New Video from the Amaz!ng Meeting 2012: Supporting Skepticism Around the World
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If you missed The Amaz!ng Meeting 2012, you can still catch great talks, panels, and workshops on science and skepticism given live at TAM 2012 on our YouTube page. Today, we are pleased to share one of those remarkable workshops.
From Witch Burning to God-men: Supporting Skepticism Around the World
Belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal can cause harm all over the world. In this workshop from TAM 2012, Nigerian skeptical activist Leo Igwe, Australian skeptical activist Eran Segev, and JREF Outreach Coordinator Brian Thompson teach you how to help promote evidence-based thinking from a distance.
Watch for new talks from The Amaz!ng Meeting every week, right here on randi.org. And enjoy new videos the moment they are posted by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
Robert Sheaffer's "Psychic Vibrations" Now Available as a JREF Ebook!
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We are very pleased to announce the latest edition to the JREF's growing collection of ebook offerings: Robert Sheaffer's Psychic Vibrations. In this hilarious and thought provoking anthology of his long-running Skeptical Inquirer column, Sheaffer explores reports of mermaids in the South Pacific, a flying saucer crash in Central Park, a secret government project to cover up proof of Noah's Ark, and much more. No matter the subject, Sheaffer brings along a skeptical mind and a winking sense of humor.
Now Psychic Vibrations is just a click or a tap away on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, or Barnes & Noble Nook. Experience for yourself the book James Randi says is full of "lots of healthy laughs."
Of Angels and Blueberry Bagels: DNA, Bigfoot, and the Classroom
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The following is a contribution to the JREF’s ongoing blog series on skepticism and education. If you are an educator and would like to contribute to this series, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Recently in my History of Pseudoscience class we discussed the hubbub over Bigfoot and DNA. Part of my approach to the course is to stress to students the importance of original source documents such as correspondence, texts, empirical data, diaries and other similar written materials. The scholarly historical enterprise centers on the analysis of original texts. What quickly became apparent to the students in this case is the quirky nature of the written record available. Despite the apparently scientific nature of the debate over DNA evidence and scholarly paper at the heart of it, there is yet, as of this writing, no scholarly paper, no official release of data. This incident is based on social media posts which themselves are for the most part innuendo, unsubstantiated accusations, petulance, bravado, claims and counter claims (including references to Angels and Blueberry bagels), and little else. In other words, they are the sort goldmine of human foibles historians love, and which tell us so much about human behavior and how knowledge is generated as well as the importance of skeptical thinking.
Read more: Of Angels and Blueberry Bagels: DNA, Bigfoot, and the Classroom
This Week In Doubtful News
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- Written by Sharon Hill
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A few stories related back to topics, people and items you will find here at the JREF site.
A new episode of Consequence (an official podcast of the JREF) featured Dr. David Gorski and Bob Blaskiewicz on the Burzynski clinic.
If you don't know about this topic, you really should. There is far more to hear than the "success" stories put out their by the clinic's PR machine. And it's not pretty.
Money Making Rituals and Superstition in Nigeria
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Early this month, the police in Kogi State arrested a 46 year old man who murdered his 4-month old son for ritual purposes. According to the report, the man on the fateful day quietly moved the baby around midnight from the mother’s bedside while she was deeply asleep. He killed the child and hurriedly buried him. The ritualist is right now in police custody while investigation continues. On several occasions in the past, the police have often arrested and prosecuted people for ritual killing and related crimes. But this criminal practice continues. Is prosecution really the answer- the only answer-to this savage crime? I do not think so.
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