Dec. 09, 2005 > [Original Message] From: What's New <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: 12/9/2005 9:15:21 PM Subject: [BOBPARKS-WHATSNEW] What's New Friday December 9, 2005
WHAT'S NEW Robert L. Park Friday, 9 Dec 05 Washington, DC 1. REPORT CARDS: A LOT OF CHILDREN ARE GOING TO BE LEFT BEHIND. On Wednesday, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a report on science standards for K-12 set by 49 states, "The State of State Science Standards." Iowa, which doesn't set standards for any subject, was left out. The report was authored by Paul Gross with help from a panel of distinguished science educators. Predictably, evolution got particular attention. A year ago, with Barbara Forrest, Gross examined the "intelligent design" movement in Creationism's Trojan Horse (Oxford, 2004). Only seven states got an A, and almost half flunked. Kansas achieved special distinction with the only F-. Ironically, the report suggests the No Child Left Behind law contributed to the low science scores by requiring testing only in reading and math. 2. CLIMATE CHANGE: THERE ARE NO ESKIMOS IN CRAWFORD, TEXAS. There are, however, Eskimos in Washington, DC this week, where on Wednesday, they filed a petition against the United States with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The Eskimo culture is dependent on sea ice, which is shrinking. Perhaps they will subpoena 4 senators (3 Republican) who visited Barrow, AK last year http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN05/wn081905.html . According to a NY Times story from the Montreal Climate Change Conference, the Bush Administration remains steadfastly opposed, not only to new goals for reduction of greenhouse emissions, but also to any informal discussions that might even touch on the subject. The Canadian Prime Minister, Paul Martin, singled out the U.S. for failing to join in the world effort to limit CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) has a bill to spend $10M to study weather modification. Someone should explain that we're modifying the weather right now. 3. SPACE LIMITS: NASA CHIEF CITES "DAUNTING FISCAL REALITIES." At a meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Tuesday, Michael Griffin said, "We must acknowledge the plain fact that we cannot do everything that was on our plate when I assumed office." We noticed that. So far, the solution has been to cut out the science. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency, unsure that the U.S. Shuttle will ever fly again, and unwilling to wait for a Crew Exploration Vehicle that won't fly before 2012, is thinking of investing in the Russian "Clipper." What they would do if they got to the ISS isn't clear. 4. KANSAS: MYTHBUSTING HAS NEVER BEEN A VERY SAFE OCCUPATION. Last Friday, WN noted that a course at the University of Kansas, "Special Topics in Religion: Intelligent Design, Creationism and other Religious Mythologies," had been cancelled. Early Monday, Paul Mirecki, a religious-studies professor who was to teach the course, was stopped by two men on a rural road and beaten. THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the University of Maryland, but they should be. --- Archives of What's New can be found at http://www.bobpark.org What's New is moving to a different listserver and our subscription process has changed. To change your subscription status please visit this link: http://listserv.umd.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=bobparks-whatsnew&A=1
