Ohio Schools May Teach Evolution Debate

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 14—Last week a committee of the Ohio Board of Education recommended the state's science teachers teach students about the theory of evolution—including the ongoing debates over its accuracy and completeness.

According to Associated Press, individual school districts would be allowed to decide whether or not to discuss “intelligent design,” a theistic position promoted by many scientists that argues the development of life in the universe reflects traces of a higher intelligence. The wire service reported this unique approach to the origins of life is already in place in many school districts.

Vandals Trash Ex-Homosexual Ads

CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA, October Bulletin—Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) has placed colorful ads in the Metro subway stations in Washington, D.C., “in response to the hate directed against ex-gays,” as the group's executive director Regina Griggs told the pro-family group Concerned Women for America.

“With all this talk of‘diversity,' we thought it was time to alert people to the need for tolerance of ex-gays and the possibility of overcoming homosexuality,” she said.

“It's time that people trapped in homosexuality know that they have a choice,” said Robert Knight, a board member of PFOX.

Vandals have trashed at least two of the 10 advertisements so far, covering them with insulting graffiti, reported Concerned Women for America.

In the past, homosexual activists such as the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) have pressured media companies to reject ad campaigns featuring former homosexuals. In 1998, when a coalition of pro-family groups, including Concerned Women for America, sought to place TV ads featuring ex-gays, GLAAD successfully lobbied TV stations to reject the ads.

Bad Taste Stops Selling

ASSOCIATED PRESS, Oct. 11—For at least 20 years, radio pundits have said bad taste makes for good ratings and station managers will put up with anything that boosts their Arbitron ratings. But that seems to be changing, according to Associated Press.

A wave of cancellations and dismissals has struck the “shock” industry, the wire service reported.

Just this month, a Phoenix disc jockey called the widow of St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile. “You're hot,” the DJ said to the bereaved mother of three. “Are you going to the game today? Do you have a date?” He was fired a few days later.

Likewise, the New York-based radio announcers Greg “Opie” Hughes and Anthony Cumia were canned shortly after they egged on a couple who had sex in St. Patrick's Cathedral on the Feast of the Assumption as part of a stunt campaign sponsored by Sam Adams Beer.

Scott Shannon, an influential national radio programmer, told Associated Press, “For the stations and the shows that do those kind of stunts, there certainly has been a re-examination of conscience, attitudes and guidelines.”

Tom Taylor, editor of Inside Radio,agreed. “They're becoming more careful. There's a thing in their heads, the self-censoring thing:‘Should I do that?'”