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Last year, I visited the display area run by the Shepherds of Christ Ministries outside the former bank office in Clearwater, Florida, where a set of window-panes are said to bear the image of — you guessed it! — the Virgin Mary. Every sort of souvenir, prayer card, candle, medal, and charm was for sale. I was in the excellent company of Richard Dawkins and members of the Atheist Alliance International group. We took samples of the ground-water there, which is full of mineral solutes. See www.google.com/u/JREF?q=Clearwater&sa=Go%21. The top three panes of that holy window were recently smashed by vandals, which provided the media with a wonderful opportunity for rhapsodizing over the original miracle, and — quite properly — complaining about the vandalism. One paragraph in a local newspaper was:
Glass experts believe the image was created by a chemical reaction and corrosion of the metallic elements in the glass coating, but they could not explain why it took the shape it did.
I never fail to be astonished at how poorly informed so many journalists — and "glass experts" (?) — are. The so-called "Virgin of Clearwater" — which I choose to refer to as "Our Lady of the Dirty Window," got there by the simple process that also discolored every other window around the building. It's the result of ground-water being sprayed up onto the windows from the sprinkler system, depositing a layer of metallic oxides there, and by thin-film reflection effects showing a fuzzy rainbow-like pattern on the glass. The specific shape of this pattern was brought about when a sprinkler-head just below the window was dislodged, and the resultant jet of water shot up to the top of the window and dripped down, depositing its minerals on the way. It's significant to note that when we examined the pipes that formerly ran the sprinkler system but were now disconnected, we saw that the specific outlet had been capped off. Its work was already done. One virgin, as needed.
(I had to surreptitiously open a padlock on the sprinkler-system pump to get our sample of water, but I'm sure that heaven will forgive me for this misdemeanor.)
Wouldn't you think that perhaps only a lowly angel might have been assigned to guard this site against such an unholy act? The weeping and wailing that went on caused quite a fuss among the faithful in Clearwater, but I have the perfect solution. New glass panes have now been put in. Simply remove the cap from the broken pipe, and restore the sprinkler system for a couple of weeks until the chemical deposit has been made again. It's that simple. Anyone can make a virgin.
Here's a cause you can support. Donate your used or unwanted science books and help improve poor school libraries. Reader To Reader, Inc., a public charity which collects and distributes free books to economically disadvantaged libraries throughout the United States, needs donations of science books for school libraries that lack even the most basic books in all areas of science. Since its founding in 2002, it has distributed more than 35,000 books to 75 schools. The group's Web site has instructions for donating books or money. See it at: www.readertoreader.org
Reader Phil Bigelow tells us:
With Georgia in the news recently regarding Creation Science, I thought you might like a "heads up" on a non-profit 501(c)(3) museum in South Dakota that actively teaches Creation Science to the community. The Grand River Museum, in Lemmon, South Dakota, www.grandrivermuseum.org passes itself off as a legitimate science museum. From their "Mission Statement" we read:
Grand River Museum is a non-profit institution, incorporated within the state of South Dakota, and as a publicly supported organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Grand River Museum's purpose is to emphasize the paleontological, geological, and cultural history of the Grand River region of South Dakota....and to educate and inform the general public about the region through outreach programs....
The problem is that Grand River Museum doesn't "educate and inform" the public at all. Their opening web page includes a link to an internal (Grand River Museum) Creation Science Q&A page. They also sell Creation Science books in their Museum Gift Shop. One particular tome that they mention is titled "Unlocking the Mysteries of Creation." Their "Dinosaur and Fossil Tour" link has the following quote from the Bible at the top of their page:
And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he could call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
They even sponsor "Creation Science Camps"! As you can see, their web site is infested with Creationist drivel. The question I have for you is, why on earth are federally tax-exempt non-profit organizations allowed to get away with teaching anti-science to the general public? This is an outrage!
Listen to our President invoking a deity or prayer in every one of his speeches, and maybe an answer will occur to you...
TAKE TWO SPOONS AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING
Reader Barry McGuire is puzzled. Seeing an announcement for a "spoon-bending party with "psychokinesis researcher" Jan Houck, and the note that "Everyone is encouraged to bring 5 spoons," he asks: "Why five spoons? Only one spoon is needed to readily dish out a super abundance of nonsense."
Reader Kim Mccavit writes:
You're probably already aware of this new lie-detecting technique, but just in case, here's a link to an article in EETimes magazine. The article presents this as a credible product, but seems to have just taken the companies claims at face value. An interesting claim is that the new voice analysis technique is 89% accurate compared to a conventional lie detector's 83% accuracy. So apparently their technique is 6% better than something that doesn't work at all...
You can see this wonder at www.eetimes.com/at/news/OEG20040116S0046 My personal opinion is that what's described there is considerably closer to a realistic method of detecting lies, than the polygraph notion. I'll need much more evidence before I can make a proper assessment of the technique.
TAKE TWENTY MINUTES OF RED LIGHT AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING
Reader Scott Harbaugh writes me:
I was wondering if you had heard of laser acupuncture. For years I have heard radio ads for a "laser stop smoking clinic." Now I had always assumed that "laser" was just a brand name for some sort of smoking cessation clinic, after all how could a beam of light stop you from smoking? A week or so ago at work I overheard two people talking about the laser system and how a friend of one person had stopped smoking overnight after x number of years, etc. What amazed me though, was to hear that the laser referred to an actual laser. The gimmick is that it is shined on acupuncture points, so provides all the "benefits" of acupuncture without penetrating the skin. At this point I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Have you heard of this? To judge from the level of radio advertising in this area, I assume this must be a successful business.And more importantly why is laser light so special? If I have the light on while I take a shower am I not getting a full body treatment? How about if I lay out at the beach? Or hey, here's an idea: a suit with strategically-placed holes to allow light to only hit critical points. Maybe I could market them.
Scott obviously isn't keeping up with current quackery. "Light Force Therapy" is a great idea that uses a simple bank of red LEDs that look just super, it convinces the gullible that they feel better, and does wonderful things to the bank account of the company that peddles it via generous TV advertising. And, they've cut the price on their SuperNova model from $999 to $499! They won't last long at that price! Their advertising says, cleverly, that
Light Force Therapy devices are cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain, muscle spasm and stiffness, sore muscles and the pain associated with arthritis and increase local circulation.
Oh, I'm sure of it. Notice the use of the word "cleared." That means the FDA says that it's safe to use — but not that it's effective! This is a raft of LEDs that merely warms the area it's held near, in exactly the same way a regular incandescent light bulb does! The sellers throw in the word "infra-red," and that makes it all very scientific.
I've heard that the FTC and FDA — ever vigilant! — will close down the operation in about ten or twelve years, perhaps less.
An anonymous UK reader writes:
My mother-in-law (who is forever trying to win me over and cure my skeptical ways) sent me a link about a product that has been the subject of a puff-piece in the London Evening Standard. This newspaper used to be a reputable news source for Londoners (not quite the New York Times, but getting there), but has recently changed ownership and has been sliding downhill ever since. The link is www.thisislondon.com/lifeandstyle/health/articles/9425069?source=Evening%20StandardI'm quite amazed. Not only are they recommending bandaging herbal teabags to your feet to cure hangovers, but that old chestnut, the Q-Link, also makes an appearance. It's apparently endorsed by Madonna, which is good enough for me....
Possibly the best quote is found in the "Anti-Cellulite Shoes" section: "Cynics may be reassured that chiropractors recommend them." I'm afraid that just makes me even more cynical. There may be no hope for me after all.
Nope, no hope. Only Scientology can help, now. You got lots of money...?
There's a site by "Creative Bead Designs" at http://cbdesigns.tripod.com/metaphysical_properties.htm that extols the virtues of various gems and minerals, giving their "Metaphysical Properties." They also tell us there that making beads from some materials isn't easy:
Gemstones such as diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires are rarely drilled to make beads as this detracts from there [sic] worth.
Well, apparently not for these purveyors of dreams. The powers of garnet are prodigious: "Red garnets stimulate blood flow, aid in anemia, help combat depression, stimulate libido and enhance all areas of passion. Garnets are considered lucky and protective stones, encouraging fidelity in love and loyalty in business." Wow! For "Pearls," we're informed that they "Balance emotions, reduce irritability, and enable one to accept love." Are they serious, or am I missing a joke here? Are oysters sex-mad?
Here, honey, these pearls are for you!
Gee, that worked! The pearls balanced her emotions, reduced her irritability, and right away she was able to see my other point of view, as well!
Last December in the little town of Darby, Montana, (population 754) a local Baptist minister put up handbills inviting residents of the town to a meeting in the junior high school gym. His topic, illustrated with a sophisticated PowerPoint presentation, was the teaching of evolution in the local schools. Well, some 200 people from Darby and surrounding county showed up. The minister, as expected, challenged Charles Darwin's theory. This was hardly a surprise, but the subsequent response by the audience, sure was.
This is a very deeply conservative, religious, community. But within days, a group of parents, business people, teachers, students and other residents mobilized to defend Darwin against the challenge that had been presented. The group called itself "Ravalli County Citizens for Science," and following the inspiration of those such as Dr. Eugenie Scott, who you'll remember from our recent conference in Las Vegas, they handled the old canards that the creationists bring to cast doubt on Darwin.
It was so effective that about fifty Darby High School students staged a walkout carrying signs with slogans like "Don't spread the gospel into school" and "Strike against creation science." There are 39 students in this year's graduating class. In a town where not just the marshal but also the mayor, the state representative, the library director and at least two of the five school board members say they have strong creationist beliefs, this is an astonishing development indeed.
The preacher who started all this, who conceded that he had no training in science, said he believed that life science should allow for the possibility of supernatural influences, which he said evolution did not. "In my opinion, you have to allow for natural causes and not-natural causes," he said. Not a surprising statement from a scientifically-naïve person.
Eventually, there was a preliminary vote of the school board that was 3-2 for adding a revision to school policy as suggested by the minister, specifying that teachers should "assess evidence for and against" the theory of evolution. Bruce Chapman, president of the Discovery Institute, chimed in on the subject:
At the school board in Darby, Montana, the issue is the same as it is in Ohio and a number of other states; namely, can students be taught about the growing scientific debate over Darwin's theory?
What "growing scientific debate" Chapman refers to, I cannot tell. He went on to say that
What the federal government actually does support is "academic freedom and inquiry" on scientific theories, and that now should be quite plain to any fair-minded observer.
Yes, that's quite clear to me, Mr. Chapman. We must agree with that observation, but since "intelligent design" is not in any sense a "scientific theory," the statement does not apply to the Darby situation, and I'm cheering for those — particularly the students! — who fought to establish that fact.
As we "go to press," the Ohio Board of Education has just voted 13-5 to allow "intelligent design" to be part of their curriculum. And blood-letting and leeches in the nurses' office too, I'm sure.
I just came upon this file I had chasing around in my computer from the Arizona Daily Star, further evidence that the University of Arizona's Dr. Gary Schwartz may not be rowing with both oars in the water:
He had a theory about stars and human life. The former Yale professor, who came to the University of Arizona in 1988, developed a theory based on quantum physics. He wondered: If energy and light from a star could continue into the universe long after the star had died, why couldn't the same be true for human life? After all, matter — the stuff we're made of — is organized energy. And if energy has a kind of immortality, why couldn't our own consciousness continue long after our physical shell had died?
I can't begin to discuss the naivety of that notion. I'm sure that Schwartz will crow that my inability to do so is the result of my abysmal paucity of academic credentials, but it's not that; it's the daunting task of trying to argue with an admittedly educated man who can't think outside of his limited experience of the real world. The "immortality" of energy cannot possibly be equated with "consciousness," which is a pattern, a construct, a functioning organized system — not a simple force. It would be like comparing an ice-cube to a Vermeer painting. No, I'll not try any further.
Who was it who told me that some people are educated far beyond their intelligence...?
The April 2004 issue of the magazine "Travel America," addresses an article to seniors in the "Retirement Focus" section:
TRAVEL SAFE BAGSSeniors love to travel and often carry medications with them. Research has shown that today's powerful airport X-ray scanners can affect medications, especially homeopathic medicines because they contain minute amounts of active ingredients that are more susceptible to the ionizing radiation from airport scanners. Sima Products Corporation, the leading manufacturer of X-ray protective film bags (FilmShield), has developed the Travel Safe bag to carry medications through airports. The tough, puncture-resistant polyester bags have a thick X-ray barrier layer as well as an inner layer of barium compound for added protection. Bag prices range from $9.99 to $29.99. For more information or to order, call (800) 345-7462 or e-mail info@simacorp.com.
Boys and girls, can you say, "pseudoscience"?
My recent piece of Dr. Lorraine Day brought me several notes that I should have referred readers to a site where she is discussed: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/day.html. That's run by Dr. Steve Barrett, who handles the prayer-driven claims of Day very well, as expected.
You'll recall the $145,000 pyramid that Uri Geller designed for a UK company, "Ultraframe"? You can see it at www.randi.org/jr/081503.html It seems that the shares in that company have moved 15% since that stunning announcement — 15% downwards. But the "Wellbeing" gazebo, described by the manufacturers as a "both mystically potent and mathematically significant space," (?) has had one sale. To Uri Geller.
Strange Mr. Zammit, mentioned last week, complained for years that no one — particularly I — would test "psychic" Chris Robinson of the UK. Well, Susan Blackmore tested him, and he failed, but Zammit carried on bitching. Now, we're approaching agreement on the protocol for another set of tests, and I've just heard that Zammit is warning Robinson not to agree to be tested! Explain that, if you will...!
Reader Bob Levine:
I wanted to drop you a note to tell you how wonderful it is to find someone who seems to see through the haze of nonsense that we seem to be surrounded in these days. Your positions on religion, mystics, psychics, new age medicine, etc. are a breath of fresh air. For many years I had a keen interest in the supernatural, UFOs, cryptozoology, etc. Sadly, after poring through all of the material that I could find over the course of my 46 years I have concluded that all these materials do, is give us insight into human nature and the flaws in human observation. I still have a strong interest in any phenomena that would violate our known natural laws of physics and redefine our understanding of our universe. Sadly, I do not believe that we will ever have any proof of any of it during my lifetime, just the same grainy blurry pictures or the guy saying, "You should have seen it."Thanks again for reminding folks that believing in any supernatural power, whether it be organized or otherwise, is a lateral move on the informational chart and sometimes it is better to say "I don't know" than to explain away life's mysteries by making up stories.
P.S. If these folks want to explore some real mysteries they should study quantum mechanics, there is nothing stranger than that.
P.P.S. I remember you on Wonderama with Sonny Fox when I was young.
Bob reminds me: I'm still trying to reach Sonny (Irwin) Fox, who I understand is still active and involved in social issues. Oh, to schmooze with him again...!
At last, here's a complete list of the 178 still-active applicants for the JREF prize. But not all are represented here. Bear in mind that we refused to accept pseudonyms, writing back to ask for proper identification; most of those were never returned. A number of applications had no identification whatsoever so far as origins went, and could not be responded to. One notable example is shown here: this arrived accompanied by a sheet of totally illegible handwriting, not notarized, and without a source or address given. I've no doubt that the sender is still enthusiastically berating us among his friends for our failure to respond to him:
Some applications were simply illegible, and went into a file labeled, appropriately, "Illegible." Folks in the UK seem to prefer not to label their envelopes with return addresses, which might have resulted in our being able to make out a name or address; those are in never-never land. We have some in Cyrillic writing, some in Japanese and a few in Greek; these are out of consideration simply because we cannot afford to have translations done — and our rules call for communication in English, regardless. One applicant wrote all in lower case, used the "name" "MJE," and supplied us with several pages of auxiliary rules of his own, along with a complete revision of the original twelve rules. He said he'd prove to us that "psychic phenomenon is real." He confidently expected to have the media present in great numbers to witness his victory, but he wouldn't fill out the application. His application is in the "Closed" file, as is that of someone — male or female — identified only as "Omega," a person who said he/she could heal the condition known as "shingles."
I must tell you of this one: Someone sent us the required stamped, self-addressed envelope, but it was addressed back to the JREF, not to him! One has to wonder whether these folks ever use any reason in handling the real world...
There are some names here that you may recognize. And they may be applicants whose term of validity has merely not yet expired; attrition frees us from those such as Thomaz Green Morton, the Brazilian blowhard who had his lawyer write pompous notes to us full of ringing demands that we of course ignored.
Here they are:
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Allen, F. Allen, T. Ambicki, D.J. Archibald, L. Atkinson, R. Balant, F. Baro, C. Beeson, W.R. Bekader, B. Bergeron, M. Bethke, D.P. Bialoblochi, J.L. Boldt, L. Bostrom, E. Bowen, K. Brown, R. Bryan, D.K. Burke, M. Bussard, M.P. Bussie, A. Butler, J.C. Callecod, D.C. Carey, P. Casillas, A. Cemachev, A.N. Cempel, Z. Cepeda, M.P. Chadwell, T. Champagne, G.M. Chan, C.F. Chandrasekar Chodrick, N. Colby, T.W. Cooper, G. Correa, C.P. Curtis, G.E.S. Dannenhauer, E. Davidson, R. Dawson, R. Deconing, W. DeHart, T. DeLeon, G. Delk-El, S. DePadua, D. DePriest, D. Diaz, R.A. Donovan, A.G. Exner, F. Fatica, J. Fidalgo, C. Filkevitch, I. Finlay, B. Forlini, G. Frame, D. Gardner, K. Gessner, M. Gillis, P. Gilmartin, M. Goergen, J. Goldsmith, C. |
Greenwood, G. Griffith, C. Gusev, V. Hadipoernomo, Y.S. Hauge, K. Heyndrichs, E. Hirschgänger, H.J. Hoggarth, D. Horbatiuk, V. Hsing, K.J. Hugo, A. Jam-Tibor, P. Jennings, E.H. Johnson, C. Jones, C.S. Jumat, A.I.H. Junghan, B. Khan, N.U. Khudyakov, H. Kim, D.S. Kim, Y.H. Kirchen, K. Knowles, G. Kosina, J. LaReau, S. Lee, T. Lengruber, R. Liang, L.Z. Liverpool, R. Long, R. Lopez, A.M. MacRea, A. Magan, G. Magola, M. Maguire, J.N. Maheshri, J.C. Masailo Mbilitem, A.N. McDavid, W. Melvey, H. Meziane, G. Miller, M. Milton, D.W. Minguez Minic, M. Miskelly, M. Mohamed, E.A. Molloy, D.M. Moore, J. Morton, T.G. Moss, T. Nguyen, A. Nygate, J. Parkin, M. Patino, G.S. Payson, D. Pinkard, V. Polyakova, T. Porodnov, I. |
Poullo, N.V. Powell, M. Preuss, H. Provo, M. Quesenberry, L.W. Quice, M. Radovcic, R. Rao, P.V. Ray, G. Reefman, W. Rees, J.B. Rubenstein, M. Rudder, R. Saatori, E. Sabaliauskas, V. Sailo, M. Sautu, A. Schepp, L. Schofield, E. Schroeder, L. Seifoori, A. Shipp, R. Silverman, R. Sim, J.G. Sims, A. Smith, B.J. Smith, L. Solomin, V. Solomon, R. Stage, E. Sturdivant, J.T. Sugiyama, H. Sula, J. Sulub, A. Sundor, A. Szembek, S. Taguch, S. Tikari, K.J. Tippett, C. Trachuk, K. Trofimowa, T. Ukraine, G.Y. Valentine, J. Vela, H. Waire, K. Walters, D. Ward, P. Waterhouse, M. Watson, G. Weatherford, V. Wibeto, T. Wright, D.A. Wright, T.H. Xi, J. Yuen Zaharov, A. Zaragoza, J.P. Zizic, V. Zwierzyna, A. |
I suspect that next week's page just might be an essay that I did on the nature of science, and nothing more. We'll see...
