While most organized celebrations help knit cultures together, according to the organizers of Darwin Day, those traditional holidays “have often been, and continue to be, the source of serious conflicts.” The ACLU could not agree more. And so a new celebration has arrived, one complete with its own symbols, carols, and talismans, and one its organizers hope will “unite a Read More ›
STRIKE UP THE BAND! Around the world today, February 12, admirers of Charles Darwin will celebrate the great man’s 198th birthday with lectures, concerts, and exhibits. Darwin Day, as it’s called, is meant to be cheerful, with a bit of good-natured triumphalism, marking what celebrants see as the intellectual victory of Darwinism, the theory of evolution by the purely material Read More ›
This article, published by The Seattle Times, mentions Discovery Institute Fellow Bruce Agnew: Bruce Agnew of Cascadia describes it as a low-impact commuter car that can run on biodiesel and be maintained by diesel mechanics from community colleges. The rest of the article can be found here.
Quiz: How much to you think it costs U.S. taxpayers annually to support each member of the U.S. House of Representatives? Each senator? Well, according to the new U.S. budget, you, Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, spend $3.1 million to support each House member and $9 million to support each senator. Back in 1963 when John F. Kennedy was president, the Read More ›
SEATTLE — Another 100 scientists have joined the ranks of scientists from around the world publicly stating their doubts about the adequacy of Darwin’s theory of evolution. “Darwinism is a trivial idea that has been elevated to the status of the scientific theory that governs modern biology,” says dissent list signer Dr. Michael Egnor. Egnor is a professor of neurosurgery Read More ›
Doctors at Seattle Children’s Hospital admitted that they surgically removed a six-year-old girl’s healthy uterus, breast buds, and appendix, and then subjected her to two years of high-dose estrogen injections to keep her from reaching adult stature. And they did so at her parents’ request. Sounds like a clear case of child abuse, doesn’t it? Not so fast. Many are Read More ›
The Swiss Supreme Court has ruled that people with mental illnesses can be legally assisted in suicide. The case came about when a member of Dignitas, an organization that, for a fee, provides a safe house for, and assistance with, suicide, brought a lawsuit seeking the right to have his death facilitated. The man does not have cancer, AIDS, or Read More ›
What is a “hedge fund”? If you have trouble answering the question, you are not alone, because the term is commonly used to describe many types of pooled investments that may have little in common with each other. Despite the lack of agreement about what is meant by the term hedge fund, some politicians, commentators and financial regulators now advocate Read More ›
Freedom House released its ratings in January on the status of freedom in countries around the world. The ratings produced the usual smug smiles from those highly rated and the usual whining and wailing from governments criticized. But no one has commented on a gap in the annual report that has been evident for years. Once again, as in the Read More ›
To the Editor: Peter Singer (“A Convenient Truth,” Op-Ed, Jan. 26) supports subjecting “Ashley,” a profoundly intellectually disabled girl, to surgical and hormonal interventions to keep her small. In backing her parents’ decision, he asserts that she has value only “because her parents and siblings love her and care about her.” By denying Ashley’s equal moral worth simply for being Read More ›