The View from Number 80

August 20th 2003

Papal Rain Dance - Pope John Paul II, Nikola Tesla and Wilhelm Reich make an odd trinity - but they have at least one thing in common - they are all associated with an age-old dream of humankind - weather control. Reich claimed to be have a "cloudbuster" that utilized his imaginary orgone energy - the successful use of which also was imaginary (Reich's work is now carried on by his intellectual descendants). Tesla has had many things laid at his door (some even correct) and is a favorite of conspiracy nuts - for a peek into their strange world just put "Tesla" and "weather control" into your search engine of choice and look at the results. Cloud seeding is a more conventional but not wholly successful method recently used by Russia to ensure clear skies for the St Petersburg anniversary bash in May. Now this summer in Europe the weather has been disastrously hot and dry with many fires and loss of life, so the Pope has stepped in with his rather more sedate version of a rain-maker's dance, leading prayers for rain. The BBC quotes him as saying "I ask you to join me in my prayer for the victims of this calamity and urge all of you to ask the Lord fervently to grant the thirsty Earth the coolness of rain." This no doubt will make a lot of difference. It would also be useful while he is on the line to his boss to ask Him why he allowed the "calamity" and withheld "the coolness of rain" in the first place. Or is He just "moving in mysterious ways" yet again?

Measles Endemic Forecast  - there can be no pleasure in saying "I told you so" when being proved right means that the lives and health of children are put at risk. A study by scientists at the Health Protection Agency and Royal Holloway College has warned that measles could well become endemic in the UK. This is owing to the poor uptake rate for vaccinations doubtless influenced by irresponsible MMR scare stories put out by anti-vaccination groups and aided by the ignorance of many parents. Health groups have been warning for some time that a drop in vaccinations could see a rise in measles outbreaks which can then become endemic (self-sustaining) - meaning a child could catch it at anytime and not just during a recognized outbreak. This latest study could well give force to the argument from the British Medical Association that the Measles, Mumps and Rubella jab should be compulsory. This may sound draconian but what right do parents have to allow their ignorance or, in some cases, irrational beliefs, to threaten not only their own child's health but that of other children?

(For more on this subject see Jab for Health, Judged Fit, MMR OK and the Green Light website.)

A Matter of Presentation? - Cot death, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,(SIDS) call it what you will, is not a subject to be ever taken lightly. Apart from the immediate shock and grief at the loss of a child many parents have found themselves accused of causing the death in the first place. The effect of this on the bereaved can hardly be imagined. So, if you think you can add anything useful to the debate, such as a theory of a possible cause or causes, you had better be damned careful that you have done your research thoroughly, had the results peer reviewed and published with all necessary evidence and references. Only then speak to the media regarding your contribution. To do otherwise is to be guilty of treating this subject with less seriousness than it so obviously merits. So how about someone who announces a new theory on cot death in a book he himself describes as "basically a popular science book"? Dr George Christos, the author, describes himself on his web page as "theoretical physicist, mathematician, and now brain theorist" just above a somewhat fierce copyright notice (although 80 was relieved to see "Reference to this website is permitted".) and a large picture of himself. His resume/CV further down is impressive and states his main areas of research are neural networks, which he applies to understanding the brain, and information systems, which he applies to human behavior. Doubtless his book has more than the SIDS theory alone within its covers but the most interest will focus on that part. Put crudely, his big idea is that some babies can dream that they are still in the womb where they do not need to breathe, so they stop. Others working in the field of SIDS are not overly impressed according to this BBC report - "Dr Robin Campbell, a lecturer in psychology from the University of Stirling, whose research interests include dreaming in children, described the theory as "potty"" and said, "There is no evidence to support this theory at all." The Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths "is not aware of any research evidence for a "dreams" theory." Whether they have actually read Christos' book is not made clear. Interestingly, a leading SIDS researcher, Warren Guntheroth, has said " My concern is that it is difficult to test his hypothesis, on the other hand it is highly original and attractive." Now Christos may well be on to something - or he may not - but the announcement and presentation of his idea certainly leaves a lot to be desired.

Gay Bishop Biblical Background - The fuss over the appointment of an "openly gay" bishop to an Anglican/Episcopalian see continues on both sides of the Atlantic. For a look at some of the biblical prohibitions and the hypocrisy behind the wrangle see the latest View From Number 80.

Blair Faith Project - that Tony Blair has strong religious beliefs is no great revelation to most people. A committed Christian, he is entitled to his personal beliefs as much as anyone else, but when he seeks to involve "faith-based" institutions in government decision making he is going a step too far. His posts of Prime Minister, leader of the Labour Party and elected Member of Parliament should not permit him to give preferential treatment to those who happen to share his faith in the supernatural. According to this item from the UK Observer he "has set up a ministerial working group in the Home Office charged with injecting religious ideas 'across Whitehall'." The group, known as the Faith Community Liaison Group, includes among its members the Evangelical Alliance. This is an organization that affirms "The universal sinfulness and guilt of fallen man, making him subject to God's wrath and condemnation." and "The divine inspiration of the Holy Scripture and its consequent entire trustworthiness and supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct." The idea that a bunch with such a medieval world view is to be permitted to influence a democratically elected 21st century government, with the willing consent of the leader of that government, is more than a little chilling to this observer. Membership of the group is also extended to representatives of the Jewish, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu faiths. Oddly 80 cannot see any mention of atheist, humanist or other god-free organizations being asked to join in. Surely a naturalistic view of the world is necessary if only to act as a counterbalance to those whose outlook and decisions are guided by superstition?

September 5th 2003

A Small Casualty - a small and desperately sad casualty of misapplied religion and ignorance died of suffocation, apparently in the presence of his mother, pastor and other church members. Terrance Cottrell, 8 years old and autistic, died at a prayer service where church members were trying to heal him of "spirits" - it seems these misguided, ignorant people attributed the boy's condition to possession. The Pastor, one David Hemphill, said "The little boy had spirits in him, and we was asking God to deliver him." At the end of the prayer session one of the women attending noticed Terrance was not breathing and emergency services were called. When they arrived they found the boy was dead. Hemphill claims Terrance was not restrained in any way but that he was seated in the center of the group and wrapped in sheets "because he had started scratching." The boy's grandmother has alleged that force was used to restrain him - this is denied by church members. The coroner has issued a statement that he died because his chest was restricted and could not expand. His mother had brought him several times before to the Faith Temple Church of the Apostolic Faith, Milwaukee to attempt to cure his autism by prayer.The pastor's brother is facing child abuse charges. This awful incident should make everyone aware of what a dangerous mixture ignorance and superstition can be. That this did not happen in the Dark Ages, or in some Third World country, but in the 21st century in a city of the planet's most powerful nation should be a cause for worry and deep shame. (This episode has grim echoes of the murder of ten year-old Candace Newmaker during a so-called rebirthing therapy session.)

Update - amazingly only one person has been charged with child abuse following the death of Terrance Cottrell, according to this report in the New York Times (reg. rq'd). Ray A Hemphill has been charged with felony child abuse instead of second degree homicide. This, prosecutors say, is because it is almost impossible to prove Hemphill's intention was anything other than to help the boy. Whilst congregation members restrained Terrance, Hemphill, approx.150 pounds in weight, lay on top of him, chest to chest. "The medical examiner later found extensive bruising on the back of Terrance's neck, and said he had died of mechanical asphyxiation from pressure placed on his chest. Mr. Hemphill is quoted as saying that about two hours into the praying and the struggling, he got up, but Terrance was still." This child was subjected to such treatment for two hours? What were these idiots thinking? If this had occurred in the home, said one critic of the charge, "...there'd be a whole array of charges, maybe including child abuse but also homicide, or manslaughter. When a religious entity enters the picture, prosecutors get very nervous." Why?

And Now the Bad News - here is a thoughtful and deeply worrying piece from Gary Younge in the UK Guardian titled "God Help America" It touches on the ongoing tussle over Roy Moore and his 10 Commandments rock (see below), quotes the worrying statistics that indicate in the US "94% of adults believe in God, 86% believe in miracles, 89% believe in heaven, and 73% believe in the devil and hell." and also informs us that another survey concludes "that among countries where people believe religion to be very important, America's views are closer to Pakistan's and Nigeria's than to France's or Germany's." The article ends with the current White House incumbent "Since George Bush gave up Jack Daniels for Jesus Christ, he has counted Jesus as his favourite philosopher. The first thing he reads in the morning is not a briefing paper but a book of evangelical mini- sermons."

September 10th 2003

2014 A Space Lottery - a potentially hazardous asteroid has been reported by the Near Earth Object Information Center and has been given a Torino rating of 1. The rock, 1.2 kilometers wide and dubbed 2003 QQ47 has a mass of around 2,600 billion kg, and would pack a 350,000 megaton punch should it strike Earth. (The orbit so far is only based on limited data which will be refined as observations continue.) Travelling at over 30 kilometers a second there is a chance, based on the current partial data, that QQ47 could occupy the same space as us on 21 March, 2014. The odds given for this are 1 in 909,000 - a better chance than, say, winning the UK lottery jackpot. As with previous potentially dangerous asteroid sightings it is expected that the risk of impact will decrease as the rock's orbit becomes better known. Even with the worst scenario it is likely that humankind will still be far too busy killing each other, despoiling the planet and praying to various gods in 2014 to trouble to look skywards.

September 16th 2003

Without Honor - or any shred of decency. Back in March of this year 80 looked at the type of murder called "honor killings" (a euphemism as inaccurate in its way as "female circumcision"). This is the disgusting and barbaric practice whereby a male member of a family, usually a brother or father, kills a female relative for the perceived crime of extra-marital sex. This is considered to bring shame on a family - what, unlike murder? The practice is followed in too many Islamic countries - recently the Jordanian lower parliament rejected a law proposing harsher punishment of these murderers. A BBC report says "Islamists and conservatives opposed to the new law said it would encourage vice and destroy social values" - what, unlike murder? Under existing law sentences of 6 months in prison are the norm. Defenders of such killings say that to inflict a lesser punishment "will violate religious traditions and damage the fabric of Jordan's conservative society, where men have the final say." Any society or religion that condones such a practice is beneath contempt. It is plain murder - there is no other word for it.

Runic Folly - the county of Norfolk in England had its own version of the Kensington Stone - for all of a few weeks. It turns out that the mysterious carvings and runic symbols found on a piece of granite on the seashore are rather more recent than local archaeologists had hoped - instead of a possible 2000 years a less than impressive 8 years or so is more accurate. A local construction worker saw a picture of the stone in a local paper and recognized his own handiwork from 1995.  County archaeologist Bryan Ayers quoted in the UK Guardian said: "We have to investigate these things in case they turn out to be genuine - but it seemed too good to be true even at the time." At least the "too good to be true" bit matches the Kensington Stone - perfectly.
 

"It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves." William Shakespeare certainly had it right there - and he finds plenty of backing from science - astrology is bunkum, the primitive predecessor to astronomy as alchemy was to chemistry. Once the study had grown up, it was time to move on from the childish attribution of influence on our lives to the position of the planets in the Solar System in relation to random groupings of stars as seen from the Earth. Except for one thing  - astrology, tosh though it is, earns a lot of money and all the while it lines pockets this primitive nonsense will be around. The latest debunking exercise published in the Journal of Consciousness Studies is reported in The Telegraph where a survey of "time" twins comparing their attributes, the sorts of things that an astrologist would claim to find in a birth chart (anxiety levels, marital status, aggressiveness, sociability etc) failed to find evidence of similarities. Will these findings halt the lies and drivel spouted by these charlatans? The smart money says no. One of the researchers had this to say on the ancient "art" - "It has no acceptable mechanism, its principles are invalid and it has failed hundreds of tests. But no hint of these problems will be found in astrology books which, in effect, are exercises in deception." (The full report by Geoffrey Dean and Ivan W Kelly, "Is Astrology Relevant to Consciousness and Psi?" can be downloaded here in PDF format.)

Trunk Call - technology can find the most unusual and often unintended uses. According to The Register, Hindu devotees of the god Ganesh (that's the one with the head of an elephant whose statues famously began "drinking" milk a few years back) can now text prayers using their mobile phones thereby saving the need to stand in line at the temple.

Phone Call - to prayer. Not to be left behind in the world of religious telecommunications it is now possible for Muslims in the United Arab Emirates to receive their call to prayer or "azan" on their mobile phones. As the service expands the issue of timing will be crucial as it is tied to local sunset and sunrise. (The fact that the planet revolves thereby causing the illusion of "rising" and "setting" would not have been known when the prayer calls were initiated.)

Roy's Rock Revisited - while Roy Moore prepares to take the political grandstanding over his Ten Commandments monument to the US Supreme Court other, and wiser heads are commenting on the whole sorry business. J Brent Walker, in the Texas-based Baptist Standard, offers a thoughtful appraisal as does Elizabeth Schuett in the Port Clinton News Herald and also Jabari Asim in The Washington Post. 80 had this to say on the subject.

It's Hokum Time Again - here is the latest piece of overpriced trash that makes absurd claims of blocking "electronic pollution". The Philip Stein Teslar watch is one of a long line of products that claim there is a malign influence  from electromagnetic fields which can lead to problems such as headache, fatigue and memory loss (and possibly gullibility?). The Teslar research head explained to Wired that their watch "shields the body from these electromagnetic fields, and then the body can be more effective in taking care of itself and its immune system with those unwanted fields thrown off. With us sticking cell phones to our heads, we need that protection." (Unless of course you already have one of these.) The verdict on the watch from a professor of radiation oncology quoted by Wired gives it short shrift. "There is not a chance in the world that (these types of devices) will do anything but lighten your wallet." Prices range from $600 to $2000 for those of you who are electromagnetically challenged. And never mind the lack of real scientific evidence for the watch manufacturer's daft claims (their onsite video is unbelievable - literally so) - it is endorsed by such intellectual giants as Madonna and Sharon Osbourne.

Rug Rot - thanks to the UK Guardian Bad Science page for letting us know about the Neutralec Neutraliser originally designed to combat the effect of those naughty electromagnetic fields on your carpet. For a paltry £59.95 you too can protect your new carpet from "Phenomenon" shading. Good grief, who dreams up this nonsense? It is unsurprising that this gizmo is also available from a homeopath, a complimentary (sic) health practitioner and a complimentary (sic) therapist and kinesiologist. There, that should give you confidence in the claims made for the product..............

Where's the Harm? - this is often the response to given to those who question quackery, pseudoscience, faith healing and New Age therapies. Also don't make such a fuss, don't be so cynical, don't be so closeminded, don't be a spoilsport. The only counter to such wishy-washy sentiments is to see the tragic outcome. Read this story - then say where's the harm, if you can.

Bottom Race - here is a great piece by Duncan Campbell in the UK Guardian on the bizarre talent show that is the California recall election. It reminds him of "that wise Tanzanian proverb: "The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his bottom." In a field with 135 candidates Schwarzenegger's dope and sex revelations compete with Bustamante's receding hairline for attention.

September 22nd 2003

Complementary Charlie - Britain's very own unelected king wannabe is dipping his aristocratic toe in the murky waters of complementary therapies once more. This time the Prince is planning to help finance an "alternative medicine centre in the United States to fund research to reverse the process of ageing." (Perhaps at 54 he is feeling the onset of time's ravages - one thing is sure, it can't be from the struggle to put bread on his table and feed, clothe and educate his kids, unlike so many of the folk he would love to reign over.) The director of the outfit that will benefit from Mr Windsor's largesse was "very impressed with how knowledgeable both the prince and Camilla were about alternative and complementary medicine." This article from the Guardian notes that "The prince has called for the integration of alternative medicine with orthodox treatments... He believes that more and more people are turning to homoeopathy (sic), herbal medicine, and other therapies." That may well be true, but that does not make them right - the effectiveness of medical treatment is not decided by a popularity contest. The fact that Windsor is pouring money into complementary/alternative ageing research when real studies that would actually be of some benefit are starved of funds shows just how far removed from real life he is. A sort of complementary/alternative monarch perhaps.

The Answer - to a question raised by Patrick J. Buchanan in the Washington Post is NO - now go and take this quiz and stand in the corner. Wilful ignorance is not an appealing characteristic in anyone.

The Real Lesson - much has been made in the media recently about an error made in a study that concluded that use of the drug Ecstacy can cause Parkinson's Disease. The researcher involved has retracted the findings after it was discovered that the sample of Ecstacy was in fact methamphetamine owing to the container being labelled wrongly. (Not that there aren't plenty of other questions about Ecstacy's effects on health - like every other "recreational " drug) One very important issue does not seem to have been mentioned in reports on the scientist's "blunder" and that is when the error was found it was publically acknowledged. Real science is one of the few (only) fields of human endeavor where this happens. Can you imagine it happening, say, in the fields of religion or politics? Yeah, right.....

Reasons For Wonderment - do NOT include some fraud talking to my dead grandfather, a fencepost, glazing unit or chapati with a supposed resemblance to the Virgin Mary, psychic surgery, the prophecies of Nostradamus or any of a huge number of frankly tedious types of nonsense. On the other hand the thought of a pulsar, Geminga, 500 light years distant, hurtling through space at 20 times the speed of sound, trailing twin tails of X-ray light that stretch for 20 billion miles is definitely on 80's list of awe-inspiring phenomena. There is a an amazing and real universe out there - who needs hokum to experience wonderment?

CoS Court Calamity - it is satisfying (and amusing) to note that the sinister yet somehow clownish Church of Scientology (CoS) have lost a case in the Netherlands against a Dutch ISP linking to their oh so important documents and pronouncements. The ISP, Xs4all, writer Karin Spaink and ten other internet providers were targeted for publishing copyrighted material on the web as this The Register article details. Karin Spaink's site is here, and the true (as opposed to the ridiculous fantasies perpetuated by CoS) and interesting autobiography of Scientology's founder, SF writer and nut L Ron Hubbard, Barefaced Messiah, is here, courtesy of Operation Clambake who have lots more about this cult with pseudoscientific pretensions. Here is 80's favorite quote regarding CoS which also explains why they want to keep their laughable claptrap secret. Scientology in a nutshell - courtesy of Wired
"Hubbard's secret scriptures teach that 75 million years ago, an evil galactic overlord named Xenu solved the galaxy's overpopulation problem by freezing excess people and transporting the bodies to Teegeeack, now called Earth. After the hapless travelers were defrosted, they were chained to volcanoes that were blown up by hydrogen bombs -- and their disembodied spirits continue to haunt mankind today."
Also see Hubbard's Bare Cupboard from Number 80.
 

NZ Skeptics - the 2003 Skeptics Conference runs from September 19th to 21st at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. The program contains all manner of interesting items including The Problems of Memory, Scam Artists and Snake-oil Salesfolk, Dinohomo hemisapiens (!) and a 5 Billion Year journey and a great deal more. Full details are available from the New Zealand Skeptics website.
 

Awesome Bass - here is a report from the British Association for the Advancement of Science's annual festival about how very deep bass notes (lower than 20 Hz) can produce inaudible but very physical effects on a listener. In a controlled experiment researchers found they could induce a range of "strange feelings" in an audience at will from shivers down the spine to coldness. Infrasound effects such as these, produced from a large church organ pipe, can go a long way to explaining the feelings that many people attribute to God or some other supernatural cause. (It also casts 80's mind back many years to youthful feelings of transcendence listening/reacting to the bass notes played by Phil Lesh at a Grateful Dead concert.)

Update - now this is really awesome bass!

September 26th 2003

Barbie in Bondage - Saudi Arabia has some big problems - these include explaining why most of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudis, maintaining the rule of the royal family in the face of terrorist attacks within their own borders from Islamist fanatics, halting the insidious cultural attack from Barbie dolls...... What? Yes, the religious police, the snappily named Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice have pronounced Barbie dolls offensive. Now, you may well say, these tacky plastic mannequins are pretty offensive, but only on the grounds of taste and are no worse than a lot of other trashy toys. Not so for the uptight Saudi thought police who say "Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful." ( In fact the "perverted West" is an ally of the Saudis - perhaps THAT is the perversion, embracing those who denounce your way of life at every opportunity and who produce a seemingly endless stream of terrorists.) 80 has a sneaking suspicion this whole "offensive Barbie thing" is nothing more than a front and the religious cops are confiscating the dolls to bolster their own huge illicit collection. Rumor has it they are desperate to lay their hands on Bondage Barbie.

 Judgement Day - may not be so far away. A report by the British parliament's intelligence committee reveals that Tony Blair was warned by intelligence chiefs that "al-Qaida and associated groups continued to represent by far the greatest threat to western interests, and that threat would be heightened by military action against Iraq". The present car-bombing and mayhem in Iraq is evidence enough of this. Swapping Saddam Hussein's regime for an unstable, chaotic, terrorist magnet is hardly a step in the right direction. ( George W Bush has seen his own fantasies come true - Al Qaida is certainly in Iraq now, even if they were not before the invasion.) Blair did not let this warning deter him from deciding to go to war - and he may yet answer to parliament, his own party and the British public for doing so. This may not bother him overmuch as he recognizes only one judge of his actions - his God. Many people would prefer that he faced the consequences of his decisions in the here and now and not in some hypothetical hereafter.

Twin Cursed Images - an icon of Jesus Christ was recently removed from display in a museum in Russia "because the piece of art's "energy field" reportedly has killed several staff members." A spokesman was quoted as saying "It's an inexplicable phenomenon and it started long ago. Three or four people died of diseases and the coincidence began to make me wonder." This clod has supplied his own answer - its not inexplicable, it is coincidence. Just because one event follows another does not mean one is cause and the other effect - this is simplistic magical thinking. (Post hoc ergo propter hoc as the Latin has it.) Sadly Russia is full of such daft notions these days - a local doctor who, it is claimed, made an "expert" analysis of the icon said "it produces a lot of power which makes the human brain vibrate at a high frequency. Not every person can stand that. Most likely, the icon was meant for the elite, not for common people." It is not clear what kind of doctor this person is but his area of expertise would seem to be twaddle. From one lethal image to another - to be more exact a marble bust of one of America's greatest statesman - Dan Quayle. It would seem a weak excuse for a story but two artists associated with producing this artwork died before its completion. A third sculptor who completed the job would seem to be at least as daft as the Russian spokesman quoted above. He has said "It's like the curse of Carter in King Tut's tomb." Somehow 80 doubts that he means a coincidence blown up into cheap newscopy for the credulous. If there is a supernatural connection with Dan's bust perhaps some ancient Muse was attempting to stop the waste of a perfectly good piece of marble

October 7th 2003

Religion and Terror - in this article in The New York Times (reg. rqd.) Robert A Pape seeks to show that his research demonstrates that there is little connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, or any religion for that matter. He points out that those prolific suicide bombers, the Tamil Tigers, are "adamantly opposed to religion". Of the 188 attacks of this type that he claims to have studied 75 of that total are down to the Tigers. This is certainly a high proportion but what about all the rest? He makes the point that most terrorist organizations using suicide tactics have aims of owning their own territory/state rather than religious motives. This may be so but it would not be the first time that religious fervor has been cynically harnessed for such ends. As Pape puts it "Religion is rarely the root cause, although it is often used as a tool by terrorist organizations in recruiting and in other efforts in service of the broader strategic objective." But here is precisely where religion plays its role in the slaughter. It doesn't matter a damn whether the terrorist leaders think their human bombs will be martyrs in paradise or dead meat just so long as the poor bloody footsoldiers believe that heaven will be their reward. So, even if religion is rarely the "root cause" it offers the perfect route to coerce/tempt those gullible enough to fall for its blandishments. It is religion that sets these poor fools up for the slaughter and is the perfect tool of terrorist leaders. The myth of everlasting life to come  paradoxically and violently ends the lives of many, bomber and victims equally, in the here and now. Religion may not be a "root" cause but it is certainly the chief enabling factor for suicide attacks.

Humming a Different Tune - here is piece from the San Francisco Chronicle on Arnold Schwarzenegger's attempt to woo the green vote in the contest for governor of California. The man who owns a stable of gas-guzzling Hummers seems an unlikely environmentalist - which he shows with a pie in the sky vision of "a $60 million "hydrogen highway" he said would provide a statewide chain of hydrogen fueling stations to help clean the air." Even less impressive is the backing of longtime GOP fund-raiser Bob Grady, a managing director of the Carlyle Group, who said that as an environmental adviser to Schwarzenegger he is convinced of the actor's credentials. The Carlyle Group may be known for many things but environmental protection is not one of them - see here.

Update - here is more about Green Arnie's hydrogen dream.

(Here is a movie featuring Arnie and his chosen vehicle - it is not very flattering but then it does originate with a rival in the race for governor.)

Wholly Unbelievable - but sadly not a spoof, even though it looks like a parody. A new magazine has been launched aimed at teenage girls - this is not usually noteworthy but Revolve has a slant all of its own. This is from the tips on sunscreens "The Bible is like our Spiritual Sunscreen, It acts as a filter, letting in the Good and Keeping Out the Bad." and "As you apply sunscreen, use that time to talk to God. Tell him how grateful you are for how he made you." No questions here about why He did not make your skin better at resisting UV in the first place for Revolve is the New Testament tricked out as a glossy teen mag - a sort of stealth bible as it were. Although aimed at modern girls it is of course careful to make sure that women should know their place. "Revolve girls don't call guys" and "Revolve girls are not argumentative." Heavens, you don't want some young girl speaking up for herself - where would that sort of thing end? Just to drive the point home how about this - "God made guys to be the leaders. That means they lead in relationships. They tell you they like you first, not vice versa." My, that old misogynist St Paul would approve. (At least their little minds will not be too taxed by the bible text used in the mag, as it was written at 5th grade level.) More useful advice is "dating a non-believer is playing with fire" - but surely they should at least try and convert them? Above all remember, "The fire of God's love burns out the sin the same way the hot steam routs the dirt out of your pores." The 392 page magazine is selling by the thousands which should please the publisher at $14.99 a pop. (A far better role model for Christian teenage girls can be found here.)

Atkins Diet - under fire again. Recently 80 mentioned concerns for the health of those who follow "slimming" diets for a long period. Now the UK's Food Standards Agency has a page answering the question "Starchy carbohydrates have been getting a bad press lately. Should I avoid them?" The piece mentions the risk to health from cutting out any food group and in fact recommends carbohydrates as the base for meals so that they total about a third of a balanced diet. Although the names of any of the latest bestselling fad diets are conspicuous by their absence it does not take a gigantic intellect to spot the Atkins diet as the subject. This report from the Guardian entitled "Official: Atkins diet can be deadly" is far less circumspect.

October 13th 2003

Minister of the Occult - India's current government has been accused of pandering to Hindu extremists - a subject naturally of deep concern for the country's inhabitants of other faiths, the Muslims in particular. Any denial of such bias is hard to refute when one looks at the antics of Murli Manohar Joshi, federal Human Resources Minister. He was accused of inciting Hindu mobs to destroy a mosque in Ayodhya in 1992. The aftermath of this act was rioting that led to the deaths of 2000 people. Now Joshi, one 7 leading Hindus charged with the crime has had proceedings deferred and the Prime Minister has asked him to return to work. (An eighth defendant, whose case did not reach court, was the Deputy Prime Minister) An indication of Joshi's beliefs are afforded by reports in the Indian press that he is pressing for the adoption of occult studies including exorcism, shamanism and astrology. He is reported as saying "This is all futuristic science and hence needs promotion by the state, media and the civil society... " The fact that a government minister in the world's largest democracy is promoting such irrational nonsense is deeply worrying to those people, of whatever nationality, who value tolerance and secular values. (Joshi is not alone in his delusions - read about another minister, Sanjay Paswan)

Warning: Contains Tiger - the practice known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is finding great popularity in the west, catering as it does to the New Age/alternative/complementary therapy fad that is so much in vogue. The enlightened and "open-minded" types that go for TCM would seem to be unaware of its dark side, which most would find more than a little disturbing and even disgusting. Apart from the lack of evidence for any of the mechanisms posited for this type of therapy and no rigorous proof of the effectiveness of its nostrums it is the assault on endangered wildlife that has been highlighted by the seizure, in Australia, of tiger and rhinoceros body parts for use in traditional medicine. As well as parts from these two high profile endangered species 40 kilos of scales from the pangolin, an anteater  at risk of extinction, were also found. Anyone who uses Traditional Chinese Medicine has a duty to ensure that the practitioners they use do not employ body parts from any endangered species. The uncritical acceptance of the claims of TCM is the first step in a process that ends with the reduction of beautiful and rare wild animals to the pathetic pile of scraps found in Australia. The patronage given to TCM makes it lucrative enough for this revolting trade to be profitable. In response to those who will say that their practitioner would not use such materials there is one answer - prove it.

Good Stuff - now and again on the web, amidst the ceaseless jabbering about aliens, crop circles, psychics and suchlike a different voice can be made out. This voice promotes such apparently unpopular themes as evidence-based, rational investigation of phenomena rather than the breathless, uncritical acceptance so prevalent in the media. 80 has mentioned the UK Guardian's Bad Science feature, by Ben Goldacre, in this regard. Here is another different, and welcome voice, that of Lou Hudson writing in the Star-Telegram's Science Notes, making a point with some gentle humor. This particular piece "Explaining unexplained phenomena just isn't sexy" is well worth a moment of your time - here is a short extract which will make you want to read the rest of his column. "One of the things we homosaps are fond of doing is finding pattern and order where none exists. It's the way we're wired, apparently -- the brain doesn't like not having an explanation for things. And where no reasonable answer exists, we can make one up." Recommended.

(If your magazine or newspaper has a similar feature let 80 know - click the mail link at the bottom of the page)

Update - Boykin backpedals on his remarks "I am not anti-Islam or any other religion... I support the free exercise of all religions."

More Brain Less Brawn - and less dogma. Outgoing Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, speaking at the opening of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, has been sounding off in terms that would have gone down well in a Munich beer hall in the 1930s. He called for Muslims to develop the military might to defeat the Jews, who he sees as running the world. He claimed "today the Jews rule this world by proxy... 1.3 billion Muslims cannot be defeated by a few million Jews." Sounds like the old boy has been reading the Protocols of the Elders of Zion - and believing it. There is a small element of truth in his rant - to many observers in the Muslim world the American administration's backing of Israel, no matter what, must seem strange, and can readily give rise to conspiracy theories. Mahathir's remedy is this, " We cannot fight them through brawn alone. We must use our brains as well." He urged Muslims to match their religious studies with mathematics and science. In fact if they want to get on they should cut well back on the religion which often promotes such ideas as "Islamic Science" - trying to study the universe fettered by a religious dogma that permeates society does not get you very far - here is a page claiming priority of many discoveries and inventions for Islam. The facts may well be accurate but it is what you do with these technologies that is important. Just to take one invention cited, that of moveable type, generally attributed to Guthenberg in the 15th century but revealed here to be have been invented 100 years previously, in Islamic Spain. The question immediately arises why was it in Europe that printing and the wide dissemination of knowledge it entailed set alight intellectual discoveries that led to Western dominance of science and technology until the 20th century? Why did it not happen in Islamic Spain a century before? A culture that views every aspect of life, study and social interaction through the prism of religion, is hobbled. Folk in countries such as the US, and others, with a vociferous, fundamentalist, religious minority interfering in school textbooks to promote fairy tales and blurring the distinction between church and state should take good note of this.

November 3rd 2003

Below Canada - here is an interview with Michael Newdow whose efforts to remove the phrase "under God" from the US Pledge of Allegiance (added in 1954) will be the subject of a Supreme Court case early next year. Newdow has been painted by some as a fanatic but his answers here do not fit that image - although he is certainly a man on a mission, fully aware of the wider implications of the action he has started. As this page from The Humanist makes clear "Had the framers of the Constitution wanted to establish the United States as a nation under or ruled by God, they had ample opportunity to make their intentions clear. But they didn't. Instead, the Constitution begins with the words We the People." It is not considered likely by most informed observers that the Supreme Court will endorse Robin Williams' alternative geographically-based pledge "One nation, below Canada and above Mexico.........."

Back or Burn? - "pretty reasonable and well thought out". is not a description one would normally associate with the practice of witchcraft but it was enough to persuade officials to award a government grant to Lena Skarning of Forest Witch Magic Consulting in Norway. This is of course on the understanding that she casts no harmful spells. Skarning can consider herself fortunate to be living in Western Europe as the consequences of practising witchcraft can be very different in say, India, Africa, or at the hands of biblical literalists.
 

Charity Not Church - the Fire Service in South Wales, like many in the UK, has an honorable tradition of collecting for charity each Christmas - but maybe not this year. At least not with the organization they have helped in the past. Operation Christmas Child, sends boxes of presents to poor children in 14 countries across the world. But it seems they have been putting Evangelical Christian literature in the boxes as well, which has led to a complaint from the National Secular Society and suspension of the Fire Service support. Operation Christmas Child admit " they do offer Bible stories separately to children in countries where it is felt appropriate." This would seem to be perfectly innocuous - although what these people deem "appropriate" may not be acceptable by others. This seems even less likely when the aims of the outfit behind Operation Christmas Child, Samaritan's Purse, are examined. Their mission statement is "Meeting critical needs of victims of war, poverty, famine, disease, and natural disaster while sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ." This aggressively evangelising and missionary group is the brainchild of Franklin Graham (son of Billy), who is known for his verbal attacks on Islam, characterizing it as "a wicked religion". 80 has looked at his agenda before and found little of which to approve. By all means send aid and help to the children of the world - and not just at Christmas but all year round - just don't link your help to your religious views. Freely giving without conditions is true charity - not help in one hand and the bible in the other. Christian Aid is an example of how it should be done - and Samaritan's Purse is not. (Scroll down the left-hand margin of this page to find other charitable links - click and give for free)
 

Let There Be Lightning - it seems that it is not only various religious groups that disapprove of Mel Gibson's New Testament flick, now retitled The Passion Of Christ. The actor playing Christ was struck by lightning during filming in Italy - and not for the first time, according to this BBC report. Once is coincidence, but twice........seems like someone can't take a hint. (80 has reported a critical bolt from above before.)

November 10th 2003

Poisonous Cure? - arsenic in groundwater is a major health risk in areas of West Bengal, India and adjoining Bangladesh. The scale of the problem is such that no method of treatment will be able to produce results anytime soon. If you cannot take the arsenic out of the water supply how can the health of people and livestock be safeguarded? By giving them more arsenic, according to this paper, published by Indian researchers on the BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine website. This sounds nonsensical until you learn that the arsenic is administered in a super-diluted homeopathic dose. Such a dose is considered to be more effective the more diluted it is. After repeated dilution this can have the effect of the dose actually consisting of just water. (You're right, it still sounds like nonsense) In desperation, looking for a mechanism for something that is little more than magic, homeopathists have claimed that this water retains a memory of the original substance, a claim that is not substantiated by any evidence. (Besides, the water would retain a memory of everything ever diluted in it - thereby masking or defeating any claimed homeopathic effect. Unless you postulate that water not only has a memory but also, conveniently, has amnesia.) The only thing that the homeopathic arsenic "cure", so far tested only on mice, can do is - nothing. At least it does no harm, apart from promoting this particular brand of quackery.
 

The Entire Visible Universe - is the merest froth on the surface of a vast, invisible ocean. Those who believe that science destroys feelings of awe and wonderment and robs us of mystery should try wrapping their heads around some recent cosmological findings from the less than catchily named Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe. This spacecraft floats a million miles away, at one of the Earth's Langrange Points, examining the density of our Universe. Bruce Sterling, in a  piece from Wired, describes how this single probe is changing our ideas of the very substance of the cosmos. "Everything we're made of or can measure - from atoms to energy - is only 4 percent of the whole shebang. The rest is dark matter (about 23 percent) and, best of all, dark energy (73 percent)." Astounding, awesome and mysterious stuff indeed.
 

Taranaki Survivor - for those of us who think the survivalist, hiding out in the hills, ready to outlast the apocalypse, is a purely American phenomenon here is the New Zealand version - same nuttiness, different hemisphere. In a place notable for its stunning scenery, Taranaki, lurk those who await the end of the world as we know it, brought about by the advent of Planet X. In a glass fiber cocoon, hidden in an underground cave, surrounded by survival equipment and with his own electricity supply Walter Foott awaits the arrival of this Solar System interloper, which will apparently play havoc with Earth's orbit and weather systems. Foot believes a webcamera image shows Planet X on its way, despite the fact the object has been debunked by the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, who took the picture in the first place. This article from Stuff notes that Foott " has hundreds of photos taken from all over the world, many of them showing unexplained celestial images." No doubt he has, but unexplained by who? Just because you don't know what something is does not make it Planet X, an alien starship or the Easter Bunny. (Note to Sven Carlsson, the reporter on this story - Lowell's unnamed pupil, who discovered Pluto in 1930 was Clyde Tombaugh. He died in 1997 at the age of 91 - here is a great website on his life and work - and Pluto)

MMR OK part 2 - more on the subject of vaccination. One of the doctors involved in the original research that fuelled doubts about the safety of Measles Mumps Rubella combined vaccine, leading to worries it could trigger autism and bowel disease, is now voicing concerns about a possible measles epidemic in the UK. (80 has reported on this before) While his research did not link MMR directly to these problems it was a gift to the anti-vaccination lobby and the media who love a scare story. The result was a drop in uptake of MMR hence the concerns about an epidemic. Now Dr Simon Murch, who has consistently advocated MMR jabs (unlike a co-author of the report), has said "No other vaccine has ever been studied in such depth, and the evidence for its overall safety is comprehensive. There is now unequivocal evidence that MMR is not a risk factor for autism - this statement is not spin or medical conspiracy, but reflects an unprecedented volume of medical study on a worldwide basis. By any rational standards of risk/ benefit calculation, it is an illogical and potentially dangerous mistake for parents to be prepared to take their children in a car on the motorway or in an aeroplane on holiday, but not to protect them with the MMR vaccine." Hopefully this will reassure many parents but once a scare story starts it is very hard to stop it influencing at least some people. Even the BBC page that is the source of this item still refers to an "MMR row" when the evidence of its safety is overwhelming. Web sites such as What Doctors Don't Tell You seem to take a positive joy in stoking worries in the face of such evidence - while also irresponsibly plugging a useless homeopathic "alternative" to vaccination and other quackery. For reliable information on vaccinations take a look here.

November 17th 2003

Storm on a Cruise Ship - or perhaps more accurately storm in a teacup. Featuring much in the news this week was the Aurora, a P&O vessel whose passengers and crew were hit by a stomach virus. Such an outbreak is not all that unusual in the closed environment of a cruise ship but the scale of this outbreak was greater than other incidents and for those infected cannot have been pleasant. Now the ship has docked back in the UK it appears the tabloid "Cruise from Hell" type headlines were, in the opinion of many passengers, overblown, reports the Guardian. Many blamed their fellow voyagers for poor personal hygiene. One passenger, a food industry consultant, said "There was nothing more that P&O could have done to contain the virus. I believe someone came on board with it, who didn't have good personal hygiene standards. We were issued with wipes to use before handling anything, and I saw people using them to wipe the trays, not their hands. P&O have to cater for idiots." Many passengers are calling for big compensation - one  complainer, who had previously found fame in a reality TV show called Wife Swap, was dismissed by another passenger thus "The person who was shouting the loudest was from a programme called Wife Swap. Quite frankly, anyone who goes on a programme like that has no credibility whatsoever." Two possible lessons here - perhaps reality TV shows themselves should carry a health warning and the obvious one, don't look to tabloids for accurate reporting.
 

A Better Detector - the search is on for a "better" lie detector, driven by the threat of terrorism, according to this piece from USA Today. The use of the word "better" is questionable as it falsely implies that a good, or at least functional, lie detector exists that can be made better. The only lie detector in common use is the polygraph, which is generally considered pretty useless, being comparatively easily fooled and known to throw up false positives. There is also a large subjective element in interpreting the results obtained. (This has not stopped its use by various authorities) Arguably its only effective use is as a scare tactic on those who are unaware of its shortcomings. What the device actually monitors are changes in blood pressure, heart rate, respiration and skin resistivity. These can be affected by stress, illness and other factors unrelated to lying. (see The Pinocchio Error) USA Today reports on one device in particular which appears an unlikely candidate - the "cognoscope" which uses infra-red detectors to measure blood and oxygen flow. It is believed that "forming a lie produced a milliseconds-long burst of bloodstream activity in the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain known as the center of decision-making." The inventor claims that "You could see the thought before it is articulated." This seems to be overly optimistic - especially as testing has shown the cognoscope can also produce false positives. This is but one approach of several mentioned in this interesting article. (80 is surprised that none of the current pack of "psychic mediums" have volunteered for the job - with their powers it would surely be a cinch to catch a liar, if only on the basis that it takes one to know one.) What is not in doubt is that a lot of money and a lot of energy will be consumed in the search for a workable solution as the terrorist threat shows no sign of diminishing any time soon. (Here is much more on the polygraph from the Federation of American Scientists website.)

Update - Now there's a surprise - apparently the Green River serial killer successfully passed a lie detector test in 1984. And again in 1986.......

Headline - you never thought you would see - Saudis 'fear sand shortage'

Roosting Rocks - you will no doubt have heard of UFOs, ETs and possibly UAPs but here is a new one to try out - URBs. This stands for Unexplained Resting Boulders - a strange phenomenon first noted by a turkey hunter in Yellowwood State Forest, Indiana, USA. Lodged in the branches of an 80 foot tree was a rock - apparently a substantial one, estimated to weigh some 400 pounds/180 kilos. It is not alone, two others have been spotted by hikers. How they got there is anybody's guess, the area is remote and this account, from BrownCountyIndiana.com, includes directions and compass bearings to the location. It also features a picture, although it is impossible to get an impression of the scale of things from it. To place these boulders high up in trees is certainly no trivial task, requiring lifting equipment - the theory that the trees grew with them in situ is a non-starter as a sapling could not bear their weight. Another explanation is that a tornado is to blame, but there is a school of thought that UFOs are something to do with it - although just what ET was hoping to achieve is as big a puzzle as the URBs themselves. Looks like the Indiana Skeptics may have a field trip coming up..........

Horny Signal - British spooks at a top secret monitoring base thought they were on to something when they started picking up mysterious high frequency signals like nothing they had seen before. Was it a secret message from operatives of a fiendish foreign power? Or even a first contact from ET? Sadly, no. It turns out that a ram, in between performing his rammish duties with the ewes of his flock, was rubbing his horns against the base of a radio antenna. A spokesman told the London Times “It was part of the ritual that the ram went through after it had made a conquest. I believe the ram was notching up a mark on the pylon, so to speak.”

November 25th 2003

Bush Visits the UK - there has been a lot of coverage in the British press over George W Bush's trip to the UK - mainly about the massive (and understandable) security measures that are being taken. An unfortunate side effect of this is that the President will be shielded from most of the protestors and will not see them exercising their democratic rights, something he professes to be keen on promoting everywhere. It is noteworthy that the demonstrators are not anti-American - their beef is with the current US administration on a number of subjects, not just the one that gets all the attention, Iraq. (It is also worth remembering that it was Tony Blair that took Britain into Iraq, not Bush.) It is a sign of nerves over the trip that Bush will not be addressing the joint Houses of Parliament, unlike previous world leaders such as "Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and Francois Mitterand.." according to the Daily Mirror, which adds "Tony Blair gave a joint address to the American Senate and Congress in July." It is assumed that Bush would not want a repeat of the heckling he experienced from Australian MPs. It is true that this UK trip was planned a long time ago and both Bush and Blair could likely do without all the fuss right now but another thought may occur to the cynical. Pictures of a full blown state visit to the US's greatest ally would make great copy for an election special, now that the aircraft carrier stunt is looking more than a little tarnished. As for Bush staying at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, some wag pointed out that they do have a couple of things in common. Both are in their present position because of their daddies, and neither were elected.
 

Guarded Observations - Here are some articles from the UK Guardian that make for interesting reading. The weekly Bad Science page from Ben Goldacre points out some pseudoscience idiocies regarding DNA and also highlights the ideas of one Kyron, who claims that "DNA actually contains 12 strands - not two" which apparently has the happy result that "every single human being has the potential for all knowledge". It would seem that conventional reserachers have missed this. All is made clear (?) by Beth Coleman who, with a deft mastery of bafflegab, explains the ramifications of these extra strands, backed up by evidence from acupuncture meridians. This includes the idea that your DNA is in fact a superconductor of energy - although it is not made clear if this is the regular visible stuff or the Kyron-revealed extra strands. This will lead, by routes too tedious to detail, to a new generation of advanced Human Beings. (You can tell they are advanced as they have Capital Letters). Beth also does a nifty line in distance healing by phone, Mayan Prophecy and also warns us that Mars is approaching Earth, with results likely to prove surprising, and not just to to astronomers. Still in pseudoscientific territory the Guardian publishes a list of ten scientific scams that were "Too Good To Be True" including Piltdown Man, Lysenkoism and one that was new to 80, the amazing Tasaday tribe of the Philippines. The final item is an oddity called The Barefoot Doctor, who features in the Observer magazine dispensing New Agey type health advice. So crackpot is this stuff that many people smell a parody. More entertainng and frequently hilarious is this page of comments and suggestions emailed to the Barefoot quack, many of them less than complimentary about his complementary claptrap.

Another Bad Example - 80 wrote recently on George W Bush's unfortunate choice of the Philippines as a role model for Iraq - comparing his example with the facts as supplied by none other than the CIA World Fact Book - and found the Philippines seriously wanting in that regard. Now here is a piece from the New York Times (reg. rqd.) highlighting the dangers of another example, Afghanistan. With its current boom in opium production and the resurgence of the Taliban the promise that was in the air just a short while ago is evaporating. Lacking effective maintenance of security things are sliding back to how they were, with armed religious fanatics and bandits running the show. Too swift a pull-out from Iraq in order to look good to the home audience in the 2004 elections could be disastrous. The option of proper UN involvement could make the difference but whether the US administration will admit this is highly unlikely. A leader who seems to think he has been divinely appointed is even less likely to backpedal than a regular politician.

ID or not ID - that is the question. There is much discussion in the UK currently about identity cards. The Home Secretary, David Blunkett, has pushed for their introduction and plans are afoot for them to be phased in. The linchpin of the security he claims they will provide relies upon biometric information encoded into the card. This article from The Register points out the many problems of building the biometric database necessary and claims that such a repository of information will be unwieldy and near impossible to set up - especially when scaled to European Union size, which would be a necessary requirement of an effective system. Blunkett's faith in the ID card  as a weapon against terrorists and illegal immigrants (are these threats really in any way equivalent in their seriousness?) assumes that the initial information fed into the card is accurate. If passable, yet forged documents, such as birth certificates or passports are used, then any problems of the old system will merely be transferred to the new. Another assumption is that the software used for assessing the biometric information and the automated recognition techniques that will be required for speedy verification of identity is up to the job. There are many doubts and trials of such methods have been, so far, less than convincing. (Anybody who uses a computer is aware that software does not always perform as promised and is in need of constant patching - even without outside factors such hackers and crackers.) On top of these issues are the very real concerns for personal privacy and the ability of the state to track individuals as they go about their lawful business. The line between subversives and people of whom the powers that be do not approve on political grounds could be in danger of being blurred. A tracking system would be a real temptation to the security services and could lead to abuse. A lot more work is needed on biometric software and safeguards before such a system would be ready for implementation. (Here is a survey of ID cards worldwide.)

Fallible Football - it would seem that the Pope and Uri Geller have at least one thing in common - they are a jinx in the world of soccer. 80 wrote a while back about the malign influence of the spoon-bending self-publicist on the fortunes of Exeter City Football Club in the UK. Now, in a soccer game to celebrate the silver jubilee of Karol Wojtyla's reign over the Vatican, Poland beat Italy, breaking a ten match unbroken run of victories for the Italians. The Pope had reportedly told them that he would pray for them - they then lost 3 goals to 1. So much for the power of prayer.......although to be fair papal infallibility only applies in defining doctrine, not backing soccer teams.

Featured Site - Shaved Daily - with Ockham's razor. A year ago 80 wrote a piece called Sites for Sore Eyes referring to "web sites that act as a welcome counterbalance to the flood of nonsense coming from the TV news and tabloid (read gutter) press." You will find links to many of them at Links from Number 80 - including The Skeptomaniac, self-described as "Evil Internet Skeptic And Plumber Of Human Belief Systems". Not only that but also the writer of some excellent pieces that are sharp, witty and informative. Included are essays on Critical Thinking, Applied Skepticism and the aptly titled Believerism, which looks at the reasons for, and types of, consoling, ie comforting, beliefs that have no basis in reality. A favorite page is Ask the Skeptic! Here you will find the Skeptomaniac's answers to questions posed via email such as “How can skeptics say there's no UFOs when there has been thousands and thousands of reports and so many people believe in them?” and “Show me one damn thing a skeptic ever proved wasn’t real.” and “Why are all skeptics so ugly? I’d believe them more if they were just a little more damned polite.” It would be doing a disservice to quote the answers given - go along to The Skeptomaniac and see for yourself.

December 3rd 2003

Blabbermouth - is Nicholas D Kristof losing it? His Op-Ed columns in the New York Times are, on the whole, beacons of common sense in this crazy world, but his latest, Don't Tell the Pope, (reg reqd) may well undermine the good efforts of the very folk that he praises. It seems that in El Salvador, a country where "church leaders in 1998 helped ban abortions even when necessary to save the life of a woman, and, much worse, helped pass a law, which took effect last month, requiring condoms to carry warnings that they do not protect against AIDS.", that there is still hope and decency. This comes not from the hypocritical Catholic church hierarchy but at grass roots level. Staff at a Catholic-run hospital responsibly inform women of birth control techniques and explain that condoms can protect against AIDS. (As opposed to the wicked official line of the Vatican). If news of this gets back up the chain of command to the local bishop and above there could well be hell to pay for these people. So what does Kristof do? He writes a column on this, naming the hospital and naming the staff. Now 80 may be completely wrong here, but surely one of the fastest ways for the the Catholic hierarchy to learn of this is from the pages of an internationally read newspaper? The sentiment "Let's hope the Vatican will learn from its priests and nuns on the ground..." is fatuous - a top down, authoritarian system like the Catholic Church does not work that way. Well done Kristof - if the Pope and his henchmen did not not hear of this already they sure have now - thanks to you.

Quack Psychics - oxymoron of the week. One of the more despicable traits of "psychic mediums" is their willingness to batten on to any means of publicity for their supposed powers. Well, to be accurate not ANY means - take Sylvia Browne for example. She is a regular guest on talk shows (they tend to make for a nice uncritical forum) as this gushing statement from her website illustrates, "God gave her a psychic ability that is unmatched by anyone, which is evident to all who have seen her work on television shows. Many times she has appeared on the Montel Williams Show, Leeza, Unsolved Mysteries, etc; where her astonishing insights and communications with the dead are nothing short of miraculous." As you can see she is no shrinking violet, hiding her light under a bushel, far from it - which makes it very strange that she has shied away from the one thing that would gain her massive international recognition. This is the $1 Million Paranormal Challenge offered by James Randi. Famously, Browne accepted the challenge to prove her powers on the Larry King Show, but has spent the intervening time (991 days!) ducking out and inventing excuses - each objection she has raised has been accommodated but still she won't play. Even if she doesn't need the money for herself she could donate it to a deserving charity of her choice. Of course if she is a complete fake who preys on the bereaved and gullible then that would explain her refusal. Dodging the challenge does not seem to have affected her other activities. She manages to pop up on the Montel Williams Show this week to tell a man that his missing wife is still alive and has joined a cult. The show was taped in October and the police, who have no other leads, checked out Browne's claims - to no avail. This should not be too surprising as every attempt by psychics to aid police investigations have been useless and in some cases have led to resources being taken away from real police work. (Here is a page where the police give their opinion of such "help") If Browne really had information for this poor man and the police why does she have to broadcast it on television - would it not have been kinder to have spoken privately on these matters? No - you get zero publicity that way and that is all these charlatans are after. Equally repulsive are those who invite the likes of Browne and other frauds onto their shows - their only aim is to keep those all important ratings up - never mind the effect on the bereaved or someone who has a loved one missing, perhaps dead. It is a wonder that the psychics and those who give them a free, uncritical, platform can sleep at night - are they proud of the way they use people? Asked about the appearance on the Montel Show an investigator from a non-profit child search agency is quoted as saying "families of missing people are particularly vulnerable to quack psychics who can take advantage of them." Quack psychics? Is there any other kind?

(For a fascinating, detailed case study of a "successful" psychic naming a murderer take a look at Tony Youens' site and here is a report of the night the psychics were "routed" on Larry King Live.)
 

Nothing To Lose? - Michael Shermer, writing in Scientific American, says "Alternative medicine is not everything to gain and nothing to lose" illustrating his point with the story of the terminal illness of his mother. He describes the dilemma faced when medicine can no longer help a loved one - do you seek out alternative therapies for which no evidence of effectiveness exists? His answer is no - and in explaining why he reveals some alarming statistics. Such facts as "the amount of money spent on herbal medicines and nutrition therapy accounts for more than half of all out-of-pocket expenses to physicians" are very worrying, as so much money and hope are often expended on useless treatments. As Shermer says "There is only scientific medicine that has been tested and alternative medicine that has not been tested". In fact the latter does not deserve to described as medicine at all. A thoughtful and disturbing piece. (Shermer's own website is Skeptic.com Reliable information on "alternative therapies" can be found at Quackwatch and also from sites of the Anti-Quackery WebRing of which 80 is a member)

Spaceballs - here is a frankly daft piece from the Guardian about the "legacy" of Immanuel Velikovsky. His book, Worlds In Collision, proposed some of the strangest goings on including a comet emerging from Jupiter, caroming around the Solar System like a demented pool ball, and then settling into the near circular orbit it occupies today - as the planet Venus. The side effect of this shenanigans was to fortuitously cause several events described in the Old Testament - in one instance the planet Earth ceased to rotate so that Joshuah could get in some more righteous killing before sunset (Joshua 10:13). Happily after the slaughter was done the planet seems to have picked up again - apparently at the same speed - without even spilling anyone's drink. The writer of the Guardian piece has to bend over backwards to find any reason to have bothered to have dragged up Velikovsky's nonsense in the first place, stating "Although much of his evidence has been proven to be flawed, Velikovsky's basic premise, that millennia ago some kind of catastrophe took place in our solar system, has gained some acceptability." To say much of his evidence has been proven to be flawed is perhaps the understatement of the year. Yes, evidence is mounting that some pretty violent events such as the birth of the Moon took place in the Solar System's infancy (billennia not millennia ago) - but such events obeyed the laws of physics, unlike the Venus/comet silliness posited by Velikovsky. As for the final paragraph "Velikovsky is unlikely to join Bruno and Galileo in the pantheon of redeemed cosmological heretics, but he is at least assured a prominent footnote in the annals of science." This surely is a misprint and should read "annals of pseudoscience".

Seeing is Believing Part 2 - a short while ago Michael Bach's excellent website, Optical Illusions & Visual Phenomena was mentioned. A torture test for the eyeballs and brain, it reveals that all you see is not necessarily as it appears - and has implications for claims of religious apparitions, Bigfoot or UFO sightings and a host of other unusual observations. Now here is a companion site of a sort, from the BBC, which tests your visual perception. Beware, even though you know illusion and trickery are involved these tests are still very deceptive. They certainly deceived the overly smug 80 pretty thoroughly, who achieved a very poor score indeed.......  (you will need Flash for this site)

December 15th 2003

Keep On Testing - according to a study by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the USA, echinacea, a popular herbal cold remedy, is not effective for treating colds in children. This is in spite of the fact that echinacea "is one of the most commonly used herbs in the United States." Not effective is a polite way of saying useless. Here are the results published on the NCCAM website. Overall, the researchers found that between those receiving echinacea and those receiving placebo at the onset of symptoms there was -
No difference in the duration of upper respiratory infection symptoms
No difference in the overall severity of symptoms
No difference in the number of days of fever
No difference in parents' assessment of severity of infection
No overall difference in side effects (adverse events), however children taking echinacea were more likely to develop rashes than those taking placebo.
The researchers concluded that the "results do not support the use of echinacea for treatment of upper respiratory infections in children 2 to 11 years old." In other words it does nothing but make kids more likely to develop a rash. To 80's untutored eye the sensible course after results such as these would be to start investigating something else, as after all, money and time are always in short supply, but NCCAM would rather keep flogging a dead horse. Here is what they propose to do "the researchers recommend more studies to look at other echinacea preparations or different doses or dosing schedules to determine if there is any possible role for echinacea in treating colds in children. They also suggest further research to determine whether echinacea has any role in preventing colds." They sound desperate for the stuff to work. The attitude seems to be, so, even though testing shows it doesn't work we will keep testing anyway. This sounds like the same idiotic tack followed by the UK Department of Health in testing homeopathy for effectiveness (see Answers That Fit). If you don't see the results you want, keep on testing anyway - something may turn up if you tweak the data sufficiently, plus it keeps the funds rolling in nicely. As 80 has said before there is no alternative or complementary medicine - there is only medicine that is proven to work based on the evidence. It would be a good idea for the NCCAM types and their ilk to repeat once a day these two quotations from Richard Feynman "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself -- and you are the easiest person to fool." and "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled."

Circular Logic - it is amusing to watch so-called crop circle paranormal investigators in Solano County, California, run through all the same old twaddle as has been repeated ad nauseam in the UK - where the phenomenon has been around for a lot longer. (80 recommends a look at the Circlemakers before sounding off on the subject) The circles in Solano are nothing special compared to British examples, some of which are breathtaking and surely qualify as works of art. The Solano circles have had an earthly explanation - some kids admitted they had made them out of boredom. Now along come the self-appointed "paranormal investigators" saying condescendingly the kids could not have created them, as it would be beyond their abilities. So what explanation do these investigators prefer? Anything other than the commonplace seems to be the answer and aliens are not ruled out. One is that each circle differs from the next by a set ratio analogous to the frequency change of notes in a musical scale. (One intrepid soul has even played it out on his keyboard and lived to tell the tale) To be fair this is really an observation rather than an explanation - although how one can accurately measure a crop circle is a bit of a puzzle. By the very nature of the medium, wheat stalks, measurements cannot be accurate. One idea is that the circles were caused by a burst of microwave energy - this was based on past circle experiments according to the San Francisco Chronicle, and examination of some of the wheat. The claim is that the samples from within the circle were larger than those from outside. One of the team admitted that they had only checked a "couple dozen" samples and described their result as "preliminary". Another of their number disagreed, revealing the kind of logic in action here - "Hey, how many crows do you need to see to say that all crows are not black?" he said, then answered rhetorically: "One." (Somehow this surely has to be a misquote - even allowing for paranormal investigator speak) The upshot is that these guys have spent five months on this investigation and their only conclusion is that the circles were not a hoax. No doubt they feel this has been time well spent - others who have heard it all before may take a different view. (see The Cereal Artists for more)

Santa Secrets - most folk if they bother to think of it at all, assume the Santa Claus figure popular at Christmas time came from legends about the 4th century Bishop of Myra, in modern day Turkey. This is accurate enough, but on his way into the festive pantheon he stayed a while in the Netherlands, became mixed up in interdenominational bitterness, and adopted the trademark red robes and flowing white beard so familiar today. This article, from Radio Netherlands, tells us some of the story. Sinterklaas, as he is known there, became embroiled in the disputes between Catholics and Protestants. The latter opposed the celebration of St Nick's feast day, December 5th, on two main grounds. In their back-to-basics view as Nick isn't mentioned in the Bible, he wasn't worth knowing - also as the Catholics observed his feast day they wouldn't. The Protestants had in general far fewer such days of celebration and no doubt considered Nick a frivolous distraction from being serious, worthy and dour. Despite all this he and his feast day survived. Now, in a sort of plot twist, the original Sinterklaas is  under threat from the growing popularity of something for which he was the original model, the upstart Father Christmas/Santa Claus - he of the elves, the North Pole and Rudolph etc. And this time Sinterklaas is likely to lose - on the grounds of political correctness. His traditional retinue reflects the ignorance and xenophobia of an earlier time, as they "are all black, wear clown-like outfits, speak with a funny accent that suggests they're not too bright, and they are used as a threat to children who misbehave." In today's multi-ethnic societies this is unlikely to earn him many friends, although the White Supremacist idiots would no doubt consider this a plus. (Here is more information on Sinterklaas than the mind can comfortably encompass.)
 

That's The Spirit! - we all owe Mr. Montague Keen and the International Survivalist Society a debt of gratitude for informing us of a meticulous recreation of an old-time seance, of the type enjoyed by such luminaries as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the early years of the last century. It included various spirit speakers, one of whom was Timothy Booth, a deceased but cheeky cockney lad. He not only called Mr Keen "Uncle Monty"  but also was apparently responsible for a certain amount of psychic "touching" that took place - which just goes to show such high jinks can survive beyond the veil! Mr Keen, who has kindly written of the seance, did note that one of the spirits present, Caldwell, had a voice "not dissimilar" to another heard,  but as both spirits were using the same ectoplasmic larynx, which had been handily exuded from the medium's body "by various orifices", it is not surprising. As is traditional in parlor games of this type the medium, David Thompson, was bound and gagged. For those that like pictures of that sort of thing Mr Keen has thoughtfully included them in his detailed report. The whole show seemed to go very well and even the supreme banality of the messages from beyond was spot-on for accuracy. The shade of Louis Armstrong put in an appearance and spoke in his unmistakeable tones, despite admitting to having problems operating the ectoplasmic voice box - not quite the same as a trumpet one supposes. The star of the spirit show in many ways was Sir William Crookes, who flatteringly recognized Mr Keen as a successor in his psychic investigations and even unknotted Mr Keen's tie! Happily for decorum's sake the disrobing stopped there. It looks like a good time was had by all attendees, who not only put a lot of effort into making this historical reenactment so authentic, but also managed to bring along a generous measure of good old fashioned gullibility. Jolly well done!

(For more old time spiritualist fun see Holey Cell Survivalist)

December 22nd 2003

Death by Ignorance - Sadly the scare over MMR is but one facet of an irrational and irresponsible response to vaccination that has found voice on many websites, often in order to sell some "alternative" treatments. This mixture of ignorance and greed is one of the greatest threats to public health in the world today. Drops in vaccination take up could lead to the return of many diseases that many thought had been banished for good. For further reading on this tangled subject do take a look at Green Light and also the Anti-Quackery WebRing, of which 80 is a member. This BBC story tells how a combination of fundamentalist religion, idiotic conspiracy theories and ignorance about polio vaccination will condemn many to death in Nigeria.

Cancer Con - two sides of so-called alternative medicine are highlighted by the UK Daily Telegraph (reg reqd) one desperately sad and one (below) intensely annoying. The first story concerns a terminally ill cancer patient who was conned by an unscrupulous quack into forking out money for a useless treatment. Reginald Gill, a self-styled "wellness practitioner" used a machine claimed to be for treating headaches and lumbago to treat the patient's cancer of the pancreas. Gill told the man that his cancer was not a disease but a "reversible metabolic disorder". He charged his victim £150 ($260) for daily "treatments" and eventually sold him his useless machine for £2500 ($4370) which had originally cost him £200 ($350). Gill told the patient after treatment "I've got it. I've killed the bad cells. It's just the pancreas that needs more work." Believing this, he followed Gill's quackery instead of a course of chemotherapy and died within 10 weeks. (also see here for a BBC report)

Street of Thieves - here is more from the Telegraph (reg rqd) on the above story and alternative therapies in general " In Harley Street there are all kinds of strange therapies on offer, such as having your blood taken out and put back, and oxygen therapy. It is no wonder it is sometimes known as the Street of Thieves."

Clown Prince - the Telegraph also reports on the latest wisdom to be dispensed on the subject of "complementary" therapies by the Complementary Prince himself, Charles Windsor. He used "a visit to a Chinese acupuncture clinic to extol the virtues of complementary practices such as homeopathy, aromatherapy and massage." This is part of the woolly-minded, king wannabe's drive to have such therapies supported by the permanently cash-strapped British National Health Service (NHS). There is not enough money for real, evidence-based medicine let alone the kind of stuff Windsor promotes. His remarks were made after presenting the Prince of Wales Foundation for Integrated Health awards which aim, amongst other things, " to increase access to complementary healthcare. Most people have to pay directly for complementary treatment; we believe it should be accessible for all those who need it, integrated with conventional medicine." This is absurd - the NHS needs to be able to deliver proper evidence-based medicine at no cost to patients, not waste time and resources on highly questionable treatments that happen to catch the eye of a dilettante, multi-millionaire, aristocrat.

Quote of the Week - "I can't imagine anything worse than rule by religious leaders and I would have nothing to do with it. " Dr Jonathan Sacks, British Chief Rabbi from a BBC article on church and state. Having said that Sacks also believes that we "remove religion from the political landscape at our peril". He apparently reckons that without a religious dimension, political goals would be merely be set by short term popularity and profit. He is falling into the tired old fallacy that religious faith is required for morality. This is not so - apart from anything else, humans invented the gods they pray to, and they also invented the laws handed down by these imaginary beings. Morality comes from humankind not from some supernatural being. That said, Sacks' stance that "religion's ability to win people's hearts and minds should depend on force of argument rather than the argument of force. Religion has at its worst been responsible for genocide, tyranny, despotism and terrorism, but always and only when it has become confused with power." is hard to fault.

December 29th 2003

Shifting Shabti - in order to attract more visitors many museums are shedding their dry and dusty image by featuring such attractions as  interactive displays, animations and special exhibitions. So long as this sort of thing does not lead to too much dumbing down it can be considered a good thing. Hinting that the museum may be haunted or in some way cursed by an exhibit is going too far - but this seems to be the case with the Bergen Museum in Norway. Ancient Egyptian shabti, little funerary dolls that represent slaves and servants who will care for the deceased in the manner to which they had been accustomed, are moving about in the night- with no obvious agency doing the moving. A museum guard claims the shabti have been behaving "strangely" since they were taken from storage in 2001 and put on display. It is claimed that overnight the little figures move around "They stand in glass cases that are sealed and locked but you can see it in the trails in the dust." said the guard, " If it is because of vibrations in the floor, like some claim, why don't other objects move?" Professor Henrik von Achen, an art historian responsibility for the collections of religious art and church art, said that colleagues don't like working there at night and is quoted as saying "Someone has made them and laid them in a grave. Now they are out of the grave's darkness. What do they bring? If we ask, maybe they answer, that is the magic of the museum." What on earth is he on about? To complete the "B" movie dialog he should have added "There are some things Man is not meant to know........" Instead of impersonating Vincent Price it would be more useful to set up a camera to observe the shabti overnight - 80 is willing to bet that they will not even twitch - let alone move about.

Flu Flattens Flock - here are three items from the wacky world of religion. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the Catholic church in the Bay Area has revised its communion rituals in an attempt to limit the spread of 'flu among the faithful. This involves altering the way the wine and wafer are dispensed to the flock to cut down on possible transmission paths for the virus - a sensible precaution. But at the moment the bread and wine are offered up, according to Catholic belief, the miracle of Transubstantiation occurs as they change in to the actual body and blood of Christ. Miracle or not, it is apparent that the Real Presence of Christ is just not miraculous enough to zap the 'flu virus.

Cutting Invitation - according to BBC news "Malaysia moots cross-cultural circumcision" to promote racial harmony. It seems that genital mutilation (mootilation?) is a rite of passage for young Muslim men and and can be mass affairs involving hundreds of participants (although what on earth they do with all those offcuts does not bear thinking about.) "Now the prime minister's religious affairs adviser has suggested that circumcision can bring Malaysians of all races and religions together." He suggests in the interest of racial harmony that friends of other faiths could be invited to join in and would like to see "a nationwide circumcision ceremony organised." Some party! That is one invitation that 80 would be happy to decline. (This type of operation is far from risk-free, see here and here. And for some of the bizarre reasons for its adoption in the West take a look here)

French Sense - President Jacques Chirac has come out in support of a law banning overtly religious symbols in the classrooms of public schools. The French constitution is staunchly secular and it looks like a majority of the electorate support the idea. The ban applies to such things as Jewish skullcaps (yarmulkas), large Christian crosses or crucifixes and Muslim headscarves and yet to look at a lot of the press coverage, such as the BBC, (or here and here) the headlines would lead you to believe it is only the Muslims who are affected. To quote Chirac "Secularism is one of the great successes of the Republic. It is a crucial element of social peace and national cohesion. We cannot let it weaken." He might have added that a school is an educational establishment not a mosque, or a church or a synagogue. (80 looked at a squabble in New York over religious symbols in schools recently)