**************************************************************** The REALL News **************************************************************** The official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land Volume 1, Number 1 February 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Electronic Version If you like what you see, please help us continue by sending in a subscription. See the end of newsletter for details. ---------------------------------------------------------------- In This Issue: From the Chairman: Local Skeptics Group Forming -- David Bloomberg From the Editorial Board -- Editorial Board Pencil-Neck Aliens -- Martin S. Kottmeyer But the Bad News Is... -- Dr. Eugenie C. Scott Paranormal Fraud Exposed -- Detective Bruce Walstad Myths & Reality: The Science Gap -- reviewed by David Bloomberg REALLity Check -- David Bloomberg So Now You're a Skeptic -- Wally Hartshorn Origins of REALL -- David Bloomberg ---------------------------------------------------------------- Purpose: The Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land (REALL) is a non-profit educational and scientific organization. It is dedicated to the development of rational thinking and the application of the scientific method toward claims of the paranormal and fringe- science phenomena. REALL shall conduct research, convene meetings, publish a newsletter, and disseminate information to its members and the general public. Its primary geographic region of coverage is central Illinois. REALL subscribes to the premise that the scientific method is the most reliable and self-correcting system for obtaining knowledge about the world and universe. REALL not not reject paranormal claims on a priori grounds, but rather is committed to objective, though critical, inquiry. _The REALL News_ is its official newsletter. Membership information is provided elsewhere in this newsletter. Editor: Wally Hartshorn Editorial Board and Organizing Committee: David Bloomberg (Chairman, electronic version editor), Wally Hartshorn, Bob Ladendorf. REALL P.O. Box 20302 Springfield, IL 62708 Unless stated otherwise, permission is granted to other skeptic organizations to reprint articles from _The REALL News_ as long as proper credit is given. The views expressed in these articles are the views of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the views of REALL. ---------------------------------------------------------------- ============================== From the Chairman: Local Skeptics Group Forming -- David Bloomberg Welcome to the first issue of _The REALL News_, the official newsletter of the Rational Examination Association of Lincoln Land. Most of you have received this newsletter because you are on the mailing list of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), and thus probably share the goals of REALL. Others of you may have been on other mailing lists that also indicated possible interest. While REALL is based in Springfield, we mailed this introductory issue to a wide area to try to reach as many people as could feasibly attend a meeting. Currently, REALL is made up of an organizing committee and several other interested people. We will be having an official organizational meeting at Sangamon State University in 232 Brookens on February 22 (see elsewhere in this issue for the full information), and I would like to encourage anybody who is interested to attend. Whether you want to be an officer or just attend meetings, we want to hear from you. We have founded REALL for several reasons. Although we have no official connection with CSICOP, we share their goals. We also want to act at a local level to help educate the public and the media about science, pseudoscience, and the paranormal. (It seems that many people currently look to _Unsolved Mysteries_ and _Sightings_ as their source for this information.) We want to help people avoid being misled by some of the strange things they may see and hear in the mass media. And, of course, we want to promote the rational examination of all phenomena that fall into, or outside of, the fringes of science. We intend to accomplish these goals through regular meetings, informative lectures, this newsletter, and contact with the "mainstream" media. If you share our interests, we'd like to meet you. To become a member, fill out the form in this newsletter and send it in (along with your dues, of course) or bring it to a meeting. Membership benefits include access to the REALL news files and library (including a large number of files dealing with skepticism from several computer bulletin board systems (BBSes)), stimulating conversation with other REALL members, informative lectures from experts, a one-year subscription to this newsletter, and the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to educate the public about the difference between science and pseudoscience. If you feel you are too far away to regularly attend meetings, but are still interested in _The REALL News_, there is also a subscription- only rate. And if you'd like to come meet us before deciding, please attend the organizational meeting. I'd like to take the rest of my space here to introduce myself and allow the other organizing committee members to do the same. David Bloomberg: I am an environmental engineer, though I trained as a materials science engineer, working for the State of Illinois. Like many of us, when I was younger, I was extremely interested in (and believed in) UFOs, Von D„niken, and various paranormal subjects. As I grew up and learned the scientific method, I realized that at least 99% of what I had see was bunk. In college, I became more active as a skeptic, through reading various books written by James ("The Amazing") Randi and other skeptics, and having various, sometimes heated, discussions on local and national BBSes. My interests in specific paranormal subjects are varied, ranging from astrology to "psychic detectives" to "faith healers" and other practitioners of pseudoscience, with many others included. My main goal could probably be stated as trying to teach the general public more about science and the scientific method, and how to apply it. Bob Ladendorf: A skeptic in mind and a logical pantheist in spirit, I pursue that corny end called "truth." Always more interested in discovering the way things really work rather than revering myth, whether in politics, society, or religion, I have spent much of my 43 years of life in reading, writing, and editing. Having been a newspaper and magazine intern in Peoria, Illinois, and a free-lance writer for On Location, a Hollywood film production magazine, and other publications, I have worked for the past decade for the Illinois Secretary of State's Communications Department and am its current deputy director. Educated first at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I then received my bachelor's and master's degrees respectively at Sangamon State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My wife, Jean, a Lincoln Land Community College teacher, and our two sons, Brett, 16, and Scott, 11, have lived in Springfield since 1982. With an aversion to scams, flim-flams, and deceptions of any kind, I have sent clippings of interest to the _Skeptical Inquirer_ magazine, of which I've been an avid reader since the mid-'80s. Wally Hartshorn: (By the way, that's pronounced like "hart's horn".) I am a Systems Analyst for the Illinois EPA. I initially became interested in the skeptical view of the paranormal in the late '70s, when I came across a few issues of the _Skeptical Inquirer_ in the library at the community college where my father was a math instructor. Reading the real story behind the well-publicized underwater photograph of a flipper of the Loch Ness monster was a real eye-opener for me. After that, I was far more skeptical of such reports, and although I always planned on subscribing to the _Skeptical Inquirer_ "one of these days," it was not until a few years ago that I became more actively concerned about the pro-paranormal movement. A friend of mine was interested in modern witchcraft, Wicca, "real" magic, goddess worship, and similar beliefs. Although I was disturbed by her interest in these subjects, I began carrying some computer bulletin board message areas for their discussion. Much to my amazement, Wiccans and pagans flocked to the areas and they quickly became the most popular of the discussion areas. It was then that I realized how widespread such beliefs were, and the thought was depressing. I then finally subscribed to the _Skeptical Inquirer_ and began seeking out books which expressed the skeptical viewpoint, relieved to have an outlet for my frustration. ============================== From the Editorial Board This issue of The REALL News is meant to be representative of what we would like to publish in future issues. From astrology to UFOs, we intend to cover the wide range of the paranormal to the best of our abilities. Our feature article, "Pencil-Neck Aliens," was written by Martin Kottmeyer, a Carlyle, Illinois author and UFO expert who has had articles published by several British magazines. We would like to thank Martin, and we hope to see more interesting and humorous articles coming out of his typewriter in the future. The article "But the Bad News Is..." was written by Dr. Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). The national office of NCSE is very concerned about Illinois, where there appears to be a great deal of acceptance of Creationism. The Creationism issue is most predominant in small towns and suburbs across the country. Many small towns in Illinois and Ohio make this part of the country fertile ground for Creationists. We would like to thank Dr. Scott for giving us permission to reprint her article for you here, where it can reach a wide central Illinois audience. We would like to point out that REALL is not an anti-religious group, but Creationism being taught as if it were science is, in our collective opinion, no better than the teaching of astrology as if it were science. "Paranormal Fraud Exposed" was written by Detective Bruce Walstad. In addition to being a police officer in Franklin Park, IL for the last 18 years, he is also a magician and president of Professionals Against Confidence Crime. He recently appeared on television's 48 Hours in a program about con artists and fraud. Other articles were written by members of the Editorial Board, who are also members of the organizing committee (see "Fron the Chairman"). In order to provide you with the greatest range of interesting subjects, we are looking for authors. If you have written, or wish to write, something that you think may be of interest to readers of The REALL News, please feel free to send it to us. We would appreciate it if you would also enclose a letter giving us permission to print the article, and letting us know if you give permission to other skeptics groups to reprint your article if they choose, with the proper credit given to you, of course. Also, we are looking of applicable artwork or cartoons. If you are a writer or artist and don't have a specific topic in mind, just send us a letter and we'll get in touch with you. Of course, we will also be printing letters from the readers in future issues. Whether you agree or disagree with what you read, drop us a line; we'd like to hear from you. ============================== Pencil-Neck Aliens by Martin S. Kottmeyer Aliens with long, thin necks are currently "in." Reports and drawings of these pencil-neck Greys seem to be everywhere. They've turned up on T-shirts, made for TV films -- _Intruders_ (1992) -- and in dozens of magazines and books. The proliferation of this trait among contemporary aliens may be a telling indication that our taste in aliens is as subject to fadism as our taste in clothing styles. One has to grant that pencil necks have more aesthetic logic than biologic sense. The slenderness of these necks undeniably lend elegance to present-day aliens and enhance their overall anorexic appearance. Propping oversized craniums on top of such skinny supports however raises concerns this species is whiplash bait. What business have such aliens in vehicles which legend has it have a benchant for bone-bending right angle turns and ultra-air-brake stops? The pencil-neck is a strikingly recent innovation. Early studies of ufonauts -- Coral and Jim Lorenzens's _Flying Saucer Occupants_ (1967), Charles Bowen's _The Humanoids_ (1969), and James McCampbell's _Ufology_ (1973) -- say nothing about aliens with long thin necks. They certainly weren't common. I'm doubtful there was a single unambiguous instance of a pencil-neck alien prior to the Eighties. I've rummaged through the drawings of all the major cases -- the Flatwoods monster, Kelly-Hopkinsville, Barny and Betty Hill, Herb Schirmer, Pascagoula, Charles Moody, Travis Walton -- and they are nowhere to be seen. They aren't visible in the first two books of the Betty Andreasson series either, but they do put in a cameo appearance in _The Watchers_ (1990). They seem to arrive en masse in 1987 with no less than five drawings of pencil- necks in Budd Hopkins' _Intruders_ and the very prominent example staring out from the cover the Whitley Strieber's _Communion_. These works were popular and influential to the degree that it is now part of the stereotype of the Grey as noted by David Jacobs in his abductee study, _Secret Life_. The source of these pencil-necks is not hard to guess at. The alien which communicates by hand gestures at the climax of _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ (1977) possesses a long, slender neck. Like Hopkins' drawings, there is also a notable lack of sense organs, hair, and no white to the eyes. The similarities are too obvious to dismiss as coincidence. _CE3K's_ aliens were the first in the long history of film aliens to possess long, thin necks. A few readers at this point will object. It is widely known that J. Allen Hynek was a consultant on the film. Hynek was one of the most knowledgeable students of the UFO phenomenon in this country. He may have avoided the popular cases mentioned earlier because of their controversial status and gave Spielberg some little known, but high-quality cases from his investigation files. Surely Hynek's presence means the aliens were based on "real" cases. Hopkins' drawings merely corroborate the existence of those little-known aliens. While this scenario sounds highly plausible, it happens to be wrong. Interviews with Spielberg and the designers of the film's aliens in various forums document the creative process behind the construction of the Mothership aliens. No "real" UFO reports or alien drawings were used. The Fall 1978 issue of _Cinefantastique_ provided a fully detailed history of how the aliens that appeared in the film evolved from initial desires to the final product. It's as amusing as it is eye-opening. Frank Griffin, a make-up artist on _Westworld_, _Star Trek_, and _Time Tunnel_, was involved in the earliest stages of the project. He states that Spielberg, from the beginning, wanted aliens with large heads and long limbs, but beyond that everything was very abstract. There were at least eight sketches from which Spielberg selected bits and pieces. From an alien with an ant-like or cricket-like head it gradually got transformed into something resembling Casper the Friendly Ghost. Tom Burman got the job of building the masks and molds which took about three months. Spielberg balked when he saw the actual product in three dimensions. Julia Philips, his assistant, freaked and threatened Burman with a twenty million dollar lawsuit. Three new designs were quickly sculpted and sent to Spielberg for approval. In ten days the new selection was fashioned over the original framework. Spielberg, on seeing them, just sighed and headed for the film site in Mobile, Alabama, hopeful he could re-think things. Spielberg ended up using Burman's masks, but he carefully avoided any close-ups and tended to keep them backlit so they wouldn't be easily scrutinized. Burman didn't get screen credit because of Spielberg's dissatisfaction. While in Mobile, Spielberg got the idea of an alien with a long neck and lithe arms which could wrap around a person three or four times. Bob Baker, a puppet maker, was called in to develop the concept. Initial drawings had a neck which came forward making it a lazy "S." The eyes had light beams coming out of it. The brain could be seen moving in it. Skin trailed off of it. It wa a bit too much. Carlo Rimbaldi, who had just done some technical work for the disastrous King Kong remake by Dino De Laurentiis, next got the assignment. Spielberg gave him no designs, but gave various suggestions about what he wanted such as a smile which would look like the ancient lama from _Lost Horizon_ and a general faint resemblance to the child that played Barry. Rimbaldi incorporated his own notions of what a being might look like that was ten or twenty thousand years more advanced than us. With increased reliance on pure intellect, the head would be larger, but the sense organs of the nose and ear would atrophy. Increased reliance on technology would reduce the amount of musculature. All this is basically a variant of an argument once common in science fiction that H.G. Wells first put forward in his 1893 essay "The Man of the Year Million" (reprinted in Peter Baining's _H.G. Wells Scrapbook_). Wells' argument tends to be viewed as flawed nowadays because it ignores processes like sexual selection, brainpower being shunted into computers, and genetic manipulation of the human form for aesthetic purposes. No matter though. Spielberg loved it. It should be incontestable from these facts that _Close Encounters'_ aliens were shaped by creative imagination and not prior UFO reports. But for the happenstance that Rimbaldi was available when Spielberg called, we might today be confronted with a fad for snake-necked, laser-eyed aliens rather than the Wellsian pencil-neckers currently fashionable. This history also presents clear problems for those who plan to entertain the notion that Spielberg was an unconscious abductee. Some abductees draw aliens more reminiscent of Burman's aliens than Rimbaldi's, but Spielberg clearly felt the final form was wrong. Spielberg's unconscious apparently wanted wildly-long wraparound arms, but that notion got down-sized in the final product. Where are the abductee accounts that match Spielberg's initial impression? It is also puzzling that Rimbaldi's designs should have been closer to the mark than Baker when you consider that Europeans (which Rimbaldi is) don't seem to have abduction experiences involving pencil- neck Greys. A final question: Why didn't ufologists throw away the reports of pencil-neck aliens? People abducted by Spock, E.T., or Alien would certainly never be written up in the UFO literature assuming they didn't themselves recognize the cultural influence. The answer of course is that Hynek's association with the film misled ufologists into thinking there was a valid basis to the film's creation in the "real" UFO phenomenon. Only people who subscribe to magazines on science fiction film would know the whole story. Ufologists, Hopkins most especially, care little about science fiction. (See my article "Entirely Unpredisposed" in _Magonia_, January 1990, which is also available on Usenet and Bitnet "Skeptic".) [This is also available locally on David Bloomberg's BBS, The Temples of Syrinx. - Ed.] The pencil-neck fad must ultimately be regarded as a cultural phenomenon since it was, in orgin, a human creation. Knowing the full story makes acceptance of them as a real extraterrestrial presence, you should pardon the expression, hard to swallow. [Martin Kottmeyer lives in Carlyle, IL. He has written articles for several British publications, including _Magonia_, _UFO Brigantia_, and _The Wild Places_.] ============================== Creationists No Longer Invited to Speak at Peoria Public Schools: But the Bad News Is... by Dr. Eugenie C. Scott From mid-1989 through 1991, NCSE [National Center for Science Education] reported on extensive creationist activity in central Illinois [Reports 9(3):p.21; 10(3):p.1; 10(4):p. 6;10(6):p. 1; 11(1):p. 1; 11(2):p. 4]. The Institute for Creation Research had been invited to speak in Peoria, Morton and other Illinois public school science classes for up to twelve years, with little dissent. NCSE southern Illinois and Missouri Liaison Ranse Traxler and other NCSE members brought considerable publicity to this practice, resulting in widespread condemnation from both the press and members of the state education hierarchy. The question is, what is going on now in central Illinois? According to a recent series of articles by _Peoria Journal Star_ reporter Elaine Hopkins (4/12/92, p. A12), "Speakers on creation science have addressed science classes in the past. But teachers are not encouraged to invite them now, Associate Superintendent Melvin Hines wrote in a letter, after a 1990 inquiry from the National Center for Science Education. A book, _Scientific Creationism_, once listed for teacher reference on the approved list of high school science textbooks, no longer appears on the current list." That ICR faculty members are no longer lecturing to students in science classes is the good news. Unfortunately, the four articles by Hopkins go on to discuss how students in several districts in central Illinois are systematically being denied the opportunity to learn evolution. Officials at several districts, including Metamora, East Peoria, and Germantown Hills, claimed students have "enough to learn" without having to learn evolution. In Germantown Hills, Doug Leman, Vice President of the school board, wrote a heavily-referenced, 38 page document on creationism "for the enlightenment of the teachers." Leman wrote that neither evolution nor creationism was scientific, and both were belief systems. "Implications of the theory of evolution trouble Leman. The world cannot have developed by chance, he said. 'There has to be a master designer. Without that designer, there's no absolute moral code, only situation ethics.'" Children can be taught both models when they are old enough to understand them, but not at the elementary level. "Meanwhile, the children should not be taught 'as fact' that 'dinosaurs were here millions of years ago,' Leman said." As Hopkins reported, "Teachers at Germantown Hills got the message." Although the textbook used in the district discusses evolution, the chapters are skipped, according to an unidentified teacher. "As a result, some children say the world is only 6,000 years old, and that the dinosaurs lived with Adam and Eve, the teacher said. Instead of supplying accurate dates, teachers tell the children dinosaurs lived 'a long time ago,' the teacher said." Teachers who do bother to teach evolution apparently "believe they need to 'balance' the scientific concepts of evolution with other 'theories,' namely the Bible's story of seven days of creation." An example is the Morton district. During the spring of 1991, Morton was the center of controversy when the school district, dismayed over "too much evolution" in the textbooks, directed the staff to develop a curriculum in creationism to be taught alongside evolution (see Reports 11(1):p. 1.) NCSE and others publicized this dictum, which directly defied the 1987 Supreme Court decision, Edwards v Aguillard. National newspapers such as _Education Week_ carried the story. What was taught in the fall? According to the _Journal Star_ reporter, "Biology teachers spend one class period discussing all the theories. They include life sent to earth from outer space and religious stories, including the account in Genesis." It appears as if the "creationism curriculum" was reduced from earlier promises. Morton, apparently, does not like being the center of controversy. There are some bright spots, however. Pekin High School science department head (and NCSE member) Jill Schimmelpfennig told the reporter that evolution and only evolution is taught in the high school biology classes. Similarly, teachers at Sterling Middle school teach evolution "because it's part of a chapter in the science book." (This article originally appeared in Volume 12, Number 1 of _NCSE Reports_, the NCSE newsletter. It is reprinted with the author's permission. Dr. Eugenie Scott is executive Director of the National Center for Science Education and holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology.) ============================== Paranormal Fraud Exposed by Detective Bruce Walstad In March of this year, I received a phone call from fellow PACC [Professionals Against Confidence Crime] member, Bob Steiner. Bob explained that he had received a request to investigate some alleged paranormal activity at a Chicago bar and restaurant, The Red Lion Inn. Bob put me in touch with a Ron Pine from the Chicago area, who related to me what had been going on at the inn. Pine's friend, Dr. James Iaccino, a college professor, had been told by a former student, James Horan, that The Red Lion Inn was haunted by three female ghosts. He convinced Iaccino to go to the inn with him to see first hand the ghostly occurrences. During their eight hour ordeal at the inn, Iaccino witnessed 30 paranormal effects. Bottles moved from table to table, coins flew about the room, a tape recorder kept coming unplugged from the wall and all sorts of other "scary" stuff occurred. Iaccino came away from the evening quite rattled and duped, according to Pine. Over the next several weeks, Pine questioned Iaccino on numerous occasions about Horan, and the ghostly things he had observed. Pine and myself had many phone conversations during this period and the following was discovered. Horan was in the process of writing a paper of some sort on ghost haunting. This paper was to be later converted into a book. Horan was seeking to have Iaccino and the college back his discoveries and theories. It also turns out that Horan is an amateur magician. Pine learned that Iaccino and Horan were again planning to meet at the inn for another evening of haunting and Pine managed to get me invited. The event took place on Easter evening at the inn. I arrived at 9:00 p.m., a few hours after the others had met. Upon my arrival, I was greeted by a true "cast of characters" in a large candle lit room (ghosts like candlelight I found out). In attendance was Dr. Iaccino, James Horan, Horan's girlfriend, Justin (a friend of Horin's), Justin (owner of the inn) and two members of the local skeptics group (Al and Danielle). Looking around the room I noted VCR's, tape recorders, toilet paper hanging from the ceiling (to detect the ghost's movements), bells on thread around all the doors, baskets of pennies on the floor, bottles covered with baby powder on all the tables and other assorted nonsense. It was explained to me that I had already missed two ghostly occurrences. A block of wood had fallen off the top of a bottle it had been placed on, and later, the same blocked jumped off the side of the bottle it had been laid against. Within minutes of my arrival, the ghost had struck again. One of them moved a large roll of toilet paper across the women's room floor. As the evening progressed there were no further events of paranormal activity. I did witness though, some rather odd people doing strange things. I observed Ouija board messages being written by the ghosts, I saw a demonstration of "Automatic Writing" (this is where a spirit possesses you, and causes you to write messages to the living). I heard first hand accounts of exorcisms and saw Justine go into trances and talk to the ghosts. I did my best to watch Horan throughout the evening and on one occasion I saw him move a bottle, but one of the skeptics caught him too, and at once called him on it. At one point in the evening I was able to speak privately with Iaccino. I had him explain to me, and show me what had occurred the last time he was there with Horan. According to Iaccino, whenever things flew about the rom, he had his back t Horan. Iaccino also made mention that when things were found moved it was after the room had been in total darkness. At about 1:00 a.m., I stood up and explained who I really was, and why I was really there. I addressed the group with my opinions about what had been occurring. I called attention to the fact that Horan had been caught moving a bottle earlier. I explained what Iaccino had told me about his observations from the last meeting, as to his back being to Horan as the items were thrown around the room. I watched Horan during my exposure of him. He only slumped into his chair, and turned a "ghostly" pale. He did not respond to me in any way, nor did he defend himself. I then confronted Horan with the block of wood trick. This particular items is known among magicians as "The Telekinetic Timber", a stock magic effect. Horan at once denied that's what it was. I had the chance earlier to examine it, and it was just like the one I own. Horan finally admitted it was a trick (after a brief and most interesting conversation). Horan then sat quietly and I pushed him to the limit to see what would happen. I called him a fraud and a magician. He gave no response. The evening ended with Iaccino telling Horan just what he thought of him and his magic show. He also made mention of what Horan's future will be regarding Iaccino's and the college's backing of Horan's discoveries and theories. [This article originally appeared in the July 1992 issue of PACC Bulletin. It is reprinted with the author's permission. Detective Bruce Walstad is a police officer, a magician, and the president of Professionals Against Confidence Crime.] ============================== Myths & Reality: The Science Gap Reviewed by David Bloomberg [_The Science Gap: Dispelling the Myths and Understanding the Reality of Science_, Milton A. Rothman, Prometheus Books, New York, 1992, 254 pages, hardcover, $24.95.] The Science Gap is a book that should probably be required reading for ALL college students, whether in the sciences or not. In particular, it is my opinion that it should especially be studied by those who intend to go on to teach. The reasons for these opinions stem from what I see as a basic lack of scientific and/or logical thinking among many in the general population, and a tendency for this to be reinforced when teachers emphasize rote memorization of facts and formulae rather than the scientific PROCESS. With that said up front, I think that Milton Rothman, a former physics professor and research physicist, has done an excellent job of doing exactly what the subtitle describes, especially dispelling myths. I'm afraid that some small portions of the book may be a little too technical for those without any science background at all, and there may be better books for teaching a basic understanding of science. However, for anybody with even a smattering of knowledge about science, which I would hope includes teachers, the vast majority of the book is easy to understand and follow. _The Science Gap_ is broken into 16 chapters, each taking on a different "myth", such as "Nothing is known for sure," "Nothing is impossible," "All theories are equal," and, of course, "Myths are just harmless fun and good for the soul." In his introduction, Rothman explains his reasons for debunking these and other myths: "We seldom change the minds of the believers, but we hope to educate those who are not quite convinced -- especially students." I find myself agreeing completely. Throughout the book, Rothman makes many good points, both about science in general, and specific physical theories and laws. Out of the necessity of keeping this article shorter than the book, I can only touch on a few of these here. He emphasizes that a valid scientific theory must work, pass experimental tests, and be falsifiable. Many paranormal "theories" fail to meet some or all of these necessities. Indeed, in many cases he notes that "the person with the fewest facts usually is the one most certain of the truth." He points out that good scientists are generally concerned with the how's and why's -- a theory should make specific predictions. Many "parapsychology enthusiasts," however, may try to demonstrate ESP, but have no way to explain how it may occur -- how information travels from one mind to another or from the future to the present. If information truly is traveling, what form of energy does it take? How does the brain convert a "thought" to this energy and hurl it through space so that it may be converted back by a receiving brain? Where does "future" information come from? What happened to the law of conservation of energy? Without some theory to explain this, there are no falsifiable predictions, and no science. Rothman also discusses other physical impossibilities, such as massive UFOs reported to hang motionless in the air with no means of support. The law of gravity says that this simply can't happen, and UFO reports seldom, if ever, mention huge helicopter rotors or massive rockets, so how do "they" do it? Rothman gives a detailed explanation about why "anti-gravity" is simply not a viable answer. Of course, there are those who would respond with one of the following: "Whatever we think we know now is likely to be overturned in the future" or "Advanced civilizations of the future will have the use of forces unknown to us at present" or "Advanced civilizations on other planets possess great forces unavailable to us on earth." These are three more of the myths that Rothman covers in detail. In particular, he answers the questions: "What is the probability that new forces exist which we have not yet discovered?" and "What is the probability that advanced civilizations in the future will find useful forces that we do not already have?" These answers are somewhat detailed, though understandable, and the final answer boils down to "we must make do with the forces that exist." Besides these examinations of the paranormal, Rothman examines a matter of importance to all people -- that of population growth and the strain it places on resources. He analyzes the effects of current rates of population growth on future resources (renewable and non-renewable) and concludes that population growth must level off to zero if the human race is to survive on Earth for more than a few thousand more years, and we should not leave this up to future generations, or else there may not be any. Is Rothman trying to scare us into action? Probably. But maybe we need a good scare; I won't make that judgment. We do get a glimpse of Rothman's political leanings here and elsewhere, particularly in the last chapter, which seem to be somewhat against a certain U.S. party. It did disappoint me a bit to see these in an otherwise scientific, non- political text, but I feel that the limited nature of his political comments make it a minor negative in an otherwise extremely positive book. The final chapter, "Myths are just harmless fun and good for the soul," is one that many of us have probably heard often. Usually it is stated along the lines of, "It can't hurt to let [insert your favorite pseudoscience practitioner here, such as: psychic detectives, faith healers, astrologers] try with their powers." It is left to the horrible evil skeptics to show that it CAN hurt. Rothman does just that. He begins by pointing out that, yes, there are some myths, fantasies, and fairy tales, such as heroic myths about knights slaying dragons, cautionary myths about living a good life, or mystery myths which teach observation, deduction, and logic, which have a function when learned by developing children. However, bad myths are those for which there is more harm than good produced. He notes that "a myth invariably disguises reality, and any myth that camouflages natural dangers leaves the believer unwary of the hazards existing in the world." Believers in faith healing, for example, may neglect to seek medical help when necessary, and cause great harm or even death to themselves (or others, in some cases) as a result. Obviously, this and similar myths are NOT "harmless fun," and his examples make an effective closing for the book. Anybody with a smattering of science in their background should be able to understand The Science Gap, and I would recommend it highly to anybody who has ever had a frustrating discussion with a paranormalist or any other person who uses the myths Rothman discusses. I would especially encourage educators to read this book, and use it whenever possible. ============================== REALLity Check by David Bloomberg Some good news and some weird news in the media recently. In December, _Dateline NBC_ featured a story about homeopathic medicine and doctors. They sent in a healthy producer undercover, and the homeopath "diagnosed" him, using Kirlian photography among other things, as having several diseases. The "medicines" given to him were standard homeopathic derivatives. One was supposed to cure his "constitution", and the doctor said it was derived from a moss. NBC had it analyzed by a chemical laboratory and found it to be 85% water, 15% ethanol. Let's have a round of applause for NBC, who did their homework and gave viewers the facts rather than the usual poor investigation we often see from the networks when dealing with the paranormal and fringe science claims. While we're applauding NBC's news department, let's also hear a little for whoever is in charge of _I-Witness Video_. Sunday, January 3rd's show had a segment about crop circles. The beginning looked pretty standard, complete with spooky music, some views of British corn fields, a couple of New-Agers twirling dowsing rods and crystals, and some "man on the street" statements from people who thought the circles were caused by UFO's, strange underground forces, or the weather, but it couldn't be a hoax. But there, the similarities ended. For this segment was about a group of hoaxers who videotaped themselves doing the deed in the middle of the night (using a light-intensifier lens and wireless mike to get decent video and sound). The hoaxers used nothing more than a piece of rope and their feet, and they managed to make a very nice, sharp, circle which certainly looked exactly like any other circle we've seen all over the media. The next morning, the hoaxers visited the spot to see their handiwork, and a neighboring farmer wandered by. He said, "I don't think any human could have done that," and remarked upon the lack of footprints! But, of course, many crop circle "experts" would have us believe that any hoaxers must leave footprints. The guy who taped the whole thing called it "a good old-fashioned prank." Of course, I somehow doubt that this will settle the matter. Since we're giving out hurrahs to TV stations, let's give one to _CNN Headline News_, too, for a short clip with Robert Sheaffer of the Bay Area Skeptics, featuring his year- end review of psychic predictions for 1992. A psychic tried to argue with Sheaffer that she had predicted the LA riots, but CNN took the liberty of actually re-playing the tape of her real prediction, and it didn't quite make the grade (she had referred to the homeless getting organized -- not even close by any rational standard). I guess she just wasn't used to people actually remembering her failed predictions. In the print media, the _State Journal-Register_, here in Springfield, printed a very short article on the failure of two "psychic detectives" to find a missing girl. Unfortunately, the article was buried in police reports and the names of the "psychics" were not given. But any coverage is more than the media usually gives when "psychic detectives" utterly fail to find anything, as usually occurs. The _SJR_ also printed an article from the news wires about office "witches" using black construction paper and ceremonies to make copy machines work better. The _Chicago Tribune_ published a rare skeptical look at psychics in a Reuters news article about the failure of tabloid "psychics" to correctly predict even the most basic things (like Clinton's win). But only a few days earlier, they published an article about bleeding cross "miracles." Also in the _Tribune_ was an advertisement by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who promises to eliminate crime in Chicago if the city will only pay him and his organization $111 million per year for five years. How will he do this? By placing coherence-creating experts throughout the city to influence positivity in the atmosphere, of course. Now, the Maharishi seems to know that this might be a bit hard to swallow, so he proposes, in the advertisement, a two-month trial period, where the city would pay him $18.5 million to see if it works. My question to the Maharishi is this: If you are so confident that it works, why do you need the up-front money? I suggest the city should take him up on his offer, to a point. Give him no money unless he can prove results. Heck, I'd even go so far as to urge the city to offer his positivity experts free lodging in the crackhouse of their choice, where any effect they might have could certainly be helpful. If you see any strange or interesting news articles or TV shows, please, send them in along with any comments you wish to share! ============================== So Now You're a Skeptic by Wally Hartshorn This article is meant as a word of caution. Chances are you've had your fill of paranormalists, crackpots, cranks, creationists, and pseudoscientists, and now you're eager to start firing back. You're joining a skeptics' organization, you've "gotten religion", and you're all set to spread the gospel to the rest of the world and put the paranormalists in their place. You're poised to become a zealot. Hold on just a second. Have you considered how people react to zealots? The reaction generally is not good. The zealot may gain a few converts, but the vast majority dismiss them. If your only goals are to entertain yourself by ridiculing those with paranormal beliefs while at the same time you congratulate yourself on your superior intellect, then becoming a skeptical zealot will advance your goals quite nicely. However, if your goals include convincing at least a few people that they should examine paranormal claims rationally, then zealotry is not the method of choice. If someone tells you that they believe in astrology, don't laugh at them and tell them that they are foolish to believe in such rubbish. Few people, upon getting such a reaction, are going to say, "gosh, you're right, how silly of me, thank you for showing me the light." Most will simply mark you as a disbeliever and avoid discussing the issue with you in the future. A better tactic would be to give them an article that discusses astrology from a skeptical viewpoint (eg. the many studies that have shown negative results, the "Barnum effect", etc). Don't say, "Here's an article that shows you're wrong." Ask them to read the article and then tell you what they think of it. There are three advantages to this approach: (1) The article acts as the "bad cop," not you; (2) The article provides more information than you could probably relate to them during a conversation; (3) By asking them what they think, you are getting them to think, rather than simply formulate a defense against an assault on their beliefs. The disadvantage is that it takes a bit more effort on your part to find the article, give it to them, and convince them to read it. If giving them an article is not an option, try this tactic. Tell them, "I read an article about astrology which said..." and relate to them the information from the article. Then ask them what they think. This tactic still has two of the three advantages listed above (the article acts as the bearer of bad news and you are encouraging them to think rather than to defend against your argument). Also, avoid the temptation to act as an "instant expert" on everything. If you flit scamper about explaining every new claim that comes along without taking the time to actually investigate them, you will be marked (rightly so) as a dogmatic disbeliever, which is precisely the image that skeptics are trying to fight against. If someone tells you about a new UFO sighting, don't instantly tell them that it wasn't a flying saucer, it was probably an airplane, a weather balloon, an unusual cloud formation, a hoax, or the infamous "swamp gas." If you want to relate the story of similar sightings and the mundane explanations behind them, you should emphasize that you are not explaining the new sighting and that the evidence from the new sighting will need to be examined before any conclusions can be drawn. This does two things: (1) It provides them with information about several earlier UFO sightings that had mundane explanations; (2) It shows that you are not rejecting claims a priori (another charge that is often levelled against skeptics). If you later are able to learn enough about the new UFO sighting to provide a mundane explanation, your earlier suspension of judgement will make the explanation more readily acceptable. Eagerness, enthusiasm, and exuberance can be very useful qualities if they are channeled into productive activities. A sledgehammer swung with full force at a wedge will usually cause the wedge to skitter away, but some carefully controlled tapping can open up a crack. The same can be said of changing people's beliefs. ============================== Origins of REALL by David Bloomberg In several articles within this newsletter, you have been told about some of our plans for the future of REALL, about the members of the Organizing Committee, and you have read articles have hopefully given you a flavor of what REALL will be all about. What you may now be asking yourself is how REALL formed, where we came from, and what we did to get here. It started with a simple call to Barry Karr, the Executive Director of CSICOP. I wanted to ask him about the status of a local skeptics group in Chicago. We talked for a while, and I found that Barry has an incredible filing system when he pulled out a copy of a letter to the editor of mine that had been featured in the _Chicago Tribune_ in July. In our conversation, he mentioned that he had been in contact with another Springfield resident who had talked about forming a local group, Bob Ladendorf. I talked to Wally Hartshorn, a friend of mine who I knew shared my interest in active skepticism, possibly to a greater degree. Then I called Bob and we met to figure out where to go from there. The meeting was a success! We found that we shared common goals, and REALL was born. Each of us knew others that were likely to be interested, and they were contacted. Also, help was sought outside our local area, from those more experienced. To detail all the calls would take up more room than I have available to me here, but I would like to thank all those who have helped us, and with whom I hope we will continue to work. I hope that I have gotten everybody in this list, and apologize if I somehow left somebody out. In alphabetical order, they are: Steve Best, Gateway Skeptics; Professor Steve Egger, Sangamon State University; Barry Karr, CSICOP; Martin S. Kottmeyer; Rick Moen, Bay Area Skeptics; Dr. Gary Posner, Tampa Bay Skeptics; Dr. Eugenie C. Scott, National Center for Science Education; Rob Sheaffer, Bay Area Skeptics; Bob Steiner, Society of American Magicians; Ransom Traxler, St. Louis Association for the Teaching of Evolution; and Detective Bruce Walstad, Professionals Against Confidence Crime. ============================== "Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by examination of the best available evidence and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence. "What's left is magic. And it doesn't work." James "The Amazing" Randi in _The Mask of Nostradamus_ ---------------------------------------------------------------- Predictions for Future Issues * Review of the UFO slide show presented in Springfield by Bill Knell of Island Skywatch * Evolution Misconceptions * Psychic Detectives * UFOs ---------------------------------------------------------------- Skeptics Online If you have a computer and a modem, you owe it to yourself to participate in the skeptic message areas on the computer BBS networks. Here in Springfield, call The Temples of Syrinx at (217) 787-9101. David Bloomberg operates this BBS, which carries the FidoNet SKEPTIC, EVOLUTION and UFO conferences, internationally distributed message areas for discussing topics of interest to skeptics. He is also carrying ParaNet conferences, all dedicated to UFO and paranormal topics. You can also find a wide variety of skeptic text files. The Temples of Syrinx -- (217) 787-9101 ---------------------------------------------------------------- MEMBERSHIP FORM Regular membership includes _The REALL News_ and all of the benefits of membership. A subscription to _The REALL News_, without membership, is available. Full-time students can join at the discounted rate. A patron membership includes all of the benefits of a regular membership, plus a listing in _The REALL News_ and our eternal gratitude (where "eternal" is defined as "one year"). 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