Here is a rundown of the top stories in pseudoscience and paranormal news from the past week courtesy of Doubtful News.
Indian skeptic and rationalist Sanal Edamaruku has gotten his story out to the press. After police arrived at his home to arrest him for blasphemy after exposing a miracle hoax at a Catholic church, his story gets posted across the net. This is a five-star example of skeptical activism.
Claims regarding vitamins as helpful treatments did not fare well this week. Pfizer was called out for making health claims on their vitamin products and in a great tragedy, vitamin therapy was substituted for anti-psychotic medications.
In another tragedy of "mother does not always know best", one woman permanently harmed her child by believing that herbal meds could treat his serious condition. They couldn't.
Another woman continues to avocate for free birthing technique even after she loses her own child giving birth at home.
Promoters of pseudoscientific religious-based beliefs were also knocked for a loop this week when it was revealed that the Kentucky Creation Museum is running dry on funds for their expansion. Scientology received an unwanted but blazingly hot spotlight on their interrogation techniques as the celebrity divorce of Cruise/Holmes drew attention to its use on children.
The Growing in Grace followers of Jose Luis de Jesus were silenced as the end did not come on June 30 as predicted.
In a long running story that spread across news outlets over several weeks, a U.S. governmental agency publishes a web page assuring the public that mermaids are not real. This originates from a pseudo-documentary that aired on Animal Planet channel. However, the government is apparently tasked to do this, having previously told us that aliens are not visiting our planet and there is no zombie apocalypse occurring.
The worst excuse for paranormal evidence of the week was this overblown story of a ghostly apparition captured on film. Sadly, all we can see so far is what looks suspiciously like lens flare. But it is under investigation by a paranormal research team and their psychic mediums.
A friendly skeptical reminder: Not everything eye-catching in the sky is as dramatic or scary as it first appears: Not meteor, just plane passing by. Not nuclear explosion, just thunder cloud.
Finally, the fail of the week was Business Insider who allowed this astrologer to spout a completely inappropriate description of her work: "scientific".
Have a rational week! See you at THE AMAZING MEETING!
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