April 20, 2001

Cancer Quackery, WLRN Sells Out, "Science," Radio, Geller's Pals, Hi-Fi Fraud, the U. of AZ again.

Actress Suzanne Somers is dead. Well, effectively. It's now only a matter of time. She has been traveling around the talk-show circuit telling everyone that being — as she says, "so chemical-free" — she has decided not to follow her physicians' advice to have chemotherapy for her breast cancer, and has opted for using "Iscador," a homeopathic preparation that has been used since the 1920s and is "derived from mistletoe." As we know, since it's homeopathic, it contains no mistletoe, though it may have once had a fleeting acquaintance with the plant.

The NBC-TV "TODAY" show last Tuesday morning featured an interview with Suzanne, immediately following a discussion about the proposed televising of the upcoming McVeigh execution. It was a one/two punch, the first about an atavistic return to medieval mores, the second an announcement of intentional suicide in the name of quackery. That's what this is. Suzanne Somers says she will ignore the only known treatment for her affliction, a tumor which is very likely to be fatal if not treated, and she will use a means that has absolutely no clinical or other tests to indicate it has any therapeutic effect whatsoever. Though I fervently hope that I am wrong, I believe she will die as a result.

And then? The homeopathic community will offer the usual alibis: she waited too long before using Iscador, she had the wrong attitude, other orthodox treatment interfered with the Iscador, the dosage was wrong, etc., etc. There'll be much regret that she made this decision, but no one will learn from her example. That quackery will still be jumping off the shelves all across the world....

If Suzanne will get smart and go along with her physicians' recommendations, we may see a proper recovery made. If not, my prediction will probably be correct.

I want very much to be wrong.


Our local Public Radio outlet here in South Florida is station WLRN, and along with the corresponding TV outlet, these organizations are supposedly immune to quackery, pseudoscience, and plain swindles. Or so I thought. WLRN is now sponsoring — along with "Miracle Journeys, Inc.," a local mythology-factory, a symposium titled, "Visions of a Transformed World." The chief speaker at this event will be Dr. Brian Weiss, author of "Many Lives, Many Masters," among other NewAge books, referred to as the "foremost leader in the spiritual and New Age movement." "Author, spiritual teacher and European Director of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Sister Jayanti," will be on stage, too.

This is the second fund-raiser for the "Enlighten Up" project, the first of which featured Wayne Dyer, another feel-good flack who I referred to here on another occasion. For a publicly-supported outlet to enter into such projects just for the money that is brought in, is shameful. More importantly, sponsorship by WLRN will appear to be endorsement, and that will be widely advertised and trumpeted by pseudoscientists such as Weiss, you can count on it. WLRN will actually broadcast the event on May 27th. Michelle Gillen, an "investigative" newscaster for CBS/WFOR, is also one of the speakers at the symposium, thus bringing in another commercial media participation.

I tried to interest one of our local newspapers, The Miami Herald, in investigating this event, and discovered to my dismay that the Herald itself is also a co-sponsor of the symposium! Nonsense has taken over the media, at least here in South Florida. It's difficult to understand how such prominent media giants have given support and encouragement to this project. I think we could find a dollar sign somewhere here. The media involved treat this as a public-service promotion of harmless "alternative" ideas. It's not; it's an insidious invasion of reason and sanity, entered into by a newspaper, a TV station, and a radio station that we should have been able to trust. And they leapt aboard; they weren't forced.


Incidentally, for locals here in South Florida, the freebie newspaper "City Link" that is now on the stands, has a feature article on the JREF.


I'm currently preparing the text for some appeals we will be sending out concerning a major endowment-fund that's being launched. As often happens, I had to chop out sections of the text, and I thought I'd share some scraps with you here. I'm often asked, "Just what is science, anyway?" Here's how I answer:

Simply put, science is an organized system for finding out how the universe operates. Its beauty lies in the fact that it is perpetually questioning its own decisions in order to produce even more accurate statements about the world. Science does not declare "facts" — it makes statements that describe how nature works, statements that are always subject to correction, revision, or refinement. Science approaches "truth" but can never really get there, since we live in a universe that constantly surprises us with its wonders and complexity. But we do have an excellent understanding — through science and its methods — of how to control, fashion, handle — and sometimes alter — this incredible world in which we find ourselves, willy-nilly. Science is a tool, not a final statement. It is never dogmatic, always ready to accept new paradigms, and totally flexible. It is the single most powerful means we have of understanding ourselves and our world, and probably the most important accomplishment of our species.


Very shortly, we'll be going on Internet radio exclusively. By clicking in on this page, you'll be able to connect directly to the radio show, which will be on Thursday nights, live, at 21.00 hours EST. We're planning to archive it so that folks in other times zones, and in other countries, will be able to hear it. I'm told that the software needed to receive the audio is easily available, free, on Internet sites. All details will be provided as soon as we launch the project.

Meanwhile, the radio station I'm presently on has just moved its studios, and is having technical problems. The web link we featured doesn't presently work. Sorry about that. With the new Internet show, we'll be able to accept questions and comments via e-mail, fax, or direct phone calls, live. That was not possible with the other setup. All numbers and addresses will be provided here.


A UK reader tells us that a BBC news quiz show called "Have I Got News For You" reported that among local UK celebrities who were invited to appear on the UK version of the "This Is Your Life" show, Uri Geller and two others were turned down due to the fact that the producers could not find enough good friends who would appear and extol their virtues.


Don Reid brings up a favorite subject of mine, and I feature this item because it is typical of the way that pseudo-technology has invaded our lives. This concerns the "high-end" audio/visual market that is chock full of spurious claims, services, devices, and gimmicks. In my own collection of fakery, I have a felt-tip marker that is sold to gullible hi-fi enthusiasts who are worried about the laser beam in their CD player wandering about and causing audio image degradation and/or eye damage. The user traces the marker around the rim of the CD, leaving a green line that protects against this imaginary danger. Similarly, I've watched people with more money than brains plunking down as much as $1800 for speaker cables which cannot be differentiated from properly chosen zip-cord, and I've heard those who swear that their CDs improved in performance after being immersed in liquid nitrogen, at $7.50 a dip. Don observes:

A few weeks ago, I was perusing the JREF files and came across an experience you had with some sort of pseudoscientific claptrap regarding claims made for some sort of audio equipment (I can't quite remember the circumstances). While I realize you have your hands full with important scientific discoveries like spoon bending and homeopathic water, I believe that this is a much neglected area of investigation. Consumers are getting ripped?off to the tune of millions of dollars per year after buying in to the nonsensical claims of "shady" companies. What follows is an experience I had recently at my local audio store:

While waiting for a set of speakers I had just purchased to be boxed up, I came across a row of CD cases on the rack containing small, green, flexible, glow?in?the?dark "frisbees." It was claimed on the case that when "charged" in sunlight for about an hour (or in ordinary incandescent light for about four hours) the disc, when placed atop a CD in the player would "extend bass and treble response, reduce background noise and eliminate 'mushy' sound." When the owner of the store came back, I asked him to copy the jacket liner for me as I liked to collect pseudoscientific claims and that this one was a real doozy! He assured me that the claims were real and offered a demonstration. Despite the fact that the "ultraviolet emanations from the disc were promoting a clean background for the laser scanner in the CD player," I heard absolutely no difference between the before and the after. He explained to me that the difference is sometimes hard to hear at first, but if he ran the disc through the CD demagnetizer, it would be more obvious.

"Demagnetizer?" I said. He then showed me a machine selling for around $300 that, when a CD was placed inside, would "sense the magnetic field surrounding the disc and 'clean' it of this field." He said that the machine would "sometimes activate for a second or two, and sometimes for several seconds, depending on the level of magnetization found on the disc." Apparently, residual magnetization causes problems with the laser reading the pits on the disc, and that this device would "extend highs and lows and clean up 'muddy' sound." (Haven't I been down this road before!) He assured me that not only could he hear the difference between a "clean" disc and a "magnetized" disc, but he could hear the difference "from two rooms away." (Sounds like a million dollar challenge to me!)

Well, it is, Don. More about that up ahead.

After explaining that I had been an Electronics Technician for about 15 years and had actually repaired CD players for a living, I went on to tell him that: 1) Compact discs are made of aluminum and polycarbonate, thus magnetization would be highly unlikely to occur, 2) The infrared laser would be totally unconcerned even with a relatively strong magnetic field, It would have no problem reading the disc as long as it was focused correctly and finally, 3) the laser has no idea which data represent "highs" and "lows." If the laser were able to read the disc better, all sounds coming out of the machine would be increased, including background noise. He assured me that the device worked and demonstrated it. Once again, I heard exactly what I expected to hear: no difference.

When he pressed me to explain how he could tell the difference, I explained that, between the glow-in-the-dark frisbee and the demagnetizer, the biggest variable of all was the psychological effect of knowing which disc he had just cleaned and which one he didn't. While I never said he was lying, I did explain it like this: "I know you can hear the difference, all I'm saying is that there is no difference!" He seemed confused by this line of reasoning. I guess I should have directed him to your website!

I'll take on Don's dealer anytime, of course, If he's typical, he'll ignore the million-dollar carrot, and just get grumpy. But I urge Don to offer him the challenge. Not from two rooms away, but right up-close.

I'm no stranger to such claptrap. For years now, I have been challenging a chap named Tice — proud purveyor of the "Tice Clock," to undergo a test of his "invention." This is a simple electronic clock from the Radio Shack catalog, that when plugged into any circuit shared by an audio system, or a video setup, would improve the operation noticeably, or so his literature promised. You see, this clock, he said, would "align" those pesky electrons, which tend to wander around aimlessly. Said Tice, this "prepared" clock was "bombarded with pulsed magnetics," which brought about "monumental" changes that were "beyond the scope of present day scientific Knowledge." Oh, I see. However, he claimed, though this exciting new technology would be beyond our understanding, perhaps our ignorance could be relieved by

. . . . reading on the topics, Quantum electrodynamics, Quantum field theory, the Maxwell equations regarding field radiation into free space, the Feynman diagrams, Perturbation theory, and . . . Magnetic Resonance.

"Since TPT cannot be seen with the naked eye or measured with simple test equipment," said Tice, "we have used the most powerful test equipment we know of to optimize our process — our ears." Thinking of testing this thing, I eagerly agreed, saying that I would assemble experienced audiophiles and engineers to do a simple A/B (binary) test.

Are you surprised that old George was reluctant to be tested? He first tried to get off the hook by saying that it was difficult to find a person with sufficiently acute hearing to perform such a test. He considered himself to be one of those gifted individuals. I countered by suggesting that he could be the subject. His response was that he was far too busy to be involved, and that in any case he charged $600 a day for his expert participation. No problem, I told him. I would pay the fee, and even double it. Along the way, George warned me that his invention would remain effective from residual effects that stayed on after the Clock was taken out of the circuit, thus making proper testing very difficult. I proposed ways of getting around this problem. He came up with others, such as the fatigue effect on the subject — him — during any test. In short, George was certain that there was no way to test his claims. I had solved every one of the objections he had, but he decided to retreat from the confrontation. What was the result?

Silence. To this day.

But I must add here that the JREF million-dollar prize was not in effect during that episode with George Tice. Today, it is, and it applies to George's claims, including another product that George sells, something he calls the Infinite Speed Cable. Says he of this marvelous invention:

Installing the Infinite Speed on a high quality video projector will improve the fine detail and picture quality, allowing your equipment to operate at peak performance. This uniquely styled cable is a perfect blend of Hybrid Technologies and State of the Art materials.

This, too, is subject to simple double-blind evaluation. I was very pleased to read, in an article that extolled this cable, written by Dayna B., "The Hi Fi Hussy," in PLAY: TOTAL HOME ENTERTAINMENT, Spring 1997, this challenge:

TAKE THE TICE CHALLENGE! Tice Audio's dedication to customer satisfaction is unsurpassed in the industry. We invite you to SEE AND HEAR the difference our high-quality cables make by Taking the Tice Challenge.

Oh, I dearly wanted to, but though I tried, I never heard from George Tice again! And he is so close to getting the million dollars! Far closer than Sylvia. . . . These people just fall mute and hide under the bed, when their claims are challenged.


A few weeks back, I mentioned that I'd sent a letter to the University of Arizona offering them the JREF million-dollar prize in the form of a grant, to get around Professor Gary Schwartz's strong academic repugnance over the word, "prize." Still no response, as of this writing. But last week, a posting arrived on my e-mail that was titled, "James Randi, please do not read this." It was from Schwartz. Now, as you might imagine, I receive daily a number of juvenile attempts to get my attention, with titles from "Please Read" to "Urgent!". I delete them, not having the time to indulge children who need to be noticed. In accordance with Schwartz's instruction, I did not read his posting, and deleted it, unseen, unread. This is a Ph.D., folks, using kids tactics to challenge me. Frankly, I don't think I'll receive any sort of response from the higher echelons of the University of Arizona, either. Head-in-the-sand really is the only resource available to these people, it now seems apparent. And, if April 30th sees no response, I will publish here on May 4th the contents of that letter I sent to Dr. Richard Imwalle, President of the University of Arizona Foundation in Tucson, as I promised I would.


Hey, it's been seven and a half weeks since Sylvia Browne agreed to try taking the million-dollar prize. You out there somewhere, Sylvia? (more crickets are heard)


NOTICE: Our next issue of SWIFT — our newsletter — will be super-sized and with a full-color cover. We need articles. If you would like to contribute an article, please get in touch through randi@randi.org and we'll discuss the possibilities. It should deal with the subjects we handle here, but can be technical, philosophical, narrative, or descriptive. Illustrations are welcome. We need your input.


Reader John Finnan of Dublin, Ireland, was the first to submit a correct solution to the rectangle-to-square puzzle. However, since I received that response before the new page actually went up on the Internet, I suspect that this chap managed to access the "trial" version that is put in place (all coded!) a few hours before the new page is actually posted. (If I'm wrong on assuming this dastardly manoeuver, I apologize.) Therefore, I must ascribe this "first" to Tim Harrod. So there!

A reader suggested that after the matches-in-the-ear experience, the cross Maltese in our illustration (that was our friend Geronimo Dimitrelos, hardly a real Maltese, I admit) would "probably have to have his ears candled or something." Yes, perhaps something, but not candled. We wrote that off weeks ago.


 
This week, I bring back an oldie, with a small twist. Here we have ten coins: pennies, nickels, and dimes. They're arranged in two rows, horizontal and vertical. Move just one coin so that there are now (a) an equal number of coins in each row, and (b) each row adds up to the same value. For those who may not be familiar with American coinage, I've supplied a diagram of values.

Each coin must touch at least one other coin. No coins allowed on edge. No gaps allowed. No substitution of coins. Go!


Correction from last week: My apologies to New Zealanders -- known as "Kiwis," not "Oz- landers." And Otago is a state, not a city.....