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Entertainment/culture Paranormal Pseudoscience Skepticism/critical thinking Television

Haunting a house in southeast Michigan: I think this reporter missed a possible explanation

For skeptics, TV news in my hometown sucks. Actually, it sucks for just about anyone with two brain cells to rub together, but it’s especially painful for skeptics and scientists to watch. On one station last year, there was the most credulous report I’ve ever seen about–of all things–orbs! It was presented as though these […]

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Skepticism/critical thinking

The 109th Meeting of the Skeptics’ Circle: A crisis of credibility

Better late than never, I guess. Martin of Lay Scientist had some technical difficulties and was a bit late in delivering his Skeptics’ Circle, the 109th Meeting of the Skeptics Circle. Suffice it to say that it features some…unexpected characters. Next up two weeks hence is Waffle. Contact information is here. Bloggers, get your best […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: Realigning your frequency, triphase style

If there’s one concept that seems to cross many “disciplines” of woo (a.k.a. “alternative medicine,” a.k.a. “complementary and alternative medicine,” a.k.a. CAM) is the concept of some sort of “life force” or “life energy.” It is true that life does depend upon the utilization of energy, specifically chemical energy. That’s what biologists and biochemists mean […]

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Skepticism/critical thinking

Why projection isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

Remember a couple of weeks ago, when I pointed out that, in addition to its usual stable of antivaccine pseudoscience and the quantum woo of Deepak Chopra, that The Huffington Post had now delved even beyond what I thought it would by publishing the nonsensical, credulous blather about distant healing? In the post Srinivasan Pillay, […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Science Skepticism/critical thinking

On “open-mindedness”

One of the most common refrains from advocates of pseudoscientific and paranormal ideas is that critics are “close-minded,” that they reject out of hand any idea that does not fit within their world view. Of course, this is a canard, given that science thrives on the open and free exchange of ideas, and it is […]