A US judge has prohibited studies involving stem cells derived from human embryos that will later be discarded. The ruling, which overrides President Obama’s 2009 executive order to allow such studies, has caused many US scientists concern over its impact on their work. The Guardian reports that “The judge’s decision is almost certain to be appealed by the administration.”

Read the Guardian’s coverage here.

US government lends credibility to bogus prayer study

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services now features on its website an article claiming that prayer “may be a useful complement to Western medical practice.” This conclusion was reached through an atrocious study in which the conditions of sight- and hearing-impaired Mozambicans were reportedly found to improve after ‘proximal intercessory prayer (PIP)’. (That’s ‘prayer’ to you and me.) No reasonable scientific protocol was followed: The tests were neither single- nor double-blind, and included no controls. In fact, the participants – attendees of an evangelical meeting! – were subjected to PIP until they said it worked, kind of like how we know that beating the hell out of a person will make him sorry.

Read more on the study here.

Read the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ article here.

[Via Pharyngula]

Claudy bomb: conspiracy allowed IRA priest to go free

The British government and the Catholic Church colluded to protect the priest behind the Claudy bombings of 1972, a report issued this week reveals. One of the gravest atrocities of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, the bombing killed 9 people, injuring a further 30. The Catholic Church stands by its actions, explaining that to have identified the IRA bomber to be a Catholic priest might have ignited further violence in what was already the bloodiest year of three decades of conflict. Many of the victims’ families are uncomforted by this justification, and are calling for legal justice and an apology.

Read the BBC’s news coverage here.

Watch the BBC News coverage here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Uri Geller’s mind bender: Egyptian loot in Scotland

Famed bender Uri Geller, presumably having realised the uselessness of manipulating silverware, has found a new hobby: hunting for Egyptian treasure in Scotland. The conjurer recently purchased a small island off the Eastern coast for £30,000, after being inexplicably drawn to it. He later realised that his attraction was caused by ancient treasures buried there, and promptly buried a crystal orb “once belonging to Albert Einstein” (standard protocol I believe). Geller plans to find the treasures by dowsing. Expert historians however, say stories connecting Scotland with Ancient Egypt are “tosh!”

Read the Wall Street Journal’s coverage here.

[Via Skepchick]

It’s looking silly outside; Bring a lab coat

Looking to boost your CV? Science charity Sense About Science is planning an event in which diplomas in ‘Old Wives’ Traditional Medicine’ will be awarded to those who can answer a few simple questions on the subject.

The stunt is a response to Department of Health proposals to introduce a professional registration scheme for herbalists and other practitioners of ‘traditional’ medicine. The move would serve the idea that practising medicine does not require proper medical training.

The event will be held outside the Department of Health office, situated on Whitehall, London (map), on 8 September, and will begin at 11:30am. Please try to pop down if you can, if only for an hour or two. Also, if you have one, wear a lab coat. I promise you won’t be the only one.

For more information, visit the Sense About Science website.

If you’re interested, it would be really helpful if you would contact Julia Wilson at jwilson@senseaboutscience.org and say so, just to give an idea of how many people to expect. Thanks!

(Further details coming soon.)

Empire State Building refuses to light up for Mother Teresa

Although the Empire State Building readily lit up for the Rotary Club’s 100^th birthday, and the 60^th anniversary of the founding of communist China, it will not shine blue and white for Mother Teresa’s 100^th birthday as requested. The building’s owners issued a statement to say that they cannot recognise religious figures in this way. Bill Donohue, talking on FOX News, claims this amendment was added after the request to justify the denial. It’s always fun to see Bill Donohue mad.

Watch the Fox News coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

For several weeks the world has watched the unfolding case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani in outrage. Originally sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, she has now appeared on a major Iranian television network, apparently to confess to her involvement in the murder of her husband and his cousin. ‘Appeared’ is not quite the right term though: Sakineh’s face was blurred and her voice dubbed, raising doubts that the person speaking was even her. Her lawyer maintains that it was, but also that she was “severely beaten up and tortured until she accepted to appear in front of camera”.

Read Al Jazeera’s coverage here.

Watch the BBC News coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Faith School Menace

Richard Dawkins’ latest documentary Faith School Menace? examines the role of faith schools in Britain as the coalition government rolls out it’s ‘free schools’ initiative. Through a series of interviews with politicians, teachers and children, Dawkins reveals the depressing realities of faith schools’ discrimination between and indoctrination of children in Britain. The British Humanist Association (BHA) has called for a full parliamentary inquiry into faith schools following the program.

Watch Faith School Menace here. (Unfortunately this video is only available to UK viewers).

[Via Richard Dawkins]

NHS ‘alternative therapy’ blast

We all know how tough it is to find jobs in this economic climate, so how would you react if I told you of one that pays £68,000 a year, only requires you to work for two days a week, and demands no expertise whatsoever. The position: ‘Specialty Doctor in Homeopathy’ for NHS Tayside. Sure they may be cutting 500 jobs in the next year, but you don’t need to feel bad; you won’t be the only one applying.

Read the Express’ coverage here.

From blasphemy to blasphemy rights

Last year the Centre for Inquiry (CFI) celebrated ‘International Blasphemy Day’, a day intended to promote free speech, but which some abused, using it as an excuse to mindlessly insult faith and religion. This year the CFI have rebranded the holiday ‘International Blasphemy Rights Day’ in the hope that attention will be focused on the serious issues surrounding blasphemy and the right to free speech, at home and abroad.

Read more here.

Visit the ‘International Blasphemy Rights Day’ Facebook page here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

Drug firms hiding negative research are unfit to experiment on people

This week the drug company AstraZeneca settled a class action for £125m after more than 17,500 patients claimed it had withheld information showing that a schizophrenia drug could cause diabetes. AstraZeneca’s publications manager has admitted to the company’s burying of data in a past study concerning the drug, while publishing the positive findings.

Read Ben Goldacre’s article in the Guardian here.

Last Catholic adoption agency faces closure after Charity Commission ruling

This week it was adoption agency Catholic Care’s turn to bend over and take a court ruling up the backside, as the Charity Commission rejected their request to turn away gay couples on the basis of their sexuality. Earlier this year a High Court judge ordered that their case for homophobia be considered, making Catholic Care the last Catholic adoption agency not to have been forced to close down or disassociate with the Church. It would be so easy to end on a joke, but I’m bigger than that.

Read the Telegraph’s coverage here.

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Thursday August 12th:
Matt Parker, Clutching at Random Straws, The Banshee Labyrinth, 18:00

Friday August 13th:
Professor Richard Wiseman, The Luck Factor, The Banshee Labyrinth, 18:00

Saturday August 14th:
Chris French, Anomalistic Psychology, The Banshee Labyrinth, 18:00

The full listing is available from http://skepticsonthefringe.co.uk

The following reviews of some of the other Fringe shows are courtesy of Ash Pryce, one of the organisers of Skeptics on the Fringe.

Giggidy Giggidy Gigerenzer
There are many who would question whether basing a fringe comedy show on statistics and mathematics would work. Particularly one that focuses on death. Maths is generally a subject many recoiled from at school and still perhaps find boring or incomprehensible. Death is generally a subject most tend to find a little less than funny. This makes Your Days Are Numbered (Matt Parker and Timandra Harkness 11.25 Assembley@George Street) an even more remarkable show in that it makes the statistics of deaths fun.

Find out why canoeing is like taking ecstasy, how more dangerous than aliens a bee is and learn about the differences between absolute and relative risk while rolling in the aisles.

A must see for all geeks and non-geeks!

3D picture show
Mould and Arrowsmiths’ Fringe show is funny. It’s hard to review it without over exuberantly blurting out things that are probably integral to the show! Suffice to say – if you rotate this review it will look like it is spinning.

Mould and Arrowsmith invite you into a comic landscape peppered with geeky references, clever wordplay and cunningly constructed tomfoolery. You would be well advised to join them at the Pleasance Baby Grand at 4:30pm

Keen and Khan: Starstruck 21.45 Voodoo rooms (10th and 11th)
But two nights remain of this show where Helen Keen and Dr Sophia Khan tell us ten things we didn’t know about NASA. You at highly advised not to miss it! Helen Keen is excellent as co-host but it is Dr Khan who stole the show. I’m not sure what more I can say about this but you really must try and see it.

Ian Sample is an award-winning science correspondent at the Guardian. He was named investigative journalist of the year in 2005 by the Association of British Science Writers. He was previously a feature writer for New Scientist and holds a PhD in biomedical science from Queen Mary, University of London. Ian’s first book is Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle.

Questival is a weekend camping trip organised by The National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies and Leeds Atheist Society, inspired by Camp Quest UK, and is sponsored by the British Humanist Association.

Unlike Camp Quest, which is aimed at children, Questival is for fully grown atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and all those who embrace a naturalistic rather than supernatural world view. The event, whilst aimed mainly at students, is open to adults of all ages. The weekend features comedienne Iszi Lawrence and Skepchick Rebecca Watson. The theme will be… having fun!

Questival runs from 5pm on Friday 13/08/2010 until 4pm on Sunday 15/08/2010. The event will be held at Dalesbridge Camp Site, Austwick, Near Settle, North Yorkshire, LA2 8AZ. The site has a good 2G signal for all mobile networks and has free WIFI available.

In addition to walks around the Dales, discussions about critical thinking and logical fallacies, scientific method and pseudo-science, philosophy and ethics, Iszi Lawrence and Rebecca Watson will be attending to speak at the event.

Tickets can be purchased from the British Humanist Association, however it would be advisable to purchase quickly as tickets are selling quickly and only a small number remain.

How to win two tickets

The Skeptic has two tickets (worth £60 total) donated by the organisers, to give away as part of a competition. To win the tickets, email competitions@skeptic.org.uk with your answer to the following:

What activity, event or product would you like sceptical groups to hold or develop within the UK?

The tickets will be given to the individual who submits the idea judged to be the best, by staff from The Skeptic and by any other nominated judge(s). Responses should be concise and feasible. The competition will close at midnight (GMT) on Saturday 07/08/2010. By submitting ideas, you agree they may be used or developed at a future point.

Last week the Church of England’s synod voted overwhelmingly to allow women to be ordained as bishops. Worried that some might mistakenly connect the Catholic Church with such tolerance, the Vatican announced three days later that in its establishment the same actions would constitute a ‘grave crime’, putting it in the same category as clerical sex abuse of minors. I think it might be time to employ a new head of PR.

Read the Guardian’s news coverage here.

Watch the BBC’s news coverage here.

[Video via Atheist Media Blog]

Scientology’s problem with Twitter

Last year, Cardiff councillor John Dixon happened to pass a local branch of the Church of Scientology. He reached for his phone and Tweeted “I didn’t know the Scientologists had a church on Tottenham Court Road. Just hurried past in case the stupid rubs off.” Now he faces a disciplinary hearing for breaching the code of conduct for local authority members.

In response, the term #stupidscientology has become a trending topic on Twitter. For those of you whose lives don’t revolve around what Stephen Fry has for tea each day, that means it’s one of Twitter’s most talked about topics in the UK today. I only hope that the tweets are to say what a first-rate job the church (it’s definitely a church) is doing, which I want to make clear is my view.

Read the Guardian’s news coverage here.

Watch BBC Newsnight’s interview with Councillor John Dixon here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

£17,500 fine over ‘spiritual healer’ advert

This week TV watchdog Ofcom bared its teeth and fined a television network £17,500 for airing a spiritual healing advert ‘likely to exploit vulnerable people’. The ad promoted ‘spiritual healer’ Professor Mohammed Zain, whose advise to one client was to credit his account with £110, pray for a week and call him back. She did so, and upon receiving her call Zain told her to cough up a further £1,400 and in return he would find her a prince. Charming.

Read the Guardian’s news coverage here.

The missing pope petition

Those of you who signed the ‘Protest the Pope’ petition will have recently received an email with the official response from the Prime Minister’s office, which is essentially ‘The Pope is coming to dinner. The UK taxpayer has to fork out a shedload of cash for it.’ Your reaction was probably similar to mine: ‘We know all this. That’s what we’re protesting against!’

So in essence Downing Street ignored the petition. But if that wasn’t bad enough it’s now been removed by Whitehall officials, more than three months before it was scheduled to close. It seems that only selected petitions are allowed.

Don’t let it end there. The Protest the Pope Coalition plans to rally against the Pope’s visit on Saturday 18 September in London. Anyone who isn’t there is a kiddy-fiddler.

Read more here.

Find out more about the rally and other events here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Chicken eggs and Ham

Last week MSNBC reported that scientists have ‘proven’ that the chicken came before the egg – a claim despairingly debunked by PZ Myers. At least one reader was convinced though. This week Ken Ham smugly blogged on the discovery’s consistency with the Bible’s creation myth. Looks like Bananaman’s got a new partner in crime: Eggface.

Read more here.

[Via Pharyngula]

BHA condemns “appalling decision” to give education award to creationist zoo

Gone are the days when we could say ‘only in America’. The Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, an initiative of the last UK government set in place to promote educational school trips, has awarded creationist Noah’s Ark Zoo a ‘Quality Badge’ in recognition of its educational programme. Setting aside the biblical myths that are its backbone, the programme denies a host of scientific facts that conflict with the establishment’s views including radio carbon dating, the fossil record and the speed of light. The British Humanist Association is urging for the award’s retraction.

Read more here.

[Via Planet Atheism]

Facing Mecca when you pray doesn’t matter says Islamic leader

Indonesian Muslims have been praying in the wrong direction. Rather than facing Mecca it turns out that the country’s mosques had people facing Africa. The head of the Indonesian Ulema Council – the organisation responsible for the mix up – assured Muslims that their prayers had still been heard by Allah. That’s one bit of superstition ignored, only the rest of the Koran to go.

Read more here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Dispatches: Africa’s Last Taboo

Completely devastating but equally compelling, Africa’s Last Taboo examines African attitudes towards homosexuality and the government policies they inform. The program opens with a hook: stay tuned to find out what’s driving the African anti-homosexuality movement. I don’t want to give away the ending, but I’m sure one guess is all you’ll need anyway.

Watch Dispatches: Africa’s Last Taboo here. (This video is unfortunately available in the UK).

Church members sue after doomsday fails to occur

Two former church members are suing their ex-pastor and his associates for conning them out of a combined $1.4m by lying about a doomsday that never came. I’m not sure how Australian church Agape Ministries claimed it would put their money to use – first-class tickets to the pearly gates perhaps? In any event, here’s where the line between giggles and sh*ts gets blurred:

Ms Baligod said she believed many other people wanted to come forward with civil claims, but were scared. “A lot of them have been threatened by insiders, with death threats as I understand it,” she said.

Read the ABC news coverage here.

[Via Planet Atheism]

Australian antivax group slammed for “misleading and inaccurate information”

And now, some good news for Australia: An Australian government investigation has called antivax group Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) out on their manipulative and dishonest peddling of misinformation. The report found that AVN, who claim not to be antivax, cherry-pick data and even invent sheer lies to steer anyone who’ll listen away from dreaded, life-saving vaccines. Unfortunately there is no real punishment in store for AVN, but they will now have to include on their website a prominent disclaimer stating their antivax position.

Read more here.

Watch Australian news program Lateline’s coverage here.

[Article via Discover Blogs | Bad Astronomy]

[Video via Sean the Blogonaut]

‘Forbidden Art’ show organisers convicted of “fuelling religious hatred”

The organisers of a 2006 Russian exhibition called ‘Forbidden Art’, which featured works considered ‘too outrageous to show elsewhere’, have been found guilty of fuelling religious hatred. Although the works included depictions of Jesus as Mickey Mouse and Lenin, organisers say it was not their intention to offend, but rather to draw attention to censorship issues.

The organisers were sentenced with heavy fines, which disappointed many Russian Orthodox believers, who had hoped for a prison sentence. Also disappointed was a group of artists, who felt the verdict was an infringement on free speech and expressed their outrage with fitting creativity – by releasing thousands of cockroaches in the court building.

Read the Moscow Times’ news coverage here.

Watch Russia Today’s news coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe: Episode 260

There’s no real reason for my including this particular episode of The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe in this week’s roundup, but I so rarely get around to listening to them and every time I do I’m reminded of how great they are.  So if you’re new to The Guide, you’re in for a treat; if like me you rarely listen to them, let this one remind you why you should do more often; or if you’re so hooked you can recite them all word for word, as you were.

Listen to the latest episode of The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe here.

Topics of discussion include: fin to limb evolution; Pat Boone on the laws of physics; ice patch archaeology; Steven Barratt sued; your questions and emails; flag worship; and science or fiction?.

[Via The Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe]

The Age of the Genome: Episode 4

Richard Dawkins’ Radio 4 program The Age of the Genome has reached its fourth and final episode and I’ve neglected to tell you about it, so if you haven’t found it by other means I’m afraid you’ve got some catching up to do.

In episode four, Dawkins talks to Craig Venter – who recently unveiled the world’s first self-replicating species whose parent is a computer – and other leading scientists about the potential powers of genome science in the future. What could be better?

Listen to all episodes of The Age of the Genome here.

French lawmakers vote to ban burqa in public

Women in France could be fined or required to attend citizenship classes for wearing full-length veils in public if a new bill is passed. This week the lower house of parliament approved the bill by an overwhelming majority of 335 to 1, but it must still be vetted by the Constitutional Council and approved by the Senate in September.

Whatever your thoughts on that, you can’t disagree with the section of the bill that would impose a €30,000 fine and a one-year prison sentence on anyone who forces another person to cover their face.

Opponents of the bill see it as a violation of the rights to freedom of expression and religion. Proponents consider it vital for furthering women’s rights and maintaining the country’s reputation for fashion.

Read Reuters’ news coverage here.

Woman on ‘Wife Swap’ makes her surrogate family train for 2012

Last week’s episode of Wife Swap USA brought reality television into the realms of fantasy as a crazed woman had her surrogate family train for the 2012 apocalypse. The filmmakers can’t have believed their luck; you know you’ve hit comedy gold when the cameras are rolling and you’ve got a fully-grown man fitting a life-jacket onto a dog.

Read io9’s blog post and watch a clip from the show, here.

[Via Skepchick]

‘Everybody Draw Muhammad Day’ cartoonist put on execution list

A terror preacher linked to the botched Times Square bombing has put the creator of ‘Everybody Draw Muhammad Day’ on an execution hit list. Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki wrote in Inspire, a new English-language Al Qaeda magazine aimed at recruiting westerners, that “the medicine prescribed by the Messenger of Allah is the execution of those involved”. Awlaki also damned eight other cartoonists, journalists and authors for their involvement with the ‘blasphemous cartoons’.

Read NY Daily News’ coverage here.

[Via Skepchick]

‘The Hills’ finale: Fake set emerges as Kristin Cavallari and Brody Jenner say goodbye

Who’d’ve thought it? The Hills - that emotional rollercoaster tracking the day-to-day lives of glamorous guys and girls, managing to neatly tie up each episode’s storyline after half an hour – is faked. As the show’s finale closed the cameras pulled out to reveal a Hollywood set and the fans rushed to Twitter in search of shoulders to cry on. Don’t worry guys, you can always rely on the integrity of Laguna Beach.

Read NY Daily News’ coverage here.

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Helen Keen is a stand-up comedian and writer, she was a finalist in the 2005 Funny Women competition and the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year competition and has been nominated for the Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year award. She won the first Channel 4 New Comedy Writing Award in 2005. Since then she has written for, among others, Channel 4′s Friday Night Project and BBC Radio 4′s The Now Show and is currently developing scripts with BBC3, Channel 4 and BBC Radio 4. Helen’s award winning show about space, It is Rocket Science!, is being re-launched at this years Edinburgh Festival and is currently being developed into a show for Radio 4. Helen is also co-hosting a new show, Starstruck!, at Edinburgh with Astrophysicist Dr Sophia Khan.

Leaving the Cult

Leaving the Cult follows three teenage boys after their escape from ‘The Crick’, the area inhabited by their polygamist Mormon families. Although painfully difficult to watch, it is essential viewing, and will leave you with a new outlook towards the Mormon missionaries you meet in the street, and if you’re anything like me, an excruciating desire to adopt them.

Watch Leaving the Cult here. (Unfortunately this video is available only to UK residents.)

Attempted intimidation by a quack

Dr. Stephen Barratt of QuackWatch, an excellent organisation dedicated to exposing bogus medical claims, is being sued by the ‘lab’ Doctor’s Data, whose reports Barratt claimed were manipulated to instil unnecessary fears in patients and direct them towards chelation therapy. The case should increase the transparency of Doctor’s Data’s dishonesty, but will cost Barratt much time and money in the meantime. To financially support Barratt you can make a donation to QuackWatch here.

[Via Pharyngula]

Iranian woman sentenced to death by stoning

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, an Iranian woman convicted of adultery, has been sentenced to death by stoning. Mina Ahadi, an activist based in Germany and who was herself forced to flee a death sentence in Iran, is now leading the opposition campaign. She explains that the only chance to overrule this sentence is to have activists worldwide encourage European governments to put pressure on the Islamic regime in Iran, but time is running out. You can help by forwarding a copy of this email (scroll down) to the UN High Commissioner for the Office of Human Rights. It doesn’t take a second and won’t cost you anything.

Read more here.

Watch CNN’s news coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Muslim parents banning children from music lessons

Hundreds of British Muslims are withdrawing their children from music lessons, despite having no legal right to do so. Apparently the prophet Muhammad was not a music-lover, and forbid learning a musical instrument, but that’s not even the point. Music lessons are a part of the national curriculum and children are therefore obliged to attend them. Some teachers and Ofsted inspectors however, are turning a blind eye to this breach of the law so as not to enflame public unrest. The worst part of course, is that the poor people at One Law for All barely had time to celebrate the success of their recent rally before this news broke.

Read and watch the BBC’s news coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Pope visit protest warning

Lord Patten, the Conservative peer helping organise the Pope’s upcoming visit to the UK, has warned those planning demonstrations that they risk sparking outrage among the wider public. Scary. The UK taxpayers’ estimated financial obligation towards the four-day visit has increased from £8m to between £10m and £12m, disregarding policing costs. The total cost is set to be closer to £20m. I guess that’s how much it costs to hire a good anti-equality preacher these days (also available for weddings and office functions).

Read more here.

Find out more about demonstrations against the Pope’s UK visit here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Iranian government bans ‘immoral’ mullets

Hippity-hop to the barber shop, but be careful what you ask for. The Iranian government this week unveiled a list of approved hairstyles, which basically extends only to a short back and sides for men, making Iran the first country to officially recognise that ponytails and mullets are out.

Watch Al-Jazeera’s news coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Timothy Garton Ash is the author of eight books of political writing or “history of the present”. They include The Magic Lantern, The File, History of the Present and Free World. His latest is Facts Are Subversive: Political Writing From a Decade Without a Name. He is Professor of European Studies and Isaiah Berlin Professorial Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. His essays appear regularly in the New York Review of Books and his weekly column for the Guardian is widely syndicated in Europe, Asia and the Americas. He has received many awards for his writing, including the Somerset Maugham Award and the George Orwell Prize.

In association with TAM London 2010

Wednesday 20th October 2010, 19.00 – 21.00 @ The Horse Hospital.

Central to the ideologies of the totalitarian regimes and authoritarian governments of the 20th century, conspiracy theories were commonly used against groups; socialists, anarchists, the Kulaks, the Jews. Then something changed, and conspiracy theories became in the popular imagination something that was committed by the government. From Pearl Harbour to JFK, from the Moon landings to Princess Diana time and again the government, the establishment or “Military-Industrial complex” is seen to act against the people’s interests. By the time we get to 9/11, it seems that people are willing to believe governments capable of anything. How did this change in emphasis arise? Is it justified? Joining Neil Denny, presenter of the Little Atoms Radio Show to discuss the rise of the conspiracy theory are;

David Aaronovitch – Writer, broadcaster and commentator, Times Columnist and author of Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History.

James McConnachie – Author of The Book of Love: In Search of the Kamasutra, The Rough Guide to Sex, and co-author ofThe Rough Guide to Conspiracy Theories.

Jon Ronson – An acclaimed filmmaker and broadcaster, who made the 5 part series Secret Rulers of the World and the award winning Tottenham Ayatollah for Channel 4, and author of Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Francis Wheen – Deputy editor of Private Eye, and a News Quiz regular. Author of How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World: A Short History of Modern Delusions and Strange Days Indeed.

This event is ticketed. Tickets cost £4 each and can be purchased via Paypal below.

Gillard Won’t Play Religion Card

Julia Gillard, Australia’s new Prime Minister, is an atheist. Her predecessor Kevin Rudd is Catholic, and before him they had a young-Earther in the hot seat. What’s great is not Gillard’s lack of faith, but her openness about it. In a recent interview she explained that she will not pretend to have a faith that she does not feel and will not go through religious rituals for the sake of appearance. They may be down and under, but they ain’t all backward.

Read more here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Tell the President to Keep His Word to End Religious Discrimination in Faith-Based Initiatives

On July 1, 2008, then-senator Obama promised to modify Bush’s Faith-Based Initiatives program to end proselytizing and religious discrimination by organisations that receive tax dollars. Under the Bush administration such organisations were able to discriminate against potential employees on the basis of their religion, or lack of, and they still are. Now the Secular Coalition for America is calling on all US citizens who believe in a separation of church and state to tell their president to keep his promise, which he can do ‘at the stroke of a pen’, requiring no congressional action. In the words of that interminable woman from Jesus Camp ‘don’t be a promise-breaker, be a history-maker’.

Read more here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Pakistan to Monitor Google and Yahoo for ‘Blasphemy’

In May Pakistan banned access to Facebook after it hosted a ‘blasphemous’ competition to draw the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Now Pakistani authorities will monitor seven major websites, including Google and Yahoo, blocking individual content deemed blasphemous. Get with the twenty-first century people. I mean really, who uses Yahoo nowadays?

Read more here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Richard Dawkins Interested in Setting up ‘Atheist Free School’.

Last week Richard Dawkins took a break from panel debates and news appearances to discuss the significance of religion in education on Mumsnet, a parenting website for mothers. On the subject of the coalition’s new ‘free schools’, one Mumsnet user suggested Dawkins set up an atheist school, an idea that he rightly tweaked into a ‘free thinking school’. Dawkins has no plans to realise such an institution, but did disclose plans to make a documentary on the subject of religion and education. I’ll keep you posted.

Read more here.

Doctors call for Homeopathy Ban

Amidst calls for NHS spending cuts the British Medical Association has voted against offering homeopathic treatment on the NHS, and that in pharmacies the remedies should be labelled ‘placebos’ rather than ‘medicines’.

You may have seen this story in the Telegraph or the Guardian and turned all giddy. So did I. But when I found that no other news sources had covered it I knew it was too good to be true. It turns out that the British Medical Association’s decision has no bearing on NHS policy. Maybe it should.

Read more here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Atheist Billboard in North Carolina Vandalised Within a Week

Last week the North Carolina Secularist Association erected a billboard on Billy Graham Parkway. The excerpt from the Pledge of Allegiance read ‘One Nation Indivisible’ until vandalised by some nut who presumably gets pissed off every time he reads anything that doesn’t mention god.

Read more here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

Psychic Octopus picks Germany to beat Argentina

Get yourself down to the bookies now. I’ve got an inside tip that’s a dead cert. A psychic octopus that hasn’t failed yet in its (four) world cup predictions has picked Germany to beat Argentina tomorrow. Why are you still here?

Read more here.

[Via Skepchick]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

It is with sadness that I inform you that Mary Evans died peacefully in her sleep on the morning of 29 June. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's for the last four years. Further details of Mary's life can be found here.

Rebecca Skloot is a science writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Discover, and many other publications. She is the guest editor of The Best American Science Writing 2011 , a contributing editor at Popular Science magazine, and has worked as a correspondent for WNYC's Radiolab and PBS's Nova ScienceNOW.

Skloot served for eight years on the Board of Directors of the National Book Critics Circle, where she was a vice president and judge for their yearly book awards. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, her debut book, took more than a decade to research and write, and instantly became a New York Times best-seller.

One Law for All Rally against Sharia Law a Huge Success

Hundreds gathered outside Downing Street on Sunday to protest against Sharia law. The protest, organised by the One Law for All campaign, later joined a march organised by Iran Solidarity, but the event also attracted less savoury activists. First came the pro-Sharias wielding signs of ‘Democracy is Cancer. Islam is the Answer’, and then stepped in the inevitable National Front, or English Defence League, or whatever they’re going by nowadays. The former were only out in handfuls, the latter got locked up, and so the secularists brought home a much-needed victory for England. Well done to everyone involved.

Read more here.

Watch Russia Today’s news coverage here.

[Video via Atheist Media Blog]

Study Examines Scientists’ ‘Climate Credibility’

Ever debated a so called ‘climate change sceptic’ and come up against the idea that ‘loads of eminent scientists don’t believe in man-made climate change either’? Without having the figures to hand it’s always difficult to make credible your counterclaim that ‘the vast majority’ of scientists do in fact recognise man-made climate change. That’s when that particular avenue of discussion becomes a cul-de-sac. But now a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that 98% of climate scientists who publish research on the subject support the view that human activities are warming the planet. Unfortunately, only half of the psychiatric patients in ward three agree with these findings, so I guess there’s still controversy. 

Read the BBC’s coverage here.

Scientology Avoids Paying Tax in the UK

Ever since the Church of Scientology became officially unrecognised as a charity in the UK, it has avoided paying taxes here by claiming its entire UK operation to be a member of its Australian outfit. Australian law still recognises the cult as a religion, exempting it from paying tax there, so that explains that. Why they chose a small suburban house in Adelaide for their major headquarters is anybody’s guess. The building’s owner, who runs a gardening business, was as shocked as anybody to find out.    

Read more here.

Watch Australian current affairs programme Today Tonight’s coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Female Genital Mutilation at Cornell University

Paediatric urologist Dix Poppas of Cornell University is performing surgeries on girls as young as six to reduce the size of their clitorises, which he arbitrarily judges to be oversized. The operations involve removing some of the shaft whilst retaining the tip in an effort to save nerves. If that unnecessary and enforced ordeal doesn’t shock you the follow up treatment will. To test the level of nerve retention Poppas touches the reconstructed clitoris with a vibrator, despite knowing that if it hasn’t worked nothing can be done about it. It’s okay though, because the parents have consented (for some reason).

Read more here.

[Via Pharyngula]

Muhammad Believed in… What?

Islam is long overdue for an image makeover. In an effort to create one Muslims are getting in on the UK bus ads, but something tells me the pretty colours won’t be enough to distract the public from the questionable statements they surround.

All of the above statements are debunked here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

Creationists Suffer another Legal Defeat

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) has moved, and so have the times. While based in California the ICR’s Masters Degrees were officially recognised, but now in Texas… they ain’t. When they filed to get the Texas Higher Education Coordination Board’s approval for their accreditations the court’s response was that the ‘Plaintiff is entirely unable to file a complaint which is not overly verbose, disjointed, incoherent, maundering, and full of irrelevant information.’ Bitchslap! I hope you’ll join me in a celebratory firing of your pistols towards the heavens. Yeehaw!  

Read more here.

[Via Discover Blogs]

********************************

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Anil Ananthaswarmy is a consultant editor of New Scientist in London. He has worked at the magazine in various capacities since 2000, most recently as deputy news editor, and has written more than 250 news and features articles. He is also a contributor to National Geographic News. He studied electronics, electrical and computer engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Bachelor of Technology), and the University of Washington, Seattle (Master of Science), and worked as a software engineer in Silicon Valley before training as a journalist in the University of California Santa Cruz's renowned science writing programme. Anil is the author of The Edge of Physics: A Journey to Earth's Extremes to Unlock the Secrets of the Universe.

James Hannam is a historian of science specialising in the relationship between science and Christianity in the Medieval and Early Modern eras. He took Masters (2003) from Birkbeck College, University of London and a PhD (2008) in the History and Philosophy of Science at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. James' reviews and articles have been published in the academic journals British Journal of the History of Science, Transactions of the Cambridge Bibliography Society, Science and Christian Belief and Perspectives on Science and Faith. James Hannam is the author of God's Philosophers: How the Medieval World Laid the Foundations of Modern Science.

Sue Armstrong is a science writer and broadcaster living in Edinburgh. As a foreign correspondent she worked for a variety of media including the New Scientist and BBC World Service. She has also undertaken a variety of assignments writing reports for the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. Sue's latest book is A Matter of Life and Death: Inside the Hidden World of the Pathologist.

Join Neil this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed at www.resonancefm.com worldwide.

Martin Robbins is a researcher and science writer. he currently works in R&D solving scientific problems for a small software company, and previously worked as an ecological modeller for the British Antarctic Survey. The common research theme in Martin's career to date has been understanding complex systems in various domains. Martin is the proprietor of the Lay Scientist blog, and a regular contributor to the Guardian's Comment is Free. He is currently writing a book about Bad Science in the Developing World.

Richard Wilson read Philosophy at University College London and his first book, Titanic Express, recounts his search for the truth about the death of his sister Charlotte, who was killed in Burundi in 2000. He now works for a human rights organisation and lives in London. Richard's latest book is Don't Get Fooled Again: The Sceptic's Guide to Life.

Join Neil and Richard this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed at www.resonancefm.com worldwide.


Some of you will be aware of the fact that Michael was a long-term sufferer from bipolar disorder and you may recall that on a previous occasion I sent out an email via the paranormal email network announcing his death by suicide. On that occasion, it transpired that I, along with dozens of others, had been the victim of a hoax and Michael was in fact still very much alive. The hoaxer was Michael himself, in one of his manic phases. I was, therefore, somewhat suspicious when I received an email a few days ago ostensibly from Bryan Thalbourne, Michael's brother, informing me that Michael was in hospital in a coma having been found unconscious at his flat. Since then, I have been informed by Bryan of Michael's death. On this occasion, I have taken steps to try to ensure that the emails are genuine (e.g., by contacting third parties) and I now believe that, unfortunately, they are.


Yours in sadness,
Chris.
 

Hello Everyone,

Apologies for the mass mailing, but you are receiving this email because you are either a scientist or a skeptic or someone connected with Oxford, or maybe all three. I am writing because you might be able to help British science by helping Evan Harris MP to retain his seat in parliament.

Along with Richard Dawkins, AC Grayling, Colin Blakemore, Lisa Appignanesi and many others, I am supporting the campaign to keep Dr Evan Harris in Parliament as a voice for science, secularism and free expression.

Evan has been the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West & Abingdon since May 1997 and he is the Lib Dem spokesman for science. But our support for him is not party political; and it goes beyond the interests of his constituency. Indeed, you can see further below a long list of the vital issues that Evan has championed.

Ordinarily, Evan should be safe at the election, but boundary changes and an aggressive campaign to unseat him mean that we might be about to lose science's best friend in Parliament.

How can you help?

If you are based in the Oxford West & Abingdon constituency then please consider voting for Evan. If you are not in that constituency, then please forward this email to anybody you know who might live in his constituency.

If you can help in other ways, then please contact Evan's team directly by emailing ikhanoxford [at] googlemail.com or visit www.evanharris.org.uk/pages/help-Evan.html.

Why should you help?

Over the past 13 years, Evan has been a fearless spokesman for evidence-based policy-making, opposing religious privilege, and promoting freedom of expression. He has led many campaigns inside and outside parliament, including:

* reforming libel laws, which stifle academic free expression (Evan set up and heads the parliamentary wing of the libel reform coalition in Parliament which supported me in my successful defence against the British Chiropractic Association and which is helping press for law reform)

* promoting the necessity for liberal updated laws allowing stem cell research (Evan coordinated colleagues, scientists, clinicians and patient groups campaigning for the passage of the HFE Bill)

* abolishing the blasphemy law (Evan laid the amendments and built the coalition which forced the repeal)

* helping to expose the fraudulent research that led to the costly and damaging MMR/Autism myth (Evan was the most vocal MP defending the vaccine at the height of the media scare);

* repealing the laws of seditious libel and criminal defamation whose presence in our statute back gave cover for their use by oppressive regimes against writers and journalists abroad

* supporting scientists who do regulated and licensed medical research involving animals in the face of extremist intimidation (Evan was closely involved in the Pro-Test campaign supporting Oxford scientists);

* working with English PEN and Rowan Atkinson, to defeat the Government on their sweeping proposed religious hatred laws (Evan organised the campaign which led to that victory).

* defending the importance of independent scientific advice (Evan was first politician to defend the rights of expert science advisers following the dismissal of Professor David Nutt);

In all these campaigns Evan has worked on a cross-party basis, and by and large he has been successful. Many in the science community know him and hold him in very high regard.

Evan's constituency is marginal and he faces a strong challenge in the current General Election from the Conservative Party, which has been moving campaigning activity and substantial financial resources from neighbouring safe Conservative seats. There have been boundary changes and only a 7% swing would see Evan replaced by someone who does not share his commitment to science.

The task of holding the seat has been made more difficult by the delivery throughout the constituency, of a glossy leaflet attacking Evan for his pro-science and pro-choice record (view at www.thestraightchoice.org/leaflets/2533). This was paid for by a "Pro-life" group and will undoubtedly have done some damage.

Keith Mann, an animal rights extremist, who served three terms in prison for offences including possession of explosives, has not only made defamatory and inflammatory personal attacks (http://fromdusktildawn.org.uk/evanharris) on Evan distributed across the constituency but is even standing against him in the Election.

The next Parliament is likely to be a challenging one for science and an important one for issues to do with free expression and strong advocates there will be more important than ever. We believe that it is important for Evan's voice to continue to be heard.

Many Thanks,

Simon.

Jonathan Balcome is an independent animal behaviour research scientist and a consultant for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine He is the author of Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, and most recently Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals.

Christine Ottery is a journalist and blogger published on Guardian.co.uk and Comment is Free, Timesonline.co.uk, Newscientist.com and Theecologist.co.uk. She is also a researcher for George Monbiot and multimedia Science Journalism MA student at City University.

Ian Sinclair is a British writer, documentarist, film maker, poet, flaneur, psychogeographer, metropolitan prophet and urban shaman, keeper of lost cultures and futurologist. His books include Downriver, White Chappell, Scarlet Tracings, Lights Out for the Territory, Dining on Stones, London Orbital, and most recently, Hackney, That Rose-Red Empire. He is the editor of London: City of Disappearances. He lives in Hackney.

Join Neil this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed at www.resonancefm.com worldwide.

Conservative: 2%
Labour: 5%
Liberal Democrats: 93%

Votes were cast on the specific issue of libel reform.

Following the debate, a total of 55 people voted online. 26% of the online voters were female and 29% of online voters lived in London.

Reasons why individuals voted Liberal Democrat included:

"Convincing argument from Evan Harris"

"Appear to be more principled on the topic."

"Most considered and thoughtful contributions to the debate. If it is a hung parliament there will be a need to maintain a high profile for libel reform." and

"On the issue of whether corporations should be stopped from suing Lib Dem was the only one that said yes. Labour and Conservative didn't appear as knowledgeable of the issues as Lib Dem"

One individual who voted Labour also stated:

"I would vote for the LibDems over Labour, but my MP Jeremy Corbyn is fully on board with the Libel Reform movement and I agree with him on many other issues as well."

Perhaps the strong Liberal Democrat vote by those watching the broadcast is not surprising as Evan Harris has been an long-standing and outspoken supporter of Simon Singh's defence against the British Chiropractic Association libel claim, however on the sole issue of libel reform the Liberal Democrats gained a clear majority of votes.

There were over 100 simultaneous connections made by 359 different devices to the live broadcast, which was watched by individuals and groups in 28 different towns/cities (including at least two overseas).

If anyone is interested in attending meetings or would like to get involved in helping to organise them then you can register your interest or offer assistance here.

BCA Drop Libel Case Against Simon Singh

After a two year battle the BCA have finally dropped their case against Simon Singh. This tremendous news follows the Court of Appeal’s recent ruling that Singh’s article was comment not fact. Congratulations Simon!

We should remember, of course, that this case did take two years and cost Simon over £200,000. This victory does not mean that UK libel laws work.

Read Sense About Science’s coverage of the story, where you will also find links to all its other coverage and a statement from Singh, here.

 “Richard Dawkins: I Will Arrest Pope Benedict XVI”

The Times reported this week that Dawkins is planning to ambush and arrest Pope Benedict XVI during his September visit to the UK. This is incorrect. Actually Dawkins merely expressed that he was “whole-heartedly behind the initiative of [lawyers] Geoffery Robertson and Mark Stevens.”

Unrecognised by the UN as a head of state, the lawyers believe that the Pope should be unable to claim diplomatic immunity and so could be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. Failing that, Dawkins and Benedict have agreed to go one-on-one in a televised fight to the death. Dawkins has insisted there be no blows below the belt.

Read the Times’ news coverage (with a pinch of salt) here.

Watch Christopher Hitchens discuss the matter on MSNBC News here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

An Interesting Admission

The Catholic Church is opposing Connecticut’s newly proposed legislature to remove the statute of limitations on child sex abuse. A letter explaining that the law would put “all Church institutions, including your parish, at risk” was signed by Connecticut’s three Roman Catholic bishops and Satan himself.

[Via Pharyngula]

Starsuckers: The BS of PR

I think I can safely presume that nobody reading this blog assumes there to absolute journalistic scrutiny within the tabloids, but exactly how bad are they? Starsuckers is a new documentary that set out to answer that question. By feeding a host of invented celeb stories to UK tabloids, the makers saw their fantasies turned into ‘fact’. Ever read the one about Girls Aloud member Sarah Harding being a closet astrophysics nut? Well guess where it stemmed from. I know, I know. I’m as disappointed as you are.

Watch the full documentary here. (Unfortunately this video is available to UK residents only.)

For those outside the UK, watch some snippets here.

[Via Skepchick] 

ICP are no Clowns

Okay, so this post appeared on Skepchick’s website last week, and it’s hardly a new finding, but I couldn’t find time to write a roundup last week (sorry!), I don’t frequent ICP chatrooms as regularly as I perhaps should, and I love, love, love this, which makes it newsworthy.

Insane Clown Posse (ICP) are in fact a posse of evangelicals hoping to lead their fans to God. For those who don’t know, ICP are a hardcore ‘rage-rock’ group, and when you see them and hear their music you’ll know why this is amazing news.

I have to hand it to them though, they are cleverer than they look (see image below). Their impeccable marketing (including ‘beef’ with Eminem and appearing on WWF, as well as generally being the most shocking thing on the market) led them to a platform Jesus would have envied.   

On a related note, I first came to hear of ICP through the excellent documentary Merchants of Cool, which examines MTV culture and marketing. Some of it is extremely clever, and I believe there is a lot that ‘The Skeptic Movement’, if there is such a thing, can learn from it. Watch it here.

Quackademia is Crumbling

It is amazing to learn how many, often otherwise respectable, UK universities run courses in pseudoscience. Worryingly they are usually in medical fields.

After persistently exposing their (suspiciously difficult to acquire) course material to ridicule, anti-woo groups have forced many such universities to discontinue these courses, and this week down went another. The Robert Gordon University has ended their homeopathy course.

Unfortunately, when the Chinese spirits close a door they open a window, and there are still UK universities willing to dish out diplomas in quackery. Check out the lecture slide below from a (Bachelors of Science!) acupuncture course run by Middlesex University.

[Via DC’s Improbable Science]

Penn and Teller in London

There’s nothing I could say to plug this event that wouldn’t sound better coming from Derren Brown, so here’s what his blog post said:

“They very rarely come to London, and they’re the best magic show in the world. Penn & Teller – the eternally cool bad-boys of magic – are rocking the Hammersmith Apollo from 14-17 July. Just a few nights, and it will pack right out. I saw it in Vegas a few years ago with Andy and Coops and we found ourselves gasping out loud and utterly mesmerised. It’s ingenious, funny, heartbreaking and provocative, and if there was ever a must-see in the world of magic, this is it.”

Tickets go on sale today. Get them here.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Paul Davies is an internationally acclaimed physicist, cosmologist and astrobiologist at Arizona State University, where he runs the pioneering BEYOND Centre for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He also chairs SETI's Post-Detection Taskgroup, so if scientists succeed in finding intelligent life, he will be among the first to know.

In addition to his many scientific awards, Davies was the recipient of the 1995 Templeton Prize – the world's largest annual prize for intellectual endeavour – and a Glaxo Science Writers' Fellowship. He is the author of more than twenty books, including The Mind of God, About Time, How to Build a Time Machine and The Goldilocks Enigma. The asteroid 1992OG was officially renamed Pauldavies in his honour. Paul's latest book is The Eerie Silence: Are we alone in the Universe?

Join Neil this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed worldwide.

Simon Singh Wins Libel Court Battle

Well, that’s the Guardian’s misleading title. Simon Singh has won his appeal case, in which it was concluded that his statements were of opinion not fact, allowing him to use the defence of fair comment. A more accurate title would have been ‘Simon Singh Wins an Appeal That Should Never Have Been Necessary, Bringing Him Back Up to Square One’. Even so, this is fantastic news.

Watch the Channel 4 news report here.

Brian Cox on the Jonathon Ross Show

Physicist Brian Cox, best known as the keyboardist from D: Ream, this week appeared on the Jonathon Ross show to talk science. Cox did a great job of debunking the scientific stereotype and demonstrating how we are all fascinated by science, discussing time travel, dark matter and the Large Hadron Collider.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

LHC Smacks Some Protons

On the subject of the Large Hadron Collider, this week it successfully collided two beams of protons at just under the speed of light. This is the first step to understanding the events that unfolded just after the big bang, or, as physicist Michio Kaku put it, “unravelling Genesis Chapter 1, Verse 1”.

[Via Discover Blogs & Pharyngula]

Christopher Hitchens Slams Pope Over Sex Abuse Scandal

Last week we discovered that the Pope was personally responsible for allowing the rape of children. Amidst calls for his resignation, he preferred to save his own arse at the expense of others’, saying that he won’t be intimidated by ‘petty gossip’.

Watch Christopher Hitchens discuss the matter on FOX News, here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Nigeria Sharia Court Confirms Twitter Debate Ban

In 2000, Malam Buba Bello Jangebe stole a cow and became the first person in Nigeria to suffer an amputation under Sharia Law. This week an Islamic court permanently banned a rights group from discussing the punishment on the internet, fearing that Sharia Laws would be mocked. Jesus Christ you might as well just cut off their hands. Oh… right.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

ACLU Reject’s Atheist’s Money

Last week Todd Stiefel donated $20,000 towards a high school prom that had been cancelled because a lesbian couple wished to attend. This week, I’m sorry to say, the American Civil Liberties Union, who is helping organise the prom, have rejected Stiefel’s donation. They say that atheists are so feared that to associate with them would stir further controversy. I can see why they’re feared. I mean, if they’re all like Todd Stiefel it’s a wonder we haven’t all been slaughtered in our sleep yet.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Cory Doctorow is a science fiction novelist, blogger and technology activist. He is the co-editor of the popular weblog Boing Boing, and a contributor to Wired, The Guardian, Popular Science, the New York Times, and many other newspapers, magazines and websites. A visiting senior lecturer at the Open University, he was formerly Director of European Affairs for the Electronic Frontier Foundation), a non-profit civil liberties group that defends freedom in technology law, policy, standards and treaties. He is currently on the advisory council of the Open Rights Group.

His novels are published by HarperCollins UK and simultaneously released on the Internet under Creative Commons licenses that encourage their re-use and sharing, a move that increases his sales by enlisting his readers to help promote his work. He has won the Locus and Sunburst Awards, and been nominated for the Hugo, Nebula and British Science Fiction Awards. His latest novel is Makers, and his last, New York Times Bestseller Little Brother, was published in May 2008. A new young adult novel, For the Win, will be published in May 2010.

Little Brother was nominated for the 2008 Hugo, Nebula and Locus Awards. It won the Ontario Library White Pine Award, as well as the Indienet Award for bestselling young adult novel in America's top 1000 independent bookstores in 2008.

Join Neil and Rebecca this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed  worldwide.

Pope Benedict Faces Child Abuse Cover-Up Queries

Before he became Pope, Joseph Ratzinger led the Vatican office in charge of the Church’s response to child abuse cases. During this time, new evidence suggests, he failed to respond to letters concerning a paedophilic priest with a fetish for the deaf. Twenty years later and Ratzinger is the man to which millions turn for moral guidance. Such is the Catholic Church.

Sceptic Challenges Guru to Kill Him Live on TV

An Indian Guru who claimed to have the power to kill a man using only his mystical powers was this week put to the test live on television. I’ll give away the ending to save you watching the whole thing for yourself: on this occasion extensive babbling and even knife brandishing was not enough to silence the mocking president of Rationalist International, who remained very much alive.  

The Great Apple Experiment

You gotta love this: ‘Britain’s leading charisma expert’ says that telling yourself positive things in the mirror will physically improve your looks. It gets better. She goes on to claim that the same is true of apples. Having fallen into the trap of claiming her voodoo to be scientifically testable, it was inevitable that someone was going to do just that. The results have yet to come in. I’m sure we’ll all be on the edges of our seats until they do.

[Via Pharyngula]

Jack Straw Moots End to UK Libel Tourism

Campaigners for the reformation of the UK’s libel laws have cause for celebration, as Jack Straw this week announced Labour’s commitment to a string of changes. The Libel Reform campaign has accumulated 46,000 signatories and gained the commitment of 260 MPs. Straw’s proposed changes aim to halt libel tourism and balance the onus of justification.      

Sam Harris: Science Can Answer Moral Questions

Will science ever be able to determine what it is to be moral? The vast majority of laypeople and scientists think not. Sam Harris begs to differ, and in his upcoming book The Moral Landscape he’ll lay out his argument. Until then though, check out his talk at TED, and draw what conclusions you will. 

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Royal Row ‘Threatens Alternative Medicine Research’

The Centre for Alternative Medicine looks set to close after Prince Charles pulled out from funding. The reason: the unit found a lack of evidence for several alternative treatments after subjecting them to the same testing as one would expect for any conventional medicine. Isn’t that just a beautiful summary of these people? ‘If it ain’t good news I don’t wanna know.’

Read the Times’ coverage here.

[Via the JREF]

His Fortune Polishes Atheists’ Reputation

Last year, at the age of 35, Todd Stiefel sold his family business for $2.9billion. Since then he has donated hundreds of thousands to secular organisations in an effort to create a culture in the US whereby secularists are respected. Last week, Stiefel donated $20,000 to sponsor a high school prom after it was cancelled by the Itawamba County School District because a lesbian couple wanted to attend. An atheist with morals: who’d’ve thunk it?

Read more here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

Cambridge Science Festival

Lastly, if, like me, you were gutted to miss the Cambridge Science Festival this year, you can watch videos of the events on their website, here. Enjoy.

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

In the Land of the Free is a documentary feature that examines the story of Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King. They are known as the Angola 3 and have spent almost a century between them in solitary confinement in Angola, the Louisiana State Penitentiary in the USA. Herman and Albert are still held in solitary confinement after thirty six years. The film is directed by Vadim Jean (Leon the Pig Farmer, Hogfather).

Join Neil this Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed at www.resonancefm.com worldwide.

It's essentially a slightly more serious version of Richard Wiseman's BBC2 series The People Watchers.

Thanks to Tamas Borbely for the recommendation.

Speaker: Dr Sam Parnia
Title: Near Death Experiences During Cardiac Arrest

One of the subjects that has both captivated and eluded humankind throughout time is the mystery of what happens when we die. Although traditionally a subject for philosophical or theological debate, scientific progress has begun to shed light on both the physiological as well as cognitive processes such as near death experiences that take place during clinical death. Dr. Sam Parnia, author of What Happens When We Die, chronicles the history and development of the study of cardiac arrest as well as near death experiences. At the same time, he will introduce the novel method he and his colleagues have devised to study the phenomenon of consciousness and the human mind at the end of life, which they hope will finally enable science to resolve the mystery of near death experiences.

One of the world’s leading experts on the scientific study of death, the state of the human mind-brain, and near-death experiences, Dr. Sam Parnia spends his time between hospitals in the United Kingdom and Cornell University in New York, where he is a Fellow in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Founder of the Human Consciousness Project and Horizon Research Foundation, he has published extensively and presented his work at scientific institutions across the country. His groundbreaking research has been featured on the Discovery Channel documentary, The Day I Died.

This talk is part of a regular series, run by Prof. Chris French from the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit (APRU). For details of other talks in the series please see this page.

For updates about related events and news of interest, please subscribe to the Psychology of the Paranormal Email Network.

Our World – Beneath the Radar

It is unfortunately difficult to choose which of the many paedophile priest stories to include in a roundup of this week’s news. The Catholic Church’s selfish cover-ups have been reported across the globe, and recently one priest has come out to say that he would not necessarily refer sex crimes against children to police today if passed information confidentially.

Watch the BBC News documentary Our World, which follows a former priest and known sexual offender who has been protected by the church, here.

Also, read Christopher Hitchens’ article on the subject here.

Sign the Protest the Pope petition, urging Gordon Brown to formally disassociate himself with the Pope’s preachings prior to his upcoming UK visit, here.

Great News From Ireland!

On Wednesday we celebrated Saint Paddy’s ridding Ireland of snakes (Yes, that is what you were celebrating.) Now it appears that we may soon have cause to celebrate Ireland’s ridding of its hugely more venomous blasphemy law.

The Irish Justice Minister has proposed a referendum to remove the offence of blasphemy from the Irish constitution. His decision can be credited, in no small way, to what he describes as “[Atheist Ireland’s] incredibly sophisticated campaign”. I’ll drink to that.

[Via Pharyngula]

The Pledge Decision

The Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals has announced that the Pledge of Allegiance’s inclusion of the words “under God” is in fact constitutional. Take a minute to recover from the shock if you need it. The decision was ruled by a majority of 2-1, and leaned on arguments so fragile that they would surely have collapsed were they not reinforced by the fear of public outrage.

[Via Common Sense Atheism]

Libel Reform – Urgent Next Steps

Last week played host to the Big Libel Gig, in which several comedians and other prolific speakers joined forces to make a case for libel reform in the UK. All proceeds are to be donated to the Coalition for Libel Reform.

This coming Tuesday there will be a mass lobby at the House of Commons, where members of the public are invited to express their concerns over the UK libel laws to their MPs en masse. This will be the last chance to get commitment on the issue from politicians and policy makers before the election is called. Click here for further details.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

The Texas Textbook Hubbub

The Texas Board of Education (BoE) has opted out of the proposed national education standard so that Texan students can have no choice but to live up to their state’s stereotype.

The predominantly Christian Conservative BoE has a history of manipulating their textbooks’ material that would shock Winston Smith. This year, in order to correct the “liberal bias” they have voted to remove references to the Enlightenment and Thomas Jefferson! Even scarier is that because Texas buys so many textbooks, many publishers tailor their material to the needs of the Texan BoE, spreading the propaganda nationwide.  

Watch the ABC Nightline news coverage here.

[Via Skepticblog]

Gaza’s Male Hairdressers: Time to Cut and Run?

Q: What do you get when you cross a Gazan legal system with a nonsensical Islamic tradition?

A: A new policy making it illegal for a man to cut a woman’s hair.

The joke might be funnier of course, if this wasn’t the result of public protest, sometimes taking the form of bombing offending salons.

Read the BBC News coverage here.

Erie UFO not so Eerie

Ohio has been mesmerised by the skies this week, with people gathering around Lake Erie night after night to witness a unidentified light in the sky. The light has returned to its spot for eight consecutive nights and has been reported to change colour. UFO nuts are baffled. Patrick Kent is not.  

Watch the MSNBC News coverage here.

[Via Discover Blogs]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Ian McEwan has written two collections of stories, First Love, Last Rites and In Between the Sheets, and 12 novels including The Cement Garden, The Child in Time, The Innocent, Enduring Love, Atonement and Saturday. He won the Booker Prize for Amsterdam in 1998. Ian's latest novel is Solar, to be published by Jonathan Cape on the 18th March 2010.

Adam Rutherford has a PhD in genetics, is an editor at Nature, hosts the Nature podcast, writes for the Guardian, fronted the BBC4 series Cell, and recently hosted a documentary about morality on Radio 4.

Join Neil and Adam on Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed at www.resonancefm.com worldwide.

Stephanie Merritt was deputy literary editor of The Observer from 1998-2005 and is now a feature writer. She has contributed to a variety of newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television. She is the author of two novels, Gaveston (Faber, 2002) and Real (Faber, 2005), one non-fiction, The Devil Within, (Vermilion 2008) and the screenplay for Real, commissioned by Gabriel Byrne’s Plurabelle Films. She also curates the Talks and Debates programme at Soho Theatre. Stephanie’s latest book, written under the pseudonym S.J. Parris is Heresy, a historical murder mystery starring Giordano Bruno.

Join us on Friday evening at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London, or via the Resonance FM live feed worldwide.

Tom Standage is the business editor of The Economist. He started his career as the Science and Technology Editor at the Guardian, and has written several books which merge popular science and history including The Victorian Internet, The Neptune File, The Mechanical Turk. and A History of the World in 6 Glasses in which he explores a notion that six drinks in history – beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and cola – could be seen as technological catalysts in advancing culture. He says of his books “I think the right attitude to new technologies is to regard them with historically-informed scepticism. My approach is intended as a sort of antidote to the scourge of mindless product stories: when something new comes along, I like to point out that it isn’t new at all. This isn’t quite as gratuitous as it sounds; it is quite often possible to learn useful lessons from history, particularly the history of technology”

Tom’s latest book is An Edible History of Humanity, published in paperback by Atlantic in early March 2010. This is Tom’s second visit to Little Atoms.

Join us on Friday evening, 5th March at 19.00 to 19.30 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed worldwide.

Danish Newspaper Apologises for Muhammad Cartoons

Freedom of the press took a knock last week as the Danish Newspaper Politiken publicly apologised for republishing cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad four years ago. The original cartoons, illegal under Sharia law, were published in 2006 and ignited Muslim riots, attacks on Danish embassies worldwide, and dozens of deaths. Politiken representatives have said that this week’s apology was part of a settlement with a Saudi lawyer representing eight Muslim groups in the Middle East and Australia.

The apology was met with disappointment from the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, who said that “Politiken’s pathetic prostrating before a Saudi lawyer takes the first prize in stupidity.” The Danish Union of Journalists described it as “kneeling before opponents of the freedom of press.”

Read the BBC News coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

The Secular Coalition for America’s Briefing with the Obama Administration

This week, in the first formal meeting of its kind, members of the Secular Coalition for America met with White House officials to discuss religious exemptions for child abuse, military proselytisation, and faith-based discrimination. An agreement was made to keep the officials’ responses private.  

Hemant Mehta, author of the blog Friendly Atheist and who was present at the meeting, expressed cautious optimism towards its outcomes. He writes that “[The officials] are better educated about [the issues concerning us] and they can represent us a little better than before”, but adds that “On the flip side, they’re not the policy makers. They can only take what we say and make recommendations to the relevant personnel.”

Some right wing theists were not happy about the meeting. Bill Donohue for example, expressed disgust towards what he described as the Obama administration’s willingness to meet with “some of the biggest anti-religious zealots in the nation.”    

Read more about the meeting here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Religion vs. Sex Education

Last week the UK government offered new proposals regarding sex education in schools. The proposers have suffered criticism for having allegedly ‘watered down’ the original policy under pressure from faith schools, some of which wish to be allowed to teach that homosexuality and condom use are sins.

Schools Secretary Ed Balls has denied any watering down, but acknowledges that faith schools can teach sex education “within the context and ethos of the faith”.  

Watch the debate on The Big Questions here.

Also read Dr Petra Boynton’s well-informed discussion on sex education in the UK here.

Atheist Group Gives Students Porn in Exchange for Bibles

A student group called Atheist Agenda, who are based at the University of Texas, this week conducted a bible-for-porn exchange, which they promoted as ‘smut-for-smut’. The event predictably outraged many Christians, but also some atheists. For these atheists the group’s actions have done nothing more than reinforce negative stereotypes of the loathing atheist with two horns and a tail.

In a letter addressed to Hemant Mehta of Friendly Atheist, a spokesperson for the group defended their actions, explaining that shock tactics were necessary to draw attention to atheists’ existence. They have certainly done that.  

Watch the FOX News report here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Hull Parents Warned Over ‘Fundamentalist’ Faith School

A new, private faith school, described by some as ‘fundamentalist’, is set to open in Hull this year. Its students will follow the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) curriculum, which teaches that the Bible is literally true. When senior minister Reverend Jarrod Cooper was asked about the school’s teachings on evolution he dodged the question, answering “A lot of people think Christians spend all their time thinking about a seven-day creation; they really don’t.”

The National Secular society is naturally opposed. Their president, Terry Sanderson, points out that “You do not have to look far on the internet to find people who describe themselves as survivors of ACE education because it is an indoctrination style of work.”  

Read the Guardian’s news coverage here.

Furious Backlash from Simon Singh Libel Case puts Chiropractors on Ropes

Amidst heavy exposure from the Singh vs. BCA case, chiropractors are being forced to retreat and tend to their ever-growing list of casualties. Fortunately they’re just the people for the job. The General Chiropractic Council has had to recruit six new staff members to deal with the fifteen-fold increase of complaints against its members. According to its figures one in every four UK chiropractors is currently under investigation for misleading advertising.

Read the Guardian’s news coverage here.

President Gaddafi Calls for Jihad Against Switzerland

President Gaddafi of Libya has called for a Jihad against Switzerland after a referendum banning the construction of minarets was announced. Gaddafi called upon his people to prevent any Swiss planes from landing, any Swiss ship from docking and any Swiss goods from being sold, throughout the Islamic world.

Last year Gaddafi urged the UN to disown the ‘infidel state’, where his son and daughter-in-law were once arrested for allegedly beating two servants in a hotel, and to carve it up between France, Germany and Italy. The Guardian reports that he was so enraged at his son’s two day detention that he withdrew £3.2bn from his Swiss bank accounts.        

Read and watch the Guardian’s news coverage here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk

MPs call to cease homeopathy funding

A lot of attention has been brought to the subject of homeopathy recently. This week, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee publicly stated that there was no justification for spending public money on this bogus treatment (although they didn’t use the word bogus – we all know where that can lead).

Watch Chris French’s appearance on BBC News, where he debated very articulately – even through his understandably clenched jaw – the use of homeopathic remedies, here.

You can also read the BBC’s news coverage of the story here.

Indian State Confiscates ‘Blasphemous’ Jesus Textbooks

The Indian state of Meghalaya is contemplating legal action against the publishers of ‘blasphemous’ textbooks. The books, which picture Jesus with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other, are used in the classrooms of a private school in an area where over 70% of the population are Christian. I’m not sure what the publisher’s intended angle was, but I would have thought they should be thanked by sandal-makers and Christians alike, for finally making Jesus cool.   

Read the BBC’s news coverage here.

Simon Singh v BCA in the Court of Appeal

This week saw the much anticipated appearance of Simon Singh in the Court of Appeal. It will be impossible for me to summarise the proceedings in the short paragraph that it is customary for me to write here, and at any rate, I could not do it justice even given ample space. For a decent review of the day’s events I recommend reading Jack of Kent’s latest post. Suffice to say that the reaction from the Singh supporters present was positive, but also that his battle is not yet won.

Sign the Libel Reform campaign here.

Atheist Bus Ads Rejected in New Zealand

The now infamous atheist bus adverts, originated in the UK but spread worldwide, have been rejected by a New Zealand bus company on the grounds of poor taste. This follows an unexpectedly high support for the campaign, demonstrated through its public funding. One Atheist organisation sees this as a case of discrimination, and a spokesperson for the group pointed out that “In a way, the rejection by NZ Bus has shown why this campaign is needed in the first place.”

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Relic Reveals Noah’s Ark Was Circular

You may assume from the title that this is going to be a fluff piece, and it is. The amazing thing is that the original article with this title was not. What’s more, this is not a headline from The Onion or some nutcase website: It is a piece that was featured this week in the Guardian.

The article describes, without a trace of doubt or irony, that according to an ancient Babylonian tablet, our usual depictions of Noah’s ark are inaccurate. It was in fact, round. The author then goes on to explain how much more feasible this version of events is than our previous, embarrassingly naive, notion that the ark was like all other boats.

(Image courtesy of ant.photos)

[Via Discover Blogs]

Ian Rowland: Cold Reader Extraordinaire

Mentalist Ian Rowland is heralded as the world’s leading authority on cold reading. In this week’s Point of Enquiry podcast Rowland identifies uses for this powerful technique outside of professing psychic abilities, and explains why he thinks the skeptic community at large is doing a bad job of promoting its message beyond the converted. He suggests that we take a leaf out of the advertising industry’s book; a view that I am very much in agreement with.

[Via The Skepbitch]

Iraq Still Embracing the Magic

You may remember the recent coverage of the “dowsing rod” bomb detectors being used by the Iraqi armed forces. After their effectiveness has been demonstrated to be non-existent, their manufacturer has been arrested under suspicion of fraud, and all this has been widely covered by the media, the Iraqi Prime Minister is still insisting on their life-threatening use. It just goes to show you that you can dowse an Iraqi Prime Minister to water, but you can’t make him think (Leave me alone, it sort of works.)

[Via Discover Blogs]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk

From Pagan Rituals to E-cards

Unlike Mother’s and Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day is not one of those holidays cooked up by card companies out to make a buck, even if they have parasitically latched onto it. Most of us have probably heard of Saint Valentine, but what exactly did he do? Well, he performed secret marriages between young men and women after they had been forbidden by the Roman Emperor Claudius II in an effort to keep his army strong, the legend goes.

More interestingly, this day of celebration can be traced all the way back to an ancient Pagan ritual, which was later annexed by the Christian Church some centuries after its inception, and pegged onto Saint Valentine. Is there anything they haven’t plagiarised?

Read more at National Geographic.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]  

D. J. Grothe on Skepticality

Congratulations to D.J. Grothe on being appointed the new president of the James Randi Educational Foundation. The organisation being one of the major players in the field of skepticism, it was very interesting to hear D.J. reveal some of the JREF’s new initiatives in this week’s Skepticality bonus podcast. There look to be some exciting new developments in the pipeline.

Listen to the interview here.

[Via the James Randi Educational Foundation]

Airport Body Scanners Violate Muslim’s Modesty

Apparently Muslims should be given the choice as to whether or not they are searched and scanned in an airport like the rest of us. That’s according to the co-founder of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, who recently appeared on Russia Today to defend the notion that airport body scanners violate Muslims’ modesty. Oh yeah, and that kid with the trench coat and the twitch thinks locker searches are a bit ‘Big Brother’.

Watch the video interview here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Life From a Test Tube? The Real Promise of Synthetic Biology

Scientific American this week reported that we are getting ever closer to that which scientists have longed for for so long. I don’t know all the ins and outs of making life from scratch, but I’m pretty sure it’s a bit more complicated than lightning striking a puddle of mud, which Kent Hovind would have you believe is science’s most comprehensive understanding of the problem. 

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Doomsday Pod

What are you going to do when the end is upon us? Well if you’ve got $570,000 to spare, you’re presumably going to be wanting one of the new ‘Apocalypse Pods’ designed by an ambitious Russian engineer. You’d better hope that day doesn’t come any time soon though, because as it stands the prototype looks to be nothing more than cardboard box unworthy even of a Blue Peter badge.

Watch the Al-Jazeera News coverage here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Is it a Column? Is it a Blog? Who Cares? It’s Jack of Kent

I feel obliged to plug Jack of Kent’s new internet column ‘Bad Law’, now featuring on The Lawyer’s website. Not only is his own blog consistently brilliant, but my parents met him at Cambridge Skeptics in the Pub the other night and they tell me “he seems like a really nice guy”.

The new column aims to provide its reader’s with a law-based version of Ben Goldacre’s excellent ‘Bad Science’ column in the Guardian. His first post is on the subject of Cherie Blair and her recent escapades.   

[Via Jack of Kent]

Want a Frontal Lobotomy? There’s an App for that

Introducing the most useless iPhone app of them all (and it’s up against some strong competition): the Answers in Genesis app. I can’t think why anybody would want it, but in case you do, you’ll probably need some help in finding it. It’s in the store’s ‘education’ section.

[Via Pharyngula]

Bill O’reilly the Skeptic?

At last, proof that miracles do happen. This week Bill O’reilly of all people somehow managed to muster up some skepticsm when dealing with an author who claimed to have indisputable evidence for the existence of an afterlife. Quite how this guy made the news I don’t know, seeing as his ‘evidence’ is certainly nothing new. Bright lights, out of body experiences, yadda yadda.

Watch the FOX News video here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

For an interesting and light-hearted debunking of the relationship between near death experiences and an afterlife, check out this video by Penn and Teller.  

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk

Stuart Clark is one of the UK’s most widely read astronomy journalists. A former editor of Astronomy Now, He has a PhD in astrophysics and until 2001 was director of public astronomy education at the University of Hertfordshire. In 2001 the Independent ranked him alongside Stephen Hawking and Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, as one of the ‘stars’ of British astrophysics teaching. A regular contributor to such magazines as New Scientist and BBC Focus, he is the author of several books, the most recent of which is Galaxy. But it was his first work of narrative nonfiction, The Sun Kings, that established him as a popular science writer par excellence.

Marcus Chown’s first book, Afterglow of Creation, has just been re-published in paperback by Faber & Faber.

Join us on Friday evening, 19th February at 19.00 to 19.30 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed worldwide.

We are also intending to post a daily summary of the events on The Skeptic Blog, contributed by the organisers of Think Week.

Monday 22nd – Think About Belief
20:00 Committee Panel – “What are Atheism, Secularism, Humanism and Skepticism?” – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room
21:00 Interfaith/Interthought Panel – “Can Different Faiths and Worldviews Work Together for a Common Good?” – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room

Tuesday 23rd – Think About the Universe
13:00 Dr Stephen Law – “What’s It All About Then? Life, the Universe, and Everything” – Venue TBC
20:00 Professor Peter Atkins – “Science is King” – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room

Wednesday 24th – Think About Politics
13:00 Paul Pettinger, BHA and Allan Hayes, SoF – Faith Schools – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room
20:00 Andrew Copson, BHA – “Humanism and Campaigning” – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room

Thursday 25th – Think About Freedom
13:00 Marayam Namazie – “One Law for All” – Lincoln College, Lower Lecture Room
19:30 Dr Julian Baggini – “Freedom, Respect and Religion” – Wadham College, Moser Theatre

Friday 26th – Think About Culture
13:00 Poetry Workshop – Lincoln College, Lower Lecture Room
20:00 Samantha Stein – “Public Perceptions of Atheism” – Wadham College, Moser Theatre
21:30 Iszi Lawrence – Stand-Up Comedian – Bar Copa Function Room

Saturday 27th
12:00 Atheist, Humanist and Secular Societies Fair – Meet the National Organisations – Linacre College, Hall
18:00 BHA Choir performance with readings – Linacre College, Hall

Sunday 28th
13:00 Ken Smith – “The Paradox of Religious Atheism” – Lincoln College, Oakeshott Room
19:30 Dr Evan Harris MP – Skepticism and Secularism – Bar Copa Function Room

For full details and to check for any changes to the schedule, see the Think Week website.

We Might Err, But Science is Self-Correcting

It was pleasing this week to stumble across an article in the Times, which not only made the defence of science its sole purpose, but repeatedly and explicitly made connections between the scientific method and the notion of scepticism. Challenging the media phrase ‘climate sceptics’ and addressing the rocky relationship between science and politics, John Krebs makes a first class defence of the principles we hold dear.

Prince Charles Declares War on… The Enlightenment

But one man remains unconvinced. In a recent article in the Times, the Prince of Woo was reported to have remarked, “I was accused once of being the enemy of the Enlightenment. I felt proud of that.” He went on to hypothesise that “The Enlightenment started over 200 years ago. It might be time to think again.” Presumably Charlie would see our return to the dark ages, during which time the medicines he champions may have seemed semi-plausible.   

[Via DC’s Improbable Science]

Herbal Spot Treatment Gave Woman Cancer

Here’s an example of what can go wrong (as if you needed one) when you adopt the thinking of some uneducated charlatan who spent his days knee deep in excrement. A woman suffered a heart attack, kidney failure and has been diagnosed with cancer, after following a lengthy course of herbal spot treatment medicine, a court heard this week. The pills were found to contain the banned substance aristolochic acid.

In 2011, new EU laws will require that only regulated drugs be administered. Under current UK law herbal and other alternative medicines do not fall into this category. The UK government is to decide later this year whether or not this will remain the case.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

How To Respond To The Westborough Baptist Church

I suspect that most of you are familiar with the Phelps family, aka the most hated family in America. They’re the ones who picket soldiers’ funerals with signs expressing what seems suspiciously to be their only concern, and that is “God Hates Fags”. Come out already Gramps, we won’t make fun. Anyway, if you’re wondering what you can do to combat these hatemongers then look no further. The protesters have cracked it. Problem over.  

If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend Louis Theroux’s documentary in which he spends three weeks living with the Phelps family. In fact, I highly recommend all of his documentaries.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

Church of England Concerned by ‘Religious TV Cuts’

The synod this week expressed disappointment at the lack of religious programs available on all UK television networks. Perhaps more disappointing is that Channel 4 felt the need to defend itself by claiming that religious programs were “at the heart of its schedule”. Fortunately this is clearly not the case.

Jurassic Park Meets the Flintstones

According to Discover Magazine the prospect of being able to clone Neanderthals is not too far from us. Aside from the ethical dilemma attached, which is addressed in detail in their own article on the subject, this might open doors to help us to answer some fascinating and important questions, not least of which I imagine is ‘did you guys really mix cement in pelicans’ beaks?’

[Via Discover Blogs]

When Atheism Goes Mainstream

I remember the first time I watched the video titled ‘The Four Horsemen‘, in which Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris and Dennett discuss Atheism, and most interestingly their visions for the future and practical ways of getting there, at length. It was the first time that I realised that I agreed with some of them (Dawkins and Harris, since you ask) much more than others (Hitchens. I have never really explored Dennett’s work). To me, Hitchens’ most striking remark was that he would not like to see a world without religion, essentially because that would leave him with no one to argue with. 

Well it appears that Hitchens is not alone in this respect. In an article titled ‘When Atheism Goes Mainstream’, Hemant Mehta takes a similar stance, but adds to this several other things he’ll miss if and when Atheism becomes the norm. I’m very confused by all this. It reminds me of a hardcore Nirvana fan who one day decides that he only likes the ‘old stuff’, because Nevermind is too mainstream. For the most part, when a band or anything else becomes ‘mainstream’, it is because it’s gained recognition because it was good, and atheism certainly is that.   

Disclaimer: Friendly Atheist is an excellent blog, and in all fairness to him Hemant’s article is not about how he hopes that atheism never prevails.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

A Religious, but not Righteous Judge: Cherie Blair

Sorry, that last one turned into a bit of a rant. I’ll keep this one short and sweet.

Judge Cherie Blair gave an “expressly lenient” sentence to a man found guilty of assault, because he was religious. She made no attempt to disguise the fact. It’s a clear cut case. Read the story for yourself. You be the judge.

Christ, I’m not really going to end on that am I?

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk

Dr Karen James is a postdoctoral research assistant in the Department of Botany of the Natural History Museum, working on the development of a DNA-based identification system for plant species. She also coordinated the museum’s Darwin bicentenary science campaign including a survey of the museum’s Darwin specimens and a Galapagos mockingbird conservation genetics project. She is the director of science for The HMS Beagle Trust which aims to build a modern seagoing version of HMS Beagle for scientific research, public engagement and learning.

Join us on Friday evening, 12th February at 19.00 to 19.30 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed worldwide.

Pope Benedict Attacks Government Over Equality Bill

The British taxpayer is to fork out an estimated £20m for this year’s upcoming visit from Pope Benedict, during which time he has indicated that he will be spewing anti-homosexual ramblings. In fear that a *gasp* gay person or *holy trans-phobia Batman* transsexual might one day take a high position within the catholic church, the Pope has recently attacked the UK’s Equality Bill, stating that it “violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded.” Huh?

Sign up to the ‘Make the Pope Pay’ petition here.

Vegetarianism is not for Sissies

It turns out that philosophy isn’t just for pretentious, pipe smoking students, who host dinner parties only to discuss whether or not the table they are sat at is really there. This week I stumbled across a discussion between Richard Dawkins and professional philosopher Peter Singer, who between them lay out the highly logical argument that if you ‘believe’ in the Theory of Evolution it is immoral for you to eat meat. Admittedly this is not a new interview, but if I who thought I had seen every online clip of Professor Dawkins had not seen it, I can only assume that neither have many others. It is well worth watching and highly thought provoking.

I Believe in Miracles

This week BBC3 brought us another uncompromising work of journalistic scrutiny, this time on the subject of alternative therapies and presented by the former model Jodie Kidd. In it, Jodie guides us through the world of woo, all the while relating back to her own positive experiences with crystal therapy. One of my personal favourite arguments spouted in the program is from a “NASA scientist and shaman” who explains that “everything is made of atoms, atoms are made of energy and energy is consciousness.” Sold! To that man in the tinfoil hat!

Watch the full program here. Unfortunately, this video is available to UK residents only.

Ask Oscar

I hope that title means something to someone out there. It was the name of a great children’s trilogy on water, light and air that I watched when I was a kid, and I’ve just found out that the scientist mole’s voice was in fact that of Bill Oddie.

But the Oscar who hit the headlines this week is no mole. He is in fact, a cat. A death detecting cat to be precise. Oscar has reportedly sniffed out 50 patients in their dying hours, and otherwise spends his time in solitude. The talented tortoiseshell has now become the subject of a new book by David Dosa, who in it claims that Oscar can smell ketones in the same way that dogs have reportedly been able to detect cancer. Dosa has also published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, although it reads more like a short story than a scientific study.

[Via Discover Blogs]

Full Judgement on the GMC on Wakefield

Following the recent ethics investigation into MMR scaredoctor Andrew Wakefield, in which the panel concluded that he acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in his research, the medical journal the Lancet this week fully retracted his 1998 paper, ridding the published record of this false evidence. However, the question does remain, why did it take twelve years for this move when the scientific community had been in agreement over the issue for so long? An article posted this week by Science-Based Medicine critiques the peer review system and offers some answers to this question.

[Via Science-Based Medicine]

Voices in Your Head

Just when you thought FOX News couldn’t get any stupider, Father Jonathon Morris manages to give five laugh-out-loud answers all within seven minutes. The question’s he’s answering, by the way, are asked by robots. Don’t ask. They include ‘how do you know whether the voices in your head are God?’ and ‘is God rooting for the New Orleans Saints?’

Watch the clip here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Why We’re Losing the News

As an aspiring journalist concerned about the frequently poor standard of science reporting, an article from Discover Blogs addressing this issue particularly resonated with me. The argument for why this is the case is lifted from Alex Jones’s book (not that Alex Jones!) and goes something like this: Proper reporting is costly, involving travel expenses, libel insurance and research budgets, and it is partially for this reason that the main bulk of many newspapers is taken up by opinion columns and fluff stories. The cause of the reported decline in the ‘real stuff’, is that newspaper budgets are necessarily being cut as the increasing availability of new media leads to the depletion of their profits, and let’s face it, who would bother reading The Times when you’ve got The Skeptic’s weekly roundup to keep you informed. That last bit was mine.

[Via Discover Blogs]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Discovering that your child has an autism spectrum disorder is a frightful experience; it happened to one of my oldest friends. First you’re happily and optimistically watching your child develop like any other excited parent – and then you’re watching your child regress and the gap between him and normal kids his age inexorably widen. You wonder what’s going on inside his mind; you worry about his care should something happen to you; and as he gets older you worry about how people will react to him when he passes puberty and non-standard behaviour becomes more scary than cute. With the number of diagnoses growing – the US Centers for Disease Control puts the rate at about 1 in 150 children; the advocacy organisation Autism Speaks says 1 in 110 – small wonder that terrified parents grasp at anything that looks like it might be a cure or a preventive measure. The coincidence of timing – MMR is administered at roughly the same age at which children begin displaying the symptoms of autism disorder – means that vaccines seem an entirely plausible cause.

Wakefield’s paper, which studied a sample of only 12 children, provided a plausible and simple answer: vaccines. That was helpful for Wakefield, who had a second career as a plaintiff’s expert in autism litigation. You can see the temptation: vaccines, unlike genetics, have manufacturers who can be sued. as Forbes has a nice piece on this type of conflict of interest, and proposes that academic journals should include opposition-side expert witnesses in the peer review panel for any author who has acted as an expert witness in litigation.

In the more than ten years since its publication, Wakefield’s paper has spawned an entire movement of anti-vaccinists. Utterly predictably, once-vanishing “childhood” diseases are on the rise, bringing back all the dangerous complications doctors invented vaccines to eradicate in the first place. There are the inevitable celebrities, most notably Jenny McCarthy. And, since everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, the sad thing is that retracting the paper merely fuels the martyred conviction of anti-vaccine groups that Big Pharma has won again.

In this situation, no one has won. The Lancet‘s reputation is damaged. Wakefield is likely to lose his licence to practise medicine. Children have died of diseases like whooping cough that were so long gone doctors don’t even recognise the symptoms. Despite lowered vaccination rates the number of autism cases continues to rise. And parents of autistic children are still desperate and frightened.

Tony Blair’s government must take some of the blame. The UK has sometimes backed invasive and expensive legislation on the basis that “If it saves the life of just one child…” But in this particular case, despite public loss of confidence after BSE, Blair basically told parents with concerns to shove it, take the vaccine, and shut up. He was, we now know, scientifically right, but he was culturally wrong. A more painstaking approach might have meant less rejection of the government’s backing of the MMR vaccine.

When I started The Skeptic the big topics we were concerned about tended to be psychic fraud. That stuff is small fry. It may be annoying that people believe in astrology or believe in the physical effects created by the occasional washed-up stage magician, but you don’t die of that kind of gullibility. The big stuff is science fraud, especially because while the scientific process can undo the damage and rebuild the truth, the consequences for innocent bystanders often can’t be undone.

Wendy M. Grossman, http://www.pelicancrossing.net

Christopher Hird is a leading figure in UK independent documentary making. He is chair of the Channel Four Britdoc Foundation; a trustee of the Grierson Trust, the Wincott Foundation and Index on Censorship. In January 2008 Christopher Hird started Dartmouth Films, and has produced such films as Cameron’s Money Men, Inside the Saudi Kingdom, Black Gold, and most recently, The End of The Line.

A former journalist working on The Economist, the New Statesman (of which he was deputy editor) and the Sunday Times, where he was editor of the investigative section, Insight. A casualty of the Murdoch regime, he moved into television starting as a reporter on Channel Four’s current affairs programme before co-founding Fulcrum TV, of which he was joint managing director for more than 20 years before it closed in 2007.

Join us at the usual time, 19.00 on Friday 5th February on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the Resonance live web feed worldwide.

Payments will be calculated and donated to S.H.A.R.E. by February 20, and a copy of the check posted on the Playing Gods Web site. Just in case you need some encouragement, I will happily autograph each board game as well, and throw in a free Expansion Pack ($5 value).

Does the creator of this blasphemous indie board game need your money? Of course I do. But the people in Haiti need it more. I’m happy breaking even on the deal.

I don’t see heartless pikers at Milton Bradley, Hasbro, or Parker Bros. donating jack squat!

What do you say? If you donate money, I’ll donate my games and time. You get an autographed Playing Gods game and Haitians get desperately-needed money via a skeptic / humanist charity. Everybody wins.

You can order at http://www.playinggods.com. You don’t need any special code: all profits from anything you buy between now and Feb. 20 will be donated. If you’d like to inquire about bulk orders, you can contact me at balls@playinggods.com.

If you’re not interested in this awesome offer, please pass it along to someone who might be.

Thanks!

Ben Radford

Thanks to Dr Stephen Law of CFI UK for the footage

CFI also have an event on Saturday 6th March titled “Monsters vs Aliens“, featuring three experts on UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster and Sasquatch.

UPDATE: 1:12pm: Andy Lewis wrapping up and taking questions.
–
UPDATE: 12:37pm: Andy Lewis on stage. Live streaming audio. Apologies for the slight distortion, it’s not possible to rectify while Andy is talking.
–
UPDATE: 11.48am: Singh continuing to fight libel case because:
“I think I am right.
It is important (child health)
It is doubly impoitant (free speech).
I might win?!”
–
Also thankful for the support shown.
UPDATE: 11:43am: When the BCA filed suit against Singh, the Guardian was also apparently being sued by Matthias Rath, Tesco & Elton John. Guardian also apparently still £175,000 out-of-pocket from Rath case, despite Goldacre winning.
–
UPDATE: 11:32am: Discussing chiropractic, and Daniel Palmer.
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UPDATE: 11.29am: Singh talking about a systematic review of acupuncture.
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UPDATE: 11:27am: Placebos in acupuncture – needles in wrong locations, needles not inserted deeply enough, even retracting needles which deceptively appear to penetrate the skin.
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UPDATE: 11:23am: Singh moving on to James Lind’s clinical trials on scurvy and controlled testing.
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UPDATE: 11:18am: Simon Singh currently on stage talking about acupuncture and its representation in the media.
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UPDATE: 10:54am: We have permission to stream Andy Lewis’ talk. Currently it looks to be audio only but I’ll try to find a way to stream video too. Andy is scheduled to talk at 12pm. The stream will be below.
–
UPDATE: 10:44am: Unfortunately we couldn’t find a stable internet connection through which we could stream the 10:23 event, though the event itself went smoothly (excepting a lone protest from a black car sporting large flags and loud music).

We are instead hoping to potentially stream talks from CFI UK’s alternative medicine event today, again below. Announcements will be made here and via our Twitter account if we can gain the appropriate permission.

This article will be posted online automatically at 9:45am on Saturday 30th while we are trying to engineer the feed. If successful, the video will go live at 10:23am when the event starts. If not, here’s a low-quality copy of a lecture given by Prof. Chris French on the myths and methodology of the placebo effect instead.

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

The conduct, content, opinions and ideas provided in broadcast events neither represent nor are endorsed by The Skeptic Magazine, Skeptics in the Pub, or its affiliates.

Danny, Watch the Stars!

Danny Dyer, the pride of England, is best known for his hardman film characters and such ‘documentaries’ as ‘Danny Dyer’s Deadliest Men’. Having strayed from Bravo to the BBC, Danny is now seeking danger on the next level in his latest work ‘I Believe in UFOs’. In a shamefully biased investigation into claims of alien encounters, some of the only sane words come from our very own Chris French, who makes a brief appearance. If you however, like me, enjoy a cocktail of hilarity and fist biting rage, then this is the program for you.

Watch the full video here. Unfortunately, this video is available to UK viewers only.

Next week, the Jackson sisters present ‘I Believe in Miracles’, a study of alternative therapies. I can’t wait.

Dowsing Rod Bomb Detector

A hand-held ‘bomb detector’, until recently used by the armed forces of Iraq, has been banned after the recent finding that it simply does not work. The TNT detection chip inside is no more than an anti-theft tag of the kind that is used to prevent robbery from clothing stores, and costs around three pence. The inventor, Jim McCormick, who has now been arrested on suspicion of fraud, explained that “the theory behind dowsing and the theory behind how we actually detect explosives is very similar”. McCormick sold $85,000,000 worth of these life-threatening devices to the Iraqi government.

Watch and read the BBC coverage here.

The Journalist, the Tourist, the Claim and Their Lawyers: Libel Reform – Part 1

For a while now, I have been urging you to sign up to the Libel Reform Campaign. I still do. However, the first part of another excellent article from Lucifee has caused me to pause and give further consideration to the issue. In it she examines some of the claims made in the report “Freedom of Speech is Not for Sale” by English PEN and the Index on Censorship, revealing it to be perhaps a little oversimplified and demonising of our current laws.

[Via Jack of Kent]

Why David Cameron Wants a Boom in Faith Schools

David Cameron this week announced himself to be a supporter of faith based schools, both “politcally and personally”. The Tories reportedly advocate the “biggest expansion of church schools since the establishment of thousands of ‘national’ schools almost 200 years ago”.

For more on the debate, you can watch Richard Dawkins and others’ discussion of faith schools from 2008 here.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

MMR Scaremongerer ‘Acted Unethically’, Panel Finds

MMR Scaremongerer Dr. Andrew Wakefield is responsible for the misconception that the MMR vaccine leads to autism in children, the following significant reduction in the uptake of the vaccine and the correlating increase in the number of cases of measles. Now, at last, justice is being done. The General Medical Council have ruled that he acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly” in his research. Wakefield remains adamant of his claims and reassured parents that “the science will continue in earnest”

Read the BBC News coverage here.

Charles Darwin: The Movie

Based on Randal Keynes’ biography of his great-great-grandfather, Creation: The True Story of Charles Darwin secured itself a position in US theatres this week, after having initially being deemed “too controversial for religious America” in the view of the film’s Oscar-winning producer.

The film focuses chiefly on the period between Darwin’s marriage to Emma and the publication of his seminal work On the Origin of Species, through which time it deals with Darwin’s personal struggle with his faith in the light of his findings and the death of his daughter.

Reviews seem overwhelmingly positive, excluding those of creationists.

[Via Skepticblog]

Islam is Bullshit

For those of you who may not have read the preceding story, some Google user or other discovered that if you type into its search engine “Christianity is”, the suggested searches include “bullshit”, “a lie”, “fake” and more along this line. The same is true of all religions from Hinduism to Paganism, with one exception: Until recently, if you were to type in “Islam is” you would suspiciously receive zero suggestions. This has now been redeemed.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Vatican Bank Facing Money Laundering Investigation

The Vatican bank is under investigation for the alleged money laundering of €180million (£160million) through the accounts of the bank UniCredit. Movements of money being untraceable within the bank, it is reportedly the 8^th most popular destination in the world for laundered cash. In December 2009, The Telegraph reported that “Vatican lawyers are understood to be considering whether to argue that the bank is outside Italian legal jurisdiction”.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Stewart Brand trained originally as an ecologist. His legendary Whole Earth Catalogue (1968-1985) won the US National Book Award in 1972. Brand, whose previous books include The Media Lab, How Buildings Learn, and The Clock of the Long Now, is president and co-founder of the Long Now Foundation and co-founder of the Global Business Network. Stewart’s Latest book is Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto, Published in January 2010 by Atlantic Books.

The first of our monthly guest hosts is Becky Hogge. Becky Hogge is a freelance writer and researcher. Formerly executive director of the Open Rights Group, and a former technology director of openDemocracy, she is currently a board member of the Open Knowledge Foundation. Becky writes and broadcasts on technology, civil rights and intellectual property in the digital age for publications such as the New Statesman, The Guardian and Index on Censorship. Read Becky’s New Statesman review of Whole Earth Discipline.

If you like the 2009 event, you may also like the DVD from the 2008 event, preview below.

A word of warning: this article does encroach on my first post, which was lifted in part from this one so as to deal more specifically with one small point made here. Any comments regarding the Facebook quiz idea that I propose here would probably be better directed towards that post. Apologies for the repetition. 

Preaching to the choir

As it stands, the Skeptic Movement is at risk of simply preaching to the choir. Excellent material is available, but will usually be found by those who actively search for it. These tend not to be the sorts of people in need of persuasion. This is not to say that their involvement is not needed. On the contrary, it is vital that such individuals are aware that there exists a community of like-minded people, who too are tired of the destructive power that pseudo-science and scientific illiteracy hold over so many. Only as a movement, rather than a group of individuals, can Skepticism develop and win its battles. It is for this reason also, that separatist branches of the Skeptic Movement, who for the most part will never have considered themselves in such terms, must come together as one voice. Such branches include the scientific community and perhaps most importantly, the Atheist Movement.

For those of us who not only wish to base our own understanding of the universe on rationality and evidence, but who wish to spread this way of thinking throughout the world, there is a need for a new, detailed plan of attack. Of course, this is not a new idea. Most, if not all, organisations dedicated to the cause have some guidelines regarding their own methodologies. The problem as it stands is that most of these fall somewhere along the wishy-washy lines of ‘We must strive to increase public awareness and understanding of such-and-such issues’. Now we skeptics are not fans of wishy-washy. What we need to address with no vagueness whatsoever is the ‘how?’ part of such objectives.

The overlying objective: recruitment

The most overlying objective of the Skeptic Movement must be to increase its arsenal by recruiting members, particularly those in positions of power. The most obvious way to accomplish this is to reach a wider audience, as is being continually and increasingly achieved most notably by the Atheist Movement. Fantastic and daring authors including Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris have accelerated this movement drastically, not least by successfully marketing bestselling books concerning a controversial subject. The all-encompassing issue of Skepticism however, unfortunately does not hold the controversial status that Atheism does. It is for this reason that fantastic books such as Ben Goldacre’s ‘Bad Science’, while reaching and affecting many, cannot hope to reach the sheer volume of potential Skeptics that Dawkins’ ‘The God Delusion’ managed through extensive news coverage. We must therefore find new ways in which to extend our reach. One useful act would be to more formally align ourselves with such movements as the Atheist Movement, perhaps through conversations with Professor Dawkins, who is not only an Atheist activist but a true Skeptic activist in every sense of the term, but at present does not use such semantics. Were he to commonly refer to himself publicly as a ‘Skeptic’, the number of Google searches for the term and the overall awareness of the cause would expand drastically overnight.

The hook

The first step in recruiting Skeptics must be a hook: an enticing glimpse of our stance that leads people to look further into our work. The hook must be positioned such that anybody might be caught by it, Skeptic or not. We must take full advantage of the far-reaching mediums available to us in the 21^st Century. The internet is a potential goldmine, but if we are to draw in members of the general public to our websites and literature we must take a leaf out of the advertising industry’s book and first entice them through the virtual areas that are common to all. Such areas include Wikipedia, YouTube and Facebook. It is of course recognised that because of its general non-profit nature, the Skeptic Movement does not have the available funding to throw money at advertising, which is why we must get creative. It should be noted that at no point does there arise a need to involve ‘dirty tactics’.

How naive are you?

To take Facebook as our first example, there are several ways in which we might go about casting our line. Spamming, although potentially far reaching, would be counterproductive, giving newcomers a reason to instantly associate the notion of Skepticism with annoyance. It is of the utmost importance that being termed a ‘Skeptic’ becomes a favourable label (an issue which, I fear, already lands the word on dangerous territory because of its connections in common parlance with the negatively charged word ‘cynic’). A more productive use of Facebook might be to create an application in which the user answers a series of questions regarding their beliefs in such phenomenon as the tooth fairy and homeopathy. At the end of the questionnaire the user is presented with their results in the form of a position along a sliding scale with ‘dangerously naive’ at one end and ‘well-informed Skeptic’ at the other. Below the result is a link to a Skeptic website where the user can ‘find out more’ about the answers they got wrong. This example has the added benefit of particularly attracting those who scored lowest on the test.

Hitchens, Randi and ‘pop’

My second example is concerning YouTube, which is already overflowing with entertaining and informative videos on the subject of Skepticism. Again though, the problem with the current situation is that it is only those who were previously aware of the issues who tend to find these videos. Ensuring that Skeptic videos are found in the ‘related videos’ section adjacent to widely viewed clips could lead millions to stumble upon our message. The kinds of videos needed in such positions are those which possess what the creators of the World Wrestling Federation refer to as ‘pop’. These are those videos that give the viewer a buzz as though their football team had just scored the winning goal in the ninetieth minute. Such videos are already in existence and the magnitude of their effect is outstanding. Perhaps the two leading examples of videos that fall into this category are Christopher Hitchens’ debates with his religious proponents and James Randi’s scientific testing (he dislikes the term ‘debunking’) of supposedly supernatural claims. In both instances the ‘pop’ is provided by the annialation of the proponent. We might term such an approach the ‘Hitchens attack’. Such clips will reel in those who were Skeptics all along, but had never really given it much thought. As in the Facebook example, across the bottom of the video can read the web address of a Skeptic site to which the viewer is directed for further information.

[Citation needed]

The last example for increasing public awareness of our cause that shall be given here is regarding Wikipedia. Wikipedia is an incredible phenomenon and is, for the most part, a surprisingly good source of information. The US Skeptic magazine (not directly related to this organisation) suggests on its website that members of the public relentlessly edit pages on topics of pseudoscience in order to increase their accuracy. While this is a good suggestion, I would advocate taking it one step further and inserting relevant references that lead to Skeptic websites. The Wikipedia article on any subject is usually the most viewed and most easily found webpage regarding that topic.

To reiterate, it is these practical, creative and most importantly specific methods of approach that require our attention. Not only can such techniques be used to increase our numbers, but also to address the specific issues that are of greatest concern.      

The Dawkins approach

The aim of the Hitchens attack is to lead the public to the meat of the argument, or what we might term the ‘Dawkins approach’. For the most part, our Dawkins approach material is already out there in our websites and our literature. It should consist of concise, rational and impenetrable arguments detailing our position. Intertwined with this we must continue to place emphasis on the reasons for believing Skepticism to be a cause worthy of fighting for, as well as simply illustrating it to be a mindset that is suited to the individual. The arguments for this are numerous and convincing, and having read the Dawkins approach material many will agree. The next, perhaps the most important, stage is to give people a way in which they can be helpful.   

The issues arm

Although I have stated that the overlying aim of the Skeptic movement must be to recruit more members, this is only useful as a means to accomplishing more specific goals. We might think of our approach as being divided into two main arms: the ‘feedback loop arm’, which aims to recruit members as discussed, and the ‘issues arm’, which aims to tackle the very issues that create a need for Skepticism. Such issues include the Libel Reform Campaign, which incidentally is a fantastic initiative not only because it addresses an issue which has been seen especially recently to be pressing, but because absolutely anyone can get involved. A quick glance at the list of signatories reveals that it is not only professional scientists, but people from all walks of life who are concerned.

While I whole-heartedly back the Libel Reform Campaign, one positive that has arisen from Simon Singh’s struggle, which played a hugely catalectic role, is the media coverage that must inevitably address the question of ‘were Singh’s statements verified?’ The issues that are worthy of our attention are forever changing and so it will be difficult to give specific plans for tackling them here. One thing is universal however, and that is that if we can continue to get publicity by making challenging conflicts with pseudoscience and then proving legally that our claims were completely substantiated, more and more people will come to recognise that fact. An example shall be given here with reference to homeopathy, but could be tweaked to incorporate any issue imaginable: If ‘Yes Men’ style actors could infiltrate news stations posing as leading experts on (and advocates for) homeopathy, and could be heard to make such (shocking but accurate) statements as “it’s almost certainly nothing but water, just with a highly elevated price”, then this scandal would get major network coverage and again, the facts would have to be examined in the public sphere.

Conclusion: Let’s get creative

The opportunities for advancing the Skeptic Movement and making real headway are endless. What is important is that we do not simply preach to the choir and pat ourselves on the back at lectures, meeting only to confirm that we all agree. From a one on one debate at the pub to a worldwide scheme, every contribution helps. What is being advocated here is creativity, not for its own sake, but to raise the possibility of opening unexplored pathways. The days in which advertisers sold products on the basis of their efficiency are long gone and the reason is obvious: there are more intelligent methods of approach. It is time that we Skeptics used our slice of the pie to advance our worthy cause, the only difference being that we don’t have to lie.       

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Alternatively, you can drop me an email at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Secular Help for Haiti

The devastating earthquake suffered by the people of Haiti last week, has been described as the worst in decades. In response, the James Randi Educational Foundation and the Richard Dawkins Foundation, along with other skeptic and secular organisations, have teamed up to create a portal through which you can donate money to relief organisations with no religious angle. The two that have been selected in this case are International Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders (Médecins sans Frontières). 100% of the money you donate will be given to these organisations as Dawkins will personally donate the money to cover the PayPal fees.

Click here to donate.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Earthquake Survivors Get Solar Powered Bibles

In case you are unconvinced of the virtues of separating relief work with religious affiliation, here is an example of the uselessness that can arise at the crazy end of the spectrum: Earthquake survivors in Haiti are being donated solar powered, audio-Bibles. According to the donating group, Faith Comes By Healing’s website, the devices are “self-powered and can play the Bible in the Jungle, desert or … even the moon!” I’m not sure how well the audio works there though.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

Funniest Clips from Atheist Stand-Up Comedians

Wind down your week with some religion-mocking clips from some fine, and some not-so-fine, stand-up comedians. Needless to say, Ricky Gervais’ clip is the best, and the one that you should both start and end with.

[Via Common Sense Atheism]

BBC2 Horizon, ‘Pill Poppers’ (and the Medicalisation of Sex)

According to the program’s website, “over a person’s lifetime they are likely to be prescribed more than 14 000 pills”. The premise of this week’s Horizon was to ask how much we really know about the drugs that we consume. The program goes on to illustrate how “drug discovery often owes as much to serendipity [Ricky Gervais’ least favorite word] as to science”. Although it does suffer the same pitfalls as so many programs like it – dumbing-down the material and laboring the point – the program still manages to present the viewer with an interesting window into the pharmaceutical industry and features a short word from the excellent blogger Dr Petra Boyton.

Watch the full video here (Unfortunately this video is available to UK residents only).

[Via Dr Petra Boynton]

In Defence of Mr Justice Eady

Those who have been following the BCA v Singh case will be aware that Mr Justice Eady, the case’s ruling judge, has recently come under fire for his decision that Singh’s use of the word ‘bogus’ implied that the BCA knowingly promotes bogus treatments. Singh has been allowed to appeal, but if this decision sticks it will dramatically reduce the likelihood of his being found innocent of libel.

In an excellent article that manages to remain readable and enjoyable to the layperson despite its legal content, Lucifee defends Eady and concludes that the tabloids’ attack on him is rarely a result of their allegence with Singh, but rather their own agenda to be allowed to publish “any slimy little story they want”.

[Via Jack of Kent]

Sign up to the Libel Reform Campaign here.

Hate to iBurst Your Bubble but…

Residents of Craigavon have recently been fighting a battle against iBurst, demanding that they remove a monsterous [sic] mobile tower whose evil microwaves have been afflicting them with conditions including rashes, headaches and disrupted sleeping patterns. The protesters were sure of the causality, because some had claimed that upon leaving the area their ailments were quickly relieved, only to return as soon as they arrived back in town. What they didn’t know however, was that the tower had been switched off six weeks before the meeting at which they confirmed their continued ailments. Oops.

Also worth checking out is this pretty amazing case of a builder who experienced tremendous physical pain for purely psychological reasons. A builder!

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

U.S. Military Rifle Scopes Inscribed With Bible Verses

Despite the US’s intention and obligation to ensure that the military’s efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan are not perceived to be religious wars, it has been revealed that some gun sights supplied to the US army are inscribed, by the manufacturer Trijicon, with references to Bible passages. This irresponsibility has justifiably led soldiers to worry that their perceived proselytising will ignite hostility among the Muslims with whom they work as well as those they are fighting against.

Watch the MSNBC coverage of the story here.

[Via Discover Blogs]

I had originally included the following links because early reports of this story claimed that the inscriptions were cryptically coded. Now that it has been revealed that, for example, JN8:12 = John 8:12 (not too difficult to decipher if you ask me), they hardly seem relevant, but what the hell, they’re interesting in their own right.  

Watch Michael Shermer debunk the supposedly coded predictions wrapped up in the text of the Bible here, and if you find that interesting you can read Ben Goldacre’s post on a similar subject here.

Twitter Terrorist

The other day a friend of mine was questioned under suspicion of intentions to commit terrorism, for joking within earshot of a member of airport staff who had just finished searching him, “Good thing he didn’t check down the back of my leg.” Not the brightest of my friends I hasten to add. I would not think someone stupid however, for twittering amidst his concerns of the snow “Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!” But that is exactly what one twitterer did, and it resulted in his arrest and seven hours of police questioning. I’ve heard of the YouTube spelling police, but that is ridiculous.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

God is an Advert

Presumably as a rebuttal to the Atheist subway ads in New York and the Atheist bus campaign, the Times Square Church have branded around 1000 subway cars with the advert you see below. Let the battle commence.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

At 10:23am on Saturday 30th January, over 300 individuals from branches of Skeptics in the Pub will simultaneously consume an overdose of commercially available homeopathic medicines. The nationwide protest, organised by the 10:23 campaign from Merseyside Skeptics, will either unfold as one of the largest mass suicides since Jonestown, or will yet again confirm that science, evidence and rational thought actually do work.

The confirmed locations of the overdoses are as follows:

UK

Birmingham: High Street

Edinburgh: Secret Location

Glasgow: Tie Rack in Central Station

London: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn

Leeds: Leeds Mainline Rail Station, main entrance at 9.30-10 am

Immediately after the protest, Dr Simon Singh, Prof. John Garrow and Andy Lewis will take to the stage of London’s Conway Hall for Trick or Treatment: Alternative Medicine on Trial, the first event in 2010 from CFI UK.

The protest, comes after a Boots representative, Paul Bennett, attracted ridicule from the national press after admitting to a parliamentary select committee last month that Boots knowingly sells homeopathic remedies to the public for which it has no evidence of effectiveness. The Science and Technology Select Committee are due to release their report on homeopathy around the time of the protest, at the end of January.

While dispensing sugar pills may seem harmless, in reality the endorsement of homeopathic potions by leading health providers can have grave consequences. As well as potentially undermining trust in medicine and medical advice, customers may be misled into believing that they are treating their illness – for example a Panorama investigation famously revealed that homeopaths were advising customers to take ineffective pills in place of Malaria prophylactics on holiday. In extreme cases, such as the ‘healing therapist’ Russell Jenkins, deaths may occur.

The 10:23 Campaign, so named in recognition of Avogadro’s Constant (the limit of dilution which is exceeded by homeopathic preparations) aims to raise awareness of homeopathy and its basis within long-discredited 18th century pseudoscience, selling remedies to the public which have no scientific basis and no credible evidence for its efficacy beyond the placebo effect.

As ever, this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate JREF’s Law (namely ”there is no topic of parapsychological discussion upon which James Randi has failed to comment”) by directing attention to Randi’s lecture at Princeton in 2001, which contained the following segment on homeopathy. Randi’s commentary in 2002 for the BBC is worth reading also.

Also, for handy links to upcoming psychology-related radio shows, TV, and public lectures, the Research Digest publishes Twitter updates from @researchdigest.

I deliberated over what should be the umbrella topic for this blog for some time; familiarising myself with many of the fantastic existing Skeptic blogs in the process; I concluded that the main gap in the regular discussion is an area that I think should be a primary focus of Skeptics everywhere: methods for advancing the Skeptic Movement. 

This blog will not attempt to map out a definitive blueprint for this advance, but rather, I will be addressing what I consider to be the obstacles that we face, as well as offering my own ideas for overcoming them and inviting you to share yours with the Skeptic community. 

As this is the blog’s first post, where better to start than the fundamentals? Since having become aware of the term ‘Skeptic’ as it is used on this website and others like it, I have been slightly concerned with the word itself. Although technically fit for purpose, I worry that in common parlance it has negative connotations. In everyday conversation it seems that the word ‘sceptic’ is strongly tied to or even synonymous with the word ‘cynic’.

This has been demonstrated recently in light of the Climate Gate ‘scandal’, where media outlets uniformly refer to those who doubt that Climate Change is significantly influenced by mankind as ‘Climate Change sceptics’. In actual fact, it is those who form the vast majority of scientists that makes up the general consensus regarding Climate Change who are most likely to be the sceptics. Surely the term ‘Climate Change deniers’ would be more fitting to the fringe group. I do not believe, as many I have spoken to do, that this is an unimportant case of mere semantics.

Richard Dawkins has expressed similar concerns with regards to the term ‘Atheist’; worrying that preconceived, negative notions may be partially responsible for some people’s unwillingness to identify themselves as such, even where technically the term is perfectly fitting to the individual. In Dawkins’ own words, “You can do two things: one is to try to rehabilitate the word ‘Atheist’… [The other is] to do some pneumatic engineering”. Dawkins empathises with some people’s concern that to attempt the former is to fight a losing battle, which influenced him to back the unveiling of a new noun: ‘bright’, to replace ‘Atheist’. Although this has been likened to the engineering of ‘gay’ as a noun to replace ‘homosexual’, it is clear that ‘bright’, first coined in 2006, has not caught on and is unlikely to. To coin a term that will be accepted by all is, in my mind, a far more difficult task than to rehabilitate a term that is at least already accepted by those within the community in question.

‘How best to achieve this?’ is a difficult question. One thing is for certain: We cannot be lazy and simply leave the goal at “we must strive to rehabilitate the term ‘Skeptic’ so that it becomes more favourably perceived”. This is a good umbrella goal, but it is important that specific sub-goals are devised to address the ‘how?’ part of the umbrella goal.

One central theme that I will advocate repeatedly is the use of creative solutions. I believe that it will often be useful to take a leaf out of the advertising industry’s book and think outside the box, not for its own sake, but so that we can explore avenues that would otherwise be left un-trodden. I will give one such suggestion here, and I invite you to leave your own in the comments section below, no matter how mundane or off-the-wall they might at first seem.

We create a Facebook application titled ‘How naive are you?’ in which the user answers questions regarding their beliefs in a range of supernatural phenomenon. An example question might be ‘Does the Loch Ness monster exist?’ At the end of the quiz the user is given a score that is shown along a sliding scale that reads ‘Dangerously naive’ at one end, and ‘Well-informed Skeptic’ at the other.

This application could reach and influence the perceptions of many. A link to ‘further information’ regarding the questions answered incorrectly will help to introduce newcomers (particularly those who scored worst) to our websites. I must admit that I do not know about the feasibility of this suggestion logistically.

This could clearly only ever be one weapon in an arsenal of steps that must be taken to address the issue, but I strongly believe that it is solutions like this, particularly those that utilise the virtual spaces capable of reaching a wide audience, that can help us to take progressive steps forward.

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I am hoping, I’m sure naively optimistically, that this blog can become a hotbed of useful discussion. I therefore encourage you to share your thoughts. Maybe you disagree that this is even a problem, or maybe you disagree with my suggestions for tackling it. Maybe you have suggestions of your own, or maybe you have expertise in a potentially useful area and would like to offer your assistance. Whatever your contribution to the discussion, I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Thank you.

Radical Islam Group Banned… Again

Islam4UK, a radical Islamic group that promotes the implementation of Sharia Law in Britain, has been formally banned in the UK. Leading figure of the organisation Anjem Choudary, who sponges £25,000 annually off the state with which he is so opposed, appeared yesterday on The Daily Politics.

Watch the video here. Unfortunately this video is only available for UK viewers.

Footballer Claims He Was Chased By Ghost

A Peruvian footballer, when found running naked through the streets, defended his actions by claiming to have been being chased by a ghost. When questioned, Carlos Flores explained ‘I didn’t want my wife to be suspicious about ladies, so I just told her it was a ghost. She failed to believe me.’

Jack of Kent and Podcasting

Allen Greene, also known as Jack of Kent, is one blogger who never fails to deliver the goods. Now he has appeared on his first podcast panel discussion, which is also well worth tuning in to. Topics discussed include the powers of the UK police force, the banning of Muslim extremist group Islam4UK and the resignation of Liberal Democrat PPC Greg Stone.

[Via Jack of Kent]

Groundbreaking Gay Marriage Trial Starts In California

Around 100 campaigners gathered this week to protest against the proposition approved in 2008, which bans same-sex marriage in the state of California. Several states have seen the legalisation of gay marriage in recent years, and this week a trial challenging the proposition opened and is expected to go all the way to the Supreme Court.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Pat Robertson and the Haitian Earthquake Crisis

In the most recent instance of religious nutcases attributing everything under the sun to their God, Evangelist Pat Robertson stated on his CBN newscast that it was Haiti’s ‘pact with the Devil’ that caused the recent disaster, which Robertson described as ‘a blessing in disguise’.

Watch the video here.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES?

A black hole is a region of space from which nothing, including light, can escape.
It is all due to gravity – the force which pulls objects towards each other. It keeps the Earth moving around the Sun, instead of flying off into space, and holds us all down on the surface of the Earth.

A black hole’s gravity is so strong that not even light can escape its pull. Because the light is dragged towards a black hole, it cannot shine and so looks completely black.

Dr Marek Kukula, Royal Observatory

WHERE DOES WATER COME FROM?

Most scientists think the Earth’s water came from water-rich asteroids (really tiny planets) and comets raining down on the planet when it was young.

Others think the oceans were home-grown – they may have formed because the young Earth had a thick blanket of a gas called hydrogen, which reacted with chemicals in the Earth’s surface to form lakes and seas.

Roger Highfield, Editor, New Scientist

It does get a bit shaky when The Daily Mail tries to answer some of the trickier questions. The Mail’s own advise columnist Bel Mooney has a crack at dealing with the existential angst of “What happens when we die?”. Apparently it’s all about plants melting, and living on in each others memories, or some such. And I must admit her description of sex (in response to the question “Where do babies come from?”) has left me wondering if I’ve been doing it wrong. “They give each other a massive cuddle because they love each other so much, and that amazing big hug is like two pieces of a jigsaw fitting together, or two bits of Lego”. Hmmm…

So, all-in-all not a bad effort from the Mail, particularly considering some of the stuff they churn out. Well done them. Maybe their journalist should continue writing articles pitched at a 6 year old level, they seem to be good at it.

See, we can be nice to the media sometimes…

Scheduled for January 30th 2010, the first event will involve fellow EAB members Dr Simon Singh and Andy Lewis, joining Prof. John Garrow in a critical discussion of alternative medicine. The second event, scheduled for 6th March 2010 returns to the theme of the unexplained, with former Ministry of Defence project head Nick Pope speaking about UFOs, Adrian Shine speaking about the Loch Ness monster, and Paul Vella speaking about his work as Britain’s leading expert on Sasquatch.

Full details are available from the CFI UK website (http://www.cfiuk.org) and from The Skeptic Magazine’s events pages (http://skeptic.org.uk/events)

CFI UK has also kindly extended free invitations for both events to Skeptic Magazine (UK) and New Humanist subscribers, Friends of CFI UK, GHLA, SPES, and BHA members. Booking in advance is recommended, however.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers of Ipso Factoid that in fact this study does not prove that the G-spot does not exist. The results are, in my humble opinion, far more interesting than the media would make out. The Times mentions some criticism of the results, quoting Prof. Emily Whipple, a rather big name in the world of female sexuality, as saying that “The biggest problem with their findings is that twins don’t generally have the same sexual partner”. In other words, just because a women hasn’t reported having a G-spot, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Lead author of the paper, Andrea Burri of King’s College London is happy to admit that this may in fact be correct, and that maybe “partner differences do play a role”. The subtlety the media failed to pick up on, however, is that “that is exactly what we [the research team] are saying, basically that the G-Spot is almost entirely due to unique environmental influences, so partner differences or performance is taken into account”. Importantly “That still doesn’t mean that it is an anatomical phenomenon, it could be an entirely subjective thing”.

The article never claims to prove the non-existence of the G-spot, it simply shows the lack of heritability of the self-report of a G-spot. The authors go on to postulate that this may prove the G-spot is a social rather than a physiological construct, but they are clear that more research is much needed (Ms Burri herself said she found it fascinating that the existence of the G-spot was widely accepted based on a handful of very small studies). The BBC website gets closest to covering this study properly, but they still missed the subtleties.

To be fair, it’s not necessarily immediately obvious. I’ll happily admit to being no expert when it comes to female genitalia. But in the space of about 20 minutes, spread over an afternoon exchanging e-mails with the extremely helpful Ms Burri, I was able to get even my feeble mind around the general idea. Would it be so much to ask the towering intellects of our media masters to invest similar time themselves? Ms Burri summed it up nicely when she said “Never trust the media. As soon as they start cutting information down the true message gets blurred”. Wise words indeed.

This week’s roundup includes, as ever, a diversity of article and media posts from throughout the blogosphere. Read up on MPs’ responses to the Libel Reform Campaign, a collection of essays by and about the late, great Carl Sagan, and the scientific discoveries and controversies of 2009. Also, as usual I have included a handful of pithier articles that took my interest this week, which I suppose I have no real reason for thinking will take yours, but here’s to hoping.

Libel Reform: Which MPs Are Doing Their Jobs?

2010 will see the formal appeal hearing of the Singh v BCA case, which as most of you will know has been a catalyst for the Libel Reform campaign, which I strongly urge you to sign up to if you have not done so already. Rebecca of Skepchick has been busy writing to MPs and urging them to do the same. You can read their responses and find out how each political party is shaping up on the issue overall, here.

[Via Skepchick]

Dolphins Proven to be Smarter Than Chimps and Second to Humans in Intelligence

Dolphins have reportedly been found to be more intelligent than chimpanzees. Not only this, but according to one teacher of ethics at Loyola Marymount University, the extent of their intelligence is such that it is morally wrong for us to kill or captivate them. I am unsure of how he has distinguished the level of intelligence at which to draw the moral line, but it does remind me of an interesting point made by Professor Richard Dawkins that was something along the lines of ‘the evolution of human ethics has led us to give our differences ever-less reverence. It is perhaps a natural progression that this may one day extend to all animals, as we are after all, all related.’

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

Can An Atheist Unity Convention Happen?

Activist Margaret Downey recently suggested (not for the first time) at an annual meeting of atheist group leaders, that an Atheist Unity Convention, to which representatives of all Atheist organisations would be invited to attend, would be an invaluable instrument for furthering the movement; an area that is of great importance to me and which does not, I feel, get enough mention. Is Downey’s dream doable? Perhaps not. Professor Richard Dawkins can often be heard to say that organising Atheists is comparable to herding cats, and this is why.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

An Inspiring Collection of Carl Sagan Essays Now Online

The late, great Carl Sagan was and is an inspiration to so many. I was too young to watch ‘Cosmos’ when it was first aired, but although the special effects may be a little dated, the subject matter remains incredible. Now, an inspiring collection of articles by and about Sagan are available for all to read in one handy location.

[Via James Randi Educational Foundation]  

I Feel Sorry For This Kid

Unfortunately not an altogether unusual occurrence; the other day a child was pulled out of a school trip to a museum at the request of his creationist parents, who also explained in their letter to the school that their child’s ‘Rock and Minerals’ essay would conform to the teachings of the Bible rather than his textbooks, and so may not [need to be] five pages long.

[Via Pharyngula]

The Year in Science

Last year would have been an unbearable one for creationist, television-watching UK residents. As 2009 marked the anniversaries of Charles Darwin’s birth and best known publication (separate anniversaries; he was clever but come on!), you could hardly channel surf without retaining information on the theory of evolution. But 2009 brought about its own scientific breakthroughs and controversies too. Listen here, to an hour long discussion between Chris Mooney and Lawrence Krauss on the scientific discoveries and science policy issues to arise from the past year.   

[Via Richard Dawkins]

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Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

In defense of the introduction of this law, the Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said back in May that due to the fact blasphemy is an offence in the Irish Constitution (again highlighting the pervasive influence of the Catholic Church in the founding of the Republic of Ireland) he was obliged to include it in an update of the defamation laws. To remove blasphemy from the constitution would require a referendum of the people of Ireland, and Mr Ahern reckoned that the “current economic environment” was not conducive to this.

The law does include a fairly broad get-out-of-jail clause, specifying that “It shall be a defence to proceedings for an offence under this section for the defendant to prove that a reasonable person would find genuine literary, artistic, political, scientific, or academic value in the matter to which the offence relates”. However one could argue that the number of “reasonable persons” in a world that outlaws blasphemy is questionable…

I personally found point 4 of this new law to be particularly interesting, where they attempt to distinguish between “religion” and mere “cults”.

“In this section “ religion ” does not include an organisation or cult—

• the principal object of which is the making of profit, or

• that employs oppressive psychological manipulation—

• of its followers, or
• for the purpose of gaining new followers.”

I assume telling people they are going to live an eternity of torment and pain for not following your god counts as oppressive psychological manipulation, no?

Professor Brian Cox is a particle physicist, a Royal Society research fellow, and a professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN near Geneva, Switzerland. He is also working on the FP420 R&D project in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 metres from the interaction points of the main experiments. He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC.

Join us on Friday 8th January at 19.00 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the live feed worldwide.

The Noughties Are Defined By Fakery

There has always been fakery, but over the past decade the world has made every effort to do things bigger and better. In an article in the Guardian, Hadley Freeman, amidst a forgivable rant about Sarah Palin, argues that fakery, and particularly fake science, is what best defines the ‘noughties’. Perhaps we can push for a global New Year’s resolution. On the plus side, spell check still doesn’t recognise the word ‘noughties’.

You can also check out Ben Goldacre’s more detailed description of some of the year’s fake science here.

Atheist Alliance International 2009 Videos

This year’s Atheist Alliance International Conference reportedly hosted around 700 attendees, a marked increase from last year’s 450. The impressive line-up of speakers included Richard Dawkins, Dan Dennett, PZ Myers and Lawrence Krauss. The full length videos, listed in “descending order of awesomeness”, features Dawkins’ talk in fifth position out of a possible seven. Need I endorse the event any further?

[Via Common Sense Atheism]

“Dad Dancing” May Be The Result Of Evolution, Scientists Claim

Dr Peter Lovatt, a psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire, has concluded that cringeworthy “dad dancing” is an evolutionally created turnoff towards younger females, with the effect of making way for males who are in their sexual prime. Just the latest of a whole host of reasons for young lads to go out on the pull with their dads.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

The Diet Delusion

Looking to shift a few of those extra pounds that you’ve put on over the Christmas holidays? According to David Colquhoun’s article, which is essentially a glowing book review of Gary Taube’s ‘The Diet Delusion’, Taube claims that there is more to dieting than all of that simple advice that you’ve known and ignored for as long as you can remember. But he is not pushing a line of scientific sounding pills or any other voodoo. Rather, Colquhoun reports that Taube is advocating the use of randomised trials to establish causality between diet, weight and biology, with some surprising conclusions.

[Via DC’s Improbable Science]

For those of you who are interested in the truth behind nutritionists and the pills and advice that they push, I highly recommend Ben Goldacre’s book, ‘Bad Science’, which also examines a range of interesting pseudoscientific topics, scientifically.

Gallup Poll: Americans Are Becoming Less Religious

As we leave behind the turn of the decade I can’t help that notice that we haven’t all got flying cars, everything isn’t dominated by Velcro and religion hasn’t been wiped out. We are making headway though. It has been the case for a while now that the number of those who do not identify with a religion is increasing in both the UK and the US. A recent poll showed that only half of Britons identify with Christianity, and recent polls conducted by Gallup conclude that Americans are cottoning on too.

[Via Friendly Atheist and Derren Brown Blog]

Interestingly, if somewhat predictably, the majority of believers, no matter the sample group in question, are women. Read about the theories currently offered as an explanation for this phenomenon here.

[Via 3quarksdaily]

Brand Skeptic

A recent article by Steve Cuno particularly resonated with me. The article addresses the negative connotations that are typically associated with the term ‘sceptic’ in common parlance. This was/is to be the subject of my first personal blog post (coming soon!). Cuno and I are in agreement that to abandon the term would be impractical, and so instead both of our articles suggest methods for rehabilitating the word. His however, focuses on what the individual can do to this end; while mine will discuss the steps that can be taken by the movement as a whole. Cuno’s suggestions are excellent, and seem to be perfectly fitted to become a personal list of New Year’s resolutions for any skeptic.

[Via James Randi Educational Foundation]

Official Vatican Newspaper Under Fire For Endorsing ‘The Simpsons’

I wouldn’t be so cruel as to deprive you of your weekly fix of FOX now would I? What monumental feat of journalistic brilliance have they accomplished this week, I hear you ask. Well they’ve managed to dig up some baby-faced Pope wannabe to tell us that one of his guilty pleasures, ‘The Simpsons’, is essentially “not good for American culture”. I’d argue that it’s actually one of the best things that American culture has come up with so far.

Watch the video here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

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Well that’s the last Weekly Roundup of the decade. I hope you enjoyed it. Here’s wishing you a happy New Year from everyone at Skeptic. Don’t do anything Jesus wouldn’t do.

Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Episode one:
[gplayer href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/tokenskeptic/token_skeptic_episode_one.mp3" ] [/gplayer]

Episode two:
[gplayer href="http://media.libsyn.com/media/tokenskeptic/Token_Skeptic_2_-_Examination_Superstitions.mp3" ] [/gplayer]

The Santa Situation

Christmas can be a confusing time for some sceptic parents. While some are happy to participate with the festivities, others are understandably reluctant. The latest Skepticality podcast addresses ‘the Santa situation’. Should parents tell their kids the truth or is that robbing them of the magic? Hear what a seven-year-old sceptic and his mother have to say on the matter.  

[Via Skeptic]

The Ladybird Book of Chiropractic Treatment and English Libel Law

The Simon Singh/British Chiropractic Association case is the hot topic of the moment, but for those of you who might have missed out on its unfolding development, Crispian Jago has created a wonderful summary that is suitable for all ages.  

[Via Science, Reason and Critical Thinking]

War on Christmas, Continued

It never gets old. The war on Christmas is of course, back, and once again Bill O’reilly is angry and unafraid to show it. This year he is not alone in publicly expressing his disgust for those with no religious inclination. Illinois comptroller candidate William Kelly took it upon himself to vandalise an Atheist sign that stated that “Religion is but myth and superstition”. Fortunately his ‘what would Jesus do?’ shirt was in the wash that day.

 [Via Friendly Atheist]

Pope Knocked Down by Woman at Christmas Mass

A woman, described as “mentally unstable”, this morning knocked over Pope Benedict on his way to Christmas mass at the Vatican. The Pope is reported to be unharmed, if a little shaken. The woman, who attempted a similar stunt last year, was detained by security staff and later arrested.

Read the BBC’s coverage of the story here.

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I’m afraid that’s all we’ve got for you this week. I’m sure there’s something more important going on today. So what are you still doing here? Go and spend time with your loved ones.

Merry Christmas!

If you come across something that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Jesus Would Buy the Acer Notebook

Are you stuck for Christmas present ideas? Well you need look no further. Forget Jamie Oliver, Mr. T and all those other has-beens; the Acer Notebook comes with an extra special endorsement this Christmas.

[Via Friendly Atheist]

BCA vs. Singh: Making Legal History

Last week saw the formal launch of the Libel Reform Campaign. Now the case of British Chiropractic Association against Simon Singh looks set to become a landmark case, with the panel confirmed to consist of England’s two most senior appeal judges. Jack of Kent explains that this development can give no indication of the eventual outcome, but will increase its historic significance. Why not pop to Ladbrookes now and then do your bit to sway the odds in your favour by signing up to the campaign?

[Via Jack of Kent]

Genetic Breakthrough Hails New Cancer Research Era

According to an article in the Telegraph, scientists from a world leading research centre in Cambridge are describing their latest findings as a “transforming moment” in the search for preventions, treatments and cures for lung and skin cancer. It is always difficult for the layperson to gauge the extent to which a story like this may have been overhyped, but one thing is for sure: this can only be good news.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Atheists Banned From Public Office in Seven State Constitutions

Would you Adam and Eve it? It is against the state constitutions of seven of the United States for a non-believer to hold public office. Fortunately, a little-known document called the US Constitution, clearly states that “No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States. So there.” Still, Cecil Bothwell’s critics are targeting his Atheism in an attempt to remove him from his position as City Counsellor of Asheville, North Carolina.   

Watch The Rachel Maddow Show’s coverage of the story here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Say it ain’t so, Randi

It appears that even Gods are fallible. James Randi has recently written, rather uncharacteristically, that “the Petition Project [denying man-made climate change] may be valid.” It is not his conclusion that is disappointing, so much as his reasoning towards it. His view that “I believe we simply cannot formulate an equation into which we enter variables and come up with an answer,” seems to give credence to common sense above scientific evidence in a way that is analogous to the argument commonly spouted by creationists that “the human eye is so complicated that I just can’t believe that it happened by coincidence.” In all fairness to Randi, he was careful to express his limited understanding of the relevant scientific theory and has since written a follow-up blog article. Nonetheless, PZ Myers was not impressed. We still love you Randi.

[Via Pharyngula]

Pokémon Pastor

As the Harry Potter series has come to an end, one pastor has decided that he needs another irrelevant craze to frighten children out of. Try to keep a straight face when Jigglypuff makes an appearance.

Watch the video here.

[Via Friendly Atheist]  

Twiggy’s Olay Ad Banned Over Airbrushing

Over 700 complaints have been issued against an Olay advert that featured Twiggy alongside her testimonial “Olay is my secret for drop dead gorgeous eyes”, due to the allegation that the model’s image had been airbrushed. The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld the complaint, forcing Proctor & Gamble to replace the image with one that had not been doctored.

The Advertising Standards Authority examines every case for which even a single complaint is registered, so if you see a company making claims that you do not believe can be substantiated by evidence, let them know.

The Perpetual Motion Machine: Genuine or Hoax?

Hold the front page! Every construction project ever built is liable to collapse; every engine is at risk of explosion; and the very laws of thermodynamics are open to ridicule. Either that or some company you’ve never heard of has just unveiled its latest hoax. Steorn, the company in question, claims to have found a loophole in the way magnetic fields work, which they have used to make a machine that they claim produces more energy than it takes in. Were this to be the case it would violate the First Law of Thermodynamics and turn science on its head, which I’m sure is why you’re hearing about it here rather than on any of the major news channels. Clearly the government has been repressing this research and that of the car that can be powered by dreams, because they want your carbon taxes.

Watch the official promotional video here.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

Uganda Bans Female Genital Mutilation

Ugandan politics has had a mixed bag recently. On the one hand, MPs have voted to outlaw female circumcision, with anyone found conducting such an atrocity to face a ten year, or life sentence, depending on whether or not the victim should die. On the other, the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill”, if passed, will imprison homosexuals for life and subject HIV positive homosexuals to the death penalty. It is difficult to ignore the role that religion has played in both instances.

[Via Derren Brown Blog]

The True Story of Christmas

No, it’s not all about Ruldoph’s ostracism and Santa’s chimney escapades. It turns out that Christmas has a far deeper story behind it, but you might find that your local church is only telling the abridged version. This website explains some of the fascinating origins of the rituals through which we now rejoice. Beware though; some of it is post watershed material.  

[Via Friendly Atheist]

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Well that’s it for another week. Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

If you come across something through the week that you think our readers would enjoy, send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

There will be a normal length radio edit of the show broadcast on Resonance 104.4FM at 19.00 on Friday 18th December, and a much longer downloadable/podcast version to follow with added bad language and AGW denial.

As it’s the opening week for this blog (sound the trumpets!), we’ll get the ball rolling with something a little light-hearted.

Michelle Malkin: Atheists Should Be Treated Like “Trolls”

If Atheists are the Ebenezer Scrooge of the holiday season, then who other than FOX News could fill the buckled boots of the fat, bearded old man. News reporter Michelle Malkin advocates that when it comes to dealing with Atheists, good citizens of America should “treat these people like trolls”. Happy holidays!

Watch the video here.

(Note: This video was from 2008, last Christmas)

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Jesus On An Iron

Speaking of Jesus, who could ever grow tired of the endless sightings of the divine in such forms as the burned bits on a cheese toasty, the oily residue on a crisp, and now, in the charred stains on a household iron.

Watch the video here.

If you’re interested in the psychology behind our perceptions of such ambiguous images as these, Michael Shermer sheds light on the subject in a highly entertaining video that can be viewed here.

[Via Atheist Media Blog]

Sarah Palin Spins Out On “Climate Gate”

With the Climate Gate ‘scandal’ being so focused in the media’s headlights, there have inevitably been a wide range of interesting posts on the topic this week: An article in Discover, details the nonsensical ramblings of Sarah Palin, who has written that “the President’s decision to attend the international climate conference in Copenhagen needs to be reconsidered.” The article also includes a link to Adam Siegel’s thorough debunking of Palin’s latest scientific fail.

The Year’s Most Amazing Scientific Images

A brilliant slide show of 62 amazing images ranging from the volcanic lightning display of an explosion “1000 times as powerful as the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki” (pictured below), to the computer images of the Large Hadron Collider’s first collision. Each picture is accompanied by a description and many include links to further reading.

[Via Derren Brown]

Rift Flares After US Episcopal Church Elects Gay Bishop

Handbags and feather dusters lined the streets of America this past Sunday morning; the remnants left behind by Conservative Americans expressing their opposition to the election of the second openly gay bishop of the Anglican Church. One onlooker was reported to have mused, “We’re here, we’re queer,” and most poignantly, “get over it”.  We couldn’t agree more.

[Via Richard Dawkins]

Parliamentary Science and Technology Select Committee on Homeopathy

Dr. Ben Goldacre, author of the Bad Science column in the Guardian, recently took part in a government panel discussion that aimed to evaluate the evidence behind homeopathy and its implications for government policy. His blog post on the subject presents his thoughts on the event. The full video of which can be seen here.

And it’s not all grey stuff wrapped in legal terms. In fact, within the first two minutes you can expect to hear a bold admission from Paul Bennett, professional standards director for Boots, that neither he nor his company believe in the efficacy of their own medicines! Merseyside Skeptics have penned a great letter to Boots calling for the removal of homeopathic remedies from their shelves.

Switzerland Bans Minarets

Switzerland, commonly regarded through conventional wisdom as being one of the world’s most non-confrontational countries, has recently banned the building of minarets: the towers on the outsides of mosques, from which Imam’s would traditionally call on Muslims to pray, due to their being a sign of ‘Islamisation’. This certainly appears to be an odd area with which to take issue. Perhaps the Islamophobes are worried that these towers are used to house large, cartoon-rocket-shaped missiles. Friendly Atheist has posted a level-headed article on the subject, in which Hemant Mehta argues that “while we fight for our right to have freedom from religion, we can’t forget how important it is to also support freedom of religion”.

Women Who Stare at Kidneys

Does anyone remember the woman who accepted James Randi’s $1m challenge, claiming to have the power to cause involuntary urination in others using only the power of the mind? Well perhaps she was channeling similar energies to those used by Anita Ikonen, who claims to be able to determine whether or not a person is missing a kidney using similarly intangible methods. A detailed account of the experiment testing her claim, conducted by IIG, along with a commentary from a very skeptical Mark Edward, can be found here. If you, like Mark, suspect some foul play on Anita’s part (she did fail, don’t worry) and have some time to spare, you can scrupulously watch the whole proceeding here.

Christians Upset Over Government Funding of Medical Research

President Obama has given the go-ahead for the first batch of government funded experiments using embryonic stem cells. Many Christians, of course, are crying over the losses of potential lives and presumed souls, while failing to comprehend the real benefits that could result from research into this area. This video, posted by Atheist Media Blog, is worth your attention not only for your information, but because it is a rare opportunity for you to witness a reasonable discussion on the FOX news channel.

Woo Begins in the Womb

A recent study has found a negative correlation between the level of exposure to testosterone in the womb and the likelihood of embracing supernatural beliefs as an adult. In 2001, actress and feminist Sandra Bernhard, speaking on Bill Maher’s Politically Incorrect, made the ridiculous claim that “women come into this world more spiritually evolved than men”. It now appears that she may have had a point, but it is probably not the one that she was trying to make.

[Via Supersense]

STORY OF THE WEEK: Formal Libel Reform Campaign Launched

Many of you will be aware of the Keep Libel Laws Out of Science campaign, which was ignited after the British Chiropractic Association sued author Simon Singh for expressing his thoughts on their work in writing. We should be deeply concerned that our freedom of speech in the UK is being stifled, and that professionals need fear to articulate their views when they are in dissonance with large corporations.

This week saw the formal launch of the Libel Reform Campaign, which is excellently summarised and advocated by Jack of Kent. We too, strongly urge you to sign the petition online which will automatically send a letter to your local MP.

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Well that’s about all for this week.  Please feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to reply as quickly as possible. Until next time, take care of yourself, and each other.

*If you come across something through the week that you think our readers would enjoy please send a tip my way at will [at] skeptic [dot] org [dot] uk.

Mr Henninger comes to his conclusion on the basis of this year’s most terribly named news phenomena: “Climategate“. Due to the fact that the private e-mails of the people at East Anglia Climate Research Unit have raised some interesting questions about their research methods (or not), our friend at The Journal thinks that “hard science has become just another faction, as politicized and “messy” as, say, gender studies.” First off, and at the risk of offending any climate researchers amongst our readers (been a tough year guys, stick in there), climatology is far from a hard science. We don’t know exactly what the weather is going to do tomorrow in London, never mind globally on a time-scale of decades. Yes we can measure it, and observe trends, and build predictive models. But a hard science? I think not.

And secondly, any person who honestly thinks that science is not politicized and messy has never spent any time with people who do science for a living! Academic conferences can get plain nasty.

Mr Henninger also writes: “The public was told repeatedly that something called “the scientific community” had affirmed the science beneath this inquiry [global warming]“. Indeed, and who exactly was it that kept telling us what the “scientific community” was thinking? Could it have possibly been the media Mr Henninger? The media who label anyone who does basic research a scientist (or a boffin, if it’s The Sun)? It is this over-simplified presentation of science as a single unified entity where all researchers are stuck with a single label, which has mislead the public into thinking that science is a series of well defined truths that are released to the press on a regular schedule. It’s for this very reason that people understandably get exasperated when the press report that “scientists” claim substance X cures cancer, only to have “scientists” a few weeks later announce substance X in fact causes cancer.

Science is not a thing, it’s a process. The sooner the media understand this, and more importantly begin to educate their readers, the sooner we’ll be done with stupid claims that science is dying.

Recently I was stopped in the street by man dressed in a suit who I assumed was about to ask for directions.  He asked me if I would mind answering a question for him, and I said that depending on the question I would of course be happy to oblige.  The question was this: Do you believe in God? It occurred to me that this was a little unusual, to stop someone in the street in the morning to ask them a question about their personal beliefs.  However, I told him that I do not believe in God.  He gave me a wry smile and told me that he had expected I would answer in the negative, since in the present day in Britain there are very few people, especially in the younger generation, who believe in God.  I didn’t have any statistical information about my person but I didn’t entirely agree with him.  Figures from the 2001 census show that 76.8% of people reported themselves as belonging to a particular religion, whilst 23.2% reported no religion or did not state their religion.  Of course it’s true that many people will write down a religion whilst not practising or engaging in any sort of religious activity.  Nevertheless I don’t think it’s unreasonable to assume that if you consider yourself to belong to a religion, the chances are that you accept the existence of a higher power.  Obviously the census was taken almost 9 years ago, but it seems unlikely the figures would have swung dramatically the other way.  In any case this man seemed eager to continue the conversation.

He proceeded to ask me for my opinion on evolution; I said I consider it to be an accurate scientific theory.  He said he thought evolution was an interesting theory, and refused to rule it out, although he argued that if evolution was true it would surely have to have been instigated by God and tweaked a little throughout history so as to explain certain aspects of it.  I wasn’t in the mood for an argument, so I muttered something about having to leave, but he pressed me further.  He said that surely it is vitally important for us to discover whether or not there is, in fact, a God, which was again a little odd since I had by now ascertained that he must be a believer himself.  I pointed out that surely providing a definitive answer to that question is somewhat difficult.  He countered by saying that if I was on a tight rope would I prefer to be up there with or without a safety net, which was an anomalous metaphor that didn’t really add anything to the conversation.  If I was on a tight rope you can be sure that I’d have the best safety net money can buy, but if you’re asking me whether or not I’d prefer to have an eternal life after death or accept that once you die that’s it, I’d have to say that I’d prefer the latter, but that’s just me.  In any case I said I was in a hurry and would have to leave, at which point he delved into his bag and produced a book which he offered to me.

The book is called “Life: How did it get here? By evolution or creation?”  After leafing through a few pages it was evident that this book already had the answer: creation.  It begins in an almost rational (I use this term loosely) way. It sets out some of the theories of evolution and argues that evolution can’t explain things such as the complicated nature of the human brain; maintains that the fossil evidence does not demonstrate species evolving, but supports clearly different species created by God who never interbreed; uses analogies of houses having architects therefore the natural world must do; says that we have no way of explaining the emergence of life in the first place; claims that Genesis is scientifically sound; and so on.

It attempts to explain that the first humans had eternal life, but when they “pulled away from their creator’s direction, what happened to them is similar to what happens when you pull the plug out of an electric fan”. It finishes with the declaration that those who believe in God will be saved when Armageddon and the rapture occur, and the saved will live in paradise free from illness and in harmony with the animals (there is even a drawing of a girl hugging a tiger).  Admittedly the latter parts of the book aren’t really about evolution at all.

It’s clear that a lot of effort went into making and publishing this book however poorly conceived, badly researched, and ludicrous it is.  But it did make me think.  How can people read something like this, and believe it?  How is it that educated and intelligent people can’t and won’t accept something that is considered to be factually accurate?

Perhaps people don’t believe it because they don’t understand it?  Although there’s lots of things we believe to be true but don’t necessarily understand: you may not understand the physics behind why a plane stays in the air, but you surely wouldn’t just assume it was down to pixie dust.  Evolution and religion need to be disentangled from each other.  Teaching evolution does not mean you are teaching atheism.  It is sad that there are so many people clamouring to prevent evolution from being taught in schools, and in some extreme cases it is under threat of being taken out entirely.

The idea that if you teach evolutionary theory in a science class you should have to teach creationism as another viable theory is preposterous.  You wouldn’t say that the pixie dust theory should be taught as an alternative when teaching the physics of flight.  I am not against learning about religion in school, and think that if taught for the interest of learning about history and sociological aspects of a diverse population, then it is educational and perhaps useful in facilitating tolerance and understanding within society.  But if creationism is going to be taught at all it should be taught as part of understanding how our ancestors explained how they came to be in a religious studies class.  It does not belong in the science classroom.

Teaching the theory of evolution does not mean teachers are encouraging children not to believe in God, children are free (in school at least) to decide that one for themselves.  They are trying to teach scientific fact, something which will finally take up its rightful place in the classrooms of primary schools in the UK.

Jim Baggott has been studying and writing about the history of physics for nearly 20 years and has won awards for his scientific research and his science writing. His previous books have been widely acclaimed and include A Beginner’s Guide to Reality (Penguin, 2005 – ‘… like having an informal, intimate conversation with an informed – and informative – thinker’) and Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy and the Meaning of Quantum Theory (OUP, 2004 – … does for quantum theory what Hawking’s A Brief History of Time did for astronomy and cosmology’). Jim’s latest book is Atomic: The First War of Physics and the Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939–1949.

Join us on Friday 11th December at 19.00-19.30 on Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the www.resonancefm.com live feed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the video below is from the New Scientist, briefly examining the case of BCA v Singh which helped to create the current attention and pressure for reform.

The press release from Sense About Science:

Academics and editors to tell MPs what the public doesn’t get to hear

Academics, medical editors, scientists and human rights activists will tell today MPs what the public does not get to hear because of chilling libel laws. In a briefing hosted by a cross party group of MPs, they will join calls for urgent political commitment to reform the libel laws[2]. This follows the report last month by Index on Censorship and English PEN that led to a widespread clamour at home and abroad for changes to English libel law.

MPs and peers will hear from Fiona Godlee, Editor, BMJ; writer Dr Ben Goldacre; John Micklethwait, Editor, The Economist; Lisa Appignanesei, President, English PEN; and Prof. Malcolm Grant, Provost, UCL.

They will tell MPs that the fear of being sued means that journal editors don’t publish articles even though they are in the public interest, that journals sometimes don’t withdraw fraudulent papers for fear of libel action, that universities are forced to curtail academic freedom and that material – including investigations into companies, human rights issues and the financial activities of the powerful – goes unpublished. The costs of this litigious environment are also high – journal editors often have to consult a lawyer before every publication. For advance comments and cases, see the following pages.

Science is full of surprises: the peculiar peepshow beginnings of baby incubators; the unexpected positive fallout from the H-bomb; the dinosaurs that caused sonic booms; the irrational nature of the number pi; the fifth taste sensation lurking in everyone’s taste buds which nobody knew about (except for the Japanese).Whilst shedding light on these conundrums, Karl Sabbagh shows that seemingly trivial queries or assumptions lead to a deeper understanding of how science works. Who would have thought that scientists would turn to the hypothesis ‘All swans are white’ to determine the stability of the entire universe? Or that if we choose to spend our hard-earned money on other people it might make us happier than if we spend it on ourselves?

If you’ve ever been amazed by what scientific discovery has shown us about the world (like why the hair of the dog really works!), you could win a signed copy of this book from Karl Sabbagh and The Skeptic. To enter, simply tell us your favourite ‘Scientific Surprise’ in the comment section below or email competition[at]skeptic.org.uk.

There’s no right answer for this one, just awesome science.  The contest closes Friday the 18th at 5pm GMT.

The accolade is called the ‘Pigasus Award’ and in 2007 one of its recipients was Rupert Sheldrake for his work on telephone telepathy through morphic resonance.

After the interview was published, Rupert wrote a letter to The Skeptic asking why Chris French did not challenge Randi on Rupert’s Pigasus Award, when, in fact, Chris has and is working on research with Rupert on this very phenomena.  Rupert’s letter also contained criticism levelled at Randi for a document that was used in a TAM3 workshop, which stated that becoming an expert media sceptic was as easy as “tell[ing] people you’re an expert. After you do that, all you have to do is maintain appearances and not give them a reason to believe you’re not.”

In the spirit of fostering open debate and discourse, we’ve given Randi the opportunity to reply to Rupert’s letter.  Chris French has also written a reply to the original letter.  All three letters can be viewed here.

It has been reported that a number of players including players from Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, and a host of other clubs have been visiting a Serbian healer by the name of Mariana Kovacevic.  Apparently her unique technique is to perform massage using a cream that has been infused with horse placenta, and a number of players are convinced that this is the secret to recovering quickly from injury.  Footballers aren’t known as the clevereople in the world, but you’d think that having spent the majority of their careers around professional medical staff, and considering injury is part and parcel of playing the sport they play, they would have some understanding of treatment on sports related injuries.  You wouldn’t think they could be taken in by a woman claiming special healing abilities, particularly when their doctors have told them it’s a load of rubbish.  Most reports have said that the actual methods used are a closely guarded secret, but all seem to agree that there is a placenta involved.  Most have said it’s a horse placenta, although The Sun went one further and claimed that a human placenta was being used.  Liverpool football club in particular have been very impressed with the treatment, having sent 4 players to Serbia recently who all mysteriously got better after having the placenta treatment in addition to their usual treatment with club physios.  Of course the only logical conclusion is that the horse placenta was the answer, nothing to do with the excellent medical care provided by club doctors.  Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is very complimentary towards this alternative treatment saying “Many top players have been going for seven years, it has been successful and I believe it is safe”.  I suspect that the success he is describing is largely anecdotal, and the fact it is safe is frankly a relief as I’d be somewhat worried if someone administering a massage with some harmless fluid was unsafe.

Most reports haven’t tried to speculate as to how a treatment which involves rubbing placenta fluid on the skin can have a healing effect although the majority of newspapers have kindly pointed out facts about the placenta in the middle of their reports such as in the BBC “The placenta connects the foetus to the uterine wall in mammals. And fresh samples of the organ are rich in stem cells, which can develop into different types of tissue like muscle and bone.”  That’s good to know but it doesn’t explain how rubbing it into the skin could help.  Giles Smith of the Times writes “But what’s everybody’s problem with placenta anyway? It’s widely accepted that the placenta is a valuable source of stem cells and iron.”  Absolutely, and babies in the womb benefit greatly from this, but that still doesn’t explain how applying it to the skin helps footballers with damaged ankle ligaments.   The fact of the matter is that there is no evidence that this placenta method speeds up recovery time.  It is amazing that people who have the best medicine available on offer are still prepared to put their faith in something that has not been proven.   Hopefully this lack of evidence won’t mean politicians start advocating its use within the NHS anytime soon.

The HMV Hammersmith Apollo, London   20th December

An Extra Date Added due to Popular Demand

Tickets are available for the return of 2008’s sold out show of science, song and some interpretative dance.

This is not an attack on religion, but a family friendly celebration of science and the rational world.

Last year saw Jarvis Cocker singing I Believe in Father Christmas with a 25 piece orchestra before Richard Dawkins took to the stage to talk of cobwebs followed by a Top of the Pops dance to Harry Nilsson’s Can’t Live if Living is Without You.

This year promises to be even more eclectic. It will see Mock the Week host Dara O’Briain,  Al Murray The Pub Landlord breaking into song,  Prof Richard Dawkins reading out his hate mail, Mark Steel being shouty and left-wing, physicist and code breaker Simon Singh, Bad Science author Ben Goldacre, CERN scientist and former popstar Prof Brian Cox, I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue Legend Barry Cryer with Ronnie Golden, acclaimed singer songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, multi award winning comedians Josie Long and Richard Herring, Thick of It star Chris Addison, and Martin White’s Mini Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra along with some very special guests.

Tickets available here – http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/Nine-Lessons-and-Carols-for-Godless-People-tickets/

I’ve made no secrets of my feelings towards the Catholic Church, in particular when it comes to its dealings with child abuse. Thus, it was with a certain amount of resignation that I awaited the release last week of a report detailing the Church’s efforts to cover up incidents of clerical sexual child abuse in the dioceses of Dublin over a 30 year period (media coverage here and here).The Commission of Investigation into Dublin’s Catholic Archdiocese examined complaints against 46 priests in relation to over 320 children.

The report found that rather than actually deal with the allegations of abuse, or show concern for the welfare of the children brutally molested, the Church:

focus[ed] on the avoidance of scandal and the preservation of the good name, status and assets of the institution and of what the institution regarded as its most important members – the priests.

This self-serving protectionism lives on strong to this day, with the Vatican refusing to engage with the Commission because of cowardly complaints that the Commission didn’t go through the proper “diplomatic channels“. The levels of corruption and deceit have even extended to State authorities, including the police, highlighting the deplorable level of malevolent influence the Catholic Church has in Ireland.

I think people outside of Ireland don’t truly grasp how much a part of the fabric of day-to-day society the Catholic Church was, and still is today. The majority of schools are Church run, the Angelus is played on our national television and radio stations, and pubs are closed on Good Friday. So despite seeing report after report detailing a litany of emotional, physical and sexual abuse carried out upon thousands of children over a period of decades, and despite that fact that this abuse has been actively covered up at the highest levels, the Church survives. The Irish people shake their heads and mutter their disgust before heading back to mass on Sundays – like good Catholics.

Will the Church ride out this latest scandal? Certainly the uproar it has created is considerable. I want to believe that people will see the Church for the self-serving hierarchy that it is and remove themselves from it’s diseased shadow. I’m led to believe that Christianity is a way of life, not a building you go to every week. The cynic in me isn’t so hopeful.

However those of us who were brought up in a Catholic environment and were baptised before we had a chance to develop our own views on the world can register our disgust with the Church by hitting them where it hurts: their membership. As a “lapsed” (to put it mildly) Catholic I still gets counted as a member of the Church. To make the separation official, one has to defect. The genius’s at Count Me Out have compiled all the information you’ll need to complete this easy process on one website. Not Irish but still want to defect? No problem, the form is universal, so just fill this out and send it to the parochial house or bishop’s office of the diocese in which you were baptised. If you haven’t defected yet, then the church is using your membership to show that they have support. Not a Catholic? Then do what you can to spread this campaign.  Don’t let the Catholic church get away with this any longer. Check out the Intelligence Squared debate over at Atheist Media if you are somehow still unsure.

Any other organisation would have been torn down after the first evidence of child abuse came to light. How many more horror stories do we need before the Church is put out of its evil misery?

http://skeptic.org.uk/pub
http://www.gold.ac.uk/apru/speakers
http://www.meetup.com/Central-London-Humanists
http://www.skepchick.org
http://www.ncse.com
http://www.epjournal.net/filestore/EP07398441_c.pdf
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maybe-Yes-No-Guide-Skeptics/dp/0879756071/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Magic-Detectives-Solving-Strange-mysteries/dp/0879755474/ref=sr_1_10/1
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali/dp/1416526242/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259679989&sr=1-1/

The full range of cards can be seen at http://www.cafepress.com/atheistxmas.

Famous atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris celebrate Christmas, and they’re not alone. Order of St. Nick, a greeting card publisher specializing in funny and alternative holiday greeting cards, believes that everyone regardless of religious beliefs, should be able to celebrate with family and friends at this time of year.

The Skeptic has managed to secure a 30% discount on a range of atheist Christmas cards for a limited period, so with the festive season rapidly approaching it’s an ideal time to celebrate a Godless Christmas in style.

The exclusive atheist Christmas cards feature traditional evolutionary iconography such as Charles Darwin, along with cheeky sayings such as “Evolve Your Beliefs.” The cards have been featured in the Times Online, STUFF magazine, and on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report.”

A new shop has been specifically created for customers referred by The Skeptic with the 30% discount already applied, so there is no need to remember or enter a discount code. Orders are processed directly by the Order of St. Nick and are available for shipping to the UK and US. Please check the Order of St. Nick website for details of last order dates for Christmas, though we have been reliably informed that orders for December 24th should be placed by December 8th (economy shipping) or December 14th (standard shipping).

Through the miracle of the Internet, I spent part of this afternoon sitting at my desk watching live video from the House of Commons Science and Technology Sub-Committee as they debated the question above. The detail of the witnesses: Rt Hon Mike O’Brien QC MP, Minister of State, and Professor David Harper CBE, Chief Scientist, Department of Health, and Professor Kent Woods, Chief Executive, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

The main justification for including homeopathy appears to be its popularity: 10 percent of the population use these remedies. (By this logic, smoking should be included on the NHS!)

One of the committee members asked about the disparity in the rules, in that homeopaths don’t have to prove the efficacy of their remedies, but the manufacturers of vitamin supplements do.

Some other interesting questions were raised. Is it acceptable for a doctor who knows that a homeopathic remedy has no effect other than the placebo effect to dispense these remedies to patients on the basis that they might work. Should he be required to disclose to the patient his knowledge that they are no better than placebos? Most patients would probably resent this kind of “paternalistic deception”.

Besides, the minister said later, it’s “illiberal” to refuse people treatments they believe are working. He drew a distinction between efficacy (evidentially proven) and effectiveness (helps patients). Some numbers: 88 PCTs do not provide homeopathy, 26 do in exceptional cases; 31 do. (I think those hastily scribbled numbers are right.) NICE does not consider the evidence base sufficient to assess these remedies.

There seems to have been some (now sadly typical) trouble over the consultation on the subject of introducing rules for homeopathy, in that although it was opposed by several eminent medical bodies the recommendation that eventually reached the minister was that there was widespread support. Professor Campbell replied that the debate is about homeopathy, but there were few objections to the scheme itself. The committee asked him to make the consultation testimony public. “This is a homeopathic medicinal product used within the homeopathic tradition” is the wording on the label; what does this mean to the “average man in the street”? Doesn’t it imply the stuff, you know, works? (I’m paraphrasing; the questioner managed the most polite version of “Isn’t this a lie to the public?” that I’ve ever heard.)

I can’t answer that personally, but I can recount the argument I had recently with an American friend. It went like this:

“The Royal Family uses homeopathy and look how long they live!”

“The Royal Family is one of the richest families in the world, and besides homeopathy they use all the best medical care their money can buy.”

“They do?”

Homeopathy isn’t harmful in and of itself. Its wider effects – a lack of care for evidence and the truth, diverting people from medicine that works (it has been recommended as an anti-malarial drug), and the promotion of general ignorance – are harmful.

(Ben Goldacre also featured in a previous session, of which a webcast can be seen here.)

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Hello, and welcome to Skeptical Voter, a new website where we aim to discover and catalogue the political positions of Members of Parliament and candidates in next general election, specifically with regard with issues that ‘Skeptical’ people are interested in. These include the attitude of candidates to evidence-based policy, the role of the libel laws in science, and the teaching of creationism in schools.

Skeptical Voters believe that evidence should be at the centre of all public policy making. This site intends to identify which parliamentary candidates embrace the use of evidence as a means to inform their decisions and which prefer to obfuscate, ignore or suppress the evidence for political convenience.

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Visit the site to pledge your support.

Cheers,
Chris

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The Boots brand is synonymous with health care in the United Kingdom. Your website speaks proudly about your role as a health care provider and your commitment to deliver exceptional patient care. For many people, you are their first resource for medical advice; and their chosen dispensary for prescription and non-prescription medicines. The British public trusts Boots.

However, in evidence given recently to the Commons Science and Technology Committee, you admitted that you do not believe homeopathy to be efficacious. Despite this, homeopathic products are offered for sale in Boots pharmacies – many of them bearing the trusted Boots brand.

Not only is this two-hundred-year-old pseudo-therapy implausible, it is scientifically absurd. The purported mechanisms of action fly in the face of our understanding of chemistry, physics, pharmacology and physiology. As you are aware, the best and most rigorous scientific research concludes that homeopathy offers no therapeutic effect beyond placebo, but you continue to sell these products regardless because “customers believe they work”. Is this the standard you set for yourselves?

The majority of people do not have the time or inclination to check whether the scientific literature supports the claims of efficacy made by products such as homeopathy. We trust brands such as Boots to check the facts for us, to provide sound medical advice that is in our interest and supply only those products with a demonstrable medical benefit.

We don’t expect to find products on the shelf at our local pharmacy which do not work.

Not only are these products ineffective, they can also be dangerous. Patients may delay seeking proper medical assistance because they believe homeopathy can treat their condition. Until recently, the Boots website even went so far as to tell patients that “after taking a homeopathic medicine your symptoms may become slightly worse,” and that this is “a sign that the body’s natural energies have started to counteract the illness”. Advice such as this directly encourages patients to wait before seeking real medical attention, even when their condition deteriorates.

We call upon Boots to withdraw all homeopathic products from your shelves. You should not be involved in the sale of ineffective products, because your customers trust you to do what is right for their health. Surely you agree that your commitment to excellent patient care is better served by supplying only those products whose claims can be substantiated by rigorous scientific research? Or do you really believe that Boots should be in the business of selling placebos to the sick and the injured?

The support lent by Boots to this quack therapy contributes directly to its acceptance as a valid medical treatment by the British public, acceptance it does not warrant and support it does not deserve. Please do the right thing, and remove this bogus therapy from your shelves.

Yours sincerely,
Merseyside Skeptics Society

To be fair, she does go on to give some cautionary quotes from people who understand that this research is very much in its early stages. However the article still has a very misleading slant from the get-go, starting with an over-hyped headline. Pleasingly, The Telegraph gets this story very right, and the journalist (who’s name I can’t find, please contact me if you know who it is) gives a lesson in good science reporting. There is no screamingly exaggerated headline; they give a clear indication that this is a study in mice from the first sentence; and there is some interesting commentary on the future possibilities of this research. This is an interesting story without making it out to be something it is not. As always, the awesome Behind The Headlines gives the facts.

This is a classic example of one of the media’s favored tactics for creating over-hyped articles: Reporting the results of petri dish and animal studies as if they apply equally to humans. The Metro did just this at the end of October when they reported “Young ‘better off’ without flu shots“. In particular the Metro journalist Miles Erwin wrote: “It is beneficial to allow youngsters to contract the illness as it could afford them better protection against more dangerous pandemics in the future, experts believe”.

Mr Erwin fails to point out that this expert opinion is just that, an opinion piece in the Lancet based mostly on mice studies. The same edition of the journal also features a piece arguing that such conclusions aren’t necessarily valid (note both the above links are behind pay-walls). Janet Raloff over at Science News gives a very good summary of the issue.

I personally think pre-clinical petri and animal studies should be reported in the mainstream media. Both the possible cervical cancer breakthrough and the possibility of issues with flu vaccination are important and interesting topics. However they should be reported for what they are: Early stage studies which give us a hint that something interesting might be going on. Cells in a test tube or mice in a lab are, for fear of stating the obvious, not humans. The FDA estimates that only 0.1 of compounds pass pre-clinical trials and go on to be tested in humans. And even if they do pass this first phase, and assuming they pass all subsequent phases, it can take a drug 5-10 years to get from the lab to the market.

This kind of sensationalized reporting adds to the public perception that scientists are constantly contradicting themselves, saying something cures one week and kills the next. Perhaps if, instead, journalists met their journalistic obligation and tried to educate their readers on the complexities involved in developing a drug, then we might have a society on our hands who appreciated that there has to be more to a story than “inject drug into mouse, cure cancer”. Of course, having a readership who expects good science in their media reporting really wouldn’t be in these newspaper’s best interests, now would it?

In addition to his medical works, Tallis is author of many works of fiction and poetry, and has written on the philosophy of the mind, philosophical anthropology, literary theory, the nature of art and cultural criticism. His books include The Kingdom of Infinite Space, Hippocratic Oaths: Medicine and its Discontents, In Defence of Realism, The Knowing Animal, Hunger and Absence. 2007 Tallis was nominated in the Independent as one of “50 Brains of Britain” and in April 2008 appeared as a castaway on Desert Island Discs. This will be Ray’s second appearance on Little Atoms.

In an almost deliberately controversial tone which neatly summarises her distinct lack of knowledge of the topic, Sarah Palin has apparently written in her new book:

“If any vegans came over for dinner, I could whip them up a salad, then explain my philosophy on being a carnivore: If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?”

a) God. Good start.
b) What type of moronic argument is that? Are you genuinely saying we should eat something simply because it exists?

God created humans. Humans, as animals, are also made out of meat. I don’t think that means paedophiles cannibals should eat children.

The religious link does, however, provide an opportune moment to highlight Robin Ince’s talk on Creationism.

However, the government has at least had the decency to practically admit as much. There are systems in place which attempt to hold the government accountable for the way they use evidence in policy decisions. The Commons Science and Technology Committee (CSTC) “exists to ensure that Government policy and decision-making are based on good scientific and engineering advice and evidence”. The committee recently selected a number of areas for enquiry and asked the relevant government departments to explain the evidence used to justify their policy decisions.

In October of this year the Committee identified the government’s licensing of homeopathy for further investigation and asked the Department of Health for clarification on three key issues: government policy on licensing of homeopathic products, government policy on the funding of homeopathy through the NHS, and the evidence base of homeopathic products and services.

The Department of Health’s response was short, but very telling. They admitted that “no scientific evidence was examined in drawing up the National Rules Scheme” for licensing homeopathic remedies, and “elements of the licensing regime probably lie outside the scope of the IUSS Select Committee Inquiry (the former name of the CSTC), because government consideration of scientific evidence was not the basis for their establishment”.

This is apparently not a problem for the Department, “[b]ecause homeopathic products have a long and established traditional use in the UK, [and] the licensing regime functions primarily to ensure that they are both safe and of suitable quality” and “[o]nly products which are indicated for the relief of minor symptoms and minor conditions in humans are eligible for a homeopathic marketing authorisation”. Despite the Department’s dismissing the need for scientific evidence, they claim that the “onus to provide supportive scientific evidence is on each individual product that manufacturers put through the scheme – to demonstrate that the product is used as a homeopathic medicine, that it is safe, and that it is of suitable quality.” This becomes interesting when we consider that just a few years ago the – NHS funded – Royal London Homeopathic Hospital underwent a £20 million pound makeover. That’s a lot of money for not a lot of evidence.

The committee also asked the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for clarification on the teaching of pseudoscience in universities. In particular they sought clarification on the government’s interpretation of the term ‘pseudoscience’, and what the government’s position is on universities that award degrees in subjects that are generally deemed pseudoscience. The committee also asked if, when recruiting staff, the government recognised such qualifications as providing the holder with scientific expertise?

The Department’s response is located on page 10 of the article linked above. Their response was depressingly facepalm inducing: “The Government does not find it helpful to define pseudoscience.” Really? Not even just a little? The response goes on to claim that they are “committed to policy-making based on scientific evidence. By science [they] mean all-encompassing knowledge based on scholarship and research which is underpinned by methodologies that build up and test increased understanding about the world and beyond.” The world and beyond?! Is the government now making policies based on information from the afterlife? From some other esoteric dimension? From the dank recesses of crack-pottery and all-around woo-ness?

Maybe that’s being a little harsh, and we should assume that they weren’t using the word ‘beyond’ to mean something so, umm, pseudoscientific (aha!). After all, it was this very department that recently launched a campaign to increase public awareness of science; In a twist of irony, the campaign is called Science: So What? So Everything. And that is just the point: Just because something might look like science, does not mean it is (see previous example on homeopathy). Pseudoscience is one shady lady: Get in bed with her and you can guarantee that at some point, it’s gonna burn. Although I’m sure the homeopaths have a cream for that.

When politicians claim that they use scientific evidence to inform their policy decisions, it’s important to know what they consider good evidence and good science. While we can’t expect policies to be created in a scientific vacuum, policy decisions that affect society are only as good as the evidence upon which they’re based.

Links mentioned in this video are:
www.skepchick.org
www.theskepticsguide.org
www.randi.org
Richard Dawkins – The Greatest Show on Earth
www.onelawforall.org.uk
http://skeptic.org.uk/atheistxmas
www.surlyramics.com
www.charliesplayhouse.com
www.gold.ac.uk/apru/email-network
www.gold.ac.uk/apru/participate-research

[gplayer href="http://skeptic.org.uk/archivemedia/bsl.mp3" ] K9 Magazine podcast [/gplayer]or download here.

He brings parallel arguments from his personal area of expertise and from the consequences of the inept and archaic Dangerous Dogs Act, an issue about which K9, DDA Watch and countless other organisations have mounted campaigns against, and an issue I’ve highlighted on this blog previously. O’Meara also queries whether the principles of Darwinian selection can be applied to thought, a line of reasoning which is perhaps not far removed from meme theory.

The lack of evidence and evidential quality involved in the policies O’Meara cites, is striking.

It is appalling, for instance, that an individual with no more than a few hours’ training can provide expert testimony in court alleging that a dog possesses the characteristics of a banned breed (and therefore apparently poses a danger and should be destroyed), despite the dog doing nothing wrong and potentially being of a completely different, ‘permitted’ breed.

It is then truly inexcusable when such testimony is accepted by a court without question.

This illogical, crass and ultimately cowardly decision making bears sinister similarity to the involvement of racial profiling in policing, an issue about which there has been great public discussion and political hesitancy. Certainly, considerable caution is used in exercising any type of racial profiling in the proactive identification and investigation of crime, yet the Dangerous Dogs Act, almost devoid of practical regulation, permits decisions of life and death to be made on exactly this basis.

With Prof. David Nutt being sacked for daring to question knowledge he believed to be unsubstantiated, the issue of the use (and abuse) of evidence in public policy is once again exposed for widespread public examination. Listening to any reasoned, considered commentary is certainly worthwhile and this is no exception.

Do they fail to see the irony? This week The Daily Mail reported on a new book that dispels a number of health myths (the book is called “Don’t Swallow Your Gum: and Other Medical Myths Debunked”).  They open with: “Every day you hear or read things about your body and health that are simply not true.  In many cases they’ve been scientifically discredited, yet these medical myths endure.”  They point out classic myths such as the one that claims we only use 10 per cent of our brains (although if this were true it may help explain why The Daily Mail is still around…), or the misconception that the flu jab can cause the flu.

The Mail seems rather bemused at the level of belief in these medical myths: as if they are not quite sure why it would be that people would believe such nonsense.  Naturally, they would never be so foolish as to make any such claims that the flu jab causes the flu it is designed to prevent, although they did get pretty close just last month.

Whilst I am all for The Mail helping to dispel these sorts of things, and if they really are so clueless as to why people believe such myths, perhaps they should start by taking a good look through their own archives.  A good place to start would be here, although a book debunking all of the rubbish The Mail has given us could make “War and Peace” look like a light read.

I would query Randi on one issue from the talk though: the ability to prove a negative.

Here’s an interesting article from Steven D Hales, however, who asserts you can prove a negative.

Or as Stephen Law has eloquently written:
“You can prove a negative in fact (after all “you can’t prove a negative” is a negative, so, if true, unprovable).“

However my favourite part of the whole article has to be where Mr. Wilson states: “The trouble with a ‘scientific’ argument, of course, is that it is not made in the real world, but in a laboratory by an unimaginative academic relying solely on empirical facts”. I beg to differ Mr. Wilson. Science requires – at its core – highly creative non-linear thinkers to propose new theories, to try new methods, to challenge what we think we know and to use the evidence gained from these endeavours to try and keep science and society healthy.  Do you remember what happened when man stopped being imaginative with his understanding of the natural world?  It was called the Dark Ages for a reason.

And, just to clarify, the thing that makes an argument ‘scientific’ is not – contrary to your opinion – that it is based on empirical evidence gathered in a laboratory by unimaginative men in white coats, but rather that the method used to obtain the supporting evidence is itself scientific.  Science is a method. It is not perfect, and nor does it claim to be, but it beats the hell out of fumbling around in the dark.

While we cannot put people in petri dishes, we can still use the scientific method – and therefore a scientific argument – to measure as best we can the effects some variable has on society.  Ideally, we use this scientifically obtained evidence to try to make informed policy decisions.

Perchance Mr. Wilson was simply attempting to paraphrase that great thinker of our time, one Homer Simpson. “Facts are meaningless. You can use facts to prove anything that’s even remotely true”. Indeed.

Maybe we should be more sympathetic to Wilson’s misconceptions of science considering that during a short lived experience as an atheist he came to realise that “the existence of language is one of the many phenomena – of which love and music are the two strongest – which suggest that human beings are very much more than collections of meat”. Such was the shock of this revelation that he concluded god must be the answer and he abandoned his atheism. Naturally such fundamental issues of existence are tough for us decidedly egotistical apes to accept, but lacking either the intelligence or creativity to understand and appreciate the wonder of the natural world is no excuse for writing such a poorly informed article.

I wonder how Mr. Wilson suggests we decide on societal policies if they are not to be informed by good scientific evidence? Perhaps we should be waiting for a white paper from god?

*the article the Daily Mail originally put up on their website included a rather fetching picture of Hitler. I was disappointed to note they removed this photo during the course of the day, but you can still see the image here. Possibly they realised that having a photo with the caption “Adolf Hitler: The Nazi Germany leader believed in science as the only truth” in an article attempting to delegitimise science might come back to bite them…

Yes it’s time for Skeptic vodcast number 4… which features a Darwinian adventure you can’t afford to miss.

Dany

dany@skeptic.org

Hosted at Conway Hall, Holborn, the event will see two scientists and researchers examining the truth behind sailors’ tales of monsters from the ocean’s depths.

Dr Charles Paxton, a scientist from the University of St Andrews, is one of the country’s most qualified cryptozoologists, and he will be running both a lecture and workshop on monsters from the deep – mythical and real.

Dr Darren Naish is a researcher at The University of Portsmouth, who will talk about the ‘prehistoric survivor paradigm’ and what it means (or doesn’t mean) for ’sea monster’ sightings. A fascinating, illustrated, interactive skeptical odyssey….

As always, there should be a chance to ask questions of the speakers.

Further details about how to attend the unique event are available from The Skeptic Events or from the Center for Inquiry UK. This event is free to Skeptic Magazine subscribers, or members of CFIUK, SPES, the BHA, GLHA and New Humanist Subscribers.

Join us at 19.00 to 19.30 on Friday 30th October on Resonance 104.4FM in London, or via the live feed at the Resonance FM website elsewhere.

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Naturally the article in The Sun doesn’t mention any other demographics or confounding variables; and why would they? After all, any good Sun journalist knows that correlation proves causation.  Of course, this finding was also reported in the well known broadsheet The Telegraph.  They don’t use the word boffins, or work any woeful puns into the headline, but they do report exactly the same figures, and use exactly the same quote from the lead author.  As an aside, both articles report at the end that the study also found that older women “enjoy a more fruitful sex life”.  This is a one liner; there is no detail about the scores relating to this particular finding and certainly no mention of whether or not age groups differed at all in their drinking habits.  The Telegraph (like The sun) even mention that the Female Sexual Function Index is used by doctors to assess women and sexual health, although the website for the instrument itself says “It was not designed for use as a diagnostic instrument and should not be used as a substitute for a complete sex history in clinical evaluation.”

These newspaper articles were published back in August.  The journal article in question is published in this month’s edition of the Journal of Sexual Medicine¹.  So how accurate were The Sun and the Telegraph? There were 3 groups in the study: group 1 was the daily, moderate red wine intake (one or two glasses); group 2 were teetotallers; and group 3 were those who reported occasional drinking of any sort of alcohol.  The researchers did find that group 1 had higher total FSFI scores than groups 2 or 3.  They found that group 1 had higher scores than groups 2 or 3 on desire and lubrication, but found no significant differences between groups on arousal, orgasm, satisfaction, or pain.  Despite the positive overall findings, the researchers advise caution when interpreting the results, pointing out the “small sample size, self reported data, and the lack of laboratory tests and any instrument to psychometrically address sexual distress”.

There is no intention here to belittle the research itself; rather the intention is to highlight the stunted and somewhat meaningless nature of reporting the findings, out of context, in the newspaper.  The authors of the journal article make no claim that adjusting your diet to include a higher alcohol content will improve sex life, and moreover, they advise caution in interpreting the findings whilst suggesting more research be done.  It is obvious why The Sun picked up on the article: it contained references to alcohol and sex, but they have pointlessly oversimplified a complex issue for the sake of filling column space that could potentially lead some people to believe that increasing their intake of alcohol could help their sex life.  This would surely be a little irresponsible considering the abuse of alcohol carries a number of recognised health risks.

But perhaps this is being too harsh on the Sun, maybe they were fed the story from elsewhere and had no idea that this was bad reporting.  The Daily Mail also picked up this story and published it.  Aside from the headline and opening sentence the articles are identical, word for word.  In fact, on closer inspection of the version in The Telegraph it is also a carbon copy of those in The Sun and The Daily Mail.  But this identical story doesn’t end there, just about any news outlet reporting the story had the same few paragraphs.  Maybe the newspapers are now collaborating to bring us poor scientific reporting, without having the original press release from the university it is difficult to say whether the multiple stories were taken directly from that.

1.  Mondaini, N., Cai, T., Gontero, P., Gavazzi, A., Lombardi, G., Boddi, V., Bartoletti, R (2009) Regular Moderate Intake of Red Wine Is Linked to a Better Women’s Sexual Health.  Journal of Sexual Medicine. 6:2772–2777.

Join Neil Denny and Padraig Reidy at the usual time, 19.00 to 19.30 on Friday 23rd October. Tune in via Resonance 104.4FM in London or via the Resonance FM live feed elsewhere.

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