Before You Spend Lots of Money...

...on psychic reading, read this and find out how you just wasted that money. Goldberg writes a clear article on Cold Readings -- the tool in the psychic trade. After all, even a blind squirrel sometimes finds a nut.

Judge rules against 'intelligent design' in science class - Dec 20, 2005

Finally a decision that makes some sense. When will people understand that Darwin's theory does not conflict with the notion of the existence of God?

CNN.com - Judge rules against 'intelligent design' in science class - Dec 20, 2005: "HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania (CNN) -- A Pennsylvania school district cannot teach in science classes a concept that says some aspects of science were created by a supernatural being, a federal judge has ruled.

In an opinion issued Tuesday, U.S. District Judge John Jones ruled that teaching 'intelligent design' would violate the Constitutional separation of church and state.

'We have concluded that it is not [science], and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents,' Jones writes in his 139-page opinion posted on the court's Web site. (Opinion, pdf)

'To be sure, Darwin's theory of evolution is imperfect. However, the fact that a scientific theory cannot yet render an explanation on every point should not be used as a pretext to thrust an untestable alternative hypothesis grounded in religion into the science classroom or to misrepresent well-established scientific propositions,' Jones writes."

Now this is cool...

Snopes is one of my favourite websites. Take a look at Snopes for what could be the future of computing.

CNN.com - No advances made in adult literacy, study says - Dec 15, 2005

CNN.com - No advances made in adult literacy, study says - Dec 15, 2005: "WASHINGTON (AP) -- About one in 20 adults in the U.S. is not literate in English, meaning 11 million people lack the skills to handle many everyday tasks, a federal study shows."

Failing Students Move On

So this just doesn't happen only at EIS.
newsobserver.com | Local & State: "Most pupils who fail tests move up
Despite a state policy, many N.C. students who fail end-of-grade tests are promoted anyway
Todd Silberman, Staff Writer
The theory sounds simple enough: Students who fail end-of-grade tests in reading, math or both shouldn't automatically be promoted to the next grade.

In practice, more and more North Carolina students are being promoted anyway -- despite a strict rule intended to keep schools from passing students from grade to grade because of age instead of achievement.

Of nearly 4,000 North Carolina fifth-graders who failed one or both tests last year, about 3,500 were promoted to the next grade."

Only in Canada, eh.

James Randi's Swift - December 2, 2005: "DOES THE CANADIAN PARLIAMENT HAVE TIME FOR ALIENS

See www.randi.org/jr/200509/092305northern.html#1 to refresh your memory about former Canadian Deputy Minister of Defense and later, Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister, Paul Hellyer, who is now asking the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics – by which he means, relations with “ETs,” which he defines as, “ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.” Despite the fact that there is zero evidence to indicate that an extraterrestrial life exists – though that’s not at all impossible! – and any life form would have to travel incredible distances under incredible conditions, to get here, Mr. Hellyer believes that we should treat this possibility with priority – even while we’re trying to find out how to leave Iraq with dignity and style. In a speech at the University of Toronto, Hellyer has publicly stated:

UFOs are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head… I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something… The secrecy involved in all matters pertaining to the Roswell incident was unparalleled. The classification was, from the outset, above top secret, so the vast majority of U.S. officials and politicians, let alone a mere allied Minister of Defense, were never in-the-loop… The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the Moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide.

Doesn’t Hellyer do anything to inform himself of the facts about Roswell, UFOs, and the proposed Moon base? But, aside from the incredible content of his speech, what has to get our attention is that Hellyer’s speech was greeted with a standing ovation! Now, in my view, this misplaced enthusiasm may be based on the very wise 1967 United Nations decision that weapons of mass destruction – remember them? – must not be based in space.

We’ll just have to stay tuned. So far, the Canadian Parliament is not rushing to clamber onto the UFO platform."