The View from Number 80

Maverick Imaginings  Whilst wading through the morass of wishful thinking that is cult archaeology some names crop up regularly, Graham Hancock, Erich von Daniken, Robert Bauval, David Hatcher Childress. David who? You mean you haven't heard of this "maverick archaeologist" and Indiana Jones wannabe?  Childress has been mentioned briefly before (see Past Views - OOPARTS Evilution Geode and Miniature Pet Crud) but he does merit closer examination - if only to see what a "maverick archaeologist" looks like - are all the regular ones branded? Childress is a supporter of the idea that there was an advanced technological civilization greatly predating those of Mesopotamia, Egypt or the Indus valley - a mainstay of much pseudoarchaeology (Past View - Don't Mention Atlantis). The theory is that this civilization was the source of now lost ancient knowledge and the early cultures known to modern scholarship are but impoverished descendants. The fact that no convincing evidence is available for this fantasy leads the likes of Childress to posit an establishment conspiracy bent on supressing the facts. To get a flavor of Childress's beliefs here  is an online interview with him. The partiality of his interlocutor, from The Monthly Aspectarian, is established almost immediately "Why do you suppose mainstream archaeology, seemingly on purpose, suppresses information of civilizations older than Egypt and Mesopotamia? " This naturally gives the "maverick archaeologist and explorer" plenty of opportunity to expound on his ideas. Ideas which seem to be a mishmash of Hancock-type fantasies with a dash of the ravings of Edgar Cayce (The Sleeping Prophet!). He subscribes to a view of history as cyclical, where advances are lost and then rediscovered. Now this is not unreasonable until you realize he is talking about ancient super civilizations. Here is this incisive mind at work........

Ancient Tosh  Childress is certainly prolific as a look at this page from MindBodySpirit Internet bookshop will confirm. Here you will find peddled such groundbreaking blockbusters as Lost Continents and the Hollow Earth, Lost Cities of Atlantis, Europe and Mediterranean. Luckily for us this polymath does not restrict himself to archaeology for amongst his other works we find the Time Travel Handbook, Anti-gravity and the Unified Field and a Free Energy Device Handbook. His astounding piece, The Evidence for Ancient Atomic Warfare, extracted from Technology of the Gods is available on the web - happily so is a critical look at his "scholarship" by Jason Colavito. Childress is no worse or better than the many writers churning out cult archaeology twaddle but his range of interests is wider than most and reads almost like a compilation of current pseudoscientific beliefs. There is another view of Childress and his output that 80 for one finds very hard to square with reality. The Adventures Unlimited Press online catalog has this to say in a plug for his Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries of South America, "Travel with David and explore stone cities high in mountain forests and fantastic tales of Inca treasure, living dinosaurs, and a mysterious tunnel system." which sits uncomfortably with a further paragraph on the same page "The style of this author is an entertaining blend of his personal experiences with people and legend along the way coupled with well researched facts that can give both the armchair adventurer and hardened Skeptic somewhere to hang their hat." This hardened skeptic finds Childress's imaginings more a reason to hang one's head.

God-Free Saluted  In a recent Weekly Glance (Do Atheists Have Morals? Sept 6th) 80 gave advance notice of the Godless Americans Rally. It took place on November 2nd when 2,400 or so atheists, freethinkers, humanists and other god-free folk gathered in the Mall, Washington DC carrying placards and banners saying "Reason is not Treason", “Secular Humanists for a Secular America”, "Separate Church & State" and, a personal favorite “There was a time when religion ruled.  It was known as the Dark Ages.” Here is a quote from the Secular Humanism page dedicated to the rally (which has a load of pictures)

Near Wired Experience  Here is a piece from Wired about two scientists who are setting up research into so-called Near Death Experiences - a subject that still seems to fascinate many people, possibly not happy at relinquishing the idea of life after death - an idea singularly lacking in proof - "entertainers" like John Edward and James Van Praagh notwithstanding. "Dr. Sam Parnia, senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, and Dr. Peter Fenwick, a consultant neuropsychiatrist at Oxford University, are both highly respected researchers." goes the article. "Last year Parnia published a study indicating that 10 percent of clinically dead patients who were later resuscitated reported memories while they were lifeless. Evidence includes patients recognizing hospital staff they had never met but who helped during their resuscitation. Others have recalled conversations between doctors." To make any headway they are going to have to come up with something better than this anecdotal kind of stuff. If, as Wired notes, a researcher of the caliber of Susan Blackmore concluded, after extensive research, that there is nothing paranormal in NDEs then these guys will have their work cut out. As for the Wired journo throwing in a mention of quantum physics, the power of prayer and a consciousness field analogous to magnetism, 80 is puzzled, as this seems to have nothing to do with Fenwick and Parnia's proposed study and appears tacked onto the piece quite gratuitously.

Turf War  Regular readers will know 80 holds Richard Dawkins in high regard - here is an interesting essay on a subject that crops up repeatedly when discussing the power of prayer, miracles, holy shrouds and the rest. This piece is from Free Inquiry magazine and is entitled "When Religion Steps on Science's Turf " and is written in his usual clear and combative style as the opening sentence makes clear "A cowardly flabbiness of the intellect afflicts otherwise rational people confronted with long-established religions (though, significantly, not in the face of younger traditions such as Scientology or the Moonies). " Recommended. (Incidentally you can subscribe to Free Inquiry here.)

Where Angels Fear to Sketch  Whilst slumming the other day at the web site of so-called psychic Sylvia Browne (she who accepted the Randi challenge well over 400 days ago - see here) 80 spotted a link to Angel Art and clicked through - after all who can resist maudlin, saccharine, twee drawings of the feathered fakes? The perpetrator of these artworks, Christina Simonds, is "a Secretary in Sylvia Browne's office. I am also an Artist and an ordained Gnostic-Christian Minister of the Society of Novus Spiritus, which Sylvia Browne founded." A gnostic-artist-secretary - not something you come across every day - fortunately. This is just a guess but the sketches suggest that Christina the Gnostic-Christian Minister learned her drawing skills the same place as Larry van Pelt of With You Always fame. (Past View - Kooks Touch Heretic, Always Creepy) Go to Simond's gallery to learn why some people should not be allowed near pencil and paper. When 80 last looked at her favorites page there was only one link - to Sylvia Browne, Psychic and Spiritual Teacher. Creepy. 

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