For the next issue of Jr. Skeptic magazine we would like to feature science bloopers and blunders. This could be something along the lines of Lord Kelvin's claim that heavier than air craft cannot fly, or the one about how it is impossible for bumble bees to fly, or the textbook error about the proper explanation for how planes achieve lift, etc. (These examples of flight just come immediately to mind but any field will do). Or how paleontologists put the wrong head on a dinosaur, or misinterpreted a pig's tooth for a human's tooth, etc. The examples can be from textbooks or from the media or from any other source.
Please e-mail your favorite examples to skepticmag@aol.com (the return to this e-mail post). The more detailed you can be the better. If you only have a vague example but you know the source where we can get the details that would be helpful.
Saturday, December 11, 1999
The Irish Times
87% have religious belief, says survey
By Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent
A Gallup worldwide opinion poll has established that 87 per cent of people consider themselves part of some religion, with 13 per cent saying they belong to none.
God is least important to the lives of people in Scandinavia and the Czech Republic, while 64 per cent of those surveyed in Hong Kong do not believe in any religion.
The poll, conducted between mid-August and mid-October this year, was part of the largest survey of world opinion undertaken and involved questioning 50,000 people in 60 countries, representing a population of 1.25 billion.
Irish Marketing Surveys (IMS) conducted the research on behalf of Gallup in Ireland. The IMS findings have not yet been made available to the media. Nearly a third (32 per cent) of those surveyed internationally claimed to attend religious services at least once a week. 46 per cent believe there is "more than one true religion".
As regards what mattered most in life to those surveyed, health was top of the list, with a "happy family life" next. Health was the first choice in 37 of the 60 countries, with family first in 16.
Meanwhile, 17 per cent believed the millennium bug would cause loss of life in their country. 44 per cent worried about the problem, with greatest concern in south-east Asia.
Among the 11 most worried countries were Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Korea, and Singapore. Other very concerned states are the Czech Republic, Solvakia, Ghana, and Paraguay. Three quarters of those surveyed were aware of the bug problem.
Please announce this at your next meeting, include this information in your next newsletter and/or share it with any freethought contacts you may have. Please excuse duplicate mailings you may receive as a result of trying to reach Freethinkers/Humanists/Atheists/Skeptics everywhere.
Thank you.
Carol Smith
Humanist Quest
Milwaukee
Dale Marshall of human_ism@onelist.com writes:
All members of the freethought or Humanist community, and any others interested, are invited to join in discussions on any topic at Human_ism@onelist.com. This list is an outgrowth of the Humanism list which was hosted by Internet Infidels, and we hope it will become a nucleus for agnostics, atheists, freethinkers, and Humanists -- not just throughout the US, but around the world.
Discussions of articles in Humanist publications, of ethical questions arising from today's news or from personal experiences, of political opinions, and of social agendas are all fodder for the list. The site at OneList has a Calendar section, where we'll be happy to post upcoming events and meetings as a convenience for your membership and as a way of informing others in your area so that they may attend or join your group. We'll be happy to put a link to your website in the section provided for that, as well. By functioning as a lively discussion site *and* a message board, we hope that more networking will be available for all.
Many on our list are members of AHA; some are affiliated with CSH, IHEU, HAC, and BHA. Our membership has included English speakers from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and Germany. No group membership or particular outlook is required of list members; we are seeking to expand our community, provide a way for groups to talk to each other concerning common issues, and for individuals to become aware of the diversity and appeal of Humanist thought. We see this list as the best way for a grass-roots expansion of the freethought movement -- we are independent of any organization and will remain so. Discussion of the alliances and antipathies among the organizations is encouraged so that we may all be informed and help move toward more democratic and participatory freethought in the world.
Please join us! Invite your friends and fellow members, if you are in a group, to do so as well. And please exploit the opportunity to publicize your meetings and events on the site.
You may join by sending a message to Human_ism-subscribe@onelist.com
or going to http://www.onelist.com/community/Human_ism. Any questions, or announcements to be posted, may be directed to me at Human_ism-owner@onelist.com
I look forward to meeting you at our Virtual Community.
Dale Marshall