North Texas Skeptic - Vol 18 No 07 - 2004

Magazine Overview

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 18, Number 7, dated July 2004, is published by The North Texas Skeptics and focuses on skeptical inquiry into paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. The magazine features a mix of articles, news briefs, and event information relevant to its readership.

Penn and Teller beat about the bush

This article by John Blanton reviews the DVD "bull something or the other" by magicians Penn and Teller. Blanton notes that the DVD, which replays segments from their HBO show, covers topics such as creationism and bottled water, often labeling them as "bull something or the other." However, Blanton's primary critique is that the show relies heavily on innuendo rather than direct statements of opinion. He illustrates this with their treatment of creationism, where Teller's explanation is humorously depicted as swatting Penn with a holy book, followed by Penn's explanation that "that's bull something or the other." The article also mentions that the video can be ordered from Amazon and that the show is from their current HBO series of the same name.

Another topic covered in the DVD is bottled water, where Penn and Teller illustrate how status-minded individuals pay high prices for ordinary water presented in fancy bottles. They arranged to serve their own special blends, filled from a water hose, to customers at an upscale restaurant, who then praised the water, unaware of its common source. The article notes that Penn and Teller's approach is to call such things "bull something or the other" but avoid using stronger language that might invite legal repercussions.

The article lists the complete set of topics covered in the DVD, including: Talking to the Dead, Alternative Medicine, Alien Abductions, End of the World, Second Hand Smoke/Baby bull something or the other, Sex, Sex, Sex, Feng Shui/Bottled Water, Creationism, Self-Helpless, ESP, Eat This, Ouija Boards/Near Death Experiences, and Environmental Hysteria. The video is described as R-rated due to "peculiar English language figures of speech."

Events Calendar

The Events Calendar for Saturday, July 10, 2004, at 2 p.m., announces "The North Texas Skeptics Paranormal Challenge" at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. This event is free and open to the public. The North Texas Skeptics will host a discussion of its $10,000 paranormal challenge, where individuals can present proof of the paranormal to win. John Blanton will explain how challengers can win the prize and share stories of recent attempts to claim it. The $10,000 prize is underwritten by five area sponsors.

North Texas Skeptics Officers and Staff

The issue lists the officers of The North Texas Skeptics: Daniel Barnett (President), John Brandt (Vice President), Mike Selby (Secretary), and Mark Meyer (Treasurer). The staff includes Keith Blanton (Newsletter Editor) and John Blanton (Webmaster), with Mike Selby as Meetings and Social Director. The Board of Directors and Directors Emeritus are also listed, along with Scientific and Technical Advisors, including professors from UT Arlington and other institutions.

The North Texas Skeptics is identified as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) scientific and educational organization. Members receive the newsletter and access to NTS functions. The newsletter is published monthly and mailed from Carrollton, Texas.

What's New

This section, by Robert Park, presents various news clippings of interest:

Political science: Republicans insist they love science, too.

Following John Kerry's endorsement by 48 Nobel laureates, a Bush spokesman criticized Kerry for declaring the country in scientific decline. Kerry vowed to lift stem-cell research restrictions and listen to scientists. The article notes that in February, over 60 scientists had accused the administration of politically manipulating the science advisory process.

Coronation: Reverend Sun Myung Moon crowned in U.S. Capital.

The article reports on the March 23 crowning of Korean-born news mogul and Unification Church founder Reverend Sun Myung Moon as Messiah in the U.S. Capital, with members of Congress present. The author suggests renaming the Reagan Memorial Moon to "the Moon."

Missile defense: Senate rejects call for independent testing.

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted to proceed with President Bush's missile defense system deployment, scheduled for October. Amendments for independent testing before deployment, proposed by Senators Reed and Boxer, were voted down. The article sarcastically suggests that a non-working system should be sufficient to deter threats from Iran or North Korea, and implies that the real target is John Kerry.

Misconduct: Schoen loses doctoral degree for falsifying data.

J. Hendrik Schoen, a former physicist at Bell Labs, had his doctoral degree revoked by the University of Konstanz for falsifying data. Schoen was fired two years prior for similar reasons, and the university cited his "undignified" behavior. The misconduct was discovered when scientists found identical data in two unrelated papers.

DARPA: a moment of silence to reflect on our fallen programs.

This brief mentions the demise of the Isomer Energy Release Program and other strange DARPA programs like Total Information Awareness, the Policy Analysis Market, and the LifeLog comprehensive personal database.

Hafnium: Congress kills the “isomer energy release program.”

Congress recommended a $4 million reduction in the Isomer Energy Release Program, effectively killing it. The House Armed Services Committee questioned the program's utility and was skeptical of research into nuclear isomer production before triggering is shown to be possible.

Intercessory prayer: maybe our prayers have been answered.

This article discusses a study from the Journal of Reproductive Medicine that suggested in-vitro fertilization success rates doubled when women were prayed for by strangers. The author, referencing a previous WN article (WN 05 Oct 01), notes that the study was never replicated. Furthermore, one of the coauthors, Daniel Wirth, has been exposed as a con-man involved in alternative medicine and has pleaded guilty to fraud charges. The senior author, Rogerio Lobo, claims he only provided "editorial assistance," and the third author, Kwang Cha, has left Columbia and is not speaking.

Placebo effect: use of alternative remedies continues to grow.

A new government survey indicates that 36 percent of adult Americans use "complementary or alternative" therapies, with prayer included raising the percentage to 62 percent. The article lists vitamins, meditation, and fad diets as other examples. Echinacea is noted as the most popular herbal supplement, despite studies failing to show benefits. An anecdote is shared about adults taking Echinacea who contracted a cold virus, with ninety percent developing a cold.

Homeopathy: can you do placebo-controlled studies of placebos?

An Italian television program host observed that relying on homeopathy could be dangerous for serious illnesses. The Italian Association of Medical Homeopathy sued the host, but the court in Catania ruled that the guest's opinions were "justified" and not offensive.

Homeopathy: Demonstrators in Belgium resort to mass suicide.

This report details an incident where 23 skeptics in Belgium, depressed by insurance companies covering homeopathy, attempted mass suicide by drinking a cocktail of lethal poisons. The attempt, which they prepared in a 30C homeopathic potency, was unsuccessful, and the media coverage was described as excellent.

Missile defense: deployment plan ignores technical realities.

A new study by the Union of Concerned Scientists, including Congressman Rush Holt, criticizes the administration's claims for the missile defense system as "irresponsible exaggerations." They urge the administration to halt deployment and require operationally realistic testing. The Missile Defense Agency director, General Kadish, stated that the plan is to deploy first and then test, a strategy questioned by the article.

Open-access journals: does anyone care who pays the bills?

This section introduces "Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (eCAM)," an open-access journal from Oxford University Press. It questions who funds such journals, noting that eCAM is supported by the "Ishikawa Natural Medicinal Products Research Center," linking it to an "ancient-wisdom scam."

Missile defense: GAO report says tests have been unrealistic.

This brief discusses a GAO report stating that missile defense tests have been unrealistic. It quotes General Kadish, director of the Missile Defense Agency, explaining that operational testing can only occur after deployment. The article sarcastically suggests testing the system against the ISS to free up funds.

Dietary supplements: Consumer Reports lists the "dirty dozen."

A cover story in Consumer Reports identified 12 supplements that should be banned, increasing pressure to amend or repeal the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act.

Web news

Report: No link between autism, vaccines

This report summarizes a scientific review that found no evidence linking the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal to autism. The review, involving five studies since 2001, concluded that thimerosal is no longer used in childhood vaccines.

New entry for SKEPTIC Bibliography

This section points to "The Case For A Creator: A Journalist Investigates Scientific Evidence that Points Toward God" by Lee Strobel, providing its ISBN and publisher information.

Skeptic Ink

This comic strip by Prasad Golla and John Blanton satirizes astrology columns and the cancellation of a newspaper column. It humorously depicts a psychic predicting the cancellation of an astrology column.

Kudos For Shanks, Forrest, Gross

This section highlights favorable reviews in Science for books by Niall Shanks, Barbara Forrest, and Paul R. Gross, all members of NCSE. The books critically examine "intelligent design" creationism. The review notes that "intelligent design" hypotheses are often inspired by nonscientific considerations and that proponents tend to ignore objections or rework arguments.

Future meeting dates

A list of upcoming meeting dates for The North Texas Skeptics is provided, with meetings held at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. Dates range from August 14, 2004, to June 11, 2005, including board meetings and a party.

Events Calendar continued

This section continues the events calendar, mentioning the $10,000 paranormal challenge prize and the protocol for filing a claim on the NTS website. It also lists a "NTS Social Dinner and Board Meeting" on Saturday, July 24, at 7 p.m., at Hedary's Lebanese Oven and Grill in Dallas.

My Ship Has Sailed

This announcement promotes Laura Ainsworth's musical comedy show, "My Ship Has Sailed: How to be a Late-Bloomer in a World Obsessed with Extreme Youth," which lampoons anti-aging quackery. The show will be filmed for a DCTV/Comcast cable TV special at Django on the Parkway in Addison. Audience members are encouraged to attend for filming.

Scientific American Exposes “Attachment Therapy” to Wide Audience

This article reports that the June 2004 issue of Scientific American features a column by Michael Shermer titled "Death by Theory," which discusses the death of Candace Newmaker due to "Attachment Therapy." Shermer argues that this pseudoscience should be banned to prevent further harm to children. The article also references a book analyzing the Watkins/Ponder trial and another article on "Violent Therapies."

Police eye robbery in killing of scientist

This brief reports that police suspect robbery as a factor in the murder of Eugene Mallove, a proponent of "cold fusion" and editor-in-chief of Infinite Energy magazine. Several items were taken from him, including his vehicle.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of The North Texas Skeptic include skepticism towards pseudoscience, alternative medicine, and claims lacking scientific evidence. The magazine actively debunks or critically examines topics such as creationism, intelligent design, homeopathy, and certain therapeutic practices. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of scientific rigor, evidence-based reasoning, and critical thinking, as demonstrated by its coverage of the Penn & Teller DVD, missile defense critiques, and the debunking of various pseudoscientific claims. The organization actively promotes its Paranormal Challenge as a means to encourage empirical proof for extraordinary claims.