My good friend Jim McGaha in Tucson, Arizona, is an amateur deep-space astronomer/photographer whose 1997 Xmas card I've altered to produce this greeting to you all. Note the message!

The month of December is when the Winter Solstice (this year on Thursday, December 21) takes place — in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the day when the Sun reaches its lowest point in its apparent daily journeys across the sky, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. Every day after that, for months, the Sun's daily path is slightly higher in our sky, and Winter retreats. Religious observations such as Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza and Ramadan, are held at this obviously important point in the year. Celebration of the Winter and the Summer Solstices predates all organized religions, all of which got in on a good idea and tried to make it their own.

A Solstice is a convenient time which some of us choose to acknowledge the beauty, importance, and periodicity of the natural world and celebrate the fact that we're part of all that. That's why I take this opportunity to wish all of you the best of the Winter Solstice and of the New Year 2001 C.E., and I remind you that January 1, 2001 C.E., will really be the first day of a brand-new Millennium! Let's determine to do better this thousand years, than we did the last. Okay?

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A correspondent sent in this interesting exchange between a "teacher" on www1.askme.com (in the Alternative Health Forum) and himself. The forum had stated that "red light" is responsible for creating disease. The response, which richly demonstrates how little these folks understand the real world and how it works, is shown as posted, spelling and punctuation errors retained. I provide this here so that you may see the magnitude of the battle we are waging against ignorance and scientific illiteracy. This is quite typical of the flummery they offer as science.

Our correspondent asked four questions, which are shown here immediately before the responses:

Question: Since red colors cause so much disease, why hasn't the Center for Disease Control researched it and recommended avoiding red objects?

Answer: I dont [sic] know why the Center for Disease Control has not reasearched [sic] colors and their bearing on deseases [sic]. I only know that all research starts with one person's theory first and then is studied to extract proof. I have a copywrite [sic]on my proof. The reason no one or the media in power will print my work and recommend avoiding red objects is because all the government papers, stamps, flags, royalty, schools, childrens toys, clothes, electrical wires, Xmas, Valentine, make up, medicines, road curbs, stop signs, back lights of all the vehicles etc. to name a few, around the world, all use red colors in abundance. And all the religions have been and are using the colors of red blood to promote their religions. As the error in using red blood instead of blue blood is too shocking to realise [sic], different societies and companies are quietly changing their colors of their own accord as they learn of the color mistake, so that they will be protected from harm when the mistake is known by the majority. If you notice, many films and magazines have started to use blue on their covers now and the President and Officials all wear blue colored shirts, ties and background. Many blue colored lights are starting to appear here and there where they were not seen before.

Question: If a person is blind, does red still affect them?

Answer: Yes, Yes, Yes, a blind person can now tell you EXACTLY what color they touch or have on them without ever being told. Every color shows a position on the hands. Especially red which makes the person's hand resemble a chicken claw. I have a drawing of the positions of the hands as they touch each color and the meaning in nature that each color dictates to nature. It is in a manuscript that I have posted at rosedog.com click on 'check out writers showcase here' and type my name Margaret Rynn and click on the Title. The first page shows the positions of the hands that every person on earth makes all the time no matter where they are or what they do, and how they wave them around during speech, the hands use these signs depending on which color is prompting the brain what to say and how to act.

Question: What about the magnetic therapy shoe inserts sold by "Dr. Scholl" at stores and Florsheim shoes with magnets? Are they effective in restoring the magnetic balance?

Answer: Magnetic therapy is just coming into its own. It will play an important part in the future once it is fully understood. Understand that the most northernly [sic]position on your body is above your head and the most southernly position on your body is below your feet. All batteries need the balance of negative and positive interacting to complete the cycle. On the body you have a left side that carries negative magnetic energy and on the right side you carry positive magnetic energy (the righteousness on the bible — when you are righteous — positive energy) The right brain controls the left side and the left brain controls the right side so that the magnets interact again and again and allow us to move and 'shine'. The red colors contain negative energy and blue colors contain positive energy. Inside the body is red flesh and blue blood. Outside of the body you get the heat from the sun and the blue sky. When you get out of the blue sky into a dwelling, and the surroundings are red colored, the magnets inside the body turn around into producing negative magnetic cells inside you. Positive cells grow and maintain themselves, negative cells deteriate [sic] and die, that is why people get wrinkles and grey hairs when in front of red colors all day long. When cells die, they float around the air and are breathed into the body again. The result of cells dying and not reproducing themselves, is a harvest for germs and disease. Shoes with magnets in them help in a very little way to pull the negative magnets under your feet into balance again.

Question: Should people sleep with their heads to the north?

Answer: Many people in trance state have advised people to sleep with their head to the north so there must be a very good reason for that because information from spiritual contact should never be taken lightly. People use magnetic therapy for arthritis and have been helped through the use of them. All the magnets in the world put on all the parts of the body will help but will not heal the problem if the red colors persist to be on the body and in front of the body all the time. If you can see the red color, the aura of the red color is bearing down on you. Every headache in the world is a direct result of red colors that are in the presence of the person. Strokes and heart attacks are from too much red overdose. All this information only touches on the surface of what colors do to the human body. My manuscript is also only a very short writing from my more informative larger book. I put it there for people to read so that they can learn the secrets that our ancient people knew and find out how to live a healthier happier and longer life.

Comments my Correspondent, "These answers have not been been rated." In a follow-up question on 12/5/2000, he asked this:

Question: If you know some blind people who can tell color by feel, why not have them demonstrate it for money? See http://www.randi.org for James Randi website that offers $1 million for proof of psychic or paranormal power. Since they are blind, then blindfolds won't matter for testing their ability to distinguish colors by "aura or feel."

mentor612 gave this response on 12/6/2000:

Answer: ALL hands in the world (blind people included) make the exact same signs all the time, and the signs are designated to the color that is influencing the person at that particular time. If you dont [sic] want to take my advice, that is your wish and choice. You asked for an alternative medicine and I gave you knowledge on how to do that.

Please note how the JREF challenge is totally ignored. Surely, this "teacher" has one blind person who can and will collect the million-dollar prize?

An American astrologer named Parmer said, on December 12th, the day before Al Gore conceded, that he would be the new US President. Her press release read:

You heard it here first. Forget what the Supreme Court is doing — in either Washington or Tallahassee. Go with the stars instead. Zodiac power! Astrologer Letitia Parmer, who has been practicing her art for 30 years, insists Vice President Al Gore will be our next president. No chads or recounts here. It's all planets and alignments. "Mercury is going into Sagittarius," she explains. "This is a move that puts the emphasis on truth, and things being out in the open. My assumption from this is that the recount will be allowed to continue. It would be the way to find out the truth and not having anything hidden." Don't be so skeptical! Parmer has a track record: She accurately foretold the 1992 presidential election and Britain's 1990 contest for prime minister when John Major unexpectedly beat Margaret Thatcher. She even predicted that the marriage of Charles and Diana would end unhappily. So WHEN will we know who the next president will be? Parmer says the number 5 keeps coming to her. "I had thought it would all be resolved on the 5th, but now I believe we will have a confirmation on Friday the 15th."

Or Friday — the fifth day of the week — perhaps? Or the 25th....? Or at 5 o'clock? There must be some way to make this work, even though it was dead wrong.... Perhaps "no chads or recounts" here, but I suspect lots of back-peddling and rationalizing. What other major predictions has Letitia made by means of "planets and alignments"? We only read of three above, and don't have the wording, either. Surely Ms. Parmer has made lots of other stunning prophecies — correct prophecies! — by "zodiac power"? But hey, we know, don't we, that out-and-out failures like this won't faze Parmer's clients at all. Nothing will.

Thomas Afilani, who brought us the "DKL Locater" whose promoters still won't answer our offers of a million bucks for a demonstration, is pretty cagey on making conclusive statements about any of his "inventions." His "Electroscope" dowsing toy, a total fake which comes in "covert black" to add mystery to it, and which he sells for $2,495, is advertised with colorful phrases and semi-claims, but not until I sent away for the literature did I actually find a statement that says that it works. Lots of phrases like, "Simply the finest long-range locator in the world," "Worth it's [sic] weight in gold!" and "Covers more area in less time" aren't actionable claims. But this is, quoted directly from Afilani's brochure:

"The Gravitator Recovery System can accurately guide you to buried treasures of gold, silver, coins, jewelry, and many other valuable artifacts."

This is a statement contained in an advertisement sent through the US Postal Service to interested persons. Get your own material by sending a request to:

Electroscopes
P.O. Box 5058
S. Williamsport, PA 17701

or call toll-free: 1-800-245-9276 to request information.

Any of you out there who believe a legal case could be made to require Afilani to prove his claim, please get in touch.

Lots of reaction to last week's "Which One Is Geller?" inquiry. No one failed to solve it, I'm happy to report. And, I've learned, a reason that Uri Geller got so excited about that Pokémon character might be that the characters name in Japanese is "Un Gerrer," which is a kind of "Japanglish" for "Young Geller." Try pronouncing it to yourself in a thick Japanese accent. So the Alakazam character may really be based on Geller! I'm told that other famous people have also been honored with a Pokémon character. For example, there are a pair of kung-fu fighting figures named "Hitmon Lee" and "Hitmon Chan," named for Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, respectively. I can't imagine Jackie Chan — who obviously has a sense of humor — threatening to sue Nintendo.... As readers have commented to me, Uri Geller should be pleased to be in that company.

I think they need a "Jamusurandi" character with a white beard who can defeat those who have psychic powers, don't you?

Dr. David P. Anderson, Project Director of the SETI@home project, urges you to go to setiathome.berkeley.edu to see, download and install the latest available — free! — software for this exciting activity. The project, he tells us, has now processed over 7000 hours of digitally-recorded signals from the Arecibo radio telescope, using the power of millions of Internet-connected computers. You can get in on this via your home computer, as we advised you some months ago. As this processing continues, SETI@home's own computers are doing the next phase, in which man-made radio signals are separated from those originating outside our solar system. The goal is to detect signals from other civilizations. Because of the strong continued interest in SETI@home, the project will continue for at least a year beyond its original ending time. Plans are not finalized, but they hope to expand their search to the southern-hemisphere sky, and to search new frequency bands.

The first correct response to the marbles-in-the-boxes puzzle of last week was from Rob Beeston, of the Central Iowa Skeptics. The most succinct - and the second-received response — was from John S. Burns, Sr., whose description I will use to give you the solution. He wrote:

One try. Box BW must have marbles of the same color. Pull one out see what it is. Then the box labeled with that double color must have the opposite in it. The last box has BW.

However, a somewhat different — but equally correct — approach was taken by Rick Johnson, who wrote:

There are only two ways the marbles could be arranged such that all lids are wrong in the given diagram.

WW  BW  BB
BW  BB  WW

The key is the third box. It must be both black or both white. So you only need look at one marble in that third box to decide between these two.

Okay, here's this week's problem: You have to go into a dark room where there's a drawer containing five single black socks, five single white socks, and one red sock. What's the minimum number of socks you have to remove from the drawer to have a 75% or better chance of having at least one pair? The red sock, for those of you who have already come upon this problem elsewhere, is a new element. Am I a fiend, or what? Brian K. Rafferty suggested this variation, so blame him.....!

You'll have to wait until next week for the "Compass Needle Trick" description. We ran a bit long this time....