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From Skeptic's Subreddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/nuv8z/well_looks_like_we_were_wrong_all_along_guys/
12/29/2011 11:46:06 PM
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Centre for Inquiry Montreal: Skeptics

Admission: CFI Members: FREE, Students: $5, General: $7

Join CFI today and get FREE admission to all our events.

Since the dawn of civilization humans have been fascinated by phenomena which appear to lie outside the scope of science.  Our history is peppered with accounts of psychics predicting the future, mediums conversing with the dead, and aliens in UFO's abducting earthlings.  Today, there is widespread belief that the moon and planets influence our [...]

From Skeptics upcoming events
http://www.meetup.com/skeptics-157/events/16484997/
2/8/2011 3:01:31 PM
Search rank: 497

The Philippines' most famous promoter of the paranormal is Jaime Licauco. As early as the 70s, he's been writing books about the mystical, and his bibliography charts the fantastical trends in our country -- from psychic surgery and faith healing to reincarnation and New Age abilities. He is considered an authority on the supernatural, which unfortunately means something in this country. Businessmen, politicians, and other leaders consult him on non-supernatural subjects, and one of our major local newspapers gave him a regular column: Inner Awareness.

A recent two-part column is titled, "Hard scientific evidence of psychic phenomena." In the first part, he argues that there is "tons of research data pointing to the existence of psychic and paranormal phenomena." To support this, he mentions the work [...]

From JREF Swift Blog
http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1685-jaime-licauco-reluctant-psychic-or-shameless-charlatan.html
4/20/2012 9:58:06 AM
Search rank: 486

The Celestial Teapot

Agenda for the Evening 6.30pm -7.30pm is social chat and nibbles (don't forget to bring a plate to share) 7.30pm - John Golds 2011 Predictions and 10:23 Campaign Update. 7.45pm - Logical Fallacies presented by Tim, helping you hone those critical thinking skills. 8pm - Here Be Dragons - A Video by Brian Dunning. Here Be Dragons is a 40 minute video introduction to Critical Thinking. Most people fully accept paranormal and pseudoscientific claims without critique as they are promoted by the mass media. Here Be Dragons offers a toolbox for recognizing and understanding the dangers of pseudoscience, and appreciation for the reality-based benefits offered by real science. Brian also produces the popular Skeptoid, providing critical analysis of Pop Phenomena in an award-winning weekly [...]

From Events - The Celestial Teapot
http://www.meetup.com/Teapot-Mornington-Peninsula/calendar/15761938/
12/18/2010 9:39:42 AM
Search rank: 480

In what seems to be a bit of a continuation on his earlier post (which I talked about yesterday), Larry Moran has another post up on the whole "is science ever compatible with religion" thing. At the end of the post, he asks a very good question - one that gets right at something that's very important:

So, what exactly are the limitations of science that we are supposed to adhere to? Earlier I criticized the concept of methodological naturalism because it seemed to rule out investigations of the paranormal as well as investigations of miracles. Robert Pennock, another philosopher, was asked about that during his testimony and he had a ready answer. See if you are convinced.

Q. [...]

From The Questionable Authority
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/pjuB/~3/Gq4hTPUC3oA/more_on_the_material_and_metap.php
3/12/2010 12:57:15 PM
Search rank: 472

It's been a while since I wrote about this topic, but I fear for the future of medicine.

Regular readers know what I'm talking about. The infiltration of various unscientific, pseudoscientific, and even anti-scientific "complementary and alternative medicine" (CAM) modalities into academic medicine seems increasingly to be endangering science-based medicine. Worse, this infiltration of quackery seems at least as bad, if not worse, in academic medicine, so much so that Dr. R.W. coined a most exquisite term for the increasing prevalence of pseudoscience in medical academia: Quackademic medicine. Whether it is the American Medical Student Association promoting quackery, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) funding studies of homeopathy, medical schools [...]

From Respectful Insolence
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/scienceblogs/insolence/~3/XbL7hL7QdWA/another_example_of_why_i_fear_for_the_fu.php
3/19/2010 1:00:00 AM
Search rank: 469

Dr. Susan Blackmore is a freelance writer and lecturer based in England. She was involved in research in Parapsychology for years and then stopped doing it in 2000 when “careful experiments showed that there were no psychic phenomena – only wishful thinking, self-deception, experimental error and occasionally, fraud.” Dr. Blackmore was in Chennai, India recently and on 25.1.2012, she gave a talk on “Mysteries of the Mind” at The Rationalists’ Forum, Periyar Thidal. I interviewed her for a few minutes [...]

Related posts:

1. Nirmukta Exclusive: Interview with Daniel Dennett.
2. Science and Skepticism [...]

   From Nirmukta
   http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Nirmukta/~3/XgRwiVx_1-8/
   2/3/2012 4:07:37 AM
   Search rank: 469

   

The psychic looks at us from the television screen and says, “Take out your broken watches and your cutlery and bring them close to the television set: I will try to make something happen in your own homes! Broken watches may start ticking again and cutlery might bend; also, look out because other strange phenomena may happen: the chandelier may swing or the TV may go off. . . .”

The psychic then attempts to cause the hands on the TV host’s watch to move backward by way of his “psychic powers.” While doing this, he invites the viewers to concentrate on their own watches, which the psychic is also trying to fix. Suddenly, on the host’s watch we see that the time has gone back two hours! Now is the time to check if something has happened in the homes of the viewers: they are invited to call the TV station and tell about their experiences. The phones in the [...]

From Committee for Skeptical Inquiry | Main Feed
http://www.csicop.org//si/show/i_was_a_teenage_psychic
1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Search rank: 467

Go on, admit it, you all think that Psychic Sally is a big fat fraud.

However, the majority of skeptics and rational commentators on the recent tribulations of the ever so lovely  Sally Morgan have gone out of their way to make it perfectly clear that they are absolutely not accusing her of being a fraud. And I too would like to make it quite clear up front to everyone, including Sally’s legal team, that I’m not making that allegation either.

We all know perfectly well that we cannot [...]

From Science, Reason and Critical Thinking
http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2011/11/its-skeptical-correctness-gone-mad.html
11/19/2011 7:10:00 AM
Search rank: 464

In addition to the Ad hominem logical fallacy, you may well have noticed that I’m also rather found of the reductio ad absurdum. This is perhaps a hang over from my day job where I try and reduce complex IT systems down into discrete functional areas that can be fully exercised across all possible paths.

With this is mind, I shall attempt to argue that the totality of our human irrational beliefs, including all superstitions, pseudosciences, paranormal beliefs, religions and inefficacious alternative therapies can be reduced to a single [...]

From Science, Reason and Critical Thinking
http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2011/01/shit-happens.html
1/24/2011 12:03:00 AM
Search rank: 462

As you may know, a number of months ago Robbie Thomas claimed that he was in the process of suing me.  It comes with great surprise and regret that my opinion on psychic phenomenon took a direct hit when, this morning, I received a notice for a registered letter.

I picked up my registered letter and, guess what, it was my Nexus card.  Yes, my Nexus card.  No, it wasn't a letter from Robbie's lawyer.  It was at that point that I realized that predictions I made had actually come true.  My pretty firm belief in the non-existence of true psychic abilities was being put to the test.

A number of months ago, I predicted that, though many know me both as, well, me, and as "Sarnia Skeptic" Robbie Thomas would not be able to identify me (he isn't psychic after all) and, though I offered to identify myself to Robbie's supposed lawyer if [...]

From Small Town Skepticism
http://sarniaskeptic.blogspot.com/2010/10/robbie-thomas-revisited.html
10/9/2010 12:54:00 AM
Search rank: 462

Sceptics can rest easy, now that psychic powers have been scientifically proven. Even better, the magic powers are enhanced when porn is involved.

The suitably science-fictionally named Professor Daryl Bem of Cornell University has had a paper accepted by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology which h+ claims

presents some rather compelling empirical evidence that in some cases — and with weak but highly statistically significant accuracy – many human beings can directly perceive the future. Not just predict it based on the past.

From The Second Sight
http://thesecondsight.blogspot.com/2010/11/psi-porn.html
11/11/2010 1:33:00 PM
Search rank: 461

I haven't read most of these books yet, but this is a list of favorite skeptical and scientific books as compiled by the hosts of the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe in episode #136. I suspect that if you were to read them, It would likely have a positive and education influence in your life.

The Demon-Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

Evan
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi
Sham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless by Steve Salerno
Why Darwin Matters : The Case Against Intelligent Design by Michael Shermer
An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural by James Randi and Arthur C. Clarke (Online Version)
Case Closed by Gerald Posner

From The Skeptical Surfer
http://www.blogger.com/feeds/2993907930059912976/posts/default/4053810929587907458
3/22/2008 4:43:00 AM
Search rank: 460

I haven't read most of these books yet, but this is a list of favorite skeptical and scientific books as compiled by the hosts of the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe in episode #136. I suspect that if you were to read them, It would likely have a positive and education influence in your life.

The Demon-Haunted World : Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan

Evan
Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions by James Randi
Sham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless by Steve Salerno
Why Darwin Matters : The Case Against Intelligent Design by Michael Shermer
An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural by James Randi and Arthur C. Clarke (Online Version)
Case Closed by Gerald Posner

From The Skeptical Surfer
http://skepticalsurfer.blogspot.com/2008/03/dont-judge-book-by-its-cover.html
3/22/2008 4:43:00 AM
Search rank: 460

submitted by yellowking
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From Skeptic's Subreddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/dt334/have_scientists_finally_discovered_evidence_for/
10/19/2010 11:53:34 AM
Search rank: 457

Esoteric Voices 9: Neuroscience of Psychic Phenomena...

From JREF Forum
http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=231765&goto=newpost
3/7/2012 3:41:13 PM
Search rank: 456

"Science can't address the supernatural" (posted in r/atheism and r/skeptic)

I see phrases similar to this used a lot by believers of woo and religious apologists. Also, some fiction will use "science vs. magic"(Warning, tvtropes link) as a premise. I agree with the idea in the literal sense, but I think those who claim this usually don't understand what they're actually saying.

It might help to know what determines what science can address. I claim that the following is a decent way to look at it: there must be an effect to observe, and the observation of this effect must be able to be independently verified (typically thought of terms of repeatability). This is why scientists collect data and then share so that their peers can reproduce the observations. (I'm going to assume everyone here knows about things like falsifiability and omit any discussion of how [...]

From Skeptic's Subreddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/dy025/science_cant_address_the_supernatural/
10/29/2010 11:47:56 AM
Search rank: 456

submitted by letronje
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From Skeptic's Subreddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/dryqo/scientific_study_demonstrates_psychic_phenomena/
10/16/2010 5:27:57 PM
Search rank: 456

Yesterday I received an email that contained yet another argument that Obama's birth certificate (the PDF'd scan of the "long form" certificate) was a fake, based on erroneous claims about the name of Kenya in 1961 and the name of the hospital which were already debunked at Snopes.com four months ago.  But this prompted me to see if there were any more advocates of wild claims about the birth certificate, and I came across Douglas Vogt's alleged analysis of the birth certificate and, more importantly, a very well-done, detailed debunking of that analysis by Kevin Davidson (known on his blog as "Dr. Conspiracy"), who has done a great job of responding to numerous Obama conspiracy claims.

Check out his

From The Lippard Blog
http://lippard.blogspot.com/2011/08/obama-conspiracy-theories-debunked.html
9/1/2011 8:21:00 AM
Search rank: 454

Paranormal

From Cult News Network
http://cultnews.net/command/click?id=45781
1/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Search rank: 452

Without explaining the whole "affair", Rhys Morgan, a young skeptic from the UK, had blogged about a clinic in Houston, Texas that was offering an, at best, unproven treatment for cancer (that science-based medicine actually has treatments for).  After writing the blog, he received threats from a (though not confirmed) lawyer threatening him with legal action.

Unfortunately for the clinic and his "treatment", Rhys didn't roll over and, as a result, the clinic is experiencing the Streisand effect - "The Streisand effect is a primarily online phenomenon in which an attempt to hide or remove a piece of information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely. It is named after American [...]

From Small Town Skepticism
http://sarniaskeptic.blogspot.com/2011/11/lawsuits-to-silence-criticism-streisand.html
11/30/2011 8:01:00 AM
Search rank: 452