North Texas Skeptic - Vol 24 No 11 - 2010

Magazine Overview

This issue of The North Texas Skeptic, Volume 24, Number 11, dated November 2010, features a cover story titled "Stupid, and deadly" by John Blanton. The magazine, published by The North Texas Skeptics, focuses on critical examination of pseudoscience, fraud, and irrational beliefs.

Stupid, and deadly

John Blanton's lead article critiques the incompetence of humanity, citing recent developments that bear this out. He elaborates on the absurdity of devices like the ADE 651 marketed by ATSC in the UK and the Quadro Tracker from the US. These devices, claimed to detect dangerous explosives, are described as little more than dressed-up water dowsers. The ADE 651, despite its claims, is little more than a dressed-up water dowser, and its evolution is compared to the genesis of Intelligent Design from young-Earth creationism. The Quadro Corporation's QRS 250G Detector, a dowsing rod with an antenna, was marketed for $995 to locate weapons or buried treasure. A test by a Sandia National Labs scientist found it contained nothing but plastic, and management allegedly directed scientists to remain silent under threat of legal action.

Blanton notes that the ADE 651 has an antecedent dating back over ten years, referencing Bob Park's highlighting of the Quadro Tracker in 1996. The Quadro Tracker was marketed to police and school districts for detecting drugs, explosives, weapons, and lost golf balls. The FBI obtained a permanent injunction against Quadro Corp., and its principals were tried for fraud but acquitted. The ADE 651 reappeared in the UK, sold by ATSC for prices up to $48,000. It was reported that at least 1,500 were sold to the Iraqi government as bomb detectors, contributing to hundreds of bomb deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The article explains that the ADE 651 works through the user's expectations, allowing subtle operator actions to influence detection indications. The prosecution of those selling fake bomb detectors may face challenges, as the defense could argue they believe the devices work, pointing to the prevalence of dowsing services. The author concludes that "Magical thinking will be with us until we teach our children that observable effects result only from physical causes."

Events Calendar

The issue includes an events calendar for November 2010. The November program is scheduled for Saturday, November 13, at 2 p.m. at 2900 Live Oak Street in Dallas; details were to be determined and available on the NTS website. A board meeting and social dinner was scheduled for Saturday, November 20, at 7:00 p.m. at La Carreta Argentina, 1115 North Beckley Avenue in Dallas, TX 75203. Attendees were advised to call 214.335.9248 for cancellations or changes.

North Texas Skeptics Officers and Staff

The magazine lists the officers of the North Texas Skeptics: John Brandt (President), Mike Selby (Vice President), David Price (Secretary), and Barbara Neuser (Treasurer). The staff includes Keith Blanton (Newsletter Editor), John Blanton (Webmaster), and Claudia Meek (Meetings and Social Director). The Board of Directors comprises Erling Beck, John Blanton, John Brandt, Prasad Golla, Claudia Meek, Barbara Neuser, David Price, and Mike Selby. Directors Emeritus include Tony Dousette, Ron Hastings, Jack Hittson, Mark Meyer, Curtis Severns, John Thomas, Joe Voelkering, and Mel Zemek.

Scientific and Technical Advisors listed are Joe Barnhart (Professor of Philosophy), Raymond A. Eve (Professor of Sociology, UT Arlington), Timothy N. Gorski (M.D.), Ronnie J. Hastings (Ph.D.), Anthony P. Picchioni (Ph.D.), James Rusk (Director, Russell Planetarium), Lakshman S. Tamil (Ph.D.), and John Thomas (Attorney).

The North Texas Skeptics is identified as a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) scientific and educational organization. The newsletter is published monthly and mailed to P.O. Box 111794, Carrollton, Texas 75011-1794. Permission to reprint articles is granted provided credit is given to The Skeptic and the mailing address is listed.

Web News

John Blanton's "Web news" column provides updates on recent developments. He notes the launch of a new offensive by the creationist Center for Science and Culture (CSC) from the Discovery Institute, promoting creationist videos and lectures. The column touches on politics entering science, referencing Christine O'Donnell's views on evolution and Bill Maher's commentary. It also mentions Texas Governor Rick Perry.

"4 Nails in Darwin's Coffin" at SMU

The article details an event at SMU named "4 Nails in Darwin's Coffin," which featured Phillip Johnson, Stephen C. Meyer, and Michael Behe, promoting Intelligent Design (ID) by challenging mainstream scientists on the Cambrian fossils. The event included a showing of the video "Darwin's Dilemma."

Eight SMU professors protested the event, calling it a "dishonest attempt to present a particular form of religion and science." They alleged distortions of scientific literature and deception. The CSC, through Michael Flannery, responded by defending the event and accusing the professors of bad history. Flannery argued that the concept of intelligent design predates Darwin, citing Alfred Russel Wallace.

Phillip Johnson is quoted characterizing a 1992 conference at SMU as a "respectable academic gathering," but the article clarifies that it was sponsored by a campus ministry, not an academic unit. The CSC filed an objection to Professor Mark A. Chancey's analysis of the event, claiming he discredited Intelligent Design with "Bad History."

Flannery, an author of the CSC objection, argues that the idea of intelligent design can be traced back to Alfred Russel Wallace, who believed nature showed evidence of a "Creative Power, directive mind, and ultimate purpose." Flannery asserts that Wallace was not a young-earth creationist and was a socialist who promoted social reforms.

The article criticizes the CSC's Intelligent Design movement for producing little original scientific research and relying on propaganda. It notes an ominous turn in the CSC's attacks, now personally targeting Charles Darwin.

What's new

Robert Park's "What's new" column discusses two main topics:

Fake bomb detector: the high cost of ignorance

Park reports on the expansion of an investigation into the sale of fake bomb detectors in the UK. He recalls the Quadro Tracker, a fraudulent golf-ball finder marketed in the US, which contained no internal parts. The ADE 651, a successor device sold in the UK, was marketed for up to $48,000 and sold to the Iraqi government, reportedly contributing to hundreds of bomb deaths. Park notes that the defense in such cases might argue that the sellers believe the devices work, drawing parallels to dowsing.

Magical thinking: dowsing is not illegal in the US or the UK

Park discusses the difficulty in prosecuting sellers of fake bomb detectors, as dowsing is not illegal. He explains that dowsing relies on supernatural influence and that "Magical thinking will be with us until we teach our children that observable effects result only from physical causes."

Skeptic Ink

Prasad Golla and John Blanton's "Skeptic Ink" comic strip features a dialogue about the source of wisdom, with one character stating, "I am in tune with a world beyond the senses and mystic voices from the past," while another points to "the Internet."

Lies: the animal that talks often tells lies.

This section discusses the use of new fMRI results in a Tennessee court to demonstrate veracity. The article notes that polygraph results are inadmissible because polygraphs do not work. While fMRI can, to a limited extent, tell what a person is thinking, the author opposes its use in court, calling it an ultimate invasion of privacy.

Cell phones: do the laws of nature trump epidemiology?

This section addresses the ongoing debate about cell phones. The author expresses dislike for cell phones but acknowledges the issue generates much mail. He explains that microwave photons from cell phones do not create mutant DNA strands and that the energy emitted is low. The human body has natural cooling mechanisms that prevent overheating. The author argues that epidemiology is a useful tool but not science itself and that photons with energies below the photoelectric threshold are not cancer agents.

Cell phones: long-awaited cancer study released this week.

A 10-year, $14 million epidemiological study led by the World Health Organization (WHO) found no link to brain cancer from cell phone use in 13 countries. However, the report concluded that "more study is needed." The author criticizes this conclusion, comparing it to the costly power-line scare fueled by flawed epidemiology and noting that in 30 years, cell phone technology will be completely different.

COSMOS: an acronym I am at present unable to decipher.

This brief section mentions another mobile phone study, the COSMOS cohort study, which will investigate health effects in five European countries over thirty years. The author finds this study's timeline to be a joke given the rapid changes in technology.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue include the critique of pseudoscience, fraud, and irrational beliefs, particularly in the context of technology and scientific claims. The magazine strongly advocates for skepticism, empirical evidence, and rational inquiry. The editorial stance is clearly against the promotion of unverified claims, whether they are presented as scientific, technological, or religious. The issue highlights the dangers of accepting such claims without critical examination, emphasizing that "people can die" as a consequence of believing in or relying on fraudulent or pseudoscientific products and ideas. The magazine also engages with the ongoing cultural and political debates surrounding science, such as the Intelligent Design movement's challenge to evolutionary theory.