tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49536441708991034892012-01-28T12:42:07.397-08:00Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.comBlogger6081100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-26588782396577965922012-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:002012-01-27T12:57:52.297-08:00

There was a fascinating moment on last night's "Hardball" with pugnacious center-lefty host Chris Matthews, which was covered (not all that accurately) by some right-wing media, and it is emblematic of what is wrong with most media coverage of alleged science vs. religion spats.Speaking with GOP political operative Ron Christie about the views of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, Matthews

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-33400332112571672212012-01-15T07:57:00.001-08:002012-01-15T08:08:37.158-08:00

I predicted that Santorum would gain traction, suggesting that evangelicals such as Gary Bauer and James Dobson would pick the Pennsylvania hard-core pro-lifer as the non-Mormon conservative to rally around. Well, Santorum actually hasn't gained that much traction, stalling a bit in New Hampshire after some testy Q-and-A's with college-age crowds.Nevertheless, he has been anointed. Santorum

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-75150898718478632812012-01-14T12:26:00.001-08:002012-01-14T13:39:57.746-08:00

As I often say to my students when breaking down some counter-intuitive but astounding fact about the natural world, "I can't make this stuff up." Dawkins is on to something here: there really is something seemingly magical about reality, in that it often defeats our expectations, which are so grounded in our day-to-day experience. When we encounter phenomena at scale different from ours, they

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-71376948054405218322012-01-07T13:32:00.001-08:002012-01-07T14:27:01.937-08:00

Well, I'm back with another set of comments on politics. This is what happens when a fella like me has too much time on his hands due to convalescence, I'm afraid. Just to be clear, I'm feeling better, but when I'm really better, probably won't have time to blog. It's kind of like the guy who said he was "calling in well", and that you would know he was sick because he'd be back in the office

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-19253840585079060172012-01-04T07:51:00.000-08:002012-01-04T08:55:31.183-08:00

So, I had my surgery on the 28th and am still recovering. Every day is different. I came home the day after the surgery and so far have made strides far more rapidly than I would've imagined. Many sites on the web discussing ACDF make far more conservative projections for recovery than what I've experienced, but my surgeon's more assertive estimate seems to be on target. I have to say that so

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-58666773575668902482011-12-19T10:13:00.000-08:002011-12-19T11:25:27.242-08:00

So, I am definitely having the ACDF procedure on the 28th. I am supposedly an excellent candidate, and I've been able to weather the semester, battling sporadic pain which varies in intensity and duration. I've made it to Finals Week, wherein the demands on my body are much reduced, so (magical thinking, knock on wood) I'm going to be able to finish up. I am disappointed in my performance as a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-74985738125464196962011-12-12T09:43:00.000-08:002011-12-12T10:24:00.679-08:00

When not keeping track of all the new ways that the Dallas Cowboys have discovered to lose games, I also follow politics a tad.I remain amazed so that so few people in the media will acknowledge the stark truth: namely, that the "Anyone But Mitt" movement in the GOP has legs, and that at least one of those legs should be labeled 'bigotry', as a significant number of evangelical Christians can't

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-46647474027214965562011-12-07T10:22:00.000-08:002011-12-07T10:54:05.729-08:00

So....this just in, a New York artist has claimed that, by turning Da Vinci's iconic Mona Lisa sideways, you can detect images of various animals, among them a lion and a buffalo. These hidden beasts supposedly support the view that the strangely-compelling and legendary portrait is actually a commentary on jealousy....Frankly, I envy this fellow's imagination. As you can see from the above

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-86637256770142709012011-09-05T19:02:00.000-07:002011-09-05T22:20:58.142-07:00

So, towards the end of the first session of summer school, I experienced two events. One has tended to make me motivated, while the other has often made me depressed, and each has to do with my health. Good days, bad days and tough breaks now follow....On the motivated side, my beautiful wife gets cuter every day as she passed the six-month anniversary of gastric bypass surgery. Prior to the

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-43822072285747423012011-08-29T21:17:00.000-07:002011-08-30T00:06:42.635-07:00

Over the last several years, I've lost my way as far as being a musician goes. Actually, that's not quite true. I'm not lost, I know where I am....in a comfortable, cradling valley between peaks that stretch away from me, in the distance. Let me explain. For most of the last 12 years, I have worked as a musician part-time for a lovely church that I belong to, and it gives me an opportunity

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-74707344321159519182011-07-29T17:01:00.000-07:002011-08-19T16:43:56.730-07:00

Continuing self-reflection on more than a decade of Biology instruction at Bullard High School, I think about the time spent in lecture, delivering content. Again, this is an area of instruction that I tend to devote quite a bit of energy to, typically more than my colleagues. There are a lot of reasons for that, and some of them frankly have very little to do with instruction. Before I was a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-47058379022402695282011-07-22T15:15:00.000-07:002011-07-23T09:04:59.286-07:00

My blogging has trickled to a stop, in part because I had been wondering if I had anything new to say about the main issues that motivated me to start blogging in the first place. So much has changed in my life, and yet, as far as science education is concerned, so little. Americans are still confused about the difference between science and belief, and a depressingly large number of them

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-34152084337443856442011-02-09T15:59:00.001-08:002011-02-09T16:15:35.918-08:00

So, here is is, February 9th. A project I've put a lot of time into (a proposal to adopt uniforms at my school site) is nearing the end. This evening, the FUSD Board (meeting at Yokomi Elementary) will rule first on whether to amend the district's policy on uniforms, and then almost immediately after approve or deny the Bullard School Site Council's request to implement uniforms.I am

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-61829928310498432622011-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:002011-01-15T22:46:24.488-08:00

UNIFORMS?So, let me put my cards on the table. I'm on the Bullard School Site Council this year. Two years ago, I served as Council President, and this is my third year on the Council. One of the main responsibilities of the SSC is to rule on matters of dress code. A parent group (Bullard Pride) has for some time maintained a presence on the SSC. Bullard Pride is heavily populated by former

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-74891967070208611272011-01-11T16:53:00.000-08:002011-01-11T17:06:02.745-08:00

...beware the power of the Drake Equation (properly tweaked):Unfortunately, no word yet on the probability that I or anyone else will morph into Ryan Reynolds, who now bears the deadly sobriquet of PMSMA.In the meantime, check out Dinosaur Comics!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-18865260744483739912010-12-21T17:25:00.001-08:002010-12-21T17:25:48.665-08:00

You can check out my gig with Alan Autry here:http://www.940kyno.com/index.php?c=28

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-8587786002811487912010-12-15T11:51:00.000-08:002010-12-15T15:47:05.910-08:00

Hello, people who care about science education! I hope you are well and enjoying the buildup to the holiday season.As it so happens, I will be back on the Alan Autry radio program (1300 KYNO) on between 11:00 and 12:00 on Tuesday morning, Dec. 21st. Regular readers of my blog may recall my first steps into this arena, and the considerable amount of traffic and comments it generated....so it will

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-7208294001949745502010-12-02T13:40:00.000-08:002010-12-04T23:57:55.952-08:00

These days, Ken Ham is the chief purveyor of young-Earth flavored propaganda in North America. And that makes him, de facto, the most prominent creationist not just on our continent, but the whole planet.He's certainly the most successful of late at building mailing lists and war chests, precisely because the lion's share of his public effort is addressed at young people. That's what you'd expect

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-12957444429512171852010-11-11T13:30:00.000-08:002010-11-11T13:31:47.137-08:00

Set your cuteness meter to 'overwhelming'...!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-69745911567845070972010-11-07T00:18:00.000-07:002010-11-07T00:21:22.152-07:00

Hmm.Is the situation that I don't have anything new to say or write about? Probably not.The problem is that my load of district-mandated coursework has entailed me writing, on average, about 3,000 words a week since late April. It's been a bear, and with two other jobs plus all the time I seem to find it necessary to spend at my school site doing various things, I just haven't been able to give

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-62728353485688650752010-09-29T10:08:00.000-07:002010-09-29T10:21:49.886-07:00

Too awesome not to share. Jorge Cham has a wonderful comic strip about grad school called Ph.D, and he often has extended strips that discuss the state of research programs in the sciences, as when he talks about cancer or the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.But he has outdone himself here, showing a real-life grad student doing genetic research on pepper plants at New Mexico State University:PHD

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-85449304734681832132010-09-10T16:03:00.001-07:002010-09-10T16:25:50.528-07:00

From the ridiculous to the sublime. Or the sublemon. I dunno.My wife and I play on a team with an ever-changing name in the Fresno Pub Quiz. Recently our team beat out about 25 other gangs of six to win a share of a fat four-figure prize. Given that it costs the two of us just $10 /week to compete, it was a pretty nice win.In fact, it was such an improbably-sizeable win (I won't bore you with the

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-27505916125717180702010-09-04T08:34:00.001-07:002010-09-04T09:23:46.365-07:00

The Fresno Bee approached me a little over a month ago with the idea of doing an article about my Galapagos experiences.That article ran in Saturday's Bee and can be viewed on-line here. The article itself is a pastiche of quotes either collected by the reporter, Ron Orozco, or edited from observations that they asked me to submit. There were some formatting problems with the Bee article that

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-12769598092547245392010-08-22T22:37:00.000-07:002010-08-22T22:41:56.019-07:00

Interesting take by a prominent conservative.....

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-32248487063952681792010-07-30T10:29:00.000-07:002010-07-30T10:41:41.029-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, more than two weeks. So much has changed for me in terms of energy and outlook since my trip to the Galapagos. There is now a gallery of pictures on-line you can look at.Anyway, read this article in the Business section of the Bee today. It seems that, curiously, that the profits of McClatchy Newspapers (of which the Bee is one) are up....but their overall

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-54898744558712332272010-07-12T17:02:00.000-07:002010-07-12T18:14:12.595-07:00

I returned a few days ago from the longest travels of my life. Eight plane rides, over 500 miles at sea, twelve anchorages, seven islands, dozens of landings, hikes, snorkel expeditions. I'm back, but only physically. Much of my mind and, truth to tell, my emotions are still centered on the Galapagos.What can I say, in just a few words, about the adventures I have been having?It's been at times

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-35126103196507609352010-06-30T21:59:00.000-07:002010-06-30T22:02:47.505-07:00

Well, after a setback on the first day and with considerable wrangling, I made it to the Hotel Quito, Ecuador.Tomorrow, the Galapagos!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-83066707340647929762010-06-28T23:06:00.000-07:002010-06-28T23:07:25.898-07:00

To my Colleagues, Friends and Family:As you may know, I am taking coursework in the Galapagos, a chain of volcanic islands in the South Pacific about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. It is remote, but to biologists, a celebrated location due to its association with Darwin's theory of evolution. To a high school teacher like myself this represents a major investment in my own practice, and a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-65720809733287826572010-06-07T08:41:00.000-07:002010-06-07T22:03:09.032-07:00

Well, it has come to this at last. As you may be aware, I am planning on taking coursework in the Galapagos Islands in July. This is part of a program in which I will earn units in both the Geology and Biology of the Galapagos. Beyond making what is in effect the biological equivalent of a pilgrimage, I am hoping that what I see and experience will make me a more effective instructor in

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-84219521446359798212010-05-25T06:16:00.000-07:002010-06-07T22:09:33.355-07:00

The prolific Scientific American columnist, founder of CSICOP, and savant of a thousand interests has died.I lack the wisdom to sum up such an interesting life, especially for someone that I only knew in print. I can only remark that I have often found Gardner's playfulness, skepticism and curious views on the possibility of religious belief to be endlessly intriguing, even inspirational in ways

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-88574765550341736672010-05-20T21:21:00.001-07:002010-05-20T21:25:18.418-07:00

ffffffHevisaurus!Hevisaurus!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-50518282476557044632010-05-02T06:46:00.000-07:002010-05-02T07:44:19.286-07:00

Want some evidence that there is something fundamentally awry in the mainstream media? Looking for something to bolster your conspiratorial mindset, prone to magical thinking? Well, look no farther. Today, Monkey Trials will indulge that guilty pleasure.Here's a news article from the Associated Press regarding President Obama's speech to Michigan graduates, of which I watched a goodly portion

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-18921739289101270002010-04-19T14:01:00.000-07:002010-04-19T14:03:45.955-07:00

This was pretty cool to watch.This carries no weight with those obsessed with the culture wars, but I still thought this was pretty cool to watch. The interview is preceded by a commercial, of course:Enjoy!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-51101596688264087992010-04-18T23:54:00.000-07:002010-04-19T00:10:29.503-07:00

Sure, I'm a Democrat and tend to be liberal on social issues. Does that mean that I don't have some horror of runaway deficits, or that I don't think the TP movement has some legitimate concerns? Not at all. Many TP supporters (mostly Republicans) are basically decent people with whom I share some values, among them fiscal restraint.But do I think the TP movement has much of a chance to

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-76990258417827423202010-04-09T22:26:00.000-07:002010-04-09T23:03:44.520-07:00

DOLTS!Some of my fellow Christians are just dolts. Look at the slogan of this outfit, which has multiple campuses in Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Washington, D.C.You might think that this would be an outfit that would not be afraid to consider alternate viewpoints within the Christian tradition. But, as this article from USA Today shows, there are Reformed Church leaders

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-85485520307508995862010-04-06T16:58:00.000-07:002010-04-06T17:16:59.017-07:00

I've known some pretty decent people who happen to be creationists. They use arguments that I reject, but they treat scientists as people. I've even met a few ID supporters who, by their own lights, act with integrity. These folk don't engage in conspiracy theory, don't call us names and don't accuse evolutionary biologists of willful deceit.Larry Faferman doesn't fall into any of these

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-49945143845447513862010-04-05T00:07:00.000-07:002010-04-06T22:28:12.771-07:00

This talk should be right up my alley.Many Cafe Scientifique talks are aimed at sharing the actual research of a scientist in our community with the general public. As such, they are fascinating but unlikely to become part of a high school science class. But Dr. Ray Hall's talk is part of the warp and woof of every science curriculum worthy of its name. I might even have something to

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-53115542776754397822010-04-02T15:42:00.000-07:002010-04-02T15:47:29.803-07:00

Have you ever wondered what a Flash-based, ironically-modern 'explanation' of science would look and sound like? What would a science documentary by Xuxa be like? Click at your peril.

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-66682135033381790282010-04-02T07:32:00.000-07:002010-04-02T08:02:02.114-07:00

Republicans have taken comfort of late in a momentary spike in polling against HCR, and it has become one of their talking points.It's understandable that they would seize upon ANY number in the low 60's as a mandate, given the fact that Pres. Bush's approval ratings in his last two years in office never at any time reached 40 percent and more often than not languished in the high 20's.

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-22650250958085577132010-03-31T17:19:00.000-07:002010-03-31T17:24:22.070-07:00

Tonight I run down south for a one-day jaunt to Long Beach, courtesy of my involvement with Bullard's School Site Council.Truth to tell...I don't exactly relish the trek. But this actually kind of gets me in the mood:A lot of the early punk stuff is poorly performed, poorly recorded junk. You can look at it as a historical document, but the music/performance is sort of secondary, especially the

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-2511998388416957392010-03-30T23:54:00.001-07:002010-03-31T00:02:49.882-07:00

This article by Richard Hughes is devastating in its simplicity and insight.I'm not a big admirer generally of HuffPo, its interests or its content, but this is truly worth reading.Every American citizen who identifies as a 'Christian' needs to read this article and then ask, 'What kind of 'Christian' am I?' More than anything I have read in memory, it describes to a 'T' how much of our '

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-53526094222079884322010-03-30T10:35:00.000-07:002010-03-30T16:14:15.814-07:00

The ever-fulminous Vox Day generously peels off a fairly long blog post in response to a comment that I left on his blog. Here's the original comment:I invite you to read the state science standards for high school biology in California. You'll find those on pages 51-56 of this PDF file. It's true that evolution is in there, but there is absolutely no requirement to teach 'scientific history.'

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-59201400107834292412010-03-29T20:50:00.000-07:002010-03-29T20:56:26.427-07:00

OK, now I'm tired of politics, including my own. So....here's something I could've shared at the beginning of Lent. Why wait another year to do so? Check out this awesome melding of electronics, dance culture and Third-World music:It will make you happy if you dance to it!But...you really do have to dance.Why not now, in Holy Week?(but, see Matthew 11:17)

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-73874083956594407882010-03-29T19:22:00.001-07:002010-03-29T19:42:01.436-07:00

Now here's a ridiculous thing.Tim Tebow, like every other NFL prospect, takes the Wonderlic Test.An anecdote (which is later denied) is put out there that the notoriously faith-headed Tebow ran an 'audible' right before the test was to be given. The original source is here.Much blog commentary followed, mocking Tebow's score of 22 out of 50 and chortling at his below-averageness, and how of

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-14331137675161545942010-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:002010-03-28T21:46:54.356-07:00

Illustration from the New York Times, March 28, 2010, by Barry BlittI am departing again from my usual fare. I rarely blog about politics, as there are more political bloggers than virtually any other species and it's not really something that motivates me on a day-to-day basis. However, the last few weeks the spectacle of the health care debate and the tactics used by the Dems to ram it

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-71333668071904921162010-03-26T09:38:00.000-07:002010-03-26T12:59:30.810-07:00

I've been mulling over the results of the recent Harris poll. It's been known for some time that nearly 70 percent of registered Republicans believe, for example, that the Earth is but a few thousand years old. Keep in mind this is a viewpoint whose scientific support is about the same as belief in astrology, Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.That's . . . obviously demoralizing to anyone who

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-5351780927908853902010-03-22T17:33:00.000-07:002010-03-23T17:22:54.334-07:00

I just read a blogger who concluded that Mr. Obama is now a one-term president. They are perhaps convinced by the argument that (nearly) half of Americans were opposed to the passage of the health care bill, and by his approval ratings:On a more anecdotal level, the open protestations of hatred for the President have noticeably increased in my neck of the woods. An otherwise charming female

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-56583019071974787642010-03-21T07:13:00.001-07:002010-03-21T15:03:19.210-07:00

...of the academic year, that is, for us California high school teachers.I haven't posted much lately. There's a reason for that.It's called the CST's. (California State Tests) These are those all-important content-area tests that are used to evaluate school performance and---if some people at the federal level 'Racing To The Top' had their way---to evaluate individual teachers.I won't bore

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-27936236187360570292010-03-09T21:30:00.000-08:002010-03-09T22:51:49.424-08:00

I have a correspondent who has brought up that old argument about evolution violating the 2nd Law. I am sorry to say that when I was young and uneducated, I knew just enough about entropy that the argument sounded plausible and science-y.But here's what I think these days, with Wikipedia citations embedded.Entropy is a measurement of a system's disorder, and can often be treated as a loss of

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-85844517904344945722010-03-05T00:15:00.000-08:002010-03-07T07:09:44.300-08:00

An article over at PZ Mwahaha's details his disappointment with another bout of one-dimensional reportage (featuring Ken Miller) allegedly at the expense of the godless.I can't blame him for feeling that way, after being gulled by the makers of 'Expelled.' When are we science communicators going to learn to insist upon complete copies of all the raw footage and binding agreements not to

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-43193733553371780502010-03-03T14:53:00.000-08:002010-03-03T14:59:59.190-08:00

The good Republican folk of Texas have spoken. By a slim majority, they have expressed their lack of confidence in the tactics of dentist Don McElroy, the most vocal supporter of creationism on the Texas State Board of Education.McElroy actually chaired the Board for awhile, but stirred up so much needless controversy that his confirmation was denied. Here's a video of McElroy in action, and

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-14065584787275445542010-02-24T21:03:00.000-08:002010-02-25T00:20:45.053-08:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I will try to quickly summarize my absence in terms of other commitments.1) I've been involved in efforts to broaden our course offerings at Bullard, both in terms of crafting a physical science elective and in winning approval for piloting a course in 'The Great Ideas' as a senior elective in our Law Magnet program. In general, the

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-48607447661820043272010-02-10T23:20:00.000-08:002010-02-11T00:27:57.424-08:00

My buddy Mark is part of an effort to bring a certain long-established political practice to an end: sectarian prayers at the meetings of the Fresno City Council. Essentially, they took the time to meticulously document how at virtually every meeting of the Council last year some local religious leader referenced Jesus Christ or Christianity.Here's the details of those invocations in spreadsheet

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-5644222566775824982010-02-06T11:05:00.000-08:002010-02-06T11:28:18.527-08:00

OK, as I've told some people lately, teachers often complain. It's gotten to the point that I can recognize when a complaint is coming from some of my colleagues, and will quickly change the subject when possible when I can anticipate the nature of the complaint, or in some other way 'beg out' of that conversaion. I tend to regard complaining as unproductive.Why do some teachers complain so

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-47231705013191505732010-02-04T20:59:00.000-08:002010-02-04T21:05:42.194-08:00

Not sure precisely what this means, but PZ directed me to this interesting site which attempts to measure what they call 'risk intelligence.' I scored pretty darn high (95 out of 100):My 'calibration curve' (in gold) mirrors pretty closely a simple linear function (purple) related to the confidence actually felt by respondents to various questions. I don't think it means that I'm smarter than

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-40668387740430902222010-01-28T23:16:00.001-08:002010-01-28T23:39:33.240-08:00

Oh. This is funny, but my goodness, only barely satire. I've had many conversations with colleagues over the last five years or so about this, and even made this point when I appeared on Alan Autry's radio show a while back, that the quality of science programming on cable is not what is should be.For example, the version of 'Planet Earth' that aired on the 'Science Channel' with narration by

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-43468005484168749912010-01-23T15:54:00.000-08:002010-01-23T23:08:11.087-08:00

CHUPACOON!Here's Wise County, Texas:And here's the latest (sigh) chupacabra sighting from Texas, and thus, the latest Internet sensation, found on a golf course:The explanation, according to this report, is of a denuded young raccoon. Interestingly enough, a similar case appeared of an otherwise normal hairless raccoon reported by Kentucky Fish and Game officials (see pg. 7 of this PDF!). The

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-70173703894320588382010-01-19T06:07:00.000-08:002010-01-19T06:25:07.103-08:00

It's pretty sad, but Sunday's loss in Minnesota (I'm a Cowboys fan) found me in need of a little cheering up, especially with the weather gloomy and my wife under the weather with a cold. So I indulged in a little madcap surfing.For some strange reason, the following excess of popular culture does, in fact, perk me up a little. Presented for your viewing pleasure, some shots of the Harry

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-3293074358910945082010-01-17T15:44:00.001-08:002010-01-17T17:05:31.060-08:00

Apparently the rumors spread by me of Brett Favre's impending demise as a football player were ill-founded. Please disregard. I can't say I was shocked to see the Vikings win (this is the NFL), but I really thought Favre would revert to form and force balls into coverage. I was wrong. They were better, and they deserved to win. Sigh.I especially have to extend my congratulations to the

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-3540546080098173962010-01-15T16:04:00.001-08:002010-01-15T17:34:18.839-08:00

THEY WILLI'm not a prophet, and I want to make it clear that this is an uninformed and partisan opinion. I'm basically an enthusiastic but not terribly knowledgeable fan of the Dallas Cowboys, and none of the NFL pundits I've read are going to say anything this strong.But, I have to sound off about this Sunday's playoff game between the Cowboys and the Vikings: I think it's going to be Brett

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-35111235485762130162010-01-12T19:01:00.000-08:002010-01-12T20:27:44.413-08:00

A family member sends me a link to this news story about a marvelous creature, the sea slug Elysia chlorotica:I know, it looks like a leaf. But, actually, its a mollusc, specifically a gastropod, like the snails and slugs you might find in your garden. This particular slug's green color is derived from the fact that it sucks up up intertidal algae as a food source and actually incorporates some

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-6373404775141254512010-01-08T13:01:00.000-08:002010-01-08T13:24:22.818-08:00

A correspondent asks me privately what I think about the East Anglia email 'scandal'. Here's my reply:Basically, I can't get excited until a major scientific publication retracts a paper based upon clear evidence of scientific misconduct. This does happen, even though it leaves the journal with egg on its face. Science and Nature have both famously retracted papers due to fraud in recent years

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-59063393352521301742010-01-02T00:35:00.000-08:002010-01-03T17:22:48.728-08:00

OK, so this is just a hypothetical.But suppose, just suppose, that some kids in Italy were really taken with the looks of Elvis and other rockabilly types in the late 1950's?But, suppose, instead of picking up the vocabulary of rhythm-and-blues, they stayed pretty nestled in the traditional popular music of their country, with maybe a few touches from the bijou courtesy of Piero Piccioni or

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-20380065193179209632009-12-30T00:54:00.000-08:002009-12-30T02:23:11.298-08:00

Everyone's favorite libertarian character (and evolutionary skeptic) Vox Dei is up to his old rhetorical tricks in a recent post, wherein he reviews an article at PhysicsBlog which is turn is based on a paper by Mark Pagel and his colleagues at the University of Reading which was published earlier this month in Nature.Now, the original paper in question uses phylogenetic trees to compare

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-44658753600100338122009-12-21T17:21:00.000-08:002009-12-21T17:46:53.993-08:00

I apologize in advance for being a bit contentious in the holiday season.But this ridiculous piece by the 'humorist' Garrison Keillor so plainly toys with anti-Semitism that it cries out to be taken seriously. Summary for those not interested in reading the whole thing: Keillor wants non-Christians (such as Unitarians and Jews) to not appropriate anything like the traditional Christmas vibe of

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-62333617426822932442009-12-19T13:22:00.001-08:002009-12-19T13:30:25.423-08:00

In which two Evil Empires are united in cloying cuteness for all eternity:Courtesy of my Comic Con buddy, James!In all seriousness, in case you haven't heard, there is a merger afoot. Some shareholders have balked and launched legal missiles. Others no doubt are just waiting for their opportunity to vote it up or down . . . on New Year's Eve.Perhaps we are nearing the dawn of a new era!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-24982497060126233572009-12-14T21:36:00.000-08:002009-12-14T21:50:15.052-08:00

On Friday, a 54-year quest ended for the Knights.No, they didn't find the Holy Grail. But the Bullard High School football team did succeed in nailing down the Division I valley championship in football. And that is a very good thing not just for our school, but as some folk recognize, for Fresno Unified in general:Athletes are generally above-average students, a fact that goes against the image

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-42057593313423318662009-12-11T12:34:00.000-08:002009-12-11T12:37:34.161-08:00

Hmph. I guess I'm not an academic.Another brilliant offering from Jorge Chan's strip Ph.D.

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-60574842110588060762009-12-11T08:21:00.000-08:002009-12-14T21:36:31.790-08:00

I work for Fresno Unified (FUSD). In the past ten years, I have taught all four of the main sequence standards (Biology, Chemistry, Earth Science and Physics) in California, standards that have been in place without modification since they were adopted in October of 1998. You can get a list of all the science standards, by grade level, in this PDF file.Now, as you might imagine, in order to

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-89871567799330383822009-12-07T18:07:00.000-08:002009-12-08T17:19:59.245-08:00

Here's the opening segment. I'm going to have to split the second segment into two parts in order to get them on YouTube, so that may have to wait until tomorrow:

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-74852575440093381152009-12-04T16:33:00.000-08:002009-12-04T17:33:04.062-08:00

WOW.....So, like, we had a really big crowd for Dr. Scott's talk on Wednesday evening:As it turned out, I was sort of drafted at the last minute to tape Dr. Scott's talk (with her permission!) since I had brought my little Flip video recorder. All praise to the Generator Of Diversity, Madhu was able to loan me a tripod, or else I really wouldn't have been able to enjoy the talk. I couldn't

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-52197682139348650692009-11-27T14:59:00.000-08:002009-11-27T15:17:59.536-08:00

Eugenie Scott, who will be appearing in Fresno on Dec. 2nd (Wednesday), and who does such an important job really well.Bringing Dr. Scott is a nice way to finish out the 2009 bicentennial of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Origin of Species, and bringing Dr. Scott to Fresno is a bit of a coup for my colleagues at CSU Fresno. The Consortium for Evolutionary

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-55943651342443851792009-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:002009-11-27T10:51:32.666-08:00

I get a variety of views in my mailbox. Here, for example, are the thoughts of that great bear of burden, Newt Gingrich. Short version: let's remember that the purpose of Thanksgiving is to give thanks to God. Well...duh. But Newt goes a bit farther, and seems to miss the fact that going farther creates an obvious conflict. Right after acknowledging that not all Americans are Christians, he

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-25312160674962619602009-11-20T17:27:00.000-08:002009-11-21T23:17:10.547-08:00

You can watch CNN's coverage of the Ray Comfort-modified Origin giveaway going on this week on a video right here, featuring NCSE member Ken Miller doing what he does best, which is to say defending the science of evolution from the ignorami:One of these days, maybe Kirk Cameron will actually experience some intellectual 'Growing Pains', but right now he's nothing more or less than the poster boy

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-970996754608616862009-11-11T08:03:00.000-08:002009-11-12T08:19:46.162-08:00

OK, out of the blue yesterday around 5:00 I received a phone call from Gail Marshall, who produces radio programming at KYNO (1300-AM). It was an offer to appear TODAY on the Bill McEwen Show around noon. Bill, a long-time Fresno Bee reporter and columnist, has a well-deserved reputation as straight-talking observer of the Fresno scene and (at times) a biting critic of what isn't necessarily

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-46036203104755145032009-11-09T18:30:00.000-08:002009-11-11T09:59:09.320-08:00

In 1983, Bob Clark (previously best known for a series of low-budget exploitation films) made the film for which he will doubtless be remembered long after offerings like 'Deathdream' or 'Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things' go by the wayside. That film was 'A Christmas Story', an instant holiday classic based on the humorous memoirs of Jean Shepherd, about growing up in northwest

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-63315388995359421322009-11-02T15:18:00.000-08:002009-11-02T15:34:42.623-08:00

Central Valley Cafe Scientifique is now meeting at Piazza Del Pane, near the intersection of Palm and Herndon, on the first Monday of each month in session:Our new guidelines for attendees is that we encourage them to have dinner before the presentation, so that more attendees can fit into the patio area without the crowding of a full-course meal with plates, silverware, etc. We received very

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-58567535777563492602009-11-01T00:45:00.001-07:002009-11-02T15:38:47.770-08:00

PZ Myers has been live-blogging a conference at the University of Chicago that I would dearly love to attend myself, as it has a host of luminaries on the subject of evolution: historians, philosophers, and even scientists!One particular talk described by PZ, by Neil Shubin, seems remarkably similar in outline to an address that Shubin gave in California a while back, which aired on UCTV this

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-2934965399027415772009-10-20T22:13:00.000-07:002009-10-20T23:32:32.708-07:00

Beauty and cruelty, and somewhere in between, humor of the gallows variety. That probably doesn't sound too ennobling, but it's how I often see the world. It is filled with beauty, but also cruelty, and we might as well laugh when we can. As the saying goes, no one is getting out of here alive.So, at my church, the present choir director is a charming older lady who has worked more years than I

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-31531013109579390962009-10-13T21:40:00.000-07:002009-10-13T21:58:21.324-07:00

Well, I look at the blog and I see basically just one post for September and only one since that time, which was essentially a repost of a little trash-talking over at the baseball blog.I've been quiet of late, for a lot of reasons:First, and of greatest importance, I've been busy moving. We bought a new house, renovated it, then moved in the 95 percent of our possessions that have been in

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-5400833702592978152009-10-06T14:36:00.000-07:002009-10-06T14:37:43.979-07:00

There has been some discussion on this blog about the merits of a certain Royals pitcher. Would he really, as some suggest, have done better pitching for an AL East team than for the weak-hitting lineup fielded in Kansas City? Or would he, as others have claimed, had more wins but an inflated ERA?To shed some light on this discussion, consider the stat known as 'adjusted ERA', or (more commonly)

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-25998082981907004192009-09-07T19:12:00.001-07:002009-09-07T19:39:39.046-07:00

No, really. Here it is:Prepared Remarks of President Barack ObamaBack to School EventArlington, VirginiaSeptember 8, 2009The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today. I know that

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-65156654940310405082009-09-07T18:44:00.000-07:002009-09-07T18:53:35.640-07:00

Well, over the three-day weekend I worked a tad. I took part of Sunday afternoon off to attend the 'Heretic's Barbecue' sponsored by CVASS. They had a nice turnout. I got my money's worth in the food department, I donated a couple of copies of an 'old earth creationist' book to an auction to raise funds for CVASS and got to 'walk on water' when they put together a demo of a non-Newtonian fluid

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-39770892127057899022009-09-04T15:10:00.001-07:002009-09-04T15:38:23.606-07:00

This is a screen shot, with individual's names redacted, of an email I received yesterday from the school district. Of particular emphasis is this directive: "If teachers decide to use the live broadcast as an educational opportunity, and they have students that do not wish to participate, please make provisions for those students."The only provision that should be made for such students,

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-82657041214290135572009-08-29T17:01:00.001-07:002009-08-30T15:19:29.907-07:00

I've been ridiculously busy since the week before summer vacation ended. This will be an extensive post with many pictures. All cadets will please set their phasers on 'Blackmail' and peruse at their leisure....and, frankly, if you have leisure time as August draws to a close, color me green.Anyway, the big news is that after living in a rental for nearly a year the wife and I have purchased a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-56310414119905982032009-08-19T18:44:00.001-07:002009-08-19T18:57:36.345-07:00

I'm in the middle of the first week of school! Yea!I'm highly tempted to begin by complaining about a Kafkaesque move by our on-line grade information system people to limit instructor input, but I'll pass on that for now. Why? Because, simply put, there are so many good things happening on our campus right now, and a lot of it has to do with training that I and other instructors received from

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-50211752410715597782009-08-13T07:47:00.000-07:002009-08-13T07:58:32.552-07:00

WOWUmm....wanted the sound of a marching snare drum approaching and departing in a stereo field. Could've achieved a left-to-right motion by simply panning the sound, but good listeners would know that was how it was done, because there would be no timbral change. So, we attached a headphone amp to the back of a real field-mounted snare drum:Then, I played the drum (which had been loaned by a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-951113924512059962009-08-11T16:42:00.000-07:002009-08-11T16:57:18.543-07:00

Yours truly will be teaching it, as shown in this snapshot from the local web site:I'm afraid my course isn't highlighted at the web site, but there is also a link here to a PDF version of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute's offerings this fall in Fresno. The details of the course are as follows:I received the opportunity to do this out of the blue in late April. I hope to offer a

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-37190734696312412662009-08-10T08:22:00.001-07:002009-08-10T08:40:55.242-07:00

My old sparring partner Vox Dei has issued another challenge to PZ Myers, based upon this post of PZ's responding to an article by Sam Harris. Harris uses a graphic, and I have to say that I agree with PZ's assessment: this is not a great metric for the evo-creo wars. Like Ken Miller, I would probably be in PZ's 'blue box' most of the time on the issue of evolution, and whenever I find myself

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-84741642151656613972009-07-31T14:09:00.001-07:002009-07-31T14:21:16.133-07:00

My goodness, but it's been a whirlwind since I last posted, nearly two weeks. During that time:I attended Comic-Con 2009 in San Diego, returning early Monday morning the 27th. I have way too much to share about this stuff, and much of it is on video, which I won't be able to upload for awhile, because . . .The refurbishment of my room following summer school necessitated the disassembly of my

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-29307917791482031982009-07-20T12:53:00.000-07:002009-07-20T12:56:17.298-07:00

People often wonder what I'm teaching.Well, for those who care about such things, here is a bunch of on-line resources (notes and videos used) during the highly-compressed Summer School sessions I taught, all on one page. You can click on any of the links and view my Power Point notes. You can also see where I've embedded videos used in assignments. In other words, I put a lot of work into

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-37017459625686778692009-07-19T17:34:00.000-07:002009-07-19T17:36:25.180-07:00

In that spirit, I share this 'FoxTrot' strip . . .In that spirit, I share this 'FoxTrot' strip . . .

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-89795180097145409812009-07-18T09:34:00.000-07:002009-07-18T09:41:43.320-07:00

BASKING GLORYNot everybody's bandwidth or download speed may be up to this HD video of a basking shark (my computer creaks and stutters, frankly), but my goodness, this is pretty awesome. Check out the details of the shark's skin as it glides past the photographer (Dan Burton), mouth agape, straining the seawater for plankton. Beautiful!BASKING GLORY

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-88090723921047078612009-07-17T23:11:00.000-07:002009-07-17T23:13:49.945-07:00

WIENER, NOT SO MOBILEActually, here's what happened. A group of GOP activists heard about how Obama had put up a liberal Judge for SOTUS, named Sotomayor, and . . . well . . . .WIENER, NOT SO MOBILE

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-27579172070634675922009-07-17T21:29:00.000-07:002009-07-17T21:30:59.447-07:00

Click to see a larger image!

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-53712523117017272152009-07-12T20:16:00.001-07:002009-07-12T20:37:26.047-07:00

I haven't posted much lately here, but I have been having a spirited exchange with pro-life activist Roberta Genini of Fresno in the on-line Opinion pages of the Fresno Bee. Roberta is a fellow educator and a former President of Fresno-Madera Right-To-Life.Roberta's original letter (June 26) was something of a 'damage control' piece to disassociate her movement from those who attempt to

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-75572247694583193652009-06-30T00:46:00.000-07:002009-06-30T00:58:04.276-07:00

Much nattering on the Intertubes, something about 'accomodationism' and 'exclusivism.' As usual, the urbane John Wilkins attracts or directs people to the most serious commentary.A commenter, Leigh Jackson, joins many 'anti-accomodationists' in taking issue with the vague and seemingly religion-pandering position statement on religion from the NAS, which is as follows:Science is not the only way

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-59153553414257212612009-06-28T21:56:00.000-07:002009-06-30T07:01:12.499-07:00

MANDELBROT SETQuestion: How is evolution by natural selection like a fractal?No, not Fraggles!Fractals. To understand my trivia question, you will need to know a little something about fractals, such as the mathematical object known as the Mandelbrot Set.The technical definition (somewhat elaborated in the video below) goes something like this: the Mandelbrot set, M, consists of the points

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-63860065666528560442009-06-27T09:05:00.000-07:002009-06-27T09:46:39.499-07:00

A family member sent me an email which passed on a tidbit, one that has had some life on the Internet. Back in 2003, the actor and conservative activist Ben Stein ended a long tradition of name-dropping commentary ("Monday Night at Morton's") with a piece telling us what really matters. Apparently, in the aftermath of 9/11, Mr. Stein had a soul-searching moment about his life of privilege and

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4953644170899103489.post-55844084938560610972009-06-19T20:10:00.001-07:002009-06-19T20:32:48.837-07:00

Yahoo sports scribe and veteran baseball writer Gordon Edes has a column on-line today that lobbies to change the name of the Cy Young Award to honor the one-and-only Satchel Paige.I take issue with this approach, and here's a comment I left with Gordon that explains why:Gordon, you can't honor a great like Paige by relegating another great, Cy Young, to the dustbin of history.Your approach

Scott Hatfield . . . .http://www.blogger.com/profile/00363885800131794994noreply@blogger.com0