To make up for it, I'm going to suggest that you read the excellent summary provided by John over at Homo economicus’ Weblog. You could do a lot worse than add this blog to your feedreader. John has excellent credentials and his blog is always a good, well-informed read.

One thing I would like to talk about regarding this particular episode, however, is the attitude of teachers in British schools to the teaching of Darwin/evolutionary theory. In the course of this episode, we are introduced to a gentleman called Nick Cowan, who is a science teacher at Liverpool's Blue Coat School (the school isn't named in the documentary, but this gentleman didn't take much finding!)

Mr Cowan can be seen in this segment, about seven and a half minutes in, and in the following segment -- and if you haven't already seen the documentary, or if you haven't guessed, he is a creationist.

Watching, I was utterly dumbfounded. At one point, Dawkins asks the viewer if he/she would want someone like Mr Cowan teaching their children, and it was like being five and at a pantomime all over again! I actually shouted "no!" at the screen, that's how strongly I felt about this issue.

Choosing my words carefully, I have to say that from where I'm sitting Mr Cowan's credentials as a science teacher of any kind are completely undermined by the nonsense he spouts during this segment. If I had kids and this man was teaching them I would have been waiting at the school gates on Tuesday morning suggesting very strongly that he should be dismissed.

Now some might argue that because he isn't teaching creationism as part of the science curriculum (he teaches it in a general studies class), I shouldn't have an issue with this. But the man is a scientist, for God's sake! (Yes, that was deliberate.) A scientist believing in God is bad enough, but I can just about accept that. But a scientist (okay, a science teacher -- not always the same thing!) believing in creationism?... no, it's too much of a dichotomy, and whilst he might be able to live with that and rationalise it using the unscientific intelligent design copout, I certainly can't.

It is extremely depressing. People like Nick Cowan are potentially damaging our future understanding of science and quite possibly contributing to shortages of properly qualified scientists in science-related industries. Evolutionary theory is a fundamental part of biology. It's vital that these kids have an accurate and truthful understanding of it, that they know just like I know, just like Dawkins knows, just like many, many of my regular readers know that it is a fact. The evidence is so overwhelming that it is now, in spite of what creationists and intelligent design proponents might claim, simply absurd to "believe" otherwise. It is a fact, as Dawkins points out, in the same way that gravity is a fact.

As my former headmaster, Phil Willis MP, says concerning the creationist packs that were sent to five thousand secondary schools in the UK back in 2006,

"There's little enough time with the school curriculum to deal with real science like climate change, energy and the weather.

"This is quite frankly a distraction that science teachers can well do without."

In April of 2006, the Royal Society summed it up quite perfectly, however. I leave you with their comment and the first segment of Episode Three of "The Genius of Charles Darwin".

"Young people are poorly served by deliberate attempts to withhold, distort or misrepresent scientific knowledge and understanding in order to promote particular religious beliefs."

© 2008 Gary William Murning

According to inside sources at the McCain campaign, presidential candidate John McCain will announce his running mate August 29, in Dayton Ohio.

There is supposed to be a rally of 10,000 on August 29, which just so happens to be the day after the Democratic National Convention and three days before the Republican National Convention.

This would be a great time to announce a running mate since it will take all of the momentum away from the Obama campaign. It looks as if the McCain campaign is finally beginning to run a campaign with some fire, and hopefully it will run over to the general election in November.

FOX NEWS ARTICLE

As I kept hearing this comment I thought about how some librarians use “I know my community” as an excuse for not purchasing controversial materials for the collection. For example, if I say that my community doesn’t want these materials for teens on the shelves then it’s OK that I don’t buy them.

The rest of her post explores why this thinking is false and why teen librarians need to be advocates for the teens they serve.  She argues that teen librarians might need to "continually educate adults about the role of the library in a teen’s life and make sure adults in the community know why it’s important to have a wide-variety of materials available to teen"

The comments that people have left on this post are thoughtful and definitely worth reading.

On Thoughts from a Library Administrator, Michael Golrich comments on Braun's post:

It is a critical role of the public library to have the information which people need -- even if it makes other people "uncomfortable."

Thanks Susie for including this in your bulletin!

Are you interested in internet marketing? Have you started to research the vast number of internet marketers online? A large number of these so-called gurus claim to be the real thing. There are some highly respectful internet marketers online but there are also some dishonest marketers who will use deceitful tricks in order to get your money.

When you are looking for an honest and decent internet marketing guru, you need to find one who provides valuable and useful information that can help you.

Here is the biggest secret to finding the best internet marketer and guru - "Word Of Mouth". You need to do your research online and see how many people are talking about whatever guru you want to follow. For example, Internet Marketing Guru Mike Filsaime is mentioned throughout the internet. There are a large number of people who are giving Filsaime positive Word of Mouth. Consequently, when Mike does a product launch for a new product, he has a huge number of people promoting and buying his product.

How about Internet Marketing Guru Ed Dale? He has become very well known for his "Thirty Day Challenge" where he provides valuable information for FREE. Eric Holmlund (Eric's Tips) is another internet marketing guru who is providing great information for FREE in his video series. Eric's video series teaches you step-by-step how to be successful online. It is refreshing to find Dale and Holmlund because they aren't pushing their products on you. They are concerned about sharing their knowledge with others.

There is another internet marketing guru who needs to be mentioned. His name is Jeff Walker (Product Launch Formula) and he has developed a very positive reputation online for providing a high-quality product. When you talk about word of mouth, Walker's video testimonials from his customers have added to his positive reputation. His customers speak very highly of Jeff Walker and his product.

As you can see, there are some great internet marketers online. Another good indication for finding the perfect internet marketer and guru is to take a look at the information they release for free. This will say a lot for their character.

When you are doing your research to find the best internet guru, use caution. There are a large number of dishonest marketers online who only want to take your money.

If you find a potential guru that you might want to follow, get on their mailing list. Take a look at the quality of emails they send you. If they send you emails almost every day trying to promote their products or someone else's products, this should send up a red flag. The honest and reputable gurus don't need to email you every day just in order to make a sale.

After you choose a particular guru, pick the best product that works for you. They might have a number of products that they are selling but you don't need to purchase all of them. Your main focus is to make money. Don't go into debt in the process.

You should try to pick between 3-5 internet gurus that you will follow and sign up for their mailing lists and newsletters. If you pick more than 5 gurus, you will have a tendency to get brain overload and this might discourage you from pursuing internet marketing.

Do your homework! Take a look at word of mouth from other people and be careful when you pull out your credit card to make a purchase.

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AWell, that took up a lot of space. Maybe I will wait on the Fixed Price Listings for a few days and then post some of them. But the above are some of the wonderful items I, and other sellers, have available at onlineauction.com. You really need to come on over and check us out!! Do not let lower prices scare you off!! This is all quality stuff, but since we don't pay listing or final value fees, we can afford to lower our prices for our customers.

Part Two.

Part Three.

Part Four.

Part Five.

[Episode one can be seen here.]

Feel free to ask any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.

The Genius of Charles Darwin Part Two Summary.

Humans don't have Dominion over animals. We are animals. We are the fifth ape. This raises questions about our morals and manners. Are they just a veneer? If survival drives evolution, why don't we live in a purely dog eat dog world?

Is genocide etc a survival method?

This episode deals with the questions that Darwin himself skirted around -- questions concerning the evolution of human beings, what it means for us to be evolved. The question is more urgent than ever. Darwinism is increasingly being attacked by religious groups and others for excusing selfishness and barbarism.

Dawkins takes us into the Darwinian heart of darkness to look for answers and hope.

Natural selection is the driving force of our evolution but that doesn't mean that society should be run on Darwinian lines. Dawkins abhors it as a principal for organising society.

A brief summary of evolution by natural selection then follows.

At London Zoo back in the 1830s the arrival of the first apes outraged polite society. The young Charles Darwin saw the truth staring back at him, however. All life related, Darwin realises.

East Africa -- the birthplace of Dawkins and more importantly the birthplace of the human species. Between five and six million years ago there lived in Africa an ape that had two children. One of those children gave rise to us, the other was destined to give rise to the chimpanzees.

Richard Leakey and his family have uncovered the hard evidence in the Rift Valley. Charts the evolution of our human ancestors. A brief examination of fossilised human skull development. Leakey talks about the way we react to the fact that we are the fifth ape. He tells a story about watching people at a zoo who in turn were watching apes. He says that you can see that as an individual looks at an ape he/she will be unconvinced that the ape is like them but as they look around at the other people with them they think, Yeah, there is a similarity between those people and the ape... (I've paraphrased this to make it clearer.)

We are so closely related to chimps that it isn't entirely ridiculous to ask if we might breed with them.

We are the human animal. Dawkins has often wondered what it tells us about human society now. Half the world is still horrified by the reality of our origins. As we go into the break, Dawkins asks a black guy, "I'm an ape -- are you an ape?"

"No," he answers. "I'm a human being."

Why should the fifth ape "love thy neighbour"? Darwin shied away from the evolution of man.

In Kenya, religious groups are trying to ban the National Museum exhibit of human fossils.

Turkana Boy. Homo erectus. More precious than the Crown Jewels to Dawkins (and me!)

The Evangelical movement in Kenya is running a "hide the bones" campaign. A minister shows a complete unwillingness/inability to understand evolution. He asks, "What is evolution's goal?" Dawkins explain that it has none. It has no purpose or morality.

What does that mean for us/society? Struggle. Each working for its own benefit. Explanation of strangler fig.

Next Dawkins addresses the claims that Darwinian ruthlessness/purposelessness damages society. Business likes the dog-eat-dog concept. Summary of robber-barons and social darwinism. Similarities between economic systems and biological systems. A businessman says that there's a risk to the analogy. Not a straightforward law for financial success. Merely an analogy.

Eugenics overview. A slippery slope to horrific consequences. Eugenics is not Darwinism. Hitler was not a Darwinist.

Darwin argued that evolution was driven by brutal struggle for survival. So why altruistic behaviour -- grooming, warning cries etc? Brings on Steven Pinker to explain the brain's evolution. Guilt and trust operate in much the same we as lust. Moral emotions can be explained in evolutionary terms, just like fear.

Darwin on peacocks tail. Tail wins sexual partners. Peahens perform "selective breeding" much like pigeon fanciers. This Darwin defined as "sexual selection". Survive and be attractive.

A segment on American single women selectively breeding. Sperm donors. Their criteria for donors include everything imaginable -- from shoe-size to pets. Do they want altruism/niceness, though? Yes! Don’t want typical alpha males. Nice guys win!

How did animals evolve "nice"? How can genetics explain altruism? We are vehicles for the genes inside us. They are "immortal" because they are passed on. Summary of the concept of the selfish gene.

If they are selfish, why do they promote altruism in bearer? The first part of the answer is kinship selection. Altruism directed at "family". Parents protecting their offspring. The other part of the answer is "reciprocal altruism"; you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.

Humans are still "nicer" than this explanation seems to suggest, however. Dawkins explores this problem.

We are introduced to the primatologist Frans De Waal. He is critical of Dawkins's selfish gene theory, of what he calls "veneer theory" -- the idea that morals are a thin veneer on our underlying nastiness. De Waal then moves onto "social Darwinism" (yawn)... Dawkins also hates social Darwinism.

Dawkins believes the urge to help has ancestral roots. Hardwired into us. It benefited us once, we behave as if it still does. (And it does.)

But we also rise above natural selection. Altruism is the pinnacle of human civilization. Dawkins asks a charity worker why she feels the need to help/be good. She was a war child. She knows what it was like to be hungry...

Natural selection gave us big brains. We can empathise, plan and build a society we want to live in. Our evolved brains empower us to rebel against our selfish genes.

[Episode two can be seen here.]

The Minnesota Technical Recruiters Network (MNTRN) has consistently featured some of the recruiting/human capital industry's top thought leaders in its events, including Kevin Wheeler, Howard Adamsky, Bryan Johanson, Allan Schweyer and Chris Forman. 

Chris Forman, founder and CEO of AIRS returned as a MNTRN speaker on Friday August 8th at the Golden Valley Country Club.  His dynamic presentation "Good to Great: How to Transform Your Recruiters" was an introductory overview of the "AIRS Recruiting Competency Model". 

According to AIRS research, a GREAT recruiter possesses specific competencies defined under three high level groupings:  1) Recruiting Skills  2) Performance Traits 3) Executive Search and Partnership Competencies. 

By exercising these skills, traits and competencies and building credibility with a consistent track record of performance, a recruiter can become not only a "business partner" but a "talent mentor" to hiring managers.  That's greatness.

The question of the day was "Who is this man?"

[caption id="attachment_136" align="alignnone" width="76" caption="Mystery Man"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_141" align="alignnone" width="80" caption="John Amodeo"][/caption]

Oh yeh, it says his name right there on his picture.  That's John Amodeo:  brilliant local recruiter, thought leader and MNTRN Board member responsible for bringing in talented speakers like Chris Forman.  I plan to write more about John in the future. 

Join the Minnesota Technical Recruiters Network and become part of these great networking, collaboration and learning events!

Even though "Technical Recruiters" appears in the name (originated years ago by technical recruiters), the MNTRN is a broad local network and association of technical and non-technical recruiters, human resources and other talent acquisition industry professionals. 

MNTRN events are a blast!  Designed around rich content, industry/marketplace information and lively participative discussion, each event provides a perfect setting for learning and networking.

Moi featuring l'ultime trophée SSHD (Remarquez l'incroyable montage) :

A demain... ou pas.

Part Two.

Part  Three.

Part  Four.

Part  Five.

[Episode two can be seen here.]

With this in mind, I'd like to offer my summary, as promised to Baba, of episode one. My main concern is to share the points Dawkins made during the show, for the benefit of those not living in the UK and with problems accessing YouTube. Where necessary, I will share my impressions.

At the very outset of the show, Dawkins once again stipulates that Darwin's work is one of the reasons why he doesn't believe in God. This has already been sneered at in the press ("as if we didn't know already"), but it was a relevant and important statement. No duality can exist. It is one thing or the other.

The first programme essentially deals with who Darwin was and how he discovered his theory, what it is and why it matters. Dawkins wants to convince the viewer that evolution is a fact with undeniable evidence.

He begins at the time of Darwin's birth two hundred years ago, explaining that sailors and explorers were sending home a dizzying array of animal specimens from all parts of Britain's growing empire. Every animal was believed to have a unique place in God's creation. At school in Shrewsbury, Darwin was taught that God had created the earth and all its rich variety of life just six thousand years ago. Today, thanks to Darwin we  [some of us, at least] know, differently.

In the UK today, four out of ten people still cling to the old ideas. In order to attempt to show how little evolutionary theory is taught in our schools, Dawkins visits a class of 15- to 16-year-olds. He was immediately faced with religion-based opposition. One young man politely points out that he prefers the evidence of "the holy book". There seems to be a complete lack of understanding of the difference between believing in something and having enough evidence to know that something is a fact. One pupil asserts that people can believe whatever they want.

Dawkins takes the class to the coast to show them fossil evidence.

Before seeing the results of this visit, however, we are told that Darwin as a child was probably as much of Creationist as some of these children. This leads into a biographical section. Those familiar with Darwin will already know much of this, those who aren't should follow this link.

In 1831 at the age of twenty-two Darwin's family connections secured him a round the world trip on the survey ship HMS Beagle. Over a period of five years he collected samples but wasn't satisfied. He had doubts about the biblical story of creation. He questioned why God had made two very similar but slightly different types of Rhea birds. Dawkins retraces his steps on the Galapagos Islands. Darwin wonders why God would create different types of iguanas etc on more or less identical small islands? Were they related rather than separately created? The picture becomes all the more intriguing when Darwin discovers fossils.

We are then told that Darwin was struck by the difference in size between large ground sloth fossils and the smaller modern sloth. Darwin also immersed himself in the work of Charles Lyell, applying geological principles to the problem of life.

Back on the beach with the schoolchildren, Dawkins teaches them about fossils, layering etc. There is muted enthusiasm... an unwillingness to commit, accept. They seem to be learning, or paying attention, at least, but there is a definite barrier there. Very real and, for me, alarming. I can't help but compare it to what it would have been like in my day. In my fairly run-of-the-mill comprehensive school in the late 1970s/early 1980s it would have been quite different. We'd have given Dawkins a hard time, but religion would not have been an issue -- or at least not the issue it seems to be today. There certainly would have been at least one (me!) who would have been quick to share his atheistic tendencies.

Back to Darwin. He returned from his round the world trip changed. He is a celebrity. He sees that the various forms of life aren't fixed. They must have evolved.

Without the benefit of modern tools such as the Internet, Darwin sent out thousands of letters to the experts of the day in order that he might accurately develop his theory. He saw cross-species similarities in skeletons and embryos etc.

Dawkins uses Emma Darwin's piano to explain the scale of geologic time, an understanding of which is vital to Darwin's theory.

Darwin still needed to understand how life had evolved. The process. He became fascinated by pigeons and realised that breeders had used "artificial selection". Species can change. Nature works in a similar way. Natural selection favours those better equipped to deal with certain tasks etc.

We next visit Kenya, where Dawkins himself was born. It is a harsh environment -- with the "kill or be killed" way of life more than obvious. For the animals in the wild there is no central authority, no safety net. Darwin connects nature's brutal reality with ideas from economic theory on population growth etc. Variation in individuals provides a crucial difference in chances of survival. Those better equipped to survive live on to reproduce. A fairly standard introduction to these ideas. Dawkins also adds that one species hones his skills on another. The predictable reference to an "arms race".

In an attempt to highlight our personal war with viruses, Dawkins then visits Nairobi. We meet a prostitute with HIV resistance. We Europeans, we are told, are descendants of those who were able to withstand the plague. The unstoppable force of natural selection.

Back to Darwin. The point is made of just how aware Darwin was of the implications of his work -- how upsetting it would be from the religious perspective. He was nevertheless persuaded to publish.

Next we are introduced to Randal Keynes, the great-great-grandson of Darwin. He describes Darwin as modest. He was confident of his theory but nevertheless doubted at times. On the Origin of Species sold out in two days and has never been out of print since (one hundred and fifty years.)

One gap remained. How were improvements preserved from generation to generation? This gap is addressed by genetics. Mapping of the genome is proof of Darwin's "Tree of Life". It is not a theory in the common sense anymore. Evolution is fact. Genetic code is proof.

Modern science answered Darwin's problem. Fact.

Returning to the schoolchildren. They are still predominantly unpersuaded. Still no understanding of the difference between belief and knowledge.

To finish, I would just like to stress that this is just a very brief summary. Any mistakes are mine. (Incidentally, it appears that the show is in the process of being uploaded to YouTube. Watch this space.)

[EDIT: episode one in full can now be seen here.]

[EDIT: episode two summary can be seen here.]

$("li:not(:first)").remove();

Where would this be useful? Say you are adding user choices to a list for a query and you have a remove event attached to each item. But you want the user to be able to remove all of their choices and start a new list of choices?

Enjoy!

Richard Dawkins examines the legacy of Charles Darwin. The three part programme will be broadcast on Channel Four at 8 pm on Monday 4th, Monday 11th and Monday 18th August.

One for the diary, if you live in the UK, I think. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

(If you're not in the UK and want to watch this series, keep checking YouTube. I'm sure it will be up there or on Dawkins's site sometime soon.)

[EDIT: see also Episode One Summary.]

A lire ici

a)    relating to the support or opposition of any executive, legislative, or administrative action

b)    relating to collective bargaining, or

c)    that are otherwise in furtherance of the person’s official duties

He also talked quite animatedly and passionately about programming. I asked him what a good language for someone on my mine of work might be,
And he waxed poetic on Ruby on Rails. I now have a couple pages of notes to help me get started on my programming career.

In the process if giving me advice, Dan (we'll call him Dan, though I never got his name) filled me in on how computers were a hobby of his in high school and college, and that he learned some HTML and java while he got his degree in photography. So, to be clear, Dan works at Apple, which is his second tech job after working fir the City of Austin for four years, with no formal degree. He has a few certifications, but no formal degree.

How did Dan land such a sweet gig without the resume bling to even get him in the door?

A recommendation.

One of his coworkers at the CoA was a former employee at Apple and wanted to go back. They made a deal that whoever got hired first would help the other guy in the door. Two months after his buddy got hired, Dan was working for Apple, too.

What does this mean? Two things:

1. The best hires are referrals
2. Network your ass off

The end.

The small-town version of the store proves you can be small town and still stock the essentials and so much more, from an extensive line of yogurt to gourmet soft drinks to select Washington cherries for pies or for eating out of hand.

With a little local color, of course. The assistant manager insisted on helping with our groceries (including four six packs of Henry Winehard’s root beer because it’s not available back home) and kept them aside while Mama Spoon finished some other shopping. And you’re not going to see the extreme low prices on meat that’s getting close to expiration date in every market. It just feels right here.

The Safeway store brands, such as Rancher’s Reserve and O organics find a home in this Colorado town as easily as in the Safeway at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco.

The multi-tier, segmented private label approach is one thing that sets Safeway apart. You may have heard that the company is even trying to sell its own labels in other channels in an attempt to give the brands a life of their own and build equity in the Safeway masterbrand.

Fortunately, you can cash in on those Safeway card savings even if you live outside a Safeway market area. For someone who grew up with Safeway, only to see it leave the Midwest with the likes of A&P and others, it’s nice to be connected to a familiar brand. So we'll keep that Safeway card as handy in the wallet as the Dillons card on the key ring. Because the Spoon believes in supporting really good brands.

La liste des musiques selectionnées devraient bientôt vous être communiquer. Affaire à suivre !

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