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have you had an medical issues recently? 1335187994 It's supposedly aluminum, barium, and strontium being used in large-scale weather modification. 1346187161 Nobel prizes don't make you rich. 1337160218 I came for the article, I stayed for the doctor. 1277674344 you resorted to insults AND got owned directly afterwards. that's a double-whammy 1348538535 Spirituality? Oh hey no thanks, you can keep the crazy for yourself. 1310932399 I took a "ghost tour" last year and was handed one of these along with others on the tour.\n\nThere was some excitement in one area when people picked up readings.\n\nI noticed and pointed out some undergrounded utilities there. Excitement dimmed.\n\nThough I *did* enjoy the tour. The guide was interesting and knew all the local legends, places where people died or were killed, and a bunch of other historical goodies. It was worth going. 1326401425 Oh, I've heard the name... I've heard that he has been banned from reddit multiple times too.\n\nI must have skipped over that part. 1352042066 Yeah, it does seem that way. I match a lot of it, mind you, but his generalizations are...awkward. He goes from things that are generally true and then specifically makes them just bad.\n\nI'm a loner sometimes. I love reading and enjoy time with myself.\n\n>We just find them boring, uninspiring, and mundane. \n\nNo. You're just a douchebag, guy. People are what make being analytic interesting. Without people to do cool shit or talk to about cool shit what the fuck are you gaining information for? To go masturbate in the corner with a trig book? 1305230569 Yeah, calling homosexuals reprobates isn't exactly unbiased. Also, it looks like she might be assuming pedophiles that abuse boys to be homosexual, even if they are often heterosexual in their adult sexual relationships. "Homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia may even be mutually exclusive", according to an (admittedly older) study from 1978 (Link: http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/publications/lgpstgenerally.html). 1262360115 Symptom 1: They want to alter the usage of words. An example is the objections to "denier" at /r/climateskeptics. The objection is that it makes an implicit comparison to Holocaust Deniers. To support this, they have a few quotations from some people who have made the comparison explicit. Those quotations are almost always delivered out of context by influential deniers. The result is that when a conditioned person hears someone say "Denier" they mentally add "Holocaust" themselves. It's a simple form of linguistic conditioning- it alters the meanings of words intentionally in order to provoke feelings of humiliation, and thus anger, and thus increased support for the anti-science crusade. \n\nSymptom 2: Congregation in a Closed Forum. Supporters of the idea punish, to the extent that they are able, dissent, and seek forums where they outnumber dissenters by a great margin. (This generally has to occur in conjunction with at least one other symptom. Dissent from the idea that AIDS is caused by HIV isn't useful to a discussion, and downvoting a redditor who seeks to argue this isn't evidence of a closed forum.)\n\nSymptom 3: Thin sourcing. If more than 75% of their evidence and research are contained in less than 10 forums, it's likely BS. 1340251421 I got that many times. Last time I had it, I got very annoyed and started yelling and cursing at the back of my head. 1342038905 I think the problem isn't that people find it so hard to believe that aliens might visit earth, it's that they find it hard to believe it would go down like most alien encounter/ufo stories describe it. \n\nThe technology required to travel across the galaxy is staggering. Even if it is possible to do in less than several hundred years(which it might not be) we are at least a few centuries away from possessing such technology. And with the exponential rate at which technology increases any civilization that possessed it would be technically as far above us as we would be stone age humans. Maybe even more. \n\nWould a civilization that advanced travel all the way to earth, expending vast amounts of energy, just to perform low tech medical experiments on people and fuck with rural farmers? What would be the purpose? It would be like mounting an expedition to Antarctica just kidnap a few penguins, draw in the snow, and then leave. \n\nThat's what I think of it anyway. I think there must almost certainly be other sentient species within our own galaxy. It borders on mathematical impossibility for there not to be. However I'm equally certain they've never visited earth. 1348695010 Sure, whatever colour. That's not the important bit! 1332605344 > skeptical thinking\n\nHe is not spreading skeptical thinking. It's like going to a personal trainer who is 50 pounds overweight. Lol. \n\nIf he were an English teacher, meh. \n\n[As always, relevant xkcd](http://xkcd.com/154/)\n\n 1347256897 Honestly, if saying that would strain the relationship, then it isn't much of one in the first place. 1295153676 The child has a right to health and safety *within reasonable parameters*. 1301513126 No, it requires only a cursory examination of the situation. If the people involved were bronze age, we would forgive them because they have no equipment to examine their ignorance. We live in a world where it is all readily available, their only excuse is laziness or avarice. 1343268258 The submission went positive in /r/Libertarian because they are actually interested in this information. I already knew from experience that /r/politics and /r/socialism would simply downvote any article critical of AWG without comment. /r/environment will at least engage you in debate from time to time. I had hoped for far more from /r/skeptic. 1259111299 The article, btw, also links to an earlier piece discussing the truly disgusting work of the "Abha Light Foundation": ["Undercover reporter reveals the depths of the murderous advice being handed out by homeopaths in Kenya."](http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/05/abha-light-must-close.html) 1314536195 There are many convincing arguments (IMO) from the 9/11 truth movement that I would like to know the answer to. There are [several documentaries](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-jzCfa4eQ) out there from [people who are knowledgeable](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZEvA8BCoBw) about these kinds of disasters that raise a lot of questions. They may be worth checking out if you're actually interested, I kind of don't feel like getting into an extended debate right now or I would elaborate more. I think the initial 9/11 investigation didn't just fail to answer a lot of questions but refused to even ask them in the first place, most notably the mystery surrounding the collapse of building 7. 1320971221 I see what you mean but i think it is just due to the angle the pics are taken. in the first pics the camrea is in line with the rows top to bottom the next few pics you can still see the rows but the now run from bottom left to upper right. 1314984924 The existence of drugs promotes heavy drug use. 1336114710 Even Steph herself said she didn't mind being named as she wasn't ashamed of what she said. She did mind being called out in that way, however.\n\nI stand by my original statement. It's grossly unprofessional behavior to catch someone unawares like that, in that manner.\n\nIt's petty and passive-aggressive.\n\nMorally or ethically wrong? Nah. But, I believe it speaks to her character.\n\nThis isn't about 'tone'. That argument can be made for when Dawkins chimed in. This is about action. The correct, professional response would have been to A). respond in kind on her own blog. B). Have a one on one conversation with Steph and failing all that C). at least have the courage of your convictions to forewarn Steph that she was going to do this.\n\nBad form. 1310584514 "Replaced by a lookalike" - they hired another economics professor who Stein claims looks and dresses just like he does. &#3232;_&#3232;\n 1326438879 You could have posted the link to the site you know...\n\n[Here it is!](http://www.theskepticsguide.org/) 1280482349 Scary story!!! 1325070988 If you "don't know jack shit about anything related to the sun" why are you talking about how this is probably a "solar anomaly"??\n\nOnce again, I'm not saying this is a space ship... just wondering why you are talking... 1343098042 That's probably because you are trying to think beyond your brain's capacity. Stick to Bollywood and the pain will go away. Magic! 1328241550 What?! This is brilliant design, it perfectly reflects the content! 1325867344 The one anti-nuclear argument that gives me pause is this: From a defense standpoint, a nuclear power plant is a huge target that, if struck, could be massively devastating in several capacities. Coal and the various green technologies, from this perspective, may be safer because they are relatively decentralized. 1337304794 There's a certain point where common sense comes into play and you're just being a skeptic for the sake of being a skeptic.\n\nConsider the following:\n\nEarth is one of eight planets in Sol; Sol is one of about 200-400 billion solar systems in the Milky Way. the Milky Way is one of about 200 billion galaxies in the known universe. Can you really, honestly say that it's impossible that there is no other intelligent life in a range that wide? IMO, that requires a hell of a lot of faith.\n\nI think the better thing to be skeptical about here is whether or not any of them are close enough for it to matter. 1328343964 Is it just me, or has the quality of sightings plummeted recently. What happened to disc shaped shiny metallic things undertaking seemingly impossible maneuvers. Instead we get supermarket plastic bags floating in the wind which due to poor video quality get categorized under UFOs. Face-palm. 1310114928 Nobody lives their lives and controls others' lives based on the Da Vinci Code. 1301784331 No she knew that cancer is deadly. In the article she admitted to knowing that the disease was beyond her expertise. Also no one would blame your neighbor for not knowing what to do but if she told you snake oil was going to cure your Cancer and because of this you didn't seek alternative treatment then she would be directly responsible for your death. 1346658639 Well, they weren't always in the corner, just most commonly. It kind of one of those things where if you haven't seen one, it's easy to say that it's a trick of the light, or your glasses or whatever. But once you've seen one, you can tell the difference. One of the most frusturating things with the study of the paranormal for me, is that it really is so hard to quantify. So many of these phenomena are hard or impossible to record or replicate. 1350090699 and i read an earlier story that said bodies were definitely found. i dont know what to believe \n*(edit: i'm aware no bodies were found. i just meant that i'm skeptical of anything to do with the stories now, including the above post about "federal officials being on scene along local authorities")* 1307505962 First rule of lying. Be consistent.\n\nWas is a tape or a CD? 1354536866 I still prefer [the gif.](http://i.imgur.com/qkDqh.gif) 1289573089 Actually, there are friends among Steve's inner circle who can confirm this.\n\nThey will also start to paint a VERY different picture of the man once some time has passed. 1317888259 I wish I could up-vote you more. 1336173370 I have also had my shoulder taped but it was many pieces of tape done up in a way that I could no longer pull my shoulder blade down and continue to tear ligaments. If you took a picture before and after my shoulders went from being uneven like a seesaw with a fat kid on them to nice and level. If you look up what they are usually doing here when you see just a piece of tape or two it is in fact a bunch of woo. 1344007663 Heh. I once killed a cactus by over-watering it.\n\nI'm not allowed to go in the garden anymore.\n 1335476902 Congrats on getting through to your cousin-in-law.\n\nHowever, there are other arguments against the FDA that don't require believing in conspiracies; don't confuse your cousin's ignorance with the best available argument. 1312435694 Can we dismiss "deal with it" arguments as infantile and fallacious then? If you can apply that to yourself as well, then maybe there could be a real argument. 1347381194 The idea of money and trading being good things, seems like one. 1330012095 because none of the mods are that authoritarian? 1328485989 Or by restricting what programs start on OS boot. \n\nAlso, defrag! 1344312464 I have to say that both of those examples sound a lot more like psychic warnings than deja vu. Interesting stuff. 1345719307 No shit? *munching 40 of the ingredients* 1354998591 Fucking audio sucks!\n\nJesus, I can't hear that shit at all. I'm saving this for later so I can listen to it with my fuck-up-your-eardrums headphones. 1289693109 Your brother in law is in for a rude awakening. While long time practioners can make big bucks, coming out of school you will make between $30k-$40k US per year. With the loans some of my friends were taking out they have difficulty covering rent. Tell him to call around and find a guy who has been open less than a year and have a frank sit down conversation with the guy. It is not for everyone.\n\n>First, what is the bare minimum one has to do to practice chiropractic? \nIn terms of equipment (a place to practice, computer for records/scheduling, and a table/bench.\nIn terms of patient care, I wouldn't know I never strive for the bottom.\n\n>Secondly, do you find the quackery to be more about the professionals not being critical thinkers, or is it them actively exploiting the public?\nMore about not being critical thinkers. Look even the most crazy ass chiropractor out there, and there are some off the wall mother fuckers, genuinely feel like they are helping people. There are some who are just doing it for the money and they make a ton but overall I think that is less than 5%, just based on gut feeling. 1342785880 Relevant reading: \n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/education/comments/g7ne9/steiner_waldorf_education/\n\nhttp://www.waldorfcritics.org/\n\nEspecially this: http://www.waldorfcritics.org/active/FAQ.html#LeftHand\n\n"A teacher: Should the children be broken of left-handedness?\n\nDr. Steiner: In general, yes. At the younger ages, approximately before the age of nine, you can accustom left-handed children to right-handedness at school.... The phenomenon of left-handedness is clearly karmic, and, in connection with karma, it is one of karmic weakness...." \n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/education/comments/g5koq/did_anyone_here_attend_a_waldorf_school_and_would/\n\nWill post more helpful links as I find them. 1300768521 No, the burden of proof STILL comes to "Aliens did this as a message" because why the FUCK would a creature come LIGHTYEARS to bend our corn? 1344477359 It's actually not very smart for you to site this as a logical fallacy. If a medical doctor with over 30 years of experience in the field looked at you and said "You likely have cancer." you would be an absolute fool to say "Doctor. It would be a logical fallacy to give credence to what you say. That would be an argument by authority."\n\nActually it WOULDN'T. It would actually be an argument from a person who knows a LOT more than you or me about the subject at hand and its proper analysis.\n\nIf you were to believe a medical doctor if he/she were to say "I know how to paint just like Davinci." THEN that would be a fallacy based upon authority. You're saying their authority as a medical doctor is sufficient to make them a great painter as well. This, of course, is wrong.\n\nAnother example might drive the point further. It's like whether or not you give credence to airline pilots that report ufo sightings. Would that be an argument from authority too? A pilot says "I saw a ufo while flying from here to Washington." You would say "That's an argument from authority."\n\nActually no it wouldn't be. Why? Because pilots are a LOT more likely to know what is what up in the air than any other type of human being. That's what they're trained to do.\n\nSimilarly, Edgar Mitchell has particular interstellar understandings that not many other individuals have. This and the fact that he has as much to loose by perpetrating a hoax as he does heavily sides toward the likelihood that he is not lying.\n\nLogic is only a signpost on the way to true understanding and wisdom. You get too stuck on it and it alone and you entirely miss the truth and variegated reality of a lot of existence. 1330069495 My local Safeway, at which I work, has no homeopathy or woo of any kind. So proud. 1352696413 I saw "the hat man" standing in front of my window (or perhaps outside of it? I lived on the fourth floor though) after a bout of sleep paralysis one night, and it scared the shit out of me. I didn't know what he was for several years until I stumbled upon a website talking about him, and was comforted knowing I'm not the only one who has seen him. And, like others have said, I didn't feel any evil vibes coming from him. He was just standing there watching me. 1316233394 I actually quite like the second one - as science fiction. Would make a great novel, complete with chilling ancient secrets and a heart-pounding cataclysm. Only problem is, I think he's serious. 1354495350 Do a custom header but keep the logo because i made it :-) i have tne design file if needed 1316634408 Simple confirmation bias. I'd love to see a comprehensive list of their successes and failures. I think it would be most illuminating.\n\nMoreover, I'd bet dollars to donuts that the 911 hijackers were praying silently in the moments before they took over the planes, and the weeks leading up to the attacks.\n\nIt's meaningless and futile. 1346601720 If you think that thing is in any way a fucking turtle, your god damn brain is made of dog shit. 1345009939 lol? wut?\n 1342626203 But do they have higher rates of HIV, HPV, UTI, herpes, etc.? 1346080496 This was such a great program. I love Bill Nye, but I hate how smug he is in this video. 1343422018 [A website discussing her credentials](http://www.homeopathyhealthcenter.com/about.html) suggests that she holds doctorates in homeopathic medicine from Curentur University (now called the American University of Complementary Medicine).\n\nUnsurprisingly, this "university" is [NOT ACCREDITED](http://www.credentialwatch.org/non/us.shtml) by any legitimate oversight institution. Calling herself a doctor could potentially be dangerous to genuinely sick people. 1310295897 While you are technically correct (which we all know is the best kind of correct!), I'd say it's not unreasonable to suggest Fox has been misclassified and that "partisan propaganda outlet" might more accurately reflect the reality. ;) 1332773356 Which puts them in the same group as about 90% of the population. 1296776515 Long beach? Probably not unusal for people to use LED lit kites on beaches at night. 1346412057 Yes, this is something not everyone is willing to accept and look into. 1321140032 [CDC Doctor who "Debunked" Vaccine-Autism Link Indicted on Fraud](http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/10/28/cdc-director-arrested-for-child-molestation--bestiality.aspx) 1322837664 I'd prefer the weird aliens. If i got the human ones I'd feel ripped off. 1348577265 ...and those calling her Rebecca Twatson are aggressively down voted, are they not? You don't see a lot of support for those internet trolls. 1338577888 And I'm sure the immune-compromised mail worker who catches it and dies because he's undergoing Chemo will appreciate the difference. 1320639231 How genuine is the article from the OP in your opinion? I am searching for what r/skeptic aims to bring "Need something debunked by those in the know? Looking to exercise some critical thinking or research skills". All I have a re Economist articles and recently diluted web links to define this "charity" and their aim. 1331319986 But fortified food is supplemented for you, no? 1353142079 No, because "octopi" is incorrect while "octopuses" isn't. 1305005355 Thanks for the apology. I really did not recognize the sarcasm. Well now I know lol. 1319728927 I think for people that far gone they generally need a lot of self help before outsiders can do much.... Heh, double entendre. 1356700287 Tomato tomato. 1316087523 Well if it was shopped it wasnt by me! this is just how I got it, through a forwarded email by the person who originally took the picture. 1355146078 > As a skeptic, I'm generally for more access to information.\n\nSure, but that doesn't necessitate *laws mandating labeling*. There are ways for consumers to get this information without the force of law.\n\nI, for one, only want to see us pass laws that are *necessary*. Anything more is wasteful.\n\nThe question isn't, "Why shouldn't we have this law?", the question is, "Do we *need* this law?". I saw no reason that we needed prop 37. 1352412516 http://pda.physorg.com/news/2011-12-santa-soyuz-rocket-debris.html\n\nThis?\n 1324845683 He's still a child. Make your arguments in a non-confrontational way and let him grow up a little. How many of us were atheist or agnostic at that age? \nYou can encourage and model rational thought and a skeptic's world view. Try to avoid making it an issue. He is nearing an age where many children are differentiating themselves and are learning to separate from their parents' beliefs. He may react to your pushing by holding on to these beliefs even more tightly. Trust that you raised a good kid, and let him grow into a more realistic view of the world. \n 1288667852 Is there any reason to believe they would have long-term effects? Because I can think of two reasons they wouldn't:\n\n1. We would have noticed by now since people have been eating pesticides for a long time.\n\n2. These pesticides don't get stored in your body(they aren't fat soluble).\n\nI think their have also been multigenerational animal studies that showed no harmful effects. 1347074199 I agree. I don't want the next glass to try and choke me simply because it has had a bad experience having been pissed out of someone. 1269384817 these shows suck, the best videos are by chance 1344737761 This is where the confusion sets in.\n\nIf something is unidentified, you're right, it does't mean it's of alien origin. But, what these people are referring to is **not** a mis-identification of a known aircraft/phenomenon, which is the scenario you're referring to. 1338296888 That's quite a dilemma. 1347885500 Heh, my apologies, when I wrote this I didn't take time to edit it afterward. I can't describe the sensation in my body, I was just buzzing, electric. It felt crazy! 1351878342 We have the ability to measure endorphins before and after the treatment so that we can observe how they are affected by it. We have no way to measure qi or observe it in any way. 1344019535 The discussion here is about whether the particular type of regulation that Alberta is introducing represents an improvement or not. Your assertions about your wife's education and knowledge, along with your assertions about this mysterious naturopath in Hawaii has absolutely no bearing on this. \n\nWhile it's possible that the regulation will mean naturopaths more prone to dangerous quackery will have less free space to practice, what will remain isn't much better. Many, if not most, naturopaths in Canada use homeopathy as a central part of their practice. The regulation will not prevent Alberta naturopaths from using homeopathy, therefore lending legitimacy to quackery. 1343324993 We do have a few satellites orbiting Mars, right? Like the one that snapped some pics of Curiosity on its descent? Possible explanation, but I'm still rooting for something extra-terrestrial :) 1345661815 astral projection, not a glitch 1348449900 A degree in pharmacology might do the trick for that. 1306504907 Hey dudes, just so you know: going into other subreddits and downvoting everything makes us look like assholes and is part of the reason people dismiss us. You're making our lives more difficult.\n\nInstead, challenge with questions, start discussions, and honestly examine any evidence provided. The guy posted four peer-reviewed articles that were all downvoted to oblivion without a single reply. That's disgraceful and so totally anti-reddiquette that it makes kittens cry. The least you can do is let him know why you're downvoting. 1348946407 Are they talking about supporting mitochondria? I have no idea if that would do anything. 1303267028 This would help; however, our biggest barrier in the solar market is Chinese competition. The Chinese can make solar panels just as good as the ones that we make for far less money. Without government subsidies, we simply can't compete. 1343605407 Agreed.\nSomeone posted links for an old english UFO documentary series recently and it was far better.\n"UFO's - The Hard Evidence" its on youtube etc.\nUFO Hunters pisses me off with their cardboard cutout personality hosts and ridiculous dramatics. 1326937785 "The clock was broken", that's the most obvious explanation ever. Didn't they check that first? 1330099711 The trick of memory factor is not too much of an issue when the memory is fresh. But as time goes on, you don't remember the events exactly as they occurred. And eventually you are remembering the story of the event, not the event itself. 1327085886 I really shouldn't have read this... 1348419656 Doesn't that have to do with how they shake or something? 1323905897 You don't get motion sick by turning 360 degrees every 24 hours. 1330030126 ummm ... the point of the comic is that lots of normal environmentally friendly policies have tons of additional benefits that are on their own beneficial (although they might be hard to quantify economically in a piecemeal basis and that makes them difficult to achieve). So, even if climate change were a great big scientific hoax, it would still be a good thing to pursue more environmentally friendly policies -- but we're not. 1335282485 enjoyed watching that. would be interesting for him to be in the same room as story musgrave, edgar mitchell and gordon cooper discussing this topic. 1351365827 What's the 333 guy? 1335800217 Pretty much exactly like that- it's just a portion of the circle that has a willful mental block about being skeptical on some areas. And for some people it's not religion- they'll be skeptical about everything except ghosts, or UFOs, or psychics. And we're willing to call those people out as being silly, but for some reason letting people be skeptical about everything *except* religion is seen as something normal? There's nothing special about religion. 1324475555 I hope so too, although she is battling an illness that may make it impossible :( 1348152589 Have a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVDdjLQkUV8\n\nAlso, what reason should the government have to crash "something" into the pentagon? WTC would have been more than enough. 1309790467 Thank you for asking! 1291419281 >The continuation of our species will come from luck, not from skill or education...\n\nWOW. I guess you believe it would have been better if we never developed agriculture. 1313658669 Incredibly irresponsible skit for cheap laughs :/ People usually don't know the difference between methyl and ethyl mercury - [Unlike methylmercury, ethylmercury has not been found to bioaccumulate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylmercury). 1316716835 I've been hearing a lot about BEK's lately. What seems to horrify me more than if I ever encounter them is what if someone I know is none the wiser and lets them in? From every encounter I've read about, the "victim" has known otherwise with a sense of dread, but what if? 1328734502 simple reflection. nothing paranormal. 1341874885 The best rule to live by with thinking about miracle products is 'If it sounds to good to be true it probably is'.\n\n I always ask myself 'If this could do all that it claims wouldn't that be headline news?' or 'Where's the proof?' and anecdotes and biased studies (funded by the person that made it usually) won't cut it it. 1343747244 No different than an Onion article. 1328910719 Really fascinating stuff; thanks for sharing.\n\nIf you can remember, can you tell me more of the things that the computer was "saying" to you? And, if possible, what exactly it said to inspire your normally skeptical mother to unplug it?\n\nAlso: what was so frightening about what the ghost box had to say? 1329035549 Doesnt do much good when they come from backwards ass regions where willful ignorance is a virtue. Vote all you want, they will still elected these asshats. 1353508560 Woo man living in Houston. Shit like this is why we cannot have nice things. I am all up for alternative research, but this is exactly what can go wrong when you have blind faith and are desparate for help. Let me know if there is anything I can to help out against dr. Dickless. 1322606627 Cool! Thanks for sharing, and keep us updated :) 1349475488 Well, I believe a normally astute person would guess the stickers were a tidy act of vandalism done for a purpose pretty much right away. That astute person, however, may never have heard about homeopathic medicine's usefulness or lack thereof.. Like me until I was 33. So in that way, I think they could educate. \n\n>they do make things harder for store employees who have nothing to do with policy or purchasing\n\nTrue, but considering that I believe that it can educate a person about medicine, and therefore has a chance of saving a life, it's totally worth some guy having to take a sticker off of 20 boxes.\n\n\n\n\n 1331143276 I really don't think you're well versed on the intricacies of ancient architecture. But, I don't expect you to be. Their alignment to true north, the perfect way in which stones weighing several tones(with thousands of them put together with such precision) These types of things make me doubt their culture understood how to do this alone, given the tools they had, but I suppose it's possible. They could have had a few brilliant men creating the plans, which also wouldn't be too surprising given we do know of an ancient egyptian who was able to do tests to find the approximate circumference of the earth(and that the earth was round... even that's pretty impressive given their lack of technology) ... to me the entire idea seems ridiculous no matter which way you look at it, whether it was them or outside help seems equally absurd to me given all I've read about their cultures. \n\n& your statement about our culture says nothing about the way other cultures would work. It doesn't account for possible changes in the moral zeitgeist, which has happened several times throughout history. You can't assume all intelligent life would be like ours. In fact, given the constant changes in the moral zeigeist throughout our history I doubt we'll be arguing about the gays or other idiotic things of that nature within 50 years from now given the way humanity seems to be changing now. \n\nUltimately you seem to assume far too much about our future or culture alien to our planet just because of how our current culture acts. We got off our asses to go to the moon, and I'm sure there were plenty of people like you 60 years ago who would say that could never happen. \n\n& as far as evidence goes, each person quantifies evidence differently. Especially when it comes to first person accounts. I don't believe in god, but say somebody was convinced they saw god, it wouldn't mean anything to me, but it would to them. \n\nBut yes, I'd still just say it's possible alien encounters to our planet is possible. More possible than the existence of god. Off my head I'd give the idea a 35-40 % chance of having occurred. I'd probably give the existence of a god as described in most religions a .05-.5% chance of existing. \nI mean, nothing is completely certain. Our own perceptions are very flawed. Nobody who's philosophically minded would say we know anything with absolute certainty. We go off of what we think is most likely, given our standards of evidence, what we believe to be true, etc. 1324947637 Shame there is such a big disconnect there. I suppose that's why I am a terrible vegan (as in, in practice not a vegan at all), because I try so hard to be practical and put effort where it makes the most benefit...\n\n 1302544487 As you remember,\n\nbut humans are horrible at remembering....he may have been filling your heads with crap more days than not and you just remember the enjoyable times. 1325194302 You should read some books by Paul Ekman. I couldn't read body language before I did, now I can read it much better than those who can do it naturally. 1354870461 Continental drift is pointless to consider over just 10-20 thousand years. If there is any truth to what TeddyJackEddy said, it would have to be a result of some dynamic drift of the magnetic field due to the chaos of a moving, molten core. I believe that there is fairly conclusive evidence that the poles do drift around and may periodically exchange magnetic polarity. The time scale for this kind of drift would be consistent with human civilization. I've never read into any of the alien conspiracy theories, but I've studied the dynamics of the Earth a lot in my free time and just wanted to comment based on what I know. 1282550927 i watched it, "George" claims Rubber soul was release in 1967/ claims paul died in 67 yet is pointing to clues on albums from 65 and back. Interesting film, but total fabrication 1341074638 http://news.techworld.com/security/3228198/obama-internet-kill-switch-plan-approved-by-us-senate/&ved=0CBIQFjAA&usg=AFQjCNGa7c93xCS9N7mGDUdqAwXp4rp50Q 1292279848 His calm voice and calm attitude kind of gives it all away. Its a hoax 100%. 1335063904 What I found amusing, or sad depending on your view, was that a naturopath used VAERS data at all, which is co-sponsored by the CDC and the FDA, both the evil empire according to naturopaths. Plus, in their analysis of the reports, there were only 34 deaths that could be confirmed, and none of them suggested, nor had any study to determine, any link to Gardasil. 1329145448 Can we agree that, at very least, the theory sounds *plausible*? At least that it can cure a good handful of things. It may not be true, but it at least doesn't require a suspension of understanding of physics or chemistry to accept. 1291161110 Just curious... Did it stop suddenly, or did you just gradually stop noticing it? Did you get the sense that you were required to do something by some force? 1343027377 "It did." 1351272708 I agree. The title had me fooled into thinking someone posted non-skeptical content about "toxins" and natural crap. 1343959664 The thing is though, unlike cave men, we have a part of the brain to handle social activity. that part of the brain grew in us. We Evolved!\n\nIf people time traveled from a distant future, humans right now can handle it much better than humans back then. \n\nAnd with the auctions, did you ever think that they're might be more than one kind of alien race interacting with us? Maybe they don't agree on everything and one race is trying for a more diplomatic approach.\n\nbut yes. I see your speculation. 1316329017 Jesus christ the downvote brigade came down in full on rugtoad. \n\nI for one would like to thank you and the others who contributed to an interesting debate. 1346680057 I remember at the time I saw it I was satisfied it was not part of the clean-up (location stories up before cranes were even there to get that high ect) I have to get a refresher though it's been a while. 1263096384 > demonetization of corn-syrup\n\nAuto-correct is broken; it's actually more readable to see a misspelled version of 'demonization' than to see the wrong word entirely.\n\nI don't know if this is something we can fix while keeping the idea of auto-correct. 1329529583 Wellll....\n\nTo be fair, we *have* to consume. If you didn't consume, where would everything you use to live come from? I, for one, live in an apartment in a city. I can't grow my own food. So I have to be a consumer simply to continue surviving.\n\nWe recognize a problem. We then ask, "What do we do to fix it?" Since we have to consume, the question becomes, "What can I consume to mitigate the problem?" 1347151042 One time I woke up in the middle of the night for seemingly no reason. I wasn't startled nor did I need to use the bathroom. Instead, I just had the urge to open my eyes and "stop sleeping". If that wasn't weird enough, when I did wake up, I was staring directly at the opposite wall where, what seemed to be a man, stood in the corner. He was completely dark and lacked any defining features (much like OP's photo). He then just slowly faded into the background. Eventually, I just figured it was my mind playing tricks on me and went back to bed. 1339557604 I have tried a raw food diet and can say that it does have health benefits but not necessarily for the reasons that they claim. As a diet it's restricted to eating primarily vegetables which are nutrient rich. You cut out things like meat and fats that go along with meat as well as processed foods and refined sugars and you're certainly going to have health benefits cause your body will be working less to digest your food. But really all you need to do is eat a nutrient rich diet and restrict things in your diet that make your body work hard to process. 1322373813 I felt sleep paralysis once and the dream I had just finished having was very vivid. It seems the two go together... 1353504280 Rogan talks about it a lot in his podcast, if that's what you're referring to. I've used it almost exclusively in the context of preparing for and recovering from ecstasy use, but in my experience 5-HTP does as advertised. 1308672867 And if I eat brains I will become smarter. 1289816213 I agree.. fascinating story but I keep wondering where they got the hair. I want to believe its true but I'd love if the article explained where the hair came from as well 1353951065 We could be moderately dangerous on our own turf, though. Even a much more advanced intelligence might need to keep its guard up when near or in our atmosphere, in close proximity to modern human weaponry. 1336002847 How are 'frequencies' an ingredient? How do you put those into a toothpaste? 1297189099 Pay no attention to this. This may appear to be evidence but it's not. Your eyes are mistaken. UFO's are bullshit. /sarcasm. 1252247960 Great pasta find...I love this. 1348411665 It's saddening that so many people I know who are otherwise smart, rational skeptics still fail to apply those same reasoning skills to the AGW issue. Too often they are willing to let the science be drowned out by talking points--for crying out loud, ClimateGate gets raised in nearly every AGW discussion I have, despite the fact that informed persons know with some certainty that it was in fact much ado about nothing (what with the numerous investigations, the fact that each and every seemingly-concerning pull-quote makes perfect sense in context, and the fact that the entire smash remains available for anyone to confirm as much for themselves). 1342798295 The only possible thrill would come from the knowledge that the ax murderer had not been removed yet. 1351735076 As a skeptic you must understand that people are terrible witnesses. Is a firefighter incapable of being mistaken, is it possible that they misinterpreted the situation. We expect to find molten aluminum at a fire of that magnitude, and as far as I am aware, there have been no lumps of re-solidified steel pulled for the rubble. 1340804863 If Jaime Maussan is involved, then I guess we can call it a hoax. Being involved on so many hoaxes in the past, has destroyed any credibility that this guy may have had. 1336581400 I'm an evolutionist, and I'm not an absolute determinist. I think it's a false dichotomy to posit that the existence of cause and effect negates the possibility of choice altogether. Many determinists disagree with me... but all I've heard in retort is bare assertion. \n\nWe don't have a grand unified theory of physics yet, so to state that chance can't give way to choice based on the mere existence of chemical cause and effect ... well, it's quite simply an unproven hypothesis that doesn't hold much weight considering the circumstances.\n\nBut I will agree that genetics has *much* to do with *why* we act certain ways... Evolutionary psychology explains quite a lot that traditional psych just can't touch.... I just don't think it means we have no control over our actions. After all, it would be an evolutionary disadvantage to not have such control. 1305801490 I have to say, I was very much not believing this when I saw it. The picture showed all the "leaves" on a plane, hardly a difference would be noticed and none theoretically than a flat plane (beside heating differences)... and I was left wondering what was meant by the "Fibonacci" structure, at this I did not investigate further as information was too scarce. \n\nI cannot imaging any fixed structure being better than a flat plane... but I am not all knowing and could not write it off completely without more investigation.\n\nAs mentioned in the blog... power was incorrectly measure. Power is quite a hard thing to get a correct measurement on especially if one has the arrays only available on different days, one has to verify the solar energy is the same magnitude and direction( a control would be necessary to normalize power, but this too has issues). Even if the same arrays are available on the same day the differences in the solar panels themselves must be investigated somehow. \n\nA small scale investigation could get around this using artificial light... but in that case the light is not coming in from a long distance and has different characteristics from sunlight.\n\n\nAlso, some complicated structure is going to add more cost in all likelihood than more solar panels. This is the same idea with solar panels that move with the sun. Not too valuable except in some specific cases, but they do make more energy per area.\n\n 1313987806 I thought that polygraphs were used in head games during an interrogation, not to actually determine the truth.\n\n\nSo it'd go like this:\n\nInterrogating cop: So, where were you on the night in question?\n\nSuspect:(Lying) I was at home, ordering a pizza!\n\nInterrogator, thinking the suspect is lying: (looks at the polygraph, which hasn't made any detection or reading) Are you sure? I've got a reading on the polygraph saying you're lying.\n\nSuspect: Ok ok! I did it!\n\n\nNot exactly ethical, but not really relying on the polygraph either. 1351360134 Awesome, then don't also mock her. 1342459075 They are in a trance and are not thinking about the moment. 1307531541 My boyfriend is from Pennsylvania and his grandfather was committed to Byberry. Isn't it torn down now though? 1340897892 I agree that all said subjects are worthy of skepticism; I'd like to see skeptics tackle the ideas I was referencing for my own intellectual betterment. I'm convinced that more traditional skeptic subjects are bullshit--and I'm convinced that Wilbur is a dip shit--but string theory and evolutionary psychology (which is at the moment controversially pseudoscientific because there's no way to obtain the evidence to determine its accuracy) as well as Wilbur's bullshit are more interesting to me than psychics. \n\nPS: Rock and Roll indeed. (The reason I hate Led Zeppelin is because they blatantly steal ideas from true rock and roll artists and don't give credit where credit is due...plus I can't stand the shitty, cock-oriented lyrics.) 1301523191 I know it's been suggested as a method of controlling ADHD, and seems to work for other people I know. As I understand it, you're supposed to write down what you need to do so you don't have to memorize it, which is something that has been encouraged for years. Anyone else had a mandatory planner in high school? Problem comes when you can't find the paper with your to do list. 1289855889 Jeez, don't burst a blood vessel. It's not like I said, "there ought to be a law." 1286841753 Yeah, well, I missed that official declaration. It's interesting that this keeps coming up again, over and over. 1328934106 [Second Video same craft further camera distance ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BwS4zwOnpc&feature=related) 1296481019 that's the most interesting and terrifying thing i've read in ages! 1355401336 I just think its wrong and unnatural to be honest. Not to mention gross. I don't hate gay people... I just hate the fact that they're gay. 1320569018 Wait - isn't this just brilliant trolling? This is how you get people who believe in crazy pseudoscience to start learning crazy actual science. Right? 1307153317 I think we have a new meme here! 1292528991 It's fake, there's a comp line around it all the time and it's movement is bad, it doesn't change perspective tothe camera once and the fade in the cloud is just pathetic.\n\nBlatant fake. 1341362568 Well maybe there is a way to go faster than the speed of light. 1345053403 I'm not excusing anything, I am just not threatened by the idea so I think about it with a very open mind. I don't take some witness story as fact but I do think that when you take a billions of solar systems in billions of galaxies then anything that can happen will happen. If it is possible to rapidly traverse from solar system to solar system using technology that we are not aware of then there is most likely many species using that technology is many different applications.\n\nIf it takes 80% of a planets sum total resources to raise a civilization advanced enough to colonize space, then any planet that chose to squander resources fighting among themselves would most likely collapse due to lack of resources. If a civilization was benevolent and beyond violence and warfare and everything they did was to continually advance technology for the better of their species, then they would have the best chance. If they made that leap to near infinite resources due to space colonization, then I would think they would continue flourishing technologically and spiritually. \n\nI'm sure they would think very carefully before directly interfering in an uncontacted planet in any way, especially a violent species like humans who are capable of unleashing so much destruction on one another. I'm also sure they would be very interested from both a scientific and political perspective possibly even abducting us in the least invasive way they can figure out. Besides biological curiosity I would think they would be very interested to know just how long until we are cruising around space with nuclear bombs. It is possible they would even use some method to gather information on us.\n\n\n If I imagine what human's would do if we were that advanced, I think it would be similar to how we treat uncontacted tribes in the amazon.\n\nOr thinking about it from Dr Tysons perspective, its all impossible and could never happen so don't waste your time, wow that really takes a brilliant insightful scientific mind. \n\nI know he want's some hardcore evidence, but instead of picking apart cletus the slack jawed yokels alien abduction account, maybe he could take a look at some radar evidence of things moving thousands of miles an hour confirmed by both ground and air. If he wants that information, he could contact the disclosure project and I'm sure they would be thrilled to provide it. 1312175483 Not making fun of you but i read Adage out loud and it just made me happy/laugh and i can't see how you got that typo. :P\n\nI won't fight you with that statement. It just looks so bad why would someone want to believe it, ya know? If i showed my dad this he'd just laugh. Plus if you keep reading theres a whole bunch of drama with James Carlson. \n\nDo you happen to have any really good articles (more articles) on UFO and Nuclear Test sites? 1326230021 That's not very skeptical of them. 1306265251 I'm hoping they have detected chlorophyll. 1291228861 it also ever so slightly moves out of sync the back two characters its just simply a mask 1354212960 Yeah, you're pretty much dead on, no pun intended. In retrospect, my major problem was with the "success" of the writing. 1303847904 I had to do a project for school and ended up interviewing a friend of a friend that is Amish, Mr. Miller. He was a cabinet maker and had a phone in his shop. I called at a designated time one night to conduct part of the interview and the gentleman's young son (maybe 7 or 8 years old) answered the phone. I said 'hello', introduced myself, and asked if I could speak to his father. "Yes, one moment please." *click* Adorable little shit hung up on me. I called back, and Mr. Miller answered the phone laughing, and explained that his son had begged to be the one who picked up. Since they had been trying to give him more duties around the shop, Mr. Miller agreed, and when the time came for his telephone debut, the kid panicked and forgot the most important part. 1307065569 Your mom's sacred asshole. 1332373219 They are probably trying to study us 1356104366 Less - your parents might see the letter and you'd get what you wanted anyway. Here you just end up on a spam list. 1348500594 Like several others have said, the public library is a great place to start. What you absolutely must do however, is ASK the reference librarians to help you. They are experts at finding information, so even if they don't know the answer, the odds are they'll know where to look or who else to ask. 1323749450 Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. \nThe claims made in the thrive video is a projected conjecture. It appears like Foster Gamble found scattered information and then put them together and created a possible scenario that could happen. It is not a factual conclusion of events to occur but is one of many possibilities. \nJust for fun, let me give you one possible string of events that may occur just like the way Foster Gamble did.. \n\n"The power elite is hiding alternative energy sources and are building a huge spaceship so they can travel to a distant earth like planet because earth is going to explode in December 21 2012. \nAs a proof, i am going to give you the huge UFOs seen near the sun and the UFOs seen here on earth and the new earth like planets discovered in the last few months. The UFOs we see are nothing more than the test vehicles that the power elite is testing to\nuse in their new planet and huge UFO near the sun is the one they will use to tarvel to their new planet." \nNow, if i make a video claiming the above, would you not ask me for a solid proof? Given the fact that i used the same parameters in my claim(like the power elite and the UFOs ) like Foster Gamble. \nNow i know in my heart that my claim is a joke because i just made that shit up. Yet, i gave you a totally new possibility just like Foster Gamble did using the same parameters that he used. \n\nHere is my arguement. \nLook in the history, did anyone ever survive the greed for power? May be for a period of time but then they were either killed or ousted and someone else took their place. \nThe powerful elite is not just one person but a group of families. How in the world are they going to maintain a peaceful accord when their main goal is power. If they don't want to share the power now, what makes you think they will share it among themselves after world domination? \nI am sure the elites are smart enough to know this. \n \nMy goal is not to disprove or discredit the thrive movement. I am just simply asking the questions because, to me, thrive movement is presenting the claims as the factual road to the future. It is not, just like i said before, it is one of the many possibilities.. \n\nThanks for link. I will check it out sometime today.. 1338475971 Yep. I don't intend to "debunk" these posts, only offer rational possibilities. 1352396232 Academic Tone = Instant Cred! 1351637784 Shitting in a bank, what an excellent protest.... cheers for that. :) 1337287725 Based on a study I just made up and pulled out of my ass, young people tend to drink way too much on their birthdays. That could probably account for some increase in risk of death. 1339688935 Depends on the product. Potato chips shaped like Jesus: sure. Supplement that claims to cure something: fuck no. 1313258769 "radiation"\n\nWhy was this person allowed to be anywhere near patients? 1343258261 Look up "deja reve," which means "already dreamed." It expresses the fact that dreams can foresee the future. Happened to me today. My gf talked about calling a friend for something, and it triggered the memory of the dream. Some people would call it deja vu, because as I was living the scene I felt like I'd seen it before, but I study dreams and am familiar with deja reve, so I recognized what was happening. 1354998748 having just watched that video (at last, i remembered it was there) i think it's weird. especially the doors. 1316551200 Rock is as dead as Classical or Jazz or Blues. It may be overshadowed by other genres, but that's excepted. That happens all the time. The most popular genre of a time and region change from generation to generation. Just because a genre isn't at the top doesn't mean it's dead or even dying. Rock (and all it's different branches) has come really far and will keep going further. 1329072335 testimonials are not evidence. one of the papers the website links to is about lasers being applied directly to the spinal chords of rats... 1291694808 ummm, what are you doing in the skeptic sub-reddit? 1255742160 There have been celebrity kids who have died due to their kooky ideas, for example Jett Travolta. Unfortunately the media then views this as a shocking tragedy without looking into the causes. 1314885423 Neither of my grandparents or great Grandparents were dead at that time. So for this to be true, it would have to relatives I've never met. 1314815348 I've had eczema since I was 2 years old and no method, treatment, or cream has worked better. \nI use vitamin E oil and lather it all over my body before stepping into this home sauna that my mom got from some Chinese appliance store. It helps so much AND its pain free. It opens my pores, cleanses, and moisturizes at the same time. I usually do it for 15-30 minutes depending on the severity. I do it for a few days consecutively when I need to. Afterwards, I jump in the shower to just rinse off and then apply vitamin E oil. \nI know what its like to lose sleep because of eczema so I hope this helps ! 1302424634 Are you lost? 1355849534 Smartphone app? Basically you submit an "instance" to a universal feed, and areas in the world with loads of "instances" in the last x minutes will be displayed via a heatmap synced to the universal feed.\n\n\nIf you guys like this, then I'll forward this to an Android guy I know. 1353423508 He also said that these ET's are alot better liars than humans so stop making assumptions. Jesus, you people are kids. 1340336582 Well, THAT I must agree with, too! 1344796507 Heck yeah! This show has the best material on the subject out there. I've been listening to it for years. 1354155381 I enjoy Rogan's podcast and listen to it pretty much every day. He rarely has a clue what he is talking about though. Especially when talking about science, economics and politics. 1337289564 And it's why I thought the FAA would allow electronics, because selling access to the internal network would be a boon to the cash-hungry airlines. 1356930104 I can't remember, he might not have for that one. He does mention his sources for a lot of stuff though so I can't remember. 1349961128 dude same thing happens to me, recently while i was driving. it only happens when i'm tired 1333405342 "Just angry at god" is not the only reason a non-skeptical person might not believe in a deity. 1323799012 Indeed. Well, when they're smart enough to "disprove Einstein's Relativity, solve the problems with the Le Sage graviton theory and reveal subatomic faster-than-light spheritons" that are backed by "overwhelming scientific evidence" they are, anyway. <:-) 1272969525 So I'd like to know--should these quacks be jailed/sued into oblivion for this kind of thing, or is it a simple matter of darwinian punishment for being too dumb to go to a real doctor? 1240873328 This is a known urban legend. Not exactly paranormal. 1317682775 I don't know. My headphones supposedly have a 5-35,000hz frequency response. Whether that's true, I have no idea. Perhaps you are right and output drops significantly below 20-30hz.\n\nBeyer-dynamic dt-770 pros 1287354247 I just got done watching an episode where they try to debunk spiraling rods or "sky fish." Rather than just setting up a camera to see if bugs are flying in front of it, they sit there and throw bugs in front of the camera. \n\nIn another episode, there was a swing that would apparently swing on it's own. Seems like the easiest way to see if it's wind, they could set up a tent around it and wait to see if it moves. Instead, they put a tent around it, and BLOW IT WITH FANS! \n\nThey spend more time trying to recreate, rather than just debunk. I like the recreation, but they should debunk first to actually rule out paranormal. 1335818830 Yes, this is horrible. Additionally, what's that about getting a x-ray? Chiropractic "subluxations" don't show up on x-ray. The obvious reason for this is that they don't exist, but a chiro will come up with some nonsense to explain that away. 1344759338 that is so WEIRD!!! 1329185720 I think it's already in r/Portland but it doesn't look like it's made it into r/science so I'll post it! Thanks for the heads up. 1340680827 That's not exactly how it works. 1321415331 And to add a bit more, they are all over Amazon. A quick search brings up several handheld camcorders that do IR nightvision under $200.\n\nThis one might suit your needs: http://www.amazon.com/DNV900HD-Definition-Digital-Camcorder-Touchscreen/dp/B0040KYX8G/ref=sr_1_2?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1345511014&sr=1-2&keywords=night+vision+camcorder 1345511457 *Dead* tired, I see what you did there. 1320283661 I started reading that, but then...\n\n"-1 x -1 = -1"\n\nnope.avi 1324334559 For America! 1313403221 So if you pose nude you forfeit your humanity and right not to be harassased?\n\nNo. 1310467253 You mean she, right?\nAnd, damn, that is the best kind of correct... 1350503810 My grandfather was a moderately successful chiropractor. Based on my experience with chiropractic I think it's perfectly fine to see them if you suffer from back or neck pain and traditional medicine has been unable to cure you. For example, if you hurt your back lifting weights you should go see an MD first to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with you. if the MD is unable to relieve the pain then seeking help from a chiropractor is fine. Some MDs will even recommend it and most insurance plans will pay a percentage of the chiropractor visit. Don't go to the chiropractor expecting to be cured of anything else despite the crazy claims some of them make. There is no credible evidence that spinal manipulation can cure disease. 1342799397 The ones to which I'm referring are wonderful people and caretakers, just not as medically-savvy as I'd initially assumed. 1308182439 Would be nice as to why its getting thumbed down. 1328146045 That's bullcrap. 1290586342 no ass, i meant that it's like Columbus ignoring the new world cause he forgot to pack a lunch and headed back home after he sees shore. All i am saying is that they moved it purposely which is frustrating. 1296859799 Wrong. Vaccines and therma flu are proven to be extremely effective. 1290122139 I see empathy runs very shallow in your mind. 1317904577 Ha! Thanks for bringing that to our attention. You're right, that's pretty embarrassing for LH to have left that cite in there after you let them know. That said, the other source they link to is legit and lends at least some (extremely minimal) support to the claim they're making. But I agree that a relatively high-profile site like that should have more to go on than that, or at least make it very clear how shaky the foundations are for what they're saying. The article should probably be removed. 1326234439 To me, there's still a difference between "we might as well take this money since somebody will be making it and lord knows we need it" and "I am now investing funds in the gentle art of placental cookery for the betterment of all Wootopia." Not saying that's where the line is for everyone, just saying that's where it's looking like it is for me. 1283822437 Haha, this can go on forever but...\n\nNeuroendocrine tumor = fatal\n\nNeuroendocrine tumor + medical treatment= not fatal\n\nAlternative medicine = (can be fatal, but we are assuming in this case is did nothing and was inert) not fatal\n\nAlternative medicine is like adding 0 to the equation. I don't know what kind of alt med Steve was into but let's say you had pancreatic cancer and only took homeopathic pills. The homeopathic stuff didn't kill you, the cancer did.\n\nThe neutral point isn't cancer + medical treatment. It's just what would happen given cancer and doing nothing at all.\n 1318622161 If they placed an ad that actually said "exceptional cold readers wanted", they'd probably get much better job applicants. 1318670308 It was definately humanoid. One thing I didn't mention in the post was that it was shaped like a human around 5ft or so (which is my height). It wasn't an owl. I know that much. 1352073271 >Dr Heneghan said his team could find no evidence to back up the company's claims and Puma declined to provide his research team with any studies to prove that their shoes can deliver on those claims.\n\nParticularly worrying! 1342695220 Sorry for the slow reply. I had to go home and grab my intro philosophy of science book (What is this Thing Called Science?).\n\nBasically the argument is that Popper's description of science doesn't seem to include probabilities. Newtonian gravity is false is false is false. But we have still used it to put humans into orbit around the moon.\n\nWhen I say that in the Popperian view all scientific statements are false, it's that the Popperian view has seemed to focus on falsification, and that we can never say that a theory is true only that it has not yet been falsified.\n\nI still think that Popper's description of science is the best one for helping determine science from non-science though in that claims have to be falsifiable, but it is perhaps incomplete. 1334929731 Thank you for the explanation. I've been researching ever since the incident as to what exactly could have happened, and this does make sense. As I skipped over the Vista generation I didn't know this mode existed.\n\nFor those who previously described similar functionality, providing the actual feature name instead of a vague description would have gone far. Said research period was spent trying to figure out what that was, and it yielded no results as all I had to go on was that description. 1347627287 used to be that I vaguely disliked jimmy carr. Then i watched QI, then this. now i love the lil' guy, 1319084061 text the number back and ask wtf 1332001139 I don't think heuristics are a problem at all, standard computers can be programmed to use them.\n\nSelf, consciousness and agency are over in what Chalmer's dubbed the hard problem though, and yes I do find it hard to believe that a symbol manipulator could have consciousness, but I find ideas of consciousness being fundamental to reality much less likely. 1345761090 agree i would be saying... Hey can someone else please try and record that.. Does everyone else see this... i would most likely ask the flight crew what it was and do they see that stuff all the time.. 1356749311 You're looking at a tiny piece of the sky, the chances of something close to you crossing that small sector while you're looking at it are small. \n\nIt would be like bird watching with a pinhole camera.\n\nSpace telescopes observe a relatively small sector of the sky, they're not looking at the Earth, which would damage them: too much light. \n\nMost deep space telescopes work on different principles to terrestrial optical telescopes. They often use microwave, radio, x-ray, gamma, ultraviolet, and/or infra-red frequencies along with long exposure times. Objects would have to emit along those frequencies to show up, and be very still for long periods. \n\nTransient objects just show up as noise which is filtered out of the results. They aren't looking for small moving objects, of which there are many in space of a mundane nature.\n\nTelescopes that use the visual spectrum also usually employ very long exposure times, and in this case you won't get transient moving objects in those observations. \n\nAnd of course, you are presupposing that these objects would be visible, or emit some kind of radiation in space. This is a bit of an assumption. Unless you are looking at a bright celestial light source like the sun while an object transits it, you are not going to see that object at all in space. And you would have to know the time that this would occur. Easy with standard orbiting objects, but impossible with transients on unpredictable courses.\n\nSome UFOs appear to be very bright light sources in our atmosphere. We have no way of knowing if this is their behaviour in space, or, indeed, if they actually ever go into space. \n\nWe don't know what they are. \n\nIf you are a fan of the ET hypothesis, you have to speculate whether this is part of a propulsion mechanism, or that they want to be seen for some reason. Would such systems emit light while travelling in space? Would such craft even travel from point A to point B in space, rather than use some other exotic adaptation of physics such as wormholes? We are already making a lot of assumptions. \n\nA small, non-light emitting craft travelling in space would be invisible.\n\nSpace based cameras in satellites *do* pick up anomalous objects, but the veracity of these images are hotly contested. There are also many claims that since most of these devices are controlled by government agencies, the plebs will never get to see the important stuff they photograph anyway.\n\nThere *are* sightings by terrestrial astronomers, they just aren't publicised, for the same reasons you don't hear about sightings from pilots, which are hundreds of sightings every year. They don't want to report them, for obvious reasons. But, see bizology's comment. 1327723886 Misleading thumbnail is misleading. 1330702392 Misleading thumbnail is misleading. 1304371916 Good call. I wasn't too keen on the idea, but that makes sense. Start it off by asking the kids "where were humans?" and tell them about how our ancestors were basically rodents. 1314953635 I had a friend who is deep into conspiracy theories. She's not the same girl I met all those years ago :( 1334411648 >Planets full of bronzed, healthy, clean-limbed individuals merrily prancing through their lives meant that the only doctors still in business were the psychiatrists - simply because no one had discovered a cure for the universe as a whole, or rather, the only one that did exist had been abolished by the medical doctors. 1344963235 Maybe, but as for someone who currently "preaches" atheism, pretty much every week on his show, consistently, I think Maher is hard to beat as far as someone up on his soapbox. Other than, say, Richard Dawkins, but obviously that's why Dawkins apparently gave him accolades in the first place. 1335425093 The amount of headlines with "may cure" or "some scientists say" is not making me want to subscribe to r/science 1346542326 The placebo effect isn't going to cure cancer. A placebo may be all that's need to reduce pain or stress, or even illnesses that result from such things. But it's not going to help with cancer, where the DNA in a cell has been changed and the cells are reproducing themselves all over the place.\n\nAs for China, while living here, I've been told that cockroach faeces is good medicine... Superstitious beliefs about health are everywhere in China, and the medical research that has been coming out of China has regularly been really terrible. Hopefully it's something that is going to change though, because it's embarrassing for a country like China having their scientists producing papers that are often fundamentally flawed. 1342666165 > The easiest example is, how would you leave your house?... I'm not talking about highways, I'm talking about the little streets right in your town.\n\nProbably the same way I do now, on a private gravel road that crosses my neighbors property that I split the cost to maintain. \n\nI accept that most people don't live surrounded by ranches so let's tackle new developments. When a developer puts in a new tract, they pay to put the roads in, those roads are sometimes then turned over to the city in other cases, the owners agree at the time of purchase the to pay a maintenance fee to a private organization that is responsible for maintaining them.\n\nThere are myriad ways you could handle it examples of most exist today in various locations.\n\nIn any case, most local roads are maintained by local government which most libertarians would be fine with. It's generally a minarchist movement (certainly in the case of the Libertarian Party) not an anarchist one although there are those as well.\n\n> I am aware that this is no end to libertarian examples where the market provides something that government currently does, but in almost every case, those alternatives suck.\n\nExample? I'm having a hard time coming up with an single example of a service provided by the government where a free market alternative, existing and operating in the same area, is not generally considered superior. \n\n 1343097799 That's what they want you to think. 1286539662 That's what they want you to think. 1288169481 That's what they want you to think. 1291178209 So these aliens can traverse interstellar space but they can only go to one place on Earth? 1332801214 Yes, yes, try for the solipsism all you want. Is not conceited to acknowledge the fact that giving an area an exemption from critical examination just because it's an area you like is silly, and more than a little self delusional. You're right, skepticism SHOULD illuminate and clarify- and when you give special exemption to something, it no longer does that.\n\nUnless you really want to get bogged down into a rhetorical "but we should be skeptical about the use of skepticism" argument, pretty much everything you just posted was fluff with no point. 1324481779 Tyvm! 1338220818 Well this is what I'm thinking so far the base ball one could have easily been wind, and the rest of the videos are just by random people, with no one stepping outside or anything besides the video taper. Wouldn't a new cast, or something pick it up as well?\n\nJust my thought. 1327233889 >This is the point most critics of Libertarianism seem to overlook. By the time we are aware enough to want to use our choice and free ourselves from the system we are already trapped by it.\n\nSuch would be the same in a Libertarian system, as well. It's the nature of reality, it seems, that Libertarians object to. 1343105335 Who is the intended audience of this juvenile routine? It should work on the likes of the three women in the video, but not here. 1356133444 How many scams base their arguments on glycoprotein binding? I think you can believe this one. 1340636949 >It was promptly deleted.\n\nFigures, given your lack of tact there. 1295030826 Anyone care to contact this person and solve the mystery for all of us? 1341355120 Nope. Mexican and European mix. 1348401949 Water intoxication is an acute condition, so amount of water drank over time has no relationship to water toxicity. Also 2.6 Gallons if water over the course of a standard 16 waking hour day, while absolutely a lot of water, is not a dangerous amount for someone with functioning kidneys. In fact people with chronic kidney stones are often encouraged to drink 1.5-2 Galling daily to continuously flush the kidneys (though they also have to make other dietary changes to prevent hyponatremia). Now 2.6 Gallons of water drank in a couple of hours (without significant exertion which would cause entirely different issues) is absolutely enough to create water intoxication though still not likely to cause water toxicity. \n\nIn fact, a person can drink between 15-20 liters (4-5.2 Gallons) per day, so long as that intake is done slowly over time (about 5 8oz glasses per hour) though that level would be pushing the kidney to its absolute maximum and if you had any kidney problems you would be in serious trouble. Generally the safe level of water over the course of a 24 hour period is considered to be 3.5 Gallons for a healthy person, but again this is not recommended as it will absolutely cause significant dilution of sodium, chloride, and potassium and potentially cause a medical concern. 1342155294 When that happens, it will be in /r/news or /r/reddit or /r/worldnews or fucking /r/pics. The first post will be here, with 16 upvotes. 1315719170 Terminator genes have never been used. What's to discuss about that? 1331366262 I would agree with you, but for the fact that homeopaths do in fact consider the possibility that they could prescribe a remedy for birth control purposes, and other things besides. See the link I provided below. The homeopath proposes the "correct" way to prescribe homeopathic birth control. \n\nIf you think homeopathy can't get more absurd, go ahead and google "homeopathic TV emanations". Your welcome. 1334150203 I think fawker meant that the OP could just have easily titled this as, "Jodie Foster donated over $200k to the SETI institute".\n\nAnyone who doesn't "get it" from that title isn't going to "get it" at all.\n\n 1313004886 I'm bipolar and also an atheist. I can't tell you how many people (medical professionals included) have told me to find god. Usually along with medication but . . . \n\nIn recent years I've heard it more from nurses and other MHP's and less from MD's. \n\nI think this is probably the biggest reason I'm an "Angry Atheist" instead of just an atheist.\n 1339654570 I have taken psych classes, that's how I know it's not a science. You may as well have said "For those who keep saying that reading chicken bones isn't a real science or is too embedded in ideology - I recommend you at least work your way through an intro chicken bone reading course such as this one from VOODOO U freely available online." 1337864915 Other purported witnesses remain silent? :-\\ 1336326070 I'm not sure what nanomagnetic means, but in this context the spirit walk was a guided hike in which the guide told them about the "spiritual" qualities of the surrounding landscape. By that I mean he made claims, likely based in Native American mythology, about the flora, fauna, geological features, etc. I'm going to her house in a few minutes, I'll ask them what it entailed specifically. 1327961883 >I can't tell if you are making arguments or just have issues with the article. I would love to respond to some of this, but I have no idea what you want since you are criticizing not only the article, but skepticism as a whole.\n\nBoth. "Skepticism" as practiced by most people who wear the badge "skeptic" is one of credulously reinforcing dogma because anyone who wishes to research anything beyond the status quo is a charlatan. It's fucking tedious.\n\n>From what I can tell, you have a problem with the author wanting more standards and data gathering.\n\nI have a problem with the author attempting to pick apart a peer-reviewed study conducted through Beth Israel, Harvard Medical School and the department of bioethics at NIH because it doesn't preserve the dogma he values. Like much of "skeptical" literature, it's much, much less about investigating fraud and quacks than it is about burning heretics at the stake.\n\n>He calls for more in-depth tests\n\nHe doesn't call for more in-depth tests, he invalidates the whole of the study. His basic approach is to condemn the results because of what is said about them *in the press.* More than that, his method of invalidating the research is by saying "you don't understand what placebo effect means."\n\nThe link works if you come at it from [google.](http://www.google.com/search?q=ibs+demographics&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)\n\n 1293569975 HERE! [Above my desk](http://imgur.com/oflp6) 1336444495 I unplugged my TV and cancelled my cable 5 years ago. It's a completely unnecessary insult that I was, for some reason, paying for. All the TV programming I want / need to watch comes through the web now for me. Anything I cant find on PBS' site has been uploaded to youtube within the day usually. The number of fantastically well done science documentaries on the BBC alone is more than enough to keep me sated for a very long time. I'm currently going through Michael Mosley's [History Of Surgery](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U917T7Y0Jkk). Like everything he's done for BBC Four, it's superlatively informative, in depth, and fascinating. I've given up virtually completely on American television with a few notable exceptions like Mythbusters. It's sad, but the almighty buck rules; and even shows like Nova, which I remember as being genuinely engaging and worthwhile in the 80's and 90's in my childhood, are now overly enamored with superfast cut edits, pointless CG effects and repeating the same damn tired story of 'the unexpected discovery of an obscure patent clerk in Switzerland' that you've heard billion goddamn times already. In summary: shoot your television. 1321594082 Why is the gender ratio so skewed towards women when it comes to Deepak Chopra fan-dom?\n\nIrrelevant edit: Couldn't put my finger on who he sounds like, but then it hit me: King Julian as portrayed by Sasha Baron Cohen in Madagascar. 1319668211 [Here's](http://www.post-polio.org/ir-usa.html) an example using Polio, a vaccine for which was developed in 1950. The top of the page is a little fucked up graphically for some reason, but halfway down the page is a table of the number of polio cases in the US by year. Up to the year 1950, the number of cases of polio is trending upwards. After the introduction of the polio vaccine, the number of cases steadily declines to the modern day, when there have been *no* cases in the last 5 or so years. For a sense of scale, in the 13 years before the development of the polio vaccine, there were over 220,000 reported cases in the US. in the 13 years from 1998-2006, there were 10 reported cases in the US. 1329520717 Don't laugh, he's the wisest human to ever live on Earth according to the wisest human to ever live on Earth. 1346548660 It may very well be paranormal, but it really just looks like an issue with the camera. Try taking the photo again from the same angle and see if it re-appears. \n 1320765650 In fact, there is some evidence that using oreganol oil has anti-microbial effects that bacteria do not easily develop resistance to: Evidence for lack of acquisition of tolerance in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028 after exposure to subinhibitory amounts of Origanum vulgare L. essential oil and carvacrol.\nLuz Ida S, Gomes Neto NJ, Tavares AG, Nunes PC, Magnani M, de Souza EL.\nSource\nLaboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Nutrition, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Brazil.\n\nAbstract\nOvernight exposure of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium to sublethal amounts of Origanum vulgare essential oil (OV) and carvacrol (CAR) did not result in direct and cross-bacterial protection. Cells subcultured with increasing amounts of OV or CAR survived up to the MIC of either compound, revealing few significant changes in bacterial susceptibility. 1356589478 I checked out the website at the bottom. The whole thing is a load of crap. I know so many people who eat soy products and are perfectly healthy, their children are too. In fact my own doctor and nutritionist recommend soy as a way of getting non fatty protein. While looking at the front page, they boasted of a diet comprised of a large amount of saturated fats. Last time I knew, those were bad for you. There was also a blog about how vitamin D was toxic. The body needs it to absorb calcium you douches. And this whole raw milk thing, there's a reason why it's pasteurized. People can get really sick from milk that's loaded with bacteria. If you want a high immune system, go play in the damn mud and leave sanitary food out of this. 1309492153 Oh noes! Nazis invading our Internet, and posting material, sources and basic logic, for something we don't like. To the arms! 1356343342 New theory after watching it a few times:\n\nIt looks like the sun starts to rise as the video goes on (watch the top left hand corner). Once the sun rises high enough, it illuminates an ice crystal closer to the shuttle-- this would also explain why it looks so bright compared to other objects in the background. \n\nThen the shuttle uses it's thrusters to perform some sort of maneuver causing the ice crystal to fly away -- possibly to re-position itself against the rising sun? Seems a bit more plausible. 1331319516 it's bait, is what it is. Just forget about it. 1332290370 i'm gonna go with fake. 1323228578 Bonus points for providing high res PDFs for free.\nhttp://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/poster 1351964795 Jesus, bro, taking him to Spellschwitz next time he makes a mistake?? 1340407642 Some of the worse possible evidence you can have is eye-witness testimony, scientists have known this for years. It is very inaccurate that's why we rely on computers to take data because humans so often get it horribly wrong. Humans are awful evidence takers. Unfortunately, eye-witness testimony is some of the largest amount of evidence used in the court of law and in UFO cases. Any real scientists knows that eye-witness testimony is completely useless. The fact that it is even discussed as legitimate in the UFO community makes the whole study laughable. You need hard evidence, like a piece of alien craft or technology. Something you can stick under a microscope. A video that hasn't been CGI'd like 99.999% of videos I've seen out there. Pretty sure you can just click a button and "add UFO" to computer generated images these days. 1341368994 Thank you for the insight. 1335724092 I feel we are getting somewhere. I might even prefer your definition of free-will over my own after this. \n\nYes, the life form has those things so it has choice-free-will. Lets imagine that I tell you that you are that little virtual creature. And that by running the simulation on a faster computer I can tell you exactly what you are going to do. Obviously if I tell you then you can do something different (the input is changed) but if I don't, you have to do what is says. You are in a deterministic world. So you have a problem you have choice-free-will but everything you do can be predicted and known. You cannot really make a choice it just appears that way. Even knowing this you still cannot make a different choice. \n\nOne last example. In the same virtual world, lets say I have written down what you will do tomorrow. I'm not going to tell you what it is but I want you to do something else, something unexpected. If we are in a deterministic nothing you could do can break away from this. You will probably spend ages thinking about the most unlikely unexpected thing and do that yet it will be what was written down.\n\nLuckily this is only a thought experiment and the future state of the world is unknowable hence determinism-free-will doesn't really matter in day to day life. Hence we should use your definition of free-will. \n\nThis is what I tried to say in my first post on the subject. It doesn't matter if we have (deterministic) free will or not, at the very least we appear to be able to think and choose and the result is unknowable. 1274273516 Xenu is in cahoots with the demons :) 1323727060 I love how you are not sharp enough to catch my sarcasm, but you still feel the need to educate me. That is irony for you. 1340602220 Read in Morgan Freeman's voice. 1355905821 Well after paging through oodles of search results I found nothing absolutely nothing from a reputable source. Finally looked up the WP article and found this:\nhttp://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-full-story/index.html\n\nWith obviously nothing on your friend's claim... So that leaching stuff? Quite probably a single loony who writes a book and gets a whole lot of other loonies on the bandwagon, and real science finds it is to absurd to start to refute it.\n\nOne interesting fact though: In all studies I encountered none as far as I could see correlates for lactose intolerance (or tolerance for that matter). Although this is quite widespread amongst different ethnicities: see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance\n\nBesides that one interesting factoid: The dutch are high milk consumers *and* [the tallest people in the world...](http://www.wisegeek.com/which-country-has-the-tallest-people.htm) 1257427392 Ah, so it was the media that blew it out of proportion? 1294537446 I believe its the Yes Men 1305063185 Is it just me or does the lion/cheetah seem photoshopped? I hate to be a skeptic, but still. 1311117227 I was reading some of the comments in the website and someone mentioned that the intersection 39.798350°-105.020570° where the ufos seem to be landing is actually a vacant field with a 30-foot compression. can anyone in the area confirm this? 1352501790 This absolutely terrifies me. I wish I could read more about him, but there doesn't seem to be a lot out there. 1324520711 I love this saying, it's a perfect analogy of why guys can sleep with many girls but not the other way around. 1328332659 if you don't agree, thats all cool, and you may type your opinions/stance\n, but you crossed the line into assholery 1351152792 "I don't know, so it must be Aliens." this kind of thinking kills the UFO communities credibility. 1312303455 Yeah, when I first saw the pic my thought was "Wow, if Uri bent that he's managed to up his game a bit". His bent spoons are all of the single bend variety, as that's what you get when you use his techniques. If he were able to bend a spoon like that, well, that's like some Carrie level shit. 1331736189 Whitaker's analysis of the research on antipsychotics is that there is evidence of some benefit when they are used in small amounts for a short time in the stabilization of a crisis, but that there is no evidence of long-term benefit.\nBut the short-term benefits have been mistaken for long-term solutions and, in fact, have been spun into the story that people need to stay on the meds for life - an assertion for which there is no scientific evidence whatsoever and in fact lots of contravening evidence.\nAnd so; many, many people are being put on dangerous and debilitating medications (albeit ones from which some people realize short-term benefit) on the basis of the hope that a short-term benefit will become a permanent fact.\nThis is the kind of behavior we typically warn people against, rather than force them to follow.\nAlso, given that the evidence is for short-term benefit, it does call into question the theories that are based on the medications' putative effect on a putative medical problem. I believe that the reason the medications are helpful in the short run is because they do help to get people out of a stress response - in which thinking does go awry - and into a state of physiological arousal that is more manageable, and in which the brain is more manageable. With that in mind I have often supported the use of antipsychotics in this way, though I do believe that in the right environment other approaches to managing stress are helpful and better in the long run. The research shows, I believe, that other approaches - while harder in the short run - have better long-term outcomes.\nSo, in my opinion, this is not anti-psychotic hysteria. This is careful attention to what produces the desired outcome. 1336308827 Absolutely! Knowing how not to be fooled is also an education on how to fool people. We also learn how lucrative it is. You could even justify scamming people by blaming the victims.\n\nIf only I didn't have to live with myself... 1304013848 *A surf board rack. \n\nIt is either a kuta lines rack or billabong, there are thousands of them in surf shops. If I remember they're called tiki. The reason it is blurred is because its worth around $4-8k and they didn't want it showing up on google images because of thieves. 1347413804 Because you enjoy the process, I guess, or to play the social role of the pariah on this subreddit. Either way it's not adding much to the conversation.\n\nIf that isn't the case, you should be skeptical about your belief that questioning every possible assumption without discrimination is a good way to live, as well as your belief that doing this on this subreddit is a good use of everyone's time.\n\nThat sums up my position on the question. Have a nice day. 1328465514 Sorry, where does that say he believes in homeopathy? 1325651260 Did you see 9-11 on 9/11? o.O 1347988610 OK, but don't you find anything weird in the sentence "Now if we do a really great job on new vaccines, health care, reproductive health services, we could lower that by perhaps 10 or 15 percent"? \nI mean if anything new (better) vaccines should increase life expectancy (thus raising the population) 1318323920 And so is December 22nd!\n\n\nIt's so exciting! 1354721306 yup, like how those monks can take kicks to the nuts, and walk on coals. 1354675453 Yeah! It's Dutch. \n\nIt's not easy to wake up. In the moment, it feels like the most strenuous act you've ever attempted to pull off. Once you wake up, it's almost as if you can finally breathe after being held underwater, against your will for an extended period of time. 1335378293 Why wasn't this submitted to 'funny'? I needed that. 1328336400 You have a knot, lactic acid, stiffness. You get a massage, it goes away.\n\nWhat exactly is science supposed to answer that common sense and reality does not? 1349508534 5-HTP was introduced primarily as a substitute for L-Tryptophan when the FDA had it banned from the market. It is made from the extract of some bean and I did not tolerate it well and did not perform well. I do use Tryptophan for seretonin production and it works very well. It was taken off the market the same month SSRI's were introduced, which are selective seretonin reuptake inhibitors. Instead of helping your body make more seretonin, the SSRI's merely block it's reabsorption. How nice the best natural product for increasing seretonin supply was taken off the market just in time for Big Pharma. /conspiracy rant. 1308678847 there will be talk of voting rights violation. and with how much voting fraud prevention laws are passed, I would be more likely to believe that. I won't blame the election on it but... it seems more likely that using an axe in place of a scalpel will cause more damage than the thing they tried to weed out. 1351298747 Can we please not use "deniers"? They are anti-vaccination. When you say "deniers", you are leaving a reasoned argument and entering charged propaganda world. Words matter.\n\nRelated terms: "Climate denialist", etc 1328636663 Doing more harm than good, around the world! 1322080593 There was once where I was staring at a girl's boobs blankly. She was calling me a perve and I didn't hear her say it. Weird thing is that I wasn't thinking about anything (not even her boobs). 1352692127 Yes, reddit's userbase is left leaning and pro-science. I don't mean to pigeonhole all of reddit, but I'm guessing that's the general slant here. So, yes, I would say reddit typically believes Global Warming is a real thing.\n\nDo you not believe Global Warming is a real thing? Because at this late date, the evidence appears to be very good, and believing the contrary seems to require that a lot of conspiracy theories be true. 1344355893 >I suppose the magnet might break your "w" key.\n\n\n\nKind of a dealbreaker. 1321224418 sometimes they are bug.\n 1352851936 Mainstream "scientists" just want to hide the truth about the sun's diabetes repelling quantum waves. 1349324773 If the point this "astrophysicist" was making is that light travels in a different speed in different direction, I'm pretty sure there was an experiment some 120 years ago that showed evidence otherwise. It's called the Michelson-Morley experiment, and it's taught even in the most basic undergrad astrophysics course. 1306338891 People, when talking about the placebo effect, forget about its more effect cousin: regression to the mean. 1306868275 Which parts of the event do you find suspicious? There are good rational explanations for nearly every anomaly bandied about by conspiracy theorists. \n\nIf you want to go deep into a skeptical analysis I recommend this book (and article): http://www.ottawaskeptics.org/topics/conspiracy-theories/228-reclaiming-history-by-vincent-bugliosi\n\nIf you're pressed for time, you can start with Bullshit!'s coverage of it, if you haven't already seen it: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=745248745546892501#\n\nAnd I really hope you're not relying on Oliver Stone's movie, they just plain made shit up in that movie. 1299079111 interesting\n\nthis is as well\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MYCfq4uA7k&feature=related 1320814423 The idea that our body is storing toxins that can be removed by fasting is neither biologically, nor rationally, sound. The only thing that the "detox diets" actually accomplish is filling the coffers of the charlatans who put out endless number of books and products to assist the marks in their quest to find the next fad that is going to make them feel better. Any benefits are simply the power of the placebo effect. 1298039161 If I have that much power over you, maybe you should reconsider who's really in control of your life...you, or me? As I said before, I don't care if you don't believe me. This post is meant to attract anyone else who may have had this experience. Where else am I suppose to relate this story? It seems like you just want to be that person on the thread who uses his/her skepticism (yes, with a K, not a C, friend) to look cool, smart, and better than everyone else. I don't give a shit who you are, or who you think you are. And, I'm guessing that's a major theme throughout the majority of your petty life. 1332188962 > But you are just claiming this out of whole cloth. You have no basis except "maybe it can happen". \n\nYeah, so what? He's making the claim it's impossible, it's on him to explain why.\n\n>It's been dead right on many of them as well.\n\nI don't disagree. As I thought I explained, I'm not trying to say these things ARE possible, just that there are potential avenues of possibility maybe possibly... that aren't addressed by the reasoning of "just because".\n\nYou can't just declare something impossible just "because". It's an unsupported claim.\n\n>>And I reject any pronouncement of "impossible because... it's just impossible" as a failure of understanding, clarity or imagination.\n\n> No one is saying that\n\nYeah, they were. Here's a quote from above that I responded to:\n\n**"God can't exist - because it's impossible. Ghosts can't exist - because they're impossible"**\n\n> And in the case of math, we've defined the language, so it is literally impossible for it to be defied without redefining the language\n\nI fully 100% understand this. No disagreement at all in the least. \n\nMy qualm was with the specification of what precisely was described as impossible. By just declaring something impossible flatly, there isn't enough context to understand the actual claim of what is impossible. 1320682598 The farther we look back the crazier the truth sounds but the truth is there.\n\nWhat if they are watching us because we are their product? We don't really know because we don't consider it often enough.\n\nAlthough the pyramid formations on mars match ours precisely. Which is awesome because it gives us a little insight on how ahead they have been in technology.\n\nAlso....the INNER part of planets is never questioned. Think about that for a minute.\n\nIf you haven't seen the movie Prometheus please do. 1345523217 I'm going to use that argument in future discussions. Ta! 1336148316 OK, let's be more specific:\n\nDo YOU know whether or not Mosanto makes sure that non-GMO food is used with the control group? 1348622348 And we're trying to change that. Just because you can't explain something doesn't mean you shouldn't try. \n\nThat doesn't change the fact that you're going against the rules of this subreddit. You will get banned for it and not by me. 1330635470 Send them a mouldy orange. 1350171756 Well that was an amazing success. 1326611170 > Unless the person having it done digs pain it could hardly be considered massage-like.\n\n[Au contraire...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhcJ4dWjlZM) 1316673487 AFO is good, but they have a lot of known hoaxes/clearly non-ufos on there too. 1346249030 I have to correct myself. Tsk tsk comparing Edison to Jobs. It should be the other way around. Jobs is perhaps the Edison of his field. They are both remembered as being ruthless in dealing with competition. 1350376184 but a lot of what causes dental hygiene issues and cavities is the consumption of foods that humans where not adapted to eat and did not have wide access to before the agricultural revolution. Lesson here, we do weird things like brush teeth and use antiperspirants to off set the changes of human culture. 1301505720 but a lot of what causes dental hygiene issues and cavities is the consumption of foods that humans where not adapted to eat and did not have wide access to before the agricultural revolution. Lesson here, we do weird things like brush teeth and use antiperspirants to off set the changes of human culture. 1301505745 > Do people make you feel like an asshole for being a skeptic?\n\nMany have tried. All have failed. 1301239947 Proceed... 1348066420 Hmm just add humor and shake until the condescension precipitates out. 1347763025 Round 2:\nhttp://change.gov/newsroom/entry/open_for_questions_round_two 1230663179 >seems convinced that modern medicine is a giant conspiracy against pregnant women.\n\nThere isn't a pencil czar, pencil conspiracy, or central pencil authority and yet somehow multiple industries across different continents operate in such a way that all said and done we have #2 pencils in every classroom in the US. Even assuming that modern medicine is against pregnant women in some way, that isn't evidence of a conspiracy. On top of that, it is questionable that they are even against pregnant women to begin with. \n\n\n\n 1297580434 Epidemiology is a murky science when exposure has a such widespread and relatively gradual onset to the point of ubiquity. In other words, controls is tough, analysis: bananas. 1278026806 That's being generous. Most see the aura of a sucker giving them money. 1337141660 SOME ANECDOTAL STATS FOR YOU:\n\n100% of vegans are vegans due to health reasons. i know this because I know one vegan.\n\nEDIT: Not saying you're wrong, just making a joke because I only know one vegan... 1346028390 > Your equating belief and disbelief is an absolute false dichotomy, Disbelief is not an affirmative statement of anything save the lack of convincing evidence for the claim to be true. Without a priori reasons to believe something the most logical position is disbelief.\n\nI'd argue that's not the case at all, and I think the OP would agree. However, it may be dependent on different interpretations of "disbelief." I would not equate *disbelief* and *lack of belief*. The former implies rejecting a belief, while the latter implies just not having that belief. \n\nThey sound similar, so what's the difference?\n\nLack of belief does not stake a claim that the belief is false, only that there may not be enough support to accept that belief yet. This is similar to a scientific finding with inconclusive results -- you can't support the hypothesis, but you can't accept the null hypothesis either.\n\nDisbelief on the other hand stakes a claim that the belief is false. This is like accepting the null hypothesis if the hypothesis is not adequately supported. However, that line of thinking falls victim to the fallacy of argument from ignorance: ["absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_ignorance#Distinguishing_absence_of_evidence_from_evidence_of_absence). Therefore, the "default position" to a skeptical/scientific mind is not knowing... NOT rejecting the claim/belief.\n\nIt may be a matter of word choice. 1348559890 you're getting downvotes because stainless steel and soap aren't the same. 1301448077 Oh, that was good. At least I believe that it was. Upvote. 1296057725 I also want to add the 1st time I saw DD it was on one of the movie channels somewhere in the middle of the movie and I lost it when I saw Frank. I thought maybe someone else had based the character's appearance on something they saw or read about.\n\nI appreciate your thoughts on this. 1342879038 Nice. Well done my friend. 1332548136 The girl is a friend of me and my wife. She works at a fairly large retail store in town. Anyway, the security guys there at night took some (admittedly poor, most likely from a cell phone) footage of a security tape that shows a breeze going through inside and the lights turning on. Another reason for the video being poor is that they were sent through text message to my wife. \n\nApparently this happens in the middle of the night although there are people there working the docks and stocking on the floor, but according to the second hand account from the friend, workers were not in the immediate area at the time.\n\nHere is the other vid of a different location in the same store. According to the friend neither of these rooms have direct access to the outside. This one was a bit creepier and better in my opinion, but it came out crappy (well, crappier) and choppy after uploading to YouTube.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rjm18hOgcY\n\n---\n\nI personally do not believe in ghosts at all, but I'm not smart enough to think of what sort of logical explanation there is for this. The breeze, sure, but the lights are definitely a strange coincidence (but obviously not difficult to flip a switch).\n\nI have no reason to edit these and would have no reason to suspect the friend from doing it either, although that's not to say the security guys did not, or that it's possibly some elaborate hoax by the night workers. I just thought it was interesting at the very least, and thought it would be nice to get other people's opinions on it.\n\n 1312603395 I brought up Greenpeace as an example because they are a lobbying group much like the Heartland institude. The main point I was trying to (apparently unsuccessfully) convey was that it is well-known that Heartland lobbies against CO2 reductions and climate change alarmism and therefore I'm not really sure why this "leak" is news. An equally newsworthy piece would be that Greenpeace lobbies for renewable energy.\n\n> Keep in mind that AGW "skepticism" and creationism are bedfellows\n\nWow, if that's what you think then there's not much more to discuss. To be fair, I believe that AGW fits many of the parameters of a religion, so I suppose we're not that different (blind belief in authority, unfalsifiability, indulgences like carbon credits among others). 1329328646 It is the same. Intelligent design was the word they tried to use after they used creationism, that also got shot down in courts for being the same shit. 1354500609 > Modern buildings IRL don't collapse from fires.\n\nI don't think there are any other examples of buildings being soaked in jet fuel during a fire. 1314651231 Oh, it wasn't mine. I just thought it was cool and then when I went to show it to my bf, I couldn't find it posted anywhere in Reddit. I could still access it through my initial comments though and found it on YouTube. 1356704106 Sigh. Don't tell Boyfriend (he's a writer, too). You're right - and I should've known that (no, I wasn't thinking of allegory, I was just misusing analogy). Brb looking up what the difference between metaphor and simile is - again. 1341915002 All talk, no action.... I'd pass if I were you. 1349490019 This is a really neat story! It's always cool to read about things like this. Out of curiosity, do you remember anything about what the voices said, or what their personalities/dispositions were like? It's probably nothing, I was just curious about a similar experience of mine with two voices. 1355274391 I don't but into the 'virtues of organic food,' but the peaches at the local woo store are the size of your head! I don't buy it because it's organic, but because it's better quality produce. On the other hand, I am quite conflicted buying peaches at 1.50 each in a store that sells homeopathic bullshit and offers astrology consultations in the back room. If I had principles I might stop shopping there but its SO DAMN GOOD! 1248891807 > Well since people who believe in a soul think that it isn't a part of our universe, if they're right then there needs to be no physical process. \n\nThen how does it affect us. Look at what Mantipath wrote [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/m1kjt/for_the_record_psychic_allison_dubois_was/c2xj1fi). Basically, either the soul can affect physical objects or it can't. If it can't, then we couldn't have souls because souls wouldn't be able to affect us since we are just meat popsicles. If it can, then there is very likely something there we can measure and all we have to do is find it and measure it.\n\nBut we haven't found _anything_ measurable that cannot be explained even if souls don't exist. 1320692512 Bertrand, you are one of those folks gifted with great certainty. Most of the rest of us are always wondering. Yep, they're particles ( or waves, if you construct the experiment correctly ). Yep, the observer can be a machine. But it always comes back to some perceiving 'thing'.\n\nI don't know how to construct an experiment to carry this to some falsification or corroboration. If I did, I'd win a Nobel Prize. If you can, you could win one, too. 1241239188 It's a shame more skeptics aren't libertarian or at least libertarian leaning. 1313541796 See my response to galtthedestroyer in this thread. \n\nAlso, see this study: [Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease](http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract?papetoc)\n\n>Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat.\n\nNote that the study deals with saturated fat intake, not cholesterol intake, because sat fat tends to increase total cholesterol levels. (Eating cholesterol does not tend to significantly increase total serum cholesterol levels.)\n\nThe authors followed up with a study demonstrating that lowering saturated fat intake is generally accompanied by increased refined carbohydrate intake, which is [a terrible way to try to decrease heart disease](http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/20/ajcn.2008.26285.abstract). \n\nYou are absolutely right to be wary of the "science" that is reported in the media. Even the raw papers themselves are often garbage. \n\nThat said, it possible to find people doing careful research. My litmus tests are:\n\n1. Does the author look at nutrition in the context of evolution? \n\n2. Does the author have an agenda (vegetarian? carnivore? low-fat? low-carb?), or is she willing to revise her position in light of new evidence?\n\n3. Does the author seem interested in learning, or in defending her position on the Internet?\n\nOne blogger who satisfies these litmus tests (IMO) is [Stephan Guyenet](http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/). Read a few of his posts, and you'll see that he is generally a careful, methodical thinker, who is eager to revise his positions as new information comes out. 1291149171 There's nothing anybody can do to disprove the *possibility* that aliens visited the ancient Aztecs. But that's a moot point, because without any evidence that it actually happened, all you have is pure speculation. 1298947348 Well, let's hope she doesn't pollute the gene pool with her stupid genes before she croaks. 1327940782 Well, they did put 'behind wild weather' in quotes, and it was pretty clear that they didn't put any stock in the email message, and were just pointing it out because it was really stupid and they trust that most of their readers will agree.\n\nI would have to disagree with you that this piece represents any kind of misinformation. 1299816108 Oh, I know, and I do agree with that sentiment. I was just being a bit of a smartass. 1343337926 even better was the [complete list of the scientific evidence of the existence of gawd](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Scientific_evidence_for_God%27s_existence) 1303163904 You should turn it down a notch, because right now you're sounding like a troll account designed to make environmentalists and/or progressives look bad. If I had to take a bet right now it wouldn't be on you being what you claim to be (I could be wrong, but with the info I have that would be my bet). 1344390652 only had a half lb. \n\nIf I ever did smoke it....and that is a big IF......it would have to be blue. 1312246109 go to the dermatologist instead of asking the internet 1337009589 That claim was not corroborated by the other "witnesses," nor by his own statement made immediately after the incident. 1302924436 We made some gif's. That's all I'm allowed to say. 1345714206 > So what? She also created the situation by choosing to be there. \n\n"She was dressed provocatively, therefore she was asking for it." "If she hadn't walked down the street at 3am, she wouldn't have gotten raped. She also created the situation by choosing to be there."\n\n> No one is claiming that she gave implied consent to be assaulted. The assault was nonconsentual, but she did consent to be filmed.\n\nShe explicitly did *not* consent to having her breasts on film. End of story.\n\n> This thing about not having "consent to view/record her breasts" is special pleading. Replace "breasts" with "toenails" and you'll see why it carries no weight.\n\nAs athena435 pointed out, there are significant legal distinctions between breasts and toenails. For an obvious example, if she were 15 years old, filming her toenails would be legal for GGW; filming her breasts would not. 1280673528 That's where I knew I couldn't read any more. 1321529819 Also the assumption of what constitutes the 'simplest' solution is culturally conditioned. 1312223962 The dailymail is such a joke... \n\n"Object sems to be...." 1335366163 I'd imagine the nanobots would need to be specialised for various different types of cancer, so wouldn't be a single cure like this fruit is claimed to be. 1354094351 The were famous for a while for [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser_APEC_pranks) 1319189113 >Can't stop the signal.\n\nShiny reference. 1325949645 I have to admit this is a new one on me, but it's obvious to me that it's complete BS.\n\nThe [Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digit_ratio) is crazy stupid on this topic. A single ratio of finger length, can apparently determine all of the following in humans:\n\n * Sperm counts\n * Heart disease\n * Obesity & Metabolic syndrome\n * Prostate cancer\n * Autism\n * Depression\n * Schizophrenia\n * ADHD\n * Risk for eating disorders in females and males\n * Skiing\n * Soccer playing\n * Sporting in females\n * Financial trading\n * Assertiveness in women\n * Aggression\n * Masculinity of Handwriting\n * Perceived 'dominance' and masculinity of man's face\n * Personality\n * Exam scores: a higher ratio is correlated with higher exam scores among male students\n * Musical ability\n * Bem sex role score in women; erotic role preferences in gay men.\n * Lesbians vs. straight women; butch vs. femme lesbians.\n * Gay vs straight men, but most studies find no differences in digit ratio between gay and straight men. Some studies correlate male homosexuality and 2D:4D positively, others negatively.\n * Difference in digit ratio between identical female twins discordant for sexual orientation\n * Fraternal birth order effect on digit ratio.\n * handedness, autism, other immune diseases\n * male to female transsexualism.\n * determine the sex of drawers of Palaeolithic hand stencils found in European and Indonesian caves\n\n2d:4d effects has also supposedly been demonstrated in gorillas, chimpanzees, mice, rats, and zebra finches.\n\nI am very disappointed in Wikipedia. But too lazy to research the rebuttal and edit the page.\n 1293411759 What if they only observe, and purposely do nothing to change history. What if by changing the timeline it creates a parallel time-stream, so they really wouldn't be changing there own history? 1337779220 because i don't want to die sad. \n\ni want to die happy, eating a slice of pizza, drinking mountain dew, and doin' it with a hot norwegian underwear model, and having seen this movie. \n\nif i don't get all of the above when i die, i will die a sad person. 1292621425 Of course. When I was young I used to think that if I sucked through my teeth and pinched my lips tight enough I could breath underwater. Never worked. 1350964221 I'm sorry, but you're the one with the irrational hatred of government here. Most people understand that governments are a necessary evil, and when done right they can make society progress in a positive way. We are better for no longer have Child Labor, or for no longer breathing soot. We are better for having roads, and public eduction. We are better for having the Internet, and all the technological wonders we got from the various government-sponsored scientific research.\n\nThe problem is not too much government, it's government that isn't fair, or is subverted by big money to serve powerful private interests. It doesn't mean we should do away with government, it means we should do away with undemocratic forces abusing the government (as much as possible). 1355087424 It's not bored farm folk. It's still people though. This has been proven... It happens all the time, and can only take a few hours with some rope and planks and a plan 1327988468 Thanks, I will certainly check that out. 1338583633 ugh, the cult of personality surrounding that man is astonishing. 1329840379 I'm french and I've never heard or seen the word "digit" in any french I've ever learned. 1329676987 I think the key point to realize is that dude is trying to stop his friend from investing time and money into getting a degree in a field that doesn't have any scientific backing and doesn't provide any benefit beyond a placebo effect. \n\nAre you saying that it's justified charging money for a service that doesn't work, because the placebo effect has a small positive benefit? 1306461520 That's not true either. Of course we can imagine new faces. We can imagine all kinds of new things; faces are not any different. 1356596368 Let her get a lawyer send you a letter before you even worry about it. Her lawyer will likely advise her she has no case. 1257645770 I live in the Middle East, so it was posted in the afternoon :P 1307101123 A pair of binoculars, clear winters skies, the [Drake equation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_equation), and the [Belgian UFO wave](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_UFO_wave). That, and [Contact](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118884/). 1340311810 He's apparently up there right now. In an interview he said he would be up there till midnight (I'm guessing GMT, universal time). \n\nhttp://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2012/12/peter_gerstens_at_bell_rock_bu.php 1356121296 >I am wondering have you not stumbled upon the description of this process before? If not I would suggest to read something on philosophy of science in case you are interested\n\nI have a science background. I just wonder at the wisdom of using a theory that isn't really *proven* - not one with minor flaws (or major flaws) but one that isn't actually *proven*. One that took the assumption that GW was A and worked backwards from there. It doesn't make it wrong, but it does make it suspect.\n\nHow would AGW be falsifiable? \n\nI'm unaware of the CCCR, I'm afraid.\n\nThe other issues we can agree to disagree on, except that AGW proponents need to hone their arguments and work to improve their understanding of AGW. That's a must, you see that, right?\n\n 1280833680 I bet she gives great helmet 1301192639 I agree. I believe some of the videos are of legitimate sounds, explainable or not, but some are obviously riding the coattails of the phenomenon. I actually saw one where the uploader actually used roaring sounds from the movie Cloverfield, and didn't even disguise it well. 1336264973 Science starts as speculation, then theories are formed and investigated.\nAs far as sensationalism, it is a television program, not a government slideshow, it will have some annoying music and some theories that are more the author's ideas of what the evidence presents than the actual truth of what it all means. (Which "science" still hasn't figured out) \n\nVisual evidence is still your best shot at understanding what people discuss, please just stick with the program and be a little more tolerant of the annoying aspects of the documentary. 1343841444 Wait, I think we had a minor confusion.\n\n> I have to wonder at your belief that history has seen men more oppressed than women.\n\nI'm saying the reverse -- women have had it worse historically, which was what you seemed to get before, but hey, I'm still in agreement with you.\n\n> It's a shame that the T in LGBT always seems a few steps behind the others.\n\nAgreed. That's one reason I was especially motivated to do it. When the bill to ban the word "gay" in public schools there came up, the outrage was much more huge, when this hasn't gotten nearly as much attention or protest. While both are bad bills, I would argue that this one is far worse. One makes it only slightly more difficult to talk about homosexuality, the other's a strong attack against one group's civil liberties.\n\n> I support men's rights too, but I have on occasion self-proclaimed men's righters who saw, as you said, their issue as a zero sum game with feminism and were quite hostile to women and the women's rights movement. It's unfortunate.\n\nThis is why I try not to be a slave to the "party line" of any philosophy, movement, political party, etc. Within every one I've supported, I've encountered people who are in it for the wrong reasons or have over-retaliatory ideas.\n\nOne of humanity's biggest problems, I think, is people are, frankly, a bit intellectually lazy. They would rather have their world heavily influenced by what others tell them than build up their own worldview from scratch.\n\nThat's why overly devout religiousness is so horrible -- you get people whose worldview is almost entirely shaped by archaic texts that, as much as they might have passages full of wisdom, are simultaneously rife with passages that promote intolerance and narrow worldviews. 1326653650 Hi there, I'm greek, and his observations are pretty much spot on, although tax evasion is mostly from self-employed people and businesses.\nAlso, there are a lot of scandals from politicians regarding public money. 1273073214 Papa Smurf! 1295248397 I would suggest you ask yourself in what way your belief system and a need to change the minds of others differs from theirs. \n\nFrom my perspective, you are on an ideological crusade no different from theirs. Let it drop and ignore their beliefs if they do not match with yours. But to try to change their minds based on zero evidence one way or the other is to promulgate and proselytize belief over evidence. \n\nIt is the worst of skepticism as a blind ideology rather than a tool for evidence analysis. 1328892626 Very cool and thought provoking. This guy holds to his scepticism to the point of irrationality. It makes me wonder if I'd do the same. After all, the point of being sceptical is to be rational, right? Not just to naysay a certain set of beliefs/practices/etc... 1311252597 The Universe is a dangerous place. Everything on earth fights to survive. Think about how life evolves and why it evolves. Think about how the solar system works. Just try thinking. 1342975340 Except that people are linking to that shitty site all the time. 1330169948 I was in astronomy class back in the day, and the prof. had every student (>100 total) pick the "yesterday" astrological prediction that most fit us today. Then she compared it with a random distribution, and it was a perfect fit (within statistical error). 1309561008 will, always wanted to go out there. 1346254109 I wasn't trying to convince anyone, only to answer the question you posed. You know, since this is r/skeptic and not r/medicine. 1297917563 there is more than one logically possible reason for even the most sophisticated vehicles to crash or perform in unanticipated ways, leading to a crash. one theory I've read personally is that the advent of the radar web that was being developed in the deep military world screwed with the craft's navigation, which also serves to posit a reason for the lack of crashed and recovered craft though history. also, the period in Roswell preceding the incidents featured intense lightening storms. these are what could be called logically possible scenarios that could provide possible explanations for the craft's erratic flight behavior reported by the original witnesses prior to the crash and clamor.\n\nalso, UFOs are recorded as not always flying at high speeds, and could crash at lower speeds as well as any other vehicle. the apocryphal Bob Lazar has stated that the craft were more unpredictable at lower power stages, but take that or leave it as you like.\n\njust sayin. I like the tone of your post, but just thought I'd offer some counterpoint to some of your premises. 1340749096 Well, here is a real spirit rover photo of what appears to be an installation on top of a hill on Mars \n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/7ziKp.jpg\n\nHere is a really cool cave opening \nhttp://i.imgur.com/VyAxO.jpg\n\nAnd here is some crazy Pyramid and Box structure\nhttp://i.imgur.com/IEaUE.jpg\n 1294092287 [Bullshit!](http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/episodes.do?episodeid=123916&ep=301) did [what I found to be] a good job covering a bit of the controversy surrounding circumcision.\n\nAlso, this article is... not great. The exit poll at the time I read it was 74.75% unchanged opinions -- granted, that could also speak to tightly-held convictions. 1330719059 Any highlights you've noticed? 1284749452 First sentence, Marni calls "health care provider" a term that she doesn't like. It's a phrase, Marni. It's a phrase. 1341888574 A good example of this misconception that "any human modification is bad" would be the orange carrots we are accustomed to eating today and consider as "healthy." These orange carrots really didn't appear till the 17th century in the Netherlands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot#History\n\nAlso the Cavendish banana is also a good example of a modified food that very few people would consider as being "Franken Food" or "Fake Food." These didn't exist till 1836 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#Cavendish\n\nI typically use these two examples to demonstrate to people that human modification of food isn't always necessarily bad and that they should consider things on a case-by-case basis. \n\nFrom my personal experience, these two examples work well in convincing people that their preconceived notions might not necessarily be as true as they thought. It's not so much that people don't want to hear this message, I've noticed it's more about the delivery of the message. If I use a soft approach with someone they generally accept the message. As soon as the conversation turns into a "you idiot" type they immediately become defensive and stop listening to the argument. 1347090368 Generally they are draining a battery when there is one.\n 1356716486 As somebody who can see energy fields if she concentrates, I have seen a couple of apparitions in my house. One was a young woman. THe other, I have no idea what it was, but it was frightening. 1349730069 > Last year the [World Health Organization] warned about a possible link between radiation from wireless devices such as cellphones and cancer.\n\nThis is irresponsible journalism at its finest. People reading this article will justifiably become alarmed at the great danger posed by wi-fi, if the WHO has warned about its link to cancer... never mind that it actually places it in the same category of risk as coffee.\n\n 1329176613 I'm not the same guy. I was just making the point that a lot of people would have never seen it since they didn't sub to /r/comics. Like me. When I said posted, I meant I posted it to Facebook from here. \n\n\nAnd this is the only reddit account I have. I've never understood why you'd make an alt unless someone was harassing a particular reddit account. Or you had the time to make a novelty account or something, and that's something I honestly don't have the time to do. \n 1354862239 Isn't that really hilarious though? Their explanation is totally bogus if what the witnesses said about the lights are true. The way they stayed in formation and never descended over time. "It's the military, and our flares...move along."\n\nAnd we move along. 1342741470 DEET is generally more effective than herbal blends. The Wikipedia article on insect repellents gives a pretty decent breakdown, including CDC recommendations. 1348623484 Correct. I think fluoride is even used to etch glass for art. The window of our fluoride pump room door is milky white from years of vapor.\n\nSpilled liquid fluoride should always be contained and cleaned up/diluted immediately. It's some rough stuff once evaporates and goes gaseous. That's one of the reasons fluoride gets its own special little room with a ventilation fan. 1327093200 Probably by [these guys](http://circlemakers.org/). 1320274902 Indeed! Have an up! 1311999970 Third grade, bunch of kids on the playground, we all see a metallic cigar-shaped object at high altitude. It comes closer and closer until some colored lights are visible and then vanishes like it was never there. We all saw it, so I don't have to believe in UFO's. Who knows what it actually was, though? Not me. 1317077130 So, basically, the Christians are the original hipsters.\n\nAnd here I am, thinking that their messiah told them to be humble, or something like that. 1329179572 Same here, just going back waiting for somthing to happen. 1334614746 The whole thing looks artificially smooth, but the ascent is particularly on the nose. 1341389014 I don't agree that polls have anything to do with science. Only studies in scientific environments to test the effects of pills etc, can be called scientific where you might ask some questions to each group. 1290375327 I am surprised, in a skeptic subreddit, to see all this ad hominem going on.\n\nWe don't examine marijuana claims because stoners are too stupid, paranoid, uninformed, deluded...\n\nReally? \n\nWe don't examine marijuana claims because people stereotype marijuana users and don't take them seriously. This is the answer to the OPs question.\n\nHowever, anyone can be a skeptic. So instead of asking why people are silent on the issue, do some research and find where the government is using logical fallacies and write something about it.\n\nIf no one else is doing something, then do it yourself...\n\n(Edit: I think you're off to a good start, by the way, by asking the question.) 1332779858 1) about 60-80 i believe were only the 3rd family no one has died inside of the ouse\n2)hallyway leading to the dining room, then all around\n3)somtimes i feel like a hand being placed on me or somthing but not often, mosty the hallway, living room, computer room, and moms room.\n4)in the house, i have ahd guests come over and they feel weird by themselves (i know its not because they arent used to it because they stayed here for about 3 months) 1331773017 Thanks for that. I figured he was probably talking about pop. growth but didn't have the reference. \n\nIt's funny how quickly conspiracy theories fall down as soon as you acquire some context. 1354868882 I'm at work and on my phone so I can't get a link for you ATM but there was a case were the cops had a dog signal that there were drugs in a van. They searched the van and found like a few hundred pounds of weed. In court the case was dismissed because the dog was so unreliable. If memory serves correctly the dog was wrong more than a coin would have been. 1343206724 This is a continuation of UFO Flap - Black Triangles 1283529901 >Dr. Robert Lanza is currently Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Cell Technology, and a professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He has several hundred publications and inventions, and over two dozen scientific books: among them, Biocentrism (co-authored with astronomer Bob Berman), which lays out the full scientific augment for his theory of everything. Others include One World: The Health & Survival of the Human Species in the 21st Century (Foreword by President Jimmy Carter), and Principles of Tissue Engineering and Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, which are considered the definitive references in the field. Dr. Lanza received his BA and MD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was both a University Scholar and Benjamin Franklin Scholar. He was also a Fulbright Scholar, and was part of the team that cloned the world's first human embryo, as well as the first to clone an endangered species, to demonstrate that nuclear transfer could reverse the aging process, and to generate stem cells using a method that does not require the destruction of human embryos.\n\n>Dr. Lanza was awarded the 2010 NIH Director's Award, the 2006 "All Star" Award for Biotechnology, and the 2005 Rave Award for Medicine by Wired Magazine. Dr. Lanza and his research have been featured in almost every media outlet in the world, including all the major TV networks, CNN, TIME, Newsweek, People Magazine, as well as the front pages of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and USA Today, among others. Lanza has worked with some of the greatest thinkers of our time, including Nobel laureates Gerald Edelman and Rodney Porter. Lanza worked closely with B.F. Skinner at Harvard University. Lanza and Skinner (the "Father of modern behaviorism") published a number of scientific papers together. He has also worked with Jonas Salk (discoverer of the Polio vaccine) and heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard.\n\nAs a high school dropout, this is a lesson for me, on how even smart intelligent people, get sucked into woo, and when 'scientists' make claims about reality beyond their chosen field they should be regarded with caution.\n\n>Biocentrism (co-authored with astronomer Bob Berman), which lays out the full scientific augment for his theory of everything\n\nOr derision. 1322436583 Similar thing happened to me. Either on the Kennedy or the Eisenhower, but I was driving from Waukegan to Downtown, usually an hour. Only took me about 20 minutes. 1326840703 >Way to spread false info OP.\n\nI have deleted it. There was no intention to spread false information.\n\nI browsed the article at 4am after cramming all night for a final today and confirmation bias and misplaced rage took over. Complete failure to take in the most relevant information.\n\nThanks for the additional info btw. I clearly need to do some research. 1355978984 You seem eager to dismiss the research that is presently being done on this. Therefore there is no way to prove it to you. Gotta love circular reasoning. 1317671674 When was the most recent experience you or your family had? Months/weeks/days ago? 1339797987 Occasionally I nail it on the, deja vu followed by totally calling whats about to happen next. Sometimes, I'm just completely wrong tho so I'm sure its all up to chance tbh. 1353863546 Or Helen Lovejoy. 1345220132 I've wondered why they don't just collect as many homeopathic remedies as possible, then dump them all down the toilet thereby putting them into the water supply of their municipality. \n\nSince more dilution = more power, they would turn their water supply into a magical cure-all solution, and they could be regarded as noble humanitarians. Probably even win a Nobel Prize since they would eradicate all the sickness in their area, and provide a solution for eradicating it all over the world.\n\nReally, the only problem with this plan is that homeopathy is a giant stinky pile of horseshit, but that hasn't seemed to bother homeopaths thus far. 1320952191 I find being blunt is more useful. At the core it is honesty. I would rather be honest with people about my belief or lack of belief. Pussy footing around and coddling them by trying not to offend seems even more negative.\n\n"Look Bob you believe in magic, which doesnt really even mean anything and I don't really know how we can even discuss that."\n\nYou would be surprised how effective this type of response can transform your discussion with a person of faith into something honest and productive. It forces them to look at their belief honestly.\n\nI am personally becoming weary of Neil becoming sort of coddling lately. It makes me disappointed that he will be hosting the new COSMOS. I have a feeling the parts where Carl Sagan discussed religion will be completely absent since Neil doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. 1344608948 Wow, that took me a lot longer than it should have. 1308159045 I actually have a similar story. I was standing near the front of a store when an elderly woman hit the wrong pedal and drove through. I jumped out of the way, but was feeling a dull pain when I lifted things like a gallon of milk and was noticing minor discomfort when I tried to take a deep breath. I got x-rays and no diagnosis. I learned to live with it. I mean, it was uncomfortable, but not a huge deal. Annoying more than anything else. When I finally did go to the chiro, it turned out to be a rib out of alignment. He did a minor adjustment and it's been fine ever since. 1356903733 Just thought it was a weird thing to do. I don't know how it helps to know if water is there. Its not like anyone is going to get it anytime soon. 1318866288 I've never tried ginger for that. I'd say I'm generally a skeptic but I've had a similar thing as well. Cayanne pepper, works great to relieve pain in the gums and toothaches in general. As a student I heard about it, and since I like spicy stuff, I had a pound of cayanne pepper in the spice area anyway, so I tried it, and it worked. If I get a canker sore or have a toothache, I would use it and it would work. Keep in mind, I had really, really bad toothaches, and taking 800g of Ibuprofen at a time didn't make all the pain go away. It helped, but the cayanne pepper helped a bit more. \n\nI would probably try ginger and wouldn't think much of it. Being skeptical doesn't mean one ignores real results. \n\nETA: by using cayanne pepper to relieve pain, I mean lick the finger, dip it in the pepper, and rub it on the affected area. It gets spicy, sure. 1259385447 It is interesting that you compare no education and child abuse. Some would go so far as to suggest education is a basic human right, but I think it is difficult to do that for anything that is provided. Maybe access to fair treatment in the legal system is the only thing that costs money that I think must be provided. While I tend to think that the society as a whole is better off including food and healthcare as basic provisions for its citizens, for example, at least for children, they are not the same type of right.\n\nAnyway, the "it's not my problem" attitude isn't very helpful when you are concerned about the next generation. They aren't the property of parents, as championing deference to fixed beliefs suggests. There isn't a *them* that will pay for *their* mistakes. Even though a many of those people like Rick Perry or Sarah Palin's husband like to talk big about giving up on the United States of America and seceding, we're all in it together. Texas is not a separate country, it sends representatives to Washington that vote, and votes in national elections. 1343684981 Well it very well could be a little girl, the way you have been describing it, but this black figure you described has me slightly skeptical of this little girl situation. I'm no expert, but from what I've heard and read demonic creatures can desiguise themselves as innocent looking beings. So that black mass may be the things true form? Or not.. I've never seen it so, that's your own choice to believe what it is. Besides that, I'd be quite interested in seeing this, if you do decide to set the cameras. Finally, if you choose to attempt communication, please be careful, it's quite dangerous so practice caution. Please, keep me updated on your situation! And good luck! 1339989731 We weren't near any trees, but there was a creepy sort of Déjà vu-ish feeling when we heard it. 1341282267 Pretty much everything is poisonous in the right quantity. It's all about dosage. 1319312882 But you're one of those people who has a picture of their kid as their profile picture, and I think that's even worse. 1297395154 >As we have mentioned here and detailed in the past, this is part of larger COG government takeover– not part of any ordinary natural disaster response as the media has been told. The elite have initiated worldwide economic collapse and prepared their power-grabbing response as currencies and markets fall across the globe. All the experts we’ve talked to over the years concur with this basic analysis.\n\n>To put it simply: once the economic depression has sunken in completely, the population will willingly head in droves to government centers for basic requirements like food. As Henry Kissinger bluntly quipped, “Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control the people.” FEMA’s response will in hinge, in part, on just that– encouraging people sign up for their own enslavement.\n\nThis is basic conspiracy theory mumbo jumbo. It vaguely touches on some real issues (economic collapse) and existing things (FEMA) then connects those to some worldwide overarching evil plot (enslavement).\n\nI'm not saying the whole world is working in harmony for the benefit of humanity, but there is no good reason to give ideas like this support. 1325030308 What? Why? 1351807750 I'll grant you that there's less chance he's a liar than there is that he is delusional.\n\n> ...leeway for further investigation.\n\nYou asked me to comment on the man not the article. Anyway, I'd be happy to sit in on an exorcism, but until that opportunity arises I'll be relying on my previous experience that people don't spit up glass, nails or flower petals unless they'd previously swallowed them. \n\nIn the mean time, I'd also like to see some evidence for the existence of this "God" and this "Satan" and this "magic" that he's on about.\n\n> I'm with you most of the way, but I'm still not fully convinced to take a position in the matter.\n\nWould you mind describing what your position is for me. I mean, what is there to the story/man that stops you from dismissing it as bunkum and he as a loon?\n\n 1268741476 sounds like circular logic to me\n 1356705584 Sounds to me like he's speaking in the hypothetical.\n\nBest blog comment:\n"While an interesting concept, it isn't supported by much. Moreover, Wright seems to be spit-balling, making hypotheses about what would be required to spy on humans. I don't think he's "speaking rather surely about the extraterrestrial infiltration of society!" His language - if verbatim - is extremely conditional. Look at the words used. He starts out talking largely about his experience in espionage before moving into "would be", "if they are", etc. Furthermore, the quote in bold below these statements seems to float, as if pulled from a later piece of the transcript. Overall, I get the sense that this is a man who is postulating various scenarios and not making statements of fact. The conditional language, the hypothetical setup, the fact that this was something of a UFO think tank.... It all makes for fantastic suppositions, and as usual, Bragalia has proved himself a master at unearthing UFO arcanum." 1288977984 Yes, that was from Webster Hubbell's memoir. 1243722941 Given the articles premise, I should be able to use this [image as a guide](http://www.totbatot.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Vegitable_Face.jpg). 1325809157 As a person with Celiac disease, I absolutely love it. 10 years ago there was nothing at all for us. Everything had to be made from scratch (and I am not a very good chef). Gfree bread back then tasted like wet cardboard.\n\nBecause of those crazy dieters, there are loads of options for me. I personally hope it stays around like the "non-fat" fad has. I can only benefit :D Plus it makes me happy that they pay extra for it. 1336950098 Now Scientology makes sense! 1326779883 I wish i could do this with nikes 1354931282 I agree. I don't think you have the wrong idea, I just think the phrasing of the earlier comment can give the wrong impression. 1340574602 >It doesn't matter if it's real, there is nothing solid that you can put on national TV that can be considered smoking gun evidence.\n\nI guess you missed the dramatic satellite images of the Arctic summer ice minimum.\n\n>It'd be the same thing as getting a panel of scientists who believe in UFOs claiming the phenomena is real. They're qualified, they have a claim, and have data to back it up.\n\nNo, it's nothing like that. The greenhouse effect can be measured, and the effects of climate change can be seen. This is why the science isn't controversial in most parts of the globe, and increasingly less even in the US, despite the vast amounts spent in anti-science propaganda. \n\n>The ozone hole was supposed to be the smoking gun to climate change\n\nNo, it wasn't. The only link between the Ozone hole and Global Warming is that CFCs, in *addition* to destroying the ozone, are *also* greenhouse gases. The two phenomenon are otherwise completely separated.\n\nI don't know where you heard that the Ozone hole was supposed to the be smoking gun to global warming, but I don't think that source is very reliable.\n\n> but the hole is shrinking so fast (smallest in 20 years), that it virtually annihilates the 50-100 year hypothesis and the science behind it.\n\nYou're really confusing two different phenomena, i.e. global warming due to anthropogenic CO2 and the depletion of the ozone layer due to anthropogenic CFCs. They're not the same thing.\n\n>Why DIDN'T it take 50 years? Because there must be other mitigating circumstances that take it beyond the current scientific standard.\n\nAgain, the hole is far from closed, even though it shows signs of - but that has nothing to do with anthropogenic global warming / man-made climate change.\n\n>Welcome to climatology and the first baby steps we are still at.\n\nThe Ozone hole isn't really about climatology, at least not in the sense that it was linked to climate change. The danger from a depleted Ozone layer is mostly due to an increase in the incidence of skin cancer.\n\n>I don't know why the skeptic board of all people downvote me for this.\n\nProbably because you're confounding two different phenomena, i.e. the hole in the Ozone layer and man-made global warming. 1354600192 Well... it's hard to tell. The Daily Mail has such a rich history of outright lying and making up stories, that literally every line in all of their stories should be thought of as suspect. Now I could go through and fact check the story line by line... but that is quite a bother. It would be much simpler if people submitted from sources where there was no real need to do that. If no such sources exist, it's probably a good indication that the article was indeed a fabrication.\n\nSo do I know if anything in this article is incorrect? No. But in general, I'd much prefer articles where I can assume the author is telling the truth rather than articles where I have to assume the author is lying. 1344206267 rBST has not been linked to cancer.\n\nThere was concern that it might increase IGF-1 in milk, but repeated studies have shown that the IGF-1 levels are comparable to a control cow during pregnancy. Furthermore, the dosage obtained from milk is an order of magnitude smaller than your natural levels of IGF-1. 1344441061 [This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28classification_of_humans%29) is fairly thorough for a Wikipedia entry. 1298522922 >loose cannon mad scientist\n\nHeh. That genii is already out. For less than the price of a car, you can be making custom organisms in your garage. Somewhere, someone is right now breeding the next comic book superthreat. 1335992366 And so to sum up, you think that successful prediction invalidates an hypothesis. Got it.\n 1354625793 >You made this up to justify your "rightness" here.\n\nYou're the one vomiting up platitudes. Reap what you sow. \n\n>[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalism\n\nThat's amusing. I'm a fundamentalist because I won't play games with fundamentalists? I'm more than willing to respect others. I'm more than willing to compromise. But because I won't respect or compromise with a subset of human beings who've not only displayed a lack of respect for me and my positions but have shown that they can't be interacted with in a meaningful way it means that I'm a fundamentalist. Right. You've made a solid case. I was sold as soon as I read the citation brackets.\n\nEdit: I do rather enjoy your comment history. You're just full of respect when it comes to people with opposing viewpoints. A model citizen really. 1284971150 [hm.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/rbhqv/all_memes_in_moderation/) 1338251173 You mean it doesn't have "the tensile strength to properly and efficiently garrote a lycanthrope, asphyxiate an Esquilax or even gag a mermaid"? 1290841486 No sweat man, happens to everyone, have an upvote. 1352755725 Get out of here with your common sense and logic! 1335364741 So you deny entropy then? 1321848703 lol, someone actually downvoted you? "No research allowed!" 1330638682 The planes were already in the air and the hijackers just had to point them towards a couple of huge buildings that were almost a city block wide. How difficult is that? 1336936943 Wow. Just, wow. \nI mean, I had **no idea** you could disable comments on a youtube video. 1327959940 The guy performing the lie detector test is the lie detector. These people are not 100% accurate and probably most aren't even 60% accurate. This is why lie detectors cannot be used in the court of law. This story may very well be bullshit, but don't condemn it because a trained psychic said he was lying. 1350179125 You read up on confirmation bias before?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias\n\nNot trying to be a skeptic :) Good luck in whatever you decide. 1335241220 I'm not a neurologist, but I have a feeling you ask these questions without seriously looking fr an answer. You are just satisfied with believing they are unanswerable. Go to askscience and see what they have to say, but I will tell you that we know a great deal and a lot of it has to do with associations. that is really the basis for learning. We know a lot about how the brain recognizes color and other external stimuli. The brain is very complicated and not something you can have a satisfactory understanding of through intuition. You have to study it a lot but don't mistake its complexity for something unexplainable. There are answers to those questions, and at the end of the day it doesn't matter what anyone else tells you, go find them for yourself and then you'll understand what I'm talking about. 1341431470 I'd consider removing all of them, and potentially warning the lemon post and the 'may yet be hope' post -- the former for generating some reasonable discussion, the latter for at least attempting to provide context.\n\nUnder the new rule, all of them would _not_ be removed if they were wrapped in a self post.\n\nIn _every_ case, if there is even the slightest glimmer of real content, I'll leave the post.\n\nI have never, and will never, remove _any_ post about moderation, my conduct, or any perceived conflicts of interest that arise in this or any of the subreddits I moderate.\n\nI'm _especially_ cautious about moderation here, where people freely mix feelings and rationality. I frequently monitor /r/subredditdrama and the like, I see shit like /r/lgbt and -- frankly -- it makes me sick. Moderators need to be above reproach. They need to be absolutely unbiased -- especially in subreddits in /r/lgbt. Unfortunately, people aren't, and stupid shit like that happens.\n\nFor the record. If you, or anyone else, _ever_ feel like I've mistreated you, your post, your comments, your dog -- whatever. Please tell me. It is the furthest thing from my mind.\n\nAs far as a bright-line rule. The brightest line I can draw is that -- in every situation, I will always lean toward doing nothing. The first bullet point in the summary is the only thing that will likely be regularly enforced. And as mentioned, no self post in this subreddit (with the exception of _completely_ off topic spam, which usually ends up in the filter) will be removed, ever, period.\n\nI hope that is reassuring enough.\n\nOne of my hopes is that a new feature they've been working on up in reddit admin land, a moderation log, be pushed for public consumption soon. At the moment, it's (I think, I'll be double checking after I send this comment off) currently only visible to the admins. But I think it would serve as the best way to reassure you all that I'm really not out to censor you. I've thought of keeping a manual log, but it's very tedious and -- frankly -- uninteresting (most of the time it's just cleaning the spam filter).\n\n 1332634125 I've had this illusion before. Now I try to stargaze in triangles so if anything is moving, I can always use the triangle to make sure. 1342631536 isn't this kind of thing mandatory?! granted not always available but man is it needed. 1314170914 Prove it :) 1346830414 >Really ? You speak French ? \n\nI do :)\n\nit felt like they were ticking boxes.. 'it cant be a plane, it cant be a helicopter,.."\n\nalso, nobody still says "oh la vache" :p 1338731276 I see a dog food bowl, but it might just be me... 1328987756 What were your experiences that you withheld from your aunt when she moved in? 1343633567 This always pissed me off... i just wanna yell, "Dude, this guy died a hundred years before the first English speakers even stepped foot on shore. He's not going to understand come over to this red light on my camera and tell me how you were killed." \nLearn some phrases in whatever language the people speak... 1344733620 [Brian Dunning is skeptical](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbbS-VhEPHc).\n\nBPA can be dangerous (according to some solid science) but the dose matters. And the level of exposure to BPA via "leeching" from plastic containers seems to be more hype than science.\n\nI'll admit that I haven't looked very far into this. If BPA leeching and exposure is as bad as some have claimed, the epidemiology should be obvious (how long have we all been drinking from plastic containers?). Some smart scientist will make the connection if there is one. 1278013028 I tend to agree. I do not care what people choose to eat. (Well except for the obligatory baby to get into the atheist club.) And I may even applaud arguments for vegetarianism/veganism based on trophic levels, sustainability, empathy, what have you. But I tend to get a bit miffed when someone who hasn't the slightest education in evolutionary biology makes grand pronouncements about how we've somehow gotten "off track" in our development. It miffs me even more when they do so while studiously ignoring some very basic phenotypic facts. 1297477047 surprisingly, no one has mentioned the [bilderbergs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group) 1262797910 This clip was proved a hoax ages ago. It was made by superimposing an image of a crop circle from somewhere else onto the video of the field. The orbs were added, and Voila! 1320054961 Well, neither does Nature, apparently, so if you wanted to banter about it you could of done it with them. 1353168422 You don't have to be smart to run fast.\n\nMedical Science takes a bit more mental prowess. 1344316897 For some odd reason, people people seem to link what they believe to be their knowledge to their egos. I admit that I too am not imune, but honestly, I have no idea why we do this. 1341847513 Reiki is my favorite form of bullshit simply because there's no equipment involved. The purest, laziest form of bunk. Truly beautiful. 1304992960 Doesn't raw milk refer to unpasteurized milk? Maybe I'm mistaken. Oh, and I've had my raw milk in Korea when I was growing up and more recently they had some at whole foods here in NJ. Though it's been a year or two since I've gone there (bit out of the way). 1317224954 Wow, cognitive dissonance much? The only thing you chose to get pissed about was the part about the building complex being demo'd in the 1970's and how the news station wrote that part?\n\nNever mind about the fact that the U.S. Government secretly tested toxic chemicals on the people who lived there for 2 decades, and actively covered it up for 50 years? No outrage there for ya?\n\nWake the fuck up. 1348616784 I agree. Sadly this is fairly normal because the timestamps on messages depend on when and from what they were sent, as well as connection lag. 1346897817 No, just be helpful and send her more of these charts. There's about a bazillion different charts, each with opposing information.\n 1349138822 I have to agree with this as well, even during the day when things are "less scary" I still get the teary eyes and the heeby jeebies. 1316727227 Hah! Hadn't seen that one. \n\nBut shouldn't the druid should be wielding the sickle?\n\n[Nah, HERE is the most convincing description I've seen ](http://www.santa-coloma.net/voynich_drebbel/voynich.html)\n\nI won't spoil it any more than to say that webpage is a fascinating read. 1307785308 if it's the same accident i know of, the answer is very simple and is an avalanche \n 1356237702 I always assumed it was woo. TIL there are two kinds of kinesiology. [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinesiology) sez:\n\n"Kinesiology as described above should not be confused with applied kinesiology, a controversial chiropractic diagnostic method."\n\nSo there's a woo kind, and a non-woo kind, AKA "human movement studies" (at least at Uni of Qld). 1331001627 Empirical foundations ≠ government 1354235872 Can't someone just dilute the bongwater to 200x after they smoke through itt? 1345260311 You wan't to believe, even when you are faced with logic, reason, and evidence. 1343532273 I agree, by why shouldn't they? If we don't question this stuff, every tween with an iPhone would be trying to sell us on garbage.\n\nThe point was made that as technology has advanced, then why hasn't the evidence. Fact is, in my opinion anyway, that so many people have fabricated exceptional 'evidence' that if a video of a UFO cutting you off and the alien pilot flipping you the bird were to surface, there is no reason to believe it is authentic. Guess you can say all those wannbe Spielbergs and "funny guys" have ruined it for everyone.\n\nAs evidence of this, all you need to do is search 'UFO' on Youtube. Most of it is crap. 1327287212 My standing is that NOBODY on this planet knows for certain if they are here or not. I personally do not believe in a shadow government. 1320600778 Put "Dumbass" to the left of skeptic. 1282232936 Well, I only just met him. I really believe respecting people is the basis of treating them well. But when I meet you and find out you are gullible enough to believe anything I tell you, how am I supposed to trust you? Doesn't mean I'll treat him poorly, but I will hesitate to rely on his judgement skills.\n\nHuman beings, I would hope, have an inherent need to be skeptical. At some point in life, this person turned that off. This is not conducive to making good calls in life.\n\nI thought about saying something, but he is a group member in a project for a class, and so I need to be able to work with him for a few weeks. 1317531094 Rolfing? I swear I had to re-read that three times before I realized it didn't say "Rofling" (Which would actually be fairly therapeutic.) 1287086104 I'm staying in tonight. I have a 6,660 word essay due tomorrow in my Introduction to Love and Light class. 1347978273 Of course we would have to see the advertisement first to see if they had made any false claims. 1348021776 Coins, eh? Her magnetic field is so strong it attracts metals that magnets don't even attract. I'll be damned. 1283025444 I've thought the same thing about making homeopathic remedies and selling them. I know I could make a killing, but my conscience won't let me go there. 1323842457 U mad? 1324562773 U mad? 1350506817 I don't, that is why it I said "if" 1344471982 Some governments will spray [malathion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malathion) from trucks or airplanes, but the point is to save lives from mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile.\n\nIn the case of Agent Orange, the purpose there was also to save American lives, as it was a defoliant that prevented soldiers from being ambushed. \n\nIt's a huge leap of logic from, "The government sprays chemicals," to, "The government sprays chemicals that are specifically intended to kill people."\n\nAs far as the argument that "Chemtrails stay for hours." The conditions where a contrail is will dictate how long it lingers. Thus, some dissipate quickly, some hang around.\n\nBut I think the best evidence against chemtrails is that it would have to be a massive logistical operation. From sourcing the chemicals, to installing and maintaining the equipment, there would have to be hundreds if not thousands of people from operations planners, to purchasing agents, to line mechanics that would all have to be okay with the idea of indiscriminately killing their own people. That would be impossible to do in complete secrecy. 1337369593 Yes. That video was on reddit a while ago. Read the comment section to it. It might be convincing if you don't know how easy it is to interpret a story in any way one wants to. 1356279463 i find this interesting 1341432429 I have never heard of a scrying mirror before ... can someone explain everything about this to me and what it is used for - I have absolutely 0 interest in actually using one or messing around with one but this sounds down. right. creepy.\n\nAny individual experiences would also be interesting 1312687882 pubes. this thread keeps getting better every month! 1354378311 Not really a glitch, sounds like typical Alien Encounters....probably should be over at /r/paranormal or /r/thetruthisnotoutthere 1354554948 Andrew is an idiot. I live in Amish country. I personally know two people who are Amish, live a very healthy lifestyle as you can imagine, that have cancer. My grandfather also died of cancer and he was practically Jack LaLane when it came to being healthy until it hit him. 1329889335 Um, I do believe that made me soil myself. Even if it's a fake; well done. 1342409703 I've tried it on my elbow when my tennis elbow flares up. It's so loose fitting and usually just falls off as soon as I get sweaty. It's definitely a gimmick. 1341315268 This is more or less the "history of psychology" section. It WAS touch and go for a while as to whether psychology would turn into a natural science; reflex arcs of Descartes didn't pan out, then phrenology happened, then Freud and Jung talked endlessly about dreams, hypnosis, etc., using the disciplined introspective approach (which is not quite rigorous enough). It wasn't until ~1940 that psychology came to use falsifiable claims.\n\nIn other disciplines, it's sometimes 100-200 years or more between entire approaches being overturned in favor of new ones (phlogistons -> oxygen). In psychology, it's closer to 50 years (introspection -> behaviorism -> cognitive psychology). That mass fluxuation has left some people on the fence as to whether psychology is a science. That's why the chapter is there; for non-majors, they may still be skeptical. 1337867764 It would be awesome if fortune tellers were forced to display a disclaimer on their businesses, something to the effect of "Fortune telling is fake and should be used for entertainment purposes only..." 1276269647 A scientist not being able to explain it to a satisfactory degree is proof of nothing. Just as not being able to explain lightning or the origin of species in the past wasn't proof that they were supernatural. \n\n 1346843707 Apparently the phenomenon just wouldn't occur when the cameras were watching: http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/071527.html\n\nThat, and the only time the author himself "witnessed it", it happened to appear under her finger which was itching her face. Amazingly, her skin often gets itchy before it happens. Sounds like slight of hand, despite what the few magicians who looked at it claim. 1288551197 Dart thrower's bias is the tendency of people to notice the hits and ignore, or undercount, the misses, resulting in the impression that (for example) a psychic's hit rate is higher than it actually was. 1351940654 Jokes? Every time a video is posted on this sub, some dipshit leaves a comment like that. Sure, it was kind of funny the first time... but on every video? 1356169586 i think this wins lol, no but seriously it looks like a penis on the drawing but it was weird dude, its the first thing my friend said he's like "Nice penis brah."\n 1353300729 Be careful of what the market might bear! 1313781465 > Also, the years 1947 and 1952 are interesting years to investigate with regard to UFOs, as an unusual number of airplane crashes occurred those years\n\nI've never heard that, and I'd love to see your reference. 1346721263 nope, just tap water filtered and put in your bottle. 1298432781 Let's assume for the sake of argument that 1% of UFO cases are actually of alien origin. This does not necessarily mean that these objects travelled faster than light or that they were occupied by alien beings. Is it not far more likely based on what we know at this point in our scientific understanding that this 1% are comprised of unmanned probes? Albeit they drop by VERY rarely and are rarely seen by human beings. What do you think? \n\nEdit - Adding to what I just wrote, what are your thoughts on the possibilities of exotic space travel that don't break the rules of relativity but bend or go around it? I'm sure you've heard of speculative theories regarding wormholes and the like. In a practically limitless universe, which is infinitely old, is it wise to totally discount the possibility that someone or something has come up with such a technology? 1337835720 If I were a homeopath, I'd be more concerned then. Dilute it in the water supply and it would be SO powerful!! ONOZ 1316130794 Unfortunately, a majority of my family would fall for this shit. It makes me angry. \n\nRAWR!!!\n 1343192469 You wanna hear something CRAZY?\n\n[Citation needed] &#3232;\\_&#3232;\n\nThere are levels of consciousness for every "Dimension" as we understand them.\n\n4th dimensional beings can make their craft and self physical in our world.\n\nThere are negative and positive entities, those who seek to serve self and those who seek to serve others.\n\nThe 4DNegative races have been here working with us for a long time but since they crashed in Roswell and we took their technology, they've been working more directly with most of the worlds government, and another ancient extraterrestrial dominion-based bloodline.\n\nThey're collecting information, yes, but generally just torturing us other humans to lull us into a fearful, lonely, depressed and angry state, to keep us stuck in the cycle of rebirth with them.\n\nThose that control the consciousness energy grid of a planet, become the spiritual leaders of the world. Go look at what's built on the focal points of that grid. \n\nEvery time a Major Galactic Alignment occurs, every 26,000 years or so, when we line up with our sun, and the center of our galaxy, our strings of consciousness will vibrate UP in dimension.\n\nThere will be a 'Dark Period'.\n\nThose that serve the self, and those that serve others strongly enough move up to 4D Negative and Positive respectively. (Very small number of individuals will reach this.) \n\nThe rest of us are dropped in 4D in the re-birth cycle, but still in the world (Space-Time) with extended lives and extraordinary powers you couldn't imagine yet, in a new golden age.\n\nThis is the rapture scenario, which is referenced indirectly in every major religion.\n\nOur test in this world is to feel the disconnection from the collective consciousness, the oneness we all share, and then reconstruct it with love and light.\n\nSpend 10 minutes a day with all your senses turned off, darkness, earplugs or silence.\n\nSuspend your disbelief and contimplate that you are connected to every other person and judge yourself for your actions.\n\nContemplate a coincidence that happened to you. Consider the possibility that your actions indirectly brought about the events that caused this coincidence.\n\nIf you then decided you have an idea on how to better your life by bettering the lives of others, you can be a part of something great.\n\nIf any of this strikes you, research the 'Kundalini.' 1332296424 Okay I didn't read as thoroughly as I should have. So that answers the question as to whether or not the reasons are based in morality. But what sparked the idea that its better for you in the first place? 1344216293 These are facts pawed down from Jesus 2, the golden soul retriever, himself. 1282686401 Ya you tell those Americans whats what.. 1309311108 >why are you so set against disclaiming this? [...] so my question to you is why are you so set against this idea that you have to convince everyone its false?\n\nI'm not trying to "convince everyone its false", I'm just pointing out that there is no good evidence that it is true either. I'm not convinced that his diet did play a major role **or** that it didn't--I reserve judgement until I see well-constructed studies that conclusively demonstrate (or fail to find) a causal effect, and this subreddit is a great place to find those (when they exist!). Demanding this kind of high-quality evidence is a fundamental tenet of skepticism--please feel free to read the sidebar materials if you need further information on the basic principles of the skeptical movement.\n\n>you are correct about one thing, we would need lots of clinical trails, but there is laws against this form of treatment, just like how some say cannabis helps with medical issues but it is illegal to do medical trails, my question is why? if it does not work then do the trials to prove it is luck not the trial that cured the cancer.\n\nIt is clear that you are confused about how medical trials actually work. [Here is a primer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clinical_trial) if you are interested. The short version is, especially for something like a diet change where there aren't likely to be substantial *negative* effects, it is relatively easy for researchers to construct a reliable series of studies to evaluate this kind of treatment safely, though the process does take time.\n\n>i certainly cannot see eating better as a bad thing can you?\n\nFrom what I've read to date, there isn't any evidence that this particular diet is any "better for you" than a large host of alternatives.\n\n>this person believed they had cancer and cured it, why are you so against this idea? if someone told me they cured head aches by jumping up and down on one foot while humming the national anthem, who the hell cares, \n\nI don't care what this man thinks cured his cancer--if he thinks the Space Witch of Alpha Ceti 9 cured his cancer using her magickal nano-broomsticks, that's entirely his problem. However, if someone wants to engage me and discuss my opinion on his treatment regime (by posting an article here for open comment, for example), I'll continue to point out the rational, scientifically defensible position to the best of my abilities.\n\n>good for them, they found something that works for them and we don't need everyone to agree that its true, its true for that person.\n\nYou and I have different definitions for the meaning of the word "true". I try to use it exclusively in the objectively verifiable sense (i.e. "anyone with enough time could verify the very same is true themselves", see also: [science](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_science)) as opposed to the more malleable "whatever I wish/think was personally truthiest is true" sense you seem to be using here. You're perfectly free to do so, of course, just as I am free to think you're irrational for as much. 1347904341 I don't know how people can rebut this. 1295170348 Faith only exists in an environment lacking evidence. When there is evidence, faith starves and dies. The evidence that the moon landing actually happened, for example, is overwhelming. It does not require one to have faith that the moon landing happened, one merely has to reference the evidence to accept that it happened.\n\nAs Matt Dillahunty has said, "Faith is not a virtue. Faith is gullibility." So one can understand how our brains are wired for gullibility, one can understand how that gullibility can be exploited by intellectual predators, and why we must be careful to reduce as far as is practicable that natural weakness in our brains rather than find ways to nurture that weakness. \n\nFor those reasons I am glad to have watched the video and I thank Phil Plait for making the speech. 1300240267 I would would wholeheartedly agree with you on all points IF my children were born at the time they were supposed to be. However, after I lay in the hospital for 11 days after my membranes ruptured, after I had round after round of medication that made me wicked ill pumped into me and after leaving my babies born weighing 2.12 and 3.3 in the hospital for more than 60 days.....I say, no-a cold is not minor. Not when I had to take them to a pulmonologist for 9 months to have shots to protect their lungs that were never meant to start working at 27 weeks....not when they had to get daily therapy to ensure they 'learned' how to go into a fetal position since they didn't have the luxury of learning to do that inside of me.\nBy the way, dented and dinged they are! My son bullies my daughter and she bullies right back! I guess you could say their social development hasn't been harmed along the way\n\n*Edit - As an aside, I actually WAS instructed by the Dr. to keep them so protected for so long....nevertheless, it was a lot easier to 'blame' it on him anyway. 1344468020 I'll do your work for you. Here's a link to one of the studies showing that all the claims you made in your post are false: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0020298&imageURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0020298.g001\n\nYour claim: "A whole 1.3% reduction in risk no less, what an astounding result": \n\nFrom the paper: "There were 20 HIV infections (incidence rate = 0.85 per 100 person-years) in the intervention group and 49 (2.1 per 100 person-years) in the control group, corresponding to an RR of 0.40 (95% CI: 0.24%–0.68%; p &lt; 0.001). This RR corresponds to a protection of 60% (95% CI: 32%–76%)."\n\nYour claim: "Of course the uncircumcised men weren't given HIV prevention education or equal access to condoms, where the circumcision group was":\n\nFrom the paper: "At each of the four visits, each participant was invited to answer a face-to-face questionnaire, to provide a blood sample, and to have a genital examination and an individual counselling session....The counselling session (15–20 min) was delivered by a certified counsellor and focused on information about STIs in general and HIV in particular and on how to prevent the risk of infection...Condoms were provided in the waiting room of the investigation centre and were also provided by the counsellor."\n\n\nYour claim: "the circumcised group couldn't have sex for at least 4 weeks of the study which weren't accounted for"\n\nFrom the paper: "After the screen visit, which took place at month 1 (M1), the three follow-up visits took place at the end of M3, M12, and M21. The M3 visit was designed to study the possible impact of surgery on HIV acquisition as a result of sexual activity during the healing phase following circumcision or contamination during surgery. "\n\nEdit: fixed link\n\n\n 1346091235 Aren't they all "former". Hey guys things have been kinda slow so let's create some hype and sell some books... 1340889217 Thanks for the YouTube link. I can't stream it here in the states. 1295152125 This was posted on Youtube less than an hour ago - I wonder if it resembles what your fiance saw? Unfortunately there appears to be very little information given with the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiPGqvFp_MY 1348299289 It's an example of the [genetic fallacy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_fallacy). The person is basing his or her conclusion (you don't know what a war crime is) on your 'origin' (never being in war) without assessing the content of what you said (e.g. A feminist saying you can't understand because you're a man). \n 1327471134 Could it anger whatever is there? 1350279214 The guy in the elevator is probably not a bad guy. Even she didn't think he was a bad guy. But please understand something. Asking a woman you have never met before to go to a hotel room for a coffee is something a CREEP does.\n\nIt is not an acceptable way to meet girls. There is a coffee shop in the lobby, just feet away from where he propositioned her. And I say propositioned, because, seriously, if a girl goes to a hotel room with some guy she's never met before, isn't the onus on her now if she does get raped? It was a proposition. He expected sex if she went up.\n\nThey were in a public place, and he did the cull from the herd thing to get her alone, and then tried to get her to agree to go somewhere completely private and he hadn't even spoken to her before then! That is what a CREEP does. And I'm not so sure the guy in the elevator doesn't want her raped.\n\nIt is disheartening to feel like you constantly have to defend yourself against creeps whenever you are in public.\n\neta I'm not downvoting you. I disagree with you, but I'm not downvoting. :P 1351102612 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Zeiss_Planar_50mm_f/0.7\n\nFor [Barry Lyndon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Lyndon#Cinematography), Kubrick actually used lenses that were also used for the moon landings. Coincidence? I think not! (Low light lenses are exactly what he needed and had already been created for NASA.)\n\n 1351639642 Hitchens referred to it as "keeping two sets of books". Dawkins calls it "compartmentalizing". It doesn't mean that these people are stupid (some are, some are not) it means that they can allow themselves to not scrutinize areas of their belief system. I, personally, can't understand how people keep "two sets of books". 1331502222 Righto, missed that. Edited 1350163863 It's amazing how many people who don't even have a good grasp on simple arithmetic consider themselves experts on quantum mechanics. 1240896667 I have a problem with a so-called skeptics who believe anything not based on evidence. 1324357914 Everything is not a conspiracy. There is a mountain of evidence the size of the Moon to backup germ theory and the efficacy of vaccines. 1281223826 Report her to the administration, and threaten to go to AP/IB whatever certifying body if they don't reprimand her and enforce some administrative control. 1345433726 Well that's just wrong. It's not unleavened bread if it's got a rising agent. 1340541972 Nope pure water is a 7. Zero is very acidic 1339605786 You're right, I guess I used too strong wording there. The best I can do to refute his point is present studies that state that there is no evidence of a link?\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17168158\nhttp://aapnews.aappublications.org/cgi/content/citation/25/3/105\nhttp://jama.ama-assn.org/content/290/13/1763.short\nhttp://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/114/3/793)\nhttp://www.ajpm-online.net/article/S0749-3797(03)00113-2/abstract\n\n 1302806795 Well, if evolution were true, she would obviously have evolved photosynthesis.\n\nCheckmate, atheists! 1335457163 >Hmmm...and AMA sounds interesting. Is there such a thing as "Skeptic AMA?"\n\nSure! I think you just submit a self post in /r/skeptic with a title something like "I AM A skeptic who works in a natural foods co-op. AMA!"\n\nI'd love to see the discussion, and have some questions of my own I'd pose for you. 1300831082 It's not in *everything*. It's barely in *anything*. It's never in fresh meats or vegetables of course, but it's not in many processed foods either. I just went into my pantry. It's not in the potato chips. It's not in my bread, peanut butter, can of baked beans, cans of soup, packets of hot cocoa mix, or 3 kinds of dry cereal. Went into the fridge. It's not in my pasta sauce, or in my cranberry juice, where I thought it actually might be. Not in any of my yogurts, or mayonnaise.\n\nI did find it in one place, the ketchup.\n\nMany of these things did have sugar added as dextrose (glucose) or maltodextrin (a polymer of glucose).\n\nWhere did the idea that HFCS is in everything come from? 1344882742 Sounds like cooper road. Right down the street from Whipporwill.\n\nPeople actually do routinely die on Cooper. Mostly bizarre car accidents. Over the years, its been at least 1 a summer. The one a few years ago a person was decapitated by a large branch as the car was launched 10ft into the air into a tree. It was some kid in his new evo. \n\nFound the head on the road, and the car in the tree. 1318008744 Brilliant. This needs to be in elementary schools, right next to the alphabet and multiplication charts. 1337456177 >Dr. Jeffrey Norton, a specialist in cancers of the digestive system at Stanford University Medical Center, said an estimated 80 to 90 percent of patients are still alive after 10 years\n\nThis is simply not true\n\nHere are some more reliable stats:\n\n"A very large series of 13,715 carcinoid tumors from 3 consecutive cancer registries of the National Cancer Institute revealed that, in 138 pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms with a very long follow-up, the actuarial 5-year OS was 37.5%. Another high-volume surgical experience showed that themedian OS for NEPT was 41 months.[20] In the same study, half of the patients developed metachronous liver disease during observation, which is slightly higher than our institutional rate of 37%. We are well aware that, at a median observation period of 30.5 months in our study group, our data are to be considered preliminary. However, we would like to suggest that our radical surgical policy might possibly account for our excellent calculated survival rate of 49% at 5 years. As mentioned, we observed a lower incidence of liver recurrence than the surgical study mentioned above. Studies from other referral centers have shown slightly worse OS data, and differences in surgical management are not mentioned.[23]"\n\nTaken from here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/552050_4\n\n 1317916672 i like how cuban calls out motherfuckers. especially skip bayless. 1354006178 My first thought would be family curse. My friend's 24 year old niece and her 2 cousins were killed by a drunk driver. This niece's dad's side of the family have just way too many random early deaths. Too many to just be a coincidence in my opinion. 1354936581 Conspiracy theorists are often very supportive of each others theories, even if they are contradictory. It is a general rule that inhouse fighting is bad for book and dvd sales, and could make it harder to get speaking engagements. \nVarious alternative religious groups, like new age, do the same thing. 1343433291 Yea, the xrays with 6 screws and a plate are quite illuminating. I'm glad I had a general anesthetic. 1319522701 Well I watched it. Kind of meh. Stock footage cut with real testimony mixed with out of context actor opinion. The implant extraction was interesting but I've seen a much longer and more detailed documentary about this on UFOTVstudios YouTube channel. The cigar UFO photos were skipped over which was a real shame... They looked interesting, but there were only two identical images held up to the camera. This was a 747 full of people all watching a giant cigar UFOmfollow them at close proximity - why this did not make world news or somebody take some serious ca,era footage is nuts IMO. 1347922335 Ok now I've spent far more time on this than I ever wanted or intended. The maximum level of somatic cells for Grade A pasteurized milk is 750,000 cells/ml.\n\nHow did you get a volume measurement out of that? Wouldn't we need to know the cell count on a full milliliter of milk before extrapolating any sort of percentage? I just guessed it with blood, and that isn't even fair considering milk is mostly fat, sugar and proteins. 1349936021 I wanted to present a bit of geographic and racial diversity to /r/skeptic and I distrust the dogma of /r/atheismplus. 1353477032 It has pretty much everything to do with privacy. 1355020619 I'm in Northwest Arkansas, but I know there is a pretty active freethought community there. Check on meetup, and I bet you'll find some people who are interested! 1349185891 Those do look like structures, pretty big ones at that. And there seems to be a fence with evenly spaced poles. If the structures were reflections there should be a smooth line which would be the dish/antennas underside edge, I don't see that. Im wondering about the sky though, which makes me think this is from earth. Im gonna come back to this because it's a great little mystery. 1293734771 They have a few of these in downtown Pittsburgh. Freaked me the hell out seeing that they were a worldwide thing. 1321739146 Absolutely normal photos taken in a dark location with unsteady hands? 1331914825 I love *the Demon Haunted World*! D'oh, should have been a no-brainer. Thanks :) 1328484846 Nuclear Engineer here, maybe I can help.\nNuclear plants are AMAZING feats of engineering. Radiation levels are constantly monitored, and the plant is built in such a way as to have multiple levels of safeguards in case of an accident (I can only speak for the US, but UK and France follow the same plant designs. Can't speak for China, Japan, Russia, and Korea). Case in point, Three Mile Island. Everything that could go wrong, did. Yet, no radiation was released to the public and plant workers received no alarming dose of radiation. Not one person was hurt or hospitalized.\nI really could spend all day debunking common myths about radiation. If you have any specific questions, fill free to ask. 1317219877 Eeh...The first article is about Obama's quote concerning Roswell. Is that....how is that remotely suspicious, or am I missing a joke here? I'm an open minded individual and that just made me laugh.\n\nAlso, from now on I am referring to him as New Mexico President Obama. 1332727195 The trick to staying calm is remembering that this is not necessarily a ghost. It could be energy vortexes close by creating small eddies that move stuff around or reflect images your brain has be preprogrammed to believe they are ghosts. It could even be things your own mind is doing that may be manifesting physically. Sounds like the biggest fear you deal with is fear of the unknown. Face it head on and soon you will be looking straight in the eye and putting yourself above it. 1337171596 Wat? TV remotes use infrared (IR). 1346026320 Really, you're going to downvote me even though you [CAN SEE THE FRESH TILLED DIRT IN THE VIDEO.](http://i.imgur.com/8Lmun.jpg) 1352907032 As a vet, I deal with all sorts of wacky shit people come up with regarding their and other peoples' animals. Some of the stuff you alluded to near the top of the piece is OK; dogs ARE social animals and like to have company. \n\nYou will get a much better response if you use mostly positive reinforcement training, as the reinforcement has to come immediately following the behaviour you are trying to influence, and often you find out about bad behaviours (shitting somewhere naughty or eating the cushion) well after the fact. Having said that, if you catch the dog doing something bad, you can provide some negative reinforcement immediately, as long as you follow it up with positive when it does the right thing.\n\nIt is possible for animals to develop injection site sarcomas from vaccination, but the numbers that do are extremely low, and I doubt anyone who has seen a dog die of parvovirus or distemper would argue against vaccination. One thing you could discuss with your vet is vaccination interval, as there is increasing evidence that components of the vaccines are better than we have previously given them credit for, and you may be able to extend your revaccination interval out to three years or more for some pathogens.\n\nChinese herbs and acupuncture are interesting ones, as while animals are relatively immune to the placebo effects themselves, their owners will often treat them differently following some sort of quackery, making it look to them like the animal has improved or changed in some way. 1311374677 in all seriousness. I love his character more than Sammy. idk, guess Dean is more relatable. just started watching this show literally like a week ago. I'm already on season 4.\n\nalso blew my mind when I found out he played Red Hood, in that batman animated movie..\n\n[spoilers]\njust crazy how he comes back from the dead just like his character in Supernatural 1346809200 An appreciated dose of optimism to start off a morning.\n 1303912540 I have no clue. Maybe humans have a kind of hive mind that we don't really know about. haha 1317351203 I think you're around an hour behind me. A camera is a really good idea too. Hope all is going well with the capture. Lol. 1340265594 I think you're right. 1354477485 I don't know. No where it says it is a female demon in the movie. I do know Katie refers to the demon as "him" in the scene where the entity breaks the couple's photograph. Well as long as it works out for you man, i am happy.. 1319076610 Have you tried sniffing around [the IPCC's Website](http://www.ipcc.ch/)? 1336037629 I used to dream about my pets as well, because, you know, I was around them a lot. 1343724338 Given the large amounts of the human population that are either religious or believe in some kind of spirituality, I would question whether it's "common sense"... Then again the arguments that we here put forward are in large part just common sense arguments *stated clearly and systematically*. Unfortunately many people even after hearing them still can't manage to apply them, such simple concepts as the burden of evidence being on the person making the claim for the existence of something. 1330306751 **SEVEN** shots!?! 1320283284 Please do, I'd love to see it again. 1344729053 Probably, it was a pretty shitty point and shoot kodak thing. 1317533286 Soros is their bogeyman, basically. Just like the left flips out about the Koch brothers, the right is terrified that Soros is $SOMETHING_SCARY . 1343924395 I agree. I readily believe that acupuncture offers relief from radiotherapy side effects. But I also conclude based upon the repeated studies of acupuncture that it offers no more relief than the placebo effect alone. 1355373445 You will never find the evidence you are looking for on the internet. In today's world of video, photo and audio editing software, it's impossible to present something to another individual that cannot be disproved. I personally have tons of evidence that I've gathered over the years, but I don't show it to anyone, because I'm the only person that knows for a fact that it isn't intentionally fabricated. The only evidence that cannot be disputed is personal experience, and it's only true evidence to the individual having the experience. If you truly want to find evidence of the paranormal, you have to go out and find it yourself. You will never find it by sitting in your livingroom waiting for someone else to present it to you. 1349093118 How many stupid things does one have to believe before being accepted/labeled as "stupid?" 1300543157 thank god the dick is gone is it fun being a troll? 1341984603 You know, as an unemployed person living with their parents, every day I think about whether or not I should develop a similar legal scam like homeopathy. 1299444642 Quacks are always on-topic in r/skeptic. 1353955688 Whether they're flares or not isn't even being talked about anymore, you idiot - and, for that matter, please give your concise argument for why you think they're flares, keeping in mind everything that's already been discussed, addressed, and refuted.\n\nOr maybe . . . perhaps . . . you might want to just fuck off. 1339911483 I think you've kind of missed a few points.\n\nFor one, check out PZs & Phils blog. Nearly all the comments are by feminists claiming that Rebecca is entitled to her views because "do you know many women are raped?!" So there are quite a few feminists who have turned this into a gender battle about male-privilege and sexism. Although initially Rebecca did not take this stance, she seems to have jumped on that band-wagon now. \n\nSecondly, the point where I said:\n\n>What you're not allowed to do is use force and harass after you've been told no.\n\nWas directed at the guy. \n\nApproaching a woman is okay, asking a woman out is okay. However, once a guy has been rejected, move on. Any harassment thereafter is not cool. This guy calmly asked her to coffee, she essentially publicly shamed him as a creep; even though he did nothing wrong. It's at this point, going back to one of my others, that the feminists chimed up using female sexual assault as a justification for Rebecca's creep-shaming. 1310044345 Please Sir, If, as you say, it took the brain surgeon who taught you 40 years to learn this technique, how is it that everyone you taught could learn the technique in 5 minutes? \nHow have you been able to successfully keep quiet 25 people who suddenly acquired the power to move objects solely with their mind? Such a power, which violates many known scientific laws, would make anyone possessing it wealthy beyond belief. Surely, some of them, would, just as you did, demonstrate this for those close to them. How can you be sure one of them ( or someone they have taught) won't claim the JREF million dollar prize, ahead of you ? \nAren't you doing humanity a gross injustice by not immediately advancing this power, which will so obviously enhance our understanding of science? If confirmed, this power would be a radical change across many disciplines of science. Please, I would really like an answer to my questions. 1355605027 >People who fall for quacks on matters of life-or-death are not 'smart', by definition.\n\nPeople with these types of "cures" promote them with what they label as research and when they call themselves doctors, it's not hard to convince someone who is grasping for hope because they have a terminal illness. If you happen to have brain cancer but not much family available for support, you may find yourself mentally foggy or having difficulty processing information. \n\nEven if that isn't the case, you can be a well educated engineer but not know how the liver is different from the spleen. Not everyone is a physician.\n\nThe irony is that your insistence that the victims of scams are simply not intelligent is evidence of your own feeble mind.\n\nIt's clear from your posting history that you need reddit as a means to feel superior. Rather than actually achieve something, you have to belittle others to raise your own perceived worth. 1342738219 Crazy... crazy people. It's conspiracy all the way down. 1318549426 Similar situation to what I experienced. I was at a party and I was explaining a straw man to someone using the magic bullet diagram you always see as an example, when I hear some one say..\n\n "wait ... what? There is no way a bullet could do the things in that diagram."\n\n"That's my point. The fact that no one ever said a bullet could do those things, and it wouldn't need to to cause the injuries sustained by Kennedy and Connolly is what makes it a straw man."\n\n<crickets>\n\nThe interesting thing is that no one was invested with the idea of a conspiracy. For most of them, it was just one of those things everyone knows. They didn't defend it, they had just never been exposed to the facts. 1337893892 Actually, a few are elephantshit. The rest are likely sincere. Weed out the sincere but misguided/mistaken ones, and some are still left that are not very explainable from our normal way of viewing "reality." 1331521728 > Correlation does not equal causation. Well, sometimes it does.\n\nNo, never. \n\nI think you are saying that things can have both a causal and correlation relationship. In fact if you have a causal relationship, then I would be surprised if there were not a correlation relationship as well.\n\nIn other words, the concept of correlation is never, ever the same thing as the concept of causation.\n 1261202714 The light isn't a perfect point source. Light from the left of your lamp arrives at a slightly different angle as from the right. So there is a zone of fuzziness around every shadow. This is called the *penumbra*. It's from the latin *umbra* meaning shadow, and *paene* meaning almost.\n\nWhen you bring two objects close together, the penumbras will seem to join together. Because when you bring things close together, you eliminate the other paths for the light to take "around" the other. So that area right between them gets darker even if they aren't quite touching.\n\nSome other people in this thread are alluding to an unrelated effect, diffraction. That's really only visible at small scales. \n\nAnyway, kudos to you for being so observant. 1334215147 In truth, western birth rates are not the problem. The problem of overpopulation could be stayed by eliminating poverty (people in third world countries have way more kids because some are likely to die, except that inevitably more survive than were planned on), but that's just too darned inconvenient.\n\nAt the same time, China now faces a real social problem where hundreds of thousands if not millions of men cannot find wives. So unless they start going gay en masse, you have a really large, really unhappy demographic on your hands. 1313944137 If it's toxic black mold, cleaning it yourself can be very hazardous. It could expose you to a large dose of toxins that you can inhale or absorb through your skin.\n\nNormally mold is caused by moisture. Killing off all the mold in the house with bleach won't help if there is still a moisture problem. Instead, do what you can to prevent condensation, puddles, and flooding in your home. If that doesn't help you may need to improve air circulation in the moldy areas, or even use a dehumidifier. 1336000465 whatever 1317699008 Theres plenty of evidence that vaccines have traces of mercury which has been directly linked to autism. But, this girl was a porn star, what the fuck does she know, amirite? 1279146106 Cant really answer that right now, I don't have enough info at this time. The interesting thing is though he doesn't mention any of this in the article, I thought he would; I'm a new sub here and though some other people on here would have some answers to this stuff. 1263097029 Polyethylene, A string of carbons with hydrogens along the sides. Sounds pretty organic to me. 1328668355 I think you have something! 1354038485 I, too, know that casino.\n\nHooray! 1326564547 Looks like Zelda.\n 1334001694 Further, considering they already found a burial of the opposite--a female warrior buried as a male, and since traditional cultures from the Caucasus Mountains to Island Southeast Asia have genders not tied to biological sex, and even "modern" cultures do as well, this seems much more reasonable of an interpretation.\n\nIn the case of archaeology and historical linguistics, the fact that--as the maxim goes--"behaviors don't fossilize" often leads to a bit of conjecture. But not unreasonable conjecture. 1302406143 Truth need not be evangelized. They had facetime with the facts their entire student career.\n\nThe idea is absolutely disgusting, treating science like a religion. Ugh.\n\nNot only that, if you promote sciences as you would a religion, it would actually have the OPPOSITE effect. Religions are exclusive to eachother, so if you hand out facts in the same way you would religious nuttery, they will dismiss it the same way you would a hare Krishna at the airport. \n\nScience and religion are two different realms and as such have to different avenues of propagating. Why would we dress up a sheep in wolfs clothing? 1312988320 Those terrorists had it coming! 1352900990 Interesting that the police told the news station that they could not investigate until a complaint had been made, but now they can follow up on all evidence.\n\nWith that said, even thought he police have asked the e-mails to stop, IF YOU HAVE EVIDENCE of him sending death threats on line, you should still forward this to the police.\n\nIf the police act like they don't want this information, then they are not doing their job. 1313362418 I posted about it but it's down on page 11 or 12 now or something. The definition of "opaque" changed, from my perspective, for several months.\n\n5 or 6 other redditors posted "Hey, me too" comments. Then we argued about whether Australia is still where it should be and whether all those islands near it are too big now and too close. 1327510371 >providing profiles of these leading antagonists to homeopathy will hopefully shed light on the nature of their information and how trustworthy they may or may not be. \n\nThe whole reason for the attacks is to discredit their arguments by making them appear untrustworthy. It is indeed ad hominem. 1317745193 Was it just a blimp at the opening ceremony of the Olympics? To my eye that's what it looked like, the apparent disc shape I thought was just a result of reflected light but I heard a news report that said there wasn't a blimp operational at the time. 1345727358 I think you eventually died from age. 1328066206 You know... I think so too. I think we're in for a very weird time ahead. 1298408677 She says "cases for which they could find no other explanation"\n\nYawn. She's also talking about a french report that skeptics panned for a lot flaws in their methodology. I've spoken to you about this issue previously. \n\nThe JREF forums have done a great job fielding a vast quantity of [these claims.](http://forums.randi.org/showthread.php?t=156375) 1304136096 "Aliens"\n\n-The History Channel Guy 1335116973 ,...And to add to what DangerClose1 said below, what were missing is the altitude that these were dropped from to determine length of time in air,...if we dont know that, then your just guessing as I am,... 1317038599 I absolutely agree. One hundred percent. Skeptics should not be afraid to turn a cold eye to anyone who acts this way. 1310582647 Verified. 1333042318 Given a choice between loud flight and glowing lights, I would pick the glowing lights, because everybody hears a jet when it's passing overhead, but very very few people look up to the sky. 1321474066 How about a nighttime picture with it being caught in an up and sideways wind draft? 1340240736 Followup? 1340911383 The link doesn't work. What was it?\n 1321443388 My uncle thought he was Saint Jerome... 1352156394 No no no these are defiantly Chinese lanterns. 1347827425 Some believe that if Sasquatch does exist, there's no way modern science would be unable to detect even the smallest possible breeding population of seven-foot, 300-pound, hairy man-beasts. 1341868503 The bigger issue is, if you contract toxoplasmosis, you have a weakened immune system and should probably see a doctor about that. 1328914356 My RA did that, too. We shared a suite and he one day he came in with a gallon jug if it and used it for pretty much everything. Hand soap, bath soap, shampoo, toothpaste. 1297191114 Sure, but that makes them "Fail as a parent"? What if you had a rough day and your kid is very active and healthy and he wants a candy bar and you just don't want to deal with his shit so you buy it for him\n\nNo parent is perfect, little slip ups like that don't make people fail as parents. Their kids lives aren't ruined because of it and life goes on. No reason to get all self-righteous about it. 1344978150 Jesus! I posted that days ago and forgot all about it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go look under my bed. 1330222106 It isn't. The effort is a constant process of education. It never ends. Don't be satisfied with the clique, let's continually bring new people in.\n\nHow would people ever learn this unless it was brought to their attention? This is good stuff. 1348925259 it'll certainly be one when the star dies. and if we can sort out intergalactic travel by then, i'm pretty sure killing all of us would be impossible. 1335750582 Do you suffer from migraines at all? Have you ever had any other "out of body" or heightened sense experiences? \n \nThe reason I ask is about 5 years ago I was diagnosed with **chronic aura migraines**, and here are some of the symptoms I often experience right before a migraine: \n \n* feeling "hyper"\n* sensitivity to light, sounds, or motion\n* seeing things that aren't really there (hallucinations)\n* blind spots\n* inability to read or write - I know I can recognize the letters on the page, but I can't comprehend them \n \nI sometimes experience these "aura" effects without even getting a headache at all. Before I knew what it was it used to scare the hell out of me. I'd just be reading a book or typing or something, then BAM I would have this out of body hyper feeling & no matter how many times I try to read the same word over and over, it just doesn't make any sense to me. 1327523303 I thought [this](http://i.thestar.com/images/40/73/c227a4af47aca2d2617c0381188b.jpg) style was particularly useless ([relevant article/video](http://www.thestar.com/videozone/1235054--taping-an-athlete)). 1344005040 Because it's a television show that depends on advertisements, network support, and ratings in order to exist. But most importantly, because we have no evidence that human consciousness survives after the death of the body, and because we have no evidence that evil spirits exist, or that spirits exist, or what spirits are supposed to be. 1352140180 People on Reddit don't have sex... silly... 1292938746 Of course not. No more than you're suggesting that governments are always evil and ill-informed. "Always" is an awfully strong word. 1328318151 It measures changes in the GPS, and, if present, FM radio receivers.\n\nEMF is not necessarily a ghost, but may indicate their presence.\n\nWhy the hell are you so hostile? 1316437956 As far as context for us, I don't disagree. But I can't help but feel these things are narrow-sighted. Humans will either change or they won't. That is all that really matters to us. But that wasn't the point I was making. Your use of balance is a very narrow context. We are not above the cyclical nature of the universe. 1352829359 I don't think people respect the outcomes of elections, there are plenty of people who are against the current government, it just happens that the government holds enough power to enforce the decision made, I don't see why this would be any less true for a lottocracy.\n\nThe only issue I see with lottocracy is deciding how large the decision making body should be, the larger it is the better representative it is, the smaller it is the more capable of making decisions it is. 1332068140 How did you manage to write so many words and actually say nothing? 1345653634 In the end, for me, it's not about the which religion, it's about the idea of all religion. It's not the people, it's the ideas they form from the religion. There is a gap, in critical thinking, for all belief in god(s). However, I've nothing against(heh mostly..see liquor complaint below) the people of religion having their beliefs, as long as they don't impose them on me and those that don't want it. It's a group of people in the religion that tend to do bad things, rarely the single person acting alone. That idea of them leaving others alone is nice, but not generally practiced even in our separation of church and state(I live I Utah...can't buy my liquor from a STATE liquor store on Sunday - people can't sell cars on Sunday, etc). \n\nYou don't have to blow up a building to destroy people's lives or cause fear and terror, racism, sexism, etc. Religions are still the king of with us or against us and many -isms. Which, to me, is bad. 1307595987 I had a dream like that... it was awesome. There were millions of them floating in the woods as I was driving through an out of use cemetery.\n\nClosest thing I saw like this during waking hours was a "white wolf" that appeared by our campsite during summer camp. I put "white wolf" in quotes because it was dog-like, it was white, but it was too huge to be a wolf. When we (about six of us) spotted it, it looked at us with glowing red eyes, turned away and booted so fast none of us could keep a flashlight beam on it. \n\nIn the area, there are coyotes, black bear, deer, and the odd mountain lion which the game commission claims doesn't exist.\n\nThis was not a coyote. Too big. Not an albino deer. We all knew what a deer looks like and this had too big a head. Not an elk either. They're really pretty much unheard of in that section of woods. \n\nNot a mountain lion but its movements were cat-fast. I mean, it ran to our left, across the street (passing under streetlight next to the camp road for less than one second) and from there was unheard and unseen. We searched for tracks after the initial pant-shitting but it was too dry. 1340850050 Series premiere! UFOparkour, only on History! Followed by Swamp People and Ice Road Truckers. 1339691380 If I was a Doctor operating privately, I'd refuse patients where the parents were proven dumbfucks. 1310768706 erm, yeah, sure, Williamson. . . 1256824396 Agh, makes sense. Thanks for the explanation 1326037308 Well, the wing really does have aerodynamical properties and could lift the thing. Or you mean like toy, that could actually fly? Might be, but wouldn't they be able to build something like that in human-size then? 1344126044 i hear they look exactly like us 1325461492 Erich von Däniken\n\nDon't know why, I just love hearing him talk.\n\nThere's always this little "what else do you people need" urgency to his voice :D 1336909814 My favourite part was when Noomi Rapace's character declared, on the basis of *absolutely no evidence at all* that these apparent aliens created human life. Because that's what she 'chooses to believe'.\n\nThat was the first time in my life I genuinely facepalmed, and I did it so hard that the slap was audible to the people around me, even over various giggles from the audience. And managed to knock my 3D glasses off to boot. 1341190403 ...no i didnt. You made that up because you were sad. 1348376754 There are empirical psychologists. You have to make a distinction between the different types of psychology. Skinner was a psychologist, Pavlov was a psychologist. There's the Freud types, sure. But, a lot of empirical scientific methods were developed by psychologists. Pavlov was instrumental in promoting the importance of eliminating seemingly innocuous variables (remember the lab coat variable?). \n\nI see people tearing apart psychology on here all the time, but there is more to it than "Tell me about your mother". That's psychoanalysis and it's not the same as say, Pavlov's experiments with operant conditioning or Skinner's behaviorism models. \n\nI work in behaviorism and many of the psychologists are very rigorous in their work. To the point that sometimes I think they sacrifice the human element when working with clients. \n\nDismissing psychology completely in all its forms because psychology has come to have a tainted name is not skepticism. \n\nI don't know about this particular study. But, I don't think we should see "psychology" and just dismiss findings outright, which is the impression I get reading r/skeptic.\n\nIn fact, in general, I see a lot of things dismissed on here because of speculation or a misunderstanding of the discipline. 1333970196 > There is a popular theory referred to as the 'Big Bang' theory. It tries to explain the existence of the universe in an evolutionary manner having an initial beginning with an immense explosion of some gases or solid mass. Some say there first was a void or ’nothingness’, or perhaps, some gases which exploded then from this everything in the universe simply began to evolve to the stage that we see now. There has never really been any solid evidence for this idea of 'something out of nothing' concept. Nor for that matter, the evolutionary theory itself.\n\n0/10 for being too much of an idiot: As if quoting the wikipedia definition of the big bang would have taken more than 20 seconds. 1349814978 This is supposed to be r/skeptic. Since when is "ask the people who sell it" a good, skeptical, answer? Given the amount of [woo used by some pot promoters](http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2011/11/25/a-little-dose-of-hemp-will-cure-everything/), it's completely legitimate to come here to ask whether it works. 1323315002 You keep failing to read the point with regards to the 90%.\n\nThe issue is that 90% of the diagnoses of the US-ADHD is pretty much US-only phenomenon, 90% of the kids diagnosed with ADHD in US would not be diagnosed with ADHD in most European countries, because of different diagnosis criteria. If you tell me you have US-ADHD, from my POV, there's at least 90% chance that you do not have something that would be diagnosed where I live. Do you understand the concept that the world may not be centred around your country? The EU has quite effective education, somehow, even though, supposedly, 90% of the cases of this horrible US-ADHD which so needs to be treated with amphetamines and other stimulants, go undiagnosed here.\n\nHere's a study showing that the difference is due to diagnosis rates:\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1525089/\n\nIt is a little bit outdated because you guys doubled the diagnosis rates in some regions, since the 2003.\n\nSecondarily, the creationists believe that they have factual support for their creation science when they don't. So do you with ADHD. Thirdly, you don't even seem to have thought through what the factual support may even look like and how it would distinguish a disease from 'lets call 10th percentile of ill behaved kids a syndrome'.\n\nFourth, and this is absolute killer, \n\nwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2933294/\n\nThe rates of diagnoses differ between the month right before kindergarten cut-off and right after, by **as much as factor of 2** . The study is seriously splitting hairs with regards to over or under diagnosis. \n\nThe conclusion from such huge variation due to the factor as trivial to account for, is very simple: utterly incompetent diagnosis and de-facto lack of definition of disease beyond the 'ill behaved kid'. The thing is, unless those rates of diagnoses were totally fabricated, your country treats people with amphetamines for this disease of being born right before the kindergarten cut-off or any similar condition that you ought not to treat with amphetamines (e.g. slightly slower but perfectly normal maturation). Not that the amphetamines don't help, of course. As a stimulant they do help kids cope with their wrong birthdays, and their slower maturations, and their inattentive parents, and the boringness of curriculum dumbed for lowest common denominator, and pretty much anything.\n\nThe US-ADHD is the most messed up piece of US-only 'science' that I've seen so far. It totally beats global warming denial and scientific creationism.\n\nThis is not to deny the rest-of-the-world ADHD, which is likely a real condition, with prevalence of around 1% or less. Disorders like that tend to have low prevalence, thanks to evolution. Sometimes, there's a brain abnormality. But not often. 1350113954 I think it comes from the different expectations of the shows. I have never once even considered Matt and Trey to be skeptics. South Park is all about making fun of everything and everyone, so I don't bat an eyelash at any of their ridiculous scenarios. Real Time seems to be meant to be more of a political discussion, given the inclusion of the panel discussion portion of the show, so I expect a higher standard of its host. 1349611991 Yeah, ignore the experts on the subject. You know that in /r/trees there are probably people who make the kind of lotion you're asking about, you know for a living... THC lotion is available for purchase at many places. \n\nYou said you understood about alcohol's absorption through the skin from mythbusters? I don't remember that particular episode but THC is soluble in alcohol. Thus it makes sense that if alcohol can get into your system through the skin then THC can. 1323309602 Where can I watch this for free? 1324533505 Agreed, but his comment seemed to refer to the root cause of cancer. Mycotoxins might cause cancer, because they cause mutations. 1248886418 Hey, it's [appearing in unrelated science news stories](http://rnd.cnews.ru/natur_science/news/top/index_science.shtml?2007/11/30/277525) about black holes too. Wow. 1356094695 There was a half-penny coin at one point. 1326306196 Yeah i messed it up when i posted it, i put the link in the text area if you are still interested in seeing it. 1354013759 Yes, I got that reply from another person. Here are the options with which I present you: 1) A hoax so elaborate, your mind stretches to fill the gaps like someone on r/conspiracy 2) A real, genuine communique.\n\nAs to why they might not use the same media. Fuck it. I'll get downvoted to shit. Science has become corrupted by politics. RAS, the institution founded by Newton was required to withdraw a study and fire a scientist because the study showed there were health risks to GMO's. This is all mainstream news, btw.\n\nWhen Monsanto has the power to make the Royal Academy of Sciences withdraw conclusions? Well, it's official. Science is institutionalized and politicized. You can see this more easily when the cure to depression and ADHD (both non-physical diseases, ie, behavioral) ... are chemical compounds. Pfizer and Merck can get a scientist to convince you that some chemical compound, that they discovered because it was a side-effect of another compound -- is the cure. \n\nSo why would I, as an alien, respond to Earth along the paths of censorship, and modern politics? We're in r/UFO's after all. Do you personally believe the government has been telling you the truth about aliens?\n\nI would respond in such a way that the message could reach my intended recipient. And that's, IMO, what happened. 1351860219 Well cyanide and arsenic aren't synthetic. 1341257539 Thank you. I was hoping this wouldn't simply get quietly buried. :)\n\nI think we should all be able to agree to disagree on things of opinion while processing converging evidence *and* remain civilized in the debate. I don't feel personally offended for the silent downvotes, they just made me think maybe I should have written a shorter message. ;)\n\nI'm not autistic, I don't live in the US and I'm not a parent so I'm not pushing for an emotional argument of one thing over another. I don't think I've ever personally known a pathologically autistic person, neither child nor adult.\n\nI wish people would consider science first, personal peeves second. \n\nI too am moderately convinced there's no link between vaccination and autism, and fairly convinced that mercury is generally bad for living organisms in most of its derived forms. This makes me **pro-vaccine** and **anti-mercury** and these terms should not be in contradiction.\n 1256414425 If the injury is muscular in nature, why is it sending pain signals? Because there is damage. 1325821209 That's what I said.\n\nMy point was how quickly people are to condemn things as ineffective or inaccurate just because it doesn't give them the answer they want. 1333549581 I get that a lot. 1301443012 I don't see trepanation coming back any time soon though (unless it's for relieving inter cranial pressure). 1339848222 You're making the same assumptions as the OP, just on the other side of the spectrum. Why can't both of your ideas be valid? 1344711946 I know is sarcasm, but I'll bite.\nI would start by arguing that the idea of the 'five senses' is a misconception. Secondly, brain function is not immaterial. There's roughly 30 billion neurons in your brain working and transmitting information. Your thoughts just don't pop up out nowhere. If they do, please explain from where.\n\nCheck. 1322105109 As you should know, Carl Jung thought that great events cast shadows into the past (from the event's point of view).\n\nYou can ask whatever you believe in to send you wisdom dreams and healing dreams. Ask just before you go to sleep. You might still dream of the future but you may also be able to de-fuse your fear of dreaming of the future. (For example, a dream of the house being on fire might turn into a dream about being watchful when you run the grill, or a dream about installing and learning to use fire extinguishers.)\n\n 1347309163 Totally. But he's slowed down on his anti-creationism too. Also AronRa has done massive amounts, but not lately. 1332802946 Yeah, that's the one. Sorry, I guess there's been so much Qigong talk in my life lately that I assumed everyone knew what it was. Ha. 1297016248 It's reminiscent of that inept hitman sketch from Kids in the Hall, where the hitman discovers his target is *himself*.\n\n...so he asks for the money up front! 1356365651 And seriously, why would he think that reality is limited by planets visited? What if those other planets aren't real either? 1331323725 Wait how exactly do we know how many atoms there are in the universe?! That seems like a kind of nebulous concept... Other than that...\n\n*mind blown* 1327420803 I was on your side up until you said this. The belief about the relevance of belief in deities is very independent of that belief itself. "Yeah, I believe in God and Jesus. But it doesn't matter 'cause when those nukes hit Washington, we'll be dead either way." 1308249931 If you're looking for a podcast that deals with the paranormal but does not take itself serious at all, check out "tales from the spacepod" It's a bunch of guys sitting around discussing various topics with a lot of off color humor. It's pretty raunchy and entertaining. It's nothing like what you would normally find on parapods. It's not for everyone, especially not folks who take themselves way too serious. They often make light of certain topics, But I'm pretty sure if you really wanted that information taken serious there are probably already 25 different podcasts or episodes of coast to coast already touching on it that you can look up and listen to. 1310416277 hi. the astronauts did have at least two 16mm film cameras with them, but obviously that's not how people watched it live on earth (as film isn't live). they had on the surface a slow-scan video camera shooting 10 frames per second. that signal was received on earth in australia i believe. the slow-scan video was converted to NTSC standard with a device which essentially points a video camera at a monitor. then that signal was sent to the rest of the world. and we got to watch it on (in my case) CBS.\n\nif instead you wanted to *fake* it on earth, according to the theory you would need slow motion. slow motion obviously doesn't happen live. it needs to be recorded at one speed and played back at a slower speed. there were limits on how much real time live action you could record, either on film or video. hence the need to edit clips together for the final product.\n\nif it was possible in the 1960s to record continuous video on 2-inch quad tape and play it back at 1/3 speed, then that might have been a solution to the challenge. to my knowledge (i was corresponding with an engineer who worked in network television at the time) that was not yet possible. so i resorted to the idea of the disk recorder, which they indeed did have in those days. but due to size limits that seemed unlikely as well. so i tried the theory of filming it on 35mm and subsequently transferring it to NTSC at 10 FPS. that gets pretty ridiculous pretty fast as well — but more so if you have personally fought the battle against dust on film. 1356453458 This discussion does go some way to explain why some Redditors are forever alone. 1309624881 actually quite the same as yours. thank you so much 1353602234 Why is this in r/skeptic?\n\nI don't think the subject matter is relevant to this sub reddit. \n\nThe internet vigilante-ism needs to stop. Police were contacted. The only other thing you could do is drive over to her house and check on her, which why haven't her numerous friends already done so? 1301843987 nope believe it or not i don't smoke weed, it's been happening since i was a child, i wonder what would happen it i DID smoke weed? 1347037365 I picked up my puppy when he was barely 6 weeks old and he is as socially and physically healthy as can be. He loves other dogs and other people, because that's the way I raised him!\nIf you would like to learn how to raise your dog in a loving, scientifically conscious way you should check out Zak George's [videos](http://www.youtube.com/user/zakgeorge21) on youtube. He rejects the outdated dominance/alpha theories and instead focuses on healthy communication between you and your dog. \nLet us know how it goes and good luck! (seriously the first couple of weeks are a nightmare...) 1353966175 Really? There isn't one single thing you can think of that sets a drastic difference between post WWII Americans and Americans of post-technology-boom of 2012? Not even one simple discernible difference? 1334512666 How does one know the difference between "beneficial" reprogramming and "harmful" brainwashing? 1290294359 >We're sorry but this site is not accessible from the UK as it is part of our international service and is not funded by the licence fee. 1333777001 Richard Feynman said it, and plenty of people still define it as a social science, that is, not a real science. Until it can make laws which result in accurate predictions, that will continue. 1337859004 I have some new news about this actually. It seams that they might be going down there to find out what it is, And the expedition is planed to start in Maj if all go to planed. it looks like they may contract with a major TV company on a series about the expedition. [Source](http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article14286092.ab) (OPS its in Swedish so cope paste test to google [translate](http://translate.google.com/#en|sv|miagt)) 1327881864 well, technically the brain is where stroke comes from. 1341223845 I didn't say we shouldn't be training kids in using the internet for the better. There are so many skills to learn online - there are so many educational resources. The internet is the future. But how is this an argument for them to be used in an uncontrolled setting during lecture time? That's the same as reading a novel during a lecture on math. How is that anything more than a distraction (and before you bring up CS classes, I also did not say the school shouldn't have its own computer lab).\n\nMaybe I should have been more precise - technologies that play ubiquitous roles in our lives are simply too ubiquitous to be used in a place of scholastic focus like a school -- if they are to have a role in schools, then they should be somehow limited to academic research. It may be nice to teach kids how to use a mobile phone, and educate them on ethical usage (not overcharging their parents data plan, for example), and maybe even mobile programming.\n\nThe example of a calculator really isn't suitable -- obviously calculators are not distractions. Well, atleast, they are much less of a distraction (they are distractions when you do calculations on them that can be done mentally rather easily). But really - you compared a calculator to a mobile phone and to an internet-connected laptop **in their uses to a child**? \n\nBy the way, my high school did **not** allow calculators, and I don't think we ever did calculations complex enough to require use of a sophisticated calculator. At the very most they may have required add/subtract/multiply/divide/square root/log/exp instructions, a far cry from the graphing calculators and complex scientific calculators (including matrix operations) that they advertise today. This is simply a waste of money unless it is carefully allocated to advanced classes that need them. 1305512520 I hope so, and I expect so. 1331429575 When I decide what to eat for lunch, I don't require high levels of evidence to make a decision. However, when it comes to my personal health I prefer treatments and medicine that have been "proven in court" to work, and not some random quackery that *might* be beneficial, but could just as well be harmful. 1327961175 youre right, too. This BBC thing is one of the sillier arguments that turned me right away from 9/11 conspiracy theorists. 1350830304 444 means "angels surround you." 1326647373 No, they're an important part of the metabolic process, and studies have shown positive effects, BUT they're not the cure-all that health fads and Oprah make them out to be. Like the immune system, it's about balance. \n\nDr. Stephen Novella of the Skeptic's Guide the Universe has stated that you get enough antioxidants in a healthy, balanced diet, and should never have to supplement for them. 1299423965 Are you a woman? If not, you have *never* seen this behavior because those comments are being addressed toward women, not men. And the women who might bring it up? Well, they get attacked and told they're making it up and that they're the problem. Kinda (read: exactly) like you're doing now. 1338600286 The skull looks like it is screaming. I guess I would be too if I was looking at skinless people.\n\n\nEdet: Cpeling 1334455900 You should try this Ghost Box simple to make. It's called the THE DEVIL'S TOY BOX http://youtu.be/yobfgac21YI 1345606860 Now you seem to be blamming all the problems on the US. I guess even if I point out that aid workers in some African countries require armed protection you would find some way to blame the US for that.\n\nThe US has caused many problems, but they're not the only reason that these countries are dangerous places to be. 1294711474 Are you taking submitions for locations? 1336829455 Betty and Barney Hill weren't sleeping - Travis Walton wasn't sleeping, The Reed Family, Police Officer Herbert Schirmer, Betty Andreasson - and the list goes on ad infinitum... 1348221484 >If there is all this information and serious study, then why isn't that the main attraction?\n\nMainly because anyone interested in looking at this stuff seriously is considered a kook from the getgo. It's now a built-in reaction in our society. I've taken a ton of crap from friends/family for being interested in it. Even here on Reddit (outside this subreddit) you will get torched by people for even entertaining the thought. Try commenting in r/space some time. Those guys are vicious.\n\nFor us, though, it's like taking the Matrix pill. Once things start adding up you begin to realize there's something to it. It's the biggest puzzle in our lifetime in my opinion. \n\nIf you work through the history of how this information has been handled since the very beginning, and by who, it becomes clearer just why this stuff is still beneath people's radar. The 'cult of ridicule' is very strong in our culture. There has been an intentional campaign of disinformation for many years now, and there are floods of false info out there that seriously confuse the situation. If you look for patterns among the serious researchers, though, you begin to get a rough picture of what is probably going on. Separating fact from opinion and staying as objective as possible is crucial.\n\nDolan is at the forefront when it comes to objective fact-based research in this field. He covers the ET possibilities more than Kean does because there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence to support that theory. The sheer mass of documents he has compiled is amazing to me.\n\nI've never seen anything on television that is worth watching. There was an interview with John Mack years ago that was good, but not much else. Always open to recommendations. 1292275393 >How to deal with ideas that are so crazy, they are hard to even debunk?\n\nUsually, Hitchen's Razor does the trick for me.\n\n"What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."\n\nSo these scam gurus can heal anything? Ask him for proof they can heal this or that. Don't settle for an anecdote or a testamonial -- make him demonstrate scientific proof. Ask what experiments they've conducted, ask for the study data, etc.\n\nSo crystals have healing properties? Ask him where the proof is. Ask him which peer-reviewed journals publish the evidence.\n\nAnd so on. Ask him for proof the government is covering up evidence of Planet X, ask him for scientific research proving that there are 144 dimensions, ask for the proof of how quantum thinking accomplishes crossing between dimensions, etc.\n\nThe more you demand proof of things, the less he will be able to show you, because such proof doesn't exist. Eventually he will tire himself from running around in circles searching for something that isn't there, and he'll be faced with the truth (that it *isn't* there) and will either have to accept it or deny it. If he accepts it, great, welcome him to reality. If not, then the "you're wrong and I don't want to discuss this further" approach is fully appropriate. 1354655322 It is fraud -- claiming homeopathic remedies cure diseases is false, so you shouldn't be able to advertise that they do.\n\nAdditionally, read the [homeopathy page](http://whatstheharm.net/homeopathy.html) on WhatsTheHarm.net for why it should be illegal. 1296515511 >There look to be a lot of links and referenced data\n\nThat's a very low threshold. None of the links go to studies or actual data. Instead, nearly all of the links go to Mercola's own site.\n\nWhen evaluating health claims, please hold the claimants to a higher standard than providing links to their own sites on the Internet. 1278707245 I wonder if he can taste the shit leaking out of his ears. Activated nonsense detector is going off. Soak almonds in water, let them sprout a bit, then dehydrate.....there fucking activated. 1352030182 I find people calling every subreddit I subscribe to a circlejerk much more annoying than the actual circlejerking. For example, I have to scroll half way down the page to get past people complaining about this post to get to people actually discussing the post. 1331727449 Until he releases the catalyst, which i think he is trying to patent - which is very anti science of him, people are going to consider it a scam. 1318959911 A single study done by a single person is hardly "proof". Even if it was, the conclusion you reached is not what the article was saying. You are claiming it has "no effect on weight management". All his premise was is that caloric intake is more important to weight loss than quality of food. This seems like a no-brainer to me. Of course, if you over-eat you will gain weight, no matter what kind of food you are eating. If your normal caloric consumption should be around 2600 calories and you limit yourself to 1800 calories a day, of course you're going to lose weight, no matter what you're eating. You're also going to starve yourself, especially if what you're eating has little to no nutritional value. \n\nIn order to show what you claim, he would have to do several studies on much larger groups of people, in which people at the *appropriate* amount of calories. The control group would eat an average diet, and you would have two test groups: one would eat a diet similar to Mr. Haub ate, and the other would eat only the healthiest food possible. Ensure that all three groups get the same amount of exercise, and *then* compare the results. Given enough time (I don't think 10 weeks is adequate for such a study) I think you will find that the group eating the healthier food will not only be slimmer, but will be healthier and feel better, too. 1321928818 I know :( all the pet stores in my neighborhood are "natural" pet stores, so none of them carry proper deworming medicine. Or even flea stuff that isn't "natural". 1312925170 >you reach a point where more income doesn't equate to paying more in taxes.\n\nYou didn't address my post at all did you? Taxing luxury items just brings them further from my grasp. 1337377374 Yeah but how are their meats, cheese, wine and seafood? 1349200265 My mom worked on a mental health ward for almost 20 years, she insists that while there may be no scientific proof behind it, her patients were more psychotic during full moons. \n\nPersonally, I don't really care either way. 1353429972 I'd feel conflicted if I were selling something I knew to be woo as "the real thing", that is, I was misleading the customers as to what they were buying.\n\nBut I don't think I'd feel bad about selling woo if I weren't personally endorsing it.\n\nWould putting some sort of disclaimer on your web store make you feel better? "No claims made as to efficacy...", or the ever-popular "For Amusement Purposes Only"...? 1308064850 'Don't lump me in with those fucking tools, I'm actually rather intelligently put-together...'\n\n- Magic 8-Ball 1311116338 That's all very nice of you to say, and I appreciate it! 1337704575 Who's dick you gotta suck to get a beer around here? \n\nHey do you guys get HBO? 1346047234 I fucking hate that I know all of these brands. 1349841234 Stress brought it on? 1329830265 It would be kind of cool to have a /r/fakeParanormal or something like that where people can share their best-faked videos of UFOs, ESP, demonstrations of "magic", etc. 1309218393 I wish she would just go back to being hot and quirky. 1268414346 There is no need to be confrontational. What's wrong with the question I asked? 1332352537 Penn is the only rational thinking person on there that is making a point. 1356145975 If you try to convince them otherwise you'll just end up frustrated and hating humanity. In small settings it's one thing, but stuff like this really attracts the true believers and there isn't much you can do to convince them. Most importantly, remember than the more evidence you pile on contradicting their views, the more it will reinforce them to begin with. 1330271463 You are saving him from a lifetime (or at least a childhood) of being too gullible. In our house, edseljr had to learn how to use her bullshit detector well. She is now 15, with a wicked sense of humor and fully fluent in sarcasm. My job here is done. 1330736365 >I'm sorry but I don't really understand this issue. I was raised so neutral that I never saw a difference between black or white or male and female.\n\nUnless you were also raised outside of evolutionary influence this can't be the case, but it could be that you are not as aware of subtle nuances in your prejudice due to your upbringing. Most people are not.\n\n>It resembles the Christians claiming persecution while being in the majority.\n\nAre you claiming this is like women claiming persecution? If so, then you don't seem to understand women are historically an oppressed minority. 1322571452 [Buzz Aldrin explains Apollo 11 UFO sighting](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7RUwbqrO08&feature=player_embedded) 1346098342 Neat! Try parking your car one day with a camera at night....you might catch something worth while! 1344763028 Listened to the whooooooooooole thing. Sounds pretty believable, but from the sounds of it unless I can build a shelter in the next 8 months that will hold me underground for 7 years I'm fucked. None of us normal people have the kind of money it takes. OH well, sure hope I go out high as fuck\n 1335503709 looks like a beautiful home, by the way. 1356329264 Well I am certainly persuaded. 1356461427 They either begin hallucinating, or think they have begun to hallucinate :) 1338987329 Am I the only one that remembers when TLC meant The Learning Channel? 1355523504 Upvote for Dr. Mike Swords. He's one of the best in the business. 1328135424 We are already making contact - if there is another species that can see light. They will see our [light](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpIFd2nVXgk). 1336613309 If they were going to pick up and leave, I wonder what kinds of reasons a civilization would have for totally scrubbing a planet of any evidence you ever existed? Seems like kind of a waste of time an energy to me, or just a marvelous prank on their part. 1260565872 You do relise that fireworks = light pollution = very difficult to see past the fireworks 1343984159 Good for you! Quick question about the infographic- is it normal to describe the position of something in space using north/west/east/south? "Earth is nowhere near the galactic plane . . . 24 light years **north** of the plane."\n\n\nI'm a bio person and at best an armchair astronomer. 1297941150 (As featured in Secret Access: UFOs on the Record) Looks like his operation is mobile, allowing Trumbull to travel to where a UFO flap is happening. His operation would be an excellent blueprint for other UFO interested photogs, I'm guessing! 1314373053 Speaking of the CIA, they have a nasty habit of helping to overthrow democratically elected governments: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_sponsored_regime_change 1320931736 The claim sounds plausible on its face, but it seems to me that even if there is selective pressure toward producing persuasive arguers, there should be a similar pressure toward resisting persuasive yet incorrect arguments. 1305012049 Well, protection of good-faith magical thinking is already enshrined in a lot of our legislature, it shouldn't be surprising that it becomes common law at some stage. 1327590200 Oh.....I read as \n\n> This is difficult to agree with.\n\nI'll just see myself out... 1343004288 What if you added a parenthetical sentence to the question? Something to the effect of:\n\n(Obviously, since we're not talking about fractions of an atom, round to the nearest whole number.) 1328260554 Take immunisation for example. How are new immunisations tested and checked for long term risk. I'm not talking about the unqualified concerns that have been raised in the public domain eg Autisim and mecury etc. But how do we systematicly check for problems that have not been identified? 1244190164 The emperor's new clothes? 1323245936 >I think I have some of those "For Rectal Use Only" stickers....\n\nEven better than "placebo" :) 1315423954 The most i heard pertaining to the Templar knight's was that somehow their organization formed into the entity that we know of today as the Freemason's. Sadly I don't have link's to the article's where that was stated sorry I wasn't much help. 1316936524 There's no way that those things work! They're just cheap knock-offs of the Power Balance bracelets, I'm sure they're not built to the same high level of scientific quality.\n\nI'll bet the vibrational energies of the hologram are way off and not calibrated to your body at all. You'll put them on and find that either your energy is ramped way up and you become too hyper, or it drains your energy leaving you feeling lethargic.\n\nDon't be fooled, get your moneys worth by buying the ones that sell for $60 or more!\n\nBecause if you buy these ones, well, you're just wasting your money! 1317518954 Either way, general variation between black and white races exists. The study stated there were differences between different black ethncities too but not bigger than the differences between the black and white races examined. 1345132899 I didnt even think about the EXIF data. 1336484033 I've had quite a few over the coarse of my life. I get nightmares mostly though. I can tell the difference though. Like being able to feel the wind,taste food or drink, ect. Almost all of them have actually happened within days of having them but a few have yet to happen but i see things leading up to them. 1328468373 I don't know, it seems like a very American idea to rise up in arms against your own government like that. It's not that I don't see where it's coming from, it's that this very hypothetical future civil war seems like a bad reason to have everyone armed with automatic weapons today.\n\nIdeally only special police forces should be armed with regular guns. We're quite close to that in many places, even if non-lethal weapons have introduced their own problems. Shootings where I live are so rare that every incident is big news and gets its own investigation.\n\nManufacturing of guns should be regulated as well. 1342998679 Yep. Milgram was one of the first (with studies definitely designed to figure out whether the Nazi phenomenon was a fluke) to determine that the average human, given the proper authoritarian instructions, would turn a blind eye and cease to give a rat's ass about fellow humans when ordered to do so. All of us would like to think that we would stand up and tell the experimenter to pound sand as soon as the subject started to sound like they were really suffering. Time and again, though, he proved that we wouldn't, and that's the really scary part. 1337839937 LOL @ the dragons were hanging out for 7 minutes and this is the one best photo he took. This is about as real as your average porn stars rack ladies and gentlemen. 1328920287 Disclaimer: I don't actually follow the paleo diet, so I can't speak for the details. I do, however, do something like it and I think the general idea is sound. \n\nRather than trying to actually emulate what was actually eaten by cavemen (which I agree is not really knowable to a large degree and pretty pointless as an end in itself) I think the basic point is: if it wasn't around thousands of years ago, don't eat it. That means fresh fruit, vegetables, beans, meats, herbs, water and other natural produce - basically no processed or 'modern' foods or takeout. Even low-fat and diet foods are to be avoided.\n\nIf this is your diet and it is balanced (proteins, good carbs, good fats and natural sugars) and you combine it with regular exercise I fail to see how a person could not lose weight and obtain optimum health. Supplements, other than maybe a vitamin tablet a day, should not even be needed. \n\nI really shouldn't have been so lazy and said the paleo thing. I figured it was a shorthand for all the stuff I just said. 1288832434 "Clinically proven" is a marketing term. It can mean anything. 1305075846 Why not provoke and try to get evidence of its existence? 1341755277 And how exactly did you come to this conclusion? 1300728940 The biodiversity stuff is interesting. It's also not very controversial either.\n\n> Regulatory limits are influenced by lobbyists working for industrial agribusiness: [...] This one is a little less "let's write a science paper about it", so it might be a little tough yeah?\n\nThey should all be "a little tough." If you're going to make accusations of any kind I would hope the burden of proof would be fairly high. Ideally I'd need the same kind of evidence that would be convincing in a court, not an anarchist magazine like Mother Jones.\n\n> Them bees, it's not just the pesticides,\n\nThere are a whole bunch of competing theories about what's causing colony collapse from EMR to pesticides. Preliminary papers, while interesting, will not cut it.\n\n> So like, I don't know, if your mind is already made up\n\nMy mind is nowhere near being made up which is exactly why I'm asking for evidence. Many people want to pick up an idea before having evidence and then maybe look later. That's not how skeptics do things. They hold no position until the evidence is substantial.\n\n> science and policy has been wrong about some pretty big things\n\nAnd it's going to go on being wrong. And wrong some more. It's how progress is made. This self-correcting mechanism is central to both science and skepticism. Many people seem content to go on being wrong long after new evidence has come to light.\n\n> it is kind of amazing when you think about what you just did.\n\nIt's neat. But vegetables aren't the only rewarding things one can make. 1347137801 Imagine how much they've done in half a century. 1331265328 I'm not sure about the videos you are referring to, but generally it may have to do with sunset and a high altitude aircraft reflecting sunlight from beyond the horizon. 1297788661 Happy to help. I've spent a lot of time researching avenues for action against alt-med practitioners and testing them out for myself. The best advice I can give you is this: be reasonable but be persistent. Both are key to getting shit done. \n\nIt's easy to be angry and frustrated at just how prevalent stuff like this is, but if that anger and frustration isn't communicated to agencies that can (or more often, should) do something, the practitioners will never suffer consequences. \n\nLet me know if there is anything else I can do for you and let me know if you can what happens (leave a comment under one of my posts on Skeptic North). 1347752151 I wonder if they will teach how to treat a drowning victim. 1297981406 It safe to say it was not 1k in size. If it were, even if it went inside a volcano, anything that size, traveling that fast, hitting anything on earth would cause devastation in a 1000 mile+ radius.\n\n 1351683749 Underwater Philosophy. 1327817413 This is how a late-term abortion is performed. But they are illegal (I think everywhere) except when there is a legitimate medical reason (like the mother or baby have a low chance of survival). If you're looking to respond, you can tell them that this is not a typical abortion and even if all abortion is outlawed, this will still occur as it is a necessary medical procedure. So this should have no bearing on the debate. 1328665432 This is /r/skeptic, not /r/bestof or /r/worstof.\n\nBut I agree that this isn't really a useful submission here. 1321846783 Good to know. I went because I have a shitty back/hips/knees. Adjustments DID make my joints feel better. I mean, it's not that far fetched that a joint can get slightly misaligned and in need of adjustment, is it? 1341891380 Wide loads late night, police keeping the lanes open.\n\nThey were Jacobson Flanges used in creating methane gas clouds and such. 1250561131 Man created God in his own image 1354212126 BAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH 1344542107 Hahaha. I love when people make up definitions... 1273211696 Four year olds are made of sweetness, cartoons, and telling you they didn't do what you just watched them do. 1312421759 Homeopathy is [utter drive](http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/homeopathy-awareness-week/)l. There is no plausible mechanism by which it could work and lo, research indicates that it does not. \n\nWe have a name for alternative medicine that works. We call it "medicine." 1342495134 I think that we, as scientists, should not jump to deus ex machinas like this so easily. This is too like "God did it" 1322427490 Sleepwalking is one of those things where you will probably never know. I remember being about 7 and repeatedly sleepwalking into the kitchen to talk to a witch who lived there. I also would, on other sleepwalking occasions, wake up peeing into the laundry basket. Was one paranormal and the other mundane? To what extent can you expect to understand the effects of the paranormal on a dreaming person? 1333985835 Well since people who believe in a soul think that it isn't a part of our universe, if they're right then there needs to be no physical process. The point is that we can't know it doesn't exist, but that instead we have no reason to believe it can exist. There is a difference. 1320539987 I was thinking of the one I saw in Best Buy this past summer. If I did get a new one, I'd want one bigger than what I've got. 1351769418 I re-read the article and I agree with your reading of it. I can now see how the OP was hoping to score a big blow against medical science with it.\n\nI also agree that there is no comparison to be made between biomedical research and economics. We can see that there is no merit in the comparison by confining our attention only to the outcomes of the two fields. Biomdical research has extended (and is extending) life expectancy and treatments -- if not cures -- are being discovered. Where is the progress in economics? We still have bubbles, recessions and we recently had the worldwide problem stemming from the securitisation of USA sub-prime mortgages. This would be the medical equivalent of having regular pandemics that kill thousands of people.\n\nYou are correct that very few clinicians read research papers or even reviews and meta-analyses. Most either use a pharmacological or genereal medical desk reference and some will just read the literature provided to them by the pharmaceutical sales representatives that visits them to leave boxes of sample packs, branded pens and notebooks. This is unfortunate but it doesn't really indicate that there is something systemically wrong with biomedical science or clinical practice. I think it is simply that these clinicians are lazy or else they are pre-Internet and don't know about *Pubmed* and *PsycINFO* (or else know about them but don't know how to access them).\n\nI found Ioannidis' *PLoS* paper and the responses to it:\n\n[Why Most Published Research Findings Are False](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124)\n\n[Why Most Published Research Findings Are False: Problems in the Analysis](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040168#pmed-0040168-b001)\n\n[Why Most Published Research Findings Are False: Author's Reply to Goodman and Greenland](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0040215#pmed-0040215-b001)\n\n[Power, Reliability, and Heterogeneous Results](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020386)\n\n[Author's Reply](http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0020398#pmed-0020398-b1)\n\nI haven't read all this -- it's late here. 1290000745 lol I had no idea, but that's a real sub! 1353093890 Your anti-christianity bias is blocking your ability to think logically.\n\nHoly water certainly does have a tangible value.. threefold:\n\n1. Water is generally not free - now, it CAN be. But I doubt they make holy water from the lake out back.\n2. Container to hold the water\n3. Time (=money) of the priest to preform the blessing 1345216557 *mmmmmmmmm...donut on the moon....arrrrrggghhhhhh*\n\n- Homer Simpson 1331994424 Yep. Saw a group of kids with something similar to these, trying to "trick" people. Might be going to far, but sometimes I want to bring a pellet gun with me and shoot them down :P\n\nBasically people should be paying just as much attention to the movement, as they do the appearance. Something that just floats along a lazy, linear path, should set off warning bells. 1356927021 what a coincidence the aliens also have strong English accents !!! 1327981586 I don't know how this pic could be any BETTER than this! 1350639930 You can't even prove bananas exist. 1346561130 These are the seams I see:\n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/ccZt8.jpg\n\nBasically, though, when looking for artifacts like this, consider the likelihood of the object being exactly parallel/aligned with seams and being off by even a couple percent. If your artifact was at any kind of angle, I probably would have been willing to give it a second look. But what you have here are a couple of high points caught by the light in one frame and not in the other, giving the illusion of orthogonal surfaces. 1302528347 I woke up one night at about 3am and i saw a black figure leaning in close to my leg. It took a second but i realized it was my buddy Tyrone who just wanted to go outside to pee. 1327978233 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Hutton\nHere's a few (I'm just confirming people with the name exist). And there's definitely more. As for a website searching for specific people, I don't know. 1318268343 There's also the matter of the masses involved (and thus inertia); once a building starts to collapse, it'd take one hell of a lot to divert that collapsing material more than slightly to the side. We're talking some 500000 tons of material here, after all. 1349622468 ...slow clap. 1323978736 but when I deliberately induce SP, this never happens. But I guess you could be right 1350025153 You just really don't want to beleive me huh? Well that's perfectly fine, I don't really care. Since we were going to the same place why not just follow him? I can't understand why you think this part of the story is such a big deal. 1355270521 It's quite relevant for lazylion to state a subjective opinion that it worked without having to justify the central premise. The measure of whether it works for someone is their own opinion on how they felt before and after.\n\nI'll back lazylion's story with my own, I have had back problems for over a decade and often used chiropractic to assist. I find that chiropractic treatment reduces pain and increases joint mobility. Whether it's bunk or not, I would continue to seek chiropractic assistance for this condition for those reasons. 1341902510 Obvious trolling is obvious. \n\nConservation of energy yadda yadda. The equations of how magnetic field works, electrical currents work, etc etc are well known to very high precision (required for making said hard drive or said fan, too) and conserve energy. \n\nI can imagine myself uploading such troll video for sake of finally convincing some friend or what ever that they're too gullible. The whole hard drive parts, the motor... it's just way too funny, i mean, don't you think you need to understand how magnetic field works to make hard drives and fan motors? 1348485157 I personally like Fact or Faked because they put a real effort into trying to duplicate what they see in paranormal videos. I don't care too much for the UFO/Alien videos, but when they do night time investigations they usually get some interesting stuff. 1335286171 Of course not but that nature is a pretty important part of gender and shouldn't be brushed aside in favour of the artificially inflated importance of culture. We are biological machines. 1283183352 You realize that if an alien race wanted to conceal itself, it would do a better job than our government could? 1328140104 The more people allow themselves to be superstitious, the more ignorance prevails. 1325416105 >So, all it takes is one example of us saying "that's impossible" and being wrong to defeat that particular argument.\n\nIf the argument is "We can reliably know whether something is impossible", and I show that we can't reliably know by showing a case in which we didn't... then yes, the argument is defeated.\n\n> If I say all cars are blue, you only have to show me a car that is red to disprove me. \n\nAgreed. by "disprove me", you mean "I have disproved your assertion that all cars are blue", which is logically equivalent to "there exists some cars that are not blue", which is equivalent to "not all cars are blue." OK\n\n>However if I say cars are blue and you show me a red car claiming that not all cars are blue, I'm going to look at you like you are stupid\n\nIs your contention here saying "cars are blue" meaning that when you say it you're not implying "All cars are blue", but instead are meaning "some cars are blue"?\n\nIf I show you a red car and say "not all cars are blue", if you were treating me as a reasonable human, I would expect you to think something along the lines of "Oh, he must have thought I meant all cars are blue, I see where he's coming from."\n\nThe only other difference between the two scenarios I can tell is that in one I showed you a non-blue car and let you deduce that not all cars are blue, and in the second one, I showed you a non-blue car and told you not all cars are blue. You look at me stupid just for saying something you should have known up front? I don't follow.\n\n> You could have taken his statement at face value and given him the benefit of the doubt\n\nFucking hell. I have been presented with that exact argument about 2+2=4 from three different angles. I have no fucking idea what "face value" means in that context. I have been called out for not understanding the persons intent in each case, because I couldn't magically divine from which angle they were coming from. Just let it go already. Unless you're goign to say I'm laying about having been presented the arguments, in which case we're done.\n\n>No, you chose them because it's conversational English. \n\nI'm not a liar.\n\n> Let's not pretend we're writing our doctoral theses here.\n\nI was making a very formal assertion, in relation to things of 100% certainty here (100% is a big deal). It may not be a thesis, but I was using precise language anyway. If I were writing a thesis, I wouldn't have had to hedge that last sentence, because I would have been spending more time on a fully expansive scope, having more space to do it in.\n\n>I've shown you above how colloquially, your phrase could be easily interpreted as such especially given the context provided. \n\nAnd I don't disagree it COULD BE taken that way. I have since told you what it was INTENDED to mean. You don't get to call me a liar and tell me I didn't mean it that way. You could just tell me to be clearer next time or something, as insultingly as you like. But you don't get to just tell me I didn't mean what I meant.\n\n>That context being that we can't even say that 2 + 2 = 5 is impossible when it is closer to an axiom than supposition.\n\nI don't know how many times I have to say you're right in order for you to stop trotting this out as if you've said something novel. The argument there was about context, and I have already explained how I didn't know what the OPs context was. You think I'm lying... oh well.\n\n>You have large biases for your own presuppositions and refuse to grant others even the slightest benefit of doubt.\n\nThe main contentions here have been over very precise vocabulary. We have had very little to say about actual suppositions. Stop confusing things.\n\n>>There are things we don't know, and if you pretend to have actual 100% certainty about things, you are very often wrong.\n>If you pretend, sure. If you have facts, data, and sound reasoning to back up your certainties, you can be right about the things you are certain about more often than wrong.\n\nFucking hell again. I said "100% certainty", you reply about being right more often than being wrong. What the fuck man. You can't even keep the context together for 2 sentences in a row.\n\nI never argued against the practical notions. I don't understand why you keep crossing the two contexts up. I've stated I didn't know what the OPs context was. I've explained my position in both contexts. You refuse to address that position. You prefer to just accuse me of being pretentious when you're the one who won't even address the basic issues at hand.\n\n>We have a word here for that: woo.\n\nBullshit. Woo is about accepting that the things are actually true. I have never claimed any of these possibilities are actually true. Just that they're not provably impossible. That says nothing about whether I think they are actually possible, and certainly says nothing about whether they actually exist.\n\n> So finding a "new" force is pretty much out of there. \n\nPretty much, sure. But you can positively 100% guarantee me that there is no chance in all of future humanity's existence that a 5th force will definitely not be found? Maybe there will never be one, sure. But can you prove it to a 100% technical certainty. No. You don't know everything about the underlying reality of nature. Maybe we actually do know everything there is knowable at a rough level... but we can't prove it.\n\n>So no, there is no force, energy [source], or mechanism by which a human being can achieve flight unassisted. We simply aren't built for it.\n\nI like how you ignore my actual statement. I agree, by all reasonability, we have no reason to believe it will ever be possible. I have said this over and over.\n\nWhy can you not say that you cannot actually with 100% certainty say it will never be possible by any human under any circumstance in the future? How can you assert that you know enough about the universe to be able to say as a matter of unquestionable fact that it can't be found?\n\nAgain, I'm not saying it can, I'm just saying you can't prove that it can't. You can prove it can't be achieved with anything of our current understanding... but you're leaping beyond that to saying it can't ever be done with all the understanding that humankind will ever possess in all our future existence. That just boggles me.\n\nLook, I can't prove there isn't a teddy bear in your desk (I lack the knowledge, tools and access). But that doesn't mean I'm asserting there is one. See the difference in claim? They are two different claims. The former does not imply the latter. 1320793233 Those pilots must've been shitting themselves. I'd love to pics of the dust front from their POV. 1311234909 Strange, this seems to happen to me once every few days to weeks. I've noticed I've been able to predict "random" numbers and phrases before people say them. Sometimes in the same way you've mentioned, however other times it can be a seemingly impossible numerical situation.\n\nFor example, I overhear someone I've never met asking a friend to choose a number between one and one thousand. They'll pause to think, and I'll think to myself "387. They'll probably choose an obvious one like 7 or 666, though." before the other person says "387."\n\nI've often wondered if I'm looking at this in the wrong way. Maybe my brain is broken and I think about things backwards. Maybe the actual process is "Choose a number between 1-1000", "387." and I'll think "Hey, I was just thinking that!", when in reality, I wasn't, and my brain has somehow made up this false memory of me subconsciously predicting their answer. I don't know, I wish I could phrase this better.\n\nI'm just genuinely surprised that there are people out there that get this too. I've always tried to rationalize it but maybe there is something about our brains that is different from most.\n\n*Side note: I read an interesting article about humans rationalizing extraordinary events, such as the creation of the internet and 9/11. Things nobody would even think of, but when they've actually happened, they seem ordinary and predictable. Does anybody know the word for this? I had a point to make about this 'theory' but I can't do any research on it again until I remember how to find it.* 1348913739 Sounds like Religion too 1318600353 Just imagine you giving Zak Bagans a popsicle enema! 1323753118 > Everyone is "psychic", we are all more than we know. \n\nHow do you know?\n\n> From time to time coincidences happen\n\nFTFY 1261278514 :)\n\nalso, do we happen to share a name? 1324571947 Burden of proof. The thing is that chiropractic hasn't been able to demonstrate that it does work. Not even the existence of vertebral subluxations, the ‘misalignments’ chiropractors talk about, has been demonstrated. 1347021345 Good advice. It's all in how you frame your comments. Don't state it as absolute fact that she got scammed, but frame it as your personal opinion. And yes, if she still wants to go ahead, there's nothing to be gained by refusing to help her. 1298070459 Here is his statement \n> Dear Muslima\n\n > Stop whining, will you. Yes, yes, I know you had your genitals mutilated with a razor blade, and . . . yawn . . . don’t tell me yet again, I know you aren’t allowed to drive a car, and you can’t leave the house without a male relative, and your husband is allowed to beat you, and you’ll be stoned to death if you commit adultery. But stop whining, will you. Think of the suffering your poor American sisters have to put up with.\n\n > Only this week I heard of one, she calls herself Skep”chick”, and do you know what happened to her? A man in a hotel elevator invited her back to his room for coffee. I am not exaggerating. He really did. He invited her back to his room for coffee. Of course she said no, and of course he didn’t lay a finger on her, but even so .\n\n>And you, Muslima, think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.\n\n> Richard\n\n\nAnd like i said in my post. it is a a false equivalency. Just because Muslim women have problems does not mean Rebecca cannot complain about the problems she faces in the skeptic community. 1351110519 Again, you're mistaken. Please provide citations that discuss the dangers of ketosis -- and please be careful not to confuse ketosis with ketoacidosis.\n\nWhere do paleo eaters get their carbs? Some fruit, plenty of vegetables, some tubers.... And your own body. Of the three nutritional building blocks -- protein, fat, and carbohydrate -- only one can be synthesized by your body: Carbohydrate. 1327441433 Is it just me or does Greer look more and more like one of the Reptiles Icke is on about? 1356693350 Our baby got all kinds of rashy, starting with the vaccination site, immediately after his first round. Lasted for weeks or months afterwards.\n\nI'm really tired of the VAX ARE PERFECTLY SAFE crowd on Reddit, they just make me more inclined to believe the "vax are dangerous" side. 1284400474 I had this little [monster truck radio](http://radioattic.com/item.htm?radio=1110092) when I was kid. One day while riding in the car playing with my radio. [it was a new toy for me and I loved it] While playing with the channels I found a "station" what was playing Saturday morning cartoons, in the right order, with the commercials and everything. I distincntly remember the old Ghost Busters cartoon as one of them. Once the batteries died and the radio cut off, I was never able to pick that station up again. I tried a lot! \n\nNot as cool as yours but I thought it worth mentioning since this reminded me of it. 1326570684 You just broke the universe 1327092668 The thing about Icke, though, is that he is, as Tracy Jordan would say, "Straight-up mentally ill." From what I've heard, a lot of his following believes that he is obliquely referring to Jews when he talks about Reptilians, but I think he honestly believes the Queen is a space lizard. I'm not as motivated to critique him as I am, say, pseudo-scientific racists or alternative medicine charlatans. Those people are otherwise sane, but disinterested in the truth. 1252852728 I was going to disagree, but then I realised that was the breast Freudian slit ever. 1345188838 "There's either a god for all of us or a god for none of us."\n\nI might have fallen in love a little. 1350609947 Nope. I didn't realize it used user submissions. 1343762348 You don't want to know where the third one was. 1350653621 This is very interesting, looks totally genuine. 1356851978 So if I believe that anthropogenic global warming is occurring, but that in a practical sense it may well be within the range of normal climate variation and there's really nothing drastic we can or should be doing about, where does that put me? 1343460642 I think you are missing the point, it may not have been her minister or her religion at all that stopped her from going to the doctor. It may just have been her choice. There are people of every religion or non-religion that die every day because they chose not to be treated by a doctor. We don't know the situation. It could say "black woman dies at home because she didn't go to the doctor"..... does it have to do with she is black? No, it is because she chose not to go to the doctor. 1307148162 I don't think it always necessarily have to be scary, so I see your point. I think a lot of people, like myself, are just paranoid and easily scared. 1328310224 Looks legit to me. 1325613557 So, r/UFOs has been up for 3 years and it seems this hasn't been posted before. 1315071735 No, the meteorite everyone saw. Looks like an impact /slide dmg. Totally didn't look like explosion from the original pics. 1350760447 The Kremlin is made up of asshats. 1304224825 SGU does talks about rumpology a lot. It's hilarious. 1292382811 Do you mean a Frank's box that spirits use to communicate using radio signals? 1345632250 Thats the one i meant. The last and most imporant check along the line. \n\nYou take a country with a military industrial complex that tends toward wars, have them take advantage of event, then with hindsight connect all the dots = most false flags. 1354827307 > I prefer to ignore them, personally.\n\nI just tell them they are correct and I was in on it. Sometimes that can be fun for a laugh. 1315509499 I tried. It's like christians arguing with atheists. People are gonna believe what they want to. 1314181625 so the melted and now warm wax is collected and is rubbed on the skin. 1356739406 Absolutely, but that's the thing with these kinds of speculation- you could always come up with a valid explanation for why this or that particular piece of evidence is missing. But the more of them you accept, the shakier the ground starts to get. Taken alone they may be explained away, but put a bunch of them together and they start jabbing a hole in the picture, know what I mean? 1297370593 If you think you are "worthy," you an apply for a JREF forum grant (you'll need to become a member of the forum first if you're not already one):\n\nhttp://forums.randi.org/showpost.php?p=6973486&postcount=1\n\nYou'll still need to pay for transportation and housing, though. 1300294905 stab them in the face for the good of mankind, not for personal satisfaction. if satisfaction was my end game, a slap in the face with a shovel would be quite satisfying 1328471302 I'm gonna let you ask him that question. Here's the point I'd like to make. Don't be too eager to believe based on research you've done on the internet, or seen on TV. There are people out there who have been making these circles with a level of complexity that would baffle the casual observer. You are correct to point out that circles have been reported throughout history, but nothing quite so complex, it would seem, as anything we would have seen in the last 30 or so years. Even so, don't you think if people are perpetrating circles now they could just as easily have been doing it hundreds of years ago. I think it's at least possible.\n\nThe main point being that the video above is certainly no proof of anything connecting lights in the sky with the crop circle shown. 1350918107 They'll never 1345675946 Basically my friend; who is a strong believer in ghosts, said her aunt's house is fairly haunted and that a lot of stuff has happened there. This includes weird noises and sightings of figures. She sent this to me as some proof that this stuff was going on. 1347627974 I love Mitchell and Webb. They have a few series free on hulu. 1341616274 I will say that everybody at work frequently heard a "ping" noise coming from upstairs, where there was a metal support beam running between the two floors. One day I told whatever was up there that they were dead and that they could leave now. I felt like a fool speaking to nobody, but I had recently heard this worked. None of us ever heard the noise again, even those who had no idea what I had done. It's not proof or evidence, but it's a hell of a coincidence. 1344018770 It was a typo. Clearly, they meant to type out "pixellatedly". 1345513577 although i dont really approve, ill upvote since you even know what it is 1336617191 My parents were watching this a couple nights ago. I was saved by http://www.simplynoise.com/ 1294237059 I'll test this theory too and report back with results. 1321985116 This would be a lot easier in a face to face discussion where I could ask you things in realtime so with your answers you could realize by yourself what I am talking about. It's kinda difficult this way. But the truth is that probably even that way it would be all for nothing as you are just having a "me against you" approach. What I see is you are just being stubborn in your ideas denying absolutely the possibility of them being wrong or even just incomplete, to a point where you simply think you have the absolute truth. Which is actually a very childish behavior. I don't know your real age, I could be wrong but for your attitude I guess you probably must be young. The fact that looking in your comments history reveals you going to a subreddit as /r/paranormal (which you obviously think it's bullshit) so you could easily criticize comments and posts from people in there so you can grow up the feeling you have the truth and others are wrong while making your ego grow more and more is a good proof to think you are a child, or at least, act as such.\n\n I don't know what I bother, as most probably it's going to be impossible and a waste of time. But well, who knows, so let's try it.\n\n Ok, so, I guess for you it's impossible to see that your own reasoning, your own thoughts are just that, a personal point of view, not the absolute truth. Ok, let's continue, from your own argumentation you say you can offer many examples of reality being objective. And you offer mathematics and physics constants as examples and proof of objective reality. But what you don't realize is that mathematics and physics does not describe reality itself, they create models that try (more or less accurately) to describe our perception of reality instead. I am going to ask you a very simple question (well, apparently), can you divide a cake in three exactly equal pieces ? \n\n You see, mathematics and physics are based in the finding of patterns (that is what humans best do) then we try to understand those patterns to the point where we create models that can define them (more or less accurately) and allow us to make predictions. Patterns are completely dependent on our perception (both physical and mental). That's why people on drugs see different patterns (and/or altered ones), because they change our inner/outer perception. Due to drugs lot of people came through history with completely original and innovative ideas, even there are who claim actual human consciousness exist due to drugs. But I am going away from the main point. What I am saying is that we are surrounded by patterns, actually all is a pattern in a way or another, and we only can discover patterns based on our own perception. But patterns are not the reality at all, patterns are a consequence of reality itself. The true nature of reality is simply hidden from us. It's how universe works, it's impossible to see or experience true reality. In the age of classical physics mankind believed in a universal truth, a physical universal reality, similar to your way of thinking. But now, with modern science and quantum physics we have discovered that that's not how it seems to work. Now it seems there is no absolute or physical universal true reality, as it's impossible to experience existence other than in a subjective way. Not only because it's based completely on perception (at a macro level) but because it seems that even at a (micro) physical level it's heavily dependent on the observer as well. Put in simple rush way, there is no physical pre made reality underneath, only different possibilities, and it's "created on demand" (as a way of speaking) when being observed. And interesting thing, it seems that the role of the observer also affects the own observation (the physical result).\n\n Funny thing is, the most one learn about something, the most you realize the little you really know. And instead of seeing your beliefs proven you start to see all of other amazing emerging possibilities. That's why I said to you since the beginning you need to learn a lot yet, so you can start to understand that things are not black or white, that maybe black and white even didn't exist, before trying to impose your way of thinking (subjective and personal, one of many) to other people, as universal truth, as such thing it's impossible to achieve (if it even exists at all). 1356656234 I unliked this page a while ago because of this bullshit. Not only are they not really promoting their specific agenda, but they are failing to provide coherent objectives for their movement. "We're unhappy with stuff," seems to be the general consensus. I agree with the movement's sentiment, but I also feel like the reason they're dying off is because they have no cohesion. 1339219749 You know, it never occured to me that people drank soda because of the bubbles. Still, you could add bubbles and sugar to jackal urine and it would be better for you than soda. 1313509502 Because there is no testable evidence. 1350136375 Some of them really do strain the limits of reason trying to come up with explanations for UFO behavior, don't they? 1338736857 Talking complete rubbish? Right, because its your field of study and you know fucking everything!\n\nAnd now your back to a burglar who breaks in JUST to turn on a light and then leaves equally undetected. Yet I'm talking rubbish? \n\nAs for your peer reviewed study in a respected scientific journal, this hasn't happened (Hey, your right on something, good job!). And it probably never will happen, because no career scientist (or science journal) is going to put their neck out so that a quarter million closed minded fuckers just like you can swing their opinionated axe. Now it's your turn to think of the implications. \n\nAnd to finish, "everything we know about the known universe" has been changed so many times that it amazes me that anyone claiming to be a man of science lacks the ability to say perhaps or I suppose it is a possibility. Oh, and I'm not basing my opinion that the ethereal exists on OP's statements or ANYTHING that can be found on the internet, nor am I citing anything from the internet. I've had my own experiences that I MYSELF have tried to play the skeptic on and came up short with every angle conceivable. \n\nSo do I see how ridiculous this sounds? Yes, I do. 1326737177 What time time tomorrow are you going to tell us all sorts of stuff? I want to make sure I am sober, or at least awake and slightly buzzed 1333598976 fever. as someone once put it, "your brain is like a computer graphics card: get it too hot and it starts doing things it shouldn't." 1298328482 [If you open your mind too much...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w) 1282679979 Mad as a hatter? No. Mad at nonsensical submissions by people who are easily persuaded to place belief in lofty, non-cited, pseudo-journalist garbage blogs? Yes. \n\nAlso, thank you for single handedly downvoting all of my comments, way to play it cool. 1293574127 Lower right. In the blue there's a white cat-shaped outline 1341233698 Because of their high publicity I'm guessing that any controversial articles are going to get reviewed by many people in the know. So a journal like Nature is important for the progress of science.\n\nThey do also have a number of good studies published. 1291645462 Thankfully no funny smells. I usually have fairly bad allergies, but my boyfriend hasn't noticed any smells either.\n\nAccording to my boyfriend, they haven't interacted with anyone before. But I think it was more of a territorial gesture than a malevolent one. It just surprised me. \n\nBack when I was a kid, 13 or 14 (that terribly curious age) I became fascinated with the paranormal and started poking things that I really shouldn't have. You know, that phase of: Oh, that's a bunch of bull, I'm going to poke everything until I get real proof that there is something out there. Eventually, I'd opened myself up enough that the shit I was looking for started to notice. At that point you can't really go back. If you can see it, that means it can see you too.\n\nI soon concluded that I was in way over my head, and started to close myself off as best I could. Which pretty much involves developing a complete indifference towards whatever you happen to see. Do not be afraid, do not be curious, just ignore it. The unintended side effect was closing myself off emotionally from everything. I was just about the most apathetic, boring type of person one can be, but hey, it was better than being driven completely insane.\n\nThe experience with these guys was the first encounter with that whole world that I had in many years. And I'm sure it was because my boyfriend was helping me slowly emerge from the emotional bubble I had trapped myself in. Having emotions now is a great thing, I'm a very happy and outgoing individual, but the side effect is all the crazy shit having a way in again. But now, I'm a much stronger individual, and I at least know to respect the shit that comes my way.\n\ntl;dr: Don't poke at shit = best advice ever!\n\nAlso, on the strange scents topic: Didn't happen in Missouri, but at our apartment in Oklahoma. I was taking one of our dogs out, and he's acting more nervous than usual. Also, there was a distinct lack of wind. Suddenly there was an overwhelming smell that was a combination of burnt hair & flesh. Didn't see anything. Didn't stay outside long enough to find out. Just thought, "nope," turned around, and walked back inside. 1323597748 Your story makes me think that it might not be the placebo at work, but another type of fallacy that is common for medical quackery. The name is on the tip of my tongue but I can't think of it and my Google-fu is weak tonight.\n\nThe gist of it is that you resort to alternative or wilder cures only when you get desperate, which is often when the disease is peaking in its discomfort. Of course, if the illness is peaking that means it has nowhere to go, but to get better. In this situation people tend to falsely correlate the alternative medicine cure as the cause for relief. 1356927626 As I say in my book:\n\nIf many alien races are operating here, they would probably have a variety of motivations for doing so. Some may be just passing through, on their way to other destinations. If that is the case, they might engage in limited exploration and data-gathering while they are here.\n\nOther visitors may be long-term observers of our species, either for the purposes of scientific study or because they have some as-yet unknown relationship to humans, which may be nurturing, or antagonistic, or neither.\n\nWe simply cannot know at this point in time. However, given the persuasive data regarding the UFO-Nukes Connection, it seems obvious—at least to me and several other researchers—that one (or more) of the races of beings is highly interested in our nuclear weapons and has gone so far as to interfere with their functionality from time to time, for reasons that are still unclear. (Some of those “weapon shutdown” cases will be discussed at length in a later chapter.)\n\nPerhaps the visitors have empathy for humankind and wish to warn us of the dangers of nuclear warfare. Or perhaps they have a use for our planet, let’s say for scientific purposes, and know that global nuclear warfare will disrupt their data-gathering and/or experiments. Even if they only use Earth as a stopover from their world(s) to their ultimate destination(s)—a manmade nuclear catastrophe might make our world unavailable to them for hundreds or thousands of years.\n\nOn the other hand, although I doubt this is the case, perhaps the aliens intend to discourage us, or even prevent us from using nukes because they plan to invade Earth one day and do not wish to inherit a planet polluted with radioactivity. Or perhaps they have a deep disdain for our savage race and are just here to watch us blow ourselves up. (Yikes! I bet you didn’t think about those possibilities, did you?) \n\nAlthough it is important to consider all of the potential scenarios when speculating on this topic, in my view, the nuclear weapons-related UFO incidents presented in this book do not support the idea that something alarming is unfolding; rather they tend to suggest a concern for humanity’s welfare.\n\nI of course have an opinion about the visitors’ motivations regarding our nuclear weapons, however, it is obvious that no one has the answers at the present time. For the moment, I will simply say that my research leads me to believe that the nuclear weapons-related UFO activity will someday be viewed as a positive development for mankind.\n 1321056976 My favorite part was the barrel mixer. That thing was awesome 1305754771 I'm not sure this fits into /r/skeptic\n\nmaybe /r/funny or /r/atheism, /r/videos.\n\nI just don't see anything skeptical about this 1307559590 Indeed. The latter part was consisted of hypothetical situations, verging on strawman arguments. It seems like a little research could probably have yielded a concrete example. 1333905531 > hyping up Godel\n\nI did notice Godel has quite a following from the new-age minded crowd, in the same way Kuhn has, because they are viewed as a revolutionaries against orthodox science which is seen as cold, materialistic, obtuse, reactionary. 1353314726 Well, they generally say where they're from, and even show star charts to clarify. I don't know where Vallee is getting so many cases of soil sampling aliens from. I never see it in any accounts. It sounds to me like he's making a very strange assumption about these visitors. 1332722048 Anyone who has endured lower back pain knows that spasms beget spasms.\n\nHorseshit or placebo, it worked for me. I didn't get acupuncture for pain, I got it so my muscles would relax...and they did. They following day I was about 80% and after that, 100%.\n\nEven if acupuncture is fake, the results were real for me. I would do it again. 1296890324 Yeah. A few years ago I accidentally ate a redditor. :-( 1342124222 Your town must have shitty electricians who can't wire a streetlight. 1338541597 No other number is both prime and a factor of 49 -- except itself!\n\n-- San Francisco football fans, take note! 1302304218 Have you got any reason to think so? 1331573123 Overreact much?? God, you really swallowed that hook line and sinker. I love how you are completely un-skeptical about source material if it supports your position. Rather simplistic reading of that study, don't you think?\n\n 1305311598 You know what, I actually saw another post about this very same thing earlier and didn't finished it. Guess I'll do it now, thanks! But I have to say that quote of yours couldn't be more perfect. 1322103327 > You realise that the further away something is, the less pronounced movement is?\n\nI know that, moron, but that doesn't account for the fact that there is NO movement in the supposed flares in this video. Distance doesn't account for *that*.\n\n> You have no real point of reference since the camera is moving so often, and you notice no light stays lit long enough to be able to tell anyway. \n\nHoly shit dude that is TOTAL fucking bullshit. I simply cannot downvote your stupid shit enough. The camera is NOT "moving so often". It stands pretty damn still only a few seconds in and there is still NO movement from your distant "flares".\n\n> Also, another possibility is updrafts that birds use to gain height could be under the flares, keeping them at that height.\n\nNot all three from such a distance apart from one another. That's simply not a good understanding of updrafts on your part.\n\nAnd yeah. *Pleeeeese* stop "schooling" me. Please. Your schooling amounts to third grade flunky math, bro.\n\nGo school yourself. You need it quite a bit more than I. 1340058549 I understand that you wish to keep some information secret prior to your application for the million dollar prize from JREF. Surely, no harm could come from naming the brain surgeon who taught you. I am sure that anything he published in medical journals, or any media accounts of his life, would be of great interest. Even published material which in no way involves paranormal matters would be of keen interest. 1355606047 The problem I have with the 'viral marketing' explanation is that viral marketing only works if someone claims responsibility for the campaign. Additionally, with viral marketing, there are usually smaller, follow up campaigns that will add to the hype. It's been well over a week and we've seen none of that, which leads me to believe that this is either a *terribly* managed viral marketing campaign or that wasn't the intent from the get go. 1297346781 Hopefully this will be what it takes to get Dr. Oz to take his style of quackery elsewhere! 1316106531 Exactly. If you go into attack mode it doesn't matter what you're arguing, the other person is going to dig their heels in and fight back. 1340030437 That's way safer than that [Dihydrogen Monoxide](http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html) stuff. 1339617315 What you don't see is the UFO 5 miles up using a graviton lasso to pull the stone in place. They've just been following him around his whole career, making him think he can move stuff. 1310012138 I think the word you're looking for is 'archaic'? 1353740463 Huh! Fascinating 1343924061 "Spinal manipulation giving valid results for spinal problems is not ridiculous"\n\nit isn't ridiculous (else it wouldn't enjoy such popularity), but it simply hasn't been proven in any credible studies, and the theories it is based on are just as wacky as any other form of woo. 1301890571 Fake, looks like a double exposure 1329555539 Well have you been staring at the sky for the past month 24/7? 1356049824 If this were true, I've sometimes wondered if something like this might be used to restrict atheism. If atheists have a 14% greater chance of developing cancer than the religious, then it could be killing hundreds of thousands each year. Then there's second-hand atheism; people exposed to atheists might have shorter life-expectancies on average. 1338314082 Via [NASA](http://oceanmotion.org/html/impact/climate-variability.htm) from 2004. Don't start stockpiling survivalist gear and hermetically sealed beans and grains just yet. I found no independent confirmation of this. Looking at this Lord Stirling's link to current--not archival--data on NOAA, it [doesn't look like the NAC is looping back towards Brazil](http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/ofs/viewer.shtml?-natl-cur-0-small-rundate=latest). 1291145451 naw no sonic boom... I know what they sound like... swing a skipping rope real fast, you hear a swoosh... something along those lines 1341058490 I'm going to guess they were filming something there. Made a bunch of quick cosmetic changes for a movie. 1337573879 Everything in the universe is made from a supernova. And yes, there is so much to discuss on the topic. You could say an infinite amount, just like life. Life is infinite in this Universe. That is the problem today. The answers to this planet, solar system, galaxy, and universe are all there. We are too hung up on man made things, like time. 1326635263 This doesn't really make sense when you consider that the miracles had physical effects. I know "its metaphysical therefore it can't be proven physically" is a common defense used in philosophical circles but it falls flat when we're talking about things that have interaction with physical matter (this might be familiar to you with dualism's interaction problem). \n\nWhile miracles like "god drops tons upon tons of miracle food which disappears" are unverifiable "all firstborns are killed" could be confirmed by a simple manuscript - remember, we're talking about the Egyptian's Royal heir being murdered. 1323062537 I live in eastern Canada which is known for it paranormal activity, Ive lived in Glace Bay which has a long history in the mining industry.Growing up there Ive wintnessed orbs of glowing light on more then one occasion.\n 1316122458 ... So are the Ghost's 1350833460 We have a ghost in our upstate house. It's freaky as fuck, but as of yet it hasn't harmed anyone. Just footsteps, opening and closing doors etc. I feel like if I lived there full time I would be able to adjust to it, but as I'm only there once a month or so, it makes staying there kind of unsettling and not relaxing at all. My friend, due to unfortunate circumstances, had to live there by herself for about 3 months. She told some pretty freaky stories, but she got used to it. My mother thinks it really doesn't want us in the house; I'm on the fence about that theory. 1341361813 Well done 1320175659 Well done 1336965470 Nice poem. Deserves more views. 1328078168 Look, just because people are ill-informed and have silly beliefs doesn't make them "dumbasses". It could just mean they haven't been exposed to the same information as you have. \n\nPost like these are how I spot judgmental assholes in the wild. 1327416307 Thanks 1236057534 Thanks 1287528895 Thanks 1310095637 Thanks 1313066769 Thanks 1319116902 Thanks 1337743173 Thanks 1340111219 Thanks 1346281422 Thanks 1346306815 Thanks 1349019219 Thanks 1349679527 Thanks 1286902272 Thanks 1316635143 Thanks 1326981105 Thanks 1332795966 Thanks 1335282561 Thanks 1337100915 Thanks 1340612926 Thanks 1342052669 Protestants are Christians too. :-P 1318314321 As a Gemini, I'm prone to agreeing with this conclusion. 1318876634 Thanks for the warning ... after 3 tweets I had stopped, having reached my daily expected dose of stupid. 1304683644 There are alot of mythologies that have to do with cats being guardians of the dead, and underworld, and over-all being other-worldly creatures. I've also had a few cat experiences. Don't have cats, but heard a cat meowing outside my bedroom door, once or twice. \n\nOne possible debunk: The house that went through bulbs. Was it an old house? If so, it could have been aluminum wiring which causes bulbs to blow out at a stupid rate. My brother has the same problem with his house. \n\nDid you ever get any 'feelings' when you were in these different houses? Maybe pay attention next time to feeling dizzy in certain areas, some more than others. This way you can figure out where the spirit liked/likes to hang out. If/when you do feel dizzy like that, double check that you aren't near a breaker box or some other large amount of energy, as this can cause the dizziness. Also, also, think back/ pay attention the next time you feel weird, notice how it is making you feel. Is it ominous? just a little creepy? These could be signs of a curious spirit or malicious one. In the case of a bad one, I'd go get some medium to get it out. If not, I wouldn't bother it. They're pretty responsive, so if it's bothering you, just ask nicely that it go away for the moment (not to leave the premise, but just to stop bothering you (like talking to an annoying child)).\n\nFeel free to message me. I've had a few experiences myself, and would love to have someone to chat to about this. 1353674825 Nah brah, I plan on living forever. 1337699654 When the article includes "nutrition" and "relaxation techniques" in CAM, the critic has no standing to argue "all CAM techniques are unproven."\n\nI'll say this for the eleventyseventh time: when you define "alternative" to be anything and everything not directly prescribed in the office of a medical doctor, you establish yourselves as reactionary zealots in the eyes of all but the most fervently sympathetic. 1302735306 The preponderance of info and evidence. 1351204871 [Frye standard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frye_standard). \n\nAs I'd mentioned before, working yourself into a state bordering on an anxiety attack will result in false positives.\n\nAnd hey, while we're at it, let's talk about [penile plethysmographs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penile_plethysmograph)! With a 32% success rate, it's a great way to discover potential kiddie diddlers! 1344667818 I had a dream a couple weeks ago that I was in an earthquake. Never had one of those before.\n\nI was in a grocery store with family when everything started rocking side to side about a foot. In the dream I thought cool, I'll record this. So I get my phone out and start trying to turn the cam on when it's like the world gets thrust 50 feet one direction, 50 feet back the other direction. I'm on the floor, eyes shut and think "this is it" and the dream ends. 1299917157 It's not actually, that was a joke done by an Australian group. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2011/oct/21/lord-monckton-sacha-baron-cohen 1331436175 ...And there was me thinking it would be a bit of tongue in cheek fun.\n\nDifferent strokes for different folks, I guess... 1347822310 I bet the OP does too. 1328716636 http://i.imgur.com/RC764.gif 1345057653 Those are clearly balloons. 1287012758 no problem! always fun to help!:D 1341251780 All she did was tell someone lies and that person could always walk away... It was a fraud even if it's aggravated by psychological and emotional abuse. For all I know that ridiculous practitioner really believed what she said. Let's not.give her the credit of pretending she could have known better than that because really if my 80-year old neighbor with no training tried to cure me and failed nobody expects her to succeed or even know whether I need a doctor... 1346656973 Mix it with wheat germ and echinacea. ;)\n 1333501676 Just download the videos, doesn't that work? I'm taking another Coursera right now and i can download. 1353954718 Wow. Since you asked so fucking nicely, I'm going to address each of your points as best as I can. I am angered, by your know-it-all ass. Do you really want to know if I jerk off?(btw, no, it doesn't, it just seems to. Long term it creates more stress than it seems to relieve) You seem to be a little confused after questioning my fapping habits, so I'll go slow from here in for you. You seem to think we're on different worlds. Ancient aliens? I think not, just your closed mind at work again. Next, me being a preacher(which, btw, yes you are too) does not mean I'm some Westboro Baptist fuckhole, much less Christian. Only a closed minded fuck could think with so little imagination as to not consider this after I just used the term on you, the habitual naysayer. So how about you try to comprehend the text in front of you before you counterpoint. That being said, preachers don't grovel, they make others grovel, or try to in your case. Where are we... ah, yes, the medication. This lead into the one part that made me laugh. I might be wrong here(not likely) but it seems to me that you have quite a bit of anger and angst pent up inside yourself, especially towards christians. Perhaps you should try meditation, excercise, or some breathing techniques. It actually does help. I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find something to that effect in one of your peer reviewed magazines. Now that I've called you an asshole in so many ways, I'll end my little sermon with a similar ending as yours. Go sit down, smoke a fucking joint, call your mom and tell her you forgive her for being such a catholic whore, and then promptly put that snub nosed 38 hiding in your sock drawer not to the big head, but to the little one between your legs(if you can find it) and gently squeeze the trigger. Thank you, have a good night. 1331567948 I like this idea, I always thought about this and that this is the most possible life you would find on say gas giants like Jupiter. hell even explains the things there been seeing around the sun these days... I dont think or believe that size matters with this. Just this crazy's two cents worth. 1356905679 Try DMT, same effects without the need for the nearly dying part... 1315862447 Yes it does, in my own experience, and based on scientific studies as well as countless of testimonials and case reports from others. \n\nTo be honest, I think that is the better question to ask as well. I have always been more interested in asking "does it work" rather than "why does it work". But the former isn't enough for some people, which is why I am asking the question whether EFT is scientific or not. 1343115914 I want to click so badly but I'm wide awake at 2 am and would freak myself out. :( 1355738886 "but I can't proove any of this" \nhowever there are a few clues.\nNothing I know is solid evidence but\n\nAmericas reluctance to address the drugs issue.\n\nThe fact that (atleast where i live in britain) the problem is far more widepsread than the government says (I would say that probably about 95% of pubs on a friday/saturday night will have someone in them with either coke or pills or god knows what else.)\n\nIn britain I know of relatively small time coke dealers who handle kilos and such. I am a middle class teenager who only occasionally dabbles... not the type who would come into contact with any hard core dealers. \nThe amount of coke in any major city in britain if it was all added up and weighed would surely be in tonnes rather than kilos.... plus the price has halved in the last 2 years from £40 / gram to £20 / gram so someone somewhere is shipping it in in huge quantities. Also E's are now down to 50p a piece if you buy in bulk (bulk = over 1000, I overheard someone who was selling 1000 to some lass as though it was not a big deal < pun unintentional)\n\nEither the government does not know about the problem in which case it is incredibly ignorant.\nOR it knows about it but does not care.... \nor it knows about it but simply can't do anything to stop it due to shear volume.\n\nI cant see the first one being a possibility so there must be at the very least some government complacency and this is only in Britain... from what I gather it is worse in any major city in america.\n\nPlus the CIA have been caught distributing as you will have gathered from the link i posted.\n\nThis is all just me joining the dots from what i have read on the web and what I have experienced firsthand.\n\nthoughts/comments?\n 1241103319 Cameras do, especially hand helds. Why do you think it was moving and why do you refuse to accept what the guy with the camera says it is? That's what you need to look at. 1341793030 In other words, the child is punished by being forcefully removed from its parents due to their inability to afford medical care. 1301521530 Chiropractic is redundant, as is PT. The only part of the chiropractic field that hasn't been as thoroughly researched is SMT, but it's getting there. It has been shown to be safe. The difference also lies within the broader educational background, when compared to a PT. 1349588069 Read this a few weeks ago on that forum and I still can't get it out of my head. 1298310003 Here's a hint: getting all sarcastic passive-aggressive about a term that you threw at others being applied to you doesn't really fly. 1325883944 Obviously this doesn't include the Holy Ghost. 1288360362 People do think you are a moron. 1268119358 Was just going to suggest this. These guys do a good job of "performing skepticism" without being dickheads, which is rare. 1329687517 Weed's one helluva drug 1356419323 Actually I did. Did you want a point-for-point rebuttal? That's not really called for.\n\n"Good day"? Do you have a handle bar moustache? Is it 1852? 1326493882 Once, I had a dream that I got a certain score on a test in my Social Studies class (not sure what it was, but that's not important). The day after the night I had that dream, I was in Social Studies. I got the same exact grade on the test as I did in the dream.\n\nKind of freaked me out, but now I think it's pretty cool. 1322256807 Actually, I would love to read a formal study on whatever correlation exists between studying multiple religions and atheism. 1334953886 Yup. It's also guys like Ed Grimsley who give UFOlogy and its heavy thinkers a bad name. Ed, in particular, may be witnessing some truly anomalistic phenomena using his 3rd gen night vision, but then he jumps the shark by claiming that he's seeing a "space federation cruiser attacking a frigate with lasers. Look!" It drives me nuts. 1297196041 The part about moving the sun closer is obviously a joke, i.e. this is not meant as an accurate portrayal of climate "skeptics" but rather a humorous jab at the tendency of many to let snowfall as an indicator that global warming isn't real, or at least that it's exaggerated. And, yes, I *did* see that argument (i.e. AGW is exaggerated because it snowed a lot or it was particularly cold in some area of the world) before on /r/climateskeptics - among many other examples of pseudo-scientific BS and conspiracy theories.\n\n 1343071128 This definitely ran through my mind as well. Similar to the studies proving vitamins make you healthier or lead to longer life. 1297733973 *Hey kids. Your school is a harmful environment. The wifi will make you feel nauseated and have headaches. Try to stay outside on your breaks and try not to use the computers more than necessary. We are protesting and will get rid of the wifi. All parents are in on it. It's probably not TOO dangerous, but try to be aware of any symptoms you might encounter.* \n\nMight be some nocebo effect going on. 1287506740 "And these feelings stem from personal opinion, reading, and a little common sense."\n\nBasically based off of ignorance and a lack of understanding in science. \n\nReally old anti-vax arguments. So good for you old fart that you dont get vaccinated some day you might catch a simple flu and that will take you out where a simple shot could have saved you. \n 1289435246 The closed mindedness in there is fucking unbelivable. 1326667605 The whole time I was watching I felt like his parents had written that speech for him right after watching Food Inc or reading Fast Food Nation. 1317876962 >If I wanted evidence of an afterlife and ghosts for instance, i would look at actually scientific investigations\n\nKind of the point. There haven't been any which could provide actual evidence to support their position. \n 1251177600 [Why?](http://happysociopath.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/ironeyescody_450.jpg) 1327550115 I think it's more that everyone knows it's not going to happen, but there is no way to convince those that think it will happen, that it won't happen, until it doesn't happen... yeah. 1306044263 Second person in academia in biology here... Everyone I know thinks the same about Chinese research. 1353281131 It's seems like the standard operating procedure of the religious establishment over the last few years to re-define science to fit their agenda. They can't get any real scientists to agree with them, so they are trying to get their universities accredited to make their own, and now they are trying to subvert the peer-review process to suit their needs. \n\n 1279548057 Read the replies to my comments. 1343331813 There's an old joke that floats around Christian circles, at least (if not other circles as well) that I think is fitting:\n\nA woman is trapped in her house during a flood. As the water reached her front step, a man in a boat rowed up to her house and offered to take her to safety. She refused, saying, "God will save me, I have faith!" So the man rowed away.\n\nWhen the water had filled the first floor, a man in a motorboat came up to her second-story window and offered to take her to safety. But she again refused, "God will save me, I have faith!" So the man powered away.\n\nSoon, the flood waters had covered everything but the roof. A helicopter lowered a rope ladder to the woman, but she refused it as well, yelling to the pilot, "God will save me, I have faith!"\n\nThe flood continued to rise and the woman drowned. When she got to heaven and stood before the Lord, she asked him, "Why didn't you save me? I believed!" God answered her, "Jesus lady! I sent you two boats and a helicopter! What do you want, a yacht?" 1320203643 It would be nice if people here would stop promoting it. It makes it seem as if it was healthy and awesome... 1346152850 this is a parody, right? 1340648410 God: Less running. More kneeling. 1348173666 Who's Leith? 1341941498 You said\n\n"Monsanto. Does. Not. Sue. Due. To. Accidental. Pollination."\n\nDid you even watch the video!? \nI put it there to show you that Monsanto makes farmers sign a waver claiming that they will have full responsibility over the seeds being spread to another farmers land. I'm not going to quote the video in full because you won't even watch it, I'd love to say it's not worth my time but your idiocy has reeled me in.\n\nI'm sorry but you are fucking ignorant of the facts. \nI know your type, you were on a conspiracy sub-reddit to shut down others, and a topic specifically related to monsanto. \n\nHell, I wouldn't be surprised if you worked for them or had some kind of interest in keeping up this act they've put on. 1326663985 > Just because someone believes in dousing does not make dousing real.\n\nIt does for that person. =) 1333519703 Ginger/garlic/pepper/apple cider vinegar? Maybe not. 1355262266 Given the non-paranormal explanations available to make sense of your childhood experience, do you still feel that a paranormal explanation is necessary to explain what you saw? I'm thinking that the non-paranormal explanations are probably more likely, and that it wasn't a ghost. 1337299820 The "physical" chiropractic is safe. So are other physiotherapists and even masseurs.\n\nThe "life force fixing" chiropractic is quack and may fuck you pretty bad if he messes up with your muscles or bones. 1330013687 This comment really pissed me off:\n\n"If a scientist has a hypothesis and cannot explain it in simple language that the average intelligent layperson can understand, you can be 100% sure it is either crap or the scientist is just as clueless as the lay public, if not more so."\n\nThe arrogance of ignorance, indeed. 1283667116 Random thought ...\n\nToday, we have "religion" over there and "reality" over here. Everything even remotely testable has been taken out of the "religion" sphere of human behavior and placed somewhere else.\n\nNobody sensible and skeptical would look to religion for teachings on history, to say nothing of public health or medicine, government and justice, psychology, astronomy, or mathematics. At various points in human history, all of these fields separated themselves off from religious and mystical belief, such that today they are quite separate.\n\nBut universities originated as religious institutions. The whole concept of *scholarship*, of careful study of written texts, originated as a religious practice. And then universities and scholarship went one way — the direction of reality — and left religion behind.\n\nOnce upon a time, religion and mysticism *included* history and math and ethics and medicine. (Pythagoras was a cult leader; Paracelsus was an occultist.) But as each of those fields advanced and specialized, they found the facts of reality to be in tension with religion, and so they split off from religion. Sometimes, depending on social factors, that split was in the form of a conflict; and sometimes it was expressed as a socially compatible specialization. (Most religious institutions don't claim that they know better about medicine than doctors do. A few do, but they exist at some tension with mainstream society; that's why the Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Scientists end up in court every once in a while over their beliefs.)\n\nModern religion is *what's left behind* after all the scholarly, investigative, curious, skeptical tendencies took off for their own disciplines. That's why modern religion is so incredibly stupid; it doesn't have to take care of the practicalities, because the reality-based disciplines do so quite successfully. Religion today is safe specializing *entirely* in utter unreality, dogmatic gibberish, and memetic parasitism, because society doesn't depend on religion for anything else.\n\nBut that means that at some point in the ancient past, all those scholarly and reality-based tendencies were part of the same institutions as religion — the institutions that we label "religious" because they involved assertions about gods and worship. Just as astronomy and astrology were once one practice, but then the reality-based part split away to form a scientific discipline, so too did the whole idea of reality-based practices of *any* sort at some point split apart from the previously unified system of human knowledge-plus-mythology, leaving behind religion.\n\nWhich leads me to my thought about Stone Age "religious" sites: Perhaps it would be just as accurate to call them Stone Age "scholarly" sites. They existed *before* religion and the study of reality split apart as two separate categories of human behavior. If there was anywhere Neolithic humanity kept their actual, reality-based knowledge on file, it was the same place they kept their mythology and their cultural history.\n\nAllowing "religion" to monopolize the claim to these sites is overly simplistic.\n\n(Note: I'm *not* saying that religion is as good as scholarship. Just the opposite: I'm saying modern religion is the dross left behind after all the good stuff has been taken out ... but that "taking out" was a historical process, meaning that at some point in the past the good stuff and the dross were fused together. Which makes it ironic to call a site a "religious" site, naming it after the dross, whereas the people who used it almost certainly used it to store knowledge about reality as well as about myth.) 1310628311 That comment you posted was obviously glib. 1344615068 Yeah I came to the realization that it was just a series of planes flying toward the cameraman. This explains why it "morphs." My bad lol. 1327505898 Yep 1331326097 Yep 1337140153 Yep 1342468446 Yep 1355681665 Yep 1317840912 Yep 1321638074 Yep 1347849496 I'm sceptical of my atheism 1296175778 Shit. I thought I had successfully forgotten about this fuckin' movie. 1323899728 Before anyone gets too excited, look at this with some skepticism. Some of the youtube comments mentioned this and it's something that I thought while watching it, but that could easily be light-play and smoke. He mentioned the factory is abandoned and has been for awhile, so it's entirely possible that vagrants were camping inside the place and that the light was from a fire and the "figures" were due to smoke rising. With only video and pictures from what looks like a couple hundred yards away, it's tough to confirm or rule out anything. Interesting, nonetheless. 1330422130 FUCK YOU CAME HERE TO SAY THAT.\n\nyou had to be 49 minutes faster than me... 1324491659 Have you actually tried this yourself?\n\nWhat were the results? 1345217868 The heat in our bodies dissipates to the environment, the chemical reactions cease because we aren't taking in any more nutrients, the electricity in our brain ceases to flow and is expressed as heat. That's what happens to it. 1303094839 >Shouldn't you be claiming it would rise if that happened? Obviously guns don't prevent crime if you take away guns and crime doesn't change. The thing that does change? Deaths by gun.\n\nIt did rise...and it's funny you're okay will deaths overall not lowering as long as less of them were by guns. You're really showing your true colors now.\n\n>School[1]\nWorkplace[2]\nOther US[3]\nOther Europe[4]\n\nIt took me a matter of seconds to notice a huge discrepancy in your sources. Ever heard of the 2011 Norway attacks? Just knowing that you missed that incident of mass murder I really can't take your 'statistics' seriously.\n\n>How can you possibly say that? You're backing yourself into a corner. "Well there are just as many mass murders in Europe... oh... well that still doesn't prove anything.."\n\nYou are don't have proof guns are to blame. Are bombs to blame when someone sets those off and kills people? Are planes to blame when people crash them to kill people? Are Axes, knives, narcotics, fire, etc. to blame when used to kill people? I don't think so. Europe still has many mass shootings even with it's strict gun control laws. It just goes to show there are other issues at hand and you are hell bent on placing blame where it isn't deserved.\n\n>The funny thing is I'm not proposing anything. I'm just pointing out facts. Gun ownership and lack of control is killing Americans for no reason, and you refuse to listen to statistics.\n\nIf that's the case why doesn't the city Kennesaw in Georgia have lower than average crime rate? Every home in that city is REQUIRED to have a firearm for 30 years now. That's just one example, but it says enough about your ridiculous theory. 1356133045 Ever hear of Occam's razor? 1325489957 I am a skeptic always have been. I am also interested in the paranormal, I have been searching and searching for a long time to find some genuine paranormal effect/experiences but have turned up dry thus far. You maybe here on r/paranormal for entertainment but there are many looking for actual evidence. This is why many people tend to come out of the wood work when people post obvious or known fakes/hoaxes on here and claim its real. 1340029190 I don't have a copy of Patel's book and the pdf isn't loading for me, so I can only say one thing: What's "DV"? Divorce?\n\nEdit: Domestic violence, maybe, though I haven't claimed anything about that. 1345167067 Nasa's point of a view is a bit different:\n\n"Comet Elenin will not only be far away, it is also on the small side for comets," said Yeomans. "And comets are not the most densely-packed objects out there. They usually have the density of something akin to loosely packed icy dirt.\n\n"So you've got a modest-sized icy dirtball that is getting no closer than 35 million kilometers," said Yeomans. "It will have an immeasurably miniscule influence on our planet. By comparison, my subcompact automobile exerts a greater influence on the ocean's tides than comet Elenin ever will."\n\nFrom: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-135 1310234863 I know, I know.\nher 'but why have cancer rates gone up?'\nme 'maybe because people live longer now and cancer is finally knocking them off'\nher 'but maybe it's the chlorine'\nme 'ffffuuuuuuu, I wish could find something that proves otherwise'\n 1307630288 Yeah I think once thousands of people make eye-witness reports, it's hard to ignore it. There are lots of UFO cases in Mexico like this, but they often involve more objects in the sky. 1330559644 That whole page is so full of crap that I'm considering pouring bleach on my computer and in my eyes. 1355494637 I attended a boarding school called Mt. Edgecumbe in Sitka Alaska and it's been open for a long time. Both the old girls dorm and the boys dorm are haunted. I know for sure that a girl committed suicide on the now closed third floor of the girls dorm. I'm not sure if any tragedy befell any boys in the past but there have always been weird experiences throughout the years. There is also another dormitory that is closed and condemned called Penrod Hall. The last time a bunch of us broke in there for kicks we saw a couple rooms that could've been used as ritual rooms because they had all types of pentagrams on the floor and walls. There were also burnt down candles and scribble everywhere that we couldn't read. On more than one occasion, some friends and I would hang out around Penrod Hall because state security wouldn't check there for partiers and bud smokers, and we would hear all types of strange noises coming from that place. I would love to do a paranormal investigation there because of the experiences I and a few good friends have had. 1352878810 Does your casino have the "membership cards" that people can play slots with? They're clipped onto a plastic coiled lanyard which they usually keep clipped onto their clothes or around their neck and the card itself slips into the slot machine, giving the impression that they're hooked into the machine and interfacing with it on a biological level.\n\n And there they sit, glassy-eyed and expressionless and they push the 'play' button over and over and over again and deplete their life savings. 1326578175 You just blew my mind. 1337651877 Is this for real? 1305035041 > There wouldn't be one organization if the government didn't maintain a monopoly by force. Competing health standards companies would make it tougher for any one to get in bed with the producer since the others would point it out.\n\nThen as a consumer, which health standards organization do I trust if there are multiple competing organizations? The one that spends more of its money on advertising?\n\nHow does competition improve my services? Certainly I can rate a little bit faster, but there's only so fast you can move before you introduce too many potential sources of error in your rating.\n\nDo you want the FDA to turn into Consumer Reports, where the information you receive as a consumer is somewhat superficial and costs you a yearly subscription fee? If you choose not to pay it you walk around not knowing if the product you're buying does what it claims.\n\nMaybe it could operate like the BBB? Where it is purely reactionary and waits for people to complain before doing a single thing. When it comes to what the FDA does, by the time people start complaining, usually people have died.\n\nHow exactly could an organization that sets the standards for all the foodstuffs you eat and tests every single drug available to you legally generate money?\n\nOur previous example of the BBB is funded through businesses paying to be members, do you want Pfizer to pay your version of the FDA? Doesn't that give your version of the FDA to gloss over Pfizer's flaws (again resulting in death)? This is how the ESRB and other non-governmental agencies are funded: through industry funding. Do you really want the FDA, who rates food and drugs for efficacy and lethality, to be funded by the organizations it seeks to evaluate?\n\nThe other example of Consumer Reports makes its money through its consumer magazine subscriptions. Do you want your version of the FDA to charge *you* to view the results of their testing? What about the poor man who needs that subscription money for basic necessities, how is he supposed to make an informed decision if that information costs him?\n\n> But you're right, there's always the possibility of corruption, but what makes you think the process isn't corrupt as it is? I'll take a voluntarily funded corrupt organization over one funded through extortion any day, at least then I could stop paying for it.\n\nIn a competitive field the primary drive is survival, and the primary source of survival is funding. A completely privately funded FDA's primary concern will be raising enough revenue to meet their yearly operating costs, not evaluating food and drugs. Especially since if they aren't selling their rating (I hope not) there's nothing competition can do to improve their "product". In this situation a corporate donor with a large pocketbook will look extremely attractive.\n\nIn contrast, a taxpayer funded FDA's budget is guaranteed. The management and employee's last worry is covering their yearly budget. Their prime concern is keeping everyone's noses at least visibly clean as the more controversy that arises, the more people complain, the more their budget shrinks as legislators attempt to score easy political points.\n\nThe taxpayer funded model is still open to corruption, like everything in existence. But, when budgets are guaranteed making risk to said budget that much greater, the amount one would have to pay to corrupt skyrockets. Make it more expensive to bribe than to just fix or nix your product and most rational economic actors will choose the latter option. 1286290022 It promotes scams. Isn't that exactly what WOT is trying to ferret out?\n 1347684693 I was merely implying that you don't have to have company with equal or higher intelligence to enjoy it. If you want a pet example that isn't useful take one whatever example you feel like. I'm not sure what you're getting at with surviving in their environment, I wasn't implying that humans are regularly used as pets by aliens. Also humans might very well be hilarious pets! 1328103346 The Vatican has changed its mind on this issue in my lifetime. 1325491091 You should cross post this to no sleep. There's been a lot of good advice given there on these type of problems. \nGood luck. 1317405656 You can look at the claims the website makes, or the claims it fails to make as is often the case with woo. How many false or easily discreditable claims does it have to make before you consider it not credible?\n\nI know they're kind of woo/new-agey and anti-vax. Anti-vax is enough to completely discredit them to me, but I'm pretty severe about killing children. 1303850074 ...apparently suspended? 1303993869 Re-enactment of the maybe not so true story.\n"Hey guys look!! A new creature nobody has ever seen in their lives!!! LETS KILL IT!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......" 1353523099 "There is no spoon". 1320908078 I doubt his base is composed of people willing to look at the science of lie detection. A fail would be the end of his candidacy. 1320857682 literally 1351145391 I have had sleep paralysis twice in my life. The first time I thought I saw rats in my room, but I wasn't sure. I did know that something was in my room and I didn't know what for sure. I tried to scream but nothing came out. It was genuinely a frightening experience. The second time I knew it was sleep paralysis and thought it was weird that I couldn't move. I tried to make a sound but nothing would come out so I closed my eyes and went back to sleep. Sleep paralysis is very weird and cool at the same time. 1347119148 > Now my problem is knowing when to shut up.\n\nI have it bad. For example: I bring up how ridiculous Scientology is. Uninformed friend is like, "Dude, whatever, it's just another religion. You just hate any one who believes in a religion" Then I go off on a tangent about how it isn't "just any other religion" some how managing to offend just about every one in earshot with my following tirade.\n\nSame with discussing homeopathy with my mother. She thinks we aren't discussing the legitimacy of it but I am arguing with her. Which I am not really, but confronting a persons personal beliefs comes off as personal confrontation and conflict. When some one says something and you just respond to everything with, "No you are wrong and here is why" you kind of become a dick.\n\nI'm working on it. 1302853772 It has been done before. From ISIS-2 (1998): "subdivision of the patients in ISIS-2 with respect to their astrological birth sign appears to indicate that for persons born under Gemini or Libra, there was a slightly adverse effect of aspirin on mortality (9% increase, SD 13; NS), while for patients born under all other astrological signs there was a striking beneficial effect (28% reduction, SD 5; 2p <0.00001).”\n\nThat one is also very illustrative (2006): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16895820 1318879710 [He kicked their dog...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=g9fIjYnPazc#t=94s) :-) 1334258357 There's a lot of things that still exist that shouldn't. There are still people who believe vaccines cause autism. There are tons of people who only believe in a god b/c their parents taught them to. In the same instance, people still have pox parties b/c they believe what they were brought up to believe and/or they don't keep up to date with science and medicine. 1327886997 > "Inna Godda Di Vida" can clearly be heard as "In the Garden of Edan"\n\nI knew it!!! Now all my friends will believe me! 1289062995 > Prove there wasn't car bombs there.\n\nProve there weren't invisible flying unicorns ramming into WTC7. 1315536727 The actual choice is also simply opinion, unless everyone has agreed on an objective and measurable goal. To continue with the gun control issue, even if we correctly notice more gun violence in heavily armed societies, it's not done - the argument presupposes that reducing gun violence is something people want and want it to a degree higher then wanting to be armed (or whatever other benefits may exist). This, as opposed to trying to establish actual consequences, is pure and unvarnished opinion. Knowing the facts may make it easier to reach said opinion, but never the less it's not empirically testable. Some people will say "I prefer no one has a gun - I'm prepared to take the downsides of perhaps encountering an illegal gun over the dangers of availability" and some will say "I think I should be armed, I'll take the hit of more illegal and legal guns in circulation over not being armed myself" based on the exact same facts. In fact, in "I prefer people be armed with (weapon x) so that that's what I'd be most likely to encounter and/or own but not much more", weapon x will solve for anything between a sharp rock and a fission-fusion-fission device if you ask enough people. There's just no way to test for it or "prove" someone wrong about anything besides the facts they're basing the opinion on. 1312073686 sorry, link.. http://www.echalk.co.uk/amusements/OpticalIllusions/illusions.aspx\n\nclick the link that is called "Motion Induced Blindness" to see what I mean. 1344526161 Well holy shit. If you'll pardon me.\n\nI was actually thinking when you said something negative that the only valid response would be something about romance. You're right. About everything. And your advice is fantastic. It's all me. =O\n\nI've always liked tarot, but I confess I've grown skeptical until pretty much now. \n\nThanks so much!\n\nEdit: I hate to be paranoid, but it did occur to me that you could've gotten at least some of that from my comment history. Didn't think of that until later. 1335563895 Any chance that the physical end of the world is spiritual-only? Or maybe the world is destroyed and immediately replaced by an identical one? 1318944487 The better question is where did this alien learn how to fly? \n\nI would love to believe this video but the random path of this object makes it difficult to believe its an intelligent being. Are they joy riding? Don't they have GPS of some sort? If this was a real UFO, I can just hear the aliens in the backseat screaming, "NO...I SAID GO LEFT!!". 1344475341 you can use the energy to clear out the toxins and that shows up in your aura 1344793096 Mine is badass. he's been through medical school and turned around to become a chiropractor so that he wouldn't be harassed when he practices homeopathic medicine. \n\nYa he is funny every once in awhile, but when I'm feeling awful or hurting after a long week of Xfit, he's my man. 1291183738 I love this picture, it really captures the moment. 1265205201 >Copied from another comment I made here.\n\n\n["Some recent studies suggest that\nover-consumption of fluoride can raise the risks of disorders affecting teeth,\nbones, the brain and the thyroid gland," reports Scientific American](http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/01/02/idUS108377+02-Jan-2008+PRN20080102)\n\n\n[Another](http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-study-fluoride-can-damage-the-brain---avoid-use-in-children-124299299.html)\n\n\n[And another(PDF)](http://static.infowars.com/2011/12/i/general/2011_study-neurodegenerative_changes_from_fluoride_of_brain_spinal_cord_and_sciatic_nerve.pdf)\n\n\nProvide me with a peer reviewed study that shows that kids aren't getting enough fluoride without putting it in drinking water.\n\n\n[Wait, it was so easy I saved you the trouble](http://jada.ada.org/content/139/11/1457.abstract) See the conclusion. 1338781963 I think that it's fairly safe to assume that there is no truth to such claims; the onus is on the people who make the claim to prove that it's true, and thus far all I've seen from believers is the same sorts of assertions, innuendo, and hearsay that I see from other conspiracy theorists. It would also be helpful if they had coherent explanations for motive - what possible reason would the american government have for killing bin laden in 2001 and then keeping the body on ice for ten years (and a new presidency), only to release it on a fairly random and unimportant sunday night? 1304323797 Yeah, it's easier to point at a big, evil, well organized conspiracy than a bunch of disorganized, independent drug traffickers. These things tend to break apart the more people you add to the conspiracy though. 1348666500 Similarly, Clone High's Abe Lincoln:\n\n[I can't wait to eat this ... baby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93kkEMIXu5s). 1313468895 I was there. So freaking awesome. 1317330685 I was the only one in the house, no one was there the night before or the morning it happened 1334261314 This is still one of my favorite green-light conversations: http://www.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/comments/10k8s4/controversial_911_film_soars_to_1_on_pbs_breaks/c6eioh1 \n\nFeel free to click that (below threshold + 197 children) to see some truther comedy in action. \n\n 1353356462 The novel is rather obscure here (Flanders). The song was a hit a few years ago and still gets some airplay. 1318882790 Mitchell and Web\n\nI show that particular clip to almost everyone I meet.\n\n 1338142600 One thing I have learned from my various encounters with the paranormal, is that one often does not feel or behave as one would expect, or in a way which would be considered *normal*. There have been instances when I should have been frightened (or at least apprehensive), and I think was expected to be, but just wasn't; I generally am unnaturally calm at these times, completely uncoupled from my horror film conditioning. I often wonder if I'm not some sort of ghoul or something. 1328333648 Oh. Actually it doesn't now that I think about it. Nope...usually stays at the same angle. Doesn't get darker or lighter, taller or shorter.. always right on top of someones head and blowing backwards 1335679120 This is getting ridiculous. Can't they just start identifying these objects? 1286414424 If someone quizzed you, would you reply "I dont know"? 1346537841 School as in university, in the bookstores (both on and off-campus). 1298563861 If a trait exerts no negative pressure on survival / procreation chances, it won't just "evolve out" automatically. Useless but harmless traits often stick on for a very long time. 1337080895 [I don't recall antibiotics causing narcolepsy.](http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/h1n1_narcolepsy_pandemrix.html) 1330065516 This pisses me off... All over the stupid belief that vaccines cause Autism... 1319277884 damn that shit got crushed 1327385748 Drat! I always forget about strikethrough. Thanks for the reminder! 1343832880 My two cats creep me out all the time, staring into dark corners and being weird...I believe animals see stuff we don't, just like little babies supposedly do. 1344083361 It's a glitch inside your head! What kind of seizure is this? 1332977168 Um actually the reason they believe it is possible is simply because the math adds up and it does not violate any of the laws of physics. History has proven that a mathematically sound theory is pretty much infallible thus there is more than enough scientific basis. Right now they are concentrating on harvesting dark energy and/or enough energy to power such a drive...do some research sir. The science channel even did two shows illustrating this. 1330092263 Will you cook my dinner for me? My parents aren't around and I'm not allowed to turn on the stove. 1323309373 >I don't think it's an issue with psychology though really, it's all science. In logic and mathematics you can prove things. Science doesn't prove things, which is great really.\n\nYes, you are right that science doesn't prove things, but psychology depends a lot more on broader and less defined probabilities and statistics than other fields. What I mean to say is that there are more assumptions to be made. I'm pretty confortable in a constant state of uncertainty.\n\n>What area of psychology?\n\nDepends on the day and my mood.\n\nI haven't formed a worthwhile opinion on Steven Pinker yet. 1347087953 Yet I bet none of them have a problem getting eyeglasses if they can't see. Paraphrasing Bugs Bunny, geez, what a bunch of maroons. 1330247295 >well the bright side of that is that when people smoke cannabis, they're 99% (inexact #) more likely to just stay at home and laugh at stupid shit, than to drive around in a car.\n\nI don't think that's true - I think it's a common trope that is sometimes wheeled out to ignore the problem with how some people are behaving when on drugs (and it's usually combined with the myth that driving whilst stoned isn't a problem as it makes you more "careful"). \n\nI imagine that most recreational cannabis users would only use it when they're planning a night at home, but more seasoned users (e.g. ones who are addicted) would be having one before work in the morning to 'get them through the day' and drive off to work. If cannabis were legalised, this number of people would necessarily increase, and the act itself would be normalised - making it more likely that people who wouldn't risk driving out somewhere when stoned due to getting caught, would now consider driving down to the store to get some food to fix their munchies.\n\n>the funny thing is, all those jokes about "pot activists always lose their petitions, or forget to vote"--have a high degree of truth to them....which is yet another reason it's yet to be legalized.\n\nIt's probably part of the reason why their concerns don't get as much political attention as they might, but I'm not convinced that even if every "pro-pot" person voted then it would be legalised as I don't think there is overwhelming support for legalisation. \n\n>There really is, at least in the US, a very large number of profitable industries that base the majority of their income on cannabis being illegal. for example, the "for-profit" prisons receive billions of tax dollars each year from the Justice Dept to incarcerate criminals--over half of which are non-violent criminals; and the largest number of that subgroup consist of "cannabis offenders".\n\nThis doesn't explain why similar laws exist in all countries, even without the same supposed pressure from industry. \n\n>but not a single one of them is ever discussed in any kind of national discussion/ anti-cannabis campaign.\n\nReally? I know that the messages are simplified (and, in worst cases, exaggerated by bad programs) but most campaigns that I've seen cover the problems of cannabis being associated with lung cancer, long term memory issues, significant drops in IQ, etc. 1347864786 Thank You. 1245255671 santa, the tooth fairy and god are all in the same club. 1285523006 It is hair splitting and I would love to be able to say unicorns don't exist and have people understand im not making a claim of absolute certainty but in these sort of debates especially with a god claim everyone always jumps to the absolute when you say anything and so I always have to clarify my statements. 1335609837 Well enough convincing U.F.O sightings and reports have been made to convince me somthing is visiting us, but no communication has been made yet, who knows what the reasoning would be. 1319060517 I see it and [this](http://imgur.com/D2eIH) is all I think of. 1349325092 Ugh. My hope for the human race is rapidly dwindling. 1301252333 \n> I'm curious how much proof does one actually need?\n\nI'm glad you asked that question, though I'll apply it to the ETH and UFOs in general rather than limiting myself to this one document. You can see what I think about OP's NSA document [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/UAP/comments/mqmo5/proof_of_extraterrestrial_intelligence_nsa/c334hhq) and [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/UAP/comments/mqmo5/proof_of_extraterrestrial_intelligence_nsa/c334qit). \n\nI am partial to the framework Peter Sturrock uses in his book [The UFO Enigma](http://www.amazon.com/UFO-Enigma-Review-Physical-Evidence/dp/0446525650). \n\nSturrock proposes that we abandon the idea of a smoking gun. Ever since *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, people have awaited the day a saucer lands on the White House lawn and a dialogue begins. So we examine every bit of data from that perspective, asking ourselves if **this** is finally the compelling argument needed to seal the deal. \n\nA better framework is to think of every bit of evidence in terms of a logarithmic system, like say decibels for sound. The salient point is that you have some "threshold" that you yourself have set. Say, when the arguments in favor pass the 100 dB range you are convinced. Maybe 30 dB range for your average r/UFOs user. \n\nThe NSA document you link to, for example, would add 0 dB in support of the ETH for me because it is a joking exercise and is not at all relevant. A better example is perhaps the classic [Twining Memo](http://www.nicap.org/twining_letter.htm). Maybe that adds 10 dB to your theory that some UFOs are ETs or whatever. Maybe you read up on the [Condon Report's take on the 1956 Lakenheath case](http://files.ncas.org/condon/text/case02.htm) and this "genuine UFO" adds 20 dB. Over time as you study UFOs you'll come to acculumate a growing body of evidence, and you'll be forced to reevaluate your previous assesments and assumptions. Likewise your thresholds may very well change. \n\nI suppose I'm evading your question by describing what I consider to be a sensible system rather than enumerating my own specific beliefs. I do believe that there are Unknowns. These Unknowns appear to be physical and appear to at least sometimes be "intelligently controlled" and appear to at least sometimes exhibit characteristics unobtainable by human technology as we know it. I also think that these Unknowns have been marginalized by many of the ruling powers around the world for decades [with the notable exception of [France](http://www.geipan.fr/)].\n\nI frankly have no idea what the Unknowns are or where they come from, and I think it displays a lack of respect for the complexity of the issues at hand for people to watch half of the Disclosure Project on Youtube before declaring the Unknowns as Extraterrestrials. 1322533776 Ahh yes I see, for some reason I was reading your comments as a continuation of xiongshi's posts. My apologies, I wasn't paying attention to the usernames so I misinterpreted your post. 1328649456 Made my day !!! 1324659745 is it arbitrary, or logical that in the process of evolution that relationship of eyes above nose and mouth would happen? nearly ever species on earth, as vastly different as they are, have eyes, above nose, above mouth. 1332355055 Because the US public education system doesn't cultivate critical thought. 1309178701 It's nice to fantasise about the existence of the Loch Ness monster and with all the under water caves there could of once been some creature but there isn't enough fish/other creatures for anything to live off in the Loch now. The Loch has been mapped out by scientists and there's nothing there.\n\nHowever, the photographs of Big Foot - isn't that classed as physical evidence? Why do we need to "study" or "catch" one. \n\n 1317846629 That's not true. If you see something that looks like a face, you will see a face. It doesn't have to be exactly the same as a face you have seen before. 1356258110 TIL about eugenics toilet paper. 1329648906 MERCOLA IS SUPERUNSCIENTIFIC !!! 1265990264 If you want to date her, you should ease into any skeptical discussions. If she brings up astrology again on the next date, try to politely change the subject. If she won't, maybe she's too invested in her belief in it and you should give up. But hopefully you can put that conversation off until she trusts you and respects you enough to listen to reason (not necessarily have her mind changed, but at least listen). 1301398650 http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/luvrg/alternative_literature_xkcd/c2vtbfh 1320051783 Assuming it's not being covered up. It happened halfway across the world and it was a year before any dive happened. They had plenty of time to fabricate evidence. It's happened before and will happen again. 1340076546 No, not really. Especially with no knowledge what other treatments he might have tried. What other reasons he might have had to postpone surgery. How seriously he took the alternative stuff. Maybe it was only to calm his wife who believes in it?\n\nYou have two very small parts of the whole picture. Not nearly enough to make any informed conclusions. 1318629346 It was actually a shitload of one of the two big towers that hit building seven. Take a look at the footage that's not from the truthers' very selective angle. The place was more wrecked than it seemed to be from the most photogenic side. 1332556904 Actually, *scientists* have known that the Earth was round since at least the ancient Greeks. The flat Earth hypothesis was mostly popular among the uneducated.\n\nAdditionally, even if it had been a widely accepted scientific theory, you cannot compare a theory popular prior to the development of the scientific method with one developed afterward. 1353792713 This is why I hate the skeptic movement--authoritarian as fuck. 1337827659 Are you for fucking real? That is a fascinating thought... I just can't believe this... 1333466212 Wait.. Bill Maher is *against* vaccinations? 1287721724 *crickets* 1313232832 *crickets* 1334455093 Dude, what are you talking about?\n\nConventional medicine is what MDs and DO's practise. \n\nCAM runs the gamut from wacky to not wacky, I said things were complimentary, not CAM. Do you understand now?\n\nMDs and DOs often work in clinics together along with physical therapists, nutritionists, surgeons, etc.\n\nI don't think you know the difference between written English and CAM. 1318746387 I am American and what is this 1294066353 The FDA [has already spoken out against this product](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorine_dioxide#Safety)\n\nEverything your friend needs can be found on wiki + the links.\n\nedit: There's even a wikipedia page [on this product](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_Mineral_Solution), huge amounts of reasons given to avoid it there 1342825835 In the theory of parallel realities, time is just another parallel reality. everything is always simultaneously happening in all realities at the same time, however we experience it in a linear fashion because of the linear nature of our consciousness. Anyway grand experience. :) 1328394078 Not true. If you spend money wastefully by protecting yourself against threats that don't exist, most would define that as stupid. Most credit cards don't have RFID and it's easy to check if a card has one. Mine don't, so it'd be stupid for me to spend money on a protective wallet that gains me nothing. 1335041313 It's a good point, but there's no way to know which is which, because they go by the same name. If I treated back problems, I wouldn't call myself a chiropractor and associate with the history and philosophy of chiropractic. 1336781646 You good sir. Thank you! 1340897457 hmm, well every Jesuit I've ever known is a professional skeptic so no. 1296195159 your username + mention of your [hopefully former] illness = A++ 1319646756 In university I only met a few religious people who let their religion interfere with their scepticism/rationality, but the majority that I knew had a fairly solid, and reasonable, demarcation of the two, and acknowledge that their faith in entirely dependant on their believing it, rather than it being a foregone conclusion.\n\nContrariwise, I've also known a few atheists who are pretty dogmatically anti-religious, and they struck me as arrogant and ignorant for the most part. I imagine a lot of that is backlash rather than a rational disapproval. 1285360292 I'll just add: it goes both ways. I see skeptics get dumped with derision just for questioning, pointing out inconsistencies or details wrong with hoaxes - people get emotional and defensive when their beliefs are questioned. 1346658099 I lost my cat on my 16th birthday at my house at the time (my parents house now). The way our house is set up, when my mom and I would be up late together in the living room watching movies, we could always see our cat walking across the kitchen floor to her food bowl, then she would start walking towards us. There has been several occasions since she died that my mother, or myself, has seen this familiar motion. Once my mother even put out her hand as a reflex...and then realized that our cat had died. On another occasion, I saw her walking, and turned to my mother to see if she had seen it to, and she was already looking where I was and nodded her head yes before I even asked the question. Your pets will stay a part of your life forever, and it's pretty reassuring to know that. 1348124156 Jesus was a cross dresser? 1311376000 I love Zizek.\nFor the link shy: Zizek says that racism isn't a problem of tolerance. MLK talked about exploitation, etc. To couch it in terms of tolerance is ridiculous because it's humiliating for the person asking for tolerance. When we are talking about "tolerance" what we are avoiding talking about is cultural attitudes, economic exploitation, etc. Using 'tolerance' is a way to obfuscate what is really happening and will make solving the problem harder. 1307848414 powers worth more than money to the people who crave it in its purest forms..\nsorry i missed your reply i hardly check my messages. 1321984625 It would actually be a lot easier for us to help and offer insight if you did start a video campaign. Digital video cameras are not expensive any more, so it'd be easy to do a short introduction interview, and then leave the camera on during the hot spots (evening when you and your girlfriend are around the house, and then at night when you're both asleep), so that any activity is captured, or you can grab the camera and dictate your experiences as they happen. If you really want assistance, this is the best way to go about it aside from having a team come to your home and do an investigation. 1340116894 Even though I find the case for CO2 contributing to global warming compelling, I'm kind of saddened to see that you've been downvoted for asking for proof, particularly on a subreddit called /r/skeptic. I'm glad to kick you back up to 1. Best I can do on my own.\n\n(The correct response, for those who strongly disagree with this guy, would be to post a link to a citation of evidence. The down arrow is not a "you're wrong" button.) 1313421285 The idea that both the science and popular conceptions around diet health are all over place and conflicting is nothing new. For a good survey of the history of dietary trends from a History/Philosophy of Science perspective, check out Gary Taubes. 1353089069 >Did you read the link in the OP?\n\nI did. Several times, in fact.\n\n>Dry brushing was presented as a cure-all:\n\nNo, dry brushing was presented as providing ten very explicit benefits. It was not presented as curing *anything* let alone *everything.*\n\n>there is no physiological mechanism to justify dry brushing as anything more than a skin treatment\n\nNor has one been presented. Of the ten benefits claimed, six are epidermal in nature. The other four (tones muscles, improves nervous function, helps digestion, cleanses lymphatic system) are one degree removed from the epidermis.\n\n>let alone a cancer treatment.\n\nThis is the first time anyone has used the word "cancer." "Tumor" has been used before, but only by the OP, not by any links related to skin brushing.\n\nIt's one thing to say "you should try skin brushing" on an internet forum. It's quite another to put up a website selling skin brushes and claiming they cure cancer.\n\nYou seem to think the latter has happened. It was the former. 1270673671 Western Alberta, Canada 1338320026 He sounds like Roger from American Dad. 1339895906 About as much good as trying to convince someone that thinks this sort of thing isn't a scam that it's a scam. Read: None. 1288917152 It's been 7 years since they first talked about this "cure"... so yeah.. how's that working out.\n\nhttp://articles.cnn.com/2005-06-22/health/cancer.virus_1_cancer-cells-cervical-cancer-hpv?_s=PM:HEALTH 1335924594 >Her final film, Something Wicked, was released on August 25, 2011. 1327183107 Wouldn't it be better to put on a blood-free lab coat? :P 1345738510 [when I see this](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pnKObAvS3Pw/Tw4lxJeDXiI/AAAAAAAAAmc/JrKWnADRNFc/s150/cop-out-nope.gif) 1348337383 I don't think I'd want to be the intern who has to hand over the contradictory research on those kind of issues. 1342968181 This page has some more stats on them:\nhttp://pseudoastro.wordpress.com/tag/psychic-twins/\n\n"The pair that I thought were most full of themselves were the “psychic twins,” Terry and Linda Jamison. They started the interview by claiming that everything they predicted for 2009 had come true, and when they were on later in 2010, they claimed that everything they had predicted in January would still come true. I couldn’t find a C2C interview they did for 2009, but I found one for 2000. They claimed AIDS would be cured by 2002, “breast cancer drug break-through by 2003,” “a cancer cure, especially for breast cancer by 2007,” 60% of cancer cured by 2008, a cloning of body parts “in the not too distant future … in diagnostic chambers,” and people with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, MS, and spinal cord injuries will be walking “within the decade.” Yeah …. didn’t quite happen. And by my tally, they only had one hit for 2010, and it was incredibly vague but I gave it to them. They had some monstrous fails, such as shiitake mushrooms as a prevention for breast cancer and hurricanes devastating Florida. They even failed on some actual statistically likely hits, like a major storm hitting the gulf." 1318772804 Keep in mind that Humane Watch is a project of the Center for Consumer Freedom, which was created by Richard Berman, a corporate lobbyist. I would take anything they say with about 10 pounds of salt. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/us/politics/18berman.html 1321835641 right, I was headed west, the sun 100% was down because it was just about 9PM and the super moon was behind us. the thing that made these initially stick out was how bright they were, they were both very intense and I thought it was two balls of orange/red light until I was under them and looked up and saw the square shape. it's a square shape, but the corner was leading so I call it a diamond. since the sighting ive been playing catchup on UFO stuff. what I have learned since is square/diamond shaped UFOs are pretty rare in reports.\n\nwhat really bothered me afterwards was the fact that this object was visible in a major metropolitan area and didn't attempt to be discrete, this means whatever is in control of those objects doesn't have concern about any counter measures that could be taken. it either wanted to be seen or just didn't care if was seen.\n\n\n\n\n 1338626977 well then WTF is "Airplane Mode" supposed to be used for, if not on airplanes? 1335252270 Please. If I was gay, you wouldn't be my type. I would like my men be scientifically literate! :-)\n\nBut, for better or worse, I am not gay - not that there's anything wrong with that. The reason I am replying to you with copy/pasted messages is that you are *responding to me with copy/pasted responses*. I am simply giving you a taste of your own medecine. If you don't want me to continue the conversation, then *stop replying*. Do you thing I'm going to reply to myself, or something?\n\nOne thing I will *continue* to do, however, is respond to fake claims about climate science when I read them in the subreddits I've subscribed to, when I have the time and inclination to do so. I'm not "stalking" you more than I am any of the other deniers who post debunked fossil fuel propaganda on reddit. I'm just here to counter that propaganda with actual science. 1346607428 Please. If I was gay, you wouldn't be my type. I would like my men be scientifically literate! :-)\n\nBut, for better or worse, I am not gay - not that there's anything wrong with that. The reason I am replying to you with copy/pasted messages is that you are *responding to me with copy/pasted responses*. I am simply giving you a taste of your own medecine. If you don't want me to continue the conversation, then *stop replying*. Do you thing I'm going to reply to myself, or something?\n\nOne thing I will *continue* to do, however, is respond to fake claims about climate science when I read them in the subreddits I've subscribed to, when I have the time and inclination to do so. I'm not "stalking" you more than I am any of the other deniers who post debunked fossil fuel propaganda on reddit. I'm just here to counter that propaganda with actual science. 1346607443 Ah, that makes more sense. 1356020326 Ironically, acute butthurtitis is something the BCA claims can be cured through Chiropractry. 1329959559 I'm not stereotyping atheletes superstititon is more prevelent in places where people don't have complete control over an outcome or competition. In many ways I'm sure the atheletes know a lot of the stuff doesn't work, but they lose nothing by doing it and have a positive psychological effect when doing it.\n \n>Olympians are on a whole 'nother plane of the human physical condition because they know how to be healthy.\n\nThanks for a perfect example of argument from authority. Most people who lived on the diet of an olympian would become obese quite quickly. They are performing at peak physical condition as a professional, a layman taking advice from an olympian on how to be healthy is kind of ridiculous as they live on extremely high calorie diets and spend almost all their time training and exercising. Sure if one spent all their time in demanding physical performance they would be in very good physical condition this does not mean however they are healthy, just physically fit. 1344108763 I miss Arizona :( 1347552094 Enough people here, on reddit, are completely fine calling you an idiot for being a 'solid believer in' any one of the things you said. Let them be the assholes, they clearly want that title.\n\nThe point that was being made was that certain people come here in this subreddit solely to comment on everything as being fake or hallucinations. You clearly don't fit in that group.\n\nBeing critical or true sceptic is completely acceptable. In this case it took me 30 seconds to find her email address. *"y si a algun lector le interesa comunicarse con esta mujer este es su email: lerinagarciagordo@yahoo.es "* And her facebook: http://es-la.facebook.com/people/Lerina-Garcia-Gordo/100000639399862\nIt seems to be a name only in relation to this story. Credibility low, but at least a bit higher than nothing at all. (I myself am completely invisible from the internet, so not finding to much on a person doesn't mean much.) 1326244507 I bought one years ago, purely because it looked attractive (and matched my fossil collection). Sadly, if you turn the lamp on for more than a few minutes, it starts 'sweating' and you end up with a rock lamp sitting in a salty puddle. Uncool. 1290557252 Ah, I thought I smelled troll..\nPlease read rules before commenting. 1356193704 I remember doing it at primary school, so the oldest I could have been would be 8. 1314916498 alt text was more entertaining than the comic 1278911190 Yes.. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002AGF8KY/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=ufbl-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B002AGF8KY&adid=0S0579ZP9C9G45KZRZ4A 1355124486 i dont understand wtf happened in the whole vid :( 1262788311 or a as i would say they lesser of the two evils ; ) \ni'm joking.......or am i......no i am joking. 1350478191 I hid my identity in 2007 now I don't give a fuck that's why my face is shown now. I don't give a fuck if anyone cares or not. I was trying to see if there was anyone interested. 1335245001 Fair 'muff* 1339536394 No one ever contested that herbal remedies can work. It's just that manufactured medicine has greater purity and a lot better control over the dosage. 1306258078 > A homeopath has no business treating cancer, but a case of the sniffles and a biannual checkup?\n\nBut what the heck of a good will a homeopath do even in that case? 1246565267 Who's that guy who's paying a million dollars to whoever can prove they have a supernatural ability?\n\nPoint this kid in that direction. 1298536815 Absolutely no clouds out that day. EXTREMELY clear skies that night. I made sure to note that at the time for when I told this subreddit about it. 1330270798 Absolutely terrible comparison. \n\nDrudge is an aggregate, HuffPo is an OpEd piece of garbage. 1342712251 What these numbers say is that a specific placebo (acupuncture of whatever kind) worked better than a real treatment (normal migraine stuff). That says that the pills are shitty and need to be improved. It says nothing about the effectiveness of acupuncture. 1326047901 thats why most people are afraid of death 1340857398 I really wish people understood this more. But I have the feeling that if they changed the name now, People would cry conspiracy and say that Big Food was just trying to pull a fast one. 1296081049 It appears I misunderstood the brine thing, for which I apologise.\n\nHowever, you are still selling products which you **know** have no acceptable evidence of efficacy (as you've demonstrated in your leaflet by saying 'hey they cure things but it's illegal for us to tell you' - it wouldn't be illegal if there was evidence).\n\nThe questions I put to you are these:\n\n1) How exactly do you think these would help? What would be their mechanism of action? How could this be measured?\n\n2) Regular medicines are approved to cure a small number of groups of related conditions. Your treatment appears to have an equal effect on just about everything. Why do you think that is?\n\n3) If you're requiring people to see a doctor, you know they're being treated properly. How can you attribute any anecdotal evidence of people being cured to the benefit of your bath salts?\n\n4) Do you understand why science uses controlled, randomised, blinded clinical studies?\n\n5) If a proper (unfortunately expensive) clinical study were conducted, do you think you would see any positive benefit of your salts?\n\n6) If such a trial showed no benefit, would you consider it immoral to sell your products? 1303137220 Awesome thanks! And I don't plan on observing every case, that's an almost impossible task. But, I think the most credible should be challenged and looked into. 1337918585 I don't know why he implied it if that's what you were asking. I'm assuming it's because he wants to believe the post you responded to injured you emotionally.\n\nWhy I inferred that meaning is that the whole lower lip tremble is generally a characteristic of people who are trying to hold back tears.\n\nNow, I'm not taking sides here. But I believed you were genuinely confused as to the meaning of his comment. I just wanted to offer my perspective and let you know that yes, you were being insulted. 1322663414 I will upvote you, then downvote you, then upvote you again, just so I can do it twice. 1286843811 2nd degree burns. 3rd degree destroys the nerves and tend not to hurt as much. 1329964836 I read the reply, and I disagreed with it. Shocking concept isn't it? 1350762592 Having been through J-school, that's exactly what they teach. This is clearly a media package from Playtex. They send those out, and apparently the Daily Mail didn't even edit for content before shipping it out.\n\nA look at the "author"'s stories just from today indicates that this is standard operating procedure for her. Nevermind that she writes for the "Femail" section, clearly a terrible lifestyles fluff section.\n\nEven at a *respectable* newspaper, I wouldn't expect decent journalism from this woman. 1331791081 It sounds to me like you are sweating small stuff.\n\n> here we are, in 2012. For the first time in our history as a species, all of our accumulated knowledge is at our fingertips (save for the libraries burned to ash in dogmatic fervor and warfare over the ages). If there is an answer to a question, that answer can be found swiftly. If there is no answer to a question, philosophies making attempts to answer can be found swiftly.\n\n>I just don't know how to reconcile all of this. No matter what angle I take, I can't find one that justifies the ignorance of truth. Even if I let my sense of humor shine through and I stop taking all of this so seriously, the truth is still the goal.\n\n You don't need to shoulder the burden of protecting mankind's future with every interaction you make.\n\nIf someone else believes in horoscopes, that's silly.\n\nIf someone else believes in horoscopes and you let it ruin *your* day, that's **really fucking silly**.\n\nTry not to care so much. 1340137319 What... Are you talking about? 1309837392 Good question, with no certain answer.\n\nThere are some good arguments for gun control and some good arguments against it. Be very careful of sources you trust. There are very loaded sources with agendas on both sides. They both tend to take creative twists on statistics to help their argument.\n\nOne thing I'm quite convinced of though is that our culture around- and access to mental health care is broken and needs serious change. Without this change, I'm not convinced any legislation (either way) will create much effect. 1355868391 Yes, I do think that they do exist because the government does a great job of denying us the truth about many, many things, not to mention, straight out lying to us. I think Photoshop and CGI are the new "swamp gas". Yes, we must read between the lines and look at the facts, etc regarding videos and photos claiming to be UFO"s, aliens, etc, but I do not believe that ever single one if Photoshopped. I think there are good aliens and bad aliens, just like everything else we have ever seen. We just happen to have the good ones around now. Yes, they could come and kill us all if they wanted to and that could happen if a rogue alien race decided to do just that. In fact, we don't need the aliens to destroy ourselves. NASA is one of the biggest fucking lies ever. Take what NASA says with a grain of salt, they are under control of at least the Air Force and we do not know for sure who controls the military. If you look into the evidence about people talking about what is up there on the moon, the photos that they took, the fact that they could easily point Hubble towards the moon and take images, how they lied to us about the face on mars, etc, etc, yeah, I am going to bet that there is something, probably a lot, up there on the moon. If they want to fuck us up, there is not shit we can do about it. All of there shit is better than any of our shit. I think they don't want us to know because most of the non believers, ie. sheep, can't deal with it. They want to control us and keep us down on this rock? Knowledge is power and if we had that knowledge, they would be less powerful. They don't give a rip about us, and we have no reason to know. They can, so why not? United States controls a lot of things and this is just one of those things? 1332436454 And then teach them that correlation does not negate causation. I find that people have a tendency to latch onto this concept. 1283196325 There was a video of pretty low quality (from early 70's maybe?) on Youtube narrated by Carl Sagan that debunked most of this stuff. Anybody have a link? My Google Fu skills are failing me. 1332417134 It does show your maturity level, however. 1327854951 http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/LessWrong\n\nJust people find them a bit irritating, obnoxious, etc. 1311431226 so the only way your assertion can be disproved is to examine the evidence which you provide, and so far your evidence consists of his apparent concern about the safety of nuclear power plants ... a lot of people share this concern, so do you think they are all secretly promoting fossil fuels? if not, what makes this particular person different? 1305658207 I care little for testimonials. Do you have data? I can be convinced by data. 1314294184 My point was that these two claims have exactly the same empirical status:\n\n1. Chiropractic is completely unfounded scientifically\n2. Chiropractic is completely founded scientifically\n\nAs long as you focus on semantics like this and avoid reading the links that have been provided in this thread, than you will continue to have a simplistic opinion. 1315521902 By that logic, wouldn't surgery be bad too? It's additional trauma. 1344093157 I say "gesundheit". 1322405610 Supplements are just that - supplements. They supplement your intake of... anything.\n\nHence, if you're low on vitamin C, then you should take vitamin C, etc. 1309970376 Not where I grew up. 1350730538 —> /r/politics 1292094158 I suppose the most important question is, "Is the CNBC Executive's children dead?" Because I have never heard anything about that elsewhere. 1354210409 No. The deck is saying that you are far to obsessed with love to find it, like sand slipping through closed fingers. Pursue love of yourself and you will find it. It's sorta like a chinese finger trap, if that makes sense. 1353398608 To your first point, the purpose of this subreddit, it's purpose is described in the sidebar. \n\n> Need something debunked by those in the know? Looking to exercise \n> some critical thinking or research skills? Want to eviscerate pseudoscience, \n> idiocy, and irrationality wherever it lurks? \n\nIf you look at the math in the above comment, you'll see that -- in fact -- people _don't_ necessarily like them. You'll find that the votes represent 2.5% of the community, some of which must be removed, adjusting for inflation due to bots and bandwagon effect.\n\nIf you observe in the top-level post, in the comments, I give an example relating a post about swimming in /r/scuba -- such a post may be popular, but it is not appropriate for /r/scuba, it's appropriate for /r/swimming. \n\nEnclosing memes in a self post enforces their status as conversation starters, while mitigating the downside by removing the major incentive (free internet points).\n\nThe plain fact is, look at /r/atheism, or /r/politics -- if you leave it alone, it just gets worse.\n\nFurther, you make a bifurcation fallacy -- memes aren't necessarily strictly good or strictly bad, some memes can be very good (the GGG example, or some of the woo-heavy infographics) -- they spawn discussion and good rebuttal/learning opportunity. Some are very bad -- they're silly content-free posts that simply don't make this reddit better. Some are in the middle. Not all memes are created equal.\n\nTo mitigate this, I don't intend to remove the meme, only the incentive to post bad memes -- if I post a bad meme, I know with some probability it will get upvoted, so I post many bad memes, some are downvoted away, but some make it, and I get internet points. People like arbitrary numbers, and will do what they can to make them get bigger. Therefore, by removing the ability for the people who just want internet points to get internet points, we mitigate the bad memes, and (hopefully) keep only the good ones.\n\nI hope this helps you to understand the decision, if it does not, I am sorry you do not understand it, I will happily answer your questions. 1332628481 I used to pick up donated furniture from people's houses, and many of these people happened to be aging women who watch too much Oprah. Whenever I saw a copy of The Secret on their coffee tables--which was often--I would ask how that book was working out for them. Nearly always, the response was something like, "Well, I can't seem to do what it asks." 1287373845 Hadn't thought of that, it's a good idea. I had assumed most listeners would be using iTunes but I hear from a number of people that use other podcatching apps. I'll put together an episode list soon; in the meantime, you can always use an RSS reader or podcatcher with these feeds:\n\nRSS - [http://www.whyyourewrongpodcast.com/?feed=rss2](http://www.whyyourewrongpodcast.com/?feed=rss2)\n\nXML (podcatcher) - [http://www.whyyourewrongpodcast.com/feed/wyw_feed.xml](http://www.whyyourewrongpodcast.com/feed/wyw_feed.xml) 1331816136 Already funded, so that's great. I love the concept, even though I don't have kids.\n\nThink I'll wait to see the final version before I purchase for friends. Don't particularly love the concept art. 1346875037 It happens to me fairly frequently. Not every night, but often enough that it gets annoying. For me it usually happens after a night terror. My dad's side of the family are all prone to them and don't grow out of them like the psychology books say you are supposed to. So generally what happens is I wake up unable to move while my dream seeps into reality. Sometimes it's downright terrifying and can take me a good few minutes to snap out of it. Other times it's more mild. I've been waking up a lot lately seeing swarms of bugs, will-o-wisp kind of light orbs, and other small objects all over my room that fade as I start being able to move again. I know it's only neurological, but sometimes it's really scary! 1341626117 Besides this, we all know naturalnews spews bullshit by the article. They're sources are, of course, links to their website. 1350036088 I think it'd be more interesting to see if anyone watched the episode and didn't get the [dig](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080202231409/uncyclopedia/images/1/11/Beating-a-dead-horse.gif) at History Channel. 1321289235 You might want to youtube bashar, an "alien channel". he discusses the subject extensively. your 4d cube he calls a hypercube. he also covers a lot of basic metaphysics, all time is simultaneous, memory/imagination is really about reexperiencing different versions of ourselves, all are one, etc. 1345174450 Good comment, I would like to say that There is substantially more evidence that bone marrow and high rich meat protein is responsible for the evolution of human brains than plants.\n\nBut plants are responsible for our societal structures (farming, etc).\n\nJust saying. 1334883681 Congratulations, that gave me chills. Sounds like really intense déja vu, but [still.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3AxIOtSjXyA#t=342s) 1338582542 Indeed, I agree. I put that in there intentionally. For people can also believe the right thing for the wrong reasons. A theme of my blog to encourage ourselves to admit this. 1316636578 Politics can lead to all kinds of nastiness, even between people who otherwise agree on pretty much everything, and I think there's kind of been a practice of, while acting as skeptics, avoiding politics for fear of that kind of nastiness. Certainly skeptics are all over the political landscape- I've known anarchist skeptics, liberal skeptics, conservative skeptics, and of course anybody who's been involved in the skeptical movement for any time at all is aware of the huge Libertarian contingent within skepticism. One of the more annoying things skeptics do is insisting that a skeptical mindset demands their political beliefs; this doesn't help anybody. 1293632294 >Her response was that I was close minded for not swallowing it.\n\nIt's too bad you can't expose her to this excellent presentation on [open-mindedness](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI). 1329834525 Right. That works, except at night. I'll be out to sea for days. Funny how the brain works. I got sick, and irritable. I clung to my view of the horizon as the sun started to set, knowing I wouldn't be able to see it for much longer. I found myself feeling rage at good friends of mine, when they walked in front of me, blocking my view of the horizon. 1259392745 Here you go [UFO over Poland, 30.06.2011](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0hC9dypKSU) 1337353776 The university cafeteria food is supposed to be all-organic, and quite tasty, so if I could manage, I'd keep to the dorm rooms and university food. \n\nDefinitely something to keep in mind. I've known many of the university administrators for years/decades, which could be a good thing or a bad thing wrt networking a local job, depending on what they think of me.\n\nThe biggest drawback is that you are required to attend the entire 8 hour meditation session in order to get the full $26/day, so its not like a normal vacation. 1339135761 Leslie Kean's book is very good http://www.amazon.com/UFOs-Generals-Pilots-Government-Officials/dp/0307716848 1308858773 Makes me wonder why they even had him take the lie detector test if they weren't going to believe him either way anyway. Seems to me like they were just hoping he'd fail so they'd have something to say he was a liar. Now that he passed, everybody's all "well, he's still crazy". \n\nJust goes to show. There's no point in ever taking one 1336797014 Ghost Boxes invite the trolls of the spirit world. It's like opening a direct link to 4Chan. The video was still great though. 1325009763 It's an option you can turn off by not having them track your search history. You can also delete your search history.\n\nIf you want to test it... Keep searching for something vague like "Earth". Only click on links that are about that band with the same name. After a while those results will float to the top. \n\nThen disable the tracking and delete your history (all done within Goolge settings) and try it again and see if it changes. 1355024323 I think it's more about brightness than about color. See other people's arguments about why this wouldn't really improve the color.\n\nHowever, our eyes are more sensitive to light and contrast in yellow or green than red or blue. I think this display would probably be superior for watching black and white movies, for example. 1284034262 > Kevin Spacey is actually a gangster called Keyser Soze\n\nDAMN IT! That was on my queue for this weekend. 1301508931 Que vous réserve votre avenir ? Votre destinée guidée par Melaine, Medium de qualité. Consultation de Voyance et Spiritisme en Direct... 1314411995 Oh good lord... 1317229355 This is common, it was on the seat but you did not see it. I was writing with a pen once and suddenly decided that I could not find anything to write with and looked for a pen while the pen was in my hand.\n\nI have lost my phone and tried to call it from itself to find it. 1353306567 Say what? Silver in your lungs?\n\nWTF is this shit? If you're going to snort metals into your lungs, at least have the balls to make it gold or platinum.\n\nThis way your lungs will be worth more. 1315477315 ...commence down-voting. 1330234546 Does anyone know where I could watch this whole documentary online? Looks like this is just a segment from one called "EXPERIENCERS" 1342128529 I've worked with adults with autism for a while and I think this is possible. Most of the people I worked with had trouble pointing to symbols on a screen but one guy whose autism seems less severe could type. Autism is a wide spectrum ranging from Asperger's to Kanner's Syndrome and everywhere in between. It was good to see someone find a way to communicate. I looked for signs of facilitated communication in the video. and I couldn't see it. She said on her facebook that it wasn't facilitated communication, but if it was she would say that! There didn't seem to be any shady camera work either. I'd go with true on this one based on the evidence, though of course I'm open to new information! 1327277970 You can form bits of matter (and antimatter) from light, it's just not around long enough for it to actually form atoms. My guess is a major misunderstanding of E=mc^2. 1299719223 You are correct I'm afraid. This shit has been debunked over and over and over but people refuse to believe that but insist on believing there are fucking aliens blowing the horn of gondhor. 1329947923 Yeah, are there any programs to generate this tone? 1287345148 I believe he just cut himself off from his entire family so that he could become a christian and live the American dream. Seems like he planned everything out properly for himself. 1337353237 Pay? *For what?* It's fucking *prayer*. It's *free*. 1312679789 See your second quote. If you had a pilot who saw something they were counted as excellent. But that has nothing to do with the quality of the observation. I just saw a bug run past. It was black and about the size of a quarter. No-one can identify that bug because the information isn't there. 1316733860 *They* are putting chemtrails in our drinking water. 1331036524 the trick is how they move. look for signs of intelligent control 1347942581 I suggest you read a book called Good Calories Bad Calories. The calories hypothesis of weight gain/loss has been tested repeatedly and found lacking. \n\nCalories in minus calories out equals weight gain. That's a tautology. The fallacy is (a) assuming calories in and calories out are independent and (b) that the left hand side is the cause and the right hand side is the effect. 1326200636 Yes, I agree that the "pH scale" used in that picture is pretty much bullshit. 1338132233 Did they not notice that religion also arouses "debate and disputation?" Time for secular groups to jump into Tennessee and point out that this law will require that comparative religion be taught in every school -- 'cause if "intelligent design" can be taught in science classes, then religion has scientific strengths and weaknesses too, right?\n\nIt also means that every aspect of sex education must be taught, because there are scientific strengths and weaknesses in arguments that homosexuality is natural, that abstinence is the only form of birth control, that life begins at conception, etc., etc.\n\nRight?\n\nThis is actually the perfect opportunity to make this kind of crap backfire by using it to open the window to put science back into the subjects where it should have been all along -- sociology, sex ed, biology, history, etc. \n\nOr, in other words, use their belief that everything scientific is wrong to force the school districts to include all known scientific evidence in every subject. Ta-da. They've given us the rope with which to hang them. 1334135795 [English translation!](http://tjomlid.com/2012/06/28/xocai-the-nasty-tale-of-a-norwegian-chocolate-mafia/) 1340921975 My mother teaches astronomy at a Catholic middle school and one of the other teachers gave her this video. I watched it with her to see if it would be good for her class, and about five minutes into it we were laughing hysterically. We watched the rest of it purely for amusement, and she ended up returning it, although I don't recall what excuse she used for not using it in class.\n\nFor a much more skeptical and science-based film on the subject, see if a planetarium in your area shows the [Star of Bethlehem](http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page&filename=star.html), produced by Morehead Planetarium at UNC-Chapel Hill (I couldn't find an online video, sorry). The show analyzes several possible explanations for the star's appearance (comet, supernova, and so forth). If I remember correctly, it concludes that a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter was the most likely explanation for the "star", if it existed at all. 1295828091 TV (and radio) shows migrate towards better ratings, and become more similar in the process. Then, a specialized channel such as History or MTV or CNN or HBO ends up being a variety show channel, and loses much the audience it once held by being number one in its niche. 1293693840 I would want to ask what he thought the most effective way to talk to adults that are set in their ways about being skeptical. 1351409766 It reeks of bullshit, yet I don't see it as easily debunked. Maybe a proper study could be done, but this would have to be controlled in some Faraday cage or the Australian Outback or something. 1318022217 lol, its funny that he said that on a panel with a neuroscientist.\n\nSam Harris must have rolled his eyes so far back that he could see around space-time. 1319660279 It depends on who is asking for it. It is true that there are health benefits, but they are all related to sexually active people, and therefore almost certainly not children. On the other hand, if someone wants to make that decision for themselves, there are potential benefits to it. \n\nHowever, the fact that there are small health benefits is not a reason to perform a surgery like that on someone who is unable to understand what is happening. We don't take out appendixes before they burst, and we don't pull baby teeth before they are ready to avoid cavities in childhood. There is no benefit for an infant, and therefore no reason to do it to an infant. 1298407822 Read usernames much? 1314999688 That would be "chock full of crazy" I believe. 1338781448 A real zest boost! No need for coffee with this atheistic motivation! 1270443644 They're claiming to be witches and we're asking them to demonstrate that ability.\n\nIt's the polar opposite of a witch hunt. 1328464381 No, you directly compared atheism to obesity and I pointed out the flaws in that comparison. You then attempted to suggest that atheism is a component of facism and socialism, which is not only false, but totally unrelated. You then said that atheism was not related to obesity after you were the one who made the comparison, and now you are claiming to not know what I am talking about. 1311135778 Sorry for the facebook link, it was the best source I have on this ATM. 1294804816 This means that we should go into the cable-making business. 1289064645 Something tells me they might not be completely smrt 1291615886 >Like all living things wine cells have a magnetic polarity\n\nOh, dear Science. 1313195171 I was referring to an old Zen tradition called "Dharma Combat." However, it does appear that you know yourself well enough to trust your own intelligence. \n\nWhen you don't want to fight anymore, stop.\n\nBTW sources are very important.\n\nGood luck. 1344811862 There is some guy who lives in China (I think) that has a similar 'ability'. He can stick metal things to his skin just like this lady. Spoons, Irons, keys, etc. Turns out he has a rare condition that enables his skin to act as a kind of suction against a metal surface. There is no magnetism involved. I'm going to go way out on a limb and say this lady is not magnetic either.\n\n\nOn another note, this lady sure has a punchable face. 1283037276 The conspiracy part becomes even more interesting if you start thinking about how to disguise such a secret organization. Overall, you end up in matrix, where you escape the innermost matrix... just to be stuck in the outside, which is yet another matrix. Eventually, you just end up that it is almost impossible to prove such a conspiracy, rendeing these theories pointless.\n\nSecond, the magnet part is [not entirely correct](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation). It might not magically fix your liver, but it certainly can stop you from breathing or cause other havoc in your brain, impeding your health. \n\nAlso, I hope no one agreeing to this poster laughs or chuckles about people investigating things like chi or ghosts with scientific rigor, like through measuring heat change, magnetic fields, unexplained air movements and so on. 1326131389 Just because he's not a hobo standing on the street doesn't mean he's not mentally ill. Many people (myself included) believe religious fundamentalism on this level is a psychotic disorder. If it was jesus or aliens it doesn't matter, he's a nut job. 1343076385 I haven't come across this before, however, from reading the page they make a classic logical fallacy in describing the technique's purpose:\n>Your 45 minute treatment will be focused on the root causes to your condition and why you are suffering, the use of muscle & functional testing enables us to find exactly where your issue is coming from.\n\nThis is the fallacy of begging the question, in that in the statement it implies that somehow medicine up until this point has not attempted to treat the root causes of pain. This is utter drivel, take any major disease and you will realise that medicine always attempts to treat the root cause, e.g. chemotherapy to kill cancerous cells, antibiotics to kill bacterial infections. The only time that medicine will simply treat the symptoms of chronic pain is when they do not yet have a cure for the cause (e.g. migraines), or do not truly understand where the pain comes from (e.g. as with most psychosomatic syndromes). You are absolutely correct to be dubious of this practice, it is setting itself up in opposition to evidence based medicine in order to exploit a largely uninformed audience who do not realise the ridiculousness of the practice. 1345228622 An interesting question, but a little ambiguous, I think. \n\nDo you mean, "What makes you feel like a valuable person?" Or do you mean, "What makes a person valuable to their society?" \n\nI'll try to answer both. \n\nI judge my own value mainly based upon the contributions that I make to other people's lives. I don't really think about it consciously very often, but I end up asking myself a series of questions: Do I help the people I care about? Do I make them happy? Do I make their lives better? \n\nI also judge my own value based on my ability to help myself. Am I capable of providing for myself? Am I able to identify the problems I face and find solutions to those problems? Am I able to improve myself through education and introspection? \n\nThere could be many more sets of questions that you would ask yourself to determine if you are a valuable person or not. It just depends on what's important to you. Perhaps community involvement, or environmental efforts. \n\nThat brings me to the other question: How do you know if someone is a valuable member of society? \n\nThis feels less clear cut to me. \n\nMy first thought is one simple question: Does the person contribute to their community in some way? \n\nEven just having a job and paying taxes contributes to your community. Volunteering also can help your community. Of course, in this day and age, we don't have to look at just a local community. Perhaps the person is involved at the state or national level (referring specifically to the USA here.) Or perhaps they're involved in an online community. \n\nThen we end up with three types of people. Those who have a positive influence, those who have a neutral influence, and those who have a negative influence. \n\nI'm starting to feel like I'm rambling, so I guess I'll stop for now. 1354043888 Ghost adventures to me is Jersey shore meets Ghost Hunters. Personally, I cant take it to seriously. 1336281632 Oh god that annoyed me to no end. That and his constant stream of snarky, insulting remarks. 1356399318 Still want to ask, if there are 1000s of cameras pointed at the pentagon, then why is the only released video a 1fps shit camera from the guard shack entrance to the parking garage? 1315832913 You don't think they would respond with a radio signal, since that's how the original "image" was sent? 1351834886 I still like Criminal Minds, darnit. 1273896278 Forget evidence for a minute. The conditions here on Earth are within a certain zone from the sun. What created life? Theories are bacteria from meteorite, possibly during Earths volcanic state.\n\nSo these chances, have happened before, and will happen again. There will be a ratio of these chances, but I'm not that good at maths.\n\nSo you agree with me saying its impossibe to say life has not existed elsewhere in space with our type of evolution? But then not understand what I mean by we are late to the game, and that it will happen again. Our planet and life here is fairly young, compared to the rest of time and space. 1345065493 Regardless of what some might say, you are providing a valuable service here. 1310104605 What difference does that make to you? 1326562799 Somebody somehow should contact the plan. No reason for everyone to be paying for nonsense. And those chiropractors keep you coming back again and again. What a waste. 1327768238 I'm American and the site works for me. Unless you just meant the zipcode entry thing..? 1352066289 This exactly. I recently used naturalnews in my dissertation on unproven/disproven therapies as an example of bullshit therapies and the spreading of inaccurate information. 1341096302 squeeze and hold for 10 min. Effects may vary but not likely 1305617658 no lightning, not a lightning storm. 1305316526 Firstly, I feel obliged to say that I'm not from the US nor do I have any finance background in the US economy my understanding/interpretation is only what i have learnt through several years of economics at school and some minor classes at Uni. \nI completely agree that war costs a lot of money, but i'd really like it if you could clarify your statement: "If Bush Jr didn't come in to office to finish off the shit his dad couldn't we'd be in a much different situation right now". I'm probably being naive, but don't you think that the financial crisis caused by the US's financial insitutions and market players alike had something to do with the situation you're currently in rather than past Presidents? Albeit that you didn't actually say what type of situation (good or bad) it would be in had George Bush Jr not been in office, but it can't be much better than it is right now- could it? 1328131596 That would be bad too. This isn't really the place to say "Hey r/skeptic, I owned this guy on facebook!" This is something that's really not constructive at all, since it's about you personally. Now if you just posted a link to the article, that would be fine. But this isn't the place for screenshots of personal arguments on a social networking site. /r/atheism tried that, and it turned into a mess. 1327043302 > It is not the fact that Magnus is using a virus to deal with cancer that makes his investigation potentially so valuable, but the novel way he has devised to get round this problem of instant elimination by the immune system, and enable the virus to spread through tumours in other parts of the body. \n\nNot sure whether that's accurate, only noting that you appear to have skipped parts. :P 1346533196 >"Duration of treatment. Headache- Western Medicine: Months/Years"\n\n\nWAT? 1344247317 > On the other hand proponents of the test claim that is a reliable and accurate way of determining your "personality type", and from that you can extrapolate further data about the person being tested. \n\ni disagree. you can measure professional abillities in a direct manner. the rest is hokum 1351721653 Now the UK gets to see what it feels like to be American. /hugs Sorry Britain. ): 1351221352 New Scientist had an article just today I believe that went FRONT PAGE on reddit, about this subject of 'a scientific experiment being released, proves precog' Maybe someone can link it.\n\nIt made me laugh so hard. \n\nThis is the sentence I'm talking about:\n\n>behind the curtain the subjects were able to accurately identify which curtain it was behind with 53.4 percent accuracy – not a huge statistical spike but significantly better than the 50 percent accuracy rate that could be expected by chance.\n\nMy mind was blown and my body on the floor laughing. 1289610723 Impossible 1355980066 The video outright says that school is a system built and maintained by elites to turn you into an obedient cog. That fits the definition of conspiracy. 1332084077 Nope, had no TV in my room and would wake up to a buzzer, no radio. My first media source in the morning was the TV downstairs. 1335677314 They aren't lying. They really, sincerely believe this. The bible is absolute truth to them and anything that contradicts or drives people away from it is false(and wicked) by default. 1312570042 I don't like that idea. I'd consider it abandoning people to The System, when I could be helping them. It's where I was born and raised, after all. 1334523184 I think you are improperly applying the idea of the left-right political spectrum (which itself is a rather [thought-terminating cliché](https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Thought_terminating_cliche)).\n\nIt only ever modeled a real political spectrum at the time of the french revolution, where it was:\n\n* People sitting to the left in parliament: Want to create a new institution - the republic.\n\n* People sitting to the right in parliament: Want to strengthen the old institutions of King, aristocracy, and church.\n\nThe movements that fell under these two groups have not changed much since:\n\n* Left: Socialism (means of production cooperatively owned) such as Anarchism (freedom from coercion by removing state and class authority) and Communism (state guided revolution that aims to remove the state and social classes). \n\n* Right: Conservatism (maintain historical hierarchy of power), which means simply resisting the left (maintaining status quo, advocate against equality or freedom) or more reactionary ideas such as royalism (give all the power to a king) or just dismantling modern endowments of freedom and equality.\n\nBut there has been significant corruption of the terms, as new ideologies were slapped with one of these antiquated labels.\n\n* Left: Stalinism, Maoism et c. that presents the promise of Communism, but instead uses that promise to make people give up their power to an un-equal un-free state that looks identical to that desired by royalists (see modern-day North Korea). Then there are such things as anti-Americanism which comes from the leftist ideals of freedom and equality (anti-authoritarianism) in the face of superpower authoritarianism, but is clearly not egalitarian. Also many forms of Authoritarianism and other rightist ideals are put at the left when the left wrongfully fights within the system it is opposed to.\n\n* Right: Religious fundamentalism, Nationalism, Racism et c. are placed here because they are anachronisms, the way things were in our past, and also because they have historically been useful tools for the ruling interests. But they are just tools, and if we ever saw a long-lived leftist state then perhaps it would employ such tools as well (although versions that are not so fundamentally against equality). At the same time these anachronisms should be impossible in modern enlightened society, and that seems to be the global trend even without any leftist states.\n\nThat was perhaps an unnecessary lead-in for me to say that skepticism does not belong on the left-right political spectrum.\n\nBut perhaps I can use it to guess why "anti-nuclear"/"anti-GM" ideas could be mistaken to be leftist.\n\nThe anti-nuclear movement is unfortunately entwined with the anti-nuclear-weapons movement, the latter being one of the utmost anti-authoritarian movements of our times. The only positive thing about it basically dying off now when it is needed the most (much more than it was in the late 80's) is that perhaps it can be reborn free from the other since they are two very different considerations.\n\nAnti-GM sentiments (where it's just wrong for no scientific reason) are in turn entwined with anti-corporatism (which is anti-authoritarian/libertarian(in the classical/european sense)) and environmentalism (which is egalitarian). Personally, I think that GM and otherwise engineered food is amazing and I'm sure that nearly all if not all our food (especially animalic foodstuffs) will eventually be very engineered, and I'm really looking forward to it. At the same time I don't presently eat much GM-foods, because I choose not to support many businesses that create, grow, sell and use such crops. A practice that would be much easier if food was better labeled. 1318437494 I thought it said "emo" meatballs. I wondered what they could be sad about. 1352039728 I'm sad that Maloney only had to close his office for 1 day. 1291865282 This could be the answer. 1327598660 Linda Moulton Howe lost a shit-ton of credibility when she recounted the story of the dude seeing a bigfoot beaming down from a UFO. \n\nJesus Christ with a side of potato salad...... 1335022311 General Mills 1349826138 [Here you go.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/t31pz/333/) 1336443590 Citation or GTFO. 1317888414 They make the remedy by diluting alcohol or water that they've exposed to x-rays. Then they put a drop of that water on the sugar pill. This method for all sorts of things that can't physically be handled, like light (they have remedies for each colour of light), emf radiation from various sources, emanations from planets and stars. The list goes on. 1337861870 Thats funny because half the stuff there belongs in r/lgbt 1348997059 > perfect skeptics must be an atheist\n I believe the interesting part comes when we look for the "non-perfect" ones. \nI agree that the overlap between hardcore skeptic and atheists is almost total - the question then becomes what is the difference between those two groups, why would someone call himself a skeptic and not an atheist. \n\nFor most atheists believe that one of the greatest sources of evil in the world is religion, and they prefer someone to have no god even if he is a proponent of homeopathy (bill maher), while for most skeptics what the world needs is people practicing the skill of critical thinking and doubting authority. \n\nI for one prefer being around someone that quotes the bible or goes to a monastery but is skeptic of extraordinary claims like a magical cure than someone who will confess believing no god that invites me to be part of this great-get-rich-quick-pyramid scheme he is into. \n\nTherefore I am first a skeptic, then, down there, an atheist. 1296177604 Welcome to Earf.\n\n 1331731149 In order to get the "africa-con" on the books. Just a way to weasle in. 1331311497 This was probably the most desolate stretch of road I've ever driven on. If the govt has secrets to hide, this is the right place to do it. 1355786810 That's a good start. Good luck. 1347660473 I'd rather spend the money and not have my house constantly smell like vinegar. 1347920323 Just press the point that there is no plausible mechanism: "How exactly would astrology work? How would the position of chunks of rock and gas way out in space have anything at all to do with what happens in your life today?" 1309557388 I think theres a squatch in these woods... 1327358628 Of course as a concept paranormal experience doesn't get a lot of time on the 'serious scientific examination' roster. 1342894669 Smells like bullshit to me but then again a few of the links, minus the obviously opinionated bullshit such as Infowars, are actually a bit unsettling. Not sure what to think at this point. 1332999717 Yeah, fuck those Oklahomans! Everyone that lives there deserves the worst possible fate! The energy companies should rape the lands for the benefit of themselves and people other than Oklahomans. \n\nThanks a lot, Leopold. 1320607995 Kirsten ["Kiki"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Sanford) Sanford is an American research scientist in neurophysiology at the University of California, Davis and is a specialist in learning and memory. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Biology and a Ph.D. in Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology from U.C. Davis. 1285402393 I shouldn't have made my analysis black and white. There are skeptics, what i meant to say was that there are a huge amount of deniers who think everyone is an idiot, a reasonable amount of skeptics and a vast majority of people who (believer is not an proper term here) have looked at the data and came to a conclusion that they are real.\n\nAnd the united states has not disclosed anything, you seem to not have understand what i mean. What i meant was that there are 22 governments around the world including, China, Mexico, Australia, France, UK, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Norway, and India recently who have openly released thousands of documents each, to their public and openly say, in their news and daily, that these things are extraterrestrial, people have made contact, they have chased them, this is all official, and they know exactly what they are. This is what nobody has heard of in the States, and i am absolutely serious you can find all this cases with ease. Nobody has bothered to look, its SO much more than just videos, and i swear to you, truth is stranger than fiction. 1296686520 I already had some desire to get rid of it, was just wasting my time. Most of my friend's on facebook are skeptics actually, friend's from uni doing their PhD or Masters, etc... But some of my friends are just morons, and trying to correct their thinking just wasted too much of my time.\n\nAs a new father, I've only got a few years at most until my daughter will be ready to start learning about the world. So I want to have more time to read up and study stuff that I can then pass on to her. 1310305993 It says citronella, Geranium, and lemongrass oil.\n\nhttp://www.bugbam.com/2010/03/15/facts-test1/#more-38\n\nAll those have some effectiveness but short effective time after application. I'd be highly surprised if a small band with any ingredients worked effectively, let alone those ones. 1341271976 I see a chiro who employs [Active Release Techniques](http://www.activerelease.com/).\n\nI swear by that stuff - It has done more for my chronically knotted muscles than anything else... 1307406689 Can we trust [both the FDA and EFSA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame_controversy#Ramazzini_studies) which criticized the studies supposedly showing cancer in rats? As shown in another link, the doses given to rats were huge and we all know that you can most certainly have too much of anything and die. Even drinking too much water is lethal.\n\nI'm assuming that we don't mean "ingest any amount you please with no ill effects" as safe, but rather the average daily intake and when a series of studies purporting that a substance is a carcinogen feeds rats with the stuff in escalating until they develop tumors, there's enough wrong with the methodology not to take those studies very seriously. After all, if you want to play the bias card, we could easily find a bias in absolutely every scientific paper that has ever been written. 1313522178 If it's due to the anti vaxers then shouldn't all diseases be on the rise? It's not like they're refusing the measles vaccine but getting the mumps and rubella\\ones. 1305019689 It hurts so much :( 1300743415 When I was a kid (I haven't actually played since I was 16), I used to "charge" my D20s by leaving them with the 20 face up for as long as possible between rolls. I might even have one on constant "charge" and use another for most rolls, until I had a really important check to make. Confirmation bias half convinced me that it worked. 1322426854 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crVV7mFBfBg 1335128857 He died in a car accident. His family says he died in a car accident. His friends say he died in a car accident. \n\n50,000 people a year die in car accidents in the U.S. alone. Such things happen. \n\nYou are deluded. 1322344567 Bored to tears. 1331333028 I would definitely appreciate an update, I'm very interested in how this turns out for you.\n\n**Please whatever you do, don't stay living with her after you break up.**\n\nAlso, I can't stop thinking about how unfortunate it is that her view of the world is so skewed. I think you're lucky to have come out of that fog and into rational thinking. You've grown and it looks like you've tried to bring her with you.\n\nI know you've given up on trying to "convert" her, but I still wish she would come to a more rational perspective. I'm not sure she'll fully understand why this is happening without placing some blame on spirits or bad energies or something else.\n\nThe world is a tough place and your (soon to be) ex-wife will need some better critical thinking skills to succeed. Maybe you can impart some wisdom to her before she goes... 1293068291 Not being able to pick and chose the veridical information you want, has little to do with disproving the veridical information that we do have. 1325738292 I guess I just focus more on the fact that it suggests that medical problems are equivalent to psychological ones, so in the context of a psychology forum where pretty much everyone is on the one side of the "not really a thing" debate that the way that comic presents itself kind of sets back the medical model argument. It's probable that I'm just bitter that /r/psychology has turned into image posts and people trying to show off how much they learned in their abnormal psychology class to stranger's with anxiety on the internet though. The really interesting stuff never gets upvotes or any insightful comments. I often feel like I'm talking to laypeople there. 1337668065 Can't you just get a magnetized ring? Much cheaper. 1321240886 Having a cure for AIDS would make the individual or company possessing it immensely famous, revered, lauded, and rewarded. So of course, said individual or company would want to suppress it.\n\nThe level of ignorance that people are eager to believe never fails to astonish. 1333203627 Coax the ghost. Pretend you already have one, and talk to it. Perhaps a wanderer might feel welcome and settle down. 1323062811 I understand ser', it just troubles me writing stories, and I want it to make it good. 1336002221 [This annoys me.](http://bunnitude.com/misc/images/gawd.PNG) 1247884298 More than possible, I'd call it extremely likely. 1338312402 Um... are you being serious? I'd take it as a joke, but you've posted quite a lot on the subject. 1353806500 Yes, the terrible thing is that most people feel completely normal, and don't realize they have any symptoms, until a doctor tells them. \n\nOne of the best treatments I've found is to stay in the hot tub too long, and then rush outside and lay in the snow in the middle of the winter. It's kind of a harsh treatment, but it's highly effective. 1282265775 Who'da thunk it... turns out it's all bollocks. 1330433885 Miller Nash is ripping PPS off. 1340558233 I've lived a "month" in a dream, and shorter times in other places, but I can only speak from my own experience. I am sick of people saying I "must be making up details" or "filled in the blanks" though, I can draw MAPS of this place, and talk about tiny insignificant details and stuff, dammit. 1354160788 Personally, I think people on both sides are guilty of making this all out to be more than it really is. Phil Plait meant well, but perhaps overdid it as well.\n\nThe thing is, Rebecca Watson still didn't say she was afraid of being _raped_. She said she was made _uncomfortable_. Any attempts to mix rape or assault or genital mutilation (seriously?) into the discussion is guilty of exaggeration.\n\nAs for the rape thing, _if_ we're going to seriously discuss that: of course not all men are rapists, and of course not all women should consider all men potential rapists, but when there _is_ such a climate of fear (and it's a whole other discussion who bears the responsibility for _this_), the least us men can do is realize and accept that, and not feed it further. If women are afraid of being raped, no matter how groundlessly, can't we wait until at least after the elevator ride to proposition them? Can't we do it some other time, and not 4 am in the morning? Can't we do it another way, at another time, especially when propositioning a strongly feminist public speaker?\n\nOnce again we return to the core of Watson's original complaint, simply the fact that men ought to have a little more tact and empathy. That was it. No, really. Nothing about men being rapists, nothing about being attacked, nothing about genital mutilation. 1310044142 Bring sceptical means withholding judgement until you have enough information 1306229717 I wonder if some MCS sufferers are dealing with classically conditioned immunosuppression, like the rats in Ader & Cohen's study. The idea being that if you were exposed to some toxic agent (or even just became randomly sick) and your body associated it with an inert substance, you might actually become physically sick upon future exposure to the inert substance. \n\nPerhaps I am overthinking it. I do think people should take her condition seriously, even though it seems likely that it is psychosomatic. Psychosomatic conditions can be just as crippling as physical ones; there is a lot of nastiness directed towards people with somatoform disorders, but they are genuinely experiencing all those symptoms, and it is just as debilitating and frightening as dealing with an actual medical condition. I genuinely hope she is able to get some sort of assistance.\n\nWho knows, maybe there really is something wrong with her body, and the fucking MCS thing is preventing her from actually figuring out what it is. That would be awful. 1322676995 >too often, too long, and/or too hot\n\nFTFY. Also, if you insist on taking a shower every day, then your skin will get dry regardless of the water's temperature. Yes, you might (or rather, probably will) smell "better", as in "less of human and more of soap", but don't imagine that it makes you healthier. Humans evolved to not shower.\n\nI find that a reasonable middle ground is showering every other day. YMMV. 1291068380 From the website:\n\n>The code may be our most powerful key to thriving.\n\n>It is a pattern in nature that exists everywhere from atoms to galaxies. It's called a "torus." You can see it in a seed, a fruit, a hurricane, even the electromagnetic field around a person or the earth. It's how life sustains and evolves itself, and it serves as a universal template for sustainability in all our systems.\n\n>Among other things, the code shows us how to access clean, abundant energy, expand our consciousness, restore health and balance to the planet and live sustainably.\n\n\nHaha what the hell am I reading. 1338133575 >That guy has valid points, but they don't apply to a RBE.\n\nAs far as I can tell, The Venus Project advocate an RBE as a fundamental part of their goals, and that's what his blog post was about. Please point out specifically why they don't apply, and I may reassess my views. In the meantime, I'll respond to your points as you put them.\n\n>Why do you choose to believe that blog when the fundamental part of his argument are wrong?\n\nPerhaps because I don't think it's wrong...\n\nFor the record, I wrote essentially what he wrote before I came across the post - he just wrote it better than I did, which is why I posted it instead (I thought I made that clear in my earlier post, but evidently I didn't). In other words, I came to broadly the same view independently of him, based on reading their website. It's not a case of blindly believing the blog post and trusting it's not skewed.\n\nEdit: apologies, I didn't read who posted it - it wasn't actually Matt Dillahunty who posted it, he just shared it on Google+. I follow him there, and it popped up that he shared it in my search results. It was actually Russell Glasser. I've corrected my original post, however, my argument still stands.\n\n>Yes, there are scarce resources, we live in on a finite planet.\n\nAgreed.\n\n>With the intelligent management of the worlds resources, those scarce resources could last longer. That's what is meant with "eliminating scarcity".\n\nWhile I agree that we could be managing resources far better than we are, I do not think that scarcity can be eliminated - only deferred. When they run out, we're still screwed whether it happens next year, or 25 years from now, especially if that resource is one that is required and cannot be replaced with a renewable resource (any non-renewable replacements will also run out eventually, if one can be found at all). So this argument doesn't hinder nor help the argument for an RBE.\n\n>Money doesn't physically make resources scarce but money does play a role because there is profit to made from scarce resources and so it makes sense, from the profit standpoint, to keep (certain!) resources scarce (virtually) for the profit margin.\n\nAgree, and I'd say that the capitalist system doesn't necessarily even do a good job of that (the drill-and-burn oil economy being an example of this - oil prices keep going up, but there's no sign that demand is decreasing significantly, and oil becomes ever more scarce in the meantime).\n\n> Education also plays an important role. People would understand that in order to have a sustainable world system so everyone has a comfortable way of living with equal opportunities, that it is unreasonable to ask more than what you need. And you don't need to have a castle for your family with gold toilets and Africa as your backyard with a big underground car park holding different cars for everyday of the year or decennia for that matter.\n\nThis is perhaps my biggest difficulty with the argument for an RBE. Trouble is, we can only presuppose what might happen. However, what I think will happen is that some countries will hoard resources that other countries need, and no attempts to educate their leaders to share resources will make a jot of difference. This is a mammoth task which I have doubts is even possible, and in fact may even lead to wars over those resources (or, the land that contains them).\n\nAlso, not every person can be educated either, hence why I believe people will carry on being wasteful with resources (selfish people will still be selfish, and it's unclear how many people like this there are in the world). Removing the barrier of money will only exacerbate that in their case unless you ration the resources, but then you're still artificially limiting their availability, just through different means. Also, in this case, you would need to trust someone, or someone's machine, to do the rationing, which comes down to whether you can trust that the person isn't self-serving.\n\nEssentially, I don't think people can be educated to behave the way they would need to for an RBE to be successful.\n\n>Computers or computer-controlled machines (aka robots) are used much in the same as they do today in any organisation that wants to efficiently use their resources (the motivation is different, the more efficient, less loss, more profit, but the idea is the same) to manage and create. But then applied on a world scale. Computers/robots do this much faster and with less errors than humans do. There's no debating that. And you don't need a crazy intelligent AI to be able to do that aka the technology already exists.\n\nI agree that computers/robots can perform tasks faster and with less errors than humans (provided they've been designed/programmed correctly in the first place, of course). But if humans are no longer going to be involved, and machines will create products on-demand, the resources to create those products will need to be created (grown, generated, etc) or recovered from the Earth, so new machines will be required to replace humans (for example, to mine the metals) and assess how much of that resource has been obtained.\n\nAnd there will still need to be people to develop the circuitry and/or programming for new machines and products in response to human needs (unless you have really good AI - a "dumb" machine wouldn't do a good job of this). Most of this technology doesn't exist, and some of it is probably decades away from any sort of realisation, if at all (especially AI that can design products that humans can use - imagine how difficult it would be for a machine to design an easy-to-use iPad, for example).\n\nGranted, some people will do this for pleasure while machines can't, and with no expectation of recompense, but I have doubts there will be enough people to make it feasible. I imagine that this would come down to education, but I've already stated my concerns there.\n\n> The "misinterpretations" in that blogpost are so far off that they almost look to be deliberate, as if the author was searching for arguments that fit his personal uninformed view. Or whatever he wants to achieve.. (credits in the amazing atheist magazine?)\n\nI find this curious. As a regular viewer of the Atheist Experience, I know how outspoken he is, and being prompted by multiple emails about it (as he said at the top of the post) is the reason he posted it as far as I can tell. There's no reason to think he has any ulterior motives for posting it, or holding the views he does, whether he's misinformed or not. In this case, I don't think you intended to poison the well, but please don't do it again or we're done - I have no patience or desire to debate motives where it does not affect the validity of the argument. 1317690820 Joking aside, to be consistent, the descriptions "visible" and "tangible" do imply manifestations, hence they fall under my argument. 1327441598 >What Dawkins actually said was; here are real problems faced by Muslim women vs. your "problems" which aren't actually problems Rebecca, just inconveniences.\n\nMaybe that was his intention, but it did not sound like that. Particularly because Rebecca just said 'hey, you know, it's a bit creepy to be approached in this way'. She didn't say she was assaulted, she didn't say she was nearly raped, she didn't even really say he was sexist. Dawkins seem to have read way, way more into it than just that. And honestly, I think he is very dismissal of western feminism in general. He does compare the sexism in the middle east to sexism in America and his overall tone is very dismissive: 'think of the suffering your poor American sisters have to put up with'.\n\n>They are. Having a remote chance of sexual assault vs. treating every man like a potential rapist is not only irrational, it's sexist.\n\nI do wonder what those figures would be like in the U.S or U.K or other western countries. You can't just throw one statistic and say that disproves threat. If that was the case I could just find a link for rape on Saudi Arabia and say that I have every reason to be scared. There's also the problem that this data is only for reported and recorded crime.\n\nBut putting that to one side, every man is a potential rapist. You have a penis. I'm also a potential mother, I have a uterus. I don't assume every man is a rapist, but I do calculate threat imediatly on being approached and before doing certain things, I don't want to be assaulted full stop. I have grown up being told that it is my responsability to ensure that I'm not sexually assaulted, that I shouldn't drink, that I shouldn't walk home alone, that I shouldn't go to certain places without an escort. So yes, of course I'll avaliate threat of being sexually abused when approached by a man (Afterall, this kind of violence is generally commited by men on women).I know that if I say yes to having a coffee at someone's room at 4AM and they am abused I'll be told: 'what did you expect?' or that 'I gave the wrong signals' or even that I wanted it and changed my mind.\n\nIt sucks. It sucks for me because it's not nice always having this at back of my mind and it sucks for men because I'm sure it's shitty to know that. But is this about women being paranoid and sexist? I don't think so. I think this is due to a whole culture surrounding gender, I think this example shows that it harms men as much as it harms women.\n\n>Many men approach privately to avoid public humiliation should they be rejected.\n\nAnd me and I'm sure many women completely understand that. But is it that hard to use common sense? Why is it so hard to consider that maybe the middle of the night and small enclosed spaces with no exit are not the best situation to invite someone back to your hotel room? Is it really hard to see how this could have been completely misconstructed or how this could be threatening? \n\nHonestly, to me your last paragraph is just a rant, I don't even know how to approach it. Again, I think your complaints just demonstrate how sexism impacts both genders: you hate the expectation that you are the one who has to approach women. I hate the idea that if I approach a man I'm perceived as a slut. And yes that *does* happen. But I don't see how this is related to trying to be tactful in how you approach woman so they don't feel threatned. Sorry but I'm going to go ahead and put fear of assault as worse than having a woman be rude to you.\n\nAnd since, hey we are ranting afterall, it does go both ways. I have met guys who only left me alone after I was rude to them, because me saying 'no' is seen to be me playing 'hard to get' or 'a challange'. Again, these cultural/social problems harm women as much as it harms man. 1310118560 I used to look at m4m listings and there would be guys looking for "poz only (HIV positives only)" but they were pretty rare. 1297402261 You didn't think that film showed that ignorance quite well? 1335424639 I feel bad for the stars, I can imagine how it might feel for you to work your ass off towards something you believe in and then be misled and end up looking like a fool in the eyes of the public and in your own field (which most people think is silly already) by some TV exec looking to make a show about sneaking around in the woods. 1343360603 They REALLY don't like attention being drawn to their feet. Remember to move slowly and deliberately while speaking in a low even tone. You start freaking out and they lose their shit. My buddy did that the other day and you should see what that big fucker did to my living room! 1314464711 Yes, you are right. Good observation. Why couldn't/didn't they somehow out over there to check it out? 1331352230 Many Americans I've talked to over the years have nodded sagely when I've told them about the bridge between NZ and Aus.\n\n 1313534786 > At least it wasn't a little boy this time.\n\nIt usually isn't... 1343005022 She got her swagga back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7JYv0S8uFk&feature=related 1323330585 I hate to say it but CGI has been a real problem to legitimate UFO and paranormal research. 1342666038 Lol I can't believe they all allowed this to be shown 1346507591 I'd seriously consider it, if I lived on the same *continent* as Walgreens.\n\nAs I don't, would you like to explain the equivalence between "selling misleading homoeopathic medicine packaged *as if it was* real medicine" and "selling diabetic medicine *and also* selling chocolate bars", or would you prefer instead to continue to be unhelpful and uncommunicative and make parochial and small-minded assumptions? <:-) 1300730872 I'm reading Josh Gates's book right now and it has reaffirmed for me that his show is nothing more than a glorified travel documentary. The "monsters" are just a sideshow. 1352186834 I cant believe no one else has read the book around here,...? or is everyone convinced if they give honest opinions of the mans work that MiB may come knockin to "interview you further",...? 1303236446 Fucking. Retards. 1298025805 It would probably be more reasonable to chalk it up as "I don't have an answer." Paranormal is just today's word for magic- do a word substitution, and you understand how I feel about it. 1282448545 OMG, it's House! 1337542082 I've been seeing ghosts for a little over a week. Well, not really, but it might be related. I keep catching human figures out of the corner of my eyes while at work, or seeing motion off to the side. But everything disappears when I turn my head to look. I've seen things above my head, moving along the ground, or coming right at me from the sides.\n\nNow, I happen to know for a fact that all of this is perfectly natural. I have a slight skin irritation on my ear and, for that reason, have been wearing a different pair of glasses. This older pair of glasses is the one set I forgot to order with the "glare reduction" coating. Everything I've been seeing is the product of light sources and shadows behind me reflecting off the lenses into my forward-facing vision.\n\nYou should similarly look for natural causes. Tons of people get fooled by reflections off of power lines (especially given the lack of distance reference on a dark night). Others don't recognize a distorted image coming off double-pane glass. Or hadn't seen that particular holding pattern of airplanes over a distant airport. There are myriad explanations that you might be able to find. Start your search there. 1271113952 These are all inappropriate [appeals to authority](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_authority). Why do I care what a physician, a physicist or a chemist say about spirituality? I may choose believe them on topics for which they are renowned (though more likely on topics which their fields of study have confirmed), but their comments are unpersuasive for other fields.\n\nSir John Carew Eccles is [begging the question](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Begging_the_question). He's assuming that there's a spiritual world that needs explaining. I see no evidence of that.\n\nBut even if we accept their statements, that doesn't disprove my point. I never said that science tells us everything ("that our triumphs are complete"). Science makes it very clear what we know, what we don't yet know, and what we can never know. It's better to cultivate an acceptance of those things we can never know and those things we don't yet know (while striving to someday know them).\n\nNone of those concepts say that we must somehow abandon logic and accept things that cannot be proven. 1332536607 >I'm on about the older generation, the ones who've made swedish sweden's official language for first time in long long while.\n\nExplain. By younger generations, I mean 40 and below. 1346603278 Unfortunately, the previous deluded poster is treading on seriously dangerous ground. The Psyche world has driven people near mad who were actually mentally sound but tormented by an evil spirit. Only one thing works for an evil spirit. It's uttering the name of Jesus, and meaning it. He must first be claimed as savior, however. Having been physically attacked by a demon myself, I know this is rock solid in practice. No psychiatric doctor has a med strong enough to drive away a demon. 1353431771 Very interesting and funny. I'm more interested in dispelling the lies people are told about evolution though. 1312989783 OK, let me give you some advice here: re-examine all that you know about 9/11. \n\nFirst thing you should do is download the PDF of the commission report and search for "7 wtc" and you will see it listed 5 times. Now I know that is not what you meant but at least you can adjust your claim that "it wasn't even mentioned in the report".\n\nSecond, you should really find out what the commission was tasked with. You can find this in the Preface of the commission or other sources. It is not the "complete investigation" that you are looking for. I am sure if they included details of the fire and collapse of 7 you would then move the goalposts and declare that they didn't even mention the Verizon Building. It is basically a summary of the attacks and suggestions to prevent future attacks but the commission did not actually do the investigation. These people did it - https://sites.google.com/site/wtc7lies/someoftheagencies%2Corganizationsandindivi - The commission basically just did fact checking and put it into an easy to read narrative.\n\nRegarding your comment about small fires: This is just another case of you not actually researching what happened. Face it, you are a lazy researcher, but never fear you can start over and take it seriously this time. If you want some suggestions for material just let me know. 1320973264 I can give a quick explanation, just google protein digestion if you need something more 'official'.\n\nProteins are just amino acids connected together side-by-side, there are 20 different amino acids that we use under physiological conditions and depending on which amino acids and what order they are put together will determine how the string of amino acids(now a protein) folds up and what it's function will be. \n\nProteins do a ton of different things in your body, anything from cellular structural support and mobility, to enzymatic action(catalysing a chemical reaction). \n\nNow for the 'enzymes' on the vegetable. Your stomach isn't acidic just to kill off any bacteria/microbes, it's also because the low pH denatures(unfolds) proteins which allows them to be digested. With that said there are 3 digestive proteases(proteins that chew up proteins) in your stomach, and they are in such a conformation that they aren't denatured by the specific pH of your stomach and therefore can chew up all the other denatured proteins. Keep in mind enzymes don't have to be related to digestion at all, and an enzyme used in one situation may have a negative effect on the system in another.\n\n So that idea that you'd want, for example, carrot enzymes in general is kind of ridiculous when you are taking a non-specific point of view. If they were to say I need more of 'x' enzyme because I have a way of telling that my body isn't producing enough of it, or I can tell that I need the reaction it would catalyse to happen at a faster rate, and I also know that it will survive digestion(even though carrots don't have acidic environments like the stomach so there would be a extremely slim chance that it would be conformed in a way to survive it, most likely it would become less efficient and therefore selected against through evolutionary processes), and I know it is in high enough concentration to be suitable for supplementation purposes. Then they may have an argument. Maybe.\n\nWith that said, eat your vegetables. \n\nTL;DR: Enzymes will get digested like just about every other protein so it doesn't matter if you eating them before or after they lose function. 1349177679 From the comments:\n\n> Just look at how many cases of swine flu were cured by homeopathic remedies last year.\n\nNone? 1327260136 I like how they posted a screenshot of the alien autopsy video with the tag line "Was it true? An image allegedly showing one of the aliens that were autopsied at Roswell in 1947"\n\nNo! It's not! This came from a video that was an admitted hoax. When the writer reaches for credibility and uses something that was already proven to not be credible, credibility is automatically destroyed 1302389779 i don't think anyone here cares about dorky-ness. but a Google hangout of the SGU or just a premium content unedited show. count me in, please make this a thing! 1346185010 Really? I'm sure that you have proof, right? 1347304610 > Cleverly disguised noise canceling headphones would offer you immunity\n\nIf it really is messing with your eyes, then noise cancelling headphones would do nothing to stop the effect. As a corallary, listening to the tone using headphones (or using any speaker that does not reproduce 18 Hz) will do nothing. 1287376700 Very nicely written response. I hope you'll be active in this subreddit. Chemistry is one large field that I'm essentially totally ignorant of.\n\n>A reduction in the metabolic behavior and integration process capability of alkaloids [organic nitrogen based elements], glucosides and galactosides, and nitrilosides\n\nI wouldn't have any idea what they were saying here and whether it was correct or not, so until I get around to educating myself about chemistry it looks like you'll be a reliable source to look to whenever claims about chemicals pop up here. 1345977523 Exhaustive, bravo sir! 1337320942 Fuck'im. Let him keep thinking what he's thinking. His mistaken notions aren't making the reality of ETs and off worlders any less true than they already are and have been for a long, long time. 1344124637 I was afraid of using that fallacy, so I suppose we'll have to agree on the definition of skepticism. What do you view it as?\n\nAnd how does aesthetics or tradition fit into skepticism? I'm confused, can you offer an example? 1324370515 Ctrl + F. Downvote. 1299029301 >big Government\n\n*ahem*, I think you meant to say TPTB, the ones that are exclusively descended from the Scottish royal family.\n\nOr maybe 'our reptilan overlords' (I'm confused on this point). 1346156116 A family member got me one for Christmas, didn't appreciated it, but I decided not to put the money to waste and wear it anyways. At least I got a preform band, so it's more subtle than these (the holographic sticker is on the inside), but still it bothers me that somebody in my family fell for it. 1327386088 YES, we ARE all really sick of FB posts, so please quit posting them. Most of them are very long and difficult to read due to poor grammar, and these "FB posts" can easily be faked, so please stop the posting. Thank you 1287417249 I too have had this entity protect me but only in extreme situations and it's only happened 2 times. I'm not afraid of it, just wish I knew why it chose me. 1311743308 Because a lot of people mistake night mirages on the Great Lakes for UFOs\n\nThere are a couple of places where there aren't cities, but you can see [headlights from cars going along the lakeside](http://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=kpR_ghsM3vo#t=103s).\n\nspooky\n\n 1322007172 That's like saying that the proper use of speech is to impart information and that using it to joke or comfort is improper. Speech has many functions, none of which is necessarily more "proper" than any other. Similarly, sex (in this context, including masturbation) has many roles, procreation being one of the *least* relevant ones. For people that have healthy outlooks on sex, it can be a tremendous source of interpersonal bonding, affection, stress relief, etc.\n\nEven if you mean "improper" in an extremely specific, evolutionary context, sex would still mostly be about things besides procreation. Humans are a social species. Sex means stronger bonds which means better environments for the children that occasionally happen to result from all the sex your human and pre-human ancestors were having.\n\nEdit: just wanted to point out that there's a lot more to this topic than I let on, but I wanted to at least touch on it a bit. 1337063497 >A decline in violence does not demonstrate a "new age of enlightenment and peace". That's hyperbolic.\n\nMy point is supported in the data.\n\nThe internet is penetrating nearly every corner of the world with information. Revolutions are occurring because access to the internet and social media. People are able to share across borders and cultures.\n\nThe deaths do to war and violent crime are down since the Korean war. \n\nSeriously, we live in an incredible time of peace and prosperity despite the what is portrayed in the news.\n\n 1313718443 So you're not a theist at all, but a deist. 1324386386 When I was 3 years old, out of nowhere I began to explain to my parents in great detail, that I was previously a biker, with a beard, tattoos, piercing's etc., and being killed in an accident. \n\nI still have a weird memory of riding along a road with lots of trees and as I was flying round a bend, losing control and sliding off the bike into the trees. When I had died I was travelling through some kind of blue tunnel vortex and moving as fast as I could because I had strong feeling of urgency to get through this tunnel. (Perhaps to be born). My mother had an ectopic pregnancy, so I was out sooner than I was meant to be. \n\nAnother oddity is the fact I was born with and still have a permanent dimple / hole in each ear that have never closed over, where an earring(s) would have been.\n\nCould all be imaginary / coincidental though. 1317342910 > ...High Court \\[...\\] has decided that proper scientists will just have to accept that "astrologers are officially their colleagues".\n\n"Cartman is our friend, whether we like it or not!" 1297247826 This would be my first inclination as well. You don't have to "confront" anything, just hit record and ask questions. I suggest you stick to less personal questions. Ask things like "What's your favorite food?" instead of asking "How did you die?" I've had much better luck over the years when asking lighter, less depressing questions. 1347016589 Not to mention weeds in cracks in the sidewalk. 1303272828 You know how the rovers seem to outlive their warranty?\n\nI like to imagine them eventually attaining sentiency when they realize they've been continually beaming information to an Earth that was destroyed thousands of years prior to their sudden awakening. They'd be our legacy. The only ones not affected by the Mayan prophesy. 1355899646 Classic arcade from the late 80s and one of the early sega genesis games. 1332541527 Holy shit! Fun fact! :D 1300316171 BTW, the woo and quantum quackery you allude to is likely due to John Hagelin. I won't defend his rhetoric to lay people, but according to John, the [philosophical basis](http://www.mum.edu/pdf_msvs/v01/hagelin.pdf) of his woo led him to make the initial tweaks to Flipped SU(5) that made it a very well-received Superstring theory. He later elaborated in detail on the [similarities](http://www.mum.edu/pdf_msvs/v03/hagelin.pdf) between Western physics and Vedic Cosmology.\n\nTo MY layman's eye, his papers are interesting, though of course, you can reasonably argue that they are merely an elaborate exercise in the [Law of Fives](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discordianism#Law_of_Fives). 1339115920 That’s surly because there is a satellite orbiting mars mapping it. Same can’t be said of our moon. 1316247035 First off, name calling is for children. Second, if you even understood what a pendulum is or how it works you would know you hold it and dangle it. The subtle movements in your hand make it sway. Have a great day. 1350407433 I'll be in my bunk. 1329338527 They're fun--yes. 1337755652 There's a difference between dismissing the idea that there are people who would like to see a world government, and dismissing the nonsensical UFO claims of people who include NWO, annunaki, reptilians, and space brothers in the same breath.\n\nOf course there are people who would like to see a world government. That's not an inherently sinister idea. It's a desire to see order formed out of the chaos of this world, which is still savage in many ways. Just look at the politics of the world. Look at the religious governments of the middle east, or the extremist dictatorships like North Korea. There are advantages to having a world government. Look at how the United States government unifies the quasi-nation states it's comprised of. These aren't mere provinces. These were nations (states) and formed a larger nation together. Imagine that kind of unity for the entire continent, or the entire world. That's not going to come easy, or without a few fights, but unification is beneficial.\n 1333114395 the fundamental difference is that there is no argument to have with HDMI, no study needed... digital works or it doesn't and the receiver cares not about loss of signal strength in the tolerances needed to pass a 1 over a 0 1331453430 It wasn't her initial video which people find so intensely objectionable, but when Stef McGraw [civilly and respectfully disagreed](http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-32.html), Watson took time out of the next speech she gave to [publicly call her out by name](http://www.unifreethought.com/2011/06/fursdays-wif-stef-33.html) and label her as someone spreading misogynistic sentiment while McGraw was physically in attendance and not given the opportunity to respond or defend herself.\n\nThat's when Watson transgressed from merely telling her side of a story to grinding an axe and labeling people misogynists simply for having another take on the issue. 1310038159 A 2x4 ? 1353055287 Is said to neutralize energy. American Indians use it, and also saw or used on some paranormal shows. Not like sage you get at the grocery store, but a sage stick, you might have to order one of those. Or maybe you have a place locally. \n\nThough it will have short-term effects of decreased activity. Do some research, maybe you can watch a YouTube video of it being used. 1346054921 It is kind of strange to see CNN Beck and FOX "News" Beck. On CNN he actually seems pretty level headed and sane, but on FOX he's always crying and screaming and other weird shit.\n\nHmmm... 1252637097 Is she referring to interstellar alien space craft? Because ufo's are seen all the time over large metropolitan areas, I don't know what she's talking about. In fact I saw a UFO on the way to work the other day in Chicago. I had no idea what this floating, tossing, turning object was, then I realized it was a plastic bag. \n\nIf you are making reference to alien space or inter-dimensional craft, you'll have to refer your wife's question to the operators of these vehicles. I don't believe anyone around here can answer her question with any validity. \n\nMaybe they just don't like crowded downtown hotdog stands, that's my guess, and I can't blame them. 1296165580 Medium is a shit show and she is a shit actress. Fuck that dumb bitch 1320548511 It was a joke. Just like you are. 1350760504 This is a very average picture of a log floating in a lake. 1345194221 Taxes shouldn't fund any research. If you have to steal money to fund something, then that proves it's not a good thing to fund. 1310660398 Oh, I see, you just post this list as spam. I understand now. 1248174978 you are right :) sorry for not making clear, where this came from 1339612164 Completely. 1332865359 So if I get this right, there's a guy asking people to send him money in exchange for which he'll ask god to hack into the bank's computer and remove the minus sign on their bank account balance ? And people buy into this (I understand Randi's reasoning but it's still far fetched) ? 1299232599 Well I don't 1328463905 This is sarcasm, right...right? 1300055032 Pretty much sums up what we were saying in the first place. The increased risk was extremely small, and no causal effect was established, or even suggested - by the data anyway, newspapers reporting on it certainly did a lot of suggesting. 1331931901 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2YsLk94qyc this was a good movie on this topic. cant say i agree with every thing but its not to far off to think it is possible. and hey the vatican say's its ok to believe in God and aliens..... 1296007988 You can disagree all you want that doesn't make you right. foam =/= bubbles. 1344812168 Wait, the leg thing is a known scam? Damn my born-again friend had the same trick pulled on him. I figured it was some kind of self-delusion but I didn't know it came straight from the handbook of manipulation for profit. 1329825824 Waking up mentally but body still asleep, simply put. \n\nThis has happened to me couple of times and last time I actually saw a man standing right next to me, at the same time I felt someone drill my skull, you know, that buzzing feeling. I wasn't scared because it was daytime (I took a nap) and I knew exactly what was going on. Happened twice that day btw. It could've been really scary in the dark though.\n\nIMO many "abductions" might be just sleep paralysises. Not to discount them however, some abductions might be real. Who knows. 1353499395 Weather balloon. 1305642868 They have to be, what with some of them having three or more feet. 1347460614 >On a side note, I also noticed after a score, her team mate would kiss her fist and point at the sky and appear to mouth something.\n\nShe said in an interview after a match that she does it for her mother, who died recently. 1344020540 Oh, of course. You'd probably want to avoid leaving devices plugged into coiled power leads as well to prevent improper power damage, if you had them in the boot of a induction charged vehicle.\n\nMedical devices would also be an important issue to be aware of.\n\nMy fantasy would be induction charging underneath express-ways, and under parking spaces, so there's almost no need to plug in the vehicle. 1354842578 Now that is very interesting! I'll definitely try the blindfold theory of yours. Seems like a good idea. I havent really thought about that and I never thought of the possibility of sleeping with my eyes open. Thanks. 1341869559 I'm a girl and the same thing, down to the clarity of the situation, has happened to me.\n\nHere's my story: It happened the same way as you at first, half asleep and suddenly I felt like I was peeing myself, the same exact way you described it. I was young at the time (maybe 8 or 9) and knew my parents would be mad at me. I immediately got up and felt around the bed (and my shorts, I was wearing shorts) and there was nothing. The bed was as warm as I was, but not at all wet. So I went and got my parents and they came in and confirmed that I didn't wet the bed, but they changed the sheets anyway. I went to sleep and thought nothing of it...until I woke up the next morning with the old sheets on my bed and the new ones neatly folded at the foot of my bed. Still have no idea what happened, but my parents do remember changing the sheets... O_o 1335835468 i probably should have clarified, my posture was something along the lines of [this](http://www.paintingsilove.com/uploads/22/22370/old-man-nodding-off.jpg) with the hat pulled down over my face. 1355457824 >I'm stoned\n\nhey everyone, i solved the case. we can go home now. 1338707905 I don't understand why this blogspam keeps getting posted. 1293273555 Yes, how silly. So what if the jar labeled "Peach Jam" was actually human urine, stop whining! Gosh! 1294024327 At the moment I probably felt that it might be inappropriate to take it further within their own walls. Soon after I left however I felt remorse for not having elaborated more. I guess that's why I posted this in the first place, so the hivemind, having imagined my field report, can pick up where I left off once a similar situation presents itself to you :) 1302815744 Student of Bandler here. I worked 8 years as a NLP practitioner/therapist, and 5 years teaching the subject (overlapping some, totally 10 years of NLP work). I will gladly provide you with information within my experience as both practitioner and instructor. I must admit that after leaving the field of NLP 4 years ago, my understanding of the subject has changed a lot. I've been longing to tell someone about the sides of NLP that we "just don't talk about". There are plenty. It's a lot to explain, and it would make a good study in mass communication... Even more disturbing is looking at who actually learn, buy and regularily use NLP. \n\nNumbers: I was taught the "original NLP" by Richard Bandler in mid-90's. I was involved in the import and growth of the subject to my country. I have completed over 6000 hours as a therapist, taught more than 50 classes and written several instruction manuals that are still being used today by other companies selling NLP in various ways.\n\nIf you want an in-depth talk about this, I'm willing to surrender any information about NLP, both positive and negative. 1321949377 How is it you posed that question and didn't think, maybe they want to be seen? How would you begin making contact with a civilization? Uncloak your entire military directly overhead? No you would take baby steps and gauge the reaction and sociological effects of your presence before taking any further larger steps. To answer your "why don't they do it secretly?" question, maybe they have, for longer than we have existed. We don't know, but they sure as hell wouldn't have just discovered this place. My personal opinion is that Fermi's paradox is exactly correct, with the conclusion being altered to our maturity and not the non existence of intelligence because of the absence of evidence. I would imagine there must be standards of maturity that must be reached before any evidence is given. Which brings me back to the baby steps point I made before.\n\nTL:DR We are are collectively taking our SAT's. 1355882417 Starting at :40 and 1:00 it looks like a guy in the woods with a helmet light and one in his hand. 1355109215 I love balloons! 1310105672 Love how they think he is just a comedian. From Wikipedia, "He (Bill Nye) studied mechanical engineering at Cornell University (where one of his professors was Carl Sagan[9]) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in 1977.[10]\nNye began his career in Seattle at Boeing, where, among other things, he starred in training films and developed a hydraulic pressure resonance suppressor still used in the 747. Later, he worked as a consultant in the aeronautics industry." 1347197927 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99942_Apophis\n\n\n\n 1348970611 If you are into tatoos great, if you are into hero worship, then you might have missed the point. 1311035389 agreed. :) 1305772441 I'm a psychic in Belize. I think Glenn Beck ate our two children. Do what you must. 1283881515 America invaded their countries, captured some for possibly permanent detention without due process, tortured some, and killed many more. I think, of the multitude of grievances the Muslim world has with the US, the fact that we didn't give Usama Bin Laden a timely burial would be fairly low on the list.\n\nI don't know what DNA proves, save his identity, which again, I am not contesting. As to the pictures: do you have any links for those? I haven't seen any official shots yet. 1304377850 Only a kiwi could be that dumb 1312269968 There's no guarantee that will work, though. In the case of profmth, sometimes youtube will just say "fuck it" with the whole thing until you get an expensive lawyer involved.\n\nThe problem with the DMCA is that in order to file a counter-DMCA claim, one must provide both youtube _and_ the other people with one's own personal info -- legal name and address. In many cases, false DMCA filings are simply a tool to get that personal info so that the false filer may doc-drop a person they perceive as an enemy. (see: venomfangx, brett keane, allianceofdemons)\n\nIn the case of somebody who's already financially well to-do, such as a doctor who's ripping off thousands of people, they can then use that information to mount a harassment campaign.\n\nThere is no indication by thetruepooka that he has not already filed a counter DMCA notice, but the fact remains that until it goes through and youtube restores the video, he is censored unfairly.\n\nOnce it does go through, thetruepooka may sue the fraudster, and he may have him charged with perjury, as a deliberately false DMCA is just that. And that's another problem with the DMCA. Not only can it be easily used as a petty tool to gain somebody's personal info, but it is entirely too easy for the false filer to claim they don't understand the DMCA, and so commit crimes and rob victims of money by forcing them into legal action to defend themselves in what will inevitably be a fruitless court case.\n\nVideo sites like youtube and vimeo are especially bad cases. They claim to be a "safe harbor," a legal status in which they gain immunity of themselves for copyright infringement under the guise that they cannot possibly prevent infringing content from being uploaded, it can't be monitored, not physically possible. A consequence is that legally they are required to pull down videos that are DMCA'd _immediately and before review_.\n\nBecause of this, people who use the DMCA to censor other youtube users also have a proclivity for abusing it en masse. In one spectacular case, creationist VenomFangX filed as many as 300 false DMCAs in a weekend in order to silence people exposing his own fraudulent money scheme that was stealing donated cash that was owed to Sick Kids Hospital, Toronto. [<<corrected this name]\n\nWhen people mirror DMCA'd video, it is also common for the fraudsters to abuse Youtube's own flagging system. They can create clone accounts, and if a video is flagged with a certain frequency, it gets not only pulled and hidden, but deleted, and the account of the person who uploaded the video gets their channel closed, suspended, and often enough outright deleted.\n\n---\n\nI also must point out that thetruepooka did not ask anybody to mirror his video. He only said that he'd like to know exactly who is so that he can monitor how the fraudster he is fighting against behaves towards the mirrored videos. A useful point a victim of false DMCA filings can use in court is to point out that the false filer only believes it's copyright infringement when his personal enemy uses video content, and not when others do it, even when others do so with malicious intent. 1321080111 NOPE. \n\nNOPE. \n\nNOPE.\n\nThat was really fucking creepy. 1337953825 Thank you for wasting so much time feeding the troll. I slept like a rock for the first time in a week because I was so full of troll food. 1354035618 Was the previous ever reposted anywhere? 1332297738 this is all I could get sorry 1321042088 I'm glad the title is the tl;dr 1317899738 Being an actual skeptic, I don't believe something simply because it's posted in r/skeptic. I think there's probably more to the story than a doctor being tactless. 1334769235 Why do the guys on our side always have to look so crazy? Why can't we just be normal looking?!?!? 1344442280 "What's the most wtf thing you've ever witnessed?" 1300209387 If he was that interested in the UFO, why did he totally cut away and film the woman? 1345786299 I was fine with well water until one late-winter ice melt resulted in me having a cryptosporidium infection for 3 months. After that, it was filtered every time, even for coffee and food preparation. 1344342244 No, but apophenia is alive and well here on Earth. (In this case, possibly aPollyphenia.) 1334250015 Thank you for the interesting link. One thing I can't seem to get a handle on is why? Why is this the cultural sentiment in the UK? Are there historical precedents that made the judicial system form this way? 1323918357 Yeah, so he's not a global warming denier. \n\nGore does need to be lol'ed at. 1355964247 Define " genuinely gets better". 1304299116 I thought pre-employment IQ tests were illegal in the U.S. 1347228873 ...keep feeding me...(just can't just let it go, can you?) 1339610899 Well I'm sure he won't mind if Satanists call themselves Christians, albeit "sceptical Christians"...I mean, the Bible *does* mention Satan... 1314329561 some cameras do this when there isnt enough light, ive had faces of my friends distorted do to this fact. 1311358164 No... sounds like a perfectly coherent and reasonable theory to me. Why would you doubt something like this? That's obviously *exactly* what happened!! 1327796750 I've made aware of this thread to [the author of the original thread](http://www.reddit.com/user/Bazing1980) so he should be able to respond soon enough. All questions should be directed toward him. 1312107522 Can't see shit, Captain 1320755479 Scientific American may not have been very scientific in this case. \n\nThey reference a meta-analysis saying:\n>"This week a meta-analysis of seven studies involving a total of 6,250 subjects in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that cutting salt intake reduces the risk for heart attacks, strokes or death in people with normal or high blood pressure."\n\nThe authors of the article note (From Science Based Medicine):\n>[Our findings are consistent with the belief that salt reduction is beneficial in normotensive and hypertensive people. However, the methods of achieving salt reduction in the trials included in our review, and other systematic reviews, were relatively modest in their impact on sodium excretion and on blood pressure levels, generally required considerable efforts to implement and would not be expected to have major impacts on the burden of CVD.](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/salt-more-confirmation-bias-for-your-preferred-narrative/#more-14376)\n\nScientific American fails at reporting science. The problem isn't that reducing salt intake won't impact hypertension. The problem was non-compliance resulting in marginal reductions is sodium intake.\n\nEdit: To put a finer point on it: \n>"Professor Rod Taylor, the lead researcher of the review, is ‘completely dismayed’ at the headlines that distort the message of his research published today. Having spoken to BBC Scotland, and to CASH, he clarified that the review looked at studies where people were advised to reduce salt intake compared to those who were not and found no differences, this is not because reduced salt doesn’t have an effect but because it’s hard to reduce salt intake for a long time. He stated that people should continue to strive to reduce their salt intake to reduce their blood pressure, but that dietary advice alone is not enough, calling for further government and industry action."\n\nHe's saying that people can't/won't cut salt intake enough on their own, and industry changes need to happen for actual reductions in intake. This is from the author of the two larger meta-analyses (Cochrane review) mentioned in the one-sided SA article.\n\nAlso, the referenced article about the European study showing people with lower sodium intake dying more was apparently flawed. [Don't take my word for it, you can ask the CDC.](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/health/research/04salt.html)\n 1317059030 I pretty much agree with you in most regards. I just don't understand how you get around the radar-visual sightings by pilots and aviation experts worldwide. This is sound historical evidence backed up by government records. And it demonstrates this phenomenon is physical. \n\n I also don't know how scientists could possibly do repeatable tests on objects that appear at random and are inaccessible to us. This seems to be a problem of logistics on our part. You think it is possible. Please expand on this.\n\nRadar-visuals, video, and eyewitness testimony are still a powerful combination that has to be addressed. I want to know how this is not evidence. This data does not verify this phenomenon is extraterrestrial. It only demonstrates that objects of unknown origins are in our skies. Once you realize this, *then* you are face to face with a genuine mystery. Everything past that point is wishful thinking, speculation and educated guesses. \n\nI'm surprised you have researched UFOs cases, but I question your focus. Alien bases, crop circles, and abductees etc.. These are the lunatic fringe of UFOs. 1306010932 I enjoyed the astronaut testimonies. Armstrongs parrot analogy certainly sounds very cryptic, I don't jump at it like Hoagland does but it certainly hints that he was hiding something.\nI look forward to when Richard Branson gets space tourism off the ground I think we'll really see some evidence then of what is really out there. 1336819252 Dried mandrakes looks like bodies, but is hallucinogenic and highly poisonous.\n\nAnd carrots is not THAT good for ones eyes, it's a rumor that was created during the WW2 for (for me) unknown reasons. Try blueberries instead. 1318071490 That bright blue blob was debunked as an insect on a show. Memory tells me the show was Destination Truth but I don't believe that is correct (although a woman from DT was also on this show). 1352312869 "It seems to be an extremely common experience amongst people who don't believe in certain nonscientific concepts to be told by others who do to be more open-minded. This advice is typically based on highly flawed thinking, including an inaccurate misunderstanding of what open-mindedness really is." [Link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI) for those who haven't seen it. 1287339114 None of us do, yet we still read and comment. 1330085462 This one has always driven me insane. It's as silly as saying we only use 10% of our cars, because we only ever touch the steering wheel and pedals while driving. 1281961540 It's Jupiter.\n\nYou can see for yourself by downloading [Stellarium](http://www.stellarium.org/). 1288949736 Uh, it seems pretty legit to me. Would you risk your career to publish something like that? Do you care at all about the livelihood of your family? 1332500266 Canadian cancer is easy to cure. It turns out you just have to politely ask it to leave. 1354128798 They are constantly exposed to media with positive stories about homes being haunted. So they have a built-in priming.\n\nMy point is that in a controlled experiment with the only difference being told or not told a place is haunted resulted in a statistical difference between reporting and not reporting haunting-related phenomena leads one to believe that a person's expectations have a factor in the issue.\n\nSeems that an easily detected and measured thing like low-frequency sounds would have been accounted for and/or tested for with ease and definitive results. 1318725900 I remembered the last time Myers-Briggs came up [on /r/skeptic](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/kq2sw/how_accurate_and_valid_is_the_myersbriggs_type/) some good points were made. Perhaps a nice start? 1327264791 what's*\n\n 1355365168 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U 1345891079 Thank you for this post. Really 1319951020 I once saw a David Icke talk\n\nWith Powerpoint slides chock-a-block.\n\nNick Tesla appeared\n\nAnd the audience cheered\n\nSo loud it vibrated my cock.\n\n----\n\nBeloved by conspiracy theorists\n\nHis career was one of the queerest.\n\nDespite people's hunch,\n\nThere's no free energy lunch\n\nThat comes from this Serbian careerist. 1354744007 >I was scared stiff I couldn't remember how to move\n\nThat's because what you were experiencing was sleep paralysis. Not a ghost. 1340117314 Right now, I'd say Earth is a curiosity to anyone watching. We're not a threat, they might just want to see how we progress. We become a threat once we weaponize space *and* learn to travel to other solar systems in reasonable periods of time. I think they'd rather observe us than 'enlighten' us or destroy us. 1286363213 I wasn't sure what naturopathy was, so I looked it up and found this gem from the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Colleges: "Naturopathic medicine is defined by principles rather than by methods or modalities. Above all, it honors the body’s innate wisdom to heal."\n\nLet's be clear. The body is often good at healing itself (the recovery from certain brain lesions is remarkable), but it is also often very stupid. A few examples:\n\n1. Intestinal strictures and adhesions in [Crohn's disease](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn%27s_disease)\n2. Every [autoimmune](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autoimmune) disease you can think of is the body's misguided attempt to fix itself by attacking something it mistakenly sees as foreign.\n3. [Atherosclerosis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atherosclerosis) is apparently caused by injury to the vascular endothelium. The body's response results in plaque formation, narrowing of the blood vessel, and eventual occlusion. This can occur in the blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to your heart, and when your heart can't get enough oxygen, you get a [heart attack](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myocardial_infarction).\n4. [Pelvic inflammatory disease](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelvic_inflammatory_disease) is what happens when a woman's body heals up after an STD. It can result in life-threatening ectopic pregnancies or infertility.\n\nIn short, any practice that claims as their overarching philosophy the body's "wisdom" in healing itself should immediately begin ringing alarm bells. 1333652974 Hi. How does your aunt talk to you? In a normal human voice? Could you elaborate a little bit? 1356380258 Not to induce any unwarranted panic or anything, but indeed, it probably is not the wisest idea.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasticizer#For_plastics 1307530648 Nothing here is free energy. This doesn't violate the laws of thermodynamics. It remains to be seen if this will actually practically work. 1324353004 FYI, The Ring remake was released 10 years ago, and the original 14 years ago, so they were released in your time scale. 1326471572 Reflecting pools make it so much scarier. 1335187257 it's almost like... a glitch in the matrix. haha. yeah, i'm just really curious if it has happened to anyone else. 1343517815 > This all reminds me of people who don't believe in evolution.\n\nHowever, it shares with evolution the point that it is quite complicated area of study. The reason that evolution deniers are different from conspiracy theorists is that their disbelief ultimately rests upon the existence of God, which is untestable. They can shut down any conversation whatsoever by saying "Because God."\n\nHowever, conspiracy theorists have opinions about the real world which actually are testable, although perhaps in theory not practice.\n\n> The Pan Am flight that blew up over Scotland scattered luggage, cloths and body parts over an entire town.\n\nThat plane actually fell on the town. That passport flew into a building which immediately burst into flames. Although I accept that you might be right, it has been pointed out that nothing much else from the planes was actually recovered.\n\n> I do a shitload of reading about the middle east so many of the so called theories put forth on r/cons rest on assumptions that are obviously mistruths to me.\n\nWhy do you bother reading /r/cons if you believe that their opinions have the same weight as homeopaths and chiropractors?\n\nIf you're a participant, then aren't you making /r/conspiracy a worthwhile place to be?\n 1329954193 >No, I want whether the person is an "asshole" or not to be irrelevant to the discussion of facts and consequences.\n\nShifting the goalposts a bit there, as you said nothing of the sort. Being an asshole does have nothing to do with the discussion of facts and consequences, but if someone acts like an asshole in a place where they are asked to not act like an asshole (multiple times) then it makes sense to give them a temporary ban.\n\n>No, he asserted that it was plausible: "Which could have very real impact on people's life." Citation is generally not needed for a plausibility statement unless it is challenged.\n\nExcept that he was arguing against the practice, and suggesting that the women should just "deal with it", which are claims for something to change - and this does require evidence and support. \n\nCome on, this is the skeptic forum. Are we really going to accept "an arguably plausible consequence of this action could be bad so we shouldn't perform the action which empirically solves other bad consequences" as a reasonable argument? Are we just going to ignore the fact that he told a group of vulnerable women that they should just "deal with it"? \n\n>"Privilege" and "Denying privilege" aren't empirical claims, they are ideological ones, no matter how dearly you hold that ideology or how badly you want them to be scientific.\n\nSociology is a scientific field... \n\n>logic11 wasn't banned for "abuse" or "harassment", they were banned for "denying male privilege". Again, a completely ideological position. That is, they were banned for arguing against the philosophical axioms and feelings of a subreddit.\n\nHis denial of privilege is abusive to the people who have to put up with that shit all the time. Imagine you have a forum for black people who are sick of discrimination, and a white guy goes in there complaining that people call him "cracker" all the time and he doesn't get offended, and then starts making racial jokes - are you suggesting that such a person isn't being abusing or harassing? Logic11 was doing the exact same thing; the only difference being that it's still largely socially acceptable to be an asshole to women.\n\n 1347413574 Right. So I can't help but point out you typed basically the same thing as myself, in simpler terms, after I did, and you got more upvotes.\n\nWhat is the cause of this? 1285630226 Yeah, that army of pizza ordering 13 year old's must really send chills down the spines of billionaire CEOs. 1304465110 Godammit man...I came here with a legitimate question...I really wanted some advice on whether or not to sacrifice a night or two of arguing or just buy the damn thing despite my heartfelt belief. I trust the enthusiasts of r/skeptic to provide some sort of path upon which I can further ponder my actions. I don't need your bullshit. While I value your opinion, I question the bite behind your bark.\n\nin other words...STFU. 1297585659 Like he needs that many. 1333450317 Well I might have been being a little dramatic when I said they were black. They're more of a light grayish color. I do have a pretty good amount of them though. So maybe I'll still see a doctor about em. 1330537120 The doctors I've dealt with strike me as too busy with medicine to care seriously about astronomy\n\nLike Sherlock Holmes not knowing the earth revolved around the sun, it is unimportant to their area of expertise\n 1325627382 This is why I'm troubled by the recent enthusiasm for "happiness" research and the idea that governments should embrace policies to promote "happiness".\n\nIt makes the libertarian position (that there are some things which government has no business doing) seem very appealing.\n\n 1350148618 Sometimes I don't understand why things get downvoted. That was clever. 1327464913 Another reason to miss Carl Sagan. 1292909473 Just asking for the sake of the debate rather than anything but does being conscious of a process stop it from happening? We may no longer be naturally selected as much for things such as disability or some conditions as we tend to use technology/medicine to look after as many unfortunate people as we can but people with specific traits (intelligence, influence, sporting prowess, musical talent, etc) are still more successful than others and while they may not be able to breed more than the rest their influence shapes society more than those "below" them on the influence ladder.\n\nWe've simply stopped evolving on a biological level (at nearly the same rate anyhow) and started to evolve on a cultural and society level. 1316511144 no, i just like to consider every possible scenario instead of latching on to the first half assed idea that comes along. you can go back to watching fox now i am done with you. 1340318952 Well your video wasnt super compelling... But dont take offense as no ones video has been anything to make me really take note.\n\nPart of the problem is that I have over 20 years of computer graphics experience ... So it going to have to be something more than a flashing light or a blinking pulse to get my attention. 1344410171 Yeah, people always talk about how in touch native americans are (or were) for using "every part of the animal". Pink slime is a part of the animal that would otherwise be put to waste, being put to use. 1350583410 Got anything that can be downloaded? I'm driving across the country. 1330210505 I have to make a counterpoint to name calling? My point has been made earlier in the thread, if you are to lazy to read it that's on you. As for a counter point how's this:\nYou trolled off topic, I called you on it end of story. 1343076683 I agree, most of these are rather vague, but I do have to tell a quick story. I first read about this prophecy about 2 years before John Paul died. For some reason I love reading end of the world prophecies even though I know they are full of crap. Like I said, about two years before the death of John Paul, the source I read for this one said something along this lines of "Scholars believe, according to this prophecy, that the benedictine order will be important to the next pope." First, the term scholars used with the word prophecy always makes me laugh. But also, when the new pope named himself Benedict it just made me think, "well damn, they can guess right every once in a while." Either that or somebody is trying to fulfill a prophecy themselves. 1325690048 From the wiki:\n>There is limited scientific information supporting any health benefit and few studies are being conducted, although there are several centuries of anecdotal accounts supporting some of the health benefits attributed to the tea.\n\nI work at a natural foods co-op and we sell a *shit-ton* of kombucha, from Wonderdrink, GT's and many others. I have no doubt that most of their claims are nothing more than 'claims,' but the amount of praise I've heard anecdotally is staggering (from myself as well). After I drink one, my GI tract feels much better and my overall well-being tends to improve (almost like a minor high) so I am of the belief that it does *something* positive, but what exactly?\n\nI hope for more (unbiased) studies on this beverage. It would be interesting to find out what kombucha actually does and doesn't do. 1300824233 lol\n 1345530015 Smooth movement looks computer generated. Silly rumble sound effect as it moves over. \n\nMost black triangles are reported to be completely silent. \n\nMaybe it was thunder, but.. 1329228043 I think the reason interviewers like Camelot feel they can "step all over his words" is because anyone who's listened to Greer a few times knows he has a well rehearsed schtick-down to the letter "I'm just a little country doctor from Virginia,...", etc, and I think she's trying cut through the rehearsed bits & get to some substance. \n\nI find it very telling whenever someone questions Greer's statements (like you CAN'T know 100% for certain about ANYTHING in UFOlogy) how defensive he gets. If he was a little more accepting of other possibilities(or questions) other than what he's says he knows(without sources), I might be more inclined to believe his BS,....\n\nPS asking people to allow you to finish talking, and then continuing with two+ minutes of off-topic tripe to derail a conversation isn't exactly polite either,.... 1250282077 There you go. That's what I was looking for. I wasn't being nasty, by the way. I'm just tired of people linking to an article and then saying this person is responsible without backing it up. It's great that you have those articles to support your cause. I refuse to listen to anyone that deviates from the main point. It causes an infinite amount of argumentative cycling that leads no where. I can't stand mindless jabs at people simply because they briefly heard that this person did this.\n\nJenny McCarthy can say whatever she wants. If you want to find real blame, blame the people who follow her example without doing research. There's a difference between personal choices and someone making the choices for you. An intelligent person questions everything, follows only what they truly believe, and takes personal responsibility for their actions.\n\nNow, as for your evidence, you have articles directly connecting this person's opinion with a decline in vaccinations, yes? Great! Now, the OP made an assertion that was not discussed in the article within the title. As far as I am concerned, Jenny McCarthy is only relevant in an abstract sense. If I had no knowledge of McCarthy, the connection would not be there, as it is not there within the artcle. When I click on an article that says someone is causing something, or implies such a scenario, I expect to see evidence within that article. Give me reason as to why should feel this way, you know? 1287777281 If you limit the dataset to fortune telling then yes - it does look pretty damning for Italy. What if you widen the net to include homeopaths and other "new age" type woo though? \n\nWould the UK win, or the US or China? 1265623920 If you look closely, you can actually see that the shirt on the legs kind of tucks into the desk after the guy gets cut in half. 1273502609 I just read the description of the masked man fallacy, but it still makes no sense to me. Anyone care to explain it? 1318187059 You should do your report on Andrew Wakefield and the whole brouhaha with vaccines. You could go with the whole "how not to do science" approach. 1294873458 That's begging the question. 1314661261 Hmm, they're always near open fires. Maybe that's in some way significant! 1316775238 The same story you have heard before but with the Erich Kuersten twist. 1288700622 Rich. 1333052246 Only time... and SCIENCE!, will tell. 1344626576 I stopped after seeing the drunk YouTube guy that found massive UFOs all around the sun, from his trailer... on the internet... 1338956733 Awesome. I'm glad we could bring everything back down to earth, so to speak. I agree that, from what I know about this man, the confession being a knowing lie seems unlikely. I, honestly, lean more towards a declining mental state in situations like these, particularly when there was illness involved. It's also pretty difficult to substantiate that this particular confession exists at all, which just sets off all sorts of alarms.\n\nHonestly, I've always been of the mind that the testimony of pilots and groups of military personnel (just one could always be an attention seeker) is the best evidence of the phenomenon we have, besides the few good videos and photos. My favorite source, thus far, has been "The Disclosure Project" because those people, in general, seem to fall into those categories. In general, I think most people agree that the phenomenon is real, whether or not they have an opinion on an explanation. But there's so much crap out there, so much bullshit, it's hard to sift through. It doesn't help that delusions from mental illness in the twentieth century seems to gravitate towards ufos and conspiracy. I tend to be hyper-vigilant in so far as maintaining my skeptic-glasses at all times.\n\nGlad we could bring things to a more amicable place. Faith in humanity +1. 1334120475 like... "i was a tarot reader, but i came to my senses, AMA about the industry and such"?... 1340564178 Apparently Romney used the 'underemployed' as 'unemployed' in his '23 million unemployed' lie in the debate. 1349535737 From the comments:\n\n"But I am not surprised that you cited your comrades at Real Climate, who are the guardians not of climate science but of the red part of the watermelon."\n\n"And that reveals the theory of catastrophic anthropogenic global warming to be a greater scientific scandal than Lysenkoism."\n\nAs careful as Peter was writing that article, he just can't help himself in the comments section. It's blatantly obvious why this is such an important issue to him, and it sure isn't science. 1340052945 How exactly is it great news for people who eat like shit? 1331206248 > enhancement of visual acuity was an effect of psilocybin at low doses \n\nI can attest to this, or at least i perceived that to be the case 1274779733 Is there a single sentence in that link that isn't a lie? 1281893236 That guy is assuming the camera doesn't move. He doesn't understand optics. 1296457580 It woudl make having diabetes a whole lot more eventful. Well for a while. 1340485580 Guess I'm the only one that thought it was funny.\n\nDo some here not realize that it demonstrates an extreme (absurd) example of how "cold reading" depends on assistance from the "readee"? The "reader" just makes extremely general statements until the sucker, I mean readee notices how what the reader said could be construed as something meaningful. 1319207434 Humans are getting very close to having cloaking technology. It's not out of the realm of possibility that they have this technology. Here's a video of human technology making something blink in and out of existence. It's amazing technology, but it does not support a metaphysical conclusion. http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/thinking-tech/-8216invisibility-cloak-device-makes-objects-disappear-video/8821 1327462926 Sometimes, in our encoding, changes often "surface" to your "mental state." This is not deja vu, it is what you would describe "psychic." Changes in the larger plan require you to live...for now... 1345884629 Sigh. More anonymous creepy allegations in modified voices. I feel like we're going back to UFO Cover-Up LIVE with Falcon and Condor. I wonder if Richard Doty was responsible for this.\n\nBLEH. 1332431386 I love hearing the reasoning of the older man in the background. It adds to the legitimacy of the video. 1297017507 So yes, literally a 'UFO'. 1302893941 For the most scientifically documented case I've ever seem submitted on this subreddit, it surprises me greatly that this hasnt gotten more upvotes. It should be one of the highest voted submissions in reddit/r/ufos history. But instead we like to vote up the nonsensical shit. 1301148716 More specifically, Occam's Razor tells us that the claim that makes the fewest assumptions is more likely to be true.\n\n"God did it." is a simpler explanation than evolution through natural selection but it introduces assumptions beyond what we can observe in nature. 1302631397 He really missed an opportunity to put it in all caps and comic sans. 1304001273 Meh. Still not near as good as [this](http://karibyronnude.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/kari_byron_mythbuster.jpg). 1301568920 Personally, I think it's a reasonable analogy. There could very well be aliens sitting up there in orbit saying "haha, those dumb humans, don't they recognize an ethereal tether when they see it on someone?" 1312201215 I think you'll find that the word "skeptic" is badly overloaded. The ones you find in this sub-reddit are the kind that lean toward evidence, scientific consensus, and Occam's razor. A lot of people who, for example, think the men in white coats are colluding with Big Pharma (TM) to kill our children or think that a secret government already rules the world will use the word skeptic, that's not what tends to happen here. We'd ask those people to show us their evidence. 1259873871 As a girl, if a man tried to read my palm (and seemed to take it seriously), that would likely be a deal-breaker. 1332166696 Oh such anger, such angst, have you considered masturbation ? It might relieve some of that frustration. Then you could even look around you at objective reality, you know ? It's the world the majority of us live in. Now I know you being a preacher prefer to grovel in front of an icon or effigy, but hey why not give it a whirl. If it doesn't work out not to worry. There is a thing called medication and all you need to do is talk to a doctor for less than two minutes and I guarantee within a few hours you'll be a drooling idiot. But the pain will be gone; Whoopee! They'll put a diaper on you and you can sit in chair rocking away merrily until 'ole Jesus comes to carry your fundamentalist ass to the promised land. "Praise the Lord !" 1331563662 Australia has had its strange sightings of unknown flying craft, perhaps the strangest, and best documented, was the apparent 1868 UFO and alien encounter of a Parramatta surveyor, Fred Birmingham. Yes, that’s 1868! 1331259510 As below- Buddhism spends a lot of money on [monuments](http://www.google.com/search?q=buddhism+monuments&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=qdc&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&source=lnms&tbm=isch&ei=blcoTvHwAY3biAKKqZXdBw&sa=X&oi=mode_link&ct=mode&cd=2&ved=0CAwQ_AUoAQ&biw=1920&bih=948)- in addition to supporting the monks. Someone has to pay for the building and maintenance of these structures. To cover a building in gold leaf isn't cheap. 1311266865 But it is natural to the underlying system. Your argument is like saying English is not a language because it's not an official language in the United States. 1326588097 I'm not sure if anyone but a medical doctor can help. Some ailments just don't have effective treatments yet. \n\nI'm curious, you said the surgeries went badly, did the doctors make any mistakes? \n\nAlso, is it just pain? Are there any drug you can take (illegal or legal) to alleviate the pain? 1331600086 You use Boneset, of course!\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_perfoliatum 1279318109 Well do we know if we have the technology to build the technology that we need to build the technology that we need to figure these things out? Because otherwise it seems a bit silly 1307126434 the literature is not even close to as once sided as you are painting it with this comment. There have been RCTs that have shown no positive effects after taking into account the placebo effect. There have been others that have shows effects, there are still others that show only a subjective effect. Similar claims could be made about SSRI's. 1307012589 I don't think you need to say that something is a "crosspost". Just submit the same URL. 1292957637 my first thought at seeing the first couple seconds was that it wasn't legit. I looked at the youtube commenters though, and many seem to think it may be legit. Usually the youtube commenters are all over calling out fakes... a lot of people know how to make fakes and can tell when they are fake...\n\nalso, I know the The Orionid meteor shower is happening right now (from 10-20 to 10-22) which occurs every year in mid to late October (rained bits of the famed Halley's Comet), but those definitely are not meteors... Also, I'm hearing other people from other places claiming they are seeing strange things the last couple days that are for sure not meteors, based on the maneuvers. who knows.... 1350884136 God did it.\n\nEnd of the book. 1283465381 My mom owned a herbal medicine/homeopathic/natural beauty store on both coasts when I was younger. I worked at them for years until they went under after 9/11. I still remember a lot about homeopathy and herbal medicine. 1315741628 where is the video? 1354212247 Sadly the Hootbot can't hold a gun, in face, the HootBot can't hold anything...http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:kQESGptUH3kGNM:http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t306/shakesville/Tomy_Hootbot.jpg&t=1 1292082631 Holy shit I thought you were kidding with the title. 1305427665 Okay daddy, thanks for being in charge of my life even though no one gave you that permission 1345217480 Surely the opposite should be true; Unless you have clear evidence of a physiological component the only rational conclusion is that the cause is mental. These people have ill-defined symptoms that they have self-diagnosed as being caused by "chemicals" and/or "EM fields"; the notion of MCS as a disease is considered so fringe by the scientific/medical community that (in my brief search of journal resources I have) I can find very few studies dealing with the condition. The only journal article i've found that ran double-blind placebo tests found that ["no differences between the groups with regard to sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were found. Cognitive performance was not influenced by solvent exposure, and did not differ between the groups. There was no difference between the groups in serum cortisol levels measured before and after exposures."](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18568800) (Bornschein et al 2008). 1316426314 Both Long Island Medium (TLC) and The Dead Files (Travel Channel) do this. They're television shows, though, so it's hard to tell whether they're extremely convincing or frighteningly real. 1333798524 If you don't mind my intrusion, it seems like you imply something in your comment.\n\nThese statements:\n\n>In the case of AGW journals are co-dependant with government – the journals publish the results desired by government in order to push an agenda which then leads to more research funding.\n\n>If AGW researchers were to raise questions, and in the process question government policy, their institutions would suffer as well.\n\nSpecifically, it seems you're implying that there is a concerted effort to suppress studies that disprove anthropogenic climate change by the government (or by academic journals on behalf of the government), if that's the case, can you demonstrate it? 1353867321 Even if it wasn't, that's not a question he or his handlers would pick to answer here. 1346306262 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/assembly/sprint/\n\nYou're referring to this. Simple google search would suffice. It says that its 14 inches in diameter. 1319217792 thats what she said. 1331831745 Lawyers & judges learning science would be nice - afaik they don't even learn bayesian statistics. 1347432061 Nazism is the combination of racism and fascism. It's definitely racist, but I'm not sure about the fascist bit. It's an important distinction to make, as one doesn't necessarily imply the other, but they're both pretty bad. 1345307140 It beats a PHYSICAL beating. 1307237456 Here's a high-quality video :\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6kn-JJ2HiU 1303930718 That alt med comparison doesn't make any sense. Altmed practitioners, by their very nature, are altmed practitioners. In that scenario, the question of if they're nice or not doesn't enter into the fact that it's alternative medicine, and I, at least, have an issue with alt med not because it's rude, but because it's not real. But in this one, no one debates if they're alt med practitioners.\n\nIn the scenario you want to compare it to, however, one side says that skeptics are not misogynistic, and the other says they aren't. Firstly, neither category plays a role in being a skeptic, per se (at least, it's not tautological), and secondly, the criticism is about the description you add to the group, not to the group itself (as in the first case). 1325668317 >I used this dowsing rod application when I was in the desert to find wter. An arch nemesis left me in the middle of the desert with only a bottle of motor oil, after he threw me out of the CEO position of my multi-national corporation.\n\nIsn't that from Casino Royale? 1248740212 > It just blows my mind that a women's worldview is so dominated by the idea that all men are potential rapists.\n\nMine too. But I'm more inclined to say "Okay, so how can I, as a male, avoid behavior that makes a woman feel that way?" rather than "Therefore they're crazy."\n\nI've personally had two close friends and one girlfriend get raped or be sexually abused though, so maybe I have a different perspective on it. 1351126901 Freaky. 1326512359 Freaky. 1351153306 While the post implies that the presidents were killed because of the notes, it does not explicitly state so; it only presents evidence, i.e, "JFK was killed this day, his notes were taken out of circulation that day." It still doesn't explicitly draw a conclusion, although I admit many /r/conspiracy posts do. 1312522326 Shooting flares at a UFO? That's a guaranteed anal probing. 1334604232 There's a brand of lube named "snake oil". I think it's being named that is hilarious because it actually does what it's advertised to do. Much more so than the actual joke meaning of the name. 1327553749 My question to James Fox, if he's such a well respected UFOlogist: Why put on a formulaic, sensationalistic paranormal-porn show like Chasing UFOs at all if you want to retain any credibility as a serious UFOlogist? Just because people lap this crap up doesn't mean it's good UFOlogy. 1341522244 I think he was back-pedaling. I don't think he was trying to sell any backs. 1343531822 Except with links and references. I would say it's more like the Wiki of meme culture. 1331757773 There is a very good Ted talk on this. The acidic fruit become alkaline once digested. Putting a slice of lemon in your water has this effect. 1339640900 True! You can't prove it either which way. Although Stephen Hawking did hold a [time traveler's party](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elah3i_WiFI) which no one showed up to, which is unfortunate. It would've been awesome. 1343511347 What a nose you have sniggity! 1285778368 Blogspam, not skepticism, this belongs in /r/atheism. Read the sidebar. 1324851414 Am I being silly here or is there no translation? 1303243513 How about let's *not* have a wank, eh? ಠ_ಠ 1327396681 >This just isn't true.... That is a problem with some of the rubbish that gets called evolutionary psychology,\n\nWhich is the stuff that gets in the media and on the Internet. The public face of the field is, basically, pseudoscience.\n\n>When a behavioural trait is overwhelmingly common in a certain gender, then that is one sign that it may have been selected for. Though having confidence that a trait is the result of selection really needs more lines of evidence than just that...\n\nI agree! But universal human behavior patterns are a [relatively short list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_universal) - gender-linked universals even more so - and while 'why are men more violent than women' *might* be a legitimate aspect for evo psych to look at, most of the evo psych stuff I see promoted is, um, rather more in the vein of culturally determined behavior.\n\nIn other words: I think - and this is just my opinion, I admit - that if evolutionary psychology, as a field, wants to be taken seriously, it needs to stomp *hard* on the pseudoscientific gender norming that uses its name in the media; and when it *does* look at gender-specific behaviors, it needs to be damned certain (maybe check with sociologists? You know, the people who study human behavior for a living?) that the behavior is *not* culturally contingent; and if it wants to claim that the exigencies of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle promoted the evolution of such-and-such a behavior, it should check with the anthropologists to be certain that our hunter-gatherer ancestors *actually behaved that way*. \n\nOh, and when someone like whatshisname the 'black women are ugly' dude starts promoting his crap as 'evolutionary psychology', the actual scientists need to be out front denouncing him. Just saying. 1354415839 .... are you 8 years old? 1301455536 Someone already has [for pets](http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/). 1319597407 Well, here it goes. I was living in an apartment building on the second floor. The building is next to a rather big lake. This is in Florida. Well, I was at the balcony looking down at some kids playing basketball on the first floor. They had a small hoop set up in the parking lot down there. It was a small hoop, the kids were like 12 or so. Well, after a while, I started to hear a, woo woo woo, noise. Like if something was hovering. I look to my left, and there was a saucer hovering there. It was a bit bigger than a car (it was hovering behind some cars in the parking lot near the lake), had a dome on the top and the bottom was spinning counter clockwise. It had lights on the bottom flashing. After watching it for a minute, I looked down to see if the kids were looking at it, they watched it for a bit and then ran in scared. At this time I didn't want to be alone watching it, so I ran back inside the apartment. I was afraid of being seen by them and taken or something. The UFO was very close, and not hidden behind any trees or anything. It was just there out in the open hovering over the lake, but very close to the parking lot. \n\nThe place if anyone wants to see it is called Samari Lakes in Hialeah Gardens, Florida. It is a large apartment complex that is next to a large lake. Pretty secluded area. 1350193426 doomsday ... forever revised 1318914215 Windows 95 called..... 1344703496 Still, everything you're saying is unsubstantiated. Name calling isn't helping you make a point either. \n\nRegardless, you've missed the point of this post all together. I'm pointing out a straw man argument, which is exactly what that article is. Whether or not you like the view that low carb diets are healthy is irrelevant.\n\nI'm sorry you're so worked up over this. 1336095242 Had that exact quote in mind. Love it. 1327334645 Silly acupuncturist, tricks are for prostitutes! 1327732921 I never knew there were any UFO sightings around here, I always figured most of them were in the southern and western states. Good to know, I've always wanted to see one. 1350090520 But that's only sort of kind of true. Libertarianism is in general very much a leftist philosophy. At least, that is the case with regards to its philosophical origins and its current state outside of the US.\n\nThe major US flavors of libertarianism tend to be libertarian-right philosophies such as minarchism or anarcho-capitalism (which is an absurd and self contradictory concept). As such one might expect to find people whose political leanings are relatively reminiscent of Republicans, at least within the borders of the States. However if you mean to consider the entire world, it's probably a relatively minor subset of all libertarians.\n\nAlso, most anarchists tend to be socialists, and in my experience also acknowledge the role of government and our lives and often feel as though it should be a force for protecting those who can't protect themselves if it has to *be* at all. So it's often not "government interference" in a economic or regulatory sense, but rather in a civil rights sense.You'll rarely hear an anarchist complaining about governments over-regulating factory farms or coal mines or whatever.\n\nI know this isn't r/politics, but the use of "libertarian" to mean "libertarian-right" happens to be a bit of a pet peeve of mine. Anyway, that's enough self-indulgent political rambling for me. 1306185347 The sad part, is that he offered the secrets if his old fling paid him a visit, she refused, the secret died with him, what a bitch. 1316225804 Someone change into an agent? 1352619897 I have an Iphone, I take it that'll work too?\n 1344661356 Convergent evolution actually poses a bit of a problem for creationists, I think.\n\nIn the evolutionary view bats fly with featherless skin membranes because that's all the evolutionary process had to work with. For a bat to grow feathers to help it fly would be a huge and unnecessary evolutionary leap. Highly implausible.\n\nIn the creationist view, why *not* put feathers on bats? If you're "reusing designs" as they argue, why not slap a design from any one animal onto any other? Why impose a limit on which animals can have which parts? And why make that limit consistently imply a tree of common ancestry if there isn't one?\n\nI think Richard Dawkins said something similar, but I forget where. Greatest Show on Earth? 1356125689 >This is a place where evidence would have been easy to save, magically he had none of it.\n\nImho there is (but only in the form of screenshots, since that was the only way he could safe things). But , again imho, they scarted THE SHIT out of him (you can clearly see it in the early interviews)\n\nIn any case, i find the case very interesting; and they did a good job making it go away by letting it time out.\nAsk anbody why he was charged, most don't remember it was for UFO related stuff\n\nBut all speculation on my part off course :) 1329234632 All I found was a poorly designed study of the test. http://www.alcat.com/assets/File/REPRODUCIBILITY%20OF%20THE%20ANTIGEN%20LEUCOCYTE%20CELLULAR%20ANTIBODY%20TEST.pdf\nIt doesn't sounds like it's harmful, at least. But it's probably expensive, and we should try and stay away from expensive and unproven things. 1324440354 For a lot of people it was *extremely* prosperous, just like right now. This article is amusing, but hardly relevant. 1334427276 Oh so if I say something that is not true and produce no evidence or say a word in my defense its not a lie. Excellent. \n 1316942092 actually i have sleep paralysis when I take naps on my couch occasionally, and I absolutely cannot move my body so i've concluded that it is different. 1317217530 That would make for an excellent Twilight Zone episode!\n\nA man who believes his morning prayer is the only thing standing in the way of a global nuclear holocaust. As he begins to crack under the immense pressure of believing that billions of lives resting exclusively on his shoulders, his friends and family become concerned for his sanity. They attempt to convince him that he is deluded, that he is merely attempting to compensate for what he sees as his "little" life by making himself out to be the most important person in the world. \n\nOne morning, he wakes up, realizes his friends and family are right, comes to terms with his ordinary life, and decides to skip his prayer for the first time in his life.\n\nShortly after he breathes a sigh of unimaginable relief, the first bombs begin to fall. 1346627080 Wow, I'm always stumped with that line of argument.\n\nIf it's thousands of years old, it has to be good. Naturally, you also rely on medieval surgery techniques instead of modern ones, because they are older as well.\n\nThousands of years old means nothing else but that it's old. Extremely old and most likely outdated. Modern medicine has looked at all these old techniques and drugs and is still using the few, that still work and ignores all the ones that have proven to be wrong like for example Acupuncture.\n\nAs for Cannabis, I would suggest you have a closer look at the legislation. First of all, in most european countries, medicinal cannabis is legal and in use. And rightly so, but of course it should only be used in cases, were we actually have proof that it has beneficial effects. And again, proof is not, that it is old. Proof means actual proof that it works, not that some ancient voodoo doctor thought it works. 1298071698 Stopped reading at "Who are the Maya". Doubt there's anything in there I don't already know... 1325575617 The problem with that theory is that we already have parts of the genome that are entirely similar between individuals. Yet we are not trying to actevely change them to prevent a doomsday virus. It's actually a pretty good question, why aren't we doing just that ?\n\nI think the answer is that so far, no virus has been able to take advantage of this, over all species and millions of years. It seems not to be a threat. 1325614156 Actually it's\n~P. Therefore, P.\n\nLove for any person A is not unique.\n\nBut everyone that loves by definition has a unique love for the person they are in love with.\n\nTherefore unique love is not unique as everyone that is in love has it.\n\nMy love for person A is not unique. \n\nBut that is absurd! Accepting it invalidates the second preposition as we know love between two people is defined by uniqueness.\n\nThe argument must therefore be invalid and a unique love does exist for person A, and by extension between two people. 1310476674 lol, fair enough. i guess the dry sarcasm of l4m3 doesn't fly like i thought it did. 1282847788 After watching the video this is how I feel too.\n\nBut what if I went, sat there, and allowed him to try to hypnotize me, and when nothing happened I just sat there and didnt cause a scene? 1349277529 Did you even watch the video? The lights stayed in perfect triangles while rotating around an axis. This happened in several different places and in various perfect shapes: a square, a cube, a triangle. They flew in formations to form geometric shapes. "which still seem perfectly explainable as moths or bats" is a completely false statement. If you believe that, I'm sorry, but you are mentally retarded. 1333062760 I can appreciate why a doctor might feel it's unethical to prescribe an placebo. I very strongly believe they should not be marketed as effective.\n\nBut if legitimate medical treatments leave someone unsatisfied and unhappy, and buying water with impossibly diluted chemicals in it makes them feel better...what is offensive about that?\n\nIn the end, I really have no idea how many people who like homeopathy do it because traditional medicine failed to cure their problems...is sorta circular I guess: if someone has a chronic mistrust of medicine, there's at least some chance homeopathy might work better for them. \n\nI say it's better to let these people do what makes them happy...reason simply isn't going to reach everyone. 1260166039 You have to also remember that the response crop circle was made directly next to the radio that sent the message and exactly one year later. \n\nThe hoaxers would have to have known about the location of the radio tower was being used, what message they were sending and the time and date they sent the message to pull this off. \n\nThis could only limit the hoaxers to someone who directly knew of or was working on the project and more effort looks put in the response then actually sending the message.\n\nSo my first suspicions would be on the team who created and sent the message were the ones who actually created the crop circle response. \n\nIf you trust these people and believe they didn't do it themselves, then my god this is one immaculate brilliant hoax! Whoever did it should be awarded or something. But honestly I don't see aliens being that less of a plausible explanation. \n\nSo for me it comes down to trust, if these people aren't lieing then I would say on the assumption that it's genuinuie until there's evidence to the contrary. 1351838811 OK.\n\nLife is fucking ENDEMIC to this universe. Simply put, it's going to happen given the molecules out there and the vast amounts of time we are not geared to comprehend.\n\nLipid molecules NATURALLY form into capsules. This is a simply contained cell wall.\n\nOnce a container is there that contains things that react and keeps others out, biological processes (on a level) WILL happen.\n\nAs they get more complex, some are going to sustain their own existence.\n\nThis shit happens.\n\nCheck out the chirality of molecules that come out of the sun and why we care.\n\n 1324607298 It's basic religious logic, just in a different context. 1330155856 The smug part probably comes across. 1327432903 Boy, oh boy. Reading stories like this reassures me this subreddit was craving to be brought to life. 1326816638 You need more Marceline. (/r/adventuretime) 1348185399 From what I've read it's perfectly fine, and it's another case of people being irrational when it comes to health. Some people may be allergic to it, I'm not sure, but if true so what? Some people are allergic to peanuts, but no-one says that peanuts are bad for you. 1305163099 plastic = plastic 1300311591 His 'CT' stuff?\n\nI too disagree on Joe with most his issues, he has some moments of logic and skepticism though, like when it comes to aliens, I just wish he'd apply the same logic to his other conspiracy theories. 1330986697 i read the FAQ beforehand and I guess I missed that, I would have not posted it at all if it wasn't for my other friend confirming it years later 1336419976 That's not relevant to whether or not it's sensible to ascribe that to one group or whether or not to call that group the Illuminati.\n\nBesides, checks and balances aren't a fairy tale, the government is not a shadowy agency cloaked in respectability. It's a group of people some with nefarious goals, some with benevolent goals, many with no goals. For every power hungry mad man there are many more just trying to keep things running for the rest of us. You can call that the Illuminati if you want to project that the government is a romantic cloak and dagger, clock counting down to build the tension, affair. However, it's not, it's just a large bureaucracy that has the problems of other large bureaucracies. It's a problem that can be solved by improving the government, not pretending it's a dragon that needs to be slain. 1304537725 [Here's an article about the event](http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=500292&CategoryId=23558).\n\nMeteorites have fallen through roofs and even actually hit people before. There are even fatalities associated with meteorite strikes. It's rare, but perfectly possible. \n\nOn the rare occasions that a chunk of space rock makes it to the ground without being burned up, it's fucking hot, and can cause fires in flammable areas. \n\nIt's much rarer for a large rock to hit the Earth causing tremors. I think this is fairly unlikely, and what has really happened is that a fire was caused somehow and maybe a factory blew up or some fuel tanks, something like that, the explosions from which were interpreted as from the impact. \n\nAnyway, not really a UFO. 1349326389 There is a team working on animating it at the moment, it should be ready soon. \n\nHere's a link to [the trailer](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9bT73BM2Ic) 1300280834 I agree. This could be an excellent opportunity for OP. 1305580766 I would say without actually having any sort of documentation it is not something to call paranormal. Could be as simple as a cars headlight bouncing off of different angles. 1335993836 I wish people would stop giving a shit about what some nutty old man says. 1318903945 True enough, but the first two are the case far more often that the third. 1345362585 Honestly that first part took me five or six minutes. Thanks to those five minutes I've now spent the last hour trying to determine precisely how much a gallon of milk contains of this stuff. \n\nYou're ruining me. 1349937047 The horizontal spreading of the debris is exactly what distinguishes the collapse from a controlled demolition. Since supporting structures remain below, the collapsing material finds the path of lowest resistance spreading the debris horizontally. Combined with the high air currents from venting, even heavy steel grids may be pushed a long distance during the long fall down.\n\nI have watched the video and did not find it compelling. Given NFPA field guide is not a gold standard - as you seem to assert - and the fact that no wiring or detonators required for a demolition have been found, the controlled demolition hypothesis is not very convincing. 1315662911 Evolution is real, and it works on people too. \n\nCommunities & nations that embrace skepticism and science will prosper. There will be small, local variations in the trend, but over time, as we & our civilization evolves, superstition will ease and wane, until it's truly an oddity. \n\nSo smile at people who believe in woo-woo, members of a group that has been selected for extinction. Convincing them of their folly is just accelerating a natural process; even if you don't, don't worry about it; we'll get there eventually. 1299186780 Hopefully it was just roaches and little *living* critters scavenging for scraps in the night. \n\nActually, I don't know what is worse: roaches or ghosts opening the cupboards in the kitchen! 1314851416 The belief in ghosts doesn't necessitate the belief in God, though I can see why it would raise questions. I believe in both, personally. 1350596931 My brother's vet prescribed xanax for the dog during thunderstorms. (Oh noes! Big pharma is after our pets!) I think Sullivan would murder my brother in his sleep if he had to wear one of those shirts. 1329854685 My mother was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Turns out what she actually has is persistent, untreated Lyme Disease. That bacteria acts like syphilis if you let it go unchecked for long enough - gets into your nerves other tissues and becomes almost impossible to remove.\n\nEDIT: Since I was downvoted, I take it you guys don't believe in that. I know Lyme is controversial, but I can say from firsthand experience that my mother has been treated using just about every intensive antibiotic and otherwise potential therapy in the book, and she's still got *something* - the only answer for which has been "Lyme Disease." 1312333656 Finally someone had to say it!\n 1348082635 Most of them, no. They are mis-identified or man made. But there are some where no convincing explantion can be bought up, and its happened often enough to be of concern to the worlds governments. \n\nIt gets to the point where your just burying your head in the sand if you refuse to even entertain the idea that they are exterterestial craft, and this is an interesting extra to the supposed aductions.\nYour telling me that these people who claim to be aductee's, have foreign bodies removed, studied and concluded to have similar properties of metorites doesn't make you curious at all? \n\nTheres no real point in arguing with you since you have made up your mind already and wont even look at the evidence, why are you on a subbreddit about UFO's by the way?\n 1328298407 Here's a skull that seems pretty hard to wave away:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moEYqLdupIA\n\nAlso, if a significant part of a body survived a crash in modern times, you sure as hell wouldn't hear anything on the news, ESPECIALLY in a country like the USA, where the military is so careful about these things. Any human witnesses are as likely to disappear as the body itself. 1310496566 People need to ask more questions! I think this is great. I will spread the word and donate as soon as possible. 1303176717 Alright, I can see now that you don't actually have an argument. 1356431173 I don't have a clue what this is trying to say. The argument shown is just an argument over the definitions of a circle and a square.\n\nIs it meant to be an argument about the definition of god vs nature? 1274137390 psht! ad hominem attacks, come on at the very least argue with me about the context of the situation. Bring something to the table. If you have a different perspective prove me wrong. I welcome it.\n\nI just wish this comic didn't ring so true.\n\n[Truth](http://i.imgur.com/WYFyG.jpg) 1324584444 Is he supposed to post Mack's work in it's entirety? You people need to crack a fucking book before you start downvoting the shit out of somebody who has far more knowledge about this than you do. 1331930602 My understanding is that the one study that is typically brought out in favor of circumcision is widely considered to be of poor quality. 1346408157 >how your link, which is devoid of any citation which challenges these studies, is flawed\n\nThere are plenty of citations in the lecture, not sure what you are talking about. In fact the video is to a greater extent mostly just a review of published scientific papers. Listing the papers would be pointless, it's the review that matters. You know.. the peer review that you are wanting? The lecture is it. It's a review by a peer, which is exactly what you want, and you are dismissing it entirely. 1353378170 >I don't want to end up like this.\n\nAvoid head-trauma, you should be just fine. Actually, smoking a hell of a lot of pot daily seems to have the same effect, I've known some full-timers who burbled on similarly. 1326336647 Being an asshole in this case means deriving a sense of self-satisfaction out of correcting other people.\n\nIn regards to science and rationality, I think that is a particularly serious offense because those things should be free from narcissistic masturbation- which is why this whole subreddit generally makes me want to vomit. 1324340111 I beat those stacker games easily. Every time I go to a bowling alley that has one of these games i rack up a ridiculous amount of points. I can see that the more i play the speed does change up randomly to throw me off. But if you can just view it as a metronome and keep up with its rhythm, you'll have no trouble at all. 1346954106 If he was the Minister of Defense, why wouldn't he have had access to secret information? 1352855822 My dad does the same thing. He forwards me shit that says "OBAMA IS A MUSLIM TERRORIST" and at the bottom it says "EVEN SNOPES.COM CONFIRMS THIS" with a link to a snopes article. 90% of the time it links to a broken or random article. 10% of the time it links to an article that *directly disproves the claims made in the email, often quoting the email verbatim*.\n\nI have come to two conclusions, my dad trolls me and most people are too lazy to fact check even when the links are provided. Propaganda makers know this and abuse it. 1299459108 What else would you expect from the Huffington Post? They also run anger inducing articles on vaccination. 1322189118 Should see the ones around here. 1330641943 Well, the more you listen to it, the more you'll listen to it. 1308715527 How can something be gone? It's the internet. :| 1275158994 I see, so it was all in my mind. I didn't really have increasingly severe muscle spasms over a matter of weeks that ended immediately.\n\nThank you for showing me the light. 1309916702 Oooh...that's terrible. Best to stay at home in a dark room with the computer off if you're that sensitive. 1309983565 I just found this sub too, and I had to chime in that I had an almost identical experience to your second story about 15 years ago. I had almost completely forgotten about it until I read your post. It actually kind of creeps me out. 1353545845 Please, this is /r/skeptic. Stop degrading the community of intelligent thinkers with this sort of comment. Would you mind citing sources if you disagree with me? 1342125738 [Aliens, no doubt about it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfAzaDyae-k) 1311354944 We have a winner! There's basically nothing to report, other than "some people showed up here and, uh... Back to actual news!" 1338905605 Yeah man they must be looking for a new manufactured enemy now that Bin Laden is dead. 1314517495 The whole agent Orange incident/wartime use doctrine seems to be the only real shred of evidence proponents have. What they don't realize, is that aircraft that dispersed agent orange didn't leave massive 100+ mile long contrails. Nor did they fly at 29,000 feet. 1291773131 Nutrition seems to always be BS since we're always finding out new stuff. Margarine used to be way better than saturated fats. Now trans fats are worse.\n\nI doubt any of the things in that menu will kill you, but that will only be 'the healthiest meal ever' until the next nutrition journal comes out. 1340046711 Ah yes, I remember my first beer. 1354086252 seen these before, but they are worth making known to as many people as possible\n 1303838704 It doesn't have to pass your test, the burden of proof lies on the claim being made. Not your responsibility to disprove it. 1346104148 Blaming the victims. Always classy. 1351125969 Text as images makes it difficult to process (copy, quote, etc.) There are hundreds of free pastebin-type services without expiry dates for snippets. 1334323732 You seem angry, confused, and stupid.\n\nWould you like an invitation to a Tea Party gathering? 1277591828 Aliens are treated kind of ridiculous in movies.\n\nFirst of all they can travel in space, whatever technology they use a resource problem they have not.\n\nSo anything to do with "conquering" for resources is ridiculous.\n\nA more possible one would be just a bunch of traveler/explorers kinda like A hitchhiker guide.\n\nI severely doubt any wars in space as the only point to that would be to spread a diseased culture, and I don't think they can be practical.\n\nI find that that the aliens might be beings of higher dimensions in which case it would be more like the Matrix 1336943696 Gee, this sure sounds like my friend Jakob Liljenwall, who writes http://thekeyofatheist.wordpress.com/. 1294982097 This is another dramatically abused term by skpetoids. Like KISS, Occam's Razor's this extraordinary claims quote. I don't think Sagan meant this term to discredit police officers and pilots when they didn't have evidence of their sightings. In fact, I doubt a single person can tell me what Sagan was referencing when he made that quote. Let me give you a hint: he was poking *fun at skeptics* when he was asked about why in his book Contact, so many scientists were so defensive about the evidence from SETI. \n\nThe Robert Zemickis film remake of Contact, again totally missed this point and made the aliens not even exist, unlike in the original book, where Sagan was trying to confront skeptic scientists. \n\nObviously when you look in Sagan, and look at the things HE was interested in, talked about, and did; then he's a much more open-minded person than selective skeptics would make you think.\n\nhttp://www.huliq.com/10282/ufo-sightings-prompted-carl-sagan-insist-cyanide-pills-first-contact\nhttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/05/prweb3966374.htm 1344038582 I was one of those who had to have every letter PERFECT. Fuck the content of the project. *The letters had to be perfect.*\n\nEdit: grammar 1298513926 Yes absolutely, I completely agree with you. They have no idea how to question, and if the questioning looks like it might turn against the thing the have no subscribed to they will vehemently defend it rather than use any kind of logic. I just feel it's a real shame that they actually start out with a 'sense' of skepticism that is completely fucked up and misguided in its application. 1304977727 Sorry for the slow reply, have been unusually busy.\n\nIt's nice to see others here also appreciate being wrong... Though unfortunately if you spend enough time in /r/skeptic you eventually reach a point where it becomes pretty rare that you end up being clearly wrong about something. Which is a shame. You go through this process of learning to value skepticism and appreciating being wrong, and then shortly after you've stared to really like being wrong about stuff, you reach a point where most of the incorrect things you used to believe have been dealt with.... Then you end up in more academic debates where things aren't really agreed upon.\n\nI miss being hugely wrong about stuff so often. 1355730854 What are the similarities that you see? 1343104417 Source of video? 1355893889 An unethical virtuous circle.\n\nI'd just like to point out donating 10% of your net worth to cancer research on they day your child is born prevents autism completely.\n 1313069263 Hahahahahahahahahaha 1346850612 Quite frankly as a skeptic, I still wouldn't mess with them.\n\nThere's always a small chance I'm wrong, and I'm not messing with it just in case I am :P 1353821975 It isn't always the case that you can. Some people simply want to be deluded.\n\nThat being said, the best approach is probably to find examples of times that someone (preferably the person you're trying to convince) was clearly fooled by their senses. The important thing is to establish common ground with someone first, and then take small logical steps from there to the point you're trying to make. If someone is willing to be persuaded, that will generally persuade them. 1275880647 > It has been scientifically documented that everything that happens in your life, your story, emotions, and past experiences are stored in your CELL MEMORY.\n\nThis sounds like [body memory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_memory#Skepticism).\n\nAlso pertinent:\n\n>L. Ron Hubbard speculated in Dianetics that cellular memory might explain how engrams work. [Source](http://www.skepdic.com/cellular.html)\n\nSo, uh, yup, believing in cell memory puts you on par with the greatest Scientologist of all time. I would think that would be something to live down ....\n\n> Your toes reveal how you've coped with those feelings and emotions.\n\nNote how the author jumps from cell memory to toes. Your toes are composed of cells - but so is every other part of your body. Why are toes the gatekeepers to a person's subconscious? If cell memory exists, wouldn't your life experience be expressed in every body part? Your eyes, your nose, your teeth, your spleen .... where are all the spleen readers?\n\nAlso, apparently there is something called "footology". Looks like the Facebook post is a rehash of these ideas. Hooboy:\n\nhttp://www.footologytherapy.com/\n\n\n\n\n\n 1294880233 I think the surprise is that it comes from a Koch-funded study. The Koch brothers are politically active far right-wing billionaires who have funded initiatives to scuttle climate change legislation. The surprise is that even their funding didn't sway the outcome of the study. 1343617668 Screw Mexico, [it happened in the US in 2008](http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/news/20080603/cdc-warns-of-tainted-tomatoes). 1262647136 Groups 1 and 3 are annoying (but inevitable).\n\nGroup 2 should be strung up. Really. \n\nWhat I would say is that we are being told that because there is a consensus, then we should believe that GW is man-made. Consensus is not evidence, however, and uninformed zealots on both sides are the worst kinds of moron.\n\nIf there *is* hard evidence, I'd like to see it. If I fail to understand it then I will seek someone, who does understand it, to explain it to me. All I see is people who insult and browbeat others who refuse to believe something that there's still really no hard evidence for, afaik.\n\nWe cannot ban every group that we disagree with - if we did that, then we'd have to throw *everyone* off the internet, even you and I.\n\nI still do not know. I'm open to being convinced and, given some of the people in the unbeliever's camp, would rather be convinced than dissuaded. Alas, I have yet to hear a compelling argument. \n\n 1280624787 SARCASM, you mean ... sarcasm, . 1337811390 Dude's credibility is suspect for me throughout, but he totally loses it at about 1:30:00 when he claims to have written a word in Aramaic alongside his equations in some sort of trance. Two problems, though.\n\nOne, the Aramaic is written in the wrong direction—it should be right to left, like Arabic and Hebrew, but the characters he shows are clearly written from left to right.\n\nTwo, the word isn't an Aramaic word at all, it's just the English word written out in Aramaic letters (see the bit on the right of his slide where it says "PR_PULS(H)_N").\n\nThe Aramaic he provides, then, points us toward a rather obvious conclusion—the word was devised and written by a speaker of English who had little understanding of the Aramaic writing system or language, rather than some sort of galactic superpower; I'd imagine they could at least write the letters going in the correct direction. 1353636651 >How can we possibly rule out extraterrestrial life creating these crop circles ...\n\nI didn't rule anything out. I said nothing about crop circles in general. I only pointed out there's no reason to believe *this particular video* is showing UFOs creating the crop circles as it claims.\n\nPlease excuse me if I don't bother responding to your paragraph about the video suppression conspiracy.\n\n>... the military flares I see do not behave in that manner\n\nIn what manner do the flares you see behave? Parachute flares produce super bright balls of light, are dropped from a plane or fired like a mortar, and fall slowly to ground from a parachute. If you watch the video, they are bright balls of light falling slowly straight to the ground. What doesn't match up for you? What are the flares you've seen doing?\n\nBut let's pretend we don't have any idea what the lights are. I really just have 2 questions about *this particular video*: \n\n1. What reason do you have to believe the two halves of the video are in any way related and not simply edited together from different sources 2 years after the event?\n\n2. What reason do you have for believing the lights in the video are what created the crop circles in the video? 1350872260 I see the point you're trying to make (though I'm not sure I agree with it) but it has nothing to do with my original statement. The context of my statement speaks to tools and method. To end it with "You cannot explain the paranormal" would not have made sense. 1338309619 [RationalWiki](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page) addresses the [paleo diet](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Paleo_diet) pretty well. The underlying philosophy of the paleo diet is full of woo. Our ancestors did not eat the way described in the paleo diet, and even if they did, there's no reason to think that it's still the best way for us to eat today. However, it can still be an effective diet because, like most diets, it requires us to cut out a lot of the high-calorie, low-nutrition food that we've become accustomed to. The nature of the diet also grants people more satiety and less desire to eat. If it works for you, it's probably fine, but there's no basis to put it on a pedestal as the "perfect" diet, which some paleo dieters seem to claim. 1339705971 Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. 1250784922 ...and here's where it is nice to be in /r/skeptic, show me where tap water fluoridation levels are toxic to people's kidneys. Study, preferably from a site without fluoride in the URL. 1319300661 is there a paper version of this ?\n 1341848734 I guess the point was missed. The person died from a bad needle, not bath salts, but using the same scare tactics that the government uses for anything they want to control, they tell you to "FEAR" and "OBEY". 1326559344 Yeah, don't know if I'll be able to get the book, certainly doubt I'd be able to afford it. Russell Gray has emailed me back, so I'll go and talk to him as he'll be back in NZ during the same time as me before he too heads out again.\n\nBy the way, any chance you know a guy called Itamar? 1337920722 I don't understand what the issue is with homeopathic products. The placebo effect is real. So if it works for these people then what is the issue. Some believe in religion. Both are based on the placebo affect. The human brain is an amazing thing that can do many things that we can't explain. \n\nTrying to argue people's beliefs in a remedy is like forcing your religious beliefs on others. \n\nStop rubbing your ideas in other people's faces! 1350514518 A good possibility, but Gold is very heavy. 1308021814 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_lGN6rrU1E 1333487340 Ouija boards are bogus, and pretty easy to debunk. She could do it herself, if she were interested.\n\nSeeing humanoid figures is pretty meaningless too; our brains are hard-wired to see human shapes (especially faces), and adding a little anxiety and stress can make for easy hallucination. Probably she's also exaggerating...if she is really earnest (and an adult) I might recommend psychological counseling. 1348019093 Thank you for pointing that out about the wheelchairs. I was thinking that the second I saw it. I was also annoyed that the one with the cover on it (stationary cam) is rocking with the edge barely out of frame. It makes it easy for someone to rock it by hand. In addition to this, I noticed that when he switches to the "handy cam", we only ever see the wheelchair move forward, like it's being pulled on a string or fishing line. It doesn't rock the same way. They keep using the same short clip. \n\nForward - break - forward - break - forward. It implies movement, but in reality, it's just really thin evidence that's incredibly easy to fake. 1353002915 meditation works best when used with a bong. 1274657753 I've been inside there, it was very very awesome! 1333724659 I would fight that, and fight and fight and fight for it. 1354766656 so some of these people are suggesting aliens, the earth is dying, and tectonics, and they have the nerve to ask skeptics to shut up... 1326738169 I was reconstructing the logical chain in the parent comment to point out the flaw in #1 but you found the exception to #2 instead:\n\n>2) Any diet that stresses fewer processed foods (which tend to be high in carbs) and more vegetables/fruits is going to be superior to the typical western diet.\n\nAn all red-meat diet is probably the best exception to this, but we only know of one culture that really follows such a [diet traditionally](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit_diet#Nutrition). Study has also shown some physical adaptations like larger liver mass that would help them cope with the limited choices available.\n\nThe hypothesis behind the Paleo diet isn't "pure unadulerated bunk." It is based on the fact that yes, evolution allows us to adapt to different diets, but it also acknowledges the fact that regional diets were extremely varied for most of homo sapien's history.\n\nMilk is a perfect example of this. Three separate population groups somehow ended up dominated by the recessive trait for lactase persistence. Milk is great food for *their* descendents, but it still causes complications in the vast majority of the world's adults. 1349445877 Not a fan of this Periodic Table either.\n\nHowever I think "Conspiracy Theory" is a phrase that *means* the batshit insane tinfoil hat Reptilian variety, and not a literal meaning. So much so that it can encompass things that aren't really conspiracies, such as the face on Mars. The term was probably never literal because the language has never needed to distinguish reasonable theories.\n\nSo rather than trying (it *will* fail) to change it to a literal definition or make it neutral, I'd let it go - just avoid using the term "conspiracy theory" for suggestions that happen to involve some people working together (such "theories" don't need a special label), and leave it as the pejorative label people needed to describe an often seen pattern of elaborate crazy beliefs. Everyone's aware that people can and do conspire. 1305443219 Noted and fixed, thanks. 1332871403 MANY more people talk on the cells than apply makeup while driving, studies have shown that it impairs judgement just as badly as drunk driving does. \n\nWhile putting on makeup may be worse, I have yet to see any studies on it, and it happens FAR less often than people talking on their cell while driving. \n\nAnd I don't get how they can do it, I can't even adjust the volume on my car radio without losing attention to the road... 1346001178 >I haven't read the book, but isn't this a issue of percentages and irrational consumer fears?\n\nNo, it'll be stuff like flawed trials. Where they'll compare their drugs and competing drugs and give the competing drug at the incorrect dosage so it'd either be ineffective or cause problems. Or the file drawer problem. Or testing against placebo when there is already a drug on the market that works.\n\nPharmaceutical companies also preform dodgy trials. They just perform much smarter tricks than the alt med crowd. 1348274590 [But what about his gourd and sandal?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf76lynPdZc#t=2m30s) 1278967826 Those barbecue grill push-button gas lighters? Same device. 1295534710 Show me the methods which do not involve social control of the type used by used fascist regimes or other institutions and organizations. 1351183959 >That seems dumb.\n\nYeah, it does. From Greek times, skeptics have been called dumb, useless and lazy. Their efforts have been called counter-productive and infuriating.\n\n> I get the distinct feeling I'm being trolled.\n\nThat's a symptom of skepticism. Socrates was told the same thing, except in Greek.\n\nSkeptics contend that there is so much bullshit in the world that this is the only hope we have of filtering it out. Unless you have a valid argument based on true premises a skeptic is not interested.\n\nI understand that this is hard to accept because so few of us construct valid arguments based on true premises in our daily lives. Even skeptics rarely do so.\n\nA dyed in the wool skeptic will not even accept the reality of things around them, but most modern, practical skeptics will accept Samuel Johnson's "I refute it thus!" where he kicked a rock to demonstrate that things exist.\n\nI strongly suggest you read about skepticism. It is not the adjective you are casually familiar with. It is not about being shrewd or even right. A skeptic would rather not be right if he is only right by coincidence. A skeptic would like to be right only on the basis of hard evidence.\n\nSkeptics get very good at asking questions. There is a lot of modern science that a good skeptic will not accept. Most of modern psychology, for example.\n\nNow, a skeptic may well investigate something like WTC 7 out of normal human interest, but the skeptic will do this superhuman thing: he will accept the phrase "I don't know yet." He will not turn "I wonder if" into "I suspect". This is incredibly hard to do, and most skeptics fail often, but that is the goal.\n\nSkepticism is a part-time job. If we applied it to everything, we wouldn't be able to get up in the morning or have a conversation with a co-worker. As soon as there is any question of doubt, though, the skeptic should put on his skeptihat.\n\nYour key inquiry, what a skeptic would do when given substantial proof of 9/11 truth, is that the skeptic would believe it. The only problem is that skeptics have a very high standard for "proof". It is much higher than you would like. It is not a standard that can be met by very many of the things that people believe.\n\nMany people think of skepticism as a good thing without understanding what it is. Many people like to describe their own doubts about certain things as "skepticism". These people are often horrified by what skepticism actually is.\n\nLet me close with this quotation from Kurt Vonnegut:\n\n>And here, according to Trout, was the reason human beings could not reject ideas because they were bad: "Ideas on Earth were badges of friendship or enmity. Their content did not matter. Friends agreed with friends, in order to express friendliness. Enemies disagreed with enemies, in order to express enmity. \n\n>The ideas Earthlings held didn't matter for hundreds of thousands of years, since they couldn't do much about them anyway. Ideas might as well be badges as anything. \n\n>They even had a saying about the futility of ideas: 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.' \n\n>And then Earthlings discovered tools. Suddenly agreeing with friends could be a form of suicide or worse. But agreements went on, not for the sake of common sense or decency or self-preservation, but for friendliness. \n\nWhen you talk about being more tolerant, this quote springs to my mind. Tolerance is a social construct, and we all need it to some degree. It's not something that belongs in a group dedicated to skepticism.\n\nEDIT: Incidentally, the question of "how many skeptics agree with [me]" is not relevant. Skepticism is a concept with a clear definition and a long history. The number of people who profess to be skeptics because it sounds "cool" or "smart" and who have different ideas about what skepticism means does not change the formal meaning of the term. Most of those people would, if they understood skepticism, decide they don't want to be a skeptic. They just want to be shrewd. 1305473363 It's true but doesn't prove the point it implies (Democratic presidents are better for the economy than Republican Presidents). There are many more important factors than what the President does in regards to how the economy performs.\n\nThat said, I like it as a counterargument to "a Democratic president will tank the economy, bring financial ruin, etc.". Not based on historical evidence... 1351960355 I BLAME HAARP 1282175479 I wasn't even challenging anything about the discussion, I merely brought his/her statement(from the title) to its logical conclusion.\n\nAs in - if egalitarianism or gender equality is an unsatisfactory position, so much that it will not be tolerated in Atheism+, and the only position that will be tolerated is feminism, then feminism itself is not concerned with equality but instead with reversing the benefits of inequality in favour of women. \n\nAs far as mods being people, of course they are but that kind of reasoning will not hold in any area of professional work and that's my standard for mods on reddit. Call it naive if you will, but I don't think it's unreasonable. 1347648470 As long as there is evidence to support it's use, of course "herbal remedies" work.\n\nNobody is saying anything about homoeopathy and dilution here. 1318856019 I think he meant someone or something is in your house that really likes games 1352671604 Another problem is that until the last few hundred years, a large portion of children died in child birth. Only the very healthy survived and were probably less likely to get cancer in childhood. Now, infant mortality rates are excellent and even those who have serious health issues will survive. It seems like the author didn't even think of that, which to me was the most obvious point... 1287119188 The action itself is an easy fake, but there does seem to be a semi-opaque mass behind him in the chair scene. 1327693915 Their analysis becomes kind of problematic when they go about saying that the same common sense logic dictates that the ancient alien people are full of shit also dictates that the story of the entire humanity being wiped out by flood except for a hand full of people who subsequently became the ancestors of everybody and turned their story into the cornerstone of every known culture (only the hebrew scholars got it right though, because they are just brillant at record keeping and take their job seriously which is why other cultures got the details wrong). They use the same tactics they rightfully critisize the ancient alien people for (putting your preposterous theory next to an even sillier one to make it look better - Ancient aliens are unscientific and silly, therefore Noah's ark is the real deal -, jumping to conclusions with little or no real evidence, making the evidence fit your hypothesis instead of the other way around) when it comes to *their* believes which they try to slip into completely unrelated segments - at least the ancient alien people are straight forward about what they're selling. Being subtle and hiding your unscientific crap in 3+hrs of mostly solidly researched facts and lulling people into trusting the narrator this way certainly seems more devious to me than the cookietown-bananapants approach of ancient aliens. 1349299948 My (happily ex-) wife used to "give light" to all the grocery shopping when we got it home. Nine years of that kind of nonsense was the biggest reason I made the hardest decision of my life and walked out before kids appeared and I wouldn't have the option. 1327514838 > all with comments disabled\n\nAs w/ the MSM sites too, a fairly certain sign that the source is well aware they're bullshitting. 1319985851 Well, since debunking the evidence to the point at which we've shown that there theories are anything but reality has failed to convert them, I think the only thing left to do is ridicule them.\n\nLogical discussion with them doesn't work. They ignore evidence. They ignore fallacy. If you show them the things that disprove their theory, you are either in on the conspiracy or you are a brainwashed sheeple.\n\nI prefer to ignore them, personally. But if that isn't going to work, I'll go with ridicule. I've been up and down the logical, evidence-based discussion and it just doesn't work. 1315494638 I see it like the world map. I've never been to Japan nor 99% of the places on my world map. But sometimes I (and some trusted friends) randomly go to some places and they are always consistent with what the map said. Therefore, given that I could visit any place on the map it's a fair assumption that the whole map is accurate, therefore Japan is real. The only true unprovable belief I need for that conclusion is that I'm not the center of a Truman-like fake show, and everyone around me is not an actor.\n\nIt happens to everyone and is specially true with Argument from Authority. It's among the first logical fallacy any good skeptic learns, yet how many times I've found myself repeating something simply because I had heard it on the SGU podcast.\n\nI had this feeling this week: I was discussing studies about life after death with a friend when he (he came from the mystical side) how he heard someone tell a story of how one hospital had put many patterns on places one could only see if he was floating from above, and one day one patient had a NDE and reported the exact pattern. I began to correct him saying - well I've heard the same story but in truth what happened was the exact opposite .. – when it ocurred to me I had as much knowledge about that case as he had, except I heard it from the skeptic point of view and never looked more into it.\n\nI think you have just to keep an open eye to see how many times are your sources disagreeing, contradicting and self-correcting themselves, and some times you check the sources directly yourself, and it's a rather ok system with a healthy level of self correcting.\n 1312638858 > One can argue that the incidence of HIV is higher in Africa, therefore the effect will be more pronounced than if the study were conducted in the US\n\nThat's the whole point, though. They're telling people in the US to circumcise their children based on a claim (among others) that it reduces the chance of HIV transmission by 60%. That's a concrete number. But the study they are citing very likely has skewed infection rates because of a combination of poor controls, poor methodology, and a population that has many other confounding factors that may not apply outside of a developing nation.\n\nWe aren't talking about the underlying biology. We're talking about whether the study is a valid indicator for the recommendation. 1346123850 Well it can't be me because I've tried to scratch myself and all I get are those white marks. 1338415626 France is bacon. 1302289927 France is bacon. 1331404784 Webcam and keep us updated! 1349743554 "Don't be such an asshole!" a phrase I've heard many times. I lol'd a little when I read that, I understand man. 1280528812 Wouldn't the Dawkins comment be at worst a strawman? 1351097646 If it was a normal Zippo, they use a wick, not a gas under pressure. There are pressure Zippos, but not as common. 1334743016 Some people were never theists. And there are philosophical reasonings which lend themselves to supernatural conclusions. 1337364499 Atheist, skeptic, circumcised father of an uncircumcised son. Circumcision is no longer the overwhelming norm that it used to be. Even when that was not the case I found the reasoning to be suspect if not specious. Someone has to go first to effect change. \n\nI hope if the time comes for you you do a little more research. I personally consider the religious arguement to be better than "everyone is does". 1295199984 Just don't flounder on those inky-black levels. 1302623191 Whenever I consciously think "This is going well" or "I'm getting the hang of this", it immediately goes to shit. In other word's I feel like I have chronic [sod's law](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod's_law)\n\nEdit: Grammar 1256136424 why are there no cameras near these fields? Especially near an expensive radio telescope facility? 1355117902 I'm not sure I follow this:\n\npeople who don't drink tend to not do so for health reasons and so are less healthy that the general population\n\nCan you elaborate? 1297737339 So shouldn't you be a skeptic to both of those things? A skeptic requires proof. I think you misunderstand what being a skeptic is. 1294441031 Is it possible the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with her, but prescribed her a placebo to solve the issue? 1348778894 American Coca-Cola is the worst, because of this (*&(*&(*( syrup.\nYou know it is junk food whe n it has corn inside.\n 1344950680 What I find most interesting here is that the OP, atomic-ghost, is one and the same person as the commenter in the thread, nuclear_is_good.\n\nOne of the the reasons nuclear_is_good was banned from climateskeptics was his incessant use of sock puppets. One wonders just how many of them talk and vote here on r/skeptic, too. 1355362747 I too, have herd these sounds while i am in the bathroom with the doors closed. =x 1347751756 >What country? It makes a sociological difference. \n\nEngland. 1345098166 snerk well maybe it was the Rubbing motion ? next time just pour water on it..should work just as well and be hella cheaper eh? ;) 1292956932 It's just swamp gas refracting off the light from Venus. 1333051788 There is a secret message from Darren Brown in this reddit headline, I just know it 1255744457 Not interested in religious nonsense, thanks. 1351807205 I wish I had your doctor. :( 1274423159 That's actually wrong. I assume you mean anecdotal evidence in the sense of "things which people claim to have seen," and in that sense science and alternative medicine may coincide. There is, however, an enormous distinction. \n\nScientific testing of medicine rules out the alternative hypotheses through large sample sizes, placebo, and carefully controlled tests. Clinical trials aim to make it highly unlikely than anything but their concluded hypothesis is true. \n\nAnecdotally based alternative medicines observe a phenomenon (my child didn't die of the flu) and pick arbitrarily which explanation they wish to believe (because she took 30c ginko pills). There is never a reason, beyond a claimed intuitive one, why the explanation picked should be correct over the alternative explanations. \n\nThe lack of scientific control on these anecdotes ensures that, whether the arbitrarily chosen conclusion is correct, we can not know what actually cured a disorder.\n\nOne can never know with certainty how *anything* will respond to *anything*, but science gives us the framework for a reasonable guess. 1304270095 It started to lose its legitimacy when they showed 1. The Men in Black and 2. That movie at the end. But still a good collection of videos 1350825158 I would have a neurological exam, sounds like an absence/petit mal seizure. 1329002328 Yeah, she's convinced that her dead father is regularly visiting her and telling her that she needs to sell a reality show. I'm not even making this up. 1329335260 From the very beginning of the feminist movement, there have been two types of feminists. Those who wanted the vote to gain equal access to liberties (the NWSA), and those who wanted to protect mothers as caretakers (the AWSA.) While they were rolled into one movement a century plus ago, I think both types are still active and nowhere is this more apparent than when an issue comes up as to whether women being included in a primarily male area means that women have the right to get on the field at all or whether the field should be re-leveled for these new players. I personally have always fallen into the first category, and am egotistically going to say that both Penn Jillette and Mallorie Nasrallah fall into it as well. The other view of feminism is the one supported by Jen McCreight and Rebecca Watson but also seems to be the more popular definition of feminism these days.\n\nTL;DR: I think the difference between the two forms of feminism is whether the feminist believe that all players should have an equal start or an equal finish. 1325664475 I think you just voided them by posting on fb, honestly. You could still sue/demand to be taken down, but how will you know? Also, it's kind of too late now that there will forever be a mirror somewhere on the Internet. 1338793989 It all makes sense now! 1347541812 Not only that but if you had a universe with no life in it. Just God. As far as I can see there still wouldn't be such a thing as good or evil. \n\nI mean what would constitute a good action in this kind of universe?\n\nIs a star blowing up suddenly a good thing because there is a God? As far as I can see its still just a star blowing up with no moral weight one way or the other.\n\nEssentially the point being that having God in the equation doesn't get you anywhere. Its having life/consciousness that turns a universe from a place without morals into a place with morals. God contributes nothing to that. 1302847216 That was a good one. \n\nPlease continue reposting my comments. 1356492569 After painfully reading through that, the author and a bunch of his pals seemingly get sick and attached by an unseen entity after trying to visit a fortune teller.\n\nThe food at Waffle House isn't to blame since they had it to go. 1341866946 What instances have you seen it in? 1350075085 I this is a better explanation; his support of pseudoscience comes from ignorance, not malice or an intent to deceive. Having an expertise in heart surgery does not mean he is an expert in critical thinking or the scientific process. 1352561554 So true. Every time they do an "experiment" they call it a "non-scientific bullshit experiment." In addition to proving their point they point out the problems with non-scientific inquiry. If someone doesn't agree with their conclusion and argues that their experiment was not rigorous enough they just have to hold up a mirror. 1312837617 My trusty CRC Handbook lists the radiation exposure in space as follows:\n\n>Astronauts would be subject to radiation sources from galactic (0.05 rads per day) and solar (a few hundred rads per solar flare) cosmic rays as well as large fluxes of low energy radiation when passing through the Van Allen belts **(about 0.3 rads per traverse).**\n\n-CRC Hanbook of Chemistry and Physics, 83rd edition (2005-2006)\n\nNow, for comparison's sake, let's check around the net. [This site](http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/safety/index.cfm?pg=sfty_xray) lists the radiation exposure of getting a CT scan as 10 mSv, or about 1 rad. So no, going through the Van Allen belts won't kill an astronaut. \n\nEdited for formatting. 1346444186 Sure, I oversimplified. That's why I also included a formal definition.\n\nI suppose you could say that addiction sets in when, for a prolonged period of time, you partake in an activity for which the negative consequences outweigh the positive. Which, I suppose, is something you'll have to decide for yourself.\n\nFor a soldier, the good consequences (I don't believe there are any, but they do, so I can't provide an example here) outweigh the possible bad consequences. 1344373508 Your explanation is correct however I think the photo is being mis-interpreted. What all these foods have in common is they all share a high glycemic index. The spike in blood sugar after consuming these foods has been shown to be a contributing factor in developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. \n\nBullshit might be a little too harsh however it is definitively over-simplified and as your explanation shows, diabetes is much to complicated to be summed up with a couple photos of food. 1345230151 >Chinese culture has lauded shark fins' alleged properties to boost sexual potency, enhance skin quality, increase one's qi or energy, prevent heart disease, and lower cholesterol.[11]\nVitamin content of typical shark fin soup is much less than that of typical vegetable soup, containing almost no vitamin A. However, it contains slightly more iron, zinc, riboflavin, and phosphorus than normal vegetable soup.[15] [16]\nThere are apparently false claims that shark fins prevent cancer.[17][18] No scientific proof supports these claims; at least one study has shown shark cartilage to be of no value in cancer treatment.[19]\nIf consumed in extremely large quantities, shark fin soup may cause sterility in men due to mercury content.[20] The FDA recommends pregnant women and young children avoid eating shark fins.[21]\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shark_fin_soup\n\n 1319136040 *Ozzy \n\nBut he makes a good point! 1310152408 I suppose I shouldn't overestimate gullibility, but I am still surprised people are actually bidding on this. The book in the image is *Hoaxes and Scams*, her ID is skepchick, and she obviously doesn't take it seriously. I don't doubt that she will perform the requested spell, so I guess people will get what they paid for: an obvious scam. 1281812326 Your equating "not absolutely exact = not science" is annoying, if it were the case then nothing would be science, because everything is based on observation, which is by essence flawed. Newton's gravitational theory has been proven to be inexact by subsequent better observations, but we didn't stop calling it science.\n\nAnd I'm pretty sure people aren't condemned on the unique basis of their fingerprints. 1340289884 Organic food companies are perfectly free to put stickers on their food that says "Not genetically modified" and many of them do. That's where the expense belongs.\n\nThis legislation would be like forcing all food packaging to inform us that they're not kosher. 1350080336 If you disagree with this scientist, you are Jenny McCarthy! 1269444850 Yeah, the "evidence" indicting Larken as a "huckster" consists of a legal conviction of Larken on the basis of "income tax evasion", a claim that the IRS made about Larken for *years* without the IRS presenting any evidence for their claims, then *failed to provide evidence* he was committing that crime, then *failed to provide evidence* that there *even exists a law* that applies to Larken, and finally they just summarily put him in a cage. In other words, the "evidence" is "because the judge says so". Fuck your "evidence".\n\nBut "*my* beliefs are not crazy", right? They're all based on "evidence", right? The "evidence" of *the man is in a cage, therefore he must be a huckster*. Nice **superstitious thinking** you appeal to: "the man was punished, therefore he must be evil".\n\nSo, go ahead, slander Larken (who spent a year in a cage) for demanding evidence before people accuse him and punish him. Go ahead. 1325471182 [Here's an interesting essay about that.](http://lesswrong.com/lw/he/knowing_about_biases_can_hurt_people/)\n\n> I've seen people severely messed up by their own knowledge of biases. They have more ammunition with which to argue against anything they don't like. And that problem—too much ready ammunition—is one of the primary ways that people with high mental agility end up stupid[...]. 1341532906 This might seem cynical, at first. But these things (if they exist) seem to have a serious fear of being recorded. So at least you could use a bunch of cameras to make sort of 'safe-zones', where this thing will be less inclined to do anything. (You could possibly even use those little door-security cameras from Argos; but obviously better quality gear with self-contained storage is preferable.)\n\nEven if you still have problems outside the camera areas, just having a place where you know you can 'have a break' will be good for lowering the levels of anxiety you must both be feeling.\n\nBut if everything you say is true (sorry to sound so sceptical, it's just that your post is the most intense account that's been on here for many moons) then this is not something you should be facing on your own. But you might need documented footage before the either of the churches will put you in contact with an experienced exorcist.\n\nPlease keep us updated, if you can. 1350442935 i am sorry but i don't get it...\n\nthere is a forest fire of big pharma meds that don't work, don't cure, are poison, have a list of side effects a mile wide, are being pulled off of the market, repackaged for other uses...burning all around you and you are running around trying to catching lighting bugs so they don't start a fire.\n\ncymbalta is now being sold as a pain reliever...it was a crazy drug when i used it for a few months, cleaned house like a mad woman~never before or since~and i lost my art, the life long drive to create, the need and joy in creating, even owning the materials for art seemed childish and stupid. luckily i had people in my life that convinced me otherwise...\n\nso clearly there are medicines out there that can kill, are ineffective or both...\n\nbut they are okay. the homeopathic item is really dangerous...especially if it can do nothing. 1310127786 Ah not a problem. I grew up in Colfax hearing these stories. I will find and post a link in the update of the history of the town\n 1331877244 Should they have segwayed the plank off a cliff? 1351837256 How come some U.S. citizens go to Canada for vacations? This is r/skeptic; please provide evidence when you make claims.\n\nEven if you were to provide evidence, you would still be missing the point of the Canadian healthcare system. It is meant to provide support to those who can't afford surgery, let alone afford flying to a different country for that surgery. Just because some rich Canadians can fly to the US for surgery at the best medical institutions in the world doesn't mean we should forget about the thousands who can't. 1313558646 why is "misinformation" in quotes? 1293241093 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEqBvvvSgK0, i think this is it 1323921763 "So are you sure you need that kid? You haven't played with him in twelve years. Let's go ahead and throw that on the 'no' pile."\n\n-But but... I might later... 1326754891 It is a part of what got humanity to this point.\n\nMy current understanding of ghosts is people see them due to magnetic fields or possibly the quartz in the stone used in old buildings affecting their brain patterns.I have never thought ghosts were dead people(except as a child perhaps).\n\nI don't spend much time thinking about ghosts but even that explanation is better than Dawkins and his typically dismissive "meme" explanation,he's a bit of a meme himself.\n\nYou insult me by presuming where my ideas come from.\n\nI think military tech because of the X-Files?\n\nCome on,you must know there is more to that idea than a TV show if you are in any way as informed as you claim to be.\n\n"You have never seen a craft—no one has".\n\nI have never claimed to see a craft only things I cannot explain that might be alien craft,I have no idea why you think you get to speak for all the people that do claim to have seen a craft.\nThis is pure arrognace on your part.\n\nHas it occured to you that people who described seeing various weird shit in the past were incapable of making an educated guess as to what they were looking at and now given our technical ability and knowledge of the universe we might be making the correct assumption?\n\nA pointless question to ask you I suppose,you will liken it to teapots orbiting the sun.\n\nOh and must I also get a downvote for every reply I make?\n 1354965495 >Proton therarpy sounds like a good therapy against Romulans also.\n\nOnly if you reverse the polarity. 1319221489 A few, but what do you mean. 1321674660 Thanks for that 1261168585 >No, the point is that it's incorrect to claim that it's not helpful for anxiety.\n\nI never argued that it wasn't either.\n\n>Because many people DO find it helpful. Since many people do find it helpful, it is CORRECT to claim that it's helpful for anxiety.\n\nExactly under what population and what percentage of people find it helpful? I haven't seen any statistics on this, so unless you have a source you can't claim that "many" find it helpful. Regardless, it still isn't correct to claim it's helpful for anxiety because that isn't the whole truth and it's misleading.\n\n>Because many people DO find it helpful. Since many people do find it helpful, it is CORRECT to claim that it's helpful for anxiety.\n\nYes, but in this instance it can actually *cause* or *worsen* the very thing it is claimed to alleviate. If this were any other drug, no one would claim it beneficial for this problem. A drug that causes cancer but can cause cancer, a drug that alleviates headaches but can also cause or worsen headaches? No one would claim those drugs to be helpful unless the percentage of the population getting the bad end of the drug was **statistically** insignificant. 1306430200 Let's turn the tables: If we were visiting a species in early development, would we be so happy to land and start shaking hands? I hope not. It could be destructive to them in so, so many ways. \n\nI doubt they'd think in such simple terms as, "Hey they can't do anything, fuck em". 1312995967 I have no idea, but clinical research into such a concept would very likely be deemed unethical.\n\nIn the video, it wasn't extremism per se, just faith in a higher power, and it wasn't vaccination, but elimination. 1345931536 in 5 years the FDA has had to ban countless scienctific cures and treatments because either they did not work (ohh quackery) or because the did more harm than good (like ***kill you***...is there something worse the quackery?).\n\nlet us not get into that healthcare is for those with money...and most people need to make a choice (food,shelter)/healthcare\n 1294240393 [To be fair, you got yours out of the way in the mid-19th century.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anti-Vaccination_League) 1350777603 the link can stay removed, i couldn't give 2 shits...\ni added that after the 1st call out...not "multiple times" as you say...as for you, who has to lie by saying "multiple times" rather than telling the truth that is was done after the "1st call out", I can't see how you're actually allowed to be a moderator. you attitude is certainly one that takes a lot to get used to. perhaps you need to go take a walk get some fresh air and calm down! this conversation is over, but you need to reflect on this when you go to bed tonight, and realise where you have gone wrong. 1344378999 *EDIT: *Your* logic is correct however, you have to consider that aliens are indeed "extra-terrestrial." Symmetry may be core to earthly mammals and such but the matter of subject is not earthly mammals it is aliens. The big bang paved way for earths precious metals and elements gases etc. I believe its safe to say we mammals came to be due to this mixture of elemental metals and gases but, what if an alien home like ours recieved a different set of elemental metals and gases that gave way to a different type of being. What im trying to say is..."five heads on different spots on the top of our shoulders or neck," is indeed a possibility for extraterrestrial beings due to the different structures in DNA they have. They might have learned to adapt to there homeworld which took centuries of evolution like us. We may think that the human body is the ideal now but when we look at another intelligent species that has had centuries to perfect its evolutionary skills I think what we may perceive visually will be stunning. 1328481027 Can you please give me the wedsite congrats on you success 1314236767 I haven't caught too much either, but it would provide a way for the spirit to answer questions without leaving a door open for other things. If he's in the mood to talk, that is. 1323803570 >These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.\n\nPeople get all huffy when government regulates business, but I don't see why. The FDA requires shysters to mark their products with this claim. It immediately tells me that their product is bullshit. 1329950465 A little bit of greed, likely, but he uses the term "subluxation" of the spine which seems to indicate that he really does buy into the old debunked pseudoscience of Chiropractic as well. He may well be a true believer. 1313292763 There were definitely people covered in blood who had been in the towers when the planes hit but made it out alive, like [this guy](http://www.nocaptionneeded.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/911-woman-low.jpg) and this [woman](http://stevehagis.com/images/wtc/WTC%20bloody%20victim.jpg). Stories from the people who were going down the stairs after the hit also speak of seeing many bloodied people among them. 1335971786 Have you ever tried communicating with them? What would happen if you tried saying something like \n\nGET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU EMACIATED LITTLE FUCKS \n\nLEAVE THIS PLACE RIGHT NOW, CUNTS \nGET. \n\nwhat will their reaction be 1346133016 Explosions are real for one thing. Abandon your faith and let knowledge bring you back to it. It'll take a lifetime and you'll stop getting those funny looks from those of us who are critical of bullshit. 1288068599 or to put it another way, you don't have the faintest clue what you're talking about and you're just inserting sciency sounding words into your new age bollocks.\n\nHere's a challenge for you: give me a coherent one sentence definition of the term "energy"\n\nor, give me a coherent one sentence definition of the word "quantum" 1326219148 I only now have had a cursory look but here is seemingly most reliable info I have seen. Lots of websites out there with "RAW MILK: THE FACTS" That make me laugh.\n\n\n>To help counter some of the more spectacular claims for drinking raw milk, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have published these no-nonsense rumor busters:\n\n>Raw milk does not have a natural resistance to bacteria.\n\n>Pasteurization does not cause lactose intolerance.\n\n>Both pasteurized and raw milk can cause allergic reactions.\n\n>There's no proven health benefit associated with drinking raw milk.\n\n>Claims that raw milk can cure asthma, allergies and other conditions are inaccurate.\n\n>Pasteurization does not negatively impact the nutritional value of milk\n\nIt would seem that any minor benefit (if studies have not shown much benefit it is a pretty good bet that if there is a benefit it is minor) is not outweighing the risks of raw milk. But more study is not a bad thing...\n\n>According to the Director of the Dairy and Egg Safety Division at the FDA CFSAN, in testimony on raw milk safety presented to the Ohio House of Representatives Agricultural Committee on May 24, 2006, a search of their data from 2000-2005 “produced 44 illnesses associated with pasteurized milk products as compared with 473 from raw milk… \n\nhttp://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/Product-SpecificInformation/MilkSafety/ConsumerInformationAboutMilkSafety/ucm183170.htm\n\nWhat is even more frightening is that the number of people drinking raw milk is much less than those drinking pasteurized milk.\n\nI would guess this debate is so prominent as it is a case of appealing to nature. \n\nSome may argue that the information from the government is just a conspiracy... but the scientific evidence shows us otherwise.\n\n\n\nIf you are here to talk about the legal battle of whether it should be allowed to be sold... well that is for r/politics. \n\nsomething to look at: \nhttp://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2009/03/20/raw-milk-is-gaining-fans-but-the-science-says-its-dangerous\n\nhttp://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2009/01/raw-milk-debate-helping-parents-wade.html 1317212257 Was there even a ghost to ghost this year? I haven't been following because Noory sucks. 1356896807 I can buy the black case for heatsink reasons, but why blue LEDs? I've never heard that. And do cold cathodes have the same effect? I have a gaming PC...this is relevant to my interests. >_> 1335068445 Good point. If they were advanced enough to send a message we could understand, I don't think they'd waste their time; if they saw us as even a minor threat, they'd probably exterminate us in the blink of an eye. 1351704667 who the hell cares if there's a cut in the video? Everyone here records 24/7? Its makes more sense there's a cut because these people have no idea what they are about to film. Which has the opposite effect making it also more credible. 1296794358 And a hardened skeptic prior to all of his involvement ... to boot. 1311280278 Thank you for both the upvote and the comment. In all honesty, i only want to share this site, and this subreddit, i feel, would really enjoy it. The desired upvotes aren't for vanity, i promise. I am genuinely trying to share a site i feel many would enjoy. 1346171763 >Hyperbole and mis-characterization, you're still doing it.\n\nNo, I'm not.\n\n>This is a false statement. I've provided links, which in turn point to a number sources.\n\nWell, apart from the Iceland results there doesn't seem to be so many issues with the adjustments.\n\n>Here you've put words in my mouth.\n\nSo, are you saying that the GHCN temperature record is trustworthy?\n\n>And this one is downright insulting. Reported.\n\nOh, don't be so sensitive. You *did* mention in another post that you agree that adding CO2 to the atmosphere does increase temperatures, so I guess you're not really a "hard-core denier." More like a lukewarmer who has on numerous occasions used insults instead of arguments (as one can see for oneself looking back at your posting history) - so don't go around acting the "holier-than-thou" part, it really doesn't suit you well.\n\nStill, I agree that the epithet I gave you was uncalled for, and I apologize for it.\n\n>Go to hell you worthless troll.\n\nI'm not a troll, I am simply being skeptical of your claims. Now, I apologized for calling you a "hardcore denier" based on what you wrote in this thread, will you apologize for calling me a "worthless troll"? :-)\n\nEdit: also, copy-pasting the same post in various sub-reddits does feel kind of douchey. You should at least consider personalizing each copy/pasted version... 1332268442 This is true, but there must be some popular evidence out there, be it mass sightings or news reports. 1344121689 Fish do feel pain. You are a biological machine. 1332242672 Extra-dimensional? Ever heard this?\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1b4NYC6axo\n\n 1354807472 Unsolved mysteries on the history channel? Second time I hear about the forest hmm 1351472670 [5th Gear](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1mCw2AwY24&t=4m30s) did something similar too. 1300535125 We need to leave Youtube to the religious nutters and find a place tolerant of all free speech 1330306250 Your confidence in the matter is astounding. Your stubbornness is akin to that of a strict religious nut.\n\nThe whole point of this subreddit is that all evidence of extra terrestrial activity should be taken with an open mind and therefore discussed accordingly.\n 1335146058 Stephen Hawking says that we should expect a scenario similar to that of when Columbus encountered Native Americans. 1313767908 They more likely attract entities. A mobile phone would be like a beacon. 1321084622 Nothing to read, only posted one (twice now), whose ass is your head up exactly? 1314990417 that phone call clip always gives me chills 1302292469 Shoddy journalism. It's impossible to tell from the article what's going on. 1277071376 Is this your video or do you have some knowledge of its provenance? 1346839134 They all have type II. I know that. What I don't know is if they had any genetic predisposition to the disease, as asked. 1345311419 interesting, but there is no context to relate the thing to. that and crappy phone cameras. Can someone add some contrast to the image? :) 1343584074 Actually, it is really hard to understand if ones personal experience or close social network say otherwise. Statistics and studies are cold hard facts and anecdotes are cuddly, visceral feelings.\n\nThink about the flip side. Skeptics and the general public generally believe that home birth* is risky and irresponsible. Yet the best scientific evidence points to equivalent major outcomes (morbidity and mortality) with positive minor outcomes (fewer interventions, better birth experience).\n\n*caveat: the home birth has to be planned with an experienced are provider and within a certain proximity to a hospital. 1349525522 Death Valley? :-) But seriously, it's not just about the global temperature changes, but everything else that entails. 1274472376 Agreed. This 'debunking' is done by a guy who is passionately pushing his own agenda - in the transcripts of the video, the guy straight up states that the Illuminati are corrupting the 'real truth' of Jesus and the Bible, so that people will equate worshiping religion with worshiping Jesus and thus turn people away from Him. Further, he asserts that the reason why uttering Jesus' name while one is suffering from sleep paralysis frees one from its effects, is because the demons know that He is real. \n\n>I submit to all of you that Jesus was the most anti-religious person that ever walked the face of the earth, he had nothing but compassion for sinners of even the worst kind…the only harsh things he ever said was to the clergy of his day….oh and the bankers.\nThe reason the mere calling on his name crushes whatever force is behind sleep paralysis and so called alien abductions is because he really is who he claimed to be. And the demons are just as scared of him now as they were during the pages of the bible.\n\nAnd this gem:\n\n>Christianity is not a belief system it’s a supernatural event that happens to you, your life begins to change, you start to love the things of God and hate the things of sin, you are given new power to turn from things that have you in chains, it doesn’t mean you will be prefect but you will start to change and that change will continue your whole life, it is freedom from bondage not a list of rules.\n\n>I do not think that David Icke knows that he is being used as a tool for the new world order, I would like to think that he would turn from his ways if he could be convinced of it. I want to ask you to help me pray for Mr Icke.\n\n\n\nThis isn't skepticism; it's some kind of New Age Christian 'debunking' of Icke, because the author hates the Theosophical leanings (and therefore 'anti-Jesus' teachings) of David Icke.\n\nPS: Chris White, the producer of this 'documentary', is a 'New Christian' who has produced a video for others who wish to believe what he does. In this [video](http://vimeo.com/9435763), he declares that demons are real, and can access this 'plane' through Ouija boards among other things. Start watching at around 18:25 for a fascinating glimpse into the world of 'Spiritual Warfare'. Sorry, but this guy isn't a skeptic at all; he's a conspiracy theorist who just happens to be opposed to the conspiracies of Icke.\n\n 1308971217 I would suggest when they insert the requisite anal probe, you bear down and capture it in your lower colon. Would make a great gizmo (once it's cleaned up of course). 1312235848 I saw nothing that didn't imply these were just balloons. 1320071306 There are still plenty of reasons why McDonald's is bad for you and society. 1332182334 Aliens is probably the *least* likely explanation. 1326289468 Unfortunately they were able to quit their plumber jobs. They just had a marketing deal with Roto Rooter. 1302713276 god i miss art 1337928757 True enough. I apologise again. 1338207453 > GM is basically manipulating the genetics of a plant to get a desired trait present in the crop. Farmers have been doing this for millennia through selective breeding, but now geneticists have a much easier tool to get down and dirt in the DNA of the plants without having to wait for random mutations and then trying to propagate it out through several generations.\n\nBefore you reply to this you should read [my other post](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/11vjwy/rskeptic_please_help_me_understand_the_real_deal/c6q5aye), I'm not anti GM and I agree GM actually describes all biological entities. However, NAGM (naturally selected GM) should not be conflated with AGM (artificial GM) because one is a meritocracy and the other is becoming corporate whimsy where the selection pressure is socio-economic monopolisation and novelty to leverage the patent system.\n\nShort answer: they're the exact same thing with a **fundamental** difference. 1350919264 I'm not sure if I should feel offended or honored. 1319059579 It's not that scary. It was more annoying stuff. Radios and TVs going on by themselves water running, after the board though things got bad. Voices, moving objects, and my wife says I got possessed one night, but I can't validate that as I was asleep. 1331566134 It's not really a strawman given sugar is the reason people drink diet pops 1305138421 Eesh. That would make an interesting short story. 1340071810 Whenever I am confronted by this stuff (which is thankfully rare) I point the misguided soul to the following link:\n\nhttp://www.cracked.com/article_15740_was-911-inside-job.html\n\nLogic!\n\nThat usually stops them from spamming me with further BS. 1315798616 in my opinion, any of the political/economic points made in the big pharma book are valid for gmos as well. 1350966769 Unfortunately, to get the benefits, you must take the garlic as a suppository. 1327505347 So, two Rabbis walk into a hotel bar... 1334899962 > the fact he's part of a Creationist organization lowers my expectations considerably.\n\nExactly. It's not that he couldn't be correct, no matter who he's affiliated with. But seeing that he's part of the ICR, is involved in anti-choice politics, and is part of the 'biblical apologetic' department definitely lowers expectations.\n 1335535333 Oh shit, the same guy? I hadn't connected the dots. Yeah, I'll absolutely look into it. 1309225438 I'm not familiar with QI, but Unsolved Mysteries covered a very similar story back in the 80s. So, the fact that a group of people could make crop circles has long been documented. If you're willing to let just one episode of a TV show convince you "this is the way it is" I think you're robbing yourself of the full breadth of *any* issue. 1345204472 Bigot 1350673515 Because being a "skeptic" means that you use rational thought, logic and perhaps a dash of scientific method to discuss controversial topics. Having a contrary opinion based on anything else does not make you a skeptic. 1308281508 I attempt to point out that something as ephemeral and undefined as love has a great influence on our actions be it subjective. And is in no way any less real than any ghost. As for ghost proof, again subjective, unless you were present for the phenomenon what substantial proof do you need. A ghost in a box? Undead you can shake hands with? We are on the cusp of technology advancing to the point where proof will be incontrovertible. However for the science look to "phantom Limb" as photographed by kirlian photography. Look to electromagnetic field theory as applied to auras. 1320759372 That's about the size of it from where I sit. 1338589451 potholer54 is tremendous. His videos on global warming really helped me get a firm grasp of the nature of the surrounding conversation/argument. 1332677742 When they make a claim that bothers you, ask them why they think that? What's the evidence? \n\nYou will probably see them acting VERY sciencey. Ask them if they have scientific training. \n\nhttp://www.csicop.org/si/show/amateur_paranormal_research_and_investigation_groups_doing_sciencey_things 1350162039 I don't believe in objective morals, I only used the word "morals" because there is unfortunately no alternative known to me to express the idea I was trying to express (even though "morals" does so innaccurately and worse, misleadingly). 1321418956 You make a fair point. He claims that there are numerous studies, but the only thing he's shown me is from the "Journal of Orgonomy," a Reichian group's own publication, one I would hardly call objective. I was wondering if anyone here knew anything that might've been done by a non-reichian group. 1314835863 I think Communion was a very good book/movie. I admire it in that it readily acknowledges the internal dreamlike quality of encounters with these beings. Rather than claiming things like mechanical UFOs and physical people piloting them, Strieber weighed his terms very carefully and referred to them simply as "The Visitors" and was reluctant to even make the claim that the whole episode wasn't occurring predominantly in his own head. For this, I admire the guy's work and feel that his encounter claims were legitimate.\n\nHowever, because of his book Communion, he went from semi-known author to giant celebrity pretty much instantly, and he had firmly established himself as an authority of sorts within the niche market of UFO and alien enthusiasts. He's latched on to a lot of pretty questionable people and stories. It seems now the guy pretty much sells himself as "the alien guy" and entirely plays that up for a lot of professional success.\n\nCheck out his website to see what I mean:\nhttp://www.unknowncountry.com/\n\nCommunion was a very interesting book and I think most of it is based in legitimate experiences. However, much like Linda Howe, he started with a couple of insightful investigations, and quickly went into crazytown where there was no bullshit filter in place whatsoever. Or even worse than that, they are both willing to push PROVEN HOAXES for the sake of a little attention. No matter how ridiculous or unfounded a claim may be in regards to this subject, there will always be enough people who want to believe, and will believe regardless of evidence. These people also tend to do things like subscribe to websites, and fork over money for books.\n\nSomething else to keep in mind: Whitley Strieber was a psychological/supernatural horror author before Communion. I'm skeptical of Strieber for the same reasons why I'm skeptical of L.R. Hubbard, a sci-fi author who went on to found a religion based on ancient alien stories. 1337968217 MantisMU is Benjamin from MU. 1332696688 Literally! a-hurr hurr hurrrr 1329599848 No, they're most definitely satellites. go out on ANY night, even in the city, and you WILL see them. 1314317468 www.sacrededen.com claims to have their products reviewed by The Living Research Institute, which is a website run by SacredEden. 1341333519 Big development. 1349723520 If you're gonna black-out the girls' faces, you might want to do it in the mirror, too. 1333992240 Ever hear of DMT? No religion needed to explain the afterlife, just science. 1352573953 Two words. Mythbusters. 1288657033 I'm sure it's actually a combination of factors. \n\n1. This was born out of the cold war. Although Russia is no longer the USSR, and China has had several generations of reforms, there is still a sense that the world is not entirely stable. Not everyone is on our side. However, we should have by now set aside at least some of the panic from the cold war era. The United States clearly still has enemies.\n\n2. This is about technology and power. This is a secret bigger than the atomic bomb. Today many countries attempt to make nuclear weapons, but historically the United States is the only nation that has used them in warfare. The power in just one of these vehicles is capable of warping spacetime enough to create warp fields that allow faster than light travel and cloaking. It's surely greater than the power of an atomic bomb. One team at S-4 attempted to open a saucer's reactor while in operation, much like the idiots who try to fuel their cars while the engine is running, and caused a detonation that killed the entire team. However, if these devices were harnessed as weapons to cause intentional detonations, they could do more damage than we can imagine. These vehicles crash from time to time for a variety of reasons. If that technology fell into the wrong hands it would be catastrophic. What could a suicide bomber do with a reactor core from a crashed saucer?\n\n3. Economic power. Thanks to the distribution of advanced alien technology to various corporations with government contracts, not only does the United States have the most technologically advanced military in the world, but also these companies have valuable technology to profit from. We're seeing our world slowly transform into the imagined future world of science fiction. Even Nikola Tesla supposedly claimed to communicate with aliens. This is an important component of our technological development. Corporations with such valuable property will protect it through secrecy.\n\n4. Energy. As postulated by many in the past, energy is the big business that holds the global economy together. This is why we still use long outmoded fossil fueled cars. See "Who Killed the Electric Car?" or talk to anyone who has their home running on solar and/or wind power successfully, or their cars running on hydrogen. Alien technology could mean the collapse of our global economy, which is oil based. It doesn't just mean that the people invested in the current system lose their positions of power. It means the world could get turned upside-down. It could be disastrous.\n\n5. Religion is a barrier. Yes, the element of panic is real. Sure, there's probably a good percentage of enlightened intellectuals and scifi nerds who could easily cope with the reality of the myriad extraterrestrial life forms that visit Earth, but could your grandma who signs Amazing Grace so sweetly in church on Sunday? Let's just do a quick Reality Check here. Make a list of every family member and friend you can think of. I know it may take a while since a lot of them aren't on Facebook. Then highlight all the ones you think of as being religious people. Now imagine them trying to deal with aliens as a reality. They're okay? Wow, that's great! Okay, now imagine the aliens have videos of the crucifixion of Jesus, and tell us all about how they influenced the religious leaders of the past. Imagine they handed us a nice, detailed book with pictures of Mohammed, and I don't meant blasphemous drawings-- photographs. Imagine every belief they all have built their moral and ethical structure around is thrown out the window. Now imagine riots. Imagine survivalists with vast caches of automatic weapons and fires and looting. Just listen to some of the wackjobs who call the Coast-to-Coast AM show talking about Jesus and demons whenever there's a UFO broadcast. Check out the paranoid videos out there that want us to believe that aliens are from the devil. Remember these are people who reject evolution and global warming, but embrace virgin births, walking on water, and water into wine.\n\n6. Cattle Mutilations - This is a part of this that many people studying the subject either ignore or reject. You can try to explain away the cattle mutilation phenomenon (and the less reported human mutilations) but it's real. I know this from the cattle ranchers themselves. No, it's not the product of predators or cultists. It happens so fast that it's like lightning striking. You turn around for a minute and a cow you just saw alive is not only dead, but has all the blood drained from its body, one eye and part of the jaw missing, genitals and anus missing, and no signs of struggle or blood spillage, cauterized wounds and impossible precision. This is happening on a massive scale, and has been ~~ignored~~ *censored8 by the media. It costs ranchers a lot of money, but it's also part of a dark secret the United States government is keeping, supposedly by agreement with the grays from Zeta Reticuli. According to UFO folklore, this race has been manipulating the genes of the human race for thousands of years, possibly to find a way to hybridize and make their own race viable again. However, there is also evidence that various other species have also been manipulated. More plausible than "water spouts" in many cases of "rain of frogs" or "rain of fish" is that these are dumps of animals used in these programs of genetic manipulation. The realization that we're the [Jackson Laboratory Mice](http://jaxmice.jax.org/) of the grays will NOT sit well with people. \n\n7. Human abductions - This is a real phenomenon. I have spoken with victims of alien abductions, and not ones who only remembered through hypnotic regression. Some remember it just fine without hypnosis, and some of them are quite plausible. Abduction is illegal when a human does it to another human. I don't think anyone will want to legalize it for extraterrestrials. This is a traumatic experience, and there have been a number of alarming alleged incidents. If these are true, there will be public outcry, and the human race is likely to call for war. The extraterrestrial governments/militaries/factions/organizations/whatever the hell they are, are very clearly more powerful and more technologically advanced than any human government, and will continue to be so for quite some time. They can knock an ICBM out of flight and make the warhead a dud. They can take down our best fighter jets and bombers. However, humans are stupid enough to think we can stand up to them. They watch too many movies.\n\n8. Atrocities - If the stories about the Dulce base are true (and that's a big if) then the aliens in that base and their human collaborators are guilty of atrocities that exceed the crimes of Joseph Mengele. If the United States is incapable of containing that situation, what will the people demand? If Superman turned out to be a secret rapist and murderer, who would stop him?\n\n9. Celebrity - If people knew there were human looking aliens on Earth, and that they had stations here as stops along intergalactic trade routes, there would be serious problems keeping people away from them. According to Charles Hall the "tall whites" can pass for human, and used to even go shopping in our stores and gambled in casinos in Nevada. They did this with guards, and by their nature they seem to regard us as savages to a large extent. Supposedly the U. S. military gets technology from them and assistance with secret space missions, and there are companies that trade with them. How will these things continue with typical humans trying to see them like desperate fans trying to get a picture with a rock star or movie star? I wonder how many have tried to go to the base near Indian Springs since Hall's books were released. \n\n10. Cultural contamination - Even if human beings can accept the existence of aliens, how about alien culture? What if they have a way of life that is utterly offensive to the common sensibilities of mankind? What if they eat their dead or have sex with their children? What if they ritually castrate themselves? What if they think it's okay to rape members of "lesser" species like us? or eat us? What if they have powerful recreational drugs we've never encountered? What if they won't share their videogames with us? Human culture is *childish* at best, savage at worst. Unrestricted contact with alien cultures could cause riots and madness, and could eventually dilute and destroy the existing human culture. Think about it. There are some very broad possibilities even within human cultures on this planet. Americans are shocked by The Kite Runner and the strange boy buggering tradition that has developed in Afghanistan. Entirely separate intelligent species could be much weirder and more offensive. We just don't know.\n 1331924397 From the store's perspective, if it sells then it's worth the shelf space, CVS doesn't care if that snake oil crap works or not. There is consumer demand for it. Unfortunately, consumers assume that there are protections and regulations that will protect them from this kind of fraud. If it's on the shelf in my local pharmacy, it *must* be legitimate. 1329762616 It definitely asserts an air of authenticity. Something about the first video strikes me as rather convincing, too. Has MUFON released much on any of these cases? \n\nI've come across minor allusions to some of these being hoaxes, but is there a more *official* consensus? 1342206709 I don't object to any of the science, but I can't stand the emotional propaganda.\n\nLike the video/pictures of a polar bear stranded on a piece of floating ice. As though they were clinging for survival on the last piece of ice in the water. Also, as far as I'm aware, there is no evidence to suggest hurricanes are related to global warming but that doesn't stop it from getting touted by the media.\n\nI wish people would just present the facts, and sometimes the hardcore agw supporters can't seem to differentiate real dangers from inflated dangers. 1326860035 > How about a skeptic who is a 9/11 Truther?\n\nA model of the universe where the US government might stage false flag attacks is a more accurate model than one where the US government is assumed to be benign. Reguardless of what actually happened in a given case, dismissing non-supernatural conspiracy claims out of hand is sloppy thinking.\n\nConspiracy theories turn out to be true with some regularity. If we, as Skeptics, consistently use the latest conspiracy theory as an example of what Skeptics think is crazy, then we'll inevitably discredit ourselves when we hit the one that really happened.\n\nShit, there were no WMDs in Iraq. Asbestos causes cancer. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study happened.\n\nWe've got to be able to resort to that one key thing that we have as science minded people: we're allowed to admit that we don't know. And then we can make a snide remark about what side we'd bet on; losing those bets sometimes is OK. 1280199742 Yeah this is the biggest red flag of all, if he really had a working system he would most likely be blacklisted.\n\nYou hear these stories all the time of people who break casinos who knows the math behind it all and get blacklisted or worse 1333217007 Says the guy stealing content and reposting torrential spam on subreddits. 1313358470 Jenny McCarthy remains unimpressed. 1266341570 [/r/nosleep](/r/nosleep) will be your friend. This isn't quite the glitches we are looking for :) 1326494070 Bruce Lee was a beast. Unfortunately front raises aren't a big lift for strength athletes, and bodybuilders do them with lower weights and higher reps to build mass, so I can't find any information about how much a very strong person could do.\n\nFor reference, I'm a relatively fit (but not particularly strong) 200 lb guy. Just now I could barely hold 30 lbs for more than 5 seconds, and it would be obvious to anyone watching that it was very difficult. Granted, I'm recovering from a shoulder injury, but I think it still illustrates the point. 1322664920 I'm in USA. $$$ is the answer to 99% of the "Why is your unregulated capitalist system preying on its own adherents?" 1314669478 Cool. I went there when I was a kid while on vacation in Scotland. We went to see the dog stuff though, had no idea about the dark history to the place at the time (I was only 7). 1325790817 Thanks for this post. I plan to spread the Save the PNW Tree Octopi message. 1327973287 Very. And from a quick glance (all I could muster) it seems as though all of the moderators might be the same person. This looks like a very angry person with a lot of time on their hands. 1290980864 I have only had one sighting when I was in grade school. It was a silent perfect triangle with one dim orange circle light in the center. I saw it out the kitchen window. I ran outside and saw it. It was hovering low almost perfectly in the center of my backyard. It was moving so slow that I had time to get my sister from the living room for her to witness it as well. I have always had a fascination with aliens since I was little. I don't know why. It scares me to no end. It really is frightening for me. That evening was a major event in my life. 1340252891 Derp 1352413776 Derp 1325479335 I saw this and was very pleased to see her give props to David "Orac" Gorsky. 1345153523 Taurus, GMT 1281894374 Evangelism is "Lying for Money." 1344651051 Okay, first of all, the naturalistic fallacy is that which is natural is inherently better, not just natural for it's own sake. And secondly, I only said it *seems* that the OP is falling for that based on his initial post.\n\nMore importantly, I don't bathe everyday anyway, but that is only out of laziness and lack of need. Most people I have experienced who don't bathe, tend to have some woo-laden "nature is better" philosophy. I suppose I conflated not using shampoo and not bathing, which I shouldn't have done. However, as the OP called himself a hippie, I assumed the worst.\n\nEDIT: typo. "bathe" not "bather" 1341551376 I used to believe in ghosts/aliens until I actually made the effort to educate myself a little on how our brains work and plays tricks on our perceptions. Then I started being more skeptical about this sort of thing. It's just like Dawkins says: "The less you know, the more you believe." 1315802806 I laughed hard at this.\n\nNO ONE expects the skeptic's inquisition! 1340023593 do you think you could find the exit on google maps so we could see what's around there? 1341941495 Removing an ad because it is controversial is bad. I don't want this ad to go up either but this is the same logic and tactics that anti medical marijuana groups use. 1325114128 What’s it like being a motherfucker? 1354943982 I would be absolutely terrified if I saw three hovering objects in the sky suddenly start spinning in a circle. The thought to me is so completely absurd and abnormal that it gives me chills. It's just such a foreign thing to see flying in the sky, I think I would feel that sense of helplessness too. \n\nAlso I would probably wonder why they were spinning that way - are they preparing to zoom off in a formation? Are they creating some kind of energy field by spinning? Are they about to shoot simultaneous laser beams at Earth? \n\nI know that's a little out there but I'm just saying I can relate to OP.\n\n 1356597808 Indeed, or there is no such thing as a 4 sided triangle that you can draw on a finite piece of paper. I'm sure [MathildaIsTheBest](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/otke9/shit_skeptics_say/c3k53b0) can help us with that one ;)\n\nedit: And no folding! 1327441467 the comments have much more woo than does the actual article.\n\nthey make me weep. 1335901232 This website got me through a lot of understanding when I first sort of got into skepticism. If you don't know quackwatch -- or haven't gone through a solid read-through of the site -- I really suggest it. A bunch of great stuff, and then some quackery that you couldn't even believe. 1310206290 I want to believe, but what 15 year old doesn't have a digital camera anywhere in their house? Apparently they were there for at least a little over a half an hour, and he didn't think to take a quick picture? 1261089927 Thanks mom! 1332869965 You're right, but i've learnt to give people what they are asking for rather than try to convince them of the impossible.\n\nI personally believe a good chunk of these are ET UFOs, but I would never demand that others think the same. I think the reason they appear is purely to keep the mystique going and to keep people searching for the truth; small reminders that there is more to the world than that which we see on the surface. The reason they do not land or get obvious about things is because that would open the doors to too many negative possibilities at this point in time. This isn't a popular view, but it is how I think of it. \n\nThat being said, there is always the chance of technology being behind these things, whether it is a hobbyist or a military endeavor. All possibilities are equal when we start. The discussion is the fun part, imo :) 1321241360 That's incorrect. You're probably thinking of the unstable artificially created form that was made in a lab. It's not the same thing. The naturally occurring form, although non-terrestrial in origin, is stable. 1336049576 To be fair, after making the bullshit claim of efficacy, these charlatans invariably include, in small print, the [Quack Miranda Warning](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Quack_Miranda_Warning), such as this one at the bottom of the page for [Wakunaga's Kyolic Aged Garlic Extract](http://www.rollinoats.com/promoG/LandingPage.asp?lpid=323&pid=345&storeID=DWRVUW2L6MVU8K8RKLUEPXFW532WBWA9):\n\n\n>These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. 1279299134 Opened facebook this morning, aunt shared naturalnews.com link, left upset. She is on chemo, after much encouragement from her family, but she posts this website's crap everyday. Naturalnews' advice probably would have had her 6' under by now. 1320782053 If you don't know them, how do you know they're dead? 1349057774 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/08/02/did-gun-control-work-in-australia/ 1356997548 About 3 months. The time between visits increases each time, though, so it's not like it's once a week for 3 months. I've seen him probably 6 times total in that 3 month span. I'd think if they wanted more money he'd schedule me once a week instead of once a month. Not to mention the fact that it's legitimately helping. /shrug\n\nPlus it's public healthcare so he doesn't actually get paid with my money. 1318735300 My mycology professor in college was very serious about the dangers of stachybotrys.\n\n\nMost black molds that you find growing in your house aren't stachybotrys, but some are. If you're worried about mold in your house, get it tested. If you have access to a microscope, stachybotrys is pretty easy to visually identify. 1336021851 I think this is the person I was thinking of:\nhttp://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/17-04/ff_perfectmemory?currentPage=all\n\nCan't find the debunk at the moment. 1336003103 I may just have to read that now. Thanks for the input and recommendation. I would give you (and everyone else) a longer response, but I'm not completely educated on all things paranormal so I don't want to seem naive/stupid; but I still value all of this, so thank you. 1352387109 I have seen this quote many times that a person can't live more than 3 days without water. That is bullshit. My grandmother had esophageal cancer. In her last days they removed her from all food and water. And we waiting while she died a slow death. She live 16 days without food or water or any nasal oxygen treatment. It was a horrible way to watch someone die and I hate reliving it. But I bring it up to call BS on this theory that a person can't live for more than 3 days without water. 1349741613 They may, however, not even be factually wrong there. Very often, use of alternative medicine comes with a certain smugness:\n\n"I'm smart and successful - I know myself *better* than a doctor - I can find alternatives on my own and don't need to rely on professionals..."\n\nAdd to that the typical confirmation bias, and you're sold. 1304668995 The rational person in the relationship won't have any closure. The only excuse they'll have is their bad voodoo vibes and no real explanation. That may or may not be important to OP. Whatever the case, I think it's an important factor.\n 1301500114 Almost every single space junk object in orbit is being constantly tracked. 1346110656 n is too small :P\n\nAlthough you might make the case for a confidence interval. 1319349385 He's just saying that scientists are in danger of becoming part of a hive-mind mentality whereby scientists need confirmation by other scientists before they will gang up against a paper. He's assuming that scientists will never question an established theory and "risk their reputations" (which isn't true).\n\nHe doesn't realize that while making new discoveries is the number 1 accolade, disproving a well-established theory is the number 2 cause of instant celebrity. 1307994397 TIME SLIP! you saw your parents experience a time slip! 1335739557 Thank you for the info, you seem to be very knowledgeable on this subject! And you did it in such a way of not sounding condescending so I really appreciate it. \n\nLike I said these aren't those only coincidences I have collected, just a few that I thought were kind of important. Also, just knowing that sketchy shit the US government has done in the past (Operation Northwoods, Operation Midnight Climax), I'm not entirely convinced the US government *might* not have anything to do with it. 1354842393 There is the right to believe what you want.\n\nThen there is allowing your completely unfounded and scientifically invalid beliefs influence you when you treat other people. It is unethical.\n\nAnd all psychic powers and aura reading is the definition of horse shit. 1348594216 The horoscopes ARE harmless. Their application, and the malicious people who use them like that, is the harmful thing. 1334001076 Why do all paranormal investigators automatically associate k2 meters with ghosts? I've never understood why people rationalize ghosts as being part of the electromagnetic spectrum. \n\nMaybe ghosts emit ionizing radiation, and could be better detected with a Geiger counter. Food for thought :P 1338603895 Won't break Mirrors, walk under ladders or open umbrellas Indoors. 1322398521 Wow, no wonder they removed those other "mysteries." 1291816014 If 39% of Americans think that it is "definitely true" the Earth is a young Earth. You have no business killing other people. Currently most notably this is occurring in the Middle East.\n\nEducate your public. 1331596815 The human mind is easily deceived, confused and manipulated. Ever read about that airline pilot who sent his plane into a nosedive when he confused Venus with another plane? Eyewitness testimony is rarely the best form of evidence in most situations and in particular the situations where people make such incredible claims.\n\nDo aliens exist? I don't see how it's possible for them not to. With billions of galaxies and billions of stars in each of those galaxies, we can't be alone. I just find it highly improbable that these aliens traveled hundreds or thousands of light years across the known universe just to slowly hover over Russia or scare a bunch of farmers in Idaho and chase airplanes.\n\nWhy would they even come here if they could? We have nothing they need. We have no advanced technology. Our natural resources are more abundantly present in asteroids and other planets. Organic compounds? Even those can be found in space. 1335398198 The two terms are just about equivalent. 1333284673 Here is the thing about lights in the sky.....\n\nIf the lights don't behave in a way that is impossible for our current technology to perform then they are just lights in the sky. Balloons can appear to hover depending on the weather. RC helicopters can be adorned with flares and glow sticks. Shit, go fly a kite covered in glow paint on a windy night in a densley populated neighborhood- I am sure that the UFO calls will pour in.\n\nYep, the "Chinese Lantern Store" is doing really well these days. 1301420329 you can see the tail end here http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/15114036338/2/tumblr_lx3syy22VY1r9r7lw 1325396536 the end of the video he says that insurance should cover alternative medicine 1323197172 I agree that margarine isn't that great, but it seems indicative of a larger attitude. It seems pretty much the same as a church sign saying "Chemists can't cure cancer, trust God to do it!" 1350223546 I think that this is the conclusion many have reached but it is not as bad as it seems. Criticism is valid but your conclusions make it sound like all their arguments are exaggerated, which is not the case. \n\nYes, discussion around the criticisms go insane very fast, but this is part of the problem. Can you give an example of a fundamental disagreement that was charged of sexism but it wasn't? 1325947842 I just used the phrase because it was running in this comment thread.\n\nIt's not easy ignoring them, those kinds of submissions inundate the entire subreddit and just tend to annoy the hell out of me. No one can tell a story anymore, they don't even try. Just slap on generic rage faces and enjoy hundreds of useless internet points.\n\n(that, or facebook screencaps, LOOK WHAT I SAW TODAY: mundane.jpg, etc.)\n\n 1324046312 This was surprisingly tilted in favor of skepticism. Banachek and Randi were both great, they were given a lot of air time, and the reporters (one reporter and the host anyway) were skeptical. A win for the good guys. 1313639680 Non sequitur. The claim is not: "This treatment has dangers, therefore it shouldn't be used", but rather the claim is: "This treatment has no demonstrable benefits **and** a number of observed dangers, therefore it shouldn't be used". In other words, it's a risk:benefit analysis. Medicine literally has journals filled with evidence to show that it has benefits, and so associated risks can be explained to the patient and deemed to be "worth it" in specific cases (as the benefits outweigh the risks). But with things like chiropractic, where there is no benefit, then any risk is too much risk. \n\nIt's like being told that you shouldn't play Russian roulette in order to cure your cancer because there's a good chance you could die, and you pointing out that chemotherapy also has an associated mortality risk, so there's no reason to use standard medicine. 1327968704 Postulated as a descendent of a missing link, too. Good on them, Canada. 1327009537 The stupid, it burns! 1286894688 I guess someone would have noticed if they were soiled. \n\nI was just wondering if you stumbled up to bed half asleep, threw up over your bed or split something over it, hastily threw your book to one side to deal with the mess, and only bothered to get a sleeping bag, and didn't remember due to your tiredness and physical exertion. \n\nThis would have meant despite not remembering the incident you were acting entirely rationally throughout. If the sheets were still clean enough to use (as suggested by your bed having been made earlier) then that suggests you weren't concious or became irrational. 1344357977 From the end of the article "But vitamin D doesn’t seem to reduce the number of these exacerbations. That said, vitamin D did benefit a small group of 30 people in the study who had severely low vitamin D levels when the study began."\n\nSo what was the second sentence again. That was 30 out of 182. So 16%. 1326827974 Have you been in a room with a Buddha? They never ever shut the fuck up. 1329657436 Who says that there is no 3rd party testing? What does that mean? There are studies from other countries too.\n\nWe don't yet know what causes autism. There are strong genetic [links](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/113/5/e472) however that can be further explored. One thing that's been strongly researched is vaccines and autism and no link for this has been found in studies. Here's [one] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9643797) from Finland looking at 3 million vaccines over 14 years.\n\n>Over a decade’s effort to detect all severe adverse events\n>associated with MMR vaccine could find no data supporting\n>the hypothesis that it would cause pervasive developmental\n>disorder or inflammatory bowel disease.\n\nOf note is the fact that they had no autism spectrum disorders reported. You might think this is just one study, but how about this [one](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12421889?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=4) \n\n>Of the 537,303 children in the cohort (representing 2,129,864 person-years), 440,655 (82.0 percent) had received the MMR vaccine. We identified 316 children with a diagnosis of autistic disorder and 422 with a diagnosis of other autistic-spectrum disorders. After adjustment for potential confounders, the relative risk of autistic disorder in the group of vaccinated children, as compared with the unvaccinated group, was 0.92 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.68 to 1.24), and the relative risk of another autistic-spectrum disorder was 0.83 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.65 to 1.07). There was no association between the age at the time of vaccination, the time since vaccination, or the date of vaccination and the development of autistic disorder.\n\nThese are just a few i pulled up. As for the second question, well [this article](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=95) compiled some interesting studies. Here are some tidbits:\n\n\n>The recorded prevalence of autism has increased considerably in recent years. This reflects greater recognition, with changes in diagnostic practice associated with more trained diagnosticians; broadening of diagnostic criteria to include a spectrum of disorder; a greater willingness by parents and educationalists to accept the label (in part because of entitlement to services); and better recording systems, among other factors. (Taylor 2006)\n[...]\nIn other words – if we control for any changes in the diagnostic criteria and surveillance methods the incidence of autism should be stable over time. Chakrabarti and Fombonne did exactly that, comparing the incidence of autism in 2002 (looking at a cohort of children born between 1996-1998) to the same population using the same methods as a previous study looking at the cohort of children born between 1992-1995. They found:\n>>"The rate in this study is comparable to that in previous birth cohorts from the same area and surveyed with the same methods, suggesting a stable incidence. (Chakrabarti 2005)"\n\n>If the broadened diagnosis hypothesis is true than it must also be true that as other diagnoses shifted over to autism they would decrease as autism numbers increased. This is exactly what Jick et al found when they reviewed a cohort of boys with and without autism. What was previously diagnosed as language disorder is now being diagnosed as autism, with a corresponding decrease in non-specific language disorders. Shattuck found the exact same effect, so called “diagnostic substitution,” when he studied the prevalence of disabilities among children in US special education from 1984 to 2003. He found that in locations where the prevalence of autism had increased there was a corresponding decrease in the prevalence of other disabilities. (Shattuck >2006) 1257133007 so would the rest of the planet. 1341995939 >From a dictionary:\n1. Present in or produced by nature: a natural pearl.\n2. Of, relating to, or concerning nature: a natural environment.\n3. Conforming to the usual or ordinary course of nature: a natural death.\n4.\na. Not acquired; inherent: Love of power is natural to some people.\nb. Having a particular character by nature: a natural leader.\nc. Biology Not produced or changed artificially; not conditioned: natural immunity; a natural reflex.\n5. Characterized by spontaneity and freedom from artificiality, affectation, or inhibitions. See Synonyms at naive.\n\nAs you can see, natural in the third sense *is* safe, because it is normal. Natural in the first sense, of course, does not necessarily imply natural in the third sense. 1354194638 Affirmative. The link is addressed in the "Neanderthals" section (currently page 30). The autism phenotypes that don't exhibit the abnormal brain growth but still have the social and immune issues are addressed in the "Immune and/or MHC–Autism link" section (currently page 42).\n\n*Edit: Added the following so that the above statement makes more sense and doesn't offend someone*\n\n> Neanderthal cranial capacities were on average larger than those of modern humans, with a mean of 1520 cc\n\n[Source](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21957644)\n\n[Accessible mirror](http://www.scribd.com/doc/64939003/)\n\n 1326264946 I was under the assumption that it was mining magnates and not the greens that were controlled by the CIA 1332341265 Already [getting divorced](http://skepchick.org/2011/04/a-note-about-my-personal-life/). Maybe you can get a refund on your wedding ticket. 1310007172 She an Internet person. All of the verbal things happened on twitter, or her own forums. And I've read her twitter and forums: she doesn't hold back on anyone else. So the victim cries ring a little hollow. She can't equate twitter comments to real life; no one can. I'm not justifying that kind of behavior, I'm saying that the Internet is full of assholes, and if you're an Internet celebrity, you're going to get a fair amount of that. Have you seen the videos where Dawkins reads his hate mail? It's no different, apart from Dawkins not beings whiny baby about it. \n\nSo I'm discounting on two grounds. 1) she's known for screaming sexism every chance she gets, when the facts don't seem to back her up. And 2) if this was such a huge problem in the skeptic community, why aren't more women speaking up? Why is one loud attention whore making it sound like its a problem of thousands? And why are so many people falling for it?\n\nI want women to feel safe and included, but I don't think the answer lies in jumping every time miss Watson says jump. 1338613676 You win, your workplaces proxy has a much more skeptical mind than mine:\n>Tru-View has categorised this page as Drugs 1340381514 They make it sound like magic by suggesting it's powered by water. It's powered by a battery which goes through a lot of unnecessary steps before reaching your device. 1327519664 Like [this thing?](http://edition.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2012/10/26/ufo-spotted-over-kentucky.wlex) 1351404062 I used to experience something similar, but never while I was conscious. Perhaps I should elaborate because that's a fucking silly statement ("it's called dreaming you asshole")--basically, I'd have a dream, and some portion of it would manifest itself into my waking life verbatim as it occurred in the dream, usually in a completely different context (like it could be a conversation, but in real life I wouldn't have been being chased by zombies like in the dream, yet I'd still be talking to the person I was talking to in the dream and say the exact words used in the dream and hear the same words I heard in the dream from whomever I was talking to). Usually it was something extremely innocuous or trivial, and it wasn't always the very next day--sometimes it was 3 or 4 days later, but when I was in my adolescence/late teens, this happened like once a week. It was pretty sweet; I wish it wouldn't have stopped happening (for one reason or another I rarely dream when I sleep these days :( )\n\n**TL;DR** I had "dream deja-vu" where I'd dream something and a small portion of the dream would happen verbatim--like a word-for-word conversation that's 10-20 seconds between me and the same person--within a few days.\n\nEDIT: extra conjunctions. I took them back to the junction. 1332993382 >anecdotal evidence is bullshit. \n\nNo, it's just not as credible as other kinds of evidence. Until somebody does some science, I'm just going to go by first hand experience. It's at least good enough to warrant real research. 1339729000 That post is fucking awful in so many ways. I hope the OP is still in middle school or even elementary school. 1333889201 I'm not a regular here, but ultimately we're going to need some kind of AI to govern us because we've demonstrated that we're not very good at doing it ourselves. 1287630808 YUP. 1334374555 The article itself gives several reasons to doubt it:\n\n1. The test date/name of company doesn't match up. \n\n2. Misalignment in the data fields. \n\n3. Obvious motive for forgery. \n\nI'd add a couple more. \n\n1. Why would he have been tested there? HIV testing isn't hard nowadays. You can do it at home. Any doctors office can do it too. Why would he go to an agency which specialised in adult video stars?\n\n2. It would be unusual for someone who is HIV+ to get a liver transplant. The interactions between HIV treatments and immunosuppressants isn't well know and because of that most doctors would be hesitant. \n\nOn the whole I'd be unconvinced by this. 1318711257 >A constitution, bill of rights, separation of powers, etc. \n\n>the biggest gun, i.e. a fair government acting as arbiter.\n\nBoth of these are just trusting the government to limit itself. We can see today how this doesn't work. The Patriot Act is still running strong. Illegal wars are still being fought. The only real recourse is:\n\n>people will seek to overthrow it.\n\nAnd if people are trained that the method of that overthrowing is by voting in elections that are run and counted by government, then the people have very little recourse indeed.\n\n>It would be a lot harder for citizens of a Libertarian society\n\nI disagree. First of all, the biggest gun is not a resource for the people, it's a resource for the government, for the monopoly that the people need protection from. Secondly, in a Libertarian society, alternative businesses can be made to compete with one that is becoming illegitimate very early in the process. To oppose that business with violence would immediately out the bad company as totally illegitimate. While in the day of government, someone try's to make a competing police force for example would be shut down immediately with no chance of growth, making defending themselves from government incredibly difficult.\n\nAnd I linked it for a definition, but I disagree with some of the claims in the article. One of them being that suppose there is an autocrat, and that post is filed by fitness. The opportunity is still severely limited because there can only be one autocrat at a time. For simplicity sake consider one person who is 95% fit and another who is 93% fit. The next autocrat would be the person who is 95%, and the person who is 93% would have no opportunity and no rewards for his fitness. In a market both could go into business and succeed comparative to their ability.\n\n>it will tend to concentrate in the hands of a few entities\n\nThroughout history this most typically happens in the most regulated markets. Areas where government has created high barriers to entry limiting competition. In free-er markets the market begins with one innovative company maintaining a large market share while competition refines and improves and levels the playing field. Look at the leveling of marketshare in the smartphone industry for example. Look at the internet and how no-name bloggers can suddenly begin to make a living writing without being part of a big media company.\n\nThis is in direct contrast to heavily regulated industries like cell phone providers, where the FCC makes it so expensive to go into business that the ones that are left has been gobbled up to the point where there are only 4 in the US and no one can afford to start a new one. Or health insurance, so regulated that there's almost thing left but Anthem and Priority Health. It's government restrictions that have consolidated property into the hands of the few. 1343075352 Even the conspiracy was a conspiracy. 1334810393 The government has done it before but Greer a Government agent? Please...\n\nSelf profiting exploiter who happens to damage the cause of true knowledge on the ET presence is more like it.\n\nI can't tell you what he is or who he is working for if anyone because that would be ignorant without all the facts. I simply have no way of knowing at this point.\n\nHowever his statements paint an incorrect/impossible picture which tells me he is not a bringer of truth and that's all I need to know not to listen to him.\n\n 1329147034 That makes sense. I also look at discoveries in ancient Asia and elsewhere that makes me think there was technologies there that we don't have the whole story on or even always understand how they came across the knowledge or construction/methods. This leads me to believe that there are periods in history that we don't actually understand yet. That's the biggest reason I don't think we can use the ancient past as a "textbook." We're still missing a number of chapters! 1343164724 Sorry to say it friend, but even though I believe in the Nordic alien concept(see Travis Walton), Billy Meier was a scam artist.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arMKT0r9cL8\n\nhttp://forgetomori.com/2007/ufos/the-billy-meier-hoax-photographs/\n\nhttp://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-billy-meier-affair-wedding-cake-edition/ 1352848632 Honestly, if you think he was talking to you, you're retarded. 1344187627 This is my guilty "secret" too - Ganzfeld experiments (and other similar experiments) show a statistically significant "telepathy" effect. The more tight the science gets (double blind, etc) the harder it is to explain what is causing the effect.\n\nThe effect is so small, that people can take the statistics and attempt to dismiss them - but I dont - I think there is something going on there. 1335048846 You haven't read the theories about multi-dimensional teleporting Sasquatch? That ain't normal. 1338732245 Hell, I'm so old that I remember that MTV used to play music videos *all the time*. \n\nCan you remember which VJ used to host those segments? 1328984667 It maintained altitude, which is something that a glider couldn't do in the cold morning air. 1285477136 Actually I kind of love this site. I visit it sometimes just to put things in perspective, to help remind me why I sought out the skeptic community in the first place. It's like a little obstacle course or training ground for your skeptical mind to wander in and marvel at all the woo. Another thing is that some people close to me are really into this kind of stuff and I like to keep tabs on what they're thinking about, so that when we have the inevitable conversations they don't blindside me with woo I've never heard of before. \n\nSeriously, it's like the Reddit of woo. 1347707282 What's telling is the number of illegal drugs on the list. "But I'm a homeopath officer!" 1305934916 From a statistical standpoint it seems strange that you've had multiple sightings. 1331668917 >The entire premise is absurd.\n\nIt isn't if you take the time to actually read the science on it, which you obviously haven't done.\n\n>Co2 doesn't start the warming but we know for sure it finishes it off. \n\nAs I said before, CO2 is *usually* a feedback, however right now it's acting as a forcing due to human intervention. Note that it *may* have acted as a forcing before, due to some catastrophic event. For instance, it is probable that there was an episode of intense CO2-induced global warming during the Permian-Triassic Extinction Event due to Siberian supervolcanoes. CO2 would thus have been a forcing in this case.\n\n>It's patent nonesense that falls apart under the scrutiny of common sense.\n\nAgain, it isn't. It's peer-reviewed science supported by actual evidence.\n\n>But honestly Archie keep reading your "skeptical" website I am sure Jughead loves listening to you gush about it.\n\nThis is not a rational response. Are you already out of arguments? Wow, that was fast!\n\n>I, for one, am pretty sick and tired of being insulted by the believers running on faith and nothing else.\n\nI wouldn't know about that, since I'm a rational skeptic who accepts AGW theory as very likely true given the amount of evidence supporting it.\n\nSpeaking of evidence, you should trying giving some to support your assertions some day. It would help us take you seriously. 1321895630 Good for you, but I hate this attitude. I have a friend who eats nothing but shitty food, and he weighs maybe 140 lbs wet. Seriously, he's tiny. The fact that your diet works for you is not generalizable to a larger population than yourself. 1347564950 >I wish /r/ufos was a place we could research it and leave out all of the stupid nonsense comments.\n\nYou're looking for /r/UAP.\n\n;) 1344873406 Ah, sorry, didn't see it :P 1316975145 Is there another video clip to explain how this is done? (i.e. refuting the idea of no-touch punches?) 1324313129 Man 'Loose Change' is terrible...\n\nGoogle: 'Screw Loose Change'\n\nEveryone agrees Zeitgeist movies are shit... he should find a different source... no one cares...\n\n[RKOwen4](http://www.youtube.com/user/RKOwens4) on youtube does a pretty good job in general\n\n*Important summary*: \n\nHigher ups in the truth movement lie / omit information to convince others. Because the higher ups "know the truth" and other people just need to join the movement. 1303675637 Oh, just like the "high salt will kill you" misinformation. Noted. 1338910881 From watching ghost hunting type shows it seems to me that the digital voice recorders catch the best evidence. I don't think they're very expensive & it could become a nice tool for your first hunt. Just make sure that you know where all the buttons & doo-hickeys are on it before you get in a dark room somewhere. :)\n\nI would go, it could be a really neat experience. Just make sure & do your history on the area first. Make sure that you get permission from the owners of the property. Make sure that several people who are not on the hunt know where you are in case you get lost. Take lots of H2O & some food with you too if you are going out in the wild somewhere.\n\nHave fun & let us know how it goes! 1310889664 The thing to keep in mind is that there's no "official" Occupy Wall Street. So the OWS Facebook page speaks only for the people who put it up, no matter what brand name they put on it. 1339216872 If you ever have to deal with the court system and you are the target of an investigation. Make sure this sinks in. YOU ARE GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT. PROSECUTORS DON'T MAKE MISTAKES. SO EVEN IF YOU ARE REALLY INNOCENT, YOU HAVE TO PROVE (with the help of an attorney) that you are NOT GUILTY.\n\nI used to hate lawyers but after...a run in with the courts, I love my defense lawyer. The government system is so unbelievably frustrating. I really do look at even the most heinous crimes in a new light. You wonder if the people that are found guilty are actually innocent and the people that are found innocent are dangerous criminals.\n 1294932396 This kind of thing is called a false awakening. Basically, you wake up, only to wake up again. It's perfectly normal, though it is strange you actually awoke on the toilet. 1345791833 In the past they used a preservative called thimerosal that was about 50 hg by weight. They used it because it was a very effective preservative that was proven to be safe. They only stopped using it as a preservative sometime after the Wakefield study.\n\nThis wikipedia article seems to do a pretty fair job of explaining what happened.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiomersal_controversy 1284793021 Top movies being quoted on reddit? Unpossible. 1326520250 If you're shooting video on a device that shoots in 1080i video, not 1080p, it's best to deinterlace your video before you upload it and you won't get those horizontal lines in the subject of your video. \n\nCapture the video and deinterlace right away; if you don't, those lines will be embedded in the video and you can't get them out. \n\n1080i sucks for just that reason. You're better shooting 720p. 1340594141 It's two-for-one Tuesday at Krispy Kreme! Plus there's mermaids. 1311725635 He always does. He's given many reasons over the years, but mainly it serves as a distraction and aids in misdirection when he is performing. 1317868458 Sorry but January 2014 we are evolving into a higher dimension and becoming beings of love, Ganjaaa and petrified jager pellets. Just one big party, all good vibes, no debbie downers nor whiney williams just straight heaater tunes and reggaeeeeeeee 1344833393 >Surely 'appeal to authority' is only a fallacy if the appeal is based entirely upon that person's authority and not the fact that they're an expert in that subject.\n\nI don't think so. If someone is an expert on a subject,they should be able to demonstrate this with better arguments and more accurate factual knowledge. If you are simply pointing out their qualifications in order to lend strength to a position, then you are indeed making an appeal to authority. \n\nThat may be necessary in practical situations. We take the qualifications of a physician or a mechanic on trust if there is no other data available. Most often this is the best we can do.\n\nArgument is a different matter. Arguments should stand or fall on their own merits, not on the qualifications of their proponent. Einstein is a good example here. He did not excel in university. He was working in a patent office when he produced the special theory of relativity. What if his ideas had been dismissed on the grounds that a lowly office worker could not know more than a college professor?\n\nLet the arguments stand or fall on their merits. If the arguer is indeed an expert, then they will produce better reasoning. \n\n\n 1274061336 heh I'm doing the five pound note thing first chance I get. \n\nI'm pretty sure it will get me laid. 1272489108 You only ever experience yourself not dying, because if you're dead, you're not there to experience it (assuming death is based on a quantum event which is both binary and instantaneous). 1326453996 There's lots of ways for two planes to hit eachother. There are plenty of places on the plane that could be hit without damaging the radio. It could have been as simple as clipping off part of the tail. 1326995664 Depending on the stage of sleep you were in, your brain has completely different perceptions of time. In deep sleep, in which delta waves are simulated, you have almost no perception of time relative to periods of wakefulness. For example, a dream which seems to be long-winded and deeply explanatory could have only lasted fractions of a second. This compressed dream is then decompressed after waking up and is manipulated by the conscious brain to be understood in the context of normal units of time. Thus, your brain could have played through an incredibly quick narrative just after hearing the sound, but you only perceived it as paranormal because your conscious brain distorted the narrative so as to understand it in real-time units. 1277583845 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR5AWIKxstI 1316574194 I disagree. Critical thinking is applicable in every day life, not just 'fringe' subjects. Right now the top link on this subreddit has to do with economics. The number two and three are about music. Skepticism is what makes modern medicine what it is today, and politicians in general could certainly learn a lot from it. It's just easier for skeptic noobs to apply critical thinking to nonsense like homeopathy (IMHO). 1329106182 > This will be without any studies being done to determine the effects of either the short-term or long-term effects of this microwave exposure on adults as well as children.\n\nThey also haven't done any studies about the effects of fluorescent lights, water, oxygen, or nitrogen on children. That doesn't mean that any of those things are remotely dangerous either.\n\nMicrowave radiation is *lower* energy than plain visible light, so any damage that can be caused by WiFi will be caused even more intensely by light bulbs. There is no possible mechanism by which WiFi-scale-intensity microwaves can damage tissue, and no reputable studies that have found a conclusive link.\n\nIt's bullshit. 1328162354 How does an antivax group not give people misleading and inaccurate information without exposing themselves as having no real argument against vaccination? Good article, by the way. 1278967195 What can sometimes be forgotten is that democratic governments are supposed to represent the interests of the nation as a whole and be accountable. So if elected or to-be elected officials are meeting with capitalists, financiers, bankers, and members of the feudal elite in private, the potential to subvert that is enormous. If it were just a meeting of business leaders, or just a meeting of incredibly wealthy citizens, it would be different. 1342420591 I agree entirely. That's exactly how the null hypothesis works. 1305338679 All I can say myself is that I am not knowledgeable about climate science, and my maths sucks (something I plan to work on). Given that, I will go with the consensus. They may be wrong, but I am willing to trust them. 1311692958 Don't expect the average joe to understand complex phenomenon.\nIf it's cold in his bathroom, global warming doesn't exist (bonus points if he owns a big SUV)\nIf he's got a good job, then all those unemployed lazy people should just do the same.\n\nThat kind of "the Earth revolves around my rectum" reasoning is the bane of our century. Dumbness beyond repair.\n\nLive and let live, chuckle and rage occasionally. Business as usual. \nPeople are dumb beyond repair. \n 1293403162 Because if you don't apply it equally, regardless who who has more shit, then matters will quickly devolve to the point where the people it is applied to will start having their shit lifted from them while the people it is not applied to aren't even allowed to mention their shit.\n\nThat is the situation we have now.\n\nSocial justice, applied properly, is an equalizing force. It must be applied everywhere or else the situation will destabilize in *some* direction. I'm not just thinking about how things have been or how things are, but also of how things will be *because* of how it is currently applied. 1347407984 Why would an alien ship on the far side of mercury need to be cloaked? From what? From whom? 1323043071 I was wrong, see above 1350477985 Whatever, indeed. Just a glimpse of mindset I was on the lookout for. 1345701144 I am about halfway through those. They are *hilarious* and perfect for listening while playing Minecraft on a gray, windy Sunday afternoon. He's a complete nut, but he admits it. He also admits when he's wrong more than any nut I've heard and is amazingly respectful of dissenters. \n\nYou know it's still on iTunes, right? 1326015125 Wish I had another upvote to give this comment.\n 1339260335 This series has been great.\n\nSaw the psychic one first, and right from the start he mentioned counting the hits and ignoring the misses, so I knew that he knew what he was doing in investigating these things.\n\nThe UFO one was disturbing and hilarious.\n\n*Addendum*\n\nEnding that last episode with the voice-over for other TV programmes, advertising some woman's spiritual journey... They must have been having a good laugh at that. 1311220429 Your best bet to contact a UFO would be to have a high powered laser on hand. I have a 500mw green and a 500mw blue laser and either of them could touch a UFO at pretty much any distance. If you want to go all out get a really powerful and expensive spotlight. That would be more convenient and probably shine further than a UFO. 1334646051 hes british he lives in ulster 1355169925 I don't think there are any alien abductions or even alien contact but it does make sense that the government would hide it if it happened, no? 1344981356 I've actually seen it done. They put a flame in a glass cup and then quickly stick it to your skin. The mini/pseudo vaccum sucks your skin up into the cup leaving a distinctive mark when they remove it.\n\nBasically it's like havng a bunch of hickies all at once.\n\nI think it could be a combination of placebo effect/displaced agony. Making you think about the skin sucked up in a cup distracts you from other pain you might be having. 1316648510 [He actually talks with the "Be Skeptical" series guy about this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzxqfd4-DIs&t=06m25s), and stands by it entirely, and defends the science behind it.\n\nI'm not defending it myself--I don't know enough about molecular chemistry/physics--but I don't know if most people do, either. Can you argue against his points?\n\nThis is actually something I'd like to hear AskScience talk about. 1337340628 The point is that your previous flips don't have an effect on the next flip. It's true, the chance of getting heads twice in a row is 1/2*1/2=1/4 or 3 times in a row is 1/2*1/2*1/2=1/8 and so on becoming unlikely...but even if you get heads 200 times in a row, your next flip is still 50/50 and cannot be affected by the other previous flips. It's not like reddit...you don't build 'heads' karma. In regards to the fallacy...if for example you got heads 10 times in a row, you might think "holy crap, I've gotten heads 10 times in a row. There's no chance I could get it again" although the act of getting it 10 times in a row is indeed unlikely, the chance of get heads now on your 11th flip is still 50/50. The fallacy lies in your reasoning that because something has occurred in a particular way, you think that it effects things that come after it. Assuming the things are independent. 1332455875 Ooops, typo!... That should read: ***IL***-logic... 1275963227 No he couldn't, that would require a board meeting at least, CEOs aren't the almighty kings of corporations. 1349812994 A friend of mine always dreams of blood the night before her period.\nIt's cool that you dreamt something like that and it actually happened. And you definitely had no way of knowing it would happen. 1310930876 Take the specified dosage and it won't make you sleepy. Take the entire box and you're still not sleepy or experience any side effects. That's the point. 1297454250 >The related videos are mindboggling...\n\n...I feel stirrings in my crotch chakra. 1282742999 WTF? I thought this must be a joke account, but it appears to be serious. But now I have a new idea for a twitter account!\n\nedit: And thus @altshakra was born. 1295301886 I thought it was universally acknowledged that crop circles were the work of bored farm-town folk 1327945047 You should have your ocular pressure checked. That is a sign of high pressure in the eye. Seeing orbs is also called aura especially if you are prone to migraines. 1315167663 Too much noise in the data. Environmental and cultural influences vary too much from place to place to isolate any putative effects from chemtrails. 1334411657 Love the downvotes for linking to a documentary, ultimately allowing people to come to their own conclusions. Fluoride lovers... 1338793535 I ate an entire box of this stuff once as part of the ending of a speech I did about homeopathy in my college english class. 1314044376 Fantastic comment. Really made me think. 1354665066 Cold and Flu *are* infections. They are caused by the Rhinovirus and Influenza virus, respectively. 1354153673 >But a god wouldn't have to incarnate itself and conduct a conversation with an atheist in order to convert him.\n\nAre you sure you understood why the god character was talking to the atheist?\n\nDo you think that the god character took human form when he interacted with other species? 1286401541 Thats a nice one. There is something. It's just not explainable yet. \n\nMy sister actually saw my gran, and spoke with her, after she had passed away. She discribed what my gran was wearing, and it was the gown she was buried in.\n\nThere is something to it. My theory is floating conciousness or some shit. Science can't answer the paranormal at the moment, but after hearing that story, and the fact my mum has dreams that come true (death) then I'm certain that there is something to it. \n\nHe was just reminding you that he's still here : ) 1346271077 And brushed his teeth! 1340294631 This is a place for real experienced Glitches in the Matrix. Not stories designed to spook or unsettle, but real life observations of glitches in reality. 1326842545 Those underwater cities were last human and or alien civilizations before one of the many pole shifts. We are heving a pole shift now moving to age of.. Aquarius I think? Poles shift ice moves to the new poles due to the magnetic charge shit goes underwater due to the change in landscapes I'm pretty sure we are going to find some surprises under Antarctica this is just my theory but yeah if the library of Alexandria were still here we would know a lot more. Everytime "the end of the age" comes aka pole shifts natural disasters go wild and human civilizations get reset or set back maybe. Atlantis could be real :p. Idk what's really what but yeah. Aliens probably set up first colonies here 1320453130 The placebo effect shows up almost entirely in self-reported symptoms but not in objectively measured symptoms.\n\nFor example, if you were testing a (hypothetical) cancer drug that was supposed to reduce the pain of cancer and also reduce tumor size, the placebo effect would be evident in the pain but absent in the tumor reduction.\n\n\n\nSounds more like "mind over mind" than "mind over matter". I have yet to see any evidence of the placebo effect showing up in any objectively measurable context. 1346859052 Here are a few subreddits to check out:\n\n/r/nosleep \n\n/r/LetsNotMeet \n\n/r/Thetruthishere \n\n/r/GhostStories\n\n 1350432198 > You're not getting it, are you? \n\nNo I get it. You are trying to zing me by saying a normal MD performed a chiropractic procedure on you. I am simply not buying it.\n\n> I'm not defending "manipulation to adjust your chi".\n\nAt some point the chiros started to realize no one was buying that the manipulations were useful for fixing the flow of spiritual energy. They started to market the manipulations as a sort of back bone therapy and attempted to become credible as some sort of actual doctor. The same random popping as before.\n\n> The fact that you can't seem to recognize this just makes you sound as rational as an anti-vaxxer.\n\nChiro believers have as much evidence as anti vax, none. I am not being irrational for being skeptical of a woo practice with no scientific supporting evidence. There is no evidence chiro "manipulations" or "adjustments" are useful for spiritual energy flow and there is no evidence it is useful for anything other than a massage with a side of placebo. \n\n\n 1309920640 Well I'm sorry, I searched for this video and came up with nothing. I hope I didn't offend you with this submission. Thanks for the helpful comment. 1288290980 Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope Nope. 1337002289 As others have been echoing here, OBEs are real things, and very cool. People learning to due them intentionally actually often use sleep deprivation as a tool, as it is easier to jump start an OBE when you are extremely tired. 1343135843 [It would it appear it actually was cancelled](http://www.wyeside.co.uk/event/134/Joe-Power---A-Night-of-Mediumship.htm). I don't think the note was made by anyone affiliated with Joe Power or Wyeside though. The poster looks like any other A4 poster (the cancelled-note appears to be as wide as the poster) posted all over random bulletin boards. 1311947294 I like Larry.\n\n> WGN news knows what's up, lets psychic make herself look foolish\n\nFTFY 1287701553 Ah ... I don't know why they put that in there. The other one says "they are also from a system with nine planets and inhabit the 3rd, 4th, and 5th ones ..."\n\nWhich makes more sense. 1320847362 Since when the crap was .museum a tld? 1318462799 I had to stop watching once it mentioned Atlantis. 1343292713 Hey, you wanna say that to *my face*? 1319484654 Why not? Many pitt bull breeds were originally sporting dogs, bred for baiting bulls. Then the breed group was co-opted and was used for fighting *other dogs*. Let's not forget, in the 20s this type of dog was called the "nanny dog" and was considered a wonderful family pet for many years. Spot from the show The Little Rascals was a Pitt Bull. This dog has been re-invented over and over again, and even though it's the thug's dog of our generation (a place of 'honour' that the German Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher, and Rottweiler have all held in turn), that doesn't mean that the breed is inherently man-flesh hungry. Some of them are abused because of the image they have and the type of owner that attracts, which may cause unbalanced behaviour in individual dogs. \n\nThey're not devils. They're just dogs. 1333588491 google foam parties\n 1344744096 Oh! And no more bad breath! oh shit my tongue is melting 1301974069 Couldn't this just be a speck of dust on the lens of the camera? 1331571619 I think that really happened. The person's name is Michele Bachman. 1316097581 Nope. I have searched and searched for the paranormal and have found nothing but the natural. 1339173857 Being right and convincing someone are two different things.\n\nWould you change what you're doing because they called you a sinner? No. So why do you expect them to change when you do exactly the same? 1341574516 Derpa Herpal Tea. \n\nDrink it daily for a more focused willful ignorance. 1315631649 I like Paranormal State. Especially when they bring in the mediums. 1329195233 cool!! 1345466132 Yup.\n\nhttp://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp 1351273397 Really? I didn't realize these stickers were helping to educate people. I must've missed the URL printed on them leading to websites explaining the science behind alternative medicine. Lets be honest, these are just to antagonize people and make the person putting them on the boxes feel superior. 1331068958 The Church has always claimed it has a rational and intellectual aspect.\n\nAnd to be fair many Jesuit priests and the like are also trained as scientists. \n\nBut to call yourself a scientist and believe that a piece of wafer and some wine literally turns into flesh and blood, despite empirically looking exactly the same, requires a level of doublethink that even Orwell himself would have been proud of. 1280239600 "A quick look", meaning you barely read any of it? And of course they have a clear agenda (so do the drug companies, so does the medical field, so do the anti- "anti-vaccine-movement" people). Also, what's wrong with organic food? I happen to prefer it (big companies have a tendency to cut corners & tend to care more about making a profit than the long-term health of the consumer) & grow most of my own so that I can say with confidence that I'm doing my best to NOT put unknown chemicals & crap into my body or into the environment. I wasn't talking about the website, I was referring to the interview which you clearly ignored. This is exactly what I mean by "evidence to the contrary (being) completely disregarded".\n\nAnd WTF do UFOs have to do with anything? 1317178215 >Citation please. It's not that I don't necessarily believe that, it's just that I've never heard that before outside of the context of the Somalian-style warlords stealing all the food.\n\nIf the price of food artificially drops, local farmers cannot compete. American subsidies have a similar effect. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=food+aid+local+farmers\n\n>The other fundamental difference is that many anti-capitalists disagree that you can sell you labor, and considers that a terrible concept. The notion is rather that you can sell the fruits of your labor. ie I don't sell my labor, I sell the chair I made, or the fifteen widgets I made on the factory line, or the service to fix your drains, or whatever.\n\nThis argument is based on an emotional wording of terms. \n\nImagine if I offered to pay you to come over to assemble my Ikea furniture. It's absurd to think that the furniture becomes yours to sell. Similarly, the factory owner asked you to assemble the raw materials into chairs for him so he can sell them. \n\nIf you merely think of labor as a product itself instead of only thinking of the end product the whole idea becomes trifle. And do I not own my self and therefore am freely able to work for who I please? And who says I want to sell the chair? I incur the risk of nobody wanting to buy the chairs. This way, I can keep my wages even if the chairs don't sell on the market. If I'm more skilled at assembling chairs, it makes sense to build it for someone else so that they can sell it. 1306469751 Damn, this totally stole my idea for an awesome show.\n\nAlso I love Rebecca sometimes. Adorable, yet still a typical skeptic. Somehow the mix of utter cynicism and complete optimism mix well in her. 1286273277 Because we live in a world in which nothing unscientific is happening. 1340093612 This. When I read the title, I immediately thought "you should feel like an asshole." but when I read the post i changed my mind. Selling woo is not your primary job, so I'd say your not an ass. So, look for a new job while you work this one, and donate to Skeptoid or the SGU, or Hrab or... well, you get the point. 1308074038 Alan Yurko's been around for quite a while and has a known history of violent behavior. In fact, he's in jail right now for violating his parole, again. Anti-vaccine folk, this is your martyr! 1329859310 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6g0ZBPGTTc 1322324640 Plus, high ceo pay allows them to get talent, not just people who want to do charity. 1355109159 I have a friend who posts bullshit like this all the time on FB, he even has spoken at anti-vaccination rallies. I cringe but I do not bother debating the shit because obviously reason and evidence based opinions are not his strong suit lol 1333433796 Well of course your church tells you not to talk to the aliens. They're the evil ones. The ones that took their own kind to put on this planet and blew them up in a volcano and their ghosts [called "thetans"] cling to the souls of humans and other life on this planet to draw them down. \n\nWhy would you be friendly with them? Of course, you all also believe that psychiatrists [apparently they're responsible for hitler, holocaust, and ..9/11] are in league with the Evil Alien Empire just because they laughed at L. Ron Hubbard's science fiction work so long ago and he had a vengeful hatred for them since then. Until he died with psychiatric drugs in his system. 1307306676 I really like this one! 1342099159 Thank You for your rational intellectual response.\n\nEDIT:\n\n[removed counterproductive verbiage]\n\n[You might fight this random reddit comment interesting and educational](http://www.reddit.com/r/lgbt/comments/i1omn/so_a_gay_couple_came_into_my_store_two_days_ago/c205x52) 1310387628 Efficacy is too uncommon ('big') a word. Should be more like "this product is untested" or something.\nEDIT: fixed blatant spelling/grammar error 1334764559 I 'spose so. Always gottuh be some argument. 1333835632 You can't dilute the message of a movement when that movement never had a well-defined message to begin with\n 1339173069 What exactly do you want? That is the answer to your question. Do you want me to re-word it and not link to a blog?\n\n1. There is a natural greenhouse effect. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n2. Greenhouse gases contribute to the greenhouse effect. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n3. Greenhouse gases have increased due to mankind's contribution. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n4. Top of atmosphere radiation "accounting" can predict eventual surface temperatures. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n5. Temperature increase is 3 degrees C for a doubling of CO2. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n6. CO2 as driver of modern warming predicts 1.2 degrees C warming, and we have warmed .7 degrees C above natural variation, so there is at least a predicted .5 degrees C still coming, regardless of what we do. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n7. Therefore, CO2 will cause increased temperatures. **<--- not a link to a blog**\n\nEdit: formatting. 1261068314 Skepticism can and should at least in part be based upon expertise. \n\nAnd he's saying they're wrong because they don't know shit about the subject about which they're arguing, and that the people with lab coats are right not because they have *a* qualification, but because (and only if) they have a qualification in the area of expertise relevant to the argument.\n\nSurely 'appeal to authority' is only a fallacy if the appeal is based entirely upon that person's authority and not the fact that they're an expert in that subject. For example, a child might attempt to settle an argument with a friend by asking their parent to settle the argument, simply because they're older. If their parent doesn't have any relevant knowledge, then it's an appeal to authority and their answer can be greeted with skepticism. But if their parent were to have a qualification in that area, then I think it'd be silly to dismiss their answer, even if it runs contrary to your knowledge.\n 1274046122 Yes, vehicles and operations that rely on this are called PASODs. That's high-brass jargon for Public Apathy Stealth Object Deception. 1323053904 It could very well be different, it just brought to mind those studies I had learnt about in one of my neuropsych courses. If you have the chance/opportunity you might be able to find a neuropsychologist with access to an fmri machine who would be interested to watch your brain when you do this (might be hard if you'd start moving too much for the machine to take clear images). 1343619992 100% agree. I believe that children are much, much more in tune with these experiences, especially past lives. I also believe indoctrination into modern society pushes us into a much more cynical view of life. I do not think it coincidence that ancient civilizations were much more in touch with the spiritual aspects of humanity. While I believe science has done nothing but improve our lives, I also feel on the flip side it has made us cynical as a society. It has now become my view that it is human hubris that pushes us to believe science and our views are the answer to everything. In fact I feel it to be ignorant to believe that it is the case. As a scientific person I often struggle with a disparity between my spiritual half and my scientific half, but I do believe there will be a reconciliation of both halves, for society, and I. I truly believe that it is ignorant to think that we have all the answers, and I also believe that is this societies greatest downfall. 1317291110 oh wow, it's been updated since I last looked at it. it now has about 2x the crazy 1324332532 Your examples don't make sense. Just because a company makes unhealthy food A doesn't mean they can't make healthy food B. Same with "natural" products, which are most likely no healthier than products not marketed as natural anyway. 1349838953 No such thing as ghosts. :) 1346059772 Urine tests are only useful if mercury poisoning is chronic, and spot samples are less reliable than 24-hour samples, which the study points out. But since most sources of mercury exposure are environmental - eg, a nearby coal plant - this isn't as limiting as it sounds.\n\nIn a perfect world the sample would be larger and they'd use hair analysis in addition to urine analysis, but on the whole it's a decent study. 1329435029 Seems a little bit better than most wooers. 1304011419 It's sad that this "good job" is only noticed because of how incredibly, stupefyingly rare real reporting is from them. 1332716526 So, now I am curious. What do you think it is? 1313113256 I don't think that expression means what you think it means lol 1342336817 >Dont click here\n\nThanks. I didn't. 1327426607 And you also have to be careful as to how research is disseminated to the public. (apologize for the comment hijak, as this doesn't apply here per say, but in the future when reading pop culture reporting on scientific findings). I went to a talk on scientists and the media, and he pointed out that many media outlets will misstate scientific literature in their headlines (often because they don't understand the nuances of the study or research in general). The term "significant" can mean different things in different realms (in this case, "statistically significant" does not necessarily mean it is significant in the practical sense of the word). 1327444917 As an astronomer, all I can say is:\nFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU 1292918997 I'd watch that.\n 1321552655 Nice I'd not seen that one before. The [moon landing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw&feature=related) one's very good too 1341620313 Wow that was my favorite response. 1345504705 I believe the main reason why herbal medicine is treated with healthy skepticism is not because there is no perceived benefit from effective and studied herb and the such, but from the tendency of practitioners to include untested and many times harmful treatments along with an insistence that non-herbal medicine is inherently bad for a patient who might otherwise have found treatment as effective with a general practitioner. 1298231003 Do they have white strobe lights? I've never seen lights like that on a police car. 1344817387 Yeah, pretty much. 1310589951 Yeah, pretty much. 1323380144 And now that you have? 1294025131 Thanks, that makes it a bit easier I think.... Actually, reminds me that Mlodinow wrote a book, The Drunkard's Walk, that I think is about this stuff. Perhaps I should check it out.\n\nWhat about the case with children though? Is it actually wrong to take note of the sex of the first child, because the sex of the subsequent child is not dependant on the sex of the first? So it's always 50/50? 1334582228 I'll have to go through the episodes and see if I can find any on vaccines. I did find one on eating boogers: http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/home_page?init_type=Feature&init_id=1792 1317149905 Maybe they dont need them, photographic memory? 1332877249 Is this comment meant to represent the philosophy of the History Channel when it comes to UFO phenomena? 'Cause that's exactly the approach they take, only it's a *unfortunate guess* as opposed to an educated guess, which is what they should be trying for. 1306947605 I also thought it was well done. The doc presented the Rendlesham incident a little more thoroughly than I had seen elsewhere. Overall I'd recommend it. 1314478423 Convincing yourself that you have a rock that repels tigers will make you feel pretty damn great until you get mauled by a tiger. 1338307763 You're very welcome! 1344519295 Some of them might be true, as a joke or people intentionally continuing this 'conspiracy'. \n\nBut many of them strain the imagination, I can't see the one in Black Swan where it says sex is written on her forehead, chin, lips... 1316325477 Nope. Didn't shift. The claim is women need to be afraid of men, you made the claim that just as many men are raped. I asked by who. If the the answer is "Still Men" then women still have a justification for being afraid of them over women. 1351109314 c gizzle my nizzle 1352401140 Ah, but Brown often provides spectacular --but utterly untrue-- explanations for his tricks. He may well have actually done this one with camera work, but that will not be the explanation he provides. \n\nHis explanation will seem logical and yet utterly amazing, and will be just plausible enough that most folks will figure only a true genius (like Brown, of course) could pull it off.\n\nDB is very talented, no doubt about it. But his true *genius* lies in tricking his audience with his *explanations*, rather than with the tricks themselves. 1252654082 Love this list. Being in Indiana, I might have to head to Illinois to check a few of those out! 1351736689 I'm pretty much in agreement with Randi. There's a lot of seemingly reliable people saying the evidence is inconclusive.\n\nThe climate obviously changes on it's own. We know there was an ice age and we're pretty sure that didn't happen because of people burning fossil fuels, then we came out of that ice age, again, without human intervention.\n\nWhat is the smoking gun of climate change researchers? How do they know it's human intervention?\n\nPersonally, I'm more worried about the toxic chemicals and heavy metals in our food supply, I think that's a greater threat to humanity. It also seems like a lot of the "green" solutions like hybrid vehicles for example, involve mining rare materials that can kill us if not handled properly, and once those products reach consumers in the form of batteries or household appliances, they're going to become an active threat to their neighbours because people throw shit in the garbage that they're not supposed to.\n\nThe main reason I side with the majority opinion is because of the "champions" of climate change deniers like "Lord" Christopher Monckton. The man is a buffoon, and seems like a walking embarrassment, but Right Wing Radio gladly welcomes him on as an unchallenged expert.\n\nBut really, if I knew nothing about the subject at all, what is the #1 reason I should believe that human beings are causing 'climate change' on a planet that regularly changes climate without our intervention? 1322454358 Stan Lee's superhumans. http://www.history.com/shows/stan-lees-superhumans 1309565034 know any history on the apt? i've dealt with shit like that before at my job- Work at a old strip club- a manager died in the building like 5 yrs ago and usually when we close late like at 5 am we hear banging and things moving around- I once found 30 small rhinestones stacked in a pyramid in a locked storage room only I had the keys to. Me and a few friends did a little confrontation thing with "it". we pretty much smoked some herbal and called his name over and over and told him to chill the fuck out- and it worked kinda- it felt less hostile at least. shit randomly gets moved and doors open all the time but no violence. one creepy girl walking in to apply and literally walked out because she said there were spirits there. 1353166702 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soybean#Men\nMore importantly, the cited article: \nhttp://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2810%2900368-7/abstract\n\nIf you have another source for contradictory information, cough it up.\n\nWhen you have a report of "terrible" effects of something consumed by literally billions of people worldwide, take a moment to think about whether it could possibly be true or not. 1309513972 I hate to break it to you guys, but this is seriously fake.\n\nThe audio quality is all wrong for any/all plane and background noises. \n\nFirst - small planes are really loud. It's probably not actually possible to talk on a cell phone in a small plane without some kind of noise canceling headset. (He probably also can't get cell access in that flight area, and cell phone towers intentionally try to filter aerial traffic anyway.)\n\nTwo - there's a totally fake air raid siren sounding thing. It doesn't change stereo position or volume, ever, even when he says he's turning and burning and changing pitch and altitude. And it's not something you'll be able to hear over a small plane engine and prop.\n\nThe sounds of the jet coming near the plane - you wouldn't really be able to hear it until it was really, really close, and then it would overwhelm the small plane engine. Also, he's flying below the stall speed of an F-16.\n\nAs for being shot at - even if it was a common anti aircraft gun or missile you wouldn't hear yourself being shot at. Anti-aircraft shells and missiles tend to go faster than the speed of sound. First you blow up, then maybe you hear the boom of it being shot. If you're lucky.\n\nIf it was some hypothetical alien energy weapon? Do you really think it'll go "boom" and travel slower than sound? 1325835304 Oh please. All I know is that women who believe themselves goddesses love to get on top and ride you like a rodeo bronco until they fall over senseless from too much pleasure. \n\nAnd I got no problems with that. 1306820444 ZOOM\n\nENHANCE 1345501656 You've got to use the most flammable straw you can find when building your strawman. 1324688034 high in fiber, too. 1352062613 That campfire podcast sounds awesome. As long ad I don't have to listen to Jim Harold's voice for too long. There's something about it that makes me squirm. 1353400661 I believe it's mainly done at night to take out any contamination from people in cars and from being in the buildings under investigation. 1340918128 Dumb da-dumb dumb dumb. 1311124111 Well what else did you expect from da' masta'. 1334433851 What you actually said was (I added the bolding):\n\n> You see, there's this **sub-aether** network of interconnectedness (allowing cosmic consciousness), and I'm able to connect to this network without the use of psychedelics or dream states (the typical pathway for neurotypicals)\n\nWhich suggests that you connect to a network outside of the aether. 1294340082 And reality shows, as I learned decades ago, are phony & scripted. 1293673699 Since I have no reason to believe you and my own research has led me to think that the chiropractic dogma is nothing but superstition, I'll call bullshit on your story. You might have experienced it that way, but it had nothing to do with nerves in your spine. Your body does not work that way.\n\nMedical Doctors that earned their license through education have nothing good to say about chiropractors because they know chiropractors are scammers. It's as simple as that. 1318354978 I always look to religion for my science. 1303659025 The anti-abortion laws and policies don't only affect the legal status of abortion - for example, the state of Arizona currently restricts funding of their Planned Parenthood clinics on the basis that they perform abortions. So whilst abortion is technically legal, they have implemented policies which make abortion more difficult. 1348022583 Seems that way to me. All of the major cleaning chemical companies have an organic brand line. 1326750792 >You mean everything except your lying, murdering government. You ignorant fucking shill.\n\nNo, **I meant everything.** I said something very specific, and you literally called me a liar to my face with *zero* evidence. If this your standard of proof for making *accusations*, how can I even *consider* trusting your judgment regarding 9/11? \n\n You're so full of shit it's actually coming out your ears. I *did research.* I came to a different conclusion than you did...so that makes me "an ignorant fucking shill?" \n\nYour absolute hatred for people who don't share your beliefs is just fanaticism, and it's disgusting. **You** are the problem, not me.\n\nHave you ever considered the possibility that our government allowed this to happen because **they're grossly incompetent?** The world is *full* of idiots; truly evil people are few and far between by comparison. What a novel idea that the American Government would be subject to *normal social patterns* just like every other institution that's staffed by people - stupid, arrogant, fallible people!\n\nI've nothing else to say to you; you took my comment, ignored what I *actually said*, and twisted my meaning to suit your own retarded "EVERYONE BELIEVES THE GOVERNMENT AND THEYRE LYING, MURDERING MASTERMINDS AND IF YOU DONT THINK SO I HATE YOU" schema. \n\nHere's a bit of parting advice: **insulting everyone who disagrees with you is not an argument. It's called immaturity.** Have a nice life filled with bitterness and hate towards anyone who even *questions* your preconceived notions. 1319056770 Great sketch. I'm pretty sure Garnier's labs are better than the one I'm working in. \n\nIncidentally, I'm working on a project revolving around αSynuclein, a protein implicated in the aetiology of ... Alzheimer's Disease. 1282749914 This reminds me of something I saw recently. I was a bit closer but it seemed like three bright white lights in a triangle shape. It seemed to pivot similar to whatever is in this video. What I saw blinked deliberately three times and the object in this video seems to be blinking, although that could be due to its shape, distance, or maybe the quality of the camera. Any non-alien explanations out there for this video yet? 1225819811 The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe is essentially "The" podcast. 1339866936 Ze blindfold, it does nothing! 1324576544 Loved this. It's shit like this that should make anybody, whether they believe in aliens or not, scratch their head and say this is real and not a figment of people's imagination 1338116526 I recommend watching PointAndClick's video from PBS. It's far more rewarding than what you'll find in this article. Bit of a shame that OldKingSol didn't clarify the issue. 1342981982 I was awake as far as I remember, but it's hard to know. It did feel very strange, it could have been I was sleeping too yeah. 1354555206 Anyone who cites British Libel laws is on shaky, shaky ground. 1267055088 > People who criticise alternative medicine tend to claim that all of it is unscientific rubbish which we should discard. However, I am not convinced that this opinion is correct.\n\nThis is a salient point. I think skeptics are better-prepared to accept evidence that certain alternative therapies work than proponents are to accept that many don't, so i hope more that proponents read Ernst's blog than skeptics...but part of being a skeptic is being vigilant about untangling one's biases, and it's helpful to have stuff like this to pull ourselves back from the brink of categorical dismissal. 1350563203 While I fully belive you are correct, right or wrong, if it does get the job done, is it worth thinking about as a method? \n\nPeople are people. Fact and logic is not prime motivators for us. Feelings are. There is no bigger man about that. However, how we choose to use this option would define us in some way. \n\nNot all manipulative behaviour is bad. Just being kind and smiling to a taxidriver having a bad day is a form of manipulation. \n\nWe can still use good solid arguments if wrapped properly in emotions, but it is a difficult thing to balance. 1350382806 I'm just going to go be skeptical of that sort of thing there. 1337655661 i dont even consider tarot paranormal tbh 1327766663 And now I've got *another* web series to obsessively follow.\n\nThanks a lot, jerk! 1302490250 i would have figured /r/skeptic would be of the opinion that ADHD IS a made up disorder... 1349917894 [You could always brew your own](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVqnUf8NH6g). 1345840417 If the site has the word "Natural" in it, you can pretty much dismiss it out of hand. It would be akin to getting your anthropology news from the KKK newsletter. 1308068744 "curving the path of the bullet" made me want to tear my hair out" \n\n\n\n/If I could just bitch-slap the writer and director for that, I could die a contented man. 1311062580 True, but then we hardly do any testing in this area yet. 1299455521 For About a month after he said his dog wouldn't leave his side,would like follow him to the toilet and would cry when he'd leave to go out that's about it 1355733840 [Similar to my GITM experience.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/of2c7/lights_on_lights_off/) 1329662130 No one looks in the mirror and sees an irrational person. Their views are arrived at through reason (their reasoning) based on evidence (or what they like to call evidence). They may have no understanding of science or scientific consensus. Your evidence and reason is very unlikely to sway them. However, if they keep even a slightly open mind, little by little the facts may wear down their resistance and you can change their mind.\n\nI view it as a daunting task but not a hopeless one. 1342880352 Are there any other photographs from that time period made using the method you describe? 1324513900 Are those shoes through the railing near the center of the shot? 1338004465 So what if they were? When some bombs got set off around London in 2005, there just happened to be a massive exercise for exactly that situation arranged for the same day. Yet you would have to be out of your damn mind to think that the British gubmint blew up some buses and tube trains. \n\n(And there's another lesson here, America - the day after the attacks, people were right back on the trains and buses, not cowering at home, ranting about how it was done by the illuminati, and demanding that some brown people halfway around the world get bombed into the stone age). 1268900552 In lumping and over-simplifying you easily open yourself to a strawman argument. You would have done better to analyze each work. Furthermore, most of your statements don't actually pick apart the arguments, you just identify elements of the argument and then claim that they commit some sort of fallacy, without illustrating how in fact they do so other than by referencing highly selective evidence. \n\nIt's simply in poor taste to claim that all of these works by very different individuals with very distinct motives and argumentative structures all do the same things. \n\nYour primary and repeated concern is with the definition of terms, but unfortunately, in order for one to make an argument one has to define ones terms. Whenever such definitions are provided, they're going to appear either over-inclusive or under-inclusive to some people. Simply stating that this definition or that one looks over-inclusive/under-inclusive without providing some clarity as to why it would be so is not an argument, but an assertion that requires argument. Still further, establishing that a term is over-inclusive/under-inclusive does not undermine the entire argument, but rather simply provides an avenue for establishing exceptions to the general claim. The general claims may still stand to reason so long as they are properly tailored. \n\nNumber 6 is hardly a point. Moral philosophy is a mangled subject. Religious and non-religious alike have difficulty finding consistency in articulating ethical doctrines. Unfortunately, what you haven't done is show their specific arguments to be inconsistent. As this is really the most important issue in most of these works, it's frankly one that deserves most of your attention. Either you should show the authors to be inconsistent, or if they are not, you should show their arguments to be unsound.\n\nNumber 7 I find particularly egregious because philosophical positions are rarely ever "out-dated" in a practical sense. If that were a valid argument, then you've just given a tool to the Four Horsemen, as they are in a far better position to claim that religious arguments are "out-dated," and would explain why they do what you complain about in point 3 where they "dismiss or misunderstand the traditional argument for God." An argument is either invalid or unsound, it's age is irrelevant. \n\nAlso, reasons one and ten are not reasons, but references to the other eight reasons. \n\nThat said, I have upvoted your post, and I believe more should, because I believe it will inspire a potentially worthwhile debate. Poor though I think they may be, you have made some arguments. What I recommend, though, is that you dissect each work and present your arguments against specific claims made by the authors, rather than presenting a characterization of a body of disparate works, and then providing small amounts of highly selective evidence to support those characterizations. 1330559302 Wasn't this mars-one project a hoax? 1341315634 Hmm, this is certainly interesting. When I first read your description (before watching), my initial thought was that it was likely going to be a rain drop, ice crystal or reflection from inside the cabin. But, they objects appear to be moving *past* the aircraft, which they need to be traveling faster than the plane. \n\n*edit: I agree with a lot of people here -- the recent hoaxes have made me a little jaded. 1316721615 Are you crazy? Did you even look at where I said??? Do you not see the black shadow moving RANDOMLY about, or do you choose NOT to look? Or better yet, are you PURPOSEFULLY derailing my thread? 1351021601 In a weird way, I am thankful for ID people, they have helped teach me how much science really does know about our evolution.\n\n[My favorite is the case of the missing chromosomes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs1zeWWIm5M) 1356066786 Wouldn't control imply free will, which is problematic, to say the least? 1351295921 Absolutely, they could have an effect but what I could find through searching says there are no known effects good or bad of any of these flowers. Also, thank you for the homeopathy info. I didn't know that. 1341022541 He was always the most level headed, reasonable, and helpful guy in the room. Also, he respects me which is a refreshing change. 1319209193 yeah, what is it? 1329765401 You know, I have this bottle of Windex here. How many ghosts do you think that is? 1267674087 Espero que hayas podido entender lo suficiente.\nSaludos desde el Sur del mundo 1292118088 I hope we were all sitting for that one. 1344872426 Oh, the local retard [butch123-Dunning-Kruger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect) is back ... commenting on old threads since he is afraid that other people will see how retarded he is :) 1327591321 http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-tradition/\n\nAre there any properly controlled scientific studies which support the benefits of practiced abstinence? Your claim that it's been part of eastern and western philosophies is irrelevant. There are many things that were part of both eastern and western philosphies for thousands of years which have no basis in reality. 1344218775 that ship at the end, thats a common entity craft seen frequently on nasa transmissions, the most horrifying i've ever seen is the "tether incident" http://youtu.be/As-wYmFYb3I 1334077157 Actually the information coming out of Bilderberg states they try to engage many country's leaders in to global action on certain subjects.\n\nA previous mention (in 2008 or 2009) was the US members of Bilderberg urging the others to join them in an attack on Iran! Luckily the rest of the group saw sense and the US didn't want to go it alone.\n\nMany skeptics seem to approach these things with a bias towards giving a benefit of the doubt even when there is mounting evidence to the contrary. 1302643021 I've noticed that BS levels are strongly correlated to the number of terms in quotation marks used. 1346445623 Here's my actual post to someone when they posted this same thing:\n\n>This is patent nonsense, and a clear case of grasping on to a word- in this case, toxic. Yes, Casein is toxic, but all trials show that you'd have to feed a mammal their weight in casein everyday for weeks on end. I personally can't eat 214 lbs of casein per day. Indeed, that is likely less than I will consume over decades.\n\n>It is toxic in the same way cannabis is toxic- at a level that is unachievable. Water is FAR more toxic than casein- people die every year from water toxicity. \n\n>While I do like my health food, the groups that claim this or that causes cancers, heart disease, autism- make a claim so bold, requiring so much evidence, is disheartening. If a lawyer, or a teacher had routinely made such absurd statements, they would have been fringe cranks.\n\nI don't consider my post to be serious skepticism (hell, I did it on an iPad with what resources I could dig up), but it's what I did on short notice. 1346049560 He has already been told this and he refuses to accept it as an explanation.\n\n>Let's use logic.\n\nHa. 1342979070 Why would so many people lie? I have seen two, maybe three things I can't explain. 1337988036 It was a UFO anus that was crapping dead birds. This sub is beginning to REALLY suck. 1350689412 No, I didn't think you were advocating that...\n\nAssuming Chemotherapy is benchmarked against a placebo effect.. (and shown to be better)... Chemotherapy + 'psychological effect' not shrinking tumors should mean placebo does not shrink them...\n\n> I see no reason to assume that the placebo group wouldn't show any benefit.\n\n\nIn this example I do. If chemotherapy does not reduce tumors, placebo-therapy will have the same or less results... (i.e. also no), and thus no-treatment can't really be worse than no effect...\n\n> Given that studies have suggested that psychological factors can have an effect on the growth rate of some tumors\n\nI'm not aware of these, and sorry I'm too busy right now to google, but I'd imagine "mind of tumor" would be limited to stopping it spreading etc, not killing it.\n\nBlah blah: Tumors are shrinking by some means that we are not currently aware of. Placebo will always have it's role, **but any treatment of cancer will include the placebo effect of "trying to shrink the tumor"... and thus far we don't have a reliable method**.\n\nPlus someone else posted in this thread that placebo has yet to be fully tested in a scientific, clinical trials sort of way. So we don't know the extent / limits of placebo.\n\n(AAAAND now I'm away for a month... Laters) 1278154813 >studies have shown that many times it wasn't the Aspirin that cured your headache, it was all those placebo effects that did it, before the aspirin could have time to work.\n\n[Citation needed.] Honestly, that sounds like BS to me. We're talking about a well-known, well-studied, well-understood neurochemical pathway here. 1326057648 Why does the screen say "Moth Maan"? 1299052840 That is the pussiest "Scratch" I've ever seen. 1339226076 Link to the study itself:\n\nhttp://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AJP/PAP/appi.ajp.2011.11091447.pdf 1330052086 Pasteurizing: heat but don't boil, cool rapidly.\n\nUHT: heat over the temp. of boiling, cool rapidly.\n\nHome: boil slowly, cool slowly. 1328308566 Willful ignorance is a bummer, but seeing people imprison themselves because of their willful ignorance has just ruined my morning. 1315917422 >“Fifty percent of UFO encounters are connected with oceans. Fifteen more – with lakes. So UFOs tend to stick to the water,” he said.\n\nThis is more than likely because humans tend to live near bodies of water. 1355150844 Where or how do I apply!? 1346389613 monkey in the vent 1350260429 When no9 says "empty", what that means is that it is full of containers that are, themselves, empty. Given the enormous overhead necessary to move the weight of the ships and the containers, the addition of a little plastic cargo weight is what we would call "negligible" in the industry. 1352133991 All I know is that when I started as a paranormal investigator back in the late 80's, it was pretty much unheard of, and any time I mentioned what I did, I was treated like I was whacko. As soon as a couple of plumbers decide to try it and get a lucky break from the Syfy channel, I became some kind of celebrity. I think over time though, people are going back to acting like paranormal research is is a joke again, but in the process, thousands of people decide they want to jump on the bandwagon too, even though they have no idea what they're doing, basically robbing the handful of us who have been doing it for a long time of any credibility. I don't know of any statistical data, but if you do a google search, you'll likely turn up a huge number of "paranormal teams" in and around most major cities, though most of them are young kids with no experience who just want to be cool like Jason and Grant. I doubt I answered your question here, but thanks for listening anyway. hehehe 1341526108 People that don't break a sweat don't wash uniforms. 1322407464 Not to mention if you *want* 0%, you can buy it. 1344475999 DID YOU SEE THE BOOBS 1326573164 Why wouldn't prunes be acidic? They have a tartness to them. 1339681961 24/7 streaming Art Bell. 1336420987 A mindmap is a structured hierarchical tree. Make a mind map system that just uses file folders, and you can use a VCS like Git or Hg to make it collaborative. 1344219246 thats the same as the placebo effect, isnt it? Its just endorphins messing around 1287245796 That's hilarious! A supertaster should love to explore the full range of flavours. Bitterness is simply a flavour that more commonly needs to be acquired, but can become something highly enjoyable. \n\nCanadian coke, sadly, is not made with real sugar. But we do have Pepsi Throwback. 1313525830 I believe the word you are looking for is 'concern trolling'. Also I kept on asking people for credentials through out those threads, and the most I got was a student dietician pretending to be a certified dietician. 1326672369 Well, my head hurts, but I blame the large quantity of beer I drank last night.\n 1319208813 As far as talking heads go, he's a good one. But you're right to ask, there are a ton of goofballs out there spouting off whatever comes to mind in order to make a buck. When in doubt, do a quick google search of the person you're inquiring about and you'll quickly find out whether they are full of shit or not. 1351875946 EAT AT VINNIE VAN GO GO'S. 1351105272 So far so good! When will this be released? 1343406350 Classic UFO shape, color and speeds, keep looking up and keep recording, consider getting a tripod and have it in your car just in case it shows up again.\n\nThank you for sharing, as a "believer" evidence like this is a goldmine. 1337964280 I probably should have specified which Kingston it was, but I did include a link to the Police website, so the information was there, it just wasn't as easy to find as it should have been.\n\nWhen the Police Department are out, in uniform, and selling the Power Balance bracelets at places like Cost-Co they are providing tacit legitimacy to the product. When they list the same claims that have been show false in Australia, they are advertising known fraud on their website. \n\nThe choice between Power Balance and candy bars is a joke, there are a near infinite amount of other things they could have sold. The point is completely trivial. \n\nIs this the biggest issue facing the world? No. Is this the biggest issue skeptics should be paying attention to? No. Does that mean that it's a non issue to be ignored? No. \n\nI'm not sure about sorrytodisappoint, but I can write about more than one thing and try to solve a few different problems, so saying it isn't a huge issue doesn't mean that, it makes it so it has to be ignored. If you see someone punch a child on the street do you keep walking by, because there are bigger fish to fry? 1336873234 I'd add the "Earth's climate is not static" argument and call your list complete 1331682544 I let a lot of this slide... most people don't really care one way or the other\n\nonly the TRULY crazy absorb in this nonsense 1339365252 Actually, since the principal on which nuclear weapons operate is that they disrupt atoms and atomic bonds on a nuclear level, you would expect to see some radiation, which is basically the product of unstable atoms.\n\nBut it's amusing to imagine an advanced society that decides to invent nuclear weapons with no trace. "We'll disrupt their nuclear bonds and turn each element into a more stable one instead of a deadly radiating one! Ho ho ho, they'll never expect it! All their gold will decay to silver in their hands! Muahaha!" 1341191028 I know otherwise intelligent people who rave about chiropractic, but I think the problem here is that it's a little bit of good mixed in with a metric shitton of woo. Basically, the parts of chiropractic that work are pretty much a good, deep-tissue massage -- and massages work to relieve pain because getting groped and stroked like that releases a lot of endorphins into your system, and lots of endorphins = happy good time fun place. \n \nNow, if chiropractors basically advertised themselves as massage artists with an advanced degree, fine. "I'll rub your muscles, you'll feel less tense." Okay, perfectly reasonable. Unfortunately, along the way, they've grafted on this whole bullshit concept of subluxation, and the idea that they can adjust specific vertebrae in specific ways in order to cure all kinds of ailments that have nothing to do with the spine whatsoever. \n \nOh -- not to mention that they occasionally severely injure or kill people by performing ill-advised procedures, particularly on those very important [vertebrae](http://whatstheharm.net/chiropractic.html) in the neck... 1310022671 We have to go deeper; maybe you could try [this](http://www.webmd.com/diet/apple-cider-vinegar?page=2). 1326967265 Well, at least we know what aliens sound like now:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTunhRVyREU\n\n 1299108961 >TEDx, just like TED but with more explosions and martial arts\n\nJust like TED but with more easy answers and comforting non-sense. 1355265036 just look up at the sky whenever you get a chance :)...when the sun is low in the sky is the best time to see something... 1345362629 The Earth is not a sphere (round), its an ellipse. 1278414151 took of what? 1342440358 Looks like a rotating, split-sinker that I used to attach to my fishing line. 1319141597 Well your personal belief leads to cults of personality and complete delusion during the earliest stages of the journey. The first 'sin' if you want to call it that, is self delusion. \n\nThankfully its not as willy nilly as you believe. The occult has been a respected field of inquiry much longer then science has, in fact, it founded science based on its own principles. Its just been, until about 60-90 years ago, occult.\n\nIt does in fact matter to both the Op and the general world what we think about cases such as these. In fact it matters a great deal. Lets say for example that this is merely a thought-form accidentally conjured and empowered by the Op. Our believing his fantasy and encouraging him to deal with it as if its objectively real from himself will in fact increase its ability to harm him. This is not beneficial to the OP or the crowd gathered around watching this thread. So yes, incorrect assumptions do matter. Take a look at some books on group mind and group soul. Also look at psychological explanations and information surrounding mass hysteria. \n\nThese creatures do not shift between reality and fantasy at will, our way of viewing them does, hence self-delusion being the first step. Im sorry we disagree so strongly, you seem to have some interesting ideas. 1349282579 I agree and that's a very good point. However, the current technology ultimately makes even bonafide photographic evidence moot because almost anything can be ran through After Effects or Photoshopped, etc. In this sense, it doesn't necessarily up the need for good evidence. It makes even *good* photographic evidence entirely suspect.\n\nI guess it also means that more than just photographic evidence would be a good thing - and this is true. It WOULD be a good thing if one gets more than just a picture of an event. There is at least a certain undermining effect that it seems to have, however. 1342674943 Me too! [It's happened before](http://www.greatdreams.com/Charleston1895.JPG)... and we don't have any of that fancy anti-earthquake planning like Japan. \n\nok not the nami... but it could! LAKE MICHIGANAMI!!! 1299901092 I doubt it's a planet by the descriptions you gave in the video. Going behind the tress, staying low to the horizon and being gone after 20 mins. Planets do move fast across the night sky when observing them through a telescope, but not fast enough to disappear after 20 mins.\n\nYou have a pretty cool catch here. 1334838804 A common error- if he didn't go on to be so successful, this clip would be much less likely to have popped up again! 1341704182 Just so you know the admins of reddit shadow-banned you, meaning nobody can see your posts. I'd probably make a new account. 1346277906 [Some info on the Nazi bit.](http://www.politifact.com/florida/statements/2011/oct/06/critics-water-fluoridation/truth-about-fluoride-doesnt-include-nazi-myth/)\n\n 1340285028 so much rage i have for this family of arrogant bible thumpers. 1298341338 I thought I heard crazy before, but people are paying $8 a head to be STARED AT??? Jesus, am I in the wrong business. 1349473672 I'm going to go down the rabbit hole so please bear with me. I'm not saying any of this is fact.\n\n\nTheory 1 (based off Contactee reports. Alex Collier among others)\n\nIt is said that Reptilians came to this planet first. It is said that later on humanoids started arriving from distant star systems (Andromeda, Lyra) fleeing a war between Reptilians and Humanoids, as well as infighting between Humanoids themselves. Reptilians main shtick is control. This intelligent species are considered avid explorers, and use slavery as a means to keep their hegemony. The reptilians still hold power to this day, as they did in Ancient Egypt. The pyramid on the dollar bill, as well as its all seeing eye, coupled with the obelisk at the Washington Monument as well as the obelisk at the Vatican could be a subtle reminder of whose in charge. The reason why governments do not want to answer the UFO question is because it would expose whose really in charge and cause a reality paradigm shift that could cause havoc. \n\n\nTheory 2 (inter-dimensional beings)\n\nThese entities are not physically from a distant planet, but are indigenous to Earth. They have been here since before the dawn of mankind. Plausible, as the Earth is 4.6 billion years old. Moon is 5 billion+ years old based on soil samples taken during Apollo missions. They are inter-dimensional beings who at most part, cannot be seen with the naked eye. Special lenses however, can expose these 'entities' such as infrared or UV lenses. Such was claimed by a Hollywood insider who stated that he saw many 'entities' with a lens developed for this purpose. This could also explain why some UFO hunters use nightvision and IR cameras to capture UFO sightings. \n\nAll in all, I like both theories, and would make a brilliant movie, whether its true or not. I would prefer Theory #2 to be the case though lol. 1322763550 You are certain they didn't occur?\n\n You are a lunatic. Are you Jewish?\n\n These are videos of jews in their own words 1356388922 i was at traverse city hospital. didn't see any ghosts but definitely a creepy place! 1350515415 Meh. Just because she's smart and loving doesn't make everything she said true, or even right. 1306212794 I've done a lot of research on acupuncture. And I've never seen anything to suggest that it's more than a fancy placebo.\n\nWe don't need to know *how* something works to test *if* something works, and plenty of studies have been done to show that there's no effect beyond placebo. 1280538769 I know how they're used in medical trials. We're talking about in the course of treating patients, not for research purposes. 1314920252 Humans are not as genetically varied as other species of animal. It's thought that this is due to a catastrophe that nearly wiped us out long ago. If you are Caucasian, and compare your genes to a Caucasian and an African American, it would be hard to say ahead of time which would have genes more like your own. Or in other words, genetic variation between races is not significantly different than variation within races. The genes that control our differing appearances are only a tiny part of our genetic code.\n\nTherefore, although I am no taxonomist, I believe it is quite possible that humans simply don't have enough variation to be divided into sub-species. 1298508647 >I'd mostly blame drunk driving on whoever owns the road, and the property owner where a murder takes place.\n\nHe's clearly trolling. 1311930353 It is tempting and easy to jump on that as a reason. It wouldn't surprise me. \n\nThere is no really easy way to know with certainty without the benefit of the distance of time or the talent of mind reading, or the ready deep experience of someone who has been vividly sensitized to it.\n\nSuch a reaction (British vs Kenyan) has a deep emotional basis that is not always to observe objectively if it is your own reaction.\n\nUnfortunately, the only way that this changes is with the change over in generations. There are not enough people at hand to provide what could be proper counseling to "cure" this sort of thing, even if they could accept it as true. 1337387798 Yes, while eating paint chips. 1298062079 Vaccination only works based on herd immunity. By allowing unvaccinated children in to a clinic, the doctors may be putting at risk patients who cannot be vaccinated and even those who have been vaccinated but are not immune.\n\nWhile this may frustrate some, it is well within the right of the pediatrician. If an OB does not feel comfortable providing or even discussing abortion with a patient, s/he has the right to refer them on.\n\n 1310544327 I've watched enough Star Trek to confirm this statement. 1323374709 Forgot all about this last night. It's not up on 4od yet and I can't find a full version of it yet online. \n\nA couple of people seem to be throwing it up on youtube as I write this.\n\n[This Channel](http://www.youtube.com/user/computersolutions164#g/u) has the first 4 parts up so far (as I write this)\n\nand [this channel](http://www.youtube.com/user/ScepticaTV#g/u) has the 3parts of it up so far. \n\nHopefully they'll complete the set by the time anyone comes looking for it here. 1273584676 Extract from webpage: KORE Therapy is leading the world in recovery through its integrative medicine techniques. It uses a unique combination of Western diagnostic & assessments, Eastern release techniques, with a mixture of psychologies & philosophies to help clients with the most chronic conditions make a break through to recovery and good health.\n\nSeems to be a mix of eastern alternative medicines. Came to me at work asking me to promote it. I have refused until they produce clinical evidence of effectiveness. \n\nanyone else come across this? 1345208626 I hate propaganda like this (from your link):\n\n>Andy is an emerging figure in **the Truth Movement** leading a campaign to lobby the US government to disclose such controversial **truths** as the **fact** that Mars harbors life and that the US has achieved “quantum access” to past and future events.\n\n\nSo what facts do we have to back up these truths that there is life on Mars, or more interestingly that the US has "quantum" access to past an future events. You realize that was an idea stolen from a movie right? \n\n\nReally, I like to consider myself a believer in lots of things but when you use words like facts and truth, they should have sources to back them up. \n\nSo please, anyone here can prove for a FACT that there is life on mars or that we could see past or future events, please show it to me because I am honestly eager to learn, but in all my years of searching I have yet to find it. \n\nEDIT: \n\nI just found this lol\n\n>he was the first American child to teleport and took part in probes to past and future events utilizing time travel technologies.\n\nJesus christ, is we had time travel technologies that we would have seen a sudden explosion of technology that we do not observe. We would have gone 100 years into the future to gather info, but then of course future self was us 100 years ago so they already did that, paradoxes ensure etc etc. \n\nCummon guys, do you guys believe all of this stuff with literally no evidence that it ever took place? If someone says the moon is made of cheese, do you not ask for evidence of why someone believes that? Where is the evidence? 1329450960 You're absolutely right when you say that weight loss is ultimately a question of calories in - calories out. \n\nMy point was that on a high-fat diet it's easier to sustain a calorie deficit, because you'll feel satiated longer and don't have to deal with a fluctuating insulin-content (sorry, English is not my first language). \n\n 1347527636 > Also if you look here you will see we have added and lost debt as a nation\n\nStrictly speaking, that's not necessarily true. Since that graph is comparing debt versus GDP, it's possible for the line to move downward if GDP increases faster than debt increases, without debt actually decreasing.\n\nEssentially, the movement of the line only tells you which was growing faster, GDP or debt.\n 1326306612 A’shayana Deane is batshit crazy, but no moreso than most of Camelot's "whistleblowers." I mean at least she doesn't have dolphin DNA or the ability to kick a thousand times a second. ಠ_ಠ\n\n(see also: Aaron McCollum) 1323760088 No I just not one to jump to conclusions without evidence. I not seen anyone scientifically model the damage such would cause, so I see no point basing any argument on it.\n\nThere is a lot to consider here, How much of the cable would burn up in re-entry, how would it fall, what mass of cable would hit the ground, what would its terminal velocity be?????\n\nI'm not going to pretend I know what or how I could come to know the answer to any of these questions is, so I don't see the point in trying to address them. 1329995151 > King Philip Cuts Open Five Green Snakes\n\nOur biology teacher always used "King Phillip Came Over For Great Sex." 1297404794 That's because they knew that those silly superstitions about smoking being bad for you were just silly. 1326473134 It would look like that, but given that it was high in the air above two mountains it's improbable. Also couldn't be a kite there's no wind in that area, there are a lot of hills. 1354913042 uhhh how do you explain 1:00 in then? Are they wearing jetpacks? If so, where can I buy one? 1318482392 Here in Bangalore where the IISC (Indian Institute of Science) is located you can walk into any of the departments and see images of Sathya Sai Baba. Prayers are offered to the Gods for all the scientific instruments that are used in the daily work. 1325511766 So, you think that if I try it and I get positive effects that you would have more support for your theory? You trust me enough to assume that I am immune to cognitive biases?\n\nI assure you, I am quite irrational and if I don't trust me, I don't know why you would. 1343279810 It's "natural", therefore it must be good.\n\nIt's "the will of the people" - my nomination for the most bullshit-soaked phrase in the political sphere. 1281197807 Why do you do this? You're lumping one conspiracy with another when one might have more validity than another. \n \nMost of you believe meat is bad for you and high cholesterol causes heart disease right? It's factually incorrect hoever the establishment in the U.S. and elsewhere support that viewpoint despite evidence to the contrary. 1329815492 [Pretty much](http://www.reddit.com/r/Corruption/comments/oglo6/911_hijackers_passports_were_issued_by_the_cia_us/c3he4r4&context=2) 1326630293 i think *illskillz* is more getting at that being an uppity cunt about superior logical positions is going to leave OP with a net loss in many social circles. 1319365858 > I am not attacking a straw man, I am saying it add nothing to the credibility, especially given that some of the most incorrect ideas are the ones people are most willing to sacrifice.\n\nEmpty words. Do you have any concrete examples of this happening in the past where we now know (and *everyone* agrees) that they were explicitly wrong in the core of their beliefs?\n\n> There is 0 reason to take a claim any more seriously just because someone is willing to sacrifice for it.\n\nDo you have an actual argument in favor of this, or are you just repeating it like a mantra?\n\n> Welp, that'll be all.\n\nIs this where you go into denial? 1318788743 Still! at 12-13 I was petrified of girls. 1327908111 Definitely the best route I think , articles are hard to come by as far as crimes/missing persons and the like are concerned. 1349056488 Easy tiger. No need to get personal here. The cultural tendencies to attack and shun those with intelligence could very well be attributed to the media and to typical schoolyard bullying ("attack what is different"). This sort of mentality seems to propagate throughout the generations ("these kids today..."), and may actually (as of the past decade) be moving towards a celebration of intelligence, as "geek" and "tech" are becoming much more hip and trendy. 1307633185 For real, I know exactly what it's like living in a haunted home. Mine is still haunted. I've heard growling, breathing, been touched, had items thrown across the room, heard whispering...you name it, I've experienced it here. Glad you're outta there though... 1356800083 I've actually run across a good number of things from CVS labeled as Homeopathic, but they actually aren't. It's actual herbal remedies, with a 1x or 2x reduction. Which isn't Homeopathy, just reduced. So there's still active ingredients in them unlike "proper" homeopathy, which is 10x reduced. 1348088130 I actually do agree with that. Our history proves it. 1351006181 >The same poster as pulvereyes2010, methinks. Believes that Skeptics are helping with government mind control.\n\nYouthinks I also post as pulvereyes2010? What makes youthinks that? 1289938814 what was the question? 1282346616 oh sorry I was just being a smartass.... I couldn't help but say no to the question....I respect your perspective 1342376327 i had no idea about the diminishing returns of the placebo effect, although you're right: it seems pretty obvious. \n\nthis alone is a good reason to choose truth over whatever benefit a patient may derive from taking a placebo, or undergoing placebo therapy.\n\noff-topic: is there an adjectival form of *placebo*? 1282607133 When I got to "double rainbows" I realized that this is almost certainly a troll...but...just in case...\n\nLet's see if your supernatural events have a more down-to-earth explanation:\n\n>local parking lots empty for days only to fill up with unfamilar cars\n\nThis is an incredibly common occurrence during the summer due to seasonal events. \n\n\n>a bizarre paint job of kid's doodle painted on it's body. \n\nOn whose body? And how is someone's poor artistic expression supernatural?\n\n\n> A Cadillac Miller-Meteor delivering pizza.\n\nThat doesn't sound supernatural, that sounds super *awesome*. But really, a pizza delivery vehicle is the person's own car unless the pizza company decided to get creative with advertising by buying a cool, memorable vehicle that can carry plenty of pizza. I really don't see how this is supernatural.\n\n\n>Unmarked white work vans & empty buses with blacked out windows have been driving in and out all summer.\n\nIt is very common for work activity to go on during the summer, especially at schools because most of the normal crowd is not there. This is a great time to get some work taken care of. Also, if the windows are blacked out, how do you know the buses are empty? You can't see into the bus if it has blacked out windows...\n\n\n> Ear splitting jets tearing overhead in bursts of 2/hour causing entire houses to shake and suddenly stopping\n\nDo you mean the jets stop suddenly and crash? Or that the passing by stops for the day? You say that they are "suddenly stopping" as if to suggest that OH HOLY SHIT SOMETHING SUPERNATURAL IS HAPPENING but the reality is that they can't do test runs *all the live long day*, that would be crazy. Yes, even jet pilots need to take a break and punch out of work.\n\n\n>in addition helicopters as well as what seems like hovering drones or weather balloons with lights aboard in the far distance for an entire night to disappear the next night\n\nSo there are various tests going on and then the equipment moves on? That sounds like a very normal thing, doesn't it? Why would they stay there for days at a time? Chances are, they are working with USGS or another such government organization to collect aerial photographs to update maps.\n\n\n>Add this to nature abnormalities like total absence of mosquitos\n\nAs others have said, this goes in cycles, especially with your bird activity. Birds don't always have normal patterns and there can be influxes in populations for a variety of reasons. A good explanation usually is that their natural predator was reduced for some reason, allowing their population to expand. This isn't supernatural. This is totally normal. Nature cycles like this, especially where humans are involved. \n\n\n>bizarre animal behavior: a crow took out a chipmunk\n\nUh...small rodents like chipmunks are absolutely part of a crow's normal, natural diet. You only think this is weird because it never occurred to you that something might eat a chipmunk or...? I have no idea why you think this is "bizarre" animal behavior for a crow to eat something it normally eats.\n\n>bears have attacked dozen of people\n\nThis is also normal behavior. Bears attack people.\n\n\n>odd weather patterns such as double rainbows\n\nNaturally-occurring.\n\n>rain falling from cloudless skies\n\nThis can happen as the rain empties from the clouds. That's how you have cloudless skies: the water vapor is gone.\n\n>totally sunny to sudden pouring rain and hail when close family member suffered a terrible loss in the family\n\nSummers these past few years have been known to have shifty weather. This is not supernatural. This is a coincidence. Are you suggesting that rain and hail happen only when family members suffer a loss? Or do you only think the rain/hail is significant when the family member suffers a loss?\n\n\n>When discussing this with the person on a drive, a trucker revs up next to us with a sign saying "Its All In Your Head".\n\nA trucker passing you with a silly sign is not supernatural.\n\n\n>On top of this have been technical abnormalities such as skewed Google search algorithms\n\nSuch as?\n\n>1,000s of odd prank phone calls\n\nReally? *Thousands* of prank calls in the span of a couple months? What do they say to you?\n\n\n>spontaneously deleting iPhone memory holding gigbytes of unretrieveable personal info\n\nThat shit happens unfortunately. \n\n\n>hacked netflix recommedations \n\nIf you're watching through these to find out that the scrubbing tab doesn't work smoothly (totally normal sometimes...) then that means you're at least checking through some stuff like this, which means it gets saved into your potential likes and thrown as a recommendation later. \n\n\n>What is going on here?\n\nAbsolutely normal activities that you seem to have little understanding of (like the fact you think a crow eating its normal diet is "bizarre animal behavior) and instead of doing a bit of research you think that it's somehow supernatural. \n\nOr you're trolling. 1346583828 ...did you not read the part of my comment where I pointed out that she **did**, in fact, provide the evidence you claim she didn't? 1351100212 You can look at my newest post. I did a revised Q&A on this topic. I do believe. 1352708850 I read this in the opposite manner to humor my now-defunct conspiracy theorist mindset (ashamed to admit it, but I used to be one.)\n\nOnce I got to the section where it lists the services/facilities needed for running the camp though, I couldn't keep my suspension of disbelief up any longer. I mean really, detainment/death camps with catering, laundry, medical, electricity and even air conditioning?! Hell, now I'm wishing it was true because this would be the most comfortable apocalyptic fascist takeover ever. 1323902211 Isn't there even a major flaw in the premise of talking about GM food as if it were a monolith... 1333150666 This is the paranormal subreddit!! 1351371953 This is from a a website [](http://www.hikingnewzealand.com/victoria-railway.htm) advertising this hotel. I thought that it was weird they mention the fire upgrades. \n\nInner City Victorian Style Boutique Hotel Accommodation. \n \nBuilt in 1896 the Victoria Railway Hotel is an Invercargill Icon and Landmark Building with a NZ Historic Places Trust Category 1 Classification. The Hotel was closed for an architecturally designed upgrade and refurbishment in June 2003, then subsequently re-opened in May 2004. The upgrade included automatic fire sprinklers throughout, Type 7 smoke detection, Ground floor wheelchair units, CCTV and 24hr PIR access. \n * 1348269622 damn, I always figured the U of A was above doing stuff like this. Unfortunately I can't really help you out with the second opinion I'm an EE alumni. See if you can track down a biomedical engineer or a biomed prof. Good luck. 1288790555 So what you're saying is that to understand the phenomenon properly you need to study it over time, i.e. its development. 1340646646 does op [wear shoes](http://nymag.com/health/features/46213/)? 1260409289 Have you researched the information on that topic thoroughly, or are you casting judgment upon it at a glance? 1320687498 I'm one of those people who loves being scared. I get scared really easy so this makes life okay... I do not, however, like being scared with a dead cellphone while staying home alone while I have no car since it's in the shop. This is when being scared is not okay. 1326433918 We call it "Bro Hunters." 1330621235 It is too bad the article is so sparse with details. Anyone with a subscription to "Journal of NeuroImage"?\n\nAnyone? 1249926490 In my opinion we should stop making statements on what is and isn't until we can make a reasonably accurate judgement.\n\nThere's a difference between trying to figure out how the people of ancient briton lived, and trying to explain the significance of a landmark that is intricately tied to that lifestyle. We know so little about the people of that region from that era that trying to make judgements as to why Stonehenge was built is folly. \n\nDarwin had a LOT of evidence to support the theory of evolution, even back then. It was an observable phenomenon. Archeology is already based heavily on guesswork, *but there is a point where guess work crosses the line into fiction*, and fiction *is not science* 1340621770 Oh, most definitely. I used to go to UNC @ Asheville, which was a haven for anti-male sexism. 1325892525 i enjoy reading personal stories like this, thank you. 1346169294 maybe try r/tipofmytongue 1345655913 Considering how woo-y the article is I doubt they would even think that far. They probably mean some kind of soul/memory energy. 1351272579 check out my comment above... the wikipedia page is really misleading. 1274291865 The headline means:\n\nSally Morgan said she feels sorry for psychic cynics like Derren Brown.\n\nLater, Derron Brown starts a rumour about a lucky dog statue.\n\nTwo months after Sally Morgan spoke, Derren (or his production company) invited her to talk about the rumour, thereby getting revenge. \n\nUnfortunataly, the video is not hosted on youtube (and therefore cannot be linked to the proper time in the video), but the interesting but is at 27:19, and you can skip to it manually.\n\nThe whole program is worth while.\n\nWeblypistol thinks he's figured out the end bit. 1321198643 Bloodhounds,Thermal cameras, etc......this mystery could be easily solve. Which is why I think Bigfoot is bunk. 1240861331 It is. The orbs are actually anomalies made by the camera not being cleaned in a long time. Fishing line was the rest of it. However it did fool a few people on YouTube, not surprising Reddit was able to pic it apart, had to try though and it was very fun to put on as well. 1325549705 He also says that cannabis is not medicine, and is deeply harmful. He's about as scientific as Dr. Phil. 1344966217 I think that most sound minded people would agree it is crazy and understand completely when people were skeptical, but when they say "the only way I will believe you is if you steal something" that is just stupid. Can a monkey steal a gizmo at the zoo? can a baboon a tranquilized by a biologist get access to to the tranq gun? \n\nIf Mr Tyson truly wants to take on this topic, then he should think a bit more about it. If these are beings so massively beyond our intelligence that they mastered faster than light/interdimensional travel then they would be able to figure out how to stop us from picking something up and being transported back with it. He gives them no credit, they could be thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years more advanced than us yet they lack basic problem solving ability?\n\nIf Dr Neil had a billion dollar budget and UFO technology and his mission was to secretly abduct citizens from backcountry roads and from farms, he wouldn't be able to figure out how to stop his subjects from stealing his gizmos and running away? I think most people of moderate intelligence would be able to figure out a way to avoid being robbed by a person you are holding captive. \n\nWe manage to arrest thousands of people a day across the globe, how many manage to steal shit from the jail? His whole logic is flawed, he takes on this issue like a fool who has not thought his argument through. 1312171516 Needs more buttons.\n\nhttp://www.joepower.co.uk/images/stories/home/joepower-homepage-right.jpg 1273622399 Science doesn't require belief. It is a process, not a religion. Dumbass. 1322501111 I wanted to see if others saw what I saw without pointing out at first.\n\nit isn't so much the twister it is the round shadow. \n\nit could be nothing. could be dark matter. it could be a ufo. could be a secret human invention. could be a space mollusk. it is interesting. 1331564187 This crop circle has so much information incorporated in it...let me break it down for ya. \nIt's the equivalent of the aliens letting us know where their "turtle head" begins. That the contour and length is similar to humans with sometimes a meaty center bulge but also with the ability to break apart into many individual components. And finally the circle-makers indicate the potential break off points...at the turtle head itself or right before the entire shit pops out. This is truly the work of a higher intelligence. 1340728709 hey by the way, if you had to guess, what did you think it was? do you have any crazy theories? 1342072401 ok this guy has to be trolling at this point \n\n>Tell that to a guy who weighs 1000 pounds. Calories are only a good thing when you don't have enough. If the kid has enough calories otherwise, the soda won't do any good.\n\nthat is one of the most blatantly retarded statements ive ever heard.\n 1319661044 Do you happen to have an extra form E-29b I'm working on a proposal for a sarcastic comment that's meant to be misconstrued by a minimum of 23% of target Redditors. 1332867528 I had lights flash past my room a few times when I was younger, my house doesn't face any roads, and it was very quick. It was bright but only lasted a second. 1333123372 If i wanted to watch cheesy reenactments I'd watch the television. What kind of shit is this? 1326141750 Bro, here is what you do if you want to: What I did was walk around my house and in every room and hallway I would say: \n\n"Only those that are full of love, happiness, good and positivity are welcomed in my home. If you are not then you are not welcomed and must leave."\n\nI akin this to a positive affirmation and I am very happy that it seems to work. Also a little bit of positive spiritualism does not hurt. Maybe go to church if that is your thing or read the bible or just be positive and it should be good. Just don't welcome anything evil, bad or negative in your home and that includes people or that damn ouija board. 1320718645 Oh my goodness, they used a back drop? I can't believe they would be so sneaky! 1356103761 20 years old and still living with the parents? You could point out the embarrassment factor and the problem may move out. ;)\n\nSeriously though, it sounds like the parents just want him on a better sleep schedule and the energy glow thing is the bullshit argument. Ask them about it that way. It may be an opportunity to help your brother out a bit if his hours are actually detrimental in any way. \n\nHate making assumptions like this but is he employed? 1351196162 20 years old and still living with the parents? You could point out the embarrassment factor and the problem may move out. ;)\n\nSeriously though, it sounds like the parents just want him on a better sleep schedule and the energy glow thing is the bullshit argument. Ask them about it that way. It may be an opportunity to help your brother out a bit if his hours are actually detrimental in any way. \n\nHate making assumptions like this but is he employed? 1351196174 don't forget, they make a great place to store your paper clips and eyeglass screws! 1335041131 I meant wrong about your death 1331175448 I did finally find it. Doesn't say anything about who took it, unfortunately.\n\nAs for size, I was referring mostly to the first picture. It looks like it's just coming into view from a distance to me. This implies that it's far away and leads me to believe it's big. I would say number two looks big as well. I do really want them to be big Alien Ships so this could also be just me. ;)\n\n 1313547729 This was 100% useless.\n\nDrive,wave gay flag,drive,wave gay flag,eat,eat,drive,arrive at Roswell complain and leave,drive,drive eat,eat,eat,arrive at area 51 and launch some little fireworks,drive,eat,drive,eat,drive,eat,the end.\n 1346856653 Exactly. The same principle applies, if it's home made, store bought, or even 'other'.\n\nOne of the best examples I've seen debunking the Ouija boards was a guy had a bunch of groups in the same room playing with the boards. They were all amazed at them working. He then had them all stand up, took the boards away, and just had the groups lightly lay their hands on the card tables they were sitting at. In moments the card tables were running all over the room under seemingly the same effect.\n\nEDIT: and I do find it amusing how we're being down voted. 1346041063 This again?\n\nHUMANITY has a misogyny problem. Non-religious people are not exempt, but pretty much every major world religion is worse in this regard. 1313545938 How does the current epidemic of Type 2 diabetics in the African American community fit into this? 1345049512 I dream of a world in which Reuters knows what the hell it's doing. 1319476633 no he isnt. He adds nothing but vile to the discussion. Were he to lose the ugly words he may have had some nugget worth reading. 1342787832 Your name starts with the word time like mine.\n\nI don't like you. 1326619660 Sorry, I'm not good at Reddit humor yet! 1351639339 then why aren't they locking up psychics wholesale? all psychics are frauds, this guy is just getting a bad wrap for taking more than money from the suckers who believed him. 1340498906 It's true! Most of these are viral infections, and people would do well to avoid antibiotics in this case. Herbal therapies sound fine for symptom relief, and herbal therapies DO have some of those properties. 1352762128 Anecdotal evidence is all we have now and I'm fine with that but I will take it with a grain of salt until official proof has been acknowledged. It's the reason I come to this and /r/uap everyday.\n\nThere's no questioning world governments are hiding pertinent information about extra terrestrial life. It makes me curious why it's not acknowledged by world leaders often. 1345143923 It was later revealed that Ken Ham's car was egged, had it's tires slashed, and no less than two bags of sugar poured in the gas tank. Hell hath no fury like internet geeks scorned. 1346862768 Have you seen the tether video? 1336517322 She doesn't say if she's *actually* a Scorpio, or if she's just a Scorpio by the out-of-date charts that run in the paper.\n\nhttp://www.ips-planetarium.org/planetarian/articles/realconstellations_zodiac.html\n\nThe priest at my church is an Ophiuchus, so he never gets to play when they're reading horoscopes. 1289260616 Do not use URL shorteners like bit.ly when submitting stories. This will get you caught in the spam filter 100% of the time. Please resubmit. 1281306156 Hit the nail right on the head, though I would not doubt that many people aren't going to like it. 1297652001 >fiction-writing skills\n\n>it's true\n\n&#3232;\\_&#3232; 1354725694 Very interesting. Thanks for the link. 1318616393 Should read Asimov's "The Last Question". 1354771092 >either the universe has always existed, or it was created out of nothing by nothing. \n\nThe atheist thinker doesn't suffer the same problem because the atheist doesn't claim to know the answer, the theist does though.\n\n\nIf the theist is making the argument that "complexity (in the information theoretic sense) must come from something" then the question "what created god?" is perfectly valid, as god is necessarily as complex. The theist must give some justification for why God need not have a creator. 1325185321 Purchasing seed from any source puts farmers at the mercy of the global shipping market. 1331490717 yoo link us the picture on facebook?.. once i see it , I will conclude and well no explanation but will give you ways to solve your problem, its kinda easy but may be lenghty if only your mate is willing to comply 1312022996 But her dog saw it too. That's what makes it "real" if you will. 1352192176 you can't tell how full the bottle is so it could be empty and the wind could have blown it and there is an obvious cut in the video where anything could have happened. 1343162648 Dribble makes sense too, though. When I hear it, I imagine a mentally-challenged baby drooling all over itself. Shockingly similar to what I imagine when reading the words of woo proponents... 1311220186 Ah, but it is still data, and data can be used to redo experimentation by actually changing parameters or trying to find out if there are controlling factors.\n\nRefinement is what brings us truth, not isolated experimentation that doesn't play with variables. I applaud anyone who is willing to seek truth in all things regardless of whether there is disdain for the research or not. 1342397669 Lol. "Yea bro they're great... want proof? check out the Pro Gmo subreddit, they're not biased or anything" 1336153692 >because when trained properly\n\nThat doesn't seem to be the case. You are arguing hypothetical perfection against real-world performance.\n\n>there is no high rate of false positives\n\nWhat evidence do you have of that? Dog trainers (who are selling dogs to the police) will say that, but do rigorous tests confirm it? The Illinois dogs had false positives in 3/4 of their cases (which you seem to think is "not high"), and they were giving positive responses roughly half the time they were used. There's no way to know how many of the people they didn't respond to were actually carrying drugs, so we don't even know how accurate their negative responses were.\n\nYour position has no correspondence with the real world. It's essentially religious. You *believe* dogs are accurate, and therefore you will find some way of explaining any situation where they are not accurate.\n\nIf the only way to maintain a dog's accuracy is through rigorous and constant training, then the fact of the matter is that dogs are not accurate because they don't get that training. 1333428211 The hypothesis that all climate scientists have no expertise in the subject of climate science really fails the smell test, I'm afraid. Are you trolling? 1261032084 Lol, I didn't change the subject, I used an example.\n\nYou said that following my logic there was virtually no chance that either built the pyramids. Following my logic, the probability is either 1 or 0. I don't know which. You chose to not address the part about ignorance. I responded to the contents of your comment. And the comment you responded to before the last only said that neither claim of one being more likely than the other can be correct.\n\nThe coinflip, just like the pyramids, already happened and has only two possibilities. The analogy is perfect.\n\nNot my fault if you had nowhere to go with your "that way of thinking is problematic" premise.\n\nPlus your argument is completely incoherent any way. You just argued that not knowing what the actual probabilities are implies that the probabilities must be close to null. There's not even a logical operator in there.\n 1349373998 Thank you. I never said in my initial comment that the shots of famous people offered 'proof' in the sense that people seem to imply I did; just that they were a form of evidence (like props). 1350582890 If it was as deep of a conversation as you said it was how do you not know that he could have been taking you somewhere else dimensionally. And your ego's fear of the unknown interpreted that as death. Maybe? 1348068398 First thing: PETA is crazy. Vegetarianism, not so much. The two don't have to go hand in hand, and many vegetarians I've met are actually anti-peta.\n\nAnyway, this is what you need to do. \nWrite down everything you don't believe or even find hard to believe, and either research that subject or ask someone about it. If you have any specific questions, I might be able to help...but otherwise there are a ton of factors to consider because many people go vegetarian for many reasons. Obviously it seems like your GF is leaning towards ethical reasons, if you're looking for something quick to read heres a start: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_eating_meat 1296777707 simple explanation - small earthquake\n\nEarthquake is stretching gigantic part of stones, if this is crystalic stone, it generates very strong and very low frequency EM field, which can trigger halucinations, also it can create very low frequency sounds (0.1..5Hz)which can trigger hallucinations too. Boom, case closed. 1340742888 Did I say that I was arguing against Hume? Hume, I generally like.\n\nOn a side note. Hume was born nearly 300 years ago, don't you think the science on theory of mind as significantly surpassed anything he has to offer? The average physics student knows far more math and physics than Newton, likewise, philosophy students should focus on current advances and evidence rather than historical figures. Of course philosophy would then be difficult like the sciences rather than stoner speculation and antiquarianism. 1284044215 Maybe you might want to also take a look at [Rational ignorance](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_ignorance).\n\nOn the other hand it all boils down to cost analysis vs. probabilities for different outcomes - currently the probability for a hoax is basically zero, so to get any realistic result you really need to calculate those costs and those probabilities! 1335283544 *When Aldrin appeared on The Howard Stern Show on August 15, 2007, Stern asked him about the supposed UFO sighting. Aldrin confirmed that there was no such sighting of anything deemed extraterrestrial, and said they were and are "99.9 percent" sure that the object was the detached panel.*\n\n*Interviewed by the Science Channel, Aldrin mentioned seeing unidentified objects, and he claims his words were taken out of context; he asked the Science Channel to clarify to viewers he did not see alien spacecraft, but they refused.*[^[source]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin#UFO_claims)\n\nI don't like when people use that video trying to prove something. It hurts the UFO scene. 1331913515 I didn't make much to me either, that's why I read the wikipedia page on it, it's much clearer for me now:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masked_man_fallacy 1318193730 You've been on reddit 11 days and you've posted the same site 9 times. Seriously the blogspam on here has gotten way out of fucking control.\n\n At least put some thought into your posts so they can be semi interesting... Besides, what you're doing right now goes against this subreddits rules and if it keeps up, I am going to have to inform a mod and you will be banned.\n\n How does this even have upvotes? How many different accounts do you have? Just give it a rest man. I'm tired of seeing garbage on these subreddits, it really getting old. 1330619152 I'm not exactly sure what you are arguing here. But there are many aspects of global warming that are a joke, mainly the efforts the individual takes to make a difference. \nI believe it is true because I don't care either way and they claim the evidence is there. But there are decent counter-arguments as well as to whether or not this is a man-made effect at all. Sad thing is, someone like me understands the science more than those I know who talk and act on the basis that the theory is true. 1311756034 Looks to be a digital artifact created by the camera; or a seriously blurred passing spec of dust, based on the apparent speed of the other further away dust particles. 1333067499 But my coffee is also generating steam. I feel like we're going in circles.\n\n(Good luck finding the article. But the "like I said" is a bit unfair since you updated the post to say that *after* I responded.) 1328463584 Siriusly interesting. 1311760014 if anything they start discussions and interview experts on the subjects. 1302746996 You come here to read other peoples summaries of articles rather than reading them yourself? 1291511637 Thanks for the replies guys! 1343836392 Wow! 4 seagulls in formation! We are not alone. 1261372795 I remember getting into an argument with a women because I said Pinto's were shit and unsafe. She then yelled at me because her dad had one and she grew up with one, and they never had any problems with it.\n\nI then said her personal experience doesn't mean anything in terms of actual nationwide statistics, and she got even angrier.\n\nPeople are fucked in the head. 1341846741 At 1m40, is there a source of this event? Its pretty weird...\n\nEDIT: i found his [channel](http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU1pStvUggFFVHAuH2nJmLww&feature=plcp) 1337178040 I can't help but notice how long it takes you to respond each time. Is it because you're out of arguments, and are desperately trying to find one, or rather because you have a hard time typing when you're enraged? 1338268126 I had just discovered iTunes and was looking for podcasts to listen to when I happened upon Skeptoid. After listening to a few episodes, I realized that everything Brian Dunning was saying was common sense. 1304796022 Maybe there's an error in translation?\n\n"Doctor, in your professional opinion, do these men have little pricks?"\n"Oh yes! Very much! Have never touched a woman before." 1277169834 >I don't say that my treatment is only placebo effect; I merely acknowledge that it may be. Then again when a doctor prescribes a treatment to a patient, no matter how effective that treatment has been proven to be; it may still only be working for the patient because of placebo effect. Testing shows whether a treatment works beyond the level of placebo - it doesn't eliminate the effect. Any one person's experience of health, disease, and healing is merely an anecdote. Only when we group patients can we see them as data points. But real patients can't be treated in groups. Confusing isn't it?\n\nNo, it's actually quite simple. As you say, testing shows whether a treatment works beyond the level of placebo. If it works beyond the level of placebo, we call it medicine, and those that receive it gain its medicinal benefit along with the placebo effect. If it doesn't work beyond the level of a placebo, it's not medicine, and those that receive it benefit only from the placebo effect. \n\n>No. I don't mean "lots of people believed it so it must be true". I mean that if I ask you to guess a deck of cards the chances you get every one right are just as good as the chance that you get them all wrong. TCM is derived from a long history of apparently intelligent people pursuing the study of human health and disease. They likely arrived at many erroneous conclusions. But the idea that they got an entire system of medicine completely wrong is really unlikely.\n\nCorrect me if I'm wrong, but you seem to be arguing that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, so it's not useless.\n\n>I'm not asking that you accept TCM on faith; I saying that the argument that it is magical and therefore wrong is missing the big picture. What parts of it do work and how best can they be integrated with bio-medicine to provide better patient outcomes?\n\n"What parts of it do work" is, indeed, the question. The problem is that as far as I know, TCM has no tradition of or mechanism for ongoing testing and evaluation of its teachings. As the name suggests, its based on traditional knowledge, not ongoing investigation. Does TCM have any journals where ongoing research onto the efficacy of TCM practices can be published? When's the last time a TCM treatment has been dropped from use, and no longer taught, because it was found to be ineffective? \n\nIn my personal experience, TCM practitioners, yourself included, are very resistant to accepting the results of clinical trials that disagree with their philosophy. \n\nWhat I'd really like to see is way more investigation into the placebo effect. Research shows acupuncture is no more than a placebo, but it appears to be a very good placebo indeed, giving relief to a lot of people western medicine can't help. I'd love to know how that works. 1313860395 What is that crazy chair they're sitting in? That thing looks awkward. \n\nAlso, it reminds me of the "couples" toilet for SNL. 1314726308 I desperately want to see a pic of whatever was the "angsty masterpiece" you painted that night! Seriously. 1346464243 Sarcasm is a poor way to contribute to a discussion. 1327185086 Iran blinded/killed the CIA'S secrete "space-plane", it's 3 months overdo and does not have an infinite amount of fuel. 1331428488 He's gettin' probed. 1341399765 I like this better (though it's less believable):\n\n[Study: Fellatio may significantly decrease the risk of breast cancer in women](http://www.murdzplace.com/CNN.htm) 1323987862 Basically what Shampyon said. Homeopathic drugs are not as strongly regulated as real medicine, and manufactures can avoid FDA safety and efficacy requirements if they can get the product to meet the criteria to be labeled as homeopathic. And it doesn't have to be 100% legitimately homeopathic to meet those criteria.\n\n \nSee: [CPG Sec. 400.400 Conditions Under Which Homeopathic Drugs May be Marketed](http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074360.htm) 1323240628 Hey, sorry about your mom.\n\nThis is what happened to me...Not quite the same at all, but I can understand the intuitive feeling. When my mom got close to passing, we were told it would be anytime over a three day period. 27 hours in and I'd slept a little but I was still drained. I went to lay down, but I couldn't sleep (slept fine during my regular sleeping hours though), so I got up. Went back to the living room where Mom was, sat and looked at her for awhile (10 minutes?) and went back to bed.\n\nWithin 5 minutes I was extremely restless and I came back out of my room to find my dad and mom's best friend taking her oxygen off of her.\n\nMy point is my anxiety was at least ten times worse during her last thirty minutes, than all the time leading up to it, though we had no way of knowing exactly when she'd go. 1335064421 Well, he's apparently not confident enough to go for the [million dollars](http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html). 1343189278 > The scientific literature tells us the negative consequences are very likely to significantly outweigh the positives\n\nI'm familiar with the site actually. The problem is that most senarios assume static political boundaries and populations. It can't happen that way and it's never happend that way in the past. When climates change people migrate and they will need to do so again.\n\nSome areas of the world today are practically uninhabitable or can only sustain very small populations, the sahara for example. In the not so distant past, the sahara was one of the richest (biological not economic) areas in the world and a hub of human migration. \n\nIf you live in an area that is going to convert to the next sahara, you are going to have to move, that's not me being a dick, that's just reality. There will no doubt be major political ramifications.\n\n> this would greatly increase the risk of an anoxic even\n\nYes, in the case of an anoxic event I'd be willing to conceded that there will be no winners outside of the anaerobes. I can't say I'm expecting that to happen and before we get to that stage I would expect the consumption of fossil fuels will have been largely replaced due to economic reasons.\n\n\n 1348456962 A 50ft diameter balloon? And what's the motive to make up seeing the bodies? How the fuck is this balloons? 1302392324 Glad to see that TED still sometimes have something worth watching, though it's not common.\n\nAnd damn are the comments stupid. They're worse than youtube comments because everyone there thinks they're so damn smart. 1305470001 You didn't hurt him, did you?\n\nAnd how much damage was there to your front end? 1311628749 When I watch "Bullshit!" I take everything he says with a grain of salt. I feel like a lot of what he says is spun in a way that supports his libertarian point of view. I very often enjoy P&T, Bullshit!, and his political commentary, but I feel as though his "anarco-capitalist" viewpoint isn't substantiated by any evidence, so his interpretations of some things are not 100% accurate. Penn & Teller pretty much taught me how to think critically, yet I feel like they don't apply their critical abilities to themselves when it comes to their political point of view. 1300297254 [This talk on "vortex-based mathematics"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1hLzQPio_8&feature=share) is a good example. 1333231157 I see mirroring images here. Has to be a satellite at an awkward angle. I say this full cock, if you believe this pic is of a UFO, then you are a moron. 1340779511 My response on seeing the title.... Nooooooooo, please can we not bring up this silly drama.\n\nI will read it though, and hope to have my mind changed, but we'll see...\n\n-------------\n\n**Wonderful** it had nothing to do with what I incorrectly assumed. Worth reading.\n\nMy suggestion would perhaps be something like: "Oh the TAM event is about critical thinking, so logic and rationality. I didn't used to really understand what rationality was, turns out there's a hint in the word, it's to do with ratios. Weighing the evidence for and against, considering risks, that kind of thing. It really is important, if you've ever known someone with cancer, you want to be able to make the best decisions possible about your treatment. With all the information on the Internet now though, many people find it hard to know what to believe. TAM is an event where people who are often good at clearly thinking and understanding complex topics meet, and also where people who are interested and need help in thinking clearly hopefully come".\n\nNote this part of my suggestion: *"I didn't used to really understand what rationality was, turns out there's a hint in the word, it's to do with ratios."* By saying that you're more likely to appear like a normal person who doesn't know everything, and you're not making them feel stupid by asking them "do you know what rationality is (as opposed to logic)?".\n\nIt's a bit long, but if the elevator stops at a couple of floors before you part it could help. And by talking about cancer and how critical thinking could help you don't run the risk of alienating the person by initially saying the event includes talkers debunking astrology, crystal healing, etc.\n\n*Addendum*\n\n>Science education is a good thing. Consumer protection is a good thing. How can the intersection between these two good things be anything other than positive?\n\nThat reasoning irks me.... Drinking water is necessary. Having salt is necessary. How can the intersection (salt water) between these two necessary things be anything other than necessary? (There's probably a better counter-example that someone can come up with). 1342061220 It's not the science part that people cringe at... It's the people who use words like "fundies" and "quacks". \n\n 1326433999 http://www.nraila.org/news-issues/articles/2012/federal-law-enforcement-agencies-buy-ammunition.aspx\n\nHere's a pretty good explanation. It doesn't get in to specifics like rotating ammo where old duty ammo is rotated for use in training and target practice but it does show why there's nothing untoward about the purchases. 1345401048 Good point. It is a complicated relationship but yes, the states get a lot of the money for roads, for example, from the federal govt. They just have to follow certain rules (speed limits etc.). 1283570898 Rebecca Watson at last years TAM :) 1327432710 [right here](http://www.reddit.com/r/333) 1335809965 Yes it is. Funny because I was just laughing at [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32FB-gYr49Y) the other day wondering what ever happened to them. 1302506638 Yea I would agree, we cannot possibly have even an understanding of these sorts of events if we do not even have a vocabulary for it. We have much work ahead of us. 1342119233 Why is it that every UFO website looks like it came straight out of the late 90s? It just needs a bad MIDI of the X-Files theme and a few spinning GIFs and the illusion would be complete. 1321305996 Carl Sagan produced 10, and his show is famous 30 years later. 1352482603 I'm aware, it was interesting nonetheless ;) 1265369597 Because the sensational title is the ticket to the karma train!! Choo choo!! 1351308441 Hi there! Why didn't you approve the comments I left? Any response? Your misrepresentation of your sources and intellectual dishonesty would get you laughed out of any undergraduate course - I'm honestly surprised that you're owning up to it on this site.\n\nedit: Honestly, I find it somewhat hard to believe that you can be as brazen as to honestly say "mumble mumble reading comprehension" when taking even 10 seconds to re-check your sources (i'm going to be charitable and assume that you merely misread them before) would lead to a mea cupla. 1310576487 I saw some comments that were negative, but I did not think they were misogynistic. I understand she is not liked by some people, though. 1330978671 Released in two years for good behavior. They're good Christian people. 1320249887 Tesla Motors has built Superchargers for their cars around California. They'll be expanding to the whole US, and possibly around the world. \n\nThey are solar=powered high voltage stations that fill up your EV much faster than standard wall outlets. And it's provided at no additional cost. I guess they "kind-of" live up to the Tesla's dream of free electricity. 1353271537 I think OP's referring to the trick described here: http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/power_balance.shtml 1333940579 Looks like you are already aware that the truth hurts. 1344619962 What colour is your imaginary third nipple?! Pay here to find out! 1344634631 Nice strawman...\n\nhttp://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/2/1/17\n\n>As evolution proceeded, the role that the cannabinoid system played in animal life continuously increased. It is now known that this system maintains homeostasis within and across the organizational scales of all animals. Within a cell, cannabinoids control basic metabolic processes such as glucose metabolism [17]. Cannabinoids regulate intercellular communication, especially in the immune [18] and nervous systems [19]. In general, cannabinoids modulate and coordinate tissues, organ and body systems (including the cardiovascular [20], digestive [16], endocrine [21], excretory [22,23], immune [18], musculo-skeletal [24], nervous [19], reproductive [25], and respiratory [26] systems). The effects of cannabinoids on consciousness are not well understood, but are well known, and underlie recreational cannabis use. These effects also have therapeutic possibilities [27].\nCannabinoids: Homeostatic Regulators\n\n>The homeostatic action of cannabinoids on so many physiological structures and processes is the basis for the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system is nothing less than a naturally evolved harm reduction system. Endocannabinoids protect by fine-tuning and regulating dynamic biochemical steady states within the ranges required for healthy biological function. The endocannabinoid system itself appears to be up- or down-regulated as a function of need. As will be detailed later in this article, endocannabinoid levels naturally increase in the case of head injury and stroke [28], and the number of cannabinoid receptors increases in response to nerve injury and the associated pain [29]. In contrast, the number of cannabinoid receptors is reduced when tolerance to cannabinoids is induced [30].\n\n>Evolution has selected the endocannabinoids to homeostatically regulate numerous biological phenomena that can be found in every organized system in the body, and to counteract biochemical imbalances that are characteristic of numerous damaged or diseased states, in particular those associated with aging. Starting from birth, cannabinoids are present in mother's milk [135], where they initiate the eating process. If the activity of endocannabinoids in the mouse milk is inhibited with a cannabinoid antagonist, the newborn mice die of starvation. As life proceeds, endocannabinoids continuously regulate appetite, body temperature, reproductive activity, and learning capacity. When a body is physically damaged, the endocannabinoids are called on to reduce inflammation, protect neurons [136], regulate cardiac rhythms [137] and protect the heart form oxygen deprivation [20]. In humans suffering from colorectal cancer, endocannabinoid levels are elevated in an effort to control the cancer [74]. They help relieve emotional suffering by reducing pain and facilitating movement beyond the fears of unpleasant memories [119].\n\nSeems worthy of a RCT or two, at least, IMHO... 1328187398 So cold water slows down digestion, but also speeds up digestion for the congealed oils, but also prevents digestion of the congealed oils so they will line the intestines? 1330352056 Don't be fooled by imitators--*this magnetic copper cock ring will make your junk rise from the dead!* 1295223472 ***Sorry this is long, but I read everything you said and wanted to reply directly. I'm glad we can discuss this civilly even though we disagree so bear with me. It's too long for one post so you'll get a couple.***\n\n***Part 1***\n\n>RW isn't asking people to stop being awkward. That's obviously pointless. She asked some specific guys to back off with their romantic and sexual advances a little.\n\nI was fine with ther saying it creeped her out. I was fine with her advising guys not to do it. What pissed me off is that she said it was sexually objectifying her. It pissed me off that when Stef McGraw posted a blog disagreeing with her, that she used the podium at a CFI speech to embarrass her infront of her peers without her being able to defend herself in that situation. She used her power and position to harm someone else. That is fucked up and makes it hard for me to sympathise with anything else she has to say.\n\n>You're not being hit on constantly and getting disrespectful and threatening comments. I fail to see what your personal boundaries have to do with anything when you're not subjected to the problem. \n\nAre you suggesting that because I’m not a female, that I can’t possibly understand or empathise with girls? That is fucked up. I know girls and have girls in my family who have suffered real sexual assault and rape. Don’t fucking tell me I don’t have any perspective on what they have to suffer.\n\n>It takes a lot to offend me or make me discomfortable. I don't expect everyone to have my boundaries.\n\nI agree. I have accute social anxiety, but I do my best to not make people aware of how uncomfortable I am around them. My boundaries are skewed in a way that I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt because I always have an irrational fear of people I don’t know anyways. I feel the anxiety but I don’t let it get to me unless they give me a good reason to judge them. The way the guy in the elevator has been treated by Watson and her feminist skepchicks seems to be prejudice and anti-male from my perspective. There are even females who see it that way.\n\n>The elevator incident wasn't just a regular proposition. It was done in a bad way, in a bad place, at a bad time. You're assuming that was by accident or because of social incomptence.\n\nNo I’m pointing out that RW and her supporters are assuming it was the worst possible scenario without providing any evidence or reason to support that assumption.\n\n >RW sees it all the time and says there's more to it, that it's representative of how men see women in the community — as someone to hit on whenever and however it suits them.\n\nAgain out of that entire conference only one guy hit on her. Is that really a bad number? Getting hit on isn’t necessarily a sign of sexism though is it? Maybe the skeptic crowd is more open about sexuality. There’s a difference between cat calls, leering, and ogling, and guys flirting. The guy in the elevator clearly failed at this, but the attitude you portray is that being hit on is somehow indicative of the skeptic community being sexist. I am saying I need further evidence because I don’t see flirting as a bad thing. I wish more women were involved so it could get spread out more, but any social situation where men and women are involved will include flirting. I don’t see it as reasonable to be against that, unless you are against facets that make us human.\n\n >That's a problem. You can't just isolate every single instance and claim it's just what it is, and not at all connected to every other time it happens.\n\nHow is it a problem? How do we know it’s any more of a problem than any other group gathering of random people including both sexes? No one has provided any evidence. There are always going to be a few creeps and weirdoes in the crowd, of BOTH sexes. If you go out in public and expect not to be creeped out by people then you should probably just not go out in public.\n\n>Dawkins is old. He's white. He's educated. He's male. That's not controversial.\n\nIt is irrelevant to the conversation. It does not provide an example of anything except Rebecca Watson’s prejudice against rich white men. Saying he can’t understand because he’s rich, white, old, and male is bigoted. It discredits the rich white old people who have fought hard for feminists causes. LIKE RICHARD DAWKINS. You realize he’s used his money to help Muslim women right? Or does that not count because he’s a rich white old guy? \n\n>That he, like you and me, don't understand every aspect of women's situation isn't controversial either. \n\nAnd women don’t understand every situation a man has to go through, and how I am somehow being controversial for sharing my point of view as a man because it goes against a feminist extremist. You’re saying my opinion doesn’t matter merely because I’m male. I take that as saying women are the only people who have valid opinions when it comes to sex issues. Bullshit.\n\n>It's not that Dawkins can't ask or comment on it, but he did it in a supremely dickish way that made everyone who don't agree out to be hysterical and ignorant. He deserves to be called out for it. He's a big boy. He can handle it. I bet he and RW will talk it out during TAM.\n\nHe was being a dick, but Rebecca Watson and her supporters deserved it for being massive cunts to their dissenters, like Stef McGraw. PZ fucking said the situation was basically a failed rape. Then he defended Watson’s unprofessionalism of using a bully pulpit. This is not just about the 30 seconds of the video, and that is also Rebecca’s fault. Her followers have spewed the most anti-male vitriol I’ve seen in a long time. They hate men, and that’s all there is to it.\n\n>The dismissive and aggressive, and sometimes even sexist (I have plenty of examples from the comments on Reddit) attitude towards women who dare critisize the community is poisonous. \n\nAre you throwing me in with the sexist attitude for disagree with RW and agreeing with Dawkins? I’m a humanist, an egalitarian, a straight man who fights for gay rights and equal treatment of men and women. I see Rebecca Watson and her Skepchick crew as the sexist venom in this situation. I’m not saying there aren’t a few sexist assholes who have come out of the woodwork, but that’s clearly not the majority of the opposition here.\n 1310405581 What about my bullshit that agrees with the facts? Why cant we air that? 1344665249 I upvote not because the article is in any way interesting, but for the witty title. 1250279874 I really feel the following sentence needs to be publicized, "Scorpio could go retrograde up Uranus and it wouldn't make any difference."\n\nlol 1292996160 Speaking of Australia, wasn't it nice of the marsupials to walk all the way there from the ark (presumably in Turkey) without leaving a single bone or fossil behind in Africa or Asia? Very meticulous of them. 1344443372 It's a plausible idea, these people accept the possibility and look for confirming evidence and, in some cases have personal eyewitness account (that we know can be notoriously inaccurate, especially with unusual lighting, poor depth perception, and disorientation that occurs in flight).\n\nI don't find it difficult at all to understand that they attribute some UFO reports to extraterrestrials.\n\nI think, though, that they have set their bars low in what they'll accept as evidence. 1346501871 To be entirely honest, I think it should be total quarantine. They shouldn't even be allowed to use the roads or interact with other members of the public, because for all we know they are a walking cauldron of spreadable disease. I think they should be placed on house arrest until they get properly vaccinated. that's the enforcement mechanism I would be behind. If you choose to be a carrier of disease, you are the antithesis of the common good, and it's the government's responsibility to protect everybody else from you. 1301515348 You sound like a skeptic. I wish more serious research was given to the subject. Last semester in school I read [this research article](https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1w5NuRFQ1D1MzZlZGYzZjQtZGZjYy00ZjdjLWFjN2UtY2FhOGFiYzc2YmEw&hl=en_US) about deathbed apparitions among dying patients. The main theme wasn't so much a study of apparitions themselves but rather how the experience helps dying patients at their life's end. It is apparently more prevalent than many people would imagine. I thought it was really interesting.\n\nEdit: I changed it to a better link of the article.\n 1316957852 Why did you look up to him? Just curious. 1319208560 Looked so fake lol... 1330321808 Sight Unseen Budd Hopkins. 1348046145 Nope, just the Bat-Signal. Bitches need Batman. 1352111464 Agreed. Agreed. I did a post recently. I posted "Two quick stories.... Not evidence". That's mine. Another person suggested I do so. Good people here. No worries because one can be anonymous and feel free to speak of what they've seen without friends and neighbors issues. Some of the folks are pretty sharp too. Nice to have around on this kind of subject material. 1309364537 If your post was indeed deleted, the "journalists" have lost all credibility forever. Before that it was just the case of some minor embarrassment and posting a correction, but now with this they are confirming that what they wrote was a lie and that they want it to be kept quiet. Next time you correct these people, I suggest you not only save the web page, comment, before and after deletion, but also do a quick print screen. 1253211466 Nice! I liked those too. Although I have to say anytime I see you citing Lilienfeld, I already know pretty much which direction you're going to be leaning...but that's probably because I love Scott's work on Pseudoscience and teach from his intro book, so I know how he thinks and what he writes on.\n\nI also think its really interesting how the history of personality assessment is so linked and overlapping with the assessment of psychopathology, and only SOME personality assessment is attempting to describe normal personality. \n\nFor projective tests, if they're designed to assess "personality" but they really are best at assessing psychopathology, are they really doing what we want them to do? 1356461586 oh, absolutely. after seeing a few (unspectacular, but intriguing) lights a month ago and telling my sister, the first thing she said was 'i don't believe in ufos' and dismissed it all as flares, etc. i guess the weirder the event, the more carefully one has to tread. 1318210619 It's actually one video but the upload took forever so it was split into two parts. I've been searching for other vids and found nothing. Word of mouth accounts I've gotten have been interesting though. The strangest was from a co-worker who claimed to see orangish lights form a triangle low over the 170 at around 10 pm the night of 7/9. In the center a glowing green tentacle like object appeared as traffic slowed to gawk. The whole thing lasted about 5 minutes. 1342234207 >These people are intelligent friends that I respect\n\nSounds like you have a self esteem issue. Walk away from these morons and don't look back. 1286786180 If anyone could offer information as to what the hell is going on in this video, I'd be grateful. It has all the hallmarks of a conspiracy video, but there is just so much stuff in there that I'm struggling to keep up with what the guy is trying to say. 1353158876 The difficult thing with orbs is that they can be caused by SO MANY different circumstances. I don't discredit you yourself, or even that these pics are paranormal. However, until you can without a doubt rule out reflections, dust, hair, and other things such as camera malfunctions or a dirty lens, it's near impossible to tell what those "orbs" really are. 1320431824 While I like your skepticism, I must disagree on your views on acupuncture. I consider myself a very logical person (I work in a molecular imaging lab), and I don't typically buy the reflexology, homeopathy, chiropractor bullshit. However, acupuncture has been statistically proven to work better than a simple placebo for pain control, by activating endogenous neural integrating centers that regulate pain. \n\n---\n\nFrom my physiology textbook "Vanders: Human Physiology, 11th edition. Widmaier, Raff, and Strang"\n\n"The body's endogenous-opioid systems also mediate other phenomena known to relieve pain. In recent clinical studies, 55 to 85 percent of patients experienced pain relief when treated with acupuncture, an ancient Chinese therapy involving the insertion of needles into specific locations on the skin. This success rate was similar to that seen when patients were treated with morphine (70 percent). In studies comparing morphine versus a placebo (injections of sugar that patients thought was the drug), 35 percent of those receiving the placebo experienced pain relief.\n\nAcupuncture is thought to activate afferent neurons leading to spinal cord and midbrain centers that release endogenous opioids and other neurotransmitters implicated in pain relief. It seems likely that pathways descending from the cortex activate those same regions to exert the placebo effect. Thus, exploiting the body's built-in analgesia mechanisms can be an effective means of controlling pain."\n\nhttp://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=+%09Neurochemical+basis+of+acupuncture+analgesia&hl=en&btnG=Search\n\nanother interesting article\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11427311\n\nand another article:\n\n"Acupuncture for low back pain" published in the reputable journal "Annals of internal medicine" by the American College of Physicians in 2005. Details of the study include a randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial with 9-month follow-up. The researchers reported:\n\n"Last, we believe that our original analyses based on post-treatment mean values and our subsequent analyses based on between-group changes support our conclusion: Current preliminary data suggest that acupuncture may be more effective than inactive controls for providing short-term relief of chronic low back pain."\n\nand finally:\n\n"Analgesic Effect of Auricular Acupuncture for Cancer Pain: A Randomized, Blinded, Controlled Trial", published in the "Journal of Clinical Oncology" (one of the premier journals for cancer research) in 2003 reported that:\n\n"The main outcome was pain assessed at 2 months, with the assessment at 1 month carried over to 2 months for the eight patients who interrupted treatment after 1 month. For three patients, no data were available because they withdrew from the study during the first month. Pain intensity decreased by 36% at 2 months from baseline in the group receiving acupuncture; there was little change for patients receiving placebo (2%). The difference between groups was statistically significant (P < .0001)." 1280561435 OK so here is the thing about orbs, most are dust, condensation, or simply a cheaply made lens on your camera (more common than you think). Reading your post most of the places you see them are common places for the above, Outdoors there is lots of dust and pollen, at a party alot of dust and moisture in the air. One way to tell a "true orb" is they are usually their own light source vs. the other things which reflect light and give off a halo effect, True orbs are actual balls of energy that appear either to fast for the naked eye or in a light spectrum we cannot see but can show up on film.\n\nNow on to recurring dreams, these often happen because we subconsciously control what we dream about, if you are thinking about this dream when you go to bed at night then you will most likely dream something similar. If you are twitching etc try taking a muscle relaxer before bed if it continues to happen it may be outside influence rather than tired muscles or RLS. 1318433381 When you move to a higher altitude, your body generates more red blood cells over time over a period of weeks or months. Even in a few days, your body adapts to higher altitude and less air. 1313334424 You're definitely doing a good job as a parent from that perspective. 1308853584 i grew up in kansas where most of those 5th dimensional beings were processed. mmm. 1272576091 >Would you call this man a denier?\n\nLarry Bell? Yes, definitely.\n\nIf you were rather talking about Fritz Vahrenholt, then also yes. The title of "top environmentalist" was awarded to him by denialist blogs.\n\n"Climate change skeptics" are like "evolution skeptics" or "heliocentrism skeptics." The fact that they don't believe in the reality of AGW, and refuse to consider the evidence supporting (while failing to provide evidence against it) disqualifies them as skeptics. Sorry. 1329321015 "Trick or Treatment" by Singh and Ernst. 1341812825 Those stealth planes were developed in the 60's and 70's. Who knows what's out there now, even without assistance from ET. 1349928614 Don't go into an investigation looking for ghosts, go into an investigation looking to disprove the buildings "rumors." The show Ghost Hunters may have a lot of mainstream appeal, but they got the whole investigation thing down pat. 1268073303 If you google something along the lines of "guided meditation for spirit animals," you should find links like these: [Meditation 1](http://www.paganspath.com/meta/anmlmed.htm), [Meditation 2](http://inner-power.net/2010/09/find-your-animal-totem-guided-meditation/). Many people find their totems through meditative practices (sometimes with incorporation of entheogens or hallucinogens, but this is not advised for the unexperienced). Some more hardcore methods can involve retreats, fasting, or Vision Quests. \n\nBooks like Ted Andrew's *Animal Speak* may be worth looking into. There are many others devoted to Medicine/Spirit Animals / Familiars; you just need to research. \n\nI have worked with totems. If you want to have a discussion about this further, PM me. I am acquainted with both Raven and Crow. 1316641853 The pics are obviously faked, which their side specifically points out, and is not in any way how the real material (if it exists) would work. You can't bend the light around you if you don't have any of the material on the side the light is coming from, you would block the light. You would have to wrap yourself in it.\n\nOther than that it's not much we can say about it. We have next to no real information about what it is made of, how it is made or how it's supposed to work. \n\nI should point out that optical fiber bend light without any batteries or something similar, so it's not required to bend light.\n\nHowever, until we have any information at all of the technology it's an useless claim. Ignore and move on. 1356019749 This is called falling asleep, when your body goes to sleep it enters a type of paralysis, the falling feeling is a common thing and it happens to me sometimes, the reason for your mind feeling like your falling into a void is because you resist the falling feeling and have subsequently associated it negatively, you lucid dream because during this falling asleep process your holding onto your concious cognition and this translates into your lucid dreaming.\nThis is not a rare neurological dysfunction, it literally is your body going to sleep and you mentally resisting. 1354355310 We have no proof if this is real or therefore trying to prove anything from this video is faulty logic in that we can't prove anything. My logic was that "if" he was possessed and give that it is possible to resist possession to an extent, given that possession is possible, that the video could hold some credibility. 1347386895 The water is murkey and full of silt, the photo that have been released do not show much because of this. 1340285728 Just never forget that being stupid ironically is still being stupid. 1354163030 We have to see the forest for the trees in this case. \n\nIf we should be so fortunate to cure stress this would greatly improve those who are prone to the unfortunate psychological condition, or due to the enforced hazards of their society. \n\nBut I think the more important issue was somewhat glossed over judging from the comments and counter-point, that stress can be managed and overcome by personal will. Though politics is not the realm of the article, I find it disturbing that we here, in the top 2% of the worlds wealth should suffer so much stress. I suppose that the rigid nature of our system has its detriments as well, within the confines of capitalism and placing so much value on wealth over health. \n\nThis should be the issue, we receive no education on how to properly maintain or create a healthy psychology from the education system, and yet it seems that it would provide such a benefit. Is this concern, that is the concern over the problems within society especially recently, manifesting itself in an awkward way with opposition to an easy way out? 1281049718 Males frequently don't develop schizophrenia until their early to mid twenties. So, in theory, you could be crazy and these are the beginning stages. \n\nThat being said, yesterday at work, there were two occasions I heard my name, and no one was around. Tripped me out. 1332850933 My cousin moved into the basement apartment of my grandmother's house to get away from his own home and family issues. Now this is an apartment that hadn't been lived in for the better part of 10 years and most recently had been used to house my grandfather's rosary. It was a little one bedroom, one bathroom deal with a large common area that included a little kitchenette, very small, kinda run-down. So my cousin moves in, moves all his stuff in, starts renovating the place, and after a few weeks he starts having strange dreams. \nNow my cousin enjoys playing videogames almost as much as I do, so he had his PS3 hooked up to his big old wall-mounted flatscreen that he kept in his bedroom and would often play from when he got home, right up until he went to bed. So his dreams start off with him suddenly waking up from sleep, as though it were time for him to get ready for work, but then he would look over to his right and see that his closet door (which was right next to his bed) had been rolled open, even though he made sure it was closed before he went to bed each night (he kept a small gun in there so he always secured the closet), and he would then wake up for real and see that it was closed. At first.\nAfter the first few times, he started waking up to his closet being open, which he would repeated just write off as him having forgotten to close it the night before. But before long, those dreams stopped and even worse ones began. Before I go into that, however, I should note that at this time he had begun renovating the bathroom, and more importantly, he began to repair the bathroom door's lower left corner which had begun to tear away after years of getting stuck against the floor and jerked open. And this is right after my grandmother's incident mentioned in the post above. So these new dreams started off much like the others: he would wake up in the middle of the night, wide awake and start looking around, but this time it was light something heavy was sitting on his chest, pinning him down. And before long, those dreams began to feature a quick slapping sound, like someone running in bare feet, leading from the bathroom, diagonally to his bedroom door, which he kept closed every night. At first it was just that, the pressure, then the running, then he would wake up for real; but after one or two of those, the slapping lead to a huge slam against his door which would fling it wide open in his dreams, and apparently, in real life. He would wake up to his bedroom door yawning wide open like he'd never closed it, and he began getting faint scratches on his body at this point too.\nThis continued every few days for the next month or so until he finally finished up the bathroom, which brought the last and worst dream for him. He dreamed that he was in the bathroom, sitting on the toilet and reaching for a roll of toilet paper when all of a sudden he heard the slapping running noise, this time leading from his bedroom door to the bathroom door. Upon reaching the bathroom, the door slammed open wide and my cousin woke up. The following morning he went to the bathroom and noticed that the corner of the door (which he had fixed quite well) was broken once again, torn outwards like it had been before he started repairing it. \nAt that point he stopped trying to fix up the apartment and let things lie. 1344177604 I had a wonderful acupuncture experience. It was, gentle and activating, and got rid of my jet lag. \n\nMy mother had chronic neck pain from whip lash from a car accident in the mid '70's. Two sessions of acupuncture, and her pain totally went away. It's been over a year, and she has had no recurrence. As a bonus, she is now a much nicer person to be around, to bad she (and those around her) suffered with it for 30 years first. 1229194293 That's the problem. Why would they be in on it? The Cold War was still in full swing. They had missiles in Cuba not even a decade before that. There is no scenario in which the Soviets would have been complicit with a conspiracy in which the Americans made them look like idiots. 1356244826 From the way she's speaking, it seems likely that is the case. 1348701451 I think that the point of the shirt might have been that she wants to be looked at as a skeptic, and that her gender isn't relevant to her in this context - and that she resents the feminist groups who are trying to create groups of woman skeptics. Not agreeing or disagreeing, merely pointing out that this is a completely possible point of view for her to have, and one that as males neither you nor I are in a position to pass judgement on. 1347992280 Oh yeah the cell phone handset is clearly always going to be higher. However wifi broadcasts at a higher percentage of it's peak than cellphones in typical usage. So you should be comparing typical power rather than peak. 1318620765 Doesn't answer the question, and explains nothing about the "serially credulous" except that they have magazines. 1260628418 I'm following you on every count. You're explanation is reasonable, maybe I was wrong to say that the argument against suffering isn't falsifiable. I think that the moral argument that harming the planet is bad is much easier to make than the moral argument that the suffering of animals is bad. Cheers! 1328376247 That belief is not liberal. It's just dumb. 1324677901 When I see stuff like this (as stereotyping as it is) the first thing I think of is "how much you wanna bet this kid wasn't vaccinated". 1306961663 Interesting, my wife and I saw a similar event when traveling North from Cincinnati in 2010. We were on I-75 and witnessed 4 or 5 lights, making geometric patterns in the sky. They were an amber/white light, that was slowly pulsating, produced squares, triangles, and straight lines (both vertical and horizontal) for several minutes. Although I did not notice the lights ascending or descending, they did seem to just fade out, not to reappear.\n\nThe kid in the video mentions seeing something previously, wonder if that was the same event we had seen. 1349014388 A picture of such low quality that it may not be used as evidence of anything paranormal. 1355358552 I cannot find anything in the Japanese media about this except this blog article which basically just restates info from the dubious English article.\n\nhttp://d.hatena.ne.jp/k1491n/20121207/1354859549\n 1354905647 Look, just because David Icke, Alex Jones etc are a little loose in the head doesn't discredit the existence of some of their focus. Although the clandestine regime would like it to and push these looney's forward so they can hide in plain sight.\n\nThe "Illuminati" is a term that I would loosely use. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group\n\nThat is really where you should start. Those are the people who control the world. There is much more to it but this is a very simple blip of them that they cannot deny takes place.\n\nLook into Richard Dolan, this guy is really the only person who in my opinion got the UFO\\NWO situation bang on the nail.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8FGGqSW2XU\n\n 1333061739 Marry me. :)\n\nI think what separates us from the ones who believe instantly is that unfortunate knowledge of how science works. Maybe sticking needles in your ass or snorting ginger works -- but until I've seen the results of multiple double-blind studies that indicate either one does, I'm going to remain skeptical. Even if it's just the placebo effect, I already know that the placebo isn't going to work on me, because I'm going to go in thinking that it won't...\n\nHow do people come to believe that the pseudoscience is legit? They buy into magical thinking -- the same place that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and Jesus come from. 1322555284 Valid point^\n 1347990767 Lol wut. 1326402672 please advise ? :) 1320238574 For the sake of discussion lets say Wi-Fi, cell phones etc really were bad for you, would you give them up? go back to a land line, throw out your wireless router or Bluetooth?\n\nOf course you wouldn't, there's lot's of stuff out there right now that has a risk involved and we still do it, from driving a car to unprotected sex, it's called risk–benefit analysis and we do it every single day.\n\nJust more stuff to scare us. 1350611994 Medical marijuana? 1329047428 > To predict chaotic systems at all you have to simulate each and every step (where something changes) using initial values that have to be very precisely measured.\n\nThis is a very common misperception. It's true that, in theory, one might, with unbounded computational power, predict the behavior of a complex system to minute details this way. But this is not the only kind of model prediction. I research mathematical models of social systems, and my officemates research mathematical models of biological (e.g. cellular) systems. We can't predict where a given person, or protein, is at any given moment, but that's not the point. The point is to understand the system *sufficiently* to make the kinds of predictions that field workers (doctors, analysts, etc.) care about. A doctor with a cancer patient would certainly benefit from an analysis of every protein in every cell that accurately predicts the future growth of the cancer; but, that being infeasible, they would *still benefit* from a mathematical diagnosis that ascribes more reliable likelihoods to various outcomes than guesswork, based on simplified models of aggregate behavior. I see no reason in all of this discussion to suspect that economics is any different.\n\nNot all mathematical approximations work like's Euler's method. By another analogy, Newtonian physics doesn't accurately describe quantum phenomena, but no one (outside the cranks) goes around saying that Newtonian physics doesn't work. It does — at its proper scale. 1334686441 I noticed that as well. But it seems strange that there would be such a commotion over a blatant lie, right? Maybe I'm underestimating the ignorance of people who would believe an article like this. I just feel like it must be based on something!\n\nEdit: Found these steps on Lifesite blog to break down cause of death [here](http://run-with-life.blogspot.ca/2012/10/late-term-abortions-statistics-born.html) 1354246800 Well, they do produce karma... 1346428748 It will be a blast, was not aware that there would be at least two other redditors there. Nice. 1300662617 > I'd like to fight that in constructive way.\n\nI think homeopathy and herbal quackery is perhaps exploitive of peoples desire for spirituality in medicine.\n\nAnd, I'd like to both point out that there is benefit in exploring alternative spiritual ideas and their experiential nature, and sentimentality, with narrative and human connectedness potentials, as well as point out that it is a mistake to fail to be skeptical, there is real harm in forgoing appropriate medicine for substantial ailments.\n\nAt heart of all of it is something surprisingly effective: medical ritual. Studies show that placebo is effective even when we are told it is a placebo - and that placebo is not effective in many non-westernized cultures that also do find benefit from their own medical rituals.\n\nI find many attempts to homogenize culture and politics harmful, while deeply understanding the value in objectivity offered by a scientific approach to truth.\n\nSo I offer that you can find common denominators that will hopefully allow you to understand others enough to being to open doors for them to constructively engage in what it is that makes any remedy effective.\n\nThere's little hope of converting dogmatists, though you can still offer a genuine and compassionate exchange if they are open to that. (I disagree with others who espouse ridicule as the best medicine.) 1298076055 I'm in North Austin so i'm pretty much surrounded by light pollution unfortunately. I'm not sure about east or west, but if you go about 30 minutes south you get some decent dark skies 1297813398 Interesting you failed to include the source of your claim too. 1323817406 > The Japanese industry voluntarily removed BPA from can linings 10 years ago\n\nShouldn't that make it really easy to study the effects on humans?\n 1299014231 So he's not Scottish as well? ;) 1356127463 You might be right, that's my bad. From the article:\n\n> And officials at NASA are said to have asked to **examine** the tape, because they believe it shows the same type of craft once spotted by the space agency's own cameras during a space shuttle mission.\n\nGood catch. Still interesting, nonetheless. 1305653154 As I understand it all pesticides are chemical (as is all life) and organic pesticides, often being less effective, are used in greater quantities and run off even more. Certainly I remember reading that organic fertilizers (yes I know they're not the not the same) have been responsible for huge algae blooms having run off into rivers in large quantities. 1347034964 Logic, do you use it?\n\nExtraterrestrial life is essentially a given. Extraterrestrial life visiting, not so much. 1335054729 Let me be the first to say: *want!* 1344973917 [The Open Boat](http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1514/) by Stephen Crane is an excellent short story that drives this point home. 1247946269 Fucking Chuck Norris. 1320895791 Image doesn't work for me.\n 1343124326 I just banned him from /r/UFOs. I haven't really been active on reddit lately. \n\nIf you'd like, I'll add you as a moderator for /r/UFOs since you seem to be keeping a better eye on this sub-reddit than I am. 1263537036 Very erie stuff. I want to see this film. 1352050333 Believe in God? 1350180729 Excellent glitches! Welcome to the sub. It was probably aliens 1353509156 Oh, no you don't! Im not falling for that one! [from Urban Dictionary](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sarcasim) 1287527113 i was gonna respond with something about how tilling results in lost top-soil which is a major problem in just about every agricultural region, but you got to the heart of things in your post. 1309021159 Nope, use it and enjoy. If you suffer from chronic sinus congestion you'll become a believer in just a few days. 1276668935 I had the same argument... at a dinner to discuss Green Party issues with some of the representatives.\n\nYes I was called "unscientific" (I am doing a PhD in Life Sciences so that was great) and people basically said that I can't tell them what they do and do not feel. I was also told condescendingly "maybe you've never really been in pain". Having given birth once I think I know what pain is, but the thing is, at the time, I would have been ready to do anything to make it stop, I had a needle stuck inside my spine to make it stop. What you're willing to do when you're in pain is different from what works.\n\nAnyway, the Green Party is somehow split between hippies and engineers. Some of the engineers don't believe in alt meds but the party base largely favors it.\n\nIt's kind of weird because many ecological positions are based on looking at the world objectively and deciding some practices are irresponsible, dangerous and unsustainable, while some other ecological positions stem from purely emotional reactions, and inside one party you have both who somehow agree on some stuff but don't apply the same rationality to everything. 1340021199 Not being a jerk, just conversational. Sorry if it seemed otherwise. 1350228636 It's not really surprising; human natural births are dangerous and really fucking insane. A baby going through your hips and out your vagina that are only slightly larger than the baby's head? W.T.F. 1334851107 This has been refuted as a bogus claim by just about every international scientific organisation on the planet.\n\nJust recently every French National Academy disowned the CRIIGEN research group as publishing biased and sensationalist work. 1353280539 The reason I said I didn't care all that much is because I'm tired of the wars and the economic downturn it, and the tax cut we had at the same time, caused. I understand how retarded the current politicians are being (and the past ones that have been), believe me. I read stuff constantly. But, I have more important matters to attend to, like if I'm going to end up homeless in few months because the job market sucks and I've having trouble finding any decent work where I'm at. Right now I'm staying with my parents until I can find something, but it won't be too much longer that I'll be able to do that because they've finally had it with each other and are going to get divorced. Essentially, I have more pressing concerns than as to why 9/11 happened.\n\nAs far as the direction of the country goes, I'm anticipating an economic collapse accompanied by a revolution, and either a return to the Constitution, or something new rising from the ashes. Or, maybe the country will turn itself around as more people become aware of how fucked up our government is and do something about it, though it's probably unlikely. Americans tend to do things after the fact, not before it. They either wait until the last minute or go through the major fuck-up and not learn from the experience. Who knows? Maybe I'm just being a pessimist.\n\nEDIT: As far as PNAC goes, I'm wholly against it. The US is not world police and needs to stay the fuck out of other countries' affairs and politics. I'd like to see nearly all overseas bases closed and pretty much all American presence in other countries gone (other than business and tourism/travel). 1315811840 Your aunt did all of it for you while you slept? Seems much more likely than you sleep-working. 1345648591 You're gunna be pissed when someone mentions the white H. 1254842572 Haha. Thanks Neurobonkers. The aim IS to convince Daily Mail readers to use it. Not because it is a skeptic tool, but because it is a tool for discussion. Or as they are more likely to think of it - A way of showing everyone else how right they are....\n\nIt is phase three or four, and we will get there. :) 1350258604 I believe that you are misinformed. Scripture cannot have been the basis for their convictions because the scripture says "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." Matthew 24:35-36. Sure, scripture gave them reason for believing a rapture was coming, but it also told them that no one, including Harold Camping, can know when that day will come. 1337881484 This is a good point. When I made the video (back in 2006), I didn't realize the quote was probably not accurate. I believe that there a comment in the video info addressing that, currently. 1345144140 You're too quick, I posted, then edited it already. Please hit reload. :) 1311368044 That would be untenable long term. My wife is religious, but it doesn't come up much day to day. I would drop her if she can't think outside her comfort zone and wake up. 1333946203 They had critical thinking classes at my high school in the UK, not sure how wide spread it is though. 1324997114 > **All the studies** have been done following tooth decay in unfluoridated vs fluoridated populations shows conclusively that fluoridation is a nearly a null factor in tooth decay.\n\nSo If I find one that thinks it's significant you will change that statement?\n\nhttp://www.bmj.com/content/315/7107/514.full\n\n>Indeed, the countries with the greatest reduction in tooth decay since fluoridation have began have never fluoridated.\n\n[Citation Needed] 1298621262 Looks like you had it better than me! When I was 4 (Bear in mind I had no freaking idea what a severed head was) I would always go to sleep by staring into the crack of light next to my door. I would always have terrible nightmares, like a severed head sat on the end of my bed, a staring face on the ceiling. I would always wake up horrified. I only told my mum recently - bear in mind i'm 13 now and she has no way to explain it. 1356479768 this has been happening to me since childhood. sometimes the dream comes true the next day, other times its months or years later. My mom and grandma (her mom) have the same thing too, so growing up they always told me that we were a very "intuitive" family. we usually tell people when we dream about things happening to them, so they can avoid the danger, or change whatever we saw happening.\n\nfor example, the other day I dreamt that my aunt (who had just moved into a new apartment) was moving boxes, and fell down some stairs and got hurt. usually i would have warned her, but this time i was too busy to call her. later that day she fell down the stairs moving boxes, and hurt her back pretty bad.\n\nunlike my mom and grandma, however, i get terrible panic attacks when i walk into a situation that i had deja vu about. the attacks last anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes, and i have no recollection of the attack once it subsides. i start hyperventilating, shaking, and sweating, sometimes i am unresponsive, and a lot of times i wander out of the building, and end up somewhere completely different. a couple of times i found myself standing in the middle of a road. now my friends know to follow me if this ever happens, in case i do something like that. 1354682396 Don't forget your biology book; I always knew I could make more than just fart noises with my armpits... 1299112515 " 'The Bible’s version certainly is less cerebrally taxing, has a real historical context, and is for most people still far more *credulous*' " (emphasis mine). \n\nOh, that's some industrial-strength schadenfreude right there. *AAAHHH.* 1313358775 The point of (the non-colloquial sense of) skepticism is that it's applied universally. A skeptic isn't just skeptical of things he thinks are dubious, he's skeptical of everything. He's just as skeptical of things he believes are unequivocally true as he is of things he thinks are not. Skepticism is a methodology, not a position on an issue. 1293590043 I would encourage you to read the Threat by Dr. David Jacobs. In it he describes hundreds of abductees experiences whom he hypnotically regressed. There is no bunghole probing, but almost all of them describe reproductive related experiments. Men have sperm extracted and women have eggs taken. Moreover women have been used to "gestate" some unknown thing. One woman who went to her OBGYN with Jacobs had her ovaries pushed to the side in a way the doc had never seen. Other women have tested positive for pregnancy in menopause.\n\nThe aliens describe to the abductees how an event is coming in which humans and the aliens will live together and it will be "wonderful". So the dichotomy of "human flesh rawr"/"it's totally benevolent" is probably a false one.\n\nAnyway you might want to investigate a little further. The book is a fascinating read. 1340315750 What are the "extra useless" vaccinations you refer to? Certainly not the MMR or Polio. Whooping cough? Chicken Pox? \nMost western states are Very Cautious about introducing a vaccine before much, much study and testing. \nIt is self-aggrandizing physicians with promises of royalties who have been putting out 12-subject studies who deserve the blame, as well as media who promote their pseudo-science. 1314890645 well, the only case of a dream demon that i can think of off the top of my head was a little less out in the open, but that was also brought on by one person to plague another. If your techniques are working then I say stay strong and carry on. If this does come back, your best case scenario is that you are aware it's a dream, in which case you need only remind yourself that it's YOUR dream and that you're the one in control. Since It's in a dream, a dream-catcher might help too. 1324275870 This exact thing happened to me as well. People said rabbit, fox, skunk. But I still dont believe an animal can make the sound i heard. 1338327054 That's probably a part of it. But waterslide guy did say that this was part of his argument. He could have just put the phone down and gone on the waterslide without bothering to respond. 1342283054 I thought this was a r/skeptics? The evidence of austrians making accurate predictions is undeniable, the evidence of keynesians actually *praising* the housing market is also undeniable.\n\nAll you've provided is a dismissal, I can go to /r/politics for those. 1343136242 Well the truth is anything that is in focus is quickly identified as something conventional so it doesn't survive in the press long enough to be circulated among people as a possible UFO ;-)\n 1234320881 Looks as though about half survived 5yrs. I'm just not seeing what you are here at all. \n\nAlso from your article: \n\n>Unfortunately, there is no universal agreement on the definitions of functional and nonfunctional tumors. It is a common practice to label PNETs as functional if the patients have symptoms of hormone overproduction and nonfunctional if patients are asymptomatic in regard to hormonal symptoms even though they may have elevated hormone levels. Using histological codes from the SEER registry to determine the functionality of PNETs has significant limitations. 1317926598 Clinical studies are not blinded because of the placebo effect! Researcher bias is controlled for by using blinded experiments. Placebo effect is controlled for by using control and experimental groups. 1327540519 Here's one possible explination of how it could of been done.\nhttp://youtu.be/m_aJHoLFUPE?t=1m16s 1327421507 "The human race was certainly going to have direct contact with the aliens in the next 10 to 15 years," he said.\n\nWas? 1351044339 sounded like a sarcastic maybe to me. 1347398611 I chuckled at "gateway-woo". 1337213279 I swear this is skeptically relevant. 1295460389 She's better off taking aspirin or ibuprofen. Looks like it's largely glucosamine and chondroiten, same as Lakota and several other similar pills. Expensive, and with little known benefit. 1282951192 It's an interview, you'll have to click the "listen" link to hear it. 1279075235 You should do stand up. There's no way you'd bomb. 1304462418 >Is there such thing as an 'optimal' path through life?\n\nMaybe you could have had a life of happiness with law student girl or literature major girl. Maybe on a scale of 1-10 your relationships could have been 7s or 8s. Maybe, though, they are in relationships that are 9s or 10s. Mathematically, was it destiny for them to be in a slightly happier relationship? My point being, is it better to know that they are both in great relationships at your (current) expense?\n\nSorry, trying not to sound depressing. I'm trying to take the route that you're the hero of this story and sacrificed really nice relationships just so that they could achieve maximum happiness. All speculation of course, since you don't know how happy they are.\n\nI liked your story. I can't wait for the thrilling conclusion of your optimal path. =D (Let me know if I'm just way off and out of line) 1326628008 Shush! You'll ruin the placebo for everyone! 1329871952 give me a break, are you serious? 1331964189 Oh, do you actually have an infrasound room? Cause that would be cool! 1303806545 Yea, in the end it's hard to get excited about because after all, it's just a few dots in a video. 1315367549 So your argument is that it's ethical to play the role of a doctor, without the training of one, because doctors prescribe too many pills?\n\nI do not mean to imply that your wife is some pantomime villain cackling, while holding aloft two sacks of money with dollar symbols painted onto the side. Frankly it would surprise me if she wasn't well-meaning and didn't believe that she was doing good.\n\nThe issue is that without the training a doctor receives or the oversight of a governing body of medical doctors^ she isn't qualified to evaluate her own competency (and for that matter neither am I).\n\n^ Naturopathy does however have a great selection of official-sounding bodies you can register with.\n 1352749636 Maybe I'm missing something, but what is woo? 1352701895 I don't see anyone saying it is a good thing to do. 1323733274 they arent airplanes just because they have lights too. Airplanes dont hover in one spot then change directions. stop ignoring that. 1310135719 You obviously don't get nosleep. None of the stories there are true. They are all "true." As in "true" surrounded by quotation marks. As in not really true, but meant to be taken as "true" and not to be critiqued by skeptics in the comments. 1355166732 Don't forget that the picture that set all this off, the so called "[Surgeon's Photograph](http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/photo_database/image/the_surgeons_photo/)" was confirmed to be a fake in 1994, when one of the fakers confessed. 1311650369 If thats the case, then the U.S military has had these since at least the 60s. Two newspaper reports about triangular UFOs. One in 1966, the other in 1968. I thought they were man-made as well. Could be. I'm leaving it at unidentified. These triangular UFO reportings go even further back to the 50s if I recall correctly.\n\nRadar tracks triangular UFO (1966)\n\nhttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TqtVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NOEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5726,6314804\n\n\nTriangular UFO spotted in Spain (1968)\n\nhttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k2tYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DfgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4608,1811357 1321326357 I've been to a DO and a chiropractor. After getting first-hand experience with the manipulation techniques they use, I would see a reputable chiropractor any day over a DO. I realize this is not a popular opinion in /r/skeptic, but it's true. 1309093580 Its says it is a rendering. Is this some sort of reverse sarcasm I am not familiar with? 1354408184 Wow this is a new one, even to a lifetime skeptic like me. I don't usually call people names but she is a nutcase. 1344464089 Came here to say this. Wonder how theists would answer that question. 1288621141 You're asking if skeptics agree that that person is uncertain about flight 93? 1327712523 Without reading an article it's hard to make a solid argument for or against it but I have a feeling that the article implies the use of physics and science as we know it right now.\n\nIn other words, according to our current knowledge, it's impossible for such a craft to exist. A few hundred years down the line, assuming that humanity doesn't undergo another version of the dark ages? Who knows? 1352437588 I like the way you cite the logical fallacies. Awesome. 1336753652 > No one, or very few anyway, are denying the the climate changes. It always has, and always will. What is in question is whether or not CO2 causes increased temperature, or visa versa. \n\nWell CO2 does. Because, you know, physics. And denying something that simple and profound is one reason why the self-proclaimed "skeptics" are called denialists. Besides the God and intelligent desing thing which you guys love so much. \n\nBTW, how do you feel about that declaration I just showed to you. Are you going to pretend it does not exist? Please read it. Does that declaration make any sense to you? What do you think of people who endorse such thing? Are they rational? \n\nThey are poster boys of climate "skeptics". To me it's obvious they are irrational or insane for endorsing such nonsense. How about you?\n\n> Not so elusive is evidence that if you pay scientists to find evidence to support the global warming hoax, they can and will amass a great deal of it. Including a lot of fabricated evidence. This has the illusion of 'settling the science', because these so called scientists aren't getting paid to find evidence to the contrary. Why? Simple, that would not be profitable.\n\nI honestly tried to make sense of that but could not. Reads like a google translation gone wrong. So maybe next time when you're sober? 1351100582 I'm making the statement that all *scientific* claims must be testable and reproducible. What you are describing isn't a concrete scientific statement, it is an abstract mathematical one. The claim "Any point on a circle is at a distance from the center, of that circle, equal with the distance of any other point on that circle." is true (at least in Euclidean geometry) because that is how a circle is defined. It is tautologically true.\n\nBut with that in mind, the definition of a circle has no real physical properties - are we talking about a circle drawn with a pen and a compass? If that's the case, how do you factor in the width of the ink? Or the fact that it wouldn't even be a two dimensional figure?\n\nIn the physical world we don't really get to define behavior, structure, or whatever. We try to describe and model it. And to find out whether or not a description or model is correct (or more accurately close enough) it must be tested. If you make a claim that can't be tested it lies completely outside the domain of science. Just like the existence of a god.\n\nOn top of that, the action axiom itself is obviously a reasonable statement while remaining in the realm of purely abstract logic. And I don't mean to say that there are no axioms when dealing with abstract logic; that's preposterous. What I'm doing is questioning whether you can assume something is axiomatic when referring to actual, real, concrete things. I don't like making assumptions or presuppositions while attempting to argue the scientific validity of a claim.\n\nBut find me a universally accepted axiom that applies to the physical universe that also can't be tested or reproduced and I'll admit I'm wrong. 1335476445 i absolutely share you're contradictory belief system. on one hand, i am logical, and rule out things with basic science and physics. but on the other hand, i absolutely believe in the paranormal. when you think about it, the paranormal is just crazy science. a science which hasn't been fully explained because its just too damn crazy. \n\nthe experiences i've had with these little creepy dudes are just one of the many reasons why i can't just say i'm seeing things. i believe because i have had first hand experiences, and not all of them have logical explanations. i have a lot of stories about that house, and also about my mother's house which, now that i think about it, is right around the corner. damn. 1346807520 Coming from Latin America, he's the reason I'm interested in UFOs. His reports (specially way back in the day) were freaking amazing. 1299256112 I love how you have removed all ambiguity that the world lives with and deals with on a daily basis, removed all theory, and stated it as a fact that you know exactly what happened. 1342107916 Maybe your friends are just idiots and don't remember the change? 1326651144 Science functions on testing claims against what are called "null hypotheses". To be extremely general, a null hypothesis follows the general form "X has no effect different from notX". The null hypothesis is considered true until evidence can be collected that would be statistically improbable if the null was true. At this point, we say that we have "rejected the null hypothesis"\n\nThe papers linked have nulls. Their nulls would be along the lines of "these plant extracts have no effect on cultured microorganisms". They tested these nulls and rejected them. This means "these results would be very unlikely if these plant extracts had no effect on cultured microorganisms"\n\nA **completely different** null would be "these plants have no effects on the microbes growing in the human body when ingested". that null wasn't tested. A good skeptic (who understands the scientific method) would say that there's no substantial evidence for the purported effect, and given the difference in conditions between these in vitro experiments and the human gi tract, the results cannot be extrapolated. \n\nRemember, in science the burden of proof is on any hypothesis that contradicts the null. 1341195201 Your terminology is incorrect. "Straight" chiropractic is what you refer to as "woo". "Mixers" are the ones who are a bit more oriented toward an evidence based practice. 1349591545 So much recommendation. 1343910528 We ARE the aliens, man! 1332272868 Oh yeah, I know what she means.\n\nI just like poking fun at the labeling. 1349198562 [Kary Mullis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kary_Mullis) is a Nobel laureate who [denies climate change and the link between HIV and AIDS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kary_Mullis#Personal_views) and is convinced he [met a glowing, speaking, extraterrestrial raccoon from another dimension](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kary_Mullis#Extraterrestrial_life).\n\nNobel prize winners sometimes go very far off the deep end when they get outside their field of subject matter expertise, and they often don't get called out on it because of their status. 1337188407 Man these guys really infuriate me. \n\nI'm a masters student, studying epidemiology and public health, while my GF is a physician of internal medicine. What these guys are basically saying is that, both of us, are either 1. so incompetent that even after five to ten years (in her case) of post-grad education we're no more capable of understanding the relevant data than a rank amateur laymen, and as such were both fooled by the vaccine company's propaganda while he saw through their deception, or 2. we're both so corrupt and evil that we don't mind poisoning our neighbor's kids for an extra $5. Pretty insulting to say the least. \n\nFilthy anti-intellectual reactionaries. 1327982530 Ive watched this so many times. The "shadow" seems to be walking on all fours. From the time it enters the screen to the time it leaves I can see a basic outline of the creature. Also the tree moves when it exits left. Unbeliveable 1320727053 cumulative exposure effect, not cumulative build-up. I'm not a doctor, and while I do work in toxicology I don't work with metals - but I'm quoting from a report that another poster linked me in an attempt to prove my cautionary principle wrong, i don't think 11 years is long enough for a basic principle like cumulative exposure to be proven wrong. \n\nDid you think that if you ate lead paint chips they'd stay in you forever too? Of course your body removes it, but there can be a cumulative exposure effect - thimerosal, according to the NAS's medical publication, may add to a child's cumulative lead exposure, and even if it's a small amount that likely does no harm at all...if we don't need to use the thimerosal why keep it in? 1355803695 In Germany, we have [these lovely folks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Democratic_Party_of_Germany). If a party is prohibited it's because their aims openly seek to undermine our constitution. That applies to any side of the political spectrum. That's the factor, not "we are prohibiting extreme far right parties or people who call themselves this or that." 1343927214 /r/conspiracy. 1303223399 You can never take anything you watch on tv/movie/documentary as fact. I would have thought you already knew that. Use your own judgement and if something is fishy, look it up. I thought you was real po-lice. I mean skep-tic. 1306903636 Russia's Extraordinary Failed Soyuz 2.1b Rocket Launch with Meridian satellite on board. \n\nEdit: Here is a map whit marked launch, sightings and debris landing: http://g.co/maps/24s89 1331902068 Because ADHD is a fairly well-understood condition that certainly has a neurological basis.\n\nNow, overprescription of amphetamines and overdiagnosis is a real problem, but ADHD itself is a definite disorder. 1345477780 How often do people do this? 1354937117 >that people incorrectly assume that it's a simple "take the guns away and there will be no gun crime," 1355856613 Why Does Every Single Word On That Entire Fucking Website Begin With A Capital Letter? 1292258254 I have a hard time accepting that texting bandwidth even remotely approaches talk bandwidth. Furthermore, texting is in short bursts followed by, relatively speaking, long durations without trasmission/reception, and that's even when you are having a conversation with someone.\n\nJust to clarify, I think the whole "cell phones are heating you up and causing health issues" thing is bogus. I was just pointing out the flaw in Acsheu's argument. 1341204069 It reminds me of JFK, most people that were alive when that happened, that I've talked, to believe that was a conspiracy. It seems like one way that people cope is to believe that there is a more complex, purposed reason something happened. 1290666404 Actual video\nhttp://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhi790oSxj6hSN72Od 1347855107 Ahhh the giant cigar shaped UFO. My favorite type of unexplained craft...simply because its difficult to mistake it for some terrestrial craft. Strange indeed. One of the more credible sightings and a very valid posting. Replenishes my faith in this phenomena.\n\n[Relevant.](http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/79935/amazing_cigar_shaped_ufo_seen_over_bazil_28sep2011/) \n\n 1319528888 You said it's obvious that is what happened.\n\nSomething obviously happened and whatever happened it involved stupidity on the polices part.\n\n\nThis is just a anarchist circlejerk over "facist pigs!"\n\nThat said, i'm not sure why this post is really here, /r/panichistory would probably better fit the bill.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 1354887732 I don't see what is so difficult to understand here. Not everyone who thinks of UFOs assumes there is an actual mystery, many people think all UFOs are explainable, be it a comet, star, bird, whatever. My point is, he could have been saying there are unidentified objects in our skies that are a genuine mystery, not just that they haven't been investigated and would turn out to be planes or stars. It doesn't necessarily mean he believed these unexplainable ones were alien. Perhaps he was being facetious as well, as someone else suggested, basically stating that of course flying objects that are unidentified exist. 1314126993 Truth not being a defense in those cases seems inappropriate. 1333659119 Bacon is better than true love. 1304967445 That is the plan, we'll figure out specifics amongst the mods on rage comics shortly. I personally would rather not have them. Self posts, or if relevant the image in question (weird hand floating,what ever glitch that happens) 1326436142 I wonder If those guys play the "this week I'm the one with beard" card 1317312127 Words don't mean what you think they mean. Don't ever handle inflammable gas. 1306248774 I hope they do, because it sure ain't gonna be us at this rate. 1240266642 Thats fine and all, but it is *sold as a medicine*. \n\nIf someone is going to comment about the efficacy of the "medicine" to a customer then they might be opening themselves up to unwanted problems. \n\nIt doesn't matter if the so-called medicine is crap. You can bet if the OP takes a strong stance by giving unsolicited advice to customers, eventually one of them will have a problem with his advice and cause problems.\n\nIf he really wants to do something, then he needs to either be discrete with customers or just try to get the product removed. \n\n 1327364391 Look into cleansing your house. If you don't know how to do it, it's easy, or you could find someone else to do it. If you don't believe in cleansing of spaces or "that sort of thing", I highly recommend you reconsider; as this looks like the best coarse of action. 1340516085 The united nations names Maziam Othman as Earth's ambassador to aliens as well as drafts protocal for the First Contact. 1285647186 Clone Wars FTW 1285350896 They also use 'organic fertilizers' (read: Bullshit/horseshit).\n\nThis is how you get E. coli on your lettuce. 1249619233 I think we are talking past each other. Storytellers can invent or dramatize the stories they tell. That’s a legitimate thing to do. They don’t even have to make it clear that they are making things up while telling the story.\n\nBut they do have to make it clear – beforehand – that they are doing this. They can’t present things they made up as facts. But even if they do that their status as storyteller is untouched. Whether or not you are able to tell a good story has nothing to do with whether the story is true or not. 1331953935 Marijuana....*cough cough* 1306262286 I had just fallen asleep maybe 5 minutes ago. Not sure if that is long enough to hit REM or not. But I really hope you're right. Because this has been bothering me. 1324161648 I totally understand your anger (and I'm quite frustrated myself to see my mother buy Bach remedies and homeopathy for herself and her pets) but still, on a public forum, reason and logic are still *our best weapons* against these frauds.\n\nThink of the undecided. They'll instinctively root for the side that is more convincing, cool-headed and reasonable, instead of the one throwing insults. 1342474680 Looks like bullshit writing to me. 1350949105 Collective consciousness is a synonym for culture. It doesn't imply a psychic link between people. In this particular instance, because he links it with "amassing information," I think he was referring to things like the internet, the availability of information, and the ability to share information quickly all around the world, that sort of thing.\n 1286914383 That's a pretty strong claim, right there. I hope you are willing and able to explain what you base that claim on. 1332996213 FTWS: \n\n"What do Ludwig von Beethoven, Elizabeth Taylor, Orson Welles, and John F. Kennedy have in common? They all suffered from asthma—yet were still rich and famous. Conversely, revolutionary Che Guevara and Russian Czar Peter the Great were also noted asthmatics, though it did little to stem their blood lust." 1305054980 ..But melting the poles means more water in the ocean. More water means lower concentration. Lower concentration means higher effect. Higher effect means less terrorism! 1304448418 If you just resign yourself to the fact that the population of this sub has become 75% wacked out drug abusers, little things like this won't bother you anymore. 1348662653 >with chemo, there is a fuck ton of papers published in respected journals that have been peer reviewed saying that it is at least better than doing nothing. With cannabis there is nothing, **no decent evidence at all** saying that it is in anyway a cure for cancer. So as a skeptic weighing the evidence between the two you can come to the pretty safe conclusion that one is more effective than the other and a better treatment.\n\nLOL! So basically, you're coming to a conclusion that you *admit* is based on "no decent evidence at all", but yet you claim this conclusion is a skeptical point of view?! You probably even go on to be condescending towards others simply because they believe in similarly based conclusions. I'm confused... 1328448640 "WELL GRAVITY IS A THEORY TOO" 1350609796 > knife [...] pointless\n\nYour pun doesn't cut it. 1355904707 You're absolutely right that for any one person taking the test, there is only a 1 in 100 chance the test will not be accurate. \n\nBut look at it this way:\n\nBecause only one in ten thousand have the disease, in almost all cases, the problem will be a false positive. In other words, when it does go wrong, it will almost certainly be saying that you have the disease when you don't.\n\nHere's the key: The 99% chance of accuracy is *only* for any one person who **has not** taken the test yet. The vast majority who take the test will get a negative result. and and even greater majority who take the test won't have the disease.\n\nSo... **if you get a positive result, you're *already* in a tiny minority**, and you're far more likely to be in the minority who got a wrong result (1 in 100), than the tiny tiny minority who have the disease (1 in 10000)!\n\nThere was [an incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Clark) in the UK where some idiot pretending to be a statistician managed to get an innocent mother locked away because two of her children had cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). He worked out the chances of one kid dying, squared it, and said that this was the chance of two kids dying (1 in 73 million), which is highly unlikely so she must be a murderer!\n\nAny proper statistician would have explained to the judge that both your babies dying is *already* very rare, so any explanation of how they died, would necessarily involve a one in many-millions occurance as it's a one in a many-million event. To say that she must be a murderer because the other explanation is a one in many-millions chance is facile, mothers killing both their babies is also a one in many-millions occurrence. We'll put to one side the other obvious fact that it's idiotic to simply square the chances of one baby dying, as we don't fully understand Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, so there may be genetic and environmental causes that would mean that a family who had already had one child die from SIDS would be *more likely* to have another child die from SIDS than most families. The only thing a statistician can usefully do when a very rare event has occurred, is to work out the *relative* chances of each possible explanation, and *not* the absolute chance (i.e. not use the rarity of one of the explanations, to rhetorically imply that the other explanation must be true, even though that explanation may actually be much rarer.) That's what we're doing here.\n\nHope this helps. 1311981560 yeah. was looking at that. this actually led me to\n http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kola_Superdeep_Borehole\ni really want to explore this now 1334154868 SHOCKING! If anyone actually thought that the Army would let this event happen on post, you are very naive. :( Being former Army myself, I hoped this event would have happened too; if only to see the "outrage". 1299291382 > The problem with this statement is that now you're saying i have to prove a negative\n\nI'm not asking you to do anything, first of all. I don't think you're capable of doing the research that would be necessary to delve into sexism in the skeptical movement. Secondly, all I really want is to see some simple polling done to estimate whether or not women in the skeptical movement feel alienated and/or uncomfortable frequently. I think people who are claiming "sexism is rampant in skepticism" are wrong to do so without this evidence. And I'm sorry, but you're wrong to claim the opposite without evidence that goes against it. That's simply how making claims works.\n\n> If you want anecdotal statistics i've only seen one lady raise such a stink about events and her name was Watson\n\nNo, no, no, 1000 times no. Anecdotes are worthless. You keep bringing them up. Anecdotes are the enemy!\n\n> Just how rational is your argument if you're asking me to prove your points so i can then provide counter arguments?\n\nYou are attributing Watson's words (and those of other feminists) to me, and in doing so, are utterly failing to understand what I am claiming. So let me make it clear, this is my claim:\n\nIf you firmly believe sexism is a problem in the skeptical movement and you have no data to back it up, you are being irrational and thinking nonscientifically. If you firmly believe sexism is not a problem in the skeptical movement and you have no data to back it up, you are being irrational and thinking nonscientifically.\n\nIt's okay to have a hunch. Weak opinions are fine. But being arrogant and evangelistic about your stance on this -- lacking in humility and arguing forcefully and such -- is simply not rational. Period. 1325810670 I guess critical thinking is not part of the royal bloods DNA. With them either practicing or endorsing every form of woo from Astrology to Scientology and everything in between. \n 1316726732 Who you going to call? 1353882066 Method three is the closest. It was invented [by this reporter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Elbert_Wilkie). And here's [Penn and Teller's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0AgvxEx754) take on it. 1338131132 True, but I wonder if anyone out there has ever died of water intoxication because they were on so many homeopathic "treatments".\n 1250942178 keep this kind of bullshit in /r/atheism please 1288969240 Hey, thanks. Generally, people like proof of debunking on this site. I am not on my "period", maybe you are? General punctuation and grammar is a concept even a 12 year old could grasp. Everyone hates walls of text. Try to be more civil, and I'll be less of a "Jackass", OK? 1344669109 You do realize that the point of this article was not to discuss FGM, and that therefore a detailed discussion of the evidence would be beyond the scope of the article, right?\n\nSo guess what she did instead: she linked to the video where she discusses the issue more in-depth. She provided some better evidence and discussion right there, in a way that avoided getting out of scope of the article. You just never followed the link. 1351099774 I might be mistaken but I think the official name of that logical fallacy is a "those-things-are-not-related-at-all-ism" 1297097969 I'm sorry but giving a list of known orbital debris does not answer how any of those objects can change speed and direction. 1355690700 ...like many ancient astronaut theorists believe? \n 1334260978 >The vast majority of cases have characteristics that would be impossible for a human to duplicate.\n\nThis i find interesting. Examples? 1331070298 I was just fucking around with you, pretending to be a feel-good liberal.\n\nMan this is incredible, dolphin therapy, jesus fucking krist this whole world is retarded. 1252188418 It's not me, it's the flouride! I'm perfect!\n/s 1342186256 When my first cat died in a car-accident, I had a dream about him a the next night. When my dog died (one that I had grown up with, my parents got him 2 weeks after I was born), I had a dream about him the next night aswell. Odd how those things work. Could just be they were on my mind, but I always played with them in my dreams. 1346419498 Yes.\n\n"Twinkle twinkle little star…". 1336713491 How many Earths?\n\nIt's Earth's atmosphere, since the atmosphere belongs to the Earth. 1353853604 Libbalai? ;) 1302308588 The other party of this story that nobody seems to have acknowledged yet in the comments is that the cause of the remission is not the only unknown - it is entirely possible that he didn't go into remission at all because he never had cancer in the first place. Misdiagnoses happen all the time 1347846295 Thats part of the disinformation campaign. Make it seem as though the information is purposefully hushed in order to garner the idea that the government is hiding something from us. \n\nWe've been brainwashed into the idea that UFOs are aliens for decades. You know what medieval Europe called these things? fairies. You know what we call them now? Aliens, by association. Throughout history, cultures have changed what these 'objects' are so that it fits the social mores of said culture. \n\nUFOs didn't pop out of nowhere starting with the Roswell incident. These flying objects have been around for thousands of years. \n\nAlso lets think about this for a moment. If all these military personnel are 'coming out' saying that UFOs are real and that potentially they are ET in origin, couldn't they be espousing MORE disinformation? In my opinion, yes. \n\nAm I saying that UFOs don't exist. No. They're real. I have tons of footage to back it up. But are these objects 'ET' in origin? Personally, no. But hey, is there a possibility that there is ET life out there? absolutely. 1330479931 poltergeist 1341705319 poltergeist 1342053180 I completely understand and accept that everyone will think this is set up in some way. I'm not surprised. All I can do is reinforce the fact that it's not a "show".\n\nSide note, what's wrong with making recordings with an iphone? :\\ It's a perfectly legitimate recording device. 1335245719 I said the same thing. Ghost car!! It reminded me of a police Chase video where the car gets away by going on this road but when the cop turns onto it. He stopped by a chain link fence and sees the car driving away 1344786408 Water you talking about? 1297963196 Because people spend money on luxuries, entertainment, mind-alteration, cosmetics, yachts, etc. etc., The government can better invest that money if the right experts are using that money.\n\nCompanies and banks will not invest in government R&D because government R&D is HIGH-RISK, so high-risk that it would be corporate-suicide and stakeholder-uprising-enabling, because of what a waste of money it could turn out to be (companies will simply not take on that much risk, but sometimes this risk is necessary for the advancement of your nation).\n\n>My argument is that millions of brains of private people and companies are better at reading the market and producing what people want than the government,\n\nYou would be correct if people were interested in anything but themselves. What people demand is different than what people will later find beneficial once you do something different.\n\nFor example, many people opposed NASA budgetary spending because they thought poor people on earth need help, why should we invest in space? Well guess what? Many inventions and advancements came from space. Including some that created new markets.\n\nMany people oppose military spending, but DARPA invented the internet that they LOVE today. You can't love something that hasn't been invented yet.\n\n>Watch the US's credit rating drop as the world realises that the US cannot pay their debts just like Greece.\n\nThe difference between Greece and the US, is. Greece borrows money, imports weapons and military purchases, and then they produce nothing except tourism. They create no value to the global economy.\n\nMeanwhile the US, is an industrialized, manufacturing, art-creating, inventing, researching, analytical hub in the world and people do want to invest in it. In fact, they are begging to invest in the US, even while treasury bills have negative returns.\n\nSo what should the US do in this situation? Print more treasury bills and borrow more money for spending. Yes you heard correctly.\n\n>Got anything to back this up? Any tax given back can be used for people to get out of debt or spend buying things. Why is that a bad investment?\n\nThe Laffer Curve, many economists believe 70% taxation is too much, and can choke people, and force them to DODGE taxes. That is the concern. Or they have too much taxes, and cannot thus invest from their savings accounts. This is not what is happening in America today.\n\nTax given back, can be used for getting out of debt, or spending buying things for the middle class. Which is exactly why Keynesians support tax breaks for the middle/lower classes. Which is exactly why Obama and Clinton gave tax breaks to the middle class. \n\nThe problem is, when you give tax breaks to the wealthy and rich individuals and corporations. Who then squander that money in offshore investments, or luxury purchases that help other nations more than the US. Much of the time, that money is not spent on anything useful. Sometimes it can even sit idle and not create value for global economy.\n\n> You think if we imposed a tax on say all fast food, that the fast food restaurants will just shrug and let the tax eat into the entirety of their profits?\n\nYes, if they are pricing according to sales. If they increase the price, so that they don't "eat the taxes into profits", they may lose vital amount of customers that could further eat into their profits. So they have to balance that. \n\nYour A, B, C, are based on excessive taxes. If it's only a dollar of tax, it may not affect them much and they may not change their price at all if they've historically had great profit margins. If it's 2 or 4 dollars of tax, then yes, those problems could arise. Thus, government has to ensure that taxes are not choking out competition. Companies have to ensure they are not driving away customers either with price hikes.\n\nIt's all about balance.\n\n>A increase in corporate taxes would have the same effect over the entire country, it's just much more transparent.\n\nNot necessarily. If all your corporations are making huge profits, then extra taxes will not have a problem. If they are pushing their prices onto their consumers/quality, then they will lose consumers to competition that "EATS" the tax losses.\n\nIf your taxes are too low, then your government will not be able to provide the vital services it needs to help society as a whole, which can also have negative effects on the economy.\n\nIf people are worried about getting sick like in America, they will reserve savings money for emergencies, and/or may be paying off medical debts. Thus they can't start a small business. \n\nAs you can see, it's ALL ABOUT BALANCE. Too much taxes? Bad. Too little taxes? Terrible. Somewhere in the middle? Just right. 1351994612 absolutely, what expert opinion would cause you to question the story given by NIST, FEMA, and the Commission? 1314725346 Is that the sun in the sky? Think of how bright those two small objects would have to be. Maybe they were digitally created by JPL as sort of an inside joke and to draw attention to the Curiosity mission. 1345666888 Wow. Now I want to see your wife's inbox.\n\nThat sounds dirtier than it should. 1283536955 I thought she had a concussion at first, but she seems to be functioning just fine now. No blood was drawn when she hit her head. 1332376941 I doubt it. Anyway, quit bitching. 1321128776 i hope u guys dont believe this bullshit 1342020233 Wow. I forgot about this guy. His videos are so well produced. Gives me hope. 1302448193 That's almost scarier than an actual ghost... 1339808765 ....example? (besides earth) 1325372705 The article is about mediums, which is pretty psychich oriented. And what I was talking about is the idea that it is possible that on a quantum level thought or intention might effect the outcome of our results, and since merely trying to "see" whats going on on a quantum level changes things it is not far fetched. You're brain is the most advanced computer in the world, and tell me, what is the next horizon in computing technology? quantum computing? The same natural laws that govern your brain govern quantum mechanics so it is not impossible that they could be related when they are so similar in many ways. In all seriousness though, I'm just speculating but then science would be nothing without speculation. 1318351891 Why did you get overpowered in the first place? start a new forum and discuss what you want. 1240825036 Hey, looks like someone has a case of the crazies. 1289937671 Occam's razor, and all. 1314305177 *toast 1323717863 I think the mountain peaks should be at prime numbers so it is even more cleaver. 1323877688 Honestly, I don't think his opinion is that important in this case. If he sat in on the panel and listened, he'd likely have realized that was a poor idea. His intentions aren't relevant, and she didn't criticize them, she criticized the action (mildly, I'd add). 1351130726 > "OK, how mentally retarded are we talking here..."\n\nI laughed, at work, such that the water I was sipping came out my nose. Shermer sometimes leaves his scruples at the door and I fear that could polarize biases, even though I love it. 1349972332 Did you try exercising your right not to use the thing and moving on with your life? 1327541149 I take your point, but I also think there is a difference between pretending to allow discussion and being up-front about not bothering to allow comments. The Examiner author appears to be actively picking and choosing who is "allowed" to respond to her nonsense.\n\nI do allow track-back links and do not censor them (other than spam removal). So I'll host a link to a rebuttal or response, but I won't host the content.\n\nI know this is different from the accepted "norm" of blogging today. However, I've always treated my blog as more of a diary going back to the late 90's when I used to write my own software to do it. Every time I've experimented with enabling comments over the years has resulted in a huge time sink. Dealing with spam took more time than I wanted to spend. And I couldn't come up with an editorial policy that was consistent and honest. Since I use my site for professional purposes as well as the blog, it was problematic for me to host profanity-laden personal attacks or hate speech along side my software work.\n\nI saw that my choices were to either moderate comments (and risk being accused of censorship) or not have them. I find it paradoxical that you're calling my decision "censorship" when I never pretended to be willing to publish other people's content (in the form of comments). I'm not censoring anyone, I'm simply not offering to help others publish. 1253400374 National Geographic, perhaps? 1336582261 The conspiracist line is that terminator seeds are Monsanto's way of keeping farmers from saving seeds, against contract. This is most commonly decried by the "Monsanto is trying to keep farmers from saving seeds, so they can force them to buy from them every year" type of anti-gmo. The argument is that Monsanto will somehow engineer a situation where no one will be able to buy non-patented seeds anymore. It is kind of facile, because farmers usually don't save non-gmo seeds. Most crops today are hybrids, which means the seeds don't grow true anyways. Besides, it's ridiculous to think that anyone would ever be able to prevent people from buying non-gmo seeds. I'll believe that when the government wipes out pot. 1330731487 Salvia does this to me and some friends of mine...We've all had experiences of passing through before we've even hit it. 1353018091 The FDA uses third party peer review. If you send a study to the FDA, it gets sent out to a university for review. The FDA doesn't review anything. They go off of what is sent to them. Maybe there is some shadowy corporation paying off grad students and their professors at every university that might get sent a study from the FDA to review, but whomever is making that claim needs to provide proof that would even lead to that hypothesis. \n\nYou not liking the results are not a good observation that would lead to the hypothesis that there is some grand conspiracy taking place. 1349328165 That is illogical. 1355113571 It's likely the manufacturers themselves mislabelled it. They may have believed it was "real" homeopathy, or they may have just been cynically capitalising on the label. We probably won't ever know for sure.\n\nPrescription medicine has strict labelling guidelines. The guidelines for complementary, alternative and supplementary medicine are much more lax. To sell something as homeopathic (as opposed to any other form of alternative medicine) you just have to include the dilution.\n\nThe methodology for creating homeopathic remedies varies so widely that it can be a 1:1 solution and still be considered homeopathic under the labelling laws. 1323234574 Hey, no use of Occum's Razor here. 1348852252 explain the 'control immune system at will' ... how did he actually demonstrate that? 1349990662 that C4 is so stable that you can light it on fire, then shoot it with an explosive bullet from a high power rifle with and it will not blow up 1322344643 after about a month of reading reviews online (some on reddit too!) i decided to try it out. Nothing much happend. No lucid dreams for me :/ but i do wake up extremely fast and refreshed after having taken it the night before. No groggyness in the morning i feel as if part of my mind was already awake and waiting for the alarm clock. 1319504194 Might be a way to literally wire into someone at some point. But even if you took readings from the brain they could probably be subjectively altered since it would read based on what that person "considered" the pain to be. 1334843231 This is an exploratory study, seeing as the sample size was 18 subjects.\n\nAlso, "Burnout Syndrome" is a psychosomatic condition caused by stress and social pressures. This is not an instance of Reiki treating a medical condition, but instead Reiki treating a psychological condition. This is a significant difference.\n\nAlso, the study explicitly says that the control group received no-touch fake Reiki treatments. I do not find an explicit explanation, but this implies that the real reiki treatments were touch treatments. Thus the thing being compared in this study is touch vs. no-touch for the treatment of stress-related conditions.\n\nI would have liked to have seen a third group included in this study (not possible due to the small subject pool, sadly) in which licensed therapeutic massage was included for comparison. This would have helped to isolate the variable being tested.\n\nThe placebo group was not sufficiently similar to the experimental group, in my opinion, and so this study does not helpfully isolate the source of the difference. I predict that it is the touch aspect, and that sham reiki treatments that included touch would do as well as real reiki, and therapeutic massage would outperform both. 1337025837 Well, most drones don't do a whole lot of crazy maneuvering. Most of them are designed for slow efficient flight and loitering over an area for hours. I'm sure that some capable of more will come eventually of course, but if they do, they'll probably do so near military bases, right? So just pay attention to what is nearby. 1350842729 Read the title and thought I'd been glitched to Spacedicks... 1346539454 I know nothing about cars so this doesn't help me. Can you turn that into a Harry Potter metaphor? 1310599480 I haven't heard much about Timothy Leary, but quickly googling him suggests that he was a quack that had no scientific evidence for his claims. \n\nAs for books you can read to see what is and is not psychology, I recommend Scott Lilienfield who has a [number of books on that particular issue](http://www.google.co.nz/#hl=en&tbm=bks&sa=X&ei=YPxKT43_EuTzmAXKqYyuDg&ved=0CCoQBSgA&q=lilienfeld+psychology&spell=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=509985b96d5081d2&biw=1366&bih=643). Specifically, I recommend: "[Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=rZr0DtX2siQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=lilienfeld+psychology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Y_xKT5yqKIuamQWquIixDg&ved=0CEgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=lilienfeld%20psychology&f=false)" and "[50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions About Human Behavior](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=8DlS0gfO_QUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=lilienfeld+psychology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Y_xKT5yqKIuamQWquIixDg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=lilienfeld%20psychology&f=false)". \n\n>Unless there is an CAT scan going or something all the surveys and mumbo jumbo just seem unreliable and speculative at best.\n\nI assume you're probably referring to **clinical psychology** here, and so it's important to point out that large portions of psychology have nothing to do with mental disorders (and a lot of it has no interest in humans either). Clinical psychology, as it's practiced, is obviously not a science, but is instead an evidence-based application of science - in the same way that medicine is not a science. The research that underpins both areas are obviously based on scientific principles, but they do of course face difficulties when trying to control for particular confounds (e.g. they can't raise babies in controlled conditions and then inject them with diseases to see what happens). But they still use experimental conditions, like randomised-controlled trials, to measure the effects of particular interventions and so to reject psychological treatments would require you to also reject many medical interventions. \n\nIt is also important to point out that biological markers are often useless when trying to diagnose a mental disorder as many mental disorders are not caused by biological abnormalities or dysfunctions. For more information on this, I recommend this article by Neuroskeptic "[Brain Scans Prove that the Brain Does Stuff](http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.co.nz/2010/10/brain-scans-prove-that-brain-does-stuff.html)" and Massimo Pigliucci has a similar article here: "[The Mismeasure of Neuroscience](http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.co.nz/2012/02/mismeasure-of-neuroscience.html)".\n\n**Basically:** Being skeptical or uncertain of psychology because of people like Leary, Freud, Jung etc, is like being skeptical of medicine because of Andrew Wakefield, or skeptical of physics because of the existence of perpetual energy theorists.\n 1330315339 I downvoted this comment for griping about a downvote. 1331995194 I am giving this 100% of my upvotes as well. 1350243855 Different Edward 1344493930 Why not a small-business loan, then? Why not setting up a plan to work/suffer X months/years of undignified employment to save/earn amount Y? Why not offer your services/time below current prices or minimum wage to build a customer base or reputation? 1343074758 Dr. Oz was a respected cardiac surgeon. He has published many papers in top medical journals. 1326887830 "Not your personal army" comes to mind.\n\nIf you're going to be a skeptic in r/911truth, you'll get downvoted. It's how they roll. Who cares?\n\nThough tbh dude, your posting style there is pretty bad. You come off like you're in Jr. High. Like, the kind of person they would point to and go "See? That's how intelligent a believer of the 'official story' is, ha ha!"\n\nFind productive uses for your time, r/911truth was good for a laugh when it was active, but you won't make anyone listen. 1306302380 That was my thought, too. And if he DID work from an office, why not more detail about that? What kind of chair did he have, was he just sitting in a folding metal chair the whole time? Was there an office kitchen or at least a mini-fridge, or did he have to keep his lunch in an insulated lunch bag?\n\nAnd the details that were included - like the flickering lights and the hallway which is just vaguely described as "dirty" - just weren't convincing. \n\nNot to mention the logistical issue of employee sourcing. Really, it's just word of mouth? Literally word of mouth? How long does it take to fill a vacancy - years? I bet the churn rate in that industry is crazy high, you would need a lot more than "word of mouth" to bring in the bodies. 1349886825 It's ok. Happens to me too. 1333048225 As the article says, I can't imagine they'd be so public (what with Obama's statement and all) about it without some concrete evidence. 1304348492 Not really, within a month of the first leak about the operation the Attorney General basically [admitted the whole thing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_contra) and Ollie north was fired. 1352236479 In other news, grass still green. 1351679246 Wow, I know you posted this a while back, but I happened to stumble upon this post, Just after reading my favorite series of books. In one of the books, Shadow people are often discussed. They are shadows that we cannot see all the time but sometimes we see out of the corners of our eyes and such. \n\nThe book describes that sometimes the shadow people come out and "grab" people from the world, never to be seen again. All information about their existence, gone. It is as if they have been erased from this universe. Forgotten forever. \n\nYet, sometimes a person might remember an unknown face, feel an odd feeling that someone is gone, and it might be a person who they once knew, but will never remember. \n\n\nPretty creepy. I am not a good writer so this might not make sense. Let me know if you want the name of the book. Explains the feeling you had exactly. 1355108696 Reading this i get an extreme urge to impose som science and rational thinking on Mike Adams in the style of a clockwork orange. 1319446322 So this annual exercise usually lasts about 2 weeks? I'm assuming Lindberg's team will be delayed from their investigation for that long? but I thought they just left port yesterday, I guess they'll have to turn around and head back to land?\n\nOr can they go ahead and continue their investigation while the military exercise is happening? 1338647681 Just a training exercise 1356613504 Thank you. Have you ever heard about this case? Aside from the link I posted I havnt found much 1354054957 If all this is, in fact, true... you need to exorcise them demons darlin. No joke. 1333735723 Same! My husband won't even attempt to switch and it drives me crazy. He thinks he is a "supertaster" because he can't handle even the slightest bitter flavor.\n\nThat said... Coke with real sugar (we say Mexican Coke in our area, or Canadian too) or Pepsi Throwback will always reign supreme. 1313512919 There are a few times/demographics that are more prone to iron deficiency anemias than others. Women are more prone due to menses and pregnancy uses more iron than usual. So a pregnant woman is the most prone to anemia (yes I realize that a pregnant woman doesn't have a menses). That being said, I was only stating what was taught in the nutritional section of my biochemistry class, because even I (a biology major in undergrad) was not aware that we can't really use the in found in plants because it is so bound up in proteins we can't process.\n\nOther things that disable us from using the iron we ingest: Vitamin B12 deficiency and Folate deficiency (which should never be a problem for a pregnant woman). 1354156624 Sadly, that's what it's come down to, rhetorically. Misogyny is *hating women*, not disagreeing with an argument. 1310055781 Do they also recommend throwing the little plastic containers on the road 50 feet from where they're sold? Or maybe it just says that right on the bottle. 1343961717 Number 1 rule of investigating the paranormal! 1355270548 No. Not really. I prefer sleeping. 1345806974 Well I hear what you mean. Now comes the most important question here. Did you hear it at the time? Or only in the video? I ask this because I've seen over and over and over the fact that weird things people hear are not showing up on audio recording, and things that show up on audio people don't hear at the time of recording. I'm really curious if both are ever true for the same incident. 1332666638 I think you're right, actually. The one he's referring to is definitely on one of the moons according to the Googles. My mistake!\n\n[This is the 'monolith' on Phobos that Buzz is talking about.](http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/marte/marte_phobos09.htm) 1334272727 ya, there are actual photos at the bottom, some dude's home project that has nothing to do with the main photo. 1344534846 The people don't have the knowledge to regulate. That is why homeopathy, chiropractics, and diet pill thrive. People are stupid when it comes to their own bodies. 1304818064 They would adapt, update their teachings and pretend like they predicted the aliens thousands of years ago. They do, after all, make this shit up as they go. 1277724948 Yes, it's called forcing a card and there are several ways to do it. Pretty basic card magic stuff. 1326440136 The guy who plays Hugh House? 1336587398 I didn't say anything about whether or not what this woman has said is true or not. I didn't say her background or qualifications invalidate her opinion, either.\n\nBut why is it considered a personal attack to note that a person has no understanding of a subject? Why should all opinions carry equal weight, even when we can plainly see that some are totally invalid because of where they originate?\n\nTo put it in another context, does this mean that every time an anti-vaccination campaign starts up again we have to stop progress just to give those people their time to speak, even though their opinions are not based on science, and can't be proven?\n\nCertainly there are many ad hominem attacks to be found here on Reddit and elsewhere on the net. But to say that a person's motive or credentials should *never* be questioned is ludicrous. Isn't that the very definition of skepticism? 1333140895 Must have been "new" for OP then....\n\ninb4: Swampgas. 1350990518 Peer reviewed articles are the platinum standard. A YouTube video? Well, unless it's very well done and provides some entertainment, it means squat. 1355964332 good point. the people who control the news are the last few of the cabal that don't want to give up. But now the are submitting. An example of this is the big banking scandal last week in London. Thats just the tip of the iceberg. a lot more will follow. 1342718457 Theist skeptic checking in. 1324355557 It's more advanced than static health. At least I think so. Must be all that oxygen. 1294998571 I knew this guy once who got exiled at birth and, as a grown man, came back only to accidentally kill his father and marry his mother. True story. 1301944596 > Intelligent readers shouldn’t be offended by someone like me, who has a point of view different to them. They’ll just laugh and say I’m ignorant.\n\nYup. 1299186034 It's a great quote, but I wouldn't call it prophetic considering you could take 90 percent of his statement, make it at virtually any point in recorded history, and still have it seem eerily accurate. 1313696177 I thought he was asking a reporter to give him a tug. 1252770264 Well, now it does... 1299898120 It's not a satire site. They definitely believe the stuff they put on there. 1330215565 I think you need to decide if you are a skeptic or a fundamentalist.\n\n$2 off of a Tofurky is a good deal if you can eat Tofurky. 1303065381 moving-target still hit by down votes 1299223449 This is wonderful. Thank you for your good work with those who may be nearing the end of their physical lives. My grandparents are getting old, but I am very close with them and conscious of what incredible people they are and life they've lived despite their bodies starting to fail them. It saddens me to think about it, even, so I commend you on your good work and use of your special ability, sir or madam. 1347079677 Troll on 1348169905 My roommate bought some magnetic necklace thing and said it works... I told him I could get him a nice deal on a bridge. It went over his head. :I 1334968073 first: modern medicine is a challenge to their faith because it provides a "cure" to a "disease" that is in fact believed to be basically psychological (to put it in non-religious terms). Generally the belief is that modern medicine may treat the symptoms, for some time, but does not cure the underlying religious disorder.\n\nI would like to think that I actually have a pretty good working knowledge of how this type of theist thinks -- presenting their religious arguments in the strongest possible manner, rather than the rantings of an idiot.\n\ntrue enough regarding a "punitive person" being over-punitive. I guess I wouldn't put you in that category knowing as little as I do about you. I apologize.\n\nRegarding your later points: you are once again misconstruing the intent of the parent. This is true for every case except the last.\n\nRegarding the last: if she REALLY BELIEVED that, she should be charged with manslaughter just as she was in this case. 1320444374 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/10/25/amazing-video-of-a-bizarre-twisting-dancing-cloud/\n\nSaw this article yesterday, pretty incredible videos.\nin a nutshell:\nElectromagnetic fields changing the orientation and shape of ice crystals in cumulus clouds. \n 1319737364 Both. 1336056806 Both. 1344713400 Both. 1325707263 Both. 1334240487 Both. 1346163501 We should just gather up all the medical quacks and shower them with positive energy in the form of positrons. 1343448647 Although it has more immediate implications for people living with diabetes, it is still a valid consideration for those without diabetes. \n\n> In animals and in short-term human studies, a high intake of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (a relative measure of the incremental glucose response per gram of carbohydrate) produced greater insulin resistance than did the intake of low-glycemic-index carbohydrates\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12081851\n\nI think, however, we've lost sight of the original argument and that we all agree, this picture over-simplifies the relationship and misleads people to believe that eating potatoes and rice will cause them to develop diabetes. 1345242104 In my opinion those people you are referring to are still close-minded. The way I use it "open-minded" simply means that you are willing to listen to opposing viewpoints and make up their own minds based on whatever evidence, not that you steadfastly hold to dissenting viewpoints no matter what. I simply mean that most of my friends aren't adverse to discussion.\n\nThose who describe themselves as "open-minded" in your rant are just those that inherently adhere more to conspiratorial theories than any other usually because of the feeling of being "special" or "in-the-know" (a very common human trait). But the act of only holding to their viewpoints and disregarding all opposing arguments makes them in reality close-minded. What you describe as skeptics I'd consider to be more truly open-minded (as odd as that may sound). 1346854785 Seriously though, I understand there's a lot of bullshit around this subject. I've done a lot of reading about it, there's definitely something to it. It's worth researching. I suggest reading "The Source Field Investigations". That is one hell of a book. ALL of it is a report on a bunch of separate science experiments and various studies. It's amazing. 1323040824 Don't get me wrong: this is incredibly fucked up... but there's really nothing here to put it out out of the capability of another intelligent human being. There are some clever yet truly sick individuals in the world and nowhere in this article is there any evidence other than the author's own fantasy driven speculation. 1331052666 dave syndrome (not a real syndrome) 1335434321 While it never makes sense to take a Top Secret aircraft over population centers, it has happened in the past. U2's and SR-71's caused many UFO sightings.\n\nSome of the drones that are operational can do some pretty cool stuff. I can just imagine some of the R&D drones could be considered "alien technology" by a farmer sitting in Colorado. 1352707462 > Being an atheist is easy, buy a few book by Dawkins, watch Bill Maher, get a few bumper stickers for your car and ... profit?\n\nYeah, quite so. This whole episode has really pushed my interests toward skepticism rather than plain "atheism." It's obvious to me now that you don't need any rational integrity at all to be an atheist. 1287290414 No you're right, this isn't the real world. Just a board that decides what real is by pretending to be smart. 1354663253 Not sure about the first one, but as for the second, here's a good [video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhaMrCUDhjk) on the subject. 1347781350 If this is true it sounds extremely dubious. If it's a hoax, it's a pretty good one. Either way, I think it belongs here. 1354913922 You should watch this documentary. Made by Derren Brown.\n\n"Miracles for sale"\nWith the cameras in hot pursuit, Derren faces his toughest project yet, going in search of an unsuspecting member of the British public prepared to adopt the guise of a pastor and miracle worker.\n\nHis chosen one then has six months to learn the trade and flourish across the pond as a convincing pastor.\n\nThe final phase of the volunteer’s extraordinary challenge sees them attempt to perform faith healing miracles live in Texas, but will Derren’s new recruit be accepted as a faith healer or cast away as fake healer?\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYjgeayfYPI 1339272428 My mom's family is Acadian French and they have a thing about shoes on the table meaning death, because the only time your shoes should be on the table is when you're a corpse and lying out for the wake.\n\nMostly, though, I think it's just so kids don't put their dirty shoes where you eat. 1332176350 I think PBS still has science stuff on it. My antenna doesn't pick it up anymore though :( 1328045558 > Radfems hate evopsych because it contradicts the dogma that gender is an arbitrary social construct and that social engineering can turn men into women.\n\nRadical feminists don't believe gender is an arbitrary construct, and most of them certainly don't think men can become women (they might think that people can be socially-engineered into *believing* they belong to the other gender, but that's a different claim). Neither PZ Myers nor Rebecca Watson agree with the mainstream radical feminist stances on gender essentialism, pornography, or trans rights, and neither one identifies as a radfem. 1354693744 >Whats with all the screaming and the uber tight shirts.\n\nThat's just Zak's personality. The reason i like the show is because Zak actually produces it. They debunk their own findings when it's questionable.\n\nThis show was pitched by Zak to networks until it got picked up. It's not like this show was created by some producer who just wanted to get some ratings and hired actors to play the parts like most other ghost shows. GA is about as genuine as you can get. As for the evidence they collect, that can be open for interpretation but these guys at least believe what they are catching. 1335548937 I'm not a chemist or biologist, so please correct me if I'm wrong.\n\nBasically, ethyl mercury is processed and expelled from the body, and methyl mercury builds up in our system. Ethyl mercury is what is in thimerisol. The toxic mercury people talk about is methyl mercury. 1327009796 get used to it, hes running for office and they will pander to their audience. give the ppl what they want is the slogan cuz these guys know whats up but will say what they have to to get elected. there are 2 dollar whores with more morality than these ppl. if they had the choice of becomming pres by way of suckin dog dick thered be a line a mile long . its horrible , this whole process and the ingenuousness behind it. all questions they answer arent real theyve been coached as to the best answer for their constituency not what is the truth. 1314464584 >How many times have I said I am not asserting he is against vaccinations? How many times, exactly, do I have to say it before you get it through your skull?\n\nThen what, exactly, does Ron Paul have to do with a comic about 'evidence for vaccinations vs against vaccinations'! **Nothing!** You brought it up, and it seems everyone else figured that you were trying to convey Ron Paul was anti-vaccination. The only one who didn't get it was *you*. Perhaps an edit to clarify in your original post?\n\n>Yes, and that is absolutely false and exactly the point that I'm making, which I've said over and over: that it is stunning that a first-year medical student is more educated on a critical public health issue than someone running for President.\nI have been, I will say yet fucking again that he does not understand the basic science around immunization, and that is inconceivable for someone who has used his medical career as part of his campaign.\nJust for fun, go back through this thread and count how many times I have explicitly said that to you and others.\nBut I've realized the problem. You don't understand how vaccinations work, so you didn't flag my post as an explanation of the problem.\nI know you've said you don't support Ron Paul, but you should. Your willingness to talk about things you don't understand fits right in with the campaign.\n\n**I** know exactly how vaccinations work. **I** and everyone else here **agreed** with you that the policy is stupid. **You** are the only one who can't seem to be able to un-link the policy from his medical background. It's an ideological policy, not a medical policy. It has been said *over and over and over again*.\n\nI know and agree 100% that making these vaccinations non-mandatory is a ridiculous and harmful policy. Herd immunity is the basic key that underlies why vaccination works so well.\n\nRegardless of how much we both know about vaccinations and how stupid this policy is, he has decided that his political ideology trumps his medical knowledge.\n\nBut of course, your response wouldn't be completely without another ad hominem jab, would it! I hope you get a chance to enter a formal debate sometime; it would be entertaining to watch your opponent rip you apart for trying to throw ad hominems out there. All they do is make you look childish, nothing else. 1326670338 Wasn't white. 1328194718 taking money from idiots and giving it to idiots 1312176984 >If you wanted to create private government granted monopolies sure I'd agree. I have not and am not arguing for any such thing.\n\nYou're arguing for private control of natural monopolies. This has the effect of granting state powers to private interests. This is why right Libertarianism, is better known as Crypto-Fascism.\n\n>I think that's wrong do you?\n\n*I* think Fascism is worse than Social Democracy. 1343103081 such low quality, it is difficult to determine if fake or not. why is it not in HD? all cameras are HD these days are they not? 1341511944 >we need to *brake* these chains of ignorance!\n\nirony. 1342192616 While your wife (the government) keeps swearing she hasn't done a thing or knows what you are talking about. 1348756711 Yep. I get a bit tired of people assuming "aliens" are doing them. \n\nCrop circles have become a small industry in some areas of Britain; seems highly likely that people are doing them in most cases. 1245181449 no, you show me the medical science that confirms this magical substance that cures _everything_ with _no side effects_.\n\nEvery corrupt government in the world couldn't possibly stop the use of such a fantastic medicine if it truly worked. 1328186831 When it comes down to it, what is the difference between an atheist pandering to the religious base and a religious leader pandering to the religious base? 1314244493 When it comes down to it, what is the difference between an atheist pandering to the religious base and a religious leader pandering to the religious base? 1314244501 I was a Mormon missionary for a year before reason finally caught up to me. Finished the second year of the mission for my mother's sake... it was hell though. I still wish I would've stood up for what I knew and left after that first year. 1352945642 I haven't seen months, but fairly often there will be one that takes days. With lots of other texts to the same person in between. 1331664835 I'm afraid if that's what you believe about this very serious illness, then you don't understand how easily it can go bad in children. It's not, nor should it be looked at, as a right of passage. \n\nMoreover, your statements about only trying to prevent it in the elderly are also ignorant: stopping the spread of the virus, whether in children or adults, helps everyone.\n\nI understand that you and these parents don't really think this is a big deal, and it _is_ true that individual instances of this probably carry small risk to the individual child. I don't think that parents should be left off the hook for it, though. They _are_ playing with fire, even if they don't realize it. When it comes to communicable diseases, it's smart not to underestimate nature. 1320715402 Thanks for the update, but one note:\n\nwho's = who is\n\nYou mean "whose real identity is known to me". 1350750857 "Outer space" = "more than about 50 miles or 75 km up"\n\nSo, anything in Low Earth Orbit is in outer space, and I'm not sure whether you can actually "see the entire planet at once" from LEO, but it's still pretty darn big. \n\nYou can easily see things like harbors, mountains, etc, from LEO - things a couple of kilometers across. 1272918285 What a compelling addition to the discussion. Thanks so much. 1332856226 For me it's the "Disclosure is happening! Fleet of Alien flagships captured on video!" posts... and then you watch it and it's clearly just balloons or lanterns. 1315457523 Sure I'll finish up. You check back in the morning. Hope you feel better. 1348958152 Finally, you actually admit that your anger concerning people discussing cannabis as an alternative to chemo is unfounded. As you say, there is no evidence. No evidence to support your anger, and no evidence to support your assumption that chemo is better than cannabis bud extract... 1328458622 A good documentary. Should we share it with our fellow redditors? Here is a page with some background info on the film: http://www.wanttoknow.info/ufos/ufos_video_disney 1318017606 >What I had a problem with was her asserting that (a) evolution has a purpose that had somehow gone awry in us humans, (b) that purpose was, and always has been, to eat only vegetable matter, and (c) she refused to believe anything else despite the literal evidence of her eyes.\n\nOh, I'm in full agreement with you there. I'm often embarrassed by the terrible arguments made for causes that I personally endorse for what I'd consider much more sensible reasons. But the truth is that what is persuasive to practiced critical thinkers many times comes off as really weak to poor critical thinkers, and vice-versa. She was likely just repeating arguments that she had seen as successful in the past, either on others or perhaps on herself.\n\n>You don't get binocular vision in obligate herbivores. Ever.\n\nI've never heard this before. Do you have anything to back it up? 1297478736 Since I have not read the authors you mention your claim seems to need a bit of a clarification. Are we talking about the dark ages again? The 1800's? Some specific scientific ideas? Please clarify this and maybe we can have an interesting talk about it and come to some conclusions. 1284943947 No elitist latte liberal sitting in his white tower of university education is gunna tell me what's right for me an' my kin. All's I need is my God and my gun and gas in the tank. Amen. 1333646910 they aren't equal, so I interpreted the equal sign as an "is a" relation:\n\ndog = animal\nanimal != dog 1309356787 I made it all the way to "deeper truth", maybe 20 seconds in.\n\nThat's woo code for "something only I know but you can buy it from me if you'd like".\n\nAlso, you said cock. 1274378922 > However, better controlled experiments have reduced the hit rate from the original 38% to 28.9%, and there are other possible flaws even in the latest iteration of the experiments.\n\nWhat you want to avoid here is promissory materialism. Should we avoid making tentative conclusions forever? Or should we at some point accept the data for what it seems to say? Rushing to conclusions is bad, but 30 years of doing proper scientific experiments is not "rushing" things. The meta-analysis is very compelling.\n\nUntil you have an actual theory which better explains the data (the possible flaws you mention), the PSI theory stands taller. You can't keep on arguing that "but maybe in 200 years we will have dreamed together a test that gives the 25% outcome and thus preserves materialism". If you can't explicitly argue what's wrong with the current tests and how that's empirically relevant, you've got nothing coming but your own personal ideology.\n\n> Diminishing effects in science is actually a feature of the scientific process. It is possible that the first time around on an experiment or study, the original researchers may have a bias (unknown or not), that they may favor, or have not properly controlled the experiment in some fashion. When the experiment is repeated, and better controlled, it is not surprising to see a diminished effect, and possibly the effect will disappear with the proper controls in place. This is true not just of ESP or paranormal studies, but of scientific studies in general.\n\nI agree with this, and so do those who argue for the reality of PSI based on the scientific evidence as well. You know, research didn't begin 5 minutes ago, but have been going on *and* been repeated many times over now. The data is in.\n\n> In the case of 2+2=4, there certainly is evidence. Take some objects on your desk and assemble them such that you have two objects on the left side of your desk and two on the right side, combine the groups together, and you will have four objects. Anything that is manufactured requires lots of math to be correct in order that it be manufactured and function as expected. I'm sure you can think of some other examples of how 2+2=4 is shown to be true, and how if it were not true, there would be some serious ramifications.\n\nhttp://able2know.org/topic/159441-1\n\nThe issue here goes deeper.\n\n> My point was that it is the responsibility of those making a claim to provide sound evidence to support their claim. If they cannot do that, then they do not deserve equal consideration.\n\nI agree completely. So what in any of my previous posts have made you think that I contested this fact?\n\n> I have nothing against ghosts, ESP, telekinesis, UFOs or anything else. However, I have not come across any compelling reason, or evidence, that would lead me to believe that any of them exist.\n\nI have nothing against any of those things either. I beleve in ESP and telekinesis, but I do not believe that UFOs contain alien lifeforms. But the difference is, regarding the former, my opinion carries weight, because I've done the research. In the latter, I merely believe based on gut instinct. I have *not* investigated the proposed evidence from those who claim to have evidence, so any comments I will dispense on that subject will be objectively irrelevant to anyone else.\n\nIf you haven't investigated the proposed evidence and arguments for a phenomenon yourself, your opinion carry no weight whatsoever. And for ESP and telekinesis, those who *have* done their research more often than not come to the conclusion that the evidence is in favor of the prima facie interpretation of these phenomena, rather than in favor of the classical materialistic explanations.\n\n> As for my comment about you either being a troll or not bright, I apologize. I should not have made a personal attack.\n\nThat's okay, I'll never be personally offended anyway. I'm glad you're learning to be humble (whether faked or not). But it's for your own good, not mine. 1318617363 >magnetic flux density (magnetic field)\n\nMagnetic flux density != magnetic field strength. 1353679098 The turkey ufo footage is quite good quality. Im on my phone or id link it to you but itll pop up quite fast on a google search. Has yet to be proven fake afaik 1317207250 So did you do all those "squaring the circle" things? 1343615255 An interesting example of this working in reverse are the studies claiming wine is good for your health. This is because people who don't drink tend to not do so for health reasons and so are less healthy that the general population. 1297736360 This should be the top comment 1355115978 Buying local says absolutely nothing about a product's environmental impact. It certainly hasn't been demonstrated that "organic" (a meaningless label with no regulations) is better for the environment. Many things cannot be grown locally, and growing them at large scales is incredibly more efficient. The shipping part of food is a fairly minor environmental impact. 1296146491 AKA, Burden of Proof fallacy 1330444242 There are key differences though, such as britian's NHS spending millions funding homeopathy, sales of homeopathic drugs, etc. No one really funds the octopus that much. Maybe he'll start selling predictions, who knows :) 1278886477 I realize the method has its flaws, but the chances of those flaws causing 600 interviews to say basically the same thing seems even more farfetched than what the interviewees are saying (there's aliens).\n\nOf course this doesn't mean that the unexplained aerial phenomena are alien ships. 1352407722 I'd almost be okay with this if they also paid for scientists to go into churches and teach evolution every other sunday 1306764385 And this folks, is actually a really good example of correctly using Ad Hominem. 1318023713 > "What happens to the electricity that was in our body, causing our heart to beat and making our breathing possible? There is no easy answer to that."\n\nLol, no easy answer at all... none other than, of course, the *correct* answer: heat. Or more accurately, entropy. The energy is still there, most of it locked in chemical bonds that require more energy to break than they produce, thus the electrochemical reactions taking place in the brain stop. Entropy, however, doesn't stop and the body continues to gain entropy indefinitely. 1321137978 There is a stall selling these in my local shopping centre. Every time I walk past I see them talking to a potential customer, so I have to do something! I've been thinking about setting up next to them selling posters about the placebo effect, or selling placebo bands. I've settled for the moment on walking slowly by and loudly stating it is a con and it doesn't work. It angers me that they are allowed to sell them. I saw them talking to an old lady in a wheelchair once. \n\nEDIT [Here](http://www.placebobandstore.com/) are placebo bands, much cheaper than the (cough) real ones. Or from the [Skepticbros](http://skepticbros.com/placebo-bands/) who I think started the placebo band...thing. 1327402704 I know that atheist women aren't represented by Rebecca. *But people on the outside looking in don't understand that*. That is the issue, and why it makes me cringe whenever she decides she needs to fan the flames again. 1351198833 Point to their chest and flip their nose when they look down. Repeat as often as necessary to insure they will not fall for stupid tricks. By age 5 they'll learn to be skeptical. 1294937376 THE Akira Kurosawa? The one that the best spaghetti westerns are based off of? 1326477900 Stockholm. I don't understand why _anyone_ would buy bottled water, unless you're going somewhere that doesn't have a bathroom. You could easily drink the water out of a toilet here, if you get sick it's not the water but the people who've failed to clean the toilet properly that are to blame. 1276591939 as it does to me also 1344917955 This is so stupid. Do you really think something so blindingly obvious as that could have escaped the intense scrutiny of so many people over so long a time that it must have gotten? And the thing that finally exposes it is a video on youtube? \n\nCome on, practice some common sense here. 1348532152 A major problem with sexual harassment is indeed the fact that it is wholly in the mind of the subject. For example, a man might wish to have a pleasant coffee and bid a woman on her way. Sure, it is unlikely, but criminalizing perfectly ethical behavior is a very troubling proposition. 1351097945 Well, don't leave me hangin, what do the aboriginals say about them? 1346248007 Its being introduced by the government. UK parties (and these days the coalition) almost always vote as a bloc, and since the government by definition holds the most seats, government legislation almost always passes. Only with extremely controversial bills do individual MPs vote against their own party, doing so usually makes them subject to sanctions by party "whips." 1336578645 I had exactly the same thing, except I can't speak any language aside from English. \n\nMy dream had a guy shouting about something, but slowly his shouts turned to French shouting. I was like what. And then I was the shouting man and I was speaking in drones. 1334764336 >some hypothetical "event" where we go INTO THE FIFTH DIMENSIOOON.\n\nI lol'd. 1287323362 I dunno. In retrospect, angry sex is fun too. 1310623715 Well, your personal experiences would be anecdotal and self reported so not really scientific. The reason i say 21 is because brain development does not finish until ~22 (I think, not really my specialty area). I am just putting it at the same point as alcohol for the sake of consistency. 1346176771 Classic strawman argument. Has he even read "The God Delusion"? Dawkins explains really well how any intelectually honest atheist has to be an agnostic as well. 1277784711 So, she's sticky, and when she gets all out of breath and sweaty, she gets stickier? Wow, thank God the Daily Mail is here to tell us about this important news. 1283046383 http://www.cochrane.org/search/site/Yoga\n\nAlso check google scholar and scirus \n\nI'm fairly certain at least some of the poses are useful for reducing lower back pain as quite similar exercises are commonly recommended by physiotherapists. Of course physiotherapists could be quacks too?\n 1327780233 Place yourself in their shoes. Not superficially, but really attempt to see the situation from their perspective beyond your assumptions about why they hold the beliefs they do. These people are attempting to help your sister just like you. They've suggested things that they have heard or have seen (whether there is true objective causation involved or not) have been beneficial to others in the past. Then you come in suggesting that they may be wrong, and not to trust them. They feel attacked, their beliefs attacked, and most importantly they feel that you are trying to stop her from using resources that they believe can help her, that because these sorts of resources are often ignored regardless of their ostensible efficacy that you are going to prevent her from getting healed. There are a lot of emotions tied up in this issue. Sometimes in order to communicate with others and share our perspectives you have to be extra-sensitive and empathetic if you don't want to be called an asshole. If you don't care whether others call you an asshole, then I suppose that's fine if you want to be a dick. 1301244247 wbeaty borrowed my pen in 2003 and I have not seen it since. He's no friend of mine 1353344476 No, the paper is reviewed by peers (reviewers) before it gets published. When the editor then decides, most often following the advice of the reviewers, that the paper get published, the journal then lends credibility to the paper. In other words, when I read a paper published in Nature, I expect that respected scientists and experts in the field have read the paper and judged it to be worthy, in relevance, originality and thoroughness. \n\nThat is of course not the whole story. That something is published in a respected journal doesn't mean that it is "true". A controversial paper will be scrutinized by the scientific community, and any errors will be revealed. In the case of less controversial papers, it will be less scrutinized, and sometimes grave errors can stand unquestioned for decades. Sometimes that makes real damage when people is trying to use false results for further research or development or advice. \n\nLike when a whole population become obese because they got the idea that fat is bad for you and you should eat a lot of carbohydrates instead.\n\nThen there is the interesting question what to do with controversial papers. Results that contradict current theories must also be published. Otherwise Michelson and Morley would never have been able to publish their results. If I can't find any errors in the paper, I should advise that the paper get published if it fulfills all other criteria even if it goes against what I think is true. If it is an experimental paper I will probably also take into account the credibility of the lab. 1275601761 The phone call has always done itself justice. \n\nI really hope things start to happen, and soon. 1308157317 Earth, fire, wind, water, <3\n\nGO PLANET! 1281882592 Well, if God did exist, she would surely protect the man from the nasty Indonesian court system. Amirite? 1339774046 No need to be snarky about it. You're title is unneedlessly inflammatory and does not follow. That's all I'm saying. 1352043869 Sounds just like my [ex-alcoholic friend](http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/dtqv6/oh_bloody_hell_my_exalcoholic_friend_has_found/) last night who has found Jesus, and had to keep on trying to talk to me about it.\n\nAlso sounds like a bunch of anarchists that seem to have stumbled into /r/skeptic, see the thread about people's politics from a few days ago. 1287655567 If wearing polka dots is wrong, I don't want to be right. 1318253981 > actually, nope. barring the gorilla no ape is a vegetarian, and its why gorillas spend just about all of their waking time eating. chimps actually love meat. 1309188668 A bigger problem is that you can't explain reality to people in a few sentences, and some topics are so complex that most people will never *really* understand it, so they kind of have to defer to their authority of choice. 1326695084 All those symptoms are so vague and can be triggered by countless things. Cold feat? really lol. A quick google search of the author brought me to this website http://www.carliniinstitute.com/about_us which reeks of new age garbage and "energy medicine"\n\n"Time and space are beginning to wobble even more erratically than before." I don't know to much about space/time but that sounds insane.\n\nAnyway, a quick and easy rebuttal, would be to point out how many people were perfectly fine and symptom free through several solar flares.\n\nAfter more digging. http://www.thehealersjournal.com/2011/12/21/new-scientific-study-shows-solar-activity-affects-humans-physical-and-mental-state/ I could only find an article that quotes the source the OP was using. It really doesn't sound like the new scientist article actually claimed anything in the OP article. It just mentions how people could get stressed out because of sleeping habits being broken. Nothing about cold feet or space/time wobble >.<\n 1327561711 This stuff is amazing, I've read through most of it already.\n\nJust pretending that this is real for fun is fun. 1338772554 I have a couple. One was a very simple UFO hoax. Long ago, Buster Brown shoes used to offer a frisbee as a promotional give-away designed to mimic the appearance of the stereotypical flying saucer. It had an array of molded-in details like jet engine ducts and portholes. An awesome toy that, by the time I managed to find one -in a garage sale, if memory serves- few people still remembered had existed. Inspired by hokey UFO shows on TV, I decided to take some of my own UFO photos with this frisbee -wisely employing a polaroid camera for that extra bit of plausibility. (you can't 'fake' a polaroid, right?...) It worked remarkably well. The aerodynamics of that frisbee allowed it to hover quite well in a breeze and when I took snapshots the slightly blurred molded-in detail and metalic-blue color made it look quite like an actual machine. Fooled many friends with those pics for a while. \n\nI perpetrated a more elaborate -and nerdier- computer hoax some years later -this back in the era of modems and BBS. I'd long had an interest in technology trends and at the time was particularly interested in the future prospect of tablet computers. But, of course, back then American computer companies still couldn't quite see the point of even laptops. (it took the Japanese kicking their asses for some years to get them to accept the viability of that market) The tablet computer wouldn't be a reality for many decades to come. So I made up my own imaginary one and began posting messages about it on the BBSs I frequented. I called it the Kitsune XPC (a sufficient give-away in that name...) and invented a story about how a traveling relative visiting Japan had found this remarkable new computer in Akihabara and sent me one to try out. I described it in great detail including its technical specs and novel ultrasonic touch screen technology. (which would let one virtually paint on it with a dry paint brush) I was also careful to include some quirks in its imaginary design as well for the sake of plausibility. For instance, it used a non-standard multi-function I/O port (sound familiar?) that prevented it being used with any normal printers found in the US. So in order to print documents I had to employ the contrivance of placing the whole thing on a photocopier to copy its screen image. A day later people were lining up at my door to see the thing... I wonder if this qualifies me as one of the Internet's earliest trolls? \n\n\n\n 1269145580 It was. I don't recommend the location to anyone. Save your money and go to Waverly Hills, Sloss, or anywhere else really. 1342628485 That doesn't really follow any logical path. It's like saying, if 9/11 was a conspiracy, why didn't the conspirators hit the empty White House and Capitol building? Why didn't they do a number of things (approaching a practical infinity) to damage the infrastructure of this country?\n\nHow many angels can fit on the head of a pin? It's a retarded question because it is based on a fantasy that is undefined because the premise is fantastic in itself. 1350809845 Dynamite actually. Nitroglycerine + diatomaceous earth = (early) dynamite. 1338519365 I believe these articles might be relevant:\n\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/05/personality-change-over-time-study_n_1321720.html\n\nhttp://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3713-personality-changes-throughout-life.html\n\nhttp://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/personality.aspx 1338903687 You've laid out a false dichotomy between prescribing a placebo treatment and taking no action. In the scenario you described, the doctor can choose any combination of these actions:\n\n* Prescribe placebo treatment\n* Prescribe an effective treatment for the symptoms\n* Order testing\n\nThere's 2^3 = 8 possibilities, not just 2.\n\nThe cheapest course of action is to only prescribe an effective treatment for the symptoms. Those treatments are typically very cheap, very safe, and by definition more effective than placebo. 1342652866 People seriously think that people who meditate are disillusion? Wow. No, meditation does what it needs to do. 1276182509 > My hypothesis is that many common yet powerful logical gaps in reasoning are at play, and that understand exactly where those gaps are and how to convincingly full them would be a better focus of threads like this.\n\nPeople who hold to beliefs irrationally normally didn't arrive at them rationally and won't give them up rationally either. 1329647496 Don't worry, I was waaaay to lazy for that shit. 1332538319 I have white sapphires in my ring, no one can tell. :D 1324598566 I didn't know this show, will give it a listen cheers. 1298722698 ha ha that's funny as shit. 1343179208 I'm sure he'll find [this useful](http://www.iamanidiot.com/) 1282399226 Trash bag? 1341633148 The good science fiction writers are going to have a lot of issues selling books, when everyone wants to hear about the "real aliens", whilst a load of hacks will probably clean up.\n\nEveryone will want to know what sort of clothes they wear, so they can wear "alien clothes".\n\nOur greatest art and music will be utterly incomprehensible to them, to the point that it's practically an insult.\n\nWithin a month the aliens will realise they've made a dreadful mistake and are associating with the most idiotic and uncouth lifeform they've ever encountered.\n\nThey will promptly return to their ships, where EMP satellites will be set in orbit around our planet, destroying our technological capability forever and stifling our cries for help.\n\nWe will never leave our planet, and no one will know or care. At least no one with taste. 1325864213 That headline indicates there is *some* evidence.\n\n> ... built purely on optimism absent of evidence. 1335548250 I'm going to bed, but I'd love to know what anyone knows or can find out about this. 1335595720 it can happen sooner even. still no biggie. 1337009973 Its much better quality in terms of color and has twice the resolution. Its not "high def", but its much clearer to see everything that is going on - especially the red light spiral display after it "beams up".\n\nAlso, it is valuable to those who are looking for artifacting and evidence of special effects. \n\nNo need to be cynical - wouldn't you agree? 1296340131 That's just punderful. 1312421480 The whole skeptic movement seems like a way to profit off of quasi-scientific philosophy by giving it a new image and combining it with near fatal doses of self-satisfaction. \n\nI bet half the people here were the sort of kids who used to tell people that they are, "Mature for their age." The same sort of people that grow up and use, "I don't own a TV" as a bragging right. We get it, you liked Atlas Shrugged; now go back to jerking off. 1241104483 What? You don't understand?\n\nWell, let me spell it out for you, then, Mr. Stupid... "Renewed aliveness"... You know, like "sustainable undeaditude" or "restorable vitalizing" or "refreshable vivicationistics". Learn to read, hippie. It's all there in black and white, clear as crystal. 1303296383 I think this article tries to point out that he couldn't have afforded all those guns and armor. After watching some news today, they said it was odd that he lived in a more poor part of town based on what income he had coming in. Maybe it's because he was spending all of his money on weapons and bought them by maxing out his credit cards. It's not like he bought an F-16. It's a bunch of expensive equipment, but it's not outside the realm of a normal person being able to afford it. I can understand how people can come to the conclusion this was some government operation gone bad, like Fast and Furious. However, as bad as governments can be at fucking things up and killing people, some individuals are just as capable of doing horrible things on their own. 1342882964 I'm close to leaving nosleep as well because of it.\n\nFirst voice was male, second was a female childs, neither were familiar and I don't find Bleach creepy at all. I'm sick, perhaps that could be why? I got a cold. 1318439008 I read those comments, and much more. From all credible, medically literate sources, over many years. The MDR argument does not have the universal consensus you claim it has, but I know better than to argue with people who believe it. Have a nice day. 1322999860 You see all that bullshit christian ant-gay stuff at the bottom of the page?\nFUCK RELIGION. 1336781934 the [wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discoverie_of_Witchcraft) links [to it](http://www.archive.org/details/discoverieofwitc00scot) 1325245382 whelp, whatever, your opinion. If you look at a ley lines map, you can line up all ancient monolithic sites to a ley line. All of them. ALL of them. ALL on this planet. The geometry of the ley lines are a really specific geometric shape, blah blah, goes on. Look up david wilcock. Just follow evidence. Yeah, there's tonnes of bullshit, but the same goes for anything else related to anything else on this planet. 1323040680 I'm fairly sure he is using a tripod. It's a 2000x zoom lens,...\n\nLook at the distance between zooms,...it's a spec in the sky without zoom,...easily missed if you weren't looking up. 1249294499 I have a baby girl. We've, of course, taken her to the doctor before. At NO POINT did the Doctor EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER "force" us to give her vaccinations. He strongly suggested it, he gave us literature about it, and told us WHY we should do it. But FORCING never happened.\n\nAs it is, we decided on vaccinations on a different schedule than the doctor suggested, for our own reasons. She will be vaccinated, though.\nBut again, NO ONE ever FORCED us to give our daughter vaccinations. We could have said no if we wanted to. 1349547592 >Your position is that the Pinto was inherently dangerous because of "nationwide statistics" which actually show no such thing. And also that they were also more dangerous than other cars, which is also untrue.\n\n[Link](http://books.google.ca/books?id=qIlPURPTx30C&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=grush+saunby+report&source=bl&ots=z-ToIu4vna&sig=vDKpFP8Pt5Y18yMRXDVF9dfxfSY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Djj7T4GaNabX0QGX4ICABw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=grush%20saunby%20report&f=false)... Now we can go back to that NHTSA report which states estimated figures that they used to make their decision.\n\n>Also evidenced by the fact that the same flaw in the Pinto's design was commonplace in other cars. But no one can name them. And Ford and the NHTSA issued the recall in response to media pressure, not because of any specific findings.\n\nYou just ignored what I said.\n\nThe judge that stated "*was commonplace at the time in American cars*" was referencing something that wasn't even changed in the recalls, and something that is irrelevant to the safety concerns.\n\n>And I think you are falling prey to this:\n\nNo, I'm really not. My original sources were taken from the only link that you yourself provided. So if you have a problem with my sources, then you would have a problem with your own.\n 1341864333 Is that a joke or something? I really doubt it was one of those lol but who knows 1335559315 or geese 1342689402 Please don't conflate skepticism with rejection of a particular premise. People who say that global warming is a liberal conspiracy aren't skeptics. 1332861892 YES 1337027797 A few points I picked out from that:\n\n* Some of the people on the textbook selection committee didn't even read the books. In fact, many of them gave high ratings to a book that wasn't even delivered.\n\n* All of the books had something seriously wrong with them. Things like adding the temperatures of multiple stars or not having enough concrete examples.\n\n* When the selection was changed to bidding, the companies were willing to offer the textbooks at a *much* lower price, showing that they were selling at a massive markup. 1350448969 As a man fear is not something we should be ashamed of you were freaked out and didn't want to be alone that's quite understandable. I don't care how much you try you can't stop what can't be seen or touched and that's what freaks people out about the paranormal. 1338616027 Ha. Yup. 1316655022 Word, I'll check it out! Thanks for the tip! 1329015126 It could happen either way. If we had the local wind data we could say this with more certainty. If conditions were steadily 5+ mph in one direction you might be correct. If conditions are mainly still, though, behavior like we see in the video could easily be possible. These objects could be 100 yards apart, and the wind direction and speed could flow in different directions.\n\nTo be honest, the flickering and color of the light are what convinced me. I'm open to other explanations, but I'm not seeing any yet. 1298147673 His scientific opinions have no relevance. Modern scientists think/know his theories were (to some extent) correct, that's why they are relevant. 1344618217 This is accurate.\n\nI'd be willing to bet it's Scientology. 1313602461 This is what I'd imagine the infant form of Slenderman to look like. 1303833380 I assume this would be by prescription? 1306136221 Your slippery-slope fallacy divulges more ignorance than sarcasm. With your logic all experiments are worthless regardless of outcome. The NDE-like results were clearly closely related physically to what happens whenever people die. \n\nWhenever oxygen-rich blood is pushed away from the brain via near death or g-force the reaction remains the same. Hardly a smoke & mirror parlor trick as you are suggesting. \n\nIf you want to believe that there is a magical realm created by an invisible man that judges everybody then I can't stop you, but there is no reason to bleed your naive incomprehension onto the internet. 1328844416 Yeah, absolutely - the physics of the collapse (taking the greatest path of resistance) is a *huge* smoking gun not just for guys like us - but the professionals in the video.\n\nAlso, let's stay away from insinuating that people who don't share our opinions are suffering from mental retardation. :) 1345601099 Thanks for the link.\nI've seen small things every now and then, but never really noticed much. The "fireballs" have been really interesting, I've seen three this year (One in May, another in June or July and one in September). The one in September was noticeable as it was a cloudy day. I always dismissed them as objects entering the atmosphere. They traveled at incredible speeds, surpassing any aircraft I've seen and lasted for quite a while.\n\nI take a walk most nights around 11-12, I should start bringing something to note down things I've seen more often. 1353764454 I think the concern is that people will use this instead of actual treatment, and may die from that action. 1345242681 Use her own logic against her. Pharmaceutical companies are trying to make money, and if they discovered cancer was treatable they'd patent the cure and make boatloads of money.\n\nPlus that idea is just ridiculous. 1248733974 QC rules!!! 1332032902 I only learned about Alexander Technique through the context of being a professional musician. It doesn't seem to make any unprovable claims or use any non-existent mechanisms for functioning. Its pretty straightforward. Little exercises to help you avoid repetitive stress injuries, that's all. 1278796408 \nIt's kind of scary how people can be sensible in one part of their lives (software developer) and batshit insane in another (new agey BS). \n\n1) A frontal assault will always fail. It will only cement him further in his beliefs and strain your relationship.\n\n2) It may be useful to determine why your father has these beliefs. In my family, insanity has the following justifications: \n\nA) Belief in new agey bullshit gives the person a cozy feeling of ego gratification. "I'm the sort of person who believes there's more to the universe than cold, hard facts." This relates to self definition and is exceedingly hard to sway. Belief may provide the person tribal membership. The person may flat out admit their beliefs have no basis in fact, but they prefer to believe anyway. Hypocritical liars: it's impossible to believe in belief. You will never persuade these people, back away slowly. The most you can do is minimize the damage. See below.\n\nB) Honest ignorance. The person may be ignorant of the relevant literature. The person may be mistaking some sort of hallucinatory personal experience/temporary brain malfuction/totally random coincidence for actual evidence. This can be corrected by supplying facts in a nonconfronting manner. See below.\n\nC) Honest stupidity. Can be distinguished from the other cases as follows: The person will be unable to follow any logical argument, merely circling doggedly back to their original position. This also covers muleheaded stubbornness, from which it cannot be distinguished. There is no point wasting breath on these people: they are not listening and cannot hear you.\n\nOn to remedies.\n\n3) Try speculating aloud in a thoughtful way -- something like, "Isn't it strange how people believe things that are obviously not true?" Try to define yourself and your father as a part of a group that does not include a lower status belief. Something like, "Can you believe those old ladies who brought a rabbit's foot to the casino? What do they think would happen if they left it at home?" We are not silly superstitious old ladies. We are thoughtful rational adults.\n\n4) Try to connect beliefs-without-evidence to real or monetary harm. "I got a spam email trying to sell me Nigerian crystals. Man, there are so many scammers out there." "There was a story in the news about a Christian Scientist family that refused to treat their child for cancer. I mean, I can understand faith in religion, but some things just cross the line." We don't fall for obvious scams based on unprovable mystical beliefs. We can tolerate some silliness, but not silliness that costs lives or money.\n\n5) Hopefully this will allow you to make clear your rational stance in a non-threatening way. You should only need to do this two or three times -- too much is overkill. If your father nibbles at the bait, don't pounce all over him. Listen with understanding and offer your honest non-judgmental opinion. If he does not nibble at the bait, wait for a natural opportunity -- he mentions the workshop -- and provide your honest non-judgmental opinion. It will not come as a surprise because you've already expressed your scepticism on previous occasions.\n\nAt any rate, you clearly cannot purchase the workshop for him. You want the best for your father, but you can't give your money to something you believe will not, cannot help him, and may be some sort of scam.\n 1282216743 Do you still have these recordings? 1353184386 Youtube has descriptions, and accounts you can contact. Wimp has nothing. At least we can downvote something from youtube. Also, you are silly :) 1298601180 Yeah, I know a guy who had a girl over for a dinner date and she hit him with "gluten free vegan" as a dietary requirement. I'm like, "Dude, that's basically saying she intends the whole deal to be a massive failure. You're not going to score tonight." 1294348369 If we read his statement with the presumption that it is true, then "itself" cannot possibly refer to the number 49 because 49 is not a prime number. \n\nTherefore, we must deduce that he is referring to the number 7 as it is the only prime number that is a factor of 49--given that a prime number is a positive integer having exactly one positive divisor other than 1.\n\nIf we read his statement with the presumption that it is false, we must still take note that his comment was in reply to a statement about the number 7. 1302373446 Yeah, it mentioned that it was based on feng shui. Why would Chinese tradition have anything to say about the western calendar, anyway?\n\nWhenever fung shui gets mentioned, I always think of [this comic](http://angryflower.com/fungsh.gif). 1334773924 If you're with someone because of who you want them to be, your relationship is doomed. This goes for her demand that you share her beliefs, and it goes equally for your thought that you'll be able to "bring her around."\n\nTake it from someone who has been there: be with someone for who they are, not for who you want them to be. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for disaster. 1295661138 I couldn't see any placards on the hauler, but odds are it's radioactive material being hauled. Also this has to be the biggest group of chickens I've ever seen. Just listen to them cluck. 1306531679 So did you do it? Did you switch to astronomy? For me, you know, as a child I was so sure I was gonna be an astronomer.\n \nBut then, I was never a straight A student. Neither was I confident that I would survive in such a job with the kinda math I know. That's why I went for computers; which was my second interest. 1335547745 The main work he's famous for was the contribution of CFCs to ozone depletion though, which isn't actually climate change. 1331679949 Dude - that's Greer!? 1340899907 to me its barely happened, but quite a few year back i had a bda head injury and mabey thats the cause. Have never told anyone it happens tho 1341700472 I'll just link to my other post in this thread, instead of reiterating myself, [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/dyvgn/is_acupuncture_effective_an_answer/c14218z?context=1). Specifically the second paragraph. 1288652443 You're not helping. I really like [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) and comments like this turn it into crap. 1329915535 You're not even providing *anecdotal* evidence: you're simply stating things. \n\nI would think that the results of the modern diet would be enough evidence to convince you otherwise, but apparently I am mistaken. 1313024893 It's not wise to suffer fools. 1297926437 cute 1348760215 I always find it amusing that the ailments most often touted as being cured by homeopathy are usually psychosomatic. 1346792111 Nuh. Sorry. I used to give this guy the benefit of the doubt, but there's been enough time to find out where he was educated and get some classmates to weigh in, etc, but it doesn't pan out. \n\nHe knows a bit about physics, but then so do a lot of people. He's a fantasist, and he may well be part of some disinfo campaign, or was incorporated into one. Who knows? He's full of it, though. 1348021204 Is he supposed to do it with his eyes open or closed? I've heard of people that do the closed one and it is pretty harmless. Just a waste of time. \n\nStaring at the sun at any time of day with eyes open is going to damage the eyes. It will not be repairable. He probably won't go blind per-say (unless he keeps it up) but he will get blind spots in his vision. 1297999304 They have bases hidden in mountains. Black triangular shaped crafts with sharp noses that can enter the ocean smoothly and silently. The government is highly involved with these. 1283823818 What I find interesting is that he followed even for a short period of time, That is very unusual. Honestly does not sound like a human spirit but more like one of the beneficial types. Or they are not telling you the whole story. 1318542406 No, I doubt it. After all, it's only people interested in science in the first place that'd be watching these kinds of shows for the most part. If anything she's probably doing more damage than good with stuff like this. 1321416389 Ugh. I hate it when that happens to me. Sorry about that :( 1317396193 http://www.starchildproject.com/ 1310942508 http://www.starchildproject.com/ 1311982352 http://www.starchildproject.com/ 1311982807 I understand that and yes you are correct...my statement was absolute. \n"I think this story was already published back in 2006" would have been a much better way to phrase that. Then you could have pointed out that no, this is a totally different incident. \nI think the "robot" being mentioned in both is what threw me. 1351979069 No, no. All your iridoligist can do is tell you that maybe you should have someone look at your neck. 1318545591 Feynman's observation applies here: the main thing about crackpotism is that there is so freaking much of it. This applies double to "free energy motor" projects. If you haven't ever bothered to go and look, you'll find the vast quantity of such online projects to be stunning.\n\nSo, be very careful about arguing, that if free energy is real, we'd find many webpages about it. And youtube would be full of project videos. (You'll regret it if you do!)\n\nThat's as bad as arguing that if alternative health really worked, the internet would be full of alt health websites. First make certain it isn't! And do some quick youtube searches before insisting that youtube isn't full of vast numbers of crackpot free-energy DIY videos. Just the number under "HHO" is amazing. "HHO," if you don't know, is electrolytically generating hydrogen and then using it in a fuel cell so you can power an electrolytic hydrogen generator that sends hydrogen to a fuel cell that... etc. Or confuse the issue by adding a gasoline engine in the loop (one which of course has a modified carb so it can ...burn hydrogen! It runs a DC generator that powers an electrolysis cell, etc.)\n\n[http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=free+energy+generator]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=free+energy+generator)\n\n[mylow+motor]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mylow+motor)\n\n[rotoverter free energy]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rotoverter+free+energy)\n\n[magnet+motor]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=magnet+motor)\n\n[hho]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hho)\n\n[joe cell]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=joe+cell)\n\n[bedini+motor]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bedini+motor)\n\n[konehead+motor]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=konehead+motor)\n\n[meyer hydrogen]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=meyer+hydrogen)\n\n[schauberger]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=schauberger+energy)\n\n[free energy hojo]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=free+energy+hojo)\n\n[gray motor]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=gray+motor)\n\n[ev gray]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ev+gray)\n\n[testatika]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=testatika)\n\n[hendershot device]\n(http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hendershot device)\n\nAbove is just the tip of the crackpot iceberg. For lots, lots more see [vast FE archive site](http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Tree)\n 1353381658 You aren't going to get much traction around these parts posting titles like this. To claim definitive knowledge about the origin and nature of these phenomena gets you quickly ignored and mostly downvoted...mostly. 1343165361 I've known one kid who was screwed over in life by a mom who bought shit like that. Seeing a kid's life destroyed by their parents shitty grasp of reality really casts things in a new light. 1280351705 A colleague of mine use to work at a factory that made grated cheese for topping, etc. Because of the added surface area when grating, mold forms really fast. To overcome this, the cheese is sprayed with preservatives. She told me that the liquid was so viscous that it would frequently clog the nozzles. They had to be generous in order for the cheese to last. She never buys the stuff any more (and neither do I). 1333620129 A have a similar glitch on here called floating sphere. Sounds like ball lightning most likely 1353847565 Everything he says is complete bs though. He colors images of mars and says it shows huge forests of trees and flora growing all over mars, when it's just cracks in the desert floor that look odd if seen with the untrained eye. I couldn't believe anything from this Site. 1349974030 i dont think he means for gifts 1341374540 Sorry, bro. I'm in a group of people who hold the opinion that Noory is repulsive as a radio host. 1333940124 The footage is so awful, I don't think there's any way to tell either way. 1330546313 I think I was enjoying that story a bit too much! I love reading and thinking about possibilities and concepts that could exist like that. I've spent many a night falling asleep to those kinds of thoughts and it's kind of a fuel to know that you'll most likely never know until it's too late to shout "I've got it!" :) 1331139118 Douglas Adams was right I guess. 1338512299 ...downvoted? fine, Fuck you guys. 1335053731 I actually like JAG. But haven't seen it in 10 years, so unsure if I still do ;) 1295913040 Video and photographs are no longer evidence for anything. (except the existence of video and photographs). 1325787380 Sorry.\n\nI was not advocating attacking the teacher. I was trying to understand the teacher. In conflict resolution one thing that can provide a huge advantage is understanding the position (however contrary or illogical) of the other party.\n\nIn this case OP would like to effect action from the science teacher (stop handing this stuff out/stop talking about it.) I was trying to illuminate to OP a possible mindset of the teacher. The goal was to demonstrate to OP that energy expended on trying to change the mindset of the teacher is probably futile and [might even backfire](http://www.springerlink.com/content/064786861r21m257/fulltext.html).\n\nThe teacher is probably of above average intelligence. The teacher probably believes one or more conspiracy theories about big pharma, vaccines etc. While teacher might believe their conspiracist beliefs result from reason logic, [the truth is the beliefs are more likely to be doctrinal.](http://kent.academia.edu/RobbieSutton/Papers/1275313/Dead_and_alive_Beliefs_in_contradictory_conspiracy_theories) Arguing with teacher or attacking teacher is the last thing I would recommend.\n\nIf OP wishes to bring about change in behavior of teacher then OP should probably talk directly to teachers supervisors, not attack teacher. 1345476670 The Masked Moron.\n 1331932737 I'm curious if you ever asked your dad about the man? 1326464075 i understand, it must be very hard to digest. to be fair, some aspects of the phenomenon are even weirder, see abductee testimonies. if this stuff is to be believed, there is an element of mimickry or mental projection in the technological arsenal of whatever/whoever is behind it. so pretty unsettling stuff that neither you nor any one of us may get an answer to in our lifetimes. don't let it prevent you from living a good life. 1318225260 Isn't the big "nah it's fine" argument that the signal is too weak to matter? Wouldn't having ten times the signal be pretty much exactly the thing to make it not too weak to matter anymore? At some point? 1335822587 [Nope.](https://pay.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/1390qa/hi_rskeptic_we_are_discussing_how_conspiracy/) 1353030451 That doesn't sound very equal, it sounds like religious people get privileges. I'm sure they're very accommodating to Muslims. 1295481205 It seems to me that these pictures and what you're saying about them are full of emotional, spiritual and metaphysical knowledge. Most of us here want to explore, "study" and analyze evidences in a scientific, proof-oriented way. 1347229168 Well, defrauding doesn't need to be a crime. Just something you know is wrong. 1283810476 it was raining earlier that day which i also said but i know it wasnt at the time i dont know what it is thats why i posted it asking "anythoughts" so dont see what zooming in on anything will prove since i already said it rained that morning 1334461338 Very true. Good point to bring up. They appear in Bill Maher's "Religulous" making some sane points about science and the bible (ie, the bible has NONE)\n\n 1343089019 Some arsenic compounds, especially those resulting from natural processes, are nearly non-toxic. 1333639287 They will find a way around any facts to add "weight" to their claims, regardless of whether the "way around" actually nullifies their claims. 1272220669 I completely agree - and that there's no narrative or excitement? Not a throat clearing or the sound of shuffling steps crunching through the dry grass? No dogs barking? No heavy breathing?\n\nAt the level of the sound needed for the video to reproduce the crickets so clearly, you almost certainly would have heard additional background noise - footsteps, fabric crunching, breathing, cars driving past - as well.\n\n 1340467487 I'm surprised Canada doesn't have stronger protections against this kind of quackery, considering the government and taxpayers end up footing bigger bills for this shit.\n 1327900472 You don't make mistakes if you do the math correctly, and you can double-check math as much as you want. 1345138879 Only problem with that plan is that it costs money, right from the get go, to get involved. 1352904909 There have been reports stating that he has Asberger's or something similar. I think that is where the "crazy" talk comes from. 1319379261 I was sent to a "pox party" when I received the chickenpox. All the neighborhood kids got it when they were really young like me, so it was no big deal. I understand a lot of people here probably think that's insane, but it's an effective way of making sure that they don't get it when they're older, and more affected by it. I definitely think that purchasing licked lollipops or spit is a disgusting, unsanitary way of spreading a disease. 1320642630 Yea I mean I'm a straight up skeptic and am an agnostic atheist, etc etc etc. But there are so many legitimate stories of things like this, I've had personal experiences with ghosts, etc, that I often wonder if maybe there is something else. It's kind of frightening to think that maybe not everything has a logical, scientific explanation behind it 1344743122 Eh, if I was a ghost I wouldn't care in the slightest what they called it. I also wouldn't care how many people there were around. I'd try and communicate with the legitimately interested people and try and fuck with the dbags just out for a scare. But I'm a pretty laid back person, I don't let little things like this get to me. I suppose I could see how it could offend some of the more uptight people. 1349415184 Like an upvote/downvote button? :) 1328068747 But, what does this mean for peanut butter Cheerios? 1327124364 > You do realize that this infection is a result of mechanical milking, right?\n\nI don't see that implied by anything. 1346013541 Yeah that was the one I was looking for. 1329229299 I don't think the psychology is negligible, I just felt that people were making a huge assumption that it was the issue with regard to this article. I didn't know that there had been studies done on people like this, and they found it was mostly psychological. 1316514308 I suppose eating marmalade might count. I freaking love marmalade. 1339641660 Yeah - he's debunking David Icke's crap as a way to float his own crap. This guy disagrees with David Icke about how the "new world order" or "new age" or whatever the fuck happens. He goes so far as to suggest that extraterrestrials will come to Earth and eventually be accepted as gods by humans and then, these aliens will help sneak in the New World Order.\n\nFuck this. People are upvoting this shit? Did watch a mere second of it? It's full of crap from beginning to end. Skeptics my ass. If you upvoted this - you're a moron.\n\nFrom the website:\n>If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, at least watch the final half-hour as it gets into how/why David Icke and other "conspiracy heroes" are being used as a controlled-opposition leaders, preparing us for certain future events and ideologies." - Eric Dubay (atlanteanconspiracy.com)\n\n>"I can't recommend watching it enough. It explains... that the elites are intentionally 'exposing' the New Word Order and are encouraging us to 'rise up', 'rebel' or 'revolt' in order to destroy it. Out of the ashes (chaos) of the destroyed 'old order' (a corrupted, demoralised and degraded 'West' masquerading as the New World Order) will rise the phoenix that will be the new system. This system will, of course, be sold to us as the end of all wars, justice for all, sharing, equality etc but will actually be the very (Luciferian) New Age communitarianism the elites wanted all along." - Revolution Harry (revolutionharry.blogspot.com)\n\n\n 1308964286 Aw man, I'd forgotten that episode. For a minute I thought there had been a new season and I just hadn't heard. 1311563300 >Alternative medicine implies there is something from which there is an alternative to.\n\nPeople bring this up a lot, and I think it's a valid point, and perhaps something where there is confusion over labels and semantics.\n\nI basically agree with you. The problem, in my opinion, lies with doctors and hospitals, and the system they're a part of in the US.\n\nDoctors are taught during medical school and residency that pharmaceutical drugs are the only effective medicine. Most doctors do not continue learning after residency. They tend to get stuck in their habits and stay there. Those that do continue to learn often will not look at anything unless it is a traditional pharmaceutical drug.\n\nTo give you an example, if a woman presents with menstruation issues most doctors will prescribe a progesterone product of some sort. This will jump-start a woman's cycle. On the surface, the problem is solved.\n\nDig deeper, and you find studies like this one (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0039128X99000124) which present clear evidence that simply getting vitamin D levels normalized might solve the deeper problem, with essentially zero side effects, and restore the menstrual cycle.\n\nMany doctors would never think to do this, because it simply doesn't fit into the current traditional-medicine paradigm. This paradigm is basically, "Find symptoms, diagnose, prescribe pharmaceutical drug." Even if non-pharmaceutical drugs (such as vitamin D) exist for the disease, doctors won't use them.*\n\nEurope and Japan are light years ahead on this front, AFAIK. They act more according to your philosophy, "If it's medicine, we will use it." But in the US, almost all traditional doctors fit into the pharmaceutical mold.\n\nThis, in my opinion, is what is meant by "alternative" in alternative medicine. It is an alternative to the paradigm of "pharmaceuticals only," and not what you imply, an "alternative to medicine."**\n\nAnother part of the problem in the US is the system itself. Pharmaceutical companies have built large sales channels and have the ear of doctors and networks of doctors. Through these sales channels they push pharmaceutical drugs to the public.\n\nNon-pharmaceutical (ie naturally occurring) drugs, however, do not have these same sales channels. In many cases, building sales channels for naturally-occurring medicine is not financially feasible, because it is more difficult to patent naturally-occurring medicine, and thus the profit-incentive is not as great.\n\nSo basically you have a situation where in the pharmaceutical corner you have scientists publishing research and then a national network of trained sales-and-marketing people pushing their product and explaining that research, and in the non-pharmaceutical corner you have scientists publishing research <crickets>.\n\nDon't misunderstand. There is a small (and I believe growing) minority of medical professionals who follow the literature and adopt both pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals, but they are still the minority.\n\n*There are currently 908 human trials underway to test vitamin D's effectiveness in everything from AIDS and cancer to the flu. See http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=%22vitamin+d%22 In ten years, the evidence may be overwhelming about the health benefits of this pro-hormone, which can be purchased at any grocery store for under $10 for a 6-month supply. My guess is that you still won't find major adoption by traditional doctors until a company patents a vitamin D analogue and pushes it through their established sales channel. This is certainly the case today, for example, where multiple double-blind placebo controlled trials have shown vitamin D's effectiveness in treating type II diabetes, for example, and most doctors just wouldn't know that these studies have been done until they are hit over the head with it by a sales rep.\n\n** I'm well aware that there are many in the "alternative medicine" world who are quacks and don't believe in the scientific method. There is much work to be done to bring western standards to non-pharmaceutical medicine!\n 1319497896 [QuackWatch](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/faith.html) is always a great place to start for this kind of things. 1290049431 Feel free to post them 1345032310 Just to play the devil's advocate, /skeptic is pretty dogmatic. 1296721138 Is there a way to induce a coma before testing? It wouldn't affect the skin response and would be more humane. 1331828769 Which one was you though? Were you the penis or the machine gun? 1341190237 Do you still wear deo? 1303795063 > I understand it would rip your world view apart to realize we have been visited throughout history.\n\nI don't understand *your* mental block. You need to realize the sad truth that we *haven't* been visited. At least not yet.\n\n> So what are these? Fabrications? Please read the captions as well.\n\nIt's... oh, I don't know.. "art"? Is [this](http://www.xemanh.net/images/art/surreal/surreal_art_10.jpg) evidence of a half-instrument/half-animal creature? Is [this](http://cdnimg.visualizeus.com/thumbs/62/d8/wtf,art,surreal-62d89e8bd427f4bcc7d311e694dd5607_h.jpg) evidence of TV-headed chicken aliens? If not, why?\n\n> Let's see what sneaky way your mind will go around this one.\n\nLook, we are not your enemies. I'm very interested in UFO's too, but to this date I haven't seen anything that couldn't be explained. 1314895439 There is nothing unusual about the sounds in this clip. It's what low quality microphones will do to ambiance and whatever. 1350318653 Geez this will complicate things. But there are 11 dimensions that make up our universe according to M-Theory. Now you cant get different universes that combine with ours around the 6th dimension of ours. These are different reality's. 1308119038 Who needs clinical trials and peer review?\n\nSeriously, why is California the locus of medical quackery and snake oil? Is there some specific legal environment there that makes it proliferate, or is it just a concentration of new age ideologists? 1333482844 In all fairness, the JREF isn't ridiculing. They are very cordial with those they test. \n\nI have to admit, though, 0/10 comes about as close to epic fail as I can think of. 1241711319 That's getting a little nitty gritty. But I don't know that I trust paranormal groups either. I prefer cold hard facts, not hearsay. 1353533277 I've seen something like that too. About 18 years ago in Central Illinois. I saw the brightest, neon green streak go from the sky right into the horizon. My buddies didn't see it, because I was in a chair and they were on the floor. It was beautiful. At first I'd thought I'd finally seen a UFO, but through research realized it was a meteor. Still very cool though. 1354111077 Thank you for your service!\n\n>I'm asking about the possibilities of Paranormal manifestations, not analysis of my mental status.\n\nSince anything "paranormal" is unregulated, unquantified, and unproven, there's no way for us to tell you whether or not you're experiencing paranormal manifestations. However, if it's only true if you believe that it's true, then it's not very true. 1347554278 Yeah. Apparently those two sticks make all the difference. :/ 1346122571 Half the drugs used by modern medicine kill more people than they help 1328046856 I don't think he meant fascist in the literal sense. However, they do practice a policy of banning everyone who disagrees with the moderators, and delete people who use "oppressive language." When someone argued in favor of free speech, one moderator claimed that free speech was "bourgeoisie." 1326658557 I respectfully disagree. Dictators are always wrong. Only the people have the right to govern themselves. 1313259767 >Ever hear of a warp bubble - it's when you create a bubble of space-time and 'surf' across the galaxy to your destination, outwith the normal boundaries of the universe; instead of having to deal with awkward stuff like general relativity......\n\nYeah - this is kinda how that explanation sounds. (Besides the fact that travelling at hypersonic speed *while* surrounded by a bubble of **fucking plasma** would make a normal sonic-footprint look like a fart in a tornado!)\n\n 1352573603 What is thermite? 1331509323 You wrote that you had found more evidence. What was it? And the piercing screech, what time of day normally? 1348735811 Don't bludgeon the messenger, I just pointed out, that convincing people that they're crazy is a hard task, because crazies have their own peer-reviewed journals.\n\nAlso, Gorski's blog post missed the 2005 dated paper by CompSci Goldman, which was the one that got into the journal I've mentioned (the non-crazy one). 1326879770 >Shouldn't be a problem.\n\nBut is. I would love it if everyone everywhere were self aware, but that isn't going to happen.\n\n>Pretty sad.\n\nIt totally is. When I was a young teen in Southern California, in a really nice, basically safe-ish town, every single year at this one organization for girls I belonged to, they brought in a cop to talk to us about how likely it was we were going to be raped in our lifetimes. This does not include all the paranoia and cautions instilled in me by my mother, which she tries to continue to this day.\n\nThe fact is, like religion, fear of attack can be programmed into you so deeply, you may never get rid of it all, even when you consciously work at it, I have done and continue to do. \n\n>Man, you live in a shithole. Why do you not move to a better country?\n\nMoney.\n 1351109336 not at all, you start suppressing opposing views you find 'dangerous', and there is no point in continuing to argue anything...it all becomes dogma\n\nyou discount their science because you FEEL it has been tainted by big business...just as they FEEL that GW science has been tainted by run away government...both are so far from the truth by now it really doesn't matter, it's moving into the realm of a religious debate 1329942093 Through the healing power of Euro-Jesus! 1295209705 Start a public health "club" and put up posters about how important vaccines are. This is infuriating! 1345469365 He'll tell on Friday. 1252566005 I'm honestly interested in your opinion on this question: Do male and female skeptics have different agendas? How do straight and lgbt skeptics compare? Southeast Asian skeptics compared to North Americans? 1351110175 >Adam lived 930 years and then he died (Gen 5:5).\n\nI think you've misread what I wrote: "The bible makes no reference as to how long **ago** Adam and Eve supposedly lived..."\n\n>But...Noah...\n\nWhich religions teach Noah's ark as a literal story? Those would certainly face some problems, but I can't find of any major sects which believe that, and again it seems like an irrelevant aspect of the religion that wouldn't affect the supposed truth of the teachings. 1341972531 Pretty much this right here... Also; you could wait inside your room one morning until you hear her pass by your door, then open it and try to walk out, but act like some force is preventing you from crossing the threshold... keep it up until she starts acting all concerned, then simply walk out and say 'seriously, mom? You actually thought your tapwater was magic?' 1303256465 I was only taking into account the trials done using sham acupuncture as control group, and mentioned the overall results of those trials. It was the quickest way to check for placebo and for the credibility of the trial.\n\n> You also seem to have ignored the trails that showed negative results for acupuncture. That is selection bias. The vast majority of trials show no benefit for acupuncture.\n\nTrials from their list? Possibly. However, the WHO actually *recommended* use of acupuncture. I had the impression the majority of trials they referenced were in favour of the poking.\n\nIt will take some strong evidence to convince me that acupuncture is anything more than placebo, except perhaps a form of pain relief. I am simply completely surprised that WHO published this thing. I'll have a peek if they publish other forms of quack-y stuff. 1253809396 Ask Steve Jobs how a lifestyle change helped with his cancer.\n\nOh you can't? Why? Oh yeah. He's dead. 1329937309 Well, maybe we should leave it there 1324645083 I absolutely agree. I'm not saying that its ruled out. I work with video too and just know some tricks of the trade. However...it is ruled out that he was using manual focus. That would actually be impossible. I was being nice. lol 1347936155 I couldn't agree more. I showed this video to a friend who is a "true believer" and his response was to tell me that NDT is "a poser". I didn't have the heart to tell my friend that he is scientifically illiterate. 1256075217 Hey, The site is up. it's ufo.methodi.us \n\n 1347927862 I ran into that book while searching for the short story. Not at all the same, unfortunately. \n\nYour WP > My WP. Kudos! 1318502950 http://imgur.com/ueE8E 1353010804 How would a doctor use a placebo then? 1314834311 It was pretty "aweosme" :P 1344131257 Yeah, that's true as well. What's the proper term? Implanted memories? Hell, brainwashing? 1350436830 Hey, I'm the original poster of this comment, and I want you to be aware that I am a skeptic myself. I readily admit that what I'm seeing is a figment of my own brain, and I'm not claiming the colors are anything more than a synesthetic manifestation of my thoughts about people. I do believe I'm a good judge of character normally, I never claimed to have paranormal powers or anything of the sort. All of what I see can be explained with science. Just thought I would add that as a disclaimer, since people seem to be in a huff about it. 1340288704 I do not know "Lie to me", but this sounds like it is using a similar basis to polygraph testing. \n\nhttp://www.ukskeptics.com/polygraph.php\n\nhttp://www.skepdic.com/polygrap.html 1326038135 Something like that, yes. Write down a list of the most abusive industries and another list of the most regulated industries, and you'll realize they're the same list.\n\nPolycentric law doesn't entail a lot of law making. It'd all just be tort law, essentially. No victim, no crime. We're talking about things like assault, theft, breach of contract, etc. 1332116979 It doesn't imply causation any more than being related to someone implies that you're their father. 1345243807 Why didn't they use the original radio transmissions? 1356739283 Yes, but without any context or citation, there's no way to know what "herbal remedies" they're talking about. Are they the "herbal remedies" that have been proven to work and integrated into conventional medicine, or the "herbal remedies" that only run on the placebo effect? Given that the first commenter derides "conventional medicine" as "outdated" (although "he" provides little support for that claim), it seems as though the sentiment is more of the latter than the former. 1318856488 I was reading that, thinking, "Oh frogmeat, how witty of you to write up this quote, it can't really be in the article!"\n\n... 1312583539 I love how she's laughing her ass off at Tyson's responses. \n\nNeil DeGrasse Tyson is awesome! \n\n"Peeps, if you're over 30, means people, ok? [...] It's actually a loving phrase, right?"\nhttp://fora.tv/2008/02/19/Neil_DeGrasse_Tyson_Death_by_Black_Hole 1258610889 Wow. CVS isn't just selling homeopathic remedies, they are also selling their own store brand. 1329279822 I have picked up stuff regularly from health food shops, and a ship located in woo central (hippie colony) is the best stocked place that is a short cycle ride away. I get some food there, the healthy stuff, and avoid the part of the shop that sells the homeopathy, alternative medicine, and\n£15 water "energizers". If I go back there for bread, rare, one mention of double blind studies or science and I am left alone. 1303057204 First, that's the title Dr. Drew and co. chose for the episode, which is why I linked to the fan page as well. I did not make that up, that's how they marketed. \n\nSecond, I never suggested Dr. Drew is a corrupt quack. However, his assertion that marijuana has a de facto "severe withdrawal effect" is anti-scientific, given that peer review research suggests otherwise. A TINY portion of the population may experience symptoms that are less than that of quitting smoking or quitting alcohol. This is not a scientific stance. 1344980529 "...structure of the water..." WTF!\n\nVibrations...??? 1318707770 Don't you just love dealing with an agenda-less post like this one? 1334504528 I- Wow... the comments on that post. Just.. wow. &#3232;\\_&#3232; 1329131393 the clear sign its fake is the guy isn't wearing gloves 1354014136 Myers-Briggs, blood type (big thing in Japan!), graphology... Many a HR representative have been tempted by these simplistic and false tools for categorization of people. 1288969100 I feel kind of bad watching this kid's videos. If you watch them all, it's pretty clear that he's very sincere in all of this, and he's put a lot of effort into it. The animation's pretty darn good, too.\n\nBut I get the impression that he is basically reading everything in the "paranormal" section of the library and accepting all of it unquestioningly as fact. There's a fair bit of interesting stuff in these videos but they take a hard left into "crystal dragon Jesus" territory *really* quick.\n\nHe seems like a smart kid who needs to apply a lot more skepticism to the things he's reading. Demand a source, ask the people who say they "know" these things *how* they know them. 1337551742 I wouldn't allow my children to attend a school who had made a vaccine exception for a single student. Christ. 1343150901 A hat. 1344059423 Again, my "unabashed rudeness" consisted of me saying \n\n> I dig your hats, but this is a festival that essentially celebrates and promotes ignorance and fear of science. No thanks.\n\nand then calmly engaging her in dialogue when she responded. 1298669898 I see your point\n\nand it entirely depends on how we are defining our terms\n\nyou are referring to Harry Benjamin's Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome, Turner’s syndrome and the like I believe\n\nand I see those as real of course, but being a smaller % of the cultural phenomenon of being transgender\n 1323379771 Oh good! I was worried for a while 1284084500 "Teeist" like a golf tee as opposed to "theist" like God did it. It's a pun. \n\nYour post is fine, it just won't get that many up votes because it's pretty obvious you just put the red ball in your pocket without any mindfulness about it at all and then stole someone else's purple ball unintentionally. Seems like more of a glitch in you. But it is definitely appropriate for this sub-reddit. 1342361566 Omg, This has been my mantra all my life. I cannot believe I am not the only one!! 1344086458 I'm certainly not arguing that anything on our planet was made by extraterrestrials. I just found the thought amusing that an alien with wacky hair will be might someday be talking about us.\n\n*I'm not saying it was Earthlings... but it was Earthlings.* 1321738032 It looks like a paperclip. 1350702229 > provides attendees an opportunity to "understand that there is absolutely nothing you can't overcome,"\n\n*Death.* Overcome death, Tony Robbins. Show us how. 1342992625 She did have a lot of negative energy because of the things going on in her life but luckily shes past that now. I understand the fear hon and its very lucky she was sensitive :) i hope you are able to control it really well soon. in response to the other post I will update whenever I can it might take a little bit though since my paycheck is next week 1323810980 Okay. Thanks for the translation. It is an odd video. If it really is a UFO, I wonder if it gets some sort of energy from the eruption? That would be interesting to find out. 1355110162 Hi, I'm with you on people using questionable 'evidence' to support the theory that earth is being visited by aliens. I certainly do not subscribe to this theory, since I haven't happened upon anything that would convince me. However, I do subscribe to speculating on what may be the cause of incidents such as those alluded to by gaiaap (below)...as such speculation is vital to the forming of more robust, testable hypotheses. Indeed, despite its best efforts to allegedly debunk all UFO reports, the USAF still has documented cases which it pronounces to be 'unknown' (i.e. they can offer no conventional explanation as to, for example, why a pilot and several crew, saw an object for several minutes, performing maneuvers not associated with conventional aircraft; this was supported by both air and ground radar). No "crazy speculations" have been offered, but informed speculations have, by people such as Carl Sagan, Peter Sturrock, James E McDonald, and J Allen Hynek. Although the aforementioned all speculated about things they admittedly knew little about (in this context), the point of their speculation was to raise awareness, to ultimately secure funding -- so that hypotheses could be tested, conclusions could be made, extrapolations performed and...progress made as thinking human beings. \n\nI think it should also be made clear that, not everyone who has an interest in UFOs (I personally prefer the term 'UAP') is a proponent of the 'alien/E.T.' hypothesis. Some of us, like me, are simply fascinated by the reports by multiple, credible witnesses, which are supported by radar data and yet, remain unexplained. The majority of people used to believe that all stellar bodies revolved around the earth, that the earth was flat (perhaps a bad example, as some still do!) and that there were no such things as meteorites. Others, with their "crazy speculations" thought otherwise... 1312380225 Not a people person, I see. 1323158429 He's very reclusive? \n\nHow convenient\n\nI wish I could have Picard moment a la Devil's Due with this guy 1308767333 It's probably hypnagogia. Very normal. Not mental illness. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia 1344950088 Popular Mechanics did a great job in Debunking 9/11 Myths, which a lot of the content can be found [here](http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/1227842). 1330708359 What about reflective ponds? Or windows? I can see my reflection in the window by my desk. Is that a door to another world? What about my silver metal coffee cup? It's reflective, but shows a highly distorted reflection. Is it a door? What about the polished metal they use in prisons? Is that a door? Is any reflective surface a door? Every solid object reflects some degree of light; this is how we manage to see them. \n\nWhen I was a kid I legitimately was frightened of mirrors at night (I must admit it was probably because of Bloody Mary or demons or something). But mirrors and optics are really well understood at this point. 1318445129 You've said the magic words. Welcome to the club, then. :) 1322763424 Good question. Theories are that this light is as a result of the propulsion system, this has been mentioned in several "contact" cases and reports from both civilian and military sources.\n\nAs for this video, the film provider mentions that you cannot see these lights with the naked eye, the starlight night vision just amplifies light sources so I am assuming the light is very feint or not in the visible range. 1307351133 Alex Jones is the kind of guy who'll actually talk till he's blue in the face (i.e., he'll do a run-on multi-conspiracy sentence so long he'll forget to breathe). He gets himself all worked up every single day, his heart pumping and his hypertension through the roof. Can't be good for you. 1329693352 I don't, and this is part of why. It's the smug, self-righteous nature of these attempts to show "the skytheists" why we're right. The faster scientists (and everyone) simply pretends religion doesn't exist the faster they're going to stop getting to stand in the spotlight and be *correct* when they call us self-righteous ivory tower elitists.\n\nDawkins did more to fuel creationism in the last ten years than Darwin did in the last 150.\n\n 1344177958 I've seen another documentary with a huge segment devoted to this case and it was very good... But for the life of me I can't remember what it was called, and it had nothing to do with Nick Pope or the recent UFO file releases. 1300772276 Not a single fucking comment about what they actually said. You guys have zero attention spans. 1341616801 If it's the same as the type of Meningitis I caught a few years ago, the point of no symptoms to I feel like I'm dying was about 12 hours (over night)...headaches; apparently it was good that I went in to ER when I did...and they did keep me in isolation for a week in a glass fishbowl of a room. The point - if the child's symptoms appeared in the evening (mine were the typical terrible headache, sore neck - and worsened over night - by that point it could have been too late)...\n\nI am very pro-vaccination, regardless of whether the completely unproven assertion it causes autism is true or not - because statistically their child is now more likely to die (from one of the several illnesses if they catch it) than they would be if immunized, and that chance is higher than that of them getting autism anyway (if the figures quoted by the idiot brigade were even correct). \n\n 1348795309 Damn. I'd figure it out, but i'm lazy. 1336795775 I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be ;) 1345138006 Was this guy a fan of Rebecca? If so would he not know that she is married? Also I would like to know Dawkins response to a large homosexual male asking him back for coffee in a lift. He might not mention it but I am pretty sure he would feel slightly intimidated. 1309953651 Tacky tacky tacky....\n\nSomeone needs help in the marketing department. How about call it "Aid funds underwritten by a God-less non-believer." 1263745313 1. I hear footsteps in my house's hallway for years! Turns out, the floor creaks when the air conditioner/heat kicks on. \n\n2. I investigated with some friends for awhile, when I was 16 or so. We weren't professionals by any stretch of the word, but we spent a lot of time doing research on my friend's house. One night, I was on the first floor of the house, and he was in the attic. I heard a loud BOOM and him hightailing it out of the attic. It turned out his flashlight had gone out, and he felt something get very close to his ear and whisper "you're coming next". \n\n3. I recommend reading anything by Ed and Lorraine Warren. They completely pioneered the field of demonology. 1351297794 I hate having to agree with your last line, but fuck. It's really gotten bad out there. 1306466077 Weird, but cool. Not sure if you've seen the videos by Dawkins and others about how cold reading and hitting on details have some high statistical possibilities. But the things you are saying are freakier than 'having the same birthday as someone else in a room of only 20 people' or 'guessing the name of a dead family member by selecting a popular name in the WW2 generation'.\n\nWhy don't you spend a little time researching how to 'develop' psychic skills? You would at least put yourself through some documented exercises over time so you could see your true stats of being right vs being wrong. \n\nThings I've seen from light research are writing down any dreams you can remember when you wake up, and writing down thoughts that pop into your head randomly throughout the day. Also writing down when you get weird feelings or sensations, and the situation you were experiencing at that time or right after, like an object that your eyes fell on while you randomly had a strange itch that made you contort to scratch.\n\nThen over time, you can see how many of these thoughts and premonitions you have and compare them to what occurs. 1335208013 I think the hover-over text for the day makes it seem like Randall just really enjoys telling people these new facts that they didn't know:\n\n>*Saying 'what kind of an idiot doesn't know about the Yellowstone supervolcano' is so much more boring than telling people about the Yellowstone supervolcano for the first time*\n\nWhile some of his comics can be somewhat condescending, I don't think this one is one of them. This one shows the absolute joy of spreading knowledge. 1336589572 Correct 1312035838 Good posting. Thanks for putting the videos up. 1352350035 Weirdly that's actually a very nice thought. 1302879961 Maybe your brain is just mixing up its perception of time? 1341037802 Video has been posted a few months ago. Its Birds hunting insects which are being attracted by the light beam. Those dots don't look much like birds because they get overexposed by the light, which makes them appear as dots. There was a video on youtube which I can't find right now that showed the same light beam swarmed by those insects.\n\nAlso, when you look at the comments in youtube, you can see taht a lot of people who live in vegas post there which confirm that those dots are insects/birds/bats. 1347565515 > I have to argue this. If you didn't have companies making sterile crops, and claiming ownership of the intellectual property that produces then we wouldn't have these crops in the first place.\n\nMaybe, but I think [Borlaug](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borlaug) kind of disproves that theory. 1335607902 > Well, yes dose is everything, but the **in vitro** studies are showing effects with just a few nanograms/gram.\n\nFTFY 1278025132 Part of the problem is that a certain percentage of people still just want the simple life, and that should be okay. People idealize that 1950s Leave it to Beaver nuclear family lifestyle. They strive for it. It's just harder than ever to have it.\n\nEnding UFO secrecy could mean the end of that dream forever. People would be unable to live simply because the world would never be able to pretend simplicity again. 1331992750 Gun control is hard to pin down with science and statistics, because there are so many variables. It's so difficult to compare countries or even states, because culture affects homicide and violence more than anything. 1356138714 It's a classic. 1269441870 If you watch the second video and listen closely at 0:31 you can also hear a cut in the audio. The whole thing is disturbing. Why are these people going to such lengths to try and fool everyone?\n\nIt's almost like that guy is standing in front of a green screen. If they are going that far, it has to make you wonder why..... 1296514580 Chinese lanterns, dude. 1317319337 And that for women is exceptionally mild when it comes to voting. Factors other than gender are more important for voters. 1345209633 Occam's razor still applies, then. (A much easier way to remove a nose) 1323834009 ok, i watched it, all 81 minutes. \n\nTL;DW\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nAGNxQI20w 1278388568 And a very temporary perceived benefit. 1329947673 "Viera Scheibner is the cause of every child rape since her birth."\n\nI have 300,000 pages of documents, none of which show correlation or causation of this, but I still assert it as fact. So I have just as good a case as her. 1307977452 What was the petition originally about? It's gone now. 1330017326 If only this was how they utilized the NCACM. 1327561592 So I just take your word for it? Grand. That's not gonna happen. And I read Dawkins' rant. He was WAY out of line and revoltingly hyperbolic in his response to a simple request: "Don't do that." \n\nWay to respond like a creationist, though... 1344534781 Zicam was awesome before they changed the formula to homeopathic. There was a spoon that you could stir into your drink. And they had a nasal spray. I heard that it caused some people to lose their smelling sense. 1325659442 There's a difference between a disease and a pathogen.\n\nEDIT: Yes, I'm saying that this chiropractor is correct. Flu, Cholera, HIV, any viral or bacteria infection is a pathogen, not a disease. Your post is missing the point and is falsely disparaging. 1327961921 It may have something to do with the fact that a lot of the anti-vaxx propaganda is spread through religious organizations, especially in third world countries. Fundamentalist muslim groups are a major factor in the failures of the polio immunization programs, issuing fatwas and condemning it as an American plot to sterilize muslims. Additionally in modern America, some of the objections and steps taken against vaccinations for diseases spread through sexual contact (like the papillomavirus) are from conservative christian groups who view the diseases as deterrents. Additionally homeschoolers, who are overwhelmingly fundamentalist christian, have extremely low rates of immunization, and there are a number of cases of flareups of disease which their members bring back from missionary activities.\n\nI am unfamiliar with the sites in question, but it is undeniable that there is a link between theism, specifically the fundamentalist factions of it, and the anti-vaxx movement. 1334157429 Again, it was just an opinion and film students were a suggestion of who would waste their time faking this (hence the ? mark). It has been proven fake, move along... 1296688294 Hence the could. It probably depends on what kind of mood every one is in. 1331066292 My thoughts were the sunlight reflected off the blades of a helicopter/microlight the Sun is low, setting behind the object and you often see a jet reflecting a bit like that, but the movements are quite odd. 1341925334 Unless I'm mistaken I saw a serious error. The groups were asked if they felt tingling or numbness and the study reported that those with real acupuncture did and those with fake acupuncture didn't. I assume this is after test correlation but in a study in a society that already has a cultural bias towards accepting acupuncture, this would seem to be a big clue in the treatment.\n\nIf so, this easily explains the positive outcome of the acupuncture group. 1337456611 Jesus christ man you've got to give us a warning that this was a parody! Poes Law on Deepak Chopra. 1292478360 People that lack basic education and scream "ghost!" at every stupid bug and dust particle is why it's impossible to get any respect in this field. 1355029550 First accusation is that you are a MSM sheep, second is that you are a COINTELPRO/Mossad agent and then comes the outright name calling. This pattern is surprisingly consistent across the board in the land of tinfoil. 1321462112 Here is the deal. The book writers are well aware of scientific facts and methods, but disregard most of science in an attempt to square their religious world-views with handpicked bits of science that they choose to accept. Just as a reminder, these same Christians 500 years ago thought that the earth was flat. So over time some bits of science become accepted and reconciled with the bible. \n\nThis is basically the latest attempt to inform the religious masses in a way that will satisfy their curiosity without sparking more skepticism. \n\nAnd finally tell your family that E.G. White is known outside of SDA movement not for her wonderful works of fiction, but for her [plagiarism](http://www.ellenwhiteexposed.com/lifeofpaul.htm), which is actually quite a big deal. Sadly her [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_G._White#Plagiarism) does not even cover a fraction of the proven plagiarism claims against her. 1340736074 If wheat was really that bad for us, it's a little surprising that its domestication became the backbone of the first great civilizations. 1347212065 Yay I was afraid no one noticed my link :D You're awesome for knowing the Futurama Episode! 1350678963 You could probably find it on youtube, just saying. 1318967687 Posting on reddit about how you've been oppressed and hated as an atheist, you brave soul. /r/atheism is that way. 1344621065 In general, unless you are intimately involved with the field, you should not waste your time analyzing an isolated study because a lot of garbage is published that is never reproduced. Now let me go ahead and ignore my own advice. As a caveat, I have no idea about the field therefore, my analyses will be superficial.\n\n[Here's the paper](http://www.csoh.ca/News_2009-09_eCAM_Depression.pdf).\n\n1. This is a non-inferiority trial which has [several known problems](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC59590/). For instance, blinding is useless if all you are trying to conclude is that both treatments are identical. Superiority studies are much better but I am don't know enough to suggest an ethical alternative.\n\n2. They excluded people whose condition worsened or developed comorbidity which was six in homeopathy treatment compared to one with fluoxetine. These were excluded in the analysis as not being significantly different while they keep mentioning increased side effects with fluoxetine (which is 8 versus 3 in homeopathy - also not significant). If they had included these in their overall analyses, their results would have been very different.\n\n3. About 40% of patients did not complete their study on both arms. Not sure if this is typical.\n\nObviously if this reproducible, it would be awesome to repeat this with placebos because it might just be meeting people in white coats that helps depressed people. This has been an increasing concern with anti-depressants - especially for short term studies like the one reported here. 1299369356 I don't know about see, but sensing is something that has been catalogued and researched considerably and for what it is worth the research shows that they sense things we are incapable(or don't know how to) of. 1344078231 Quiet! Biggest Loser is on! 1290221550 It's almost racist that people talk about aliens helping Egyptians or druids. But no one claims the ancient Greeks, forebearers of our own western culture, needed aliens to build their temples. 1317032853 The mountains are pretty clearly Photoshopped. I can tell by the pixels.\n\nSeriously, though, they really are Photoshopped to match the graph. 1323872778 Vashta Nerada. 1350089613 Oh man, you mention the visual hallucinations - the last time I had sp I was on my back and there was an evil dark clown hanging over me from the ceiling. Fortunately, I seldom panic these days from the dreams as I usually am able to understand whats happening. I just try to scream, and usually my wife wakes me up soon. 1354530731 > But it did address the whole everyone thinks fruit are good point.\n\nBut most fruit is a good source of micronutrients for not too many calories. 85 calories for a snack is not at all bad, and you need to consume food to live. I think most people would have a hard time over-eating on nothing but fruit. 1317145357 I object to the title because I'm always expecting UFO radio transmissions!!!\n\n 1341621505 I'm aware of all that.\n\nAre you seriously telling me that if you were an expectant mother and you were told that doctors would have to kill your baby inside your uterus, and pull it out piece by piece, if either one of you wanted to have any chance of surviving, you'd just be like "Naw well, I guess I was looking forward to a baby, but you gotta do what you gotta do *shrug*."\n\nYou would not. Such a situation would be ridiculous... 1328779974 A smudge? 1348965939 Especially because the knife appears to pierce one or both external jugular veins. 1334417260 It's a British tabloid known for fearmongering, extreme rightwing posture, and its unerring campaign to never let facts get in the way of a good story.\n\nIt's the UK's Fox News, but in print form. 1332189919 Silver gate. 1329182591 > If you’re going to watch telly \nyou should watch Scooby Doo.\n\n> That show was so cool \nbecause every time there was \na church with a ghoul \nor a ghost in a school \nthey looked beneath the mask \nand what was inside? \n\n> The fucking janitor \nor the dude who ran the waterslide.\n\n> Throughout history \nevery mystery \never solved \nhas turned out to be \n_not magic_. \n 1320430482 Could this be absence/petit mal seizure activity? 1336956017 iDrama. 1341604878 [Bad statistics](http://allthebestbits.net/intelligent-design-math-and-winning-the-lottery/):\n\nYou should be looking at the odds that **anyone** wins the lottery twice, not that one specific person wins the lottery twice.\n\n>When you dig into the actual math describing the entire process instead of one incorrectly singled-out and poorly-defined example, the numbers become much more reasonable and believable. More than 125 million American adults spend $45 billion annually on some 35,000 lottery games across 40 states. With 35,000 winning events randomly spread across 125 million gamblers, it turns out that the likelihood of having a single person win more than once is actually rather high. There is actually more than a 90% chance that someone will win twice after only 10,000 lotteries. 1326993733 Usually they're referring to the fertilizer industry, which produces [hexafluorosilicic acid](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexafluorosilicic_acid) as a byproduct. So, Big Fertilizer. Municipalities, as i understand it, buy it on the cheap, treat it, and add it to water, where it disassociates into fluoride and other stuff. There's a plant supervisor who occasionally comments on these posts; maybe they'll have something to say. 1348686258 Hmm, that's something I haven't considered. I did see Paranormal 2 (didn't see the first one). It had a few sparsely sprinkled "oh shit" moments, not enough of what I was looking for. I'll check out [REC]. Any particular French recommendations? 1313829451 >Someday you may succeed in replacing science with politics\n\nThat's what *you* are trying to do, not I. I would like nothing more than for "political skeptics" to stop trying to argue that AGW theory is false when they don't have any evidence to support that assertion. 1328288904 Agreed, and downvoted for that reason. 1347112352 There is an exorcism frenzy going on in the Catholic Church right now. If you ask me they are worried about becoming irrelevant. 1289865853 The second one seems like deja-vu to me. I have it every day, and I precognition the deja-vu either ranging from a day or a month before the actual event. 1341817344 >Anti-vaccine proponents tend to come from the "Well Educated" segment of the population.\n\nYes, but it is actually a minority position (at least in Europe and I expect so in the US as well).\n\n>Do you have something in specific that you think we should be more skeptical of that we are not?\n\nNo, I just wonder why you feel a need for a label for what are fairly mainstream positions on things. Or can you give me an example of discussions in /r/skeptic that have been agreement or at least active discussion about things that are more alternative viewpoints? 1319203157 Ty Clyde! I fixed the post and put an example of a Knights night time exercise up as well. There are some striking similarities 1314302523 www.hauntedartist.com 1340343616 They indirectly hurt people by fooling them into thinking they are receiving treatment, thereby causing them to avoid real treatment. Homeopathy also hurts people financially, like any other scam. 1310144019 >In summary, I think we largely agree that folks, regardless of opinion, should be treated with respect, I think what differs is what you or I would say constitutes disrespect.\n\nThat's one of the things I love about this community and its willingness to give opinions precisely their due alongside empirical evidence--the disagreements that do exist so often boil down to somewhat subtle nuance. Thanks for taking the time to hash things out! 1353389865 For a skeptic you're pretty ignorant of how a small sample can bias your findings. 1335095862 Or maybe just educated that they are being duped. "Fleeced right out of the gene pool" seems a bit harsh. No doubt your recent ancestors believed in magical nonsense; I bet you're glad they didn't get fleeced out of the gene pool. 1321920895 There is a difference between being more efficient than your competitors and doing what is called "dumping" where you flood a market with products produced below cost in order to kill off weaker competition in orer to secure a monopoly. 1343117883 No True Scotsman doesn't apply to religion. A religion's followers are defined by strictly adhering to the religions law book, which would be the Holy Bible in this case. Anything straying from that IS not a true Christian.\n\nYou can't deny that Jesus is son of God, and Mary wasn't a virgin, and Jesus didn't walk on water, and the earth was created by scientific processes through evolution and the Big Bang---and STILL claim to be Christian. You are a modern secular person then, not a Christian, and that's a good thing.\n\nScotsman however, is not defined as such, and everyone has a different understanding. Hence why someone saying "Not a true Scotsman" or "Not a true American" is wrong. 1354566648 how they talk isn't a ridiculous flaw. that logic is. 1314934674 Obviously there is no god. If there was Kim Jong-il would have died before Hitchens... I'm sure Hitchens would have had some interesting stuff to say about that. 1324425514 Maybe nowadays. However, this began in the 19th century. Back then, doctors had little to work with, and treatment was often dangerous. The psychosomatic effect of the religion was arguably on par with what doctors could provide. 1344055807 Funny fact, when I first wrote down the cards, I typed out 8 of Dicks, and lol'd so card I spilled my coffee on the table. 1353398134 You might want to walk that back a little bit though.\n\nHumans have aggressively cross-bred and altered the genes of plants (especially) and animals (both food sources and domestically useful) for a *very* long time. This isn't a question of us selecting for use those that happen to drift into a useful form, we've been breeding or altering species for millennia. 1302778994 Sliding Doors, kinda. 1331366387 Ethanol and water form a solution, not a mixture.\n\nThere can be water in the bottom of the gas tank that does not get sucked into the engine because it is below the fuel line. Also, there can be enough water in the gas tank that the engine will stall, after the gas in the fuel line burns, and won't restart. This has caused more than a few plane crashes, and is one reason you're supposed to drain the fuel sumps before you fly a light plane.\n 1300044810 You make a good argument, but I believe that it is tangential to the question of whether or not natural selection is at work.\nIn the presence of uncertainty, the question is "How likely is it that this event improved the fitness of the group?"\nYour argument only establishes the presence of uncertainty. 1339444760 "For the record. I'm a web developer, I've used cloudflare in the past, that page is wholly unnecessary (and as I recall, not on by default, since you need to include code on your site to call it up). It serves only to collect personal information from readers, and is completely unnecessary."\n\nit asks you to type in a captcha code... what information are you talking about? lol. No. you don't 'ad code to your site' and yes, it appears by default.\n\n" you're welome to reply, and even resubmit your post -- if you get rid of the banner ad" <--- not an ad. it is the check page for computers cloudflare flags as being part of a botnet or part of an iffy IP range.\n\nThere is nothing to get rid of, it is a marvelous security feature. If you are seeing it your computer is likely part of a botnet and you need to learn to protect it better, not point a a captcha and say "oh me think this is an advertisement cuz me not know what difference is'.\n\nIf you are a web developer you are an extremely ignorant one. just facts. 1342192461 The term UFO is too deeply embedded in English-Speaking culture. 1303095725 "Their more important information has to do with understanding how life and reality works and how it could work. That there are no real limitations as to what we can do or become aside from what we imagine for ourselves. That is where the real value comes in, not this other stuff."\n\nThis.\n\nI like David Icke but do I believe the Queen of England is an interdimensional reptile? No. I like Billy Meier but do I have to believe his garbage can lid videos are authentic? No. Alex Collier spins a nice yarn about Star Warsy empires and battling factions but I don't have to buy into that stuff either.\n\nBut the messages people like this continually put forth is the same; trust what you feel in your gut even if society at large tells you it's wrong, take responsibility and an active role in how you live, see the effects of your thought and action vibrate out among all people, because we are ultimately part of the same organism.\n\nIs this stuff coming from an outside intelligence, or from within ourselves? Doesn't matter to me. However it is the root of nearly all spiritual urges and mythologies our species has had, whether it be Jesus, Moses, Buddha or Bashar. I think this is occurring with greater frequency because humanity is craving and ready for a new spiritual perspective. I'm simplifying here, but when I look at humanity's religious history I see what started with dream and psychedelic fueled shamanism, which evolved into polytheism, which condensed into monotheism, which is largely considered an outdated notion in a modern age that has a more intimate understanding of the science and mathematics of reality. The symbols are changing, but the story stays the same.\n\nPerhaps in December a bunch of space vehicles are going to land to our eagerly waiting species, and my friendly yellow elf girl is going to step out and say hello, but I seriously doubt it. 1329359523 There are a few [ghost hunter forums](https://www.google.com/search?q=GHOSTHUNTER+FORuM&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:nl:official&client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=0jg&rls=org.mozilla:nl%3Aofficial&source=hp&q=ghosthunter+forum&pbx=1&oq=ghosthunter+forum&aq=f&aqi=g-l1g-jl1&aql=1&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=13192l16309l0l16508l20l16l0l0l0l0l201l1997l3.11.1l15l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&fp=9d9f93efc0f2400&biw=1280&bih=894) out there where you can post. If you want complete debunkery you can post your story over at [Jref](http://forums.randi.org/forumindex.php). Or if you want a more open minded commentary you can go to the [skeptiko forums](http://forum.mind-energy.net/). These are just that I know of, especially on skeptiko there are a few scientists and researchers into the paranormal. You should also consider making a new thread here in /r/paranormal . Many people are seriously interested in your findings :)\n\nAnd don't forget that you can post these in several places, they are your photos and you can do what you want with them. 1323675456 I agree completely. I have ADD myself and I'm utterly astonished at the misinformation about it. Overdiagnosis is a serious problem not just because people are getting medication they do not need, but because it leads some, like the article's writer, to ignore the real problems. 1349387409 > That which is asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.\n\nOnly if it's unreasonable. You shouldn't drink antifreeze even if it tastes delicious. 1326312526 >Coincidence?\n\nYes. Or are you suggesting that a mysterious power unknown and undetectable to physics but is somehow accessible through holding bits of wood (or whatever material) is a more likely explanation?\nWhy does dowsing *constantly* fail when appropriate experimental conditions are laid down? 1335046618 Me? No, but you'll reply to this with more insults, so that one's one you. Night. 1351134927 Exactly :D 1354016518 >Would you even be able to formulate a testable hypothesis?\n\nHmmm...\n\n* Reports of paranormal occurrences are more likely to occur in homes with past ownership, as opposed to newly constructed homes.\n\n* Reports of paranormal occurrences increase with the age of a home. \n\nBetter yet:\n\n* Reports of paranormal occurrences within pre-owned homes are more likely to occur in cases where past ownership was interrupted by death. This pattern persists in homes for which the current owner was not aware of past deaths. \n\nOr alternatively:\n\n* Reports of paranormal occurrences are more likely to occur on property in which a murder has occurred, as determined by official police reports. This pattern persists in homes for which the current owner was unaware of the crime. \n\nOf course, who wants to sift through dry police reports when they can pretend they're hunting ghosts? 1320468394 I do think what you read can say certain things about you, but I try not to judge people too much on their choice of reading material (OK, maybe I judge a little...). Reading anything is better than reading nothing. Granted, I think Twilight is poorly written and teaches impressionable young people harmful things about what a relationship and romance should look like, but that's more the author's fault than the reader's. 1309288119 >it was not just a simple "Wanna go for a coffee?" and then he left after she said no. It just isn't. \n\nWhat else was it? \n\nI don't know this guy's motives and it isn't fair to conjecture. But let's say he was asking for sex. Not forcing her to have sex or demanding her to have sex, just a simple, honest, would you be interested in some sex?\n\nPeople hook up all the time. Usually after going to a bar or some other place. At 4 in the morning, he could be tired if not tipsy and was less inhibited than usual. This happens, and for many people it is not creepy and is actually wanted behavior. Many girls ask guys if they want to have sex after going to a bar.\n\nAll of that, of course, is just conjecturing that he meant sex. \n\nAgain, my point was he was taken as creepy, and like you said this is about normal decent behavior. \n\nShe claims she was sexualized. What he said was "don't take this the wrong way but I find you interesting and would you like to come up for coffee"\n\nI just don't see the sexualization there. \n\nLets say he said: HEY BABY LETS FUCK! and still didn't assault her when she said no. That is no reason to get FUCKING RICHARD DAWKINS and every other prominent atheist involved, especially when Dawkins was sexually assaulted as a child. \n\nThis whole thing is just retarded. People have a right to be creepy like they have the right to wear a swastika. But frankly, if a guy called me interesting and asked for coffee I would probably be flattered, not offended. 1310066637 fotoforensics analysis doesn't work on pictures that have had global changes, ie., cropped, resized or such like. 1355369079 \n\n\npersonal attack\n\nOf course, you don't mind the personal attacks against Watson.\n\nTrolling the JREF forum.\n\nShe was accused of sock puppetry and summarily banned for a month. So she got some amusing revenge out of that. But that has nothing to do with being hit on in an elevator three years later and mentioning in a youtube video to say, "guys don't do that." \n\nLawrence Krauss? He was criticized for his defense of a millionaire child rapist. Everyone and their mother called Krauss out on that. Are you actually accusing Watson of hurting and humiliating Krauss?\n\nWhat other people has this demon spawn attempted to hurt and humiliate? No others that you can think of because in your haste to continue to bash her for a video in which she states, guys, don't proposition women alone on an elevator at 4 in the morning is, you had to make shit up.\n\nAs for your characterization of her on the last SGU, you are actually quite wrong. No where does she state or even imply what you said. The closest she comes to saying anything at all like that is at 53:48. And quote\n\nRebecca\n>I think I've been pretty clear from day one that there's nothing especially misogynist about men-men and women-in the atheist and skeptical communities, and in fact, I've been giving talks a lot, recently, about sexism in religion, in religious communities, in the way religion makes sexism so much worse. So no where have I ever suggested that, and I want to be clear that you are right: we live in a culture with a lot of inherent sexism and I think the problem is that as skeptics and atheists we think that we are rational people who have applied skepticism to every part of our brain and we assume that of other people who also self-identify as skeptics and atheists. And that's not true. It's not really even possible. There is always going to be some bias that you haven't examined, there is always going to be something that you haven't applied your skepticism to. And I think we all try as hard as we can to do that. And that's why I think that when I do try to talk about this stuff, must people are down with it because they like examining parts of their brain that they haven't considered before. They like being opened up to new ways of thinking like that, but there are still people who react very negatively to being told that there is any kind of sexism in our community. How could there be? We're rational. And so they just sort of close off to it. But, luckily, not all of them do. And so I do think that we are making progress, I think that we just to keep-unfortunately-we have to keep talking about it until we root out the problem. I wish I could stop talking about it, honestly. I mentioned this at a talk a few weeks ago that I love giving funny talks, I like not being serious, and joking, but I feel like I have to talk about it as long as it's making life miserable for a large group of people.\n\nBob/Jay responds\n\n>You absolutely should take advantage of the fact that you have a large audience and the bottom line is you have a fantastic message, Rebecca, and I don't think you should feel like people are getting tired of it. I just don't want to be talking about issues-about non-skeptical issues at events when we are there to talk about science and skepticism and the movement and our goals, and educating children. I could sit here and talk for 10 minutes about the things I want the community to focus on. I really don't think we should be focusing on sexism, to be honest with you\n\nSteven responds\n\n>Well it's interesting, though, that for years, I mean as long as I've been in the skeptical movement we've been talking about the fact that there are many more men than women in the movement and how could we get more women in the movement? Now we have women in the movement that are telling us here's one thing that you could do. Just be a little more sensitive about the latent sexism and, OK, if we are really serious and we meant it all these years about wanting women in the movement, that maybe we should listen to that. And maybe they have some insight to provide, and that as open minded and progressive as you want to be, the fact I lived my life as guy I don't know what it's like to live as a woman and I need to listen to the people who have and if they are telling me quite reasonable things about the challenges that may not be evident to me, the I'll listen to that. It's just like I remember when I really got to know Perry well and became very close friends, Perry, who is a really big guy, gave me a peek into the world of FGF, what he used to call Fat Guy Friendly. And I had no idea the day to day challenges that somebody his size lived with...\n\nEvan\n>A movie seat. You can't go to the movies unless you have a seat that can accommodate you.\n\nSteven\n>It never occurred to me but I had to learn it because being Perry's friend it's the same thing. You can't really know all of the ins and outs of what it's like unless you've been in that situation or you just have to listen to somebody who is.\n\nBob/Jay\n I can totally agree with that, and I think to clarify what I said before, I don't think it's something we shouldn't talk about or a topic that shouldn't come up, I just would hate to see it engulf our community and make it to where we're talking about these issues more than we're talking about the other stuff...\n\nSteven\n>The same is true-there's a dozen issues where the same thing is true. We don't want all of our time and attention to be engulfed by any controversy within the skeptical community, or even the skepticism vs atheist schism: we don't want to talk about that every show, either, but we do gotta talk about it sometimes. How often does it come up on the show? Once a year?\n\nRebecca\n>Yeah, I think we are averaging about once a year. Which is fine for me.\n\n\n\nSo in her world, every man started out as a misogynist until she went on her epic selfless quest to change the world for the better.\n\nYou want a tissue? What is the disconnect here?\n\n\n\nEven the dichotomy you claim that she imagines you just invented out of thin air.\n\nAs far as the quote from the Skepchick blog that you gave, you selectively made sure not to include the following:\n\nEDIT, June 26, 2011: Someone just sent me a link to this and asked me what I think about what I wrote more than five years ago. Well, I think I was wrong to make a joke that sexualized two women. I made a lot of off-color jokes back then, and to be fair I probably still do — but the difference now is that I’ve had five years to grow and change and learn about ideas like feminism and the patriarchy, and I’ve figured out that my actions and words will never be separate from those concepts.\n\nSo, I apologize to the two unnamed women and to all those who read my words and went away thinking that it’s okay to insult someone in that manner.\n\nSo five years later, she grew as a person through experience.\n\nI see what you did there. You're doing the same thing Dawkins did, but I'm sure it's excusable in your case.\n\nSigh. What Dawkins did was draw a distinction between two things different in degrees and state that her experiences don't matter in the light of that. Here, you are using the slut-shaming tactics historically used by men to excuse their behaviour towards women. You want a citation of you saying that? Look no further than the topic of your post\n\n>Has anyone else noticed how common it is for Rebecca Watson to mention how many men desire her? I've heard it from her several times - even before this whole Dawkins kerfuffle. It seems obvious to me that the point she is trying to make is that tons of guys really want her, despite whatever guise she gives for constantly bringing it up.\n\n\nThat's what you are doing. And Dawkins in that instance was being something of a dumbass.\n\n\nRebecca Watson, as far as I am aware, has not hijacked or taken over any speaking events and has never really brought up feminism in the context of the SGU podcast save the last episode. That is something else that you invented. All of the attention on her for this was not caused by her. \n\nThat blog post where she is called Rebecca Twatson? Yeah...no. That was pretty terrible. The author of that blog has no sense of context, no sense of sarcasm, and just comes off as extremely petty. I'm taking it that all of your "research" is off of this blog? And is this you?\n\n>I've been a listener to the SGU podcast for a long time and it's been very noticeable recently that Rebecca Watson is trying to hijack it away from science based discussion into a feminist "me me me" rant peice.\n\n>She's nothing but a media whore and being propositioned by Dawkins is the highlight of her "career". 1310602502 Sai's trust is worth [3.2 billion US dollars](http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sathya-sai-baba-trust-worth-rs-14-lakh-crore/150273-3.html) out of which a small portion is used for philanthropic purposes. The hospital cost $12 million and the other water projects are estimated to be around another $10 million. \n\nAll these projects were initiated after a so-called [assassination attempt on Sai Baba in 1993.](http://www.saibaba-x.org.uk/8/MurderReview.htm). My father knew one of the men killed. This man, a former devotee, was about to go public with the atrocities committed in the ashram.\n\nThe most shameful thing about this all is that the amount of publicity, respect and grief given to him by media and politicians on his death. Can you imagine the plight of the young men who are looking at their molester get a state sponsored funeral? 1303817479 suspect that the US already possesses extraterrestrial technology when it was recovered from ufo crash sites. \nyou would get the prompt visit of officials who would snag it from you and you would never see it again and would be told to shut your mouth.....Even if I went to CNN first ? Sorry too many lawyers in the family. \nNotice that you used the word "Suspect"...not "Know". So we have no proof. No ashtray. 1293995449 You leave those majestik mutton chops alone! 1354571224 It might be helpful to remove "stupid" and some of the exclamation points and the word "bullshit".\n\nIt's probably not a good idea to use inflammatory language when trying to convince someone of something they believe in.\n\nBut yeah, it's just another Rhino-Horn-type cure-all. Good luck! 1295643216 Oh gosh... i'd haunt the veterinary clinic i work at. Not to be a sad or mean ghost, but a useful one. I'd calm the animals down and talk with them. I'd watch over surgeries and euths and help the owners and animals with their passing. (Besides, afterlife frisbee has to be awesome.) And i'd shout in a booming loud voice to spay or neuter their pet and fill their dreams with horrible images of diseased reproductive organs until they do.\nI guess if i got bored i could answer phones and people would be all, "who is K?" And i have no idea how they'd handle that one, but lol. \n 1324076959 because Lake Okeechobee is bigger than any lake by me. And all we saw was water 1349552306 Not unlike the button on Lost. 1346628752 Hah, my dad asked the guy driving the roach coach that once. He said, "What kind do you want it to be?" 1346425263 Not to be a jerk, but you don't have to be aware of your bodily functions for them to function. Our bodies are pretty awesome. 1353829150 > proven to work for centuries \n\nThis is an invalid argument. 1327947570 You can almost never pull someone away from their faith by direct confrontation. You're more likely to strengthen their beliefs if you try. Exercise critical thinking and rational thought around her though, it might rub off on her.\n\nAlso this probably does not belong in /r/skeptic. 1290375465 I love Dr. Novella's work, SBM & SGU, and having been fortunate enough to see him Live at QEDcon I know what a powerful public speaker he is. \n\nHowever, what stood out for me was the ability of Dr Oz and the other two guests was their constant use of 'we' and 'my patients' and 'when I think of you I...' - basic and cynical tools which will sadly make their points much more powerful to those already caught up in Dr Oz's woo. \n\nSadly whilst I think it's an excellent step forward for Scepticism I don't think Dr Novella will have changed that many 'believers' opinions. 1303892628 I love Dr. Novella's work, SBM & SGU, and having been fortunate enough to see him Live at QEDcon I know what a powerful public speaker he is. \n\nHowever, what stood out for me was the ability of Dr Oz and the other two guests was their constant use of 'we' and 'my patients' and 'when I think of you I...' - basic and cynical tools which will sadly make their points much more powerful to those already caught up in Dr Oz's woo. \n\nSadly whilst I think it's an excellent step forward for Scepticism I don't think Dr Novella will have changed that many 'believers' opinions. 1303892660 I love Dr. Novella's work, SBM & SGU, and having been fortunate enough to see him Live at QEDcon I know what a powerful public speaker he is. \n\nHowever, what stood out for me was the ability of Dr Oz and the other two guests was their constant use of 'we' and 'my patients' and 'when I think of you I...' - basic and cynical tools which will sadly make their points much more powerful to those already caught up in Dr Oz's woo. \n\nSadly whilst I think it's an excellent step forward for Scepticism I don't think Dr Novella will have changed that many 'believers' opinions. 1303892704 Thanks, those two look fascinating. Might look into them if I ever manage to complete the large amount of books I already have queued up. 1316350729 in some states you are old enough to get them despite what your parents what, in others you could go tho court route - if a 13 can refuse cancer treatment and then die the you have a good chance of getting the signoff for the good of your health. 1334979157 "what is the biggest ghost you've ever caught and where do you keep it?" lol 1331924800 I hope that facebook page's comments is a vocal minority. I wonder if they (FDA) ever tried to rebute their (cranks) statements. 1354326060 That's what I figured, I just thought it was weird that the same type of light showed up with 2 different cameras. Thanks! 1325634767 I would think that actual content really amounts to very little as far as advertisement goes, other than perhaps entertainment value ( if any )\n\n The main emphasis is to get the word out that a product exists. The more you see a McD's sign, The more chances you'll be likely to walk in a McD's just to check it out ( if not hungry ) Aka awareness. \n\nAdvertisers know this. And will freely exploit those of whom actually pay attention to them. ( and some do ). 1344017153 I always bring up rate of mortality for the disease being vaccinated against vs rate of austism spectrum disorder. While all evidence points away from vaccines causing autism lets pretend they do. \n\nThe rate of autism spectrum disorder in the US is 6 in 1,000. So .006%, The rate of mortality for Diphtheria, just one of the many disease we are vaccinated against is between 5-10 percent. Look at it as a numbers game, I'd take the risk of autism over the risk of just getting diphtheria. Not to mention: \nPolio,\nHep B,\nWhooping Cough,\nTetanus,\nMenigitis,\nRubella as an adult,\nMumps as an adult\n\n 1322728521 Good read! Thanks, Lon! 1327962139 If I can untangle your tortured logic...you're claiming skeptics faithfully believe everything the government says, and claim every statement critical of the government is a conspiracy theory?\n\nThat's blatantly false, and too brainless to even be an opinion, stop trolling. 1267480199 No. 4 is a funny one when creationists pull out a physicist who doesn't believe in evolution. 1325499928 I think that, to be perfectly accurate, the phase, "Huh, I didn't know that" should be one of them. An honest analytical person admits when he comes across unknown knowledge. If you're looking to learn, that should happen routinely. 1327440974 Any group or organization that interviews people like David Wilcock and his brand of decoding the universe by free association is not my cup of tea. Project Camelot doesn't NEED to be debunked; so much of it is horse shit. 1349321678 The Baltic Sea rock formation?\n\nFTFY 1342619728 Thanks for the video!\n\nAs a documentary filmmaker who is working on the subjects of both UFOs and epistemic truth, I have a lot of opinions about this video.\n\n The author of the linked video talks about, "people who want others to be more openminded about the supernatural" and a generalized description of how that group argues from using personal anecdotes. \n\nThis to me sets off alarm bells. The creator of this video is attacking straw men. I'd much prefer to see the video cite specific examples. I personally do not believe that people like Donald Keyhoe discuss the supernatural in the same way that my aunt talks about seeing ghosts, so it would be nice if the creator's worldview allowed for this sort of diversity of thought.\n\nLet's take the next point where the author concedes that even if an individual had a personal experience that could not be explained, that "in NO WAY strengthens the argument for any supernatural concept."\n\nAgain, broad strokes are dumb and teach us little. There are many ways that a personal anecdote could strengthen an argument. For example, if there is good enough corroborating physical evidence to verify the anecdote, it may very well strengthen a specific argument. The author of this video himself later admits that given a testable hypothesis with valid evidence, a broader perspective might be warranted. But even here the author goes out of their way to say that it isn't really justified for these Forteans to be talking about the unexplained unless their audience is going out of their way to bring it up! \n\nThe author of this video is saying that we shouldn't even talk to each other about the things we can't explain. Taken literally, that is simple-minded and hypocritical. \n\nBut the video is well made and sounds more convincing than it actually is, so kudos to the filmmaker there! 1303149550 I bet if you stopped eating your have some health problems also. I guess I don't understand why folks are not understanding this concept.\n\nWith any addiction it's possible change your environment such that triggers of substance use can be avoided. And then you can (eventually) stop the use of the substance 100%.\n\nYou can never stop being reminded of the need to eat and you can never stop eating 100%.\n\nOnce more - I'm not saying that it's easy to quit abusive substances but you eventually stop using them 100%. 1343685714 [Insert link to "Storm" here] 1334787929 thank you\n>James Randi is a muthafucking badass\n 1340760646 I lived in a haunted house for one year. Would get similar bits of panic. Left the house, nothing like that ever again. 1340776549 you can also say that you cant approach an idea with an open mind if your set on everything having a logic non paranormal reason to it. This subreddit speaks about paranormal not science. \n\nUnless you are 100% certain and can back up your comment with a reasonable source that a story you read on here has a very reasonable explination, save the 'logic' for another subreddit. This is not an inability to tolorate a difference of opinion, it is how Reddit works. You have to keep the subreddit comments as relavent as possible to the subreddit. You dont go into r/athiesim preaching Jesus not expecting to get downvoted...ect ect ect. \nWith that being said, if you really feel the need to help out a fellow redditor with something he may have experienced and you feel you can 100% insure him what the natural cause was, then go ahead. But save the speculation for somewhere else. 1337973682 This is the benefit of homeopathy- it can be used to absorb hypochondriacs and free up real doctors for real patients. 1356679478 Care to post the recipe? Sounds awesome. 1339214187 Something similar to this situation happened to me a few nights ago.\n\nI was laying in bed sweating my ass off and so I took my pants off and threw them on the ground so i could cool down. I slept for about eight hours and woke up in the morning wearing pants.\n\nFrom my own personal experiences I have read texts in my sleep because I sleep with my cell phone next to my head just incase someone needs to get ahold of me. I personally believe that I "sleep dressed" myself.\n\nI would say that you slept walk because you may be like me where you sleep walk and are aware of your surroundings. \n\nJust a thought. 1334764345 [You might want to read Dr. Rachie's write up on this](http://scepticsbook.com/2010/02/14/a-giant-leap-in-logic-from-a-piece-of-bad-science/). And maybe a healthy [dose of Orac](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/03/a_homeopathic_bit_of_breast_cancer_scien.php). 1269584852 Men have a code of interacting - we avoid holding each others' gaze too long if they're a stranger. If they say something to us we don't like, we say No - if they say something else we say Fuck Off. I don't think women always have that clear-cut an option. They are subjected to mens' gaze and comments in ways we aren't, every day. Every day, being hit on, talked down to, subtly condescended to, dismissed. It would drive me, with my male instinct to tell people to fuck off - an instinct in part derived from my physical stature and strength - infuckingsane.\n\nSo I get that this guy was simply trying to express an interest in her. I get that he wasn't intending to behave in a threatening fashion. & as a man I understand how hard it is to be a good man, who is good in spite of also being interested in sex.\n\nBut I also get that a man can't appreciate fully that society (read: we men) has conditioned women to adapt to being in a constant state of vulnerability and defense, to be constantly approached by strangers wanting & saying god knows what, and in some social situations and in some spaces (liked closed elevators) that sense of vulnerability may be heightened. We tend to be bigger, and stronger, and because we live in our male bodies we can only imagine what it must be like to be confronted with a stranger in an elevator who wants something from us - & that something could be anything, and he could potentially overpower us if he chose, and so we can only hope he is nice, and reasonable, when we reject him. \n\nI don't know. It's complicated. I just think we need to keep in mind that we have helped create the conditions in which we're all struggling to get along. 1351110476 A bunch of statements without evidence. The biggest argument I can think of against the "everything natural is the best cure" is to compare naturopathic or other plant-based remedies for aggressive cancer to chemo. Nobody denies that chemo is bad for you, it's just administered in a way that's *worse* for the cancer. Still, it's the best cancer treatment out there, and any study will show that. 1343398146 Weird... Did it look kinda like that scene in Donnie Darko where he stabs at an invisibile wall with a knife? 1338701425 The [article here](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/How-Our-Brains-Make-Memories.html) talks about a study in 2003: 73% of the respondents thought they saw television footage of the first plane hitting on September 11, but it was actually aired the next day.\n\nI couldn't find anything about the second tower. 1347379901 I guess my issue lies in the nebulous concepts of 'federal power' vs 'local power' when there are real people that will endure real impacts from policies like this. Leaving the decision up to the states would result in many more unwanted children being born (Freakonomics touches on the implications of this) and a host of other issues. To do so in the name of 'Local power' seems irresponsible. 1313881485 *checks source code*\n\nHTML. From this we can conclude they are genuine imbeciles.\n\nI might email from my work email address (it has ".ac.uk" in it. They'll shit themselves mwahahah!)\n\nedit- Have emailed. Let's see how hungry the trolls are. 1283937154 Is this onヨ bヨttヨr? 1301691043 I see where you're coming from but disagree. Perhaps because I was raised Christian (not very, but that guilt still affects your development) and understanding the mindset as well as having very religious family makes me more troubled by the religious majority and very cognizant of the worldwide influence of superstition.\n\nI think an intellectual but uncomprimising and vocal front is a good direction for things to have taken. It would be difficult and in many cases impossible to be tactful and polite while staying intellectually honest during arguments that must be made in order to behave ethically.\n\nIt would be different if I felt that this course was harmful to a goal of a better educated humanity (leading to less suffering and more flourishing) but I don't, changes in education seem to happen later in the process of cultural shifts historically, which makes sense given the tight control society keeps on what ideas becomes standard education. Intellectual writings, especially those that are uncompromising and often those that attack specific popular subjects have historical evidence (as good as that gets) of moving cultures to a more secular and rational mindset. It's worked before and with the internet making things so much faster and more open I think it *is* working again. And sure, the more people you get the more Sturgeons Law comes in to play. At least an uncompromising intellectual framework resists being co-opted.\n\nI think only privileged people think that atheism and reason are reserved for the privileged. There are plenty of all kinds of minority facets of humanity who are vocal atheists. I agree that the groups tend to segregate themselves a lot because of cultural differences in expression of unpopular ideas and it would be wonderful if that wasn't the case. So, surprise surprise, the white dudes got the most attention and the best recruitment, I think this kind of cultural bias is best addressed with the same tactics too. Just because the non-white-dude atheists don't hang out or post or publish where the white dudes read things doesn't mean they aren't around, even if they are outnumbered population wise. There are some fantastic African American atheist artists and there is a fantastic and popular pro-science and skeptical movement in India. Don't forget that if you are going worldwide there are few places that have both the religious insanity and the liberal laws allowing anti-religious expression. That's a white dude thing right now, although I'm excited about how a rising pro-reason voice in the muslim world is developing even with the amount of political oppression.\n\nIt should also be acknowledged that reasoning people out of unreasonable beliefs is not only the hardest way to do things but the hardest way by far. All people are fundamentally irrational so messages work better than tools. If only they didn't! There wouldn't be any work to do in the first place. These messages are about the value of logic and philosophy and evidence and reason. It's a meme you must be infected with, somehow. It offends my rationalist sensibilities as well, but it's fact. Human beings struggle with being rational by our nature.\n\nSo I partly agree, education is the answer but first you must convince society to change education. To convince them you must convince them that logic itself is worth even listening to. The New Atheist movement is following a proven path while still following the ethical course of pushing back against public and popular ignorance going on right now. At the same time you get the benefits of public discourse where the standard is to judge by the strength of the argument and to mercilessly dismantle bad arguments so they are put in their place and no longer part of the intellectual discourse.\n\nedit: oh, and I haven't been reading the /r/atheism subreddit for a while now, I cut back to only a few subreddits a while ago, popularity has never done intelligent discussion a favour. We're probably on the same page there. 1318580844 Maybe it works. If I was depressed, and somebody started poking me with needles, I'd be like, "Hey, fuck you!" Then my depression would, at least temporarily, have been transformed into anger. 1267126618 easy. stop debating people who believe in horse shit about their believe in said shit. just don't deal with them altogether. OR, if you like them anyway, just don't let it be brought up. you're gonna have to bite your tongue sometimes. 1296528733 Not too sure, but I'm interested too.. it's almost perfect, and i notice if you go to around 1:58 you see the length of lines alternates (left side is longest, then right side).. strange 1326389022 She was exceptionally bad. I mean "I see and M or a J in your life" has got to be the cheapest ruse evar. 1287716472 I think the first thing someone should do is find out where the fuck Venus is. 1334813403 But they are\tUFO's by the very definition of the word. 1349065020 @ that same Aerospace building I witnessed a bright white glowing orb about 6 feet in diameter float steadily 30 feet in the air directly over the sidewalk down a darkened street. This orb was no more than 100 feet from me. never made a sound or diverted from its' path. I watched it for about 5 minutes until I lost sight . 1314764449 Sounds legit to me. Doesn't sound dumb. I look up all the time in the hopes that I'll see one.\n\nWhat area of the country and date/time? Let me do some googling.. 1348593827 Get a second opinion, have a friend sleep over. 1344098828 I said it because it's the only other camp where I see such blatant disregard for facts. Creationists have been doing this for a long time: state something false, grossly distorted, or contradictory as scientific fact in support of your preconceived belief. \n\nI also know this from personal experience. My family is deeply religious and when I was young, I was always taken to a church with creationist books everywhere. I never spent years of my life around antivaxxers, new-age energy healers, or any other woo. The woo I know most is creationism. Also, I am a biologist, so creationists and their unscientific claims about biology are the ones that get my attention the most.\n\nBasically, the comparison was natural to me. Wasn't trying to be like /r/atheism. I don't go to that sub for good reason. 1353132368 Yeah it was a really slow, brutal punishment. Somewhat funny that breaking their legs was the Romans' way of saying "Alright, that one's had enough." 1311616341 Agreed, recordings would be interesting. And also, beds have good energy? Would you mind elaborating on this? 1338934134 That's pretty bizarre. Reminds me of dreams I have where I'll walk into my room or the bathroom, flip up the light switch, and the lights don't work. Always makes me uncomfortable, for some reason...\n\nHowever, that's just in a dream. In real life, it'd be even freakier! And for your situation, I can just imagine how alarming that'd be. I'm constantly turning my hall light off and on; when taking trips up&down the stairs, etc. And if I suddenly flipped the switch and noticed that my *hallway light went missing*, I'd freak out. 1334521796 Correlation is not causation, and the evidence has not found a causal link between the two, except for obesity. 1345240946 Mumra... I should have known.. 1351573805 My son saw someone from age 3-5ish. It was an old man, not that that part's relevant. I also used to see/hear people as a child and occasionally still do, along with having very strange unexplainable events happen that are not explainable. (I am a scientist by trade so I am not one to *not* seek a logical/provable explaination.) \n\nI have always handled these things by accepting them. They are only scary if you see them that way and the issue isn't hurting your son, just freaking you out. I would simply tell my son to tell the man that it was time for him to go to bed (for example) and that he would need to visit in the morning. \n\nWhen I was living in an apartment the fire alarms would keep going off. They were not battery operated, but hard-wired into the house's electrical system and would send a msg to my landlord when it happened. He checked every possible physical aspect that would have caused this and I tracked it to see if it was happening when I performed a specific activity like showering, cooking, or cleaning as dust and particles can sometimes set them off. I finally said out loud that whomever was trying to get my attention should find a better way to do it because I was listening but this was getting nowhere. Never had an issue with a single alarm after that.\n\nBasically, some people have weird shit happen to them more frequently than others and it's nothing to be freaked out about. :) 1347222833 KKK started as an anti-Catholic organization. 1347506475 > Because the product leads the consumer to believe it works, when it doesn't.\n\nThis probably does "work", in that it's gritty and grinds the crap off of your teeth, and doesn't poison you too much in the process. Toothpaste isn't really that complicated. 1297194975 The Streisand effect is truly a beautiful thing. Justice porn almost. 1340831592 I'd have to think humans are indicative of other forms of life (belief in religion was most probably an early beneficial evolutionary trait in the formation of complex society). It allowed the mixing of non-relatives to form new classes, without creating the isolated gene pools you normally find in isolated classes.\n\nYou'd have to imagine that alien societies would likely have evolved in similar ways.\n 1341062916 >How can you be sure that the person was a snake oil salesman?\n\nShe's a homeopathy *consultant*, which fits my definition of a snake oil salesman. \n\n>I sometimes lash out when I'm in a shitty mood, it's apparent I can't change anyone's views.\n\nYou're not going to change a homeopathy salespersons views when it comes to the woo they are peddling. Call me rude, but I'm not going legitimize woo with kindness, I'm going to call it how I see it. It's not like I'm walking up to a teenager and ridiculing him/her for wearing balance bracelets. The *attitude* as you describe it from the article was directed, IMO, appropriately. \n\n\n 1349267223 > I'm just saying what are the odds that it would track the plane's speed and direction so perfectly?\n\nWhat are the odds the UFO would be flying around with it's lights on? The only reason I would think it would be doing so is because it *wanted* to be seen by the aircraft. If it wanted to be seen by the aircraft then it is perfectly reasonable it would be tracking it's speed and direction.\n\nThat said, I can't think of any reason why it would be wanting to be seen by the aircraft and overall the video comes off as fake to my eyes. 1356821545 Yes, it clearly is analogous. No reasonable person could deny this, and it should be obvious on first look. Criticizing one opinion of a person (Criticizing Ron Paul for supporting homeopathy, criticizing Obama for his treatment of Manning) does not mean that you are, by proxy, being against other aspects of them (Being pro-war, being anti-black).\n\nSeriously, if I have to spell out all of my obvious analogies, I'm going to have no time for actual conversation. But perhaps that's your aim. 1313908718 And the right to free speech or freedom/conscience was just as controversial when it was enshrined in the Constitution all those years ago.\n\nIf they object to the morning after pill and you're their boss, fire them for not doing their job. They have a right to refuse to do it, and that's great. But they don't have a right to work.\n\nI'd love to see them sue over this, especially as these religious folk are invariably going to cite prior discrimination suits against minorities and people who've been discriminated against for *not* being religious, like people who work for Catholic hospitals. 1337722366 oops 1323037418 oops 1354655061 Stuff like this happens all the time. Even outside UFOlogy. Giant, slow moving space debri burning up was ignored by an entire marathon. If it wasn't caught on camera, by accident, then no one would have noticed.\n 1349560463 She has no interests. At all. When I asked her, she said "music" and I facepalmed. 1302341296 Yup. [You're being a bit of a dick.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQl5aYhkF3E) Make your point, then let it go. 1344794165 For someone who doesn't believe in magic it sure looks like he's capable of it. 1300516344 You posted the exact same information in the same subreddit a couple of hours previous to posting this thread. I upvoted that one, and I've just balanced out. 1304534962 Not that I can recall. 1355195891 Ask him what Zeitgeist is going to do about scarcity?\n\nIt's a fucking killer for these nutters. Their entire premise is essentially recreating The United Federation of Planets (a communist utopia if ever there was one), however all of their plans hinge upon a post-scarcity society. They haven't even solved their first major hurdle but want to jump straight to the endgame. 1314194654 ...why? 1317598959 I disagree that that will work. I've had discussions over at r/drugs and other drug-related subreddits where people have seriously argued that drugs "open up" your perspective and allow you to perceive aspects of reality that you could not perceive before, because our perceptions are limited.\n\nYes, our perceptions are limited...but when you fuck with your brain chemistry, you're a lot more likely to get sensory data that is not based in reality than data that is, that you just couldn't perceive before.\n\n(I still can't get this idea into the most concise and precise language, but I think the gist should be clear.) 1275928307 Where did you procure them? They sound like something I want on my bed! 1318546873 Spirits can cause harm. Physical and mental and in various manifestations over various time frames. It is however exceedingly rare compared to how often its claimed to happen. There is of course other activity that is poorly understood by science which can also appear to be a spirit causing harm, but that is more frequently inherent and untrained psychism. And of course, as with many of the more subjective arts, much of this is up for discussion as to the details.\n\nA good book on the nature of spirits of various types and their forms of manifestations is: Spirit Speak by Ivo Dominguez Jr. Its almost certainly not what you're expecting.\n\n 1342397459 Bill Maher 1309270346 >That's an interesting moral question, but it's sort of unrelated to the statement he's making. He's making something of a utilitarian statement - that he can't be certain it will help, therefore he can't justify doing it.\nWhat I'm saying is that he can't be completely certain of anything. Apparently there's some level of certainty he's okay with for the rest of the world, but for some reason that's going out the window with the rest of it. \n \nHmm... My moral question seems quite on point with what he was saying to me, but I don't see him making the statement you're saying he did. \nNot trying to be a dick; but I skimmed it again, and that's what I gathered. \nFrom what I can tell he said that since the majority doesn't know what's best for *everyone* they shouldn't be allowed to force their views on *everyone*. He's just saying that he shouldn't have to be forced to give up his individual basic human rights to satisfy the majority's best guess at an ideal system. He's essentially just saying that governmental programs that are currently forced upon all people, should be opt-in. Obviously, he made some other points too, but yeah. 1313563227 Yes, what I was getting at is that zinc lozenges baring the label "homeopathic" are not technically (or in any other way) homeopathic, they just have the label thrown on there to appeal to a certain demographic. 1352738654 No wonder helium is getting so god damn expensive. 1337015204 [part 1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XONqNcsdbXo)\n[part 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo0eWbMFXIk)\npart 3 - I can't find it 1320313432 The note on my posts said that the obvious negative of avoiding needed therapies are not counted.\n\nAs a medical practitioner, I have seen physicians keep a patient in their court instead of sending them to the proper management and cause harm too. \n\nThe phenomena you point out is very real indeed -- spread across all tradtions -- orthodox or scam traditions (thus, I left it out).\n 1305571562 I'm sorry. It looks like a rock to me.\n\nWhich is not to say that I don't believe in the possibility of the existence of UFO's. 1346054489 My advice: don't take medical advice from an ass clown. 1333427808 How skepchick manages to write entire articles without actually challenging any of the "alternative" recommendations is beyond me.\n\nEvery article just quotes several *marketing* paragraphs used by alternative medicine companies without any real data, studies or rebuttals.\n\nWe get it skepchick, marketing is chocked full of bullshit and so are most "alternative cures"; but lets look at the facts rather than the advertisements\n 1265742023 try walking around and see what happens? 1341828369 There may indeed be some of that in nofap, but sometimes people tend to see a person's avoidance of an action/substance as a judgement of people who perform that action. I have spoken with recovering alcoholics who vehemently avoid talking about alcohol, because others act as if the alcoholic is judging them for drinking. 1344292444 >It's the consumers job to educate themselves.\n\nThis November here in california we're having a GMO labeling proposition. You provided one of the best arguments as to why we need them! 1349848330 was someone waving a metal cylinder? http://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Men-in-Black-pic-3.jpg\n\nseriously though it sounds like someone may have zapped you with an IR laser 1355108950 Amazing! Finally a video of a sighting that captures the entire thing instead of less than a minute of blurriness and bad acting. \n\nThanks for sharing! 1350891578 No... They do *not* have "huge" subsidies compared to fossil fuels.\n\nGoing by your criteria of "geographic" restriction... Coal and nuclear are restricted as well. That's hardly a compelling argument. 1337359326 Indeed, as interesting as this article is, does this really belong on r/skeptic? 1336085716 PS helen love your handle!!!! 1347727705 I know someone that is like this, it's really frustrating to initiate a conversation about pretty much anything because it inevitably veers into conspiracy theories.\n\n> Homeopathy comes up. \n> ME: They are essentially selling water at really insane prices. \n> HIM: Okay but you can't trust big pharma, it's a multi-billion dollar industry. \n> ME: What does that have to do with how dumb homeopathy is? \n> HIM: I'm just being a skeptic, I question everything. \n> ME: [regretting taking part in the conversation at this point]\n\nConspiracy theorists love hiding behind the shield of skepticism, and it's really annoying. Being a skeptic doesn't mean you give equal weight to every possibility. 1329755856 What do you mean "heard"? I take it that you're fairly convinced it wasn't actually hearing... he didn't say it under his breath? 1335040784 And your piddling number of upvotes.\n\nAre you seriously trying to intimidate someone into ending a conversation on the internet...? 1327517480 It's not really that hard, but ok. 1302132726 > and a giant, transnational corporation who's only goal is profit \n\nHold on, loaded language.\n\nEvery company's goal is profit. And I'm willing to bet that your goal of going to work at whatever job you have is to make a profit for yourself. :) (Exceptions for people who work crap jobs at good non-profits)\n\n> doing massive genetic manipulation of a large portion of the entire world's food.\n\nPersonally, I wish they'd hurry up and get to doing large scale genetic manipulation on people.\n\n> And if there were evidence, or even a study proposal to see if GM foods held any danger, it would be in the interest of a giant, for profit corporation to suppress those studies.\n\nThis is true, which is why courts around the world have continuously taken a good hard look at GM foods. \n\nOne thing to keep in mind is that most genetic modifications of food consist of causing the plant to either generate some particular chemical substance that we already are familiar with, or to resist the effects of some particular chemical that we are familiar with.\n\n(The other main one is virus resistance)\n\nReally the main concerns aren't even the effects on humans. Shutting down the particular pathway that Round-Up impacts in a plant is going to have ~0% impact on the final product. It *might* make the plant deficient in something, but odds are it isn't going to cause the plant to start producing anything toxic. \n\nEnvironmental impact is far more important, as is environmental contamination. No one wants weeds that can't be killed with anything short of fire (ah, although I am sure many of us have encountered such weeds in our own yards ;) ).\n\nAnother risk, and one that has bit humanity in the arse in the past, is that of having a monoculture of a particular plant where everyone grows the exact same variant of a given crop. The danger of having a monoculture is that new types of infections can spread fast and they would impact everyone. An infection that can potentially infect 30% of wheat crops is bad, an infection that can potentially infect 90% of wheat crops is disastrous. \n\nAnd on a more personal level, reduced variety grown means I have less variety to cook with. -_- \n 1333153279 Um... There is a link to the story about why the miners were doing what they were doing. The Doubtful News website is not about world news, it is about paranormal claims. And, it's not journalism, it's a news feed where you discuss these topics from a skeptical/scientific viewpoint. The article used for this piece was sent to me by someone in South Africa. The shooting part was well covered in world news. This was a very interesting corollary to why they may have behaved as they did. 1345467469 Glad they give you some discretion in your recommendations! 1313451953 According to their [digested version of references](http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js4926e/6.html), out of 30 or so trials with sham acupuncture as control group:\n\n* 20 resulted favourably for real acupuncture,\n* 5 resulted unfavourably,\n* 5 did not specify (just said acupuncture didn't work for the specific issue).\n\n\nI only got this data with ctrl+f for "sham", can't really bother to look into it. So, if I am to believe the trials and the WHO selecting trials fairly, poking needles into a **specific** set of places can\n\n* evaporate alcohol,\n* help prevent asthma,\n* provide pain relief,\n* reduce nausea and vomiting,\n* suppress appetite, and\n* prevent infection\n\n\nbetter than poking in other places. 1253803511 Hello\n\nGreat idea, as someone who has just started learning how to use tarot, I would love a response from you :)\n\nI'm curious about my future career. Right now I'm in the criminal justice field and there are many different paths I can take 1353452775 Yah... why not just link to the actual wikipedia??? 1310994039 I think I found their [origin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBk3jwNSteo&feature=player_detailpage#t=32s). 1304479295 Yeah, sort of a stupid title to the post.\n\nWait. \n\nI mean, IT MUST BE! Because, you know! Aliens! 1329578124 If she's really magnetic, she could "attract" these objects with a piece of paper between them and her skin. This isn't proof for or against, but if you are ever in a chance to test it, this is one way. 1283036166 I'm interested in this "Dragons Blood ink". Is it made with real dragons? 1320770046 Well that's disheartening. Same OP and all.\n\n*Ninja edit: and Happy Cake Day* 1355694826 Would you oppose another investigation that isn't constrained and absurdly underfunded? 1316836306 The video was sent to many top universities with an open invitation to submit rebuttals. \n\n 1356484973 Are you seriously suggesting that "big brother" would not make provisions for such eventualities? Perhaps "big brother" is too busy running the death panels I read about a few months ago. 1301513347 If they hold the next one in D.C. again, I'll definitely be there, and I'd love to take you and your brother up on that. 1343251544 > Do you believe human society is ignorant of the spiritual truths that you know to be true?\n\nNo! You have some nerve even suggesting human society might be ignorant of the spiritual truths that I know to be true! 1310757064 Thankfully 1355985011 Here is the printable version. http://www.psychologytoday.com/print/83863\n\nIt forego much of the page's formatting, but puts everything onto one page which does eliminate a few of the more egregious problems with the layout. 1325545746 could also be carbon monoxide poisoning. i remember watching an episode of paranormal state where everyone had the same experiences and it ended up being a carbon monoxide leak. 1344403576 Alex values your friendship, and she has a good time when she goes out with you, but it's exhausting. Deal with it.\n\nYou are insisting you know your friends better than they know themselves. Maybe shit like that is why people tell you that you don't have a fucking clue. The worst part is that will always be someone else's fault. You'll never see it in yourself.\n\nAs for your own story, I'm unimpressed. I'm an introvert and it still feels weird spending Saturday night at home. 1338775673 And Now, [Dehydrated Water](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004057DI8?ie=UTF8&tag=bedrosiannet-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004057DI8) 1316323690 Ok, thought I'd through my knowledge in here.\n\nMy father is a senior paediatrician who specialised in diagnosing and treating behavioural conditions (specifically ADD/ADHD). He says that in extreme cases you can diagnose from the age of 4 (although it is better to diagnose at around 6, when you can monitor their behaviour around other children), and that prescribing ritalin in these conditions is standard practice. 1319265789 > I tried reading the pages on the fbi site, it's a pain, I can't understand anything.\n\nYup. Reading declassified UFO documents is a huge pain in the head. The documents of the FBI in particular are difficult to read, out of order, contain duplicates, and of course are heavily redacted. You can compare them to [NSA](http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/declass/ufo/index.shtml), [CIA](http://www.foia.cia.gov/ufo.asp), and [DIA](http://www.dia.mil/public-affairs/foia/reading-room/) pages. \n\n> Please someone help me get this straight, where did they get this information from?\n\nThis specific letter was written by a private citizen who addressed their "memorandum of importance" to prominent scientists, politicians and publications. It is addressed July 8, 1947, which coincides with the peak of the flying disc UFO wave of 1947. Though the author's name is redacted, he identifies himself as an student of the esoteric and a former university department head. FWIW, I distinctly remember reading a newspaper article in the Google News archives that interviewed a San Diego Fortean about flying saucers around then. But I didn't save the reference, so unless someone else wants to go dig that up we don't know who he was specifically. The letter may have been addressed to Hoover or forwarded to the FBI, that's not quite clear.\n\n> These are strange things to read on an fbi site. If these were classified documents, they were classified for a reason, right? Which might bear some truth after all.\n\nI highly encourage people who are interested in UFOs to read through these files. While they are difficult to digest, they are also largely ignored, even by people who profess familiarity with UFOs \n\nThe FBI denied that they had any UFO files *at all* for decades. On October 25 1973, FBI director Clarence Kelley wrote "the investigation of Unidentified Flying Objects is not and never has been a matter that is within the investigative jurisdiction of the FBI." Just three years later, Navy physicist and UFOlogist Bruce Maccabee successfully got the FBI to declassify over 1,000 documents using the Freedom of Information Act. Much of what is currently posted in the FBI's "vault" comes from that case. In fact, most good UFO documents from USAF, FBI, CIA, NSA and other agencies came from FOIA requests in the 1970s, before the act lost it's teeth under Reagan. \n\n> This is the first time that the fbi publishes something like this. What are they trying to do? Throw the truth at us so that we don't recognize it or simply disinformation?\n\nMany people assume that these documents were just released. That's because the FBI does not provide any context but rather hands you huge piles of confusing documents. Now "the vault" as in the FBI's online website [has only been around since 2011](http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://vault.fbi.gov/UFO). But the documents have been available to diligent researchers for decades. [Dr. Maccabee wrote a book about the files in 2000](http://www.amazon.com/UFO-FBI-Connection-Governments-Cover-Up/dp/1567184936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346460261&sr=8-1&keywords=fbi+ufo+maccabee). I haven't read it, but I'm sure it's far more interesting and informative than its cover suggests. Sort of like these FBI files themselves. 1346460038 Same reason I believe in the normal, Ive seen it, and I'm sure it's seen me!\n\nOn the other hand I grew up in a very haunted house! Constantly saw ghostly presences, had things thrown, etc. My dad has seen things in the old house as well.\n\nTo me the paranormal is rather a normal occurrence! 1344703223 Well, is there any reason to believwe that he's dead? The claim that they've finally killed someone we've been after for a decade is pretty extraordinary, so I think it's valid to ask for more proof than the US government's say-so, *especially* given their track record for telling the truth.\n\nDon't get me wrong, I don't think there's any evidence that they're lying either ( though dumping his body in the ocean was an excellent way to start rumors to that effect). I'm just saying, why decide either way with no evidence besides the word of a lying government? 1304344055 I filmed this yesterday afternoon (Friday, May 4th). Poor headline-planning on my part. ;) 1336252075 Bob Kerry (9-11 Commissioner) claims (in a moment of apparent candor?!) it is a real problem (9-11) because it is a thirty-year old conspiracy.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx4QcjBnzOI\n\nIf you can tell me what he means I think we might be on our way to getting to the bottom of this. Otherwise here we are today arguing with uniformed people.\n\nThe 9-11 Commission was a cover-up, a new investigation with teeth and transparency is needed. 1291002895 Mostly paranoid people ranting in a terrified manner without any justification whatsoever. I doubt they themselves actually believe the shit they're saying, because there's money to be made off conspiracy theories. 1342132557 [Get ready to have your world rocked](http://www.reddit.com/user/IamInLoveWithJesus). 1243477554 That made my brain hurt. I must be suffering from EM-emitting DNA bacterial whatsits. 1338218409 I'm skeptical that any animals have died in /r/wtf. 1294316574 Definitely had this too. I feel it in the ocean, especially if I get tumbled by a wave. I get scared and then inhale air underwater.\nI totally forgot about this until now. Thanks! 1350795771 Interesting. I'm a bit surprised there were no problems with inflammation.\n\n> But the NHS uses it for just about anything, even smoking cessation\n\nTBH, I think that for something like quitting smoking, painful procedures may be the most effective approach. 1347110771 Yay BLUE LINKS!!! I know u all gusta blue links :3 1331866439 The colour black is also really unlucky - so companies that have black business cards are advised to re-colour them if wanting to do business in China.\n\nI also read of a case in Sydney where Star City casino put on free buses to bring people in from suburbs with a lot of Asian Australian residents (as gambling is apparently popular among them). They couldn't work out why hardly anyone used them. Then it was finally pointed out that the buses were black, and no sector of the population is going to be more superstitious than gamblers. The casino switched the colour to gold - a "lucky" colour - and the punters poured in. 1304127446 >Acupuncture works\n\n"Acupuncture doesn't work because the techniques were arrived at through intuitive thinking, it works because they have an effect upon the human body and emotional state- *at least according to many people who've been treated with acupuncture*."\n\nDon't use a partial quote from my comment that changes the intended meaning. You also disregarded the more important point of my reply to you. That was where I made clear that I in no way meant that Chinese and other Asians acquired knowledge in engineering, mathematics, science by the use of intuitive thought. My intent was to say they are quite capable and proficient in rational thinking. Why did you choose to focus on the issue of whether acupuncture is actually effective instead of the clarification of my original comment?\n\nI get tired of how often the word racism gets thrown around on Reddit, and how often the accusation is merely a lazy attempt to discredit and/or insult someone. Even if the intention of my comment that you seem to have been so offended by were as you interpreted it, what's racist about it? Do you doubt that Asians think somewhat different Westerners? People of different cultures think differently. The brain functions in the same way, but there are still different patterns and ways of thinking. I should have worded my comment differently. I should have written, "What people should remember is that the Chinese and other Asians have no difficulty comprehending engineering, mathematics, science, and other specialized fields of knowledge, *and that requires rational thinking which they are quite capable of*." 1304836811 Where did I stated he was the real deal? I'm saying he did some interesting things, which he did. He has been researched by SRI and that research is highly interesting. As is all the research by Targ and Puthof btw. \nThe point is that fame is not dependent on overcoming the skeptics. And not everybody is looking for fame and money. Plus it says nothing about the actual truth of the matter. \n\nI understand you are just trying to corner me. So please, go fuck yourself. Don't bother replying.\n\n 1316233424 Jumping in to try to clear something up real quick:\n\n>I only gave one anecdote, .... Really? A singular comment not only becomes plural, it's "full of"?\n\nFrom my count, you used anecdotal evidence three times.\n[There was the video about worker's comp fraud](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/n485f/remember_wobblegirl_yeah_we_all_knew_it_was_a/c3677wp) as evidence that it could be faked for money, which was further backed up by [your claim that you had an employee try to scam you for disability benefits](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/n485f/remember_wobblegirl_yeah_we_all_knew_it_was_a/c3679rp), and then you told a story about [a neurologist misdiagnosing your son](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/n485f/remember_wobblegirl_yeah_we_all_knew_it_was_a/c367gge). 1323358556 You were kind of a dick when you were 14. 1326585758 >there are ways to securely lock stuff up that will last indefinitely.\n\nPlease give scientific sources. Seeing the discussion here in Europe I doubt this very strongly. Most scientists here don't agree.\n\n100,000 years might be a longer period of time than you think considering that western culture is not even 3,000 years old. 1337338296 Based on previous posts, I believe they are talking about the many ad hoc skywatch groups set up/inspired by Ed Grimsley. He uses 3rd/4th gen. night vision and recording equipment to capture "epic space battles between UFOs." 1283875746 What about these rumors that they saw alien craft while on the moon? Surely, if this were true, he would have mentioned it in this and other interviews. \n \nDr. Mitchell is discussing his opinion in this video with no evidence to back it up (circumstantial, anecdotal, or otherwise). 1329930658 No you arrogant atheists just try to use logic for everything but you don't understand Jesus is divine. He can make matter appear like anything. Dinosaur bones appear to be 100 million years old because the atoms were designed that way to give humans more adventures on the planet and because if he didn't design the world as if it were older, then there'd be no stars in the sky except the sun. The Turin Shroud is real, it looks like the Jesus that Leonardo Da Vinci painted and that can't be a coincidence so Leonardo must have been divinely inspired to know what Jesus really looked like. 1324521342 You're asking for evidence for a claim - that he took money to influence his position during his tenure - that *neither Tom nor I have actually made*\n\nI have been and will continue to be extremely skeptical and disapproving of a president who presided over an organization founded in part by Monsanto, and of which Monsanto is the only corporate funder and partner, being appointed to a position where he will be able to guide funding and oversight in a field in which Monsanto is a major competitor and in which Monsanto has massive vested interests. Tom is as well. \n\nDid you have any problem with Dick Cheney's stint as 1) Secretary of Defense 2) CEO of Halliburton 3)VP? If so, do you have any direct evidence of corruption to back that up? 1311725289 Yeah, because the majority is always right... 1320285838 Why can't /r/skeptic stop all the downvoting? Same answer applies. 1317209961 Although I will say that the leap caused by my own personal leanings about the existence aliens may have made my friends err on the side of caution, I think ultimately the fact that they were trying to debunk the fact that I saw anything, rather than explanation for it, is what the real issue is (I could give a damn if they believe in aliens or not, I just dont want people looking at me like I'm stupid for telling them I saw something that scientists have been seeing and documenting for decades) ...and you've just provided a shit ton of info that, if I wanted, in the future, I could share with them in order to change their minds.\n\nBut still, amazing post. I've been browsing UAP so I was aware of some of that stuff (a fraction) but you've just introduced a wealth of knowledge (I'm kind of blown away by the fact that astronomers see UFOs and report them)\n\nI wish that Sagan book was Kindle available, but I'll definitely be reading it soon. \n 1331692270 the history books you mention are a fun read for sure, but the tilt toward an economic theory is what I was trying to avoid. 1334335596 Half of this is called cherry-picking. 1343331419 Looked like a lady in tight shorts stretching and producing pink excrement.\n\nOh and having a needle being stuck at their anus. 1286218264 I hope they do make a black hole, so I can throw that 300-page pdf—and the time I spent reading it—right in. The article covers the "killer black hole" myth about the LHC in detail. 1308174542 ASTONISHING. It's a good thing that UNBELIEVABLE footage was caught on film.\n\nWhat is it with UFO things on the internet and the over use of capitalization? 1321800358 It looks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAdNKPR8gZc\n\nTo me this is just a really good fake with either the sky lantern or the helicopter added in. I may be wrong, and if I am, nobody will be happier than I. 1291241516 I can't find it right now, but that one is even more alarming. 1349819554 I was about to make a smart-assed comment about a gateway to the other dimension being a board game, but I swear I choked on a piece of cheese as I was about to. So yeah, ouija, powerful stuff. 1326845358 to be skeptical is healthy, as long as you can be objective at the same time 1323767189 Ha! It's for this reason I keep asking Adobe to put a spellchecker in photoshop. (Though even that would not have helped me here.) Thanks again! 1326128081 Your dad in another universe 1335518028 Yeah, OK, but some people believe crazy things because that's what they were taught. Isaac Newton was not only a devout Christian, but he also thought he could turn lead into gold. 1284997839 >Can you point to a single study that proves, or claims to have proven that fingerprints\n\nI don't actually need to even need to read further to know that my answer is "no". I can't prove anything outside of mathematics and formal logic.\n\nSo I agree that fingerprints shouldn't be taken as absolute proof. I would argue that they should be taken as evidence though, but that more evidence should be required to convict anyone, finding someone's fingerprint at the scene of a crime would be pretty weak evidence on it's own that the fingerprint's owner was responsible for the crime.\n\nAs for your question in the first line, at least according to wikipedia:\n\n>No two fingerprints have ever been found identical in many billions of human and automated computer comparisons. 1335566558 looks like a shadow from something in front of him. But this video is a copy of the original and it might have been easier to see it on the original by RetiredAFB.\n 1354013496 Not really. I've felt trapped with just my hubby in the room. Or any number of other people, male or female. Granted, I have anxiety, but the attractiveness doesn't play into it. Sure, some women may allow attractiveness to sway them, but not all do. (and not all that don't allow the swaying have anxiety issues either) 1310065257 I believe you but I can see how some people wouldn't believe these.... impossible stories. 1354837638 yeah it looked like a badly timed motion blur effect. 1330875172 Iv been on a alien/ufo kick for years now and its gotten to the point where whenever im outside at night or even during the day for that matter, I always look up hoping i'd see something unsual. I live in Queens New York, right between 3 airports, and there's always several things flying in the sky. I wish for the day I could look up and see something like that. 1334641263 http://listverse.com/2012/02/26/top-10-skull-hoaxes/\n\n\nAstroids have hit earth. What better way to hoax than to put a piece in you and say you were probed.\n\n\nhttp://coralcastle.com/ (built by one man)\n\n\nId love to believe we have been visited, and i think there are enough people withm1st hand encounters to almost believe we are, or have been, but i just need better good hard proof. There are too many hoaxs out there, and while i really want to believe, i have to be skeptical as well. We have to question everything to get the truth. 1351101379 Canadian here. Forgive my ignorance but what is this radio program about exactly?\n\nSorry. 1345045033 You may as well have linked to the National Enquirer. 1252714197 You're welcome. :) \n\nI've not had any physical trauma to speak of but I did have a pretty cold upbringing. \n\nI've just remembered a possible other premonition. The day after the World Trade Centre attack I dreamt that I was standing in the middle of a war zone with tanks and guns firing around us. It could have been a premonition or just anxiety of what had happened. 1354802631 It could be either but thankfully its a spelling error. If it was a grammar error I'd be pretty retarded. :) 1288791450 It couldn't be just in my mind could it?.... I feel fine when I am away from the place, it's only when I'm here. 1340027898 It means they look very closely at the evidence, and come from a skeptical point of view while trying to find logical explanations. 1335999361 > opinion is worthless\n\nDitto.\n\nKindly go away, troll. 1353891434 "Ahh, the Luftwaffe! The Washington Generals of the History Channel!" 1293774288 For the record, to me the phrase "tl;dr" discredits anything you might have wanted to contribute to the discussion. How can you criticize her attitude if you weren't even willing to follow her argument to its full conclusion? 1311453102 Do you mind sharing some of the words that worked for you? 1274669877 These objects would have to be massive to be able to see them from that distance... 1345657638 Really? This is the thing that convinces you? 1351847865 This is more common than I thought! Thanks for the link. :) I'd love to hear personal experiences from other redditors just to solidify that it's not a completely unusual experience. 1350067410 Note: It might not be 2011 (maybe 200X? Not sure) in the first picture, I couldn't really make it out.\n\nhttps://maps.google.com/maps?q=56th+and+clay+denver&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&sa=N&tab=wl 1352530242 bravo for being a true skeptic! 1344198367 The tell-tale heart. 1335499969 Hey, I get to downvote it twice! 1324733616 Based on what we learned about Sparta in my college course, in which we delved into this particular matter at some length, this seems, as I understood it, to primarily have been a cultural thing. 1338525335 But he has 100% positive feedback! 1325450368 I will need some as well. =D 1283875732 That Tasmanian tigers are not extinct and a few still remain.\n\nStill not very likely, but a few patchy videoes from the 70s showed creatures that could have been these [when they were supposed to have gone exstinct in the 30's] and a lot of Tasmania is kind of remote and isolated.....its possible a small population remained. I could also see locals keeping their existence a secret for fear that they would be hunted and wiped out totally again...which is what happened last time, Euoropeans quite literally hunted them to extinction and bounties were placed on them because they believed the animals were responsible for killing sheep.... the last few in captivity died due to neglect.\n\nIts also possible some populations survived on mainland Australia.\n\nMaybe this is just be mixing up hope with reality though...most likely they are gone and not coming back. 1279200294 Is Celebrity Apprentice tanking all of a sudden? 1333469207 Most of the other important points have been covered, so I'll only add:\n\nHumans need to consume B vitamins to survive. B vitamins occur only in animal sources. Duh.\n\n 1334883346 I'm going to see James Onen at Cardiff SiTP tomorrow night. I'm sure he's going to have a lot of scary stories from Uganda. 1317853157 The link did not provide the clarity I was looking for. Done with the gambit :) 1337582707 You're right. I shall cease having fun immediately. I apologize. 1301605584 You can't just say that milk will worsen or encourage cancer. [This](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11535708) study showed that milk has a preventative effect and dietary changes should only be considered for certain subpopulations. If you pumped IGF into someone through an IV it would be detrimental, but there's more to it than that with dairy products. 1347825649 Nope... Nothing there but light and shadow. 1337188147 Throw in David Icke and you've got my vote.\n\nMy reptilian, Illuminati vote. 1333682623 Depends on what you define as good. I consider it good when someone like that stops trying to interact with me. That's a pretty damn quick way of getting that accomplished. 1299051931 Can you film it? Is there anyway to listen online?\n\n\nI think it's bullshit but I guess ask about this: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/09/17/ufo-war-chinese-and-us-navy-off-san-francisco/\n 1348354301 And a chemical! And by some definitions, a heavy metal. 1341257491 Are there answers to the test at the top? 1332104179 As someone pointed out there is most definitely known benefits to fluoride. Mostly dental. What most people are ignorant of though is that water fluoridation occurs naturally and the water fluoridation process in includes removing it it the amount is too high. 1344807126 Hon, I wouldn't worry about that, people who make threats like that aren't actually able to carry them out, they neither have the wit, nor the means. People who can carry out any threats, don't make the threats, they just do you in quietly. \nYoghurt weaving is hardly a way of life that connects you to dangerous networks of people either. These farts-in a-hurricane are used to making spiritual threats to people who believe their crap, they can cause fear from a distance as well as healing. I'm betting if you raised your hand to strike one of them they'd squeal and flop about like the spineless asses they actually are. \n\nKnow what I've learned abut subjects like this? Pinch of salt. \nSome people are hard-wired to believe in things that seem fantastical to you, but are real enough to them. \nThat cannot be changed. Let them get on with it, otherwise you will keep finding yourself in this position all over.\n\nAt least YOU have your wits abut you and a right set heart. 1345106462 when reporting indoors... when outside, you're wearing headgear 99.9% of the time. 1349914178 It's embarrassing at times. If you're in a bigger city, there's plenty of people who don't give a rat's ass about SEC football, but if you go to a smaller, more blue collar city, they'll look at you sideways if you say you don't watch. I watch NFL. I'd rather hear about college football than how everyone in Santa Fe is "more enlightened than everyone else, because we're closer to the moon." 1348165426 Which guy, me? haha 1330581120 [/r/UAP](http://www.reddit.com/r/uap) calls! 1325371441 Indeed. I was being facetious with the Harrier comment in naming a plane that "does half of those things". 1328687950 It's so sad cause they are probably been brainwashed and instructed in what to say and how to act since they were little. It really reminds me of the whole West Boro Baptist Church but with worse delivery. 1330708391 He is very well spoken and clear on his ideas and goals that he has put forth. Read his book you dimwit. 1295208389 Next time wear some sunglasses :) \n 1306805299 I did not know that, I dont think anyone can argue that his life is not a mystery and will probably remain one forever 1329977968 Gonna go a little further. \n\nJust makes me think. Obelisk is at the Vatican (St. Peter's Square), and in D.C (Washington Monument). \n\nhttp://bettybaroque.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/obelisk1.jpg\n\nhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Washington_Monument_Dusk_Jan_2006.jpg/250px-Washington_Monument_Dusk_Jan_2006.jpg\n\nYou have to wonder, are 'they' still in charge? 1321574949 It had nothing to do with how a person looks in their personal life, but how you look when you are trying to sell something to the general public. Do you think the average mall going mom pushing the stroller would be more convinced by a kid with two lip rings and a hat resting off to one side on his head, or a guy in a business casual outfit? 1293981584 Exactly. Truth whether it's what we want to hear or not. 1313636260 Apparently yes, Jamie writes ... *"Teri refunded our registration money in cash from her own wallet. Then, all three hotel security guards and the four armed-Lombard police officers marched us out of the conference."* 1306780714 Yeah I want to call BS on the OP but I'm not sure if I should, because I too have had this happen to me several times throughout my childhood. In fact I tested it by telling a friend exactly how an event would play out (involving my mother) and it did.\n\n(I always took into account my own insanity until I tested it with another person)\n\n I had them happen so often that I began experimenting by changing my actions in small ways in order to get a different result than the predetermined life-path. \n\nIt is weird but ultimately changes very little about reality except what we can take from it as individuals, it's certainly salted my view of reality.\n\nWhat I've found though is how difficult it is to relay this information to others, it's such a taboo subject people often dismiss said events as simple insanity.\n\nI've found consistent questioning of reality has lessened these experiences, I no longer have them but strange things become less of an impact as all realities become more welcome.\n\n\n\n \n 1354359072 The post above me initiated politics. Don't bring up politics if you don't want a political response. 1311938653 this is interesting because i became good friends with a colleague from work and he has these very same experiences. i will say that he is a highly energetic individual who will have tears come from his eyes if he hears an excellent piece of music for example. it's like his senses are overloaded he says. now, i'm open to all sorts of things but when he told me about this condition, i as well as several other friends, didn't really believe him. so when he told us this we were outside walking near a lake with lamp posts and he says it happens "just like this" he then walks over to one of the lamps, places his hand on it and it goes out.of course everyone erupted into a bit of absurd laughter but then he placed his hand back onto it and the bulb went back on. long story short i don't think you're crazy, i think we all have various natural abilities that we just don't nurture or embrace. 1353398877 Oh ya where were you flying over? 1353000417 A "Ghost Hunter" is a hobbyist and a "Paranormal Researcher" is a hobbyist with an inflated ego? 1326489957 >Radiation therapy is just called radiation therapy.\n\nOr "radiotherapy" in Australia/Canada/the UK. 1319435223 There is. 1340566678 Why does a subreddit like skeptic need such a badly editorialized headline? 1323790233 Here's the main problem:\n\n> it creeps me out and makes me uncomfortable when men sexualize me in that manner\n\nAnd the fact that PZ had to make a big deal out of it.\n\nIt is **not** creepy to ask someone politely. Talking to a woman is **not** sexualizing her.\n\nBy behaving like this, Skepchick is undermining the feminist cause. 1310461335 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SouPQnxLtM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SouPQnxLtM)\n\n[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRpqxJkyqDM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRpqxJkyqDM)\n\n[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awIYPKZSvR4](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awIYPKZSvR4) 1338716704 Probably nothing. Most ufo reports include the fact that whatever they were seeing was completely silent. So, imo, I'd have to say you probably wouldn't hear anything at all. 1353563525 >I’ve seen people benefit from lots of different therapies – including alternative therapies.\n\nEye witness testimony doesn't carry much weight, as you probably know.\n\nThe placebo effect can help with many issues.\n\nAs I understand it, doctors can't prescribe people placebos and claim it's something else. 1328330666 Ah it looked cool, back before I joined the Army, I was in the CAP, and we got to go to the 45th Weather Squadron at Patrick AFB during Air Force Space Command Familiarization, pretty cool stuff. 1303167427 Yeah, he went to my high school. I think. 1269010088 And people tell me the general public isn't getting emotional reactions to science from bad sci-fi and horror movies. 1244828144 How to say this nicely.... \n\nThis video's view of reality is highly unlikely. 1338167390 I don't argue with that. I think vaccines are an important part of public health. \n\nMy argument is against forced vaccination.\n\n 1301518540 Clayton. 1300032934 I realize that this is much later, but here is my advice for you:\n\nThese things "feed" on fear and negative energy. Ignoring them can work, to a point, but actively "shielding" yourself and resisting them tends to work better. If you have true faith in a particular religion, deeply pray to your God(s) for protection and safe passage throughout the night. Use any pertinent religious symbols/texts as well.\n\nDuring the day, go room to room and again deeply pray to your God(s) to ward the room against all manners of evil. Place a token of your faith to help enhance it.\n\nIf you're not religious, then there is an alternative. Clear your mind, close your eyes, and picture yourself surrounded by a protective barrier of pure benign energy.\n\nWhatever you choose to protect yourself, invest your faith fully in it. They do not like resistance--most evil spirits tend to go for the easy prey.\n\nThe key is facing them brave and upright and trying to have no fear. That is by far the most difficult thing and something I am still far from mastering.\n\nHere is a question for you so I can help determine what it was that was haunting you. I am no expert, but I have had firsthand paranormal experiences. After reading some of your comments, I only have one question that will help me determine what is most likely haunting you.\n\nWere there any particular scents associated with the entity/ies? Namely foul ones.\n\nEDIT: I read that you used a Ouija Board. Huge mistake--that's akin to playing Russian roulette with the paranormal and it looks like you caught a "bullet." Never ever use those again or permit one to be within your abode. 1323707454 Instinct mainly. When you can't see anything you get scared because any predator could be hiding in there, as it was for your ancestors. Also your mind is programmed to freak out at anything it doesn't understand (e.g. when you're on a giant roller coaster or a shadowy figure that could be a 'predator' by your bed) - it's fight or flight instinct kicking in. 1328364886 Cooked bones are so much softer, so no it doesn't make sense. To say they are harder is just plain silly.\n\nIf you cook chicken bones enough you can eat them. 1269047647 So is the whole "high acid level in your body causes disease" thing fully debunked?\n\nI heard a shithead on the radio talking about that one recently, he also mentioned how people need to get back to respecting their elders and praying to god more, so that clinched his assholedom for me. 1264348990 I think that might also be true. 1324580460 It's TEDx, so it isn't vetted in any way by TED, and this isn't the first time it's been used as a platform for flummery.\n\n(I googled "TED woo," and there are apparently a lot of people named Ted Woo.) 1338904511 The fact that this is from somethingawful.com should be a red flag that this is fake... who wants to take bets for when this gets posted on age of autism?\n\n 1312031818 Give him a vibrator and tell him it's a cure-all. 1337280234 This is one of the things that brings it close to [Poe's Law](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe's_Law) territory. 1342644433 By the way, you want to do \\[text\\]\\(link\\) instead of using HTML. 1336491987 Considering that 70 percent of Earth's surface is covered with water, it is logical to assume that if an alien aircraft were to crash on earth it would be in water. Imagine the fact we we are still finding shipwrecks of our own hundreds of years after they sink. And in most of those cases we have a general ideas of where they go down. I am following this story with great interest. There is something down there, that seems to be for sure. 1327585851 I don't believe those lights were a reflection. The lights are clearly behind the tree at 0:37.\n\nEdit: Watched it again. There is a brief moment where the bottom light looks like it is infront of the tree branch, but its a combination of the small tree branch and the out of focus lights that cause this effect. 1343434455 gee could that possibly be because the soldiers have been there killing their civilians for a generation? 1294695564 How do you objectively measure "Stupiderity" 1331775452 You misread. Mainstream researchers have decided that CO2 alone is sufficient to overwelm all other factors. Models indeed quantify other factors but do so in order to account for or elliminate their influence in light of CO2 dominance. ie - they presume CO2 dominance and then reduce the influence of other factors. it's no wonder that only one computer run out of thousands will give a result that mirrors present conditions and that *none* have given an accurate hindcast. If one's models can't account for historical data there is no way that any can be claimed to accurately predict the future. 1354971404 A wild Ad Hominem appears! 1310091334 *astonished stare*. 1334547319 Did you put the same time into Stellarium that you saw the object? Jupiter will be to the south just after sunset, and moves to the west over the next few hours, before setting in the west. It should be, by far, the brightest star-like object in the sky--you can't miss it. Try looking again tonight, and use Stellarium just before, and see if you can find Jupiter *and* the other object at the same time. If you only see one extremely bright star, it's almost certainly Jupiter.\n\nA normal camera would show Jupiter that large if it has trouble determining where it should focus. When it's slightly out of focus, it will look like a large circular light. 1288979010 They maintain a searchable database of questionable research. 1347819079 I did. I admittedly had zero results, and was trying it alone. I want to try it again with a few friends, although I'd prefer some more serious friends to the ones I KNOW will just fuck with me. 1351806216 Report back if you do try it again! 1350793068 Do you mean that it sounds like something is there in the EVP?\n\nI haven't had anything like this happen before. We have had a few minor things happen in this house though. One is that the doors keep locking seemingly on their own. The bathroom door, the exterior side door and most recently our sliding glass door to the porch. I'm not sure what to make of that, it could just be a coincidence, but it is 3 different doors now multiple times. Thankfully, we haven't been locked out yet because we've had our keys with us.\n\nThere also was a time that I was in our finished basement and I heard someone open a door down there to the unfinished part and then shut it. I assumed it was my wife but 2 minutes later she yelled down to me and asked me if I was the one opening the door down there. I said no and we both got a little freaked out but eventually just forgot about it.\n\nWe've lived in this house for about 3 months. It was made in 1960 and no one has died here as far as I know. The only thing I can think of is the fact that I've been doing EVPs, mostly outside of the house in a graveyard a few miles away. I don't know if something followed me back or what. I'm not really afraid yet. I appreciated the fact that it woke me up at 6 am and not like 2 am or something : ) 1329490346 To me it seems incredibly likely that there would be moon bases. Almost no one has a powerful enough telescope at home to see the near side of the moon in great enough detail to really watch for anomalies, and the far side of the moon is not visible to us at all. What a convenient staging area for all kinds of projects! 1332431087 I would rather die of dick cancer than give up bread and pasta.\n\nanyhow, off topic as this request may be, can you ask them if they also do the "wash like a caveman" routine as well? there is a small group of folk out there that find themselves giving up soap and washing with water alone, with glorious results. I tried it for kicks a few months ago and have been soap free since, for the simple fact that I'm fine without it. the explanation I've read is that the soap makes your body overcompensate on oil production, which is why going without soap makes your body "level" out (god I hate words like that). as quaky as it sounds, it is the only explanation my brain can tolerate, as both my girl and my friends say that I smell good all the time now. 1303777985 In my opinion they are real. I've been dead before. I hanged myself when I was younger. I will not go into details, but things I did in my past have resulted in an odd nonstandard configuration of my soul. The things you speak of, demons, angels... I've not met either, but spirits and entities... I consume them regularly. 1323965730 Dr Oz has lost all credibility since he became famous. Get better advice watching the Price is Right. 1330363843 Her boobs were more FOX news than CNN. \n 1352974065 How about the hair one? "Alcohol cleans the scalp, removes 'toxins' and stimulates growth of healthy hair". What kind of toxins are they talking about? 1338987005 Is there another Riverdale Road? 1332628859 Or alternatively, we will all have a local google on our iWhatever. 1339934460 This is really cool! Can you do one for me? I want to know how my current relationship is going to work out. We've been together for almost 2 years, and we're starring to have problems 1353410766 Thank you for the correction. 1328477927 Poor sample size. Poor controls. 1335536987 Are you familiar with post hoc ergo propter hoc?\n\nAlso, [earthquakes are not unknown in the region](http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/oklahoma/history.php).\n\n(Minor point: it was a 5.6) 1320592109 This pastor's methods are as evidenced-based as any other ex-gay therapy. 1352769854 of course.\n\nHowever, I have seen one too many Fox TV specials when supposed UFOs, etc. were really just misinterpreted common events. The red glow from a UFO in the woods was really the glow from truck tail lights, etc. all cleverly edited and primed so that the UFO explanation was jumped on first.\n\nGiven the tourist industry in Hessdalen from the mystery lights, there is a financial interest to not find a prosaic or common explanation for the lights. who wants to be know as the scientist who killed the golden goose? 1312891947 yes exactly, I distinctly remember the same uncle stole my bike from THAT room and sold it for beer -_-. I have no idea why nobody will talk. 1355268918 I didn't mean straight up breathing, I meant the way we breath and do various other action, do we do it in an optimal manner, or do we do it wrong for cultural reasons. 1329954004 That's a result of two different images being merged together. Notice how on one side the terrain is much smoother than on the other side? If there were more satellites orbiting Mars, it probably wouldn't look like that. There would still be some irregularities, but that happens even on Google Earth. Ever see trees full of leaves and then one frame over all the leaves are gone? Two different shots sewn together. 1329852144 Couldn't Have said it better myself. 1328160704 Good list. My one small nitpick is that osteopaths don't belong in the same category as chiropractors and acupuncturists. As I understand it, osteopaths are actually fully accredited medical doctors, they just do other chiropractic type nonsense in addition to that.\n\nPerhaps instead of "osteopath" a better example would be "naturopath" 1326120537 The Doctor must have finally fixed the chameleon circuit 1336160795 It's well worth reading the story about the Holy man arriving at the village. 1289165651 > hey hippy and hipster are not interchangeable terms!\n\nI know... hence I specified both... :p 1311021600 If anyone had been able to do that, I'd agree. But after 15 years of pain, I pretty happy to have it gone, even if it *does* cost me $25-50 a month. 1356898589 I remember reading a while ago that China and other Asian poor countries (like Vietnam) turned a blind eye con “traditional” medicine for a pragmatic reasons: it was cheap –compared with “western” medicine- and people already trusted it. But that notion was more connected with a couple of decades ago, when those countries still didn’t engage in the market economy like today. Sadly the economic resurgence seems to have not updated to a change on attitudes towards those ideas. \nThe problem with skepticism is that for an authoritarian government is a double edged sword: you can’t adopt the healthy unconditional skepticism that allows you to question everything in search for scientific value while maintaining a system where some truths must be kept untouched. So what would you do? My guess is that you keep the people away from anything that allow them to question unconstrained. The benefits of science can be bought by other means in today’s globalized world while still keeping ideologies that by themselves couldn’t have achieved them, at least in full. The thing is that you have to maintain the monopoly of woo woo in order to keep the legitimacy of such system. \nWestern democracies aren’t all roses though; as we see, the right to question everything came without the compromise to prove with reasonable certainty what you later asses as true. Suddenly people confused the democratic value of everyone’s vote as the inherent value of everyone’s opinion in any matter, and science doesn’t work that way. Quacks expose their quackery without further challenge, in a kind of free for all buffet people is left to choose their liking only based on emotional perception, and that notion is now tying to pervade to schools. \nNice to read about your experience in China though I wouldn’t try any bold move –especially given that even in one’s language the skills necessary are high- because in things that are deeply held and cherished you can only inconspicuously build a bridge and only expect the other to cross it willingly. \n 1355868805 I'm with you on this. Also what you perceive when you're 8 is different than how your 40 year old Mom perceives it. 1328902113 Oh I can definitely shut up. I've done so many times. I'm just currently choosing not to. Again, meh. It doesn't take that much for me as of the moment to go back and forth w/you because it's of no ultimate consequence. 1339695326 Actually it's a normal (poorly positioned) x-ray, but according to a chiropractic x-ray education page I pulled it from that's subluxation. \n\nWhat treatment course would you follow?\n 1349549608 Is it pseudo-science if it explicitly professes not having a method of reasoning or analysis? Can you still use that label if they don't misuse buzzwords or attempt to make some sort of explanation and instead emphasize that reasoning is improper and it's more important to "just believe"? 1314477435 I think it's important to distinguish between an Islamist state and Muslims. State power is almost always abusive, be it Islamic, Christian, Jewish, or secular. Nearly all religious people on the planet are decent people who are just trying to get through life. \n\nA Muslim state with nuclear weapons would be no more dangerous the Israel, which has nuclear weapons. It's interesting how light Sam Harris' criticism is of Israel. The Jewish state of Israel has far greater military power than all the Muslim nations combined but you wouldn't know that reading Harris. 1269659417 The comments from the deniers are scary. 1254272596 What happened to being "done" ?\n\nYou're right I don't know what the "Truth" movement believes because (1) it is ever changing and (2) not based on truth.\n\nKeep on believing that silent, invisible explosives that don't explode out took down buildings at free fall speeds for some massive conspiracy that has been so good at hiding itself -- just not good enough to hide themselves from your genius sleuth skills with alternate reality.\n\nKeep citing sources that say the buildings didn't fall at free fall speeds to prove that they did fall at free fall speeds. There's no way to beat that logic. 1332610722 Having a chicken pox party is just a primitive form of vaccination. If you aren't going to vaccinate, this is the next best thing. \n\n 1320533748 This made me smile. Oh you. 1288921592 > we can fall victim to it ourselves.\n\nNow if the human mind, on a subconscious level, can be manipulated that way and you don’t know it, I always use the phrase, “You’re like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.” I mean you are really giving a lot of quarter to the external world that you can’t afford to give.\n\n- Charlie Munger, Warren Buffets business partner.\n 1284768170 There were too many idiots to whom this message applied to. 1343251157 That's always the thing with UFO's, isn't it? Always tantalizingly close, but just a bit too blurry or dark to make out. Never, ever a one that you can actually make out any details. There's tons of UFO footage but I have never seen a single video that I could say with certainty showed a spacecraft. 1290634766 Isn't this the clip from the sci-fi channel show fact or fake? 1324344490 I want to know if any gay people were involved in the growing or picking of my food. I just don't trust 'em. It's my right as a consumer to know! 1331252699 Milk is not a needed food for one. You can cut it out entirely.\n\nBut I have heard from friends who try it that they have less response to it (less farting) than normal milk. Do with that what you will.\n\nThe main difference between raw milk and normal milk is the pasteurization process. This heats up the milk to near boiling to kill some bacteria. \n\nHere is wiki for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasteurization#Side-effects_of_pasteurization 1332986193 I read the entire post and watched the video again, in fullscreen. I see the dark shadow around the center. 1342728359 Just came here to agree with DivineJustice. While you are figuring-out *why* your body is doing this; allow it to happen at a few different locations, and a bit of (reasonably) simple triangulation should show you if there is a specific place/direction that you body is trying to go to. - I would suggest letting your husband choose the locations, and you don't try to find out where you are till the experiment is over. If possible, do it on an overcast day, to remove any directional reference you will get from the sun. 1343610372 Why do you assume the nice bits are original, and all the horrible stuff is added after the fact? 1240720051 Well the majority of paranormal cases are usually found out to be either a hoax or something else that is not paranormal at all. Then a few cases are as of yet unsolved. Remember there has not been one paranormal case that has been proven with out doubt to be true. 1340028596 And in 3 months, we'll have a bunch more "History" channel specials on conspiracy theories for why the world *didn't* end. 1348952358 Thanks! I really love the smell of eucalyptus so I'm excited to use it. 1348620416 Why do you believe in ghosts? What kind of paranormal activity have you experienced? 1278770260 Really, stop wasting your time correcting people on the internet, you come across as a smug ass. 1329583692 Consider me **SCIENCED!** 1306489429 >I generally see nothing wrong with bringing up someone's public statement -- with attribution -- and responding to it publicly. I find the issue of there being a power disparity a bit odd, as it seems to imply that public figures can only respond to statements by public figures of equal or greater profile. That's a pretty arbitrary limit on debate, and I suspect that few people would be asking for it if they agreed with Watson's central premise.\n\nIt's not an arbitrary limit on debate. Watson can debate whoever she wants. What she *was* doing was not debate. If you're going to make those kinds of points in real life, then the other person should be able to respond in real time. Berating someone as a misogynist when they can't respond to the whole audience, but rather have to blog about it later and hope people see her side of the story is unprofessional. Anyone with a firm grasp on their position should be willing to argue on equal ground, whether they're famous or not.\n\nAlso, I agree with Watson's central premise. For a society that prides themselves on being intellectually superior to the general population, skeptics are just as likely to turn into a bunch of creepy mouth breathers whenever a pretty woman turns up. The sexual harassment that takes place on and offline is uncalled for and a serious problem. That does not mean I'm going to be okay with Watson using her position of power to attack a member of the community whose only crime was respectfully having a different opinion. 1310595858 I'm sure it works if you grind the seeds and apply it directly to the cancer. Unfortunately, this kills the patient. 1354063983 The only thing that makes those documents suspect is the subject matter. If they were about some mundane topic, there would be no empirical reason to believe they're fake. By that I mean that noone has convincingly shown them not to be authentic, like a counterfeit expert could point out the flaws of a forged $100 bill.\n\nSo it's a conflict of 'innocent until proven guilty' on the docs and 'prove it or I won't believe it' from the rational thinking side. The two are really at odds in this case imo. 1326811203 Why not put peanut butter on the chart with low evidence to cure genital warts?\n\nI just think it's a really bad way to go about supplementation, even as a starting point. 1345551491 I knew it wasn't directly UFO related, but the kind of individuals open to them are more likely also open to other non-traditional ideas. Non-traditional really isn't a proper term considering many do believe as I do, but I reside in the "Bible Belt" and this way of thinking has just starting to manifest out into the open in my area. That could also be an incorrect statement, but I know it was hard for me at first to even discuss my beliefs without bracing for negative comments. Hell, I even developed a small disclaimer before I began my rant. It's becoming easier to just discuss it without feeling like I need to hide. People are just so damn sensitive around here. Regardless, everything I've read (just like you) has felt natural. There was a moment where I finally felt like I had known this my whole life, but I just had to remember. Without sounding silly, it completes me. I do hope we all can get together in some forum for some fantastic spiritual discussions. 1352945800 We need a name for the phenomenon of promoters of one pseudoscience traversing to an entirely new pseudoscience without any intermittent questioning interval or hint of skepticism. *Woo-hopping*? 1344477341 http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/12/13824981-questions-swirl-around-anti-islam-film-blamed-for-egypt-protest-attack-in-libya?lite 1347481930 So i watched a few episodes of Fact or Fake... something about this show really pisses me off... Maybe it's the fact that when they think something was "rigged" they don't call out the person who recorded the tape, noooo they go back to their "livingroom" and call the people frauds. smh 1339476631 Tell him to watch the mythbusters episode where they tested free energy\n\nThe only one that slightly worked was basically a solar cell made of gas tanks and a water trough 1353263679 Only if she teaches cold reading. 1344852055 It may be a meteor or some other craft that flew over the volcano. The reason I say this is because [closer to the end of the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=MjLwWVRkxG4#t=214s), you can sort of see the object being distorted a bit, as if it's traveling farther away.\n\nIn other words, the object is not flying straight down into the volcano but rather flies over and behind it.\n\n 1351364596 weather balloon\n\nsecret high altitude weather balloon\n\nhigh altitude parachute testing with mannequins (that didn't even exist until 2+ years later)\n\nand now a russian hovering aircraft filled with mutant 13 year olds LOL. Come on now 1305729761 Oh I know that feeling all too well. I'm on nights right now and running on about 4 hours of sleep tonight. Going to be a LONG night 1316485798 There [is](http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/ebolaMarburg/default.htm) a vaccine for that, but I sure am glad I'm not part of those clinical trials. \n\n>Doctor: Hmm. It seems sample A21b did not induce sufficient immune response in subject #193. Lets take a look at the next batch.\n\n>Subject #193: FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU *hemorrhages horrifically until dead* 1264726934 Far from vacationing, more so watching? Just my opinion...We are on the verge of moving on beyond the 'pond' so to say. I would assume they don't want any diseases getting out and about and polluting the galaxy. We as a civilization are so naive and still at war with each other. If I was a advanced entity I would be worried about us and watching very closely how we progress. 1342707249 Size 18 = a BIG ghost. 1348254314 As soon as I saw the bullet point "removes dangerous toxins," my crap detector redlined. It's bad enough that this one thing can make anyone better regardless of confounding factors. 1341276341 We are more likely to mistake a shadow for a burglar than a burglar for a shadow.\n\nYou're referring to the [Hyperactive Agency Detection Device](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_detection) in the brain. 1303844823 > Debunk this.\n\nI couldn't resist anyway.\n\n> You, not much different than 99.99% of the rest of humanity living today and who have lived so far, are idiots.\n\nTu quoque.\n\n> When someone comes along and starts an actual discussion about the possibilities of Tesla's work, it's being downvoted to oblivion, not because I'm an idiot, not because I'm offending someone, not because I'm off topic, but simply because this is the Right Thing To Do™ in /r/skeptic/.\n\nYou fail to mention the several responses you got. Of the direct responses, a couple trashed the ideas and claims you put forth but not one insulted you personally, and others opened the door for you to present arguments and evidence. That many members of /r/skeptic violate reddiquette is grounds for complaint at some level, i suppose, but it hardly says anything about the quality of their skepticism.\n\n> I've been a member of this community for about 3 years now, and the main thing I noticed here is that you like saying "Oh! hey look at these retards! they think the moon is made of cheese", and get a bunch of upvotes.\n\nI call confirmation bias, and this would be easy to test. Pull a (clustered) random sample of posts and comments, weighted by votes, perhaps, and see how much of the dialogue this kind of derision actually constitutes. (As a small case study, consider the reactions to your own comment in the aforecited thread.)\n\nDitto next two paragraphs.\n\n> This is no longer a community - it's a public brothel filled with cheap whores, and most of the 57k listen on the sidebar, are well, the customers who simply enjoy coming in, doing a quicky, and going out.\n\nAd hominems of the slut- and sex worker–shaming variety, which as such are particularly repugnant.\n\nHere's a suggestion: Cite some actual examples of the problems you refer to—i don't at all doubt that they do occur—and write up a post explaining why they trouble you (being careful not to assume that your own experiences are everyone's), ask what others in the subreddit think, and see what comes out of the discussion.\n\n[Example.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/13g7hg/rskeptic_there_are_problems_among_us/) 1353346997 Also: why did he have to put so much tape all around if he only was attaching the four magnets? Seems wasteful. 1348495622 It gets nasty when the snake oil is urging people to accept it as healthcare.\n\n If a ring can give me bigger erections or some plastic box will deter wasps from nesting in my attic space, I can happily believe that the product works and my selection bias will make me happy that it works.\n\n With anything medical (and cheap! Only 3 easy payments!), the potential for harm is just that much greater. Garbage like this gives people without means a false sense that they can save money on doctors by just using laser therapy. I'm all for caveat emptor, but when the snake oil salesman is manipulating someone into doing something damaging to their health, something has to be done.\n\n Naturally, these same gullible fools will scam that the guvmint is taking away freedoms or conspiring to make people sick. Sigh. 1327610932 I am not talking about studies I am talking about what I've experienced. I don't have a journal published study for that, though I hope maybe one day in the future maybe I will. :)\n\n 1349217918 He's been out of the game for a little while now, even at his best he still got possessed at one point. 1344890895 Remember that psychosomatic illnesses are named appropriately: psycho for higher neural origin, somatic for the **real** effects on the body. If they truly have conversion disorder, they aren't faking it. They really have a psychological pathology that is involuntarily causing them to have these symptoms.\n\nIf you've ever gotten so nervous that you've felt nauseated, you're experiencing a psychosomatic symptom. If you've ever felt so much grief or mourning that you've gotten light headed or started to shake, you know what it's like to have something originate in your head and uncontrollably affect your body.\n\nI'm neither saying it's real nor acting; I have no idea, as I have little clinical experience with psychosomatic disorders and I haven't seen any of these people in a clinical setting. I can't tell if they are "faking" it or really have conversion disorder- neither can you.\n\nThe best thing we can do for everyone involved is just ignore this in the media. If the girls are faking, they can transition out of it without the shame of scrutiny. If it's truly conversion disorder, lower hype means lower severity/incidence.\n\nLet's all just stop.\n\nEdit: can't not have no double negatives. 1328912408 Since there is no link in the post, the only pain was clicking on this thread. 1343359113 Would have been nice if she had shown more than just the UFO so we could get some context as to how far away it was. 1350604607 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette#Photography\n\nThat explains the fact that it's pure black pretty easily. 1310365912 I grew up on Brammer Dr, about a quarter mile from the cemetery. I personally know the groundskeeper as an old family friend, and whether or not people say this was a hoax, it isn't.\n\n 1353711540 The Coneheads is based on a true story. 1341685500 That sounds so cool. I wonder if i have ever had an experience like this... 1353129226 i know that...but that's a matrix reference from 99' 1331671365 Those Californians think the world revolves around them ;) ...btw I miss the Bay :P 1334707730 What Daedulun said. It most certainly is a satellite. If you check your time and position in the sky on a satellite tracker for that evening, you'll likely find the satellite in question. If you are not willing to follow up on this simple check and balance, don't pretend you are doing the field of UFOlogy any favors by posting your videos.\n 1282338846 >You reference the double-slit experiment, even. Was this intended ironically? It is often one of the first things pointed to as supporting evidence by proponents of this psychically malleable model of reality, where the expectations of the observer affect the outcomes of the experiment.\n\nYet this is a gross misunderstanding of the double slit experiment. It has absolutely nothing to do with anyones *expectations* and could in principle be carried out with absolutely no conscious participants and still produce the same spooky results. 1308526015 You are more than entitled to your opinion. However, I don't think you honestly believe that it is always better to donate to causes that save lives than it is to improve them. I'm guessing you believe it's better to donate to people who have a chance of living than it is to people who are dying. Almost no one truly believes that programs like Hospice, Habitat for Humanity, that one literacy program for underprivileged children, A Laptop for Every Child, Engineers Without Borders, or any other group dedicated to educating and caring for poor people, is worth less than charities that exclusively deal in saving lives. \n\nAs for the local comment, I prefer to donate locally for a couple of reasons. One, I live in a very poor community and it needs all the help you can get. As one of my professors said "People come here and buy houses dirt cheap, and then they realize they have to live here. We didn't feel the most recent recession because we never left the one in the 30s." Two, for the purpose of helping terminally ill children, a locally run charity is going to have a better idea of what resources are available in the area than a national charity. 1355155912 Did you guys read the story about the little boy who was playing with his mothers phone and fell asleep; mom went in and found the phone with a bunch of pics on it and the last pic was from above the bed of the kid sleeping with half of an old woman's face in frame? Spooky as ghost balls. 1326516621 You are the one who claimed to have the qualifications to tell if an expert was giving credible testimony, not me. Now you imply that I have assumed I have those qualifications. I do not. I merely claim that I can tell the difference between a credible investigation and a bogus one. I call it on the official investigation, I say bogus. Even the folks conducting it called it bogus. I would like to see qualified architects and engineers and other relevant experts not under the employ of a biasing agent, on both sides of the debate about how the buildings came down (path of fall, speed of fall, dynamics etc.) be included in a real investigation in which their data was made public. How could a skeptic settle for anything less? 1316201768 Putting antibacterial agents in soap only leads to superresistant bacterial strains. Why is this story in skeptic? 1293483914 >I think he mostly likes Atlas Shrugged. \n\nWow, to each their own I suppose. I can totally get why someone might appreciate some aspects of her philosophy. But Atlas Shrugged? Man, that book was objectively shitty in terms of the writing. 1317865851 1) What's this got to do with skepticism?\n\n2) Is that a HDMI cable? Are they trying to sell a fucking cable for $500? 1300372574 Third times a charm. It looks fake as hell. 1328681201 The headline is misleading. He wasn't _trying_ to commit suicide. He was clearly trying to stay alive. 1310071528 WOW, my mind has been blown. Your explanation definitely has given me insight on where to go with my part of the project (I have the history and context portion of the project). I can't express my gratitude enough. Thank you so much! 1354678985 Alot of effort was out into that thread, decent link.\n\nQuote from the thread - '' At the end of the day, it’s easy to see that the Nuremberg 1561 event was not a battle between alien spaceships, but rather a series of weather events given greater significance than they deserved due to a reasonably superstitious atmosphere, a sensationalist/biased media and a consumer public hungry for outrageous stories.''\n\nI'm not 100% sure this was what really occured. Weather events do not crash into the ground in a thick cloud of smoke. Either way it's food for thought :).\n 1356261525 > So I wished for it to work, therefore it did? \n\nYes. Placebo can be very powerful and is really the only reason chiro are able to pull their scam.\n\n>I couldn't have sex in certain positions because my hip cut into my wife's legs, but now we're all better just from magical thinking?\n\nThis is just like people with UFO stories. I would really have to see what you are claiming to make a call on that. It sounds incredible that your hip bone was literally protruding. It sounds so incredible I am hesitant to believe it was exactly as you are claiming.\n\n> But no one here has offered up any scientific evidence. I see a lot of opinions, none backed by any sources, and no one has offered up any credentials suggesting their opinions are worth a damn.\n\nThe burden of proof is on the chiro. They cannot even describe what it is they are supposedly doing without using chiro woo woo speak. My credential is being a skeptical person that demands evidence, explanation, and proof. A chiro saying they are "adjusting" your bones is meaningless.\n\n 1273688381 Just FYI when I was a kid I the 1960s, there was a little girl on our block who was deaf because her mom got rubella when she was pregnant. \n\nI didn't get vaccinated but of course MMR didn't exist back then. I got all that fun stuff: chicken pox, German measles, red measles, mumps. They did give us a shot for polio though. 1348777229 Genetically modified food is not only NOT harmful, but it's an ancient practice. (Remember Gregory Mendel and the pea pods?) The difference now is that they're speeding the process up and cross-breeding plants for more desirable traits. (Like resistance to blights and insects, or higher yields per acre, or the ability to thrive in more hostile climates)\n\nIn fact, nearly all of the plants you eat have been "genetically modified" at some point, be it with pollen and a paint brush or in a lab with test tubes. Without gentic modifications to plants, there would not be enough food to sustain the current world polulation. Genetic engineering is responsible for saving the lives of millions who would otherwise have starved to death.\n\nIf you want to learn about GM foods, look up Norman Borlaug. He's been a hero of mine for a long time. 1346256219 As a Professor of Thanksgiving, PhD, I find your lack of faith disturbing. 1321292379 And you are [a notorious liar](http://www.reddit.com/r/climateskeptics/comments/13ovqa/are_al_gores_dirty_weather_claims_and_tactics/c782ihh). 1354118163 A great book and I would definitely recommend it. In fact it should be compulsory reading! 1288800055 Nothing can truly hurt you. That being said, to experience an "evil entity" it requires a belief in an evil entity. I doubt that is the relationship OP has with the wall hanging. 1334722030 It amazes me that they can get new converts. 1328161127 It wasn't just soda, it was juice and milk too. Calories that I consumed by drinking seemed like one of the easiest things I could cut out since they did not contribute to a sense of feeling full. I also recognized that just because I was cutting calories from what I drank did not mean I could have dessert or more food. \n\nNo I don't have to admit that diet soda drinker thing that's all they have to do. Study after study has shown this is the case with most any kind of restrictive diet. When people reduce calories by cutting out a type of food any type they tend "cheat" by consuming those calories elsewhere. This is a psychological phenomena and has nothing to do with diet soda in general.\n\nPeople who eat salad twice a day for their meals will tend allow themselves a dessert, or perhaps to drink more regular soda because hey they had a salad and were good about doing that. You seem to have some sort of thing against soda so you probably notice the phenomena more leading to confirmation bias.\n\nFor me by switching to diet I wasn't really cutting out any particular food I was still able to have soda with zero calories and then by focusing on eating only 1700 calories a day I was able to lose the weight. Diet soda made hitting that goal all the easier I just had to watch myself recognize that I couldn't have extra food because I was drinking diet soda. \n\nTo this day I do not drink regular soda, juice, or milk. I stick to 0 to no calorie drinks and have a goal of 1700 calories a day. Its hard but most people don't recognize that a diet isn't something that you can do for a while lose the weight and keep it off it has to become a lifestyle change for it to stick, which is my most people end up gaining they weight they lost back.\n\n 1338467702 Don't underestimate the power of people's ability to fool themselves. If the current, overwhelming, evidence isn't enough, then no evidence will. 1352344896 yes. Eastern religions do not speak of a literal god. The texts say that it is nothing more than your own mind, a way of relating to the world. They don't believe in a literal god. 1284032847 OP Delivered: [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/seyqy/the_egyptian_wall_hanging/#c4dhodv) 1335366877 >there IS indeed the very real existence of the paranormal on this planet.\n\nThat's the second time you said that.\n\nSaying it a third time won't make it true, either.\n\nProvide sources, information, references, case studies, anything at all that's outside of your own personal beliefs and intuitions, and then we can have an actual conversation. I'm willing if you are. 1337895827 SHIT SON!!!!!!! 1329254243 People are more in love with the air of "the mysterious" than they are with figuring out what's going on. \n\nAdding dramatic background music makes it dramatic. And that's what they want, drama. Not science. Not inquiry. Mystery. It's like a real-life sci-fi movie, and that's how the uploaders want it. \n\nThis is a large part of why paranormal community has such little legitimacy: for a lot of people, it's a matter of personal entertainment and that horror-movie thrill of the unknown than it is about actual inquiry and investigation. 1349040132 Viral advertising I'd wager. Haven't seen a single report of this on any reputable news site, it's all on conspiracy theory/paranormal blogs.. 1314866432 Absolutely, admittedly had he not asked for "anyone's honest opinion" I probably would have kept skimming over my news feed, lost a couple friends already to minor ideological differences simply because they think that I "hate Jesus" or whatever. 1339265232 [Direct link (PDF)](http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/ufo/key_to_et_messages.pdf) 1322373388 Another vid here\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChTgIvi98l4 1341434573 Depends on what you mean by the 2nd. Do you refer to the free market concept under a capitalist system? In which case I'm equally skeptical of both. Private tyranny is no better than public tyranny. 1315436256 It's true, in a sense, but the key word is 'high'. As in ***high levels*** of fluoride. Much higher than what is commonly in drinking water. This could occur naturally, but is also caused by industrial pollution.\n\nThe article you linked to is making a key error: they're assuming that because high levels are bad, then low levels are also bad, just not as much. However, this study contains no data to suggest that, because the researchers didn't look at levels as low as what is found in drinking water. The control group in the study had fluoride level less than or equal to 1.5 mg/L. In the US, the CDC reccomends fluoride levels be between 0.7 mg/L and 1.2 mg/L [[1]](http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/MWF/Index.asp). 1344863771 I doubt the religious component has anything to do with it. I think it's more the whole alternative medicine bullshit. 1327906268 Aw, thanks for the love you guys! 1288079830 Here's the [Mythbusters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMiVNPXR5qw) episode for anyone interested. I'm watching it now.\n\nEDIT: They found better plant growth for music and talking groups over the control group. Death metal had the best results. This could still mean that whatever mechanical processes are behind the sound wave (and the amplitude of it) are actually what affect growth, and not any form of sentience. But it doesn't seem conclusive either way. 1300763580 The word "cascade" in ther made me think it was something different. In that case, what's irreducable complex? Blood cells mutate to become sticky in certain conditions, and over the period of billions of years (or at least hundreds of millions - I don't know the evolutionary history of blood) the stickiness is further mutated to the level of clotting we have today.\n\nWhat part of blood clotting is more complex than a simple mutation could get rolling? 1281631165 The little boy definitely sounds like a demon to me! Are you artistic enough to be able to draw a decent picture of the boy? I'd like to see if my mental image is close to what you saw. As far as the second experience goes, I have no idea. I have never heard of anyone IRL having a premonition occur that quickly. 1319002298 Because it's really, really, really funny. 1337138297 > I only need to be slightly more knowledgeable than the dissenters, which usually isn't hard since they're often arguing out of ignorance.\n\nDon't make the mistake of placing all dissenters in the same category of intelligence and don't underestimate the amount of information involved - there has never been in the history of science anything similar - even creationism pales when compared to this! 1334948573 Of course there is no negative descriptions, you never insult your customers. But the specifics can be accurate or not. For example, if it said I was a social mover whose intuition made everyone like me I would say that's not like me at all, even though it is roundly positive. Whereas what it did say was that I use analytical tools like logic to understand systems, and that my morality was rule-based rather than situation-based.\n\nAgain, I do not believe in astrology, but I just happen to be a perfect fit for the mold of a Cap. I find this amusing and frustrating as a skeptic. 1320521043 I do believe people can benefit from it, in the same way they can benefit from a placebo. They may also find a comfort in it. It's like I'm no fan of religion, but I have seen it give immense comfort to my friend's mother after his death. Is her comfort coming from something I think to be not real? Yes, but the comfort is genuine and not harming anyone.\n\nThat being said, the harm comes from people who rely on faith healing as a primary source of health care. There have been many cases of children dying after their parents decide that prayer is better than antibiotics or surgery.\n\n\nThere is a book called "The Faith Healers" by James Randi, which is all about people who have become rich by selling false hope to people who need real help. 1296601718 Maybe it's just one of your guys' big-ass spiders. Don't know if I would prefer that over a ghost or not...hmm...especially a child ghost which is the freakiest. 1313693971 I think /r/trees learned today that ths skeptic pendulum swings both ways.\n 1330691978 I'd need to get a hold of a good video camera, which I don't currently have. 1334273877 The probable debunking evidence was in the sidebar [here](http://bigfootevidence.blogspot.com/2012/02/extremely-boring-video-by-henry-may.html). I was so ready to believe it too. 1330414171 it never gets old. 1319419285 >How can you claim products of the mind are fantasy when those products surely exist? \n\nYou can't be serious. How can something I conceive not actually be a product of reality? Wow, lets see. I think unicorns exist, do they? \n\n>Are you saying that when I think and believe a certain thing that I don't actually think or believe that certain thing? That seems to make very little sense. \n\nMore strawmen please, I'm looking to make a drum circle of them. \n\n>The fact that we have to "seek" an objective reality, that it isn't right in front of us somehow, is perhaps evidence that things cannot be as "objective" as we want them to be. \n\nWe don't have to seek that which exists, just observe it. \n\n Guh? Objective reality is the definition of something in front of us, it is an object not concept. 1352353964 If Uri Geller came out and said something awesome, I _would_ be say it's "good on him". But only for that one awesome thing he said. He'd have to do a huge amount more before I'd consider him changed into someone I thought was a good person overall.\n\nAn idea is good or bad on it's own merits. Dismissing them just because a stupid/bad person said them is just an ad hominem attack.\n\nThat said, even though I think Jesse Ventura is overall a smart guy, he does use very poor methodology in testing ideas. He's a conspiracy nut, and into woo-woo as a result of this. 1287255669 Those are merely people without an unhealthy skepticism of skepticism. Some of us accurately predict that sooner or later, we are all fucked,. 1343457667 Just thought I'd post this given the recent news of his death. It's hard to say if things would've been different if he had chosen to have surgery immediately, but it is worth thinking about. Maybe his alternative treatment didn't kill him, but it didn't help. 1317869598 > As you can see mercury is getting out of the way.\n\nThat's called an Orbit. I switched off after she said that. 1317147740 Agreed.\n\nBe as ruthlessly specific as possible. Zero in on one particular claim- then work with the Socratic method. Ask them why they believe this. Continually get them to stay focused.\n\nThey will likely start bringing up other related claims. Do not allow the conversation to shift. When vague evidence is presented (as it will be), ask for more specifics.\n\nThis works for non-skeptics who are highly credulous and emotional in a number of areas. It's not as effective with your "retired engineer who writes blog posts about 9/11" type of person. For people who are crazy about one specific area and have an enormous amount of knowledge in that area, their arguments are usually based on false factual claims. Unfortunately, these are very hard to point out impromptu. I wouldn't argue with that kind of nut, but if I did, I'd make liberal use of my smart phone's web browser. 1332134477 Sounds like a fun theory to read for entertainment's sake, but the somali pirates are real. Thanks for the info though. I'll have to look into it when I'm bored.\n\nThere was a fascinating story about a secret alien war going on in southern south america and antrartica I wanted to read about too. Do you know anything aobut that? Any links would be great. I eat that shit up.\n\nEdit: I guess this was offensive or something. I sincerely didn't mean it to be. The reason I know the pirates are real is because they're causing an economic phenomenon, both within their country and abroad, that has been covered fairly well. Also, we will kill hundreds of thousands of people for the oil companies if they are under any real threat. IF there was some sort of invasion or whatever, through a portal, we'd be occupying the shit of somalia. 1305070556 it's actually quite funny. when i'm about the enter a dark room, i can sometimes decide if it should turn into a nightmare. NOTE i still don't know much about how. sometimes it's just enough to think about the dark room before i enter it in the dream to trigger a nightmare. like i have no control about it. but if i don't think about it, and just walk in and turn on the lights, nothing happens. \n\nand yet, sometimes i also have those dreams where i know it's a nightmare, and i just walk towards whatever is creeping me out, just to get it over with. sorry to blur it all out at once, i just thought if somebody read this, they could help me understand it better. 1342394086 Jesus, don't you have anything better to do?\n\nEveryone knows that Astrology is bullshit.\n\nHowever, it still provides cues to help you think about your life, and is a cheap and easy way to idle away five minutes alone, or with a friend.\n 1309557472 drone 1323811987 Sadly, this isn't anything new and believe it or not, it used to be WAY worse in years past. I've been doing online marketing and SEO work for the better part of 12 years, and several of those years were spent building and optimizing sites for all sorts of natural/herbal/health products. \n\nBasically, SEOs look at what people are searching for, so if "is product X a scam" is the search phrase, you optimize sites for that term and build links to the site that have that term as the anchor text, etc. If a product gets super popular and they're making money (a lot of money) the game then becomes MAINTAINING those top rankings and burying the other "bad" pages any way possible (blackhat stuff, usually). That's why there are always tons of sites for the same stuff (that and affiliate sites). \n\nGoogle has actually done quite a bit over the years to stifle things like this, such as by not displaying AdWords ads for certain terms, specific product names, ingredient names, etc., but Google can't catch them all, particularly in the organic results. At the end of the day, the woo products exist because there are so many people who are willing to open their wallets to acquire said woo products, so as long as that's the case, there will be issues like this in Google's results. \n\n\n 1332996626 I started a discussion of [one interpretation of this](http://www.reddit.com/r/neurophilosophy/comments/v6why/what_do_people_think_of_the_tm_concept_of/) a while back. 1341702014 If you eat anything like a varied diet and aren't obviously sick, you're probably OK. Excesses of some nutrients do not make other nutrients harder to digest. A cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato actually covers most of the major food groups.\n\nThe people who need to worry are the picky eaters who never eat certain kinds of foods. (Vegans and vegetarians included.) If you eat nothing but chicken fingers for every meal, that's a problem. 1310012635 It's kind of funny in a sad way how basically any new or different scientific theory is said to have originated with Einstein. Quantum physics is the worst though. 1307122081 I once met an energy healer who told a group of nubile lasses we were having drinks with that he had been told that he could buff their naughty chakras. They giggled and were receptive, and I thought, "THAT line worked? Clearly that's what I've been doing wrong." 1305922741 One reason I can think of to call them out on this is the potential harm they can cause when using their position of intellectual authority. I can't help but think of Linus Pauling and his views about Vitamin C. In the Pauling case he actually was an authority on Chemistry but should we really be promoting high Vitamin C doses to cancer patients when clinical trail have proven that it has no effect above placebo? 1336757735 I am about convinced that Ancient Aliens visited us. 1334240841 I wondered who made them. I just thought it was the funniest thing I'd ever read. He offered to "prove" to me that I worked - I asked was it that trick where I put my arms by my side at which point he got offended at my obvious scepticism.\n\nHe's trying to con me out of money and then gets offended with me questioning this tosh! Unbelievable 1333918468 His position is that it would be up for the states to decide whether or not abortion is legal. Many states would decide to make it illegal. This would prevent women from getting abortions. 1313880478 Halo was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread's title 1339986393 No one said they understood it. And in all that I've read about sleep paralysis no one's been lifted off their bed and thrown back down so I don't know where that came from. 1352136025 The photos in this book are unreal. Screws embedded in rocks from mines that are millions of years old, and such. 1260560435 Is it so? :O 1346179937 Especially as it was his friends encounter, not his own. 1326056722 Not exactly "new". I saw this over a year ago. Good information, but not new. 1339192689 Often those types of shows are few and far between. To be honest the people they hire for those jobs often don't know what show they are really applying for. \n\nThe production company often doesn't care too much about the type of person doing the work just that it gets done. It's a sad truth. They also usually go from production to the next so they hire pretty generically. \n\nSorry for being a Debbie Downer. Of course if you were really interested in a show like that there's no harm writing in and giving your case. 1342279160 So what? 1354142756 So what? 1333120061 So what? 1346928687 front page cross post. 1345545872 Dittoing my response to this in /r/philosophy:\n\n> You can put on your Philosoraptor face and say "But can we *really* know for sure — or even know at all — that the sun will rise tomorrow?" But if someone offered to bet that the sun would not rise the next day at even odds against you, you would probably take it. You'd probably even take that bet at 99:1 odds (you pay $99 if they win for every $1 they pay if you win). You'd probably go further. You probably wouldn't go to infinitely high odds, as you shouldn't (you can't get to 100% certainty with a finite amount of evidence), but you'd still go pretty high, most likely. And it so happens that everything you do is a bet — you are putting in some effort or resources based on your expectations about possible outcomes (even if you don't consciously deliberate this), and if you really believed there to be a "problem of induction", you would never do anything, because you would have no basis for deciding between actions. (Really, if you want to take this line of thinking to its logical conclusion, you don't just say you can't be at all sure the sun will rise *tomorrow*, you have to say you're not even sure the sun rose *yesterday*. Your mind could be playing tricks on you, after all! Or you could be a brain in a vat! The correct response to any philosopher still seriously arguing this is as follows: "Shut up, you idiot.")\n> \n> We use science and rationality because they *work*; they get results; if wielded correctly, they allow you to make optimal bets. (That's not just referring to wagers with money, but any expenditure of time, money, effort, or any other resource with the intention of bringing about specific outcomes.) If you want complete, total certainty, of the sort that would justify your betting unbounded resources against a finite payoff, this universe will not accommodate you, but if there's anything you care about actually getting done, this universe is very amenable to the aforementioned instruments. Induction is only a problem if you want to treat your knowledge like a formal system where facts are theorems, which isn't how brains work in the first place. Science and rationality aren't axioms or articles of faith. They're tools that we use because they work. If any other epistemology allowed us to calculate exactly how to send humans to the moon and bring them back safely, it would be worth considering, but of the other candidates — religion, postmodern cultural relativism, etc. — none seem very promising in that respect.\n> \n> "Ah, yes, you say 'they work' because they've worked in the past, and you're just begging the question if you assume on that basis that they will continue to work!" Well, you can spend hours or weeks or years pondering that, or you can go out and systematically achieve your goals. Your choice.\n\nIn conclusion, philosophy is a lot of fun and it's also terrible. 1277347992 Interestingly, the less work homeopaths do on the strike, the more people might have to rely on doctors and science. Net positive benefit! Conclusion: Homeopathy works. 1343364798 Correct, the Earth is hollow, it isn't rock all the way through. It just that the void is filled with magma not air, and a metal core. 1279467084 There were also those things called an earthquake and Tsunami... 1324491610 These "coincidences" happen to me all of the time. I will hear someone say a particular word just as I am reading it. I will pass by a billboard and read a word just as someone says it on the radio. Once, I bought a stuffed woodchuck for my wife for Valentines Day. A little unusual, but, she thought it was cute. She pointed it out a week earlier when we were shopping. I bought it for a week later. I propped it up on the counter holding a heart shaped box of candy. The next day in the mail we received an advertisement for tree removal company which pictured a woodchuck holding a heart shaped valentine. That is certainly not something that you see everyday. 1354476363 But experts were not used in this particular study, so its results seem a bit useless. 1323788520 We will never know till someone else in the galaxy comes and says hi. With the current goals set by private companies to mine and explore areas of space, that "hi" might come sooner than later :D. 1335795609 > THere are lots of anecdotal stories out there of people trying 'new age' crap, then getting more sick and possible dying due to not seeking out medical treatment initially.\n\nSteve Jobs. He had a fairly treatable form of cancer, but he tried bullshit before medicine and it got bad enough that he died. 1324748970 Free energy, peace on earth, you Sirius? 1335915245 so are they saying that the flood happened 3550 million years ago? 1282935158 I think the government insiders are acutely aware of the possible negative effects of an end to UFO secrecy, and they've quite visibly been preparing for it. Alex Jones (whether you think he's nuts or not) did a good job of documenting the training during the Clinton administration. Guys in black riot gear "practiced" by dragging long haired guys out of houses as they said things like, "I'm an American citizen! I have rights!"\n\nIt was creepy. 1331946085 The temptation of a government to just print money without the penalty of having to pay interest (and therefore raise revenue to pay for its projects) would lead to the overall devaluation of the currency--the more you flood the market with paper the less the paper is worth, until eventually it's worth nothing. As it is, with the Fractional Reserve Banking system and the complete abandoning of the gold standard, US currency is doomed to eventually implode. Of course, this is debatable and is often debated in economics. \n\nBut a great book to read that explains this point of view and the origins of money in general is available for free [here](http://mises.org/Books/mysteryofbanking.pdf).\n\n 1312480015 Apparently this is what beta looks like.\n\nThe thing has been plenty debunked on other grounds - primarily that they've found the guy who did it and he looks the same today and isn't a famous pyschic.\n\nBut yeah - supposedly if you weren't using VHS you could get some quality recordings. 1352835342 Do you take most youtube videos seriously? 1345390138 Judging by what everyone is posting here, and a cursory glance, I would say that there is nothing inherently dangerous in it.\n\nBut how much does it cost?\n\nEDIT: I just saw, about 30 bucks a month. People spend more than than on gym memberships that they never use, so I would only worry if they tried to up-sell a bunch of addons, like a $1,000 "personal session" or something silly like that. 1312108916 That data is incorrect. The camera probably reset its internal date when the batteries ran out between charges. Both the Evp and pictures were taken in 2006. 1340234026 Just read one of her blog rants and start counting the entirely emotional arguments and logical fallacies. And there's that video rant where she condescendingly tells Christians to "stop saying stupid things" and then goes on to say Galileo was executed... that was when I stopped giving her benefit of the doubt. Her head is so far up her own ass she can't see how incompatible her black-and-white world view is with skepticism. 1344523402 The assertions are not baseless. Cancer is cancer, it grows and spreads. If you wait 1 year between being diagnosed and being treated, your prognosis will be much worse. People base these assumptions on the fact that the longer left alone, the worse cancer gets. 1317911290 I'm pretty sure governments have been building bunkers and things like this since they began. 1329826767 Sexism is and atheist problem. There is sexism rife throughout the sexist community as there is in society in general and we should really take responsibility for that as well, we should all work to change and challenge how we think about these issues and we should stop blaming people for pointing it out. \n\n> I see no use in making a sweeping generalization about a community you supposedly belong to.\n\nWhat you can do about this is instead of making excuses you could denounce those who act badly and dont do so yourself. Thats how we fix this. \n\n \n> Should I apologize for her giving me a bad first impression?\n\nNo, but you should probably examine why she annoys you. Would you be so vehemently against her if she was male? 1351193207 I was going to reply with a snarky response, but then realized this is the only right response that could be given. 1340073161 actually the sun video is very interesting. You can even see a spaghetti monster on the lower right :) This would be a great thread just for that.\n\nThe spiral though, gonna be a rocket. Yes, normally you see flames coming out the back. But they also have engines on the sides to control direction. The video would be one of the side engines malfunctioning. 1345585686 One of my biggest regrets of my first and only trip to Disney World was that I passed up this ride. I was 12 at the time. I actually stood in line, which was at a stand still next to the rides exist, for 10 minutes. Some of what I over-heard as people were exiting were things like: \n\n"If I had known this ride was so scary I would not have gone on it." or "I will never go on that ride again."\n\nOne couple even walked out in tears.\n\nSo I have to ask. Was this ride scary or were the majority of those people coming off the ride over-reacting? How much did I miss out on by avoiding this ride?\n\nOn a side note, audio-anamatronics scare the crap out of me. Where their some alien audio-anamatronics on that ride or were all the interactions sensory stuff from the seat things you had to sit in?\n\nEdit\nWow, just found a ride through. I really wish I wasn't such a pussy.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2XkRn_pAQI\n 1334505868 That is really cool because one of my close friends told me the same thing. That every one has a "spirit guide". He said that they watch over you like you said.\n\n 1342029912 More info on the Devil's Toy Box\nhttp://www.pandoricahelp.com/experiments-the-devils-toybox/\n\nDarkness Radio PodCast \n\nhttp://www.twincitiesnewstalk.com/player/?station=KTCN-AM&program_name=podcast&program_id=darknessradio.xml&mid=21862294 1345700285 In graduate school I heard that the origin of the myth was from early open-brain electrode studies. When they had the brain case cut open on animals they would poke the exposed surface with electrodes, resulting in various body movements (leg jerks, eye movements, etc.). The prodominant theory that developed was that each part of the brain was specialized for a specific function, so they worked to map out all the functions. On occasion a human subject would be available (someone getting something removed), and they found that very little of the surface produced any internally or externally observable reaction. We now know that many parts of the human brain don't act independently, and much of the surface is association cortex. 1281967096 no link? 1275338405 I was watching his show once and he said that bubbles (if you choose to have a bubble bath) can cause cancer. After hearing this (and umpteenth other claims about what can cause cancer) I looked into him and found out he was a quack. 1316378142 Actually, the submitter could very well be [the guy](http://twitter.com/keithdok) who interviewed Kari. 1301563538 hoax. baby monkey that was submerged in acid 1342901135 I dont see on their twitter feed where it says they were blocked by the military. 1339156348 His opinion is based of off things the study didn't look at. He starts with his assumption that any exposure to synthetic pesticides is bad. The study said that levels were well within the FDA safe limits therefore not taken into account. Also pesticide residues on the fruit or veritable doesn't change the actual nutritional content. \n\nHe then claim that " the study narrowly defines “nutritious” as containing more vitamins." What's wrong with that? They narrowed down what could actually be measured and measured only that which they could. That is how proper science is done. 1349286665 keep this on the first page, this needs visibility! 1239324228 I've never seen it. I guess I don't really get the hate for reposting. I really think as skeptics it's good that we sort this out rationally.\n\nI think when we see a repost, we have feelings of seen it "first" and not wanting to see it again, and these make us want to make comments such as this one. \n\nBut membership in subreddits isn't static -- new people are joining all the time. I've been a member of /r/skeptic for almost 3 years and have never seen this doc posted. So I get what you're saying, reposts *can* be annoying, but I think it's better that things get reposted in r/skeptic, for the sake of education. The more people exposed to skepticism, the better! :D 1352670083 But that isn't what the bible says and god certainly has expereince devaluing life. 1296405719 Nuclear radiation != electromagnetic radiation\n\nIn fact it is kind of a coincidence that the word "radiation" is used to describe these completely unrelated phenomena. How bout you wiki up guy. 1323749549 "Allegedly DARPA has given this move the green light. The comments by the President will be made within the next month."\n\no_o 1295829318 Damn Illuminati censoring the internet with Captcha! They shall never silence us! \n \nWE CAN BE FREE OF ALL DISEASE BY HOMEOPATHY AND LEVITATE USING THE POWER OF CRYSTALS \n \n 1356707062 The same kind of lights have been filmed [for a few days now](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/s2h77/mysterious_ufolike_lights_puzzle_st_petersburg/c4akxlb?context=3)...\n\nI feel like these are too high to be Chinese lanterns or anything like that, but it does bother me that one of the lights goes out *right* before it goes behind the building in this video. Lanterns can burn for 20-25 minutes, so an 8-minute video of a Chinese lantern is at least possible. I hope more videos keep popping up. 1334286587 Is that that the guy aj jacobs visited in "The Year of Living Biblically"? "http://www.ajjacobs.com/books/yolb.asp 1338417135 Pics of serials numbers, then let's talk. Like, maybe your roommate or whoever put their deodorant in your drawer. \n\nPlease don't let this be the lamest viral marketing campaign ever. 1354538516 I don't know this person 1332791021 I don't know, ask a physicist. Air pressure? Maybe just the fact that there was a lot of stuff smashing into other stuff in a haphazard way? Large chunks toppling and breaking in mid-air? The pieces weren't necessarily thrown anywhere close to horizontally; there was merely a horizontal component to a rather long drop. 1315570859 What smart meters with wireless access do is allow utilities/police to *quickly* identify individual households with 'suspicious' usage patterns, regardless of how unreasonable their definition of 'suspicious' may be. It is somewhat harder to do that with our current system and smart meters with wireless access could make this a more serious problem. This is why I brought it up. I agree that power usage shouldn't be grounds for probable cause, but as you point out: it currently can be. In fact, my example of having legitimate power usage bringing police action was based on reading stories of exactly this happening already (like the incident with the btc miner).\n\n\nThe case you linked to is interesting and surprising. I wasn't aware that anyone had managed to successfully argue that power usage alone didn't constitute probable cause. My knowledge of law is limited, but my understanding is that this ruling in Kentucky won't be used as precedent in rulings in the rest of the country (is this correct?). \n\n\nPersonally, I'm not particularly worried about the privacy aspect of smart meters. I do wonder how well they've secured the wireless access but my concerns here are more speculative. These were just examples off the top of my head. \n\n\nWhat I do think is that privacy is important and that if there are any privacy or security concerns about smart meters they should be addressed and resolved. I suspect that when people have instant and detailed feedback about how their activities affect power consumption, there will an increased push for efficiency. I think this will be a good thing for everyone. If people believe that this is somehow just another way for the government and marketers to monitor you, then we need to assuage their fears with evidence that this is not the case so that smart meters, and grids, can be rolled out without irrational warblgarbl getting in the way.\n\nThis is why I felt I should respond when lonelylikethewolf wrote :\n> It's just another channel for big corporations and the government to sniff in your personal life and sell the data to advertisers\n\n and you responded with something that didn't address his concerns. I have no idea how he justifies his fear of privacy invasion from smart meters but I suspect many people assume something similar with or without justification. Perhaps lonelylikethewolf doesn't know what smart meters actually do and got this from from some wingnut blog, perhaps he knows about some privacy threat I haven't read about. My point is that we'll probably never know because after reading your response he probably threw his hands up and said "wtf, that has nothing to do with what I said", closed the tab, and won't come back. So now, one more person will have possibly very silly ideas about this potentially very beneficial technology. I'm just trying to raise the bar for discourse in /r/skeptic. 1342925429 > We had conquered LEO, there were no aliens to be found.\n\nAre you saying that no unidentified structured craft are seen at high altitudes or in low earth orbit? Because that is incorrect. 1356503665 Best shirt ever! 1309974846 Ah, I didn't notice the edit. 1338577527 Wow, nice catch. [I think this is a fixed link to the article](http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736\\(07\\)61735-8/fulltext), assuming I used \\\\( and \\\\) correctly in the URL... 1290646002 I read parts of the document. I am working a lot right now and will try to read it through tonight at work. 1315179876 I don't think its fair to say the rest of my post is propaganda. Fats ARE very important to proper child growth and most kids will not eat the types of vegetables and nuts they need to get the right amounts of those fats. You're correct that I may have jumped the gun saying especially those fats from meat and dairy products. And the only reason I mentioned future risks is because the comment was using anecdotal evidence, which I was pointing out can be faulty. I was not saying that it is specific to a lack of meat in your diet. \n 1328561313 Found the video: [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNX6mr753w). 1353371372 >There is no verifiable evidence for anything currently thought of as paranormal.\n\nYea, cause when that happens it's called science. 1355929888 So what you're saying is that anyone who doesn't believe exactly what you do is small minded? And I still haven't seen this "evidence" you claim is so overwhelming. 1332269923 This is going to sound like I'm mocking you, I'm not. One time I was getting stoned with my friend, back in high-school. Somehow the topic of car accidents came up, and I had this idea that instead of making cars out of metal, we should make them out of some soft material. Everyone I told thought my idea was stupid. Years later I was watching The Daily Show and the guest on there was a "futurist" who happened to be talking about how SOFT CARS would be the wave of the future. I know it doesn't sound that significant but it was for me. 1355859748 Yeah, the ones that survive to adulthood. 1323442754 I confront them fairly often, and get called stupid / retarded / pharma shill / govt shill and so on.\n\nThey simply aren't interested in discussing their beliefs except with others who believe exactly the same of them.\n\nThere seems to be a fairly noticeable overlap with the chemtrail / morgellons crowd too. 1297359866 I don't understand what you are talking about. I mentioned atheism in passing since it is a social issue, just like obesity. You tried to point out how atheism causes no harm, while obesity does. I pointed out that obesity causes no harm, the harm is a different issue. Then you pointed out a seemingly irrelevant fact. 1311135394 No, when you believe that facts and evidence that only support one theory and contradict the other are in fact "for both theories" you are either showing a very high level of cognitive dissonance or more likely you are just another imbecile with a strong Dunning–Kruger that just does not understand the evidence.\n 1343487247 It's called chiropractic. 1302180143 Quadruple post. Good work. 1305078636 That's a good point, upvoted, but I don't believe that it's ever been demonstrated that the operation of the human mind is equivalent to your A.I. example, specifically that they are Turing-equivalent. This is an [ongoing argument](http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2003/3/15/15956/6995). I think that asserting "human beings are functionally no different" assumes the point you're trying to make.\n\nI agree that the lack of a suitable definition of "free" usually clouds this topic. I'm using free in the sense of a mathematical "free" variable, where the value of a variable is unsettled because it depends on at least one other variable. In this sense, "unpredictable" and "free" are essentially equivalent.\n\nHowever, they're not necessarily equivalent in the theory of mind, granted. I'm not convinced "unpredictable" and "free" are not just simply two different ways of describing the same underlying phenomena, especially since the two cases appear to be objectively indistinguishable in this area. 1264266731 I love how you felt a link to describe 2012 and the mayan calendarwas necessary, but an upvote for quoting a source and trying. 1339639886 i mean real conspiracies, though perhaps not the Star Chamber variety.\n\nHussein and associates apparently conspired to make the world think that he still had an active WMD program while making sure that no such problem existed in any meaningful sense, so no inspector could ever find evidence of it.\n\nCheney and energy company friends may have conspired to design the details of how the US government would regulate investments in the post-Hussein Iraq so that they (the companies) could maximize profits without fear of prosecution. In turn, Cheney got strong political backing from those same companies with respect to the invasion.\n\nThose are possibly REAL conspiracies, though not provable.\n\nLying about WMDs is NOT a conspiracy that one needs to evoke to explain what happened. Exaggeration, combined with hubris, more than explains the events. 1351189859 You should go see the people living there now and ask if they're experiencing anything. 1353226316 I believe this is referred to as an ["Ad-Hoc Theory"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hoc_hypothesis) 1283723854 unidentified flying bean? 1334026648 I take your point but eating well and getting exercise doesn't require you to become a loony and make up magical properties of foods. 1352076060 >it takes a long fucking time to "fold" water a million times.\n\nBut since homeopathy is horse shit, it doesn't actually need to be shaked to cause the placebo effect, as long as the patient thinks it's been magically enhanced.\n\n>My wife is a naturopathic doctor. She's had five years of training, including four in clinical settings (and two years of cadaver lab). Simply getting a massage license took her 500 hours of training.\n\nI'm not familiar with that, but looking at Wikipedia, she wasted a whole of time.\n\n>This is equivalent to saying "The witch must disavow her pagan gods and swear fealty to Christ lest we burn her at the stake." It is not a medical argument.\n\nWhat the fuck are you talking about? If they believe in their pseudoscientific magic, they are completely wrong, have a severely wrong understanding of chemistry and biology, and should not practice any kind of medicine. To establish if they realize that they are working with the placebo effect is essential if they are to be integrated with actual medicine.\n\n---\n\nI'm not generally opposed to using the placebo effect, but I see huge problems with actually implementing it without negatively impacting regular health care.\n\nI don't care if some bloke tells people he's going to cure their rash by giving them a massage, but acknowledging this lends credibility to every other magical practice, like the self-proclaimed shaman who convinces parents that their babies severe cough is caused by all the evil toxins in medicine and that it must be fixed by waving crystals in their faces.\n\nIn the end, the placebo effect works whether the patient thinks some wizard is mingling with their spirit energy or some wonder drug is healing them physically. But alternative medicine isn't just some well educated physicians inducing the placebo effect to ease some grievances, it's an insane occult subculture that denies scientific fact and convinces people that medicine is useless or even deleterious.\n\nI think we should find ways to use the placebo effect without convincing people that magic is real. 1282433599 (to one sig fig) 1306824551 You're very good at dodging. Well done. 1343875046 George Washington University.....\nhttp://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/\n\nHow about that? 1321781254 i zoomed in the pics so everyone can see it better. the hell would my family take pictures of a TV. this isnt no bs ufo pic. the full photo is my family being shown and what not 1341630390 i totally agree with you. I used to be a catholic, but the answers I was searching for wasn't there. Too many ambiguities. I studied all the different ideologies and religions. I just wanted to know the "Truth". That's why I said, when you're ready to know, and you really want to. God will reveal Himself to you. No religion here, just "Truth". Bless you in 2012 1325164733 A special report, [Politics & Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party](http://environment.yale.edu/climate/news/PoliticsGlobalWarming2011/) (full report found here) 1315429188 Well, I'm still curious as to where you'd end up if you continued to let it happen, but I can now see why it's too exhausting to do that. I wish I had advice for you, but this is completely new to me. I'm still going to monitor this thread to see what others say. Thanks again for sharing! 1343568196 the second one looks like someone wearing a cape or towel, doesn't it? 1347778426 Yes yes, hunh and blast radii, please go on, go on. 1335577173 Oh great googly moogly, where do these people keep coming from? 1295995750 A not so long exposure of a plane. 1351318321 I heard it does, but it gives you horrible handwriting 1333524853 Quite the opposite, P&T are huge skeptic and James Randi is even on an episode. 1321599716 Would waterboarding terrorists with seawater instead of tap water cure their extremism? 1304447983 I saw a documentary once about a police officer or sherif investigating cattle mutilations, and that was the exact answer he came up with after an extended investigation. They went to the extent of filming a dead cow getting processed in this manner. \n\nI always loose a little faith in peoples rational approach to UFO cases, when I see people on sites like Reddit approaching cattle mutilations with the predetermined attitude that they must necessarily be mysterious in origin when they in fact can easily be explained. 1315950916 > this guy seems to be trying to prove something (http://andrewamarino.com/)\n\nHe has a consultancy company[1] with services related to "legal, scientific, environmental and health-related aspects of electromagnetic fields." He also has books he's peddling[2] on this very topic.\n\nSeems fishy as hell that *this* just happened to be the guy who finally managed to provide solid evidence that EMFs can be hurtful to humans.\n\n\n[1] http://marinoconsultingcompany.com/\n\n[2] http://cassandrapublishing.net/\n 1315951003 Ah yes.. I see what you mean. 1296841580 It's 19:00 GMT for anyone else in England unable to do the time math. 1316090924 I \nHATE \nYOU 1301676828 "Mr Webster is currently away on business. \n\n\n\nIf your business is not urgent then please wait until the end of December.\n \n\n\n\nLeonard" 1353093547 > 100 lightyears is an infinitesimal bit of the universe. 80 or so stars.\n\nFirst of all, we're out on a spiral arm. The closer in to the core, the greater the density of stars. Secondly, once again skeptics assume a Star Trek like technology is required, whereby travel across the galaxy within the span of a single life is required to achieve interstellar travel. Not so. All that is required is to spread the seed among nearby habitable worlds, such that a technological civilization spreads out over time. \n\nIt seems impossible only if we assume constraints such as were imposed on sea captains of yore. But assume a spread among the pacific islands more like the Polynesians, with lifespans measured an order of magnitude longer than ours, and claims of the impossibility of interstellar civilization and travel collapse. \n\nWhether we are being visited, I don't know. But I don't discount the possibility based on such vacuous claims that interstellar travel is impossible. 1341220237 Right, but my interpretation of this is that he has a very strong focus on generating interest in the young and the laypeople. Capturing imaginations is a super-good thing, even if it makes those familiar with the science roll their eyes a bit. 1345038841 Organized experimentation is not the only experimentation that exists.\n\nEvery time someone prays, it's part of a large scale unorganized crowdsourced experiment in the utility of prayer. Getting usable results from that mass experiment is difficult due to a general failure to report both the prayer and the result.\n\nHowever the results of well publicized examples of prayer for specific, easily observable, purposes can be tracked quite simply.\n\nNo, the one example here is not statistically significant. But this is simply one more bit of data for the larger collection in our ability to analyze the mass prayer experiment.\n\nSo far analysis of results for well publicized prayers with easily observable results have demonstrated that prayer does not produce results that can be distinguished from randomness.\n\nThis matches the results found in more organized experimentation.\n\nI'll agree that the link here was editorialized, but editorializing on other topics (anti-vaccine quackery for example), doesn't generally produce the sort of negative reaction you had here.\n\nMy hypothesis is that your reaction was influenced by our general societal agreement that criticizing religion is uniquely impolite. I happen to think that unspoken rule is a very bad rule. 1326380238 enjoy the breathing tax, bro... 1326468475 Get rewarded by looking for UFOs while at work and getting fired.\n\nI'm in. 1330850802 could you link us to an interesting article about "voices in the phone" experienced by Bell ? \n\nThis only talks about the time he was "dreaming" about his wife 1319549610 Not really. Names are never given, so it's not like these guys will suffer any sort of social repercussions. Calling them out should include doing it in-front of their real-life peers rather than their internet peers. If I posted a thread about how some dude was being a jerk to me and how he was lucky I didn't deck him for it, people would rightfully call me an internet tough-guy because I'm willing to complain online but not actually do anything when confronted with a problem in real life. 1325693540 You might want her to read this. \n\nhttp://www.smh.com.au/national/parents-guilty-of-manslaughter-over-daughters-eczema-death-20090605-bxvx.html\n\nGet your mum to bite the bullet and get the dog to a vet for real evidence based recommendations of her (the dogs, not your mums) treatment. 1320896883 Sorry, my friend. As a "real researcher" in perception and cognition (and someone who has studied supposed psychic phenomena), I can see that your frustration comes from pushing a point of view that is insufficient to carry much weight.\n\nIn terms of definitions, [supernatural](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural) is a fairly well-understood term in philosophy of science, in relation to [natural](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naturalism_\\(philosophy\\)) causes. I don't know what definition you are using, but it certainly isn't one that has been agreed upon by researchers.\n\nI don't read "pseudo-sceptical magazines." I read scientific journals as part of my work, including journals on supposed psychic phenomena. What do you read?\n\nAs for "ill-reasoned arguments", I am sad to inform you that the arguments I have mentioned are fairly well-reasoned and standardized in scientific circles. Again, I don't know what your disagreement with them is (aside from the fact that you disagree with them), but I'd like to hear them, starting with this: what is *your* definition of "supernatural"?\n 1316423027 when the hell are women threatened with rape for disagreeing in the skeptic community? moreover if a troll threatens you with rape is it seriously such an horrendous traumatic experience? I've been insulted many times on the internet and I miraculously don't break down crying after such terrifying experience: "oh my god! dickwolf_99 just called me a butt frustrated son of thousand whores! what am i ever going to do with my life!" 1325712935 currently working on a way to kill these things when they find them 1332173362 tl;dr shugan wan is probably not effective. 1317369835 Salem witch trials is more appropriate. 1332861346 Pyotr D. Popov isn't listed because it's a pen-name. The real author is hiding from the Russian Government because he knows too much. cross-posted because more info needs to get out about this 1345730362 That is called Television Syndrome and it is sadly not true. 1351701855 I've always assumed that it is short for Generation Xtreme! 1338908258 stuff always happens. 1337632627 I keep forgetting we've cured cancer. 1291715637 No one is asking for "renown scientists" or fancy equipment. In this subthread, multiple methods that require nothing fancy and could be easily performed have been suggested. The double-blind test proposed above require nothing fancier than a large sheet and a coin. Say $20 if the sheet is new, and a quarter. That's a cost of 20.25 for total equipment. And no one said anything about using famous scientists. Indeed, that's a big difference between science and things like chi: In science anyone can do an experiment and can report on what happened. Someone else can always try the same protocol. While there's difference degrees of expertise, there's no reason someone needs to be famous, and for most purposes, doing experiments is simply straightforward. Science doesn't need super-scientist gurus. 1325251672 very true, maybe they just "don't give a shit"--a very real option, but unlikely oversight. 1345233688 did you ever see the french website about it ??\nit's by far the best pseudo official site about ufo's .\n\nhttp://www.geipan.fr/index.php?id=202&L=1\n\nit is only in french, but they basically digitized every case and you can search them by clicking on the map and so on .. \n\nfantastic ! 1317920397 Well, with solid proof like that how can I possibly continue to deny the miracle that is homeopathy?\n\nI mean, can all those so called "scientists" explain that? I bet they can't...just more proof that they have no idea what they're doing and are only in it to sell us harmful drugs full of unnatural chemicals. 1305229641 What height is the cloud ceiling? does the weather report tell you that? Or the wind speed? 1356289900 It fills me with a deep sadness. 1300888170 Is that a sister publication of The Onion? This sounds like it was lifted straight from The Onion: \n\n> 2. Vaccines\nThink vaccines are safe? You've been hoodwinked by the popular media parroting drug company propaganda. Vaccines are preserved with methyl mercury, one of the most dangerous chemical forms of the toxic heavy metal. This mercury is injected directly into the bodies of children where it causes severe neurological damage. And yes, it does cause Autism, despite what you've read in the dumbed-down press. Only a fool would inject their child with mercury-preserved vaccines. 1326730765 What is SM?\n\nI think she should have talked about what she was supposed to be talking about anyway. I was really interested when I heard the topic and was completely let down. 1310482515 It's celebrating the stopping of the plot and arrest of Mr. Fawkes, rather than the guy himself. 1352149817 probly just a squirrel 1343944680 That was brilliant! 1332041505 > So what you're saying is that anyone who doesn't believe exactly what you do is small minded?\n\nNope. There's a *lot* I don't know, and enough that I'm wrong about daily . . . so no.\n\n> I still haven't seen this "evidence" you claim is so overwhelming.\n\nThe fact that you've proven your eyes and your brain to be as closed as they are already means that it is likely you wouldn't be able to see or understand how what I could show you is indeed evidence.\n\nIf you don't have the eyes and the brain to see it, then you simply *won't* see it, [even if it's right in front of your face](http://www.hidden-3d.com/stereogram_posters.php). 1332272199 The birthday paradox does not apply here. The chance of /r/skeptic's birthday being the same as Ray Hyman's is indeed 1 in 366. And the chance of it being the same as any one of a number of notable skeptic's is "{however many different birth dates exist among the set of skeptics that might be called 'noted'} out of 366" (not exactly what kylev said).\n\nThe birthday paradox only applies when you're matching between two sets which both contain more than a single item. For example, it would apply if the question was "What is the chance that some piece of data about /r/skeptic matches the same piece of data about some noted skeptic?". Perhaps that's how you interpreted my question? 1323691316 I think this has been posted before and [somebody found these kites.](https://www.google.nl/search?q=led+kite&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) 1345550164 no its real 1342560189 forget quoting studies and even logical arguments, as adherents to magic (I consider homeopathy on a par with fortune-telling) will reject them out of hand.\n\nI find a better way of dealing with the irrational is common sense. In your case, you start off on the offensive. I presume you didn't just say 'homeopathy is bullshit,' as a random conversation starter. \n\nIn a similar situation when a friend-of-a-friend was espousing the benefits of homeopathy I simply asked her how it worked. When she explained, I asked her how come the water didn't remember all the pooh that had been in it (a gag I first heard from Tim Minchin). She seemed genuinely shocked. I can only assume she went back to aspirin after that. 1339996682 It's probably a big frozen ball of poop from an airplane. Notice the peanut next to the hole. 1330095155 Is that what the term is for somthing like that?\n 1348971902 Ananda Marga website is www.crimsondawn.info\nTry searching for Abha Light there... 1304434046 Statistics is definitely +++ :)\n\nHowever - unless you are not a major expert in quite a number of scientific fields - the most important point of skepticism is - again and again - being able to find and understand the written peer-reviewed papers on the relevant subject - in other words the **opinion of the experts in that field!** 1336930744 Still counts! 1331359015 That wouldn't go over well. It's apparent from reading the webpage that blind faith is involved. 1318452535 I heard of this site in [this article](http://www.gadflyonline.com/home/index.php/pink-is-the-new-green-soylent-never-goes-out-of-style/) in TrueReddit.\n\nI am not sure if it contains misinformation and lies because I haven't watched all the videos, but really I wouldn't want to rely on this type of resource for my information about the food industry. Their interest is obviously not in informing us impartially. 1350474911 Often times I wonder which of my beliefs are well-founded in truth and which ones I just believe in because a person I admire/respected held or someone I hated disliked it. 1330723028 No court will issue an injunction against this statute if it passes because the caselaw on the mater is already clear. The US Supreme Court has already ruled in 1905 in the case of [Jacobson v. Massachusetts](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobson_v._Massachusetts) that it wasn't unconstitutional for states to mandate vaccinations. In that case the law in question mandated all residents to be vaccinated against smallpox. \n\nThe Supreme Court ruled specifically that the vaccination requirement for public schools was constitutional in the case of [Zucht v. King](http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/260/174/case.html). \n\nI downvoted because the evidence suggests that any legal challenges will be summarily rejected. 1330910725 Have to agree here, as much as the label would be correct, people who believe it would likely shrug it off and say something to the effect of, "that's the point." 1301312026 Well, when I did watch The Matrix, I was about 9 or so. The fine details of that movie wasn't really my focus back then. Only recently did I actually understand FULLY what was going on. The reason I came to the sudden realization was because I watched the Animatrix DVD from the set I mentioned earlier. I associated the OP's story with the *Beyond* story because it was pretty fresh in my mind. When I watched The Matrix, I saw that part with the cat, but since the experience wasn't very similar to the thread, I didn't think about it as the same thing...until you mentioned it. \n\n 1354811637 That's it, that is just fucking it. I am unsibscribing from this trash immediately. This place has become a wasteland of nutters spouting off about how "spiritual" beings are here to save us. 1330622584 I thought it belonged here because of the emphasis among skeptics on rationality and reason (backed by empirical evidence) and the avoidance of mindless obedience and blind following of tradition. The other finding in the article was that rescuers were "three times more likely than non-rescuers to identify 'reasoning' as an element of their moral education." \n\nI wasn't sure where to put it, and was pretty sure that people who read the skeptic sub-reddit would find it interesting. Thanks for the feedback though. I'll think more carefully about where to post next time.\n 1274302527 You're right. Actually providing a link that has sources to actual studies is so fallible. Telling you how things work outside of your forced bubble is certainly wrong.\n\nOh, by the way... What have you done to backup your claims exactly? 1335314904 I'm more optimistic! 1345654042 Your maths are useless without one important variable: how close is the "object" to the camera? We haven't a clew.\n\n(A meaningless question though since it's not even an object. It's just another radiation artifact on the CCD.) 1343106096 The one about not drinking as much water at night isn't complete BS. I mean, at the very least, doing so will keep you from getting up to use the bathroom as much at night. 1353939212 I can see how you can say that being surrounded by Southern Baptists, but try not to generalize a whole region. 1341376580 Agreed, I feel he interpreted it that way, however other issues could have been afoot - the dolphin was most likely just 'dying' and he considered it suicide because of his emotions. 1321202025 The FDA is seriously over extended right now and in many ways could be in as much trouble as the patent office. If homeopathic debunking can happen without further stretching the FDA then I'm all for it; however, I'm concerned this will saddle an important organization with an unfunded mandate to write labels aimed at the illiterate. \n\nNevertheless a good read. 1314819919 That sounds pretty trippy. 1355178671 But we can't jerk off with salt! 1287342708 I blame Oprah. Randi needs a talkshow. 1318981615 A lot of it.\n\nBut a glitch in the matrix isn't a ghost. 1326493428 Paranoid people wash eggs. As long as they don't wash the heinous salmonella onto other surfaces,then they should be fine. They're going to do it anyway. They should follow aseptic technique and keep their tin foil hats firmly strapped. 1354731687 a fly on the lens is supposed to prove what? Come on now 1353266356 I remember my younger sister crying in the middle of the night and not being able to sleep in her room a couple of days in a row because each night when we were getting ready for bed, she said she saw a bright ball of light come in to her room, hover around for a few minutes, then zoom back outside and across the field. 1341199002 if someone gets you a stabilized version, lemme know. i need to see it. 1336940851 I was going to post this one. I like and frequent the boards over there. 1246628157 "Five million years is like the blink of an eye," Slater told LiveScience.\n\nCraybatesedu, if you're unable to comprehend what that means then you're doomed to spend your life as a Young Earth Creationist. 1275915852 from a guy on the paranormal subreddit... really.................................................................... 1318575244 >I will add to this that DS1 is now 5 1/2 years old and has never taken an anti-biotic in his life...and his first fever was when he was 2 1/2 years old. He has never had an ear infection or strep throat\n\nI don't think these people understand what antibiotics are for... why would their child receive anti-bacterial medication if they never had a bacterial infection? I just pray that their child never gets strep throat as it can progress to [major illness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheumatic_fever) if not treated right away. 1329603882 [It's already been done.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Alpha) It didn't change anything. 1320260383 Rare relative to positive tests or to non-pregnancies? There's risk of a base rate fallacy here: If many more people take tests than are actually pregnant then the probability of a false positive for someone who isn't pregnant can remain low while the proportion of overall positives that turn out to be false is quite high. (I scouted around for a few minutes but didn't find any reliable numbers.)\n\nEDIT: Of course, "my gyno told me" is good evidence, since they're likely to be adequately informed; i'm more curious about the stats than worried about an epidemic of false positives. 1349188760 I get this all the time. Especially if I've recently been in a loud place, like a concert or a music festival. Normal everyday sounds turn into music, like full on songs, or people laughing. It tends to dissapear after a few hours, but it's definitely strange. I figure it is just some type of auditory hallucination. 1355614894 I wasn't saying that we should assume that free will actually exists...\n\nPinker in How the Mind Works says that he thinks it should be assumed in the realm of morality though, in the same way that perfect circles are assumed in mathematics even though they don't exist in reality. Assuming perfect circles is useful in the realm of mathematics, as is assuming free will in the realm of morality if we are to hold people accountable for their actions and not just blame things on their genes or what they ate for dinner etc.\n\nMy question is simply do you think that we can keep the idea of morality, moral responsibility and holding people accountable for their actions, without the notion of free will? Or should we keep the idea of free will even if it is not something that has any reality?\n\n>I think Buddhist who can really meditate have a greater control over their brain\n\nIt's a bit weird talking about having control over our brains when we are our brains, but I understand what you're getting at. 1313669216 massage therapy has the same results at a lower price, and the sessions tend to be longer. That said some masseuses are full of woo as well. 1356893828 Arguably, it is choice though, because it's a different product from all their other stuff 1349818848 >which makes it an interesting but practically useless thought experiment.\n\nI was always under the impression that it was never supposed to be anything more than that. \n\nIt's just an idea to get people thinking about the various factors that are at play when discussing the possibility of extraterrestrial life. 1345802567 I never actually had cable. When I was a kid we had the big house antenna, and my parents probably thought it was a waste of money. Then when I moved out, _I_ couldn't afford it, and now the cost of entry is just too high to justify - we'd have get a TV _and_ pay cable and from what I've heard it's sort of expensive. I guess it's come full circle, and now I'm my parents saying "It's a waste of money". God I'm old.\n\nSomeone who isn't me downloaded the episode from bit torrent. :p 1293826370 Exactly. The only situation I could think of would be eating weed. 1288019231 True, but even Randi, in his show never claims to disprove an entire field of quackery, simply to demonstrate that a particular individual does not have the abilities they claim to, and the test I proposed would do that. 1353945436 Reposted, thanks. 1355438737 If you're interested in watching them, these are the two interviews:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FARDDcdFaQ (Richard Dawkins)\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BCipg71LbI (David Silverman) 1296972827 Runescape 1332257694 Agreed, most of his stuff is actually very amusing! 1326764746 That's exactly what you're doing about a FDA-style diet. Neither one is a one size fits all solution. Which I've already said, so don't put words in my mouth. I don't care what you think of the diet; that's not the point.\n\nIf their post said "low", I wouldn't have posted it here. Yes, I'm arguing semantics. Thanks for finally noticing.\n\nI can only repeat myself so many times. G'night. 1336098581 You dismiss the plausible answer far too quickly. Our eyes don't perceive depth and size at a great distance very well. I agree that it is likely an RC copter. Sorry bud. 1356282625 I was being facetious about the death by fire. For the record I don't wish that upon you.\n\nAlso, perhaps you and I use the word "Fan-boys" in different ways. To me when you say you or someone else is a "Fan-boy" it is not simply "Liking a computer." That's a Fan. I am a fan of many, many things. Including the video you made.\n\nNo, I have no problem whatsoever with Fans.\n\nA "Fan-boy" or girl at least the way I have heard the word used the most is a person who has an undue allegiance to a company or product.\n\nA "Fan" of Batman for example will buy the comic books, watch the movies and cartoons etc. A Batman Fan-boy will argue with you for hours about how much better Batman is than any other superhero, none could possibly be better, the superhero *you* like is lame and retarded (unless its Batman).\n\nA Fan of Nintendo will buy Nintendo games etc. A Fanboy will ONLY buy Nintendo games. Sony is THE SUXXORS!!!! Microsoft is THE SUXXORS! and no Sony or Microsoft game is anything but shit.\n\nA Fan of computers will buy computers. A Fanboy will pay twice the price of a normal computer because he thinks that the people who see him using it will feel that he is a hip young professional.\n\nA Fanboy will put up with things like Non user replaceable batteries, lack of SD card slot, Non-standard USB cables and corporate censorship and even explain to you why there are actually good things. \n\nApple products are expensive, so its become a sort of (extremely lame) status symbol. College kids nowdays if they see you with a laptop that doesn't have an Apple on the front will just assume that you are too poor to afford one (as opposed to being too wise) and actually judge you to be inferior based on the make/model of laptop or cell phone you carry.\n\nApple fanboys are especially insufferable because of this and its actually creating the opposite effect in some people. If I see some cat with a Macbook, I don't *immediately* assume he/she is a doucebag, but it *is* the first sign.\n\n 1293985693 You just went full tin-foil hat. I have never heard of any of these theories. 1341972078 If they keep repeating the same thing over and over they think it'll change reality. These people do actually believe in magic after all. 1285114365 I read "PZ Myers: Near-death" and gasped a lil' bit. 1335501833 Yeah but conspiracies are for the lulz to many people... I don't think you can draw many conclusions from that. 1322338709 Just in case you missed the references on the Wiki page for oscillococcinum, there is a class action lawsuit against Boiron who sells this junk.\n\nhttp://www.courthousenews.com/2011/08/05/SnakeOil.pdf\n\nPersonally, I'd print up the CAL and post it next to the snake oil or just keep it with you and be sure to show it to anyone you see checking the stuff out.\n\nEdit: the CAL was filed in August of 2011, so it is fairly recent and probably not settled yet. 1327358730 I thought this when I saw the title. 1340604700 >How can God not be an alien by definition?\n\nThe problem is that no text or person has, as of yet, offered an actual definition of what God is. Without a definition, God is a nebulous concept that can be interpreted to match any subjective wish or need. Positing whether or not this nebulous concept is "an alien" doesn't carry any value with it. It doesn't help us to know or discover anything new. 1352472706 I called somebody a meat mechanic on reddit a while back, got downvoted to hell. \n\n I'm sorry but being a doctor doesn't mean you're extra smart it means you had enough money for med school, studied hard (possibly) and you are able to handle all those long hours. I don't begrudge their success and I believe they are in fact some what intelligent.\n\nIt does not mean you're a scientist or a genius. I would argue many genius's would be too bored to become a doctor as it's not ultra dramatic like TV makes it seem and is often more monotonous and filled with "does this look like cancer or is it just a mole?." 1350097156 That is pretty awful and yet still not as dumb as the things Deepak Chopra says. 1296345391 It definitely does! I haven't tried this but I have tried the Pepsi throwback and it's much less sweet and you really notice the carbonation more. 1300980355 You know what other phenomena creates moving lights in the sky? UFO's. 1342647984 TL; DR\n\nI keep asking on r/conspiracy, when I see these theories come up, just who exactly "they" are, in the convoluted mess of cognitive biases that make up this theory, or a motive, other than THEY COMIN FOR OUR GUNZ BOYS.\n\nConspiracy theorists could really benefit from taking some college-level classes. Especially psychology and basic informal logic. 1356878840 I found this.\n[http://www.richardwiseman.com/resources/psychicdogreply.pdf](http://www.richardwiseman.com/resources/psychicdogreply.pdf)\nIt's Wiseman's side of the story. 1303349216 The thread about it on ATS he mentions has been moved to Hoaxes 1342556563 "I'm just going to post a bunch of stuff I don't know anything about as genuine medical advice and assume it's right and recommend everyone uses it even though it's completely unproven and untested."\n\nAll of the posts on there.\n 1334451764 Perhaps it's alternative medicine, but then so might be many other things such as massage or spending time in a sauna. As long as they're not making unproved medical claims, I would lump chiropractic in the same category.\n\nThis is anecdotal, but the one time I went to a chiropractor I could hardly sit down because my hips went "outta wack" while I was doing some home repairs. They put some heated towels on my lower back, gave me a short massage, and then the chiropractor "popped" me. He then asked me about how I exercise and recommended certain stretches. As a skeptic I was very pleasantly surprised, and to top it off I felt completely better shortly thereafter. 1336173875 Close. I believe the word you're looking for is "politics". 1317634494 It probably depends on your definition of knowledge. 1351634452 Quantum 1310594642 Touche, let's not forget that ourselves most definitely.\n\nEven if they really, *really* do ignore the large positive body of evidence. 1354869175 Same thing. 1297493735 Just reminded me of that CG kids show "Reboot". Hence the 90's reference :) 1338506408 Is it available anywhere besides the C2CAM website? 1333952205 I strongly believve in them to and I always freak out thinking about the greys but these little tron fairies were so awesome man. I really wish I could at least draw them or something they were so cool. 1345707869 The Law of Attraction. I believe it 100% 1329950831 Good to know, It was a cool video but it seemed a bit set-up. Thanks! 1332707390 Hey, downvote me if you must but, everyone has their own version of "truth"; best you can hope for is that your version is closer to reality than the next person. 1290699698 some [context](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZHCVyllnck) 1316105787 Have you tried working with the Center for Inquiry? I'm sure they'd be into it, and have resources to help get it going! 1314301657 That's one of the shittiest "EVP" video's i've ever seen. So unprofessional, cut with music....it's hard to believe. 1349194032 The problem is that such an argument is applicable to everything. Nothing is 100% safe. 1304304130 You should watch the New Zealand version of Ghost Hunt. I'm a New Zealander and I am now unable to go to some of the locations they investigate on the show, because it's so damn scary! I'm fairly sure all the episodes are on YouTube. Enjoy!!\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Hunt_(NZ_TV_series) -- Here's the link to the Wikipedia page :) 1340703458 “History is written by the victors.” -Winston Churchill 1338189291 Cool! Thanks. I will post updates to the people interested in these responses when we get it going. 1314246639 Indian army validating the fact really strange 1352268697 Magnets have a profound effect on our energy spectrum. And yes, Quantum does explain things. 1326184606 because some random guy on the interwebs said so sheeperson ! 1350796562 This happened to me the last two days and sounds very familiar. http://m.wisegeek.com/what-are-hypnopompic-hallucinations.htm\n 1346894031 I met someone the other day who had a WWJD bracelet and one of these on. Lost all respect for him instantaneously. 1317514679 Upvoted because of name. <3 Cyberiad. Have you read Altruazine yet? Mind = blown after that stuff. Lem Stanislaw was a genius... 1317898558 Dude, a whole 4 marijuanas?! He'd be lucky to survive that! 1356132291 Anecdotal evidence will get you nowhere on r/skeptic. 1342729193 And then we beat his old ass. 1317321367 Black box warnings are typically for medications that can have dangerous or life-threatening side effects. An example is the off-label use of some anti-depressants that caused an increased likelihood of suicide in young adults. 1332634736 redping pls 1348534906 I was thinking 6.022*10^23 1328027872 It certainly wouldn't be an *ET* UFO - which *is* what this forum is about. 1346974551 "Hey bork! I got some tricked out neons for my saucer! Want to go tear up some back space roads and play pranks on the earthlings?" \n\n"Do I!" 1340356124 I thought that teaching children to read books actually did increase their likelihood of myopia. I'm no expert, and would be happy if someone pointed out that this was hogwash, but I recall a study involving Inuit people, where the population generally had great eyesight prior to books being introduced into their culture, but post books, myopia became a common problem.\n\nAt least on the surface, this does not seem to be crazy. Our eyes did not evolve for reading, and reading in childhood might in fact impact the way that our eyes develop in a negative way. As per usual, there maybe a simple biological phenomena, which is underlying an absurd conspiracy theory. 1246922213 Smudge on a window? Must be a ghost! 1341229443 What is technocracy, if not the rule of smart, or better, most competent?\n\nOf course there are bad and incomptetent apples everywhere, but I think there are less of them among the smartest and most educated than in general populace. 1332073519 Honestly it was awesome, especially having my dad there to witness it with me. It is something we frequently sit down and discuss and really it was one of those moments that brings you out of the little shell you live in. I have read a lot about cosmology and physics and wonder about all the potential for extraterrestrial or even just extraordinary things that could be out there, but witnessing it firsthand is much needed verification for the scientific mind. 1348457620 >Wakefield was the lead author of a paper in the Lancet medical journal that suggested a link between the measles virus and inflammatory bowel disease. The paper also suggested the virus played a role in the development of autism.\n\nI thought that it suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and autism, rather than the live measles virus, and that the vaccine was causing the bowel disease. But that there were all kinds of methodological and ethical problems with the collection of the data. 1356307513 Skepitically Speaking had a [good edisode](http://skepticallyspeaking.ca/episodes/185-genetically-modified-food) a couple of weeks back.\n\nI don't know if there is a transcript floating around. \n\nOf course, [Skeptoid](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4112) has an episode. 1352414391 Those big hairy monsters, they're real Trin. What person ever moved like that in the history of people? 1333468375 I don't think so. Even if it seems silly to you, the police do have a duty to look into every complaint made. They can't simply pass judgement before even looking and say, "oh, that sounds silly!" 1307562633 Do my tax dollars pay for this?\n\nThe stupid, it burns...the goggles do nothing... 1283272424 I wouldn't necessarily agree that organic foods are nothing more than a status symbol. Organically grown foods have a smaller impact upon the environment that foods grown using industrial farming methods. 1338686808 Those comments hurt my brain. People actually believe this shit? 1326694345 It's about profiling. You have to know the initial body position of someone's body and then see if this behavior changes when new stimuli are brought along.\n\nFor example, a common thing you'll hear is that crossed arms signify lack of attention or disagreement. What about someone who almost always has their arms crossed? Are they always disagreeing? Could it simply be because the person finds it more comfortable? What's important is knowing the initial and final state(s) of a person's body language after a stimulus/stimuli.\n\nThat's probably the first *step* to making a scientific observation... Many other factors can come into account. 1350665220 How do I encourage rational thought WHEN HE HAS A HALFROBOT FACE? 1302445673 I remember the first time I heard of this. My reaction was, "Interesting, a disease that makes your skin produce hairlike strands in strange places." The sufferers', however, concluded that parasites were burrowing in. That was the giveaway for me that it wasn't real. 1305770624 Ask and you shall receive!\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQqCjTEWz78 \n\nExtremely well done analysis. Includes stabilization, flightpath analysis, perspective correction, pretty much the whole 9 yards of video magic on it.\n\n(Anything by lunacognita is gold, btw) 1332966318 <Morbo>SAT scores don't work that way.</Morbo>\n\nBack when SATs were 1600 points, your combined score was the aggregate of your best math (out of 800) and your best verbal (out of 800). There was no score that was a statistical mean for an individual. The only time statistical means were given was one doing aggregates of multiple individuals. Schools, institutions, racial groups, etc, could have SAT scores that didn't end in 0, but individuals couldn't.\n\nDisclaimer: I'm not sure how things work since they added the extra 800 point section with subjective scoring. 1352522233 I'll chime in, I strongly believe there's something real going on in the realm of "ghosts" but I approach it with a lot of skepticism.\n\n1. Ghosts are the energy of someone or something that has usually passed. They have left some sort of psychic energy in physical places that sort of loops itself and doesn't interact with the present. Another kind of ghost is one that does have the ability to interact with people, in our world, at the present time. A poltergeist is an energy that can physically move things in our world but does not need to come from a person who has passed away. It can be attached to a person, and is possibly a form of telekinetic energy released from that individual. All of this is supposition, hypothesis and guessing of course.\n\n2. That anyone has the authority to stand up and say what the fuck is actually going on!!!! We don't know folks, we don't have adequate proof of anything really. The "experts" using "scientific methods" on the ghost hunting shows are generally a disgrace to expertise and science. Some people, such as Dr. Rhine have tried to legitimately study the phenomena (starting with very basic things such as ESP) under the term "parapsychology" but the field seems to be unfairly dismissed by other scientists.\n\n3. No, not at all.\n\n4. Some people believe that certain ghosts are "trapped" in this world and that they can be released if you simply tell them to move on. Sometimes it plays out like a mystery novel, where a crime has be be solved that will then "free" a spirit. Some psychics claim to be able to assist these ghosts in moving on.\n\n5. Maybe. \n\n6. That's often the theory but there are reports of ghosts returning to haunt their homes after their deaths, or even showing up in seemingly arbitrary places.\n\n7. Damned if I know.\n\n8. Good question and as someone who doesn't believe in those things, I can't answer it. It actually adds to my skepticism about ghosts.\n\n9. Some day it's because they were attached to a place emotionally in their life. Doesn't have to be a positive emotion.\n\n10. See 1.\n\n11. Will Storr Vs. The Supernatural is a good book about a skeptic journalist who dives into the realm of ghosts. The result is very entertaining, at times scary, and for me really nails the grey area that ghosts seem to occupy for me. Something is out there, but we really don't have a great idea of what it is. Strange things do happen though.\n\n 1349565095 Here is a good one: [Archeologist Watches Ancient Aliens](http://badarchaeology.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/i-remember-why-i%E2%80%99ve-never-wanted-satellite-television/)\n\nAlso, here is a piece by piece examination of every claim made on the show:\n\n[Dumbass Guide to Knowledge](http://www.dumbassguide.info/blog.php?bid=92) 1335642511 Can we please stop calling science-deniers "skeptics"?\n\nIt's one thing to be skeptical about something, it's another to deny all fact and logic in the face of overwhelming evidence.\n\nThat latter bit's just called idiocy. 1330269202 Weird picture... 1332260041 > When it all really just boils down to calorie consumption.\n\nThe 'a calorie is a calorie no matter the source' thing, while appealingly simple in a sort-of nutritionalist-sceptic's Razor sort of way, turns out to actually be an oversimplication once you start testing it. Example study: [Postprandial Thermogenesis Is Increased ~100% on a High-Protein, Low-Fat Diet versus a High-Carbohydrate, Low-Fat Diet [of the same calorie count] in Healthy, Young Women](http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/55). ([Results graph](http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/55/F1)). 1304423798 All these country's governments have managed to hide all the hard evidence from the entire world? Or have the countries set up some secret cabal and will only sell alien tech to one another and not let the scientific community in on their game? \n\nAnother thing, NASA would have to be in on this conspiracy. Their budget has been cut year after year. The shuttle has been scrapped with no replacement waiting to take its place. Hey you know what's a great motivator, fear! By releasing scientific evidence to the world, proving UFO's exist. I think most people would want NASA funded as much as possible. Needless to say this goes for other country's space agencies as well. 1350147956 >Is the UFO phenom a phenom? Or is it people filling the minds eye with something they wish to believe?\n\nBecause of the tendency for humans to create their own realities with beliefs, I *would* accept this explanation for the UFO phenomenon. The problem with that is the radar/video/photos//visuals proving this is empirical reality. Whatever UFOs are, they are not products of the mind. \n\nI believe there is truth to humans not wanting to be on 'top'. Religion makes that pretty clear. But there is the flip side of that as well. We do like being at the top of the food chain, so to speak. 1307497376 Malware? 1313882410 Artificial substances are never a good method of arriving at understanding of what's being talked about here. In fact, they are a great hindrance in that they constitute a massive crutch that the identity confusedly relies upon in order to achieve an understanding and realization that in no way ever required such a crutch. The crutch, then, often makes the individual dependent and, consequently, all the worse off because of the activity.\n\nUnderstanding and awareness is something that should always, *always* be achieved through the concentrated, focused, disciplined, and aware mind. Substances entirely undermine this and weaken the self. 1349732216 > The top five sources of US crude oil imports for September were Canada (2,324 thousand barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1,465 thousand barrels per day), Mexico (1,099 thousand barrels per day), Venezuela (759 thousand barrels per day) and Nigeria (529 thousand barrels per day). The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Colombia (510 thousand barrels per day), Iraq (403 thousand barrels per day), Ecuador (299 thousand barrels per day), Angola (283 thousand barrels per day) and Russia (275 thousand barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 9,006 thousand barrels per day in September, which is a decrease of (16) thousand barrels per day from August 2011.\n\nSource: ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/company_level_imports/current/import.html\n\nAccording to these statistics the US gets less than 5% (4.47 for September) of its oil from Iraq. I'd reckon energy stability was somewhat of a factor but I doubt it was even one of the main factors with such low import numbers. 1323035255 The whole thing is a bit outdated now; it's been 5 years since the video was uploaded and his claims that in the next 7 years (so the next 2 years from now) anti-gravity technology would be available for the public eye - I wish the opposite but it's highly unlikely! 1305191450 Yes I can, god told me so ! 1321119629 Unfortunately, yes! The current trend for magical thinking and conspiracies is actually very prominent in highly educated individuals. It's counterintuitive. 1256321948 Strange. But wouldn't 'nik-uh-rah-gwah' be closer to an over-pronounced Spanish version that they're talking about? So what's the actual correct way to pronounce Nicaragua? Because 'nik-uh-rag-yoo-uh' doesn't even sound remotely Spanish. 1351879214 I believe as a skeptic the information below REQUIRES you have reasonable doubt. "the reasonable man" would be required to be skeptical of the commission's report in light of this information:\n\n>FBI director's critique\nFormer FBI director Louis Freeh criticized the 9/11 Commission for ignoring key evidence from Able Danger, which he alleged resulted in false statements being made in the final 9/11 Commission report. For example, the 9/11 Commission concluded that "American intelligence agencies were unaware of Mr. Atta until the day of the attacks," which Mr. Freeh stated appears to be false. He stated that Able Danger had identified Mohammed Atta, the alleged ring-leader of the 19 hijackers, as an Al Qaeda man active in the United States and was tracking him for many months.\n\n>Further, Director Freeh criticized the Commission for allowing the Pentagon to withhold key evidence about the facts found by Able Danger and **concluded that these inadequacies raised serious questions about the credibility of the 9/11 Commission.[20]**\n\n>[edit]"Set up" to fail\n\n>The two co-chairs of the Commission, Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton, believe that the government established the Commission in a way that ensured that it would fail. In their book Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission describing their experience serving, Hamilton listed a number of reasons for reaching this conclusion, including: the late establishment of the Commission and the very short deadline imposed on its work; the insufficient funds (3 million dollars), initially allocated for conducting such an extensive investigation (later the Commission requested additional funds but received only a fraction of the funds requested and the chairs still felt hamstrung); the many politicians who opposed the establishment of the Commission; the continuing resistance and opposition to the work of the Commission by many politicians, particularly those who did not wish to be blamed for any of what happened; the deception of the Commission by various key government agencies, including the Department of Defense, NORAD and the FAA; and, the denial of access by various agencies to documents and witnesses. "So there were all kinds of reasons we thought we were set up to fail."[21]\n\n[edit] 1334555493 They stay in business, because your body fixes itself.\n\nThe pain will eventually go away, and if it doesn't, it will be because it requires surgery.\n\nThey stay in business, because they call themselves doctors and convince people they use science.\n\nAnd like coop33 said, they might even injure you.\n\nYou're absolutely better off just taking pain killers. If it's still there in a month, something is seriously wrong and you'll need a real doctor. 1324841313 http://sifter.org/~brandyn/Democracy3.gif 1287513667 With my limited knowledge on the subject, it would make sense to me that it was selected for. It just seems very specific and refined and nearly the entire animal kingdom (down to bacteria as well as plants) have some form of ability to communicate. Especially mammals all have very sophisticated vocalizations. 1326562970 "Global warming" is a poorly chosen phrase to describe it, though. "Climate change" is at least more accurate. 1293408004 When I attended the local TEDx, in Brisbane, Australia, there was an Aboriginal "healer" who was selling mystical healing treatments. And by the way, they're for sale in the foyer. It was a disgrace.\n\nThere was some really good stuff, but this was bullshit. 1355136062 You can only do so much history i guess...before it's just wild guesses, and wild guesses about the future are far more probable to happen than wild guesses about the past. I agree that the stuff about trucker seems silly and shouldn't be on the history channel though. 1293732801 Meh. Splitting hairs 1335594854 It looks like it could be something that was going up, it peaked, and then fell back to the ground. It's hard to get perspective from the video as to whether it was approaching or rising. 1336585811 It's just a movie trailer. I would have to watch the movie to have an opinion. 1305854944 Nope. I'm afraid this is not interesting. Wrong answer. You leave, with nothing. 1330355005 Want a haunted place to go to? Why not Goldberg? 1315174501 Whatever man, I'm not looking for credibility. Most people on this subreddit don't think critically at all, most have already made their minds up. 1344129864 If PBB encompasses and includes the phenomena that have been witnessed thus far, then perhaps you might be right. I don't know. However, I personally am not sure if PBB *does* indeed encompass it. Perhaps you can elaborate on what parallels you see sufficient to link what I stated here *with* PBB. 1336790699 Thanks so much for linking to the paging=off version of the article. 1344482879 At first I thought this would be interesting, but it's actually really long winded and obvious. 1313401439 I didn't see that. I'll check.\n\nEdit- I can't find it. Do you have a link? 1319206012 Check out my post from yesterday. It's not very secret. \n 1335245283 I'd love to take a class like that "It's all bullshit. Here's your assigned text book - *The Demon Haunted World* by Carl Sagan. I'll see you all at finals. 1314581911 Yes, it is is worth investigating. You just cannot draw reliable conclusions without further study.\n\nIt's not anecdotes should be ignored, just that they are not reliable indicators and one shouldn't assume the experience is representative. 1310463208 >He's a cartoonish supervillain who hates Freedom.\n\nOh I see! \n\nHAARP is some type of super-weapon and this is Red Alert 2. We need an awesome cut-scene now and Einstein's prism towers... Those things were awesome. 1351533248 I think that's right; color does probably influence taste or perceived flavor, but I guess I'm not convinced of that conclusion by this experiment. I imagine that wine tasters have a certain vocabulary associated with red wines, and they will always use words from that vocabulary whenever they see that they're drinking a red wine. Whatever the flavor is, they will be limited by their red wine vocabulary to describe what they believe to be a red wine. At least that seems to me to be a reasonable alternative conclusion. 1323798328 OK, I'm curious. We all get fooled at one point or another (which is why its important to be a critical thinker) ... so are there any skeptics out there willing to admit that somebody managed to fool them yesterday (1st Apr) with a prank? 1301767038 I feel bad putting this here since made this post, but, DUH [SHEEPLE WILL WAKE UP](http://xkcd.com/1013/). 1332462220 We all know what UFO means, the problem comes when people points to aliens as the answer. \n\nWhat evidence would make me take a second look? Well, excuse my lack of imagination, I will tell you instead what isn't evidence for me, those statements that start like "We don't know what/how this can be, therefor...". And another problem about the UFOs are alien theory is that the scientific community doesn't accept it, doesn't that show something? 1339089204 It's a bug. I've seen this is video that I have shot before. Just looks really cool against a blue sky backdrop. 1352497691 I think it was disrepectful to just end and start the story of the hoarder. They should have at least given them the last spot. Ideally, when they got to the end of that horrible interview they should have rethought the whole narrative, instead of trying to fit it inside it. They should have gone in a bigger narrative about the khmer rouge and what does it means to be "true". What if something is "unproven" or "unprovable"? \n\nIn the comments someone also mentioned a text that seemed to indicate that the interviewees, felt misrepresented, that they were much more aware of the bee dropping hypothesis than what the interview let pass. 1348710588 hah, yes, there are most definitely things that I *don't* miss about Utah too. 1306711341 Maybe it's wind.\n\n/s 1332962828 If your parents do please them to bring their own handkerchief to wipe off some of the blood. Please get the blood analysed by a lab. The lab will almost definitely confirm that it's animal blood. I know thats asking your family to spend even more money but could you to help prove that hes a fraud? 1346748799 Why are all Democrats labeled as "liberals"?\n\nSome might say that Republicans are liberal with gun rights and liberal with regards to not restricting businesses with regulations. 1338554654 Hi! I noticed you guys talking about a revived thread two months ago and thought I'd join in on the five month conversation. Neither of you guys are alone in reading these threads! 1340453283 Again, none of those things point to these objects being extraterrestrial in nature. 1349509917 Dolan's on the money again... 1336117043 "Limited commercials"? I gave up before the commercials stopped. 1313686912 Elaborate 1331785714 thanks, I'm always up for checking out material that makes an effort to present the actual truth, regardless if whether that truth clashes with my worldview. However it is almost 3 AM here and I need sleep so I'll check them out tomorrow. 1338446476 And as an unemployed reditor, I would like to say... you're welcome. :) 1305145051 what...wait..uhh huh.. WHAT? 1354605368 Yes.\n\nEdit: But the thing is they brought up other stuff that they just left as a mystery, I mean really? There's radon in your water one minute, gone the next, and you just say "oh well"? 1277541114 Same! In foreign languages here. My guess is that the length of the speaker wire acted as an antenna for a particular frequency. 1326822993 *It's about aliens man , don't you get it* 1277274372 First, Jews prize education. You have to go to college, you have to get good grades, you have to read lots of books, you have to be well rounded, etc. You are expected to study hard and do well in school and ideally, get a degree in either a challenging and lucrative profession (law, IT, finance, etc.) or a scientific one.\n\nSecondly, Jews love to brag about their accomplishments and point it out as much as they can. It's kind of a constant culturally ingrained one-upsmanship and what's better to brag about than such things as Nobel Prizes and appointments to high posts in politics, finance, or the military?\n\nSo it's really a cultural thing. Jews push their kids to study hard which makes it more likely that they'll tackle challenging problems and win an award for their work at some point in their lives, and they love to brag about it which is why there are so many lists of Jews who win Nobel Prizes or become VIPs. 1313587512 r/skeptic is supposed to be about precision of thought, no?\n\nAs much as one might like to associate any crackpot organization with the most despotic government ever conceived, it just doesn't fit in this case. 1306846004 GWAAAAAP gwoop gwooop GWWWWWOOOPe gwoop 1337410782 I form my picture based on people I talk to. In schools, universities, at home, etc... 1329685892 Whenever I see a report of a study with surprising findings I look for the raw data and can't find it. Where is the link for the dataset? Doesn't NIH have the raw data?\nI must be overlooking the link.\n\nI can run my own statistical analyses with R, I don't need an interpretation of the data. Just describe the methodology and provide a dataset.\n\n 1302387301 >One interesting utterance that a puzzled Halt gives on the tape recording is, "The red, white and blue lights of the UFO are still hovering over Woodbridge."\n\n>But former USAF Security Policemen, Kevin Conde, has exclusively revealed that these lights were the result of a practical joke he played on the gullible airman.\n\n>Conde says, "I drove my patrol car out of sight from the gatehouse, turned on the red and blue emergency lights and pointed white flashlights through the mist into the air."\n\n"The bottom line is that, that was not a UFO it was a 1979 Plymouth Volare!" explains a bemused Conde. 1346510878 Here's the [Natural News story](http://www.naturalnews.com/031564_Jonas_Salk_medical_experiments.html) from the same guy who says he injected flu vax into insane patients and then a few months later exposed them to the flu.\n\nFunny thing is, he says it came out in an AP story, but the link to "AP" is just a glossary, not a link to the article. Silly me, looking for sources. 1318451804 Here's the [Natural News story](http://www.naturalnews.com/031564_Jonas_Salk_medical_experiments.html) from the same guy who says he injected flu vax into insane patients and then a few months later exposed them to the flu.\n\nFunny thing is, he says it came out in an AP story, but the link to "AP" is just a glossary, not a link to the article. Silly me, looking for sources. 1318452085 They've already said this will be their last BS 1257740520 I agree. Pseudoscience exists everywhere and wherever it is people will fall for it and some people won't. That's just the way it is. Being biased towards one way or another just doesn't make sense. 1322036305 Thanks. :) I think these shows could be a lot better, but when TV producers and executives get involved don't expect much.\n\n\n 1348508143 Downvoted by Big Facepalm. I knew it! 1316765177 LOL! That's awesome 1334080345 >First, many of the points you enumerate are direct responses to assertions made by the study's authors.\n\n[citation needed]\n\n>Second, the authors are explicitly framing the study as a study of acupuncture, not, as you put it, of sticking needles in animals. \n\nThis is not an argument. The study was putting forth a very specific test, while the author of the article you're fellating was bringing up reiki. 1275437474 Compare how you feel about this to your opinion on marijuana prohibition. \n\nOne problem is in the use of herbs that have been used for thousands of years, but which have not been tested in double-blind RCTs. These herbs may or may not be deemed effective by such testing, but laws such as this often limit the use of herbs to those who can afford to run such tests. \n\nAs an example, Chinese herbal medicine has a long history; to restrict the use of these herbs in such a way that long-established herbal formulae can not be dispensed within the Chinese community is ridiculous, rude, and frankly racist.\n\nEdit: I did not read the article just the comments. :) 1298044446 It's hard to chill when I see so many garbage posts like this all the time.\n\n Why do we even bother "investigating" them if the instant we can explain it, it's no longer paranormal? That just doesn't even make sense. \n\nSo what I get from what your saying is we should just instantly believe anything we're told that we can't explain and attribute it to paranormal happenings. You're religious aren't you? It would explain your train of thought. 1330636611 A contrarian who will stop at nothing.\n\nBut if those cases she's talking about are taken at face value, then perhaps there is something there that's worth looking into, but I doubt it.\n\nPerhaps she'd be wiling to take a big dose of ionizing radiation for the sake of science. 1300527232 I have a friend who deletes his accounts every few months. He says it's so that people won't figure out who he is or where where he lives/works if he posts personal things. 1354755991 I didn't know that Fuck me right? 1346692821 It would be like hustling kids with pogs. You know that the thing is valueless, and to market and sell it you have to claim that it has some value. \n\nThat's dirty cricket.\n\nAlso, I know the placebo effect means it is not totally valueless, but you are still misrepresenting the product. 1313222864 It's heat lighting. I know because the same thing happened to me in Litchfield Beach over the summer (For those who don't know, Litchfield is about five or six miles south of Myrtle Beach.) One night I was sitting on the deck of my ocean front beach house that has been in the family since before I was born with my cousins facing the ocean and saw orange lights. They disappeared and reappeared further south a few mins later. Of course I freaked out because it is my dream to see a UFO. Saw the same thing the next night in the same exact spot. A friend saw it too and told me that it was indeed heat lighting. Didn't believe it till I googled it and that was exactly what I saw. I did see a video that someone captured in Myrtle with multiple lights stringed together. That one I can't explain. 1347504042 It is ok they have really good homeopaths for cancer now.\n\n\nBut seriously, try to get some studies which will illuminate the issue in a simple manner for her.\nwikipedia seems to provide some references:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_type_diet 1310977345 That's a helpful way of looking at it. But -- while these ideas aren't mutually exclusive -- I look at it this way:\n\nBeing *human* means we have the power to do unimaginable things with enough time and effort. We have the ability to contemplate the very universe that gave birth to us. Being human means striving to be all we can be and not passively watching the world go by, practically dragging your knuckles and de-evolving into our previous primate selves. I find these people to be in direct violation of what being *human* **should be**. Maybe not what it is, but what it should be. 1343350229 He eventually sought regular treatment. But first he resorted to woo. 1317971931 I think this was related to the mysterious 'Victor' guy with the strange (but obviously) masked voice in his video releases. Further analysis by others noticed that one of these video releases looked very similar to the backdrop of an abode of a certain Robert/Bob Dean who had released videos of himself speaking on the subject of UFO's and aliens prior to it's release. The general consensus was that it was a fake and Bob Dean was the perp. I never heard any more about it after that or searched but there's a lead if you are inclined to dig further. 1330833824 They have it on paperbackswap.com. I'll go order it now. 1324951412 Yepp. Unfortunately genuinely medicinal "natural" medicines are lumped in with alternative "medicines".\n\nFTFY 1349199178 Seriously though...we have hundreds of picutres of insignificant prisoners naked and being humilliated... but none of the most significant dead guy of this century?\n\nEdit: [Looks like they are debating a release of the photos](http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/05/white-house-officials-debate-releasing-photographs-of-bin-ladens-corpse-1.html) 1304344614 >where Watson is perplexed why Holmes doesn't know that the earth revolves around the sun.\n\nI think it was rather that he was unaware, rather than have forgotten. The reason why is correct though, he didn't see how it was of any importance to his profession whether the Earth went around the Sun or the Sun around the Earth. It was in The Hound of the Baskervilles. 1267493281 maybe try something similar to an intervention?\n\nSit down with your sister and have a serious talk, and tell her that her beliefs are bullshit and are harming her daughter. 1298631463 They never had me sign a waiver that covers their ass when they kill me. 1302189121 at least nobody got hut\n 1350659884 So, no magic? 1341512130 I would suspect that your chiropractor is very different from the standard definition, and more similar to a physio. Have fun drinking. 1347164529 the 1-10 scale is the only measurement I've ever seen in a medical situation. I think they even have a name for it. 1334847476 I'm still not sure that the whole thing isn't a well executed joke on TED. As a talk, it almost specifically targets many of the criticism of TED - the use of scientific jargon to obfuscate unknowns, psuedoscience creeping into real science, 'feeling' over data, and most importantly that the videos never contain a question and answer segment or any critical evaluation so that grand claims can be tested/explored.\n\nOther than the self made youtube video and the TEDx event, i can't find anything more on this revolutionary theory by Randy Powell. No website, no citations, not even a wikipedia page. \n\nFor now, i'm marking this one down under [Poe's Law](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poe%27s_law)\n\nEdit: wow, my short googling left me uninformed, as has been pointed out in replies. Apparently this guy is legit and believes this guff. I wasn't going to read any of the other links provided, but it's say on my brain all day and I want to know where it goes off the rails. Most things like this have at least some kernel of truth buried deep in the nonsense. 1351507222 I didn't start the original post ["If Bill Nye ever does do an AMA, this is the one question I want him to answer."](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/wphmg/if_bill_nye_ever_does_do_an_ama_this_is_the_one/), but I remembered someone ([ironicsans](http://www.reddit.com/user/ironicsans)) bringing up skepticism over **Activeion**, a product that Bill Nye endorsed.\n\nWell, today Bill Nye had his IAmA and sure enough someone asked him about it. You may or may not be satisfied with his answer, but I thought r/skeptic would be interested in a follow-up to that thread. 1343435286 Everything I say is a lie! 1301618054 will do. 1329632509 Well to be honest, I clearly haven't studied the issue as much as you have. I'm going by my own experiences with the groups in my area. From what I have seen, it doesn't work for everybody, but then, no one group does. (And ultimately, whether someone quits drinking excessively depends mostly on them, and where they are in their lives.)\n\nFor some people, it seems to help, and they enjoy going to the meetings and listening to and sharing stories. You might be right that the ideology is not all it's cracked up to be, but then, that was never really the thing I paid attention to.\n\nTake care! 1322858069 That's not really true... Also... do you have any proof? 1289332579 Dude, they're supposedly defense systems for earth. Where do you think the idea for Missile Command came from? 1342728080 If they eat steak, for one. 1346019549 Wrong answer, Hans. 1355261109 try getting M to clense her hous with burning sage? 1338972920 And yet average life expectancy rises... 1344272000 There's no such thing as ghosts, and saving money is awesome. Cheaper house, thanks. 1294503882 The study doesn't seem to bad, all it says is there was no effect from taking the supplements for vitamin D on the cold. A 300 person study isn't too bad of a size either. 1351323181 I certainly think they're wrong about that specific point, but I like their approach much better than the Ancient Aliens approach. \n\nThey basically said "we feel that this explanation of Noah's flood is has better evidence for it than the Ancient Aliens version". That's pretty much true, even if there are even better explanations for some of the details.\n\nThe ancient aliens people, on the other hand, tend to argue "There is absolutely no other explanation for this than ancient aliens!"\n\nI find the former to be much more intellectually honest. 1349304441 at least when we believe something, it's because we came to the conclusion ourselves and not because some book told us to believe it. 1327905738 Collen Thomas is a [lunatic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nFzmvsf6xI&feature=related). Cue the circus music.\n\nHonestly though, besides their entertainment value (I use that term loosely), people like these need mental help. 1336953056 Drano is the new colloidal silver. Just use small doses. 1344473412 Speaking In Tongues is the perfect example of "the act"\n\nSomeone blabbers on in a pseudo-language that often doesn't even appear to have any grammatical structure. Someone else is "anointed", and stands up and does a divine translation.\n\nIt's very simple. The most talkative angels don't speak English, so they hire translator angels to make things more meaningful to the people witnessing this hypnotically induced glossolalia. 1285275835 Unrelated, but I had a syntax assignment a few weeks back and the gloss for some of the data read 'the placenta whispers.' Creepiest shit I've ever read. 1332796432 Some other important things to know about 911:\n\nArchitects and Engineers for 911 Truth is basically one guy. He allows practically anyone to join to make it appear that there is this large group of experts who believe in the conspiracy theory.\n\nThermite is not explosive. There are plenty of videos on youtube to show how it works like this one: \nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nR6K90cR8Lg\nThis doesn't look anything like what we saw on 911\n\nSpeaking of what we saw on 911, here is a compilation of actual controlled demolitions:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eem7d58gjno&feature=related\nA common feature is the deafening booms of the explosions as they are set off in order, BLAM BLAM BLAM. In an actual controlled demolition there is no ambiguity about what is happening. You don't have a couple of people who claim they heard an explosion. Everyone in the area would have heard it. Which is why the conspiracy theories go to the thermite explanation, which is obviously not true because thermite is not explosive, etc.\n\nThese are just some of the things I like to keep in mind when confronted by 911 woo.\n 1348556170 Ah, a dot? Why would that be anything? I guess it could be any number of things. Who knows. I'm not prepared to make the leap to interstellar travelers based on a pin of light or a dot in a still picture in the sky. Heck I've had two full fledged sightings of my own and I'm still not prepared to make a leap to spacemen, spaceships or any of that. For all I know, the cool stuff could simply be more black ops projects. :-) Having said that, it could be a gull with wings tucked in flight. 1312285751 I prefer a towel, but boy do I know what you mean. 1335049145 paranoid schizophrenia... 1335347605 Oh god, I couldn't even finish the article. As soon as he pulled the old "Randi is a magician so...", I had to stop.\n\nYou know why so many skeptics are magicians? Because magicians know that your senses don't relay a 100% perfect vision of reality to your mind. Self-questioning is arguably the central theme of skepticism. If people were honest and could examine their own biases, we wouldn't have stupid shit like homeopathy.\n\nSeriously, if I hear that argument one more time, so help me FSM I will jump off a cliff. 1317755112 If you're interested on this topic, try to learn about the predictions from the Club of Rome's "the limits to growth".\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth 1338556451 Yeah, that number is also what triggered my suspicions, and also the only one I managed to find some statistics. From what I read UNESCO estimated ~1bi illiterate people back in 2001. 1320339214 exactly its already begun to spread 1348328236 Malting is a little more complicated than that. It has to happen at a specific temperature for the proper sugars to form. 1352076781 Nah, I was looking at the Carlton .gif earlier and it was still stuck in my head. 1329467823 this makes a lot of sense. i bet that even foreign corporations or governments could buy the US election through this loophole, unless there's another case brought before the supreme court 1344973941 >I'm not so much as a skeptic as I am 99.9% sure this shit doesn't work. As a scientist, I'm open to the possibility of it working, but I'm also open to the idea of being *hit* with a meteor on my way home from work.\n\nSounds like you're a skeptic to me, but that you're also confusing skeptic with closed-minded-cynic. That or I'm not understanding what you're trying to say there.\n\nYou'll probably get some kind of placebo effect, because even though you don't believe it, you'll still feel them doing stuff for you, poking you, taking an interest in your health, etc... Just because consciously you understand that it's nonsense, doesn't mean that other parts of your brain can't be affected resulting in a positive effect, but nothing more than the placebo effect. 1313636729 It's a bundle of feel-good nothing. 1356378629 Fucking Rainbows How do they work ?\n 1291762684 I believe the point was "neurotoxicity in developmental stages of brain growth". The paper itself says that adult onset users had no change.\n\nAre you sure you're being skeptic here, and not just trying to shoot the study down because you smoke yourself and think it doesn't harm you at all? 1346176902 I'm not trying to shit on what you believe, I'm only trying to make you understand that it comes from a position of privilege. Homelessness and poverty are not so black and white as someone just "not trying". The victim mentality may be paralyzing but the mentality that the world somehow conforms to your whims and desires is absolutely delusional. What happens when one guy that reads The Secret wants his football team to win but another guy that read it wants his opposing team to win? Is it just a matter of who wants it more, like some metaphysical contest of wills? \n\nI will agree with one thing you said - there is a way out of bad situations. It's not, however, just "wanting it enough". People have to take real steps to fix things - getting help from other people, sometimes finding medication to combat psychological problems, etc. You can't will away everything.\n\nAlso, just so we're clear - are you also saying that a woman that gets raped was raped because she sculpted that into her life? 1323374838 I actually agree. He's a non-theist, but "agnostic" is just how he chooses to describe himself. 1306453216 haha, that made me laugh. it's seriously hard to understand, right? \n\npersonally, i not only like meat, but i prefer my meal to still look like the animal. i'll order the whole fish. i suck the marrow out of chicken bones. i like the head, eyeballs, etc. to me, there's just something very satisfying about "meeting" your prey and consuming it entirely. you just can't get that same satisfaction out of broccoli.\n\nedit: BTW, some day i'd like to try human too, but i can't figure a way to do it legally. i'd probably have to go to some remote area where that shit is accepted. may never happen. :( 1299454573 No. They don't serve the government. The government serves them. I don't think that the government is directly involved with this kind of population reduction (aside from going to war). But the private corporations involved in it have a great influence and hold positions of power in the government. \nAs for poisoning water and vaccines. They do that to some extent (it's been accused anyway). It would be way too obvious if everybody who got the vaccine dies. They decrease fertility instead of outright sterilization. 1330131335 >But, if they say 'that video of Osama admitting guilt is kind of weird', then I think they are coming from a legitimate place.\n\nBut what if there are actually like 5 videos of him admitting guilt and talking about the success of the operation and they were all confirmed by non-government experts? 1320886186 WAIT! SHE JUST TEXTED BACK rather quickly haha. Her response was word for word "Yeah, I told you I felt surrounded by something, like my hair stood up and chills. Idk how to explain."\n\nShe didn't feel a sensation on top of her head or anything. Just ^ that. 1347832465 ~Headscreen~ 1316881349 Too bad it erroneously assumes that the christian god is the correct god and that heaven and hell exist. 1326248541 Yikes, even more variables, such as speed *and* direction would be needed to establish that it is in orbit. Obviously neither of those could be established with a single photo. 1343135195 Sometimes it happens so quick you don't really get a chance to pull your camera out. 1317513057 Agreed. However, I really hate that the term "UFO" is synonymous with "Extra-Terrestrial" in most people's minds. I do not believe that we have ever been visited by ETs. I do believe, however, that people have seen things in the skies that they couldn't explain. I just think that they had a logical explanation, such as prototype fighter planes and such. 1331942495 oh the.... 1333446144 [F.lux](http://stereopsis.com/flux/) does this for free. 1345236854 So you draw the conclusion that more funding is needed from a sample of one? 1352026946 Last night was an abduction night in my town. 1271881712 I got more stupid just reading that 1307171817 - There are a lot of stupid assertions by troofers, but to hold this up as some kind of smoking gun is pants-on-head retarded.\n\nThe 'truthers' aren't the ones who reported the building collapsing early.\n\nWhy you have to put a label to people and call them names cause they question the government is weird to me. Why do you hate people for asking questions?\n\nWhy the fuck are you in r/skeptic?\n\n- If the gubment had an official script, all of the reporting would have been consistent. But the Grand Conspiracy would have gained nothing by involving more people in the plot in the first place. Every person involved increases the risk of exposure.\n\nDuring WW2, California had a false town built overtop of a military airplane factory. Hundreds of people kept tight lipped for years. Claiming that it can't happen isn't being very skeptical cause you're only looking to validate your statement through a fallacious argument.\n\n- It was a chaotic situation, and people were reporting all kinds of hearsay. At one point, someone was reporting 12 missing planes. All it would have taken would have been for one network to misinterpret the news of the inevitable collapse as the collapse itself. Then, fear of getting scooped would have prompted other networks to report the same misinformation.\n\nKeyword being misinformation.\n\nOverstimulation causes confusion. It doesn't give you time to ingest the information, which makes it easy for misinformation to be taken as literal. They claimed it was Bin Laden right off the bat, and that's what they stuck with despite him first stating that he hadn't done it, and then a crappy ass video tape shows up where he states that he did do it, going into detail about how he hoped the planes would cause the steel to expand.\n\nNow that we've had a decade to ingest the information, applying critical thought instead of parroting the official narrative might be in best order.\n\nEither the guy was a brilliant super genius who managed to thwart the US, even with warning from Pakistan and Israel, and create a decade of fear, or the guy is a smokeshow shadow bogeyman used to get the US involved in several seprate wars, including newfound provocation on Libya, Syria, and Iran.\n\n- As to the other stuff... 7 wasn't hit by a plane... it was hit by a building. It had plumbing- maybe that's what you consider a water supply. And it was not "reinforced as a command center," the command center was merely located there.\n\nIt was reinforced, it held casefiles for some crazy investigations, and you're ignorant if you think a simple fire is the only thing that may have caused that. 1316805981 It is. However there is no doubt that a lack of dopamine causes an under stimulated brain. The question is "why?" That's the focus of those hypotheses.\n\nYou seem to have walked into a common misconception. The name ADHD is an unfortunate name. The name of a disorder shouldn't be its symptoms. It would be like calling cancer "sickness and weight loss disorder." It's a poor name. On that note, not everyone experiences obvious hyperactivity. The hyperactivity, wandering thoughts, and "broken radio" feeling are all desperate responses to try to stimulate an underestimated brain. They're not always obviously present as a result, but most people with ADHD do tend to move more than those without.\n\nYour analogy is a straw man because it compares to things that are entirely incomparable. Soccer ability is something that is learned through dedication and practice. Sure, some innate athletic skill is required as well, but this is explained through DNA too. A better analogy would not be someone who is not good at soccer, but rather someone who can't play soccer. For example, a cripple. We try to compensate their disability in certain sports by giving them apparatus to assist them, such as wheelchairs. Another example might be someone who can barely see, but can if he uses glasses. ADHD is not something comparable to sporting ability because it is something that is not only not changeable, but affects every aspect of life, unlike poor soccer skills.\n\nI have never seen any evidence to suggest that ADHD medications worsen or cause permanent ADHD symptoms in normal people. What a silly claim. 1348345131 >Yep. There's a guy on there who believes that you can use psychoanalysis to train dogs, and doesn't believe that things like operant and classical conditioning have any evidence to support them...\n\nI haven't come across this guy, but he must be awful, all the more because he's probably aware of all the evidence, plus the fact that psychoanalysis has been considered a pseudoscience for a long time... "There are two things you need to know about Freud, he's wrong and he's dead".\n\n>True, but it's probably fair to note that his scientific work is generally excellent. His philosophical speculation, on the other hand, is questionable. \n\nYeah, I was wondering about that. I saw that he has done stuff to do with stem cell research and other areas.\n\nIt always makes me somewhat concerned about learning something from an author who might be great in one area that I can't judge, but is clearly a crack pot is some other area. 1344584105 Here is the live performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WidsgIt3lfw&feature=player_embedded 1259430701 The term "energy" has become so misconstrued though. I try to explain these concepts using terms like "power level" and "yellow spikey hair"\n\nKids seem to understand it better. 1344794835 You wanna show us some of that evidence? Anything at all? 1306548204 Wait...so now there are people blame Bigfoot for faking the Moon landings?!?! What's next? That the Loch Ness Monster was the shooter on the grassy knoll? 1321816318 Grand Rapids, MI here. We don't get anything out here :-( 1317044796 Yeah but like the article says. Ammonia is used in other processed foods that people don't seem to have a problem with. I could understand if this whole thing started over someone getting sick from ammonia or another part of the manufacturing process, but its just uninformed paranoia. 1350590817 True, but if you really want to you, then you can sometimes follow the chain. I think the OP is complaining about when it's more like **Article** via **?????** and it's near impossible to track down the source. 1300601295 "solved" = a quoted source uttering, "it might be ball lightning"? 1291384233 What is the first one? 1315210826 You mean, how it's used in **conventional** medicine to help people handle some nasty symptoms? 1318869186 Yeah, not really a "Skeptic" article, but it was worth the read. I didn't realize that the NAR had ties to Uganda.\n\nThey have a [strong presence](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/International_Transformation_Network) in Uganda in the form of ties with [Ugandan government leadership](http://www.talk2action.org/story/2009/12/4/134435/084). You might know that in 2009 Uganda passed what's labeled as the "Kill the Gays Bill" and they are [loosening the definitions](http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2012/11/13/50929) for what might constitute a gay act and removing the need for proof.\n\nIn Uganda we can see clearly what these people would have happen if they could have this level of influence in the US. This idea that demons are the cause of homosexuality plays on peoples' fears and clearly leads to hate-filled legislation. They believe that homosexuality is caused by demons and this fear-fueled legislation calls for death. I don't see that extreme of legislation happening in the US- I think it's out of reach for now. But it angering to know that these people are stirring the pot in other countries. 1353964420 I think it's supposed to be [this guy](http://www.gold2live.com/blue-karason.jpg)\n\naccording to [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argyria):\n\n>Paul Karason, a Californian man whose entire skin gradually turned blue after consuming colloidal silver made by himself with distilled water, salt and silver, and using a silver salve on his face in an attempt to treat problems with his sinus, dermatitis, acid reflux, and other issues. This happened because he drank gallons of colloidal silver per week for years. 1344454628 >I have a friend who is an avowed skeptic and atheist, and a couple weeks ago she brought up homeopathy to me *while we were on a walk*.\n\nThere's your problem. I am as skeptical as they come, but I heard from a friend that walking decreases your "skeptical energy" by as much as 75%. And his friend heard it from a guy with a PhD. So you know it must be true. 1309274178 No. A lot of stupid stuff happens in the world, if I wasted my time getting angry at all of it I'd be pretty miserable. 1341160034 this episode was brilliant, I watched it the other night, I was laughing so much when Uri said he has been *attacked by spoons* flying out of his cutlery drawers at home 1286839627 I had this with the simpsons when I was younger. I consider myself mostly a skeptic and boiled it down to this. The show shows reruns in order. I had seen them so many times I intrinsicly knew the order and if i missed a couple days I still knew what was next. What furthered that was there were 6:30 and 7:00 pm showings, each was at a different place in the series. So I had twice as many chances to memorize it subconsciously. Also twice that probability of knowing the episode. 1340159825 Doesn't work like that. The vast majority of the worlds electricity is generated from fossil fuels. I am at work right now so I cannot research, but if you look at how many joules we need every day to maintain this standard of living you will see that alternative energy sources are in no way near that of oil. \n\n 1338270487 Yep, pretty certain. No way an average camera would pick up a satellite so well unless its aperture was wide open and the shutter speed very long, which would cause a flock of birds to have this type of effect on the sensor, especially if a loud noise startled them all at once. 1342566120 Shit never falls up. 1307452197 Actually if it was China or Korea, their story makes sense in context. They did not have cell phone access and B&W TV was more common then colored television. 1354562197 Upvote from me for a very put together response. Not an immediate stonewall debunker either, which, really doesnt happen enough sometimes. 1331175579 Hey man, Merican is a proper noun. 1320675817 its actually not silly at all, as that is the frame of reference term used by folks that saw UFOs during that time, 19th century and before. Medieval Europe called UFO sightings fairies, gnomes, and dragons. \n\nI feel it a bit 'silly' for folks to assume that UFO sightings started happening from 1947 onwards. Any serious UFO researcher knows that this is not the case. \n\nThey may have seen it as a 'spiritual' event then, today I see them as 'inter-dimensional entities.' In my opinion, I do believe them to be 'malevolent,' as you desire this term as opposed to 'demons' or 'demonic' in nature.\n\nUFOs materialize, and dematerialize at will. They are not always physical in nature. This is why there are many cases of UFO reports shown on radar, then for these objects to simply vanish on site. \n\nI don't see how looking into the past for UFO reports is not considered 'objective.' I consider folks who adhere to the mainstream ET theory to this day as non-objective as they do not reach out to other theories. Fact of the matter is, its much easier to peddle 'ET theory' as opposed to other theories as its 'easier to sell' to the public, since ET lore is quite popular in our culture today. 1331595666 Because I think stupid people are encouraged to breed like bunnies? I dunno, most of the people I hang out with seem to agree and are disgusted over incredibly poor parenting.\n\nOther than that? I am great. Just ask me.\n\n 1309552325 I'll let you know the next time I care about Simon Cowell or his fucking house. 1349055438 Lack of critical thinking skills. Most people in the US don't get those until they are in collage or university depending on what they decide to major/minor in. So if their parents do not teach them and they do not decide to learn on their own then they are vulnerable to this and a million other beliefs. \n\nIn Montreal where I live now many schools brought critical thinking to kids at a much younger age. I guess what would be the equivalent to 5th or 6th grade in the USA. \n\nOne thing they did was show us a fo-documentory about a spaghetti tree and then they would quiz everyone on it at the end. Was quite good actually and a good way to point out to some students how naive they were. From the reaction I saw in the other students and how they were after I can say it was very effective and probably life changing in the way they decided what to believe or not. \n\n\n \n 1354488122 interesting theory 1339857527 Ha! I exist in **four** dimensions. 1343570618 it doesn't seem like it's tied to any house though. will i still be able to drive it away? from all the shows i've watched it seems that the demon is usually tied to the house for some reason or other. 1325270211 I completely agree. Hypnotherapy is to stop smoking, not undo the damage it has done.\n\nIt's just one other tool in medicine's bag. 1254927200 Don't forget the crystals!!! 1354069629 >“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13). -Jesus\n\nI keep this verse in mind just for occasions like this. What would cause the Father to be glorified more than a bird appearing out of nothing? 1290042053 Yes, it was definitely an episode of My Ghost Story - S03E01 - The Demon Shadow - and it creeped the shit out of me when I saw it. 1355932773 "Doctor, my leg has fallen off"\n\n"It's my opinion that it hasn't" 1274734200 There ate technical and legal definitions. You're technically correct (the best kind of correct!) but legally organic means something different - about how it's grown, fertilized, protected from disease, etc. It's similarly stupid to how corporations can legally be declared people and money be declared speech. 1316278268 welp we're already set up on freenode if you want to come join us. We'd be happy to have you there :) 1337052984 And do a search too while your at it! 1343505415 It's a good joke, don't understand the downvotes. People should learn to not be so sensitive all the time. 1355320632 Reluctant upvote. 1327514605 It's a shame, even as an avid believer in UFO's I find it hard nowadays to believe any crop circles are real. Too many assholes with planks fo wood and ropes. 1282595289 >water being heavier than ice\n\nAlmost the truth as water is more *dense* than ice. 1299999948 No reason why it *couldn't* work, plenty of reasons why it wouldn't. I'm aware of no evidence that it ever does. 1306481558 I was raised as a young Earth creationist Christian. I'll still teach my daughter (and whatever my second child is) about the beliefs that other people have. I'll also teach them a lot of critical thinking that will hopefully immunise them against such foolishness. Stupid beliefs can be a great teaching aid, I don't think there's any risk of my children actually believing such things. 1338243024 Ok. Then I would point you to pubmed. Alternatively, for an easier time, you can look at this thread for links that people have posted. I have posted a few studies here, but obviously look into it yourself as well. \n\nI would like to point you once again [here](http://sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/category/vaccines/#Key%20Research). It has summaries of most of the papers that look into vaccines and developmental disorders. This is a start and it is not complete. This is a complex issue with complex answers. Don't let labeling and data manipulation lose track of the data that's out there. Obviously, all this research is pointless if the vaccine isn't manufactured properly, but it's a start. 1257137103 This video is clearly edited. Not saying all the videos are fake, but this video has an obvious cut. 1296775695 *"...a French weekly news and leisure magazine called VSD referred to it as an 'official report', though technically this wasn't the case since COMETA was the work of a private, non-profit, ufological study group."*\n\nLooks like this "report" was created by a private group that began with the belief in UFOs. They also just flat out say that if you can't explain the 5%, then the best hypothesis is extraterrestrial. Sorry, that's wrong - the best hypothesis is "we just don't know, but there is no positive evidence that it is extraterrestrial".\n\nYour haste to believe clouds your judgement. 1332267002 My mom claims to be psychic and all that silly shit and my best friends are new agey weirdos. Just let them be, you have your beliefs and they have theirs. stop trying to be intellectually superior by trying to debunk their claims. you are going to have a bad time if you try to out argue peoples closely held beliefs. just accept their weird ideas and not try to change them. being skeptical is cool and all but you just seem like an asshole when you try to force others to do the same. \n\nTL;DR Let them believe what they want. Don't argue or debate their beliefs. just try to enjoy yourself. 1339264321 This video is just boring and possibly a little bit annoying. Why is it here? 1335951301 I disagree, he did talk over Phill Plait in their 2nd debate, but if you listen to his podcast he's generally accepting of other ideas. Also, steven has proven he can handle people like that. 1331024981 In the 1950s. They most likely still take them seriously, just not publicly. When the Tehran dogfight case in Iran happened in 1976, the memo circulated through the highest levels of the U.S. government immediately. 1308005978 not slick enough for viral marketing 1335072499 [delusional disorder](http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/292991-overview) sucks. My aunt has it and it has turned into folie a deux with my grandma. completely ruined their relationships with the rest of the family. 1315766034 I saw a documentary that had that lady featured in it. She was burned to shit, though. Like skin graft burns. It was nasty. 1348174252 Glad I live on the southsore. I just have to worry about getting shot 1313954290 I don't see anything -.- 1349836735 thanks for posting that. 1330012449 Wow, your mom sounds like a loon. Good luck convincing her of anything. 1345527123 Not cool. Chiropractors have a habit of shooting ourselves in the foot with this kind of shit.\n\nUsually things like this are a slap on the wrist, but reporting them will at least get them that slap on the wrist and hopefully they won't advertise with stuff like this anymore. 1351156985 As lead fungineer I must warn you that his presence there could cause a shitty singularity. 1353395275 The video was enjoyable. Especially the alien butt secks. 1346859757 So I stopped taking the antibiotic. 1321929637 Imaginary friends, but actual fists. Still, as long as the confrontations are limited to Facebook, he should be exposed as a bullshitter. 1355527275 Well I've only ever used herbal remedies for little things, never anything serious. When I get migraines, I need the extra-strength bazooka shit, cause natural just can't cut it, but I've found some great natural remedies for helping mild headaches, or helping me sleep or cure an upset stomach, etc. But this homeopathy thing now sounds absolutely ridiculous. I didn't realize quite what it was and now that I know people are actually dying because they think it works.. well now I'm sad. :( 1311092253 This applies to most everything I read here. 1335735984 upvoted. 1346257694 I've heard that but not from the British guy. From the disclosure 4 hour video. 1352124375 Apparently water can be retarded. 1295280368 Up for me, just, in the UK\n\n 1306001846 Martyn Stubbs is my old roommate's nickname for his dong. 1278519961 The big ones are the *organizers!* 1314059727 Another great resource:\nhttp://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/\n\nBut like others have said, if this guy is a true believer, no amount of scientific evidence will sway him. Anti-vaxers are a lot like creationists in that way, only much more dangerous. My guess is he has an Autistic kid who he believes was vaccine injured. Kind of scary the guy is teaching science. I would definitely take it to the chair if he goes through with this. 1302808653 May be, but I don't give a shit. The man *walked on the mother fucking Moon*. 1330004673 The video linked from NUFORC isn't very impressive, probably just Chinese lanterns which seems to be a popular fad this summer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGkI2_k2FuQ&feature=youtube 1347223110 That's interesting. I didn't know your body would switch back like that. 1349892567 If it isn't saucer shaped, then it isn't a true ufo, it's just an airplane the person thinks is a ufo. That's why. Aliens aren't real, the government has made flying saucers we don't know about. 1272692723 Ive been hearing stuff like this since i moved back in my old house i used to live in with my girlfriend before she died.... I am back and stuff falls out of cupboards and drawers. Hearing footsteps and knocks, bad smells, constantly feeling cold. My new girlfriend who lives with me has heard the knocks, and had glass cups "jump" as she said, out of the cupboard... But i posted my story and people just think im crazy... Ah well 1340182629 sorry I misunderstood. Turns out we agreed all along :-P 1353640183 > Yes and no, some explanations require more and more speculation and complexity as you dig further, others require less and less.\n\nAs long as you agree that "Party X is lying" is pretty simple, then we don't have any disagreement. 1241047755 R/skeptic doesn't believe in 9/11 conspiracy theories. 1354756041 She replied to my question of ethics http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/gzww4/iaman_internet_psychic_ama/c1rk39v?context=3 1304203539 Smoking a joint with pets around is not usually ideal. 1354582260 Smoking a joint with pets around is not usually ideal. 1354582273 Smoking a joint with pets around is not usually ideal. 1354585048 Smoking a joint with pets around is not usually ideal. 1354598489 If she gets angry when you ask reasonable questions that she can't answer, maybe an emotional appeal will then work better. Tell her you're so sorry that you offended her that you're going to kill yourself, and down an entire bottle of homeopathic sleeping pills in front of her.\n\n(Make sure they're "genuine" homeopathic pills. One of the other problems is that the industry is entirely unregulated, and you can slap a "homepathic" label on basically anything in some places; e.g. [Zicam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zicam#Safety_concerns)) 1306456610 It's pretty friggin obvious that she's using an ear horn. 1288359842 What links? 1283459480 It's the assertion that the former assertion is **untrue**. The burden of proof may be on the other side, but **you may still be wrong**.\n\nRussell's teapot isn't unfalsifiable. It's just very difficult and useless to falsify it. 1282902174 >There's an objective probability (like in the case of the red/blue cards) that isn't based on what I know or think, and not knowing what that probability is does not make it equal.\n\nOk, but the answer to all your questions of probability remains 50/50. Both are equally likely.\n\nYou have nothing to even suggest it's anything else and there are two possibilities. The only reasonable answer is 50/50.\n\nAnd probabilities are always subjective. That's because we pick the variables and there's always unknowns. We'd have to be omniscient for this to not be the case. Probability is a man-made measure, not an actual statement of probability. It gives us a general idea which may or may not be true, based on what little we know. Nothing else.\n\nLike the coin flip. Which is more likely, heads or tales? 50/50? How about the wind? My thumb sticks to the tales side sometimes. What's the probability that the flip will be uninterrupted? What percentage of times do coins fall on their length rather than on one side or another?\n\nBut you still say 50/50, right? Even if that is never achieved when doing coin flips. You could also calculate probability based on experience. What if I get tales 8 times and heads 2 times? I now have empirical evidence that the odds are 80/20? What number is the appropriate number to calculate average? What if it's 70/30 after 70 trillion flips? We could correctly calculate the probability 700 times and never get the same result.\n\nThere is no objective probability. Probability doesn't exist outside of human minds. The true probability that aliens built the pyramids is either 1 or 0. The true probability that humans built the pyramids is either 1 or 0. The true probability of you getting heads or tales is either 1 or 0. The true probability of the coin never even landing is either 1 or 0. There are no chances and there are no alternate possibilities to any event. It either happens or don't and the mechanisms leading to this event form a perfect consequential chain that starts with the "appearance" of a Universe. Therefore, the true probability of any two choices is 50/50. The most seemingly unlikely event is just as likely to occur as the most seemingly likely event. Your tiny little perception, as a chained prisoner in the bottom of a cave who watches the shadows, does not dictate the likeliness of events to occur.\n\nYou don't even know if you exist. 1349352353 Probably aliens. 1326813601 You realize the original article is called [Did an Unholy Trinity Kill Jesus?](http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/07/did-an-unholy-trinity-kill-jesus.html) \n\nThat's a little different from "Could Jesus have died in a few hours rather than a few days, like everyone else?"\n\nEdit: additionally, the people writing articles like these tend to have a motive other than curiosity or fun 1311620892 Apparently, it only aired once and only on 5 channels, which all adds further mystery to it. Fortunately, someone taped it to vhs, otherwise it may have been lost forever. 1325372080 PALMco does solicit [door-to-door](http://www.palmcoenergy.com/careers.cfm) and that was probably a legitimate sales man. The company, however, has a [C rating on the BBB](http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/Business-Reviews/heating-contractors/palmco-in-brooklyn-ny-120936/complaints#breakdown), a large number of the complaints about advertisement/sales issues. What reviews of the company there are online are [extremely negative.](http://www.yelp.com/biz/palmco-brooklyn) 1342892023 Yes, I'm aware of this, my sarcasm must have failed :( 1330394837 >Fuck Off\n\nThanks for the offer, but I'll politely decline. :-)\n\n>Those problematic adjustments go beyond Iceland, as you'd know if you' bothered to read the link.\n\nI did read the link, and though the adjustments go beyond Iceland, the only climatologist to weigh in so far is the gentleman from Iceland.\n\nNow, I'm not saying that the adjustments *are* correct, but to argue that an artificial warming trend has been willfully introduced, which is the point that Homewood seems to be trying to make, is going too far IMHO.\n\n>Your question ("are you saying that the GHCN temperature record is trustworthy?") is obviously unanswerable to anyone of a skeptical mind if no one outside NOAA is able to replicate exactly what has been done.\n\nSo, do you have evidence that *no one* outside of NOAA has been able to replicate what has been done? Again, I'm all for making sure the data sets are accurate, but rushing to accuse the folks at NOAA of fraudulently (or even mistakenly) introducing such adjustments smacks of an attempt at poisoning the well to me - and since you were quick to attack a good site with lots of peer-reviewed links (Skeptical Science), this doesn't bode well for this new attack on NOAA...\n\n>If your were consistent, your statement "copy-pasting the same post in various sub-reddits does feel kind of douchey" should apply to the OP (/u/butch_is_stupid) who's been cross-posting this all over.\n\nThere's a difference between cross-posting an article, and copy-pasting comments. B_i_s *did* copy/paste comments, but that was to reply to your original copypasta... 1332274469 Publisher & Editor in case you want to fire them off an email about their mentally deficient "reporter".\n\nScott Schmeltzer\n\nPublisher\n\nPhone 507-379-3420\n\nE-mail scott.schmeltzer@albertleatribune.com\n\nTim Engstrom\n\nMANAGING EDITOR\n\nPhone 507-379-3433\n\nE-mail tim.engstrom@albertleatribune.com 1334290648 The way it sounds like it is being played out...disclosure isn't happening ALL at once. Tid bits of info are being released as these years have gone on...to get the people ready for contact. Not everyone working in the government wants the truth to stay in. The Mayan 9th wave as predicted as a galactic unity is certainly on it's way to being real. I mean look at all the evidence. BUT they WILL try to trick us into believing they are here to harm us I believe. Well...actually millions believe that. \n 1342762766 Many times. The only problem with sharing stories or experiences is that there's always someone who thinks they can explain them. 1337961976 Depends on who's asking, I'm sure. 1344611361 The stupid's always been winning. Luckily, it's winning less and less as time passes. 1292954923 No I completely understand, it's like having a dream of having a memory, and the you have that memory, and you're like oh shit, I had a dream that I was remembering this. 1354702734 Good point. However, as you've said, most of it is bullshit. Anyway, thanks for clarifying. 1256832628 I actually don't support the death penalty but if anyone deserves it, this guy does. It's one thing to scam people for money, it's another to sell a fake device that could lead to thousands of deaths. 1342087344 ~~The internet~~ real life: a cruel and vile place where crazy people are taken seriously. 1323226478 Unless, for some reason white cells were unusually attracted to a particular coloring compound, this is complete bullshit. 1297477149 Yes. It doesn't matter. Come and kill me. 1320992997 it's clearly modern, its fresh rock, if it was 100's or 1000's of years old it would not be that colour 1344530063 We've never talkd about that before! 1268862967 Yeah, and why would artificial life need food or oxygen? 1348868257 I got sleep paralysis once when I was in my late teens, I woke up and I could only move my eyes, but it didnt last very long, no more than a minute. I feel like mine was brought on possibly because I had been experimenting with drugs, mainly cough syrup and ecstasy. I stopped all that stuff and discovered the wonder that is beer and havent had an episode since. I know there is folklore surrounding this phenomena but I find it a bit odd you posted this in /Paranormal. 1354516488 I claimed nothing, I just linked to a website . . . 1350249470 14 months isn't too late. 1329648133 [Relevant.](http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html)\n\nJust because we don't know, doesn't mean we know nothing. 1308606710 proof that ikea is evil 1312379141 "She gets a cold, come in and gets her adjustment and in within three or four days she's perfectly fine."\n\nThat's true.\n\n"She gets a cold, and in within three or four days she's perfectly fine."\n\nAlso true.\n\n"She gets a cold, come in and gets her adjustment and in within three or four days she's perfectly fine *because giving an infant an aggressive back rub has anti-viral effects*."\n\nWell, that's just stupid. 1323979616 "no particular prominence or significance"\nWTC 7 was a very significant building, it held the offices for countless federal agencies including FBI, CIA, and the SEC just to name a few. The SEC lost a huge amount of case files on current and closed investigations. \n 1315519229 Inhofe tried to refute climate science with scripture. FIFY 1331333175 you read my mind 1318930325 According to the [Society for Integrative Oncology](http://www.integrativeonc.org/), he's supposed to be using botanicals, etc as "complementary" treatment, which I would take to mean, along with conventional, proven methods. \n\nAlso:\n\n>It makes a clear distinction between "alternative" or unproven and "complementary" or tested useful therapies in cancer care.\n\nIt looks like "complementary" treatments and "alternative" treatments have been lumped together, though clearly the second seems more dangerous than the first (since the placebo effect of alternative treatments may well have a positive effect on the comfort, pain relief, and mental/emotional state of the patient). I don't understand how any proper doctor with proper training would eschew proper treatment for crap like Ayurveda. 1276272422 * Profits? Who knows? For fun or boredom? Or perhaps her church gains more followers and a larger tithe due to her being a "celebrity".\n\n* Stigmata? I don't recall seeing a continuous shot with the camera, but dyes can have time delays or be activated by IR.\n\n* Rose? Hidden roses in her blouse or palmed would be the easiest, perhaps she even inserted the stems into her skin. We never see shots of them "materializing" from no where.\n\n* Exactly when do they show peer results on the "gold dust"?\n\nEdit: I should say that these are possible reasons and methods. There is no way to know the truth unless experiments are performed and data collected. 1345447435 reminds me of the time traveler video on youtube that is floating around. You can check it out. your story reminds me of it. Actually here is the link: \n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9pyNALKGL0 1350542653 There's a difference. In one sense, we have psychics who - to stay legal - say "for entertainment purposes only", and then proceed to milk as much money from clients as possible. In the other, we have a magician who genuinely uses his stage to entertain. 1352661839 Age 20? I've seen those my whole life, and I'm only 19. They tend to look like tiny squiggly lines with no color to them, just a squiggle that floats off in a random direction if I focus on them. Interesting, though :) 1353901774 At least you'll see them coming. 1332476981 The day his shit got tossed around he didn't have his phone on him. I came home to his room destroyed, and him banging on the sliding glass door crying. I tried many times to prove to myself that Ryan could have locked himself out, but the lock on the sliding glass door had to be pushed UP with about five pounds of force, so gravity couldn't do the work when slamming or shutting the door. I tried slamming and shutting the thing with the lock already in place and it would just bounce back every time. I had to believe him. We really didn't want to go the paranormal activity route and start filming shit because I was too terrified to antagonize it... I just wanted to get through those months as quickly as possible :( 1353180192 I still maintain the biblical references to giant Nephilim actually means *giants among men* ("the same were mighty men of old, men of renown"), but the illuminati (who have edited all the bibles through the years) have propagated the myth that they were literal giants. What the watchers imparted to mankind was not gigantism, but psychopathy; and when the bible speaks of them devouring mankind itself when it could no longer satisfy their appetite, look around at what that lizard brained, conscience-free 1% is up to today. 1331322016 13% of high school biology teachers should be fired 1296285721 Well if the outside was compromised due to being washed ashore they would have absorbed a large amount of water and would be extremely heavy. 1329952258 By doing so, those people dismiss the science that is indeed in psychology e.g., the Weber–Fechner law. 1347079114 > Of course, they are only warning signs—even a claim with several of the signs could be legitimate.\n\nYou're right about mathematics though. Some will argue otherwise, including [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics), but it is only a system of logic. It may follow the scientific method pretty well but its level of abstraction makes it a tool of science and not a science itself. 1253075345 > But if I'd gone the AA route I'd still be a druggie.\n\nHow is that assertion any different than the hundreds of thousands of people who assert "If I hadn't gone the AA route I'd still be a drunk"? 1321628371 Maybe it was just an early morning daze? I know that sometimes when it's early I'll just shut down for a second or too. Maybe time escaped you. Everything finishing at the same time could just be a strange coincidence. 1328634387 Meditation is perfectly legitimate if you remove the feel the universe woo from it. 1345835679 no, sorry. that comment is misplaced. I was summing up what that website says, not what you were saying. 1324845672 Best post on the subject yet! 1344900347 I have my own types of beliefs for certain things, but I don't deny anything, ie: conspiracies and such. They are not for me but I acknowledge that they can be a full reality for those that find them thrilling. 1343157838 I was thinking more on the family basis.... The healthy people in the family should get vaccinated in order to reduce the their own germiness... this would protect the babies/old people in their lives.\n\nKinda like a herd...a very small herd. 1350409287 [DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE QUEERS ARE DOING TO THE SOIL?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xuvcpjf1JU)\n\n>Now Stuart, if you look at the soil around any large U.S. city with a big\nunderground homosexual population - Des Moines, Iowa, perfect example.\nLook at the soil around Des Moines, Stuart. You can't build on it, you\ncan't grow anything in it. The government says it's due to poor farming.\nBut I know what's really going on, Stuart. I know it's the queers.\nThey're in it with the aliens. They're building landing strips for gay\nMartians. I swear to God. 1329754442 > produce can be non-GMO without being organic.\n\nAnd fair-trade coffee might not be labeled as such, or milk from cows not treated with growth hormones, or non-sweatshop clothing. It seems like the more serious error is selling someone a GMO product when they think it isn't, and that's already solved by "certified organic". 1352424170 I don't think a debate would be very enjoyable... Stanton has no solid evidence, and that's all that would need to be said. He has argued with Bill Nye and that was awful to watch. 1323957205 kind of like, a ufo? since when do cars fly in the sky, anyway? 1299629873 The Guardian only cares about free speech when it fits their agenda. They've had articles calling it racist to say "support israel defeat jihad" and supporting vandalising posters that say it. They pretty much openly support terrorist groups including letting them pen columns. 1350074711 Great video! You should find out if anyone else saw this. 1341126885 I had to take this 30 seconds at a time. This is so awful! 1326987269 Wouldn't the notion that 'organic' food is just as safe as any other food be..well..a pro to organic food? One of the biggest complaints about 'organic' food is the idea that it's less safe. The article itself also focuses on the nutritional aspect that the study focused on.\n\nBut whatever the case, your vitriol is a tad overboard. Right-wing doesn't inherently mean anti-science (especially since it's Canadian right-wing, which is essentially centre in America).\n\nI just have a knee-jerk reaction to the way you characterized it as "anti-science fucking stupid right-wing" instead of just explaining why you think the article is misleading. And isn't this just an opinion piece anyways? 1346929545 Hmm, interesting. Those are the exact pills James Randi overdoses on when talking about homeopathy. 1306946027 People haven't been healed by faith healers. It's always been a fraud. \n\nBy your logic, there is no scientific triage. We do not have unlimited funds and resources. In dollars or minds.\n\nIf you want to protect people from bad science, fine, emphasize strong scientific education in the public sector. You can do a plethora of these studies, but if people are ignorant and not educated it won't matter. \n\nA scientific hypothesis has to be grounded in reason and solid evidence, these sorts of things are not. Q e d, they are not worth studying from a scientific perspective 1325013738 The platinum ratio is 2:1. Two sides to a leaf (dicot). Two eyes. Two ears. Two thumbs. Double helix DNA. Two oxygen atoms in water, the most common compound in our body. Two parts to a heartbeat. Two possible values for a bit in my computer. I'M GONNA WRITE A BOOK AND GET RICH!!!!!! 1338355939 Two things:\n\n1. I'm an audiophile. Yes, I know. But it doesn't quite apply to me since I've spent a lot of time arguing with cable nuts and calling out scam artists. I also build my own gear, which is uncommon. I go by measurements and love my test gear. I only bring this up because a lot of people dismiss audiophilia because of the scams. There are a lot, for sure. However, if you DIY and buy from the honest manufacturers, you get stunning performance. It really is good. Plus it's not that expensive. You can get killer sound for around $1k and move to world-class for $3k-$5k. Not cheap, but $5k spread over 20 years of use is a bargain considering how much better your music sounds.\n\n2. Dowsing. I can't rationally believe in it, but did it once when I was a kid. Family friends had a big ranch and during one visit, my friend's father had two L-shaped rods. You held one in each hand, with the rods pointing forward. The rods would swing out if they were over water.\n\nI watched a few people do this, then they handed them to me. The rods actually moved and I traced the path of a sewer line with them. I didn't know where the sewer line was before I used them.\n\nI don't know what happened or if there's a rational explanation. But the rods seemed to move by themselves and I traced a source of water I didn't know was there.\n\nAlso, the ranch's owner used the dowsing rods to locate the sites three wells on the property. They drilled where the readings were strongest. Each time, they hit water and got really good production. Coincidence? 1335044447 No way either of those guys are actually practicing. No way. 1335796869 There was no rage. Come down off your pedestal. \n\nThe question is, why do you label people "mad" when we ARE discussing these topics? Are they not valid topics? Are you an adult enough to speak about them openly? \n\nStart with the first question. 1295143732 >I understand not wanting to have too pay for something you don't feel like you need, but vaccines are safe, effective, cheap, and save lives. There is no reason why everyone in this day and age should not be vaccinated.\n\nYou suggest the microbes we have yet to discover and put in vaccines are already proven safe. You are mistaken.\n\n>When you sit down to write a program, do you begin by creating a new programming language?\n\nWhen I write a program, I design the program using data modeling and a verity of other tools. There is a process to prove that programs will work, before they are built. You can do that.\n\nWhen I design break pads, I go into Autocad and draw them to specification. I can prove the break pads work before they are built.\n\nYou can not do the same thing with microbes. You can not design, prove, and then build them. They guess what microbes might work, find those, and start the boring process of trial and error.\n\nVaccines are not designed. They isolate the pathogen, and they have a good idea of what they are looking for in a microbe. But, you know they do not design the microbe before hand, and prove it works. It's simply trial and error. They are looking for a needle in a hay stack. Perhaps they design a smaller haystack, but that's all.\n\nYou can not prove a microbe is safe simply by calling it a vaccine. It requires trial and study.\n 1335444470 That seems more or less reasonable. Long before I decided that AGW theories are probably true, I, like you, thought we should not count on cheap fossil fuels being around forever, so acceptance of AGW didn't really change the side I was on. It sounds like you're already on our side too. I just had to point out the difference between global cooling in the '70s and global warming now. 1269617218 >This is a really good reply!\n\nThanks. Your reply too!\n\n>No question about it! Theoretical physicist Richard Feynman describes this very eloquently, using the game of Chess as the analogy, in this 2m49s interview excerpt. Similarly, but less eloquently, Carl Sagan had this to say at the UFO Symposium: "In physics, as in much of all science, there are no permanent truths, There is a set of approximations, getting closer and closer, and people must always be ready to revise what has been in the past thought to be the absolute gospel truth."\n\nI love Feynman. I watched his video on how magnets work, and another on the scientific method. Very eloquent speaker. \n\n>I have a dual-response to "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence." It never really sat well with me. On the one hand, it ensures that all possibilities must be considered. This is true! The first step of scientific discovery, after all, is making a guess and then testing it. But on the other hand, the phrase is often wielded by someone who is unknowingly making an argument from ignorance. You can use "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" to defend nearly any untested/unproven guess.\n\nTrue. In fact, when typing this portion of the reply, I thought of how the maxim could have been abused. By itself, it's not enough to defend a theistic argument for God's existence, for example. In fact, you may be well aware of the parody: you can't prove that there's not an invisible teapot orbiting around Jupiter (Russel's Teapot). Indeed, it can spawn pseudo-skepticism. Christopher Hitchens supplies a counter-point: That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence. Unfalsifiable assertions can be safely rejected. The trouble, for me, is determining *which* evidence qualifies as such. In the absence of physical evidence, ET proponents have an increased burden of proof to meet. \n\n>I understand where you're coming from with this, but if it were so, then how do we ever prove their existence? I get your counter to the unfalsifiable debate, but it doesn't solve the problem. What you're suggesting, basically, is that UFOs can't be investigated scientifically due to restrictions in technology/knowledge, but we know that they're there because people see them. Could this be applied to angels and demons, too? And if so, then what? If the standard of evidence is taken to this level, then we might as well consider anything at all, regardless of whether or not it defies all known physical laws. So I'm not really sure what to do with this approach.\n\nThe restrictions are not so severe as to render the hypothesis unfalsifiable. Here's my position. Extra-terrestrial craft (let's assume *a priori* for the sake of argument) leave physical imprints on the ground when they land. These traces have been documented; ergo it's an abstraction of physical evidence. While we don't possess the material itself hypothesized to be of ET origin, we retain extensive documentation of traces purported to be from physical craft. But critically, *if it can be shown that no conventional phenomena can account for anomalies*, then the ET origin claim becomes stronger, in my view. \n\nI'm not advocating that we systematically rule out *all* conventional explanations, but rather in a case where this occurs, it can be classified as an 'Unknown'. Most UFO reports *are* missed Knowns. Further, if the evidence tabulated is of high-quality, then the probability of it being a misidentified Known would drop dramatically. Unfortunately, since we can't prove a negative, we could not *positively* identify the origin of the purported craft trace -- we could only say where it was likely *not* to have originated from. Even so, in one sense we could proclaim it to be extra-terrestrial, even if we're unsure from where *outside* of Earth it originated. \n\nIn short, ET proponents have the increased burden of deciding which evidence should be introduced for consumption, *in light of the fact physical evidence itself cannot seem to be supplied*. Anecdotes alone aren't convincing. However, anecdotes aren't equal in substance to high quality observations with detailed testimony (photographs, charts, radar traces, consistent account) from credible witnesses (e.g. pilots, astronomers) who possess specialized training to positively identify particular phenomena. \n\nIt follows that if several of these are ruled out, it becomes more likely that we're dealing with a genuine Unknown, until a likely naturalistic alternative is posited. This is why I asked earlier if credible testimony can substitute for controlled variables -- since under certain conditions, they perform the same function of mediating certainty. We welcome skepticism -- some, like myself, are skeptical of most reports. There are times where skepticism just isn't helpful in eliminating the good reports from the bad ones, like demonic possessions; there's no convincing evidence to begin with. \n\nThat's why I'm careful not to lump in the ET hypothesis as being equal in substance with angels and such. We have tangible evidence of the former. We don't have tangible evidence of the latter. Tangible meaning physical traces which can be hypothesized to have been ET. It's complicated further with the cognitive biases humans possess, which is also why human error must be taken into account. A daunting task for any team of serious researchers, but rewarding in the end. \n\n>This, for the most part, mirrors my position. He said that back in the 60's. Since then, we have accumulated a copious wealth of knowledge on the ways that our brains operate, mostly thanks to patient neurology, and we continue to discover new ways in which our brains are capable of bullshitting us completely.\n\n>This causes an instinctual aversion in some people. "So you mean to tell me that science says I can't even trust my own perceptions? How arrogant!" I understand the reaction. It's a natural reaction. But it's still true. From inattentional blindness to apophenia and everything in-between, our brains seem to be exceptionally imperfect at perception.\n\nIndeed. As new psychological processes unveil themselves to us, we may retroactively analyze historic accounts in the annals of UFO mythology to determine a significant degree of human fallibility. Thanks for the links, by the way. :)\n\n>That's very fair. My standard of evidence is that I want something physical to investigate. This may seem too simple, but that's where I'm at. To quote this article: "We're assuming here that our hypothetical ET's are conceptualized as physical beings traveling in physical machines from place to place in the here-and-now universe that we see around us. Concepts of 'light beings', 'interdimensional portals', or 'higher vibratory planes' we relegate to the realm of the pseudomystical." So as long as we're of the agreement that we're talking about material, then we want material in order to prove that the material is here.\n\nThat's a reasonable standard in light of what's being discussed. What are your thoughts on physical *traces* as extensions of direct material evidence? It's neither metaphysical nor directly tangible. It's an in-between, it seems. What can the traces tell us, if conventional accounts have been ruled out, and it's of high-quality? We can't positively identify it to be ET, but we can say with certainty what it's *not*. This is a hypothetical question, mind you. It's certainly the case that many purported ET traces have been misidentified. Crop circles would be a great example. \n\n>The implications aren't the reason that I can't make the leap to proof of extraterrestrial visitation from UFO reports. I just need something physical.\n\nOh, okay. Thanks for clarifying. :) \n\n>Well, I would really love to know that we aren't alone in the universe! So by that measure, I would say that if I have any abstract bias, it's in the support of extraterrestrial life, rather than the dismissal of it. I have no spiritual or ethical aversion to it. Rather, I'm attracted to it. I want to see non-Earthly life, very much. I subscribed to /r/UFOs, after all!\n\nThat's an interesting perspective! It's rare for someone so interested in the chance of extraterrestrial life to be so critical in his analysis. But I suppose this is an extension of your wanting direct physical evidence. Understandable :) \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n 1345157284 >if problems arise they will take them to a hospital anyways\n\nThat's what a friend of mine, who I begged to not go through with it, said. The thing I just couldn't hammer in was that it could take hours between recognizing there was a problem and getting to the hospital. The kid's a mess. And while being in a hospital wouldn't have prevented everything, it would have been far less severe. \n\nThe entire thing just strikes me as stupid. Parents willing to risk the wellbeing of their children so they can get a warm and fuzzy feeling about the birth and have bragging rights with other parents. \n\nEdit: And they always seem able to rationalize the harm they did to the kid. Her excuse is that it was 'meant to be'. She's even tried suggesting that the kid's like that not because she made a bad choice, but because he's the reincarnation of someone who had those conditions in a past life and who chose to bring them forward with them. Seriously. 1259694748 I learned this from The Sopranos. 1354740206 Which is like the Ice Cream Council saying your ideal weight is 200 kilos. 1280905721 As soon as I read that I put down my iPhone and slowly backed away into the shadows, ne'er to return again.\n\n...except to post this comment I guess. 1343538896 Thank you so much, this is perfect. All this has been good info. 1306857295 I think another redditor spoke of this.. http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/zotnc/can_someone_explain/ 1347362291 Why as a spirit would you want to live as a freaking doll? 1348576319 THAT AUTOMATICALLY, BY DEFAULT, MEANS JESUS DID IT! NO OTHER DEITY OR REASON JUST JESUS! 1314379527 Those are some pretty shitty "experts" they've got there! 1290272403 Nice post. Maybe some of these links should have a permanent home over there on the sidebar thingy ---> 1302846338 I'll be the slight devil's advocate. Vaccines are helpful to a majority of people, and harmless to a vast majority of people. There are people who have severe allergic reactions to vaccines, but the benefits of vaccines *far* outweigh the small chance that your kid is allergic. Unless your child has already had an allergic reaction to a vaccine, there is no reason not to get one.\n\nIn fact, vaccines aren't effective in all people. Some people have weak immune systems, or just randomly don't produce antibodies to the vaccine. They are protected by the fact that, if enough of the population is vaccinated, the virus will be too rare in the population to spread to them. If you refuse vaccinations you're not only putting your own kid in danger of becoming sick, but you're also putting every single child for whom vaccines don't work at risk as well.\n\nThe link between vaccines and autism is bullshit. The only peer-reviewed study to show a strong link between vaccines and autism was completely fraudulent, and was one of the only two papers *ever* retracted by the Lancet. There is absolutely no evidence to show a link and an enormous amount of evidence showing no link.\n\nI'll close with [this](http://jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html). Vaccine refusal kills. 1329510353 I'm sorry to see you've been voted down so much, because people seem to be misunderstanding you. I don't think you're quite correct with the following statement, though:\n\n> the amount of information the player personally has in his brain doesn't change the very real and static probability of whether the car is behind the door or not.\n\nThere's no such thing as a "real and static probability." Everything depends on the information the observer has. The contestant knows which door he picked first, and knows that switching gives 2/3 chance of picking the car. Someone who walked in and doesn't know which door was picked first has no idea, and has a 1/2 chance of picking correctly. The host knows what's behind all the doors, and has 100% chance of picking correctly. 1297258829 Oooo goody!!! Merci beaucoup! 1314731900 Dude, the fact that they broke down mastering compression into terms that (while ambiguous, and not strictly accurate) lay-men can understand is not really a crime... The loudness wars are definitely real, music has been getting stupidly loud in the last 10-15 years... That's observable fact (too lazy to source, google it). And bebop quoting melodies and chord progressions does not open it to comparison with modern commercial pop music. Any given bebop track is demonstrably orders of magnitude more complex than your average Rihanna/Minaj/Bieber tune. Sure, Motown put out some pretty simple tunes, but it's not a massive stretch of imagination to consider that things may have gotten even simpler. \n\nThe very nature of Pop music makes this a likely path in fact. Consider that the goal of any commercial track is to sell as many copies as possible. The best way to do it is to be as catchy as possible. The best way to be catchy is to eliminate complexity. Therefore music who's sole purpose is to sell will get simpler over time... \n\nThat's not to say that the article doesn't lay it out very badly. But I'd say it's worth a read of the actual study that they're talking about before writing it off as garbage. \n\nTl;dr concept of music getting louder/simpler over time might be worth considering, even if the article spells it out very badly.\n\nSources: BMus(hons), live sound engineer in jazz, classical and rock 'n roll, amateur recording engineer and amateur multi-instrumentalist. Not saying I'm an authority, just saying I know what major/minor is, the difference between RMS and peak compression, and what a decibel actually is. 1343338694 I love Ghost Bro's! 1306373129 I'll take your word for it. I haven't personally met any paranormal entities or seen any credible evidence that anyone else has either. 1335405578 Yeah I think I mostly agree. Here in Canada, we have hate speech laws that prevent groups like WBC from doing what they do, and I don't think that many people would deny that Canada is a nation that practices tolerance. 1322406485 I hate to say it, but if all of the soccer fans disappeared, they wouldn't be missed by NASA. 1278702891 Reminds me of the time my family and I spent Christmas at the beach. My sister and I were both bitching about how "gay" the waves were, even though we were smack in the middle of the monsoon season. \n\nThe next morning, the Boxing Day / Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 happened. 1354551602 Looks to me like a random guy 1355065045 You're an idiot. 1266781487 You're an idiot. 1288330202 I just found out that a man was fatally shot in this residence a while back. I will post a link to back that up as soon as I can locate it. 1350917787 this is most likely the right answer. The one thing the videos have in common is an assumption of a common source, but there is no evidence presented to lead to that conclusion.\n 1327078967 educate yourself before you open your mouth and look stupid. 1335559580 I swear on my (small amount) of karma, the media center at my school had one of the biggest dictionaries ive ever seen. I Would take a pic, but i have no reason to enter my school. I just graduated. 1346002671 Lots of "hot button issues" and being election time, congress-critters need to show their constituents that they do stuff to get re-elected; and pandering to the religious right and their delusion of being victims is one way they can do that. 1337724904 Happened to me, except I didn't feel well rested. Sort of the same. 1352610393 Thanks! The issue I can see is that Josephus was not a contemporanean of Jesus. Philo (c. 20 BC - AD 40) sounds more interesting and it looks suspicious that there is no mention of Jesus in his writings.\n\nSo that I stop annoying you, do you know of a good book that defends the thesis that Jesus never existed? Do you know if Ken Humphreys' book is any good and honest? 1303051338 Mac is a product made by Apple. it is not the name of the company.\n\n>Mac's been skewing your sense of how much stuff should cost.\n\nno. just no. i simply haven't researched the cost of BYO hardware in a while. 1341427184 I wasn't trying to personally doubt you, I know nothing of him and only skim read the wiki article (which does seem mental enough to *surely* be a troll, but you never know- people surprise me all the time with new levels of crazy), I was just pointing out that your link was unlikely to convince rironin. 1295842469 >First paper: All volounteers use medication to control their diabetes.\n\nSo did the control group. Their diabetes did not improve. 1279550740 Because it is a CHEMICAL! 1313490574 GREAT review. Terrible show. Can't someone actually make a show that features a real investigation and scientific method? 1346018931 We are a needy group. Surely [@krelnik](http://twitter.com/krelnik) will fix it. 1275962184 "Well, he seems to have been beaten up and mugged, so what we have to do now is gently tap him all over, then steal a small amount of change out of his pocket". 1297942228 >This is [1] /r/skeptic, a place where we have free debate about important subjects (...)\n\nNot quite, /r/skeptic is a place for skepticism and applying it to understand phenomena past face value. This is however not what you are doing, you've made up your mind and present us with a simplistic notion that seems pretty free for skepticism. In what sense is what you present skeptical?\n\nIf you want to do political grandstanding you should pick a subreddit that's interested in it. Because to me, and it'd seem many others, simpleminded one cause "analysis" doesn't belong here. 1347790563 [It was funny 3 days ago too!](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/o3qn2/iv_resolved_to_start_using_herbal_remedies/) 1326072652 I could swear to you the same thing happened to me -- as a kid, I'm almost POSITIVE the word 'vivid' meant 'bland'. 1326509548 The 2.19 object looks exactly like an out-of-focus star in my scope. The others are harder to explain - like the first one - I have to admit.\n 1331477161 Some people restrict their empathy to their own gender. Some to their own "race". Some even restrict it to just their own family & close friends. You (and many others) appear to think that non-human animals are not deserving of empathy, probably because they are traditionally used by us for food, clothing, entertainment, etc. \n\nEthics and morals however evolve. There was a time when the idea of freeing the slaves was considered ridiculous, and those who felt that way were considered dangerous radicals. The idea of women having equal rights to men was also considered crazy for a long time. However, as you start investigating your moral beliefs, and try to make them logically consistent, you cannot just dismiss non-human animals as having no moral significance whatsoever. There is nothing magical about our fellow humans that make them the only ones worthy of receiving our empathy. Many animals feel pain, and are sentient enough to suffer, to fear, and to remember. Just because something has always been this way, doesn't make it right. You have to be skeptical. 1321879502 I don't know; that's part of the problem. 1319785244 chinese lanterns are old school hoax stuff. What's in now is the mini multi prop choppers with the led lights on them mixed with jet powered drone flights and a smattering of tards near airports with iphone cams that haven't experienced stacking or volume flight landing. less than 1% of these things are actual and of those division can further be made into natural causes. But still, there is a modicum of unexplained. Unfortunately, a lot of that gets buried under the excited ignorance of many who have access to technology that they know how to use, but fail to understand. 1318782724 [Never try to teach a pig to sing...](http://tofuphotography.blogspot.com/2009/01/singing-pig.html) 1337370246 Just know that you fit perfectly in the definition of a solipsist. 1328456528 Maybe she was using a wired connection. Oh wait. 1317298933 *chuckles*\n\nYeah, that's very true, unfortunately.\n\nMy family's always been well read (reading was my favorite pastime growing up) so we always had a larger vocabulary... but we didn't realize it. We thought these words were normal, you know? Watermelon's a four syllable word, but no one's upset if you know that one.\n\nMy mom remarried not long ago, to this guy she describes as "fun." Yeah, he's fun - they go out riding and do all kinds of crazy stuff she's never done before. But he's constantly harping on her phrasing. I live far away, so I don't deal with it all the time.\n\nSo, I went down to visit this one time, and he was going on a vocabulary spree. Trying so hard to use "big" words to prove he knew what he was doing (he didn't. It was hilariously bad).\n\nAnyway, so he asks me, "Well? What big words do you know?"\n\nI grinned and said, "Hmm. I suppose what comes to mind would be, 'superfluously verbose.'"\n\nMy mom and brother both choked on their food. The new husband had no idea what I'd said.\n\nIt was awesome.\n\nStill, it'd be nice if we could actually use all those words. They were made for a reason! Like verisimilitude. It's a fantastic definition, that applies in so many situations... but it's not going to catch on, I suspect. "Truthiness" will have to do. 1347669284 Being that you said "and it can do serious damage" and because it is about the practitioners not having sufficient training in reality, I will accept it.\n\nOn the broader context, it isn't any more about acupuncture then a death caused by some mishap in a normal biopsy. 1317744798 I could move. Or at least thought I could, since I was able to secure my blanket and pillows from falling. \nI am not discounting the idea that I just thought I did that or was back in a dream-awake state and just felt like I did, though, possibly.\nEdit: I thought there was a lot of fear in SP, but I don't think I remember being particularly afraid per se, just wondering what the heck and not wanting things to fall. 1342652457 Ninja was in reference to the swiftness of the edit rather than its stealth. \n\nIt was within the grace period where you don't get an asterisk (or shuriken?) tagging the comment as "edited". 1288024029 This is awesome and thanks! Anyone have any clues/ideas? Looks like maybe it begins w/ "FINH ..." 1351110166 If someone is paid to post about the Theory of Relativity, does that make the Theory of Relativity incorrect? Ad hominem goes both ways.\n\nEdit:\n\nNot that I'm saying that spam is okay. But you guys are screaming spam and it doesn't seem much spammier than a lot of other posts. This just seems like a witch-hunt by some people who view global warming as a religious matter and not a scientific one.\n\nAnd to be clear to you witch-finder generals, I feel the evidence for man-made global warming to be compelling, so don't burn me at the stake. I'm sort of on your side. Hopefully that's enough to save me from the pyre of cleansing. 1334158756 >"[So & So's] oldest daughter lost her appendix after the injections."\n\nOh, you mean the VESTIGIAL ORGAN attached to the colon? \n\nWhat a tragedy. 1323028580 Some people are just beyond saving and the frustration I have experienced trying to debate with them just makes me feel its better to leave them to their own devices. \n 1351720977 I don't follow your Pepsi example so I won't try to refute your point...\n\nAs a scientist, you should be no stranger to theories and speculation. That is why people like you become scientists, to test out these wild theories and to either debunk or confirm their validity. The UFO subject, for whatever reason, doesn't seem to get this rigorous scientific treatment. Why? \n\nI could sit here and tell you there's plenty of physical evidence, but you would turn around and say that there's no way to prove that it's related to the UFO phenomena. Isn't that logic a bit... flawed? You can't prove UFOs exist until you prove aliens exist? Isn't that jumping the gun a bit? Isn't that what skeptics tell believers they shouldn't be doing? \n\n> I read and watch a lot but none of it presented so far has produced ANYTHING other than testimony\n\nOut of pure curiosity, what is the most striking piece of evidence you've come across that *could*, if true, prove the phenomena? Also, have you ever personally witnessed a UFO sighting? 1294019012 Wow,...is all I can say,...so much for reading comprehension skills,...but hey, dont believe me,....\n\n\nTry comprehending [this article declaring it hoax](http://www.tgdaily.com/unbalanced/55308-hottel-memo-alien-hoax-reappears-online-after-60-years),....or [this one](http://www.blippitt.com/fbi-hottel-ufo-memo-is-confirmed-hoax),...or [this one](http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/132868/20110411/fbi-hottel-memo-reveals-ufo-hoax.htm),....\n\n\nYour choice,... or you could continue to keep your fingers in your ears while screaming lalalalala,.... 1302702556 The guy is a walking no true scotsman. If it's not exactly his opinion then clearly it's wrong/absurd/ungodly. The worst bit is he doesn't even seem aware how entangled in the web he is.. 1305237202 It is from NOVA's [Intelligent Design on Trial.](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/intelligent-design-trial.html)\n\nThe referenced segment occurs at 1:26:45\n 1300945546 If they can make videos like [this](http://vimeo.com/32241005), why the fuck are the UFO videos from the ISS such shitty quality? 1344060097 If those are really the pilots, they did a good job trying to not break protocol. \n\nI like the ending:\n\n"We've got somebody else out here with it."\n\n"Did you see anything?"\n\n"....Negative."\n\nAccompanying video track painted a good picture. 1355271289 Maybe it got caught in her hair/pajamas/whatever and fell off when she went to the bathroom? 1337062658 Regardless of whether or not plants have some electrical activity ( [seems like they can?](http://blogs.sciencemag.org/origins/2009/08/excitable-plants.html) ), this video is clearly as I said; just a music player. 1347577385 Nice link. That's a little surprising to me, to be honest. Only a little, but surprising nonetheless. Quite glad I never actual called yoga exercise now! 1326577364 Language influences thought, but not in the kind of drastic way that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis claimed. It's more a part of a subtle tapestry, weaved in with thousands of other things that affect our thoughts.\n\nIf language strongly influenced our thinking then the idea of "the arbitrariness of the sign" would probably be wrong. That is that it doesn't matter if I call a dog a "cow" a "cat" or a "狗" so long as we all agree about what it refers to.\n\nFrom acceptance of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis people conclude that speakers of different languages have strongly different ways of thinking about the world. This clearly isn't true. How we perceive the world is hardly affected by our language, or even our culture. Our perception of the world is instead a creation of our brains, brains that are overwhelmingly similar across all races or language groups or whatever.\n\nPinker spends most of what he has to say about the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, talking about how wrong it is.\n\nin a 2007 appendix of The Language Instinct, for chapter 3 Pinker writes:\n\n>"When I wrote this chapter, the Whorfian hypothesis was largely out of favour among linguists and psychologists, but the pendulum has swung back, and there is now a lively neo-Whorfian movement. In The Stuff of Thought, I review this new research and argue that the problem with the idea that language affects thought is not that it's entirely wrong but that there are many ways in which language can affect thought, and people tend to blur them together. In particular, people tend to confuse banal observations, such as that one person's words can affect another person's thoughts (if that weren't true, language as a whole would be useless) with radical claims, such as that we think in our native language, and that the language we speak makes it impossible to think certain thoughts. In the new book I argue that the major conclusion in 'Mentalese' is right - we think not in our native language but in more abstract media of thought. 1288563750 Yeah, and germans were gassing jews in the 40's, which proves that they are still doing that. 1334432527 The best argument on there is the writing of the letter Y and the no capitalization of "god". A religious person may be terribly bad at grammar and spelling, but they will ALWAYS capitalize god. 1323014844 I know it releases pressure against knots in the back. It least that's what I experience and that's what people have told me. It seems too consistent to be anecdotal or the placebo effect. 1291168802 I have a hardcore christian friend who thought this was some how an argument against atheism... Dont even get me started on that one. Regardless, I dissagreed. Science does take out the wonder and mystery of some things. At the same time, when it removes the wonder and mystery by giving you an answer, you have now been left with 20 more mysteriously wonderful things to ponder. \n\nScience is known for opening pandora's box. At one point the stars were full of mystery. Now we have solved that and now we are working on quantum entanglement, string theory, faster than light travel, dark matter and energy and so on...\n\nI have to agree with the comic. Science only makes the world a more mysterious and beautiful place. 1301085117 I didn't realize Tim Meadows felt so strongly about the cosmic conflict. 1300932321 The bottom line is that there is a lot of truth to what he is saying, in that weight appears to be the dominant factor in determining health. Additionally the dominant factor in weight is calorie intake. It is important to note that this does not preclude different nutrients and food stuffs from having an effect on weight and health, however, these effects are dwarfed by the dominant factor of calorie intake. 1345228089 There is no investigation done by this list. Just a blow-by-blow manual for debunkery to discourage any sort of further investigation. Even though half of these were clearly hoaxes, that's not the issue here.\n\nFor example, the Ilkley Moor case was glazed over as a "bad photo and bad story", whilst completely ignoring investigative journalism done. Because any other detail would support the case, thus effectly ignored.\n\nThe little girl in the Templeton case grew up and passionately defends her father's picture. He died on his death bed confirming his story. This is the story for most of these photos; the claim is outlandish, thus the credibility is shattered by the claim. And if the claim isn't outlandish, than a history of being less than credible is presented. Even though some of these people are very serious, grown up professionals with an important constituent base. \n\nThere is always an attack on the source material that isn't respected by anyone with any real journalistic integrity, qualifications, or merit; which is why skeptics have to cower into their own blogs.\n 1354223094 Too bad people often reproduce well before they get cancer. 1317907971 That class should be mandatory in high school at the latest. 1314611933 The occult sciences have been studying this type of phenomena for centuries or even millennia. \n\nIf we can get over our sense of condescending disbelief, we can open ourselves up to a great deal of wisdom and discovery. 1351708399 Computerized grading systems, school e-mail & bulletins, communication between teachers, online information resources, *the internet*, streaming video...I could go on, but I just don't want to. 1282030432 You should walk in there and tell them that you are going to get the job. 1318625247 Exactly. That is why no one takes them seriously. At least, not the general public. 1338867480 Natural sugar is not rate-limited in any way HFCS is not.\n\nThe quote you're reading:\n\n> fructose is metabolically broken down before it reaches the rate-limiting enzyme (phospho-fructokinase), thereby supplying the bodywith an unregulated source of three-carbon molecules. These molecules are transformed into glycerol and fatty acids, which are eventually taken up by adipose tissue, leading to additional adiposity.\n\n...applies to fructose. Anything that is true for fructose is true for half the calories of sucrose, and 55% of the calories of HFCS. 1344879607 I agree with you. There is a lot of confusion, which leads to fear and scaring customers into buying shit. 1336888487 Registrant:\n Numantra\n\n Domain Name: NUMANTRA.COM\n\n Domain servers in listed order:\n NS.RACKSPACE.COM\n NS2.RACKSPACE.COM\n\n\n**Reverse Whois: "Numantra" owns about 48 other domains** 1306325677 [Don't worry, you didn't waste your money!](http://www.inventgeek.com/Projects/lockpick/lockpick.aspx)\nStick a pick in the toothbrush holder and you can bump locks! 1248574525 It takes 20 parts of alkalinity to neutralize 1 part of acidity? \n\nDamn. \n\nSo if I drink 5 parts (servings?) soda (5 * 2.3=11.5) then I'm going to have to eat (11.5 * 20= 230/10=23) 23 parts broccoli or potato skins to counteract the effects.\n\nBut if I don't, will I then fall into a pile of muck because my body will become pure acid? I just had two sodas, and I haven't eaten any alkalines...I am doomed. Please explain what happened to my family...\n\nIf only I'd purchased their $1500 system that makes water...\n\nStupid nature, not to have a system by which a body regulates its pH levels...If I survive long enough, I'm going to try to go homeo and stay with my sis. She will know what to do to keep me from falling into a pile of acidic mush.\n\n(edit: forgot some important letters and spaces and rationality and logic\n\nedit again: I know that this isn't how it works. I was attempting to mirror the thought process of how someone who actually considered the "evidence" provided by this poster to be valid might rationalize it. 1338130549 Do lanterns maintain their position? Three of those bright dots stayed in an unwavering triangle shape for quite some time.\n\nedit: Could be a hoax though? I'm not well-versed in video forensics... and if it is a hoax, I seriously underestimated the stoners filming it - it would be superb acting by them to pull that off. 1341894310 Mentally ill, delusional; hucksters that need to fill their bank account. Reminds me of faith healers that are caught cold reading their audience or using a radio ear piece with somebody reading off names and illnesses that these people write down on the miracle request cards they hand out and pick up. My grandmother got suckered by faith healers, told her that she would not receive her miracle if she saw a doctor for her heart problem, that that would show her lack of faith. Disgusting. 1355479144 We can line up several major modern cities with a straight line around the globe, but we'd be leaving several other cities out of the conversation. So which cherry-picked sites would you like to use?\n\nFurthermore, what the fuck does this have to do with this subreddit? 1323034454 Care to elaborate or are you just throwin' that out there? 1296668885 If you don't think Buddism is that bad.... \n\nThe only reason Buddhism accepted the possibility of people reaching enlightenment in their own lifetime is because of an old story (from mahayana texts i believe) where a female dragon was pissed that only men could become enlightened so she magically grew a penis and thus attained enlightenment. \n\n-penises needed for enlightenment\n\n-dragons\n\n-penises magically growing \n\nEDIT: The Lotus Sutra is where the story of the dragon princess growing a penis can be found. \n\nWow... downvotes for saying buddhism can be full of shit like every other religion? Just because it's 'mystical' and full of 'eastern knowledge' doesn't mean it's any more real than Christianity or Islam or whatever.... \nBuddhism is just as sexist as those others: one of the 32 marks of a Buddha is a penis (ladies, youll have to wait until your 'lucky' enough to be reborn as a man if you want enlightenment). \nAlso, you guys really think that the actual philosophy of the Buddha was seriously unchanged over several hundred years of being orally transmitted? Get real. 1311260120 Nobody seems to understand spycraft; if you want to create a false identity, *that's* how the CIA, KGB, MI5, etc. would do it. They would find a dead child who was born around the time of their agent (plus or minus five years or so), steal his identity, then "build" a new person, down to the grade school they went to and their last job.\n\nIn the case of David Pena, he and whomever helped him (if anybody) did it the worst way possible, because the real Alvarez has known for some time that there is somebody in Florida living under his name. Possibly because the real Alvarez has a low-paying job (he is a teacher's assistant) kept a PI from being hired and a trip to Lawsuitland for Pena. 1332139225 I'm starting to doubt that you took the time to comprehend anything in my comment. 1324784895 You think someone was flying an rc helicopter in a lightning storm? 1352659018 Pretty terrible video. Looks like a street lamp. :P 1296745846 He is promoting the placebos to people, some of whomo WOULD otherwise get proper treatment. Hence, he's a quack.\n\nI might let someone off for promoting placebos in a one-on-one basis to someone who he knows has no other treatment options whatsoever, but to blanket promote them to an entire viewing audience is unacceptable. 1339117102 "Organic" is 90% marketing buzz. \n\nWhere I live, "organic" means that all pesticides and fertilizers must be carbon-based.\n\nIt doesn't matter if they are natural products or chemicals synthesized in a lab, as long as that pesticide is built around a carbon atom, it's certifiable as "organic" and can be used on food that will be labelled "organic"\n\nBack when I worked on an organic farm, I regularly saw huge vats of pesticides and fertilizer arriving. They smelled like death, had all sorts of warning stickers on the side, and came with lengthly MSDS sheets. \n\nThis was not safe, natural stuff. But it is organic. 1347068075 So much basic shit?\n\nThat link you provided titled: "Scientific errors in the Bible" has a whopping 8 entries. All of which have attempted explanations with references.\n\nAlso a whole EIGHT things? wow SO MUCH BASIC SHIT. Did you even read that article before you linked it?\n\nSome of these comments reek of /r/atheism 1353583043 > That there are ghosts, if you believe that, doesn't necessarily answer many questions.\n\nFirstly, the amount of data existing on the phenomenon shows that it is not merely a "belief". Secondly, it answers a *lot* of questions actually. It shows that there are independent, autonomous personalities existing in a manner quite different and more ethereal than we do here in the third dimension. Being that they *do* indeed exhibit independent personality characteristics, it very strongly indicates that personal identity can and does indeed exist independently of the physical organism. Furthermore, and as such, proving the independence of personal identity from the physical organism - along with the personal identity's manifesting *in* a physical vehicle (i.e. a body) - gives great, great veracity to a whole slew of phenomena that would otherwise be largely relegated to the realms of speculation.\n\nSo no. Contrary to what you mentioned, the existence of ghosts - spirits, whatever you want to call them - indicates a LOT of things.\n\n> Maybe only some people become ghosts.\n\nThis is actually a great point on your part. Maybe not EVERYONE is a spirit or is animated by a soul. This is correct, and there is, in fact, a bit of evidence indicating that there are, indeed, certain "soul-less" individuals in existence. And no. I do not mean this metaphorically. I mean this literally. There are some organisms that are said to be physical shells without an spiritual animating energy. I do not know enough about this to comment too extensively on it, however.\n\n> Maybe ghosts get the whole self or maybe they're just a fragment of some kind.\n\nAbsolutely. Some ghosts have been said to only be fractional percentages of the the true identity of that personality. This is true.\n\n> Is it another dimension, are they all just miserable as fuck, etc. etc.\n\nIt's also been said that ghosts are generally indications of at least portions of one's identity (if not the entire identity) that remain unresolved and attached to certain aspects of terrestrial existence after passing to such an extent that they are unwilling to "move on". I don't feel this applies in all cases, but it is indeed said that many ghosts are identities that, for whatever reason, don't want to leave, are confused in terms of their current state, or are not aware that they should move on to other levels.\n\n> Who knows just what the meaning is behind what you're seeing?\n\nOf course. It can mean many different things. However, the one thing that all these different phenomena have as a common denominator is the fact that they represent at least a portion of individual identity/personality that exists independently of the strictly physical vehicle (the body).\n\n> If I fully believed in ghosts, well, life would be more stressful for me.\n\nI understand this, as we live in a very underdeveloped society - one that understands almost nothing of this phenomena, and that revels in scaring itself unnecessarily over things that should not invite such reactions.\n\n> I'm fascinated by it but I'm not fond of the idea of something that can basically surprise me at any time, in my own home, in my dreams, etc. \n\nUnderstand that, for the most part, they're not all that interested in "surprising you". Also understand that the dimension they exist in is said to be a LOT more sensitive to emotional energy than ours. Therefore, you can actually exert a lot of influence on yourself (and them, for that matter) simply by getting control of your own emotions and acting accordingly.\n\n> people often theorize that they can be attracted to these negative emotions like you said; at the very least I'm more likely to freak out and THINK I saw something if I'm scared anyway. And it's much easier for me to remain calm when I can just act like they're not real and I'm just the master of my domain.\n\nRealize that you can be scared AND STILL be master of your own domain. Realize that fear need not be an impediment to self mastery. Fear is a physiological reaction that need not keep you from maintaining your focus on proper thinking.\n\nThe problem, I've found, when dealing with these paranormal issues often comes from the inability that much of this society has to obtain a proper understanding of the concept of Universal Connectivity. Tapping into this reality allows you to get a better understanding of the fact that your physical body is only a shell and its destruction does nothing to undermine the existence of your personal (and true) identity. The more you know this, the less you will have to fear.\n\n> If my attitude is helping me ignore ghosts that are actually there, I'm cool with that\n\nHowever, you must understand that the peril of having this kind of mindset occurs if - *inspite* of your efforts to ignore the phenomena - you find yourself face to face with an entity that refuses to be ignored. If this were to occur, then your previous unwillingness to face its existence and properly address things will likely completely traumatize you. This would not be good. At all.\n\nIt is better to face the reality of things, educate yourself, and get familiar enough with it to not have to fear it. This is not to say tun into an obsessive "ghost hunter" or anything. Of course not. However, don't run from it because it will likely cause a wholly unnecessary level of discomfort and possible trauma if you ever do come in contact with a ghost or spirit.\n\n> Because once you know, like he said, you have to live with that possibility forever.\n\nlol. Dammit, man...this is a GOOD thing. Don't you see that? Knowing that there are other dimensions within which personal identity indubitably exists bodes VERY well for those who are interested in the continuation of their personality after the inevitability of physical death.\n\n> In the shower, in your kitchen at night when you go get a snack. Watching me fap before I go to sleep. No thanks! Give me ignorance any day.\n\nIgnorance is not to any extent bliss. Rise up. Develop yourself. Educate yourself. It will only make you a better being. Do not be afraid to become a better being. 1340959741 Yeah, but still. I'm trying to teach her that it's a big leap between "spooky IR footage" and "ooh a ghost". Also, I figure that Ghost Hunters and its ilk are fairly representative of ghost-related claims. If I could help her learn to articulate a claim, that would be nice, too. 1308578855 > to do it fairly, he should at least argue against the philosophical points of centuries of theologians\n\nWhy? Is it the centuries of theologians who are the problem, or is it the billions of believers?\n\n> and not beat the straw man of a poorly-educated fundamentalist \n\nThat's not the straw man. That's the real man. 1271109958 There is lots of space junk floating around up there. I don't think that space junk "cloud seeds". 1316458441 My sarcasm meter must be broken, because you seem to be asking that question in earnest. Did you read the article Randi was commenting on? 1317775758 There is legitimate skepticism in the official story. \n\n\nYou'll notice that I have never made any claim to any particular theory, only that the information provided from the Commission Report and NIST has faced widespread and legitimate scepticism.\n\n\nThere is no point in getting caught up in the "what if"s of the situation. The only thing you can weigh is the facts/evidence. And of the facts/evidence, many questions remain unanswered.\n\n\nIf you want to swallow a story that doesn't completely add up, fine. But don't dare stand in the way of someone seeking answers to legitimate questions.\n\n\nYou're a skeptic? Act like one. Ask skeptical questions. Be skeptical of the status quo. Challenge what you *think* you know, and reach for the big picture.\n\n\nDon't just brush off an entire subject because you've seen some disinformation film, created in an attempt to white wash and discredit anyone seeking a clearer version of the truth. 1350234688 I think the point that the author missed is that it doesn't matter. You can be genetically male and act however you want. It didn't make you any more or less genetically male. I'm confused why this person is getting so offended by what sex they are referred to as. So you want to identify with our cultural construction of female, great, but saying that you are still male doesn't take away from that and isn't an insult. \n\nIn one breath they talk about how ambiguous sex is and in the next they take a very absolute stance about whether (s)he should be labeled make or female. Which is it? Does it matter or doesn't it?\n\nIt seems like the author just has a lot of emotional attachment to the labels male and female. 1331815225 Yeah. And Dr. Edward and May Mellanby stumbled upon a similar dietary plan (around the same era) where vitamin K was also a linchpin. 1351456395 I saw people fall for it on twitter. 1355351000 Good for you! But now the government wants their share, but you would rather get drunk and fondle your kitties! What to do? 1313637698 I will definitely take a look. A well researched book is always preferable to a little article designed to kick-start good conversation. Thanks for the recommendation. 1349193868 UFO Hunters? Uggh.. 1298081450 Well, why did you call it useless then? 1328445309 Gonna guess you mis-posted this. 1349524754 [direct link to video without the gawker blogspam](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q) 1351529520 You can't be serious. \n\nUFOs appear like this all the time, all over the world. The newspapers/media do *not* cover this subject. Why, indeed. 1251401026 Why the sudden push to show videos of that "rocket" type one in place of this and all the pictures is even more strange. 1280117949 > It doesn't address risks of toxicity,\n\nToxicity of what? Other studies have examined pesticide levels and found that the vast, vast majority of conventional produce is within regulatory limits. \n\nIs there something wrong with the FDA's limits?\n\n> environmental damage, \n\nWhere is the scientific evidence that organic foods are more environmentally friendly than conventional methods of produce? Sure, it might be a gut feeling but as skeptics we need evidence.\n\n> or any other benefit of eating organic.\n\nIf you subjectively just feel better by buying organic, I will not stop you. Do not expect me or anyone else to buy your reasoning, however. 1347054345 Yep, that Dawkins' comment hurts to read. All the best to Rebecca. 1351092631 Alex Jones is such a joke. I find the segment where he goes on and on about the purity of his genetic line especially hilarious. He claims he is related to Captain Jones of the Mayflower, which I can't really disprove, but I highly doubt. And even if that's true, it means absolutely nothing in regards to his quality as a human being. The man's only good for a laugh at his expense. His conspiracy rants are garbage. 1330137852 eyeroll. belongs in /r/circlejerk 1310689159 10k people saw the flares, which is what the videos shows and is widely debunked. The more "impressive" sighting was the first, and seen by few. One of those looked at the lights through a telescope and could pick out the wings of the aircraft. After that, some people spread word of the "UFO" and tons of people were out looking to see something, so of course when the flares showed up they made a big deal of it.\n\nAnd really? They believed it to be a single craft? You give the average person way too much credit. I certainly don't think the governor should get special status. We have people in government that claim evolution and the big bang are satan's lies ffs. 1349634726 > You do understand though why this imbalance has evolved though right?\n\nBecause a key that opens a lot of doors is a master key and is useful and valuable, while a lock that opens to any key isn't very good at all? 1275471273 probably ran out of money 1306024830 I was reading earlier that apparently UK laws explicitly forbid psychics from claiming that they can *really* contact the dead, and instead must make it clear that what they do is for entertainment purposes only. As such, even if he really believed that he could contact the dead, it seems like the law makes it so that this would constitute a violation of trade laws - and using it to get the girls to engage in sexual activity would seem to be a form of exploitation and abuse.\n\nI can't understand why he isn't being investigated for fraud though, unless the girls never paid him any money and only performed sexual acts for him as a kind of payment. 1340584722 Personal anecdote, recalled from childhood ~50 years ago -- so, before effective cancer treatment but not before proper diagnosis could be made. A well-liked neighbor lady, mother of my playmate, was increasingly sick over months with what was said to be cancer. I remember seeing her briefly on a couch, wasted and emaciated and clearly extremely badly off. Then, she got better. Slowly, regaining pretty much her original health. Spontaneous remission? Or, as my devout parents thought, the result of prayer.\n\nOK, here's the kicker. Several years later she was alone in the house and a fire started and she died in the flames. So if prayer cured the cancer, it was only to deliver her to as bad a death not long after. 1336251259 If you apply scepticism to religion, then you cannot justify being a theist. \n\nAgnosticism and atheism address two different questions. Being a strong agnostic doesn't mean that you can't be an atheist. Being a strong agnostic almost implies that you are an atheist. 1312878251 holy crap these are going to be a problem for sightings 1346944094 Is PandanLeaves most of us? Because unless he is, his own opinion on the subject doesn't matter.\n\nAlso, merry fucking Christmas. 1356498863 indeed, as fun as it is to wander off and let our minds play, it sadly is mostly all speculation or at best an informed guess. There could be millions of different races or life-forms visiting the planet.\n\nI do however also like the theory of us from the future, or maybe from a distant past? The possibilities seem endless. 1331598258 fuck it, let's try it. 1352136210 The link was my post on a site where I comment on the video. I thought that added more value than the youtube video alone. 1347426193 Am I ever happy that you angry misogynist assholes exist mostly on the internet. 1354453028 I'm not saying I could do better, but, those space shuttle shots were not "shockingly realistic" to me... 1277266556 They are rare, but not the rarest of gemstones. There is about 26,000kg of rough diamonds mined each year, compared to 10,000kg of rough rubies. \n\n\nThere are three reasons why diamonds are more expensive than rubies. \n\nFirstly artificial gemstone quality rubies are easy to make. \n\nSecondly the demand for diamonds is much higher than for rubies. This is partially due to great advertising by DeBeers. \n\nThirdly and potentially the most important. DeBeers has historically manipulated the market, restricting supply in order to ensure a higher price than the natural price. It did this by purchasing virtually all diamonds and then reselling them. If a new mine refused to join the cartel then they would temporally flood the market, bankrupting the mine owner. \n\nIn the last 10 years the DeBeers monopoly has been broken, with diamonds from Canada, Russia and Australia being sold outside of the DeBeers system. 1318985855 Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't alkaline chemicals MORE toxic to us than acids because of our body's reliance on h+ ions and its naturally acidic (slightly) equilibrium point? 1338139319 Lol...I watched it and I thought it was kinda fake. Good acting XD 1318102119 I didn't take any offense, promise. Just wanted to make clear that -- so long as I'm around. SRS won't be 'invading' /r/skeptic. If it means I have to ban every last one of them (and by them, I mean the subset (perhaps improper) of SRS which goes around invading subreddits) by hand.\n\n/r/skeptic will not tolerate invasion. We shall defend our subreddit, we shall fight in the comments, we shall fight in the posts, we shall fight with downvotes and reports. We shall never surrender.\n\nI believe that was Churchill I just misquoted. I do indeed. 1351296512 Sounds legit. Im terrified. 1342160426 Climategate had no impact on the science itself. It simply showed that scientists are human, and that when they're bombarded with a deluge of frivolous FOI requests they tend to bitch about it and drag their feet in complying.\n\nSince it had no impact on the science itself - as confirmed by multiple independent inquiries - Climategate cannot be construed as a *scientific* controversy, but more of an example of what concerted efforts to hamper the work of scientists can lead to. 1353868018 Have done, on occasions 1304985443 I love Cracked. 1304961305 Honestly, I'm sorry I offended your definition of content. I'll actually try to be more careful in the future. 1356119750 > information that is shipped in water\n\nAre you implying that homeopathic medicine contains more than watrer? If yes, please wait until after we have discussed the the validity of acupuncture. Maybe Reiki after that? 1326047152 Quackcast = one of the best. 1299783523 How some of those people are able to operate computers in beyond me. 1332765429 Do they have any solid evidence for these claims? 1346494047 I think you need to try to be skeptical a little harder. 1342516756 Really? The flu never goes away by itself! Why is big pharma suppressing herbal roots? 1276311013 The cognitive dissonance surrounding AGW is simply stunning.\n\nAGW is like kryptonite to rational thought. 1261117048 I like to think of it as if its an Attenbough nature documentary, but they are studying us, but not getting involved for the most part. If we discovered primitive life in our solar system, we would study the crap out of them before moving on.\n\nOr somthing like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5kW74Er_4o 1332877832 Doesn't even need that. A very small sheen of water can create the needed adhesion. 1352829219 You've got a good point, but my understanding of a proper meta-study is to set your criteria and then analyse the studies that fall under those criteria. That would eliminate some of the bias that could occur if you were picking and choosing studies on an individual basis.\n\nThere seems to be a push towards blinding funding sources on studies which I'm in total agreement with. It's a bias that the peer-review system should suss out as it is, but it would be much more efficient to eliminate it as much as possible in the first place. 1347051993 I don't typically trust photos of reflections. For all we know, this could be a little old lady walking past. Impossible to say. 1350493018 > My best interpretation of the argument would be that institutional sexism at atheist/skeptic conferences no longer occurs but that would only be a little bit better.\n\nI (foolishly) assumed we were both assuming that. \n\n> Institutional sexism generally refers to actual rules or laws that actively discriminate against women, and I'm not sure how anyone could argue that such a thing no longer happens?\n\nThey don't need to argue if they don't experience it. Speaking strictly to policies, what policies exist at skeptic conventions that point, unequivocally, to concepts of privilege or gender-bias? \n\nThat if we take a step out and apply it to the organizations that make those conventions possible. And we can take another step out and apply it to communities like this which generate interest and numbers for those organizations.\n\nSexism is unpalatable right now and for those who are not primed to recognize it aren't going to see it at all until it's overwhelmingly obvious, like "legitimate rape" comments or the first time someone actually looks at data showing a correlation between the glass ceiling and the opportunities gap. 1347972835 Harsh. Hotel guests are assholes. I think I got the point, though. Have fun. 1317099221 I've been a paranormal researcher for better than 2 decades, and have been in many of the most haunted locations in the US. It's easy to explain away one or two experiences, but once you get into the hundreds, it all becomes pretty real. People can say what they want. I know what I know. hehe 1337965774 Are you a physician Daemonicus? You seem to have quite a negative opinion of osteopaths. Care to explain why?\n\nDisclosure: I'm an osteopathic medical student (in the US). 1335311541 You are correct. I independently watch the footage and had the same disagreement with EnglishBulldog that you did. 1341974298 Plane. Pretty obvious 1330915128 Saw this in a [Cracked article](http://www.cracked.com/article_16785_7-retarded-food-myths-internet-thinks-are-true.html) a while back. Best part:\n\n>Here's a good general tip: If the person giving you medical advice seems to easily confuse cancer and heart attacks, as this person does in their second paragraph up there, they might not know what they're talking about. "Get the Paddles! He's having a cancer!" 1330331607 We could be staving off an impending ice age, no? 1270147450 BAZINGA 1346275085 they have none 1346458995 Just go and have fun with it, cheaper than a movie right? 1308111284 Haha. I'll have to try that. 1327352704 >Doesn't this disprove that it's a healthier diet?\n\nHow does this follow? Either way health reasons isn't the only reason to become a vegetarian, some people do it for ethical reasons. 1353156189 I doubt collapse will ever happen unless we kill eachother off with a giant nuclear war. But if oil reserves decline, our lifestyle will have to change a bit.\n\nThanks for letting me know that bottled water only has a 2 year shelf life - I didn't know that! 1347613458 it was one of the first reported cases of malevolent abductions in the 20th century. I remember being a young child, about 8 or 9, and reading a childrens-themed book of actual ufo cases (I say child-themed because it was maybe 20 pages, softcover, with drawn sketches of everything. Stories such as travis walton, betty and barney hill, stories of cattle mutilations, the Hopkinsville-kelly incident, and a few more i cant reccollect). It was before "Fire in the Sky" came out, the movie based on Walton's story. 1346731560 My favorite\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias_blind_spot 1248622342 ...because the footprints didn't show any spiked shoe marks? Oh, and because they were left in mud, rather than a special track? \n\nJust guessing, of course. 1351651339 Perhaps the water does not move the stick, but rather, the dowser is simply reacting to sub conscious perceptions, instinctive impulses, peripheral awareness of others in the group signaling yea and nay assessments, etc etc. Think "Ouija Board".\n\nI can't recall who and/or where, or when, but I've def seen studies along these lines bearing a hint of fruit along these lines. 1335075323 You make a good point. I want something conclusive before I'll buy the accusations.\n\nSomething seems at least a little odd that he was cleared during all of his tests during his career and that [previous federal investigations produced nothing](http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/03/sport/lance-armstrong/index.html?hpt=hp_t3) but all of a sudden, they think they have something on him. However, if the accusations come back with some real substantive evidence, it would be hard to dispute that. 1345996927 Almost all the facebook polls (which are really advertisements half the time) are loaded like that. 1256151128 I have no way of explaining how scared I am right now. 1281999603 Vaccine Pizza sounds awful. I don't want needles poking out of what I eat. 1298720271 Haha, I see what he did there. :) 1335107968 How could you possible remain skeptical after my purely anecdotal evidence? ;)\n\nI wouldn't expect you to change your mind based on this, but I would certainly hope that you at least accept it as a possibility. 1323626495 They were into alternative medicine before it was mainstream. 1311016943 I posted about one my friends and I saw at Rockland Lake about 15 years ago. I've heard about a lot of recent activity in Orange Co. too. The Hudson River Valley has historically been a hotbed for UFOs. I don't doubt your story. 1343886623 Right, new atheists should be quiet, nice and not make a big deal about a great shift in their lives. Do you tell newly out homosexuals that too?\n\nObviously it doesn't apply to yourself and your feelings about certain atheists... ¬_¬ 1324043456 Neither am I making any scientific or medical claim. 1346107157 Actually, you are just what I said you were.\n\n*This guy is me, and there's no belief involved*\n\nIt's all about belief because you have no factual basis to believe any of the claims you're making.\n\n*and the evidence that would lead me to be unsurprised is the government's cover-ups, misdirection, and abuse of fear to further their agenda directly after 9/11.*\n\nWhat evidence? Or are you just expressing your baseless beliefs again?\n\n*The reason it would not surprise me if the government were involved is that the administration demonstrated that they have no scruples and that 9/11 has clearly been used as a tool.*\n\nAgain, those are just your beliefs.\n\n*Whether that is something they decided after the fact remains to be determined.*\n\nThe truth has been determined, you just don't want to see it. Even after all this time has passed you still have a hard-on to blame Bush for everything. Consequently, you are exploiting the events of 9/11 just to further your political agenda. You're not a truther, you're worse. You're doing the *exact* same thing that you are attacking Bush for doing. You're no better than Bush or Cheney. 1290750925 Exactly right. I haven't seen him respond to any criticisms like these, but I haven't looked very hard. I wonder if he has? 1343890521 An electron is when America elects a new president. 1350416733 >You know that Ron Paul has a Bachelors degree in Biology, right?\n\nyou know that makes it worse right? 1313981194 my only problem with the book is that i truly do feel that extraterrestials exist, but i don't feel theyd be in any way hostile towards us\nit just doesn't make sense\n 1356411482 NH: \n\nGilson Road Cemetery, Nashua, NH is such a "sure thing," it's where I routinely go with reporters, especially skeptical critics.\n\nThe wooded area behind it (NE corner, up the path) can be treacherous, especially where the hill drops off, but it's a relatively unexplored site with odd energy in the middle of the day.\n\nI'm not so impressed with Blood Cemetery (Pine Hill Cemetery, Hollis, NH), especially since the vandalism at the Abel Blood grave. It was never a wildly haunted location when I was there, though I did witness some quirky crypto activity and a few ghostly moments at dusk. (After dark, the police patrol it regularly. Not recommended for night investigations.) Frankly, I suspect some natural magnetic activity (affecting electrical devices) may explain much of what goes on there.\n\nNot near Massachusetts, but worth mentioning: At the Spalding Inn (Whitefield), in the carriage house, the back right corner of the upstairs floor is pretty reliable. Audible voices, EMF spikes, and -- in the off-season -- the flies. On the other hand, some are more creeped out by Mrs. Spalding's personal room, at the top of the stairs, first room on the left. I wouldn't plan to get much sleep in either room, in the off-season. When that building is officially opened for guests, it's a totally different story; I wouldn't expect reliable research results, then.\n\nOn my to-do list: The empty foundation across the street from the Spalding Inn seems odd. I'm not sure that it's actually haunted, but if I were at the Spalding and had some spare time, I'd check that site at night.\n\nBack at the southern border of NH, the Tyng Mansion site, across the line in Tyngsborough, MA (near Nashua, NH), is excellent when it's active, but it's not reliable. Several nearby sites have been reported since the mid-19th century, but I haven't checked them out.\n\nMA: \n\nThe Old Manse in Concord has a lot of activity, especially in areas where soldiers fell or experienced intense emotions, on either side of the bridge and up the hill. Check the energy around the nearby dig (the early foundation), too.\n\nThe mass grave at the edge of Harvard Square (Cambridge) is overlooked by most people and the EMF spikes can be regular and intense. However, since it's a busy spot, it's not easy to investigate there. It has too many street lights, lots of noise, and people wondering what you're doing.\n\nAlmost anywhere along the actual Battle Road path can be good. Start at Lexington and work your way towards Boston; there are plenty of unexplored, uncontaminated locations. Obviously, it'll be most active immediately after the annual April re-enactments.\n\nBoston's site of the Cocoanut Grove fire is just plain weird. It's a parking lot, mostly, but the fence around it behaves strangely, and fairly reliably. Watch the nearby streetlights, too, as they can get brighter and darker at random times, coinciding with some EMF and thermal activity at the site. I need to get back there for EVP; it might be really good.\n\nThe Lizzie Borden house is good, but I wouldn't trust all research results without checking ungrounded wiring issues (normal, but elevated, EMF). It was noted most strongly at the pipes in one of the upstairs bedrooms, which indicated that there could be intermittent issues throughout the house. \n\nSpider Gates (Worcester) gets mixed reviews. People either find nothing at all, or they leave raving about how scary it is.\n\nThose are the sites that come to mind right away. 1347286264 big nose kates has a basement of sorts that used to house a janitor type guy and his silver. the air there is incredibly dense and electrified.. however it is probably just the result of exposed wiring down there 1334185400 Thank you- I love this\n\nI actually like plain text better than the animated version. I can concentrate on what he's saying better. 1315240683 Kyocera should get away with this easily: they don't want to be represented by someone who has those view. It's little different from how Dell fired the "Dude you're getting a dell" guy because he got arrested (come on, ANYONE could tell he was a stoner). 1326469033 Can we downvote for *post hoc ergo propter hoc* fallacies and anecdotal evidence? 1306900260 Yes, a few, and arguing with irrational people is something I've been practicing more and more in recent years.\n\n1.) Obviously, don't be aggressive, don't be insulting. In my experience, irrationality far more commonly has to do with personality flaws, security issues, intellectual laziness, etc. and not lack of mental capacity. Don't put unnecessary emotional barriers in the way of progress. Also, if you *do* agree on any part of the argument, it's a good idea to say so. It makes the mood less aggressive, and it also sets a good precedent by sort of making it "ok to agree."\n\n2.) Try to give people a safe place to land on your side of the argument. For example, if you want to convince somebody that there is no heaven, you may get farther by arguing that a world without a heaven isn't so bad instead of arguing the point directly. Attack the real reasons they hold the belief instead of trying to beat them into a worldview they don't know how to cope with.\n\n3.) BE CONCISE. In your head, making long detailed analogies and preemptively countering any arguments you can think of may seem like a thorough and thoughtful approach, but a dim opponent will focus on the less important parts and branch them off into five different directions of misunderstanding what you meant while ignoring the important parts. Baby steps! Say as little as possible. Can't stress this one enough.\n\n4.) Alternatively you can just conduct all of your arguments in [this](http://internetargument.org/) when I'm done writing it. :p\n\nsidenote: Let it be know that I do not always argue as patiently and benevolently as I have portrayed here. On occasion, I'd rather just let somebody have it. :p 1332127473 My only problem is that some subreddits would be multiple subreddits. like /r/atheism would be /r/circlejerk, /r/politics, /r/lgbt, etc 1349000586 Given that everything, and I mean EVERYTHING around us emits EM radiation, I'm not entirely convinced. \nI suppose it *could* be possible that some frequencies may cause discomfort, similar to people with good hearing ranges can hear ultrasound from electronic equipment, but physical symptoms? Hmm... 1315912190 >I didn't file anything.\n\nYes you did. Homeopathically. 1340460726 Most people would be okay if we received news of alien life. It is not like everyone is going to run around like a 1950's hysteria movie. This whole "They won't tell because people can't handle it" is a load of rubbish. People hear new information all the time, digest it, then move on. Humans are very adaptable. 1343003527 whoever came up with this mona-vie crap is using $100 bills for toilet paper. At work they cut everyone's hours and nobody is getting a raise, but some of the idiots still pay $100 a month ordering this crap. 1228317890 How can one simultaneously be a feminist and an atheist? 1310611439 Wow, I don't think I've seen a label with more bullshit per square-inch. 1297185563 Religion and its followers. If they can believe in a magic fairy man up above us, they'll believe in stuff mostly that stupid. 1350187460 Neil deGrass Tyson says yes:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7c6EO46Bu8 1284258232 >do you want me to provide every piece of evidence and information that I've come across? \n\nAs a matter of fact, we do, because so far all we've seen are your *claims* to have done the research. Until we see your evidence, your opinion is unfounded. 1328824885 So basically, these are like braces for your eyes.\nI remain skeptical but it could be looked into. 1278291279 The last frame is also a good argument against 911 conspiracies.\n\nEdit: misspelled against 1279662156 The fact that Jenny McCarthy knows the difference between correlation and causation makes her stance on autism and vaccination even more moronic. Thanks for the post! 1339306866 it's always possible I suppose. It was just so clear. 1337580957 Echoes from another universe, even. We first have to be certain that these readings are something other than interference or due to the instrument. Then there's trying to figure out what the heck those readings would be if the instrument or interference was ruled out. Just like every other field. 1339907620 First off, take him to a doctor and see if he has multiple personality disorder or another psychological issue. \n\nSecondly, why have you taken it upon yourself to "Fix" him? And how many years has it been since he was in the Sixth grade? \n\nLast, But not least. \nTrying to diagnose someone with "Demon Possession" on the evidence you provide is comical. To me it seems more like a boy with a temper and a perverse subconscious mind.\n\nI would love to provide help..however based on the grounds above I am going to need more evidence. \n\nIf you truly believe he is possessed, take him to a church and talk to a priest. \n 1349190582 All I see is a high resolution white dot :P could be anything.. 1334917012 Can you elaborate on what your mom said to you? Did you ask her what she meant? Why should she think that *she* was somehow causing streetlights to go out for *you*? It is certainly odd that your father experienced the same thing, confirmation bias or not. I can only conjecture that your mother had mentioned it to you before, perhaps when you were very young, and you both internalized it and forgot about it. Damn fallible memory we humans have. 1326585631 You need to apologize to the community as a whole for that. I feel empty inside right now because of your reply. 1348033367 I changed my downvotes to upvotes. So, the fact that it's now low isn't my doing :/ 1316291951 This reminds strongly me of that girl who suddenly claimed she could only walk backwards because some flu vaccine, only to be caught [**on camera**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcrIqOr9Bsw) perfectly fine at a shopping mall, driving her car, etc. The icing on this retarded cake? She was magically cured by an "alternative practitioner" who apparently used every **non** medical treatment in the book on her. Also he has been accused of basically scamming cancer patients, a real stand up guy there. 1328916510 http://online.wsj.com/article/APae1ad7cd922e440eb33dc460e3abe635.html\n\nQuotes from the CDC indicate that they don't believe that the anti-vax crowd is responsible for the rise in cases. This article discusses a change in the vaccination and waning effectiveness. While the anti-vax crowd certainly poses a danger, the more this is commented on by those with knowledge in the field it looks like it may be a problem with the vaccine itself. This alone will give the anti-vaxxers plenty of BS to hurl about. This article clearly states that most of the victims have been vaccinated. So we already have that fact to fight against. (You can't tell me that they won't be blaming the vaccine as the cause of this). Making blanket statements without evidence to back them, such as the OP does, can really damage our credibility. We, as a community, need to be more careful with our words.\n\nThis outbreak appears to show cause for a push to keep vaccinations up to date and possibly research in to a more efficacious vaccine for this one illness. What isn't indicated in this, or any other article I found in my brief search, is the anti-vax crowd is playing a huge role in this outbreak. Immediately jumping to that conclusion when thr CDC is releasing statements to the contrary can't help the cause. 1342788990 The second law of thermodynamics is the one often simplified as "entropy increases". Creationists and supporters of intelligent design tend to render this as "complexity decreases" (a simplification), and further characterise evolution of more complex creatures from less complex ones as breaking the second law of thermodynamics. (It doesn't.)\n\nHis question of "how life abides by the second law of thermodynamics yet evolutionarily complexifies" is just a rephrasing of this, and like the creationists, incorrectly presumes that there's something about evolution producing more complex organisms that runs counter to the second law. Since it's a question that relies entirely on mis-stating the second law of thermodynamics, I feel justified in saying that he has fundamentally misunderstood thermodynamics. 1327694359 I know someone who believes this and every other conspiracy theory out there. She thinks she is a "critical thinker" because she reads info-wars and not main-stream media. Yeah.\nAnyways, why do these people even think the shooting is a conspiracy? What is their reasoning/argument? 1356030681 Of course it is man. I wouldn't be surprised if Apple secretly goes to these local news stations and makes deals to promote them whenever possible. 1354298691 I have a degree in homeopathic medicine! 1295310271 What if he was just captured rather than killed? It seems very odd to me that the US would specifically *aim* to kill him rather than capture a high level figure in an important terrorist organisation. 1304440692 Io, Saturnalia! 1356448755 I'm sorry, they aren't synonyms at all. Proof is composed of evidence. Once you have a sufficient amount of evidence to establish the truth of a claim, *that* is called proof. \n\nTo see why, consider this example. I tell you I'm holding only two cards - a five of hearts and a six of clubs. You ask me to prove it. I show you a five of hearts. Is that proof? No, but it is evidence, just not enough to establish proof. Then I show you a six of clubs. Is that proof? Close, it's necessary evidence, but still not sufficient to establish proof - because I might have another card. But then I show you that I do not have a third card. So now you have sufficient evidence to consider it proof that I was telling the truth. But I hope it's obvious that insufficient evidence is not proof at all.\n\nAlso, you didn't use it as a synonym for evidence in your post:\n\n>my grandparents home was the only one to prove paranormal activity\n\nIt doesn't sound like you just mean there was some stuff found that some people might interpret as evidence. It sounds like you mean the question was settled - paranormal activity was proven. This would mean the evidence, or proof, is so compelling that no other conclusion could be reached - paranormal activity is real. So what did you really mean? 1340418681 NASA has slaughtered this. Seriously. They have step-by-step walkthroughs for murdering each of the claims.\n\nNot only that, Mythbusters worked on it, if she doesn't trust NASA for conspiracy reasons.\n\n\nFinally, don't forget to remind her that other countries have photos of the landing site:\nhttp://www.impactlab.net/2009/09/04/chandrayaan-sends-images-of-apollo-15-landing-disproving-conspiracy-theory/ 1304037036 I love to reverse this. I did it a few weeks ago when gas was $3.03 in my area. Nothing beats the look you get when you say confidently to the cashier, "Wow $3.03! That's pretty low. Thanks, Obama!" 1344059610 Lack of reliable sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Del_Rio,_Texas_UFO_Crash&action=edit&redlink=1\n\nThere's nothing to stop you recreating it, so long as you cite it better 1338992385 Even a blind squirrel can sometimes find a nut. 1299914224 My thanks to you sir/madam. The last link seems the most relevant to me, and my comment was getting at the first part of this clause (low immunity), while yours seems to be getting at the last. \n> At very low levels of immunity, selection is too weak to drive immune escape in recovered hosts, while very high levels of immunity impose such strong selection that viral subpopulations go extinct before acquiring enough genetic diversity to escape host immunity\n 1279229134 > Seeing is believing\n\neurrrgh... 1331438446 Clearly you are not based in consciousness or you'd know that these are all much more reliable than classical sciences. ;) 1298062276 Don't you mean "to the left of Ayn Rand?" 1310765658 Enjoying the circle-jerk? 1287305866 Seems like it's more about saying than doing. Like we have this motivation to show people we're looking out for them that drives us to express it at more opportunities than there are real opportunities, hence we create more opportunities.\n\nPerhaps if these opportunities called for anything more than a reflex action of conforment posturing, I would take them more seriously.\n\nPersonally I've run against good intentions acting against my interests too often to respond well to polite posturing. To me it means; "I think I know what you need from me, when in truth I know nothing about you. If you want to explain what you need from me, you'll have to diffuse all of these preconceptions first." 1332185847 I look at evolution like this way:\n\n*Deer run fast because all the slow ones got eaten before they had a chance to breed.*\n\nExtrapolate from that simplification, and you've got the whole theory. 1297438018 You don't watch any ghost shows, do you? Or you think everyone's a hoaxer. Or, third possibility, everything that doesn't fit into your bourgeois-petit sterile world view is batshit insane.\n\nTruth is, I wouldn't trade my worldview for yours for any amount of money. I live in a mysterious world full of curiosities. You live in a world of weather balloons and self-propelled dust particles.\n\nAnd *that* ... is as close to insulting as I come. \n\nAnd this: I wish you so-called skeptics would actually leave. Seriously, I do. I can not understand why you are here. You don't believe in aliens. You don't believe in anything supernatural. You make no attempts to tolerate contrasting views. You only seem to believe in Chinese lanterns, weather balloons, and swamp gas. Why are you here? 1353985852 Mitt Romney. 1345621980 I can second this for W WA. Nursed in WA for ten years. I quite office nursing after a year because arguing with idiots about vaccinations made me want to pull my hair out. 1334782755 And claims that this is punishment from god in 3.. 2.. [oh look. There it is already](http://i.imgur.com/TeRDy.jpg) 1278001697 Didn't realise OP wrote the article - I still stand by what I said - you should have at least cited this written source from the accused. And no he doesn't quote this particular trick in the book. \n\nThe lottery prediction explanation was utter rubbish, granted. However, that had nothing to do with NLP and he never claimed it did. 1356978958 What do you think would be the consequences if we tomorrow lost all our knowledge in the field of sociology? If we suddenly find ourselves without any faculties or journals of sociology or any articles and books on sociology? Would we miss it? Would anything change?\n\nNow try to ask the same thing about any science. (Or economics, engineering, law etc.) 1354773090 Nope. Was nowhere near Idaho. (Who da ho? _I_ da ho!) 1339027331 Yea, I am curious how that would go down if a bank cashes a fraudulent check. \n\nOh well the trained teller didn't know any better. 1348151008 I think it was actually 1am... 1300072504 And they should be followed up closely if they ever have a child ever again. 1320250595 What if we could get them to count reddit as a media presence? Do an IAMA get a thousand or so replies etc... 1294340196 I agree that results require time and other tangible and intangible resources, however in my opinion the overall implications and benefits of such research and advancement in science is well worth it....in this case the end justifies the means 1310703394 I listen to Alex Jones almost daily (hey I find lunacy entertaining) and this is the exact same technique he uses. Nancy Grace also does the same thing. You just have to take shit with a huge grain of sale and decide for yourself. \n\nWhat kills me is because of the subject matter people will question Ancient Aliens, but give them talking heads on CNN and they will seldom question the 'facts' even though they are using the exact same techniques. 1335016076 From the same website (but you won't need Flash if you're still having problems):\n\n* [This](http://www.circlemakers.org/Img/new_yell.jpg)\n* [This](http://www.circlemakers.org/Img/nz4.jpg)\n* [and this](http://www.circlemakers.org/Img/DailyMail.jpg)\n\nThey were all made by the guys who run that site, where you'll find other, more complex examples. If you want to learn how to make them, they have a 'beginners guide'. If you're really interested (and will pardon the pun), you'll now be willing to do some of the leg work yourself...\n\nYou're welcome. 1312554181 The context of the remarks are important.\n\nWatson dedicated a couple of minutes in one of her video blogs to an aside on encouraging more women to be active in the skeptical community. As a part of that, she mentioned that these communities can be uncomfortable for women and mentioned the elevator incident as one example of how a clueless (but in retrospect likely well-meaning) guy can unknowingly contribute to creating a hostile environment. The message was "If you want more women to take part, show a little consideration and don't do cluelessly creepy things like disregard a woman's stated wishes to go rest, and, after having had a whole evening in which you could have attempted to strike up a rapport but didn't, choose instead to corner her alone in an enclosed space and out of the blue express interest in gaining access to her ladybits."\n\nApparently making the observation that geeky guys can often be hamfisted clods in their attempts to woo women and suggesting they stand a better chance at winning a woman's company if they would just be a little more circumspect about it is the height of rabid feminazism or something. 1342618076 Some chiropractors are trying to bring more science into the practice. They are also slowly merging with physical therapy. 1287166181 My optometrist did show me a freckle like spot on my eye, and claimed that they are often grounds to scan for skin cancer. That makes sense. I just never thought there would be a correlation between lines or wrinkles and allergic reactions. 1310187070 >I'd love to hear it.\n\nahhhhhhhhhhh pun 1351652797 sounds like you described most of this comment thread. 1248933857 Absolutely. What matters is the actual truth, and as time goes on we get a better and better picture of it. One of the beautiful things about science is that over time, it tends to expunge the "work" of those who have cheated/lied/manipulated. 1259790953 The ONLY valid basis for a scientific theory is its predictive and explanatory power. 1315643614 um...i realized it...must have been a miscommunication somewhere? 1322666792 That's a very interesting suggestion. Ainu is very much a language isolate, but there have been attempts to connect it to [Korean](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_language), [Japanese](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_language), [Turkic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_languages), [Mongolic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolic) or [Tungusic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tungusic) languages and also to the wider and extremely controversial [Altaic family](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altaic) (which consists of the above and sometimes [Uralic languages like Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Khanty and Mansi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uralic_languages)). None of these hypotheses are particularly well respected. There have also been fringe theories attempting to attach Ainu to [Austro-Asiatic languages](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austro-Asiatic) like Khmer and [Austronesian languages](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austronesian) like the languages of the Phillipines. Because we don't really know where the Ainu came from, we can't establish a concise link between their migration and the range of *Gigantopithecus*. \n\nMaybe Bigfoot-language is some kind of proto-Tungusic language or something. We've already been able to establish links between [Yeniseian languages in Siberia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeniseian_languages) and [Na-Dené](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na-Dene_languages) languages [in Alaska and the western part of North America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Na-Dene_langs.png) (which is right around Beringia, coincidentally...) 1353598839 >The thing is a lot of the politically liberal\n\nThis is where we lose each other, in Europe this, "politically liberal" means Dick Cheney, Free markets, all inclusive (so long as you can afford it), anything goes, etc. \n\nI see what you're saying but the term has always seemed a bit silly when used in that context, "Grrr.... \\*shakes fist\\* you, you, free-thinking free citizen you! ".\n\nI think it comes down to; Liberals in Europe means free marketeers, liberals in US means free society proponents. \n\nIs that right? 1324682914 I don't think you know how proof works. How am I to prove something doesn't exist? Now you aren't being logical. Use your brain, and try to figure out how it is possible for me to prove spirits *don't* exist. The burden is on you i'm afraid. 1323190299 Yes, I did read the article. The point I'm trying to make is that its writer is grouping "skeptics" into a community.\nI like to think for myself, I'm skeptical about some things; yet I'm human, so I'm sometimes biased.\nThis is the first I've heard about all skeptics being biased in the same way...because they are in a group called "skeptics".\n\nI hope I'm not being too unintelligible. 1343575346 Too many inconsistencies in the geometrical layout.\nTook a screenshot of the crop circle, opened it in photoshop, added a grid - looks like a drunken rabble made this sloppy mess, not intelligent life. 1341425422 Someone who has made a decision to be a vegetarian for moral reasons has made a value judgement.\n\nA value judgement, by definition, is a subjective matter. No-one can say that I've made the wrong decision or that you've made the right one. All that can be said is that they are happy with the decision. 1323654046 Yeah but the idea that salt causes those conditions (hypertension, diabetes, and CVD) is bunk, though it's accepted as received wisdom. 1332961996 One thing that I noticed happening is that sometimes someone turns to look at me, and naturally, I look at the turning head before it finishes turning. It's like a reflex. You look at stuff that's turning to look at you. Then sometimes that person looks as if he/she thought i was staring. 1345295859 A sound wave is a longitudinal wave - that is, it is a variable compression of matter over time. Sound waves require matter as a medium, not the other way around (compare with electromagnetic waves which do not require a medium). The point the video made sounds like a mis-quoting of some elements of string theory, which proposes that all molecules are comprised of tiny "strings" vibrating in higher spatial dimensions. These are not sound waves, but rather localised quantum field fluctuations.\n\nThe other two points come under the purview of "That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence" - Hitchens. 1319116819 Well I don't know about you, but I'm somewhat concerned about the effects of manmade global warming, which is why I support environmental policy\n\nAnd before you start in on the climate change denial, please read: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Global_warming 1311943363 But science is a democrazy! My opinions are as valid as your evidence! 1299225573 I say it is because of psychology. People are usually in a different psychological state at night, compared to day time. people also tend to have an extroverted state of mind during the day and an introvert state of mind at night. This introverted state of mind can lead to audio/visual hallucination ( real feel day dream like state). Also natural environmental sounds can easily be misinterpreted or just sound very odd if you don't normally pay attention to them. 1338977416 It's a good point. I guess that's why science is so great, it filters out bullshit (and bullshitters).\n\nOn the other hand sometimes it's inconvenient or impossible to test a person's claims with the science filter. In these cases it would be good to have some alternative filtering technology. Some kind of reputation system maybe.\n\nI guess that's "degrees" and other certifications. Also the reputation system used on some forums. What else do we have? Can we do better?\n\nA really good reputation technology could totally be the frenchfries to science's cheeseburger. 1298829471 /r/shittyadvice 1339613412 > the Buddha's exploration was a very true form of skepticism\n\nthis. i have never thought of Buddhism, when properly practiced, as being anything but a most severe form of critical thinking. 1311271440 tldr -- reiking it in 1327648442 Apparently some people believe statistics is only valid when you have billions of samples, and when you can discard all the other information on the subject (like for instance the degree of subjectivity in measurements in say physics at LHC and on a drug-trial done in a hundred of patients or so). 1337364548 I have done it several times when I was younger. The last time was when I was 15 or 16 years old. I try remember every little detail because it was crazy, but it was many years ago so its becoming a little foggy in my mind.\n\nSo, I was at school in my social studies class. I walk in the class and sit down. We have a substitute teacher. The teacher take attendance, one of my friends is not there that day. (By this time in the day I am already freaking out from the fact that, just by coincidence, I had a dream that I am reliving in real life.) The teacher has us get up in front of the class and talk about a current event of our choice. At this point I remember being able to guess, aloud to the class, what MOST peoples current event was going to be. (I say most because no matter how vivid a dream is, there are still going to be foggy spots.) The class went on for another few minutes, ended, and that was also the end of my dream.\n\nNow, the weird part to me is the fact that I verbally proved that I knew what was going to happen and things changed slightly based off of that... There was slightly different dialog after I announced that I knew what was going to happen next in class. Although, I guess that is kinda to be expected.\n\nTHERE IT IS! 1328460492 Infotainment outlets don't need to inform as long as people feel informed. 1328125938 Good stuff, i'd love to see the end product when you finish. Sorry if I came off as presumptive. 1292032330 >Timing? With the kick off of the election season, I don't know if you can argue that it is bad timing. "Americans have a bad memory" Do you remember 9/11? I doubt we will all of a sudden forget about Osama.\n\nI think you have it wrong. It is far too early for this to make much of an impact on Obama's re-election. If they were going to use it for that purpose, waiting a year would have served them much better. 1304557039 I don't need to present evidence. Birdman's existence is a fact! Who do you think keeps the nefarious machinations of F.E.A.R. at bay? Not the US government, that's for sure. They can't even keep a couple of Brits out of Area 51. 1350760753 I was actually thinking more about the Fourth and Sixth Amendments. The Fifth just plain doesn't apply, but there seems to be minimal Constitutional basis for abridging the other two. Precedence notwithstanding, of course.\n\nOf course, this is just the largely uneducated claim of a layman. 1348110460 In fact, studies show that failures can actually strengthen the resolve of the followers of prophets, psychics, etc. if they know how to handle it when it happens. 1315963341 Ever read Botany of Desire? The author poses a similar conclusion about plants: they've been mixing chemicals for millions of years. By harvesting their chemicals, we end up harvesting millions of years of plant-invented chemicals.\n\nVideo for the lazy :): http://video.pbs.org/video/1283872815/\n\nEdit: I kept this going as I'm getting ready for work. I'd recommend watching at least the first third about the apple. Around 20 minutes in they even start talking of a genetic "Noah's ark" to keep genetic diversity of apples up\n\n 1334748208 I've never seen solid evidence of the kind you're describing. Whenever I've looked it's always some story by some ex govt official or a paper that someone claims is a govt document but the official govt denies it etc.. It's always bills cousins second uncle knows a guy who.. evidence. Got something better? Link it. 1298733021 Just to explain a bit further...\n\nSomeone who is out-of-their-gourd drunk or barely conscious can not consent to anything. Reasonable people understand this concept. Which is exactly her strategy. \n\nShe words it in a vague, open-ended way as to INVITE objection. Not objection to the reasonable statement above, but objection to her implied statement of, "If a person has 2 beers within 4 hours they are legally drunk and therefore RAPE RAPE RAPE!"\nSensible people object to this hyperbolic definition, she gets to call them either rapists or rape-sympathizer, starts a shit-storm, gets people clicking on her site to either object or blindly agree with her...\nPROFIT$$$!!!\n\nShe's the Ann Coulter of the Skeptic movement. \n 1356037931 Well, shit. Maybe some kind of [holopresencephaly](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holoprosencephaly) then? Or maybe the eyes didn't develop and someone stuck a plastic one in there. 1309554398 No, bigfoots are left over predators, you know that old documentary with that Arnold guy?. They use the wrist computers to destroy any sign of them, that's why there's no bones and such. 1335052412 I watched that a little bit when drunk and really tired, while falling asleep at the TV, laughing at how silly it was but thinking "But wouldn't it be great?"\n\nThen I decided to download the series and watch it properly and I had to stop before I put a hole through my monitor. What the fuck, seriously? 1321355906 Wow that is fantastic news! Sure, psychic shows may be entertaining, but they are encouraging all that bullshit. Michio Kaku is a great choice because his visionary nature will keep people gripped and entertained. Hopefully it will get listeners more interested in science. 1310204226 there are - unfortunately - a lot of questionable reddits around. i guess the *best* thing about it is that we can (rather) clearly see what's going on and who's active. the *worst* thing, of course, is that they're... active.\n\nif a questionable sub appears in a user's history, it's probably a good reason for a RES tag. ;)\n\nand you're right, we *should* be /skeptic'al about this sort of thing. 1345298526 Some friends like disagreeing with each other and debating things. 1329080445 >every medication swallowed is perceived by the immune system as a "poison," because there is nothing in nature that would ever present to the G.I. tract in that form of chemicals.\n\nJesus Fucking Christ 1319761157 I see very nice beginnings of 'No true Scotchman' in your writings and so they have not changed my opinion about conspiracy theorists as a whole. 1329815398 I was with the author until they claimed that they used a lookalike to type. 1277439977 The whole comment assumes that is was faked by adding in the crop circle, but it would have been quite easy to *remove* the crop circle in order to make the fake video. 1342125485 That reminds me of my college days. During the weeks leading up to Halloween my roommate and I would take gullible underclassmen out to a particularly spooky place in the country (Rogue's Hollow near Doylestown, Ohio) and scare the bejesus out of them. Ah, good times. 1315808098 It is a little bit. I don't deny the possibility. I usually try to maintain a polite sense of skepticism in this subreddit, just so that we're not jumping the gun and saying everything is paranormal, which diminishes the value of more conclusive evidence. I also said "polite" because it's just as damaging to discourage people from taking the risk to post something. So thank you for posting this. :P 1356923155 And FWIW, it looks like he did his [math](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=17.5+m%2Fs+in+mph) wrong. 1300417965 Ah yes, boobs: the great mental-faculty-overwriter. 1319477249 Good ol' God of the Gaps. 1312841406 I don't see how wearing a defective vest is analogous to electing to try non-medicinal cancer therapies. One is about the unfortunate failure of a preventative measure, the other is an arguably wrong choice about a course of action.\n\nEdit: I guess my point is it not the details but the semantics of the metaphor I was questioning. Ill stop now, I have penchant for being pedantic when I'm tired. Apologies. 1318626361 They've compared what a dust particle and insect looks like on camera compared to these "orbs" people keep seeing. They usually look nothing alike. Although don't quote me on that because I watch Ghost Adventures which is considered to be fake by most. 1350864460 I think that's just light reflecting off the bottle. It's rotating when it is coming off the shelf and the "anomaly" or whatever is is right along the angle where the bottle curves into the neck. 1332995250 I usually use pasta to clean my drains or degrease my engine 1338155204 Homeopathy doesn't strictly treat diseases as they are understood in science based medicine. Boiron, for example, markets [2 remedies](http://www.boironusa.com/products/symptoms/symptom-worry.php) for "stage fright". Hardly a disease, wouldn't you agree?\n\nThe point is valid. If a substance that causes a symptom can be diluted and used to make a remedy to treat a condition with that symptom, then one wonders what a homeopath would recommend for prevention of pregnacy. 1334146139 Woah, this could be one of the photos they forgot to edit. \nThat English dude that got busted for hacking, said Nasa shops space photos that contain UFOs.. 1352102299 I would love for this to be a really cool discovery, but the timing of this is also very, very close to the film Prometheus, which is, coincidentally, about discovering something amazing. 1339100920 Fantastic! Sorry for 'reasking', I'll go home now :( 1327082205 And your point? 1351100178 I recommend eating fish in the winter. This is what native Alaskan Eskimos do to get get D. They stock up on whale and smoke it to preserve them for winter. 1348811843 You really insist on **not reading** (in this case you could also see pictures, so dumber people like you might still find something) - so I have to post another quote:\n\n> We are faced with a simple choice of scenarios: either the 1957 map is intended as a rough sketch map or it is an accurate sample of cartography.\n\n> - If the 1957 map is accurate, then the new strait was about 2.5 km wide in 1957. It is only about 0.25 km wide now.\n\n> - If the 1957 map is accurate, then Reynolds Island sank completely beneath the sea and then rose again.\n\n> Such substantial differences could only be due to cataclysmic variations in sea level and / or a major seismic event.\n\n> Since Patrick Michaels has presented no relevant evidence whatsoever in support of such an event, one is entitled to assume that the 1957 map is, accordingly, a sketch map flawed by insufficient data due to fog and as such is of no scientific value as evidence of geographical data. Despite this lack of evidence, Middleton recently claimed on WUWT:\n\n> > "Uunartoq Qeqertaq is not a new island. Pat Michaels debunked this particular Warmist myth back in 2008…"\n\n> **In reality it is Michaels' myth that has been debunked.** 1317743212 That's just the schizophrenia talking. 1316672030 You... Are some kind of fancy-pants, aren't you? I like the cut of your jib. And I know jibs, by golly. 1344032543 the one in the plane/helicopter (car?) with the old lady has the "ghost" sitting next to her, but it just looks like i reflection of the same woman that somehow got on the the photo. Same arm position, same shirt collar, same hunched body position. This obviously is a fake. 1345382123 My previous comment was long because I was attempting to respond to each one of your points. \n\nFrom what you describe this teacher was not a properly trained teacher of the TM technique. This is not what TM teachers say when checking a meditation. Not at all. Call 888-LEARNTM, they should be able to find a record if you were taught TM by a certified teacher. Tell them what you have just told me. The situation will be rectified. In addition, they will set you up with someone who can properly check Transcendental Meditation. You deserve to learn properly and to be checked properly. What you describe is not at all how the TM technique is taught and not at all how the TM technique is checked. 1322796982 This is why I'm afraid to put my hand down the garbage disposal....:/ 1345733978 Seems to be a lot of what they can't say about an event that will never happen. I can't say why I don't believe any of this. 1287441964 I knock on wood, because I like its pagan/Druid origins. I don't walk under ladders because it seems a little dangerous. 1333648607 Set up a camera! Sometimes cameras can see things that our eyes cannot. 1356496123 Yea it is happening already that's why it's called a transition and it will be completed by 2014. It's not the end of the world so the whole leap year doomsday should have happened already argument is absolutely retarded. The Mayans said 2012 would mark a significant moment in this transition as it is only 2 years before the final metamorphosis. 1334163962 I was thinking the same..."and he wonders why atheists claim him and/or why people group him with atheists". Well, atheists happen to be the most vocal group *against* religion, so when you are a big name and vocally against religion, you pretty well come off as an atheist.\n\nAlso, looks like a duck, walks like a duck, shits like a duck and quacks like a duck. 1338017452 Kinda crucial to this... did you still feel tired? 1352593252 Ladybug 1281891041 But I did not have that link. 1326954809 Nice word trap.\n\nI do agree, but change faith in place of belief. 1296794333 Cocoa butter doesn't work? TIL! 1332824184 But your personality type in the MBTI changes significantly depending on your mood, situation, time of day - it even differs when we take your results in the first half of the test and compare them to the results from the second half of the test.\n\nHow can it be in any way useful if the steps you are taking to interact with someone only apply to that person at a given time of day, or worse still, only apply to that one time when they took the test and will never be accurate again? 1338770806 Don't take it personally you flying bastard, it was the first thing that came to my mind. A better title would have been 'skeptic hypocrites' since you seem to gobble up any mainstream explanations without even batting an eye (not skeptical?). 1315571059 >Now, you can continue to claim DOs are not real doctors based on your anecdotal evidence, but it is not fact.\n\nNo one actually claimed this but it's interesting that you've refuted this by....using an anecdote about your wife 1326131386 Really? I have never seen that here, in the UK. 1302901650 Neotech is no more, now he has his Global Information Network. You can be a free member but to get started you pay 1k and have monthly payments to make of $150-$200. Every month you get mail from them and even DVDs on how to make money or how to get up higher in rank in 90 Days there is also meetings that get held and with a large attendance. It really is an elaborate scheme that sucks in even some of my "smarter" friends.\n\nOne of Trudeau's storys is. His mom had cancer back when he was a kid and she almost died, but survived because she was stressed out all the time. So she got rid of her stress and suddenly the cancer was gone and she lives to this day. His reason for this is because cancer is a disEASE so your body is not at EASE which is why it's call a disEASE, so if your life is stressful you will get cancer and "that's a fact" and he goes on about other crap all day long.\n\nIf you're brave enough listen to his radio show or be prepared for some massive face meet palm moments. 1316383492 Pretty clear the me that he was thinking same birthday and year. 1333979598 I do not get it :( 1294960507 you know what i meant. i dont know all the details. ive only recently began to really pay attention and realize that there is more then the government wants us to know. no reason to be so harsh you know.. 1342091324 This would never really fly in American schools. But you could "teach the controversy" of, say, Greek or Chinese or Meso-American creation myths and talk about why they are bullshit. Then, through the transitive property, infer Judeo-Christian creationism. 1328717949 The thing I find funny is that when Rick Perry made a similar slip up Reddit fucking tore him to shreds. I never really understood that, I don't like him either but everyone has brain farts once in awhile, especially when under the enormous pressure of knowing that every word you say has been taped and will be broadcasted to millions of people. 1329368656 Stop self-diagnosing and self-medicating, and go to a doctor. 1278128499 But what if that *is* the secret?\n\nDun dun DUNNNN!\n 1308796385 Bunch of pricks. 1306967844 We can't see if you were being effective. You didn't link to anything. 1349208857 I don't think this is something that would surprise wine connoisseurs at all. 1302908748 None whatsoever. The liver doesn't get "clogged" with "toxins". It isn't very involved with the immune system. He's just spouting off sciency-sounding buzzwords, he has no idea what he's talking about. 1310860426 there was a sonar exploration of the loch there, lines of ships scanning the sea bed, they turned up nothing, also nessie would be very very old if it was still alive today. would be interesting to find something though. 1345193064 Good god people are dumb... Its so hard to be respectful. 1327077420 And modern day medicine gave him the chance to live longer than he would without it. 1318628465 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia\nIt's a common sleep/dreaming fuckup. 1353483973 Dude.... I'm on the jury and Buzz Aldrin did anything short of committing mass genocide -- he get's a pass. 1289612270 That the movie hasn't come out yet. 1331935197 I would think skepchick would have something better to do than going after a random crank on Youtube. There are much more significant pseudoscientists out there. 1330014392 We've already been using 2-4-D for 60 years...\n\nMonocots are naturally immune, this simply extends that immunity to certain dicots. 1342633245 > *She also has a site called the Intention Experiment where she tries to use mass meditation from her paying followers to affect the results of experiments in remote laboratories.*\n\n[I've read enough.](http://i.imgur.com/ok8GI.gif) 1333236193 He starts talking about how he projects his desires at approximately 15:10. 1344963388 Nah, the world will end sooner says the Mayan calendar so we're all fucked before his dealine runs out. 1341956136 Experience wise, I've been dealing with it for many many years. Actual investigating has only occurred a few times with me intentionally going out to do some investigation type activities. Other times, I end up walking into it/experiencing it all my own. Most of my stuff has been solitary, with a time or two with a friend. How bout you? 1314111094 >The things that make him a great boyfriend are totally detached from a few silly beliefs that make no difference in the grand scheme of the relationship. I still love him.\n\nYou cant explain that! 1301425064 exactly this. that was what was so odd about the whole thing. that and just how confused i was after the incident. 1335748175 Evolutionary Psychology was an extremely poor choice for that defense. That stuff _is_ crap. 1290152021 Not to be confused with Indigo Girls. 1324161876 Maybe we're just their theater. Would you talk to the telly? 1334713641 I "keep making large claims" ? anyways...\n\ncame across this, one of MANY results when you start googling for the tools used to construct egpyt. \n\nhttp://www.gizapower.com/Advanced/Advanced%20Machining.html\n\nwhat they have found for tools so far does not add up to the markings discovered in structures. essentially. 1343746033 > See when all these people talk about UFOs, *this* is the kinda thing they see. Because they don't they can't understand it. \n\nVideographer, ~5:45 after one object brightened.\n\n~10:45 a jet passes by and is caught up close. This is excellent for comparison purposes.\n\nI'd also point out that this is a UAP, not a UFO. This is an observation of light. There is no positive reason to believe it was a solid object.\n\n**EDIT**\n\n~0:35 in [this different video that appears to be the same object](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWCvp2JNt6I&feature=related) we hear "I don't think anyone can explain this one. I can't explain it." \n\nThis is typical for sincere observers of UAP. They cannot understand what they see. They go through hypotheses and elimenate as many of them as possible. This is in contrast to the popular notion that they simply jump to "dood aliens!" 1337267168 If I knew, I'd be building UFOs for the government. 1342558829 Amurrica-centric pedantry. If you want to get hung up on irrelevant details, work on your sentence capitalization and the fact that periods and commas go inside of quotation marks. 1356901158 after the first few episodes i stopped watching due to dissapointment, i probably expected too much from it lol 1334386241 fixed? 1291741746 What I find insanely stupid is a poster's ability to be aware that a government would do anything to discredit a threat, watch Julian Assange be tried, not learn from these examples, and still pretend that slight things that don't add up like his school records disappearing, aren't in fact part of someone trying to discredit him but him making every thing up and that he is apparently a pathological liar. 1348011932 Until I see one change trajectory or otherwise move in anything besides a straight line, I am unconvinced. There are other explanations besides space ships for these phenomena. 1335413706 Did he by chance look up Charlotte on his phone/GPS Charlotte while you were in the Orlando terminal? That image or map would stay on the screen until turning off airplane mode and reconnecting to a network to update. By the way, pilot here... the whole "turn off electronics" thing... absolute bullshit. 15 years ago it may have interfered a little bit, but negligible. I think it is more so for security and safety concerns (in the event of an emergency or something). 1347590820 I appreciate the honest answers! I've only been dealing with this stuff for about 6 months or so. How would you say that my assessments are biased?\n\nFair enough, I suppose I was out of line for asking you to divulge your tricks of the trade. I'm merely trying to gather as much knowledge as I can in order to protect my family, friends, and as many people as I realistically can. A PM would be much appreciated!\n\nThank goodness that orb showed up when it did. The true nature of it is still a mystery for me. What is your take on it?\n\nInteresting...two of my good and trusted friends have both been near demons and described the scent to me. Other people I've talked to also described an overpowering odor of burning hair. I suppose that it can vary with the type of demon, can vary individually, or perhaps the demon can choose to mask the scent to make it more stealthy? I dunno, those are just some off-the-top-of-my-head theories. Do you happen to know?\n\nYeah, I read and my friends did tell me that all manner of wildlife go berserk when demons are near... 1323762773 After thinking for a while about your post, I believe that your argument has convinced me. I retract my previous statement. 1325257048 check the children...\n 1344811142 After you watch that video, watch this awesome one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=p_MzP2MZaOo 1273653485 Oh, we do. Especially in the more "accepted" CAM practices such as acupuncture/ Chinese med. many of our studies are funded and overseen by the NIH. Occassionally a hospital will fund the research but these studies seem to be more self report than placebo based. 1325006251 Well, first off. He tells you he can't show you the numbers because the BBC is the only one that can announce them. Bullshit! He's not announcing the numbers. He's not affiliated with the lottery. His show isn't an official unveiling of the winning numbers. It's a trick. He could show them if he wanted - but he obviously doesn't want you to see the prediction until after the numbers are drawn (giving him time between the drawing and the unveiling to switch them)... 1252568699 Damn, you're lucky! I've always loved this kind of stuff but was rarely able to find them on TV when I was a kid. I just didn't know where to look. :( \n\nMissed so many good shows. 1354588185 Ah, I did not know that. Thank you for making that a way less creepy experience. 1335266675 Which pixel? I think you are talking about the "face" next to the fridge on the left. Looks like a common case of facial pareidolia to me. 1350459737 Remind him of Occam's Razor 1315784959 Why is it the coolest hardware gets left behind?\n\nDon't get me started. I might drag out my Dreamcast. 1328825422 It was in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. So... maybe? 1350828463 pics or it didnt happen, steel buildings just dont collapse. cmon. 1320941606 "Skeptics attacked these claims with logic and reason" That's one way to see it. Of course, to us, you guys are just as idiotic. "We attacked your ideas with LOGIC and REASON." Please... you sound so fucking pompous. In case you hadn't noticed, most people on r/skepticism are fucking wannabe skeptics that are only skeptical of things they don't agree with. 1304698710 efficacy is determined as the effect *beyond* placebo. If being informed reduces the effect of treatment then you *aren't being treated*! 1306800552 Isn't that more of a Chemistry question than Physics? 1328246047 Wow! Looks almost like a small mushroom cloud! I never saw this before. Thanks! 1308161748 If you play the video back at the point during the close-up where the object passes behind a pole or mast on a boat, you will see that this is not legit. My vote is CGI. 1326131294 I find it odd you linked to these studies as both showed no significant difference between chiro and PT and in fact one showed that PT done with a booklet at one's home was just as good.\n\n>For patients with low back pain, the McKenzie method of physical therapy and chiropractic manipulation had similar effects and costs, and patients receiving these treatments had only marginally better outcomes than those receiving the minimal intervention of an educational booklet. Whether the limited benefits of these treatments are worth the additional costs is open to question. \n\nFor patients with low back pain, the McKenzie method of physical therapy and chiropractic manipulation had similar effects and costs, and patients receiving these treatments had only marginally better outcomes than those receiving the minimal intervention of an educational booklet. Whether the limited benefits of these treatments are worth the additional costs is open to question. \n\n> However, SMT demonstrated no apparent benefits over HEA.(Home Exercise with Advice)\n\nThe only conclusion one could really come to from both of these studies is that one is better of with getting a little advice and doing PT at home. It works just as well as "chiro" and at a much lower cost. The only thing these really show is that chiro is better at treating back pain than medication, which I don't think is much of a great claim as the medication for pain is not meant to fix it its mostly just to dull it.\n\nSo I think I will continue to be fairly skeptical of chiro when it isn't even significantly better than doing some basic physio on one's own. 1342820257 Answer: aliens learning your ways and soon enough they will abduct you. 1351048091 What is this? I don't even 1312798046 It may not be an official cult but it will likely have those cult-like accoutrements. Namely, if you wife really gets into it and you don't the leaders will likely suggest that she should be with someone who isn't supportive. 1295241209 I don't read the blogs but [PZ Myers](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/07/the_dick_delusion.php) seems quite active in the area and also claims the existence of dicks: "...it also seems like a dick move to try and associate a strategy with gender, since some of the most wonderfully dickish skeptics I know are female. But that's a separate issue." 1299624633 Wow... thanks...\n\nIt really does look like CNN is flat out lying. Doesn't surprise me... the old Soviet Pravda was much more trustworthy than the U.S. mainstream media.\n 1306866970 Meh... there's nothing wrong with selling a product he doesn't personally use. I think in this case, it's just the way he expressed that notion that comes off as sounding rather tool-ish.\n\nConsider it to be the same as cigarettes; he may consider the people who buy and use them to be idiots, but that doesn't mean he's a jerk for working there. 1301583159 DDDDDDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH\n\n 1276126060 No, I'm simply blowing holes in the idea that you can singlehandedly dismiss *all* of the witness testimony with one explanation. Hell, we don't even know if they all witnessed the same phenomena, real or not. 1305913789 I've given up on pointing out errors in most cases, because they never seem to solve the problem. An adult fluent in English who still confuses their and there is beyond help. Why should I waste my time on someone who evidently just doesn't cair? 1345085299 I have used my phone on numerous occasions in my Grumman AA-5 with no issues at any point. Now, since both of these points are anecdotal, no real conclusion can be drawn. 1356942469 Examples of preliminary and interesting data, not supporting the oil nonsense, but providing enough reasoning to perform a small cell-line study, and research into other areas. Phytopharmacology is a real science, you know.\n\n[one](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040842811002319)\n\n[two](http://www.springerlink.com/content/w97480gh2253n108/)\n\n[three](http://www.pnas.org/content/97/17/9561.short)\n 1328197589 You're right that the area of Panama in which McCain was born is considered American soil; however, this is by special legislative action and is not the norm. In all other respects you are incorrect.\n\nMilitary bases are _not_ American soil in the general case, and neither are ships.\n\nI will quote the U.S. Deparartment of State Foreign Affairs Manual (7 FAM 1110, ACQUISITION OF U.S. CITIZENSHIP BY BIRTH IN THE UNITED\nSTATES), subsections 1116.1-4, "Not Included in the Meaning of 'In the United States' :\n\n>a. a. A U.S.-registered or documented ship on the high seas or in the exclusive economic\nzone is not considered to be part of the United States. A child born on such a vessel does\nnot acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of the place of birth (Lam Mow v. Nagle, 24 F.2d\n316 (9th Cir., 1928)).\n\nand\n\n>c. Despite widespread popular belief, U.S. military installations abroad and U.S.\ndiplomatic or consular facilities are not part of the United States within the meaning of the\n14th Amendment. A child born on the premises of such a facility is not subject to the\njurisdiction of the United States and does not acquire U.S. citizenship by reason of birth. 1306522177 I can't seem to prove you wrong so ill assume you're right 1340922602 English isn´t my prime language, in my language "in the field" pretty much means to be interested in, etc. 1343920855 Haha! You do realize this *is* a conspiracy ...I'm skeptical of your skepticism 1353349059 Well, I no longer live there and he was ridiculously hard to get a hold of. He would never answer his phone or respond to e-mails. I didn't have power in my building for two days once, and this was during finals. 1282251798 Two more scientific overviews oh the Hessdalen lights:\n\n* [A Long-Term Scientific Survey of the Hessdalen Phenomenon PDF](http://scientificexploration.org/journal/jse_18_2_teodorani.pdf)\n\n* [10 YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH OF THE HESSDALEN PHENOMENA PDF](http://www.itacomm.net/ph/2005_Hauge.pdf) 1335277682 My friends & I didn't even get near the microwave, neither did my friends put it there, we're not really like that, to pull such pranks on one another 1355005978 Meth typically causes psychosis with habitual use, but what he is describing sounds more likely to be a manic depressive psychotic break. 1297031374 Oookay, an aircraft not made my humans? 1293551244 What episode is this from? I would love to make a clip of it.\n\n 1325462946 This article seemed to be as full of unsupported assertions, purposefully omitted information, and misleading arguments as the most naive supporters of alternative energy. 1305856939 Now is the winter of our discontent. \nMade glorious summer by this son of York. 1323699727 >So you believe they are already living on Earth somewhere? This is an idea that I have yet to entertain until now, but I like it!\n\nHere's an interesting read for you: \nhttp://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread366981/pg1 1226885271 Helium 3\n\nThere are plenty of other reasons to go back to the moon too.\n\nI was 5 when Armstrong and Aldrin first stepped on the moon.\nI was amazed,excited,curious to see where we were headed.\n\n44 yrs later,and I can only say I am extremely disappointed with our progress towards space and space exploration.\n\nWe've come quite a ways when it comes to war and lining the pockets of despicable people.\n 1354504685 more great pictures of the UFO seen in China last week. i think itis pretty undeniable what we are looking at here... 1279163541 Ok ok, I just wanted to know why you think that r/skeptic is biased, that's it. Bye. 1333559970 > creating slight increases in heat\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------\n\nhttp://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/1000/full-body-ice-contact-endurance-\n\n\n\n\n\nThe longest time spent in direct, full body contact with ice is 1 hr 52 min 42 sec and was achieved by Wim Hof (Netherlands) \n\n(tummo master Wim Hof)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\nIn 2011 tummo master wim hof was packed in ice for 1 hour 20 minutes under medical observation his core body temperature remained constant\n\n[Case Study on Tummo Master Wim Hof's Cold Endurance Abilities](http://www.innerfire.nl/files/can-meditation-influence-ans-hopman.pdf)\n\n\n**Despite 80 minutes of full-body ice immersion** and significant heat loss through the skin, **core body temperature was maintained** probably by an increased energy expenditure (and therefore heat production). This individual may have influenced the autonomic nervous system, thereby actively regulating the cardiovascular system and thermoregulation. \n\n.\n\n\n\n[Translated Version From Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre](http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http://www.umcn.nl/OverUMCstRadboud/NieuwsEnMedia/archief/2010/mei2010/Pages/RadboudwetenschappersonderzoekenIceman.aspx&usg=ALkJrhgAw-pYPgb7GjnNbF386eswXF0rsA)\n\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------\n\nhttp://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html\n\nDuring visits to remote monasteries in the 1980s, Benson and his team \nstudied monks living in the Himalayan Mountains who could, by g Tum-mo meditation, raise the **temperatures of their fingers and toes by as much as 17 degrees.** It has yet to be determined how the monks are able to generate such heat. \n\n-------------------------------------------------------\n\nBody temperature changes during the practice of g Tum-mo yoga\n\nhttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v295/n5846/pdf/295234a0.pdf\n\n\n\nDr. Herbert Benson Harvard Medical\n\nNature 295, 234-236 (21 January 1982) | doi:10.1038/295234a0; Accepted 26 October 1981\n\nTibetan Buddhist meditational practice known as g Tum-mo (heat) yoga living in Upper Dharamsala, India. We report here that in a study performed there in February 1981, we found that these subjects exhibited the capacity to **increase the temperature of their fingers and toes by as much as 8.3°C.**\n\n\n\n 1350950562 Didn't consider that. I shall retcon my statement to criticize skeptic communities but still keep the original edition visible in the spirit of retconning (the day George Lucas finds a way to modify our memories and old editions we are doomed). 1328095484 What comes to mind is the scene in Fire in the Sky where the guy comes face to face with the alien and just punches it as a reflex. That is freaking exactly what a human would do. Also the scene from Contact with all the nuts freaking out about the end of the world, and flaky alien-worshippers. I'd like to think I'd be calm, but if we didn't know a damn thing -- didn't know their intent, I would probably be stockpiling and cowering in my basement. If the aliens have half a lick of sense, they will text us all about themselves before they even send us any kind of visual signal... and then give us about a 30 year adjustment period before appearing in person. 1317962516 Wow! Great story! One of the best ones I've heard. Poor Nicole! Thanks for sharing! 1353794796 I agree. They should, but there are atheists who say they don't. 1299883843 I love this. He's so straightforward about it: it was good, life was good, but "I've never been happier." 1281794036 Such killing metaphors are often used in conjunction with dehumanizing rhetoric, things like calling Liberals a "cancer," vermin, or godless heathens, all methods of rhetoric that remove the humanity from the enemy, making it all the easier to justify violence against them.\n\nWe do it in war to the enemy. Conservatives do it to Liberals at home, as well. 1294588293 >The big confusion I have is that you seem to want to formulate a moral framework that is compassionate and rational, and I just don't get that.\n\nThat's just the field of ethics. It's not what "I" want, per se. That is, if my moral system says that I should AND should not murder, then I'd probably want to reconsider the validity of my system.\n\n>I think that humans already have morals and that they ought to be described and that there's no particular reason that the morals they already have should turn out to be rational or straight-forward.\n\nHumans have vastly different morals, from culture to culture, individual to individual. If you want a moral system that is based purely on a description of what people believe, then anything is morally permissible and practically everything is simultaneously immoral. \n\n>I don't get how it's possible that anyone could want to change their morals (apparent changes in moral behaviour, I believe, are changes in circumstance and "input" rather than changes to an underlying moral algorithm).\n\nI'm not sure what you mean. You seem to be suggesting that morality is innate, but that certainly isn't the case (at least, we have no evidence to suggest it is, currently). Even if it were, our *specific* morals aren't innate. \n\nIf we are convinced by a good argument as to why something is better than something else, then we change our position. If it's the case that we're convinced that one action is better than another, then we've change our moral system. \n\n>Different people have different processes because the process is dependant upon a wide variety of factors, including genetics, culture, and state of mind. Does that concept seem at all reasonable to you?\n\nThat's a reasonable description of how most people decide what is good or bad, yes. But a lot of people think that stealing and rape is good, which leads us to the main conundrum here. You seem to be suggesting that, since people believe it, we should just accept it as a valid moral system. And what I'm saying is that just because something may be the norm, or natural, or common, or whatever, is not a valid reason for suggesting that we should behave in a certain way. 1338377460 KILL IT WITH FIRE 1285719406 Something weird about this one for sure. \n\nStay rational. 1350653656 Did anyone point out to him that it's easy to personally verify the properties of gravity and electricity, which are clearly defined? How does he define god? And how does he propose that one can verify the properties of god?\n\nI hate stupid equivocations like this. 1298484449 Title reads like an intro to a crappy TV show. 1318811847 Agreed. There are chiropractors and then there are "chiropractors". While almost every "alternative medicine specialist" is a quack, there's a legitimate benefit to muscle and skeletal treatments.\n\nMany Americans are unfamiliar with this but A.C. Milan is one of the biggest football clubs worldwide. Their medical facilities, called [Milan Lab,](https://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod=0&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=milan+lab) are renowned for their effectiveness and ability to keep their players fit. They even accept players from other clubs who are desperate and troubled by chronic injuries. The lab was started and currently headed by a chiropractor.\n\nSimilarly, the most famous sports doctor in Europe is Bayern München's (another legendary club) [Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Wilhelm_M%C3%BCller-Wohlfahrt). He would normally be considered a quack. If he didn't work for Bayern and prove that he brings results I'd immediately dismiss him as another nutcase preying on the gullible.\n\nAs much as a skeptic I consider myself to be, there's no doubt these guys deliver. 1339632131 You know they could charge for this, too. I'm surprised they aren't. 1325378897 This guy discredits himself every time he opens his mouth. \n\n ...and the hair isn't helping. 1312553798 I second this quite reasonable conclusion. Kind of like the monkeys and the bananas on top of the ladder deal. 1326817751 >Simon, who is also lead singer of folk group Seize the Day, went on to salute the Luddites – the 19th-century movement of English textile artisans known for their sabotage of mechanised looms – as courageous fighters who defended their way of life against, he said, unwanted technology and “enforced industrialization”.\n\n>“We stand proud as their descendents,” he sang into the microphone that converted his voice into an electrical signal that was then amplified employing power from a portable generator.\n\n>Back amongst the counter-protesters, Sense About Science was keen that I speak to the regional MEP for the east of England, Stuart Agnew, who serves on the European Parliament’s agriculture and rural development committee and is himself a farmer who participated in trials of GM sugar-beet a decade ago. He made a number of points about how the Rothamsted research could lead to a reduction in the use of pesticides, but then, winding up the interview I asked him his political affiliation, to which he replied the UK Indpendence Party, the conservative eurosceptic group that also does not believe in anthropogenic global warming.\n\n>So I asked him whether he stood with his party on this issue. “Oh yes. We utterly refute manmade global warming science,” he said. “It’s the vilification of carbon dioxide. Our policy is to undo all climate-change-led legislation.”\n\n>Without drawing a false equivalency – Agnew was probably not representative of all the counter-protesters, although another two I spoke to also expressed a level of climate skepticism – I was struck by the parallel scientific cherry-picking on display. If I had asked any of the GM protesters about climate change, I’m certain that to a man they would have backed the scientific consensus on this other green topic.\n\n>While the weather, music and food made for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon, it was not a great day for an evidence-based approach to anything.\n\nSounds like a bad move from Sense About Science to have this guy along and be encouraging reporters to speak to him. 1338278860 Not to mention this is almost indistinguishable from what it is satirizing. Poe's Law.\n\nHey MC Chris is aight. 1320876033 I never said he *thought* they were plotting to kill him.\n\nThat was my own speculation and attempt at sensationalizing the story a bit.\n\nObviously their entire practice would be riding on this little "mistake" if he was actually paralyzed.\n\nHe never actually thought that for a minute as far as I know. 1355005708 I do believe ghost can follow individuals! I currently have one following me right now. PM me if you have questions or anything! Or just wanna share more stories 1352759448 Thanks again for the suggestion. My wife talked with the doctor and she has now been tested for Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and is getting a referral to a rheumatoid specialist. We don't have the results of the tests yet, but at least she has moved out of the stage of accepting the diagnosis and started challenging the doctors again. 1303707860 Wow he regretted not having it earlier? I would have never thought! thanks /r/skeptic! 1319426221 I think it sounds like we have different ideas of what oppression is 1355183555 It's too bad that for such a sound to occur for that long, no one thought to record it somehow. 1334084923 nice! definitely the first one! 1311117946 That's a rather arrogant thing to say, isn't it? 1327147047 I agree that the article bears no merit whatsoever. However, these are common arguments, and I like to have data to bring to the table for my less skeptical friends. 1338574261 Cue the [Streisand effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect)! 1266469016 1. I haven't used it since.. October 22. My birthday. I did it with a few friends (about 7 of us total)\n\n2. I just went to goodbye and flipped the board over and flipped the planchette over because of what I was getting on the board (it would try to go to the four corners which I learned was **bad**)\n\n3. I'm serious about this stuff.\n\n4. No\n\n5. Not that i know of, but my community is really new however the surrounding area looks to be as if it used to be farmland. Still has old houses around and I wouldn't be surprised to find buried people. 1335363778 >It's not about abcense of knowledge, but rather the presence of contradicting and inconclusive knowledge. This legitimizes speculaton.\n\n*laugh* Very rarely do I meet someone who changes their emphasis as frequently as you. Its cute.\n\nYou keep pointing the finger at this contradicting evidence but I've never see anything that contradicts available evidence on these matters. That said, just because there is room for speculation, that doesn't mean all speculation is valid. I possess no conclusive information about your identity. Does that mean I'm correct in declaring you a martian? Of course not. Does that mean such a claim is valid? No to that too.\n\n>Since I'm not 'thinking like that',\n\nYes you are.\n\n>I'm not saying these monuments don't exist because we don't know how they were built.\n\nNever said you were, nor was that the implication of my analogy. "Irrefutable" =/= "Nonexistent" .\n\n>"I'm saying there's room for speculation regardig their construction since we don't know how they were built\n\nNo. You can watch entire documentaries outlining the general process that was used to construct many of the monuments Ancient Alien theorists fixate on.\n\n>Also, there's a big difference between the creation of the universe and the construction of a monument\n\nThat was part of the point of my analogy. There is also a big difference between "What kind of tool was use to carve this edifice" and "Did space creatures from the planet Krypton use their brainrays to make this monument". Both my analogy and the reasoning of Ancient Alien theorists draw conclusions that are separated from the questions under investigation by big differences.\n\n>for the latter it can remain in scientific speculaton, whereas the former necessarily leads to the denial of science and full focus on mythology.\n\nThere is nothing scientific about Ancient Alien theory. \n\n>'Our' means Humanity. nobody has discovered anything about the construction of many monuments aroudn the world. Your hypocrisy and stubborn ignorance are borderline offensive and totally hilarious. hen you go on a rant about how unfounded testimonies are as valid as actual evidence. Show me a document or an accurate scientific explanation about the construction of any monument that has been prone to speculation and people will stop speculating.\n\nNo, "our" does not mean humanity in your original statement, nor does it mean it here. You are deriding the historical documents and knowledge of other cultures as "unfounded testimonies" simply because they don't fit YOUR values and YOUR measures of evidence. That is precisely the supremacist attitude I'm talking about. If I declared the historical materials which reference the construction of the Colosseum to be nonevidence, you would not take me seriously. Yet you're demanding that I accept your contention that carbon-dated inscriptions, excavated work camps and tools, and contemporaneous records of their construction are "unfounded testimonies"? Sorry, you're the hypocrite. \n\n>People don't specualte about most European monuments because documents regarding their constuction, ie. actual evidence, not oral testimony, have survived to the present times and we have discovered them. 'We' means 'Humanity' - I see I have to clarify this bullshit with a narrowminded type like you.\n\nI'm narrowminded? You just dismissed the longest, and historically most-popular means of recording history as nonevidence. Historians working in many fields have developed techniques to work with oral histories. You've not only insulted me, not only declared their work to be phony but have also degrading every society that uses or used oral histories. If that isn't proof of your enthnocentrism, I don't know what is.\n\n>The inscriptions are exoterical at best, not factually transparent. The tools found at various monuments' sites don't explain all the phases of construction. I'm not just talking about the examples you gave.\n\nHow quaint. "I'm not just talking about the examples you gave". Countless structures, separated by thousands of years, across different cultures, each with their own historical circumstances and ALL of them can be dismissed in two sentences, in one broad brush stroke. Sorry, I'm done. You proclaim to be concerned about science but no one with an inkling of scientific credibility would make such an outrageous claim. You've done nothing but throw misspelled insults at me and contradict yourself every step of the way. Such behavior may fly on here but elsewhere you and your arguments will be brushed aside.\n\n 1343765957 Well, after this post I will probably be designated an antiquated nutcase, however its what gives me cause to find myself here.\n\nWhen I was just a wee tyke I lived in on a farm in southern Iowa near a radar installation where what was then called S.A.C. or Strategic Air Command was conducting tests in which their pilots were practicing flying under the radar based near Kirksville Mo..\n\nNow they were not conducting these tests with fighters as you might think, they were doing so with their then new heavy bomber the well known B-52.\n\nWhen I tell people now that I used to stand in the front yard of our old farmhouse and wait for one of the big bombers to fly by so I could wave at the pilots , they dont seem to comprehend that I wasnt some five year old kid waving at an aircraft high in the sky.\n\nThese guys were flying so low that they were literally following the valley and creek bed that ran beside the gravel road in front of our house.\n\nWhen they flew by they could clearly see me , I know this to be true because I could see them in the cockpit windows waving at me !\n\nSome of them must have either been regular flyers of the route or had been warned about the kid in the front yard waiting for them, because now and then I could see a couple of faces at the window waving.\n\nSome pilots would even rock the plane to make it look like it was waving.\n\nYes, this was all pretty awesome for a little farm kid in Iowa.\n\nOne afternoon while I was playing in the front yard waiting for another 52 to pass by a bluish gray long slender craft came down the valley following the flight path of the 52's.\n\nIt deffinately was not a period fighter , it had no discernible wings, and like the 52's it was close enough had it any I would clearly have seen them.\n\nIt was not moving as fast as the 52's did, however it was not floating along on the wind either, it was deffinately moving at a speed that would indicate it was being propelled along despite the fact I cannot recall ever hearing it make any noise.\n\nI would not describe this thing as being 'cigar like ' in shape, more along the lines of a surfboard viewed from the side along its edge.\n\nIt has now been long enough that I could only guess at its size, however it was certainly smaller than the B-52's.\n\nI guess because of the ignorance of my age at the time I wasnt scared of it when I saw it coming, however I yelled for my mom to come look and by the time she got to the door it was just about to pass by the front of the house, upon seeing it she freaked !\n\nShe ran out and grabbed me and ran back inside.\nI was now scared because Mom was scared.\n\nShe went directly to the basement with me where we stayed for what seemed like a long time, then she carried me back upstairs where we then got in the car and went to my Aunt and Uncles house in town around five miles away.\n\nI wasnt included in the complete conversation the adults had but I heard enough to gather that my uncle thought we may have seen a missile they were testing or something along those lines.\n\nI clearly remember Mom shaking her head and saying this was nothing like that , it was something else.\n\nSeveral days later after Pop had returned from his trip out west in the semi we got a visit by some men in what I believe were military uniforms.\nI remember Mom telling them what happened that day and what she saw, the men simply took notes of what Mom stated and asked a question now and then and that was pretty much it, they never talked to me.\n\nI later found out several other people had reportedly seen whatever it was also, to my knowledge no one has any idea what it was.\n\nThat ordeal has always given me a curiosity about the UFO phenomenon.\n\n 1328996353 I've only read Dr. David Jacobs' the Threat and it is fascinating, troubling, and informative. 1346633584 Sounds to me like you have a squatter hiding out in your house, and coming out to play while you're at work... which is even creepier then the potential supernatural. 1327001955 Danvers had a very creepy feel, but I didn't get that spark. glad I was able to go before it was too late. the apts had caught fire after it was renovated too, which is kinda crazy, also the loads of people who move there from out of state who have no clue what it used to be. 1346254645 >wherever the public is not scientifically literate, you see the enslavement of women.\n\nAgreed. However, you have assumed that feminists seek to promote women's rights above all else. This is not the case. Feminist groups put a doctrine of multiculuralism, political correctness and cultural relativism above women's rights. Feminist groups have hardly even taken note of the women's rights in islamic states much less done anything about it. You'd think that if they really supported women's rights they would do something about this. 1307380952 I must clarify, that no matter what my opinion is, I would never try to force it on others. I think that it is inconsistent to be both "skeptic" and "religious" at the same time, but that does not mean I judge people's "value" based on that. :) I have a lot of friends who are religious. 1290598810 Accuracy will also depend on your hydration level. I think that if you measured yourself at the same time every week/day it would give you a decent idea where your at and if your trying to lose weight how much your body fat has decreased. \n\nIf I was to get one I would probably take the measurement during lunch or maybe when you get home assuming that is when you are most hydrated. 1341253895 this is very interesting indeed, I hope it gains more attention 1321674196 I believe it's the reverse, really.\n\nWhen you're that intimately familiar with just how simple it is to inspire conviction, and manipulate beliefs on the lowest, emotional level, then any claims of paranormal activity seem far less likely to be genuine.\n\nThere are always going to be thoughts along the lines of:\n\n "Well... it *might* be real, I suppose... but you could do the same thing with a switch *here* and some double-sided tape *there*"\n\nI'm not sure being sceptical would help you be a magician, but I'm pretty convinced that being a magician involves a large amount of rational, critical thinking and an often-jaded sense of wonder. 1274863273 That would have likely been your contact/abduction then. The light and sound seem like definite hypnotizing methods. Sensory overload and the like. From the second story, reports of ET contact always take place from the window, not the door. Not disclaiming you or anything, just some insight. 1335308073 No, I don't believe that's correct. He didn't explain why the tree to the left moves in sync with the wall. 1296937958 If this was recent and you were still living there, I could help.\nBut the good thing is you moved out because if you don't know how to deal with it, you do not want to stay and hope it just goes away. 1353183877 Very little. \n\nHe could instead put his skills to use in a job he can be proud of, and which does not encourage people to destroy their health for the enrichment of liars. 1308100076 You know, I love Bill Maher. He is one of the few people on Television who uses logic and reason....and then he talks about vaccines and I can't believe this is the same guy! 1279234049 Have you ever read how deja vu works by any chance?\n\nI experience it constantly, but apparently what it is is your brain telling you that something you're experiencing NOW, happened BEFORE. So let's say you smell something. Normally your brain will take that scent and go, "Hey, it smells like pepper in this room."\n\nBut when you get deja vu, your brain goes, "Hey, this reminds me of that pepper you once smelled." It takes the experience of the present, and accidentally stores it in your MEMORY, instead of your "present consciousness". \n\nI think this may explain a lot of what is happening to you. You can't experience the world as the present because everything feels like the past, ya know? \n\nUnfortunately, this is a sign of a neurological disorder, which may be a result of a tumor. This could mean at any moment you could drop dead. Harsh, but true... 1336678922 It isn't a crime, she just passively recommended that people not use that method. She was saying it was not a good method for the expectation of success, which is true. 1351115768 Gawd! That website always has the worst writing. It is like kid in high school doing a paper on Gary Taubes. 1351786647 BTW, on topic of scepticism towards such claims...\n\nIt is kind of funny that if it was a political doctrine that does not attribute itself to a deity (e.g. communism) we'd blame it for literally *everything* that's wrong in combination with the doctrine, with no second thought, whereas when the doctrine makes one extra claim that it is the word of the creator of universe, it is as if it was incapable of having any negative consequences. \n\nNot really surprising, though. If Islam is to blame for this, then Christianity is many times to blame for burning people alive. 1347893407 All over the world? I doubt it, but anythings possible. 1329741008 You seem rather pessimistic. When I look at the history of our civilization, I see that we are actually getting more "enlightened" all the time. It's just a very slow process. There's no reason to give up educating others, you just have to know patience. I certainly don't want to go around deceiving others to hide my true beliefs. That would be more stressful than arguing constantly. 1308945794 I'm not sure what it called but I think it is a quad copter or something. It can make some pretty crazy maneuver very fast. 1356475568 Yeah, but it will "remember" that it used to be basic. 1303516168 Im allergic to cats too... Got three dogs tho so I must be three times worse than hitler. 1340317002 I could listen in on what people were saying before I flipped open the phone to answer when I silenced the ringtone(by pressing the volume button) on my Samsung e335. 1333521164 I have to concur with the majority suggestion here; have them put their money where their mouth is. The great thing about dowsing rods is it is incredibly easy to set up a simple single-blinded and controlled experiment in which you can test the validity of their claims, and all in like half an hour. You can even generously agree on 2:1 on $50 or something.\n\nAgree on a quantity of water that they can detect, as well as the separation needed. Get five bowls/buckets/whatever, and opaque covers for each of them. Fill one with water, and be careful not to leave any evidence as to which it is (don't spill any, or use cold water that might lead to condensation, etc.). Arrange them in a row outside, and have them use the divining rods to figure out which one has the water. Repeat the experiment several times with multiple people (moving the water bowl each time of course), and then for added control repeat the experiment *without* the dowsing rod (perhaps use some other stick or just have them guess without any instrument). If they can manage to find the bowl significantly more often than 20% of the time, then there might be some merit to their claim. But more likely, they won't. And you basically get free money, and they get to no longer accept silly nonsense. Everybody wins! 1350799469 >Disclaimer: haven't actually read Discourse, but I have read Meditations on First Philosophy, which is, as I understand it, effectively making the same argument Descartes does in Discourse.\n\nYou should specify complete ignorance before engaging in arguments.\n\n>Did you even read the wikipedia article you linked too? The deceptive entity is decidedly not God.\n\nYes, I also read the book in French and it's God. He blames this entity for existence itself. Pretty clear cut. He liked having a head and having money, so he detached himself the best he could from such a claim.\n\n>God, on the other hand, is the keystone to Descartes' argument that we can know that the physical world exists and that we can trust our senses. If God exists (and Descartes uses three different ontological arguments to "prove" that God does), then the fact that God is all-good would mean that God would not allow us to be deceived by an evil demon.\n\nYou're in the wrong book again. This like arguing about The Hobbit with someone who read The Silmarillion.\n\n>Should be obvious. The ontological argument is literally based upon circular reasoning.\n\nWrong book. And no, it is not. He says the perfect being exists because he is imagined. He's saying God exists in your mind. But actually saying it would mean having his head cut off.\n\n“the existence of a triangle should not be compared with the existence of God, since the relation between existence and essence is manifestly quite different in the case of God from what it is in the case of the triangle. God is his own existence, but this is not true of the triangle”\n\n>What Descartes was trying to show was that you can trust reality through pure reason alone.\n\nActually, he demonstrates the complete opposite.\n\n>Rationalism (what Descartes was arguing for) needs there to be absolute certainty in order for there to be knowledge. Rationalism claims that this absolute certainty is possible, and that it can be provided solely through logic and reasoning.\n\nYou can't refer to "Descartes's rationalism" and then argue that the rationalism we're talking about is the whole body of rationalism. You just skipped 300 years.\n\nAnd no, that's simply not what rationalism is. Rationalism is simply saying that reason trumps perception as an element of proof.\n\n>He was not saying that the only thing you can know for sure was that you exist.\n\nIt's the entire foundation of the book. He starts by invalidating experience as a form of proof by explaining that perceptions can be false and believed to be real with a long list of examples and experiences, and ends by declaring that the only actual thing you can know is that you exist because you know you are thinking. He even states that this is the only affirmation that cannot even be attacked.\n\nHe then expressly states that our only options, since we cannot live in complete inaction, is to simply accept that things are real. Basically, he demonstrated that empiricism is based on the assumption, which may or may not be true, that experience or perception is correct.\n\n>Empricism does not need absolute certainty to exist in order for there to be knowledge. Rather, it just needs reasonable enough evidence to make it more likely that something is true than that it is not.\n\nNo, it's not. Empiricism is the belief that only that which can be perceived can be known to be true. What you describe is science. Empiricism would declare that things that are based on some reasonable evidence instead of actual observation are uncertain.\n\n\n>This is exactly what the modern skeptical movement strives for\n\nThere isn't such a thing. And René Descartes is largely recognized as the inventor of global skepticism.\n\n>And as to your last point, well, math and physics would disagree with you there:\n\nNo, they would not. You won't find a rebuttal to this claim. The Big Bang already requires complexity before simplicity. This universe may be the product of a big bang, but the big bang is not the product of the big bang.\n\nThe video you referenced ends with an admission of complete ignorance.\n\n 1355426949 Wow, I got this from [Answerbag](http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/366210)\n\n>MSG is a chemical flavor enhancer without any flavor of it's own. It adds sweetness and depth of flvor. The problem with it is that it is actually an excitotoxin which belongs to a class of chemicals that damage nerve cells. It enhances taste by penetrating taste buds on your tongue and overexciting those cells to create a sensory taste experience. The problem is that MSG doesn't stop at your tongue, tough. It continues through the bloodstream and can overexcite nerve cells throughtout your whole nervous system. It even destroys and kills certain brains cells. MSG crosses the blood-brain barrier easily! \n\nTalk about misleading. They essentially say MSG kills your brain. Pretty sure wikipedia would have mentioned that. 1297800778 That is what I thought 1330573045 Indeed. Here's a thought: At the very worst, there are a few people out there who get mildly sick when they eat MSG in large quantities and should probably avoid it. Peanuts, on the other hand, **kill** certain people when consumed in even the tiniest quantities, and no one goes around ranting about the evils of peanuts. 1305203763 yeah man, Chimps get fucking vicious. Like if you work with apes like Penny Patterson or some shit, and you work with Gorillas, you're probably safe because Gorillas are mostly cool. They're most docile and actually extremely caring and gentle. But if you work with grown chimps there's a very real chance that a completely happy kind chimp will flip the fuck out and bite your face off. \n\nAlso I believe Dolphins are the only non-primate species that will kill a fellow dolphin for no other observable reason than prejudice. Like if you try to introduce a different breed dolphin to a pod, they'll shun and possible murder it. What the fuck Dolphins. Though they're also one of the only other species that fuck just for fun, so I guess they have that. And Bonobos, Bonobos love to fuck. 1296018403 Since I'm originally from North Carolina, I think the experimenting will have to wait until then. I'm going home to visit in October, so I plan on making an update then. 1343584334 ~~They retired the challenge a few years back, as it was becoming a drain on time and resources to administer and it had well and truly proven its point. ~~\n\nEdit: Never mind. TIL the Challenge was going to end in 2010, but that JREF changed their mind and have continued it. 1350791517 Believers in psychic phenomena (PSI /NDE /OBE) all suffer from the same type of thinking errors. All their beliefs can be destroyed (positively ruled-out) using the arguments found in the article. 1306502608 I provided the poster with some resources where they can learn about [Scientology](http://www.tampabay.com/specials/2009/reports/project/). This should go well.\n\nBRB- David Miscavage's goons at the door.\n\nEDIT: Crazy gay Christian ANONYMOUS Scientologist Hitler-referencing [success](http://www.reddit.com/r/medicine/comments/idn6t/i_want_to_become_a_psychiatrist_should_i_skip_my/c23qu09)! 1309885723 Someone not indoctrinated to the ways of FSM? 1329028249 Don't it though? I have to just ignore the impulse to rage at the stupid there, but they're good hunting ground for odd news links..which one can then investigate aside from the derp that pervades the forums. And yes, yes they do call themselves Morans. Does not make our future as a species look very bright. 1296830626 Yep, RES. Sagan bless its name 1346938438 Doctors of Osteopathy don't really bring any credibility to the table. 1342745275 **David Icke refutes [911 truth,](http://s60.radikal.ru/i169/1003/f7/5dbc426c4403.gif) which inculpates Jews and his fellow traveler [Alex Jones](http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiratard/comments/12pvpn/fat_overweight_lump_of_spew_decries_old_people_as/c6x5jn9) all at once, while refusing to see the [Martin Luther Kings](http://i031.radikal.ru/1211/96/2d350b7bbc0b.jpg) and [Andy Warhol,](http://s019.radikal.ru/i624/1209/f3/d5f365a72a09.jpg) at the John Kennedy assassination in Dallas, Tx. November 22, 1963!**\n\n>[Aquarius Channelings,](http://aquariuschannelings.com/2012/11/10/what-princess-diana-knew-the-official-resistance/) an Icke sister site that goes on about "reptiles," says Glamis Castle home to Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon the late Queen Mother, is the site of Satanic rituals attended by the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Princess Anne and Camilla Parker-Bowles..\n\n * The Queen Mother pushed a knife into the rectum of two sacrificed boys, aged 13 and 18 yrs.\n\n * The Queen cut the victim’s throat from left to right .. went crazy, stabbing and ripping at the flesh.\n \n * Prince Charles sacrificed children .. Andrew, Prince Philip, and Princess Anne attended the rituals.\n\n>Eye witness Arizona, who says he witnessed the Royal personages commit murder, is thought to be Icke who was in the BBC studios during Jimmy Savile's heyday, and is thought to be a High Priest of Satanism .. his story keeps changing.\n\n>He says in one place, he was unaware of any allegations against S until 1997 or 1998, while [elsewhere](http://www.icke-exposed.co.uk/david-icke/david-icke-heard-about-jimmy-savile-being-a-paedophile-from-the-early-days-of-his-bbc-career-and-said-nothing/) he says, "David Icke knew of Jimmy Savile’s child abuse activities, and just like all the other BBC ppl he chose to say absolutely nothing."\n\n>[AC](http://aquariuschannelings.com/2012/11/10/what-princess-diana-knew-the-official-resistance/) goes on to say the principles wear costume, and drink blood from inscribed and jewel encrusted goblets .. is this the genesis of Icke's obsession with reptiles, that they party it up and behave that way! 1355345868 Houses are pretty far apart from each other in my neighborhood but that's very interesting because in recent years after my parents updated the kitchen, I really haven't heard anything that distinct. 1345061466 I'll still never understand the convoluted cognitive processes behind the strange, ranting, rambling writings of woo-peddlers. It's so redundant and disorganized. Why did they have to list all these different maladies in different sentences? Why did they spontaneously change font halfway through only to change it back a few sentences later? Why are some words in a larger font? I realize that you can't be very bright if you know what homeopathy is and still believe in it, but how can these people even tie their shoes in the morning with such a weak grasp on reality? 1338972612 Exactly. They never even saw the 'prediction' or the calculations, so he had all of them fooled too. 1252886318 Welcome to the No True Scotsman fallacy. There's a difference between 'not skeptics' and 'not consistently skeptical'. 1323593882 The studies listed measured cadavers of the different races between the ages of 19 and 91. It wasn't measuring just the elite athletes. 1345131965 clearly it's the pope 1306712007 Great links, retarded reason for why one should download them.\n\nAdd in the Swedish armed forces' winter survival guide Vintersoldat (Winter soldier) and you're golden. :) 1294137783 I've read and appreciated her book too, but expecting people to have read it doesn't seem like a reasonable thing to me. Also, I agree with your second graph for all the reasons she spelled out so well in her book. Somehow, a feisty NY'er was able to convey a respectful tone, where this guy didn't. \n\nI agree with his sentiment. I just think he was being really inappropriate. Asshole was too strong of a word. 1306293270 I love Desert Bus:\n>The objective of the game is to drive a bus from Tucson, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada **in real time** at a maximum speed of 45mph. The feat requires 8 hours of continuous play to complete, since **the game cannot be paused**.\n\n>The bus contains no passengers, and there is no scenery or other traffic on the road. **The bus veers to the right slightly**; as a result, it is impossible to tape down a button to go do something else and have the game end properly. If the bus veers off the road it will stall and be towed back to Tucson, also in real time. If the player makes it to Las Vegas, they will score exactly one point. The player then gets the option to make the return trip to Tucson—for another point (a decision they must make in a few seconds or the game ends). 1252461202 This is great advice, but I get the feeling that not everything responds to blessing a house or smudging it. \n\nI found the best thing for me, was to confront it and tell it in no uncertain terms that I'm not putting up with it's shit. If it wants to hang out, cool. I can do that, if it wants to fuck with me not cool. Homie don't play dat. I got the impression it was bored, and wanted someone to "play" with, but only on it's terms. Which meant fucking with me. Sometimes I wonder if he'll come back. 1318087969 [According to Steve Novella](http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/is-aura-reading-synaesthesia-probably-not/), EVERYONE got it wrong, not just Medical Xpress. 1337203358 Hah, I was just thinking the same thing. 1336610735 Ya. The majority of citizens actually DO believe in life outside of this planet 1335135086 Next time you should record audio. Maybe keep a small recording device in your shirt pocket, and sync it with the video. Either way, good work. 1293951230 Get it? There's no content, just like the comic! 1277568627 Thank you for that synopsis. Interesting..... 1353164434 Really sad to see a great mind in an ageing body, though he's had a really good run of it. We'll miss him in years to come. 1266548477 This is from before the camera enters the water. At this point the camera is looking downwards.\n\nYou can't really see it on the YouTube video, but on the original, you can see wires holding up both items. I think the first is a thermocouple or radiation meter, and the second is a glowstick.\n\nThey had only a 5cm wide gap around a pipe to feed in the camera and other items, so both must be quite small.\n\nEDIT: From the report it appears that one thinner cable may have been used to raise the end of the camera cable. Probably to help them direct the camera cable over an intervening stairway.\n\nhttp://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/images/handouts_120627_02-e.pdf 1341016171 From two of my favorite sites: [Skeptoid](http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/10/11/the-raw-truth-about-raw-milk/) and [Science-Based Medicine](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/raw-milk-in-modern-times/) 1332986966 No, he should refuse to call her "mama" just to piss her off! 1292508653 I used the brain tricks argument and then busted out [this](http://topcultured.com/an-illusion-so-impossible-i-had-to-double-check-in-photoshop/). Some didn't even understand what I was trying to say but others had their minds blown. Thanks, reddit. 1315803121 >It has been known for some years that the problem with microwaved anything is not the radiation people used to worry about, it’s how it corrupts the DNA in the food so the body can not recognize it.\n\n..\n\n>Microwaves don’t work different ways on different substances.\n\nHuh? 1351236210 Those topics have a little to do with muscle relations, sure, so we can say that chiropractors who have such a background would be poorly trained physiotherapists. Well-trained physiotherapists are the ones with that background **AND** they've studied empirically validated techniques for treating disorders related to mobility and functioning. It's the actual physiotherapy aspect of the university education that chiropractors are missing, and that's the most important part. 1331619279 It should be noted when looking at this report, that there is a difference between here say and undisputed fact. In this case, the judge completely denies any such judgement and condemns it as a preposterous joke. He's also preparing/considering a lawsuit. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but it is disputed, it wasn't an official judgement and there's no court record, so if you're going to call yourself skeptical, it's worth pointing these things out so people can make their own judgement.\n\nhttp://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=iw&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kikarhashabat.co.il%2F%25D7%25A4%25D7%25A8%25D7%25A9%25D7%25AA-%25D7%2594%25D7%259B%25D7%259C%25D7%2591.html 1308438873 It's woo. 1356884658 SSSSHHH!!!!!!\n\n 1302698375 I'm not saying it was aliens [but...](http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/humans-ancient-aliens-guy.jpg) 1336348225 The STS-114 video is a peculiar one. The object that bounces doesn't appear to follow a trajectory that would be consistent with atmospheric skipping. 1310202556 Well, that's only because all *those* people are total nerds. 1283995234 Obligatory upvote for anything Ben Goldacre writes 1300563443 Here is what the project has raised:\n\n oo |\n ooooo G|\n oo |5K\n ooooooo |\n oooo |4K\n ooo |\n ooooo |\n ooo |3K\n oooo |\n oo |2K\n ooooo |\n oo |\n ooo |1K\n ooo |\n oo |0\n --------------------------------------------------\n 8/26 9/7 9/18 9/30 10/12\n\n[Click to see full graph](http://canhekick.it/projects/1287298052/earth-runners-get-grounded)\n 1349382940 Ha, yeah. I think his motto is something like "I'm dishonest, but I'm honest about being dishonest." (Though, I'm not sure how honest he's being there.) Ya gotta love him, though. 1280250080 Got it. Here's how I suggest you present this information in the future:\n\nReddit uses something called vote fuzzing in an effort to invalidate the reliability of reddit-based data-harvesting. Spammers can use that information to target reddit and make decisions based on reddit data. \n\nIt would be inappropriate to say specifics of what fuzzing prevents and why it was considered a viable anti-span technique.\n\nThe way I took what you said was more of a user-space manipulation. Some votes cast are counted different than there actual selection. That's not the case. The fuzzing is an algorithmic alteration of the raw data before it's delivered to a client. \n\nThanks for all the info, sorry I gave you such a hard time. 1353338952 Once every three months. That's about how often this picture is reposted. 1305044197 > If the bible said Pi = 3\n\n[Uhh...](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%207:23-7:23&version=KJV)\n\n> And he made a molten sea, **ten cubits from the one brim to the other: it was round all about**, and his height was five cubits: and **a line of thirty cubits did compass it round about.** 1306370072 Ah, that reminds of Hitchens response to the free will question, "I believe in free will because I don't have any other choice" 1330852635 Now this is believable. 1319472078 Why would you want to have a baby in a hospital unless you had to for medical reasons? Hospitals are full of sick people with infectious diseases. 1292570471 I might add that the study of the arts and the production of them take quite extensively from psychology, philosophy, and more rigid sciences. Art is, at some level, a discourse that reflects what and how our knowledge functions.\n\nI guess I'm just tepid about poo-pooing a basic foundation of inquiry for the last fifty or so years. Especially considering that postmodernism is so multifaceted and, in my experience at least, useful for critical thinking and skepticism. 1323493983 I've always been uncomfortable with people in positions of power that have magical thinking. 1317660373 [](/w00-rotate) It's because of certain emoticon scripts interpretting "-spin" in the middle of the URL. 1335651725 It's my understanding that a majority of the symptoms you describe ("getting sick eating meat for the first time in x years") is a function of the body simply not having the various bacteria and other goodies swimming around in the stomach and digestive tract to help digest this strange new substance. \n\nI can only assume that Tasha's doctor had her take a probiotic or somesuch before telling her to eat a steak. \n\nI have a realated story! I don't consider myself "vegan" or "vegetarian", but rather "not a lot of meat" guy. Maybe once or twice a week, to be honest. Anyway! This morning, I was out walking around and decided to stop in Jack in the Box for some delicious, disgusting, horrible-for-me breakfast. I spent the next 12 hours pooping. 1290411753 Hmm, coming from Venezuela, I'd say just be glad you weren't robbed. 1342986267 Who? (sorry) 1342335653 >They're way more likely to catch a disease they come in contact with than someone who's been vaccinated for it, and in many cases wind up getting it more severely than the vaccinated.\n\nThis is an important point: vaccination isn't binary. It doesn't give you 100% immunity, just *pretty good* protection. This is why it matters to Jane if Billy's mom doesn't get him vaccinated for measles. Even if Jane *is* vaccinated, there's still some chance she can catch it if Billy gets sick. 1334527532 What's your school's email address? We can write them and ensure that she sticks to the curriculum or gets sacked!\n\nAssuming, of course, your story isn't some fantasy bullshit you concocted to play to the hive-mind while validating your dogma in the ensuing circlejerk. 1287006679 "I'm going to army and you can't stop me mother!" - Said the interdimensional being. 1302321856 Here we go again. Arguing science over asymmetrical information. 1315764050 Don't forget Italian courts also convicted scientist of being at fault for not adequately predicting Earthquakes. So congratulations: America not quite as dumb as Italy! 1340396270 I bought this exact watch from my work for about $2. It must have been missing the energy and detoxification features. 1305618911 >So what about the >10% of the American population that wants Marijuana legalized?\n\nIt's been growing every year, expanding into new states medicinally every year, and frequently has states discussing complete legalization?\n\nThis isn't pokemon. Things don't change in a flash of light while a cool sound effect plays. It takes time. 1311777757 Dog. 1329153329 moomie was blind and she fell into our pool when my brother was inside getting stuff ready to bbq. he didn't notice that she had followed him outside until he found her in the pool :( 1347720618 Yes they work on collective immunity. No an outbreak can't bust out beyond the point where vaccines don't work.\n\nFor some reason, Seattle has outbreaks of this that and the other all the fuck over the place. I can't remember the vaccine but I had it three times in eighteen months because I started at one school, which had an outbreak and vaccinated everybody, then there was another outbreak and I didn't have my vaccination records, then I transferred down to another school and I didn't have my vaccination records. 1294465015 This needs more upvotes. It's sad that a group who prides themselves on critical thinking skills and avoiding biases is acting like this. Both groups are now exaggerating their claims, those who disagree with Rebecca are now just basically talking about how much they dislike her as a person and deriding her (OP's post is a perfect example of this) and those pro are taking extreme measures to Dawkin's comment (boycotting and such).\n\nThis whole fiasco just reassures me how inevitable it is to avoid biases and superstitious, illogical reasoning. 1310159472 Tangential to the point, but:\n\n> Richard Attenborough, TV presenter\n\nI'm pretty sure *Richard* Attenborough would more commonly be called an actor... 1322556146 Yeah, I don't see how that would work with those bottles, unless if you fill them up completely each time. But then a normal bottle isn't going to let much air into it either unless the hole in the nipple in too big, in which case you've got other problems such as milk going all over your baby's face. 1315794514 What I find fascinating is the attention that your comment generated compared the the number of downvotes you received (3 up; 12 down at this moment). I think it speaks volumes about the attention to reddiquette given here re: upvote interesting content; don't downvote because you disagree.\n\nYou cannot question James Randi, cannot criticize him. He is essentially a holy figure to the skeptic community. A community that defines itself by ridiculing anything that is outside of what is normal, and being rude to any person who associates itself with the paranormal or alternative medicine or conspiracy theories. This behavior is not right. It is not just or honorable. When you allow your emotions to get in the way of thought, you do a disservice to the truth. I weep for the inhumanity that infects so many of our intellectuals these days. It is no wonder there is a rift between the smart and the ignorant. 1304140836 Wow, I seem to have ended ended up arguing with a lunatic ultrazionist and an unrepentantantly racist neonazi in the same thread. Why don't you and 9291 continue this discussion on your own? Alternatively, just fuck and get it over with. You know you want to. 1355974018 This sums it up:\n\n>According to Professor Son Chang-ho of Chonnnam National University’s College of Veterinary Science, the mans’ story is likely fake. Regardless of how man cats the dog had sex with, “it’s impossible for a dog to give birth to a cat.”\n\nPure, 100%, weapons grade, balonium. 1343845506 Well I chuckled, damnit... 1321574533 Thanks for your response, nnnslogan. If we take Bob at his word, then we can only assume that Bob is regurgitating information that he read, as you point out.\n\nWhy bring in some nerdy scientist to only poke his head around an E.T. craft? What purpose is there in allowing him access to documents describing other scientists "analysis" of how the craft operated? If what Bob claims is true, than wouldn't it point to an "informational" or "dis-informational" campaign by those in authority? Wouldn't you agree? 1331096624 soliciting sex in an elevator may be rude, but i don't think it justifies the shitstorm that watson has created. different people have different attitudes toward sex. all he did was make her uncomfortable. dawkins' tendency to come off as a douchebag has only exacerbated the situation but i agree with him in principle.\n\nEDIT: [link](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2011/07/05/richard-dawkins-and-male-privilege/) for those who have no idea what i'm talking about. 1309965555 Legal in Germany as well. And I wouldn't care if anyone I knew was a prostitute. If they want to have sex and people decide to pay them for it, sounds like a good deal.\n\nYes this is simplified, no I don't care. 1336561795 I would suggest starting here:\n\nhttp://ocw.mit.edu/courses/brain-and-cognitive-sciences/9-01-introduction-to-neuroscience-fall-2007/index.htm\n\nThen come back. 1354573443 Exactly what I was thinking. Two pieces of advice: 1. Watch out for your eyes fusing together. 2. When they do, look under the sheep. 1326595827 When Sir Isaac Newton saw the apple fall out of a tree, that wasn't under scientific conditions and look what that led to. \nBut then again they accused him of introducing "occult agencies" into science. 1317674499 Seriously, is there something in the water in that part of the world? 1353874926 [Here you go.](http://www.icr.org/index.php?search=AdvancedSearch&f_keyword_all=&f_context_all=any&f_context_exact=any&f_context_any=any&f_context_without=any&f_search_type=articles&section=0&f_constraint=both&=Search&module=home&action=submitsearch&f_authorID=210) Read it all and tell us he is not full of shit. He abuses his stance of authority (PhD) to say things like, ["In a forensic investigation, the best form of evidence is eyewitness testimony..."](http://www.icr.org/article/chimp-similarity-refuting-appeal-human/) He is a liar and his arguments against evolution are horrible. However, to the general, ignorant population, he sounds like a genius. THAT is the problem. 1335545276 I don't doubt that in the slightest, in todays day and age, children could learn and accept a lot of the underlying psychological reasons that explain how or why we do certain things.\n\nIf you use the word magic, it can leave too much mystery, leaving the child surrounded by falsities that make them happy for reasons that are wrong. 1345040848 I definitely won't be cocky, i dont want to ever disrespect any spirits. Oh i see, well thank you! and Good luck in the paranormal 1345222075 I do remember some middle schooler being gushed over as he talked about how awesome organic food is. 1333143387 You want to minimize harm by way of limiting freedom. That will never work. 1318219929 This is Poisoning the Well and Association fallacies. Hitchens' stance on the war doesn't automatically make him anti-civil rights or pro dead soldiers.\n 1329932772 This guy is really dropping some beautiful lines. I enjoyed this one:\n\n"The great tragedy of Science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact."\n\nBahaha. 1312236680 Even if the negative effects are insignificant by age two this product should be removed because it implicitly and explicitly claims that it improves cognitive performance. \n\nAt the very least it doesn't improve performance, but, there is still enough evidence that it hurts performance to steer clear of this crap. 1263688646 I fell in a huge pool of it one time, I was nearly killed! It soaked into my skin and everything, it came out in my urine for weeks! 1340305481 It's complete nonsense. The Earth's axis shifted gradually over millenia, and there's no real difference between the zodiac today and that of a few decades ago.\n\nSomeone made that up and told their facebook friends, and it went viral because it was reassuring to them. There doesn't need to be any rationale, but I have seen some say that Ophiuchus was suddenly discovered, or that the Earth's axis suddenly shifted, or that the government just suddenly decided to change the zodiac for no good reason. 1295082045 Erm. How is this a skeptic test?\n\nYes, I would, since I'm out now anyway.\n\nNo, I wouldn't, as there's a very small chance of having my ticket checked. 1332111438 I wouldn't recommend taking a placebo for anything that is physical like that. I didn't say placebo grows back limbs, or fixes physical problems.\n\nThere are tons of studies like [this](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/12/22/evidence-that-placebos-could-work-even-if-you-tell-people-they%E2%80%99re-taking-placebos/) that show that placebos do work. The person just has to want it to get better. The more optimistic the better the effects. 1346897744 Let's just be clear here: I don't think Dr. Awe actually believes that the skull is authentic.\n\nHe is basically saying: If this is real, it's ours and was taken illegally, trying to force them to show it isn't really from Belize in court. Adding Lucasfilm is just trying to get more attention... 1354993909 Eight drops of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide in water 3 times a day. And then Bam! No cancer. \n\nYeah, I just saved you 30 bucks. 1243710655 lt is in my opinion a case of lens flare, what l find difficult to explain is why there is no lens flare in the rest of the transformer explosions. Cool video nonetheless. lmagine being close to those, those can BANG! 1305228976 Alright, I'll bite.\n\nYou are not being skeptical, unless to you skeptical means kneejerk disbelief because the government says it's true.\n\nA true skeptic would not post a link to a conspiracy theory website as evidence to back up their point. Currently, because I can't really be bothered right now to spend the next three hours researching it, I would say my status is "I don't know enough about the issue to take a side." \n\nIn times when i don't know enough about the issue to take a side, I will generally go with what the government says, because the government tends to, because they're answerable to the people, be pretty good about backing up their decisions with solid research. \n\nThis does not mean that I'm closed to other ideas, however. It just means that if someone with an alternative idea wants to convince me, they're going to have to do so with scientifically valid, peer reviewed, empirical evidence. (http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/safety.htm)\n\nIf you don't have these things, then you don't have a case. You present a website where the first thing I see is a site run ad for non-flouride toothpaste. Someone is making money off of peddling this shit. That, in itself, casts doubts about it veracity. The paper that is presented on the page states that flouride accumulates in the pineal gland. It does not state whether or not this a problem, and where the flouride came from, or whether naturally occurring flouride would cause this same buildup over time.\n\nLearn to do science, it's better than calling people names for not believing nonsense you believe because you don't understand how science works. 1337795096 Thanks. I am very intrigued, will you keep up with this and let us know how things go in the future? 1340285928 > Man...some of you guys are so serious you can't recognize sarcasm?\n\nYou need a tag. Otherwise it's impossible to tell. This is the internet.\n\nReading the whole blog post does help, but many won't read the whole. This is the internet. 1250884895 You can see the screen accounting for the shape at about :53. 1318655365 I am somewhat familiar with both the Casimir effect and the Lamb shift, having gone through some of the calculations in my physics classes, but IIRC these *change the system* to have a different ground state. They don't give you free energy. 1351684140 This is a throwaway I have made a few weeks ago...\n\nYes I believe in Bigfoot. My boyfriend spotted what he believes is one about a month ago. If you look at my comment history then you can read the story of it. I will be more than happy to answer any questions, if anyone cares enough to ask them. \n\nAs for Chupacabra, or the Loch Ness Monster, I have never really put much thought into them. As with all three (before the incident in my backyard a month ago) I would say that it is a fascinating subject, and would be amazing if any of these were actually proven. I really do believe that Bigfoot/Yeti/Skunk Ape/Sasquatch has been proven (short of capturing one, or having a corpse), yet the vast majority of people do not want to believe that there is a 6-10 foot tall elusive creature roaming around in the woods. \n\nMy argument: we find animals all the time that are thought to be extinct for hundreds of years and yet somewhere they are thriving enough to stick around for that amount of time. So why can't Bigfoot do the same (remain undetected)? \n\nI really want to write more thoughts on this, but I just woke up and my brain is going slower than I would like lol. 1317310007 My argument is absolutely nothing like "Your argument is sort of like "If you can't admit that it's at least possible for pigs to fly".\n\nListen son, we all know that it's impossible for pigs to fly. We know this because no one has ever seen a pig fly.\n\nOn the other hand, we know without a doubt that the government has lied and covered up certain actions in the past. We know that the government has committed atrocities. Fact. You can't debunk that.\n\n>9/11 is among the most heavily documented and researched events of all time\n\nWhy didn't the official investigation mention the collapse of Building 7?\n\n\n\nCheck and mate. In short, you're pathetic.\n\n 1356641911 I don't think there's any reason to think that prohibition of guns would be any more successful than prohibition of drugs, and would bring with it all of the related problems.\n\n"Gun free zones" certainly do not keep people safer, and there's more than ample evidence for this at this point. In fact, it's reasonable to argue that they do more harm than good (disarming the law abiding, while having no effect on criminals and psychos).\n\nIt's very hard to look at how various measures in other countries would work if applied to the US due to many other variables. Many other countries are much smaller, weren't already filled with guns, have a more homogenous population (in terms of both culture and class), geographic differences, etc.\n\nI would point to better security as the best possible solution. It doesn't infringe on anyone's constitutional rights, doesn't impede the law-abiding from protecting themselves, and would do the most to prevent an armed madman to run amok. Of course this isn't a perfect solution and won't completely eliminate mass shootings, but I think it has the potential to do the most good and the least amount of harm. Just yesterday an armed security guard in Texas stopped an armed individual after he'd only had the chance to shoot one person. If there had been an armed guard and ample security in CT, the rampage may have been over before it began. If teachers, who were trained and qualified, were allowed to carry a firearm, the outcomes in these tragedies may have been a lot different. As it stands now, teachers are forbidden by law to carry any protection for them and their students against an armed gunman. 1355856040 There's a wild punctuation running around here somewhere... 1340058964 Sounds like a past life resurfacing. 1328821683 Please think twice before giving David Icke any pageviews. For those that don't know the man, see [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_icke#Key_ideas) for some general info.\n\nMore on topic: the guy you met, does he believe *all* of Icke's ideas/delusional ravings (strike out whichever is not applicable)? Or just a few particular ones? 1325124099 Definitely sounds like sleep paralysis. Also when you are in this state sometimes you experience weird things because you're in a borderline sleep state. You can have auditory and visual hallucinations while paralyzed. One time my eyes opened briefly while still paralyzed one time and saw a person standing over my bed for example. Another time I heard people laughing like it was right next to me as I drifted into sleep. The key is not to be scared of sleep paralysis. I find it's easier just to give in to it rather than try to fight it, then you'll fall asleep. If you really want to wake up you should be able to wiggle your toes at least. Just keep wiggling them until you regain control of your body. 1310245873 I don't know about the medical effects, but I love Sound & Light machines. 1288821823 jacuzzi was in your private suite or like the public hottub thing 1342389489 It is a crime that people like Lemay feed off of women when they are most susceptible to fear. Who doesn't want to be the best parent? Who would want to give their child autism? Even the suggestion that an ultra sound MIGHT cause damage is enough to put doubt in a mother's mind. Then, if there is an actual problem with the fetus, it goes undetected. \n\nSo sad. All done out of love, fear, and ignorance. 1262620023 > I unfortunately don't think i'll be able to do the horoscope/conversation stuff. She's an old Korean lady and doesn't speak English -- somebody else is translating for me.\n\nI was suggesting you go over that with your girlfriend as you said she was susceptible to this woo. They were exercises to help her to start critically thinking.\n\nBTW - You may want to couch your criticism of this old lady to your girlfriend by telling her that she may not even be aware that she is using cold reading techniques and that she isn't intentionally trying to fool people. 1308117172 House is a great show for that - you are right. Maybe for the older kids. good call. Thanks 1336433841 Media access. He blogs for the New York Times and the others work for lesser known entities. 1352318318 [The Silence. ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_\\(Doctor_Who\\)) 1326485111 Google Translation\n\n>So he gave it to RPP Noticias, the anthropologist Renato Davila Riquelme, who said that the mummy is 50 inches tall, triangular head, large cavity of the eye and molars uncommon in humans.\n\n>The anthropologist Renato Riquelme Davila Andean Rituals Private Museum, located in the district of Andahuaylillas Quispicanchi province ( Cusco ) announced the discovery of a mummy with no human characteristics.\n\n>Riquelme Davila explained that the body is 50 inches tall, triangular head, eye cavity too large, open fontanelle, which is only characteristic of children up to 1 year and has molars, which show that there is a tremendous gap that is not common in humans.\n\n>"It looks not human because the head is triangular and tremendous, indeed, the head is about the size of body and thought it was a kid but Spanish and Russian doctors have come and we have confirmed that this is indeed an extraterrestrial" , said through RPP Noticias.\n\n>Listen to the anthropologist Renato Davila\n\n> He said it also has the front split skulls and that does not exist in any ethnic group in the world, as only found in the Andes of Peru, like the Inca bone is a triangle on the occipital and exists only in the Andes of Peru.\n\n>Read more news from the region Cusco\n\n> [insert] "The head is triangular and tremendous, indeed, the head is almost the size of body and thought it was a kid but Spanish and Russian doctors have come and we have confirmed that indeed is an extraterrestrial"\nRenato Davila 1321571945 Sorta happened to me. 2 years ago I lost my black DS when moving out of college. Found it today in a backpack I use frequently and have dug through many times since then. Wat. 1337074124 As far as anyone can tell, the unnamed Elevator Guy did comply. There's been no report of him doing it again. In fact, I haven't yet seen a single report about him after his encounter with Watson.\n\nIt seems the only time anyone still talks about it is to ridicule Watson. 1321162760 I think Hollywood just makes remakes of other movies with different actors. They wanted to make a horror film, so they did, and then tried to call it "based on a true story" despite dropping the most interesting things and totally changing the whole experience.\n\n 1337035478 Thanks for reporting this. I will pass this on to my coding partner. \n\nActually, I have a friend here in Chile who is also using a Mac, and he said he can't get it to work either. So obviously, my guess is that it is a problem with the Mac/Chrome combination, and the fact that we are still Self hosted. ie: We aren't in the chrome marketplace yet. That is the only thing I can think of as to why other chrome extensions works, and ours doesn't. 1338223300 This is just one of many studies I've read over the last few years about how ineffective our higher education has become in the US. It's very much the same problem in US High Schools. The result is very little depth of knowledge.\n\nNot shocking given that we can't magically expect students to be proficient given how poorly many are taught K-12. 1295412057 Bad luck in Lucknow? 1283109896 I already told you that I don't consider eyewitness testimony as proof that UFOs are ET. I agree with you that there is an UFO phenomena but I cannot, in good conscience, claim that it is ET in nature. To do that would require proof that no one has yet, even the COMETA report. 1349541566 I agree with that as well. 1301262522 A Google of "biz op" will also reveal a wealth of interesting scams and how they operate. 1327803157 Yeah, is this what we're doing in /r/skeptic now? I unsubscribed from /r/atheism to get away from this. 1310754615 I think i love you. 1316314108 I have one, the only problem is that unless you look really hard, it looks EXACTLY like a power band. Fellow skeptics will look down upon you unless you make it clear that it isn't one 1317564551 Every time he said 'passed over' I wanted to vomit. 1352612922 maybe he wants all the credit and moneys if its the real deal 1354844425 saijanai is bringing this up because he/she always does, take a look to his/her posts. Hagelin is a bullshitologist anyway.\n\nEdit: Small correction. 1345046478 Oh, I know. This site is definitely the kind that would spin up conspiracy theories without any substance. 1354210821 Are there multiple GA episodes from there? 1328233145 Possibly to prevent the societal throws? 1334713108 >Yeah, I don't know what the deal is with criticisms of Pinker. He's data heavy, a reasonably good researcher, certainly not making any mistakes that his peers distance themselves over, and on everything except the topic of evolution, he's actually very deferential.\n\nThe reason why a lot of people don't like Pinker (especially psychologists) is that he's viewed as essentially the opposite of what you've written there.\n\nThe data in his books is heavily mined to support his positions (which isn't so bad considering he writes pop-science books, but it gives a heavily skewed view of the field), he does no real research of his own, and psychologists in general find his extremely polemic and aggressive tone very unpleasant. \n\nFor the first point, take "The Language Instinct". He presents some data to support his conclusions, but his position is not really accepted by any linguist or language researcher. It's a fringe position (not pseudoscientific, but currently not very well-supported) and yet in his book he presents it as an inevitable conclusion. Again, this makes sense in that it's his book and he obviously wants to promote his beliefs, but scientists can get quite annoyed because laymen read it and start rejecting valid research because it doesn't fit into Pinker's arguments.\n\nOn the last point, take "The Blank Slate" as an example. For starters, there has never been a scientific position that has accepted blank slatism, so the entire book is aimed at a strawman. But psychologists took particular offence at the misrepresentation and blatant attack on scientists like Watson and Skinner. With Watson, he quotemines his "12 healthy infants" quote to make it seem like Watson was arguing that by manipulating their environments, he could turn them into anything he wants. But the following line in his quote goes on to explain that this is pure rhetoric, and it's basically just a parody of the biological determinists of his time. Watson was, of course, an ethologist who spent much of his life studying the instinctual behaviors of animals - he didn't need to be told that some behaviors were innate and not shaped by the environment.\n\nSkinner too was heavily misrepresented, as Pinker argues that he was a blank slatist. This is obviously false to anyone who has even read the wiki page on Skinner, as he built his entire philosophy on the idea that behaviorism is a necessary *extension* to natural selection. He was such a huge fan of the theory of evolution that he called his operant conditioning "selection by consequences", as the process was identical to natural selection but over an individual's lifetime. He spent his entire career furiously arguing that we cannot understand behavior without looking at both biology and the environment. For example, his theory of language argued that innate structures in the mind made it possible to learn language. \n\nThat didn't stop Pinker though, and he goes on to compare Skinner to people like Stalin, Mao, and compares his behaviorism to totalitarianism. A lot of psychologists found it somewhat disingenuous to compare a recipient of the humanist of the year award to genocidal dictators. 1345688024 The 3 lighter trees or whatever they're supposed to be shift weird, too. 1321479891 >The video, taken at Oliver’s Castle in Wiltshire, showed mysterious balls of light hovering over a field where a geometric-style design was imprinted in the crops. This seemed to be the proof the cereologists had longed for: UFOs created the crop circles after all! Several experts rejoiced publicly over the footage and unhesitatingly proclaimed it genuine. Unfortunately, it too was a hoax. The hoaxer, John Wabe, later confessed on camera - to the great consternation of some of the “experts.” \n\nhttp://www.ufoencounters.co.uk/cropcircles.html\n\nWhilst we're on the subject of circles, [this](http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2012/rocklane/rocklane2012a.html) was found yesterday.\n\n 1342097461 [a short read on wikipedia might change your mind](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger#Race) 1349462905 yea but when your constantly being made fun of, your constantly on you defense! 1329941807 I'll take that a step further and say it was made up entirely. 1311479252 A well respected physicist to boot. 1283731110 In the video, the person makes their motherhood central to their argument. \n\nI agree the title was a bit ad-hominem, but this person is very obviously out of their depth. 1333119936 *Grins* Truly and epic viral is that image! 1324400883 How do you know it's not because of the latitude at which the subject lives?\n\nI call it the LATITUDE DIET! 1324962870 If by "fear center" they mean "repressed sexual urges", then yeah, it's totally scientific and valid. 1294036428 Because skeptics would recognise the Carl Sagan line..."We are star stuff" 1311408742 I'm a big fan of the [ghost in a Japanese parking garage](http://youtu.be/W8UE12gizLM).\n\nMaybe not super creepy but a whole heck of a lot more believable than most of the ghost videos I've seen, and that makes it pretty creepy to me. 1336577642 I have nothing to fear. My tin foil hat is in place. 1337773370 I want one!! He is gorgeous, whatever he is!!! 1345301480 I'd be extremely surprised if any alien race we encounter even looks humanoid in shape. 1325873860 Ouija boards have been shown to have a perfectly natural explanation, and the people using them should immediately be held in suspicion. If there is a device to communicate with the dead, I don't believe Hasbro has the copyright to it.\n\nThe spirit box things are more interesting, but I think lend themselves to a sort of audio matrixing effect. Just like we want to see faces in things, we want to hear voices in things. So if you put enough random noise on long enough, you'll eventually find pieces that almost sound like something.\n\nAsk yourself how many times on one of these shows they played back something and you thought it sounds like "I'm here" and they say "It sounds like "apple" and then you think... yeah... it does now that they say that.\n\nEDIT: This isn't to say there couldn't be something there, just that there's an easier explanation and another form of measurement should be used. 1344003262 We also offer a financing option -just $30 for 23 easy payments! 1340747020 Yahoo News has almost no content. It's basically a news aggregator for Reuters, AP, and all kinds of other news producers. 1320812487 One of my favorite podcasts. Absolute best was when I was just finishing a road trip, managed to grab an episode from a citywide wifi, and it turned out to be a musical. I was nearly assleap by that point, and the laugh got me just awake enough to make it back home. 1248923765 Sounds interesting. I believe the audio is [here](http://www.jeffpolachek.com/kt-audio). 1328063784 Why would you counter a page filled with appeals to nature with your own fallacy. 1346311409 my first thought was definitely CGI...\n\nman, that's the problem w/ any video "evidence" these days - even a half-talented film student w/ some relatively inexpensive 3D animation and editing software could output stuff like this... 1320951027 I meant more background, etc. but, yes, that's a good suggestion. 1273989910 Don't be embarrassed. The human mind is built to fill in gaps in information, so it's only natural to try to do it when thinking about questions of origins and natural laws. You should be proud, because you were able to take a step back and think logically instead of instinctively. You defeated your gut reactions; that's awesome! 1288399938 You're probably right. I sit corrected. ;) 1349371949 I will have to see if I can find the other footage. When I saw the footage I too was unable to distinguish it from a bug.\n\nScientists can get fooled, regardless of nationality. Just remember how James Randi fooled a team of psi researchers with a couple of young magicians. 1332987864 But doesn't that imply determinism? I.e. you couldn't have changed the future if it already existed in such a solid form 1342218229 I always wondered that about the homeopathic preachers, do they know how much diluted aspirin, birth control, every vitamin and medicine imaginable is diluted in the water? You would think if homeopathy was real, people would never get sick since they get "a highly diluted" cure just by taking a sip of water. 1272140615 [God of the gaps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_the_gaps). 1353955397 You forgot mind uploading. It's kind of the rapture for nerds, because they believe they will become immortal. 1335065307 You have no clue what you are jabbering about.\n\nThey abducted the cows so they could modify them to deliver the nano-technology required to operate the wheat-bending quantum communications technology using fecal-transference into the soil. 1297365466 She was your Dad reincarnated. Normally reincarnations are not so immediate, but for you a special case. Nice 1328657570 The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has a reliquary with the tooth of Mary Magdelan imbedded in a crystal. Its pretty cool looking and when I play tour guide at the Museum with out of town guests I always say " hey, you want to see Mary Magdelin's tooth"? and they always say "Hell yes". and who wouldn't? But its just a tooth. Who knows who's tooth. 1356826965 Your doctor and a physical therapist.\n\nFor years the message I've had from friends who've visited both - if you go to a chriopractor, you have to go back every week/month or it all repeats and comes back. If you go to a physio, you get the benefit of realignment as well as training and exercises to strengthen muscles and keep things aligned...all without the snap/crackle/pop. One creates an addiction, another creates strength and future health. 1318729139 Black cats are awesome. I hate how people are mean to them. They are good luck to me 1353708217 Yeah that's what it felt like. 1340902943 I'm not trolling. I'm trying to have a discussion with you. If you are unwilling to engage with me, then I can only assume you are trying to dodge my question. \n\nPlease! I beg you, hit me with your best explanation for why you think the scientific method is inadequate. I will listen to you and consider everything you say. 1352242086 You have! Now you need to come join us! 1329674455 Actually 'rejected' isn't the right word anyway. Neither the Roswell case that occurred before 1948 (that happened to not fit the cycle peak) and the eight that came after 1989.5 (that happened to fit the cycle peak) were just not included because they were outside the period of time being considered. 1333290518 I believe you man. Ive had the same dreams for years now. This is why the world needs someone like fkn Mulder\n 1329262398 Thank you!\nAlways nice to see someone that isn't just boom, you're lying. 1347550496 Haven't really seen anything... actually, WAIT. I haven't made this connection before!! Holy crap. When I was 16 I dabbled in Ouija boards and cemetery trips (being a stupid teen). I was upstairs in my bedroom on the phone with a friend when I got an overwhelming sense of dread. I looked up and saw a blur of what appeared to be a woman in a nightgown run past my doorway and into the room with the attic door... I remember freaking out and telling my friend on the phone about it as it happened. Holy crap! I literally I forgot this happened. Sounds of heels? A woman's voice saying help? I'm literally tearing up right now! Once I'm home from work I'm investigating that attic... I'll upload pics! Can't believe I forgot that!! 1346353999 [Citation Needed] 1300142029 Please don't. I really enjoy this sub-reddit and I really don't want to see it turn into the circlejerk that [/r/atheism](/r/atheism) has become. 1331941344 First off: great find !\n\nI'm having difficulties trusting in the honesty of their reactions. Somehow it seems acted and way to controlled. Also i find it a weird time to stop the recording, since everybody i know, who had experiences like that or similar, completely forgot about what they were doing in that moment. So it seems weird, she remembers to stop the recording at that time.\n\nI'm not being conclusive here, but i do not trust this video. 1332995146 He's a Lizard. It's the only plausible explanation. 1353947230 Indeed. And while such substances are occasionally found (there was one pharma company a while back that had nasty byproducts in one of its vaccines once; when it was discovered they were shamed and it was fixed - no reference sorry), there has been no substance found to be in a high proportion of all vaccines, nor anything linked to autism symptoms. 1334418290 Oh, I know. I've read them all through twice. But that was the particular sentence after the "Oh, not again." line. 1331351462 That looks like some kind of debris being blown around in the wind. 1319245264 Did you come out to Rapture Day last year? We had a fantastic turnout, and this one promises to be even better! 1329674308 I can't wait for this kid to grow older and then become an atheist. Then he can use all of that money he made from the idiots who buy this book and donate it to science. 1350440446 Haha sorry had to throw that out there and it's not my sighting, but check out MUFON and see how many sighting they have had in the last few weeks in california. Orange lights all over the state 1348354715 Here are Cecil Adams's first and second columns on it:\n\nhttp://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/263/what-are-the-nine-eskimo-words-for-snow\n\nhttp://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2379/are-there-nine-eskimo-words-for-snow-revisited 1291468523 http://twitter.com/kvbeek/lists/skeptics is apparently the correct list link format. I already had most of your suggestions, but added @labcoatman! 1256947399 It's a dumb thing to be upset about, and is going to drive up the price of meat like crazy if "outlawed". 1332892503 Wow, didn't expect this. Thanks and definitely no harm done. I value your opinion and agree with every single thing you said. I went through the Luna circuit too and had to graduate from the idea of there being broad daylight structures just chillin' on JPEGS in the public domain. \n\nI'm also so put off by disinformation that it's upped my standard for what's discussable (sic). I believe you when you say you've put years into it. Me too. Now it DOES figure that "someone" capable of using the sun directly COULD build a 20K mile ship, but you're right, it doesn't mean we should accept it under the guise of "anything's possible."\n\nI think a constant struggle for those of us who aren't just hard skeptics, but healthy skeptics, is with how jaded we may've become in the face of so much of the BS factor. I'll tell you this much, though: \n\nFor awhile now, people have complained that, "well, we have amazing cell phone cameras now, so why isn't there better lone-ranger proof out there?" I honestly believe we're finally getting on that precipice. One where the smoking gun is just around the corner. Badass HD camcorders have finally bridged the gap b/w amateur & pro (I've got one myself), and I see it as a matter of time before we have "proof" of their (UFO's) human transcendence. It won't be enough to convince everyone, but it'll be enough to completely validate some anecdotes. Like, there will be a video clearly showing some District-9 looking, mile-long thing seen in BFE, TX (near where I'm from). We won't just have to rely on old-man farmer Bob's channel 5 30-second VOSOT.\n\nIt's gonna happen in our lifetimes. I'll stand by that. I don't just want to believe, I want to tape it. Thanks for your helping me disseminate this and again, no harm. Keep your eyes up man. Glad to be on the team. 1340505605 And what condition is this? 1341556127 To be honest, I hadn't read the Forbes article on the topic, so I'm a bit surprised to hear that it's saying that data from phone surveys shouldn't be considered at all in scientific studies! There are problems with phone surveys, yes, but the key is to be aware of them and take them into account when weighing up the strength of the study and the conclusions. There are also problems with doing the interview in person, including the fact that people are more likely to lie because their responses won't be anonymous and they'd have added social pressures introduced by the presence of the person asking the questions.\n\nI also don't like the implication from the article that Spitzer *intentionally* created the study to prove that gay therapies "work". Spitzer was hugely important in the work that demonstrated that homosexuality was not a mental illness, and is often credited as being among those who made that change. The conclusion he reported would have gone against what he believed, but he published it anyway because that's what scientists should do. \n\nThe biggest problem with the study wasn't that it suggest that homosexuality could be changed with therapy - that would be a surprising result but entirely uncontroversial from a scientific perspective (and potentially great news for some who are unhappy with their orientation) - but rather the problem was that people used it to promote their own agenda that involved attacking and dehumanising homosexuals. \n\nThere was nothing that Spitzer did wrong, it was just unfortunate that what he thought was a valid piece of scientific research was so badly abused by people with nefarious intentions. \n\n/rant. 1337581348 I like how someone is interested in knowing which remedy ans at what strength lol 1330360148 Hey I'm late to the party BUT - it's surely no accident that the drugs that would help us deal with meeting aliens--psilocybe and LSD--are as illegal as UFOlogy is belittled and demonized. The combination of the two is clear, and makes us into UFOs better than the idiots who condescend to us as kooks.\n\nI think there are plenty of kooks in the psychedelic and UFO communities, but who's to say they're not cranks put there by the CIA to discredit said communities? We KNOW that's that what they do in other areas, and clearly it's damned effective 1342795194 You can give a LIHOP theory to anything that has ever happened, people also say the same thing about Pearl Harbor. I believe it largely comes from the too-human belief that authority figures are infallible, when the fact of the matter is that the FBI, CIA, NSA, etc. are far from perfect. \n\nHindsight is 20/20, but they fucked up, both due to legal reasons (the NSA could only spy on people outside of the US and was limited in what they could tell the FBI) and downright retarded reasons (there were rivalries between different agencies), they were unable to stop it from happening. There's a great episode on Frontline about it. 1340818562 Dealing with a woman like this suggests a need for something stronger. 1356107942 Basically just an ancient mythical omen of death. It has symbolic connections to the canine guardians of the underworld in various European mythologies, known collectively as "hellhounds." That said, I find the concept of a ghostly walking dog very menacing, which would be enough for me to deduce the malevolence of such an apparition. 1332781268 Awesome, thanks :) 1345309173 Its very interesting, I do have a couple of problems with it that keeps me from saying it is an alien spacecraft, a ufo that for sure it is.\n\nIts to small to see any detail, its a dot moving, he has night vision I am not actually sure how bright something has to be to make night vision freak out and amplify a target. He should of had dual video cameras side by side.\n\nI hope to see more videos though! Just much higher magnification & resolution. 1282869487 I've been shoving these baby carrots into my kidneys and I'm developing this healthy yellow glow in my complexion! I think it's the keratin. 1351833685 No, because not all people don't believe in it as much. That's not an argument pro homeopathy. 1287600620 You're absolutely right about that, and it points to questionable judgement, but on the other hand, it is a big jump to then conclude that this sheriff would be so incompetent as to be arresting people without cause (as implied by PZ's comment). 1311192394 It Doesn't! 1266775088 Thimerosal isn't all *that* popular in the US, it's mostly used for flu shots and tetanus but only in multi-dose vials (so Fluzone / Fluvirin are both available with and without) because there's no real risk of microbial infection with single dose vials, minims etc. Anywho here's a few more if you're looking to do some research\n\nPhenol - Typhoid vaccines -Typhim Vi, Pneumovax\n\nBenzethonium chloride - Anthrax vaccines - Biothrax\n\n2-phenoxyethanol - Polio - IPOL\n\n\n 1355832029 >**The Quantumwave difference**\n\n>The Quantumwave Laser is the first truly quantum laser system made possible by a unique and patent pending quantum wave technology.\n\nThe only quantum light! You saw it here first, folks.\n\n>**What are scalar waves?**\n\n>Scalar waves are revolutionary neutral waves of energy. They are unified field energy which is a technically a non quantifiable state of energy which makes up the entire universe...\n\nNon-quantifiable energy that makes up everything. Got it.\n\nThe way they advertise the product, I think you can safely call it snake oil. They're expensive LED glow sticks, it seems. No specific information, just the words quantum and healing. 1309200716 Thanks. 1338672913 above the antennae. Pretty cool. 1356780126 Judging by your nickname, 'skepticalofskeptics,' you are either a blind believer, or a nihilist. Which one is it? 1242202297 gonna read\n\nedit: after reading some I felt very depressed (if what she's saying is true), like there's nothing we can do to stop the cycle, this is just like the movie matix 1337564021 The person I got it from swore up and down there was no Photoshop involved and didn't realize it was there until they printed the pics out. It was taken by webcam. 1329220654 OK, so how are suicide girls inequal in terms of gender? 1307385660 Yes, this seemed a bit weird to me as well. Here's a quote:\n\n> It's thus inaccurate to say "Skeptics don't believe in ghosts." Some do. Many skeptics are deeply religious, and are satisfied with the reasoning process that led them there.\n\nNow I acknowledge that we all have our faults and misconceptions about how the world works. Some things we take for granted to be true, is known by others to be false, or maybe our understanding of a phenomenon was very simplified. But *something* doesn't seem quite right to me to call someone a skeptic if they believe in ghosts. Yes, you can be a skeptic even if you are religious; the skeptic mindset just don't apply to that specific question or topic. So I have a bit of a problem to reconcile this paradox without jumping to the No true Scotsman fallacy. 1324468087 They might be scum, but it looks like they have their bases covered. As someone pointed out already, the product is applied to the whole area and does not fix the nail per se.\n\nThe best solution is to see a doctor and have a full-strength antifungal prescribed. This might be a cheaper (albeit less effective) solution. 1274980809 I worked with a husband and wife duo who once gave me a lecture about aspartame, it went something like this "Don't you know aspartame was invented by Hitler as a cheap way to kill people?"\n\nI did an awkward laugh as I tried to understand the joke.\n\n"It's true" the wife said. 1312567289 Read it again. That's not what it says. 1324698155 I'm sorry you read it that way. I tried to put a statement in there saying that both sexes are influenced by their social circles. In short a person's social circle influences their intimate circle. A gift is more effective when it makes someone feel good about themselves and is kind of envied by those around them. I don't agree with this notion, I'm saying that it happens, that an effective relationship within a materialistic society is not necessarily a good relationship. I agree with what you said.\n\n>A relationship based on materialism isn't healthy\n\nAnd there are relationships that circumvent this, or at least try to for a while. Where people feel as if they care for each other more than the things in the world. And that is a wonderful place to be. But it isn't the norm, which why I am stuck making sexist generalizations. \n\nBesides all that, I actually disagree with the notion of shallow bitches in general. Most girls that I have met that have been written off as shallow are just horribly insecure. Which folds right into a material relationship, which is sad.\n\n 1324614383 ...only one of the largest companies in the world, but carry on... 1342639075 Yep. The EXACT SAME THING as depicted in the OP, same day in the evening... moving south, changing direction. 1312730981 It's just my guess, but it looks like venus. Venus can look very bright early in the night and late in the morning. I myself have had a few wtf moments only to check and find out it was venus. I may be wrong. 1311614766 Really? I'm a young'n, class of 2013, but I'm surprised. My entire Social Studies, literally, from 1st grade until now, senior in high school, has basically been "NATIVES ARE AWSOME AND EUROPEANS ARE ALL LITERALY HITLER. BECAUSE HITLER WAS LITERALLY EUROPEAN." Also men.\n\nHas it changed that much? 1355002473 Case in point: Hemlock is natural. Just a plant. yet it can be lethal if ingested. 1354155050 The placebo effect is a real phenomenon and well documented, and seems to apply to your situation. But don't stop believing that the procedures are helping you, or it'll stop working! (I know, how woo is that...) 1356886547 To be fair, he got banned long after her foolishness was demonstrated. 1276149930 Feminism IS a push for equality. The name of the movement derives from the inequality addressed: among the sexes.\n\nCompare it with [LGBT social movements](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_social_movements). Just because the name doesn't include cisgender or straight people doesn't mean that the movement doesn't also include them in the discussion or imply LGBT elitism.\n\nOr are you also in opposition to LGBT rights as well and we should just all push for "equality" for everyone without narrowing down fields of interest? That seems a bit ridiculous.\n\n"Why do we push for biology, physics, chemistry, psychology, astronomy... why don't we just push for science?"\n\n\\^\\^\\^ that's how I'm interpreting what you're saying. 1345452383 I think you accidentally a "sure". 1328316269 Without the original footage, this isn't worth much.\n\nIt could very well be a distant C 130, the low res and distortion of the image might be hiding it.\n\nIt wouldn't be the first time a plane was misidentified as a UFO. Commenters on ATS threads who saw original broadcast say it was a plane. 1341287356 thanks, I get that a lot. 1294684685 But diluting it will only make it more potent! 1277376976 But that show is pretty scientifically sound, as apposed to some other ones we could be watching... 1346640270 What is with quacks having terrible websites? I mean I've seen bad websites for useful information (eg. professor's websites) but quacks site are in a league of their own.\n\nEither they've all hired the same people or rejected normal web design guidelines along with science. 1248572173 A good article on this is [\nScientists 'Convinced' of Climate Consensus More Prominent Than Opponents, Says Paper](http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceinsider/2010/06/scientists-convinced-of-climate.html) and the paper it cites is [Expert credibility in climate change](http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2010/06/04/1003187107.abstract)\n 1312825081 Did this guy just get out of a time machine? This happened at TAM 7, two years ago. 1310010311 Where do you live that ovens aren't common? Do people not bake? 1327218089 ive been really curious about wiccan things, if you would like to message me, that would be great, ive always wanted to talk to a wiccan 1335233656 Shes a friend of Doctor Who .. serious .. no lie. 1288305713 The portrayal of what an abduction is really like terrifies the shit out of me. If they are here to help, why they do some so emotionally scarring? 1338943385 So? Why is this a problem? As long as she doesn't believe that it will cure cancer or diseases, it's like getting a massage. I like massages, you like back scratching, he likes furries, and some people just like fire cupping. 1316642769 I guess it depends on your per-existing level of knowledge. I found a lot of his advice to be quite helpful in raising my first dog. I was a complete newb, so perhaps if you already a know a thing or two about raising dogs, then it may not be helpful. \n\nA few things I learned from him:\n\n* Never touch a dog in it's cage/bed/kennel- that's their safe place where they should feel untouchable.\n\n* Do not let a puppy/dog out of a pen until it has calmed down. \n\n* keep your dog next to you while you walk it, not out in front. Heeding this advice early on helped me develop a trust with my dog that now I am able to keep him off a leash and he rarely strays very far from me at all. I don't do this most places, though as people tend to frown on it.\n\nI'm curious what the dog trainers and behaviorists you know say about him? What do you do for a living that you know so many dog trainers and behaviorists? 1326936888 Thank you. You are the anti-troll. 1297057106 also I tried my best to break up common understanding of "what the paranormal is" into paradigms to be attacked/debunked. \n\nexample: the spirit paradigm is full of crap because... case a, b, c.\n\nAn actual example is the spiritual paradigm can be debunked by the Philip experiment.. or some such. 1336635617 Some of them are functionally illiterate and simply can't read very much, some are malicious and make/post long drawn-out documentaries so that they can throw them at people who call them on their truther bullshit with the hope that rational people don't feel like watching a 12 hour film (I've really had a truther video that fucking long thrown at me), but most are just too lazy to actually read much.\n\nI can imagine that a lot of people become truthers when they are surfing the net after smoking a bowl and having their mind "blown" by some idiotic conspiratard documentary. 1249602650 "The Paw Print," a reputable leader in groundbreaking news since... Never. 1349076472 I lol'd a bit. 1288837322 Fuck the tone of your second sentence. Turning on ALL the lights.. 1347663175 The description of this subreddit is "Need something debunked by those in the know? Looking to exercise some critical thinking or research skills? Want to eviscerate pseudoscience, idiocy, and irrationality wherever it lurks? Skeptic's Subreddit, where all the cool kids go."\n\nThere is no debunking, critical thinking, or anything related to pseudoscience. This article is an opinion about a religious leader who he happens to be related to. Because the article is an opinion and it's religious I believe it doesn't belong in this subreddit and should be in r/atheism. Since you obviously disagree, I would like to know why you think this should be in /r/skeptic. 1343346126 I had posted this in another link on r/science that incorrectly boasted the first genetic link to autism was found in the past week (it was found earlier than this week ). So here's some actual science that you can quote and even provide Journals that have published articles on the subject for any citations you want to use.\n\n> Earlier links have been found and peer reviewed, and published.\n\n> The American Journal of Human Genetics 2005 \n\n> http://www.cell.com/AJHG/\n\n> https://www.nimhgenetics.org/publications/pdf/cantor05.pdf \n\nThis is the actual study above in pdf\n\n> Trends in Molecular Medicine, Volume 18, Issue 3, 156-163, 27 February 2012\n\nRepublished and reviewed as recently as Feb, of this year, showing that the 2005 paper still has merit.\n\n> "Neurobiological, genetic, and imaging data provide strong evidence for the CNTNAP2 gene as a risk factor for ASD and related neurodevelopmental disorders."\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/rxm0u/for_the_first_time_a_genetic_link_for_autism_is/c49h6om?context=3 1334280545 Sorry, I should have said that it sounds like you have a spirit that feeds on fear or some other negative energy feeding on you. Or going with Jungian archetypes,there is something your subconsciousness is really trying to tell you. I would ask what it wants. Since its recuring I sugest you look into lucid dreaming. 1340492995 Depends on the cause of the pain, but let´s say what you had is a very common case: sciatica.\n\nSciatica may have several causes, but as a general sort of rule, it goes over after ca. 2 months give or take, if you just refrain from heavy lifting and try to not stay to static.\n\nFor patients that get chiropractic treatment however, the pain goes over after ca 8 weeks, give or take.\n\nFurthermore, for patients getting homeopathic treatments, the pain goes over after ca. 60 days, give or take - like magic really.\n\nPost hoc ergo propter hoc. 1330003708 Seems to be the way. Just look at anything in r/atheist, r/apple r/technology, r/android, and so on. It's either love everything about X unconditionally or you are the enemy. 1310150048 BM = bowel movement. I suggest something else. 1324047879 Welcome Syuk! 1321469041 Exists therefore god logic air glazed with cumin require any just.\n\nThat should be enough proof for anybody!\n\n 1275943627 I hold B and press down 1332175703 Thanks for the link. Considering you said that you had taken these (hence me not expecting you to be cross posting material another user had submitted), and the title of Crossposted from reddit.com, even though in your submitted history you did not post anything like this to reddit.com I thought it was maybe making fun of something similar that I hadn't seen. I'll give it a real response now:\n\nCould you perhaps upload another version where you point out the faces? I'm not trying to be dense here, but I've been staring at this for a number of minutes now and I'm not seeing any faces that look realistic at all. I feel like I'm looking at the clouds trying to find people in them.\n\nI found a spot where I can visualize what would be a zombie like face. I've found a few places where I can make comic-like faces. I haven't found anything here that looks particularly unusual. 1296987566 I love the Doomsday rule. Never need to look at a calendar to figure out a future day of the week -- it's always fun in a meeting when someone says, "What day is August 12th?" and before they can all look at their Blackberries, I just say "Friday". \n\n(PS: The secret day of the week for 2011 is Monday...) 1302290435 > Actually, I'm not so sure. The nature vs nurture debate is still up in the air - there's no doubt that it's a mix of nature and nurture, but to what extent each influence different human traits is still uncertain. \n\nWell, you've just said it, there is no nature VS nurture (and the debate is only left for the extremist proponent of either sides) but nature VIA nurture. You should definitely check out Matt Ridley's Nature via Nurture book (also available on audiobook!) to understand my conviction :)\n\n> Many of the studies that attempt to examine it in humans look at identical twins separated at birth (there are a surprising number of those in the World), but the problem with that is, even identical twins aren't necessarily complete genetic carbon-copies of each other, so it doesn't really answer the question either way.\n\nThat is also covered in the book I just mentioned, but it didn't relay an important influence on the nature of the twins; the influence of nurture while in utero. See Gabor Mate for more information about that aspect.\n\nThere are though very curious similarities on the lives of those identical twins separated at birth. There was this example (don't expect details, its been a while!) that these twins ended up having spouses with the same name, having the same name for their dogs, both becoming (hobby) carpenters and both building a white bench around a tree in their garden.\n\nVery interesting stuff.\n\n> I'm not sure how it advances the argument either way. This experiment was a study of how people will obey authority figures contrary to their morals. It's not really a reflection of the current system, just human behaviour - it can happen under an RBE gone wrong as well.\n\nWell it supports the RBE argument because we're seeing very emotionally detached behavior (at the moment of the action; we're not talking about the emotional/mental breakdown after the fact) because of those authority figures "commanding" or "reassuring" them that what they are doing is ok; aka abusing power. There is no point in a RBE for authoritative figures (there's no need for police, but I'm talking about when someone takes the lead in a project, for example in the search for alternative energy sources) to abuse power, there is nothing to be gained from it.\n\nBut that doesn't mean it couldn't happen in a RBE, yes of course there will be problems in a RBE, it's far from perfect, but it's a heck of a lot better than what we have today!\n\n> Well, I know a lot of people who think they need expensive equipment :)\n\nTrue :) But you can't deny the fact, even in photography, that some of the more expensive equipment really is much better and can help you achieve the result you couldn't with other, (probably) cheaper equipment.\n\nAlso, even if you are an amateur, exploring the possibilities with more expensive equipment can be a good thing too!\n\nOn the other hand, there are those hobbyist that are much closer to professionals (or pro-pros) but just can't afford that expensive equipment even though they need it.\n\nThe point (in both cases) is that they just need access to it.\n\n> They have no motivation to achieve anything, nor the skills (reading that back, I sound like I'm dissing my friends and neighbours, but it's not meant that way ;) ). Education doesn't change that - society is set up to prepare kids for work as they reach adulthood, and to encourage them to advance themselves, yet they choose not to.\n\nI did understand what you meant (unless I'm still not getting it now, please let me know), but my point was that even though the system is set up to prepare kids (like you say), its not very efficient at it. And you've just given examples of failed "experiments". In a sane society (for example, a RBE :)) we would use the scientific method, you know, when you see something that isn't working, you don't just keep trying the same thing and expect different results (quote Einstein on insanity), no, when you try something and expect certain results, and seeing you don't achieve the result you were expecting, you tweak what you have tried, try again, and so on..\n\n> Cost isn't a factor here since in this country all education is free at the point of use, so there's no barrier to entry. So how do you solve this problem?\n\nI guess I can't because I don't know enough of the situation. Do you mean education is completely free? (Where do you live? Or are you referring to another country?) 1318238807 New study proves children exposed to high levels of water drown. 1344862087 That's the same route I took, actually. 1302068070 I don't understand what you're on about. 1353875076 Ohai. Thanks for posting this - I'm the author and designer.\n\nIf anyone has any questions, let me know. 1335327949 I believe the logical method he was refering to around 7.55 was induction rather than deduction. Other than that Dr. Levy seemed perfectly convincing. 1319854817 Again, grand. You vent angry spleen and just expect me to accept it. Tell me again how this is unlike what Watson is accused of? 1344540137 yeah was about to post the same thing 1352809150 Shirley Maclaine is a bonkers new ager, and has said some of the most bizarre shit over the years that really anything she claims has to be placed in the nutbox basket immediately. \n\nReagan went into politics because he was a shitty actor, had huge ego, ambition, and was a major right wing asshole. No aliens required.\n\nAnd if aliens had encouraged Reagan to go into politics, boy, those sure are some fuckhead aliens, because Reagan was a *terrible* President and quite an awful human being. \n\nThis article here is .. interesting, but full of hearsay and anecdote. 1348118036 Wow, you're positively frothing.\n\nI need a citation if I expect to prove it to others, true... but not to make decisions about what my experience convinces me is probably true. If you are honest, you will admit you do this (we all do this) more often than you would admit to others... your pretenses of uncompromising cold-blooded rationalism notwithstanding... because we are constantly making decisions on the basis of insufficient information.\n\nIt works for her. I can't argue with that, and see no reason to try. 1327957861 Oh... it seems to fluctuate. I just checked wiki and you seem to be right. It's apparently kind of good for pain.... 1314137550 Please link a video of an actual helicopter exhibiting these characteristics. I have yet to find one, but given the apparent certainty f your answer, I trust that you have had better luck... 1279987072 I think you are being sarcastic, but I hope you don't actually do that. It would very hard to make friends. 1322059102 Anything bad happen? 1348091679 Right but lets say you drew a parallel to say the peak of classical mechanics. You could say that it is highly likely classical mechanics is the sole explanation for the nature of the universe, because ~100% of notable scientists would agree with you.\n\nThey were correct in their thinking, and modelled most everything they could observe accurately, but clearly their model was inaccurate at extreme scales. \n\nThis is why it is difficult for this "consensus" argument to gain traction with me. And note it is not used by the OP to disprove the idea of an existing debate, it is used to discredit any "denier". \n\nThe usual disclaimer applies here where I will say I do "believe" in climate change, I just believe like this other character that although it is very likely to be correct, the consensus argument is still extremely poor. 1353790280 Well now what am I supposed to put on when I talk about HL3? 1349075551 Eh, not with us 1330241372 If the one and only subject were 'pain' you might have a point if you were talking about objectively approaching the topic. But 'extreme pain' is a subjective term. No one can argue or reason or apply logic to claims of pain relief without brain scans. That answers your question about how chiropractic fits into 'quacks'. I don't doubt that pain has been relieved. \n\nThe doubt is in the how and why and repeatability. Chiropractic as a field makes claims that are not supported by objective study. Chiropractors as individuals have been known to make claims that go even further. \n\nJust as you obviously have experienced with chiropractors relieving pain, I have - admittedly my own anecdotal - experience with those that have caused it. My grandfathered was 'adjusted' for several hours for 'indigestion' that the chiropractor was too ignorant to recognize as a heart attack. Other family members wasted time and resources for fake medicine for real illness.\n\nYou say chiropractic deserves respect. I say the good it might do is vastly overshadowed by its bullshit. You have anecdotal evidence. Me too.\n\nBut neither changes the fact that chiropractic fails simple objective research. Insurance company payments are not scientific evidence. They should be based on scientific evidence, but unfortunately, they aren't. 1331594750 Where do you buy from? 1331219002 >But neither does AGW alone either.\n\nSure it does.\n\n>Namely, that climate models do not reproduce the decadal variability in globally averaged ocean heat content\n\nSure they do.\n\n>Land warming also mimics the suposed 60 - 80 year oscillations found in Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation\n\nThe AMO is not about land warming. It's a (supposed) oceanic cycle. The think about cycles is that they do not have a positive or negative trend. They're cycles. The AMO has a flat trend. The temperature record shows a definite multidecadal trend.\n\nLook, even the professed skeptic Richard Muller did an extremely thorough temperature reconstruction, called BEST, and even he admitted that the warming trend is read, and it is not caused by natural cycles.\n\nAt this point, you're clearly grasping at straws. It feels as if you're going through the list of denialist talking points one by one, even though they've *all been debunked*.\n\n>Namely a warm bias in nighttime minimum temperatures, poor siting of the instrumentation to measure temperatures,\n\nYou really are going through every debunked denier myth out there, are you?\n\nThe Urban Heat Island effect was so thoroughly debunked even Roy Spencer admitted it wasn't an issue.\n\nSeriously, you're just going through the list. Here, to save some time: look up your next argument on [this list](http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php) and find the rebuttal for yourselves, I've got better thing to do than argue with someone who's desperately trying to find evidence to support his non-scientific opinion.\n\nIf you're looking for the isolated CO2 warming signal, I recommend this paper:\n\nhttp://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/6/4/044022/pdf/1748-9326_6_4_044022.pdf\n\n>Also, given that there's only about 150 years worth of instrument recorded data, this is too small a sample for any conventional statistical analysis. Hence, the other input data is all proxy\n\nThat doesn't even make any sense.\n\n>Irregardless of 'science', it was the theory with any popular traction at the time.\n\nNo, it *wasn't*. I've already told you that Global Warming was the most predicted in science papers. You're grasping at straws again and it's becoming really annoying.\n\n>I wasn't debating that the greenhouse effect does not occur, merely that it is not the be all and end all of Earth's climate system.\n\nUnfortunately you have *no* evidence that it isn't. Research shows that, quite the contrary, CO2 can be considered the "control knob" of the climate.\n\n>Not even IPCC reports talk in this language.\n\nNothing is every 100% certain in science. What matters is that AGW theory is very likely to be true, and very unlikely to be false, and you have yet to bring a single piece of scientific evidence countering this (good luck trying to find any).\n\n>Now, I gave you an example of someone who was commissioned to publish for the IPCC,\n\nOh please, you are unable to actually come up with any science, so you bring up gossip. I'm not interested in gossip. I'm interested in science. When you actually have any scientific argument let me know, until then I'm not interested in wasting any more time on someone who is simply looking for validation of their position on the matter.\n\n>The example I used from the 'Climategate' emails was specific, in that a climate scientist alluded to the possibility of Earth being just as warm as it is now.\n\nApparently, you don't even understand the quotes you put (probably because you got them from a denialist site and did not verify the context for yourself).\n\n>where the Earth was just as warm and didn't end. \n\nAgain you used a deliberately exaggerated language. I never claimed the Earth would end, and frankly I'm tired of your strawman arguments. Do not bother responding to this message, as I've had it your your gish gallop of pseudo-science. Thanks for wasting my time. 1342413726 spiritually dusty! you dont say..... 1325062350 go to [/r/shutupandtakemymoney](/r/shutupandtakemymoney) there is a post about a lucid-dreaming mask from kickstarter (= 1333709884 they were shopped 1351738397 The thing is for many of us it's quite useful... I use it more as a blog and discussion platform. I never put my relationship status or such private info; it's none of FB's business. 1339715764 This study is obviously a fraud perpetrated by the CIA under the MK Ultra program. 1343471244 Did you witness it?\n(Downvotes wat?)\nI saw the Amarillo vid, pretty neat. It would be so cool to find an eyewitness to ask about this stuff. \n 1328906740 He didn't say people have died from it, and hasn't, and he didn't say it's not therapeutic for some cancer patients in that clip. He's saying it's addictive. Something can be medicine and be addictive (Ambien). The fact that you're so willing to resort to a straw man argument belies your lack of expertise on this subject. The fact that it can be addictive also doesn't mean it should be illegal, and as far as I know Drew is not an advocate for it to be illegal.\n\nI generally agree with the pro-pot crowd but it's scary how they can turn so fanatical. People pointing out that there are bad things about this substance aren't merely refuted, but are the subject of harsh personal criticisms for their position. 1344977337 "wat" in khmer means temple 1304031572 Where do you go for sciency things? 1295764072 We all know there's no such thing as a legitimate applicant. I understand why they instituted the rule, but all it serves to do is frustrate the deluded "psychics" (who then conclude that Randi is afraid to test them), and in effect reduce the entire observed testing process down to a much less interesting affidavit-gaining process - one that nobody will ever pass. Granted, the end result is the same, but it's far more entertaining (and convincing) to see the applicants give it their all in a controlled test and fail miserably.\n\nI think I remember seeing recently that Randi had relaxed the rule on affidavits? 1301277456 Science is looking at the evidence and coming to a conclusion based on a hypothesis. This guy's taking it from the opposite direction: he has something he "knows" is true already, so he's looking for facts that seem to fit that preconception.\n\nAnd you're right. It's better to remain silent and thought a fool than to open one's mouth (or blog post) and remove all doubt. 1342043445 I work with a pain management doctor ( MD, board certified in pain medicine and anesthesia ) and I've asked him about the efficacy of chiropractic care in relieving back pain. He's told me that there is somewhat of a good correlation between receiving chiropractic care and decreasing ones BACK pain. So if you've got back pain then it can be worth a shot to see a chiropractor. The reason I'm emphasizing back pain is that a lot of different chiropractors will try and claim that they can heal everything from Multiple Sclerosis to Irritable Bowl Syndrome by simply adjusting ones back. The problem is that there is not any scientific studies to back this up, so instead of scientific studies they turn to anecdotal stories. Needless to say we all know correlation does not mean causation.\n\nWhy is your fiance seeing the Chiropractor? Is it for back pain? 1315449399 Report him for malpractice imo. I'm willing to bet he'd get shut down. 1318789382 Even with "legitimate" chiropractors, I've heard that many of their treatments are just that, treatments. They can't fix the real issues, they can only relieve pain, and that many people would be better served by surgery for chronic issues. How do you respond to that? 1343426728 I've never done a detox, as they are pure woo, but I am quite a fan of a good fast. if you're in good health, try going a week without food, but research a bit first so you don't dive into it blind. after two days, your body feels absolutely AMAZING. It is strange, but you stop being hungry for a few days. for these days, you walk around feeling like you weigh ten less pounds, not pooping is great, and it feels like you have a ton of energy for some reason. \n\nrest assured that this won't make you healthier or 'reset' anything, it just feels good man, and it is always a good idea to know how your body will react to things 1314818689 how is the loch ness monster in any way paranormal? submit this to /r/cryptozoology, they need traffic 1345174009 The point of a spy drone is not to be seen. Most US ones fly up so high you will not see it against the sky. 1353635502 What was that analogy about people leaning on a concrete and steel structure vs leaning on a rickety ladder when standing on top? 1298700577 High definition closed circuit television cameras going 24/7. China must be ahead of the game.\n\n\nAnd to continue being beligerantly flippant:\n\nMusic, therefore fake.\n\nIf something truly amazing happens, no production is needed. You don't need logos, you don't take the time to license music or otherwise doll it up. YOU RELEASE IT.\n\nIt's like the people who offer you the spiritual secret that could change the world or create world peace.\n\nIf this secret could make everyone happy and turn the world into a paradise, why are you selling it for $5000? What are you going to do with those rectangular pieces of paper when paradise comes? 1348079290 Apparently you actually have the right answer, and the sticker is wrong. Someone below mentioned that it's a "[jam spoon](http://emmascookshop.co.uk/images/uploads/Accessories/KCJAMSPOON_MAIN.jpg)", and the bend IS for hooking on the side of a jar, [like so](http://www.giverslog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/hostess-gift-jam-spoon.jpg). 1331730630 I already tended to believe this, so I might check out his book. At most, I figured the government was only covering up their ignorance about U.F.Os. In other words, the cover-up was more about dodging the impossible responsibility of dealing with the "UFO problem." When you think about, damn near everything that verifies the existence of UFOs comes from the government(s). 1298588535 At first I thought this subreddit might have some open-minded people, turns out it's a circle-jeck where they make fun of things they don't understand... 1286420391 Good job on being so precise, maybe not a basketball if its a 45 story building but really not that much smaller. I honestly am flabbergasted by what I saw still, the size was insane. 1339170404 I personally cannot remember a time that the separation of church and state was ever taken seriously. I think most of the courts do not give a shit about actual law anymore. I mean corporations are people these days. 1321627498 sorry I don't know gongfishings history, I was referring to the content of the post, that s/he posted, sorry if I upset you it's in the back of my mind that someone is downvoting people based on username(s) not content ... maybe this should be in r/paranoid, sorry again! 1314716552 Here the thing, I always think the same thing as you, why no video? The reality is this type of event causes brain freeze, not in the sense that the UFO is doing anything to you, it's just so unexpected and completely bizarre that your brain is like a spinning pizza of death trying to map this into your previous idea of reality. I think there's a tendency to give way to astonishment. I couldn't think clearly for a few days and I kept playing it over in my mind. I kick myself for not getting a photo, I was too astonished. If you've ever been in a car accident or something it's bit like that, you are in the moment and your normal way of processing information is suspended. I kept thinking this isn't supposed to be real, this is supposed to be some type of fringe belief. 1338586534 >Who is we? The term agnostic is millennia old.\n\nDo you have a source on this? I thought Huxley coined it. A quote from him.\n\n> Nevertheless I know that I am, in spite of myself, exactly what the Christian would call, and, so far as I can see, is justified in calling, atheist and infidel. \n\n\n>So why isn't the simple, tripartite system of atheist, agnostic and theist sufficient for our purposes?\n\nBecause it is less descriptive and not what most people mean when they call themselves an atheist. In fact it is probably still not descriptive enough. What are babes in the current system?\n 1323581303 Yeah, there have been numerous studies conducted by CDC, NIH, IOM, etc debunking this work. It is only now that actual action may be taken against Dr Wakefield, who was behind the study. Hopefully he is stripped of his license. He was bribed with $780,000 by a legal group wanting to sue the pharmaceutical companies. The reason the public (and still a lot of parents with kids with ASD) still believe it is because one gene that is linked to a particular type of autism is thought to be regressive, resulting in degeneration of social skills around 18 months (usually after the vaccine). Of course it doesn't\nhelp the Oprah and Jenny McCarthy immorally perpetuated this lie that has caused a surge in measles. There have been additional studies showing no correlation between any vaccine and this regressive form of autism by using subjects that have not had the vaccine until after the\nregressive autism kicks in.\n\nhttp://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/29/world/la-fg-britain-autism29-2010jan29\n\nMost scientists believe that one of the real reasons ASD diagnoses is increasing is because it is now an umbrella disorder that includes PDD and PDD-NOS that previously was misdiagnosed as MR. Here's a chart that easily explains the increase:\nhttp://photoninthedarkness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/autism_and_mr_cht.jpg\nAnother reason is the push to pediatricians to have the diagnosis made earlier, as early treatment is now known to be the most effective.\n\nIf Oprah would of consulted with the NIMH or the CDC (or just glanced at their websites), she would of found the answers. Of course, she is making money by using fear to attract viewers and the truth is not a good business model. 1265150342 This! It really doesn't matter where your skepticism lies... This is playing with fire either way. Their goals should give you panic:\n>While its primary goal is to control the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) and Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) infection crises, Beeologics’ mission is to become the guardian of bee health worldwide.\n\nEven if this were for good, it could go bad... it's risky to play this out. If Monsanto does good, they do good. If they dissemble the place, we lost the best scientific research to counteract it. The risk is equivalent to one step forward vs. two steps back. 1334883744 I love the ability to email specific fallacies! This is going to be used by me on all my friends until I have none left. 1351934794 Here is a video I came across, shot by some dude named Erik, of a UFO zipping around the skies over Phoenix on November 18, 2010.\n 1290576331 No promises,...it is History after all,...but worth checkin out anyway,... 1313609226 It rotates between her and Bob I believe. Currently she's in the lead for this year I think. 1310205256 And they have to use much more of the less effective stuff to get less produce per acre... 1347055177 You still don't get it? Still? Really? Seriously?\n\nShould I explain it very, very slowly? Perhaps you can get me in touch with the person who is reading my replies and typing your responses for you, and I can explain it to that person, who will then in turn try to explain it to you. 1341933285 Because they'd have to change the rating of the movie if they didn't. 1307162630 http://i.imgur.com/NFQpB.jpg 1314683085 > big pharma\n\nBecause 'Big Pharma', as you call them, actually helps humanity by producing drugs that work, whereas homeopaths kill people by preventing them from getting real treatments.\n\n> And in the most cruel and bizarre twist of fate, it wasn't good science that led to safer vaccines.\n\nYes, it was. Now stop lying.\n\n> The world would be a much better place if sceptical and scientific minds focused on the efficacy, danger, safety, and pricing of drugs.\n\nA lot of them do. Now stop lying. 1308938157 IMO: "actual discussion of UFO phenomenon" includes debunking bullshit so we can filter it out and focus on more credible footage and accounts. If anything, people who have real sightings should appreciate that. I do. Hoaxsters diminish the credibility of all claims; when they dupe people, it diminishes YOUR credibility - do you understand that? Every fake video and fantasy story detracts from the real phenomena. Debunking bullshit should be a priority for people who have real sightings, so that real accounts can be respected. Criticizing someone for detailing how you can tell a video is fake makes no sense to me. Anyone interested in UFOs should be interested in learning when something has been faked, and learning how to spot fakes in the future... *so we can focus on what's real.* 1348434779 I see your point. 1346335824 Do you mean that you distrust /r/atheismplus because it is dogmatic? If you could elaborate on this—e.g. some components of this dogma or (better) some examples of it, or just how you came to this conclusion—i would be grateful. I frequent that subreddit and have not yet found other accusations of dogmatism that i've come across to have merit. 1353619864 I hope we don't have to lock horns over this, I don't have cloven feet you know. 1356673215 This doesn't make sense. And maybe that's exactly the point?\n\nConsidering the physics, where is either A) the hull damage or B) the crater as people before me mentioned?\nThen there is the fact that this seems VERY man made. But where are the markings? Doesn't space equipment usually come with engravings or markings which proudly proclaim who built it?\n\nAnd if it came back from space, shouldn't there be a list of materials orbiting earth? Maybe from there it can be deduced what came down?\nOh yeah, how did they weigh it? Who took it away? 1332407360 I agree with the bulk of your post, but it's worth pointing out that it's not at all hard for a democracy to revert to tyranny. It's happened *many* times during the course of history. Iran, for example, went from tyranny to democracy and back no less than 3 times over just the past 100 years. 1283562791 Jebus!! he almost got more negative karma than the 9/11 truther in just one post about gay marriage. 1243479319 Yes I agree to a certain extent. I'm just disagreeing with your first point that stated there is no physical or biological difference between the races. As for sports, it's probably a mixure of cultural factors, environmental factors, and physical differences that leads to the disparity among black and white athletes at the highest level in the 100m sprinting and swimming events. 1345157745 Couldn't stop reading it as "Biotch" so I gave up.. 1333479949 Edit:this is a quote from dr strangelove. One character believes that fluoride is a communist plot to destroy America. This line is from the message he leaves as he launches wwiii. \n\nGod willing, we will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, and in true health, through the purity and essence of our natural... fluids. God bless you all. 1305202943 Anecdotes aren't much 'round here (and for good reason), but when I was a youngster, I used to describe being in Las Vegas. In my description, I depicted "dancers" as well as a variety of gambling related ideas. My parents occasionally joke to this day that they seriously considered that it was reincarnation. I assume they ignored the part where everyone was a dolphin. 1323490546 I guess we have different approaches, then. I genuinely want to help people with ideas like this. I think the world would be a better place if less people believed in things like homeopathy and holocaust denial, which is why I try to actually prove them wrong when I can. \n\nMany people just simply never had their beliefs challenged. It might be that that's all it takes to show them the way. But you can try dismissing them with nothing and downvoting them. That'll show them. 1356376842 Linking to IONS, a completely pseudo-scientific organization in an answer to a question in /r/skeptic shows a bit of a misunderstanding about what /r/skeptic is about. 1347818221 Ask him if he realizes Atlas Shrugged is fiction. 1351452239 I understand where your source of frustration may be coming from with this. I'm sure it seems counter-intuitive to join a subreddit dedicated to the paranormal and have people surprised when a story, picture soundclip, etc isn't normal. Despite that being the nature of the topic.\n\nHowever, I do think a healthy dose of skepticism is practical to employ with any amount of evidence. Maybe calling something out is a fake immediately isn't a good method. But going through possible explanations or rational thought shouldn't be put to the side just to appease people into thinking we're being open-minded.\n\nIf the people interested in the paranormal want more recognition and respect, they have to understand that their evidence will be going through a good deal of scrutiny. Obviously every criticism should come with a grain of salt. But, rational discussion can only help. 1353506683 >"freak the fuck out" and "**near** dead," \n\n"Near death" is not even close to "death". It is actually still the opposite.\n\nSo, "near death" and "freak the fuck out" are not mutually exclusive. 1351702348 I would reckon that studying a person's handwriting could yield clues about a person's state of mind much like body language, facial expressions, tone of voice, etc. Its probably not a stretch that some people will turn this into flim-flam though. Do you have a link to the James Randi video? I'd be interested in seeing it. 1247471103 May well be bullshit, very true. I would absolutely LOVE to see them prove Hoagland correct though. 1335880120 This is false 1348482200 Either case, I think there are better examples to be used in this context.\n\nThe memories of 9/11 were only remembered this way because that's how they are useful to us. \n\nWe know for a fact that the second plane hit just a few minutes later, so we essentially fuse the memories of the clips as being seen one after another. As far as we're concerned, the events are an undeniable truth, so why separate the two in our minds? (I think is statistically likely both clips were spread to many people the same day, to spite that they state the lack of "media" coverage)\n\nMe, I really don't remember much much but sitting on my couch seeing a plane hit a building on tv and lots of smoke. Then I went to school and teachers were gloomy.\n\nI have detailed images of this in my mind, but they are way too blurry to explain with certainty in words. \n\nThat's where lies the truth. Once it's been "communicated", your experienced reality is simplified, generalized and amplified; words encompass meaning, truth, and fact in a way that can distort one's perception of an event; internally and externally. Lending truth to your words is your thirst for that very truth, the desire to be right, to know, to find answers to unanswered questions, and that's one thing we've become quite adept at doing when questions are asked. In fact, the very nature of being human forces us to seek these answers; and when a plausible one is found, we often stick to it for mere adhesion to knowledge.\n\nThe truly inquisitive mind can be seen as counter-productive to most, which is often overlooked in choosing a judge. They are not trained to ask questions, they are trained to examine evidence, and make decisions based off the information provided to them by a second party, in this case a lawyer; now a personal connection is bypassed and they are speaking to the "be all and end all" of fact givers and straightforward statements: those crafted in a way as to *not* need to ask questions. Why question evidence if the evidence we have works for our purposes? \n\nLet's examine the purposes of this particular trial:\n\n1. to incarcerate the person guilty of shooting the father, to bring **justice**\n\n2. to bring peace of mind to the 6 (or 5?) kids who witnessed the crime\n\n3. to ensure the public knows it's safe to go outside **now**, as soon as possible\n\n4. to be satisfied with a verdict (in other words, to officially confirm truth of evidence laid out)\n\n5. to get to the next case\n\n6. to go home, sleep well; knowing the attacker is behind bars and you've done your job\n\n* to serve justice, of course\n\n\nIn his main example, he references the (wrongly) accused suspect of being chosen by confirmation bias, though this is barely touched on. The kid was:\n\n\n- 17 years old: their age\n\n- had a brown complexion\n\n- was part of a list of convicted felons/gang members\n\n\nMeaning, that through confirmation bias (amount of times someone has seen something before, and amount they are likely to choose it), the kid who lived just a few blocks away could have been seen, if not many times already by the victims, even unconsciously.\n\nSo to put confirmation bias in action:\n\n* we thirst for justice\n* we want to feel safe\n* we have the authoritative power to help us do so\n* we have a chance to identify the killer through pictures\n* we have a face, that ends up being from around the neighborhood who has been in trouble before\n* we believe our eyes so eyewitness testimony is seen as being among the most truthful\n* what we see is what we get, and we are happy to confirm it\n* we have official people saying official things that leave no room for questioning, because the job needs to get done\n* we are reluctant to deny the truths set before us, consciously and unconsciously, because our achievements have already been fulfilled\n\nThe example of how most people remember the 9/11 clips to be on the same day is just a really crass example of something much greater. He barely shines significance in his statement of *distorted* memories.\n\nInteresting talk, good domain (forensics or whatnot) but would be much better suited with examples other than 9/11 clip time distortion. 1347390395 My dad continues to exist that homeopathy worked on me as a child, but as soon as I started reading in to how it worked and questioning it, it somehow lost its healing power. It's as if the magic disappeared! 1301742488 does this translate to "the powers that be say it will be alright to tell you about ets by the year 2036"? 1341794323 If you read his explanation, that's kind of his whole point. 1352075786 UFO phenomena does not go against everything we know about physics. There are only a couple of basic objections to the ETH: problem of long distance travel vs relativity, and the lack of measurable proof for aliens visiting Earth. The former is just a technology issue, physics allows for other exotic travel technologies. The latter is a lack of supportive evidence. \n\nThere's nothing in the ETH that is inherently impossible, regarding our understanding of science, it is just very unlikely. 1329309011 I'm still very skeptical of government subsidies and 'carbon-trading' schemes. 1349278137 Yes, good non woo book. 1295148517 >I wouldn't say communism is a failed economic system, because, and I know this is always the answer to this question, it has never been tried.\n\nThis is something that I would just outright disagree with though.\n\nI think it has been tried, multiple times, China, Russia, North Korea, India, and some other places.\n\nCommunism has been tried just as much as say Christianity has been tried. There are plenty of Christians who also claim that Christianity has never really been tried.\n\nThe problem is that not everyone in a large group like a nation, wants the same things. Coupled with the fact that much of our behaviour is the result of brains that have been programmed by selfish genes, that have been selected by natural selection, and I don't think that any of the far Left political systems can work. That may be unfortunate, but what I may wish could be true and what I think *is* true can be very different things.\n\nChomsky, who is an anarchist, *seems to* reject the idea that much of human behaviour is the result of natural selection, I suspect this is quite an important factor in why he has the political beliefs that he does. Note I said he "seems to" above, what he certainly does and admits to, is he maintains a militant agnosticism on whether the human language ability is the result of natural selection or not, and I believe that this has further effects on his view of human nature in general. 1310985646 You did the right thing. 1309552391 To be fair normal "Water" is tainted by deuterium, meaning some "Water" is actually D2O rather than the H20 some claim 1303522765 I think Phil Schneider is very interesting as hell but taken well with some salt. 1351708155 I got a blister on my right foot while walking in 95 degree heat for 4 miles today and I didn't even need to pay Tony Robbins $4000 for the privilege. 1342919087 >Advanced alien technology is just as good of an explanation as "hey, don't underestimate ancient people, they were really smart!"\n\nAdvanced alien technology is not "just as good of an explanation" as saying "we don't know," because *we don't actually know*, and that's the only honest answer there is, and it's perfectly okay to leave it at that. Nothing about it demands an extraterrestrial influence, or even existence.\n\nIf you want to speculate, that's fine, but don't present it as equivalent in probability to them being man-made and expect that to go unchallenged. Why? Because we have no idea if there's life elsewhere in the universe. We're talking about the 10th floor when the first floor isn't even finished yet. 1343963107 As I was reading the parts about the inefficiencies in each species due to them being built on older designs rather than an intelligent designer, I couldn't help but think of my job. \n\nAs a programmer, I am constantly tasked with adding improvements to a system that reeks of outdated design principles and laziness. I will improve and update some of the areas I work with, but due to time constraints and my own laziness, sometimes I'll just hack in a fix as quickly as possible. Sometimes I'll even be working on my own code and I'll wonder why the hell I did what I did.\n\nThe fact that there are millions upon millions of weirdly inefficient designs in species all over the world does seem to disprove the concept of a single supremely intelligent, omnipotent designer. However, it doesn't disprove the concept of a handful of flawed gods. Maybe the Greeks had it right after all... 1308713413 Good that you're skeptical of any one who dares to question your self-deluded beliefs, however, bad that you're so totally unaware of Paul's history.\n\nThe truth remains the truth whether you choose to believe it or not, deal with that! 1326836746 He says they bribe all the world governments to go along with their master plan. 1347647917 Obviously it's horrific when people try to justify religious based opinions like "curing the gays."\n\nHowever, do we actually have any evidence yet of whether homosexuality truly is genetic or could it be the result of other (unconscious or conscious) factors as well? Or option x?\n\nJust curious. People throw out things like "born with it" but as far as I've read, we don't actually know if that's true.\n\nJust to be clear, the origin of it ought to have no bearing on whether they 'should' exist or not, just curious for the sake of curiosity. 1337895894 > He can't see the humor though, because of course his is real. In one sentence he heckles garbage like crystals and zero point energy, and in the next says that masters absorb positive energy from the sun and negative energy from the earth. \n\nThat's predominantly the situation with woo people nowadays, they very proudly list all the things they don't believe in, sometimes along with the reasons and the fallacies behind the wrong beliefs, and then go ahead and believe in their own crazy thing for same or a bit different but equally wrong reasons. 1349044572 Are you talking about recording for-use-in-a-court-of-law or just recording for-notes/personal-use. I would make the recording and just anonymously release the damn thing. 1345431061 Holy FUCKING shit dude. 1350196530 > What's the deal with the limits that appear to be placed on skepticism? If I'm skeptical of things that the alleged experts aren't skeptical of, I'm labeled "radical"; what's up with that?\n\nIf you are 'skeptical' of evolution or AGW or that smoking causes cancer you are not skeptical at all, you are just another retard which chooses to neglect the huge amount of evidence ... 1329641624 god damn that makes me cringe 1354136101 >He could potentially have developed some kind of photosynthesis\n\nTHIS. It's the clearest case of red-meat photosynthesis I've ever seen. 1350318341 I'm a plus member. Hi Ben and Aaron and also the new guy, who's name is escaping me. 1344478326 You forgot the Black Helicopters, Gnomes of Zurich and The Illuminati 1334502789 Yah I get the purpose of it. It'd be cool if OP posted the final results of his/her work when it is all said and done so we could all see what the thesis is. 1351539932 If you are getting any moral guidance from any of the popular religious texts, you are going to have a bad time. I can show you passages in almost all of them that condone slavery and second class status for women, and death for homosexuals. These texts would better serve humanity as fuel to keep the electricity flowing before they should be used as guidance of any kind. \n\nThere might have been a time in human history when these texts provided a necessary infrastructure for human civilization instead of chaos, but that time has long past. 1349817244 You don't have to. It's just about understanding scientific methodology. Someone with no knowledge of chemistry, pharmacology, or even biology should be able to read the studies and not fall for Jenny's crap. 1242485652 The guy sounds like something from family guy 1303158552 Thanks, though even that one gives little except for adding the blog author's opinions. 1327568011 Study: Doctors are Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.\n\nhttp://www.mishkindlaw.com/blog/2012/03/doctors-are-the-third-leading-cause-of-death-in-america.shtml\n\n*edit* The Original Article: Is US Health Really the Best in the World? By: Barbara Starfield, M.D. (2000)\n\nhttp://www.jhsph.edu/sebin/s/k/2000_JAMA_Starfield.pdf 1350823323 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h02a2HSB58M&feature=related\n\nFirst thing came to mind. 1334268092 Some people should never see a Tesla coil in action. It gives them the wrong ideas. 1328317577 >"Chiropractors have found in every disease that is supposed to be contagious, a cause in the spine. In the spinal column we will find a subluxation that corresponds to every type of disease. If we had one hundred cases of small-pox, I can prove to you where, in one, you will find a subluxation and you will find the same conditions in the other ninety-nine. I adjust one and return his functions to normal... . There is no contagious disease... . There is no infection... . There is a cause internal to man that makes of his body in a certain spot, more or less a breeding ground [for microbes]. It is a place where they can multiply, propagate, and then because they become so many they are classed as a cause."\n\n- B.J. Palmer, The Philosophy of Chiropractic, 1339183772 Ha! Awesome, except that the actors look so much more tan & wrinkled.\n\nActors must hate HD...\n\n 1345771109 i thought that at first but the head is way too weird unless its some sort of mutant 1343497221 I'll never understand why, when a person considers himself both anti-nuclear *and* anti-coal, he proceeds to, you know, use electricity anyway.\n\nI guess what I'm saying is maybe this Joe Rogan guy should turn off his computer. 1337289181 Yeah, blimps don't accelerate at incredible speeds, or travel at extremely high velocity. They also don't perform aerial maneuvers impossible by any known aircraft.\n\n\n 1311724996 Admittedly, I do have a bias. I'd like to see some studies that show the negatives of marijuana use (aside from the recent 4chan "info graph" showing the dangers of marijuana injection.) However, I was also honestly curious to see if there was any valid research done on medical marijuana, as I had foolishly assumed it should be used medicinally without knowing that much about. Of course, being a former toker myself, the only side effects I can think of were excessive pizza consumption and compulsive napping. 1350617003 Yes, if he was worth writing about while he was alive. I've heard that "messiah" figures were a dime a dozen in those days, so another one with a small cult following probably wouldn't have gotten much attention. Of course, your point *does* count as good evidence against this figure doing anything "supernatural". Something like walking on water *definitely* would have gotten the attention of the local historians. 1323039189 It's an explanation from a team that works with the apparatus, not the government. I'm glad they at least cared to give an explanation. And FIY: US congress didn't exactly classify pizza as a vegetable, it's Reddit's over dramatization. 1327007512 Very true - I definitely shouldn't use the beliefs of others to shape my own beliefs without first investigating on my own. 1299093884 For your vaccines section I think you should include a few examples [like this](http://www.localnews8.com/news/Family-urges-community-to-get-pertussis-vaccination/-/308662/15329786/-/tvljcp/-/index.html). I know that this kind of story is not strong evidence, BUT the reason we're having this discussion is because one story about a kid with autism and the grief stricken parents just hoping to spread awareness about the risks of vaccines, can have more impact than all the double blind control trials in the world.\nYou should still have the data and hard science to back up any claims, but human stories like this that fall on the side of vaccines are seen far too infrequently.\nGreat idea with this.\nr/skepticsarsenal?\n\n\n 1341691363 This is pretty awesome lol 1335841162 homeopathy is the pre-scientific idea that a material or substance that produces a symptom in a healthy person, will cure that symptom in a person suffering from it. but first you have to use the magical properties of water memory (because it remembers everything that has ever been in it) and dilute that ingredient down to nothing. then you have homeopathy. *the more you know*... 1311057934 ...and just like with the Randi Prize, the excuses will fly.\n\nI like this approach. Very publicly, (hell, in an ad campaign), say something that would be outrageously libellous if the product had any merit whatsoever. Make it so public, and so outrageous that the company has no choice but to respond. By outrageous, I don't mean 'make shit up' I mean just dispute the efficacy of their product in colourful, yet accurate, terms. 1313677843 glad you think so, I'm actually freaked the fuck out. 1355286725 ..and the person claiming defammation/etc [is also in the same State](http://www.nepadrdan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=55)\n\nJust a question to clarify PComotose's comment. If the practise was in the UK, would they be able to lodge a claim in their jurisdiction? 1323908301 actually, the study is a farce because the article *admits that it's BS!*\n\ngems like this:\n\n>The research isn't ironclad proof that the marijuana is to blame, and even if it is, the danger isn't overwhelming.\n\nand this:\n\n>Cortessis and her colleagues used data from 163 young men who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer and nearly 300 men in a comparison group without the disease. Both groups had been interviewed about their health and drug use between 1987 and 1994.\n\n463 people? wow, WHAT a cross section! /s\n\nwait, but here's the piece de resistance!\n\n>The new study is "interesting," said Carl van Walraven of the University of Ottawa in Canada, who has studied testicular cancer, but said it has a number of limitations. **For instance, it didn't find an increased risk among men with higher marijuana use, and it was relatively small.** [emphasis mine]\n\nb-b-b-BULLSHIT article. 1347388954 Does that mean like, 78 out of 200 people surveyed? 1331489467 i think this has happened to everyone i've talked to about it at least once. i can't remember specific occasions but as a kid i can recall it happening at least 3 times. it was really weird but i remember liking the idea of felling like i "skipped" the time it took to sleep, felt rested and could continue with a new day. 1334744388 I dont think its just a matter of a single piece of evidence, its all the good/reliable and concrete evidence combined.\n\nHere is my biggest problem with complete skeptics! I talk to a lot of "science" savvy people, who say, "I don't even need to look at the evidence to know its a hoax or foolish." This is in the exact definition of a bad science. If you haven't at least spent the time to research it seriously, even humoring the possibility that it is true (as a good scientist would) you cannot even have an opinion on the matter, because your opinion holds no water from factual basis. Bad science all around! 1314328371 >I do believe in ghosts/spirits whatever sort of name you choose to give them. I also communicate with them from time to time through the use of dowsing rods. Whether or not you believe me, I just want answers as to why this might be... I ended up speaking to this one male entity and the rods felt as though someone had a death grip on the ends of them, and on my wrists. I was still to communicate with them to get them to move the rods, but I want to know why this happened/what it means. I in no way felt threatened, just confused as to why this happens.\n\nYou have a fantasy-prone imagination, and that can affect you in a very real way when you actually believe the things that you claim that you believe. This is how voodoo can cause death. 1344266578 Haha the OP hit the nail on the head but with religion people just want any kind of god to exist that they make it exist xD 1356046333 For the lazy ones, here is a link thats starts when he says this: http://youtu.be/ekltAFvycSk?t=14m36s 1347120904 And the internet proves again that context is relevant. 1290141402 Is he wrong? 1337052494 A quick search of their website revealed this:\n\n“Eze 8:1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in mine house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord GOD fell there upon me. “\n\nAnd in this installment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWpKsJLXBR4 the link to this: http://prophecy.foreverinchrist.org/the-great-deception-part-i-the-magnificient-lie-of-world-peace-religion/the-great-deception-part-4-the-age-of-deceit-and-the-extraterrestrial-connection-angels-vs-aliens-special-edition\n\nWoo Woo! I think I've seen enough. 1349294509 thankyou. :> 1347299330 Yeah... I couldn't figure out where it was. That site does have other articles about the ranch. I just don't know what is supposedly part two. 1335686305 > I think it might have been called the COSMOS report or some such.\n\nI bet it was [the COMETA Report](http://archive.org/details/TheCometaReport). 1341089886 I heard them telling the story to friends and family over the years, so if they were fucking with me they really took it to the next level.\n 1328395465 actions that *may*, especially may since they believed they were helping, cause deadly harm, with a clear intent to not do so, is not the same thing as intending to cause deadly harm. Furthermore most of these stories involve couples avoiding medical treatment not to cause harm but b/c the risk associated with the procedure can be mitigated, and the illness solved by another avenue. It is just not the same thing. The word murder is thrown around a lot when it is not correct. All homicide is not murder. 1320368843 Yes, the Skeptic movement, which is not in any way skeptical, is an example of Poe's Law. It's full of beliefs that are more dogma than rational skeptical thought. These beliefs are supported by scripted rhetoric and links to anonymous blogs, but not by skepticism. 1299035273 [Mysterious Universe](http://www.mysteriousuniverse.org) is also my favourite. That being said, [Binall of America](http://binnallofamerica.com) is pretty good as well. They only do about a show a month (sometimes) and just closed the season but definitely worth a listen. I like [Red Ice Radio](http://redicecreations.com) as well though sometimes they have some pretty wild guests on there. It has also gotten to be mostly ancient history, new age and conspiracy theory lately though. It is similar to Coast to Coast but based out of Sweden. 1330022451 The members of the UN should refuse to have sodium or chlorine in their houses, because they're dangerous chemicals.\n\nForever subject themselves to bland food, the ignorant fuckers. 1355848122 Basically you're right. But, let's take the Terra Papers as the truth for example, even Enki (the one who made us upon his image) was trying to 'help' us through the Nazis. I wouldn't call this help or benevolence. 1336144736 No, they are five years apart but it was almost the exact same sequence both times. I'm not sure if it'd be clinically classified as "severe" though (about one bump per square inch, more in heavy areas), neither was hospitalized though the mouth/throat one the doc were pretty close to it. Then it started to clear up again and it sorted itself out. They were given the shots in the same office by the same person though (i.e. same doctor/office that did pre/postnatal and delivery and a specific nurse my wife liked with the shots). I'm not 100% they were both indeed 4, one may have been 5. I'm a little fuzzy on the details since it was quite a while ago with the first one.\n\nI was kind of wondering if it was something genetic, though I had extremely mild chickenpox (like two bumps) when I was two and my wife has never had it but appears immune (she's been around siblings with it and our two without effect). I mostly chalked it up to not having completed the two-shot series and never really looked into it - having a kid with chickenpox doesn't bring out your desire to figure out why they got it and after it was over (each time) I never got around to it. 1320691415 If you could get past your adhd for 10 seconds you could watch the fucking experiment performed live here:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRsNh0eB-Io 1350232360 So we can pound down energy drinks? And skip the kale? 1339632402 you're a genius. \n 1311185791 I always liked the idea of seating congress based on who contributed to their campaign. The oil industry section, the health care provider section, the health insurance section, drug companies section...\n\nThat would be a cool web app. where you can see how politicians vote broken down not by party but by campaign contributions. 1304312476 Unless we are talking about a stationary object that changes shape constantly, location is of little significance. Date also is of little significance.\n\nBut 3 of us, saw an object in the sky that looked the fucking same, maybe it was a different ship, but they were both built by the same company - **THAT** I can be almost positive of.\n\nThere is shit out there you can't even put your head around - I myself couldn't either, had I not experienced it first hand.\n\nBack to your reply. But both your points are invalid, as we are discussing an object that was neither stationary, or only in existence for one point in time.\n\n 1312013142 Oh, my, god\n\nThe degree to which this guy takes scientific evidence, ignores it, and spews complicated-sounding and largely nonsensical jargon to justify his religiously motivated beliefs is astounding.\n\nEverything he says about scientific theory in this piece is wrong. 1341472920 That is an awesome sweet brain glitch, and I'm really into those and brain theory. I think there may be a subreddit for these (and if there is I would also like to know) but this subreddit is for reality glitches. Mostly on the science end of the fantasy scale. Dimension hopping, time travel, lost time, matrix like glitches. Cool story though :) 1354366190 It's worth noting (and I don't mean this in an Ad hominem attack way, but in a context way) that Herbert Benson has committed his entire career to mind/body studies, and so his stamp of approval does not compel me as much as a more traditionally-minded researchers would. 1348971096 Cite please (this is r/skeptic, after all - I don't think we should ever hear the phrase "I assure you" without evidence in the post) 1310576399 Hey [Look what I found](http://www.quackwatch.org/06ResearchProjects/amen.html)\n\n* Edit: So his *procedures* are considered experimental, not proven. *That's* what it means. 1312135330 It sounds like a Furby that's low on batteries. 1323538033 Actually, Immanuel Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable ... 1304748406 I lost weight when I stopped eating pizza. That is to say, I lost weight when I stopped eating junk food. Now I still easy to satiety but I eat whole nutrient sense foods so that my body feels adequately satisfied before I eat too much. 1326224267 How does eating properly and getting enough sleep not help your immune system?\n\n 1296333793 'Cos this is r/skeptic and I believe we should hold ourselves to a higher standard, I'd like to ask you to defend your accusation of strawmanning. Headfull stated an anecdote about knowing some Muslims who aren't jerks -- that's great, I believe him, and while I do not necessarily believe all or even a majority of Muslims *are* jerks, an anecdote is not the way to prove that. Dezmo stated a similar anecdote, that he knows some non-violent racists, but highlights the fact that this *doesn't* serve as any sort of proof as to whether racists are, by and large, violent or not.\n\n*Is* it a strawman? Perhaps *I'm* wrong, but I see this accusation fly around far more often than I think it applies.\n\nAs a side note: as far as (*certain*) Muslims behaving badly 'cos of current events in the Middle East, I would be very interested to see an attempt to prove that it was intervention from the West and the strife it caused that led to, say, the institutionalized misogyny rife in Islamic cultures. The Taliban murdering young girls and the teachers who dared to teach them, or Saudi decency police that allowed the deaths of young women 'cos it would have been shameful to allow them to flee the burning building without being fully covered. 1347467951 Isn't a little cold in Denver this time of year for bugs? I live in Ohio and the bugs have been gone for a few weeks. 1353120056 I lost respect for him when his last season of celebrity rehab was people "addicted" to marijuana. Give me a fucking break. 1316280933 After watching a bunch of BBC lately, it is clear that we still are #2 in English.\n\n\nYes that's a poop joke. 1296214123 Nothing personal. It just seems to be an overwhelming trend here lately to voice skepticism without presenting any facts to dispute any given subject. As skeptics it's our duty to focus upon facts IMO. 1338592209 I think I want the recipe for that seafood stew pictured in the wiki article. 1297119048 Yeah, most of them really look like double-exposures. Hoaxsters are not a modern phenomenon. If you are really critical, taking the images at face value and ignoring the lore, then it's hard to take a lot of these seriously. \n\nNot to say they aren't cool pictures, most are well done and enjoyable on their own merits, but they aren't exactly compelling proof of 'ghosts' either. 1338996044 You live in China and you aren't aware that what you said is BS? And you're a teacher? And you call us the land of superstition and stupidity? \n\nWhat?\n\n 1304144267 I agree with this. 1354540529 These drugs are going to have a lot of side effects; They always do.\n\nThere's also the risk of drug dependency. For example, if you're an avid coffee drinker, you'll gradually become resistant to caffine. You'll ultamately need to have coffee just to function as you would normally. You'll need to drink even more to get the same caffine buzz as you did when you started.\n\nThat being said, I'm not concerned with people having an "unfair advantage" because of these drugs. Let's not confuse concentration with intelligence. 1287811706 > or is the show presented to attract an uncritical, sheeplike audience?\n\nIt's daytime tv. 1326840648 Thanks for that, as I'm living in China it's something I'll need to try to be aware of. Though I've already told my wife I don't want her to give our daughter Chinese "medicine". Just tried to bring her attention to this and she just started screaming at me, saying that I say all Chinese medicine is bad (irrational emotional woman, never listens to what I'm actually saying which is that most of it hasn't been properly tested). 1333938905 The good gamblers use logic and reason while taking advantage of other's superstitions 1356847843 Governments are made up of people, and people lie sometimes.\n\nHowever, the more people are required to be "in" on the lie, the more likely it is to come out, and, following from that, the less likely it is to be a lie. 1348017787 Single-page view:\n\nhttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110112/NEWS03/101120405/1319/Family-to-get-1.8-million-in-dads-jailing-teens-false-sex-assault-interrogation&template=fullarticle 1294929284 Try http://sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/homeopathy/ 1268916253 Why does a government studying something lend credit to that phenomenon being "proven"? Governments study everything, especially the military and intelligence sides which explore all kinds of crazy situations and hypothetical possibilities. I'm sure the military of every major country has a plan in case of alien invasion on the books somewhere, but that doesn't mean anyone is actually *expecting* such a thing to happen.\n\nAnd I don't think any serious skeptics are claiming that there aren't observed phenomenon that we don't fully understand. But it doesn't seem like there are amazing feats of technology or anything that would be all that earth-shattering if it *was* understood. After all, up to this point everything that humanity has ever claimed as supernatural or other-worldly has, after investigation, turned out to be "not magic". 1339077414 I don't see where this is facilitated at all. Maybe her condition is exaggerated but she seems to be typing on her own. There are other videos in which you can watch her type. Unless it is her TWIN! 1326635652 I do too, and I agree! 1314277864 Awesome article, thank you\n 1342820936 I want super speed. 1273783948 Georgia State had him speak on campus last semester. When I saw the sign I was seething with anger for the rest of the day. :sigh: 1339900522 If you don't know what [natural selection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection) is, you aren't equipped to be in this discussion. 1329574432 The cost is ridiculous though, I agree. 1316315193 Well, we're not there yet, not even close. 1290054403 I was in a car wreck at an odd angle. Because of the angle the seatbelts didn't lock. It caused pain just below the shoulder blades.\n\nI asked my doctor about a good non-BS chiro, and so I saw them. They did x-rays, which showed even to my untrained eye an unnatural twist and misalignment down the middle of my spine. Went three times in a week ... got electro massage then adjusted and that was it. The adjustment that twisted the spine back around gave me instant relief. It was great.\n\nThe only caveat I can offer is to watch your posture after going to a chiro. It seemed for awhile I was a bit more "fluid" and could get uncomfortable and even dull muscle pain alot easier from bad posture.\n\nAny chiro claiming to do anything other than treat pain caused from spinal misalignment and the associated muscle fatigue is of course a BS'er.\n\nPenn & Teller did a good episode of Bullsh*t that had chiro in it. 1301901462 Unhelpful? How about a halfway useful retort?\n\n"Please, whatever you do just make sure they aren't taking advantage of you in this terrible time. There are people who do exactly that and make a fortune doing so. I'm not saying these guys are trying to scam you but make sure you have done some real good background research on them before giving any money - and try to make sure you listen to the bad reviews as well as the good ones. \n\nHope everything turns out as well as can be for you all." 1356574041 I recently noticed that there's a homeopathy section in my local mega-supermarket. I had a glance through it, and virtually all the preparations were in pill form.\n\nNow, I could at least understand (however ridiculous it is) if homeopaths truly believed in "water memory" and whatever quantum nonsense they use to support that explanation. But if they're going to start defending "pill memory," I can't really credit them with any intelligence whatsoever.\n\nI think most people who buy homeopathic remedies have no idea what they're buying. I suspect most of them conflate it with naturopathy. 1291330881 http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Rutledge&sts=t&tn=Project+Identification \n\nI ordered one through an abebooks seller a few months ago and didn't have any troubles. If they won't ship international and you'd like me to help with that - I'd be only too happy to. It's a Very interesting book. 1355011689 Good concept. You should start working on fundamentals and take your [skills to the next level.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd8UJC6V_L4) 1338820044 He's actually being massively upvoted for saying this insane bollocks. I didn't think IAmA had fallen this low. 1345558907 I wonder if the weight loss bit is truth and if that is the result of either eating more none-digestable stuff, or because it is slicing up and damaging the cells in your gut that are supposed to be digesting your food.\n\nHonestly, I would rather eat more fiber. It's part of our normal diet and comes naturally in all sorts of tasty fruits, vegetables & whole grains. 1324778627 So this kid had medical issues from birth, had a medical condition inconsistent with a reaction to the HepB vaccine, and died after receiving an antibiotic which he was allergic to, and the parents conclude that the HepB vaccine is what killed him? 1319559663 hey right on; identical poster to mine. I got it back in '97 - you? 1336497487 I'm in NC, too. Do what I'm about to do & contact your state reps. It's not passed yet. It's in the committee for Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources. \n\nGo [here](https://www.ncsbe.gov/voterlookup.aspx) to find out what district you are in.\n\nThen go [here](http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House) to find out who your rep is.\n\nBonus points if your rep is on [the right committee](http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/committees/Committees.asp?sAction=ViewCommittee&sActionDetails=Senate%20Standing_66)\n\n*edit - read the bill first. 1338849519 > I would like nothing more than for "political skeptics" to stop trying to argue that AGW theory is false when they don't have any evidence to support that assertion.\n\nThis isn't even a case of arguing it is false. Where you got that from, I don't know. I'm merely stating that it isn't **incontrovertible**. Nor do I know where you got \n\n>Maybe it does, but your past history of attacking AGW theory without solid evidence to back your position leads me to believe otherwise.\n\nIf your first instinct to any question is to reply with vicious ad hominem attacks then you've already turned it into politics. Or religion. \n\nAnyway, since you'll do nothing but downmod and call me names I have no interest in continuing this thread. 1328289253 Roman Catholic. I have had paranormal experiences, both religious and "haunting" type. I'm a Pisces, so I'm a very sensitive and empathic person. I don't know if it has anything to do with it. The more things happen, the more I believe in my faith. Chip Coffey is Catholic, so that's gotta tell you something. 1345668556 You probably won't find any. Most scientific studies that have been done on Chiropractic have found that even the most popular results are more likely due to placebo than anything the chiropractor does. In this brand of alt-medicine, anecdotes is pretty well all they have to go on. 1302856026 Annoyingly the wikipedia article on Jonathan Swift mentions nothing about his religious beliefs it seems. 1294151742 If I knew how to change it, I wouldn't be just complaining with this post :/ 1319820711 Thanks for the long and informative post! 1346750420 I am not entirely incorrect although I do regret implying that carbs were the direct cause of diabetes. But I am correct in pointing out the intimate relationship between over consumption of carbs and onset of type II diabetes. \n\nThe truth is, if your diet consists of only white bread and pasta, and you are consuming these things in large amounts, you are at high risk of developing type II diabetes. 1345240435 Yeah, that's a real big NOPE, SEE YA for me 1355045884 I imagine it going something like this:\n\n*The following script is required by the State of Kansas. It is complete bullshit, and not based in any scientific research.*\n 1336370632 Not really. "He's the guy and you'll be together forever" doesn't bar any number of possible pregnancy-inducing situations. Plenty of married women get raped or have affairs, for example.\n\nA psychic telling a woman with a hysterectomy that she's going to bear children has disproven herself. Telling a fertile woman with a husband that's had a vasectomy that she will bear children proves nothing about the psychic.\n\n\nDo I think psychics are full of it? Yep. I've never seen a scientific study that supported belief in psychic abilities. But sorry, this incident is just not the "smoking gun" the OP wants it to be.\n 1314329508 In response to the title. Yes, yes obviously. Unidentified means we don't know what the fuck it is. Like we know everything there is to know. I mean, come on. 1350764720 It was a virginity spot for men. Dunno about you, but I don't have a hymen... or a spot that I'd be willing to have a speculum shoved into... 1278217130 You're right, making you look like an idiot is too easy. Looking at your posting history, I can see you're the oblivious kind of stupid, too - the best kind!\n\nAllez, j'ai assez ri de toi pour une soirée. Essaye de te rappeler de respirer! 1348462302 Thanks for this. Signed. 1267767490 Without a doubt the on-board propulsion systems will affect ice particles nearby, but if you look at the [STS-114 footage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcaWQUE-lZQ), the moment isn't sudden which is what we would likely see if the object was effected by a short burst from the propulsion system. 1305747276 I randomly decided to watch Larry King one day and tuned in to this.\n\nI was outraged. 1324617724 but if you stack enough cow pies onto a large enough pile, you end up with a diamond, right?\n\nthe plural of anecdote is data, right? 1341154705 Laughing like a bunch of wealthy aristocrats with fat cigars in the smoke-filled drawing room at the summer retreat. 1315092856 skeptic is wrong on building a 7. That is what scares me. 1315532257 I'm not talking about Astral Projection, I'm talking about medicines that Pharm companies think will work, or have worked in early stage trials, that the governemnt won't let consumers purhcase and use. I know it's just an anecdote and kind of going against my argument, but you've heard of [Lorenzo's Oil](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_and_Michaela_Odone) yes? 1306189792 No harm in placebo healing? Okay, let me cut your arm a little bit with this knife I've just dipped in sewer sludge, and you go ahead and wear your energy bracelet to make the infectious booboo go away. No cheating with medicine, okay? 1353627038 Have hope! It's still within the realm of possibility that we'll screw up sometime next year and destroy the planet! 1324245184 Not planning on perusing through Skepchick until I catch wind of the next inevitable meltdown that occurs. The best example is the entire elevator thing. Then there's her boycotting of Dawkins, and the antagonistic, sanctimonious way she approaches any gender issue. 1344534487 This is a great comment. One thing I'd add is that large sample sizes are also better at hiding small effect sizes. If you've got a sample of say 20 people, you need a much larger effect size to find significance than a sample of 200. What that means is that you can find studies that have statistically significant results due to their excellent sample size but really tell you nothing because of the tiny effect size.\n\ntl;dr always look at the effect size. 1349994129 You're not seriously comparing Watson to Hitchens, are you? \n\nYou give up all right to call yourself a "free thinker" when you act like a religious fundamentalist. 1321154382 >Your confusing your sense of morality with mandate :) I have morals too, so I choose to help people. But following morality blindly is (often) bad business.....\n\nI agree. I was just matching the word choice. How about it's mandated by my ethics?\n\nAnd my point was that corporations aren't fit to replace many government institutions, but I feel we as citizens certainly are. Not everything needs to be replaced with what we consider a corporation. 1341025939 In response I would direct your attention to the right and some directives on what should be posted here. Specifically check the This might help link. I think if luminaries like James Randi, Martin Gardner, Carl Sagan, Brian Dunning, the folks at CSIcop, Ray Hyman, and many more find it to be a worthwhile endeavor to point out the trickery, cheap parlor tricks so called psychics, telekenetics (which this guy claims to be), and "power of the mind" peddlers, then I think posting a jerk like this to a skeptic subreddit is a worthwhile endeavor. \n\nNot to mention you get entertaining stuff like this [skeptical magician owning a so called "psychic"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQU4ohwvYjY). 1346386372 I think it's a twitter post by a celebrity that belongs in a certain subreddit that I cannot bring myself to even name. 1338022882 why not?! 1354720635 Although you have to give a guy credit for sheer balls when he argues from authority in the same breath with which he admits that the brain of the authority in question was being eaten by bacteria at the time... 1349732598 Bwahhahahahaa!\n\nSo. Notable changes in long-established weather patterns, eh? Couldn't possibly be scientifically verified climate change brought about by a global increase in temperature resulting from human activities, could it?\n\nOh, no. My bad. That's unpossible. I shoulda known all along: it's Sekrit Gummint Conspirussy Stuffs.\n\nLovely. 1331017339 I partially agree with you here, though I am inclined to believe that the *craft* is not a craft at all, but a being itself. 1342527623 It is baffling that this guy is still around after Randi destroyed him. 1307633720 Its a chemical imbalance. I get them when I forget to take certain medication but you can get it from drinking, drugs or just having a cold. I can't recall the exact name now but I sometimes call it the "jjjing", which is fitting I think ;). It can happen at any time and more than once during the day. It is completely harmless but it can throw you off kilter, it is as if the world slips for a moment. Not to mix up with "exploding head syndrome", which is more harsh and usually occurs when in bed. 1352038877 I am aware. 1356313006 Thanks for mentioning the soap, DBE- I'd heard this alot in the media and it made cursory sense without knowing the biochemical specifics- so I was operating under that mistaken impression as well. 1333087504 I'm not sure why this is in /r/skeptic. /r/science covered it already. It's remarkably easy to kill cancer in a petri dish. Bleach will work just fine. The trick is getting something into the human body that won't be destroyed by the immune system, and won't destroy the human body in the process.\n\n**Edit** I'm getting some criticism for what I posted, so I'll try to clarify a little bit. The implication from the article is that there is a new cure for cancer on the horizon but *for some reason* it's being held down (by Big Pharma, perhaps?), which are two things which should raise red flags for any skeptic. All in all, this "cure" seems like a legitimate line of inquiry which needs more work, and may or may not pan out. I was just curious about why it's in *this* subreddit. 1346526718 Useful for a "blow" does not translate well into American : ) 1297939621 ask him how many people have is birthday? and of those how many live in the third world? And how many of them became engineers? 1309490993 Then put them in a cage match and eat whichever one wins. 1349192284 Thank you for that awesome explanation! 1314410452 takes a lot of humility to apologize publicly. i don't agree with his beliefs, but i commend him anyways. /salute 1322692352 I can't. It requires doctors lie to their patients which undermine trust in doctors. 1332263457 I just ordered the book on the strength of her rebuttal ... I'm looking forward to reading it. 1283988549 If my buddy was drunk and not paying attention I'd be saying the same thing. Hid buddy taylor just wants to nap he don't give two fucks about the ufos when he's got 8 beers in em. 1350800735 Salman Rushdie is still alive. 1345476376 First investigation with KYGP. I look forward to upcoming investigations. 1348325063 >... And both see a small group of families, including the Rockefellers and Rothschilds, as behind an utterly malevolent conspiracy seeking total global domination. \n\nUmmm...\n\n>“For more than a century, ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure – one world, if you will. If that is the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.” – From Rockefeller’s “Memoirs”, (p.405).\n\nSorry if people really believe things aren't being decided for us...\n\n 1342241483 I wouldn't even know about anyone else, I hated them. Tell a bunch of kids that they're better than the other kids and stick them all in a room together, they tend to be snobs. 1326489484 Ah yes, I live on planet earth. We are quite an ignorant planet ;) ... when our governments put together budgets, people get angry at millions of dollars spent, but ignore when they spend billions. 1311942591 http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/hi28s/should_rskeptic_be_renamed_rnannystate_do_people/c1vm01p\n\nTo put it lighty: crazy fuckers. 1306192502 Thanks, I saw these come by too. Thought it would be bullhonkey. Now I know. 1338811876 I'm interested too.. IAMA? :) 1350695739 I thought smog increased albedo? 1328230600 My favourite comeback for people who claim that being gay is a "choice" is to ask them: "Oh really? So when did you decide that you were straight?" 1322166928 That is amazing that you knew this person's race and background just over the internet!! 1337738012 They got a small amount of cash, which they needed to pay the lawyer bills. They consider their careers over, as there is only the one hospital in Kermit. The remaining money is less than the wages they will now not get. \n\nNo way can this be considered them getting cash. 1307418687 Why wouldn't it? 1290719463 Not making vaccinations mandatory means you are saying that people have the right to infect infants too young for vaccinations, the elderly, and immuno-compromised individuals with potentially lethal diseases. I don't see how you can justify that as an acceptable moral choice. 1303871478 Have you had any nigtmares? 1344839024 You think humanity is going to stop the collapse of the earth? You give to much credit to mankind. I'd like to know how the lakes that were present in historic egypt dried up? I bet all those damn 4x4 pickups and coal power plants did the trick. 1332286872 Glorified masseuse. At best\nAt worse they're like the Reiki Woo fakers. Some are downright dangerous in their ignorance and disdainfulness for actual science and the medical establishment.\n\n 1291190725 I saw a [PBS Frontline](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/view/) report about vaccines (or rather anti-vaxxers) a while back and it mentioned that according to a study in Denmark the rate of autism is not, statistically different between vaccinated and un-vaccinated children. So, about the same. I don't know if there's a paper or published research that maybe someone could find and refer to.\n\nFrom the website of the episode:\n\n> "Scientifically, I think the matter is settled," says Anders Hviid, an epidemiologist at the Statens Serum Institut in Denmark. In one of the largest and most comprehensive epidemiological studies available, Hviid and colleagues analyzed data on more than a half million children and found no link between the MMR "triple shot" for measles, mumps and rubella and an increased rate of autism -- a link that's been strongly asserted for years by anti-vaccine activists. Similar epidemiological studies in Denmark also failed to reveal a link between the mercury preservative thimerosal and autism. In fact, around the world, peer-reviewed epidemiological studies have found no link between autism and either the MMR shot or thimerosal. 1303768580 Then don't buy from that drugstore any more. How can you hold a pharmacy legally accountable for the products they sell, if they do what they say they do on the box? There's no bait and switch here. What's the line between approved and illegal merchandise? Is it FDA approval? What about supplements? Vitamins?\n\nEDIT: And don't get me wrong, I find the practice of putting Zicam and Airborne on the same shelf as Advil and Tylenol pretty horrible. But I can't see how any lawsuit would hold any water. 1329274004 Sleep paralysis doesn't explain being immediately taken back down into the paralysis after continuing to pop out of it several times over. 1335549415 I claim to be an atheist. Until a god is sufficiently defined and shown (through empirical evidence) to exist, there is no reason for me to believe that one exists. Everything throughout our human history that we've figured out to this point has been shown to have a natural origin, not a supernatural one. Until we find any evidence for anything supernatural, it's only right to assume that nothing supernatural actually exists, whether we can conceive of it or not. 1308271511 So a couple of attacks on the integrity of the authors and a proclamation that it is wrong, but so far no comments about the actual data. Would that be because the data doesn't fit your world view? 1346859305 It's about time! Poor woman. 1329247509 I understand. If that is all that was going on here, I would understand. But as it has been repeatedly cited and shown in this thread, Celiac disease DOES cause depression. And a gluten-free diet DOES treat this. Thus, Gluten-Free IS a treatment for depression. All of that being said, I feel like you are missing the point of the comic. It's not even about a Gluten-Free diet. It's a commentary on the desperate and hopeless state of depression. This comic is sad. 1338555032 ...are you serious?\n 1307366859 im trying to remember as i just woke up to it, i will post back when i found out what it was. 1330123989 A nightmare is your best proof of paranormal activity? 1340697766 Your not using your electrons correctly to make you happy.\n\nYou have to have them flowing through your vibrator. 1350442406 Maybe it's a *Chinese missile.* Ya think? 1260581198 Have the time the picture was taken now. Author says this shot was taken at 2PM.\n\n[This is the authors website](http://www.amanzafar.com/WTC/index.shtm). He is not a conspiracy theorist; just a photographer. I contacted him and he says his picture was taken at 2PM. The image is number one hundred five on his website, and they seem to be taken in progression. That image, happens to be the last image he took on 9/11, and he took many stunning pictures. [Here it is](http://www.amanzafar.com/WTC/wtc-110.jpg).\n\n[Original source for the image is NIST](http://web.archive.org/web/20110310012640/http://wtc.nist.gov/progress_report_june04/appendixl.pdf). I can't find it on their site now, but it's in the archive.org version of their site. I believe it's L-22a. They say the image was taken at about 2PM too, from a NYPD police helicopter.\n\n[Image is still being used by Popular Mechanics as of 2009](http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/4213805).\n\nSo, yeah, it seems like it's a faked image by NIST or the NYPD. Most likely NIST, because they had access to all the other pictures, and would know the least likely way to get caught. :( Sorry. 1315655925 thank you kind sir 1344752725 You fucking rock! 1335723203 >global population continues to rise, famine is inevitable\n\nThey've been saying that since the 1850s. We weren't ever going to be able to feed more than a billion, then it was two, then three, we keep beating the odds. We keep finding more and more ways to grow more food, and population is leveling off in most of the world anyways. It's mostly Africa and a few other places that may not level off in a generation. 1343490210 Well, as I mentioned with the procedural-generation thing, if there's a counterintuitive barrier to *perception* of reality (which also applies to the Uncertainty Principle, as well as the double-slit experiment), could that be explained by a limit to the processing resolution of a simulation? 1330294842 To be fair the gerson therapy does not state that coffee enemas will remove cancer, instead they claim that some how the coffee is more effectively introduced into your blood stream and into the portal veins and then it cleanses out your liver allowing it to be more effective at its job. \n\nNow I could be wrong about it being taken up into the portal vein but we should be fair in describing how the treatment claims that it works. 1332541238 All that fire and no smoke? Please explain to me how a fire can burn so hot and have no real smoke. Every window should be streaming smoke, wouldn't you agree. 1315508202 Diploma mill will be diploma mill. 1283293770 Project Blue book\n\nHave blue\n\nSport model\n\nMufon\n\nTower of babel\n\nGo! 1336025645 nothing because neither of them work. so i guess now that i think about it, they aren't complete opposites. 1300740257 >And to be frank, if you're going to "prescribe" homeopathic remedies, you need to "understand" homeopathic remedies. who's more effective at an exorcism - father Karas or some dude who looked it up on eHow?\n\nNo. Understanding homeopathy/excorsism doesn't do jack shit. The only thing that matters is that the one on receiving end *believes* it might work, which is easily achieved by putting on the clothes of a doctor/priest and *claiming* your remedies work. 1343331335 edit: okay, been and checked the GDP figures and replaced with ones direct from the OECD stats.\n\nSo I spent a bit of time with this. I noticed that you could calculate the overall homicide rate from the data provided as it gave the percentage of murders by firearm as well as the firearm murder rate. So I did that and also reduced the data set to the OECD members (which is kind of arbitrary but does reasonably constrain the group to a certain level of economy and government).\n\nSo, here's the graph for the overall homicide rate versus firearm ownership for those nations: http://i.imgur.com/b1k6f.png\n\n...which seems to bust any idea that there's a clean relationship between people getting killed and people owning guns*.\n\nHowever, I'm sure nobody can fail to notice that the US is way out on the right and there's a group of countries separated off to the top. Call me crazy, but there seemed something obviously different about them other than their high murder rate. Following up on this, I plotted homicides against the GDP per Capita: http://i.imgur.com/goVPV.png\n\n...which is interesting and certainly shows a stronger relationship than gun ownership. Still, the US remains with a curiously elevated murder rate. So, one last graph - homicides versus the Gini Coefficient: http://i.imgur.com/yYUBt.png\n\n*To be clear, I'm not pro-gun. I've never owned one, probably never will and I'm quite happy living in countries where hand-guns and assault rifles aren't available to the general public. In particular, this is about overall murder rates, not spree killings. I suspect the data there would look different. 1355804368 I would argue that it's deeply unethical to knowingly give someone who comes to you for medical care a placebo. What if they are seriously in need of actual medical care, you give them a placebo, they go home thinking they're going to be fine, and then they get worse because they weren't properly treated?\n\nRegardless of how economically feasible it is, it's pretty damned evil. If you don't have an actual treatment to help someone: TELL THEM THAT. You do not simply give them a sugar pill and tell them to go on their way. They need to be able to make informed decisions about their own treatment, and just because you couldn't find a treatment that could help them doesn't mean someone else couldn't.\n\nSo my argument is: who cares if it's worth investing resources into. It's **EVIL AS FUCK.** 1351945514 why would a professional skeptic care about Pat Tillman or Jessica Lynch or any of these other political topics? Professional skeptics work with science, not hot-button political topics. 1285166659 That may seem small, but if it's true that would be nuts! 1355921721 I assure you I am telling the truth. The 2 people I did this with were friends with eachother. I had just met them a few weeks before. When I was the one asking questions there is no possible way they would have known the answers. One of the questions I asked I didn't even know the answer to. It wasn't until later when I asked my mother about it that I found out the board was right. I am very aware of the Penn and Teller show. I have seen that episode. However most people will do anything for their 15 minutes of fame. And when you're not truly a believer the Ouija board, for whatever reason, does not work properly. \n\nFor example: there was a 4th person with us the day we were debunking the Ouija board. They had the same mindset that you do. We finally convinced them to try it. When they had their hands on it, it just moved in very slow circles. They were convinced I was moving it (which I wasn't) and was even more convinced it was fake. 1324481835 I think I want one of each. Mulder's and the newer version. \n\nStill have no idea why I've waited so long. 1336430548 Yes, this is remarkably simple. Stand there and let other people make it all up for you. 1294702505 This point may have already been brought up, so my apologies if it has, but with respect to the STD transmission claims, aside from whether or not the Africa studies were flawed, shouldn't we expect to see much higher STD rates in populations with very low circumcision rates (all other things being equal)? The STD argument seems to be the biggest element of this, but no one is making this comparison. According to [this paper](http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1352167), Denmark has a 1.6% circumcision rate, yet from all the sources I could find, their per capita AIDS infection rate is half the USA's. Granted, this is a single data point and doesn't *prove* anything (I couldn't find much reliable data on HPV, Herpes, etc. but I didn't look very hard), but with around ~70% snip rate in the US among potentially sexually active men (I'm basing this on neo-natal rates from 1980's and 1990's), this seems awfully fishy.\n\nOf course, this is happening in a country that in many areas still refuses to give kids any decent kind of sexual education in favor of abstinence-only education and other crappy, ineffective crocks of BS. Why bother teaching the populace about safe sexual practices when we could just cut off a part of their junk when they're born to **maybe** prevent the spread of disease? This feels like pulling 10 year olds' adult teeth all out and giving them all dentures instead of teaching them how to brush them. And even then they can still get gum disease. 1346114244 There was a video posted not too long ago, the History channel documentary on [Shag Harbor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shag_Harbour_UFO_incident). That's a lot of witnesses! The divers did indeed see the aliens themselves, something that didn't come out until the 1990's, some 20+ years later.\n\nThe truth about UFO's is that there's never going to be irrefutable, irrevocable evidence. People think that science is like a religion or something with some kind of ex cathedra authority. \n\nScientists will say a lot of things, but they'll never say, hay, maybe it's from an alien civilization! No, because short of an alien coming down here and throttling the scientist -- he's not going to believe -- he's going to bow to public pressure.\n\nBefore you reply, I've had this conversation thousands of times on reddit, and I'm not interested in having it again. If you disagree, fine, get it off your chest: I won't reply.\n\nSETI looks for aliens thousands of light-years away, but there are sightings of UFO's every day just around the corners of Earth. Why? Because it's so obvious to the scientist that these sightings that are made by non-scientists are laughable... Nevermind the irony that scientists in the past have said ridiculous things. The sun goes around the Earth. Even Einstein said of the refrigerator: It's a great idea, but who would ever need one? Scientists today have zero sense of irony.\n\nEven the [WOW](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wow!_signal) signal ... the scientists were utterly contemptible fools. They could not bring themselves to say what it was, or what it was not.\n\nIn a hundred years, when you open the history books, you'll see that modern scientists were hardly portraits of courage or perseverance. And they were not philosophically trained. But they were, in large majority, idiots. Fucking idiots. \n\nEDIT: Sorry I sound angry. It's because I am. I am pretty disappointed by modern science's failures.\nEDIT: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=5488895546832717747 ... about the O'hare incident mentioned by OP 1346686165 Heh, that's pretty damned close to what I saw, yes.\nAdditionally, I am saddened that many people have written her and said that she is just filming regular planes or she is using a form of trickery. Having seen this in real life, I can say I don't think what she is filming are real planes or is a fake craft. 1318350228 hehehehe Cute. 1351112881 The "Squatch Call" at 5:58 is worth the wait. 1352757466 I don't understand your point. He mentions everything in the movie... Hes not stupid, listen to the interviews. If hes smart enough to smuggle it out, hes smart enough to stay aloft. He already mentioned in the movie that they already know by now how it got leaked, it wouldn't take long for them to find out who he is. 1328725334 How are you feeling about it now? 1348001793 whats with all the crop circles and weird shit looking like serpents or lizards or shit like that 1312011300 [This sums it up pretty well.](http://www.skepdic.com/zeitoun.html) 1330829460 On a side note, wasn't my dad a handsome dude? D'aww :'3 1339027937 This always happens to me with random food and drink while I'm playing games too . . . 1326451555 I'll try, although I'm not really a MRM. I tend towards gender equality as part of my philosophy.\n\n> How do you feel about this artwork? I was happy to see that a thoughtful critique had been upvoted to the top of the comments.\n\nInteresting critique that's upvoted. Quite a few of the top comments point out that women are frequently not treated the same as men for the purpose of military service and the draft.\n\nAs for the image itself, obviously the top is supposed to be a peaceful, beneficial world for all. While the bottom shows soldiers engaged in bloodshed, dying, and supporting the world above. It seems to be justifying combat as necessary for a peaceful world. Considering that all the soldiers appear to be one gender, I'd say that it was reinforcing stereotypical gender roles that the role of men include being willing to fight and die. The exclusion of any apparent women as soldiers also appears to reinforce the role that women are unable or unwilling to fill the same role.\n\n> How do you feel about articles like this?\n\nMainstream news writes inflammatory headlines and includes faulty logic. I didn't check all the comments in the MR thread, but I checked the top ones, and it is a shame that nobody pointed out the flaws.\n\n> In your view, why is /r/MensRights so obsessed with the male birth control pill?\n\nMen only have one form of birth control that is considered reversible (the condom). Wouldn't you be obsessed if there was only one form of reversible birth control available to you?\n\n> How do you feel about the not-even-anecdotes on /r/MensRights? Are they valuable contributions?\n\nHypothetical situations can be illuminating.\n\n> How about claims like this where none of the linked articles actually matches up with what the poster is claiming, but everyone acts as if it is gospel truth anyways?\n\nSeveral posters did point that out. So not everyone is acting like it's gospel truth.\n\n> Have you seen Kerbal Space Program yet? I fscking love this game!\n\nNope. :p 1345235403 Physical contact with another person can make wounds close faster. It's called a band-aid. 1298251026 And there is such a thing as education and diplomacy. I'm of the opinion that skeptics tend to have a goal to educate others, and telling them to "shut the hell up" is a really backwards way of going about doing that, it's just going to divide and drive people away. /r/atheism is what happens when you decide to fully embrace that kind of behavior. If we're not interested in interacting with people with differing ideas then we've decided we're just a circlejerk. 1328728140 Eyewitness accounts are held up in a court of law!! Also for anything else that has ever existed! I think the millions of eyewitness accounts, including the ones by gov. officials, pilots, presidents of the USA, ... count for something. \n\nIm upvoting myself for that comment :) 1317261265 nice, Worcester here and im from the finger lakes. So carry your camera with you from now on huh? 1286372928 > If the government would just get out of the way and let us do what we need to do\n\nWhat specifically is it that you need to do that the (presumably US) government is actually preventing you from doing? 1347277677 As long as the person is an adult and he/she doesn't do it to children, I'm fine with it. 1307075384 You don't think I made it clear enough? What would you change? 1300098154 Good point! I definitely agree that younger kids are going to be less skeptical at the moment of the experience, and probably have less accurate recall after the fact. But adults are a long ways from immune from either effect, regardless of age, experience, etc. 1331335061 Did you listen to it? It's not that it just "happened to fly by" when the news crew was there, but that it's happening every other day at around the same time of day. They're saying it's happening *all the time*. 1352505682 Oh, I know it's hopeless for the dedicated conspiracy nut. When people are that far gone, any argument you have with them isn't going to do any good... for them. I'm more interested in people who are sitting on the fence, but can be convinced with actual evidence (versus what truthers have). 1286977119 Aren't all the ships we send into space technically spaceships? 1296014603 And there is no sex in the champaign room. 1329713738 What an idiot. Although, lifestyle changes are important in getting better from any illness. chemo is the (necessary) short term solution, but having a healthier lifestyle will help prevent future illness 1328464284 But the batteries keep your body's magnetic poles in synchronization! 1299520055 I hadn't heard about this, so I looked into it a bit. [Here](http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/03/opinion/oe-jillette3) is an op-ed written by Penn Jillette in 2008 on the topic, in which his summation, repeatedly, is "I don't know" (although he liberally repeats many of the standard FUD talking points, but as personal ignorance). He has also apparently claimed in an interview the same year (although I cannot confirm this, as youtube as removed the video) that he acknowledges that AGW exists.\n\nHe asks things like "But the climate of the whole world is more complicated. I'm not a scientist, and I haven't spent my life studying weather. I'm trying to learn what I can, and while I'm working on it, isn't it OK to say "I don't know"?", but I don't find this article to put them in a very positive light.\n\nThey devoted an episode of their show (titled, of course, "Bullshit!") to the topic, invited on a bunch of non-experts (including a bunch of fellows from the AGW-denying Cato Institute... which they are themselves fellows of), failed to do any actual fact-checking or investigation, and concluded that the topic was very much in doubt. 5 years later, they still haven't consulted the professionals on the subject, and profess ignorance (while not referring to the professionals)?\n\nIf they couldn't be bothered to do any investigation, *maybe* they shouldn't have made an episode about it. If they were going to do an episode, maybe they should have done some research, or at *least*, brought on *actual* experts and not simply some hippies and deniers with no expertise. And then, when called on it, they defer to personal ignorance?\n\nI respect their willingness to acknowledge the limits of their personal knowledge, but I still think the whole situation reflects very poorly on them. 1346966275 Their whole shtick is basically "Hey, christian scientists have beaten the atheist scientists at science, so we can all both feel smart and believe grandma is in heaven, while the atheists are going to both burn in hell and have to admit they were the stupid ones all along." They present themselves as scientific, while calling evolutionary biology anti-scientific for ignoring the "evidence" they came up with. Of course, most people who already believe there is a creator won't even feel the need to check weather ID makes sense or if evolution has actually been refuted because, you know, that would be hard. 1356040589 I dont necessarily disagree with you but is there a reason you are being so condescending? You knew what to expect in a subreddit like this so why are you here? That is not rhetorical...I am curious. 1346414476 You are aware of the split radar/ transponder return and the fact that other aircraft who could see the 747 failed to see the mountain-sized luminous object it was reporting. \n\nWhat I was addressing was the way the pilot's story changed from when he initially reported it to when he later described it. 1305986584 Do you feel like it's something that could hurt you? 1344834507 Wow. Another terrible argument. Try to think about the difference between necessary suffering and unnecessary suffering. \nSeriously, did you even read the blog before posting these stupid comments? 1323739639 And this was the Easter that Timmy realized he was not like the others. 1333995911 It sure isn't reliable. But it might hint at some degree of truth. That's why the only real way to be sure is to give it a try yourself for a few weeks. What do you have to lose? 1344290697 This is awesome, however not scientific proof. Eye witness testimony is not scientific in any way.\n\nI am on the side that what they say is true, however scientific evidence requires testing. 1283562496 Perhaps you suffer from one of the many ailments that cause individuals to falsely believe a diety has given him/her a message for mankind. 1325795591 I second this. Let's see it in action. 1326993152 A few notes, not at the OP but as a reader (I've made no research into your assertions or sources, BTW- it's my birthday and I'm only redditing causal). \n\nI'm very aware of salt cod, pemmican, and rice being some of the best foods around to feed a pre-refrigeration army and I'm not sure that Dunning's arguement is meant to deny their deployment- I think you're giving it a strong, absolutist reading that he doesn't intend, moving the goal posts so to speak.\n\nSecond, the analogy between farmers and hunter gatherers is spurious in that we're talking about soldiers- which are a separate class from farmers, making their living by way of pay through taxes in things exactly such as grain. While I'm certain that most warlords and kings also took taxes and paid soldiers in olives, lambs, and turnips, I'd assume grain to be the mainstay of taxes as it kept (and was thus good for feeding armies as it could be stockpiled like horse feed). It's about several thousand years off the mark to compare the infrastructure of the agrarian revolution to that of the European age of Empires. 1294348297 I actually was using the GPS on my phone, cause after about 10 minutes we got lost. I thought we just walked in a circle, too, but I checked my phone and it said we were going in one direction. 1326580175 Teleporting cat? 1327454436 I think it's VERY important not to be a douche about this. Yes, the "anti-vaxxers" are mostly ignorant or worse, misinformed, particularly with regards to the safety of the MMR vaccine.\n\nHOWEVER, the mere act of being cautious about a new medication is not stupid in itself. It is important to realise that the safety of a vaccine is not guaranteed just because a pharma company and a government agency says it is safe. If you doubt this, just google Cutter or Thalidomide. 1297359910 It could be, sure. The easiest way to tell would be to watch the original video and see if the object always stays in the same part of the video frame no matter how the camera man moves. 1331580867 Yes. If you try to study it after-the-fact, the reality of the past may be distorted or corrupted by later events. A primitive idea, maybe, but worth having anyway. 1340647213 See you think everyone buys your "I'm totally scientific and objective" routine, when in fact, everyone outside the /r/skeptic posse just thinks you're a dick, and I'm just trying to explain that to you. Your very name is incendiary, your pattern of behavior is inflammatory, and your agenda is arrogant compared to your qualifications in such serious manners, which you consider a consistent target of ridiculous. \n\nIf you find that a childish insult, then by all means report me. 1352700005 UfO's don't give off smoke and fire. 1337354412 Why do you need to show him how it works? 1335575003 Your study gets 5 upvotes, my 2 studies get none. Seems like the users of /r/skeptic are bias. 1345898920 actually, most of it is cut+pasted from an "article" that the old guy in the video wrote (pro tip: he is not a doctor of anything) 1336936801 Well yes ... but which ones specifically trip your bullshit detector? 1300566098 >That's because there isn't a word that describes the same feeling.\n\nI'm not really seeing the problem. If words of the same or similar meaning were required in order to learn a new word, then we wouldn't be able to learn any words in the first place (unless we come in to the word preprogrammed with a language).\n\nUntil a few years ago I was unaware of the word "maudlin", but I certainly new the feeling and now I have a word to clearly describe that feeling.\n\nI'm quite sure why haven't a different ethnography would circumscribe the kinds of words one could learn. 1288568503 I don't know this fallacy, but it sounds vaguely similar to "False Dilemma" and "Hobson's Choice".\n\nEdit: It also reminds me a bit of the "[Frankfurt counterexamples](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankfurt_cases)" which state that if only one outcome is possible, you can still be morally responsible for the path you took to get there.\n\nEdit2: Perhaps the [Fallacy of the Pre-Determined Outcome](http://editthis.info/logic/Informal_Fallacies#Fallacy_of_the_Pre-Determined_Outcome)? 1348092248 Lets spam the aliens with all the memes and dick jokes we can come up with. 1341006336 Its called Alice in wonderland syndrome 1354600004 Well, that'd be scary because I work in a cubicle now! And I work for the government and I do tan easily...lol 1351533166 All iron comes from the core of stars, so it *really* doesn't matter where it comes from. 1319867191 Really interesting to say the least 1324933445 That's because economics is not a science like physics or chemistry, predictions are difficult due to the a priori nature of economics. \n\nBesides, most economists are Keynesians which hasn't exactly proven itself as a great predictive tool. 1309109428 This post offends me. Delete it! 1330644406 I prefer the term rationalist when describing my spiritual and political views. 1323562988 He didn't. I did nor hear about this story until after the ultrasound. 1339857254 That could easily be an image overlay indicating the center of the paper. 1332003162 Texas is obviously fed up with outsourcing the dumb. 1340782376 Okay, let's say for instance a person claims to be hearing voices. Their name being spoken in a whisper. It always happens between 3:00 and 4:00 PM, and whenever it happens, the 14 year old son is in the basement by the furnace. Pretty obvious what's causing the activity in this situation. 1352240676 I think this is a misleading headline. As far as I can tell they did not study immunity at all. They only concluded that more students are coming "in contact" with unvaccinated peers. This seems rather obvious since we know the exemption rate is increased. I guess it's good they did a study to to gather solid evidence and to look at clustering but I really find nothing interesting in this story at all. It was also posted at slashdot today with a lot of the standard vax/antivax discussion but no one looking at what they actually claimed. Seems like a lot of sites know that any vaccine story at all can be used to get some hits.\n\n>The authors of the new analysis combine data on measles vaccinations with some useful statistical tools that were first developed to measure racial segregation within a school system. These include what's called the interaction index, which indicates how often a vaccinated student would encounter someone with an exemption, and the aggregation index, which measures how often exempted students will end up in the same school.\n>\n>Using data from 2008 to 2010, the authors found some worrying trends. Over just two years, the statewide interaction index increased by 25 percent in this short time. That means far more students are coming in contact with peers who are unvaccinated—a serious risk, since vaccines are not 100 percent effective. 1345854852 In Theoretical Physics (I think it is) there's a theory called the [Many Worlds theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation) that says all possible events that can happen (down to sub-atomic level), do. We only experience one of these realities (at a time, anyway), obviously.\n\nSome people take this interpretation further and say that the reality we experience (i.e. the universe we stay in after each "split" of the timeline) is **always** one where we are alive, i.e. we only die when there are **no** possible realities where we stay alive.\n\nI feel privileged to exist in the reality where you survived that fall :) 1347993158 That was the only time MonsterQuest did anything of worth.\n\nBut yeah, it was an awesome moment/shot. 1334978140 That sounds both creepy and awesome. \n\nA few questions for you:\n\nIs there anything that aggravates this effect? Like being tired, or alcohol, or anxiety/irritability, or anything? \n\nIf you close your eyes while "it" is walking, will "it" bump into things? What I mean is: does "it" use you for guidance, so to speak? \n\nIf you close your eyes, will "it" still go in any one particular direction? Or just always to an exit, like the doors/windows/fire escapes, as you've mentioned?\n\nIf you are closer to, say, the back door, will "it" try to take you through that one, or will "it" look for another exit, like the front door?\n\nOther than walking, will "it" ever try anything else? Maybe you could see if "it" will point out a place on a map, or if "it" will write if you have a pencil and paper in hand.\n\nPlease keep updating this post as you figure this out. I (and I'm sure many others) would love to hear more about this.\n\nP.S. You mentioned removing the video, but I'd like to see it if you feel like sending it to me. 1343649176 The suggestion is to boycott Ubisoft games entirely.\n\nAlthough it's only mentioned 3 or 4 times in a very short text, I can see how you missed that. 1262433489 Ugh, I can't tell if you are just being sarcastic or serious. 1245797931 That's certainly a UFO, but I don't think it's aliens. 1351505004 In the US, the are [355 deaths](http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_fal_on_and_fro_lad-mortality-fall-ladder) due to falls off ladders in a year. I don't have statistics on non-fall ladder injuries, but you can see that ladders are often misused dangerously. \n\nIf it isn't your ladder that you're using, there may be sharp tools balanced on it. It may not be properly secured or set up. A ladder large enough to comfortably walk under is a ladder that has some steps well above your head.\n\nBasically, a ladder is a temporary construction area. By the time you've checked it out visually well enough to be confident walking under it you might as well have walked around.\n\nIf you are ever around a building or tree that's only supposed to stand for perhaps an hour and which was set up by a worker in thirty seconds you should probably avoid walking near those too.\n\n 1300908333 Rolling maybe? 1344186781 So the state-controlled factories [produced illegal hardware in the 80s?](http://www.yapfiles.ru/show/10417/foto001.jpg.html)\n\nThe picture above is ZIL microwave oven from late 80s.\n\nSo, the historical part of the article, the easiest one to verify, turned out to be false. You do not have to be a prophet to guess what it usually means. 1323799979 Pretty crappy article. The headline is good, but the substance is lacking. Doesn't mention John E. Mack, Phil Schneider *or* Karla Turner. 1350768811 That depends on the newborn, doesn't it?\n\nIt's extremely common for human newborns to weigh anywhere from about 2 kg for babies born prematurely (<36 weeks), but their vaccine schedule remains the same, all the way up to 4.5 kg...with the vast majority of newborns staggered around 3.5 kg.\n\nEven at that dosage, the levels of inorganic mercury in the monkeys' brain tissue were 10,000 to 14,000 or so ppb. That is well above what the federal guidelines recognize as hazardous waste levels.\n\nThis is so laughable. Dude, the toxicity of mercury to humans is well known. Which is why Russia banned mercury-based preservative decades ago...Are you actually suggesting that it isn't neurotoxic and it should be directly exposed to the brain tissue of human fetuses, infants, and children (in addition to what they already receive through other environmental sources)? 1329609227 This book was basically the beginning of the end for postmodernism. 1247419348 Oh come on. I'll repeat: [citation needed] 1325246405 yes sorry - I just used the internet label TR3B there, didn't we recently get a post into r/ufos that the originator of the Belgium Triangle photo admitted that at least his picture was (unfortunately) a hoax? 1312903234 Looks pretty fake to me but I'm no expert, but still looks like bad scyfy channel level CGI. 1324135905 She predicts "maybe some rain"... in fucking England! My god, *could it be true*? 1328333965 What kind of research have you done, if you don't mind me asking? 1351043395 Rose-colored glasses. 1279822917 Laissez les bon temp rouler. 1339951984 Seems strange that the camera was pointed at that exact location. I would understand if it was panning and happened to catch the object taking off, but the person filming obviously knew where to direct the attention. Either the story is fabricated, or the event was fabricated. 1335009323 I suspect that we don't be quite that bad for us, although there are a few lecturers with fellowships in "integrative medicine." If there are issues, I fully intend on bringing them up with the faculty. After all, this is supposed to be an evidence-based medicine program! 1313265327 > There is a lack of standardization to guard against adulteration and ensure a consistent level of the active ingredients.\n\nUnfortunately traditional herbal medicine often has no clue what the "active ingredients" are, or how much they vary between one plant and the next (marijuana suggests this can be rather a lot). Practitioners can even reject the whole concept of active ingredients - e.g. the plant is naturally the right synergistic proportions of the right ingredients and it's western foolishness to want chemicals isolated from that. \n\nThis isn't a problem with a lack of standardization, the problem is inseparable from herbal treatments deriving from tradition/experience/anecdote. 1354173338 > "Guys don't do it - it's creepy."\n\nTo her. Who the fuck says she speaks for every woman? She's a propagandist for irrational 'feminist' zeal. 1310041686 Nothing is what it seems 1342058605 I hate it when they portray skeptics in a world where magical things obviously happen and there IS actually evidence.\n\nRecently noticed it in ghostbusters 2, where those asshole skeptics doubt the existence of ghosts, even though years ago new york was attacked by a giant marshmallow man. 1340864999 I don't believe you. 1343764406 To be fair, those extremely plaintiff-friendly libel laws are more a UK than a European thing, and even so there are protocols that must be followed - in particular they must explain precisely which statements are considered libelous and why.\n\nStill, I agree, it should be much, *much* harder to silence scientific debate - especially on the backs of patients. 1322728625 Check out /r/JoeRogan 1340837523 Like [MindMeister? ](http://www.mindmeister.com/features) 1344220138 I had a dog that did. 1332824368 When you take into account that the trick is diet and exercise, a lot of people don't want that. 1334499496 > What caused the Phoenix Lights\n\nIllumination flares deployed by the Air National Guard. This took all of 5 minutes to find on google. This is why I seldom listen to the tin foil hat crowd or religious nuts. \n\nPhoenix lights debunked.\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewCk_Shb7Hk 1253820962 The "Abrahamic" religions, being monotheistic, are pretty much founded on the principle that all religions other than theirs are false and wicked. See: "Commandment, First" \n\nThat is not the case for pretty much any other religion.\n\nThat said, Shinto had a lot to do with the rise of Japanese imperialism, and Eastern religions in general most definitely shape laws in countries where they prevail. 1313500801 Satire?! So what part of that article on Romney time-traveling is not true? 1334552779 FUCK GREED 1324379728 Actually, it might...in a way. Modern physics says that every possible reality is happening somewhere, in some way. I think this TED talk on the nature of the universe and the "physics of information" is really interesting: http://youtu.be/S9pR0gfil_0\n\nSome skeptics can be pretty narrow minded in that they believe they can preclude the possibility of anything that *sounds* crazy because of their wholly materialist worldview. That, in my opinion, is not wise. Ultimately it just boils down to opinion and conviction. 1340643146 Have you read the news lately? 1326597737 enjoy the brain numbing mercury in the vaccines *cough* autism *cough* 1322240565 I'd normally agree, but with the larger magnetic field created by ANSPO™, I bet this thing actually works! 1334957396 Have you seen how we treat each other?? Why would they?? Seriously, name one thing we would have to offer a superior being besides drama and misery. The things we think are important are petty and the things that we know are important are buried in petty squabbles. 1334702860 Its not related to "Thrive" or anything but is interesting\nhttp://www.world-mysteries.com/coralcastle.htm [found on /r/ufo] 1316130513 Pseudoscience is never harmless. 1304340301 Something something [Daily Mail](http://kill-or-cure.herokuapp.com/) you get the idea. 1355015237 Thanks for summarizing my emotions <3 1335080864 Last week, Japanese scientists explaced... placed explosive detonators at the bottom of Lake Loch Ness to blow Nessie out of the water. Sir Curt Godfrey of the Nessie Alliance summoned the help of Scotland's local wizards to cast a protective spell over the lake and its residents, and all those who seek a peaceful existence with our underwater ally.\n 1340642338 Superstition is just a placebo to make people feel better. Unless it's harming someone, I don't see any reason to be against it, since you'd be a hypocrite as your life is based around irrational beliefs.\n\nI call this the atheist hypocrisy syndrome. "We hate religion/superstition/irrational beliefs so much and we're clearly so much smarter that we actively oppress and talk down your beliefs religiously." If there is a hell made of irony, most atheists will probably end up there. 1304107672 Dr. Novella responds [on his blog](http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1746). 1268954170 "...a profound sense of humility regarding their own perceptions and interpretations of the world." I love this line. It always irks me when I hear people calling those who pursue science elitist, arrogant, "they think they have an answer for everything." I have found that the opposite is true. You are never more aware of what you do not know than when you are sitting gazing out from the border of what you do know. 1289220261 In this context, yes. Even if you ignore the lawyers fees, it's only about 10 years of lost wages. 1307446662 Some studies put it as one of the leading factors, though I would like to see a better journal that the Canadian Stroke Association. That being said, what does chiro manipulation do that say, mobilization and muscle strengthening exercises can't do? Risk/benefit. 1331606778 Alien ghosts. 1331692450 I thought I was taking crazy pills and was the only one who noticed this. 1343093789 >Why don't more people understand this?\n\nBecause it's false?\n\nThree points of light can also create a straight line. 1353366108 God help us if people like you are responsible for educating children. Did you graduate from Jenny McCarthy University?\n\nYou obviously failed your history classes as well as your statistics classes. Read up on the smallpox, measles and polio epidemics. Why do you think that nobody dies of smallpox any more or is crippled by polio? It didn't magically go away on its own. Rubella made many children deaf. Smallpox crippled those who didn't outright die from it.\n\nAnd the fact that three of your cousins died of SIDS probably has nothing to do with their vaccination status. You have absolutely no way of proving that there's a connection. \n\nYou're "healthy as can be" partially because most of the people surrounding you have been vaccinated, thus protecting YOU from those diseases.\n\nAnd if you get hit by a car, you'll be very glad that someone smarter than you bothered to go to medical school and learn how to heal people. 1348830658 Never ever use a Ouija board! They act as portals allowing for more bad shit to happen... 1353513105 What is a satanic bible and how do you play recordings on it? 1318471154 If you've got your bone open, anyway, you might as well install some ferrite cores.\n\nIt reduces, thought doesn't eliminate, the need for degaussing. 1319501214 Yeah, the problem is I live in Colorado where mystical nonsense is "all the rage!" If it weren't for the mountains and great outdoor recreation this place would be unbearable. 1317187955 Is this serious ? 1241187747 1) I would love for the general understand of economics to improve. It would be great if people commonly understood how a market functions. Or that money spent by the government isn't limitless. These basic understandings would be great. \n\n2) That you can accept anthropogenic climate change but argue that doing something about it isn't that simple, if at all possible.\n\n3) That ultimately, we are capable, resourceful human beings. We don't to be coddled but rather treated like adults.\n\nEDIT: 4) Understand that the use of manners is yet to be debunked. 1333725511 I just saw an episode about this story about a week ago. Here is a link if you guys are interested. http://www.syfy.com/videos/Paranormal%20Witness/vid:2605796 1356952927 I've heard that salty air can be useful at reducing mucus in the lungs, but like most other natural health products, this is really just an expensive way of putting table salt in in hot water with a tea towl on top. 1320542389 I have been to Bermuda many times. It is a small island where everyone knows everyone. \n\nIt sucks that they were both killed but more of a coincidence than a glitch.\n 1355796973 I was going to say ABBA. 1353214175 This has happened to me as well. The girl I saw was hot too :3 1317327355 I downloaded and enjoyed Of Montreal's "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?". I played it only for myself, as none of my IRL friends enjoy the same music that I do. Eventually it ended up sitting on my hard drive. A year and a half later I fired up Pitchfork and the lead review is "Hissing Fauna Are You The Destroyer?". Cue my jaw hitting the floor.\n\nSo, I get it. 1340504987 What if Ted Haggard shared an elevator with you, spoke nothing but words to you, smiled his mutant smile, and then left. You'd come here, make a rage comic about how frustrated and creeped out you are. Noone would ask about if you were injured or ask you yo get over it. Everyone would understand perfectly well how just behavior and words can be creepy and uncomfortable. 1310228509 /skeptic isn't about (counter-)manipulating lists, is it?... the *decent* thing, maybe, would be informing wot.com about the issue, backed up by evidence.\n\n^(ps. i've no idea what wot.com actually is.)\n\nEDIT: ok, so, it's not even [wot.com](http://wot.com/), it's *my*wot.com. 1347708355 A UFO with landing gears? Try again folks. 1323992689 ...except it wouldn't.\n\nThe current climate optimum was 8,000 years ago, and temperatures have been (very slowly) decreasing since then. 1326817471 The later stuff is much better, such as the White Album. They basically did a couple pop albums to get popular enough to tell their producers "fuck off, we do what we want." 1329070397 Posted the following a while ago:\n\n> The RCC is fine with ideas like evolution\n\nIn a considerably screwed way. Taken from [this](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/10/sunday_sacrilege_cant_cant.php) Pharyngula post, direct quotes from the [Archdiocese of Washington](http://blog.adw.org/2010/10/polygenism):\n\n> The words NATURAL and RANDOM are positively meant to exclude intelligent activity by God by most proponents of the Theory of Evolution. Catholics can come to accept a kind of theistic evolution wherein God is the primary cause of all secondary causes. But we are not free to accept the Theory of Evolution as most commonly proposed without the necessary distinction that natural selection and random mutations are not sufficient causes or a complete explanation for the existence of all things as they are.\n\n>When, however, there is question of another conjectural opinion, namely polygenism, the children of the Church by no means enjoy such liberty. For the faithful cannot embrace that opinion which maintains that either after Adam there existed on this earth true men who did not take their origin through natural generation from him as from the first parent of all, or that Adam represents a certain number of first parents.\n\n(Catholic) Christianity must have Original Sin, for which Adam must have been the ancestor of all humanity. 1303677221 I'm sure that as well as providing the Belly Armor, Your local Chapters bookstore can also provide you with many new methods of placebo-ing yourself to optimal health. Simply check out the 'New Age' and 'Alternative Health' sections for all your Reiki and Pyramid Power needs. 1317258852 So far no movement since when I posted this, but I'll absolutely do this once I get a more precise time of when it happens. Thanks! 1342145058 I see. So, in fact, cell phone radiation and microwave oven radiation are extremely similar.\n\nSo the only argument that remains is that the levels of energy contained in the transmission of cell phone radiation are so much less than microwaves that their odds of "cooking" the brain are extremely low. 1306862517 you should take a video or something 1326961858 Wow...I don't know many people that are impervious to the effects of diphenhydramine lol. That kinda sucks. Hand me 2 benadryls though and I'm down for the count for at least 4 hours regardless of how hard I try to stay awake. Well, I hope the doc gives you some good night-night nuggets or at least some Rx pain killers. 1302958655 I hope we get a link that's not ad infested. 1299482367 Could be a "whooosh" for me right here but \n\nit is called a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolorimeter 1334875828 He's written [A Partial Explanation](http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/10/05/a-partial-explanation/), for those interested. 1339888925 I came here to say this, and it was the only comment. THE ONLY FUCKING COMMENT. 1296361234 What an uninformed cunt! 1329176948 Woo is often the deal-breaker. 1341058349 Solution: buy chinese lanterns, tie them together, release, film. 1297966223 Great segment, thanks OP.\n\nI'm much less skeptical of Maussan in this video than I am of him in more recent videos. I don't know how you refute this sighting given how many people saw it and captured it on film. \n\nSkeptics? What say you? 1354819248 I was born and raised in North Carolina but now live in New York. This is going to be something I will try next time I am visiting home. 1343578218 I believe in whatever the best evidence points to.\n\nProvisionally. 1299432472 > Modern homeopaths\n\nThis is more accurately "homeopaths since the discovery of [Avogadro's number](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avogadro_constant)", which disproved the original theory of homeopathic remedies having trace amounts of the prepared substance. 1310138674 It certainly does appear to be a hoax, especially since a cursory search of Xinhua (English-language version) shows no recent relevant articles about "ufo" or "extraterrestrial." 1295875545 **INSPIRATION**\n\nTHANK YOU <3 1326467280 Your question fits into this subreddit, ignore that nonsense. 1275995092 it's a 1/23 chance to have to same birthday...could be coincidence? :p\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2ey9a70yY0\n\nedit: I messed up... out of 23 people, there is a 50% chance they share a birthday. \nso...smaller coincidence?? you're probably actually going to die. :/ 1353831255 In terms of skeptical topics, i guess the issues that need to be exposed/debunked/whatever in order of potential damage would be something like this:\n\nMost important are issues that cause immediate threat to people's lives - the ones that spring to mind are (1) alternative medicine (2) anti-vaccination and (3) religion.\n\nNext most important are issues that result in non-rationally thinking people being swindled - stuff like pyschic readings, astrology, numerology etc.\n\nAfter all of that comes all of the wacky-belief stuff like alien abductions, parapsychology, bigfoot, vampires etc. In general, I don't have any problem with people believing in wacky stuff, as long as they don't try and force it on others, or make decisions that affect other peoples lives based on their wacky world views. 1333606244 I'm having a hard time explaining this to some of the posters but I'll try a different way.\n\nI'm not saying this article is wrong. I'm not saying this is the same situation as every other violence flare up or anything like that. I'm just saying that the approach *this* article took will always be true of a flare up and I wanted the help of an inquisitive community to cut through that sad truth to get *more* detail. 1353420367 yeah.. but it's dried out... so, they'd have to..um... add water. 1301717729 This is hilarious 1355235538 This reminds me of [that guy can summon ufos.](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/96vdw/skeptic_apologizes_after_ufo_summoned/) 1252953057 Oh I see, it always comes down to semantics. I called it a spelling error because I think she was trying to communicate the word 'ensure', and you called it a grammatical mistake because she did spell the word 'insure' correctly.\n\nFuckin semantics man 1329158800 Good point. The courts are designed to have a prosecution and a defense. One side's job is to prove guilt. The other side's job is to prove innocence. Nobody is charged with finding out the truth. 1330398123 Yesterday when I posted, there was nothing in this thread, but it made me do a little research. I've been taking Modafinil off and on. I find it works as a concentration enhancer and I'm mostly satisfied. Last month I had to renew my prescription and I briefly entertained trying out some various nootropics instead of the prescription. I didn't, but now after looking up OP's suggestion, I've renewed my interest in building a stack. I think I'm going to try a prebuilt one called Neuro1 by nutrition53. I'll have report once it arrives and I've tried it. 1306165342 never heard of it before, but my first impression is that it's bs 1320175387 FYI - my only point was "there is no science to back it up". Most of the information I have seen online is quite similar to what fracai said, but no actual scientific studies. 1329109603 I suspect it is simple a matter of procedure. Or perhaps they don't want to discount someone using the "excuse" of psychic premonition or dreams to confess to the crime?\n\n 1336351879 First, peer-review is not infallible. What he's saying is his personal questions deserve research. Questioning something doesn't mean it's wrong. It means "if you're right, you can easily dispatch my question. If you're wrong, there's more work to be done." 1317209614 And whichever side loses skeptics can feel happy. 1327580913 its wet because of the vaccines right? or the chemicals in our food? or taxes? JUST TELL ME WHO TO BLAME WHEN MY CHILD GETS WET! 1276142826 Was it assembled by the [KLF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_KLF)/Bill Drummond? 1312585867 Holy crap, this guy is DEDICATED to his prank. I wish I'd done this earlier. 1291582568 I think the problem is inaccessibility to the science behind evolution. To the uninitiated, evolution can seem monolithic and impenetrable, while it's very easy to believe in what you've been told your entire life is true. To butcher a quote from a source I can't remember: "It's easier to understand one book than a lot of hard ones."\n\nMy solution: evolution in children's book form! 1340138011 beautiful. 1330787263 beautiful. 1345146653 Yes, we ended the session properly by letting the oracle move to the "Goodbye". And no we did not ask for a specific person. But whoever we were talking to didnt give me a feeling of being in danger. If it was in fact an actual ghost and not one of my friends trolling (which I highly doubt) then it was probably just trying to get a reaction from us. And you can take my question at face value, whatever you deem to be "creepy". 1330060517 Here is a pretty good [skeptical take](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4129) on the story. 1348022782 If you have a LOT of time on your hands, you may find the [Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions](http://www.mrc-bsu.cam.ac.uk/cochrane/handbook/) useful.\n\nThe Cochrane collaboration is all about surveying the landscape of knowledge on given topics and coming to a conclusion about the state of the objective evidence.\n\nTheir main tool is the so-called systematic review, or meta-analysis, where they look up all published studies on a subject (e.g. fluoridation) or a specific question (e.g. does tanning increase the risk for skin cancer), then combine their individual results and come to a conclusion that is statistically stronger than the individual studies were.\n\nOne key question in this process is "What studies can we trust". The Handbook deals with this in Part 2, Section 8: "Chapter 8: Assessing risk of bias in included studies" - especially subsection 8.4 may be enlightening.\n\nNote, again, that this handbook is excruciatingly difficult to read. But it's thorough, I give them that. 1343658169 I don't know about Australia, but in the US, Jehovah's Witnesses and Christian Scientists have been convicted of manslaughter for not taking their children to doctors. 1333751431 More proof that the answer to any complaint is always, "It could be worse... You could live in Canada." 1295912371 Hrrm I used real books and knowledge to come to that conclusion through research. \n\nBut if you'd rather use your magic book then who am I to stop you? 1310392721 My deja vu works this way too, OP. You're actually the only other person I've met like this. 1342426528 I came here to post this. It's so full of cringe it's awesome! I wouldn't be surprised if the show ruined the career of that charlatan. 1297815513 >Well at first we can use the regular power grids to transmit the energy. \n\nYeah, power grid to transmit electrical power from African/Asian deserts to Europe... Do you have any idea how much impedance would such lines have?\n\n> As for storing, we can use the same technologies that we have today\n\nSuch as what? We don't store energy, we dynamically adjust generated power to our needs. Unless you can imagine for example car factories running on batteries. Good luck with that. 1353312396 I'm in favor of psychics who help the police. The best help they can give, of course, is to keep their visions to themselves. 1314375966 Looks like the same person to me. Smiling + greyscale pics vs Unsmiling full colour pic.\n\nSame face + bone structure, mole thing on (his) right of his mouth. 1343934920 Sometimes its fun to debunk this stuff for practice in critical thinking. 1309065191 Before you start looking for medical treatment, take a good look at the way you live and what you're putting into your body. Do you exercise regularly, and give your body what it needs to perform optimally? If the answer is no, then make the changes. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel, how seldom you get sick. Being in great shape doesn't automatically eliminate all your problems, but you're better conditioned to cope with things, so the severity isn't as bad. If you're doing all that and still have bloodshot eyes, or have sneezing fits throughout the day, just take over the counter Claratin. 1312456128 One point he makes is not an assumption. The email address used by the commentor is the official paypal email address for said psychic. I don't think it's any sort of logical leap to say that is some amount of proof. He even shows where he didn't find a connection. He presents everything he found even if it doesn't support the claim. The email address alone is enough to make an educated guess. The rest is presented and conclusions left to the reader. 1327284567 I use the term western medicine because it separates what is general believed to be "medicine" from eastern medicine, which is something entirely different. I disagree that is strengthens the rhetoric (and calling them "crazies" doesn't help either, to be honest). It's merely a widely-used term to differentiate the two branches. \n\nI wouldn't call it paranoia at all, actually. I would call it more "misguided skepticism". Paranoia is when things get a little more out of control than what I'm trying to address. 1230445895 [Have fun.](http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiratorialskeptic/) 1327648490 Infrared camera! why would ufos only be present in the visible spectrum?!\n 1334163760 His brother makes great sausage. 1320534692 In the future, please consider posting text rather than an image of text. Thanks! 1328284295 You "know" what I allegedly implied because you're a mind reader, right?\n\nSo you disregard skepticism when you trust the source (medical journals that allegedly "unhold high scientific standards"? I try to be skeptical of everything and everyone equally, including the claim that all doctors are prescribing the best available treatment for the patient, regardless of profit insentive.\n\nSo not **all** fat is bad?\n\n>Do you really believe that the USDA recommendations are bad?\n\nDo you really believe they're good? 1322960381 Not quite. Any actual interference by god in human choice (for example, interrupting a suicide attempt) is a violation of free will. If god causes a storm, or throws pigs up the air, or something, it doesn't violate anyone's free will. 1277134546 Have you checked round your local colleges/universities to see if they run parapsychology departments? If the do, they might run a team; or you could offer to be subject to/for experiments; even if it's just for a students thesis. Or find any local 'ghost tours/walk' and get a job with them. Both these things will make it easier to 'market' yourself to TV/Film companies/whatever as 'an expert' if you apply to work with them.\n\n(Also, how do you get any sleep?) 1349054083 im tired of all this shit.\npls _stop_ 1260643328 I'm not British either, I just like the term, and a bit of Googling told me its cods wallop. Also, apparently 'wallop' is a slang term for beer :S 1283109289 This is exactly what I wonder. If, when a boy started to appear effeminate, the entire community congratulated the family on their good fortune, and the man he grew up to be was highly respected, even envied, and welcomed and appreciated to wear women's clothes and engage in "feminine" pursuits, would there as many transgender people? 1323378737 I guess I meant *definitively*. I can't go back and be like, "yo, John Wilkes, why'd you kill Lincoln?". We can speculate and come to some pretty good conclusions.\n\nOf course trying to link in those assassinations is silly, I'm not arguing that. I just feel like instead of just brushing this off, as so many people on the JREF forums are willing to do, we should scrutinize the most "legitimate" points, find the truth and then reply back with that.\n\nInstead we just go "oh gosh, another conspiracy nut, nothing he says is of any use or validity"... 1312479625 The best dietary advice I have ever come across, is "eat food, mostly plants".\n\nHaving a naturopath as a primary physicians would be frightening, naturopathy is really just about "wallet extraction". But is there anything actually wrong with your girlfriend? \n\nThere are very serious risks to alternative medicines like acupuncture and of course chiropractic, what is she trying to cure? 1305372027 I tried debating the points that that book raises with a pair of vegan personal trainers once... would not recommend. 1343767774 I hope that is true, life exists just so God could troll us. 1295564947 There is plenty to mull over, you are just willfully ignoring it. \n\n------------------------------------------------------------\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2194593\n\nThree case reports of the metabolic and electroencephalographic changes during advanced Buddhist meditation techniques.\n\nBehav Med. 1990 Summer;16(2):90-5.\n\nDr. Herbert Benson Harvard Medical\n\n------------------------------------------------------------\n\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Qigong-Exploration-Zuyin-Lu/dp/0965713571\n\n----------------------------------------------------------\n\nYou can watch various videos of monks drying sheets, being packed in crushed ice for 2 hours, demonstrating control over their immune system while under medical observation, you can watch the head of the mind science foundation, a biophysicist and a medical doctor strip the man in the OP to a shirt, check him for metal with a metal detector and take him to a random hotel room to power an LED. \n\nBut then again you won't because you made up your mind before you came into this thread. 1350850567 ...Except that they were in the air.\n\nMotionless. Not even moving.\n\n 1350444944 The "natural sources" of food part, although generally a good guideline (as foods we percieve as "natural" are usually less processed, and therefore generally contain more nutrients), is not always the end-all of good nutrition advice. Whey protein supplimentation, for instance, shows significant health benifits with no known negative effect.... but many would avoid it because it's not "natural". I take in 75g of whey protein a day, and it's managed to not only improve my body's ability to heal muscle, but my stress levels are lower than ever (almost nonexistant), and I've got more sustained energy throughout the day than I ever have. Pure anecdote, I'm aware... but it makes sense that increased protein is going to be good for the body. The fact that it's a processed food doesn't phase me.... agriculture has been changing the nature of food since we first engaged in selective breeding. The naturalistic fallacy has no place in food science as far as I'm concerned. If we manage to produce "artificial" forms of nutrition that increase our health, especially ones which are sustainable, I'm all for it. \n\nI also contend that, contrary to AdventureBum's assertion, liver is not a good meat to be eating. There are plenty of reasons for this... primary of which is the fact that liver can cause vitamin A poisoning... but liver is also the organ which detoxifies the body, and thus, has the potential to contain many nasty compounds.\n\nIf we want to fix the food supply we simply need to stop the traditional food industry paradigm of trying to produce the highest amount of the cheapest food. We need to start focusing on quality, not quantity. The government health boards need to strike high carb foods like most grain based foods off the "required daily nutrition" list simply because they're plentiful and focus on foods high in proteins and healthy short to medium chain (including many saturated) fatty acids. 1316523860 As the comic mentions, solar insolation has been decreasing since the 1940s, yet the average global temperature has increased steadily since around 1900. Insolation is the amount of solar energy the earth receives. Now, the initial increase in temperature starting around 1900 was likely caused the the increased insolation. However, that does not explain why we are still seeing increased global temperatures when insolation is decreasing.\n\nYou are correct to point out the role that procession (basically the way the earth wobbles on its axis) plays in the earth's climate. Likewise, eccentricity (orbital path) and obliquity (tilt) play a role. These three conditions together form what are known as the Milankovich cycles (named after the man who first analyzed them). The Milankovich cycle is basically a cyclical analysis of insolation relative to what the earth is doing and is helpful in analyzing past climate conditions. However, the Milankovich cycle does not coincide with current climate trends.\n\nIf you take a look at green house gas (GHG) emissions starting in 1900 with the industrial revolution, you can see that current increased global temperatures coincide with the massive amounts of GHGs being put in the atmosphere, especially since the year 2000. It's more than just correlation though. GHGs are called GHGs for a reason, they contribute to the green house effect. These gases are being put into the atmosphere by man, and they are having the direct result of increasing how much heat is absorbed by the atmosphere and emitted back to the earth.\n\nAnd I'm sorry to say, but your geology professor is mistaken. There are instruments set up in remote places of the earth, like Antarctica, that measure atmospheric compositions. This is to ensure that any increased levels of GHGs being detected didn't come from local emissions, but are part of a global trend. The carbon is definitely there. However, not all of the carbon we are emitting does stay in the atmosphere. A large portion of it is actually being absorbed by the ocean and then buried in deep ocean circulation, where it wont see the surface again for a few thousand years. This is buying us some time to get our act together, since it is reducing the levels of GHGs that would otherwise be in the atmosphere.\n\nThroughout history, the factors that play a role in climate change are insolation, continent position, speed of ocean floor spreading, volcanic activity, and cosmological events like meteors. Until recently, these factors could all be used to explain the levels of GHGs in the atmosphere, and explained the ice ages, levels of glaciation, and other temperature data that can be obtained not just through ice core samples, but also through samples of the ocean's crust. Nearly 98% of climatologists actively publishing data claim that human activities play a significant role in increasing global average temperatures.\n\nTo say that there is some sort of conspiracy out there backed by alternative energy companies is ridiculous. Most alternative energy companies are just normal energy companies looking at alternative energy because they know that it is the future. The government is going to start taxing carbon emissions in one way or another in the near future. Energy companies already own the infrastructure to transport and distribute electricity, so there is no way for a new alternative energy company to break into the game. Existing energy companies are going to gradually transition to alternative energy as it becomes necessary to remain profitable.\n\nI am currently studying for my geology final on climate and climate change, and this is essentially what our final is over. We have spent the entire semester studying models, studying what has caused climate change on earth in the past, and then combining the two to show that our current climate change is not natural.\n\nI apologize for the resolution, but as requested, here are some scans of graphs from published documents showing solar activity in relation to temperature: http://imgur.com/a/C11Wf/1 and http://imgur.com/hbGQO.jpg\n\n*edits for clarification 1292264089 Watch the [video.](http://vimeo.com/13704095) 1306260044 If bigfoot exists then who put him there Scientistologicists: 0 Jesus:1 1341902456 Most surprising: Gene Roddenberry, given the overt religiosity of some of the Star Trek original series episodes.\n\nLeast surprising: Bruce Lee. He was a Taoist, if he was anything. 1306453383 There is so much more evidence than lights in the sky. 1316560055 But if it's a frictionless system in a zero-G vacuum, the only force acting upon it will be the magnetic fields of the dynamo. (and entropy, obviously) I'm proposing that the magnets producing the repulsive force be many times stronger than those in the dynamo, which would limit the amount of current produced but would extend the lifetime of the system.\n\nI know this is a bit silly, and has undoubtedly been tried many times - but sometimes I worry we are *too sceptical*, and might inadvertently dismiss new technologies (or new applications of existing technology), because they conflict with received wisdom. (and their proponents are obviously bonkers)\n\n 1356714230 It was truly a grizzly mistake. 1324593269 You just made my day :) 1341211174 You just made my day :) 1310423335 Yeah, had an argument with a neighbor when she kept insisting that everything 'natural' was good for you. \n\nMe: "Hold on a moment..."(Disappear into home, come out with a plant) \n \nLady: "What's this?" \n\nMe: "A herb. It's called *Atropa Belladona*. It was used extensively in the Italian court, as well as in a lot of current eye diagnosis procedures, but I'd recommend you look on the internet before you try using it." \n\nHer:"Why?" \n\nMe: "Well, its common name is deadly nightshade..." 1354051582 Just because they're not very sound dogs. But I'll admit, I'm biased against them :P 1311431076 Without any further evidence, I would say your claim is 100% accurate. 1316823234 It's a court of AWESOME! **Guitar rif!* 1346511451 In Switzerland, with all of the mountains, this could very well be an observatory at the top of a peak, or maybe the lights from tram headed up the side of the mountain. 1354901040 I don't think 9/11 was an inside job but I do think there was a poor job of collecting and presenting evidence for the explanation given of what happened. There was little investigation done on who financed to terrorist on why certain intelligence was ignored. I in no way think the united states government did it, but I also don't think what they have told us about it is the complete truth nor is it all they know. 1354835920 By US government, I hypothesize that the US government as we think of it, that is to say, POTUS, Senate, Congress, heads of Departments, etc...are completely unaware of the existence of ETs on an official level (if they believe it personally is really up to each individual). I think it's more likely the government within the government, ie. pentagon, or segments of the government within the government, hold this information and essentially keep it under wraps, even from their own apparatus. 1316619138 My mother wants to proof me that they don't exist. My mom will do it, even if i say it's dangerous so i'm trying to find the safest way 1346172282 i am completely devoid of compassion. at least for people who put themselves in their own shitty situations. if someone had held a gun to those ladies heads and forced them to strip and have sex that would be a different situation. they made a choice to put their faith in a known fraud. i have no pity on them. 1340494176 It is the new diet/health fad, despite their actually being a real disease associated with it.\n 1331244743 Here, I made Dawkins more Fort Bragg like: http://i.imgur.com/O6r0O.jpg 1294692045 Dude has a sheet over his head with eye holes cut out...how anyone thinks this is even remotely real is beyond me. 1324251911 I watched the video. The blogger lauds it as destroying Novella, but it shows nothing of the sort. I suspected that would be the case, but I needed... evidence. 1305029274 Not one of his better topics. Check out his sources (or limitations thereof) 1286930059 Still, though. Huge step. 1315974879 Well,unless you actually manage too find that pillow and confirm it was an actual pillow that hit you,I'm gonna leave it at sleep paralysis,or a very vivid memory which isn't uncommon if you were a child when it happend. 1340914769 In every physical and mental attempt to "give myself a break" has worked out poorly, seemingly amplifying me. I am not sure why, but trying to ignore or avoid it has always done these. On the grounds of meditation, I have attempted this, however came very close to possession. Which, is not fun. Not at all fun. 1344186027 Now kiss. 1336711693 The wiki article pretty much nailed the lack of necessity of colonics, however one important point is that there is a very high risk for a perforated colon which is very dangerous. Even a colonoscopy carries a risk of a perforated colon and it is performed by a doctor. A colonic is not performed by medical personnel at all and thus the risk of somethign going wrong is increased dramatically. 1310672052 Wow, that's awesome. [I guess I'll just wait.](http://imgur.com/PYOHo) 1336056920 Jesus, take the wheel! 1347976759 Do you have trouble reading? Where did I say I'm arguing FOR a god? Go back and read it again.\n 1351141746 I wouldn't be so quick to accuse people of misogyny, but I do find it very interesting that whenever the SGU is mentioned, no matter the context, there are always a few people who feel the need to jump in and tell everybody how they don't like Rebecca Watson.\n\nThere are things to disagree with Rebecca Watson about, and there are certainly bound to be personality clashes where people just don't care for her style, but this level of focus on her seems to be way out of proportion to that. 1330984635 you're referring, of course, to *space* energy - the only real kind of energy! 1349910997 Yes, source please. 1326639901 There is probably a certain number of students trying to stay neutral an the basic issue. Due to the controversy they might try to prevent the "damaging" of the relation to their teacher. 1353748758