SI DIGEST 12-1-19 - 12-17-97
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SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ELECTRONIC DIGEST
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December 1, 1997.
SI Electronic Digest is the weekly e-mail news update of the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP.)
http://www.csicop.org.
The Digest is written and edited by Matthew Nisbet and Barry Karr. SI Digest
has over 1600 readers worldwide, and is distributed via e-mail from the Center
for Inquiry-International, Amherst N.Y., USA.
PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR SKEPTICAL FRIENDS.
For free Digest subscriptions, go to:
http://www.csicop.org/list/index.html#subscribe
Send comments, media inquiries and news to:
SINISBET@aol.com
(716-636-1425)
CSICOP publishes the bi-monthly SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, The Magazine for Science
and Reason. To subscribe at the $17.95 introductory price, call 1800-
634-1610. The November/December issue features Dave Thomas on "Hidden Messages
and The Bible Code."
In this week's SI Digest:
-- World Skeptics Congress Scheduled for Heidelburg, Germany.
-- So What's Your Blood Type? Dating Superstition In Japan.
-- Evolution vs. Creationism Debate Scheduled for PBS.
-- CSICOP Applauds Scientific American "Science Frontiers."
-- U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine Budget Expansion Proposed.
-- Meanwhile... Congress Proposes FDA Budget Cut.
-- LA Times: Why Science Writers Lie.
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WORLD SKEPTICS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR GERMANY
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AMHERST, N.Y.-- CSICOP and the German Society for the Scientific
Investigation of Parascience (GWUP) need your help in planning the Second
World Skeptics Congress, at the University of Heidelburg, July 23-26, 1998.
The first such conference, held in June 1996 at the State University of New
York at Buffalo, was an unprecedented and stunning success with over 1300
people attending. (This does not include the estimated 3,000 who attended the
Keynote address by Stephen Jay Gould.)
The Second World Skeptics Congress will celebrate the growing strength and
diversity of the world skeptics movement, while addressing issues of the day.
The congress theme will be "Armageddon and the Prophets of Doomsday" and will
explore the many apocalyptic fears spreading throughout the world as we
approach the year 2000-- fears ranging from religious millenialism to
pseudoscientific claims of impending natural disasters. It will also explore
how the advent of a new millennium might be used to fire the public
imagination to embrace a new global consciousness. Other Congress topics
could include education and critical thinking. What are your thoughts on
this?
We really need your help in planning the specific themes and topics of
discussion during the conference. We also hope that you can supply the names
(and addresses if possible) of potential speakers to take part in the
recommended panels.
It is important that we hear from you on this. We very much need your ideas,
suggestions, and recommendations to help make this congress a success. I hope
to hear from you as soon as possible on this. Send e-mail to
skeptinq@aol.com.
Sincerely,
Barry Karr
CSICOP Executive Director
skeptinq@aol.com
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SO WHAT'S YOUR BLOOD TYPE? DATING SUPERSTITION IN JAPAN.
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In Japan, forget about "What's your sign?", blood type is commonly believed
to be the best indicator of two individual's compatibility in dating. Whether
a person is type A, B, or O is thought to determine a person's character.
"It's a modern superstition," Hiroyashi Ishikawa, a professor of social
psychology at Seijo University told the Associated Press. "But it's also a
powerful social lubricator. Talking about blood type is the easiest way to
establish contact with a stranger."
Type A blood types are believed to be generally uptight, attentive to details
and possess a desire to please others. Type B's are thought to be loud,
assertive and pushy. Type AB's by nature are a collection of contradictions,
while type O's are ambitious, motivated and controlling.
Science has failed to verify a connection between blood type and personality,
but the superstition remains widespread in Japan. Some companies even screen
potential employees, believing that workers of certain blood types are more
likely to get along.
The superstition can be traced back to the militaristic Japan of the 1930's
when Japanese army officials conducted studies on blood type and personality
in order to breed and cull for better soldiers.
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EVOLUTION VS. CREATIONISM DEBATE SCHEDULED FOR PBS
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On December 19, PBS's "Firing Line" will air a two-hour special on the
creation/evolution controversy. The program will be a debate at Seton Hall
University in South Orange, N.J., before a student audience.
Host William F. Buckley, Jr., and three colleagues will argue in favor of the
proposition, "Resolved: The evolutionists should acknowledge creation."
Joining Buckley in the affirmative will be Berkeley law professor Phillip
Johnson, author of _Darwin on Trial, Reason in the Balance_, and Defeating
Darwinism by Opening Minds; LeHigh University biochemist Michael Behe, author
of _Darwin's Black Box_; and David Berlinski, whose Commentary article last
year on the defects of evolution generated considerable attention.
Opposing the resolution will be CSICOP fellow Eugenie C. Scott, executive
director of the National Center for Science Education; Barry Lynn, executive
director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State; philosopoher
Michael Ruse, author of _But Is It Science?_; and biologist Kenneth Miller of
Brown University.
PBS
December 19
8:00 pm EST (Check your local listings.)
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CSICOP APPLAUDS SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS "BEYOND SCIENCE."
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Last week, PBS aired SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN FRONTIERS "BEYOND SCIENCE." The
program stands as an important critical, educational and entertaining
examination of the paranormal and pseudoscience. It was to the Committee's
delight that CSICOP was able to consult with the program's producers on story
ideas and potential experts. "Beyond Science" featured CSICOP fellows Ray
Hyman, Phil Klass, Steven Weinberg and Barry Beyerstein on the topics of palm
reading, dowsing, graphology, Roswell, and zero-point energy.
The balanced, critical treatment of the paranormal and pseudoscience has
been, and continues to be, one of CSICOP's primary missions. The Committee's
collaboration with Scientific American is the latest in a long history of
successful work with the broadcast media that includes ABC's 20/20, the BBC,
the Discover Channel, A&E, Dateline NBC and PBS' Nova.
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BUDGET EXPANSION PROPOSED FOR U.S. OFFICE OF ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
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The fiscal year 1998 National Institute for Health appropriation raised the
budget of the Office of Alternative Medicine(OAM) from $12 million to $20
million. Its primary supporter, Senator Tom Harkin, is also seeking to
elevate it to a national center. The OAM has come under criticism in recent
years for its uncritical promotion of alternative therapies and medicine.
The phone number for Senator Tom Harkin's Senate office in Washigton DC is:
202-224-3254.
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MEANWHILE... FDA LIMITS ARE PROPOSED.
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A bill from Senator Orrin Hatch will prohibit the FDA from classifying
vitamins, minerals, herbs, or any other "nutritional substance: as a drug, no
matter the dose and no matter the health claims made for them by promoters."
S2835 would also downgrade the standard of truth in assessing promotional
claims made for such products from that of a scientific consensus to
"scientific evidence, whether published or unpublished." Manufacturers would
also be able to seek immediate court review of any FDA warning letters.
If the Hatch Bill becomes law, opponents say that the health food industry
will be free to call anything it pleases a "nutritional supplement" and
thereby be entitled to make false claims with impunity so long as as the
industry continues to engage in its sham reliance on "scientific evidence."
The passage of the S2835 would put an effective end to the FDA's irksome (from
the industry's point of view) consumer protection efforts in this profitable
area, since such attempts could be tied up in the courts while business went
on as usual for the supplemental entrepreneurs.
To contact Senator Hatch's office, call: 212-224-5251.
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LA TIMES: WHY SCIENCE WRITERS LIE.
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Thursday, November 20-- LA Times science writer K.C. Cole explores the
diffilculty of science writers in explaining science in non-technical terms.
Cole surmises that often science writers have to to "lie" a little in order to
explain the truth. "The lies are simplifications that ease the way to the
central point. The art is knowing the difference between acceptable--even
necessary-- lies and oversimplifications that slide into mistakes. Sometimes,
it's hard to tell which is which, and even scientists frequently don't agree"
writes Cole. "A True Life Story: Why Science Writers Lie" can be found in the
LA Times archives at: www.latimes.com.
=========================================================================
Date: Thu, 4 Dec 1997 15:32:31 -0500
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Subject: Re: SI Digest 12-4-97
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ELECTRONIC DIGEST
December 4, 1997.
SI Electronic Digest is the weekly e-mail news update of the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP.)
http://www.csicop.org.
The Digest is written and edited by Matthew Nisbet and Barry Karr. SI
Digest has over 1600 readers worldwide, and is distributed via e-mail from
the Center for Inquiry-International, Amherst N.Y., USA.
PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR SKEPTICAL FRIENDS.
For free Digest subscriptions, go to:
http://www.csicop.org/list/index.html#subscribe
Send comments, media inquiries and news to:
SINISBET@aol.com
(716-636-1425)
CSICOP publishes the bi-monthly SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, The Magazine for Science
and Reason. To subscribe at the $17.95 introductory price, call 1800-
634-1610. The November/December issue features Dave Thomas on "Hidden
Messages and The Bible Code."
In this week's SI Digest:
-- CSICOP Making News in 1997.
-- SELF Magazine Explores Spiritualism and the New Age.
-- CSICOP Webpage Chosen One of the Top 500 on the Web.
-- Heaven's Gate Mansion May Soon Be Sold.
-- Evolution vs. Creationism Debate On PBS.
CSICOP MAKING NEWS IN 1997.
AMHERST, NY. -- In 1997, CSICOP and SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Magazine fielded
hundreds of inquiries from the international media resulting in over a 1,000
news features and stories. Inquiries ranged from the need for expert opinion
and research information to story ideas and reprint permission. The
following is a sample of some of the radio programs, television shows, and
publications:
RADIO (national and syndicated)
Art Bell Show, ABC Radio News, BBC Radio Network, CBS Radio Network, G.
Gordon Liddy Show, Jim Bohannon Show, Roger Hedgecock Show, Michael Reagan
Show, NPR Science Friday, Talk of America Radio Network, Victoria Jones Show,
Wisconsin Public Radio.
TELEVISION (national and syndicated)
ABC News, ABC Good Morning America, ABC 20/20, ABC Politically Incorrect,
ASCII Productions (Japan), Arts and Entertainment (A&E), CBC News (Can.),
CFTO-TV (Can.), CFMT-TV (Can.), Channel 4 (England), CNBC Hollywood Today,
CNN News, Fox News, Discovery Channel, Entertainment Tonight, Fox News,
Global News Service (Can), MSNBC, NBC Dateline, NOVA, Paramount Television,
PBS, VH1 Pop-Up Video, WGBH-TV Boston PBS.
PRINT (incomplete list. #'s indicate multiple articles.)
American Medical News, Atlanta Journal, Boston Globe, Buffalo News, Chicago
Tribune-Herald, Chicago Sun-Times, Columbia Journalism Review, Dallas Morning
News, Denver Post, El Correo (Spain), El Nuevo Herald (Spain), Florida Today,
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Globe and Mail (Can.), Houston Chronicle,
Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Minneapolis Star Tribune,
New York Times, Newsday, Newsweek, Orange County Register, Portland
Oregonian, Sacramento Bee, San Diego Union Tribune, San Juan Star (PR),
Seattle Times, Scientific American, The Scientist, Science, The Science News,
Science Writers Journal, Toronto Sun, Toronto Star, USA Today, Wall Street
Journal.
Since its formation in 1976, CSICOP has advocated a balanced, critical and
scientific treatment of pseudoscience and the paranormal in the media. At
the World's Skeptics Congress in 1996, CSICOP founded the Council for Media
Integrity, a network of distinguished scientists, academics and members of
the media committed to monitoring media treatment of science. The Media
Stock Fund was started in 1997 to finance the acquisition of stock in large
media conglomerates so that CSICOP as a stockholder might gain input on
programming.
SELF MAGAZINE EXPLORES SPIRITUALISM AND THE NEW AGE.
SELF magazine publishes the results of its May 1997 reader survey on
spiritualism in this month's December issue. The issue has multiple articles
on new age spiritualism, alternative healing, and religion. The articles run
the gamut between skepticism and promotion. It is recommended reading for
skeptics concerned about the media's increasing infatuation with new age
spiritualism and alternative therapies.
The following are a few highlights and lowlights:
-- 91% of SELF readers believe in miracles. 87% believe in angels. 85%
believe in spirits. 41% believe in reincarnation. 91% oppose human cloning.
Page 135.
-- In "What Exactly Is Buddhism, Why Is It So Hip Now?" a caption reports
that when the first Dalai Lama knew that he was going to die, he entered into
a state of tantric meditation. "Although his breathing and heartbeat ceased,
he continued meditating for 30 days without any signs of death and reportedly
took on the look of a youth." Page 160.
Since Buddhism is viewed by many as an effective substitute for
psychotherapy, it has grown in popularity. Buddhism is also described as
more a science than a religion. "Buddhism is being introduced in the West as
a technology for happiness, not a religion. As such, it's perfect for
seekers in a rational, skeptical age. The Dalai Lama has even come out with
a videotape entitled Secular Meditation." Page 171.
-- SELF reports that "a third of Americans surveyed tried at leat one
alternative medical treatment in the past year. In 1990, nearly $1 billion
more was spent on such therapies than on traditional hospital care. Now the
American Medical Association is calling for research into the treatment's
safety and efficacy, claiming that little or none exists." No source is
given. Page 62.
-- In a caption, SELF reports that "some 82 percent of us believe in the
healing power of prayer, 64 percent feel doctors should join their patients
in prayer if the patient requests it, and 28 percent believe in the work of
faith healers or personal touch." Page 166.
-- In an article entitled "Is It Therapy or Is It Prayer", SELF highlights
the Blanton-Peale Institute of New York "where religion and psychoanalysis
come together to heal the spirit." Page 165.
-- In a caption, SELF asks "Is Fasting Good for Your Health?" No, say many
medical experts. Fasting lowers your metabolism, breaks down needed glycogen
and muscle, may result in dangerous dehydration and may actually *increase*
toxicity in the body. " I wouldn't recommend a one to three day fast to
anyone" says one medical expert.
CSICOP WEBPAGE CHOSEN ONE OF THE TOP 500 ON THE WEB.
HomePC Magazine has chosen www.csicop.org as one of the top 500 sites on the
Web in the magazine's second annual Best of the Web survey. The editors of
HomePC spent several months scouring the World Wide Web to come up with the
top 500 sites in 30 categories. HomePC judged sites on their design,
interactivity, creativity and most important to the magazine, depth of
content--that is, whether sites are informative, useful, entertaining or
thought-provoking.
CSICOP's web site is maintained by Patrick Fitzgerald. The site is an
invaluable resource to researchers and members of the media, as well as a
major point of interest on the World Wide Web for curious browsers.
HEAVEN'S GATE MANSION MAY BE SOLD.
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif.-- According to the Associated Press, the owner of a
Hawaii estate has offered to swap properties for the 9,000 square foot,
seven-bedroom Heaven's Gate house. Owned by Sam Koutchesfahani, the house
where 39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult committed suicide, has been valued
at $1.6 million. Other offers come from a Texan who specializes in problem
properties and from a local buyer.
CREATIONISM VS. EVOLUTION DEBATE TO AIR ON PBS.
On December 19, PBS's "Firing Line" will air a two-hour special on the
creation/evolution controversy. The program will be a debate at Seton Hall
University in South Orange, N.J., before a student audience.
Host William F. Buckley, Jr., and there colleagues will argue in favor of
the proposition, "Resolved: The evolutionists should acknowledge creation."
Joining Buckley in the affirmative will be Berkeley law professor Phillip
Johnson, author of _Darwin on Trial, Reason in the Balance, and Defeating
Darwinism by Opening Minds; LeHigh University biochemist Michael Behe, author
of _Darwin's Black Box_; and David Berlinski, whose Commentary article last
year on the defects of evolution generated considerable attention.
Opposing the resolution will be CSICOP fellow Eugenie C. Scott, executive
director of the National Center for Science Education; Barry Lynn, executive
director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State; philosopher
Michael Ruse, author of _But Is It Science?_; and biologist Kenneth Miller of
Brown University.
PBS
December 19
8:00 pm EST (Check your local listings.)
--30--
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Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 12:03:06 EST
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Subject: SI DIGEST 12-11-97
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SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ELECTRONIC DIGEST
December 11, 1997.
SI Electronic Digest is the weekly e-mail news update of the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP.)
http://www.csicop.org.
The Digest is written and edited by Matthew Nisbet and Barry Karr. SI Digest
has over 1600 readers worldwide, and is distributed via e-mail from the Center
for Inquiry-International, Amherst N.Y., USA.
PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR SKEPTICAL FRIENDS.
For free Digest subscriptions, go to:
http://www.csicop.org/list/index.html#subscribe
Send comments, media inquiries and news to:
SINISBET@aol.com
(716-636-1425)
CSICOP publishes the bi-monthly SKEPTICAL INQUIRER, The Magazine for Science
and Reason. To subscribe at the $17.95 introductory price, call 1800-
634-1610. The November/December issue features Dave Thomas on "Hidden Messages
and The Bible Code."
In this week's SI Digest:
-- SKEPTICAL INQUIRER MAGAZINE: THE YEAR IN REVIEW.
-- NUTRITION FORUM'S WEB WATCH.
-- THE CSICOP WISH LIST.
-- CSICOP CONFERENCES.
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER MAGAZINE: THE YEAR IN REVIEW.
(To order back issues of SI call 1800-634-1610.)
The January/February issue featured one of SI's most popular cover stories to
date. "The X-Files Encounters the Skeptics: Chris Charter Takes Questions"
pictured David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as FBI Agents Mulder and Scully
with Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files, highlighted with an inset photo.
The interview with Carter was a reprinted transcript of a question-and-answer
discussion from the First World's Skeptics Congress held in Amherst, N.Y.,
during the summer of 1996.
A tribute to Carl Sagan was the cover feature of the March/April issue with a
photo portrait of Sagan. Tributes were written by Arthur C. Clark, Richard
Dawkins, Martin Garner, Leon Lederman, David Morrison, James Randi, Jill
Tarter, Nicholas Humphrey, Paul Kurtz and many others. Astronomer Alan Hale
was featured in the inset with his article "Hale- Bopp Comet Madness."
"Is the Sky Falling? The Real Asteroid Threat" by David Morrison was the
cover story for the May/June issue. An artistic rendition of a asteroid
barreling downward upon a helpless metropolis comprises the cover. Also
featured was the surprisingly controversial essay "Skepticism and Politics" by
Barry Fagin.
A 1947 photo of Major Jesse Marcel posing with UFO "wreckage" from the
alleged Roswell crash highlights the July/August cover story "What Really
Happened at Roswell" by Karl K. Korff. The issue also contains a Special
Report on the Heaven's Gate UFO Cult with contributions by Paul Kurtz, Joe
Nickell, Martin Gardner, Thomas Casten and Tom Genoni.
The September/October issue features "Alternative Medicine in a Scientific
World" with contributions from Robert Park, Barry Beyerstein, Wallace Sampson,
Saul Green, Ursula Goodenough and Lynn McCutcheon. The articles were taken
from a symposium held in Seattle at the 1997 annual meeting of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science. Also in the issue is Joe
Nickell's "Extraterrestrial Iconography" featuring Nickell's well-publicized
alien timeline.
"The Mars Effect in Retrospect" by Jan Williem Nienhuys finishes the year as
the cover story of the November/December issue. The cover illustration
features a NASA photograph of a rarely seen yellow Mars. In the inset is the
cover of the controversial best-seller The Bible Code, as Dave Thomas tackles
the book's alleged hidden messages.
THE NUTRITION FORUM'S WEB WATCH.
The NUTRITION FORUM is a bi-monthly newsletter that highlights the latest in
nutrition and health information. It is meant as a guide to help sort the
valid nutritional claims from the latest in marketing disinformation and
salesmanship. NUTRITION FORUM is edited by Luke Vaughn and Stephen Barrett.
The following is an excerpt from the FORUM's Web Watch column:
The World Wide Web is a treasure trove of information but loaded with booby
traps. The sites listed below include some the best (most reliable, useful)
and worst (unreliable, deceptive, but in some cases still useful for viewing
quack concepts in the raw). This month's ratings are by Stephen Barrett,
M.D., board chairman of Quackwatch Inc. (http://www.quackwatch.com), which is
working hard to improve the quality of health information on the Web. Listed
below are, in our opinion, some of the best and worst sites on the Net.
BEST
http://www.cyberdiet.com/ Cyberdiet, hosted by Timi Gustafson, RD, contains
a wealth of information as well as interactive tools for assessing and
planning diet and exercise programs. You can use it to calculate your BMI and
your target health rate, and to view nutrient contents as they would appear on
the labels of hundreds of foods. Start with the "guided tour."
http://www.ada.org/consumer/flouride/fl-menu.html The American Dental
Association's gateway to dozens of well-written articles about flouridation.
http://www.intellihealth.com/ Johns Hopkin's information site contains a
wealth of information and answers individual questions.
WORST
http://www.newhope.com/nhnm.html New Hope Natural media's gateway to the
contents of its health-food industry trade and consumer magazines, several of
which can be read in their entirety online. The site provides a huge amount
of information about industry trends, political maneuvering, claims made for
supplements and herbs, retailer education, and the industry's interpretation
of nutrition research.
http://www.prevention.com/healing/oncall/ Prevention magazine's "Doctor on
Call" provides largely unsubstantiated advice from a naturopath about taking
supplement and herbal products. Prevention's unsubstantiated advice on using
vitamins and minerals for health problems can be accessed through the "vitamin
dispenser" page at http://www.prevention.com/healing/vitamin/. A disclaimer
states that the site is "intended to heighten awareness of health information
and does not suggest diagnosis or treatment."
Also in the November/December issue of NUTRITION FORUM:
--"'Doing the DRIs' A No-Nonsense Guide to the Nation's New Nutritional
Yardsticks" Stephen Barrett, MD
-- Opinion: "Why Nutrition Liscensing Is Important."
-- Nutrition Forum Year-End Index for 1997.
-- "The Sour Truth about Apple Cider Vinegar" Beth Fontenot, MS, RD.
To subscribe to NUTRITION FORUM, call Prometheus Books at 800-421-0351,
716-691-0133 (outside the US.)
THE CSICOP WISHLIST.
A year-end message from Anthony Battaglia, CSICOP Development Officer:
Like all non-profit organizations, we at CSICOP reflect and look forward at
the end of a fiscal year and "wish" we had the resources to do more.
Actually, we "plan" rather than wish, but that practicality does not preclude
us from striving beyond our immediate grasp, particulary when we have done so
much to expand our efforts in the year just concluding. We are thankful, of
course, but never often enough: without your generosity much of what CSICOP
does would not be possible.
Unlike most non-profits, Santa Claus is definitely not a factor at CSICOP.
(Even if he did exist, he'd probably treat us with harsh indifference.) At
the Center for Inquiry we adamantly rely on humankind, and are continually
encouraged by the kind humans we have met through our work.
So, printed below is our current "wish list." The list weighs heavily in the
direction of large ticket items, but there are items that fit any year-end
charitable giving budget. (Non-profits find it incredibly difficult to afford
productivity equipment and large-ticket enhancements through their general
operating budgets. We are doubly handicapped, too. Many non-profits such as
the Red Cross, the YMCA's etc. can appeal to community chests or well-
established foundations for help with capital needs. We are almost entirely
supported by gifts from individuals.)
Finally, on a very basic level, the wishlist reveals quite well the breadth
and complexity of CSICOP's mission:
1998 Conference sponsor, 4-head stereo VCR, computer network server,
electronic camera, fax broadcasting software, group scheduling software,
hardware/wiring for computer network, laptop computers, laser and inkjet
printers, library reference materials (dictionary, encycyclopedia etc.),
library subscription fund, mail sorter, shares in the Council for Media
Integrity Stock Fund, microphones, mixers, DAT recorders, and other
professional quality audio equipment, 16 mm movie projector, museum display
cases, office copier, personal computers 486 and up (new or used), phone
system, scanners, science laboratory equipment (microscopes, infrared viewer),
video editing equipment, Web Page development tools.
Please don't hestitate to contact me with questions or comments. I can be
reached quickly at the convenient 1-800-634-1610 or via e-mail at
cfianthony@aol.com.
Wishing you a happy, healthy and extraordinary (thought not paranormal) new
year.
Anthony Battaglia
Development Officer
1997 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS
CSICOP conferences and workshops feature the teaching talent and knowledge of
CSICOP's world class fellows. Past conferences and workshops have included
University of Oregon psychologist Ray Hyman, world famous UFO investigator
Phil Klass, CSICOP chair Paul Kurtz, Simon Fraser University psychologist
Barry Beyerstein, and CSICOP Senior Research Fellow Joe Nickell.
1997 Conference and Workshop Summary
January: Los Angeles, CA-- Introduction To Paranormal Phenomenon.
February: Tucson, AZ-- Myth and Magic In the Sky.
April Westchester, MA-- Secrets of the Supernatural.
May Chicago, IL-- Secrets of the Supernatural.
June Tucson, AZ: UFO's: Fifty Years of Myth.
June Boulder, CO-- Rational Feminism: The Gender Politics of Science.
July Amherst, N.Y.-- Center for Inquiry Institute: Examining Miraculous
Claims.
August Eugene, Oregon-- Skeptic's Toolbox.
September San Francisco, CA-- Defending Reason In An Irrational Age.
September La Coruna, Spain-- European Skeptic's Conference: Science,
Pathological, Science and Pseudoscience.
October Kansas City: Science and the Culture Wars.
October Columbus Day Skeptic's Summit.
CSICOP plans monthly workshops in cities across North America for 1998.
Conferences and workshops that are already planned include:
January 7-11 Center for Inquiry Institute, History and Philosophy of
Skepticism, San Diego,CA.
July Center for Inquiry Institute, Amherst N.Y.
July 23-26 World Skeptic's Conference, Heidelburg, Germany.
--30--
=========================================================================
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 14:38:18 EST
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SKEPTICAL INQUIRER ELECTRONIC DIGEST
For free Digest subscriptions, go to:
http://www.csicop.org/list/index.html#subscribe
December 17, 1997.
SI Electronic Digest is the weekly e-mail news update of the Committee for
the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP.)
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In this week's SI Digest:
-- Press Release: Gene Emery Reviews Psychic Predictions for 1997.
-- Latest SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Magazine Tests Dermo-Optical Perception.
-- SI Retrospective: Doomsday Predicted for 2000 Planet Alignment.
-- Creation Evolution Debate To Air On PBS.
-- Hockey Star Jaromir Jagr Claims Acupuncture Works.
-- Science Times: "Evidence Based Doctoring."
-- L.A. Times: "High Court Limits 'Junk Science' Claims."
PRESS RELEASE: GENE EMERY REVIEWS PSYCHIC PREDICTIONS.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gene Emery 401-942-9343
Matthew Nisbet 716-636-1425
PSYCHIC FORECASTS WERE A BIG FLOP (AGAIN).
DIANA'S DEATH ELUDES PSYCHICS.
AMHERST, NY-- With 1997 drawing to a close, a lot of astonishing things are
going to be happening over the next several days.
•Martha Steward will become the fifth wife of the Sultan of Brunei.
•Jerry Seinfeld will have his character killed off in a freak bathroom
accident.
•Bryant Gumbel will have five different wives when he joins a religious cult
that preaches
polygamy.
Those are the events that are supposed to occur in 1997 if you believe the
top psychics, who made their predictions a year ago in publications like The
National Enquirer, the Star and the National Examiner.
The biggest embarrassment for the psychics is what they didn't forecast:
the sudden death of Princess Diana. In 1997, Princess Diana was supposed to
announce that she would be "moving to Africa to train as a long-distance
runner for the Summer Olympics in the year 2000," according to Shawn Robbins,
who claims to have foreseen the assassination attempt on the Pope and is one
of the National Enquirer's "10 top psychics". The psychic who had the best
chance of forewarning Diana of possible danger was Derbyshire psychic Rita
Rogers. Diana and Emad (Dodi) Fayed visited Rita Rogers on August 13, shortly
before their death two and a half weeks later. Obviously the visit made no
difference.
Gene Emery, a columnist for SKEPTICAL INQUIRER magazine, who has made a
hobby of keeping the forecasts and seeing if they come true, says the psychics
seem to have scored as badly in 1997 as they have in past years. "These are
supposed to be the best psychics in the country or, in some cases, the world.
If these are the best, imagine how bad your neighborhood psychic or favorite
hotline psychic would be if put to the test," said Emery.
Depending on which psychic was writing, 1997 was to be the year that O.J.
Simpson would (a.) have his ex-wife's murder solved by "Murder, She Wrote"
star Angela Lansbury, (b.) be "locked away for running over an elderly woman
after a night of boozing it up on the town," or (c.) become a huge hit on
French television hosting a "who-dunit" show that investigates unsolved
murders in France."
Among the other forecasts for 1997:
•Pamela Anderson Lee and Howard Stern will star in the title roles in a rock
musical version of "Gone With the Wind."
•Kathie Lee Gifford will disappear for five weeks, "setting off a massive
search in several countries." She will supposedly be found wandering in the
Colorado wilderness, suffering from amnesia after being abducted by space
aliens.
•Sarah "Fergie" Ferguson will join the cast of "Melrose Place" and, in real
life, marry Calvin Klein.
•Madonna will become "so concerned about the quality of children's TV shows
she buys the rights to the Mickey Mouse Club, revives the show and stars in it
herself."
Emery said it's ironic that the supermarket tabloids, many of which have
been striving for credibility in recent years, beginning with their coverage
of the O.J. Simpson case, keep publishing the predictions of the same psychics
year after year "when it's clear to anyone who checks that these psychics
can't live up to their claims of being able to predict major, unexpected news
events."
The last tabloid psychic to score on a major prediction was Clarissa
Bernhardt, a regular for the National Enquirer. The tabloid gives her credit
for predicting "the devastation of Florida by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. In
June, 1992, Bernhardt said "Scientists will be shocked in October when
`earthquake proof' Florida is hit by a tremor — only weeks after being slammed
by the worst hurricane in the state's history." The quake didn't happen, but
Andrew did.
However, her other forecasts for that same year (and in subsequent years)
reveal that her 1992 prediction was simply a half-lucky guess. Bernhardt said
kilts would "become the hottest new fashion since bell-bottoms" (1992), space
debris will crash in Lima, Peru "leveling government buildings and killing
many of that nation's leaders," Rush Limbaugh will save Ted Kennedy from a car
wreck just before it bursts into flames, deep-sea explorers will discover a
"miraculous over-the-counter baldness cure" in a rare aquatic plant (1993), a
"compass" gene will be implanted into dogs and cats so they can always find
their way home, Jay Leno will lose his "Tonight Show" job to Johnny Carson and
Geraldo Rivera will have his nose broken during an on-air fistfight with
Madonna (1996).
In Bernhardt's crystal ball, 1997 was to be the year "Aliens from an oil-
hungry planet will descend on earth and siphon our oil reserves into huge
tanker spacecraft for two weeks before vanishing."
As for 1998, the psychics are already predicting it will be the year when:
•All kittens and cats have to be killed because they carry a virus that is
blinding humans;
•Doctors cure the common cold;
•Fidel Castro is overthrown and moves into a Beverly Hills mansion;
•A special drink that makes your skin glow bright green in the dark becomes
popular with nighttime joggers and cyclists;
•Deserts will bloom like gardens after scientists create 'walking vegetables'
that can move from place to place in the quest for water.
Other predictions for 1997 and 1998 can be found in the current edition of
the
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER magazine, which looks at the science behind supernatural
claims. The bimonthly magazine is found in bookstores with a good magazine
collection, or by subscribing at 1-800-458-1366. Media copies may be obtained
by calling Matt Nisbet at 716-636-1425.
Visit the internet site of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation
of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) at http://www.csicop.org.
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Gene Emery is a science and medical writer. He can be reached at
401-942-9343 or by e-mail at gene.emery@prodigy.net.
Latest SKEPTICAL INQUIRER Magazine Tests Dermo-Optical Perception, Psychic
Predictions, Dowsing, and Anomalous Gold.
December 16, 1997-- Featured in the upcoming January/February issue of
SKEPTICAL INQUIRER magazine:
Testing New Claims of Dermo-Optical Perception: Can blindfold people really
see through their skin? Two very reputable laboratories in Paris think they
have obtained hard evidence to prove some subjects can. A team of scientists
in Grenoble performs a critical experiment to ascertain the validity of this
claim.
CLAUDIO BENSKI and SCIENTISTS from CRSSA.
Magnetic Water and Fuel Treatment: Magnetic treatment has been claimed to
soften water and improve the combustibility of fuels. A literature review
reveals that these claims are not well supported by data.
MIKE R. POWELL
Dowsing the Rollrights: Dowsing may be one case of the phenomenon of "self
as unrecognized cause." Other paranormal claims might originate in the same
misperception.
P.A. HANCOCK
Anomalous Gold: "Ghost gold" eludes old-fashioned fire assaying but is snared
by modern ghost-busting prospectors wielding doodle bugs.
K.R. BROWER
Open Minds and the Argument from Ignorance: Arguments from ignorance
fallaciously infer that since a hypothesis has not been disproved, it is
reasonable to believe that hypothesis or regard it with an open mind.
JONATHON E. ADLER
200% Probability and Beyond: The Compelling Nature of Extraordinary Claims
in the Absence of Alternative Explanations: The likelihood that people will
accept any given proposed explanation of an unusual event-- even one almost
certainly wrong-- is directly related to how few alternative explanations are
accessible.
JOHN MCDONALD
Pyschic Exploitation: While some "psychics" represent a harmless form of
entertainment or act as benign counselors, others knowingly hurt and con
vulnerable clients. The authors recently investigated some of these
individuals operating in London.
RICHARD WISEMAN and EMMA GREENING
SI Retrospective: Doomsday Predicted for 2000.
Scripps-Howard News Service last week published a a feature titled "Planet
Alignment Pits Astronomers Against Astrologers."
"Astrologers predict earthquakes when five planets line up in 2000.
Scientists say it's nonsense, but who will win the wars of reason?" begins the
article. On May 5, 2000, all five inner planets of our solar system, the sun
and the moon will align.
The event is sure to be fodder for psychics and astrologers, an observation
first published ten years ago in an article in SKEPTICAL INQUIRER. In
"Doomsday: The May 2000 Prediction"(Spring 1988), Jean Meeus, a Belgain
amateur astronomer and specialist in mathematical astronomy, points out some
astronomical dos and don'ts in predicting the (next) doomsday.
"It should be pointed out that, once and for all, that even an exact
alignment of all planets cannot have the slightest effect on the Sun or on the
Earth. Calculation shows that the height of the tidal "bulge" on the Sun, due
to the planets, would be less than two millimeters. And for the Earth,
consider the fact that the tidal action of the Moon far surpasses that of all
planets combined, even when planets are simultaneously at their closest
distance to Earth" writes Meeus.
To order back copies or articles of SKEPTICAL INQUIRER call 1800-634-1610.
CREATIONISM VS. EVOLUTION DEBATE TO AIR ON PBS.
On December 19, PBS's "Firing Line" will air a two-hour special on the
creation/evolution controversy. The program will be a debate at Seton Hall
University in South Orange, N.J., before a student audience.
Host William F. Buckley, Jr., and three colleagues will argue in favor of the
proposition, "Resolved: The evolutionists should acknowledge creation."
Joining Buckley in the affirmative will be Berkeley law professor Phillip
Johnson, author of _Darwin on Trial, Reason in the Balance, and Defeating
Darwinism by Opening Minds; LeHigh University biochemist Michael Behe, author
of _Darwin's Black Box_; and David Berlinski, whose Commentary article last
year on the defects of evolution generated considerable attention.
Opposing the resolution will be CSICOP fellow Eugenie C. Scott, executive
director of the National Center for Science Education; Barry Lynn, executive
director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State; philosopher
Michael Ruse, author of _But Is It Science?_; and biologist Kenneth Miller of
Brown University.
PBS
December 19
8:00 pm EST (Check your local listings.)
HOCKEY STAR JAROMIR JAGR CLAIMS ACUPUNCTURE WORKS.
DEC. 16, 1997-- Pittsburgh Penguin star Jaromir Jagr told the Associated
Press that a prick from a acupuncturist's needle cured him of a groin injury.
The injury has bothered Jagr since last season-- until he received acupuncture
treatment from Dr. John Lee.
"After five minutes, I was back on the ice and playing again. So it was
like a miracle to me, and I'm glad I did it. At least I can play again, and I
feel pretty good about it," Jagr told the Associated Press.
Despite Jagr's anectodal testimony, scientific studies have yet to verify
acupuncture therapy as any better than placebo in the relief of pain or
treatment of injury.
For more on alternative therapies and medicine, subscribe to The Scientific
Review of Alternative Medicine (Prometheus Books.) The bi-annual publication
is the only peer-reviewed scientific journal on alternative medicine.
1800-421-0351.
For reliable information on alternative therapies and medicine visit:
www.quackwatch.com
SCIENCE TIMES: "EVIDENCE BASED DOCTORING."
Dec. 16,1997-- The New York Times Science Times section has an excellent
article on a new technique of medical-decision making called "evidence-based
medicine." Evidence-based medicine trains doctors to search medical journals
and databases for tests and treatments that have helped large groups of
patients. Then, they apply the information to their own patients, under the
statistical assurance that what holds true for groups is likely to be valid
for individuals. It is viewed as the long-sought link between research and
practice.
AOL KEYWORD Science Times or www.nytimes.com
LA TIMES: HIGH COURT LIMITS 'JUNK SCIENCE.'
Dec. 16-- In a victory for corporations fighting lawsuits, the Supreme Court
on Monday strengthened the power of judges to keep so-called "junk science"
out of the courtroom. The decision said that trial judges should act as
"gatekeepers" and are entitled to throw out "opinion evidence" from qualified
experts that is not backed by solid evidence.
http://www.latimes.com/home/news/science/science/t000113771.html
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