The Naked Emperor
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- Written by Hank Schlinger, Ph.D.
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 19422
(Author's Note: After sending an email to a CNN reporter about his story on Rom Houben, the Belgian man who was misdiagnosed as being in a coma for 23 years and who is now able to communicate about his experience via Facilitated Communication, I was contacted by someone from Campbell Brown about a possible appearance on the show to talk about why we should doubt the validity of the communications.
It turns out that they did not use me, and instead interviewed neuropsychologist Joseph Giacino, who they also interviewed the week before when the story first broke. After watching the segment, I penned the following, which I have slightly modified for Swift.)The Season of Reason!
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- Written by Bart Farkas
- Category: Latest JREF News
- Hits: 31632
What is JREF's Season of Reason?
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The Season of Reason is a celebration of critical thinking aimed at raising money to help the James Randi Educational Foundation continue to help equip young minds with the tools of critical thought. This new education effort is aimed specifically at introducing grade-school children to the concept of critical thinking. The JREF is poised to begin a program that uses a network of local educators and upstanding critical thinkers to make presentations to grade-school children and expose them to critical thinking as it pertains to everything from literature and science, even delving into novel areas such as sports and fantasy.
Fake Doctors With Real Drugs: The News From Canada
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- Written by Steve Thoms
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 23572
Dear Swift Friends:
My name is Steve Thoms and I'm the editor of the new pan-Canadian skeptic blog, Skeptic North. Thanks to some friendly promotional assistance from Phil Plait, Skepchick.org and many other sites to whom our team owes a debt of gratitude, you may have heard of us by now. If not, that's okay, because we've only launched on October 1st. We're a team of skeptical writers, professionals and activists from across Canada, brought together in one place for the first time. Our aim is to be the authority of all things related to skepticism in Canada, and it is with this last point in mind that I come to you all with an urgent call for action and assistance.Read more: Fake Doctors With Real Drugs: The News From Canada
Terrorists At The Mall
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- Written by Naomi Baker
- Category: Swift
- Hits: 40452
Opportunities to expose people to critical thinking occur frequently. Last week I received one of those emails we all get on occasion -- one that had been forwarded several times, each time with a dozen or so addressees. The oldest email in the chain was dated November 16, but referred to an event that occurred mid September, 2009. This is what it said:
(Note: If you can't read the sign in the picture, it says: "We will be closed on Friday, September 11, 2009 to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Ali (A.S.)")I hope this makes it to every person in Texas....we need to shut this store down FOR GOOD!!
Today I went to the Harwin Central Mall to pick up some crystals. The very first store that you come to when you walk from the lobby of the building into the shopping area had this sign posted on their door. The shop is run by Muslims. I couldn't stay in the building, it made me so sick.
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Imam Ali flew one of the planes into the twin towers. Nice huh?
Last Week In Science-Based Medicine
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- Written by Harriet Hall
- Category: Newsflash
- Hits: 8862
(Editor's Note: So begins our effort to keep dedicated Swifters abreast of the goings-on on other skeptical blogs. Science-Based Medicine is among the most mind-expanding and important sites on the web, home to many of the JREF's closest friends and best allies. Henceforth, Harriet Hall, the SkepDoc, will offer us a weekly summary of their work.)
Here is a recap of the stories that appeared last week at Science-Based Medicine, a multi-author skeptical blog that seperates the science from the woo in medicine.Page 292 of 408