On the blog title

In the last paragraph of On the Origin of Species, in his famous “tangled bank” passage, Charles Darwin observed that “there is grandeur in this view of life…” Indeed there is. Every living thing on Earth is a member of a vast, extended family, and all our family trees converge on one point 3.8 billion years (or so) ago. The title of this blog is a (perhaps awkward) allusion to this passage. The common descent of all life on Earth is one of the most powerful ideas to emerge from science, and it deserves protection from irrational attack. That is one use to which I hope to put this blog.

There will also be the occasional rant of my own, though I hope they will be only infrequently irrational. In my experience, everyone likes a good rant now and then. Time will tell.

Oh, and my name is Christopher Petroni.  I’m a 26-year-old student with a degree in general science education who’s currently looking for high school teaching work.  I lived for 2 years in Japan, and know just enough of the language to get through videogames and novels.  I’m passionate about science, secular government, and the precarious position of many species on this planet (including our own.)

I also hate bubble wrap.  Seriously, newspaper works just as well, and showing the courtesy to use it means that I won’t be sitting for hours on end pursuing the satisfaction of a hearty “pop.”  Some things present a danger in their sheer irresistability.

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