Skeptics Handbook spreads en masse: 150,000 copies!

Skeptics Handbook spreads en masse: 150,000 copies!

From the Joanne Nova website

A donor in the US felt The Skeptics Handbook was so worthwhile that they have paid to print and post 150,000 copies of the booklet through Heartland. Just soak in that number. A “bestseller” only has to notch up 5,000 copies…

As always, Joseph Bast and his team are efficient and ambitious. For starters, the Handbook was provided to everyone who came to the 2009 International Conference on Climate Change in New York, but the big plan extends far and wide. It includes some 850 journalists, 26,000 schools, 19,000 leaders and politicians, just to mention a few (see the list at the bottom for details).

My aim, as always, is to lift standards of science communication to help people make up their own minds. Scientists need to stand up and defend the discipline that gave us penicillin, cures for cataracts, and machines that fly round the world in a day. Science has become the victim of politics and economics and like everything valuable in life it needs to be defended against the ever present entropy of unreason. There are infinite ways to confuse, confound and be incorrect.

For those who are wondering, I will not, and have not received any payment for my work or costs. I did not ask for any, nor was any offered. Heartland approached me with a request for permission to print the Handbook, which I was happy to give. That I should have to even mention payments (or lack of) shows how weak the AGW case is. After all, if the alarmists had the evidence they claim, they could discuss the science instead of the funding. (DeSmog and Deltoid tried and failed pathetically to find any faults in the science. See my reply to DeSmog here.) Thanks to the special online supporters who’ve bought me boxes of chocolate and to everyone for all the enthusiastic feedback. It keeps me going.

Real science is not afraid of debate.

Like predictable performing poodles, no doubt some who pretend to be concerned about the environment will find the time to question my motivations (as if that changes Earth’s climate somehow). Apparently some ‘idealists’ can’t imagine anyone working for free for a cause they believe in passionately. It’s hard to believe I’m just as dedicated and sincere as all those greenie bloggers eh? Ironically, I’m just like them, except—I can reason.

Even if I had been paid, it makes no difference to the graphs from NASA. The hypocrisy is rich.
No one expects NGO office bearers to work for free, and when funded-Greenpeace-activists publish reports, no one shrilly dismisses the science because it’s produced by an organization that benefits from inflating crises.

I will be arranging an Australian print run in the next week, which will be distributed by Max Rheese at The Australian Climate Science Coalition, and in NZ by Terry Dunleavy at the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition. Heartland have offered to give me some copies from the Australian print run, which I will make available for a small fee to help recoup some costs. Many people have emailed me asking for a hard copy and I will be in touch when the handbook is ready. I will also offer bulk class sets for schools. But there won’t be many extra copies, so email me now if you want some and I’ll make sure the print run is big enough to include you.

http://joannenova.com.au/2009/03/22/skeptics-handbook-spreads-en-masse-150000-copies