Bogus “dowsing rod bomb detector” still being sold from the UK
Jim McCormick is the man behind the ADE-651. He’s appeared on TV claiming his device will detect anything from elephants to drugs to TNT with his magical dousing rods. On inspection the devices contain no actual working parts. But this didn’t stop the devices raking in an incredible $85 Million.
The device sold all over the world is very prominent at checkpoints in Baghdad. Thousands of the “detectors” were bought for an astonishing $40,000 each from Jim McCormick’s Somerset company ATSC.
Many experts were quick to denounce these devices stating that they are not just completely bogus but the practice of selling them is completely immoral.
James Randi came forward and asked ATSC to take part in his JREF Million Dollar challenge. When he refused Randi notified the authorities and Jim McCormick was arrested on fraud charges. (See video from jan 2010 above).
However in a recent investigation has shown that these devices are still being sold around the world for extortionate amounts. The government’s Department of Trade and Industry, which has since been superseded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, helped two of the manufacturers sell their products in Mexico and the Philippines.
Just three months after the ban on sales to Iraq and Afghanistan, a product called the HEDD1, consisting of a radio aerial on a handle made in Bulgaria, was displayed at a security exhibition at Olympia in London.
The company selling the devices, Unival, claimed that while all the other products which looked like it were a “massive scam”, theirs was different.
The HEDD1 was marketed by a retired British Army colonel, John Wyatt, who told prospective buyers that it had “proved extremely successful in several foreign countries”, including in “double blind” tests.
In reality the maker of HEDD1, Yuri Markov, had been charged in the United States in 2008 for fraudulently claiming that the previous version of his so-called bomb detector could detect explosives.
The US Navy had subjected it to a double-blind test and found it “does not work”.
More information on this at BBC
Homeopathy is witchcraft, say doctors
Hundreds of members of the BMA have passed a motion denouncing the use of the alternative medicine, saying taxpayers should not foot the bill for remedies with no scientific basis to support them.
The BMA has previously expressed scepticism about homoeopathy, arguing that the rationing body, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence should examine the evidence base and make a definitive ruling about the use of the remedies in the NHS.
Dr Tom Dolphin, deputy chairman of the BMA’s junior doctors committee in England told the conference: “Homeopathy is witchcraft. It is a disgrace that nestling between the National Hospital for Neurology and Great Ormond Street [in London] there is a National Hospital for Homeopathy which is paid for by the NHS”
Full Story: Telegraph
You Might Already Know This …
“They should have seen it coming.
In recent weeks, editors at a respected psychology journal have been taking heat from fellow scientists for deciding to accept a research report that claims to show the existence of extrasensory perception.
The report, to be published this year in The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, is not likely to change many minds. And the scientific critiques of the research methods and data analysis of its author, Daryl J. Bem (and the peer reviewers who urged that his paper be accepted), are not winning over many hearts.
Yet the episode has inflamed one of the longest-running debates in science. For decades, some statisticians have argued that the standard technique used to analyze data in much of social science and medicine overstates many study findings — often by a lot. As a result, these experts say, the literature is littered with positive findings that do not pan out: “effective” therapies that are no better than a placebo; slight biases that do not affect behavior; brain-imaging correlations that are meaningless.
By incorporating statistical techniques that are now widely used in other sciences — genetics, economic modeling, even wildlife monitoring — social scientists can correct for such problems, saving themselves (and, ahem, science reporters) time, effort and embarrassment.
“I was delighted that this ESP paper was accepted in a mainstream science journal, because it brought this whole subject up again,” said James Berger, a statistician at Duke University. “I was on a mini-crusade about this 20 years ago and realized that I could devote my entire life to it and never make a dent in the problem.””
Read more at NYTimes (Thanks Christopher C)
Further links provided by Stefan L:
Wired
The Paper in Question (PDF)
Argentina to create official UFO commission!
“Inexplicata has reported that the Argentinian government has made the decision to Create an Official UFO Commission.
According to multiple news agencies, a spokesperson for the Argentinean Air Force (AAF) confirmed on December 29th, 2010, that the decision to create a commission to record and investigate claims of unidentified flying objects in that country’s air space will be created. The AAF’s media consultant, Captain Mariano Mohaupt — who confirmed that the Air Force has already recorded the unexplained experiences of some of its pilots with what may allege to be visitors from OUT OF THIS WORLD — commented on the matter:
“The Commission for the Research of Aerospatial Phenomena is in the process of being formed… and now things will be perceived from the formal, professional standpoint, contributing toward our mission, which is to control our air space.”
The team would be multidisciplinary in nature, including meteorologists, flight controllers, pilots and radar specialists, and shall receive reports made by citizens regarding phenomena seen in space. ”
Read more at American Monsters (Thanks Christopher C)
Herbal remedies face licence rule
“Hundreds of traditional and imported remedies on the shelves of health food shops and herbalists are set to be banned under new licensing rules.
The EU directive aims to protect users from any damaging side-effects that can arise from taking unsuitable medicines.
Only high quality, long-established and scientifically safe herbal medicines will be sold over the counter.
Some traders who sell products imported from outside the EU say their business will be hit.
Herbal medicines – with names such as Cascara Bark and Horny Goat Weed – have become popular.
But from the first of May an EU directive will be enforced, under which all such products must be licensed, following fears that some products could cause harm.
Producers and independent health store owners say the directive, passed in 2004, is draconian and skewed in favour of the largest European manufacturers.
Selwyn Soe runs The Herbal Factory, a contract manufacturer of herbal remedies in Croydon, south London. He believes smaller firms like his own will be squeezed out altogether.
“Unfortunately it looks as if we will have to close down because of this legislation,” he said.
“The problem for us is that although we would have to pay many thousands of pounds for a licence to keep making each product, unlike a drug company we would not have a licence to make that product exclusively. It just will not be worth paying out the money.”"
Read more at BBC News
Zodiac signs change – or do they?
For those of you daft enough to think your zodiac in the newspaper actually means anything there’s been a lot of noise in the very same publications about the fact things have moved a bit – or have they?
There’s two forms of astrology – Tropical astrology and Sidereal astrology. Tropical astrology is the silliest of all the forms because it’s basis in anything reliable has just been proven (as no surprise to some people) to be both wildly inaccurate and not just out by a little bit – but out by few THOUSAND years.
Sidereal astrology is the system of astrology used by some Western and all Jyotish astrologers who base their interpretation around the use of the sidereal zodiac. Its primary feature is that the signs of the sidereal zodiac approximately align to the sky constellations of the same name. The signs therefore run between dates which are different from the tropical zodiac used by most Western astrologers. For example, Aries runs from about March 21 to April 19 in the tropical zodiac but extends from April 14 to May 14 in the sidereal zodiac (although the precise dates may vary depending on the differing sidereal system used).
So for those of you still using the old western form it’s time to update – there’s new dates and a new sign known as Ophiuchus (Nov. 29-Dec. 17) – here they are:
Capricorn: Jan. 20-Feb. 16.
Aquarius: Feb. 16-March 11.
Pisces: March 11-April 18.
Aries: April 18-May 13.
Taurus: May 13-June 21.
Gemini: June 21-July 20.
Cancer: July 20-Aug. 10.
Leo: Aug. 10-Sept. 16.
Virgo: Sept. 16-Oct. 30.
Libra: Oct. 30-Nov. 23.
Scorpio: Nov. 23-29.
Ophiuchus: Nov. 29-Dec. 17.
Sagittarius: Dec. 17-Jan. 20.
So for those of you who were a little skeptical and weren’t sure – hopefully this will convince you. For those of you determined to find a response to this – do post in the comments below.
Cases dropped against malaria homeopaths
“Officials have dropped charges against pharmacies alleged to have advised people to take homeopathic remedies to protect them against malaria instead of anti-malarial drugs. The General Pharmaceutical Council’s decision has been described as “shabby and irresponsible” by some who helped bring the case against the pharmacies. Charges were bought after an undercover investigation by campaigning group Sense about Science and BBC Newsnight. Experts advocate anti-malaria drugs.
Speaking about the latest decision, Tracey Brown, director of Sense about Science said “we may as well have no regulation of pharmacists at all”. It comes days after the Royal Pharmaceutical Society said they were “shocked” that one of the pharmacies involved, Ainsworths in London, is still suggesting taking homoeopathic remedies to prevent serious diseases such as typhoid, polio and malaria instead of proven drugs and vaccinations.
“I am shocked that a regulatory body would ignore its responsibility to protect patients”
Dr Simon Singh
Science writer and broadcaster
The 2006 undercover investigation showed that homeopathic pharmacies were recommending sugar pills which include no active ingredients instead of drugs and vaccinations for travellers to countries where malaria is endemic. At the time the head of the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital Dr Peter Fisher told Newsnight “there is absolutely no reason to think that homeopathy works to prevent malaria… people may even die of malaria if they follow this advice”.”
Read more at BBC News (Thanks Katie)
Armageddon rescheduled for may 2011
Harold Camping lets out a hearty chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012. ”That date has not one stitch of biblical authority,” Camping says from the Oakland office where he runs Family Radio, an evangelical station that reaches listeners around the world. “It’s like a fairy tale.” The real date for the end of times, he says, is in 2011.
This is not the first time Camping has made a bold prediction about Judgment Day.
On Sept. 6, 1994, dozens of Camping’s believers gathered inside Alameda’s Veterans Memorial Building to await the return of Christ, an event Camping had promised for two years. Followers dressed children in their Sunday best and held Bibles open-faced toward heaven.
But the world did not end. Camping allowed that he may have made a mathematical error. He spent the next decade running new calculations, as well as overseeing a media company that has grown significantly in size and reach. ”We are now translated into 48 languages and have been transmitting into China on an AM station without getting jammed once,” Camping said. “How can that happen without God’s mercy?”
Read the full article at SFGate.com
Scientists Find Clues Behind the Mystery of Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance
A tiny sliver of bone found on an island off the South Pacific may finally solve the riddle of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance 73 years ago.
Famed as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart vanished in a record attempt to circle the world’s equator. Later declared missing and eventually dead, many believed her plane ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. But now historians say they have found evidence to suggest Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan may have landed the plane and survived as castaways on the uninhabited island of Nikumaroro in the republic of Kiribati.
Many theories emerged after the disappearance of Earhart. The unresolved circumstances of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, along with her fame, attracted a great body of other claims relating to her last flight, all of which have been generally dismissed for lack of verifiable evidence. Several unsupported theories have become well known in popular culture.
Read more at News Feed
Amelia Earhart at Wikipeida
Ancient Chinese pyramids baffle scientists
No one seems to know the origin or the meaning behind a mysterious pyramid that sits atop Mount Baigong in western China that local legends claim is an alien UFO launch tower.
Nine scientists form the team that will travel to the western province of Qinghai and the mouth of this 165-198 foot tall structure known as the “ET Relics.”
“The pyramid has three caves with openings shaped like triangles on its façade and is filled with red-hued pipes leading into the mountain and a nearby salt water lake,” says China’s state-run Xinhua agency.
The site in question with its high altitude and thin, crisp air has long been considered an ideal astronomical location. Two of the three caves at the foot of the mountain have collapsed and are inaccessible. The remaining middle one, which is the largest, stands with its floor about 6 feet above the ground and its top about 9 feet above the surface.
Inside the cave, there is s a half-pipe about 40 centimeters in diameter tilting from the top to the inside of the cave. Another pipe of the same diameter goes into the earth with only its top visible above the ground. Dozens of strange pipes surround the opening with diameters ranging from 10 to 40 centimeters. Their structures indicate a highly advanced and completely unknown construction technique.
More info and pictures at Weird Asia
