AKA, its not just the Americans who can be accused of bad science. The Germans are at it as well!
No, seriously. There's a German TV Channel called "Pro Sieben", (which I remember from my youth as the channel on the satellite that I'd watch Star Trek: The Next Generation on to improve my German listening skills, but anyway, I digress), who broadcast a popular science show entitled "Galileo", which is, supposedly, a show designed to introduce the general public to scientific concepts, including, for instance, why the Earth has a magnetic field. I know the origin of the Earth's magnetic field isn't an easy question to answer, but most scientists are agreed that its probably some sort of geo-dynamo effect caused by the rotation of the Earth and the Earth's molten iron core. See for example, here, or here for instance.
Not so the producers of Galileo at Pro Sieben, oh no. Geodynamo? What sort of crazy nonsense is that?! Rather, they broadcast this little gem which, as the title suggests, probably has Galileo spinning in his grave! For those who don't actually speak or read German, the interesting bit is the montage of 3 screen-shots halfway down the page, with captions that translate to:
1) This is our World.
2) At the North Pole there are enormous deposits of iron.
3) Magnets magically point here. Needles too, if they are magnetic.
I don't know whether to laugh, cry or repeatedly bang my head against my desk. Or maybe fly over to Germany and bang some heads together.
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