pseudo-science has an identity crisis

I have a little shrine in the lab where i work entitled 'Zenful moments in the lab', where quippy and astonishing events and articles get memorialized on one of the racks.

The first member, was an article (which appears to have never made the leap to the web), in which a scientist at the Brisbane College of Zoological studies concludes that duck's do not quack, they make a sound more like 'ah ah'! And if that is not quite enough research, they went on to conclude:

• Cows say 'eh-muh'
  
• dogs say 'eh-ruh'
  
• but amazingly enough, cats do in fact make the sound 'meow'

Now, by itself, this would not have allowed this article to get such an honorable placement in our shrine, but the kicker was that this research was funded, to the tune of $290 million (australian) by the Australian parliment. The second inductee was a website promoting contenporary mumification to kids. Wow. the particularly disturbing image of kids interviewing dad the mummy in the livingroom! Or the bear which comes with removable organs and wrappings.

Most recently, a series of articles have been popping about revolving around the teaching of creationism in the public school system. What first caught my attention was a washington post article: In Evolution Debate, Creationists Are Breaking New Ground in which is covered the soon to be openned Creation Museum. "'We're placing this one in the hall that explains the post-Flood world,' explains the guide. 'When dinosaurs lived with man.' .. again... WOW! Of course, they are up to date with technology. they even have their own blog.

It seems, in the lobby they have a mural captioned by their website: "Imagine soaring cypress trees, the sounds of waterfalls and children playing with dinosaurs! What other surprises await?" well, what a lovely mental image that has. especially the one the probably didn't paint of the famished velociraptor eating the children (Is it me, or is it astonishing that google locates greater than 27,000 pages for this search).

The fact that there is such a title as 'Creationist Paleontologist' is kinda like saying there are chefs at McDonalds.