The Skeptic 1992
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CONTENTS 4 Renewal 5 NSW Branch Dinner 6 Victorian Branch Dinner 7 New Age Festival 8 More Planetary Influences 9 News and Views 10 Astroscam 11 Tasmanian Matters 12 Spreading the Word 13 Creating an Impression 14 Chance and Coincidence 16 Natural Law and Politics 19 New Zealand Notes 20 Adam, Eve and Thermodynamics 23 Astrology Today 26 Paranoia 20 Null Zone Revisited 31 Pop Music Defended 34 Scepticism and Knowledge 40 In the Name of Science 42 Soul Food 43 Turkish Interlude 44 Divining 45 Reviews 46 Forum: Misrepresentation 48 Forum: On Cyril Burt 50 Letters to the Editor 58 About our Authors From the President October 29 1992 has come and gone with no sign of Jesus the rank, in many cases the same people who were walking on the clouds, of the naked bodies of believers fooled by the last one. levitating skywards, of crashing cars, trucks and Nor is there any indication that the catalogue of aeroplanes, nor of any other signs of the so-called Rapture. sellers of simple-minded synthetic salvation is growing And so, the poor deluded individuals who placed their any shorter. The seductive no-pain promises of the faith in this fin de siecle foolishness are freed from their ‘alternative healers’, the proponents of ‘religious-myth- particular delusion. Sadder and wiser? Sadder perhaps, as-science’, the purveyors of ‘subtle energies’ continue but wiser I doubt. to attract the unwary and the unsophisticated. History tells of many ‘prophets’ who have perpetrated But all is not gloom. Australian Skeptics has expe- similar flights of unreason whenever they noticed that rienced a boom year, with an increase in numbers of the calendar was heading towards a 00 terminator and, 30 percent on 1991. The need for scepticism does not needless to say, they have all been proven wrong. Yet diminish, so please keep up the good work and all the there are always some who will follow the next crank off best for the holiday season. Barry Williams 4 summer 92 the Skeptic Renewal Time Vol 12, No 4 All correspondence to: The time has come for the renewal of the early editions of the magazine Australian Skeptics Inc of subscriptions to the Skeptic, but have long since gone to that great PO Box E324 only for those subscribers whose paper repository in the sky and we St James NSW 2000, Australia issue contains a Renewal Notice. As have been photocopying issues for Tel: (02) 417 2071 mentioned in the previous issue, the discerning collector. Fax: (02) 417 7930 increased postal and printing costs We are now compiling a e-mail: skeptics @ have forced us to increase our rate composite issue of the first five spot.tt.sw.oz.au to $25 per year or $65 for a three year volumes of the magazine and hope subscription. We do urge you to send to have it available early in the new State Branches in your subscription renewal as soon year. It will contain all articles and New South Wales: as possible, and for those who comments of note from the first five PO Box E324 manage to do so before January 31, years. All that will be missing will St James NSW 2000 we have a special rate of $22. be items of purely topical interest, We believe that the 1992 issues reprints from other publications and NSW, Hunter Region: have been among the best ever and trivia. As yet, we have not c/- Prof Colin Keay they certainly have been the largest established a price for the Dept of Physics issues to date (this issue is 58 pages). publication, which will be in a format Uni of Newcastle NSW 2308 We intend to keep up the quality and similar to the current magazines. size of the Skeptic in 1993 and are Victoria: very keen to print articles and letters GPO Box 1555P Melbourne VIC 3001 from our subscribers. For those who After twelve years of continuous Tel: (03) 850 2816 have the facilities, we now have growth from very humble beginnings several options available to facilitate the Skeptic has, for the first time, ACT: your communication with us. passed the important milestone PO Box 555 Articles or other contributions can (kilometerstone?) of having 1,000 Civic Square ACT 2608 be sent via E-mail to paid subscribers. In the past year our [email protected] or on numbers have increased by almost Queensland: either 3.5 or 5.25 inch discs, 30%, the largest annual increase, GPO Box 2180 preferably in ASCII text format. We both in percentage and overall Brisbane QLD 4001 have also just installed a Fax numbers in our history. South Australia: (number (02) 417 7930) and of The 1,000th Skeptic, Mr Bill PO Box 91 course we still accept letters through Owen of Mortdale NSW, has been Magill SA 5072 the post. Items sent by smoke signal, informed that he can now refer to message stick, semaphore or himself as a Kiloskeptic. Western Australia: heliograph are unlikely to be treated To celebrate this historic occasion, 25 Headingly Rd with any urgency, while messages we have conducted a draw from all Kalamunda WA 6076 sent by ESP are unlikely to be current subscribers and have noticed. awarded a free three year Tasmania: We have some news for those who subscription and a selection of GPO Box 1124K wish to become collectors of back sceptical books to Mrs Barbara Hobart TAS 7001 issues of the Skeptic. Original copies Nivison-Smith of Kareela NSW. Tel: (002) 624 3323 Editors: Barry Williams the Skeptic is published four times per year by the National Committee of Harry Edwards Australian Skeptics Inc. Views expressed in articles and letters are those of the authors and are not Subscription: necessarily those of the National Committee. 1993 - $25.00 pa Articles may be reprinted with due acknowledgement to the Skeptic. summer 92 5 Successful Sydney Dinner Tim Mendham The NSW Branch of Australian inaccurate prediction. When he made if not surprise. Skeptics held a dinner on October 23 it, Isaac Newton was still a fractious And we were already supposed to to celebrate the concurrent events of teen-ager and the good bishop was have entered the “Null Zone”, during the 5995th anniversary of the using the best evidence available at which all electro-magnetic activity creation of the Earth and the same the time. Barry went on to point out would cease. planet’s demise through the “last that this offers no excuses to modern Barry Williams made it clear that days” due to begin on October 29 followers of the bishop who insist on the proponents of this event had little and/or through entering an adhering to his dating methods, appreciation of the impact electromagnetic Null Zone. despite overwhelming scientific electromagnetic radiation has on our The fact that you are reading this evidence to the contrary. everyday lives. In any case, this report is good evidence that either The end of the world, or at least particular electromagnetic blackout none of these seems to last two events have been a took place or fizzer (see alternatively article by Dr that we are a Andrew particularly Parle, unobservant elsewhere in bunch. this issue). The birthday Despite the celebration was gloomy based on predictions, Bishop the dinner Ussher’s was a con- famous siderable calculation that success, the Earth was with over divinely eighty created at Skeptics 9.30am, on turning up to October 23 discuss 4004 BC. A Barry Williams presents the Skeptical Journalism Award to Dr Peter Pockley matters modicum of sceptical mathematical skill shows that 1992 the beginning of its “last days”, was and witness the presentation of one is the 5995th anniversary, there being predicted earlier this year by a of the two journalism awards no year zero. This fact caused religious group of uncertain announced at the recent Skeptics President Barry Williams some parentage who had declared 2am Convention. embarrassment as he had to admit (AEST), October 29 as the timing for The 1992 awards were given to that he had earlier announced in these the big announcement. The fact that freelance science journalist, Dr Peter pages that it was the 5996th one of the Korean leaders of this Pockley, and the Melbourne Age anniversary. group had collected large donations science columnist Graeme O’Neill. In his presentation speech, Barry from the members and invested in Dr Pockley received his plaque from pointed out that Bishop Ussher could bonds not due to mature until next the president, whom he promptly not really be blamed for his year was greeted with amusement, nicknamed the Bishop, no doubt due 6 summer 92 Memorable Melbourne Dinner Bob Stevens To bestow the Skeptics 1992 geological strata, then all the someone’s brains – we can be sure Skeptical Journalism Award on Mr seawater must have been thick, salty of this since it is the only way he Graeme O’Neill of the Melbourne mud. No self respecting fish could could have carried the pair of little Age, and to celebrate the 5,995th be expected to live in this (especially worms which confer the disease anniversary of the creation of the fresh water species), so they must kuru, which affects the brains of world, about 50 people attended a have all been carried on the Ark. The New Guinea tribesmen and can only sumptuous repast at a Melbourne tanks to hold pairs of each species be transmitted by eating such brains. restaurant on October 23. Diners of whale must have presented Noah Or they have to have evolved by tucked into Ark Soup, Creationist with a problem – but then he and his mutations (aaaarrrghh – press , wash Crepe, Sacrificial Lamb and three boys must have been pretty computer keyboard with soap and Leviathan of the Day, followed of slick with the saw and chisel water).