As promised, James Randi reveals how it's possible to make a compass move with "the power of your mind," and shows just how easy it is to be fooled by this trick he used to perform at summer camp.
The folks at WeirdThings.com are broadcasting Carl Sagan Day live from Fort Lauderdale. You can watch right at their site using UStream, the same technology we used at TAM 8. Join the chat room to discuss while you're viewing!
Every year on April 1st, the JREF gives out the Pigasus awards; a dubious honor to people or organizations that have done their best in the past year to snuff out science and promote irrationality. Randi talks about the 2008 winners, who receive no plaques, trophies, or banners: just the knowledge that they're getting publicity... but probably not the kind they want.
[Note: We became aware after making this video that Pigasus winner Dr. Colin Ross has recently reactivated his Million Dollar Challenge claim. While the video is still technically correct, we thought it fair to add this.]
Editor's Note: Approximately 30% of the correspondence we receive at the JREF is woo. About 20% is friendly chit-chat, another 20% is well-wishing, and the rest is a mix of media requests, hate mail, and earnest questions about skepticism. This new column is concerned with the latter.
After reading enough of these questions, it occurred to us that some of them may be of general interest. Furthermore, since the answers to these questions are more a matter of opinion than of fact, they are probably most effectively addressed by Swift's readership at large. Many of these questions deserve a plurality of answers. Please consider supplying some.
We'll run this column each Wednesday. If you'd like to contribute a question for the next edition, please write to Swift@Randi.org with the subject line "Ask The Skeptics." Some questions will be edited for brevity. All questions shall be published anonymously.
The James Randi Educational Foundation Critical Thinking Scholarship Awards
2009-2010 Academic Year Awards
How to Apply and Criteria for Awards
Update (September 19, 2009): We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2009 - 2010 JREF Academic Scholarships! They are Stephen Folmsbee ($5000), James Lippard ($2500), Mehnaz Jehan ($1500), and Jay Tarnoff ($1000). For more information on this year's recipients, please read our full press release.
The James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF), will award up to $10,000 in academic scholarships this fall. The scholarships, in amounts of $5000, $2500, $1500, and $1000, may be awarded to deserving students in potentially any field of study, at the graduate or undergraduate level. A committee composed of a physicist, a social scientist, a physician, and a very senior member of the staff of Scientific American magazine will select the winners, with the awards being announced on or about September 15, 2010.
The criteria for awarding the scholarships will include the applicant's academic potential, background, and most importantly, their plan for building critical thinking skills into their chosen field of study, reflecting the goals and values of the James Randi Educational Foundation. The James Randi Educational Foundation is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1996. Its aim is to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural ideas so widespread in our society today. Persons interested in applying for the scholarships should download and completely fill out an application located on the JREF website at this link.
Each applicant must complete the application form, a transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from your college or university, or High School (if not yet in college), as well as scores on SAT, ACT, AP, LSAT, MCAT or other placement tests.
International applicants, or others without standardized test scores, should include as much information as possible in their applications about their academic records. Applicants will NOT be disqualified simply because they do not have current exam scores for such tests
Applicants with academic transcripts and/or records from schools that do not use the US-standard A-F (4.0 - 0.0) scoring system must include an explanation of how their school's particular grading system works. Explain clearly how your scores relate to the possible range of scores your school awards. For example, if you earned a grade of "E" for "excellent" please explain that clearly, as to a North American reviewer, the grade might be confused with a failing grade by the Scholarship Committee.
Letters of recommendation are not required. If applicants wish to submit letters on their behalf, however, the letters should be sent directly from the writer, on appropriate letterhead, directly to the post office box noted below.
Please do NOT include additional materials beyond those stated. For example, do not include articles you have written, chapters from dissertations, etc.
Attach a typed, double-spaced essay (500 words maximum) clearly and directly addressing this question:
How do you intend to apply critical thinking skills to your chosen area of study, and how does your proposed study include the mission goals of the James Randi Educational Foundation?
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