Ken Harvey [email protected]

(ID: 4152 EXP: 31.05.2013) . . SOCIETY

Vol. 31, No 1. March 2011

DEGREES of WOO Do our universities teach ?

Health, Cults, Conspiracies +What Queenslanders BELIEVE

Australian Skeptics . www.skeptics.com.au The Skeptic March 11

Skeptical Groups in

Australian Skeptics Inc – Eran Segev Queensland Skeptics Association Inc – Bob Bruce www.skeptics.com.au PO Box 1388 Coorparoo DC 4151 PO Box 20, Beecroft, NSW 2119 Tel: (07) 3255 0499 Mob: 0419 778 308 [email protected] Tel: 02 8094 1894; Mob: 0432 713 195; Fax: (02) 8088 4735 Hear Bob on 4BC Panel - 9-10pm Tuesdays [email protected] Meeting with guest speaker on the last Monday of every month – 6pm first Thursday of each at the Red Brick Hotel, 81 Annerley Road, South Brisbane. Dinner month at the Macquarie Hotel, corner of Goulburn & Wentworth from 6pm, speaker at 7.30pm. King Streets in the city (meeting upstairs) See our web site for details: www.qldskeptics.com Dinner meetings are held on a regular basis Next dinner: March 19 - guest speaker Choice tester Chris Barnes. Bookings online or contact [email protected] Canberra Skeptics – Michael O’Rourke & Pierre Le Count PO Box 555, Civic Square, ACT 2608 http://www.canberraskeptics.org.au Tel: (02) 6275 9699 Hunter Skeptics Inc – John Turner [email protected] (general inquiries), [email protected] (Canberra Skeptics in the Pub). Tel: (02) 4959 6286 [email protected] Monthly talks usually take place on the 13th of each month at We produce a 4-page e-newsletter six times a year; contact the the Innovations Theatre at the ANU. Dates and topics are subject newsletter editor ([email protected]) to add your to change. Canberra Skeptics in the Pub gather from time to email address to receive the e-newsletter. time at King O’Malleys Pub in Civic. For up-to-date details, visit Meetings are held upstairs at The Cricketers Arms Hotel, Cooks our web site at: www.meetup.com/SocialSkepticsCanberra/ Hill on the first Monday of each even-numbered month, commencing 7.00pm, with a guest speaker on an interesting topic. Skeptics SA – Laurie Eddie 52B Miller St Unley, SA 5061 Australian Skeptics (Vic) Inc – Terry Kelly Tel: (08) 8272 5881 [email protected] GPO Box 5166, VIC 3001 Thinking and Drinking - Skeptics in the Pub, on the third Friday Tel: 1 800 666 996 [email protected] of every month. Contact [email protected] Skeptics’ Café – Third Monday of every month, with guest www.meetup.com/Thinking-and-Drinking-Skeptics-in-the-Pub/ speaker. La Notte, 140 Lygon St. Meal from 6pm, speaker calendar/10205558 or http://tinyurl.com/loqdrt at 8pm sharp. More details on our web site www.skeptics.com.au/vic WA Skeptics – Dr John Happs PO Box 466, Subiaco, WA 6904 Tel: (08) 9448 8458 [email protected] Borderline Skeptics Inc – Russell Kelly All meetings start at 7:30 pm at Grace Vaughan House, PO Box 17, Mitta Mitta, Victoria 3701 227 Stubbs Terrace, Shenton Park Tel: (02) 6072 3632 [email protected] Further details of all our meetings and speakers are on our Meetings are held quarterly on second Tuesday at Albury/ website at www.undeceivingourselves.com Wodonga on pre-announced dates and venues. Australian Skeptics in Tasmania – Leyon Parker Gold Coast Skeptics – Lilian Derrick PO Box 582, North Hobart TAS 7002 PO Box 8348, GCMC Bundall, QLD 9726 Tel: 03 6238 2834 BH, 0418 128713 [email protected] Tel: (07) 5593 1882; Fax: (07) 5593 2776 Skeptics in the Pub - 2nd Monday each month, 6.30pm, Ball and [email protected] Chain restaurant, Salamanca Place, Hobart Contact Lilian to find out news of more events. Darwin Skeptics – Brian de Kretser Tel: (08) 8927 4533 [email protected] Volume 31 • No 1 • March 11 Contents

REPORTS AVN, OLGR and rape 8 12 Telepathy test report 10 Ian Bryce on trial 12 8 Gavin O’Connor 10 Wakefield in the room 16 Rachael Dunlop 26 FEATURES

Degrees of woo 20 Tim Mendham Queensland survey 26 20 Bridgstock and Sturgess 32 Conspiracy theories 32 Eran Segev 38 42 ARTICLES Post cult counselling 38 Michael Wolloghan Young Aust Skeptics 41 Richard Hughes Magnetic movements 42 Ken McLeod Show buzzyness 44 Stephen Wood 44 FORUM Decision time 54 Bridgstock and responses 54

REGULARS 48 Editorial 4 Around the Traps 5 challenge 7 Puzzles page 31 What goes around 46 Book reviews 48 column 58 46 Letters 59 EDITORIAL From the Editor

Keeping active ast issue I wrote that we could be Skeptics is to keep wall-builders from Lproud of the Skeptics’ achievements overextending themselves in their varied over the last 30 years, one of which was claims – putting a capping stone on just being around for that long. those walls, so to speak. If we can make But no organisation lasts that long if proponents of pseudoscience and the ISSN 0726-9897 they don’t do anything. In fact, many paranormal less prone or able to make Quarterly Journal of organisations don’t last a tenth of that outlandish statements, and receive less Australian Skeptics Inc period, largely because of apathy – they unquestioning media support, then that (ABN 90 613 095 379) simply disappear through inaction, lack of is a role very much worth doing. As Editor interest, lack of drive and lack of drivers. every parent knows, nipping naughtiness Tim Mendham To be frank, at times some have in the bud before it becomes wickedness suggested that the Skeptics looked like is a very effective and fruitful activity. Editorial Board we were spinning our wheels, or that our Over the years, we’ve done a lot of Steve Roberts investigations were those of ‘armchair capping and nipping. Eran Segev skeptics’. We consider those accusations Apart from those listed above – and Martin Hadley unfounded, and noting such areas as there are many more large and small Barry Williams , , unsupported over the years – this issue of The Skeptic energy generation and power alone highlights many such proactive Design Services improvement technologies (including activities (if that’s not a tautology): Nova Consulting P/L ’s infamous Energy Polariser) countering the fatuous claims of All correspondence to: indicates that the Skeptics have been the Power Balance promoters; the Australian Skeptics Inc active and in some cases successful in increasing presence of unsupported PO Box 20 combating the ‘woo’ that surrounds us. areas into our universities; and, perhaps Beecroft NSW 2119 On the more positive side, Skeptics have most dramatically, challenging the Australia been involved in education on critical long-running, spurious, misguided, thinking, and have bankrolled research, misinformed and downright dangerous Contact details supported institutions and rewarded activities of the Australian [anti] Tel: +61 (0)2 8094 1894 individuals (often monetarily) for good Vaccination Network. Campaigns re Mob: +61 (0)432 713 195 works, most of which has been through Power Balance and AVN have had Fax: +61 (0)2 8088 4735 funding from the Australian Skeptics particular success and media attention. [email protected] Science & Education Foundation. Not all of these have been the www.skeptics.com.au Admittedly, there are times when activities solely of Australian Skeptics as investigators can feel the proverbial brick a formal organisation. Many individuals The Skeptic is published four times wall fast approaching. But (perhaps have put themselves forward, and per year by Australian Skeptics Inc. using an inappropriate analogy in through personal effort and no little Views and opinions expressed in articles view of recent events) even brick walls cost have waged active and successful and letters in The Skeptic are those of collapse eventually. campaigns. The Stop the AVN group is the authors, and are not necessarily Actually, one of the key roles of the one such, and rightly recognised at the those of Australian Skeptics Inc. Skeptics is not to knock down every wall recent TAM Australia convention. But Articles may be reprinted with – in some (many?) instances this is damn in many if not all cases, the Australian permission and with due acknowledge- near impossible. UFOnuts still gather to Skeptics body has, at the very least, ment to The Skeptic. wait for the aliens to land, creationists played a supportive, co-operative, and All effort is made to ensure correct are still seeking for the killer blow in linking role, if not always a leading one. acknowledgement of all contributions. Biblical interpretation, keep Of course, we cannot rest on any We are happy to update credit when so on in business despite never predicting laurels that we may have won. We must informed. what really happens, and purveyors continue to cap and nip as best and of junk medicines and unsupported effectively as we can. And long may we Editorial submission deadline medical theories continue to fleece remain active. . for the next issue: and harm the public. But perhaps the May 15, 2011 most important and successful role for - Tim Mendham, editor 4 NEWS The Skeptic March 11

of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al Around the traps ... are incorrect.” This was soon followed by the results of an investigation by the British Power unbalanced Competition and Consumer General Medical Council, which Commission decided that Power found Wakefield to be “dishonest”, If it weren’t bad enough that famous Balances were no more effective than a “irresponsible” and guilty of putting sports stars like Shaquille O’Neal, rubber band, that the local distributor children through painful and David Beckham and Rubens should publicise the fact that there unnecessary tests. Barrichello, film stars like Robert was no scientific evidence to support Deer says that “The [GMC] de Niro and celebrities like Kate its claims, and should offer refunds to regulator’s main focus was whether Middleton sported the miraculous anyone who asked for them. the research was ethical. Mine was Power Balance wristbands, but they’re This decision was picked up by whether it was true. So I compared the now joined by politicians, including ex- newspapers and websites around the records with what was published in the President Bill Clinton and NZ Prime world, leading to a class action in the journal.” Minister John Key. US for millions in compensation. What he found was that “The All was looking very rosy for the But the distribution of this officially Lancet paper was a case series of 12 purveyors of this placebo-driven shonky product continues, though the child patients; it reported a proposed product. Australian distributor has been dropped ‘new syndrome’ of enterocolitis and But, in case you’ve missed the news, off the official list of global suppliers. regressive autism and associated the Power Balance people have faced a Australian Skeptics has issued this with MMR as an ‘apparent bevy of set-backs in Australia, and the a challenge to these distributors, precipitating event’.” But in fact: news has gone global. especially those in the UK, to either • Three of nine children reported As described in the last issue of put up the evidence or admit their with regressive autism did not have The Skeptic[p37], first there was the products are a con. (See the challenge autism diagnosed at all. Only one demonstration by Richard Saunders, document on page 5 of this issue.) child clearly had regressive autism. Skeptics vice-president, on TV that • Despite the paper claiming that even the distributor couldn’t tell if all 12 children were “previously someone was wearing a ‘real’ one Wakefield faked results normal”, five had documented pre- or not. Then consumer advocates existing developmental concerns. CHOICE followed up, awarding it a The prime instigator of claims that • Some children were reported to Shonky Award. And the Therapeutics the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) have experienced first behavioural Goods Administration continued vaccine is linked with autism has been symptoms within days of MMR, the bad news, saying claims made in accused of falsifying his research. but the records documented these support of the bands were false and In an editorial published in the as starting some months after should be publically retracted. British Medical Journal on January 7, vaccination. Early this year came the latest 2011, editor in chief Fiona Goodlee says • In nine cases, unremarkable colonic and heaviest blow. The Australian that “Clear evidence of falsification of histopathology results - noting data should now close the door on this no or minimal fluctuations in damaging vaccine scare.” inflammatory cell populations - “Few people could deny that were changed after a medical school [Wakefield’s research] was fatally flawed “research review” to “non-specific both scientifically and ethically. But it colitis”. has taken the diligent scepticism of one • The parents of eight children were man, standing outside medicine and reported as blaming MMR, but science, to show that the paper was in 11 families made this allegation at fact an elaborate fraud.” the hospital. The exclusion of three That “one man” is British journalist allegations, which all giving times Brian Deer. to the onset of problems in months, The original paper by Wakefield et helped to create the appearance of a al was published in The Lancet in 1998. 14 day temporal link. Ten of the paper’s co-authors later • Patients were recruited through withdrew their names from it, and early anti-MMR campaigners, and last year The Lancet itself issued a full the study was commissioned and retraction of the paper, stating that “It funded for planned litigation has become clear that several elements “So that is ... the foundation of 5 NEWS

Wakefield faked results Double double financial trouble Continued... Perhaps taking a lead from the UK the vaccine scare,” Deer says. “No case Druids who last year achieved ‘religion’ was free of misreporting or alteration. status [The Skeptic, 30:4, p3], the Taken together, NHS records cannot be Community Church of reconciled with what was published, to Inclusive Wicca is in talks with the such devastating effect, in the journal.” Australian Taxation Office to be granted Goodlee asks: “Who perpetrated tax concessions for any income the this fraud? There is no doubt that it incorporated body might receive from was Wakefield. Is it possible that he was membership fees or even donations. wrong, but not dishonest: that he was so However, the request by the incompetent that he was unable to fairly organisation of witches is moot because, describe the project, or to report even one as reported by The Sun Herald, the of the 12 children’s cases accurately? No. church’s income is nil. Community “A great deal of thought and effort spokeswitch, Amethyst Trevelan, must have gone into drafting the paper explained in an internet post that while to achieve the results he wanted: the income “is squat … it’s the principle of discrepancies all led in one direction; the thing”. misreporting was gross.” She told The Sun-Herald her (See also the report “Wakefield in application was ‘“a preparatory measure the Room” and book review “In the for when and if we had sufficient funds’“. send “positive energy” to the ATO for a Wake of Wakefield” in this issue.) There was a suggestion that members positive decision. So far the ATO seems of the community were being urged to to have been less than bewitched. predictions

Every year, the self-professed ‘psychics’ Obituary – Denis Dutton of Australia make their predictions for editor of the websites Arts & Letters the coming twelve months, and every With sadness, we report the death of Daily, ClimateDebateDaily.com and year those who bother to check back Denis Dutton, a founder-member of cybereditions.com. will realise that they almost inevitably Skeptics. For many years Vicki Hyde, media spokesperson for get it wrong. he was the face of organised skepticism the NZ Skeptics, said: “I´ll always The predictions for 2010 were wrong in New Zealand.. associate Denis with laughter - not in the high 90 per cent range. Those In 2004, Time magazine named him scornful, nor dismissive, but rather that were ‘correct’ were generally one of the most influential media his genuine delight in the wonder and vague, with one or two close calls. That personalities in the world. absurdity of the human condition, and success rate is not very reassuring. We’re Denis was originally from Los Angeles, his joy in discovery and debate. glad they’re not brain surgeons. and taught at several American “Denis had a deeply moral sense in For this year, there are predictions by universities before that he abhorred 22 ‘psychics’published in the Psychics emigrating to the exploitation Directory 2011. Most revolve around New Zealand. His we so often see celebrities, and many are presaged with activities included underpinning “may” or “likely” and other such weasel being an academic, skeptical issues. He words. (Kate Middleton might have a web entrepreneur spent year after year twins, by the way.) and libertarian fielding calls about One from Jade-Sky on major flooding media commentator/ everything from in the eastern seaboard looks good, until activist. He was alien abductions to you realise the Queensland floods weren’t a professor of moa sightings, and on the seaboard (tides, perhaps), and such philosophy at managed to retain major floods happen inland every year. the University of a sense of humour What a shame none of the ‘psychics’ Canterbury in throughout.” found time to mention the . He Denis died of cancer Christchurch earthquake. Not as was also a co- on December 28, important or as prediction-worthy as founder and co- last year. . celebrity pregnancies, no doubt. 6 Power Balance – put up or shut up

e want the Power Balance distributors of the The second statement, that the company has always Wworld to come clean – to admit not only that been transparent about the benefits, is technically classed as there is no evidence that the wristbands work, but also that “bullshit”. Considering there is no evidence, how can they the distributors have been lying about how the product possibly reconcile that with claims about how it supposedly supposedly works, and that all they’re selling is an over-priced works? It has not “always” been transparent, as it is only rubber band. since the release of findings by the TGA and ACCC that We know there is no scientific evidence for any it has ever made any admission that it has been making medical or other claim of the Power Balance wristbands. false claims. Power Balance has been on sale since 2007; Even the Australian distributor has said so (with a little misrepresentations were only admitted at the end of 2010. prompting from the Australian Competition and Consumer And the third statement, that Power Balance has not Commission, the Therapeutic Goods Association, Choice and made any scientific or medical claims, is classed as “extreme the Australian Skeptics): bullshit” – in fact, we’d call it lying. “We admit that there is no credible scientific evidence that In an interview on national TV in 2009, the Australian supports our claims and therefore we engaged in misleading distributor Tom O’Dowd said the Power Balance could conduct in breach of s52 of the Trade Practices Act “improve wellness” and that it interacted with “the body’s 1974,” the local company says on its website. http://www. electrical field”. Inanities and vagueness populate Power powerbalance.com/australia/CA Balance’s claims throughout the world. This outcome has been a real kick in the head for Power On a more specific level, a class action law suit taken out Balance distributors worldwide as the news has spread against Power Balance in the USA (http://www.businesswire. globally, to everywhere the wristband is sold and in every com/news/home/20110105007269/en/Panish-Shea-Boyle- language. Announces-Filing-Class-Action-Lawsuit) “alleges that Power But that hasn’t stopped the Power Balance’s UK Balance advertised that ‘Mylar holograms’ at the center of distributor from coming to the product’s defence. In their bracelets were ‘embedded with frequencies that react reference to the Australian distributor’s statement, the UK positively with a body’s natural energy field’. Power Balance website says: “Power Balance did not make any claims that touted that their bracelets would produce ‘faster synaptic its product does not perform, and has always been totally response (brain function), enhanced muscle response transparent as to the benefits of the product. Moreover, (in both fast and slow twitch tissues), increased stamina Power Balance does not, and has never, made any scientific (better oxygen uptake and recovery), more flexibility (faster or medical claims about its products.” recovery) and very improved gravitational balance’.” http://www.powerbalanceuk.com/news/statement/ If those aren’t scientific and medical claims, then we just The first statement is correct – the Australian statement don’t know what is. doesn’t say it doesn’t work; it just says that there is absolutely The current US site discounts the scientific claims above no evidence that it does work and that its advertising has been with a disingenuous: “Apparently, some previous claims misleading. The UK statement is a legalistic nicety that is nit- in our marketing ads in Australia were not up to ACCC picking to the n’th degree, and in no way represents the spirit standards.” Again the resorting to ACCC findings, (at least) of the Australian message. The UK statement also suggesting that the real world has a different view. suggests that it is only with regard to ACCC requirements – and The current US site also limits its citing of a scientific not those with “the real world” – that Power Balance was found basis to its claims with: “Our products are based on the wanting. More attempts at nitpicking, but totally ignoring idea of optimizing the body’s natural energy flow, similar the fact that the distributor admits that there is no scientific to concepts behind many holistic and Eastern philosophies. evidence supporting its claims – that’s not just in terms of The hologram in Power Balance is designed to resonate the ACCC’s requirements, but that no repeatable evidence with and respond to the natural energy field of the body.” whatsoever. So much for being tested in “the real world”. Meaningless, to say the least.

So, we challenge the Australian and other Power Balance distributors around the world to admit that not only is there no scientific evidence for the Power Balance’s supposed effectiveness, but also that all claims made about the wristband are false, misleading and misrepresentative lies. Admit that the product doesn’t perform. Admit it’s just a placebo. Admit it’s a con. ... Or prove us wrong. ... We dare you. AUSTRALIAN SKEPTICS INC REPORT Anti-Vax The AVN, OLGR & Rape Under pressure? Heat of the moment? Rachael Dunlop reports on Meryl Dorey’s desperate resorting to tasteless and hurtful jibes.

he Australian anti-Vaccination “from the very minor such as the fact that so the AVN can “re-frame their case”. TNetwork (AVN) in Australia has not our collection box was the wrong size and Although its media spokesperson and been having a good time of late. didn’t have a lock and our receipt books sometimes president Meryl Dorey First, it was smacked down by the were not numbered or kept in an assets claims the audit conducted by the Health Care Complaints Commission. register....” OLGR “found no evidence of fraud Following a 12 month investigation into Umm, methinks you have to do much in the breaches they discovered in our the information provided on the AVN’s more than have the wrong size cash box operations - (just) breaches of a purely website, the HCCC issued a public to lose your charity licence. administrational nature” the case has warning stating the AVN “pose(s) a risk But even more incredible is that the been referred higher up the bureaucratic to public health and safety”. AVN operated for approximately two chain to the Department of Justice and The AVN was then investigated by years without a valid charity licence. the Attorney General’s Department and the charity watchdog in New South Of this breach, Dorey explained: “For to the Crown Solicitor. This is because Wales, the Office of Liquor Gaming and one year, we were unable to find an the AVN is now being investigated for Racing, which found that the AVN had auditor .... We finally found a firm who breaches of the Charitable Fundraising “breached charitable fundraising laws and performed our audit but ... since we were Act and, if found guilty, will incur fines potentially misled the public”. This was paying them a discounted rate, we were totalling $25,000 and 12 months jail. largely as a result of its collecting funds not really in a position to rush them The findings of these departments are for one purpose and then spending the along.” expected to be handed down any day. money elsewhere - something you’re not The end result was the AVN’s So it appears that the “wrong size allowed to do as a charity. authority to fundraise was revoked cash box” or “breaches of a purely For example, in 2008 the AVN on October 20, 2010 meaning it can administrational nature” may lead to collected $11,810 for a ‘fighting fund’, an no longer conduct public fundraising much more than just loss of its charity appeal set-up to raise money to support appeals. Rather it can only ask existing licence. Referral to the DoJ and Crown a family allegedly on the run from a members (of which it claims to have Solicitor are serious. court order to immunise a child. But the 2500) for money. This outcome is a OLGR reported none of the funds raised savage blow for the AVN financially. STRESS, VACCINATION AND RAPE was spent on this cause. Indeed, even before its ability to And it seems the stress is beginning to In addition, in March 2009 the AVN publicly fundraise was revoked, auditors show on Meryl Dorey. Let’s go back to was seeking funds to run a Generation examining the financial report for the January, when a family court matter in Rescue autism ad in the Australian press year ending December 31, 2009 stated NSW was successful in getting the child of and raised $11,910 for the cause. The “there is an inherent uncertainty whether divorced parents vaccinated - Mum didn’t ad was never run - the publishers of the association will be able to continue want the child vaccinated, but Dad did. the intended baby-oriented magazine as a going concern, without the ability According to an article in the Sun were alerted to the AVN’s approach to continue to generate external funding Herald newspaper, the father said that and subsequently knocked it back. The from donations and sponsorships.” This if the girl remained unvaccinated, she money raised was spent elsewhere. on the back of the financial statement would be forced to withdraw from For many years the AVN was asking for December 31, 2008 where the AVN school during outbreaks of some diseases, for funds to place its literature into posted a loss of A$58,696.65. and that she would also be unable to Bounty Bags – the information packs In fact, the AVN has been spend time with any new babies he had, for new mums – and to have vaccines haemorrhaging money in the last few given she was not immunised against independently tested for toxins and heavy years. Just 12 months earlier (year ending whooping cough. metals. The money was collected, but December 2007) it posted a profit of The mother produced opposing the makers of Bounty Bags claimed they A$88,007.97, meaning in the space of evidence that the vaccinations were never had an agreement with the AVN. two years, it had reversed its position by unnecessary, but was criticised in the And the vaccine testing? Well, that never A$146,704.62. judgment for submitting evidence went ahead either. As is its right, the AVN has appealed from an “immunisation sceptic”, who In an e-newsletter, Meryl Dorey this decision and a hearing was set for Feb made what the magistrate described as described the OLGR’s initial findings as 14th 2011, but this has been postponed “outlandish statements unsupported by 8 The Skeptic March 11

any empirical evidence”. Violence may be involved in sexual the definition of rape in the dictionary Meryl Dorey naturally wasn’t happy assault, but rape is not so without before she posted it.In addition, she about this (it is unknown if she was the sexual assault. And if she meant an posted similar comments to her mailing The AVN, OLGR & Rape “immunisation sceptic”) and made it act of violence, “wanton destruction” list: “This is immoral. It should be illegal. clear in a most distasteful post on the or the archaic definition, then why This is medical rape. Since it is illegal to AVN Facebook page, where she said did she include the phrase “with full force yourself on someone for the sake this after a link to the story: “Court penetration”? of having sex, why is it not illegal for orders rape of a child. Think this is So here comes Meryl’s semi-apology: society to force itself on an innocent child an exaggeration? Think again. This is “To anyone who was insulted or hurt by whose informed parent has chosen not to assault without consent and with full my comparing the forced vaccination of a subject them to a potentially dangerous penetration too.” child against the custodial parent’s wishes medical procedure?” Rape of a child is akin to vaccination? with rape, I do apologise wholeheartedly Posting her rape comments in two Wow. I don’t think anyone who has and without reservation. I looked up the places and looking up a definition in the been subject to this type of sexual assault definition of rape prior to posting ... that dictionary prior to doing so constitutes would agree with you, Meryl. And as comparison and in the dictionary sense of more than a ‘heat-of-the-moment’ the post was discussed, it turned out that the word, it is accurate … .” outburst to me. indeed, a few people did not agree with Sorry Meryl, but redefining the In directing her supporters to spam Meryl’s assessment of the situation. meaning of the word rape and saying it’s the radio station with emails, Dorey Another administrator of the AVN okay because you know two people who attempted to project the publicity away page, “SB” said: “I disagree with the rape were raped does not make it acceptable. from herself and towards the “rights analogy, but the forcible administration The discussion went on for three of pro-choice parents”. But this issue of a vaccine? Vaccines are not compulsory days and reached 57 comments before was not about parents who choose not - yet.” And then another: “I disagree with the topic dropped off the front page to vaccinate. It was about the media the rape analogy too.” and people, including Meryl probably, spokesperson (sometimes president) Dorey responded further down the thought it would all go away. But even for “Australia’s Vaccine Watchdog” thread justifying her use of the term one of her admins was astute enough to comparing vaccination to rape, which rape: “Guys, I apologise if anyone was notice that everything on the internet is not only offensive and distasteful, but offended with the rape analogy. I take the stays forever and “someone somewhere completely inappropriate. issue of rape very seriously as two very will be keeping a scrapbook”. Even one of the commenters on close family members were raped”. Well, she was right. The rape Facebook pointed this out: “You made She then redefined the meaning of the comments fell into us all look bad on term rape: “I know that the word does the hands of 2UE [Vaccination:] Court this one.” tend to mainly have sexual connotations radio commentator “ Eighteen nowadays, but historically, rape has meant Tracey Spicer, the orders rape ... assault with- months ago, so much more. And as I said, rape is not same journalist who out consent and with full Meryl Dorey was a crime of sex - it is a crime of violence, hung up on Meryl penetration too. the go-to person control and anger/hatred. Dorey on live radio ” for comment “It is an act of violence that just a few weeks - Meryl Dorey, AVN whenever there demonstrates power over someone ... earlier when she was was a story on who cannot defend themselves and to my discussing the British Medical Journal’s vaccination.Not any more. The worm mind - forcing a child to be vaccinated fraud findings into Andrew Wakefield’s has turned and the false balance is against the informed consent of his or her Lancet paper. shifting. She is finally being treated in a parent is exactly that - an act of violence On air, Tracey discussed Dorey’s manner which she deserves – relegated by someone who is more powerful comments with Hettie Johnstone, an to the pages of natural health media and against someone who is less powerful.” Australian child abuse campaigner who websites rife with conspiracy theories Not according to the Oxford runs a child protection organisation and . But importantly, she is Dictionary, which defines it as: “Noun: called Bravehearts. Naturally, Hettie was finally being held accountable for her the crime, typically committed by a man, appalled that someone would compare an nonsense, not just by skeptics but by of forcing another person to have sexual injection for the purposes of protection the mainstream media and government intercourse with the offender against their against communicable disease with rape. departments too. And with opinions will: ‘he denied two charges of rape’ As expected, Dorey was livid and like that, it’s about time too. . “Archaic: the abduction of a woman, asked her followers to bombard the radio especially for the purpose of having station with disapproving emails. She Note: The full text of the NSW Office sexual intercourse with her: ‘the Rape of also asserted that she had apologised of Liquor Gaming and Racing report on the Sabine Women’ (well, kinda) and that it was a heat-of- the AVN, including correspondence re “The wanton destruction or spoiling the-moment comment. But according to complaints, can be found at of a place: ‘The rape of the countryside’.” her own defence, she bothered to look up http://bit.ly/fvycIS. 903 REPORT Challenge Messagenot received Ian Bryce reports on a test of telepathy, with less than perfect communication.

n 1980, Australian Skeptics norm, in that the initial claim arrived Iannounced that it would offer a via a law firm. Embedded in the usual monetary prize - initially A$10,000, legal formalities was the statement now A$100,000 - for any Australian that the client’s ability was to transfer resident who could prove a paranormal information by paranormal means from or psychic ability or phenomenon. Australia to the USA, ie not through If such abilities or phenomena established telecommunications or other exist, then the laws of science would physical means. We would call this need revision. Obviously this would “telepathy”, though that was a term the be of great significance, and we would claimant preferred not ^to use. wish such abilities to be scientifically The challenger was insistent that we investigated. If, on the other hand, prove our bone fides, though this was proponents of such abilities failed to not reciprocated – the claimant was From left to right, Ian Bryce, Peter Rodgers, perform as agreed, then that would apparently reluctant to give his name, Barrie Hill and Eran Segev ... waiting, waiting cast serious doubt on the ability of that address or the identities of any assisting claimant to perform their claimed ability. colleagues. million tests if chance alone operated. That is not a universal negative, but a Eventually we met with the claimant body of similar examples, over time, will and his lawyer at the latter’s office, and LOGISTICS AND SECURITY cast doubt in a more general sense. found the claimant was Barrie Hill The Skeptics normally request that Our procedure is to have an initial of Sydney. He described his ‘ability’ claimants cover any costs incurred by less-formal test to ascertain the nature to us, and we agreed on the following either party. In this case there were no of the claim, including where relevant description (without using the term significant costs other than time and the claimant’s ability. If this proves to be “telepathy’): “The claim is that the claim- effort. positive, then we move to a formal test, ant has the ability to send information The logistics required were the nature of which is mutually prepared to a remote receiver without using any considerable, as was security. We and agreed, and if again the result is communication means known to science.” arranged our own team in New York positive, the claimant will win the award, made up of local skeptics, in addition to dispose of how they see fit. TEST PROTOCOL to our team in Sydney. Hill arranged Since 1980, we have had challenges Hill had evidently spent some time with for legal representatives in both cities to from around 100 claimants. About 30 his lawyer, working on a test procedure witness events. of these have led to attempted demon- based on choosing from lists of shapes, The time difference dictated an early strations of paranormal powers, and words and numbers. Over a few months start in Sydney and late afternoon in about 10 have progressed to formal tests. we refined this into a simple protocol, New York. Rooms for the test were designed to provide “proper observing booked, the exact location of which A NEW TEST conditions” so that there would be were known to only one person until the In January 2010 we received an confidence in the results. time of the test. A meeting place within application that was different from the Six lists of ten words were prepared: walking distance of each room was animals, Australian artists, countries, arranged in both cities, and revealed to flowers, Australian poets and, at Hill’s all parties 24 hours in advance. insistence, native American peoples. Once on site, electronic devices were On the day, a ten-sided dice would be to be surrendered, with the option of used to select and mark one item from frisk searches. Telephone communication each list. During the half hour test, Hill was to be strictly controlled, and not would ‘transmit’ the information to his used during the 30-minute test period. ‘receiver’ in New York, who would mark The dice would not be thrown until the answers on their copy of the result after lockdown. At the end, the receiving sheet. Hill expected a perfect score, party would relay the received words and which could be expected only once in a the result would be evident. 10 The Skeptic March 11

If the test were successful (or even in New York meant that this delay was significantly above chance), we would considerably inconvenient for them. We offer a more formal retest at a later asked Hill for his pair’s mobile phone date, following additional security number. He told us they do not have precautions. Hill readily agreed that mobiles due to concerns over health. if technical means were found to have A New York lawyer without a mobile been used, even after the event, any prize phone? The alarm bells got louder. At the test start time of 7:00am, we in Sydney walked to the booked room, and commenced our security precautions. At 7:20, the receiver pair had still not arrived, and we gave Barrie back his and Jamie’s strange predicament or even mobile and asked him to call them. He of their existence. insisted on doing this out of our sight There is always the possibility that and hearing. He reported to us that “they a claimant might be delusional, which are on their way, held up in transport”. is why we have preliminary tests. This At 7:30, Barrie communicated again is not to say this was the situation in and reported that his team were stuck this case, as the inability of the test to in an elevator in the lawyer’s building. proceed may very well have been due We asked to speak to them directly by to misadventure. But, to date, we have phone. No, he replied, this building had no information to substantiate that From left to right, Ian Bryce, Peter Rodgers, mobile phone blockage as a precaution conclusion, and Hill so far has refused to Barrie Hill and Eran Segev ... waiting, waiting since the 9/11 attacks. Then how had give us relevant contact details so we can he contacted them? Apparently to the undertake our own investigations. paid would be refunded. To his credit, lawyer’s office landline, Hill said, who This is a lesson for all tests, to ensure he requested that the prize be paid to advised him that there was a lift stuck that all parties have full information nominated charities. and his receivers were probably in it. prior to any test proceeding. Hill refused As the test date approached, I As the room bookings expired after to give this information, and despite the asked Hill to provide contact details an hour, the test was called off. On fact that it was our $100,000 at risk, for his NY receiver and her lawyer asked for his reaction, Hill said “I am as we acquiesced as an indication of our representative. Among various excuses, mystified as you are”. We all went home, goodwill. Claimants and supporters of all we were told was that his receiver was very disappointed. paranormal claims are often sometimes named “Sue” and her lawyer “Jamie”, too ready to cast aspersions against and that communications would be AFTERMATH the Skeptics’ sincerity. We feel that, as available on the day. I later asked Hill for contact details of his indicated by the time and effort put New York team, so we could verify what into this test, that is a totally unfair and TEST DAY happened and provide an explanation unwarranted suggestion. We cannot At the designated time (6:30am Sydney for our American colleagues. He refused, always say the same for claimants. time on November 4, 2010), teams on and instead requested that we give him Despite Hill’s unilateral statement two sides of the world converged on contact details of our team. that tests would be re-held early this their respective meeting places. The The mobile phone excuses were year, from our point of view we will Skeptics team in Sydney consisted of repeated – both Sue and Jamie refused to not reinstitute another test of Hill for Eran Segev (president of Australian use mobiles due to health concerns. In 12 months at least, if at all. Any future Skeptics), Ian Bryce (challenge co- addition, Hill said that “written advice of test will require complete unrestricted ordinator), Richard Saunders (vice- the lift failure cannot be obtained due to information supplied to us, and direct president), Jessica Singer (lawyer and possible litigation”. contact with any assistants he may have. NSW committee member), and Peter Hill offered no apology or explana- We would sincerely like to thank Rodgers (a magician). Five people tion, and instead demanded “the tests our New York contacts, Lisa and Jacob, from the Skeptics was indicative of the will resume in the first quarter of 2011”. for volunteering to take part in this thoroughness of our approach. Hill investigation, and for their diligence arrived, minus his lawyer. CONCLUSION and time. It indicates the great value Our New York team (Lisa and Jacob) Formally, the test failed because the of having a network of skeptics around made contact with us by mobile phone. claimant and his team did not perform the world to investigate such claims. They reported that they were still as claimed. Whether they would be willing to waiting on the specified corner for the An unfortunate result of the way Hill brave the New York City Winter again, claimant’s receiver and her representative had handled all this is that we have no particularly considering the failure of to arrive. The fact that this was Winter evidence to support his account of Sue this test, is up to them. . 11 REPORT Homeopathy HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT of CANCER

a case report Gavin O’Connor presents a case report on the coronial inquiry into the death of Penny Dingle, treated by homeopathy for bowel cancer.

n many discussions I’ve had with Peter Dingle is an environmental cancer seemed unremarkable. However, Isupporters of altmed, UFOs, toxicologist at Murdoch University in her remaining siblings prevailed upon conspiracy theories and the like, I find WA where he is Associate Professor. the Coroner to hold an inquest, not that the more hard evidence there Although not a medical graduate he is into the cause of death but into the is negating their beliefs, the more the author of several books on health preceding treatment she received at the entrenched those beliefs become; and sickness that have a strong anti- hands of a homeopath. the very opposite to what one would medical and pro-altmed bias. (Google Francine Scrayen has a diploma expect. It’s a type of mindset. In the case his many web pages.) He is very in homeopathy from the Oceanic of homeopathy, it’s a very strong anti- personable and convincing and had Institute of Classical Homeopathy. In medical-evidence mindset. The results (and probably still has) a high media court, she was a bit vague about the can range from amusing to tragic. profile including a regular spot on ABC institute and the course it offered: “It And it was a tragedy that was radio. He gave talks on ‘health’ in high used to be in Midland”, and “It took played out in the Coroner’s court in schools. (My wife heard him speak four years to get a diploma … I think” West Australia in June last year. Most at the school where she taught and and “I think it was full time”. of what follows is taken from the assumed, like most of those present, On February 25 2003 Penny Coroner’s report, from listening to that he was a medical practitioner.) He underwent a colonoscopy that the evidence and from a transcript of describes himself as, scientist, media indicated a rectal tumour. She had had that evidence. Direct quotes from the personality, presenter, writer and rectal bleeding for approximately two report or transcript are in quotes. The community advocate. years and Professor Cameron Platell, remainder is a summary of both. Penny Dingle was described by a colorectal surgeon and Winthrop If it were a play, there would be her sisters as being a very vivacious Professor of Surgery at the University three main characters: person who was involved in drama of WA, concluded the cancer had been • Dr Peter Dingle who has a PhD in and creative writing and in “spiritual growing for about that time and that indoor air pollution, focusing on matters”. She was said to have had a there was a reasonable probability of formaldehyde. very close and somewhat dependent successful treatment. He recommended • Penny Brown (later Dingle), partner relationship with Peter Dingle. Her a CT scan for a clearer picture and then and later wife of Peter. She will be interest in writing was fortunate chemotherapy and surgery. Penny did referred to as Penny Dingle. In the because she kept a detailed diary of her not attend the next appointment in report she is often referred to as ‘The treatment and her conversations and early March. When Platell telephoned deceased’. correspondence with Scrayen. her, she told him she was still thinking • Francine Scrayen, homeopath. At first glance her death from bowel about it. 12 The Skeptic March 11

In early April 2003 she again saw of them seemed to accept the reliability sea level. To say I was in agony was a Platell and told him she did not want of the altmed statistics but rejected the gross understatement. At Perth airport, chemo or radiotherapy. She preferred evidence-based figures. where normal atmospheric pressure had HOMEOPATHIC an MRI scan to a CT scan, probably Attempts by the doctors and nurses reduced the pain to some extent, the because it involved less exposure to to bring Penny to a consultation were ambulance officers asked me to rate it X-rays although the former would give largely unsuccessful. Her GP wrote to on a scale from one to ten. Breathless, TREATMENT a clearer picture of the tumour. Her her on August 4 2003 and, receiving I could only answer through clenched husband supported her in this and even no reply, contacted her husband at teeth, “eleven”. I have heard since that wrote to Platell on Murdoch University work on August the pain from of CANCER letterhead recommending this course 12. On August 18 If untreated ... a most an obstructed of action. Although the MRI scan was Penny phoned to “ colon is about as less than ideal, Platell still felt that a say she was going horrible and painful death severe a pain as medical intervention on the basis of the to try supplements involving vomiting her humans are can available evidence could lead to a cure. and homeopathic own faecal matter. be subjected to. I Penny did not attend her next treatments. On ” suffered this pain appointments. A stomal therapy nurse September 5 for 8 hours.] eventually contacted her by phone Penny phoned her GP asking for a Penny’s pain came from her swollen and Penny and Peter came to see the prescription for pain relief. intestine and from other structures nurse on July 1. She was shown the Then, on October 12, Platell was in her pelvis. She also had unbearable statistics on survivability following called to Fremantle hospital to see bone pain .Penny was in pain for 24 a case report Penny. He said “… she looked almost hours a day, every day, possibly from dead. She was down to 35kg, cachectic, July 2002 and certainly from early suffering from severe weight loss, sunken September 2003 until her emergency eyes, grossly distended abdomen, in surgery on October 12. severe pain and incredibly unwell.” This pain is significant in her According to the Coroner’s report: “treatment” by Scrayen, a “pain never “At that stage the deceased was adequately managed”, according to the suffering from a complete bowel Coroner. obstruction which meant that her large Under questioning in court, not intestine was completely blocked so only did Scrayen reveal peculiar ideas that faeces that would normally pass about medical evidence but also through the large intestine could not espousal of homeopathy as well as get through. If untreated at that stage pain relief. Essentially she said that the deceased was unlikely to survive conventional medications, including for much more than 24 hours … she analgesics would interfere with the would die … a most horrible and homeopathic cure of Penny’s cancer. painful death involving the vomiting of She also consulted strange people for her own faecal matter.” advice. (See below) “The pain associated with such an It appears that Penny initially obstruction (is) extremely severe and consulted Scrayen at least two years arising from a combination of pain before she first saw a doctor for rectal Penny Dingle from the tumour… also the tumour bleeding. That is, four years before her invading adjacent organs… the cervix, colonoscopy. At that time Scrayen was the uterus, the left ovary.” Invasion of treating her homeopathically. Not only conventional treatment. According to the bone was also likely. was Scrayen persuasive and convincing, the Coroner’s report: “At that meeting Scrayen advised Penny by phone not she was talking to two people (Penny the deceased continued to refuse to have the surgery. and Peter) who were already anti- medical intervention and stated that [Here I include a personal note. I medicine and pro-altmed. It is not she had decided to go for ‘alternative suffered a bowel obstruction at the difficult to see how they fell under her medicine’. She said the statistics could New Delhi airport. I didn’t know it spell, although somewhat surprising in be ‘manipulated either way’ and that then but I had a rare condition called the case of a person with a PhD. there were ‘good statistics to show that volvulus in which the large bowel However, at the time of her natural therapies also assisted with twists and kinks, effectively blocking diagnosis, Penny had not entirely management of colorectal cancer’.” it. Apparently my sigmoid colon was dismissed conventional medicine. She Later evidence strongly suggested too long. The reduced pressure in the still had some doubts about Scrayen’s she had been influenced in this aircraft caused the bowel to balloon treatment as evidenced by a draft letter decision by both Peter and Scrayen. All even more than it would have done at she later wrote to the homeopath. 1303 REPORT Homeopathy

Homeopathic Dingle, the outcome might have been the failure on some inevitable and much happier. Instead the Coroner minor discrepancy.) Scrayen convinced Treatment of commented on Peter Dingle’s writings. Penny and Peter to exclude from the “It appears that Dr Dingle was a victim house anyone who did not display the Cancer of his own misinformation and did ‘right attitude’ towards homeopathy. Continued... not take positive actions which would While homeopathy was not going to normally be expected of a person in cure Penny, despite Scrayen saying it She wrote: “You waited 12 months, his position to save a loved one from would, it was the exclusion of all pain trying to treat, before you suggested I herself.” killers that led to the totally unnecessary have my internal bleeding diagnosed. When Penny, Peter and Scrayen suffering that Penny Dingle endured. I have since learned that any sort of knew that Penny had bowel cancer, A friend who flew to Perth to help internal bleeding must be investigated Scrayen’s involvement became more look after her described how she burst immediately as it can be a sign that intense. She prescribed homeopathic into tears when she saw Penny: “…she something is seriously wrong.” remedies with a complicated and was just skin and bone and she could One can’t help wondering that if inflexible schedule for taking them. (A hardly stand up”. While the friend Penny’s doubts about evidence-based hallmark of altmed - when the therapy stayed in the house, Penny screamed in medicine had been reinforced by Peter fails the therapist can always blame pain every night and was in constant phone contact with Scrayen, calling her “a dozen times a day if not more, CORONER’S RECOMMENDATIONS all times of the day or night”. When the visitor/helper questioned Scrayen’s “ have serious reservations about any efforts to register or otherwise legitimise therapy she was asked to leave the house. I homeopathy or other similar alternative forms of medicine. The homeopath had told this carer that “While I do not agree with the proposition that such alternative medical regimes “most of Penelope’s pain was in her head should be outlawed, unless and until their supporters can provide appropriate and she exaggerated her pain”. and sufficient science base, any apparent legitimisation of these regimes could Reading the next several pages of provide mixed messages for vulnerable and often desperate cancer suffers. the Coroner’s report is enough to make “Evidence at the inquest revealed that homeopathic remedies are sold in anyone weep. It is a litany of evidence pharmacies in Western Australia and homeopathic practitioners, such as Scrayen, from friends and nurses who visited have affiliation with private health insurance companies. Penny and her husband at home. All “In a context where health costs are increasing at an alarming rate and private describe Penny as lying, emaciated in health insurance companies struggle to meet the full costs of procedures, the bath or on a mattress, crying or medications and hospital beds, it is a matter of concern that funds which could screaming with pain. A Silver Chain be allocated to such fundamental health needs are being allocated to non- nurse begged her to have morphine science based practitioners.” which she eventually did only hours Recommendation No. 1: before going to hospital on October 12 “I recommend that the Commonwealth and State Departments of Health review for the emergency surgery described the legislative framework relating to complimentary [sic] and alternative above. medicine practitioners and practices with a view to ensuring that there are no Through all of this Scrayen mixed messages provided to vulnerable patients and that science based medicine remained immovable in her refusal to and alternative medicine are treated differently. countenance any pain killers or indeed any normal treatment for Penny. “It is noted that the Medical Board of Western Australia has prepared a Peter Dingle had consented to this. draft document titled Complementary Alternative and Conventional Medicine which provides guidance to medical practitioners in relation to when they may SCRAYEN, HOMEOPATH recommend unproved or experimental treatments. It is important that this The Coroner’s hearing was largely document be finalised, if this has not already been done, and communicated to because of Scrayen’s involvement in the medical practitioners. management of Penny’s illness. There Recommendation No. 2: were four main sources of information “I recommend that the Medical Board of Western Australia finalise its document for the Coroner: Scrayen’s verbal Complementary Alternative and Unconventional Medicine if it has not already evidence in court; Scrayen’s notes; Peter done so and take steps to ensure that the document is promulgated to the Dingle; and Penny Dingle’s notes. profession and complied with. This was based on classical Alastair Neil Hope, State Coroner, WA homeopathy, on reading a star chart and also on dreams she’d had about Note:The full coroner’s report can be found at: http://www.safetyandquality.health. Penny and consultations with a psychic wa.gov.au/docs/mortality_review/inquest_finding/Dingle_Finding.pdf friend in Belgium and a clairvoyant. (It 14 The Skeptic March 11

is possible the last two were the same Before leaving person.) Scrayen’s referral of the case comments on the to the psychic/clairvoyant would, in Coroner’s report it the eyes of most people, destroy her may be worth reading credibility. However they actually raised some direct quotes her credibility in the eyes of the Dingles from Scrayen. These are because when the Dingle cat went Penny’s diary entries of missing the clairvoyant said it would what Scrayen said to return in two days time and it did. The her or about her. And Coroner however, took a more skeptical remember, according view and said of Scrayen: “I did not to her husband, Penny’s generally regard (her) to be a witness of memory was word truth.” perfect. It may seem strange to list Penny • “Her symptoms are as a source of information because she not real. They are had died five years before the inquest. because of a lack of However, she saw herself as a budding faith.” Top Francine Scrayen, writer and she was a prolific diarist. • “The symptoms are homeopath, resorted to As noted by the Coroner, her writing there to teach her a star charts, dreams and a was simply a record of events and was lesson.” psychic/clairvoyant. not motivated by an expectation it • “Cancer is caused by Left Dr Peter Dingle, Penny would be used in court. Indeed there various emotional, diet Dingle’s husband, an enviro- was a suggestion in court that she kept or childhood issues.” mental toxicologist, a “victim notes because she, Peter and Scrayen • “She has to deal with of his own misinformation”. would write a book about the success past character flaws of homeopathy when Penny recovered, … and then she’ll although this arrangement could not be recover.” verified. Her writing, then, had a higher • “She has to heal the cancer herself by Federal Government was considering level of objectivity than the notes and controlling her thinking.” a proposal that would make it illegal evidence of Scrayen. The important • “A lot of the pain is not real. It is to sell therapeutic goods whose safety point is that Penny wrote down what exaggerated to get attention.” and efficacy had not been proved. The was happening and what was said at the • “She has to think positively and altmed industry lobbied against the time it happened or was said. Scrayen avoid…people who question the proposal and it wasn’t enacted. Leading kept minimal notes on treatment and treatment.” homeopath, Lindsay Porter, told the had an unreliable memory. The Coroner Since there is no active ingredient meeting, “Had this legislation been noted: “There are marked discrepancies in homeopathic medicines it is often enacted it would have been impossible between what Penelope, Dr. Dingle and described as harmless. But homeopathy to practice homeopathy in Australia.” Penelope’s family and friends on the one is not harmless. It is one of many Fellow homeopaths applauded her hand and Mrs Scrayen on the other say therapies that come from a stable of announcement. took place at the consults.” peculiar beliefs. Neither I nor the Perhaps if they did have to prove the When Peter Dingle was questioned Coroner could follow Scrayen’s rambling efficacy of their treatment or if Penny about the reliability of his wife’s notes, he and inconsistent explanation of just what had been deterred from homeopathy replied: “These were directly related (to homeopathy is. What we could see was by those she trusted and were allowed me). Penny was word perfect. Penny told its results, and they were tragic. near her, she would still be alive and me word for word and I know Penny’s As the Coroner said: “In this case vivacious today. . memory for words is fantastic”. the choice for the deceased should have Scrayen denied in court that she had been a simple one between accepting Gavan O’Connor attended all sessions advised Penny against having surgery. the surgical option offered by Professor of the coronial inquiry into Penny But Penny’s notes show that she did so Platell or facing a painful death. Dingle’s death. advise. This one astounding discrepancy That choice was made more difficult in Scrayen’s evidence was commented because the deceased was offered other Footnote: The author’s wife, Dolores, on by the Coroner: “In my view ‘alternatives’.” died of melanoma. An account of her Scrayen’s advising against surgery was I attended a Homeopathic visit to a naturopath can be found an outrageous thing to do. Scrayen had Conference in 1989. The drawcard in The Medical Journal of Australia, minimal medical knowledge and was was the presence in Perth of their chief Nov 2 1987 and was reprinted (with giving dangerous advice on matters in educator, Dr Paul Callinan (a PhD, one egregious error: Axillary became respect of which she had no expertise.” not in medicine). At the time the auxiliary) in The Skeptic, Winter 1998. 15 REPORT Medicine WAKEFIELD in the ROOM

Dr Rachael Dunlop reports on a presentation purporting one thing and saying another.

hen it comes to the spreading of Wakefield’s data has been reproduced Wmisinformation and falsehoods in five studies, but these do not stand about vaccination, readers could be up to scrutiny4. And besides, The excused for thinking this dangerous Lancet paper was not about vaccines practice is confined to the Australian and autism anyway. Vaccination Network. Sadly this is But evidence has never been an not the case, as my recent experience issue for the anti-vaxers, and this has at a seminar revealed. led to some high profile people losing While vaccinating is not part of a their patience with them of late. Bill chiropractor’s daily practice, many have Gates, who has pledged $10 billion to strong views on the issue and a cursory distribute polio vaccines worldwide glance at Google will quickly reveal this with the aim of eradicating the disease, to be the case. recently referred to the persistent myth For example, on a page entitled that childhood vaccines cause autism “To vaccinate or not to vaccinate”1 as “It’s an absolute lie that has killed Wynyard Chiropractic in Sydney thousands of kids.”5 correctly states that widespread My experience with an anti- vaccination has resulted in the vaccine chiropractor was a seminar eradication of several communicable given by Nimrod Weiner (pediatric diseases, but they also erroneously chiropractor) entitled “Vaccinations: cite the rise of autism as a “vaccine Make an Informed Decision”. Sounds injury”. Putting aside for a moment like a loaded title doesn’t it? And it was, the fact that the link between vaccines as you’re about to find out. and autism has been well and truly To set the scene, the audience debunked both by science and by the consisted of about 20 people, mostly courts2, let’s take a look at some of the women (several pregnant) and assorted other information on the page. couples with very young babies (less Firstly, they state that the Wakefield than 2 years old) gurgling in the study published in The Lancet was background. from 1988 - it was 1998, and secondly Weiner started by saying he was that there are “hundreds of studies” going to provide us with both sides showing a link between vaccines of the story to vaccination. He and autism. This is simply not true. acknowledged that vaccination is an In November 2010, the American emotive issue, but he asked that we do Academy of Pediatrics published a not let our emotions get in the way. He document containing forty-one studies was happy for dissenting views to be in support of no link between vaccines aired and he would respect people for and autism3. Regardless, the anti- their views. vaccine crowd continue to claim that He also said (and I think I recall this 16 The Skeptic March 11

correctly) that he had been called anti- audience] without an accompanying suspended for use in kids under five vaccination after giving some of his suggestion for improvement”. We’ll get and recalled for testing6. lectures, but that he was no such thing. to that later. So he scares parents into thinking WAKEFIELD I settled a little lower in my seat when I It was here that I began to tally the that vaccines batches that may be faulty heard this. number of times he said, or referred to and cause increased adverse reactions After detailing his qualifications vaccines as “injected into the blood”. are never recalled – oh, except that time (which include a masters in Granted, the first time he mentioned when they were. in the ROOM chiropractic with units of pediatric it, he did say “straight into the blood or He also claimed that parents are not chiropractic) Weiner emphasised a muscle....” but following that I ticked told what to expect after a vaccination. he would stick to the science about off at least six mentions of injected into I’m pretty sure everyone is told what vaccinations in an effort to arm the blood. Anti-vaxers have a habit of to expect and even made to wait parents with the ability to ask the right doing this – it makes the process sound for at least 15 minutes in case of an questions and weigh up the evidence so much more scary, even though it’s immediate adverse event7. from both sides. He said he approached not true. While Weiner did follow up He then cited deaths from vaccine the research from a logical and rational with by saying that some vaccines can preventable diseases in the last decade point of view and his aim was to be inhaled, he added that these types of (cited as sourced from Immunise “empower parents to make a good vaccines are not as effective. Australia) and proposed reasons other decision” (this was beginning to sound So then it was time to roll out very much like the AVN rhetoric). some of the standard anti-vaccination He was also going to explain to us canards: Below Pediatric “how safe the diseases [we vaccinate • No-one knows how long vaccines chiropractor Nimrod against] are” and thereby allow us to last Weiner: Respecting make “an informed decision based • There is no guarantee of their ? on science”. So far this was sounding effectiveness suspiciously anti-vaccine to me. I had • Antibodies have no role in so many “red flags” up already it felt immunity like a red flag festival (or something) • Vaccine preventable diseases are and we were only five minutes in. designed to come into our bodies as After a brief explanation of children what chiropractic is – it keeps the • Vaccines have never been tested. nervous system healthy – stressors Weiner then went on to talk about can “imprint on the nervous system” negligence and lack of ethics associated and cause decay, a healthy body with vaccine manufacturers and heals itself, Weiner finally got onto government health bodies. He made vaccination. However, the talk was some valid points here, such as Big still peppered with phrases such as Pharma test the vaccines they make “leave out emotions and propaganda”, hence there is propensity to “respect critical thinking and analysis” bias, some government advisors but immediately followed with have links to Big Pharma “information about vaccines is laden suggesting a conflict of with propaganda”. Weiner continued to interest, and the Therapeutic emphasise that his information is based Goods Administration on current research and science and (Australia’s drug regulator) further, he has spent more than 100 doesn’t independently test hours on “this topic alone”. vaccines. I reckon if you can count the But then he went and number of hours you have spent on undid all his good work a topic, then you haven’t spent nearly by saying something enough. Also, it doesn’t matter if you’ve like: No lot of vaccines spent more than 100 hours, if you’ve has ever been recalled read the wrong information from the for increased adverse reactions, likes of Joseph Mercola*, Mike Adams lots that may have caused harm in or the AVN, then you’re not going to children, they have never been taken glean anything based on research and off the shelf. In the “whole history of science by the time you finish. the world” this has never happened. Weiner then proposed that “no Oh, except in Australia in April criticisms are allowed [from the 2010 when the seasonal flu vaccine was 17 REPORT Medicine

WAKEFIELD have ethics for the birthday party blood taking11, and he paid the parents in the Room for the blood, otherwise it was solid Continued... science. When my companion gently pointed out that you generally have to do more than that to get struck off the than the disease as the cause of death, medical register, Weiner said that move since vaccine preventable illnesses are was purely political. not so bad. Really. During this discussion Weiner also He suggested that since the stated he had read The Lancet paper. vaccination status of the dead was I propose he didn’t read it properly, unknown, these people may have had because in his summary he wrote it other illnesses, they may have been showed a link between MMR and Aboriginal (a population which suffers a autism. But The Lancet paper doesn’t greater incidence of disease than the rest address a connection between MMR of the country), they may have lived and autism, this was suggested at a in unsanitary conditions and perhaps press conference after the paper was they were in refugee camps. So in other published12. words, any number of explanations When both my companion and I - including they were somehow in informed him that Wakefield was paid squalid refugee camps - could explain by lawyers to show a link between their death, because it sure as hell wasn’t MMR and autism and had a patent the disease. pending on a single measles vaccine13, As we moved onto vaccine he claimed to not know anything about ingredients, I felt as if I was reading this. So while he was quite happy to the AVN’s page or something from throw mud at ‘Big Pharma’ and ‘Big Weiner on Wakefield: I know nothing Joseph Mercola as he listed all the scary Government’ for bias, pseudoscience chemicals in vaccines. and vested interests, apparently these the vaccine I presume) by Big Pharma, There was no acknowledgment of same rules do not apply to Wakefield. as flaccid aseptic meningitis or aseptic “the dose makes the poison”8, or that In fact, the Wakefield-in-the-room meningitis. We were also told that there are two types of mercury, the one was addressed several times, once by a one in two people now have a chronic in some vaccines being much less scary9. lady inquiring about the Danish study14 disease, herd immunity doesn’t work, All the usual suspects got a mention of all children born in Denmark from and most childhood illnesses are self- including aborted human foetus, January 1991 through December 1998 limiting, rarely dangerous and have few aluminium, bacteria, formaldehyde and which provided strong evidence against serious consequences. anti-freeze. the hypothesis that MMR vaccination Weiner ended by saying he treats We were also reminded that scientists causes autism. Weiner said he had not babies as young as one day old and if say that vaccines are safe but what about heard of that study either but would be your baby is sick get it to a pediatric asbestos, cigarettes and thalidomide – happy to see a copy. chiropractor for treatment as soon they said they were safe too. There was more “vaccines cause as you can. Thanks, but I’ll go to a As expected, the old “vaccines cause autism” to come, with evidence in clinician trained in pediatrics. autism” show boat was rolled out several the form of an American Dental So after listening to this propaganda times. When myself and my companion Association video showing a neurone for two hours, and asking a few politely pointed out that Weiner dying in culture when incubated with polite questions here and there, I should probably not be using Andrew mercury. The dose of mercury was not decided to offer “criticism ... with Wakefield’s retracted Lancet paper as specified, how a cell in a dish is relevant an accompanying suggestion for evidence for such – if, as he claims he to a child’s brain was not discussed, and improvement”. was basing his research on good science fortunately for us the video stopped I asked Weiner why he didn’t tell - he insisted that the science was still working half way through. us from the very beginning that he valid. [NB: Wakefield’s research has We were then told that vaccines are was against vaccination. Recall that been discredited even further since I associated with shaken baby syndrome, he said at the beginning of the lecture wrote this piece following a series of SIDS, ADD, asthma, MS, suppress the that some people come away from articles in the BMJ calling his study an immune system and “shift the balance his seminars thinking he is anti- elaborate fraud.10]. for life”. We were told that polio has vaccination. I suggested that he had According to Weiner, Wakefield not been eradicated in many countries, not shown anything about the risk/ was only in trouble for two things in but has simply been renamed (in an benefit ratio of vaccination - that is, the regards to the Lancet research: he didn’t attempt to hide the ineffectiveness of risk of getting an adverse reaction to 18 The Skeptic March 11

a vaccine is tiny compared to the risks over to me and I shook my head and the NSW Branch – to ask for their associated with contracting the disease. Weiner confirmed this. She then asked position on vaccination. I was told He said he was not anti-vaccination, Weiner which vaccines were important they do not have one, and it is a matter but admitted he would not choose and which you could skip. As she listed for the individual. Perhaps the CAA to vaccinate, but ultimately it is the them off, she said one thing that made might want to reconsider this, since choice of the parents. My suggestion me pause. She said something like, it is apparent some of their members for improvement was therefore that he “Obviously I can’t skip the pertussis are spreading misinformation about inform people from the very beginning vaccine, that disease sounds really bad.” vaccine safety and efficacy. Information that he is against vaccination. So maybe we achieved something that potentially puts kids’ health and My second criticism was that today. even lives, at risk. . nowhere in his seminar had he addressed Yet, sadly, she included chicken pox the issue of the seriousness of childhood in her list of “not so bad childhood * To his credit, Nimrod did end by diseases and that as a pediatric diseases”. It was on my tongue to saying he reads Mercola “with a grain chiropractor, it was irresponsible not to remind her of the death of a seven year of salt” and that his website does have inform a room full of mums holding old boy from chicken pox in 201016, some strange ideas about medicine, babies and pregnant women that there but by this stage I was tired and also but if this is the case why mention him is currently an epidemic of pertussis and losing my temper. at all? pertussis kills babies. For a pediatric chiropractor I I suggested that he had glossed over couldn’t be more disappointed in REFERENCES the seriousness of this disease (and Nimrod Weiner. He’s a smart man 1. http://bit.ly/hrHwZW other vaccine preventable diseases) who has studied extensively, but he 2. http://bit.ly/gRKedV and that while he spent a lot of time sat in a room filled almost exclusively 3. http://www.aap.org/immunization/ talking about vaccine reactions, he with pregnant women and parents families/faq/vaccinestudies.pdf didn’t even mention that in babies with babies and scared them into not 4. http://bit.ly/hTQxBt under the age of two years, pertussis vaccinating. He told them never to 5. http://bit.ly/i5kPXk can be fatal at the worst, and at the get vaccinated if they are pregnant “no 6. http://www.tga.gov.au/alerts/medicines/ best have complications such as broken matter what they tell you”. He cited fluvaccine.htm ribs, hernias, vomiting after coughing studies that have been struck from the 7. http://bit.ly/dRHN3g episodes and pneumonia15. My literature because they were found to 8. http://bit.ly/fXzISA suggestion for improvement was that be fraudulent and he defended them 9. http://bit.ly/2uvFkV when there is an epidemic of a vaccine when questioned. In the middle of a 10. http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj. preventable disease in our community, pertussis epidemic in which at least c7452.full he might remind parents that they three babies have died, he told parents 11. http://www.youtube.com/ should talk to their GP who might that childhood diseases are self-limiting watch?v=ZTHDKNEx3lo recommend vaccinating themselves and and not very harmful. 12. http://bit.ly/gm2AXZ their kids. I guess all we can hope is that my 13. http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj. My final criticism was he said that colleague and I planted a seed in some c5258.full vaccines don’t work because I can still people’s minds today. As for us, we 14. http://tinyurl.com/4nshrwt get the disease even if I am vaccinated. didn’t give up on the Wakefield . 15. 15. http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/ My suggestion for improvement was We didn’t let it go when Weiner kept factsheets/infectious/pertussis.html that although a saying it was 16. http://bit.ly/gLiIQs vaccine is not a “good science”. force field, it can “ He sat in a room filled He told us he significantly reduce with pregnant women and updates his slides the severity of the every time he disease. So kids parents with babies and gives a talk, to who have had two scared them into not which I suggested or three shots for next time you do pertussis can still vaccinating” that, remove the get the disease, Wakefield one. but they have a reduced risk of getting Who knows if he will. At least he complications and suffering long-term was willing to listen to our criticisms. effects. Unlike some, he didn’t have us It was at this point that a discussion ejected from the room as soon as we ensued around the room in which one started to ask questions. I called the pregnant lady asked Weiner if there was Chiropractors Association of Australia a cure for whooping cough. She looked (CAA) – Weiner is vice president of 19 FEATURE Education

Degrees of

Tim Mendham WOO investigates unnatural in our universities.

hen the Royal Melbourne We approached the office of WInstitute of Technology Universities Australia (formerly the announced last year that it was Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee), conducting what it says was an Australian the peak body representing the university and possibly world-first university study sector. We pointed out our concern into Power Balance bands, we were “with an apparent increase in tertiary pleased that there was at least going to courses – particularly in medicine areas, be a proper scientific assessment of the but also science and education – where bands’ supposed efficacy. unproven or even disproved subjects and But what further intrigued us was methodologies are being taught and/ that all three researchers on the project or researched at Australian universities. were chiropractors from the university’s Such topics as chiropractic, homeopathy, chiropractic courses. and acupuncture (for treatments beyond By all events, the trial was conducted analgesic effects) regularly appear in properly and scientifically, including university calendars, along with young double blind tests on its 40 volunteers, earth creationism, psychic powers, and a computerised dynamic spiritualism etc appearing either in formal ‘posturography’ device that measures university courses or in special education balance and stability. The study, not services provided on university campuses. surprisingly, came to the conclusion that “It is our fear that tertiary the bands did not do what they said they institutions are increasingly playing did. Dr Rachael Dunlop interviewed into offering courses the chief researcher, Dr Simon Brice, that will attract If a particular course We also asked the result of which can be heard on fee-paying students “ if Universities the SkepticZone podcast #130 (www. at the expense of offering is of concern, Australia has any skepticzone.tv). academic rigour, contact the institution in policy or position Some might assume, however, that and that even more on courses which a test by chiropractors on a product suspect topics will question. - Unis Aust incorporate to help one’s balance could be a case creep into faculty ” highly suspect or of checking out the competition – offerings – those topics that are more thoroughly debunked pseudoscientific something about pots and kettles. To suited to new age fairs and street stalls components. be fair, chiropractic probably does than the halls of academia.” Most of our concern revolved have some benefit as a lower back pain We asked if Universities Australia around courses covering ‘complement- relief. It’s the other effects claimed for has an official position on the bona ary medicine’, and in particular chiropractic where we find the ‘woo’. fides of courses offered at Australian chiropractic, acupuncture, naturopathy, This led us to a concern that many tertiary institutions, ie “that their study, homeopathy, and forms of Asian and have had for a while and that is the researching and teaching are based particularly Chinese medicine. creeping of pseudoscientific subjects on sound and established principles We stressed throughout our into tertiary institutions’ course and that their inclusion on university correspondence with Universities content, particularly those where both courses is justified and on par with Australia and the later groups we undergraduate and postgraduate degrees other perhaps less-controversial or at contacted that “we are not concerned are offered. least well-substantiated topics”. with individual studies for research etc 20 The Skeptic March 11

which investigate claims associated with level qualifications. These institutions disorders and respiratory problems. In such topics – in fact, we encourage that do not necessarily cover every one fact, the founder of chiropractic in the and have sponsored such research in the offering such courses, and we welcome 1880s, Daniel Palmer, once wrote that past. Our concern is with courses that correspondence from our readers on “Ninety-five per cent of all diseases are actively promote such methodologies - any others. caused by displaced vertebrae.” Such through education courses at whatever With each approach to the VC’s practices are used on children, with level - as being valid and proven, when office, we introduced our query on potential long-term damage. The basis the truth is often quite the opposite.” their course content with the same of chiropractic is a symptom known We received a reply from Michael concerns as expressed to Universities as “subluxation”, though chiropractors Hartmann, Universities Australia Australia. We added to this concerns have never been able to agree on the director of communication and about specific courses they were nature or even prove the existence of government relations. He said that carrying (the last sentence under such a condition. Obviously, there are “Universities Australia does not “Chiropractic” below was repeated serious doubts about the applicability, have an official position regarding with minor variation in each set of effectiveness and even whether there the ‘bona fides of courses offered concerns): is any substantiation for chiropractic, at Australian tertiary institutions’. Chiropractic: While chiropractic and particularly so when offered Universities are self accrediting and claims to use spinal manipulation for under a university’s imprimatur. therefore responsible for making their treatment purposes, for which there Acupuncture: While there may own decisions regarding the courses might be some justification, such be some mild analgesic effect of the that they will offer to students. Each practice has, at various times, also shallow insertion of needles (or even will have their own mechanisms for been applied to conditions including laser treatment) through the skin, at substantiating those decisions. asthma, bedwetting, clumsiness, ear various times acupuncture has been “If a particular course offering is infections, gastric problems, menstrual applied to such conditions as AIDS, of concern to your organisation then and pregnancy-related problems, allergies, arthritis, asthma, Bell’s I would suggest that you contact the hyperactivity, immune-system palsy, bladder and kidney problems, institution in question with your problems, urinary conditions, learning breast enlargement, bronchitis, concerns and clarify the rationale which has been used.” Which is exactly what we did. Survey Exclusions - More to Come? SURVEY OF INSTITUTIONS ur survey was primarily concerned with specific courses that carried degree and Following wide consultation with Oother similar academic qualifications, run by and within tertiary institutions. skeptical groups across Australia (and Therefore, we did not look more than in a passing fashion at short ‘community’ in particular the ongoing research work diploma courses, the sort of thing that runs for a few hours over a number of weeks of Joanne Benhamu of Sydney), we and are of a general nature for hobbyists and interested members of the public. For contacted the vice-chancellor’s office example, in among CIT’s Adult Community Education’s short courses on astronomy, of a number of tertiary institutions, all jewellery purchasing, chess, and dog grooming are 8-hour courses on “discover of which had been highlighted to us as your psychic intuition” and “tarot – getting started”. These are often outside of running degree or diploma courses of universities’ formal calendars of courses, although they do indicate worrying questionable scientific validity: concerns that they are at least tacitly endorsed by those institutions by being held • Canberra Institute of Technology on their premises and thus indicating a lack of overview on course content. (See • Charles Sturt University (NSW) sidebar on Creationists on Campus). • Edith Cowan University (WA) Nor did we look into those private institutions which are dedicated almost • Macquarie University (NSW) entirely to these areas, such as the Australasian College of Natural Therapies, which • Monash University (Vic) offers diplomas in natural medicine (including naturopathy, homoeopathy, aromatic • Murdoch University (WA) medicine, kinesiology and ‘myotherapy’). • Royal Melbourne Institute of Similarly with theology courses within theological institutions or faculties. Technology (RMIT) However, it is interesting, to say the least, that the University of Newcastle has a • Southern Cross University (Qld) range of theology undergraduate and postgraduate courses within its Arts and • University of Newcastle Education faculty. This is “designed to appeal to the diversity of Christian Churches • University of Sydney and their students, as well as students from other world faiths, indigenous and • University of Technology, Sydney overseas cultures”. These do not seem to be purely academic courses designed • University of Western Sydney for those interested in religious history and philosophy in the same way as there The 11 universities listed represent are courses in the history and philosophy of science available at many tertiary about 30 per cent of Australia’s institutions. This might be one area worthy of further investigation. universities. The one institute of Another area that may be worthy of investigation is osteopathy, which shares technology (CIT) also offers degree- some elements with both chiropractic and naturopathy. 21 FEATURE Education

Professor Ross Milbourne, powers, spiritualism etc’ and would egrees of Vice-Chancellor at University of request that you refrain from making D Technology, Sydney: such a link in your publication.” WOO “UTS offers courses in accord We responded to Prof Gardner’s with the Australian Qualifications last point by pointing out that “such Continued... Framework, and our Academic Board subjects as mentioned are or have been reviews the academic and educational taught, researched and/or promoted at colds, constipation, depression, merit of all course offerings – before universities and tertiary institutions in diarrhoea, dizziness, drug addiction they are approved – in accordance with Australia (though not RMIT). These (cocaine, heroin), epilepsy, fatigue, high levels of academic standards and subjects have, from time to time, also fertility problems, fibromyalgia, flu, academic peer review.” included auras (as in health indicators gynaecologic disorders, headaches, high for the human body) and UFOs - a blood pressure, hot flushes, irritable Professor Margaret Gardner AO, very worrisome thought.” bowel syndrome, migraines, nausea, Vice-Chancellor and President, In fact, as we learned later, the nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting), pain, RMIT University: subject of auras has been raised by one paralysis, post traumatic stress disorder, “As a global university of technology academic at RMIT. See the sidebar PMS, sciatica, sexual dysfunction, and design, RMIT is committed to an “Academic Auras”. sinus problems, smoking, stress, stroke, ethic of rigorous scientific enquiry. Our tendonitis and vision problems. academic staff, whether conducting Professor Gary Martin, Acting Vice Naturopathy: Naturopathy is often research or learning and teaching, Chancellor at Murdoch University: rooted in mysticism and a metaphysical operate within a methodology that is “Thank you for enquiring about the belief in ‘vitalism’, and the claim that evidence-based. Chiropractic program here at Murdoch many diseases, including cancer, are “The RMIT code of conduct University. We can assure you that caused by faulty immune systems. for research, for example, requires our program meets the same rigorous Chinese medicine: While there are researchers to demonstrate integrity academic standards as all our programs some justifications for researching and professionalism; observe fairness and fulfils the demanding professional Chinese herbs for their potential and equity; and demonstrate accreditation standards established and medical benefits, the course description intellectual honesty. reviewed by the Council on Chiro- includes a number of references to “I am confident that the programs practic Education Australasia (CCEA). course components and requirements you mention - chiropractic, “Chiropractic is an emerging incorporating acupuncture [at UTS]. acupuncture and Chinese medicine (we profession, and it is a very positive sign Homeopathy: [There were no no longer offer animal chiropractic) - that this profession is being represented standalone homeopathy courses, are taught within that methodology. increasingly in universities throughout most falling with “complementary” RMIT is not responsible for potentially Australia and many other parts of the or Chinese medicine courses.] We erroneous claims made by others about World. The University environment note courses covering ‘complementary these disciplines. facilitates quality assurance, medicine’ including such areas as “RMIT’s chiropractic paradigm is professionalism and scientific enquiry; naturopathy, homeopathy, kinesiology, based on a body of scientific literature our aim is to produce graduates who aromatherapy and acupuncture. which recognises the relationship are critical thinkers. The stated aim of such courses [at between neuromusculoskeletal and “The chiropractic profession has Charles Sturt University] is “to provide physiological dysfunction. In keeping been regulated by State regulatory complementary medicine practitioners with the spirit of the philosophy boards for many years, and now by the with an advanced level of knowledge, of science, both qualitative and new national board, the Chiropractic understanding and skills,” and yet there quantitative methods are promoted. Board of Australia (CBA). The School are serious doubts about the applicability, “RMIT’s Chinese medicine program of Chiropractic & Sports Science does effectiveness and even whether there is helping lead the international develop- not support any outrageous claims is any substantiation for such areas. ment of an evidence base for Chinese made by individual chiropractors and Homeopathy, in particular, is known to medicine practice. It conducts research promotes an evidence-based practice be without any scientific basis at all. projects funded by the National Health approach to teaching and learning.” and Medical Research Council and RESPONSES Australian Research Council, and has The lengthiest response and that which The number of responses was been a World Health Organization was the most willing to discuss the disappointing, in some cases (WHO) Collaborating Centre for issues of concern came from perfunctory, and in most entirely Traditional Medicine since 2005. Professor Nicholas Klomp, Dean of defensive (and some would sense a tone “I find it unfortunate that you the Faculty of Science, Charles Sturt of ‘harrumph’). We present here the should link either discipline with University: full responses by those who did do so. ‘young earth creationism, psychic “You are partly right that Charles 22 The Skeptic March 11

Creationists on Campus - How Woo Works with University Support ast September I received an email update from Creation funds going to the University to cover costs of the seminar, LMinistries International (CMI). I’d joined their email mailing list administration, coffee on arrival and barbeque lunch. I couldn’t years earlier and found the weekly emails to be informative (in help but wonder how much of the ‘administration’ was actually that they indicated what CMI was up to and where it’d be next) taking place during university work time, as CMI claim its events and often unintentionally hilarious (http://creation.com/strategy- are free to run and organise. of-the-devil). I now knew that the Provost office of the entire Fraser Coast The subject line of the email made my jaw drop: “University- campus was behind the event, not only providing a venue and sponsored Creation Seminar at Hervey Bay”. I hoped it was not my a forum for the dissemination of creation theology masked as University. science, but actively and uncritically supporting CMI through The email detailed how this was the first time in CMI’s history association with a public university, under the banner of a that a secular university had “shown this sort of open-minded “continuing commitment to engage intellectually with our commitment to presentation of the ‘other side’ of this issue”. The community”. email then advised that “The only presenters at this event are The Fraser Coast Campus is just one of USQ’s three main CMI scientists, and it is entirely the university’s event, and at its campuses, and I was willing to wager that the rest of the own initiative. The sponsoring organisation is the University of University had no idea this was taking place. I compiled a list of Southern Queensland, Fraser Coast, which is covering costs, and every single email address, of every single staff member, of each receiving all registration and fees.” and every USQ facility, and sent them a message outlining what I phoned the University of Southern Queensland’s Fraser was going on at Fraser Coast. Coast Campus reception office to enquire about the event. The Then I started receiving replies from USQ staff. The first one reception staff told me that the event was being organised by was disheartening, assuring me that the qualifications of both the Fraser Coast campus’ Provost Office exclusively. I was then Dr Batten and Dr Walker were impeccable and, through the transferred through to the executive assistant to Provost, Mrs respondent’s confusing series of seemingly illogical steps, actually Rhonda Eastall who, I was told, was handling all inquiries. related to evolutionary biology. They advised me that I would be Mrs Eastall was very pleased to hear I was interested in the doing myself a disservice by not attending the talk and becoming presentation and agreed to send me out the necessary details more informed on the topic. The next response merely advised I needed to book tickets. She spoke the names of the Creation me that the recipient did not agree with my ‘position’ and did not Ministries scientists with familiar ease. I pointed out that I believed wish to receive further correspondence. this would be the first time a public university in Australia had held Then the floodgates opened. I found my inbox filling with a seminar like this. She agreed - “I know, isn’t it exciting” messages of dismay that this was able to happen, mixed with She then went on to describe how good it was to be able to gratitude for being forewarned. Various academics and staff from bring education into a church setting. Within minutes I received a range of disciplines and departments across the University wrote via email the official flyer for the seminar, produced by USQ and to share their thoughts and advise that they would be seeking an accompanying note that read: “The University is hosting this an explanation right away. Curiously many of those who replied seminar due to the interest of providing education in churches showing support were very concerned with confidentiality, some and for the greater community who have an interest in the world, even replying only from private email accounts. The reasons given human origins and sciences (eg science teachers, university and were fear of recrimination for voicing their concerns, providing yet high school students, church members, general public interested another indication to me at least just how tough a battle we have in human origins).” to keep our schools and universities reason driven. The flyer itself titled the talk “Creation and Evolution, scientific At 5pm on Monday September 20, 2010, I received corres- evidence, myths and challenges”, and described the seminar as a pondence from a staff member who advised me that while they USQ special event, with two expert scientists challenging society’s were formally complaining, the University had told him they had largely uncritical commitment to the theory of evolution. Dr Don withdrawn all support, effectively cancelling the event! Batten and Dr Tas Walker of CMI will argue that conventional I checked the CMI webpage and found that although the event thinking about evolution is seriously flawed. They will present was still being advertised, there was now a comment: “Stop press! scientific evidence that lends support to Creation as an alternative A concerted campaign of vitriolic and deceptive opposition from explanation of our origins. persons outside the University of Southern Queensland has resulted With this in mind, it is worthwhile noting that CMI’s in the USQ Fraser Coast campus no longer sponsoring the seminar.” website clearly states: “The scientific aspects of creation I was amazed both that my efforts had achieved a desired are important, but are secondary in importance to the result at all, and that it had taken only three days. Yes, CMI might proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as Sovereign, find another venue. Yes, CMI was able to get into a university in Creator, Redeemer and Judge.” the first place, but now there are many staff and associates who The event had a charge of $20 for are not necessarily members of the ‘skeptical community’ who will adults and $15 for school age be watchful. child and seniors, with the — Jayson D Cooke 23 FEATURE Education

Health Science (Complementary Diploma or Advanced Diploma in a Degrees of Medicine) aims to ensure that those complementary medicine modality”, who choose to do extra study with which includes among others WOO CSU have formal health and scientific aromatherapy, kinesiology, reflexology, Continued... training, as well as an understanding Ayuveda [sic] and naturopathy.” of the need for evidence-based Surely these prerequisites and/or practice and the limitations of specific credit benefits, we asked, could easily Sturt University offers a degree in complementary therapies.” be seen as endorsements by a noted ‘complementary medicine’, but you We responded by pointing out that Australian institution that such ‘studies’ are wrong in your assumption that we appreciated Prof Klomp’s comment have validity, when in fact they are not CSU teaches such areas as naturopathy, that CSU doesn’t teach naturopathy without serious question. Homeopathy, homeopathy, kinesiology, aromatherapy etc, and also that CSU offers a range in particular, is without an evidence-base and/or acupuncture. I agree that of highly legitimate qualifications in at all, as is even admitted by homeopaths. there are serious doubts about the health science, particularly in specialist Prof Klomp responded: “I applicability and effectiveness of many and technology areas. understand especially the point you of these approaches to health care. It’s for that reason, we said, that make about not providing validity or “In fact, Charles Sturt University we find it a concern that “Students endorsement to un-scientific approaches offers the Bachelor of Health Science entering the course will be required to to healthcare. In the end it is a decision (Complementary Medicine) to those possess an approved and government to either not engage with the industry at graduates of various diplomas from accredited qualification at the diploma all, or attempt to improve the scientific TAFEs and other recognised post- level (or higher) in Complementary training of (potential) practitioners, secondary providers who are prepared Medicine in the following therapeutic so that they are more likely to offer a to study for an additional 1.5 – 2.5 modalities: naturopathy, nutritional service to the public that is less likely years in strict evidence-based disciplines. science, homoeopathy, kinesiology, to make unfounded and/or incorrect Students must complete the following herbal medicine, aromatherapy/ claims of efficacy or, worse, impede core subjects and, depending on what- aromatic medicine, oriental therapies, referral of genuinely sick clients to the else and where-else they have studied acupuncture and remedial massage.” more formal health system. in the past, must choose up to eight Some of these, you will recall, were “Universities give credit to prior additional electives from a strictly the very same areas that Prof Klomp learning, although at CSU we restrict prescribed list of subjects. had expressed “serious doubts about this to government-recognised “CSU recognises that there are a [their] applicability and effectiveness”. qualifications. On balance, I believe great many practitioners of various In addition, we noted: “Upon our approach of insisting on teaching forms of complementary medicine admission, all students are awarded the science required by all health already operating in Australia and a credit package of 48 points based care practitioners, with a strong across the world. Our Bachelor of on completion of a recognised emphasis on evidence-based practice, but acknowledging the interest and achievements of people who have formally studied these other subjects, is Academic Auras I recall a number of students a reasonable approach. being shocked by the teacher “CSU also does some excellent have a diploma in electronics bringing up the subject of research in complementary medicine, Ifrom RMIT. auras; clearly she was a believer. as acknowledged in the government’s The only time I recall any woo One student in particular, knowing recent process of research measures. For during my diploma (mid 90s) was when that I’m a skeptical person, said to me example, we produced a dozen scientific I had to get through the management/ “Malcolm, we are letting you off the (peer-reviewed) papers last year alone humanities part of it (I forget what the leash, this is a load of rubbish, go for it.” on identifying the active ingredients (if subject was called). It was mainly about Anyway, I thought I put my case against any) of traditional Chinese medicines how to hold meetings, interview staff, auras rather well, and regardless of my and other claimed herbal remedies. The do project management, write reports, colleagues’ encouragement, I was polite research is fed directly back into our do presentations, that kind of thing. and reasonable about it. More effective teaching. Students cannot escape CSU Somehow the teacher conducting was a group chat with the course co- without being thoroughly exposed to this class brought in a discussion of auras. ordinator; he was embarrassed more scientific approaches to research and This was presented to a class full of than anything. We had a different knowledge.” practical electronics students by the way, teacher the following week and for the He added that “We have found that people who are quite comfortable with remainder of that subject. many students upon starting our course what other people would regard as the transfer to more formal health programs magic of electronics and magnetism. — Malcolm Vickers (pharmacy, medical science, nursing) 24 The Skeptic March 11

upon exposure to evidence-based Wooniversities at Play - Subjects for Review practice in these fields.” For the record, the list of courses offered by Australian tertiary education bodies (We would like to thank Prof Klomp which incorporate potential (correct as at February 24, 2011, for spending the time and effort to at more than survyed but probably incomplete as per other institutions). least consider the issues.) The personal assistant for Dr Michael CANBERRA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY Spence, Vice-Chancellor and Principal, • Naturopathy - Advanced Diploma • Clinical Science (Bachelors and Masters degrees). Alongside nursing, midwifery, allied the University of Sydney, did say they CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY health, and psychology, “The [Bachelors would pass our request on to Dr Spence • Bachelor of Health Science (Complementary degree] course allows students to tailor their for his attention. It seems to have Medicine) study program to meet their specific needs and • Course in interests, including those wishing to pursue a stopped there, as we received no reply. career in osteopathy, psychology, naturopathy And that’s it – less than half of the CURTIN UNIVERSITY and human nutrition.” institutions bothered to reply, let alone • Evidence Based Complementary Medicine • Plus SCU Health Clinic which will “Train (course) students in applying naturopathic and justify their academic offerings. “Complementary and alternative medicines osteopathic skills in assessment and Despite the protestations of those including medicinal herbal therapies and treatment”. who did reply, it is still evident that, their chemical constituents, nutritional therapies and other miscellaneous treatments. SUNSHINE COAST TAFE under the imprimatur of universities Pharmacological actions and clinical uses • Certificate in Aromatherapy and their reputation for academic of complementary medicines including • Diploma of Reflexology probity and accuracy, the public, evidence of safety and efficacy. Clinical role of • Certificate and Advanced Diploma in Ayurvedic complementary therapies.” Lifestyle Consultation students and no doubt many academics would regard these areas of activity EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE as having been endorsed by such • Complementary and Alternative Medicines • Complementary Therapies in Healthcare “This unit [within the Faculty Of Computing, “The course will be theory and practical based institutions. Mentioned in relation to Health And Science School Of Nursing, and will include complementary therapies such advanced studies, no matter how much Midwifery And Postgraduate Medicine] as massage, aromatherapy, Reiki, meditation, the subject is encased in references to examines the current knowledge and and guided imagery. These therapies have evidence to support complementary and been selected to suit the scope of practice of research and evidence, the view is that alternative medicines (CAM). Potential health care professionals and also because of these areas have been given the seal of benefits and risks are explored together with burgeoning community interest and usage of approval. consumer values. The focus of the unit is the these complementary therapies. The different application of this knowledge into current modalities will be viewed from an historical, And in many instances, that is clinical practice.” social and contemporary basis within the legal exactly what has happened. The fact • Complementary and Alternative Physical context of modern society in Australia.” that several universities have set up Therapies (no details given as to what these are) UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND clinics in acupuncture, chiropractic, • Centre for Integrative Clinical and Molecular Chinese medicine and naturopathy MACQUARIE UNIVERSITY Medicine. Within the School of Medicine, to treat students and staff is indication • Bachelor of Chiropractic Science while this Centre undertakes “scientific • Master of Chiropractic research to evaluate the scientific foundation enough that this is not a moot point, • Plus six chiropractic clinics of complementary medicine” it also “is but a statement that, yes, these are particularly renowned for its studies in proven modalities. MONASH UNIVERSITY integrating evidence-based complementary • Graduate Certificate in Medical Acupuncture therapies into clinical care to help people Despite the fact they’re not. achieve and maintain optimal health and This concern will be the subject of MURDOCH UNIVERSITY well-being”. further research and approaches to • Bachelor of Science in Chiropractic • Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Chiropractic UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY tertiary institutes for them to at least • Plus: Murdoch University Chiropractic Clinic • Masters and Graduate Diplomas and seriously justify the inclusion of such Certificates in Herbal Medicines courses. Dismissive and bland references RMIT • Bachelor of Health Science (Chiropractic) UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, SYDNEY to market forces, the Australian • Master Clinical Chiropractic • Bachelor of Health Science in Traditional Qualifications Framework and internal • Chinese Medicine/Human Biology – Bachelor Chinese Medicine. (Includes acupuncture, reviews of the academic and educational of Applied Science (Double Degree) and assumes knowledge based on “Any two • Bachelor of Health Science (Acupuncture and units of English; and any two units of science - merit of all course offerings are not Chinese Manual Therapy) biology is recommended”.) enough. • Graduate Diploma in Acupuncture • Plus UTS Traditional Chinese Medicine Clinic, By and large, we feel the • Master of Applied Science including an acupuncture clinic. (Acupuncture) response to date has been, • Nutrition postgraduate degree UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY to say the least, pathetic and (Aimed at health practitioners, • Bachelor of Applied Science (Naturopathic worrying. including doctors, nurses, Studies) . physiotherapists, chiropractors, • Graduate Diploma in Naturopathy osteopaths, naturopaths and • Master of Health Science (Acupuncture) other complementary medicine • Master of Health Science (Traditional Chinese About the author: practitioners.) Medicine) • Plus UniClinic offering treatments in Tim Mendham is executive officer naturopathy, podiatry, and traditional Chinese and editor with Australian Skeptics Inc. medicine and acupuncture 25 FEATURE Belief Northern Exposure

Martin Bridgstock and investigate paranormal belief in the Sunshine State.

he state of Queensland has a That sounds expensive, but is much range of other ’standard’ questions. The Thistory of involvement with the cheaper than most commercial polls. survey’s organisers present a good deal paranormal. Under Joh Bjelke-Petersen’s We contacted the Australian of evidence about how representative premiership there was strong interest Skeptics Science and Education their twelve hundred interviewees in the Milan Brych ‘cure’ for cancer Foundation and explained that we are. With one exception, the and the Stephen Horvath hydrogen would like to ask Queenslanders interviewees are a good cross-section car (Wear 2002). Worst of all, in the twenty questions for the 2008 survey. of Queenslanders. That exception is 1980s, Queensland came close to having The Foundation (bless them) agreed that fewer people in the 18-24 age taught in state schools to fund the survey. For the last couple bracket were interviewed than should (Bridgstock and Smith 1986). of years we have been analysing the have been, and more older people. Joh’s Minister for Education, Lin results, and would like to share some of Apart from that, we can be confident Powell, when he was trying to push the most striking with you. that the respondents do represent the creation science into Queensland The Queensland Social Survey population of Queensland (Hanley and schools, used to claim that large interviews are all done by phone. Mummery 2008). numbers of people supported his Trained people call numbers at random actions. Was he right? Nobody knew. in Queensland and ascertain whether DO QUEENSLANDERS BELIEVE IN THE With this in mind, we wanted to know the people are prepared to take part in PARANORMAL? what Queenslanders really thought the survey. The people approached are To ask about paranormal beliefs, we had about the paranormal. Is there massive random, except that care is taken to to make a selection from the thousands support for weird ideas and quack cures? make sure that there is a gender balance We can now find out. Based in and that rural and urban people are Central Queensland University at properly represented. The result was Rockhampton, the Queensland that we received the answers of 1,243 Population Laboratory is a professional people to our twenty questions, plus a outfit which specialises in polls and surveys. Every two years, the Laboratory does the Queensland Social Survey. It contacts about 1200 Queenslanders, and asks them a range of questions. For a fee of $1500 per question, your questions can be asked. 26 The Skeptic March 11

Table 1 a single underlying item, roughly called Percentage of Queenslanders believing in some paranormal propositions ‘paranormal belief’ on which some people rate high and others rate low? BELIEF BELIEVING OR This could simplify the results a great STRONGLY BELIEVING (%) deal, as people rating high believe most Psychic or spiritual healing or the power of the human 58.9 of the items, people rating low do not. mind to heal the body. Answering this question needs statistical analysis, and one way is to use Northern Creationism, which is the idea that God created human beings 37.9 pretty much in their present form at one time within a technique called factor analysis (eg the last 10,000 years. Child 1970). In factor analysis, belief in the various items is correlated, and then Ghosts or that spirits of dead people can come back in certain 35.9 places and situations. a computer is set to answer the question of how many underlying scales there are. Exposure That extra-terrestrial beings have visited earth at some 29.4 For this data two underlying factors, or time in the past. dimensions, accounted for about 58% That people can hear from or communicate mentally with 29.3 of the variance*. This means that we someone who has died. can reasonably reduce the number of scales from six to two, a considerable Astrology, or that the position of the stars and planets can 28.5 affect people’s lives. simplification. The two factors, and how each item relates to them, are shown in of beliefs which actually exist. The popular than the others. Psychic and Table 2. They tell us a good deal about percent of people believing, or strongly spiritual healing commands a majority how paranormal beliefs fit together in believing, in some paranormal topics is assent, while all the others are near the people’s minds. If you think visually, shown in Table 1. one-third level. You might, as Michael you can plot them out on a piece of How does this compare with the Shermer (2001) did, have some doubts graph-paper. Five of the beliefs cluster views of Australians generally? It’s hard about the item concerning psychic together, loading high on the first factor. to say, as different polls ask questions and spiritual healing. A great many These concern a number of ‘mainstream’ in different ways. A Nielsen poll of people believe that, if you have a paranormal propositions such as Australians in 2009 reported that 32% positive attitude to health matters, you astrology, ghosts, communicating of Australians believed in ghosts and will do a great deal better. Therefore, with the dead and the like. If someone 25% in astrology. These are very similar if you believe this, you might agree believes one of these, they are more to the Queensland results. On the with the item without endorsing any likely to believe in the others. Now it is other hand, only 23% of Australians paranormal belief at all. pretty clear why someone might believe believe the Creation account of origins, The second most in ghosts and in which is a good deal less than the figure popular item is communicating for Queensland. However, the options creation, followed “ What Queenslanders with the dead. given were different, and any social closely by ghosts. really think about the After all, if you researcher can tell you that asking All of the others believe in ghosts, questions in slightly different ways can are just below 30% paranormal - is there all you have to do is produce completely different results. in approval. This massive support for weird communicate with Our best judgment is that there is a seems to show that ideas and quack cures? one and you are slight tendency for Queenslanders to apart from the ” talking to the dead! believe more in the paranormal, and healing item, most But it is much less a somewhat larger tendency for them paranormal beliefs clear why a believer to believe in creationism. Even the are endorsed by only a minority of in these two items should also believe in latter percentage, though, is clearly a people in Queensland. astrology or ancient astronauts. There is minority. Now, the levels of belief on several of no logical link, but they do go together Clearly, one belief is much more the items are similar, so could there be in people’s minds.

0327 FEATURE Belief

Northern any proposition which involves paranormality, or the ‘unknown’. We Exposure Continued... might conjecture that people rating high on this factor describe themselves as ‘open-minded’ and have almost The single item of belief in no idea about any sort of critical creationism is off on its own. It loads investigation. Probably, if we had put extremely highly on the second factor, in items on telepathy and clairvoyance, but hardly at all on the first factor. The we would have found that those, also, other five items all load highly on the load very highly on this factor. We first factor, but, with one exception, could reasonably treat this as a general hardly at all on the second. The disposition to believe in paranormal exception is the item derived from Erich propositions, and ask further questions This suggests that the two types of von Däniken’s ideas about ancient alien about what sort of people believe in this paranormal belief are slightly positively visitors. This is closely linked to the other way, and why they do so. correlated, which is interesting and paranormal items, but is a little negative The other factor is quite different. possibly merits further research. The on the second factor. Creationism stems directly from exception is the item relating to Erich What does this tell us? Well, for fundamentalist Christian belief. If we von Däniken’s ideas. Although it is years there has been a debate among had included items on belief in, say, linked to the other ‘mainstream’ items, psychologists about whether paranormal heaven and hell and the Devil, it is it also loads negatively on the second belief is a single tendency, or a complex probable that they would have loaded factor. This makes sense: if you believe of several different ones. From this positively on this factor. We should in Young Earth Creationism, you cannot evidence, it looks as if there are two therefore treat it completely separately accept von Däniken’s ideas, which is that different types of belief, and a person’s from the other paranormal items. aliens (anathema to fundamentalists) views on one tells us almost nothing We might note two other points have been affecting human history over about their views on the other. which are of interest. First, the creation long periods of time. Probably, what we are looking at on item loads slightly positively on the the first factor is a general disposition first factor, and the other items mostly DO QUEENSLANDERS SUPPORT among some people to accept almost are positive on the second factor. CREATION SCIENCE? One of our main concerns was Table 2 with support for creation science in Factor loadings of six paranormal items Queensland. We asked a question about young earth creationism, and BELIEF FIRST FACTOR LOADING SECOND FACTOR LOADING also about support for two scientific theories, evolution and continental Creation 0.06 0.98 drift. In the USA, repeated surveys have Ancient astronauts 0.68 -0.19 shown a chilling result from these sorts of question: given a choice between the Psychic healing 0.80 0.09 two, about 55% of adult Americans support creation over evolution Communication with dead 0.81 0.07 (Religious Tolerance 2011). It is truly Ghosts 0.66 0.10 frightening that citizens of the world’s greatest scientific and intellectual power Astrology 0.54 0.06 reject a key finding of science in such large numbers. What do Queenslanders think? You Table 3 can see the result for creation in Table Percentage of respondents believing in two scientific propositions 1. Table 3 shows the corresponding percentages for two major scientific ideas, evolution and continental drift. SCIENTIFIC PROPOSITION PERCENT BELIEVING OR STRONGLY BELIEVING Both are logically opposed to young earth creationism. The results suggest Evolution, which is the idea that human beings developed 62.5 over millions of years from less advanced forms of life. that a clear majority of Queenslanders support evolution. Roughly 62% Continental Drift, which is the idea that continents have 81.2 support the evolutionary statement been moving their locations for millions of years and will as opposed to 38% who support the continue to move in the future. creation statement. 28 The Skeptic March 11

This statement contradicts former Table 4 Minister for Education, Lin Powell, Urban and rural areas compared about belief in creation and evolution who claimed that there was widespread support for teaching creation science in TYPE OF AREA PERCENTAGE BELIEVING OR PERCENTAGE BELIEVING OR state schools. There is minority support, STRONGLY BELIEVING IN EVOLUTION STRONGLY BELIEVING IN CREATION but we have also seen that about 36% of Urban 64.3 36.7 the survey sample believe in ghosts, and about 59% believe in psychic or spiritual Rural 56.8 41.4 healing. Therefore, according to Powell’s own logic, these also should be taught X2 =4.82 p<5% X2 =2.09 Not sig. in Queensland schools. Of course, we should not expect intellectual honesty Table 5 from a fundamentalist politician, and we Type of religion and belief in creationism did not get it. During the Bjelke-Petersen years, the TYPE OF RELIGION PERCENT BELIEVING IN CREATIONISM ruling National Party overwhelmingly (Christians and non-believers only) represented the rural areas of the state, while the other conservative party, the No religion 13.2 Liberals, and the opposition ALP were Liberal 38.2 mostly confined to urban areas. We were therefore interested to know if Moderate 49.4 support for creation science was a state- wide phenomenon, or whether it was Fundamentalist 76.9 confined to rural areas. Table 4 shows the Χ2=168.3 p<0.1% answer to this question. We have cross- tabulated area of residence – urban or rural – with belief in creation science. was about to make a sexually-related Identification Survey 2008). In the US To our surprise, the differences are comment and suddenly stopped herself, this corresponds to tens of millions of rather modest. Rural people are just saying “Oh no, this is Queensland!” So people, and organisations like American over seven percent less likely to believe it is natural to ask about the religious Atheists are beginning to raise their in evolution, and this is statistically outlook of Queenslanders. profile, demanding to be heard on issues significant. Rural dwellers are a little Over the last few decades, western of public concern. more likely to believe in creationism, but countries have seen two trends in With this in mind, we had a careful this difference is even smaller – under religious belief. By far the most look at the number of religious non- five per cent – and is not statistically spectacular has been the eruption of believers in Queensland. QSS asked significant. In both cases there is a fundamentalist Christianity into a a question about what church people substantial majority who believe in militant mode. We see mega-churches belonged to and, when responses were evolution, and a minority (albeit a packed with thousands of ecstatic unusual, recorded what people actually sizeable one) who believe in creation. supporters, ranting evangelists on said. We classified the religious views The idea that rural Queensland is a rabid television and overt attempts to influence of our respondents into four categories, ‘bible belt’ of creationist belief is not the political process. On the other leaving out non-Christians. The four supported by the evidence. hand, quietly and without much fuss, categories were ‘Non-believers,’ ‘Liberal there has been a steady growth in the Christians,’ ‘Moderate Christians’ WHAT ABOUT RELIGION IN QUEENSLAND? number of people who do not hold and ‘Fundamentalist Christians’. Our Queensland has been noted for its religious beliefs at all. Even in that first surprise was that fully 25.5% conservative, religious-based outlook. heartland of , the United of respondents did not appear to be One of us remembers former Miss States, the number of disbelievers has religious believers. Not all were atheists World Belinda Green appearing on now risen to about 15%, from only or agnostics, but this sizeable figure a Queensland television show. She 8.2% in 1990 (American Religious refers to all those who did not have 29 FEATURE Belief

Northern there may well be people who do not understand science and cannot see why Exposure Continued... creationism is not a viable explanation. The moral from this is pretty clear. Unlike fundamentalists, we skeptics a religious affiliation. This number should not regard anyone as doomed. is greater than those in any church, We should put our case, as clearly and including the Anglicans (23.1%) and the cogently as we can, to anyone who will Catholics (19.7%). Of course, if you add listen. And we might make progress in together all the religious groups, they far the most unexpected areas. . outnumber the unbelievers, but the size of the non-religious population is quite * For the statistically inclined, we surprising. The Nielsen poll, incidentally, dichotomised the variables and found that 30% of Australians were used SPSS to carry out a principal atheist or agnostic, which is a slightly components analysis with listwise larger figure. deletion, followed by varimax rotation. If we take our four-fold classification of religious belief and relate it to belief in References creationism, we find the results in Table American Religious Identification Survey (2008) 5. They are clear cut and very statistically Summary Report. Hartford, Connecticut: ARIS. significant. Among unbelievers, only Bridgstock, Martin and Smith, Ken eds. (1986) about one person in eight believes or Creationism, an Australian Perspective. strongly believes in creationism. Among Melbourne, Australian Skeptics. fundamentalists, over three quarters Child, Dennis (1970) The essentials of factor believe or strongly believe in the creation analysis. London and New York: Holt, Rinehart view. We can go a little further. The and Winston. survey asked respondents whether their Hanley, Christine and Mummery, Kerry (2008) religious beliefs were very important Queensland Social Survey 2008. Final Sampling to them. Of those fundamentalists Report. Rockhampton: Central Queensland who said yes, an overwhelming 93.7% University. believe the creation account. Nielsen (2009) Special Nielsen Poll: Faith in As a skeptic, you might be surprised Australia 2009. Available at http://www.smh. at the number of dissenting people in com.au/pdf/Nielsen%20Poll%20Faith%20 these statistics. How can more than Dec19.pdf. Accessed January 11, 2011. one-eighth of religious unbelievers Religious Tolerance (2011) U.S. public opinion accept creationism? How can nearly polls on evolution & creation science. Available a quarter of fundamentalists reject at http://www.religioustolerance.org/ev_ creationism? There are several answers. public.htm. Accessed January 11, 2011. Our classification of religions is pretty Shermer, Michael (2001) Polls Show Paranormal crude, and some people may be Beliefs on the Rise, Evolution Belief on the wrongly classified. Further, QSS told Decline. Skeptic (USA) 9, 1: 10-11 us that some people were astonished Wear, Rae (2002) Johannes Bjelke-Petersen: In this DVD Dr Long and confused by our questions, so The Lord’s Premier. St Lucia, Queensland: (Palaeontologist & Museum of Melbourne’s their responses may not have been University of Queensland Press. Head of Science) representative of their actual views. We reviews recent remarkable do have a feeling, however, that there is evidence from China to trace something real here. We think that even About the authors: the evolution of birds in fundamentalist churches there are Martin Bridgstock is a senior lecturer in the School from dinosaurs people who, quietly, of Biomolecular and and tetrapods from fish. do not agree with Physical Sciences at Griffith the dogma. Perhaps University and the author of they are there for Beyond Belief. $12 the companionship, from: Australian Skeptics or because of family Kylie Sturgess is an PO Box 5166 Melbourne 3001 pressures, or for educator, writer and a or: Freecall in Australia fun. And even podcaster on Token Skeptic 1800 666 996 among unbelievers and PodBlack Cat. 30 PUZZLES The Skeptic March 11

ACROSS Brain testers 1. Disgraced doctor has the site for an al fresco CRYPTIC CROSSWORD no 9 funeral party. (9) 5. Unavoidable companion of taxes. (5) 1 32 4 5 76 8. Renaming Friday, I somehow find myself talking to Harvey, god and Snuffleupagus. (9,6) 10. Ball stand whatsit for baby problem. (8) 8 9 11. Dishonest players are not chaste. (6) 15. Small promotion in the current era. (2) 10 11 12 13 16. I ran back in time. (6) 14 17. A thousand lyre turned away from reality. (5) 20. What the ...?! You’re equal?! (5) 15 16 17 18 21. Short presentations torn and broken in 19 small island. (6) 20 21 22 22. The story of my life, at 105. (1-1) 23 24. Creative heart is truly central. (6) 25. Two donkeys go in to a bar, one kills the other. (8) 24 25 27. It’s no joke if you can’t end it. (4,2,9) 26 30. The centre houses UN sex. (5) 27 28 29 31. Top kid may be an alien hybrid. (9)

30 31 DOWN Tim Mendham + Steve Roberts 1. Joint prohibited because of the abuse of the balance of power. (9) DR BOB’S TRIVIA QUESTIONS 2. Barbie’s boyfriend goes back to the ship and frighten sailors ... (6) 1. In Liechtenstein’s last war, they sent 80 troops to go and 3. ... and do the same with queens, by using intimidatory wallop the Dutch; how many men returned? workers. (11) 2. In what language do the first five words in the dictionary 4. Periods of reported confusion. (4) mean ‘sky’, ‘baffle’, ‘hat’, ‘head’, ‘beret’? 5. The German red rose. (3) 6. Best fighter pilot in the pack. (3) 3. How did 19th-century German scientists explain the 7. It’s a hell of a way to make shade. (5) arched brow of Neanderthal skulls? 9. As antics go I’m not sure what to make of it. (8) 4. Sigmund Freud said that if the patient agreed with the 12. I’m in each photo of a worthless treatment. (11) analyst about the diagnosis, then the diagnosis was 13. The glow of a golden god. (4) probably correct. But what if the patient vehemently 14. Rip Satan to shreds for taking sides. (8) disagreed with the diagnosis? 18. Top notch profession to finish. (6,3) 19. Copper lieutenant arrested individuality in a group. (4) 23. What is, as is, is not Francis. (6) 24. As a chook, it’s a pale imitation. (5) Answers on page 62 26. Copies primates. (4) 28. Five love ten who voice their result. (3 29. Nasal negatives found in 9 down. (3)

0331 FEATURE Conspiracies Really?!

Eran Segev talks with David Aaronovitch, conspiracy theory investigator, on the what, why and how to deal with conspiracy followers.

avid Aaronovitch is an award- worked on other newspapers too. Party in the 50s and 60s. And that Dwinning journalist with a regular [In addition to The Times, business of why people choose to column in The Times newspaper. He is Aaronovitch has written for The believe what they do and about also a broadcaster, a documentary maker Independent, The Guardian and The commitment has always fascinated me. and the author of two books, the latter Observer, winning a number of awards, But one aspect that began to interest of which is Voodoo Histories, about the including Columnist of the Year me a lot after 9/11 was the area of role of the conspiracy theory in shaping 2003 and the 2001 Orwell prize for hoaxes and conspiracy theories – in modern history. journalism. - Ed] other words, how people would choose to believe what seems, on the face of David, can you tell me a little bit You wrote a book about conspiracy it, to be absurd things ... and how about your role as a journalist? I know theories, of course, and the introduction intelligent people would believe absurd you’re interested in conspiracy theories, of the book is titled “Blame Kevin”. It things. but that’s not your only interest. describes how you came to be aware and There was a particular cause the skeptical of conspiracy theories. Can you name of which made me say “I need No it’s not. I’ve been a journalist tell us how that happened? to write this book”. And this was when in TV and radio and print for more I was with this chap called Kevin, a years now than I’d like to mention. I’ve increasingly been very terrific guy, and we were filming in I’m mostly interested in international interested in why people believe Tunisia together for a BBC program affairs, politics, culture and the media, what they do. This is largely because which was about how, in tourist and the interrelationship between them. I was brought up in a household of destinations, the tourists can go about So that’s the area that I write about for communists – my father was a fulltime their business completely unaware of The Times as a columnist and I’ve also worker for the British Communist the bad treatment and torture of local David Aaronovitch, conspiracy theory appraiser 32 The Skeptic March 11

dissidents. This was quite a difficult is something much more ridiculous, thing you can say about conspiracy program to do because the Tunisian something much more complicated. theories in their entirety is that they secret police were watching quite a lot And it was interesting to me that you tend to abandon the role of accident of the places we were going to. Kevin want to believe it. and contingency in human life. And was an ultra-reliable ultra-sensible and I thought about this afterwards and to give deliberate agency to almost intelligent guy to go with. He was I thought there was really something everything that happens. acting as the cameraman and we had here to be explained. I wondered For instance, to a conspiracy to travel down from the north to the how you could choose to believe theorist the First World War was centre of the country which was quite a something that was inherently more deliberated upon by somebody and its long way. ridiculous than the thing that you were outcome decided by somebody, whereas It was on this journey that he questioning. a historian would see it as combination suddenly turned around to me and That kind of started me off looking of a huge number of disparate incidents started talking about the moon at conspiracy theories. That was about that combine to create a particular landings of 1969 and he asked me the time that the first conspiracy event. what I thought about it and I said I’d theories about 9/11 were beginning to Although conspiracy theories are a watched it on television when I was appear in 2002. I just simply started huge over-simplification, they are also a kid. He then went on to tell me looking at all the conspiracy theories, an ‘over-complexification’ if you know that I hadn’t and that it had all been and at least a couple which I had, in what I mean. They manage to be both mocked up on a stage somewhere and a kind of quiet way, had believed in at the same time. the evidence for this lay in a series of myself, in a quiet way, such as the Conspiracy theory is essentially a discrepancies about the photography conspiracy to kill JFK or the idea that decision to believe a less likely version and so on. And he asked me “What Hitler had set fire to the Reichstag. of history. That’s pretty much what it is. do you think about I looked at dozens. this?” I said my first Boiling them down You’ve chosen specific conspiracies reaction of someone to get a range of that obviously meet that definition, but who hadn’t really conspiracy theories, also cover a range of different types of thought about it is that what they had in theories. Could you describe a few of I feel instinctively that common and what was theories that you have covered and why it would take a hell different about them you chose to include those? of a lot more effort to – this was quite a huge organise a hoax moon task; it took me nearly I wanted to include the first landing than a real six years to write the conspiracy theory that I look at which one - much easier to book. is the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, or do a real one, so in It was really quite the idea of a Jewish world conspiracy, but a way what you are fascinating, I could it could actually stand in for the notion choosing to believe in easily have extended that a small group of people could, on the book to include a global level, try to cause something to urban myths or happen, which is a constant theme in a conspiracy theories not certain type of conspiracy theory. The in Western countries, second one that I look at is a sponsored but there was so many conspiracy theory, ie the one in Stalinist that narrowing them Russia, where there was the gigantic down was really quite Trotskyite conspiracy where all the a labour. But I got through it in the accidents and industrial problems that end. Stalinist industrialisation had led to was somehow the product of deliberate You discuss in the book several sabotage by these people. possible definitions of what makes a I look at what you might call conspiracy theory. You chose one – can pseudohistory in terms of what led you tell us what it is and why you chose up to Dan Brown’s books, not that it? these are in the same league. But it’s very interesting psychologically – the Essentially, it is, if you like, the Holy Blood Holy Grail idea, that the adoption of a less likely theory Catholic Church conspired to suppress as being the most likely theory. the secret bloodline of Jesus. In that one That essentially is what a I’m looking to see what it is that people David Aaronovitch, conspiracy theory appraiser conspiracy theory is. The one like so much. 0333 FEATURE Conspiracies

Really?! David Kelly who committed suicide anything that negated his case, or cast after revelations about the war in doubt on the evidence that negated it, Continued... Iraq. I was just wondering if you felt and how he exaggerated anything that you might be taking a bit of a risk by supported his case until eventually including something as recent as that? he’d kind of stood this mountain on I’d love you to a pinhead of actual conjecture with tell us what the name I imagine when you say taking a no evidence whatsoever. To the extent of that chapter is. risk, you mean because I might turn that nevertheless people reviewing his out to be wrong? book said he put forward a convincing It’s “Holy Blood, case. to which true skeptics would say: Holy Grail, Holy Shit”. “If this is a convincing case, what on Incidentally, that’s one of the things earth is your idea of an unconvincing about book-writing – I put that chapter case?” heading down always expecting that the In other words, how easily publishers demand that I take it out. I convinced some people are. suppose, in a way, I was hoping that they There are reasons why people would, but when they didn’t I left it in. are easily convinced by some things And then there are the conspiracy and not by others, and that is largely theories which involve specific iconic because you want to be. And that’s individuals like JFK, Marilyn Monroe or quite an obvious but nevertheless Princess Diana, where I think something important lesson. else is happening there which tries to explain the sudden taking away of an Basically you use that as an iconic and important figure. There’s a example of what a conspiracy theory whole slew of conspiracy theories which is to people who could aware of the are essentially similar from the 1980s details and could follow it in . that show that conspiracy theories, to And then they could see, through use the Dawkins word, are memetic. In your analysis, how this pans out as a other words, there’s a fashion for certain conspiracy theory. types of conspiracy theories at certain points of history which then disappear. This particular one, the Kelly one, Well, if you were to believe in most comes up every four or five months, conspiracy theories you wouldn’t expect because there’s a group of doctors – only fashionable theories to be true, there are six of them or so – who every so this tells us that the construction of It’s something which is still high now and then demand a new inquest conspiracy theories is not totally unlike on the political agenda in Britain and or inquiry. And the story is reported the construction of, let’s say, religious perhaps not seen as a conspiracy theory by certain papers as if it had just movements. It has a similar kind of faith- like the JFK theory might look to the happened. So that the Daily Mail, for based element to it. person in the street. instance, has now reported this four That’s the kind of range that I tried or five times. And every time it’s done to get in. Coming right up-to-date in the In my mind that would just make this it’s as if this is a significantly new American paperback edition are the anti- it all the fresher, all the more salient, story when in fact it’s exactly the same Clinton and anti-Obama conspiracies, and that people are actually dealing old people saying exactly the same including the ‘birther’ conspiracy about with one which is ‘on the go’ now. old thing, adding absolutely nothing Obama [that Obama is not a natural- My motivation now was that the to what they’ve said before. And this born citizen of the US and is therefore book which purported a murder and because it kind of fits the agenda of ineligible to be president], which show a conspiracy was an almost perfect that particular newspaper, although that conspiracy theories can often be the example of a technique of constructing not so much in their case because they rationalisation by the politically defeated a conspiracy theory. I just couldn’t actually believe it. of their own defeat. In other words, let it go. It was absolutely the model It also speaks to the kind of something like the Republicans only of normalising the abnormal and belief that sometimes happens that lost because of the devilishness of this abnormalising the normal – reversing governments are so wicked in the man Clinton or the incredible fiendish everything in order to come up with west that they are capable of anything capacity of this man Obama. the conclusion the author wanted to secretly. come up with. Since you talk about current I wanted to show how he had Including deleting all the emails of politics, I wanted to ask you about Dr done it. How he had overlooked those doctors? 34 The Skeptic March 11

That’s the kind of classic – every their mind as a result of it. Now, I don’t who created these documentaries for time a conspiracy theorist has a expect that to be a huge number but BBC television in its historical and problem with his or her computer – you know that as a skeptic yourself the archaeological series called Chronicle. and it’s almost always his computer pleasure of that one person who says I think we were entitled to believe, – then in that case that’s the authorities that to you is worth all the rest. and I did as a teenager, because it was doing something to them. on the BBC and one of the BBC’s Now it is true, as we know from The thing is you often expect leading programs that it was true. I China and Iran that there are organised conspiracy theorists to take their general thought that the man presenting it state hackers, that sometimes do this line of conspiracy which is “evidence must be an historian. I did not realise sort of thing. But on the whole we against the conspiracy is evidence of the that he was actually a TV scriptwriter can honestly say that most conspiracy conspiracy”. So a book like yours could for a science fiction series. theorists in America and Britain are actually make some people stronger fairly safe from their governments. in their beliefs, because here is this But he was on television. It’s like One of the things I put into an important journalist writing this book “It’s in the papers so it must be true.” article I wrote for The Wall Street with all this evidence and dedicating Journal was that it seemed to be a fact 300 pages to it, so this that, despite the fact that the conspiracy must be true. theorists were the people who had discovered the supposed truths and One of the things were proving it about these people in I love about modern power who were capable of any act, no conspiracy theories is that matter however despicable, that none increasingly they have to of them had ever actually been killed take on the appearance themselves. of scholarship and that The Wall Street Journal was rather means that, if you’re a worried that I might be encouraging person who is a professor, the killing of conspiracy theories and like David Ray Griffin made me tone down that part of the who is a theologian and article. has written eight books about 9/11, which It sounds like you don’t really if it’s packed full of expect to convince any conspiracy footnotes, then that per theorist. se constitutes scholarship because it has a scholarly Well, actually, I have had several appearance. communications – emails and letters What is actually in from people who said they had changed the book and what the their minds as a result of reading the footnotes refer to might book. I have to say I was a bit surprised be absolute rubbish but because on the whole if you believe as long as it looks like in conspiracy theories and you’re something like it you confronted with a book that says, at the might think that it is. outset, that this is mostly a debunking The point that you’re exercise, most conspiracy theorists making is absolutely are not going to want to read it. But right. When I first saw some people do … some people who the documentaries on believe in conspiracies are genuinely the BBC that the Holy open-minded and questing thinkers Blood Holy Grail books who have just not managed at that were based on and that moment to calculate reality and the led up to the famous da Vinci Code I think that’s right. We get these odds on reality. They have a skeptical introduction from Dan Brown where appetites for a lot of conspiracy cast of mind but have not really applied he said that a number of things in this theories. I’ll give you an example. I their skepticism with any kind of book are actually true, and then goes think I’m right in saying that when rigour. Every now and then – and it’s on to enumerate a number of things it comes to the bombing of the USS been immensely encouraging – I’ve which are complete rubbish. He’s got Liberty in 1967 by the Israelis, the only got someone who says they have read them largely from Holy Blood Holy documentaries that have been shown the book and said they have changed Grail – that was written by people are those that claim it was a conspiracy. 35 FEATURE Conspiracies

Continued... Conspiracies: Dr David Kelly Really?! (left) made revelations about the Iraq war; the Daily Mail (below) published revelations about Da- Nobody has ever made a documentary, vid Kelly’s death; and the Proto- as far as I know, which shows the truth cols of the Elders of Zion (bottom – what I think is almost certainly the left) created revelations about truth – which was that it was a case of the Great Jewish Conspiracy. mistaken identity.

I wanted to ask you, what is it about people who are self-professed The other thing is, the clue lies in the sceptic, like Jim the fellow you mention word “illusionists”. It’s why they call in the last chapter who was with you themselves illusionists because it’s an on the school board, who are really illusion. You want to believe it’s true. In very sceptical in many areas of their other words, he was no kind of skeptic. lives but they buy into one very specific In his mind, his total lack of skepticism conspiracy theory, and they may even emerged from his kind of self-heroising laugh off others and would definitely notion of himself as a skeptic. have a general sceptical attitude. That’s why I said that not only This guy that you mentioned, Jim, people like him who are self-professed was an interesting kind of a skeptic skeptics, but people who are really because he wasn’t really a skeptic at skeptical in their attitudes. I do make all. It was a form of self-description. that distinction because I do know that experience tells me what’s going on. He didn’t believe anything that the a lot of people would say something like We face a whole series of classic authorities told him. Now that is not a “You know I’m skeptical in general” situations like in the technologically skeptical position –a skeptical position or “I used to be a skeptic, but ….”. We and scientifically very complicated does not start off from the position of hear that a lot. But I was wondering world. What are we going to take on “I am always being lied to.” you might about the people who are skeptics. Do trust and what are we not going to take not be being lied to. It may be perfectly you encounter that a lot? on trust and why do we do it? When reasonable to expect, in quite a lot of we try to assess, let’s say, whether or situations, that you might be being told You can see why it happens, not a vaccine has some of the effects the truth. Secondly he was incredibly because governments do sometimes lie, that are claimed for it by some people, credulous when it companies exaggerate we’re not in ourselves going to be able came to theories which and people cover things to step into the laboratory, put on contradicted what up, and so on. You the white coat, don the mantle of the he regarded was the can decide whether expertise, and say, right, we’ve tested it official view. or not you think such for ourselves, so we can tell you what I’ll give you an things as lying and the truth is. We’re going to have to do example of what deceit are habitual, and a much foreshortened version of that this particular man you can decide if you which involves us assessing, in the time believed. He firmly think you are likely we have to do it, the various arguments believed that people to get away with it or and the various expertises that people who do mental whether things are too involved in this take a position on. illusions were actually complicated for people That’s where the true skeptic mind readers. I said to have planned out. must stand. The true skeptic is not to him, look, there That’s sometimes in somebody who says I seek to achieve an are two things here. the mix. You can be Olympian knowledge of everything. It’s Firstly, when you skeptical about the impossible. see a magician being claims that people sawn in half, you make for themselves. Do you think of yourself as a don’t think he’s really been sawn in But being skeptical means saying, skeptic? half, do you. You know that it’s a trick either examining this myself or this is and that it’s a brilliant trick. You don’t the nearest thing I can get given the Like most of us, I regard myself as know how it’s done. It’s exactly the time I have available, and given what I the one true skeptic. Don’t we all? same with these mental illusionists. think I know about expertise and my Yes, I think I do regard myself as 36 The Skeptic March 11

a skeptic. I’m increasingly a skeptic. theorist in the sense of active in it, faith, I think it becomes much easier to I started off being fairly doctrinaire but a believer in certain conspiracy deal with people who take that as the politically because that was my theories. Maybe in the case of JFK next stage forward and make those a inheritance. And I think that experience because I once saw a documentary systematic part of their lives. In other has led me to try and form, if you which mentioned the ‘magic bullet’. words, they’re just doing what we do like, a properly skeptical cast of the But also because I found the idea of the but more so. mind, including knowing when I may conspiracy a more interesting story. I Sometimes it becomes more need to take things on trust, because actually liked the story better. It is more urgent. We can take the example of that’s important too. To put it in its satisfying. I mean, that’s one of the Jim Carrey and MMR. Jim Carrey obvious context, when you step into things to remember about quite a lot of decided to make a major campaign an aeroplane you put yourself in the hands of the pilot. You choose to do this dozens of times over. This is a rational thing to do, otherwise we couldn’t achieve anything. If you have a series of really bad air accidents that were unexplained, that might be a less obvious thing to do. So, yes, I do regard myself as a skeptic ... a proper skeptic. I have to say my claim to being a skeptic would be strengthened if I had more scientific knowledge. I’m a classic product of the division between the arts and the sciences in the sense that I had nearly no scientific training whatsoever. I have had to look at people who I trust whose instincts and whose approach to life seem to me to be properly skeptical in order to understand where I might appear on that spectrum. Let’s take somebody like , who is someone I admire very much. I don’t know the things that Ben these stories that they are better stories against the MMR vaccine. If he’s knows, consequently I choose to trust than the truth. successful, kids will die of measles him and allow him to have expertise Let me give you a tiny example of who don’t need to die. You need to be for me. This can seem like a very the way we tell stories about ourselves. very very firm with Jim Carrey and unskeptical thing to do. It was pointed out to me by a number people like him about the consequences of friends who work in psychoanalysis of his way of thinking. I mean that There is one last thing I’d like to or psychotherapy, people who are you also recognise that it also comes ask you. One thing that skeptics often continuously giving back-histories out partially from the experience his find difficult when dealing with true to things like their illnesses or girlfriend had with having an autistic believers is how to treat them with anthropomorphising the weather: child, and the desire that we have respect, because often their beliefs are so “It always rains on my birthday.” Or to have an overarching and clear patently ludicrous that you can’t help football supporters, for instance – “The explanation for the catastrophes that but lose a bit of respect. Your book is referee doesn’t like my team. My team happen to us. . very entertaining, often funny, but it is always gets the bad decisions against it.” also very detailed. At no point anywhere Or, “we always are scored against in the Editor’s note: This in the book do you dismiss claims on last minute.” A whole series of notions interview was first appearance only. Can you suggest in which we impose a narrative and an broadcast on The to skeptics out there how one might agency on what is actually a series of Skeptic Zone, be respectful of a conspiracy theorist fairly random events. www.skepticzone.tv. without writing a 300 page book, Another thing about having respect because not all of us can do that. for people is because we all do it. If we About the author: The first point is, as I said to you recognise in ourselves the tendency and Eran Segev is is president earlier, I have been, not a conspiracy the desire for a better narrative and for of Australian Skeptics Inc. 37 ARTICLE Cults Out of the shadows Michael Wolloghan talks with post cult counsellor Gillie Jenkinson about abuse, pseudo-personalities and introjections.

illie Jenkinson is the popular and place to learn about working with cult Grespected director of Hope Valley leavers. The publications produced by Counselling in Derbyshire, England. ICSA are very informative and it is a She specialises in offering counselling good network of others interested in this and psychotherapy to those who have field. left manipulative, destructive cults. My own experience of being in and Jenkinson has made a reputation as an exiting a cult in the 1970s also informs effective and engaging speaker and will my work with others. I have many years’ be venturing to Brisbane and Sydney this experience supporting and counselling April. She will be presenting a seminar XMs [ex-members]. on the mental health issues faced by ex- cult members and a recovery model that QWhat are the common issues in assists ex-members find their feet again. post-cult recovery? What are the effects She demonstrates a unique ability after leaving a cult? to combine her insights, skills and • Harassment experience to help others. It was my AI find that cult leavers often feel a • Authority structure is coercive pleasure to talk to Jenkinson about her great deal of shame at having been taken • Intimidation upcoming Sydney seminar. for a ride and often blame themselves • Making you unnecessarily for being ‘so stupid’ instead of realising distrustful of others – paranoia QFirstly, I’d like to briefly that they may have been subjected to about those who are ‘outside’ the know about your experience and deceitful recruitment techniques (what relationship qualifications in helping people recover was in the box was not what they were • Upsetting you on a regular basis from toxic, abusive cults. expecting because the box had a different over minor things to reiterate picture) and that the whole thing is more control A There is no specific training course complex than they realise. Margaret • Threatening behaviour for therapists to help people recover from Singer said you cannot be subjected to • Violence toxic and abusive cults, so it is difficult to thought reform and know it. I agree and • Abuse - psychological, physical, get qualifications for this specific work. so I try to highlight this side of things to sexual, financial or emotional Because of this I decided to get trained cult leavers. • Putting you down in front of others. as a regular professional counsellor and Many cult leavers also suffer Which in turn causes: psychotherapist and am now accredited disorientation, depression, traumatic • Anxiety in UK, have supervision and work to a side effects such as dissociation and may • Dread code of ethics. On top of this, I attended have developed a cult pseudo-personality • Low self esteem Wellspring Retreat in Ohio twice as an which is a new personality formed in • Undermined confidence intern and learned a great deal from Dr order to be a member of a particular • Ashamed to admit it is happening Paul Martin (who sadly died in 2009) cultic group/relationship. • Believe it is ‘my fault’, and and the whole setup there. I also visited • Feeling inadequate. MeadowHaven, a residential therapeutic QDo you think there are similarities I believe for those who have been in community south of Boston, USA, for between recovering from domestic a cult it may be all these and more. a few days to see how their setup works. abuse, work place bullying and cultic Recovery from these is challenging Both these visits taught me a great deal. abuse? What are the differences? and it’s vital that the therapist knows The other way I have learned about about the dynamics that occur with this work is by regularly attending A I do agree there are similarities. domestic abuse, workplace bullying and International Cultic Studies Association I think the following (and more) occur cults. They need to know about thought conferences which are always a great in all: reform (sometimes called mind control), 38 The Skeptic March 11 Out of the shadows

Gillie Jenkinson, Hope Valley Counselling, Derbyshire

QWhy do you think the concept of the pseudo-personality is important to understanding the cult recovery process?

A I think the issue of cult pseudo- personality is key to recovery and suggest many mental health issues faced influence, narcissistic personality Q I’ve heard you will be discussing the by XMs may be held within the pseudo- disorder among other things. They need ‘cult pseudo-personality’ at your Sydney personality (although there may be pre- to be able to offer a relational therapy seminar. Can you explain what that is existing mental health issues that need but also offer psycho-education so that and how this new identity gets created addressing over time). those who have suffered these terrible within a cult? It is important to have a framework abuses can be helped to understand in which to work. In regular counselling what has happened to them. A XMs who have been seen shortly and psychotherapy the framework is Without the therapist understand- after leaving a cult often show character clear from the training but because of ing the issues, it is possible that the traits and attitudes of their group the very particular abuse suffered in client will continue to flounder and – I suggest this is the cult pseudo- cults and domestic abuse and workplace may even end up being victimised again personality because it is different from bullying the abuse needs addressing in because they cannot recognise what has who they were before the cult. I believe a particular way – as I’ve said above – happened to them. It is important to that the cult pseudo-personality forms in with a psycho-educational/relational look first at the abuse they have suffered the cult by ‘introjecting’ the beliefs and approach because the client may not and not to interpret the situation as behaviours of the group. Introjection is a understand what on earth has hit them. being to do with early childhood. normal developmental process but, like It is vital to understand the client’s Those issues can be addressed anything, it can be used in an unhealthy belief system and not dismiss it as crazy later when looking at what may have way. or psychotic until it has been fully made the individual vulnerable to Introjection is defined by Gestalt explored. the abuse. Of course the vulnerability writers Perls et al [Gestalt Therapy:1951] may simply be being in the wrong in this way: “Material – a way of acting, QHow does your post-cult counselling place at the wrong time - you cannot feeling, evaluating – which you have differ from others? What exactly does it necessarily know when you go into taken into your system of behaviour but involve? a new job, get married or join a class which you have not assimilated in such or group that it will turn out to be fashion as to make it a genuine part of A When I work with XM clients, the abusive. You cannot know when you your self. The self takes the ‘material’ first thing I do is, as with any client, set leave home to go to university that in on the basis of forced acceptance, the boundaries and make clear what trying to find new friends may result a forced (and therefore pseudo) they will receive from me, my training in your being recruited into a group identification and that although it is etc; we discuss my ‘agreement for post- which takes up years of your life and a foreign body, the organism resists it cult counselling’. Because many XMs harms you. being dislodged.” need more input than a 50 minute 39 ARTICLE Cults

especially that you are at fault need to deal with things on a cognitive Out of the • The ‘sacred science’ – they know and behavioral way. On my MA I ‘The Truth’ better than you – the did research into “What helps ex-cult Shadows ultimate moral vision members recover from an abusive cult • Loading the language – don’t think experience?” This was qualitative research Continued... about the words – you use thought and I asked eight XMs what had helped terminating clichés them recover. session once a week, I offer ‘time away’ • Doctrine over person – what the in the Derbyshire Peak District where cult believes is most important QDo you think governments need I live. I have an aim to see a centre set replaces reality of the individual more programs and initiatives in the up in this area, but until that happens • Dispensing of existence – we know area of cult recovery? clients stay locally in a hotel, B&B or who should exist and who shouldn’t, holiday cottage and come and see me those who have a right to exist and A Of course. Many XMs leave the for approximately four hours a day, those who do not. group disorientated and un-socialised depending on funds. (if that is a word). For those born and We usually start with their telling raised in a group, it is often terrifying to me what has happened to them and QWhat ethical standards, philosophy leave, especially as society has very little alongside this we address a number and approach do you have to understanding of what they have grown of psycho-educational areas. I believe counselling? up in and have no idea of the world the pseudo-personality is laid down in their head which is so different to in layers, like pieces of a jigsaw, and I A I am accredited with the United society’s view of life. address these pieces under a number of Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy Many leave cults destitute and subject headings: and follow their code of ethics. I think unable to pay for any sort of support or • Thought reform it is vital that I always remember that counselling. Because of this, and because • Anger & rage the therapist has more power (and our government or society in UK don’t • Influence information) than the client and that recognise the problem, we • Hypnotism and altered states I am constantly aware of this and give have set up a charity EnCourage • Spirituality values my clients as much choice and power as Survivors of Cults and Abuse. We • Profiles of a narcissistic cult leader possible. are currently fundraising in order to or guru For example, where to sit in my subsidise post-cult counselling for XMs • Critical thinking and choices room, which subjects to address first, how and to fund a centre in the Derbyshire • Boundaries to relationships to go about the post-cult counselling. Peak District, so if you have a spare • Trauma and the body My training is mixed as I did a million do contact us! • Sexual abuse and rape, and diploma in Pastoral Counselling, which Most European governments • Reconnecting with family and was an eclectic approach and we looked address the problem of cults by provid- friends. at a number of different modalities ing information, but this is not enough In practice, I will often start with as well as Christian spirituality. This because for some it is too late. Govern- Lifton’s eight components of thought helped me question how to work with ments need to address the problem from reform and give a sheet to my client spirituality issues and taught me to be all angles; information giving – warning; to fill out their experience under each open to people’s beliefs while bracketing funding exit counselling; funding places heading. This can work for cult, bullying off and holding my own background for those to go when they leave; and and domestic abuse. These components and spirituality. I am open to sharing post-cult counselling. . are: if a client wants to know where I am • Milieu control – don’t look out and coming from spiritually. Note: Gillie Jenkinson’s seminars don’t look in – internal/external I then did an MA in Gestalt Brisbane: 7pm, April 12, control of communication psychotherapy. This was an integrated Quakers Meeting House, • Mystical manipulation – they are so training and taught me about the 10 Hampson Street, Kelvin Grove. spiritual you believe them. Planned Gestalt approach, which I really ([email protected]; 0413-082-344) spontaneity creates mystique enjoy. It also taught me how to justifying extensive personal work with developmental Sydney: 6pm, April 19 “Golden manipulation issues and transference. The Grove”, 5 Forbes St, Newtown • The demand for purity – you mixture of developmental and (www.cifs.org.au/) were no good before and must psycho-educational (raising become pure as defined by group/ awareness) has been very relationship helpful for working with XMs About the interviewer: • The cult of confession – spill all the as I understand the depth of Michael Wolloghan is an investigator of beans. Tell them everything and pain and trauma as well as the cults and strange religions. 40 ARTICLE Young Australian Skeptics The Skeptic March 11 THE empathetic skeptic Richard Hughes asks if skeptics are better.

here’s that old quip in skeptical This puts us then rather ironically at understand where they’re coming from, Tcircles that if skeptics always seem to odds with reality. The simple fact of the and why they might believe what they think that they’re right, it is because more matter is that skepticism and intelligence believe. Even, perhaps, try to nut out how often than not they are. are not one and the same thing. they might be viewing you – after all, if It is a flippant attitude to take, make That’s not to say that skepticism is you play directly into their preconceived no doubt, but there’s more than a grain of unintelligent – that too would be a notions of what a skeptic is, you’re truth in it. falsehood – but that it is not generally unlikely to make any headway. Steering away from some of the more required in order to excel academically, That said, I want to make clear contentious topics of discussion (sex, or even just to be a particularly ‘sharp’ what I’m not calling for: uniform politics and religion – to name just three), individual. History is littered with ‘accommodationism’. Within the there is a great deal of consensus within examples in support of this. Linus skeptical community there is room for a the skeptical community on most matters. Pauling is probably the most famous large variety of styles and personalities, Importantly, this consensus arises not example of this, though more recently the and tactics should vary to account for a from authoritarian dogma or personal psychologist Darryl Bem made news with multitude of situations. Empathy does revelation, but through the application of an announcement of spurious evidence not mean we should all hold hands and critical thought to the understanding and for the existence of Psi abilities. sing Kumbaya. There is a time for the analysis of alleged phenomena. Topping them all, however, is Dr Kary gentle touch, and a time for tough love. This then raises a curious conundrum: Mullis, the ‘quintessential crank’. In his There are certainly situations that call for If we’re so right, then how is it that the autobiography Dancing Naked in the Mind hard words and verbal flaying, particularly rest of the population can be so wrong? Field, Mullis documents his encounter with respect to prominent or dangerous Why is it that so many people believe with an extraterrestrial in the form of a individuals who seem incapable of unscientific, often bizarre claims? “glowing raccoon”. Yet he is also a Nobel empathy themselves. A popular fiction within the skeptical Prize winner, due to his work developing Such dangerous individuals are the community is that people believe weird PCR (a now indispensable technique for exception, however, and not the rule. It things because they are stupid, or at least most research involving DNA). would be foolish of us to treat every anti- less intelligent than skeptics. At The By the same token, a well-tuned skeptical vaccination proponent as Meryl Dorey, Amazing Meeting Australia, none other radar is no guarantee of intelligence. every cold reader as Sylvia Browne, and than skeptical hero and legend Skepticism is, on a fundamental level, a every creationist as Ken Ham; worse still made a comment to that effect, and (joke filter, not a constructive or creative process. would be to think of them as necessarily or not) it was greeted with applause from In light of all this, it seems like now ignorant or stupid. Personal attitudes the audience. might be a good time to call for a renewal – no matter how well hidden we think Such sentiments have also surfaced of empathy in the , they may be – tend to leak out into our during private conversations with skeptics, as an introspective exercise more than mannerisms and treatment of others. though not always explicitly. Often, if an outward manifestation of behaviours. In short: Let’s make empathy the rule queried directly, people will deny that Such a meditation may well result in for the skeptical movement, and not the they hold such an opinion. Yet, as is often a change of habits, but more exception. We can only be the case, off the cuff remarks and actions importantly it can provide greater stronger for it. . will often be at variance with this assertion insight into how you might plant of neutrality. There are parallels to be the seeds of critical thought in any About the author drawn here to the casual ‘–isms’ (racism, particular person’s brain. Richard Hughes is president of the sexism, etc) of society at large, made small When dealing with believers, University of Melbourne Secular Society, and specific in the confines of the skeptic then, it is important not to dismiss and a member of the Young Australian subculture. them as stupid or ignorant. Try to Skeptics. His blog is at www.divisiblebypi.com 0341 ARTICLE Science P les Apart Ken McLeod takes a break from the AVN – sort of – to look at some silly science.

ell, you can stop worrying about magnetosphere to reach deep into that Wwater fluoridation and alien magnetosphere, theoretically all the invasions and vaccines and orgone way down to where birds fly at very low radiation from cellphone towers, or altitude. any of the other disasters that are “The weakening Earth slowly creeping up on us to wipe out magnetosphere was allowing ‘poisonous humanity. No, it’s not because these space clouds’ to enter deep into Earth’s threats don’t exist; it’s because there is a atmosphere where it is coming into humanity-destroying disaster unfolding contact with birds. right before our eyes, and we’ll all “These ‘space clouds’ are called be dead before any of them can hurt Noctilucent clouds which exist at anybody. very high altitudes (roughly 50 miles) Let me explain. The good folk at the and accumulate space dust from Australian Vaccination Network have micrometeors and other sources. alerted us to the unfolding disaster that “These deadly space clouds are has been revealed by mass bird deaths reaching into the lower atmosphere and and the change of an airport runway’s killing these birds in flight ...” designation at Tampa Florida. What, exactly, would be found in In a long email sent on January 14 these deadly space clouds that might be secret gummint weapons projects, and 2011, from one of the AVN’s leading killing the birds? she asks and offers the we’re all doomed. lights, “oufreshideas,” she reveals that: following possibilities: She goes on to say: “Could humans “It all begins on a runway in Tampa, • “These clouds might be moving along be next? The really concerning part where airport officials recently closed with gaps in the magnetosphere that about all this is the sudden realization that runway in order to change the would invite deadly radiation to ‘fry’ that if these poisoning clouds of numeric designators painted there. Why the birds in flight” Hydrogen Cyanide could reach into are those numeric designators being • “The deadly space clouds could have our lower atmosphere, they could also changed? Because the Earth’s magnetic frozen the birds in flight with blasts theoretically reach ground level. That’s poles are shifting and the numbers of extremely cold air.” where humans live, of course, and if previously painted on the runway no • “The most likely explanation is that such a poisonous cloud reached down longer match up with the magnetic the birds were killed in-flight by into a major city such as New York, it measurements of sensitive airplane changes in the composition of the air would cause the mass instantaneous instruments.” they were breathing. And as it turns death of potentially millions of Wow! Who could have guessed that out, Noctilucent clouds are largely people.” the Earth’s magnetic poles are shifting? made of a poisonous gas known as There’s just a few problems with this Who could have guessed that runway hydrogen cyanide.” scenario, which should be bleeding designations have to be changed because • Secret weapon testing and the High obvious to anyone with a high school of that? Scary stuff! But it gets worse. Frequency Active Auroral Research science education, and certainly were to “The Earth’s magnetic field ‘flips’ (or Program (HAARP) “could be altering this crusty old navigator. reverses polarity) every few thousand the magnetosphere in ways that Firstly, the movement of the Earth’s years. This is called a geomagnetic are contributing to the invasion of magnetic poles is a well-understood reversal. In between these flips, the our lower atmosphere with these phenomenon, and has been known magnetic field can become quite weak Noctilucent clouds composed of by navigators as long as we have used and chaotic, causing ‘turbulence’ in the hydrogen cyanide.” compasses. The difference between field, which can effectively cause weaker So there you have it. The mass bearings to True North (the Earth’s gaps in the magnetosphere. bird deaths are caused by radiation rotational axis, or North Pole) and “These magnetic gaps or weaknesses or supercold air or poisonous gasses the North Magnetic Pole is known as can allow outside influences that brought to the lower atmosphere by ‘magnetic variation’. This changes at a normally would not penetrate the a weakened magnetosphere caused by known rate as the magnetic poles 42 The Skeptic March 11

Right Movement of the North Magnetic Pole over the last four NORTH Spitzbergen P les Apart hundred years. POLE Below Tampa airport, where the numeric designators have changed!

1600 2000 GREENLAND 1700

1800 1900

CANADA

move due to the fluid nature of the Earth’s core. The magnetic variation at Tampa of years away. The earth’s magnetic we would see in any given week.”2 Florida is 5° 15’ W currently changing field strength is at about its historical So get back to worrying about by 0° 5’ W/year.1 average. Nothing to worry about here, something else. There’s nothing to Tampa has undergone a change of folks. worry about here except the mindset magnetic variation of 3° 9’ in the last Noctilucent clouds (from the Latin of the people who circulate this 100 years. Runways are designated for “night shining”) are made of crystals rubbish. . by the first two numerals of their of water ice. They are not made of magnetic bearing, rounded to the “space dust” or hydrogen cyanide, and REFERENCES nearest 10°, so Tampa’s Runway 18L are not being lowered to the altitude 1. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric got its designation from its magnetic birds fly at, or lowered to anywhere. Administration has a good website for finding bearing at the time it was built of 183°. Nor are they “frying” birds with and predicting magnetic variation for any Many years later, the magnetic bearing radiation, nor freezing them. Nothing location on Earth at http://www.ngdc.noaa. of the runway has changed to 186° to worry about here, folks. gov/geomagmodels/struts/calcDeclination so it has been designated Rwy 19L. Nor are secret weapon testing and 2. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ (The “L” designation means the left the High Frequency Active Auroral lifestyle/01/08/11/mass-bird-and-fish-deaths- of two parallel runways.) So there is Research Program (HAARP) “altering stoke-curiosity nothing unusual in a change of runway the magnetosphere”; whatever changes designation, but it is rare enough to are happening are entirely natural and About the author: excite the conspiracy theorists. Nothing normal. The current theory of the cause Ken McLeod is a retired navigator and air traffic to worry about here, folks. of mass bird deaths centres on controller, search & rescue national Yes the Earth’s magnetic poles do flocks of birds being panicked manager, Australian aviation undergo ‘geomagnetic reversal’, and by New Year’s fireworks. As representative on two United Nations reversals are recorded in the magnetism the US Geological Survey’s committees, and a Senate researcher. of ancient rocks. Neither the cause nor National Wildlife Health He was also 2010 joint winner of the predictability are well understood, Center pointed out: “There the Skeptics’ Thornett Award for the the last such reversal occurring 780,000 is nothing apocalyptic or Promotion of Reason, awarded for his years ago, and the next one is probably anything that is necessarily campaigning work against the Australian tens if not hundreds of thousands out of the ordinary for what Vaccination Network. 43 ARTICLE Medicine

To describe my experience more specifically, the nurse (not a doctor, but a nurse with postgraduate training in tropical medicine, neurosurgery and environmental medicine, though the pamphlet does not list where these degrees were gained) asked me a series of questions on my problem and then introduced me to a box roughly the size of a DVD player that was hooked to a computer. I was to hold a copper rod Show that was linked to this device and then she would prod me with what can only be described as a ‘magic wand’ that was also hooked to the box. She would press me with the end of the wand in various places on my body and the machine would make a buzz or whirr. She performed this on every finger, every toe and many points on other Buzzness parts of my body. It was explained to Stephen Wood experiences a novel diagnostic tool – rods, me that the computer was collecting wands and conductivity. information on my conductivity and that the overall result would be explained at the end. After a good n about 2006, I was seeing a who, in the 1950s, developed what half an hour of prodding, the overall Ichiropractor for a lower back issue. is best described as an ‘extension’ to conclusion from the study was that At the time I had no strong opinion acupuncture, believing that acupuncture my body was significantly lacking the on what was causing my problem, points have a conductivity which can be element selenium. I was told to eat more and neither did any particular medical measured. fruit and vegetables and I was prescribed specialist, so I was a little experimental To give a specific, one example the following products: in some of the healers I consulted. quoted is that of a lung cancer sufferer • Bee pollen tablets Although I tried conventional doctors, who apparently had a lower conductivity • Emu oil chiropractors, acupuncture specialists in the acupuncture points affecting • A small 20ml bottle of fluid 70% and physiotherapists, there was little lungs relative to healthy patients. Dr progress in reducing the problem. Voll’s findings were extended by James My chiropractor then gave me an Hoyt Clark (a scientist from Utah USA) unsubstantiated recommendation who developed a computer program for a new type of treatment. My to interpret the meanings of the chiropractor was an advocate and user responses to 80,000 different of this treatment, but though she didn’t substances. It’s at this point the describe it in any great detail to me, I pamphlet becomes difficult to booked in and attended a session. It understand logically. The makes a good story, but as a scientist pamphlet lists a bunch of myself, the skin crawls (or in this substances that the system context, is that vibrates? – read on). holds in memory, ranging The following statements are based from homeopathic on my reading and interpretation of remedies, weeds, animal websites and pamphlets provided by the dandruff (?) etc. company in question. Complementary By stating this list it and Ecological Medicine (CEM) appears to imply that these philosophy is that while conventional substances have electrical medicine looks at chemistry/ conductivity – which I’m biochemistry of the body, CEM’s not sure are to be reversed healing processes evaluate the ‘energy’ out to the benefit of the of the human body. The history of the patient, or the conductivity approach comes from Dr Reinhold Voll ‘applied’ to yield better health. 44 The Skeptic March 11

purified water, 30% ethanol which scientific mind cannot begin to process relative conductivity, will differ from was placed on an electrical plate how this process really works, or how person to person given variability in and a current introduced for about many people have been taken for a ride muscle/fat thicknesses etc. I could go on. 20min while we finished our on this train. I must admit a few years As I see it, this truly is quackery at discussion ago I had a slightly more ‘open mind’ its finest, but linking into other better So where was I financially at the end about treatments, in the absence of known pseudosciences, acupuncture of this session? (It’s a few years since I getting anywhere with other medical and homeopathy to give it better went, so these figures are rough.) The sciences. acceptability. . consultation was about $150, and The problems with the approach the above three items totalled about might be inherently obvious, but to References $200 (the only specific I remember state them: what possible science really Complementary and Ecological Medicine – is that the 20ml bottle was a bargain thinks it can accurately describe the various pamphlets basement price of $40!). conductivity of the human body. The CEM Website (www.healthyconcept.com) I have just found the bottle, buried number of variables is colossal, and the Dr Reinhold Voll (http://www.biomeridian. in the back of a cupboard. I was human body far too complex a machine com/voll.htm) flabbergasted to read that the bottle to read in this manner. label says “The bottle is not intended In addition, we know that the system to treat any medical condition and has been calibrated to recognise the no claims are made that it will bring response to 80,000 different substances. About the author: about any physical health outcome.” Surely, when approaching this from Stephen Wood is a skeptic Wow, I’m sold – sell me more! a conductivity point of view, this is and petroleum geologist. He And although I could start picking effected by layers between, say, the skin is happy to receive comments on the costings (Blackmores sells Emu and the blood stream. Therefore, the to stephenwood77@hotmail. oil tablets for about $10 a bottle) my calibration, and along with this the com.

4503 REGULARS

The cycle of life THE FIRST CHRISTMAS? The day and year of Jesus’ birth are Birthdays – mystics – fakers – virgins. uncertain. The 25th of December does And so it goes, the almost inevitable not tally with Luke 2:8, which mentions that shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks realisation that all knowledge is during the night. In December, flocks would have connected and connectable. already have been moved from the fields into pens. The Gospels say that Jesus was born when Herod was King of Judea (Luke 1:5). Luke 2:2 states that Jesus was born when Cyrenius (aka Quirinius) was also governor of Syria. But MONKS AND VIRGINS Herod was king from 37 BCE until his death in 4 BCE, The Feast Day of the Virgin and Quirinius was not governor until a decade after Herod of Montserrat is held every year on died. There is no record of a census ordered by Caesar. April 27. The monastery of Santa Maria Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/xmas_date.htm de Montserrat, sited in a mountainous area in Catalonia, Spain, was founded by Benedictine monks in the 11th century. Legend has it that the monks could not move a statue of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ to construct their monastery, choosing to instead build around it. Believed by some to have been carved in Jerusalem in the early days of the Church, the statue is more possibly a Romanesque sculpture in wood from the late 12th century. Ignatius of Loyola visited the monastery in 1522, laying down his military accoutrements before the image. Then he led a period of asceticism What goes around ... before later founding the Jesuits – the Society of Jesus. DEADHEADS & BOOZE Pan American Airways estimated that between the ages of 16 and 18, Abagnale flew over 1,000,000 miles at Pan Am’s expense by “The secret of life is honesty and ‘deadheading’ (offering free travel to staff on empty flights). Abagnale said he was often invited to take the controls in-flight, fair dealing. If you can fake that, but never accepted, using the “8 hours between the bottle and you’ve got it made.” – Groucho the throttle” rule of not drinking before a flight. Other supposed Marx (with variations attributed abstainers are nuns and monks, despite the fact that it was monks to George Burns, Richard Jeni, in the Middle Ages and Renaissance who invented many types Cesar Romero – all actors or of different alcoholic beverages. Drinks based on monkish recipes include Chartreuse, Frangelico, Dom comedians – and Daniel Schorr, Perignon and Benedictine. Source: http:// journalist). wiki.answers.com + Wikipedia

46 The Skeptic March 11

THE OTHER FIRST CHRISTMASES? Other religions and festivities have also centred on December, such as the Roman Saturnalia, probably because of the winter solstice. According to some sources, in Phrygian, Greek and Roman pagan religion, Attis was supposedly a son of a virgin; his birth celebrated on December 25; sacrificed as an adult in order to bring salvation to mankind; and died about March 25, after being crucified on a tree, and descended for three days into the underworld. On Sunday, he arose, as the solar deity for the new season. According to http://www.tektonics.org/copycat/attis. Carlos Castaneda was html, an “education and apologetics ministry” site, the stories awarded a BA and PhD at are a fake, created post-Jesus to try to take some of the UCLA based on the work gloss off the Christian stories. Source: http://www. religioustolerance.org/xmas_sel.htm described in his books.

FAKER NOT FAKIR Another person with mystical associations, actually born on December 25, is Carlos Castaneda. He was an author, philoso- pher and writer of a series of 12 controversial books, starting with The Teachings of Don Juan in 1968. These dealt with his alleged training in traditional Mesoamerican shamanism. For several years, anthropologists considered his work authentic and important, but then a number of exposés questioned his veracity. Critics now claim the What goes around ... books are works of fiction, citing internal contradictions, discrepancies between the books and anthropological THE FAKE CONSULTANT data, alternative sources for Castaneda’s detailed knowledge of shamanic practices, apparent Also on April 27, another faker, Frank William sources of plagiarism and lack of Abagnale, Jr was born in 1948. He is an American corroborating evidence. He died security consultant best known for his history as a former April 27, 1998. confidence trickster, cheque forger, impostor and escape artist. He became notorious in the 1960s for successfully passing US$2.5 million worth of meticulously forged checks across 26 countries over the course of Frank Abagnale’s five years, beginning when he was 16 years old. In the autobiography was not process, he claimed to have assumed eight separate identities, including an airline pilot, a doctor, a Bureau written by him – a fake fake? of Prisons agent and a lawyer. He escaped from police custody twice, all before he was 21 years old. He is currently a consultant and lecturer at the academy and field offices for the Source: Wikipedia, except where noted

FBI.

47 REVIEWS Medical Science + Paranormal In the wake of Wakefield

The Panic Virus made it seem that it was public opinion that was the By Seth Mnookin decider of science. The media would postulate that those speaking purely from a sensationalist emotional Black Inc Books, A$32.95 standpoint shared equal weight with those of the scientific community painstakingly carrying out their nstinct is something that most of us have. It is investigations. Ithat little voice that helps guide us, that helps The internet is often an initial source of us with our choices in life not just for ourselves information and a reference for the media. The and our families. What happens, however, when freedom that exists on the net, while making this instinct clashes with science? Seth Mnookin, a dissemination of information easy, lacks regulation. contributing editor at Vanity Fair, tackles this very For a medical paper to be published and to become issue in The Panic Virus. mainstream, there are multiple checkpoints. Mnookin gets to the heart of the controversy Research needs to be formalised. It needs to be that has seen declining rates of vaccinations and detailed and undergo extensive peer review. Only the return of diseases such as pertussis and measles, after these conditions have been met can an article diseases long thought to have been controlled. be published. Even then, once published there is a There have been multiple studies disproving critical review period while the relevant profession the link between vaccines and conditions such as analyses these results and in many cases prepares autism and mercury poisoning. Despite these, the to replicate. The internet, however, does not have purported links still remain. Mnookin reveals to such rigour. Anyone can publish material and the reader how this is still possible. He shows how insinuate that either they or the source is an expert families who, at the initial onset of autism spectrum in this field. Even discredited published papers can disorder (ASD) symptoms, feel ignored by the be included in references when the results have not medical profession and government services. In yet been accepted or replicated. While the internet many cases, this feeling would appear to be justified. is a valuable research tool, one must never rely on Desperate to find out what is happening, they turn ‘the University of Google’. The media feed off the to the internet and to popular media. sensationalism of these sites, and in many cases, Mnookin explores how the media have latched administrators of these pseudoscience sites are used on to initial studies and sought sensationalism by the media as ‘experts’. This, in turn, acts as a rather than true information. Take the classic study magnet for the uninformed seeking information. which by now most skeptics are familiar with, the While staying close to the facts, Mnookin infamous ‘Wakefield study’ in The Lancet. Prior succeeds in humanising those families seeing help to the media circus surrounding the with autism. For the vast majority, these families initial release of this study, five experts are not gullible or naive but have felt alienated and from the Royal Free Hospital School of ignored. Neglected by authorities, families cannot Medicine in London, who addressed be blamed for turning to what seems to be the only a press conference, were adamant in support groups available - each other. It is within their message: “Further research was these groups that their instinct is maintained and needed before any conclusions could their conviction is strengthened. This is exacerbated be made. In the meantime, however, by charismatic figures in the public eye offering children should continue to receive the solutions to their suffering. At a price, of course. MMR vaccine.” It was Wakefield who As each new study is released indicating no link, diverted from this, declared the link the more inward these families become and more with the MMR vaccine and stated he convinced that there is a conspiracy. After all, their could not support its continued use, instincts only reinforce their view of a connection. citing the link between it and irritable Upon reading this book you find yourself bowel syndrome and then autism. empathising with those impacted. While you Sensing a sensation, the media cannot say you know how they feel, you can say ran with this rather than applying that you are beginning to understand why they feel appropriate rigour. In fact, it was not the way they do. until several years after the Lancet paper was published that any real investigative analysis was carried out. The media - Reviewed by Brad Hester 48 The Skeptic March 11 Things that go bump Something is Out There: Unlocking Australia’s Paranormal Secrets authors are obviously not part of the paranormal culture where one small event is extrapolated into By Julie Miller and Grant Osborn unexplained areas. For example, the authors admit Allen & Unwin, A$27.99 that over 10,000 ‘sightings’ of the yowie have occurred, but where is the evidence? This is how many skeptics think. My concern is that, depending am interested in claims of UFO and yowie on who you speak to, different organisations Iactivity for a number of reasons. Firstly, living whether they investigate ghosts, yowies or UFOs, in the Penrith basin of Sydney and having a large tend to demonstrate a complete reluctance to talk to country property at Mudgee in Central NSW, I the media. Miller and Osborn themselves repeatedly have never seen or seen evidence of the Penrith state they do not get return calls or emails from panther (except during the football season during ‘experts’, and when they do, some of the experts a home game). And this is where the panther tend to be vague and not show their hand. If I was supposedly hangs out! In addition to this, having writing a book on the yowie in Australia, I would been a member of the RAAF and Army Reserve want the ‘experts’ to assist and lay all the evidence for over 22 years, I spent most of my out for my analysis. Show me the images, show me service in field units on exercise all over the fur, show me the scat, and show me the DNA Australia, from mountains to desert, etc. The authors of this book continuously state this from coastal sections to snow, even does not happen, experts continually cancelled at spending some three rewarding months the last minute, and evidence was very questionable. with indigenous Army Reservists in the Tim the Yowie Man and his footprints, they say, is a north of Australia. Again, I’ve never prime example of questionable evidence. seen or come across anyone who saw The authors expand on some claims by referring or had a coffee with a yowie. And as a to professionals in such fields as archaeology, part-time photographer with an interest palaeontology, science and government in astro-photography, with over 1000 organisations. They do, on many accounts, tend nights looking at the stars, I have never to undertake a comparative analysis and when the seen a UFO, aliens, alien scat or evidence evidence is unavailable, they infer that the claim of alien landings. I say this not to impress may well be hogwash. I was impressed by one claim you but to impress upon you that, just of the so-called Min-Min lights, a generic Australian maybe, I’m skeptical of the stories in term used to describe any unexplained lights in the book. Why, because not only have I the sky. The authors ventured into the Victorian never seen anything, but because in my high country to investigate a number of lights that experience in the ADF Reserves, 26 years have been seen. The lights are red and white and in law enforcement and personal interests, nothing seem to move in a pattern that was random. In the has ever come across my path that I have not been morning, the authors look at the area in question able to explain. Also, I have no fresh batteries for and later find out that the lights belong to kangaroo my EV meter. hunters out on a shoot. Because they are so far Initially, I was skeptical about this book, away, their vehicles cannot be heard and the flash of thinking it was another book that put forward the weapons not seen. paranormal view that ghosts exist and UFOs abduct The supernatural section of the book looks at people and that the Penrith panther is running rife ghosts in theatres, jails and hotels. The second throughout NSW, killing organic chickens. This section, addressing the ‘science’ of UFOlogy, looks impression is provided by reading the back cover. at the UFO capital of Australia, Wycliffe Well, the But after reading the whole book, I can say that this Westall Conspiracy and the Min Min Lights. One is the book that skeptics have actually been waiting subject that I read with interest was the Valentich for! disappearance. Readers may remember the two- The book covers just about every paranormal part article that the reviewer wrote on this subject issue current in Australia. Split into three sections previously in The Skeptic [issues 29:4 and 30:1]. dealing with paranormal activity such as ghosts, The third section on cryptozoology, the study of UFOs & aliens, and cryptozoology, the book anomalous creatures, is the most subjective. Aside provides locations and events that have shaped the from the yowie, the authors look at mega-sharks, paranormal culture in this country. giant ripper lizards, bunyips, panthers and tigers. What I enjoyed about this book is that the Again, I stipulate that the authors looked for 49 REVIEWS Paranormal + Conspiracy + Illusion

paranormal investigator, she is a travel writer, and Things that go bump Osborne is a television producer who has been Continued... involved in such programs as Big Brother and The Great Outdoors. This makes for an interesting combination - a travel writer and a TV producer evidence and on every front failed to find anything writing a book on the paranormal in Australia. The they could not explain. result is much better than a paranormal investigator I was struck by one particular passage: “Whereas with an EV meter attempting to show off his slime established science, rigid and rigorous by definition, collection and images of orbs. might bow to accept a new discovery, only when I recommend this book for two reasons. The laden with suitable proof, pseudoscience is more authors appear honest in their assessments of the than happy to plough straight ahead and make issues and demonstrate they too are frustrated spectacular flights of logic from conjecture to by the people who make claims and do not have hypothesis to theory on the wings of nothing but evidence. But also, they leave open some claims sheer imagination alone.” when other similar evidence is apparent. This makes The authors have written two previous books on skeptics stop for a moment and think, and to seek the paranormal, the first being Ghost Hunt, which more evidence. And this makes for a good book. was written in conjunction with a television series The paranormal people will love it because it makes of the same name, and Unexplained New Zealand: paranormal mainstream and something to be taken Ghosts, UFOs & Mysterious Creatures, which is seriously, especially if you have a haunted house and similar to the book under review. Both of these run ghost tours. covered experiences in New Zealand. Miller is not an investigative journalist or - Reviewed by Geoff Cowan

and public servants. The ad hominem attacks Mind changers upon key scientists who published initial evidence (such as the increased death rates among wives of smoking Japanese men, and Merchants of Doubt - How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the climate modellers) provide a clear demonstration of the poverty of contradictory evidence and the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming intent of the perpetrators to create an uncertain By Naomi Oreskes and Erik M. Conway political milieu in which doubt can provide Bloomsbury Press, A$41.00 paralysis of action. We, who attempt to provide scientific solutions for the problems of life, often assume was attracted to this book a certain collegiality that overrides mere social Ibecause of previous exposure beliefs but Oreskes describes the complete to the international conspiracy by subversion of any commitment to scientific several tobacco companies to attack process by this group of ex-scientists and the epidemiological evidence on ascribes this to an overwhelming belief system disease related to tobacco smoking, – ‘free market fundamentalism’. Other motives, and a longstanding interest in the such as loyalty, venality, or blackmail, are not capacity for self-delusion exhibited canvassed. by people who market lethal The authors also provide some discussion of addictive products. other publications where similar techniques have Prof Oreskes has provided a been applied but not in a great deal of detail. very detailed and well-researched Overall this a very good read, well- book documenting the activities documented (approx 30 per cent of the pages of a small group of retired US of the book are references and footnotes) physicists working through ‘shelf’ and provides a useful diversion for Skeptics institutes to disguise funding to understand how good science can be sources who have provided industry undermined, and why. with attacks upon scientists, publications, politicians, legislators - Reviewed by David Brookman 50 The Skeptic March 11

The immediate attraction of this book for many Now you see it … people will be that it gives magic secrets away. This is, of course, necessary to explain how what the Sleights of Mind: What the Neuroscience of Magic Reveals brain perceives is different from what is presented to it, but it might be seen as a violation of ‘The About Our Everyday Deceptions Magicians’ Code’ to tell such secrets. The authors By Stephen L. Macknik and Susana Martinez-Conde have conscientiously marked all such explanations Profile Books, A$32.99 with a ‘spoiler alert’, so that if you still want to be baffled you can skip the explanation. Of course, you will be missing all the fun and insight, and it is hard t is hard not to pay attention to optical to imagine anyone who would resist looking at the Iillusions, and wonder how can it be spoilers. Even more important is that knowing the that one line is not really longer than the trick doesn’t make it any less of a trick; the authors other or one circle is not really darker still go to magic shows and still are fooled. than the other or all the other varieties Of course, a magician has secret methods to that tell us our eyes lie to us. work magical effects, but the trick isn’t where the It was only a few decades ago that real secret lies. The real secret is that the trick is neuroscientists realised that the mistakes within the brain itself, and the explanations can’t in visual processing were tools to spoil such effects. The authors feel that it is not examine how the eyes and brain process a matter of the brain getting things wrong or information. (It was also a reminder of making mistaken judgments. Illusions “are adaptive the wonderful and mysterious lesson that shortcuts that your brain makes to speed up such our brains do not make perfect inner processing, or reduce the amount of processing models of reality, but only use the tricks necessary to provide you with the information and shortcuts descended from their you need to survive and to thrive, even if the evolution to make useful, rather than information isn’t technically accurate.” exact, models.) The hardwired processes of paying attention In a way, magicians perform optical cannot be overcome, but they can be hacked, illusions and even behavioural illusions. and this is what magicians do. Among the many You enjoy a magician’s performance because techniques described here are those which control although it looks as if he makes coins manifest the attention of an audience. Everyone knows that from the air or makes a ball vanish when he throws if you stare at something, people around you will it up, you know that such things cannot really be want to take a look to see what you are paying and yet you cannot figure out how the impression attention to. Magicians do this all the time, but it the magician makes is so strong. If we can get is not usually so simple. A magician who produces neurological understanding of the visual system from a live dove, for instance, knows that you cannot optical illusions, perhaps the illusions performed by help but pay attention to the flapping of the dove. magicians would offer an even broader range of tools While the spotlight of that attention is on the to evaluate brain function. dove, who knows what might be manipulated This was the insight of Stephen L. Macknik and outside the spotlight? Susana Martinez-Conde. They are both directors Among the many magicians who have of neuroscience labs and they are married to each contributed to the research here are Penn and Teller, other. Because they had done research on visual who do a cups and balls trick during which Penn illusions, they hosted a conference in 2005 in Las juggles some balls. “This is not juggling,” Penn Vegas, headquarters for some of the best magicians says as he juggles, “This is misdirection.” It’s P&T’s in the world. They got the insight that magic could trademark, giving away a trick’s secret but actually be studied to gain understanding of perception and giving away nothing; you cannot help watching even consciousness. They even became certified Penn juggle as the sly Teller does a secret move. magicians. It can’t always work; you have to be able to pay You might not be able to get through any of their attention to pay attention to the wrong thing. The scientific papers on the subject, but here (written authors have a grant proposal to see if failure to with Sandra Blakeslee) is Sleights of Mind: What the be fooled by magic tricks might be a novel way to Neuroscience of Magic Reveals About Our Everyday diagnose or better understand autism. Deceptions, a delightful and illuminating book about The authors describe with good humor and how magicians in many ways take advantage of our charm their attempts to become fully-fledged brains’ imperfect modeling of reality and what this performing magicians, and the difficulties involved. tells us about how the brains work. Skill with the hands is important, but not as 51 REVIEWS Illusion + Religion

Now you see it ... experiments) who do such things as riding around on a unicycle in a clown suit without being noticed Continued... because attention is elsewhere. Remember, too, that a good patter is not just the mark of a smooth performance; the magician who tells jokes, witty important as you might think. “Pulling off these or corny, is counting on your mind to be occupied simple sleights requires about as much dexterity with the humour so that it can’t do much else. as you need when learning how to shuffle a deck The authors have no concern that pushing of cards for the first time.” It is using the eyes and scientific investigation of magical feats will make body for misdirection that is hard, as is not paying them any less magical, any more than Copernicus attention to the work of your own hands which diminished the beauties of sunsets. In fact, they would make people realise what you are doing. are doing what magicians have been doing all Accomplished magicians practice enough that along: “Magicians basically do cognitive science tricky movements come as second nature and experiments for audiences all night long, and they require no attention. If the magician stops to think, may be even more effective than we scientists are in “Here’s where I must be careful in doing the trick,” the lab.” And it may well be that armed with better the audience is handed a higher likelihood of being understanding of how magic works, the authors able to tell what is going on. can improve the effectiveness of their own tricks There are real-life lessons here. The reason that and those of other magicians. a magician can so easily take your attention away Their book reads well as a summary of from the mechanics of the trick is that we are so a personal quest for scientific and magical bad at multitasking. There has been a decade of understanding, and one of the best things about it research on multitasking, long before the authors is that it refers repeatedly to their website where you got interested in magic. Multitaskers just don’t get can see the specific magic effects themselves. Their all the tasks done as well as those who are doing book is a delightful tour of magic techniques; but one thing at a time. Those who couple driving with in showing the techniques this way, abracadabra, talking on a mobile phone, even if the phone is the authors have induced the reader to learn some hands-free, are able to pay as little attention to the serious neuroscience as well. road as drunks do. There are wonderful examples in the book of magicians (or psychologists doing - Reviewed by Rob Hardy

not confined to the Catholic Church, but other Self possessed religions, including Islam and Hinduism, practise these rituals. Recently, in an essay by Adam Knott, titled “Deliver Us from Evil” and published in The The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist Weekend Australian Magazine last December, it was By Matt Baglio revealed that the Sydney Archdiocese is leading a Pocket Books , A$24.99 push to have an exorcist in every parish. But the most startling claim, from a Bishop Porteous of the Catholic Church, is that the e skeptics tend to seek the scientific evidence increasing use of non-Christian relaxation methods Win regard to the paranormal. But in the such as yoga, and such movies as Twilight and event of demons infesting normal everyday religious Harry Potter, are the cause of much of the spiritual people, there seems to be a nexus between religion issues that young people now have. This “spiritual and the paranormal that is complicated and hard adventurism”, including tarot cards, astrology and to define. Normal reaction would be “dogma”, séances, poses some great temptations and invites “superstition” and “mental health issues”, but the demonic issues. professional exorcists take their job seriously. After all, This essay and the book, The Rite: the Making of the first exorcism was conducted by the son of god a Modern Exorcist, come at an interesting time in himself, Jesus, casting out demons. the history of the Catholic Church. With continual Generally, exorcism in the Catholic Church is issues such as sexual abuse allegations, trials and a ritual (as opposed to a sacrament) conducted by other related matters, a skeptic may think that the authorised members of clergy to remove demons discussion of the rite of exorcism is a misdirection that may inhabit a person. The use of exorcism is used by the church to address other matters. 52 The Skeptic March 11

No doubt skeptics and atheists would not just The reviewer has been involved in law be interested in the concept of exorcism, and enforcement for over 25 years and these symptoms understanding how this dogma has come about, tend to be more the demonstration of clinical but ask why such rituals are still required in the signs of mental health issues than ‘possession’. I 21st century. But you might be interested to know would suspect that perhaps, even 100 years ago, that an organisation known as the International possession would have been a good explanation, Association of Exorcists exists and that an accredited but with advancements in medical science and program of training exorcists is run by the Vatican. I an understanding how the brain works, a more suggest that readers who saw the movie The Exorcist scientific approach would provide answers. cannot be disregarded, because the book itself, for The New York Times published an article in this reviewer, asked more questions than it gave November by Laurie Goodstein, “For Catholics, answers. interest in exorcism is revived”, looking at Matt Baglio’s book provides some graphic scenes exorcism in the United States. The article states in regard to the exorcism of demons from believers. that the current workload for exorcists in the US Using The Exorcist as a benchmark, most people is overwhelming, and as a result priests now need requesting exorcisms tend to attend many rituals to distinguish between people who are allegedly over a long time, sometimes for up to ten years. possessed by the devil and those who have mental Interestingly, demons affect all types of people, health issues. The article quotes a high ranking including priests and nuns, but generally the book Bishop who says that exorcisms are rare and that describes people who are devout church attenders, they should not be used in the event of mental middle and lower class, with low levels of literacy and health issues. If this is a result of either the increase economic status. Atheists do not tend to get infested in the litigation against the church or a responsible by demons; I suspect the same with skeptics too. approach to pastoral care, the reviewer is sceptical. Baglio is a freelance journalist working in There appears to be a return to the traditional rituals Rome and was able to document the training and by the current Pope, and exorcism has not been experiences of a Catholic priest, Father Gary, from a forgotten. normal parish priest in the United States to the role The Rite has been written in sequence from the of parish exorcist. The book itself has now time of selection of Father Gary as an exorcist, his been put into production as a movie, time in Rome, his training, his secondment to an also called The Rite, starring Sir Anthony actual exorcist, and then graduation and posting Hopkins. to a parish as an exorcist. I enjoyed certain those Baglio describes the journey of Father aspects of the book in which Baglio defines all Gary, after being selected by his Bishop, aspects of the process, without favour to anyone. to be trained at the Vatican-sponsored This is seen in Chapter 4 “Know your enemy”, exorcist course. This course is conducted where the book turns from a ‘non-fiction’ story to in modern facilities and much of the an essay on the origins of demons and the devil. course work is not on Canon Law but on This chapter provides a wealth of source material to psychology, criminology, mental health, both the believer and the non-believer in relation the law, illicit and legal drugs and related to the concept of the devil and how he (or she) acts areas. This provides a background to the in regards to the world and environment. After this role of the exorcist that is different from chapter has been completed, the book returns to the dogmatic Max von Sydow in The its narrative story line, which is a shame because Exorcist. Defined procedures and policy providing explanations and reference to source in regards to the conduct of exorcism are material provides a degree of authority to the book. now indicated by training to the point The movie of the book will be released early this that all exorcisms in the United States can year. I hope it will be better than the book. Other only be conducted after referral by mental than the chapter on the Devil, the book is very health professionals and the approval of a Bishop. No much a narrative, but surprisingly the citations and doubt this is a result of possible litigation issues. But notes at the end of the book create a better picture as the book indicates, in Rome you can actually walk of the context of exorcism. I know that the book off the street and have an exorcism while you wait. It was written to demonstrate the journey of one man, is this form of exorcism that is described in the book. but further information in regards to the processes, The signs of possession include sleeplessness, rites and additional explanation would have made speaking in tongues, show of strength and aversion the book a better read. to all spiritual things such as holy water. Other Would I recommend it? Wait for the movie. activities, such as self-abuse through cutting the skin, biting and lack of appetite, also indicate possession. - Reviewed by Geoff Cowan 53 FORUM Skepticism

For one thing, as I argued here in 2005 More decisions after climate skeptics had been vilified as “disgustingly evil” and “Holocaust deniers”, skepticism is the oxygen of scientific progress. In which is discussed doing it yourself vs It should not be feared. Indeed, skeptics have a calling on experts duty to support it. But there’s more. Let me start by dividing the ‘climate change debate’ into three aspects: the n “Decision Time”, The Skeptic (Vol 30:4, p24), science; the evidence; and what to do about it. IMartin Bridgstock tackles a timely topic: how With the truly basic science, it’s hard for lay can skeptics who are not scientists make sense of skeptics to say much. Who of us knows enough, complex scientific controversies like anthropogenic for example, to judge the latest findings on the global warming (AGW)? He proposes a method radiative forcing of methane or the momentum and reaches a view. Correct as his conclusion may budget analysis of the West African westerly jet? be, there are still many other matters connected But the tangible evidence (eg has there been with AGW that should hold the attention of warming in the last 10 years?) and what to do skeptics. about it (eg should we install solar panels, ride Martin starts with a threshold issue. Skeptics bicycles?) are easier to grasp and fair game for typically worry about pseudoscience rather than all. science. AGW is science. Does that disqualify My own pet subjects are future energy AGW? He says “no”. I agree. There are good sources, energy conversion technologies, and reasons for skeptical interest. their related costs. Here I would encourage But precisely because it is ‘real science’ there active skeptical scrutiny. The passion in debates is another threshold issue. Is it a controversy about the virtues of this or that form of energy where it is reasonable for a layperson to hold has all the characteristics of good old religion. an ‘opinion’? That might sound arrogant, but One can easily find scientists enthusiastically consider another example. If two chemists proclaiming the superiority of geothermal disagree on the complex formula of a chemical energy, or hydrogen, or solar, or carbon capture compound they have both synthesised, should and storage, or any of the other innovative or could anyone outside their professional low-carbon technologies that one reads about speciality take sides? I doubt it. But if I said regularly. Experts disagree – just think of that only experts should get involved with nuclear power. And as with religion, they can’t climate change I would certainly be or won’t all be right. Ideal skeptical fodder. told where to get off. It’s different. The argument is usually not about science. It affects us all. And of course it’s It’s about perceptions and predictions. The about something familiar, the experts themselves often act, unhelpfully, weather. as advocates for their pet discoveries or Martin’s three-pronged technologies. There is a gulf between acquiring methodology asks: What new knowledge, which is what scientists do are the climate scientists best, and assessing its useful application. collectively saying? What do Researchers are often remote from the ‘market’ systematic studies of climate where their ideas might be applied, or they scientists’ positions by non- can be conflicted through their involvement scientists reveal? And what kinds of in producing new knowledge, or they can be conclusions have been published by disinclined or unqualified to assess the broader reasonably trustworthy scientific bodies? picture of costs and benefits of putting their Via this route, he says, non-scientists can ideas into practice, or they can simply be too make judgements on such matters. His own optimistic. Of course, people in research have somewhat lukewarm judgement is that the case to be optimists. It’s a tough game and optimism for AGW is “probably strong enough to accept”. goes with the territory. And that’s precisely why He could have saved himself a lot of trouble. skepticism is so important. A single document, the Royal Society’s A guide Unfortunately, I don’t think Martin to facts and fictions about climate change issued Bridgstock’s approach to making sense of in March 2005 does cover all of his concerns. scientific controversies will work quite as Never mind. Doing it yourself is probably more well when applied to this kind of practical convincing. technology debate. It is harder to get at the What are the big AGW issues for skeptics? objective information needed. Worse, any 54 The Skeptic March 11

analysis will soon run into unverifiable blue- as many differing results produced by climate sky claims (or ‘forward-looking statements’ models as there were modelling runs with as business is required to call such spin). All differing inputs. With experience, a particular such predictions and projections, like future set of input values and/or feedback levels can be cost reductions and efficiency gains, should be selected which will produce any desired range viewed skeptically. of results. It’s that simple, and if you believe So, skeptics, don’t throw away your critical some of the scientists on the side of truth, this is faculties. Climate change still offers many exactly what is being done to (pardon the pun) opportunities. You just have to look in cloud the issue. the right places. In the next section, he asks whether global warming is a skeptical matter. A quick trip Tom Biegler to your nearest dictionary should answer St Kilda East VIC this question. My Australian Oxford defines sceptical as “inclined to question the truth or soundness of accepted ideas”, so a sceptic ... and some further debate is by definition a questioner. Nothing about being concerned only with paranormal or pseudoscientific matters – that’s a matter of approached with interest Martin personal choice, not definition. Anyone who I Bridgstock’s paper “Decision Time”, being professes to be a genuine sceptic, and who also a keen follower of the whole climate change possesses anything even vaguely resembling a controversy. And it still is just that – a controversy, logical mind, must question what is some very with the ‘science’ far from settled, unlike what questionable ‘logic’ lurking behind this subject. some would have us believe. It was disappointing, With all due respect to Mr Bridgstock’s and did little to further the cause of either side. professional position as a lecturer, his fairly Twice in the section title “The Contested superficial treatment of the subject seems to Terrain”, and at least once in the following rely heavily on references of his own making, section Mr Bridgstock refers to “predicting” three of them to be exact. Hardly an objective the future with computer models. This is a viewpoint. I have also read (and re-read) Ray common but unfortunate and misleading choice Evans’ article in the July-August Quadrant of terminology, as it tends to lend an air of included in Mr Bridgstock’s list of references mysticism to the results. After spending about and I could find nothing in it that would forty years of my working life in the technical indicate any support for a conclusion that there side of the computer industry, in both hardware is more evidence for the AGW theory than and software for large second-generation against it. Quite the opposite, in fact. mainframe computers, I believe I can safely Noticeably absent from the list of references make the following statement: computer models was any mention of two of Australia’s experts in do not, by any stretch of the imagination, the field – Professor Ian Plimer and Professor “predict” anything. That’s the realm of tarot Robert Carter. Has he ever bothered to read cards and crystal balls. what either of them has to say on the subject? If Modelling programs, while by nature very he hasn’t yet read their books, I suggest he make complex, are also, like any other computer it a matter of priority to do so. It may persuade program, very single-minded and only do what him to change his own chosen direction. they’re told to do. Assuming the same set of If he has seriously read them, does he then values for all of the input data, a computer will totally discount their expertise? Two questions always produce exactly the same result. Change arise: what is Mr Bridgstock’s opinion of the just one of the variables applied as input to credibility of these two eminent scientists, and the program (any program!) and the result will more importantly, for this discussion, what is change. That’s how computers and computer their opinion of his? programs work. There was no mention of the cessation of Much of the variation in modelling programs warming that happened around 1998, the is achieved by feedback, ie feeding some of subsequent cooling that has been happening the output values back as either positive or for the last decade (in spite of still-rising negative inputs to try to emulate the behaviour CO2 levels!) and which has been projected by of a dynamic system such as climate. But it’s no less than seven independent researchers, not a prediction, it’s an inevitable conclusion using different methods, to continue until at based on the input values. There are, therefore, least 2030. How does one reconcile that as 55 FORUM Skepticism

having any direct connection with CO2 levels? Australian) says “The authors skilfully — and Professor Carter has some interesting and rigorously — blend hard science, statistics persuasive points to make about this particular and anecdote to end up with a final chapter phenomenon, but I won’t steal his thunder – appropriately titled ‘The Verdict’.” Anecdote? read it yourselves! Secondly, “His (McCrystal I presume) If climate change, anthropogenic global method was to hire the finest international warming – call it what you will – ever was a scientists available to present their best truly scientific question worthy of the money, arguments.” Hire? time and resources spent on it, it has long In his conclusion, Martin Bridgstock since ceased to be that. It is now blatantly and describes himself as “non-scientist” yet he is a unashamedly political, concerned wholly with senior lecturer in the School of Biomolecular saving face over an issue manufactured for and Physical Sciences at Griffith University political ends, and for those with their eyes with B Science (Hons), M Science, PhD open, the cracks have been showing for some qualifications. Sorry Martin, but I’m confused. time. The failure of Copenhagen 2009 was the While not wanting to comment on your beginning of the end. conclusions Martin, I’m not convinced about Professor Carter’s comments on “consensus” the method. and the popular view that there is consensus among scientists that AGW is happening, bear Alan Stern heavily on how we should sensibly attempt South Hurstville NSW to interpret the state of play. Who would you choose to believe on a scientific issue – scientists in your own backyard with proven credentials, Martin Bridgstock responds: or politicians? In his recent book Climate: The Counter Consensus, Carter states more than once that science is not about consensus. It’s about om Biegler understands my arguments, but one scientist being right. We should all think Tsuspects that my method may not apply to about that statement, and its undeniable truth some other types of controversy. That may be so: in the history of mankind. if it works for important scientific controversies, I will be content. Robert M Steley Robert Steley objects to my term “predicting” Chittaway Bay NSW with computers. I can’t see why. If I construct a mathematical computer model of how the world’s climate works, feed in the best data ithout wanting to go into the arguments I can find, and then get the computer to say Wfor and against anthropogenic global what the world will be like in 2030 or 2050, warming (AGW), I find the article by Martin that strikes me as a justified use of the term Bridgstock quite disturbing. “computer prediction.” Robert points out that So, it’s OK just to poll the ‘experts’ without computer predictions can be fiddled. Certainly examining any evidence at all? they can, as can almost any scientific experiment “Wide acceptance of an idea is not proof of or observation. So what? its validity.” - Dan Brown. I was astonished by Robert’s next claim. Let’s not get sidetracked into religion. Using a dictionary, he claims that “sceptical” A simple Google search reveals numerous need not involve paranormal or pseudoscientific criticisms of Anderegg and his methods: matters and “that’s a matter of personal choice, http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/ not definition.” No, it isn’t. The Skeptic is the news/43002 magazine of the Australian Skeptics. They have http://nofrakkingconsensus.wordpress. a very clear statement of aims, which appears com/2010/06/24/who-is-william-r-l-anderegg/ on their website, and which does involve https://calderup.wordpress.com/tag/william- paranormal or pseudoscientific claims. I suggest anderegg/ that Robert should read it. I admit that I have not read Poles Apart by Robert also says that I “rely heavily on Morgan & McCrystal, however, two items on references of his own making, three of them to this review page worry me: be exact.” Well, my key references are Anderegg http://www.scribepublications.com.au/book/ et al, the statements of major scientific societies polesapart and the Morgan and McCrystal book. I didn’t Firstly, the review by Rod Moran (West write any of those. Years ago, I co-edited a book 56 The Skeptic March 11

and published several dozen papers on creation without examining any evidence at all?” No, science. I see nothing objectionable in drawing I didn’t say that. I said that when a scientific on my own knowledge in that area, where it is issue is so important that we must take a stand, relevant. and grasping all the complexities will take an I was astonished by Robert’s comments on unacceptably long time, then the procedure the Ray Evans paper. A look at my original I suggest may be the best way to arrive at a article (page 25, right hand column) reveals that reasoned decision (page 25, middle column and I was using the Evans paper to show that some page 26, left hand column). anti-AGW people have been abusing those they In my judgment, there are no objections of disagree with (as have some pro-AGW people). substance raised in the websites Alan mentions. I went on to say that all abuse is wrong, and If he thinks they are important, let him spell should be ignored. I am surprised that Robert out why. did not see this. Without having read the work, Alan is Robert then refers to two – perfectly genuine worried because there are “anecdotes” in the – Australian scientists. Both have achieved the Morgan and McCrystal book. The book is full rank of full Professor, both have substantial of argument and evidence, and the occasional lists of publications and both have spoken out anecdote makes it more vivid and readable. strongly against AGW. Contrary to Robert’s Alan will find an anecdote (about a former assumption, I have read work on the topic by Miss World) in the article by Kylie Sturgess and both scientists. However, a check through the myself in this issue. There is lots of evidence, Web of Science shows that very few of their too. Anecdotes need not undermine logic and scientific papers are on the AGW topic. They evidence, provided the latter are sound. would therefore not be classed as top scientists Alan also objects because Morgan (not in the area. McCrystal) paid people. Yes, he paid the best Robert claims, without evidence, that AGW scientists to give him their best arguments, pro has now given way to cooling. If he produces and con. That was one of the ways the authors evidence of this – from proper scientific journals could complete their work in only 18 months. – I will consider it. I will not comment on Finally, Alan says he is “confused” because some of his wilder statements. Finally, he gives I describe myself as a non-scientist. I lecture me a choice of believing local scientists with in Science, Technology and Society and have a credentials, or politicians. I reject that choice. background in social science. I am sorry if this My first preference would be to understand all is confusing. the issues myself. Since that isn’t possible, my second choice is to find what the best experts Martin Bridgstock worldwide think, and I did that. My third Griffith Uni, Nathan QLD preference is to find what people who had no prior opinion but who had researched the topic think, and I did that. My fourth choice is to listen to what major scientific organisations think. I did that, too. Alan Stern profoundly misunderstands me when he writes, “So, it’s OK to poll the ‘experts’

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe is a weekly Science podcast talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view. www.the skepticsguide.org

57 REGULARS Horoscope Your Stars: MARCH 2011 With our Astrologer Dr Duarf Ekaf Jr

Aries: 19 April-13 May Ophiuchus: 30 November Following an unfortunate -17 December mishap while juggling You are a man carrying a large chainsaws, medical care lets snake across his shoulders. you down significantly I always wondered about this month when you Ophiuchans, I mean, find that your blood what is the point of group has been that, where do you deleted. think you are going with it, and does it Taurus: bite. 14 May-19 June Many of the Sagittarius: conventional 18 Dec-18 January attributes The stars look down customarily assigned on you this month, to persons born and despair. under your star sign mysteriously acquire a bizarre and tragic veracity Capricorn: 19 January when you visit a china shop. -15 Febuary Sorry about this, but when I Gemini: 20 June-20 July looked in my crystal ball for you You have perhaps heard those this month, it said “Cannot display many stories where someone living the required information - you need a mundane, humdrum life suddenly to download the latest version of finds that they have won division Flush Player. Click here to proceed.” 1 of Tattslotto, thereby becoming And the cat has eaten my mouse. fabulously wealthy? Well, this will not Virgo: 16 September-30 October happen to you this month. Buying a This month, late one night, a Aquarius: 16 Febuary-11 March ticket might have helped. voluptuous female will desperately Do you know that a man in kick and scratch on the door of your Sydney is run over by a passing car Cancer: 21 July-9 August bedroom. You should allow her to leave. Consider the ant - constantly and approximately every 30 minutes? While rejoicing in the fact that it is diligently toiling, living an abstemious Libra: 31 October-22 November and virtuous life, a respected and not you, please spare a thought for A distant Canadian relative, of whom valued member of its community, that poor man - he must be pretty you have never heard, sends you a convinced that hard labour is its exasperated by now. large parcel of gold nuggets which own reward with nary a care for the is left on your doorstep, but before decadent joys of life. But, you’re not Pisces: 12 March-18 April you open your front door a passing an ant, are you? 3.14159 cccccc. kangaroo picks it up and hops away [These cryptic crosswordians just can’t with it, never to be seen again. What a help themselves - Ed] Leo: 10 August-15 September pity. If only you had known! . While waiting at a suburban station, in front of a poster showing a whale, you Scorpio: 23 November- 29 November bend over to tie a shoelace and thereby Severe misfortune is your wretched lot miss being fatally speared by a hail of this month, when on a round tour of harpoons, thrown by a group of lost New Zealand you trip on a fossilised Fijian whale-hunters on a passing train. sheep turd and break your leg in three But this will not worry you, because you places. You should not have gone to never become aware of what happened. those three places! 58 LETTERS To the Editor The Skeptic March 11

sceptic must apply a suitably high What you think ... burden of proof for this assertion”. We are, apparently, hypocrites. This is wounding, to say the least. Proof of Belief? cannot be considered incontrovertible Should I respect and tolerate every evidence of the reality of God due religious belief simply because it is to the possibility that they could be genuinely held? How far should this would like to respond to Ian Foster’s entirely natural in origin. extend – to the symbolic drinking of the IProof of Belief [The Skeptic, 30:4, blood of Christ by children, the stoning p57] in which he claims his religious REFERENCES to death of women, the abandonment experience constitutes “incontrovertible 1. Lewis, I.M. Ecstatic Religion, Penguin of child witches by their parents? All are evidence of the reality of God”. Books, England, 1971 current practices in the name of God Religious experiences can take many 2. Holmes, B. In Search of God, New and are acceptable or even required in forms - from feelings of the presence Scientist, Vol 170, No 2287, page 24 mainstream religious cultures. of God in the believer’s life, to an Foster also harbours the common overwhelming sense of a transcendental Kirk Straughen misconception that atheists have numinous power, and on to full blown Kippa-Ring, QLD ‘beliefs’ which are as strong as those visions of supernatural beings. of any theist. is defined by Anthropological research has the Concise Oxford Dictionary as revealed that religious experiences are t is difficult to know where to “Disbelief in the existence of a god”. common to all faiths1. For example, I begin in responding to Ian Foster’s It’s as simple as that. There are many although I am an atheist my wife and article in the December issue. I have things I disbelieve in (gods, fairies, her family are Hindus, and I have always had a somewhat puzzled leprechauns, pots of gold at the end of attended Hindu religious ceremonies sympathy for those skeptics who are the rainbow) but I feel no burden of where I have seen participants true to the cause in our battles against proof in relation to any of them, and overwhelmed by, what to them, is the quackery, pseudoscience and woolly I have absolutely no certainty of belief presence of their gods. thinking but who nonetheless treat in the existence of nothing outside our If Ian believes that religious as gospel what they read in ancient physical world! The more I read about experiences such as his own are collections of partisan, often myopic, dark matter, dark energy and particle evidence for the existence of the religious writings. This credulousness physics, the less certain I am about Christian god, will he acknowledge is very often justified by exposure to anything at all. that Hindu religious experiences, “incontrovertible evidence” of God The burden of proof, such as it which are just as profound for them which seems to occur only at times of is, lies entirely with those who do as his experience is for him, are crisis, when one’s morale is low and believe in such things. There is, at incontrovertible evidence of the reality defences against religious certainty are least, observational evidence for dark of Hindu gods such as Shiva? down. Loneliness and despair certainly matter and dark energy. As for gods In order to determine if such are the feeding grounds of the ‘God and leprechauns, Christopher Hitchens claims are true I think we need to look experience’. In fact, though, these puts it nicely: “What can be asserted at them with dispassionate objectivity: personal experiences are not so much without evidence can be dismissed just because an experience is revelations as opportunities to reinforce without evidence”. profoundly moving doesn’t necessarily long-held beliefs which are impervious mean that it is grounded in an object to rational analysis, and the ‘evidence’ Alan Needham that is external to the mind of the presented, as in Ian Foster’s article, is Wanneroo, WA percipient. not evidence but anecdote at best. Indeed, research on the All of this probably matters neurobiology of religion indicates little and would not have moved me s a “born again atheist” I feel that the parietal lobes, temporal lobes to respond were it not for Foster’s Athe need to reply to your and limbic system of the brain play unreasonable and uncharitable correspondent Ian Foster. I am fed up a role in the generation of mystical allegations about the motives of to the back teeth with smug, pious and experiences2. Given that there is no skeptics who are also atheists. He bigoted Christians who pull the “god objective empirical evidence for the accuses us of lack of respect for experience” to validate their belief in a existence of a God or gods, and that or tolerance of religious believers, supernatural being. Been there, done research suggests mystical experiences and attacks with the assertion that: that, for about 25 years and was just as are the result of brain activity, I think “Atheism … requires such a certainty patronising in my treatment of those the only reasonable conclusion that of belief in the existence of nothing who had not had the same spiritual can be drawn is that these experiences outside our physical world that a true experience. Studied theology, imagining 59 LETTERS To the Editor

Proof of Belief? journals can be wrong. space and time were created in the Many years ago, as a lecturer in Big Bang. Without time, there is Continued... psychology, I fronted up to a class of no notion of ‘before’, so the phrase some 100 or so students to administer “Before the Big Bang” doesn’t have all sorts of religious experiences, practical exercises in statistics. I gave any meaning. ordained deacon in the Anglican each student of sheet of figures, each Church, but was never quite able to generated by random process, from Julian Orbach silence the voice of reason at the back of which each student had to calculate, Stanmore, NSW my mind that insistently pointed to the using the process known as ‘analyses inconsistency of a so-called loving god of variance’, what the statistically who was so horrendously capricious. We significant effects might be supposing Climate & really are here to procreate the species, the data was from a real and well- just as any other living creature on the controlled study. Methane planet. The pity of it is that we have When all had put their pens down, cognition and know that this is all there I asked for a show of hands as to how is but our vanity says otherwise. many had found significant main his excellent journal has many Ian Foster refers to a dark period in effects. About four or five hands shot Tqualities but it is not well suited his life that a turning to god and prayer up. to the sort of discussion Robert carried him through. As a practising Now, let us suppose that these were O’Connor and Colin Kline want to Christian I had many dark periods post-grad and graduates scattered start in their efforts to deconstruct me where I believed god and prayer played around the world beavering away on climate. This response comes six a part in getting me through. But, you to find an effect to yell about in a months after the original article and know, I’ve had similar dark periods respectable journal. Most of their three months after their comments since espousing atheism where “I got results would end up being filed in the in the last issue of The Skeptic [30:4, through” without the benefit of prayer waste-paper basket, but maybe one or p56], comments based partly on or god. Isn’t that what evolution is, in two would be reported, in seriatim as a misunderstandings but also on an part: survival. An emotional experience first report, and then as a confirmation undoubted omission on my part. of the reality of god is not proof of the of the first, and thus the effect passes in The time lag is partially why I never existence of god. This is just magical the annals of psychology, usually with bothered to respond to earlier criticisms thinking and, quite frankly, a belittling the name of the researcher first to score, of my articles in long gone issues of of the amazing power of the human attached to the supposed effect. The Skeptic, and why I included an psyche. As one of my old lecturers once email address in the article. The idea suggested, we really need a Journal of of the original note was for Robert, in Patricia Nissen Negative Results.. particular, to contact me directly so we Woy Woy, NSW could clear up some confusion on his Rex Newsome part. St Lucia, QLD He and Colin are welcome to [Editor’s note: There were more letters abuse me, of course, but abuse received on this topic than we were able when the abuser has the full story to include on these pages, through both Big Bang is perhaps more constructive. the space available and the length of some For the record my other email individual letters. Our apologies to those Additions addresses are [email protected] correspondents whose letters have not and [email protected]. made the cut. Lack of publication is no au. I can assure both men I will be indication of lack of quality.] ohn Nash [The Skeptic 30:4, p62] professional. Jasks “Before the Big Bang, did But if they still insist on using 1 + 1 still equal 2?” mere print, Colin is the easiest to There are two parts to the answer. deal with, as he was complaining In mathematics, 2 is defined I did not reference any material Wrong evidence as being equal to 1 + 1. It is when I stated that concentrations of defined conceptually - completely methane in the atmosphere levelled independent of space, time or any off around the turn of the century. n The Skeptic 30:4 [p38] Chris need for the physical universe. So, 1 + The relevant graph can be found IBorthwick points out that many 1 = 2, whether there was a Big Bang on the US National Oceanic and positive effects reported (especially or not. Atmospheric Administration Office psychological) in respectable scientific In physics, it is thought that both site - http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/ 60 The Skeptic March 11

gmd/aggi/. Not happy with that? an explanation of the physics. using infinite separation as the zero The 2007 IPCC report contains That is the essence of the simple reference. If the zero reference were a detailed discussion of this issue, point I was making in the articles chosen then for point masses, then which is best summarised by which have drawn Robert’s ire. Eg would be infinite for all non-zero scientists saying that they don’t really The whole argument has then been separations, and for non-point masses, know why methane concentrations about the degree to which climate how do you get zero separation? have levelled off. is supposed to amplify that modest However, a point mass has infinite As a journalist, I put this to a warming. With that in mind, Robert density and so is not physically senior global warming scientist should also go back and look at the realisable. For non-point masses, recently who agreed, reluctantly, first reference he cites. This says that consider the following thought that the levelling off of methane there is more warming to come from experiment. Imagine that you drilled concentrations was good news, CO2. Quite right. It just doesn’t say a hole through the centre of the earth but for various reasons was not how much. A classic misdirection. A and then dropped a ball into the hole. so important. Whatever. The two further complication, as I note in the After the oscillations died down the references cited by Colin are not article, is that on present trends CO2 ball would come to rest in middle relevant to the simple point I was concentrations in the atmosphere earth. Now, suppose that you had tied making. will only increase by 50 per cent some string to the ball. If you pulled As for Robert, I’m not sure why by the end of the century, and not the ball out of the hole, then the force he thinks I’ve contradicted myself double as earlier estimate suggested. is actually proportional to the distance although the use of the word In any case the heat has gone out from the centre while the ball is below “saturation” may have confused of the debate - pun intended. It’s the surface, whereas it is inversely things. Rather than try to explain time to move on. proportional to distance squared above the physics and have him jump the surface. The energy required to pull down my throat over “errors”, both Mark Lawson the ball from the centre of the earth is real and supposed, I can point him Hornsby Heights, NSW finite, and so the use of zero separation to a fully worked out graph of CO2 as the zero reference is quite feasible concentrations and temperature (theoretically). However, the use of responses in the atmosphere given the simple formula, Eg = - m/r, is OK in the classic climate text Climate, Gravity matters for non-overlapping masses, but it is History and the Modern World by wrong for overlapping masses, such as H. H. Lamb (Routledge, 1995), described in this example. page 334 in my copy. To give you osmologists, such as Paul Davies In addition, at the start of the a shorthand idea of the curve, the Cand Stephen Hawking, have Big Bang there was no matter, only first 400 parts per million worth of claimed that the universe could have energy. As the temperature of the

CO2 (we are now around 390ppm) arisen spontaneously based on the universe cooled, then matter distilled warms the atmosphere by perhaps supposition that the net energy of out of the radiation - firstly the six degrees, while the next 400ppm the universe is zero. This is based on high mass particles and then the by between 1 and 2 degrees. the claim that gravitational energy is low mass particles (such as electrons A more precise reference is the negative and counter balances all other and positrons). Prior to the creation classic paper “The Ice-Core Record: positive energy components. Thus, in of matter, what was the status of climate sensitivity and future Hawking’s words, the universe is “the gravitational energy? I am not sure, greenhouse warming” by a group of ultimate free lunch”. but is there someone out there who French scientists led by C. Lorius The notion that gravitational can tell us? (Nature, September 13, 1990 – it’s energy is negative seems quite odd, The suggestion that Eg is negative available online). This says that but Ian Bryce [The Skeptic, 30:4, p59] should not be based on mathematical doubling CO2 in the atmosphere provided some arguments on why simplicity, but on the basic physics. will increase temperatures by 1.1 Gravitational Energy (Eg) could be I didn’t understand the rest of Ian’s degrees – that is, the warming deemed negative. We both agree that if arguments, but I gather that we both effect, without feedbacks, will be the zero reference is at zero separation, agree that the idea that the universe is a 1.1 degrees. Skeptics can check then Eg is positive, but if the zero free lunch is counter-intuitive. I believe The Climate Caper by former reference is chosen to be at infinite that the high priests of physics owe us CSIRO scientist Garth W. Paltridge separation then Eg is negative. an explanation. (Connor Court, 2009), who also Ian’s arguments were based on the gives a figure of about one degree practical difficulties of using zero Kevin Rogers but says the change would take separation as the zero reference for Eg Modbury, SA centuries. Paltridge’s book also has and the mathematical simplicity of 61 LETTERS To the Editor

What I want most for my students received an email back from Richard Students alert! is for them to become lifelong critical suggesting that perhaps he could do a thinkers, to apply the same logic presentation for our students while on and reasoning they learn in science vacation in the Bay Area. eaching science is hard. On top class to every aspect of their lives. Of Richard visited two of my science Tof the tedious compliance with course I want them to learn the Earth classes for a rousing question and rules and regulations, we are expected Science and Biology I present to them answer session and then engaged an to keep our students fully engaged as well, but primarily I want them to audience of over 100 students and and spark in them an endless desire to embrace thoughtfulness. To do this, ten staff members in a presentation learn. It can all be very daunting and I’ve got to capture their attention of the Mystery Investigators. Never exasperating. and imagination, and nothing does have I seen my students so engaged One of my students, whom I really that better than talk of paranormal and willing to participate. I can only like, recently asked me “Mr Stephens, investigation, which strangely enough imagine how captivating the Mystery why do we have to learn all of this is not mandated in the state standards. Investigators must be when Dr Rachie stuff if we can just look it up on the I can talk until my face is blue about is involved as well. internet?” I really can’t blame the plate tectonics, electron transport In short, educators, especially in student for asking the question, based chains, natural selection, convection science, have some valuable allies to on the way standards and testing are currents or any of the number of be found in the skeptical movement. pushed, from a student perspective it topics I find riveting, and I’m almost If you are looking to get the youth may seem that all we want is for them universally greeted with blank stares. in your charge to drop some of their to regurgitate information. It can all But as soon as I say “I don’t believe in superstitions, think critically and be very daunting and exasperating. ghosts”, oh boy, do I get a landslide of recognise the joys found in reality, So sometimes we could use a little comments and discussion. seek out presentations by the Mystery bit of help bringing the fun back to Scouring the internet for help, Investigators and other like-minded science. Let’s face it, while us geek- I happened upon ’s outreaching skeptics. You will not be nerd science teachers and skeptics interview with Dr Rachael Dunlop disappointed, and you just might have may love science without any need in which she discussed the Mystery a great time yourself, I know I did. for candy coating, the average student Investigators presentations she does not share that love. Likewise, performs with Richard Saunders. the average student has never been I sent an email to them, inquiring Aaron Stephens taught to relish the virtues of critical whether or not they had a video Vacaville, California USA thinking. available. Imagine my delight when I

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD SOLUTION DR BOB’S TRIVIA SOLUTIONS

D L I H C R T S S U X E N A P

N S E O O E I I 1. 81 - They picked up a drifter along the way.

E N I L H C N U P O N E V A

H 2. Australian Sign Language.

G S T A A S

N

S 3. N I S S A S S A T S I T A R He frowned too much in his youth. C

I A P I C R L

L 4. Then the diagnosis was even more likely to be correct, V C O R T N I E C U E D C S

I A E R T N C N oh yes.

L Y R E M A I S R E P D A

O You can see more like this, every month and going back

U O P O T N B

P some years, at www.skeptics.com.au/features/dr-bobs-quiz/ S T A E H C G G N I H E E T T

E S G G K S E I

D N E I F Y R A N G A M I R I

A C E A R R I R

H T A E D D L E I F E K W S A

62 ARE YOU SKEPTICAL? Skeptics think critically where there is doubt. The Skepticpromotes skepticism, reason, science, education, critical thinking and common sense.

Skeptics analyse claims. The Skeptic investigates paranormal and pseudoscience beliefs and practices from a rational and scientific perspective.

Skeptics are open-minded. But not so open that our brains fall out! An open mind is not an empty head.

Skeptics seek the evidence. The Skeptic publishes findings that are sometimes humorous, often sobering and always fascinating. An informative and factual resource for the public and media.

We invite you to subscribe to The Skeptic. The Skeptic is published quarterly by Australian Skeptics Inc. Complete and post or fax this form, phone us, or visit www.skeptics.com.au Cheques, money orders and credit cards accepted.

Name: ………………………………………………………………………...... ………………

Address: ………………………………………………………...... ……………………………

Phone number(s): ……………………………………………………..……...... ……………….

Email: ……………………………………………...... …………………………………………

Credit card details (Visa or MasterCard only)

Name on Card: ……………………………………...... ………………………………………..

Card Number: ……...……………../…...………………/……...…………../…….……..……./

Expiry date: ….....…..…./…...... ……

Signature: …………………………...... ………………………

Please specify: 1 year subscription hard copy [ ] $44.00* 1 year subscription digital copy [ ] $22.00

3 year subscription hard copy [ ] $120.00* 3 year subscription digital copy [ ] $60.00

*Overseas subscribers please add A$25 for airmail (hard copy only)

Total enclosed: $ …………………… www.skeptics.com.au Send to: The Skeptic Ph: (02) 8094 1894 PO Box 20 Fax: (02) 8088 4735 Beecroft NSW 2119 email: [email protected] subscribe & SAVE UP FREE to $62.10! VOYAGE TO THE PLANETS DVD When you subscribe to COSMOS magazine for 2 or 3 years. Narrated by Richard Roxburgh, Voyage to the Planets is a 2 DVD set that travels across our solar system and explores the pleasures and pitfalls of living on planets other than Earth.

g*0

;@;89FI@>@EF6 :FJDFJ

89FI@>@E@E<sK?<FOP>Ps:8E8@;J9<:LI<;6sJ?8IFEC

9;MJ=  >GJ9A

;DAE9L= ;9D9EALQ =P;DMKAN= O`YlÌkafklgj] Yf\`golgkYn] h,1 l`]hdYf]l Aborigines VISIT cosmosmagazine.com/subscribe AFNAKA:D= Did >GJ;=

n@EKP nG?PJ@:J 9 771832 522008 :fjdfjDX^Xq`e\%Zfd nP nJG8:< D<;@:@E<

Read the complete COSMOS archive Subscribe now to COSMOS Print & Digital

2011SkepticsAd_r1.indd 1 28/2/11 12:17:03 PM