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Gardnerfest: Admirers 'Gather for Gardner' when he took a sheet of paper embla- zoned with a picture of a yellow sphere, to Fete the Modest Genius rolled it into a cone, and poured out a yellow ball! Omni magazine's Scot Over a four-day weekend in January, Arthur Benjamin, who is a math profes- Morris gave an entertaining slide pre- , sor by day, gave an impressive banquet sentation titled "What Is It?" diat drew "Notes of a Fringe-Watcher" columnist, performance as a "lightning calculator" guess after guess until he revealed in former Scientific American columnist, (or, as Jay Marshall quipped in intro- turn a corncob butterer, or better and book author, was wined, dined, and ducing him, "a savant who is not an mousetrap, or bottle opener that counts entertained by his fans at a conference idiot"). the number of times it is used. held in his honor in Atlanta. Other presentations focused on At breaks and other unstructured The second such event (the first was origami and other paper art, knots, and times, attendees saw additional surpris- in 1993), it was tided the "Gathering for the trompe-l'oeil artworks of M. C. ing marvels: close-up tricks and Gardner II." If the tide was unimagina- Escher. Adrian Fisher came all the way novelties of all sorts. Not the least of tive, nothing else was, as an impressive from England to provide a slide-photo these were Harry Eng's challenging cre- assortment of the honoree's admirers tour of that country's "Mazes and ations: narrow-necked botdes contain- came to pay homage to die multu.il- Tessellations." These included brick- ing not the expected ship, but other ented author from Hendersonville, pavement mazes in school courtyards impossible assemblages like one that North Carolina. From scheduled daily and shopping center lots, various giant included large dice and a full deck of presentations and formal banquet per- hedge mazes, and even indoor mirror playing cards pierced by a pencil. Then formances to myriad impromptu ses- mazes. (Fisher designed the unique there was Scott Kim who penned his sions, attendees encountered a parade of Evolution Maze for the Darwin Centre ingenious "Inversions"—he did one for varied entertainers, puzzle aficionados, at the Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland and Martin Gardner which turned upside and other clever folk. also the world's largest maze: Created in down still reads "Martin Gardner" (see a Pennsylvania cornfield consisting of a Figure 1). Not surprisingly, since Gardner is great stegosaurus covering 126,000 author of several magic books, magi- Unfortunately, despite Gardner's con- square feet, it is dubbed "Amazing cians were there in profusion, including tributions to them, many other fields went the inventive Max Maven, the clever Meir Yedid, and the irrepressible James "The Amazing" Randi, who was master of ceremonies for one banquet. Another evening's entertainment was emceed by the legendary Jay Marshall, who closed with his famous ventriloquistic act fea- turing his smart-aleck hand puppet "Lefty." Puzzle and game buffs—inventors, collectors, and intrepid solvers—domi- nated the lectures. Here, the influence of Gardner's "Mathematical Games" column, which appeared in Scientific American for 25 years, was obvious. Several of the puzzle and game presen- ters began with testimonials to Gardner and his incomparable contribution to Martin Gardner talks with one of his fans, Ray Hyman, a CSICOP Executive Council member. this field. Mathematicians also gave several pre- Maize Maze.") all but neglected. CSICOP Executive sentations. These included Frank Committee for the Scientific Investi- Council member Ray Hyman did repre- Harary, who spoke on "The Math of gation of Claims of the Paranormal sent me subject of paranormal investiga- Human Decisions," Persi Diaconis, who Fellow gave a well-received tion with his enlightening talk on discussed "Mathematics and Magic performance diat combined magic with "Stargate"—die U.S. government's secret Tricks," and Stan Isaacs, who lectured some of the optical illusions he is project that attempted to use extrasensory on "Exploring Math through Puzzles." famous for. There were audible gasps perception ("") to gadier

SKEPTICAL INQUIRER May/June 1996 5 NEWS AND COMMENT

claimed he was in a deep trance, not dead. But after 55 days, when the body r had badly decomposed, police carried the body away for cremation, setting off jxhzr street battles in which scores were hurt. Similarly, Ghosh's rationalists have Figure 1. exposed Christian evangelists. One intelligence information. Hyman coau- the head of a pin, complete with the evangelist claimed to have made a 10- thored a study for the Central Intelligence inscription, "To Martin Gardner, from year-old child, presumed to be unable to Agency that evaluated the ineffective pro- Allan Boardman, January 1996." hear or talk since birth, speak during a ject (as reported in the March-April 1996 One accomplishment of the confer- rally in Calcutta. Ghosh, confronting SKEPTICAL INQUIRER). Other fields that ence was persuading Gardner to attend, the boy in front of the audience, per- were neglected, although Gardner has his modesty being well known. The suaded him to confess to the crowd that written books on die topics, were cryptog- main accomplishment was bringing he had grown up speaking Bengali. "We raphy, science experiments, and pseudo- deserved accolades to Gardner, an created a counter-mass-hysteria that admired genius of our time. night," Ghosh said. "Now, the trick is to repeat that everywhere in India, wher- —Joe Nickel! ever these youngsters appear." Burns provided more examples of how unscientific claims made by India's Debunking the mystics were exposed. Prime Minister Mystical in India P. V. Narasimha Rao's contacts with swamis have brought him embarrass- "Indian Guru Busters Debunk All That's ment more than once. The governmen- Mystical," reported John F. Burns in a tal leader is said to consult a New New York Times article (October 18, Delhi-based guru, Chandraswamy. And 1995). Pictured was Prahbir Ghosh in 1993 the prime minister reportedly holding a fake human skull, saying it was impressed when Sai Baba produced was typical of tricksters' props. The arti- a gold watch out of thin air. However, cle described Hindu believers who were when the televised event was played flocking to temples in order to witness back in slow motion, it was obvious the "miracle" of religious idols that that Baba had employed sleight-of- appeared to be drinking milk. hand techniques commonly used by science (his Fads and Fallacies in the Name Ghosh, president of the Indian magicians. The Indian rationalists, of Science being a great classic on the sub- Science and Rationalists' Association, Burns concluded, have successfully ject). was described by Burns as a 50-year-old exposed "fraudulent 'godmen' who However, had his who has spent his lifetime battling die whisk gold watches out of thin air, lev- novel (The Flight of Peter Fromm) for belief in the supernatural. By his own itate, give off electric charges, and even sale along with many of his other titles; account, Ghosh has exposed 150 gurus claim to have conducted erudite dis- and Binary Arts Corporation recalled and swamis as frauds, effectively putting courses with tigers in the wild." As for his authoritative work on Annotated them out of business. Mother Teresa, said one Indian ratio- Alice: Alices Adventures in Wonderland He showed that because of capillary nalist, "We believe that Mother Teresa and Through the Looking-Glass by pro- attraction any liquid, including milk, is not at all any better than all the other ducing a special puzzle: It features five can be made to rise from a spoon godmen and godwomen because she of Alice's Cheshire Cats, one of which, through the porous ceramics the idols helps to place a more kindly mask on when die pieces are rearranged, disap- are made from. The Science and the overall exploitation in our society." pears—leaving behind only its grin. Rationalists' Association is said to have The Burns article was shown to B. This and dozens of other puzzles and started in 1949 and to have 86,000 Premanand, convener of the Indian diversions were included in a confer- members in 300 branches across India. Committee for the Scientific Investi- ence kit that each attendee contributed In 1993, Calcutta rationalists held a gation of Claims of the Paranormal (10 to and received. Another item: a 5000x weeks-long vigil outside the home where Chettipalayam Road, Podanur-641 023, enlargement of the "world's smallest the body of a prominent guru, Balak Tamilnadu, India) and editor of the puzzle," a crossword puzzle etched on Brahmachari, was laid out. His disciples Indian Skeptic, who had some different

S May/June 199E SKEPTICAL INQUIRER NEWS AND COMMENT observations. He said that incorrect ial] which would appear on another membership figures were given in die paper when it is immersed in milk. Good Question New York Times article and several fac- Answers did not appear on the paper, tual errors were made. Premanand also only questions. It was not Dhirendra UPN-TV's new series "Paranormal pointed out that the largest group Brahmachari," he continued, "but BorderLine," introduced in March, involved in skeptical work was the Sadachari Sai Baba who, in the guise provoked this comment by the Dravidian Self-Respect movement, of raising or activating your sexual Albuquerque Tribune's "TV which has about 2 million adherants in power (Kundalini power), gave elec- Queen," M. J. Wilde: "'Paranormal the state of Tamil Nadu. tric shocks. He was exposed at BorderLine' goes over the edge of Bombay as I had demonstrated the Premanand then observed that the believability with 'Star Trek: The idols were not only of porous ceramics equipment to our members there, wherein 6 volts are transformed into Next Generation's' Jonathan 'Riker* but also of stones and metals. "The trick Frakes at the helm. It will explore of the gods drinking milk," he said, "is 10,000 volts. He is now in jail for unexplained phenomena, like how explained in the Indian Skeptic of murdering his first wife and for run- shows like this GET ON THE AIR!" November 1995. The milk simply flows ning a prostitute den in the guise of down under the idol and is collected at training people in Tantra yoga (Kun- the back side." dalini Yoga)." Premanand added that it was Premanand has a book, Science August 29, 1992, not in 1993, that Versus Miracles, in which he explains Tsar Peter the First and Baba "produced a gold chain for pre- 150 or so tricks of the godmen. In his Weeping Icons senting to the architect who built the letter, he expressed interest in writing hall where the prime minister, the nine more volumes "so that I can The book by A. Vadimov and M. Trivas speaker, two state chief ministers, two explain about 1,500 tricks of the god- From the Ancient Magicians to the governors, and two union ministers men which I have been able to explain Modern Conjurers (Moscow, publishing were present. This episode," he con- since I started investigating them." house Iskusstvo, 1979) describes the fol- tinued, "was to be incorporated with The Indian Skeptic he edits is a lowing fragment of the history of the propaganda fdm on Sai Baba made monthly, in English. In a New Russia: by a Dutch film company at an Humanist (June 1992) interview with expense of $400,000 to show to peo- British editor Jim Herrick, Premanand In relation to various historical ple that even our prime minister was a smiled upon hearing that, in the West, events many icons of the Virgin were witness to the creation of a gold neck- European and spiritualists are easily moved to tears. For instance, when the clergy of St. Petersburg lace. But somehow the trick got thought of as fraudulent whereas wasn't satisfied with the reforms of exposed in the film, and the govern- Indian gurus are believed to be basi- Peter the First, a "wonder" happened ment suppressed the video film pro- cally honest. "They want something in the Ttoitski Cathedral. The large duced by the central government cor- new and they think that new powers icon of the Virgin began to shed poration, Doordarshan. But before it come from these gurus," he explained. tears. Peter came to the cathedral, was suppressed, I got a copy of the "In India, you can take action against turned the icon, tore the framework same and hundreds of copies of this people who make false advertise- away and discovered in the Virgin's are now around India, being shown to ments." eyes the smallest holes, and behind the people. A copy of the same was them a depression filled with thick given by me to the BBC for their doc- Although Ghosh and Premanand lamp oil. The warmth coming from a umentary, 'Guru Busters,' shown on appear to be tackling "religious trick- lamp and candles softened the lamp oil and it dripped out of the Virgin's October 9, 1995." ery" in different Randilike [, magician] ways and with dif- eyes. Peter punished the culprits of this hoax and wrote a letter to the fering claims, both appear to be enjoy- Premanand also said, "I have cathedral's dean: "My order is that given thousands of lectures all over ing the challenge of debunking mysti- the Virgin icons should not weep India and demonstrated miracles. It cism in India, reputedly the most anymore. If they weep with lamp oil, was I who started my investigations resistant nation to the appeal of ratio- the priests' backs will weep with on miracles since 1949. Dhirendra nalism and skepticism. blood." Brahmachari did not show any mira- And the icons did not weep any- cles. He only taught yoga. It was one —Warren Alien Smith Balti Baba who showed the trick of more—until Peter's death. any question one wrote on a piece of Warren Allen Smith is associate editor of Submitted by S. Efimov (Kazakstan, for- paper and kept in a pocket, [mater- FREE INQUIRY. mer USSR).

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