Readers Respond to Answers April–June 2011

on July 1, 2011

Featured in Answers Magazine

I loved the Kids Answers pullout in your latest Answers magazine. My kids, who are very much into superheroes, loved it! Thanks for providing such a fantastic magazine. We look forward to every issue.

Mandi P., Facebook

What the Doctor Prescribed

I really enjoyed reading [your magazine] while waiting for my spouse at the doctor’s office. What a pleasant surprise. As soon as I got home I had to order it!

Jacqueline M., Facebook

Publisher’s Note: We deeply appreciate all the doctor’s offices, church lounges, and other reception areas that display extra copies of Answers magazines for visitors. If you have other creative ideas for getting more people to read this magazine, leave a note at the Answers Magazine Facebook page; we may highlight your idea in a future issue!

Even Grosser

“Getting Close to Gross” gave the impression that mucus in the nose needs to be expelled by blowing or sneezing. Actually, the normal pathway is backwards into the throat where mucus and everything it has captured is swallowed and digested—now, maybe that is even grosser, but actually a great design.

Ross O., Minnesota

Author’s Response: Thank you for pointing this out. There were several interesting facts and features of God’s handiwork that I wanted to include (there’s just so much that’s gross and great). However, word limits kept me from including most of them, and this is one area that got chopped.

Taking Care of the Bees

I have been a beekeeper since 2005, so I was interested to see how accurate the article in the most recent issue on honeybees was (“Honeybees—Always on the Move”). I will admit that I was impressed with the accuracy, and it was evident the author had done her research.

However, as a beekeeper, I would like to point out that your coverage of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), though consistent with media reports, is not the complete picture. CCD was a problem for the first year or two after it appeared. It prompted billions of dollars of research, which found that CCD is not a bee disease, per se, but is caused by poor management practices used by some commercial beekeepers. Correcting those erroneous practices and hiving the bees on new equipment can easily eradicate it.

Anneliese A., Michigan

Editor’s Response: You can read the details about these claims at www.michiganbeekeepers.com/images/Disappearing%20Honey%20Bees.pdf.

There is some truth to this claim, but CCD is quite complicated and not fully understood. The research indicates that multiple factors contribute to it, and much more research is needed before any surefire prevention is in reach. Doing all the “right things” doesn’t guarantee that your colony won’t be hit. CCD reminds us just how much we depend on the efficient functioning of God’s little honey-gathering societies.

Missing the Grand Canyon?

I am disturbed by a failure of your editorial team. It is a fundamental editorial rule to double-check sources, images, etc.

In the article “On-Site Apologetics” (p. 17), not only is the “Grand Canyon” image not the Grand Canyon, but it is also retouched. The sun neither rises nor sets in that direction (at any time of year!), and the light cast on the massive rock reveals the cheat.

If our goal is to be discerning, truthful, and diligent, then this is the sort of mistake that should be avoided in the future.

Phillip B., Arizona

Editor’s Response: In articles that don’t need images to explain the content, we sometimes select stock images as “glamor shots” to draw readers’ interest without suggesting they be used as a teaching tool. This is a common convention in magazines and on websites. When an image is needed for teaching, we make sure it is true to life.

Unlocking More

I was wondering why there are locks on the articles for the online version of Answers magazine [AnswersMagazine.com]. How do I unlock them?

Susan S., California

Editor’s Response: In each issue, you’ll find an “unlock code” in the table of contents. Enter the code in the “Subscriber Exclusives” box on the front page of AnswersMagazine.com or on the contents page. Then you’ll have access to all articles for that issue, plus the bonus features

Answers Magazine

July – September 2011

Answers magazine is now in its sixth year of publication. To celebrate, we’ve produced a special double-length issue that features “the best of the first five years.” In addition to our regular departments and many new articles, we show all our timeless favorites (making this a truly collectible edition!). This special commemorative issue also makes a great gift item, which you can share with others who need to be challenged, encouraged, and equipped with some of “the best” in modern biblical creationism!

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