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(Some reports of the incident can be found here: When it was later revealed to be a gigantic set-up on Sixty Minutes, it generated a storm - the media furiously accused them of betrayal, producers tried to deny being hoodwinked and some of Carlo's followers even said, "Never mind what they say, we believe in you."īut what they all forget is the magician's refrain: Deception requires cooperation.
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In 1988, an Australian TV program called Sixty Minutes decided to explore "just how easily a faith healer or guru could be created to bamboozle the public and the media." They contacted magician and debunker James Randi to set up a hoax from scratch, who got a young artist to pose as a channel for some 2000-year-old spirit named 'Carlos' who could supposedly bless crystals and heal people and dispense timeless wisdom.ĭuring the charade, skeptics (who were part of it actually) were cursed and had their interviews cut short. (And this is just a small sample of the crazy flapdoodle you can find.) Journalists and reporters, eager to sell their stories, conveniently dispense with their ethics and integrity. Humans are in general very gullible - astrology, ESP, Nostradamus, dowsing rods, palmistry, Feng Shui, and recently homeopathy and 2012 - many people believe them whole-heartedly without any careful examination of the claims and the evidence. So I decided that I should blog about how we approach the media. But should we thus declare the media evil and banish it? Then we would lose our capability to spread information rapidly to all levels of society. And as a result, of course, people abuse it, either unknowingly or maliciously. And like any other technology, the media doesn't have any instructions or restrictions such that people will use it correctly. The media, like any other technology, has great potential, both for good or for bad. To allow the faithful to spread the good news about salvation, to provide a means of propaganda during times of war. To promote a cause to save the sharks and their fins, to let developed peoples know the poverty and starvation of their third-world brothers. To be able to talk to someone face to face from 15,000km away, to share photos and videos with people all over the world without having to know them.
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We all know that these things have revolutionised not only our means of communication and also our way of life. The first thing I thought was, what of the media? Newspapers, radio, television, and now the Internet and even blogging. This time, someone suggested I blog about the media, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I haven't been blogging for a while now because things have remained status quo since the last post. NMS Summer Student Programme Co-ordinator In the event that you are unable to accept CERN?s offer please let us know immediately.
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Please wait until you have received and read this information before e-mailing any questions. You will also receive an information package with detailed information on your studentship by email before 15 April 2011. No other dates are possible for students from Non-Member States. If you did not indicate one of these dates on your application form, please advise us of your choice. The dates of your contract can only be as follows:Ģ1 June to 12 August 2011 or 28 June to 19 August 2011 or 5 July to 26 August 2011.
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If this is required, please send us a scanned copy of your passport details. You will receive an invitation letter to enable you to apply for a visa. We are currently preparing your contract and all necessary information related to your studentship at CERN. We are pleased to inform you that during the Summer Student selection procedures, you were chosen to spend your placement at CERN this summer.
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