IP: three from: What's New for Jun 15, 2001

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> 2. EVOLUTION: SENATE TACKS AMENDMENT ON MAJOR EDUCATION BILL. A
> "sense of the Senate" resolution, dealing with the teaching of
> biological evolution, was added to the bill.  Introduced by Sen.
> Santorum (R-PA), the language raises concerns among scientists
> that it could be used by "intelligent design" (ID) proponents to
> insist that ID be given equal time.  That does not seem to have
> been the intent of most of the measure's supporters.  It states
> that students should be prepared to distinguish testable science
> from "philosophical or religious claims made in the name of
> science."  That sounds good.  Alas, the bill also calls for
> helping students "to understand why this subject generates so
> much continuing controversy."  That's an opening to teach ID.
>
> 3. PASSIVE RADAR?  REMOVING THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY.  So just
> how stealthy is the $3.6B stealth bomber?  Radar would need to
> look straight up at the bomber's flat bottom surface.  Tracking
> would therefore require a vast array of antennas.  But according
> to a story early this week in the London Daily Telegraph, such
> arrays already exist: Roke Manor Research in Britain claims that
> stealth aircraft can be tracked by their effect on ordinary
> mobile phone traffic.  News media in the US did not discover the
> story until last night.  The Pentagon is taking it seriously, and
> other nations, including China, are now developing such a system.
>
> 4. ASTROLOGICAL STUDIES?  CLUELESS IN SEATTLE.  I'm not making
> this up.  The Higher Education Coordinating Board of the state of
> Washington has authorized Kepler College of Astrological Arts and
> Sciences in Seattle to issue BA and MA degrees in Astrological
> Studies.  According to Kepler's web site, "No other degree-
> granting college or university in recent centuries has offered an
> academically sound approach to the study of astrology."  I wonder
> why that is?  Seattle, of course, is also the home of Bastyr
> University, a school of Naturopathy that "integrates modern
> science with the wisdom of ancient healing practices," and home
> of the Discovery Institute, http://www.discovery.org/.



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