“Evolution, the Grand Experiment” Chapter 9, The fossil record of bats

As I review Dr. Carl Werner’s book, “Evolution, the Grand Experiment,” you’ve all been anxiously awaiting the next installment.

Chapter 9 is really no big deal.

In fact, I find Dr. Werner just a little bit fairer in this chapter. He says that the fossil record does not support bat ancestors, but this is the first time he says, “Evolutionists believe that since fossilization is a chance event and rarely occurs, the fossil record can, at times, be incomplete.”

Well there you have it. He follows that sentence with a paragraph about “those who oppose evolution.”

It’s like an M. Night Shamalanadingdong movie. “Those who wish to remain anonymous who oppose evolution, those of whom we do not speak.” I’d love it if he named some of these opponents. He named Duane Gish in the last chapter, but we already knew he opposed evolution.

Dr. Gish’s body odor alone proves evolution.

There are two call-out boxes with interview snippets from a Dr. Gary Morgan and Dr. Gunter Viohl. Both say that despite the hope of finding a fossil for a bat ancestor, they can’t produce one.

Dr. Viohl’s quote is particularly interesting, because he says, “We have no evidence for this evolution. The bats appear perfectly developed in the Eocene.”

I think I have well established that this is a creationist book dressed up as a “fair and balanced” objective peek at evolution. I find it odd that they want to point out that these animals suddenly appear in the fossil record during the time period that they are said to appear in. There are millions of years between trilobites and bats. It says so in Dr. Werner’s text. When is he going to argue for the creationist side and say, “See, they showed up all at the same time!” He’s pretty well establishing that even he agrees that they show up at different periods millions of years ago.

I digress.

The rest of the chapter is pictures and two more quotes by real scientists on the final page. They both concur there is no evidence for bat evolution.

The final words of the chapter say, “Is there evidence that bat’s evolved? What do you think?”

Well, Dr. Werner, it appears you have made definitive case that bat evolution based on the fossil record, did not happen. That doesn’t mean it didn’t. Where is the chapter on DNA evidence? What’s that? Hmm? There is what? There’s not a chapter on DNA evidence? Oh, well, that’s weird. Evolution doesn’t depend on the fossil record. If it did, surely we’d be royally fucked.

I <3 Dr. Carl Werner.

*** UPDATE ***

You can read about bat evolution here, here, here and here. Or google it yourselves.

Shedd Aquarium Visit on Sunday, February 28, 2010

On Sunday, I visited the Shedd Aquarium here in Chicago with my brothers in law. I took a little bit of footage, and edited it together. It’s not easy shooting through that glass. The photography I took really blew. The older exhibits are so dingy that I can’t believe the fish are living in them. The newer exhibits create a lot of glare, and reflections are hard to avoid. I think I did okay. I didn’t use a great lens, but it did okay.

Consider this my lullaby for you. I’m so tired today that it’s putting me to sleep.

Here are a couple shots that I liked. They get bigger when you “click” them. And by click, I mean …

OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – RGM version

Directed by James Frost, OK Go and Syyn Labs. Produced by Shirley Moyers. The official video for the recorded version of “This Too Shall Pass” off of the album “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky”. The video was filmed in a two story warehouse, in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, CA. The “machine” was designed and built by the band, along with members of Synn Labs ( http://syynlabs.com/ ) over the course of several

TYPEFORCE : The Annual Chicago Show of Emerging Typographic Allstars

Over the weekend, I went to an art opening featuring several artists including my buddy Ryan. It was a typographic art show featuring some of the best Chicago talent.

Ryan loves typography, but he’s an excellent illustrator as well. Here’s his web site. You really should look at it.

Here’s an example of his work:

Here are a few shots I took at the show. I just had one lens and chose against flash. It’s nothing spectacular, but it’ll give you a sense of the layout.

Tuesday, bloody Tuesday

Early Tuesday morning I’m going to shoot a man on the back of a horse singing a song for losing a bet.

I’m not kidding.

I can’t go into detail, because the matter is confidential. I wish this were hyperbole.

A car with a driver is going to arrive at my house, pick me up, take me to a suburb of Chicago to pick up this man. We will travel to a horse farm where he’ll don a costume and sing another country’s national anthem.

Although, I can say, I have much respect for a man who loses and owns up to loss no matter what his stature may be.

In the meantime, what experience do you have in which high-ranking officials, executives or role models have admitted defeat? How have they owned up? If you don’t know one,  would you admire this kind of a character trait, or do you think that officials admitting defeat is a weakness?

Do you think I should have owned up to Justin’s criticism of my Van Til review? If you’ve been following the comments on some of the posts lately, do you think Justin should have owned up to his errors, especially those made in his poor biblical knowledge?

If you have no opinion on these matters, please leave a one word response stating your favorite color or a several word response stating your most hated ice cream flavor.

I am a motherfucker

A film documenting Thomas Bruso (infamously known across the internet as Epic Beard Man) and the days surrounding the release of an internet video showcasing a fight on an Oakland public bus.

Shot on a Canon 7D.

Herzog Reads Madeline, not really

Preeminent children’s storyteller Werner Herzog reads Ludwig Bemelmans’ Madeline.

Note: it’s not really Herzog reading.

[presurfer.]

Gorillaz – Stylo – YouTube Premiere! (HD)

Quentin Tarantino and Heath Ledger would be proud to have this much of themselves ripped off.