Science of the World

Join all the folks learning what's new in geology and the related sciences as geoscience organizations celebrate Earth Science Week 2012. This year's theme is geoscience careers--learn about the broad range of career opportunities in geoscience. If you're a teacher, find materials useful for teaching at levels from kindergarten through high school. 

Earth science touches upon many, many aspects of life: the basic resources used for building homes, factories, other infrastructure, and many consumer goods; natural hazards such as floods and volcanoes; the supply of drinking water; and how we have been affecting our planet and environment as we change landscapes and produce wastes of all sorts. 

The American Geosciences Institute (AGI), with support from other geoscience societies, industry, and government agencies, has been organizing and coordinating efforts to bring earth science to public view and appreciation for several years now. Check out this year's activities at www.earthsciweek.org today!

 

Rick "Please-Don't-Google-Me" Santorum is Also an Ignoramous

I know we've known this since before the days of the "Santorum Almost An Amendment," but since Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania who was voted out of office, appears to be engaged in an effort to outdo Michele Bachmann's crazy, we may as well remark upon it.

Hunter at Dail Kos describes and explains Santorum's recent claim of a Grand Jihad against God and Christianity by Science, specifically, the teaching of evolution in schools. He still favors a Crusade as a response to his fantasy.

Someone chosen to lead the United States must recognize what it takes to maintain our country's welfare and leadership in the world today--and an important aspect of that is an understanding of what science is, and how it can be used to maintain a high standard of living and a strong national defense. We need to understand the environment in which we live and how natural resources can be used to support us without destrying the environment in the process, so we don't wind up choking in a cesspool of our own making.

Earth Science Week

Earth Science Week will be celebrated October 9 - 15. Malls and car dealerships all over the country will not be having any special sales in recognition of this event, but it is an opportunity for the media and, especially, teachers, to help publicize the importance of understanding how the Earth works. Helpful materials and additional information can be found here. 

Earth Science Week presents a chance to learn more about many things in the news lately that affect our lives: the earthquake that shook Virginia in August--how does it compare to previous quakes in the area, and quakes elsewhere; How much do volcanoes affect global warming in comparison with anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; What impact might additional drilling for oil in America have on the world demand and domestic gasoline prices? 

It's almost over!

Well, have you missed it yet? I'm referring to this year's Earth Science Week, October 10 - 16. If you've missed it, wait for it to come again next October. You can still visit here to learn what it's about and what activities you are missing. If you're home-schooling, download some materials to help teach Earth-science concepts and find additional sources to engage students in exploring the Earth. Check out the sponsors and listed Earth-science organizations--see what they have to say about climate change or this year's theme, energy. If your kids can understand the material, perhaps you might want to direct the attention of your congressman to this site.

But hey, don't just do this once a year! 

Az. state senator Sylvia Allen thinks facts unimportant

Arizona state senator Sylvia Allen doesn't care for facts--"...people are welcome to believe whatever they want...," as reported in the Arizona Republic.

Allen was responding to the ridicule she recently received for twice stating that the Earth is 6,000 years old during a committee meeting on 25 June, which was discussing asking Congress not to limit access for certain uses, including uranium mining. The Earth has been here 6,000 years, long before anybody had environmental laws, and somehow it hasn't been done away with. Well, that's the kind of attitude that results in destruction of the environment. If Allen truly believes that it doesn't matter if people "believe whatever they want about how old the Earth is," what else can people believe whatever they want to without it making a difference? Should people who believe being sprinkled with Holycheney water can dodge bullets and are immune to H1N1 be given any credibility?

Oh, crap--missed it!

Well, my last post announced this year's Earth Science Week, but not until a couple days into the week. I never got around to talking about some events around the country. We did even less about it at work--rather embarrassing, if you ask me. Like they say in Cleveland--Wait 'til next year! Perhaps we can practice on February 12: Darwin Day.

It has already started!

This year's Earth Science Week has already started! It's not too late--go out and look at a rock. Or visit here to see a list of activities going on this week.There's a lot more to Earth Science than just fossils--anti-science groups are just as eager to deny geological evidence of the age of the Earth, environments of deposition of sedimentary strata, knowledge about the occurrence and movement of ground water, and many other aspects of the world around us. Today's newspaper carried an article about psychics. Wouldn't it be better if papers carried articles explaining things that are real, and articles about what we know and how we know it? How can we tell if the world is warming? How long will we be able to pump petroleum out of the ground? Is there enough water available to sustain development at a particular location? Don't ask a psychic, ask a scientist. And geologists are involved in the study of many of these questions.