Port Blair Training Camp on Developing Scientific Temper Concludes

The five day training program to create scientific temper among children by explaining the scientific principles behind many of the so called miracles has concluded on 30th May 2013.  Science Centre, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Prof Narendra Nayak addressing the participants Participants observing with  rapt attention Burning camphor on tongue Exposing the miracle of Kamrali Darvesh Darga Explaining the Yogic...

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Science versus Miracles: Burning Water with Psychic Power

B Premanand The psychic takes a bowl of water. He moves hishand over the water and it explodes with fire. Experiment: 117 Effect: Burning water with psychic power Props: A bowl, hot water, Sodium metal and a thimble. Method: Hide me sodium metal in the thimble. Show the bowl of water and pass your hand over the water allowing the sodium to drop into the water. It will start burning. Experiment: 118 Effect: When you spit, fire bursts out. The psychic fills this mouth...

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Science versus Miracles: Piercing a Balloon without it Bursting

A psychic inflates some balloons. He requests the volunteers to come to the stage and gives them the balloons along with needles. He asks them to prick the balloons with the needles and they all burst. Then he takes a balloon and pierces it with a needle. Nothing happens. Thee balloon retains its shape. Experiment: 116 Effect: Piercing a balloon without it bursting.      Props:  Balloons, sharp long needles, transparent cellotape and Vaseline. Method: On the...

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Asghar Ali Engineer’s Struggle for Preservation of Plural Ethos

Ram Puniyani We lost Asghar Engineer on 14th May 2013. It is an irreplaceable loss to human rights movement, anti communal struggle, to the movement for preservation of secular values. This is a small tribute to my esteemed, close and very dear friend. The events of last over three decades have shown us, more than before that the efforts of dividing the nation by communal forces have been a major obstacle to social peace and process of development. In India while the communal...

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Science versus Miracles: Eating Hot Chillies

B Premanand A holy man goes on eating hot chillies like sweets to prove that he is above sensation. He also offers some of the chillies to the audience and when they eat they find them very hot. Experiment: 115 Effect: Eating hot chilies. Props: Pure Olive Oil, hot Chillies Method: Unless food gets dissolved in saliva, absorbed by the taste receptacles, and that your tongue and mouth is fully coated with olive oil. Then when you eat chillies, they are not directly in contact with...

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US: No Entry for Mr. Modi

Ram Puniyani Mr. Narendra Modi, for whom some countries are warming up to relate to him in Europe and in the East; the latest report from US must be very disheartening. Despite a strong lobby for pressurizing to grant him Visa, the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has called on the Obama administration to maintain a visa ban on Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi for his role in the pogrom of 2002 that claimed over 2,000 lives and displaced over...

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Science versus Miracles: Moving Objects by Mental Power.

Many psychics claim to move things by psychic power. They keep a pencil balancing on the edge of a table and through the psychic power, make the pencil turn and drop. Experiment: 113 Effect: Moving objects by mental power. Props: One round pencil, a table and a chair. Method: Sit on the chair with table in front of you. Balance the pencil on the edge of the table facing you. Order the pencil to move. When you speak the air blown from your mouth moves the pencil and it falls of the...

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Will The Biases About Terrorists Remain Permanent?

Ram Puniyani We have witnessed number of acts of terror in India, during last two decades. While those involved in the acts of terror have been coming from individuals of different religions, the net outcome of the actions of investigation agencies and police has been to arrest Muslim youth, to put charges against them and in most cases to release them after the charges are not proved on any ground. This pattern had a ‘mini-break’ for sometime after the Malegaon blast of 2008. The professional,...

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Science Centre, Port Blair to Organize Summer Camp-2013 for Students

The Science Centre, located at Goodwill Estate, Corbyn’s Cove Road, Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, is organizing “Holiday Camp” for the benefit of students from 1st May to 30th May 2013. Students can have practical experience on trades like Ship Building from May 02 to 06, Fun Mathematics / Fiber Glass Modeling from May 07 to 10, Aero modeling from May 13 to 16, Model Rocketry from May 17 to 23, Creative Science /Science versus Miracles from May 24 to 28, 2013. The camp has...

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Science versus Miracles: Lifting a Rice Pot with a Knife

B Pemanand Whenever I try to explain and educate the people about the falsity of miracles, supernatural and psychic powers, the news media confuse them with stories of supernatural powers. While I was in Andhra Pradesh conducting a Vijnan Yatra, the news media came up with the story of a temple. When a married couple is childless, it is believed that if they go to this temple and pray, they will be blessed with a child. The idol in the temple is a six feet tall naked Kala Bhairava in stone. When I enquired about the truthfulness of the story,...

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