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I've just finished reading a wonderful little book that offers a bird's-eye view of American history, without being too broad or too focused. "A Time For Freedom: What Happened When in America," by Lynne Cheney is about 270 pages and covers over 500 years, but it is much easier to read--and more educational--then you might expect. The format consists of year dated headers and short, to-the-point paragraphs (a lot like a blog, in fact), which ensured I never got bored reading, moving along quickly from one historical event to the next. Original quotes from historical figures saturate almost every page. And besides that, there are pictures.

Cheney sticks to major, culture-shaping turning points, such as wars, elections, and the passing of controversial laws and constitutional amendments--for example the Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, which gave Congress "the power to establish a federal income tax." (pg. 147) Of special interest is the issue of slavery, and the advent of civil rights; as recently as 50 years ago (1957) white crowds kept nine black students from attending a public high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Cheney also gives a prominent place to the women's suffrage movement (black men were allowed to vote before white women were), a long-lasting campaign that, in my view, evolved into feminism, a movement now both growing and dying at once. The issue of civil rights aptly illustrates how judicial opinion has changed over time: In 1883 the Supreme Court declared "the Civil Rights Act of 1875, which outlawed discrimination in public facilities, unconstitutional." (pg. 120)

Notably absent from "A Time For Freedom" is the gay rights movement--probably a reflection of Cheney's conservative bent. Euthanasia and assisted suicide, too, are unaddressed subjects, and the abortion rights controversy is only lightly noted. Terrorism is given more ink, even as far back as the 1886 Haymarket Riot, when anarchists bombed and killed several police officers. (pg. 121)

The heavy focus on political development in America makes this book an excellent reference source, at least for conservatives. The Truman Doctrine, for instance, is explained by a quote from President Harry Truman on page 192: "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." Truman made this statement in an attempt to solicit Congressional funds for Greece and Turkey, two nations resisting the growth of Soviet Russia.

Reading "A Time For Freedom," I noticed how the role of the federal government expanded during and subsequent to the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt (elected 1932), who came to office during the Great Depression. It was Roosevelt who enacted Social Security. In the 1920s, the federal government was 3 percent of the gross domestic product. In 2004 it was 20 percent. (pg. 161-162)

Cheney seems to take a neutral position on evolution. While addressing the Scopes Trial (pg. 162-163), she quotes both lawyers for the case back to back:

Here, we find today as brazen and as bold an attempt to destroy learning as was ever made in the Middle Ages, and the only difference is we have not provided that they shall be burned at the stake.

--Clarence Darrow

Religion is not hostile to learning. . . . Christianity welcomes truth from whatever source it comes. . . . Evolution is not truth; it is merely an hypothesis--it is millions of guesses strung together.

--William Jennings Bryan

She also takes the traditional anthropological view of the population of Early America--migration by boat or over the Bering Land Bridge "More than 13,000 years ago."

Some things I didn't know:

• There were already black slaves in America in 1619 (sold to colonists in Jamestown), one year before the Pilgrims landed in the Mayflower. (pg. 11)
  
• The National Origins Act of 1924 prohibited Asians from immigrating to the U.S. and established quotas for immigrants of other nationalities. (pg. 161) Quotas also made it difficult for Jews fleeing German persecution before WWII to gain refuge in America.
• John F. Kennedy had quite a taste for "covert operations". (See pages 212-217)
• The description of America as a "melting pot" originated from the popular Israel Zangwill play, The Melting Pot, which spawned numerous spin-off pageants in schools across the country. (pg. 139-139)

The high view of democracy Cheney proposes may smack of "democracy worship" to some--a problem if the virtues of a democratic government are intended to replace a faith in Jesus Christ.

For all the information contained within the covers of "A Time For Freedom," the book is a simple and easy read, and is helpful for establishing a working knowledge of the major political and social developments of the United States. I'll be keeping it handy as a reference, both to look up specific events and to understand the national climate surrounding them.

"A Time For Freedom: What Happened When in America" by Lynne V. Cheney; 304 pages; 2005, Simon & Schuster, New York.

While reviewing the code of ethics for a local newspaper, I began to think about plagiarism and how it relates to blogs, the most informal of news mediums (though some would say "the least accountable"). While a newspaper would avoid taking information from any source without double-checking accuracy, most blogs tend to pass along what they've heard, post a link to where it came from, and leave it to the reader to decipher the truth of the situation. Many bloggers view it as their role to empower the reader by giving him the necessary tools (read: the right links) to make his own judgement, whilst offering a generous dose of personal opinion, which is usually accepted without much fuss. And if anyone wants to fuss, they leave a comment. This is all acceptable and normal in the context of many blogs. The mainstream news media, furthermore, considers it the worst of sins (just look what they did to Ben Domenech) to take any information and present it as your own (even if you rearrange it) without crediting the source. Now, this is a great rule to follow and I do think journalists should be held to it, although I believe we are a bit hypocritical as a society to elevate plagiarism to a status of extreme evil while accepting with a wink, wink, other forms of lying and unfaithfulness, such as divorce and adultery. But I've always tried on this blog to avoid plagiarism and identify my sources, and I'm committed to doing so in the future. However, think about this: The worst kind of plagiarism for a newspaper is to plagiarize a peer, another paper (whether print or online is irrelevant). A paper would never use a story from a fellow paper, reword it, and publish it as if they had obtained the information and interviews themselves. Not unless they clearly attribute the original source. If a paper obtains info from a wire service, they credit the source. If a paper obtains a press release, they double-check the information themselves (when possible) and attempt to obtain first-hand quotes and information, or they attribute the press release directly. That's because the nature of a newspaper is to obtain information from the most primary sources available, check it, then pass it along to the public as "certified" truth.

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I have a lot of respect for Mike Horn and Borge Ousland.  They've done what no one else has--skied to the North Pole during winter, braving polar bears, frostbite, frigid waters, and sickness to accomplish their goal by the date they anticipated, March 23, just two days ago.  Their 600-or-more mile trek from Russia's Severnaya Zemlya (North Land) began on January 22, which means they made it in just over 60 days.  National Geographic News has published a story celebrating their feat.

The North Pole lies on water, not land, so when Mike and Borge skied, they were actually skiing on moving platforms of ice, called floes.  Sometimes when the duo camped for the night, the wind would blow their floe south as much as three miles, and they would have to make up the distance during the next day's march.  If that weren't exhausting enough, when Mike and Borge came to open stretches of water (as much as 1/8th of a mile), they put on drysuits and swam, a spunky procedure Borge borrowed from polar bears.

During the final days before reaching the pole, Mike began suffering from a severe stomach illness.  He reported on himself, as he did during the entire journey, through an expedition blog, updated by land-based team members:

“I have walked all day. I’m feeling weak and am having hot and cold rushes down my spine. I am wearing every single bit of clothing I own just to keep my body temperature up. My body seems to be running on shear will-power. I haven’t slowed down my pace at all and Borge and I are still keeping a very good average.”

The blog also posted plenty of photos as the explorers sent them in.  The expedition was timed so Horn and Ousland could see an Arctic sunrise--something that happens only once a year, on vernal, or "spring", equinox.  Before vernal equinox the sun is never visible, but afterward the sun remains at least partially visible in the sky at all times.  On March 21st Mike reported that equinox had arrived.  "It really is the most amazing sight," he said.

I can't help but notice the hypocrisy with which Jim Hansen of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies complains.  He has recently told CBS's 60 Minutes that the White House administration is keeping him from declaring his scientific opinion, which specifically means his view that within 10 years global warming will be irreversible unless man reduces emissions.  Dr. James E. Hansen earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Iowa, and around 1980 decided that "the most exciting planetary research involves trying to understand the climate change on earth that will result from anthropogenic [human caused] changes of the atmospheric composition," according to his short bio.

One of my research interests is radiative transfer in planetary atmospheres, especially interpreting remote sounding of the earth's atmosphere and surface from satellites. Such data, appropriately analyzed, may provide one of our most effective ways to monitor and study global change on the earth. The hardest part is trying to influence the nature of the measurements obtained, so that the key information can be obtained.

I am also interested in the development and application of global numerical models for the purpose of understanding current climate trends and projecting humans' potential impacts on climate. The scientific excitement in comparing theory with data, and developing some understanding of global changes that are occurring, is what makes all the other stuff worth it.

 Notice the phrase, "comparing theory with data".  Surely Hansen recognizes that other theories, besides his, are out on the market.  Surely he recognizes that not all climatologists are on the government's payrolls like him, that not all have to be as accountable as him.  He complains that he is being "censored."  "I say what I believe if I'm allowed to say it," he says. 

But what about ID scientists who are censored in public schools?  What about creation astronomers who are censored by Hansen's own employer, NASA?  If there are creation astronomers working at NASA, they certainly have never been allowed to "say what they believe," as Hansen claims a right to.

I'm not advocating that good research should be swept under the rug to accommodate a political or personal agenda--nor am I claiming that that is the situation here.  I'm just pointing out the hypocrisy.  I sincerely doubt Hansen would be willing to allow a creation scientist to work and report alongside him--uncensored.  Why should he be given a blank check for his theories?  If Hansen can't be grateful, maybe he should find a new job.

Or could it be that federally employed science is a bad idea? 

There is a mysterious animal prowling the fields of North Carolina, according to National Geographic News.  Employees of Tyco Electronics noticed a queer fox-like animal with extremely short hair roaming outside in the grasses, who is now watched from company windows when he (or she) regularly passes.  The thing looks like a whippet to me, but this Tyco Animal (as Tyco employees affectionately call it) is most likely a red fox with a genetic disorder, according to biologist Perry Sumner.  A disorder called Sampson causes animals to be born without the thick outer layer of "guard hair" that coats them, and this fox is probably a rare example.  Plain kind-heartedness is keeping the animal from being trapped and investigated.  According to Jerri Durazo, whose picture of the creature brought it to the news, "Half the [Tyco employees] want to hunt it and study it postmortem. The other half says it looks skinny and we need to feed it."

 Chemists at Harvard University have created videos of protein production during cell division.  They've posted online two short Quicktime clips (here1 and here2) that show "fluorescently tagged molecules"--proteins--developing in bursts within the cells.  Chemist Sunney Xie and his colleagues have published a paper describing their work in this week's Nature.

Speaking of Nature, news@nature.com reports on the discovery of a dinosaur that may have had one of the world's longest necks.  Found in the Gobi desert in 2002, bones from Erketu ellisoni  may give evidence of a sauropod with a neck 26 feet long (eight meters).  I have to take the announcement with a grain of salt, however; only six out of 14 or so vertebrae were actually discovered, so paleontologists must extrapolate to decide on those final neck specs.  As I noted in 2004, a scientific reappraisal of seismosaurus fossils reduced that dinosaur's overall length from 170 feet to 110.  You just never know.

Crevo has a nice roundup of links that connect historical accounts of dragons to our modern descriptions of dinosaurs.  Below is an excerpt from his post.

Dinosaurs are the icons of deep time, and any creation model will need to address their existence. Biblically, they would have been created on the sixth day with the land animals. But what happened after that? There are two lines of thought. The first is that they were all killed in the flood. That seems to be the position of the Geoscience Research Institute.

I take another view, which I think is the majority view among Creationists. That is, most dinosaurs were with Noah. Most of them have died out by now, but there are a few species still extant in various parts of the world.

You might wonder -- if Dinosaurs have been with man, why don't civilizations know about Dinosaurs? Well, in fact they do. Only they were called dragons. The modern conception of dragons is really a chimera of many dragon reports throughout the world. No dragon contained all of the elements of the modern "dragon" conception, and, if you look at the reports individually, many of them match the characteristics of well-known dinosaurs.

John of Damascus, in the 700s wrote a treatise on dragons (sorry, no primary source -- there is no English translation). In it, his purpose is to dispel the myths about dragons as mystical creatures, and instead describes their biology and ecology so that people will know the truth about them. In this book, he describes a report by a Roman historian where the Romans encountered a dragon during a battle.

Several historical reports of dragons in the UK are here.

There are drawings/images of Dinosaurs throughout the world. In South America, the Ica Burial Stones have etchings of several types of dinosaurs (for a defence of their authenticity, see here). Several other pieces of Dinosaur art can be found here.

Continue reading "Dinosaurs and Man."

At a conference last weekend I heard geologist David D'Armond lecture about creationism.  Dave is a regional representative for the Institute for Creation Research, and he was an evolutionist before he became a Christian in 1973.  I asked him how his interpretation of geology changed when he became a creationist, and he gave me a surprising answer.  He said that other creationist geologists who held to a Noachian Flood theory were more accurately predicting where mining companies could find oil, etc. than were their evolutionist colleagues.  That, said Dave, inspired him to change his thinking.

And who says creationism doesn't make predictions? 

A few weeks ago you may have heard about the December 2005 expedition to the Indonesian island of New Guinea, which, led by Conservation International (CI), uncovered several new animal and plant species. Penetrating deep into the forests of the Foja Mountains, a team co-led by Bruce Beehler and Steve Richards found a pristine environment that has rarely been visited by humans--including the local natives, known as Kwerba. Beehler is an ornithologist (bird expert) and vice president of Conservation International's Melanesia Center for Biodiversity Conservation. While Beehler did not respond to my interview request, I did get permission to publish photos of the species documented on this expedition.

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