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A few weeks ago a security camera video went viral on You Tube that reveals a man shopping in the Whitstable Nutrition Centre, a health food store in southeast England. As he browses, he is oblivious to a box of tea that floats off the shelf behind him and then appears to “levitate” mid-air. A second box flies off the opposite shelf and drops to the ground. The startled man bends over to pick up the box, at which point the box suspended in the air, drops to the floor. The video has some people convinced that this is a case of “paranormal active-tea”, and is the handiwork of a very British ghost who likes a nice cuppa tea.

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Here is a rundown of the killer animals and misguided ideas that made the news this past week.

More sharks and snark this week. Shark Week on the Discovery channel sparked outrage as the network attempted to defend its faked show about the continued existence of the long-extinct "megalodon" giant shark. When it shows up mocked on the Daily Show, you know you have reached a new low.  

Meanwhile, a much smaller shark mysteriously appeared on a New York subway train. We have the explanation.  

The huge story this past week, and I mean HUGE, was the tragic and confusing death of two children in Canada by a rock python. There was much skepticism about this story when it broke but even as more information comes to light, we still can't be sure how this happened.  

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Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that separates the science from the woo-woo in medicine.

A favorite tactic of the antivaccine movement: When science doesn’t support you, use the law (David Gorski)  http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaccine-use-the-law-when-science-fails-you/ A resolution known as the “Vaccine Safety Study Act,” HR1757, currently before the Committee on Energy and Commerce, is intended to bring an answer to the question of vaccines and autism by studying health outcomes of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children. This has already been adequately studied, and there is no legitimate scientific question at this time. The proposed study would waste money and would not put an end to the concerns of antivaccinationists.

Cunnilingus, Michael Douglas’s Cancer, and the HVP Vaccine (Harriet Hall)  http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/cunnilingus-michael-douglass-cancer-and-the-hpv-vaccine/ Michael Douglas has brought the risks of human papilloma virus (HPV) to the attention of the public. The virus can be transmitted by oral sex and it causes up to 80% of oropharyngeal cancers. The HPV vaccine protects against these as well as cervical cancers in women, and is recommended for both sexes. It is a very safe vaccine; myths about its alleged dangers and defects are easily debunked.

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 It’s tough writing a gripping skeptical article these days. The equivalent of skeptical horror, or skeptical porn (depending on your perspective, I guess) is exposing a belief or behavior that is shockingly absurd. The problem is, there is so much shockingly absurd nonsense out there that regular skeptics have been desensitized.

We encounter the same problem with satire, which is one of my favorite forms of commentary. However, many of the beliefs we confront are beyond satire – they have left no room for exaggeration. What ends up happening is that the satire is mistaken for a genuine phenomenon.

I suppose I will just have to be content with informing skeptics.

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For the last four years, I've researched obituaries of people relevant to skepticism, and compiled them into a memorial presentation at The Amazing Meeting in July.  I think it is important that we take note of the passages in our community, just as other communities do.  I was inspired by the annual memorial presentation at the Academy Awards, which serves the same purpose for the motion picture industry.

  1. Abominable Science!
  2. The People’s Skepticism
  3. Pentagrams and other really bad crop circles -This week in Doubtful News
  4. Last Week In Science-Based Medicine