The Darwin exhibition frightening off corporate sponsors

[emad]

By Nicholas Wapshott in New York
(Filed: 20/11/2005)

An exhibition celebrating the life of Charles Darwin has failed to find a corporate sponsor because American companies are anxious not to take sides in the heated debate between scientists and fundamentalist Christians over the theory of evolution.

The entire $3 million (£1.7 million) cost of Darwin, which opened at the American Museum of Natural History in New York yesterday, is instead being borne by wealthy individuals and private charitable donations.

The failure of American companies to back what until recently would have been considered a mainstream educational exhibition reflects the growing influence of fundamentalist Christians, who are among President George W Bush's most vocal supporters, over all walks of life in the United States.

While the Darwin exhibition has been unable to find a business backer - unlike previous exhibitions at the museum - the Creationist Museum near Cincinatti, Ohio, which takes literally the Bible's account of creation, has recently raised $7 million in donations.

The outbreak of corporate cold feet has shocked New York's intellectuals. "It is a disgrace that large companies should shy away from such an important scientific exhibition," said a trustee of another prominent museum in the city, who was told of the exhibition's funding problem by a trustee of the AMNH.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/wdarwin20.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/20/ixportal.html


WHAT? NO dosh from Halliburton???

[Benbow]

1. America is truly returning to the Dark Ages -

that should shock everyone with commonsense, not just intellectuals.

[PDJane]

4. It shocks me.........

The American Taliban strikes again.

This is a time when we are going to need science more than ever, to combat global warming, to find alternative energy sources, and to find ways to fix what we have done to the earth.

I believe that the rise of this kind of religious belief is, essentially, nihilistic......and yes, that worries me too.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. This is scary as hell..especially in NYC!!!!!!!!

:scared:

This needs to be posted in LBN!!!!

[peacetalksforall]

3. Does anyone DOUBT who the partners are here?

Right wing with their 15-18% born agains on the one side of their voting base and the corporations on the other.

We need someone like the old Ben and Jerry's and a few other sensible corporations to do the right thing, not the right wing thing.

Can we put out the word to Chavez? Can everyone who has ever taken a science course send 50 cents?

They are being ridiculous as usual. But they are true to their ridiculous and un-american course of rule over us.

[Coastie for Truth]

5. Surrendering without a fight

Surrendering without a fight

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AND WHEN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES IS WRITTEN - THEY WILL SAY THAT IN OUR RACE TO THE BOTTOM - WE PASSED THE BATON TO INDIA AND CHINA AND SURRENDERED WITHOUT A FIGHT

[tgnyc]

8. That's exactly what it is. The fundies are always going to be a pain

in the ass, but for corporations to bitch out like that before anyone has even made the slightest complaint, that's some bullshit right there.

[emad]

6. The exhibition will tour the UK in 2009 in time for Darwin's bicentenary:

The AMNH is coy about its failure to find corporate money to mount the exhibition, which will tour the US before moving to London's Natural History Museum in 2009 to mark the bicentenary of Darwin's birth.

Asked which companies had refused to give money, Gary Zarr, the museum's marketing director, said he would have to ask those concerned before he could identify them.

Steve Reichl, a press officer for the AMNH, said a list of forthcoming exhibitions was sent to potential sponsors and none wanted to back the Darwin exhibition. He declined to reveal which companies, or how many, had been approached.

The Bank of America previously sponsored a similar exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci and the financial services provider TIAA-CREF funded an Albert Einstein show.

A prominent Metropolitan Museum donor said: "You can understand why the Museum of Natural History might not want to admit such a thing.

"They are concerned about finding corporate funding for exhibitions in the future."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/11/20/wdarwin20.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/11/20/ixportal.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

7. Recommended. This should be told where everyone will see it n/t

[roguevalley]

9. They need to publish the list so I can boycott them, the fuckers.

[hvn_nbr_2]

10. I want to know who's sponsoring the Creationist Museum

so I can boycott them.

[roguevalley]

12. good call. so far they have eighteen million out of 25 million needed

to open in 2007

[oddmanout]

11. Oh for the love of Pete.....

You've got to be freaking kidding me........:banghead:

[Tace]

13. This Shows Clearly That Corporations Do Not Care For Our Best Interests

We simply cannot rely on corporations to look out for our best interests. They care only about their bottom line.

In fact, they like it if we're stupid and docile.

[drm604]

17. They don't even care for their own best interests.

Pharmaceutical companies, for example, need well educated research scientists who UNDERSTAND BIOLOGY. You cannot truly understand biology if you reject it's core principle! These corporations ought to be fighting against the dumbing down of our students, even if it's only for their own bottom line.

[ananda]

14. OK corps., get this..

.. THERE IS NO DEBATE.

There is no debate.

Evolution is science.

ID is religion.

Sue

[lostnfound]

15. Oh great. SO we can have more fluff like "Lady Di" at our museums, too

because science has become too controversial.

[glitch]

16. Corporate cowards. Despicable. nt

[Initech]

18. Not afraid to take sides my ass!

They'll gladly pony up the dough to sponsor a creationist exhibit but they'll run and hide when sponsoring an evolutionary exhibit. God forbid! :wow: :grr:

[WindRavenX]

19. ahhh science as "controversal"

I feel like I'm taking stupid pills:banghead: :banghead:

[Bill McBlueState]

20. dang it, why can't people spell "Cincinnati"?

:mad:

Oh, and the other stuff, too. :mad: