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Here, word-for-word, is an example of how certain “translation” systems manage to mangle text that we at the JREF regularly receive from applicants for the million-dollar prize. This person – a male, I assume – apparently thinks he can prove the existence of “jinns,” one of the Iranian supernatural notions.  (“Jinn” variations are "djinn,” genie," “jiin,” and "jinni-," if that helps at all.) In Iranian mythology, there are jinns, humans and angels – similar to the Christian versions, wings and all – and they’re mentioned in the Koran (Coran, Kuran, Quran, Qur'an, Qur’a-n, or al-Qur’a-n, your choice). Just like us, these critters can choose to be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent. Lots of luck handling that situation…

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If you happen to write a book, the unwary may mistake you for an expert. This explains how I end up being invited to speak at marketing convention.

I make it a point to weave a bit of critical thinking into my remarks. Witness the subtitle of one of my presentations: “Six Irrational Leaps Marketers Make, and How to Avoid Them.” Exposing the leaps provides an opportunity to define evidence, and to show how a convergence of it strengthens a conclusion. Before applying the principle to marketing, I use the Theory of Evolution to illustrate.

So, perhaps you can imagine how my Inner Brat rubbed its hands in mischievous, conspiratorial anticipation when I was invited to speak in Houston, Texas. The State of Texas is a bastion of not separating church from state, and the Texas State Board of Education has a history of championing creationism-as-science. There would likely be a good number of creationists in my audience. Wielding the authority of microphone and stage, I would be able to force-feed them a few facts about evolution and then circle back to the subject of marketing before anyone knew what had hit them. Bwah-ha-ha.

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[Editor's Note: Today we are celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the Smallpox Vaccine. Please enjoy and pass this along.]

When was the last time you lost a loved one to smallpox? When was the last time you heard of anyone dying of smallpox? When was the last time you even heard about anyone sick with it? If you cannot readily answer any of those questions, there’s a reason for that: smallpox is the only disease that has been eradicated by a vaccine. The last natural acquired case was recorded in Somalia in 1977. The worldwide eradication of smallpox was certified by a commission of scientists in December 1979, and subsequently endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 1980. The use of the smallpox vaccine was discontinued in the U.S. in the 1970, way before many of us were born.

The smallpox may be gone, but just like with its “lucky” victims, it has left deep scars on humanity. On the anniversary of the smallpox vaccine, let us take a look at the dreaded disease, the vaccine that ultimately beat it, and the anti-vaccine movement it spawned.

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[Editor's Note: This is the second in our brief series of articles celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of the Smallpox Vaccine. Please share both of these articles freely]

It was on today in 1796 that an Englishman by the name of Edward Jenner extruded pus from the cowpox-infected skin of a milkmaid and scratched it into the arm of a young boy. After the boy recovered from the minor infection that resulted, Jenner inoculated him again with fresh smallpox ooze, from which the boy experienced no subsequent symptoms. This represented the first of many successful efforts on his part to prove that being infected with cowpox in a controlled way was a safe and effective method to protect humans from smallpox.  

Jenner later coined the term vaccination to describe this procedure, based on the Latin word for cow (vacca) and cowpox (vaccinia). While he was not the first person to perform this technique to prevent smallpox, his rigorous efforts to scientifically reproduce his results and publish them in the medical literature were the nidus for future efforts to prevent infections through vaccination. This effort bloomed into one of the four most successful public health promotion strategies of the 20th century, along with pasteurized milk, chlorinated water, and flushing toilets.

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This week: JREF's Million Dollar Challenge Director Banachek takes on power bracelets on CBS News.

  1. Apply for 2011 JREF Educator Grants
  2. The Conceit of How We View the World
  3. Attend the SkeptiCal Conference in Berkeley, May 29
  4. Weekly Media Roundup, May 6, 2011