There is an interesting controversy in Fort Worth, Texas where Dakota Ary, an honors student was suspended for turning to another student in his German class and saying that he viewed homosexuality as wrong. The teacher at Western Hills High School became angry in overhearing the comment and accused Ary of being a bully.
Continue reading “Student Disciplined For Telling Friend In Class That He Views Homosexuality As Wrong”
Category: Academia
It turns out that Einstein was a bit slow after all. Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) has made a subatomic particle go faster than the speed of light for the first time — something that shattered one assumption of Einstein’s theories. The scientists used neutrinos, which were observed smashing past the cosmic speed barrier of 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second).
Continue reading “Fast Little Neutrino: Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity Challenged By Test Showing Particle Traveling Faster Than Speed of Light”
NASA still is unsure where a giant six-ton six-ton satellite will hit this week, but they are trying to calm nerves by saying that the risk of someone being hit is only 1 in 3200. I was struck by that figure because in tort law that would be considered an unacceptable risk in cases of product liability or malpractice.
Continue reading “Space Torts: NASA Puts Risk of Being Hit By Falling Satellite At 1 in 3200”
Retired international law professor Detlev Vagts, 82, has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of Marcia Kearney in Newton, Massachusetts. In light of his plea and presumably his age, Vagts was spared prison time in favor of three years probation and six months of house arrest. He has been ordered not to drive for the rest of his life.
Continue reading “Former Harvard Law Professor Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide”
Stealing kid’s lunch money has long been a scourge in schools, but usually the thieves come from the ranks of adolescent bullies. Prosecutors allege that Joanna Fan and her husband, Ziming Shen, never got out of the habit and stole at least $2.5 million in federal funds meant for nutritious meals for preschoolers.
Continue reading “Stealing Kid’s Lunch Money: New York Couple Charged With Theft From School Programs — And Then Go Bonkers Outside Court”
-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Erskine College is a small, private, four year Christian liberal arts college located in South Carolina. William Crenshaw, who taught at the college for 35 years, earning tenure, an endowed chair, and teaching awards was fired for his dissent of Erskine’s teaching of science.
Continue reading “Erskine College Professor Fired For Supporting Science”
Scientists have again embarrassed themselves . . . this time in that fanciful Science Magazine. While creationists (including many of the GOP presidential contenders) have shown that the Earth is only 6000 years old, scientists insist that they have found Australopithecus sediba fossils with the skull, pelvis, hands and feet of the ancient hominin. The fossils with both ape and human characteristics were unearthed three years ago in South Africa.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman took a startling position in the GOP debates last night — he suggested that the party not “run from science.” After candidates have lined up to reject everything from global warming to evolution, Huntsman is a standout in his Galileo moment in the GOP.
Continue reading “Galileo and the GOP: Huntsman Takes Stand For Science”
We have previously discussed studies showing high levels of mental illness in the United States. Now a Europeans shows a similarly high rate with “almost 165 million people or 38 percent of the population suffering each year from a brain disorder such as depression, anxiety, insomnia or dementia.” What is interesting is that the rate is higher in Europe as compared to the U.S. study cited earlier. The European study however appears to be broader in considering neurological conditions associated with illnesses like stroke.
Continue reading “Study Estimates Roughly 40 Percent of Europeans Suffer From Mental Illness”
This extraordinary picture was just released by NASA showing the footprints, moon buggy ruts, and garbage left by the Apollo astronauts from 1969 to 1972. Not exactly low impact camping, but pretty cool. Of course, there will be some who will insist that this is just a photoshopped image to continue the lie that we ever went to the moon.
Continue reading “Moon Shot: New Photo Shows Preserved Footprints and Evidence of Apollo Landings”
In the Netherlands, scientists are close to producing the first artificial meat — stem cell sausage grown in the lab without the need to slaughter animals. The question is whether this means that vegetarians who now refuse to eat meat for philosophical reasons would be able to eat a ribeye without moral qualms.
Continue reading “Guiltless Meat? Scientists Developing Stem Cell Sausage As First Artificial Meat”
Submitted by: Mike Spindell, guest blogger
I don’t know about you but I’ve had a bad month. I’m not talking about personal issues in my life because those are fine. I’m talking about the awful political and economic situations in this country, and I’m talking about the pain and misery felt by so many in the rest of our world. Each day it seems the news gets more depressing and I glean few hopeful signs from the news indicating that things will soon start to improve. As many here know, I am talking from the perspective of someone saved from the brink of death last year, so in a personal sense I have little complaint.
Taking it away from the deeply personal though, I see a country and a world in apocalyptic turmoil. Not only are we overwhelmed with seeming insoluble problems, but also from my perspective, we are beset with a host of irrational political leaders and those who follow them blindly. Added to the cacophony of these politicians, of all sides may I say, we have religious leaders who have twisted their religion to fit their own emotional needs. We also have CEO’s who will put profit above all other considerations. Finally, we have a general population so absorbed in a cult of celebrity, that civic understanding and action are mere afterthoughts. Is there no hope? Continue reading “The Best of All Possible Worlds?”
Ned Kelly, the Irish Australian bush bandit, is one of the great characters from the nineteenth century. Now, researchers have identified the headless remains of Kelly, who was captured after one of the most spectacular shootouts in history.
Continue reading ““Such is Life”: Ned Kelly’s Headless Body Found In Australia”
Bowling Green resident Tyler Webster has paid a high price for “planking” — the act of lying flat on your stomach in unconventional places. Western Kentucky University has banned him from campus after his planking antics appeared on the Internet.
Continue reading “College Student in Kentucky Banned From Campus For “Planking””
The University of British Columbia law school is experiencing an intense debate over the expected return of one of its students, who took a leave of absence five years ago. Such leaves are not uncommon, but the reason is. Sasan Ansari, 32, served two years in jail for the killing of Josh Goos in November 2008 after stabbing Goos 33 times outside the upscale club.
Continue reading “B.C. Law Student Resumes Classes After Leave To Serve Time For Manslaughter”