Sent to me via one of my students (we discussed the Scopes trial last week), this NYT editorial has some perhaps-surprising poll numbers about Americans and evolution. Apparently, 48% of Americans – including our crusading President – believe in creationism (although I would like to see how the question is worded.) Reminds me of middle school back in the day, when I was one of three students in my 30-person history class that believed in evolution. Yes, Virginia, things are different outside of BosWash.
Month: March 2003
New Money Blues (and Reds?)
Only 5 years after introducing the Bighead Jackson, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will introduce a new $20 bill in three weeks. And, though the word is mum at the moment, apparently the bill in question will not be green! That’s quite a change after two centuries of greenbacks…we’ll have to create all new metaphors for money. Hmmm…I wonder if the new bill will also get rid of this tasteless 9-11 folding trick.
Smaug Awakens 12.19.06
The site’s getting killed at the moment, but at some point this fan-made teaser for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit is definitely worth checking out. Brought a smile to my face. In loosely related news, the second Animatrix trailer is also up – not half as intriguing as the first installment, but worth a look if you’re at all into anime (which, frankly, I’m not).
We’re So Frelling Screwed.
With only three episodes left before its untimely cancellation, Harvey returned to Farscape Friday night in “We’re So Screwed: Part I: Fetal Attraction.” Sigh…a la Twin Peaks, the “best science-fiction show on TV” (TV Guide) is now clearly building up to a huge cliffhanger which will never get resolved. So, just because I haven’t said it here recently, I still really hope Sci-Fi suffers heavy karmic retribution for their decision to renege on their 2-year deal with Farscape, beginning with lousy ratings for Children of Dune (which I probably would have watched had it not been for Farscape‘s cancellation – and yes, if you tuned in to Taken, you’re part of the problem) and ending with the demise of the network. A show that replaces ‘Scape with schlock like John Edward, the Dream Team, and Tremors: The Series has no business being patronized by the fanboy/fangirl nation.
Bugs not Bombs.
Ethel the Blog recently posted this old article reaffirming the fact that GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is a freak show. Worth perusing on the eve of an Iraq war, as DeLay calls Dems the “appeasement party”, is this choice nugget – DeLay on Vietnam: “He and Quayle, DeLay explained to the assembled media in New Orleans, were victims of an unusual phenomenon back in the days of the undeclared Southeast Asian war. So many minority youths had volunteered for the well-paying military positions to escape poverty and the ghetto that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself.“
Paging Theodore Rex.
The Old World will burn in the fires of Industry…and yet, concerned about GOP vulnerability in the suburbs, Frank Luntz is now advocating a kindler, gentler environmental message for Republican candidates, including Orwellian substitutions of “conservationist” and “climate change” for “environmentalist” and “global warming” respectively. Well, dang, now that they put it like that, I feel much more at ease about the GOP cutting down trees and drilling up Alaska.
California Gold Rush.
In the Democratic race to lock up Golden State backing for 2004, John Kerry’s leading in the (still-hesitant) money department while – surprisingly – Howard Dean (also doing well in Iowa) has locked up some key Hollywood endorsements, including Rob Reiner and President Bartlett. Meanwhile, Florida Senator Bob Graham joins the fun and swells the field to nine. Despite the late start by Graham, his entry probably means bad news for John Edwards.