A Change in My 9/11 Schedule

Believing all members of a group are evil = overgeneralization

Since 2001 I have never missed a visit to the World Trade Center site, going to pay my respects and mark a year in my life as well. From the beginning I established a tradition of what I wear, what I carry with me as well as the order of sites I see--the Morgan Bank, Federal Hall, Trinity Church and then Ground Zero.

Tomorrow, however, I will be adding another stop to my pilgrimage, as I will be heading over to Park Place to the pro-Muslim rally being held there.  I am not a religious person but I am an ethical one and I feel so much disappointment and anger over the unfair treatment of the followers of Mohammed and the founders of the Cordoba Center.  I am embarrassed by the ignorance I see and hear on a daily basis in reaction to the construction of the center and I feel the need to lend my presence, as well as my words, in helping fight ignorance and prejudice over this issue.  

As we mark this 9th anniversary of the tragedy that occurred here, think of the good people of all faiths, as well as those without one, who were murdered that day in the name of hate. Hate is the enemy dear readers--not Islam. 

The Brits Require Darwin in Their Schools

(science) / (myth + religion) = anti-intellectualism

In a pro-scientific move, the Brits have declared that Darwin is to be taught in all public schools across their country beginning in 2011. Thiw move makes a great deal of sense in that the theory of evolution is one of the greatest scientific achievements of the past two centuries, influencing almost all other intellectual disciplines in a way few other theories ever have.

Three cheers for the British educators realizing the value of a science-based. evidence-based education. Perhaps educational leaders on this side of the Atlantic who bemoan our dwindling science skills should consider a similar move. After all, weren't we the ones who fought so hard for a division between church and state?

Oh, on a related note; I am finally catching up with the Nova series Becoming Human. If you want the latest science on how we became the sophisticated (in some way too sophisticated?) animal that we are. here is the link.

Read the story on Darwin in British schools here.