A Triple Conjunction

This triple conjunction photo is courtesy Bob Riddle [briddle@kcmsd.net]: the waxing crescent Moon, Venus, and Jupiter form a striking grouping shortly after sunset in Lee's Summit Missouri.

You Mean I Could Be Paid for That?

Hey kids, you know how your mothers and fathers say: "If you work really hard, and study, and don't spend all of your time playing, you could have a really good career"? Parents, you've said that to your kids: I know that I've said it to mine (more than enough, as they will tell you)...

But bearing in mind the popularity of our LEGO^TM sets and our Mindstorms NXT sessions at HMS Beagle, here's a link to a story on the BBC News website about a man who makes his living building new LEGO creations. He's one of the designers behind Legoland Windsor, in west London.

It's a fascinating story, and reminds us all that some of the best jobs come from the dreams that we had as kids, including jobs in the sciences... and jobs where you get to spend the day playing with LEGO.

National Center for Science Education

The posting on our blog of the contents of an e-mail we sent to a local (as yet unnamed) science teacher at Park Hill High School has attracted the attention of the National Center for Science Education. They have complemented us for the way we are handling the situation. It should be noted that as yet the teacher in question has not responded to our e-mail to him, but that an official in the Park Hill School District did respond favorably to an e-mailed copy of the blog posting.



We still are hopeful that we will hear from the teacher before long and we will post the results here.

==JFK==

On-line Catalog is up and Running

We invite you to visit our new on-line catalog. We think you will be pleased with the presentation. The only real glaring problem is the overwhelming lack of photographs and proper shipping weights for the majority of the merchandise offered. These will all be corrected over time. In the meantime we will insure that all orders are handled promptly and accurately. Since chemicals have always been the most popular items ordered through the on-line catalog that category of merchandise is the first one we have completed.

Teachers, don't forget that we give discounts and do not charge sales tax (if we have your district's tax exemption number on file).

==JFK==

Mom and Pop?

In case you've missed it, we're pleased to report that HMS Beagle has been featured in an article in today's Kansas City Star. Be sure to go and take a look. It's a story about exceptional local businesses (also defined by the article as "mom and pop" shops), and we're pleased to have been on the list. Thanks too go to reporter Joyce Smith for her thorough and diligent coverage.

Creationism being taught in Park Hill High School?

This is the content of an e-mail sent, today, to a science teacher at Park Hill High School. For the time being we are keeping the teacher's name confidential:

Your students are reporting to us that you are offering a non-scientific alternative to how plant and animal species evolved on earth. Many of them are quite disconcerted with what seems to be a blatant attempt to subvert scientific fact and theory with unfounded speculation, mythology and beliefs. Since we have not personally heard your presentations we cannot accurately judge what you are, in fact, presenting or what your approach to teaching science is. If there is even a whiff of creationism or intelligent design being offered as a legitimate alternative to science in your classes then that would go against the basis of the recent Dover decision in Pennsylvania (Kitzmiller v. Dover, 2005, Judge John E. Jones presiding).
If you feel that you are being wrongly characterized and that what we have had reported to us is in any way off the mark we invite you to contact us and perhaps we can sit down and discuss the situation. In addition, we hereby offer our services as guest speakers to your classes to present a valid exposition of evolutionary science. What we usually start with is a discussion of what constitutes a theory and why theories are what science is built upon.
If you have never visited our store we hereby extend a special invitation. As you may have heard we give discounts to teachers when they are buying for the classroom and, of course, we have your district’s tax exempt number on file so we do not charge sales tax. Our own daughter is an alumnus of Park Hill High School and during her time there she got a good founding in science and eventually became a geneticist. Now, we are told that in your classroom the students are being told that there is proof that humans lived at the same time as dinosaurs (we would like the opportunity to present to your class(es) that there is no such proof).
We will be initiating a discussion on our Science Blog on this subject and, of course, everyone is invited to comment. As patrons of the Park Hill district we are quite concerned about what we consider to be a startling revelation about, at least, one part of this award-winning district. If any of what we have heard is true we will work tirelessly to do what we can to correct and reverse it. The Park Hill students deserve to be taught science and how science works.
We would like to give you an opportunity to respond to our concerns, or if appropriate to have your peers and supervisors respond. For now we have only contacted you about this matter, and we hope you will take the opportunity to discuss this with us soon.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Comments? Please!

Our Visitors

I have found this information very interesting and intriguing. The latest 10 visitors to this blog have come from the following locations:

United States: Kansas City, Kansas

United States: Prairie Village, Kansas

Germany: Langenzenn, Bayern

United States: Kailua Kona, Hawaii

Philippines: Philippine, Benguet

United States: Kansas City, Missouri

Canada: Guelph, Ontario

United States: Raritan, New Jersey

United States: Argyle, Texas

Philippines: Philippine, Benguet

It would be great to know who these folks are. It would be even better if some, or all, of them would post comments.

==JFK==