SETI bioastro: Fw: CSICOP Desktop and Articles of Note

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----- Original Message -----
From: Barry Karr
Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2003 2:42 PM
To: CSICOP-ANNOUNCE_at_LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Subject: CSICOP Desktop and Articles of Note

Hey Folks, check out the new CSICOP Desktop Wallpaper Images . A wonderful way to brighten up your computer monitor. (Thanks to Rob Beeston)

Articles of Note (Thanks To Joe Littrell, Greg Martinez, Molleen Matsumura, Bill Weitze)

Coral Calcium: A Barefoot Scam
by Leon Jaroff
Time
http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,433084,00.html

"It may be one of the more successful scams of our age. Through books,
lectures, audiotapes and infomercials, Robert R. Barefoot has spread his
theory that a product he calls coral calcium provides "the scientific
secret of health and youth," as well as preventing cancer and a host of
other diseases."

God on the Brain
By Liz Tucker
BBC Horizon
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2865009.stm

"Controversial new research suggests that whether we believe in a God may
not just be a matter of free will. Scientists now believe there may be
physical differences in the brains of ardent believers."

UFO was ... cat
Aftenposten [Norway]
http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=516591

"Most observations of mysterious flying objects in the sky are eventually
identified and explained, but the UFO and suspected meteorite over Lardal,
Norway got the highly unusual solution of being attributed to a cat."

Cop crackdown on ‘godmen’
The Telegraph [Calcutta]
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1030327/asp/calcutta/story_1810440.asp

"Met a godman promising a magic cure? Call the cops."

Skeptical professor tracks paranormal
By Joseph Szadkowski
WASHINGTON TIMES
http://www.washtimes.com/technology/20030327-51677057.htm

"Bob Carroll always knew he was a skeptic. His skepticism started when he
was young, with a disbelief in Santa Claus, and it has led the professor of
philosophy to spend more than three decades studying the psychology of
deception and self-deception, questioning most things supernatural and
paranormal and explaining the principles of sound logical reasoning to others."

The Core: Hollywood Fiction or Science?
by Chad Cohen
National Geographic Today
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0327_030327_tvcore.html

"Deadly asteroid impacts, reincarnated killer dinosaurs, alien invasions.
Just when you thought Hollywood had thrown it all at us, a fresh, new,
end-of-the-world scenario opens in theaters tomorrow—this time the action
is 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) below our feet in The Core."

(Editors Note - The Skeptical Inquirer was to be used in this film as a set prop, if anyone sees the movie let me know if you spot the SI)

ET fails to 'phone home'
By Helen Briggs
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2892269.stm

"Scientists have found no signs of alien beings after analysing radio
signals collected in the world's biggest distributed computing project."

Pseudoscience applied to scientists
By Peg Brickley
The Scientist
http://www.biomedcentral.com/news/20030326/01/

"Life scientists who work on sensitive government projects could find
themselves hooked-up to polygraph machines in spite of continued criticism
of the science behind such lie-detector tests."

Priest 'makes human sacrifice'
by Mahesh Pandey
BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/2892333.stm

"Police have arrested a village priest in the central Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh for allegedly carrying out a human sacrifice."

Mystery of the Min Min lights explained
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818193.htm

"An Australian neuroscientist claims he can conjure up the mysterious
Australian outback phenomenon of the Min Min lights, now that he has worked
out what causes them."

The Greatest Myths, Hoaxes & Mysteries in Astronomy and Space Science
By Robert Roy Britt
Space.com
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/myths_hoaxes_030325.html

"Few scientific disciplines seem to generate as many mysteries and
falsehoods as astronomy and, by extension, the supporting space science
effort to explore the unknown. From alleged hoaxes and conspiracies to
unintentionally inaccurate accounts, there is plenty to debunk and correct."

Are gorillas using sign language really communicating with humans?
The Straight Dope
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030328.html

"What is the bottom line with Koko the gorilla's ability to learn sign
language? I know she only communicates through her handler, who seems to
engage in a great deal of subjective translation. I saw an excerpt in
Harper's Magazine of a supposed Internet chat with Koko a few years ago
that made me rather dubious that the gorilla was capable of any use of
language. Nonetheless, there is a strong perception out there that Koko has
learned to sign. What is the straight dope?"

Pleasanton veterans dowse for terrorists
By Matt Carter
Tri-Valley Herald
http://www.trivalleyherald.com/Stories/0,1413,86%7E10669%7E1268110,00.html

"As war with Iraq heightens fears of terrorist attacks, Pleasanton veterans
groups think they've found a way to address the threat: the ancient
practice of dowsing."

Reformed con man smells a rat, rejects a windfall
By Edgar Sanchez
Sacramento Bee
http://www.sacbee.com/content/news/scam_alert/story/6338216p-7291443c.html

"Frank Milatzo, a former con man, thought he knew every trick in the book."

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