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Seems to me that, as educators, you want to use a system that is most  
useful to the people you are working with.  Does anyone here maintain  
that "2000 BC" is clearer than "4000 years ago?"  Particularly for our  
audiences? I realize if you need to identify a specific date, and a  
specific interval of time, then you need a fixed point, and for that,  
BC or BCE is as good as anything, I am agnostic, so to speak, about  
which to use.  But for 99% of the usages we might come across, the  
locution " x,000 years ago" seems by far the clearest.

Eric Siegel
Executive VP
    Programs and Planning
New York Hall of Science
47-01 111th Street
Queens, NY 11368
esiegel at nyscience dot org

On Apr 22, 2005, at 9:24 AM, Kenneth Brandt wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology  
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
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> ******
>
> Director of the Robeson Planetarium and Science Center
> JPL/NASA Solar System Ambassador
>
> Clifford and co.;
> As an alternative, what about bm and am (watch it...): that's before  
> mechanical, and after mechanical.
> At some point, more power was liberated by machines than by animal  
> power...why not start it up there?
> Because at some point in the future (hopefully) our descendents will  
> look back on this 200 or so year long frame in time as the  
> Carbon-burning age.
> Here's another one sure to spark some commentary: Before and after  
> (c'mon, you knew someone would throw it out here: Darwin! (That's BD  
> and AD)
>
> Ken Brandt
>>   I just thought of a good candidate for a reference date that is  
>> pretty
>> close to now that has major implications for our age:
>>
>> BOWP and AOWP
>>
>> You ready?   Before Oil Was Precious  and After Oil Was Precious
>>
>> Problem is, it doesn't have an exact date.
>>
>> Can we declare one?  How about today?
>>
>> Clifford Wagner
>>> David L Smith
>>> Director of Professional Development
>>> Da Vinci DiscoveryCenter of Science and Technology
>>> http://www.discovery-center.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Informal Science Education Network
>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Creel, Wesley
>>> Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 10:48 AM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Re: Science, religion, BC, and AD
>>>
>>>
>>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
>>> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and
>>> related
>>> institutions.
>>> ********************************************************************* 
>>> **
>>> *
>>> *****
>>>
>>> Good Morning All,
>>> All seriousness aside.....why don't we just say, "2,000 years ago,"
>>> (instead of 5 A.D or 5 C.E.) or "15,000 years ago?" (instead of  
>>> 12,995
>>> B.C or 12,995 B.C.E)?  Uhhhh.....am I adding/subtracting this stuff
>>> right? Wesley
>>>
>>> Wesley S. Creel
>>> Administrator of Programs
>>> Pink Palace Family of Museums
>>> 3050 Central Avenue
>>> Memphis, TN 38111
>>> U.S.A.
>>> www.memphismuseums.org
>>> Office telephone 901.320.6370
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Informal Science Education Network
>>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Smith
>>> Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 6:15 PM
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Subject: Science, religion, BC, and AD
>>>
>>> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
>>> Centers Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and
>>> related
>>> institutions.
>>> ********************************************************************* 
>>> **
>>> *
>>> *****
>>>
>>> While we are all busy discussing science and religion, may I offer a
>>> request for all those of you who use dates in the historical era on
>>> your
>>> center signage to use the CE, BCE (Common Era, Before the Common Era)
>>> nomenclature instead of AD and BC.  Both of the latter refer  
>>> explicity
>>> to Christ, and AD refers explicitly to Christ's divinity, making  
>>> CE/BCE
>>> a more inclusive usage.  The years are counted identically, this is
>>> 2005
>>> CE, so there's no issue of conversion, just a change in initials.   
>>> For
>>> more see the wikipedia entry:  
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era.
>>>
>>>
>>> David L Smith
>>> Director of Professional Development
>>> Da Vinci DiscoveryCenter of Science and Technology
>>> http://www.discovery-center.org
>>>
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