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- THE ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER OF THE GEORGIA SKEPTICS
-
- Volume 3, Number 6 November/December 1990
-
-
-
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-
- Georgia Skeptics is a non-profit local group which shares a common
- philosophy with the national organization CSICOP (Committee for the
- Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal), and seeks to promote
- critical thinking and scientific inquiry as the most reliable means to
- gather knowledge of the world and universe. Like CSICOP, Georgia Skeptics
- encourages the investigation of paranormal and fringe-science claims from a
- responsible, scientific point of view, and helps disseminate the results of
- such inquiries.
-
- Material from the Georgia Skeptic newsletter may be used by anyone, provided
- attribution is given to the author and the organization.
-
- For further information, contact the Georgia Skeptics through the
- Astronomical Society of the Atlantic BBS at (404) 985-04-8, or telephone
- (404) 493-6857 and leave a message as to how you can be contacted, or write:
- Georgia Skeptics
- P.O. Box 654
- Norcross, Georgia 30091
-
- ****************************************************************************
-
-
-
- RAIDERS OF THE LOST SPACESHIPS
-
-
- There are lots of unusual and creative theories and beliefs, many of which
- have seen print. The chief trouble with most of them lies with the "proof"
- adduced, rather than with the opinion.
-
- That seems to be the case with Zecharia Sitchin's book, _The_12th_Planet_
- (New York: Avon Books, 1978 paperback, 436 pages). Approaches previously
- seen in Velikovsky (planetery clashes and upheavals), and in von Daniken
- (alien cosmonaut "gods"), are here combined in a story of mankind's first
- civilization in Mesopotamia. In this volume, the Sumerians have alien
- spacemen to thank for their progress.
-
- The idea of alien spacemen (or "creatures") is not impossible, even though
- the Earth is more hidden in the universe than the proverbial "needle in a
- haystack". As we have said, the problem is in finding the proof.
-
- Sitchin's book is beautifully illustrated in the effort to support his
- contentions, and the author has gone to great effort to put his claims
- forward in a convincing manner. In this writer's opinion, the proof
- adduced fails to convince a reader with some knowledge of the ancient
- world, but the book itself remains interesting despite that drawback. The
- wealth of illustration brought forward is interesting in itself, regardless
- of the accuracy of the author's explanation concerning what is pictured.
-
- Some examples of explanations that do not convince the reader are the
- following:
-
- - Figure 15, on page 36 of the book, shows a man receiving what
- Stitchin claims on page 35 to be some sort of "radiation"
- treatment. The simpler view is that a corpse being burned is
- shown. There could be other meanings, name your own!
-
- - Figure 69, on page 144, is claimed on page 142 to depict a rocket
- in the sky. This figure may show instead a comet. One thinks of
- the way Halley's comet is shown on the tapestry celebrating
- William the Conqueror's invasion of England in 1066 A.D. Which
- view is more likely?
-
- - Figure 77, on page 160, is claimed on page 159 to depict a
- "rocket" in a "silo". To anyone with a familiarity with ancient
- Egyptian burial practice, the picture shows a cross-section of a
- tomb. The chief evidence for the "tomb" view would be that many
- pots of food (for the future life) are shown. It is known that
- far to Egypt's south, in Napata, small cone-like "pyramid"
- imitation tomb markers were erected in a place called Meroe.
- This is likely to be the true nature of the author's "nose-cone"
- of a rocket. Of course, before the advent of the huge pyramids
- with temples in front where food could be brought for the spirit
- of the dead, an earlier practice was to bury rulers with their
- own supply of food in many pots, in the early "mastaba" tombs.
- Meroe was south of the second Nile cataract, some considerable
- distance from the more settled parts of Egypt, yet close enough
- to be affected by the more dominent culture and civilization to
- the north. The Roman emperor Nero was said to have sent a party
- of explorers to Meroe (cf. Michael Grant, _Nero_, New York: Dorset
- Press, 1989, pp. 111-112). Stitchin says only that the drawing
- was found in the tomb of an "Egyptian governor of a far land".
-
- - Figure 22, on page 59, shows what scholars have called a
- depiction of the "Mistress of the Animals" (from ancient Crete).
- The author presents this as showing "Aphrodite". This may or may
- not be true, but when an author makes flat claims that are not
- generally accepted by scholars about a small matter, it may put
- in doubt his views and opinions on other matters more germaine to
- his contentions. Indeed, some scholars may believe the Mistress
- of the Animals would have been cognate with Aphrodite, and not
- with, say, Hera or Artemis, but the author's contention would
- even then remain a selective choice and not a designation that is
- generally accepted and thought to be true by scholars. Arbitrary
- interpretations abound throughout the book.
-
- Despite one's rejection of the thrust of the author's beliefs in this book,
- it remains true that the text is worth looking into because of the numerous
- illustrations from ancient cylinder seals. The author does not take
- quotations out of context as Velikovsky was said to have done, and does not
- make use of "faked" proof as is alleged of some authors. Rather, the
- problem here is that the proof, presented carefully and embodying great
- effort, is still not sufficiently convincing.
-
-
- by Hugh. H. Trotti, Research Director
- of the Georgia Skeptics
- November 9, 1990
-
-
-
- THE NUMBER SEVEN
-
-
- Although the number seven has figured prominently in culture, myth,
- religion, and magic throughout the ages, the significance of the number has
- no clear origin in ancient star worship. There is no seven-day periodicity
- associated with the motions of the stars, sun, moon, or planets. Unlike the
- day, month, and year of the modern calendar, the seven-day week was not
- astronomically derived. Its use prior to the Christian era has been found
- only among the ancient Jews, who did not practice astrology.
-
- In his book _Winston_Churchill's_Afternoon_ Nap_, (Simon and Schuster,
- 1988), Jeremy Campbell presents an interesting perspective on the
- significance of the number seven based on the work of chronobiologist Franz
- Halberg of the University of Minnesota.
-
- Seven-day biological rhythms, or circaseptans, have been found in organisms
- as primitive as algae and bacteria, and as complex as mankind. The ancient
- giant algae known as Mermaid's Wineglass has an innate growth cycle of seven
- days. Within the human body, circaseptans have been observed in such
- functions as blood pressure and heartbeat, body temperature, the
- concentration of calcium in the urine, the number of red blood cells, and
- the production of neurotransmitters and hormones. Weekly rhythms have also
- been observed in the body's response to various external challenges such as
- infection, chemotherapy, and organ transplants, and these rhythms manifest
- themselves only when intruders appear.
-
- Many biological time tables seem to internalize the periodicities of
- the physical world, particularly those which have been the most stable
- and predominant over the millions years of evolution, such as days,
- seasons, phases of moon, and the flow of tides. Once internalized,
- biological cycles seem to run independently of the outside
- periodicities, although biological clocks can apparently be reset or
- entrained by external triggers such as fluctuations in light. The
- Mermaid's wineglass somehow uses daily light cycles to calculate its
- seven day growth cycle, and artificial changes in the daily cycle of
- light produce corresponding changes in the length of the algae's
- "week".
-
- Halberg has observed that the frequencies of many biological rhythms
- are multiples of each other (harmonics) and are either multiples or
- submultiples of the number seven. When circumstances are altered, the
- result is often a harmonic of the original rhythm. For example, when
- the nucleus is removed from the Mermaid's Wineglass, the growth cycle
- decreases by a factor of 2, from 7 days to 3 1/2 days. The skin
- temperature of the female breast normally varies in cycles of one day,
- one week, one month, and one year. Breast cancer seems to change the
- spectrum of these variations, and a 3 1/2 day temperature cycle
- becomes apparent.
-
- Franz Halberg proposes that seven-day biological rhythms are innate
- and autonomous. Although circaseptans do not directly correspond to
- any of the major cycles of the environment, Halberg notes that the
- length of the week is a both a multiple of the day and a submultiple
- of the month. Circaseptans are therefore mathematically related and
- compatible with biological timetables adapted to natural
- periodicities. Because a seven-day period is often more suitable than
- a day or a month for biological functions critical to survival,
- Halberg believes that seven-day cycles evolved internally by means of
- harmonic laws from various frequencies supplied by nature. He
- suggests that the length of the social week is a convenient work
- period based on an innate internal cycle, rather than vice versa,
- although the social week may act as an external trigger to entrain the
- biological week to seven calendar days.
-
-
- by A. Rebecca Long, Executive Director
- of the Georgia Skeptics
- November 1990
-
-
- MYSTERY SOLVED?
-
-
- Some readers may have seen advertisements for a book by an author who has
- "solved the problem" of the pyramids by a contention that stones made of
- sand were made hard by a secret process.
-
- According to the July 1990 issue of Basis, "The Bay Area Skeptics
- Information Sheet", the author of that book holds guess what: A patent on a
- process for casting sand into hard blocks! (Isn't it amazing how the
- ancients could look forward to modern devices?)
-
- H. H. T.
-
-
-
- EARTHQUAKE QUACKERY
-
-
- Scientific knowledge and reasoning certainly form the most reliable basis
- for predictions of future events. However, scientific information is
- misapplied when used to "predict" future occurrences when there is no
- demonstrated causal relationship between the scientific fact and the
- "predicted" effect. This is the case with the major earthquake predicted to
- occur on December 3, 1990. Although the close perigee of the moon on this
- date will increase tidal forces on the Earth, there was no earthquake during
- the similarly close perigee about 75 years ago!
-
- As James Randi and others have pointed out, if one wishes to make
- predictions of future events using non-scientific methods, predictions of
- earthquakes have a lot of advantages. The public loves successful
- predictions of catastrophes, and will remember them better and read more
- significance into them than predictions of good fortune. A successful and
- well-publicized prediction of a major earthquake can lead to great fame and
- fortune and perhaps an eventual syndicated newspaper feature like the one
- earned by Jeane Dixon. On the other hand, after a brief period of
- embarassment, an unsuccessful earthquake prediction is quickly forgotten by
- the public, who remain anxious to believe. There are surprisingly many
- major earthquakes each year, so the odds of success aren't really all that
- bad. One can always claim partial credit for any earthquake, of any
- magnitude, anywhere in the world, anytime near the specified date.
-
- Even if the before-the-fact prediction is a complete failure, one can still
- gain a measure of fame by claiming to have successfully predicted some
- previous catastrophe. Who can prove the contrary? In such cases it is
- recommended to be sure your after-the-fact prediction is close, but just
- wrong enough to be convincing.
-
- It appears that earthquake predicting is not unlike entering a lottery: The
- benefits of a lucky coincidence far outweigh the negative consequences of a
- bad prophesy (at least for the predictor)!
-
- Of course, if one predicts a "fifty/fifty" chance of an earthquake, or even
- a "95%" chance, the chance of history proving them wrong is zero!
-
-
- A. R. L.
-
-
- "It ain't what you don't know, that counts, it's what you know that ain't
- so." Will Rogers