[Hat Tip: RichardDawkins.net
Today's "molecule" is an easy one in celebration of the start of a new academic year for many university students. Name this structure and provide a very brief description of it's function.
According to the Telegraph: Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'.Creation, starring Paul Bettany, details Darwin's "struggle between faith and reason" as he wrote On The Origin of Species. It depicts him as a man who loses faith in God following the death of his beloved 10-year-old daughter, Annie.I didn't see the film on Thursday evening when the Toronto film festival opened but it got favorable reviews and lots of press in the local newspapers. Creation looks like a very good movie. It's a shame that it won't be seen in America.
The film was chosen to open the Toronto Film Festival and has its British premiere on Sunday. It has been sold in almost every territory around the world, from Australia to Scandinavia.
However, US distributors have resolutely passed on a film which will prove hugely divisive in a country where, according to a Gallup poll conducted in February, only 39 per cent of Americans believe in the theory of evolution.
Movieguide.org, an influential site which reviews films from a Christian perspective, described Darwin as the father of eugenics and denounced him as "a racist, a bigot and an 1800s naturalist whose legacy is mass murder". His "half-baked theory" directly influenced Adolf Hitler and led to "atrocities, crimes against humanity, cloning and genetic engineering", the site stated.
I hope you'll forgive my Canadian chauvinism on this occasion as I post parts of another Stephen Jay Gould essay [The Good People of Halifax].My latest visit among you, however, was entirely involuntary and maximally stressful. I live in lower Manhattan, just one mile from the burial ground of the Twin Towers. As they fell victim to evil and insanity on Tuesday, September 11, during the morning after my 60th birthday, my wife and I, en route from Milan to New York, flew over the Titanic’s resting place and then followed the route of her recovered dead to Halifax. We sat on the tarmac for 8 hours, and eventually proceeded to the cots of Dartmouth’s sports complex, then upgraded to the adjacent Holiday Inn. On Friday, at 3 o’clock in the morning, Alitalia brought us back to the airport, only to inform us that their plane would return to Milan. We rented one of the last two cars available and drove, with an intense mixture of grief and relief, back home.Some of us can watch the movie Diverted on television this evening. It's about the response of the people of Gander, Newfoundland when 38 planeloads of people landed at their airport on September 11, 2001 following the closure of American airspace.
.......
I know that the people of Halifax have, by long tradition and practice, shown heroism and self-sacrifice at moments of disaster -- occasional situations that all people of seafaring ancestry must face. I know that you received and buried the drowned victims of the Titanic in 1912, lost one in ten of your own people in the Halifax Explosion of 1917, and gathered in the remains of the recent Swissair disaster.
But, in a sense that may seem paradoxical at first, you outdid yourselves this time because you responded immediately, unanimously, unstintingly, and with all conceivable goodness, when no real danger, but merely fear and substantial inconvenience, dogged your refugees for a few days. Our lives did not depend upon you, but you gave us everything nonetheless. We, 9000 strong, are forever in your debt, and all humanity glows in the light of your unselfish goodness.
And so my wife and I drove back home, past the Magnetic Hill of Moncton (now a theme park in this different age), past the reversing rapids of Saint John, visible from the highway, through the border crossing at Calais (yes, I know, as in Alice, not as in ballet), and down to a cloud of dust and smoke enveloping a mountain of rubble, once a building and now a tomb for 5000 people. But you have given me hope that the ties of our common humanity will bind even these wounds. And so Canada, although you are not my home or native land, we will always share this bond of your unstinting hospitality to people who descended upon you as frightened strangers from the skies, and received nothing but solace and solidarity in your embrace of goodness. So Canada, because we beat as one heart, from Evangeline in Louisiana to the intrepid Mr. Sukanen of Moose Jaw, I will stand on guard for thee.
The Centre for Inquiry Canada is excited to announce our first national conference. It will take place in Toronto from October 29 to November 1 at the University of Toronto and at the Centre for Inquiry in downtown Toronto.
Starts
Thursday, October 29th 2009 at 5:00 pm
Ends
Sunday, November 1st 2009 at 12:00 pm
CLICK HERE TO SKIP TO REGISTRATION
There are two parts to this conference. On Friday, October 30, there will be a one day Leadership & Organizational conference for representatives and leaders of all CFI affiliated student groups, Communities for Inquiry and city organizations.
On Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, there will be an educational conference, featuring the theme "Art and Science: Freethought at the Intersection of Two Worlds." Leading thinkers will explore a wide range of topics. Art exhibits, special entertainment and musical presentations, as well as catered meals, will be included.
TAREK FATAH TO GIVE KEYNOTE PUBLIC ADDRESS
Friday, October 30, 2009, 7:00pm
Tarek Fatah is a secular Muslim Canadian political activist, writer and TV host. He is the author of "Chasing a Mirage: The Tragic Illusion of an Islamic State," which suggests that the idea of an Islamic state is merely a mirage that Muslims have been made to chase for over a millennium. The book was short listed for the prestigious Donner Book Prize. Tarek Fatah has joined CFRB 1010 as a co-host of the radio station's 3PM daily show. Fatah is the founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress.
Fatah's advocacy for a separation of religion and state, opposition to Sharia law, and advocacy for a liberal, progressive form of Islam have been met with considerable criticism from various Canadian Muslim groups. The Muslim Canadian Congress has been a longtime supporter and ally of the Centre for Inquiry.
Our Art & Science Conference will feature discussion panels and talks on subjects including:
Science & Art Panel
We will explore the awe and wonder of science. Can art be turned into a science? Can science be turned into an art? Where does art and science come together, where do they depart
Art, Prehistory & Evolution
Why was there a sudden explosion in late stone age art? How is art appreciated by the human mind/aesthetics of art? Why is art appreciated, from an evolutionary, aesthetics and neuroscience perspective
Atheism, Skepticism & Philosophy
We will explore the philosophical school o fscientific naturalism, the impact of atheism on 20th century philosophy, the origins of postmodernist philosophy in skepticism/atheism and its effects on art today.
Science & Ethics Panel
We will explore ethical decision making in science research and the ethics of choosing among competing lifestyles
PLUS: AN ART EXHIBIT "ART INSPIRED BY SCIENCE" WITH PRESENTATIONS BY SELECT EXHIBITORS
Confirmed speakers include:
Christopher DiCarlo, who will Chair the Panel "Art, Prehistory & Evolution"
Ontario's Best Lecturer 2008 and Canada's Humanist of the Year 2008, Christopher diCarlo is a Philosopher of Science and Ethics whose interests in cognitive evolution have taken him into the natural and social sciences. His personal research focuses on how and why humans reason, think, and act the way they do. He is interested in how and why the human brain has evolved to its current state and what cross-cultural and cross-species behaviour can provide insight into universally common modes of reasoning. He is also interested in the application of neuroscience (specifically fMRI work), in an effort to better understand psychoneuroendocrine feedback looping in problem solving. Dr. diCarlo is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology where he teaches Critical Thinking, Bioethics, and other courses. His most recent book (just released by McGraw-Hill Ryerson) is entitled: How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Practical Guide to Thinking Critically. He is also a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University in the Department of Anthropology and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology where he conducted research for two books he is currently writing called: The Comparative Brain: The Evolution of Human Reasoning and The Evolution of Religion: Why Many Need to Believe in Deities, Demons, and the Unseen.
James Robert Brown, who will speak on the panel "Atheism, Skepticism & Philosophy Panel"
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and experienced debater in defense of scientific realism, Professor Brown appeared on TVO's The Agenda on their programs on Science and Religion, and Assault on Science. He is a Professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto.
Guillaume Loignon, who will speak on the topic "Is Art an Evolutionary Adaptation"
Spokesperson from the Ontario Science Centre on the important topic of "Selling Science to the Public"
LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE
Designed for representatives of CFI affiliated group and projects across Canada, and other special guests, this conference will run from the evening of Thursday, October 29 to the end of Friday, October 30.
The conference will feature an exciting panel on Canadian political issues to be run by various representatives from the new Canadian Secular Alliance. After hearing reports on well researched and analyzed policy positions, delegates will be invited to contribute to a discussion on building a coordinated national lobbying effort to approach critical issues:Mike Evans is an M.A. student in philosophy at York University and an aspiring teacher. He joined the CSA in June 2009 and is currently a spokesperson and Policy Advisor with the organization. In his work at York, he puts a particular emphasis on science and its importance in society. As a teacher, he is commited to promoting a widespread culture of science and reason. Outside of his studies and his work with the CSA, Mike is a piano teacher, science educator, and musician.
- Secularism and Science Education, with Mike Evans
- Tax exemptions for religious charities, with Greg Oliver
- Public Financing of Religious Schools, with Mike Evans
Leslie Rosenblood has a Bachelor of Mathematics degree in Computer Science with a minor in Drama and Speech Communication from the University of Waterloo, and a Masters of Business Administration for Science and Technology from Queen's University. He has held diverse roles in his career, including programmer, technology researcher, market analyst, journalist, and national sales manager. Born and raised in Canada, Leslie has lived in several countries, including Japan, England, the United States, Albania, and Kazakhstan. He is currently an IT project manager at a major Canadian retailer. Leslie lives in Toronto with his wife and two sons.
- Religious Accommodation, with Michael DeDourek
- Free Expression, with Justin Trottier
- Heritage Issues (God in the national anthem, God in the Charter), with Leslie Rosenblood
Plus, student leaders will address issues affecting science, secularism and skepticism on campus:We will also host sessions on a variety of topics, to be presented by CFI leaders in cities like Vancouver, Saskatoon, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Calgary and elsewhere! If you are interested in addressing any of the issues below, or any we may have missed, please contact jtrottier@centerforinquiry.net
- Violations of church-state separation at university (eg. Campus graduation prayers)
- Student unions and censorship
Student newspaper and the treatment (or lack thereof) of science- Alternative medicine endorsing campus programs
- Working with faith groups on campus - multifaith dialogues, multifaith centres, chaplaincies
To open both conferences, on Thursday and Friday evenings, introductory remarks will be made and a toast led by representatives of CFI Canada's Board of Directors & Advisory Fellows, including:
- The road to a CFI branch in your city, featuring Kendra Getty, who leads the high successful new CFI Saskatoon/Saskatoon Freethinkers. Listening to Point of Inquiry podcasts motivated Kendra to start community and campus groups in Saskatoon when she moved back in 2008 after several years living in Sweden, Taiwan, and Vancouver. Kendra is particularly interested in issues related to the public understanding of science and to religion in different cultures. Kendra holds degrees in Chemistry and Sociology and currently works in private industry. Kendra started the Saskatoon Freethinkers along with George Williamson in November of 2008.
- Launching your own Multimedia projects, featuring presentations from leaders of freethought themed radio shows, podcasts and even Canada's first freethought TV show.
- Press & Activism: Tips from Toronto, CFI's most media covered branch
- Public Relations & Outreach
- How to give a kick-ass interview
- How to raise money
- How to promote your groups and its activities
- General group organizing
- How to attract members
- Forging campus/community partnerships
Carol Parow, President of the Board of CFI Canada
Dr. Carol M. Parlow is a clinical psychiatrist, a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, a psychiatric consultant on occupational health and disability to businesses and a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Inquiry Canada.
Jeffrey Rosenthal, Advisory Fellow
Jeffrey Rosenthal is a professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Toronto.For his research, he was awarded the 2006 CRM-SSC Prize, and also the 2007 COPSS Presidents' Award, the most prestigious honour bestowed by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies. For his lecturing, he received a Harvard University Teaching Award in 1991, and an Arts and Science Outstanding Teaching Award at the University of Toronto in 1998. Rosenthal's book for the general public, Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities, was a bestseller in Canada, and is being published in a total of fifteen countries. He has also worked as a computer game programmer, musician, and improvisational comedy performer. He maintains the web site probability.ca. Despite being born on Friday the thirteenth, Rosenthal has been a very fortunate person.
Gordon Precious, Advisory Fellow
Preliminary Schedule:
Thursday, October 29: LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE
Registration and check in (starting at 2pm)
Opening round table
Friday, October 30: LEADERSHIP & ORGANIZATIONAL CONFERENCE
Sessions
Evening: Public Keynote Lecture (TBA)
Saturday, October 31: ARTS & SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Sessions
Art Inspired by Science exhibit
Halloween Party & Awards Banquet
Sunday, November 1: ARTS & SCIENCE CONFERENCE
Final sessions (ends at 12 noon)
Lodgings:The following is a small sample of accommodations available in downtown Toronto, with some diversity for cost and quality
* Holiday Inn: 111 Lombard Street - (416) 367-5555
* Delta Chelsea Hotel: 33 Gerrard Street West - (416) 595-1975
* Days Inn: 30 Carlton Street - (416) 977-6655
* Metropolitan Hotel: 108 Chestnut Street - (416) 977-5000
* Sutton Place Grande Hotel: 955 Bay Street - (416) 924-9221
* Bond Place Hotel: 65 Dundas Street East - (416) 362-6061
Transportation:The conference is held in the University of Toronto and at the Centre for Inquiry Ontario. CFI is located at 216 Beverley St., just south of College St. at St. George St.
Registration: Students $99.00, Non-students $115.00, CFI Members $79.00
DEPARTMENT OF IMMUNOLOGY TWO TENURE STREAM POSITIONS
The Department of Immunology, University of Toronto invites applications for two tenure‐stream positions. The appointments will be at the rank of Assistant Professor and will begin on September 1st 2010, or a mutually agreed date.
As part of a continuing program to build on strength in Immunology, the University of Toronto is recruiting for two tenure track positions, one of which will be in the field of Human Immunology. The successful candidates will be expected to mount an original, competitive and independently funded research program and to have a commitment to undergraduate, medical and graduate education in Immunology.
Outstanding applicants working in any area of Immunology complementary to our existing faculty will be considered, with the expectation that one of the positions will be in Human Immunology. Candidates must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, postdoctoral experience, and an established record of research excellence. The appointments are expected to be at the Assistant Professor level with a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. The positions will be located in newly renovated space in the Medical Sciences Building on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto.
For details about the Department of Immunology see www.immunology.utoronto.ca and to apply online, please visit http://www.jobs.utoronto.ca/faculty.htm (see Ad # 0900694 under Faculty positions). Applications should be submitted by November 6th, 2009 and include a curriculum vitae, bibliography, an outline of current and future research objectives and the names and addresses of three referees.
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups and others who may further contribute to the diversification of ideas.
All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.
DEPARTMENT OF MOLECULAR GENETICS
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Applications are invited for a Tenure-Stream Position in Developmental Biology
The Department of Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto invites applications for a tenure-stream appointment in developmental biology. The appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, will commence on or after July 1, 2010, and will be located in the Medical Sciences Building on the downtown campus of the University of Toronto.
We seek candidates whose research addresses a fundamental problem in animal developmental biology using either established (mouse, frog, fish, fly, nematode worm, sea urchin, tunicate, etc.) or up-and-coming (stickleback, cnidarian, planarian, arthropod, choanoflagellate, etc.) models. The successful candidate will complement and enhance the Department’s existing strengths in developmental biology, model organism genetics, and other areas.
The Department is one of the premier academic life sciences departments in Canada, with 90 full-time faculty members and 300 graduate students (Molecular Genetics). The candidate will benefit from the interdepartmental Collaborative Graduate Program in Developmental Biology as well as from recent efforts at the University of Toronto and affiliated teaching hospitals to expand research in stem cell biology; cell, tissue and whole-animal imaging; proteomics, genomics and bioinformatics through new infrastructure and academic programs. Candidates must have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent, postdoctoral experience, and an established record of research accomplishment. The successful candidate will be expected to mount an original, competitive, and independently funded research program, and to have a commitment to undergraduate and graduate education.
We encourage you to submit your application online (Jobs: faculty). Please ensure that you include a Curriculum vitae that includes current and long-term research objectives. If you are unable to apply online (or alternatively have large document to send), please submit your application and other materials to: Dr. Howard Lipshitz, Chair, Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, 1 King’s College Circle, Rm. 4286, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8 Canada. Applicants should also arrange that three letters of reference be sent directly to Dr. Lipshitz, or have them emailed to mogen.chair@utoronto.ca Applications and referee letters will be accepted until November 15, 2009 or until the position is filled.
The University of Toronto offers the opportunity to teach conduct research and live in one of the most diverse cities in the world. The University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from visible minority group members, women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual minority groups, and others who may contribute to further diversification of ideas.
All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.
LUCA, LECA and LBACA--Root of Life and Roots of the Biological Domains
Dr. Jeffrey Wong
Department of Biochemistry
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
4:30 pm, September 10
Medical Sciences Building room 4171
His mother's photograph is on the wall of graduates on the first floor of our building. She graduated from medical school in 1929.
[Hat Tip: Genomicron]
Yesterday's molecule was the type II reaction center from the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rhodobacter spaeroides. 
Your task for today is to identify the molecules with the question marks and explain (briefly) what's going on. Your task for today is to identify the molecules with the question marks and explain (briefly) what's going on. [Hat Tip: Jennifer Smith who found the original video, made for a Tommy Douglas tribute at the 2006 NDP Convention. Does this mean that Jack Bauer is a commie?
1. On the other hand, after 40-odd years I've accumulated a long list of things NOT to get her.
Razib Khan of Gene Expression has a list [States which do well educationally, blame Canada!]. 
There's always been a healthy debate about the role of an undergraduate education. Some view it as primarily a way of preparing for a job after graduation. At most universities we have undergraduate programs that do just that—engineering, and management studies are prime examples.Leshner said the goal of undergraduate education should be to give students a "fundamental knowledge of what science is, and what it is not, along with some key concepts." He also cautioned the conference participants not to fall into the trap of shifting the goal toward developing a scientific workforce, but, rather, remaining concerned with science for all undergraduates.I agree with Leshner. We should not fall into the trap of turning a university education into a job training program.
I know it's unfair to jump on one sentence, but after that point, all I could think about, is that the man must be completely clueless and out of touch with the reality of both the needs of students and the life science industry. Statements that imply that workforce doesn't matter and that biology educators should avoid "falling into the trap" also imply that biology is only for those wealthy students that won't need to find jobs after college.This seems way over the top to me. Of course a good biology education will expose students to lab skills and practical aspects of biology. That's not being questioned.
I have heard this from other college faculty before. Apparently you shouldn't consider a college education, and certainly, not an education in life science to be some kind of ticket to employment. SCIENCE (all of you fall down on your hands and knees, okay?) is only for those with independent means or those who plan to go to medical school.
I mean, it must be nice to just go to school and not be concerned about learning any sort of marketable skill. Unfortunately, while Leshner compliments college biology teachers for ignoring notions about job preparation, students are the ones who will pay the price. Even those who go on to graduate school, eventually have to learn bench skills.
