Pop and R&B preach Sex, Country is much better at True Relationships

Attention parents: it DOES matter what kind of music your child grows up on. If they listen to secular music, there is a pretty substantial difference between Country music, Pop, and R&B.

The four most frequent "reproductive" categories contained in the lyrics of hit Country songs in 2009 were commitment, parenting, rejection, and fidelity assurance, in that order.

For Pop songs the most frequent reproductive categories were sex appeal, reputation, short-term strategies, and fidelity assurance.

For R&B songs, sex appeal, resources (luxury items, cars, money), sex act, and status constituted the most frequent themes.
 
These are the findings of psychologists Dawn Hobbs and Gordon Gallup in their article Songs as a Medium for Embedded Reproductive Messages, a study published in Evolutionary Psychology, 2011. 9(3): 390-416.

They analyzed close to 60 hit songs from 2009 in Country, Pop, and R&B, and categorized all the "reproductive" messages contained in those songs. Please click on this graph to see the results more clearly(color codes added):

Whereas 46 out of the 58 parenting themes came from Country songs, only four appeared in R&B songs. In contrast, references to resources were featured 106 times in R&B songs, but appeared only six times in Country songs. Approximately 92% of the 174 songs that made it into the Top Ten in 2009 contained one or more reproductive messages, with an average of 10.49 reproductive phrases per song. The most popular/bestselling songs contained significantly more reproductive messages.

Marko comments: If you look at the graph carefully, Country scores the most messages in the positive green items (courtship, fidelity assurance, commitment, and especially parenting). The extremely negative red items (genitalia, arousal, sex act, sex appeal, infidelity) are the specialty of R&B and to a large extent Pop as well. These two also are big in red items (short term strategies meaning one night stands and sexual prowess, ), and materialistic areas in yellow (body parts, reputation, resources, and status).

Contemporary Christian music was not analyzed. This is much to the detriment of the readers of "Evolutionary" psychology. Also, these evolutionary psychologists did not comment on whether the cause of evolution is advanced by the increase in hedonism found in music. Perhaps this is devolution, not evolution!

(referenced on the Michael Medved Radio Program)

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How to find a Christian College that does not bow the knee to Darwin?

If you are looking for a good school that still holds to Biblical principles, ask the school whether their professors teach that Noah's flood really happened around the entire world, or whether God created Adam from the dust of the earth on the sixth day of creation. You will find that most Christian colleges and Bible schools have already given in to the teachings of evolution.

Most schools will tell you that all of their individual professors hold to the school's statement of faith, but no, that statement does not cover those topics, and that they respect the academic freedom of their professors to teach according to their expertise. If you were to attend to audit the classes of the apologetics, Old Testament, or science professors, and ask the professor these questions, you will find out that they believe in Jesus, but they no longer believe in the Creator God, or that the book of Genesis is part of the gospel message!

So how do you find a school that is not seriously headed down the road of compromise with the unbelief of this world?

Cedarville College, Grove City College, Union College, Pensacola Christian College, Lee Univ, Calvin College, George Fox University, Lipscomb Univ, Dordt College, Geneva College, John Brown Univ, LeTourneau Univ, Messiah College, Oklahoma Christian, Olivet Nazarene Univ, Oral Roberts, Eastern Nazarene College, Point Loma Univ, Bob Jones Univ, Seattle Pacific Univ, Secular Universities...

One way is to look at the list of schools you are considering, locate a professor there who has not yet "bent the knee to" Darwin, and contact them directly to ask about the school you are considering.

The Association of Christian Graduate Researchers (ACGR) offers an extraordinary resource for doing this: Darwin Skeptics - A Select List of Science Academics, Scientists, and Scholars Who are Skeptical of Darwinism, by Dr. Jerry Bergman.

Dr. Bergman explains that "many on this list are secure tenured professors, teach at Christian Universities that protect their academic freedom to criticize Darwinism." They all reject "the belief that evolution and common decent can account for the existence of all life. Most persons on this list are also skeptical of the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Furthermore, all stressed that careful examination of the evidence for Darwinism should be encouraged."

If you are considering a secular university, Dr. Bergman's list is extremely helpful to find a professor and mentor who will help you keep your Biblical faith and grow in the Lord (even if that professor is not a professing Christian!), just by the mere fact that they do not blindly follow the mainstream views on evolution and a godless universe.

If you are interested in entering the field of science as a career, ACGR offers you a virtual academic community where you can work together to address problems of scientific inquiry related to the Bible, by developing scientific theories, and working on computational simulations and experiments. ACGR's goal is to develop a new generation of faculty at secular universities that embrace a Biblical creationist worldview to conduct their research and teaching. This community will mentor graduate students to perform state-of-the-art research related to the Bible and publish their work in secular and Christian journals, and help prepare faculty to be missionary professors at universities in countries where missionaries are not welcome.

Here is how ACGR's mentorship strategy looks:

ACGR offers financial support to gifted science students who wish to serve the Lord, and takes donations to support this ministry.

This is an exciting vision! Pray for the Lord to raise up a new generation of scientists that embrace a Biblical worldview. And ask the Lord how he can use you!

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Bible Professors Apologize for Young Earth Believers & Well-Meaning Tract Ladies?



 Do Bible professors need to
apologize for Bible tracts?

Bible colleges, not just seminaries, are slipping into worldly compromise with historical Biblical truth.

Timothy Yoder, professor at Philadelphia Biblical University, talks about the value of Christian Apologetics to defend the existence of God and the truth of the Bible. Then he highly recommends William Lane Craig and Dinesh D'Souza as teachers of the Apologetic method. Dr. Yoder, don't you know that William Lane Craig believes the universe is 13.7 billion years old, and that Dinesh D'Souza believes in the big bang?

In his article titled "Apologetics for the Glory of God" (PBU Today Summer 2011), this is what Yoder teaches his impressionable students:

This competition and debate regarding the existence of God, the Bible as God’s Word, the historicity of Jesus and the gospels, the creation of the world, and a host of other controversies means that one of our most important duties as Christians is to be an apologist for the faith.... Apologetics magnifies God, because it contends for the veracity of the divine revelation and message.... Apologetics is not a discipline in its own right, but rather it employs all the disciplines – theology, of course, but also philosophy, history, science, archaeology, etc. – to the project of safeguarding and championing the Christian faith.
[The apostle] Peter’s apologetic command includes the injunction to do so with gentleness and respect.... The other hand, acceptance of everything in the name of tolerance is not genuine love.

So what does Yoder offer "on the other hand," particularly with regard to the truth of God's creation account?

The well-meaning tract lady is not doing effective apologetics if all she can do is tell the Bible story. Apologetics requires a well-rounded education....  Many think that a belief in creationism means that Christianity is at war with science.

I'm sure that Dr. Yoder has much more to say if you pay for the privilege (or the privilege of your son or daughter) to attend his classes. But if you do not wish to pay $1800 for a course, you can look at his Recommended Reading list. He has 13 books listed under the category of General Apologetics and Apologetic Method. But at least five of them are by professors who definitely oppose the truth that God created the world in six literal days, or that He created Adam and Eve from the dust of the earth.

William Lane Craig is one of the Apologetics professors that Yoder recommends, with 3 books listed. As James J.S. Johnson tells us in his article Culpable Passivity: The Failure of Going with the Flow (Acts & Facts July 2011, Institute of Creation Research):

Christian professor William Lane Craig - who teaches at an "evangelical" college and claims to support the inerrancy of the Bible - was caught in an admission of culpable passivity regarding the Bible and science on Canad'as Michael Coren Show. Mr. Coren's guest was a prominent evangelical Christian professor from a California school of theology who appeared to defend the existence of God and the need for a personal relationship with God. However, when asked "How old is the world" this brilliant Christian scholar confidently stated, "The best estimates today are around 13.7 billion years." Mr. Coren was thrilled, he said "this is a position I can embrace because there are people who will sit here and say that it's six and a half thousand years old." Craig seemed amused, but concluded that such a position is not plausible.

(No doubt they were both thinking of the well-meaning tract ladies whose education was not well-rounded enough to recognize the foolishness of thinking that God could actually create the world in six days).

Craig continued, "the arguments that I give are right in line with mainstream science. I'm not buckling up against mainstream science.... I'm going with the flow with what contemporary cosmology and astrophysics support." Coren then asked, what about dinosaurs and man co-existing? "There are some 'creationists' - they typically style themselves 'young earth creationists' - who believe that," Craig stated, obviously disagreeing. The Bible, he said, gives no evidence for dinosaurs and men living together or for the young-age of the earth.

If Dr. Craig had carefully read Genesis 1-12, with attention to the quantitative data provided by God, he would have *plenty* of data from which to learn that the age of the earth is thousands of years old, not billions.

Dinesh D'Souza is another of the Apologetics professors that Yoder recommends, with 2 books listed. One is What's so Great about Christianity? Apparently the awesome creative power and truthfulness of God is not one of them. As Lita Cosner writes in her review of D'Souza's book, Mostly masterful defence of Christianity; pity it’s slack on creation:

D’Souza then takes a disappointing turn and argues that the big bang is a ‘stunning confirmation of the book of Genesis’ (p. 116), arguing that it proves a beginning around 15 billion years ago. He seems unaware of the huge problems with this theory. And what happens if secularists reject the big bang? He will have to re-interpret his re-interpretation of Genesis!

D’Souza goes on to defend not just the evolutionary timeline, but evolution itself. He even repeats the disproved assertion that man shares 98% of his DNA with apes. He argues that this is perfectly reconcilable with Scripture; since God’s image that man is made in is not physical, but spiritual, there is no problem with the physical body being derived from an ape.

However, he completely ignores the biblical account that asserts that humankind was derived not from other animals, but as a special creation distinct from animals (Genesis 1:26–28, 2:7, 21–24). He also ignores the genealogy of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel, which traces Him back to a real Adam, then directly to God, not via a line of apes (Luke 3:38). And the apostle Paul treats Adam as a real first man and ancestor of all other humans (Romans 5:12–19,9 1 Corinthians 15:21–22, 45); evolution teaches that a population of ape-like creatures evolved into a population of humans.

It is sad that Dr. Yoder does not come out and tell us what his recommended professors are teaching. It would be even better if he took a different approach, and actually defended Scripture to the hilt! It would also be suitable for an apologetics professor to analyze how the term "science" has been hijacked and replaced by speculation and just-so story telling, with the scientific method left to die by the side of the road.

It appears that Bible colleges, not just seminaries, are slipping into worldly compromise with historical Biblical truth. Please pray for a new generation of Apologetics professors who will defend God's honor, and also defend all the well-meaning tract ladies, too!

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God provides expertise for ICR's K-12 Christian school science curriculum

Institute for Creation Research is excited about new opportunities the Lord has recently opened for us in our educational ministry! ICR has traditionally focused on graduate-level education, but we have been repeatedly approached by Christian schools to develop creation-oriented science education programs for the K-12 segment. This is no small task - science is a technical and complex subject, and special skills are often required to design suitable material for the lower educational levels. Frankly, ICR was not completely geared to meet this need. But we felt the Lord's leading and pressed on by creating the Science Education Essentials series of creation-based science curriculum supplements for the K-12 Christian and homeschool markets. The Lord has blessed, and these materials have been well-received. But it was clear ICR would need professional assistance if we were to continue this vital outreach program. We made it a matter of prayer and waited for the Lord to direct our steps.

The Lord knew this, of course, and supplied just what we needed (Philippians 4:19) through the generosity of a long-time supporter. As such, we are delighted to announce ICR has recently hired Dr. Rhonda Forlow to serve as our full-time curriculum professional for the K-12 school segment. Dr. Forlow brings a wealth of experience in K-12 curriculum development and will focus on producing more Science Education Essentials supplements on a variety of science subjects. We pray these biblically and scientifically sound teaching materials will encourage Christian teachers to promote a truly biblical worldview to the children entrusted to their care.

But that isn't all. Recently, several large local Christian schools have requested our help in designing creation-oriented science education programs for their middle and high school students this coming spring. And another large local church has asked for our assistance designing a similar program for their Vacation Bible School program this summer. Without the Lord providing the necessary means through Dr. Forlow, ICR would have been forced to turn these requests down. Needless to say, Dr. Forlow has been hard at work designing an engaging educational program centered on a "CSI" theme, complete with staged "fossil digs" on the ICR campus and follow-up lab work that will teach students to think critically on major science issues.

It is truly an exciting time at ICR. Please continue to pray, and give as you are able, to maintain this vital ministry in the days ahead.

(letter from Henry M. Morris, IV, Director of Donor Relations, Institute for Creation Research, February 11, 2011)

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Best software/hardware podcast setup for serialized audio books

After a couple months of trial and tribulation, I have finally come up with the best podcast recording setup for serialized audio books. It's easy! Only eight steps to follow:

1) You must first make sure that your hardware is capable of streaming audio without dropouts. If you are using Windows, install DPC Latency Checker. Follow the guidelines on the Product Sheet for shutting off drivers that are causing unacceptable latency. Make sure you have your recording hardware, like your USB headset, plugged into the computer when you run the latency check. You will probably have to temporarily disable your wireless driver from Device Manager to get all green during the check. You may also have to stop your anti-virus service. Once you find the right combination of drivers to disable for acceptable latency, you will have to disable them each time you make record an episode from your book.


2) I found that my Dell Latitude E6500 laptop failed the latency checker even if I disabled all possible drivers and stopped all possible services. If your hardware does not pass muster, you may need to purchase a different computer. It is almost an impossible to buy a computer, sight unseen, that will have adequate latency. However, NoteBookCheck is a fantastic site that reviews laptops and netbooks, and includes stats from DPC Latency Checker for each one. If you want to track down an acceptable netbook, go to Google and search on this combination:
    netbook dpc latency site:http://www.notebookcheck.net/

3) The best recording software for Windows is Audacity. Limit your recording to less than 45 minutes per episode, usually one episode for each single chapter of the book that you are recording. After you record your voice track, export to a .wav file.


 4) Install CN Levelator. Levelator adjusts the audio levels within your podcast or other audio file for variations from one speaker to the next, for example. Run Levelator, then drag and drop your .wav file onto the Levelator window for automatic processing. Levelator will create an output .wav file.

Rick

5) Then import the .wav file created by Levelator back into Audacity, and mix in separate intro and outro music tracks. A great source for royalty-free music .mp3 files for your podcast intros and outros is Rick’s FREE Royalty-free Music Download Page.

6) From Audacity, export your podcast with the intro and outro to an .mp3 file. Make sure you tag it according to Podiocast's ID3 tagging convention, as given at the Authors Guidelines link which can be accessed from the Podiobook Authors page.


7) Upload your finished .mp3 to a file sharing site. I use Divshare. You will be staging your files there for ultimate delivery to Podiobooks.

Podiobooks.com

8) The best site for distributing your serialized audio book is Podiobooks. The term podiobook was coined by Evo Terra to describe serialized audiobooks which are distributed via RSS, much like a podcast. Listeners to Podiobooks.com can choose to receive the episodes of their books via an RSS feed or by listening to episodes by directly downloading episodes from the Podibooks site. Some listeners keep the audio files on their computers, some transfer the book to CD, but most transfer the file on to their MP3 player so they can listen no matter where they are. See the Podibooks FAQ.

Look for my first podiobook series sometime in 2011!

Marko

Texas Realizes the Evolutionary Emperor doesn't have all His Clothes...

The Texas state board of education has issued a call for supplementary materials, to address issues that the current high school biology books lack. For instance, the current books do not address “scientific explanations concerning any data of sudden appearance, stasis, and sequential nature of groups in the fossil record” or “scientific explanations concerning the complexity of the cell,” which the standards now require students to “analyze and evaluate.”

In both of the standards mentioned above, there are no evolutionary explanations. While evolution-only proponents lamented the adoption of the new standards last year, pro-science and academic freedom advocates saw them as an opportunity for students to really “analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations.

“I’m super-excited about [the new standards],” said Dr. Don McLeroy, who has served on the State Board of Education since 1998. “And all we need is one student in a biology classroom to ask, ‘Could you explain how evolution explains this or that?’ [Evolution] has no explanations.”

No doubt, special interest groups will weigh in on Texas’ decision. The supplemental materials for consideration must be submitted by February 25, 2011, after which review panels will evaluate them to see if they meet the new standards. McLeroy said the public should also have access to the materials in March. The board will then choose which supplements to adopt at the April 13-15, 2011, board meeting.

(excerpts from Cite this article: Dao, C. 2011. Texas Schools Seek Science Supplements. Acts & Facts. 40 (2): 19.)

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References (selected)

1. Science TEKS Transition Analysis Resources, Grades K-12. Texas Education Agency. Posted on tea.state.tx.us, accessed December 15, 2010.

2. Dao, C. Evolutionists, Atheists Admit Defeat in Texas. ICR News. Posted on icr.org April 3, 2009, accessed December 15, 2010.

New Young Earth Creationist Science Curriculum for Schools

"The Institute for Creation Research unveiled its new Science Education Essentials curriculum at Christian school and homeschool conventions across the United States this past fall.

"Science Education Essentials is a series of science teaching supplements that exemplifies what ICR does best—providing solid answers for the tough questions teachers face about science and origins.

"This series promotes a biblical worldview by presenting conceptual knowledge and comprehension of the science that supports creation. The supplements help teachers approach the content and Bible with ease and with the authority needed to help their students build a defense for Genesis 1-11.

 

"Modules include: 

• The Origin of Life
• The Structure of Matter
• Human Heredity
• Genetic Diversity
• Geologic Processes

"Each supplement includes a teacher's manual and a CD-ROM packed with K-12 reproducible classroom activities designed to work within your school’s existing science curriculum, with an uncompromising foundation of creation-based science instruction.

 

"If you work in a Christian school or homeschool your children, visit www.icr.org/essentials for more information about obtaining these Bible-based science curriculum supplements for your school."

 

(For more, read, 2011. ICR Science Curriculum Debuts at Education Conferences. Acts & Facts. 40 (1): 18.)

 

Beware New Science Curricula for Christian Schools!

The BioLogos Forum, founded by Dr. Francis Collins (President Obama's pick to head the National Institutes of Health), is aggressively leading the charge into biblical compromise. BioLogos teaches that the Bible is not completely without error, that Adam was symbolic and not real, and that Genesis does not teach the creation of the material world. On their website they announce that if Christians today do not accept the theory of evolution, the Church will die off in the form of an insignificant cult!

BioLogos is conducting workshops for Christian school science teachers in order to train them how to teach evolution to their students - to supposedly harmonize the Bible and Darwinian evolution in the classroom. They are also developing an evolution-based science curriculum for use in homeschools and Christian schools. One of the BioLogos teachers, Dr. Peter Enns [recently terminated by Westminster Theological Seminary for his views that are contrary to Biblical Inerrancy - MM], is even developing a Bible story curriculum for children! Anticipated to release in February 2011, this material is being published by homeschool guru Susan Wise Bauer. Parents, beware! BioLogos is also leading and participating in Christian conferences to influence pastors and other Christian leaders with the message that the Bible and evolution are compatible.

There is a Biblical alternative for Christian schools. In Fall 2010, the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) launched Science Education Essentials, a new line of science curriculum supplements that cover topics with a crucial bearing on creation and evolution. Five modules are now available:

Science Education Essentials
for Christian Schools

• The Origin of Life
• The Structure of Matter
• Human Heredity
• Genetic Diversity
• Geologic Processes

Each module includes a Teacher Content Book that allows K-12 science teachers to absorb the facts related to the topic, as well as a Resources CD-ROM that contains activity sheets, reproducible lab experiments, and PowerPoint presentations ready for teachers to use in the classroom. Each educational level was pilot tested with real teachers and their students on every science topic, allowing ICR's faculty to fine-tune these materials for maximum impact. Teachers may visit http://icr.org/essentials to learn more about this exciting new resource.

(Lawrence E. Ford, Executive Editor, "Confronting Evolutionary Ideas", Acts & Facts, January 2011, Institute of Creation Research)

Transition Home for Teenage Orphan Girls in Moldova

In 2009, New Hope International opened a transition home for teenage girls in Soldenesti, Moldova, formerly in the former Soviet Union. All were orphans and, at the age of 16 or 17 years old were "graduated" with no place to go.

The Russian Mafia is a human trafficker of orphan girls in many Eastern European countries such as Moldova, promising them jobs as maids or cleaning women. Then they confiscate their passports, and ship them to other countries such as Turkey or the Netherlands to be slaves in the sex industry.

Because of New Hope, teenage orphan girls in Moldova now have true friends that helps them make the transition to adulthood. They learn social and basic living skills, such as making decisions as an individual, and how to handle finances and freedom. All of this is done within a Christian environment and connected to a local church family.

Svetlana with her transition home
parents, Lucia and Vasile.

This year several of the girls are ready to move on, to seek employment or further education. One of them is Svetlana. She received a full scholarship and will study social work at Moldova's main seminary. Why? She wants to be prepared, both spiritually and practically, to invest her life in helping other orphans. Praise God!

A 142-year old Fraud is STILL in your 7th Grader's Science Book!

SHAME on Dr. Donald Cronkite, Ph.D., author of the extremely popular 7th grader's Science textbook, Pearson Prentice Hall's Cells and Heredity in the Science Explorer series, for parading junk science as truth to our youth.

My two sons are both in 7th grade, one in public and the other in Christian school. Both schools are using Cronkite's textbook. Cronkite, who is Professor of Biology at Hope College in Holland, Michigan (cronkite@hope.edu), resuscitates the Recapitulation theory of evolutionist Ernst Haeckel, first formulated in 1868. This theory is also known as the Biogenetic Law or Embryological Parallelism - and is often taught to college students with the catchy phrase "Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny". Listen to the 2005 edition of the Prentice Hall textbook, on page 149, where this is what Dr. Cronkite and your 7th grade science class teacher are instructing your child:

Figure 8

Since Darwin's time, scientists have found a great deal of evidence that supports the theory of evolution. Fossils, patterns of early development, and similar body structures all provide evidence that organisms have changed over time.

Similarities in early development. Scientists also make inferences about evolutionary relationships by comparing the early development of different organisms. Suppose you were asked to compare an adult fish, salamander, chicken, and opossum. You would probably say they look quite different from each other. However, during early development, these four organisms are similar, as you can see in Figure 8. For example, during the early stages of development all four organisms have a tail and a row of tiny slits along there throats. These similarities suggest that these vertebrate species are related and share a common ancestor.

Haeckel's embryo drawings.
The top row has been faked and
the four right-hand collumns are
all from the same taxonomic subclass.

What is wrong here? This is a basically a repeat of Haeckel's 1868 Recapitulation theory. Haeckel's hypothesis is that developing from embryo to adult, animals go through stages resembling or representing successive stages in the evolution of their remote ancestors. He "proved" this with a series of embryo drawings from different kinds of animals emphasizing their similarities.

Haeckel's series of pictures was first shown to be based on a fraud by Professor His in 1874. Professor His showed that  that Haeckel had added 3.5 mm to the head of Bischoff''s dog embryo, taken 2 mm off the head of Ecker's human embryo, doubled the length of the human posterior, and substantially altered the details of the human eye. Haeckel confessed the fraud, but by then it had taken on a life of its own.

Eminent evolutionists up until the present know that Haeckel's recapitulation theory is junk science. For example, Stephen Jay Gould, who invented the theory of punctuated equilibrium to try to explain away the problem that evolutionists could not locate any intermediate forms in the fossil record, said this about Haeckel's fraud: "We do, I think, have the right to be both astonished and ashamed by the century of mindless recycling that has led to the persistence of these drawings in a large number, if not a majority, of modern textbooks."

Fast forward to today. Dr. Donald Cronkite decided to use as his "Figure 8" Michael K. Richardson's picture from Scott Gilbert's book Developmental Biology, 6th edition. However, in Richardson's own review paper titled "There is no highly conserved embryonic stage in the vertebrates: implications for current theories of evolution and development." Richardson says the following: 

Contrary to recent claims that all vertebrate embryos pass through a stage when they are the same size, we find a greater than 10-fold variation in greatest length at the tailbud stage. Our survey seriously undermines the credibility of Haeckel’s drawings, which depict not a conserved stage for vertebrates, but a stylised amniote embryo. In fact, the taxonomic level of greatest resemblance among vertebrate embryos is below the subphylum. The wide variation in morphology among vertebrate embryos is difficult to reconcile with the idea of a phyogenetically-conserved tailbud stage, and suggests that at least some developmental mechanisms are not highly constrained by the zootype.

This is basically saying the exact opposite from Cronkite's statement to 7th graders, that "these similarities suggest that these vertebrate species are related and share a common ancestor."

Now there are still some evolutionists who would spring to Cronkite's defense, even 142 years after the fraud was first hatched. For example, Steve Matheson in his blog entry "It’s just a stage. A phylotypic stage", complains that some "propagandists and demagogues" are "shadow boxing with Haeckels' ghost" for political purposes! (I suppose that includes yours truly).

I would say the opposite, SHAME on Dr. Cronkite and all of his ilk for brazenly passing off Haeckel's hoax of recapitulation to our youth. It is sad that science teachers are forced to meekly accept what is passed off as truth within textbooks, or do not take the time to find out for themselves the accuracy of those textbooks.

Furthermore, this so-called Racapitulation theory has a very dubious heritage, as pointed out in the article by Dr. Henry Morris. Areas of science that quietly use the ideas of Racapitulation as their centerpiece include the Standard Geologic Column, Freudian Psychoanalysis, Modern Racism, and Abortionism. Abortionists say, "the fetus is still in its fish stage so you are just cutting up a fish" to convince young women that killing their child is acceptable!

Please examine your 7th grader's textbook and look for a Haeckel-type picture. If you find one, explain the truth to your child and to their science teacher. Creatures did not evolve based on their similarities, they were created by a wonderful God who demonstrates his love through their amazing diversity! For more information, see the book of Genesis in your Bible, and the ongoing and fantastic findings by modern-day creation scientists on websites like Creation Wiki

References

Cells and Heredity, Science Explorer series, 2005. Pearson Prentice-Hall.

Gilbert, Scott F. 2000. Developmental Biology. 6th edition. Sunderland, Massachusetts, Sinauer Associates.

Gould, Stephen Jay. 2000. Abscheulich! Atrocious! Natural History, March, 2000, p. 45.

Mattheson, Steve. 2010. It’s just a stage. A phylotypic stage. Part I, accessed 12/24/2010.

Recapitulation Theory, 2010. Wikipedia.

Rudd, Steve, Piltdown Embryo, accessed 12/24/2010.

Was Darwin the first to think up Evolution? 2009, accessed 12/24/2010.

Research-Based Resources for Reading and Writing

(Compiled by Mark Malyj, 10/23/2004)
Here are the best research based resources I've found for educating ANY child, whether they are dyslexic or not, in reading and writing. Covering the areas of Phonemic Awareness, Synthetic Phonics, Typing Awareness, Joined Handwriting, Dyslexia. Parents can use these resources to help a child learn reading and writing at home, even if he or she is simultaneously being taught the "tried and true" non-research based methods at school. Teachers can also introduce these resources into their classrooms in kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd grades.

Reading and Brain Chemistry

For the latest brain chemistry research involved in the process of reading, see "Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Overcoming Reading Problems at Any Level" by SALLY SHAYWITZ. Reporting on some of the research that underpins the "No Child Left Behind" Act. See http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375400125/qid=1096477957/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/002-4347709-4712815?v=glance&s=books&n=507846. This book discusses the fact that 20% (really!) of all people are dyslexic, and discusses the left brain chemistry wall that dyslexic kids hit at soon as they try to read in kindergarten or earlier. Also that most non-dyslexic kids who do not like to read (these are in the majority in this day and age) hit a right brain chemistry wall when they reach 4th grade, with devastating consequences for high school, college, and career. And how to work around these walls!

Phonemic Awareness Software

For software to prepare your child for reading thru Phonemic Awareness, or PA, see Earobics at http://www.earobics.com/. Excellent for preschoolers, but not too late to do it the summer before 1st grade.
Step 1 Home version available for $59 from http://www.donjohnston.com/catalog/earobics.htm.

Keyboard Awareness Software

For software to teach keyboard awareness, improve spelling and word recognition skills, see "First Keys 2", http://www.widgit.com/products/firstkeys2/. Also see the product review. Great for kindergartners, or at least start the summer before 1st grade. Windows only. Available for $79 from http://www.donjohnston.com/catalog/firstkeys.htm.

Synthetic Phonics Software

For software to teach SYNTHETIC phonics (the REAL phonics!), based on the Orton Gillingham method, see Phonics Tutor at http://www.phonicstutor.com/. Use this series with your child throughout 1st, 2nd , even 3rd grades. The first module is available $90 for Windows from http://www.timberdoodle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=110. Mac version for $90 at http://www.timberdoodle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=114.

Joined Handwriting

For kids with handwriting difficulties, see the article "The Importance of Joined Handwriting" by Debbie Hepplewhite, http://www.rrf.org.uk/46%20The%20Importance%20of%20Joined%20Handwriting.htm. Also get the book "Best Handwriting for ages 4-7 Teachers' Resource Book" by Judy Richardson, Andrew Brodie publishing, available from England for £15.29 at http://www.acblack.com/Catalogue/details.asp?sku=1421096&dept%5Fid=9&mscssid=1JWQC3BF46959JF63AXUA7E7TC4R7T4E, This book ultimately teaches writing in the cursive style as it leads naturally into joined writing. However, at the early stages the letters are very simple with exit
strokes ready for joining but no entry strokes. Printed or block writing is best learned after joined handwriting. Also get Pupil Workbook 1 and 2 that go with this book. Kindergarten is a great time to start.

The Phonics Wars!

For an extremely frank discussion of the various reading methods out there these days, including Whole Language, Analytic Phonics, and Synthetic Phonics (Orton Gillingham), and all their alternative names, see Dyslexics.org.uk.

Trust in the Lord, and He will provide!