REALL News - Vol 13 No 03 - 2005

Magazine Overview

The REALL News, Volume 13, Number 3, dated April 2005, is the official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL). The publication is dedicated to rational thinking and the scientific method, aiming to critically examine paranormal and fringe-science phenomena. This issue features articles on UFOs, evolution, intelligent design, and consciousness, reflecting a skeptical and scientific editorial stance.

The Peter Jennings Media Event “UFOs: Seeing is Believing”

Martin S. Kottmeyer reviews the Peter Jennings media event on UFOs, noting that while it promised a two-hour event, it offered a sanitized narrative. He observes that the documentary focuses on the Air Force's involvement in UFO investigation, presenting a version of events that aligns with David Jacobs' work, which suggests the Air Force was compelled to study the phenomenon after Kenneth Arnold's report. The documentary highlights the Pentagon's refusal to accept the initial findings and the CIA's subsequent involvement to prevent intelligence operations from being diverted. Kottmeyer points out that the film emphasizes the Air Force's efforts to ridicule the subject and invent 'imaginative' explanations like ducks and stars, using a 1968 incident at Minot AFB as a prime example. He argues that while the documentary's portrayal is not inaccurate, it represents a chosen view, and another documentarian could have shown that the Air Force had ample reasons to exit the flying saucer business, such as dealing with the 'Shaver mystery,' 'hollow-earth belief,' and various crash/retrieval stories. The documentary's editing is noted for its stylistic choices, such as using blank backgrounds for witnesses and blending their voices to create a collective description, evoking a sense of mystery. Kottmeyer finds the presentation of Roswell as 'solved' significant because it underscores that governments do keep secrets, a point journalists often highlight. He also notes the Phoenix Lights case is presented as probably solved. However, he observes that beyond these, there is little exploration of alternatives to extraterrestrials, with naturalistic explanations like stars and ducks mentioned only in passing. The segment on sleep paralysis is described as abstract, with the testimony of victims seeming unconnected to the experts' explanations. Kottmeyer feels the documentary ultimately fails to explain away abductions, despite Jennings' warning that stories may be unbelievable but normal. The SETI researchers are portrayed as frustrated, believing in extraterrestrials but needing recorded contact, finding little in UFO reports to support their claims. Kottmeyer concludes that the documentary, while cinematically innovative, shifts the focus from 'Are UFOs alien?' to 'UFOs are a Mystery,' a shift he questions.

Review: The Ancestor's Tale, by Richard Dawkins

Clark Olson reviews Richard Dawkins' book, 'The Ancestor's Tale,' describing it as a large work that journeys backward in time to the origin of life. The book explores various biological topics related to human ancestors, focusing on living relatives. Dawkins discusses rapid evolution and cultural evolution, including the concept of memes. Olson notes that the book traces the ancestry back 40 steps to the origin of life, restricting its discussion primarily to living organisms to avoid overcomplication. While the approach is interesting for understanding evolution, Olson feels it doesn't provide a balanced view of the evolution of all life on Earth. He points out that Dawkins' discussion of extinct groups would have made the pathway more complicated. The review highlights that recent discoveries have clarified the evolutionary framework, yet Olson finds it surprising given that zoologists and botanists have been working for over 200 years. The book also includes 'tales' of various biological issues, such as the 'Tale of the Brine Shrimp,' which leads to a digression on body orientation and evolution. Dawkins' discussion of human races is noted as controversial, as he believes in their existence, drawing parallels to grasshopper species with different courting 'songs.' The review mentions that the book covers topics like natural selection, sexual selection, speciation, convergent evolution, extinction, genetics, plate tectonics, symbiosis, and embryology. Olson finds some of the political comments in the book annoying. Overall, he considers the book clear and interesting, helpful for understanding evolution and recent biology topics, though some discussions are speculative, and certain figures and diagrams are confusing.

Letter to the Editor

J. E. Armstrong, Professor of Botany at Illinois State University, writes in response to a talk on Intelligent Design (ID) by John Mark Henry. Armstrong argues that ID, while able to explain biological examples, is scientifically useless because it does not generate testable predictions or advance scientific understanding. He uses the example of plants being green instead of black (a more efficient pigment for solar energy) as an instance of 'poor design' that ID could explain but doesn't advance research. He contrasts this with evolution, where adaptations are often constrained by history, citing Stephen J. Gould's point about the panda's thumb. Armstrong questions how ID explains disease organisms and whether they are intelligently designed. He concludes that the distinction between ID and science is not grasped by the general public, leading to ID's wide appeal.

Terry Schiavo and the Global Consciousness Project

Wally Hartshorn discusses the Terry Schiavo case and its connection to the Global Consciousness Project (GCP). The GCP, based at Princeton University, uses a 'black box' that generates random numbers, hypothesizing that global consciousness might influence these patterns during major world events. Hartshorn notes that the GCP has reported 'significant' deviations during events like Princess Diana's funeral, the 9/11 attacks, and the Indian Ocean tsunami. However, he points out that the project showed no effect from the U.S. invasion of Iraq or the Columbia space shuttle disaster. Hartshorn attributes these apparent correlations to confirmation bias, arguing that humans are prone to seeing connections where none exist. He criticizes the GCP's methodology, suggesting that researchers look for deviations and deem them significant if found, while 'misses' are dismissed. Applying this to the Terry Schiavo case, Hartshorn argues that the video clips showing Ms. Schiavo reacting are excerpts from a much longer footage where her reactions are inconsistent and disconnected from stimuli, illustrating confirmation bias. He emphasizes that while one can ethically argue for keeping Ms. Schiavo alive, it is a mistake to give more weight to evidence of her awareness than to the voluminous evidence of her persistent vegetative state.

Newspaper Gleanings

Clark Olson reports on a New York Times article concerning religious objections to IMAX movies that discuss the Big Bang, evolution, and the origin of life. He notes that these objections create pressure that can chill the production of science-related films. Olson also mentions a controversy involving an Ultra-orthodox rabbi in Israel who reconciles scripture with natural history, facing denunciation from other rabbis. The issue of evolution versus creationism is also appearing in city newspapers, with Olson's daughter sending clippings from the Roanoke Times. The section includes a cartoon by 'Owen Twiddle' humorously depicting a 'psychic potentate' making verifiable claims about the future.

Our Next Meeting

The newsletter announces the next REALL meeting on Tuesday, April 5, 2005, at 7:00 PM at the Lincoln Library in Springfield, Illinois. The program will feature a video presentation discussing crop circles, examining both hoaxers and believers, and noting that paranormal beliefs do not die easily, with over 200 crop circles reported in 2004. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of The REALL News are skepticism towards paranormal claims, a strong emphasis on the scientific method, and critical examination of popular media and pseudoscientific theories. The editorial stance is clearly in favor of rational inquiry and evidence-based reasoning, as demonstrated by the critical reviews of the UFO documentary and the discussion of Intelligent Design. The newsletter actively promotes scientific literacy and challenges beliefs that lack empirical support, while acknowledging the complexity of issues like evolution and consciousness. The publication serves as a platform for reasoned debate and the dissemination of skeptical viewpoints within the central Illinois region and beyond.