Piping Mad - How Junk Science is Destroying an Entire Community of People

I have obviously taken a break from blogging for some time, but every now and then, an issue pops up that makes me drop everything I am doing and start back up again. This is one of those issues.

There is a short documentary available on Vimeo right now entitled, "Piping Mad: Fair People at the Mercy of a Government Gone Fowl." Produced by Kevin Hicks, the film blows the lid off of the "economic and emotional woes of the residents of Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of North Carolina due to beach closures and excessive measures taken by the National Park Service and environmental groups."

You may think this does not concern you, and you may feel that taking 20 minutes out of your day to watch this documentary is not worth it to you, but you would be wrong.

As Hicks states, "Maybe it's time to do something. 'Cause if we don't help these people, who's going to be around to help you or me when it's our turn to weather a blow?"

What is happening in Hatteras in the name of junk science sickens me to no end. I was married in the Outer Banks just this past September. It is a beautiful place, but more importantly, it is filled with beautiful people. People just like you and me who are working hard to make a living for their families, to carry on traditions and raise their children in the same place they themselves grew up.

But thanks to junk science, their livelihoods, and their very homes, are in danger.

One of the most striking moments in the film to me was from Ernie, a 4th generation native islander. This is what he had to say:

"I'm a former science teacher. And all of my life I was taught that decisions should be based on fact and on reason. And when I see some of the pseudo science, B.S. science, whatever you want to call it, that obviously isn't science, and I look at the kids that are growing up here, and I know that they're looking at that, and I ask myself, 'How can the teachers, how can their parents, how can anyone make them believe that science is anything other than politics?'"

It's called junk science, Ernie, and the way we make them believe in real science again is by speaking out just as you have. Kudos to you for having the courage to do just that!

How can YOU, readers of Truth or Scare, make these children see the difference between junk science and real science? You can stand up for these residents and these families and sign these petitions here and here. And then spread the word to your friends and family so that they too can take a stand and sign.

It takes a village of politically driven, agenda-laden people to spread junk science. And it takes a village of sound-minded, scientifically factual people with integrity to push back and stand up for what's true and what's right.

Please watch the documentary below. And then decide...which village will you be a part of?

Piping Mad: Fair People at the Mercy of a Government Gone Fowl from Kevin Hicks on Vimeo.

The Problems With Mandatory ACT Testing

The North Carolina legislature is considering an education bill destined to dumb-down education by micro-managing student assessment testing, push weaker students from 8th to 9th grade and use the force of law to require that every high school junior take the ACT college admissions exam. While it’s difficult to know the future ramifications of such an action, we can look at what’s happened in other states where this has been considered and tried before.

When Michigan was considering enacting legislation in 2003 that was similar to what North Carolina is contemplating today, one of the chief participants in the debate was Ed Roeber, with the state department of education’s office of educational assessment and accountability.

Now a professor of measurement and quantitative methods at Michigan State University, Roeber advised against the ACT plan on both academic and economic grounds. Specifically, Professor Roeber warned that the ACT would lead to unforeseen costs to taxpayers and a paucity of data on what students actually know and what they don’t.

History proved Roeber correct on both counts. He warned the legislature during his 2004 testimony of hidden costs with the ACT that would be far greater than the amount budgeted, but lawmakers refused to believe him. According to Roeber, some went so far as to accuse him of trying to sabotage the project.



When education officials – including Roeber – approached the Michigan legislature in later years to ask for more money after the ACT program had been approved and signed into law, lawmakers expressed what Roeber called “shock and anger.” The price tag was far more than anyone had budgeted for, just as Roeber had warned.

Roeber sees similar future problems facing North Carolina if lawmakers follow through with a bill to force students by law to take the college admissions test. “It is going to be costly,” Roeber said of the North Carolina proposal.

Roeber also expressed concern that North Carolina students and educators won’t have as much analytical data from the ACT as the SAT provides, which is what he said happened in Michigan. According to Roeber, the ACT provides only superficial test performance that doesn’t show specific areas where students need improvement. Without being able to see exactly what questions students got wrong, Roeber warns that teachers are less-equipped to help students improve. The SAT, on the other hand, provides more granular data, showing students and teachers what types of questions were answered correctly and incorrectly.

In comparing the volume and variety of available data in the two tests, Roeber describes the ACT as offering, “less information at the wrong time for a lot of money,” whereas the greater transparency of the SAT “really impressed,” Roeber by allowing students and educators to see exactly which academic areas need improvement.



North Carolina has not been alone in contemplating the mandatory use of the ACT. In 2007, Oregon was considering a program that parallels the North Carolina proposal but after hearing from Roeber about the problems faced by Michigan teachers, students and families, Oregon policy makers decided against beginning a state-wide ACT program. “Cost was the factoring decision,” Roeber said.

How the proposed ACT program would go over in North Carolina is uncertain but there are already “howls” from taxpayers who are trying to deal with budget cuts as the state tries to close an estimated $2 billion dollar budget deficit. Imagine the ‘howling’ that would accompany news that the price tag for ACT tests is busting the budget; I sure wouldn’t want to be running for reelection to the North Carolina legislature under those circumstances!

Given the varying negative experiences with the ACT in other states, I wanted to learn more about the legislative effort to mandate specific tests for all high school juniors rather than allowing educators to work with their students. The two co-chairmen of the North Carolina House Education, Representative Bryan Holloway and Representative James Langdon were contacted on multiple occasions over the past week as I sought answers to some basic questions.

For reasons that are unclear, both lawmakers refused to answer any of the questions I put to them. Whether Reps. Holloway and Langdon feel they’re not accountable to North Carolina taxpayers is hard to say but the question raised by their inaction is clear: why do they refuse to answer legitimate questions about legislation that appears before their committee?



In the interest of disclosure, these are the questions that Reps. Holloway and Langdon refused to answer:

1. What is the rationale for requiring by law ANY specific test?
   
   
2. Why would the state require by law the ACT, which only 20% of the state’s students took last year, rather than the SAT, which 80% of the state’s students took last year?
   
   
3. It seems that NC students and parent prefer the SAT by a very large margin so why would the government do the opposite of what families obviously prefer?
   
   
4. Nearly 25,000 NC students took AP courses last year, partially in preparation for the SAT. Isn’t it sort of a slap against those AP kids to force them to take the ACT?
   
   
5. Why should the government force students to take one particular test rather than letting local school districts make that decision on their own?
   
   
6. How can the government require by a law one specific test without first going through a bidding process to make sure that taxpayer dollars are well spent? Don’t states normally have to ask for bids from different companies before spending tax money?
   
   
7. Given that Michigan faced severe budget overages and other difficulties when implementing similar changes, and that Oregon decided against these same changes for those and other reasons, why would North Carolina go out of its way to impose these problems on the state?

Tough questions? Sure. But they're legitimate ones that people deserve an answer to.



They refused to answer me, but maybe if enough concerned citizens asked the same questions, someone could get an answer out of them. Feel free to copy the questions and/or add your own if you'd like. You can contact Holloway here and Langdon here.

If you're able to get an answer and want to email the response to me, I will post it here on the site. You may reach me here. Good luck!

Choice in Testing Thwarted by North Carolina Legislature

An education article in mid-May caught my attention on several levels and I decided it was time to end my hiatus from Junk Science Mom and get involved again. (FYI, it was a hiatus for personal reasons which I won’t bore you about but it’s really exciting!!)

The article by one of my favorite columnists, Alan Caruba, provided a good analysis of a proposed education change in North Carolina, which I’ve written about in the past. For reasons that don’t make much sense, North Carolina is preparing a major overhaul of its K-12 student assessment testing and requiring high school juniors by law to take a standardized college entrance exam, among other things. Simply said, the North Carolina House and Senate are involving themselves in the nuts and bolts of education in ways that defy understanding.

The North Carolina proposal would also promote weak students from 8th grade to 9th grade even if they haven’t passed the 8th grade test. The bill promises remedial education in the 9th grade which sounds fine but think about it: If a child flunks the 8th grade test and moves on to the next grade, how can they learn the new material AND go through remedial education at the same time? Speaking from experience, it makes no sense.

When placing my youngest into public school for the first time last fall, I knew she had struggled with the 4th grade home schooling curriculum I had been using. Rather than forcing her into 5th grade and have her take remedial lessons, I worked with her school on placement testing and the school and I both agreed the 4th grade was a better fit for her. Today, instead of struggling and crying over work that is too advanced for her, she is at a comfortable level and earned a spot on the honor roll each quarter. She feels a sense of pride in her work and strives for an ‘A’ on every test.

I can't imagine the problems if she were in a similar situation in the North Carolina school system during the 9th grade. Forcing students to learn new material at a level they are not prepared for while trying to play catch-up with the old material just boggles my mind. As a mom, I would not want that for my daughter and I think it's pretty safe to say that North Carolina parents would not want that for their children either.



But that’s not the only problem with this proposal (House Bill 766). It would also compel students in 11th grade to take the ACT college admissions test. It may sound fine but there are a lot of problems with that idea. For starters, the bill also demands “diagnostic tests in the eighth and tenth grades that align to the ACT test.” I don’t know about you but that sure sounds to me like the legislature wants classroom teachers to teach to the test.

Then there’s the issue of choice. Historically, North Carolina students strongly prefer the SAT over the ACT – by a four-to-one margin. According to SAT and ACT statistics, nearly 80% of high school students in the state took the SAT in 2010. Not only that, but another 24,629 North Carolina high school seniors took at least one Advanced Placement (AP) test last year.

The College Board, which administers the SAT, also provides AP courses which are the most rigorous high school curriculum available. AP classes also let students earn college credits, which lowers the cost of a college education. As a mom with one child in college and two more on their way, I’m all about lowering the cost of college!

AP classes are the gold standard for high school academics and represent a fantastic pipeline to the SAT college admissions test. That might be one reason that North Carolina students and their families prefer the SAT by such a huge margin. Also, with tens of thousands of students currently in the AP pipeline to the SAT, why would the North Carolina legislature want to destroy that system, in direct opposition to the wishes of the state’s voters?



The politics make this stranger still. This is the first time since 1898 that the Republican Party has controlled both the House and the Senate in the North Carolina legislature. Pardon me, but I thought Republicans are supposed to be the party of smaller government, not a micro-managing big government. Is the North Carolina statehouse filled with RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) or is there something more at work?

After an interview I conducted with a top education official with major expertise on this subject, serious questions have been raised about the North Carolina process. I have also tried to reach several North Carolina lawmakers for their input but they appear to be reluctant to answer my questions, including why the North Carolina legislature would require any specific test by law, why they are bypassing the usual bidding process that ensures taxpayer dollars are being spent properly, why force students to take a different test when statistics show they prefer the SAT over the ACT by a 4-to-1 margin, etc.

I will cover all of this more in-depth in my next posting. Stay tuned!

EPA's Valentine's Day Warning

If you're just as frustrated as I have been with the many unfounded and unjustified bans and attempted bans by the EPA, you'll probably enjoy this hilarious, satirical post by The Onion as much as I have.

From the article:

WASHINGTON, DC— Responding to a dramatic increase in cases of starry-eyed gazing and spontaneous poetry, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a general health warning Tuesday for hazardous levels of atmospheric romance across the entire North American continent...

According to Johnson, teens, recently married couples, and people who have not yet had all of the hope drained out of them by bitter life experience are at the greatest risk.

We recommend that members of high-risk groups minimize their exposure by staying indoors, covering up, and avoiding old flames, which can react with even trace elements of sexual chemistry to ignite free-floating passions," Johnson said. "Those living in scenic parts of the country are at an especially high risk, and are strongly urged to avoid dazzling sunsets, mountain vistas, fields of wildflowers, and sun-dappled lakes."

In an attempt to control the spread of romance, police and sheriff's departments across the country have blockaded intimate bed and breakfasts, ivy-covered inns, and five-star restaurants.

To stem further contamination, hundreds of municipal-park swans have been shot.

Read the full story here.

New Study Shows UV Light Therapy Beneficial to the Elderly

A new pilot study from the University of Amsterdam has shown what most of us tanners already know...that UV light therapy combats vitamin D deficiency. (Vitamin D production is stimulated by UV radiation with 90 percent of it being produced in the skin.)

This study, however, delved a little further in focusing on the elderly who most often spend little time outside and are not able to get adequate amounts of sunshine to produce vitamin D naturally. The winter months are tough for all of us since UV rays are not sufficient enough to stimulate vitamin D production in the skin. But for the elderly, vitamin D deficiency is especially dangerous as it can lead to osteoporosis, fatal bone fractures as well as infections and autoimmune diseases.




The pilot study, Veldhoven, 17 January 2011 (SRF), treated patients in a nursing home who were suffering from low levels of vitamin D with UV light once a week, over a period of eight weeks. The UV light therapy raised their vitamin D levels to almost the scientifically recommended minimum level.

The subjects vitamin D levels measured at an average of 28.5 nano-moles per liter of blood (nmol/L). An average level of 50 nmol/L of vitamin D is scientifically considered to be a sufficient level for the positive effects of the vitamin to begin to be observed.



Over an eight-week period, the subjects were exposed to UV light using lamps with a UVB intensity of 0.5 MED (minimal erythema dose) once a week. Following the study, the subjects' vitamin D levels averaged 46.5 nmol/L.

"The results of the study indicate that vitamin D deficiency can be effectively remedied and prevented through regular, on-going treatment with UV light," said Victor Chel from the medical faculty of the University of Amsterdam.

Chel also said that this treatment was less expensive than the administration of vitamin D supplements and was useful in cases where the patient is already taking several kinds of medication and may be restricted in terms of which vitamins and drugs they may take.

A summary of the study "V.G.M. Chel, M.E. Oms, S. Pavel, F. de Gruijl, A. Brand and P. Lips: Prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency in Dutch psycho geriatric nursing home residents by weekly half- body UVB exposure after showering: a pilot study” can be found here.

The Science of Human Life

Today is the 38th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the decision that, along with its companion case Doe vs. Bolton, legalized abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy.

Yesterday, the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) sponsored a "Blog for Choice" day to celebrate the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade. Pro-lifers responded with a "Ask Them What They Mean By Choice" Blog Day.

Since this site focuses on science, I'll answer that question here with scientific (and legal) facts. The "choice" in question is obviously abortion. Roe allowed for legal abortion through all nine months for reasons of "health." Doe vs. Bolton defined health as "physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age..."

Such a broad definition gives a willing abortionist a green light to perform an abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. Today, on the anniversary of this legalization, let's take a look at the scientific facts on human life from day 1 (sources: Pregnancy.org and MedicineNet.com):

• Day 1: Sperm joins with the ovum to form one cell smaller than a grain of salt. Twenty-three chromosomes from each parent join to form every detail of human development: sex, hair, eye color, height, skin tone, personality, emotional make-up, and other inherited characteristics.
  
  
• Day 3-4: The fertilized egg is rapidly dividing as it travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus where for the last two weeks the lining has been preparing to receive the zygote.
  
  
• Days 5-9: The zygote implants in the lining and begins to draw nourishment from the lining.
  
  
• Days 10-14, Week 2: The zygote splits into two sets of cells, half become the placenta, which provides nourishment for the fetus and the other will become the fetus. Placental chemicals and hormones prevent the women from menstruating.
  
  
• Day 20: The embryo is now the size of an apple seed. The placenta and umbilical cord are now functioning. The foundations for the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are established.
  
  
• Day 21, Week 3: The heart begins to beat.
  
  
  
  
• Day 28, Week 4: The backbone and muscles are forming. Arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show. Hair has begun to sprout. (JSM Note: Most women are not aware they are even pregnant until week 4. Doctors consider women four weeks pregnant at the time of a missed period. By the time a decision is made to have an abortion, and an appointment is obtained, the unborn child has developed beyond the point of having a beating heart.)
  
  
• Day 30: The embryo is 10,000 times larger than the original fertilized egg. The heart is pumping increasing quantities of blood through the circulatory system. The placenta forms a unique barrier that keeps the mother's blood separate while allowing food and oxygen to pass through to the embryo.
  
  
• Day 35, Week 5: Five fingers can be discerned in the hand. The eyes darken as pigment is produced. The embryo is now the size of a raspberry.
  
  
• Day 40: Brain waves can be detected and recorded.
  
  
• Week 6: The liver is now taking over the production of blood cells and the brain begins to control movement of muscles and organs.
  
  
• Week 7: The uterus is about the size of a tennis ball. The embryo is moving continuously. The jaw forms, including teeth buds in the gums. The eyelids seal to protect the embryo's developing light-sensitive eyes.
  
  
  
  
• Week 8: Now a little more than an inch long, the fetus has everything found in a fully developed adult. The stomach produces digestive juices, the kidneys are functioning and genitals have begun to form. Forty muscle sets operate in conjunction with the nervous system and the fetus responds to touch.
  
  
• Week 9: Fingerprints are already evident in the skin. The fetus will curve its fingers around an object placed in its palm. The fetus weighs about 1/2 ounce and is developing fingernails and hair.
  
  
• Week 10: The fetus can bend, stretch, make fists, open hands, lift its head, squint, swallow and wrinkle its forehead.
  
  
• Week 11: The fetus is now two inches long. Urination occurs.
  
  
  
  
• Week 12: The fetus now breaths amniotic fluid, sleeps, awakens, exercises, turns its head, curls its toes and opens and closes its mouth.
  
  
• Week 13: Fine hair has begun to grow on the head, and sexual differentiation has become apparent.
  
  
  
  
• Week 16: The fetus is eight to ten inches in length and weighs a half pound or more. The women will probably begin to show now. The ears are functioning and can hear the mother's voice and heartbeat as well as external noises. The umbilical cord transports 300 quarts of fluids per day and completes a round trip of fluids every 30 seconds.
  
  
• Week 17: The fetus rolls, sucks thumb or hand, kicks, and is learning to swallow.
  
  
• Week 18: The fetus weighs about 7-9 ounces, and the mother will feel small movements.
  
  
• Week 19: The fetus is growing a waxy coating called vernix, which coats and protects the skin, and makes delivery easier.
  
  
  
  
• Week 20, month 5: The fetus is about 8-10 inches long, the mother is feeling stronger movement. The fetus may jump in reactions to startling or loud sounds.
  
  
• Week 21/22: The fetus weighs about 1 lb.
  
  
• Week 23: The mother may feel rhythmic jumping because the fetus may start hiccuping.
  
  
  
  
• Week 24, Month 6: Oil and sweat glands are functioning. The fetus could be born in this month and could survive with proper care.
  
  
• Week 25/26: The fetus weighs about 1 1/2 lbs.
  
  
• Week 27: The fetus will double or triple in weight between now and birth.
  
  
  
  
• Week 28, Month 7: The fetus' hair and eyelashes are visible. The fetus now uses the senses of vision, hearing, taste and touch. He can recognize his mother's voice among other voices.
  
  
• Week 29: The baby can see light through the walls of the womb and blinks a lot.
  
  
• Week 30/31: Many babies have inverted to a head down position in the uterus now. The mother will probably begin to feel powerful kicks under her rib cage and the ball of the baby's head on the pelvic floor. Now measuring about 15-17 inches, the baby weighs about 4 lbs.
  
  
• Week 32, month 8: The skin begins to thicken with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies increase, and the baby absorbs about a gallon of amniotic fluid per day. The woman's body completely replaces amniotic fluid every 3 hours.
  
  
• Week 33: The baby may be up to 18 inches, and weigh 6-7 lbs.
  
  
• Week 34: The baby's toenails have reached the tips of his toes. The umbilical cord is about 20 inches long.
  
  
• Week 35: The baby's head will dip or drop into the pelvis, alleviating the women's difficulty in breathing. The uterus will begin small contractions called Braxton-Hicks.
  
  
  
  
• Week 36/37, month 9: The baby weighs about 6-9 lbs. The heart is pumping 300 gallons of blood per day, he is fully capable of life outside the womb with minimal intervention. The baby's downy hair and vernix is absorbed into the amniotic fluid and swallowed by the baby, and will produce the baby's first bowel movement after birth.
  
  
• Week 38: The baby's heartbeat can be heard outside the womb, and is ready at any moment to come into the world.

"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government." - Thomas Jefferson

North Carolina's Contradictory "Standards"

note: corrected typo and attribution
My post last week on the Common Core State Standards took a look at how the National Governor’s Association, in cooperation with educators, parents and industry leaders, were striving to assemble a comprehensive curriculum in English and mathematics. It struck me as a very good start towards establishing a good basis for K-12 education.

State educators across the country seem to agree, and more than 40 states have adopted the Core State Standards. But what exactly does “adopted” mean in this context? There’s a big difference between having a plan and executing it. My home state of Virginia has not adopted them at this time so I looked at neighboring states starting with North Carolina, where Governor Bev Perdue announced the adoption of the Core State Standards on June 3, 2010.

In making this announcement, Governor Perdue also promoted the state’s historic pursuit of constructive education reform:

“North Carolina has always been a leader in education reform and this is yet another example of how the leadership in this state remains committed to putting our children first.”

But deeper research began to reveal something odd. First, North Carolina has a pretty comprehensive education testing program already in place for the 2011 school year. The state’s program covers grades 3-12, but in some respects it even eclipses the Common Core Standards by including science and providing specific emphasis on writing. The testing schedule I found also covers social sciences including civics, economics and history.

Then I learned that on November 9, the state released a Request for Proposals “to administer diagnostic assessments for a college and career-ready measure at grades 8, 10, 11 and 12.” It appears the state is prepared to spend tax money on educational testing programs when they already exist.

Dumbing Down Education in North Carolina?

A review of the Request for Proposals reveals more contradictions. The materials for this RFP, including some of the questions and answers in an RFP addendum, include nothing about testing for writing and suggests the state wishes to test students for science and social studies literacy rather than science knowledge and understanding of social studies.

The central question for North Carolina policy makers, parents and students is simple: Which is it? Will North Carolina truly adopt the Core Standards that Governor Perdue heralded last summer or the watered-down testing protocols specified in the RFP?

The handling of the Common Core State Standards in North Carolina takes another unusual twist when taken in the context of what educators are ostensibly preparing students for; career and college admissions. All public universities in North Carolina – NC State, UNC, East Carolina, et al – require writing test scores for admission, whether students decide on taking the ACT or the SAT for purposes of admission. The disconnect between the proposed testing program delineated in the RFP and the admissions requirements of every public university in the state is striking.

I interviewed a couple of experts on education from North Carolina: George Leef, Director of Research for The John William Pope Center for Higher Education and Terry Stoops, Director of Education Studies for The John Locke Foundation.



Leef expressed a desire to see a long-term focus on writing that extends beyond the high school years. As it stands now, Leef said the writing skills of many students leave them ill prepared for college. "Those with weak writing ability have to take a remedial course, but those courses seldom accomplish much," he said.

Stoops said that North Carolina's standards and accountability have been a work in progress since the General Assembly approved the State Board of Education's ABC's of Public Education program in 1996.

"Since that time, state officials have tinkered with every aspect of the program," Stoops said. "They have added and eliminated several tests, changed cut scores, and even discarded results. This ad hoc, even haphazard, approach to standards and student assessment is one reason why few North Carolinians have faith in the state’s ability to implement a sound accountability program."

As for why North Carolina would issue an RFP for a new testing program when the state already has one in place and appears much better aligned with the Core Standards that Governor Perdue announced in June, Leef speculated that, "They are making changes for the sake of making changes, rather than making changes that will raise and accurately measure student achievement."

Mark Johnson in Governor Perdue’s press office said he was not aware of the RFP, and would not comment on the apparent contradiction between the governor’s announcement and the request for proposals for a new testing program.