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.

• 

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.

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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.

• 

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.

• 

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/

• 

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

Dany

dany@skeptic.org

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Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People will only be in London this year.

However, something just as good  has turned up instead– New Humanist has teamed up with Robin as media partners for a tour of his School for Gifted Children comedy and science shows, which is what Nine Lessons and Carols started from in the first place. The show is travelling to six venues around England through October, November and December, so those of you unable to make it to London for Nine Lessons may like to consider getting hold of some tickets.

It’s hosted by Robin, with Josie Long, Simon Singh and Gavin Osborn appearing at all the dates. There’ll be various special guests too, including Ben Goldacre and Richard Wiseman. Here’s a list of the dates, along with links to the venues which you can follow to buy tickets:

23 October: Cambridge Junction
25 October: Bath Komedia
29 October: Brighton Komedia
7 November: Folkestone Literary Festival
19 November: Norwich Arts Centre
9 December: Lowry, Salford

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SOLD OUT- The Bloomsbury Theatre, London 15th – 19th December

TRY HERE FOR THE HAMMERSMITH SHOW 20th December

The return of 2008’s sold out show of science, song and some interpretative dance. Tickets, by the way, are selling fast, I think Fri and Sat are sold out already, so move quick if you want to come.

This is not an attack on religion, but a 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. Every night will see physicist and code breaker Simon Singh, Bad Science author Ben Goldacre, acclaimed singer songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, multi award winning comedians Josie Long and Richard Herring, Thick of It star Chris Addison, and the Mini Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra appearing every night.

Special guests will include pagan sock cat worshipper and the man who changed the face of the comic book, Alan Moore (16th), manmade climate change denier and legendary enthusiast Johnny Ball (there should be some interesting backstage arguments there) (15 -17th), Quirkologist and psychologist Richard Wiseman (15th and 19th), I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue Legend Barry Cryer with Ronnie Golden, one of the few singers to have a top ten science hit, John Otway, CERN scientist and former popstar, Brian Cox and many more.

Other acts will include Richard Dawkins, Natalie Haynes, Christina Martin, Marcus Chown, Joanna Neary, Andrew Collins and some star comedians being kept under wraps.

Tickets available here – www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/1363

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The article, which has been approved by Singh and his legal team, can be found here, while a little more information can be found on the front page of the website here.

Please feel free to circulate the article, respond with comments on the blog, and re-tweet the Twitter updates from @theskepticmag. Also, take a look at the monuments supporting the Sense About Science campaign in Second Life.

Edit: Pleased to see so many other blogs releasing the article simultaneously. I suspect this could become pretty big.

These are just some of the links to the article, I’m sure there are many which are not listed too (thanks also the New Humanist Blog for the hat tip):

(Sense About Science has a longer list here)

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2009/07/beware-spinal-trap.html
http://thinking-is-dangerous.blogspot.com/2009/07/beware-spinal-trap-lawyer-friendly.html
http://www.ebm-first.com/?cat=91
http://www.zenosblog.com/2009/07/what-fuss-is-all-about.html
http://www.layscience.net/node/621
http://www.biggerpills.com/index.php/2009/07/29/beware-the-spinal-trap/
http://www.humanism.org.uk/news/view/331
http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/simon-singh-free-speech-king/
http://skepticat.wordpress.com/2009/07/28/sense-and-solidarity-the-bca-v-simon-singh/
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/sgublog/?p=912
http://openparachute.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/beware-the-spinal-trap/
http://woodpigeon01.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/beware-the-spinal-trap/
http://podblack.com/?p=1517
http://www.secularism.org.uk/beware-the-spinal-trap-original.html
http://hawk-handsaw.blogspot.com/2009/07/simon-singh-beware-spinal-trap.html
Post #162 here: http://www.ukskeptics.com/forum/showthread.php?p=68068
also the excellent website from Steven Novella and Harriet Hall
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=576
and DC Science, the website from David Colquhoun (who is also a member of The Skeptic’s Editorial Advisory Board, full details of which will be released shortly)
http://www.dcscience.net/?p=1980
and always one to be unique:
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/07/beware-spinal-trap.html

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Letters of Support

Dave Gorman

Nick Cohen

Dr Evan Harris M.P.

Simon Singh (Introduced by Prof Brian Cox)

• 

While Simon was expected to announce whether an appeal of his Preliminary Hearing will be forthcoming, his legal team are still working on the case and as yet cannot confirm the outcome. It would seem that an appeal will be made if legally possible, but with the deadline for this decision being 10 days from now (28th May), I suspect decisions and news will be will be forthcoming fairly quickly.

I’ll try to update this blog with notable news, links and updates as they come to my attention. Please do leave comments with info, or send me an email too: digest [at] skeptic.org.uk

For now, a running commentary of the event by its guests can be found here: #singhbca

A rather loosely-phrased petition aiming to prompt change in British libel law can be found here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/reformlibellaws

EDIT:

Links:
An interesting article from Wendy Grossman: http://www.newswireless.net/
From the Nature Network:
in-my-opinion-the-british-chiropractic-association-is-being-unscientific
From the New Humanist:
simon-singh-hopes-to-appeal-chiropracty

And a review of Trick or Treatment including the following, very pertinent paragraph:

“Singh and Ernst do not set out to comprehensively condemn alternative therapies, but rather to emphasize the importance of evidence. Properly conducted clinical trials (double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled) are the best way to ascertain whether or not a therapy or product provides benefit beyond the placebo, and this applies to all therapies, not only complementary ones. It seems obvious, but as the authors state, the ‘plural of anecdote is not data’; it seems that some alternative therapists rely on anecdote to ‘prove’ their success.”
http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net

• 

Bloomsbury Theatre, 29th June

in association with New Humanist magazine

Another night of scientists, musicians and comedians with Chris Addison, Simon Singh, Marcus Chown, Ruth Padel, Martin White, Gavin Osborn, Helen Keen, Christina Martin, Peter Buckley Hill, Lucy Porter, A. L. Kennedy, Darren Hayman and hosted by Robin Ince.

Further guests will be announced at newhumanist.org.uk.

Proceeds will go to the Rationalist Association.

Tickets will cost £20 (£15 concessions) and go on sale this Friday via the Bloomsbury Theatre website.

Demand is likely to be high, so be sure to check in there as soon as you can to book your seats.

• 

Tickets Go On Sale on Monday 13th October @ 9am

Buy from Ticket Zone

Buy from Ticketmaster

Doors – 6:30 PM

Tickets – £25-£30

Last year, Robin Ince made the mistake of appearing on ITV’s London Talking to debate “Is Britain becoming more secular?” By the time he got to the studio, the subject had changed to “Who is taking the Christ out of Christmas?”
Suffice to say, he got quite cross during the barrage of lies from radio shock jocks and misinformed fundamentalists. Robin tried to make it clear that, as an atheist, he wasn’t against Christmas as a time for gluttony and reflection; he was just against the journalists and manipulated fundamentalists shouting about winterval and other myths. This was beyond Stephen Green of Christian Voice’s comprehension, so he kept muttering, “I don’t think he does want Christmas blah blah blah”.

Well, to prove that he does enjoy this season of laziness, alcoholism and regret, he is presenting a rational celebration of the Christmas season in the guise of Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People. Rather than talking of Jesus’s birth, acclaimed science author Simon Singh will talk about the birth of the universe. Instead of talking about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, Bad Science Columnist Ben Goldacre will talk of alternative medicine and charlatans, while Josie Long will talk about the wonder of the stars.

So far the confirmed speakers are Stewart Lee, Mark Thomas, Ricky Gervais, Dara O’ Briain, Tim Minchin, Justin Edwards, Chris Addison, Ben Goldacre, Simon Singh, Josie Long, Jo Neary and Richard Dawkins.

Music will be provided by the fabulous Martin White Orchestra (22 piece), Malcolm Middleton (ex of Arab Strap and creator of 4 remarkable LPs or albums if you wish), Jarvis Cocker, Luke Haines, Gavin Osborn, Phil Jeays, Mark Thomas may well be bringing his harmonium, Darren Hayman.

The evening will also include projections of classic archive footage of Carl Sagan and Richard Feynman.

Robin Ince will host the night.

It’s not just for agnostics and atheists, hopefully it will be a night celebrating the wonder of the universe so as long as you’re not a crazed fundamentalist you can enjoy it. If you are a crazed fundamentalist, then please come and hold a placard up outside and shout like a halfwit.

Please check the New Humanist website on the 24th October for more details of confirmed acts.

More info nicked from here: http://www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php

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Newsletter 26

Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial

26 April, 2008

http://www.simonsingh.net

1. Trick or Treatment?

2. Woodstock for Skeptics

3. Science Museum Signing & Lectures

4. Free Polish editions of Big Bang

5. Competition Winner

6. Puzzle Competition

1. Trick or Treatment?

After two years of work, “Treatment or Treatment?” was published this week and already it has caused a bit of fuss. You may have noticed that my co-author and I wrote a letter to The Times newspaper criticising Prince Charles for publishing a misleadingly rose-tinted pamphlet on alternative medicine. This sparked a rather heated response from homeopaths and other alternative therapists. Here are links to our original letter and the accompanying news article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/one

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/two

In fact, we actually dedicated the book to Prince Charles, because he is the world’s most outspoken advocate of alternative medicine and he has previously asked for the evidence relating to these therapies. My co-author and I have been through the evidence, just as His Royal Highness requested, but unfortunately the results are not very flattering for practitioners of alternative medicine.

Before I get another batch of angry emails from alternative therapists, I should point out two things. First, my co-author, Edzard Ernst, is the world’s first professor of alternative medicine, so we really have taken a proper look at all the available scientific evidence. There have been literally thousands of scientific investigations into alternative medicine and our conclusions are based on the results from these studies. Second, we are not entirely negative about alternative medicine. When we encountered a therapy that has something to offer patients then said this clearly in the book, but unfortunately such therapies were in the minority.

Edzard and I have simply tried to help the public navigate the world of alternative medicine by explaining which therapies work, which ones do not, and which ones are downright dangerous. I will discuss some of the evidence regarding alternative medicine in a future newsletter, but for the time being you might like to read something that I wrote for the Guardian newspaper to tie in with Chiropractic Awareness Week:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/apr/19/health

2. Woodstock for Skeptics

Last week, the world’s most famous skeptic, James Randi, visited London. I was delighted to be invited to speak as part of a series of lectures in his honour. There is a charming account of the evening at:

http://skepchick.org/blog/?p=1326

I recorded my own favourite recollection of the evening in a column for The Times newspaper. “On Saturday night, perhaps for the first time in history, there was a round of applause at the announcement of a hospital closure. I was speaking at a seminar organised by Skeptics in the Pub, and I had just explained that the Tunbridge Wells Homoeopathic Hospital is due to close next year because of a huge drop in the number of referrals. Nobody in the audience was belittling the suffering of those patients who would be deprived of homoeopathic treatment, but instead they were endorsing the fact that the money saved would be spent on more effective treatments.”
You can read the whole article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/three

3. Science Museum Signing & Lectures

It is very short notice, but if you are in London today then I will be signing books at Waterstones bookshop at the Science Museum (020-7942 4481, London SW7) from 3.30pm until 4pm. Please come along and say hello if you are in the neighbourhood. And, of course, the museum has free admission, so you can check out the Making of the Modern World gallery or explore the revamped Launch Pad, which is full of interactive exhibits.

In particular, if you are an alternative therapist who has been annoyed by ‘Trick or Treatment’ or any of my recent articles, then please come along for a chat and we can talk about the evidence for and against alternative medicine.

I will provide more information soon, but I will be speaking at the Hay Book Festival on May 24, the Bristol Festival of Ideas on May 21 and at the Edinburgh Book Festival on August 10. In the first two lectures, I will be speaking with my co-author Professor Ernst.

4. Free Polish editions of Big Bang

Big Bang, my history of cosmology, is being translated into various languages and I have just received the Polish editions. If you live in the UK and if you read Polish or know someone who reads Polish, then just send an email to and tell me your address. I will despatch copies to the first six emails that I receive, so if you don’t receive a copy of ‘Wielki Wybuch’ then it means that you were not quite quick enough. (Unfortunately I cannot extend this offer outside the UK because of the high cost of postage.)

6. Competition Winner

In the last newsletter, I asked: “Which children’s book touches on mathematics and has Milo as its central character?” I thought that the only answer was “The Phantom Toll Booth”, but it turns out that there is another book that fits the bill, namely “The Mathematical Parrot”. Hence, there are two winners. Nik Whitehead in Iceland wins a copy of “The Great Escape” by Natalie Haynes and Anna Johnston in Devon wins a copy of Marcus Chown’s new children’s book, “Felicity Frobisher and the Three-Headed Aldebaran Dust Devel”.

7. Puzzle Competition

Which famous medical TV series had an episode call “Trick or Treatment”?

Send your answer to – put your answer in the subject header and your address in the body of the email. The closing date for entries is April 30. One of the correct entries will win a copy of the new children’s book “Felicity Frobisher and the Three-Headed Aldebaran Dust Devel” by the renowned science writer Marcus Chown.
I would like to finish with a big thank you to everyone who emailed me after my last newsletter and welcomed me back from my long silence. I am sorry that I am unable to answer all your emails, but they are much appreciated. Many, many thanks.

Cheerio,

Simon.

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Newsletter 25
Eighteen Months of Silence
9 April, 2008
http://www.simonsingh.net

1. Eighteen Months of Silence
2. Trick or Treatment?
3. Quirkology
4. James Randi in London
5. Free Finnish Big Bangs
6. Competition Winner
7. Puzzle Competition

1. Eighteenth Months of Silence

It has been eighteen months since my last newsletter, and my only excuse is that I have been busy writing a new book – more about that in a moment.
Last year I also managed to get into a spat about the terrible Channel Four documentary entitled ‘The Great Global Warming Swindle’ – this has now been broadcast around the world and is still very influential. If you want to know the real truth about this documentary, then I would strongly recommend visiting:
http://www.climateofdenial.net/?q=node/3

And if you want to get up to speed on the issue of global warming, then I would suggest reading ‘Hot Topic’ by David King and Gabrielle Walker, which I reviewed for the Sunday Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/02/bokin102.xml

A recent project has been a programme for BBC Radio 4 entitled ‘The Computer with a Poker Face’, about the first serious poker match between a computer and humans. Unfortunately the programme has already been broadcast and is no longer available online, but you can read about the match at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/26/business/26poker.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/M/Markoff,%20John

2. Trick or Treatment?

It was a long time ago, but my last newsletter explained that I had been involved in investigating homeopathy. This sparked a curiosity in me about the claims of other alternative medicine, which has now turned into a book called ‘Trick or Treament? Alternative Medicine on Trial’. This will be published on April 21 in the UK and in August in America, with other translations to follow soon after.

There will be more about the book in my next newsletter, but (in brief) I have co-authored the book with Professor Edzard Ernst, the world’s first professor of complementary medicine. Our goal has been to examine the scientific evidence surrounding each form of alternative medicine in order to find out what works and what does not, as well as what is safe and what is dangerous.

As many people have already pointed out, I wrote at the end of the ‘Big Bang’ that it would be my last book, but I became so obsessed with alternative medicine that I could not resist putting pen to paper again. Having written about mathematics, cryptography and cosmology in the past, it is a major change in direction to write about alternative medicine, but the issues it raises are so important that I could not refuse the challenge.

3. Quirkology

Richard Wiseman, my Theatre of Science partner, published ‘Quirkology’ last year. To tie in with the book, he created a series of fascinating YouTube clips, including this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voAntzB7EwE

4. James Randi in London
April 19 sees an ‘An Evening with James Randi and Friends’ in London. There will be series of short talks, including one from me, followed by a rare chance to see the Amazing Randi lecturing in the UK. Tickets will disappear soon – to find out more, please visit:
http://skeptic.org.uk/randi/

5. Free Finnish editions of ‘Big Bang’
‘Big Bang’ is being translated into various languages and I have just received the Finnish editions. If you live in the UK and if you read Finnish or know someone who reads Finnish, then just send an email to fbigbang{@}simonsingh.net and tell me your address. I will despatch copies to the first six emails that I receive – if you do not receive a copy, then please assume that you were sadly not one of the first six. (Unfortunately I cannot extend this offer outside the UK because of the high cost of postage.)

6. Competition Winner
In the last newsletter, I asked: “What is the longest word that you can make from the letters that appear in the top row of a typewriter keyboard?” I thought that the answer was, appropriately, TYPEWRITER, but some of you knew better. It seems that TEETERTOTTER (a seesaw) is the true champion word, and Ashok Argent-Katwala was one of several people who pointed this out. He wins a copy of ‘Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose (8)’ by Sandy Balfour.

I will write again soon with more information about ‘Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial’.
Cheerio,
Simon.

Ps. If you need to email me, then please do not reply to this address, as
your email will not reach me. Please go via the website
http://www.simonsingh.net and click the contact button. It takes me ages to
answer emails, as I am struggling to keep up with my correspondence, so
please be patient.

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