I am an amateur naturalist, largely self-taught, and am something of a minor expert in the creation/evolution debate. As such I have spent much of my free time over the last thirty plus years defending the teaching of evolution (and science education in general) from the attacks of creationists. I did this first in various online forums such as the CompuServe discussion forums (1994-2002), where creation vs. evolution debate was relevant (Religion, Religious Issues, Science, and Dinosaur) and the Calvin College Evolution email list (1998-2001).

I was a volunteer on the Talk Origins Archive answering feedback questions for several years (2001-2006) and I am a founding member of the McLean v. Arkansas Documentation Project which worked to salvage the trial transcripts, witness depositions and other legal documents from the historic court case challenging the state of Arkansas’ “equal time for creation science in public schools” law.

Also I am a member of both the National Center for Science Education, and the Skeptics Society.

I have attended a number of scientific conferences (DinoFest Symposiums II and III, CalPaleo 99, AAAS Annual 2001 etc.), and I have a fairly extensive personal library which includes over 390 creationist books or pamphlets and over 1100 mainstream references in areas such as science and philosophy.

See my LinkedIn page for “endorsements” and “recommendations” from some of my friends and colleagues, many of which are working scientists.

I am not paid by any scientific institution or educational organization to write articles for this blog; something that often involves many hours, even days, of research and occasionally requiring me to travel to various university libraries or museums. Rather I have gladly done this for years without any remuneration beyond the knowledge I have gained in the process and the satisfaction I get from defending the truth and science education from ignorant and dishonest attack.

So please consider supporting my work here by becoming a Patreon patron!

To top it all off, I am a 3rd level Primate in The Malevolent Order of Black-Hooded Evolutionist Conspirators, Huxley Division (Go Fighting Bulldogs!). I could tell you more but I’d have to remove you from the gene pool.

Tempus et fortuna regunt omnia!

To pay the rent, I work as an “Agricultural aide I” (a insect trapper). Basically I trap Mediterranean fruit flies and other invasive fruit flies for a living.

NOTE: The views and opinions I express on this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer.

Prior to insect trapping, I was in the small press printing industry for over twenty five years, primarily running A.B. Dick equipment (360’s 9800’s with T-heads), however I have also had some experience running a Ryobi 520. I have also done bindery (folding, numbering etc.) and other miscellaneous printing related work.

Politically, not that it should matter, I am what you would call an independent classical liberal.

For more about me and how I got involved in the CvE debate see the biographical info page on my web site: Creation/Evolution Locus.

I can be contacted at:

Feel free to send me links to any new creationist silliness you happen to run across that might be comment worthy.

Some creationists I’ve encountered:

Myself and the late Dr. Duane Gish, Vice President of the Institute for Creation Research, at the Southern California Center for Christian Studies 1998 Summer Conference (August).  (Photo by Don Frack)

Yours truly with Dr. Jonathan Wells, author of Icons of Evolution (2000) and Fellow of the  Discovery Institute’s “Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture“, at a “Darwinism in Crisis” event held at Biola University in La Mirada California (10-2002). (Photo by  Wesley Elsberry)

Myself and Dr. Paul Nelson, a Fellow of the Discovery Institute’s “Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture“, at the “Intelligent Design & The Future Of Science” event held at Biola University in La Mirada California (4-23-2004).

Yours truly with  Dr. Michael Behe, author of Darwin’s Black Box, and Senior Fellow of the  Discovery Institute’s “Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture“, at the “Intelligent Design & The Future Of Science” event held at Biola University in La Mirada California (4-23-2004).

Myself and convicted felon “Dr.” Kent Hovind (a.k.a. “Dr. Dino”) at his debate with Michael Shermer of the Skeptics Society at the University of California Irvine (4-29-2004). See also the Kent Hovind FAQ on the Talk Origins Archive and The Kent Hovind Page on  No Answers in Genesis.

Yours truly with Dr. Hugh Ross, astronomer, old Earth creationist, and founder of Reasons to Believe Ministries at the Question of Age conference, First Free Evangelical Church, Fullerton, CA (4-29-2006). (Photo by Don Frack)

Moi with Dr. Gary Parker of Answers in Genesis at the Calvary Chapel, Downey, CA (6-3-2012)

Some scientists and philosophers I’ve met:

Myself with a group of evolution defenders. From the left: Dr. Wesley Elsberry (zoology), Dr. Robert Pennock (history & philosophy of science), Don Frack (zoology), Dr. Wilfred Elders (geology,) Troy Britain (evolution education advocate), Dave Matson (evolution education advocate), and kneeling Dr. Michael Shermer (history & philosophy of science, skeptic). Taken after a lecture by Pennock at a Skeptics Society meeting (12-10-2000).

Don Frack (left), Prof. Daniel Dennett (center), yours truly and my beard. After a lecture by Professor Dennett at the Skeptics Society (Photo by Gaynell Frack).

Professor Jim Hofmann (who teaches a class on the C/E issue at Cal State Fullerton), Dr. Eugenie Scott (Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education), and yours truly, prior to a lecture by Dr. Scott at CSF (4-17-03). (Photo by Don Frack)

From left to right, Don Frack, Dr. Paul (PZ) Myers (of the blog Pharyngula), and yours truly, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (10-05).

Dr. Barbara Forrest of Southeastern Louisiana University and myself at Cal State Fullerton on 3-3-2008. Dr. Forrest is the co-author of Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The wedge of Intelligent Design (2004), and more recently an expert witness in the Intelligent Design trial: Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover Area School District (2005). She had just given a talk on her involvement in the trial and some of the (mis)treatment she has been subjected to at the hands of some in the ID crowd.  (Photo by Jim Hofmann)

Yours truly with Paleoanthropologist Dr. Donald Johanson, Founding Director of the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University and the noted discoverer of the famous fossil skeleton “Lucy” (Australopithecus afarensis), at the Darwin Today: Evolution and Scientific Thought lectures held at the University of Southern California on April 15th 2009 (my thanks to the anonymous volunteer photographer).

Yours truly with geneticist & evolutionary biologist Dr. Francisco J. Ayala (U.C. Irvine), after his talk “The Foundations of Morality: Biology, Culture, Religion?” at Cal State Fullerton. Sept. 23 2010. Dr. Ayala was also one of the expert witnesses for the plaintiffs in the 1981 McLean v. Arkansas creation science trial. (Photo by Jim Hofmann)

Yours truly with paleontologist Dr. Neil Shubin after his talk, “Finding Your Inner Fish“, at U.C. Riverside (5-11-17). In my hand is a cast of the skull of Tiktaalik, the “fish”-tetrapod intermediate found by Shubin and his team in 2004.

For a few more see the pics page on my web site.