Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@AOL.COM>]

Articles of Note

Thanks to Joe Littrell, Dave Thomas, Greg Martinez, Mikey Brass, Paul Kurtz

Review in New Scientist of the book, Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?“ Every possible argument about this question seems to be here…Paul Kurtz contributes a masterly overview of the events that have led to continuing dissension about the origin of the Universe and ourselves…stimulating, and possibly subversive to some.”            -New Scientist April 12, 2003




". . . science and religion have been seeking common ground through ongoing dialogue. . . . this volume provide[s] a dimension to the conversation that has seldom been heard. . . . present[s] important and provocative voices too often drowned out." - Publishers Weekly

PAGES: 368 pp PRICE: $20 see:  http://www.prometheusbooks.com


Debate will make a mockery of truth
By Caitlin Hall
Arizona Daily Wildcat
http://wildcat.arizona.edu/papers/96/140/03_2.html

"There are essentially two types of proselytizers: those who argue with
reason and those who argue with deceit. The former persuade with logic and
sound premises, which they air openly and honestly. The latter persuade
with trickery and misrepresentation, and attempt to undermine opposing
arguments rather than seek affirmation of their own. It is this second
species, the vulture of intellect, that will descend upon the McKale Center
on May 10."


SEDUCTIONS OF PSEUDOARCHAEOLOGY: PSEUDOSCIENCE IN CYBERSPACE
BY KRISTIN M. ROMEY
Archaeology
http://www.archaeology.org/found.php?page=/0305/etc/web.html

"Like so many others of his generation, John Wall was bitten hard by the
Egyptology bug following a visit to the landmark Tutankhamun exhibit that
toured the world's museums in the 1970s. A resident of southern England and
an electrical engineer by trade, Wall was soon taking trips along the Nile
and reading voraciously on the subject, dismissing the occasional
"alternative" publications and television shows as "pyramidiocy." That is,
until he plugged into the World Wide Web."


Meteor caused Lesotho 'poltergeist'
By David Ambrose
BBC Focus On Africa
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/2911269.stm

"An outbreak of ghost activity that struck Lesotho last year has been found
to have been the result of a spectacular meteor shower."


Little behind Clonaid, files reveal
By Raja Mishra
Boston Globe
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/113/metro/Little_behind_Clonaid_files_reveal+.shtml

"The fringe scientific group Clonaid, which earned international notoriety
last year by claiming to have cloned a human baby, has no address, no board
of directors, and only two employees, according to sealed court documents
obtained by the Globe. Yet the group is pushing forward with plans to
charge dozens of prospective cloning patients up to $200,000 apiece for its
services."



Placebo prince
The Telegraph [UK]
<http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2003/04/20/dl2002.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2003/04/20/ixopinion.html>

"The Prince of Wales is said to be delighted that the Government has agreed
to spend £1.3 million on research into the effectiveness of alternative
medicine, particularly homeopathy. Scientists, however, suggest that the
money is being wasted."


Complementary therapy research boost
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2956973.stm

"The government is to pump more than a million pounds into research
projects involving alternative medicine, it was announced on Monday."


In Southern Maryland, finding relief that stings
By Stephanie Desmon
Baltimore Sun
http://www.sunspot.net/news/health/bal-md.bees21apr21,0,2039609.story?coll=bal-health-utility

"By the time the grandfather clock strikes 12, Pat Wagner's modest living
room is already filled with visitors - they're strangers really, whose
faith and ailments have brought them into the world of the woman they'll
come to call the bee lady."



HIV/Aids: How Far Can Traditional Healers Go?
by Godwin Haruna
This Day [Lagos]
http://allafrica.com/stories/200304210923.html

"Located on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway at Okokomaiko, a Lagos suburb, the
four-storey White House, is very popular among residents. Ask anybody
walking along the street in the environs, he easily directs the unwary
visitor to the White House. The uninitiated may not easily decipher the
reason behind the popularity of the house, but the unwary visitor probes
further undaunted."



High marks on evolution instruction upset Fair
By Ron Barnett
Greenville News
http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/04/15/200304154775.htm

"Seventy-eight years after the famous Scopes "monkey trial," Charles Darwin
is stirring up trouble again."



Bigfoot lore's deep imprint lures believers
By Eric Bailey
LOS ANGELES TIMES
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/news/5676307.htm

"Here on the doorstep of the Pacific Northwest, trees grow tall and mystery
runs deep. For generations, the dark gorges have yielded lumber, and a legend."


Saddam's safety: Tall tales run rampant
By LISA HOFFMAN
Scripps Howard News Service
http://www.knoxstudio.com/shns/story.cfm?pk=IRAQ-WHEREISHE-04-24-03&cat=II

"A psychic in the Philippines says Saddam Hussein is still alive and
lurking somewhere in the bowels of Baghdad."


Man beheads 'witch', takes head to police
Indo-Asian News Service
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_237547,000900030001.htm

"A tribal man in West Bengal beheaded a woman after dubbing her a witch and
then calmly walked into a police station carrying her severed head."


Feds Warn Consumers About Silver Supplements
WMAQ
http://www.nbc5.com/money/2122661/detail.html

"Target 5's Lisa Parker reported on a "silver" supplement that is said to
be able to heal everything from a simple scrape to cancer. Silver remedies,
widely used before antibiotics, are now making a big comeback on the
Internet. While there are different kinds of supplements, Parker said, the
claims are the same."


Who needs proof?
by MICHAEL MCATEER
Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1035781080058

"With the tantalizing, eye-catching headline, "Evidence of Jesus Written in
Stone," the prestigious Biblical Archaeological Review heralded its world
exclusive on the discovery of the now famous "James" ossuary on the front
cover of its November-December issue."


Self-confessed cannibal goes on trial in Java
Agence France-Presse
http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/asia/story/0,4386,185274,00.html

"A farmer who has reportedly confessed to eating human flesh in a bid to
obtain supernatural powers has gone on trial in Central Java province."


Mexican villagers stone 'witch' to death
Associated Press
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/americas/04/14/mexico.witchs.ap/

"An angry crowd stoned to death an Indian man accused of practicing
witchcraft in a southern Mexico town with a long tradition of religious
violence."


"Colossal Squid" Revives Legends of Sea Monsters
by James Owen
National Geographic News
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0423_030423_seamonsters.html

"Last month fishermen in the icy Ross Sea encountered a deep-sea giant."



Is handwriting analysis legit science?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030418.html

"What's the Straight Dope on handwriting analysis? I know that handwriting
experts' testimony can be accepted in court, so there must be something to
it. But I have a hard time believing that a smart criminal wouldn't be able
to change his writing to avoid detection. On a related issue, can an
"expert" really tell something about your personality from your handwriting
(e.g., that loops in your g's and y's indicate a high sex drive)? If that
were true, it would seem that one's handwriting would change from day to
day, which it doesn't."


HK squashes SARS smoking 'cure'
CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/04/18/china.sars.smoking/

"As the SARS virus spreads in Hong Kong and China, remedies and rumors
about how to avoid contracting the disease are on the increase."


Fellowship finances townhouse where 6 congressmen live
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Associated Press
http://www.tennessean.com/government/archives/03/04/31786118.shtml?Element_ID=31786118

"Six members of Congress live in a million-dollar Capitol Hill townhouse
that is subsidized by a secretive religious organization, tax records show."


For More Stories Visit:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skepticsearch/