ECHOES AND UPDATES

Many thanks to subscriber J.W. of Tempe, Ariz., who sent in a copy of p. 2973 of Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, 1989 edition, item Volcano. Under the subheading "Volcanic Introduc-tion of Chlorine into the Stratosphere," too long to be reproduced here (but worth a visit to the library), it says "Researchers have observed, for example, that the Augustine Volcano (Alaska), which erupted in 1976, may have injected 289 billion kilograms of HCl [hydrochloric acid] into the stratosphere. That is about 570 times the 1975 world industrial production of chlorine and fluorocarbons."

". . . My own theory is that the hole in the ozone layer is caused by the eaters of doughnuts and bagels. These people eat the food and discard the hole which then floats up into the ozone layer. You can't say that that theory is any less scientific than some of those pushed by the Greens . . ." S.R.D., Leeds, England

Dear Mr. E.: The Skeptical Inquirer is an excellent journal for the refutation of pseudoscientific claims like UFOs, spiritualism, etc., and members of editorial boards rarely have any prior say in a journal's content. Nevertheless, I suggest that you write to the editors (Box 229, Buffalo, NY 14215), pointing out that a commit-tee claiming to fight pseudoscience should not include a pseudo-scientist who outrageously abused his academic standing. He was one of the instigators of "Nuclear Winter," a scientifically un-founded propaganda stunt promoted by a commercial PR agency for well over $200,000 [AtE Jun 84], and deceptively palmed off as scientific work. (The theory was also erroneous and is now dead, but that by itself can also happen to genuine and honest scientists.) Cordially, P.B.

King of Koercion Kommissar Kuomo Can't Kill food irradia-tion for good, though he tried hard. The New York Senate watered his unconditional bill down to a two-year ban last June. The NY Food and Agriculture departments objected to the ban, but the Kommissar does not mind rot, spoilage, diseases, or even carcino-genic chemicals as preservatives, if only he can garner votes by antinuclear superstitions: he overruled his own administration after it dared to suggest eating what Kommissar Kuomo does not eat. I would hope New Yorkers will repay the kindness of his con-cern by sending him gifts of pink pork, done very rare. In such (popular) pork only irradiation can kill the agents of trichinosis.

Fusion: In a panel discussion at the U. of Utah, John Bockris, who replicated the F&P effect at Texas A&M, said the Japanese have organized a fusion institute where more than 80 scientists are rapidly moving forward to develop cold fusion, and Robert Hug-gins of Stanford U., who also replicated the effect, maintained that his results cannot be explained in terms of some simple mistakes in the experiments. He said that several laboratories around the country have observed excess power in the range of 10 to 30 watts per cubic cm.

Otherwise no important developments: the jury is still out, but getting tired.

On Sept. 5, the US embassy in Tokyo had Japanese police arrest five Japanese who tried to sell it 8.8 pounds of unenriched uranium for $83 million. The UPI story commented how much uranium Japan imports and enriches, and the media embellished this with all kinds of sinister stories implying proliferation of this dangerous stuff. What the reporters did not know, were too self-brainwashed and lazy to ask about, and therefore did not tell their readers, is that a pound of unenriched uranium sells for between $35 and $40.

[Pssst! Need any aspirin? I will sell you a couple of tablets for $300,000 each.]