Daily Archives: April 21, 2017

The Dallas Morning News has a piece on the latest round in the battle over evolution education in Texas a hearing Tuesday in Austin I participated in. The articles reporting was better than some, but still a mixed bag.

Heres my quick take on the goings on, and on the Dallas Morning News story.

The Texas State Board of Education heard testimony over proposed changes to the states curriculum standards for public high school evolution education. I testified along with CSC Fellows Ray Bohlin and Walter Bradley. We were three of about 26 who did, though probably no more than half of these were focused on the evolution issue. Each of us spoke for a couple minutes, and then answered any questions put to us from the board.

The Texas governor had earlier instructed the board to streamline the state curriculum standards. A committee tasked with suggesting cuts and clarifications for the biology standards recommended deleting various parts that called on biology classes to evaluate evolutionary theory instead of simply memorizing its claims and the evidence for it.

This committee argued that there wasnt time to evaluate evolutionary theory, and besides, that kind of critical thinking about evolution isnt developmentally appropriate. We disagreed.

Tuesday was the third round in the tug-of-war. The first round was last fall. The second round was early this year.

Dont Push the Mystery into the Shadows

We assured the board that there were age-appropriate ways for teachers to get their students to wrestle with some of the peer-reviewed scientific evidence against evolution, and that they could do so without taking weeks and weeks. They can open a door to the sort of mysteries that the scientists wrestled with at the Royal Society meeting last year. And no, the ninth-grade biology classes dont have to go through the door and on a weeks-long journey for it to be educationally valuable. Just knowing the doorway is there; just knowing there exists a realm where origins scientists grapple with some big unsolved mysteries thats enough.

While I was at the hearings, I met the Dallas Morning News reporter assigned to cover the event, Eva-Marie Ayala. She had the challenging task of boiling down to a few hundred words the parade of speeches pro and con, along with the Q&A among board members and testifiers.

She rightly underscored the controversy over a single word in the biology standards. One of the standards, 6a, calls on biology classes to evaluate theories about the origin of DNA. And a majority of the biology committee recommended changing the word evaluate to identify. In my testimony I urged the board not to adopt the word identify, but to go with evaluate or some similarly strong term.

When you identify a theory, you merely regurgitate information about it. Theres a place for that, of course. But when you evaluate you critically analyze. Thats a skill essential to doing good science.

Also, we want to make sure high school biology teachers have some cover from the state curriculum standards for critically analyzing evolutionary theory. As the movies Expelledand Icons of Evolution showed, biology teachers brave enough to question Darwinism can use all the cover they can get from enforcers of evolutionary orthodoxy.

Ayala accurately quoted from my testimony. I appreciate that. But one part of her reporting that I think leaves a poor sense of the hearings is where she makes the clash sound like something out of Inherit the Wind. She does so with her lead sentence, and then a bit later she has this:

The standards say students should evaluate certain scientific explanations in the biological processes. But critics say that kind of language comes from those pushing creationism because it opens the door to allow questioning of scientific explanations.

The board voted in February to scale back language that would have required students to consider all sides of evolution science. But some say the compromise still includes wording along the lines of investigate or examine that could encourage creationism.

Of the more than two dozen people who testified, I think only two leveled this charge. It wasnt a primary point of discussion. Also, the CSC position is against pushing for intelligent design in public school science classes, and certainly not for creationism. Just expose students to the peer-reviewed scientific material underscoring some of the glaring weaknesses in evolution, and let students critically analyze. Yes, we want this because we are convinced that modern evolutionary theory is bankrupt. But we also support this approach because its good science education.

My friend Ide Trotter (pictured above), a chemical engineer with a PhD from Princeton University, had this to say in a letter he submitted to the Dallas Morning News:

Twenty-nine individuals were registered to testify, I among them. Twenty-six did testify. In contrast with previous Board meetings on this topic, only two focused on the long discredited argument that it is all about creationism vs. evolution. How in the world could that be your articles lead sentence?

SMUs Dr. Ron Wetherington, who chaired the panel that made the recommendations to be discussed, presented well-balanced opening remarks. Creationism was never mentioned. Nor did he suggest that the issue was denial of evolution.

Three areas came in for most of the testimony. Quite a bit was very helpful review and critique of the need for improved coordination of proposed TEKS, (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) for progressive levels of science instruction related to biology. This was uncontentious and understandably not exciting enough for your reporter to mention.

Thats not to say there were no contentions. There was serious discussion of the appropriateness of the term evaluate as employed in several of the biology TEKS. But this was not debated in the context of evolution denial. Evolution was not being denied at all. However, given the current lack of understanding of the detailed chemical steps required for evolution to take place, there were two fundamental issues addressed.

First, there was limited discussion of the real scientific challenges to understanding how fast and far evolution can progress when limited to material explanations.

Also, biology is now taught in the ninth grade where students are not yet well prepared to appreciate the underlying scientific issues. Then too, and most important, was the pedagogical issue. How should current evolutionary understanding be appropriately presented to ninth grade biology students? Those on my side argued against overstating the plausibility of any of the various postulated explanations currently on offer for a material origin and further diversification of life.

My sense is that there are members of the biology committee who are not interested in opening that door wide. Some of these may be teachers who feel overwhelmed with curriculum demands and simply want as many things as possible taken off of the high school biology table. It may be that some of the committee members dont want evolutionary theory questioned or challenged.

The motives, though, are less important than the effect. What is the effect of watering down the language that encourages critical analysis of modern evolutionary theory? The effect would be to impoverish science education in Texas, and enhance the teaching of modern evolutionary theory as unquestionable dogma.

Video of the testimony is here. Ide Trotter begins speaking at around -2:28:30. Walter Bradley, who co-authored the seminal 1984 work The Mystery of Lifes Origin, testifies beginning around -2:21:10. My testimony begins around -0:49:40. And biologist Ray Bohlins begins is at -0:23:20.

Ray delivered mostly prepared remarks, but they were an eerily fitting rebuttal to the two people who testified immediately before him. Their testimony begins at around -0:28:12, in case you want to compare and contrast.

One other piece of testimony I want to highlight: Sherry Joslin, a mom and former teacher and NASA engineer. Her testimony starts around -1:46:50.

The board will take a final vote this Friday.

Photo: Ide Trotter, PhD,Princeton-trained chemical engineer and Darwin skeptic, delivers testimony before the Texas State Board of Education.

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Our Day in Austin, Defending Critical Analysis of Evolution - Discovery Institute

The IU Soul Revues Spring Concert is a celebration of African-American musical tradition, but this year, there will be a show unlike any other the ensemble has performed.

The concert, titled Evolution of Soul, will take place starting at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater and will incorporate elements of theatricality in with their traditional lineup of funk, rhythm and blues, and soul music.

Theres also going to be the first half which is more of a musical performance and the second half is going to be more of a concert type, IU Soul Revue director Crystal Taliefero said. Were going to have props, which weve never had before, and were going to have more stage and light design than weve ever had before its just going to be a pop rock concert.

The theme of evolution deals not only with the music, but with the transformation of oneself through that music, Taliefero said.

One student will narrate this transformation through the performance. He will begin speaking as an African storyteller or music man at the shows start and eventually turn into a present-day emcee.

Youll see the transformation takes place visually and orally, Taliefero said. Theres also the context of the history of evolution of African-American music. Hes going to give you the background and story behind how all of this is changing and what took place during the times.

Raynetta Wiggins, road manager for the group, said the incorporation of the history is one of the most compelling new elements of the performance, along with the incorporation of visual storytelling via projection during the concert.

The Soul Revue always has some sort of message with the music and the fun, Wiggins said. Its not always serious. Its not always happy and dancing, but you get both of those components in their show. It takes that a step further this year with the breadth of the story its trying to tell.

The story of the music moves from the late 1800s to present day.

Its informative and visually stimulated, Taliefero said. Its a show the Soul Revue hasnt performed before in this capacity. Its just going to be an entertaining show I come from the rock world of performance, so were definitely going to have those elements in there.

Taliefero said when she met these students at the beginning of the year there was the hurdle of unfamiliarity facing them. Now, she sees them dedicating themselves to putting on this show and learning to trust one another along the way.

Wiggins said, from the perspective of a performer and an observer, the amount of work that went into planning this show along with all the other performances this year has been impressive.

Any group takes sacrifice on the part of the students and director to show up and give their best every rehearsal and really give your best in the final performance, Wiggins said. Theyve shown a lot of flexibility, the choreography is going to be amazing, and the vocal coach is amazing.

The multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Soul Revue is one that continues to make Taliefero proud, and she said she looks forward to seeing auditions for next years ensemble. The first round of auditions will take place April 24 at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, the second during the fall semester.

We all have one thing in common, and that is that we love funk, we love soul, we love R&B, Taliefero said. It doesnt matter your race, creed, sexuality you have a common bond that is to play African-American music.

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Soul Revue plans show full of visual, musical mastery in "Evolution of Soul" - Indiana Daily Student

Ford Motor Company [NYSF: F] has been cranking out cop cars for Jonny Law for decades now. The automaker says that cooperation with the police goes all the way back to the Model T. The first official Police-prepped Ford vehicle, however, dates back to 1950 and the Mainline. This was the base trim for Ford sedans, and it became the car for the boys in blue.

In honor of its new Fusion Hybrid Responder, Ford has produced a neat video highlighting some of the evolutionary changes to Ford police vehicles through the decades. Our favorite is the 1971 Galaxie, which came prepared with a 429 cubic-inch V-8 engine mounted under the hood. It was good for 400 horsepower and making sure the long arm of the law was able to catch up with any baddies who thought about making a run for it.

Other cars highlighted in the video include the 125-hp 1952 Interceptor, the 215-horse 1956 Interceptor, the 1982 Mustang SSP with its high-output 5.0-liter V-8, the 165-hp 1983 Crown Vic, the 150-mph 1998 Crown Vic, the 2009 Crown Vic, and the 2013 Taurus Interceptor powered by a twin-turbocharged V-6. The video provides information on many more innovations on each of these cars.

These days Ford has the Taurus and the Explorer as its main police offerings. The lineup that's evolving, though, as Ford has also added the new Expedition and the first hybrid pursuit-rated vehicle in the latest Fusion. It's that last one that is making a bit of a splash, as it could benefit police departments in a number of ways.

The most obvious advantages of the Fusion Hybrid Responder are the reduced fuel consumption and emissions. That lends a helping hand to the environment while also saving departments money on their fuel bills. Yet it's still built strongly enough to handle the rigors of daily police duty. That means it can sit quietly for hours on end as the batteries and electric motor keep the computers running, or it can fire to life and respond to the call of duty.

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Watch the evolution of Ford's police cars - Motor Authority

Live dealer online casino specialist Evolution Gaming says it started 2017 off at the same accelerated pace with which the company closed out 2016.

In a Q1 trading update issued on Thursday, Evolution reported revenue of 39.7m and earnings of 17m in the three months ending March 31, representing year-on-year gains of 60% and 66%, respectively, while profit rose 67% to 12.7m. Evolution says the quarter enjoyed generally high player volumes among all types of customers, both small and large well-established operators.

Evolution has undergone significant growth since Q1 2016, a fact underscored by its payroll rising to 3,780 employees from 2,128 a year ago. Accordingly, operating expenses shot up 56% to 25.7m, but the companys earnings margin still improved one point to 43%.

Evolution CEO Martin Carlesund credited the continued success to the addition of several new customers in Q1, including myBet, Matchbook, White Hat Gaming and Codere, the latter deal marking the companys entry into the Mexican market. Meanwhile, many of Evolutions existing customers launched new environments and added additional tables, and the companys new poker products including Three Card Poker and Ultimate Texas Holdem are proving a hit with these clients end users.

The quarter also saw Evolution launch its new Speed Baccarat and Speed Roulette games for the patience-challenged gambler, while enhancing its mobile offering by enabling gambling in portrait view in addition to the existing landscape format. Evolution also has high hopes that its new Live Lucky Wheel game category will introduce a whole new audience to the wonders of live online casino gaming.

Since the quarter ended, Evolution announced its entry into the Canadian market via a deal with the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC). The plan is for the custom studio that Evolution is building in Vancouver the companys eighth to eventually serve the gambling monopolies in other Canadian provinces, as well.

Looking ahead, Evolution says it plans to support its future expansion by building its third major studio in Europe this year, joining its existing facilities in Malta and Riga, Latvia. That said, Evolution is projecting somewhat slower growth in Q2 and Q3 given this summers lack of a major sporting event to draw gamblers online.

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Evolution Gaming starts 2017 on a profitable roll - CalvinAyre.com