Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Atrios on Bush's support for teaching "Intelligent Design" in schools: "As all at least moderately sensible people understand, the issue is not whether schools can teach creation myths or discuss various beliefs about the creation of the universe. The problem is teaching them either as Truth or alongside legitimate science in a science class." 5:51:32 PM   permalink   comment []

Glenn Reynolds: "There's still a lot of stem-cell science to do before people can claim that one approach or another is clearly the best. Which is why we should be doing the science." James Dobson does not agree. 5:49:24 PM   permalink   comment []

Hoggard is bummed that First Pres is expanding its physical plant at the expense of Fisher Park houses, again. He says, "I suggest Greensboro's First Presbyterian Church might want to consider moving their wonderful sanctuary to some cornfield out in the county...Only then will the sanctity of Greensboro's architectural heritage be safe from a church that continues to value parking spaces over preservation." But First Pres itself is a big part of historic Fisher Park, and one of the reasons the neighborhood was preserved in the first place. It was there before being there was cool. Those of us who wanted to keep Temple Emanuel in Fisher Park purchased several homes on its block and would have taken them down if need be to maintain the historic congregation at its long-time home. There would have been a cost to be sure, but there is a cost to having the Temple removed to just the kind of greenfield site Hoggard describes. I don't know the specifics of this First Pres deal. Maybe there is a compromise. I like old houses better than parking lots, too. But to ignore the historical value of the church itself, and the role of its congregation in preserving Greensboro exactly by not fleeing to the exurbs when that was the trend, seems an odd position for historical preservationists to take. 10:23:18 AM   permalink   comment []

Mo' better web ads, from MSFT, Yahoo!, and Ask Jeeves. WSJ: "Each of the three companies is pursuing one of the fastest-growing segments of online advertising and a Google stronghold." 9:56:28 AM   permalink   comment []

New York Times announces integration of print and online staff and resources. Memo from editor Bill Keller and digital boss Martin Nisenholtz: "By integrating the newsrooms we plan to diminish and eventually eliminate the difference between newspaper journalists and Web journalists -- to reorganize our structures and our minds to make Web journalism, in forms that are both familiar and yet-to-be-invented, as natural to us as writing and editing, and to do all of this without losing the essential qualities that make us The Times. Our readers are moving, and so are we." 9:53:05 AM   permalink   comment []

Reading Friedman for Greensboro*: Today TF writes about the sorry state of US technology infrastructure. Great lede: "I've been thinking of running for high office on a one-issue platform: I promise, if elected, that within four years America will have cellphone service as good as Ghana's." He cites facts (you've seen similar stuff here) and argues for public wireless networks like the one in Philly (and Carrboro). And he tries to sell politicians on the idea that tech matters: "In U.S. politics, the party that most quickly absorbs the latest technology often dominates. F.D.R. dominated radio and the fireside chat; J.F.K., televised debates; Republicans, direct mail and then talk radio, and now Karl Rove's networked voter databases." Next, he says, comes "the power of networks and blogging. The public official or candidate will no longer just be the one who talks to the many or tries to listen to the many. Rather, he or she will be a hub of connectivity for the many to work with the many - creating networks of public advocates to identify and solve problems and get behind politicians who get it." *a regular feature of EdCone.com for N&R readers left bereft when the paper stopped carrying his column. 8:53:43 AM   permalink   comment []

Caught the Ridenour interview on Brad & Britt. They played it down the middle, polite but serious with a local guest, it was clear from the start that she was going with boilerplate responses and, if challenged, would fall back on more boilerplate: studies and charts cited (none by name) to show that the Bible is the basis for American civilization, ACLU blah blah blah, society gone to hell since Bible yanked from schools, etc. I'm not sure from the intervew that she understands the objections to this course, she may just be a sincere person who is in a bit over her head...or she may be a mastermind who plays simple on the radio. Good work getting her on, guys. Previously: Elizabeth Ridenour, president of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, is scheduled to be on the Brad and Britt show... 8:40:13 AM   permalink   comment []