North Texas Skeptic - Vol 21 No 03 - 2007

Magazine Overview

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 21, Number 3, dated March 2007, focuses on "Challenge activity" and features a variety of articles critically examining paranormal claims, scientific theories, and societal issues through a skeptical lens. The magazine is published by The North Texas Skeptics and maintains a strong stance in favor of scientific reasoning and evidence-based conclusions.

Challenge Activity

The lead article, "Challenge activity" by John Blanton, reports on the North Texas Skeptics' ongoing Paranormal Challenge, which offers a $12,000 prize for demonstrated paranormal abilities. The article recounts past challenges, including Russell Shipp's attempt to move matter with his mind and Greg Nichols and Greg Willis's claim about a substance that improved wine taste. A more recent claimant, Rechey Davidson, reportedly located objects in the author's house in Dallas from a different county, passing a preliminary test twelve for twelve, though subsequent misses were noted. Carl Ritchie also submitted a claim, stating he is highly skilled at finding underground streams, water lines, power lines, and telephone lines, and is willing to prove his abilities, even suggesting specific test protocols involving buried lines.

David Ritchie is also mentioned in relation to Carl Ritchie's claim, with the implication that Ritchie is ready to come to Dallas to demonstrate his abilities and potentially claim the prize money.

March Program and Events

The "Events Calendar" section highlights upcoming North Texas Skeptics (NTS) events. On Saturday, March 17, 2007, at 2 p.m., NTS president John Brandt will present "Quantum Mechanics for Dummies" at the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas, explaining why quantum mechanics is often misinterpreted to support paranormal phenomena. A social dinner is scheduled for Saturday, March 24, 2007, at 7 p.m. at Good Eats in Dallas. Contact information for the NTS Hotline is provided for more details.

Web News

John Blanton contributes a "Web News" section, curating interesting articles from the internet. One article discusses "Other titles on the evolution debate," listing several books that explore the intersection of science and religion, including works by Francis Collins, Simon Conway Morris, Ursula Goodenough, Edward Larson, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, Owen Gingerich, and Philip Kitcher.

Another piece, "Museum wants police power," reports on the Answers in Genesis (AiG) Creation Museum in Kentucky seeking special police powers for its security team to handle anticipated crowds upon its opening. The author expresses skepticism about the need for such powers, referencing past experiences at similar museums with no lines.

An article titled "Airline redraws logo as superstitious customers curse 13-ball design" highlights a case where Brussels Airlines added a 14th ball to its logo to appease superstitious customers in the US and Italy, noting the irrationality of such decisions.

Sober Explains What Is Wrong With "Intelligent Design"

This section features an excerpt from an article by Elliott Sober, published in the Quarterly Review of Biology, which critiques "intelligent design" (ID). Sober focuses on "mini-ID," the claim that complex adaptations were crafted by an intelligent designer. He argues that ID cannot be tested against evolutionary explanations because it lacks auxiliary propositions that allow for competing predictions, thus failing to constitute substantive science. The article also mentions the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and encourages support for it.

Americans Lag Only Turkey in Discrediting Evolution

This news brief, by Jeremy Lipps, reports on a study by Jon Miller of Michigan State University, indicating that Americans rank second only to Turkey in discrediting evolution. The article attributes this to the influence of religion and politics, particularly fundamentalist interpretations of religious texts, which are seen as undermining scientific understanding.

Edward Humes on "Monkey Girl" and Evolution

Edward Humes writes about his experience attending a lecture titled "Why Evolution Is Stupid" in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, related to the Kitzmiller v. Dover trial. Humes distinguishes between the "real theory of evolution," supported by extensive evidence in labs, fossils, and DNA studies, and the "talk-radio pretend version." He criticizes the latter for presenting evolution as random, unguided, and promoting atheism, which he believes leads to most Americans rejecting evolution in polls. He argues that the "real" evolution is not random and that the talk-radio version is a straw-man argument used to promote alternatives like intelligent design.

What's New

Robert Park contributes a "What's New" column with several clippings of interest:

• FIRST AMENDMENT: HIGH COURT TAKES ON FAITH-BASED INITIATIVES: This item discusses a lawsuit challenging the Bush administration's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, arguing it violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The case has reached the Supreme Court.
• SUPERSTITION: MAYBE, “THE LOST TOMB OF A GUY NAMED JESUS”? This notes a Discovery Channel documentary claiming to have found the tomb of Jesus and his family, which has outraged the faithful.
• PASCAL'S WAGER: UK HIRED PSYCHICS TO FIND OSAMA BIN LADEN: A Ministry of Defense report indicates that the UK resorted to using "novices" when "known psychics" refused to help find Osama bin Laden.
• UNCONSCIOUS: PRINCETON ENGINEERING ANOMALIES RESEARCH (PEAR): The article discusses the closing of the PEAR laboratory at Princeton after 28 years, noting its involvement in the Global Consciousness Project, which reported "deviations from randomness" before major disasters.
• INCONSISTENT: HOW TO GET THE BRONTOSAURUS ONBOARD NOAH'S ARK: This piece highlights Marcus Ross, a doctoral candidate in paleontology and a young-Earth creationist, who wrote a thesis on mosasaurs and uses different paradigms to reconcile his beliefs with scientific evidence.
• REPLACED: NEW KANSAS SCHOOL BOARD SETS NEW SCIENCE STANDARDS: The Kansas board of education has replaced creationist-inspired science standards with new ones that do not present Darwinian evolution as scientifically controversial.

Skeptic Ink

A comic strip titled "Skeptic Ink" by Prasad Golla and John Blanton is included. It features three panels with captions related to intelligent design and religious beliefs, questioning the motivations behind ID and the potential consequences of rejecting scientific truth.

Unclear: Like That Other Fusion, Bubble Fusion Drags On

This brief article discusses the ongoing review of "bubble fusion" claims by Rusi Taleyarkhan. While Purdue University seemed to clear him, the review's pace and secrecy have raised questions, and not everyone is convinced.

The Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal

This section describes the mission of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP) and promotes its bimonthly publication, The Skeptical Inquirer, providing subscription details and website information.

Application for Membership

The final pages contain an "Application for Membership" for The North Texas Skeptics, outlining membership benefits, subscription rates, and an agreement to the organization's purposes of exploring paranormal and pseudoscientific claims responsibly and scientifically. It also includes an address correction request and mailing information for the organization.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue are the rigorous examination of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, the defense of scientific theories like evolution against creationist arguments, and the critique of superstition and irrational beliefs. The editorial stance is clearly pro-science, emphasizing critical thinking, evidence-based reasoning, and the importance of distinguishing between scientific fact and unfounded claims. The magazine actively promotes skepticism as a tool for understanding the world and encourages its readers to question extraordinary claims.