dimland radio 2-5-11 show notes

What does it take to keep an eye doctor appointment?

I opened with a riveting tale of all the events and perils that seemed to conspire (however, there are no conspiracies...trust me) against my getting to the eye doctor. Dead car, illnesses, hospital visits, call-fowarding - all terribly interesting, I'm sure.

Homeopathy - There's Nothing In It!

This weekend, around the world, skeptics of the "alternative medicine" of homeopathy will be doing what they can to get the truth out. The truth is there's nothing in it. The active (if you can call it that) ingredient is so immensely diluted that there isn't even a molecule left to be found. Apparently, the water, or whatever is used to dilute the solution, remembers the vibrations and that's supposed to work! Pushing back the frontiers of science - pushing all the way back to the Dark Ages, that is.

I related information that I learned mostly from talks given by James Randi. You can catch some of his talks about this medical nonsense here, here and here.

Question: What do you call alternative medicine that works?
Answer: Medicine.

Symphony of Science

Next was my newly discovered love of the Symphony of Science. I've been a little late to the party (what's new?) on this, but it's terrific. I normally abhor the use of auto-tune, but I enjoy its use in these songs that promote science and reason. The songs feature parts of speeches and interviews of noted scientists and promoters of science. The list includes Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, James Randi and many others.

Check it out!

UFO seen over Holy Land

The UFO is that blob of light above the dome. Wow!

I'm sure you heard about, seen the viral videos of it. It's a glowing light that descends, hovers, flashes and zips away into the night sky captured on video, from a few angles, in Jerusalem. What is it? I don't know.

I found one thing very funny about the news media "coverage" of the incident. On the Fox News webpage was the statement about "UFO experts" being "dumbfounded". What? UFO experts! Knowing that the "U" in UFO stands for unidentified, how can anyone be an expert in something that is unidentified?

I just found this site which gives a plausible explanation for the curious missing flash of light that I had noticed in one of the videos.

Today's science hero: Bill Gates

Bill Gates, founder of the evil Microsoft, is working to eradicate world-wide polio by 2012 and is putting up $10 billion dollars over the next decade to get vaccines to people are over the world. Now that makes him a hero in my eyes.

Get vaccinated!

Movie Recommendation: The Flight of the Phoenix (1965)

Not the 2004 version, but the original starring Jimmy Stewart. It's a very engrossing and entertaining story of a group of men struggling to survive and escape a plane crash in the middle of the Sahara desert. It's well worth a look.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ahead' by Wire
First ad break bumpers: 'Y.O.Y.O.Y.' by Cheap Trick & 'Rattle My Bones' by The Suburbs
Second ad break bumpers: 'For A Moment We're Strangers' by The Church & 'The Metro' by Berlin
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! see you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com