Dr. Eugenie Scott & Sunday M.A.S.S.

The UM Chapter of Sigma Xi is hosting another Science Café, this time with the Director of the National Center for Science Education, Dr. Eugenie C. Scott.

Dr. Scott is recognized nationally as an expert on the controversy of teaching creationism in public classrooms. and served as a science and education consultant in the federal "Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District" case in 2005.

For those who defend the teaching of the science of Biological Evolution in science classrooms and oppose the teaching of Intelligent Design Creationism as if it were science, Dr. Scott is nothing short of a national celebrity.

If you have any interest in this topic, you will most certainly want to cancel whatever plans you had for Monday night, get a baby sitter if necessary, and get yourself to the Press Box upstairs seating area (not just the back room) well before the 6:30 start time to get a good seat.

Please spread the word and invite all of your friends to this important event.

Note: The UM Chapter of Sigma Xi is entirely responsible for organizing and hosting this event.


Also, don't forget that Sunday M.A.S.S. is this weekend, May 1st, at 10am at the Stone of Accord on North Reserve in the Meeting Room. If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll show you the way.

Your Inner Fish

Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, will be speaking at the University Theater at 8pm tonight.

Neil is best known as one of the discoverers in 2004 of the fossil that revealed a missing link in evolution between fish and land animals. He will discuss his 2008 book, Your Inner Fish, which tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth.

The event is free and open to the public.

Some members of the Missoula Area Secular Society will be meeting at about 6:45 at Food For Thought for dinner and then walking over to the theater at about 7:30. You are invited to join them, if you wish.

M.A.S.S. Discovers "HMS Beagle" (The Drink)

Thanks to those M.A.S.S. members who came out tonight to help celebrate the 200th Birthday of Charles Darwin. The turnout was a little light (probably due, in part, to the late notice), but we had a good time anyway. The excuses given by some for not attending (ranging from children's recitals to studying for an organic chemistry exam) were all good and would have been approved by Charles himself.

We had a fun discussion on whether or not an interbreeding population of non-microscopic organisms could ever diverge into two distinct species. A potential scenario or two were suggested, but since none of the attendees were willing to claim expertise in the subject, the topic went unresolved.

We then migrated to the pool table and were eventually down to just Dan, Nick, and I plugging our quarters into the table playing "Survival of the Fittest" (aka "Cutthroat"). About that time a group of people sat down at a table near us and told the server they wanted to invent a drink named "The Beagle" in honor of Charles Darwin's Birthday. I searched for and quickly found an inopportune moment to butt into their conversation and ask if I heard right (which I did).

We ended up talking a few times and it turns out that one of them is actually a member of the M.A.S.S. Facebook group (Amy, I think?). I suggested their drink should actually be named "The HMS Beagle" which they didn't object to, and we talked more about the drink's evolutionary history.

Apparently, it's original form was part Captain Morgan's Rum, and part Liquid Ice. However, like any good drink honoring the discoverer of Natural Selection, it immedietly began to mutate and evolve. The particular mutation I tried included pinapple juice (very sweet, but good). The final verdict, as I understood, was that the drink's base pair is Captain Morgan's and Liquid Ice, but should then be selectively bred with other concoctions to fit your particular taste.

Maybe on November 24th (the 150th anniversary of the publication of "On The Origin of Species") we'll discover a Blue Footed Booby drink. I hear that it makes the drinker amusingly clumsy yet fills men with an overwhelming desire to do elaborate dances involving stomping their feet, looking at the sky, stretching their arms out, and flaunting their feet to the nearest female. Women who partake of the drink are said to find this behavior highly arousing..., or so I hear.

Happy Birthday Charles Darwin!

Charles Darwin turns 200 years old on Thursday, which seems like as good a reason as any to gather for drinks and dialog.

Who: You!
When: Thursday, Feb 12th, 7:00pm
Where: The Chicken Lounge (122 W. Alder. Go in the front or back door of Double Front Chicken, then go downstairs. If you go in the front door, walk part way through the dining room and the door to the stairs will be on your right. If you go in the back door, you can't miss the stairs.)
Why: To celebrate the birth of one of the most important scientists in history.

If you're new and not sure who to look for, Jon will be wearing his "DARWIN08" Campaign T-Shirt.

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Missoulian Letter to the Editor

There's a wonderful letter to the editor in last Friday's Missoulian that I just noticed. What's even better is that (now that the Missoulian has finally enabled people to post comments on the website) all the comments (so far) to the letter are generally positive (by my standards). Since the Missoulian doesn't like to keep "news" around for more than a day or two, I'll post the full text of the letter and the responses as of today below to keep for posterity.

In 2005, a Bush-appointed judge brought the “intelligent design” movement to a halt - yet another case lost by creationists. Decidedly not an activist judge, John Jones wrote, “(t)his case came to us as the result of the activism of an ill-informed faction on the (Dover, Pa.) school board.”

“ ... (P)roponents of ID make a bedrock assumption which is utterly false ... that evolutionary theory is antithetical to ... religion.” On the contrary, “evolution represents good science, is overwhelmingly accepted by the scientific community, and ... it in no way conflicts with ... the existence of a divine creator.” (Google Kitzmiller v. Dover for the complete text.)

Unwilling to make themselves knowledgeable about why the board’s actions were unconstitutional, good Christians sent death threats instead. Turning Christian against Christian, Pat Robertson tells Dover: “If there is a disaster in your area, don’t turn to God. You just rejected him from your city.”
Thoroughly contrived, fundamentalists maintain the debate by distortion and compulsory ignorance of what evolution is, or is not. And the Dover school district paid a huge price for it ($1 million). Yet, the ignorance doesn’t have to be.

One can begin with Humes’ “Monkey Girl,” a well-written overview of the Dover trial. But, additionally, this year is the 150th publication anniversary of Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” and the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth. The first edition of “Origin” is a great read.

I have read the Bible; you read “Origin.” If that is too intimidating, read Quammen’s “The Reluctant Mr. Darwin.” Even this month’s Scientific American is dedicated entirely to evolution: past, present and future.

Making one’s self better informed about the inanity of this endless debate - which has less to do with God than faulty ideology - may require some reading outside the box. But, after all, can more Dovers be the answer?

W. Bennington, Polson

Vrede wrote on Jan 9, 2009 9:00 AM:

" Darwinists argue that species evolve through the natural selection of populations with advantageous mutations.

Alternatively, creationists claim that some species could only have arisen through "intelligent design." This is the 'God is a Practical Joker Theory,' since she/he left so much evidence supporting natural evolution.

I agree that any opinion, no matter how lacking in evidence, should be presented in science classes. So, I demand that my own 'Theory of Stupid Design' be taught in our schools.

Evolution would never have led to the arrival of a species that destroys its own habitat, wrecks the climate and threatens mass extinction through nuclear irradiation. This contradicts evolution's tendency towards survival and would have already led to all species' elimination.

Further, "intelligent design" could not have resulted in humanity selecting as our leaders George Bush, Pat Robertson and some of the nation’s school boards. Nor could "intelligent design" have led to the most powerful nation on earth believing that, after 1,000 years of failure, a white, Christian occupation of Iraq would work this time.

It's just common sense to realize that our planetary situation could only arise if someone really dumb were calling the shots. It's too far-fetched to be an accident. "

Lucky wrote on Jan 9, 2009 9:24 AM:

" Nice try W., but you don't really expect the whackos to actually read books do you? As to your question "...can more Dovers be the answer?". It looks like the answer is a resounding Yes. Oklahoma is trying to pass the "Scientific Education and Academic Freedom Act", designed to address "scientific controversies" like evolution and Mississippi wants another stupid textbook sticker. And of course there is also the Louisiana "Academic Freedom Act" which Bobby Jindal signed into law. So,I don't really see a lot of progress since Dover.

I would also add to your list "Evolution: What the Fossils Say & Why It Matters" by Don Prothero. To everybody else: Please gather all your friends, seek out and attend local Darwin Day (Feb. 12) events. At least try to get some facts before making stupid remarks. Vigilance! "

Mulligan wrote on Jan 9, 2009 4:55 PM:

" Amen, W. The "good" Christians don't practice what they preach very often. Instead of turning the other cheek, they'd rather kill those who disagree.

I like Vrede's Theory of Stupid Design, too. That would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

I'd add that people could Google Richard Dawkin's website and find out quite a bit about evolution science. "

Gene Johnson wrote on Jan 10, 2009 11:58 AM:

" Here's another easy-to-read thin book as an introduction: WHY DARWIN MATTERS: THE CASE AGAINST INTELLIGENT DESIGN by Michael Shermer (2006).

Lucky, I agree about getting more public awareness of the Feb 12 Darwin Day. In Oregon a skeptic group makes quite an educational day of it.

I would like to see several communities (certainly Polson) have monthly discussion get-togethers on this and related topics. And then occasional larger combined meetings for interested people. There are a lot of people in Montana who think like Mr. Bennington - but very few speak out or write letters. Too bad. By default, religion just goes on and on and on. Daniel Dennett's book, BREAKING THE SPELL, gives a compelling explanation of why religion sustains so well - great book...but not one theists would enjoy. It would make a fantastic "book club" discussion. Anyone interested? "

Way to go letter writer and commenters. The last writer makes a note of upcoming Darwin Day and refrences an Oregon Skeptic Group. He might be interested in learning that the local Missoula Skeptic Group is planning just such an event. Stay tuned, I'll link from here to anything I hear about it.

Evolution Day Drinks and Dialog

On November 24th, 1859, Charles Darwin first published "The Origin of Species" introducing to the world the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. For this reason, November 24th is now known as "Evolution Day".

2008 marks the 149th anniversary of this historic event. Since it actually falls on a Monday this year, the Missoula Area Secular Society will observe Evolution Day on Sunday afternoon. Come on out to Sean Kelly's (all ages welcome) for drinks and dialog about Evolution & Science & anything else of interest to M.A.S.S.ers who attend.


When: Sunday, November 23rd, 4:00pm

Where: Sean Kelly's, somewhere in the back.

If you're not sure who to look for, Dan will have his Watson Bobblehead prominently displayed on our table, and Jon will likely be (yes, again) wearing his "Darwin 08" campaign t-shirt.

RSVP if you'd like on the facebook group event, or post a comment here, or just show up prepared to meet some unsuperstitious, yet amazingly friendly people. Our facebook group recently gained it's 50th Member, so we're anticipating a wonderful turnout. See you there!

"Left in the West" comments on UC court case.

Jay Stevens, a Missoula blogger for Left in the West and 4&20 Blackbirds posted some short commentary on a recent court ruling regarding the University of California and their right to reject some high school credit from private religious schools that don't meet UC's standards for acceptance. In case any readers here missed Jay's post, I thought I'd send them on over to read it.

... So Goes The Nation

It appears that the hearings to "update" the science curriculum in Texas have begun, and the cards have been pre-stacked in favor of the anti-science Intelligent Design Creationism agenda.

If you don't think this affects you or any of the children in your life way up here in Montana, think again. Text book publishers don't want to spend more money than necessary creating multiple versions of text books, opting instead to cater to the lowest common denominator of state education requirements. Texas is large buyer of K-12 textbooks and is working hard right now to lower the bar for the rest of us. "As Texas goes..."