On Science, Politics & Law
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10 Simple Ways to Mark Darwin’s Birthday
By Wendy Thomas Russell | February 11, 2013
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Evolution, or the process by which living organisms change over time, was not discovered by Charles Darwin. But he certainly gave the theory its street cred. By introducing natural selection — the idea that organisms best suited to survive in their particular circumstances have a greater chance of passing their traits on to the next generation — Darwin gave us a plausible mechanism by which evolution could take place. And that made all the difference. Darwin’s 1859 book On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was the most groundbreaking biological theory the world had ever seen. And it remains [...] Read more – ‘10 Simple Ways to Mark Darwin’s Birthday’.
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The Game-Changer: ‘I Have a Dream’
By Wendy Thomas Russell | January 21, 2013
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I saw Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” for the first time earlier this month. I’d seen and read bits and pieces of it before, but watching it in its entirety was something quite different. I had always thought of King as a courageous man, but the Dream speech, given during the March on Washington August 28, 1963, reminded me of his extraordinary confidence and grace, as well. It was his unshakable confidence that struck me the most. The way he spoke to all those supporters lining the National Mall, it was [...] Read more – ‘The Game-Changer: ‘I Have a Dream’’.
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Learning to Ignore Religious Reactions to School Shootings
By Wendy Thomas Russell | December 20, 2012
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I’m on the freeway, heading back home from a doctor’s appointment, and feeling morose. For the last five minutes, I’ve been contemplating the Connecticut shootings, just as I have done about a billion other times since last Friday. Right now, I’m thinking: Life is unfathomably cruel. The human experience is an experiment in limitless love and staggering loss. To be blessed by one is to be cursed by the other. It’s not fair — it’s not anything, really. It just is. And it feels terrible. These thoughts are not helping my mood. I take a deep [...] Read more – ‘Learning to Ignore Religious Reactions to School Shootings’.
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Yoga Class Indoctrinates Kids! (Um, Yeah, No)
By Wendy Thomas Russell | November 8, 2012
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Last week, some Christian parents in the Encinitas Union School District threatened to sue the district in an attempt to disband a twice-a-week yoga class offered to elementary school children. The yoga class, which has been touted as an excellent addition to the district’s physical education curriculum, as well as drawing down the number of conflicts on the playground, is being viewed as a way to indoctrinate kids into the Hindu faith. The whole thing is both silly and sad, honestly, given the great success the district is having with the yoga program — but [...] Read more – ‘Yoga Class Indoctrinates Kids! (Um, Yeah, No)’.
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‘Daddy, Tell Me a Story About Science’
By Wendy Thomas Russell | September 17, 2012
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I was never very good at science. Mostly because it was taught to me the same way math was taught to me: It wasn’t. I mean, it was, technically. But not in a way that inspired me or held my interest for very long. I found it all difficult and boring. I grew up in a time when math and science were “boy” things. The teachers I had (with the exception of one extremely awesome biology teacher) were men who seemed to aim their instruction right over my head. Everything struck me as dry and [...] Read more – ‘‘Daddy, Tell Me a Story About Science’’.
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A Political Side Note: Relax, Democrats, It’s Just ‘God’
By Wendy Thomas Russell | September 6, 2012
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Have y’all been following the buzz over the decision to drop the word “God” from the Democratic Party’s 2012 platform? The drop caused a minor uproar a the convention this week, mostly among non-Democrats, who also objected to the platform’s failure to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Both positions were reversed yesterday by a much-disputed two-thirds vote by convention delegates. Watch how things went down: DNC officials have tried to pass off the God thing as a mistake more than a decision, but that’s hard to buy — especially when you see this [...] Read more – ‘A Political Side Note: Relax, Democrats, It’s Just ‘God’’.
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Creationism vs. Evolution: Bill Nye Gets Folks Talking
By Wendy Thomas Russell | August 30, 2012
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Several months ago, my husband and I took our daughter to the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles to see its new Dinosaur Hall. The trip didn’t disappoint. Not only was the dinosaur exhibit mind-bogglingly cool, right next door was an exhibit called the Age of Mammals, which led us through 65 million years of continental movement, climate change and mammal evolution. One of the neatest things, to me, was the row of skulls documenting the changes in human face and brain size over the last 2.5 million years. Taken as a whole, the museum was [...] Read more – ‘Creationism vs. Evolution: Bill Nye Gets Folks Talking’.
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10 Commandments for Talking to Kids About Religion
By Wendy Thomas Russell | November 21, 2011
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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: When you’re not religious, talking about religion with kids can be a serious challenge. The words don’t come naturally. Little things can freak you out. And, about the time your kids learn to ask questions, you begin to notice how much of our society is informed by religious faith, and how many people around us believe things we don’t. Panic has a way of setting in. Hopefully, you aren’t like me. Hopefully you’re less anxiety-prone, more level-headed. Good for you. But, for the rest of you: [...] Read more – ‘10 Commandments for Talking to Kids About Religion’.
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