Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin wants creationism taught in science classes.

In a 2006 gubernatorial debate, the soon-to-be governor of Alaska said of evolution and creation education, “Teach both. You know, don’t be afraid of education. Healthy debate is so important, and it’s so valuable in our schools. I am a proponent of teaching both.”

Asked by the Anchorage Daily News whether she believed in evolution, Palin declined to answer, but said that “I don’t think there should be a prohibition against debate if it comes up in class.”

“I’m not going to pretend I know how all this came to be,” she said.

The battle between evolution and creationism—specifically, Christian creationism—in U.S. classrooms dates back to the 1925 Scopes trial, when a Tennessee court banned the teaching of evolution. Since then, state and federal courts have repeatedly rejected so-called creation science in public schools, calling it religion rather than science.

The latest courtroom defeat came in the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover case, when the superficially religion-neutral theory of intelligent design was classified as religious creationism. The Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that teaching creationism violated the separation of church and state.

Nevertheless, pro-creationism education initiatives driven by Christian conservatives have flourished, and defenders of evolution—and, more broadly, scientific integrity—worry that Palin’s pick will give momentum to this church-over-state push.

Source: sayanythingblog.com

Well… I guess Mrs. Palin means something like this:

Source: www.familyguyfiles.com

written by Gazpachor

A two-headed baby boy, born to a poverty-stricken Bangladeshi family, died just two days after birth when his parents couldn’t afford desperately needed medical care.

The baby, named Kiron, died at home late last night after developing a fever and breathing problems, pediatrician KS Alam told Agence-France Press.

His cash-strapped parents, over the objection of doctors, brought the boy home instead of leaving him in the hospital because of their financial woes.

The infant, delivered Monday by Cesarean section, drew more than 150,000 gawkers to the clinic where he was treated following the delivery in the southwest Bangladesh town of Keshobpur.

Police were needed to control the crowds.

The 12-pound, 1-ounce newborn was transferred to a nearby hospital, and doctors advised Kiron’s parents to bring him to the capital of Dhaka for treatment at a hospital there.

"We wanted to refer him to a hospital in Dhaka but the family was so poor that they could not afford to take him there, so they took him home where he died," Alam said.

"It was a very unusual case. The boy had one body but two complete heads."

Source: www.nydailynews.com

written by Gazpachor

The two parallelograms that form the upper part of the tables are exactly same size!. It´s a so powerful illusion that it´s almost impossible we perceive them like equal, even knowing that they are.

Can be checked they are equal, rotating them with an image editor and place one over the another

Awesome!

Roger Shepard is the psychologist who thought up this illusion and published it in his book Mind Siguts (1990).

                                                                      Source: www.microsiervos.com

written by Gazpachor

"Intel has had a little chat about the future of the computing and robotics at the recent IDF event, and has come out with some alarming facts.

The firm predicts in just over 40 years machines may have the reasoning power of humans, though stopped short of saying they will become our masters and we will be forced to do their bidding.

"The industry has taken much greater strides than anyone ever imagined 40 years ago," said Justin Rattner, CTO of Intel said.

"There is speculation that we may be approaching an inflection point where the rate of technology advancements is accelerating at an exponential rate, and machines could even overtake humans in their ability to reason, in the not so distant future." More…

Source: www.techradar.com

My friends, be careful with photocopiers!!!

written by Gazpachor

"Anyone who has walked barefoot across a parking lot on a hot summer day knows that blacktop is exceptionally good at soaking up the sun’s warmth. Now, a research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has found a way to use that heat-soaking property for an alternative energy source. Through asphalt, the researchers are developing a solar collector that could turn roads and parking lots into ubiquitous—and inexpensive–sources of electricity and hot water. The research project, which was undertaken at the request of Michael Hulen, president of Novotech Inc. in Acton, Mass, which holds a patent on the concept of using the heat absorbed by pavements, is being directed by Rajib Mallick, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. On Monday, Aug. 18, 2008, team member Bao-Liang Chen, a PhD candidate at WPI, will present the results of research aimed at evaluating the potential for transforming stretches of asphalt into a cost-effective energy source at the annual symposium of the International Society for Asphalt Pavements in Zurich, Switzerland. The study looks not only at how well asphalt can collect solar energy, but at the best way to construct roads and parking lots to maximize their heat-absorbing qualities". More…

Source: www.wpi.edu

written by Gazpachor