THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION OF CLAIMS OF THE PARANORMAL AT THE CENTER FOR INQUIRY-INTERNATIONA! (ADJACENT TO THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO) • AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy. State University of New York at Buffalo Barry Karr, Executive Director Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director FELLOWS James E. Alcock,* psychologist. York Univ., Thomas Gilovich, psychologist, Cornell Univ. Dorothy Nelkin, sociologist, New York Univ. Toronto Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, Joe Nickell,* senior research fellow, CSICOP Steve Allen, comedian, author, composer, Toronto Lee Nisbet* philosopher, Medaille College pianist Stephen Jay Gould, Museum of Bill Nye, science educator and television Jerry Andrus, magician and inventor, Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univ. host, Nye Labs Albany, Oregon Susan Haack, Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts James E. Oberg, science writer Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of and Sciences, prof, of philosophy, Loren Pankratz, psychologist Oregon Kentucky University of Miami Stephen Barrett, M.D., psychiatrist, author, C. E. M. Hansel, psychologist Univ. of Wales Health Sciences Univ. consumer advocate, Allentown, Pa. Al Hibbs, scientist. Jet Propulsion Laboratory John Paulos, mathematician. Temple Univ. Barry Beyerstein, * biopsychologist, Simon Douglas Hofstadter, professor of human W. V. Quine, philosopher, Harvard Univ. Fraser Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Canada understanding and cognitive science, Milton Rosenberg, psychologist. Univ. of Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Indiana Univ. Chicago Southern California Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Wallace Sampson, M.D., clinical professor Susan Blackmore, psychologist, Univ. of the Physics and professor of history of science, of medicine, Stanford Univ. West of England, Bristol Harvard Univ. Evry Schatzman, president, French Physics Ray Hyman,* psychologist, Univ. of Oregon Henri Broch, physicist, Univ. of Nice, France Association Leon Jaroff, sciences editor emeritus, Time Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, professor Eugenie Scott,* physical anthropologist, Sergei Kapitza, editor, Russian edition, emeritus of English, Univ. of Utah executive director. National Center for Vern Bullough, professor of history, Scientific American Philip J. Klass,* aerospace writer, engineer Science Education California State Univ. at Northridge Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Thomas A. Sebeok. anthropologist, Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University linguist. Indiana Univ. John R. Cole, anthropologist, editor, Griffith Observatory Paul Kurtz.* chairman. CSICOP Robert Sheaffer, science writer National Center for Science Education Lawrence Kusche, science writer Elie A. Shneour, biochemist, author, F. H. C. Crick, biophysicist, Salk Inst, for Leon Lederman, emeritus director, director, Biosystems Research Institute, Biological Studies, La Jolla, Calif; Nobel Prize laureate Fermilab; Nobel laureate in physics La Jolla. Calif. Richard Dawkins, zoologist, Oxford Univ. Lin Zixin, former editor, Science and Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey L. Sprague de Camp, author, engineer Technology Daily (China) Hills, N.S.W., Australia Cornelis de Jager, professor of astro­ Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology, Robert Steiner, magician, author. Univ. of Washington physics, Univ. of Utrecht, the Netherlands El Cerrito. Calif. Paul MacCready, scientist/engineer, Bernard Dixon, science writer, London, U.K. Jill Cornell Tarter, astronomer, SETI Paul Edwards, philosopher, editor. AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, Calif. John Maddox, editor emeritus of Nature Institute, Mountain View, Calif. Encyclopedia of Philosophy David Marks, psychologist, Middlesex Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Kenneth Feder, professor of anthropology, Polytech, England Angeles, Calif. Central Connecticut State Univ. Walter C. McCrone, microscopist, McCrone Stephen Toulmin, professor of philosophy, Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., Research Institute Univ. of Southern California U.K. Mario Mendez-Acosta, journalist and Marilyn vos Savant Parade magazine con­ Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer. Foothill science writer, Mexico City, Mexico tributing editor and CBS News correspon­ College, Los Altos Hills, Calif. Marvin Minsky, professor of media arts and dent Kendrick Frazier,* science writer, editor. sciences, M.I.T. Steven Weinberg, professor of physics and SKEPTICAL INQUIRER David Morrison, space scientist, NASA astronomy, Univ. of Texas at Austin; Nobel Yves Galifret. vice-president, Affiliated Ames Research Center Prize laureate Organizations: France Richard A. Muller, professor of physics. Marvin Zelen, statistician. Harvard Univ. Martin Gardner,* author, critic Univ. of Calif., Berkeley Murray Gell-Mann, professor of physics, H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president, * Member, CSICOP Executive Council Santa Fe Institute; Nobel Prize laureate Bangalore Science Forum, India (Affiliations given for identification only.) • • • Visit the CSICOP Web site at http://www.csicop.org • • • The SKM'IU Al INQUIRE* USSN 0194-6"30J a published bimonthly by the Committee for the Articles, reports, reviews, and letters published in the SkiPHiAI IS^riKlH represent the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. 1310 Sweet Home RcL. Amherst. NT view*, and woffc ol individual authors. Their publication docs not necessarily constitute an I422& Printed in U.S.A. IVnodicals postage paid at Buffalo, NY. Subscription pnees: one year endorsement by CSICOP or us members unless so stated *M\ tssuc$)i S3*>: two yean. $58; three years, $81; single issue. 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Amherst NY http://svww.csicop.org.si/guidc-Ior-juiriors.lHnil. -703 COLUMNS Skeptical Inquirer EDITOR'S NOTE 4 NEWS AND COMMENT January/February 2000 • VOL 24, NO. 1 Science Trumps Creationism in New Mexico / American Association of Physics Teachers Statement on the Teaching of Evolution and Cosmology / Woman Convicted During Sex Abuse ARTICLES Hysteria Released / Bennett Braun Case Settled; Two-Year Loss of License, Five Years Probation / $1,000 Challenge to 'Crazy 22 The Ten Outstanding Skeptics of Rod' Dowser Yields Chance Results 5 the Twentieth Century NOTES OF A FRINGE WATCHER 29 Two Paranormalisms The Second Coming of Jesus or Two and a Half? MARTIN GARDNER 9 An Empirical Exploration INVESTIGATIVE FILES Most researchers have found an inverse or negative correlation Canada's Mysterious Maritimes between religious traditionalism and paranormal beliefs. It is JOE NICKELL 15 possible that the two dimensions share a great deal more in common than previous surveys suggest. A new study supports COMMENTARY that view. The Congressional Censure of a Research Paper KENNETH K. BERRY AND JASON BERRY 20 ERICH GOODE SCIENCE BEST SELLERS 57 36 Anna Eva Fay NEW BOOKS 57 The Mentalist Who Baffled ARTICLES OF NOTE 58 Sir William Crookes FORUM Between 1870 and 1874 the eminent scientist William The Ghost in My House: An Exercise in Self-Deception Crookes conducted a series of controversial experiments with BERTRAM ROTHSCHILD 60 some of the most remarkable mediums of the age. One episode shows without a doubt Crookes's failure to detect open trickery. A Not-Very-Loudly-Sung Hero This happened when Crookes met Annie Eva Fay, an interest­ RALPH ESTLING 62 ing personality, now largely forgotten, who deserves to be remembered. Backward-Masking Kalamazoo? FREDERICK V. MALMSTROM 64 MASSIMO POLIDORO LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 66 40 The Pseudoscience of Oxygen Therapy GUIDE FOR AUTHORS 59 Many claims associated with the safety and efficacy of so-called REVIEWS "oxygen therapy" using hydrogen peroxide and ozone are unfounded and unlikely to be true. The Culture of Fear JOHN M. ALLEN By Barry Glassner GRANT JEWELL RICH 48 44 Confessions of a (Former) The Abduction Enigma Graphologist By Kevin D. Randle, Russ Estes. and William P Cone A first-hand report of one man's entry into the field of ROBERT A. BAKER 49 graphology, his biter deep involvement with the practice, and his subsequent disillusionment. Along the way he encountered a Race and IQ: Expanded Edition continuing lack