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Found this in a different paper.
Notice the different slant. Notice how the association with the Smithsonian
is used as a mark of approval, regardless of the disclaimer at the bottom.
From the Ames [Iowa] Tribune
Assistant professor premiers film at Institute
The work of an Iowa State University assistant professor has made its way
into the Smithsonian Institute.
A 60-minute documentary titled "The Privileged Planet: The Search for
Purpose in the Universe" will premiere at the Smithsonian's National Museum
of Natural History on June 23. The film is based on a book co-authored by
Guillermo Gonzalez, an ISU assistant professor of astronomy and physics.
"I am very pleased that it is going to be shown at such an important
locale," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez's theory in "The Privileged Planet" creates a link between
the design for life and scientific discovery. The rare qualities that make a
planet habitable also provide the best overall conditions for observing the
universe around us, he explains.
For example, the transparency of the atmosphere that allows people to
see distant stars and galaxies is a result of the high oxygen content of the
atmosphere, a condition that also is needed for complex life.
The book also discusses how our place in the cosmos is designed for
discovery, Gonzalez said, noting the way perfect eclipses can be seen from
earth.
"It's not just a coincidence that there is life on earth and that we
can observe eclipses," Gonzalez says. "Those two are actually intimately
linked."
The book was co-authored by Jay Richards, the vice president and a
senior fellow of the Discovery Institute, a public policy think tank in
Seattle. Within the institute, Richards works for the Center for Science and
Culture, a research fellowship program that supports and promotes research
regarding evidence of design and purpose in the universe.
While the theory does argue for intelligent design, it is not an
argument for or against Darwin's theory of evolution.
"It has absolutely nothing to do with biological evolution," Richards
said. "We are talking about the things that you need to produce a habitable
planet, which is a prerequisite for life. It doesn't tell you anything about
how life got here."
The Smithsonian's co-sponsorship of the film does not mean the museum
endorses the ideas expressed in the film, according to the Web site. An
event held at the Smithsonian cannot be a personal event, fund-raising event
or an event of a religious or partisan political nature, according to the
Smithsonian's special events policy.
Following the premiere, the documentary is planned to run on Public
Broadcasting Stations across the country.
>>> [log in to unmask] 05/28/05 04:49PM >>>
ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
*****************************************************************************
Hosting the movie at the Smithsonian will no doubt be spun into the
Smithsonian's "endorsement" of the film; the Discovery Institute and other
proponents of intelligent design/scientific creationism/God of the Gaps have
shown no compunction about spinning and editing the facts before. Imagine
someone who does not read this article hearing about this event. What
conculsions would they draw?
(in fact, when I first read the article, I though the last line was a quote
from the staff of the Smithsonian. Only after reading it twice did I catch
Chapman's verbal tilde beforehand.)
Clearly there are a hundred other places the film could have been screened.
Washington has no shortage of massive hotels with huge conference spaces,
not to mention cineplexes which rent out theatre space.
Any sense of what the policy would be at, say, the Imax theatre of a major
science center? Has this come up?
Marc Taylor
Coordinator, Andrus Planetarium
Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
914 963 4550 x223
Fax 963 8558
[log in to unmask]
> -----Original Message-----
> From: martin weiss [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Saturday, May 28, 2005 3:01 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Smithsonian to Co-Sponsor a movie that promotes Intelligent
> Design
>
>
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of
> Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and
> related institutions.
> **************************************************************
> ***************
>
> Memorial Day Saturday is a slow news day but Mr Kremer, and
> Smithsonian, have you no shame!
>
> Martin
>
>
>
> May 28, 2005
> Smithsonian to Screen a Movie That Makes a Case Against Evolution
> By JOHN SCHWARTZ
> Fossils at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural
> History have been used to prove the theory of evolution. Next month
> the museum will play host to a film intended to undercut evolution.
> The Discovery Institute, a group in Seattle that supports an
> alternative theory, "intelligent design," is announcing on its Web
> site that it and the director of the museum "are happy to announce
> the national premiere and private evening reception" on June 23 for
> the movie, "The Privileged Planet: The Search for Purpose in the
> Universe."
> The film is a documentary based on a 2004 book by Guillermo Gonzalez,
> an assistant professor of astronomy at Iowa State University, and Jay
> W. Richards, a vice president of the Discovery Institute, that makes
> the case for the hand of a creator in the design of Earth and the
> universe.
> News of the Discovery Institute's announcement appeared on a blog
> maintained by Denyse O'Leary, a proponent of the intelligent design
> theory, who called it "a stunning development." But a museum
> spokesman, Randall Kremer, said the event should not be taken as
> support for the views expressed in the film. "It is incorrect for
> anyone to infer that we are somehow endorsing the video or the
> content of the video," he said.
> The museum, he said, offers its Baird Auditorium to many
> organizations and corporations in return for contributions - in the
> case of the Discovery Institute, $16,000.
> When the language of the Discovery Institute's Web site was read to
> him, with its suggestion of support, Mr. Kremer said, "We'll have to
> look into that."
> He added, "We're happy to receive this contribution from the
> Discovery Institute to further our scientific research."
> The president of the Discovery Institute, Bruce Chapman, said his
> organization approached the museum through its public relations
> company and the museum staff asked to see the film. "They said that
> they liked it very much - and not only would they have the event at
> the museum, but they said they would co-sponsor it," he recalled.
> "That was their suggestion. Of course we're delighted."
> Mr. Kremer said he heard about the event only on Thursday. He added
> that staff members viewed the film before approving the event to make
> sure that it complied with the museum's policy, which states that
> "events of a religious or partisan political nature" are not
> permitted, along with personal events such as weddings, or
> fund-raisers, raffles and cash bars. It also states that "all events
> at the National Museum of Natural History are co-sponsored by the
> museum."
> Evolution has become a major battleground in the culture wars, with
> bitter debates in legislatures and school boards, national parks and
> museums. Although Charles Darwin's theory is widely viewed as having
> been proved by fossil records and modern biological phenomena, it is
> challenged by those who say that it is flawed and that alternatives
> need to be taught.
> When asked whether the announcement on the Discovery Institute's Web
> site meant to imply that the museum supports the film and the event,
> Mr. Chapman replied:
> "We are not implying in any sense that they endorsed the content, but
> they are co-sponsoring it, and we are delighted. We're not claiming
> anything more than that. They certainly didn't say, 'We're really
> warming up to intelligent design, and therefore we're going to
> sponsor this.' "
>
> * Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company Home
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>
> --
> Martin Weiss, Ph.D
> Vice President, Science
> New York Hall of Science
> 47-01 111 th Street
> Corona, New York 11368
> 718 699 0005 x 356
>
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