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Many people have a legitimate fear of numbers, equations, and probability. This “math anxiety” keeps much of the lay public from ever willfully learning about mathematics; indeed, ignorance in this regard is often touted. Commonly used phrases like “I’m not a numbers person” and “I hate math” betray that fact that a good portion of society does not understand math and consciously avoids it.

Comprehending this deficit and doing something about it should be taken up within our school system; we should engage students with math early, often, and more rigorously.

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cnyskeptics_headerSome of the most important work in promoting science and skepticism happens at the grassroots level. There are regional skeptical organizations all over the world that serve their local communities, and we like to regularly shine the spotlight on some of them.

In central New York state, the CNY Skeptics serve as a bastion of reason and critical thinking. I spoke with their founder, Lisa Goodlin.

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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo in medicine.  

Dr. Oz revisited (David Gorski) http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/dr-oz-revisited/ Dr. Oz has “crossed the Woobicon” into blatant support of nonsense. In a recent show featuring the infamous Dr. Mercola, he promoted this trifecta: an eggplant cure for cancer, algae to counteract the poisoning from amalgam fillings, and “earthing” to improve health by contact with the Earth’s “negatively charged antioxidant electrons.” Oz is “America’s Doctor” of Quackery.  

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There is a continuing controversy over the hypothesis, first proposed by Italian vascular surgeon, Dr. Paolo Zamboni that multiple sclerosis (MS) is caused by chronic blockage of the veins that drain the brain, called Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI). The current scientific consensus is that MS is a chronic autoimmune disease, and the pathology is caused by primary inflammation. Dr. Zamboni believes that the venous anomalies he has discovered are the primary cause and the inflammation is secondary.  

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  • Florida Jewish Journal | Sun-Sentinal, February 29, 2012
    Synagogue series invites controversy
    At the most recent meeting of the Controversial Issues Series, James Randi, stage magician, scientific skeptic and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation was invited to share his thoughts on God, religion and the legacy of Christopher Hitchens.
  • Daily Maverick, February 27, 2012
    Fortune doesn't favour the clairvoyant
    Bavuma and family shouldn’t weep though, because if the Peddie mystic’s powers are genuine, she stands an excellent chance of winning about R7.68-million in the James Randi Educational Foundation One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge.

 

  1. Congratulations, Syracuse University!
  2. Combing the Fringe: Death of the Mayans
  3. Last Week At Science-Based Medicine
  4. VAERS Pseudoscience