Scientist to creationists: Don't quote me

[jhain]

another LOOSE brick in the wall:


http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=DE83A8CF-E7F2-99DF-349C05604CC68A06&chanID=sa003

Scientist to creationists: Don't quote me
Former chemistry professor Homer Jacobson has requested that two passages be retracted from a 1955 paper he wrote on the origins of life after discovering that creationists were using them to support their arguments. The 84-year-old scientist told the New York Times that he made the discovery when, on a whim, he decided to Google himself and quotes from his paper popped up on creationist sites such as Darwinismrefuted.com and Evolution-facts.org. To bolster their case, the sites zeroed in on his statements that amino acids couldn't form spontaneously without energy—Jacobson says today that he failed to mention that energy sources most surely existed billions of years ago—and that life could arise only under very specific conditions, which he now calls "a dumb mistake." His retraction request appears in the November / December issue of American Scientist, which published the original paper. (NYTimes; American Scientist

[HereSince1628]

1. Unfortunately, what one puts out there in print becomes everyones' ball to kick

around.

Something in excess of 95% of all biologists who ever lived are alive at this moment. It should come as no surprise that something written 50 years ago wasn't conceptualized in the same manner it is now.

Unfortunately, idiots looking for ways to knock down Darwinism (which as Darwin left it had rather large gaps compared to where evolutionary thinking is today) don't respect that scientific ideas are always being challenged, and thus ever changing/improving.

The creationist own argument on creation hasn't improved much since Paley's Argument from Design, the only specific addition being that of the notion of irreproducible complexity.

Not moving forward in understanding is an important component to the durability of that argument.

ID is based rather less on definitive evidence of the instantaneous emergence of complex states than it is on the limits of contemporary understanding to conceptualize one or more modifications of previous state. Design remains just as vulnerable to retreat as ever as evolutionary science proceeds.

Consequently, the creationists prefer to argue about previous states of scientific understanding written not only 50 years ago but 200 and prefer things written even a couple thousand years ago.

[jhain]

2. Do you mean

Creationists are not evolving?

[HereSince1628]

3. Good one.

But true. They really can't give in much.

Paley's Argument From Design isn't so much an anti-evolution argument as it is an argument for the existence of THE diety that created the world.

A retreat in the face of empirical evidence isn't only the death of Adam, but the disapparating of the god itself. Unacceptably bad news for people who insist on the existance of a creation deity. They'd rather ignore advancing evidence than admit its implications for the Argument From Design.

[jhain]

4. If we were able

to convince enough of them to consider to retreat perhaps they would then storm the SCOTUS and demand the retraction of the Bush appointment. And, then they would have a collective spasm of guilt before their Deity and we could convince them go out en mass to do good works and they could save all the Earth from 'climate change'.

Sorry, even trying to understand the mindset makes my mind go all mushy. Or perhaps, it is the tryptophan from the turkey I am roasting...... Ahh, sage............

[HereSince1628]

5. Sage is good.... n/t

[jhain]

6. Dinner was sublime....

I am quite glad that turkeys have not evolved very much recently.
I steamed it with MUCHO sage- quite INFUSED it was. And, superb.

Description of the herb sage

Sage is a shrubby, evergreen perennial shrub with pale green leaves. Flowers are borne in summer.
Parts used

The leaves and essential oil are used.

Properties

Sage is an astringent, antiseptic, tonic herb, with a camphor-like aroma. Sage relaxes spasms, suppresses perspiration and lactation, improves liver function and digestion and has anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant and estrogenic effects.

It contains phenolic acids, flavonoids, diterpenoids, triterpenes and an essential oil which contains a-thujone, camphor, 1,8-ceneole and other monoterpenes.

Therapeutic uses

* Internal use
o Sage is used internally to treat indigestion and flatulence.
o It is also used to reduce excessive lactation in nursing mothers and night sweats (especially in menopause), excessive salivation, profuse perspiration, anxiety, depression, female sterility and menopausal problems.
o It also has supportive properties for the liver and is used to boost the functionality of the liver.


* External use

o Externally, it can be used for insect bites, throat, mouth, gum and skin infections, as well as vaginal discharge.
o It contains rosmarinic acid that has good antioxidant properties, which are reinforced by the picrosalvin also found in sage.
o Furthermore it has antimicrobial and antiviral effects and is often used in hair care to combat greasy and oily hair by regulating the sebum production of the scalp. It is used to treat various skin problems, such as acne.

* Aromatherapy and essential oil use

o Using small amounts, it lightens a tired mind and fights depression and grief. It must be used with great care, since high amounts can cause problems.
o It is useful to the digestive system, increasing appetitive, balancing the female hormone estrogen and easing dull aches and pains.
o Very useful for regulating the menstrual cycle, as well as reducing night sweats during menopause.
o On the skin, it is useful to refine the texture, for wound healing, as well as to clear up sores, ulcers and dermatitis.
o It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, digestive, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, Hypertensive, laxative, stomachic and tonic properties.


And just in case you are a lawyer and or a pregnant woman:

The herb should not be used at high dosage or for long periods, as toxicity can occur. It should not be used by pregnant women.

The essential oil of sage contains high amounts of thujone, which can work as an abortifacient and is therefore best avoided in pregnancy.

People suffering from epilepsy and high blood pressure should also not use this oil.