AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- New research findings published this week on a standardized Ginkgo biloba extract are very limited and the public should focus on the well-documented cognitive and cardiovascular benefits of ginkgo, said the American Botanical Council (ABC), an independent nonprofit research and education organization.
A new study of previously published data being published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has reported that a leading ginkgo extract did not reduce the decline in cognitive impairment in older adults. (1, 2)
"There are many significant limitations of this study," said Mark Blumenthal, ABC founder and executive director.
First, the data being published this week are drawn from a previous clinical trial which was not designed to determine the decline in cognition. (3) Second, about 40% of the subjects dropped out over the 6-year duration of the trial; the statistics reported in the study include the dropouts for which no final data are available. Further, the subjects in the study were not monitored for certain cognitive parameters until several years after the trial began, creating difficulty in determining accurately whether they experienced a decline in cognition or not. Also, the age of the subjects is quite advanced, at an average of 79 years at the beginning of the trial. This age group is not typical of the age of both healthy people and those with mild cognitive impairment who use ginkgo for improving mental performance.
Further, ABC noted that another weakness of this trial is the lack of an active control, i.e., a potential third arm of the trial (i.e., besides the patients on ginkgo or placebo) in which patients would have used a pharmaceutical medication with presumed efficacy, to determine to what extent the particular population being tested would respond. This was not possible for this trial since no conventional pharmaceutical drug has ever demonstrated the ability to prevent the onset of dementia or diminish its progression.
ABC also stated that several recent publications have demonstrated an improvement in cognitive performance in subjects using the same German gingko extract. (4, 5, 6)
The new publication, by Beth E. Snits, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist associated with the University of Pittsburgh, and other colleagues, analyzed outcomes from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory study (GEM, published in 2008 in JAMA)( )to determine if ginkgo extract slowed cognitive decline in older adults who had either normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment at the beginning of the study.(3)
The GEM study previously found that ginkgo extract was not effective in reducing the incidence of Alzheimer dementia or dementia overall. This large, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centered clinical trial included 3,069 community-dwelling subjects (aged 72 to 96 years) who received either a dose of 120 mg of ginkgo extract twice daily or an identical-appearing placebo. The trial was conducted at 6 academic medical centers in the United States between 2000 and 2008, with a median follow-up of 6.1 years. Change in cognitive function was evaluated by various tests and measures.
ABC emphasized that the original GEM trial was designed to determine whether taking ginkgo would prevent the onset of dementia. What this new publication has done is attempted to analyze the possible decline in levels of cognitive function -- not a primary outcome measure of the GEM study.
"This trial is not conclusive nor should it in any way detract from ginkgo's reputation as a useful dietary supplement to help support and improve cognitive function and enhance peripheral circulation -- conditions for which it has been reported to be effective in numerous clinical trials," reminded Blumenthal.
At least 16 controlled clinical trials have evaluated various ginkgo extracts for healthy, non-cognitively impaired adults. A systematic review has shown that in 11 of these trials, the ginkgo increased short-term memory, concentration and time to process mental tasks. (7)
"The results of this new trial must be viewed in proper perspective," noted Blumenthal. "There is a vast body of pharmacological and clinical research supporting numerous health benefits for ginkgo extracts, particularly for improving various symptoms and conditions associated with declining cognitive performance and poor circulation."
ABC also emphasized that this publication, and the one published in 2008 on which it is based, both underscore the relative safety of ginkgo extract: the amount of adverse events were basically the same in both the ginkgo and placebo groups, particularly no serious adverse effects, e.g. no statistically significant incidence of coronary heart disease, stroke of any type, and major bleeding.
The trial utilized EGb 761(R), the world's most clinically tested ginkgo extract, produced by W. Schwabe Pharmaceuticals in Karlsruhe, Germany.
About Ginkgo Extract
Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) is the world's oldest living tree, dating back about 250 million years. Ginkgo leaves have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for about 500 years. For about the past 30 years the leaves of ginkgo have been made into a highly concentrated (50:1) extract, chemically standardized to compounds unique to ginkgo (ginkgolides and bilobalide) as well as other compounds. The leading German ginkgo extract has been subjected to a vast range of clinical trials documenting its ability to improve peripheral circulation and cognitive function, particularly in patients with early stages of mild cognitive impairment, senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and memory loss. Clinical trials also support the use of ginkgo extract in assisting elderly patients in walking longer distances without leg pain (peripheral arterial occlusive disease, also known as intermittent claudication). Standardized ginkgo extracts are approved for use as medicines in Germany and numerous other countries.
About the American Botanical Council
Founded in 1988 the American Botanical Council is a leading international nonprofit organization addressing research and educational issues regarding herbs and medicinal plants. ABC's members include academic researchers and educators, universities and libraries, health professionals and medical institutions, botanical gardens and arboreta, government agencies, members of the herb, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries, journalists, consumers, and other interested parties from over 70 countries. The organization occupies a historic 2.5-acre site in Austin, Texas where it publishes the quarterly journal HerbalGram, the monthly e-publication HerbalEGram, HerbClips (over 4000 summaries of scientific and clinical publications), reference books, and other educational materials. ABC also hosts HerbMedPro, a powerful herbal database, covering scientific and clinical publications on more than 220 herbs.
ABC is tax-exempt under section 501(c) (3) of the IRS Code. Information: Contact ABC at P.O. Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714-4345, Phone: 512-926-4900. Website: http://www.herbalgram.org/.
References
1. Snitz BE, O'Meara ES, Carlson MC, Arnold A, Ives DG, Rapp SR, Saxton J, Lopez OL, Dunn LO, Sink K, DeKosky ST. Does Ginkgo biloba slow cognitive decline in older adults? JAMA Dec 23/30, 2009.
2. American Medical Association. Ginkgo Biloba Does Not Appear to Slow Rate of Cognitive Decline. [press release]. Chicago, IL: Dec. 23, 2009.
3. DeKosky ST, Williamson JD, Fitzpatrick AL, et al. Ginkgo biloba for prevention of dementia: a randomized controlled trial.[see comment]. JAMA. Nov 19 2008;300(19):2253-2262.
4. QWiG Institut fur Qualitat und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen. IQWiG Reports - Commission No. A05-19B. Ginkgo in Alzheimer's disease. Executive Summary. Cologne: IQWiG, 2008.
5. Kaschel R. Ginkgo biloba: specificity of neuropsychological improvement - a selective review in search of differential effects. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental 2009;24:345-370.
6. Kasper S, Schubert H. Ginkgo-Spezialextrakt EGb 761(R) in der Behandlung der Demenz: Evidenz fur Wirksamkeit und Vertraglichkeit. [Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761(R) in the treatment of dementia: evidence of efficacy and tolerability.] Fortschritte Neurologie Psychiatrie 2009;77:494-506.
7. Crews W, Harrison DW, Griggin ML, Falwell KD, Crist T, Longest L, Hehemann L, Rey ST. The neuropsychological efficacy of ginkgo preparations in healthy and cognitively intact adults; A comprehensive review. HerbalGram 2005;67:42-62.
Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Mark Blumenthal
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=65878
Contact: Lucy Bruno
Phone : 512-968-0246
lucy@herbalgram.org
Web site: http://www.herbalgram.org/
SOURCE American Botanical Council
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Showing posts with label science. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
NASA Chooses Three Finalists for Future Space Science Mission to Venus, an Asteroid or the Moon
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has selected three proposals as candidates for the agency's next space venture to another celestial body in our solar system. The final project selected in mid-2011 may provide a better understanding of Earth's formation or perhaps the origin of life on our planet.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)
The proposed missions would probe the atmosphere and crust of Venus; return a piece of a near-Earth asteroid for analysis; or drop a robotic lander into a basin at the moon's south pole to return lunar rocks back to Earth for study.
NASA will select one proposal for full development after detailed mission concept studies are completed and reviewed. The studies begin during 2010, and the selected mission must be ready for launch no later than Dec. 30, 2018. Mission cost, excluding the launch vehicle, is limited to $650 million.
"These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year."
Each proposal team initially will receive approximately $3.3 million in 2010 to conduct a 12-month mission concept study that focuses on implementation feasibility, cost, management and technical plans. Studies also will include plans for educational outreach and small business opportunities.
The selected proposals are:
* The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer, or SAGE, mission to Venus would release a probe to descend through the planet's atmosphere. During descent, instruments would conduct extensive measurements of the atmosphere's composition and obtain meteorological data. The probe then would land on the surface of Venus, where its abrading tool would expose both a weathered and a pristine surface area to measure its composition and mineralogy. Scientists hope to understand the origin of Venus and why it is so different from Earth. Larry Esposito of the University of Colorado in Boulder, is the principal investigator.
* The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer spacecraft, called Osiris-Rex, would rendezvous and orbit a primitive asteroid. After extensive measurements, instruments would collect more than two ounces of material from the asteroid's surface for return to Earth. The returned samples would help scientists better understand and answer long-held questions about the formation of our solar system and the origin of complex molecules necessary for life. Michael Drake, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, is the principal investigator.
* MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission would place a lander in a broad basin near the moon's south pole and return approximately two pounds of lunar materials for study. This region of the lunar surface is believed to harbor rocks excavated from the moon's mantle. The samples would provide new insight into the early history of the Earth-moon system. Bradley Jolliff, of Washington University in St. Louis, is the principal investigator.
The proposals were submitted to NASA on July 31, 2009, in response to the New Frontiers Program 2009 Announcement of Opportunity. New Frontiers seeks to explore the solar system with frequent, medium-class spacecraft missions that will conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations designed to enhance understanding of the solar system.
The final selection will become the third mission in the program. New Horizons, NASA's first New Frontiers mission, launched in 2006, will fly by the Pluto-Charon system in 2015 then target another Kuiper Belt object for study. The second mission, called Juno, is designed to orbit Jupiter from pole to pole for the first time, conducting an in-depth study of the giant planet's atmosphere and interior. It is slated for launch in August 2011.
For more information about the New Frontiers Program, visit:
http://newfrontiers.nasa.gov
SOURCE NASA
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)
The proposed missions would probe the atmosphere and crust of Venus; return a piece of a near-Earth asteroid for analysis; or drop a robotic lander into a basin at the moon's south pole to return lunar rocks back to Earth for study.
NASA will select one proposal for full development after detailed mission concept studies are completed and reviewed. The studies begin during 2010, and the selected mission must be ready for launch no later than Dec. 30, 2018. Mission cost, excluding the launch vehicle, is limited to $650 million.
"These are projects that inspire and excite young scientists, engineers and the public," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "These three proposals provide the best science value among eight submitted to NASA this year."
Each proposal team initially will receive approximately $3.3 million in 2010 to conduct a 12-month mission concept study that focuses on implementation feasibility, cost, management and technical plans. Studies also will include plans for educational outreach and small business opportunities.
The selected proposals are:
* The Surface and Atmosphere Geochemical Explorer, or SAGE, mission to Venus would release a probe to descend through the planet's atmosphere. During descent, instruments would conduct extensive measurements of the atmosphere's composition and obtain meteorological data. The probe then would land on the surface of Venus, where its abrading tool would expose both a weathered and a pristine surface area to measure its composition and mineralogy. Scientists hope to understand the origin of Venus and why it is so different from Earth. Larry Esposito of the University of Colorado in Boulder, is the principal investigator.
* The Origins Spectral Interpretation Resource Identification Security Regolith Explorer spacecraft, called Osiris-Rex, would rendezvous and orbit a primitive asteroid. After extensive measurements, instruments would collect more than two ounces of material from the asteroid's surface for return to Earth. The returned samples would help scientists better understand and answer long-held questions about the formation of our solar system and the origin of complex molecules necessary for life. Michael Drake, of the University of Arizona in Tucson, is the principal investigator.
* MoonRise: Lunar South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return Mission would place a lander in a broad basin near the moon's south pole and return approximately two pounds of lunar materials for study. This region of the lunar surface is believed to harbor rocks excavated from the moon's mantle. The samples would provide new insight into the early history of the Earth-moon system. Bradley Jolliff, of Washington University in St. Louis, is the principal investigator.
The proposals were submitted to NASA on July 31, 2009, in response to the New Frontiers Program 2009 Announcement of Opportunity. New Frontiers seeks to explore the solar system with frequent, medium-class spacecraft missions that will conduct high-quality, focused scientific investigations designed to enhance understanding of the solar system.
The final selection will become the third mission in the program. New Horizons, NASA's first New Frontiers mission, launched in 2006, will fly by the Pluto-Charon system in 2015 then target another Kuiper Belt object for study. The second mission, called Juno, is designed to orbit Jupiter from pole to pole for the first time, conducting an in-depth study of the giant planet's atmosphere and interior. It is slated for launch in August 2011.
For more information about the New Frontiers Program, visit:
http://newfrontiers.nasa.gov
SOURCE NASA
Marka Hibbs, supporter of science and the arts in Pasadena, dies at 78
PASADENA — Marka Hibbs, a librarian, art lover and world traveler whose talent for friendship endeared her to a wide circle in Pasadena, has died.
Hibbs, who was 78, died suddenly of cardiac arrest on Monday at her home in Pasadena, family members said.
She was the widow of Albert R. Hibbs, the former director of the Space Science Division at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who died in 2003, and the mother of San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group Public Editor Larry Wilson.
Hibbs was a "big presence" in the city, said Terry LeMoncheck, executive director of the Pasadena Arts Council and a longtime family friend.
"She and Al created this lifestyle and welcomed, celebrated and nurtured the quintessential Pasadena
Arts activist and librarian Marka Hibbs, who died Dec. 28, 2009, in
Pasadena at age 78, at Scripps College, her alma mater. (Photo: Al
Hibbs)
Pasadena at age 78, at Scripps College, her alma mater. (Photo: Al
Hibbs)
"She really understood the importance of the world where artists and scientists meet and have fun and talk about ideas that's so much at the core of Pasadena's character and history."
Hibbs was born Marka Oliver in Amarillo, Texas, in 1931, and lived there until she enrolled as a history major at Scripps College in Claremont. In 1953, the same year she graduated from college, Hibbs married chemist E. Milton Wilson, and the couple moved to Altadena, where they lived until divorcing in 1969.
Hibbs later graduated with a master's degree in library science from Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, and, after a stint at San Marino Public Library, became the longtime librarian at Flintridge Preparatory School in La Cañada Flintridge until her retirement in the 1980s.
She had been an active member of the Pasadena Art Alliance since 1986 and was a supporter of The Armory Center for the Arts and Huntington Hospital, among others.
Jay Belloli, the Armory's director of gallery programs, said Hibbs became a friend after the 1985 Caltech Baxter Gallery exhibit of 25 years of space photography from JPL, which involved Al Hibbs.
"We were friends for so many years," he said. "She loved to go out and about, and she absolutely loved to have fun. There was that sense of fun that she and Al had. I was incredibly fond of her."
JPL scientist Richard Davies, a longtime Altadena neighbor, said he and his late wife were close friends of Hibbs' during her marriage to Wilson, and after she married Al Hibbs in 1971.
"She had the charm of a Southern lady, that was the most of it. She was brought up that way," Davies said of Hibbs' legendary ability to make and keep friends.
He recalled the famous costume parties the Hibbs would throw — "They were a blast" — and the close-knit Altadena group formed by the Davies family and those of artist Jirayr Zorthian and his wife Dabney, and Nobel Prize-winning physicist (and noted bongo-player) Richard Feynman and his artist wife Gweneth.
"These were happy times," Davies said. "Now I'm the only (parent) left of the four families."
Family members recalled that, after Al Hibbs' retirement, the couple embarked on much world travel.
"Exotic places, typically," said her daughter-in-law, Phoebe Wall Wilson, including such Earthwatch environmental projects as protecting wild horses in France's Camargue, giant starfish on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and orangutans in Borneo.
"She went into the water in Antarctica," Wall Wilson said. "Maybe just her feet, but still ... she had that sense of adventure."
Hibbs' survivors include daughter Alicia Cortrite of Santa Monica; Wilson, of Pasadena; stepdaughter Victoria Hibbs of Pasadena; stepson Bart Hibbs of Santa Clarita; and three grandchildren.
A memorial service for friends and family will be held Sunday.
The family said donations in Hibbs' name may be made to Scripps College in Claremont.
janette.williams@sgvn.com
626-578-6300, ext. 4482
The Science of Avatar (Part II)
After watching Avatar last weekend, I composed a post about being particularly appreciative that James Cameron and his crew so obviously did their homework when it came to much of the science depicted onscreen. I invited readers to share their impressions and many of you came through with terrific examples–some I hadn’t even considered before. So I’ll run through five of the science details I enjoyed most, followed by a few of the best examples from our reader community:
1) Dr. Grace Augustine. Sigourney Weaver’s portrayal of a research scientist was uncharacteristically good. Instead of the typical caricature we see in Hollywood, she wasn’t socially inept (i.e. typical Rick Moranis roles) or out to destroy everything (i.e. Dr. Evil). Instead, Grace conveyed the natural curiosity about the world that I observe so often in colleagues. Also noteworthy, she was funded by a program with corporate interests, but really using the opportunity to pursue her own research. Sound familiar to anyone?
2) The Skull. Did you catch the Toruk skull? It wasn’t onscreen long, but it appeared to have characteristics of both birds and reptiles. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed quite detailed and cool.
3) Bioluminescence. With a background in marine biology, you know I’m going to appreciate that.
4) Scale. If gravity on Pandora is less than that on Earth, larger organisms would be supported.
5) Location. The choice of putting Pandora on a moon in the real Alpha Centauri star system (the closest system to Earth) was neat since scientists are looking at moons for life. The radiation anticipated could be mitigated by superconductivity. Which brings me to…
Those floating mountains. Many comments expressed disappointment with them, however, it’s not quite as implausible as you may suspect. The filmmakers put thought into this: Superconductors expel magnetic field lines, so the effect could make these mountains levitate like magnets away from the surface. (Details here).
There is a great deal more I like about the science of Avatar, but rather than compose an exhaustive list, I’ll quote some examples contributed by readers below the fold…
Phenomenal writes:
Enjoyed the fact it was a moon, different gravity & atosperic composition, the scientists passion for knowledge & care & respect, transduction between plants, several different layers to the food web, imaginative topography such as floating mountains & giant trees, Gaia theory, biomechanics of the creatures locomotion as six-limbed vertebrates, biolumeniscence & colourations of the flora & fauna.
Patrick B. writes:
..great thought went into the physics of the Pandora solar system, to the geology of the planet, to the plants and animals that evolved on the planet, and to the social structures of the Na’Vi.
1- Pandora appears to be a moon orbiting a gas giant. The gas giant can be seen in the sky in several shots in the movie, and you get the sense that the proportions are realistic.
2- Pandora’s atmosphere is not breathable to humans. I loved this! In Star Wars, Star Trek, and just about any other sci-fi film, there are countless planets with human-breathable air, which is not very realistic. The air pressure on Pandora is tolerable for humans, but humans need face masks in order to breath. It seems that the face masks somehow modify the Pandora air, perhaps by filtering out the bad gases.
3- One line in the movie establishes that Pandora’s gravity is slightly less than Earth’s. By adding this line, the film provides sufficient explanation for why Pandora has phenomenon like gigantic trees.
4- There was clearly a great deal of thought put into the diverse plants and animals we find on Pandora.
The Real World writes:
This article is nothing more than an advertisement in a media science magazine.
Huh? This is a blog TRW and I work at Duke.
Lee writes:
I thought it was cool that you could see an evolutionary resemblance between a lot of the creatures. Everything except the humanoids and the rest of the animals, that is. If everything else on the world has six legs (or wings, or whatever), then why would the humanoids only have four limbs? What possible evolutionary advantage could they have for losing them?
Marshall P. writes:
sub-lightspeed space travel! After I left the theater, I was explaining to one of my friends that based on the stated travel time by the cryosleep doctor, and the distance to Alpha Cen, one could work out the ship’s velocity profile consistent with relativity. And few hours later at home, I stumbled upon the web page by the movie staff where they lay out exactly that! http://www.pandorapedia.com/doku.php/isv_venture_star
Someone did their homework on this one. Even the propulsion technology of the ship is quite plausible, given the just one highly speculative step of being able to manufacture large quantities of antimatter for fuel. I especially like the hybrid antimatter/fusion rocket combined with a beam-powered light sail. That’s exactly the sort of complicated trick that real-world engineers would use to reduce fuel and mass constraints on the spacecraft.
kchiou writes:
1) Despite their futuristic tools and their corporate ties, the scientists maintain a childlike curiosity and sheer bewilderment with nature. As a field scientist, that depiction really resonated with me because I see it all the time in the faces of field researchers. Just a thought: do you think Sigourney Weaver’s performance as a scientist was in any way affected by her work on Planet Earth?
2) As an extension of the first point, the scientists are conscious of the sheer wealth of knowledge in the Pandoran ecosystem and are careful not to presume too much. This is much more in line with true science. The way that Sigourney Weaver’s character said “What we THINK we know is . . . ” can be pulled right out of any science lab.
Gary Thomas writes:
I found it very annoying that they got the sound of the ducted fan aircraft so wrong. The whoop whoop sound of a large slow speed rotor on a helicopter is not the sound that counter rotating blades, especially small diameter ducted ones would make.
I don’t know about ducted fan aircrafts, but an interesting observation.
Rich writes:
The floating mountains were very clearly explained in the movie. They even show the unobtainium superconductor floating in a magnetic field several times in the human base, and then there are multiple lines of dialogue about the mountains being in a region of strong magnetic field. It does make me wonder why they aren’t mining the mountains though…Also, it’s refreshing that the scientists are the good guys in the film!
Great work so far everyone, and add any new observations in comments…
Mount Vernon science teacher's survey addressed faith
Incoming students to John Freshwater's eighth-grade science class were asked if they could survive in a course where textbooks were used only partially and whether religion was important to them, according to questionnaires Mount Vernon school officials found in his classroom.
An attorney for the school district introduced the forms today as evidence that Freshwater should be fired from his teaching job.
The forms, completed at the start of the school year, were discovered after Freshwater was accused in early 2008 of teaching creationism and intelligent design in addition to science, said David Millstone, the attorney representing the school district.
The Mount Vernon school board, in a 2008 vote, said it intended to fire Freshwater for promoting religion in the classroom, failing to remove religious materials including his personal Bible, and burning crosses on students' arms. He first is entitled to an independent hearing after which a referee will make a recommendation to the board.
Freshwater has denied the allegations against him, saying this month that he might have talked about religion in the classroom to illustrate how bias and "faulty science" can affect the learning process.
Millstone asked Freshwater today whether he had ever surveyed incoming students. Freshwater said he hadn't.
But when he was shown at least two completed student questionnaires, he studied them closely and, after a long pause, replied, "It appears like you have gone through my room and taken some stuff out."
One questionnaire, called a Multiple Intelligence Survey, asked students personal questions including whether religion was important to them.
Millstone asked Freshwater several questions about another survey, in which students apparently were shown a prehistoric fossil called a trilobite and asked to describe it.
One student said trilobites became extinct in Ohio about 400 million years ago and that one had been found with a human shoeprint or footprint.
Freshwater denied telling students that trilobites had existed with humans, but he did confirm showing the fossils.
Millstone used Freshwater's testimony from the 14-month-long hearing, his deposition in a federal lawsuit filed by a former student and the transcript of an independent investigation against him to catch him in apparent contradictions.
Asked if he referred students to Answers in Genesis, a religious Web site, Freshwater said no. Later, he reversed that statement, admitting that he had. "I'm not sure that you're taking it out of context," he said.
Freshwater, who is on unpaid leave pending the hearing, has said his rights were violated in part because investigators hired by the district didn't interview enough witnesses and mischaracterized his statements.
According to an investigative transcript, Freshwater was asked whether he ever prayed with kids at after-school meetings for Christian athletes.
"Yeah, if the kids are praying. I'm praying all the time," he told an investigator, according to a transcript that Freshwater provided. "It may be verbal. It may not."
"Would it be fair to conclude that you pray with kids?" Millstone asked today.
Freshwater said it would be unfair. The investigators "should have went into greater detail.
An attorney for the school district introduced the forms today as evidence that Freshwater should be fired from his teaching job.
The forms, completed at the start of the school year, were discovered after Freshwater was accused in early 2008 of teaching creationism and intelligent design in addition to science, said David Millstone, the attorney representing the school district.
The Mount Vernon school board, in a 2008 vote, said it intended to fire Freshwater for promoting religion in the classroom, failing to remove religious materials including his personal Bible, and burning crosses on students' arms. He first is entitled to an independent hearing after which a referee will make a recommendation to the board.
Freshwater has denied the allegations against him, saying this month that he might have talked about religion in the classroom to illustrate how bias and "faulty science" can affect the learning process.
Millstone asked Freshwater today whether he had ever surveyed incoming students. Freshwater said he hadn't.
But when he was shown at least two completed student questionnaires, he studied them closely and, after a long pause, replied, "It appears like you have gone through my room and taken some stuff out."
One questionnaire, called a Multiple Intelligence Survey, asked students personal questions including whether religion was important to them.
Millstone asked Freshwater several questions about another survey, in which students apparently were shown a prehistoric fossil called a trilobite and asked to describe it.
One student said trilobites became extinct in Ohio about 400 million years ago and that one had been found with a human shoeprint or footprint.
Freshwater denied telling students that trilobites had existed with humans, but he did confirm showing the fossils.
Millstone used Freshwater's testimony from the 14-month-long hearing, his deposition in a federal lawsuit filed by a former student and the transcript of an independent investigation against him to catch him in apparent contradictions.
Asked if he referred students to Answers in Genesis, a religious Web site, Freshwater said no. Later, he reversed that statement, admitting that he had. "I'm not sure that you're taking it out of context," he said.
Freshwater, who is on unpaid leave pending the hearing, has said his rights were violated in part because investigators hired by the district didn't interview enough witnesses and mischaracterized his statements.
According to an investigative transcript, Freshwater was asked whether he ever prayed with kids at after-school meetings for Christian athletes.
"Yeah, if the kids are praying. I'm praying all the time," he told an investigator, according to a transcript that Freshwater provided. "It may be verbal. It may not."
"Would it be fair to conclude that you pray with kids?" Millstone asked today.
Freshwater said it would be unfair. The investigators "should have went into greater detail.
California Science Center sued over documentary attacking evolution
t may not have the dramatic sweep of "Inherit the Wind," but a local court case involving a documentary film that addresses the origins of life on Earth has bigwigs in the museum world talking.
The California Science Center, located in Los Angeles' Exposition Park, has been sued for allegedly canceling an October screening of a documentary that criticizes Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
A group called the American Freedom Alliance has sued the L.A. museum, claiming that the center violated both the 1st Amendment and a contract to rent the museum’s Imax theater when it nixed the screening of “Darwin’s Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record.”
The AFA, which sued the museum in L.A. Superior Court, is seeking punitive damages and compensation for financial losses, as well as a legal declaration from the court that the science center violated the United States Constitution and cannot refuse the AFA the right to rent its facilities for future events.
"Darwin's Dilemma" explores fossil records that some say point to the appearance on Earth of animal-like organisms without the evolutionary steps Darwin had predicted.
Also dragged into the legal mess is the Smithsonian Institution, which counts the California Science Center as one of its affiliates. Though not a defendant, the Smithsonian is mentioned prominently in at least one document that is now an exhibit in the lawsuit.
The AFA alleges that the California Science Center improperly bowed two months ago to pressure from the Smithsonian, as well as e-mailed complaints from professors at USC and others.
The American Freedom Alliance is an L.A.-based group that one of its officials describes as a nonprofit, nonpartisan "think tank and activist network promoting Western values and ideals."
Click here to read Mike Boehm's full story.
-- Mike Boehm and David Ng
Photo: Charles Darwin. Credit: Associated Press
The California Science Center, located in Los Angeles' Exposition Park, has been sued for allegedly canceling an October screening of a documentary that criticizes Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
A group called the American Freedom Alliance has sued the L.A. museum, claiming that the center violated both the 1st Amendment and a contract to rent the museum’s Imax theater when it nixed the screening of “Darwin’s Dilemma: The Mystery of the Cambrian Fossil Record.”
The AFA, which sued the museum in L.A. Superior Court, is seeking punitive damages and compensation for financial losses, as well as a legal declaration from the court that the science center violated the United States Constitution and cannot refuse the AFA the right to rent its facilities for future events.
"Darwin's Dilemma" explores fossil records that some say point to the appearance on Earth of animal-like organisms without the evolutionary steps Darwin had predicted.
Also dragged into the legal mess is the Smithsonian Institution, which counts the California Science Center as one of its affiliates. Though not a defendant, the Smithsonian is mentioned prominently in at least one document that is now an exhibit in the lawsuit.
The AFA alleges that the California Science Center improperly bowed two months ago to pressure from the Smithsonian, as well as e-mailed complaints from professors at USC and others.
The American Freedom Alliance is an L.A.-based group that one of its officials describes as a nonprofit, nonpartisan "think tank and activist network promoting Western values and ideals."
Click here to read Mike Boehm's full story.
-- Mike Boehm and David Ng
Photo: Charles Darwin. Credit: Associated Press
American Science, OSI Extend Gains On Security Order Prospects
NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Shares of makers of airport security screeners, including American Science & Engineering Inc. (ASEI), extended gains on heavy volume Tuesday as investors remained optimistic the companies could receive orders for security products.
Shares of the various companies soared Monday following Friday's failed bombing attempt of Northwest Airlines Flight 253. A Nigerian man on Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (DAL) Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit tried to blow up the plane an hour before landing Friday, but he was foiled by other passengers. The components of the man's device made it past airport security ...
Shares of the various companies soared Monday following Friday's failed bombing attempt of Northwest Airlines Flight 253. A Nigerian man on Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (DAL) Northwest flight from Amsterdam to Detroit tried to blow up the plane an hour before landing Friday, but he was foiled by other passengers. The components of the man's device made it past airport security ...
Edwards: Global warming isn't about science
As the president and other world leaders packed their coats and waited for planes to be de-iced en route to the climate change conference in Copenhagen to "make progress" on global warming, I couldn't help but wonder if they could appreciate the irony of the situation. What "progress" was in fact made at the conference remains to be seen, but it is clear that global warming has been accepted as gospel truth in this country. Or, at least, it has become the cause of the day for every policymaker from Washington, D.C., on down.
In fact, every level of policy making, local, state, and national, has already used its political sway to openly encourage private industries to all but ignore reliable sources of energy in favor of unproven, unreliable, and expensive sources. After all, as the recent flap over tampered emails from cause-driven scientists at the University of East Anglia have revealed, the cause must be promoted even at the expense of truth. The truth is, global warming is the latest vehicle used by liberals to promote their agenda. And is it just me or do you remember the chants about the coming ice age from 25 years ago?
Here in Austin, we are seeing the costly effects of an energy plan based upon unproven results. The city boasts of the GreenChoice program. Run by Austin Energy, Austin residents can subscribe to the GreenChoice program for electricity produced from renewable sources. The program is costly, so it doesn't have enough subscribers to sustain itself. The solution? Most might think it wise to scale the program back, revise it, or scrap it altogether. Instead, Austin Energy general manager Roger Duncan proposes a rate increase on businesses and residents in order to fund the program.
Across the nation we're seeing a new crop of majors and minors in "green studies" at colleges and universities. Why? Because the students are requesting it and businesses want students who have been trained in it. There is a demand and higher education institutions are responding.
Here in Austin, we have no shortage of environmental supporters. Yet when it comes to forking over more of your paycheck for the cause of the day, the demand dwindles.
Green studies are growing because there is a demand for environmental science in the free market. There is a demand for better and more reliable energy sources. When engaged, the free market works and produces sustainable, profitable results. It isn't beholden to a philosophy or agenda based upon faulty science or emotion-driven causes.
Global warming has never been about science. Rather, it has always been about raising taxes and constricting liberties. It has always been about supporting a philosophy which causes you and me to spend exorbitant sums of money on ineffective products rather than products which actually work, on power that actually keeps the lights on.
At best, it is time to order the propagators of climate change science to start over. Responsible environmental policies are reasonable goals, and when such policies put the free market to work, we will all benefit. When government provides incentives and science supports it, environmental successes will be seen. Unfortunately, we continue to see GreenChoice programs and worse being pushed upon us that are not based upon science. The sad fact is, most of the environmental policies being considered are based upon a fictional crisis aimed at justifying centralized control over men and women's ability worldwide to live freely and prosper themselves.
Policy leaders the world over should take a good hard look at their local policies and determine whether laws and policies were enacted under the pretense that they would save the planet. Austin's GreenChoice program is a fine example. If the answer is yes, then our governments, our own City Council even, have new reason to question the necessity of such programs that require confiscatory rate hikes on energy consumers and restrict their freedom of choice.
It's time to move on from climate change.
Edwards is chairwoman of the Travis County Republican Party.
In fact, every level of policy making, local, state, and national, has already used its political sway to openly encourage private industries to all but ignore reliable sources of energy in favor of unproven, unreliable, and expensive sources. After all, as the recent flap over tampered emails from cause-driven scientists at the University of East Anglia have revealed, the cause must be promoted even at the expense of truth. The truth is, global warming is the latest vehicle used by liberals to promote their agenda. And is it just me or do you remember the chants about the coming ice age from 25 years ago?
Here in Austin, we are seeing the costly effects of an energy plan based upon unproven results. The city boasts of the GreenChoice program. Run by Austin Energy, Austin residents can subscribe to the GreenChoice program for electricity produced from renewable sources. The program is costly, so it doesn't have enough subscribers to sustain itself. The solution? Most might think it wise to scale the program back, revise it, or scrap it altogether. Instead, Austin Energy general manager Roger Duncan proposes a rate increase on businesses and residents in order to fund the program.
Across the nation we're seeing a new crop of majors and minors in "green studies" at colleges and universities. Why? Because the students are requesting it and businesses want students who have been trained in it. There is a demand and higher education institutions are responding.
Here in Austin, we have no shortage of environmental supporters. Yet when it comes to forking over more of your paycheck for the cause of the day, the demand dwindles.
Green studies are growing because there is a demand for environmental science in the free market. There is a demand for better and more reliable energy sources. When engaged, the free market works and produces sustainable, profitable results. It isn't beholden to a philosophy or agenda based upon faulty science or emotion-driven causes.
Global warming has never been about science. Rather, it has always been about raising taxes and constricting liberties. It has always been about supporting a philosophy which causes you and me to spend exorbitant sums of money on ineffective products rather than products which actually work, on power that actually keeps the lights on.
At best, it is time to order the propagators of climate change science to start over. Responsible environmental policies are reasonable goals, and when such policies put the free market to work, we will all benefit. When government provides incentives and science supports it, environmental successes will be seen. Unfortunately, we continue to see GreenChoice programs and worse being pushed upon us that are not based upon science. The sad fact is, most of the environmental policies being considered are based upon a fictional crisis aimed at justifying centralized control over men and women's ability worldwide to live freely and prosper themselves.
Policy leaders the world over should take a good hard look at their local policies and determine whether laws and policies were enacted under the pretense that they would save the planet. Austin's GreenChoice program is a fine example. If the answer is yes, then our governments, our own City Council even, have new reason to question the necessity of such programs that require confiscatory rate hikes on energy consumers and restrict their freedom of choice.
It's time to move on from climate change.
Edwards is chairwoman of the Travis County Republican Party.
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