FIFTH WORLD SKEPTICS CONGRESS • KENNEDY ASSASSINATION MYTHS • BIGFOOT FILM CONTROVERSY Skeptical Inquirer THE MAGAZINE FOR SCIENCE AND REASON Volume 29, No. 1 • January / February 2005 CRITICAL THINKING ABOUT ENERGY: Is Centralized Generation Obsolete? . I >•*•»«! Controversies in Polygraph Testing * A Nobel Laureate £ —t-i Confronts Pseudoscience Natural Medicine: - Pills or Needles? - Published by the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal THE COMMITTEE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION off Claims off the Paranormal AT THE CENTER FOR INQUIRY-TRANSNATIONAL (ADJACENT TO THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO) • AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION Paul Kurtz, Chairman; professor emeritus of philosophy, State University of New York at Buffalo Barry Karr, Executive Director Joe Nickell, Senior Research Fellow Massimo Polidoro, Research Fellow Richard Wiseman, Research Fellow Lee Nisbet, Special Projects Director FELLOWS James E. Alcock.* psychologist, York Univ., Toronto Henry Gordon, magician, columnist, Toronto James E. Oberg, science writer Jerry Andrus, magician and inventor, Albany, Saul Green, Ph.D.. biochemist president of ZOL Irmgard Oepen, professor of medicine (retired), Oregon Consultants, New York, NY Marburg, Germany Marcia Angell, M.D., former editor-in-chief, New Susan Haack, Cooper Senior Scholar in Arts Loren Pankratz, psychologist, Oregon Health England Journal of Medicine and Sciences, prof, of philosophy, University Sciences Univ. Robert A. Baker, psychologist, Univ. of Kentucky of Miami Robert L Park, professor of physics, Univ. of Maryland Stephen Barrett. M.D., psychiatrist, author, C. E. M. Hansel, psychologist, Univ. of Wales John Paulos, mathematician. Temple Univ. consumer advocate, Allentown, Pa. David J. Helfand, professor of astronomy. Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist. Harvard Willem Betz, professor of medicine, Univ. of Columbia Univ. Massimo Polidoro, science writer, author, Douglas Hofstadter, professor of human Brussels executive director CICAP, Italy understanding and cognitive science. Barry Beyerstein,* biopsychologist, Simon Fraser Milton Rosenberg, psychologist, Univ. of Chicago Indiana Univ. Univ., Vancouver, B.C., Canada Wallace Sampson, M.D., clinical professor of Irving Biederman, psychologist, Univ. of Southern Gerald Holton, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics medicine, Stanford Univ., editor, Scientific California and professor of history of science. Harvard Univ. Review of Alternative Medicine Susan Blackmore, Visiting Lecturer, Univ. of the Ray Hyman.* psychologist. Univ. of Oregon Amardeo Sarma, manager NEC Europe Ltd., Leon Jaroff. sciences editor emeritus. Time West of England, Bristol executive director, GWUP, Germany. Sergei Kapitza, former editor, Russian edition, Henri Broch, physicist. Univ. of Nice. France Evry Schatzman, former president. French Physics Jan Harold Brunvand, folklorist, professor Scientific American Association Philip J. Klass, aerospace writer, engineer emeritus of English. Univ. of Utah Eugenie Scott, physical anthropologist, executive Lawrence M. Krauss, author and professor of Vern Bullough, professor of history, California director, National Center for Science Education State Univ. at Northridge physics and astronomy. Case Western Reserve Robert Sheaffer, science writer Mario Bunge, philosopher, McGill University University Elie A. Shneour, biochemist, author, John R. Cole, anthropologist, editor. National Edwin C. Krupp, astronomer, director, Griffith director. Biosystems Research Institute, Center for Science Education Observatory La Jolla, Calif. Frederick Crews, literary and cultural critic, Paul Kurtz,* chairman, Center for Inquiry Dick Smith, film producer, publisher, Terrey Hills, professor emeritus of English, Univ of Lawrence Kusche. science writer N.S.W., Australia California, Berkeley Leon Lederman, emeritus director, Fermilab; Robert Steiner, magician, author, El Cerrito, Calif. F. H. C. Crick, biophysicist. Salk Inst, for Biological Nobel laureate in physics Victor J. Stenger, emeritus professor of physics Studies, La Jolla. Calif; Nobel laureate Scott Lilienfeld. psychologist, Emory Univ. and astronomy, Univ. of Hawaii; adjunct Richard Dawkins, zoologist, Oxford Univ. Lin Zixin, former editor. Science and Technology professor of philosophy, Univ. of Colorado Geoffrey Dean, technical editor, Perm, Australia Daily (China) Jill Cornell Tarter, astronomer, SETI Institute, Daniel C. Dennett, University Professor and Austin Jere Lipps, Museum of Paleontology, Univ. of Mountain View, Calif. California, Berkeley B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, Director of Carol Tavris, psychologist and author, Los Angeles, Calif. Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology. Univ. of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts Univ. David Thomas, physicist and mathematician. Ann Druyan, writer and producer, Ithaca, New York California. Irvine Peralta. New Mexico Cornells de Jager, professor of astrophysics, Univ. Paul MacCready, scientist/engineer, Stephen Toulmin, professor of philosophy, Univ. of of Utrecht, the Netherlands AeroVironment, Inc., Monrovia, Calif. Southern California Paul Edwards, philosopher, editor, Encyclopedia John Maddox, editor emeritus of Nature Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist and director, of Philosophy David Marks, psychologist City University, London. Hayden Planetarium, New York City Kenneth Feder, professor of anthropology. Mario Mendez-Acosta, journalist and Marilyn vos Savant Parade magazine Central Connecticut State Univ. science writer, Mexico City, Mexico contributing editor Antony Flew, philosopher, Reading Univ., U.K. Marvin Minsky, professor of media arts and Steven Weinberg, professor of physics and Andrew Fraknoi, astronomer, Foothill College, Los sciences, M.I.T. astronomy. Univ. of Texas at Austin; Altos Hills, Calif. David Morrison, space scientist, NASA Ames Nobel laureate Kendrick Frazier. science writer, editor, SKEPTKAI Research Center E.O. Wilson. University Professor Emeritus, INQUIRE* Richard A. Muller, professor of physics. Univ. of Harvard University Yves Galifret, vice-president. Affiliated Calif., Berkeley Richard Wiseman, psychologist University of Organizations; France H. Narasimhaiah, physicist, president Bangalore Hertfordshire Martin Gardner, author, critic Science Forum. India Marvin Zelen, statistician, Harvard Univ. Murray Gell-Mann, professor of physics, Santa Fe Joe Nickell,' senior research fellow, CSICOP Institute; Nobel laureate Lee Nisbet* philosopher, Medaille College * Member, CSICOP Executive Council Thomas Gilovich, psychologist Cornell Univ. Bill Nye. science educator and television host Nye Labs (Affiliations given for identification only.) Visit the CSICOP Web site at www.csicop.org The SKEPTICAL INQUIRE* (ISSN 0194-6730) is published bimonthly by the Committee for the page 64 of the November • I Wmbci 2004 issue. Or you may send a lax request to the editor. Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. 1310 Sweet Home Rd Amherst. NY Articles, reports, reviews, and letters published in the SKEPTICAL INQUIRER represent the 14228. Printed in U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at Buffalo. N V. and at additional mailing of­ views and work of individual authors. Their publication does not necessarily constitute an en­ fices. Subscription prices: one year (six issues). $35; two years. 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Skeptical Inquirer COLUMNS EDtTOR'S NOTE January/February 2005 • VOL 29, NO. 1 Critical Inquiry, and Thinking About Galileo 4 NEWS AND COMMENT ARTICLES In the Land of Galileo, Fifth World Skeptics Congress Solves Mysteries, Champions Scientific Outlook / Alien-Abduction Guru 25 Critical Thinking About Energy Mack Killed in Accident / Betty Hill, First 'Alien Abductee,' Dies / Critics Ravage 'Hoax' New Age Film / Paranormal Expo Cancelled The Case for Decentralized Generation Under Cloud / Raelian Update: Sex, Pseudoscience, and Sacrilege