A Musical Offering?
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- Written by Dr. Milton Mermikides
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Wherein the author offers to the reader some counterpoint to the artistic argument for religious faith and the prevailing mythology of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
A common defence of religious faith is framed in terms of the great works of art that it inspires: What life without the architecture of Gothic cathedrals, the paintings of Michelangelo or the glory of sacred choral music? Without religious inspiration we would surely be condemned to a cultural vacuum – a paltry existence listening to Sigue Sigue Sputnik’s oeuvre, admiring card-playing dog triptychs, and inhabiting variously-sized cardboard boxes. Artistic inspiration is a huge topic beyond this humble post’s scope, but let’s broach the question by looking at a prime example of this argument, Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) - a composer so great that when it was suggested that his music be included on the Voyager 1 space probe as evidence to alien life-forms of human intelligence, a colleague of Carl Sagan allegedly objected - “that would just be showing off”.
J.S. Bach was a devout Christian, and his music is often seen as inspired by his faith, as a Christian website eagerly claims:
[Bach’s] Music was given to glorify God in heaven […] It wasn't to make lots of money, or to feed the musician's ego, or to be famous. Music was about blessing the Lord.
It's Only Fair: Novella Calls on Dr. Oz to be a Guest on SGU
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JREF Senior Fellow Dr. Steven Novella appeared on The Dr. Oz show yesterday, and today Dr. Novella called for Dr. Oz to be a guest on the Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, to discuss alternative medicine in a fair format where both sides have an equal chance to respond.
If you use twitter, retweet this post by @TheBadAstronomer Phil Plait to make sure Oz gets the message.
Dr. Novella has written a detailed discussion of his experiences appearing on The Dr. Oz Show. Watch the segment online here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Science-Based Medicine: Dr. Steven Novella to appear on the Dr. Oz Show
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- Written by David H. Gorski, MD, PhD
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Welcome, Dr. Oz viewers! Science-Based Medicine (SBM) founder and exective editor Dr. Steven Novella was invited to be on The Doctor Oz Show. Later today, the episode in which he will appear will air in most of your local markets, and we wanted to make sure that any Dr. Oz viewer who sees the segment and as a result is intrigued (or even angered) enough to wonder what it is that we are all about will have a convenient "primer," so to speak, on the problem with Dr. Oz from a science-based perspective.
Read more: Science-Based Medicine: Dr. Steven Novella to appear on the Dr. Oz Show
Opinion Research Effort by JREF and Women Thinking Free Foundation Will Support Childhood Immunization
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- Category: Latest JREF News
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LOS ANGELES—At the start of National Infant Immunization Week, the Women Thinking Free Foundation (WTFF) and the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) announced they are joining together for a new research project aimed at understanding the spread of the unfounded “vaccine panic” that prevents some parents from getting important immunizations for their children.
“Misinformation about vaccines isn’t just a concern for scientific skeptics, it’s now a public health concern.” said WTFF President Elyse Anders. “There are millions of parents right now who are making decisions about immunization for their children, who are trying to make sense of the conflicting information they’re getting from the media. The research we’re conducting with the JREF will help us understand how parents make those decisions, and what information will help them give their kids the best start in life.”
The joint project is an opinion survey, already underway, that will include data from hundreds of parents of young children by the time survey gathering is complete. The surveys are being collected by volunteers at events where parents may be especially vulnerable to anti-vaccine messages. When the research is completed next spring, the JREF will be make the results freely available to public health advocates to help inform their efforts to support childhood immunity.
“Our goal is to help save lives,” said JREF President D.J. Grothe. “Although the scientific community has done a good job refuting the misinformation of the most vocal anti-scientific anti-vaccine campaigners, we don’t really know what information is getting through to the parents who need it. We want to help parents get the unbiased information they need to know that they’re making the healthiest choice when they give their child immunity from dangerous diseases.”
Another Baba Leaves the Scene
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- Written by James Randi
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This morning, the world of woo-woo was buzzing with the news that Sri Satya Sai Baba, India's very favorite claimant to miraculous powers, had died in hospital at age 84. I’ll not shed any tears at his death.
This fumbling sleight-of-hand artist dazzled his believers with an amateur and definitely non-mystical trick in which he claimed to produce an ashy substance he called vibhuti [holy ash] and sometimes scraps of food and cheap bits of jewelry – usually finger-rings bearing tin lithographed likenesses of himself. An occasional wrist-watch was “manifested” as well for especially-generous worshipers, each strangely bearing a factory-imprinted serial number… Think about that... This basic “vibhuti” trick had also been ascribed to former “babas.”
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