10:23 campaign
Encyclopedia
The 1023 Campaign is an awareness campaign & protest against homeopathy
. The campaign is organised by The Merseyside Skeptics Society, a non-profit organisation of skeptics in the United Kingdom
. Participants are against the sale of homeopathic products which could be misleading, the pseudo-scientific claimed mechanisms of function, and erroneous or unproven health benefits made by advocates.
Participants state that homeopathy is "an unscientific and absurd pseudoscience". The campaign's name is a reference to Avogadro's number
; approximately 6 × 1023.
held a similar protest.
As a result, 54 videos are listed on the Campaigns' website, and available from YouTube
.
, the campaign was co-ordinated by Kylie Sturgess
of the Token Skeptic Podcast.
, events were confirmed to be taking place in Manchester, as part of QEDcon, and Cardiff.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...
. The campaign is organised by The Merseyside Skeptics Society, a non-profit organisation of skeptics in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Participants are against the sale of homeopathic products which could be misleading, the pseudo-scientific claimed mechanisms of function, and erroneous or unproven health benefits made by advocates.
Participants state that homeopathy is "an unscientific and absurd pseudoscience". The campaign's name is a reference to Avogadro's number
Avogadro's number
In chemistry and physics, the Avogadro constant is defined as the ratio of the number of constituent particles N in a sample to the amount of substance n through the relationship NA = N/n. Thus, it is the proportionality factor that relates the molar mass of an entity, i.e...
; approximately 6 × 1023.
The 1023 Event 2010
On January 30, members participated in a protest involving a mass overdose of homeopathic products in order to demonstrate that they have no effect. New Zealand SkepticsNew Zealand Skeptics
The New Zealand Skeptics comprises a network of New Zealanders including magicians, teachers, scientists, health professionals and many others from all walks of life...
held a similar protest.
The 1023 Challenge 2011
A follow-up event occurred on the weekend of the 5-6 February 2011. The 1023 Challenge was to promote their statement "Homeopathy - There's Nothing In It".International Participation
Worldwide, the campaign received commitments of participation from:| Country | City |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | Manchester |
| Australia | Canberra |
| Australia | Sydney |
| Australia | Melbourne |
| Australia | Perth |
| Australia | Geelong |
| Australia | Brisbane |
| Netherlands | Amsterdam |
| Germany | Berlin |
| Germany | Essen |
| Germany | Cologne |
| Germany | Munich |
| Germany | Frankfurt |
| Sweden | Stockholm |
| Sweden | Gothenburg |
| Sweden | Gothenburg |
| Argentina | Rosario |
| Argentina | Buenos Aires |
| France | Paris |
| Finland | Helsinki |
| Philippines | Puerto Galera |
| Chile | Santiago |
| Switzerland | Zurich |
| Brazil | São Paulo |
| Brazil | Natal |
| Brazil | Porto Alegre |
| South Africa | Cape Town |
| Mexico | Mexico City |
| Mexico | Morelia |
| Spain | Bilbao |
| Spain | León |
| Spain | Gijon |
| Spain | Zaragoza |
| Spain | Madrid |
| Spain | Barcelona |
| Hungary | Székesfehérvár |
| Hungary | Szeged |
| Hungary | Budapest |
| Portugal | Lisbon |
| Belgium | Brussels |
| Austria | Graz |
| Austria | Vienna |
| United States of America | Atlanta, GA |
| United States of America | Tucson, AZ |
| United States of America | Monterey County, CA |
| United States of America | Hollywood, CA |
| United States of America | Morgantown, WV |
| United States of America | San Francisco, CA |
| United States of America | Phoenix, AZ |
| United States of America | Poulsbo, WA |
| United States of America | Honolulu, HI |
| United States of America | Boston, MA |
| United States of America | Saylorsburg, PA |
| Canada | Montreal |
| Canada | Vancouver |
| Canada | Toronto |
| Canada | Ottawa |
| Canada | Kitchener |
| Canada | Edmonton |
| Canada | Winnipeg |
| Israel | Tel Aviv |
| Romania | Bucharest |
| Romania | Sibiu |
| Romania | Iasi |
| Romania | Timisoara |
| Poland | Warsaw |
| Poland | Wroclaw |
| New Zealand | Auckland |
| New Zealand | Christchurch |
| New Zealand | Wellington |
| Norway | Trondheim |
| Norway | Oslo |
| Czech Republic | Prague |
| Antarctica | [On a Research Vessel |
As a result, 54 videos are listed on the Campaigns' website, and available from YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Australia
In AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the campaign was co-ordinated by Kylie Sturgess
Kylie Sturgess
Kylie Sturgess is an award-winning blogger and independent podcast host of 'The Token Skeptic Podcast'. A Philosophy and Religious Education teacher with over ten years experience in education, Kylie has lectured on teaching critical thinking, feminism, new media and anomalistic beliefs worldwide...
of the Token Skeptic Podcast.
United Kingdom
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, events were confirmed to be taking place in Manchester, as part of QEDcon, and Cardiff.
Media Coverage
- The AustralianThe AustralianThe Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
referred to the 1023 campaign in an online article. - The Medical Observer published an article about the effects after the 1023 campaign in Melbourne.
- Melbourne-based skeptic Dr Ken Harvey told Pharmacy News "the campaign would raise awareness of the Therapeutic Goods AdministrationTherapeutic Goods AdministrationThe Therapeutic Goods Administration is the regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia . It is a Division of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing established under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 ...
(TGA) transparency review and concerns over homeopathic products."