yls07 - Slashdot User

Comment The Article Is Wrong? (Score 1) 1856

by yls07 on Saturday March 31, 2007 @08:13PM (#18561235) Attached to: 48% of Americans Reject Evolution

According to the actual survey linked from TFA, this is the actual survey question and response data (sorry for no table formatting):

13. Do you think the scientific theory of evolution is well-supported by evidence and widely accepted within the scientific community?

Well-supported Not well-supported Don't Know
Current Total 48% 39% 13%

Evangelical Protestants 25% 63% 12%
Non-Evangelical Protestants 57% 24% 19%
Catholics 58% 33% 9%
Agnostics/Atheists 73% 18% 9%

From this information, it would appear as though 48% of Americans think evolution is BOTH well-supported AND well-accepted in the scientific community. (The question, of course, is terribly constructed because it conflates two potentially divergent beliefs.) 39% believe EITHER it's not well-supported by evidence OR it's not well-accepted in the scientific community, and it's easy to see how propaganda would make it easy to influence people on one of those two variables.

Certainly, it doesn't seem to support the proposition from TFA, that "Nearly half (48 percent) of the public rejects the scientific theory of evolution".

Is it possible MSNBC/Newsweek didn't get their facts straight? Or am I missing something?

Submission + - Google typo?

Submitted by Mindwurkz on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @12:33PM

Mindwurkz writes: Is Google planning a name change in the near future? Today's home page seems to be branded "Googe"

Submission + - Open-source vs. Proprietary in the DVR Space

Submitted by

MrBlockHaus

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @12:29PM

MrBlockHaus writes: "The age-old open source debate rages on, this time in the DVR space. TiVo has released it's next-generation unit, the Series 3. Open-source DIY options like MythTV are becoming more compelling every day. As the inevitable clash looms on the horizon, who will prevail? DVRplayground addresses this question in a head-to-head comparison of MythTV and TiVo Series3."

Submission + - Study suggests US/UK are failing children

Submitted by

Brian Ribbon

on Wednesday February 14, 2007 @12:05PM

Brian Ribbon writes: "The BBC has a report regarding a study into child welfare by international charity Unicef, which reveals that the US and UK have the lowest levels of child welfare out of 21 countries studied. The study measured child welfare using six categories; family and peer relationships, material well-being, health and safety, behaviour and risks, and children's own sense of well-being (educational and subjective).

Is it a coincidence that the countries which have the most draconian legislation disguised as measures to protect children also have the lowest level of child welfare, or is the level of paranoia and hysteria in these countries actually harming children?"

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