Blog.
December 2005
Evolution vs. Intelligent Design
Latest headline: Judge rules against intelligent design
Religious alternative to evolution cannot be taught in public school classes
The latest decision has been made by a federal judge regarding the fight between evolution and intelligent desgin.
“Intelligent design” is “a religious alternative masquerading as a scientific theory” and cannot be mentioned in biology classes in a Pennsylvania public school district, a federal judge said Tuesday, ruling in one of the biggest courtroom clashes on evolution since the 1925 Scopes trial.
Dover Area School Board members violated the Constitution when they ordered that its biology curriculum must include the notion that life on Earth was produced by an unidentified intelligent cause, U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III said.
“We find that the secular purposes claimed by the Board amount to a pretext for the Board’s real purpose, which was to promote religion in the public school classroom,” he wrote in his 139-page opinion.
With this decision set, I wonder if the fight will continue upward, or just continue elsewhere. There seems to be a significant divide within the United States when it comes to this topic. Was there evolution or not? Within the European Union, however, there seems to be much more support for the theory of evolution (as a fact). For a nation with no single religion, we seem to hold to the religious beliefs more than many other places.
What are your thoughts on this ruling?
- MSNBC News: Judge rules against intelligent design
Posted: 20 December 2005, Matthew Schlukebier. | permalink: 20 December 2005.
Joseph & Kate
Add these to your calendars!
Coming this spring from two local theatre groups will be two amazing musicals worth seeing! So, add these to your calendars now!
Joseph & Kate(Chameleon & Morris Park)
Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
In late March and early April, Chameleon’s Community Theatre (Lakeville, Minnesota) will present Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Here is a quick note about the play:
Ever been betrayed by your siblings? Been sold into slavery? Been in a loincloth? Had mysterious dreams? If so, then this is the show for you! Joseph is a show that is based on dreams. People, both in the show and in life, are changed and affected by their dreams. Dreams hold mystery, fear, longing and hope. That is what makes Joseph such a lasting piece, as well as some pretty catchy music. Our production will look at the dreams of the characters, the dreams of the audience, and the dreams of the performers. Be ready to try something different. Create and enhance the moment as you work with your fellow dreamers. Seize the moment. In short, dream big!
This is the story of Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers, being sold into slavery, rising to power in Egypt through the interpretation of dreams, and final reunion with his family. All this, and singing and dancing too!
Am I in the show you ask? Well, yes, no and maybe… I am in the Pit Orchestra for this one and may have a moment or two in the lime light as well!
- For more information, read the poster about Joseph presented on the Chameleon Theatre Circle web site.
Kiss Me Kate
One month later, in late April and early May, the Morris Park Players (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will be performing Kiss Me Kate. A little about that:
The cast of a musical version of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” are involved in real-life romantic entanglements and gambling debt. Fred directs and plays the lead, Petruchio, as his ex-wife and movie star Lilli plays the shrew, Katharine. His current love Lois plays Katharine’s sister Bianca and Lois’ other love Bill, also an actor in the show, signs Fred’s name to his $10,000 IOU. Lilli falls for Fred again as they reminisce about past performances, but when she gets flowers meant for Lois, she uses her anger at him in the show. Memorable songs like “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “Wunderbar,” and “Too Darn Hot” weave throughout as the criss-crossed loves untangle and the final curtain closes on two happy couples.
So, am I in the Pit Orchestra for this one too? Well, not exactly. I am the director of the Pit Orchestra and will be conducting all music heard during each performance. But there are rumors that the Pit Orchestra might be on stage, so you might be able to see me try and pull this one off! Come and see it!
- For more about this show, keep your eyes on the Morris Park Players web site.
Posted: 16 December 2005, Matthew Schlukebier. | permalink: 16 December 2005.
Buca, Inc.
Updated Buca, Inc. site launched!
Well, now in my new job, I recently launched a new version of the Buca, Inc. corporate web site to help show my web talents to the company. The site underwent massive revisions internally, preparing it for even more massive future updates, though for the time being I preserved the original graphic user interface. The original site (before my hire) was an HTML 4.01 mess. The new site is now a standards-based XHTML 1.0 Transitional work.
More work, exciting work is underway with the additional public sites and will be launched within the next six months or so. I am working on creating interactive maps to our restaurants using the Google Maps API providing our customers with an even easier way of finding the nearest location to their home. There are even more advanced options that are in the early stages as well.
Posted: 4b December 2005, Matthew Schlukebier. | permalink: 4b December 2005.
To Gain, Or Not To Gain
Wow! Talk about a good lunch. And this (see below) is only one of eight to choose from today!
Buca di Beppo Treats …(Photo taken by a cell phone camera)
Posted: 4a December 2005, Matthew Schlukebier. | permalink: 4a December 2005.
12 Dancing Princesses
Entertaining Fairy Tale
If you are in the Twin Cities Metro area and looking for an entertaining play to take your children to, check out 12 Dancing Princesses put on by the Lakeshore Players Theatre.
There is still some seating left December 8, 9, 10 and 11.
The story itself is a wonderful fairy tale. And, the show has some talented actresses (and actors) filling many of the roles, making the show a worthwhile experience. The set is well constructed and the high quality costumes make the individual characters very realistic. Go and check it out! I recommend it with two thumbs up!
- Read more about it and check for show times at the Lakeshore Players Theatre Web site.
Posted: 02 December 2005, Matthew Schlukebier. | permalink: 02 December 2005.