- Put a little science in your life: “our educational system fails to teach science in a way that allows students to integrate it into their lives.” (Thanks, Roberta!)
- 6 most badass stunts ever pulled in the name of science. If there ever were an internet list to aspire to, I think this is the one.
- The Economist looks at some new statistics about girls and math education. (Thanks, Gabe!)
- Dallas high schooler Anjali Datta misses out on valedictorian title and one-year scholarship because she finished high school too fast. (Thanks, Elle!)
- The Invisibility of the Black Atheist. A provocative and interesting essay. (Thanks, Teresa!)
The science/relevancy article is spot on. Every “debate” I have with ardent creationists comes to a screeching halt when I ask them how they “know” that their groceries will likely be in their refrigerator when they check it. After all, they can’t see them now… and some time may have passed since last they saw them. Who is to say that magical elves haven’t stolen the items? Doesn’t that possibility have to be considered?
Science and technology aren’t magic–they’re the result of astute people creating hypotheses about the world an forming them into a coherent theory… even if that theory only regards their groceries.
The black atheist essay is awesome, and touches on a point that has ALWAYS baffled me: the adoption of and devout piety to a religion that was historically forced on conquered peoples. We should invite that guy over here! Get him on Rebecca’s radio show!
whitebird: “…touches on a point that has ALWAYS baffled me: the adoption of and devout piety to a religion that was historically forced on conquered peoples.”
Baffling it may be, but that’s how much of the Christian world came to be isn’t it? My ancestors were Czech (obviously), German, and English. All of them pretty much converted to Christianity when their overlords did.
It’s interesting that there’s such a prejudice against women in engineering. Having just graduated with an engineering degree, I can say (with my small sample size) that men continue to outnumber women in the math and science fields. It’s unfortunate, but I think that the tide is slowly turning.
If we could only encourage girls and young women to not be afraid to be smart. I think a smart woman is a beautiful woman.
I mentioned on Wrath’s blog that even as a white guy, looking around a crowd and not seeing any black faces can make you feel pretty uncomfortable and wonder what you’re doing wrong. I guess there’s only so much reaching out you can do. Nobody wants to drive a wedge into a culture that they don’t “belong to”. It tends to pretty much piss everyone off.