Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@aol.com>]

From Skeptic Extraordinare - John Allen Paulos - news on his latest column on
the website for ABC News.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/WhosCounting/whoscounting.html

An American Prophet
Yeah, Right!
By John Allen Paulos
Special to ABCNEWS.com

James van Praagh, John Edward and Sylvia Browne are only the most well-known
of the large current crop of on-air psychics and mediums. They deliver their
flapdoodle on TV with seeming sincerity and often claim to speak with the
dead.


Fellow Skeptic and firewalker, David Willey, Dept. of Physics at the Univ. of
Pittsburgh, writes to tell us that he will be a guest on "The Tonight Show"
with Jay Leno on Wednesday, May 9.  David organized a world record firewalk at
the University of Pittsburgh.  He also organized a firewalk here at the
Center for Inquiry (where a hot time was had by all)


From Skeptic Newshound Joe Littrell

 Prayer Urged Over 'Zero-Year Curse' on White House
 By Andy Butcher
 Christian Broadcasting Network
 http://www.cbn.com/CC/article/1,1183,PTID2546|CHID101024|CIID216474,00.html

 "Nationwide prayer has been urged to protect President-elect George W. Bush
 from the so-called former "Zero-Year Curse" on the White House.
 Intercession leaders are calling for "reaffirming warfare prayer" over the
 supernatural link they believe was behind the death in office of seven
 presidents."


  Happy Thoughts May Prolong Life
 By STEVE BAILEY
 Associated Press
 http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010507/sc/aging_study_1.html

 "If you're happy and you know it - you just may live longer."


 ET-Hunting Software Nears 3 Million Users
 SPACE.com
 http://www.space.com:80/searchforlife/seti_3mill_010507.html

 "The popular computer software program SETI@home, which allows anyone with
 an Internet connection to participate in the search for extraterrestrial
 intelligence, is expected to add its 3 millionth participant any day now."



 Stillwater bridge not sinking (even if some wish it were)
 by AMY BECKER
 St. Paul Pioneer Press
 http://www.pioneerplanet.com/yhoo/mtc_docs/031091.htm

 "Psst -- Did you hear the Stillwater bridge was destroyed by the flood?"


 No let-up in monkey-man's menace
 by M K Mittal
 Hindustan Times
 http://www.hindustantimes.com/nonfram/080501/detNAT23.asp

 "Ghaziabad is in the grip of panic. Not a day passes in this city without
 sightings of the weird monkey-man. It appears that someone donning a rhesus
 monkey mask has been stalking various localities of the city, spreading
 terror among its residents. The monkey-man has even injured a few."


From Dr. William Hay, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
University of Nebraska Medical Center

I haven't seen this series of articles mentioned in your "Articles of Note"
section that I thought would be of interest to your readers.  The journal
Academic Medicine recently had a series on teaching aternative medicine in
Medical schools.  You can look at the abstracts at
http://www.academicmedicine.org/content/vol76/issue3/#SPSET