the LEA were only able to provide a minimum grant of £30 for each
child. The actual uniform complete would have cost over £200 for
each child. This is surely an unaceptable burden for large families
or parents in reciept of benefits. The LEA said that technically
Kings was a private school and not under their control. The uniform
is enforced rigidly, meaning children of parents unable to afford
this huge cost are punished because their parents cannot afford to
buy the complete uniform. Children of secondary school age also grow
more rapidly than at any other time of their lives, so this is not a
one-off payment but a continuing burden. These schools are also
deliberately placed in relatively poor areas of high unemployment.
The parents were initially told that the teaching in the school
would be "broadly christian", which is very far from the truth. They
take an extreme position regarding not only creationism, but the
literal truth of the bible that is far more extreme than most
british churches. My nephew, then 12, was told that he must believe
in the literal truth of the noah's ark story. He had declared this
to be nonsense that all species of creatures on earth could be
placed aboard one ship, because the size of the ship required, also
the food required to feed all those animals and birds. Nevertheless,
the teacher insisted that he believe and because he refused to do so
was given a detention. His mother contacted the school and put her
point of view that this was unreasonable, and she refused to allow
her son to be punished for his rational attitude towards this myth.
The class teacher, obviously felt that this had undermined his
dicipline, continued to victimise him at every opportunity possible,
even encouraging boys to bully him. He was denied permission to get
essential medication for diabetes and given a detention
for "interrupting the class" by putting up his hand to ask to leave
the classroom to do this. The school did not deal with the bullying
at all. He was repeatedly given detentions for trivial issues, even
three detentions for failing to do detention when he was not at
school following a vicious assault by other pupils, which remained
unpunished, despite the school knowing the identitiy of the bullies.
The impression received by my sister was that because he refused to
accept the school's literal interpretation of christian doctrine,
this was a greater misdemeanour than vicious bullying. It is a
chilling thought that 12 year olds can be punished for "thought
crime" in this day and age. The schoolchildren are subjected to
extreme dicipline, the corridors are full of silent children walking
in single file, which is almost eerie. While not denying that more
dicipline in schools is needed, brainwashing children is definitely
not the way to go. The new schools are depersonalising glass
constructions, with the resonance of fans set at a frequency to
induce suceptibility to ideas. There are closed circuit cameras even
in the toilets and showers. My niece wes not using the toilet all
day because of these cameras invading her privacy. Shades of 1984,
Big Brother is here in our schools, and I'm not talking about the TV
programme. There are issues also, because parents still have the
right under British law to remove children from RE and from parts of
assemblies containing Christian worship. The "broadly christian"
teaching here is not limited to RE and assembly though, encroaching
on English, Science and Humanities subjects. What is being practiced
here is definitely indoctrination of our children, sponsored by the
British taxpayer. Blair backs this because he too is an evangelical
christian. This aspect of the religious teaching was not explained
to parents, when a previously good school with high standards,
providing quality education, was taken over, merged with a poor
comprehensive and handed over to Christian extremists. It is also of
concern that these developments are taking place in "poor" areas
with high unemployment, to minimise the protests of parents.
Needless to say my sister removed both her children after a few
weeks and they spent months at home while the LEA found them a new
school. It was difficult because a lot of other parents had done the
same, especially parents from ethnic minorities, virtually all the
Sikh children were removed from the school within weeks because of
problems with the "broadly Christian" teaching. So the school now
does not represent the community, sowing the seeds of religious and
racial disharmony in the future. I urge you all to campaign
vigourously against this insidious indoctrination of our children by
minority Christian extremists, supported by the Government at the
expense of the British taxpayer. Yours faithfully, Joyce Howarth
Bradford, West Yorkshire
189
blackshadowcouk
When ministers trash your life''s work
04/08/2005 23:22:00
When ministers trash your life's work
Francis Beckett
Monday 13th June 2005
In justifying its new city academies, the government loves to dwell
on the perceived failure of ordinary state schools. Now outraged
teachers are hitting back. By Francis Beckett
http://www.newstatesman.com/People/200506130019
190
Adam Tjaavk
Design for Confusion
05/08/2005 11:03:00
Design for Confusion
Paul Krugman
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/opinion/05krugman.html
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Adam Tjaavk
Darwin & Design
05/08/2005 11:09:00
Darwin and Design:
The Flawed Origins of a Critique
Paula Bourges-Waldegg
Butterflies & Wheels
Some silly myths about scientists
are put under the microscope.
http://www.butterfliesandwheels.com/articleprint.php?num=141
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Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
06/08/2005 12:38:00
Faith vs evidence
Editorial
Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-
ed-darwin6aug06,0,6571234.story
=
http://tinyurl.com/dj5fu
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193
Adam Tjaavk
Academy fears
07/08/2005 10:36:00
City schools could be
front for evangelists
Fears grow over
fundamentalism in new academies
Gaby Hinsliff |The Observer
Almost half the Government's planned new
flagship city schools are sponsored by
religious organisations, prompting fears
that the programme could become a
'Trojan horse' for radical evangelicals.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,6903,1544166,00.html
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194
Adam Tjaavk
God & Evolution
08/08/2005 18:06:00
Can You Believe in God and Evolution?
Four experts with very different views
weigh in on the underlying question.
Compiler: David Van Biema |Time
Francis Collins, Steven Pinker,
Michael Behe, Albert Mohler
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1090921,00.html
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195
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
09/08/2005 12:08:00
God vs Darwin: no contest
Cathy Young |Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion
/oped/articles/2005/08/08/god_vs_darwin_no_contest/
=
http://tinyurl.com/b9sbn
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196
blackshadowcouk
Talk Reason updates.
10/08/2005 00:30:00
(1)
Why Are Scientists Confident that Complex Biological Systems Evolved
Gradually?
By Jason Rosenhouse
http://www.talkreason.org/articles/Three.cfm
Proponents of ID argue that the action of an unspecified designer
provides a better explanation than evolution for the origin of
complex biological systems. They're wrong.
(2)
Should We "Teach the Controversy"?
By Jason Rosenhouse
http://www.talkreason.org/articles/One.cfm
A columnist for a Kansas newspaper challenged evolutionists to
provide a reason for excluding ID from high school science classes.
This essay meets that challenge.
197
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
10/08/2005 13:11:00
Bush pushes very hot button
President's comments embolden anti-evolutionists
Joe Garofoli |San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2
005/08/08/MNGU5E4JUH1.DTL
=
http://tinyurl.com/bb4g8
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198
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
11/08/2005 09:32:00
Did God turn monkeys into men?
Damien Henderson |The Herald
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/44774.html
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Adam Tjaavk
Kansas moves backward
11/08/2005 15:12:00
Kansas moves to stem role
of evolution in teaching
Carey Gillam |Reuters, Yahoo!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050811/pl_nm/life_evolution_dc
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200
Adam Tjaavk
Re: Bush approves ID in schools
12/08/2005 02:48:00
The Politics of Ignorance
Sam Harris |Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/sam-
harris/the-politics-of-ignorance_5053.html
=
http://tinyurl.com/byemz
Coming Out Against Religious Mania
Richard Dawkins |Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/rich
ard-dawkins/coming-out-against-religi_5137.html
=
http://tinyurl.com/84ynu
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