Skeptic History: A Tale Of Two Scientists
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- Written by Tim Farley
- Category: Swift
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This week I have a tale of two scientists, one you’ve probably heard of and one you probably haven’t.
On November 16, 1961, the government of Greece granted a patent to a small town medical doctor named John Lykoudis. It was for a combination of antibiotics that he claimed would cure peptic ulcers. He had clinical evidence from his own practice to back this up. The scientific consensus on this disease was that it was caused by excess stomach acid, and the recommended cure was antacids. Dr. Lykoudis’ cure, despite the patent, was refused a license by the Greek medical authorities and his papers on the topic rejected by many medical journals.
A Conference On Witchcraft Branding, Spirit Possession And Safeguarding African Children
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- Written by Leo Igwe
- Category: Swift
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I just returned from a two day conference on witchcraft branding, spirit possession, and safeguarding African children. The conference was organised by a UK-based charity, Africans United Against Child Abuse (AFRUCA). The aim of the conference was to mobilize the faith communities against the practice of witchcraft branding by highlighting the negative impact of this phenomenon and the belief in spirit possession on African children in the UK and in Africa.
According to the organisers, "The conference will explore the issue of branding children as witches in all its dimensions, looking at different factors underlying the phenomenon, its impact, different policies and strategies to tackle this growing problem. A focus will be put on the importance of religious beliefs given the role the faith organisations can play in enforcing the recommendations that will come out of the conference".
Personally, I was fascinated by the theme of the conference. I was delighted to know that another international child rights NGO had taken up the fight against witch hunting in the region. For me, the conference's objective was a tall order. In fact, I had my doubts as to how far the conference could go in addressing this important topic. Because Africa is a deeply religious society, and very often faith, dogma, and tradition trump human rights whenever issues concerning Africa are discussed. Faith or better religion is at the root of most problems that plague the continent, including that of witchcraft accusation. Sadly, many Africans are reluctant to acknowledge this. Many more people in the region are unwilling to challenge religious doctrines, traditions, and practices, particularly when they conflict with reason, science, and common sense. Many Africans do not want to question or be seen to be criticizing the dogmas of witchcraft belief. They often refrain from demanding evidence or proof of witchcraft claims. Many Christians in Africa find justification for witchcraft-related abuse in the Bible, which they believe to be the literal word of God.
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Quantum Entanglement Ceremonies
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- Written by Cynthia Horwitz
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Not everything spooky is a figment of your imagination. Quantum entanglement (described by Einstein as “spooky action at a distance”) is a real physics phenomenon.
But what’s real about a quantum entanglement wedding ceremony?
Science Can Be Made Easier
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- Written by James Randi
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[Here’s an excerpt from my forthcoming A Magician in the Laboratory that I’d like to offer Randi.org readers...]
I’m very well aware of the difficulty in maneuvering the scientific maze, in keeping all the caveats in mind, of maintaining the proper outlook, attitude, behavior, and goal in any scientific project or inquiry. I can also see that some cultural fixations and habits are holes in the road to be avoided. For example, a constant matter of wonder for me is the stubborn refusal of the United States of America to join the rest of the world in accepting logical, simplified, sensible, units of measurement. In my country, only the scientific community has opted to go along with standardization of temperature, distance, weight, and more exotic varieties of quality and magnitude – and that decision was dictated by the obvious fact that scientists have to understand one another or they might flounder about and fail to communicate. Just think of what could have happened if NASA had experienced any confusion about whether metric or “Imperial” measurements were to be used in one of their projects! That could have brought about a failure… Oh, wait a moment! That did happen!
Recipients of 2011 JREF Grants for Educators
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The James Randi Educational Foundation is pleased to annouce the latest recipients of funding through our Grants for Educators Program. The JREF is proud to provide support for two exciting projects this year, out of many worthwhile applicants.
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