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This month we have a new format with features we hope you will find helpful. Additionally, we are using a new mail server company, so please ensure we do not get stopped by your spam filters. (Automatic and instant opt-out instructions are at the bottom).
As we migrate to a new server, please help by forwarding this to interested friends and family to sign up for their free personal copy. Don't forget students now at college.
Yesterday we got word that the New York Times ran an article that referenced TBSE. Go to our website for links and more info.
As always, we appreciate your involvement on behalf of teaching both "strengths and weaknesses" of evolution as Texas law has stipulated for over a decade, but some school districts still ignore.
Thank you!
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SCIENCE: MICRO vs. MACRO EVOLUTION
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Once again it is being claimed that evolution has been observed in a laboratory. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. Perhaps the most celebrated example is four-winged fruit flies, where government funded research tortured perfectly healthy fruit flies with radiation to induce mutations. After decades of such experiments, we now know that results fall into three categories:
- Normal fruit flies,
- Handicapped fruit flies, (gross deformities and non-functional extra wings), and
- Dead fruit flies.
A recent experiment is from the University of Michigan. It involves cultivating E. Coli bacteria for the past 20 years or so--a reported 30,000 generations of E. Coli. (That would translate into about half a million years of human generations). Researchers claim "billions of mutations" from the 12 lines started in 1988. What do the researchers have to show for all that? An E. Coli strain (i.e. still E. Coli) that can metabolize citrate. Ho-hum.
The key item is that what they are reporting is clearly micro-evolution. E. Coli remains E. Coli. These changes within a species using existing genetic information cannot be extrapolated to imply large morphological changes into new species requiring new genetic information! Micro-evolution is observable. It is expressed in such things as hair color or body shapes of different breeds of dogs, colors of pigeons (Darwin's favorite), or sizes of Galapagos Island finch beaks. Simple variation within species such as these, built into the genius of the DNA code, does not explain the origin of the finch beak or in a larger sense, the finches, dogs, pigeons or the DNA coded information itself. Macro-evolution, (e.g. fish to land mammals), is not simply more micro-evolution over longer time periods, but requires new and radically different information.
More information on the micro/macro distinction can be found here. The abstract of the University of Michigan study is located at the PNAS site here.
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CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT
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The Grand Old Party (GOP) and the Democratic Party are holding their biennial state conventions in the next two weeks. If you are attending as a delegate, alternate, staffer, or observer of some sort, we would appreciate your consideration of helping us grow our contacts at these events. It is simple and straightforward to do. Please let us know. (more info here)
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| BOOK REVIEW |
 A Meaningful World
by Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt
In this game-changing book, the authors make strong cases for the simple notion that the universe has meaning, which of course the militant Darwinists usually deny. The authors call on clear examples in Nature, Science, Literature and the Arts that destroy the proposition that everything is nothing but random materialism.
Calling on such diverse topics as Chemistry, Mathematics, Music, Astronomy, Shakespeare, Biology and others, the authors have written what may be the "best book I've seen on the purposeful design of nature," says Dr. Michael Behe of Lehigh University. The book is written beautifully, is clear and easy to read, and makes some powerful arguments not collected in one volume before.
Amazon gives it 4.5 of 5 stars. Order it from Amazon here (for Father's Day?)
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| ROOTS & FRUITS of EVOLUTION
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A belief in Darwinism has supported evil since at least the 1800s. Forced sterilization policies (which later morphed into abortion rights policies), book burning, mass murder, and even genocide have been practiced in part due to some leaders believing they were justified in their actions by Darwinian theories. The Nazis of Germany, the Stalinists of Russia, and abortionists of America and elsewhere are united by a belief and faith in Darwinism.
It seems that the worst crimes against humanity in recent past and today are perpetrated by groups touting that "only the fittest survive" in one way or another to justify their heinous behavior.
More recently, some school shootings here in America and abroad have been tied to the misguided students' beliefs that they were helping speed up evolution. As time goes on, we'll dig deeper into these issues.
For more information, see "Darwin Day in America" by John West. Order it from Amazon here (for Father's Day?).
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ACADEMIC FREEDOM?
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 ICR: Freedom is cherished all across America and the world, and perhaps nowhere more so than in Academia, or so they say.
Some of you are familiar with the Institute for Creation Research. It seems that current academia (and at least a branch of Texas government called the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board) does not extend academic freedom to those who disagree with what the majority of atheist scientists believe. Let me be direct: ICR was denied approval to operate in Texas (after successfully operating their Masters level program in California for over 25 years), purely and simply because they dare to interpret forensic evidence differently than the materialists. ICR has filed an administrative appeal, (details here and here) citing "bigotry" and "viewpoint discrimination" on the part of the Governor Perry appointed board that rejected them. Additionally, ICR has stepped up its efforts to reach out directly to the public, with a redesigned website and a "Never Stop Questioning" portal (click here) that lets one drill down to about any level of detail on many important questions of both science and philosophy.Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed: After a run in theaters nationwide that was a resounding success by any documentary standards, the Ben Stein movie won a recent court battle. Yoko Ono had sued in Federal Court seeking to prevent their fair use of a 15 second clip from the song "Imagine". (Doesn't this help prove the point of the movie?) The Federal judge rightly threw out the case when finally heard in open court.If you didn't see it in theaters, be sure to get the DVD when it comes out around Christmas or sooner. It will open soon in Canada.
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Help Wanted!
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As mentioned above, if you are attending the Democratic Party Convention this weekend or the Republican Convention next week, please let us know and help us!
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Copyright 2008 TBSE. All Rights Reserved. Permission is expressly granted to forward in its entirety to whomever you wish!
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