Summer 2007, Vol 27, No 4 Feature Articles 7. Convention Round-up 34. The Haunted Sanitorium Barry Willims Karen Stollznow 10. David Hume: A skeptic’s sceptic 38. Witches and Africans James Allan Leo Igwe 14. The ‘Robustness’ of Climate Change 40. Can a Scientist Rely on Induction? Garth Paltridge Dan Carmody 17. Anomalistic Psychology 42. A Tale of Medical Horror Krissy Wilson Peter Willims 20. Religion Remains a Problem 50. Enquiring Minds Want to Know ... Neville Buch Ed Curnow 27. Report: A Ship of Skeptics 52. Space Travel Musings Richard Saunders Rex Newsome 30. What’s Wrong with Evolution? 52. Circumcision Facts Trump Anti-circ Myths Brian Baxter Brian Morris Regular Items Forum 4. Editorial — Times of Change 60. To Snip or Not to Snip Barry Williams 63. The Power of Prayer 6. Around the Traps 64. Climate Change Bunyip 66. Letters News 68. Notices 46. WA Skeptics Awards Cover art by Richard Saunders Editorial ISSN 0726-9897 Editor Barry Williams Associate Editor Changing Karen Stollznow Contributing Editors Tim Mendham Steve Roberts Technology Consultants Times Richard Saunders Eran Segev Chief Investigator Ian Bryce All correspondence to: Australian Skeptics Inc PO Box 268 Roseville NSW 2069 Australia (ABN 90 613 095 379 ) Contact Details Tel: (02) 9417 2071 Fax: (02) 9417 7930 e-mails: [email protected] Web Pages Australian Skeptics www.skeptics.com.au No Answers in Genesis™ www.noanswersingenesis.org.au the Skeptic is a journal of fact and opinion, published four times per year by Australian Skeptics Inc. Views and opinions expressed in articles and letters in the Skeptic are those of the authors, and are not necessar- ily those of Australian Skeptics Inc. Articles may be re- printed with permission and with due acknowledgement to the Skeptic. The Winners: Skeptic of the Year, Loretta Marron and Skeptiics Prize Editorial consultants: recipient, Kylie Sturgess Dr Stephen Basser (medicine) Dr Trevor Case (psychology) Dr Richard Gordon (medicine) Dr Pete Griffith (biochemistry/microbiology) Dr William Grey (philosophy) t has been a very good year for Another factor in the increase was Prof Colin Groves (anthropology) Mr Martin Hadley (law) Ithe Skeptics, with our numbers — the appearance of our name and Dr Colin Keay (astronomy) somewhat static over the past few address in an annexe to Richard Dr Andrew Parle (physics) Prof Ian Plimer (geology) years — taking a decidedly upward Dawkins’ best selling book The God Dr Stephen Moston (psychology) trend. One factor that contributed to Delusion. A substantial number of Dr Alex Ritchie (palaeontology) Dr Steve Roberts (chemistry) this was a significant increase in the our new readers came to us from Mr Roland Seidel (mathematics) number of subscribers taking that source; we welcome them all Branch correspondents: advantage of out half-price gift and extend our sincere thanks to subscription offer, when renewing Prof Dawkins for including us in his ACT: Dr Pete Griffith Gold Coast: Mr John Stear their own subscription. This offer excellent book — if you haven’t yet Hunter: Dr Colin Keay has been so successful that we are read it, you should. Qld: Mr Bob Bruce SA: Mr Allan Lang happy to continue it, and urge all We are further heartened by the Tas: Mr Fred Thornett our subscribers to consider making a fact that at the recent convention Vic: Mr Ken Greatorex WA: Dr Geoffrey Dean Skeptical gift for the coming year. our major awards, the Skeptics Prize Page 4 - the Skeptic, Summer 2007 for Critical Thinking, Australian reporting and comment in the media Skeptics Around Australia Skeptic of the Year and the Bent today. Matt Price could be cutting, Spoon Award, all went to women. Of but always good natured and never course, women have always been vicious, in his dissection of the New South Wales vitally involved in the Skeptics at all absurdities of the national political Australian Skeptics Inc levels, but this public recognition of scene. The many tributes from all PO Box 268, Roseville NSW 2069 their contribution will go some way sides of politics attest to his popular- Tel: (02) 9417 2071 Fax: (02) 9417 7930 to dispelling our image as being a ity. His death, at the far too young [email protected] group consisting largely of ‘Fat Old age of 46, has removed a source of Hunter Skeptics Blokes with Beards’. (Not that pleasure for many people. PO Box 166 , Waratah NSW 2298 there’s anything wrong with The second death was that of the Tel: (02) 4957 8666. Fax: (02) 4952 6442 FOBwBs, as I’m sure you’ll agree.) English journalist, Alan Coren, The annual convention, the first latterly a columnist with The Times Victoria to be held in Tasmania, was an and The Daily Mail, but perviously Australian Skeptics (Vic) Inc outstanding success and stands as a the long-time editor of the now sadly GPO Box 5166AA, Melbourne VIC 3001 tribute to the dedication of the defunct Punch magazine. He had the Tel: 1 800 666 996 committee of our smallest branch — extraordinary ability to take a [email protected] the venue, the speakers and the snippet of major news, or a minor whole organisation were excellent. domestic crisis, and spin it into a Borderline Skeptics Some of the convention papers thousand words of pure delight. His PO Box 17 , Mitta Mitta VIC 3701 appear in this issue and we expect to work is, perhaps, not be as widely Tel:(02)60723632 have several more in following known in Australia as it should be, [email protected] issues and we expect to have a DVD but every couple of years his col- Queensland of the whole thing early in the new umns were published in book form Queensland Skeptics Assn Inc year. — I have them all and I treasure PO Box 6454 , Fairfield Gardens QLD 4103 Recently a couple of subscribers them all. Tel (07) 3255 0499 have taken the time to tell me how A measure of how Coren’s mind [email protected] much they like the way the Skeptic worked was demonstrated some portrays an atmosphere of good years ago, when one of his collec- Gold Coast Skeptics humour in its pages, commenting tions was due for publication. He PO Box 8348, GCMC Bundall QLD 9726 that this is not at all usual in asked his publisher what were the Tel: (07) 5593 1882 Fax: (07) 5593 2776 journals of a similar nature. I am best selling topics that year. The [email protected] grateful for the feedback, as it has answer was ‘cats, golf and Nazis’, always been my opinion that two of and so was born Golfing for Cats, ACT Canberra Skeptics the most valuable attributes a the cover illustrated by a plus-foured PO Box 555, Civic Square ACT 2608 Skeptic can aspire to are a robust puss teeing off towards a hole (02) 6231 5406 or 6296 4555 sense of humour and a finely-honed bearing a flag emblazoned with a [email protected] sense of the absurd. It has always swastika. He was 69 been my aim to maintain these Both men were skeptical, in the South Australia characteristics in our journal, which broadest sense of the word; both Skeptics SA aim has found favour with contribu- exhibited talents that made the real PO Box 377 , Rundle Mall SA 5000 tors and readers alike. world a little easier for us to endure. Tel: (08) 8272 5881 They are not just valuable charac- They are part of my pantheon of [email protected] teristics for Skeptics, of course, but great humorous writers, along with equally so for anyone who has our own Lennie Lower and the Western Australia intimate dealings with the ridicu- American S.J. Perelmen. I mourn WA Skeptics lous nature of the world we inhabit. them, I’ll miss them, and I wish I PO Box 431, Scarborough WA 6922 Tel: (08) 9448 8458 In this context, I am mourning the could write like them. [email protected] passing of two men I never knew; Finally, we wish all our readers both were journalists and both had the very best wishes for the holiday Tasmania the ability to make one smile, season. Thank you for your valued Australian Skeptics in Tasmania whatever situation one found one’s support, which we hope will con- PO Box 582, North Hobart TAS 7002. self in. tinue next year and far into the Tel: (03) 6234 4731 One was Matt Price, the national future. [email protected] political columnist of The Austral- ian, whose amiable but incisive take Darwin Skeptics Contact on the political scene stood in stark Tel: 08 89274533 contrast to much of what passes for Barry Williams [email protected] the Skeptic, Summer 2007 - Page 5 News and Views Around the Traps Good news An inquest found that she had been published in the Journal of the treated by her parents with homeo- British Interplanetary Society. Thus pathic remedies, rather than pre- the two scientists from NZ can claim ecently we heard some good scribed pharmaceuticals. The to have been the very first authors of Rnews on the alternative medi- coroner found that her parents’ satellite-tracking papers in the cine front, as academics and practi- negligence had caused the child’s Space Age. tioners of evidence based medicine death and recommended prosecu- Interesting, you say, but why is made public their concerns about the tion. this of interest to the Skeptic? Well proliferation of quackery. Sad, but that was one case of the doctoral candidate mentioned Following an announcement by many. Isn’t it time that state and was Dr Colin Keay, later to become the British Society of Homeopaths of federal regulatory authorities bit the the founder and stalwart of the a symposium on homeopathy and bullet and started investigating a Newcastle Skeptics, and an occa- AIDS, medical academics from whole range of alternatives to sional contributor to this journal.