BBC Newsnight: UK Bans Exports of "Bomb Detecting" Dowsing Rods

January 22, 2010 on BBC Newsnight:

The UK government has announced a ban on the export to Iraq and Afghanistan of some so-called "bomb detectors".

It follows an investigation by the BBC's Newsnight programme which found that one type of "detector" made by a British company cannot work.

The Iraqi government has spent $85m on the ADE-651 and there are concerns that they have failed to stop bomb attacks that have killed hundreds of people.

The ban on the ADE-651 and other similar devices starts next week.

via http://www.AtheistMedia.com

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• bbc
• newsnight
• uk
• government
• bans
• fake
• dowsing
• rod
• bomb
• detector
• iraq
• war
• ade651
• atsc
• fraud
• skeptic
• atheist
• atheism

[koncorde]

@33comtois The mechanism of compasses is a well researched and fundamental principle of science.

There is no mechanism for "dowsing" with a gravity fed pivot arm.

There is no mechanism for a non-existent electric circuit to provide sensory perception.

There is no mechanism for any such invention as there are no scientific or even mystic principles to which they adhere, or can be repeatedly tested.

[koncorde]

@33comtois The ADE 651 is no different.

There is no mechanism.

[XenovannHellwolf]

Its easy to believe people fell for this when a lot fell for the balance bracelets and still more for religions empty promises.

[badderthanyou]

Who is the idiot? The inventor/scam artist? Or the corrupt government getting a hefty kickback for a known non-working device, or the general public for believing any of them?

[helpforheroes11]

Gary bolton the wanker and maker of the GT200 hides at 69 redshank road, st marys island, chatham , kent, his bought and paid for personal tart, Carly Wickens lives there too!! she is a prostitute, relationship wrecker and cocoaine taker, and she also happens to send these devices on boltons behalf!! what a team!! he is a coward and fraud, she...well....no words to describe, call her on 07515399591 or speak to her mum Anne on 01795 844228..where are the murdering bastards!!!!!!!

[t2p]

No one will go to jail for this..i bet.

[crazystuffproduction]

James Randi in Vancouver last night opened one of the "devices" up on stage. Inside the sealed box was a circuit board from a tv remote control that had been sawed in half with some various resistors and such on it with a ribbon connector , no battery, nothing actually connected anywhere, pure garbage.

[rrpostalagain]

I can not believe people fell for this idiocy. It's not like intelligent scientific minded people were not trying to tell them the truth since day one. I am so tempted to say the people who bought and used this thing deserved it. But I still can't fully blame the victims.

[MrNoepoe]

Armies around the world surely have some weird projects sometimes - but over 80 million pounds used to get this plastic crap? These empty boxes are probably one giant headache to the people who were in charge of buying them. Thankfully, the people responsible for these sorts of scams have been, for the most part, arrested and punished accordingly.

Hopefully the Iraqi army learned its lesson and isn't going to hire homeopathic medics and clairvoyant scouts if they'll ever pop up.

[Kerberoz01]

Stuff like this is great ammunition to use against conspiracy theorists. The government is stupid enough to pay thousands of dollars for dowsing rods, and people think they're plotting to take over the world with mind control or aliens or whatever??

[gethsoftware]

i am shoked that iraqis did not do any research on this. i am allso shoked that UK police did not step in. this is iligal and nobady tested it before news picked it up?