Newsworthy

I read two very amusing articles in The Gazette this morning. One was from the Washington Post about the creationist museum being built in the States that will show dinosaurs co-existing with man. Here are a couple of excerpts:

"The nation's largest museum devoted to the alternative reality that is biblical creation science is rising just outside Cincinnati. Set amid a park and three-acre artificial lake, the 50,000-square-foot museum features animatronic dinosaurs, state-of-the-art models and graphics, and a half-dozen staff scientists. It holds that the world and the universe are but 6,000 years old and that baby dinosaurs rode in Noah's ark.
The $25 million Creation Museum stands much of modern science on its head and might cause a paleontologist or three to rend their garments. But officials expect to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors when the museum opens in early 2007.
"Evolutionary Darwinists need to understand we are taking the dinosaurs back," says Kenneth Ham, president of Answers in Genesis-USA, which is building the museum. "This is a battle cry to recognize the science in the revealed truth of God."
Polls taken last year showed that 45 percent of Americans believe that God created humans in their present form 10,000 years ago (or less) and that man shares no common ancestor with the ape. Only 26 percent believe in the central tenet of evolution, that all life descended from a single ancestor.
Another poll showed that 65 percent of Americans want creationism taught alongside evolution."

At least they bothered to explain why the T-Rexes that Noah brought on the ark didn't eat all the other animals - baby dinosaurs were probably very small and harmless.

The other article was from the NYT about the book that strikes fear in the heads of all mothers - What to Expect When You're Expecting. I think that the journalist has been reading the Broad, because she has frequently discussed the panic-inducing information inside the covers of this book, as well as pointing out the insanity of several pregnancy web sites and online forums. The rest of us mommies have also piped in our 'here heres' about this subject. We are all a bit fed up with the scary stories. Here's an excerpt:

"in its third decade the book has turned into a publishing conundrum: It is the most popular and widely trusted book in its category and yet is coming under such regular criticism that its authors are revising some of its key tenets. The reaction comes in part from expecting parents who call it a worst-case-scenario handbook. (Nicknames include "What to Freak Out About When You Are Expecting" and "What to Expect if You Want to Develop an Eating Disorder.") Though many parents swear by it, a startling number protest that, instead of emphasizing the wondrous process of fetal development, the book dwells mostly on complications, including the pedestrian (anemia), the more exotic ("incompetent cervix") and a catalog of horrors at the book's end ("uterine rupture")."

Funnily enough, I looked at my copy last night. I had been having really bad backachiness all day and consulted the index. Of course it took me to a page that suggested that I might be having premature labour and to call my doctor - that helped me sleep last night :-)

Both of the links provided require that you register for the newspaper sites - but they're free!

Also, apologies, but my old comment site is shutting down, so I have to go with blogger now. At least you don't have to be a member anymore to use it!