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eSkeptic: the email newsletter of the Skeptics Society

eSkeptic Archives 2003–2005

2005

December 20th: today’s ruling against Intelligent Design
Burt Humburg and Ed Brayton report on the case of Kitzmiller et al v. Dover Area School District, which left the courts this morning with an important decision in the place of Intelligent Design.
December 15th: James Randi and the Amazing Meeting 4
Announcing The Amazing Meeting 4 on the theme of “Science in Politics & the Politics of Science” presented by the James Randi Educational Foundation.
December 8th: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fear
Brian Ragle discusses the film “Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire.”
December 1st: Ig Nobel awards
Rebecca Watson tells us about her experience at the 2005 Ig Nobel award show — honoring achievements that first make people laugh, then make them think.
November 23rd: Dawkins on the Illusion of Design
This article appeared as the introduction to a special section on ”Darwin & Evolution” in the November issue of Natural History magazine.
November 14th: The Curious Case of Ted Serios
Calvin Campbell shares his lively and strange personal experience with psychic “thoughtographer” Ted Serios.
November 3rd: Skepchicks, International
Rebecca Watson describes “Skepchicks,” an organization of smart, skeptical women who are dedicated to the promotion of critical thinking.
October 28th: Young Earth Creationists of the World Unite!
Jason Rosenhouse reports on the 2005 Creation Mega Conference — a young Earth creationist conference that took place in Lynchburg, Virginia, July 17th – 22nd, 2005.
October 19th: Universe in a Single Atom
Michael Shermer reviews The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality by the Dalai Lama.
October 13th: Political Science
David Brin’s reviews The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney.
October 4th: Announcing the NEW Skeptic Website!
This week’s eSkeptic announces the launch of the new Skeptic website!
September 28th: The Great Debate: Deepak Chopra v. Michael Shermer
Deepak Chopra and Michael Shermer debate The Value of Skepticism: Is Skepticism a Negative or a Positive for Science and Humanity?
September 21st: New Season of Lectures at Caltech
The Skeptics Society announces the new season of the Skeptics Distinguished Lecture Series at Caltech.
September 13th: Rights From Wrongs
Kenneth W. Krause reviews Rights From Wrongs: A Secular Theory of the Origin of Rights by Alan Dershowitz.
September 2nd: Prayer Therapy
The Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health presents a follow-up study to a clinical trial on the efficacy of prayer therapy.
August 26th: a Ufologist Friend’s Obituary
Gary Posner eulogizes ufologist Philip J. Klass. Michael McGough offers his opinion editorial on Intelligent Design.
August 16th: God & Evolution
Michael Shermer reports on George W. Bush’s remarks on Intelligent Design (ID) Creationism and discusses whether it is logically consistent to believe in God and the theory of evolution simultaneously.
August 5th: Reading Homo sapiens
David Michelson reviews The Literary Animal: Evolution and the Nature of Narrative.
July 28th: The Spaceships of Ezekiel
In a rebuff to UFO enthusiasts, Tim Callahan extrapolates the earthly origins of Ezekial’s visions.
July 15th: God the Father
Kenneth W. Krause reviews The Psychological Roots of Religious Belief: Searching for Angels and the Parent-God by M.D. Faber.
July 7th: A Skeptic Goes to an Exorcism
Lee Traynor participates in an exorcism and lives to tell the tale.
July 1st: The Life and Science of Fred Hoyle
James N. Gardner reviews Conflict in the Cosmos: Fred Hoyle’s Life in Science, a biography by Simon Mitton.
June 24th: The Woodstock of Evolution
Michael Shermer reports on the World Summit on Evolution in the Galapagos.
June 10th: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
Two reviewers—James N. Gardner and Michael Shermer—share their thoughts on The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe.
June 1st: Left Below — a review of Resurrection
Tim Callahan reviews Resurrection, an ABC Television 20/20 special.
May 27th: Brain, Mind & Consciousness
Lee Traynor reports on the Skeptics Society’s 2005 Conference at Caltech.
May 19th: Freakonomics
Michael Shermer reviews Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt.
May 12th: Why Messrs. Spock, Holmes, and Data Were Wrong
Michael Shermer reviews Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell.
May 3rd: The Faustian Bargain of David Irving
Michael Shermer examines the Faustian Bargain of David Irving.
April 26th: The Pentagon's Psychic Friend's Network
Michael Shermer reviews The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson.
April 19th: The Blind GodMaker
Michael Shermer reviews Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life by Alister McGrath.
April 14th: Bill Nye, Black Holes, Julia Sweeney, and Your Brain
Details on upcoming Skeptic events, including lectures by Bill Nye on Germs, Dr. Arthur I. Miller on Black Holes, the Skeptics Society Annual Conference, and Julia Sweeney on Letting Go of God.
April 5th: Not Intelligent, Surely Not Science
Michael Shermer presents “Not Intelligent, Surely Not Science,” an opinion editorial that previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
March 29th: on-line forum; new keynote; Mr. Summers’ Hidden Agenda
Susan Carol Losh, Ph.D. responds to an earlier eSkeptic (“Sex, Brains & Hands — Gender Differences in Cognitive Abilities” by Diane Halpern, Tuesday, March 15th, 2005) with a letter titled “Mr. Summers’ Hidden Agenda: Women, Men & the 80-Hour Work Week.”
March 22nd: Race & Sex – The Difference in Theory and the Difference it Makes
Chuck Lemme responds to our reviews of Race: The Reality of Human Differences by Vince Sarich and Frank Miele; Sarich and Miele respond.
March 15th: Sex, Brains & Hands
Dr. Diane Halpern delves into the science of gender differences in her article “Sex, Brains & Hands — Gender Differences in Cognitive Abilities.”
February 24th
Super size this! Patrick Johnson reviews The Obesity Myth: America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health by Paul Campos.
February 18th
Two reviewers — Paul R. Gross and Alondra Oubré — tackle Vincent Sarich and Frank Miele’s book Race: The Reality of Human Differences.
February 11th
Frank Sulloway remembers his former teacher, Ernst Mayr (1904–2005).
February 2nd
Michael Shermer recounts his experience with the historic Mt. Wilson Observatory. Also outlines Michael Shermer’s 2005 lecture schedule.
January 28th
The lineup for the Spring 2005 Caltech Lecture Series includes Dr. Michio Kaku, Dr. Elizabeth Wayland Barber, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Dr. Arthur I. Miller, and Jennifer Michael Hecht.
January 21st
Details on the World Summit on Evolution; Columbia University Miracle research Scandal; Christ on the halfshell; the Amazing Meeting 3 recap in Las Vegas Journal.
January 11th
Upcoming Skeptic events.
January 5th
Announcing Michael Shermer’s latest book, Science Friction: Where the Known Meets the Unknown.

2004

December 30th
George Case writes about conspiracy theories.
December 24th
A summary of reviews for Julia Sweeney’s one-woman show, Letting Go of God.
December 20th
Announcing Christopher Hitchens appearance at The Amazing Meeting 3.
December 8th
Introducing Bill Nye’s new series, 100 Greatest Discoveries, on the Science Channel.
November 30th
David Voron reviews Facing Death: Epicurus and His Critics by James Warren.
November 19th
Michael Shermer presents two articles by Alan Harris on the Russian expedition that claims to have found a UFO crash site.
November 12th
David Voron reviews Eric Baum’s book, What is Thought?
November 7th
Michael Shermer examines Holocaust denier tactics.
October 29th
Paul R. Gross reviews Why Intelligent Design Fails: A Scientific Critique of the New creationism, edited by Mark Young and Taner Edis.
October 22nd
Michael Shermer recounts his experience appearing on the Art Bell Show.
October 15th
Readers respond to eSkeptic of October 8th, in which Dylan Otto Krider discussed the politicization of science in the Bush administration.
October 8th
Dylan Otto Krider writes on “The Politicization of Science in the Bush Administration: Science-As-Public-Relations.”
October 1st
John Olmsted reviews the fantasy docudrama and cult hit What the #$*! Do We Know?.
September 24th
Laura Woodmansee starts of this season of lectures at Caltech with Women in Science.
September 17th
Seth Shostak responds to an article published in New Scientist magazine by Eugenie Samuel Reichthe, which suggests the SETI@home project has found strong evidence for extraterrestrial intelligence.
September 12th
Stephen T. Asma reviews the PBS documentary, A Question of God, in which Michael Shermer is a round-table participant.
August 26th
Information about the PBS documentary series Closer to Truth: Science, Meaning and the Future, organized and hosted by Robert Kuhn.
July 30th
Michael Shermer remembers the life of Francis Crick (1916–2004).
July 24th
Aerospace engineer James C. Smith investigates the Mexican Air Force UFO Affair.
July 16th
Articles reprinted from Time and the Associated Press detail further strange events surrounding the prayer study scandal. (See also eSkeptic from June 1st and June 11th, 2004.)
July 5th
To commemorate Ernst Mayr’s 100th birthday, we reprint an interview from Skeptic magazine, The Grand Old Man of Evolution: An Interview with Evolutionary Biologist Ernst Mayr.
June 11th
The New York Sun reports fraud and deceit in Columbia University’s study into the power of prayer. Jason Rosenhouse reviews three books addressing Intelligent Design: The Design Revolution by William Dembski, God, the Devil and Darwin by Niall Shanks, and Darwinism, Design, and Public Education by John A. Campbell and Stephen Meyer.
June 4th
Steven Korenstein reviews environmental disaster film The Day After Tomorrow.
June 1st
Bruce Grant reviews Creationism’s Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design by Barbara Forrest and Paul R. Gross. Paul Harris exposes the scandal behind a Columbia University Study purporting to scientifically prove the power of prayer.
May 25th
Michael Shermer reviews the environmental disaster film The Day After Tomorrow. Ivan W. Kelly takes on Percy Seymour’s new theory of astrology.
May 17th
The Sunday Times science editor Jonathan Leake writes about Percy Seymour’s new theory of astrology. David Hackett Fischer explores the origins of “Debunking.” Also, letters on Roman Catholic atheism and Freeman Dyson’s endorsement of the paranormal.
May 10th
Michael Shermer recounts his evening debating Kent Hovind, a Young Earth Creationist and Defender of the Faith.
May 4th
Michael Shermer responds to Freeman Dyson’s assertion that there are valid reasons to believe in the paranormal. Curtis Cameron exposes the errors in ABC’s Primetime Thursday.
April 26th
Jason Colavito examines alternative archaeology in his article, Charioteer of the Gods: H.P. Lovecraft and the Invention of the Ancient Astronauts. Richard Dawkins offers advice to young science writers.
April 19th
Tim Callahan reviews God Against the Gods: The History of War Between Monotheism and Ploytheism by Jonathan Kirsch. Brent Norman investigates the IRS’s investigation of Young Earth Creationist Kent Hovind.
April 12th
Daniel Loxton reviews The Making of Bigfoot: The Inside Story by Greg Long; a Georgia judge sends evolution lawsuit to trial.
April 5th
Dennis Cass reviews Penn & Teller’s Bullshit!. Michael Shermer reviews Knocking on Heaven’s Door: American Religion in the Age of Counterculture, by Mark Oppenheimer. David Voron explores the idea of a secular Passover Haggadah.
March 25th
A reader repsonds to Michael Shermer’s The Science of Good and Evil. Wayne Lutz reviews The Holy Land, by Dr. Robert Zubrin. Sallie Hofmeister finds feng shui is infiltrating corporate America.
March 18th
Don Lattin reviews Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. Two short articles look at homophobia in Tennessee and superstitions in Glasgow. Michael Shermer discusses the origins of evil and The Science of Good and Evil receives a positive review.
March 11th
Michael Shermer recommends some good reading to counter Intelligent Design creationism. Tim Callahan reviews Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
February 23rd
Tim Callahan explores the question, “Who really killed Jesus,” an inquiry inspired by Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ.
February 12th
Michael Shermer explores his theory of the evolution of morality in relation to George W. Bush in his opinion editorial “The Divinity of Politics: Throughout History, Leaders Have Claimed a Supernatural Link.”
January 30th
William Harwood reviews A Devil’s Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love by Richard Dawkins. Also, an Evolution/Creationism controversy erupts in Georgia — article by Andrew Jacobs.
January 23rd
Tim Callahan reviews Doubt: A History by Jennifer Michael Hecht.
January 12th
Logan Hill interviews Michael Shermer in the New York Post. Craig Waterman reviews Stephen D. Unwin’s The Probability of God: A Simple Calculation That Proves The Ultimate Truth.
January 8th
Sandy Szwarc looks into pseudoscience on the farm in her article “Mad Cows and Irrational Hysterics.”

2003

December 19th
Three articles explore diverse topics: Leon Jaroff discusses Larry King and the paranormal; Dan Henry recounts his adventure swimming with dolphins; and Michael Shermer rescues a dog.
December 13th
David Voron reviews Being No One by Thomas Metzinger.

This is as far back as eSkeptic archives go.

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