It's supposedly aluminum, barium, and strontium being used in large-scale weather modification.

you resorted to insults AND got owned directly afterwards. that's a double-whammy

Spirituality?  Oh hey no thanks, you can keep the crazy for yourself.

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.

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.

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&gt;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?

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).

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.

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.

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. 

&gt; 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

Honestly, if saying that would strain the relationship, then it isn't much of one in the first place. 

The child has a right to health and safety *within reasonable parameters*.

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.

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. 

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)

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.

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.

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.

"Replaced by a lookalike" - they hired another economics professor who Stein claims looks and dresses just like he does. &amp;#3232;_&amp;#3232;\n

You could have posted the link to the site you know...\n\n[Here it is!](http://www.theskepticsguide.org/)

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...

That's probably because you are trying to think beyond your brain's capacity. Stick to Bollywood and the pain will go away. Magic!

What?! This is brilliant design, it perfectly reflects the content!

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.  

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.

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.

Nobody lives their lives and controls others' lives based on the Da Vinci Code.

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.

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. 

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")*

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.

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.

Heh. I once killed a cactus by over-watering it.\n\nI'm not allowed to go in the garden anymore.\n

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.

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.

The idea of money and trading being good things, seems like one.

Or by restricting what programs start on OS boot. \n\nAlso, defrag!

I have to say that both of those examples sound a lot more like psychic warnings than deja vu. Interesting stuff.

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.

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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.  

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?

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.

My local Safeway, at which I work, has no homeopathy or woo of any kind. So proud.

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.

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.

Do a custom header but keep the logo because i made it :-) i have tne design file if needed

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.

If you think that thing is in any way a fucking turtle, your god damn brain is made of dog shit. 

This was such a great program. I love Bill Nye, but I hate how smug he is in this video.

[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.

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. ;)

Which puts them in the same group as about 90% of the population. 

Long beach? Probably not unusal for people to use LED lit kites on beaches at night.

Yes, this is something not everyone is willing to accept and look into.

[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)

I'd prefer the weird aliens. If i got the human ones I'd feel ripped off.

...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. 

And I'm sure the immune-compromised mail worker who catches it and dies because he's undergoing Chemo will appreciate the difference.

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.

Thanks for the apology. I really did not recognize the sarcasm. Well now I know lol.

I think for people that far gone they generally need a lot of self help before outsiders can do much.... Heh, double entendre.

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. 

&gt; 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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

Are they talking about supporting mitochondria? I have no idea if that would do anything. 

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.

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.

"The clock was broken", that's the most obvious explanation ever. Didn't they check that first?

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.

You don't get motion sick by turning 360 degrees every 24 hours.

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.

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.  

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.

I hope so too, although she is battling an illness that may make it impossible :(

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.

&gt;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.

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).

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?

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.

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?

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.

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. 

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&gt;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

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&amp; 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&amp; 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. 

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

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.

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.

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.

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

His calm voice and calm attitude kind of gives it all away. Its a hoax 100%.

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.

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.

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?

I agree. The title had me fooled into thinking someone posted non-skeptical content about "toxins" and natural crap.

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.

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.

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.

&gt; 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.

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?"

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.

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.

I felt sleep paralysis once and the dream I had just finished having was very vivid. It seems the two go together...

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.

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

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.

How are 'frequencies' an ingredient? How do you put those into a toothpaste?

 Pay no attention to this. This may appear to be evidence but it's not. Your eyes are mistaken. UFO's are bullshit. /sarcasm. 

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).

The only possible thrill would come from the knowledge that the ax murderer had not been removed yet.

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.

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.

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. 

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

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. 

My boyfriend is from Pennsylvania and his grandfather was committed to Byberry. Isn't it torn down now though?

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.)

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. 

Jeez, don't burst a blood vessel.  It's not like I said, "there ought to be a law."  

Yeah, well, I missed that official declaration.  It's interesting that this keeps coming up again, over and over.

[Second Video same craft further camera distance ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BwS4zwOnpc&amp;feature=related)

that's the most interesting and terrifying thing i've read in ages!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

it also ever so slightly moves out of sync the back two characters its just simply a mask 

Yeah, you're pretty much dead on, no pun intended.  In retrospect, my major problem was with the "success" of the writing.

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.     

Less - your parents might see the letter and you'd get what you wanted anyway. Here you just end up on a spam list.

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.

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..

Yep.  I don't intend to "debunk" these posts, only offer rational possibilities. 

Shitting in a bank, what an excellent protest.... cheers for that. :)

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.

Depends on the product. Potato chips shaped like Jesus: sure. Supplement that claims to cure something: fuck no.

"radiation"\n\nWhy was this person allowed to be anywhere near patients?

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.

having just watched that video (at last, i remembered it was there) i think it's weird. especially the doors.

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. 

testimonials are not evidence. one of the papers the website links to is about lasers being applied directly to the spinal chords of rats... 

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. 

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.

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 ! 

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.

He also said that these ET's are alot better liars than humans so stop making assumptions. Jesus, you people are kids.

Heck yeah!  This show has the best material on the subject out there.  I've been listening to it for years.  

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.

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. 

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.

dude same thing happens to me, recently while i was driving. it only happens when i'm tired

"Just angry at god" is not the only reason a non-skeptical person might not believe in a deity.

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. &lt;:-)

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?

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

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.

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. 

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.

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&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345511014&amp;sr=1-2&amp;keywords=night+vision+camcorder

I started reading that, but then...\n\n"-1 x -1 = -1"\n\nnope.avi

So if you pose nude you forfeit your humanity and right not to be harassased?\n\nNo.

You mean she, right?\nAnd, damn, that is the best kind of correct...

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. 

The ones to which I'm referring are wonderful people and caretakers, just not as medically-savvy as I'd initially assumed. 

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.

Wrong. Vaccines and therma flu are proven to be extremely effective. 

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.

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.

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

If they placed an ad that actually said "exceptional cold readers wanted", they'd probably get much better job applicants.

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.

&gt;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!

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.

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.

used to be that I vaguely disliked jimmy carr. Then i watched QI, then this. now i love the lil' guy,

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.

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.. 

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.

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.

I had a friend who is deep into conspiracy theories. She's not the same girl I met all those years ago :(

&gt;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.

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.

The amount of headlines with "may cure" or "some scientists say" is not making me want to subscribe to r/science

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.

&gt; 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&gt; 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

So these aliens can traverse interstellar space but they can only go to one place on Earth?

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.

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.  

&gt;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.

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. 

How many scams base their arguments on glycoprotein binding? I think you can believe this one. 

&gt;It was promptly deleted.\n\nFigures, given your lack of tact there.

Anyone care to contact this person and solve the mystery for all of us?

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. 

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.

Terminator genes have never been used. What's to discuss about that?

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.

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

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

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."

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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a)\n\n

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.

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.

[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.

Don't laugh, he's the wisest human to ever live on Earth according to the wisest human to ever live on Earth.

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

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.

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. 

Oh noes! Nazis invading our Internet, and posting material, sources and basic logic, for something we don't like. To the arms!

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. 

Bonus points for providing high res PDFs for free.\nhttp://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/poster

Jesus, bro, taking him to Spellschwitz next time he makes a mistake??

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.

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.

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.

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)

Is it just me or does the lion/cheetah seem photoshopped? I hate to be a skeptic, but still.

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?

This absolutely terrifies me. I wish I could read more about him, but there doesn't seem to be a lot out there. 

I love this saying, it's a perfect analogy of why guys can sleep with many girls but not the other way around.

if you don't agree, thats all cool, and you may type your opinions/stance\n, but you crossed the line into assholery

"I don't know, so it must be Aliens." this kind of thinking kills the UFO communities credibility. 

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.

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.

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...

*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.

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.

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)

yup, like how those monks can take kicks to the nuts, and walk on coals.

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. 

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?

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.

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.

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

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).

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.

&gt;I suppose the magnet might break your "w" key.\n\n\n\nKind of a dealbreaker.

Mainstream "scientists" just want to hide the truth about the sun's diabetes repelling quantum waves.

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.

People, when talking about the placebo effect, forget about its more effect cousin: regression to the mean.

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.

interesting\n\nthis is as well\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MYCfq4uA7k&amp;feature=related

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.

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. 

&gt; 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&gt;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&gt;&gt;And I reject any pronouncement of "impossible because... it's just impossible" as a failure of understanding, clarity or imagination.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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.

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?

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. 

&gt; 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)

AFO is good, but they have a lot of known hoaxes/clearly non-ufos on there too.

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.

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. 

&gt; Do people make you feel like an asshole for being a skeptic?\n\nMany have tried. All have failed.

Hmm just add humor and shake until the condescension precipitates out.

&gt;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

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.

That's being generous. Most see the aura of a sucker giving them money. 

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...

&gt; 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.

you're getting downvotes because stainless steel and soap aren't the same.

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.

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

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&gt; 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).

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.

&gt; 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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!

&gt; 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.

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.

It's a shame more skeptics aren't libertarian or at least libertarian leaning.

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&gt;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.

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.

Well, let's hope she doesn't pollute the gene pool with her stupid genes before she croaks.

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.   

Oh, I know, and I do agree with that sentiment.  I was just being a bit of a smartass.

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)

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).

only had a half lb. \n\nIf I ever did smoke it....and that is a big IF......it would have to be blue. 

That claim was not corroborated by the other "witnesses," nor by his own statement made immediately after the incident.  

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

Also the assumption of what constitutes the 'simplest' solution is culturally conditioned.

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.

The were famous for a while for [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chaser_APEC_pranks)

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 &amp; 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

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?

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.  

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. 

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).

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

ugh, the cult of personality surrounding that man is astonishing.

I'm french and I've never heard or seen the word "digit" in any french I've ever learned. 

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?

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.

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.

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/).

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

&gt;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

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.

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.

Wait, I think we had a minor confusion.\n\n&gt;  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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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.

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. 

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...  

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.

Except that people are linking to that shitty site all the time.

I was in astronomy class back in the day, and the prof. had every student (&gt;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).

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.

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. 

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

[Bullshit!](http://www.sho.com/site/ptbs/episodes.do?episodeid=123916&amp;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.

First sentence, Marni calls "health care provider" a term that she doesn't like.  It's a phrase, Marni. It's a phrase.

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. 

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.

&gt; 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

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

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.

DEET is generally more effective than herbal blends. The Wikipedia article on insect repellents gives a pretty decent breakdown, including CDC recommendations. 

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.

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.

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.

The whole thing looks artificially smooth, but the ascent is particularly on the nose.

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.

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.)

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) 

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. 

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. 

&gt;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 &amp; 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&gt;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&gt;Biocentrism (co-authored with astronomer Bob Berman), which lays out the full scientific augment for his theory of everything\n\nOr derision.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

When was the most recent experience you or your family had?  Months/weeks/days ago?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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!

We weren't near any trees, but there was a creepy sort of Déjà vu-ish feeling when we heard it.

Pretty much everything is poisonous in the right quantity. It's all about dosage.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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.

I'll grant you that there's less chance he's a liar than there is that he is delusional.\n\n&gt; ...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&gt; 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

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."

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).

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.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

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.

[This](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28classification_of_humans%29) is fairly thorough for a Wikipedia entry.

&gt;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.

And so to sum up, you think that successful prediction invalidates an hypothesis. Got it.\n

&gt;You made this up to justify your "rightness" here.\n\nYou're the one vomiting up platitudes. Reap what you sow. \n\n&gt;[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.

You mean it doesn't have "the tensile strength to properly and efficiently garrote a lycanthrope, asphyxiate an Esquilax or even gag a mermaid"?

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?

Wow.  Just, wow.  \nI mean, I had **no idea** you could disable comments on a youtube video.

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.  

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.

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.

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

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.

isn't this kind of thing mandatory?! granted not always available but man is it needed.

&gt;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

What were your experiences that you withheld from your aunt when she moved in?

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...

[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.

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.  

surprisingly, no one has mentioned the [bilderbergs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group)

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!

Well, neither does Nature, apparently, so if you wanted to banter about it you could of done it with them.

You don't have to be smart to run fast.\n\nMedical Science takes a bit more mental prowess. 

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.

Reiki is my favorite form of bullshit simply because there's no equipment involved. The purest, laziest form of bunk. Truly beautiful.

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).

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.

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.

No, just be helpful and send her more of these charts.  There's about a bazillion different charts, each with opposing information.\n

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.

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.

if it's the same accident i know of, the answer is very simple and is an avalanche \n

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).

Can't someone just dilute the bongwater to 200x after they smoke through itt?

You wan't to believe, even when you are faced with logic, reason, and evidence. 

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. 

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.

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. 

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.)

I'm staying in tonight. I have a 6,660 word essay due tomorrow in my Introduction to Love and Light class. 

Of course we would have to see the advertisement first to see if they had made any false claims.

Coins, eh? Her magnetic field is so strong it attracts metals that magnets don't even attract. I'll be damned.

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.

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.  

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.

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

Not really a glitch, sounds like typical Alien Encounters....probably should be over at /r/paranormal or /r/thetruthisnotoutthere 

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.

Um, I do believe that made me soil myself. Even if it's a fake; well done.

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. 

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 -&gt; oxygen). In psychology, it's closer to 50 years (introspection -&gt; behaviorism -&gt; 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.

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..."

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

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. 

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.

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?

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

&gt; 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. 

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?

If I were a homeopath, I'd be more concerned then. Dilute it in the water supply and it would be SO powerful!! ONOZ

Unfortunately, a majority of my family would fall for this shit. It makes me angry. \n\nRAWR!!!\n

You wanna hear something CRAZY?\n\n[Citation needed] &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#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.'

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?

These are facts pawed down from Jesus 2, the golden soul retriever, himself. 

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

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.

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&amp;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 &amp;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

Aren't they all "former". Hey guys things have been kinda slow so let's create some hype and sell some books...

Thanks for the YouTube link. I can't stream it here in the states.

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

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

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

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

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".

It's amazing how many people who don't even have a good grasp on simple arithmetic consider themselves experts on quantum mechanics. 

I have a problem with a so-called skeptics who believe anything not based on evidence.

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.

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.

Well that's just wrong. It's not unleavened bread if it's got a rising agent.

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

Well, if evolution were true, she would obviously have evolved photosynthesis.\n\nCheckmate, atheists!

&gt;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.

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?

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.

Brilliant. This needs to be in elementary schools, right next to the alphabet and multiplication charts. 

&gt;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

i like how cuban calls out motherfuckers. especially skip bayless.

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.  

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.

Yea, the xrays with 6 screws and a plate are quite illuminating. I'm glad I had a general anesthetic.

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.

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.

I wanted to present a bit of geographic and racial diversity to /r/skeptic and I distrust the dogma of /r/atheismplus. 

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!

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.

They have a few of these in downtown Pittsburgh. Freaked me the hell out seeing that they were a worldwide thing.

Absolutely normal photos taken in a dark location with unsteady hands?

I love *the Demon Haunted World*! D'oh, should have been a no-brainer. Thanks :)

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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

I have no clue. Maybe humans have a kind of hive mind that we don't really know about. haha

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.

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..

Have you tried sniffing around [the IPCC's Website](http://www.ipcc.ch/)? 

I used to dream about my pets as well, because, you know, I was around them a lot.

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.

Soros is their bogeyman, basically.  Just like the left flips out about the Koch brothers, the right is terrified that Soros is $SOMETHING_SCARY .

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.

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.

How many stupid things does one have to believe before being accepted/labeled as "stupid?"

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.

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.

I think you've kind of missed a few points.\n\nFor one, check out PZs &amp; 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&gt;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. 

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. 

&gt;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.

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&lt;crickets&gt;\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.

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."

&gt; 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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Polyethylene,  A string of carbons with hydrogens along the sides.  Sounds pretty organic to me.

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.

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?

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

You know... I think so too. I think we're in for a very weird time ahead.

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)

,...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,...

I absolutely agree.  One hundred percent.  Skeptics should not be afraid to turn a cold eye to anyone who acts this way.

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.

How about a nighttime picture with it being caught in an up and sideways wind draft?

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.

The bigger issue is, if you contract toxoplasmosis, you have a weakened immune system and should probably see a doctor about that. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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 &amp; no matter how many times I try to read the same word over and over, it just doesn't make any sense to me.

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)).

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.

Of course not. No more than you're suggesting that governments are always evil and ill-informed. "Always" is an awfully strong word.

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?

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.

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.

How did you manage to write so many words and actually say nothing?

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.

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.

Series premiere! UFOparkour, only on History!  Followed by Swamp People and Ice Road Truckers.

If I was a Doctor operating privately, I'd refuse patients where the parents were proven dumbfucks. 

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?

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

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.

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. 

&gt; 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.

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

Agreed, but his comment seemed to refer to the root cause of cancer. Mycotoxins might cause cancer, because they cause mutations.

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.

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. 

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.

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

If the injury is muscular in nature, why is it sending pain signals? Because there is damage. 

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.

I don't see trepanation coming back any time soon though (unless it's for relieving inter cranial pressure).

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?

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.

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

Totally.  But he's slowed down on his anti-creationism too.  Also AronRa has done massive amounts, but not lately.

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.

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!

And seriously, why would he think that reality is limited by planets visited? What if those other planets aren't real either?

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*

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."

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. 

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.

This discussion does go some way to explain why some Redditors are forever alone.

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?

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?

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...)

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?

How does one know the difference between "beneficial" reprogramming and "harmful" brainwashing?

&gt;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.

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.

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))

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.

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.

youre right, too. This BBC thing is one of the sillier arguments that turned me right away from 9/11 conspiracy theorists.

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.

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.

The skull looks like it is screaming.  I guess I would be too if I was looking at skinless people.\n\n\nEdet:  Cpeling

You should try this Ghost Box simple to make. It's called the THE DEVIL'S TOY BOX  http://youtu.be/yobfgac21YI

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.

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...

&gt;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.

&gt;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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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". 

&gt;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.

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. 

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"...?

'Don't lump me in with those fucking tools, I'm actually rather intelligently put-together...'\n\n- Magic 8-Ball

Who's dick you gotta suck to get a beer around here? \n\nHey do you guys get HBO?

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.

There is no need to be confrontational. What's wrong with the question I asked?

Penn is the only rational thinking person on there that is making a point. 

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.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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.

[Buzz Aldrin explains Apollo 11 UFO sighting](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7RUwbqrO08&amp;feature=player_embedded)

Neat! Try parking your car one day with a camera at night....you might catch something worth while! 

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

They either begin hallucinating, or think they have begun to hallucinate :)

Am I the only one that remembers when TLC meant The Learning Channel?

Upvote for Dr. Mike Swords.  He's one of the best in the business.

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).

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.

You do relise that fireworks = light pollution = very difficult to see past the fireworks

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. 

(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!

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

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.

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.

Oh.....I read as \n\n&gt; This is difficult to agree with.\n\nI'll just see myself out...

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.)

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?

&gt;I think I have some of those "For Rectal Use Only" stickers....\n\nEven better than "placebo" :)

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

The biodiversity stuff is interesting. It's also not very controversial either.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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.

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).

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

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.

This is /r/skeptic, not /r/bestof or /r/worstof.\n\nBut I agree that this isn't really a useful submission here.

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?

Wide loads late night, police keeping the lanes open.\n\nThey were Jacobson Flanges used in creating methane gas clouds and such.

Four year olds are made of sweetness, cartoons, and telling you they didn't do what you just watched them do.

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."

I think that we, as scientists, should not jump to deus ex machinas like this so easily. This is too like "God did it"

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?

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.

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.

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.

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

*mmmmmmmmm...donut on the moon....arrrrrggghhhhhh*\n\n- Homer Simpson

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. 

what a coincidence the aliens also have strong English accents !!!

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.

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. 

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.

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.

but when I deliberately induce SP, this never happens. But I guess you could be right

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

You realize that if an alien race wanted to conceal itself, it would do a better job than our government could?

The more people allow themselves to be superstitious, the more ignorance prevails. 

&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;No, you chose them because it's conversational English. \n\nI'm not a liar.\n\n&gt; 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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;&gt;There are things we don't know, and if you pretend to have actual 100% certainty about things, you are very often wrong.\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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.

Those pilots must've been shitting themselves. I'd love to pics of the dust front from their POV.

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.*

&gt; Everyone is "psychic", we are all more than we know. \n\nHow do you know?\n\n&gt; From time to time coincidences happen\n\nFTFY

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.

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.

Here is his statement \n&gt;    Dear Muslima\n\n   &gt; 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   &gt; 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&gt;And you, Muslima, think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.\n\n&gt;    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.

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.

Is it just me or does Greer look more and more like one of the Reptiles Icke is on about?

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.

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. 

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.

I was going to disagree, but then I realised that was the breast Freudian slit ever.

"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.

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?

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.

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.

So, r/UFOs has been up for 3 years and it seems this hasn't been posted before. 

No, the meteorite everyone saw. Looks like an impact /slide dmg. Totally didn't look like explosion from the original pics. 

Do you mean a Frank's box that spirits use to communicate using radio signals? 

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.

&gt; 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.

I tried. It's like christians arguing with atheists. People are gonna believe what they want to.

so the melted and now warm wax is collected and is rubbed on the skin.

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?

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&amp;postcount=1\n\nYou'll still need to pay for transportation and housing, though.

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 

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. 

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. 

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.

although i dont really approve, ill upvote since you even know what it is 

My parents were watching this a couple nights ago. I was saved by http://www.simplynoise.com/

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).

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.

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.

Some of them really do strain the limits of reason trying to come up with explanations for UFO behavior, don't they?  

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.

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

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."

[If you open your mind too much...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w)

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. 

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.

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 &amp; flesh.  Didn't see anything.  Didn't stay outside long enough to find out.  Just thought, "nope," turned around, and walked back inside.

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.

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

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

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.

&gt;  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.

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.

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.

Your town must have shitty electricians who can't wire a streetlight.

No other number is both prime and a factor of 49 -- except itself!\n\n-- San Francisco football fans, take note!

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

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.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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. 

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. 

Hopefully this will be what it takes to get Dr. Oz to take his style of quackery elsewhere!

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. 

That's way safer than that [Dihydrogen Monoxide](http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html) stuff.

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.

"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.

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.

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).

naw no sonic boom... I know what they sound like... swing a skipping rope real fast, you hear a swoosh... something along those lines

I'm going to guess they were filming something there. Made a bunch of quick cosmetic changes for a movie. 

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. 

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. 

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

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.

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.

Thanks for the warning ... after 3 tweets I had stopped, having reached my daily expected dose of stupid.

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.

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.

[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!

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. 

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

...And there was me thinking it would be a bit of tongue in cheek fun.\n\nDifferent strokes for different folks, I guess...

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...

Just download the videos, doesn't that work? I'm taking another Coursera right now and i can download.

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.

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.

Try DMT, same effects without the need for the nearly dying part...

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. 

I want to click so badly but I'm wide awake at 2 am and would freak myself out. :(

"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 &lt; 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

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.

In other words, the child is punished by being forcefully removed from its parents due to their inability to afford medical care.  

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. 

Read this a few weeks ago on that forum and I still can't get it out of my head. 

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.

Was just going to suggest this. These guys do a good job of "performing skepticism" without being dickheads, which is rare.

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?

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. 

Actually, I would love to read a formal study on whatever correlation exists between studying multiple religions and atheism. 

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.

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

This definitely ran through my mind as well. Similar to the studies proving vitamins make you healthier or lead to longer life.

*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.

"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

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.

&gt;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

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.

Second person in academia in biology here... Everyone I know thinks the same about Chinese research.

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 

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?"  

It would be nice if people here would stop promoting it. It makes it seem as if it was healthy and awesome...

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.

&gt; Just because someone believes in dousing does not make dousing real.\n\nIt does for that person. =)

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

Shit. I thought I had successfully forgotten about this fuckin' movie. 

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.  

FUCK YOU CAME HERE TO SAY THAT.\n\nyou had to be 49 minutes faster than me...

Have you actually tried this yourself?\n\nWhat were the results?

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. 

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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. 

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.

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

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

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.

That whole page is so full of crap that I'm considering pouring bleach on my computer and in my eyes.

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.

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.

&gt; 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&gt; 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.

It promotes scams. Isn't that exactly what WOT is trying to ferret out?\n

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!

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.

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.

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......"

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.

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.

&gt; 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.

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 &lt;0.00001).”\n\nThat one is also very illustrative (2006): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16895820

[He kicked their dog...](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=g9fIjYnPazc#t=94s)  :-)

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.

&gt; "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!

&gt; Prove there wasn't car bombs there.\n\nProve there weren't invisible flying unicorns ramming into WTC7.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!!".

you can use the energy to clear out the toxins and that shows up in your aura

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. 

&gt;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.

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?

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. 

Similarly, Clone High's Abe Lincoln:\n\n[I can't wait to eat this ... baby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93kkEMIXu5s).

I was the only one in the house, no one was there the night before or the morning it happened

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

The novel is rather obscure here (Flanders). The song was a hit a few years ago and still gets some airplay.

Mitchell and Web\n\nI show that particular clip to almost everyone I meet.\n\n

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.

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

This is getting ridiculous.  Can't they just start identifying these objects?

School as in university, in the bookstores (both on and off-campus).

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.

[I don't recall antibiotics causing narcolepsy.](http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/Concerns/h1n1_narcolepsy_pandemrix.html)

This pisses me off... All over the stupid belief that vaccines cause Autism... 

Drat! I always forget about strikethrough. Thanks for the reminder!

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.

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.

Will you cook my dinner for me? My parents aren't around and I'm not allowed to turn on the stove.

&gt;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&gt;What area of psychology?\n\nDepends on the day and my mood.\n\nI haven't formed a worthwhile opinion on Steven Pinker yet.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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. 

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.

\n&gt; 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. 

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.

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.

Because the US public education system doesn't cultivate critical thought. 

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

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Are you for fucking real? That is a fascinating thought... I just can't believe this...

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.

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

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. :)

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.

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.

hmm, well every Jesuit I've ever known is a professional skeptic so no.

your username + mention of your [hopefully former] illness = A++

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.

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. 

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.  

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. 

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.

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.

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.)

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. 

&gt;Did you read the link in the OP?\n\nI did.  Several times, in fact.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

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

&gt;Her final film, Something Wicked, was released on August 25, 2011.

[when I see this](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pnKObAvS3Pw/Tw4lxJeDXiI/AAAAAAAAAmc/JrKWnADRNFc/s150/cop-out-nope.gif)

I don't think I'd want to be the intern who has to hand over the contradictory research on those kind of issues.

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."

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

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

well then WTF is "Airplane Mode" supposed to be used for, if not on airplanes?

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.

Ironically, acute butthurtitis is something the BCA claims can be cured through Chiropractry.

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&gt;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.

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.)

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.

Ah, I thought I smelled troll..\nPlease read rules before commenting. 

I remember doing it at primary school, so the oldest I could have been would be 8. 

or a as i would say they lesser of the two evils ; ) \ni'm joking.......or am i......no i am joking.

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.

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.

&gt; 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?

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.

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.

Absolutely terrible comparison. \n\nDrudge is an aggregate, HuffPo is an OpEd piece of garbage. 

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

I will upvote you, then downvote you, then upvote you again, just so I can do it twice.

2nd degree burns. 3rd degree destroys the nerves and tend not to hurt as much.

I read the reply, and I disagreed with it.  Shocking concept isn't it?

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.

It sounds to me like you are sweating small stuff.\n\n&gt; 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&gt;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.

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.

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? 

And then teach them that correlation does not negate causation.  I find that people have a tendency to latch onto this concept. 

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.

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/LessWrong\n\nJust people find them a bit irritating, obnoxious, etc.

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?

I care little for testimonials.  Do you have data?  I can be convinced by data.

 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.

By that logic, wouldn't surgery be bad too? It's additional trauma. 

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.

I suppose the most important question is, "Is the CNBC Executive's children dead?" Because I have never heard anything about that elsewhere.

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.

To your first point, the purpose of this subreddit, it's purpose is described in the sidebar. \n\n&gt; Need something debunked by those in the know? Looking to exercise \n&gt; some critical thinking or research skills? Want to eviscerate pseudoscience, \n&gt; 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.

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."  

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)

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.

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!

Besides this, we all know naturalnews spews bullshit by the article. They're sources are, of course, links to their website.

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.

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.

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.

Congratulations, that gave me chills. Sounds like really intense déja vu, but [still.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=3AxIOtSjXyA#t=342s) 

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.

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.

&gt;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).

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.

Here you go [UFO over Poland, 30.06.2011](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0hC9dypKSU)

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.

Leslie Kean's book is very good http://www.amazon.com/UFOs-Generals-Pilots-Government-Officials/dp/0307716848

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 

Ghost Boxes invite the trolls of the spirit world. It's like opening a direct link to 4Chan. The video was still great though.

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.

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.

&gt; Kevin Spacey is actually a gangster called Keyser Soze\n\nDAMN IT! That was on my queue for this weekend.

Que vous réserve votre avenir ? Votre destinée guidée par Melaine, Medium de qualité. Consultation de Voyance et Spiritisme en Direct...

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.

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.

Does anyone know where I could watch this whole documentary online? Looks like this is just a segment from one called "EXPERIENCERS" 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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. 

the trick is how they move. look for signs of intelligent control

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. 

Yes, I agree that the "pH scale" used in that picture is pretty much bullshit.

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.

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&amp;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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A real zest boost! No need for coffee with this atheistic motivation! 

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.

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.

Sorry for the facebook link, it was the best source I have on this ATM.

&gt;Like all living things wine cells have a magnetic polarity\n\nOh, dear Science.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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&gt;Your 45 minute treatment will be focused on the root causes to your condition and why you are suffering, the use of muscle &amp; 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.

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. 

Ghost adventures to me is Jersey shore meets Ghost Hunters. Personally, I cant take it to seriously. 

Oh god that annoyed me to no end. That and his constant stream of snarky, insulting remarks.

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?

You don't think they would respond with a radio signal, since that's how the original "image" was sent?

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.

Regardless of what some might say, you are providing a valuable service here.

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.

I'm American and the site works for me. Unless you just meant the zipcode entry thing..?

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.

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?

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.

&gt; 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

&gt;"Duration of treatment. Headache- Western Medicine: Months/Years"\n\n\nWAT?

&gt; 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

Now the UK gets to see what it feels like to be American.  /hugs  Sorry Britain.  ):

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&gt;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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I thought it said "emo" meatballs. I wondered what they could be sad about. 

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......

[Here you go.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/t31pz/333/)

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. 

&gt; 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. 

In order to get the "africa-con" on the books.  Just a way to weasle in. 

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.

I'd rather spend the money and not have my house constantly smell like vinegar. 

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?"

Of course as a concept paranormal experience doesn't get a lot of time on the 'serious scientific examination' roster.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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...

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.

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.

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.

Coax the ghost. Pretend you already have one, and talk to it. Perhaps a wanderer might feel welcome and settle down.

I understand ser', it just troubles me writing stories, and I want it to make it good.

Um... are you being serious? I'd take it as a joke, but you've posted quite a lot on the subject. 

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.

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.

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.

Bring sceptical means withholding judgement until you have enough information

I wonder if some MCS sufferers are dealing with classically conditioned immunosuppression, like the rats in Ader &amp; 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.

&gt;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.

From the website:\n\n&gt;The code may be our most powerful key to thriving.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;Yes, there are scarce resources, we live in on a finite planet.\n\nAgreed.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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&gt; 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.

Joking aside, to be consistent, the descriptions "visible" and "tangible" do imply manifestations, hence they fall under my argument.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

I used to look at m4m listings and there would be guys looking for "poz only (HIV positives only)" but they were pretty rare.

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.  

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!

Yes, you are right. Good observation. Why couldn't/didn't they somehow out over there to check it out? 

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

&gt; At least it wasn't a little boy this time.\n\nIt usually isn't...

She got her swagga back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7JYv0S8uFk&amp;feature=related

I hate to say it but CGI has been a real problem to legitimate UFO and paranormal research.

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? &lt;:-)

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.

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",...?

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.

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.

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.

&gt;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. 

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.  

Very interesting and funny.  I'm more interested in dispelling the lies people are told about evolution though.

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.

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.

From the comments:\n\n&gt; Just look at how many cases of swine flu were cured by homeopathic remedies last year.\n\nNone?

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

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!

&gt; 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.

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&gt;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.

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.

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?

&gt;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).

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.

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

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.

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?&amp;v=kpR_ghsM3vo#t=103s).\n\nspooky\n\n

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.

&gt;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

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.

&gt; ...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!"

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. 

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.

Classic arcade from the late 80s and one of the early sega genesis games.

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).

That’s surly because there is a satellite orbiting mars mapping it. Same can’t be said of our moon.

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. 

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

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

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.

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.

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...

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.

Medium is a shit show and she is a shit actress. Fuck that dumb bitch

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. 

you are right :) sorry for not making clear, where this came from

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) ?

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.

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..... 

You can disagree all you want that doesn't make you right. foam =/= bubbles.

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.

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.

They have to be, what with some of them having three or more feet. 

&gt;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.

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.

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.

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

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.

&gt;I'm stoned\n\nhey everyone, i solved the case. we can go home now.

Yes, how silly. So what if the jar labeled "Peach Jam" was actually human urine, stop whining! Gosh!

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 :)

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.

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.

Starting at :40 and 1:00 it looks like a guy in the woods with a helmet light and one in his hand. 

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."

If you are into tatoos great, if you are into hero worship, then you might have missed the point.

I'm a psychic in Belize. I think Glenn Beck ate our two children. Do what you must.

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.

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. [&lt;&lt;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.

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.

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.

Why do the guys on our side always have to look so crazy? Why can't we just be normal looking?!?!?

If he was that interested in the UFO, why did he totally cut away and film the woman? 

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.

No, but apophenia is alive and well here on Earth.   (In this case, possibly aPollyphenia.)

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?

Yeah, so he's not a global warming denier. \n\nGore does need to be lol'ed at.

Well I'm sure he won't mind if Satanists call themselves Christians, albeit "sceptical Christians"...I mean, the Bible *does* mention Satan...

some cameras do this when there isnt enough light, ive had faces of my friends distorted do to this fact.

No... sounds like a perfectly coherent and reasonable theory to me.  Why would you doubt something like this?  That's obviously *exactly* what happened!!

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.

Scientific American may not have been very scientific in this case.  \n\nThey reference a meta-analysis saying:\n&gt;"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&gt;[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&gt;"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

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. 

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.

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. 

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).

"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.

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.

It's Jupiter.\n\nYou can see for yourself by downloading [Stellarium](http://www.stellarium.org/).

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?

Canadian cancer is easy to cure. It turns out you just have to politely ask it to leave.

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. 

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?

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

Hi. How does your aunt talk to you? In a normal human voice? Could you elaborate a little bit?

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

Nothing here is free energy. This doesn't violate the laws of thermodynamics. It remains to be seen if this will actually practically work. 

FYI, The Ring remake was released 10 years ago, and the original 14 years ago, so they were released in your time scale.

it's almost like... a glitch in the matrix. haha. yeah, i'm just really curious if it has happened to anyone else.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;"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&gt;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

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?

Yeah, that army of pizza ordering 13 year old's must really send chills down the spines of billionaire CEOs.   

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.

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. 

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

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

Sometimes I don't understand why things get downvoted. That was clever.

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. 

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.  

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.

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.

Got anything that can be downloaded?  I'm driving across the country.

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. 

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. 

From the wiki:\n&gt;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.

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.. 

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 &amp; 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,....

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?

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?

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.

I just read the description of the masked man fallacy, but it still makes no sense to me. Anyone care to explain it?

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. 

Hmm, they're always near open fires. Maybe that's in some way significant!

The same story you have heard before but with the Erich Kuersten twist.

I stopped after seeing the drunk YouTube guy that found massive UFOs all around the sun, from his trailer... on the internet...

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.

like... "i was a tarot reader, but i came to my senses, AMA about the industry and such"?...

Apparently Romney used the 'underemployed' as 'unemployed' in his '23 million unemployed' lie in the debate.

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.

&gt; 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 

That guy is assuming the camera doesn't move. He doesn't understand optics.

It woudl make having diabetes a whole lot more eventful. Well for a while.

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.

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

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...

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.

I love hearing the reasoning of the older man in the background. It adds to the legitimacy of the video.

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.

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.  

He really missed an opportunity to put it in all caps and comic sans.

Meh. Still not near as good as [this](http://karibyronnude.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/kari_byron_mythbuster.jpg).

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?"

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.

As a girl, if a man tried to read my palm (and seemed to take it seriously), that would likely be a deal-breaker.

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  !"  

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!

As below- Buddhism spends a lot of money on [monuments](http://www.google.com/search?q=buddhism+monuments&amp;hl=en&amp;safe=off&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=qdc&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;prmd=ivns&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ei=blcoTvHwAY3biAKKqZXdBw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=mode_link&amp;ct=mode&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CAwQ_AUoAQ&amp;biw=1920&amp;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.

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.

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? 

You use Boneset, of course!\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eupatorium_perfoliatum

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

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.

I don't think you need to say that something is a "crosspost". Just submit the same URL.

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....

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.

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&amp;t=1

Okay daddy, thanks for being in charge of my life even though no one gave you that permission

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).

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.

If you don't mind my intrusion, it seems like you imply something in your comment.\n\nThese statements:\n\n&gt;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&gt;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? 

Even if it wasn't, that's not a question he or his handlers would pick to answer here.

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. 

Lawyers &amp; judges learning science would be nice - afaik they don't even learn bayesian statistics.

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.

Here's a high-quality video :\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6kn-JJ2HiU

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).

&gt;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?

&gt; 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.

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.

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.

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.

I think he was back-pedaling. I don't think he was trying to sell any backs.

Except with links and references. I would say it's more like the Wiki of meme culture. 

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. 

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.

Blogspam, not skepticism, this belongs in /r/atheism. Read the sidebar.

&gt;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&gt;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.

Someone already has [for pets](http://eternal-earthbound-pets.com/). 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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? 

&gt;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 :) 

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. 

For a lot of people it was *extremely* prosperous, just like right now. This article is amusing, but hardly relevant. 

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

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.

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.

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.

Stopped reading at "Who are the Maya". Doubt there's anything in there I don't already know...

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.

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.

lol, fair enough.  i guess the dry sarcasm of l4m3 doesn't fly like i thought it did.

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?

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.

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.

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. 

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

Boy, oh boy. Reading stories like this reassures me this subreddit was craving to be brought to life. 

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.

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.

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

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.

[Here's an article about the event](http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=500292&amp;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. 

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) 

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. 

I wish people would stop giving a shit about what some nutty old man says.

True enough, but the first two are the case far more often that the third.

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.

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.

Evolution is real, and it works on people too.  \n\nCommunities &amp; nations that embrace skepticism and science will prosper. There will be small, local variations in the trend, but over time, as we &amp; 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.

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!

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. 

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. 

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."

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

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.

People need to ask more questions! I think this is great. I will spread the word and donate as soon as possible.

Alright, I can see now that you don't actually have an argument.

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?

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)

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.

My understanding is that the one study that is typically brought out in favor of circumcision is widely considered to be of poor quality.

&gt;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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

If he was the Minister of Defense, why wouldn't he have had access to secret information?

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.

What else would you expect from the Huffington Post? They also run anger inducing articles on vaccination.

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.

Oooh...that's terrible.  Best to stay at home in a dark room with the computer off if you're that sensitive.

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.

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? 

[Aliens, no doubt about it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfAzaDyae-k)

We have a winner!  There's basically nothing to report, other than "some people showed up here and, uh...  Back to actual news!"

Yeah man they must be looking for a new manufactured enemy now that Bin Laden is dead.  

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.

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.

seen these before, but they are worth making known to as many people as possible\n

It doesn't have to pass your test, the burden of proof lies on the claim being made. Not your responsibility to disprove it.

Text as images makes it difficult to process (copy, quote, etc.) There are hundreds of free pastebin-type services without expiry dates for snippets.

You seem angry, confused, and stupid.\n\nWould you like an invitation to a Tea Party gathering?

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

Gee, this sure sounds like my friend Jakob Liljenwall, who writes http://thekeyofatheist.wordpress.com/.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

&gt; 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&gt;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&gt; 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

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. 

Screw Mexico, [it happened in the US in 2008](http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/news/20080603/cdc-warns-of-tainted-tomatoes).

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

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.

&gt;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&gt;... 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?

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. 

[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.

...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.

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".

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?

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!

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.

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.

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...

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&gt;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.

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.

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...

&gt;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.

[But what about his gourd and sandal?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf76lynPdZc#t=2m30s)

Show me the methods which do not involve social control of the type used by used fascist regimes or other institutions and organizations. 

&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;They even had a saying about the futility of ideas: 'If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.' \n\n&gt;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.

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...

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. 

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.

I think he meant someone or something is in your house that really likes games

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...

The action itself is an easy fake, but there does seem to be a semi-opaque mass behind him in the chair scene.

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.

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.

&gt; all with comments disabled\n\nAs w/ the MSM sites too, a fairly certain sign that the source is well aware they're bullshitting.

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. 

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

&gt;  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.

Well it can't be me because I've tried to scratch myself and all I get are those white marks.

"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. 

If it was a normal Zippo, they use a wick, not a gas under pressure. There are pressure Zippos, but not as common.

Some people were never theists.  And there are philosophical reasonings which lend themselves to supernatural conclusions.

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".

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

why are there no cameras near these fields? Especially near an expensive radio telescope facility? 

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?

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. 

Is it possible the doctor couldn't find anything wrong with her, but prescribed her a placebo to solve the issue?

American Coca-Cola is the worst, because of this (*&amp;(*&amp;(*( syrup.\nYou know it is junk food whe n it has corn inside.\n

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.

I too, have herd these sounds while i am in the bathroom with the doors closed. =x

&gt;What country? It makes a sociological difference. \n\nEngland.

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? ;)

There is a secret message from Darren Brown in this reddit headline, I just know it

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.  

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

I would have a neurological exam, sounds like an absence/petit mal seizure.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.  

My trusty CRC Handbook lists the radiation exposure in space as follows:\n\n&gt;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.

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.

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. 

&gt;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

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.

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.

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.

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.

[Here's an interesting essay about that.](http://lesswrong.com/lw/he/knowing_about_biases_can_hurt_people/)\n\n&gt; 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[...].

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.

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.

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 

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.

"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...

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

&gt;Proton therarpy sounds like a good therapy against Romulans also.\n\nOnly if you reverse the polarity.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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".

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.

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

[To be fair, you got yours out of the way in the mid-19th century.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Anti-Vaccination_League)

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.

*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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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"

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&gt;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&gt;Raw milk does not have a natural resistance to bacteria.\n\n&gt;Pasteurization does not cause lactose intolerance.\n\n&gt;Both pasteurized and raw milk can cause allergic reactions.\n\n&gt;There's no proven health benefit associated with drinking raw milk.\n\n&gt;Claims that raw milk can cure asthma, allergies and other conditions are inaccurate.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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

Was there even a ghost to ghost this year? I haven't been following because Noory sucks.

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. &gt;_&gt;

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. 

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.

And a hardened skeptic prior to all of his involvement ... to boot.

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.

&gt;Hyperbole and mis-characterization, you're still doing it.\n\nNo, I'm not.\n\n&gt;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&gt;Here you've put words in my mouth.\n\nSo, are you saying that the GHCN temperature record is trustworthy?\n\n&gt;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&gt;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...

This is true, but there must be some popular evidence out there, be it mass sightings or news reports. 

Extra-dimensional?  Ever heard this?\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1b4NYC6axo\n\n

Unsolved mysteries on the history channel? Second time I hear about the forest hmm 

[5th Gear](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1mCw2AwY24&amp;t=4m30s) did something similar too.

We need to leave Youtube to the religious nutters and find a place tolerant of all free speech

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

Stephen Hawking says that we should expect a scenario similar to that of when Columbus encountered Native Americans.

They more likely attract entities. A mobile phone would be like a beacon.

Nothing to read, only posted one (twice now), whose ass is your head up exactly? 

Shoddy journalism. It's impossible to tell from the article what's going on.

Is this your video or do you have some knowledge of its provenance?

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.

interesting, but there is no context to relate the thing to. that and crappy phone cameras. Can someone add some contrast to the image? :)

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.

Death Valley? :-)  But seriously, it's not just about the global temperature changes, but everything else that entails.

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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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

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).

There are still plenty of reasons why McDonald's is bad for you and society.

Unfortunately they were able to quit their plumber jobs.  They just had a marketing deal with Roto Rooter.  

&gt; 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.

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.

It's not really a strawman given sugar is the reason people drink diet pops

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.

in my opinion, any of the political/economic points made in the big pharma book are valid for gmos as well.

Unfortunately, to get the benefits, you must take the garlic as a suppository.

&gt; 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

Oh shit, the same guy? I hadn't connected the dots. Yeah, I'll absolutely look into it.

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.

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.

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. 

potholer54 is tremendous. His videos on global warming really helped me get a firm grasp of the nature of the surrounding conversation/argument.

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

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).

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.

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.

No, they're most definitely satellites. go out on ANY night, even in the city, and you WILL see them.

www.sacrededen.com claims to have their products reviewed by The Living Research Institute, which is a website run by SacredEden.

If you're gonna black-out the girls' faces, you might want to do it in the mirror, too.

Ever hear of DMT? No religion needed to explain the afterlife, just science.

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

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. 

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?

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.

&gt; 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.

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

Says the guy stealing content and reposting torrential spam on subreddits.

[/r/nosleep](/r/nosleep) will be your friend. This isn't quite the glitches we are looking for :)

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.

I'm in USA.  $$$ is the answer to 99% of the "Why is your unregulated capitalist system preying on its own adherents?"

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). 

Thanks for this post. I plan to spread the Save the PNW Tree Octopi message.

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.

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.  

I saw this and was very pleased to see her give props to David "Orac" Gorsky.

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"

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."

I laughed hard at this.\n\nNO ONE expects the skeptic's inquisition!

do you think you could find the exit on google maps so we could see what's around there?

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.

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

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!

the comments have much more woo than does the actual article.\n\nthey make me weep.

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.

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?

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 :)

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.

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&amp;pid=345&amp;storeID=DWRVUW2L6MVU8K8RKLUEPXFW532WBWA9):\n\n\n&gt;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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Almost every single space junk object in orbit is being constantly tracked.

n is too small :P\n\nAlthough you might make the case for a confidence interval.

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.

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.  

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.

The horoscopes ARE harmless. Their application, and the malicious people who use them like that, is the harmful thing. 

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 

Won't break Mirrors, walk under ladders or open umbrellas Indoors.

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.

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.

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.

you can see the tail end here http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/15114036338/2/tumblr_lx3syy22VY1r9r7lw

 the end of the video he says that insurance should cover alternative medicine

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!"

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?

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

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. 

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.

Postulated as a descendent of a missing link, too.  Good on them, Canada.

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.

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%.

Have you been in a room with a Buddha? They never ever shut the fuck up.

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&gt;Over a decade’s effort to detect all severe adverse events\n&gt;associated with MMR vaccine could find no data supporting\n&gt;the hypothesis that it would cause pervasive developmental\n&gt;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&amp;ordinalpos=4) \n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;&gt;"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&gt;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 &gt;2006)

&gt;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.

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&gt; 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 

I was under the assumption that it was mining magnates and not the greens that were controlled by the CIA

Already [getting divorced](http://skepchick.org/2011/04/a-note-about-my-personal-life/). Maybe you can get a refund on your wedding ticket. 

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. 

You win, your workplaces proxy has a much more skeptical mind than mine:\n&gt;Tru-View has categorised this page as Drugs

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.

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.

&gt;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.

That post is fucking awful in so many ways. I hope the OP is still in middle school or even elementary school.

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. 

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. 

&gt;A constitution, bill of rights, separation of powers, etc. \n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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

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! 

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/

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.

You haven't read the theories about multi-dimensional teleporting Sasquatch? That ain't normal. 

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?

It maintained altitude, which is something that a glider couldn't do in the cold morning air.

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.

What's telling is the number of illegal drugs on the list. "But I'm a homeopath officer!"

From a statistical standpoint it seems strange that you've had multiple sightings.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

&gt;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;)

Is there another video clip to explain how this is done? (i.e. refuting the idea of no-touch punches?)

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.

Oh, just like the "high salt will kill you" misinformation. Noted.

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 &amp; it could become a nice tool for your first hunt.  Just make sure that you know where all the buttons &amp; 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 &amp; 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 &amp; some food with you too if you are going out in the wild somewhere.\n\nHave fun &amp; let us know how it goes!

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.

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

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.

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

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.

It's two-for-one Tuesday at Krispy Kreme! Plus there's mermaids.

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. 

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

&gt;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

heh I'm doing the five pound note thing first chance I get. \n\nI'm pretty sure it will get me laid.

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).

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.

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.  

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).  

&gt; 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.

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. 

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.

I agree entirely.  That's exactly how the null hypothesis works.

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.

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

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.

Why would an alien ship on the far side of mercury need to be cloaked? From what? From whom?

Whatever, indeed. Just a glimpse of mindset I was on the lookout for. 

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?

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.

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.

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? 

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.

[He actually talks with the "Be Skeptical" series guy about this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzxqfd4-DIs&amp;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.

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. 

No he couldn't, that would require a board meeting at least, CEOs aren't the almighty kings of corporations. 

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.

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.

&gt;The related videos are mindboggling...\n\n...I feel stirrings in my crotch chakra. 

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.

I thought it was universally acknowledged that crop circles were the work of bored farm-town folk

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. 

Too much noise in the data. Environmental and cultural influences vary too much from place to place to isolate any putative effects from chemtrails.

Love the downvotes for linking to a documentary, ultimately allowing people to come to their own conclusions.  Fluoride lovers...

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.

Cold and Flu *are* infections.  They are caused by the Rhinovirus and Influenza virus, respectively.

&gt;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?

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 : )

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.

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 

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.

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

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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

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.

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.

[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. 

I like Larry.\n\n&gt; WGN news knows what's up, lets psychic make herself look foolish\n\nFTFY

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. 

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.  

Couldn't this just be a speck of dust on the lens of the camera? 

I think that really happened.  The person's name is Michele Bachman.

Nope.  I have searched and searched for the paranormal and have found nothing but the natural.

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?

Derpa Herpal Tea. \n\nDrink it daily for a more focused willful ignorance.

I like Paranormal State. Especially when they bring in the mediums.

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.

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. 

"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 &amp; tend to care more about making a profit than the long-term health of the consumer) &amp; grow most of my own so that I can say with confidence that I'm doing my best to NOT put unknown chemicals &amp; 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?

&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

Because we live in a world in which nothing unscientific is happening.

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.

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!

Plus, high ceo pay allows them to get talent, not just people who want to do charity. 

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 

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.

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)

Efficacy is too uncommon ('big') a word.  Should be more like "this product is untested" or something.\nEDIT: fixed blatant spelling/grammar error

You can't dilute the message of a movement when that movement never had a well-defined message to begin with\n

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. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n2. Greenhouse gases contribute to the greenhouse effect. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n3. Greenhouse gases have increased due to mankind's contribution. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n4. Top of atmosphere radiation "accounting" can predict eventual surface temperatures. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n5. Temperature increase is 3 degrees C for a doubling of CO2. **&lt;--- 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. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n7. Therefore, CO2 will cause increased temperatures. **&lt;--- not a link to a blog**\n\nEdit: formatting.

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

Yes, vehicles and operations that rely on this are called PASODs. That's high-brass jargon for Public Apathy Stealth Object Deception.

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).

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.

oh wow, it's been updated since I last looked at it. it now has about 2x the crazy

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.

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.

It's sad that this "good job" is only noticed because of how incredibly, stupefyingly rare real reporting is from them.

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).

As an astronomer, all I can say is:\nFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Nice I'd not seen that one before. The [moon landing](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw&amp;feature=related) one's very good too

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. 

Do they have white strobe lights?  I've never seen lights like that on a police car.  

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?

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&amp;init_id=1792

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.

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.

Convincing yourself that you have a rock that repels tigers will make you feel pretty damn great until you get mauled by a tiger.

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... 

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.

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.

Love this list. Being in Indiana, I might have to head to Illinois to check a few of those out!

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?

Stan Lee's superhumans. http://www.history.com/shows/stan-lees-superhumans

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. 

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.

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?

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.

You've got to use the most flammable straw you can find when building your strawman.

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.

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. 

What you actually said was (I added the bolding):\n\n&gt; 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.

And reality shows, as I learned decades ago, are phony &amp; scripted.

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.

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. 

Seems that way to me. All of the major cleaning chemical companies have an organic brand line.

&gt;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.

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.

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?

The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe is essentially "The" podcast. 

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

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.

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. 

&gt; 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.

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. 

And now I've got *another* web series to obsessively follow.\n\nThanks a lot, jerk!

i would have figured /r/skeptic would be of the opinion that ADHD IS a made up disorder...

[You could always brew your own](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVqnUf8NH6g).

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.

"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.

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

[Similar to my GITM experience.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/of2c7/lights_on_lights_off/)

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.

Are there any other photographs from that time period made using the method you describe?

Are those shoes through the railing near the center of the shot?

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).

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. 

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. 

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?

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) 

Wouldn't control imply free will, which is problematic, to say the least? 

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. 

He was always the most level headed, reasonable, and helpful guy in the room.  Also, he respects me which is a refreshing change.

You know, I have this bottle of Windex here.  How many ghosts do you think that is?

Espero que hayas podido entender lo suficiente.\nSaludos desde el Sur del mundo

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 :)

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.

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

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.

I've noticed that BS levels are strongly correlated to the number of terms in quotation marks used.

Here's my actual post to someone when they posted this same thing:\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

He has already been told this and he refuses to accept it as an explanation.\n\n&gt;Let's use logic.\n\nHa.

Why would so many people lie? I have seen two, maybe three things I can't explain. 

It was a UFO anus that was crapping dead birds.  This sub is beginning to REALLY suck.

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&gt; 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&gt;  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)

&gt;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.

Link to the study itself:\n\nhttp://neuro.psychiatryonline.org/data/Journals/AJP/PAP/appi.ajp.2011.11091447.pdf

Pasteurizing: heat but don't boil, cool rapidly.\n\nUHT: heat over the temp. of boiling, cool rapidly.\n\nHome: boil slowly, cool slowly.

Willful ignorance is a bummer, but seeing people imprison themselves because of their willful ignorance has just ruined my morning. 

&gt;“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.

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.

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

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.

thats the same as the placebo effect, isnt it? Its just endorphins messing around

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.

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.

Well, my head hurts, but I blame the large quantity of beer I drank last night.\n

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.

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.

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? 

I'd add the "Earth's climate is not static" argument and call your list complete

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

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!"

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... 

We have to go deeper; maybe you could try [this](http://www.webmd.com/diet/apple-cider-vinegar?page=2).

Well, at least we know what aliens sound like now:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTunhRVyREU\n\n

&gt;TEDx, just like TED but with more explosions and martial arts\n\nJust like TED but with more easy answers and comforting non-sense.

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...

Looks like a rotating, split-sinker that I used to attach to my fishing line.

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.

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.

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!!!

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.

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!

Just so you know the admins of reddit shadow-banned you, meaning nobody can see your posts. I'd probably make a new account.

[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

I thought I heard crazy before, but people are paying $8 a head to be STARED AT??? Jesus, am I in the wrong business.

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. 

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

i was at traverse city hospital. didn't see any ghosts but definitely a creepy place!  

Meh. Just because she's smart and loving doesn't make everything she said true, or even right.

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.

I know how they're used in medical trials. We're talking about in the course of treating patients, not for research purposes.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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

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. 

Extract from webpage: KORE Therapy is leading the world in recovery through its integrative medicine techniques. It uses a unique combination of Western diagnostic &amp; assessments, Eastern release techniques, with a mixture of psychologies &amp; 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?

I hate propaganda like this (from your link):\n\n&gt;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&gt;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?

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

&gt; 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

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)

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.

&gt; King Philip Cuts Open Five Green Snakes\n\nOur biology teacher always used "King Phillip Came Over For Great Sex."

That's because they knew that those silly superstitions about smoking being bad for you were just silly.

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.  

uhhh how do you explain 1:00 in then? Are they wearing jetpacks? If so, where can I buy one?

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; Welp, that'll be all.\n\nIs this where you go into denial?

Definitely the best route I think , articles are hard to come by as far as crimes/missing persons and the like are concerned.

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.

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...

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.

&gt;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?

oh sorry I was just being a smartass.... I couldn't help but say no to the question....I respect your perspective

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*?

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&gt;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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;Unmarked white work vans &amp; 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&gt; 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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;bears have attacked dozen of people\n\nThis is also normal behavior. Bears attack people.\n\n\n&gt;odd weather patterns such as double rainbows\n\nNaturally-occurring.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;On top of this have been technical abnormalities such as skewed Google search algorithms\n\nSuch as?\n\n&gt;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&gt;spontaneously deleting iPhone memory holding gigbytes of unretrieveable personal info\n\nThat shit happens unfortunately. \n\n\n&gt;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&gt;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. 

...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?

You can look at my newest post. I did a revised Q&amp;A on this topic. I do believe. 

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.

Isn't there even a major flaw in the premise of talking about GM food as if it were a monolith...

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 * 

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. 

So what you're saying is that to understand the phenomenon properly you need to study it over time, i.e. its development. 

Have you researched the information on that topic thoroughly, or are you casting judgment upon it at a glance?

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.

It is too bad the article is so sparse with details. Anyone with a subscription to "Journal of NeuroImage"?\n\nAnyone?

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*

Oh, most definitely. I used to go to UNC @ Asheville, which was a haven for anti-male sexism. 

Considering how woo-y the article is I doubt they would even think that far. They probably mean some kind of soul/memory energy. 

check out my comment above... the wikipedia page is really misleading.

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.

Bloodhounds,Thermal cameras, etc......this mystery could be easily solve. Which is why I think Bigfoot is bunk.

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.

He also says that cannabis is not medicine, and is deeply harmful. He's about as scientific as Dr. Phil.

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.

Science doesn't require belief.  It is a process, not a religion.  Dumbass.

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.

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.

hey by the way, if you had to guess, what did you think it was? do you have any crazy theories?

ok this guy has to be trolling at this point \n\n&gt;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

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.

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.

If i wanted to watch cheesy reenactments I'd watch the television. What kind of shit is this?

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. 

Oh my goodness, they used a back drop? I can't believe they would be so sneaky!

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?

don't forget, they make a great place to store your paper clips and eyeglass screws!

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

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

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.

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.

How does the current epidemic of Type 2 diabetics in the African American community fit into this?  

I dream of a world in which Reuters knows what the hell it's doing.

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.

Your name starts with the word time like mine.\n\nI don't like you.

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hit the nail right on the head, though I would not doubt that many people aren't going to like it.

&gt;fiction-writing skills\n\n&gt;it's true\n\n&amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;

&gt;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.

Purchasing seed from any source puts farmers at the mercy of the global shipping market.

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

But her dog saw it too. That's what makes it "real" if you will.

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.

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...

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. 

Lol.  "Yea bro they're great... want proof? check out the Pro Gmo subreddit, they're not biased or anything"

&gt;because when trained properly\n\nThat doesn't seem to be the case.  You are arguing hypothetical perfection against real-world performance.\n\n&gt;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.

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?

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

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).

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?

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

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.

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.

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!

*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.

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

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. 

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.

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.

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.)

if anything they start discussions and interview experts on the subjects.

You come here to read other peoples summaries of articles rather than reading them yourself?

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.

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&amp;feature=plcp) 

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?

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.

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."

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

What is that crazy chair they're sitting in? That thing looks awkward. \n\nAlso, it reminds me of the "couples" toilet for SNL. 

I desperately want to see a pic of whatever was the "angsty masterpiece" you painted that night! Seriously.

Iran blinded/killed the CIA'S secrete "space-plane", it's 3 months overdo  and does not have an infinite amount of fuel.

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)

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)

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.

Well, he's apparently not confident enough to go for the [million dollars](http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html).

&gt; 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&gt; 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

A 50ft diameter balloon? And what's the motive to make up seeing the bodies? How the fuck is this balloons?

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.

You didn't hurt him, did you?\n\nAnd how much damage was there to your front end?

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&amp;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 &amp; 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.

[This talk on "vortex-based mathematics"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1hLzQPio_8&amp;feature=share) is a good example.

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.

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&gt;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).

It's not the science part that people cringe at... It's the people who use words like "fundies" and "quacks". \n\n

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. 

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.).

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.

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.

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.

Because the sensational title is the ticket to the karma train!! Choo choo!!

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. 

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.

Released in two years for good behavior. They're good Christian people.

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.

I think OP's referring to the trick described here: http://www.devicewatch.org/reports/power_balance.shtml

What colour is your imaginary third nipple?! Pay here to find out!

Nice strawman...\n\nhttp://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/2/1/17\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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...

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?

Don't be fooled by imitators--*this magnetic copper cock ring will make your junk rise from the dead!*

***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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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 &gt;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 &gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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

What about my bullshit that agrees with the facts? Why cant we air that?

I upvote not because the article is in any way interesting, but for the witty title.

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

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.

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.

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.

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&amp;pid=explorer&amp;chrome=true&amp;srcid=0B1w5NuRFQ1D1MzZlZGYzZjQtZGZjYy00ZjdjLWFjN2UtY2FhOGFiYzc2YmEw&amp;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

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. 

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. 

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? 

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

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&amp;hl=en&amp;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 &lt; .0001)."

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. 

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.

You're definitely doing a good job as a parent from that perspective.

i grew up in kansas where most of those 5th dimensional beings were processed.  mmm.  

&gt;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.

Those stealth planes were developed in the 60's and 70's. Who knows what's out there now, even without assistance from ET.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

The water is murkey and full of silt, the photo that have been released do not show much because of this.

Just never forget that being stupid ironically is still being stupid.

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? 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Doesn't answer the question, and explains nothing about the "serially credulous" except that they have magazines.

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! 

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".

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.

A picture of such low quality that it may not be used as evidence of anything paranormal.

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 

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

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.

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.

&gt; 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.

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)

It will be a blast, was not aware that there would be at least two other redditors there. Nice.

&gt; 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.)

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

Interesting you failed to include the source of your claim too. 

&gt; 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

You might be right, that's my bad. From the article:\n\n&gt; 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.

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. 

Logic, do you use it?\n\nExtraterrestrial life is essentially a given. Extraterrestrial life visiting, not so much.

[The Open Boat](http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/1514/) by Stephen Crane is an excellent short story that drives this point home.

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.

Oh, no you don't! Im not falling for that one! [from Urban Dictionary](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sarcasim)

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.

Nope, use it and enjoy.  If you suffer from chronic sinus congestion you'll become a believer in just a few days.

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.

Not being a jerk, just conversational.  Sorry if it seemed otherwise.

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.

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.

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).

Your aunt did all of it for you while you slept?  Seems much more likely than you sleep-working.

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. :)

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.

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.

You're too quick, I posted, then edited it already. Please hit reload. :)

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.

They had critical thinking classes at my high school in the UK, not sure how wide spread it is though.

&gt; **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&gt;Indeed, the countries with the greatest reduction in tooth decay since fluoridation have began have never fluoridated.\n\n[Citation Needed]

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.

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.

Don't forget your biology book; I always knew I could make more than just fart noises with my armpits...

" '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.*

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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&gt;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. 

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.

Here's one possible explination of how it could of been done.\nhttp://youtu.be/m_aJHoLFUPE?t=1m16s

"The human race was certainly going to have direct contact with the aliens in the next 10 to 15 years," he said.\n\nWas? 

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.

It's an interview, you'll have to click the "listen" link to hear it. 

&gt;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)

Oh, do you actually have an infrasound room? Cause that would be cool!

Yea, in the end it's hard to get excited about because after all, it's just a few dots in a video.

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

they arent airplanes just because they have lights too. Airplanes dont hover in one spot then change directions. stop ignoring that.

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.

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. 

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&amp;sjid=NOEDAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=5726,6314804\n\n\nTriangular UFO spotted in Spain (1968)\n\nhttp://news.google.com/newspapers?id=k2tYAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=DfgDAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4608,1811357

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. 

Its says it is a rendering. Is this some sort of reverse sarcasm I am not familiar with?

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.

Came here to say this. Wonder how theists would answer that question.

You're asking if skeptics agree that that person is uncertain about flight 93?

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?

&gt; 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&gt; 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?

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.

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.

Coming from Latin America, he's the reason I'm interested in UFOs. His reports (specially way back in the day) were freaking amazing. 

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.

Maybe your friends are just idiots and don't remember the change?

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. 

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. 

Oh yeah, I know what she means.\n\nI just like poking fun at the labeling.

[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.

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.

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

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?

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."

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.

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

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.

&gt;that people incorrectly assume that it's a simple "take the guns away and there will be no gun crime,"

Why Does Every Single Word On That Entire Fucking Website Begin With A Capital Letter?

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.

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. 

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

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

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.

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)

I wonder If those guys play the "this week I'm the one with beard" card

Words don't mean what you think they mean. Don't ever handle inflammable gas.

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

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. 

The united nations names Maziam Othman as Earth's ambassador to aliens as well as drafts protocal for the First Contact.

They also use 'organic fertilizers' (read: Bullshit/horseshit).\n\nThis is how you get E. coli on your lettuce.

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.

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.

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.

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

That's a pretty strong claim, right there. I hope you are willing and able to explain what you base that claim on.

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."

..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!

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.

&gt;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...

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.

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

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".

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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

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.

True, but I wonder if anyone out there has ever died of water intoxication because they were on so many homeopathic "treatments".\n

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?

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.

I might be mistaken but I think the official name of that logical fallacy is a "those-things-are-not-related-at-all-ism"

I'm sorry but giving a list of known orbital debris does not answer how any of those objects can change speed and direction.

&gt;The vast majority of cases have characteristics that would be impossible for a human to duplicate.\n\nThis i find interesting. Examples?

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.

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.

How many Earths?\n\nIt's Earth's atmosphere, since the atmosphere belongs to the Earth.

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

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. 

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.

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

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&amp;D because government R&amp;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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.

absolutely, what expert opinion would cause you to question the story given by NIST, FEMA, and the Commission?

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.

Wow. Now I want to see your wife's inbox.\n\nThat sounds dirtier than it should. 

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. 

Wow. I forgot about this guy. His videos are so well produced.  Gives me hope.

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.

Why did you get overpowered in the first place? start a new forum and discuss what you want. 

I think the mountain peaks should be at prime numbers so it is even more cleaver.

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).

&gt; "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. 

Did you try exercising your right not to use the thing and moving on with your life?

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.

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.

Salvia does this to me and some friends of mine...We've all had experiences of passing through before we've even hit it.

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. 

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.

explain the 'control immune system at will' ... how did he actually demonstrate that?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

I know nothing about cars so this doesn't help me. Can you turn that into a Harry Potter metaphor?

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&amp;tbm=bks&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=YPxKT43_EuTzmAXKqYyuDg&amp;ved=0CCoQBSgA&amp;q=lilienfeld+psychology&amp;spell=1&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&amp;fp=509985b96d5081d2&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=643). Specifically, I recommend: "[Science and Pseudoscience in Clinical Psychology](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=rZr0DtX2siQC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=lilienfeld+psychology&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=Y_xKT5yqKIuamQWquIixDg&amp;ved=0CEgQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&amp;q=lilienfeld%20psychology&amp;f=false)" and "[50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions About Human Behavior](http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=8DlS0gfO_QUC&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=lilienfeld+psychology&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=Y_xKT5yqKIuamQWquIixDg&amp;ved=0CE4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&amp;q=lilienfeld%20psychology&amp;f=false)". \n\n&gt;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

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?  

Dr. Oz was a respected cardiac surgeon.  He has published many papers in top medical journals.

"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.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

Reading this i get an extreme urge to impose som science and rational thinking on Mike Adams in the style of a clockwork orange. 

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?

Thank you. Have you ever heard about this case? Aside from the link I posted I havnt found much

If all this is, in fact, true...   you need to exorcise them demons darlin. No joke.

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.

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).

Sadly, that's what it's come down to, rhetorically. Misogyny is *hating women*, not disagreeing with an argument.

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.

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.

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)

ya, there are actual photos at the bottom, some dude's home project that has nothing to do with the main photo.

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.

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.

Yes, it's called forcing a card and there are several ways to do it. Pretty basic card magic stuff.

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?

Peer reviewed articles are the platinum standard. A YouTube video? Well, unless it's very well done and provides some entertainment, it means squat.

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. 

It's more advanced than static health. At least I think so. Must be all that oxygen.

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.

&gt; 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.

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.

It's not a satire site. They definitely believe the stuff they put on there.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

We should just gather up all the medical quacks and shower them with positive energy in the form of positrons.

Although it has more immediate implications for people living with diabetes, it is still a valid consideration for those without diabetes. \n\n&gt; 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. 

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).

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.

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. 

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&amp;D drones could be considered "alien technology" by a farmer sitting in Colorado.

&gt; 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.

No you're right, this isn't the real world.  Just a board that decides what real is by pretending to be smart.

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.

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.

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

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.

I think PBS still has science stuff on it. My antenna doesn't pick it up anymore though :(

&gt; 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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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.

&gt;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&gt;I think that's wrong do you?\n\n*I* think Fascism is worse than Social Democracy.

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?

While your wife (the government) keeps swearing she hasn't done a thing or knows what you are talking about.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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. 

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.

Thanks for the update, but one note:\n\nwho's = who is\n\nYou mean "whose real identity is known to me".

"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.

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.

Sure I'll finish up. You check back in the morning.  Hope you feel better.

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...

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

&gt;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&gt;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?

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.

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.

they aren't equal, so I interpreted the equal sign as an "is a" relation:\n\ndog = animal\nanimal != dog

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.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

&gt;magnetic flux density (magnetic field)\n\nMagnetic flux density != magnetic field strength.

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

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.

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.

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 :)

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.

I'd almost be okay with this if they also paid for scientists to go into churches and teach evolution every other sunday

And this folks, is actually a really good example of correctly using Ad Hominem. 

&gt; "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.

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.

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.

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.

THE Akira Kurosawa?  The one that the best spaghetti westerns are based off of?

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.

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.

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.

Well, don't leave me hangin, what do the aboriginals say about them?

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."

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. 

&gt;some hypothetical "event" where we go INTO THE FIFTH DIMENSIOOON.\n\nI lol'd.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

wbeaty borrowed my pen in 2003 and I have not seen it since. He's no friend of mine

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. 

The phone call has always done itself justice. \n\nI really hope things start to happen, and soon.

Well, if God did exist, she would surely protect the man from the nasty Indonesian court system. Amirite?

No need to be snarky about it. You're title is unneedlessly inflammatory and does not follow. That's all I'm saying. 

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.

&gt; 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.

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.

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 &gt;.&lt;\n

This stuff is amazing, I've read through most of it already.\n\nJust pretending that this is real for fun is fun.

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

It was. I don't recommend the location to anyone. Save your money and go to Waverly Hills, Sloss, or anywhere else really. 

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.

Dynamite actually.  Nitroglycerine + diatomaceous earth = (early) dynamite.

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.

People seriously think that people who meditate are disillusion? Wow. No, meditation does what it needs to do.

&gt; 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.

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.

That headline indicates there is *some* evidence.\n\n&gt; ... built purely on optimism absent of evidence.

I'm going to bed, but I'd love to know what anyone knows or can find out about this.

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?

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

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.

You see all that bullshit christian ant-gay stuff at the bottom of the page?\nFUCK RELIGION.

the [wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Discoverie_of_Witchcraft) links [to it](http://www.archive.org/details/discoverieofwitc00scot)

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.

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.

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.

&gt;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&amp;pg=PA157&amp;lpg=PA157&amp;dq=grush+saunby+report&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=z-ToIu4vna&amp;sig=vDKpFP8Pt5Y18yMRXDVF9dfxfSY&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=Djj7T4GaNabX0QGX4ICABw&amp;redir_esc=y#v=onepage&amp;q=grush%20saunby%20report&amp;f=false)... Now we can go back to that NHTSA report which states estimated figures that they used to make their decision.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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

Is that a joke or something? I really doubt it was one of those lol but who knows

Please don't conflate skepticism with rejection of a particular premise. People who say that global warming is a liberal conspiracy aren't skeptics.

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.

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.

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.

His scientific opinions have no relevance. Modern scientists think/know his theories were (to some extent) correct, that's why they are relevant.

This is what I'd imagine the infant form of Slenderman to look like.

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 &amp; 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.

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. :)

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.

I think the concern is that people will use this instead of actual treatment, and may die from that action.

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.

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. 

\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

Youtube has descriptions, and accounts you can contact. Wimp has nothing. At least we can downvote something from youtube. Also, you are silly :)

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."

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

The main work he's famous for was the contribution of CFCs to ozone depletion though, which isn't actually climate change.

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

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.

You're not helping. I really like [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) and comments like this turn it into crap.

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.

I always find it amusing that the ailments most often touted as being cured by homeopathy are usually psychosomatic. 

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

No, no. All your iridoligist can do is tell you that maybe you should have someone look at your neck.

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

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. 

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. 

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).

A have a similar glitch on here called floating sphere. Sounds like ball lightning most likely

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. 

Sorry, bro.  I'm in a group of people who hold the opinion that Noory is repulsive as a radio host.

The footage is so awful, I don't think there's any way to tell either way.

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!" :)

I actually like JAG. But haven't seen it in 10 years, so unsure if I still do ;)

Video and photographs are no longer evidence for anything. (except the existence of video and photographs).

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.

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.

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? 

That doesn't sound very equal, it sounds like religious people get privileges. I'm sure they're very accommodating to Muslims.

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.

Well, defrauding doesn't need to be a crime.   Just something you know is wrong.  

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

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

Some arsenic compounds, especially those resulting from natural processes, are nearly non-toxic.

They will find a way around any facts to add "weight" to their claims, regardless of whether the "way around" actually nullifies their claims.

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

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

You don't make mistakes if you do the math correctly, and you can double-check math as much as you want.

Only problem with that plan is that it costs money, right from the get go, to get involved. 

There have been reports stating that he has Asberger's or something similar.  I think that is where the "crazy" talk comes from.

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.  

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 

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.

&gt; You do realize that this infection is a result of mechanical milking, right?\n\nI don't see that implied by anything.

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.  

I suppose eating marmalade might count. I freaking love marmalade.

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&gt;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&gt;"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

Aw man, I'd forgotten that episode. For a minute I thought there had been a new season and I just hadn't heard. 

&gt;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 &lt;crickets&gt;.\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

[QuackWatch](http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/faith.html) is always a great place to start for this kind of things.

Is there a way to induce a coma before testing?  It wouldn't affect the skin response and would be more humane.

Which one was you though? Were you the penis or the machine gun?

&gt;  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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

There is nothing unusual about the sounds in this clip. It's what low quality  microphones will do to ambiance and whatever. 

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. 

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?

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.  

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. 

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.

Thank you for your service!\n\n&gt;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.

Half the drugs used by modern medicine kill more people than they help

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." 

I respectfully disagree.  Dictators are always wrong.  Only the people have the right to govern themselves.

&gt;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

You wrote that you had found more evidence. What was it?  And the piercing screech, what time of day normally? 

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).

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;Man, you live in a shithole. Why do you not move to a better country?\n\nMoney.\n

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

Start a public health "club" and put up posters about how important vaccines are.  This is infuriating!

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?

&gt;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&gt;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. 

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?'

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&gt; 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.

Ask Steve Jobs how a lifestyle change helped with his cancer.\n\nOh you can't?  Why?  Oh yeah.  He's dead.

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 

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. 

I ran into that book while searching for the short story. Not at all the same, unfortunately. \n\nYour WP &gt; My WP. Kudos!

Yeah, that's true as well. What's the proper term? Implanted memories? Hell, brainwashing?

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.

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

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.

It doesn't imply causation any more than being related to someone implies that you're their father.

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.

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...

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

Wow. CVS isn't just selling homeopathic remedies, they are also selling their own store brand.

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. 

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. 

Don't you just love dealing with an agenda-less post like this one? 

I- Wow... the comments on that post. Just.. wow. &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;

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.

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.

I wouldn't allow my children to attend a school who had made a vaccine exception for a single student. Christ.

Again, my "unabashed rudeness" consisted of me saying \n\n&gt; 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.

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

"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. 

Omg, This has been my mantra all my life.  I cannot believe I am not the only one!!

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.*

&gt; 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.

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 

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.

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...

He's very reclusive? \n\nHow convenient\n\nI wish I could have Picard moment a la Devil's Due with this guy

It's probably hypnagogia. Very normal. Not mental illness. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

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).

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.

Not a single fucking comment about what they actually said. You guys have zero attention spans.

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

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I've ended up where I needed to be ;)

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.

Tacky tacky tacky....\n\nSomeone needs help in the marketing department. How about call it "Aid funds underwritten by a God-less non-believer."

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.

I hate having to agree with your last line, but fuck. It's really gotten bad out there.

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. 

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&gt;*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.

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.

&gt; 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.

&gt; Well, yes dose is everything, but the **in vitro** studies are showing effects with just a few nanograms/gram.\n\nFTFY

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.

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. 

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.....

And that for women is exceptionally mild when it comes to voting. Factors other than gender are more important for voters.

Occam's razor still applies, then. (A much easier way to remove a nose)

ok, i watched it, all 81 minutes.  \n\nTL;DW\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nAGNxQI20w

"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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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...

Hence the could. It probably depends on what kind of mood every one is in.

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.

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. 

Jesus christ man you've got to give us a warning that this was a parody! Poes Law on Deepak Chopra.

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. 

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.

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.

If wheat was really that bad for us, it's a little surprising that its domestication became the backbone of the first great civilizations. 

Yay I was afraid no one noticed my link :D You're awesome for knowing the Futurama Episode!

Posting on reddit about how you've been oppressed and hated as an atheist, you brave soul. /r/atheism is that way.

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.

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.

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.

The mountains are pretty clearly Photoshopped. I can tell by the pixels.\n\nSeriously, though, they really are Photoshopped to match the graph.

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.

&gt; 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.

I object to the title because I'm always expecting UFO radio transmissions!!!\n\n

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...

Especially because the knife appears to pierce one or both external jugular veins.

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.

&gt; If you’re going to watch telly  \nyou should watch Scooby Doo.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; The fucking janitor  \nor the dude who ran the waterslide.\n\n&gt; Throughout history  \nevery mystery  \never solved  \nhas turned out to be  \n_not magic_.  \n

[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&gt;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.

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.

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?

&gt;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.

There is an exorcism frenzy going on in the Catholic Church right now. If you ask me they are worried about becoming irrelevant.

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. 

&gt;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&gt;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?

Ty Clyde! I fixed the post and put an example of a Knights night time exercise up as well.  There are some striking similarities

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.

&gt;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!

For a skeptic you're pretty ignorant of how a small sample can bias your findings.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

"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" &lt;--- 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.

The term UFO is too deeply embedded in English-Speaking culture.

"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.

There are a few [ghost hunter forums](https://www.google.com/search?q=GHOSTHUNTER+FORuM&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:nl:official&amp;client=firefox-a#sclient=psy-ab&amp;hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=0jg&amp;rls=org.mozilla:nl%3Aofficial&amp;source=hp&amp;q=ghosthunter+forum&amp;pbx=1&amp;oq=ghosthunter+forum&amp;aq=f&amp;aqi=g-l1g-jl1&amp;aql=1&amp;gs_sm=e&amp;gs_upl=13192l16309l0l16508l20l16l0l0l0l0l201l1997l3.11.1l15l0&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.,cf.osb&amp;fp=9d9f93efc0f2400&amp;biw=1280&amp;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. 

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.

&gt; 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.

&gt;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?

Me? No, but you'll reply to this with more insults, so that one's one you. Night.

&gt;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?

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.

&gt;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.

fotoforensics analysis doesn't work on pictures that have had global changes, ie., cropped, resized or such like. 

\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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;A movie seat. You can't go to the movies unless you have a seat that can accommodate you.\n\nSteven\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;She's nothing but a media whore and being propositioned by Dawkins is the highlight of her "career".

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? 

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.

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!

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

because Lake Okeechobee is bigger than any lake by me. And all we saw was water

Hah, my dad asked the guy driving the roach coach that once. He said, "What kind do you want it to be?"

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.

&gt; proven to work for centuries \n\nThis is an invalid argument.

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.

I love Dr. Novella's work, SBM &amp; 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.  

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.

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. 

"what is the biggest ghost you've ever caught and where do you keep it?" lol

I hope that facebook page's comments is a vocal minority.  I wonder if they (FDA) ever tried to rebute their (cranks) statements.

That's what I figured, I just thought it was weird that the same type of light showed up with 2 different cameras.  Thanks!

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 ). 

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

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.

No. 4 is a funny one when creationists pull out a physicist who doesn't believe in evolution.

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.

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.

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!

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%.

I lived in a haunted house for one year.  Would get similar bits of panic.  Left the house, nothing like that ever again.

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.

This is the benefit of homeopathy- it can be used to absorb hypochondriacs and free up real doctors for real patients.

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.

[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).

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. &amp; 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 &amp; 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 - &amp; 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.

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.

Weird... Did it look kinda like that scene in Donnie Darko where he stabs at an invisibile wall with a knife?

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.

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. 

*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.

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.

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.  

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.

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

She was exceptionally bad. I mean "I see and M or a J in your life" has got to be the cheapest ruse evar.

I think the first thing someone should do is find out where the fuck Venus is.

@ 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 .

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..

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.

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."

Agreed, recordings would be interesting. And also, beds have good energy? Would you mind elaborating on this?

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&amp;down the stairs, etc. And if I suddenly flipped the switch and noticed that my *hallway light went missing*, I'd freak out.

Correlation is not causation, and the evidence has not found a causal link between the two, except for obesity.

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. :) 

&gt; 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.

The Streisand effect is truly a beautiful thing. Justice porn almost.

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

&gt;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&gt;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

&gt; 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.

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.

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.

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

She has no interests. At all. When I asked her, she said "music" and I facepalmed.

Yup.  [You're being a bit of a dick.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQl5aYhkF3E)  Make your point, then let it go.

For someone who doesn't believe in magic it sure looks like he's capable of it.

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.

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.

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.)

Where did you procure them? They sound like something I want on my bed!

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

&gt;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. 

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.

[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

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

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.

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

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.

&gt;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!

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

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!

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.

Indeed, as interesting as this article is, does this really belong on r/skeptic?

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&gt; Homeopathy comes up.   \n&gt; ME: They are essentially selling water at really insane prices.  \n&gt; HIM: Okay but you can't trust big pharma, it's a multi-billion dollar industry.  \n&gt; ME: What does that have to do with how dumb homeopathy is?  \n&gt; HIM: I'm just being a skeptic, I question everything.  \n&gt; 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.

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?

And your piddling number of upvotes.\n\nAre you seriously trying to intimidate someone into ending a conversation on the internet...?

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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

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. 

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.

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

I think I found their [origin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBk3jwNSteo&amp;feature=player_detailpage#t=32s).

Yeah, sort of a stupid title to the post.\n\nWait.  \n\nI mean, IT MUST BE!  Because, you know!  Aliens!

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.

I'm interested in this "Dragons Blood ink". Is it made with real dragons?

Well that's disheartening. Same OP and all.\n\n*Ninja edit: and Happy Cake Day*

Would you oppose another investigation that isn't constrained and absurdly underfunded?

The video was sent to many top universities with an open invitation to submit rebuttals.  \n\n

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.

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.

&gt; 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!

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.

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.

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.

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. 

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&amp;qid=1346460261&amp;sr=8-1&amp;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.

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! 

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?

I filmed this yesterday afternoon (Friday, May 4th).  Poor headline-planning on my part.  ;)

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.

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.

[Get ready to have your world rocked](http://www.reddit.com/user/IamInLoveWithJesus).

That made my brain hurt. I must be suffering from EM-emitting DNA bacterial whatsits. 

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! 

Interesting. I'm a bit surprised there were no problems with inflammation.\n\n&gt; 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.

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.

&gt;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*."

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

Jumping in to try to clear something up real quick:\n\n&gt;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).

&gt;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.

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."    

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).

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.

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?

Why can't /r/skeptic stop all the downvoting? Same answer applies.  

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

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.

Looked like a lady in tight shorts stretching and producing pink excrement.\n\nOh and having a needle being stuck at their anus.

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.

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?

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.

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.

to be skeptical is healthy, as long as you can be objective at the same time  

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!

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.

&gt;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&gt;No two fingerprints have ever been found identical in many billions of human and automated computer comparisons.

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

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)

I believe you but I can see how some people wouldn't believe these.... impossible stories.

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.

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.

Canadian here. Forgive my ignorance but what is this radio program about exactly?\n\nSorry.

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.

It could be either but thankfully its a spelling error.  If it was a grammar error I'd be pretty retarded. :)

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.

It means they look very closely at the evidence, and come from a skeptical point of view while trying to find logical explanations.

"Ahh, the Luftwaffe! The Washington Generals of the History Channel!"

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?

These objects would have to be massive to be able to see them from that distance...

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.

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&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wl

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.

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. 

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

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.

The link did not provide the clarity I was looking for. Done with the gambit :)

You're right.  I shall cease having fun immediately.  I apologize.

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.

Throw in David Icke and you've got my vote.\n\nMy reptilian, Illuminati vote.

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.

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

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.

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. 

when reporting indoors... when outside, you're wearing headgear 99.9% of the time. 

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."

Indeed. I was being facetious with the Harrier comment in naming a plane that "does half of those things".

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.

He is very well spoken and clear on his ideas and goals that he has put forth.   Read his book you dimwit.

I did not know that, I dont think anyone can argue that his life is not a mystery and will probably remain one forever 

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?

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?

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."*

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

The post above me initiated politics. Don't bring up politics if you don't want a political response. 

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. 

A "Ghost Hunter" is a hobbyist and a "Paranormal Researcher" is a hobbyist with an inflated ego?

&gt;Radiation therapy is just called radiation therapy.\n\nOr "radiotherapy" in Australia/Canada/the UK.

Why does a subreddit like skeptic need such a badly editorialized headline?

Here's the main problem:\n\n&gt; 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.

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. 

&gt;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.

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.

And people tell me the general public isn't getting emotional reactions to science from bad sci-fi and horror movies.

How to say this nicely.... \n\nThis video's view of reality is highly unlikely. 

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.) 

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

This is one of the things that brings it close to [Poe's Law](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Poe's_Law) territory.

By the way, you want to do \\[text\\]\\(link\\) instead of using HTML.

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. 

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.

gee could that possibly be because the soldiers have been there killing their civilians for a generation?

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. 

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.

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.

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 : )

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!

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.

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.

Dr Oz has lost all credibility since he became famous. Get better advice watching the Price is Right.

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?

Or alternatively, we will all have a local google on our iWhatever.

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 

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)

This pastor's methods are as evidenced-based as any other ex-gay therapy. 

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?

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. 

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.

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.

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"

It's well worth reading the story about the Holy man arriving at the village.

&gt; hey hippy and hipster are not interchangeable terms!\n\nI know... hence I specified both... :p

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.  

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

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.

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.

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

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"?

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.

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.

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

&gt; 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

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.

Isn't this the clip from the sci-fi channel show fact or fake?  

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!

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

I read the entire post and watched the video again, in fullscreen. I see the dark shadow around the center.

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. 

Why do you assume the nice bits are original, and all the horrible stuff is added after the fact?

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. 

And in 3 months, we'll have a bunch more "History" channel specials on conspiracy theories for why the world *didn't* end.

Thanks! I really love the smell of eucalyptus so I'm excited to use it. 

Why do you believe in ghosts?  What kind of paranormal activity have you experienced?

Really, stop wasting your time correcting people on the internet, you come across as a smug ass.

&gt;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.

I'm sure it works if you grind the seeds and apply it directly to the cancer. Unfortunately, this kills the patient.

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.

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.

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.  

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*?

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

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

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&amp;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

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

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

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&gt;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&gt;Subject #193: FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU *hemorrhages horrifically until dead*

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.

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.

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.

&gt; Debunk this.\n\nI couldn't resist anyway.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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/)

Also: why did he have to put so much tape all around if he only was attaching the four magnets? Seems wasteful.

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.

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 

He's been out of the game for a little while now, even at his best he still got possessed at one point. 

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.

Since there is no link in the post, the only pain was clicking on this thread.

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.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouette#Photography\n\nThat explains the fact that it's pure black pretty easily.

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

That sounds so cool. I wonder if i have ever had an experience like this...

Those Californians think the world revolves around them ;) ...btw I miss the Bay :P

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

&gt;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.

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.  

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.

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?

Putting antibacterial agents in soap only leads to superresistant bacterial strains. Why is this story in skeptic?

&gt;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. 

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?

The headline is misleading. He wasn't _trying_ to commit suicide. He was clearly trying to stay alive.

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!

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

&gt; 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&gt;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&gt; 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

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. 

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.

As a Professor of Thanksgiving, PhD, I find your lack of faith disturbing.

And you are [a notorious liar](http://www.reddit.com/r/climateskeptics/comments/13ovqa/are_al_gores_dirty_weather_claims_and_tactics/c782ihh).

A great book and I would definitely recommend it. In fact it should be compulsory reading!

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.

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

Don't underestimate the power of people's ability to fool themselves. If the current, overwhelming, evidence isn't enough, then no evidence will.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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..

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.

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. 

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).

I doubt the religious component has anything to do with it.  I think it's more the whole alternative medicine bullshit.

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.

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?

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.

&gt; 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!

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.

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.  

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.

I think /r/trees learned today that ths skeptic pendulum swings both ways.\n

I'd need to get a hold of a good video camera, which I don't currently have. 

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. 

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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. 

Those are merely people without an unhealthy skepticism of skepticism. Some of us accurately predict that sooner or later, we are all fucked,.

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.

&gt; As you can see mercury is getting out of the way.\n\nThat's called an Orbit.  I switched off after she said that.

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.

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.

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. 

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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." 

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?

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

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. 

Halo was the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread's title

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. 

The photos in this book are unreal. Screws embedded in rocks from mines that are millions of years old, and such. 

Not exactly "new".  I saw this over a year ago.  Good information, but not new.

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. 

Dittoing my response to this in /r/philosophy:\n\n&gt; 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&gt; \n&gt; 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&gt; \n&gt; "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.

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.

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.

There were also those things called an earthquake and Tsunami...

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.

But experts were not used in this particular study, so its results seem a bit useless.

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.

&gt; 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.

so are they saying that the flood happened 3550 million years ago? 

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.

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

I'm pretty sure governments have been building bunkers and things like this since they began.

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&gt; 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&gt; 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? 

I was going to reply with a snarky response, but then realized this is the only right response that could be given.

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. 

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

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

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&amp;program_name=podcast&amp;program_id=darknessradio.xml&amp;mid=21862294

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.

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. 

Actually, the submitter could very well be [the guy](http://twitter.com/keithdok) who interviewed Kari.

I dont see on their twitter feed where it says they were blocked by the military.

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. 

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

But that isn't what the bible says and god certainly has expereince devaluing life.

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.

"Allegedly DARPA has given this move the green light. The comments by the President will be made within the next month."\n\no_o

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

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.

Is that that the guy aj jacobs visited in "The Year of Living Biblically"? "http://www.ajjacobs.com/books/yolb.asp

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.

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.

 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&gt; 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.

&gt; 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. 

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...

I read parts of the document. I am working a lot right now and will try to read it through tonight at work.

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

Found the video: [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTNX6mr753w).

&gt;There is no verifiable evidence for anything currently thought of as paranormal.\n\nYea, cause when that happens it's called science. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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

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.

I love how you felt a link to describe 2012 and the mayan calendarwas necessary, but an upvote for quoting a source and trying.

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.

You should go see the people living there now and ask if they're experiencing anything.

I believe this is referred to as an ["Ad-Hoc Theory"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hoc_hypothesis)

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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

George Washington University.....\nhttp://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/news/20010430/\n\nHow about that?

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

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

A special report, [Politics &amp; Global Warming: Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and the Tea Party](http://environment.yale.edu/climate/news/PoliticsGlobalWarming2011/) (full report found here)

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!

the second one looks like someone wearing a cape or towel, doesn't it?

Oh great googly moogly, where do these people keep coming from?  

Quite the opposite, P&amp;T are huge skeptic and James Randi is even on an episode.

Would waterboarding terrorists with seawater instead of tap water cure their extremism?

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.

&gt; 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

It's 19:00 GMT for anyone else in England unable to do the time math.

"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"

&gt; 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.   

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. 

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.

Get rewarded by looking for UFOs while at work and getting fired.\n\nI'm in.

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

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.

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. 

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

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!"

currently working on a way to kill these things when they find them

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

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. 

very true, maybe they just "don't give a shit"--a very real option, but unlikely oversight.

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&amp;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 ! 

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.

What height is the cloud ceiling? does the weather report tell you that? Or the wind speed?

Is that a sister publication of The Onion? This sounds like it was lifted straight from The Onion: \n\n&gt; 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.

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. 

It's celebrating the stopping of the plot and arrest of Mr. Fawkes, rather than the guy himself.

&gt; 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&gt; 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).

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?

I think this has been posted before and [somebody found these kites.](https://www.google.nl/search?q=led+kite&amp;ie=utf-8&amp;oe=utf-8&amp;aq=t&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;client=firefox-a)

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.

It's probably a big frozen ball of poop from an airplane.  Notice the peanut next to the hole.  

Ananda Marga website is www.crimsondawn.info\nTry searching for Abha Light there...

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!**

That wouldn't go over well. It's apparent from reading the webpage that blind faith is involved.

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.

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. 

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.  

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."

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 

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. 

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

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?

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.)

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.

I can see how you can say that being surrounded by Southern Baptists, but try not to generalize a whole region.

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.

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.

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.

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.

if someone gets you a stabilized version, lemme know. i need to see it.

I was going to post this one.  I like and frequent the boards over there.

"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.

from a guy on the paranormal subreddit...  really....................................................................

&gt;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.

[It's already been done.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Alpha)  It didn't change anything.

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.

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.

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&gt;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.

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.

Arguably, it is choice though, because it's a different product from all their other stuff

&gt;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. 

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

Exactly. The only situation I could think of would be eating weed. 

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.

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)

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.

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. 

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

You just went full tin-foil hat. I have never heard of any of these theories.

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.

Yeah but conspiracies are for the lulz to many people... I don't think you can draw many conclusions from that.

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.

&gt;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.

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?."  

That is pretty awful and yet still not as dumb as the things Deepak Chopra says.

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.

You know what other phenomena creates moving lights in the sky? UFO's.

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.

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.

The thread about it on ATS he mentions has been moved to Hoaxes 

"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

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.

Touche, let's not forget that ourselves most definitely.\n\nEven if they really, *really* do ignore the large positive body of evidence.

Just reminded me of that CG kids show "Reboot". Hence the 90's reference :)

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.

Good to know, It was a cool video but it seemed a bit set-up. Thanks!

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.  

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!

That's one of the shittiest "EVP" video's i've ever seen. So unprofessional, cut with music....it's hard to believe.

The problem is that such an argument is applicable to everything. Nothing is 100% safe.

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 :)

Cool! Thanks. I will post updates to the people interested in these responses when we get it going.

Magnets have a profound effect on our energy spectrum. And yes, Quantum does explain things.

This happened to me the last two days and sounds very familiar. http://m.wisegeek.com/what-are-hypnopompic-hallucinations.htm\n

I met someone the other day who had a WWJD bracelet and one of these on. Lost all respect for him instantaneously. 

Upvoted because of name.  &lt;3 Cyberiad.  Have you read Altruazine yet?  Mind = blown after that stuff.  Lem Stanislaw was a genius...

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.

It certainly wouldn't be an *ET* UFO - which *is* what this forum is about.

"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!"

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.

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

Those big hairy monsters, they're real Trin. What person ever moved like that in the history of people?

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!"

Do my tax dollars pay for this?\n\nThe stupid, it burns...the goggles do nothing...

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.

Those comments hurt my brain. People actually believe this shit? 

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.

How do I encourage rational thought WHEN HE HAS A HALFROBOT FACE?

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.

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)

&lt;Morbo&gt;SAT scores don't work that way.&lt;/Morbo&gt;\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.

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

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)

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.

&gt; 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)).

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.   

&gt;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.

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.

&gt; 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.

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!

Unfortunately, yes! The current trend for magical thinking and conspiracies is actually very prominent in highly educated individuals. It's counterintuitive.

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.  

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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;[edit]"Set up" to fail\n\n&gt;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]

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.

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.

"Global warming" is a poorly chosen phrase to describe it, though. "Climate change" is at least more accurate.

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.

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.

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.

It's just a movie trailer. I would have to watch the movie to have an opinion.

Nope. I'm afraid this is not interesting. Wrong answer. You leave, with nothing.

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. 

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.

Thanks so much for linking to the paging=off version of the article.

At first I thought this would be interesting, but it's actually really long winded and obvious.

I didn't see that. I'll check.\n\nEdit- I can't find it. Do you have a link?

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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?

I feel bad putting this here since made this post, but, DUH [SHEEPLE WILL WAKE UP](http://xkcd.com/1013/).

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?

It's a bug. I've seen this is video that I have shot before. Just looks really cool against a blue sky backdrop.

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. 

hah, yes, there are most definitely things that I *don't* miss about Utah too.

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?    

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.

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!

Again, none of those things point to these objects being extraterrestrial in nature.

"Limited commercials"? I gave up before the commercials stopped.

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.

And as an unemployed reditor, I would like to say... you're welcome. :)

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"?

Same! In foreign languages here. My guess is that the length of the speaker wire acted as an antenna for a particular frequency.

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.

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.

I form my picture based on people I talk to. In schools, universities, at home, etc...

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

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

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.

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

&gt;First, many of the points you enumerate are direct responses to assertions made by the study's authors.\n\n[citation needed]\n\n&gt;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.

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. :)

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.  

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

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.

He eventually sought regular treatment. But first he resorted to woo.

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.

Yepp. Unfortunately genuinely medicinal "natural" medicines are lumped in with alternative "medicines".\n\nFTFY

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)

&gt;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.

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.

They never had me sign a waiver that covers their ass when they kill me.

I would suspect that your chiropractor is very different from the standard definition, and more similar to a physio. Have fun drinking.

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.

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. 

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.

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!

Dude, they're supposedly defense systems for earth. Where do you think the idea for Missile Command came from?

There's no such thing as ghosts, and saving money is awesome. Cheaper house, thanks. 

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. 

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.

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.

Collen Thomas is a [lunatic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nFzmvsf6xI&amp;feature=related). Cue the circus music.\n\nHonestly though, besides their entertainment value (I use that term loosely), people like these need mental help.

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. 

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. 

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&amp;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

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.

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.

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

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.

Malting is a little more complicated than that. It has to happen at a specific temperature for the proper sugars to form. 

Nah, I was looking at the Carlton .gif earlier and it was still stuck in my head.

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

&gt;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.

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?

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?

I actually agree. He's a non-theist, but "agnostic" is just how he chooses to describe himself.

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.  :(

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.

&gt;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?

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.

Too bad it erroneously assumes that the christian god is the correct god and that heaven and hell exist.

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.

Sometimes it happens so quick you don't really get a chance to pull your camera out.

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. 

So you draw the conclusion that more funding is needed from a sample of one?

- 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.

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.

&gt;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&gt;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.

Here is the live performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WidsgIt3lfw&amp;feature=player_embedded

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.

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?  

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. 

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.

"solved" = a quoted source uttering, "it might be ball lightning"?

You mean, how it's used in **conventional** medicine to help people handle some nasty symptoms?

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.

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&gt;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.

&gt;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.

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.

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

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. 

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

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.

Actually if it was China or Korea, their story makes sense in context. They did not have cell phone access and B&amp;W TV was more common then colored television.

Upvote from me for a very put together response. Not an immediate stonewall debunker either, which, really doesnt happen enough sometimes. 

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. 

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

I'll let you know the next time I care about Simon Cowell or his fucking house.

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

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.

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.

&gt;“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?

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. 

"Doctor, my leg has fallen off"\n\n"It's my opinion that it hasn't"

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.

welp we're already set up on freenode if you want to come join us. We'd be happy to have you there :)

It's a good joke, don't understand the downvotes. People should learn to not be so sensitive all the time.

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.

&gt;water being heavier than ice\n\nAlmost the truth as water is more *dense* than ice.

No reason why it *couldn't* work, plenty of reasons why it wouldn't. I'm aware of no evidence that it ever does.

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.

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.

This video is clearly edited. Not saying all the videos are fake, but this video has an obvious cut.

*"...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.

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.

This video is just boring and possibly a little bit annoying. Why is it here?

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.

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. 

[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.  

I saw a documentary that had that lady featured in it. She was burned to shit, though. Like skin graft burns. It was nasty. 

Glad I live on the southsore. I just have to worry about getting shot

Wow, your mom sounds like a loon.  Good luck convincing her of anything.

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.

As lead fungineer I must warn you that his presence there could cause a shitty singularity. 

Imaginary friends, but actual fists. Still, as long as the confrontations are limited to Facebook, he should be exposed as a bullshitter.

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. :(

I've heard that but not from the British guy. From the disclosure 4 hour video.

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.

May be, but I don't give a shit. The man *walked on the mother fucking Moon*.

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&amp;feature=youtube

That's interesting. I didn't know your body would switch back like that. 

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.

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

&gt; 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.

She replied to my question of ethics http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/gzww4/iaman_internet_psychic_ama/c1rk39v?context=3

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))

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.

&gt;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.

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

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.

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)

&gt;Fuck Off\n\nThanks for the offer, but I'll politely decline. :-)\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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...

Publisher &amp; 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

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

Many times. The only problem with sharing stories or experiences is that there's always someone who thinks they can explain them. 

The stupid's always been winning. Luckily, it's winning less and less as time passes.

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.

Good point. However, as you've said, most of it is bullshit. Anyway, thanks for clarifying.

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. 

~~The internet~~ real life: a cruel and vile place where crazy people are taken seriously. 

Unless, for some reason white cells were unusually attracted to a particular coloring compound, this is complete bullshit. 

it's clearly modern, its fresh rock, if it was 100's or 1000's of years old it would not be that colour

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.

[Relevant.](http://hermiene.net/essays-trans/relativity_of_wrong.html)\n\nJust because we don't know, doesn't mean we know nothing.

"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.

"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

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&gt;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.

* 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.

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

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.

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 :)

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 :( 

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.

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. 

By doing so, those people dismiss the science that is indeed in psychology e.g., the Weber–Fechner law.

&gt; 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.

&gt; 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"?

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.

Meditation is perfectly legitimate if you remove the feel the universe woo from it.

no, sorry. that comment is misplaced. I was summing up what that website says, not what you were saying.

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.

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.

[DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE QUEERS ARE DOING TO THE SOIL?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xuvcpjf1JU)\n\n&gt;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.

&gt; 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".

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.

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.

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?

Hmm, interesting. Those are the exact pills James Randi overdoses on when talking about homeopathy.

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

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!!!!!!

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?

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.

&gt;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&gt;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

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.

&gt;This is a really good reply!\n\nThanks. Your reply too!\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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

&gt;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. 

Which is like the Ice Cream Council saying your ideal weight is 200 kilos.

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.

Thank you so much, this is perfect. All this has been good info.

I think another redditor spoke of this.. http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/zotnc/can_someone_explain/

THAT AUTOMATICALLY, BY DEFAULT, MEANS JESUS DID IT! NO OTHER DEITY OR REASON JUST JESUS!

Nice post.  Maybe some of these links should have a permanent home over there on the sidebar thingy ---&gt;

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.

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&gt; 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.

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. 

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.

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.

I hate to say it, but if all of the soccer fans disappeared, they wouldn't be missed by NASA.

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.

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. 

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

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. 

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. 

Happened to me, except I didn't feel well rested.  Sort of the same.

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?

Mac is a product made by Apple. it is not the name of the company.\n\n&gt;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.

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.

&gt;First paper: All volounteers use medication to control their diabetes.\n\nSo did the control group. Their diabetes did not improve.

GREAT review.  Terrible show.  Can't someone actually make a show that features a real investigation and scientific method?

We are a needy group.  Surely [@krelnik](http://twitter.com/krelnik) will fix it.

"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".

&gt;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.

[It was funny 3 days ago too!](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/o3qn2/iv_resolved_to_start_using_herbal_remedies/)

I could swear to you the same thing happened to me -- as a kid, I'm almost POSITIVE the word 'vivid' meant 'bland'.

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

Some people restrict their empathy to their own gender. Some to their own "race". Some even restrict it to just their own family &amp; 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.

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.

[Never try to teach a pig to sing...](http://tofuphotography.blogspot.com/2009/01/singing-pig.html)

Just know that you fit perfectly in the definition of a solipsist.

*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.

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. 

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.

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".

This is awesome and thanks! Anyone have any clues/ideas? Looks like maybe it begins w/ "FINH ..."

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.

&gt;"[So &amp; 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.

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

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&gt; 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?

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,....

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..

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

If they can make videos like [this](http://vimeo.com/32241005), why the fuck are the UFO videos from the ISS such shitty quality?

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.

Maybe it got caught in her hair/pajamas/whatever and fell off when she went to the bathroom?

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.

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!

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&gt;"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.

Yeah, and germans were gassing jews in the 40's, which proves that they are still doing that.

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.

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.

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.

I didn't realize Tim Meadows felt so strongly about the cosmic conflict. 

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.

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

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.

Computerized grading systems, school e-mail &amp; bulletins, communication between teachers, online information resources, *the internet*, streaming video...I could go on, but I just don't want to.

You should walk in there and tell them that you are going to get the job.

Exactly. That is why no one takes them seriously. At least, not the general public. 

Natural sugar is not rate-limited in any way HFCS is not.\n\nThe quote you're reading:\n\n&gt; 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.

I agree with you. There is a lot of confusion, which leads to fear and scaring customers into buying shit. 

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**

[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!

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.

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.

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.

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?

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. 

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.

I'm starting to doubt that you took the time to comprehend anything in my comment.

You think someone was flying an rc helicopter in a lightning storm?

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.

"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.

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

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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.

&gt; 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&gt; and not beat the straw man of a poorly-educated fundamentalist \n\nThat's not the straw man. That's the real man.

There is lots of space junk floating around up there.  I don't think that space junk "cloud seeds".

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?

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.

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. 

Yeah. And Dr. Edward and May Mellanby stumbled upon a similar dietary plan (around the same era) where vitamin K was also a linchpin.

Good for you! But now the government wants their share, but you would rather get drunk and fondle your kitties! What to do?

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.

[direct link to video without the gawker blogspam](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkGMY63FF3Q)

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.

Why the sudden push to show videos of that "rocket" type one in place of this and all the pictures is even more strange.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

Yep, that Dawkins' comment hurts to read. All the best to Rebecca.

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.

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. 

&gt; 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?

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. 

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.

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.

Is PandanLeaves most of us? Because unless he is, his own opinion on the subject doesn't matter.\n\nAlso, merry fucking Christmas.

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. 

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.

Am I ever happy that you angry misogynist assholes exist mostly on the internet.  

I'm not saying I could do better, but, those space shuttle shots were not "shockingly realistic" to me...

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. 

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? 

Lol...I watched it and I thought it was kinda fake.  Good acting XD

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.

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.

Honestly, I'm sorry I offended your definition of content. I'll actually try to be more careful in the future.

&gt; 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?

How some of those people are able to operate computers in beyond me.

Really? The flu never goes away by itself! Why is big pharma suppressing herbal roots? 

The cognitive dissonance surrounding AGW is simply stunning.\n\nAGW is like kryptonite to rational thought.

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 

Doesn't even need that.  A very small sheen of water can create the needed adhesion.

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.

I don't typically trust photos of reflections. For all we know, this could be a little old lady walking past. Impossible to say.

&gt; 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&gt;  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.

Harsh. Hotel guests are assholes. I think I got the point, though. Have fun.

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

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).

You are correct. I independently watch the footage and had the same disagreement with EnglishBulldog that you did.

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&gt;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!"

&gt;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.

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!

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. 

...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. 

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. 

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.

Almost all the facebook polls (which are really advertisements half the time) are loaded like that.

Vaccine Pizza sounds awful. I don't want needles poking out of what I eat.

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. 

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.

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... ¬_¬

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.

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? 

&gt;You know that Ron Paul has a Bachelors degree in Biology, right?\n\nyou know that makes it worse right?

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

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.  

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

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. 

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).

Can we downvote for *post hoc ergo propter hoc* fallacies and anecdotal evidence?

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

My only problem is that some subreddits would be multiple subreddits.  like /r/atheism would be /r/circlejerk, /r/politics, /r/lgbt, etc

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...

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.

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.

Wow, I don't think I've seen a label with more bullshit per square-inch.

Religion and its followers. If they can believe in a magic fairy man up above us, they'll believe in stuff mostly that stupid.

Neil deGrass Tyson says yes:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7c6EO46Bu8

&gt;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.

So basically, these are like braces for your eyes.\nI remain skeptical but it could be looked into.

The last frame is also a good argument against 911 conspiracies.\n\nEdit: misspelled against

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!

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.

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

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.

You need to apologize to the community as a whole for that. I feel empty inside right now because of your reply.

I changed my downvotes to upvotes. So, the fact that it's now low isn't my doing :/

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.

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. 

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.

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?

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.

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. 

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&gt;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?

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/

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!"

Lack of reliable sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Del_Rio,_Texas_UFO_Crash&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1\n\nThere's nothing to stop you recreating it, so long as you cite it better

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&gt; 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

Clearly you are not based in consciousness or you'd know that these are all much more reliable than classical sciences.  ;)

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."

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.

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?

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. 

And claims that this is punishment from god in 3.. 2.. [oh look. There it is already](http://i.imgur.com/TeRDy.jpg)

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. 

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.)

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. 

And they should be followed up closely if they ever have a child ever again.

What if we could get them to count reddit as a media presence? Do an IAMA get a thousand or so replies etc...

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

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.

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.

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.

Some chiropractors are trying to bring more science into the practice.  They are also slowly merging with physical therapy.  

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.

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.

The ONLY valid basis for a scientific theory is its predictive and explanatory power.

um...i realized it...must have been a miscommunication somewhere?

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...)

&gt;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?

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.

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.

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.  

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.

Yeah but the idea that salt causes those conditions (hypertension, diabetes, and CVD) is bunk, though it's accepted as received wisdom.  

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.

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.

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

But science is a democrazy! My opinions are as valid as your evidence!

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. 

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.

&gt; 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.

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).

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! 

Infotainment outlets don't need to inform as long as people feel informed.

Good stuff, i'd love to see the end product when you finish. Sorry if I came off as presumptive.

&gt;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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

Some friends like disagreeing with each other and debating things.

&gt;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

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.

I was with the author until they claimed that they used a lookalike to type.

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.

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.

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

And FWIW, it looks like he did his [math](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=17.5+m%2Fs+in+mph) wrong.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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..

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.

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.

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&gt; 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&gt; - 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&gt; - If the 1957 map is accurate, then Reynolds Island sank completely beneath the sea and then rose again.\n\n&gt; Such substantial differences could only be due to cataclysmic variations in sea level and / or a major seismic event.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; &gt; "Uunartoq Qeqertaq is not a new island. Pat Michaels debunked this particular Warmist myth back in 2008…"\n\n&gt; **In reality it is Michaels' myth that has been debunked.**

You...  Are some kind of fancy-pants, aren't you?  I like the cut of your jib.  And I know jibs, by golly.

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.

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.

This is why I'm afraid to put my hand down the garbage disposal....:/

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.

I knock on wood, because I like its pagan/Druid origins.  I don't walk under ladders because it seems a little dangerous.

Set up a camera! Sometimes cameras can see things that our eyes cannot.

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. 

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.

Nice word trap.\n\nI do agree, but change faith in place of belief.

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?

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?).

&gt;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

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.

Pretty clear the me that he was thinking same birthday and year.

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..

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.

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.

We can't see if you were being effective. You didn't link to anything.

I don't think this is something that would surprise wine connoisseurs at all.

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.

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. 

And modern day medicine gave him the chance to live longer than he would without it.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia\nIt's a common sleep/dreaming fuckup.

Dude.... I'm on the jury and Buzz Aldrin did anything short of  committing mass genocide -- he get's a pass.     

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.

We've already been using 2-4-D for 60 years...\n\nMonocots are naturally immune, this simply extends that immunity to certain dicots. 

&gt; *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)

He starts talking about how he projects his desires at approximately 15:10.

Nah, the world will end sooner says the Mayan calendar so we're all fucked before his dealine runs out.

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?

&gt;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!

exactly this. that was what was so odd about the whole thing. that and just how confused i was after the incident.

Evolutionary Psychology was an extremely poor choice for that defense. That stuff _is_ crap.

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.

&gt; 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&amp;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!"

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.

after the first few episodes i stopped watching due to dissapointment, i probably expected too much from it lol

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.

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.

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).

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...

After thinking for a while about your post, I believe that your argument has convinced me. I retract my previous statement.

After you watch that video, watch this awesome one: http://youtube.com/watch?v=p_MzP2MZaOo

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.  

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)...

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.

Ah, I did not know that. Thank you for making that a way less creepy experience.

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.

Why is it the coolest hardware gets left behind?\n\nDon't get me started. I might drag out my Dreamcast.

It was in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. So... maybe?

pics or it didnt happen, steel buildings just dont collapse. cmon.

"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. 

efficacy is determined as the effect *beyond* placebo. If being informed reduces the effect of treatment then you *aren't being treated*!

Wow! Looks almost like a small mushroom cloud! I never saw this before. Thanks!

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.

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&gt;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&gt; 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.

Answer: aliens learning your ways and soon enough they will abduct you.

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.

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."

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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&gt;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&gt;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.

English isn´t my prime language, in my language "in the field" pretty much means to be interested in, etc. 

Haha! You do realize this *is* a conspiracy  ...I'm skeptical of your skepticism

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.

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)

My friends &amp; 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

Meth typically causes psychosis with habitual use, but what he is describing sounds more likely to be a manic depressive psychotic break.

What episode is this from? I would love to make a clip of it.\n\n

This article seemed to be as full of unsupported assertions, purposefully omitted information, and misleading arguments as the most naive supporters of alternative energy.

Now is the winter of our discontent. \nMade glorious summer by this son of York.

&gt;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

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

more great pictures of the UFO seen in China last week.  i think itis pretty undeniable what we are looking at here...

Ok ok, I just wanted to know why you think that r/skeptic is biased, that's it. Bye.

&gt; 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&amp;hl=en&amp;rurl=translate.google.com&amp;sl=auto&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http://www.umcn.nl/OverUMCstRadboud/NieuwsEnMedia/archief/2010/mei2010/Pages/RadboudwetenschappersonderzoekenIceman.aspx&amp;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

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).

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.

Wow! Great story! One of the best ones I've heard. Poor Nicole! Thanks for sharing!

I agree. They should, but there are atheists who say they don't.

I love this. He's so straightforward about it: it was good, life was good, but "I've never been happier."

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.

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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. 

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.

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&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;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.

You know they could charge for this, too. I'm surprised they aren't.

This guy discredits himself every time he opens his mouth. \n\n ...and the hair isn't helping.

I second this quite reasonable conclusion. Kind of like the monkeys and the bananas on top of the ladder deal.

&gt;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&gt;“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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

Not to mention this is almost indistinguishable from what it is satirizing. Poe's Law.\n\nHey MC Chris is aight. 

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.

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 

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.

Wow he regretted not having it earlier? I would have never thought! thanks /r/skeptic!

I think it sounds like we have different ideas of what oppression is

It's too bad that for such a sound to occur for that long, no one thought to record it somehow.

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.

Cue the [Streisand effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streisand_effect)!

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.

&gt;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&gt;Since I'm not 'thinking like that',\n\nYes you are.\n\n&gt;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&gt;"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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;'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&gt;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&gt;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

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

I've only read Dr. David Jacobs' the Threat and it is fascinating, troubling, and informative.

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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.

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.  

this is very interesting indeed, I hope it gains more attention 

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.

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.

No, I don't believe that's correct. He didn't explain why the tree to the left moves in sync with the wall.

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.

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.

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!

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... 

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.

Gawd! That website always has the worst writing.  It is like kid in high school doing a paper on Gary Taubes.

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.

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.

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.

Im allergic to cats too...  Got three dogs tho so I must be three times worse than hitler.

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.

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!

&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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

Wow, I got this from [Answerbag](http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/366210)\n\n&gt;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.

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.

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. 

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.

~~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.

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.

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)!

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. 

Doctors of Osteopathy don't really bring any credibility to the table.

**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&gt;[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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;[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!

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.

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?

Exactly. They never even saw the 'prediction' or the calculations, so he had all of them fooled too.

Welcome to the No True Scotsman fallacy. There's a difference between 'not skeptics' and 'not consistently skeptical'.

The studies listed measured cadavers of the different races between the ages of 19 and 91. It wasn't measuring just the elite athletes. 

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. :)

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. 

I love Desert Bus:\n&gt;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&gt;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).

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. 

[According to Steve Novella](http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/is-aura-reading-synaesthesia-probably-not/), EVERYONE got it wrong, not just Medical Xpress.

Ya. The majority of citizens actually DO believe in life outside of this planet

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.

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.

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

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/)

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.

&gt;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&gt;Microwaves don’t work different ways on different substances.\n\nHuh?

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. 

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&amp;prev=_t&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;layout=2&amp;eotf=1&amp;sl=iw&amp;tl=en&amp;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 

I'm not saying it was aliens [but...](http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/humans-ancient-aliens-guy.jpg)

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.

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

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.

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. 

Once every three months. That's about how often this picture is reposted.

&gt; If the bible said Pi = 3\n\n[Uhh...](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20kings%207:23-7:23&amp;version=KJV)\n\n&gt; 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.**

Ah, that reminds of Hitchens response to the free will question, "I believe in free will because I don't have any other choice"

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.

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.

I've always been uncomfortable with people in positions of power that have magical thinking.

[](/w00-rotate) It's because of certain emoticon scripts interpretting "-spin" in the middle of the URL.

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.

Hmm, coming from Venezuela, I'd say just be glad you weren't robbed.

&gt;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.

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.

"I'm going to army and you can't stop me mother!" - Said the interdimensional being. 

Here we go again. Arguing science over asymmetrical information. 

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!

I bought this exact watch from my work for about $2. It must have been missing the energy and detoxification features.

&gt;So what about the &gt;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.

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 :(

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.

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.

Tangential to the point, but:\n\n&gt; Richard Attenborough, TV presenter\n\nI'm pretty sure *Richard* Attenborough would more commonly be called an actor...

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.

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.

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.

This sums it up:\n\n&gt;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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Seriously, is there something in the water in that part of the world?

[Here you go.](http://www.icr.org/index.php?search=AdvancedSearch&amp;f_keyword_all=&amp;f_context_all=any&amp;f_context_exact=any&amp;f_context_any=any&amp;f_context_without=any&amp;f_search_type=articles&amp;section=0&amp;f_constraint=both&amp;=Search&amp;module=home&amp;action=submitsearch&amp;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. 

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.

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 

I do remember some middle schooler being gushed over as he talked about how awesome organic food is.

You want to minimize harm by way of limiting freedom. That will never work.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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...

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. 

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!

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.

Thanks. I am very intrigued, will you keep up with this and let us know how things go in the future?

&gt; 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.

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.

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.

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&gt;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

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.

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?

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.

I don't know about the medical effects, but I love Sound &amp; Light machines.

jacuzzi was in your private suite or like the public hottub thing

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.

&gt; 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.

House is a great show for that - you are right.  Maybe for the older kids.  good call.  Thanks

Media access.  He blogs for the New York Times and the others work for lesser known entities.

[The Silence. ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_\\(Doctor_Who\\)) 

Google Translation\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;"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&gt;Listen to the anthropologist Renato Davila\n\n&gt; 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&gt;Read more news from the region Cusco\n\n&gt; [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

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.

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.

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

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.

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. 

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.

A Google of "biz op" will also reveal a wealth of interesting scams and how they operate.

Yeah, is this what we're doing in /r/skeptic now?  I unsubscribed from /r/atheism to get away from this.

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

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.

Oh, I know. This site is definitely the kind that would spin up conspiracy theories without any substance.

&gt;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.  

The 3 lighter trees or whatever they're supposed to be shift weird, too.

&gt;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

[a short read on wikipedia might change your mind](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Sanger#Race)

yea but when your constantly being made fun of, your constantly on you defense!  

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.

How do you know it's not because of the latitude at which the subject lives?\n\nI call it the LATITUDE DIET!

If by "fear center" they mean "repressed sexual urges", then yeah, it's totally scientific and valid. 

Because skeptics would recognise the Carl Sagan line..."We are star stuff"

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.

I'd be extremely surprised if any alien race we encounter even looks humanoid in shape.

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.

We also offer a financing  option -just $30 for 23 easy payments!

Yahoo News has almost no content.  It's basically a news aggregator for Reuters, AP, and all kinds of other news producers.

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. 

Sounds interesting. I believe the audio is [here](http://www.jeffpolachek.com/kt-audio).

Why would you counter a page filled with appeals to nature with your own fallacy.

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...

I meant more background, etc. but, yes, that's a good suggestion.

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!

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. 

But doesn't that imply determinism? I.e. you couldn't have changed the future if it already existed in such a solid form

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.

[God of the gaps](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_the_gaps).

You forgot mind uploading. It's kind of the rapture for nerds, because they believe they will become immortal.

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.

She was your Dad reincarnated.  Normally reincarnations are not so immediate, but for you a special case. Nice

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.

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.

Black cats are awesome. I hate how people are mean to them. They are good luck to me

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.

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.

I believe you man. Ive had the same dreams for years now. This is why the world needs someone like fkn Mulder\n

Thank you!\nAlways nice to see someone that isn't just boom, you're lying.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

Oh, I know. I've read them all through twice. But that was the particular sentence after the "Oh, not again." line.

That looks like some kind of debris being blown around in the wind.

Did you come out to Rapture Day last year? We had a fantastic turnout, and this one promises to be even better!

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.

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 

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

http://twitter.com/kvbeek/lists/skeptics is apparently the correct list link format.  I already had most of your suggestions, but added @labcoatman!

It's a dumb thing to be upset about, and is going to drive up the price of meat like crazy if "outlawed".

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 &amp; 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.

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.

I like how someone is interested in knowing which remedy ans at what strength lol

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

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.

Dealing with a woman like this suggests a need for something stronger.

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. 

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 &amp; resolution.

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.

No, because not all people don't believe in it as much. That's not an argument pro homeopathy.

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).

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

&gt;**The Quantumwave difference**\n\n&gt;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&gt;**What are scalar waves?**\n\n&gt;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.

Judging by your nickname, 'skepticalofskeptics,' you are either a blind believer, or a nihilist. Which one is it?

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

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. 

Yes, this seemed a bit weird to me as well. Here's a quote:\n\n&gt; 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.

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.

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.

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&gt;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

...only one of the largest companies in the world, but carry on...

Yep. The EXACT SAME THING as depicted in the OP, same day in the evening... moving south, changing direction.

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.

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?

Case in point: Hemlock is natural.  Just a plant.  yet it can be lethal if ingested.

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...)

To be fair, he got banned long after her foolishness was demonstrated.

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.

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. 

But that show is pretty scientifically sound, as apposed to some other ones we could be watching...

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.

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

Did this guy just get out of a time machine?  This happened at TAM 7, two years ago.

Where do you live that ovens aren't common?  Do people not bake?

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

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? 

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.

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?

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.

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. 

"The Paw Print," a reputable leader in groundbreaking news since... Never.

Fuck the tone of your second sentence. Turning on ALL the lights..

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.

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&gt; Earlier links have been found and peer reviewed, and published.\n\n&gt; The American Journal of Human Genetics 2005 \n\n&gt; http://www.cell.com/AJHG/\n\n&gt; https://www.nimhgenetics.org/publications/pdf/cantor05.pdf   \n\nThis is the actual study above in pdf\n\n&gt; 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&gt; "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

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.

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.

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.

Exists therefore god logic air glazed with cumin require any just.\n\nThat should be enough proof for anybody!\n\n

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. 

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...)

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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?)

New study proves children exposed to high levels of water drown. 

Ohai. Thanks for posting this - I'm the author and designer.\n\nIf anyone has any questions, let me know.

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.

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?

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. 

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.

Oh... it seems to fluctuate. I just checked wiki and you seem to be right. It's apparently kind of good for pain....

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...

I think you are being sarcastic, but I hope you don't actually do that. It would very hard to make friends.

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.

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.

&gt;But neither does AGW alone either.\n\nSure it does.\n\n&gt;Namely, that climate models do not reproduce the decadal variability in globally averaged ocean heat content\n\nSure they do.\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

go to [/r/shutupandtakemymoney](/r/shutupandtakemymoney) there is a post about a lucid-dreaming mask from kickstarter (=

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.

This study is obviously a fraud perpetrated by the CIA under the MK Ultra program.

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

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. 

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?

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.

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?

Report him for malpractice imo. I'm willing to bet he'd get shut down.

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?

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

how is the loch ness monster in any way paranormal? submit this to /r/cryptozoology, they need traffic

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.

What was that analogy about people leaning on a concrete and steel structure vs leaning on a rickety ladder when standing on top?

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?

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).

 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). 

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...

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.

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.

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!

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.  

&gt;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&gt; 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&gt;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

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.

This! It really doesn't matter where your skepticism lies... This is playing with fire either way. Their goals should give you panic:\n&gt;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.

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.

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

No promises,...it is History after all,...but worth checkin out anyway,...

It rotates between her and Bob I believe. Currently she's in the lead for this year I think.

And they have to use much more of the less effective stuff to get less produce per acre...

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.

Because they'd have to change the rating of the movie if they didn't.

&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt; 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.

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.*

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.

I hope we don't have to lock horns over this, I don't have cloven feet you know. 

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?

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.

Jebus!! he almost got more negative karma than the 9/11 truther in just one post about gay marriage. 

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

&gt;"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.

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.

May well be bullshit, very true. I would absolutely LOVE to see them prove Hoagland correct though.

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.

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!

does this translate to "the powers that be say it will be alright to tell you about ets by the year 2036"?

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.

I'm still very skeptical of government subsidies and 'carbon-trading' schemes.

&gt;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.

To be fair normal "Water" is tainted by deuterium, meaning some "Water" is actually D2O rather than the H20 some claim

I think Phil Schneider is very interesting as hell but taken well with some salt.

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. 

&gt;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.

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...

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! 

He says they bribe all the world governments to go along with their master plan.

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.

&gt; 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.

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.

&gt; 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 ...

&gt;He could potentially have developed some kind of photosynthesis\n\nTHIS.  It's the clearest case of red-meat photosynthesis I've ever seen.

I'm a plus member. Hi Ben and Aaron and also the new guy, who's name is escaping me.

You forgot the Black Helicopters, Gnomes of Zurich and The Illuminati

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. 

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.

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. 

Thanks, though even that one gives little except for adding the blog author's opinions.

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h02a2HSB58M&amp;feature=related\n\nFirst thing came to mind.

Some people should never see a Tesla coil in action. It gives them the wrong ideas.

&gt;"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,

Ha! Awesome, except that the actors look so much more tan &amp; wrinkled.\n\nActors must hate HD...\n\n

i thought that at first but the head is way too weird unless its some sort of mutant

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.

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  

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. 

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.

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.

Very true - I definitely shouldn't use the beliefs of others to shape my own beliefs without first investigating on my own. 

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

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*... 

...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.

..and the person claiming defammation/etc [is also in the same State](http://www.nepadrdan.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=46&amp;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?

actually, the study is a farce because the article *admits that it's BS!*\n\ngems like this:\n\n&gt;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&gt;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&gt;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.

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.

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!

&gt;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.

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

For the lazy ones, here is a link thats starts when he says this: http://youtu.be/ekltAFvycSk?t=14m36s

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.

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.

&gt; 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).

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

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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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 :)

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.

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)

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.

Actually, Immanuel Kant was a real pissant who was very rarely stable ...

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.

How does eating properly and getting enough sleep not help your immune system?\n\n

'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.

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.

I lost respect for him when his last season of celebrity rehab was people "addicted" to marijuana.  Give me a fucking break.  

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.

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.

I think I want the recipe for that seafood stew pictured in the wiki article.

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.

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

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. 

&gt; or is the show presented to attract an uncritical, sheeplike audience?\n\nIt's daytime tv.

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).

The good gamblers use logic and reason while taking advantage of other's superstitions

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.

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".

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!

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:

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.

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 &amp; Teller did a good episode of Bullsh*t that had chiro in it.

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."

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.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=Rutledge&amp;sts=t&amp;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.

Good concept. You should start working on fundamentals and take your [skills to the next level.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd8UJC6V_L4)

He's actually being massively upvoted for saying this insane bollocks. I didn't think IAmA had fallen this low. 

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 &amp; whole grains.

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?

hey right on; identical poster to mine. I got it back in '97 - you?

I'm in NC, too. Do what I'm about to do &amp; 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&amp;sActionDetails=Senate%20Standing_66)\n\n*edit - read the bill first.

&gt; 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&gt;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.

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.  

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.

Annoyingly the wikipedia article on Jonathan Swift mentions nothing about his religious beliefs it seems.

If I knew how to change it, I wouldn't be just complaining with this post :/

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. 

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

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

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.

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...

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!

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.

I randomly decided to watch Larry King one day and tuned in to this.\n\nI was outraged. 

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?

Laughing like a bunch of wealthy aristocrats with fat cigars in the smoke-filled drawing room at the summer retreat.

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? 

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?

Have hope! It's still within the realm of possibility that we'll screw up sometime next year and destroy the planet!

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.

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.

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.

&gt;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.

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).

I think it's a twitter post by a celebrity that belongs in a certain subreddit that I cannot bring myself to even name.

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...

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.

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. 

It is baffling that this guy is still around after Randi destroyed him.

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.

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.

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. 

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?  

takes a lot of humility to apologize publicly. i don't agree with his beliefs, but i commend him anyways. /salute

I can't. It requires doctors lie to their patients which undermine trust in doctors.

I just ordered the book on the strength of her rebuttal ... I'm looking forward to reading it.

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. 

First investigation with KYGP. I look forward to upcoming investigations.

&gt;... 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&gt;“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

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. 

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. 

http://www.reddit.com/r/Libertarian/comments/hi28s/should_rskeptic_be_renamed_rnannystate_do_people/c1vm01p\n\nTo put it lighty: crazy fuckers.

Thanks, I saw these come by too. Thought it would be bullhonkey. Now I know.

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?"

That is amazing that you knew this person's race and background just over the internet!!

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. 

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.

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.

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

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&gt; "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.

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.

Sleep paralysis doesn't explain being immediately taken back down into the paralysis after continuing to pop out of it several times over.

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.  

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?

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.

im trying to remember as i just woke up to it, i will post back when i found out what it was.

Your not using your electrons correctly to make you happy.\n\nYou have to have them flowing through your vibrator.

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.

&gt;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. 

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?

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.

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.

 Project Blue book\n\nHave blue\n\nSport model\n\nMufon\n\nTower of babel\n\nGo!

nothing because neither of them work. so i guess now that i think about it, they aren't complete opposites.

&gt;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.

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.

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.**

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.

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.

I think I want one of each. Mulder's and the newer version. \n\nStill have no idea why I've waited so long. 

Yes, this is remarkably simple. Stand there and let other people make it all up for you.

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.

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

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.

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.

whats with all the crop circles and weird shit looking like serpents or lizards or shit like that

[This sums it up pretty well.](http://www.skepdic.com/zeitoun.html)

This always happens to me with random food and drink while I'm playing games too . . .

I'll try, although I'm not really a MRM.  I tend towards gender equality as part of my philosophy.\n\n&gt;  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&gt;  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&gt; 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&gt; How do you feel about the not-even-anecdotes on /r/MensRights? Are they valuable contributions?\n\nHypothetical situations can be illuminating.\n\n&gt; 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&gt; Have you seen Kerbal Space Program yet? I fscking love this game!\n\nNope.  :p

Physical contact with another person can make wounds close faster. It's called a band-aid.

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.

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 :)

nice, Worcester here and im from the finger lakes.  So carry your camera with you from now on huh?

&gt; 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?

As long as the person is an adult and he/she doesn't do it to children, I'm fine with it.

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.

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*.

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).

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

But the batteries keep your body's magnetic poles in synchronization!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

And this was the Easter that Timmy realized he was not like the others.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

Your study gets 5 upvotes, my 2 studies get none. Seems like the users of /r/skeptic are bias.

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)

Well yes ... but which ones specifically trip your bullshit detector?

&gt;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.

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)?

Lets spam the aliens with all the memes and dick jokes we can come up with.

Well, that'd be scary because I work in a cubicle now! And I work for the government and I do tan easily...lol

All iron comes from the core of stars, so it *really* doesn't matter where it comes from.

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. 

I prefer the term rationalist when describing my spiritual and political views. 

He didn't.  I did nor hear about this story until after the ultrasound.

That could easily be an image overlay indicating the center of the paper.

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. 

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&gt;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&gt;\n&gt;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.

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 :)

That was the only time MonsterQuest did anything of worth.\n\nBut yeah, it was an awesome moment/shot.    

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.

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.

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

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.

Pretty crappy article.  The headline is good, but the substance is lacking.  Doesn't mention John E. Mack, Phil Schneider *or* Karla Turner.

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 (&lt;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)?

This book was basically the beginning of the end for postmodernism.

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?

Looks pretty fake to me but I'm no expert, but still looks like bad scyfy channel level CGI.

She predicts "maybe some rain"... in fucking England! My god, *could it be true*?

What kind of research have you done, if you don't mind me asking?

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.

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!

&gt;  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.

&gt; "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. 

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. 

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.

When you take into account that the trick is diet and exercise, a lot of people don't want that.

&gt; 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

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.

Satire?!  So what part of that article on Romney time-traveling is not true?

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.

enjoy the brain numbing mercury in the vaccines *cough* autism *cough*

I'd normally agree, but with the larger magnetic field created by ANSPO™, I bet this thing actually works!

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.

Its not related to "Thrive" or anything but is interesting\nhttp://www.world-mysteries.com/coralcastle.htm [found on /r/ufo]

Something something [Daily Mail](http://kill-or-cure.herokuapp.com/) you get the idea.

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

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.

Dr. Novella responds [on his blog](http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1746).

"...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.

In this context, yes. Even if you ignore the lawyers fees, it's only about 10 years of lost wages. 

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.

I thought I was taking crazy pills and was the only one who noticed this.

&gt;Why don't more people understand this?\n\nBecause it's false?\n\nThree points of light can also create a straight line. 

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.

Never ever use a Ouija board! They act as portals allowing for more bad shit to happen...

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

/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.

...except it wouldn't.\n\nThe current climate optimum was 8,000 years ago, and temperatures have been (very slowly) decreasing since then.

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." 

Posted the following a while ago:\n\n&gt; 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&gt; 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&gt;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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Could be a "whooosh" for me right here but \n\nit is called a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolorimeter

He's written [A Partial Explanation](http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/10/05/a-partial-explanation/), for those interested.

I came here to say this, and it was the only comment. THE ONLY FUCKING COMMENT.

Solution: buy chinese lanterns, tie them together, release, film.

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?

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.

I believe in whatever the best evidence points to.\n\nProvisionally.

&gt; 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.

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."

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. :/

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.

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. 

yeah.. but it's dried out... so, they'd have to..um... add water. 

This reminds me of [that guy can summon ufos.](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/96vdw/skeptic_apologizes_after_ufo_summoned/)

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

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.

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.

never heard of it before, but my first impression is that it's bs

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.

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

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."

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!

Was it assembled by the [KLF](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_KLF)/Bill Drummond?

Holy crap, this guy is DEDICATED to his prank. I wish I'd done this earlier.

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!

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".

Here is a pretty good [skeptical take](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4129) on the story.

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.

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.

More proof that the answer to any complaint is always, "It could be worse... You could live in Canada."

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?

My deja vu works this way too, OP. You're actually the only other person I've met like this.

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.

&gt;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&gt; 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.

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.

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.

Sometimes its fun to debunk this stuff for practice in critical thinking.

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.  

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. 

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.  

Infrared camera! why would ufos only be present in the visible spectrum?!\n

In the future, please consider posting text rather than an image of text. Thanks!

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&gt;Do you really believe that the USDA recommendations are bad?\n\nDo you really believe they're good?

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.

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?)

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

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?

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"...

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?

I tried debating the points that that book raises with a pair of vegan personal trainers once... would not recommend.

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. 

...Except that they were in the air.\n\nMotionless. Not even moving.\n\n

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. 

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

If bigfoot exists then who put him there Scientistologicists: 0 Jesus:1

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.

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

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..." 

Just because they're not very sound dogs. But I'll admit, I'm biased against them :P

Without any further evidence, I would say your claim is 100% accurate.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.  

It is the new diet/health fad, despite their actually being a real disease associated with it.\n

Here, I made Dawkins more Fort Bragg like: http://i.imgur.com/O6r0O.jpg

Dude has a sheet over his head with eye holes cut out...how anyone thinks this is even remotely real is beyond me.

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.

Not one of his better topics. Check out his sources (or limitations thereof)

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.  

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.

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. 

Wow, that's awesome. [I guess I'll just wait.](http://imgur.com/PYOHo)

Do you have trouble reading? Where did I say I'm arguing FOR a god? Go back and read it again.\n

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.

you're referring, of course, to *space* energy - the only real kind of energy!

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.

Yeah I guess I get your point. I don't think I have much in the way of advice to offer in that case. Doesn't the science-based medicine website have a section for OB concerns? Good luck friend. 

No, I mean it sounds like you're agreeing with me.  Creationists frequently misuse Occam's Razor because they don't understand the distinction between the simplest explanation and the one that introduces the fewest new assumptions.  The comment that you "disagree" with was an illustration of that error.

They do good interviews here and there. They have no filter and the interviews are slanted, towards their worldview. You get too much sauce and, not enough meat. Every once in a while, I'll stumble onto some good stuff.  \n\nI see these communities of researchers/conspiracy-theorist/new-agers as traveling carnivals. Supporting each others research, doing conventions, holding conferences, talks, hocking their wares. Like conventional science, if they decry the research of a fellow carny, they get kicked out of the caravan and Loose their funding. Really they're not researchers themselves, they just repackage old research with their muddled perspective and pat themselves on the back. Notice David Icke is an annual guest on Alex Jones though they share no common view. It's about the money, not the research.\n\nAlso this super solider/Montauk business is nonsense. Everyone can pack that up with their orgone generators, indigo kids, The Secret, Esalen, EST, Positive Thinking, Raelism, crystals, lack quantum physics/science comprehension, and hollow earth theory. I'm not a skeptic- but holy christ on a stick the corn-dog savior I HAVE LIMITS!!! 

I have to admit: I've been expecting this response. It was inevitable, really. Victim mentality plus conspiracyphilia - what else were you going to get?

Artificial is not bad. Natural is not good. It depends. The increase of lifespan in modern times is almost entirely made by artificial products. Keep that in mind.

I believe if the unknown objects in the sky are indeed "alien" then they could possibly be some kind of surveying system for a greater race. My theory is that the creator of these vehicles are not behind the "wheel" (so to say) but possibly AI/robotic or even some kind of slave/clone collecting data of every planet. 

Moderating is good, as long as your moderation is limited to removing spam and the like. \n\nIf you intend to moderate so that the only comments are those that agree with you, don't allow comments at all.  Moderating in this manner will destroy your credibility.\n\nIt's possible to limit commenting ability to those who register for the site.  This would help reduce spam.  But again, if you will ban anyone who disagrees with you, kiss your credibility goodbye.\n\nIs there a reason you don't wish to work with one of the established skeptical websites?

"Disinfo" as in? I'd like to know. I really hope you're not saying he's some government agent out to mislead the public

1. We know the universe isn't infinite.  r/physics or r/science can explain how we know in detail.\n\n2. Sadly, we still don't even have any evidence faster than light travel is even theoretically possible, although I wish as much as anyone could this wasn't so, and the future really was something like on Star Trek.  I knew in my heart that the FTL neutrino results had to be wrong, although I had the smallest sliver of hope this would pan out, and they had really found a way to evade Einstein.  I don't say the possibility that aliens could be paying us a visit is 0%, but given what we currently know it is exceedingly close to nil.  Even if I saw a flying saucer hovering over my house, my first assumption would be that it was a test of some sort of experimental/secret military drone, which when you think about it is far more likely than a visitor from another world. \n\n

the only time that line has legitimately creeped me the fuck out, usually i ignore it, wtf happened this time

Just google plasmonics, surface plasmons, nanoshells, or microwave photonics.  Here is a link about microwave photonics: http://newton.ex.ac.uk/research/emag/microwave/  

Don't you think that if there was basically a "cure" for cancer -- something better than chemo that had no side effects -- that no matter how cheap it was, it would make "big pharma" more money than they'd ever made? I mean, whoever had this magic product would instantly have a monopoly on cancer treatment IN THE WORLD. 

It's the ADD generation. By spending the whole day browsing through little tidbits of information that can be processed in seconds (like cute pictures) and then moving on, we're hardwiring our brains to work this way *by default* - so, it gets more and more difficult to focus on one single thing for longer periods of time. ADD is not a sickness or a physiological pathology - it's just the brain resisting the effort to work in a way that is contrary to how it has been wired to work after years and years of not being used to hold a steady focus on a single object for long periods of time. I believe this can be "fixed" by doing *meditative tasks* with your whole focus, be it sitting meditation, or doing dishes (without daydreaming), etc.

Downvotes are not an indication of disagreement. He answered the question. Stop downvoting him.

If you think it is smart to feed your pet cat or dog a vegan diet, you probably shouldn't have a pet cat or dog.

I'm getting my Master's in literacy so I see numbers like that thrown around a lot. While illiteracy is still a big problem (hence the need for people in my line of work), 3 billion is an arbitrary number and that doesn't even really make sense in this context. Not being able to read has many factors. But if you really want some literacy stats I can hunt some down for you. 

Would he know where the grave is at? Was he groundskeeper before they removed the stone?

The question remains: just how much power does any politician have to disclose such information?

I work with an individual who does this. When I first met him I would try and debate him, but when it was revealed that he believes all physics are wrong (he believes that newtonian physics works but that a basic underlying principle of mathematics is being kept secret), and that he and some other cranks have somehow figured out mathematics that people who have devoted their lives to understanding have gotten wrong or missed. Whats I realized this I understood that arguing would be impossible as he could just say that "everything they know is wrong".

Obviously most (probably all) of them realized it was a joke question, and jokingly answered yes.

People find it creepy because to some of us it looks like the figure of a woman in a white dress with dark hair not a toy llama. Maybe ask before making assumptions? 

It's a good reason to fire him if they fear the controversies surrounding his position (which isn't supported by science) will reflect badly on them.

To be honest, i've lost a lot of faith in that show. Everything feels so faked and over dramatic. i'm kind of over it.i mean, i know they need the views and stuff, but the older seasons just seemed more real.\n\nNot saying i actually believe that 90% of the shit they find is real, just that it feels really really poorly faked.

Actually, one of the things I've seen in acupuncture trials is *single*-blinding, which in this case is also a failure.  Patients weren't told that they were getting real or fake 'puncture, but the practitioners were real or fake, so they were getting exposed to 2 very different experiences.

Even if you take the 100 million figure they use, a sample of 1,019 is hardly appropriate for such a claim. What states were polled? Did they question 1,019 Southerners? Were there people from every state represented? 

There as no kind of light source coming from it? Did anyone else get a look? Did it seem to grow larger? Or just change into something else entirely

I agree with your points.  Most of my little rant was aimed more at the responses here, a lot of which are gleeful "look at the silly credulous hippies", as if eating your placenta is now shown to be a bad idea.\n\nIt may well be a bad idea, but that wasn't actually demonstrated in the article or comments I read.

Nothing surprises me anymore. I wouldn't be shocked if the whole Nazis on the moon theory had some truth to it.

One thing I've learned about Joe Rogan over the years is that he very easily gets his mind made up in the wrong direction and will NEVER reverse it.  He still thinks the moon landing was a hoax.

Good luck demonstrating that you have standing to bring it to a court, in that case.

I'll just leave this here for anyone who wants it;\n[Assessment of the health impact of GM plant diets in long-term and multigenerational animal feeding trials: A literature review](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691511006399)

very interesting...but sadly enough, this too shall be considered photoshopped by the majority.

yeah, I sometimes try to resist my tendency to assume that every seemingly ET encounter is controlled by one mind with one agenda that represents the agenda of that particular whole race.  ya never know, I always remind myself that all the ET contact could be done by one random ET who has a sense of humor.  or by many different "races" with many different agenda

jou keep using that word. I do no think it means what jou think it means.

Can you provide some reference that isn't from the low-carb camp that actually states some form of a lipid hypothesis that blames fat consumption for weight gain over and above the calorie content? The claim that fat breaks the energy intake/energy consumption relationship would be just as surprising as the claim that carbs do. \n\nFDA recommendations on dietary composition are expressed in terms of percentage of calories consumed and don't claim that fats make you fat.

How long will this job stay? Is it going to continue for another year?

I took it as commentary on the OP's the request to 'debunk' the article. I so dislike the term, because it implies you have a preconceived conclusion you want to impose. You don't go *debunk* something, you go *investigate* it, and the results of your investigation may or may not end up debunking it.\n\nThen again, perhaps I read far too much into it.

paranormal spirits are most active at night, which it is why ghost hunters are more likely to find evidence of paranormal activity. :)

If you *really* want to buy this colleague coffee every day, option two is the most scientific; randomization is a bad idea when you're trying to determine something via experiment.  One cup of test, one cup of "control" coffee.

It seem's to me that spirits have rule's that they must follow like bek's and vampire's not being able to enter one's home. Maybe praying remind's them of there place. Just a thought. \n

I could probably bug someone enough to get them to listen. I'm quite persistent. :)

The products they sell are pretty solid. Supplements, protein shakes, meal bars, snacks, fizzy energy effervescent tablets (think Airborne but with lots of caffeine), things like that. And they all work pretty well- an ex of mine lost a lot of weight using their diet products.\n\nI just wouldn't advise anyone to get into the supply side of it.

The way you present it in the caption is just the slightest bit misleading enough to point out.\n\nDe Beers is responsible for a successful campaign to make diamonds the quintessential rare gem and the price remains anchored to that perception. To take that further, demand is superficially regulated. \n\nI think it's *these* claims you should be looking t verify, not anything like arbitrary price control and direct responsibility. 

I think this is what killed the global warming movement. The lay people who were first to jump on the bandwagon also tended to be anti-science in every other respect, so early on it became associated with pseudoscience. Now the issue is firmly polarized, so there isn't much to do about it. 

I never said to shut up about Monsanto. Monsanto is the entire reason so many people are anti-GMO. &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;\n

It's a great idea in theory. I'm sure they would do it if it was possible. I just think that handing over your right to reproduce to a government OR private corporation is one of the most frightening concepts imaginable. I think it would create a greater divide between the haves and have-nots. I think it's crazy enough that you have to pay someone to live on this planet... but governments and corporations deciding who gets to reproduce (and admit it... they wouldn't let everybody who wants to, do it)? I mean think about it. Black people are more likely to be poverty stricken than white people. If we did this we would, in effect, be phasing out black people so that richer white people can move into their neighborhoods. We're definitely on our way down that road. I hope more people begin realize that stuff like this is blatant eugenics, and that this is what people like Bill Gates are helping to facilitate.

Thank you for pointing out the errors of being bafoons. It worsen's this discussion, and the community to not speak reasonable and be actual about the issues. This is r/skeptic not [r/sanctimony](http://i.imgur.com/4ro8B.png), jeez. O.o

&gt;it's nice to find someone so conceited, smug, and self assured as to think they can speak for an entire group of 50,000 people. \n\nI've been on this sub long enough to know that people like you would be better off somewhere else.\nThrough the system of upvotes and downvotes, yes, people seem to be agreeing with me rather than you. \n\nIf you can't handle the fact that you're wrong sometimes, feel free to call me names over the internet. 

If it's a placebo effect, or not, one thing you can be sure of is this: the HMO probably wouldn't shell out money if they didn't think it'd lower their overall costs.

Since this is /r/skeptic, let's try an experiment.  I'll get back to you in a bit.

&gt;To prove it, he referred me to a Wikipedia article. Yeah. He doesn't seem to understand that Wikipedia is not exactly a scholarly source.\n\nWhich Wikipedia article and which citations? Wikipedia can be the most "scholarly source" around, or it can be the least, but sweeping generalizations about Wikipedia's validity are pointless without specific articles and citations.\n

&gt; I have never seen a North Korean nuke, yet I do not dispute the fact that they have them\n\nExtraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.\n\nThere's nothing extraordinary about the claim that North Koreans have developed nukes. We know that North Koreans exist, we know that nukes exist, we know that nukes aren't terribly difficult to build for anyone with the resources of, say, North Korea, and the seismological evidence of nuclear tests is available to scientists all over the world. There's more than enough evidence to support such an unsurprising claim.

The statement by your friend is probably a very garbled version of a nuanced reality. That the various minerals in your body work together, and if you have badly misproportioned amounts of calcium and magnesium (and probably other things) then it's possible that you won't store the calcium that you think you are, or that some calcium will be leached. But that has to do with a pretty severe unbalanced diet, and probably not something that an ordinary person would accidentally do to themselves.\n\nAlso, strong bones are more reliably created by weight-bearing exercises and adequate intake of calcium and magnesium and phosphorus (iirc), rather than just drinking lots of milk or eating lots of broccoli. \n\nBreastfeeding mothers who don't consume enough calcium will have it leached from their bones, so they have to be extra careful.

You have no idea what you are talking about.  A chiropractic physician takes 4 years of schooling after a bachelors.  I just finished a year's worth of school wherein I took a year of gross anatomy where we dissected cadavers, spinal anatomy, a year of radiographic anatomy, cell biology, 2 quarters of biochemistry, biomechanics, histology, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, 2 quarters of physiology, human development, and all the labs where we learning to use the book knowledge on real people.  I still have 3 years to go.  If you think that we know nothing, you have no idea.  The things you are talking about have NOTHING to do with what I am learning at school.  My school is NOT a subscriber to that old way of thinking.  We are integrating chiropractic into the health care world.  I don't think a chiropractor is a cure all... EVER!  But we are a valuable source of alternative, non-invasive health care.

Fluoride in drinking water can cause fluorosis. Other than that it's not a big deal. Fluoride really doesn't need to be in drinking water in areas with good dental care.

thanks, I was just taking shots of whatever looked interesting at the time. I use a simple canon power shot sx120. I only do it as a hobby, not ever anything professional. 

Very well said. On an unrelated note, though he is very eloquent,  the way he speaks makes me just wait for the punchline at the end of his sentence. It's like I'm classically conditioned to laugh and am surprised when the sentence ends.

Btw, that dude who pegged your turkey-banana-face picture as being from some slideshow from November 2010, did you create that original image that he linked to?\n\nOr did you stumble on it somehow?\n\nAlso, I love your comment not too long ago to someone who was a dick in one of your posts and you said "ALSO FUN AT PARTIES!". I LOVED that and honestly want to use that IRL, as I think about it bi-hourly and have a laugh

If he killed himself they probably would have made an episode of it.  Hate that show more than life itself.

Bob Larson! Now there's a name I haven't heard in probably ten years.

It's no sweat, plenty of perfectly intelligent people who can't. Just as a general rule, when you're critiquing something someone else is talking about, check for those mistakes. =P\n\nEdit: I should note that I agree with iskillz's post in principle, when actually discussing scientific theory. This is more of a 'what thing were you skeptical of, that you used and for *whatever reason* worked' conversation, in which the real cause behind something is more or less irrelevant.

I wasn't making a rule,  I was just suggesting a concept that some people may intuitively follow, because you asked about it. \n\nTo your point, even foods that are dried, pickled or canned should probably not be consumed after a year of that process. Sure honey may be an exception to this general rule, but having an exception to a rule doesn't make the general statement "impractical." If a person doesn't know what how to define a food that is "processed" then telling them to look at the time it takes for that food to spoil could be a good indicator. 

"Fruit of the tainted tree" is that it?  So if "stress management" is practiced by western medicine it's science, but if practiced by a naturopath it's woo?

Hang on, one can make a case that ALL experiences we have are fake. Also, within the context of pure consciousness, it isn't an experience per se, in the first place.\n\nFinally, it appears to be impossible to settle the matter, at this point in time, of whether or not the universe's consciousness perceived by the individual actually exists, and it doesn't really matter even if it doesn't. To the enlightened person, allegedly, the perception is literally the most fundamental possible perception, so there's no persuasive way to argue against it.\n\nIt would be like telling someone "you only think that you are thinking."\n\n\nAnd BTW, the research I mention, which apparently you never bothered to read, says nothing about immortality. I was merely pointing out that one can, based on what we know of the self-reports of the state, plus what we know of the physiological correlates of the state, see why people might consider it a soul in some sense.\n\nFurther, assuming there really IS a state of consciousness based on on pure consciousness, that gets described as "unity," where all perceptions are viewed as fluctuations of pure consciousness and are themselves actually pure consciousness, we can see why people in such a state might view their "soul" as immortal.\n\nI never asserted that people have souls or that they are immortal, or that pure consciousness is immortal (though if the unified field really IS consciousness as hagelin asserts, then the conclusion would be tautological), only that there is physiological research that gives a hint why these self reports of an "immortal soul" might arise.\n\n.\n\nResearch on the physiological correlates of pure consciousness found during TM practice: \n\n[Breath suspension during the transcendental meditation technique] (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7045911)\n\n\n[Pure consciousness: distinct phenomenological and physiological correlates of "consciousness itself"](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10512549)\n\n\n[Autonomic patterns during respiratory suspensions: possible markers of Transcendental Consciousness](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9009807)\n\n\n[Autonomic and EEG patterns during eyes-closed rest and transcendental meditation (TM) practice: the basis for a neural model of TM practice.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10487785)\n\n\n[A self-referential default brain state: patterns of coherence, power, and eLORETA sources during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19862565)\n\nResearch on the physiological correlates of the stabilization of pure consciousness outside of meditation in long-term TM meditators: \n\n[Psychological and physiological characteristics of a proposed object-referral/self-referral continuum of self-awareness]\n(http://www.totalbrain.ch/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/eeg-of-enlightenment.pdf)\n\n\n[Patterns of EEG coherence, power, and contingent negative variation characterize the integration of transcendental and waking states.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12406612)\n\n\n[Abstract for the 2007 Conference of the American Psychological Association \nBrain Integration Scale: Corroborating Language-based  Instruments of Post-conventional Development](http://www.tm.org/american-psychological-association)\n\nResearch on the physiological correlates of the stabilization of pure consciousness outside of meditation in non-meditators: \n\n\n[Higher psycho-physiological refinement in world-class Norwegian athletes: brain measures of performance capacity](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.01007.x/full)\n\n[Moral development, executive functioning, peak experiences and brain patterns in professional and amateur classical musicians: Interpreted in light of a Unified Theory of Performance](http://drfredtravis.com/downloads/Musician_preprint.pdf)\n\n[POLICING AND SPIRITUALITY: THEIR IMPACT ON BRAIN INTEGRATION AND CONSCIOUSNESS](http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/jsmithspaper.pdf)\n\n[Higher mind-brain development in successful leaders: testing a unified theory of performance.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22193866)\n\n\n

Okay, I believe public schools are not only tools of oppression but also propaganda. I am not anti-education, I am anti-government-funded-and-regulated-monopolized-schools. Public schools are one of the worst environments for someone to learn, and more parents should home school their kids.

A couple of things immediately jumped out at me. First, if 7 is the optimum for us, why are they promoting alkaline foods as better than acidic foods. Some quick searching shows that Alkaline diets are a thing. \n\nI was also confused by their placement of citrus fruits like [lemons and oranges as alkaline](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_%28fruit%29#Acidity).\n\nI was curious as to what affect the pH of food affects us and I found this [useful article on QuackWatch](http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral2.html). In short, it doesn't.

I noticed something similar with trees a few years ago (2009, Was 19 at the time). I could suddenly see the movement of the trees in much greater detail, and I saw the relation between leaf and branch and tree much more intricately than before. \n\nShortly later, I was introduced to fractal mathematics, and I could see similar changes across all of nature. \n\nWhat I've come to realize is that you CAN change your senses. If you train your awareness, you can reach higher levels of clarity and resolution. \n\nThis digital reality is not static, and you might have finally heard a truer form of the sound airplanes make. 

Also most of the users are fully aware of their ingredients, like most consumers of homeopathy know full well the dillution principles, but they still think it works for whatever reason. Questioning the ridiculousness of the practice or product is the work of Big Pharma.

Its cool, but why would I pay $20 for this when I could just [print the preview pdf](http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/pdf/FallaciesPoster24x36.pdf) which is fullsize, 24x36 poster?\n\nSure, I'll have to tape a few pieces of printed paper together to form the poster, but still...\n\nI wish this thing was $5 or $10.

lol at the [legal proceedings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Trudeau#Legal_proceedings) section

He always flies off the handle. He should stick to the good cases and the fact that no scientist wants to talk about them. Or talk about the Norway UFO's that have been scientifically measured.

The new constellation didn't exist until we discovered it, so anyone who was born before 2009 is still okay.

&gt;The real issue is that instead of telling people how to deal with a earthquake, etc., the people under trial told everyone (on TV etc.) that all was fine, that they did not need to worry or take any precaution.\n\nWhich, given the odds of a major event happening, was the totally correct thing to do AFAIK.\n

Pretty interesting – have a couple of questions/points of clarification, though. You said your mother had set her alarm for 9am; yet when her alarm went off, you said that she noticed that the time was only 5am. Presumably she noticed that it was 5am *on a different clock than the one her alarm was set on* (because the clock with the alarm had to read 9, if she had set it to go off at 9, obviously). \n\nIf the alarm clock was indeed 4 hours ahead of **actual** time (which the clock that read 5am had right) – and if this was indeed caused by it resetting itself due to a power outage - then that means the outage must have happened at 8pm (at which point the clock reset itself to *4 hours later*). Further, any electronic analog clocks would have been stuck at 8pm (with *electronic* analog clocks reading 1pm at [actual] 9am - when you and your siblings woke up). \n\nI think this could perfectly account for all the time things... and so the biggest question is – if all of this happened 15 years ago (and if, as you said, it has been mentioned often), why wouldn't anyone have admitted at this point that they were the ones who accidentally messed up the Lego thing? You're all grown by now, and I'm sure it would have made for a laugh if someone (presumably mother) confessed 'hey, remember that Lego thing from 5/10 years ago? I totally broke it when I knocked it off the nightstand, and then rebuilt it shittily.'\n\nThe only thing I still don't get, though - if it had been your mom/dad who knocked it off their nightstand - is why they would have added "different colors." Surely, if they were interested in simply putting the pieces backed together that had fallen off in their bedrom, there would have been absolutely no reason to get more blocks of different color, right? For some reason, this makes me think it may have been one of the siblings instead – I just feel that maybe the mother or father wouldn't have tried to 'cover it up' or add anything. \n\nAnd I must 'lol' at the person's theory of the mother not being able to reconstruct the Lego thing on account of the power (still) being out. Obviously, if she had known the power had gone out, there wouldn't have been confusion as to why the clocks were reading weird things, right?

I think it might be a 'hypnic jerk'. I think it's something along the lines of your blood pressure dipping too quickly during the transition from being awake to being asleep. 

&gt;I'm really a fan of chlorophyll; maybe in the future we might be able to grow our own in our skin, just like we have melanin now. I would not mind looking green.\n\nI read a really interesting short story some time ago exploring the ramifications of turning the starving masses of Africa green to prevent so many starving to death, wish I could remember the title or author but if you're up to searching I would recommend it.\n\nThat said - given the massively larger energy needs of an active, mobile animal and our far smaller surface area compared to plants I doubt it would be possible to ever meet all our energy needs with solar power.

Not really. Most people's decisions are guided solely by cognitive biases. We're all to blame for this, but knowing about these pitfalls is more than half the battle.\n\nI especially dislike the idea of "just trust your gut!" or "use your common sense" that keeps popping up in the media, entertainment and parenting. Common sense or "instincts" have been great to us over our evolution. However, common sense is not comparable with actual knowledge. \n\nIt's these kinds of heuristics that get us in trouble sometimes. "Oh the world is fair..."

I just want to add that potatoes didn't exist in Europe in 800 AD!

Oh it was just a weather baloon with boosters checking out the... you know... the dust storm.

Ouija board "spirit" told me I'd die at 16. I'm almost 30. Like Jack_Shid, I am a believer in the spirit world. I do believe that perhaps folks open themselves up to experiences believing it is the board, when in reality it is just them dropping their barriers and noticing what's always been there.

And it seems that there's just enough space for a down escalator to be to the right of it. Or was the down escalator to the left?

You misunderstood. I meant that that world would be a better place.

&gt; The big difference here is that psychology follows the scientific method. A hypothesis is generated then tested, analyzed, replicated, etc.\n\nRemember, it was an analogy. I'm saying psychology falls under the social science bucket in terms of being "real science." I explicitly recognized that you can approach the subject in a scientific manner.\n\nYour example is a perfect example of psychology. There are huge numbers of variables there that are not accounted for. The main wants being the individuals' genes and experiences. \n\nYou say that psychology is typically not concerned about universality but that sounds fairly damning in terms of hard science.\n\nAt this point I am not sure we're disagreeing on that much beyond that you probably think psychological findings are more trustworthy than I do.  As I said in my original post, it needs to be distinguished from hard science because we can't control for all the variables and yet one can approach the subject from a scientific perspective.\n\n&gt; Unlike fundamental laws of physics, no two humans are the same\n\nThat is a vague statement and I am not sure that it follows from the "fundamental laws of physics." If you take two clones and put them in exactly the same environment (think unethical sterile room with identical stimuli and nourishment), do you not think they would behave identically? (I'm not talk about what is realistic here but just pointing out you are making a big claim that there isn't necessarily evidence for.)

&gt; I fail to see why a random mutation is any different from an anthropogenic one.\n\nThat's the main problem right there isn't it? GMO plants are new. Selecting the seeds of the plants that do well over decades is different from injecting a bunch of new genes in a single generation.

BTW that photo is based on the movie poster for [Every Which Way But Loose](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077523/)

Is it just me, or did that UFO look an awful lot like a seagull?

You can search for stretches that help. There is something called the Pigeon stretch. I also do the third stretch in this [article](http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6099). 

Indeed,  but r/pics might as well be a bottomless pit as far as I am concerned.

Really friendly, too. I once called him "Dr. Novella" in person, and he said "Dude, call me Steve."

The fact that there even is a modern spin, only adds to the on-going phenomena.  A story from native americans is one thing, but multiple cops seeing skinwalkers is a whole 'nother.  As you can see, such an argument only *adds* to the credibility, not diminish it.  Am I the only one that thinks this way?

I only have one point to disagree with you on -- at least for now, I have to give your post a little more scrutiny before that.\n\nWhen someone like Ron Paul or Alex Jones -- or anyone for that matter -- professes belief in something absurd, while it does not invalidate any belief that that person may hold, it does render them suspect. Ron Paul's views on the economy may or may not be sound -- but his status as a creationist inclines me to believe that he may not have the most sound mind when it comes to making decisions in general, so I should be wary of his views on _everything_, moreso than I would be with someone who holds sound views on a subject. For instance, Francis Collins, former director of the Human Genome project, and now candidate for Director of the NIH, is a Christian, and a "Theistic Evolutionist" -- I hold _everything_ he does in a _significantly_ more skeptical light than, say, Stephen Jay Gould. That's not to say I'm not skeptical of Gould's research -- I'm skeptical of everything -- but even in spite of Collins' work on the HGP, his views on religion inform my treatment of that work. I _must_ be more skeptical, because he has demonstrated that _he is not skeptical enough_. \n\nI think that's what the OP as getting at -- his skepticism was increased upon learning that Alex Jones believes in _at least one_ stupid set of ideas, perhaps his other ideas are stupid too.\n\nI hope that makes sense.\n

This just in: Mythical creature has a lame explanation in reality.\n\nMore at 11!

I am certainly not a troll, and I'd wager I share pretty much the same position on AGW as does the majority of the people on this subreddit. I respectfully reject your invitation to dismiss myself.

I was with you until... pretty much just until halfway through the 2nd sentence. I'm not even going to try fixing all the incorrect things you just said.

Ok but I dont see UFOs hovering over land based platform. Hence, not real levitation as you'd imagine a UFO doing. This is the kind of magnetic toy anyone can make.

ah lol, so how much did it cost? and i bet the land was expensive too, did they design it or did you?  (computer aided design(computer stuff) ?:P)

Glad to see one with clean lines, all the others this year seemed quite sloppy. I don't care who made it, it's a work of art and should be appreciated as such.

Nothing re-enforces the credibility of your product like a free Wordpress site :|

I don't know a chiropractor who wouldn't refer you for an MRI if you gave your history like that (injury, nothing on x-rays). 

Oh man,...preparing to get downvoted into oblivion,...BUT,...\n\n\nTo answer your question with another question,...Do all of these men and women have to be telling the truth to legitimize the Project?,...answer: yes.\n\n\nI love the concept of Disclosure, but seriously doubt the veracity of SOME of the witnesses. I think some of the camps in the movement are most definately full of BS,...and because of the unwillingness of certain leaders of the Project to leave some of the more questionable witnesses out, their inclusion is highly suspect to the overall legitimacy of the movement. I know for certain some of the original witnesses have distanced themselves from the movement and no longer want their names associated because of the direction(or lack thereof) of the Project.\n\n\nThe man himself [Steven Greer](http://www.ufowatchdog.com/steven_greer_2.htm), who offers $1000 weekend camping trips for CE5 contacts including an NDA, metaphysical mediatative seminars, rents his buildings to his own non-profit companies,...and is still trying to muster funding so he can develop zero point energy, despite the fact that hundreds of others are coming forth with the tech simply by opening the dialogue that this tech has been developed and canned(or exploited in blackbudget industries) for decades by independant cartels.\n\n\n[Clifford Stone](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5W_3aneRPOg) the man who knows of 57 aliens species and has his own invisible EBE friend that only he can hear,...\n\n\nThen theres the claims by John Alexander that the Project actually sewered his attempts to get a congressional inquiry started again,...\n"the result was that his proceedings(Greer) held at the National Press Club destroyed any possibility of hearings on UFOs for the foreseeable future. Those Members of Congress who quietly had been supporting the process made it known they were out. They wanted nothing to do with a high-profile circus that could have adverse impact on their potential for reelection."\n\n\nThen theres the fact that, since Disclosure, politicians cant even admit theyve seen a UFO without being ostricised ala Dennis Kucinich, whos name is rarely mentioned in the media without the caveat,...\n\n\nRegardless of your impressions of the Project you certainly have to suspect the enire movement now that 10 years have passed and there is no discernable difference in the amount of verifiable info coming out of on the subject.\n\n\nQuite the contrary, the issue seems more muddy than ever,...\n\n\nI must admit I was first impressed with the concept of true Dislosure(although I dont see how it can ever happen more than it already has,...), and the Project has done much to bring the subject to a new generation of enthusiasts, but at what cost?,... leading to the question; Was the objective Disclosure or Confusion?

&gt;And now, here's our _Creation Moments_ host, Ian Taylor...\n\nReady set **go!**\n\n&gt;Ask any evolutionist and he will tell you that the Venus Flower Basket is one of the least evolved of all animals\n\nAaaaaaand scene. You made it **5 seconds**, Taylor. Thanks for playing.

That was actually one of the key concepts on Carl Sagan's "Demon-Haunted World".

&gt;However, hallucinating and seeing demons is an entirely different of scary and i can understand that people not familiar with the phenomenon freak out. I believe that its hard to stay skeptical with hallucinations as described in that thread. \n\nTotally, I take heavy sleeping medication that messes with my senses if I don't go to sleep soon after taking it. Like, really vivid hallucinations and suggestive states. My roommates have caught me petting a throw pillow I thought was my bengal scurrying across the floor, meows and all. \n\nI woke up one morning thinking I scored a business deal over the phone late the other night, turns out I was just having a conversation with myself, quote my roomate "I was thinking of telling you to shut up, but I didn't think you were hurt and it was really funny."\n\nIt's amazing what the human brain can convince itself of.

Is there no way to get CPS involved? Or would they just not give a shit?

Note how "High alkaline ionized water" is there and "bottled water" is purportedly low. Marketing crap.

Now that you mention it, that might have been the last episode I watched too. I was disgusted.\n\nConsidering how much I wanted to believe they were legit, I've never gone looking for the proof of them faking evidence. There are just some times where you just would rather part ways than see with your own eyes how you were manipulated and have to wonder just how far back it went.

Assuming bigfoot exists (and that is a very, very large assumption) proving it is going to be problematic. There have already been so many hoaxes (after all, the "bigfoot" most hunters are trying to find is the one in that grainy old film, despite the fact that the cameraman admitted it was a hoax) and BS hunts shown on reality television ("Shh!  Earl! Djya hear'at?! Izza a squatch! I know izza squatch!") that if anyone did find a real one, they'd be automatically dismissed as being yet another fraud.\n\nThat said, I highly doubt that it exists. Most of the sightings you read about belie the claim that it's a shy creature that tries to avoid people - if I were a shy creature that tried to avoid people, I certainly wouldn't be running through the woods chasing after them and throwing rocks at them while howling. Those that don't have ridiculous drama like that tend to be of the "I saw it leaning against a tree, a big furry creature!" variety, which would just as easily describe a bear as a giant ape-creature.\n

thanks for the suggestions :P  I might mix these around a little bit

If I only allowed myself to side with people who share all my views I would never have any allies at all. If someone is skeptical of UFO sightings then they should be accepted as part of a UFO skepticism group regardless of their views on homeopathy.

It doesn't really need scholarly links to support it's claims, as it just lets Mike Adams speak for himself, which should be enough. But if you're looking to debunk 9/11 truthers and other conspiracies he believes in there's plenty there to work from to show how nutty this supposed ex-Scientologist is.

Fraud.\n\nIn many cases card details alone can be used to make purchases online.\nSo if he has your details, he can use them to make buy other stuff online for himself.

There was no vaccination for it when I was a child, and wasn't available until after my children had already had chicken pox. My daughter actually contracted it twice for some reason.

Be sure to hover your mouse over the red circle below the comic for an extra gag.

Paranormal simply means events or phenomena that are beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding.\n\nThere really are no events or phenomena that aren't normal - science just hasn't defined them yet.

Fair guess, but he didn't throw it nearly high enough to touch the ceiling. I was standing right in front of him and the deck didn't go more than a foot above his head.

You're right, all several thousand different substances on the shelves do absolutely nothing. How on earth did the human race ever take care of themselves before Tylenol and sudafed?

Do you mean this one? \n\n http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FMcwSZfzzI&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player

Nothing can explain the emotional duality this exact question poses to my relationship with my father at this time. To respect someone so much for his accomplishments and dedication; however,fearing what secrets he is hiding from the world. I may not judge what is better for society, but I just want the TRUTH!

Man, the human brain is so fascinating.  The funny thing is, I did the ACV treatment as a "last resort," as even in-office freezing did not get rid of it.  So I was skeptical of ACV working, but willing to give it a shot, just to cover all my bases.  Interesting that my little sliver of hope may actually have been what got rid of it in the end.  Wart removing superpower, activate!

I believe there are still Unis in the UK that offer courses in Parapsychology. Or, as EmpressSharyl says, there are a number of Parapsychology organizations in Europe and the US. As Rose_Tyler_Fan points out, it depends on what you want to learn. "Paranormal" covers a wide variety of topics. Locally we have a center that teaches energy work and Reiki. As for mythology, most unis offer mythology courses as part of their literature department. For a primer on that subject, I recommend the book *The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Mythology.* I've studied the subject and knew a lot of the material already, but it is well written and is broken down into categories that make sense.

Oh my...I'm not sure I'm up to defending the entire veterinary profession against The Internet.  There are a lot of misconceptions out there and the people who have them tend to be pretty aggressive about their position.  \n\nIf you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to answer if I can, I just don't want to invite mass scrutiny.  :-)

I would honestly say that there are a lot of residual hauntings at places like this.  Thanks for sharing your story.

It actually gave the "thanks-for-stopping-to-let-me-cross-the-road" wave at the driver/cameraman.\n\nTIL: Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) are courteous. 

Progress M-03M launch\n"Progress M-03M launches to the International Space Station on resupply mission ISS-35P. Launch occurred just before daybreak, which resulted in a beautiful trail. The vehicle was visible until it went under the horizon."\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGslXhVm3E4

The other videos are much more compelling, IMO. The videos I listed seem to have a lot more speculation (and I just personally hate UFOs around the Sun as they're likely particles hitting the SOHO detector) and unnecessarily muddy the waters. The rest of the list is fantastic.\n\nJust my take on it, feel free to disagree.

The Homeopathic idea is that heavily diluted substances are more effective. So if it contains any honey at all, it's probably nigh undetectable.

I am pretty sure this is a copy. I think I have seen that video before without the ugly logo.

There's a pretty big difference between the homeopathic version, which pretty much everyone knows is bullshit, and the actual herb or a concentrate of Hypericin.

I don't know that it is fair to call science a "belief system."  That is where it is very different from "movements" like religion.  I think it is better to say that the implications of science could be belief.

There's nothing foolish about wanting to see all of the evidence. I agree with you in principle, but... disk-shaped insects? What I want to see is a few higher-quality stills of the objects. If this was shot in 1080 that should be do-able.

yes, but advanced yoga practitioners are claimed to be able to levitate and essentially create fireballs.

Are there also subreddits for powerbands and bigfoot that we can shoo them away to?  Then, when we're down to only vaccines and homeopathy, do we send those to their own as well?\n\nAt what point does super-specializing a reddit defeat the purpose of the reddit in general?  No one suggests that [/r/funny](/r/funny) should stop being funny.  When a meme gets old, it burns out on it's own.  \n\nLikewise, I suspect that a time will come when no one needs to argue one side or another of climate change anymore.  It probably won't happen until there is a lot more awareness, education to voters, and elimination of politicians who spout anti-science, but we will get there.  \n\nUntil then, isn't it useful to discuss it, what with it concerning the destruction of the human race by our own ignorance and all?

What does "setting the bar high" translate to in real terms?  Producing an alien craft or body?  Maybe a blueprint for a functional interstellar craft?  I think that might be about it for any substantial financial incentive.  Otherwise, you're just going to get more pictures, either crisp enough to be CG or blurry enough to be anything, and more hearsay and testimonials, which prove nothing.

I'm always bashing these 'ufo near sun!' posts, but this one at least really does look like a 3D object. Not saying it *is* one, but... you can even see a shadow side of it. Not seeing how this could be a CCD artifact.

It's a cool example of how certain types of patterns tend to reoccur in nature in ways that are not necessarily related to each other.

You forgot to say:\n\n* Would *have* made impact...\n\nYou're losin' it, man!

yeah, I thought my player was effed up.... I got frustrated (at work, too), and quickly closed the article before reading...

That still makes it a very questionable statement considering that there are far greater numbers (at least hundreds of billions) of people in the history of mankind that did **not** suffer from diabetes from eating basic foods like bread, rice and potatoes. It **could** lead to diabetes in the case of a general un-healthy lifestyle. Saying bread leads to diabetes would be like saying that patriotism leads to the organized mass murder of jews. It's a still a risk but it does not stand on it's own. Basic logic people, let's stay focussed here. 

Being honest is probably good for repeat business. Also, White_kimbo said they were there to buy workout shoes, so the salesperson probably ended up selling another pair (that might have had a better profit margin).

Well, when people want to smear the only presidential candidate that actually takes a morally defensible stance on issues like torture and the drug war, the most approved method is to just make shit up about him.

Well fine, you can eat your big agro dog meat if you want, but dammit, when I eat dog, I prefer organic grass fed shade grown dog!

I suppose it depends on how you define luck.  If a large asteroid is going to hit the earth today, I would consider that bad luck.  If I get the one single card that makes my hand a winner on the river in Texas Hold Em, I would consider that good luck.  It's all statistics and completely out of your control, so when they work out for you, it's good luck.  I don't think people are inherently "luckier" than others if that's what you mean.

I've just watched it and it's basically this:\n\nOur understanding of the atrocities that occurred at Auschwitz and other Nazi internment camps is derived from survivor testimonies and the information gathered by the Soviets, which contradict themselves on a number of issues, including the existence of gas chambers. In the film, the narrator explores the proofs for gas chambers point by point and tries to break down their validity.\n\nIf anything, one point from this film is valuable to cursory history students: many other people besides Jewish people were held in German work camps, including Catholics, "Gypsies," and other "enemies" of the 3rd Reich.

It is a strange misplacement of responsibility in both directions. Another case of something being more loopy than I could imagine!

The God Helmet experiments couldn't be replicated. They weren't originally done double-blinded, and when other researchers introduced blinding, they couldn't find any significant effect. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some methodological flaws leading to these new results. \n\nHowever, I'd love to see the research. I doubt he has any fucking clue what he's talking about re: quantum physics, but I'm curious about this anyway. 

Thank you. Very interesting!\n\nAlso relevant:\n\n* [Organic farming just as productive as conventional, and better at building soil, Rodale finds](http://www.grist.org/article/2011-03-25-rodale-data-show-organic-just-as-productive-better-at-building)\n\n* [The UN says Eco-farming can double food output by poor](http://uk.reuters.com/article/2011/03/08/us-food-idUKTRE7272FN20110308)\n

I thought season 3 was pretty interesting.  Season 4 had it's moments but left much to be desired.  The finale was one of  the dumbest thing's I've forced myself to watch.

This, exactly. I'd say if you question everything *but* god, you may have skeptical tendencies, but I don't know if you'd fit *my* definition of a skeptic. I'm not sure of how to go about this without using 'No true Scotsman'.

I skimmed the article looking for some mention of this, but I didn't spot anything that appeared to address it. It's certainly a bit confusing.

Congestion is helped by the production of excess, thin mucus.  That's how congestion gets cleared.

They've responded to this criticism. I'm not saying I disagree with OP but this seems like a decent response:\n\nhttp://www.invisiblechildren.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/critiques.html

&gt;Really? Care to give some proof?\n\nYes. Start with an astronomy textbook. I'm serious. You aren't putting out any effort to understand. Please, at least [watch the video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HghEBxHvgg) and listen to an astrophysicist explain it.\n\n&gt;How the Mayans calculated these things, we'll probably never know.\n\nThey looked at the sky and they knew math. That's how they calculated these things.\n\n&gt;This one is supposedly the lining up of the stars within our galaxy.\n\nSee [this entry on HowStuffWorks](http://science.howstuffworks.com/major-planetary-alignment-2012.htm). There is no alignment.

A friend of mine thought the exact same thing about the Aurora shootings, saying that it was unbelievable that the shooter was able to get his hands on the weapons and armor. Because assault weapons and body armor  aren't available in the U.S...

sorry, I thought I said New Jersey. Isn't that good enough for you? you are scaring me a bit so I don't want to say the specific location(its quite close to my home), lets leave it at, the lights are in Mercer county.

They do strobe like that if they're tumbling. Upper rocket stages in orbit tend to do that.\n\nSatellites disappear exactly like the one in the third video when they go into Earth's shadow.

Ooooo, this looks good. And I'm pretty sure that it is Dragsholm. Thank you so much 

As far as I'm concerned, astral projection is kind of pesudo-ish, whereas lucid dreaming is not. I could be wrong.

yes, you wern't suppose to find out this way. Dont worry, it will be erased from your memory within 2 hours of now.

Dodges the fundamental question - if knowledge of the efficacy of a medicine is what makes the medicine work, then *spreading* that knowledge is the ethical dilemma.  In effect, by couching every "placebo" question in terms of ethics, the question ceases to be one of science and becomes one of Original Sin.  \n\nDouble-blind studies provide cover from the ethical issue by eliminating the knowledge of the doctor from the equation.  It's like the firing squad solution - if one of the rifles is loaded with a blank, it provides moral cover for all soldiers because they can presume their gun isn't the one that killed the condemned.  It's a logical fallacy, however, because the intent of pointing a weapon at another person and causing them to die is still there - it just has the added bonus of potential incompetence at the task.\n\nWhen one couches all discussions of placebo in terms of who-knows-what, the discussion ceases to be one about the effects of placebo and transforms into one about the effects of *knowledge.*  It is not useful to do so.

A masseuse shouldn't be doing adjustments, at least, not on purpose.  \n  \nOnce the muscles are relaxed, the bones may return to their home position on their own IF they are used to being there. In my case however, my bones were used to being "out" and no massage or pills was putting them back.

Aren't the first two things positive though? Using more of the fuel means less waste and a shorter half-life means less time in storage, or am I just talking out of my arse?.

Could you cite a source where he says that vaccines don't work? \n\nI've read a lot of what he's had to say on vaccines and a lot of it I agree with. For example, I agree on his point that people with a weakened immune system should get vaccinated, but normally healthy people shouldn't be getting flu shots every year.

Since Truman didn't get communication outside of the show then that would make us all puppets too.

It's the best available hypothesis. Obviously, the scientific process is going a wee bit slowly on this one. Until this study is repeated, it is the sum total of the scientific data out there. 

It's only happened to me once. I woke up one night, lying on my left side, and felt completely paralyzed. I felt like there was something standing beside me, watching me, waiting to grab me. It felt like pure evil. I felt like it was a Shadow Man I had seen when I was a child. It took awhile for me to snap out of it. It was a very terrifying experience that I hope I never have to face again.

Check out "existential minds" by dean radin. He has a piece about this phenomenon in his book

r/skeptic needs a tag for posts which redirect to /r/climateskeptics so we have the option to avoid them

The birds are having a rave.\n\nDamn fine footage. Must be kind of scary.

&gt; If you're telling me that GHGs can't lose any heat via radiation, we've got a different problem on our hands.\n\nI'm not telling you that, and I don't know why you have that idea.

I understand the scientific theory for deja vu, but I clearly remember waking up from that dream and thinking, "this was one of the most irrelevant dreams I've ever had". Recently, I've been getting deja vu a whole bunch which could relate to that theory, but I'm for sure 100% that the dream happened several months before :(\n\nEdit: but i completely umderstanf your point. I've had dreams reference themselves or repeat themselves as if they were fresh and have gone through a lot of similar events with that heavy feeling that I've done it before (which was probably just me receiving the same memory half a second earlier)!

Awesome, thanks for the tips. If anything happens again the rules ate coming out. I wouls like to devrlop a relationship id possible since its interested ine and wants my attention.

Nuclear sub any one? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_submarine\n\nAlso, I hear there are these new fangled things called electric vehicles. 

I have this same "ghost" on my phone. Couldn't even psych out my 8yr old daughter w it.

The comments. They make me want to cry while hitting a puppy. Please make it stop.

Exactly. Maybe somewhere in another universe, my counterpart is wondering where the hell her glow-in-the-dark skeleton sock went.

No. I'm just speaking truth, I won't use a bank that gets robbed every week. They have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our trade, there is an implicit contract involved. 

Now I know who to complain to about the bullshit "homeopathic vaccine" ads I continue to see. Fucking FINALLY.

So you are serious, yikes. Maybe you can vaccinate yourself in future with a homeopathic vaccine.\n\nLet me ask you a question, do you think children should be able to make the choice to get a tattoo? Do you think parents should have the right to tattoo their child, say getting the word moron tattooed on their 6month old's forehead?

They were also very anxious, nervous and not thinking in a normal state of mind...

I'm reading that they're against it because they don't trust engineers who have invested their lives can do what they say they can.

On the HIV part, I read that most common transmission is via semen and blood (if the man shaves for example and cuts). Dead semen may mean dead virus? it sounds dubious too, since they mention that it doesn't "block" semen, but just sterilises it. does it also magically kill the virus? I have no clue... also skeptic! \n

haha. Notice how the video's title uses the word "findings" rather than "evidence".

"If you gave ~~Falwell~~﻿ Hagee an enema, you could bury him in a matchbox ." Christopher Hitchens

You do know that archaeologists and their institutions hide evidence that goes against what they believe / have discovered, right?

Thank you for your response! I like to debate this subject. It's one of my favorites. I want to state for the record that I'm not trying to troll you m'friend. I just want there to be good arguments happening in this subreddit. I want this phenomena to be taken seriously. That being said: I've read about those physical objects that have been planted in people. Very strange stuff, but I honestly can't think of an article where those tests came back as anything but "inconclusive". That's not proof. That just means they don't know or can't tell what it is. Do you have any credible sources that talk about those objects being "not of this earth" and how that claim was supported? I'd like to read them if you do. (Not being snarky here. I just honestly can't think of any). As far as the surgical procedures, again, very strange. I've read a lot of reports about that stuff, but nothing I've seen cannot be just as easily explained by human intervention. That could just be me expressing my jaded and skeptical feelings about human nature though, I can admit that without a problem. About qualified professionals: they make mistakes too. There is ample evidence to prove that, in courts or otherwise. I don't just trust the word of a person because they are in a position of expertise or authority. Expert testimony is more credible than say, mine, but that doesn't make it infallible. As far as generals and harvard educated professors go, everyone needs a little bit of income. Before I started just trusting the word of experts carte blanche I'd look into their possible motivations for making such statements. Doesn't mean I automatically discredit their words, just means I want to see what makes them tick and find out if they might have ulterior motives, like a dwindling pension or something. I think you make some great points. I agree that there is definitely a societal double-standard when it comes to this subject. I'm sure I don't have to mention Galileo or his ilk to this crowd. They faced harsh criticisms up to and including death and they were dead-on for the most part. I have no desire to change your mind in any way. (I couldn't if I wanted to, right? ;p) I just want members of this subreddit to be extremely critical of their sources of information because as you very well know, there is a lot of misinformation out there. Thanks again for responding buddy. What do you think about what I've said? 

That's where Wigner's Friend comes in. At some point, in order for you to establish that you are in the universe with the live or dead cat, you gotta open that box and observe it directly or at least observe your friend who has observed it, because HE might be in a dual state of having-seen-the-cat-alive vs having-seen-the-cat-dead.

I ask you, what would be different about firing rockets with cameras on them?  Why would that be better proof then what we have in terms of the more reputable photos we already have?\n\nAlso, firing rockets with cameras on them? What could go wrong with that plan?\n\nImagine this....\n\nA member of the last undiscovered Amazonian tribesman sees a plane pass overhead for the first time ever.  He freaks out, scribbles a picture of what he saw on the back of some tree bark and runs to tell the tribe leader.  The tribe leader says that, although the picture is interesting, he needs more proof of the encounter before he believes that something actually occurred.\n\nI look at our situation as analogous.  What possible proof *can we provide* from a simple sighting?  Our photos and videos are simply more advanced versions of a picture scrawled on the back of tree bark.  Sure, our technology is much more acurate, but it still doesn't capture any more data than light (and at varying resolutions and accuracies at that).\n

I agree it's worth [repeating](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/o9lmf/dr_phil_follows_dr_ozs_descent_into_psychic_woo/) to get the message out, considering Phil's rather large platform. But reposting after a day or so would be better I think.

"Fat Ally McCoist heading downstream to the 4th division" made me chuckle

Was the radio commercial one that you heard frequently, or just once?  If it was just once I would think it was a prank, with somebody transmitting their own radio message from nearby.

Ordered this book used on Amazon marketplace some time in the summer, read it front to back in a week or so.  Probably the single most compelling abduction book I've read; not just a series of run-on hypnosis transcriptions like Hopkins' books (though nothing against Budd Hopkins, the books are a bit dry), and more substantial than a second-hand collection of stories re-told in the vein of the Lorenzen's Encounters with UFO Occupants (though still my favourite on the subject by far, if only for the numerous accounts, however dubious or hastily examined.)\n\nEdit:  The fishing trip wasn't a "spur-of-the-moment" idea per-se, it was three or four days into the excursion in the mountains, after having been dropped off by pontoon-plane days earlier, and they were running out of food. Not having been able to catch fish in the daylight, they thought they should try to fish at night, so they built a huge signal fire and pushed off into the lake.  It's also interesting to note that they had seen the 'ufo' appear a day or two days prior to the main event, but only for a brief moment by one or two of the men before it 'blinked out', who then discounted it as something not to be concerned about.\n\nThe most interesting part of the whole book to me is the part where they get into the memory of one of the men trapped in a snow storm at a young age, who ends up falling into a well/sewer grating with no hope of getting out, only to look up, see a few aliens, and then boom, suddenly he's at home, except it's three or four hours later than it should have been, and his memory of the time spent on the craft with the solid object thing that seemed alive and could morph shapes.  Forgive me if I'm blending some details together, but that section, to me, was an interestingly weird digression away from the 'normative' aspects of alien abduction and into something altogether more captivating.  Or the mystery light that one of the Wiener brothers saw fly through the house, or the surprise re-visitations... Fuck, I'm getting goosebumps thinking about some parts of the book that I had forgot.

&gt; ... we would expect "natural" or "herbal" medicines to sometimes have an effect that could be equal to, or better, than standard treatments. \n\nSpeak for yourself - actual scientists (and all doctor friends) would expect the 8th best-sold drug in the world to be a lot better than naturist stuff or placebo.

CRFA meaning Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association? Do you have a source on that? And why should I believe them?

I remember an acquaintance telling a story where she got a wrong number call for someone after someone with the same first name as her -- and the caller turned out to be a long-lost childhood friend!\n\nGotta love the randomness of extreme probabilities coming out from time to time.

&gt;Does the medical community think they know an operative mechanism for ADHD? In the absence of an operative mechanism, can we really say it's on par with anti-vax?\n\nI'm not sure we need a mechanism to be certain it exists, but I can see why the analogy might throw you. It might be more accurate to compare ADHD to the symptom of "vomiting" (as mental disorders are just descriptions and observations of dysfunctional behaviors). To say ADHD doesn't exist is directly comparable to saying vomiting doesn't exist.\n\n

And if we have nothing else to compare to, no standards, no quantification, nothing...then it is not science. It is the dream of a man in a coma (who, if I heard right, is religious and therefore biased even more).

Many people take an interest in nutrition because they couldn't make it in harder subject areas, like medicine. Also the homeopathic community has a strong foothold in nutrition culture.

I have to ask: Why is Cracked suddenly beating up on psuedo-science and woo with such regularity?  Does one of our own work on their editorial staff?  Is their head writer Brian Dunning in a fat suit?  Is Randi controlling them telepathically?

Have you kept a log of all the dreams you've had that haven't come true?  Do you have any idea how many dreams are had by the population in general?  It might give you some perspective on things.  See [confirmation bias](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias). \n\nIn the context of dreams:  Occasionally something someone dreams will turn out to be similar to some future event - there is nothing 'mystical' about that.  There are simply so many dreams and so many events in our lives that it's inevitable.  It would actually be more amazing if it never happened.  It only seems strange to you because you're only looking at that 'hit' and you're ignoring the billions of misses.  The occasional 'hit' among the dreaming population is to be expected, and there is no reason to think it is any sort of glimpse into the future or 'premonition'.  \n\nI also don't think you're crazy or anything, but I'm no psychologist.

&gt;All who are intellectually honest should readily admit that they are an agnostic atheist.\n\nFTFY.  Agnosticism and atheism make two entirely different claims; you can be an agnostic atheist or a gnostic atheist, and you can be an agnostic theist or a gnostic theist. Traditionally, most people are either agnostic atheists or gnostic theists, though the other two possibilities do exist.  What I presume you are considering "atheism" is actually gnostic atheism, a stance which very few people hold.  Most people who consider themselves atheists agree that it is not possible to know whether a god exists, however they believe that without empirical evidence to the contrary, it is the most logical stance to assume gods do not exist.\n\n[Citation](http://i.imgur.com/xXuNC.jpg)

Debating ductility failure is something neither side has proven competent of, yet feels freely to discuss like experts. Shower me with some downvotes already. 

While I don't disagree that this is unnerving and negative to say the least, I still would not go as far as to site this as enough reason to give in to a level of uncontrolled fear.  That fear breeds a lack of personal control that I don't feel is warranted or becoming of what we can as a species do to assert ourselves in a positive way on this planet and for the sake of our own development and evolution as beings.

SCIENCE\n\nI just got really pissed off when the first google result for "bleach" was to some manga called Bleach.  What the fucks.

What exactly does visual snow mean because what i was thinking of when i heard it was the like fuzzy spots on everything like the snow on tv because i see that in everything i look at but can someone please tell me what it means.

Yeah, but she admits that she knows absolutely nothing about HOTS. That aside, it's sarcastic and doesn't even make a remote attempt at neutrality. 

His wife ousted him of faking pictures, BUT I am not sure if there was any evidence against him, I think they had a dispute and she may or may not have lied. This is me saying this from memory and not actually searching the net to see if I am right or not.\n\nedit: on a side note, whatever you believe about UFO's, Pleiadians, Billy Meier, one thing is certain, the teachings of the Pleiadians are some of the best stuff around, if our planet actually followed these teaching we would be much better off as a race.

For those of you not familiar with who he is:  \nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edzard_Ernst

I doubt this.  I don't play often but when I do, I win.  I look to see at what height the claw closes, I look for a prize that is high enough and then I get it.\n\nEDIT:  Wow, so many disgruntled skeptics who don't know how to win at arcade games.  It's not pure luck like a slot machine, the claw strength can be adjusted.  It just means it can be harder sometimes.  Some of us are skilled enough that even with a greater disadvantage, we can win far more often than the straight odds should allow.

I'm headed camping this weekend with my friend.  He will be wearing his bracelet, no doubt.  I plan on doing a demonstration for all of my friends but switching his bracelet for a slap bracelet I have without him knowing.  I'll show that it works, then show which bracelet the the volunteer was wearing.

These examples are probably the greatest rebuttal when theists claim that 'religion does no harm', or does more good than harm.

It is, and such structures (wings in bats vs wings in birds) are called homologies.

I'm sure his wife found something evidence of him cheating....told her it was an alien who raped him.\n\n\nI'm going to use the same excuse if i ever get caught

I love how all the arguments boil down to a huge conspiracy where everybody is involved : science journals, companies and the government. All you can trust are a few random "naturopaths" who have some anecdotal evidence around.

Also unlike thiomersal, methylmercury is amazingly fucking terrible and really good at getting across the blood brain barrier. Methylmercury first really came into the spotlight in the 50s-60s with the [Minimata disease](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minamata_disease) event in Japan. It bioaccumulates readily in seafood when watercourses are polluted with aqueous mercury. 

So in reply to evidence you respond with speculation? Where is your study that shows that human digestive enzymes render volatile oils inactive?\n\nAs I said dill has proven anti-microbial properties. If you believe you can show that these do not work you should provide evidence not opinion.\n\nEdit: That's me done. For some time this sub-reddit has been sceptical in name only but when I'm being down voted into negative numbers for asking for evidence rather than opinion this sub-reddit betrays it's complete disregard for any sort of scientific method. Unsubscribing now.

My favorite example of the Oprah effect bullshit was the internet pedophile network with "Over 9000 penises, all raping children." 

4:30 is very obviously an aircraft's ["right-of-way"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navigation_light) lights, where the airplane is flying toward the witness.\n\n&gt;Right-of-way lights - A red light will be mounted on the left or port side of the craft and a green on the right or starboard side.\n\nSorry to burst your bubble.

I am infuriated by this post. He keeps writing *this was a potential sexual assault* as if repeating it makes it true.  HOW in the WORLD was this a *potential* sexual assault?  What does that even mean, "potential?"  Why not call it what it was? An offer, which was refused, end of story.

&gt; Yes, from personal experience.\n\nYour being conned by a chiro does not change the physiology of your back.\n\n&gt; I don't believe all the other wacked-out chiropractor stuff though.\n\nThat is all chiro is.

Apology not accepted. This season is the BEE'S KNEES! \n\nNow take your hater pants off so I can spank you.

This is a legitimate video but the image﻿ you see is just a reflection from the smaller fire visible in left of the screen at beginning of the video. Notice the shape is same as brightest parts of fire and it moves proportionally to camera, with same speed.\n\nNot an edited hoax, just a sensationalized visual artifact.\n\nThe people who say it does not look like the fire: Notice that there are two separate fires, a large one, and a smaller one which matches the shape of the "Horseman".\n\n@People whom claim that people in the video are looking in the direction of the horseman. Wouldn't you be looking at the huge fire in front of you too?\n\nI honestly can't believe Fox is airing this without commentary explaining the origin of the visual artifact to the public.\n

I mean *truly* unlimited. Gays imprisoned, atheists imprisoned, science removed from schools, no social programs, etc. All the really fucked up stuff you know they secretly want to do.

I think a dog can go vegan, but it would definitely kill your kitty.

it's just weird how many people experience the same (unexplained) stuff... In our case it could very well be humidity.

What kind of software are you running, that you can see wings.\n

The multiple repeats of the footage drove me to distraction I'm afraid but I was interested in the way the objects moved. Could they possibly have been birds reflecting the sun? They had that swirly flight motion like birds gliding.

I am curious as to what kind of relationship you have with said coworker. Friendship? Do you communicate easily with him? Is there a sort of emotional bond between you?

&gt;Generally, this means an alcoholic tincture (since THC isn't water soluble), though, which comes with its own set of concerns.\n\nYou can mix in soft hash or oil in hot coffee or tea, it works quite well.\n\nIf I may digress for a second, I'd also like to mention my favorite Back in 1989 I had a perfectly legal [bhang lassi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhang_lassi#Bhang_lassi) in Varanasi, India. Lassis are sweet yogurt/milk drinks (like a [Yop](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yop) if they have those where you live) that come in many flavors (banana was always my favorite). I tagged along with a French couple I'd met at the hostel who were going to try one at a small store on a busy street (well, this is India, pretty much all streets are busy...).\n\nThe couple had been warned not to get a "medium" or "strong" one if it was the first time they tried it, so we ordered three "light" bhang lassis. It came in a pottery bowl, a delicious light green creamy drink. It took a while before having an effect, but when it did kick in it turned out to be one of the most potent experiences I've ever had on cannabis (though being on the bank of the Ganges and eating delicious but extremely spicy food probably helped).\n\nI'll always remember that guy who looked like a business man stopping by to order a "strong" lassi while we were sipping ours just inside the shop. It came in a glass and was a much darker green. The man downed it in three gulps and went on his way as if he'd just had a glass of milk...\n\n**Edit**: if I remember correctly, while THC won't dissolve in water it is in fact soluble in fat, so I guess it could dissolve in fatty milk, cream or yogurt.

Yes.  You can get a PhD in something relatively simple, and then use the Dr. title to endlessly promote your ignorance in other matters

Thanks to things like modern education, literacy and the internet I don't have to be a farmer to know how it's done. You should try reading sometime. It's not as overrated as some people think it is.\n

I'm interested in following this but I don't know how much I'll be able to contribute. Can I become a member so I can lurk?

This isn't necessarily about pushing beliefs on anyone, and it's certainly not about pushing disbelief in gods on anyone. The "belief" being touted is that atheism is patriotic, and the myth that spreading this belief is the sole benefit to be achieved by a stunt like this is, i think, a good reason to be talking about it in r/skeptic. I support the stunt wholly without reference to this goal.\n\nThe episodes of people suggesting an atheist registry are so well-known in the online atheist community that they are often discussed without citation; if you question their validity, ask, or do the research yourself. Don't presume that everyone takes it for granted on faith.\n\nThe overlap is not strictly demographic. Most religious claims *are* falsifiable (unless you artificially assert that falsifiable claims cannot be religious), including most god stories; the unfalsifiability gambit is far more popular with theologians than with believers generally (unless they're defending themselves against atheists). And religions find plenty of other ways to interfere with our lives in ways better addressed by skepticism than by atheism. In any event, this stunt directly affects the skeptic community, which is inextricably tied to the atheist community and benefits and suffers from its successes and failures.

I questioned it. I just picked. Maybe the name is slightly girly? Idk.

&gt;However, the major American publishers were reluctant to support a skeptical book, with **some** suggesting that I re-write it to suggest that ghosts were real and psychic powers actually existed!\n\nAlso, given the fact that he's not really well-known here as opposed to the other skeptical writers (Randi, etc.), it's really not that implausible.  He does have motives for making up a story like this (more sales), but I'm more inclined to believe him than not, there's nothing to suggest he lied.

Links are abundant. Wikileaks is where you should start.\n\nNavigating through research is good for you. \n\nNot an asshole for not posting a link...just providing an idea.

I was shocked when my college cell bio class used the section of vaccines to talk about why you should get them and how they are not harmful rather than how they work.\n\nBut yeah I wonder about some of my peers. I've met people who don't know what primary and secondary sources are. I don't think it is the professors though, I'm pretty sure it is the students. I've sat through 5 classes so far that have gone over the scientific method and 2 of those have done the whole reliable source/good science thing in detail.

Are you questioning the truthiness of Conservapedia?  You sound Un-American.  And probably socialist.

Nice attempt at reverse psychology, alien counter-intelligence agents!

Oh I agree, the whole "one unifying code that explains evolution and the patterns of life" theme is greatly appealing in a sci-fi way. It's just sad that people get suckered in to believing it's this vast conspiracy.

OK, this is r/skeptic so someone has to be critical of your claims, which are a bit confusing. Is this a list of perceived reasons why consumers choose raw milk, or is it a list of reasons to drink raw milk as defined by the Raw Milk Marketing Board?\n\n1) Taste is subjective so this doesn't really matter.\n\n2) Boom! And we poison the well straight away with some very graphic imagery that sets up an Us Vs Them scenario, with raw milk producers tending to the cows lovingly while pasteurized producers just treat them like cattle! (Sorry, couldn't resist that pun)\n\n3) And we pour a bit more poison in, this time siding pasteurized producers with the evil GMO conspiracy.\n\n4) Add a little bit of "hormone's give you man boobs" poison to the well\n\n3 points in a row that set to damn the entire production chain of pasteurized milk with no supporting evidence.  Now, while I'm fairly certain that these points may be true for intense factory farming methods, I'd also bet on there being quality control to stop any blood or pus infected milk from entering the chain.  As for the GMO Grains feed, I would prefer to see evidence of their effects on cattle being presented, not a recommendation for a book about human diet written by a Cardiologist.\n\n5) A quick link back to the GMO scare for which you provide no credible evidence, with a dig at Big Pharma while we're there. What does it matter to human ingestion of milk if a cow has previously had antibiotics to help cure an illness?\n\n6) Again, why does it matter that the Whey protein is denatured during pasteurization? If Whey does turn out to have health benefits, can't we just get it from another source? How about those massive tubs in the muscle shops?\n\n7) The wikipedia article you link to doesn't mention anything about pasteurization, and a quick google brings up lots of pro raw milk sites and this [paper on pub med](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8132877). Again, given the benefits that the wikipedia article sites for lacto-ferrin, can't we get it from another source?\n\n8) And now we meet the contradiction in your argument. After spending time on points 2,3 &amp; 4 setting up raw milk producers as the defenders of ethical milking vs the evils of the pasteurization industry you now tell us that raw milk production is unregulated in North America. So what is stopping "evil" farmers from selling their pus infected, GMO tainted, moob hormone giving milk both to the pasteurization market and direct to consumers as raw milk?\n\nYou are right that introduction of regulation can help reduce the risks of raw milk, but is there really a conspiracy of Big Milk trying to ban regulation, or are you just trying to bandwagon onto the other Big Industry conspiracies? Why can't an independent regulatory group be setup which can provide a hallmark to producers who adhere to their strict standards?\n\n9) As we've just discussed, without regulation of the raw milk industry what guarantees are there that the processing involved is safe and hygienic? Just because it is a simpler method than the mass pasteurization method does not make it any safer.  At least the pasteurization industry is regulated for safety and performs regular disinfection, and where mistakes happen there are mechanisms in place to engage product recalls where mistakes happen.  What are the product recall processes in the raw milk industry?\n\n10) And we were doing so well! We were talking about valid points in the raw milk vs pasteurization debate and then you go and spoil it all by bringing the bloody pus back in! Your argument here tries to implicate that pasteurization is a necessary by-product of factory farming, yet according to wikipedia pasteurizing of milk in the USA (1890s) predates factory farming of cattle (1960s).\n\n11) And now we place the blame of any illness caused by raw milk ingestion onto the consumer. "Got ill drinking raw milk? Well it's your own stupid fault for not correctly inspecting the farm where your milk was produced, you dumbass!"\n\n12) Well please, do go on. Don't expect us to agree with you that there are many more issues on this "controversy."\n\n**tl;dr I agree that with proper regulation the risks of raw milk can be reduced and communicated out to consumers in a better fashion but raw milk still carries some risks that pasteurization reduces or removes. There are lots of myths and misconceptions around about milk and your arguments are not helping to dispel them**

Orac wrote a blog post about this at [Respectful Insolence](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/07/joe_mercola_plays_the_religion_card_agai.php).

Isn't that efficiency offset by the extra energy costs of moving the product long distances?

Tell me about it. It's not as though he could discreetly carry a 20ft ladder into the mall, let alone use it for long enough to facilitate that.\n\nIt blew my mind, and I still make it a point to go back to the mall and look for the card whenever I'm in town.

Looking at his facebook page, probably not. He went to a "Supernatural School of Ministry" if that give you any idea of the kind of person we are dealing with.

I'm not lying. What I thought was very clear in your message was apparently not your message.\n\nNor am I attempting to derail the thread. After a year of trying to talk about this and getting a significant amount of hostility in return, Jen teamed up with Rebecca and others to form AtheismPlus, sort of a sub-movement within atheism. Naturally, they got the same reaction as before, so Jen wrote up some common misconceptions about what this is all about.\n\nOf course, you don't need to take my word for it. You can [see for yourself](http://www.atheismplus.com).

The others are correct.  [And plus there is this. ಠ_ಠ](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42356709/ns/business-us_business/t/godaddy-ceo-kills-elephant-videotapes-act/)

Because all money that should be used for science and exploration, is used in war.

&gt; The Human Genome was fully sequenced\n\nDon't forget; just because we've mapped it, that doesn't mean we know exactly what every last gene (or combination of genes) does yet.

This was posted in /r/worldnews.\n\nIt's clearly the same deal as the Oregon Petition that AGW denialists love to use, where anyone can sign and make up any credentials, and the organizers will never bother to check.\n\nA few hilarious examples:\n\n&gt; 1 Dr. Dennis Smith poopy den s Afghanistan [**This is the first name on the list. THE FIRST ONE**]\n\n&gt; 26 Vince Halpin B.Sc Acupuncturist Herbalist Pharmacist Australia\n\n&gt;39 Tim Osborn Web Development Australia\n\n&gt; 48 Michelle Starr Ph.D student Natural Therapist none Australia\n\n&gt;85 John A Brown watchdog on growing power of corporacy in our world and the world s governments lack of will stop it Education Canada\n\n&gt; 95 Prof. Dennis Dennis poopy none Canada\n\n&gt; 118 Dr. M. Murphy Pediatrician NAMBLA Canada\n\n&gt;138 Roland Wilhelm B.Sc One who choses to think and take on problems that effect the environment Guelph Canada\n\n&gt;142 Werner Zimmermann interested informed and concerned citizen Canada\n\n&gt;146 Dr. Ye Hua over 20 000 pieces hand painted oil painting and picture frames in stock for sale at lowest prices http www art98 com China\n\n&gt;154 Damir Magdic Food Scientist Osijek Un Croatia\n\n&gt;168 Ahmed Said Mohamed Kamel sweet corn Egypt\n\n&gt;188 Olga Daric M.Phil linguistics France\n\n&gt;203 Ruby Michel B.Eng chicken breeder ATTAC France\n\n&gt;244 Prof. Julissa Martin Ph.D student i do not know what your talking abou t idk Hong Kong\n\n&gt;248 Dr. Nikki Broglowskhini Ph.D I am well equipped with all things scientifical. The society for science Iceland\n\n&gt;272 Prof.em Ranjeet Ku Sah B.Eng no study India\n\n&gt;298 Prof. Thomas Tharayil Ph.D tiuiruiuiuiuiruriy India\n\n&gt;316 Prof. Sean McDonagh M.Sc I am a theologian and anthropologist I worked for over 20 years in the Philippines I have written extensively on ethics and genetic engineering catholic priest Ireland\n\n&gt;410 Katharine White I am an experienced artist and G E Free H B N Z campaigner I am and have been in the position to put my graphic expertise to use in the cause of the planet T L C Wellington and E I T Hawke s Bay New Zealand\n\n&gt;426 Dr. Washdev Malhi Ph.D student whole soules and mind control jai ma jee Pakistan\n\n&gt;436 GEONATHAN BARRO Doing Anti GMO campaigns coordinates with other NGOs on our Anti GMO GE stand KALITAWHAN WORKING GROUP ON BIODIVERSITY Philippines\n\n&gt;437 GEONATHAN BARRO Coordinator Coordinates with NGOs POs and other Organizations on Anti GMO campaigns and other related issues and concerns KALITAWHAN WORKING GROUP ON BIODIVERSITY Philippines [**&lt;- listed twice**]\n\n&gt;463 Teresa Silva Ph.D student Coconut Portugal\n\n&gt;471 Dr. Joseph Mezei M.D quantum medicine Medical Center Tongtian Romania\n\n&gt;533 Chris Anthony B.Sc Qualified amateur UK\n\n&gt;672 BARBARA CRAWFORD SURVIVAL INDEPENDENT USA\n\n&gt;677 Burgess Dillard Natural Scientist Self USA\n\n&gt;685 Sanek Erem USA\n\n&gt;686 Sanekus Erem USA [**&lt;- listed twice, didn't even bother to make up credentials**]\n\n&gt;697 Panatey Great Company inc USA\n\n&gt;705 Gosha Hello Company inc USA\n\n&gt;710 Dale Hoover Organic food eater USA\n\n&gt;711 Heidi Horn interested in what i eat sebastian USA\n\n&gt;717 Panatey I Like Your Site Company inc USA [**Who the fuck are these "Company inc" people?**]\n\n&gt;741 A J Maimbourg Keen desire to see GM foods banned due to potential health problems USA\n\n&gt; 743 Hugh Mann non pharmaceutical health education organicMD org USA\n\n&gt;754 Najeeba Naja Ph.D THE QURAN IS TRUE MANKIND ARE U DEAF DUMB BIND WERE U OR WERE U NOT A DROP OF SPERN ISNT THE ONE WHO GIV E LIFE able to GIVE LIFE TO THE dead THE HUMAN RACE I ISLAM IS TRUE USA\n\n&gt;758 Panatey Nice To See Your Site Is Being Updated Company inc USA [**Seriously, is this guy using the petition as a message board?**]\n\n&gt;797 Colleen Sheppard Wholistic Energy Therapist USA\n\n&gt;803 Kim Smith I consume only organic food and desire to see a ban put on GM as soon as possible USA\n\n&gt;809 Dr. Jesse Stewart concernment for the application of education and assuring the liberty freedom and unity in life F F H USA\n\n&gt;810 Pamela Stimler B.Sc Board Certified Internist USA

Not really. Fungal and animal proteins ~~are~~ tend to be 'complete' in the sense that they have all the amino acids that your body can't synthesize, so it's not *necessary* to mix them, but there's certainly no harm.\n\nPlant proteins tend to be incomplete, having only some of the amino acids you need. Legumes and grains tend to have complementary sets (the amino acids missing from one are supplied by the other), so mixing beans and grains will give a better source of protein than either would individually.

I agree with this.  I'm tempted to think of this as a superpower of some kind.  but I have trouble thinking of how I can use it to get the edge on others.  Just does not seem to help me get ahead.  sad superpower.

Was this person approaching you in the bar wanting you to buy a device, or invest in the company?  I don't see any way to order on the site; I'm guessing we're looking at a multi-level marketing (MLM) deal here, where he's an "independent distributor" working from home.\n\nA slight digression - you can pay $200 for an MLM activated charcoal countertop filter that is sealed and must be replaced every 6 months.  It will work as described, but you can also go to Home Depot and get a countertop activated charcoal filter with a replaceable filter for about $45, IIRC, or a whole-house filter (Whirlpool) for about $400 that lasts 5 years.  Never buy MLM products, simply because you're overpaying.  (The person who recruited the distributor gets a cut of their commissions, as did the person who recruited the recruiter.  Adds a lot of overhead that provides no value to you.)\n\nBeing a skeptic means that I look to evidence regarding a claim, rather than making a snap judgment of, "I don't know anything about this, but it sounds silly, so I'm going to dismiss it." \n\nHere are three references for you:\n\nhttp://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/descal.html#212\n\nIn part:  \n\n&gt;There are many devices on the market for the magnetic treatment of water for the removal of such limescale. The sales success of these devices would seem to indicate that some work as promoted, at least under some circumstances.\n\n&gt;Magnetic treatment of water is claimed to cause four effects: [104]\n\n &gt;   Reduction in the amount of limescale formed.\n &gt;   Production of a less tenacious limescale due to a change in the crystal morphology.\n &gt;   Removal of existing scale (3 - 6 months).\n &gt;   Retention of anti-scaling properties for hours following treatment.\n\n&gt;Many tests mainly utilizing single pass systems, however, have proved negative [212]. Recirculatory systems, with prolonged magnetic exposure, give more supportive results. Rapid movement (1200 rpm) in a strong magnetic field (4.75 T) had a significant effect compared with the movement or field alone [105].\n\n Got to that from here, something a bit more layperson-oriented:\n\nhttp://www.chem1.com/CQ/magscams.html\n\nFinally, a third reference, from the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (affiliated with the [Center for Inquiry](http://www.centerforinquiry.net/)):  http://www.csicop.org/si/show/magnetic_water_and_fuel_treatment_myth_magic_or_mainstream_science/\n\n&gt;More than one hundred relevant articles and reports are available in the open literature, so clearly magnetic water treatment has received some attention from the scientific community (e.g., see reference list in Duffy 1977). The reported effects of magnetic water treatment, however, are varied and often contradictory. In many cases, researchers report finding no significant magnetic treatment effect. In other cases, however, reasonable evidence for an effect is provided.\n\n&gt;Liburkin et al. (1986) found that magnetic treatment affected the structure of gypsum (calcium sulfate). Gypsum particles formed in magnetically treated water were found to be larger and “more regularly oriented” than those formed in ordinary water. Similarly, Kronenberg (1985) reported that magnetic treatment changed the mode of calcium carbonate precipitation such that circular disc-shaped particles are formed rather than the dendritic (branching or tree-like) particles observed in nontreated water. Others (e.g., Chechel and Annenkova 1972; Martynova et al. 1967) also have found that magnetic treatment affects the structure of subsequently precipitated solids. Because scale formation involves precipitation and crystallization, these studies imply that magnetic water treatment is likely to have an effect on the formation of scale.\n\n&gt;...\n\n&gt;Much of the available laboratory test data imply that magnetic water treatment devices are largely ineffective, yet reports of positive results in industrial settings persist (e.g., Spear 1992; Donaldson 1988). The contradictory reports imply that if a magnetic water treatment effect for scale prevention exists, then it only is effective under some of the conditions encountered in industry. At present, there does not seem to be a defensible guideline for determining when the desired effect can be expected and when it cannot.\n\nSo, the short answer seems to be from the things I've scanned in the last 15 minutes that:\n\nMagnetic fields, if of sufficient strength and applied in the proper manner, can reduce calcium carbonate scale formation; and\n\nIt appears that the consumer-grade, single-pass devices are not likely to obtain the desired results in all settings (but may in some), and not the maximum possible result in any setting, as they are inadequate in flow rate and number of passes through fields.  Another source notes that high pH can inhibit the crystal formation effect.\n\nSo . . .\n\nThe company states that you should see significant reductions in scale in 30-60 days.  If you have scale buildup and want to give the product a try, request a 70-day 100% money back guarantee.\n\nIf they won't provide it, don't buy it.  If they're MLM, they likely won't provide a guarantee.\n\nCSI's conclusion?\n\n&gt;Is there a beneficial effect of magnetic water treatment? Perhaps.\n\n&gt;Is there sufficient evidence of a beneficial effect to warrant spending hundreds of dollars on a residential magnetic water treatment unit? Unlikely. The understanding of magnetic water treatment must first be developed to the point where the effects of magnetic treatment can be reliably predicted and shown to be economically attractive.\n\n&gt;Does magnetic water treatment perform as well as ion-exchange treatment? Definitely not. At present, the conventional water softening technologies are clearly much more reliable and effective. Further, the initial cost of an ion-exchange water softener (around $500) is comparable to that of many magnetic treatment systems.\n\n

I don't think the website actually has the ability to think, let alone hold an opinion chief...\n\nWorth mentioning it is a multi-author site that accepts open submissions - alternative views always welcome: http://www.thetwentyfirstfloor.com/?page_id=1720

I was witness to an unidentified object in the night sky over NH with five other people some 20 years ago or so. We all watched in fascination for 30-45 minutes from our bunks in an adirondack. About two hours later we all gradually woke up around 3am or so and realized none of us were aware of the others falling asleep (it seemed like we all went down together) and why had we all woken up again in the dead of night? The light/object was gone by then.\n\nThis story is longer, but I don't feel like typing it. \n\nIn short, it is one of my greatest dreams for mankind to make first contact in my lifetime. I do not believe there is a conspiracy, I do not believe in Roswell, and I am very skeptical of UFO sightings and abductions. Nuts and wackos are everywhere. However, I have had my own "experience" (for lack of a better word) and can say that my friends and I could not identify a hovering/drifting/maneuvering light and that we did lose time either by sleep or, well, not. 

I'm with you, and I'll watch for and support anything you post along this grain.

This brings to mind the "Cargo Cult", a tribe of people that viewed "us" as the aliens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7RA4UnEuQ0

That's Eric Von Danicans book? Sorry if I spelled the name wrong. 

Are there people out there who really believe the crap on that webpage?  Really?\n\nWhy the hell would the drawing be so far off from the picture?  Whatever is in the picture looks like something modeled after a childrens' toy (from the 70's) and made with tinfoil..

Not quite.  It's the angle. A very slight difference in the angle can make all the difference.  Very good demo of it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piu75P8sxTo\n\n[edit]...which Chlorophil already posted below.

Yes it will be seen as antagonistic by many. That's part of the problem. If there were more people that had the balls to say "this is all superstitious nonsense" then religion would die out a lot quicker.

&gt; Notice he doesn't say "I'm going to reveal what I know," he says he's gonna reveal what he believes.\n\n&gt; Which is worthless.\n\n&gt; He has no hard facts, no documents, no inside knowledge. He only has what all the rest of us have: speculation.\n\nI did notice that. Your interpretation of the event's probable content matches my own, I just didn't want to add any personal speculation to my initial submission.\n\nAnother part of Coleman's statement that caught my attention was this:\n\n&gt; *"I think I've got the answer and no one has ever mentioned it"*\n\nIt seems highly unlikely that there could be anything left which *hasn't been mentioned ever* during all these decades of both serious UFO research and nutty speculation. I'm pretty sure we've exhausted all the permutations by now, unless he's talking about purely random combinations of words and letters without a meaning in the context of language.\n\n*EDIT:* I accidentally phpBB.

I see, so you are saying that just because we don't have a complete understanding you can just ignore what we do understand.\n\nJust because we're ignorant of some things does not mean we're ignorant of all things.

[The proverbial player returns.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7mozA-ptI)

It is desirable to see somebody that has a huge lot of knowledge on this subject (like you or thingsbreak) commenting more on the subject here in /r/skeptic and also in /r/science (where I believe you are the only moderator with proven knowledge in the field) and /r/climate - since we have already established that /r/climateskeptics is pretty much a circlejerk of mostly liars.\n\nIt is also very funny to see how AlyssaMoore is stalking everybody that mentions his/her attraction to the Heartland Institute :)

This photo was supposedly taken by a friend of a friend, in Hermosillo, México. Can you people help us prove it is fake? Because, you know, we would like to be able to sleep again.

...Sir, you're using the site that this video came from.  That is not very helpful in this situation.\n\nOn top of that, you're missing the point.  My claim is as follows: "People who claim that genetically modified food is a vehicle for companies to enact eugenics are almost certainly wrong."  My views on government surveillance aren't absurdly far from his, and I never claimed issue with that part itself.

I'd suggest hiring a psychic to look at his room, and if it turns up being something bad, hire a priest come and cleanse the room, possibly the whole house.

Completely predicted that the Fed's policies after the dot com bubble would cause a bubble in the housing market. 

I brought up the crazy conspiracy theories in response to crackduck's very subtle implication that they were true. \n\nYeah, I know it looks tenuous, but I've been arguing with the fucker on and off for *months*, and I know very well what he believes on the subject. He finds the official story incredulous because he finds the crazy conspiracy theories much more plausible. \n\nIn other words, this isn't about the official story, and never was. Hence, get with the times. Besides, I already explained my position, if you would bother to go back and actually read what I wrote. 

Cheap isn't a measure of quality, or what I meant to say was inexpensive / efficient to produce.\n\nI think we should do more to contrast it with alcohol, specifically because it doesn't cause accidents, statistically speaking, and is far less likely to cause problems for families.\n\nAnyway, a focus on tax and regulate like alcohol makes sense in that it ought to be a compelling argument.  There are other great arguments, so I'll assume you meant that pro legalization *movements* should primarily focus on comparison to alcohol arguments, because otherwise there are a lot of other contexts for discussing a lot else.\n\nHere in Illinois it is most important to me that people I know with MS get access to medicine.

Like the old saying:  “Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.” --Variously attributed, but I like to believe it was Carlin.\n

I think that the religious already "know" their answers, while I believe atheists tend to be more critical thinking/skeptical. I think it makes sense that while thinking about the afterlife it would take you a little longer to answer questions about it, if you're unsure. especially with soft/weak atheists.

The Americans have that, it's called PBS. With such shows as Nova and Frontline.

in this situation, I always take the number of upvotes as the number of people who are in the same situation ;)

&gt; I think he's arguing that we shouldn't instantly dismiss a conspiracy theory just because it posits the existence of a conspiracy.\n\nActually, that is a very reliable procedure.

The woman who volunteered was probably paid by P&amp;T.  Having paid audience members as volunteers is just as popular as having assistant showgirls on stage, it's just part of the act,

Are your parents/aunt very religious? I watched Oprah's segment on this guy and it was mentioned that the spirits of dead people supposedly help him with his healing. From the standpoint of a Christian fundamentalist, that sounds very much like witchcraft, so if you play up that aspect they may change their minds about him.

Your response is rational and objective. I appreciate that. \n\nEvidence of what? That's a good question. I believe that science took a bend towards philosophical materialism in the late 19th century. That is, science became about the physical world. Atoms and molecules.\n\nThe science of inner space, however (as opposed to outer space) is in its infancy at best. When science tries to shake off its philosophical roots, it does a great disservice to its quest for truth and knowledge, because the question of meaning is critical to all scientific quests. And that can only be answered by philosophy. And yet philosophy is hardly understood as science.\n\nMy prediction is that in 20 years.... well, let me think. 2032. Well, 20 years is too short. Not that much is going to change. But I believe that there is some reason the aliens don't do the Late Show with David Letterman. If aliens are real, then the answer to the question, why not "The Day the Earth Stood Still"? (IE, come in through the front door.)\n\nSo my prediction will be that sightings will continue to increase. They are already statistically on the rise. One could argue that it's the connectivity of the internet that's on the rise, or the ubiquity of cameras in cell phones, and that's legit. Let me predict that both will increase.\n\nIf not full disclosure in the effect of alien celebrities, then a larger number of sightings.\n\nI actually think that governments intend to engage aliens in war. You'll notice conspiracies around the moon, for instance. People kept asking, if there were no aliens interfering with our activities on the moon, why haven't we gone back? I think that the military industrial complex has grown out of our control (Agent Smith). War requires enemies. In one of the disclosure videos (grain of salt, of course), Werner Von Braun's secretary claims that he told her of a plan: First the Communists, then the Terrorists, then the "third world crazies." Finally, the aliens themselves. "And always remember that ... the aliens! The last part is the aliens."\n\nSo in my prediction, the quest for global domination intersects at a point for which I have *only* theory. I have not a shred of evidence but a few "witnesses" I don't even know, one to stack on top of the other. But if I am correct, you have some people on Earth building a caste system of control, of which war and subjugation are necessary elements. The last part of the plan will be to engage the aliens themselves in battle. I think the push for the moon (in the wake of Mars landings), *may* be evidence of it.\n\nI have heard of a park that was planned to introduce people to the alien concept. Somewhere in North Carolina. I haven't heard anything about it for some time. I think in 20 years, there may be a Disney-type of park that walks people through history and tries to explain how and why such a big (massive, really) secret was kept.\n\nI tried to make the point that *nothing* is inarguably non-fake, and you didn't fall for it. So I guess you mean that short of Klatu doing a press conference, you're going to maintain your view. 

As long as you can take away their right to do *something* it's all good.

Well, they are inexpensive, and sometimes people just need a little attention to get better. Economically, it's reasonable, it all hinges on a sound decision whether to transfer a patient into homeopathic treatment or to an actual doctor.

I've been through plenty of encounters with men that go beyond creepy but I can handle myself. she makes women look weak by causing this shitstorm. I'll never call myself a 'skepchick'. and she sure as hell doesn't speak for me. \n\ncan we all just get the fuck over this. we have more pressing issues at hand.\n\n

&gt;Why not? Would you rather watch a video of the Amazon rain forest or experience it for yourself?\n\nWell the answer all depends on what their purpose is. If they are conducting surveillance for the purpose of gathering intel or scientific data than it seems silly to get close unless you wanted to be seen. If they are here for a personal experience than why are they focusing on nuclear entities? I guess this can be explained away as "aliens woudn't think like humans and we may not understand why they need to be closer", but still it makes me wonder. \n\n&gt;Here's a video of Prof. Robert Jacbobs' testimony. FWIW, he's appeared on CNN and a few other places, so there may be other videos of his testimony.\n\n\nThanks, i'll have to check that out when I get home. I imagine if aliens were literally shooting down ICBM's this would be a way bigger deal than it is but hey maybe not. 

"Some" should really be "most". Read his blog and books and you'll see.

Every time I have the flu, this is the only shit that works... maybe just the placebo effect, but if it works don't fix it right?\n

I actually went back and forth with someone on homeopathy a while back on that site, and he actually thanked me for giving him what he called "food for thought".\n\nEveryone else just gave up after I kept hitting them with facts, something Natural News readers care little for.

Simply put, nobody has enough time or mental energy to closely examine every crackpot-seeming claim that comes along. It's hard to blame them when nearly all of those claims wind up being just as baseless as they seemed at first glance. These sorts of cognitive shortcuts are a useful and healthy behavior, even in skeptics. Being a good skeptic mostly consists of attempting to determine when your rules of thumb are leading you astray.\n\nThe second point is that 'debunking editorials' are generally much closer to the null hypothesis than the conspiracy theories they're debunking. Since nobody - however skeptical - can eliminate all bias in their thinking skeptics tend to be biased in favor of the null hypothesis, which usually leaves them on the side of the debunkers. It's not ideal, but it's the best compromise we've been able to find given the limitations of the human brain.\n\nIn this case, you're quite right that all of the conspiracy theories you listed fail to stand up to scrutiny. In the case of this "International Banking Cabal", I've never even heard of it, and so have no opinion.

Yes. You would be surprised what people will do or make up for attention (or on reddit, karma).

Damn I kinda wish I had encounters like this, the worst I get is maybe a cold chill up and down my spine. It's not often that a spirit can make itself visible like that, so I'm not sure what it was, but I would hesitate to use the word demon. Also both of you saw it so I would also hesitate to write it off as a hallucination too. Let us know if it happens again.

I was wondering this myself.\n\nI asked my doctor, she said you just need a good one, and sent me to a place she knows.\n\nHaving recently finished physical therapy for my knees, I can say this: the place I went today for my back was basically identical to physical therapy. I have no idea what distinguishes a chiropractor from a physical therapist, but they gave me a bunch of exercises to do and then did electrical stimulation and a ice pack. Pretty much identical to what happened at the P.T. place for my knees.\n\nI don't know what all the "adjustment" business is, that sounds sketchy.

You're assuming dozens of billion-dollar investors that happen to spring up simultaneously nation-wide, each one happy to lose their shirt just for the sake of one surviving. That's a hell of an assumption to make.\n\n&gt; All it takes is one of us to still be around when they run out of money trying to drive us out of business.\n\nThis is sort of like saying "yeah, us thousand naked people can totally storm that armored machine-gun emplacement! All it takes is for one of us to still be alive when they run out of ammo!"\n\nTechnically true, I'll admit. Practically, though, who's going to lead the charge?

All good stuff. But it still hasn't been proven. I guess I want to definitively be able to say, life exists elsewhere. If any of the different governments from other countries knew something, wouldn't they WANT to be the first to say they have proof? It'd be one of the biggest discoveries of all time. I think disclosing to the world that aliens/UFO's are real would be just as big as being the first country to the moon. 

Astrocytoma survivor, here.\n\n"cancer" is a million different things... there won't be one cure, ever. possibly one technique (i.e. nano-med-delivery) but not a single cure. It wouldn't make sense. \n\n

These shoes work by putting your legs and butt in stress positions that you are not used to. They aren't comfortable to walk in. In that sense they work, it's kinda like wearing a suit of armor every day will make you strong, but it just sucks to wear a suit of armor every day. They work to put your legs and butt in stress positions and therefore stressing muscles you would not normally work out, at the same time, it's companies jumping on a fad to take advantage of fat people who don't want to do anything and lose weight. 

When somebody argues for it by claiming it's "reality", then pointing out it's not reality is actually an excellent counter point.

I thought this was fairly well know:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_queda#History\n\nMarc Sageman, a psychiatrist and former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer, said that al-Qaeda is now just a "loose label for a movement that seems to target the West". "There is no umbrella organisation. We like to create a mythical entity called [al-Qaeda] in our minds, but that is not the reality we are dealing with."[36]\nThis view mirrors the account given by Osama bin Laden in his October 2001 interview with Tayseer Allouni:\n\n"...this matter isn't about any specific person and...is not about the al-Qai`dah Organization. We are the children of an Islamic Nation, with Prophet Muhammad as its leader, our Lord is one...and all the true believers [mu'mineen] are brothers. So the situation isn't like the West portrays it, that there is an 'organization' with a specific name (such as 'al-Qai`dah') and so on. That particular name is very old. It was born without any intention from us. Brother Abu Ubaida... created a military base to train the young men to fight against the vicious, arrogant, brutal, terrorizing Soviet empire... So this place was called 'The Base' ['Al-Qai`dah'], as in a training base, so this name grew and became. We aren't separated from this nation. We are the children of a nation, and we are an inseparable part of it, and from those public demonstrations which spread from the far east, from the Philippines, to Indonesia, to Malaysia, to India, to Pakistan, reaching Mauritania... and so we discuss the conscience of this nation."

That's so fucking hilarious because if you look at the picture of  the mice you can clearly tell, even with out knowing anything about them, that that mouse is smaller because it is a juvenile.

If we could travel in space and came across a planet with a bunch of wild animals or apes, would we "make official contact" and demand to speak with their ape leader? doubtful. We'd just pretend they weren't' there and do what we like, and they'd be in awe when they saw us flying through the air, etc. We may even avoid large groups of them because it may be dangerous and cause too much chaos to go about your business unbothered.

&gt; Harder to believe it's a reflection off the window than an alien craft?\n\nOP didn't say it was an alien craft, just a UFO. 

No anomalies at all. I'm going to continue to speak with doctors, and some suggested to show this video to them, which I will. I'm not going to completely rule out something medical, though. You always hear stories about someone being diagnosed with something after years of their other doctors not being able to. \n\nQuestions and Answers\n"Are you a child?" No\n"Are you female?" Immediate yes. \n"Do you need help?" Yes\n"Did someone hurt you?" Immediate yes.\n\n

Is there anything placebos can't do?  (besides reattaching limbs)

"The mind should be open like a window, not open like a sewer." - me

So MSG is a "potent neurotoxin..."\n\nThey might as well have pointed out that soy products include large quantities of dihydrogen monoxide, or referenced a correlative link between soy products and fugu poisoning.

The 7/7 attack &amp; drill isn't so surprising as you might think.\n\nIn May 2004, there was a Panorama program broadcast called [London under attack](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/3686201.stm), which gave a fictional account of what a terrorist attack would be like, and using the testimony of various retired experts, how the various agencies would react to an attack similar to the 11 March 2004 attacks on Madrid. \n\nThis was over a year before the 7/7 attacks, and it also gave 3 explosions on the Tube system, plus a fourth explosion on the surface. \n\nAfter Madrid it was clear that an attack underground was a realistic scenario, and it's not surprising that the security professionals were including this in their planning. In fact it would be negligent if they hadn't. \n\nAlso the 'drill' which went on was a table walkthrough, with multiple senarios being checked for validity, and it was for a private company, not the government.  [See Peter Power's response](http://www.julyseventh.co.uk/july-7-terror-rehearsal.html#response). \n\nAs the number of private companies who might want to do a similar drill is much larger than the government, then this multiples the chances of a coincidence.  

What is the logical process that would cause someone to attribute these photos to something paranormal? What is your standard of evidence for believing that something is true?

&gt;I don't understand. As if seeing the journals would prove the prediction?\n\nProve? No, but they would be evidence (even if flimsy), and thus the quote I used would not apply. We would then have to break out the other tired old explanations of why this sort of stuff isn't special.\n\n

I agree with this. The man who teaches the children on this show, his name is Chip Coffey. A lot of the advice he gives these children (who are usually terrified from paranormal encounters) are to assert your personal space. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, by talking to you or making you feel their emotions, put your foot down and tell them to "back off!" \n\nAlthough, the show is very short, so the amount of advice you get for the time spent watching is not very great. You may be better off going to your local library, to the paranormal section, and skimming some books there. Write down some titles, go home, look up their ratings on amazon/compare prices. Get what you like. 

I have also completed an MA in Anthropology.  I'll agree that there are still people, but, if you are talking about what is fashionable or important in the social sciences, it seems to me that post modernism's time has gone.  It always takes a good amount of time to get rid of the old people in departments, but the various conferences don't give much time to post modernism.  Maybe it is different in Canada? \n\n&gt; Yeah that pissed me off too. Way to stereotype the Left.\n\nIndeed.  Not only was it offensive, but what the hell did it have to do with anything?

No. The vast majority of conspiracy theorists aren't "questioning underlying assumptions"- look at 9/11 Truthers, they generally are very certain that there was a conspiracy and say how people need to wake up. That's not questioning assumptions and seeing what would then be the case. That's taking specific views and running with them no matter the evidence. 

Yes. I used to so I can post them and get attention, but trust me, you don't want that to happen. I used to talk to "friends" in the bathroom and when I take a shower i feel that I'm not safe there and that they expect me to be entertaining, then came the dreams. Then I told my mom after three or so. Then came the blessing. And now my sister is having something a lot like me. Even I was in her first dream and I wasn't the one to talk to the jinn ( I called it friends before, but sometimes they're good and sometime they're bad) so Yes, it is weird. Actually crazy.

I was raised in a very religious family and they also followed the almanac...this was very confusing to me considering that "looking to the signs  in the stars" is completely condemned in the Bible.  That was one more step toward me being an Atheist.

It would argue against what you are saying. Due to the nature of the internet it would be utterly stupid using Google as a reference for UFO material. There is an endless amount of fake images exposed on the internet -- it is a true jungle and it will introduce more problems than facts. Google can _NOT_ be used as a defacto for anything.

Clearly not in this case, where the commenter won't change his mind no matter what the evidence.

Yep, but I think it's helpful to read [Dunning's own explanation](http://skeptoid.com/blog/2011/10/05/a-partial-explanation/) before jumping to conclusions.

I can see that conspiracy-style thinking has overcome you.\n\nI also don't think that you know the definition of scientific skepticism or evidence.\n\nGood luck.

&gt;I kind of doubt all of their members scrutinize every detail of the organization.\n\nThat's not a legitimate reason to support them. There are other places to go if you want to support animals. 

Hhhmm...interesting. I'm naturally distrusting of film evidence, it's too easy to fake. But the soldier seemed pretty freaked out-I'm not sure he would be capable of that level of acting if it were fake. And, given that a lot of people have died violently there, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a lot of residual energy floating around. 

The Daily mail ran this story as well, and most of the comments don't even ridicule it. \nThese things do seem to be getting more attention, I hope somthing major comes out of it soon.

Whew!  Tin foil didn't make the list.  I can continue to wear my hat in relative safety. 

They should have picked through it and found cool things first. If no such things were found, they should not have posted anything. Such laziness from various Anons recently.

I just don't think it's as difficult as you might. Like I told you or someone else, a couple  of my amateur friends were doing way better than 1 for 6 doing the same thing. I would've tried too if it weren't getting boring by that point. \n\nHe was explaining plenty of other tricks too, don't know why he'd only be lying about that one. 

I always start learning about this stuff by typing "skeptoid &lt;topic&gt;" into Google.  Sure enough, [he did an episode on HAARP](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4122) that will provide you with information that (at the least) will tell you what HAARP actually is (spoiler: it's not a weapon) and where the wild theories about it have come from.

Also the recent author of:\n\n\n\n[The Double Standards of Green Anti-Nuclear Opponents](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/mar/31/double-standards-nuclear)\n\n\n\n\n[Why Fukushima made me stop worrying and love nuclear power](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/21/pro-nuclear-japan-fukushima)\n\n\n\n[Japan nuclear crisis should not carry weight in atomic energy debate](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/mar/16/japan-nuclear-crisis-atomic-energy)

Good post, but I think the dome of the rock videos are admitted fakes created by a group of art students.

It's because the tether is much brighter than the small particles floating in front of the camera. The tether is such a non-issue, I am surprised it gets as much attention as it does. The particles are out of focus and what you are seeing is an artifact from the lens and the aperture of the camera. \n\nWatch the objects in the video. As they pass from the upper to lower sides of the screen, the notch points the opposite way. The notch is on the bottom until the object passes the center of the screen, then it points upwards. This happens with every object. 

&gt;because organic pesticides are typically less effective meaning that more need to be used.\n\ncitation?\n\nMoreover, the most toxic pesticides by far are those used in industrial ('conventional') agricultural methods.  Take methyl iodide, for example.

The sounds are suspiciously similar [to that of a waterphone](http://www.ghosttheory.com/2012/01/23/source-of-strange-sounds-discovered). 

lol... I was gunna say.  I too do a lot of the shit this post points out. I was starting to think I might be a psychopath, but just a really lazy one. 

Thanks, I know it is not as great as some of the ones that I've read, but I thought that it was still worth sharing... Alas, no connection, although the texter found it just as weird and amusing. They said the wished they had set it up...

For those that are checking out other comments in that thread please note that the primary problem is with very weak methodology that relied heavily on patients' memories and biases.  The fact that it was a case-control study does not AUTOMATICALLY make it useless in determining causation.  Case-control studies are perfectly valid for preliminary investigations of a phenomena, but require very strict methodology to minimize biases and identify cofounding factors.\n\nI agree with the comment above but some of the follow-up comments were incorrectly hinting that case control studies are useless.

Detailed photos of what?\n\nWhy not lay out all of the information he says he has? If he is withholding information then he is part of the problem that he claims exists.\n\nWhat actual information has he presented that led you to believe he is telling the truth? Is there detailed information available somewhere from him that I can look at?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwrhSnUxAYo\n\ndont complain about it being too short, dont call them chinese lanters.

Hurray.\n\nThere is too much natural "medicine" woo woo in New Zealand unfortunately.

&gt; Are you saying our perception of what is evil is always correct, that there may never be more to a given "evil" situation than we, as limited beings, can empirically perceive?\n\nYou can't just toss logic out of the window by hypothesizing some "alternative morality beyond human understanding". Any entity that is said to exist must obey physical laws and logic.\n\n&gt; What if this increasingly hypothetical deity was not only omnipresent and omniscient, but was everything in actual fact? This conflict disappears.\n\nNot sure what you mean here, but it sounds like a tautology. "If a god was omnipresent, omniscient and where the omniscience and omnipresent didn't contradict, the godly traits would be consistent."\n\nIf that is what you meant, then no. Again, that's like saying that the god could exist if you discard logic. It's a serious non-sequitur.

Not only that, but they had no intention of turning him over even if evidence hit them right in the face. They were friends with similar ideologies.

I believe those are statues (the figures on the roof to which you were referring)

Just a comment, but if anyone I know said they saw a UFO, I wouldn't think they were crazy. Just because you saw something you couldn't explain doesn't automatically make you nuts.\n\n I really wish people would take a moment, think about what would happen if *they* had seen something and got ridiculed for it.\n\nYou're not crazy man, and you shouldn't feel freaked out about sharing your story!

There are a number of doctrinaire feminists in the skeptical blogosphere.  There is also a lot of political correctness in general.  \n\nYou just have to take the good with the bad.  I didn't know how much anti-vax craziness was out there until I read about it on skepchick.  I also had been neglecting my own vaccinations and asked my doctor if I needed any boosters.  It turns out that I didn't because of a recent visit to the emergency room but I also wouldn't have even considered my own vaccination needs but for skepchick.   \n\nThere is a lot of good info there.  Just ignore the feminist screeds.

I can see why a virus would cause cancer with it mucking around with your cell's own DNA

Skin-Walker.  Research Navajo Folklore. Area 51's operations are no longer in Nevada, it was moved to the least-accessible part of Utah, in the Book Cliffs. 

This is a double troll... not only are christians totally pissed... but also atheists are totally pissed too. well done master troll.

Another thing that bothers me is when people say they choose to believe in something. How do you choose your beliefs?! It seems like one's beliefs should be the result of what one is exposed to and convinced of. It's not a matter of choice.

so one hand hand you have the mainstream media saying it was fires, and on the other hand you have the trained pilots who said they followed these through the clouds. hmmm who is more  trustworthy?

OMFG, NOW MY COMMENT IS DELETED! BOO-HOO NOW I'M BEING CENSORED!\n\nSee how easy it is to manufacture shit?\n\nThe OP posted comment to a subreddit and post that had absolutely nothing to do with the subject of his comment. One of 2 things happened:\n\n1. The mod for that subreddit felt it was spam and got rid of it. Or...\n\n2. The OP himself deleted it and then put up a whiny conspiracy-laden post about how unfair reddit is and how butthurt he is all while misrepresenting the comment in question as 1) relevant and 2) objective.\n\nEither way, saying that this is somehow how reddit treats objective comments about UFOs is both disingenuous and incorrect at the same time.

If you want a real laugh, read the damn comments.\n\n"This is all such a new scientific journey that I believe it wise to perhaps "prove" it experentially while also looking at the science as it is evolving.  \n\nCurrently I am using Holosync and find it to be quite useful in perhaps "recording" over negative messages or the "map" I am most comfortable using as the "grooves" have been made deep with exercise over the years as the same methods were used in "solving" upheavals or indeed, everyday survival."\n\nOh god my sides.

I'm not really sure what you're going on about then.  Superconductors and superfluids would allow you to devise a device with less frictional losses, which has nothing to do with what I wrote.  I clearly did not claim it was theoretically possible to build a perpetual motion machine, only that you could extract energy stored in permanent magnet consistant with the known laws of physics. \n\nSuperconductors or superfluids would NOT allow you to build a perpetual motion machine.

The animal psychic I used is [Lydia Hiby](http://www.lydiahiby.com/) . She gets mostly mental images from the animals she talks to and relates them to you. Her website explains it a bit. \n\nThe lady who I've gotten great email readings from is named [Debbie](http://www.angelreadings.org/) . Took me a while to find her website, haven't had a reading since I changed emails. Anyways, hope you find what you're looking for. :-)

It's a problem that bothers me about this subreddit, actually. \n\nThere's a lot of "skepticism" on easy targets and obvious nonsense. That alone isn't necessarily bad, but I've noticed that posts have tended towards being very non-rigorous and can as pitiful as "woo, now lets move on."\n\nMore disturbing, in these threads debunking homeopathy and such, you'll sometimes see unquestioned confidence in allopathic medicine and institutions as a sort of push-pull reactionary-ism. There's no skepticism going on in popular statements like "you know what they call alternative medicine that works? Medicine." *shudder*\n\nIn that regard, the state of this subreddit is pretty sad. It's easy to cite one or two papers that support a position, but where's the critical analysis of the research people love to cite? People are too prone to think that if there's one paper in the world that has been published making a certain claim, that claim is solid. Any novice in the research sciences knows that nearly every publication has some flaw. If this subreddit were to be on track, I think the first place to start would be to encourage critical analysis and understanding of published research.

The 1st edition of the book was published in 1951\n\nThis is an interesting look at Ruppelt:\nhttp://www.ufodigest.com/article/revisiting-edward-j-ruppelt\n\n

He writes that there is "absolutely zero scientific evidence" in favour of psychic abilities.  In fact, there have been numerous well-controlled scientific studies that show positive effects for psi.  One can reasonably say the evidence is insufficient or unconvincing.  However, to assert there is "absolutely zero scientific evidence" is intellectually dishonest.  

Anyone who feels that the internet is a place to post thoughts and have those povs be immune from criticism is being unrealistic. I don't care if it is FB or reddit. You can hold whatever pov you want but if you don't want to expose yourself to the possibility of criticism, don't post it on the internet.

The reason why I have to turn the mirror in my room around at night, scares the shit out of me. 

Thank you! When there was a post about this a few days ago, I questioned the safety of fluoride and was met with downvotes and not a single actual response. It annoys me when people think skepticism also means being closed-minded about things where the science is actually not that concrete.\n\nI think there's something seriously wrong with forcing people to consume fluoride, beneficial or not. And there's a huge risk of getting too much of it, considering all the things we use that water for.

&gt; Mr. homeopathic.com &amp; have written 10 books on homeopathy! Huffingtonpost columnist.\n\n…\n\npicard.jpg

I am skeptical of the video myself, as everyone should be until it can be confirmed from other sources, but the writer of this blog presents no actual evidence and barely even lays out any sort of hypothesis other than "this is fake!".  Wow, fantastic, they know how to jump to conclusions and present straw men and ad hominem arguments.  People really should save their whistle blowing for when they actually have something to offer.  The blog writer could very well be correct in their assumptions, but as of this moment, that is all they are.

I don't think another investigation would bring out the truth, just further cover it up. I think if it was an inside job, we'll never find justice in the "justice system".

They remind me of these little jelly ball things my mother used to have in little jars that she was growing plants in. They seem to be very similar in composition. They would become nearly invisible when submerged in water and were very slippery and would break apart the same way the orbs in the video did if you dropped them. When they dried up they just shrunk into tiny almost bead-like little balls. But how they would rain out of the sky beats the hell outta me.

The naked scientists.\nWell... not a skeptical podcast, but science ftw :D

Imagine diluting Marijuana 10^30 times, it'd be the most powerful drug in the world.

I think there are flaws with this argument, but I agree that there is some degree of politicisation within the science. To what extent that effects the science is another matter.

I'm sorry, but I had trouble understanding the point of that article.  Could you explain to me what the gist is?  

Calories are calories. Vitamins are everywhere. Protein is good. Carbs give you energy until they make you fat.

Hmm... Maybe there is something they dont like about you. Your hair, your clothes. Or maybe they just like your reactions to what they do. Or you need to do something to earn their respect...

She advocates praying to raw foods?\n\nEdit: Aw, someone has no sense of humor. The title's grammar is poor. Downvote that, not me for pointing it out.

Let's think about this rationally...\n\n1) Was your computer's modem connected to the phone line at the time this happened?\n\nIf so, then it was probably your dad trolling you, long-distance.  It's also possible that it was someone else with IT skills trolling you, who was able to get your information (publicly and legally available) with knowledge of your phone number.\n\nHave you ever asked your IT dad about this?  He could at least tell you how it could happen.\n\n2) If not connected at the time, was your computer's modem ever connected to the phone line?  Or did your mom or other individual in contact with your father ever have access to your computer while you were away, to install a script created by your father (by simply inserting a disk)?\n\nIf so, then such a script could have been installed on your computer without your knowledge at some point prior to the box and text appearing.\n\n3) If you are a computer specialist working somewhere and there is strange activity on a computer whose operation you are responsible for, do you think you'll keep your job very long if, upon not being able to immediately figure out the source of the strange activity, you conclude it's poltergeist activity?  Do you think the computer industry would be successful at-large, or any individual programmer would be able to debug projects, if, when something didn't work the way one expected, it was passed off as poltergeist activity?  Ask any programmer -- even the most obnoxious and resistant bugs eventually get figured out with enough time and effort, without ever having to involve the paranormal.\n\n4) Even if you are prone to believing in standard poltergeist phenomena such as doors slamming, items moving randomly, etc., the complexities involved in how computers do *seemingly* simple things such as creating a box on screen with text require a whole new level of poltergeist capability.  It is not a simple thing for a computer to behave in a way as you describe.  Perhaps a "noisy spirit" can use simple force to propel objects in random directions and slam doors, or make banging noises.  These are not intelligent activities.  But you are describing not only an intelligent activity in the content of the communication, but also an intelligent activity in the extraordinarily strategic manipulation of many, many bits of information within the computer's operating state in order to present that information to you.  It's a highly complex activity which would raise the bar for poltergeist activity by several orders of magnitude!\n\n

No it would be water diluted in water... Clearly it would be different Due to water memory. 

It would do the same good as walking into a homeopaths' office and telling them that water isn't actually magic.  Some people really are quite stupid no matter how simply you explain something to them.

This is enlightening, none of them seem to see that the choices of the men to pursue a great big career while the women dedicate to the home can be stifling to both of them and isn't a big conspiracy from women, or lazyness. They're actuallly on the same side as feminists on these issues but cannot see it.

This looks like a job for Mythbusters!\n\nDay one, they talk to the apples.\n\nDay two, they accidentally switch apples and need to start all over.\n\nDay sixteen, they finally blow up all the apples while talking to two of them to see if kind intentions acts as a blast shield.\n\nMyth Busted

It really makes me sad to see how nuts Rebecca Watson really is.\n\nI have listened to "The Skeptics Guide to the Universe" since it started, and up until the whole "Elevator" thing she seemed pretty reasonable. \n\nI saw somewhere recently where she actually endorsed SRS. If it were anyone but her I would have lost every shred of respect I had for her right then and there. Maybe she is fucking with us and this whole thing is a con? I mean if she is in league with SRS there is a VERY good chance she is just trolling us. It doesn't really excuse the behaviour, but maybe she means well? 

Can you provide examples of Sam Harris's deeply disturbing positions? I haven't seen these, and so far I have what may be an unhealthy admiration for the man, and I'd like that position challenged.

&gt;'I refuse to prove that I exist, says God, 'for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing.'\n\n&gt;'But,' says Man, 'The Babel fish is a dead giveaway, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. QED.'\n\n&gt;'Oh dear,' says God, 'I hadn't thought of that,' and promptly vanished in a puff of logic."\n\n&gt;'Oh, that was easy,' says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.

I be having a Weee bit of trouble associating that noisy racket with the shiny object in the sky.\n\nWith the distance involved and the intensity of the noise I cant help but believe there would be a hell of a lot of very irate former sleepers making a lot of noise themselves were the obnoxious sounds eminating from the object in the sky.

&gt; No validity verification? \n\nDid you read section VI. Empirical correlation of radar and capabilities? That absolutely has validity verification. \n\n&gt; Especially when you sit there and say, well we screened out data that was of poor quality without any declaration of what was poor/good about it.\n\nThey *don't* say that they screen "out" returns from their AOI (see again charts #2-7 and #4-6 to see the authors including the totality of the returns). And actually they *do* say what was good about the radars' ability to accurately identify the position of known aircraft. They also discuss the limits and sensitivity of the different stations.  \n\n&gt; And manual screening of millions of points of data!?\n\nIt's not so absurd when you consider that the data can be visually displayed. Here you can see a couple of videos ([1](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdU4JPcZL-M), [2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=FwsbSxYEfg8)) of the radar returns plotted and visualized with and without trails. \n\nI had a reply that addressed your specific points. But rather than making this even more drawn out, know I agree with you in general. I just remain skeptical that you've done more than skimmed this report. And I disagree that you've shown your criticisms of human perception to be relevant *in particular* here. \n\nThough I should say that I would much prefer to see independent analysis of this same data. That analysis would ideally be peer reviewed. I'm certainly not holding this report up as some paragon of the scientific method, or even as having proved its conclusion that an unknown object observed by the witnesses was detected on radar! I've simply been criticizing *your* criticisms, which to me are not as persuasive as you so bombastically present them to be.\n\nBut thanks for answering my question. It's interesting to note that while you profess to be a skeptic, you do not seem to have done any work to educate yourself about the positive claims made by UFO researchers. This includes our discussion here of this report. If you are ever interested, a far better reference than this report is the book *UFOs: a Scientific Debate*, co-edited by Carl Sagan. \n\nMaybe we should see if anyone at /r/askscience would be willing to go over this report. I'd love to see the criticisms of someone who is an expert in radar. Though I doubt that /r/askscience would engage a UFO question. 

I call hoax. It seems like the paranormal sightings are just stories and rumors made up by people same tourists who mistook the buildings as a ghost town. These are simply buildings boarded up by the government. Nothing weird attached.

Little Atoms, Radiolab, Infinite Monkey Cage, Neuropod, Science Friday, Guardian Science Weekly... those are the most regular... but there are a bunch more.   Thanks for the other recommendations :)

As i just said to someone else, fireworks causes light pollution so it would make it quite difficult to see. Think about trying to look at the stars with police lights near you. Makes it very difficult to see.

Chiropractors can be very effective in very specific cases, but nothing they do can fix a broken bone that hasn't healed in 9 years. If you've been diagnosed with a fractured coccyx, your best bet for relief is likely with an actual doctor who specializes in bones.\n\n[This testimonial](http://www.coccyx.org/personal/2002/misty.htm) from ten years ago details the author's own solution, which was complete removal of the coccyx after multiple misdiagnoses and a chiropractor finally tracking down the problem. The removal, however, was eventually done by a proper surgeon. (Keep in mind, though, this is a single anecdote. Be sure to do plenty of your own research and consult a proper medical professional).

&gt;so your failure of reading comprehension isn't suggesting I take your advice.\n\nI'm already fed up with your attitude.  Particularly when you barely comprehend the implications of your own language.  Discussion over.

This is in the area of things that are almost too personal to share, but it's an important subject, so... That's actually one of the things which wound up breaking my own marriage apart. After the divorce she hooked up with someone equally fond of "natural and homeopathic medicine". Natural treatment, birth, the whole home delivery with only a midwife. There were complications in the pregnancy she never knew about as a result, and the final kick was complications with the birth. The end result is that the kid's got some pretty bad birth defects, both visible and neurological. It's really pretty messed up that high schools let people graduate, essentially illiterate when it comes to understanding how to read a medical study, or understand how placebos work. \n

Ok, I'll bite. Why not? (Ps. Ghosts scare the shiiiiit out of me... be gentle).

but feel free to look for them in your backyard.\nBring a flashlight or a cell phone with a flashlight app.

Supermoon came from the planet Krypton, the moon of a world long ago destroyed.  Thanks to the kind hearts of a Kansas couple, they raised the moon to stand for truth, justice and the American way^1.  And that's how supermoon got there.\n\nNote:^1 The American way is to cause earthquakes in Japan

&gt; Hard to know online.\n\nIndeed.\n\nI got really frustrated with this whole post because people quite quickly latched onto judgements about whether or not he should be drinking, which has nothing to do with the question I asked.  It's been nice to revisit this thread with a clear head.

When did you ask me for clarification?  You just reworded your screed over and over.\n\nYou say there is a conspiracy among the wealthy and powerful to form a single world government.  That is all I need evidence for.  All you have done is prove that there are people who are wealthy and powerful who seek more wealth and power.\n\nThe null hypothesis is the lack of such an institution, that there are just wealthy and powerful people who seek more wealth and power through simple opportunism.   \n\nWhat I am OK with is acknowledging reality.  Stop trying to score cheap points with emotion.  Show me evidence of conspiracy to form a one world government or shut up.  

Some internet assholes post "tits or GTFO" posts in r/atheism, and Richard Dawkins thinks Rebecca Watson is a privileged whiner, therefore the atheist movement is a hotbed of sexism. Do you get it now?

It doesn't remove the fact that it's voluntary if you know that you're uninformed. I know that I don't have a contract with my employer, that I am employed at will and that my job description includes "and other duties as required". So I know the risk of unknowns in my job future, but I'm willing to accept that risk in exchange for the pay, even without information about the details of those risks.\n\nWhy should the person selling me labor have the right to know my finances? Should my grocer be able to know my monthly income? He relies on the patronage of me and others just as an employee relies on the employer. The employee is just selling a different product.

If you had less sex with the chips, they'd be less salty tasting. 

The article had some fairly serious errors. I posted this comment (which was held for moderation):\n\n&gt; The overall point of your article is fine. However, your numbers are off.\nI’m pretty sure your chances of being killed in a car crash tomorrow are *not* one in 2,000. Even in Iraq, your chances of dying in a car crash in a year are one in 2,600. In the US, about one in 8,130. If you are American, your chances of dying in a crash tomorrow are one in three million.\n\n&gt;So while a 0.05% (one in 2,000) chance of getting cancer from arsenic isn’t high, your comparison to traffic accidents seems to be way off.

We need to compare it to authenticated photos of Jesus taken during his life, don't we? Otherwise, how do we know it isn't an image of Pontius Pilate or maybe Mary Magdalene?

&gt; I don't see how 100,000 year containment is an issue. \n\nYou see, this is why your side doesn't entirely convince me (neutral on this issue, myself). You see *no* issues with this? You rely on future technology, much like the Venus Project relies on future technology for their utopian society. We don't have jet packs and hover crafts; I'm looking forward to the technological breakthroughs of the future, but I listen to no one claiming to be able to predict them. Very well qualified people have been wrong on this.\n\n&gt; The risk of catastrophic failure is definitely an issue.\n\nYou win me back over a little more here. Healthy skepticism needs to be applied. You make a good point when you say that coal (the most likely alternative to nuclear in most cases) has a lot more accidents. The potential dangers from a nuclear incident is much more severe than one including coal energy, thiugh. For this reason I've always been skeptical of the high amount of nuclear energy on Japan, given how often they earthquakes and tsunamis.

All of the personality tests that would be used in a corporate or school environment should be taken with a grain of salt. There are a few with some real science behind them like the MMPI, but those are administered by professionals in psychology and psychiatry.\n\nThere is probably some ways a person would show tendencies matching what is described in their "personality type". In general, though, you shouldn't use the way these personality tests group you as a method for better understanding yourself. Decision making, typical reactions, etc. simply don't work that way. You won't always fit the pigeonhole you've been placed in. The results of a personality test are just a novelty.\n\nIn every case your decisions are subjective to the situation. Sometimes things will align with your personality tendencies (using that term very loosely). You can and do often make decisions, act on a choice, and generally behave in ways that contradict the groupings created by personality tests.\n\nTendencies of personality in no way describe a whole person any more than average statistics define ability.

Very interesting. Wikipedia has no mention on this Phenylalanine problem. Do you have any links to back up your claim?

[False.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1862315/?tool=pubmed) MSG contains no gluten. Glutamate is an amino acid, gluten is a full protein from some cereal plants.

I do have a confession to make:\n\nI am an AGW skeptic. \n\nThe politicizing of the issue is what does me in. When global warming is used to present legislation like cap &amp; trade, which is essentially corporate cronyism, I start to have my doubts. \nCan anyone point me to a good place to find information?  \nThanks in advance!

Lead Masks you mean? If so, it is really fascinating, but I can't do it justice.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_Masks_Case\n

I'm new here too, but I know that I certainly welcome questions and honest opinions, otherwise this research will never get us anywhere.

I'm not blogspamming for ad revenue at all. I make no revenue whatsoever from my blog. People are interested in reading the articles and so I post them here so people who come to this site have the opportunity to read the articles if they choose to do so ... and many of them do. The guidelines state that you can link to your own articles. \n\nCheers\n

Indeed - a victory for things like this means a victory against homeopathy later as precedence is set.

I could call this the "good luck" and the "bad luck" illusion. Whatever society you live in, it seems that some people always have luck and others have bad luck. How can that be?\n\nIf a society is complex and random and you collect mentally "points" each time you hear about a person that succeed, still the person with most "points" would be about twice as "lucky" as the median person. People can trick themselves to believe that a certain product works better than another even when it is completely random. Because we are looking for ways to succeed, we don't notice people that takes the homeopathic medicine and nothing happens, or when it goes bad, we blame something else.

I knew that, and that's fairly retarded. But this, this is just full retard. You never go full retard.

Jerome is good too. I think its a town on a  mountain. went through there once. it was not enjoyable.\n

I was 12, not a little child.  It wasn't so many years ago.  Also this is something really fucking weird and I remember every detail because of that.  It's not an everyday memory it's entirely different from anything a person experiences pretty much ever.

Here's the thing though: there are certain chiropractors who practice like a physiotherapist might traditionally be thought to, and there are certain physiotherapists who practice the way a chiropractor might traditionally thought to. \n\nif 'chiropractic' = what chiropractors do and 'physiotherapy' = what physiotherapists do then we are talking about an incontiguous group with each individual having their own principles, strategies and techniques. Therefore we are immediately lost when talking about them as a group or profession, especially when talking about specific clinical practices. 

I think the Planet Earth series would be an excellent tv show for kids to watch.

My source is that I have neck trouble, had to fly everywhere for my job and I would go find the first chiropractor or osteopath who would see me near the airport every time I landed. Invariably the chiropractors all do the same thing:\n\n"Hey, you need x-rays."\n\nNo, dude. I don't. I believe you. I don't need before and after. I know my shit is fucked up and I know it moved after you did your thing.\n\n"You should come see me again for maintenance."\n\nNo, dude. I live out of town. I will come see you when I don't feel well. Adjusting me when I am not severely out of whack is bad for me, but good for your wallet.\n\n"When you're ill, an adjustment can make you feel better."\n\nMy spine doesn't have the flu.\n\nIf I had 1 in 5 who simply agreed with "cool, let's get you able to turn your head to the right and forget all of the other shit", I'd say it's generous. The rest of them have earned the moniker "snake oil salesmen" because they really do sell you hard.\n\nThis is universal across every state I've been in.

this is basically the idea behind /r/keto and /r/paleo check out "Why we're fat" and "good calories, bad calories" the author cites studies in those books.

Love one of the YouTube's comments: Yeah I'm married to his son. GG Internet.

I agree. If, though, that different treatment for external threats would include ignoring them, or in any way blaming someone who is hurt or intimidated by them into complaining or even backing down from them, then i strongly disagree. (I doubt this is what you're saying.)\n\nIt's also worth noting that, while credibility should guide policy, even completely incredible threats are not harmless, to individuals who receive them or to the community atmosphere; the whole issue does not boil down to credibility of threat.

Yes, now go explain why your facts are facts and why a bigfoot researchers facts aren't facts.\n\nMy whole point is that, yes, we understand the definition of what we mean when we say skeptic.  But we shouldn't say skeptic because everyone claims to be one, and they don't understand why them being "skeptical" about established science is any different then us being "skeptical" about crank science.\n\nInstead of sounding like we're the ones with the right answer, it makes it sound like our opinions aren't yet confirmed.\n\nI'm just trying to explain why we get so many conspiracy theorists around here.

It may actually be pretty accurate (i'm trusting some other commentors on this cause I'm lazy). However, it's often used to support some other argument about our food supply, often with dire insinuations. That's where the questions should usually be raised. \n\nThis may be 100% factually accurate in terms of who owns what. But so what? That one condition does not necessarily mean our food supply is dangerous, bad, or under threat in any way. It might be. It might even be because there's only a few conglomerates, but those statements need to be supported by more than just the fact that there are few companies shown here, no matter how factual the diagram itself.

&gt;  I'm sure there are fluctuations in temperature, but we are dealing with geologic time.\n\nNo, climates can change far quicker than "geologic time" which is typically used to measure geology (and as such is usually measured in millions of years, eons and epochs and all that).\n\n&gt; How can you say there is a trend when they are only looking at 100 years or so, maybe less.\n\nTo put it quite simply, because they can see that in that 100 years, the climate *has* changed.  Beyond that, they have reliable ways of gathering data beyond the historical record.  The data is and will always be incomplete.  But just like the fossil record, the more we study it in depth, the more we learn about it and create a more accurate picture of the past and how it relates to the present and the future.

there is no harm, if they don't try to cure serious illnesses. all these minor colds, little hurts in the hands etc can be treated with simple placebo medicine like homeopathy. \nit only gets ... troublesome if they try to cure real illnesses.

All the time.  Is there an easy to use product to clean it?  I'm willing to pay damn near anything.

No, I believe you missed my point: the few days of grass feeding do not happen, therefore, despite it being a thing, it doesn't apply.\n\n&gt; Your link is for all cases of E.Coli and not just for beef. And, if you looked further you'd see that E.Coli accounts for only 4% of the hospitalizations.\n\nNot precisely, these counts are specifically for foodborne E.coli cases, which make up roughly 70% of the cases, from what I understand. And, cases of foodborne E.coli infections are [largely on the rise](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/figures/m6022a5f1.gif) - laboratory-confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing E.coli O157 more than doubled between 1996 and 2010.\n\nAnd, I might point out that you've failed to address the 2.5+ million pounds of beef recalled just four months ago, and the 234 beef recalls between 1994 and 2010 (since E.coli O157 was declared an adulternat in ground beef in 1994). \n\nI feel as though you are arguing just for the sake of arguing, at this point.

YKUTW;IDNTIMWYTIM \n\nTentative means uncertain, not fixed. \n\n

You didn't read the whole FAQ then, specifically [from this point on](http://www.raikoth.net/consequentialism.html#utilitarianism), where the argument is for a specific type of normative ethics.

Ok, so this should come as a surprise to no one, but this article is a tad too sensational.\n\nThis article mentions 2 different "studies": a recent journal publication and a gallup poll.\n\nThe journal article looks fine to me, and in it I only found one small mention of something similar to the Huffpo article. People who were more likely to believe in a "forgiving higher power" perceived themselves as in better mental health. You can probably see how little this says (ie: I believe I have been forgiven of everything wrong I've done, so I don't feel too guilty about anything). On top of that, the paper still claims that "Spiritual variables add little to the prediction of unique variance in physical or mental health scores after considering personality." In other words, the personality type of the individual was a much better predictor of mental heath than their level of spirituality.\n\nThe gallup poll does show some significant results though. They find that people of different faiths (eg: muslim, christian, jew) seem to be in slightly better mental health if they are "very religious" as opposed to "moderately religious" or "nonreligious", and that atheists/agnostics have the lowest overall mental health. However, this Huffpo article doesn't mention the fact that the poll also shows that the "nonreligious" in every faith category were in better mental health than the "moderately religious", and that jews had the best mental health out of every other faith category, despite the fact that over 50% of jews consider themselves "nonreligious". If anyone else can see any criticisms of the gallup poll in general, such as their method of determining mental health, voice them here -- it looks fine to me though.

the government say's "never". \n\nso the truth is likely "daily.

I would like to give you my completely authoritative analysis of Astrology's effect on my life, especially under the new system:\n\nI used to be a fucking twin and, if I were a girl, that would be kind of good because twins can get a lot of money in porn, but since I'm a dude, being a twin is kind of lame. However, now that Zodiark was discovered as the 13th sign (I can't spell the actual name so I'll just go with the representative Esper from Final Fantasy XII because Zodiark is a badass) this pushes me from being a lame twin to being a bull, or at the least a bull Pokemon that can be caught in the Safari Zone if you have the patience to not throw your Gameboy against the wall when it runs away from you constantly. Bulls are awesome, twins are not. I am much happier now as a Bull than as a Twin.\n\nAnd that is how Astrology impacted my life.

As someone who works in graphic design / advertising, the reason marketers do it is obviously to spur the implication that your competition is doing something bad/wrong/worse than your product.\n\nAs a human being with a brain, whenever I see this stuff in stores I declare it's probably free of unicorn tears and leprechaun blood as well.

What are you talking about?\n\nHave you verified that I am right yet?\n\nOnce you have verified that I am right, then be sure to upvote all the comments you down voted.

You seem to completely ignore thermal conduction. Heat isn't just transferred by convection and radiation, you know.\n\n&gt;If they can cool via radiation, they can warm by radiation.\n\nSure, unlike other gases. As I said in my other post, I was awkwardly trying to make the distinction between conduction and radiation. Was that the only problem you saw with my reply? Because I made a series of other points, and the fact remains that the IR absorption/radiation capabilities of CO2 *can* heat the ground, even when beyond the first tens of meters, despite your claims.

Couldn't tell you, if I had more than one childhood to compare it to I totally would.

I've always liked the last one, paraphrased as "There's medicine that works and then untested stuff."\n\nYou can make anything sound at least a bit more plausible by giving a name composed of a reasonable label that with an adjective on the front. The typical reaction it (presumably) evokes is, "Oooooh, the world's a bit bigger than I'd thought and what I'm used to is just a specific instance of multiple ways of doing something."\n\nI'll make some up (I don't think any of these are real):\n\n* Western astronomy\n\n* Pythagorean mathematics\n\n* Conservative neuroscience\n\n* Herbal weight-loss\n\nThe right-hand words by themselves have been studied by science. The words on the left could be used to create a plausible-sound weasel label for a system masquerading as a subset of the original.\n\ntl;dr: If you can't use the real word, just add a classic sounding one to the left!

Go to the Wikipedia account creation page and look at the Captcha there. Refresh it enough and you'll notice it likes words like span, blood, and other creepy words. I think Shaskel is trying to tell us something...best worship Inglip instead.

Being a skeptic and believing are not mutually exclusive. Being a skeptic just means not believing everything that's not thoroughly tested. Even further, I've lost count how often I had to explain that a correct scientific mindset will have very little problems accepting paranormal entities, if you have a good proof of them.

Ghost Bros\n\n"Yo this ghost scratched me dudes. Hey ghost come scratch me to my face!" 

Iridium Flare\n\nThere's an app for that.\n\nOr, possibly a high flying military aircraft kicking on it's afterburner for a moment.  But I'd really go with an Iridium Flare.  They've left me scratching my head at times before I realize what it was.

There's always cross-posting.  If you think it's r/skeptic worthy, bring it on over.  We could use the content.

Reading "Einstein's String Theory" made me think of [this](http://youtu.be/_-8j8c7iL3E).

Generalizing will get you to a point where humans look very similar, but it's in the specifics where it matters. All cultures recognize theft as wrong, but the categorization of what qualifies as property differs dramatically.  

This reminds me of a dihydrogen monoxide poster.  If not for DHMO, there would be no cancer, no low-IQ persons, no apathy, and no nazis.  And it's in your water.

&gt; The laws of logic are a reflection of the way God thinks.\n\nEven if I were not an atheist, I'd be leery of anyone who proclaims to know how God thinks.

The risks of nuclear power are [exaggerated.](http://breakthrougheurope.org/blog/2011/04/coal_kills_4000_times_more_peo.shtml) 

No!  Hearsay shouldn't be allowed **whatsoever**!  Politicians be damned, they get the ideas from the even more ignorant people that are ready to vote for them!\n\nIf something's coming out of your mouth that you're not sure about \nand you're not asking a question while instead stating it is fact: you're an asshole.  No two ways around it.

I don't understand how the article was published. According to your link, the editor in chief of SA said the article "would never have been published if Scientific American had been consulted beforehand". The author(s) didn't put the article in the publication, *SA* put it in the publication. Is she saying the editors didn't consult themselves?! Such a bizarro excuse/explanation.

I like it for the feature where you make the back ground go dark, night mode i think it is.  And i can see pic and videos from the main page I hate having a bunch of tabs open.  Other than that I am pretty clueless. 

&gt;Huge, controversial subject obviously..\n\nNo, not really.  It's only controversial to the people who insist of believing in fairy tales in the face of a shrieking windfall of contrary evidence. \n\n&gt;The historic books of the Old Testament (Exodus, Kings etc.) are partly true, partly not.\n\nPartly true as in it does mention existing nations and the occasional existing ruler.  We're still missing evidence for every single solitary supernatural claim it makes.\n\n&gt;There is little reason to assume that he was made up;\n\nThere is EVERY reason to assume he was made up.\n\n&gt; on the other hand, there is a surprising absence of evidence for his existence outside of the Bible.\n\nNo, it's not surprising at all.\n\n&gt;How long after Jesus' death were the gospels written\n\nSince Jesus is most likely fictitious, how does the gap between when the stories "happened" and when they were written effect anything?  Since the bible is based off of old folk tales (and the Tora) the best result one can even hope for is more authentic BS.\n

&gt;Fructose is not sucrose is not glucose\n\nWell, they're not identical, but sucrose _is_ a mixture of fructose/glucose.

This.  Kids pick up languages very easily, they don't even have to be exposed to them that extensively.  Maybe these people just watched a TV show with these languages and then picked up phrases.  Speaking it doesn't mean you know what you're saying.

What a surprise that these sleeping position's meaning exactly reflects the interpretation a person looking at it from the outside might have. \n\nI'll give you inside views\n\n*Foetal*, or more correctly *so happy I could burst*. This position indicates that the person is so full of happiness and energy that they contain that energy in the most efficient way possible (by becoming a spheroid), only to explode right into action once awake. \n\n*Log*, or rather: The stargazer. People who sleep like that have an open mind. Always in the right position to see the stars overhead (sadly we now live in cold, rational housing), whether lying or standing, these people yearn for adventure and have high aspirations.\n\n*Yearner*, otherwise known as *stay away from me! One arm-length minimum*. These people strive to stay independent, even at night, or are touchophobes. This is further substantiated by the fact that they usually point their arms towards their partners, who are most likely to threaten their independence. Also less risk of being bitten by a sleepwalking zombie.\n\n*Freefallers*, or *superhero*. These people can fly\n, and dream of it (because frankly, there ain't much better). Contrary to daily mail quackery, superheros are the embodiment of freedom. Nothing can hold them back, or shackle them; they just grab their rocketpillow and blast off. \n\n\nI sleep in the rescue position. We call it *stabile seitenlage*. This is due to physiology, but in this context it's because I want to be drawn like a french girl, but can't sleep with my head resting on my upright arm.

Very interesting. The shape of they heads don't look very human to me (although fancy dress or some shit?) but a cruise ship? Unsure about that explanation.\n\nNotice the Turkish media had it splashed over their tabloids. Something the bigger nations don't do.

Natural Selection. Evolution would be her having some sort of mutation and passing it on to another generation.

Thanks for the reply - I haven't done many "self." posts and I forgot that any link that you may have entered will be zapped. I've added a couple now. The one I labeled "best article" appears to have some quite detailed research.\n\nI appreciate your advice but I just can't let things like this lie. My place is littered with Kirlian cameras and all sorts of gadgets, gizmos and other crap that I've bought or built to try and find out the truth for myself amongst all the crap that people talk.\nNothing I've tried so far has shown the slightest evidence for anything "paranormal" if that word makes any sense in this nutty universe (Quantum entanglement I'm looking at you).\nI'd really like to get some good answers from someone who's actually done some similar research and has seen the results with their own eyes.\nI really haven't got the room for a bunch of chickens - but if I have to make room then I will. (I'll probably do the seeds experiment though - the chicken and crab ones are a bit cruel).

sweet, thanks for that!  the link is the same as above but I will look this guy up.

Don't let them fool you. Everyone knows that all humans spawned from two wizards - Blendalina Frysong and Chuckington Chucking, created by the spirits of the Earth. All of the Muggles came about after they were cursed for viewing the sorceress Malinda Cloakbag naked in the shower one day. /really taking it too far but not that far off christianity

This is an absolutely fantastic idea. Now, if only we had some money and a web designer...

I've witnessed a similar case of "mass hysteria" some 15-20 years ago. At that time there was no cellphone fear yet, but something related to radiation.\n\nIIRC it was a compagny making geological exploration tools and probes that wanted to install in our neighborhood. There was a public enquiry because some of their tools use radiactive elements. Of course the amount of radiactivity was negligible but they decided to be absolutely transparent about it.\n\nThe more meetings they organized to explain people what it really meant (basically the radioactivity was not distinguishable from the natural background radioactivity of the area) the more people went insane.\n\nI've seen neighbors/friends insult my parents, not because they were in favor of this installation, but simply because they were ready to listen to what the company had to say before making their opinion. I've seen people I thought reasonable completely lose it and blabble incoherent rants for hours. I was around 13 and seeing these adults be completely irrational and overwhelmed by fear was really disturbing.\n\nIn the end, the city council gave up and didn't let that business open and bring high qualified job in our suburb. They explained their concerned was not about health but social order.

The thing is that in these situations (supernatural ones) the challenge to prove the negative is almost always followed by special pleading.\n\n"You won't let God into your heart, which is why you can't feel him", "your negative energy disrupts channeling of the spirits" etc, making it indeed impossible to prove the negative.

&gt;Mrs Nelson told the commissioner she knew curing the illness was beyond her expertise.\n\nPretty easy when your "expertise" [is even more quacktastic than homeopathy.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridology)

If all the evidence you require to believe in something is one picture of this quality then I feel bad for your brain.

Dogs did not get introduced to us for the fun, they had a purpose first, they were used to hunt. Also, dogs are fine in our environment. \nWe are not good "pets" plus we don't know if we could survive in their environment 

I like the sentiment. PD's are thrown around so liberally, it gets on my nerves.

Mind pointing out the debunking of the Caponi case file with the "little brown guy?"  I posted a link to the case file over at Alien Theory after I discovered it the other day, but a quick google search regarding it being debunked only brings up that someone made a recreation they claimed to belong to the original set and someone claiming it was fake due to the lack of sheen on it's skin.

Firstly, for your loss, you have my condolences. Especially towards her remaining days.\nAnd, as for your aversion to such *treatments*, I whole-heatedly understand your prerogative. That's a bullshit way to go. \n\nHowever, there are conmen everywhere, in almost every facet of society and of course they're going to muddle things up. But whether or not this particular woman is a crook, is purely based on *reckless speculation.*\n\nParabolic examples for instance, need to be examined accordingly.

Ok, I think we have a different understanding of "religion". For me, religion is what people do - rituals, preaching from and studying holy books, bake sales. For you, religion is any of the specific beliefs that have created a (what I call) religion around them.\n\nWas that the point of conflict?\n\n&gt;Plus, if there is anything we've learned from history, you don't get rid of religion by persecuting it. :)\n\nOk, I think that a religion surviving prosecution would in turn have more people know the history of said religion, which doesn't quite support that statement, but intuitively, I would agree. I don't see however how this pertains to the discussion ;-) Did you try to turn this into an argument about freedom of religion?

I hate when people spell it with a 'c', I always read it as 'septic'

"Internet", not "internet".  And.....Aazav is right too. I don't know why so many people don't capitalize Internet. :-) 

I would love to memorize all of these but I just don't see that happening. Who can shed some light on the top 7-10 that would capture a majority of the fallacies that are encountered? 

Heh, I think that by the time a person has gone into or through a gender transition, the stigma of sexual preference will have long since been subsumed by the stigma of being trans.  I'd put a lot more stock in a self survey of trans people's preferences than I would the same for cis people.  The only problem with it would be that for us, preference can be a moving target.  I can only tell you what I have been and what I am today.\n

I'm pretty sure we would still have the "it's a choice" people without this study. In my experience, everyone who believes its a choice does so because believing otherwise would cause problems for their worldview (looking at you, Christian fundies).

As I said, chickenpox does not deserve to be on a list of deadly agents people cannot mail through the mail, and your numbers back up my point.  As for parents taking their kids to the ER for chickenpox: what can I say?  There are some incredibly stupid parents out there.  You could even lump them in with the useless doctors who proscribe antibiotics for viral infections.\n\nI agree with your statement though, that there are always problems and not enough money.  That is exactly why this is a preposterous argument.  To argue that chickenpox is a deadly threat to everyone's children is like arguing that 9/11 gives us the right to invade Pakistan: we might be able to do it but it is certainly not worth it.  And unlike semi-conductors, the vaccine is the end of the road for that research.  It isn't going to dovetail into something amazing and spectacular, it's a vaccine for common childhood disease you get exactly once, whether you live or not.

Here's some advice no one is going to give you. You won't ever need to apologize if you're acting like a human being. If you're caring about people. People...not gender, not religion, no geography. People.\n\nIf you're trying to prove yourself, or prove a point...you've lost.\n\nThere are plenty of people, on this site specifically, that will point you toward MOUNDS of evidence that says you're a slave to biology. That you're just an animal.\n\nYou're not. You're a human being. You're an amazing creature, capable of creating life, of imagining worlds, of doing great deeds unbound by gender, or creed, or geography.\n\nYou're part of a society of humans, the greatest product of evolution we have seen up until now. You can out-think your biology, if you want to. If you want to be aware enough. You can watch the birds coast along the great blue crest of sky and figure out lift and drag. You can delve into the deep, black ocean and learn about the sightless realms that exist there. You can combat the very vacuum of space...all once thought impossible because of our biological limits...but conquered.\n\nDon't let ANYONE tell you you're just a man...that you're stuck in the endless cycle of procreation, of alpha and beta, of mating and posturing.\n\nYou're a damned human, and you're one of many.

I agree with your general sentiment, but I don't agree with the statement     \n     \n&gt;UFOs are most certainly not like God or the Flying Spaghetti Monster

It's a tumbling mylar balloon. Not an uncommon sight near a fair. Since it's near nothing else, it's impossible to scale, is all.

I know what you mean, but that's not the reality of military protocol.  There is a shitstorm of paper trails for every mundane occurrence.  ESPECIALLY if a possible threat is acknowledged.  \n\nThe only reasonable explanations are that either the military is on it themselves, or that aliens somehow confluence decision-makers in power.  Somehow the military is confident that ET isn't a threat to security, whilst hypocritically surround bases with obscene security and harsh trespassing laws.  \n\nAnother side to the story is that most of the people on base assumed this was just some sort of secret aircraft test.   That also doesn't remotely fit the standard protocol for dealing with this case.  If any military personal sees something they don't, they are thoroughly debriefed and are at least told to keep quiet.  \n\n

It turns out that the movement of planets seem "lifelike" when assumed everything goes around the earth. In come planetary pagan gods and astrology.

The correct context of the phrase "cannot prove a negative" has to do with things like a court of law, and political discourse, where you can get into all kinds of accusations by innuendo.\n\nFor example:\n\n* Prove that you are not a child molester\n\n* Prove that you are not a communist\n\n* Prove that you are not a muslim, atheist, etc.\n\nPeople making the accusations can set all kinds of ridiculous standards of proof, and if you meet them, declare that you must be cheating.\n\nThis is why we have the presumption of innocence.\n\n(Combining from an earlier post)\n\n[There may be many cases where absence of evidence provides robust evidence of absence.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victor-stenger/the-evidence-against-god_b_682169.html)\n\nCiting the example that the lack of evidence for elephants in Yellowstone Park is pretty good evidence that there are no elephants in Yellowstone Park\n\nWhich is not exactly proving a negative, but it's close\n\nand there are various mathematical proofs.\n\n[like proving some numbers are not rational](http://www.homeschoolmath.net/teaching/proof_square_root_2_irrational.php).\n

Putting people in camps? Isn't that basically what has started to happen after privatization of the prisons in the US? If it is gonna happen, it won't be over night. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarceration_in_the_United_States

&gt; But if we all told such **bathetic** stories wouldn’t life be boring? \n\nI now know [a new word](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bathos).

You didn't bother to look at the video description, or even click on the submitter's page did you?\n\nAfter days of hot, overcast, a front pushed the haze out. Yesterday's sky appeared to have "natural" clouds and were clear blue. There's a small yellow UFO, a sparkling balloon type and two UFOs "dancing" merging and coming apart, beautiful to watch. Almost in every area of the sky where a UFO appeared, a "chemplane" was near the same spot within 5 minutes. **www.newyorkskywatch.com**\n

I think so... I usually bring my dogs with me quite often and they run around the barn sniffing everything.  The barn is one open space with spaced out boards for stall separation, so it is very easy to look around.

I commend you for your courage.  Standing up to your parents is never an easy thing.  One of the arguments made against vaccinations is that children at the age of a few months to 2 years old can't handle them.  At the age of 15, you could use this argument to your advantage, by saying that you're old enough to handle the vaccine now and the supposed threat is no longer there.\n\nBest advice would be to make sure you approach this as a concerned, educated person, not a defiant rebellious kid.  Listen to their side and be prepared to defend your own.  Research it yourself and cite examples, don't just say "people on the internet".\n\nI wish you the best of luck, be safe.

Yeah I mean he's taking care of that. Still...what are the odds? Or more importantly, how many other people is my name being fined for?!

You only realize that things are getting serious with AGW when you see that now even the right-wing media is very concerned about it ...

A lot of times, it starts out as minor things. I'm not saying it IS demonic; but demonic hauntings in the past have shown those sort of signs. Just keep a log of odd things that occur, everything including date,time,area,who witnessed it,even the weather. Try and notice a pattern; then if need it be, contact your local paranormal group. They keep it confidential because get understand that people feel embarrassed and don't want to be ridiculed for believe their place is haunted. But these things happen, and these entities should understand that it is your home and not theirs.

Yea it wasn't the first time he did that event, probably some worker messing it up. \n\nAlso seems a bit irresponsible to have 6000 people do it, I assume there was more then one lane. 

A psychopath because you insult me and lie about me? Hardly.. Oh, and that's *five* messages, not three. I split the messages up to discourage you from posting copy/pasted responses to each of them.\n\nSo, are you going to post a link to that imaginary comment thread of yours, or should we assume that you were lying?

When he was in grade school, my husband used to dream the next day's events and lessons in school before they happened.  

If everyone switched to eating only organic food, we would be unable to feed everyone.  Regardless of health effects, organic agriculture is not able to support the population.

It has given shelter and ease of finding other like-minded people for *everyone*. For good and bad, mostly good. 

Reading this made me think of Brave New World's Mustapha Mond. I looked into the text, and sure enough: "I'm interested in truth, I like science. But truth's a menace, science is a public danger. As dangerous as it's been beneficent. It has given us the stablest equilibrium in history...But we can't allow science to undo its own good work. That's why we so carefully limit the scope of its researches–that's why I almost got sent to an island. We don't allow it to deal with any but the most immediate problems of the moment. All other enquiries are most sedulously discouraged." \n\nIt is the science-deniers who actually understand science--yet mislead the public for cynical reasons--who are the most dangerous. 

I bought homoeopathy once because I didn't notice that it was homoeopathy and the pharmacist even recommended it. This should not be allowed.

I asked you a direct question. You gave me a search topic. Nice.

Letting red wine sit for 6 hours in any open container is going to change the taste, regardless of it's shape.\n\nBut, yes ... letting red wine 'breathe' as you put it is part of releasing the flavors and aromas.  White wines don't become better when breathe, they actually become worse.  This is why you use a decanter with red wines and stoppers with whites.\n\nIn terms of glassware, the principle of gases escaping the fluid and you smelling them as you're drinking ... yes, that is the same.  But it's a very different principle in terms of decanting unless you're speaking solely about wine.  (just a clarification, red wines will decant in anything, not just a decanter.  If you open a bottle of red wine and set it on the table, it's technically decanting)  Beer, for example (and liquor as well) doesn't decant like that.  It will change based on time, but not in the same way wine does.  However, carbonation variances will change the taste of beer.  This is known and it's why Sam Adams put that ring on the bottom of their glasses (and why Miller stole the idea).\n\nIf you go to a local brewery or a really nice beer place they'll serve each beer in the appropriate glassware.  If you order a lambic, for example, you'll often get it served to you in a wine looking glass, for obvious reasons, whereas a stout or porter will be in a standard pint glass or a mug.  Ales and lagers have a rounded bulbous shape near the lip to capture and direct the aromas toward your nose, because the carbonation of an ale or lager affects the taste to a larger degree then a darker beer.  The larger surface area also keeps the foam thickness appropriate. \n\nedit:  You may actually know this .. I just started typing and got a roll.  Just didn't want this to come off as pompous or something.

i've noticed quite a few very bright ones. although some are small and probably insignificant.\n\ni've tried this and it still happens. mostly the shake on the leg to wake me up. the other night i felt my hand being held very tightly and i'm not going to lie, it freaked me out and i left my room. i'd have to check into the restless leg syndrome.

I got so annoyed with this entire astrology bullshit, I posted this as my status today: \n\n[So Glad You Asked\n\nI have no money in the bank; \n\nthe baby cries all night. \n\nMy husband's having an affair, \n\nand all we do is fight! \n\nMy government is full of shit, \n\nand we're always at war, \n\nbut what I'm really pissed about? \n\nI'm not an Aries anymore!\n\nGet a fucking grip people. There are more important issues to get upset over...]\n\nNeedless to say, very few people Liked my status. My friends are also fucking idiots. 

It seems half the skeptics don't know who Michael Swaim is. If you've ever watched a Cracked video -- that guy.

Quoting from the article: \n\n&gt; *Two events in spacetime are simultaneous if and only if a (mass-possessing) particle cannot move from one event to the other.*\n\nThis statement exposes a deep misunderstanding of Relativity - basically, whoever wrote this article is still stuck in the static spacetime frame of mind that Relativity disposed of.  This definition of simultaneity presupposes an 'objective' frame of inertial reference - the very basis of Relativity is that such a frame of reference does not exist.  Consequently, events meeting this definition *do not exist*.\n\nEdit: a little searching found this: [Anistropic Synchrony Convention](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Anisotropic_synchrony_convention).

I'm from Jersey, and Wierd NJ really gives us A LOT of places to check out. It must've started a fascination with the investigators. \n\nAlso, New Jersey has a ton of paranormal things to investigate upon.

Thanks, but I'm okay.  I'm lucky. It was caught early, I'm on the best medicine there is (and it's covered by the Australian government!), and I have no symptoms anymore. I went from not being able to walk in straight lines, not being able to stand without locking my knees back, taking an hour to pee and not being able to feel cold (cold things hurt) to back to normal in a matter of hours. I more than likely wont be this great forever, and it's likely that I'll have a relapse in the next few years, but I should live only 5 years less than I would have otherwise and the future of MS research looks awesome.

&gt;but the evidence is no different from finding a new species of spider and the bunch of bananas it got here on, the extraordinary thing isn't so much the evidence but what that evidence represents. \n\nWell because we know that spiders do actually exist, we may be able to infer the exist of a new species of spider simply by finding a new kind of web or something else. It'd be better to find an actual individual of the new spider species, but it wouldn't be such a stretch to conclude it's a new kind of spider, we know spiders exist. Aliens on the other hand would require much better evidence.

Here's a link to the [JAMA editorial](http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1150102) referred to.

This looks very much like the reflection of the boyfriend's head in the window. Creepy, though.

Probably - the idea is that they are just slowly moving towards a destination full of woo and bullshit - with the clear intent of keeping people ignorant (so they will keep voting based on manufactured dissensions and other retarded crap).

K, so while i have been more convinced that man-made global warming is likey true, what difference does it make if you don't want to discuss how to fix it?

It is easy, you don't need books or teachers: meditation is a technique for trying to (temporarily) get rid of the "voice in your head", your thoughts, your "inner monologue".\n\nTo do this, concentrate on your breathing. This calms you and gives you something else to concentrate on, thus helping getting your "mind off your mind".\n\nThat's actually all.\n\nSome belief-systems teach that once this "shutting off your inner monologue" becomes a "permanent state", you are "enlightened". Take that "fact" with two tea-spoons of salt however.

Ha it is my bad. I just assumed people could know what I was thinking. :P

Well, now, you know it must be true because he's rich, which means he knows what he's talking about.  He didn't get rich on his good looks alone, you know.

I think there is a big difference between pointing out that someone is making a dishonest claim and ridiculing them.  It's one thing to say that your opponent is dishonest or spreading false information, that's just pointing out the truth (if it is, in fact, true, and not hyperbole meant to discredit their position).  Ridiculing them is calling them stupid or belittling them for refusing to believe what you're presenting.  There are ways to refute false claims without calling the other person stupid.

&gt;What they are doing...\n\nOh that explains it. You are arguing with their position but directing it at me. I am not Rebecca Watson. \n\nSeeya.

This is from the MUFON case files.  I would love to see this guy on the news:\n\nCase Number:\t17450  \nLog Number:\tUS-06122009-0024  \nSubmitted Date:\t2009-06-12 22:53  \nEvent Date:\t2009-05-11 00:00  \nStatus:\tSubmitted  \nCity:\tBoston  \nRegion:\tMassachusetts  \nCountry:\tUS  \nLongitude:\t-71.0627  \nLatitude:\t42.3535  \nShape:\tTriangle  \nDescription:  \t\n\nON MAY 11.2009 TRAVELING THREW NEW ENGLAND OVER THE MASS TURNPIKE I CAPTURED A ORANGE TRIANGLE UFO, AND MANY OTHER ANOMILIES, SMALL GREY HUMANIODS, BALLS OF LITE, LITESHAFTS COMING DOWN AROUND ME, I ALSO BEEN VERY ILL SINCE THIS OCCURED....I,M WONDERING WHAT TO TELL MY DOCTOR ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE I THINK THATS WHY I,M ILL, THE UFO IS RIGHT OVER MY CAR....I HAVE THE VIDEO AND STILL SHOTS OF THIS AMAIZING UFO.

No, they deposit the money (plus a lot more) into the accounts of its lawyers, judges, expert witnesses, etc.

GC-MS plane exhaust, show no unexpected additives present, drop mic, walk out.

He is just a little pussy baby that has. Nothing better to do then talk shit to you on reddit. 

The problem with your idea is that there would still be consumer confusion and little ability to cure that.\n\nTake a look at the "natural" and "organic" label controversy over the past few years. This article from the Washington Post in 2007 does a fairly good job describing things. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/02/AR2009070203365.html\n\nThe marketplace saw that "organic" was big money but they couldn't get their products officially labeled as such because the USDA requirements weren't met. So they lobbied the USDA and lowered the requirements. Because it was done at the government level we have public documentation of this.\n\nPeople were outraged. California has a stricter definition of "organic" because of it. Now the food industry has a "natural" label yet consumers have no idea what "natural" actually means and there is not enough money that can fight them in court to get them to open it up.

Ehhhh I still gotta disagree with you there. Washington, Franklin, Paine, Hamilton, and Madison were all considered deist. It's hard to get much more important than those guys.\n\nJefferson was the atheist that you probably read most of the atheist quotes from.

Implausible? Yes. Stupid? Oh hell yes. \n\nYou can pretty much be certain that it is pseudo-science the instant you hear someone use the term "toxins". Stupid catch-all terms like toxins should automatically put you on alert. \n\nEdited: to add the entire second paragraph. 

Skeptoid is the Snopes of skeptical research and nerd-dom.  Mad props to Mr. Dunning and all the answers/help he has provided me over the years.

I wasn't trying to be a asshole, but I can see it come off that way. sorry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy\n\nAll the studies in the reference section at the end are less than 10 years old, this is a pretty new field, obviously promising enough to warrant further research. There's plenty of research disproving acupuncture, or other hoodoo treatments, but this just too new to justify scorn.

I notice this video of an autistic girl is tagged with "thimerosal", which indicates an anti-vaccine agenda too.

Hah! Canada! Well there you go, another question for your friend, does this conspiracy spread all the way to the Canadian government as well? A government that is perceived as being more liberal that the US government.\n\nI've never researched Monsanto in depth, I'm sure they do lobby governments around the world in order to make the laws and regulations more favourable for them as does every other big industry. The topic of corporate voices in a public democracy is a valid topic that people should be aware of.  But the notion that the board of Monsanto or any other Big Corp are sitting there going "Mwahhaahaahaa, this will kill all our customers!!!!" is ridiculous. The first important thing for any company is it's profits, the second is it's customers because without them there will be no profit.  Again, I'm pretty sure that big corporations will try most ways to screw over their customers to make a profit, but I'm fairly certain even the most devout capitalist would draw the line at outright killing their customers.

That's your prerogative as a parent, but judging people for using a method of disease prevention that has been proven to work for centuries instead of getting an inoculation is reactionary and foolish.  It's as bad or worse than the people that refuse to immunize their children because they think it will cause autism.

&gt;scientists at University Hospital South Manchester\n\nI'm sure they were well-stocked with EpiPens and other emergency measures in case any of the 20% suddenly blew up like a puffer fish with a compressor hose shoved up its anus. 

Fucking really? You showed ONE person something that mocks their faith, and you've determined that "they" have no sense of humour?\n\nFuck you. You are the reason why we can't have nice things.

&gt;Just simulate what the thing would do if you didn't intervene, and if you predict that it would end up killing the human race, it is a threat that should be terminated or at least kept in check somehow.\n\nWhy would you simulate it without the variables that would be introduced by intervention? That's hardly realistic, and simulating such a complex thing is computationally infeasible because you can't just simulate one possibly time line, you'd need to simulate a huge amount. And we couldn't possibly know all the data that would be needed to be input for the starting conditions.\n\nThere are easier ways to make the world a safer place. We've already made a lot of progress in reducing wars, murder and other forms of violence.\n\n&gt;Are you asking how the AI is supposed to know what counts as "human" and what doesn't?\n\nYes, and I don't think this would be an easy problem to solve. And looking at humans brains wouldn't help, because an advanced enough AI would be able to fool humans into believing that it was human too.\n\nAnyway as far as I know SIAI has just done philosophy rather than doing any of the technical work, which is where I think it'll become incredibly difficult if past attempts at AI are any indication.

Think of it then as a low-probability-high-impact situation. Everyone agrees that the climate is changing but some disagree on it's impact possibilities. The fact that the majority of the possible scenarios mean that there will be a very high negative on humanity that *even though they are considered low probability* are so serious that we must take all action to avoid them since, if they come to fruition, there is no exit route from the world that results. Avoidance is our best hope, wait-and-see and dealing with it if it occurs is not feasible.

While there is some limited truth in what he is saying (pharmaceutical companies are for profit), he did jump off into the deep end without a life jacket.

I use the [Ruwa](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgZE8s0hBRQ) incident as a good example.  62 children all saw the same thing.  The important part is, all these children say that the thoughts "it just popped up into my head".  They all describe as just having these various thoughts just pop up, or they just suddenly get the feeling, etc.\n\nI think its a certainty that we have the capability.  If we get a chance to evolve past our want for Cadillac Escalades and gigantic sunglasses, we might just see that in the future.  I hope anyway, even though I won't see it in my life time.  

The length of the star trails in a photo like this depend on 1) the length of the exposure and 2) how far the stars appear from the centre of rotation for the sky.  This means the star trail lengths can't be taken as an accurate indication of the exposure.  \n\nThe length of any aircraft light trails would be less dependent on speed, but more so on altitude.  A high level aircraft takes longer to cross a field of view than a low altitude aircraft. \n\nAssuming the photo is of a reasonable shutter speed (which is highly likely given the night sky is being photographed), two solid lines of light with lights between them at regular intervals suggests that the most likely explanation for this is an aircraft flying through the cameras field of view

That doesn't negate the power of a unifying public figure that can provide a focal point for the movement. If OWS had an MLK, or a Malcolm X, or a Ghandi, things might have gone a lot differently.

Well, let's see... there's the only publicly owned professional sports team in the United States ([Green Bay Packers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_bay_packers)). There's several universities, one of which was the second college to allow women to attend. There's places where some of the first trolley services and hydroelectric dams were built, there's the history of the Progressive Party (which broke off from the conservative party) created by/for Robert La Follette. There's a big micro-brewing boom, though that might not have started at the time of the documentary/show. There's various art/theater shows in several of the larger cities. I can't really name anything else, but then I've not really done any in-depth research.

you're probably getting downvoted since you didn't provide any explanation for calling it fake.  (especially since you posted that a few hours after someone posted a link to the explanation showing it is most definitely not fake (but it's not a UFO))

Police are also aware that they are inadmissible, yet so many cops and prosecutors still believe that the results are of value; this is the point I am making. \n\n

There are people who believe taxes are not necessary - I think they call themselves Anarchists.

Since you asked, I think you told your story well - I actually got a sortof movie scene in my head from your description and I think it'd make a cool sequence.  As far as being evidence of anything supernatural or paranormal, however, I think it falls far short.  The following points are some of the reasons why:\n\n&gt;After a while my mom and her BF started saying they think the place was haunted by the ghost of a small girl. They said sometimes they would see the shadow of a girl walk from room to room.\n\n* I don't know how familiar you are with priming, but this is basically the definition.  From your mother and her BF, you've now got an idea in your head about how the place is haunted.  Even though you don't necessarily believe it at the time, the idea has been planted.  When you encounter scenarios with similar characteristics you will likely recall this idea before alternatives you haven't been exposed to.\n\n&gt;Anyway, It was Saturday night and I was on the computer. It's probably like 2 in the morning. I'm just surfing music.\n\n* It's late at night.  Most people are not at their most alert and coherent at this hour.  You don't specify if you've had any caffeine, alcohol, or anything else that evening so I won't speculate on that.  You are however listening to music, which is known to produce emotional responses in listeners.\n\n&gt;Alexis was always getting up in the night and getting into trouble.\n\n* It's a common occurrence for Alexis to be wandering about late at night.  Because of this you're probably likely to at least initially assume a small child walking about to be Alexis.\n\n&gt;I see Alexis sneak into the kitchen with my peripheral vision\n\n&gt;I didn't look at her or pay her attention.\n\n&gt;I can see her the whole time but I make a point not to look at her\n\n* In your story you say three times that you didn't actually look at whatever it was you saw in your peripheral vision.  Peripheral vision is useful in detecting movement and areas of light or darkness around the focus of your vision but terrible at relaying details.  If you recognize something without focusing on it, solely via peripheral vision, it's because your brain has made a mental model and filled in the details, based on your current beliefs, assumptions, emotional state, etc. and given the present circumstances.\n\n&gt;It was dark in the room\n\n* In addition to not ever actually looking at the *something* your peripheral vision detected, it wasn't well lit.  Oddly enough, your peripheral vision works better in low light than in bright light.  Because of this, it takes even less visual stimulation to make you think there is something moving in your peripheral vision.\n\n&gt;And that's when it hit me... Alexis was with my Ex that night.\n\n* You had forgotten that Alexis wasn't actually in the house that night.\n\n\nSo, combining all the above into one scenario, here's an explanation for your experiences that night which is entirely natural and, in my opinion, far more plausible than anything supernatural or paranormal:\n\nYou had previously heard stories of the ghost of a small girl wandering the house.  Late at night you were surfing music on your computer and something triggered your peripheral vision - since the light is low it's more sensitive to false alarms.  You don't look in the direction where your peripheral vision is signalling the movement, so your brain fills in the details given your mental state at this moment - it's probably just Alexis up wandering like she usually does, a reasonable assumption since you've forgotten she's not home.  Now believing it's her, you purposely don't ever look in that direction and wait until you no longer see anything in your peripheral vision.  Again, your brain fills in the details - she's turned and gone back to bed.  Later you realize that Alexis was actually not even home.  Your brain searches for the next best fit to what you thought you saw - the ghost story you were previously primed to remember.  \n\nFor someone not so primed to that conclusion though, it would never even come up as an explanation.  To that person (a person like me), a better explanation would be that they thought they saw something out of the corner of their eye but it was actually nothing (or a trick of light and shadow, or a misfiring of nerves, etc).  The ghost story just isn't an available explanation.\n\nTL;DR: I liked your story, but I don't consider it evidence of anything beyond the natural.

I'm also not fully convinced by it, but I think that preference reversals are much more common than we usually acknowledge. In cognitive psychology the term "mental contamination"  is used because we can't easily detect biases.\n\n There was a wired article on reddit some days ago that argued that reasoning developed as a means to convince other people. If we reason we might therefore be rather looking for "powerful" ideas than for ideas that are objectively true. \n\nWe have no conscious control about which ideas come to our mind. We just dismiss afterwards the associations that don't make sense. For different languages (and different target groups) certain ideas have a different weight: For example the concept "freedom" does not have the same argumentative power in Europe as it has in the US. The term is therefore far less used in public discourse. If you reason about justice in a language different from English, where the concept of "equality" as a bigger weight in public discourse, your reasoning process might lead you to another conclusion.\n\nWe don't keep mental lists of all our positions and reasoning outcomes in our heads. We reconstruct our beliefs from memory and we always do this **in  one ** language, so we might fail to notice that. Another explanation is that those young people you wrote about are just opportunistic liars ;-).\n

It isn't the change in pressure at high altitudes that affects thinking, it's the change in the amount of oxygen. This is a well documented effect among climbers and astronomers. Where did this video come from? Everwell.com's website claims they produce "unbiased, engaging video content" reviewed by "a panel of physicians." The stuff is shown in doctors' waiting rooms and is advertising-funded.

It's not that, this Siemens 1924 plugs in a wall in order to work, the lady has no wire. Look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tILHyYKeOrc

We have a winner.  I have seen these dozens of times, always in the west, always at sunset, always on a clear day.  If it's not a small cloud with the last rays of sunlight shining off it, it is the trail of a small plane.  

But you do have the moral high ground.  You're preventing people from taking advantage of someone you care about - just because you have to use some messy tactics to do it doesn't mean it's not the moral thing to do.  

Hah! I'm looking forward to the day when marijuana is legalized for personal consumption. "Grandma's Old Fashioned Roasted Cannabis Seeds." 

Yep. As long as a proposition is clear enough for evidence to be applied to it, it's often going to be more reasonable to guess one way than the other, usually in favor of disbelief.\n\n["I think that it is much more likely that the reports of flying saucers are the results of the known irrational characteristics of terrestrial intelligence rather than the unknown rational efforts of extraterrestrial intelligence." ](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYPapE-3FRw&amp;t=1m03s)\n\n-Richard Feynman\n\nCreation of a false dichotomy is exactly the error I'm cautioning against. In no way am I trying to shift the burden of proof. I'm just pointing out that making claim "X is false" carries its own burden of proof.

It's sometimes incredibly difficult to disprove an individual claim that he makes, because it may be based on a legitimate source and contain a shred of truth to it.  While he's guilty of making stuff up every once in a while, Alex's main problem is that he starts everything with a faulty premise and then engages in circular reasoning.  Example:  \n\nGlobalists are plotting to make your life horrible. -&gt; Here's a legitimate source that talks about a chemical in food that is a carcinogen -&gt; Why are companies not removing this chemical? -&gt; Globalists are plotting to make your life horrible.\n\nWhile there are some logical fallacies in that, it makes sense if you accept the premise and cannot be disproved by any single source.  I don't know how far your friend is down into the rabbit hole, but if you can point out the circular reasoning Alex uses every damn time he makes an argument maybe that will help.

The catholic church believes in creationism through evolution. They believe that evolution was the process that god used to get humans (we are the end goal of evolution).

&gt;It seems highly unlikely that there could be anything left which hasn't been mentioned ever during all these decades of both serious UFO research and nutty speculation.\n\nHe's probably gonna say it was plasticine stop-motion creatures from the Eleventy-firth Dimension. \n\nAlthough now, since I've mentioned it, he has to come up with something new. 

I think you're conflating UFOs and aliens. \n\nThere is plenty of evidence on the existence of the [Hessdalen Lights](http://www.hessdalen.org/index_e.shtml), which are technically UFOs. They've been studied since 1984 and hundreds of lights have been observed and cataloged. So while there's evidence of an unknown phenomenon in the skies, it's not clear yet what the cause is.

&gt;In effect, they are exhibiting a certainty about any future warming that no actual climate scientist would dare to display\n\nActually, that applies to you, and it's why you shouldn't call yourself a "skeptic".\n\n

Listen here you insensitive prick from hell, I'll make sure I post pictures of my mother's next chemo treatment, as well as the tiny tombstones from my dead baby cousins.\nStill think I'm a troll? Well there's nothing I can do about that. I have more important things in my HEALTHY AND UNVACCINARED life to take care of. Not to mention caring friends who won't MOCK MY SENTENCE STRUCTURE WHEN I TALK ABOUT MY FAMILY MEMBERS' DEATHS.\nWow you really are a piece of shit.

The desperation is unnecessary. I hate how odd and semi-religious it sounds, but you just have to know that you are correct and speak confidently in defense of the ETH. People are surprisingly open minded about this topic if you don't come across as a nutbag. After all, the facts support the likelihood of the claim even if the available evidence is marginal.

Really?\n\nSouth Park s08e15 "The Biggest Douche in the Universe" accurately sums up John Edward's "ability".

Well, then we are stuck with the Klingons or the Romulans, or the Ferangi, oh God the Ferangi!

I did read the rules, actually. Not all blogs are blogspam. Blogspam is when someone links to a blog where they've just copied another blog or news article, instead of linking to the original source.\n\nA lot of blogs have original content, it's just pretty shitty usually. At any given time, around 25% of the links on the main page are from blogspot our wordpress. Then another large proportion are blogs with domain names (eg freethoughtblogs).\n\nI agree that meme posts shouldn't be allowed. But I don't think facebook discussions count as meme posts. Screenshots of someone's status shouldn't be allowed though.

Add my name to the list of people who is really enjoying this thread.\n\nNo matter what I would end up calling the experience, I would love to try DMT.

I will never read another Examiner article again after the God awful Dunkin' Donuts ad attached to that post. Fuck ads like that.

I wonder if your experience could be explained by one of these, or something similar:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallucination#Hypnagogic_hallucination\n

... and get TB, and then run to the doctor to get  the artificial antibiotics.\n\nBesides, and perhaps even more importantly, think of how much creativity we would lose if we had to do that every morning. I for one would hardly get out of bed. It would be utterly depressing to think that I will have to get out in the cold, milk the damn goat, feed the chicken, etc etc etc, and then jeopardize my health by drinking unsafe milk, when millions of people like me could easily be set free of these mindnumbing routines by the simple miracles of modern agriculture, if only some of us weren't too prejudiced and conservative to accept them.

You're throwing a strawman at me here.  I wasn't talking about the mental health of people making these claims or making excuses for them.

What are the people in that neighborhood doing anyway, they should be saying something.

&gt; Scurvy is a disease. Plain and simple: "Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans." - Wikipedia\n\nNot all diseases are caused by a pathogen. Wikipedia has an excellent description of what a disease is\n\n*A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism.*\n\nYou can break diseases down into a number of types. The type being discussed here, and most often talked about, are diseases caused by a pathogen of some sort. A pathogen is something like a virus, bacteria or fungus that has decided your body is a wonderful place to live and wreck havok.\n\nThen there are conditions like Cancer which are caused by a malfunction in your own body. Namely cancer is when of your body's cells decide that they are going to keep dividing and growing without end, which ends up it them killing off other cells in your body. Cancer is plain and simple a malfunction of your normal biological processes.\n\nFinally you have various deficiencies and other internal malfunctions that can occur, scurvy being a famous example. Sometimes these can be treated by diet, other times the body is unable to digest, process, or produce some vital nutrient and needs assistance in doing.\n\nNow for conditions like Type 2 Diabetes, you are 100% correct in saying that medication can never treat the underlying cause of the disease, it only treats the symptoms. In this case dietary changes can, in many cases, actually treat the underlying problem.\n\nFor other problems, such as high blood pressure, again you are correct. Blood Pressure medicine does not treat the underlying problem (poor cardiovascular health), only a symptom of it. Arthritis is another great example  of just treating symptoms, although work is being done to try and find a way to actually repair damage.\n\nWhen it comes to an actual infection though, that is when medicine can actually help. When you have an infection, something else has taken residence in your body and not in a nice way. In these situations, you want to take something that will forcefully expel said invaders from your body. The underlying cause is actually some other entity that thinks you are a nice host, the cure is to kill off said unwanted entity.\n\nCancer is another prime example. While some dietary changes can help reduce your risk of certain types of cancer, the fact is that once a group of cells in your body decides that they are going to start dividing as fast as possible, *nothing* is going to stop them short of you dying, or them being killed off/removed.\n\nSince they are your own cells, from your own, somewhat damaged, DNA, eating healthy is going to provide them with the same nutrients food provides the rest of your body.\n\n\n\n\n\n

 If you consider what the alternatives would be in the third world, it wouldn't be fresh cow's or goat's milk, in the poorest areas it might be rice or a root vegetable mashed with whatever water is available -- far more dangerous than breastmilk.

Yes, [there is](http://yfrog.com/message/thread/id/1_115516255133380608).

Look on Mufon, they have all sorts of fancy graphs comparing sighting numbers over years and averages.

I once dated a guy for a month before he very seriously asked me what I thought of the conspiracy to cover up the existence of giants. I laughed, and he said he couldn't see someone so closed-minded. Not a loss. 

Two things... One, if the sun did flash like that, wouldn't someone on Earth have noticed it, like maybe everyone? Two, it was probably a piece of dust or other small object that reflected light into the optics. That would explain the ring shape, too. When small objects up close are way out of focus they look like rings sometimes.

Much worse in fact. If you presume a simulation (or really, if you presume an outside actor in general) then all your observations are tainted by the concept that change can be introduced at any point.\n\n'Miracles' or 'Changes' or whatever are anathema to science unless science in turn accounts for that possibility. Of course, if the nature of the universe really is such that these things happen then we can still dabble in it but sadly never really know the nature of it from our perspective.\n\nPossibly true but if so, we lack a methodology to proceed. Sadly then, we might as well dismiss for practical reasons just as we tend to assume we'll wake up alive tomorrow.

Did you have nothing else to do? I'm trying to figure out if someone literally preferred to watch grass grow.

It was great to see how you didn't insult this person (much), but calmly explained the math and the flaws in the methods used. I applaud the restraint you showed, since this chat could have ended with the stranger being bitter and angry at science types vs. curious and maybe even inspired to learn more. Flawless victory. 

I will say on your site, you should have an episode list page for quick download, or at least a link on the front page to your first episode for newcomers who want to start from the beginning.\nI'm several episode behind and noticed that when I have to back track 2 pages to get to it.

It may not, but it almost certainly is.  \n\nWhen they have doctor pepper adverts showing people making crop circles with stomping boards etc, any idea that they are anything other than man made has sailed.  

What kind of space junk is that? Is that a fuel tank? a space mini-van?\n\nI've never seen anything like this attached to a rocket and sent into space.

I researched this, and talked to plenty of people on this subject. People during SP have called the name Jesus during their episode, had that has stop the event. \n\nThere is much more information on this at this website:\nhttp://alienresistance.org/alienresistancevideos.htm\n\nThe forth video down is actually all about SP. Although SP is talked about in all the video's on that page. SP has never happened to me (or I was too young to remember), but I have talked to a few people who actually had (at the time) SP. I told them the cure, and to this day it hasn't happened to them. 

Why would you watch a show just because it has a beautiful woman in it? WTF?!

Thanks for this.  I'll go ahead and take this down...and hang my head in shame.

[My response to you in a related comment](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/11wolf/death_anxiety_increases_atheists_unconscious/c6qnouq)

Sounds a little like the [old 21 grams nonsense](http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp), a flawed conclusion based on suspect methodology and imprecise measurement tools.

Why waste your time with all that when you could just wave some fungus near some water and say the magic words caveat emptor, done !\n\nTake that science with all your fancy "methods", "proof" and "evidence" !

I'm actually very familiar with the case. I've seen the documentaries and read the books and reports. I still don't believe it. I'm not trying to be a troll or anything so please don't take me wrong. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but in over 2 decades of researching the paranormal, I've never worked a case that I even slightly believed to be demonic in any way, and for that reason, I do not believe in the existence of demons or demonic possession. 

Yeah.. you're either not getting my meaning or being deliberately obtuse. I'm too busy to get into it today. :)

&gt;Do you think murderous dictators are stupid? Or are their genocides moral? That is the false dichotomy you assert.\n\nNo, that is the false dichotomy you assert.  Nowhere did I imply that either you're moral or you're stupid.  In fact, what I said was the exact opposite of a dichotomy.  Key words that demonstrate this are "more likely" and "inclined."\n\nI just remarked that classical thinkers like Kant and Hegel tried to form bases of morality based on logic and intelligence.\n\nYou seem to take personal offense to my comment for some reason, like it is an attack on you for what you believe.  I didn't mention anything about the IMF in my comment.  (Coincidentally, you are in the right subreddit if you would like to hear some counterarguments against the film, "Zeitgeist.")\n\nGetting back to my actual comment, I happen to think that smarter people are more inclined to demonstrate a moral fortitude.  I base this opinion on personal experience as well as philosophical argument.  I also think that people who believe conspiracies such as those ones discussed in the article (Obama being born in Kenya for example) are not very bright.  That is all I was saying.

Oookay...\n\n1. A woman, of course. We exist, don't let the fact that women are made invisbile so often fool you.\n2. Ummm...'into' novelty songs, Janelle Monae, Regina Specktor, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits. I have never owned a Led Zep T-shirt, not even one of those TopShop replicas.\n3. I'm a medic/Neuroscientist. That is, a medical student about to do a PhD in Neuroscience because it's more interesting. I have never been to Reading. In fairness, while I don't work in IT I have had to learn some MATLAB for my current research.\n4. I am 21. I have never had all the answers.\n4. I have read (some of) the studies. University access FTW!\n5. Again - I am a lady medic/scientist, not a software guy. I did like the IT crowd, though.\n6. I am lucky enough to never have suffered from a serious illness. However, I am not so lucky - several people very close to me have been seriously ill, and sadly all of them have been let down in one way or another. As a potential future doctor, I'm well aware with the problems with the NHS (likely to get worse). I'm also aware that evidence based medicine is a rather new discipline with far too few practicioners.\n7. I have never taken any recreational drugs. Dude, I don't even drink.\n8. Whilst I do spend hours online, it is split pretty evenly between PubMed, the feminist blogosphere, the science (careers/interesting stuff) blogosphere and youtube videos of cats. I do like and read some good skeptical bloggers (including my lovely boyfriend), but honestly those cats are pretty distracting.\n9. I am not a fan of Dawkins. I find him rude, ignorant and trite. Hearing him speak on the radio has lead to some serious WTF moments.\n10. I am an atheist. Yes, I prefer the world that way. No, I don't mind if you don't.\n11. I like comedy. Is there a world of gullible comedians I have been missing?\n12. Everything is amazing, Contemplating infinity &gt; all the drugs.\n

That's actually a not terrible link.  I'll need to find time to pick it apart over christmas break...\n\nThe only thing that jumped out at me so far was little stuff like this:\n\n&gt; it is not proof that CO2 is a major climate driver, since CO2 can be driven by temperature changes. Specifically, warmer oceans requires larger atmospheric partial pressures of CO2 to contain the dissolved gas in them.\n\nThe link between CO2 and temperature has been investigated extensively, for both positive and negative factors. (permafrost, for example)  But this claim in particular is very much wrong: ocean concentrations of CO2 are measurable.  And increasing, not decreasing (hence concerns about ocean acidification).  So this "possibility" is actually a complete red herring, since the oceans are definitely absorbing CO2 in response to increased concentrations, not releasing it in response to increased temperature.  Further, our greenhouse gas concentrations are pretty damn consistent with our emissions... it's kind of silly to start positing that the CO2 is coming from somewhere else.\n\nThe next thing I'd probably look at is how he's coming up with his radiative forcing numbers, since he's obviously coming to a different result than climatologists.  There's probably a good reason for that...

I had no idea about all this. I thought chiropractors where supposed to help you with back pain. This strip makes it sound like acupuncture. Everyone I know that's ever gone to a chiropractor went for back pain. Is this really a thing?

It's cool, just confusing as hell.\n\nTake a look at the side-bar if you're unsure the purpose of a /r/  --------&gt;

&gt;like the bloke who thought he'd actually taught his horse to count because he was queuing him unconsciously.\n\nLinky poo?

Yah the burden of profe should be on the ones claiming it is aliens from a distant galaxy. Skeptics usually takew the road of "the simplest answer is usually the correct one", and rope/board or magnetron etc seems capable of doing it so that is probbaly how it is done. To say it is aliens would require far more proof than the existance of the crop circles themselves. 

&gt;Notice how during the conspiracy in question there were very few, if any, knowledgeable people decrying the conspirators and citing dubious information sources.\n\nNotice how this would make it political and more people wouldn't want it out just for that.

Lolz.  Don't worry, afaik, SBS usually puts stuff online just after it airs.

I kind of like the second one more, but they're both cringe-worthy.

Should deluded people even be allowed to vote, hold office or home-school  children?  The Rapture nonsense is just another example of the havoc they wreak on a healthy society.

Looks like some lame ass attempt to cover up a real UFO event. Like they did when they released balloons over New York.

&gt; The best i can describe the color is that of the laser light on the underside of an optical mouse.\n\nYes, the more you describe it, the more it sounds like the same type of object. I live near a very busy airport, so I too can attest to the fact that this was *not* a plane. I've seen some other odd things in the sky before, but never anything like that. \n\nFor what it's worth, (and probably completely unrelated) I saw the object in the Hudson Valley in New York which is the same area that had a massive UFO flap back in the 80s and many people had described several types of objects with the 'single red light' being one of them.

Can't say I blame you. TV shows are a bad way to get to know something. The para shows are exceptionally bad.\n\n\n\nI am still a skeptic, after my own personal encounters. There is some kinda damn science behind it. The question is whether it is in me, or outside of me. My mind has fooled me before, who is to say why sometimes it is more profound than others? Reality is an illusion of subatomic entropy and evolved ape perception. We love meat and boobs, we are good at finding that. Meanwhile photons travel with infinite mass and electrons exhibit superposition. There is an encyclopedia of shit we have no clue about, we are just too dumb and we can't see what is not important to making more of us...yet. \n\n\n\nParanormality is inconsistent. I know that is a misnomer, but why isn't Rome deafening? Its always some damn creepy house in New England or a British Red Lion. 

don't forget this one.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obelisk_of_São_Paulo

You said that an attack on a majority Christian nation is an attack on Christianity. That's fucking bullshit. Should I Venn Diagram it out for you?\n\nHere's a hint: most Christians don't live in America.

You'd have to work quite hard to convince me that this is a predominantly american phenomenon. Are you really going to tell me the continent that fell for fascism isn't as gullible as the U.S.?

it was seen all over northern California too.  check news.google.com for bay area fireball...

Because, as you know, the definition of evidence you agreed to in that discussion is:\n\nthat which supports an assertion.\n\nDon't misrepresent the truth to gain an audience, that's a shameful act.

Unfortunately the antivax movement in Australia is growing quite large, despite all evidence about it's dangers.\n\nhttp://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/04/26/the-australian-antivax-movement-takes-its-toll/\n\nPersonal experience: Growing up in a smallish community, in a very religious household, a lot of the family friends (in the church, of course) that were having kids were convincing each other not to get vaccinated (amongst other things, like brandishing homeopathy about as a cure-all) for a number of reasons, autism scares, vaccines containing or cultivated using blood etc. I was only young back then but even at that time something felt very wrong about not getting vaccinated. Sad.

I'm gonna have to agree with the bug theory... I'm just not convinced by this.

A google search isn't a legitimate citation. How does an uninformed person know which one of those sites and the claims they present, if any, are accepted in the medical/nutrition community? 

I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and retract any implication that writing his experience off as supernatural was your first choice simply out of ignorance. It does make the story seem even more eerie now :I 

Another bit of intellectual autofellatio from the fringe of academia.

Okay, that's all fine and great. Now where is your evidence for alien visitation of planet earth?

* Vaccination\n* [Hand Washing](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Semmelweis)\n* [Germ Theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_Street_cholera_outbreak)\n\n\nto name a few

If you were skeptical you would say: I don't know.\nIf you were a freethinker you would know not to base your ideas in authority.\nIf you were rational you would ask for proof and evidence.\n

I think the steroid analogy is a bad one. Does anyone actually think that if they took steroids and practiced a bit they could hit like Bonds did or if they took performance enhancers like Lance Armstrong they could bike as well. Both were as dedicated as any athlete to their respective sports. \n\nWhat about an athlete that uses charms, or superstitious rituals to better their performance or how about athletes that superdose on vitamins how come they don't have their titles stripped for trying to gain an advantage. Isn't the fact that they aren't almost a tacit admission that none of those things actually do anything.\n\nSorry off on a tangent but I think the whole outrage over performance enhancing drugs is ridiculous. 

Only if you get the root from what I know.\n\nIf you have any information to the contrary it would be great if you could link it.

Good answer, this seems plausible.\n\nIn both cases, I use the object after leaving the house, further convincing me that I've brought it along. Is there anything you can say to that?

Thank you! I will not give fox news any amount of attention, minus this.

&gt;but they will not let anyone see that video\n\nI think we're done here ...

I've never heard much about this before, if nothing else it is interesting; 

Actually religion is responsible for the birth and spread of literacy among common people. Much of medical technology owes something to religion as well, since caring for the infirm and giving money toward research has always been a strength of the church. The oldest hospitals in America are all named after saints and angels for a reason.

Really?  It seems like putting a liquid metal in your body would be pretty dangerous.  Anyway, I'm glad that they got rid of it.

Typing is so Newtonian, you would think that person would have managed to get hip to our ever changing world.

There's a lot of contradictory data about some of these. Ginkgo is one of the few that has been well-studied and doesn't seem to do much. Unfortunately, there's very little large scale research on nootropics so most of the data is anecdotal. Luckily, many of the commonly proposed nootropics are used for other medicinal purposes or already occur in human diets, so for any specific example you can look up the side effects and evaluate the relevant risk. \n\nI suspect that in a decade or two, we may have a much better idea of which are actually effective and use will be much more common. 

How many people started questioning the government version after adopting a skeptical mindset?

&gt;Is anything outside that really worth describing as "god" in the theism/atheism debate?\n\nYes.  It is important to consider all possibilities including that current man-based ideas about God are incorrect.  This is yet another source of agnosticism because we simply cannot know.  Perhaps, it is right to say it does not belong in the theism/atheism debate if you define God to be something particular based on man's definition.  But, it definitely does belong in the debate of whether or not one can truly know if there is or is not a god.  Fitting religious beliefs or non-beliefs to contrived, predetermined definitions is a problem in itself and muddies the debate.  \n\nAll terms are inherently meaningless.  This argument stems from the writings of St. Augustine (and probably before but Confessions is the work I am directly referring to). They are meaningless till we give them meaning.  That is fine for objects such as a chair or a table.  The objects are tangible.  The meaning of the terms "char" and "table" are clearly defined and interpreted. But, to extend that same reasoning to something unknowable such as a God and its existence/non-existence does not work.  It is not cut and dry.  The object/being itself is not strictly tangible thus fitting it to a definition based on a term, such as "God," does not work like it does with "chair."  Again, I believe this is the basis of at least part of my agnostic feelings.  The answer of a God's existence is in part unknowable because we don't know how to ask the question (not rooted in a hypothesis). This is why I consider myself agnostic.  

One example: valerian root extract.  It is a medically significant central nervous system depressant and sedative.\n\nhttp://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/8352816/reload=0;jsessionid=TnkIBl4qGsXavYo2Lznz.12\n\nhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0091305782902647\n\nhttp://europepmc.org/abstract/MED/17340394\n\nOr hell, while we're at it, cannabis oil.\n\nMany plant-derived essential oils have significant effects, the biggest difficulty is in figuring out which compounds in the extract are responsible for those effects and isolating them or controlling the preparation of the extract to have predictable dosages.

Not really. I don't think those things, that's literally random speculation on my part. I can stoop to the level of that subreddit though:\n\n&gt;I read on [this site here](http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/masturbation-1) that experts say it increases your self worth and stops depression. That'd mean you'd have more energy to do things and that you could concentrate a lot more and also you'd be more outgoing. Not only that, you'd have more free time by not wasting it sitting around being depressed!\n\nSeriously though, good luck with it.

I think the issue that bothers Dr. Amy (and, incidentally) myself is this, from page 8 of their guidelines for prospective researchers:\n\n&gt; The MANA DOR endorses the principles of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), which is an orientation to research that focuses on relationships between researchers and community partners. CBPR is a collaborative approach in which research takes place in community settings and involves community members in the design and implementation of research projects. Such activities demonstrate respect for the contributions made by community partners and for the principle of ‘doing no harm’ to\nthe communities involved. The MANA DOR is responsible for representing the\nmidwifery community in its relationship with investigators. This community includes not only the midwife providers, but also their clients as equal partners. Therefore the MANA DOR expects all investigators interested in collaboration with this community to consider how they can cooperate with these principles, and to describe how they intend to do so in their request for data access.\n\nThis makes no mention of the status of the data or that it is being limited at this time because it is incomplete or in flux.  It *does*, however, seem to imply that a researcher must "do no harm" with access to the data.  But what if the data *should* do some small amount of "harm"?  What if the data shows that some types of midwives are under-trained?  Or that certain types of preconditions should exclude women from home birth due to increased risk?

I was as well when he said, "that's converting or taking away from the natural Ozone, that cleanses the air".\n\nSeriously? The Ozone doesn't cleanse the air..

I am so fucking jealous. If Penn and Teller are there, try to hug them for me. 

I think I understand, and I do appreciate the patience you're extending me. Thank you.\n\nFrom what I can make of this whole situation, there are two separate issues at work. The first, are there women being groped, grabbed, etc? If there is, that needs to stop! No question. The women involved need to report it, and the men involved need to be punished; asked to leave a conference, whatever. There is no cause for a man to touch a woman who doesn't want to be touched. I think that you and I are pretty well aligned on this point, yes?\n\nWatson is another matter. I don't think she should be groped either. But she's made a career out stirring up this kind of controversy. It's what she does. It's how she operates. It doesn't mean she should be groped, or ignored if she does get groped, but it *does*, unfortunately, put a little bit of a damper on some of her wilder claims. It just *has* to, if we are to remain skeptics. She has made this into "her" issue. It's how she draws her internet fame. It's why people have her speak at conferences. She started "skepchicks", but I imagine it would be a horrible offense if a guy called her a "chick". That's sexist. She hangs out in the taverns until the early morning, drinking and carrying on, and she gets clumsily hit on, and she ramps that up to POTENTIAL RAPE! All of the dialogue after that is from the standpoint of that guy could have raped her. Set aside the fact that he DIDN'T. \n\nMy wife is a skeptic, and is preparing a paper for TAM. We'll both be there, with my teenage daughter, so I'll be on the lookout for this mob of grabby men. I don't think it exists. I'm open to evidence, but my gut feeling now is that Watson is the type of person to manufacture a crisis for publicity. I don't know her, I've only observed her from afar, but that's the impression I get.\n\nI think that her claims should be examined. Don't sweep them under the rug. Find some evidence. Find these guys that are grabbing at her. Find some of the tweets and chat room comments. Fix the problem. She's just making noise to ride it.\n\nI'm glad she's not going. The conference won't miss out on anything skeptical, and we won't have to deal with her. Everyone wins, except poor forlorn elevator guy who was hoping for a second shot (if he ever existed at all).

I'm citing *your popular mechanics* video.  Have you watched it?  Go to *your article* and watch the video.\n\nHere is an image in case you didn't watch the video:\n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/JtrQg.jpg

I think it's meant to imply that the other objects are moving so slowly in relation to the object, which ostensibly makes the "fast-moving" return so interesting.\n\nEither way, I've been thinking about this and it's pretty easy to see how one could "fake" the high speed maneuvers with the jump cuts.  I'm not as impressed as I was when I first saw this. :/

I'd say that there is a possibility that you're experiencing something paranormal. I can't confirm it for sure, and I don't think anyone else could either without performing an investigation. I often recommend that anyone having experiences create a log to record the events. Describe the event in great detail, note the date and time, where at the location did the event take place, who witnessed the event, who else was in the location at the time and where in the location they were at the time of the event, even the outside weather conditions and temp. Once you have multiple entries in the log, you can go back and look for patterns. You'd be amazed at how often the puzzle is solved using this information.

Wow. I cannot believe you just used this as evidence. \n\nOne guys opinion that there could be multiple ones in there....in a fresh water lake...in scotland...with limited food supply..in an enclosed area that would easily be over run by population if it were even true.\n\nPay attention more in school and much less to unverified opinions written on the internet.\n\n"I killed 30 Velociraptors with one punch" -Abraham Lincoln\n\n

Not taken as dick-ish at all, it's a valid question. I don't view it as a religious or superstitious gesture at all. To me, to make such a huge statement is putting the very memory of my father as a testament of my telling the truth... by that I mean I would never, ever, ever, EVER disrespect my Dad (a remarkably kind, caring and hard-working family man) or his memory, so when I say that it's the strongest possible way I can testify to the truth of my statement.\nThink of it like a devout religious nut swearing on the bible in court. They believe so strongly in the concept of hell that they'd never take an oath on the bible and lie. I'd never be able to live with myself if I swore on my father's memory and was lying.

Whatever you do, unless you are really looking for "trouble" do NOT go alone. Go with someone with experience, and no matter what you may or may not encounter, stay strong in your beliefs. Take charge of the situation, but if it becomes too bad, just leave.

It's a fair methodology really. He starts with the base tone of a famous and reputable violin, and then expands it's frequency range to be wider and larger. It's a stradivarius, and then some. He did it to prove that bett violins can be made, and he made sure that you could prove it.

But a light-minute is a unit of distance and he was talking about how the amount of time it takes not how far it is. ;)

when I see ghost adventurers it makes me laugh..\n\none episode where the guy is like... did you see that? did you hear that?  it touched me! and they all run out of the room..\n\nme and my bro always make fun of that show cause it is so fake.\n\nalso to the guy who can see through bullshit ...LOL .. you might want a refund on your BS detector

No, I haven't seen any of this. Could you provide some evidence for this? Some speeches by Obama for example?

I've noticed a disturbing trend among my adult friends and family in which it's considered almost trendy or fun to ride the latest wave of misinformation, regardless of facts. This is what happens when a society's basic needs are met and there is a lack of meaningful activity people want to pursue.

Record what the phone says? Also, here's a possible explanation from the site you linked\n\n&gt; If you are receiving text messages from 999 999 9999, they could be being sent by email through any computer. Texts can be sent to any cell phone from a computer. Here is a list of some addresses:\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@txt.bell.ca (Bell and Solo)\n&gt;[10digitnumber]@pcs.rogers.com\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@fido.ca\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@msg.telus.com\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@vmobile.ca (Virgin Mobile)\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@mobiletxt.ca (PC Mobile)\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@msg.koodomobile.com\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@sms.sasktel.com and \n&gt; [10digitnumber]@pcs.sasktelmobility.com\n&gt; [10digitnumber]@text.mts.net (MTS Allstream Inc./ Manitoba Telecom Services Inc.)\n

I like your optimism. As if they won't just come up with bullshit excuses and propose new and exciting dates.

&gt; There you go, most areas are gun-free throughout the year except for the military / police officers and it would be much harder to mass murder people.\n\nExcept for all the illegal guns owned by people who didn't turn theirs in or didn't acquire theirs legally in the first place. They'd be free to rob and steal and rape and murder freely, and all law-abiding citizens would be at their mercy.

Yes, there is no 100% safe system. So why should we keep using a power source, that is so extremely dangerous, when we know this fact and when we have perfectly safe alternatives available to us.\n\nEspecially considering how expensive nuclear energy is.

Big as a football field and couldn't take a picture??? Downvote....

We should make a thread on this subreddit about the russian with a hangover.

pinal gland is also known as the third eye of the brain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_eye

Yeah, it would take a lot more than that to ruin it.  When I was there a few years back I moved a little stone circle over a couple feet :)  I wonder if anyone noticed that their vortex was misaligned.  

I thought we had agreed on that he looks like a wizard from middle earth : (

It does feel good though. It's like having someone who is professionally trained at cracking your back in ways that you can't do by yourself. 

you have done reddit well, thank you for that information. I especially enjoyed your use of sources

I've known a few people who confuse coincidence and confirmation bias with a sixth sense.  They really do honestly believe that they have some sort of gift, and it's difficult as hell to convince them otherwise.\n\nSo I'm a little hesitant to call all of these psychics "scammers" because I don't think there's malicious intent in all cases.  It's just a fundamental misunderstanding of psychology and statistics.  The big headliners and television psychics, however, I have no doubt are evil scumbags.

[You're not wrong](http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/l865g/the_protocols_of_the_learned_elders_of_zion_read/)\n\nI was surprised and glad to see my comments (and those of edheil, the other voice of reason in the thread) reaching the top; but it was AMAZING to see the level of support this got initially, and to read the antisemitic comments.\n\nThis is a common thing.  These people believe that the Rothschild family has hundreds of trillions of dollars, and controls the world as a new Illuminati, and that everything wrong with America is caused by "Zionists", which rarely *actually* refers to Israeli proponents of a Jewish state, but as a blanket term referring to all jews.\n\nI, personally, have faced antisemitism on r/conspiracy - are subreddit I participate in only sparingly, and only when I go there to plead for some sort of sanity or ridicule the craziest of the crazies.\n\nIt is a place that is *full* of antisemites, and the most virulent ones are the most vocal, and interestingly, providing the least evidence.  The irony, of course, is that these people purport to be skeptics, seekers of truth, and talk about how the mainstream media brainwashes us, when their own idea of "credible sources" **always** amounts to something like the webpage of a conspiracy theorist quoting another conspiracy theorist and passing it off as fact without providing any source material.\n\nThe ideology that is pervasive in r/conspiracy is disgusting, and the methodology is laughable; none of their theories have any basis in fact, and none of the people proposing them **actually** care to find objective evidence; they'll quote anything that seems to support their worldview.  Not to toot my own horn, but I think I did a pretty good job categorizing it [here].(http://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/l865g/the_protocols_of_the_learned_elders_of_zion_read/c2ql1lf)\n\nSo yeah, r/conspiracy is fucking bonkers.  

You do know that there is a huge difference between Astrology and Astronomy? From your reply, that isn't very apparent.

It's only part one - with Part two due out today. The Chalmer's argument may be adressed in part two.

Given the fact that they sort of know the schedule, they should film from a different/closer angle, assuming the news report didn't scare whatever it is off.

&gt;You're expressing yourself extremely poorly.\n\nNo, I'm not.\n\n&gt;What they're trying to explain to you is that just because Tech A is extremely complicated and Tech B is rather simple, NOTHING makes B necessary for A unless they're connected.\n\nI know that, which is why I pointed out it's irrelevant since I never argued such a thing.\n\n&gt;That's like saying "baaah the Americans only had the technology to nail wood together. New York city was obviously built by aliens".\n\nNo, it'S not. And New York was built by the Dutch using preexisting technology that was used elsewhere at the time.\n\n&gt;Also you're comparing the every-man's house (and let's not forget life was cheap back then) to projects devoted to the fucking gods\n\nNope, I never did that. Do you not know how to read? And what gods? There's nothing to suggest this was for gods, it's just assumed. There is no symbology of any kind at stonehenge and no religious artifacts or traces of religious worship have been found there.\n\nThe video shows the use of wooden framework. That didn't exist at the time. That technology showed up a thousand years later. It also shows rotary devices, a thousand years before the wheel showed up in that region. There's a reason why it's called the Bronze age. What this video shows would belong in the middle ages. I'm comparing technologies, not structures, for the THIRD time.\n\nSaying this is how stone henge was built is equivalent to saying the car was invented before the motor.

can I get some of what your smoking?  people not panic?  really? this is the most anxiety filled civilization ever.  half the people are medicated on prescription drugs just to deal with life, death and taxes.  you add aliens into the mix and they are going to have a full on psychological break.  \n\nmaybe you yourself wouldn't panic.  I know I won't panic, I'll be too busy packing my suitcase hoping to hitchhike backwith them.  but, the rest of people will panic.  are you not watching the asinine things in the news people panic over thst are really trivial compares to this. 

On this point I'd rather overreact than not …so I'm writing this *before* watching the talk: Why do you first identify the accused as MOTHER? Would you have said "Father with no degree" if it was "some dude" talking about GMO?\n\nHow exactly does the fact that she has reproduced (or perhaps, chosen to adopt -- who knows?) qualify as relevant to your criticism?\n\n*exhales*

Not arguing with you on that.\n\nBut, the Mayans certainly do believe in 2012 being the end of an age and the beginning of a new one. Also, current Mayan leaders believe that this new age will bring about a more enlightened human. For example (yes I know, hokey poky but that's what they say) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h75YzN05_Y8

But at the end of the day, the religious person can't exactly choose to choose not to believe, so it is pretty murky, if you don't believe in some homunculus inside that has free will and has choice.\n\nI think the good distinction would be exogenous vs endogenous : religious person got talked into it while the mentally ill person got some sort of neurological problem.\n\nThere may also be gradation with regards to creativity: the insane but uncreative would pick insane beliefs made by someone else, the insane and creative would make their own beliefs.

Oh yeah, I'm pointing out that there are more risks to your safety than just people who are significantly bigger than you physically. For example, I'm particularly careful around groups of people.

Reminds me of a time when the TA grading one of my essays in 8th grade criticized my essay because I used the word "xenophobic" without giving a definition in the essay.\n\nI wasn't writing the essay for the rest of the class to read, I was only writing it for the teacher to grade.\n\nThat said, I can say for certain that you were screwed over much more severely. It's definitely a good thing that you contested the grade and got it raised.

It is very helpful to point out the deficiencies in the scientific process. There may be no better alternative, but we need to keep things in perspective. A correlation, no matter how good, can't give us a cause-effect relationship and (with modern science) there is always a plethora of unknown variables. If anything, this article is advocating skepticism, not willful ignorance.  

You were only three. Human memory is vulnerable and fallible. Our brain will fill in gaps of memory with brand new data. It will alter existing memories. It does all of this without you knowing it. Eyewitness testimony is a huge problem in court for grown adults with mature brains, even. No reason to associate this with anything paranormal.

The whole door was not in clear view. It's fairly simple that one could have opened it while crouched on the ground and out of the frame. Anyone with skills at film editing could make that ghost. Plus, why was the camera sitting there? I'd like more backstory about that. 

So, you're downvoting an article posted as an example of exactly what you're *supposed* to be skeptical of? Is that what you're saying?  \n  \nI don't think you understand the process.

You are an 'intelligence agent', set loose upon the world. Keep up the good work! ;)

There are already small coffins available for children. Maybe they had to be custom build for their larger heads. :P

Don't discount how much more powerful erosion is on earth with all our moisture etc than on a small rock in the vacuum of space.

From an understanding of orbital mechanics and what we already know about our solar system, it's simply not possible.

Were Humans Bio-Engineered?\nQuick Answer: "No" \nSource: Random guy on the Internet (Same credibility as those making the claim w/o any testable evidence).

Thank you. I really appreciate your saying that!\n\n&gt;I'm much more interested in discovering the truth than 'being right'.\n\nThat's wonderful. And the more truths you know, the more empowered you become, because it's much more difficult to be fooled.\n\nEven with the little things. For instance, I just did a Google search for "people change beliefs when they're alone." I was trying to find a paper(*) I read not too long ago, to share it with you. It talked about cognitive studies showing that people tended to reinforce their beliefs when presented with opposing facts, instead of accepting the opposing facts and discarding their false beliefs. Human beings generally choose a comfortable belief over a hard truth (there are many theories as to "why," but that's neither here nor there right now - it's classic cognitive dissonance), but only at first! Here's the part that I found really interesting: some people will change their beliefs and accept the evidence, but usually when they're alone. That was a wow-moment for me.\n\nBut that's not even my point. Back to noticing the little things. The last link on the first page of Google results was titled "[Five Things Science Can't Explain](http://i.imgur.com/EerlN.png)". And I already know, without clicking on the link, that the author doesn't understand how science works. If s/he did, the title would read something like:\n\n"I Can't Even Count The Amount Of Things That Science Doesn't Understand, And No Shit, Because Science As We Know It Today Is Less Than 500 Years Old, It's Just Getting Started, And Amazing Discoveries And Inventions Have Improved Our Quality Of Life Significantly, But Can You Just Give Us Some Time Or Maybe Get Into The Sciences Yourself And Help Us Out, We Need The Help, The Universe Is Fucking Insane, We're Pretty Busy With It, Seriously, Help Us, We Need You!"\n\nAnd then the body of the article would just say "Thanks!"\n\nThe reason why I take issue with the title is because it misleads people into the impression that science thinks it knows everything, and that this article is something special because it's revealing unknown weaknesses in the scientific method. That's not it at all! There's a *lot to know and discover*. And the thing is, it's not unique to this article. There are a lot of similar lists all over the place, pointing out all of the things that it thinks science doesn't understand. It doesn't matter if the list is accurate or not. The entire premise itself is absurd and deceiving.\n\nHere's probably the most important part: I clicked the link anyway, and I read it. It was pretty bad, but if it wasn't, I'd say it was pretty good.\n\nIf aliens come in my lifetime, I'm going to be exhilarated. But I sure hope they're benevolent! In the meantime, Curiosity lands on Mars in a few days to search for life in a different, and more likely, location in a crater. Our conversation may be much different in 72 hours!\n\n* **EDIT**: This isn't the paper I was talking about, but I did [find an article talking about it](http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/), or at least one just like it.

Vaccines are not 100% effective. For example pertussis infects unvaccinated children at [23 times](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/6/1446.full) the rate of vaccinated children. Vaccinated children are still at risk, admittedly a lesser risk, of contracting pertussis.\n\nThe key is that with herd immunity (92%-94% vaccinated for pertussis) any new case of pertussis will produce an average of less than one new case...causing he outbreak to die away. With low enough vaccination rates each new case cascades to more new cases and so on. With herd immunity too low to be capable of preventing the disease spreading, school districts, local and state health organizations have to mobilize and start doing detective work. Quarantining people. Contacting people. One index case in Minnesota [infected 9 but cost $300,000](http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/health/story/2011-10-21/Unvaccinated-behind-largest-US-measles-outbreak-in-years/50852098/1) "Containing the outbreak meant contacting 12,000 people about possible exposure and quarantining 184 people, including 51 students"

Most of the claims he makes have been disproven, some decades ago. For whatever reason, he refuses to see or acknowledge this. Typical cult indoctrination behavior, for which he's been banned from the meditation section here...

Seeing how you are more interested than offended, you should go back and ask them about it, maybe get a few pointers.

My father is a spinal surgeon, and he assured me that chiropractors are worthless. If you have a medical problem, see a MEDICAL DOCTOR, not some quack. 

That's kind've a dumb, immediately-offended, unthinking statement on your part.  It's not bravery.  It's an understanding of just what exactly is going on.  The more you understand, the less you'll be afraid.  This goes with all things - not just that which most people erroneously call "paranormal".\n\nAnd what on *earth* is so "brave" about simply realizing we're not alone in this universe?  You know what?  You're simply just as unfortunately brainwashed as the majority of this society that's fallen in to the indoctrination that says that "ghosts and ETs don't exist and anyone who thinks so is stupid and has something wrong with them."\n\nA lot of people spend their whole lives believing this tripe and simply freak out like you're doing when they realize that these things are indeed very, very real.\n\nAgain, *understanding* of the world around you is what will get you to not be afraid - not immediately lashing out with the unnecessary statements that you so sarcastically made above.

I think NDEs are just preemtive strikes from the DMT in your brain. 

Indeed.  It will also serve to bolster his confidence and give him a rationale for dismissing those women who aren't receptive.  Confidence is important and dismissing rejection makes the numbers game easier.\n\nThat is... so long as he believes the "system" is real.  Let him enjoy the placebo effect and tell him to wrap his junk.  Edit: unless this system has ongoing costs... then its a fukkin scam and he needs to run.

Yeah, I still have not finished the second half of the video. I also have some other ideas which have been inhibited by my procrastination.

It's typical of a 'shadow person' - Google it and you'll see it's very common.

I understand. I find myself apologizing for creatures like Pat Robertson a lot, being from the US

I once got fingered by a Sasquatch.  He said he would be gentle but he wasnt.  Looked like I was shitting stuffed animals for a week.  Damn Hairy Beast.

I used to do that. The feeling would always hit me after I'd been reading. More so if I'd been really involved in the story or reading for a long time. I think it was prompted by the thought that there was no 'good' reason for me to be the person I was, rather than a character in a book. 

I listened to a lot of Art Bell back in the day. I'm not sure who you mean.

"Legit" device for detecting things that no one has a legitimate reason to believe exist?  Don't think so.\n\nIt just plays prerecorded vocal samples.

So this is a variation of True Scotsman known as Typical Scotsman?

Guess what? [No bodies.](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/08/usa-crime-bodies-idUSN0717557520110608)

I couldn't get past the part where he implied that popular opinion is scientific evidence.

&gt;  Why can't the original creators explore even the most obvious explanations, rather than fueling common delusions about the nature of "UFOs"?\n\nGood question. I personally think CNN offers garbage and not news in general, so it is unsurprising to me that their coverage here is speculative, credulous and lacking in journalistic integrity. \n\n[Here's what I think a rigorous analysis of a UFO image looks like](http://www.ipaco.fr/EN_UFO_D2_18061979.pdf) [PDF alert]. In this CNN case, the basic photogrammetric questions aren't asked. Or if they were asked, it was off camera. A UFO photo or video should be judged based on the quality of the scientific analysis that classifies it as Unknown, not its apparent to untrained observers. 

You mean positron collider?\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_pack

It doesn't help that "free energy" is a legit scientific term in the context of thermodynamics, but of course means something completely different. It's more like "free" as in "available".\n\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmholtz_free_energy\n\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_free_energy

I never claimed you could. I merely pointed out that despite roadkill6's misgivings dill did, in fact, have anti-bacterial properties. Since then the claim has been repeatedly made that dill has no effect inside the human body. There has been much speculation like yours but no actual evidence despite asking for it repeatedly.

Conning someone and rape are equally bad now?\n\nWell we better get [this](http://i.imgur.com/LgFkg.jpg) sickening shit off the air then.

Oh yeah, definitely. Everyone in the military knows, and we all knew 9/11 was an inside job. We got a brief a month before, so we all knew. Then we laughed and laughed as the planes hit the buildings. Nobody was really in there, everyone who supposedly died is actually living in Tahiti.

Was in my phone and couldnt remember the exact details and didnt have an easy way to get to them thank you for providing and correcting me.

techNyou has a great five-part video series on critical thinking. The first can be found [here](http://youtu.be/iSZ3BUru59A).

'A giant did it... ' stories are quite interesting. We had one about [a geological structure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hole_of_Horcum) near where I grew up. The thing is, they're always told as an entertaining story, but you'll get some idiot that when outsiders ask about it, act as if everyone actually believes the 'legend', just to wind the outsider up.\n\nI wouldn't be surprised if the giant's causeway is a similar situation, and the locals just entertain the story of Fionn because it's a fun story to hear and share, but don't actually even remotely believe any of it.\n\nPart of me wants to believe that even in the old days, that's all the stories ever were, sort of akin to people in the future finding out about our stories of Superman, and thinking we all believed in a mythical man from space who saved new york over and over.

Just watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JiBm1_pzZg\nand you'll see how stupid his hoax videos really look. YOu fake one, you've faked them all (videos i mean). \n\nPLus the mere fact that he made hundreds makes him a dumb ass. Hundreds over your house and not one other person has seen or filmed them. I know if i had hundreds of ufos over my house i would probably tell someone else to film them as well. Pure stupidity if youre trying to make a ufo hoax.

&gt;she didn't let it go\n\nI'm not sure what you mean by this.  She mentioned it in a blog and had people not reacted so strongly to the anecdote it certainly would have just gone.\n\n&gt;and kept making blog posts and mentioning it on podcasts and such\n\nYes, *after* people started making a huge deal of it, and started making threats against her, and even Richard Dawkins popped in to say some fairly rude things about her.\n\n&gt;and a whole other issue is whether approaching someone to ask them for coffee, whether or not that means sex is a whole other story\n\nThe dude was apparently present in the crowd she was chatting with for most of the evening, said nothing, follows her alone onto an elevator after she says she's going to sleep, and then wants to invite her back to his place instead - there isn't much room for misunderstanding there.  That said though, there's certainly nothing wrong with making a pass, even a very awkward one which was timed pretty poorly late at night and alone in an enclosed box, and he certainly shouldn't be demonized for it. And what did you know, she didn't actually demonize him. People behave as if she called him out and tried to emasculated him or call him names, but all she said is that it made her feel uncomfortable and that it's definitely the wrong way to approach her.  That's it.

It's the only real reason to lock him up.  If he wasn't telling the truth, they could laugh at him and have him ignored easily.

"My friends, there is NO need to "prove" something works (or it's crap). The end result is what we want. You guys just don't seem to get it."\n\nHoly fuck.

Interesting video, but I'm still skeptical because It looks staged. Not only do the items look like they're being pulled around by wires, but in the second part filmed by the handheld camera/phone, he's constantly focusing not around the whole room as if he's looking for something, but directly at the place where the movement is about to happen, even before it does. \n\nUntil the original footage and the camera can be analyzed by a professional, I'll remain skeptical.

Conspiracy theories are one area where the population here in /r/skeptic tends to suffer from sloppy thinking. The tendency here is to reflexively dismiss anything that sounds like a conspiracy theory.\n\nThis is easy, because as skeptics, we hall have the engrained reflex to dismiss stories that match certain patterns. If someone tells us about how they saw a ghost, we'll correctly call bullshit. If someone says that homoeopathy cures cancer, we'll correctly call bullshit.\n\nThat doesn't work for that subset of conspiracy theories that aren't strictly impossible, and it doesn't work for two simple reasons: \n\n * Some conspiracy theories end up being true.\n * Many true things are spun as conspiracy theories as a PR technique.\n\nSo stop with the sloppy thinking and treat conspiracy theories just like the possible but unlikely claims they are. Without evidence, there's no way to decide if platypuses exist or not.

I'm making no claims here. I stated the psychological model of magic states that the magic experience (ritual to magic result) is the effect of psychological manipulations. Thus ritual in the sense of the psychological model is more of a philosophy. 

The phrase "statistically significant" basically means that a statistical result is meaningful considering the size of the test group.  So, an individual result, by definition, cannot be statistically significant.*(see below)  All other things being equal, the larger the group, the more likely it is you will get a statistically significant result.\n\nOf course, "statistically significant" by itself doesn't indicate *how* significant it is.  It has a precise definition that yields a numerical measurement.  The less significant, the more likely it is just an artifact of randomness, sampling bias, or other such vagaries.\n\nDisclaimer: I'm not a statistician, although I am a mathematician.\n\n\\* Edit: actually, this is probably not true: you just need to calculate the significance for a sample size of one, and I suppose there is a possibility that, if the result is crazy enough, it could be significant.

Oh man, that is a good question!\n\nI will be watching this thread with interest......

some look like typical optical aberrations on a poorly constructed telescope, and as such could even be distant views of house lights dozens of miles away, etc.\n\nOthers remind me of lights seen through water drops on a lens, again, out of focus.\n\nall and all, without knowing the gear, it could be almost anything.\n

I do not have any noticeable scars.  I have not been x-rayed since but want to get an MRI.  I do have some reactions when I see vivid depictions of extraterrestrials.  But aliens such as the ones from independence day or close encounters bear no resemblance to what I believe is actually out there.  My feelings surrounding these experiences have brought me a lot of stress and discomfort.  It's not something I can talk about openly with many people, and many times when I try I get ridiculed.  However, on the other side of that I recognize that I have been privileged enough to have experiences few people ever get to.  I often ponder some deeper purpose that I have yet to understand, or wonder why I was chosen to experience these things.  From that, I have come to understand that two questions that will drive you insane are how, and why.  

I thought we concluded that you don't need to be born in the US if your mother is...move along. Source: http://blogs.forbes.com/danielfreedman/2011/04/12/romney-to-trump-obama-doesnt-need-a-birth-certificate/

I couldn't go beyond the 'we only use 10% of our brain capacity'.

Why is interest in UFOs and attractive/contemporary web design, completely mutually exclusive?

&gt;man-children fighting the voice of reason\n\nunfortunately a very common occurrence\n\n

Dilute arsenic a heck of a lot times, give her to drink, then tell her what it was. 

Show her Politifact.com and Factcheck.org. And there's another site similar to snopes.com, forgot it's name though.

Yeah.. ctrl+f HPV, pap, no results.  Nobody is saying this was caused by HPV (in this article).  In fact, they pretty clearly spell out that it's a case of mass hysteria, a well documented phenomena. \n\nFalse, sensationalist headlines are bad.. m'kay?

This might make sense if you think the new testament authors were actively trying to invent a religion, which is pretty far fetched. That would be the biggest con ever...\n\nWhat appears to have happened is that they recorded what they subjectively experienced, and then years and years of religion has formed these accounts into something that is consistent enough for people to believe in en masse.

The way I see it, you're not really actively pushing woo on people.  You run the sales business, but you're not an active salesman, persay.  You're not really doing anything to convince these individuals to buy your woo, they come to you already knowing that they want it.  I would see a conflict of interest if your job was to actively convince people to buy into woo, but at this point it sounds like you're just providing them with what they've already bought into.

So I'll preface this by saying that if someone's a true believer, you might not ever get through to them. That being said, you can definitely break this down into basic claims and thoughts and go through them.\n\nhttp://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/conspiracy.html contains a pretty good summary/rebuttal of the 'cancer conspiracy' point, which is basically the same as the Big Pharma is Evil claim your parents are making. Point out to them that 'big pharma' is made up of a lot of competing companies that do not have each other's self-interest in mind. Also point out that a lot of supplements and 'natural remedies' are being sold by big pharmaceuticals, because they're cheap and easy to make.\n\nYou can also attempt to break things down further by analyzing the basis of evidence based medicine vs anecdote based medicine, and the placebo effect. Also, look at drugs such as Asprin and other naturally originating drugs as examples of pharmaceutical companies spending money on research of that nature. Additionally, you can look at the clinical trials of herbs such as St John's Wort and others that have gone on - those cost money, money that wouldn't have been spent if there wasn't interest. You can also bring up the dosage issues with herbs, and the sometimes toxic compounds found in them.\n\nGood luck either way, but try to keep things factual and civil, and focus the conversation to specific claims, rather than letting them get into the part that people generally do where they just start rapid-fire throwing out misconceptions.

No Chrio is based on woo. Chiro was conjured up by a janitor who decided out of thin air that all human illness is the result of spiritual energy flows being pinched off by bones out of alignment.\n\nNow Chiro try to distance themselves from that past but it is still the core of Chiro. They are all a disgrace to real doctors and all of you idiots that buy their crap can please be emailing me about a wire transfer from my rich Nigerian uncle.

My response would be, "Just because we don't believe in a label on something, doesn't mean it's not real, and it's not happening. Plants photosynthesizes in the sun, and it's a word we put on it. But even if remove the label of photosynthesis, the process of the reaction still happens whether we believe it or not. The way your logic is, that's like someone saying, "I'm bleeding!" and your response is, "I don't believe that label, so you're not bleeding..."

I don't see how fewer white pixels would produce more light, but yes, it's largely a matter of personal preference.

But where can we find such a large group of people who don't agree with the power of the religious to censor opposing viewpoints? I think this may be a futile pursuit.

Buy him a [Placebo Band](http://www.placebobandstore.com/store/). It will cure him of his crazy beliefs.

&gt; maintains a network of Random Event Generators, known as EGGs, located around the world. These EGGs produce streams of random numbers, which go measurably less random during attention-focusing events such as the World Trade Center tragedy, large antiwar protests, natural catastrophes, acts of war and mass meditations.\n\nWait, what?\n\nEvent Generator? Measurably less random?\n\nSounds like a million things could be fishy there...

Didn't another blogger say that she was making a huge deal of nothing and next time Watson was speaking on stage she berated said blogger from the pulpit of the podium and then PZ Myers and other numerous drama queens posted more blogs about how she was almost raped. Thats when Dawkins and other people started to respond to her, admittedly they were rude but they did have a point. And that is when she started posting death and rape threats she got implying that Dawkins and others don't get hate mail but Dawkins has been sexually abused as a child and gets a lot more death threats. 

Just tell him that evolution can explain why he has nipples, religion can't.

As you yourself mention, this sounds very "confirmation-biasy". \n\nDo some formal testing with some friends. If the results are encouraging, give Randi a call, repeat tests and become rich.

I read the "article" a few hours ago.\n\n1. A guy was praying, and then suddenly he had cuts on his hands and on his ribs, similar to the ones Jesus supposedly had. People claimed he inflicted the wounds on himself.\n\n2. A statue in India drank some milk, and then other people in other countries reported their statues drank some milk.\n\n3. A tidal wave hit a mosque and the mosque didn't fall down. (However the list failed to mention that the Mosque was *very* badly damaged and a large portion of it has to be reconstructed)\n\nKeep in mind that almost no information was given on any of the things listed. They merely said something that happened and then claim it was a miracle.

I've wonder the same thing. Everyone and their brother is walking around with HD iphones and android cameras yet all were are left with are blobsquatches, indiscriminate points of light in the sky and orbs. Why are the photos always too blurry? Makes ya scratch your head. 

Hey.  You want to know what some of the really round objects in your pictures look *very* much like?\n\nCheck [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox6BtwDmm3c) out.\n\nTell me you don't see the similarity.

Seems to me that something like the GPL could be easily modified for genetics. It also shouldn't be too hard to demonstrate that something is a derivative of a piece of DNA code that was under a version of the GPL for genetics, it is as far as I know possible now to watermark DNA codes, which could help to catch people making derivatives and not making them freely available.\n\nFascinating idea... Something I'm sure some lawyer out there would be very interested in working on.

It doesn't matter where the practice is located, the libel is available in the UK, so sue away. Current UK libel laws are a joke.

your mind is powerful, use it to to reject negative forces (this is what praying does) you don't need to be a religious person to acknowledge the existence of these entities, they exist and form part of our world.

Wow, I really like this. Makes one feel a bit better about an 'end'. =]

Not sure if I should take your question seriously...\n\nGood heavens, this seems to have it all - geometrical numerology, ancient aliens, ufos, crop circles, free energy, conspiracy theories... and I'm not a third of the way through yet.\n\nShort answer, no.  Please don't take this seriously.

Putting aside issues of authenticity, are some of these images depicting offerings to the ufos? In a lot of the images it seems some sort of priest is holding up a small bundle (baby?) and is being zapped by a ray? The themes are pretty consistent throughout. I'm going to assume these are from the time period and civilization if these are authentic.

I can imagine it happening in the public side of politics, but it seems way too obvious for anyone to get away with it during legal proceedings. Did a tobacco company lawyer actually say something like that in a courtroom?

I have the same luck.\nI doesn't matter how shitty a situation is I always get out unscratched and without doing anything.I also always get trips and numbers like 69 when posting on 4chan.

Like that National Geographic cover that screamed "Was Darwin Wrong?"

repping suny g. I had a few friends who lived in that suite last year, they didn't see anything

Some people think they are secret aircraft developed in the US. I do not agree. They have been around too long and their appearances are often in areas that are counterintuitive to a stealth blimp or other black budget aircraft. \n\nAlso, if you're trying to keep your aircraft secret, you don't stick lights all over it. \n\nCongrats, btw. My wife saw a near identical craft on the other side of the world in the mid '90s. 

How? by promoting unnecessary discussions? Sure that would fortify our relationship. Sometimes I feel like I'm alone, I don't care if the person that I love listens to a kind of music that I don't like, or eat, watches or read, food or shows or books that I don't; what I really care is if that person is an intelligent one in which I can thrust that makes me feel like I'm not alone.   

In very much the same way people can believe in imaginary gods yet laugh in your face when you mention extra terrestrials, the human brain is very good at compartmentalizing one idea from the other.  I don't try to convert people into believing that they are no gods and I don't try to convince people that they are real visitors from other planets.   Its pretty much a waste of time trying to do either.\n

&gt; But it isn't as sobering as the case in January in Minnesota in which an Hib meningitis outbreak severely sickened four children and killed one infant. Of those five children, one was too young to be vaccinated, one had an immune deficiency, and the other three had parents who refused the vaccine. The child who died was among those three children whose parents, out of fear or personal belief, opted out of the vaccine.\n\nA little kid died because of dumb parents. Someone should give those idiots a thorough beating.\n\nWell, in a sense, they got what they deserved, but this sort of price is always too high.

While you can think this and I might agree with you, I don't think this is a quality post. Keep the single-picture, no content posts to other subreddits please.

I have this argument with my wife about twice a year.\n\n"Oh, you know what they mean. The *bad* chemicals."

&gt;Yeah, there are a few factors I didn’t consider, like the up-front extra cost of the car vs. the cost over time of the gas (unless you’re leasing/financing the car), or the depreciation, as you pointed out.\n\nalso factors such as fewer brake jobs required over the life of the car (regenerative braking can handle much of the load), fewer oil changes since there are many times the engine is not running at all.\n\nmay not tip the scales entirely ... but there are more factors than simply the cost of fuel at the pump.

Sorry, that would be chew. I believe what he's thinking of is the 151st Pokemon.

There are a lot of bible-belt areas in Canada's prairie provinces too, granted their numbers pale compared to the big cities.

You can track my progress here.\nhttp://www.gotcast.com/casting-calls/My-Reality/56479

As valid as all of this is, I can safely say it doesn't speak to where I was coming from with my questions. \n\nDid you mistake me for the person you were originally replying to? 

[From the CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/rawmilk/nonpasteurized-outbreaks.html):\n\n&gt; During 1993–2006, 121 outbreaks reported to CDC were caused by dairy products where the investigators could determine if the dairy product was pasteurized or unpasteurized (raw). These outbreaks included 4,413 illnesses, 239 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths.\n\n&gt;73 outbreaks (46 from fluid milk and 27 from cheese) were caused by raw milk, and 48 outbreaks (10 from fluid milk and 38 from cheese) were caused by pasteurized milk.\n\n&gt;Probably no more than 1% of the milk consumed in the United States is raw, yet more outbreaks were caused by raw milk than by pasteurized milk.\n\nSo the findings are basically that you're around 150 times more likely to get sick from raw milk, and of those who do get sick, you're 13 times more likely to be hospitalized because of a severe infection if you drink raw milk instead of pasteurized. \n\nThe claimed health benefits are certainly woo. The dangers are very real.

Who cares I never claimed there was another species and is  irrelevant to my point (a red herring fallacy)

Actually, you didn't post any sources, or have author credentials/university affiliations. Also, what's with all the exclamation points?!!

Yeah. I would think they took it down in order to strengthen the legitimacy of their case.

I think the difference with this show is that it shows how vile and odious the whole business of mediumship is-essentially an abuse of people made vulnerable by grief. 

Thanks for the tip, professor. I'm so gosh-darned new to all this.\n\nI never said jack about what they could or couldn't build. WTF are you even talking about?

This is exactly 100% spot on, and it's what I've been saying since this debacle started.  PZ Meyers and Phil call themselves 'rational thinkers', but this is takes irrationality beyond the pale.  It's a 'white knight' syndrome in hyper-drive.  PZ Meyers has always been outspoken (and wrong on a number of things), but I expected better from Phil.

Actual St. John's Wort is psychoactive -  it is important that people on meds do not stop taking them before talking to their doctor, nor start taking St. John's Wort in addition to meds, before talking to their doctor.

The part that I have a problem with is\n\n&gt; I believe perception is completely relative.\n\nSo are you saying that there is absolutely no correlation between what I perceive about the world and what you do?  If that were true, this communication would be completely pointless.

r/paleo is quite biased. (this is coming from someone on the paleo diet)

I'm just curious as to why the district attorneys are pressing charges before the lawsuit can commence. Let him be proven wrong in court, then file charges.

What's up with the sudden flood of UFO-related stories on reddit's main page?

People don't realize, I think, that hallucinations, especially auditory ones, happen pretty commonly. I've had them more times than I can count just from SSRIs (antidepressants) which make me have them when I'm half awake in bed. In fact, I had one last night. I'm used to it! Being sick and on a lot of meds would definitely do it but you don't even need to have a reason. I think it was in the book *The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat* there was a story of a woman who suddenly was hearing annoying songs that weren't there. She was perfectly sane and healthy but heard tunes for a while and then it went away. Anyway, I don't doubt that your mother had an experience that was very real to her and scary as hell but there's no reason to think it was anything other than an auditory hallucination. Maybe she could do some research on this subject and it might make her feel better. 

This UFO has now been sighted in almost every part of the world.  I have even seen it myself.  I am now wondering if it is a satellite or not.

More than anything, a successful naturopath listens to and cajoles their patients.  Most of their clients feel that the evidence-based medical system is too cold and unfeeling (according to my friend). \n\nNaturopathy includes (amongst other things) homeopathy, chiropracty, herbalism, acupuncture, as well as established treatments such as massage-therapy.  

John Lear and I are not on the same page about a lot of things, for sure, but he has created some really entertaining threads.  He has an ongoing theory about the moon being full of structures and that it actually has breathable atmosphere and life, etc.  There is a thread on Open minds that is hundreds of pages long that is an amazing exploration in possibilities.  He has a unique collection of pictures that he started sharing.  I think he had a similar one on ATS but the Open Minds one went a lot further.\n\nHe's had an interesting and storied history. He certainly has hobnobbed with some of the world's elite.  I think there's even a recording of him on a Byrds or similar band's song from the 60's.  I've heard interviews with various rock'n'roll legends that he used to pilot around in a Lear jet, together recounting crazy flying shenanigans that sound like crazy driving shenanigans.\n\nHis support of the Billy Meiers case would seem to throw a monkey wrench into any potential credibility he would have though, I'd have to agree there.  They found the trash bin lids on his property that are the exact shape of the UFO pictures for gosh sakes, and that alien weapon picture looks like some plastic junk taped together with some appliance hoses.

Has debunked nothing. He has moved small stones/blocks about in his backyard. I applaud him doing so too. He is a man of remarkable ingenuity. His stones are cast concrete blocks that very uniform in size and weight distribution. \n\nBUT, until he has quarried, cut, moved and decorated stones of the same size as some of the ancient monuments only then will I join your debunked group.

Fair point, but in my experience a sixer of craft beers will cost about the same as a twelve pack of bud light.

The crazy Kim Jong Il Villian hairstyle, the jersey shore fake tan, the slight lisp and failure of mastery of the English language and sentence structuring is what makes this guy AWESOME! He is the anti-Sagan.

That's interesting because that's exactly how I think I would react. I would have to chalk up so much to an active imagination due to the situation. A "haunted" house, in the darkness, in the middle of the night, talking to creatures that may or may not be able to do me harm. 

[penn and teller did the experiment too](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AyTbLqSBfI)

I wasn't trying to be political, so I'm glad you didn't attack me. This genuinely shocks me, I feel naive saying "why would someone do such a thing?" 

Unfortunately, I've found that believers in woo are really hostile when their favorite alt-med is debunked.  People hate to be wrong, and most aren't open to the idea that what they believe is bullshit.  I've had this discussion about homeopathy, wheat grass, vaccination..........you name it.  And I've never changed anyone's mind, despite a pile of evidence.

Can you detail more regarding how exactly this woman knew it was your wife's brother?

Many people confuse intolerance with allergy.\n\nMilk intolerance is related to intolerance of lactose, a sugar in milk, and it's caused by the inability to produce lactase, the enzyme that prepares that sugar for your body to eat. \n\nMilk allergy is related the proteins in milk, not the sugars. Casein is one of those, but you can bet all those dead pus cells don't go unnoticed. \n\nYour acne will go away not just thanks to stopping of the allergic reaction to casein (which is usually mucus, mucus, more mucus), but the* drop in all natural growth hormones from milk, most worrisome being the *insulin-like growth factor 1* hormone - which is really powerful, more so than human growth hormone. Milk really does make you grow. Teens are the most vulnerable to milk since they already have their own elevated levels of growth hormones, thus increasing the condition for acne. 

I knew a DO while in the Navy as a Corpsman.  He was a little woo but generally a competent doctor and good guy.

I like to read about unsolved crimes, they can be full of conspiracy theories and can be quite creepy. Here is a list of five unsolved murders via Cracked.com \nhttp://www.cracked.com/article_18459_the-5-creepiest-unsolved-crimes-nobody-can-explain.html

Sorry, my bad for asking for a reference to phrases like "I find the idea of a world wide change in consciousness very intriguing. A lot of different cultures have predicted this in one way or another" and "people have been trying to inform us of something from the beginning of our records up to today so there is surely something worth listening to."\n\n

Probably, but I'd be wary about that kind of thinking.  When you start thinking that these biases don't apply to you, that's when you need to be most careful.

No, no, no!  You're still making assumptions on something you clearly don't know much about.  I could post links to the evidence if I wanted to, but I'm not going to make it that easy for you.  If you genuinely have a desire to learn, I suggest you do some reading up on the nature of other planes of existence.  Eventually you'll come to realise why your supposed test is absurd and would prove nothing.\n\nOr you could just continue to pass off your uninformed opinions as facts and make yourself look foolish each time.  The choice is yours.\n\nBy way of digression, I'm new to this subreddit and was kind of hoping to finding more open-minded thinking around here.  Today's experience has been rather depressing.

Funny you should ask about [Stanton Friedman](http://whofortedblog.com/2011/08/26/stanton-friedman-vs-internet/) here.

Here's an article you should read. In brief, Castaneda had some real fucking skeletons in his closet and was the definition of a terrible human being.\n\nhttp://www.salon.com/books/feature/2007/04/12/castaneda/

As much as I wish to see some irrefutable evidence.....this is obviously not the one. Watch the back end of the paper towel roll just before it gets yanked(pun intended)on!! Nice try,no cigar.....

They must change the recipe between regular Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper Heritage, then, because I've done blind taste tests with those, and it was easy to tell them apart.\n\nOn the flipside, I know I'd struggle with Mtn Dew Regular vs. Throwback.

But I agree with your main point that the article seems nit-picky. In the end the most important bit was the issue that the result wasn't that much strong. Then instead of concluding that non-hidden placebos work or don't , we should investigate it further. 

Hastings'*\n\nIt's his opinion.  His name is Hastings.  The apostrophe goes after the s.

A good article, but I would disagree with the statement that there hasn't been a science-based show with an equal impact on children since Bill Nye went off the air. While it's not quite the same, I think Mythbusters falls squarely into that category. My cousin has two sons, ages 10 and 12 and they've loved watching Mythbusters for years. While they were probably drawn in initially by the explosions and that sort of thing, I think it provides kids with a good base for scientific and skeptical thinking rather than just accepting things without testing them.

As I was reading through, I started feeling sorry for your wife ... you used to share her beliefs, and now you have changed your views you are contemptuous of her, ridiculing her, almost blaming her for your mistakes ... you once loved her, now you trash her on the internet for cheap laughs while she is mentally ill ... very sad

Those are chinese lanterns. It's so obvious, it's ridiculous.\n\nYou must ask yourself this. How dumb is a species of aliens to travel light years to get here and make their presence so easily known by making sure their space ship is a HUGE BALL OF FUCKING LIGHT for everyone to see? This also applies to any human military trying to keep the space craft a secret.

http://i.imgur.com/bbJKu.png\n\nProof enough that they're lying, if the idiocy wasn't obvious enough.  The silhouettes of the landscape between these two pics aren't even close to the same...

This makes me sad.  I thought Bill, while a douchebag, was a critical thinker.  I've heard him say things I don't agree with many times, but never heard him say things so dumb before

If aliens exist and have visited Earth, do yous not think that they could easily have been here 2000 years ago?\n\nI didn't read the article, but I did look at the paintings. Why would ancients have UFO's in their paintings? \n\nGod and angels = extra terrestrials

&gt;Do you think this problem could be helped by it being illegal for chiropractors to call themselves 'doctor'? I'm sure a lot of people accept their opinions and beliefs based on the mistaken assumption that they are doctors, and that they do have training and experience in those areas to be able to comment on them.\nThat is a tough question.  The term doctor has IMO been irrationally attached to MDs.  Chiros have Doctors of Chiropractic degrees, just as Dentists have Doctor of Medical Dentistry or Doctor of Dental Surgery degrees, and doctors of physical therapy have DPT degrees.\n\nI think I deserve to be called doctor in a healthcare setting but don't ever ask for folks to call me doctor and generally MDs, NPs, nurses and others refer to me as Dr. without my asking.\n\nI think it is more of the profession needs to do 2 things: 1. educate the public that they are specialists in musculoskeletal care, much like dentists are **the** tooth doctors and 2. define the profession and get rid of the pseudoscience crap.\n\n&gt;Just so you know, this is strongly advised against by all health organisations. This is simply because: a) there is no evidence to suggest that spacing them out reduces side effects or is safer in any way, and b) there is ample evidence demonstrating that the longer a child goes unvaccinated, the far more likely they are to get sick (which should be obvious).\nWe are well educated in this matter and have made the decision as parents as to what we wish to do for our children.  That being said we have accepted a certain degree of risk and our pediatrician respects, understands, and complies our decision.

I hope these dickheads brush their iPhone screens over their health bands.

It would be really frustrating to be a researcher on this project. On one hand you have people saying to do more trials, and on the [other hand you have people destroying your crops when you do try to do animal and human trials.](http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-14/20110714-greenpeace-gm-protest/2794272)\n\nIt's certainly possible that the concerns being expressed turn out to be something or nothing. But it will be difficult to know either way when people are opposing *any* research at all based on an idealogical objection to anything that is "genetically modified."

I remember I was going through the worst depression of my life back in Summer of 2007, a borderline agnostic/"fake Christian" (had recently escaped my upbringing), living alone in Arizona with no friends and no job.\n\nI can't remember how I acquired a copy of The Secret, whether it was sent to me or I bought it on a whim, but I was trying everything I could to get out of the slump(i was not insured, so medical help was out of the question). I was trying every feel-good book I could buy to self-help myself. \n\nNot even one chapter into this book, I put it away and never picked it up again. Even in my extremely emotional and quasi-religious state, I could not swallow the asinine proposal that if I just think positive thoughts enough, the Universe would bend to my will. The immediate, first thing I thought of as a possible explanation for why this method *seems* to work, is because of psychological reasons:\n\n- positive thinking&gt;optimism&gt;open to more ideas&gt;more willing to follow new opportunities if you believe someone is "looking out for you&gt;also willing to see "signs" in pretty much anything you want = "success".\n\nNeedless to say I am now a hardcore skeptic and reading even a bit of The Secret was push I needed to snap the fuck out of it.

Don't short change yourself. Children's auras are naturally focused to detect foods high in the HZ range. 

What's to argue? Christian meaning believing in Christ. Catholics believe in Jesus, therefore Catholics are Christians.

&gt;There's a clear difference in economic policies under Republicans versus Democrats.\n\nBut there's not a lot of influence *solely from the President*. In short, I disagree with this:\n\n&gt;the President really does have a lot to do with the macro side of economic performance and job creation\n\nNot with a statement like this:\n\n&gt;Democrats are somewhat Keynesian, while Republicans are heavily supply-side. Keynesian economic practices are more likely to produce jobs, because they oftentimes call for government's direct intervention into the market.\n\nEven your own example contains the seeds of my objection.\n\n&gt;See, for example, Obama's jobs plan\n\nI would love to -- **but Congress refuses to pass it**. A plan with no action has no impact on the economy whatsoever, and he's been tightly constrained in how much he can do by executive order, because executive orders are not as powerful as people seem to think.\n\n&gt;barring, of course, such heavy-handed policies such as bailouts or subsidies\n\nBoth of which are approved and directed by Congress. Remember, Obama wanted a larger stimulus bill initially, and argued for minimizing tax cuts as a method of stimulus, favoring instead infrastructure spending. He was largely overruled, and a significant portion (IIRC, around 30%) of the stimulus came in the form of tax cuts, thanks to Blue Dog Democrats and conservative Republicans in the Senate. He also got $7 billion instead of the ~$1 trillion he initially thought was necessary.

Never use a Ouiji board. It's pretty much like opening an unspecific door to the paranormal, and because of this, most of the stuff that would contact you through this is malevolent or unpleasant. A seance without a Quiji board and a good medium could be interesting, but you really don't know what you and your friends may end up attracting to you or contacting. Even if you're not in the circle and just in the room, if something nasty is attracted to the energy you're raising, it might, for some reason, take a specific liking to you...even if you're not actively involved. Personally, I find seances, ghost hunting, and Ouiji boards to be a dangerous and generally unfruitful way to have a paranormal experience (the best thing coming from these experiences is meeting interesting, alive people who are interested in the paranormal). If you're looking for a meaningful, positive paranormal experience...I'd suggest practicing meditating until you're confident enough in this to perform your own ritual where you focus your intent on exactly the paranormal experience/type of unearthly energy you'd like to meet. 

A few bad apples spoil the bunch. \n\nUnfortunately we have a bias here. \n\nIf some chiropractors are bad, they are all bad. \n\nBut if some people suffer adverse reactions from vaccination, that's ok because we like vaccines. 

I think you may be confusing intuition with applied experience.  You don't prove theorems with intuition, you use your experience to make a guided plan for using reason and logic for your task.\n\nJust because your process of creating the solution plan happens imperceptibly quickly because of your experience, and it may *seem* like intuition to you and people around you, it does not mean that you intuited the plan from nowhere.  If you delve into why you made those rapid decisions, you will most likely find that they are all rooted in ***a priori*** knowledge of ways to solve the problem that you developed from previous similar tasks.\n\nIntution deals with decisions that are made without experience, evidence, or knowledge of similar tasks and situations.

"Samoan clerics finger homosexuals over global warming"  \nI bet they do.

I need to know if I'm moving in the right direction with my life. I recently got a cord cutting if that makes any difference. I do feel better though. 

Just look at history. \n\nWhich government department(s) has always exploited advances in technology?

Same thing, they'll get vandalized or thrown away. It's blind untargeted preaching, same reason people hate cold calling. If that stuff was particularly effective at establishing good connections and relationships with people, more people/businesses/organizations would do it regularly.  \n\nThe closest to this that I think you could get is having an  informational booth at an event. It's the most general, but acceptable way to do it. Some smaller political clubs do it, a lot of big companies and groups do it, and it seems to work. You'd still want some kind of organization so that the information appears a bit more credible. 

Honestly we shouldn't be going after this idiot "psychic".  We should be going after the police and media who *actually listened to her* and started digging for bodies. 

Just so you know, if you don't doubt the Truther story, you are believing a narrative by people who have been proven wrong. \n\nAlso, everybody lies.  Do you distrust everything, even reasoned and evidenced arguments, because the source has lied to you once before?

I thought about that too. If one wanted to do this video with editing/compositing software, one could easily ramp the brightness or gamma way up, and then back down over three or four frames to simulate a flash like that. A problem then arises because your fake light source won't cast realistic shadows, unless the center of illumination happens to be in the same spot as the CG object (just like in this case!). My gut tells me this is fake, but I won't claim to be certain.\n\nEdit: clarity

I believe that some of these mass sightings are of UFO's, but I don't believe that they are of alien origin. \n\nWe know of some of the advanced technology the Nazi's were developing in the latter stages of WW2,  and we know that the "foo fighters" began to be seen by many aircrew over Europe at that time.\n\nIn the years immediately following WW2, flying saucer shaped flying discs were spotted over the US by many credible witnesses. \n\nIf you consider that the German technology was imported to the US, and that it has been developed with massive budgets over a 70 year period, it's fair to say that there just might be some terrestrial aircraft flying around that are very very advanced indeed! \n\n\n\n

Not sure if Terence McKenna is absolutely brilliant, trolling us all, or a total crackpot...

Almonds have about 600 calories per 100g (approx 3.5oz) according to different nutritional databases. I'd say a couple generous handfuls could easily be 100 grams, so depending on your activity level that amount could constitute to a **third** or **fourth** of your recommended daily intake!

That is some intense dislike right there.\n\nEDIT: Don't go too the comment section.....you will regret it.

I have been looking into the research of one Dr Michael Newton.\nWhat he has done, is to pioneer the research into the area "between lives"(LBL).\n\nIt's not directly related to ET's but a few thing from his cases emerged:\n\n* That we all are souls having a human experience\n\n* Some souls have an ET origin, now incarnated into a human body\n\n* ET's have been and are present on earth, but not in 3dimensional form.\n\nI read his book Destiny of Souls and Memories of the Afterlife.\nIt makes a very compelling case, I recommend everyone to check it out. \n\nHere is another something to consider: According to Newton's books, souls return to the Spirit World after death.\nWhere is this world and how would you classify a soul? A higher dimensional being? And if so, does that count as ET?

Yeah it does look odd, and doesnt seem like something we've made. and it seems to me like too perfect a curve on it to be something erosion/water made. 

Ugh! I'm in from Virginia and heard it driving through NC or SC.  I had no idea I was even listening to NPR, shit.  I was thinking some stupid Christian radio was playing it and switched it off after a segment on smearing mustard all over your body.  Although it is relieving to know that others realize the idiocy of that shitty shitty program.

just because SMT (backcracking) is a primary treatment modality doesn't mean that's ALL we do. If someone comes in with a tennis elbow there is a lot we can do without going to  SMT at all.\n\nIt's not like a massage therapist where massage is the only thing they do. Chiropractic is a healthcare profession, it's a package of care. It's diagnosis, clinical imaging, health advice a whole box of treatment tools and referral to other professionals when needed.

So I guess a lot of cancer researchers just found themselves looking for new jobs... \n\n/s

&gt; Insurance payoff that's nowhere near the value of the towers working\n\n A source for this?  Silverstein got 4.55B insurance payment with no real backlash from insurer.  There were some financial distress claims, including an outstanding building code issue.  He also paid 3.2B in summer 2001 for it!\n\n&gt; there are reports of suspicious security types gaining access to the building days before.\n\nthis piece covers access in general (4 parts) http://911review.com/articles/ryan/demolition_access_p1.html\n\nI cannot find a report of suspicious access any more.\n\n&gt; One way to avoid embarrassing yourself would be to actually investigate what the opposition is saying.\n\nThat's very disrespectful.  9/11 has been investigated with a clear predisposed bias.  Its disgraceful and shameful to presume you know the truth, or that the government feels a duty to tell us the truth.\n\n

Brian Dunning is pretty receptive to well written criticism. He recently did a corrections episode.\n\nIf you're interested we can reorient this post, or start a new post, towards addressing the individual claims and we'll see what we can do. \n\nEdit: I didn't realize how old that ep was. Maybe that's not the best approach. 

Dude. This is a place for civil discussion. You asked a question, hoping religious people would answer. And then you come in attacking someone's beliefs and using divisive and insulting language. Take that sort of shit over to r/atheism. 

I dig what you're saying and I agree. That could be one of very few answers to the question "are we a part of a simulation" if we're talking near infinite "computers" running a near infinite amount of simulations. The problem is still to what end would this even need to be done? Also, if its running the same scenario over and over eventually and much sooner than later if its a non stop scenario. The same humans in another simulation would be way ahead of us in technology just by sheer chance. This would have been solved and even in other universes the architects met with aggression and eventually they would run the whole system. And if it is not finite this would already have happened. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore I'm tired and sound like a nut so I better go to bed. Ha

They are either lying or mentally ill.\n\nThats the other side of the argument.

You need to be able to repeat the experiment to get scientific results. A single observation is not worth much scientifically.\n\nOne of the things that bothers me about all of the sightings listed in r/UFOs is that they are often just a smudgy light in the sky. Seldom is there any structure to the object, it is out of focus, lens flare and video artifacts are rarely recognized for what they are.\n\nNow, if you had high resolution pictures or video that showed details of the object, coupled with radar and/or laser range finder readings, then you would have something.  Until then it's a lot of stories, pranks, fuzzy dots and wishful thinking.\n\nI look forward to the day when we get verifiable, undeniable,  repeatable contact with an extraterrestrial species. I believe alien life exists out there, but I have yet to see anything that looks even halfway convincing that didn't turn out to be a hoax.\n\nTo be visited by aliens is such a cool idea. It raises so many questions. It would take many lifetimes to study. It puts human existence in a greater context. It is so cool, and so many want it so badly, that I'm afraid we fall prey to our own wishful thinking.\n\nI picked up a pair of binoculars recently and looking up into the night sky I saw all kinds of UFOs. It turns out that some are satellites, some are aircraft, and some remain unidentified, weather balloons perhaps. If I ever see something really strange and get some good pics I will post 'em here. UFOs are cool.

I remember watching a piece they had on the history of Marijuana, and all it was was basically a quick history of the anti-drug movement.

I always thought it would be funny if they posted the replacement Ten Commandments Moses was given after the first set got smashed... including the one about not boiling a kid in its mother's milk.

It's an interesting video for sure. Although I have to wonder whether or not it's coincidence that UFO sightings are on the rise now that law enforcement agencies began using UAVs?\n\nEdit: I accidentally a few letters.

I love that even in 2012, the age where everybody and their mom can take a picture on the phone, grainy/blurry photos of little green men are still the standard. Just once, I really want to see a clear shot of one of these purported extraterrestrials. 

This subreddit needs to show more skepticism toward official/popular stories as well.

Well, I was making a joke about Kobe Bryant but I think you are wrong, we don't need to wait until we have a Utopian society until we can help other states.

This stupid clip gets posted every so often, and every time it does, the general consensus is that Dr. Drew is actually a pretty good TV doctor personality. Yeah he pumps up the drama a bit, but that's the nature of the beast. He's certainly a million times better than Dr. Oz.

Did you really just link a Daily Mail article in /r/skepticism? 

To be fair, it seems like a bad therapist was involved here too.

Or I could try working my way to the top and do my part on changing things instead of complaining about it on the internet.

&gt; Revisionists do demand evidence and proof of the principle definitional pillars that are commonly used to explain what is meant by "Holocaust."\n\nAnd when people actually give your side proof, you deny it. Nothing will change your mind on the subject because you have decided that every bit of evidence against you is a Jewish conspiracy. You made your username based on your belief in this conspiracy. \n\n&gt; they have witnessed massive official reductions in the number of victims at Auschwitz and Majdanek.\n\nWhich my link explained. \n\n&gt; They have seen historian after historian admit that no Hitler order for the extermination of the Jews has ever been found\n\nWhich would be great, if not for the fact that Hitler and other leading Nazi officials specifically stated their plan of destroying Jews multiple times.\n\n&gt; They have created their own expert reports to analyze cyanide content in the bricks and mortar of the rooms \n\nWhich would *also* be great, if not for the fact that the gas chambers there are reconstructions, not the originals. 

&gt; the Judeo-Christian principles upon which America was founded\n\nWat?

I said that /r/freethought is declining. You should probably read a bit better before going off at people like that.

I dunno, I'd hate to replace the forests of Scandinavia with hemp fields, for instance. Less space for blueberries and mushrooms.

As legitimate as a futurist can be \n\nHe doesn't make any claims that people should seriously invest in , so he's harmless at worse

&gt; When I say that there is no coin, I mean that just because science has not seriously been directed to the physical proof you need does not make it not so. I directed you to Kirlian Photography because that is one of the best examples physical proof.\n\nKirlian photography is interesting, and I'm no scientist, but I'd wager it has a lot (everything?) to do with the electrical field running on the surface of our skin, and on the surface on any object with an "aura".  Let me ask you then--what do *you* believe Kirlian Photography to be a phenomenon of? \n\n&gt; when your hand itches but you lost your hand a couple of years ago, in my mind, is evidence that the spiritual form still exists regardless of physical matter.\n\nThis is called a [phantom limb](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_limb) and there is absolutely nothing supernatural about it.\n\n&gt; When I say that faith is the binding of science and faith.\n\nOk, you read that sentence again and tell me what you mean by it.  In its current state it is nonsense.\n\n&gt; To me scientific method tends to follow the lines of what the scientist expects to happen. \n\nThen you need to read up on the scientific method, because that ain't it.  Scientific method draws conclusions and, ultimately, theory, based on objective, repeatable, quantifiable and quantifiable evidence.\n\n&gt; technology has progressed to the point that we can measure the flow of chi in a person.\n\nReally?  Can you point me to a peer-reviewed study on how they observed chi in clinical conditions?  Any scientific evidence of that at all?   Or are you just pulling that out of your...hat?\n\n&gt; And I never said that faith was religious, I just wanted to express the power of faith.\n\nFaith is anathema to science.  *Faith* is when the, to paraphrase you, when someone "follow the lines of what the ~~scientist~~ faithful person expects [hopes] to happen".\n\nI think you really need to separate your faith and your understanding of science.  They are not the same thing, not at all.  In many ways they are the exact opposite.

&gt;Not that it really matters, because it's completely irrelevant.\n\nSo, I take it you haven't seen the film?  Your loss...

I love this video. It's one of the better "ghost" videos out there. But it's hard to argue that this video isn't a fake. The video evidence posted by kiswez explains it pretty clearly.

Corn sugar isn't cheap, and subsidies don't really make it cheaper (that is debatable but ethanol gas subsidies and fuel use requirements probably make corn prices higher than they would naturally be). \n\nBut the US has a tariff that makes imported sugar more expensive than corn sugar. \n\nUS agricultural policy actually makes sweet products cost more, by almost forcing US companies to use corn sugar. If the US stopped doing that, US companies would switch to a much cheaper sugar, dropping cost. 

WTF with the downvotes?\n\n\nI'm not saying its a conspiracy.\n\nBut its a conspiracy.

I do not know anyone who has ever suggested Jobs was a saint... Hero, maybe, saint ... nope.

But movies are usually presented as fiction, unless they're documentaries, or spoof documentaries. Fortune tellers on the other hand...

Haha yeah, this is the internet. We don't give the benefit of the doubt here. Too many trolls, I guess.

This seems really farfetched as a UFO conspiracy.\n\nHere's why:  VLF is pretty much useful only for secure military transmissions that do not require audio capability (basically, the signal is processed into text only output).  VLF is additionally capable of penetrating salt water to a depth of around 40 m (131 ft).  This makes it the transmission method of choice for reaching submerged submarines.\n\nVLF also does not escape the atmosphere, since the ionosphere reflects VLF radio waves.  It is highly unlikely that this installation is used for contacting ETs, at least, not any ETs that aren't already on Earth at any rate.\n\nAdditionally, the Wikipedia article pretty clearly states that the base hosting NCS Harold Holt is now run by the Australian offices of Raytheon, and that US Navy personnel were pulled back in 1993.\n\nSorry to rain on your parade, but I don't see any evidence for this being other than it appears to be.

Did someone filibuster the bill? How did it die in the Senate? It was a republican controlled Congress.

The tweet at the top of the page comes from [kateesackhoff](http://yfrog.com/user/kateesackhoff/profile). Page loads slowly, so I can't tell you if it's legit or not.

God damn do I love Diner, Drive in and Dives. Guy seems to be having so much with all the colorful people he meets, and all the great food he gets to eat. The show makes me so hungry.

I guess I just don't see atheism as being a simple "suspension of judgement".

From @KingstonPolice\n\n&gt; ... Raised $1,000s for @SOOKingston2012, only you &amp; 1 other has complained in 6 months ...\n\nhttps://twitter.com/#!/KingstonPolice/status/200728525169377280\n\nLet them know how you feel, fellow redditors!

You are correct about her stupidity rating unfortunately mocking her point about placebos is a bit problematical.\n\nThere *is* with the pharma-chemical conglomerates and the licensing system, a great problem proving the efficacy of *some* drugs to a level of statistical significance above that of placebo.   Of course that is a result of the licensing system and the market, not of science.   I'll trawl through my New Scientists and see if I can find the exact article.\n\nShe's still a deluded loon, but allowing that fact to blind us to the validity of any of her points (if such there is) is an ad hominem error.

[Here](http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32190/title/Opinion--What-s-Wrong-with-COI-/) is an opposite view presented. I saw this on r/medicine. 

&gt;As soon as the drug hits the market, it is going to be mixed with lots of other prescription and over the counter medicines, as well as herbal and **homeopathic medicines**. We now begin to see drug interactions\n\nWater is a hell of a drug, apparently.

Possible confluence of factors:\n\n1. Meanings of words fluctuate over time.\n2. According to you, your friend insisted it was a synonym for translucent, but not specifically that it meant "letting light through", which is your definition for translucent. But if their definition of translucent was "not letting light through", then you two ended up arguing over the  part of the situation. ("Is opaque a synonym for translucent" versus "Do opaque and translucent both mean 'not letting light through' or 'letting light through')\n3. Your friend and coworkers are epic trolls\n\nFor what it's worth, I agree with your definition. Opaque is completely not letting light through, translucent is letting some light through (like murky water or foggy glass), and transparent is letting all light through. Although I've heard it used a couple times in the past metaphorically where it seems like the person saying it could have meant either opposing definition: does "We have to make the situation more opaque in order to deal with it better" mean "We have to make the situation more solid so we can see exactly what it is we're dealing with" or "We have to make the situation transparent (my definition of transparent) so that we can see into it and get to the core issue, or treat it as if it weren't there"?

if you read the rest of the sentence, it seems that the complex issues are mostly logistics of having tens of thousands of new products demanding FDA review. the FDA can't just hire temps (?) to review a whole wave of products in one go.

Building a Faraday cage isn't that complex. If someone was to get a grant to study this then building one wouldn't be the biggest hurdle. 

For some reason, that really cracked me up.\n\nEDIT: Found the reason- because it's fucking hilarious.

Your friend studied german at one time.  How do you explain someone from bum-fuck Kentucky speaking perfect archaic Aramaic?

The comments on that article make me laugh and cry simultaneously.

All I'm saying is if you read John Mack's book abduction.  You just never "really" know whether it was all just a dream.  

"...THEN you'll see that there is a phenomenon worthy of study and discourse". \n\nThis should be implicit from the fact that I'm here and, if you'll read some of my past comments, you'll see I advocate the study of sources from an **objective perspective**, and am pretty well-read on the matter. I'm not sure I understand your point; your comment is far from clear. Are you telling me I shouldn't be challenging outlandish, unsupported claims? Are you alluding to your own faith in an E.T. hypothesis? Please clarify.

While the ability to capture video has become highly proliferated.  The actual technology that most people hold in their hands is not adequate for capturing distant objects, either in full sunlight or low light situations.  You still need a professional camera and a way to stabilize it.  Then you have to be in the right place at the right time and have the optics for the conditions.  Basically, sure, everyone has a camera these day's, but very few people walk around with a quality camera.

If you haven't seen it yet I highly recommend Cabin in the Woods. I don't want to spoil anything the only thing I can say is it is in the vein of Evil Dead 2 and the first Scream and is kind of a skeptical skewering of the Horror Genre. Kind of.

Hey man, here in Puerto Rico there is a place where many belive this phenomenom happens often, called Laguna Cartagena (Cartagena Lagoon), in Lajas, Puerto Rico... Check it out.. Many have talked about and believe that cavern system mentioned in the first comment exists... Who knows.. I think it should be explored more Lajas and this lagoon is a hot spot for ufo's as well.. Good luck bro

You don't have to believe in the paranormal to believe these things exist. Everything is, by definition, normal. Outside of our expectations? Yes. But still quite normal.

So they buried the body at sea, more than 1000km from where he was killed.  There is no pictures so far and no word of any independent verification of the kill.  Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.  I'm not saying that he is dead or alive but I don't have enough evidence to positively say he is dead.  \n\nSide note:  Why didn't they shove bacon in the corpse and let it be scavenged by wild dogs.  Why did they give the person a more respectable Muslim burial?

Take enough random shots at dusk with the camera in rapid motion and you'll eventually see a flying pink unicorn.

Thanks for sharing your experience, ControlRush! Of course, satellites don't change course or speed away willy nilly! :)\n\nAgreed, many alien craft likely won't look like a saucer, that's just what has been engraved in our mind, but hell, if you don't know what it is, it IS a UFO! It's healthy and proper to be skeptical, but also wise and mature to know we can't be the only ones in a universe nearly 14-billion years old.

[How about when extremists stopped the showing of the Ronald Reagan mini series?](http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2003/nov/5/20031105-122754-8502r/?page=all)

One of my friends reposted this.  I responded with \n&gt;i cant find planetary settings can you help me do i have to switch to the new timeline fuck?\n\nThat said, not sure why you posted that here.

The fact that the producers of this milk found this comment worth putting on their product does say something about them.

Yeah and the "drones" a few years ago were also viral marketing for a movie, right?

Years ago there was a site called "The Cubic Society" (cubarian.com, now non-existent) which promoted Gene Ray's [Time Cube](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Cube) theory.  The site had a lot of information and content that upon first glance wasn't obvious parody.  The forum members were professional trolls that argued for Time Cube theory and won most arguments by sheer confusion and spin.  The most entertaining part was watching perfectly sane rational visitors to the site go insane trying to understand and debate the arguments for Time Cube, not understanding that it's just a really well concealed troll site.\n\n\nI believe this web site is very similar in its goals.

I usually decide at some point that the person is stupid. \n\nDepending on future plans and circumstances I either tell that to the person or make it very clear that the conversation is over and that my opinion of them fell quite a bit.

You are not the only one.       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1yU4qw-UFE\n

Haha nah nothing last time, the area is dead except for that one building. NExt time we go as a big group we wont park at the front door either then lmfao

&gt; It should be noted that the electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment was not radar. It did not emit a signal and then pick up reflected echoes off of an object. Rather, it detected electromagnetic signals that were actually emitted by an object itself.\n\n*Very* interesting.

You're welcome. It's basically like watching a video of the remote computers screen. It's a lot like when you see some videos of peoples desktops on youtube. You can see jpegs and documents etc, but you can't download them as they're part of a video file. That's probably a better way to explain it.\n

Usually strain from sitting at a desk all day, or adopting an odd position in your sleep. There are a multitude of possible causes though.\n\nhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003025.htm\n\n

take a sample to a professional (if you have a university nearby you may be able to ask a chemistry or Forensics(if they offer that course) professor to analyze it for you for free, especially if said professor has an interest in the paranormal.\n\nMy guess is that he/she will tell you it's rustwater caused by condensation due to the storm door creating a greenhouse effect between it and the bleeding door.\n\nPlease update if you get a shocked look of awe and the statement "It's human blood!"

What's funny is these people's signs haven't been accurate for 2200 years anyway. Precession (Earth wobbling on its axis) has changed our position since then, and therefore which sign you are. Everyone's about 1 sign off of what they think they are.

&gt;Like, for real, you're a punch line.\n\nSo are you and your "movement".

You just discovered the cure to world hunger. **Rejoice!** For our popcorn savior has arrived!\n\nPretty interesting story though.

They linked to Oprah.com as a source for evidence of past lives.\n\nBeautiful.

You've been stalking me for a month now because I pointed out that you didn't actually see the universe vibrating. \n\nYour behavior is shameful bro. 

I've heard similar theories but they are generally not discussed in open conversation, as the idea upsets a LOT of people from almost every side. 

I could see it working as a targeted heat insulator. You know how when you wear a band-aid for an extended period you get all sweaty under it? Same principal. The elastic keeps your skin from evaporating sweat which keeps some heat in. If you have a sore muscle or joint the added heat could make it feel better.\n\n/Not a woo'er, I just like thinking things through.

You can have secret launches. While the actual launcher going up can't be concealed, it's impossible for an observer to tell what is being launched. What is publicly claimed to be a single satellite launch could be that satellite plus a secret payload.  You can also have multiple function satellites.\n\nThe problem with the star wars claim isn't the launching, it's that star wars didn't work. They couldn't destroy a specially weakened missile, nevr mind an entire building.  

I don't understand. Are you using the "and we can talk" as a figure of speech, or do you literally mean that nothing I say will be considered valid for discussion until I prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that their model of reality is the only true and real one?

Yep, I too love conspiracy theories, just not sure why I do.  \nYou have to admit they do have great imaginations.\n\nI prefer Icke over Jones myself just because his theories are just soooo crazy, and his pseudoscience is mind blowing funny.\n\n

Probably for the same reason that you never get a busy signal when you call the wrong number.

Neither of your assumptions are true.\n\nDid you even bother to read the article to which you've linked?\n\nLet me quote the relevant section for you:\n\n&gt;More sophisticated observers finally got things straightened out in the New Hebrides. As it turned out, almost everybody in those circles had lice most of the time. It was, you might say, the normal condition of man. When, however' anyone took a fever (quite possibly carried to him by those same lice) and his body became too hot for comfortable habitation, the lice left.

Per IC's reports, none of the money is given to the government. They specifically state they do not support the government or the military, but the best way to get to Kony is by working with and uniting the governments in all of the countries he operates to catch him. 

Yeah, try reaching out to the poor little girl.  Make sure you remain respectful and humble, and talk to her as if she were still a human.  Just keep in mind that the littlest thing could set her off.  Ask her why she's in the house an if there's anything you could do to help her move on.  It's likely (as others have said) that she's attached to a particular object in the house.  It's also possible that she's attached to your daughter--another little girl.\n\nIf things get worse around the house, consult local pagans as well as clergymen for a home cleansing.  In my experience, the pagans are more knowledgeable and successful on the matter since some clergy refuse to believe in ghosts--that all human souls are either in Heaven or Hell.

yep, I for one love ghost, demon and haunting stories, even though I don't believe in that nonsense. 

From the economic research I have seen the FDA kills more people than it saves. This is because more people die from the delay of helpful pharmaceuticals into the market than are killed by it's prevention of unhelpful pharmaceuticals. 

They had over a hundred people signed up but the rest tragically all died of polio and smallpox. 

Well, a rigorous study of honest, personal accounts can ultimately be the best indicator anyway.

same here... science says oral B vitamin megaloads do nothing, my brain says they make me feel awesome.

He's an entertainer first and foremost, and a skeptic second. I guess we should count ourselves lucky he is a skeptic at all, though. Imagine the power he'd wield to make people buy 'psychogenic crystals' or something if he wanted. Or a book on his methods of psychology would likely sell in the millions.

[Steve Novella has finally weighed in with a blog post](http://www.theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=1152).  It includes this statement quoted from the [Dystonia Medical Research Foundation](http://www.dystonia-foundation.org/pages/dystonia___flu_vaccine/569.php):\n\n&gt; Because of the concern of individuals with dystonia as to whether or not to get a flu shot because of this reported case, we have sought the opinion of dystonia experts on this case. Based on the footage that has been shared with the public, it is their unanimous consensus that this case does not appear to be dystonia.\n\nIt's not that she isn't ill.  It's just that it is more likely psychological than neurological (and therefore not caused by the vaccine).

Prime Directive.\n\nIt's similar to the reason why most human wild life investigators almost never interact with the subjects they are studying:  They do not want to contaminate the normal process of existence and functioning of the subject itself.

Thanks for confirming you were just spewing verbal shit because you had nothing better to say.\n\n&gt; Sounds pretty corporationy.\n\nI'm assuming that is in reference to what I said about you intentionally obscuring your meaning. This discussion has nothing to do with corporations, and we both know that. Why do you even bother reading /r/skeptic if you engage in such petty behavior? Do you care about validity at all, or are you here just to troll?\n\nYou got called out on your bullshit and are now trying to derail the conversation, hoping that I'll just fuck off and find something else to do.\n\nIf your ego is still bruised, then keep responding with nonsense. Alternatively, you can explain your meaning, stop replying, or admit you said what you did solely out of hate and ignorance.

No, I think Kyle is saying that there is a place for religious skepticism, and a place for scientific skepticism. Recall that Science has nothing (directly) to say about God, since God is a supernatural thing and thus outside of the realm of science by definition (Science being the study of natural phenomena and their mechanics/causes). Thus, saying that /r/skeptic should be a "big tent" is roughly on the money. I think that kyle probably means that he downvotes religious skepticism articles *as in* those articles which _only_ criticize religion on religious grounds, eg, something like when PZ Myers talks about the hypocrisy of religious fundamentalists, there is no science there. On the other hand, a skeptical view of a scientific claim made by a Christian "Scientist" about medicine would (I think) be appropriate (and likely upvoted by Kyle), since that is a post about scientific skepticism, and not religion per se.

&gt;And not all satellites are in geosynchronous orbit; they certainly aren't "stationary".\n\nYou get my meaning; they don't travel at thousands of miles per hour, or make direction changes. They sure as hell don't accelerate away from the earth.\n\n&gt;Atmospheric skipping can account for all sorts of crazy-looking direction changes. \n\n[Can it? To this extent?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ttjALMhXTo) I really don't think so. And how can 'atmospheric skipping' even vaguely account for a [90+ degree direction change?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vVvEdPXOXg) And please don't say 'the thrusters fired', I have a hard time accepting that explanation.\n\nWhat needs to be openly acknowledged here is that meteors burn up *upon entering the atmosphere.* They don't zip around in various directions 50 miles above the earth leaving long trails behind them. They definitely don't accelerate *away* from the earth; gravity won't allow that. So (IMO) that first video I linked to needs some explanation beyond atmospheric skipping, ice, thruster debris, satellites, or space junk.

Despite the homeopathic label, many of these 'remedies' contain active ingredients at substantial dosages.  I think they use a label of 'homeopathic' as promotional due to some positive associations with the word.\n\nZicam, for instance, could have levels of zinc that may help reduce the duration of colds, though methodologically sound studies have yet to establish zinc as useful for that effect.

The exception would be when they admit to being a for-profit business. Then it's not a scam. An edge case is when it's a government, where it's a scam if the average taxpayer is insufficiently jaded.

You are putting words in my mouth. I mentioned the imperfections In the Thai medical system I've been told of because YOU asserted that there is no reason anyone would ever go wanting for care which is just a stupid claim. I pointed out that these journeys occur. YOU interpreted that as FREQUENTLY. I said elderly or terminal. You said elderly AND terminal (the difference is an important one). Oh and as for what they'd be better off spending their money on I think any self respecting doctor would start with an ASPIRIN. I'm going to sleep now I'll finish tomorrow.

[Camels](http://indymotorspeedway.com/cigs/1940s.html) were the brand advertised as good for the T-Zone.

Yeah, it definitely works, and the military is a big fan of it.  I can't even count the number of people I know that went from glasses to without while I was in the service.  The adjustment process after you have had it done though can be a real bitch I hear though, some ridiculous super sensitivity to light for a bit.

No, just relating it this way makes it all sound dumb.  I've had my natal chart done, damned if I know where it is, though.  It's one of the things I want to do and never make time for.  Do a "transit", which is a reading that covers a period of time, and compare the transit to the reality.

MORE LIKE ENORMOUS WASTES INDEED! OF COURSE THE EARTH ISN'T ROUND, WHAT A PREPOSTEROUS IDEA. WE ARE CERTAINLY THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE SIR, GOOD POSITION INDEED.

Sure you can, it's an object that changes directions and appears to move under its own power.

Honestly, I hope you're right - that by 2017, we know one way or the other. \n\nYou still seem to have a gigantic cognitive hole in understanding people who don't share your belief. I am not an ET critic. I'm certain they're out there, as I stated from the outset. I'm just nowhere near certain they've been here yet, and I'm basing that on the difficulty of the task and the lack of anything resembling cold, hard evidence. I think that's completely reasonable, and you haven't said anything to convince me otherwise. Don't lose any sleep over it - it takes all kinds to make the world go 'round.  

that doesnt mean the soul cant stick around before finally accending

Especially #10 for some reason (all but 1 Bio test, probably intentionally because the teacher even said it, (ten is c = Tennessee.) 

Again, your video does not clearly show any change in path of the object in question, if you had set it up on a swivel-tripod with a larger depth of field we might be able to discern some change in direction (which would be a step farther away from "satellite" and closer towards "UFO")  As it stands, it looks as though your camera position is what is changing, also looking at the starfield from one perspective to the next, it appears to be on a straight path.  Also, there are already many, many excellent satellite tracking apps out there that work quite well and are updated constantly.\n\nYou need to know something about UFOlogy, while we're on the subject, there is a distinct difference between "debunking" and being a "skeptic" in the field.  I don't know one true UFOlogist (including your Mr. Grimsley, I'm guessing) who would not consider themselves a skeptic to some degree.  A "debunker" is someone who dismisses, out of hand, any possibility of the existence of UFOs.  A debunker would not have even looked at your video in the first place because you've already stated "UFO" as a conclusion.  A skeptic is open minded enough to look at the data and make suggestions based on careful observations and to come to conclusions in the instances where the obvious has been discounted.  Like a scientist.  UFOlogy should be trying to be more like a science and less like a faith based cult of non-critical believers.  More like Leslie Keane, less like Ed Grimsley.  More like J. Allen Hynek, less like Richard Hoagland.  More like Bruce Macabee, less like Steven Greer.

yeah sure. apparently it's a form of sleep paralysis.\n\nI don't know if I believe that though.Here's what wikipedia says about it.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Hag\n\nhere's another encounter from yahoo.\n\nhttp://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090220115916AAjcd0R\n\nhere are some inturpretations of dream with old woman.\n\nhttp://www.myislamicdream.com/old_scary_woman.html\n\nhere is another take on it.\n\nhttp://www.castleofspirits.com/sleepparalysis.html\n\nsome say she is the result of a curse some say she's a sucubus.

Any public figure aka mainstream mouthpiece is going to be raked through the muck the way Gore was. Gore didn't destroy his own credibility, that was done for him by his opponents.

Yeah... Now I'm a little embarrassed. I can't deny that I'm a sucker for sensationalism.

&gt;Apparently, these messages had actually been received via the Sputnik satellite, but no one had any idea how to decode them at the time.\n\nAand, you lost me right there..

Not a bad analogy.  No real hate or bile, no condemnation, but content-wise, dead on.\n\nThere needs to be a scale.\n\nHawkings-Kraus-Suskind on one end, and Chopra and Timecube over on the other.\n\nThis guy seems to be leaning towards the Timecube side of things.

Toothpaste *is* soap. Rather, toothpaste is has the same principal ingredient - sodium dodecylsulfate - as handwash, bodywash, laundry detergent, and shampoo. Heck, toss some lye in coconut oil and by the spooky magic of saponification you've got sodium dodecylsulfate. \n\n&gt;Judd claimed that glycerine is present in all toothpastes and it is so sticky that it requires 27 washes to remove it. \n\nSoap also contains glycerin (aka glycerine, glycerol, 1,2,3-trihydroxypropane) which is simultaneously created during the saponification reaction. Glycerin is also very soluble in water, so it seems unlikely it would be so difficult to remove from teeth... though it does hydrogen-bond like a mother...\n\nMany commercial hand/body washes and shampoos do have the glycerin removed so it can be sold separately in moisturizers and conditioners, but the assertion that it's not present in soap is misinformed. \n\nSo yeah, go ahead and use soap! It's no different! 

Doesn't really go far in terms of science when the soul remains a supernatural concept that was never observed.\n\nAbout as scientific as research on karma decay....

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydronium#section_7\nThey call it hydronium.

Thanks. That did make it easier to understand. But my objection in the earlier edit still stands. What if we organize the hypotheses not from smaller to greater length, but by some other feature, such as from hypotheses that make you feel the best to hypotheses that make you feel the worst? As long as the priors get smaller as the emotional bleakness of the hypotheses increases, you would still have a consistent set of priors that is equal to 1.

If you really like this theory, you should check out [Linda Moulton Howe](http://www.etfriends.com/conference/addinfo/howe.html).\n\nI saw her give a 90 minute talk about [cattle mutilations](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9B1rAy3a3E)(she won an emmy for that doco back in the 80s), crop-cirlces, these weird looking UFOs that most people think are CGI, and how these UFOs belonged to beings from the future. She has some wacky ideas, but her seminar was interesting to say the least.  \n\nEdit: [The UFOs in question were these.](http://lucianarchy.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=cali1&amp;action=print&amp;thread=2217)(warning lots of images)

*Farmers* only sell pigs live at markets. It's simply not economically viable for a single farmer to set up a slaughtering and refrigeration for the relatively few animals that they produce. 

Why can't you show me what you think is the most convincing? I have looked it up numerous times and have yet to be convinced.

I keep hearing this argument and I just really don't get it. The very first thing I'm gonna do if the plane starts going wonky is turn off my fucking gameboy and figure out what I can to do stay alive.\n\nAnd don't even start with headphones, because earplugs are great at blocking noise and are fully allowed.

Pretty solid EVP it sounds like "give it to me" in my head but who knows \nIs there any folklore about this particular graveyard or the area that might yield a ghost, or are there any important names in the graveyard? That could narrow down who you captured and you can use information about her to speak to her and have her respond

Devil's Advocate: Perhaps the time you take to tap the lid twice allows some energy to dissipate, thus reducing the force of a soda explosion.  I would like to see this debunked.

I'm talking about right now. Several states have passed Gay marriage, but the Federal government hasn't.\n\nBut I still don't want a Government at all; if we had to have one, I'd rather a weak federal government, and state governments with their own autonomy.\n\nBut since you're being quite disingenuous, I won't be discussing this further with you. Have a nice day.

It takes time to photoshop in the bullshit - cut them some slack.

Adam Smith had no training in economics either.  Like Heath, he was a philosopher.  Did OK though.

Oddly enough, the best thing you can do for a burn, if you can do it within a few seconds of it happening, is get it under cold running water -- so, exactly the same treatment your wife got for you. *Nothing but bloody water*. 

As bad as these people are, they are not face-fucking whores, so its not an accurate description. People who resort to name-calling and low-class language do so because they cannot make a rational argument. r/Skepticism used to be a good place for open debate and an exchange of ideas. 

Looks like a boat for lakes and rivers. I wouldn't want to ride it in the sea, that's for sure.

No problem! You can't say I didn't warn you about the douchbaggery involves though..

My advice, never do consultant work for friends.  If you do, treat them like any other customer and set explicit boundaries about what your responsibilities are within a contract.\n\nAs for the ethical stuff, that is honestly something only you can resolve within yourself.  I used to do a lot of consulting for non-profits which often meant creating content for churches.  As a non-believer I could never vouch for the actual material content of their websites.  Personally I'm a big free-speech advocate and I'll try to help anyone get their message out no matter how ignorant it is.  The big exception for me is hate speech, in which case I let them know I can't participate for ethical reasons.

Economics doesn't need evidence.  Evidence would only undermine its conclusions.

Interesting. I'd never heard of this formally until now, but I do have a potentially related story.\nI was living in a 3rd floor apartment a few years ago. It was a summer night, so I had my window open as I slept. I woke up due to horrific screaming coming from the parking lot that my bedroom faced. I hadn't and haven't still heard someone scream like that, like whoever was screaming was having their mind torn apart from the inside. \nObviously, I flew to the window to see what was the matter, when what to my wondering eyes should appear? A man about my age (mid 20's), dressed fairly decently (business casual you might say), sitting on his ass in the middle of the parking lot as though he'd fallen backwards, looking generally towards the upper floors of my building and performing the as mentioned vocalizations. \nHe stopped briefly to scuttle over to hide between two parked cars. Once in a while he would scream, and duck, then poke his head up again. \nWithin a few minutes of my waking, I saw a spotlight come around. Someone had called the police. The man saw them and went running towards them, thanking them as he came closer. They yelled at him to stop and he complied. They slowly checked him for weapons and asked him if he'd been partying etc that night, he said no and I overheard his shaky voice telling them about the 40 foot tall shadow vampire he'd just seen. They seemed to think he was on something, and he could very well have been on (or off) something, but the way he was speaking to them to me just seemed reasonably (despite the fact that he'd obviously just seen some scary fucking shit) "with it". He wasn't raving, slurring, shifty or anything. He was standing up, arms hugging himself in shock, but answering their questions in an even tone reasonable manner, sometimes pointing towards my building.\nThe police were not convinced, they loaded him up and that was the last I saw or heard of that.

Really? I "flamed" the OP by writing "no" twice. To which he said "here come the assholes". \n\nIs saying "no" more unfriendly than calling someone an "asshole"? Is calling someone a "dick" as unfriendly as "asshole"? I'm trying to build a scale of unfriendliness.\n\nCan you please point me to some of my "flames", so I can have those as future reference of what *not* to say to people?\n

*If* that is true, then it would still take thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years for our psychology to change. We can't wait around for that.

What figure am I supposed to be seeing? I feel blind. x_x\n\nEdit: Yes I am an idiot. After five minutes of staring at the pic I see it. I thought that was a set of white curtains in the background. 

[Levels adjusted in Photoshop](http://i.imgur.com/QfXxj.jpg)\n\nYou sure it's not an architectural feature like a stone pillar or monument, gate post or even building tower (farther in the distance)?  The symmetry of it suggests that to me.

as a biochemist, the cilantro-carboxylic acid bit made me lol pretty hard

Does he not claim to speak only for Roman Catholics and only ny extension humanity? 

then zombie dog the bounty hunter would show up and put and end to that shit brah. 

Many people forego healthcare when cost it too high so it makes sense some will wait it out.

My understanding is that the issue with Monsanto, at least as far as the soybeans are concerned, is that the patented seeds have spread to surrounding farms not under contract to Monsanto and "contaminated" their crops with patented seeds with the farmers having no reasonable way to identify which plants are regular soybeans and which are Monsanto's. Monsanto then sues them.\n\nhttp://www.cropchoice.com/leadstry1bda.html?recid=270\nhttp://www.i-sis.org.uk/MonsantovsFarmers.php (where I got my lawsuit info from)\nhttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Monsanto,_Genetic_Pollution_and_Monopolism\n\nYes, I realize that none of these are unbiased sources. Reading between the lines, however, as well as looking at what these articles are sourcing leads me to the conclusion that Monsanto is taking the tried and true route of exploiting 90 year old laws in every way that their modern lawyers can conceive of.

    You show me that it works,\n    And how it works,\n    and when I've recovered,\n    from the shock,\n    I will take a compass and carve\n    'Fancy That',\n    On the side of my cock.

They might not be thousands of years more advanced than us. Maybe we, ourselves, develop FTL in, say, 100 years time. Think about how *we* would behave at that time. I don't think we will be much different at that time, still waging wars and electing stupid officials to run our countries and believing in religions and all sorts of other stuff.\n\n\nThey could have many reasons for not communicating including religious and political reasons.  Maybe their religion forbids them? Maybe they have a Prime Directive like in Star Trek forbiding them to interfere? Maybe they're afraid of wars or our diseases? \n\n\nMaybe they did infact land and did contact our governments, and those governments are keeping it secret.

Im thinking self fulfilling prophecy here. \nPeople might hear about the full moon having an effect and beliving makes it true for them - some might act a bit more unstable - others might percieve (sp?) other as being moon crazy. \n\nWhile it really has no effect what so ever. 

1.  Still waiting for one of the believers to write a coherent argument supporting the OP.\n\n2.  What don't have not have a clue about?  That the OP is poorly written and argued?  That the people upvoting the OP are UFO believers?  Because all these have evidence.\n\n3.  Is it because that anybody who doesn't 'BELIEVE' is automatically labeled as clueless?  I hear this from 9/11 truthers, creationists, PSI believers and the like all the time.  They usually say, "you just haven't researched the evidence enough".  What they are really saying is that "if you have faith the 'evidence' becomes obvious", which is typical religious thinking.\n\n

I know it's a bit rude, but there has been so much written on the subject that I'll have to direct you [here](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=skeptic+young+earth) to help you start out on the subject. Working your way through the first page of google results should give you a decent idea of what doesn't add up about young earth creationism.

Maybe that has nothing to do with the subreddit being populated by secret misogynists and more to do with the fact that the debate began with valid complaints from female skeptics which needed to be addressed but was poisoned when some of thr Skepchicks decided that the appropriate response to random trolls calling them names was to elevate them as representatives of skeptical men and double down on whatever hyperbole was introduced next. That's what really bugs me.

Well last time I knew, vampires were a myth. I'm just trying to tell you what it sounds like to me. 

Is this made by 'Rescue Remedy'? My girlfriend wants to buy [This](http://www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com/en-gb/uk/our-brands/rescue-remedy/our-products/the-original-rescue-remedy/), which sounds like it has the same ingredients. A small bottle (20ml) costs £10 ($15).

Not to mention there are all these videos of "shape shifting" on youtube (in reality they're just compression artifacts)\n\n[Shape Shifting Reporter](http://youtu.be/iHJ8A1n_bB0)\n\n[Bush's right iris supposedly blinks like a reptile](http://youtu.be/fmnTXhm2Its)\n\nAlso there are tons of videos from this David Icke about the NWO and reptiles controlling us through the food?\n\nWhat is the appeal of all this?

my sister was born with completely black eyes that eventually cleared up and as a child me and my sister were friends with a little girl who had completely black eyes, she was sweet and kind but never asked us for help unless she really needed it like if she fell over or if she couldn't lift something 

Try to catch some evidence.  Throw up some cameras around the most active areas and try some EVPs when you notice activity.  See what happens.  Good Luck!

Inside, someone standing back from the window behind the photographer.

While I agree that its a quality post, and it would be great to wake up a few people, if you put this in r/worldnews its going to get buried quicker than it can catch an upvote; most people dont go to that sub for ufo news, and anyone skimming the posts there probably wouldnt even click the link.\n\n\nCudos for the attempt, but hopefully people actually interested in the topic can/will now read it.

It's not impossible that life evolved just once in our solar system and was seeded... 

Could we see the pictures by any chance? Sounds interesting. I would love to help, but I have no authentic experience with the paranormal nor do I know any particular techniques to neutralize the presence.

I was thinking a rocket going up, jettisoning it's spent fuel stages

Okay. To me all this stuff usually isnt a big deal, i dont know why. So about a year or two ago (times funny to me) i was sitting in my bedroom watching tv or whatever. I get an inclination to look out the window, not strong enough to be called an urge, so i do. We have a mini cemetery in the backyard about 100 ft from the house. This is what i was expecting to see. What i saw instead was the cemetery pushed back further, shed gone, trees looking different and all the old cars the mil keeps gone. Standing by one of the trees was a young lady wearing a cream colored dress with brown stripes, light brown hair in a bun and the oddest thing, she had a messed up mouth. Seriously like baraka style. I was shocked, i blinked and she was gone, everything went back to normal. It was so crazy! Lol then recently i saw a picture on maybe r/creepy that looks a little bit like her. I'll see if i can find the link.

I completely agree with you, the proof is overwhelming. Many people I talk to agree that we are not the only ones here. Very few have been skeptic of the idea. It seems like the only ones who refute this are the ones at the "top". Surely this must be due to their titles forcing professionalism over how they may feel.

Thanks. I know what you mean. Other things have happened to me--and friends--over the years, but this was one that really stuck.\n\nThis is the first time I've had someone consider that it might be a fake story (in the over two decades since this happened--and since I've been relaying it to people); I was more surprised than offended (a little taken aback maybe--aren't most people about their stories?) simply because I didn't claim to have been touched, seen things floating, heard chains rattling, etc. I didn't even claim that I was 100% sure it was a paranormal event. \n\nI respect the fact that you speak your mind and hope you always do that.

And here we go. Here come the excuses; if this is true, are there any official reports of the military going in? This is going to end up being one those unverifiable discoveries again, isn't it? Something is there, but I doubt we'll ever truly know what.\n\nI just wish people would tell the truth, either these guys or the military. Unfortunately I don't think that's going to happen. Very disappointing.

Now that you said this, it makes a bit of sense to me. Normally I'm a lucid dreamer, but as of late I've been having very vivid, very real nightmares. Not monsters and ghosts, but like the loss of my daughter and the years following, or my stepfather abusing me for years (he abused me as a child, but in my dream he kept me captive well into adulthood). I very rarely have nightmares, and if I ever do it's something garden variety like zombies. Interesting. I'll be watching for it, and keeping a dream journal from now on.

Well, to be fair, rejecting Benito Mussolini in Fascist Italy would be a pretty bad idea.

Thank you.  Frankly this was not the response I had expected in this sub-reddit.  

Maybe if they can no longer function on a daily basis and lay in bed crying and feeling suicidal.  \nKeeping your childs memory alive is healthy. \nHave you ever heard of a foundation?  \nWhere parents create a charity and run it on a daily basis to keep a childs memory alive. \nThese people have and are still grieving the father has found a healthy release patenting and selling MEL Meters named after his daughter.\nHe obviously is making a living. \n \nThey are putting another daughter through college.  Another daughter lives there with her husband.  In fact the Son-in-law actually claims to have seen Mel, not the parents.  They never tried to contact her before calling in GA.  They aren't performing séances or ghost hunts in their house.  Sure they talk to her and feel as if her presence is there.  \n\nZak suggested they try to contact her and provide closure to the family.  And if you watch the episode they are at peace knowing their daughter is OK and they will someday see her in the Afterlife.  For now they are comforted to know she can hear when they say, "we love you" also they heard her voice say she loved them.  \n\nMaybe their beliefs don't align with yours, but to call them unhealthy is egregious and arrogant.  I doubt your credentials to make such a determination based off an edited TV show.

All I'm saying is direct selling is way too big of a industry to be a scam bro &amp; recognized by heavy hitters like Donald Trump, Warren Buffet &amp; Robert kiyosaki to name a few. \nResearch any large direct selling company and make an educated decision for yourself. If you sale a product you get for wholesale &amp; sell to consumer for suggested retail then any real direct selling company will give you the profit. Business as usual guys.  \nWhat a lot of people don't understand is the ability to share the business with others and create a business team.  Now with a legit direct selling company no one gets paid until product is sold. The company will give you a % of the profits but it doesn't effect the $ the consultants make on your team. \nIt's okay not to trust the Direct Selling Association but someone has to monitor the industry.  Just my 2cents. I've never heard of that company you're inquiring about though. 

Sure, but there are a lot of people who haven't thought twice about homeopathy and buy the stuff not realizing what bullshit it is.  I know I bought a couple of things like that back before I looked into what homeopathy is all about.

That's very interesting; I've had all those experiences, but I never thought of it as a superpower, I figured I was just a wuss and a weirdo. 

Oh boy, let's hope the cataclysmic upheavals that make land uninhabitable don't disturb the rivers and lakes then.

What luck that aliens from other solar systems or even other galaxies evolved to have all the same body parts &amp; lay outs as humans!

No, it would be comparable to removing the clit. During circumcision half the nerve endings of the penis are removed. \n\nAll studies have shown an uncircumcised penis is more sensitive, and better for sex (the sheath allows it to move easier in the vagina).

Same three kids, or another group of three kids who were generally dressed and appeared the same?

My hope is that if it is Aliens, they will agree to appear on Conan's show. Now that's excitement. 

Common sense totally trumps age, genetics, weak immune systems and viruses.

certainly not, but if years of research and common sense can't convince them you have to appeal to the kind of scare tactics that they respond to.

It seems like someone, or groups, want to start conspiracy theories.  If you throw enough around, eventually one will still stick.  

I am so happy to see this post. This is the true spirit of being skeptic I think. Seeing when you have preconceptions that leads to faulty assumptions. Well done on this. \n\nI'm thinkin that he is somewhat of a fatherfigure, the way he looks, the way he talks and the ideas. Maybe this lends us some part of the assumption. \nAnd yes, I do belive it is defined by culture, such things have come and gone in diffrent times. There have been times and places where norm would be homosexuality for recreation.  (I am not totaly sure about proof on this, but please look it up.) \nAs for me, I never was phased (is that the correct term here?) with people being gay or not, so it simply does not matter to me either way with him - but I have not listen to him for very long. \n\nI'll lurk about reading answers in here I think. Thanks!

As long as people can make money from youtube, I'll have problems with videos like this.

Yeah, I never really watch GH, but my mom did, so I caught it occasionally. That was years ago though, so. I'm not surprised if it degraded from whatever quality it may have originally had.

Kinda hard to look at blinking lights in a building and call it paranormal. 

So its being used as a marked-up placebo?\nIs that ethical and/or does it even make a difference? Can doctors prescribe placebos?\n\nDoes anyone have thoughts on this?

Really, with regards to shills, I think that Daniken has a criminal record related to embezzling and the hair freak on Ancient Aliens really strikes me as the kind of guy who only does something outrageous to get people to pay attention to him, because he's got nothing else going for himself.  \n\nI think they are liars and scam artists.

I have to agree on the books part - that is also not what peer-reviewed science means. That being said the title was basically burying the study from the start, which at this point is way, way too early.

Ingesting essential oils can be remarkably dangerous if you have medical conditions or pick the wrong oil... Also, I don't recommend putting them on a pot of boiling water, either. (I once smoked out an entire floor of our barracks doing that with some sort of mix involving bergamot. Makes an incredibly effective form of tear gas.) 

Somebody has to respond to your nonsensical crystal-gripping anti-science bullshit. I don't want to block you, I want to flush out the empty place between your ears and then seed it with some brain tissue.

that's not a pattern of street lights.... ** IT'S AN INVASION! **\n\n

[This study investigated the association between vaccination with the Hepatitis B triple series vaccine prior to 2000 and developmental disability in children aged 1-9 years (n = 1824), proxied by parental report that their child receives early intervention or special education services (EIS). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2000 data were analyzed and adjusted for survey design by Taylor Linearization using SAS version 9.1 software, with SAS callable SUDAAN version 9.0.1. The odds of receiving EIS were approximately nine times as great for vaccinated boys (n = 46) as for unvaccinated boys (n = 7), after adjustment for confounders. This study found statistically significant evidence to suggest that boys in United States who were vaccinated with the triple series Hepatitis B vaccine, during the time period in which vaccines were manufactured with thimerosal, were more susceptible to developmental disability than were unvaccinated boys. ](http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a905442343~db=all~order=page)\nAnd don't tell me that correlation doesn't equal causation, because that's actually the argument used to sell the vaccines. "Look guys, there is no more measles, and there was measles when the vaccine was introduced! Therefore the vaccine eliminated measles!"

&gt;So what makes you think (if you're in favor of a paleo diet) that this particular diet is appropriate now for someone who does not live in the same environment that a paleolithic hunter-gatherer did, doesn't get the same amount of exercise, and doesn't require the same nutrients because of it?\n\nPart of the paleo lifestyle is to try and emulate the activities performed by ancient folk along with the diet. Strenuous exercise (heavy weightlifting), sprinting, some long distance running (often barefoot!), spending most free time outdoors, etc.  Minimizing material goods also plays a part for some folks.  It's not purely a diet.\n\nThat being said, the lifestyle works.  I am proof.  I'm stronger, faster, and healthier than I've ever felt and have the numbers to prove it.  My doctor told me he would like to use me as an example to others.\n\nIs this lifestyle perfect for everyone?  No.  But it's better than how most people live their lives in the Western world.

Not all of our cells are replaced, see [any](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/lls1t/if_our_bodies_replace_all_their_cells_between_710/) - [number](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/rj92u/if_we_are_constantly_shedding_skin_and_our_body/) - [of](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/lntfp/why_is_tattooing_permanent/) - [askcience](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ssvtu/ive_heard_that_our_bodies_completely_replace_all/) - [threads](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/ip01x/how_often_do_we_replace_all_the_cells_in_our_body/).  Or a non-reddit [source](http://askanaturalist.com/do-we-replace-our-cells-every-7-or-10-years/) that even has citations.

I made this throwaway since I don't want anyone to harass or spam my main account because I'm not a "believer", sadly I have prior experience with this. Alright, First of all I'd like to say that I do not mean this in any offensive way to the original poster or others that do believe this.\n\nHowever, I'm very skeptical about it for many reasons.\n\n1. Most ghost pictures that I see are very unclear and honestly you only "see" the ghost in those pictures because the people who post them point out where the ghost is or how he looks, which is just a normal case of Pareidolia. However, with this picture its very clear and very stereotypical with the white ghost casper like spirit.\n\n2. There are many explanations for this white "spirit". As the poster have said, 4 out of the 6 pictures have came out very unclear and very white with only the corners visible. This may be caused by something on the camera lens. To support my claim, the OP himself said that he suspected the camera lens, so couldn't this mean that after those 4 pictures he suspected the camera lens so he tried to clean it but didn't do a good job at it which led to this "spirit" appearing.\n\n3. Humidity, there are many explanations for it. 1. it could be from the window, as you see in the picture there is no window in front or the right of the OP from where his laptop is at. Which must mean that it must be either behind or to the left of him, which might lead to a breeze coming directly at him. (The possibility of no window is highly unlikely).2. It could be the AC malfunctioning in an odd way. 3. It might be coming from that open bathroom door ( I presume its a bathroom door from its placement and how the flooring changes to ceramic from a rug), for all we know the OP might have just taken a hot shower which means that the air in the bathroom is very humid and wet and might of just blown to him. 4. It might not even be a breeze, the OP Might have some kind of cold which makes his face warmer, a cold might even explain the "hallucinations" the sounds,feeling and sightings.\n\n4. I can think of many ways to create such "spirit" looking fog. For the sake of the argument I'll take out Photoshop which is VERY easy to do something similar to this with. 1. smoke from a cigarette. 2. some kind of spray like an air freshener. 3. smoke or steam from any household kitchen object. With the right lighting and tools this is very easy to accomplish.\n\nAgain, I do not mean to offend anyone. Tell me I'm lying. In other words, prove me wrong. I'll reply to you as soon as I can.

Some [good things](http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/) (Keep clicking the "What else?" button)\n\nSome [not so good things](http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=site:scienceblogs.com/dispatches/+obama) (No birther/hitler/antichrist stuff, sorry)

Most dice used for those games are actually not particularly fair, because the method to construct cheap, nice-looking dice tends to wear the edges unevenly.\n\nTake a look at casino dice some time; the edges are "sharp" because they actually need to be fair.\n\nDon't forget to question your assumptions if you're being skeptical.

Great point. If anyone knows of a kid that was sent to treatment for being gay, please contact me: reddittroubledteens@gmail.com. I may be able to help with resources.\n\nYes, there are a lot facilities in Utah, [Montana](http://watch.montanapbs.org/video/1430387622/) is a hotbed as well. \n\nAs far as studies, this is from my OP:\n\n&gt;There has never been an independent study that shows residential treatment is effective for children. The [APA](http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/12/troubled-teens.aspx) does not recommend it, neither does the [Surgeon General](http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec7.html), the [FTC](http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/products/pro27.shtm) has issued a warning, and the [GAO](http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-10-boot-camps-main_N.htm) has found widespread abuse.\n\nAnd on your anecdotal info, I can back that up. I personally know many kids that went to programs fairly innocent and came out tainted. Kids spend most of their time around other program kids, parents who think they are separating them from danger can actually be exposing them more.

Don't discount cargo aircraft - every night New Zealand skies are busy with cargo aircraft, ranging from ancient Convair's to reconfigured 737's. \n\nThe bright lights looked exactly as you would expect landing lights to look on a time exposure that's been sped up.\n\nThe overhead lights could be aircraft on the usual airway routes from Auckland to Wellington etc.

What?  So....what is this "new way" of looking at crop circles?  This has got to be one of the lamest, content lacking Internet articles of all time.\n\n\n

Not to mention the fact that humans are also negatively impacting the earth's ability to cope with that original 10,000 ppm/year by logging.

This type of programming is the crap whipped topping that sits atop a sometimes very real cherry pie of UFO research.

Don't they know the "real" belt/girdle is in a tiny Duomo in Prato Italy?

 I think it's a shame that so many people are deriding her for this. It's not like she decided on a whim to try cupping. It seems as though she is having chronic back pain that nothing she does will help. I once spent a month with holes in my esophagus. After that experience I will never again fault a person for turning to any solution for the pain. If you'd told me that punching wall while singing yankee doodle would make that pain bearable, I would have tried it. I'm just saying, when you're desperate and in pain, you'll try anything.

I am the other Dude who was at TehKaz's house and saw the Shadow Person. The event took place pretty much as he descried it. A shadow that stood up and walked down the hallway and in to the bedroom. Teh hit the bed room door within seconds of It walking through the door, and the room was empty. A few months later I was siting on the couch taking to TehKaz with both cats in sight. I heard a very loud growl or snarl, coming from behind me which was a wall. I have worked with animals in the bush and I have never heard a sound like it come from an animal. 

creepy story! thanks for sharing! I am also from NZ and have lived in a couple of haunted houses. It is not nice feeling unsafe in your own home.

Were it not for history, I'd agree.\n\nUnfortunately we do have records from times and places when people tried this sort of thing, and the outcome was worse than the outcome of letting stupid people have kids.\n\nIt's horrible, on an individual basis, when we see stories like this.  I've got relatives who are, at the very least, guilty of near criminal neglect, they've got two children under the age of six, and they shouldn't have any.  It hurts to even think much about those kids.\n\nBut from a societal standpoint sterilization or what have you would be so vastly worse that I simply can't support it.\n\nLike Communism, lassiez faire capitalism, tests for voting, etc it's one of those ideas that looks good on paper, but doesn't work out well in practice.

Everything I've seen from midwifery advocates has been that it is "as safe as hospital birth" and "birth is a natural process, we don't need doctors."  The facts, however, say that there is a measurably increased risk in home birth (which is what Dr. Amy is dominantly writing about).  A lot of this comes from poorly trained attendants.\n\nI'm not entirely sure that I agree with your assertion that people know the risks.  I think they're being told that it is just as safe and that if anything goes wrong, it's just a quick ride to the hospital.  Statistically, it's not nearly as safe (as Dr. Amy has written about) and not all types of midwives are trained well enough to even *know* when it's time to get to the hospital.\n\nI don't remember who wrote it, but I read someone describing home birth as an extreme sport or thrill seeking.  Sure, if you wreck out on your BMX half-pipe, modern medical science *can* usually save the day and get you riding again in a year.  Same thing with a home-birth gone awry; a quick ambulance ride and the doctors usually save the day.  But is it moral to accept additional risk when the well-being of a child is also involved?\n\nEdit: Found the link referring to [home birth as an extreme sport](http://homebirthdebate.blogspot.com/2007/11/is-homebirth-extreme-sport.html)... it's another Dr. Amy blog. :-)

Are you sure you're in the right subreddit? You see, now you're just making things up and putting words into my mouth that were never uttered, and I can assure you that such offensive and intellectually dishonest conduct will find no succor here.\n\nAs for the notion that I have any obligation to provide any support of the consensus of scientific opinion - please, if you're calling the scientific method, or the body of scientific knowledge into question, I don't feel that we can continue to have a reasonable conversation.\n

It's gotten to a point that if I hear ominous music in the video, I automatically dismiss it as bullshit.\n\nThe fact that this is one of those "sun UFOs" videos also doesn't help.

If you did a real study without cherry-picking, you'd still see a huge decline in lyrical quality--but mostly because Cole Porter died in 1964.

Even if he did say that, it makes no sense because he targeted the WTC before in 1993.

I'd say skepticism.  Growing up I was skeptical of most of the associated woo in our culture, but religion I held onto longer, losing it in drips and drabs as I each found each new position untenable in turn.  I think it's because it's something I was brought up in so became part of my deep beliefs before I'd developed any skeptical defences - it's much harder to rid yourself of an existing belief than spot the flaws in what other's believe.  I suspect if I'd been brought up in an environment where such acceptance of various types of woo was the norm, and religion not, that the order would be reversed.

I understand that, but for some reason I'm still surprised it was synthetically created so quickly.

I did some for acting training, way back when. Although I wasn't much of a skeptic back then, it seemed pretty straight forward. We basically used some exercises to work on our posture. No talk of energy or spirit or anything. just body stuff. \n\nIf you find anything about it that seems weird, let us know.

did they look something like this?\nhttp://www.drboylan.com/StarVisitorPictures/TallWhitesmale.jpg

But they're in NJ and there are lots of creepy places there you can go and just scare the crap out of yourself for fun.  Like The Pine Barrens.

yes...the supposed 'weaknesses' are usually old creationist lies or even just areas of research....so if a scientist can't go to the lab, grab a test tube and 'make life' appear out of chemicals, that's a 'weakness'.  \n\n\nhttp://www.teachthemscience.org/falseweaknesses

Naturally formed monopolies are myth. Any sustained monopoly in history has been due to available governmental tools. 

Apple simply glues stuff together nowadays. \n\nI wish they could just use a weird ass screw like this, then at least they could repair it easily = better for environment. Also: I already had to make my own screwdriver to fix old-ish Apple keyboard. Rumour spreads because it is rather realistic.

Having written several, I think it's a fine idea. I was responding more to the phrase "wall of text". The article isn't long enough, or well organized enough to deserve an abstract. 

As for your last question, Cascade measures up quite well, I think.  I'll go through the questions:\n\n1. This depended on several factors.  Most kids when they first arrived were not on good terms with their parents (a lot of kids had been sent by escort service, awoken by strangers at 3AM and forcibly taken from their homes, and/or had been sent to wilderness retreat/backpacking programs before Cascade), so they would be allowed to speak with their parents only every 2 weeks for the first few months, while the school tried to get them 'settled in' emotionally.    After that, phone calls were allowed once a week, for increasing amounts of time (i.e. ten minutes, then 20, then 30, if things were going well between you and your parents; a counselor would be sitting nearby to listen for any conflict, and a phone call could be terminated by the counselor if the dialogue became abusive).  In-person visits were similar, though they were spaced much farther apart; first, after about 3 months, you would get an on-campus 5.5-hour visit with your parents (parents would usually bring a special lunch or something for this visit, and time would be spent talking with parents to work out problems).  A few months later would be a 13-hour visit with your parents 'in town' (in the small nearby town of Redding) where people would usually see a movie, get dinner, etc.  Next an overnight visit in town, then an overnight visit elsewhere (but not allowed in your home town), then a 2-day visit at home with heavy restrictions (no contact with former friends, no TV/computer, no unsupervised activities, etc), then one last home visit with fewer restrictions.\n\n2.  I am not completely sure about this, but I think it's fairly safe to say that while most of the staff who engaged in group therapeutic activities (Forums, Workshops etc) were not licensed in any way, but almost all of them had at least a bachelor's degree; often a master's or other graduate degree, and they usually had extensive experience working as a psychiatric technician, a group home employee, or in other similar positions.  There was always a Registered Nurse on call, and a licensed psychiatrist and psychologist came to campus a couple times a week for one-on-one sessions with individual students.\n\n3. I never witnessed nor experienced restraint, or any other kind of inappropriate physical contact between staff and students.  There were certainly moments where there was heated dialogue that could be considered verbal abuse, but this was often used as part of the 'tough love' tactic.\n\n4. I am not sure about this but it seemed to me like this was mostly at the discretion of staff.  As a student I never saw or heard about anything grossly inappropriate that would warrant a complaint of any real magnitude, so I'm sorry to say, but usually students who made complaints actually WERE lying or manipulating in order to get out of the program.\n\n5. There were a lot of rules, collectively referred to as 'the agreement'.  But things like TV, music, and computer use were heavily restricted.  TV was only allowed on movie night once a week or if some major breaking news event was happening (they let us watch the toppling of the statue of Saddam Hussein on the news for a little while); only approved music could be played on the main lodge's stereo (no personal music players); computers had no internet access; we did have access to a lot of magazines and newspapers in the library though.  A student who broke a rule without doing the activity assigned for punishment was considered to be 'out of agreement' and was thus 'refusing the program'.  Kids who were this rebellious were very rare during my stay, unless general morale and confidence in staff was low (as it was near the end, right before the school closed).  If a kid was 'refusing' s/he would usually be told 'okay, because you are out of agreement, you cannot associate with other students who are in agreement' (because it will bring them down/influence them to do the same).  The refusing student would then be told they would be given compounding consequences, the longer they refused.  These consequences were usually in the form of Dishes, which was a session that took place at the dining hall after every meal during which assigned students were to clean the dining hall top to bottom, in silence.  One time I committed a minor infraction and received 'Level 1 Dishes' which meant that I had some light cleaning duties for half an hour at the dining hall after dinner one night.  A student could be assigned 'Level 2' (1 hour), 'Level 3' (1.5 hour) or 'Maxtimes' (as long as it takes to get the dining hall totally clean) if they did something worse.  Usually the behaviors that resulted in Dishes were things like being verbally disrespectful to counselors or not following simple rules like the dress code.  'Work Projects' were assigned to more problematic students who did committed more severe transgressions such as leaving the dorm in the night to meet up with boys, trying to sneak alcohol/drugs/other contraband like makeup into the school, etc...things that were considered to be threatening the safety/emotional security of the other students.  Work Projects usually entailed things like cleaning the outdoor pond, raking leaves, garbage duty, and so on...in silence, 'on bans' with everyone else.  The intent was to make you think about what you'd done, what you could do in the future, etc.\n\n6. A registered nurse was on call 24/7 (she lived right next to campus) and staffed the nurse's station to give out daily medications and give minor treatments to students.  Trips into town (about a 1.5 hour drive) were made when medical needs arose (i.e. dentist visits, severe illness, etc).  A few kids would take advantage of the medical trips and try to run away once they got into town, but this was rare.\n\n7. The general philosophy on confrontation was, I think, somewhat mixed in that the staff was trying to get the students to confront their own demons--not trying to be confrontational with students on a personal basis.  Yes, at times, therapy could be considered confrontational, but it was done with the intent of getting the student to self-sufficiently recognize their issues and learn how to cope with them.\n\n8. About 16-22 months, depending on how student progresses in program, what time of year they are admitted, and how their admission timing matches up with their academic progress in high school.\n\n9. Very structured but there was certainly down time (called 'floor time' in the evenings where we could hang out in the main lodge and listen to [approved] music, do homework, socialize, etc).\n\n10. Cascade worked with students' pre-existing medications and treatment plans; see #6.\n\nJesus, this was long, sorry.  But thanks for asking--it's been a wild trip down memory lane.

Yes, we're obviously trying to push some sort of sinister agenda by pointing out bullshit on an internet forum.

I have been on this site before and it is awesome. I went on it when I figured out my High School was on it, and is supposedly pretty haunted. I went to Mount St. Mary Catholic High School '11. I know a LOT about all the stories surrounding my school. Band Practice at 9 at night until maybe 10 or 11. Scary stuff that's for sure. Also Thank You for the info.

1. CNTs were theorized in the seventies/eighties. They were first discovered in the eighties iirc.  Total production levels were initially a few grams per year in the early nineties.  This ramped up significantly as cheaper methods of producing them has occurred so that by the late nineties, single factories were producing different types by the ton.Thirty eight years is a very long time considering how far the material science concerning CNTs has come in just the last fifteen years.  \n\n2.  One nation with proper planning can accomplish this solo. It will be admittedly far easier to accomplish with the aid of other nations and I imagine they will be invited in to help defray the costs. I do not see politics being the deal killer on this. Everyone will want in because of the realization that whoever makes the first elevator for all intents and purposes, controls space.\n\n3. We have not made much use of space because of the high costs of getting there. Lower the costs and I imagine this will change.  \n\n4. Other than the people at the top and on the elevator at the time, casualties from it breaking will likely be few.  It may be a several thousand miles long, but it is going to be very light for its size. Those portions that do no burn up on reentry will simply waft to the ground like a very long piece of toilet paper that has been unrolled.\n\n5. There never will be a compelling business need until there is a means to get to space cheaply. Create the opportunity and whole industries will be created to take advantage of space.   

&gt; "conspiracy theory" has implicitly come to mean those without a sufficient standard of evidence.\n\nYes, but that's not what it's supposed to mean. It's supposed to imply a framework of evidence pointing to a particular conspiracy and does not always have to involve Moon hoaxers, 9/11 Truthers, and David Icke fans.

I'd go further than that and say that nearly all heuristics are good or at the least harmless. It's probably just that we pay more attention to those that have negative outcomes than those that are benign.

Look at the historical edits.  Folks have tried to change the wording of the treaty.

Congrats and thanks!\n\nSomething like this should be required reading for all high school students. Maybe one day it will be.

I'm not saying "that's just a youtube video", I'm saying that youtube videos are terrible for conveying information in a way that is workable. No citations, googling from them is a bitch. Working with them sucks if you're trying to fact check or gather evidence.\n\nThey also make it easier to implement what lesswrongers call "[dark arts](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Dark_arts), or what social engineers call "persuasion technology". Low on information content, and high on patterns that pray on human cognitive biases.\n\n&gt;I don't know if the link is still there, it's been awhile - but when I have more time I will look for it.\n\nHow about when you have more free time you look at the evidence I presented and make an effort to understand/debunk it?

Actually, we should be heading into a new ice age, and the opposite is happening.\n\nStop spewing denialist bullshit.

My argument isn't that medical doctors should be masters of evolutionary biology, but that they should at least accept it and be familiar with the tenets of it.  And this isn't some [fringe](http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/11/12/0906224106) [opinion](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_medicine).\n\nAs well, most people with training in the sciences are expected to have a firm grasp on the sciences on which their focus is based.  If you're in the biological sciences, you need a good understanding of chemistry (especially organic chemistry), a bit of physics, and an acceptable skill with mathematics.\n\nAs to trusting someone's scientific opinions if they can't do differential equations.  Firstly, I'd hope they'd have some familiarity with calculus, but not necessarily experts.  Secondly, I certainly won't trust them if they doubt the validity of mathematical theory.\n\nIt's one thing to lack an expertise in a proven field, it's another to completely deny it.\n\nA fundamental misunderstanding about human biology, such as denial of evolutionary theory, does decrease their professional ability as medical doctors.  What if they deny the genetic basis of life? Or germ theory?  Which biological theories can a doctor deny before it effects their ability to adequately perform their job?

That's what I get for clicking the "ALL" button and forgetting to note the subreddit I was posting my reply to. I'll go back to /r/Android and /r/Programming and leave you to your skepticism. Cheers.

I believe OKC mentioned it in another blog post, their measure of seriousness is not a measure of the strength or accuracy of belief. It's a measure of how important and present the belief is to a person. \n\nI like talking about my atheism, it's a topic I regularly read about and discuss. I examine my own beliefs, I care about the role of faith and dogma in our society. By your standards i'm not an ideal serious atheist (and I agree, with that caveat being that this isn't an ideal world, and an ideal atheism wouldn't survive, when faced with religious memes), but I do take it seriously, and they're not measuring the former value but the latter. \n\nAddendum: Im +ng sum stoopudly wurded shat hare sew i downt lewk liek a duche fur implyng hat am smarted. 

Oumm, that would not even cut it.  2 days before the theorist got there another craft planted the evidence.  We only just now had the capacity to go to the moon!

Why are you pasting a link to the Facebook login page.  A lot of people don't want to be on facebook.

&gt; all they have is a trailer of their 11/11/11-release movie\n\nWait, so does the website they show in the trailer not exist or something?  'Cause that would be even better.

i don't know nearly as much about mumia as i do about peltier.  i would suggest folks look into leonard's case.  here are some links:\n\n[wikipedia: doubts about peltier's legal proceedings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Peltier#Doubts_about_the_fairness_of_Peltier.27s_legal_proceedings)\n\n[background on the case](http://www.whoisleonardpeltier.info/background.htm)\n\nthere is plenty about him on the internets - just use the google.\n\nthere are also 2 good books if you're interested:\n\nin the spirit of crazy horse by peter matthiessen\nand\nthe trial of leonard peltier by jim messerschmidt with a foreword by william kuntsler

Wow...to think that he might be weeping, or choking, is very sad. Whatever the case may be, it seems like he was miserable and confused. :( Thanks for your thoughts on what is being said.

People don't understand the world doesn't work without checks and balances. Government, corporations, and the people are a power-balance. They have to keep each other in check. Democracy and capitalism is built upon the idea that government keeps corporations in check, people keep government in check (elected officials), and government also keeps people in check (authority). \n\nWhen corporations can keep government in check, that's when the imbalance happens. (aka lassez-faire capitalism)

If it was tied to the flats, it would still fit within the points. It just wouldn't match the points.

(Late reply) Nope, he's being shown right on every point, even his claims of an anti-cancer effect of high doses of intravenous vit C are right according to recent studies.

And just because modern medicine has plenty of problems, that does not validate homeopathy. I got pretty bored reading that. Just stick to the facts. \n\nI don't have the hard-on for Randi that others have. I think he's just pandering for cash. But having an independent study is unsexy and not profitable. \n\nI wish we didn't even have to discuss this. I almost think it would have run it's course, but Randi has people all lathered up over it, so it won't die. 

Interesting point, he is out for the evening but I will follow up with him to see if he tried explaining it like this to the owners.\n**EDIT** Texted my dad and his response was 'People weren't responding to the advice to give extra attention, but they were when given a sugar pill[sic].' But since he didn't say this earlier, I am not entirely sure that he did try this approach first.

Thank fucking god you corrected me.  The world is now a better place.  

&gt; Liberals/atheists are more likely to adhere to atheistic pseudoscience such as abiogenesis and the evolutionary paradigm. Also, in the political science realm, atheists embraced communism and rejected capitalism with disastrous results.\n\nMy head is fucking exploding. \n

It is "the science of imaginary solutions, which symbolically attributes the properties of objects, described by their virtuality, to their lineaments."

&gt; Here, you are incorrect. Anecdotal evidence is of great importance among most scientific disciplines.\n\nYes, the social sciences, economists etc perform qualitative research on the basis of a collection of anecdotal evidence. The fundamental difference is that these researchers deal with human issues and although one cannot reproduce a given situation/experiment with the precision you can with the hard sciences you can often repeat the experiment and get results that as a whole bolster the original experiment. Further, the conclusions drawn are generally tentative/speculative except when based on a broad range of studies repeated by many individuals.\n\n&gt; It's what you do and how you use anecdotal evidence that makes the difference.\n\nPrecisely, anecdotal evidence informs the avenues of inquiry that scientists will pursue, it does not play any part in the conclusions drawn. This is why the idea that "UFOs as aliens" exists on the fringes of science, proponents use the dressings of science but utterly fail on the methodology front which is *the* most important aspect of research.

Trisquel user here, though it's not going to be everyone's cup-of-~~tea~~-coffee.

So again, you draw conclusions without knowing exactly what's going on. Did you even finish the intro?

I think r/skeptic tries really hard to be as objective as they can. But like [Samizdat_Press](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/r4b6h/6th_man_to_walk_on_moon_attests_alien_visitation/c4305zh) already noted, it's also hard to to be skeptical about this man. Besides that, you can't say something is true just because one man claims it to be so, without any hard evidence of it.

I scored the highest on her, 78%, and 72% Obama was #2.  All others were between 30 and 50%, except Romney who was 4% lol.

There's only one way to fight this stuff.\n\n[Something even more scary.](http://i.imgur.com/PVJy8.jpg)\n\n(Let me know if I need to fix the QR code, can't test it here.)

Link to article and first page of comments: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/28/my-take-this-is-where-god-was-in-aurora/comment-page-1/

Some ideas I have been able to come up with that might bring some evidence of a presence would be have a voice recorder in someone's room. Leave it on for hour intervals and listen back to see if you hear anything strange. Also, put baby powder down in the night in rooms that have been known to have sounds of someone walking through them. If it is a spirit, you will notice a faint disturbance in the powder. Those are the only things I can think of off the top of my head now that would relate to your budget. Let me know if anything develops.

It started soon as I moved back into this house, and I have used my Iphone and asked questions and you can make out a little whisper but it doesn't sound like anything

I have to agree with you. I like acai berry drinks because they're tasty. Why must pseudo-science be brought into everything? Can I not just like things because they taste good? Is that no longer socially acceptable? Must I have a reason for everything I prefer in the most minute and excruciating detail? \n\nHow about they just market it as tasty, and I'll taste it, and if I like it, I'll buy it more often. [Seriously, if you're in marketing, kill yourself.]( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo)    

&gt; The origin myths in the Book of Genesis are shared with many other traditions and predate Judaism. The historic books of the Old Testament (Exodus, Kings etc.) are partly true, partly not.\n\nEssentially nothing in the Pentateuch, Joshua, Judges, or Samuel is historically accurate as far as historians and archaeologists can determine. Events like the Exodus and conquest of Canaan that should have left significant evidence have been definitively ruled out. There are Egyptian legends of Moses from the Hellenistic period, but these differ widely from the biblical version of events and appear to be part of a common literary/mythical history shared between Judeans (many of whom lived in Egypt) and the Egyptians. \n\nArchaeologists have also toiled in vain for over a century to find any evidence of the united kingdom of Saul, David and Solomon described in Samuel. The single piece of evidence uncovered is a non-contemporary reference on a stele to a possible house of David. However, Jerusalem was nothing more than an insignificant village during the relevant period and there is no evidence for an Israelite kingdom, much less a splendid and wealthy empire, of any kind.\n\nThe events toward the end of Kings (leading up to and including the conquest of Samaria by Assyria and of Judah by Babylon) are generally accurate — most major events depicted did happen, at least.

The fact we exist at all is all the evidence I need. If space is truly infinite, our concept of time has always existed, and will always continue to exist, the fact Earth exists at all should be all the evidence you'd ever need that there is life out there somewhere in the deep vastness of space. A tough pill to swallow, but a mathematical certainty. 

You are aware that the gropees are strangers, and non-consenting, right? I mean, to me, that's clear-cut sexual assault and highly unethical. Explicit sexual advances are a grey area. That goes from weird to creepy to "holy shit I think this person might actually rape me."

and this is me telling them that they should act like skeptics.  

Thin human figure under a bridge? Obviously it was a homeless person. If it was someone short (5 feet) they were most likely wearing a jacket too big for them, giving the apperance of longer arms.

It won't happen because there is no real information to disclose. This disclosure thing has become quasi religious among some in the ufo community.  Why do so many of you put your faith in this?  There is no shadow govt. hiding some grand flying saucer secret. At most, the govt. is aware that weird stuff has happened but they have no idea what it is, so the best thing, indeed probably the only thing to do is just leave it be.  \n\nIf by disclosure you mean the air force will admit there are odd things we can't explain in the sky on the rare occasion, that probably won't happen either because it's just a PR nightmare.  Generally speaking though, that's not what those who expect disclosure are thinking of, they're thinking of some grand secret about flying saucer technology, alien contact and what have you.  The latter is just simply not the case, it is wishful thinking. If there are alien crafts entering our atmosphere at times, whether they be robotic probes or manned by little green people, we're never going to know for sure (at least in our lifetimes) until one of them decides to make itself OBVIOUSLY apparent.\n\n*Edited for clarity

What's not cool? It was my post, I put up a screenshot of the email i sent in, and the response I received and then removed them because I realized i left personal information visible in the screen shots.

Ah, yes, "therapeutically active micro-doses." I understand completely now.

Descartes determined that the pineal gland was the seat of the soul... So maybe flouride interferes with the ability of the incorporeal soul to interface with the body...\n\nI'm actually kind of surprised I haven't read that- I mean, it's really not any more ridiculous than most of the other crap.

I appreciate all the replies. I look forward to going through them. \n\nOne thing comes to mind -- there are probably intellectually honest pro-acupuncture people out there, wouldn't *those* people want to investigate a mode of operation? Wouldn't that be a source of funding?\n\nThis is something I would love to change about the world -- if skepticism and intellectual honesty were in the zeitgeist of romantic ideas, people who were motivated to believe something would be gratified to spend their time investigating it; instead people are motivated to spend their time and mental energy defending it when it's under attack and being uncritical about it the rest of the time. 

Such great advice. I appreciate you all taking the time to thoughtfully reply. I think it is up to me to tell him it's OK to leave, as you've suggested. Thanks.

&gt;You can't engineer roundup tolerance...with regular cross breeding\n\n[Sure you can.](http://www.biofortified.org/2012/02/herbicide-resistant-johnsongrass-coming-soon-to-a-farm-near-you/)

"Dear Stephen, The number one selling book in the history of mankind is the BIBLE."\n\nWell, I'm convinced. Incidentally, if we all go out an buy twenty copies of *Harry Potter,* we can be wizards. Gotta get the numbers up.\n\n\n\n"The number two selling book is CHILD CARE by Benjamin Spock, MD. Before his death Dr. Spock edited the last version of his immortal book which now is his legacy. In that final version this man of great vision and wisdom advised that no human should ever drink cow's milk."\n\nSpock was the guy who gave us the "unconditional praise" parenting tactic, leading to unwarranted self-importance in adulthood. Thanks for the douchebags, doc.\n\n"Just as you instinctively know not to drink dog's milk or pig's milk or even human breast milk, for the substances so contained, I wish to help you transfer that logic to cow's milk."\n\nOh yes, that instinctive knowledge of dietary habits. It's completely not influenced by cultural learnings! That's the instinctual logic that we need to transfer in order to change our behaviour based on experience.\n\nYeah.

Michael Talbot's book *The Holographic Universe* (which should be interesting for anyone who likes this subreddit) describes some materializations. Most of them are random materializations of new objects, often surprising the people who witness them. The relevant section starts on page 146.

Several, but back in the late 90s.  Search "finsrud device" to turn up stuff.

Not wanting to troll, I think you've misinterpreted my comment. I am not a muscle-boned protein-shake needing jock, rather someone who has chosen to be hyper-aware of his body due to not wanting to die of a heart attack at 60 like every other male member of his family.

I wish this source was credible. There is no link to the study, nor mention of the department, the university or even the names of the scientists involved.

Just to be precise, the articles says the Russians have indisputable proof, not the Physorg guys. I think I would be less ARGH! if they had put a big smiley face at the end of the article. 

Here's some reasons why we have a coverup....\n\nThe powers that be don't care about people getting scared or evangelicals going crazy...\n\nPower. Money. Control. In no specific order but all three of vast importance.\n\nThe admittance leads to many things....\n\n1) The cover-up... how many people have been complicit in covering up this information? How would the technology have benefited the human race? How many lives have been lost due to the coverup? How many wars fought? All things are interconnected... the collusion of all these large corporations (Boeing, JPL, Raytheon, the entire Military Industrial Complex); how many media organizations, reporters, politicians, etc... how do you justify the wars and lives lost when there was no need for anymore war? Wars have always been about protecting the control structure of the status quo. The release of the technologies that are utilized with these craft would mean an end to war, borders, politicians, bankers and the modern economic and geopolitical control system.\n\n2) Many of the people involved in this coverup would be facing jail-time. They've done all sorts of illegal testing on civilian populations... not to mention the grey alliance which allowed them to abduct people in exchange for additional technology... (the reason they need such a pact is so that positive orientated ETs are not allowed to stop them... they have to honor the free will choice of the people and the US/UK government entered this agreement; which now sanctions such events to occur from a galactic code/law point of view). The coverup involves many large corporations which would now face lawsuits of varying types... everything from employees who were used as test subjects unknowingly within the M.I.C or the bankers that were funneling money from tax payers to pay for these 'black projects'... of which the tax payers receive no benefit....\n\n3) Technological superiority... the US/UK governments are the ones holding all the cards here. They want to maintain their dominance over other nations... they don't need to bust out these toys but they've used all sorts of their covert technology to steer, control and manipulate policy towards the direction they want. This is where the NWO stuff comes into play... From very high up, they've had a plan in the works. Or you can pretend the wealthiest, most powerful people on the planet are just leaving everything to chance and 'going with the flow' of things...\n\n4) NASA and the government do not have the authority to release this information... The President is not as powerful as people think he is; if anything, he's a glorified PR figure for the public to consume, nothing more. He may appear to hold public interest at heart but he is the working boy for the financial elite that really control things. Many seemingly powerful positions within the political strata are just as answerable to the power elite as the media, banks and corporations are.\n\n5) End of energy crisis... with the various types of energy these craft and technologies utilize, there will be no future with oil, coal, solar or anything the control system would like us to all use. Their goal is to keep people dependent on the system for their livelihood.\n\n6) End of corporations for profit... replicators converting raw energy into material needs... how does any corporate/brand driven concept fit into this equation? When I can replicate anything from an apple pie to a Lexus... or a scoutship... what need is there for me to go to a store or mall and purchase products? What need is there to manufacture crappy products that are going to break in two years so I buy another? What need is there to advertise products that no one will need to buy? Corporations will dry up... corporations don't like this part obviously.\n\n7) End of cars, planes, borders... whether it be disc craft or teleportation... what need is there for the modern car running on oil? How about airplanes? These industries cease to exist... how do you regulate borders when people can easily slip in and around the planet in mere minutes? How do you chase all these people down and try to control them?\n\n8) End of war... who fights wars? the poor? Why do they fight wars? Material wealth, the need for money? Money won't exist in this future very shortly... who is going to fight then? And for what? The desire to kill another human being will start to diminish... this is not good for the military industrial complex.\n\n9) End of health/pharma industry... with the technology further developed, it'll be an end to big pharma.\n\n10) End of GMO foods... and food control. You won't be able to starve poor nations you feel are lower than yourself on the totem pole... replicators will mean enough food for everyone on the planet.\n\n11) End of money... how do you regulate a currency when people can replicate whatever backs it? What is money going to be used for when people replicate whatever foods and goods they need? Location? Housing? You won't be tied to the grid anymore... prime locations are no longer dependent on access to electrical grids/water, etc... you can go anywhere in the country or live aboard a ship... money may function temporarily during the transition but it will eventually fade and be replaced with the currency of barter/exchange... you have a 'cool idea, fun project' you recruit people to undergo... but they do it for the project, for the 'experience', not for material gain.\n\n12) End of bankers... end of politicians....\n\n13) End of people serving the control system by working dead end jobs and living paycheck to paycheck... (all of this being orchestrated by the power elite to keep people occupied with survival rather than expanding their mindsets outward to more creative pursuits).\n\n14) End of religious control methods...\n\n15) End of control over people. Period.\n\nThere's a heck of a lot of reasons. But these are a few of them.\n\nThey are here to help.

haha i've left that job and moved on to better things, but I should try and get in touch with some of the people working there now and see if they have experienced anything similar

Islam is a religion invented by a warlord who incidently hated jews and taught his followers that they "are the descendants of apes and pigs" and should be wiped off the face of the earth well before Israel existed. Unbeleivers are similarly seen as subhuman by this religion and muslims are instructed to kill them if they will not convert to islam.\n\nAl Qaeda is the name we give to muslims when we see them trying to mass murder non muslims, If we have not seen them attempting or overtly supporting religion based mass murder we call them moderates.\n

I know, right? It's on my list of places I'd like to go. I'm so glad I'm dating someone who puts up with me wanting to go to places like this when we travel.

Earth has a very strong magnetosphere: 30 000 nT, magnetopause is 15 Earth Radii from the surface.\n\nMercury has a very weak magnetosphere: 300 nT, magnetopause 1.4 Mercury Radii from the surface. It's still strong enough to affect solar winds. You can see in the video, the black space between the planet and the 'object' is initially half the radius of the planet (12 pixel planet, 6 pixel void), but then the black space gets bigger (I dunno why).\n\nVenus and Mars don't have magnetospheres, but their ionospheres somewhat protect their surfaces (not relevant).

I ask questions, fast. I try not to have an emotional reaction to the idea being presented. I'm not brilliant but often, in a stream of questions, I can flush out the ridiculousness so that they can see it. They never recant or change their mind on the spot, but if you watch closely you can see the point of realization in their eyes. There is a pause, a widening of the eyes and then an awkward recovery. You have now planted a seed. Only by respectfully running the course of someone's logic can you forward the case of reason with them. Being dismissive or superior is not helpful or attractive in anyway. Remember that the large majority of what we scientifically "know" today is wrong or absurdly rudimentary. Acting superior or aggressive to others because you are a couple of small steps ahead is not useful, though it is quite typical for primates such as ourselves.  ;-)

When asked this same question the other night on CNN, Justice Antonin Scalia said, “You have to read the Federalist Papers to answer that question. I don't think anybody in the current Congress could write even one of those numbers. These men were very, very thoughtful.”\n\nRead there works. Read their letters. And while you do it, picture them writing this stuff by hand in a time where, if you had a bit of money and did not have to spend your day acquiring food and wood, you literally had nothing to do but sit around and think shit up. Imagine if you took all the time you take on Reddit and playing xBox and just put all that thought and energy into understanding something. You'd be a master of whatever it was. These guys put their thought into government and nation building. 

I closed my eyes, but only a little longer than an average blink. I barely felt myself move, and I was at least 15+ feet away. 

Here's a Ghost to Ghost from 1993.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vHiZY2nxzY

Haha! Why would someone lie on the internet?\n\nConfessions don't matter anyway. Once we detain and torture him illegally we can't ever let him out. If we let him go he could get the judicial branch involved. Once that happens they'll nix our illegally obtained extra-executive power left and right.

I wish I knew how to scan and upload this.  It is 2 large pages of information. I will just do a few excerpts: I probably should site this book "The Secret Language of Birthdays" by G. Goldschneider, J. Elffers.\n\n"March 17th "The Day Of the Aerialist"\nThose born on March 17 live exciting lives taken up with the recurring themes of flying, floating, music, dance, movement and travel of all sorts.  They are quite capable of losing themselves in an activity, cause or experience, relinquishing many demands of their ego in the process.  Highly evolved individuals born on this day are able to engage in such activities while at the same time expressing a strong sense of self.   Less highly evolved individuals tend to be overly self-effacing or passive, unable to direct their lives effectively. \n\nMarch 17 people are never happier than when they are involved in a cause, particularly one which allows them to express their social side.  Without social involvement March 17people have a tendency to become isolated; if the spend too much time alone, they can wrap themselves in a kind of personal cocoon completely insulated from the cares and concerns of the world.  At some point, such March 17 people must emerge from their social or personal chrysalis as fully developed butterflies unafraid  to display their uniqueness and beauty. ....."\n\n"Health: Those born on March 17 may be prone to physical problems relating to their joints, particularly those of the lower extremities.  They must take particular care of their feet and deal with fungal infections without delay.  As far as their diet is concerned, variety and balance are the watchwords. Though the emphasis here should be on sensual enjoyment, they must beware of becoming slaves to food, and keep their consumption of fats and sugar under control.  "\n\n"Advice: Ground yourself in experience.  Without losing your enthusiasm, partake more in teh practical areas of life.  Tend to daily tasks, and learn from them.  Become more consequent in your endeavors; don't make changes so readily."\n\n"Strenghts:  Adaptable, expressive, enthusiastic"\n"Weakness: Self-effacing, Ineffectual, Disconnected"\n\n

almost every night, at the middle of the night i hear my name, clearly, in my ear, repeatedly for 3 times....

I thought rubber was made of tree sap. I guess that isn't earthy enough.

Don't know why you are getting downvoted.  Everything you are saying is true.

PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder, either you're imagining the dream, or you legit had the same deja vu dreams i have from time to time

Just listened to it - not a single moan during science and fiction, with everyone putting forth detailed reasoning! Victory!\n\nShe did end up talking about elevatorgate, but this was by Steve's invitation so I can't really blame her for that. Overall I've talked so much about this that I'm quite ready to just mark it off as being in the past for now and let life go on :p

And then some! Do an image search for Lewes Bonfire sometime. I'll be heading into town myself to join the fun in a few minutes. Might just be in time to catch the flaming barrel run.

I would kinda like to have one of those bottles.\n\nHard liquor is a wonderful social engineering tool at parties. A few of us had a strategy that I dubbed "the Friendmaker." We'd go to parties with a bottle of Wild Turkey 101 (101 proof bourbon) and hit it straight from the bottle. Anybody we got introduced to or who just made eye contact too long got offered a hit from the bottle. Some people would take it and, universally, these people you could trust. Some were frightened by the straight whiskey, and therefore of us. They would do anything to appease us. Either way, anyone we met became one or another sort of friend.\n\nScared a lot of poncey MIT kids with that.

***DBagChopra***:\n\n&gt;&amp;#91;2011/12/12&amp;#93;&amp;#91;15:30:24&amp;#93;\n\n&gt;[&amp;#91;Translate&amp;#93;](http://translate.google.com/#auto|auto|Music is sacred: all life is a Harmony sung by the Enlightened. And *that%27s* why I%27m shilling for Fiddy%27s energy drink: http://t.co/txRwXLGK 'google translate this tweet'): Music is sacred: all life is a Harmony sung by the Enlightened. And &amp;#42;that's&amp;#42; why I'm shilling for Fiddy's energy drink: [*youtube.com*](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8zeuLT0yyY&amp;feature=youtube%5Fgdata%5Fplayer 'url unshortened via longurlplease.com, images rehosted by imgur.com')\n\n[&amp;#91;This comment was posted by a bot&amp;#93;&amp;#91;FAQ&amp;#93;](http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/tweet_poster 'tweet_poster FAQ')[&amp;#91;Did I get it wrong?&amp;#93;](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=tweet_poster&amp;subject=Error%20Report&amp;message=[Oops!](http://reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/n9t2h\\)%0d%0dPlease leave the subject and this link unaltered, but feel free to add a description here. 'report an error')

Really reddit? Getting downvoted for asking for proof? ಠ_ಠ\n\nHave an upvote.

Let me quickly add that to my long list of things that prove God exists.

That was one of the most misanthropic articles I've read in a while. Quite overgeneralized too. Thanks?

&gt; And I think "insult" is an extremely uncharitable characterization of what Watson did.\n\nMy understanding is that Watson called the blogger "Anti-women" and a misogynist.  Those are insults.  Especially when you call someone that just for not agreeing with you.

What did feminism have to do with the content of the article is beyond me.

Actually, Kurtzweill's number is correct.\n\nWe have 2.9 Billion base pairs; you merely need to encode one element of the pair. \n\n2.9 Billion pairs\n\n = 2900 Mil letters (ACGT)\n\n = 5800 Mil bits\n\n =  725M bytes\n

I don't think you remember the hosts of Junkyard Wars very well.  The editing wasn't very good, either.  That said the Science Channel shows it during the week days at noon.  

The black one looks like a bird, the white one looks like a light in the sky, if there was some EXIF info it would be easier to determine what it is. So far I think it could be an airplane, although it has a shape similar to a "classic saucer" but it looks like it consists of three or four lights, but I think it was a one point airplane, distorted by the poor camera matrix. Could be an orb UFO, but they don't usually show up at daytime IMO.

&gt;There are plenty of culturally Islamic, culturally Jewish, and culturally Christian people who are secular or atheist.\n\nI don't mind disagreeing, Diabolico, but I'm not sure you're listening to what I'm saying. \n\nMy premise is that Christian Atheism is different from other secular movements and can be called Christian for reasons other than culture. \n\nThere are secular Jewish movements focusing on Jewish culture and ethnicity. These movements are not based on Jewish scripture and they don’t seek to promote Jewish ideals. They’re basically Jewish identity movements. \n\nThere are cultural Muslims who are atheists, but there is no Islamic atheist movement. I'm talking about an organized movement that explicitly rejects the Muslim God and his prophet but promotes the moral teachings of that religion's holy book. If you know of such a movement, I would be interested in learning more about it. \n\nIn contrast, the Christian Atheist movement is scripturally inspired and not cultural or ethnic. They are looking to promote Christian ideals, particularly those espoused by Jesus. They are promoting a religious ideology.\n\nI understand that Christ’s historicity is a central tenet in mainstream Christianity, as you say. However, I am pointing out that, unlike in Judaism and Islam, there is an organized movement that it not cultural or ethnic that draws morals and purpose from the example of Jesus. They just happen to believe that Jesus is mythical. This is why I regard it as different from cultural Islam or ethnic Judaism. And it's why I argue that Jesus's historicity is less important. If you can find a similar movement of Islamic Atheists (as opposed to atheist Muslims), then I'm all ears. 

&gt; mind over matter\n\nThat, by the way, is a bad way to put it, because it assumes that the mind isn't material.

Isn't it always yellow? Who the fuck wakes up with black, brown or green sleepy crust in their eyes?

I had a friend like that once but he went to a psychiatrist and is no longer seeing ghosts. \n\nOne thing I have noticed about those who are overly defensive is that they are not trying to convince you they are trying to convince themselves. \n\n 

That was just me trying to say "relax, we're more or less on the same side, if you'll listen." I wouldn't count it for points in a debate anymore than me saying I consider him a funny comedian.

Sorry to say but it looks like a photoshop job. Or what could have happened is your phone malfunctioned while taking the picture and accidentally overlaid your dad's photo on top. 

Heh my grandpa got it around 80 years old... And it wasn't that bad. I don't think chickenpox is as big a deal as measles, which is making a wonderful return due to low vaccination rates.

I think you had a creepy dream. Creepy dreams are not paranormal. In fact, they're quite normal. We all have them.

I think your referring to cowboys and aliens. They let Travis go. I'm sure there are lots of ways to break a contract without ruining 7 guys lives.

This is exactly what reiki is good for.  It may not work from a medical perspective, but once you start looking at the molecular basis of disease and realize that stress=disease... well, I'm happy to accommodate harmless woo if it helps patients feel more at ease.

It's all part of a hidden government plan to have NASA put secret low-income housing for gray aliens on Mars. Good lord, yes, he is nutty. I think Art Bell must have stipulated that Hoagland gets to continue spouting nonsense on C2C after he left. Sad, really.

I'm really tired of the internets "I know more than you because I like science" attitude, it comes across as arrogant and is usually only half intelligently put together, which makes people ignore your point and question your intelligence rather than making them question what they are doing.\n\nNow hear me out, I don't believe diluting pills into large amounts of water makes them more effective, I also don't really care if people treat their ailments with it, if someone is too stupid to go to a doctor when what they are doing isn't working, they don't deserve to live. What people are doing with this is alienating strangers, taking their beliefs and belittling them, no matter how crazy they may seem to you, someone else feels that way about yours, and they may be as right as you *feel* you are. \n\nI'm not going to get into any evidence or claimed "scientific results", I'm not interested in what people have to say on matters of health I'm healthy, what I do works for me(better than most of obese america), I have done my own personal research and it falls exactly where it did, no idiot behind a keyboard with any amount of "data" will change what I know to be real and right. What I will say is if your data can't win the fight on it's own without you assaulting the practices of someone else you have less of a leg to stand on than a person drinking a gallon of water that has memory of painkillers in it.

I believe the one that was posted. Let me try to click on it one more time. Sometimes things spazz out online :) 

I can't believe you're for real, but *[heart](http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2007/11/do-you-heart-new-york.html)*.

Many foods are treated with radiation, but that does not make them radioactive.\n\nThen again,. most foods are probably radioactive anyway, because so many things are radioactive. We're bathed in radiation from countless sources every day of our lives.\n\nIt's the dose that makes the poison, essentially. The radioactive substance being released from the Japanese nuclear power plants are not a danger to public health.

Does not stand up too well to Ma Deuce (M2 50 caliber machine gun), or to indirect fire. 

I love finding pictures and video of the Loch Ness Monster and other lake monsters.

Can you manipulate this tone manually? Such as by using a computer? I want to hear it.

Stanton Friedman would beg to differ.\n\nThe guy that gave the answer is probably completely honest. It's the equivalent of walking up to the reception at the former Enron company and asking "so, any fraud here? No? Aaaaaalrighty then".\n\n

Huh? Most studies about nutritional benefit of organics show them to be nutritionally similar. The one study that showed some difference was widely citied because it was practically the only study.\n\nAs skeptics we need independent confirmation, something a single study does not provide.

I'm only half listening to this, and tuned back in as she started talking about throwing a bomb at her neighbour's house for letting their dog poop on her lawn. \n\nThis makes more sense than everything else she was talking about.

I agree, Destination Truth is pretty great.  But Josh Gates does come off as a bit of an asshole sometimes...

&gt; If an unvaccinated person(A) gets the disease, society should not pay any part of the treatment. - *Fair Enough*\n\n&gt; And if that person can be shown to have transmitted the disease to someone else(B), he should be liable for the cost of the other person's care. - *This is where the problem comes in.*\n\nOk, riddle me this...  (A) gets sick, and infects (B). (A) is of a lower socioeconomcic status or even doing Ok but living paycheck to paycheck ie does not have alot of money in the bank. (A) is now sick and infectious therefore logically, unable to work, and unable to pay their own treatment. \n\nHow in the hell are they going to pay for the medical care of (B)?\n\n\n

Well I'm from Texas, and here in Texas, if you ain't from Texas then you a g'damn Yankee. \n\nSo you a g'damn Yankee? 

&gt;solipsism has no evidence behind, and can thus be dismissed without any.\n\nThis is what I am looking for a justification for, that for something to be "believed in", it requires evidence.\nThanks for your comments though, I generally agree with what you said in a practical sense, I was looking more for a more in-depth philosophical defense or justification for believing in things. A solipsist would say you can't prove anything other than the fact the you exist (I think, therefore I am), your evidence is not sufficient to prove the rest. \n\nNINJA edit: I see you addressed that it wouldn't matter whether or not solipsism is real or not because the methodology would remain the same either way. I agree, I was just looking for an argument against solipsism.

&gt; Most of that tech was already being explored by Tesla and Brown during the 20s and 30s.\n\nDid you mean Nicola Tesla? This is the first time I've heard someone associated Tesla with UFOs...do you have proof of this?

No, I was just basically saying "remove the log from your own eye, before worrying about the mote in your neighbors eye."\n\nMy position is that dozens, if not hundreds, of scientists from multiple disciplines HAVE investigated paranormal phenomena, and we already have the results of their researches available, and yet HERE we still are, with it mostly seeming to be a subjective phenomena, rather than an objective one, and I, for one, find it galling to have a self proclaimed scientist suddenly popping up and for all intents and purposes saying "Hey fuqqas! I have some time to kill before I go on with my REAL work, so why don't you kiddies throw some of your data at me, and I'll let you know what's what!" Especially using phrases like "Here is your chance to PROVE something," like, as if THAT was all we were waiting for, some benevolent Great White Scientist to FINALLY show us the way.\nHell with that! Some of the best scientists of their age [people like Dr. William Crookes, Isaac Newton, our own Dr Sagan, Einstein, Goedel, Dr William James, Dr. Jacques Vallee, OBVIOUSLY Dr. John Mack and many many others] have already "been there, done that."\n\nDoes that mean no one should ever bother researching these topics again? No, of course not! There is still an awful lot of work/research to be done, but I just don't think the "end all, be all" theory of paranormal research is going to be found by some physicist/hobbyist who is too lazy to even do their own simple research.\n\nAsking for ideas/inspirations is one thing. Acting like someone is going to "finally toss us a bone" is something altogether different, and a bit insulting. [in MY opinion!]\n\n

Or, like this subreddit, that account is a collection of related content...

its bad enough the philosophy is disgusting.  why are we giving them a tv show?

Here's the abstract.  Comments added:\n\n&gt;Current dietary recommendations advise reducing the intake of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but recent findings question the role of SFAs. This expert panel reviewed the evidence and reached the following conclusions: the evidence from epidemiologic, clinical, and mechanistic studies is **consistent in finding that the risk of CHD is reduced when SFAs are replaced with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).** In populations who consume a Western diet, the replacement of 1% of energy from SFAs with PUFAs lowers LDL cholesterol and is likely to produce a reduction in CHD incidence of ≥2–3%. \n\nMost people stop here, I imagine.\n\n&gt;No clear benefit of substituting carbohydrates for SFAs has been shown, although there might be a benefit if the carbohydrate is unrefined and has a low glycemic index. \n\n&gt;**Insufficient evidence exists to judge the effect on CHD risk of replacing SFAs with MUFAs.**\n\nYet we're told olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) is extra heart-healthy, and that SFAs are evil and will kill us.\n\n&gt;No clear association between SFA intake relative to refined carbohydrates and the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes has been shown. The effect of diet on a single biomarker is insufficient evidence to assess CHD risk. The combination of multiple biomarkers and the use of clinical endpoints could help substantiate the effects on CHD. \n\n&gt;Furthermore, the effect of particular foods on CHD cannot be predicted solely by their content of total SFAs because **individual SFAs may have different cardiovascular effects and major SFA food sources contain other constituents that could influence CHD risk.**\n\nWait, there's nuance?  One SFA is not the same as another SFA?  Damn.\n\n&gt;Research is needed to clarify the role of SFAs compared with specific forms of carbohydrates in CHD risk and to compare specific foods with appropriate alternatives. \n\nDoes this, to you, say "Tax all saturated fat to reduce heart disease"?\n\nBy my thinking, Denmark has jumped the gun.  Their efforts, in my opinion, would be better spent on research to determine what foods promote CHD and which do not.\n\nPlease note that the "heart healthy" Mediterranean diet includes regular consumption of nuts.  Nuts are high in saturated fat, and therefore subject to the new tax.

I'm skeptical of the authenticity of some of these quotes, particularly the ones about God. Unfortunately I don't have time to check the sources, but I'd suggest it might be worth doing.

I actually think it's important to confront them.\n\nOne of the biggest problems with the internet is it's so easy to find people who share the same ideas as you, even if those ideas are completely crazy. I think a lot of the anti-vaxxers or other types of conspiracy theorists tend to only read news sites and forums that support their views. It's quite easy for them to never hear a differing opinion (that hasn't been turned into a straw man by their news site of choice).\n\nSo I think it is important to at least show them there are lots of people who disagree with them, even if you can't change their minds.

I would agree except that too many very well documented sightings clearly are of structured craft with lights which are picked up by radar.\n\nCertainly, *some* sightings represent atmospheric phenomenon.\n\nI tend to think that a government has "stumbled" on some fantastic technology and they ain't sharing.  This technology includes defeating gravity and canceling (or at least heavily dampening) inertial forces.

I think a better plot for this story would go something like this:  We finally find a way to communicate with aliens using HARRP as Dr Sal suggest, but every time we use HARRP to communicate WE end up causing the magnetic reversal!  When we finally decode the messages from our alien friends, it reads:  STOP SENDING US MESSAGES, YOU ARE FUCKING UP YOUR PLANET. 

Thank you, it scares me people would rather pay money and go through a lengthy process potentially involving drugs that could affect development, instead of just talking to their children and perhaps having a little faith.

A Tree Octopus? Now that's [just silly](http://www.treelobsters.com). \n\nI have to wonder, though, how many of the students really bought into it and how many were just playing along with the joke.

Don't know, but it sounds like he went on the Jack Lelanne diet.

A weather balloon with tentacles.\n\nI like the word tentacles, unfortunately it's not a word I can use often, and here is a great opportunity to use it.

He is also one of the few researchers of his kind who actually said that, in the end, it could all be bullshit (though I don't think he believed it).

I tend to think in risk versus reward, and plausibility in the absence of evidence, but what can be claimed without evidence can be dismissed just as easily. But I can accept that the USA may one day "fall", as nations and empires have fallen before, and economic powers can ebb and flow. 

Here is the video "Secret Swami" by BBC http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3767740320034777862#

The odds are that they do.\n\nSeriously, the placebo effect is real.

Last time I read about it I thought it was considered a pseudoscience by most psychologists. Sagan says in the demon haunted world that pyschoanalysis is simply rubbish, though he unfortunately doesn't go into the details of why.

As other people have said, this is likely just a combination of her mental issues presenting themselves, along with the brain playing tricks, and some other known self-delusion.\n\nOuija boards will work with one person if they want them to.  Your arm/hands constantly twitch and move even while at rest, this coupled with her wanting it to move easily explains why she got reponses.  As someone else said, blindfold her and ask her to reproduce it.\n\nAs for the man her mother and her both had seen, another redditor pointed out the strange face in the mirror illusion which could cause the problem.  Plenty of people 'see' people in the dark until they investigate and find its just a coat/the way the shadows fell/a trick of the eyes.  A mentally stable person will see these, but add in some psychological issues and a conformation biased to wanting to see something, and you'll definitly see things.  Likely her mom has either heard her talking about it, or its just happen stance that she also mentioned her mind playing a trick on her.\n\nAs for the head being pushed into a table, none of us were there so we can't say exactly what happened, but a large muscle spasm or motor 'tic' that went far beyond its norm. He could have dozed off and his head hit the desk, he could have blacked out for some reason and fell.  There are to many things that are possible for us to get any idea what happened, but its something that can be perfectly explained in nature through a varity of means.\n\nI am not really presenting much information that other people have not already said, but I hope getting everything together in one place has helped you to help your friend.\n\nRegardless of what you believe, your friend should seek help.  She definitly thinks something is following her, and this can lead her to hurting herself or others.  Urge her to seek the help she needs.\n\n 

How about an unfertilized chicken embryo freshly out of a hen vagina?

interesting, a bat would make more sense than a bug because of the eyes. except the eyes don't necessarily give off light, they just reflect it, no?

hey hippy and hipster are not interchangeable terms!\n\nsigned hippy. :D (not self defined...my kids friends defined...but wear it proudly)\n\nedited to add after viewing link...oh pah-leeze this is yuppie crap no self respecting hippie/hipster would waste their money on this chit. (grew up with farm animals and worked in a pet store...i have an extraordinary bullshit detector)

It's basically a detailing of the salient portions of various cases showing that at least 30% or more of the sightings that the military report are not terrestrially explained.  It goes on to give examples of various cases.

You mean that pregnancy sickness isn't the unconscious desire of the mother to vomit up her unborn child?!

Why don't you have like a bajillion upvotes for this brilliance?

Chemotherapy also kills a lot of people before the cancer can.  It's a terrible treatment, and sure it's the best we've got right now.\n\nI never said anything close to "dont go to your doctor, take hemp oil if you get cancer."  I want legitimate research done on it and the laws restricting that research to be eliminated.

This is the most knowledgeable comment so far and should be at the top.

Astronomy is also good because you can make basically all the same observations as the first 2 or 3 thousand years of human astronomers did from your backyard. You can see the phases of venus, rings of saturn, moons of jupiter, globular clusters, and even other galaxies with nothing more than a $30 pair of binoculars and some good dark.

Very true. Also, in the case of the HPV vaccines on the market, this can't happen - they use recombinant virus-like particles instead of actual viruses, meaning they can't be infectious, like the live (but weakened) viruses in the MMR vaccine :)

Neither, she was more curious than anything, I just told her it was bs and she said she read it on a blog that had no reason to lie because they weren't making money on it. I told her some people believe in it and its fake. The initial burst of laughter made her give me "the face" though.

No, it's called simple reading comprehension. You said that Japan and China could be illusions, now you either are a solipsist who thinks that the logic you used can be applied to everything, or you don't think that everything could just be an illusion in which case you have cognitive dissonance because your applying logic to one thing and not another.

The hunt for Bin Laden funded Bush's war machine, making some people very rich.

I had him draw it twice, both times he drew a crude circle (in red) and scribbled dense lines beneath it (in yellow). I asked him if the airplane was red, and he still said that it was white. \n\nThe only remarkable thing about his drawing was how minimal it was - just a circle and a cluster of lines beneath. This is remarkable b/c typically his drawings get much more busy looking. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Select_Committee_on_Assassinations\n\nThere is *some* legitimate evidence that there were 4 gunshots and 2 shooters. And many eyewitness accounts (for what they're worth) claim that there were 4 shots, and many said that they heard shots from the grassy knoll. And there have been questions over the possibility of a single bullet going through Kennedy's neck and then the Governor (called the magic bullet theory by some).\n\nThis is a conspiracy freaks dream, there could have been another shooter, and we don't know who that shooter was. It could be a KGB agent, it could be the CIA, it could be a Rothschild agent, it could be aliens, whoever your boogeyman of choice is. 

i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ghost hunters is faked (with the exception of the first season) while ghost advenutres' evidence (though the "lockdowns" are in fact filmed over several nights) is 100% real believe it or not. my mother is a friend of both groups and has toured with them. 

I know it sucks that this is busted, but I still find it really cool that the ISS can be viewed that clearly during sunset. Now I'm just awed at the video because it's the ISS!

While I applaud your last statement, your sales of magic were encouraging and legitimizing your customers' belief in the supernatural.  Don't you think you're just trying to rationalize immoral actions by using the "everybody else is doing it" fallacy?

Good point. These posters present a statement rather than actually informing the reader. In their defense though they have to potential to start conversations between groups of people who see them. It happened to me at least, a friend of mine was skeptical towards vaccines and big pharma in general and when she commented on those posters I explained her about Wakeman and the whooping cough epidemic which seemed to change her mind.

Im not so sure about the Bohemian Grove. The drunken, piss in the woods stuff? Sure, I can see that. The "Cremation of Care" and rituals speak of an organized shift in worldview and understanding.

I read that, and looked at the link for evolution and atheist parodies.  All I have to say is conservatives *really* aren't funny.  Entire pages about fat jokes and machismo, and atheist "nerds".

The biggest bombshell for me here is that NASA just admitted to chasing UFO's, many, many, many times over the years and never being able to 'pinpoint' them. \n\nThis is actually a pretty incredible statement. 

Scumbag GE,just trying to reduce long term costs. Pay the "faith healers" now, If it is psycho semantic the person will get better for cheaper. If the disease is serious, the early death will reduce long term care costs.

Of course, and that's the hypothesis I use as well when my keys seem to have vanished. But that's no reason to ignore it, especially when you're a self-proclaimed champion of reason and objectivity.

Actually the world health organization and the CDC recommend breast feeding exclusively until 6 months and breastfeeding in addition to solid foods until at least 2 years of age or longer. See http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/faq/index.htm and http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding_recommendation/en/index.html I have never seen a study stating that breastfeeding should be curtailed at 12 or 18 months.

I knew she was going to reject the challenge.  I must be psychic!

I don't know all the facts and neither do you. I do know that some of the arguments being thrown around like conspiring to keep others out are most likely bs. Other things that came out in the emails are that some of these researchers may be assholes and many arguments found in those emails are being thrown out of context (such as "dodging FOI requests" and "hiding rates of decline"). \n\n&gt;And like clockwork, the AGW crowd's response is "well, it doesn't change the fact that scientists around the world, and studies every month and bla bla bla," without addressing the obvious issue of "why was this going on at CRU?"\n\nYeah, because the question is whether humans play a role in climate change or not. It's the science that's ACTUALLY IMPORTANT in determining the truth value of claims. Personally, I didn't see any example of obvious intentional data fudging or anything that will make me deny the efforts of thousands of researchers working independently and collaboratively to build on a body of knowledge. Maybe you can shed some light.\n\n&gt; What possible motivation was there to undermine their life's work?\n\nI don't know. As i said, many of the things are just people being people..bitchy and protective of their prized research/data. \n\n&gt;Like I said, I don't care what any rigged goofball panels conclude after one day of testimony. I can read.\n\nAll you're doing is speculating on the reasoning behind some shady emails. That's not evidence for anything either for or against AGW. That's why i keep harping on the actual research, because that is way more verifiable. If there's evidence of breaches in academic integrity in the research then we should investigate it.

And that someone has thought that maybe abductions stories can be just glitches ? What is the difference besides the explanation name some people could do ?\n\nEdit: I would even say, who says even paranormal stories are not just glitches (or glitch related) ?

&gt;You've gotten this idea that "if it has an embarrassing element then it probably is true".\n\nIt's not my idea.  It's the the idea of critical historians. If you don't like it, take it up with the people who dedicate their lives to studying history.\n\nAnd you are misrepresenting the criterion. I'm not saying "if it has an embarrassing element then it probably is true."  That's clearly false.  I'm trying to educate you in  a simple principle all mainstream historians hold to. That is, if an account is embarrassing the person who produced the document, it is probably true, because people tend to avoid making fictional accounts of things that are embarrassing to them or their cause.\n\n&gt; If you don't understand why that's illogical then I guess we're done here.\n\nNo, I understand your misrepresentation of the criterion of embarrassment is illogical.  That's why me nor any respectable historian holds to it.  \n\nI mean really, this is the same kind of misrepresentation that creationists employ when they say "Evolution says that everything was created by random chance!"\n\n&gt;I suppose I could point to movies where something embarrassing happens to the protagonist and ask if that means that said incident most likely happened.\n\nThis leads into a discussion of "genre" when historical documents are examined by historians.  "Fictional Film" and "Greco Roman Biography" are different genres. Fictional Films don't purport to present real things that happened to real people. "Greco Roman Biographies" do. But how do we tell whether or not those things ACTUALLLY happened? Well, to do that, we will have to employ a list of historical criteria, such as the criterion of multiple attestation , the criterion of enemy attestation, the criterion of embarrassmen, etc.\n\nIf I didn't know any better, I'd think you're experience in studying the historical method is very limited.

I just don't understand how that defies modern science.\n\n&gt; According to the Guinness Book of Records the longest time a human has survived without water is 18 days.\n\nImpressive, yes, but surely 96 hours doesn't spell certain death?

Project Camelot is what makes serious UFO researchers look bad. Camelot has been pushing this 'Dulce' story for some time now. Personally, there is just no solid evidence of it. 

It's yet another piece if nonsense that relies on perverting the concept of resonance. Everything does indeed have a fixed frequency at which is most easily vibrates, but the hippies and cranks jump on this and say that it can be used for healing and other such nonsense. If you did want to figure out the frequency that best vibrated your penis, you'd have to know its mass and most importantly it's rigidity. Assuming a model of a flexible rod with a weighted tip (appropriate, no?) we could use the formula f=1/2pi x sqrt(k/m) where k=the rigidity of your old chap and m=the weight of your bell end in grams divided by 386.1.\n\nConsidering that the aim of your frequency is to provide "penile excitement" we can assume that the hypothetical pork sword has an almost negligible rigidity as it is flaccid and bends under its own weight.\n\nIf the average penis weighs 57 grams whilst flaccid, and if we assume k to be between 1 and 0.1 then the resonant frequency of the average male penis is somewhere in the range of 0.131-0.413Hz.\n\nAs humans cant hear below 20hz, his assertion that he makes music at the "penile stimulation frequency" is bollocks.\n\nEven if the frequency was within the audible range, once the penis becomes excited as we all know its rigidity is prone to change rather quickly, leading to a change in its resonant frequency. Without a sophisticated feedback system it would be nigh on impossible to account for this, and the concert would simply consist of all the average joes getting a hardon then leaving out of boredom with decidedly blue balls.\n\nTL:DR this guy is just yanking your cock.

I think the main reason anti-vaxers are around is that they never saw an outbreak of smallpox, polio or the like.\n\nThey see us getting injections when everyone seems healthy and are left scratching their heads while the paranoid and ignorant begin to preach to them.\n\nI think education is better than strong arm government policies but in the short term I would like to see any parent whos child contracts a disease they should have been vaccinated for charged with negligence and public endangerment.

a rational discussion about what?  how a magical bracelet is going to make you better at sports?  what is their to debunk here?  what is there to discuss?  i mean honestly.  you want an discussion about it?  go ahead, start, say your piece.\n \ni never said i was smarter than anyone, not once.  but to be honest, you can call it what you want, but i am 100% confident that i am starter than the 2.5 million people dumb enough to buy one of those bracelets thinking it was anything more than a fashion accessory.  and im also 100% confident that coddling these people and giving them refunds isnt going to help them realize they are going to get ripped off when it happens.  its only going to make them feel like there is a safety net made of lawsuits to catch them every time they slip.  that doesnt help them, or the rest of society.

Why would they have any desire to slum with us, we beam out our TV for free.

This.  These food are high carbohydrate foods. Carbohydrates are processed as sugars.  Sugars provide the energy our body needs to do stuff.  Eating too much high carbohydrate food causes an overabundance of fat storage, which leads to obesity.  Overweight people have a much higher risk of developing Type II diabetes.\n\n[Here](http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/diabetes/#.UC52b91lQf5) is a nicely sourced page that talks about it.

It's not contending that fact. It's stating the type of human diploid cell.\n\n**Food for thought, jacrough**: Retroviruses that contain two copies of their RNA genome in each viral particle are also said to be diploid. **Examples include human foamy virus, human T-lymphotropic virus, and HIV.**

M\\*A\\*S\\*H was a good show.  Better than the various "Nostradamus has solved the Alien Hitler code" programs.

This happens to me a lot. And I don't think it can be explained with simple psychology because the sincronicities go beyond any possible explanation. At least the ones I have are like so weird and rare that all I take from these experiences is that our mind has extreme power beyond what we can comprehend and that our thoughts are steering us into different Parrallel universes as if our thoughts are the key to unlocking some. Of course this is my theory but imagine each thought you have , which are thousands every minute, are steering us through infinite possibilites and parrallel universes and those tings you witnesed are like evidences.

Ever hear of occam's razor?\n\nIs it more likely that a real estate investor was let in on the biggest secret in history and was so confident about pulling it off that he admits to it on live TV or that Silverstein knew no more about the attacks than you or I did?

Thankfully the internet is so big that i have never come across this guy before. \n\nHere is hoping it gets even bigger.

That's not how you link to a specific tweet. Also, save this circlejerking over every little problem with tebow for /r/atheism and /r/nfl. Skeptical and condescending are two different things.

You are just along for the ride.  Stay in your backseat or make a place for yourself on C2CAM, 'cause that will be the pinnacle of *your* research career, sirrah.

Sounds like he's been listening to [Robert O. Young](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_O._Young), Orpah's favourite cancer quack and disciple of Robert "laetrile" Bradford.

I take full responsibility for and vouch for the non-charlatanism of this recording. I do have a witness, a fellow redditor, who was there as well.\n\nI originally posted it in [this](http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/152k4f/hey_reddit_what_are_your_views_on_the_paranormal) thread, but on watching it again it's so creepy I had to bring it over here.

it has omegas in the same ratio our body uses. It is cool, and it is nutritious but it isnt that cool. And I have never really liked the taste of them. you birds will love them and most good bird seed has sterilized hemp seed in it.\n\n

My dad said that he once asked our Punjabi neighbour about the significance of the turbans. According to the neighbour, it's to honour a historical warrior who wore his hair long and wrapped it up over his head during  battle, and was once saved from what otherwise would have been a deadly blow to the head by it.

the wave pattern of quantum particles. edit: you mentioned it in your next comment, nvm!

&gt; The "Dr. Oz Show's" apple juice alert may be fruitless\n\nHa.

I'm amusing myself. I'm not actually the slightest bit concerned about what he's saying. It was mostly just an excuse to look up what the average temp in Philly was for yesterday.

Yeah it's a good question I dunno.  My anecdotal experience is that but of course my anecdotal experience isn't science.  Skepticism certainly cannot admit modern conservatism, with its obsession with religiosity and general ignorance of science.  Perhaps it can admit a certain kind of libertarianism but libertarians are often forced to deny climate science and other environmental issues to make their ideology stick.\n\nI guess it would have to be some kind of liberalism but not exactly mainstream liberalism, which occasionally shits on science and reason itself.\n\nI suspect the perceived connection between skepticism and libertarianism comes from the fact that the demographic for libertarianism includes lots of 20 and 30-something STEM types, who have excellent education in logic and reason - enough to be "skeptics" - but weaker backgrounds in the humanities, which perhaps is what leads to what I consider simplistic politics.  Just a hypothesis.

&gt; because you would rather people suffer and know the truth than believe a lie and experience some alleviation of symptoms?\n\nWould you give people a harmful drug for the sake of a minor reduction of pain? If not, then why would you give them a harmful belief for the same measly price?

&gt;However, the book is thick and filled with difficult explanations and science.\n\nHuh, 448 pages, it's a fair bit larger than Bad Science was. Hope I'll be able to get it here in China before long, unfortunately I'll probably need to wait for the American version.\n\n&gt;"chinese people have been using it for a thousand years"\n\nMy (Chinese) wife's cousin is studying to be a doctor here in China. Called me the other day, said he was stuck in a lecture about traditional medicine and seemed to think it was all very stupid. I really should take the time to go along to his university and talk with the students there who can speak a bit of English, discuss trial methodology and the evidence for Chinese 'medicine'.

Oh, I see. It was these characters who ticked *all* the boxes concerning the moon landing, princess Diana, etc. And (excluding Monckton) they appear to confine their activities to ~~kook-magnet~~ 'pro-consensus' blogs.

I have wrestled with that, but I do believe certain things you can believe there to be "more than what is there." \n\nFor example, with moon landing hoax theory or illuminati, or NWO, or 9/11conspiracies, 2012worldend, I think they are all absolutely false and created to sell books/DVDs.\n\nHowever, other things such as UFOs do have some evidence. Which seems to be that, either we don't understand everything about our world (perhaps light is not understood as well as we think, and we keep seeing magnetic lights in the air and mistaking them for aliens). I do think **there is more to the story there.**\n\nThen there are others like Kennedy's assassination, which is, yeah there could be something hidden, but I definitely believe it was lee harvey. His motivations may have been different, and I don't think any brainwashing was involved. Considering the fact that Lyndon B. Johnson continued with all of Kennedy's policies (including the Vietnam War), a conspiracy is unlikely. Multiple shooters idea is dismissed based on 3d-bullet-modelling evidence, including the video evidence. 

But here's the thing... you just fucking compared me getting abused by a woman to me getting called cracker by a black man. You kind of lost all possible credibility there.\n\nThe concept of privilege as it's used by the modern feminist movement is inherently flawed... it presupposes that the only system that matters is the larger one. Here's a good example. A white kid ends up living in one of the many almost exclusively black areas in America. He lives there his entire life. Is he benefiting from white privilege?  He isn't in a world where he has power due to his skin colour. He is living in a world where his skin colour actually works against him in most situations. Now, he still has some aspects of privilege that work in his favour, for example he is less likely to be harassed by the police, but the police are only one form of authority in most impoverished inner city neighbourhoods. Often not the strongest overall, and usually not the most immediate. It's still America, and if that kid had lived outside of that neighbourhood he would have had privilege that the residents don't have... but that doesn't really matter, because he never had that privilege personally. Get it yet? If not, not sure if there is any way for me to explain it that will make sense... you would just have to experience to understand.

I am in the Cincinnati area (hence the username) - have you been to The Oxford Light near Miami U?  I'm on my cell phone so posting links is kind of difficult but Youtube "The Oxford Light" and check it out.  Ive seen it in person and i know there has to be a rational explanation for it but its really cool to see...

Most people who see these types of news reports don't think that this is being done countrywide. They think this is being done occasionally over different major cities.\n\nI'm not saying I believe in this, just pointing out that your argument isn't going to convince the average Joe that watches these news reports. Your argument only targets the major conspiracy theorists.

Good lord, get over yourself, notmetalenough. Someone said it "seems like a recent trend," someone else replied, "No, abstinence is not a recent trend;... etc" Your reply simply does not follow.

If you have said *Spiritual Councilors* I'd be more inclined to agree (reluctantly). Faith healers are shysters, so no. They have no place in a rational world.

It's a contrail. To examine the anomaly, we'd have to know when and where it was taken, the events leading up to the photograph being taken, observations by observer, and so on.\n\nBut it looks just like a fairly ordinary contrail, albeit in a less usual shape. 

I really hope he can keep those wankers out. How funny would it be watching people who genuinely believe this crap absolutely shitting themselves?

I apologize, but I do feel as if you have a message for me.  You may not know it's for me.

For myself the book [What Is This Thing Called Science?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_This_Thing_Called_Science%3F) an introductory look at the philosophy of science really helped to sharpen my mind further after reading Sagan's book mentioned above. It presents some models of science that have been presented, and then looks at criticisms of them. One that I remember well is the criticism of naive falsification. It is too simplistic to say that just one observation is needed to falsify a theory. When astronomers noticed a problem with the orbit of one of the planets, they didn't just toss out Einstein's theory of gravity, rather they held on to that and instead explained the anomaly as being caused by what was then an undiscovered planet (I forget which planets exactly).\n\nAfter that, Dawkin's book [The Blind Watchmaker](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Watchmaker) really helped me to understand how evolution can build complex things such as the eye. Having been educated as a creationist this book has really helped me to understand evolution and how it applies to us.\n\nMore recently Steven Pinker's book [The Language Instinct](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Language_Instinct) has really given me a great understanding of language and the underlying mental processes. This with Steven's great eclecticism, bringing together evolution, computer science, psychology and neuroscience is well worth reading, though does require it an understanding of evolution and how computers carry out reasoning (which I think has lead to many people not understanding what he has to say and why he criticises many popular notions).

If you have a lot of context to communicate, use a self.post with an embedded link.

You don't seem to be picking up on the fact that the discussion is not about any doubt on children's natural propensity to be dirty, which is pretty much truth set in stone, as my own children and their friends never fail to remind me by personal example every day.

I think the root of the problem is that Deepak refuses to accept the fact that our universe is physical. He assumes that true reality is metaphysical. And his only proof that there is something beyond our physical world, is the "observer effect" happening at the quantum level.\n\n&gt;There is at bottom no strictly mechanistic, physical foundation for the cosmos. The situation is far more radical than most practicing scientists suppose. Whatever is the fundamental source of creation, it itself must be uncreated. Otherwise, there is a hidden creator lying in the background, and then we must ask who or what created that. 

*"You ever see the back of a $20 bill, on **weed, man**?"*\n\n*"Oh, there's some crazy shit, man. There's a dude in the bushes. Has he got a gun? I dunno! **RED TEAM GO, RED TEAM GO**."*

Not placebo controlled, not double blinded nor well blinded, includes "healing" time in the testing phase which will skew the numbers in favour of the circumcision group. Study was not completed, making the healing period significant in itself. According to [this](http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Circumcision/Pages/Recovery.aspx) up to a 4-6 weeks recovery period. With the testing phase being only 9 months, some portion of the reduction can be attributed to this alone.\nSimilarly, the groups were permitted to self-select to a degree, with some being strongly motivated to join the intervention group and being permitted to do so. Such motivation is likely to affect behaviour positively in favour of safe sexual practices such as condoms.\n\n&gt;A specific survey was implemented after the end of the recruiting period in order to assess the satisfaction of the results of the randomization. Of the participants, 65.3% said they were happy. However, the results also showed that a limited number of participants (7.5%), strongly unhappy with their group of randomization, were allocated and recorded in the other group. \n\nThe problems with this study render it difficult to accept.

I don't really see how the submitted article is crap.\n\nPerhaps it depends who is reading it, but as a skeptic to me it was pointing out that there is a serious lack of skepticism in medical research. That trials are do not properly control for important factors and other such stuff.\n\nThe article ended by saying that some scientists are worried about letting the public know about the problems because they might turn to quack remedies like homeopathy. So the article wasn't promoting alternative medicine.\n\nPerhaps the blog author has more familiarity with the journalist though, but based just on that article I didn't have a problem with it. You do perhaps have to read it carefully though and have a bunch of background knowledge about how science works, which I guess much of the public doesn't.

I guess it depends on the strength of the placebo compared to the severity of your hypochondria. 

When Isay things like that and get upset, I can't help but laugh hysterically and take any asshole-of-the-party title that gets thrown my way. Being an asshole isn't a bad thing.

You were doing well until you got to this:\n\n&gt;I like when rebecca shuts the fuck up because she ruined the SGTTU podcast.\n\n

We've been watching these at work and trading laughs.  The whole series is ridiculous.  It's like a giant bait and switch ("science is interesting, therefore also crazy stuff!") and woo-storm.  Some people at work can't make it through a whole episode without getting angry.

It doubt that the Chinese will suddenly throw away overnight all their heavy-polluting old technology - so more likely it will be a very slow process over many-many years - not unlike what we have seen in the western world from the 70s to the 80s with the result of the huge 'jump' in temperature in the 90s - but of course that the retards will still find some way to say it is not happening ...

Yeah, I'd have to agree. I read this subreddit skeptically and this is pretty sketchy.

Inevitably becomes a victim? I whole-heatedly disagree. In human history, hell yes, that's a reoccurring pattern.\n\nBut in the (possible) entire existence of sentient beings? We can't even begin to speculate.

The official position of the Catholic church is currently that God created the universe via means of a big bang, and that he created humans via evolution (although they maintain that he began manually inserting souls into humans at some point in the last 10000 years or so).  So yes, the church accepts modern cosmology and biology, at least on paper.

That x60 zoom and good optics isn't doing shit to show us what it's pointed at.

How old are you? It's a documented phenomenon that as we age the. Frequencies we pick up change, which is why some places have even implemented "youth repellent" sonic devices that adolescents find annoying but is unheard by older people.  

That's not too bad, a mutation occurs in a single cell, but cancer only develops if these abnormal cells aren't killed off too soon. It's the role of the immune system and one theory goes, we get more cancers as we age because mutations pile up and the immune system is less and less good at finding and destroying said cells.\n\nEven more disturbing is though, when autopsies are conducted, you routinely find cancerous tumors. This means that many people who are never diagnosed with these tumors were absolutely not bothered by a cancerous growth, probably because it developed too slow. What this implies for diagnostics is huge.

Thanks. What you wrote seems to fit, its just that in the article that paragraph felt like it came out of nowhere.

Why is it a devolution? Words only purpose is to carry meaning,if you can do it faster why not?\n\n\n

Investing in a small pocket recorded might work too, as you walk around you could ask question in different parts of the building. I really want u to find something!

I've been quasi-following your commentary on this subreddit. Not religiously, just a bit. It's always pithy and cryptic (but not THAT cryptic.) Your third entity complex is really creepy.

&gt; UFO turns out to be the ISS.\n\nHe didn't know what the unidentified flying object was, so technically speaking, it was in fact an UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) as far as he was concerned. Also, it's just speculation that it was the ISS.\n\n*edit: Downvoting is for spam, not opinions.*

If you're talking about the 'modern' grey started by Betty and Barney Hill, Close Encounters of the Third Kind were the likely first depiction of them on the big screen.

Good Guy Dad: Teaches critical thinking by exposing you to bullshit ideas.

&gt;I hope that Dr. Mehmet Oz, who featured the rat study on his popular television show, will tell his viewers about the French academies’ statement. In his related blog post, he implied that only “scientists who are in support of genetically modified foods” say the research is flawed. **In fact, it’s scientists who support the scientific method who are challenging this work and the hype around it.**

I need a high quality audio recorder then, this was around 3pm in the day, I'm sure I can get a clear voice.\n\nAlso, the audio was getting louder and louder, the reason it stopped was because I got out of that position, I'm convinced I can record any other EVP at will now.

And I'm not at all dissing on actors. Some of my best friends are actors ;) I was just saying that it's not a *requirement* for success. No need to get offended. I was implying that she's into woo isn't really "shocking," or even really newsworthy.

One semi-legit reason people may still use psychoanalysis for therapy, is that it seems to work all right for conditions like anxiety and depression. Example: \n\nhttp://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?Volume=166&amp;page=875&amp;journalID=13\n\nHowever, it is completely useless for conditions like schizophrenia. Its success for less severe conditions likely has nothing to do with which psychoanalytic theory itself (which is unscientific bullshit), but with the quality of the therapeutic relationship - you often end up with a very strong alliance between therapist and patient in psychoanalysis, and that's been shown to be one of the most important factors in successful   psychotherapy. \n\n(And for my bullshit, uninformed answer - I also think people keep it going because they like the false sense of understanding it gives both patient and therapist.)

It's strange that you think everyone would/should agree that these are necessarily worthy goals.  Perhaps "I don't know" is the pussy way of saying "I don't care if people outside my monkeysphere die."  

I just depends on how much money the owner is willing to pay.  Most just want to spend the least they can which results in that really low resolution you see all the time in America's most wanted. 

I'm not an expert, but I'll give you what I know and a few sources for my information where I have it (anything unsourced you can safely disregard if better information arrives)\n\nFirst of all, are you worried the plastic wrap will melt? If that's the case I think you're in the clear, I highly doubt any of that will melt through contact with the microwave radiation any sooner than any other plastic microwave safe item will melt. Malleability (or stiffness/thickness for that matter) isn't the reason that plastics bowls don't melt in the microwave, the reason is they aren't effectively vibrated by the radiation. Don't take my experience or pseudo-knowledge for granted on this one, take some paper towels, and microwave a wad of plastic wrap for some amount of time you feel reasonable and see.\n\nThe other potential worry would be the chemicals, this is a bit grayer of an area. Certainly there is a bunch of unnecessary fear of "chemicals" in the world today (highlighted effectively by the joke scares of dihydrogenmonoxide). On the other hand certain artificial chemicals are dangerous and should be kept away from food products (microwaving certain Styrofoam containers comes to mind). My general approach to reading about this sort of subject is to keep dial up the skepticism proportional to the scariness of the headline. Find original studies if possible, governmental or academic if the first fails, and be highly skeptical of mainstream coverage (the "new" cellphone cancer information is a great example of the reason for this). With this in mind here's what I found.\n\n&gt;Containers &amp; Wraps\n&gt;Only use cookware that is specially manufactured for use in the microwave oven. Glass, ceramic containers, and all plastics should be labeled for microwave oven use.\n&gt;\n&gt;Plastic storage containers such as margarine tubs, take-out containers, whipped topping bowls, and other one-time use containers should not be used in microwave ovens. These containers can warp or melt, possibly causing harmful chemicals to migrate into the food.\n&gt;\n&gt;Microwave plastic wraps, wax paper, cooking bags, parchment paper, and white microwave-safe paper towels should be safe to use. Do not let plastic wrap touch foods during microwaving.\n&gt;\n&gt;Never use thin plastic storage bags, brown paper or plastic grocery bags, newspapers, or aluminum foil in the microwave oven.\n&gt;\n\nThis is from the [USDA](http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/cooking_safely_in_the_microwave/index.asp) which falls under tier three of my system. I consider USDA a good source, especially when it concerning topics for which its not heavily lobbied (corn and meat come to mind).\n\n&gt;The bottom line\n&gt;\n&gt;Here are some things to keep in mind when using the microwave:\n&gt;\n&gt;Most takeout containers, water bottles, and plastic tubs or jars made to hold margarine, yogurt, whipped topping, and foods such as cream cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard are not microwave-safe.\n&gt;Microwavable takeout dinner trays are formulated for one-time use only and will say so on the package.\n&gt;Don’t microwave plastic storage bags or plastic bags from the grocery store.\n&gt;Before microwaving food, be sure to vent the container: Leave the lid ajar, or lift the edge of the cover.\n&gt;Don’t allow plastic wrap to touch food during microwaving because it may melt. Wax paper, kitchen parchment paper, or white paper towels are alternatives.\n&gt;If you’re concerned about plastic wraps or containers in the microwave, transfer food to glass or ceramic containers labeled for microwave oven use.\n\nThis comes from [Harvard](http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0706a.shtml), which would be Tier 2 for me. the information is very similar, and I suspect it used similar sources as the USDA. Barring conspiracy theories it is an independent source from the government as well. \n\nI wasn't able to find any original studies easily to analyze, but I didn't look that long. I feel comfortable with the sources I found, and wouldn't hesitate to follow their suggestion (its safe, avoid touching the food). If you want to investigate further by all means, If you're uncomfortable with academic articles I know I'd be happy to walk you through one if you found the source for me, I'm sure there are many others who would as well. For disclosure, my specialty is in statistics not chemistry, but that gives me a fairly good structure to get a good grasp on most articles, but I'll let you know if something is above my head. Hope this helps!

&gt; I had a woman tell me last week that everything, including consciousness, is merely atoms vibrating at different frequencies.\n\nWell technically she's right. Everything in the universe is made of atoms and their constituent parts, and their interactions create everything from new stars to self-awareness and abstract thought. These atoms do indeed vibrate because they're not at absolute zero and undergo reactions at different temperatures, changing their motion.\n\nBut that's sort of like saying that everything around us contains chemicals and leaving it at that. It's just an infinitesimal part of the story.

Once daily? Amateur. I used to masturbate at least twice a day, four or five times in a day wasn't uncommon.

What's really scary is that most politicians aren't corrupt. They are actually trying to make the best decisions they can. There are some flaws in the system, election funding for one, that cause such widespread problems that small errors get compounded over time and actually fixing problems become impossible. It really is so messed up that people trying their best turns into doing the bidding of corporations.\n\nIf we want to actually save this country, dismissing people as over the line into evil won't help. Bush actually thought those cuts would help. Let's look at how people who misunderstand economics make decisions and those who do are marginalized, and it doesn't take a conspiracy of people consciously trying to fuck things up for it to happen.\n\nIf you want to see the wealth of the nation put to better use, educate yourself with things like this. Fixing it will be slow, complicated, and require people able to see shades of grey, not the black and white of dismissing people as corrupt.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akVL7QY0S8A

&gt; Warning: Magic is special when you do not know how it is done, but \n&gt; once you learn the trick, it becomes little more than banal.\n\nI'm often amazed that people say things like this.  Learning how tricks are done absolutely make them more interesting, not less!\n\nHow can you possibly look at the truth behind these extremely clever tricks and not say to yourself "Wow! That's really cool!"?\n\nWho are these strange people who have tricks revealed to them only to say "Meh... now that I know how it's done, it's banal!"

This test is complete BS . \n\n1.  Different varietals taste different.  A Pinot Gris is fundamentally different tasting than a Syrah.\n\n2.  If a person is given a wine and asked to describe it, then they describe it.  It isn't like people go around coloring white wine.\n\n\n \n

are you claiming that cough syrup doesn't work?  maybe people use cannabis for the same reason they use cough syrup, because it works...

Point taken, but produce *can* be non-GMO without being organic.\n\nHowever, I think most of your reasoning could have been (and likely was) used to argue against ingredient labeling of foods. Want to know what ingredients are in your food? Why don't you just ask your grocer?

Elementary Homeopathy. Figure out what science and common sense would recommend: then do the opposite.

That's cool. wanted to know if there was actual proof or just we gotta take your word.

Sure, but we are very close to chimps, so close it may be possible to breed with them.  We can certainly learn things from studying them, including [medical advancements.](https://www.emory.edu/EMORY_REPORT/erarchive/2006/October/October%2023/chimpanzees.htm)  Again, I'm just unclear what point you're trying to make.

That's an awfully carefully stacked house of cards you have there. Bald assertion stacked on anti-capitalist rhetoric stacked on bald assertion.\n\nHow about the company just pays the government and the government's goons enforce their will? Notice that corporations don't donate a whole lot of money to libertarians with the exception of a few interest groups. Have you ever wondered why that is?\n\nIt's in everyone's best interests to establish a society of free association, rather than one of forced servitude and association like we have now. Corporations couldn't possibly control you more than they do now, short of literal slavery. And just because the road might be hard it doesn't mean we should throw away everyone's freedom.

Well it's kind of a pet peeve of mine because I see misguided people let their child-like fleeting ideas of morality govern their dogs diet when the dog doesn't care about their inch deep/mile wide noob philosophy of morality. \n\nSure, dogs *can* digest some vegetables, but a purely vegan or vegetarian diet is not the natural diet of a healthy canine with other options. In a pinch it can stave off starvation, but dogs should have meat.

Actually, $1500 is the max that it costs. The David Lynch Foundation uses donations to teach various groups of people for free (e.g. entire school populations, American Indians, veterans with PTSD and their families, prison inmates, etc) and has shown some willingness to provide grants and scholarships to people with financial issues who want to learn. TM instruction takes place over  a period of several hours over a period of 4 days, so if you look at the cost per hour, $1500 seems quite high, though, knowing 39 years ago what I know now, I would have been willing to pay the current fee, even when I was age 18 back in 1973 and only paid $35 to learn.\n\nHowever, TM instruction also includes a free lifetime followup program available at any TM center in the world. From that perspective, $1500 is quite low. Regardless, if you want to learn TM, contact your local TM center and/or the David Lynch Foundation and explain your financial situation.

I'm not saying that I'm 100% certain it's impossible; just like I don't say that with regard to the existance of gods...\n\nOn the other hand, I don't hold on to hope for the possibility that gods might actually exist, in light of the fact I have no rational reason to believe they do.\n\nAccepting an premise just because it has not proven to be impossible makes you, to some degree, gullible.  Just because humans can now do some things we once thought impossible, doesn't mean that everything we now think to be impossible will some day be achievable.  It might be, but it's not being skeptical to pretend it's at all likely, given the current data.\n

terrible article, it just repeats the unscientific claims and uses the "lunar perigee" lingo to reinforce the rumor, downboat

A true sceptic will harbor an ahthiestic disposition towards any of the currently established religions, but not toward the concept of one or many gods

"85.8% of males work more than 40 hours per week."  \n\nSo?  That statement doesn't mean that 85% of men work absolutely ridiculous hours.  People read a statement like that and envision 85% of men working 70 hour weeks.  In reality, most of this group could be working 41-45 hours a week, which is not at all unreasonable.  To say that most people work more than the "standard" work day is a meaningless statement unless you quantity HOW much more on average.  Most people I know will put in an extra hour here or there, or stay late to work on a Friday to get some weekly stuff done.  Does that make them "workaholics"?  Hardly.

I think OP is admitting that, but saying that healing practices, and touch, are important in people's lives and it is ignorant to say that utilizing them when facing a chronic illness causes harm.

RW didn't really make more out of it either. She asked people to stop doing it. Then the discussion derailed and maybe some of that is her fault, but her first video was really just a simple request to stop being annoying or creepy.

Are you sure your family didn't just misplace the camera while packing?

&gt; how is a planet near a galaxy?\n\nTwo proximal or dual galaxies can have tangential planets which straddle both.  As such, a planet within Galaxy A can still be quite close to Galaxy B.  Not saying this is what was meant or intended by the quote you gave, but the statement itself still not an inconsistent one.\n\n&gt; Everything I've read so far about "galactic history" from other material is from our galaxy mainly.\n\nWell there you go then.  Learn something new every day. :)

Feeling better isn't working. Fixing a disease is working. Morphine makes people feel great, but doesn't stop the heart attack from killing them. \n\nThis is why there are actual criteria in medicine for "works". And no, cracking joints doesn't release endorphins.  \n\nSo much misinformation, I gagged trying to digest it. 

However, those consensus-leaning blogs all get pretty heavy traffic from "skeptical" commenters too. Some of them really do attract the very worst and most deluded, who are blatant case studies in crank magnetism. \n\nMy problem is that the survey was *so* blatantly trying to draw a correlation that no-one in their right mind would have answered it truthfully. Indeed, it was derided at the time for the wording. \n\nWhich, unfortunately, makes it impossible to distinguish between the fakes and the real kooks. McIntyre's argument on that front runs afoul of Poe's law. 

No, I just REALLY don't like needles. It's a childhood trauma thing, I don't expect you to understand.

I would be happier if I didn't live on rice, hotdogs, and multivitamins.

If everyone always applied Hanlon's Razor to conspiracy theory claims there would be a lot less conspiracy theories.

BUT THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY DEPENDS ON IT DON'T YOU SEE MAN jk but seriously it does. 

I've put many long hours into trying to find a way to sell it while also teaching how to avoid it. Oh, to be able to squash that last moral fiber I have.

Jefferson was constantly called an atheist by his political adversaries. He took a razor blade to his copy of the New Testament to remove the “ignorance, absurdity and untruths” held within. He's considered a deist by every reputable historian who has written on the subject, yet some right-wing evangelical can publish this shit. Just like christian music labels, christian publishers are responsible for dumbing down entire generations of American youth who are force-fed their substandard products under the guise of divine virtue, systematically paving the way for the fervent anti-intellectualism that is so popular today.

I enjoy the downvotes. I think they confuse healthy skepticism with malice and snark. It's a rather philosophically dishonest subreddit. 

Hell, compared to other states in the same country it's quite obviously a failure... Or were you being serious?

I have no illusions about it, or concern about imaginary internet points. it was just funny to see them right next to each other. 

But then when it did happen she could say 'see I was right!' and gain some serious cred.

I believe Japan and some other countries governments have de-classified almost all of their information gathered about UFO's.  They have some pretty compelling evidence.  But remember, UFO's =/= Aliens. Unidentified Flying Objects.

My dad, myself, and my three year old see them.I believe there is a hereditary element.   The three year old doesn't talk to anyone in our house, but sometimes when we are out visiting we erik find him off having a conversation with someone.  We can often match his information with history our folklore.  Interesting, but don't know what to think of it.

My guess is a reflection of a mannequin head, like from a store display, inside.

Yes, so I wanted to say that I don't think that's a very strong argument. Losing a young child must be devastating, but having to care for a [severely autistic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPWL5yimhyg) child, for their entire life potentially, would be a whole new kind of heartbreaking. It's such an emotionally volatile subject that I don't think you can use it for a logical argument like that. Not successfully anyway. A better tactic is just sticking to the much more pertinent point: autism has nothing to do with vaccines.

&gt; Not someone that doesn't believe in totality the same governing laws of reality that I do!\n\nSomeone who denies the facts? Yes, one loses respect for someone like that.

It's an interesting point: if something gives someone happiness, even if its proven to be a purely placebo phenomenon, and they keep paying money for it, is it bad? As you said, people spend lots of money on other things to bring them happiness, even things some people would find absurd to spend money on.\n\nI think the difference is the former is based on it being true or not true. I tell you that wearing a crystal on a necklace every day will heal your psoriasis; you do so and it does improve your conditions to some degree because you believe it to. However, down the line something shakes your faith in the crystal, whether it be slowly or suddenly, and the placebo falls away. You will likely feel betrayed, lied to, violated even, and there is no way to easily heal something so damaging.\n\nOn the other hand, if I spend hundreds of dollars on toy models from my favorite show, and down the line my interest in the show wanes or I stop liking it entirely, there is not the same sense of betrayal because my happiness was never contingent on the truth of the toys: I simply like the show, now I don't.

Except with physical therapy, they didn't try to manipulate my spine, which I'm not convinced is good for anyone.  And there's evidence to suggest it can even be dangerous.\n\nhttp://www.self.com/health/2007/04/chiropractors-causing-strokes\n\nhttp://quackfiles.blogspot.com/2006/12/must-see-dangers-of-chiropractic.html\n\nhttp://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/chiroeval.html

I agree. Alternative medicine in general has much in common with religion, and I feel like most people who accept it do so for similar reasons.

Thank you good sir. \nAnother reason why over 'ere (UK) we don't keep seeds for the next year is because we have to pay x amount to the seed grower, for using the variety (www.hgca.com). Add to that storing and treating seed-grain is a pain in the arse. It requires rather expensive machinary, expensive chemicals and is a relatively skilled job. The grain must be matured (this with regards to Oil Seed Rape means harvesting later) and long term consistency is impossible for all but the most specialist of farmers.\n\nI notice how no one brings up spuds as a prime example of cloning/gm. I have been to the Labs in Ireland whereby they developed the rooster variety, and whilst they are not blasting individual cells with gamma radiation and nanites, they do do a hell of a lot of grafting. But to put things in perspective, for every successful variety, over a 1000-10000 other varieties do not make it. It costs about 2-3 million euros to selectively breed and graft an individual spud variety and takes over ten years. There are similar time scales and issues with your standard grain development as well. 

&gt; if you do your research first\n\nThis is the clincher though. Most people just want an over the counter remedy to sort out whatever may be ailing them. They don't want to do research, they just want to get better. So they trust that the products on sale are effective and provide the relief they advertise.

Well deja vu saved my life. Quite a few times. However i wouldn't call it deja vu in the full sense more like premonition per say. \n\nI love to ride my bike. I can't say why, i just do. One time i was in an intersection, about to from the red light as it turned green. Suddenly i felt this pain spike in my left side, everything hand, leg, my head etc. \n\nAs expected i didn't move from the spot which elicited horns of anger from the ones behind me. \n\nTo this day i still have the image burned in my mind. That of a truck plowing through the intersection (left to right from my perspective) hitting a building. \n\nLucky. 

Haters gonna hate, logic just can't trump emotion with some people. 

hmm. The last time *I* checked, that famous line read:  **LIFE**, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's kinda funny how that life thing comes first, ain't it? Amazing forethought those 18th century learned folks had, don't ya think? "Prescient" is a word that comes to mind. 

OK so let's institute Sharia law and keep women segregated from Men who are not their family members so they won't feel uncomfortable.\n\n&gt; Im pretty sure im allowed to feel uncomfortable if I was alone with a stranger who then expressed interest in going out with me.\n\nI am allowed to do a lot of things that would be socially unacceptable. I would be allowed to cuss out someone who asked for direction, or write hateful things on a receipt for a waiter; but socially I would be in the wrong. \n\nAlso the whole reason RD got involved was after she made a Youtube video about the incident people commented that maybe she was over reacting to an innocent request for coffee, and she went the fuck off and started accusing them of being sexist. 

I wish these were real so that life would feel like an old AD&amp;D CRPG.

after this wonderful little video, there came a suggestion to see;\n'Orson Welles toasting Frank'\n\n...where I learned that Welles daughter was the goddaughter of Frank Sinatra.

Well seeing as you have yet to make an actual point*, backup anything you say or refute one of my criticisms...I'd say yes. I've had fun batting you around like a toy. Though it would have been more fun if you could intellectually defend your position...\n\n*Aside from your first post.

I too am an athiest and an engineer and live in your area. I run a local ghost hunting group and am interested in local stories.  I can't really investigate a public street due to all the contamination, though.\n\nCurious -- what does atheism have to do with this?  One can be athiest and believe in spirits.  They are not mutually exclusive.  Believing that there is no divine creator has nothing to do with whether or not living things have a spirit. 

That show was so filled with holes..\n\nDidn't this same one have the "space ships" in it?  That was amazingly horrible logic. 

&gt; Fact 3 - Homeopathy is an evidence-based, empirical medicine.\n\nlol

Hippies\n\nI'm not totally against hippies, and definitely am for medical pot, but I've known a lot of stoners who believe some really weird shit. I also know stoners with PHDs and high powered careers, so also don't think I'm bashing stoners in general. Just the subset that believe every conspiracy theory and alt-med piece of crap out there.

A lot of the necessary testing, which unfortunately isn't being done anywhere to speak of, centers around testing how the GM crop interacts with non-GM crops, allergens accidentally introduced, etc.  \n\nI'm all in favor of GM food, and I'm not even remotly on the side of the would be crop destroyers here.  But the truth is that the companies investing in GM crops have an incentive to kick a product out the door as fast as possible, and an incentive not to test thoroughly.\n\nIt's like atomic power, I'm all in favor in theory.  But I'm not so fond of it in for profit corporate hands.  They see safety as a cost to be slashed for more profits.

&gt; I hate personal arguments, but I find that sometimes in this instance, where things are this emotionally charged, I have to make them. \n\nSo women who are victims of sexual violence, rape threats, harassment, what about them? Do they also get to make things "emotionally charged"? Because that's a big point of contention here, that unless you're Spock and back up every word you say is objective truth, you're not a skeptic and quite possibly a whiny feminist who makes shit up.\n\n&gt; I'm sorry, but your trauma doesn't obligate society to change across the board.\n\nI think it does and I'm going to do what I can to make it happen. If that means having rules of conduct in forums or cons, and kicking people out for breaking them, so be it. I refuse to just let things remain at status quo and accept that this shit happens because I don't have a right to expect people to be decent.\n\n&gt; When you start saying that a woman's right to not deal with her trauma...\n\nAvoiding being harassed or molested again is *not* dealing with it?\n\n&gt; ...they tried to get me to hate black people, I refused to listen to them. \n\nBeing careful and managing risk is not like turning into a racist. It's more like being in an accident and looking twice when you cross the road. It doesn't mean you think every driver is a negligent drunk, but you don't know who actually is until they run a red light at your crossing.

Don't worry.  *God* will convert to atheism after a face-to-face discussion with Hitch.\n\n

this is just wrong.\n\nBigfoot has been primarily seen has in areas abundant with "energy in the form of food" plus by virtue that we are talking about it, the animal IS known.\n\nBigfoot have consistently been seen near rivers and lakes full of fish, not to mention forests full of deer, elk, rodents berries etc. Not to mention forest to hide, mountainous regions where few people go, stealthy behavoir etc.\n\nYou haven't done any homework - there are plenty of places on the internet that discuss this very issue of how such a large animal could sustain itself.\n\nWhere don't you don't see bigfoot? Big cities, the beach, desert highlands, prairies. \n

&gt; To be fair, Carter was going to spill the beans. He was then given very compelling reasons not to do so.\n\nWhat's your source for this?

good point.  i should have made a more substantive comment, but...\n\nat any rate, i hope some folks will look into these cases - at least leonard peltier's.  

Well, they ARE twins so at least half of their claim to fame is real.

Truth, but thus far, its been pretty mild. And I believe we're technically 1/3rd through. 

Knights of Columbus are [anti-gay dicks too.](http://i.imgur.com/9RzW3.jpg)

It just struck me that when you die..Your consciousness probably shifts to your alternate other and that's, in a nutshell, life after death. 

&gt;I say we have a photo that is proof that the Earth is not flat. Someone says it could be fake, without providing any evidence for that. That's not science, or philosophy. That's just nihilism. It's denialism. It's denying reality instead of dealing with it. And, that's the fashionable nonsense of the past ten or twelve years.\n\nWell I would agree with that. Though I'd still say that the photo is strong evidence. If that was all that we had in favour of the earth being a sphere though, then I might be a bit more hesitant. But the vast amounts of evidence that we have for the earth being a sphere, plus the photos, show that it's a fact the earth is a sphere.\n\nI realise it's just semantics.\n\nAnd as you say it's common for people to talk about proof. But as Bertrand Russell once said, to the man on the street he's an atheist, to the intellectual he's an agnostic. Around /r/skeptic I prefer to talk about evidence, to the common man on the street I might be lazy enough to talk about proof.

First off, there's a huge difference between an individual choosing to consume or not consume a chemical and a car rental company not servicing their vehicles. But car rental companies don't want you to die either. It's bad for business to have people die in their rental, and you can be sure they want to avoid bad press and the increase in insurance rates, and the people who work there might even care about their customer's well being.

The clip of Neil dancing and Colbert slapping his knee needs to be a .gif so badly.

It defeats the purpose if you get to pick &amp; choose jurors?  You know there is a part of a trial called jury selection, right?

this is a good description, specifically since many of my friends are black and white about vaccines.  I did selective vaccines for my own daughter (does my newborn need to be vaxed against hep b?  not quite yet) and now that she's 16 she's making her own choices based on solid information, not fear from either side.\n\nWe don't see much good science come out of either side, just propaganda and fear.  I wish there were more balanced voices in the movements. :(  It makes me sad that there are ignorant sound bites that those that are extreme adopt and don't really research.\n\nI used the info from the CDC and the vax mfg to help me decide a schedule and which vaccines to give my daughter.  I also worked with her physician, who happens to be a close friend, and she offered up some insight based on her own education.  It was very enlightening.

I disagree that there are no community-wide misconceptions about transsexuality. The two I've come across myself are: \n\n* Sexuality and gender identity are two heads of the same coin. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if I want to become a woman because I'm gay. \n\n* Cross-dressing, drag performance, and other gender non-conformity is the same thing as transsexuality. \n\nAnd I think you're misunderstanding the main point of the essay, which is to explain the differences between biological sex and social gender roles and identities. 

Wow. The homeopathic doctor did all this, just to "prove" homeopathy? Horrifying. By all rights, it sounds like Penelope should have died before she sought real medical attention. Very lucky, as she says multiple times.

And I thought you're point was fair. People should eat what works for them but those that think vegetarianism/veganism are healthier are  misinformed.

Ask them how Ghost hunters can be on TV for 6 seasons without ever actually seeing a ghost?

&gt; It still isn't advisable, from a totally outside perspective, to live in or around Hiroshima\n\nReally?

I just actually listened to part of this and I will provide the same comment as the one left on YouTube:\n\nThis is the most ridiculous, drawn out, far-fetched, and convoluted infomercial that I have ever heard.

What makes it closer to Marxism than capitalist democracies is that a very few people would have almost total control over all the production and distribution of everything (as in Marxism). At least in the capitalist system, this control is spread over more people (not as many more as we'd like, but more).

If you're going to accuse people of being inaccurate, you should avoid using numbers like "100%" when they're not justified.  The statement from Heartland is "Some of these documents were stolen from Heartland, at least one is a fake, and some may have been altered."\n\nI wouldn't go further than concluding that one document is possibly fake, whereas the others seem to be based on genuine documents, but may have been altered before being released.

MSNBC is absolutely the liberal version of Fox News.  Just like The Huffington Post is the liberal version of The Drudge Report.

Chiropractic "medicine" was invented by Daniel David Palmer.  He spoke of the bodies innate intelligence and the idea that everything could be cured through spinal manipulations.  Famously, the first chiropractic patient was cured of his deafness by Palmer.  I hear people talk about how there are legitimate chiropractors out there, but the principles of chiropractor "medicine" is based on the speculations of a snake-oil salesman.  \nThe chiropractic styles have such a wide range that the legitimate ones (if they exist) should call themselves something else.  IF you call yourself a chiropractor it is based on a false pretense -- one that cannot be demonstrated in double blind tests.\n

Hey, I agree with you, there are plenty of interpretations about what the text means. The important thing to agree on is that it's all nonsense.

What I'd really be interested in is this: did they know that every Biblical scholar in the world regarded Harold Camping as a fruitcake, and if so what did they think about that?  Did they know that he had predicted the end of the world twice before, and if so what did they think about *that*?  To me, those two are huge red flags - if they knew about those things, and didn't care, why not?\n\nI understand Camping didn't go around telling everybody "No Biblical professor anywhere endorses my ideas and I've been wrong twice before", so if they didn't know then they can't have dealt with it.  But if they *did* know, what did they say about it?\n\nAnd what do they think now about how they ignored those huge red flags then?\n

Oysters are allegedly libido-boosters but god help you if your genitals look like that.

Good overall. But I'm always a little bit sad to see a well-made skeptical comic that clearly took a lot of work, and then hit a typo by the fourth word.

There's not much I can do to help with the measurable effect of beneficial drugs. Strangely enough, it's a lot easier to find out how little of something hurts you than how much of something helps... \nAs for harm/benefit at beyond the ppb (parts per billion) level, the best example I could find was tetanus (1 nanogram per kg, or 1 part per trillion) http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blpoison.htm\n\nThere are other effects too, if you're interested, for example the tert-butyl thiol that's added to natural gas so that you can smell it is detectable at 50 ppb.\n\nIf you're after specifics for a given toxin, you can try googling "[chemical name] msds" - you might have to go to wikipedia to get the chemical name. The msds (material safety data sheet) by law has to have toxicity data on it.\n\nAgain, sorry I couldn't help with the good stuff.

Forget about Churches and the like. Stay rational and try and think straight. There will be a normal explanation for this. Cameras is a good start to check for sleep harming. 

All of the footage very much reminds me of "Paranormal Activity" and/or "Cloverfield"\n\nConveniently enough, the director of Paranormal Activity has a new movie coming out this year called [Area 51](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1519461/)

Even if they did lie, it's still a conspiracy theory. Whether it's true or not has nothing to do with it being a conspiracy, or it being a theory. Evidence: The holocaust was a conspiracy by Nazi Germany, and it was true. Evolution is a theory, and it is true

Well, it's the less reasonable world to believe *according to the rules of the hallucinated world he's been living in!*  Oh, wait a minute, I'm in r/skeptic, not r/woahdude.  Never mind.

Wow, I never would have guessed that lactose intolerance was that widespread. I read the 70% statistic as the most bullshit part of the post, but I guess that just shows what I take for granted.\n\nEDIT: Actually it's only adults that have such a high percentage of lactose intolerance, so OP's post is still BS. Also, here's an [interesting map](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Laktoseintoleranz-1.svg/800px-Laktoseintoleranz-1.svg.png) for lactose intolerance worldwide.

A good one is "How We Know What Isn't So" by Thomas Gilovich.  Really gets to the heart of how you understand these kinds of things.\n\nUnderstanding statistics is also important, I'd recommend Joel Best's books on statistics: "Damned Lies and Statistics", "More Damned Lies and Statistics", and "Stat Spotting".\n\nAlso, an oldie but a goodie is "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff.\n\nFor understanding the role of randomness and uncertainty, "The Drunkard's Walk" by Leonard Mlodinow\n\nHope that helps! I've got more if you need them.

Wow, you sir are a grade A jackass. What a waste of time and space.

I think more clearly in spanish, so I thought that maybe the video might actually make some sort of minute sense. [My face after the video](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JghkZ7s-y1c/TipdtsMaG3I/AAAAAAAABWM/clZMfHcdX0U/s1600/yao-ming-cartoons-laughing-face-nba-funny-photos.png)

Oh yeah, it's dubious for sure. It's such a cool story that I do want to believe though.

My roommate has one of these things, and I make fun of him for whenever he wears it.  Now he claims he bought it because it looks cool.

Trust me.  Ever since I read Sagan's *Contact* back in college my mind has been wide open.  I hope there's something extraterrestrial watching out for us or observing us, hell, I wish they'd come guide us.  But the reality is probably that no one will come save us from ourselves.  And who could blame them.

I thought it was a decent video, then again i skipped around quite a bit. However there is a definite pattern to the craft. If you saw that shit irl you would prob shit bricks. Sadly common camera technology doesn't do it justice I'm sure.

If you are going to submit this, can you atleast list the website you stole your content from?\n\n[http://alienabductee.blogspot.com/2007/01/meeting-with-reptilians.html](http://alienabductee.blogspot.com/2007/01/meeting-with-reptilians.html)\n\nI cannot see the purpose of "aggregating" aka stealing content from other sites, then using a social aggregation site like reddit.\n\nWhy not just submit the original article?

The US has been constantly at war since the 1820s, and a Commander-in-Chief who tried to reverse that at all costs would be impeached. \n\nThat, and a vote for Ron Paul is a vote for an ideology even more naïve than communism.

I turned it off when she was saying that there's only a bowling ball worth of mass in the Universe. 

You should have seen my face when I read this:\n\n&gt; The organic pesticides examined in the study were Superior 70 oil®, **a mineral oil** that is meant to smother the aphids\n\nFrom an [MSDS PDF](http://www.agriumat.ca/upload/horticulture_product/56/02/6900681-6900670-superior-70-oil---msds.pdf) for Superior 70 oil®:\n\n&gt; CHEMICAL IDENTITY:  Petroleum Oil: Solvent-refined light and heavy paraffinic distillates \n\nWouldn't this kind of stuff getting into the soil be very terrible?\n

no they tend to increase in frequency and decrease at random i believe. just yesterday morning my sons toy car started rolling across the floor on its own now i think it must have been toby because my son was quite happy to just let it happen (though that could have just been because he is ill) i dont believe it was done to frighten him and to make sure it didnt happen on its own i put it back where it had rolled from and gave it a slight nudge but it didnt go as far as it had the first time.

I know, I always try to rationalize everything.. so actually believing that it's him is odd. I think I just wish I could see him again so much, that I dream I do. Who knows. I sure don't. Thank you.

My brother had to be circumcised when he was little because of some painful problem, but I don't know the details, nor do I care to! It certainly shouldn't be the default practice, it seems very odd that it seems to be so common in the US (I'm in the UK).

He's depicted with them because there seems to be a good chance that he CAME from them.

Not to mention that any proper simulation of the universe is going to be spinning off its own simulations of the universe on its simulated computers, ad infinitum.

FYI, there are different kinds of female circumcision.  what you would compare to modern male circumcision is the removal of the clitoral hood.  (not the FGM of cutting off the clit, labia, etc that are sometimes done as a form of subjugation)

It's talking about how well they help to ease symptoms of certain issues.  For example, if you are on antibiotics, taking probiotics will keep you from getting the shits.  I have taken enough rounds of antibiotics to learn this. lol

I suppose that I would agree that your explanation makes sense, although I guess I put it in the 'negligible effect' category of stuff; I also tend to be pretty wary of things that have so much woo associated with them.\n\nAdditionally in the context of the OP's link, I'd say the connotation was the full on spiritualism stuff rather than simply 'it is relaxing'. Overall though, I agree with your basic point.

It's anecdotal evidence for you, personal experience for me.  There's a big difference.  

For some reason the guy that first recorded it thinks they are launching and landing in some neighborhood. Read the article, go to Denver and check it out!

No, downvotes for proposing that "Possibilianism" is anything but intellectually dishonest implicit atheism *in a thread linked from a post about how we are already too splintered by names for ourselves*.

For the record, buildings of that era are ridiculously over-engineered.

Who knew Steve Jobs and Bob Marley could have so much in common?

This fraud website has a green Web of Trust rating (I have the WOT Addon for Firefox installed).\nI think that's not right and we should give this website the rating it deserves:\n\nhttp://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/phoenixtears.ca\n\nYou can change ratings without logging in.

Depends how far you think the fakery went. Maybe people accept that the US got in orbit around the moon, but didn't land. Presumably even the conspiracy theorists accept that the US was capable of putting spacecraft in orbit around the Earth. Anyone know whether they dispute the lunar orbit itself?

Take an intro to logic course from itunes U. It helps you think in terms of breaking down an argument into its premises and presents rules for valid inferences based on the way the premises of an argument are tied together.\n\nhttp://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/logic-deductive-inductive/id384524437

If we have any more info on where the hole is in Washington. I will go take a look. I live not too far and would be happy to take a look. I looked up the Manastash ridge on google earth, the white blocks are not there. I did find the area where the blocks were shown. It is big and I would need lots of time to look for a shack. This is probably mostly fantastic story telling but a part of me wants to know for sure. If anyone has any info I am all ears. 

Maybe you fell out of the tree and died in one reality, and so you shifted to another reality where you were still alive and in a lower part of the tree.

then why are the sides different lengths? if it was mathematically correct the opposing sides would be the same length. The perspective on the top is wrong as at this angle you wouldn't see the top of the cube. There also seams to be a uniformed patter in the flattened areas around the cube of about the length of a stride and the width of a plank of wood.\n\n    I find it hard to believe that aliens cannot come all this way and not be able to draw a perfect cube \n\n

Realistically it was probably zionists. On a less conspiratorial note, Kirk Cameron really hit the nail on the head, people just like to try to figure out puzzles and be involved in mystery. Its the same reason psychological thrillers are so popular.

&gt; What I do suggest is that this study doesn't disprove the effects of acupoint stimulation\n\nHmm. OK, sorry for my misinterpretation, and let me see if i can better understand you. Your interpretation is that Waite–Holder provided evidence that acupoint stimulation is beneficial. This is because all three 'tapping' groups showed greater improvement than the no-treatment control group. Is that right? (I have some caveats but i want to make sure i get your point first. : )\n\n&gt; all these studies show positive results for EFT, suggesting that EFT does work\n\nThis time, maybe you're misunderstanding me. So, here's a question to try to clear things up: If the truth happened to be that EFT helped people with anxiety, but only because the process involves "distraction and desensitization paired with exposure" (from Waite–Holder), would that mean that EFT works? Put differently, if *any* therapeutic treatment that included elements of exposure and distraction worked equally well, including EFT, would we say that they all "worked", or just that exposure and distraction techniques by themselves work? (Imagine a simple psychotherapeutic method *X* that is known to work. Invent a new method *Y* that is identical to *X*, except that method *Y* also involves, say, stretching between exposure/distraction sessions. If *Y* is no more effective than *X*, then the stretching part of *Y* should be abandoned; it's an unnecessary complication. I wouldn't say that *Y* "worked", because the only thing distinguishing *Y* from *X* is a feature that doesn't improve *Y*.)\n\nRemember also that two of the studies listed under [anxiety](http://eftuniverse.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=18&amp;Itemid=#anxiety) (#2 and #11) found EFT to be not necessarily better than alternative treatments.\n\nOh well about the other studies. If you do come across them, let me know.\n\n&gt; EFT is supposed to work even for skeptics (oops, did I just contribute to the placebo effect?)\n\nHa ha! Maybe. But seeing how it "works" for me doesn't count as a study anyway. : P I'll let you know.

Yeah, see, I specifically commented because I didn't want to be counted amongst assholes like you or your upvoters...

I didn't read the article and I don't remember my blood type, but I'm going to assume my blood type requires 1 bacon cheese burger a day for me to function at 100%.

Yeah, Medium is actually a pretty good fantasy show in that it defines its premise and sticks firmly with it, then creates drama by extrapolating the implications of that axiom in a world of naturalistic, relatable characters.* With a little tweaking in setting and character, it'd probably be a perfectly respectable Syfy show.\n\n*Ironically that's pretty much the opposite of how real psychics operate, DuBois included.

Given how prone these people are to liking facts that are convenient and unambiguous, you'd think they would appreciate the following scenario:\n\n1) Smallpox kills millions per years\n2) Smallpox vaccine is developed\n3) World Health Organization distributes smallpox vaccine worldwide over a 10 or so year period\n4) Small pox suddenly disappears.\n\nI have no trouble believing that small pox rates were on the decline before the vaccine in developed nations.  Sanitation and disease awareness would have that effect.  But complete eradication?  That's just ridiculous.

I haven't read the one on Homeopathy, but I read through the report that the Swiss did for acupuncture.  The obvious problem with that review was that it consisted of a large number of papers with poor control groups showing positive evidence, and some papers with proper control groups showing no evidence.  In pseudoscience world, evidence + no evidence = definitive evidence.\n\nI suspect the Homeopathy review has similar problems.

&gt;"The one point McMahon highlights from the study which is worth noting is that although organic meat is just as likely as conventional meat to be contaminated with bacteria (and the likelihood in both cases is low), when that contamination does occur, the germs found in conventional meats are 33% more likely to be resistant to multiple antibiotics than the germs found in organic meats."\n\nI think it depends on what you quantify as worth it or not.  E.G.  even if the reduced pesticides doesn't have an effect on personal health... you still have  less pesticides being used, and less risk to the water tables and environment.  There are other benefits too (as stated above)... so maybe this headline is a bit misleading.

"Our world bears all the hallmarks of one that is simulated."\n\nOne of the best lines in the video. The problem with this statement is it is assuming a very specific causation relationship that we have no reason to believe. Here's how it seems this thought goes; we have specific criteria for what is considered a "simulated world" (I don't know what they are, but that's not important for these purposes). Where did we get these criteria? I think it's safe to assume we got them from worlds we have generated, like the Sims for instance. So if we can find very specific similarities between human-generated worlds and our world, then it is possible the latter is simulated. The issue here is that I find it very possible if not very likely that much of how human-generated simulations function and are built is derived from the physical world; we see certain laws and properties in the world and attempt to recreate them virtually. So then I must ask the question, if our criteria for what is a simulation is derived from certain properties of the simulations we have created, which in turn have been heavily influenced by our own world, how can we be sure we are not simply indirectly comparing the physical world to itself?\n\nI would note here that the video never actually mentions what sort of "hallmarks" of a simulated world we can see in our own world, this is just my best take on what those might be in a very general sense and why that doesn't work.

While not a true paranormal experience, still a damn good flick and creepy story!

&gt; Additionally, classifications of arguments aren't applicable to insults, stupid.\n\n[Actually...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem)

Thank you so much, I have heard this argument more than once. I honestly believe that if you can look up at the sky at night and see all those stars that each have their own individual solar systems and think "nah, were the only ones" you must be the most stupid/scared person to ever be alive. 

But assuming that doctors are immune from the natural bias and the inherent organizational bias that results from money being on one side of the argument is also something that has no place in /r/skeptic.\n\nI still think you are right, this is not a fair argument to make that strongly here, but pretending it is not a factor is also incorrect.\n\nDoes anyone have information about how much money is involved?

I know Hovind is full of bullshit, but the article author really comes off as an asshole here. This piece is full of ad hominem attacks that really erode the professionalism.

[Yes.](http://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/sa7ub/a_living_dreamscape/) Posted this yesterday; got buried. But I had this exact thing happen to me.\n\nIf you don't want to read that whole post, basically I dreamed of seeing a gigantic parrot in a forest a few weeks before a family vacation, and while we were on our trip, we were walking down a trail in the woods and stumbled upon a huge parrot statue.\n\nThere was also one time when I was in early high school that I dreamed of a friend who had graduated a couple years before coming back to visit. The next day, he did.

I don't have access to journal articles anymore, but if those stats are in the paper I would like to see them posted here.  It's possible that they aren't reported at all, since the study was designed to test the overall effectiveness of the vaccine within the community and not to differentiate between vaccinated and unvaccinated.\n\nOf course in Mike Adam's world you get to draw conclusions from articles that aren't testing your hypothesis whatsoever.  

I know Dr. Bob Sears. I wonder if I can get him to do an AMA if people are interested in hearing his point of view.

Homeopathic doses of some drugs/chemicals, like methylene blue, are effective. \n\nYou aren't going to find the ones that are actually useful in the homeopathic section of stores, though &gt;_&gt;\n\n(I'm considering the following a homeopathic dose: 1 drop (0.06 mL) of a 2.3% MB solution diluted into 1 L, and then consuming 30 mL from the litre 3 times a day. )\n\nedit: no srsly guys, lower doses are more effective than higher ones: http://www.usm.edu/neurolab/Webpage%20Images/LabPublications/3%20MB.pdf

Well, my POV on this is very simple. If we can figure out how the human brain works, then we can figure out how to build things that work in the "same" way. (It's possible that someone will build something that works like the brain without knowing that in advance, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that.)\n\nSo what we should be looking at is not computer science, but neuroscience and cognitive science. Will we be there in 2050? A neuroscientist needs to answer that question.\n\nAlso, the speed of supercomputers **is** very relevant to the problem, because neuroscientists **do** need extremely fast computers if they want to simulate their models and "experiment" with different ideas.

Oh damn hes talking about homeopathy now.\n\n"It was condemned as incorrect. Well it is correct"\n\nWow, and right on to psychic fields.

It's garbage, but  just down vote it into oblivion. I can remove it if you wish.

No, it has a real health benefit. It does really reduce pain. If you just told the person" I just magically healed you" it wouldn't work. The placebo effect depends on how you administer a fake drug: A syringe has a much stronger (eg pain relieving) effect than a pill. Pills taken several times a day have a stronger effect than a pill taken only once a day. Even the shape and color of the fake drug make a difference. I recently read that a placebo effect could even be measured when the subjects were aware that they are taking sugar pills! From a scientific point of view it is plausible to expect a big effect from sticking many needles into somebody. Of course it would be much better if people did recognize what a big influence our expectations have on our experience. There is even a nocebo effect. \nSimilarly homeopathy works because the doctors pay more attention and spend more time with their patients. \n\nThe theories behind alternative medicine are bullshit but just saying alternative medicine has no benefit is false and contrary to the *subjective but real* experience of many people.

&gt; The Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) and The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) have began in Aug 2010 investigations about narcolepsy as possible side effect to Pandemrix flu vaccination in children, and found at least 6.6 times increased risk among children and youths, or at least 3.6 additional cases of narcolepsy per 100,000 vaccinated subject.\n\n[Source.](http://www.lakemedelsverket.se/english/All-news/NYHETER-2011/Report-from-an-epidemiological-study-in-Sweden-on-vaccination-with-Pandemrix-and-narcolepsy-/)\n\nThis particular vaccine was never administered in the US, as it uses an immunologic adjuvant. So, I had to look that up: an immunologic adjuvant is an immune booster that increases the body's reaction to the inactive virus and therefore reduces the quantity of the virus required to stimulate an immune response.\n\nNothing I turned up indicated what, exactly, in Pandemrix was causing the nervous system disorders (not just narcolepsy, BTW: also cataplexy, a sudden and transient episode of loss of muscle tone... [that] affects roughly 70% of people who have narcolepsy)

Wow, that blew my mind. I need to rethink my life now. I believe in 1-3 major conspiracy theories that seem to based on critical thinking without evidence. I just need to make sure I'm on the right track. I know I'm not a full skeptic, but I don't know if I'm being too irrational.

Principle of parsimony: Which is more likely, that the fundamental laws of the universe were altered in order to make an obscure parish in Italy able to evangelize proof of the existence of Jesus, or that an 8th century monk faked a miracle in order to further his own ends (not to say that those ends were not entirely pious -- I don't know)? I have no idea what the tissue is; I have not read the Linoli paper, as it doesn't seem to be available in English (another telling point: wouldn't you think the church would have translated and broadcast this news all over the world?), and it is entirely possible that the tissue is actually human heart tissue. It wouldn't have been difficult to obtain a bit of tissue from a dead body.\n\nI don't know the exact details, obviously, but use Occam's Razor. Which is more likely: supernatural event, or hoax? If this were a true miracle, if there existed actual physical proof of the existence and divinity of Jesus, *we would know about it*. The church would be using it as propaganda, and scientists the world over would be discussing and debating it. It would have fundamentally changed the very nature of religious inquiry and indeed all theology. \n\nI'm not saying it absolutely isn't true; as I say, I don't know. The essence of skepticism is seeking truth. When I see a modern, 21st century analysis of the tissue and blood, done under modern lab conditions, I will believe in the authenticity of the tissue. Beyond that, I do not believe that there is any way to prove its miraculous nature, and therefore such nature is beyond the scope of scientific inquiry. All we can say is that for the "miracle" to be true, everything we know about the nature of matter and energy would have to be reconsidered. Is this possible? Of course it is. Is it likely to happen? No, it isn't. With all the ways that this could be false, and the vanishingly small possibility of its being true, the conclusion that it is false is more-or-less a given.

I got downvoted for making an observation? What a strange thing to downvote....

Ah, created by one Andreas Moritz. Who has been taken to task before for selling snake oil. And I highly doubt that a mixture of epsom salts, olive oil and grapefruit will make you pass stones - I'd suggest those reviews are fake.\n\nNothing amazing here, just psuedoscience and quackery.\n\nMoritz and one of his flushes are discussed at [Pharyngula](http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/02/andreas_moritz_is_a_cancer_qua.php)\n\nEdit: oops, it's Andreas, not Andrea. Fixed.

Next time try treating the symptoms with real medicine and doing *nothing* for "the flu".

If it's really true ...I don't know ...i truly hope you got over it

poor job on the stealth part since every time this formation is seen people film it

The response of "I just can't believe the official story", whilst to many may sound reasonable, it can border on an argument from incredulity. If you're unsure of something then by all means say specifically what you're unsure of so others can help you out.\n\nHowever the way this line is often used is with the inferred assumption that their personal lack of belief in the 'official story' must make it suspect.

I still think the way building 7 fell looked a little odd to me - that's why I'm posing the question to other skeptics. \n\nMy opinion my very well be crap. I don't pretend to know everything there is about it, and I'd love to find just one person who does. By posting this, I hope to find folks who have done more research than I have and those that can point me in the right direction.

Yes, because you need a major budget to get millions of views on YouTube...\n\n*Insert Keyboard Cat here.*

I think that Sony Vegas also has something that helps to stabilize video.

Sorry, barely read the article. I was looking at the crooked forest at some other less reputable sites (e.g. Wikipedia and I think cracked.com) and tried to find a better website to link to.

I hate to say it, but it all sort of makes sense to me. Its linking in many different strands of thought, many different experiences that other people have talked about and gives one picture that explains them all. Assuming everything is true of course, but I have no real reason to disbelieve him as of yet - though I am aware of the possibility that he is being duped by some of these beings

A friend of mine swam for 9 hours in sub 11C water without a wetsuit. I've done 6 hours. \n\nAs a Channel swimmer, who has gone far beyond what he believed were his own limits, I know people are extraordinary, I don't need to believe in special mental powers. I also know there are is a range of human physiological response. \n\nSwimmers such as Lynn Cox claim no special mental powers to overcome cold, but her core temperature rose when immersed. She needed no claim of special meditation to help. 

My grandfather used to eat this stuff, he said it helped keep him regular. When I investigated I assumed it was acting like a [bulk-forming laxative](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laxative#Bulk-producing_agents), which would explain its effects. He's since switched to chocolate Metamucil or something. I suppose regular pooping could make life better, but it's hardly the cure-all it claims to be and probably not any more dangerous to eat than mud.

Nothing in the news, and no one else seems to have seen anything. Oslo is a city, so I find it strange that nobody else saw it or were able to record it. I guess this means there must be some mundane explanation for what I saw (helicopter or whatever). Damn I wish I had filmed it - it was really weird..

Lesswrong all the time. It's not that I'd say it's a bad thing, but I know that the skeptic community doesn't entirely agree.\n\nBut anyways, [Lessrwong](lesswrong.com)

What would you recommend for some history watching on the tellybox then?

Even if he actually did encounter something alien, his credibility is so fucked that the truth is unsolvable by anyone with a subjective stance.  \n\nI guess this is why they don't always allow evidence in court... it kills the impartiality of the jury.  I know mine is killed.  There are plenty of *qualified* pilots that saw UFO's that I could spend my effort on.

I agree. Cats and dogs are super sensitive to paranormal things so I'd have to say it's probably just dust, bugs, and mist. 

Le sigh. Not helping the feminist cause there. (Her, not you obviously.)

Not completely related to Penn, but why is "I don't know" a bad answer? Is it because you can't tear apart the statement and say that it is wrong? That is what most people do. Even the people who have an answer do not have a completely workable answer, so it's often easy to tear it apart.

Are you joking or really this stupid?\n\nI honestly cannot tell.\n\nFirst of all, he didnt "manufacture a problem", there are thousands of studies demonstrating the problems associated with too much sodium intake.  You really think Fuhrman tricked the whole world into thinking that sodium is related to diseases like high blood pressure?\n\nCome on, man.\n\nSecond, it's not as if anyone has to buy his soup to be on his diet, you can simply do a google search and start taking his advice during your next grocery store trip.\n\nReally, buckaroosamurai, you have completely embarrassed yourself here.  Clearly you have **no idea** what you are talking about.  It's beyond laughable.\n

"No, you don't understand. We said that 'sciense' had proven our product works, performed by actual 'scienticians'."

The article is written entirely in the passive voice, which is great if you don't really have any sources.

Sure.  \n\nMaybe next time it happens you stand up and say aloud, "Your bullshit is getting old and you need to accept you're dead and move on, dickbag!"

Sounds like hypnogogic images. Seeing it once puts it into your head and makes it more likely to be seen again too. I saw a spider once, except it was dead and curled up and drifting towards my face. Another time it was like i was suddenly walking round a drive through, and this real dirty hobo walks round the corner, and lifts his head to reveal a horrific melting corpse face and he gurgle-shrieks at me and i'm back in my room.

You make a good point about the rest of it, and there are still good reasons to eat grass fed beef just not for the omega 3s :)  \n\n

Most Para. shows are go into a dark building point at your own shadow and yell "A Ghost" There is now so much Bullshit piled on investigation by money happy media that most legitimate investigators have given up.

Let me know when your ideal nanny government stops threatening people and using its powers for personal gain. At least in a libertarian society my will can't be forced on you. You can have your cake and me my blueberry pie.

David Icke has been claiming that just about every major world leader is a secret lizardman for some time.

For as many times as sophomoric is used as an insult, one rarely considers how many people truly are below even a Sophomore's level of ability.

My first thought after I read this was, "Is he right? Do I have anything in common with Rush Limbaugh? Am I using the same intellectual tactics he does?" I'll continue pondering this question and my own thoughts and the reasoning behind them. Thank you for that.\n\n&gt;(Re med schools focusing on pharmaceuticals) But I'm not going to contradict you, I'm just going to tell you that it's outrageous to make this blanket statement without being AT LEAST through med school, and even then, having looked critically through a few different med school progress to get an idea of standards.\n\nMaybe you're right. Again, this is something that made me sit back and think for a minute. I *will* say that this is my experience so far, after my talks with doctors and other medical professionals, but I concede that my ideas don't come from a scientific study on the subject. So at the end of the day it is just an opinion based on observation.\n\n&gt;I read the opening page of the study you cited. It's from 1998. It has sample size of 13. And more importantly: &lt;quote from the study&gt;\n\nYou're right, that was a weak example. It was the first one that came to mind, as I've seen a few friends try this treatment and had it work (again, my personal, anecdotally based bias, to your point). \n\n&gt;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\n&gt;This perfectly exemplifies the fallacious fear tactic of the party line here.\n\nI'm trying sincerely to understand what you mean by this. I don't think what I'm saying is unreasonable. The "10-minute visit to pharmaceutical" is what I've experienced, and what many others have. The reasons for this are many (economics, laziness, broken insurance system, primary care doc's overwhelmed by demand due to lack of residency slots, and therefore lack of new doctors practicing primary care, and of course a different paradigm). I'm not as much making a judgment here; I'm more stating an observation. Also, there are exceptions to this. Some doctors are worth every penny, and they have an almost inhuman ability to diagnose and then treat the whole body of a person, using a variety of treatments, which may include pharmaceuticals when appropriate. But this is the exception, not the rule.\n\n&gt;the traditional medicine program is the more proven method here\n\nIt depends. For urgent/acute care (ie ER visit), traditional medicine is the only choice. The same is true of many other diseases. But there are certain diseases, especially chronic diseases, where the best treatment is a whole-body approach that combines non-pharmaceuticals with pharmaceuticals. \n\n&gt;I'm remaining open but so far have found nothing in favor) are all touting a party line based on being against "big guvment/pharma."\n\nI'd say it's not so much a party-line as it is economics. After I took my first economics class in college I started looking at things differently. Many of the things that we see are somehow influenced by money. If you follow the money-trail, you usually will see a more clear picture. This is no backroom-conspiracy. This is just people responding to incentives. The people in the boardroom don't think, "Oooh, another victim of my genius plan to enslave the world," they think, "How can we maximize profits?" \n\nMost people who sit in these boardrooms feel that they are doing a valuable service for people, and often, they are. But the system in the US is setup in such a way that the pharmaceutical model has essentially a government-sponsored monopoly over medicine. Yes, there is more evidence for this approach, but the cost of getting this evidence is so high that patentable products (ie pharmaceuticals) have an advantage and can do more of the proper studies.* \n\nI'd explain myself more deeply, because I think my reasoning and arguments above could still use some work, but I have to run to class!\n\n\n*There are exceptions to this. The government spends millions of dollars a year sponsoring the study of non-pharmaceutical medicine.\n

What? No. That's absurd. How could something be both normal and abnormal at the same time?\n\nThe term refers to society's obsession with the female body as an object.\n\nEdit: okay, just to try and separate the real bigots from people who just don't understand what I'm getting at, I'll say this; there is a time and place for most instincts, urges and what-have-you. It's perfectly acceptable to consider the female body attractive. To consider the female body to be *primarily* a tool to satisfy **your** desires is to cast women as less than fully human.

That shouldn't be too big a concern. As long as the buying price is relative to the sale price. It may affect your ability to sell it quickly, but not the price difference. 

This is a good question and one I have thought about. \n\nI think the difference here is that these parents actively reject and ignore modern medical science in favor of faith.  We have decades and in some cases centuries worth of empirical evidence, experiments, trials, research and actual results which show medical science to be effective. The parents make a decision to ignore this as well as the opinions of medical professionals, who in this case believe the child had a 99.9% chance of survival with treatment.\n\nI am not familiar with this particular case but I think it's safe to say that these parents were at the very least aware of the previous tragedies involving faith healing within their church, and that other children's minor medical conditions became lethal when they were not treated professionally.\n\nSo I think what ultimately makes this criminal is the willingness of the parents to disregard medical science and take for truth what one leader of a church says God wants them to do. I think this is especially irresponsible given that a child's welfare is at stake.  It's almost like they're saying, "Yeah we know medical science says our child's relatively minor ailment can be cured easily, but we're not gonna do that because God."  In my opinion the parents need to consider more than just their faith when considering their child's medical well being. I'm all for letting them live their lives with as much or as little faith as they like but when a child's life is involved I think it becomes a responsibility to seek out the treatment method that is known to be the most effective and also that the standard of proof for such a decision be raised substantially.\n\nI think the example of the drowning child you used is a bit different than this case.  In the instance of the drowning child, the mother has very little time to make an informed treatment decision. She can do nothing, or she can do something that at the time seems logical but is ultimately misguided. The only thing she's done "wrong" is not be familiar with CPR whereas in the faith healing cases (at least the ones I am familiar with) the parents had more time to consider their options and despite all evidence to the contrary decided in the end to forgo medical treatment.

Exactly what kinds of "woo" type stuff are involved in Chaos Magick? Or Satanism for that matter? What powers do people claim to have that you have encountered?

I figured reading that would be a waste of time; I was not mistaken... Good find!

Fwiw dogs sweat from non-fur covered surfaces like feet and noses.

It is a German "Hochschule" (= university) and their Diplomas are international Masters. Yes, this is as real as you can get.

Well said.\n\nWhile r/skeptic is often an excellent source for information, as you can see like any other sub-reddit that's ripe w/ fervent members, it's still also filled w/ a lot of dogmatic-style downvoting and dismissal.\n\nThey do have a point though, I mean, the 9/11 thing has been hotly debated for over a decade now, and they're just tired. As you said, their intellectual laziness is getting to a lot of them, and they're not even interested in actually looking into any new evidence presented.

Ask, and ye shall receive: http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/ejmo5/by_request_i_was_a_firm_believer_in_the_911_truth/

The problem isn't with the amount of energy, it is to do with the form, they are not processed the same way by the body, converting sugar to fat (which happens when the liver runs out of storage space) isn't an optimum thing for your body to do.

Most of the comments I'm seeing here by OP and a few others are blatantly Argument from Ignorance. Just because something is *possible* does not mean it's likely.

Sounds sensible actually. Maybe our programs should be more like yours. 

Reminds me of that lady who claimed all disease was caused by parasites.

Nassim Taleb and Arthur De Vany recently collaborated on illustrating these ideas.\n\nHere is a nice [lecture](http://zurichminds.com/videos/adv_unic_2010.html),he had last year.

How large was it? If you were holding a quarter at arm's length? Or a dime? Or a football? How much light was it giving off?

It's not fast moving clouds, I'm sure of that - I've pointed my hand up at the sky as a point of reference and the lights moved past my hand. \n\nThese didn't rapidly change directions, but there were dozens of them and they were all going the same direction, flying pretty close together.

That's a matter of opinion. and you get the short end of the stick when it comes to people who can and will bury you if you actually, personally tried, to force me to do anything i didn't want to do, using stupidity as your mantra. Of course you have no idea. Think I'm alien. Come get some alien, you retard. (i bet you have problems with people using that word too!). i SO want ilk like you hung by your own petard.

 Fred Phelps was a self-loathing homosexual in denial. Why this isn't crystal-clear to everyone is a mystery to me.  

Absolute bullshit. You can question theories without it being political. Take that shit somewhere else.

There could.just as easily be somebody hiding behing them.\n\nI am a professional paranormal investigator.\n\nThis photo is fishy, not saying it's fake, but it could have been very easy to do.

Thank you. This is the answer I was looking for. I didn't phrase my question very clearly I guess. 

Yes! I can't remember the movie, but it was a UFO documentary, and at one point there's a scene of a marina/port with a mountain in the background with a man talking in the foreground. A strange silvery object flies behind the man. Granted, it could have been a duck/bird or something similar, but if you pause it you can't really make out what it is.\n\nIf I find it, I will post it here.

I punched the Pizza Hut delivery guy in the back of the head after I tried some of the slop he brought.  And, "Yes", I had to run fast to catch him before he got to his car.

As far as my classes were concerned, Freud came close to correct on two aspects only; one, that there are unconscious processes that we may or may not be unaware of, and two, that we often use coping mechanisms in instances of cognitive bias. Other than that, the only reason his theories should be taught should be from a historical standpoint, given that he popularized the science and most fields today still draw from the questions he raised in some form (yet usually in a more scientific way). An introduction of psychology should give a history of the field, and so Freud will undoubtedly be taught in that course. I don't know what part of psychology you were learning, but often courses teach freud from merely a historical of anthropological lens in order to familiarize students with the "father of psychology" and the questions that he raised which defined the field. If you want an objective, evidence-based psychology, look into cognitive psychology or neuropsychology, where psychology blends into medical and biological fields. Much of the field may also be viewed as a part of the humanities, given how broad the field itself is and how applicable it is to nearly every academic discipline. That shouldn't influence your opinion of the field as a whole, as there are just as many scientific parts of the field as there may be parts influenced mostly by social sciences. If your classes in cognitive psychology or neuropsychology were citing Freud in any way other than to say why he was wrong, it probably had something a lot more to do with where you were learning than the field itself. Otherwise, it is likely that you were in a part of the field that saw itself as a social science.

Not the snickers, mars or reese chocolate (fake 80%+ sugar)  but the real 70% coco dark chocolate.

Good point. \n\nYou cannot identify it *exactly*, however we are able to relate similar characteristics to draw comparisons. \n\nReally we don't know that these events are associated in any way, just that what evidence of this phenomena we do have seems similar enough to compare. \n\nPhenomena that are as of now intangible have to be examined or compared / contrasted to other events that are similar. For example phenomena of mental illness can only be compared to other similar illness, since we cannot get a snapshot inside the consciousness of the experiencer, we can only make assumptions of what is going on by relating it to other events.

I don't agree. There is nothing about "a lack of belief in god(s)" that prevents that lack belief from being dogmatic. The traditional case in point is the atheism of the Soviet Union. It was atheist as its core set of values, not because all the individuals who made decisions centrally got together and decided that the evidence for theism was bad. It was certainly doctrinal, because it was not based on reality vs. unreality. Whether a god or gods actually existed wasn't remotely the point of Soviet atheism. As such, it was passed through the populace as a set of commanded beliefs.

With all due respect to the OP, I think it's pretty clear now that submission title was in error with it's phrase "educate her".\n\nThere's almost no hope of "educating her".  She has doubtless faced counter-arguments before and has a vested interest in maintaining her position.  \n\nThe real tragedy is thousands of lurking readers of that AMA will feel sympathy for her plight in the face of immature insults.  They'll view her as a underdog martyr, and the more gullible of them will be *attracted* to her practice. \n\n

I really don't see how ingesting mass quantities of silica, iron oxide and aluminum oxide could possibly be good for anyone's digestive system, let alone an older person's.

~~Oh dear christ. Please tell me you are trolling.~~\n\nI just heard a woosh.

"I go into posts like this and it is like a KKK rally. Replace “truther” with any traditional ethnic slur, and it will read the same."\n\nExcept that "truthers" chose their position, thy aren't born into it.\n\nThe scientific consensus is overwhelming - the towers fell in a manner consistent with being hit with fully loaded airliners and left to burn. WTC7 fell in a manner consistent with it's odd design and the structural damage it received from the collapse of WTC1 and WTC2. The towers did not fall in a manner consistent with controlled demolitions.\n\nTo deny the above is to believe that which you wish to believe, not that which the evidence supports.\n\nBut prove me wrong. Give me hard evidence that contradicts what I've written above that comes from trained engineer and architects and has been published for peer review.

scientific studies that conflict with a claim are not the only reason to doubt a claim. say there had never been a study evaluating whether homoeopathy worked or not. we can still put it in the woo camp because the proposed mechanism it works by defies logic and/or conflicts completely with existing scientific models of reality. 

penn &amp; teller bullshit has some  segment about it.\n\nVarious people with hidden cameras tested them.\n\nfind it all on youtube.\n\nSadly quite commonly **they failed this test**: the **patient complains about back pain**. ANY responsible massager **MUST send such a person to a doctor** first. almost all of the tested **chiropractors did not care** for that, or for the patients health, only for the patients money.\n\n\n---\n\nscamming people for money and claiming health benefits that dont exist, while the patient should just see a professional doctor. well, that can only go wrong.

"The Puritans didn't come to America to be free from persecution; they came to be free to persecute." ~ Gore Vidal

Will Lean from Killeen\n\nWill Lean the chemist, Triple Beam tremendous SUC to the finish!

Some dude ask (don't know who) $5,000,000 to not release that video.   \nHe sneak up a RC car with a camera in a hole in one of the pyramids and apparently found "something". Just a troll. 

Very helpful.  Information has been added to my mental arsenal of arguments.

&gt;Well, it's more like overdose of aspirin can cause liver poisoning; evidence actually suggest that long-term use of aspirin at a reasonable does can actually prevent liver damage.\n\nThat's actually interesting. Do you have a source for that? I generally avoid taking aspirin/Ibuprofen/Tylenol when I have a headache because of fear of casual use causing long term liver damage.\n\n&gt;Also, you'd have to take about $500 worth of homeopathic remedies to deal with dehydration.\n\nI know, I'm just giving you a hard time. :P

When you get into the detail you'll see it's considerably more intersting than big whoop, but hey, horses for courses.

Science is a threat because it relies on facts. Great orators and speakers and politicians use appeals to emotions rather than reason or logic. Their house of cards falls apart when the weight of facts lands atop it.\n\nNINJA EDIT: Do not forget that this extends to the justice system as well. It is not as science-based as we would like to believe. And when scientific evidence is introduced, it is battled all the way. This is dangerous for a just society to exist where emotional argument wins over hard proof.

I remember when this was posted, but didn't one of the top comments mention that you shouldn't suggest to the viewer what to look for because of the power of suggestion? 

I believe this [documentary](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/) should have some good info.   \n\n\n\nIn all seriousness, though, here is a [blog](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/12/anti-fluoridation_crankery_how_1960s.php) (with citations) refuting anti fluoridation rhetoric.

I'm not qualified to judge the merits of the article, but it's worth saying that even if the article is correct, the anti-vaccination crowd wouldn't be right. It's not enough to just happen to be one the side of the truth if you're there for stupid reasons.

Wow I just got chills.  So you saw the same images that night?  Or was it another instance? 

You don't. You can't convince irrational people. If it isn't affecting anybody but themselves, let them be. 

/r/skeptic in general seems confused about what skepticism is. \n\nI believe the claims with the scientific evidence. Not the claims of unsubstantiated nonsense. \n

Fine, then you can adopt children instead of having your own and you can adopt dogs instead of breeding your own.  I am in to well bred show dogs that have stable temperaments, and health tested parents.  I am not going to change my mind and I am not going to change yours.  I have had this same tired arguement with "rescue people" for years and it goes nowhere.  Last I checked this was a free country and people can get a choice of what they purchase. \n\nToday a family is coming out and purchasing one of my well-bred socialized puppies because they adopted a shelter dog (of the same breed) that bit their kid in the face last year.  I hope that dog was put down.  He should have been put down instead of adopted out to an unsuspecting family with kids that didn't know his history.   There are good dogs in shelters, but there are also bad dogs in shelters too.  

It accelerated to free fall for 2.5 seconds.  NIST admits that.  You can measure it yourself.\n\nIt took longer than free fall for the whole building to come down, but not much longer.  Regardless, 2.5 seconds of free fall acceleration is not disputed by NIST.\n\nThere was air resistance, but that's expected, and near trivial.\n\nEdit: It doesn't make sense, but it very much happened.  It's very much a fact, and that's why it's disturbing.\n\nAnd, it's not enough for you to say it didn't happen, when it's proven to have happened.  Show me your calculations that show it did not occur.  You can't do that.

That may be true. But when was the last time they knew someone who died of Scarlet Fever (or became brain damaged)? Polio? Malaria? Dysentery? Tuberculosis? Small Pox?\n\nI mean, they used to build entire faculties to treat TB which consisted of slowly dying in a room with other TB patients in a climate that was slightly less humid.\n\nIt's amazing! Science has cured so many diseases that now people think if someone gets sick it's some kind of conspiracy.

I flipped through the comments.  It didn't take long for someone to link to Natural News.

18 hours old and nobody's suggested Jumper?\n\nhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489099/

There is a very obvious conflict of interest in the fact that the doctor and the people who pushed him to get the treatment hold the same belief system (which was the motivation for the treatment). The doctor should have been an objective party not a tool of the church. Your questions might still be valid but in this case there is no question that the doctor was acting unethically. 

lolol I'm glad I originally posted this to /r/facepalm.  My facebook screenshots don't belong in /r/skeptic.

The article ends by saying it can be proven as causal or associational..... So it sounds like there is nothing to be skeptical of...

Relatively meaningless. Most of deaths in Western countries with high rates of firearms ownership are suicides, and substituting firearms for knives, bludgeons, and so forth does not necessarily mean more people die. In Switzerland, where per capita gun ownership is very high amongst the native Swiss, suicides are almost ten times as high as homicide committed via firearms. The US in comparison has a drug war and symptoms of a multicultural paradise to worry about. 

That's incredible! Your first experience was the holy grail of ghost hunting!\n\nDid you ever do any research on the house to try and figure out who/what the spirit might be? Does the activity still continue today?

&gt;I don't have a degree or anything\n\nYep. This isn't even wrong. It's just unintelligible.

Yes, the huge list of studies I linked earlier in this thread is completely unsubstantiated. \n\n\n

I've seen this too!  Check out my [pic here](http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/9447/spaceballslarge011uy.jpg)

I'd certainly enjoy speaking to you about this topic, but in another thread at another time. My question is specifically aimed at UFOs and aliens, not about religion. I mentioned my religion because it is influential in my formulations of thoughts and opinions, and I have my "God hat" on when I consider and contemplate others' ideas.\n\nNotwithstanding, I am a seeking truth. I have a very open mind. 

I do agree with you, the Original post was well written, not like a ghost story. We are discouraging ghost story editorialising/writing, as that sort of stuff belongs in [/r/nosleep](/r/nosleep) \n\nAs for the dedicated thread/week. I doubt that will happen, as that would bring much of the activity to a halt, and many stories would be lost in the mess!

not when it comes to chiropractics.  That is some peoples bread n butter.

Never mind. [Snopes to the rescue!](http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave/plants.asp)

I'm an AF Aerospace Physiology tech and one aspect of our career field is to treat incidents of airsickness once it's recurred in pilots (usually during their time in the training program). Typically the flight doc's go-to answer is the proven and effective combination of Scopalamine and Dextroamphetamine, but we get them when the airsickness persists despite increased time in the aircraft not producing the expected desensitization.\n\nThe site looks hokey and I've become wary of anything that makes a point of being "all natural." It says that it works by the oils absorbing into the skin behind your ears and going to work their magic on the inner ears--yeahhh not quite how that works, but it's a simplistic explanation and I'm wondering, overall, DOES it have a good basis for working?\n\nAll the reviews I've found from sailboat forums, cruise forums and amazon/walmart customer reviews are anecdotal (I was hoping one would crop up on there with a study link, but no dice), and generally positive. Some of them said the smell of it made OTHERS sick, which I thought was amusing.\n\nAnother "treatment" of motion sickness are the wristbands with nodules on them, but they have been proven placebo-only. Ginger root is helpful to reduce vomiting, but not necessarily the nausea assosciated with motion sickness. Scopalamine, Dramamine, Bonine are generally accepted among flying community, though I do not know much about Bonine personally, so I won't speak to its efficacy. Our program techniques focus of diaphragmatic breathing, desensitization through demonstrations with a barany chair, muscle and mental relaxation techniques. We also provide knowledge of the fundamentals of motion sickness to increase understanding (reducing fear/stress) and provide information on physical prevention such as importance of rest, stress, and diet (recommending complex carbs and hydration, discouraging most things high-fat, high-protien or dairy).\n\nThe last paragraph was mostly there for comparison purposes, to show other methods and efficacy. Does anyone know of any non-anecdotal evidence for this? Or any other effective/ineffective remedies I haven't mentioned? This part of our job is one I greatly enjoy, getting to help other people continue to pursue a career they love and educate at the same time, and I'd love to know as much as I can about it.\n\nLastly, how could I have made it so that this comment was underneath my link and not in the comments? &gt;.&lt; It seems as though the only way to do that would be to put the link in text, but then it seems like it's categorically wrong since the link is the main thing in question.

So far nobody seems to have touched on the notion that the roswell craft (iirc) is said to be some kind of biomechanical thing that requires some sort of biological integration into the host pilots, who themselves are some sort of biological machine, both of which seem to have been "built" to withstand endless amounts of time in space traveling between stars. I can't remember whose theory this is or where I read it, so if someone could point me in that direction, I would be grateful.

Some of the political views espoused by the show are poorly researched or incorrectly represented.  Skepticism tries to steer clear of politics, but sometimes it overlaps, as with climate change, which Matt and Trey tell everyone is made-up.  My biggest issue is their intellectual cowardice, that being their willingness to be contrarian but not to make a positive proclamation and deal with the implications of it.  The simplest example is the "I don't believe in God but I hate atheists" mindset.  This protects them from the kind of judgment they cast on others, and expressing a conviction can appear uncool.  I think the reason people don't want to seriously criticize South Park or its creators is the fear of appearing uncool, since making fun of uncool people is what the show's success is based on.

Switch the URL and text around. (text in brackets, link in parentheses)

&gt; for now saying dark matter is the same as " we don't know, bit something is there."\n\nYes, that's what I meant by the word moniker. So to say that "dark matter" and "dark energy" exists is to say that we can observe their effects and know they're there. What's wrong with that? It's the same as saying that we know there's someone on the other side of a door because we hear a knock on it.

Who knows, haven't had it happen before or since, with or without the little grey dudes. But it was middle of the day in a decent size apartment complex about .5 miles from campus. It would definitely require some stealth to pull that off. Thanks

Oh I'm sorry, I misread that you already had your shots. At least you're planning to get them all done.

Okay. I'm perfectly content to let you go on thinking that. I hope it's a pleasant experience for you, and serves to brighten your day.

Well they did find somthing interesting, its just that everyone assumed it was a UFO so it got hyped to shit.

We've traveled to our nearest celestial neighbor. Of course we're an advanced intelligence. 

Area code of a number above it is 864, which is South Carolina.\nThe number is 864-646-1700\nWhite Pages .com says its in Pendleton, SC.\nFurther investigation results with Tri-County Technical College

I saw the same type of white intermittent flashing light cross the night sky in Washington State a couple of years ago. It was very bright and took about four minutes to make the full transit. 

UFO = **Unidentified** Flying Object\n\nPeople see stuff in the skies all of the time and have no clue what they are looking at until more knowledgeable people chime in.\n\nSo are they saying they saw something and didn't know what it was? Or are they actually saying that they saw an alien space craft?  And if it was an alien space craft, how did they know it was an alien space craft and not any of the numerous possible natural phenomenon, man made object &amp; combinations of atmospheric phenomenon with man made objects?

i actually laughed when the guy started slamming the bottle on that pad.  

&gt;As far as I understood from the movie, the central planner was computerized and didn't "decide" the demand/need, it simply worked after what demand/need was given by the citizens.\n\nThe inputs to the central planning system are requests, and the outputs are resource allocation decisions.  Therefore, the computer is making the decisions, not the people.\n\nThere is no guarantee that the inputs will match the outputs.  In fact, given the repeated discussions about the amount of scarcity on Earth in Z:MF, it's pretty much a given that not everyone will get their request fulfilled.\n\n&gt;How much that can be "demanded" by every citizen is another question, but it would seem reasonable to assume that every person has a quota.\n\nHow is that quota determined, how is it enforced, and how are the scarce resources allocated?  Remember, two of the primary selling points of the Venus Project are that scarcity is eliminated and there is no need for laws.

His argument was no different than what 9/11 tuthers and climate change deniers do all the time, which is say "x amount of scientists think that climate change is fake". For one they ignore the larger amount of scientists that disagree with them, and secondly science doesn't work like that, it doesn't matter what scientists/experts think, all that matters is what the studies show.

Begin debunking!\n\n 1) Check Source\n\n 2) Is Source "Infowars.com?"\n\n 3) Successfully Debunked. Congratulations. 

Call it whatever you want.  It's life-threatening, and the article is mocking people who have this affliction.

If you can't see how Holocaust denial is different from legitimate historians disagreeing about how many millions of people were killed, then I'm afraid there's not much point in further discussion.\n\nFor the record, I disagree with these kinds of laws.  But I think it's a huge stretch to assert that since Holocaust denial is a criminal offense in some European countries therefore legitimate historians aren't able to do objective research, even within those countries, let alone from anywhere else in the world.\n\nI'll have to read the section of Shermer's book you're talking about and see what references he provides for his claim of the unwillingness of legitimate historians to not lie in their research.  It seems like you might be leaving something out of the context or painting too black and white a picture.  But maybe not, I've been meaning to get that book anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=313vKNR3fkY\n\n^ this gnome video is pretty cool too. One of the top links on /r/Paranormal 

Agree completely. I've seen way too much of this attitude here in r/skeptic

There is no possibility of anything anomalous happening on 12.21.12 due to the Mayan prophecy, because the idea that it will is based on fantasy. There was no prophecy. \n\nI guess it's possible that an asteroid might coincidentally hit the Earth on that date or something, but that doesn't validate this premise. You're apparently talking about the potential for something, anything, to happen on that date, but that's not my argument. I'm saying that nothing will happen because the Mayan prophecy concept is fiction. For the possibility to be there, there had to be an actual prophecy to begin with. There wasn't. \n\nIf you want to talk logic, then you have to present a premise based on evidence. There's no evidence that anything out of the ordinary will happen on that date. \n\nMy determination is entirely logical based on the evidence at hand. 

The point is self-evident, even ***if*** what you say it true, which I have no reason to believe.

I'm not trying to be all anti, but isn't there a movie about this? I very vaguely remember watching it, where babies area actually super geniuses and have their own language and have all this knowledge, but when they hit a certain age (I don't remember what age it was, but it was before the talking stage) they would cross over and turn into the dumb babies we adults always assumed they were anyway. I'm not saying your story is fake, it just reminded me of this.

Bloom. Speculation. Joesph makes a good point but could there be some other *science* out there that we are unaware of or have not discovered yet... After-all this is r/paranormal. 

I never expected ICP to find mention here, but cool none the less.

The only thing spooky about Bachelor's Grove is that if you go there, futilly hoping to see spirits, you'll probably be busted by the cops.

From what I read today the articles all seem to mention the CDC have said they will offer advice for ages but refused to publish advice so far.\n\nAlso by other organisations, as my comment makes clear, I mean other non-US organisations where there is less of a cultural bias towards circumcision. When the French, British, German, Spanish, Australian etc health organisations start recommending it as a routine procedure, then there certainly will be enough evidence. As these countries' equivalents don't recommend this, pretty much the opposite as they all say the evidence and effect is not enough to justify recommending it as routine surgery and that the risks of circumcision outweigh any potential benefits and will not fund non-therapeutic circumcision.\n\n I don't see why these organisations are less of an authority than the AAP and the ones you mention particularly as that is the overwhelming consensus. 

&gt; Something like making sure people don't starve to death is too important to just hand to the markets and hope for the best.\n\nThis is always going to happen, whether we have governments or not.

I know she dismissed it, but her description really sounds like it was either an ingrown hair, or fiber from clothing that became trapped under her skin. I also wouldn't make too much of the lyme disease connection either, as there's a huge boatload of woo surrounding "chronic lyme disease". I'm guessing there's also a correlation with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia.

i'm not telling you that you were trying to be condescending. I'm sorry if I offended you. I just suggest that you find out about slenderman before posting about him, because if you do people will think you're trolling.

Wow. That journalism is so yellow I could piss it. Just enough facts to sound credible, everything else slanted strongly to their bias.

You still can. What you need to look for is objects that show clear signs of intelligent control. Satellites aren't capable of doing 90 degree turns. They also don't jet around in the upper atmosphere; they stay stationary.

That, or some light refraction.  Difficult to tell which direction the sun was when it was taken.

I second the thoughts on the Central City cemeteries, I was working on some buildings up there and would go take pictures on my lunch and after work, and turned up some interesting images, as well as a lot of weird feelings (being watched, etc). Around the same time, a lot of weird things started happening at home (back in Denver), like things moving around the apartment, and escalating to my being touched on the leg one night.  \n  \nBefore they tore it down to build the new shopping center, there was an old, abandoned children's sanitarium up off of Ridge Road in Arvada where we had a lot of strange and downright frightening experiences as kids. My friend was present during the construction of the new shopping center (SuperTarget, etc @ I-70 and Kipling), and swears there is still a lot of activity there (from voices, to objects moving, to full blown apparitions). Some of the grounds of the old building are now landscaped into the hills and land behind the stores, and could be a fun, quick trip

Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but certainly clever.  I would bet money on the network being the chief reason it was taken down.

If you want to do edits, one great method is to use the strikeout characters.  Two ~ characters before and ~~artetd~~ after the word you have edited.\n\nIt produces a nice effect, indicating that you made a mistake and then edited it.

Ehhh, it's just kind of a messed-up world where we feed corn to cows instead of grass because it fattens them up more, and then it fucks up their stomachs so we have to pump them full of antibiotics.\nHave you ever watched "food inc."? It's not naturopathic people, it's about how big business drives unsustainable agricultural practices and makes us less healthy, despite our longer lifespans.

Disclosure is happening now. Ever so slowly, we're being acclimated to the idea of an ET presence. It's a lengthy, orchestrated process...\n\nWell, it feels like that anyway.

My older dogs have exhibited similar behaviors. I don't know if it's a form of Dementia in older dog or if they really are seeing something I can't. I only know when they do it I check out the house. I don't believe in taking chances.

[Here](http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/artifacts/artifacts_debris.shtml) is the explanation for the donut shape. The white dots are cosmic rays. If they were "ships" they would move, instead the cosmic ray impacts the sensor and it is gone next frame.

One of my professors forced our class to read his book as "science" in a philosophy class. Needless to say, I unleashed the skeptic beast on that class. (He had about 100 students on his side... I had maybe 4 on mine and one TA out of 3 who would back me up when he was allowed to)... \n\nThe book was... ugh... I sarcastically annotated the shit out of it citing all his logical fallacies and actual scientific sources relating to the subject of death, and the process of dying and explanations of that stuff. and then sold it back to the bookstore. For the next victim of that class to stand a fighting chance. 

You mean "Scotsman".\n\nBut it doesn't apply here, as I have supplied evidence for my position: conspiracy theorists do not simply assert than "9/11 was an inside job", but clamour for a decent investigation.\n\nAlso, if you spend any time in /r/conspiracy, you will find that there is decent discussion there co-existing with the abundant crazy.\n

Throughout history, churches have called deviations from their path "heresies" and have punished them harshly.

I've seen shadow people during various parts of my life, I recall one instance I was in bed one day and to my left appeared a shadow figure, it move around my bed ( knew where my bed was located ), then turned, looked down at me and dissapeared ( knew I was there ).  In my opinion I'd think it would have some sort of intelligence attached to it. Perhaps someone in a higher dimension of reality, that some how under certain circumstances briefly became somewhat visible in my reality - or somehow I briefly was able to see it. \n\nIt moved in fast forward, like walking or moving just sped up 2 - 3x normal 'time'. I was in bed, but wasn't asleep. I'm aware of what hypnagogic hallucinations are, this wasn't one it was during broad daylight with no window blind, the shadow figure was much darker than a normal shadow, almost surreal how dark it was given the circumstances - it had a 3d shape, not a 2d like you see on normal shadows.

In this [video,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSg6lG3cvTE&amp;feature=related) Maher flatly denies being a germ theory denialist. \n\nFrom Maher's Bill Frist [interview](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeKb710KikM&amp;feature=related), it seems Maher believes some vaccinations are good, but that some diseases, like H1N1, are not enough of a threat to justify the use of the vaccine with healthy individuals. Maher even talks about vaccines using live viruses and mutating. Although I would advocate the use of more vaccines than Maher advocates, I would hardly lump him in with germ theory denialists.

You wont get cancer even if you used it all day every day.  It the equivalent  of throwing a beach ball at a chain link fence.  Unless you throw the ball at incredible force and blast through the fence, its not ever going to hurt you.  And no your cell phone does not have that much energy.

When I was in college, we had a hypnotist come to campus for a type of comedy show. All the students rolled into the theater and the guy starts asking for volunteers. He specifically tells the audience that if they feel hypnotism won't work on them to please not volunteer, as that will almost definitely make it nearly impossible to hypnotize them.\n\nMy best friend and I were in the audience and he volunteered. I'd say roughly 20 some people initially got up there. By the time he had the volunteers he wanted, and thought would be susceptible to hypnotizing he was down to around 10. The show starts and he's talking to these 10 or so people and the audience is laughing our asses off because these volunteers did really seem to be hypnotized. They were all slumped in their chairs and what have you, and would listen to the hypnotizer almost perfectly. My friend was one of the 10 people. \n\nOver the course of the show he has them do some pretty ridiculous stuff in front of the entire audience. The whole show was absolutely hysterical. At one point he tells a guy up there that when the show was over and he went back to the audience to sit down he'd feel like his chair was burning. Sure enough, dude sits down at the end of the show and immediately jumps right back out of the chair, screaming about how hot it was.\n\nI don't think its magic or anything of that nature. But my buddy tried to describe it to me as simply just wanting to follow along with the guys instructions. He said it just felt right to listen to him.\n\nAll that said, ONE particular person was mentally a little less than stable. He was perfectly okay living in society and what not, but he had some issues. He was told at some point during the show that he was a rogue CIA agent and the audience members were soviet spies trying to kill him. If he managed to make it to the back of the auditorium and put his hand on the wall he'd be safe. After he told him this on stage, the guy immediately jumps up from his seat and exists the theater stage left. He's in the hallway making his way to the back entrance of the theater. Eventually, after sliding across the wall all James Bond style, he flings himself through the back entrance, and RUNS up the stairs and puts his hand on the wall and just stands there looking at the whole theater. After the show he was freaking out, completely paranoid and incredibly stressed out. He was so bad in fact, the hypnotist had to re-hypnotize him and calm him down. I talked to him later, and he told me it was a weird sensation. It was like he was having a panic attack and couldn't calm down.\n\nEither way, there are probably some very simple things going on when being hypnotized. None of which, I'm assuming are anything more than some bizarre form of peer pressure and things along that nature.\n\nThe hypnotist himself even said at the beginning of the show, that even if you had someone in an extremely deep hypnotized state they would never do anything to harm themselves if they wouldn't have done it normally. For example, he said, he could never get someone to stand in front of a moving car on the road or anything like that. He also made the point he probably couldn't get anyone to strip naked in front of the audience either.\n\ntl;dr - Went to a hypnotist show with a friend. People got hypnotized. Shit was hilarious to watch.

Swiss bank account bitches. I aint got no money, as far as you people are conserned. 

I guess my issue is with the way the intent is phrased. It's one thing to fund neurobehavioral science. it's quite another to elevate human qualities and herald them as apart from nature. 

I can't find the partially evaporated beams right now, I forgot where I found them earlier. However I did just find [peer reviewed evidence of nano thermite in several samples of wtc dust.](http://www.benthamscience.com/open/tocpj/articles/V002/7TOCPJ.htm?TOCPJ/2009/00000002/00000001/7TOCPJ.SGM)

i've heard him explain it correctly a bunch of times, so i'm sure he just slipped up or something. the way he's explained it before has been that they, for example, dilute caffeine to cure insomnia, stuff like that. like cures like and all that.

I like that idea. It's just to fuck with us. A bit like the things we do to animals and children to fuck with them. An intelligent species needs something more done in order to be fucked with. I like it.

I can make my back finger *appear* to move with respect to the front finger by tilting my head left and right - just like we observe in the video. 

I think the "cheating" explanation is that they have a cheating mechanism installed and someone forgot to update the numbers.

I agree. There is a building just a couple miles away from me, just a smorgasbord of woo. In one building alone, just off the top of my head is Reiki, Acupuncture... shit, I can't remember the rest sorry, I'll have to stop and get a picture of it sometime. Just two or three buildings down is another shop called... well, I don't remember that either but it's a completely "alternative medicine" shop with rocks of all kinds and basically everything alternative thing you can think of. Oh, and I think there are 1 or 2 (at least one I know of for sure) chiropractic shops in town also.\n\nIt is a high income area... it's hard to explain but they are the kinds of people that can and will spend money on this crap.

[Foreign accent syndrome](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_accent_syndrome) sometimes occurs to people with migraines or brain damage. The sufferer doesn't really have a new accent, but their part of their brain which generates speech sounds is a little bit wonky and it sounds like a different accent.\n\nBut I've never heard of sleep bringing this on. Do you suffer from migraines?\n\nAs for the cases where other people hear a different language -- people who wake up from dreams often have slurred or incomprehensible speech. It's likely the hearer wasn't totally awake or alert either, and interpreted  random noises that sounded like the other language. If crazy Christian moms can hear Satanic messages in heavy metal played backwards, this doesn't sound too impossible.

This is so late. We've already discovered SuperEarths and stuff, added planets to our solar system, such as Sedna, and more. The only reason planets aren't given much diversity in names is because they are everywhere, and they need to be classified under subclassifications under subclassifications under classifications.

I have read read their blogs and and some of their books. They do make strong cases against religion, but they both seemed to make their points calmly and rationally. I know Dawkins and PZ have this public image that you describe, I just fail to see how it is an accurate image. It is possible that we are interpreting the same thing in different ways, but since you have refused to give me any frame of reference, I still don't know what it is you are talking about.\n\nYour "illustrations" only explain what you think, they do not explain why you think it. The only explanation you have given as to "why" is a vague "read their blogs and books." Then you justify not giving an example because we might "interpret the context" differently. So what if we interpret the context differently? At least I will understand where you are coming from and what it is you are talking about. Are you afraid that the only examples you can find will be out of context? Are you worried that your case will be much harder to make if you actually have to give concrete examples?\n\nIt's like a creationist saying that there is data disproving evolution. But when asked to give some examples of the data, the creationist just says "I can't because you might interpret it differently or find flaws in it and I don't want to get in that argument." I'm sorry but that does not cut it. Perhaps this is where we are seeing things differently, science tends to have a "show us your evidence" or "shut the fuck up" attitude, and religion tends to want a free pass on that stuff. I can see where Dawkins and PZ might fall closer to one side of the scale, but without an example this is only speculation on my part.\n\nIf your next response is not an example I am just going to assume you can't find one, and call it a day.

This might be a little easy for me to say since I've never had to deal with something like that, but I feel if I was in that situation I would be aggressive towards it. I would treat it like any unwelcome person in my house. I would walk towards it and tell it to get the fuck out now and leave me alone. I would try and make it scared of me. \n\nOf course in reality I would probably piss myself and hide under the covers. But if you can get over the initial fear when you see it try telling it who's boss and you're not to be fucked with.

It's just that the results they came to are handled like the final truth. Mythbusters busted it, so it has to be wrong. I saw that enough times on reddit allready. Sure, that is more of a fault of the watchers than the show, but still

&gt;They never do that to the thousands of studies they report that appeal to their confirmation bias.\n\nWho does?

Ok, that's interesting. I was trying to imply that cows can eat grain without any obvious major health issues, but I certainly am not an expert on the issue.\n\nThanks for the correction.

I don't think that would be too confusing for them because there's a clear order difference there (like if you said "Sit then shake" and "Shake then sit", the dog is unlikely to mix up the responses because it's quite clear what should come first). \n\nAlong the lines of what you're suggesting though, I think it would be more confusing when you use different mathematical functions (like multiplication and addition). But all it would require would be extra training so that they can recognise the differences. This could be done by just emphasising the word "times" or "plus" as you give your command. Given enough patience though, it certainly wouldn't be impossible. 

It's stupid shit like this that discredits all other ufo reports.

Guess you weren't reading the posts. Vitamin supplements do nothing In doses greater than the MDR. Kombucha tea is no different than any other source in that regard. 

Agreed.  Still, there are those people who find weird things seemingly "implanted" in their bodies.  Freaky as hell.  But I suppose the best explanation is some sort of shrapnel, or that the body is producing these things for some reason.  Like a cyst, except solid.

Not sure if it's real, but I really like this one:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89KkYMS8jkk

Hypnosis is kind of the ultimate placebo effect, so if you don't believe in it,  it won't work on you.

He doesn't understand that "fluff-words" aren't "big words", and that you're accusing him of adding unnecessary words to thoughts that lack the need for them, simply because they're less common for the average person to know. \n\nHe may know words, but the logic exceeds his petty vocabulary.\n\nEDIT: from below\n&gt;Yes. Indeed you have most certainly proven this without any shadow of a doubt.\n\nYes. *Indeed* You have *most certainly* proven this *without any shadow of a doubt*.\n\nHe literally added nine fluff words to a thought as simple as "Yes. You have proven this."\n\nSomeone's trying too hard.\n

Well, I hope you would put more weight in the actual email where he says he never said anything like that.  There's no credible source, there's certainly no transmission of him saying anything like that.  There are far better quotes to rely on that one.  Including that one will just make your list look like a hack copy and paste job.  It sticks out like a sore thumb to anyone who knows better and they'll conclude you aren't bringing anything new to the table.

Ignore xoxoyoyo. He's an idiot who comments as if he knows anything on every single post in this subreddit.

It'll depend mostly on the cooking process. Boiling can take some of the goodness out of veg, frying in butter adds calories. \n\nI've a link to a raw food cook book: http://jonsiandalex.com/media/recipebook/\n\nThere are some interesting ideas but I doubt there is a huge amount of health benefits. 

whoa... img 6 looks like one of those space fighters from Independence day. (favorite movie from 6-9 grade)

Just with applying Occam's razor the paranormal cannot exist, but you believe in it.

I'm completely speculating here, but is there a safety/security concern? Though it seems redundant if anyone can find the information at will

This looks fun...\n\nCan't wait to torrent it here in the states.

I agree. The European obsession with [controlled designation of origin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appellation_d%27origine_contr%C3%B4l%C3%A9e) is just protectionism and chauvinism. Food isn't witchcraft. It's a science. You can make Camembert outside of an imaginary line on a map. 

No, and the problem is that even with supplements, that it is impossible to get the complete nutrients, you do understand that there is a difference between getting partial nutrition and having overlaps and getting the complete nutrition. You can't get certain amino acids from an all vegan diet even with supplements. Also what you offered was anecdotal evidence there is no way for me to verify your counter example of "people you know" and there is no way for me to verify that the child was getting the proper nutrition. There is a difference to the appearance of a healthy child and one that is totally healthy. While the child might be fine, it could very well be on the lower end of the spectrum of fine development and I know that if I was a parent I would do whatever I could to make sure my child was the absolute fittest it could be while developing. 

&gt;I know of no abduction or contact accounts where the aliens said they were from another dimension\n\nNot true. Read John Mack's book 'Abduction'. I think Bud Hopkins also interviewed some folks who were told this.\n\nAnd I don't really understand (at all) why you have your undies in a wad over this. UFOs frequently disappear while people are watching them, and we are pretty damned sure now that physics supports the idea of higher dimensions. Add to that accounts of beams of light that seem to have functions (such as transporting people through walls) and it doesn't seem even vaguely implausible to me.\n\nMaybe consider easing up on the 'baloney' and 'bullshit!' tags until you've learned a bit more about this phenomenon.

Wtf, why is this getting upvotes in /r/skeptic? \n\nBeliefs are a form of insecurity. Not single beliefs like "beliefs are a form of insecurity", as long as they are justified and supported by evidence--but most belief-systems and belief-mythology is insecurity. \n\nI ask, why would I attack Deepak Chopra for saying that? I'd attack him for other non-evidentialist things he does. Not things he got RIGHT.

As I stated in the comment the long rails of light are a result of aberration of filming through the window (probably a double glass one).

It's either a water droplet on the lens, or an interplanetary spacecraft launched by Google for [Google Maps of Mercury](http://www.google.com/mercury/)

How stupid do you think they are after 65+ years? Seriously. Gonna just drive it down the road, are they?

I simple used the technique found somewhere on the internet (a piece of paper placed on a needle) + I adopted for a moment the belief that the paper card is in fact an extension of my consciousness and in reality I can do whatever I want it do to. So I was sitting for a half an hour visualizing the movement and then the piece of paper began to rotate very smoothly for a moment in one direction, that's all. \n\nI also had once an outstanding result with psi balls, when I woke up in the middle of the night feeling very calm, sat down and realized (without any doubt!) that I am creating a red ball of energy. When I opened my eyes the red ball was almost lighting up the room. It was so vivid I could see (and if I remember correctly, also feel) all those "patterns" of energy (like in tesla balls). The funny fact is, it didn't scare me as much as I thought.\n\nIf you dont believe me, I have nothing to prove it and I dont care, I am just a random guy on reddit that is sharing his stories so others can expand their knowledge and understanding, and maybe try it, too. I know that there is a book written by Robert Bruce on the subject of energy work. (I need to check it out ;p)

My [warmish wooden box](http://www.vaporpedia.com/wiki/Magic-Flight_Launch_Box) treats a lot of things.

I can only imagine what it must be like... but seeing this runs in your family, can you speak to one of the women who have this gift to see how they cope with it? Anyway, there's little doubt in my mind that isolating yourself isn't the best option. I've seen shows like the one that someone else referenced where young people get help from older and more experienced people that have learnt to deal with this. That being said, I know it'll likely never be easy.

Because, let's say reincarnation exists &amp; whatnot...you surely couldn't be your grandmother. But your grandfather is definitely a possibility.\n\nOh, eerie.

For one, I can't quite detect a *purpose* to it, besides general humbug. She appears to be criticizing a subjective, irrational experience because it's subjective and irrational.

I could see it increasing your risk while taking a shower but I don't see how the effect could last much longer than your shower does. If it does any damage at all it would probably just be the minimal amount of damage of daily wear and tear. I have no citable evidence but I can't really imagine your body's natural reaction to cold would cause catastrophic damage.

Yes, except the wings didn't spiral from tip to tip, the were up near the head. I appreciate your curiosity, anyone else I ever told never seemed to give a fuck

Whoa wtf, I'm from Victoria, BC.. live 10 minutes away from where that was filmed. I'm going to try and track down these guys... Sounds like they were smoking a lot of weed, must be glad they had the video camera, haha.\n... edit: lol, look at the submitter's other videos. Definitely a stoner.

While it's true that you can never reason someone out of dogma, you can have an impact on others who are exposed to it.  \n\n"Truthers" are a lost cause, but there are still some people who have heard their rhetoric and legitimately don't know what to think.  So for their sakes, it's important that we continue to beat this dead horse.

If it's real they need to get a team in there with multiple cameras at each location. If it's not real, STFU.

&gt; And just because someone is giving something away doesn't mean it's hokum.\n\nThat is a very astute observation, and very valid, certainly.  \n\nUnfortunately, I don't believe that "free=hokum" was ever my point...  but don't let me stop you from countering some imagined point you believe I was making.

Rogan sounds like an overly opinionated jack ass. Well done. You used solid facts and kept your cool.

Sounds pretty much like you picked it up in the wad of papers when you moved them to the apartment.\n\nEither that or you just put it there and forgot. It happens.

The *intent* was good, but the course of action they chose was retarded to the point they may have permanently crippled their child through their own stupidity.\n\nBy analogy: if a schizophrenic *sincerely believes* Jesus wanted them to stab a pregnant woman, do we let him off?  After all, the *intent* was good, right?\n\nNo, of course we don't, because we recognise that intention isn't the only important factor - you also have to factor in *effects*.\n\nSo why should we let these delusional people get away with harming their child?  At the very least they're simply too stupid to be responsible for a child's safety, and at worst they're allowing their delusional state to cause harm to an innocent child.  It doesn't matter what the intent was, if *the child was harmed*, and stands likely to be harmed *again* if the situation persists or re-occurred.

[Suspension of disbelief ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_disbelief "IMHO")?

Just read a few and still does not justify the claims made. \n\nThe books themselves make people think about their religions, present solid arguments for why they should re-consider their beliefs. They do a damn good job of it. Oh btw he still doesn't exist :P

...or the fact that I have to disable the reddit bar because of stupid google plus. 

the last one that looked like an eye was creepy... must be sauron. 

It's practiced because it's useful to know what the consequences of policy will be. Good economics makes clear predictions and can be falsified and improved upon with the aid of empirical evidence.\n\nThere are several theories around, and many of them are wrong or unfalsifiable, but that doesn't mean all economics is wrong for the same reason that the existence of homeopathy doesn't prove medicine wrong.\n\nIn academia (Econ PhD student here, btw) there is nowhere near as much disagreement on fundamental things as in politics or the media. Many individuals in these realms (including many academics who pass over into the public sphere) do not make the claims they do in good faith, but for personal/political/financial gain.

[This is what I'm currently taking and where I buy it from](http://www.vitacost.com/Source-Naturals-Triple-Boron) The pain usually starts to creep up after about a week.  I can feel the pain most when I'm walking up and down stairs in my knees.\n\nI read online somewhere a few years ago that women used to eat a pinch of borox while doing their laundry to stop arthritis pains back in the early 19th century.

Fibromyalgia is bullshit that people use to seek drugs in the ER.

Edit: CR = calorie restriction, ROS = reactive oxygen species\n\n&gt;It is worth noting that, even among the scientists who hypothesize that ROS are relevant to CR, there is some debate as to whether the diet works primarily by decreasing ROS production or increasing ROS defenses and repair.\n\n...\n\n&gt;Although the free-radical theory of CR remains popular, many believe the experimental evidence is not yet convincing (Lindsay, 1999). Proof that anti-oxidants are beneficial is mainly limited to the demonstration that they slightly increase average life span in rodents and flies. In Drosophila, there has been considerable work done to test this hypothesis but the data are contradictory. Flies transgenically altered to overexpress human SOD are stress resistant and live up to 40% longer ( Parkes et al., 1998, Reveillaud et al., 1992 and Spencer et al., 2003), but the effect is genotype- and sex-specific (Spencer et al., 2003). Molecules that might soak up ROS such as melatonin, carnosine, epithalamin (a pineal peptide), and epitalon (a short peptide of Ala–Glu–Asp–Gly) increase average lifespan of flies up to 16% ( Izmaylov and Obukhova, 1999, Khavinson et al., 2000 and Yuneva et al., 2002) but whether these effects are due to the molecules’ anti-oxidant properties, or some other effect such as hormesis (see below), is not yet clear. Contradicting the hypothesis are studies showing no correlations between fly lifespan or CR and decreased ROS production ( Barja, 2004, Merry, 2002 and Miwa et al., 2004).\n\n&gt;In mammals, the situation is just as muddy. A recent study of rat liver and brain reported that CR does not affect the accumulation of a common age-related deletion in mitochondrial DNA (Cassano et al., 2004). There have also been numerous reports that CR has little effect on ROS defense mechanisms and, if anything, CR attenuates an age-dependent increase (Gong et al., 1997, Guo et al., 2001, Luhtala et al., 1994, Rojas et al., 1993 and Stuart et al., 2004). This discordance could be due to the fact that many of the studies examined different tissues, or perhaps it is because some measured mRNA levels and others protein activity, making direct comparisons between studies difficult. That aside, perhaps the most convincing evidence against the free-radical theory of aging is that mice lacking superoxide dismutase (SOD2) incur greatly increased oxidative damage, yet they do not show signs of premature aging by a variety of measures (Van Remmen et al., 2003). In summary, there is considerable disagreement within the field about the validity of the free-radical damage hypothesis, and the debate looks as though it will continue.\n\nAppears the situation isn't as settled as you make out, judging from the paper you linked. [This paper](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047637410002149) supports your argument better, but [this one](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0531556509000023) and [this one](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030441650900169X) disagree using in vivo studies.

LIES!!!!!! I mean just looking at it is enough to give me nightmares.

You're desperate to continue the discussion, however you've already abundantly shown yourself to be an idiot, so I'm not interested. \n\n/pat on head

This looks really iffy; However, I have seen a few videos and read a few articles from officials stating that there are some weird objects and formations on the moon that lend to the idea of structures.\n\n

Lines up perfectly with another study showing that 9-14% of people suffer mild retardation. \n\n

&gt; with the landowner's permission\n\nPrime producing property, the landowner will NOT allow you to damage a crop\n\n&gt; would it be common to not be in a particular part of the farm for a few days? I have no idea.\n\nGenerally you check your paddocks every day.

In that case I don't think the word "skeptic" is appropriate:  \n\n&gt;Skeptic: person who habitually doubts the authenticity of accepted beliefs \n\nPeople in /r/skeptic don't seem to do this at all.  \n\nI suggest "rationalist" might be a more appropriate label:  \n\n&gt;the principle or habit of accepting reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct.  

For what it's worth, when I was roughly 5 we lived on a boat on a canal in Amsterdam. I was close to the stern playing with my toys and the weather was gray and overcast. Suddenly a small sphere of light (about 10" in diameter) that was extremely bright (white almost) zapped down to about one meter higher than me and about 4-5 meters in front of me. It sat there for about a second and it zapped up into the sky again. Right after it started rain lightly. My mom came out and I tried to explain what I saw. I can't recall our conversation, but I think she just brushed it off. I think it was ball lightning, but never really figured it out what it was, or if it was dangerous. It may or may not be related to your story - I figured I's throw it out there.

I have a reasonably similar outlook on life, so I just shave my head.  No shampoo/conditioner/other hair products/hairdresser visits for the rest of my life! 

Thanks! That gives me a lot to go on. Perhaps I'll make myself look foolish by learning the technique and attempting it (unsuccessfully, I'm sure) on an unsuspecting family member.

If aliens did appear, they would consider us as like more than cattle.  I suppose we can expect the same compassion from them as we have shown the other life forms on this planet.

I just meant she predicted a disaster. I'm not saying I buy into it just that it was interesting. 

I used to pop overs there a whole back; I saw this on a diymobileaudio.com forum post. I've been building a new system for my car, and I'll tell you, the homeopathy wish they were as good at bullshitting as half the brands on Crutchfield.

I always liked the joke form of this sentiment:\n\nQ. Why do people call Obama a Muslim?  \nA. Because they aren't allowed to say "nigger".

Well this is by no means a ufo, but nonetheless interesting. I thought it belonged here because the audience here enjoys this sort of thing.

&gt;&gt; Given that it's not obvious whether 'Marc Stephens' is even a real lawyer...\n\n&gt; Actually ... the initial threats didn't even come from a lawyer.\n\n"Actually" usually implies you're disagreeing with or want to correct something in a post you're replying to, rather than just paraphrase / re-emphasize it.

&gt;There are historians that know or suspect the official numbers are off, but can't/don't want to go down those roads of research because they would be perceived as siding with neonazis.\n\nWho are these historians?  \n\nAlso, there are no "official" numbers, as if some ruling body decided on them.  There are, however, various estimates from individual researchers and teams of researchers which vary by the millions, depending on the definitions and sources used; some are considered more reliable than others.  Which actually seems to disprove your point that people aren't free to disagree.

That's not an argument, that's an accusation and a condescending one at that.

My boss at work is so fucking woo infected it makes me sick. She always pushes her homeopathic/naturopathic/alternative/dietetic shit on other people. I don't care if you want to put yourself at risk by treating your diseases with celery, but i'll stick to medicine personally. She told me to stop taking my insulin and start taking homeopathic medicine. I just stared at her and walked away shaking my head. A fucking diabetic should medicate with sugar pills. fuck me.

No I think Reddit as a whole loves to spout on about Ad Hominem and strawman all while using the terms either ironically or incorrectly. \n\nI'm sure I'm breaking some made up cardinal rule now.

There is nothing Cracked is on to here. They're just paraphrasing  [research](http://www.richardwiseman.com/resources/ghost-in-machine.pdf) into a pointless video, like all their material. Hell, this is just a video version of an older article they did.

Right, but supposing I thought that changing a letter in a paragraph wasn't rbndom, that the number of mutations were the number required for a successful productive change to occur such that they aren't faulty but a built in part of Nature, the mechanism of life as it were. I feel like I sound like I'm trolling or something here, which I am not at all, I'm really curious. With the philosophy that I'm working on the idea of randomness is striking me as ever more of a problem, and I'm wondering what randomness actually exists, and if that randomness is merely one way of interpreting what is going on. I guess philosophically randomness plays into meaning, such that if things are ultimately random, it seems like there's not much of a point to anything, so hedonism results, which might sound great but I think America is what actually results, the hedonism of the few for the sake of the many. I don't know if I'm making any sense. I really appreciate your answer, thanks!

Even if there is a universal mind, that doesn't mean the empirical mind you became attached to as grandma, or uncle John will ever be found there.\n\nYour body may be made of matter, but even if we accept the idea that matter will subsist forever, that doesn't mean your body will necessarily be contained in it again, in any meaningful way for you.  Likewise, even if there is such a stuff as universal consciousness, it doesn't mean your individual consciousness will ever be re-established there.  \n\nYou would have to add something more, like a storage device, or Eternal Recurrence.\n\n&gt; Was really really high one time\n

Yeah, I don't understand why people get upset about that.  I've heard that [alots](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html) are pretty good at CPR.\n\nAlso, as Tude pointed out: the Futurama quote is the source of the article's name, and also the article's opener.  It's not exactly irrelevant here.

I thought that's what /r/nosleep was. That the whole thing was a lark, where people played make believe that ghosts were real. Then I saw arguments about how creepypasta was making it hard to tell "actual" stories about ghosts from fictional ones. \n\nThen it hit me. It's not trolls trolling trolls. A lot of these people actually believe in ghosts.

The better the proof in the photo, the more it will be debunked. So what would actually sever as proof? A DNA sample? A dead body? Remember the Alien autopsy Basically unless you see it for yourself, you will never be sure. But, once you do get a good look at one, you have to believe that there is something out there. And yes I have. And yes, it was incredible!

This is the sort of lazy, anti-establishment thinking that leads to [Climate Change "skepticism"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson#Global_warming). Of course you can question the dogma - but question it using peer-review, not lofty conjecture.

I am really enjoying Better Angels of our Nature as well (though I'm a bit stalled as I decided I needed to digest the main A Song of Fire and Ice series before the next season of Game of Thrones)--make no mistake I generally like Pinker and I agree with his main message in the book. That is to say, I think he's probably right, but there are reasons why he can't publish those claims in a peer-reviewed academic journal (chiefly because they are extremely broad given the available evidence) and so I can't claim that they are as likely to prove accurate as, say, [the more narrow and rigorous claims made by those citing Pinker in journal articles](http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?cites=7594340740430530520&amp;as_sdt=2005&amp;sciodt=0,5&amp;hl=en).

It's definitely context-specific. Facebook is a shitty way to debate, because there is virtually no way to make it seem not passive-aggressive. Face-to-face depends on who the person is. \n\nSitting around the bar, having beers with friends that you know well, I will absolutely debate skeptically. When my grandma insists that Obama is planning to turn the United States into a Muslim-socialist commune, I nod politely and ask her to pass the green beans. It all depends on context. 

You saw the guy in a mirror the first time?\n\nI had something *kind of* like that happen to me, except I had seen the guy on a few different days in a store that has a few long mirrors. I really was convinced he had an identical twin. Coincidentally, my brother went to high school with the guy, I mentioned the "twins" to my brother, and my brother didn't know what I was talking about. Later, I'd see the guy, but he would always be solo.

Yes, that's exactly what's intriguing. It's like a chorus of actors contributing to a single storyline we think of as being self. The irony is that the word 'individual' implies something which cannot be divided - but the evidence available points to a non specific origin.\nI once asked a Buddhist monk how people could reincarnate if Buddas teachings refer to 'anatman' (non self) - he replied that there was no absolute self, but that there were unique patterns of sentient existence which could repeat themselves. All grist for the mill!

A real drug for an imaginary illness?\n\nWould the drug be for the sufferer (an antipsychotic or anti-seizure medication), or for the people who actually believe it's caused by devil possession?

Here is another video with the actor in it that's posted under the same YouTube account.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_bhI88UyEc&amp;feature=plcp\n\nThe actor looks so close to Dr. Sal. The only thing is the age difference. The actor seems to be a lot younger. I'm not entirely sure about the voice either. Maybe someone with more experience can do a voice analysis of the two? 

Actually that comment makes more sense than the others, that guy is just pointing to the fact that this is not related to some god or higher non existing being (at least that is what I get from that comment)\nI also hate youtube comments\n\nEdit: added content- typo 

Unless you engage in consciousness expansion practices, of all and any sorts. Do so and you will become powerfully aware of the menagerie of beings very eager to welcome ascended, evolved humans into the fold of the galactic sentient family. Funny you should bring up dolphins/Cetaceans ... they have been included in that fold for most of their evolutionary trajectory. Do not confuse lack of tools for lack of civilization. Extraterrestrials are not looking for technological advancement, they are looking for spiritual advancement. Unity. 

So? First of al, it is their right to believe whatever they want. Even the most nonsensical things. And that is an important right for our society.\n\nSecond, I didn't say you can't argue with them or disprove their believes. But attacking people personally or insulting them is definitely wrong. Especially if it is for prejudiced reasons like Brobocops.

Two days ago a series of earthquakes took place in Tabriz, death toll is over 300, search and rescue efforts are still on-going .\nI think this guy is trying to take advantage of earthquake incident and convince people this video is somehow real and there is a connection between UFO activity and Earthquakes .\nI'm from Tabriz, born and raised, I've never heard any one from Tabriz speak English with a Pakistani/Indian accent like the guy in this video , also in the background there is this toddler playing, I can not understand a word he/she says, he/she is not speaking Azerbaijani-Turkish nor Farsi-Persian . I'm sure this guy and the toddler are not from Tabriz.

The rest of those links look pretty solid. I bet it's a chain of some kind.\n\nedit: Too subtle, Mr. Downvoter?

since no one has replied to your comment yet, i am going to say " thank you" thank you for this information. we now know the reason for the ringing in the ears, btw you received 54+ positive ~~imaginary~~ comment karma points :D

Two things:\n\n1. As others have pointed out, this list shows the "hits" not the "misses".\n\n2. The whole thing is a naturalistic fallacy. If we were leaning more towards being carnivores but *could* live on a veggies only diet, veganism wouldn't be "bad" for that reason.\n\nHorrible case in point: Rape occurs all over nature, evolution has made it very adaptive. Does that mean rape is "good" because it's "natural"? Of course not. The ethical arguments must stand on their own merits.

Yep.  I just got banned meself.  Let's hear it for "alternatives."

Even still, I suspect they'd have devices to scan you and make sure you haven't nabbed anything during your time aboard.. what with the prime directive &amp; all.

It is often reasonable to believe a claim based on the source. For instance I can believe Reuters when they say that a car bomb in Iraq killed 20 people yesterday without having to look up videos and personally interview eyewitnesses. If the source has been shown to be reliable in the past then it's quite rational to believe it unless there's some compelling reason to do otherwise.\n\nWhether any of that applies to this particular claim, though... it's true that no amount of evidence would satisfy a conspiracy theorist (it's a body double! the autopsy was faked! the DNA was from an archival sample!) but I'd have liked to see *something.*

No. It's pretty down to fucking earth.   No one needs to have faith in anything, just try it for yourself and test it out for yourself.   Conduct you own experiments, observe your own results. \n\n

I care. I'd be interested in some links and sources if you have the time to find some. I'd like to show you a few things you might find interesting too.

Places like that are called [gravity hills](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_hill). It's just an optical illusion.

Sounds like you found it while searching for it, but didn't know it, and your subconscious knew it was important.

Ok, so I was fairly off base then, thanks for the clarification.

The entire earth's crust could turn itself over, destroying every living thing on the planet, and I still would not believe in God(s).

&gt;Skepchick » Did This Creationist Harm His Wife?\n\nAnd in /r/atheism:\n&gt;http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism/comments/ghldv/a_little_offtopic_but_we_need_your_help_were/\n\nSo it's not because he's a creationist, eh? Like I said, fuck off.

The house that I live in doesn't have a paranormal history, but on rare occasions weird things will happen, like lights turning themselves off, doors opening themselves and objects falling off of tables even when they appeared to be stable.  I've recently started keeping a journal of everything weird that happens in my house, along with potential non-paranormal explanations.\n\nI think everybody notices things that don't make sense, but most people just shrug it off because they want to believe that everything has an ordinary explanation behind it.  I wouldn't dare suggest that everything unexplained is paranormal, but I also believe that it's very close-minded to assume that something is impossible merely because you've never seen anything like it before.

What do you want explained?  It's hearsay with no evidence for the event even happening. 

So uh, you guys just rip off reddit users' videos? Classy.\n\n[Original link](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/e7ual/a_friends_mother_recorded_this_in_her_backyard_in)

Dude.  UFOs are in the news fairly regularly somewhere across the country.

I know my Marshall amp came with instructions to break in the speaker.\n\nOn the ADAM website (the studio montior manufacturer) i found this:\n\n"Loudspeakers include movable parts. Therefore, they need a certain 'burn-in time' for a full excursion and adaption of these parts. After this burn-in time, the speakers reach their full acoustic potential.\n\nTo break-in your speakers, it is advisable to feed them with music signals of a broad frequency spectrum and different volumes for a certain period of time:\nUp to one week for a 'normal' burn-in.\nUp to four weeks for a reliable long-term consistency.\nHowever, no responsibility can be taken for the correctness of this information since it always depends on both frequency and sound pressure level of the speakers usage. Furthermore, the real time a speaker needs to burn in is, to some extend, always due to the specific speaker itself."\n\nI also think Eminence talks about their speakers needing a breaking in period.

&gt;There is strong evidence for a lot of things, but people don't attack me for having doubts about those things.\n\nHow often do you say them? I'm usually not bored enough to argue a point with someone who's demonstrated scientific illiteracy. Whether it's about vaccines, creationism, flat earth theory, or faces on mars. I'll grab any of them in a particular moment of boredom, but there's only so many of those in a week. 

His main argument through that debate was "You do not understand the vocabulary i am using because you are not an expert in... Whatever the hell he's on about. Weird stuff."

Smart phones still have "sent" folders. not sure what this happening a couple of weeks ago has to do with "sent" folders.\n\nI don't understand what point you're making.

[90% of the cells in/on your body are microbes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_of_the_human_body#Symbionts)

The point is, he waited for her to be alone. He could have asked her at anytime when they were hanging out in the hotel bar, but he waited until they were alone in an elevator. If you don't understand the difference, you're on your own.

1) Your friend has this argument exactly reversed - the observations correlate well with expected behaviour, rather than a hypothesis arising from two correlated (yet independent) variables. The current temperature rise was predicted in the late 19th century, and arises from radiative physics which can be replicated in the lab. \n\n2) According to natural cycles, we should be on our way down - yet we're spiking up at a rate unprecedented in human history. Past climate changes due to natural forcings are slow affairs, spanning millennia (absent some cataclysmic event anyhow). The current rate of change is a few short decades - a comparative blink of an eye. This is far, far faster than the complex web of ecosystems upon which we depend can adapt.\n\n3) There is a veritable mountain of evidence. For example, the isotopic analysis that shows that the increase in atmospheric CO2 comes from ancient carbon deposits that have been released through human combustion, let alone the simple question - if the current rise in CO2 is **not** anthropogenic, where's all the CO2 we're producing going?\n\n4) There was no doctoring of evidence. This has been shown time and time and time again to be false, yet a culpable media chasing controversy and ratings repeats the line that there was some wrongdoing. **There was no doctoring of evidence**. None. Nada. This is a flat-out lie. Of course it always helps if you specify what "evidence" has been doctored so charges can actually be answered with specifity, but then smear tactics are so effective at destroying public confidence in science.\n\nHarping on about some media article from the 70's when there are *thousands* of rigorous studies that show otherwise is - frankly - bizarre. Indeed, the earlier claims of cooling (which was a minority view incidentally - as studies have shown there were way more scientists concerned about warming than cooling at that time) have given way to the current scientific consensus in the face of mounting evidence - which is as it should be.\n\nAs for evil - we live in an increasingly global capitalist society. Unfortunately, capitalism cannot account for long-term intangible effects that don't directly impact competition, cost etc. The massive socio-economic cost of burning fossil fuels are in no way accounted for in their price - indeed the wealth of Western nations has been built in no small part by offshoring environmental debt to poorer nations. Imperfect political solutions currently being discussed are an attempt to encourage the existing systems to account for costs that they would ordinarily ignore in favour of short-term gain. If that is to happen, there has to be some financial penalty to pursuing the current course of action, and some financial benefit from pursuing technologies with less environmental impact - so to complain that some people will make money is to complain about capitalism. Of course, vested interests will resist this at all costs - this is not evil, just naked self-interest at the expense of the wellbeing of the rest of humanity, bouyed up by an unbalanced system where costs have not been fully accounted for.

&gt;The inherent problem is that you have bacteria or fungus taking residence in your body. \n\n...and it's not b/c of a lack of Drug X, I can tell you that much.\n\n&gt;What do you think the inherent problem is that is left untreated by antibiotics?\n\nAgain, my Vitamin C/Scurvy example: Sure, there are probably drugs that could directly kill the scurvy. But, guess what - it's going to come back. And it will keep coming back *unless* you replenish and maintain (ie- cure) your lack of Vitamin C problem.  This inherently solves the problem; the replenishing of the Vitamin C. The drugs only kill or treat the symptoms. \n\n

So instead of bottling your feelings up inside, the preferred method is to ball them up in an imaginary rock and drop it in an imaginary bucket...  \n  \nFacepalm indeed.

I'd first discuss your reservations to your teacher about having a presentation from a quack doctor given to the students as fact.  Then I'd write a note to the School's Administration admonishing them for lies being pushed in the classroom.

You probably will. Tell me, you obstinant moron, exactly how chiropractic and astrology are even the least bit similar. Go!

It is a bit different to clothing though, it is a medical procedure with possible (even if only perceived) lifelong consequences. I do agree they should have to segregate themselves if it is a choice, but if it is for medical reason (there are legitimate medical reasons) that is the reason for herd immunity. I wouldn't have an issue with (which I think they already do) encouraging day care/pre-school and school to not allow them to be enrolled. For some reason enforcing by law medical procedure on any child makes my skin crawl, maybe it is the whole circumcission thing or branding I don't know.\n\n\nDamnit I have to wear clothing in public, bugger.

I have seen all types of specialists psychologist etc. I'm normal! (well, medically speaking anyway) My psychologist however, was aware of this situation when she diagnosed me bi-polar (at age 14. Been off meds for almost 8 years). I'm now starting to wonder if this was a misdiagnosis because it was way easier for me to stop taking meds than it is for most people. I wonder if she hadn't known about it, would I still get that diagnosis?

please continue to tell me all about how New Zealand is comparable to the U.S. They obviously have no differences in size, economy, population, and government. \n\nChrist, if the All Blacks weren't so good New Zealand would be essentially pointless. 

In kaballah the numbers 333 refer to a LIE or an insane delusion. If you see the number ask yourself what you were thinking about it at the time, it's your subconscious telling you that it was false.

What school district? Just so I can avoid sending my kids to this "Science" teacher?

But how would any world government be able to keep this information from us, even if they really wanted to? In order for this to work, the non-human entities would have to secretly meet and/or communicate with world leaders in such a way that is undetectable to the 99%+ of the rest of the population that is not a president, prime minister, or dear leader. This demands a significant abandonment of reason on my part in order to entertain it.\n\nAnd that's not even the biggest problem with it. The biggest problem is that it introduces unnecessary complexity. The very first step to a belief in a government cover-up of UFOs is the belief that UFOs are not of human origin. That's already a big leap. Why can't we stop right there, and explore it? Any other phenomena associated with UFOs -- crop circles, Men In Black, alien abductions, shadow government cover-ups, Greys, Reptilians, Nordics, genetic human/alien hybrid experiments in underground bases, ancient alien stories -- assumes upon us that it's already established that UFOs are of non-human origin. Yet we have no evidence that they are non-human in origin! If we did, it would be on the front page cover of every single print and digital media available in the entire world. This is *not* the sort of information that doesn't get out after a supposed 60 years of clandestine knowledge (assuming you go by the belief that the alien contact occurred under Eisenhower in, of course, of all places on this planet, The United States Of America).\n\nSo, for me, there's a dishonesty in jumping the gun so drastically that I remove myself from reason in order to entertain it. I'm not saying that *you* support the idea that UFOs have non-human origins. I'm saying that any proposition beyond "are UFOs human or non-human in origin?" is immediately unhelpful in determining any unknown truths about the phenomena, and this includes suggestions of government cover-ups of secret knowledge.\n\nThe only certainty we have is that governments will cover-up events in which the public sees an experimental craft. It's a matter of national defense, and I don't see anything wrong with it. The most obvious example of this would be the infamous Roswell incident. There have been many since then, as well, the difference being that no newspapers prematurely ran with a "Flying Saucer Crash" headline before proper investigations were conducted.\n\nAll of these are reasons, among some others, in which I can't find a government cover up scenario plausible. At least, not enough to devote a significant amount of time exploring it. If extraterrestrials ever make contact with human beings on planet Earth, it's not going to be to a few presidents and a few backwoods farmers. I'm banking on the world's cosmologists, astrophysicists, and astronomers to let me know if anything extraterrestrial is attempting to engage us, since they're the ones best-equipped to detect it.

Is this a test to see how many fallacies we can identify in a headline?\n

Ah, "so don't complain that your bored" would have sufficed, thanks!

Hmm. The low concentrations might be a problem. Some of the same Fluoro-conspiracy nuts are also homeopathy believers :p\n\nI guess some folks are just destined to get it up the butt coming and going.

Hey, thank you. Before clicking submit I actually reconsidered (about putting it in /nosleep), but I decided that it wasn't really horror based and this is actually did happen. I wish I had made it up!

/r/politicalfactchecking is where you wanted to ask this question. 

If there is any effect, I bet you could get the same effect by reciting poetry, song etc.  My guess is that it has less to do with the prayer and more to do with getting the old grey matter churning and pulling information back from memory.\n\n&gt; formal schooling reduced the risk of Alzheimer's and memory impairments. \n\nWhich would seem to support my "grey matter churning" hypothesis.\n\nAs to the comments towards the end about infant mortality being lower in religious group...if you have a strong and tightly knit support network where people look out of each other *of course* things are going to be better.  It's not the religion itself (that's just the unifying factor) it's the tight community.

Interesting, since I remember seeing a Charlie Rose [discussion with Michael Hayden](http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/8752) as the incoming CIA director. His standard for what constitutes torture was what "shocks the conscience". He explained that it would be unconscionable to waterboard someone like himself, but it is entirely different if the subject is in his 20s.\n\nYes, he really did say that with a straight face.

In the Moscow video the light is coming in from the bottom, which is suspect, meaning someone is beaming a light directly at the balloons.  \n\nBut the big thing is that they float and behave exactly like balloons in the wind.  

I think it is. People there take this shit seriously and will give advice to people who ask for them.

Thanks for the reply man. I've been trying to look for a solid argument against him. \n\nThis is what I needed.

i'm a lifelong fighter\n\nblack belt in tae kwon do.\n\nadvanced no-gi submission grappler\n\njudo brown belt\n\nmma corner coach/cutman\n\netc. etc. etc.\n\nthere is a huge difference between "martial arts" and combat sports.  i do combat sports, the guys on this show were doing martial arts.\n\nfirst off, the chi lady wasn't even showing qi gong or tai chi in any form i have ever seen.  the isshin ryu karate guy was a typical mcdojo.  his sparring was completely unrealistic and his board/brick breaking is all magic tricks (there are actually many more woo woo tricks you can do) and the reality based guy is a complete nut job who doesn't teach effective fighting skills.  \n\nhow do i know he doesn't?  he has a pregnant woman training.  there is no way that she can be getting real training in that state.  also, teaching people gun and knife defenses is dangerous at best, and most people don't even know how they are supposed to be trained (including people teaching the shit)  \n\nif you want to do combat sports like judo, brazilian jiu jitsu, muay thai, boxing, mma, etc.  then that's fine.  have fun as long as you know the risks.  they might even help you in a self defense situation, but don't waste your money on "martial arts" bullshit.  \n

*'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabe.*

Boy would I love to see that cast-iron evidence.\n\nI'm absolutely sure it just must be a series of double-blind studies done on sufficiently large populations showing a statistically significant correlation between their "remedies" and a reduction in the severity of an ailment, right?\n

So what exactly is "hard" evidence? We have witness testimony, pictures, videos, sound recordings, artifacts, bones, etc etc. What more do you need to see in order to believe?

It's proving doctors wrong about predicting the future. i.e. if she lives longer than 12 months, she'll have proven wrong.

As Ed Hardy visually points out douchebags the way power balance band points out retards. What a day we live in where we can simply look around and see people we really don't want to talk to.

Are you sure he's not referring to "the big man" in the same way Einstein did?

Sure... amber will relieve the 'pain' of an overstuffed wallet. 

They're both weasel words. "Many" people believe that the world is going to end in December, doesn't mean they're right or worth listening to.

I wish my life had a mute button, so I could do that to people who just won't shut the fuck up.

I think everything has been said on both sides of this discussion.  I just want to give the quote of the thread.\n\n&gt;Honestly, I think that science is usually limited by our 5 senses, and I believe that we have more than 5 senses so there are many things in this world that cannot be measured by conventional scientific equipments. Take for example, EFT is based on eastern principles of accupuncture which is about clearing the energy or chi blockages in the body for physical and emotional well-being. While accupuncture is getting more recognised today, there are still scientific-minded people who will not believe in it because energy or chi cannot be quantitatively measured. Of course, science is growing more advanced everyday and perhaps there are instruments now which can measure energy or chi in the body. If this is the case, I would like to know about it.

This is *kind* of true really although in this case I don't believe there is any evidence to suggest that Cancer Research's motives are as Magzy suggested.\n\nThe unfortunate truth is that — from a purely *business* standpoint — there is no profit in cured or dead.\n\nExtrapolating that out to "Cancer Research want to take action to secure finance" however is a stretch at face value.

I'm not claiming them to be supernatural or spiritual. They were not my own though. Maybe just the influence of drugs. I will never know. 

Just think, if they mess up on just 1% of all salt, and you get a salt shaker containing just 1% sodium, it'll [explode](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n24MyTAvBGk&amp;feature=related) when you put it in your mouth!\n\nOr if they mess up in the other direction, and you get 1% chlorine, it's just like [WWI](http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/FWWchlorine.htm)!\n\nAnd even worse, if they mess up both ways and you get salt that's 1% sodium AND 1% chlorine...I don't even want to think of it.

the question of who/what is behind this stuff is still up for debate, the intelligent nature of it isn't. it's unquestionably real to those who experience it. it's weird, but surprisingly uniform in terms of crafts/beings and the manner they operate.\n\nthe thing i find annoying about ufo sceptics is that, since the phenomenon is weird and out of the ordinary, they feel they can demand the impossible from the ordinary people who experience it. when they receive an honest answer, they reject it because it doesn't square with their conception of reality, or they move the goalpost for what is acceptable proof. the truth is they have already made up their minds .\n\nmeanwhile, in real life, our understanding of the mind, the external world and consciousness is in its infancy. the idea that an electron can exist in more than one place at the same time, or that two electrons can be entangled/communicate over impossible distances seems absurd, yet it's moving from theory to experimentation. it's up to thinking people to work out the nature of reality, not ignore aspects of it when it suits them.

In general, it's not very good at that.\n\nI mean some of it's fine as a form of low impact stretching, but if you're not already injured there are better things to do to get stronger or gain more aerobic fitness.\n

Good news, thank you !\n\n&gt; The /r/UFOs community can help us in this endeavor by flagging content that they feel violate our policies or credibility. \n\nWhat more can we do than downvoting ? 

Indeed.\n\nI mean, there is a such thing as water poisoning after all.

He is powerful, and good. He creates perfection, but that perfection has the ability by choice to become imperfect. Ergo how the devil came about. He was created a perfect angel. (no pun intended) But chose to become imperfect via freewill.\n\nWe as beings created by God, do suffer. But suffer because of our imperfections created by sin. Sin chosen over and against God.\n\nIf it weren't for sin and our choice to live in sin, we would all would have remained perfect.\n\nIt's not so much God's fault for us suffering. Does he let it happen? Yes, because we have and had our options.

&gt;Again, you didn't read at all what I said. I don't consider punishment to be payment for a crime, so it's not a measure regarding the severity of the crime in and of itself.\n\nThen what is it?  You are endorsing that the killing of any minority should receive a greater penalty then the killing of a white male.  The only validation that you have offered for this disparity is that it bothers you to a greater degree.  \n\n&gt;You have no possible way of knowing this. All the research I've read (and granted, that's not ALL of it) does its best to control for confounding factors. However, you do seem to be certain that it IS because of other factors, of which I'm not sure how you could know.\n\nIncorrect.  You've not presented any studies that have made any attempt to assure that only those cases where the income disparity was directly related to gender was included in the final numbers.  In fact, I know of no such study.  All studies I've read have only noted that the genders are not paid to the same scale, not why.  The why is always assumed.  I've never made the assumption or the statement that other factors comprise all instances.  I've simply pointed out that you have made the assertion that they are all related to gender bias without any support.  I'm simply left at I don't know.  I am sure that it has happened and am sure it will happen again, unfortunately there is no way to keep assholes from being assholes.  Does it rise to the level of a system wide discrimination?  I don't know, I certainly have my doubts but I cannot be sure.  No support has been offered that is.  \n\n&gt;You misunderstand. Any other discrimination is irrelevant to the discussion AT HAND. If we were talking about the persecution of Jews in Germany, bringing up that other people have been persecuted as well is not relevant.\n\nThe reason that it is not "AT HAND" is that it's not relevant to you.  It doesn't affect you so it is of no concern.  You endorse legislation that falsely props up your concern at the expense of others.  Affirmative action specifically and hate crime legislation as a parallel.  \n\n&gt;I've never said that. You are assuming that because when I was discussing gender discrimination your response was to say "but there's all this other kind of discrimination too!". That other people are discriminated against isn't relevant to the discussion about gender discrimination, just like a discussion about AIDs victims is not particularly well served by bringing in the fact that there are other deadly diseases as well.\n\nIt is if you are attempting to endorse legislation or attitudes that discriminate against others in order to make you feel vindicated.  You cry for the playing field to be tilted in your favor without acknowledging that this tilt puts others at a disadvantage.  You are for discrimination, so long as it's somebody else.    \n\nKarsh  \n     

Even if he did call them liars, that is an accusation, not an ad hominem attack. If he had made that claim then he would have to provide evidence that they are lying, but it's not ad hominem. The guy was just an idiot.

Just agreeing with you. People got sick from many different pathogens traced back to raw milk before practices were standardized to make it safer.

&gt;The hive mind is alive and well here too\n\nThis has nothing to do with the "hive mind," and everything to do with scientific evidence.\n\n&gt;After all this is still Reddit and filled with 20 somethings that are all knowing.\n\nAge has got nothing to do with it. How old are you anyway? I'm between 40 and 45.

When I was about 12, we lived in a house that was right across the road from a graveyard. I awoke one morning and looked out my bedroom window to see a bright shining light in the back of the cemetery. I had never seen this before so I actually rubbed my eyes to make sure that I was seeing what I thought I was seeing. I was really into paranormal stuff back then, still am I guess, so I quickly dressed and ran out to investigate but the light was gone. I had seen a ghost!! Or so I thought. Quite a few years later I deduced that it was most likely the sun reflecting off of a polished headstone. But I still remember the thrill of seeing something paranormal. 

Germany, you have quite the glitch, or excellent mushrooms.\n\nWe'll work on it! Remember, your comfort within ~~the matrix~~ your home is our top priority! Please remain ~~docile~~ calm as we remedy the situation.\n\nThank you!

There's a lag before Carbon Dioxide's greenhouse effect reaches its full impact (about 40 years, I believe). Also, anthropogenic CO2 levels weren't that high in the first half of the 20th century. That doesn't mean it didn't have an impact, just that the impact got lost in natural fluctuations. For the past 40 years the effect has become so strong it has become very noticeable with regards to natural fluctuations.\n\nThis is the page I was originally looking for, it has a clearer graph about CO2 levels.\n\nhttp://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/\n\nAnother useful tool is woodfortrees.org, unfortunately Mauna Loa figures only go back to 1957 or so:\n\nhttp://www.woodfortrees.org/plot/best/from:1900/mean:24/plot/esrl-co2/normalise

Very briefly like for a second, and then it goes back to reporting the same old shit

If you had a "haunted house," you'd only have unexplained phenomena you're writing off as "haunted," not evidence.

That's the article you should have posted then.  It actually gives some details.

TL;DR author thinks that only the people killed in the blast will die in a full-scale nuclear war.

this is true, i saw some videos on youtube that clearly show the lizard people revealing their lizard eyelids. I believe (and no amount of evidence can convince me otherwise) that they are in cahoots with the Rockafellers and ultimately the illuminati. Once you learn to see the signs  it makes sense.

well the entire idea that it was from Santa Monica and therefore its probably CGI is entirely assumption, so I was speaking about that.\n\nThere are arguments to why this might be valid or not valid, but that is not one of them.

Having never watched the movie, I got the impression from the trailer that he tried to heal people using a clown nose and silly walking.\n\nSo it doesn't seem that far of a stretch for him.

Or some nice organic [Botulinum toxin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulinum_toxin#Chemical_overview_and_lethality).  "four kilograms of the toxin, if evenly distributed, would be more than enough to kill the entire human population of the world."

It's been my understanding that sometimes electromagnetic fields can cause feelings of unease and sometimes paranoia.  Is there any electrical equipment in or around your room? e.g. electrical panels, meters, public service electrical wiring?\n\nAny history on the building itself, apart from construction dates?

Oh yeah that... I wrote this a while ago in response to somebody who is adamant that smart meters are dangerous. They initially made the reference to HIV and lead as sharing the 2B classification.

Perhaps this could be the basis for your position on man made climate change.  If you cant properly research something perhaps you shouldn't hold a strong opinion on it.  \n\nAnyways, the link is the gateway to all of the evidence you should need to see that human kind has an impact on the planet.  The very graph at the top is the comparison of atmospheric samples contained in ice cores and more recent direct measurements, providing evidence that atmospheric CO2 has increased since the Industrial Revolution.  \n\nThen the pretty pictures they show you with a tiny bit of information has the link to the source of all of the measurable impacts we have recorded and observed regarding global climate change.  

A satanic bible is a bible that satanists use.  And the recordings were something different, records of some sort of music that called up some bad juju.  I'm still not 100% sure what they were.  I should call up my mom and see if she knows.

I assume that SirMildredPierce was just referring to the fact that there is currently no evidence to suggest that Catholic priests, or clergy or religious officials from any particular brand of religion, are any more likely to be child abusers than anyone picked randomly from the general population. When compared to child-centric careers like teaching, we find that the number of child abusers there vastly swamp out the few cases found in priests.\n\nThis is why no official organisation accepts claims of there being a particular child abuse problem in the church. Even insurance companies can't find any evidence to charge them higher rates to cover child abuse allegations and law suits. \n\nSome good summaries of the issue can be found here:\n\n[Priests Commit No More Abuse Than Other Males](http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2010/04/07/mean-men.html)\n\n[Six important points you don't hear about regarding clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church](http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201003/six-important-points-you-dont-hear-about-regarding-clergy-sexual-abus)\n\nThe main problem with the church and child abuse is that it has procedures in place which effectively protect those who do abuse children, and that's certainly something we should be fighting against. But other than that, the myth of priests being child abusers is essentially just an image manufactured by sensationalist media, the perception that any abuse is more serious because they are supposedly the gate keepers of morality, and because people still believe the Freudian notion that if you bottle up your urges, like your 'libido', then it will have to find some kind of outlet. \n\nIf we want to look at SirMildredPierce's comment more simply, and interpret it as either "It usually isn't a Catholic priest", or "It usually isn't a little boy", then both can be supported by data like that found in the [John Jay report](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jay_Report) - where child abuse in the Catholic church is found to be lower than other denominations, and the vast majority of victims aren't prepubescent. Not that those things make it better or excusable, just presenting it as a possible evidence-based position. 

The crow operating a vending machine turned out to be a scam, it is still up though

Ok I hear some times about cigar shaped UFOs.  I like to think they are as if we were to take a loop of string and dip it just beneath the surface of some water.  An observer in the water might only see a cigar shape but in actuality it is a loop.  I like to think alien craft is more like a loop "breaking the surface" of our dimension. 

Bored adult kids living in their parent's basement.  I kind of feel sorry for them.

Your words were: "Think about all of the things that the government does and tell me what society would be like if there were no entity to serve those functions."\n\nThat sentence is a straw man argument. The quote I posted is a direct response to it because even without a state, there would be entities to serve those functions. If the state disappeared tomorrow, the demand for such services would not magically disappear along with it.

You forgot to redact your friends name.  Faux pas, man.  Fairly gauche too.

No, **population controls are not necessary**, unless you mean such measures as education for women.\n\n[Those "population controls" are already turning things around](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTznEIZRkLg).\n\n[Fertility rates are plummeting](http://www.gapminder.org/world/#$majorMode=chart$is;shi=t;ly=2003;lb=f;il=t;fs=11;al=58;stl=t;st=t;nsl=t;se=t$wst;tts=C$ts;sp=5.59290322580644;ti=2011$zpv;v=0$inc_x;mmid=XCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj1jiMAkmq1iMg;by=ind$inc_y;mmid=YCOORDS;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0TAlJeCEzcGQ;by=ind$inc_s;uniValue=8.21;iid=phAwcNAVuyj0XOoBL_n5tAQ;by=ind$inc_c;uniValue=255;gid=CATID0;by=grp$map_x;scale=log;dataMin=282;dataMax=119849$map_y;scale=lin;dataMin=0.79;dataMax=9.2$map_s;sma=49;smi=2.65$cd;bd=0$inds=i249_l001988cdax;i71_l001997aVaH).

And they try to tell it's genetic. I don't see no left handed birds or other animals! I know it's just a devil-worshiping choice.

Agreed, the presentation is absurd.  As if he's revealing something new by telling you that iron fortified cereal has iron in it.

It sure is a strange press conference. They all look nervous and ill at ease and Amstrong looks like he has been traumatized or something. Would also like to hear other opinions.

To reference your phrase, if someone comes in with a spiral stab wound, would you say a horse did it?  Ignoring something that doesn't fit your theory but is plainly relevant isn't science, ask any scientist or, hell, any science teacher.

Hey man I applaud your efforts.  I work in middle schools and my dear students use entirely too much everything to smell good and it inevitably makes me sick. I lived with people who did not use any deoderant, soap, and used a variety of natural products.  Inevitably I found that despite the fact they smelled like people, that human scent a person has.  They also smelled of BO, and other stuff they used to keep and shine their hair.  Your mileage may very, but I find that as someone with a sense of smell that's strong.  I'd rather a person use cleaning materials in moderation rather than going full natural, or full chemical bath every day.\n\nSo maybe, "I just met you, this is crazy, but you smell a bit bad so wash a bit maybe?"\n\n*edit: spelling, grammar, and drunk.

Well, I was under the assumption what you were going through was just something quirky and harmless. But, with the revelation of scratching and feelings of dread you really need to talk to someone in your church or with a reputable person in your area. What might be going on is more serious than you let on. Good luck and keep us updated :-) 

I guess other people misunderstood my initial comment, but I don't understand your down-votes. Maybe its because the issue is very polarised or something.\n\nI agree something needs to be done because its kind of depressing that as a species we see ignore the obvious problem of exponential population growth. Oh maybe it will sort itself out as women in developing countries get better educated.

Watts' latest articles on arctic ice extent are [here](http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/08/27/sea-ice-news-volume-3-number-10-part-1-new-arctic-extent-record/) and [here](http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/08/27/sea-ice-news-volume-3-number-11-part-2-other-sources-show-no-record-low/), for those interested. "[W]ringing hands and gnashing teeth" does seem gratuitous, but Watts does indeed hammer on about the limited (30 years) satellite record, and i haven't yet seen him directly address the Kinnard or Walsh–Chapman data, even to call them into question. (All i see is occasional commenting, like [here](http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/03/18/sea-ice-news-volume-3-2/#comment-929027).)

You just dont know the system. You got to wait until someone loses a lot of quarters and then go up there and rub the right side of the machine about 1/3 of the way from the top and if you get a tingle in your toes, it is time to play. I have at least doubled my winning percentage since doing this.\n\n(used to work at a bar with poker machines and was amazed at all the "systems" people would come up with and they would totally ignore when their system failed them, and only see the times they won)

This is the result of prohibition of rhino hunting. Countries need to realize that prohibiting the hunting and raising of rhinos specifically for their horns only hurts them.

Whoa dude.\n\nBelieving crazy shit doesn't make someone a moron.  It doesn't invalidate anything about what skills they posses, which holds their interests, how intelligent they are.  It just means they believe crazy shit.\n\nThere's plenty of non-Scientologists who believe crazy shit, too, and are still intelligent people.  There's plenty of people who *don't*believe crazy shit and are idiots anyway.  Don't act like one necessitates the other.

Not the person you were responding to, but I have some thoughts about this:\n\nEvolutionary psychology tends to get more flak than many other branches of science because it can be very difficult to test their hypotheses.  Just because of the nature of psychology, and the nature of evolution, the subject is often not well-suited for experiments.  \n\nThis is only compounded by the fact that behavioral science does not always appear as rigorous as we would like it to be.  It's very easy to dismiss evolutionary psychologists as people who come up with ever more complicated theories that are being thrown together piecemeal in such a way that they cobble together a limited understanding of disparate fields to explain why, well yes, of course this is how people act!\n\nI'm a firm believer in evolution, but (after two years of undergrad study) I have some serious reservations about the woo factor of psychology as a science.  \n\nThat being said, Steven Pinker made an excellent case here, and I feel compelled to read more of his work to get a better grasp of evolutionary psychology.  Maybe it's better than I've given it credit for.

Because you're now suggesting that the ideas of man-made pyramids and extraterrestrial-influenced pyramids are on an even playing field, I don't think we can have a constructive conversation moving forward. I mean no insult.

I haven't experienced the whole "seeing you own death" thing. But as I've read about them, if they are true, I am inclined to believe the exact same thing. 

Unless I'm reading wrong, that study was monitoring how feeding MSG until satiety would affect different taste cell activity, with a goal of determining how related the MSG-sensing cells are with other taste sensory cells. \n\n&gt; We investigated whether satiety induced by feeding with MSG solution would affect the responses of orbitofrontal cortex cells and, if so, whether the response would be sensory-specific\n\n[...]\n\n&gt;Satiety was induced by feeding the monkey 0.1 mol/L MSG rapidly while recording the behavioral acceptance as a function of volume consumed. The responses of cells were measured at varying stages in the delivery of the satiating solution and after the monkey was satiated.\n\nIf you keep feeding a monkey liquid solution containing MSG, it's not surprising that eventually they're going to feel less interested in food. The real question is if feeding a monkey a liquid solution containing MSG causes behavioral satiety from less solution than a liquid solution containing salt, or quinine, or nothing, etc.

Cosmic radiation is extremely tricky and pretty much would require some sort of magnetic shielding which no we do not have. It becomes extremely tricky when you also have a ship that must withstand this ever constant bombardment for years. Lead does a could job of preventing a lot of radiation from getting through but if one is in space for such an extended period of time letting some get through is a deal killer.\n\nRight now that is one of the biggest obstacles in a Mission to Mars. 6 months of essentially being radiated by the universe. Also, that is an assumption that just because one problem is solved like say FLT does not mean that another problem must have been solved too. It just means another assumption, one in a long, long, line when having Aliens visit earth.\n\nCheck out [CSIcop](http://www.csicop.org). You can search specific UFO sightings/conspiracies and they usually have a rational(and usually very fascinating explanation for some of the most famous UFO sightings.\n\nMy favorite is the fact that the U.S. government used the public's belief in UFOs as Aliens as way to cover up testing for midair refueling for spy aircraft. In fact they managed to convince the USSR using propaganda of the "reality" of UFOs which allowed the U.S. encroach into Soviet Airspace and have them think it was little green men. [The USSR, though, caught on fairly quickly.](http://www.csicop.org/si/show/cold_warrsquos_classified_skyhook_program/)

Ok, I revise my assessment. I am now 99% confident that this is a hoax. I think we all agree that the quality and the amount of evidence presented does not warrant us to make a conclusion that this is paranormal. \n\nEven if we assume that this guy is not staging this show, there are many other **natural explanations** like the possibility that it is an electronic device hidden in the room by a previous homeowner.\n\nThe fact that we can not explain this phenomenon, does not make it supernatural, something that defies the laws of the universe, it simply means that we do not have enough information to understand it.\n\nLesson learned: do not try to document an out-of-this-world phenomenon using an IPhone, unless you have been abducted by aliens and are recording them while they are mutilating your genitals.

This is a timeline of my reactions to the video. Warning: science rage and some vulgar language ahead.\n\nAlready I don't like her. She sounds like she's giving a lecture to a bunch of children. I have no idea who her audience is, but if I was there, I would already be insulted by her condescending tone.\n\nWhat the actual fuck is she talking about? All the mass in the universe can be compressed down into a bowling ball? What? Has she ever heard of the Chandrasekhar limit? Of electron repulsion or neutron repulsion? All the mass in the universe compressed would end up as a singularity.\n\nYOU CAN'T JUST DROP THE MASS TERM OUT OF E=mc^2 !!!! THE WHOLE POINT IS TO RELATE MASS TO REST ENERGY WHAT THE FUCK YOU CAN'T JUST *DROP* A COEFFICIENT BECAUSE YOU FEEL LIKE IT ANY CALCULUS STUDENT CAN TELL YOU YOU CAN ONLY DROP ADDITIVE TERMS AND ONLY IF THEY'RE **AT LEAST** SECOND ORDER OR HIGHER *AND* VERY SMALL COMPARED TO THE ZEROTH AND FIRST ORDER TERMS NOT TO MENTION THAT THE UNITS JUST PLAIN STOP WORKING\n\nIt's Hawking, not Hawkings, you moron. A small complaint, admittedly, but get the names right.\n\nLITTLE PARTICLES SHAPED LIKE WHAT? AND THEY VIBRATE? WHAT?!\n\nLady, the human body is NOT designed. Also, you keep saying "vibrations". You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means. Molecular vibrations and compression waves moving through air are NOT the same thing at all.\n\nWhat is this shit about cells? Two points:\n#1: We don't have cell walls. \n#2: **YES IT BLOODY FUCKING WELL IS MASS**\n\nSUBATOMIC PARTICLES ARE NOT TINY PIECES OF ENERGY....Well, okay, they kind of are, but YOU CAN'T JUST IGNORE THEIR MASS THAT'S WHAT LITERALLY *EVERYTHING* IS MADE OUT OF\n\nTHE HUMAN BODY DOESN'T HAVE AN INFINITESIMAL AMOUNT OF MASS THE HUMAN BODY HAS A LOT OF GODDAMN MASS! YOU WANT INFINITESIMAL MASS? THE NEUTRINO HAS AN INFINITESIMAL AMOUNT OF MASS! (sort of)\n\nI can't even follow this whole argument about transforming energy. She states the 1st law of thermodynamics, but why? What does that have to do with *transforming* energy? The 2nd law would be a lot more applicable to that; i.e., every time you "transform" energy (I'm assuming she means converting it from chemical to heat or mechanical, etc.), you lose some of that energy.\n\nI LOOKED IT UP FOR YOU THE DEFINITION OF DISEASE IS ACTUALLY (according to Wiktionary) An abnormal condition of the body or mind that causes discomfort or dysfunction; distinct from injury insofar as the latter is usually instantaneously acquired. \nNOWHERE DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT ENERGY\n\nNO YOU CAN'T "RETRANSFORM" YOUR ENERGY BACK TO WHAT IT USED TO BE THIS IS WHERE THE *SECOND* LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS COMES IN! THE HUMAN BODY IS NOT A REVERSIBLE PROCESS!\n\nHOW THE ACTUAL FUCK DO YOU USE LIGHT OR SOUND THOSE WILL INTRODUCE MORE ENTROPY INTO THE SYSTEM\n\nWHAT THE FUCK "NOTHING IS REALLY MASS" THEN WHAT THE HELL AM I MADE OF ALSO REMEMBER THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA BRING UP MASS-ENERGY EQUIVALENCE THAT IT WORKS BOTH WAYS. USING YOUR LOGIC I CAN JUST AS EASILY SAY THAT NOTHING IS REALLY ENERGY.\n\nThere's "vibration" again. What is she even trying to accomplish by using that word? What does she mean everything has a vibration to it? This sounds like a definition of temperature, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?\n\nHow did we move onto bombs and dogs pooping in yards?\n\nHOLY SHIT YOU'RE GOING TO KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR AND HIS DOG BECAUSE HIS DOG POOPED IN YOUR YARD WHAT WHY DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GOOD ARGUMENT\n\nShe's comparing homeopathy to a *bomb*? WHY DOES SHE THINK THIS HELPS HER ARGUMENT?! To put it mildly, bombs drastically increase the enntropy of a system. So therefore, homeopathy drastically increases the entropy of a system. Why is she saying that this is a good thing? \n\nOh now she's getting into making a homeopathic remedy. WHAT WHY DO YOU KEEP SAYING ENERGY?! EVERYTHING IS AN ENERGETIC SUBSTANCE! \n\nI DON'T CARE HOW MUCH "ENERGY" YOU HAVE IN YOUR REMEDY THE HUMAN BODY IS AN IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS YOU CANNOT JUST "ADD" ENERGY TO REVERT IT TO A PRIOR STATE!! THIS IS LIKE SAYING YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER A BROKEN DISH BY HEATING IT UP IN THE MICROWAVE\n\nI DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR BULLSHIT STORIES YOUR ANECDOTAL EVIDENCE IS WORTHLESS\n\nIn what way, exactly, do we vibrate? How do we measure this vibration? What is its frequency? And why do only plants, minerals, and animals vibrate? What about fungi? Or bacteria? Or organic compounds? Surely they "vibrate" as well?\n\nI definitely giggled at "diabeetus".\n\nSo a patient came in with potentially serious medical problems, and you came up with a treatment plan based on his self-assessed personality. Then you matched that personality to something (what was your process, exactly?) and diluted it until it only contains 10^-30 times the amount it originally did (hint: it doesn't have anything left in it).\n\nNow you claim you cured him? Lady, let me introduce you to *post hoc, ergo propter hoc*. Congratulations, you've gotten him to stop taking medication presumably prescribed by a real doctor that might actually do him some good. YOU ARE FUCKING RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS SUFFERING FROM COMPLICATIONS FROM HIS DIABETES\n\nThis video is a trainwreck. The arrogance and presumption of this woman is incredible. Any first-year physics student could argue successfully against her, and yet she will never be convinced she is wrong.\n

I think someone was watching Red State a little to loud near you

B-B-B-B-Bbbbb Bullshit!\n\nThis guy is like a bad rehash of Hoagland.

Damn, I just skipped over the title of that paragraph. Yes, that's a pretty egregious falsity. A much higher percent of unvaccinated children are being affected than the vaccinated children and they get it worse as well.

Reddit is skeptic to anything.\n\nExcept populistic shit about pot, then its upvoted without reading.

This video isn't by [nwo*satire*](http://www.youtube.com/user/nwosatire). It's an edited compilation of videos from this YouTube user: [TheSpiritScience](http://www.youtube.com/user/TheSpiritScience)

Have you checked your house for high electromagnetic fields (EMFs)?  [Read this](http://www.conradbiologic.com/articles/Triggers%20of%20EMF%20Sensitivity.html) for more info.

I'm sad no one seems to be trying [mycoremediation.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycoremediation)

Sometimes I wonder if fellow skeptics are to skeptical.\n\nOMG THAT CAN'T BE REAL SO ITS NOT, ITS ALL MADE UP THEIR IS ALWAYS AN EXPLINATION FOR ANYTHING REMOTLY CONSPIRASCY.\n\nThis may be true for most things, but I dislike when people say there is "nothing to see here" when there is something to see, it may not mean global warming is hoax but it does mean the scientists in this case can not be 100% trusted for accuracy.\n\nhttp://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/crus_source_code_climategate_r.html

He's imitating to appear intelligent.  Like those homeopaths who think they're doctors.

Radiolab has made "pass the salt, bitch" and way too much knowledge about the mating habits of ducks a solid part of who I am. 

&gt;They proved that some humans are mutants and have genes of cats integrated in their DNA before they were born.\n\nSounds like they've been watching too much Dark Angel.\n\nAh who am I kidding, you can't watch too much Dark Angel. Jessica Alba... *drool*.

Children don't have the mental defenses that adults do and there brains are, anatomically, "less wired" than an adults.  As such, they are theoretically able to perceive things and be vulnerable to things more easily than an adult might.\n\nEdit for clarity: They do not have the ability to deny what they are seeing.  They lack the mental discipline and conditioning to say "I know this can't be right" because they don't have any clue what 'right' should be.

*shrug* So is chocolate. All in all, I think that one should avoid feeding any kinds of sugary treats to one's pets, it really is neither necessary nor good for them.\n\nI have a habit of not commenting on the votes, but I must say I am somewhat amused by the fact that at least someone has seen my previous comment to be lacking in quality.\n\nI could have linked to numerous peer-reviewed studies, many of which are readily available through pubmed and google scholar. Indeed, the link I provided (to wikipedia) gives numerous citations any of which could be followed.\n\nI must concede though, that perhaps the reason behind the (possibly only a single) downvote wasn't the perceived controversiality of my comment but its triviality - perhaps my perception is wrong and telling people that xylitol chewing gum prevents caries and ear infections is common knowledge.\n\nAlas, I shall never know.

How does she appear to you? Is she able to eat? How long does she stick around when you see her?

Women in all cultures have been recording their periods more millennia, yet the first we hear of it is from the US in 1971? If it had any truth behind it it would have become part of folk wisdom, in hundreds of cultures. It would be the kind of thing Grandmothers would tell their daughters and granddaughters. It would be tribal knowledge from all of the world. This reason alone is enough to convince me it just isn't an effect.

So if an alien raped you, you wouldn't believe yourself because all you had was anecdotal evidence?

1. I am a folklorist and this sounds like the sort of topic that would come up in an entry level class, which can turn out very well but will need some re-working.\n\n2. I suggest you change your research question from something like "is there scientific proof...?" You will definitely find people calling things scientific proof and your paper will become all about whether or not you agree that that proof is in fact scientific and is in fact "proof." I instead suggest examining "what is proof?" to both skeptics and believers in the paranormal, and how it functions for both of these groups. A reading I can suggest is the article "Traditions of Disbelief" by David J. Hufford (found in the journal: NEW YORK FOLKLORE\nVol. 8, Nos. 3-4, Winter 1982). This article examines both skeptics and believers as believers in a certain tradition. While some believers (skeptics) value scientific proof, others value say, faith, or tradition. With this sort of perspective you can get past the "is there proof" question that all skeptics and believers argue with eachother about and start to do something more interesting.\n\n2. "The Paranormal" is an incredibly broad topic, so I would suggest focusing your research to a specific paranormal thing that people believe in (ie. bigfoot, psychic contact with the dead, something like that). Then, you can examine who this belief is popular among and start to speculate why it might be so popular. \n\n3. I just realized I have no idea what sort of project you are doing, so I'm sorry if you are really young and this does not apply for what you are trying to write. Do you mind me asking what this paper is for?\n\nRegardless, remember that "proof" and "legitimacy" mean different things to different people, and to take this in to account when you are doing your research.\n\nLet me know if there is anything specific I can help you with.

Many not only dose, but mega-dose themselves, but are they simply buying an expensive placebo, or is there a real benefit to be had? ... well apparently its all a bit of a con job, we have fooled ourselves into thinking that we are being healthy by taking this stuff ... at least thats the stance I take in my blog posting that gets this thread rolling, but am I wrong? I might be (I just had a real wingding of an argument with somebody about this ... but they were truly deep into woo and popping lots of pills was just one symptom of that)

[compilation of TV sighting and 2 witnesses videos](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZipbgXOJoc)

yea. Ive heard a lot of people say they have similar "abilities".  My dreams and deja vu isnt always a nightly/weekly thing. And most of the time I dont even think about the places I dream about, until I see them in real life. But lately if I dream about a place and I know I will be traveling I try to keep my eyes open for them hahaha.\n\nThe Deja Vu, happens less often than the dreams. :/ I wish I could have a Deja Vu moment on my upcoming exams and just pass them easy breezy lol. 

Cool! I'm reasonably certain I'm naturally empathetic/telepathic too, for the same sorts of reasons as you. Moving to a city confirmed it--friggin' headaches ALL the time, feelings of a million consciousnesses pressing in on me, etc. Thank God that I can sort of halfway manage a shield...\n\nAs far as where to start, I'd really encourage you to check out psipog. They're one of the only sites I found that approach the field from a reasonable, moderately scientific standpoint and try to encourage a healthy bit of skepticism/realism instead of catering to teenagers who wanna be speshul. :) They have a lot of good articles on empathy (emotional telepathy, basically) that you might be interested in, from beginner to more advanced.

Ok, so I would have probably toyed with it a little bit then pulled out the drill and got right down to opening that bitch up. 

I don't see anything. Some patterned thing on the left, but if you look just above it to the left there is the same pattern on the wall it looks like. 

i know what a placebo is.\n\n&gt; Drugs that work are efficacious physiologically AND contain a desired placebo effect.\n\nnow what the fuck is that supposed to mean?  i understand you didn't write it, but you're the only one responding.

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit!

There isn't one. The tasters proceeded to make a complicated guess under the confines of the rules they were given, except the rules were shown to be inconsistent later.

"I don't always go to Dr. Mercola for answers to science... but when i do, I take the short bus"\n\nand there was no mention of anything religious... at all

Wait... this Reiki stuff is real???  \nI've been reading Luminarium by alex shakar.  Fun little fictional romp.  \nHis mom gets caught up in a Reiki cult.  It was so silly sounding I had assumed that the whole thing was something the author had made up.

Mental conditions are health concerns. That's what I'm trying to get at. Elsewhere some said we should call it a phobia, and that make sense. The rounds of treatments would make more sense for phobias than for vague, passing symptoms these people complain about.\n\nTreating stress has got to count for something.

I  haven't had time to reply to a lot of these but here's one.\n\n&gt;Science exists to ask questions.  \n\nScience is an epistemological philosophy.\n\n&gt;The true skeptic will ask any question that needs to be answered,\n\nI can invent an infinite number of myths. They do not need to be investigated. \n\nYou seriously miss the statistical probability of false positives, the significance this bears on research, and the lack of resources. One does not simply invent a hypotheses to test. That is not how the scientific method works. Science progresses from the specific to the general. There are logical, sequential steps of reasoning before you even reach the hypothesis testing phase.\n\n&gt;your vehemence towards this area of study speaks to a fear of being found to be unjustified in your gleeful scorn. \n\nI think I understand what you're trying to say, but you've gone about two grade levels in words over your reading and writing comprehension.\n\nThe issue is that we have a major funding shortfall, especially in science. Other grants have to compete with all other grants in the big pot of science money. NCAM, which has yet to do anything, gets a special pot of money which only certain types of grants can be submitted. These special grants don't have to compete with other, legitimate, research. \n\nThat's the problem. \n

Hear, hear!  Introducing books like Our Family Tree: An Evolution Story by Lisa Westberg Peters and Lauren Stringer would be a great start.   

First world problem woman makes an appearance at 26:42. Got a chuckle at a some what serious part of the video.

One day you might find yourself sitting at McDonald's, staring at that Fillet-O-Fish, and wonder, "Am I eating a little Osama?"

Actually, I posted it because I found the thought alarming.  The world doe snot need a woo-meister on the air with Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, etc.

I've started taking vitamin C recently and the benefits are actually quite noticable. (Mainly that I get to eat free citrus flavoured candy that someone else bought and stocked the cupboard with). 

At this point it would be a poor assumption to think any downed vehicle we came across would constitute first contact. \n\n

lol their site couldn't get any traffic with their normal content.. But put up a BS disclaimer like this and get a few suckers... No agency would go through the trouble of leaving the web server up or re routing DNS to this bullshit site If they really Seize it... conspiracy people are far from clever but they really think this is the way government works. 

Or because some vaccines can't be administered to children before a certain age. So, someones unvaccinated 4 year old can spread the mumps to a 5 month old who cannot yet safely receive the vaccine. If you aren't going to vaccinate your children you need to make sure they aren't going to infect children who can't yet be vaccinated but are still at risk.

&gt;Of course, with things like macroeconomics, it's difficult to get a handle on all the variables involved, so for that to be fully controlled it would (most likely) involve physical control over the system.\n\nAnd that degree of control will affect the decisions of people in the experiment.  The Austrian view isn't that it's impossible to get any useful information out of studies, more that the numbers are time/location specific, so economists should focus on the direction of structural incentives.  Sort of like a free-body force diagram still being conceptually useful even if you can't have reliable numbers to input for g and mu.

Very nice point. I use this in discussions all the time and it's amazing how many people aren't able to comprehend how the things we take for granted today, like parliamentary democracy, sounded ridiculous to a peasant just a couple of hundred years ago.

More accurately, Transcendental Meditation. The Natural Law Party is the political wing of the TM organization, which was founded and run by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.\n\nhttp://www.suggestibility.org

Congratulations, you saw a satellite, possibly the International Space Station. Now, for your own sake, put some effort into your grammar if you want anyone on or off the Internet to take you seriously. That is all

Wow, thank you so much for posting that link. I remember having an experience eerily close to what they describe as 'seeing the air' and have never been able to find out what it was. I would not have know about this otherwise so thank you!

You can consider giving her some books by Buddhist atheists, e.g. Buddhism without Beliefs, Confession of a Buddhist Atheist, etc.  I think Buddhism has a lot to offer and it's possible to take the good without the superstitious/religious elements.

It wouldn't be all that tough. I'm sure short sighted and selfish people would complain, but who cares? 

Man, he'd be great in the Senate! \n\n"YOU SHALL NOT PASS- this budget reform bill."

In addition to other critique, this article relies on an assumption that 'time' experienced in this unconscious state flows at a similar rate to the time we all experience.  It's quite conceivable that all of these memories were formed in the briefest of moments as he slipped into the coma and returned from it.\n\nFurthermore, if all of these experiences occurred while his cortex was shut down, what is the mechanism for retaining this experience as a memory after he returned to consciousness?  If these experience took place without a brain, then why, when, and how would the memories be transported into the brain so that he could remember them later?

Unsolved Mysteries.  Loved that show when I was a kid and put me on to the idea at an early age.

Shermer and his ilk are a bunch of half wits.\n\nIf they spent just half the energy they use to debunk, out of spite,and instead aided the scientific method,....then they might be useful.\n\nThis topic for example.\n\nSo Shermer is now an interstellar space traveler with all the secrets?\n\nHe knows completely and totally fuck all about any possible space craft or the possible EBEs\n\nNobody knows....or at least,nobody is talking.\nNobody can say they exist and this is how they do it,....and nobody can say they don`t exist and this is why they can`t do it.\n\nThere is no way we can compare our primitive technological skills with a potential lifeform that could be thousands to millions of years more advanced than us.\nObviously if they are derpier than we humans,.....they aren`t going to be coming around,although they may exist somewhere,.......we`re not going to be too interested in Planet of the Reets.\n\n

It's quite possible neither of us are correct. Hell, I was just reading an article about how they have banned genetically modified corn in the UK and they've been shoveling that down our throats for years here in the US. My family tends to avoid processed food but many vegetables are genetically modified or grown using a range of pesticides and fertilizers, not to mention added preservatives. The truth is we don't know, but hopefully we will relatively soon.

&gt;Give me anything which you think it is okay to believe, and I'll give you the evidence that it's based on.\n\nI believe the universe exists outside of my consciousness?\n\n2^6 = 64\n\nGod doesn't exist.\n\nGravity has an infinite range.\n\nSorry to play the pedant. I understand your point. And it's a valid one when you are operating within a physical environment.\n\nI think we are talking at cross purposes anyway. I define "evidence" as something that adheres to Occam's razor. For example,  someone saying that a cold remedy works is not evidence that it the remedy cures colds. The least complex  conclusion we can draw is that the person who told us that it works thinks that it works. It also doesn't take into account the effect "brand" has had on that person. However since this is a trivial issue so it's often more efficient to take what are often inaccurate anecdotes, as the cost of gathering credible evidence would not worth be worth it. \n\nBasically this argument has just been:\n\n"This is evidence", "No it's not", "yes it is", "no it's not". "Yes it is". So it is basically pointless. The point to which something starts being called "evidence" is arbitrary anyway. The point at you start calling a piece of information "evidence" is just different to the point at which I start calling a piece of information "evidence (to support a given hypothesis). \n\nEDIT: Making my comment a bit more readable and less nonsensical.

Only if you're willing to explain why it's not. Also, another upvote for awesome username!

Is it just me, or does that rant sound bit like po-mo nihilism? That or somebody trying to pretend they are a skeptic and that they understand methodological naturalism when they don't really. Oh, and they don't understand why we say that science deals in evidence, not proof.\n\nAs for that last paragraph, we don't have to be sure that we've found all the evidence. That we acknowledge that there is always the possibility that the one piece of evidence might show up that overturns the current paradigm is to remind us that we might be wrong and that we need to accept empirically verified and repeated evidence. **However**, that does not prevent us from realise that when you have a metric shit-tonne of evidence support and explained by some theory then the likelihood of that theory being thrown out the window or being significantly changed by one new piece of evidence is highly unlikely.\n\nThe last sentence of that last paragraph\n\n&gt;If we can’t even say for certain that we’ve found all the “empirical evidence”, what makes some people so certain that they’re correct?\n\nis nothing more than an attempt to weasel out of accepting that one's pet theory is wrong or that one's most hated theory is right and not wanting to accept the bulk of the evidence.\n\nThe OP is the one who is the pseudoskeptic here, not the people they are ranting against.

So, not apparently wind-borne. The lights you described kind of rule that out anyway I guess. Never hurts to check.\n\nEdit: you could email or call Peter Davenport at the NUFORC and ask if anyone else saw what you did, or MUFON.

&gt; The original story about the $43 Trillion comes from a press release cooked up by some questionable lawyers\n\nOh.  [I think I know which lawyer you're talking about](http://i.imgur.com/sFjSr.jpg)

I do have an iPhone, but it was pretty useless filming the night sky with nothing showing up...I don't own a video camera, and my digital camera broke last summer.  Also, I don't know my neighbors well enough to knock on their door late on a week night asking to borrow a camera.  Being into ufology for a while now, I had a weird feeling that even if I did have a good camera, it wouldn't matter too much in the end because many people decide to debunk and ridicule ufo footage before they even see it.  A thoughtful minority of the public (these forums, etc.) might take more of an interest, but I selfishly decided that I would just absorb every second of the incident with my own eyes and avoid the risk of losing the lights all together in the time it would have taken to search for a camera or more witnesses.  I did call people I know; they went outside for a few minutes, didn't see anything, and went back inside because they said it was too cold.  You might be surprised at how you would react when one of these things unexpectedly emerges from behind some treetops.   

His logic holds water. Your logic is a good argument in opposition of it but it does not dismiss his entirely. \n\nQuick Google told me that late night establishments in Jerusalem have no laws that abide them to close at any particular time throughout the evening/early morning. Purely speaking numbers, there were surely a handful of at least a couple hundred, if not low thousands (500-1,500), people smoking cigs outside of bars, on their way to their night shifts, star gazing, letting the dog out to go poop, sneaking out of their parents house, on their police route, etc. Or just like these guys, on the side of a hill, miles from the towns center, in the middle of the night at 1am. Most likely, 70-90% of anyone outside had a mobile phone with a camera. Also, I can almost guarantee, that in one of the most westernized countries in the middle-east, that at least one store surveillance cam, gas station cam, public web-cam, covered the area where the UFO came down. Its hard to find area's not covered by cameras now-a-days. Being said, no footage has arose, thus not proving anything, but just another possible tangent. Your point is also a good one, but to say that in a city of nearly a 1,000,000 people, that you can conclude no one else was around or capable of taking shots, its a touch unfounded. The thing was just as bright as the brightest city lights from that distance alone, it would have been tremendously brighter to have even been half the distance closer. \n\nI've been known to take pictures in under 10 seconds (pocket to picture taking), while intoxicated, when the time calls at parties, in front of animals doing cute things, and even on the highway snapping pictures of ridiculous signs that I hope will gain me reddit Karma once posted. \n\nFor me, that, the lack of any local publications the following day, and the video editing (mirrored) analyzes that have come out, make me feel this is hoaxed. 

Reminds me of this [article](http://geobeck.tripod.com/frontier/planet.htm) by Isaac Asimov.

[I can browse whatever sub-reddit I want.](http://i.imgur.com/loAqI.jpg)

I find a good and workable approach is not to try to convince people or challenge their conclusions directly.  They'll protect their conclusions which are shaped by things outside of the specific position they seem to hold.  For instance with alternative medicine many people want to believe there is a more accessible, or grass roots, alternative to traditional medicine because it makes them feel more in control then they feel with exotic sounding chemicals and sometimes counter-intuitive treatments.\n\nWhat works for me is to just ask questions.  Try not to be to leading but maintain the topic and context.  Basically acting as the critical voice they didn't use to begin with.  So instead of saying "but empirical studies have shown this to be as effective as wishing" ask "why aren't you convinced by the studies, what would you have done differently to address those doubts?" etc.

It's not about probability. Man-made in itself doesn't make a substance bad, not even probably bad.

The polarised two-party system is arguably not very democratic. There's no political left wing in America: there are the centre right Democrats, and the further right Republicans.\n\nJust saying. 

I know I am not debunking anything, but I love that the disclaimer states that the writers, producers, etc of the video are not claiming that Obama admitted to being a Muslim, despite the fact that Obama admits to being a Muslim is the damn title of the video. 

Yeah, I did respond to the wrong person. But I think you took my words as more argumentative than I meant anyway. \n\nThanks for the reply.

The FDA doesn't require testing of drugs marked as "homeopathic", so you can have a drug that still has a non-trivial amount of some ingredient in it, and as long as you get the homeopathic seal of approval, you can bring it to market without testing it.  Which, at least according to [this blog post](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=530), is exactly what happened with Zicam.

How could you possibly expect him to have tested this?  In a perfect world, this would be the sort of evidence we would all aspire to gather but if you need to him to meet this standard, why bother posting at all?  This isn't something anyone outside of NASA would be able to arrange.\n\nPsychic traits are not all that rare, and perceiving auras is (arguably) something people believe that is TRAINABLE.  It's just not something we have the ability or knowledge to accurately diagnose and recognize.  Like someone who has poor eyesight needs to see an optometrist before realizing they should wear glasses...psychics need to have their ability pointed out to them.  There is just no equivalent 'doctor' for psychics to go to. (yet)\n\nJust like human's evolved their ability to recognize diseases and their treatments, recognize and correct poor eyesight, recognize and treat autism, et cetera...these things take time.  And a lack of proper diagnosis and confirmation is NOT sufficient to prove they do not exist.\n\nI counter you, by telling you to prove to me, that he doesn't seen these things.  Until you can do that, I will be open to possibility he can.

I've never been more scared. You should have heard it in Estes. We are going back in April and I'm taking video capabilities better than an iPhone. 

And let's remember that saying the dead will rise from graves on a particular day isn't any more wrong than saying it could ever happen at all.

See for me it is a constant thing, and often makes it difficult in crowded places, I used to be overwhelmed until I got used to it.

If you look at the original research, saccharin was declared unsafe because if you give a mouse massive amounts of it, they develop cancer. We're talking dozens of 2-liters of soda a day sorts of proportional quantities. There is no significant risk from consumption patterns that are in line with likely use. It's like tylenol in that you could fuck yourself up on it, but you'd have to really want to.

Do you have any studies or evidence to show that it is harmful? While not an actual study, we've had it in water for most of the nation for decades and there hasn't been any massive increase in disease or other problems that we've noticed.\n\nIt has also shown to benefit tooth health.

The Tarsier- our most distant of relatives...you make an interesting argument, sir.  

I've always hoped for disclosure. ALWAYS! Until I realized how easy it would be for the government to cover it up... they don't even need to release videos pictures, whatever... all of these petitions are useless. They always have the argument of not having anything... period. "1,000,000 people sign a petition? damn guess we better release all of this nothing we have." whether they have it or not, you cant prove that they do, therefore you don't have a second move... and so it will sit in a top secret file that "doesn't exist"...

Ever hear about [Operation Mincemeat](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mincemeat)? This is how these kind of things work. British government simulated a pilot shot down, carrying secret plans which were false, to be captured by the Germans to mislead them.\n\nNo plane was shot down. No pilot died; they used a recent corpse. To its target -- the Germans -- the plane crash seemed absolutely real. To everyone else -- fake.\n\nSame thing with Northwoods and other plans of the era. The idea was never to kill actual people, just to create the impression that it had happened, for propaganda purposes. \n\nTo get the same narrative, the US could have easily shot down a plane that was targeted at the Twin Towers -- using an auto-piloted plane full of unclaimed bodies from morgues for verisimilitude if necessary.\n\nAnd... how many planes do you remember the Cubans being blamed for shooting down? I think the number is... zero.

Yes, The fact humans have stereo vision, is the only reason we can guess at all. \n\nWe were a lot closer, I think though, then [lclent](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/iznth/this_short_documentary_is_about_australias_most/c2818g1) and therefore in my bumble opinion our calculations were more accurate with regard to the size of the object. Also I think my friend was predisposed to believe Human created UFOs as large as small towns already existed before the sighting... In his defense, he has seen more of them, then myself. \n\nStill I'm biased toward my own judgement of course. \n\nEdit: It's also possible that lclent witnessed a completely different UFO to us as well.

Besides that xxxdonutzxxx character has some very obvious fakes on his channel.\n\nSo I'm going to go ahead and call BS on this video as well.

Not that I agree with him, but I imagine his line of thinking was that if the state grants the divorce, it means the state is recognizing the marriage, which would be a step towards legalizing gay marriage in Texas. It kind of makes sense in a fucked up way.

Thanks-just added it to my list.  Will add material and comment as I can.

I think the greatest part of that clip is the subtlety of the actual joke -- the homeopath gets sprayed with *water*.

Nothing woo about it. Here's what's in them:\n\nWhat is in THE EDGE Chips?\nThe Chips contain a special blend of intrinsic energies that are formulated to affect certain conditions of the human body.  \nThey are non-transdermal so nothing enters the body.\n\nYou must have a funny idea of what "woo" is.  I was taught about intrinsic energies in 5th grade? Or was that in sex ed? I forget.

He really is a great guy to have a talk with. He's still *really* on his game, as if his age holds nothing over him. 

It's only talking about correlation and the opinion provided by rawstory is less than exemplary as usual. Next time I'd recommend linking directly to a source rather than an opinion article. No causal evidence has been provided.

I think there's a disconnect in the intent of the subreddit.  Yes, the stories are for entertainment, as everyone loves a mystery.  But the best mystery stories have a resolution.  /r/nosleep is for ghost stories.  /r/Glitch_In_The_Matrix, IMHO, is for first-hand accounts of the unexplained.  It's presented as non-fiction and should be treated as such.\n  \nUnexplained, by the way, does not and should not ever mean, *unexplainable*.

I'm going to go with this as the best explanation. I remember a female lead singer being mentioned but I could be just making that up to suit the delusion.

I'm not sure why the people who took this would try to fake it, its not a picture they were just sending around. But if anyone is interested this was the description that came with it, "My friends neighbor has had several sightings of a little girl ghost in their house. She heard a girl giggling then turned and snapped this photo." I guess they hear her all around the house. This was not the first occurrence. 

&gt;why plagiarism actually is considered to be a bad thing\n\nGenerally speaking: you should give others credit for their work.\n\nSource: ethics.

The object in the video you linked is what I would call a classic shooting star.  True earthgrazers move very slowly (from the observers POV) because of the shallow angle of attack.  \nI think we are "arguing" (having a civilized conversation would be a better term) apples to apples here.  I think we can both agree that what is in the OP video is space debris.  \nHere in a moment I will shoot a video of a satellite and post it here.

Oh my god YES! This used to happen to me all the time when i was younger. I remember there was a period where it would happen at least once a day. I was convinced i was picking up transmissions from other timezones or something in my head. Thank you for making me feel less crazy.

hm, would be fun to know if certain synesthetic "misconnections" are more prevalent than others.

You are correct.  That logic forms only a starting point from which to work.  And it seems to do a very good job.\n\nWe may be able to craft healthier foods, but we don't seem to be able to do so well at all.  Perhaps in the future.\n\nDifferent /= bad, this is correct.  But that does not imply that different = good either.\n\nYour life expectancy argument is flawed.  We have increased life expectancy, which is average age at death, there is no question here.  I don't know of any solid evidence that we've increased maximum lifespan.\n\nSo what's the difference there?  Life expectancy at birth was very low for all human societies until very recently.  Conditional life expectancy is very different.  Life expectancy at 15 is much higher than life expectancy at birth, and again life expectancy upon reaching middle age (around 45) is much higher than life expectancy at 15.  Many pre-agricultural societies have a strong tradition of grand-parental care of children.  How is this possible if everyone is dead by 30?  Well, it seems that we don't have much on HGs in terms of maximum life expectancy, and haven't until post-industrial revolution (~200 years for the consequences you imply).  Pre-industrial societies face greater mortality from disease, injury, accidents, and violence, it seems, but old age is still reached by 1/4 of the population.\n\nThis data comes from a [study on human mortality](http://www.anth.ucsb.edu/faculty/gurven/papers/GurvenKaplan2007pdr.pdf).  There is one section (page 342) that I'd like to quote:\n\n&gt;Black (1975) reports that most infectious diseases are absent in \nnewly contacted groups, because small, mobile populations cannot support \nthese contagious vectors. Post-contact prevalence of infectious disease among \nAche is similar to rates among Yanomamo (Hill and Hurtado 1996). Tsimane \nshow a similar importance of respiratory disease at 20 percent of illness-related deaths. Bakairi have suffered repeated epidemics of respiratory illness, \nespecially tuberculosis and whooping cough (Picchi 1994). Pneumonia and \ntuberculosis are claimed to be the top killers of adults and older children \namong !Kung (Howell 1979: 63). Gainj mortality and more recent mortality \namong Agta also show high rates of infectious disease.\n\n&gt;Degenerative deaths are relatively few, conﬁned largely to problems \nearly in infancy and late-age cerebrovascular problems, as well as attributions \nof “old age” in the absence of obvious symptoms or pathology. Heart attacks \nand strokes appear rare and do not account for these old-age deaths (see \nEaton, Konner, and Shostak 1988), which tend to occur when sleeping. It \nhas often been remarked that few risk factors for cardiovascular disease exist \namong active members of small-scale societies (Eaton et al. 1994), although \ncompromised lung or kidney functioning can interact with cardiac ﬁbrosis or \nmoderate arterial stenosis to cause cardiac arrest. Obesity is rare, hypertension is low, cholesterol and triglyceride levels are low, and maximal oxygen \nuptake is high. Overall, degenerative disease accounts for 6–24 percent (average 9 percent) of deaths, with the highest representation among Northern \nTerritory Aborigines. Neoplasms and heart disease each accounted for 9 of \nthe 42 deaths due to degenerative illness.

I've been asking this all night and haven't gotten an answer. It seems rather important to me. 

I find that scenario highly unlikely in the country I suspect you live.

"Hello"\n\n"Hello"\n\n"Soooo... your aliens"\n\n"yes"\n\n........................\n"Guess I will see you later then"\n\n"Most certainly"\n.....

As an engineer, I would love to tear that thing down and see if there is anything at all inside, aside from bullshit and woo.

I watched the whole thing a while ago, we were going to discuss it at a skeptics in the pub.  I never ended up attending, as I figured discussing it would be a waste of time, there is basically no content that is remotely controversial.  Everything in the whole movie is so incredibly ludicrous, it would be a waste of time to ever discuss it again.\n\nI'm actually upset, as we could have had a good conversation about a legitimately interesting documentary, or book, and instead they decide that we should be stroking our collective egos and discussing what is so clearly complete BS.  Especially considering I know there are some climate change denialists in the group that I would love to talk with.

Ask them what they think light is, and then school them with some quantum mechanics (if you're reasonably familiar with it).

I'm not sure you're being serious but I think of it this way- if there is an alien race on another planet, that means that there are at least two civilizations in the universe. If there's two, then that's not gonna be it but life's gotta be virtually everywhere. If life's everywhere, they probably don't contact us because not only are we not novel in any way, we are probably really uninteresting compared to what's out there. They also probably have more important shit to do anyway, and we're not exactly located in Milky Way Party Central out here on the fringe of the galaxy.\n\n"Look, Zorgblarg, X2vb type organisms! Want to stop and take a sample?" "No! We're still fifty parsecs away from Fnorgfnorg and my ganglions are hurting. Also, we're out of anal probes." It's like, how often do we go out trekking in the forest to look at ant colonies and try to communicate with them?\n\nThe two Star Trek explanations that always made sense to me was that we're either being studied by other civilizations who are given a unique opportunity to observe the way a technological species emerges on a planet, or a prime directive kind of thing- it might be an important part of the evolution of a galactic civilization to be able to figure out all the important shit for themselves without interference. We could be some sort of quarantined zone that occasionally gets these drunk alien teenagers who pass by and fuck with us, mutilate cows and mess with our heads, and our caretakers try in vain to stop this behavior and write angry editorial letters complaining about how their irresponsible youth are messing with scientific progress and should leave the local wildlife alone. \n\nSorry for being longwinded, I just think about this all the time.\n\nEdit: Also, I'm not an alien lifeform and even I think the human race is repulsive, so you may be on to something there.

&gt; Everyone knows what the term GM applies to - not the breeding of centuries but the alteration in a lab\n\nThe point is, the two aren't all that dissimilar.  For example, [the bananas we eat today are a man-made species, created in 1836](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#Cavendish) -- over a century before what we now call "GM" was conceived.  Similarly, the majority of avocados are of the Hass variety -- every single Hass tree is descended from a single "mother" planted in 1926.\n\nWe've been "playing god" with plants for centuries -- perhaps to some extent since man discovered agriculture.

This doesn't belong in r/skeptic. We're not in danger of scientific theories with mountains of literature and empirical data behind them. Already most scientists know that what the models they use will one day be replaced with better models.

Their commercials mostly show pets in puppy mills, because one of the main focus of their organization is to shut down puppy mills. How is that deceptive? How does that not fit the definition of "humane"?

See, even you admit god exists.  So evolution is false!\n\n\nEDIT: In case of confusion, this was sarcasm...  eesh

If someone actually does find the video I'd really like him or her to share. :)

lol I love those guys!  Well idk, governments are power hungry and secretive???  I dont know. 

Hah. The sweeping ants stuff is cutesy-pie, but it doesn't come close to describing how hardcore Jains are:\n\n* They don't eat honey, because stealing honey from bees is an act of violence against bees\n\n* They don't eat or drink fermented food (beer, wine, …), because it would endanger the yeasts involved in the fermentation process (none of that "my god told me not to be a stinking drunkard" pussyfooting here)\n\n* They don't eat yoghurt (or more generally food) stored overnight as it holds a greater concentration of yeasts and other micro-organisms\n\n* They don't eat outside after nightfall because the lighting would kill (or at least exhaust) insects attracted to it\n\n* They don't eat *root vegetables* (potatoes, onions, …) because getting it generally kills the plant.\n\n* There are even periods during which they don't consume green-colored veggies so they don't destroy plants's hard-gained chlorophyll\n\n* Naturally, eggs or milk don't even remotely stand a chance of being acceptable to jains\n\nWestern "vegetarians" don't exactly compare.

When I saw the title, I thought the submitter was talking about Indian food. I was mildly disappointed by the time I reached the end of the sentence. 

Interesting, but I think it's more subtle than that. An advanced civilization that has way better technology military wise would feel no threat from us. It would be foolish to think that a species that knows life exists out there and has the capability to travel to these worlds, that they wouldn't prepare for some type of conflict with a would be civilization that are on par with them. That may have a more sinister agenda. So they have military means for sure, and they are not worried about our arsenal.\n\nI think the reason they come here is due to our water supply. Scientists believe that all of Earth's water came by way of comets and asteroids that deposited small amounts of water which would have build up over time. So a planet like ours would be like a diamond to a species that is carbon based. \nI think they take an interest in us because we have consciousnesses and can develop into an advanced civilization. \n\nAlso, to even get to the level of civilization that can travel intergalactic would require it be a level 3 or 4. We are currently at 0. For us to even get to level 1 requires us to have a "one world government" because in doing so, everyone has the same consensus about advancing the civilization and about what it represents. A level 1 would also require us to be able to manipulate the weather, and use all of the planet and suns available resources 100% efficiently.  Some say we are 100 years away from advancing to level 1 if things play out like they are. To even get to the same level of aliens, we would have to advance for over hundreds of thousands of years. So we are like chimps to them.

Ahhh, ok, I fully understand. I misread the timeline you posted earlier. The glitch was the phone call part. Ok, I get it now. I might have confused you somewhere. I thought it was some time warp glitch. 

Actually there is enough food produced to comfortably feed everyone on the planet, the big problem is distribution and wealthy countries eating un-efficient foods (steak for example). But yes, population controls are going to be necessary.

I live right above Toronto, in the suburbs. We have a local urban legend of the [Kirby House, aka "Hell House"](http://thenaturalmama.wordpress.com/2008/09/08/haunted-houses-on-kirby-rd/). The legend goes that in the early 20th century a family that lived in the house were all murdered by their father, who was a part of the KKK. His young daughter, who was 9 at the time, now haunts the abandoned property and the highway around it. However, there is nothing to confirm that there was ever a KKK sect in the area or that a murder happened in any of the houses on the street. \n\nThis story sort of blurred with an actual death that happened on Kirby Rd. in 1993. A group of girls were driving down the road and got into an accident. One of them died and an odd tombstone was put up on the side of the road that says ["Selina; "I'm a cute kid."](http://thenaturalmama.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/pic00131.jpg?w=700&amp;h=) There are other legends of mysterious trucks and wandering ghostly women. \n\nMy second story is not really a legend but it creeped me out anyway. I lived in a low-rise apartment building in Montreal for a few years and every night at around 3:30am-3:45am (we students are always up late) I could hear the elevator rise to my floor (8th and last), followed by heavy footsteps quickly walking past my door, and then the sound of something dropping, like newspapers or bags. The footsteps would then go back to the elevator and go downstairs. I never found the balls to actually peer out and see who it was and what was actually happening. I knew that my landlord worked nights so it might have been him moving about, checking the second service elevator that was near to my apartment door, or something. \n\nIn any case, I got curious and decided to look up the history of the building. I found articles from the 70s about the murder of a woman who was strangled by her boyfriend in her apartment (Article [1](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HZkuAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=sqEFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=7165,3025839&amp;dq=1850+lincoln+ave+montreal&amp;hl=en), [2](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RsUtAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=j6EFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4309,5281459&amp;dq=1850+lincoln+ave+montreal&amp;hl=en) &amp; [3](http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Q3oyAAAAIBAJ&amp;sjid=I7kFAAAAIBAJ&amp;pg=4973,3933054&amp;dq=1850+lincoln+ave+montreal&amp;hl=en)). This freaked the shit out of me. Thankfully, after some more searching, it turned out she lived on the 2nd floor, while I on the 8th. I always fleetingly mused if I should tell the people who live in the apartment now her story.

That statement I'm okay with under current circumstances of their being no falsifiable evidence of any diety.  If it were to say "No true skeptic will ever believe in the christian deity" I'ld have issues.  I highly doubt there will ever be any reliable evidence for any deity, but it's in the realm of possibliity and if it ever did happen an honest skeptic would examine and consider it.

What's wrong with Michael Pollan? I've never heard Michael Pollan advocate a vegetarian diet, fad diets, or anything else that wasn't just good common sense. Most of the critics of Michael Pollan I've encounted around here seem to have never actually read any of his work.

I heard the title of the talk in the voice of Olivia Newton John.\n\nEdit: Oh, that was intentional. Okay.

I checked in to that actually. My doctor couldn't really determine if that's the cause. It's too random. Happens probably once every 2 years. 

I'd hate to be the continuity director for any new shots. Every "skeptic" on the interwebs will be looking for that one rock out of place.

Its out of focus and slowed down. I think its a bug and if its not I would like their aviation expert to give explanation as to why its not a bug. Also between noon and one is about the time I would expect a bug that wasn't completely dormant to come out in in November. My guess is that as soon as the day time temperature drops below freezing their UFO disappears. 

No, they were real scientists. That's the difference - scientists admit mistakes and accept new truth. They opposed new theory until received enough evidence, something that science applies all the time when determining truth.

I'm enjoying these ideas. What's your view on telekineses under this belief?

I read that a possible source of radiation was special lamps that had some radioactive material in them, I think it was in either Wikipedia or Fortean times, which is a\nPretty good article. 

So... I dont'really have time to watch the whole 45 min right now, but does he find anything?

Nobody thinks they're an asshole. Even the Westboro baptist people think they're right.

And Reddit is clearly part of that conspiracy!\n\nWHO ARE YOU? WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?

There are some that find out they have untreated Lyme, a friend of mine found out that's what hers was. Lyme is said to not be here in my state, but there are many cases of it. I agree, things do need to be ruled out before the dx of fibro should be given. For me, my dx was actually a relief, I really thought those dozens of times in the ER where they sent me home high, but in pain, that I was crazy. Went to the state's best hospital. It was finally the local hospital (where their ER usually sucks) where he started the possible dx of fibro. It is a hard thing to live with, but so is any chronic disease. I am much more aware of my body because of it and can tell when it's usually just another fibro thing or if it's something more. \nTL/DR - yeah, fibro can be a catchall used by some drs, while others will think what they want. It's real, I live it, and it sucks that so many days I am too exhausted and in pain to play with my 8 year old daughter after work. I am thankful I'm still able to work. 

you sound crazier than people claiming sightings. We don't know everything and we learn new things about life and science every day. Your exact quote has been said for hundreds of years, and most times has been eventually proven wrong. just because you don't know something doesn't mean it's not there. Science has to catch up to many ideas. 

Yes, indeed.  Birds would (and do) give off just such a heat signature.  Also, there is no possible way to determine the altitude of those objects as there is nothing in the intervening space (clouds, airplanes, etc) between observer and object to judge them against.  My guess is that these are, in fact, birds flying in various formations at an unknown altitude. 

Did you guys check out the links?  I've been hearing A LOT about this kind of thing lately.  I've picked up David Wilcock's book "The Source Field Investigations"\nI totally get that this stuff can sound really far fetched... I am still very sceptical of all of it.  I am also intrigued by it, so I am researching.  There are a lot of far out claims that are supported.  This subject of this video being one of them.  If this at all interests you, I recommend you check out that book.

A whole 1.3% reduction in risk no less, what an astounding result. Of course the uncircumcised men weren't given HIV prevention education or equal access to condoms, where the circumcision group was, and the circumcised group couldn't have sex for at least 4 weeks of the study which weren't accounted for, but I'm certain those variables wouldn't possibly cause that monster 1.3% reduction.

The point is that I don't need to join the debate.  Go back to your cognitive ghetto where you can all continue to be increasingly irrelevant together.

&gt;You either contribute using the frameworks available, or you have a nice day.\n\nNo.  That's not the way it works.  If the person is arguing from logic, you work within their logic, address them using their logic and ultimately find the common ground between their philosophy of the problem and yours.  By saying "you accept this on my ground rules or you fuck off" what you're doing is dogmatically shutting them down because their philosophy clashes with yours.  Again this isn't skepticism, this is dogma.\n\n&gt;Are you so unbelievably arrogant to believe that your medicine/theory/idea is so unique that it simply does not fit within the entire framework of human knowledge?\n\nNo.  I'm arguing that saying "placebo effect LALALALALALALA" is unconvincing to people who have experienced something that you can't explain in a non-dismissive fashion.  My entire argument is that this subreddit really only thinks long enough to come up with a reason to be dismissive.  Which is exactly what you're doing.  For example, you're assuming I have a belief in homeopathy simply because I'm arguing that those who do shouldn't be shouted down.  You are, in effect, shouting "heretic!" so you don't have to hear my arguments.  By comparing "I took a sugar pill and felt better" to "I believe I can fly" you're being dismissive of the whole of the process of personal scientific discovery.\n\nYou seem to think I'm arguing that "pseudoscience is real."  I'm not.  I'm arguing that "dismissing otherwise-smart people who have doubts about pseudoscience is the stupidest way to make your point that you could come up with."  And you're doing a marvelous job of illustrating that.

This reminds me of the nutritionist who lost 30 lbs through a diet mainly consisting of Little Debbie's snack cakes. \n\nhttp://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

I think that argument misinterprets the purpose of doing this. It's not a "punishment" to try to offset some of the loss of societal welfare caused by parents not immunising their children. It's not about covering costs due to increased risk.\n\nYou're thinking about this from the wrong perspective, when you should be looking at the mindset of parents. The point of a policy like this is to adjust incentives. People don't want to lose those tax benefits, therefore they will be more likely to have their children immunised. They're not going to necessarily make the same choice while blindly ignoring the fact that it's costing them money. It's even possible that people who are misinformed and irrationally paranoid about vaccination will be more likely to investigate whether their fears are founded, now that there's a major cost to them on the line. It helps the government to highlight the importance of vaccines as a societal benefit and not just a personal choice.

Well obviously if someone were trying to argue that Spongebob Squarepants was a real person I wouldn't give them the benefit of the doubt but again I think my statement covers such cases.\n\nedit: I don't see how it's irresponsible to simply consider the existence of unicorns or leprechauns as you can easily just not believe in them based on lack of evidence and go on with your life. My point is don't get all bent out of shape just because someone believes something that, to you, is obviously false.

Near as I can tell it was posted here because it's related to science which skeptics tend to like, but I agree that it doesn't seem directly relevant to this subreddit. 

I don't have much experience with sky lanterns but isn't it possible to affix the lanterns together with wire or string or something that would force them to stay in a certain formation?\n\nI mean, some of them are flickering remarkably like lanterns would and the color matches too.

they are structured the same but some prefixes only go one way or another

&gt;There are people who think that Titanic is just a movie, and I saw a post last week about a guy who thought Naruto was actual Japanese history. Think of all the movies that show insanely aggressive ETs.\n\nYes, but these are people who were grievously let down by the educational system or are just plain idiots.

&gt; I know it's anecdotal\n\nQuite. So why mention it? You know people have done actual research into this and found no link. Anecdotes can be an indicator something should be looked into, but are useful for little more.\n\n&gt; Quakers and Amish ... have an almost 0% rate of autism among their children\n\nI couldn't find anything that supported that number at all. Is there a study showing it? 

No, absolutely not.  rBGH treated cows milk(the r stands for recombinant, BGH is a naturally occurring hormone in cows secreted from the pituitary gland) has never been shown to have any adverse effect in humans in any clinical trial.  And it has been extensively tested.\n\nI am drunk, and I don't normally do this, but I dare anyone to provide any peer reviewed double blind study that says anything to the contrary. \n\nIf you want to drink raw milk, that's your right as far as I'm concerned.  You can do whatever stupid thing you want that doesn't hurt anyone else.  \n\nBut if you expect me to pony up the tax dollars necessary to regulate you drinking a kind of milk that's inherently dangerous, you're out of your mind.  Pay for it yourselves and we can talk.  \n\nBut anyone who's reasonable will admit that it requires regulation, otherwise, once a few people get sick, the entire market will dry up, and take the legit producers down with the dirty producers.\n\n

Personal freedoms is sooooo 1776, we need the government to tell us what to do now. 

&gt;TIL that if a woman often mentions how men are attracted to her, she's not allowed to complain about it on her blog publicly if her blog is widely read.\n\nYour words.

I'll see if I can find it. I'm pretty sure it's on Facebook somewhere.

I'm not trying to be confrontational but can you site your source that it's theoretically possible to extract the stored energy of a permanent magnet like this and actually get a motor to run, if even for a short period?

Solution to your Kirk/Janeway problems: Jean-effin-Luc Picard!\n\nBut please, no cliche Captain vs. Captain debate. Kirk is awesome 'cause he's an arrogant sonofabitch who's always right and Picard is awesome 'cause he's the perfect renaissance man.

&gt;For example, many people are romantic but asexual.\n\nSome of us are the exact opposite.

Yep that solved it. Including the ones that move on their own, dropping sparkles, disappearing and reappearing somewhere else, yep. You are smart please solve global warming with string too.

Indeed. The number of atoms in the observable universe is estimated at only 10^80.

This is basically why I use them. I've known for years that they don't provide any real protection. It's completely psychological and it also makes the toilet seat somewhat less cold, which is ALWAYS awesome.

I stated at the end of my post that just because deaths have gone down does not say anything to violence as a whole.\n\nLets play a hypothetical real quick. If violence in one part of the world decreases, but then increases in another part could this not say that violence would have been unchaged.

CVS sells their own store brand with false advertising too.\n\nhttps://secure.flickr.com/photos/travisgoodspeed/6852248335/in/set-72157629259749421/lightbox/

If that's true, then that's exactly right. It's [a coincidence](http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/c/confirmation_bias.htm).

So you don't think that the Soviet invasion is in part to blame also? Or Pakistani interference? You have said:\n\n&gt;But the reason aid organizations would need armed protection in Iraq and Afghanistan is entirely because of the US.

Some people shouldn't be allowed to reproduce. If your that dumb to get hit by a train, our species is better off without them. 

I watch that show, only because I literally watch any show on ghosts/UFOs/myths. Except for that show with the douchey dude wearing the 2-sizes-too-small Affliction shirts. I can't stand that show. \n\nThere are many things about nearly all of those shows that really bug me. I think, if someone had no interest in selling commercials for their show, one could make a show that explicitly stated they would not do any of those annoying things like, 'OH WHAT WAS THAT' *cuts immediately to commercial* or 'I *almost* got it on film then the camera tipped over at just the right time to miss it!'

The worst theories about 9/11 have been thoroughly disproved, multiple times, and the idea that Obama isn't an American citizen has long been shown to be utter bunk. So what exactly should we be skeptical of ourselves about in this post?

Indeed. Hot water with lemon and honey is probably a better placebo, since you can have as much as you like without screwing up your liver.  

Freethought != thinking freely\n\n&gt; Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas. The cognitive application of freethought is known as "freethinking," and practitioners of freethought are known as "freethinkers.\n\n[Source](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freethought)

The stick men is something similar to what I used to hear from Australian Aboriginal culture. There were a few others as well, such as the Old Woman and the Little Children. A lot of them are likely old housewife stories passed down to scare children in to staying with the family area, but they always affected me when I was younger.\n\nThe black stick men are said to be very tall and hide behind trees to kill people. They would follow you until you were alone and then rush at you. I can't remember too much since I was told this story a long time ago when I was a kid.\n\nThe old woman would snatch children at night. She would mock a baby's cry in the middle of the night to coax young and curious children to come over to her in the darkness to steal them. A very old story I've been told was to never follow the sounds of a baby crying in the bush - though I've heard this warning being related to Yowie (i.e. Australian "Bigfoot") incidents as well.\n\nAnd the little children would hide under your bed/at the foot of your bed and grab at your feet if they weren't on the mattress/blanket, making you disappear when they touched you.\n\n\nAnother story that was similar to the doppelganger: If someone who resembled your friend was acting weirdly and touched you, you had to touch them back in case they were a bad spirit and were trying to steal a part of your "spirit" to pass on their troubles.

It wouldn't surprise me to find that getting laid offers more psychological benefits than the celibacy praised by most religions. 

I agree. I avoid hfcs sodas on the basis of taste regardless of health effects 

This may explain it~! A lot if electromagnetic stories out there.....

LOL love the bluntness :P\nno its working fine now, had normal calls since.

Nope, definitely not. Was taken with a real film camera. This is what we got back from the drug store that developed the film. We didn't even notice it there at first. Is there a possible explanation for this that is neither Photoshop nor supernatural?

I get annoyed with people "lecturing" other people about the non-existence of alien lifeforms. And I feel sorry for the people who are despising and denying it, just because they haven't seen proof of it. Do us and yourself a favor, and spend 12:28 minutes watching this - you might get a headache, but it is okay, it will pass.\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeJoVeKSsyA

At the risk of sounding like a dick, I imagine these women are complicit in the lie, but not worth prosecuting. Every inconsistency in their testimony can be explained away with *I noticed that too your Honor, but I believed it was yet another miracle*.

When Dec 21st comes and goes in all mundanity can we retroactively agree that you're a touch delusional?

 bacteria hob scquable floor cleaning action enzyme powered organic all natural sodium free phosphate free nitrate free lithium free uranium free ballsweat free fucking free fucking water mothering fucking water to mop that fucking god damn floor on the floor water water on the floor

Well, I suppose what it comes down to is that evidence credits a theory, since nothing can ever be completely proven according to science, but it must credit it absolutely or it fails to be evidence.  should we find an actual walking talking alien, with space ship intact, people might call that "extraordinary" evidence, but the evidence is no different from finding a new species of spider and the bunch of bananas it got here on, the extraordinary thing isn't so much the evidence but what that evidence represents.  \n\nAnd this is me just explaining my pov.  

&gt;If that's not an option, I hope their children die\n\nThey are the victims here. Dying is not going to help them.

Well, in science one paper vs a million doesn't really matter if the one is correct.  Or would you disagree with that general sentiment?

That'd be if there were just two plastic crates, one with water, one without. There were many more, perhaps about 16 from what I can remember.

It's the poor thinking man's compromise, and expected by lazy, scared journalists. It's the cheap attempt at fairness. And the majority of people buy it, sadly.\n\nIt's like the tu quoque fallacy. Everyone loves to use it and loves to agree with it. It's appalling.

Man I was going to say this. There are birds in my neighborhood that mimic the crosswalk tone and the garbage trucks backing up. Even though we have a lot of wild parrots in my city i think it is the more run of the mill birds that do most of the mimicking.

No, you said that the existence of bad doctors is equivalent to chiropractic's unscientific philosophy.\n\n"Competence in a field" is meaningless in chiropractic, because you could be the best chiropractor in the world, and it wouldn't change the fact that chiropractic is not scientific medicine.

&gt; Because Facebook image posts are one of the things which makes this sub reddit suck.\n\nSo your reason is basicly "just cause!!!". The problem is not how it is presented, but that you just don't like Facebook? Because all that the article has in common with the pics of conversations is that it is hosted on Facebook.\n\n&gt;It is the OPs fault for posting a facebook post instead of the real article\n\nWhat part of "THERE IS NO ONLINE ARTICLE" don't you understand? \n\n&gt;I am here to get leads on stories, if the post cannot instantly convey what it means or provide me with actionable information, then I toss it.\n\nWhat does that have to do with anything?\n\nI get the feeling you are trolling me.

If you're desperate to be heard, contribute something of substance. If not, the upvote button will suffice. 

bluesmojo, it appears that you have fallen victim to a black-and-white mentality. Skepticism is a good thing, and this problem is not contained to just this one ideal. Skepticism is, as all things are, subject to the shortcomings of our imperfect brains. It is important to note that, before really looking deeply into the subject, you tossed chiropractic into the waste bin along with anything else you happened to have heard was fake. I'm not defending chiropractic, as it's core tenets are indeed bogus. (I hope I don't get sued for that!) I'm saying that skepticism is about researching and discovering the truth, even if we have an inclination to discard something at face value.\n\nThe reason that so many people participate in chiropractic and see it as a legitimate practice is because they often mix legitimate medical practices in with the chiropractic. Most of the time they mix in orthopedic elements into their practice, giving them some amount of legitimacy.\n\nThe spectrum of practitioners in chiropractic is very wide. Some people are strictly about chiropractic as it was when it was first created. Other people are pretty much just legitimate medical professionals that, for some unknown reason, took on the title of "chiropractor". In between those two extremes are the ones that I talked about above who "mix-n-match" their practices.\n\nI'd strongly encourage you and your girlfriend to research this more. If you would like a quick introduction to chiropractic, Brian Dunning made a [podcast episode](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4042) about it a few years ago. Don't worry, you don't need an iPod to listen to it, just right click on "Listen" and save the audio then play it locally, or stream it if you'd rather.\n\nI wish you the best of luck in your endeavors, my fellow human.

has art bells audience found reddit...whats next, Obama one of the original dummies at area 51.

From what I have gathered following this situation we should rename the entire thing "Damned if you do, Damned if you don't".

So you're saying you got to miss "freedom fries" while you were on acid with monkeys on the beach?! That trip was a good move!

Why?\n\nWhat definition of "skeptic" are you using?  Because the definition I use is, basically, "someone who forms their opinion and worldview based on a critical assessment of the evidence."  If you can prove me wrong, with strong, credible evidence that makes whatever conspiracy you're arguing more plausible than the official story,  then I will change my position.  Because that's what a good skeptic does.\n\nIf, however, you bring the topic up in a completely unrelated thread and then refuse to answer very simple questions, that makes me (and everyone else) think that you don't have anything to back up your claim.  You started this discussion, presumably with full knowledge of what the response from this subreddit would be.  I don't think you get to use indignant outrage at "fake skeptics" as an excuse to not answer questions.\n\nSo, let's try again:\n\nWhat do you mean by "asymmetrical damage" and "symmetrical collapse?"  And why would anyone need to use explosives to help demolish a building if they're already flying a damn plane into it?

Thsi guy here, he's probably light reflected from vens or swamp gas.—Yeah serious discussion only.. about UFOs! ROFL

Hmm, well - a randomly picked page reveals the science isn't that good. It says on [this page](http://www.bltresearch.com/plantab.php)\n\n&gt; Marked bending at the base of conola/oilseed rape plants -- which are known to break, not bend, when mechanically flattened\n\nI grew up around oilseed rape fields, they were near my school. Naturally, we all rolled around in it so I know that it *does* bend quite well - it all depends on what stage of growth it's at and what the weather has been like (rainy == bendy).\n\nI didn't read much further so I've no opinion in on the rest.

Very interesting. Any chance you would be able to document these experiences? Video camera or something?

I think using ambiguous vocabulary is poor form. "Good general health" and "toxins", two meaningless terms in the same sentence? Let's call this one a tie.

Some people believe they are human incarnations of Dragonball Z and Final Fantasy characters. Here's a whole forum specifically tailored for people who want to circle jerk each other over such a rediculous fantasy:\nhttp://otakukin.proboards.com/index.cgi\n\nYou're human like the rest of us. I'm sorry if that's just too boring for you, but get a grip. Or some psychiatric help. Preferably both.

Thank you. I suppose as it is the Everyday Version is pretty easy to get into without prior knowledge of the topic. 

I mean a reddit person. Unfortunately, and I am using my own mother as a template, the sort of poeple who will read this will think it is all true. Which is sad.\n\nJust talking to my housemate, and I commented that at this rate the, unfortunately, the only way these anti-vax'er will wake up is when we have an outbreak... 

do you smoke  ? the average person smokes and does little exercise :P

Hmm… that statement would be true for *any* place with clean tap water. The water in the toilet is the same as the water in the tap.

Well, I honestly don't see what's so compelling about your argument. As I have stated above, there is some overlap between what Naturopaths profess and what science based medicine says is good for you. For those things, there is no need to be a Naturopath to suggest that someone do those things. For the things that Naturopaths say is good for you, that they have not proven, they haven't a leg to stand on. \n\nI don't really care about why your wife chose to become a Naturopathic Midwife, or that she has to keep up her accreditation with a useless accrediting board. I think that before you keep defending those practices, and calling yourself a skeptic (I assume that because you are here, I could be wrong of course), you should think about the overlap between science based medicine and what Naturopaths profess. Then then about what falls outside that overlap, and consider why the Naturopathic movement refuses to commit themselves to scientific standards, and to put their ideology aside in favor of a search for knowledge through rigorous scientific trials. You are correct in that you are not under any obligation to defend your position, but you made the initial assertion that a licensed Naturopath is not a quack, and I find that assertion highly questionable. 

How the fuck can they claim putting oil on feet does anything? God, these people infuriate me.\n\n--Peds ER nurse, these guys are the bane of our profession

Ugh, he just doesn't get it.\n\nNo, it just means that ALL metaphysical happenings like this are *probably* false. Because if they can be done without magic, we'll need to invoke parsimony and assume that no magic was present.

I am just going to leave these videos here:\n[EVP_Experiments_01 ( Dracula Butter Knife Laughs )](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFjsh9LVFUs)\n[EVP_Experiments_02 ( Ghost Chatter Stone On Wood )](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGFbiNSNmzU)\n[EVP_Experiments_03 ( Finger Nail Whispers On Nylon )](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZFqfZuBhfM)\n[EVP_Experiments_04 ( Putting the sound together in a fake EVP session )](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_qhLCVVk28)\n\nUsing these short 4 videos almost anyone can make fake EVP's and with this knowledge I am very skeptical of evp's. Not only can they be faked post recording but during recording as well even if unintentional. A ghost hunter could easily have a small stone stuck in the treads of their shoe and while they walk or pivot on that shoe it could create sounds that the person does not hear in real time but are picked up the recorder.  This is just one of many scenarios that can occur. 

&gt;Do I? Why do you say that?\n\nI say this because you continue to state things as fact although you are admittedly uncertain about them. Gravity is one of the most scientifically proven laws, yet you link to two horrible **horrible** sources to debate it. Wiki answers and Huffington Post are notorious for unreliable information.\n\nWhat have you done to disconfirm your idea? Did you merely look for evidence to prove your point or try to see where it might be wrong?\n\nYou have explicitly stated that you are unfamiliar with scientific research, yet instead of asking us to evaluate sources you've read, you spout them off as if they are fact. You state that gravity cannot be scientifically proven as if you have absolute certainty and as if there is absolutely no controversy in the scientific community. \n\n[I will continue the gravity discussion in the other post.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/wwxbs/can_be_emotional_freedom_techniques_eft_be/c5i1wqb) Bare with me because while I stated the end result that gravity is scientifically proven here, I will walk you through *how* and *why* it is scientifically proven in the other post. 

Oh, jeez. I've heard about that stuff. Sounds like a horrible way to die. Either way, actually.

Aww, my hopes of moving to the UK were raised and then dashed in mere moments... well done, sir! Very interesting, nonetheless.

They should make that into a soap opera spinoff of ER. I would watch that.

In one of the series, it says at the start he uses a combinations of misdirection, slight of hand, psychology etc to achieve his effects, and none of the people in the show are actors. He stopped using that intro, or altered it later so i'm guessing sometimes the trick is on the audience, and not actually the method that he's implying/ saying it is.

&gt;I don't think they are designed to\n\nThey do not. That's why we have to get a new flu vaccine every year. However, this idiot seems to think that the viruses will mutate within a single host. Although viruses do mutate rather quickly compared to other organisms, I do not believe it is so quick that you significant mutations would occur over the course of a single infection event.

What the *fuck* at that whole subreddit. There's some seriously questionable shit floating around in there.

I don't think they're actually brightening and dimming at all.  They only change (mostly, turn red) when the camera moves.   It's happening in unison because it's not a feature of the lights, it's an artifact of the camera.

Depends on the school.  It is complicated.  Most western folks who are interested in Buddhism are getting into an interesting mishmash of the Theravada School, but heavily influenced by Zen/Chan Buddhism.  This specific mixture makes no supernatural claims and explains Karma as the psychological damage a person inflicts on themselves through taking selfish actions. (Abbreviated explanation, obviously).\n\nHowever\n\nThat is only one "denomination" of Buddhism, so to speak.  There is "high" Buddhism with "demons" and "angels" (obviously lot literally, but entities taking similar roles) and reincarnation and seven hells and seven heavens and ritual magic and all the things you might expect form the Catholic and Orthodox CHurches rolled into one.\n\nThere is "low" Buddhism with reincarnation, but not ritual magic, and angels and demons being symbolic of internal struggles.\n\nIt's a big playing field, so when someone calls themselves Buddhist it can mean a lot of different things and you are best off just asking them.

Why should the standards of English majors dictate how scientific papers should read?  The content is not the prose but the data/evidence/theories.\n\nHow would the English major like it if their fiction was rigorously put to a scientific test?  How relevant would such criticism be?\n\nPopular science articles are a completely different issue and these typically have a strong writer.\n\n

When I drink homeopathic beer I never have to try to prevent a hangover.

Actually yes, about a month ago.\n\nOddly enough, it was a day where I took a certain mushroom. I went to bed with a pounding headache, completely exhausted. I eventually fell asleep. I wake back up, but in a dream where im in my bed. I notice im tucked in. Which didn't make sense, so I wrestled myself out and tried turning on my lamp. It would not turn on. So I tried using my phone. It was covered in this odd ooze substance. It would not turn on. I felt as if I was being watched, I accept it because I did not think they would want to hurt me, whatever it was. I shrug it off and go to sleep.\n\nI wake back up, to these 2 large grey creatures, both of them having a lanky but an almost athletic figure, looking down on me. They're faces had a bizarre aesthetic, where the cheeks where attached to the nose, sharply working its way downwards to the chin. Leaving this concave vacant space under its nose. Black circular eyes, slightly larger then ours. \n\nIt stared back at me, without a sound I felt as if it was asking me if id like to go somewhere. I could not talk, I was petrified. I believe I shook my head to refuse. I then think they tried to convey more but I was too scared of the prospect of leaving earth. I wake up, I tell two of my friends about my dream. The I actually wake up.

I agree totally! I was listening to this interview, and totally creeped out, and also completely bummed. From Jacob's perspective, things are pretty bleak for the non alien hybrids. But I always go back for more...

Interesting how all of these artifacts are always discoverable just at the noise floor of the image

Whatever the reasoning behind the exercise was, my point was that it was not due to an actual alien contact.

Do you hold this same view for homeopathy? Homeopathy can both help and hurt as well. \n\nWhen people base their decisions on false information, that's potentially dangerous. Whether it eventually helps or hurts is beside the point. 

I'll try and explain the lay of the land where I was... the river I was standing over is in kind of a valley. The houses/road and everything are up a hill. So, I could see farther over the other side of the river than I could past the hill on my side. If that makes sense. Hill goes up about 100 feet... house is probably 250 feet off the river. It's a shit hill to climb any time. lol\n\nAfter it stopped and changed direction, it was moving the same speed it was before, which I would refer to as a slow cruise or something... there were no obviously erratic movements (that might, say, scramble the contents of the object) - when it stopped, it gradually stopped, and then accelerated in the direction AWAY from the river. Away from me... It just kinda drifted away.... and then the helicopter showed up about the time it started going in the other direction. \n\n \n\n\n

[Here is a video of it](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi4c070jHYs) if you're interested. Please ignore the Cloverfield camerawork. 

I've been involved in discussions with people on Reddit and as soon as they realize you have a different opinion from them they start letting the insults fly. \n\nIf you're confident in what you think you saw, I respect that, as I hope you respect the fact that I think there's a rational explanation for what you saw. 

The Belgium Wave was very interesting. They are here.. get use to it.\n

Was it a series of descending bubbles? I remember it too, let me see if Google-fu serves me right.\n\nedit: http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/snakeoil-scientific-evidence-for-health-supplements/\n\nHere you go. :)

He didn't really counter any or his claims, even though it would be laughably easy to do so.

And according to [this graph](http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&amp;s=mttimiz1&amp;f=m) the trend is clearly showing the US importing less and less oil from Iraq from before and after the invasion. There's a slight peak in late 2001 but a clear decline starting with 2004.

No worries duder, not trying to correct you. I just wanted to point out what the equation means for anyone who doesn't know.

There is some woo involved too (although not in the photo). Looking at their website, the cloths contain:\n*'micro particles of silver, a natural material with powerful antibacterial properties, to rapidly kill bacteria caught in the cloth.'*\nhttp://www.nomorechemicals.co.uk/products.asp?Atn=View&amp;pID=1299

I don't think our understanding of physics is wrong or flawed. We just understand a small part of a much larger picture. It's like us only understanding the basic building block of arithmetic, which are universal and correct, but then seeing the results of some advanced calculus equations which are not possible using only basic arithmetic.  

I have been able to run Adobe CS on all of my PC computers.  My desktop only cost 1000 dollars, in comparison to an apple computer with similar specs at significantly higher prices.     

Everyone should be forced to read something like this for high school or something. I get really exhausted trying to explain to people that cell phones don't cause brain cancer, that vaccines don't cause autism, that non-organic foods do not cause cancer.

No, but promoting a mere hypothesis as fact is pseudo-science by definition.

My point was that a mental or emotional issue may not leave any traces in the body in a physical or chemical form.\n\nI suffer from panic disorder, anxiety disorder and I only nearly escaped agoraphobia. If I got a full physical work up with complete blood tests nobody would see anything to explain it. I didn't know what the hell was happening to be when I would have a panic attack, I kept thinking I was dying. I had no clue until I spoke to my therapist and she was able to diagnose me with the conditions. \n\nSo, the absence of physical evidence is evidence that the problem may not be physical.

I think you invite it in the sense that if you really want it to notice you it will, and if you aren't terribly specific you might not like what you attract.

My take on it is that human lives are not put at risk for cosmetic testing on humans, so there's no reason to do cosmetics testing on animals. Use people. If their hair falls out, they signed a waiver, and/or you can compensate them accordingly. Doing this form of animal testing is just a way of getting testing done on the cheap.

From what I know about demons, they can. Demons are Satan's servants, and they will seek to torture you while living. However, they won't necessarily make things obvious. At first, it may seem as though you suffer from bad luck, but after awhile, they will actively make you suffer, and at some point, they may possess you. What happened years ago may be an early indicator. See what happens when you surround yourself with crucifixes and the like. If the activity worsens, you may have a powerful demon. If it lessens, you have a weak demon. If nothing happens, you are probably overreacting.

Yeah that's really funny he is basically saying you can only see it if you think its there I mean just wow..

I remember, in association with something (much) bigger than four neighborhood blocks, hearing a hum.  But, also, high pitched noises.  They are hard to explain, not necessarily synthesized, more like the noise from a bad ground in a car that manifests through the stereo.  But not exactly.\n\nIt persisted for about 15 - 20 minutes, while I watched the craft pass directly overhead, and over the football game that was being played at the high school a block away at 9:30 at night.\n\nI could see the the thing.  It, essentially, blocked out the night. But I could see the stars through it, too.  It was really strange.

"There is a connection between evolution and school violence"  \n\nwat

When they move away; I have seen other vids where they will move in columns... I love this stuff . 

We are reaping what we've sewn.\n\nFor a long, long, time, men have allowed themselves to be hypersexualized by popular culture.  We imagine men as craving the sex that women will not give them.  As a result, we are fast approaching (if not already at) a point where men cannot refuse sex without appearing unmanly.\n\nLittle wonder, then, that rape and pedophilia accusations so easily ruin a man's life.  Little wonder that women so easily fear us.  Little wonder that Watson ignited the blogosphere so effortlessly.\n\nDon't make the mistake of assuming chauvinism just hurts women.  It hurts men, in a very direct way.  Yes, society is denied all the innovations that intelligent women must struggle to voice.  But it also makes caricatures of us all, using crude gender lines to discredit intelligent questions like the ones Dawkins asked.

Is it not also true that the most common phrase used in scientific papers is\n    \n&gt; More research is needed\n\n?

dude, whats the *mechanism* by which the head absorbs less RF? It doesn't just magically go around it. \nLet's say your phone antenna is a 1W isotropic radiator, the only plausible way to to reduce amount of RF to the head is to put a reflector, which will also increase gain at expense of omnidirectionality. Your antenna power remains constant

It is possible but not likely the kind of mutation that would survive to the next generation. It is a true freak of nature. All domestic farm animals are a result of animal husbandry/selective breeding programs. Some genetic work is being done to get cows to produce human hormones in their milk for the pharmaceutical industry, but by and large our farm animals have been selectively bred for specific traits. 

&gt; He's a conspiracy nut as bad as McCarthy.\n\nHe's far, far worse than McCarthy, even though I hate what that woman has done to vaccination.

Doesn't look like much. Keep in mind (no pun intended!) that our brains are pattern-making machines.

Your voice friends forgot that man gives the seed of life, creation, thus God is also man.

Did you check the time after you saw you'd passed it? I'm curious how long it said you'd been driving, if maybe you zoned out or something.

* [Close up of repeating pattern](http://i.imgur.com/p1cIP.jpg) \n\n* [outline of cube](http://i.imgur.com/EUHoi.jpg) \n\n* [Image with highlight overlayed](http://i.imgur.com/84BqO.jpg)\n\n

It doesn't even make sense to call it a panel.\n\nHere's the conceptual motivation behind the review process --\n\nIf you are sick and can take your healthcare in a variety of directions there may be a different cost associated with them.\n\nDirections with the most data have the most cost/benefit information associated with them.\n\nThe "panels" as they call them, allow your health care to not be shoehorned into a fixed set of covered possibilities, instead it's partially variable contingent on review.\n\nThis sword cuts both ways. On the one hand your treatment options aren't preselected by the plan and everything else comes out of of pocket. On the other hand, the decision process which would be entirely yours with private coverage must be reviewed by medical staff who are incentivized to prioritize balanced cost/risk/benefit treatments. Not all disease play nice with that balance and some people suspect conflicts will arise. From that suspicion it's only a stones throw away from death panels. 

What exactly am I looking at? Looks like a computer monitor with reflections in it. I see nothing paranormal here. Am I just missing it?

I think that's because when you say naturopathy is alternative medicine, you are actively putting yourself in the same group as all the other woo-sters, even though naturopathy (or at least the particular brand to which you and your wife subscribe) is really just a subset of mainstream medicine.\n\nThe fact of the matter is you and your wife practice mainstream medicine.  However, you claim to practice alternative medicine and then become offended when we scoff.  Realize that we don't simply dislike alternative medicine because it's different, we dislike it because it's either not been proven to work or been proven not to work, by its very definition -- for had it been proven to work it would be a part of mainstream medicine, as naturopathy is to a certain degree.

So just to be clear.  Even though you are not scientist you boldly state that there is no evidence of unknown nuclear processes occurring at low temperature and that the rossi device is similar to something an insane person on youtube might claim is producing energy by magic.\n\nBoth these statements betray a failure to perform rudimentary acts of skeptical enquiry and a reliance on dogmatic thinking.  \n\nThis brand of pseudoskepticism is unworthy of this subreddit.

I was saying to myself "Clark you've seen this movie before..." I didn't want to end up like "What was that? We better go check it out!' Guy. Walking around in the pitch dark, in a house I am not familier with, all while trying to get a grip on what was going on. Looking at it now I'd really like to know what my plan would've been had I found someone or something. I'll never know. I was totally just instinctivly reacting to everything that was happening. Laying here now hoping ill never have to deal with it again. 

&gt;And yes it is used as a pejorative sometimes.\n\nI have literally never seen it used any other way.  \n\n

Upvote for this. Seriously why does everything have to be a picture or a video? I can read at work, and I can scan through a document to see if I care. Can't do that with a video.\n\nBut hey, let's just throw away centuries of experience because the internet damnit!

I think it sounds like the guy studying this is showing a surprising level of confidence based on very little actual data. That's usually a sign of bad science.

Don't get me started. You would not believe how many hipsters from Massachusetts/Rhode Island/Connecticut/New York drive up here to New Hampshire to buy "secret cures" they can't get in their own state, i.e. raw honey or raw milk. They use the same pseudoscientific bullshit to "prove" that these food items prevent disease/allergies/bad mental health, and insist that the government keeps them illegal so big pharma doesn't go out of business. It's hard for me to take any of it seriously.

Thanks a lot! I'm glad I could bring it to you.\n [to the point Charities &amp; Not for Profit Entities (Wildy Practice Guide)](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0854900748?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=polidebanews-20&amp;linkCode=xm2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creativeASIN=0854900748).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axial_precession_%28astronomy%29\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidereal_time (don't know if they are talking about this, but it seems relevant)

It actually translates very roughly to, "Hello friends! I hope the owner of this Facebook account doesn't mind my intruding on his social networking, or his home for that manner, I am a ghost! You can call me Roger."\n\nI think it's Latin. That's all I could find. 

&gt;Granted, it's not the definition of astrology that requires planets to be in houses, but it does claim that "planets are aligning" and "things are happening."\n\nThat's why I said that it had nothing to do with what differentiates astrology from astronomy. Both fields cover the motions of the planets. The "findings" exist within the intersection of astronomy and astrology.

Plenty of people will confirm alien abduction. It is common knowledge, but quite hard to actually source conclusively.

By the sound of this guy's politics, I'm thinking the whole point is not to find the body at all.  The inevitable lack of evidence will be used as more fuel for conspiracy theory.\n\nAnyway, did anyone else find it odd that they mentioned his Russian girlfriend is apparently part of some official Russian intelligence circles?  WTF was that all about?

Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France, Netherlands...\n\nShould I keep going?

interesting, im glad im not the only one who has experienced this. and nope im not australian lol and my birthday is in december, pretty close though.

A lot of the time 'orbs' in pictures and footages could be dust particles, but actual orbs do exist. You can't tell from a picture but from a video you can usually tell by the way it moves. I have been seeing orbs since my early teens. Sometimes they're very colourful (purple, green, pink) so I know they're not dust.

If it were a remedy based in willow bark it would be diluted to the point of most likely not even present in what they give the infant, let alone at a biologically available and effective dose.\n\nAspirin is made from willow. An example of an herbal remedy standardized studied and understood. Amazing that pharmacology is so hated by "natural medicine" types since their herbal remedies function (if they function at all) via their pharmacological properties. 

Elaberate why no it was just something that came to mind so I'm sure there's a lot against what I said but don't just say no... 

If something like this occured over Hong Kong I would think that it would be all over Youtube and Face Book.

The issue really is, god doesn't actually exist, there is a concept of god, and that concept changes from time to time and culture to culture, the same with other common myths, vampires, werewolves, unicorns, dragons etc. So its hard to pin down the definitions of these concepts, its like a moving goalpost. Is a dragon just a big reptile? or is it 100 tons, flies, shoots fire and knows magic? Some of these definitions are contradictory some are not.\n\nSo we could say that "god" is a super advanced alien type entity that can perform acts that mystify us and seem like magic, and that entity could potentially exist, but the omnipotent, omniscient, consciousness without matter type of definition can't.

If ignoring and moving on is the best way to get rid of someone, then why are you still replying?\n\nAnd here you are pulling the whole "We don't know, so I'm right" fallacy again. It was wrong the first time you used it, it'll be wrong the next time you use it, and it's still wrong this time.

On the first study, which is an in vitro study, it states that glyphosate is damaging to placental cells at 1% of the dose used in agriculture.\n\nIt doesn't clarify whether this would be the dose used on the crop, or the amount that remains on the crop after harvesting and rinsing it, or the amount that is consumed when you eat the plant, or the amount that somehow made it into the placenta (which is probably nothing).\n\nBesides that, it does not provide a mechanism for how placental cells would come into contact with glyphosate when glyphosate is consumed by humans, because this is an **IN VITRO** study.\n\nHere's a good comparison: if you dipped placental cells in delicious apple juice for 18 hours, they will die.\n\nOn the second study, it is simply a measurement of pesticides in the environment, and does not address any issues of toxicity.

&gt; Osteopaths != chiropractors\n\nI don't think the parent was talking about osteopaths. That said, although osteopaths, unlike chiropractors, actually have a general medical competence, osteopathy itself is quacky.

Eh, as much as I'd like a working cloaking device, there are significant issues with developing/using one.  We have gotten close to variations of an effect which bends light around an object ([article](http://today.duke.edu/2006/10/cloakdemo.html)).  However, so far we do not have anything that redirects visible light around an object.\n\nThe issues with using one are somewhat intuitive: if light is physically bent around me to render me totally invisible, it by necessity also redirects light away from my ability to sense it, and then not only am I invisible, I am also now blind.  The Duke cloak, linked above, gives hints that you can tune their metamaterial cloak so that you can only block certain wavelengths of light, meaning you could then sense based on parts of the spectrum not being blocked, but then you run the risk of being detected using those parts of the spectrum.\n\nWe've been working on this issue for a pretty good chunk of time, and barring some exotic method of sensory outside of the hidden area, a "one-way" cloak is likely infeasible.  I suppose you could do something with drones and tight beam lasers outside of the blocked spectrum, but again, you run the risk of detection.\n\n[Edit] Upon rewatching, I see no distinct features, and the trailing "wisps" look an awful lot like atmospheric turbulence of some sort.  I'm pretty sure this is a natural phenomenon, but even so it looks pretty cool.  Might x-post it to /r/astronomy or /r/space to see if someone there knows what it might be.

There are actually a couple other videos of this same phenomena on the moon, but this is the most clear one. But I wouldn't go as far to say there's "no distance" and it "could be anything". There are definitely objects moving across the surface

It's all about planting seeds of doubt.  No one ever had their mind changed by someone getting in their face.  Or as Phil Plait said [Don't Be A Dick](http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1065-phil-plaits-dont-be-a-dick-talk-at-tam8-now-online.html)

If I remember correctly, "The Mother of Vinegar" is the goop that turns alcoholic beverages (wine, beer) into vinegar. You can get the magic slime at some homebrew stores. \n\nIt's a living organism, like yeast, or yogurt culture...\n\nAs far as claims of "all natural" go, dog poop is all natural - that doesn't mean I'd consume it. 

"No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man."

or inversing the logic: Why is it called "Alternative Medicine", because if it worked it would just be called "medicine".

Haha, I wondered this; it's seriously the same stuff? I should be grazing off of my "Mr. T Afro Chia"?

Every scientific study into the efficacy of chiropractic dismisses the vast majority of what the practice involves as being ineffective and often harmful.  Some studies have shown that it *may* be effective in the treatment of lower back pain, though not as effective as existing treatments, not effective at treating underlying causes of pain, and still retains the potential for significant harm.\n\nEvery argument in support of the practice from otherwise rational people are made from anecdote, and are based on the acknowledgement that the benefit they perceive is derived simply from massage and physiotherapeutic techniques.  Even so, it's far better and safer to pursue such benefits from those who practice in a regulated industry utilising acknowledged and tested medical techniques after having dedicated a significant portion of their lives to medical training than the alternative.

It would be normal to panic about it. By everything I have seen here you're a caring person who wants to take care of people (possibly the reason you became a doctor haha) and someone very close to you is obviously going through something tough. Whether it is paranormal, stress related or psychological, nobody can deny she is having a bad time.\n\nThe best you can do for her is be there for her, try to learn what you can and lead her in the right direction. She obviously trusts you and I think that will help to make big strides in getting this all sorted out.

Would you rather he mislead and present evidence that can't be corroborated? What do you think that would do to the legitimacy of UFO researchers in general? Spoiler alert: it wouldn't help.\n\nI mean, really. What do you want him to say when someone asks for hard proof? If we had hard proof, UFOs would no longer be unidentified.

For reference, the Earth is currently believed to be 4.567 billion years old, [but may be as young as 4.467 billion](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/7882974/Earth-is-much-younger-than-previously-thought.html).

Tell them that you want to cover your self in lube at [place of interest] and masturbate.\n\nThat way they won't think you are weird. 

But it cured my cancer! Honest! It's the tooth!\n\n/sorry\n//shows self out

&gt; Yeah, well first men like to be hit on by women.\n\nI wouldn’t say I like being hit on by women any more than women like being hit on by men. It’s a matter of whether the person hitting on you is attractive to you and can give off the right signals (or receive them) worth a damn.\n\n&gt; Second -- women are hit on all the freaking time. No matter what they're doing.\n\nNo. *Some* women are.\n\n&gt; the battle still, in the fucking 21st goddamn century, about women controlling their own reproductive health\n\nOh come on, really?

hash tag tweets #ygk (kingston airport, widely followed by local twitters including media) will get more interest.  Its an embarrassment they are doing this, including selling them at the front desk of the police station

You don't even need to be on one side of this debate or another, but if you ever see this:\n\n"Very complex issue with literally thousands of variables can be ignored because of just one of those variables."\n\nit's not a very good argument.

Sweet we can put that right with the Weather Balloon explanation.

Taken at it's basic definition, morality is the guide that we use to decide what is right and what is wrong. Yes, there is a very strong chance for this morality to be derived from emotion, or group-think, or something else considered subjective. Objective morality exists - though it may not be followed - because there is ultimately a "right" or a "wrong" answer for everything. Let's take murder for example. Many think that the impulse not to murder is due to survival of self and of the species. Don't kill because eventually you'll kill off the species and that would be bad. Of course, this isn't a universal constant for some reason (overriding natural instinct?) but for the most part, I would call this an objective moral. You don't kill not because it's emotionally (or theologically, or whatever) right or wrong, but because doing so decreases the chances of species survival. \n\nI happen to believe the world is in fact black and white. It only looks gray because we don't know all the rules yet. But a perfect answer/solution/whatever exists for everything if we take the time to understand and look. It can be mathematically proven or whatever. This is objective. It becomes subjective only when "I don't kill because it makes me feel good not to murder." is used as the argument.

I've been meaning too, but it would mean interrupting my marathon Stargate SG1 watching. But then I'm on Season 10 so I'm almost done anyway. :)

Thought we were talking about the US. I don't think fresh water and good sewerage would be in the public health category - more like infrastructure. In developing worlds, yes agree.\n\nShaky moral ground? You mean like iodine in salt? Vitamin D in milk? Fortified minerals in white bread?

Entirely possible, I won't deny that we like to troll one another once in a blue moon.

God knows... random sugar pills with fake Latin nomenclature. \n\nThe reason this is happening is our resident homeopath (I KNOW, RIGHT?) is the health-care department's safety committee rep. 

Writer for cracked here.  Don't take site too seriously.   Unless you're giving out cookies &amp; Lap dances

My favourite has to be the "We 'heart' your privacy" down where you give them your email address.\n\nI wonder if there's a shred of truth to that.

I've never used them personally, but I've researched hosting on Reddit quite a bit. GoDaddy has a pretty bad reputation, often described as terrible. Not so much because they don't offer similar functions and services as other hosts, but apparently their interface is maddening. I don't know if I came across comments on their support or not.\n\nIf their hosting front ends are anything like their domain registration sites, then it doesn't surprise me.\n\n[Ex 1](http://www.reddit.com/r/Wordpress/comments/ihnkk/has_anybody_used_godaddy_wordpress_hosting/)\n\n[Ex 2](http://www.reddit.com/r/web_design/comments/i354u/does_anyone_else_who_for_some_reason_uses_godaddy/)\n\nQuote from felixgolden\n&gt;From personal experience - domain squatting, services being added on without approval and random charges, difficulty moving, redirecting or transferring sites.\n\n

Sam does (sort of) accept an unstated premise of the claimant. That the visions happened *while* he was in the hospital bed. These types of experiences are highly susceptible to a wide variety of stimuli. One of the first aspects of the consciousness that is affected by this kind of situation is a sense of time. That's why dreams and hallucinations are often accompanied by a sense of timelessness.

Unsurprisingly, you're right--it's in South Carolina. The belief in one improbable supernatural being often leads to others. 

I was more referring to this section of completely fabricated rubbish:\n\n&gt;When water molecules are missing an electron (now positive ionized), the molecules, which are two (2) hydrogen and one (1) oxygen – H2O, start to share the missing electron. They borrow an electron from each other, causing the water molecules to clump. This creates a problem because now your cells have difficulty absorbing such a large clumped molecule.\n \n&gt;You see, our cell walls have these little channels in them called aquaporins. The aquaporins are the “gatekeepers” that decide what is allowed in our cells and what isn’t allowed in our cells. These aquaporins don’t like clumped and positive ionized water molecules in. And for good reason, they are basically free radicals that will damage the cells!\n\n\nBut I see what you mean.

It works right up until you eat again.\n\nAt that point, your body is primed to store calories as fat (fat is a storage tissue), because it's starving.\n\nFad diets and fasting are a great way to lose five pounds, and then gain eight.

I live in New Zealand, but having read about Key West, the ghost tour and this doll has made me REALLY want to visit. Might have to save up my pennies (might take me a while mind you ;))

Nice work. I love the lack of final responses these fb screenshots always have. 

So after reading through [this article](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-maher/vaccination-a-conversatio_b_358578.html) he wrote, it seems he's collapsing a lot of issues into a singular opponent and trying to take them on with one giant, skeptical punch.\n\nAs an example:\n\nIn the process of the article, he conflates the issues that plague antibiotic overuse with reasons to consider vaccines on the basis of their history, preparation, delivery, etc. He draws from the rational precaution to not overuse antibiotics and attempts to apply it to our views of the applications of vaccines, in other words.\n\nAlso, throwing in the notion of the 'limitations of western medicine' when he really means 'the business side of pharmaceuticals' really detracts from the clarity of his arguments. He may be trying to take on serious, nuanced issues but he's also trying to remain somewhat mainstream with his references. He's definitely fighting too many battles simultaneously.\n\nI can see how he's really trying to connect that example with everything else he discusses (western medicine, American diet, government healthcare, incomplete pictures from media coverage) into a sort of a 'sloppy' conspiracy theory (because he doesn't want to assert that there is some sort of behind the scenes cooperation), but he's going to have to do a lot of backtracking on many of the issues as long as he keeps grouping them together.\n\n

i really hope no one is taking this seriously. the blog is called mostlytruestuff. it's clearly for the lols, this is a standard logical fallacy- A happened with B so B must have caused A. reading these comments however, it looks like a lot of you are, in fact, being serious.

&gt;Jaden, now 13, couldn't withhold asking a pressing question he had for the leader of the free world\n\nHow modest.

lol fake  the thing stays in the middle of the frame even though its unseeable behind the trees...

I'd agree with a lot of what you said. That being said, it would definitely be wise to stay away from ufology/conspiracy personalities. I really don't get it when folks listen to C2C or Alex Jones Radio everyday, without questioning the source of the material. \n\nIn fact, I feel that ATS, Project Camelot, New Age philosophies, and the growing 'Galactic Federation/Alex Collier' movement is hindering honest, rational research on the subject. I have to see some kind of data, consistent pattern, or my own visual evidence to verify the phenomenon. \n\nAs for the crystal skulls. I have not researched on it in detail so I cannot make a statement as to the veracity of it, although I'm open to its existence. As for the notion of UFOs being 'inter-dimensional' entities, its definitely a possibility. I'd believe that over an 'extra-terrestrial' entity. For instance, a local news station did a piece on a shaman who was able to summon UFOs in the sky. Shamans in the Amazon in South America have confirmed this phenomenon as well.\n\nWhat I do find amusing is that I would say most people believe in extra-terrestrials, but if you give the slightest possibility that these 'entities' have been here since the dawn of man, they think you're a crackpot. Alas, over time, maybe people will be open to this idea as well. 

What I'd really love to see is him cover the topic on CNN like Larry King used to do, but somehow I doubt that will happen anytime soon. 

Yup. Somebody here doesn't understand how science works. The fact it's a homeopathy supporter doesn't surprise me in the least.

I don't think that he is duped as much as he is making money off this. So are the mexican UFO "hunters" that sell him their clips.\n\nThey create it and he broadcasts it with very few questions asked. That is why some of the people he features have 60+ photographed sightings in their library.

Really? They do have an answer for that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_views_on_suicide#Christianity\n\n

But your forgetting that he is just making this up.... this is a Poe... right?

well having faith and opening your mind is a very good thing.  the truly fearful ones are the ones who say that everything is cgi

I would recommend this documentary, especially to the OP, because they debunk pretty much everything there, from the healing, to the old-fashioned leg trick, to the cold reading.

I see similar complaints pop up on reddit from time to time, complaints about other sites posting content they found here, and that's always baffled me since reddit itself is *built* on pulling content from elsewhere and posting it for the reddit community.

about to go ask my apartment complex manager the size limit on dogs and if she says none i will show her this picture and say i am getting one\n

If you are going to write a fake interview, you should at least have someone else do the writing for the other guy. Otherwise the tone of the two people comes out sounding the same, as it does in this obviously made up article.\n\nAlso, most educated scientists go on at length in their answers, instead of these one-sentence agreements with the leading question poised by the interviewer.

Unless my middle school friends are planning on murdering me soon in a maypole-fetish-water game, then no. 

According to [this](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001870.htm) there have been false positives when using certain test techniques. The article basically says that in the cases where false positives were seen, using "standard IF culture confirmation" ruled them out.\n\nThat was 20 years ago. I think they'd have to be pretty sloppy to give a positive test result without cross-checking these days.

Wait, is there really a single red pixel in the 3rd box, or is that just my monitor?

I found a lot of wingnut sites pointing to a 2005 study out of Italy linking it to cancer, but it looks like they were pretty easily refuted:\n\nhttp://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=82425\n\nFor me? It just tastes nasty! No thanks!

My wife and I heard a weird version of "Tuesday Afternoon" (Moody Blues) with a line that went "Some kind of Druid man is standing in the trees"\n\nwe heard it twice in two days. a friend of ours heard it too. We never heard that line again after that, and I even looked up the lyrics on as many different sites as possible, and never found a version of that song with that line in it.\n\nWe didn't mishear it, it was very clear.

The related article at the bottom is also a fun (and equally as odd...maybe more so) read.  http://naturalplane.blogspot.com/2010/10/underground-reptilian-encounter.html

I don't even know what it is you're trying to say this is supposed to be and if we have to guess, it's crap so thanks for absolutely fucking nothing.  Please spare us this bullshit. 

Why don't you learn about[ cold reading](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_reading) and become a psychic medium yourself? All it is is a simple trick, an illusion so to speak. Learn the trade (it won't take too long) and then tell them you believe now. Do a reading for them and just pile on the otherworldly guilt. Really ruin the whole thing for them.

Agreed, except if the subject matter strays in to the domain of their brand of libertarian ideology. They get quite a bit less skeptical then, which is irritating as a fan, even as one who frequently agrees with them when they do this.

Good, that I only drink coconut-lemon drinks :D vodka is made from neutral potatoes, so I obviously win!

Well that clinches it. All UFO sightings ever have always been hoaxes or mistakes.\n\nCase closed.

Calling the author an idiot would be at least 5 steps up from where he lies in my eyes.

What's funny and completely contradicting to your statement is the fact that deathbed confessions are, in fact, SO TRUSTWORTHY that they can be used as evidence in a court of law. Simply for the fact that nothing can be gained or lost by lying. In legal terms it's called a "dying declaration".

Well...all of the clothing that the Olympians wear is especially crafted to improve the athletes' performance in their respective events, and I could see how tape might fall under this category, so long as it doesn't chemically enhance one's body.

People are welcome to try and impose their personal hangups on me, but I will not permit it. There's no need for me to stay home. I'm fine.\n\nNow, you say he cornered her in an enclosed space. Did he *actually* corner her, or did she *feel* cornered? Did he have any malicious intent? Did anything bad happen? These are the salient questions. The ability of this guy to determine whether or not she wanted to be asked out is irrelevant. She said no, he left. There's no problem. It seems to me as though Rebecca Watson wants more of people than is reasonable. Getting into an elevator (a public space) with another person and talking to that person (no rape) is not a bad thing to do. She overreacted. It was stupid. 

&gt;it is logical to use past history of deception to question current results. \n\nRational perhaps, not logical though.

Thanks for checking.  I did too with no luck.\n\n\nThe plaintiffs did come up with some crack pot experts.  Their guy claimed:\n\n &gt; says he recently traveled to consult with “the king in South Africa” on Wi-Fi dangers\n\n\nSince anyone fresh out of grade school knows that there is no king in South Africa, then it surprises me that the court would consider that an expert witness.  Could I be expecting too much?\n

It's unbelievable what people will buy into.\n\nI've been thinking of starting a side-business selling luck.  I'm having trouble how to manifest it, though - magnets?  crystals?  something shiny?  I suppose it doesn't really matter as, no matter how stupid and anti-science it is, somebody will buy it.  In fact, the *more* anti-science it is, the more controversy there will be and, therefore, the more hard-core believers there will be.  Profit!\n

Well, when I was applying to enter collidge, the essay question was "if you had to demonstrate your intelligence to alien life using just a bag of M&amp;M's what would you do?"\n\nSo it helps to think, if you were an alien and wanted to communicate with people, what would you do? \n\nAnd I think ASCII is fine. I mean, it's what programmers use and it was going to be programmers and mathematicians that were going to see that "CD image." He must have known that.\n\nSo your question is why imprint the picture. I think it makes sense. With the three stars of Orion in the background, and the hand holding out the disc. It makes sense. Kind of like an icon for gmail.\n\nAs for whether they're greys, the good greys, or the bad greys or the Nordics or the reptilians, praying mantis ... or any of the 26 types of aliens rumored to be visting Earth... these are all just rumors.\n\nThe alien who sent the message knows that what we have are rumors and not facts, or evidence. So he wants to communicate truth, not lies. (What is to gain by lying?)\n\nSo, yes, I'd put a picture of me, too. And he looks cool, not threatening. The bell at the end of the message is kind of humorous. So I think this alien is trying to communicate. I think this alien is trying to friend you on facebook. Kind of thing. I would have a beer with this alien.

It's called deja reve: "already dreamed." I have a section in chapter three of my [book about dreams](http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-1-2-3-Remember-Interpret-ebook/dp/B007XAF6R2) that's titled "dreaming the future." It's based on the idea that dreams show the future. It's less about "crystal ball" sort of prediction of the future, and more about seeing where patterns lead. But yes, sometimes dreams see the future with close accuracy. It's more common than is commonly known.

You should check out "My Ghost Story" on the bio network best paranormal show I've seen yet with real home footage and real people telling their stories

It's a power and control issue. Has little to do with technology, although the military industrial complex would like new weapons platforms.\n\nIf UFOs are shown to be ET civs visiting us, then the control systems of our society are shown to be unable to protect us from them, UFOs violate airspace and hover over sensitive installations at will and the government cannot interdict them.\n\nBasically the government has to admit that they don't know what these things are and they can't control them. So the populace says "why do we pay these guys anyway?" That's a simplistic breakdown, but you get the idea. \n\nIn the face of ET civ reality, our world governmental systems become less relevant, if not totally irrelevant, and that is a big deal to the power elite. There is also the issue of economy, depending on whether we get tech that makes fossil fuel based economy obsolete, but that is another matter.\n\nNo wonder the US government has been busy trying to infer they have some kind of treaty with the ETs for 40 years. Reality is they don't know shit. 

Although it is cheating, there is one animal that lives partially on sunlight:\n[Elysia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysia_viridis)\n\nIt is a cute little sea slug that stores the chloroplasts that it eats from seaweed. It even has some seaweed dna in its genes to keep the chloroplasts alive. \n\nYou can find these critters in any shallow shore with green seeweeds. 

I downvoted this because it is not a substantial post. Please use r/pics for just pictures.

&gt;It makes you look like a karmawhore\n\n...or like one of the 14 year old boys from /r/Atheism.

&gt;Also, where do human rights come from? That always annoys me.\n\n&gt;They have this philosophy based on UNIVERSAL, ABSOLUTE RULES. But those rules are based entirely on their subjective opinions.\n\nI don't think that we have to base morality or universal human rights on universal and absolute rules.\n\nI don't think there are universal moral laws. I do think that there are moral rules that all neurologically normal humans (so this discounts psychopaths for example) agree on. For humans it would be very immoral for a woman to kill and consume her male sexual partner, for spiders though it's just normal.\n\nThere are certain moral rules that neurologically normal humans all tend to agree on. I think that this commonality can provide a good basis for human rights, etc.\n\nI think that this can help us get away from the silly wordy philosophical arguments about "why should we say it's good for parents to look after their infant children? You're just defining good in a way that allows you to reach the conclusions you want."\n\nBecause we can't point to some universal objective morality, I think it's reasonable to work out what humans agree on as being good and bad, and use that as a basis.\n\nEven on politically charged issues like abortion, moral philosophers have shown that when you change the details but maintain the same moral problems, then conservatives and liberals tend to make very similar moral judgements.

How would an atheist argue against a point of origin? We wouldn't, it happened. It's god we don't have a belief in. 

The E. coli experiment is pretty impressive:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._coli_long-term_evolution_experiment

No, but that fact isn't a smear on any scientist. The higgs-boson is not a "trendy idea", it's a hypothesis currently being tested. The down votes are completely warranted.

Haha. Very nice. And you got to support the cause of the book fair, too!

Well, you know what they say. Never, EVER, mess with a winning streak.

[I guess we'll find out.](https://twitter.com/#!/stunt_seal/status/178703636346568704) :)\n\nedit: I imagine if we get a few people to retweet it, he *might* actually answer.

Sorry? I guess "Catholic countries" are those with a historically high Catholic church influence.\n\nSo, in the first 15 places you have: France (4th), Belgium (8th), Spain (9th), Germany (at least Bavaria, 10th), Italy (11th), Hungary (13th), Ireland (15th). So, 6.5 out of 15...\n

But it's definitely *more* crazy and *more* dangerous than someone who isn't having those thoughts. It may not be *as* crazy or dangerous as someone who actually acts on them, but it's definitely worse than the norm.

Probably looking for pot smoke so they can bust somebody. It's not like those fascists have anything better to do.

Wow, what a complete asshole this "documentarian" is. Incredible.

  Neil does make a great point. I think Dawkins does a fine job of explaining though and any more would just be addressing people like children. I think Neil is confusing debate/speechgiver-dawkins with author-dawkins. In debates and speeches he doesn't have time time to coddle people through arguments, and I would be bummed if he wasted time doing so.\n\nI don't get what Dawkin's little story at the end had anything to do with what they were     about though, did it to you guys?   \n\n*edit, rewatched it and unstantand what     was saying. I thought he     a pretty lame answer though, instead of defending himself or explaining himself he just points to some other random dude saying he is worse,   I don't think it is even the same because science being ineresting has nothing to do with science being explained more-so and simply stated less-so.   

We should put up some billboards with Hitler and quotes from Heartland Institute peoples... 

Ok so it just occurred to me that this might have been something synesthetic. Research suggests that everyone is born wig synesthesia, which is the intricate result of having areas of the brain connected to eachother and providing a person with some interesting perspectives, such as apples tasting like the colour pink and whatnot. When you're three you probably have crazy strong synesthesia, so the feeling of walking down those stairs might've given you a synesthetic projection of a blue mist. (I.e. the feeling of your feet on the wood or carpet literally being blue to you.) It sounds far fetched that she mightve actually physically seen this projection, but people who project synesthesia report actuallly seeing and/or feeling it.\n\nMaybe the perception only lasted so long because your brain pruned specific areas of itself so the connections weren't there anymore. (This is what happens to non synesthetic people by the time they reach adulthood, there is a hugeness regulating neuronal pruning which is why synesthesia runs in families.)

Sorta.. The buddy I sorta knew for a short while was "trying" to become a christian because all his family and friends were.  He was having bible studies at his home and everything.  He was already a health nut, lean and muscular and free of drink/smoke/fatty foods, so he figured he was halfway in the door. \n\nWhen he admitted to me that he was struggling with belief he was sheepish as though I was going to berate him.  I said "Ah shit, I got past that years ago."  He responds only with a quizzical look.  "Look man, If it isn't offering your life anything then what do you want it for?  You already got this far on your own."  I could smell smoke and grinding gears as he appeared to roll this idea around.  I lost touch after a while, but in the meantime I never heard about him becoming atheist.  But I do know he stopped trying to chase jeebus.  I consider that a small victory in the right direction.   

That's it. I actually really like the taste of things made with sucralose (Splenda), but I know a lot of people don't. I find it more 'sugary' than any of the other artificial sweeteners.

Definitely true. I used to live in Foxboro, Massachusetts, which had a notoriously haunted &amp; condemned sanitarium. After it was closed down, a couple houses in the area were reported to be haunted, and I remember one in particular had to be condemned eventually because it just couldn't be rented. Any families or individuals who tried to live there just complained of it being haunted, and moved out shortly after being there. Whether it eventually was condemned because the lack of people living there/upkeep over the years, or because of paranormal forces, who knows.\n\nThe landlord in this case had to disclose the fact it was haunted every time, and eventually sold it to a bunch of businessmen who wanted to build up a shopping center there when it went years without anyone living in it. 

&gt; I'm not trying to belittle you or your experience.\n\nFair enough.  Thank you.  It's appreciated - especially since it actually happened.\n\n&gt; Some of the people in the sleep paralysis community claim to have encountered "demons" while experiencing this state\n\nWhile it's likely that not all of them did, it is also erroneous for anyone to assume or think that none of them did.\n\n&gt; As a rule this kind of paralysis is a prerequisite to astral projection, so many of these kinds of experiences could take place in the astral plane rather than the physical plane.\n\nPretty neat.  I never actually knew that sleep paralysis is a prerequisite for astral projection.  Given how many times I've experienced the former, it's a shame I would say that I don't recall ever having experienced the latter.

I think you're putting too fine a point on it.  Yes, in their zeal to criticize OBE they worded it poorly, but it's fair to take their statement literally.  If you write poorly, it's not surprising that many readers will fail to divine what you really meant.\n\nAlso, I have heard conservative fundamentalists say they oppose teaching critical thinking skills to children because it leads them to question authority and religion teachings.

And Fox set up their camera on the [SAME FRESH TILLED GROUND.](http://i.imgur.com/JaUrw.jpg)

Who are those other people?! I didn't even know we had 3 females running this term! The only ones I can recognize are Obama, Romney, and Paul. :/ I don't understand why the others haven't gotten any air time what so ever. Hell why are they still in the race to begin with if basically little to know one will even recognize their face???\n\n-Sorry about getting off topic :(- 

Chemistry is not toxicology, but even a good chemist would know better than to say, "*things* in dishwashing soap are poisonous." If there is no specific chemical cited and no evidence provided, the claim cannot be considered plausible.

Yeah, when I look around any skeptic society or atheist community or what have you, there's lots of males and not many females. I observe this at both local and national levels. Obviously something is amiss since females make up half the population and are likely skeptics at the same rates as males.\n\nEdit: This topic pops up time and again, so it's cool to see a story like this unfold as it directly relates to this ongoing issue. I'm still doing my own investigating into the facts of this particular story still, but hopefully some progress is made on the issue as a result (so I'm not pointing any fingers). Hopefully everyone is left a little smarter and a little more aware once this issue is all settled.\n\nEdit 2: So, in the blog post linked by HertzaHaeon, Thunderfoot says,\n&gt;"let me be honest, repeatedly publicizing rape threats from a troll simply shows a crass lack of personal judgment and an immaturity at dealing with the interwebs, rather than a secular community ridden with men looking to rape women at conferences."\n\nThis seems to be in reference to Skepchic's complaining of rape threats at the conference, a clip of which was shown in Thunderfoot's video. What TF sees is an immature woman making mountains out of molehills. What I see is an arrogant man who doesn't realize that the endemic sexism of the internet and atheist community shouldn't even be something that a woman has to learn to "deal with." Perhaps she was just being trolled, but how many rape threats does it take to finally be concerned? Shouldn't a single rape threat be enough whether it is a troll or not?\n\nThis seems to be the attitude that many have - a "just grow up and deal with it, you baby" style attitude. I say no. This whole trolling bullshit is annoying and worthless, and I have no idea how it can even begin to be tackled. But at the very least, those of us who have respect for women should be supporting those who have to put up with the bullshit instead of teasing them for their naivete.\n\nThunderfoot also talked a little about what goes on at bars after the conference. He says he has witnessed harrassment on such occasions and has even stepped in to stop it. But somehow he doesn't make the connection that the people from the conference who do this at a bar are still the same people when they are at the conference. They may keep it better in check while at the conference, but the fact that they just let it all hang out at the bar shows me that there is (again) an endemic problem with sexism in at least a portion of the atheist/skeptic community. Women shouldn't feel safe *only* at the conference. If it sucks ass to meet people afterward because of all the sexism, they aren't going to bother to go to the conference itself anymore. Why? Because they see that all the people (or so it may seem to them after a certain point) at the conference are really sexist assholes as soon as they're out in the wild. This would at the very least be extremely discouraging.\n\nSo again, why should women have to put up with it? Why should they have to tolerate the trolls, the sexists, the inability to socialize at bars afterwards, etc? Just because they know there exist assholes doesn't mean they should have to "man up" and constantly subject themselves to it. That is a double standard, and I don't see a well argued reason for it to exist.\n\nI respect Thunderfoot, even after this, because I think he can come back from it. I think he can see that, although he didn't do anything "wrong" per se, he definitely contributed to an unhealthy atmosphere. Sure, he was told he could post whatever he wanted, but he decided to tackle an issue he apparently wasn't well-versed in and ended up making some people upset. This is where I think we can learn from someone like Jesus (the god-man). We shouldn't have an attitude of having to "man up" or beat our chests or call people babies or naive (although, sometimes that is necessary). Our attitude should be of love. Perhaps Skepchick is getting hella trolled, but let's not tease her or be brash about it. Tell her in love. Maybe that's what we're missing as a community: gentleness.\n\nIf there's one lesson from the Bible that should stick, it's the "fruits of the spirit" bit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23. Those are virtuous character traits to have, and we don't need to have a god or church tell us to behave correctly. We should simply want to be virtuous and loving. We seem to have been coming from a place of anger and mistrust. Let's have some love and patience for a change.\n\nI think it would be awesome if somehow PZ Meyers and the FTBlog can come to a place of mutual forgiveness and understanding with Thunderfoot. I'm not going to hold my breath, but I'll at least have some hope.

Like everyone else is saying, get some sleep. Binaural beats should help a lot.

You want enlightenment? [Ouija boards are total bullshit](http://youtu.be/JA5uYhXpa-E?t=1m56s), as explained by Penn and Teller. They are parlor games at best, wastes of money at worst. There's no spirit contacting you. **You** are the only one moving the planchette. Everything is in your head.

&gt; If it isn't affecting anybody but themselves, let them be.\n\nWell, it sort of is. The person in question is an actively promoting conspiracy theorist, no hermit christian. I never begin the arguments with him, he's a fine person otherwise, I'm just wondering if anybody has any rational-thinking counter-arguments (or thoughts? books?) for when he does aggressively try to convince me (or someone else in my vicinity) of these unsubstantiated 'truths'... I do understand the question/task is pretty difficult, if not impossible, but hopefully something positive may come out of a discussion. 

Huh, I did some quick research and apparently I'm wrong. Your definition of micro-evolution is correct. 

Um, you could always read the other writings of that era and realize that you are completely wrong. ;)

If we all think really hard...or rather not think at all, we could tear apart the space-time continuum.

he was caught in the midst of facepalm in anticipation of your comment. A true visionary.

No way, this entire AMA is the best thing I've ever read.\n\nThank you so much for posting this, my sides are exploding.

I would tell you but I recall that nobody really knows what happened. It used to be that people would burn a Pope rather than Guy Fawkes on the bonfire and celebrate "Gunpowder treason day" (A snappy name eh?).\n\nAt some point people stopped and started burning Guy Fawkes and so it became "Guy Fawkes night." A quick check also suggests a lot of other things like beggars used to go around with effigies of him and get money, so that might explain why the name is associated with the day, rather than what actually happened.

Just to add on to this, as a minority, the handbook practically demands that you be aware of the stereotypes that folks might have towards you and learn how to mitigate them when necessary.\n\nThe dynamic re: men could be similar because it comes down to, I'm not responsible for other men being asshats, but I do need to be aware of how that alters the way other folks, women in this case, perceive me. It might not be your fault or your responsibility, but being ignorant of the circumstances certainly won't help you any.

Related:\n&gt;Louisiana's voucher program passed through the state legislature amid heated debate, particularly as lawmakers objected to funding an Islamic school despite approving of support for Christian schools. Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges also retracted her support for the program this month after realizing the money could be applied to Muslim schools.\n\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/31/louisiana-voucher-program_n_1724259.html

My Pineal Gland translates the secret language of [Reptilians](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptilians) flawlessly! 

Your idea of affordable *may* be different than someone elses.\n\n\nAlso, some people have priorities that don't involve spending money on a high end smartphone and the subsequent monthly bill.

I asked her if I could grind them up for pasta and she said "Well, they're real salt so you could lick them." I replied "I don't want to lick angel poo."

I guess.  We've only got a very limited detail one sided report from a self-admitted drunk and tired woman at 4am.  Who the heck knows whether what the guy did would be considered creepy by an outside observer.  But it doesn't really matter.  It's an unextraordinary claim that doesn't really necessitate much scrutiny, IMHO.

So, you're saying treating a symptom (which helps narrow down the pathway of the disease) has never lead to an eventual cure?  And that's not something that happens today?\n\nAnd I never said anything about cures and symptom treatments had similar business models.  Obviously treatments are naturally going to have a more powerful economic drive.

A very well written and logical response, r/ufos needs more rational people like you.  Unfortunately, many in this subreddit won't read it or won't accept what you're saying because they've already come to the conclusion that there were ancient aliens.  You hit the nail on the head with "tv viewer" comments, OP's post is no different.

People have a deep-seated fear of the unknown; psychics are comforting to people as they seem to have an otherworldly knowledge.

What I mean to say is: the whole of Conservapedia is satire/trollness? How do you know?

Possible rationale, though not necessarily one that I agree with: If doctors deny treatment to these children, the children might be forced by either necessity or frustration on the parents at 'Western medicine' to a homeopathic doctor who will provide sub-par medical services.

I guess I could see that. I did acknowlege that when I first watched it, but they are large pieces of debris to be floating upward. If you look at other piece of debris, it won't fit into scale. You can also see some going in opposite directions.\n\nIf you look at the same video at 8:40 you'll see the same light orb appear at the top center and then another appear to the right of the first tower.

Since you are on okay terms with your parents, I wouldn't suggest you go out of your way. But if they are trying to force-feed you, ask them proof that the particular substance is not harmful. Also, show them [this recent piece of news](http://www.christianpost.com/news/oregon-faith-healing-couple-sentenced-to-6-years-in-prison-60134/), adding if the medication does anything harmful to you, they would be held responsible (Again, this is only in extreme case, not otherwise).\n\nBTW, if I may ask, what is this medicine exactly and what is its key ingredient? I have a friend studying homeopathy, it would make a fun discussion with him.

Maybe you're right but of all the books I've read by all my favorite skeptics like Catalog Sagan, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris, I've never once heard the concept that you should go around arguing with people on subjects you know nothing about but have already drawn a conclusion for. I believe your beliefs should be reasoned, so next time you're knee jerk reaction isn't wrong. Even James Randy tests the claims of supernaturalists before drawing conclusions.\n\nIn this case I think educating the op is more important than educating his friend. The op is already on the right side, hit is incapable of spreading the word because he's on the right side for no good reason. If he spent time educating himself rather than asking us to fight his battles for him then maybe he could convince many more people to be skeptical. 

looks like the curtains are designed that way.\n\nlooks like a halloween gag from the dollar store

He said, "Fluoride calcifies the pineal gland." [Studies show that seems to be the case](http://content.karger.com/ProdukteDB/produkte.asp?Aktion=ShowAbstract&amp;ProduktNr=224219&amp;Ausgabe=227489&amp;ArtikelNr=47443).\n\nYou asked for evidence that there's a government conspiracy.  I don't know that there is a wide spread government conspiracy, but I do know the levels they currently use [were at one time considered toxic by the government](http://www.newjerseywatereducation.com/pdfs/Excitotoxicity.pdf).  They were considered toxic enough to ban the water.  And, it seems the government started to mandate it without refuting the earlier studies that show it to be toxic.\n\nSo, the government and all scientist used to consider fluoride toxic at one PPM.  We know the only dental benefit is if it is applied topically.  The government now mandates fluoride in many areas.  There are studies today that show adverse effects of fluoride.  We know all of this.\n\nIs it a conspiracy?  I don't know.  But consuming fluoride for healthy teeth is about as absurd as drinking sunscreen to prevent burn.\n\n&gt;Water purification is basically adding and removing chemicals to our drinking water to make it as healthy for human consumption as possible.\n\nAdding a purely topical treatment to a consumable does not make the consumable more pure; it makes it less pure.  If fluoride had some medical benefit besides as a topical dental treatment, I might agree with you.  But, the studies show an adverse effect.\n\n * [Senior doctors allege lack of evidence on fluoride safety](http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/oct/05/health.politics)\n\n * [Cut children's fluoride exposure, report to Health Canada urges](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article700508.ece)\n\n * [No Fluoride for Infants, Say Dentists](http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-5955405/No-Fluoride-for-Infants-Say.html)\n\n * [Report: Children at Risk From High Fluoride Levels](http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1759632&amp;page=1)\n\n * [Scientists speak out on fluoride](http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=NewsLibrary&amp;p_multi=DSNB&amp;d_place=DSNB&amp;p_theme=newslibrary2&amp;p_action=search&amp;p_maxdocs=200&amp;p_topdoc=1&amp;p_text_direct-0=105F0A3210D9C162&amp;p_field_direct-0=document_id&amp;p_perpage=10&amp;p_sort=YMD_date:D&amp;s_trackval=GooglePM)\n\n * [Fluoride research sparkes debate](http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/1750290.fluoride_research_sparkes_debate/)\n\n&gt;The long-running saga has divided the nation, with opinion split over whether we should be subjected to a form of "mass-medication".\n\n&gt;In 1999, the Department of Health commissioned a major review of the evidence by the University of York, with boffins at the city's campus analysing more than 3,000 research papers.\n\n&gt;Today, Professor Trevor Sheldon, pro-vice chancellor at the university, accused the Government of using their findings selectively to give an "over-optimistic assessment of the evidence in favour of fluoridisation".\n\n&gt;Writing in the British Medical Journal, he said his review had actually highlighted the poor quality of evidence surrounding the health benefits of adding fluoride to water supplies.\n\n&gt;He said it had showed that the rate of dental caries caused by tooth decay had dropped substantially both in countries which had added fluoride and in those which had not.\n\n&gt;It also revealed that there was no absolute certainty that there were no adverse side effects of adding fluoride to the water supply.\n\n##The desire to be skeptical is good; but the skepticism should be informed.\n\n**Edit**: Link formatting

Oddly enough, these things only happened to me as a lid. At least up until puberty. I will, however, share one other big one.\n\nIt was my 11th birthday. (September 10th) My family and I were sitting down to have cake. My mom told me to make a wish before blowing out the candles. I said to her, "I don't think its fair that I get to celebrate my birthday when so many other people don't get too." My mom replied, "what are you talking about". To which I responded, "Well, so many families are losing their loved ones to this awful war. I'm just glad I get to be with my family since so many others aren't going to have family soon." Confused by this my mom states, "imhometakemedrunk, there hasn't been a war in this country in decades. Just blow out your candles.". The next day? September 11th, 2001.

We need a reverse italic font to do sarcasm, but I worry for the poes.

Using oil reinforces the belief Earth was made specifically for the benefit of humanity and therefore there is nothing we can do to deplete it's resources because God laid it out for us... \n\nand, if we were ever to run out it, BANG! Sign of Armageddon! It all works out.

[In case you're still not clear.](http://youtu.be/xECUrlnXCqk)\n\n**Edit** of course the title is misleading. It's tongue-in-cheek. Any rational person reading the  quote will know not to take the claim seriously. 

&gt;People are not being waterboarded anymore.\n\nThat seems like a bold claim, unless you have a high security clearance.

My question is if 9/11 was an inside job to invade Iraq, why not have the "hijackers" directly connected to Iraq instead of Saudi Arabia?  Why go with 4 planes instead of one or two?

If you get hit, it was because you subconsciously thought you should be hit. 

The image moves downward and appears to morph and lighting is not uniform, but unarguable details proving it was just light reflected from the window can be seen here: http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/zxb02/my_god_this_is_unquestionably_indubitably_and/. The article was posted yesterday and contains a link to the YouTube video, so the link here was not exactly hot news.\n\nOne guy complained extensively that the article harms the cause of UFO belief because it was debunking something that was obviously not a real UFO and so allowed people to disparage UFOs generally, but this link shows that people are interested. I said that guy was a prick.

Perhaps, but that didn't act or look like a conventional aircraft. Your credibility as a debunker is minimal based on that single statement.    \nMaybe it's a reflection in a window, but if you can tell me what aircraft that looks or acts like I'll reconsider.       \n

Oh, I certainly acknowledge the merits of this, and I'm familiar with Blue Book, having sporadically delved within the online archives for quite a while. Slight tangent: I recall reading somewhere that if Hynek were to re-classify many of the Blue Book cases, but without the pressure to 'debunk', the 'unknowns' (*true* UFOs if you will) would number around 4000. Again, the term used depends on context. Within the framework of researching the phenomenon, identifying truly unexplainable cases is vital, and therefore a separate label should exist for such *true UFOs* (rather than sub-categorising them as 'unknown'). Indeed, if Ruppelt had foresaw the trouble he would cause by coining 'UFO', he might have chosen 'PMUFO' (Potentially Unidentifiable Flying Object) as opposed to UFO, then UFO could have been reserved for the bona-fide mysteries. This subreddit may then have been titled PMUFO, and we might have found the odd UFO within it. \n\nEdit: Hmmm...that said, perhaps this simple distinction with regard to terminology would have been better:\n\n* uFO = Unidentified Flying Object\n* UFO = *Unidentifiable* Flying Object\n

&gt; She said that proposing sex to a random woman in an elevator is creepy. That's it.\n\nRebecca Watson went well beyond commenting on the innocuous comments made by a stranger in an elevator. She elaborates a great deal more on the skeptics guide to the universe podcast (episode 312) and then *imagines* all that might have gone wrong on the elevator, all of which is irrelevant. She concludes that this is sexism. Who cares if it is creepy? That's her take on the encounter. All of this smacks of the political correctness silliness that dominated the 90s.

I remember seeing bits and pieces of that show.  I wonder is there an unedited version of their segment anywhere I wonder?\n

No, and if you feel this way then perhaps you need to read some quality literature on skepticism. Sagan's The Demon Haunted World is a very easy introduction, but something like "What is this thing called Science?" is probably a bit more helpful.\n\nIf a strict adherence to following the evidence, applying logic and rationality, is dogmatism though, then you can call it dogmatism. But I'd have to disagree with such a definition.

Are we going to post our bowel movements now? I don't want to see two people (whether real or not) verbally shitting on a comment page.

i dont understand why he even agreed to the fight in the first place :S

Meditate with him, see what happens. There's nothing you can really 'do for him' besides love him and appreciate the fullness of his life-and that's all he really needs.

&gt; I find it to be an unnecessary change when the simple "atheist" and "agnostic" do the job just fine. What draws you to use the term atheist in place of simply using agnostic?\n\nI find it more useful to categorize myself as somebody that doesn't believe in invisible sky fairies than to categorize myself as a person that doesn't like to make arbitrary statements of fact.  I'm also agnostic about a great many things besides the existence of gods, so the term lacks the level of precision that I like.\n\n&gt; Fallibility and defensability are two different issues. Whether or not we are brains in vats, I can have plenty of good reasons for thinking something (i.e. knowledge) within the system that we perceive.\n\nAnd yet to (accurately) make a gnostic claim you'd have to be infallible.  I view the atheist viewpoint as defensible, but not infallible.  This is yet another reason not to classify myself as an agnostic.\n\n&gt; There's a terribly simple way to solve this problem: call yourself an agnostic. I'm still struggling to see why that isn't an option for you.\n\nI don't believe I claimed that wasn't an option.  It's not how I would self label but you can call me agnostic if it tickles your fancy.\n\n&gt; It's common only if you consider some of our most prominent scientists and thinkers to be "common". Sagan called himself an agnostic and Russell said that he reserved atheist for speaking to the common man and used agnostic when among a philosophical audience. I think you're much too quick to dismiss here.\n\nI think you're confusing personal preference for self label with technical correctness.\n\n&gt; How is it more precise? What parts of your belief does it illuminate that the term "agnostic" doesn't?\n\nIt is more precise because it clears up the question of "agnostic what?".  I'm not an agnostic theist, I'm an agnostic atheist.

He donated the website to [Project Reason](http://www.project-reason.org/scripture_project/) he is godly in adjective form.

I don't fault Chretien for tripping on trying to define proof. It isn't that straight forward.\n\nI also think the quote of Rosie is a little disingenuous. It wasn't like she was saying that steel cannot melt due to fire, which it what the quote does state but it's out of context. She was saying that the materials that were on fire in the WTC could not have been hot enough to melt steel, which even if it is true doesn't dismiss the reality that the strength of steel decreases substantially as you heat it up. So she's still a doofus.

Always remember that with commercial TV you are the product and not the customer!

&gt;there a strong tendency in US to give slightly too many vaccines over a short amount of time\n\nYou're going to need a study showing that it's harmful to give vaccines over a short period of time.  These vaccines schedules are not created out of thin air, they are created because of empirical work.

[ALL HAIL THE HYPNOTOAD](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AOfbnGkuGc)

My personal experience as an ex-catholic is that these miracles are  talked about mostly within the church and rarely pushed on outsiders. The clergy knows better than to expose all these medieval hoaxes to skeptical inquiry.\n\nThey always have someone act as a skeptic for beatifications and canonizations, but the skeptical evidence is often disregarded during that process (see [Mother Theresa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa#Miracle_and_beatification) for details).

If I saw a sign at my work that said, "Can of missing spaghettios" I'd probably just laugh my ass off.

My sister cheated an extensive polygraph test many years ago, in order to become an airport security screener.  She said she just spent a day practicing,  her technique was to just keep convincing herself "Everything I am saying is true.  It just is.  If I say it, that makes it true."\n\nFor about a day, she practiced with a friend.  There is absolutely no way she should have been hired as a screener - but she got the job.  Quit about a year later, because some crazy person waved a gun around.  It took a couple of minutes for an armed official to arrive and take control.  Back then U.S. airports were not as 'secure'.  She was only issued a walkie-talkie, so after the ordeal she said "Fuck this!" and quit.

&gt; Honestly, I don't think it's a good reason to fire him, unless they're selling green tech, which undoubtedly they are.\n\nIf he has a contract, then odds are the stipulations for terminating the contract are laid out in it.  If he doesn't have a contract then his is bitching and moaning with no right.\n\nHe was trying to get a contract to be a spokes person for a product.  His reputation as someone people can trust is critical to the success or failure of such a marketing campaign. It sounds like the company found out that Ben Stein's former reputation of being intelligent and respected is no longer in good standing. This is his own fault.\n\nWhen Michael Vic got arrested for pitbull fighting do you think it was OK for companies that were using him to promote their product to terminate their contract with him?  I am sure they had stipulations in place should he do something that ruined his reputation.\n\nAlso, part of Kyocera's product line includes solar panels.  That is all about being green.  In fact, that is the subject of the bulk of their press releases recently.  I would be willing to bet that is what he was being asked to promote and why that specific question was so pertinent to them.\n\nhttp://americas.kyocera.com/

Self censorship. The government worked it out a long time ago as being the easiest way to cover something up when the citizens call eachother mad for believing something against the official line.\n

No need. Plenty of stupid people believe most anything. Just like Las Vegas - plenty of suckers - no need to cheat.

Therefore, JESUS WAS AN ALIEN!!!\n\n\nWe're through the looking glass here people.

Templeton foundation basically did my perfect set up already with their own prayer experiment.\n\nThe one thign I'd add is people who thought they were being prayed for but weren't.

It gets slightly complicated. British law on this states:\n\nBritish Nationality Act of 1948 (Part II, Section 5): \n\n&gt;*Subject to the provisions of this section, a person born after the commencement of this Act shall be a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies by descent if his father is a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies at the time of the birth.*\n\n[British Nationality Law is complex](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_nationality_law), and Obama may have rights to claim British citizenship through his father. (Maybe)\n\nAnd the Kenyan Constitution states:\n\n&gt; 1. Every person who, having been born in Kenya, is on 11th December, 1963 a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or a British protected person shall become a citizen of Kenya on 12th December, 1963…\n\n&gt; 2. Every person who, having been born outside Kenya, is on 11th December, 1963 a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies or a British protected person shall, if his father becomes, or would but for his death have become, a citizen of Kenya by virtue of subsection (1), become a citizen of Kenya on 12th December, 1963.\n\n**Still no Kenyan Birth certificate however.**\n\nsee:\n\nhttp://www.factcheck.org/2008/08/obamas-kenyan-citizenship/\n\n&gt;*[...] the Kenyan Constitution prohibits dual citizenship for adults. Kenya recognizes dual citizenship for children, but Kenya’s Constitution specifies that at age 23, Kenyan citizens who possesses citizenship in more than one country automatically lose their Kenyan citizenship unless they formally renounce any non-Kenyan citizenship and swear an oath of allegiance to Kenya.*\n\n&gt;*Since Sen. Obama has neither renounced his U.S. citizenship nor sworn an oath of allegiance to Kenya, his Kenyan citizenship automatically expired on Aug. 4,1984.*\n\nBut British citizenship would not be as controversial as Kenyan, for reasons having to do with regional culture, and not much else.\n\nEDIT\n\nBritish Law was revised in 1981, since they did not want the poor of the earth flocking into Britain as citizens of former colonies. \n\nBritish Overseas citizenship is generally held by persons connected with former British colonies and who for some reason did not lose their British Nationality upon the independence of those colonies.

The only way to do it would be to have independently verified data, which can also be replicated, and all other explanations would have to be eliminated. I don't want to rain on your parade but you are likely not to ever prove anything paranormal true. Keep in mind anecdotal evidence accounts for fuck all in terms of scientific proof, and the bigger issue you have is with the myriad of explanations which are far more simple and don't fundamentally change our well understood and accepted understandings about the universe and reality.

Twice the price with none of the results! Talk about parting fools with their money.

They might have had a hand in creating mp3 compression technology, but file sharing, especially entertainment media, can be directly attributed to Napster, Napster's popularity and the copycats that rose up around it.

&gt;  I was not trying to call you out as hypocritical. I just think that it is very important to point out that the dismissal of religious beliefs is not as simple to many as it is to you or me. I think that frustration builds, and rightfully so, yet this only serves to alienate people. I was not trying to call you out, so sorry if you took offense to that.\n\nOh, no--you're fine. I'm just a bit crabby because this week isn't really going my way. \n\n\n&gt;I just think insidious is a little harsh for most people that promote some the ideas of intelligent design as they generally believe they are doing the right thing. Insidious I'd reserve for those that actually are aware they are misleading people.\n\nThat's fair. I tend to use it to point out that it's harmful and stealthy even if it's not an outright lie, though I should have been clearer.

Haha you don't realise that the government get's its taxes through the threat of force ultimately backed by overwhelming firepower that an individual is powerless to resist? Just because the system has layers of nice letters and courts and euphemisms like "social contract" or "paying your share" doesn't remove the core of the matter: *of course all tax collection is backed up by the use of force through guns. That's why people pay.*

[Your chosen path has failed and now fuels your torment! Those of us watching your progress are quite amused that you even remotely considered your entry to be correct.](http://grngecko.com/error404.html)\n\n 

Actually the woman saying "something was sucking the energy..." is far more terrifying, horrible, crazy... just afraid of her hope won't see her in my nightmares...

I had no idea that I was an angry homosexual masquerading as an atheist! I'll put on my rainbow jersey and stomp around the room a bit while listening to ABBA. ...wait ... oh! 

Now the trick is to convince your body that you've taken those pills without actually taking anything.\n\nThen you'll be in control!  Stupid body trying to tell us what to do....[grumblegrumble]

'Children of the Grave' made the list? Really? Why? I just tried to watch it and gave up after 25 minutes of overly dramatic editing, a constant parade of stock footage, a painfully fake news cast, very leading questions, poor and questionable evidence and a general lacking of content. Also, "Paranormal Task Force; Extreme Haunting Division". WTF? The sad part is I'm sure the members take themselves very seriously. \n\nNow, 'Ghosts of the Underground' on the other hand is fantastic! It's the exact opposite. It tells tells a story with appropriate and subtle cinematography and music and it's chilling because of that. It doesn't try and force feed me shitty EVPs or lead me to the 'truth'.\n\nI'm done here.\n

Municipal water supplies contain residual chlorine from the sanitation process. They have to in order to make sure all the microorganisms are dead. But they are very careful to test the output levels to keep them safe. I seriously doubt your mother is in any danger. If she's really worried she could purchase something like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Sprite-HO-WH-M-Universal-Shower-Setting/dp/B000CC1S9I) and save a lot of money.

Peter Davenport has been very vocal about an increase in fireball/orange ball sightings for the past year.  Personally, I think No Erratic Movement = No UFO.  Slow movement and fade out is almost definitely man-made, IMO.  But he has some sightings where there's definitely erratic movement.

1) Smart people are very frequently superstitious.  http://socsci.gulfcoast.edu/rbaldwin/Why%20Do%20Smart%20People%20Believe%20Weird%20Things.htm\n\n2) I don't see how what your friend believes hurts you.  The idea of reincarnation only demands that you live this life as well as you can, and you'll have less troubles in the next one.

The ones that go straight are satellites. The ones that turn are unknown.

Thanks. On one level, i'm tempted to call anything "dubious" when it's presented as generally accepted when in reality it is widely debated; but "contentious" would admittedly be a better term. Since the is/ought gap *is* widely debated, i shouldn't have planted that flag in my comment, and you're right to call me out on it.\n\nI was going to write a longer response, but to stay topical i'll say it simply and invite objections. I consider the gap dubious because it appears to be premised on a dubious idea. It is usually (personal experience alert) presented, as in this post, as though *ought* statements are made absent underlying goals, whereas in the secular popular discourse (outside ideological and philosophical circles) morality is generally understood to be premised on human (or conscious entity) betterment. That is, things are considered "good" or "moral" when they have the net effect of improving people's lives, and arguments over whether something is "good" boil down to the empirical issue of whether they have this effect. (Yes, it is important to pursue a foundation for morality — as it is for mathematics, for instance — but in neither case is an arbitrarily-refined foundation necessary to advance the discipline.)

What you say is true. I'm just really hoping for some "shame value". Even if it isn't real credibility, if they are caught out right lying, revealing the information by available means should be a given, if only to divert the not-yet true believers.

You really think Nick Pope is legit? The man's an attention whore if ever I've seen one. He was a low level clerk at an office and left that job to cash in on the UFO craze in the early nineties. He did no investigating, just filing reports.

Read this: [Tidal Locking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tidal_locking)\n

&gt;If you just OK something because it looks OK, skeptic maybe a too big or a word for you\n\nOoooh, patronizing! How much of a skeptic can *you* be if you can judge a course from a minimal course description? There's simply not enough data here to make a judgement. It could be a "hey rubbing crystals is great" class or it could be a "hey so you thought that rubbing crystals was great, but the evidence to support their efficacy is actually nonexistent!"\n\n\n&gt;I described western medicine as science based medicine\n\nscience "based" only - you'd be surprised at the amount of unscientific but generally accepted practice that happens in even "western medicine" (you should be skeptical of western medicine too - remember, people like Mercola come out of our schools). \n\n\n

I love how they differentiate between meat products and "Dead animal flesh"

Those kinds of people can't really be argued with. Especially if you are an emotional person it's too much energy to spend on an idiot. If I respond to such things at all I tend to take the approach of pointing them at books and/or articles that argue against their opinions and then leave the conversation because it's not going to go anywhere. You can only hope that they will read the things you suggest and eventually change their minds.

It's not fake at all. Dr OZ responded by having renowned skeptic Steven Novella on his show to respond. 

Simply ask your coworker to move a mountain. If s/he can't do it, then s/he doesn't really believe in the Bible either.\n\nMatthew 17:20 tells us, *"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."*\n\nReally though, it isn't worth your time to try to change their mind. It's not like their belief is anything to you except an annoyance. When the try to discuss religion, politely cut them off and move on with your day.

I think it's possible to have things like this, and just 'take people at their word' about whether things are fiction or true accounts or whatever . I like to be skeptical but I've come across people here who just like reading about interesting paranormal stuff. I have no interest in nosleep, so I hope that the more interesting items get posted at both places.\nEdit: wording was off

Article 2(2)(6) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 defines reduction of disease risk claims as 'any health claim that states, suggests or implies that the consumption of a food category, a food or one of its constituents significantly reduces a risk factor in the development of a human disease'. \n\nUpon request for clarification, the **applicant proposed water loss in tissues or reduced water content in tissues as risk factors of dehydration**. On the basis of the data presented, the Authority concluded in its opinion received by the Commission and the Member States on 16 February 2011 that **the proposed risk factors are measures of water depletion and thus are measures of the disease**. Accordingly, as a risk factor in the development of a disease is not shown to be reduced, the claim does not comply with the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 and it should not be authorised.

That's not debunking, and your definition of faith is not correct. But you know that you're prejudiced, so there's no real reason to try to change a closed mind. \n\nA skeptic does at least listen to ideas outside of their own comfort zone. Perhaps you'd prefer /r/colbert, if you're more concerned with truthiness.

Hmm... Antibody strong cows milk.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colostrum#Human_consumption_of_bovine_colostrum\n\nI have to say, I don't know and the requires more research. But being skeptical in a situation like that is a good instinct.\n\nWhy go for cows milk?  Have him head over the the nursery and suckle straight from a new mother. It's bound to be more effective since that is designed for humans.

Little will change for the general public. We get grotesquely-mangled science stories all the time via the media. Those people who do not read and study deeper than the average Joe will remain as misinformed as ever.\n\nThis could be a fantastic thing for the scientific community. I hope it turns out that way. If non-breakthrough papers are at risk of not being published, perhaps publication should be incentivised to allow researchers to recover costs or something. That academics themselves are eager for this is to me a very important and positive sign that it should happen.

You could always press 'report', or create a few extra accounts to perform your noble mission. 

Does anyone know if **Autism's False Prophets** promotes curing Autism or if it just explores the idea of a cure? I'd like to know before I recommend it.\n\nThanks

From *directly* under the video:\n\n&gt; WHY ARE COMMENTS TURNED OFF? This talk comes from a woman who was targeted by an online hate campaign. Predictably, the same campaign has targeted this talk, so comments have been shut down. If you'd like to comment constructively on this video, please share on your own social networks.\n\nI find that tolerable.

Is it being used to determine if you're in a protected class of people and weed you out?  If so, it's illegal.  If they're using it to pretend that they can tell you're a dick, it's not illegal.  Handwriting is not protected under any anti-discriminatory laws I am aware of.

NOOO! Those are the bad ones! Didn't you pay attention?\n\nBAD, evil positive ions are bombarding us nonstop, so we need GOOD, beneficial negative ions to restore our bodies to a pristine pre-tv state.

All of the toxivity and dangers of methylmercury do apply to ethymercury but in FAR smaller amount! I can show you a lot of long term studies that have looked at it in particular. It's NOT the same! The CDC says that the limit where ethylmercury becomes dangerous is equivalent to around 50 vaccines at the same time. I can find the resource for this if you like.\n\nI don't agree with your assessment of my views. This is why i keep saying to look at the research and the risk involved. I agree that there is risk, since nothing is safe. I thought i mentioned that somewhere. \n\nWhile H1N1 is not harmful mortality wise, the risk is a lot higher to people who didn't have risk before, i.e. pregnant women. Furthermore, close to all cases of flu that come in are strands of H1N1. It's also attacking at times when regular flus don't attack. The risk is far greater than 1 in a million of dying. Especially when you consider communities that are especially in danger.\n\nIf there was a vaccine that offered 1 in a million risk for a disease that had similar risk, i would be against such a vaccine. I definitely aknowledge the potential for danger. I just happen have a lot of experience with some of the research in this field.

l4m3.  everyone who's not an idiot already knows this.  if it were true, then nine out of ten times someone has a brain injury, the doctor would say "well, he's just lucky the bullet hit the 90% of his brain he wasn't using."

I think you get all of that right in the article.  It says that while symptoms may often be real, they have been in no way correlated to EMF.

Honest question (not defending anti-vaxers) - if your kids are vaccinated, wouldn't that protect them from those that aren't and are carrying a vaccine preventable disease?

I've read about a case or two of poltergeist activity that involved lost objects reappearing.

Among people who study such stuff, it's an accepted tenet that most poltergeist activity occurs around pubescent girls. This is part of the reason why Stephen King chose the young girl as his main character in *Firestarter*.  (Edit: and *Carrie*.)\n\nI can't vouch for the veracity, but according to those who pay attention there's at least a correlation. 

I do worry about calcium so I take supplements. It's not a political thing for me, and I do eat meat. Milk just grosses me out is all. I drink soy milk, it's great. So many varieties now too. 

misinformation, motherfucker.\n\nThe actors in the commercial (are they the actual people in the show?) need TONS of awards for keeping a straight face in every single shot. Cause even they had to of known that this commercial was stupid as hell.

As a loving Christian, I have to say this is pure shit logic. Not knowing cpr does not equate to not knowing how to drive your kid to the hospital. No one should be able to hide behind the ruse of religious practices in modern times. It's just purely unforgivable. If we are going to play the God card, then we can argue that we were gifted with the ability to learn medicine and heal each other. Denying these gifts, and hinging on the idea of God, is pure fucking insanity. 

Because some babies die, midwives are playing god?  They are offering a sought after service.  Just because it isn't a choice we might make, doesn't mean that someone else shouldn't be able to choose it.  The fact that midwifery is illegal in these states is the most amazing part of this.

You have an instance the same night, every year, at the same time?  Ever tried to set up some audio / video recorders?

All this aside, she seems like a really fun, entertaining person to hang around on her good side. She has great taste in amusing t-shirts (people who know me would understand this compliment) and seems generally in tune with the skeptical movement. She's witty and smart.\n\nBut when it comes to her positions, not a skeptic. That's not good. She's a leader because of her outstanding charisma, but she hasn't yet demonstrated the ability to handle criticism of her views. As skeptics, we should *always* accept criticism of our views, or at least deal with it better than this.

Being reasonable acting with logic and good sense? If that's a wrong definition please correct me.\n\nI can accept I may be arguing to much out of emotion so fair enough, but that's not a refutation of my points. His actions are logical in the context of wanting to incite change or show the Catholic church to be miracle mongers , so in the context of what he wants to do his actions can be considered rational but you can argue whether what he wants is reasonable or rational.\n\nYour last paragraph represents you judging someone's entire outlook or demeanour on one comment that while may have been wrong I don't think is fair to condemn my entire person for. I argue for unpleasant things such as the legalisation of incest (provided no kids are conceived and those taking part are of an age to consent) and the fact that I have no problem with paedophiles as long as they don't act upon their urges. \n\nI accept when im wrong when someone convinces me of it.

And if you're even more adventurous try some datura maybe you'll get lucky with the dosing and it'll rob you only of your free will.

UFO captured over Moscow in area of "Falcon Mountain" (Sokolinaya Gora) on December 21st, 2009 at 22:01 (Moscow local time). There have been a lot of sightings over Moscow lately, but I have to say that this one has potential as an authentic anomaly. BTW, Moscow has a very strict ordinance on the use of RC, lanterns, laser pointers, fireworks, etc. ...anything that floats, propels, shines or flies.

I can make it happen to other people, too. Not with as vivid of results. Usually just simple things like how they say certain things at certain times and places. I always wonder if I'm causing other people to have deja vu by involving them in my premonitions. Until I can find someone else who can relate, I have decided to stop trying to use it. 

It's the unofficial bible of this subreddit. Upvoted because I was just thinking about this earlier while reading it a second time. 

This happens to me at camp. I intentionally over-work myself to make this happen, otherwise I get no sleep at all.\n\nI think it has something to do with the sleep-state you're in. You only dream in a certain state, and if you go past that or just don't reach it, you won't dream, and seven hours goes by in a blink.\n\nYou might even go unconscious completely. Last time I passed out, I was at work, and 30 minutes went by within two minutes.

&gt;Well, even if I can't explain how a blade of grass grows...\n\nFucking magnets.

Part of the team who created this (John Lundberg, Rod Dickinson and Wil Russell), have also stated the following on their site of a Milk Hill formation....\n\n&gt;awe inspiring, jaw dropping, mind warping, incomprehensible, bloody huge, are a few phrases that come to mind when viewing this years "finale" formation which was discovered on top of Milk Hill in Wiltshire above the White Horse on 13th August. It's difficult to take on board the sheer scale and complexity of this formation it spans ten tram lines and if you walked from one side of the formation to the other you would have covered approaching 1500ft! Compare that to the average diameter of formations this year which is approx 200ft. There are over 400 circles incorporated into the design a record amount dwarfing all previous formation.\n\n&gt;Everyone is saying this feat is beyond human ability. This is an unprecedented formation and definitely one for the history books and I don't think it's an overstatement to describe it as truly paradigm shifting.

I think it's one of the more revolting alt med ideas.  Especially with sesame oil, that stuff smells like the Breadstick of DOOM(tm).

I don't think that the point of this quote was to clearly and precisely explain his view on any political issue.

I feel like redditors friend the craziest people they can find on the internet and keep them like some stable of wackadoos that can be periodically milked for karma.  \n\n

I think you're right. *Meditation* is simply an unwieldy, polysyllabic buzzword for "shut up and calm down, for fuck's sake". \n\nAny additional steps (taking a bubble bath, pretending to jump into another universe) are accessory.

Thank you, I am too. I remain confused by it and uncertain what it was. However, I don't regret the feeling that I experienced something unusual.

Could be the temperature just got cooler in the store.  The air in the bags cooled and contracted until the shape changed just enough to tip over.

If you believe that UFOs are of extraterrestrial origin you are neither rational nor skeptical.  If you feel the need to remind everyone that you are a balanced person, my experience suggests the opposite is true.

This is an excellent series of vids!  If you like them, then you might also want to check out his 'Critical Thinker' Podcast.

&gt; Your stupid enough to fall for it. You really just assured my dominance over you.\n\nIt's "You're".  Not "Your", Mr. Dominance.

Ok, so here's my immediate flags with this.  Let's just presume for a second that these things happened exactly as described, I still have two questions:\n\n1)  If the entity can do all that then why does it need the ouija board?  It doesn't.  It's just a 'thing' at that point.  There's nothing mystical about it, it's not special.  \n\n2)  How do those events relate to the ouija board?  For example, if I hit you, and you were using a ouija board, it doesn't mean the Ouija board is why.\n\nAs for weird stories still going about.\n\nYou have 3 factors going into them.\n\n1)  Exaggeration.  My family had a glass 'fly' across the room.   It really fell off a counter.  They're not lying, as they believe what they're saying, they're just.... embellishing... a little, because that's what it felt like to them.  That's what they *think* happened.\n\n2)  Coincidence.  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.  Have enough people sit down and try it, you'll get some stories of where the people guessed correctly.  And we have a LOT of people playing with those.\n\nFinally,\n\n3)  Confirmation bias.  Believers tend to say "of course sometimes it doesn't work, you can't always make it work" so those examples aren't put into their pool of evidence.  They focus solely on the times my previous two reasons give them the evidence they're looking for, take it as proof, and don't need to dig deeper because these things work.  Look at all the stories.\n\nThere is a risk with skeptics falling into the same trap, however, and presuming the stories are either exaggeration or coincidence without further thought, which is why they usually come up with a way to prove the story and eliminate external influence (or at least reduce) external influence on the results.\n\nIf you want to prove it works to me, do the following thing twice in a row.  Take two people, blindfold them, and set the board down between them randomly, so that they don't know what way it's facing.  Now, have a third person as the observer write down what they spell out.  Have the observer open a pack of cards, shuffle and draw one, then have the board answer what card was drawn.\n\nHere's some more history on Ouija boards:\n\nhttp://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1798/how-does-a-ouija-board-work

Whoa, you should totally used kamehameha wave oh her. But that would probably blow her to pieces...

'Real'? How do you know those other 3 are 'real' videos? \n\nI never understand why people insist on rushing to conclusions when they can't be sure of something. And why they then publicly state it as if it's a fact when they honestly don't know any more than the rest of us.

Agreed.  I'd rather not see this subreddit turn into /r/atheism, and then be forced to subscribe to /r/trueskeptic and /r/republicofskeptic.

why do you hate america?\n\ngod created america and glenn beck.\n\ndo you hate jesus too?\n\nwhat about kittens?\n\nice cream? \n\nyou hate them too?\n\n\nshame on you!

Yeah. Unfortunately science doesn't involve simply pulling ideas out of your ass to answer the harder questions. In the absence of facts and data we should not jump to premature conclusions.\n\nThe guy mentioned a 'really good study'. I just wanted to see that study. Seems reasonable.\n\nI am open to the idea that there is something extraordinary about *some* crop circles, but as with the ufo topic there's so much bullshit flying in every direction that we may never figure it out.

According to this, its a weather baloon. http://xmb.stuffucanuse.com/xmb/image.php?&amp;aid=1400&amp;air-force-identification-chart.gif 

i'm pretty sure you're not supposed to tell a kid if you revealed the information you would have to kill him, even if you are *pretending it's a joke*.

The US states are not falling apart now either. Even the most financially unstable state Is in a much better position than that of 90% of people in the world. A true state falling apart is more Somalia than South Carolina. \n\nThe US is having problems paying for some things, but that is because it has made the decision to spend money on other things. 

I used to use drudge during the Bush administration, but after Obama it was suddenly crystal clear how biased and aggressive this site is.

I am sorry if I went overboard, but I was frustrated cause other posts were showing up immediately afterwards. Thank you for the approval. Sorry for stirring the hornets nest.

I'll have to do that soon. No idea what the clicking is, the weird part is that it isn't uniform.

So, a shadow global network so powerful that has agents within the US gov [Illuminati?] did 9/11 by hiring/forcing/whatever other means of convincing or manipulating 19 Islamists into suicide attacking the towers &amp; the Pentagon and hid some clues to try and blame Israel for some unknown reason?\n\nTotally plausible, bro!

"no more nutritious" = "not any better for you" FALLACY. Who here thinks removing radioactive Polonium-210 fertilizer from tobacco crops would NOT change a smokers cancer risk.

So, doing a quick and dirty search and using \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_and_Barney_Hill_abduction#Analyzing_the_star_map\n\nas the source for stars of interest, I compared to a list of known exoplanets from http://exoplanet.eu/catalog/\n\nThe only system known to have planets is the 82 Eridani system, with 3 'super-Earth' sized planets in very close orbit. The equilibrium temperature on the furthest planet is estimated to be 115C, above the boiling point of water at 1 ATM (though with higher mass planets, the atmosphere could be above 1 ATM, allowing liquid water at higher temperatures) (This does not exclude the possibility of other planets necessarily, but I would have to look further to determine whether or not they could exist). All others (and their corresponding aliases on wikipedia)  have no confirmed planets on that list (though it may be incomplete, again I would have to check but I am unwilling to invest more time, perhaps someone else will volunteer). This does not mean that the other stars do not have planets, they may not have even been investigated yet. 

I disagree that a computer would decide those things. The individual will decide how much food and what food he/she wants and then it will be up to the computers to grow the correct amount and types of foods to satisfy what everyone wants.\n\nIndividuals will also still be inventing and creating. The whole purpose of having computers take over the menial tasks is so that individuals can pursue their passions as they choose. There will still be humans creating cell phones, cars, etc. and humans will still have the choice of which and what they want.\n\nComputers and robotics would serve human wants and needs; they wouldn't be dictators to humans.\n\nI'm okay with the fact that we disagree on whether or not there are enough resources to provide everyone with everything that they want. Can we at least agree that the ideas in the Venus Project would at least reduce scarcity?

I like the *idea* of an updated one, but I just can't seem to imagine it without old Carl behind the wheel.\n\nCan't they just upgrade the effects and leave the rest as it is?

Very disturbing, but it also highlights an issue that I wish would get more attention. Whatever your opinion on Chinese Medicine, it is a fact that people are healed everday using Chinese herbs. It would be great if someone put together a full testing regimen for the Chinese pharmacopia. At least in English, there is not much out there. \nDisclaimer - big fan of Chinese Medicine practitioners, even accupuncture (although I am well aware the needles are nearly insignificant), and I wish that the West would do some serious testing of the herbs used.

There's no such thing as "highly unfriendly extraterrestrials". They have no need to act violent against us. They can go anywhere in the Universe where there's more abundance of resources of anything Earth has. Whoever says that ET's want to take over Earth for our resources is a moron. If the aliens wanted to conquer Earth, they would've done it ages ago.\n\nIt's just propaganda to our people that there's angry and evil aliens out there so it gets into our mentality that we must fight them at all costs. In reality, extraterrestrials just want us to succeed and become peaceful.\n\nSo think again. Beings, who are more advanced than us, who have the ability to travel the Universe, only come here with small flying ships and firepower to fight us? Uh, no.

It's hard to be optimistic about humanity when the majority of the population still believes in things we mock the middle ages for being hopelessly backwards on.

&gt; Companies when there is no law and order have the most to gain by killing customers and taking their money.\n\nWhen has this ever happened? (Sure there are examples of some outliers behaving badly, but I'm not arguing it would never happen. But is it even *close* to the scale of democide? I think not.)\n\n&gt; Governments can be motivated by ideologies and can commit great evil and kill millions, but so can companies and ANY "group" if they are determined and ABLE (currently no company is able at this point because of governments and law and order).\n\nGreat, so then why government over companies? o_0 Lol.

Well, I respect Stallman for a lot of what hes done, and I don't like him for quite a lot too. Just in case anyone was wondering. :)\n\nI wonder if those people downvoting me don't like Wikipedia either, or PLoS ONE or Hans Rosling/Gapminder or all the other great stuff out there that use one of the Free CC licenses…

Unfortunately she risks massive damages and time in jail if she didn't predict the alien lizard attack from Nibiru and it happens. 

Well the Biblical flood was actually a flood of Dino farts. And the ark was able to float on the farts because god. That is also why saltwater fish didn't go extinct.

When the convenience foods of the '50s and '60s came out (TV Dinners and the like), so did baby formula.  It was seen as the space-age convenience of the future - you got your body back, you got your time back, and everyone was happy.\n\nHowever, nobody had any real idea what was in breast milk.  So they'd do things like take cow's milk or goat's milk and water it down, or take condensed milk and add water and use that as formula.  And then, as science got better we studied what was actually *in* breast milk and we discovered that the protein sizes in breast milk were completely different from that in cow's and goat's milk and that babies' kidneys were having a hard time with it.  Our brains need to grow really fast when we're born - we need a much higher percentage of fatty acids than cows or goats do.\n\nWhat we're doing, little by little, is adding the nutrients we're discovering that we're missing in formula.  This has been the process for the past 50 years.  DHA, EPA, vitamin D, B vitamins have all been added piecemeal as their lack has been noted in formula.\n\nWhat we cannot replicate are all of the immune functions of breastmilk.  The white blood cells that provide immunity from certain diseases are made by mom and secreted in breast milk to provide immune protection before baby's immune system is fully functional.  We also cannot replicate the fact that breast milk changes within each feeding and as the baby grows.  Studies available if you'd like to see them.  Preterm milk, for example, has more protein, fat, sodium, chloride, iron and secretory immunoglobulin cells than term milk.\n\nGrowth factors and hormones secreted by mom that *cannot* be put in formula include:\n\n - endorphins\n - epidermal growth factor \n - human growth factor\n - insulin-like growth factor\n - nerve growth factors\n - prolactin\n - prostaglandins\n\n...amongst many others.  These are big, big categories that cover large, sweeping amounts of function - epidermal growth factor is a major growth-promoting agent of which each mammal has its own specific formula that only matches that species appropriately.\n\nAnd this doesn't even cover the oxytocin cascade - oxytocin (the "love hormone") is stimulated by the baby feeding and helps mom and baby bond.  It's simply not available in formula.  It decreases heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol as well as "promoting mothering behaviors."  The more oxytocin a mom has, the more tolerant she is of "repetitive, boring tasks" (Moberg et. al) such as, you know, putting up with a baby.\n\nResearch has shown that formula feeding increases the risk of:\n\n - allergies\n - athsma\n - infant diarrhea\n - cancer \n - obesity\n - diabetes\n - ear infections\n - respiratory infections\n - SIDS\n\nDoctors and nurses often debate about the best way to explain the differences between breast milk and formula feeding.  Some want to say "breast milk decreases the risk of xxx."  Others want to say "formula feeding increases the risk of YYY."  One thing few will say is that there's no difference.\n\n**TL;DR:** sometimes woo is science.\n\n

Of course it is plastic and glue, but tools like Ouija serve as a "permission slip" for people to access the astral planes. You basically open yourself to contact with this tool so strongly that you couldn't do otherwise. I believe Ouija may not work for your because you don't believe it can be working, so it basically proves that you are right. Accept for a moment without any hesitation that it works, play with it and see what happens then.

You seem to have a balanced understanding of the human condition!  \n

What is astral projection btw? And 2012 we will have a largely active solar year. Thats about it i think. Probably will damage sattelites, etc..

Noted, thanks. I am an abrasive personality to people I know personally and I'm still well liked for the most part. If it were someone I wasn't well associated with I would have been more polite.

It might be more accurate to say nothing of consequence will happen *because of anything the Mayans allegedly saw, knew, understood, or predicted*.  My guess is something of passing historical significance, perhaps even something of great historical significance, may happen on Dec. 21, as is possible on any given day.

I too am British so already know this factoid. (Pls read THIS in a husky voice).

Women smeared mercury, arsenic, and lead compounds on their faces for hundreds of years, too. Pregnant women used to think nothing of smoking or drinking while pregnant, because pregnant women had always done so.

so basiclly, people's underlining racism makes them suspicious in racially diverse neighborhoods and trusting in homogenous neighborhoods.\n\n

[I think Terrorist Ron Swanson is going to be my new look. I just need to buff up a bit.](http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/1/4/9/113149_v1.jpg) 

Since when do we judge diverse movements by cherry picked extremists in their midst?

Okay. So the orb, if that was indeed what it was. It's hard to describe so bear with me here. Surely you've seen a dead pixel before? Google images has [examples](http://www.google.ca/search?q=dead+pixel&amp;hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=fpR&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;prmd=imvns&amp;tbm=isch&amp;tbo=u&amp;source=univ&amp;sa=X&amp;ei=X4DuTsuREcbV0QHiwcGrCQ&amp;sqi=2&amp;ved=0CDYQsAQ&amp;biw=1676&amp;bih=870) if you haven't. What I saw with my eyes, was like seeing a dead pixel. It had no depth within the background of reality - I couldn't tell if it was near to me or far to me, its size was small to my eyes as if it was far, far away but it could not have been so far as size suggested, as it was in the same room as I. And it was in motion. I'm not sure if I saw it appear or if it came from the ceiling, but I tracked it from the top of the room as it swooped out the window. I'm not sure if it disappeared or if I simply could not see it continue its trajectory beyond what I could see at the angle I was at (I was lying down)\n\nIts hue was cool, but it was not blue per se. It had a faint hint of colour... how do I describe this... Have you ever seen the star Sirius in the sky at night? Have you ever seen the planet Mars with the naked eye? Those two points of light look similar at first glace, you think they are both white bright points shining the same white bright light - but there is a certain warm hue to Mars that you notice when you compare it to other stars. The orb was unlike Mars in its warmth of hue, it was more like Sirius, bright and cool.\n\nI am usually very aware / conscientious of my feelings. I can remember how I felt at a moment years ago. But I think my major feeling when I saw this was Shock, Confusion, Awe. I instantly forced myself to confirm that I saw this, as I knew I would question myself and doubt myself later if I did not commit the sight of it to memory. So maybe that's why I can't remember if it gave me a good feeling or ominous one - My mind was reeling at the reality of what I was seeing. Like I said above, I gasped, shot right up to a sitting position with eyes popping out of my head. I started shaking and must have roused my SO, because he put his hand on my shoulder with gentle pressure until I lay back down and tried to sleep. We didn't say anything about it that night. \n\nHe didn't see what I saw that night, but he has had his own experiences in that house, mostly when he was younger. I can get an account with his words if you wish but, he doesn't like to talk about it much and he is not as descriptive as I am. Not sure if it was the same thing, we will never know I guess, but I know I am not the only one to experience odd phenomena in the house. \n\n\nEdit: Thank you by the way for your thoughts on the things going on in my life. It sounds reasonable to me that it's a mischievous energy rather than a malicious one, but it is still disturbing to me the increasing intensity and frequency of occurrences. My SO's hypothesis is that it is in some way my own energy disturbing order in things around me as it grows / as I mature / as I become less inhibited by fear and anxiety. What say you to that? Have you heard of anything like that before?

Superb.  Simplify a little, simplify a lot.  Like when Mom used to hand out candy, so long as all the kids were the same size (inevitably so) everyone got a similarly sized piece.

Sorry, I didn't read all the responses, but I think it's obvious she needs to get out of that house; and not persé because it might be haunted.

But if you're a liar, maybe you're lying about it...\n\nNORMAN PLEASE COORDINATE.\n

yeah, but they'd figure that out pretty quick, I'd think, and go back to whatever they previously. 

Here's the answers that i feel are actually on the right track. And exactly what i wrote. Quite simply "this world would change in the ways it should."

You're right! I can just find a new version of the video and get tons of Karma every week. Thanks for the idea!

Be sure to read this - if you believe in ghosts. But then you have to be able to read. Narrows the field.

I'm convinced. There is NO WAY a human could have understood Sagan's message and changed it, and then trampled it into a wheat field, like dozens of humans have done before.

I love how many of the comments are from David Morrison, himself. 

The Skeptical Inquirer and Skeptic Magazine are the two main skeptical magazines that I know of.  IIRC, Discover Magazine is also friendly towards laymen.

I got something for everyone here. I've been trying to popularize this in the paranormal crowd for some time. It's a useful philosophical tool that we use in magic that I think could be used not only to better understand the experiences of others but a platform for communication even between believers and skeptics. \n\nhttp://www.spiralnature.com/magick/models.html\n\n

It is hard to fathom, but this sort of thing does happen from time to time. I think it might be less like forgetting where you put your keys and more like the times you're in the middle of a project at work, get distracted, then have no idea what you were doing when you get back to the project.\n\nAre you a typical redditor in your early-to-mid 20s? If so, it may be the first time you've noticed a big memory glitch like this. I'm pushing 40, and I find something like that happening once or twice a year now. 

Building a Farnsworth fusor isn't too hard, but sustaining a controlled fusion reaction and using it for propulsion is still future tech.

the article is bullshit. the chiropractor's "assumptions" you talk about are actually common sense.  \nthere's no credible evidence that medications with all their side effects actually work, particularly for pain.  There's no credible evidence that vaccines work either.  I'm going off on a tangent, I know, but the point is that people go for drugs and vaccines based on nothing!  Chiropractic works. It just works!  BigPharm would go bankrupt if people knew that.\nYou know there are actually Chiropractic Research Journals out there, did you know that? 

Surprised no one has mentioned Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything.

I could see comparing 'the right spots' with random spots, but, how would you "placebo" fake it to compare? \n\nthe patient would know there wasn't a needle stuck in their ass, and if you stuck a needle, it be the same as the random spots test.

The one thing this is missing but the show it debunks has and does very well, something I think they should do that might actually bring conspiracy theorists who watch this sort of thing for *entertainment* over and at least give it a shot: Dramatic music at all times during all explanations.

I realize that, and I explained it to my friend, and I was trying to stress that even if this is all true it's not like they are all direct descendants.

If I don't matter then why have you yet to block me?  Why do you continue to mock me instead of addressing issues?  Afraid of something?

&gt; I've heard that "messiah" figures were a dime a dozen in those days\n\nAnd when most of the population is illiterate, how hard do you think it is for a story about one messiah getting interpreted about another one.  Even if there are grains of truth here and there we have no way of knowing if all the stores where about one person to begin with. \n\nIndeed I believe that there is a surviving account of a completly different messiah like figure entering a temple and upsetting things, and rallying people agains romanisation. 

Monsanto only goes after people who knowingly violate it's patents.  Every poster boy of the anti-GM crowd knew exactly what they were doing.

Few things I always wonder about these kinds of fake videos. That little freaky shit is visible in the frame for all of about 2 seconds. Why were employees of a mobile phone store scouring over the video in such a way that they would spot that? Don't people ever just wander past the door? What would make one examine the video to find that moment, and then spend enough time on it to deem it "creepy" and dream up the Victorian orphanage story?\n\nI am always hearing about these "experts" that can't provide any answers. Who are they? I ask you, who is qualified as an expert in ghost footage? Seeing as there are no examples of genuine videos of ghosts, being an expert in ghost videos is a bit like having your PhD in Unicorn Genetics. 

Just check the statistics and see yourself if chemtrails have had any effect on world population.\n\nEDIT: Chemtrails have origins on schizophrenic people who suspect that contrails around 10 kilometers up almost instantly make them feel ill. Winds up there would move potential chemicals far away from the spraying point.

[Well, one is only going without for six months at the minimum](http://www.ktre.com/story/14768941/alto-running-without-police-department-for-six-months)\n\n[Second article](http://jacksonvilleprogress.com/local/x814637759/Former-Wells-police-chief-sues-city) but I thought for sure the news said they had no plans to replace him due to budget cuts.  Also, I haven't seen a police car there in some time.

&gt; There are many books on this topic, including The Neuroscience Of Religious Experience. The common denominator among all of the cultures that claimed divine experience is that they had a human brain, the same one you and I have right now.\n\nTo claim that a category of experience, as opposed to a mode of perception, is mediated by a specialized brain structure is neo-phrenology. After all, the brain you invoke to explain away the varieties of religious experiences is the same brain science used to come up with the explanation in the first place. I don't see why rationality can't be also just an activation of a neurological structure without correlate in "the real world", and the whole scientific endeavor similarly impeached or explained away.

What am I misrepresenting here?  Specify which positions that you think I am misrepresenting. \n\n

Once again I agreed with the video which already makes the points I agree with. If you are incapable of doing the math then that is on you moron. BTW thanks for not addressing my actual question though.

FOX NEWS: Debunked.\n\nTheory 1) Upcoming film promotional video\n\nTheory 2) Grab for ratings.\n\nTheory 3) Mixture of Theory 1 and 2

haha sorry man!\nAtleast there were some people that were happy I posted it d: 

I'm not trolling the this sub, I love a good ghost story. I was just making fun of a TV show. Nowhere did I say that ghosts don't exist or that I'm skeptical or anything. Every time I turn on the show, they have yet to prove another ghost. 

Pretty simple answer, I think:\n\n"I'm your teacher, not your spiritual adviser. I don't care what you *believe*, I care what you *know*. I am going to teach you the theory of evolution, and if you want to pass my class you will demonstrate that you *understand* (even if you think it's a crock of shit) the concepts therein. Now turn with me to chapter 23 of your biology text and let us begin."

So...they're *intentionally* stripping out the protective mucus lining from their internal organs. That is just disturbing to me on about a hundred different levels, like something from a body horror movie.

it sounds like what many witnesses saw during the [Belgian UFO wave](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_UFO_wave). Here's [one eyewitness account](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDPxJxFNlvE&amp;t=2m27s).

when a belief structure has no empirical basis, it only survives by everyone agreeing to maintain the illusion that it makes sense\n\n\nhe brings knowledge! move this to /circlejerk

Welcome to reality.  This is better than most UFO sightings, in which the witness doesn't have jack shit.  I'm sorry that most people that record or witness UFOs aren't qualified and/or are ready to be public figure.  Disclosure has a long history of messing up people's lives, especially in Japanese UFOlogy.  

when I was some 19 (28 years ago) I read a book about it and experienced it spontaneously that night. Happened many times for a couple of weeks then diminished to where it rarely happens. There are many different techniques. For myself, I feel myself vibrating, then the frequency climbs until I separate. Initial I astral traveled, then I did soul travel, which is somewhat more dream like. Lucid dreams are probably on the other end of the same spectrum. The difference is that with astral/soul travel you feel yourself traveling, a whooshing as you go through things, whereas in a lucid dream you are in a malleable reality that does not really involve movement. Astral travel does not necessarily correspond to this physical world, so looking for proof or confirmation will usually lead to disappointment. I also could not read in the astral state, as I believe the logic/processing centers of the brain were not there to interpret the text.

&gt;“This rumor is 100% false,” a Senate Banking Committee aide, who asked not to be named, told TPM by email. “The Senate Banking Committee does not have any LIBOR hearings currently scheduled, and has never considered either of these men as potential witnesses.”\n\nhttp://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/newtown-libor-hunger-games-theories.php

I'm not sure if it's anything relating to an actual UFO. I'm not going to say anything about the radar screen as I don't really know anything about it so I can't be certain that it's real or fake or even relating to the conversation.\n\nFirst, there is no voice recording of an "alien" in that video. Second, the top youtube post, the one with the translation, is wrong.\n\nBasically, here is what happened. Through out the video it's obvious that the planes and the tower have a hard time maintaining communication with each other due to some sort of interference. They are trying to determine the cause of this. Closer to the end of the video one of the pilots describes the interference by saying "There was interference and it sounded like a woman meowing." \n\nIn Russian the word "meowing," when used to describe a person, can mean a number of things. it can mean that the speech was no legible or spoken too softly. It can also obviously mean that the person was literally meowing. I have also heard "meowing" being used to describe Asian languages, in particular Chinese. To native Russian speakers Chinese sounds a bit like meowing.\n\nOne other thing worth mentioning is that the [part with the pilot describing the interference](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMDCWeAaAGQ&amp;feature=player_detailpage#t=125s), is obviously cut off because his sentence starts with the word "five" which makes no sense, since he starts describing the interference right after saying "five."\n\nAlso, it is important to note that no other pilot said anything about it. So only one person experienced it.\n\nBasically, from what I gathered by watching that video is that there was interference and it sounded like a woman meowing.\n\nMake your own conclusions. Simple interference? Aliens? Alien cats? Earth cats finally developed intelligence and are plotting our demise?

It's somewhat like a bankster CDO - the slithering of good stuff on the outside is there to distract from the core of crap.

Run!!!!! its an [Earthquake Cloud!!!!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_cloud)

Hipsters buy these so they can listen to bands before *they've* heard of them.

I don't think that all people entertain alternate hypotheses becasuse of small or large holes in the accepted. Sometimes the accepted is fine and they deny it for other reasons, than it not being complete.\n

I'm pretty sure he's "one with the woo". Evidently his book has a lot to do with the [pole shift hypothesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pole_shift_hypothesis#Scientific_research) but this guy's "hypothesis" takes place over thousands of years, compared to the actual millions. Also, it's evidently been deemed [unscientific](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fingerprints_of_the_Gods#Reception) because of the pseudoarcheology. 

"If you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it; for it is hard to be sought out, and difficult"

I don't suppose you could take a whack at the [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qigong#Claims_and_medical_research), could you?

Fuck, that became some sort of trend in Mexico about 15 years ago. I remember, I was a young kid, and I would hear every day in the radio the crazyness of drinking your own pee to clean yourself.

That star signs are in no way related to behavior or character. 

So worst case we feed these lil kids extra salt?\n\nToo much Mercury? Eat Chef Boyardee!

If I have one (and sometimes you do not know until you stumble over it) it dies (sometimes reluctantly or kicking and screaming even) as soon as gets confronted with evidence to the contrary. 

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/foolproof\n\nfull-proof is incorrect

I did not take this picture some girl on my FB took it. Last year my coworker  saw the exact same thing and my coworker showed me the pictures and described it moving edit :very erratic 90 degree angles and then stay still. Ill message my fb friend and post a response if I get one. \n\n&gt; Edit: FB response:  I was at a red light so i just had the time to take a picture of it !!! lol It didn't really move for those seconds I was there. It was pretty cool though.\n\n...and that's all she wrote\n\nEdit: here is a very similar shape on video, also in northern VA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGeMmBdKDIE

&gt;I would also guess that their perception of time would be very different to ours, and would not perceive time in a linear fashion, if at all. \n\nCyclical, like the stars.

Your body does not enter starvation mode for a very long while fasting. \n\nSource, at [number four.](http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html)

What's it called when you believe that if god does exist, we would have no way to comprehend what God is? 

The fact that Harris quotes Terrence McKenna in his rebuttal says a lot. I've never tried DMT but reading that neurosurgeons account immediately made me think of McKennas "trip reports".

Confirmation bias probably. \n\n"Who's a good boy? Yes, you're a good boy! You liked that acupuncture, huh?"\n\n\\*dog responds happily to owner's good mood\\*\n\n"Look he feels better!"

&gt;UFO "community"...Alien-chasers...deluded fools...embarrassingly childish\n\nCute.  Read a few books on the subject and get back to me.  Also, next time, you should try watching the video in a post before launching into your views on the subject.  You may also want to note that there is not one single reference to aliens/ET, or that hypothesis, in my original post.  The gripe is specifically related to a high profile scientist's contemptuous (and unscientific) treatment of a phenomenon that has been regarded as a matter of national security interest by the United States and many other governments for the last 60 something years.

You should check out Steven Novellas appearance on his show, and the podcast where they talk about him on the SGU. Maybe someone will be kind enough to even look up links (not me I'm mean).

&gt;Depends how you define "major".\n\nBasically any that the average person would recognise. That is, if we're discussing something that generally applies to religions, it's probably not that relevant to bring up a random religion that was made last week with 7 members.\n\n&gt;My experience with Catholics, current and former, is that they take Catholic doctrine to be representative of all Christianity.\n\nI imagine most sects and denominations believe the same thing. The reason I picked them was just because they are the largest denomination, and there's an objective way of determining what they believe (i.e. look at what the pope says as he officially interprets the bible). 

Benches don't seem satisfied with our universe, haha. The fact that there is someone sitting on it and they disappear with it just makes it weirder.

Disclosure is going to be very very soon, and we will learn everything. Multidimensional, indeed.

I talk to myself all the time, so if there are ghosts in my home, I'm almost positive they think I'm psychotic, or maybe disturbed.

I thought the fact he was thinking of "capital delta" was relevant to the comic in some way I didn't understand.

[There are worse arguments.](http://conservapedia.com/Atheism_and_obesity)

Terrance McKenna would submit that drugs do not invalidate ufo claims 

(1) Patriarchy theory is not a scientific theory. It's not able to make any accurate predictions and is unfalsifiable, i.e. patriarchy exists and if you cannot see it it's because you're privilege blind. That sounds exactly like a religious argument to me. My faith is real and if you cannot see that it's because you're blind to God's miracles. \n\n(2)*Patriarchy – Literally means the rule of the father and is generally understood within feminist discourses in a dualistic sense as asserting the domination of all men over all women in equal terms. The theoretical adequacy of patriarchy has been challenged because, for instance, black men to not have control over white wo/men and some women (slave/mistresses) have power over subaltern women and men (slaves).* \n\nThere is no evidence of men ruling over women or the ruling class favouring men over women. Whilst the wealthy and powerful may mostly be men, there's no evidence that your average white male is subject to a more favourable existence than your average white female. That's the ludicrous statement feminism asserts. Because a small select oligarchy are mostly men, all men experience a better existence on average than women. That somehow these benefits accrue to all men. \n\nFeminism starts with a conclusion, patriarchy exists and women are more disadvantaged than men on average and works backwards, grappling at evidence that justifies its statements. Again, religious and not scientific. It's a lot like religious apologetics.  Feminists also have a bit of a habit lying about the rate of women's victimization: http://youtu.be/JmfCB_IVkOc?t=7m55s\n\n(3) Rejecting feminist theory or merely questioning it leads to allegations of misogyny. Again, an illogical religious-like argument. Think of Bill Donohue frothing at the mouth at atheists who question the rationality of sacred biscuits. If you want to establish the validity of your belief, the way to do it isn't to claim your opponents are somehow bigoted toward you. That's a non-sequitur. Your view isn't correct because someone else is wrong and "mean". \n\nFeminist dogma cannot be questioned, is not open to proper testing, invokes circular reasoning and is sacred in the sense that criticizing it "offends" some people and therefore it must be protected from the same level of scrutiny any other social-sciences would be subject to.. sure sounds like a religion to me. You don't see economists throwing hissy fits, citing privilege when someone rejects their theory on how effective monetary-policy is. 

On a somewhat related note; Qur'an says that humans are caretakers of sorts of animals/plants/Earth and must not mess it all up.

That's good. I always ask if anyone heard me trying to scream or saw me twitching/kicking but no one can ever seem to tell when it is happening to me.

I didn't see it until I zoomed in on the exact shadow randomly, and then I was like.. "OHHHHHHHHHH"

are you kidding me?!  no one is forcing you to buy expensive vibrating crystal garbage.  if you do, should the government come in and hold your hand?  this has nothing to do with people who make good decisions and just happen to not get a break or get ahead of their debt.  What you are saying is that the government should make dumb products illegal to sell cause dumb people might actually buy them.  then Lets make those shitty red devil Broom Vacuum cleaners illegal, cause they don't work.   And for real don't you think if someone is poor they will probably jsut buy some colgate instead?  wouldn't that make sense?  If a poor single mother is buying this stuff then crying about how poor she is, i cant care at all.  don't fucking buy dumb expensive shit then.   Fuck lets go find that guy who invented pet rocks and throw him in jail right?  right?\n   \nUnderstand this:  People from all walks of life and income levels are Dumb fuckers.     

Holy shit that is a good video! I had not seen those enhancements before. Very interesting! 

First of all, I'd like to thank you for your response. I really appreciate it!\n\nHowever, I have to disagree with you on one of the main points of your post:\n\n&gt; I think the CDC study you cited was designed to address the issue that has been brought up over and over in the threads discussing the new AAP guidances: namely that the data collected in African countries is not translatable to the US.\n\nI *strongly* disagree. The CDC study ("Cost-Effectiveness of Newborn Circumcision in Reducing Lifetime HIV Risk among U.S. Males") is about the *cost-effectiveness* of using circumcision to address HIV. If you look at the results, they talk extensively about cost per quality adjusted life expectancy. And the discussion is almost entirely about costs and savings. Everything in the paper suggests that this is the topic the paper is about, and not the question of whether the results from the African studies apply to the US.\n\nIn fact, I question whether this paper was even eligible to be included in this review. And by 'question', I mean that upon review, this paper is absolutely ineligible. If you look at table 3 of the review ("evidence levels", page e762), they list 8 levels of evidence, 4 of which are excluded from the review. These categories are:\n\n1 RCTs or meta-analyses of multiple clinical trials with substantial treatment effects\n\n2 RCTs with smaller or less signiﬁcant treatment effects\n\n3 Prospective, controlled, nonrandomized, cohort studies\n\n4 Historic, nonrandomized, cohort or case-control studies\n\n5 Case series: patients compiled in serial fashion, lacking a control group (excluded from review)\n\n6 Animal studies or mechanical model studies (excluded from review)\n\n7 Extrapolations from existing data collected for other purposes, theoretical analyses (excluded from review)\n\n8 Rational conjecture (common sense); common practices accepted before evidence-based guidelines (excluded from review)\n\n\nThis paper is not an RCT, it's not a cohort study, nor is it a case-control study. Indeed, it pretty clearly falls under category 7, which means it should not have been included in this review at all.\n\nHowever, that's a secondary issue here, as it's not material to my original question of whether the statement made was accurate, so I want to get back to that.\n\n&gt;  However, taking the reduction in risk over uncircumcised men that circumcision was shown to impart in other clinical studies and applying that the environment of the US, they did "provide good evidence" that routine circumcision before first sexual activity would reduce heterosexual HIV transmission in the US, even with the much lower incidence of HIV in the US.\n\nIt didn't provide *any* evidence; that reasoning is circular. Is it true that heterosexual intercourse spreads HIV in the US? Of course, that's trivially true, even if it's not the dominant mechanism. Therefore, if you assume that circumcision has a 40-60% lifetime effectiveness rate at reducing HIV transmission to men through heterosexual intercourse, it is *necessarily true* that circumcision will reduce heterosexual HIV transmission. That is a necessary condition of your assumptions. Concluding that heterosexual HIV transmission would be reduced in the US is just a restatement of the assumption that circumcision reduces FtM HIV transmission (and I want to note that the CDC paper never concluded it, it merely assumed it).\n\nHad the CDC study claimed to provide evidence as the AAP review claimed, the authors would have been wholly in the wrong and I doubt such a glaring and elementary mistake would ever have made it through review (although, of course, gross errors do slip through sometimes). Fortunately, the CDC authors did no such thing- this is entirely an error by the AAP authors.

I was working at Dragon*con, but the Billy Meier panel was one of the few panels I got to go to--though I missed half of it.

That's funny because you're telling people to keep their fairy bullshit off GITM when you yourself have some judgmental bullshit going on.

&gt;I disagree. Sagan here argues that the Apkallu legend best fits his model.\n\nThen disagree.  But until there is some evidence beyond story, it's just that... story.  It can be the most likely story, but it's still not enough.\n\nPeople are looking at data from those areas from those time periods all the time.  If something presents itself that can't be addressed with terrestrial answers, then looking for more alien ones warrants research.  Until then, it's just an idea about history from an astronomer.  Take it as such.

Just outside NYC. There is your typical new age woo here and there... but the wonderful jaded cynicism of the area really keeps stuff like homeopathy at bay.

  I personally believe and think it is wonderful that your grandfather is there for you.  I have had occurences myself and they comfort me as well!  I guess commenting here does open us up to the unbelievers but XxmalicilousxX, I think what happened to you is wonderful.  Haters will hate!    Whatever!  Right?

Has a group of people seen you about to jump to your death when you weren't there?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Highjump for starters. And usually the officer in charge isn't flying or directly participating in a mission, other than of course leading it and giving orders. Doesn't mean he couldn't have hopped in an airplane with a crew for fun, but with his rank he probably wouldn't even be the one flying the plan...he'd be able to if he wanted to, but it is unlikely.

[Even if you completely disregard this as wordplay bullshit.](http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0511/After_not_during.html) There is the fact that he was [unarmed](http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/osama-bin-laden-unarmed-13524859).

Birthing being dangerous doesn't itself imply that all births should be undergone in a fully-equipped hospital. People do dangerous things all the time without even having 911 on standby. It does, however, mean that the mother should be cared for by somebody who knows how birthing works, and with the wisdom to call in the professionals if something unhappy happens.  \nSkeptics don't necessarily poo-poo home births, just the ones where the mid-wife isn't even competent enough to recognize a breech.

Yes it does matter. The placebo effect is present in all treatments so it makes sense to choose a treatment that works better then placebo alone.

Scientific stumbles and limitations are not equal to failure. Not in any way, shape, or form. \n\nedit: I also find it amusing that his hypothesis that science is deeply flawed due to our attributions of causation is supported with attributions of causation derived from scientific experiments (the analysis of Michotte's work). \n\nHe makes some good points, but the delivery is frustrating and misleading.

I got to March and ragequit my browser.\n\nThis person seriously needs to look up what "miracle" means.

Had I been accepted into the Folklore program, I would have done a masters on mythical creatures and very likely would have included angels in my thesis. Angels aren't nonsense, they're just fictional aspects of real culture. Ever wonder why the angels in Heroes of Might and Magic look the way they do?\n\nBut I guarantee this guy is not an expert on that either :P

Yikes, the amount of typos so far is egregious, it must be from doing nothing put playing Skyrim, my higher cognitive functions are taking a break.

http://www.myrtlesplantation.com/\n\nThere are a lot of stories that come out of Louisiana but this is one of my favorite. A stream of scary story comes from this place and the best part is that you can stay there over night.

I could pull this off with a motion-control rig for the camera (and nothing else).  Would cost about $10 or 20 grand to pull off though...  That's probably why there's a vertical bar in the middle of the screen (made to look like it's there to hold up the television, not to split the screen less noticeably).

As a neurosurgeon, Alexander should know the sort of chemical releases that occur during trauma. Particularly dimethyltryptamine, DMT, hell he could probably get one of his chemist friends to make some. Because I too believe in something outside myself when I'm tripping my fucking balls off.

shoes on the table means there will be an argument in the house soon - Polish Grandma

The shroud almost certainly predates da Vinci's birth by at least 60 years. It's a forgery, but it's unlikely to be da Vinci's work

You said your son was crying though. Did you ever find out what was wrong? 

Many chemicals that could reasonably be called "antioxidants" have legitimate functions in the body. The issues of supplementation in general and free radical neutralization in particular are quite separate from Vitamin C's role in preventing scurvy.\n\nThe notion that reducing agents are inherently salubrious has always been very strange.

I vaguely recall that.  Was there some sort of organized effort behind that or something?

Do you really not understand how a subject like metaphysics could be academically studied and examined?? If your story is true, you sound like a really smug individual with an inflated perception of your own intelligence.

Oops, I just posted this as well. I think this guy was trolling us for April folls day...we've all been pwned (read the comments)....

&gt;even if that was the case, only those who would have done it would know. \n\nWhat about the people from whom the explosives were purchased? The people that had to transport them. The people who had to make the orders in the first place? Etc etc...\n\nAlso, as Buckaroosamurai said, the biggest problem is that conspiracy theorists only look for evidence that supports their beliefs. Such evidence is much less important than evidence that contradicts your beliefs.

he's right. we're actually a reality tv show. we're the jersey shore of the milky way galaxy

Ok.  Data [here](http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/stats-surv/nis/articles.htm#09) I think confirms that vaccination rates for DTAP have been stable to increasing across overall population, although does look like there was downward trend in vaccination rates of 19-35 month-olds in 2008-2010.  In any case, seems more correct to say that vaccination rate is most important in the sense of being above or below a certain threshold, which for Dtap most places are below, and so risk of epidemic is there from year to year, and the stability of the vaccination rates is irrelevant.  I therefore judge my original post quite stupid.

... that is why the first question we should ask believers is "Do you care if your beliefs are true?"

Linking to NaturalNews.com in r/skeptic is like linking to StormFront.org in r/politics.\n\nWe all already know the deal.\n\nSilver lining in this ridiculous dark cloud: at least the majority (I think) of the comments below the article are incredulous.  One person even said something like "at first I thought this was a joke article".  So this is far-fetched *even for naturalnews.com* which should tell you something.  Back to my earlier example, it would be like Aryan Nationalists calling someone out for being too racist...

Oh, good. Another stupid prophecy we can get out of the way. Next hysteria, please? I'd like to keep the line moving.

I've had the reflection in the mirror wasn't mine bit before. In a well-lit room. In the middle of the day. I'm still not quite convinced that the face in the mirror I see now is my own after years of looking at it. I'm thinking my face was exchanged with someone else's that decade past and I've just gotten used to this one now. It's not a bad face, at least!\n\nThe first and last stories were the best, though. Do you think you'd have the balls to approach 'yourself' if you ever follow yourself again? Like tap yourself on the shoulder? 

Eh, the Freemasons and Illuminati are lame anyway. The Esoteric Order is much better.

Why not link to the source page instead of the file? How about a little heads up?

So they should leave you alone and even if they don't like you, shut up about it?\n\nIsn't that to tolerate you?

Can I ask, was this taken as part of a study on Contrails/Chemtrails? 

The Iliad, The Odyssey. Also, Troy has been found. That proves the Iliad is 100% true!

There's a whole host of other (potentially woo) products with silver imbedded in the materials:\n\nFor example, [Silver Seal](http://www.ruggedtech.com/Docs/silverseal.pdf) keyboards (warning - PDF), with a whole [list of other potential products](http://www.silverseal.com/markets.html) and Agion, with [pretty much every type of surface](http://www.agion-tech.com/AntiMicrobialSolutions.aspx?id=228) protected by silver, zinc, and copper ions. 

I am a lawyer with a bachelors of science undergrad and have been studying  ufo's for almost 20 years.  I think I am familiar with what it takes from a scientific and legal standpoint to establish proof of a claim.  The "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" alleged maxim is pure hogwash that has no basis in science or law.  Who decides what claims are extraordinary and why?  Go back to the basis of science and law--it starts with an observation. the observation could be anything.   It could be Orca whales traveling in groups or that  a group of people witnessed a disk shaped object in the sky.  What is the evidence?  An observation by a witness or witnesses.  What difference does it make what the witness observed, expected and ordinary or unexpected and extraordinary?  Nothing is more frustrating to the curious mind than to confront the "it's impossible, therefore, that could not have happened" argument.\n\nThat being said, there is no way to evaluate the veracity of witnesses based on anonymous Internet posts.  So, the evidence to support some of the claims here are not particularly strong.  It is an unverified statement by a complete stranger with no opportunity for face-to-face questioning (yes, a seasoned lawyer or investigator can tell from visual cues when someone is not being completely honest). Some may be entirely true, some not, some a mixture of truth and embellishment.  Knowing these things, you can conclude there is a lot of bs here, some well intentioned misidentification, some intentional falsehoods, but that is no different with any Internet claims by anyone on any subject.  Nevertheless, Ufo's and the paranormal require no more or no less evidence than any other phenomenon in the universe.

Is there a base on the dark side of the moon? Is there speculation on alien activitie(s)? 

"I can call spirits from the vasty deep."  \n"Why, so can I, or so can any man;  \nBut will they come when you do call for them?"  \n— Henry IV, Part I\n

Auditoriums usually give off a creepy feeling. Their size and lack of light in some areas can make people feel uncomfortable. I'm not doubting your experience, I'm just stating that fear can manifest itself into something larger.

It's basically a simple (admittedly non-scientific) analysis of 22,000 horoscopes showing that they are generic across the "signs"; in other words, the signs are meaningless in respect to the advice given in horoscopes over the long term.\n\nTL;DR - Astrological signs are obvious bullshit.

Silver additives are in this. Yeah, silver has antibacterial properties, in the cloth. But, it's not killing the bacteria on the surfaces, it's keeping bacteria from growing in the cloth. Which doesn't make much sense if you're going to wash it.\n\nNot to mention the method they're probably using is the chemical-colloidal synthesis. Makes a lot of waste just to produce those additives. The electro-colloidal method is too energy intensive to turn a profit on wipes. heheh.\n\nPlus, does silver remove grime? Especially sun-baked grime?

Have you ever tooted a horn with a key fob? I press a button on my key fob and it makes the horn blare. It's used for emergencies. So yes, radio frequencies can cause a horn to tool ;)

Sounds like you are right and your friend is trying to contact you. Spirits contact people through electronics, moving objects or making you smell things that don't belong where you are at. It sounds like your friend's spirit is still living out his life as he used to just without his body. It makes for much more complicated communication. Even if you caught the phone number when it called you might not pick up much off the recording unless you have really good equipment. If you really want to get answers it is best to see someone that can speak with your friend like a Medium. Mediums speak to earthbound as well as crossed spirits and can get a clear picture of the message your friend is wishing to send. Hope that helps. 

Very concise!  Thanks!  (and I really don't give 2 shits nor a giggle about the misspelling) 

That is assuming the only person affected by you getting into an accident is you. If you are a burden on society requiring time in the hospital and other social services, it's the government's responsibility to take reasonable measures to prevent it.\n\nI'm sympathetic to your argument and admit it would be perfect in a true libertarian society, but it gets more complicated in real life. \n\nMaybe it's less of a burden on society for someone to die than to survive with a helmet. Like I think smokers actually cost less health care in the long run(I heard in USA, but not claiming certainty). Anyway, safety laws aren't necessarily invalid, but not automatically valid.

you already know the answer and are seeking confirmation :)\n\nYes, many times people can be on the same 'wavelength' either blurting out the same thing or completing sentences or so forth.

That's one of the things I like about French: they don't use the word "organic"...shit is organic, FFS. They say "biologique", which at least implies something marginally-but-importantly different.\n\nEven still, biological weapons count ;D

Fair, although it is worth noting that the opportunities to conduct studies of this kind have been limited and the one in question was quite large. It might have been better if I qualified "but actually have some unexpected benefits" with "*for the baby*", which is the language the authors use.\n\n**edit** grammar

I know at least some of us would sit back, take a long pull at our chosen medication, and realize how small we are. Maybe some of us would even begin to touch what some people call enlightenment, as we're thrust under the weight of the realization that what we know, and what they know, will never be equal. The great unknowing. Maybe some of us would learn to be more humble and listen more closely to each other. I have confidence that the number of people enlightened by the realization that we are not alone, and are in fact inferior by our own definitions, would be significantly higher than many are willing to believe. 

I have a friend online who has been blaming the LHC for this, for no real reason other than that he wants to believe the LHC is responsible for this. I've been trying to explain to him that if the CERN people in Switzerland / France have a way of using weensy little particles to form some sort of wormhole over Norway I'd love tp hear how they did it. He refuses to relent (something he read in the Daily Mail about the LHC and black holes has him convinced.) We've been arguing on FB for two days.\n\nSigh. 

Similar stuff happens to me, stuff just flying over, like a smoke detector that was screwed to the ceiling, a lamp, and many other stuff. They fall so near me, that I just now have taken anything too heavy away from the ceiling. I can't risk it. 

Yeah, this article is worth it solely for that hilarious reporter. This guy needs some nationwide exposure. 

&gt; I wonder...If someone had indirect, unconscious contact with an ET, would there be any signs?\n\nAbsolutely.  It is a very individual experience, however, and I'm not sure if there is any tell tale sign that works for everyone.\n\nhlfempty's suggestion regarding hypnotherapy does indeed seem a good one, and one which I've been interested in myself for some time - although I haven't actually gone through it yet.

Well, they give an explanation of the fluid flow and the pipes and magnetic fields.

Exactly.  The point isn't to teach them that homeopathy doesn't work, but how to think critically, recognize pseudo-science, and practice catching the flaws on the fly.

Video of them night jumping for those who, like me, had never seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17BS0muHByM&amp;NR=1

Can't tell if the spinny things have motors hidden somewhere or if they're just really low friction.\n\nEdit: This is my first post in this subreddit. Is this what /r/skeptic is about? Downvoting questions? An answer to my question would be more helpful than downvotes. 

&gt;Randi wrote:This “chi” scam artist on YouTube is probably using the very same setup as the Malaysian crook did, a small battery-powered device worn on the body that develops very high voltage at very low amperage, that can be directed from the body of the performer to anything that’s at a lower potential than he is. It’s a form of Tesla coil, and it’s very effective. There’s also a rabbi in New York using this same gimmick to convince the faithful…\n\nWell now I want one of these to freak out my friends.

The idea of conscious is still possible in science, but it is becoming ever more onlikely everyday, as we have looked further and further into the brain, we have only found determinism. 

lol this guy doesn't belive in the force lol I guess he doesn't belive in oxygen or gravity either lol you can't see those and those aren't testable but everyone believes in those lol..lol what's next God doesn't exist? lol how did we get here if god didn't create us lol..God created many magical things lol such as gravity and force lightning you have to have faith to belive in gravity so why not the jedi mind trick lol he needs to be careful critiziing the dark jedi though that stuff is sick and it can f you up my brother tried it and got possessed by a devil jedi

What's music therapy? Is that like playing music to children in the belief it'll improve their IQs? Or is it actually not nonsense?

Also, anything that comes from machine-harvested grains (canola, wheat, barley based foods) has sucked in a few mice or other small wildlife that hang out in the swath while being combined.  I'm pretty sure that you can't be 100% that an animal hasn't been harmed in the process of making your food.

Thanks for clarifying.\n\nAbout 1. Pause it on 26 seconds in. I would say that the same thing is on two cameras simultaneously. Plus the same thing is on two completely different cameras simultaneously around the 50 second mark.\n\nAbout 2. I see the same faint 'shadow' on both cameras. Put it on 720p and fullscreen? I can 'clearly' see it on both cameras. \n\nAbout moving the goal posts, I'm sure that your idea about using two cameras was not about just doors moving. Let's not pretend that I misunderstood your idea to have multiple cameras capture the same thing at the same time because of an example you gave.\n\nEven if you have 200 camera's on every single inch of a door and its surroundings at the same time capturing this behavior. You still have no proof for what a poltergeist actually is, you are only documenting its behavior. This is why the example you gave is just not representing to what you are actually trying to accomplish: finding proof for the existence of these entities.\n\nLook, we are talking about phenomenon that are fundamentally unpredictable. You can't say in advance, 'oh i want them to move this door so i put cameras around it'. Assuming we are dealing with sentient entities, the approach should be more like studying behaviorism. There is no doubt that in the third video the behavior seen is classic poltergeist behavior, it is an example of.  I only put in in there because you gave poltergeist activity as an example. \n\nBut you only want doors opening and closing for some reason filmed on two sides? That's just such a narrow part. How about chairs flying? or lights flickering? The entire phenomenon in all its facets. Like the stuff here: http://youtu.be/AGzOrNVI0_8 How many strings so you need and pulled by how many people, maybe some electro magnets? \n\nSo, you are mixing a few things up and you haven't really scrutinized the 'proof' that I gave you. And you end by saying that a common hoax is flying glasses, but opening and closing doors isn't? You're getting exited just by doors? For some reason I don't believe that. \n\nI see that you want to remain skeptical. But you make arguments that are only describable as knee-jerk denialism. For example by applying occam's razor incorrectly: saying that something makes more sense to you therefor it's most likely. It's about fewest assumptions, which in this case is one poltergeist doing everything that is classic poltergeist behavior, instead of a complex set of pulleys and strings that are cleverly hidden off camera.\n\nAnd by making assumptions that I'm going to claim something paranormal while it beyond all reason isn't. I'm not doing that, i'm not even close to doing that. I'm not presenting obvious fakes. I'm not dressing this up by claiming this poltergeist came to me in a dream or other bullshit. I'm not making any claims at all, i'm not saying this is real.  My point is that it doesn't matter how many cameras are going to capture "something". There are always people who are more then willing to claim that dual camera setups are necessary, but when presented do everything in their power to deny the legitimacy of that footage. 

Given the whole Dawkins-Watson drama and the outrageously pouty calls by some to boycott Richard's books demonstrates that we have no shortage of our own dumbshits.

It's hard to make out what is being said because it's so faint! It happens anytime of the day! It's so strange

&gt; Unless of course it's true, and the cost of misrepresenting yourself is higher than the cost of revealing the embarrassing fact.\n\nThat's the ONLY exception?  The one and *only* reason the otherwise an "embarrassing" story would be included?\n\nedit:\n&gt; Why exactly would early Christians advertise "Join Christianity! Our leaders are cowardly liars!"?\n\nI already provided one plausible explanation.  Doubtless others exist as well.

looks like CGI. That's the problem with UFO videos when they're clear they look fake, but that's probably because I don't know what I'm looking at.

An engineer, an experimental physicist, a theoretical physicist, and a philosopher were hiking through the hills of Scotland. Cresting the top of one hill, they see, on top of the next, a black sheep. The engineer says: "What do you know, the sheep in Scotland are black." "Well, *some* of the sheep in Scotland are black," replies the experimental physicist. The theoretical physicist considers this for a moment and says "Well, at least *one* of the sheep in Scotland is black." "*Well*..." the philosopher responds, "on one side, anyway."

Wow, that must be a horrible feeling, I'm sorry you had to go through that. But it also makes me wonder just what those people who vehemently claim that god speaks to them are actually hearing.

Okay, here is something nobody is addressing, and there's already a lot of comments so I hope it doesn't just get buried.\n\nBoth real medicines and fake medicines employ placebo effects, the thing is that fake medicines are way, way better at getting that placebo effect.  Real medicine needs to look at what elicits that placebo response and harness that in addition to providing real medication.\n\nPlacebo practitioners take time to listen to the patient, sympathize with them, make them feel cared about and as if this person is really trying to get to know them.  Placebo practitioners spend loads of time with their patients.  Placebo practitioners go into long over-complicated explanations of how their stuff works with all sorts of science jargon.  Placebo practitioners use peer pressure, testimonials, and all sorts of other psychological hand-waves to elicit a response.\n\nReal practitioners need to mimic this.  They need to care about their patient, spend way more time than the average couple of minutes talking to them, not come across as so scary/intimidating, need to be soothing and convincing, need to explain everything thoroughly.  The only reason they're not is because being a doctor, time is expensive, while placebo workers have much more time on their hands.  It's difficult to come up with a cost-effective solution, but some sort of nurse-psychologist while you wait for your doctors might be one way.

Interesting idea, but I don't think so. Not unless they also printed "320GB" on the hard drive itself (I opened up the laptop to take a look).

The pub closed at midnight. They were very strict about this because of neighbour / noise problems.

As I remember it, Satan quotes to Jesus a verse about God protecting him, and Jesus' response works out to "God can protect you from an accident, but you are not to put him to the test."  Ignoring the problem that the verse in question is from the spurious end of Mark (not that snake handlers tend to be really up on textual criticism), it seems to me a promise of the form "if they are poisoned, or bit by a snake in the course of their duties, they will be protected" - but, per Jesus, they should not go around putting God's promises to the test.\n\nI understand that I'm trying to be rational with people who say things like "we only use the King James Bible" and who are against Catholics because of Sacraments and using wine at Communion and including the Apocrypha in their Bible, when King James and all his translators believed in the Sacraments and used wine at Communion and included the Apocrypha in the KJV, and being rational with such people is pointless.  But still, if snake handling was really something Christians were expected to do, wouldn't they have been doing it all along?

At the end of the video he says he "records most clear nights" with a shot of a meteor

&gt;"Along with this, you are given a report of the absolutely secret special service that exercises control over aliens on the territory of our country ... **More detailed information on this topic you can get from a well-known movie called 'Men In Black'** ... I will not tell you how many of them are among us because it may cause panic," he says.\n\nIt was obviously a joke.\n\nEdit: I just watched an [unedited Russian video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE_iUW0Jv3k) of the interview.\n\nAnd he said:\n\n&gt;More detailed information on this topic you can get from a well-known documentary movie called 'Men In Black'\n\nAfterwards you can hear people laughing. So obviously a joke that the press is taking out of context as usual. Sensationalism sells, folks.

My experience with things like this is that talking to whoever it is helps. Even if it only helps you. Once you are calm and can greet whatever is going on without any fear involved (not easily done) you will know the situation. Fear can mask or block you from figuring it out. Honestly, just because they are spirits doesn't mean all the rules change. The simplest answer is probably correct. Grandma hanging out makes sense to me. There are people you can call to investigate as well. Good luck. 

Fair enough; it was more than just a blog post, as I'd originally thought.  However, it was not Nature, but the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, which possibly has different standards.

See, this is one problem I have with the Skeptic community, the extreme sarcasm.\n\nWhat happened to me did occur, even if it was only within my head.

One obvious criticism is that 1 plant under each condition isn't a big enough sample. Perhaps the microwave plant is just growing bigger by chance. Perhaps it's slightly closer to the window, or the cat chewed it one day, or any of an uncountable number of possible differences. 

&gt; Pythagorean stone formations\n\nWhat significance do these hold?\n

that is true, sure enough. I suppose they can't get here fast enough and chirp things in order? \n\n

Thankfully, another kid vaccinated against a multitude of deadly diseases.\nThe right decision.

If the terminator trait did cross pollinate into the wild it could, in a very hypothetical worst case, be devastating. \n\nMost farmers don't save seed anyway. If you want to grow a specific type of corn, you need to buy that seed from a breeder. If you replant seeds the next year you don't know what it cross pollinated and that could severely impact your profit. \n\n\nFor a farmer to get sued a lot of things have to happen. First the field has to get contaminated. Then the farmer has to know the field was contaminated. Then in the case of roundup ready seed the farmer has to spray roundup and not till, which means the farmer profits from the trait Monsanto has a patent on. If the farmer ignored the contamination, tilled as normal, and ignored the contamination, then Monsanto would lose the suit. \n\n\nPeople like to accuse Monsanto as being sue happy, but they have only sued a handful of farmers and it is very hard for them to win. They need to prove that the farmer knowingly exploited a trait they held a patent on to even have a chance at winning. \n\n\nJust last week the 300,000 Farmers vs Monsanto suit was thrown out partially because the 300,000 farmers trying to sue Monsanto couldn't produce a single farmer who had even been threatened by Monsanto. \n\n\nIt's all fear mongering by anti-GMO advocates. 

It lets them know they didn't hit you. What's the other most common response to a sneeze? Ewwww.....

Autistic children usually take an anti anxiety medicine of some sort.

I stand corrected. Still, the second article provides no new information, and repeats the false claim that the warming has "paused" since 1997, conflating "no statistically-significant trend" with "no warming".\n\nMore of the same, really.

If you zoom in really far it looks like two spheres. I dunno lol.

That thread was a wholly unrepresentative cluster-fuck of stupid that attracted conspiracy theorists like flies on shit, but IIRC this image is the result of *serious* cherry-picking of examples.\n\nMany of the comments I recall seeing [on that thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/h26u1/conspiracy_theorists_come_out_and_proclaim_that/) were people *expressly pointing* out that the conspiracy theorists were wrong.

This has slid off the front page by now, but this is the first chance I've had to get back to it. Some of you have pointed out that The Telegraph is not the most trustworthy news source, and that this story may even be totally made up. I had no idea, so here are some articles from other sources, and I still don't if these have any more or less integrity:\n\n[New York Post](http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/eu_water_slides_into_absurdity_mqur47gVeN6y47nMtxC11K)\n\n[Junk Science.com](http://junkscience.com/2011/11/19/eu-bans-claim-that-water-prevents-dehydration/)\n\n[Daily Mail](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2063031/Dehydration-EU-says-CANT-claim-drinking-water-stops-body-drying-out.html)\n\nAnd another from The Telegraph claiming the [ban was the right decision](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8905393/Why-the-EUs-decision-on-bottled-water-was-right.html)

Hm, I wouldn't know very much, but the third one reminds me of a magnified embryo.

Suddenly I don't feel so bad about laughing at all those parody videos...

&gt;Nice job trying to generalize me in with people who believe in ridiculous nonsense.  \n\nBut you DO believe in ridiculous nonsense. Controlled demolition of wtc/wtc7. Nonsense.

In two months you will tell us how you remember standing at the top of the stairs listening to yourself. Only to start to wonder why you never see and elderly version of yourself...

So are live-harming drugs that aren't properly tested, and can kill just as many people, if not more, than the ones you think might possibly maybe save you.

[This BBC documentary dedicated to Building 7 is very compelling.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZbMfTtHkYM) They do a great job of putting the whole day into context and removing the horse blinders that everyone is susceptible to.

Alex Jones is not libertarian. Besides, why would that matter? Maybe they like funding libertarian organizations (including many leftist organizations), that's not necessarily a bad thing. Also, the Koch brothers highly hate anything relates to the Mises Institute.

&gt;I would hardly qualify such a person as 'skeptical' in such a universe where the effects of magic are dramatic and provable.\n\nObviously.  I'm just speaking in terms of a fourth-wall joke.  My favorite of this type of joke:\n\n(Can't remember the game, but I'm sure someone could tell me)  You're adventuring along like normal when you come upon another group of adventurers like you.  There's a dwarf, a spellcaster, a fighter, etc.  But they're super low level (and you're not).  They decide to attack you to take your items, and they obviously get completely slaughtered.  **Then they reload the game** and choose not to fight you, as if they were controlled by another person.  \n\nWhen that happened I cracked up for a good five minutes straight.\n\nIt was either one of the Baldur's Gate games, Planescape Torment, or something like that.

Thanks for sharing.  How many of us are walking around that we will never see?

The mother in law saw you at Target and didn't want to embarrass you. \n\nShe buys you a vacation and has a bell hop or some such slip you the note. 

I looked at the [full prescribing information (PDF)](http://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/gardasil_pi.pdf) (instead of the consumer quick facts sheet) and found that the actual amount of sodium borate is 35mcg per dose.  Given that it's not even considered [acutely toxic](http://pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34355#Toxicity) (it might make you feel briefly ill, but won't kill you), such a small amount would be expected to have really no effect.  What a bunch of morons.\n\nI don't know why it's in there, but from what I've seen looking at other medicines and vaccines, it's likely either an artifact of a culturing agent used somewhere during vaccine production, or it's there for pH balancing purposes.

I've noticed people who get downvoted a lot are the ones who seem to have the most criticism on how Reddit downvotes. People who get upvoted a lot don't seem to worry about it.

Is it ironic that half the comments in this thread are about how good the commenter is at avoiding these and what painstaking effort they undertake to do so?  Just asking.  

Woah there, champ! They have to drive home later, they don't want to start hitting the hard stuff yet.

**Addendum**\n\n&gt;He's a generally liked and very outspoken public figure who is also an atheist.\n\nIs this supposed to be an appeal to authority?  More people should be atheists because a popular figure is, too?  And I just found this in a another forum, most likely the average religious American's response to Ventura "coming out".\n\n&gt;\t\nOriginally posted by little_monkey\n\n&gt;Former Governor Jesse Ventura - just came out on Howard Stern, "I am an Atheist!"\n\n&gt;&gt;So what? Chuck Norris is still a Christian. We win.\n\nI don't think appeal to authority is going to work with most believers (Ventura is an atheist so you should be too) when they can just change the authority to which they appeal (So what? Chuck Norris is still a Christian).  Also, this is not an argument that would convince a skeptic that Ventura's "coming out" is a valuable act.  It would have more value if he had irrefutable reasons for rejecting religion.\n\nEDIT: I suppose the bandwagon effect could come into play here—but those he "convinces" to abandon religion in this way will not be skeptical atheists, but the very same "weak-minded people who need strength in numbers".  For a skeptic, this isn't much of an improvement.

Uh I doubt their numbers.\n\nIt's conducted by the "Family Research Institute". Their mission statement tells us that they have \n\n&gt;.one overriding mission: to generate empirical research on issues that threaten the traditional family, particularly homosexuality, AIDS, sexual social policy, and drug abuse".\n\nWow, that sounds impartial. And they list murder as one of their causes of death? Yes, because being murdered was directly tied to their homosexuality, and had nothing to do with the folks doing the murdering. This study is so full of shit I can smell it from here.

I tend to agree with you, though I do think that those who don't believe have far fewer experiences, because their minds are closed to them. The events may still happen, but they're more likely to be dismissed than if they are experienced by someone with an open mind. I know that over my 20 years as a researcher, I've gone from a couple experiences over 20 years to having them very frequently, maybe several in a week. I also believe that spirits know that I am open to their existence, so they're more likely to exert their energy in an attempt to appear to me than they might with someone who will just dismiss the encounter.

I dont know, i saw myself walk that corner, it was pretty cool... 

Derp I randomly skipped to about 59 minutes in and I immediately hear them talking about how the 'medical establishment' doesn't want to cure diseases because it will eliminate jobs and revenue.

Actually, when discussing advanced scientific or technical information it is not a logical fallacy to appeal to experts on the subject.  Nor is it a flaw to question the bona fides of someone else's expert.

Nope you can see on some of the shots when they first hit the submerged board the water is disturbed along the path that they will run. Also if you stop it at 26 second you can actually see the board.\n\nedit: Looked at a couple of the other ones mostly people running in shallow water. I think I may misjudged what actually happened and they may have actually just moved some dirt into their path and used clever camera angles to hide how shallow the water is in those parts.

Sixth picture is maybe a hand holding a mic? Gotta say though, that third picture looks cool even if it's nothing paranormal. 

That's the very least they should do considering what they claim.  I would expect a bigger reduction than 30% in the amount of pesticides.

Thanks for video. On it I can clearly see that whatever that was, it was inside the ship, or at least very near the camera. Keep looking at the part of spaceship on the left, you'll see a light-grey speck, which then moves diagonally upward.\n\nIt's not UFO, it's not debris, it's a damn piece of dust in the cabin.

That's some freaky stuff right there.  So, you're saying that the phone was ringing, even though it was unplugged, and then after reconnecting it, you then took a cake order for a lady?  \n  \nAlso, WHO IS FONE?!

IIRC Kurosawa based a lot of his films on the plots of Shakespeare plays - RAN is King Lear, for example - which is very different to remaking a film that's only a couple of years old simply to milk it for money. I see your point, though.

&gt;The UK government, for example, issues its own currency.\n\nI believe this isn't true.  The UK has a central bank, The Bank of England, which is privately owned that issues the money.

[I Know What I Saw](http://www.iknowwhatisawthemovie.com/trailer.html) is a pretty amazing documentary by James Fox, which was also produced by Leslie Kean (see dalix's response).\n\n[Trailer, YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQDC_b5DUo0)\n\n[Full movie, YouTube, 320p](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIeGeE0uDJg)

The "pseudocommunity" rubs bullshit in our faces all the time, no matter what, so I still fail to see the difference here. (Not trying to argue with you, just confused about how this can be a problem or any different than usual.)

Thanks, great response.\n\nHow about this one? http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/DietandLifestyle/Food_combining.htm\n\nStuff such as:\n\n&gt; Do not eat two concentrated proteins at the same meal. Avoid nuts and meat, or eggs and meat, cheese and nuts, cheese and eggs, meat and milk, or eggs and milk or nuts at milk at the same meal. Milk, if taken at all, is best taken alone. The reason for avoiding eating these combinations is because each protein requires a specific character and strength of digestive juice to be secreted. Eggs require different timing in stomach secretions than do either meat or milk.\n\nOr\n\n&gt; Fat depresses the action of the gastric glands by delaying the development of appetite juices and inhibiting the pouring out of the proper gastric juices for meats, nuts, eggs or other protein. Fats may lower the entire gastric tone more than fifty per cent.\n\nIs it based on research or just speculation?

Seems like something any remotely curious person would want to document, analyze, and discuss in detail for months or years to come, actually.

Having fun?\n\nI have a feeling that you think I was asking if the land commonly referred to as Japan and/or China could be an illusion; if so, that's not the case.\n\nI should have been more clear.\n\nObviously the land exists, I was asking if the idea of "The State" or country existing could be an illusion...

I open many links at the same time and was certain this was from [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic).  Do everyone a favor and burn this list to the ground.

Well, I had year passes to all the parks from age 8-10. And we went about every other month.\n\nThe first two times I rode it, I was in tears. The videos can't convey the visceral sights and sounds you actually experience in that ride.\n\nThe last time I rode it, we hadn't gone on that ride in a while and I figured I was Just a wuss before. Rode it again and man it still freaked me out. Probably went on it 20x in those two years and I've gotta say it is still one of the most unique experiences I've ever had.

[artefact n. Variant of artifact](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/artefact?s=t)\n\nIf you're going to obsessively correct people, best understand the full range of English spellings. 

&gt;Dolphins are good, they are special, actually they might very well cure autism, not cause it.\n\nBelieve me, I love dolphins.  Unfortunately [they do not cure autism](http://www.researchautism.net/interventionitem.ikml?print&amp;ra=64&amp;infolevel=4), the therapy is very expensive (I'd love to see people paying for treatments that have been proven to actually work), and it often [harms the dolphins](http://www.wdcs.org/submissions_bin/datreport.pdf)  \n(a statement from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society on why Dolphin therapy can be detrimental to dolphins as well as people.)    

Interesting read, but I don't believe it. It throws me off that he is SELLING a book.\n\nI would need the medical team that was with him to make statements about the validity of the statement that his cortex's were down.\n\nEven if they were, perhaps science is just not advanced enough yet to know everything about the consciousness that our brains create.

I think looking up at lights moving about on your ceiling can make you sleepy. It sure would for me.

&gt;Seems like a good hypothesis to test. But they just assert it, rather than backing it up with any scientific studies.\n\nYes! They think that flashbulb memories are more accurate than other memories. That's a reasonable thing to think and I would certainly believe it too if I had never seen any data to the contrary. But there IS data to the contrary! And they obviously didn't look for any, they just regurgitated a common misconception with no skepticism. 

I don't know how it works in your part of the world, but the lottery I play works like this. A certain percentage goes to the jackpot fund, if no one wins, the jackpot fund moves on to the next week and gets added to that jackpot fund. A certain percentage goes to pots to cover tickets that win, but don't win the jackpot. The amount paid depends on the size of the pot and the number of tickets that fall into that bracket (it's been known for a ticket with three matching numbers to pay out more than a ticket with four matching numbers because the payout for three numbers is fixed whilst the payout for four numbers is shared). A percentage goes to the organising company to cover costs of administrating the lottery, advertising etc. The lottery I play offers winners services - free advice to all winners of a certain amount or over for their entire life - these have to be paid for. Then a certain percentage goes to charity. \n\nI play the lottery, but do so on the understanding that 1) I know I'm not going to win 2) I have enough disposable income for it to not be an issue and 3) at least a portion of my ticket will go to a good cause. The lottery only becomes an issue where people don't understand no 1 and play when they can't afford to. 

Agreed. It's not that I mind creepy. It's just that there's no point in having two subreddits about the same thing.

Holy shit, that WAS a rant! But I love James Randi so I stuck with it.\n\nAlso, just to be skeptical, we have no way of knowing those were really sleeping pills he took or if he really swallowed them. (Although I'm confident that if they were, nothing bad would come of it). I bet you anything that's what a homeopath would say in response to his demo!

Rad! I have read about Waverly before. I would love to visit there one day. Thanks for answering!

&gt;No more judicial system,\n\nGreat. With the judge, police, prosecutor, and prison warden all working for the same team, it's a shitty system anyway. \n\n&gt;no more national defense,\n\nDoes that mean there will be no more national offense as well? I can agree to that. \n\n&gt;no more driving on the roads the rest of us paid for.\n\nI'll build my own roads not funded by the barrel of a gun. Thanks. \n\n&gt;You do not have the right to use our resources\n\nGreat, like what? Shitty roads and even shittier schools? I will gladly agree to that. \n\n&gt;That said, obviously there are things that the government does that aren't acceptable eg. Gitmo\n\nI'd say this is the crux of the issue. So far, you have mentioned what you think the government does well but that only accounts for a tiny fraction of the spending. And it's always funny to hear someone say "we have to change the government". Buddy, the people have been trying to "change"  the government for decades with absolutely so success. \n\n75% of people in the US want us out of Afghanistan yet nothing has been done. Most Americans want an end to police brutality, yet there's no end in sight. Most Americans want money out of politics and yet that will never happen. \n\nYou people criticize libertarians for living in la la land yet you can't accept the fact that you have no power whatsoever over the state. \n\n 

if they're still composed of atoms, then they're still much more than 50% empty space

(I'm not an expert but did some training and I'm teaching beginners in wine tasting and selection)\n\nI'm suspect that the experts couldn't identify the wine and thought it tasted 'different', but it simply didn't occur to them that it could be a white wine. The difference between white and red is pretty obvious. \n\nBut it's true that most experts can't identify a wine by taste only, even when given 2-4 choices. Most of the tasting is driven by the label that is almost always present, and you learn early which wines are supposed to be full-bodied and rich, and which are 'out of balance' and bland. 

god damnit i wish i didnt read this, however I have never seen anything like this but i moved back after school a year ago, but one time i was in the back seat with my two old buddies in the front and something weird kinda happened but only me and the other passenger noticed it, so I'm not 100%.(before i left for school like 4 years ago)

The same exact argument could be made about artists like Bansky and Shepard Fairey for "defacing" public and private property. Maybe you don't appreciate it, but I think that whoever made that pattern in a field in the middle of the night is a genius. I certainly couldn't do it and I highly doubt that you could either. It also wasn't malicious. I'm sure the farmer won't go out of business for losing a few bushels of wheat or whatever he was growing. Worst case scenario, he collects on his crop insurance.\n\nI'm glad that there are people in this world who make art for art's sake. It certainly is a much more noble pursuit than pushing a pencil and counting beans. The fact that it makes some people get their panties all bunched up is great too. That's what great art is supposed to do. :)

i already looked into that, and its the only thing i can think of.\nThis has been happening for about 2 years ive had time to look into it. still...its WTF

Wow... Cocaine is cheaper than that (if you buy in enough bulk).

I remember those days fondly, that's how I know the difference between an ME-109, a P-51 Mustang, and a Spitfire.

I keep hearing about home births a lot.  Does anyone know if they are as popular in countries where the cost of health care is not nearly as high?

If my "it" you mean "all three buildings that collapsed on 9/11"... then you are clearly mistaken:  None of them collapsed in "sections":\n\nhttp://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/evidence/videos/docs/wtc2_south_below.mpg\n\nhttp://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/evidence/videos/docs/wtc2_demolition_waves.mpg\n\nhttp://www.911research.com/wtc/evidence/videos/docs/wtc2_trinity.mp4\n\nhttp://www.media-collections.com/video/6B39824A_wtc1_cisterns.mov\n\nall three collapsed precisely and symmetrically.\n\nhttp://www.911research.com/wtc/evidence/videos/docs/wtc7_collapse2.mpg\n\nhttp://www.911research.com/wtc/evidence/videos/docs/wtc7_collapse.mpg\n\nit's pretty difficult to argue with video footage. 

&gt; true, I am at a Community College\n\nDon't knock it -- especially compared to the first two years of a "real" college you're not missing out. Especially if you're doing anything technical then the experience of friends of mine indicates that your local tech college will expect more out of you in two years than the first couple at a typical state university.

I'm glad their are people who exist who take the time to break down things like this.  

The thing that gets me is that apparently weight gain is the only measure of whether something is healthy. Are they checking organ function? Blood content?  Not all unhealthy things make u fat. I'm not saying "Oh it's unhealthy, you just haven't found out why!!!!"  I'm just saying weight gain isn't enough for me, I need more evidence.

Well some secret groups do exist,  but as far as these fucktards in government, they can't even pass a budget, so my question to believers in this kind of stuff is how do you expect them to be secretly running the world when they can't even get along lol

No no no.. I mean your mother stuffed a sex toy in her vagina and another one in her ass.

Remind me of [this little Russian boy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7Xcn436tyI). The video is really really out there, but I remember watching it some time ago and found his story to be kind neat, despite being far fetched.

You come off as being rather pompous. Why do you assume you're more "learned" than I am? It's great that you're an aerospace engineer, but that is very different from an astrophysicist or quantum physicist. Everyone on here loves Carl Sagan, so I'll assume you do, as well. Go look up his video explaining alternate dimensions when you're not busy in your autocad program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAAeLNAfSYc&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\n

How is it disrespectful? Petty? It sounds downright weird and he has every right to not call her that if it makes him feel strange. She's not some commanding officer in the army with an expectation of rank and respect, or some lord or dignitary. From this impartial observer's perspective, you're just being a dick.

I only got a minute in before I couldnt take their overacting anymore. 

"Watch Ancient Aliens man!" my coworkers said. "It's awesome man!" they said. "It will blow your mind!" they said.\n\nI watched the first 5 minutes of the first episode, and said "Fuck this shit."

This is an interesting way to go about it, and a good way to get over personal biases, I suppose.

This is what they call pareidolia. It's the same as seeing a bunny in the clouds. Our brains always try to take random patterns and turn them into something we can recognize. About 90% of the paranormal evidence I've seen through the decades can be attributed to pareidolia.

Good analysis, thanks. This is why I come to r/skeptic. :)\n\nAlso, if I could play devil's advocate for a moment: Maybe this information *was* taken to the more prestigious journals you noted, but they shut them out given how it flies in the face of basically everything they've supported/cited for their entire existence?  I know I know, that's pure conjecture, but even scientists have been known to fall prey to human emotions and politics.

Great movie even if they strayed from his story. They did a damn fine job of scarring me for life. 

What the article unbelievably leaves out is, even if Betelgeuse blows, it will take us 640 years to know about it, since it is 640 light years away.\n\nHell maybe it already blew, 639 years ago.  Who knows?  We sure as hell don't.

Well, mostly religion. I've heard many a time about how "I know Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas, but that's what I want to believe, so as far as I'm concerned he was indeed born on Christmas". Also stuff like acupuncture and homeopathy, "I know it doesn't actually work, but I think it does". Yes, it seems insane. Yes, this is from multiple people I know in real life.\n\nI am not aware of having disregarded any anecdotal evidence, I was simply questioning the broad generalisation that "people who believe in harmless bullshit are more likely to believe in harmful bullshit".\n\nI guess my point is this: evidence and reason are *your* criteria, and they also happen to be mine, but it's wrong to assume that they are *everyone's* criteria.

Just me, or is this a horrible infographic? It seems they're plotting exactly two independent variables: quality of evidence for a treatment, and popularity of that treatment on Google. Yet they're using four axes: horizontal, vertical, colour, and size of bubble. Size of bubble is clearly Google popularity, so that leaves the other three to somehow communicate quality of evidence. \n\nIt seems that colour is generally correlated with the vertical axis - but why are there yellow blobs all over the place? And what's the "worth it line" about anyway - is that just an arbitrary place just short of "promising"? How can something be "worth it" but not "promising"?

I think they make some good points, but it sounds slightly biased. Ever so slightly.

First, take some desert dust. Then dilute it in a shitload of water. Then drink some water. (Doesn't have to be the same water.)

Yes, I'm aware that there are a lot of studies that are flawed, infact most studies are flawed in some way or another. I don't really see the point in spending money on a study that can't show something interesting.\n\nThis kind of study without a control group can only state something like some gay men who went through this change theory say that their sexual orientation has changed.\n\nIt can't even give us an idea if the therapy had anything to do with that change or not without a control group.... So the data is pretty boring to me at least.\n\nThere's also the problem that data was apparently collected via phone rather than face to face, which again according to the article is likely to cause problems with the data being collected.

Nope, it would mostly imply that the analogy he used can be used would work, and sound just as ridiculous, whether or not there is some validity.

The problem is not science training. It is critical thinking and the ability to choose neutral experts in given fields. These two compentences are all that we ask to legislators, and they more and more lack it, disregarding any expert advice.

If it follows you to the new place, you may want to get a protection charm of some sort. I know you'll feel silly, but verbally tell the entity to leave you and yours alone. (short story-I felt something beside me while laying on the couch with my eyes closed, I opened them to see nothing. I was alone in the apartment. I felt so scared, i could FEEL something beside me, so i yelled. "GO, Leave me alone! I'm trying to rest!". Nothing further happened in the apartment after three or four months of shadows and whispers.)

If you're in a dream, light switches never work, and it's almost impossible to read words and numbers. Try those!  :)\n

Happens to me every know and then, I kind of like it, reminds me that I'm alive and that i'm here for whatever reason. It's kinda weird, but it always puts me in a good mood.

Hmm my sleepy mind was not clear. I'm trying to say that we wouldn't need to worry about being unable to find a mechanism to explain homeopathy, because if it did work, there would be a mechanism to find. There is no mechanism to find because it doesn't actually work. 

If something is statistically insignificant, you don't get to use it as a data point or combine it with other things. It is not significant. 100 statistically insignificant events are still not significant.

This explains why I had things like this when I was a child. I used to lucid dream a lot.

I'd rather not listen to a [doctor who is not certified in anything autism-related, and has faced a lawsuit for wrongful death of an infant.](http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-autism-doctor-eisenstein-may22,0,3826791.story)\n\nYour link also shows the same doctor dressed as a pirate going on about the dangers of anti-biotics (any physician who doesn't prescribe anti-biotics is putting anyone who gets strep throat in serious danger). Also, I posted a [link earlier](http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/QuestionsaboutVaccines/ucm070430.htm) detailing that the dangers of thimerosal (mercury) are way overblown, and almost all vaccines have reduced or eliminated the amount of mercury in them anyway, so it's a moot point.\n\nI think I've been fair in the ways I've pointed out the errors in your research, can you please give me a reason as to why the evidence I've provided isn't valid? Scientific evidence is the best way to show effectiveness of any treatment, and is the only way we've gotten to where we are today in terms of the advancement of modern medicine.

This is just ridiculous god-of-the-gaps logic.  \n\nOccam's Razor insists on the explanation with the fewest assumptions.  Magic requires *immense* assumptions that are completely unverifiable.  \n\nThe supernatural is not a default explanation.  There are a million other likelier explanations for your little episode.  You are simply unwilling to acknowledge that since you have a deep seated emotional investment in having had a supernatural experience.  

This question creates a false choice. This sub-reddit should clearly be skeptical of its results, no matter how happy it would make us if it was true.

He got to a point where he had a hard time keeping some of his stories straight and non-contradictory.

I had a co-worker who used to put his keyboard in the dishwasher over the weekend :)

&gt;Woo and vaccine concerns aren't the same.\n\nI sack them together because they use the same methods to sell themselves to people. The same lack of intellectual and scientific rigor, lack of trust of the medical establishment and anecdotal information over actual statistical relevance.\n\n&gt;Not necessarily. Even the doctors agree on this issue. As far as my opinion, the immediate safety of vaccines is not in question. The long term effects are a cause for worry, but we'll find out soon enough if any problems arise from it.\n\nThe long term effects *may be* a cause for worry, if any surface. It sounds like you're certain there will be longer term effects than saving people, and I'm not entirely convinced there will be more than what we know of now. But it's complete conjecture either way, and makes the argument feel a bit silly.\n\nIt's really not important. We agree with each other, you're just more likely to use language biased to finding effects and I'm biased the other way.

I see.  By *proof* you really mean *evidence*.  We merely have different standards of evidence.  To you, personal anecdotes, unexplained events, and popular agreement constitute enough evidence to consider it proven that a supernatural realm exists.  To me, all fail to support your assertion (and would fail to support just about *any* assertion).  The lack of an explanation is not evidence in support of *anything*.

Lots of people have biases concerning the outcome of studies they are performing. That is a given in any scientific study. THere are two main ways of getting past that:\n\n1) the honor system -everyone is assumed to NOT be deliberately falsifying (in the legal sense) data;\n\n2) the studies are reported in such a way as to allow others to replicate them to see if they get the same outcome.\n\n\nExpecting people who spontaneously decide to study something non-mainstream to NOT have a bias going into a study is beyond realistic. It's not like there's huge amounts of research grants available to study the possible cancerous effects of GMO food on lab animals. The ONLY people who are going to perform such studies are those who either have been hired by the companies which make the product or people who have some ax to grind about the product.\n\n

When I was younger I was at my grandparents with my cousin, sitting in the kitchen. From where we were sitting we were both parallel to this short hallway with two doors at the end. On the left was the basement door, the right was the bathroom door. We were talking when suddenly I saw what looked like a white cat cross from the basement into the bathroom. My cousin turned to me, wide-eyed, and asked if I'd just seen a cat walk into the bathroom. Alas, there was nothing there.

These could be expirences of the paranormal, but I'm not 100% sure. Have you ever tried to make contact? Ask for some interaction like knocking, maybe moving an object or blow out a candle. If you get these, then it would be an intelligent haunting. If you get nothing on the first night, don't get discouraged, it takes a bit to get them to open up. Be careful though, once they know you notice them, they will be more willing to keep your attention, don't ignore them. And also, do not resort to a spirit board. These can open doors and let something a whole lot worse inside. I speak from expirence. 

The ACCC has had experience with magnetic health claims before: see [Bio Magnetic Therapy P/L undertaking](http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/592441) from 2004.\n\nI am not an expert on this, but it looks to me like they are making clear (and unsubstantiated) health claims.\n\nI had to look up what they meant by 'unipolar' magnets in their warning at the bottom - first thought was they meant a magnetic monopole, but turns out it's a magnet where only one pole faces the body at a time.\n\n[Choice](http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/food-and-health/general-health/health-practitioners/dubious-pharmacy-products/page.aspx) has also had a look and the pharmacist responses seem very carefully worded to not directly claim any benefits.\n\nFrom the [ACCC](http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/815335): "we are more likely to take action against a business for misleading advertising if it has been carried out through a medium that reaches a wide audience, such as over the internet, on national television, or through a nation-wide print advertising campaign." So let's gather up the details of where they have been advertising (the more the better) before submitting a complaint. Obviously we have their website as a starting point. Anybody seen any TV or print advertising? \n

The 3 billion figure seems very fishy. At worst it's complete fabrication and at best it's dishonestly representing information:\n\nhttp://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=39485&amp;Cr=literacy&amp;Cr1=\n\n\n\nApart from that clear cock-up, the fact the image doesn't reference any of its claims also throws those statistics into doubt. How can it give vague qualifiers like "clothes on your back" and "spare change", yet also give specifically numbered figures? The whole thing stinks of bullshit, which is a real shame considering the mass of legitimate problems it could potentially have described properly.

I wouldn't trust wibbly wobbly timey wimey medical advice from a Time Lord, either.

That's good, but I'm wondering how....  If all of the elements in your story is true (which I do believe is the case) then how did it not continue to target you? Unless your parent's prayers were enough to drive it out.... Let me confer w/others on this and get back to you.

I've experienced the same and it becomes quite natural over time. It's like when you're dreaming and you just 'know' how to fly around and float. Once you start using the skills they develop rather quickly.\n\nThis is all very difficult for people very grounded in the physical to accept. But many people who meditate regularly understand and can acknowledge these concepts and sensations.

Alright. So we weren't in complete disagreement? I think. Haha.\n\nThis discussion was nice. I learned something. 

I'm 99% certain that you can, or else no one who graduated high school in my county could give blood, but I don't know for sure.  If I give blood there's about a 70% chance that I'll pass out (any flub by the person sticking me with the needle and I'm out), so I don't do it.

Some more reading: http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/reference/?p=44\n\nPersonally, if the Chiropractor does chiropractic interventions, [I wouldn't go near him](http://whatstheharm.net/chiropractic.html). If he does standard physiotherapy... I'd go with a physiotherapist.

My eyes, my eyes....cannot take the inane vaguely plausible sounding idiocy on that page....

I totally understand where you are coming from and what you're trying to do. I have friends like that. With your relationship it could work. I just think it'd be more enjoyable for both of you with the roles reversed. Get him something you can argue against rather than something that would likely have him instantly defensive even if it's a good natured defensiveness. 

I tempted to take this and post it just for those people actually.

What an intellectual rebuttal that was.  Such persuasive rhetoric and statistical support you offered for your opinions!  I cannot help but be swayed...\n\nHere's a nice article about an older white couple who were burned alive recently in Detroit.\n\nMaybe soon someone will force you to drink your racist puke.\n\nMaybe they'll warm it up for you.\n\nhttp://cofcc.org/2012/02/gruesome-slaying-of-white-couple-by-black-men-in-detroit/

cyanide in the ocean would .. uhhh ... make us live longer? *scratch head*

Dogs have different aggression levels based on breed, yes. However it's nuanced. Vermin dogs like terriers are INSANELY aggressive towards small scurrying creatures. They will kill rats and mice all day nonstop if you let them. You don't have to train them even. They are just bloodthirsty killing machines. However they are not very aggressive towards humans.\n\nLabs and golden retrievers are not very aggressive toward other dogs or humans, but they LOOOVE to try and attack birds. It might look goofy watching them charge at a pack of pheasants since they fail miserably, but don't doubt that if they could (and sometimes they do) they will grab one of those birds and promptly snap it's neck no hesitation.\n\nDogs used for dog fighting have been bred to be very aggressive towards other dogs, but aggression towards humans would be a trait you would strongly want to discourage when breeding for power, speed, and bite strength. Because of this pitbulls are actually very submissive towards people in most cases.\n\nShepherds are some of the most complicated. They are bred to be very territorial and protective. They are trained to be hyper vigilant of competitors (other predators) and this can extend to other dogs. However they usually work in teams so they are bred to work well with other dogs. They weren't bred to protect humans specifically but if they adopt their humans as their "flock" they will potentially be very protective of them. A good example of this behavior is the cute cattle dog that loves wrestling and chasing other dogs at the dog park in a very friendly manner, but immediately growls and chases off any dogs that try and approach it's owner. Many people mistakenly think that their dogs are being jealous (a human trait), but in reality they are responding to their instinctive need to protect it's pack/flock from competitors..\n\nAll of this, of course, can be altered by training or abuse. A dog that feels threatened will try and defend itself regardless of it's nature. Many ignorant people "train" their dog to be attack dogs by actually just abusing it. That is not training a dog, that is simply turning it into a nervous aggressive wreck. Other dogs actually are trained to attack humans (think police dog) and a properly trained attack dog demonstrates that attack dogs are actually prized for obedience and not aggression much like how you design a gun to not just randomly fire unless you pull the trigger.\n\nSo yes, different breeds display different levels of aggression.  However aggression towards humans is almost universally low and most variance is in their behavior towards other dogs and towards other animals.

I've got white male privelage in my eyes, it burns.  The goggles etc.

My 1 year of community college tells me this guy isn't qualified to make these claims.

If only...\n\nLet me know if reddit finds a hole ;P \n\nAlso "Woop! SAVED YOUR LIFE! HAHAHA you almost fell in a bottomless hole"

There are probably a few.  I think most are going to fall into either (1) I don't understand the science well enough and have reservations in my explorations thus far or (2) I have a reasonable understanding, and consider the extrapolations from limited data to be of dubious value.  Generally you're not going to see r/skeptic spit out the nonsensical canards being used by other deniers.  This is just my observation among the community.\n\nFor myself, I tend to trust the experts and there does seem to be a consensus among those with relevant expertise.  And beyond that, I think it is pragmatically important that we reduce dependence on finite sources of energy (like fossil fuels) as good policy.

I'm winzippy's wife... in an apartment complex in Redwood Shores. I've got photo documentation, EVPs, we've both seen and heard some really fucked up shit. Usually around 4am or 7pm. Also, neighbors have kind of similar experiences. I've tried to get some sort of history on the place, still looking.

There seem to exist at least 3 Versions of this song, all with different lengths. Maybe that's the reason?\n\n\nhttp://www.discogs.com/Faust-Faust-IV/release/946273  \nhttp://www.discogs.com/Faust-Faust-IV/release/455503

Indeed. Meats are some of the most universally tolerated foods, and the richest in essential nutrients when you include organ meats. It's unfortunate that vegetarians tend to be so tied to their own philosophy they buy into shoddy research claiming that all 'animal proteins' are dangerous. The ridiculous public health campaigns against saturated fat don't help either.

Slenderman ive had a dream of the thing you speak of. it scared me. i would look at it and it would snap its blank face to me and it would be 100 metres off. I would look away and it would bend onto all fours and run straight at me. But the skin where it's mouth was bubbling and it peeled off and razor sharp teeth would be showing. I woke up and my parents were standing over me worried. they said my eyes were open and rolled back.

Very poor reasoning:\n\n1) saying something that has never happened in history cannot have happened is an excruciating way to to start your argument.  It's typical of conspiracy theorists because it can be used to "disprove" the holocaust, evolution, the moon landing etc.  Unfortunately exactly the same reasoning can be used to to "disprove" the entire universe and all of history ever... Probably not the best argument to kick off with!\n\n2) two passenger jets ploughing into two adjacent buildings has never happened before either!  It stands to reason that unprecedented causes will have unprecedented effects.\n\n3) buildings on fire are normally not left to burn for hours on end.  The fireproofing used is rated to last a couple of hours.  Fine for most fires... Not so good for WTC7.\n\n4) not only was WT7 left for an unprecedented amount of time, but the other two buildings were built in an unusual way (external structural support rather than inner columns) so when this was weakened, collapsing inwardly is exactly the way you'd expect them to fall, as the weakened support structures were being pulled inwards.\n\n5) saying the way the buildings fell is impossible presupposes the point you were trying to prove.  This is called begging the question and it's a form of circular argument.\n\n6) I'm guessing that flying planes into buildings is not going to become the preferred method of demolishing them!  People normally do plan very carefully to be absolutely sure the building falls safely.  It does not follow that a building that falls safely(!?) was therefore carefully planned.  This is called [affirming the consequent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirming_the_consequent) and is another logical fallacy.  Extensive Planning is what makes the difference between something being a probability and a 100% foolproof certainty.   It doesn't prove impossibility without planning.\n\n7) the people who plan demolitions are usually principally trying to avoid the loss of life!  Given that whoever conspired to knock down the towers (al qaida or shadowy govnmt) obviously wanted to cause maximum damage for maximum impact, why would they go to the trouble (months of planning!) of making sure they fell safely!?!  Why spend "months of planning" the "demolition", and go to the trouble of hijacking planes, just to make sure it (supposedly) didn't look like it was collapsing as it would if planes hit it!?!  Surely this suggests it wasn't planned!\n

I guess the sarcasm misses since I don't often think of the "Big Pharma" evil "they".  Thanks.  Free standing, though, it can read a whole heckuva lot like racism!

Nerf gun xploders ammo.\n\n[Exhibit A](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Rwilj6uxGkQ/TS_mFVn-jUI/AAAAAAAAF8Q/YOG7ZUehqVc/s1600/cvf.jpg)\n\n[Exhibit B](http://www.xploderz.com/products/ammo-refill-pack/)

&gt; Libertarians generally favour the Austrian school of economics, which holds that human actions (and economics in general) cannot be predicted scientifically/mathematically. That idea is pretty much unique to libertarianism.\n\nI wouldn't really say that it's unique to libertarianism. [Epistemology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology) is an entire branch of philosophy. Agnosticism is based on the belief that the existence of God may very well be unknowable. All sorts of fields take into account that some questions may not be something we will ever be able to answer.\n\nHayek embraced the idea that we just might not be able to accurately model everything in macroeconomics (he called the idea that people like his friend Keynes thought we could "the pretense of knowledge"). Keynes and everyone after have made a heroic effort at modeling the economy but there is still a long way to go. I think there is a lot of value in both approaches (Hayek's for helping recognize when you are better off not interfering and Keynes for trying to identify where you can nudge the economy in a favorable direction).

Whoa, its an unintellectual Japanese guy.    \nThis may be exceptionally bad, but have you guy paid attention to what proves something in psychology? They test a few people and if a certain group with something in common also have something in common related to the testing this proves that all people of that group are the same in that sense and it is recorded as fact. Something like "Red-heads are easily angered because in a study the red heads were quicker to be aggravated than those with other hair colors."    \n\nIt can be quite ridiculous.

&gt;On the other hand I'm not sure what exactly the null hypothesis should be (Are crop circles man-made? Are crop circles artificial? Are crop circles natural? Are crop circles Earth-made?), so until I see at least a decent explication of what the priors are and a reasoned argumentation of which one to choose, I'll sustain no hypothesis.\n\nMan-made. That's where [all evidence points](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=crop-circle-confession), and I don't use the word "all" loosely here. There is no reason for introducing an extraterrestrial explanation. It doesn't help anything, solve anything, or explain anything, and it's founded upon the speculation that we are not alone in the universe, which we *do not know is true*. We might as well attribute the creation of crop circles to Winnie The Pooh, if we're going to abandon reason altogether for the sake of preserving argument.

I think the motive/bias of constantly expanding the size and scope of your operation (endemic to government work) is overlooked in most cases. You should only trust institutions that have earned that trust, I can't say that for most Gov. agencies.\n\nThat is without even considering partisan politics that permeate most government agencies.

The author was my high school BIO teacher - one of the smartest guys you'll meet.

These integrate shapes intrigue and beguile me. Whilst some are relatively easy to ‘map out’ and re-create from plans, noteably the more basic interesting symmetrical shapes, I believe not all can be explained this way. The irony is I understand that many of those who make these circles don't believe all of them are/can be man-made.\n\nMany suggest to complete some of the more competent looking pictograms requires a sizable team of skilled mathematicians/surveyor types with hand-held laser measuring tools. And its not just about rolling circles in the corn as these shapes are created just bending the stalks and in some cases creating intricate weaving patterns creating the most beautiful effects.\n\nI would also add that these circles are created in areas crawling with circle twitchers and patrolling farmers (sometimes armed ) however are enviably never seen created, even with night-vision and heat sensitive cameras.\n\nAnd all undertaken in the very brief mid-summer nights. Witnesses often report seeing mysterious fogs descending for a spell then disappearing quickly to reveal the newly formed circles. All hoaxes? I don’t think so.

The x-rays, diagnosis, and exercises are all things a good physical therapist would have done, and the only things that actually helped you. The "adjustments" that brought you back to "alignment" was pointless quackery.

Not me downvoting, but probably someone disagreeing it's a good point. I was disappointed too that the most interesting 2 seconds of this video were the last 2 seconds. I agree with your first reaction of calling bullshit. Why stop filming just as it gets interesting? Also, it was about to move behind a foreground object, which raises the difficulty if it is a CGI hoax.

Sample size can be smaller, if the increase is highly statistically significant, which it is in this case:\n\n&gt;Results showed that the mean sperm count was increased to 32.8 +/- 10.3 x 10(6) sperms/mL (P &lt; .001) after 2 months of vitamin C intake. The mean sperm motility was increased significantly to 60.1 +/- 8.47% (P &lt; .001), and mean sperms with normal morphology increased significantly to 66.7 +/- 4.77% (P &lt; .001).

Seems to be easy to sell nonsense to lazy people.\n\nI've just started going to the gym recently. Working my way up to 10km a day plus some other exercise. That, combined with my wife's cooking which is pretty healthy, has been the best thing for getting rid of the feelings of lethargy and brain fog that I've had for a long time.\n\nOf course people will always prefer to just swallow something that will make them feel better, even if it's no better than placebo, and there will always be people willing to take advantage of that laziness.

While the evidences do have some hole, I still find this case to be fascinating: There are many wonders deep down in the ocean we haven't look yet, and plus, ningen is creepy as fuck. ._.

But does it absorb toxic particles from sunspots and flares and chelate your blood using theta waves?

It was forced to remove them because they were fraudulent advertising. That website is set to promote the use of individual vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella. They were lying to do so. Even in the US you can't try to sell one drug by claiming the alternative will give you cancer, for example.

Hey, I'm 25% Italian.  That must be why I had trouble with theoretical math.

I gave you the name of the book. Now go read it. Stop trying to make it sound like I didn't already do 80% of the work for you, because believe it or not you have to read a lot of books to know what's in them.\n\nWhatever you do, DON'T FUCKING REPLY to me. It's depressing to me to know that there are people out there like you, who can't even be bothered to READ A FUCKING BOOK.

Backyard farmers select for taste, organic farmers are still businesses and select for yield.

I too, have had too many experiences in my home to deny that they are, in fact, real.  I think you are watching the wrong shows. Try shows like "My ghost story" and "a haunting" and listen to what those people are saying. The "Ghost Hunters" show is a crock of shit.

Meet Bill Nelson, inventor of the INDIGO machine.\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKgj9iK_xwo

Science. Your answers DO reflect your values, assuming you're answering honestly.\n\nFor example, if I answered questions to the tune of saying "I like being alone, I disklike crowds, I dislike noise, I like studying, dislike people in general, etc", it would not at all be pseudoscience to say "Your responses match the responses given by participants in group X. Based upon that, you might also find that Y is to your liking".\n\nHOWEVER\n\nWhat you should not do is expect the result you're given to match your personal situation/personality 100%. You are absolutely unique after all; your previous experiences and role models have shaped you differently than anyone else. The result given to you is just a generalisation made from statistical data.\n\nAs to which tests are pseudoscience and which aren't, well it depends on the questions asked and how they are incorporated into making a generalisation. The less assumptions made the better in general\n\nTL;DR It would be false to say statistical data is not scientific. But it would also be bad science to say statistic are certain or perfectly accurate in predicting future data.

So this is an article about a report.  I'm not going to pore through the page trying to find the link to the actual report.  Do you have the actual report link? 

I posted this somewhere else, but there was a large study done in 2004 by german health insurance companies which concluded that acupuncture in deed did help with cronic pain:\n\nhttp://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&amp;tl=en&amp;js=n&amp;prev=_t&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;layout=2&amp;eotf=1&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.spiegel.de%2Fspiegel%2Fprint%2Fd-32565481.html\n\nDon't just let yourself get blinded and stay skeptic, even towards the skeptics.

I try to not attack them, but it's always going to come off as an attack to the opposing camp it seems. All I've been doing lately is to get them to explain their beliefs to me and how they came to that reasoning without stooping down to slinging insults.\n\nI really don't bother religious people, because I know it's going to be damn near impossible to get them to realize their magic sky fairy isn't real. Things that we can test and have evidence for/against in real life though... That's different to me.\n\nThe only time I'll debate a religious person is if they're trying to push their beliefs onto others and try to reason with them that the lives of others shouldn't be dictated by another's religion.\n\nBut yeah, in person is different... I could TRY to be more calm and collected in person, it's usually easier for me to do that online. AND... When I'm with my friends in person I'd usually rather enjoy their company than debate. When they post bullshit out in public on facebook on the other hand... That's a different story.

Hard to find.  Let me see.\n\nhttp://www.bautforum.com/archive/index.php/t-36682.html\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_3

Wouldn't be an easy thing to hide google level computing power. \n

Without a doubt 3 was the best one. It was also the only one that makes me uneasy to be home alone and/or sitting in the kitchen when the whole house is quiet. I just swear I'm gonna see a white sheet standing behind me one day. O_O

made it through 20 seconds of this stupid crap.  I'd rather been Rick Rolled.

I didn't downvote you but I do want to point out that some have physical anomalies, including radiation exposure and trace metals, that can't be duplicated with a board and some rope. I think it's a definitive fact that some are man-made but, as with UFOs, the 5% of cases are what interest me.

It was a nice try for the kid, but when he's arguing progress to a state whose motto is "Well, at least we're not Mississippi," he's not going to get far with it.

You are of course quite right, that is true of any event. The social norm is that you boot out those causing a disruption or for being verbally abusive. \n\nI think Orac puts it quite well when he writes ...*“This is not the behavior of an intellectually honest and open movement that wants to persuade based on science and reason. It is the behavior of a group that has something to hide, that prefers shunning and expelling those who aren’t afraid to criticize it to open engagement and attempts to persuade based on the evidence. It is also the behavior of a group that thinks its members can’t stand up to challenges and therefore need to be protected from criticism or contrary views.”*\n\n[The link to that is here](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/05/expelled_2011_edition.php)

&gt;Bottom line... is the website linked in the OP telling the correct numbers? It appears they might be.\n\nI don't know.  It's possible.  The thing is, they are the only source I could find with the same numbers, and I couldn't find any study that would validate it.  That doesn't mean it's wrong, it just means **I** don't know.  Anyone who says different on here is speculating, or has peer-reviewed data they aren't sharing.  Not knowing is fine, because it leads us to find out eventually, unlike a lot of others on here that just misrepresent info and perpetuate charlatanism.  My opinion is that the numbers from Eggland's best are likely to be exaggerated highly (it's very likely, in fact).  They probably list the highest numbers out of the control group, which most likely couldn't be reproduced reliably in a detailed study. My opinion is that this is advertising at its "finest" (read: worst).  It isn't a shocker that a corporation would want to find the most favorable way to portray its product, but I think they do so in this case disingenuously.  They can probably get away with it legally, as well (it doesn't say every egg contains this amount, just that the eggs were tested displayed those attributes).  Plus, the FDA does literally almost nothing in terms of claim evaluation, data confirmation, or ingredient verification, unless there are numerous complaints and/or claims filed against the recurrent offender.\n\nKeep doing what you are doing.  Karma votes aren't an indicator of quality.  Most people just want their own comfortable thoughts to be validated.  There are exceptions, and especially so on /r/skeptic, but many of these people are science-minded, socially inept people that need things presented to them in a certain way.\n\nI almost never say I know anything for sure, as opposed to the philosophunculists present on other subreddits, which will tell you the sun revolves around the Earth if they need to turn a debate to their favor.\n\nI'm saying that telling people you don't know anything makes you smarter, see?  Wait...  Never mind, you get the point, I guess.  Keep up the good work.\n\n**EDIT:  Oh, and the Nutritiondata.self isn't verified at all.  I cannot find a source for any values, except for one...  It tailors its values to a new age diet site of questionable integrity.  It appears to me that they copy and paste data, omitting their sources, or just guess it.  most of it is close enough.  The farmed vs. wild comparison has been widely debunked for nutritional value (but not aesthetically for salmon, whom have color added due to lack of krill in their diets).  I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the egg thing without proof, but I'm leaning toward leaving them out, due to the fact that they are an outlier that cannot provide sources against what the consensus says.**\n\n&gt;IF Rating™ is a trademark of Monica Reinagel. Data for the IF Rating was provided by inflammationfactor.com.\n\nRead More http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4258/2#ixzz2GR4tRWJF\n\nThis site links to some legitimate studies to appear legitimate by assosiation, but the data doesn't always correspond directly to what they are selling.  Some even link to reputable sites like the Lancet.  They are basically selling diet plans and books.\n\n[IF diet website.  Buy it today and be cancer free!!  Yay, I'm saved](http://inflammationfactor.com/)\n

And that's why I say "unlikely" rather than "impossible". It's very likely that another civilization would know something we don't. Still, I consider that a far stronger position than basing belief on something we do not know, and can only suppose. \n\nTell me this: How much energy would it take to move an object weighing 1,000 tons to 99.9 percent the speed of light? Figure that out, and you will have some sort of idea of the enormous amount of energy that interstellar flight would take - and that's without being faster than light. Interstellar flight will take enormous amounts of energy, and there's simply no getting around that. That energy must come from somewhere - no matter what we find out, I find it highly unlikely that something as fundamental and provable as Conservation of Matter is completely wrong. 

Then what did Eisenhower climb aboard?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-T6BkbJejv4

Haha, that couldn't have been fun without a normal E. Thank you so much!

There seems to be a link through [HPV](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_sex#HPV_and_oral_cancer).  We have a vaccine for that.\n\nEven Rick Perry is in favor of the vaccine. ;-)

No worries, I was just explaining what that sort of problem is called (since you acknowledged the "that I was aware was autistic" part already)

Agreed. Hey, seeing as you're back, [do you fancy commenting on your post](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/k4gkk/intriguing_vid_from_2010_featured_in_many/)? Would be interested to hear the outcome of your investigations...

Paranormal research for years, Ability to see ghosts "what ever name you need" well versed in most forms of magic. was a professional tarot reader. Have assisted in 5 different exorcisms, 3 of which were successful. Met self described vampires, werewolves, and  many other  "supernatural" beings. Most redditors can smell bullshit, so try me.

Strange. D: Are you sure nobody switched your jacket? Like similar names.

&gt; One of the most visible results of the collision were the impact mountains. These are the North American coastal ranges, the Andes, the Antarctic Peninsula mountains and various ranges along the Western Pacific, some of which have been physically detached from mainland Asia. In the following diagram, the extent of these ranges has been marked in blue\n\nAnd this is where I started raging. I'm surprised it took that long.

&gt;Funny we're at a stale mate because I figured the exact same thing about you and chose not to continue.\n\nInteresting note, a stalemate in regards to a debate, is when both sides agree they have nothing more to say. As you've one again brought up a largely tangential point about milk pasteurization, let us continue.\n\nFirstly, why the banning of raw milk in the US is not related to the laws we've been discussing (lets get this out of the way, as you have shown before your lack of desire to read my posts): these laws will not ban the unprocessed herbs. As has been said many a time in this thread you will still be able to buy any traditional medicinal herbs without restriction, they just wont be able to be sold as medicine unless they are proven to be medicine, just as any other medicine (please read this, as I don't think it has sunk in yet). If they tried to ban herbs in this way, I would be right on your side, but they are not.\n\nI am not denying the potential benefits of raw milk. From the brief reading I've just done in the last hour, it does appear that some of the beneficial bacteria and proteins in raw milk that allow your body to fully and effectively process certain fats in milk are indeed killed or denatured in the pasteurization process.\n\nModern farming techniques, unfortunately, are completely unable to produce the huge quantity of beef and milk that we consume without adverse effects to cows' health, most importantly in this regards bacterial infections. Pasteurization goes a long way to making milk safer to consume, and it's why the technique is carried out. When it was introduced, farming techniques and conditions were far, far worse than they are today, so it was even more important back then. Have a quick look at the abstract to [this study](http://www.jstor.org/pss/30105317) which shows an infection rate of 41% of children who consumed raw milk at a farm. Raw milk from unhealthy cows is a very dangerous substance to consume. If the cows are perfectly healthy and totally free from infections then I assume that rate would be far lower, maybe even 0%, but that is not the case in a huge number of farms. If we could get the health of cows to an impeccable standard, then maybe it would be good practice to stop pasteurizing milk for the extra benefits, but that's not practical or safe with today's farming techniques.\n\nThe US government, and in particular the FDA introduced regulations to stop the sale and distribution of raw milk because they could not guarantee its safety. Various states have introduced licensing systems to ensure that farms that can meet health and safety requirements to produce safe to drink raw milk are able to sell it. The case you pointed at is a case where these licenses were not valid, and so law enforcement did their job (with, I agree, some reprehensible zealotry) to maintain the law. This is not an "obviously unfounded" situation, but again one based on evidence, and with the safety of the public in mind.\n\nIf you would like to bring this back to the laws we've been discussing, or you want to bring up more tangential and unrelated points, please keep coming back. Since arguing with you, I have learnt some about the Goldrush era, various bits of EU and US legislation, uses of burdock and now infection rates of cows in modern farming, and still I've yet to be in any way convinced that these laws are stopping anybody's freedoms, except when it comes to selling unsubstantiated medicines as medicines, which I'm sure [Gloria Thomas](http://www.smh.com.au/national/parents-guilty-of-manslaughter-over-daughters-eczema-death-20090605-bxvx.html) would've also been completely behind, had she lived past her second birthday (you wanted a reason why I'm so in favour of these laws, she's one of them).

please go fuck yourself.  research for yourself.  my credibility in question from that little post?  again, go fuck yourself.

just listening to a campfire now! thanks for suggesting this! :D

There was a rumor going around that Snopes actually generates some of the very chain emails that it goes on to debunk, in an elaborate scheme to generated more traffic, but it has been thoroughly [debunked by Snopes](http://xkcd.com/250/)

I've done a lot reading into Monsanto (studied IP law in law school) and they are pretty much the most evil corporation ever.  The GMO thing is so minor compared to the other crap they pull that it doesn't even come up on a list of "why is monsanto evil?"  For example, they have successfully sued family farmers because some of their crops contained some Monsanto patented genes.  The farmers not only had to pay Monsanto licensing fees for the crop, but also destroy the crops, and any and all seeds, no matter how unrelated to the specific "infringement."  Furthermore, the most likely explanation for how a field may have been "contaminated" is by a truck driving by while carrying seeds and a handful of seeds flying off the truck and crosspollinating with an existing crop....\n

I think the examples of specific heat and how much ice it took to cool something in H.S. chemistry were among the most useful things I learned.\n\nThat stuff is not nearly as powerful as you think.

made me think of the ribenna vitamin C scandal. \nthe heating process foodstuff companies use to make sure their drink products reaches food safety regulations destroys the vitamin C content but since vitamin C is also a natural preservative it has no regulations so was never checked for.\n\nits only because it's cheap to use and unregulated (at least in new zealand) that it appears in so many drinks aimed at being "healthy", not because they are doing us a health favor.\n\nBut wow, that's eye opening, i hate homeopathy, but i just assumed that anything being sold as a *"medicine"* would naturally have to have gone through some sort of regulation process before going on sale.\n\ni guess i shouldn't assume these things anymore.

Your argument that was abandoning a particular holy book means abandoning morals. Which is obviously bollocks as plenty of people are moral without a special book.

&gt;Are people so weak minded, that something like this would cause them to cut themselves?\n\nDo I really need to answer this for you?\n\nI'm not sure if your comment is directed at me or is just a general statement about UFO paranoia lately. But no one in this thread seems to be crying, and I'm not seeking a debunking for my own sanity; I think I made my opinions of the video pretty clear.\n\nMy motivation for posting this to /r/skeptic was to find a comprehensive debunking of all this shit so I could respond to the original video submitter. I mean, that is the point of this subreddit, right?\n

Well I have quite a few stories, but this one is the creepiest. When I was younger, about 3, we had just moved into my new house. Me and my parents were in the living room and I got up, walked over to the front window and started waving, telling them there was someone there. My mum and day to this day swear there was nobody at the window, and it couldn't have been my reflection as the windowsill was too high. 

It sounds like your mother's paranormal beliefs have left quite an impression on you.

Sure I do. But how can we define skepticism in a way that accommodates my challenge?

Wow, great.  Life is so busy, I never build up expectations that people will take the time to read about something as boring as politics and as "out there" as anarcho-capitalism.  And I certainly never try to pressure or guilt someone into reading anarcho-capitalist stuff.\n\nThere's some talks by David D. Friedman that provide an interesting perspective of why you would expect anarcho-capitalism to produce better results than coercive states: [*Market Failure*](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb5hr-f3Tfg&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL10806BD38F0AF178) and [*Anarchy and Efficient Law*](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWFWIM8OCI&amp;playnext=1&amp;list=PL4800523387494FFD).\n\nAgain, no pressure to view those talks.  I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far and that you encountered new ideas.

I wasn't anxious at all as it was part of a study comparing MRI and polygraph results and so I was lying about what number I selected. I tried to fake the results, control my breathing, resting, relax, and get nervous about different numbers. Didn't work. I'm sure it would for some but they just arent that easy to fake. Again I think that it is probably way to easy to get a false positive especially if there has been an official and emotional accusation. 

Great point, I hadn't thought about stereochemistry. I suppose the amount of D-glutamate in MSG depends on the manufacturing process. If it's produced through some biological process such as fermentation of natural proteins, it's probably reasonable to assume that the glutamate produced is L-glutamate. But if it's produced via, say, hydrolysis by a strong acid under heating conditions, maybe the process could isomerize the natural L-glutamate into D-glutamate. And if it's produced totally synthetically, it would be expensive and time-consuming not to produce a mixture of the two.\n\nIs there any research on the health implications of consuming D-glutamate? I also couldn't find any reliable information on how MSG is produced to see if D-glutamate is a likely component of MSG.

I reworked your confidence argument (and some reasoning of my own) in a response in the blog:\n\n"I’m not sure why this is directed at atheists. Atheists would be the last group this would be appropriate for. Atheism is a lack of belief in a god or gods. Generally this is due to the atheist’s perception of a lack of evidence in a god and not evidence of a lack of a god. Saying nothing of the future can be known does not address the atheist’s lack of belief. However, I think the slant of the argument presented here is towards people who try to disprove religious claims by making statements along the lines of: “Religion x says the earth is x years old but science tells us that the earth is y years old. Therefore religion X is wrong.” Hume’s argument would be that we cannot trust the scientific method because retesting the age of the earth tomorrow might yield an age of x years after all (or z or a raccoon. Anything is possible!). I think science has long since addressed this uncertainty using the concept of confidence. In science we never “know” anything. We can be very confident but we must always acknowledge that everything could be wrong when new evidence comes to light or the universe changes overnight. When science presents, say, the law of gravity as fact we are saying we’re very sure that this thing is true and will continue to be true.\n\nThis addresses Hume’s argument by allowing for the possibility that gravity will not work tomorrow while simultaneously contending that it is very likely that it will. Jon’s assertion that “we have no reason whatsoever to believe” addresses the question of what evidence (the scientific “reason”) is. Evidence, in its broadest sense, includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Within that broad definition, there are different qualities of evidence. “Some guy on the internet told me gravity exists” would be very poor evidence. Multiple studies using different methodologies repeated over the ages coming to identical conclusions would be much better evidence. There does not have to be perfect evidence. All Hume’s argument does is say that inductive evidence is not perfect evidence.\n\nI split this hair because the assertion “we have no reason whatsoever to believe” implies that the smallest amount of doubt is equivalent to complete uncertainty. Just because the sun might not rise tomorrow does not mean that we have no reason to believe it will. We have past experience. Past experience may not be perfect evidence but it IS evidence and it is by this evidence that we can provide a rationale for our belief."

I wonder if bioengineering has or ever will have its own Richard Stallman who founds something like a "Free DNA Foundation." 

What does everyone think? I think it works better than the pacman ghost that is there now. Also here is a link to the transparent png one.\n\nhttp://imgur.com/Vau5O

The only way to handle a teacher who is anti-vaccine is in a biohazard suit!

I had a fun thought the other day while watching the original Nat Geo Special on the subject.  The Nat Geo special had a much better take on the subject - they'd let crazy hair guy spout some jibberish, then have an actual scientist debunk him.  \n\nThis made me think that it would be funny for someone to take a random episode of Ancient Aliens, remove the narration, and change it for the better.  \n\nThe narrator could say things like "Listen to what this kook thinks about the Mayans" right before crazy hair guy speaks.  Then the Narrator could say something like "and here we have a voice of reason..." right before a skeptic explains what really happened.

That which is believed without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.\n\nThe lack of evidence is evidence of an absence of psychic phenomena.\n\nAdditionally, it is trivial to build a positive physical case ruling-out psychic phenomena.  \n\nThe only reason that it has been carried this far and has involved so many reputable institutions is due to the gullibility of people including scientists.  Psychologist were never really good at hard science. \n\nNote: [Project Alpha](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Alpha) is an example of the gullibility of these psychic researchers.\n\n\nAgain I strongly suggest that you invest some time with some videos on critical thinking. This is [a good one to start with](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69TOuqaqXI). The creator of the channel has many more which I think will be helpful.\n\n\n

So this guy made a new video, it doesn't say so much new but he really made an effort to claim that the footage is real. Which, if it was, would make it to one of the best ufo-videos I have seen.\nhttp://youtu.be/qM2pE6c4rX8

&gt;Looks crazy because your theory is wrong. Find a better theory.\n\nYet you can't actually argue that case in a way that withstands scrutiny.  You can only declare it!\n\nA circular argument is one where the conclusion you are trying to prove is also one of the premises on which you are basing your argument.  It is a function of logic, not psychology.  That's got nothing to do with what your theory is, but the arguments on which you are basing your conclusion (i.e. your argument above).  An illogical argument can be determined objectively.   If you can't argue the logic, and you can't argue the facts, *you can't argue*.   Sorry.\n

&gt; What do either of those two things have to do with what you were replying to? Neither of those things change the fact that the killing of a man by Navy SEALs, using firearms at close range, is not an unreasonable scenario to occur.\n\nMoreover, let's examine the counter-theory: that Obama, the US government, the Pakistani intelligence services *and* the Indian government have all conspired together to pretend bin Laden is dead... when the entire thing could be blown wide open (and prove all the above groups to be liars) simply by bin Laden posting on the internet a video of himself holding the current day's paper and grinning at them.\n\nMoreover, al Qaeda have also confirmed he's dead.  So I guess you have to expand that conspiracy theory now to include the US government *and* al Qaeda all co-ordinating and working together hand-in-glove to pretend bin Laden's dead when he's not.\n\nCompared to "they finally tracked him down and got it right this time".

If a science magazine wrote an article about "How did Jesus walk on water?", that would be a fair thing to complain about, and your comparison would make sense.\n\nBut this is a question of "How long would someone live if he was tortured, starved, deprived of water, hung on a cross, and stabbed in the heart."  Dying is not like shooting snakes from your eyes: so far as I know, nobody has ever shot snakes from his eyes, but people die all the time.\n\nDying is not a miracle.  It is not unbelievable.  It is not supernatural.  Comparing "dying" to "shooting snakes out your eyes" makes no sense to me whatever.\n

I think it was 9 PM - 10 PM. I wish I had taken note of the time now.\n\nIn your video, those look very similar to satellites after I looked up a few videos on youtube. You'll notice they all travel in a straight path at a slow moving pace and some are probably higher than others, hence the illusion of some looking larger. It is strange though that there are so many.

It depends. Sometimes it changes by itself (dynamic IP), one can change it by resetting the router (doesn't always work), getting behind a proxy and so on. However, I'm guessing that Reddit might also read other details to identify who's who, such as cookies and similar crap.

Comes from a series of books in the early 70s by a guy named Sitchin. "Chariots of the Gods" was the first IIRC. He postulated that all the primitive God forms in early human societies were actually aliens from this "planet x" called Nibiru. It's on a weird orbit that brings it around us on a multi-thousand year cycle and when it does, disasters happen, like pulling asteroids out of the asteroid belt and pummelling Earth with them.\n\nEdit: His "proof" were artifacts that appear to show other older cultures aware of and using technology that we think is unique to us, like rocket ships:\n\nhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Pacal_the_Great_tomb_lid.svg/360px-Pacal_the_Great_tomb_lid.svg.png\n\nand light bulbs:\n\nhttp://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Denderahlightbulb.html\n\nEdit: Accidentally conflated Sitchin (12th Planet) with Von Danniken (Chariots of the Gods), y bad...

Supernatural is one of the categories, yes, but it isn't a matter of being all the categories.  This would be a matter of a mental ability.

How about the transcript of the astronauts going behind the moon? They were talking about hearing music. \n\nI'll look for the link. But yeah, more than enough astronaut's have come forward with enough stories for me. They can't all be liars,..well I seriously doubt it. Like I said, it's good enough for me. Something is definitely going on out there. \n\n

Very exciting, even if not used for ET stuff. I love seeing how things work in detail :)

First of all, never trust anything you see when using a cell phone camera. The quality is horrible, and the photos and video is extremely low resolution. If you think you might have something going on, use a real video/still camera and try again to capture something.

As a kid I spent a couple of months each summer at my uncle's cattle ranch in the Colorado Rockies, about 60 miles south of Steamboat Springs.  My cousin and I are the same age, and being self-proclaimed mountain boys, we slept every night the weather would permit outside in sleeping bags instead of inside the house.  The night sky at this elevation/location is breathtaking, and we'd spend hours stargazing and watching meteorites, satellites, and such.\n\nOne particular evening (it was 1981, we were both 11 years old) we were doing the usual -- tracing the path of a satellite while talking about girls and what we were going to do with our vast riches someday -- when a certain light in the sky caught our attention.  My cousin spotted it first and pointed it out, saying something to the effect of "well, that one sure looks odd".  We watched as it appeared to move steadily in one direction for a bit, then would abruptly change directions and move in a different path just as steadily for a few more seconds.  This went on for some time, I'd guess about 10 minutes, moving one way, changing direction and moving another way, repeatedly.  The light was very tiny and faint, similar to any of the satellites we observed all the time...but this was the only one we'd ever seen that was changing directions.\n\nI'd finally grown bored of tracking the light and was looking at a totally different part of the sky when my cousin sat straight up and exclaimed "What the hell??" or something like that, and I turned to look in the direction he was staring at. "It came down over the hill...look!"  I didn't see an object, but there was clearly a red, pulsating glow of light on the whole mountainside across the valley from our location.  Without seeing whatever it was, it was obvious that something between us and the mountain, but blocked from our direct view, was casting a very strong red-colored light that was dimly illuminating the entire area.  I remember noting that it appeared the source was moving, as I could see shadows from the terrain slowly shifting and stretching along the hillsides.  This lasted maybe 2 minutes, and then we both witnessed a craft of some sort slowly rise over the hill into our view, pause for about five seconds, then shoot straight up and gone out of sight as if it had been fired from a gun.  We never heard it make any sounds at all, and the best I can describe its appearance would be like a wedding cake of several tiers turned upside down, with lights rotating around each tier in the opposite direction of the adjacent tiers. Red and yellow lights is all I remember...but red was the dominant color.\n\nWe were shaken by what we'd seen and immediately went inside the ranch-house to speculate for hours about what we'd seen and finally fall asleep.  The next morning we told my uncle all about it, and he did his usual routine of making some light-hearted jokes about our imaginations before telling us to finish breakfast and get to milking the cow that wasn't going to milk itself...end of discussion.\n\nThe following evening -- so now about 42 hours after we saw the ufo -- my cousin and I were hanging out in the barn like we often did, and we spotted my uncle riding his horse up the hill, wading boots on and shovel on his shoulder like a rifle... he was headed out to do his irrigating...a twice per day chore.  Nothing unusual; he'd be gone for an hour or so changing the water flow on the hay field.  But about 20 minutes later we heard a horse galloping and looked out to see my uncle coming back in an obvious hurry.  He rode up to the house and jumped off the horse and hurried inside.  We knew something was up and high-tailed it up to the house to see what was going on.  As soon as we opened the screen door to go inside my uncle motioned at us to "stop right there and get back outside"... he was on the phone.  We sat on the porch straining to hear what he was saying but all we could get was that he was making call after call and telling folks to get out there right away.  Soon the pickups started rolling in, ranchers from all over the area, for an impromptu meeting at the house.  We weren't allowed to join them, and told in no uncertain terms to stay outside while they discussed business.\n\nSoon they all emerged from the house, piled into the cab, bed, and trailer of one who'd driven his truck and horse trailer rig to the meeting, and up the rocky tractor road they drove...the same direction my uncle had gone leisurely to and hurriedly back from.  They were gone for at least an hour, and when they returned they had a bit more huddle discussion where us kids were flatly excluded.  They'd point to the horse trailer here and there while talking, and my cousin and I knew there was something in that trailer that had them all excited and markedly concerned.  After a bit my uncle told me and my cousin, "You boys stay put, Mom will be back from town soon", and all the men hopped in their vehicles and followed the truck/trailer down the road in a caravan.  We never got to see what they had in there.\n\nSeveral times over the last couple of weeks of my visit, people came out to the ranch.  Each time, they were in government/military type of trucks... one or two large pickups or suburbans, with official looking seals on the sides (I really wish I'd paid better attention to the details, but I didn't.  I just remember knowing that these were people of authority in official use vehicles).  My uncle would spot them coming down the road, tell us to stay inside, and walk out to meet them at the road.  They'd have a conversation for several minutes, then leave.  My uncle would come back in the house, tell us to scram by giving us some odd chore to do down at the barn or whatnot, and start making phone calls again.\n\nMany years later I asked my cousin about this, and he asked me "Ever heard stories about alien cattle mutilations?", and of course I had seen stories and such.  Apparently my uncle had come across a dead cow of his, with signs of something very strange having caused its death....strange enough to freak him and all the neighbors out, and draw the interest of the government or military.  We're pretty sure that we'd witnessed the craft that caused all the commotion the night before, and that there is definitely something to the many stories and accounts of cattle mutilations over the last several decades.  Gave me chills just typing this.\n\nTL;DR  A UFO killed one of my uncle's cows when I was 11, and I realized years later that I indirectly witnessed the event.

&gt;im quite curious so know where he got his PhD from\n\nIn his case, it stands for Piled high and Deep.

That is too bad, we should invite him again and maybe explain the rules of engagement a little better for him to understand.

Yes, and side effects for vaccinations are generally known. I assume the reactions are studied, but I don't know how Croatian medicine works. And remember, that's 277 out of the entire population of Croatia.

My best guess is: real school was hard, why study biology when you could study the vibrational energy of Divine love which gives balance to our multidimensional souls from which happiness flows eternal?

not just some space debris?  I know there is a ton circling earth, but not sure about the moon.

I wasn't being sarcastic. Please refrain from accusing me of things that have not happened.

&gt;the popular afternoon TV show Anderson—hosted by Ander­son Cooper—asked, “Are we being visited by aliens from space?”\n\nI thought Anderson Cooper was above this.\n\n&gt;I was invited as a skeptic to provide balance to the three segments\n\nThis is a very bad format. Psychologically, a video segment with edits, reenactments, interviews, etc. is sure to leave a stronger impression on viewers than a talking head debunking it afterwards, if this is how it was done. The skeptic should be included *in* the segment and provide balance there.

She should be a model, not a columnist.\n\nIt's hugely irresponsible to give her a way to spread more dangerous nonsense.

I was actually wondering about this on the bus ride to work this morning. I figured that since I haven't seen any news about this guy it turned out to be fake (of course). It's interesting that people still believe this nut. Nice to see this piece, and especially nice that it mentions that there are areas where this dude isn't monitored.  Still though, it's a fun idea, too bad people are taking this dude spr srsly.

I like how they left out the "He's an Atheist" accusation since that one is probably true. 

Thanks for the reply.\n\nSay, that second link's website is in a weird format. Would you be kind enough to point me into the direction where it shows circles being made in under 4 hours.\n\n

The magnetic force is related to the velocity of the magnet? How? Two magnets attract/repel each other whether or not they are moving. \n\nSure, if there would be an equilibrium in the sketch I posted above it would stop there, but the only place that would be would be exactly under one of the magnets, essentially between the poles. Since the magnets are quite thin, the speed required to pass a magnet is quite low. As soon as it has passed it, it will be repelled, while simultaneously attracting the next magnet... No?

When Zeitgeist first came out all my friends were telling me that I would love it and I had to watch it, I think I downloaded it at one point and never got around to watching it... I later learned that it was full of BS and I'm glad I never got around to watching it.

Right, it worked for the hijackers, but not the passengers, many of whom were assuredly praying for their lives. Once again proving that prayer works and also does not work.

Mandarin is clearly the language of the future. Over 1.6 billion speakers and counting.

I think common-sense people of both sides of the fence should call out the bullshit in their own yard.\n\nConservatives with the nutty christian / creationist / birther stuff.\n\nLiberals with too much political correctness / anti-corporation conspiracy theories (Big *).

I suspect you know a lot more about quantum mechanics than I do, but for the sake of debate I'll have a stab at it. \n\nI believe that Paul Davies is a respected physicist. He is quoted as saying;\n\n*Then came our Quantum theory, which totally transformed our image of matter. The old assumption that the microscopic world of atoms was simply a scaled-down version of the everyday world had to be abandoned. Newton's deterministic machine was replaced by a shadowy and paradoxical conjunction of waves and particles, governed by the laws of chance, rather than the rigid rules of causality. An extension of the quantum theory goes beyond even this; it paints a picture in which solid matter dissolves away, to be replaced by weird excitations and vibrations of invisible field energy. Quantum physics undermines materialism because it reveals that matter has far less 'substance' than we might believe. But another development goes even further by demolishing Newton's image of matter as inert lumps. This development is the theory of chaos, which has recently gained widespread attention*.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Materialism#Criticism_and_alternatives

Oh, these guys have to be amongst the most stubborn and hypocritical bunch of the woo communities.\n\nI think we should send them to a starving community in Africa, so they can put their ideas across, then film the results!

As a Christian I would point out that this is very bad exegesis.

The part about how we've been giving our most brilliant people pills and lobotomies since 4000bc was what persuaded me.I have already signed up for the newsletter.

empirical data from the comic proofs he had a wound in the shoulder not in the head. but nothing works better then a gun to make a point, that is true

You're arguing the effects a product like this causes in a market, and take a very self-interested standpoint. That's fine, I won't argue with your philosophies and won't downvote you either.\n\nHowever, I'm arguing that it is and should be illegal to tell people there is something in a product that there isn't, which goes beyond just made-up hooha. If I told you my 2lb weight contains 1.85 lbs gold, and you bought it and can prove there's no gold in the product, I don't believe that is currently legal. Do you think it should be? I've got a bridge to sell you.\n\nJust because it's a made-up ingredient, is it really different? By selling a product with a label saying it contains something, you are certifying that the product is truthful to its labeling.

Here is what I turned up.  Seems pretty straight forward an non-alien.  This has been documented extensively.\n\n"Mexican experts found a cemetery a few thousand years old in the state of Sonora that has features never seen before in that region and extending the zone of influence of the Mesoamerican peoples, said archaeologists from the Institute National Anthropology and History (INAH).\nA mere 300 meters from the village of Onavas, southern Sonora, was an outdoor grave site, the first pre-Hispanic cemetery,of that state found with burials composed of 25 individuals, 13 of whom have intentional skull deformation, INAH said in a statement.\nFive individuals with cranial deformation also have dental mutilation. These cultural practices are similar to those of pre-Hispanic groups in southern Sinaloa and northern Nayarit, but had not been recorded in Sonora, detailed the Institute."\n\nCredit: Institute National Anthropology and History

This is not new. This interview was given when cables started to be released, and he said from the beggining that there was nothing interesting about UFO's.

The technology transfer started in the 1940s.  I now believe that most UFOs we see are ours.

This isn't already considered a primarily psychological disease?

"I always close my sessions to, not just turn it off; they say spirits can get trapped if you dont close it right"\n\nI thought the OP was an idiot for posting the ghostbox horseshit, but you are clearly insane. You can't honestly be this stupid, can you?

that's quiet a difference, was looking at something else Russia related and that video i posted came up as a sponsored link

I gave you an upvote because I was home schooled from the 3rd grade through high school, and while I do well in college, I know my social skills suck. I've spent the last 3 years trying really hard to make up for all those years of social development. I've gotten a lot better in most areas except dealing with women.\n\nI have also met a lot of home schooled children over the years and they all seem to have social problems. I have never met someone who was home schooled who didn't have a hard time adjusting to the real world. I'm sure they are out there, I've just never met one.\n\nSo if you are thinking about home schooling your children, don't. What they will lose is more than any perceived gain.

I got a multitude of episodes from different torrents and such. You should try that route.

&gt;Are you kidding me? Of COURSE it warrants a conversation\n\nNo, it's warrants research. A conversation about a phenomenon that we do not know what it is is utterly pointless.\n\n&gt;So, for example, the US Air Force press conference in 1952, in which they publically admit the objects were real and they have no idea what they were, mean nothing\n\nIt means nothing other than the existence of a phenomenon. It offers nothing more.

It's rare, but it happens. Most people don't take a chance on it happening a second time.  You made the right decision. It might have gained power over you.  And frankly, it's best to put it out of your mind.  Give it no residence in your thoughts.

&gt;So helping to bring back some of the most serious killers of children is a good thing then is that what you are trying to argue? Here is some of the fallout nicely summarised for you.\n\nNo, I'm arguing that if you think not vaccinating a kid is equivalent to killing your child you would also have to think that someone driving a car is essentially running over your child. It's hysterical and stupid.\n\nI'm well aware that vaccines are awesome and if one ever slips past the goalie for me my offspring will be vaccinated as fuck. However, it is disingenuous to argue that a free rider on a group's immunity is directly killing other people.\n\n&gt;People not vaccinating may not intend for it to happen but they ultimately are being negligent and are the ones responsible for those deaths just as surely as if they intended to spread death.\n\nPeople drink soda and eat fast food all the time, adding a large burden to the healthcare system. As do smokers, drug users, prostitutes, lazy people, and the unemployed. Should we go all Nazi on them, too?

No, no. What he wrote was a fourteen paragraph point by point rebuttal against your above statement. It was beautifully written and brought me to tears multiple times.\n\nMaybe you didn't see the same thing though, because perception is completely relative.

Food for homeless people, wallpaper for glory hole cubicles, soaking up crime scene blood, stopping up toilets during a prison riot. \n\nTruly, there's a lot you can do with those books.

When someone eats themselves immortal, I think I will start paying attention to nutrition headlines again.

hmmmmm... not a bad idea. Think I'd rather get a portrait of Turing though. He's my favorite scientist. 

It actually is a theory.  A theory is what happens when a hypothesis is backed up with observable evidence, but we do not yet understand all of the laws surrounding it.  If it can be disproved, it stops being a theory, and a new hypothesis must be formulated on the new data.\n\nBecause so many don't understand what a theory is, in their ignorance, they have accurately represented it.  Or, they intentionally got it right....but I remain skeptical of that.

no. would you send lego out to find computers? The Mars missions are our first attempts at colonizing other planets, then raping them for resources because we refuse to control our population in any real sense of the word.

It is the least I could do to entertain us over this depressing site.

Could you elaborate?\n\n*Addendum*\n\nRead up about him, I think I get what you're getting at, and wow, you must have a real problem with what he says to get annoyed at me for pointing out the simple fact that malnutrition at a young age leads to severe brain damage. This has nothing to do with the ideas that he has been promoting such as the Eurasian environment giving an advantage to the people who lived there, and that's why they've dominated, or whatever it is he's trying to say.\n\nAll I'm pointing out is that the brain needs a good supply of nutrition at a young age to develop, and malnutrition leads to brain damage. This is an uncontroversial fact.

I didn't make up some childish insult. I simply stated the obvious. You must not be that familiar with r/skeptic.

Aspirin causes problems in lower doses than most OTC drugs. This isn't a controversial idea.

yeah there are alot of people that live contradictions, that doesn't mean we can't make pretty good generalizations about the two schools of thought

What video? All there is on the site is a Bigfoot video and an ad. 

&gt; trumps basic human respect.\n\nI assume you refer to the general respect deserved by the recently deceased?\n\nI appreciate the tolerance of opposition to his spiritual qualities, and I do think perhaps a less ireful article could be written simply to be more informative since this wasn't very successfully written.\n\nAt the same time, I think it's perfectly valid to remind the world of Sai Baba's controversy, even if not especially now. Any news organization would do the same. He was an extremely public figure, with many accusers of terrible abuses of power and fraud, and with that should come an understanding that your opposition will follow you beyond the grave.\n\nI'm not saying go picket his funeral or laugh in a believer's face, but it's completely fine to hate the guy as loud as you want, even now.

It actually happens more often to tourists from other parts of the world, it's not Jews exclusive

Right.  Of course.  :)\n\nAnd taste is a perfectly good reason to prefer one kind of milk over another.  Full disclosure: I can't stand soymilk, but I'm not fond of *any* kind of milk.  I've not tried almond milk though.  I like almonds.

If Romney wins I expect to hear about [Lizard People](http://www.davidicke.com/) 24/7.

I'm [currently testing this](http://i.imgur.com/PD6su.png) on myself and my unsuspecting roomie (who does believe in ghosts to some degree) and her cats, who already seem more disturbed than usual.\n\nNo ghost sightings so far from my part, will report back if anything unusual happens.\n\n*edit: nothing happened.

He's made numerous responses to me and deleted them. \n\nI respect the beliefs of people in this forum, even if I don't agree with them, and find his kind of close-minded belief to be disturbing. As I mentioned to him in an earlier post, true discovery and science not only wants to be disproved, it BEGS to be disproved, because that's how we learn. \n\nI don't believe that we've been visited by aliens, but I would dearly love to be proven wrong. 

Not really, understand it was pitch black and whatever this was it was about 5 feet in the corn stalks so it was well hidden apart from the eyes. The only thing not mentioned before was that there was odor of what smelled like a rotting carcass.

[The anthropic principle - wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle)\n\n[Multiverses and the anthropic principle - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy](http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/cosmology-theology/#5.2)

Hmmm. Maybe: Repeatably ask for double blind controlled studies. Every time she supplies one, rip it to bits. Get her to state early on that these studies exist, and repeatably show her they don't.\n\nNot sure how much use that would be though, probably will just drive her away from you, as she seems to take anecdotal evidence seriously and will just reply with claims of "Well that study was wrong, but it doesn't matter, it just works, I've seen it".  

&gt;But I hope that in my writing I made it clear that propositioning a woman that you do not know in an enclosed space like this is not appropriate behavior is what I was trying to get across.\n\nOur only real point of disagreement is how much each of us see it as a proposition, I think. I'm not comfortable extrapolating that so a big deal can be made of the situation. We just don't have the information in his head.\n\n&gt;I have done my far share of speculation on this, but so have you. No worries about the ad hominium it happens.\n\nIt was some of the other stuff that suggested that to me, not the core of your argument.

Last I checked, Swine Flu killed 1000's (in about a 1 year span).  Sure it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but there was also an excellent vaccine campaign, which more than likely stopped it from spreading a lot more.  If I have a chance of dying or becoming very sick, why in the fuck would I want to "save vaccines"?

I don't know about insomnia, but it's a miracle for long flights.

That's called living with other people.  Sometimes the good of the herd is more important than the good of the individual to stockpile automatic weapons.

if presented with the choice between hitler and stalin, I think it would be entirely reasonable to vote for neither and complain about either. 

[Shrub-Flatterer?](http://www.intriguing.com/mp/_pictures/grail/large/HolyGrail140.jpg)\n\nEcky ecky ecky ecky ftang zoom-boing dlrallmm...

Someone who believes that Obama was not born in the united states, and therefore is not legally eligible to be our president.

As a "neo-nazi" who takes great pride in my intelligence, is nuerotically rational and thoughtful and scientific, and a graduate student in physics, I must say that I am insulted by your highly intolerant and closed-minded post.

True.  He never reinstated them tho', even when they became the largest capitalized corporation in America.  \n\nMatching charitable deductions is a business perk offered by 50% of the Fortune 500 companies and was one of the first things reintroduced after Jobs left the company earlier this year.

the multiple universe for every choice doesnt necessarily mean you are splitting universes.  if there already exists infinite universes, then it follows that there MUST be a universe for every choice (and every possible quantum configuration), but that means there's as many you's as there are choices.  so, if you facing the choice of crossing a street -- in one universe you do and get hit by a bus, in another universe you dont and live.  but these are two you's born independantly of each other in different universes -- not one you that splits into two.  as you're standing on the curb you dont KNOW if you're the you that's going to die, or you're the you thats going to live.  \n\noften i'll find myself nearly get away with something and think to myself "in another universe i just did get away with it."  \n\nin this scenerio free will would still be an illusion to each individual and their actions would actually be deterministic based on the configuration of the specific universe they inhabit.  

I think anyone should be entitled to believe anything they want as long as it doesn't have a negative effect on others.\n\nMy wife believes in ghosts, swears by some herbal remedies and so on. If her beliefs lead to actions that effect others - such as health decisions for our children - I stand my ground. The harder decisions are something like acupuncture for back pain. It's not harmful but it costs money and I'm the one who has to mind the kids. I'll deliver the whole efficacy/evidence/research speech and say I am happy to look after the kids while she goes for a massage or PT.\n\nYou have to choose your battles. Vitamin water is filtered tap water with some sugar in it but if it is on the shopping list I buy it.\n\nIf a romantic partner believed in microwave-based element transmutation I would be worried about the possibility of growing old and dying with someone who was dumb. I usually try to challenge that sort of stuff by "buying it" and following it to it's logical conclusion. As mentioned by the other poster - "is that how they make gold?"

Have him read up on the [ideomotor effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideomotor_effect).

TIL Los Angeles, DC, Chicago, and New York are shanty towns.\n\nBut seriously, something like 70% of the population of the united states lives within 100 miles of a coast. That statistic alone should tell you how vital it is that the coasts don't, you know, disappear.

What possible use is it to punish these people.  Haven't they suffered enough already?  You just want revenge. etc.

I don't think lapses were the focus. It's about general trends in scientific acceptance. That's a bigger issue with more significant implications.

I actually read this Dawkins quote today in the book "Darwin's Gift To Science And Religion." The book basically argued that evolutionary theory isn't necessarily opposed to religious beliefs. One example was how many people use the "cruelty" of the world to argue that God doesn't exist, as he would not be a benevolent God (as most major religions make Him out to be), but the theory of evolution actually takes God off the hook, as it explains much of the "evil" in the natural world as a product of [pitilessly indifferent] natural processes and mechanisms, and not a direct effect of God's will. I am a skeptic of God myself, but certainly not indifferent to religious ideas. I didn't exactly do the book justice in this short little review but I definitely recommend the read; it's not long or difficult, it explains the science behind evolution very clearly and also debunks even the best arguments for "intelligent design."

As you might expect, I've had several run-ins with Sibrel in the past, including "debates" on TV and radio. You also can probably predict what I think of him, but just in case, [you can read about him on my website](http://www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/sibrel.html).\n

[Look at this reply. I agree with him.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/iit8l/after_rebecca_watsons_letter_to_dawkins_let_me/c2440tj)

This is anecdotal, so take it as you will. I have grown up in the NW, which many people done know is a pretty huge producer of beef, pork, and chicken, among other food animals. I have visited many slaughterhouses, kill yards, and farms. I have seen factory slaughterhouses (though very uncommon in the NW as most of the meat farms in the area are smaller farms and many focus on organic or grass fed meat) as well as smaller independent slaughterhouses, and (technically illegal) private slaughter barns for individual farms or a coop of farms. I have some experience but no science. \n\nWhat I know from my experience is that factory farms are pretty goddamn awful, though FAR worse for chicken than for beef. Hell, dairy products are probably much more inhumane than slaughter is for cattle. But, end of the line, yes the animals are mistreated...I don't know how anyone could deny that. Is it anywhere close to as bad as the vegan propaganda, not even close except for chicken farms which are seriously fucking disturbing, but they are still bad. I would recommend, since I don't believe veganism is healthy, natural, ir sustainable, is that if you can afford it eliminate ALL products produced from animals that came from a major national or even regional farm. I just have never really find one with practices I found acceptable. Do a search for farm coop groups in your area, also local farms, and fresh/local/sustainable buying groups. I recently made the switch over completely, I buy every single animal product from a local farm (beef I get a bit further away but within 200 miles). Cheese, milk, all meats, ice cream, etc... Are all bought locally. One of my farms delivers directly to me, another I go and meet them at a predetermined place and time, and the beef I buy from a farm ay the local farmers market. I have personally toured each farm, inspected the conditions the animals are raised in, seen pictures of the slaughter facilities, and frankly the most important thing, I have heard the passion and concern for the animals in the farmers voices and seen it in their eyes. I know without any doubt that I am getting meat which wad well loved and cared for. \n\nIt is more expensive, but not hugely so. For instance, in of the farms just had a bunch of hogs come to slaughter that were a heritage breed, really damn near wild boar, and extremely high quality meat. I paid 6.99 a lb for it, which is about 50cents more than the grocery store, but the difference in quality is like comparing sex with Christina Hendricks to masturbating with 20 grit sandpaper. You have never experienced meat the way it was meant to be tasted until you eat meat from a good ethical SNF passionate farmer. \n\nThis is my solution to the ethical dilemma faced with unethical farming practices. I get to eat meat, which is both more natural for my body and really tasty, and I am supporting ethical practices. Also, nearly all of these local farms and coops will also sell a weekly bag with all local fresh organic and seasonal fruits and veggies that are amazing. \n\nGood luck, and if you find any sources let me know. 

The article doesn't link to the study that claims a 4% increase when controlling for vitamin D and calcium but they also don't say if the study controlled for age, family history, smoking, drinking, medication, overall health or exercise, all of which are known to present a greater than 4% increase of risk. Look, you're talking 4% increase in risk, amongst people who drink  3 or more colas a day.  This is a non typical quantity of cola, and the increase is not substantial. You're talking about a 1.32% increase in actual instances in women, and they found no increase in men.  I don't know if we should even conclude that 4% is significant considering the sample.  \n\nIf we grant that what they are saying is 100% true, as a male, my risk of osteoporosis appears unchanged by adding moderate consumption of cola to my diet.  If I were a woman what kind of risk would it present?  Consider that the subjects were consuming **three or more colas a day**, this would suggest that the actual average was somewhat larger than three.  Even assuming I'm consuming the average amount of cola, it presents a risk that is both small, and preventable.  I can simply increase my calcium consumption, or have hormone therapy, or start appropriate exercise regiments.  There are a whole host of things that are known to be dangerous at high levels, but are perfectly safe at low levels, and so it is entirely possible that if I simply drink one cola a week, it could present no increased risk, or at the very least very little.\n\nI consume about 5 colas a week.  If we assume that the subjects of the study consumed only the minimum 3 sodas a day, and extrapolate the risks linearly, we come to a risk of women of  0.317%, and non existent for men.\n\nLook, we all make compromises all the time, we sleep in sometimes.  We drink too much on a weekend. We have cake, or candy. We work swing shifts in college.  These things have known adverse health effects, yet we will do them, for many reasons.  Singling out cola, and saying that it is uniquely unhealthy is ridiculous.  If you maintain a reasonable diet, with exercise the cola will present little risk. \n\nTo quickly address the phosphoric acid bits, from the very article that you are linking too:\n\n&gt;Some experts point out that the amount of phosphoric acid in soda is minimal compared to that found in chicken or cheese. And no one's telling women to stop eating chicken.\n\nDrinking soda with a straw is a good idea, because a can of soda has 39g of sugar in it, the real culprit behind tooth decay.

I take everything they say with a pinch of salt. They do actually cite their sources usually, but they seem to exaggerate to make it funnier.

If you look closely you can see the ghost in pic 3. It's obviously in "Scare" mode as so many people call it. It'll give me nightmares at least.

My theories\n\na) Military craft. Black project related. I do believe that some craft may be government related, but not all can be explained. \n\nb) Extra-terrestrials from a distant star. Its possible. But there isn't any hard data to back this claim up. Yes UFOs are a legitimate phenomenon, but to jump the gun and say they're physically from a distant star, is an assumption.\n\nc) Inter-dimensional beings. They are not of this dimension, and can go in and out of different densities. \n\nd) Intra-terrestrial beings. Alien intelligence have always been on Earth, even before mankind. They are the true power holders of the planet. They currently reside below the surface of the Earth.

I guess I just remember, as a kid, he always seemed very condescending and rude to the paranormal-topic guests. That bugged me, but I suppose I could be remembering wrong. I haven't listened into the show in years now. I love Art because he's who was always on when I used to listen, so his voice is very nostalgic to me.

Just in case anyone else was interested, I decided to reply here instead of via PM...I hope that's cool with you: http://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/z81cj/couple_attempts_exorcism_in_walmart_parking_lot/\n\nThere's another link that I provided there which gives a lot more information out about the situation.

*Gamer* glasses. While reading you can accomplish the same thing with a screen filter, but in games like BF3 (where players can be camouflaged into the environment) it *definitely* makes a difference once you get your screen contrast set up perfectly. Alongside that it places much less strain on your eyes.\n\nTry 'em before you knock 'em. 

The harder you push science, the harder this person will resist. I think you need to take a gentler approach in which you encourage this friend to question his method of acquiring knowledge.\n\nTalk to this friend about his beliefs on what the brain is. Ask him if he believes humans always make the best decisions. Then try and transition into cognitive biases by talking about ways in which people predictably err. Give lots of anecdotes that your friend can relate to.\n\nLearn about some of the tests people have done for something like confirmation bias, so that, if your friend is skeptical, you can walk him through an example step by step.\n\nIn general, I think that if your goal is to convince people that reason is a superior form of decision making, you need to first cast doubt on intuition and emotion as valid methods of verifying knowledge. Otherwise their intuition and emotion will just encourage them to resist truths they find inconsistent.

Thanks for letting me know! Where can I buy one? (the page isn't loading for me) 

Then explain why the toiletpaper was clean, and there was no feces on my butthole?

I love the way skeptics always do this. No, proof has to lie on both sides. 

Or maybe they just don't care much if we see them occasionally? What exactly are we going to do about it? I suspect that's why the government's position is that they don't exist: because if they acknowledged it they'd have to admit they have no control over it.\n\nIf ET wanted us to know they were here they could just arrive at a public event where thousands of people could see them.

I don't know if I believe or not, but I'd really like for there to be something else out there other than this plane of existence.  I guess I'd like to tap into something bigger than myself.  

i presume you say this because right now there is only 1 person that bothered to contribute to the thread beside you and he is a paranoid conspiracy theorist . hopefully it won't be the case and someone might want to point out to something interesting  that was  written about this... a master's thesis ,  a paper in a sociology journal etc

Someone in another comment goes into a discussion on dose dependence.  At a sufficient concentration, you could probably induce cancer from a wide range of compounds that most people would consider safe.  As well as the general idea that carcinogens are ubiquitous and unavoidable.  The presence of them doesn't dictate that their at a high enough level to be a reasonable risk factor.

Neat, I find anthropology really interesting.  Thanks for the link.

&gt; [...] no science is possible with even the slightest fabrication or fudging of data.\n\nI would probably make a differentiation between "human error / poor measurement or experiment design" and "fudged data" (malicious and/or intentional).  The former tends to get discovered when others attempt to reproduce the experimental results or review the test protocols.  Accusation of the latter tends to lead to claims of persecution at the hands of The Establishment (probably the single most popular claim in the "free energy" world).\n\n&gt; I upmodded your comment, I wonder who is downmodding legit discussion?\n\nMeh.  There are griefers everywhere, and no real "rules" for how to use the arrows and for what reasons.  By personal rule, I *always* up-mod anything I reply to.  If it is worth replying to, it is valid enough to be considered part of the thread.

Reddit doesn't count certain votes from (however they determine).  If the cheaters are upvoting or downvoting and nothing is happening, they know that they are being detected.

Atmospheric effects that cannot be fully understood. As far as the flying saucers go, I am not quite there yet. An old grandma's eyewitness account of some hat-like shape accompanying the lights is probably the product of her imagination, as the recordings clearly indicate that these are just balls of luminous substance.\n\nA pile of dirt dug out from the ground and placed nearby is not proof either. If they could record a chunk of dirt flying across the sky, for several seconds, then it would warrant investigation.

&gt; forcing people to have a medical procedure scares me a bit.\n\nNobody is holding them at gun point and jamming the needle into their arm.  It's simply that now you will receive a tax benefit for getting your child immunized.\n

Yeah, Death Valley is a god damned rainforest now thanks to these things!\n\nOh wait.

Looks like someone shot it with a paint gun, or a bird that's been eating berries crapped on it.

Very sorry for your loss. And although you are a skeptic, there are good and bad ways to use it. The bad way is to determine if something is true or false. The good way is to determine if something is relevant to your life or not. This experience certainly is. \n\nThe dream can be interpreted to a degree. Dogs are known as service animals, here to help us. You were on a journey and your dog was with you for a time. You wanted to stop the journey, perhaps keep your dog in your life but could not. That was their way of letting you know it was their time to go.\n\nNow understand that I am in no way trying to minimize the experience of what happened. I am just acknowledging that there are great bonds of love between people and pets and this is one of the ways that we communicate with them.

&gt;Research on children with ADHD has shown a general reduction of brain volume, but with a proportionally greater reduction in the volume of the left-sided prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that the core ADHD features of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity may reflect frontal lobe dysfunction, but other brain regions in particular the cerebellum have also been implicated.\n\nWe have a poor state of knowledge in any field relating to the brain. That doesn't mean what we know is wrong.\n\n&gt;The side effects go as far as psychosis.\n\nIn how many people? How many people who take stimulants as prescribed undergo permanent psychosis? You're postulating here that ADHD is caused by stimulants, this side effect doesn't even apply.\n\n&gt;which is, as a matter of fact that takes like 5 minutes to stablish, behavioural, NOT neurological 'dopamine deficiency'\n\nBehaviour is run by the brain. A lack of dopamine causes the symptoms of ADHD. Or rather, the behavioural symptoms we can record and diagnose are caused by a lack of dopamine.\n\n&gt;Then you mix up the ADHD, where you can still get things done if extremely motivated, with real disorders where no motivator up to credible death threat can resolve the issue. This is, in a way, quite disgusting.\n\nHow did I ever do this? You are infuriating. I said that the disorder, like that of a crippled person, is not the fault of the victim. I never compared the harm of the two directly. Obviously a cripple will face far worse effects on his life than the vast majority of people with ADHD (except for those whose ADHD leads to suicide). You're doing this on purpose. I never equated it with cripples and you damn well know it.\n\n&gt;Do not overstate it\n\nI am not. ADHD, like I said, can ruin lives if untreated. Regardless of what causes it or why, we can observe it, and we can treat it. I don't understand what you're trying to prove here.

Clearly, our solution then is to [fish tuna to extinction](http://shemcreeksc.com/blog/bluefin-tuna-extinct-by-2012/) as this will save more lives than dropping thiomersal from vaccines. By current data, we're well on target to reach extermination of tuna from oceans - and diets - by 2012.\n\nI'm obviously kidding since destruction of any species is not ecologically sane or safe, rather we could push for banning the fishing of tuna altogether on the ecological basis. With regards to thiomersal, I think we're best off waiting for conclusive evidence one direction or another rather than arguing about it.\n\nThanks for having such a rational debate on these matters, exposure to both consistent information and sensible caution seems to be on short supply these days. :)\n

I have some time ago heard it would be able to pass by the blood brain barrier and do shit in in do your brain if you eat it. Has anyone seen resources to debunk that?

When you are posting non-peer-reviewed crap from Eschenbach or Watts as "counterpoints" to actual peer-reviewed papers published in actual climate journals you are only proving again you are just another moron with no clue about science.

I do see either side's assumptions equally, but the informer is wearing an earpiece. That's not helping my skepticism.

Can you name a single law in the united states, canada, or the UK, that is currently enforced, that discriminates against women? I'm not claiming that sexism doesn't exist, or that there are not major challenges against women, but none of the current challenges that I am aware of have the rule of law as a component. Now, that's not to say that there aren't people trying to change this (I am given to understand that the discussion about banning birth control isn't just some random whack jobs in the southern US and that Roe V. Wade is in serious jeopardy. WTF America?)

you'd be surprised how unreflective and unskeptical atheists can be.

1: I have yet to see research that claims that TM is the worst meditation on the measure of controlling blood pressure. Quite the opposite, in fact.\n\n2: Hindu scriptures warn against many things. Other scriptures encourage those same things. The text in the Yoga Sutras that is interpretted as warning against the siddhis (yogic flying, etc), actually says that they are obstacles to samadhi (pure consciosness). One positive interpretation of this is that they are obstacles in the same way that the challenges in a military confidence course are obstacles (something to be overcome), and that by practicing them in the right context (E.G. TM-sidhis program), they train the nervous system to maintain samadhi while engaging in those specific activities, which tend to draw the mind away from samadhi more than normal activity does.\n\n3: Different traditions claim that different physiological states are associated with samadhi.  TM theory says that simple restful alertness is samadhi or turiya, the background state that is the default/foundation for all other states of consciousness. Further, TM theory predicts that long-term practice of TM alternated with regular activity will lead to a state where pure consciousness is consciously perceived as this background, not only during [waking activity](http://www.totalbrain.ch/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/brain-integration-progress-report.pdf) but also during [sleeping and dreaming](http://www.truthabouttm.org/documentFiles/57.pdf) as well. I'm not aware of research on practitioners of meditation techniques that shows stabilization of the same meditation marker across waking, dreaming and sleeping, except research on TM.

Seeing the weird shapes in the corners of your eyes is something I get regularly - it's classic migraine aura.\nAlso, when I look at bright lights or the sky when it is bright I often feel light headed (it's a migraine symptom - photophobia). I notice your report is December which would be Summer down under - I'm not sure of whether it would still be bright in the sky at 2245 at your latitude but that might be an explanation.\nI have no idea about the triangular craft - this is just me trying to rationalise the associated feelings you had.

It looks to me like the moon is moving from left to right across the leftmost frame, following its orbit.  Those lights could be stars, stationary behind the moving moon.  My guess is that the sky appears starless because the exposure is set for the brightness of the moon, and there's some optical effect that makes the stars briefly visible before passing behind the moon.\n\nAs for why they seem to pass in front briefly before fading, maybe there's some image burn from the star which gets carried into the subsequent frames.

I am still amazed that someone running for president (Bachmann) tried to blame swine flu on god's anger over Carter being in office (though it started under Ford). 

Looks like the improper quote added the first sentence. Here is the real quote, from chapter 5 of *Strength to Love* by MLK Jr.\n\n&gt; "Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."\n\n[*Strength to Love*, page 53](http://books.google.com/books?id=errxX4tzSMcC&amp;lpg=PP1&amp;pg=PA53#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false)\n\nAnd apparently this is from another book of his, *Where Do We Go From Here, Chaos or Community?*:\n\n&gt; "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

Life exists.  Emerging from "organic goop" requires fewer assumption than any other explanation for its existence.  Occam's Razor works just fine in this example.  It's about explanations, not predictions.

In all honesty, as long as they are not claiming to treat these diseases and disorders, I don't really care what they sell.  When they tell people not to go to the doctor because the bracelet is the only solution, then we have a problem.\n\nOtherwise, I see no harm in allowing placebo healing to take place.  Maybe some kid with ADHD, who thinks they have better concentration, will do better on a test.  Not because of some magic bracelet, but because they are telling themselves they can and the believe it.  Placebo is the most studied intervention in the history of medical science.  Too often, as skeptics, we tend to discount the power, and indeed value, of placebo.

They would lose out on at least half the ticket sales. So no, not happening. 

Firstly, I'm a girl. Also I  should mention that the man tells me he hasn't told me the number yet as he sees me typing a number obviously longer than the area code. I freeze, realizing what I had just done. The customer looks confused, and I say sorry can you repeat the number? He does and it matches the one I typed. I erased it and re typed it again, hoping it put that freakish moment behind me, but I can't stop thinking about it. 

Does that include posting in this subreddit and this very reply I am typing to you right now? If so, it scares me to think that my life intersected with some stranger's dream or that I'm just a figment of someone's imagination. (!) 

Sorry I didn't reply earlier I've been busy at work.\n\nAs far as the straight line going through the picture your guess is as good as mine the camera is 20 feet in the air and the fence is only about 7 to 8 feet tall.\n\nMy boss looked at the footage and said it might be a combination of a puddle of water and the lights reflecting off of it. Ill try and get another picture next time in rains.\n\nThe strange part is that you do see the light reflecting off of the puddle but it is very dim then about and hr or so later it seems to get brighter and takes this shape and stays there for a while. I will try and get a vid next time I am at work.

Let me explain this to you. The corporations finance cancer treatments, and then these treatments go out to treat people, and the corporations sit there, in their corporation buildings, and see, they're all corporation-y, and they make money.\n\nIs any of this getting through to you? You should really open your eyes some day, there's a lot you're missing out on. Think about it.

I'm not sure if that is the entire book. Something like 3 chapters?\n\nNonetheless he definitely goes out of his way to reinforce the point that everyone lives in their own subjective reality (in their beliefs, spirituality and perspectives). Yet there exists objective evidence that will take many generations for science and the general public to accept.   

Matrixing, no one knows what Jesus may have looked like, 0/10 would not chop down again. 

Trans*literated*.\n\nAnd yes, we would. If all the records of Japanese pronunciation disappeared, we would only know how it sounds from the Latin transcripts of Japanese text. Such as "sushi" and "Tokyo", which are both Japanese words and only properly expressed with the Japanese writing system.

I like how he quotes a man of the past for the deeds of a doctor of the future, and pays no heed to the men of today.\n\nNever mind how Edison was a thug and a bully and stole most of the things he's credited for from actually competent people.\n\nBut then again we're talking about a chiropractor. Essentially a snake oil salesman.

From what I remember, there is a giant gaping hole in the Rendlesham case records. And by giant gaping hole, I mean they are completely 'missing.' *queue sad trombone*

A wooden crack coming from the ceiling. I don't know how to describe the sound, other than comparing it to cracking a stick, only much louder and with a much lower pitch.\n\nMy window has two locking mechanisms. On the middle it has an attached bar with holes on it, and a handle at the end. The holes can be used to set it in place by a small metal thing on the windowsill. When the window blows open, it simply locks itself out of this mechanism.\n\nThe other mechanism the window uses are these two metal hatch-something at each side of the window that completely locks the window shut. I have yet to see the window get blown open with those on, but sometimes when I'm pretty sure I had both hatches on, it happens I return to the window with one of the hatches being off.\n\nMy cats aren't allowed inside at night because they piss and shit everywhere. They sleep in the entrance room and can go outside whenever they like.

you don't seem like the kind of person that would photoshop a picture to make ghosts, but it is possible to make something like that on phtoshop. just sayin. I'm not accusing you

Wow, I had never thought of it as satire, but if it were, it would be the most brilliant mockumentary ever made. I almost want to re-watch it in that context... I feel like I was trolled by a film.

&gt;no one was reasoning\n\nWell, you weren't, that was obvious, but thanks for confirming it.  \n\n&gt;You are either an idiot, troll or a shill. Pick one!\n\nAd hominem, a rhetorical fallacy employed when a person can't address the substance of the discussion, and instead attacks the opponent personally. \n\nYour statements have been silly. What you seem to be saying is, "I admit I am not serious nor do I employ cogent arguments, thus my posts can only be met with derision. If called on my flawed line of thought I will personally attack you."\n\nPlease continue to document your issues for the /r/ufo community so that future posts by you can be treated accordingly. 

I refuse to believe crop circles are done by clandestine groups of hoaxers who just weren't satisfied by the first 1000 they did. We're trying to be told something.

It looks like someone took the archive photo and overlayed the photos with high transparency. Same position, same dress, same hair, etc. 

I watched this with the sound off and it somehow makes even less sense.

Using wikipedia for a paper != citing wikipedia in a paper.\n\nEvery wikipedia article has a list of citations and references at the bottom of the page. Some of these are links (which can be used as citation) and some are book titles with page numbers (likewise usable).

It worked out, but I'm surprised Randi agreed to those conditions. The reader could have taken cues based on the time it took them to walk out from behind the screen and from their facial expressions when he guessed right or wrong.

Simple answer: Because nothing is perfect.\n\nConsider how someone from the second century A.D. would react to our "magical" modern technology failing.

Honestly I wouldn't play with the board again unless things start to get crazy. From my understanding messing with those boards just makes things worse. 

Oh, I had no idea anyone actually tried to apply it.  Yeah, that's dumb.

skepticism isn't ancient....i still hold that all knowledge is unattainable...so did Hume...hardly ancient....\n\nof course there were ancient skeptics too, but there were also ancient atomists.  

&gt; Essentially, gun control/bans DO work to cut down gun related violent crime. But I have very little hope of such things working in countries like the US that have been flooded with guns for a few hundred years.\n\n- No they don't, no they don't. There is absolutely no evidence to show that, but besides that everyone knows that first of all you need weapons to protect from government tyranny, then defense from buglers and stuff and then you can use your weapon for hunting. \n\n&gt; Guns themselves don't kill people but people who have them have an easier time killing people than if they hadn't have had the weapon. Criminals above a particular level will always have guns if you have bans or not, that's NOT the problem at hand.\n\n- You just said it yourself, people kill and not guns and there is no way to stop acts of violence, I mean if it isn't guns its going to be homemade bombs and then you'd probably have even bigger casualties. You can not make the world completely safe, I mean its just impossible, if you want to be completely safe lock yourself up in one room and never leave, even then you are probably just going to die actually sooner from heart attack because of lack of exercise and sun, so going out and having a 0.000001% chance of dying from a gun shot is a lot smaller than 25% chance to die from heart attack within 1 year of inactivity. \n\nSo whatever way you look at it guns are not the issue and shouldn't be an issue and should never be discussed and governments never allowed to restrict guns, because when they do you have government tyranny.

i have never had a paranormal experiance myself, but i know 3 people who have seen shadow people.  one was hunting, one was running around playing in a construction zone, and the last saw the hat man in a really lucid dream and she says it was the scariest thing shes ever experianced.  

What? It isn't a fake memo. It's a real memo. It could be taken of proof that an air force investigator really did tell an FBI officer that, and he really did say "No further investigation required".\n\nYou know what it doesn't prove? He wasn't full of shit.

On one hand we have a peer-reviewed study published in a specialized journal. On the other hand we have a pretty inflammatory article by general media - which cites no real source. Yes, it is possible that the study was below average, but I would like to see that point being made by other studies attempting to replicate it or pointing out in peer-reviewed context the errors, and not by some media organization interested in sensational headlines.\n

the reasoning behind how this "works" is utter horse shit, but there is an air of mystery around armpit odour. a few months ago, I stopped using soap entirely as an experiment (shower with just hot water and a shower scrubbie). much to my surprise, I didn't stink. after a week or so of this, my armpits naturally smelt a bit like cologne once I got out of the shower, and I found myself hardly sweating. I'm still on it since I like the results so far, but I'm not sure why this works. my girlfriend thinks I smell great, and nobody I've asked has told me I stink yet, so something is going on here. I read somewhere that it is because soap rips away oil that the skin works hard to replenish, and it makes sense in my mind, but who knows.\n\nit's been winter up here in canada though, so I am curious to see if this still works once the warm weather catches up. I naturally have VERY sweaty feet/balls/asscrack.\n\nas far as this product is concerned though, I am almost positive that you can get the same results by using a block of wood, a chunk of plastic, or better still, a shower scrubbie

Lol. Yeah, I started school on a track to a degree in biochemistry. Then I took a class on ancient philosophy and read a lot of Thales and just enjoyed it so much. Then I wanted to read it in the original Greek, then I wanted to read Tacitus in Latin. It's snowballed out of control. Lol\n

I don't know about the rest of you but where I live most locks are of [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortise_lock) type, which means that the door won't close if it has been locked.

&gt;AIDs\n\nThis is maybe the third time in a week I've seen AIDS written as "AIDs" here on reddit.  People do realize it's an acronym for **A**cquired **I**mmune **D**eficiency **S**yndrome, and not plural for AID, right?

"He's right. What sobers you up from weed though?"\n\n"...how are we supposed to dilute TIME?"

I think you're wrong by claiming video quality is enough to discredit what is being shown. I believe it's quite the opposite. With shitty quality videos you can easily distinguish between edited or non-edited. Editing a bad quality video is very difficult for the object your placing in After Effects or something similar must match the quality which is very difficult. So, in my unprofessional opinion, these videos are a lot more credible than high quality footage. \n\nThat being said it is of course more difficult to make out what you see and whether it was a doll/man in a suit.\n\nBtw, I must say that if these are indeed fakes South America has a shit load of talented young actors. 

&gt; This is true, but that doesn't mean equivalency. That would also indicate that F=MA just means that force is a shitload of mass.\n\nNo, c^2 is a conversion factor. Force is the time-rate of change in momentum and can't in any sense be said to be equivalent to mass.\n\n&gt;If we're just omitting stuff, why can't we say that mass is just the square root of the speed of light? That means that mass=velocity. How does that make any sense? \n\nWe're not just omitting stuff. E^2 = (mc^2)^2 + (pv)^2

Well, you'd first have to give them those little googly eyes, then you can cover them up.\n\nIf you did that... it might work.\n\nI sense an experiment!!

No, it's not weird, it was until I was about 20 and then I just accepted that I was more capable than other people I knew.

&gt;I'd prefer it if nobody made fun of Christianity.\n\n...\n\n&gt;I don't claim that religions shouldn't be criticised or made fun of in any way.\n\nfunny. It is not about if something is funny or not. Who cares ? Everyone should have the right to make fun of everything. NOTHING should be in the way of it.

Apparently you don't anything about how experiments are conducted.

What I said that there is no known mechanism that would explain a phenomenon that hasnt even been observed.\n\nI made examples of how physiology works. I didnt just make a glancing toss. I described real phenomena which we know happen, and how.

My dad, who has a big beer belly, used to joke around and say he was pregnant with an elephant, and that the snout was already hanging out.

The implication is that the jet is intentionally releasing chemicals which either adversely affect peoples health or alter their brain chemicals to make them more compliant which is, of course, pure bunk. [Some fun reading on the subject.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemtrail_conspiracy_theory)

Awesome thank you.\n\nI've just recently purchased a bunch of his books and plan to read them soon.\n\nThe guy is brilliant.

Can you take a pic of where the clock was? And maybe a pic of the back of the clock? Also, try setting it to a very precise time, like 2:00, with the hands as accurate  as you can get them, and return the clock to the wall. Make a point of looking at the clock as frequently as possible. If you notice the lightest change...  check back with us for further instruction....

Thanks, that's him. After that, I've changed my mind completely about how ETs may appear.

So? He's still a deposed dictator who hasn't spoken out against his caste system and is trying to regain power. Surely you don't think that child dictators are somehow superior to adult dictators. 

I have, Icke readers discussing what it might all mean, no mention of how they were built.

Religion would get shaken up big time and maybe fail completely with the advent of intelligent life from another planet. Religion is the main form of control over most populations on this planet.

Geostationary orbit is 36000 km, that object's orbit is much lower.

She fell hook, line and sinker for [James Frey's bullshit](http://www.exile.ru/articles/detail.php?ARTICLE_ID=7994), and when informed of its falsehoods she at first stated flatly that she didn't care whether it was true or not.\n\nPredictably, [she did a 180](http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/26/books/26cnd-oprah.html?_r=1&amp;incamp=article_popular_3) after some serious public outcry. She knows which way the wind blows, that's all.

Nah, man, you mean a loo. You're confusing it with the most common name for a metasyntactic variable.

&gt; I am careful not to cross any moral line that would take me into manipulating people's real-life decisions\n\nI think he may have crossed that line with these recent shows. Basing a show around the placebo effect without fully explaining it and selecting subjects who have subjective conditions has pushed him over that line.  People may start believing in the "Power of Positive Thinking" over professional medical help because of these shows.

If they are praying instead of voting that would be a big win for the dems hehe. \n

Interesting, but not sure why a UFO would need a bright red blinking light. 

Actually if your computer goes into hibernation it *is* completely powered off.\n\nEdit: I meant that it is as "off" as when you turn it off or unplug it. You can cease absolutely all electrical activity and then still restore it from hibernation.\n\nBut no, congratulation downvoters. You're aware that there's a battery on the motherboard. Well done.

Seriously, HFCS is complete garbage compared to sugar, anyone who can't tell the difference probably also thinks tv diners are fine cuisine. Sometimes I feel like issues like HFCS should be solved with our human dignity a better reason than any reasoning that "its not any worse for your health"

I appreciate you finally (finally!) coming around to the point I was making and being man enough to admit it.  Such honesty is rare on reddit.\n\nHave a great night.

If this somehow does air on Fox, it will be nothing worth watching.

Because someone grabbed the East Coast and shook it really hard and all the sane people [managed to hang on](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oMOZlRiIl0#t=39s).

What's really terrible is that when someone makes a fake picture slandering foxnews, you still find a way to make it about foxnews being bad.

Me too! I just moved to Ohio from England and before I'd even moved stateside I started checking out various haunted spots online.

I don't see any proof here that it's faked aside from insinuation.

Yeah, I know someone who was struck down with that.  Woke up one day in his teens paralysed, no warning.  Polio doesn't do that.\n\nThe good news is he recovered more or less fully and last year he and a friend rowed right across the Indian Ocean.  Again, that doesn't happen with polio.

To be fair, the artificial sweetener industry has engaged in some shady dealings with respect to the approval of stevia as a sweetener.  Some people interpret this to mean they got an unsafe product passed, when really they are just trying to shut down competition.

Chances given by 538 right now:\n\n&gt;Obama wins popular vote but loses electoral college 1.8%\n\n&gt;Romney wins popular vote but loses electoral college 5.3%\n\nChances of the latter were higher a couple of weeks ago.\n

You realize with this string of logic - youre basically saying that if a ufo video has a plausable explanation that doesnt involve aliens - its a lie because lies have to be believeable.  Think about how that can prevent you from thinking clearly and without bias.

Worst part, children died without any decent cause over some 2000 year old beliefs [list](http://blog.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/2009/06/faithhealing_deaths_previous_s.html)

You need to learn to joke about, and be playful. Or in the case of serious stuff that could hurt people, be the caring worried guy who's only contradicting for the sake of others. Being Dwight Schrute won't get you anywhere.

+1\n\ni find it interesting that people will be willing to believe in the ET phenomenon, but if a different theory is mentioned, they are ridiculed and vilified. And thats by design. 

Not really trying to debate it.\n\nI honestly believe what you said happened, what I want to know is 'why'.\n\nIsn't that what we're supposed to be doing here?

Did that really happen?  And how does blocking legitimate use of a site prevent that?  I could type any address... 1234 Main Street, Springfield, MO.  Take 44 to whatever exit and it's the third house on your left.  See you there at the time the narwhal bacons, or used to.  

of course such diets can do good, but a lot of the time they're just good compared to the person's previous shitty diet. just like a placebos tend to work great as opposed to doing absolutely nothing.\n\ncan you share any examples of doctors using not-yet-kosher methods that were successful? 'cause usually that means it hasn't or can't be proven to work. and i'm sure a lot of doctors who have discovered something revolutionary won't want to be lumped in with naturopaths etc.

I loved the first one! I thought it was quite original with the twists and such. Okay, so, the second one, alright. Basically, yes, new victims, still some twists, some old characters, but the ending was a disappoint. If you google it, you can watch the second one!

I find it very interesting that a lot of these GITM take place in bed.  People just don't understand how real sleep paralysis/hag syndrome is.  \n\nI often hear fully formed conversations in this state...like they're just happening in the other room or right next to me. \n\nIt's just what happens when you start dreaming before you fall asleep.\n\nSimple as that.

http://www.trcpodcast.com/trc-217-social-media-and-isolation-monsanto-castoreum/\n\nThe show notes have a bibliography so if you like the content on the subject of Monsanto, you can use that as a springboard.

&gt;But is it normal to corner a woman you have never met before in an elevator and ask her for sex?\n\nStop assuming he was asking for sex. Let's roll with it, though. Assume he is asking for sex, and I agree that it's creepy. So fucking what?\n\n&gt;If the answer is no then I think she has a point and she should be free to express how this situation made her feel uncomfortable.\n\n&gt;I have propositioned women for sex, women who I do not know (very well), lots of men have (well probably all!). But you do it in a bar, in a nightclub, somewhere like that. In a confined space in an elevator at 4am of course you are going to creep the girl out.\n\nCompletely agree. She should have felt creeped out and I wouldn't have gone with him either. Saying publicly, this is sort of creepy, is great. You're ignoring *everything else* she said. Calling it sexualizing and anyone that disagrees with her a misogynist is fucking bullshit.

I've heard about him doing these "contact trips" with people, and I just don't really buy it at this point. It sounds too good to be true.\n\nI think UFO contact is just like ghost contact, it's not something you really believe until you see it for yourself. I'm open to the possibility though.

The real men in black were originally part of the Mothman incident. They were robotic seeming men who appeared to be Asian looking, and that odd features.

Considering there is a bulb that was made in 1901 that *continues to burn to this day* I'd say the doc might be on to something. \n\n[Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/science/lightbulb.asp).  \n\nEdit: Downvote me for posting something both relevant and cited. Carry on Reddit. Your descent to Diggdom is nearly complete!

&gt;Earthquake lights don't create a beam of light exiting and entering volcanoes.\n\nHow do you know?

If you have apposing information, lets see it. If you have evidence of him being dishonest I am all ears. Until I see that, I will keep my mind open.\n\n\nopposing views are important, as long as they are founded. Tell us what you are contending specifically and then maybe we can find something to support either side. 

Is it the disingenuous misuse of the image that pisses you off? PETA, and its adherents aren't very truthful. 

I don't know about any *actual* medical value, but they work. The way I like to describe it to friends is that it actually does what you wish blowing your nose did. I only use mine when I get really sick though.  I wouldn't claim to say that daily use has any prophylactic effects.

was addressing mass cognitive dissonance when considering an idea like this, not critical thinking. thanks though.

Completely untrue, that is what ATLAS and CMS said themselves... Hawking is quite right to repeat what they said.

Strange that this has been such a relevant [dynamic to explain](http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/bwfd3/so_smug_but_i_cant_help_agree/c0oy706?context=5). \n\nTrees are beautiful, and host incredible biodiversity. However, we have also created an enormous problem by freeing up billions of tons of carbon that was stored in fossil fuels. Tree growth recaptures this carbon, but a tree that isn't growing doesn't.\n\nIf we were solely interested in recapturing carbon from the air, producing more tree-based products, then never allowing them to be recycled or even biodegrade would have a benefit. Of course, this would bring up so many other problems such as soil quality depletion and fresh water usage, so it isn't a wise policy, but if you use discipline to look at one issue at a time it is possible to understand why there are never simple answers like "recycling paper is good" without recognizing the attendant costs as well as the benefits.

The phrases i lifted strike me as political for different reasons: The first, because there is no generally agreed-upon definition of *great*; is an industrialist great because they become rich, because they produce worthwhile products, because their workers or happy, or something else entirely? The second, because "contributed significantly...through their entrepreneurial efforts" sounds like an econ version of the nebulous claims we see on alternative medicines, like "boosts your immune system" and "helps expel toxins".\n\nThe claim that they made a lot of money is not particularly objectionable. I'm just suggesting that the phrasing comes across as political. Can you restate your claim in more objective language that can be backed up by some kind of metric?

I remember being impressed by this when I first heard about this.  Finding out that her mother and father were first and third authors on the paper took away a bit from it though.  Sadder still was that both her parents were advocates against the practice at that time.  Source: [wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_Rosa).\n\nDon't get me wrong.  I am not saying there is anything wrong in the paper.  I am just saying that it is a little watered down compared to a 9-year-old having an idea and going about doing it; and just getting help in analysis &amp; writing up.

Thoughts can do all that, and you don't call it power? How about influence?

That was the intention. Not saying I buy into it. But it is an interesting theory none the less. \n\nAlso, not my vids. Agreed, some are less convincing than others. 

Looks good. But $158... I'll check again in a few... I did finally manage to obtain [Ingo Swann's book](http://www.amazon.com/Penetration-Question-Extraterrestrial-Human-Telepathy/dp/0966767403) for $250.\n\nReally interesting book. Ingo describes a base on the dark side of the moon. He actually recognizes an alien in a supermarket. [Ingo Swann](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingo_Swann).

They should teach doctors, this.  I haven't seen one that will give an honest, "I'm not sure."

have you read the box in the bottom left? They claim it can relieve pain. 

Maybe someone had it for crafts? Like old xmas decorations? People jam sticks into styrofoam balls for that sort of thing and it seems like it's something that could be left behind easily enough. \n\nI'm not discrediting your story, just offering an explanation and what immediately comes to mind. \n\nThis has been a good read and I hope you keep us updated. 

Some of the [reported deaths](http://whatstheharm.net/chiropractic.html).\n\nEdit: And I already provided a source, did you read until the last sentence?

It might have been interesting had they gone into the shimmering rock.

What part of my pro-vaccination stance do you have a problem with?\n

It's Mormon Twofer Sunday:\n\n&gt;The lack of attention to Mormon beliefs illustrates the deference given to faith in America: there is no "Reformed Egyptian" language; LDS interpretation of hieroglyphics has been discredited; and archeologists &amp; anthropologists find no evidence of Native Americans being Israelites.\n\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/mugambi-jouet/faith-politics-americans_b_1462655.html\n

How is stating my experience and personal preference "denying reality"?\n\n 

Why do people even bother listening to Trump? He's not rich since "his" companies filled for bankruptcy, what, four times now? Not to mention pretty much anything he touches becomes toxic (politically and economically). 

In addition, we really shouldn't be listening to anything that David Silverman has to say - he's obviously the Devil!\n\nJust look at his mustache and goatee!  I've seen enough bad movies and television shows to know that he's exactly what Lucifer would look like in human form!\n\nIt's proof positive! I don't know why so few people recognize this!\n\n[image](http://musasha.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/youtube-billo_reillyvs-davidsilverman_youknowthey_reallscams.png)

&gt;to my admittedly layman understanding\n\nI wish absolutely every other person in this comment section would preface their posts with that phrase. I haven't read a single post that displays more than a high school-level understanding of biology.

This question gets asked here *a lot.* Be sure to check out some of those past discussions, too. Lots of good info from long-timers here who are just too tired/lazy to go through discussing it all again. ; )

I see. We've diverged somewhat in our interpretation of "suppose".\n\nI can agree that your argument makes for a somewhat narrow conclusion that our evolution was/is strongly tied to animal products.\n\nStill, while questions of diet seem very often to arise out of concerns for personal health, the complexity of the issue invariably leads one to question the consequences of their consumption beyond the self. There are even some who would insist that their concern transcends even the evolutionary viability of humanity, which is a rather radical but interesting position to take.

It's really a shame that we can't even have a conversation about an incident like this without the herp derp alien comments. Grow up. Nowhere did I mention or imply aliens.

It's always good to see someone who has atleast read into it instead of feigning knowledge. The Paris commune is a good example, but it had it's own problems. Marx does give a good account of it in a section of the 3rd edition of the the civil war in France. As for the spanish civil war, Catalonia during the war, though mostly in the first few months-year of the war (which if you want to know about I can explain) -: opposed to it's entire duration.\n\nJust have to say cheers on doing some reading into different opinions even if you disagree, and I'm always open to discus anything you may have questions about regarding Marxism.

A kiosk at my mall sells these things. While passing by, I asked the people there if they were aware it's all pseudoscience. I'm glad they didn't hear me; I already don't want to live on this planet anymore, and I don't think I have the resources to pull off the move right now.

As the father of a diabetic, I feel for you and would like to shake the shit out of these parents who let their child die this way. Scum.

Two power outages do not fall outside the range of normal experience or scientific explanation, because power outages happen constantly. Why would your thinking about this lead you to /r/Paranormal?

That other story you linked to is mostly not even about genetically modified corn... it just generally states that ground corncob bedding may lead to decreased fertility in mice and showed increased breast cancer rate *in vitro*, although it is too early to say anything about *in vivo*. The only mention of GMOs we had in that article that I could find was that different kinds of corn, as well as genetically modified types of corn, had very different levels of the chemicals responsible. So, "just because one gmo corn does this does that mean all gmo products are bad?" No, just that the ones with higher Leukotoxin-Diol levels are linked with lower fertility in mice and higher breast cancer rates in test tubes.  \nThe "responsible technology" article you link to doesn't cite a study (as it had not been published yet), and this part  \n&gt;Samples were stolen from her lab, papers were burnt on her desk  \n\njust gave me a bit too much of a conspiracy vibe... found [this article](http://veganskeptic.blogspot.de/2011/10/alexey-surov-and-gm-soy-recurrent-tale.html) online, didn't do any research into it myself yet though.  \n\nEdit: Also the /r/science [thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/104uen/study_finds_tumors_in_rats_fed_on_monsantos_gm/) chemicalgeekery mentioned which has a lot of additional information on this.

It's not hard to justify spending money time to time on lotto, it's worth the "kicks" the little bit of hope and day dreaming alone makes it worthwhile. It's $10 dollars to go see a ~2hr movie, It's $60 for a brand new video game with campaigns as short as 4-6hrs. If someone wants to spend a few bucks here and there buying tickets who gives a shit. We all have our own hobbies and things we enjoy, so that's the bottom line really.

Show me the money.  I mean, the undeniable evidence.  Not blurry photos, not second hand accounts or shots of mom's pie plate in orbit.  Aliens and their space ships.  Cough'em up.  After decades of reports, blurry photos and bad videos there's not one scrap of physical evidence.  Nothing that conclusively says, this is from another world, be it machine or living being.  I'll admit, I've seen videos of things I have no rational explanation for but that doesn't mean, fure sure, it's a UFO or an alien anything.  I'm sure this guy's seen a few things in his day that defy explanation but if it's UFO's and aliens then cough the shit up.  There is as much physical evidence to support it as their is for bigfoot and the loch ness monster.  I'm sure there's lots of things you can show me and say, "Then explain this..." and I won't be able to but you explain it and present the physical evidence to support it.  Otherwise we might as well be debating the existience of God.  I'd love to see actual evidence of aliens and whatnot, bring it on!  I have an open mind but that same open mind says, show me the money.  Used car salesmen come in all forms.\n

Mary Roach does a pretty in depth analysis of this claim in her book [SPOOK: Science Tackles the Afterlife](http://www.amazon.com/Spook-Science-Afterlife-Mary-Roach/dp/0393059626). His scale was actually extremely accurate, however the number of individuals exhibiting the weightloss was abysmally small compared to the number of experiments and as yet no one has been able to reproduce his results (although ethically it would difficult to reproduce.)

it sounds like these people are making up excuses to run from their fears and problems.

Don't read the comments under the video if you still have respect for humanity.

ehhh, the way the lights wobble back and forth like tiny bulbs on the end of a string. 

Had that NDE when I was a boy. Too bad scientists are limited by their tools and measurements. I know there is another dimention out there, call it the universe if you must. I wish there was a way I could be strong enough to reach beyond the physical world to show you proof. I know that GOD responds to a quiet, peaceful mind.

&gt;On the other hand, elevator dude has every right to do what he did. \n\nIt's rather bizarre to talk about rights in this context. He has the "right" to do what he did in the same way a person has a "right" to give a tourist wrong directions.\n\nIs what he did *moral*? Absolutely not.\n\n&gt;Sometimes people can't stand in a room with someone and listen to silence, sometimes people just have to break the ice. Likewise, Rebecca has every right to do what she did, turn his offer down. Where she crossed the line is when she later singled out men when telling them to not make women feel uncomfortable.\n\nThis isn't even about women. I don't give a damn what your gender is, if some person was trying to ask you for some coffee at 4am in an elevator, that's incredibly creepy and wrong.\n\n&gt;However, by her interpretation of misogyny, it would be misandry if a women did what the elevator dude did.\n\nMisandry isn't an actual concept. Men are not systematically oppressed by women.\n\nAnd I've already said that the genders here really don't matter. Regardless of what your gender is, and regardless of the gender of the other person, asking for coffee at 4am in an elevator is wrong.\n\nThe only difference is that there really are a bunch of men who are clueless/reckless as how to interact with other genders. A lot of men are grown up and raised to be sexist &amp; homophobic, in a way that women aren't. And sometimes it's helpful to point out what's the right way and what's the wrong way.\n\n&gt;By turning this into a race issue, it is clear that someone arguing Rebecca's position would be considered a racist.\n\nNo, it's not clear. And you would need to justify this. What, are you Fermat's Last Theorem now? Proof by assertion?\n\n\n\n&gt;By calling out men specifically, she was being sexist because she clearly held a bigoted view of men.\n\nThere's nothing bigoted about referring to only one gender. The recognition that there exists more than one or two genders is not bigoted. Targeting a particular demographic in and of itself is not bigoted.\n\n&gt;the encounter could have been non-sexual/non-objectifying. That it was unfair for Rebecca to creep-shame the elevator dude.\n\nDon't play innocent. Get real. What man invites a woman to his place for some coffee at 4am with the intention of drinking a glass and then parting ways?\n\n[Watch this video that clearly explains what's going on](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-son3EJTrU).\n\n&gt;I have an issue with Rebecca bringing up this issue every few months to spur up ad-revenue for herself.\n\nOh boo hoo, how dare she make money! grumble grumble...\n\nOr,\n\nIf an issue is legitimate, it shouldn't matter how often it's raised. So of course you don't like it being brought up, because you don't consider it legitimate.\n\nMeanwhile, all your pet projects over at /r/mensrights, such as invading subreddits like /r/skeptic and /r/TwoXChromosomes and scream about how the evil feminists are trying to solve gender issues. Talking from both sides of the mouth here?\n\n&gt;She's a drama queen\n\nDidn't you just complain all about sexism? Now you're using sexist terms? Great job proving yourself to be a hypocrite.\n\n&gt;how fragmented this community has become.\n\nYou know who fragmented the community? The racists and the sexists who hold unscientific and un-skeptical views of race and gender and sex. Those are the ones that are being the bullies, giving out death threats and rape threats,  etc. all the sorts of things associated with reactionaries.\n\nThat's really what it boils down to. One side doesn't like their unequal grasp of power being taken away from them, and now they're being a bunch of whiny crybabies that harass and assault every leg of the way to get what they want. That's what racists and sexists do. Anders Breivik, a very famous anti-feminist, murdered how many children? Paul Elam, another infamous anti-feminist (who regularly posts to /r/mensrights and gets loads of upvotes), [offers cash to post the real names and addresses of people he doesn't like](http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2012/spring/a-war-on-women). Is that what someone who is on the side of logic and reason would do?\n\n[Thomas Paine, American Feminist](http://classicliberal.tripod.com/paine/fmlsx.html) didn't go assault/harass/murder people, he simply wrote his beliefs down and let others decide if what he said was accurate. That's what a real skeptic does, not intimidation &amp; violence.

This is audio pareidolia, pure and simple.  The excerpt sounds as much like 'bummer' or 'pommit' or 'pumrit' or 'umrat' as it does 'mommy'.\n\nThere's nothing to see here.  Move along, move along.

I'd be interested in the citation for that application of thermite. I'll also defer to a site that has already put a lot of research into this: http://www.debunking911.com/thermite.htm\nThat page contains numerous citations dealing with those claims, such as that there is NOT only one scenario that creates those spheres, there's numerous scenarios.\n\nA related question would be if you are dealing rather squarely with just the claims by Professor Steven Jones here?

Very ~~interesting~~ Indeterminate UFO video shot in night vision last night.\n\nFTFY. 

You're either misinformed or you're misrepresenting things.\n\nShe had given, that day, a talk on sexism in the skeptic/atheist community, including the fact that being constantly hit on is kind of a drag and possibly a reason why women aren't so common.  As on the internet "ZOMG A GIRL!!!" is not really a great way to get more women into a community.\n\nShe had been talking with lots of people, in a public space, for several hours.  If the guy had actually wanted to talk to her that would have been a great time to have done it.\n\nHe waited until she left the public space and was in an elevator (no easy way to go away) before propositioning her for sex.  "Come back to my room for coffee" pretty much means "have sex" in that context.\n\nSo, yeah.  It was creepy, and that's what she said.  She didn't call the guy out by name, she didn't panic, she thought the incident was creepy and as a PSA she pointed out the creepiness.\n\nFor that horrible crime she's been attacked repeatedly, and I'm baffled as to why so many people seem to think she's an awful person.\n\nEDIT: How every skeptical and reality based.  I present the facts and I'm downvoted.  If you disagree with my characterization of the events please provide evidence to back up your position.  Downvoting me for disagreeing with the consensus that Rebecca Watson is a horrible person isn't really skeptical, now is it?

According to some, there may be different races with opposing agendas.

From what LITTLE I know about it (I'm sure there's others out there that can speak better about it) it's a placeholder for a collection of symptoms that are generally treatable with regular exercise and better diet.  The controversy is that it is very hard to solidify a definition.  That doesn't mean that people who 'think' they have it don't have something, it's just that what they have is easily relieved with regular well being and hardly qualifies as a real ailment.  Typically it's prescribed by doctors who have patients DEMAND that there's something wrong with them, so they just say they have fib.  I have friends in the med community, and I know doctors who admit to this.\n\n[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia#Controversies)

&gt;There is most definitely a conceptualizing of what is in front of us. \n\nLooking at something isn't conceptualizing, it is just observing it, light reflecting off molecules being received on optic nerves. It is only after we want to understand what we are seeing or what it can do that concepts or testing comes into play.   \n\n&gt;Otherwise delusion wouldn't be possible, and you've made it clear that you believe it is possible.  \n\nDelusion is believing something with no real reason to believe in that thing. Psychadelic revelation fits into this category.\n\n&gt;We can never know things-in-themselves or things-through-themselves, all we have are the representations of those things.  \n\nWe name things for convenience. Calling an apple an apple is easier than calling it the fruiting body of Malus domesticus which consists of various lipids, sugars, amino acids, flavinoids and cellulose to aid in the propagation of its young through seed germination and stored energy.  \n\n&gt;And, I just want to point out that you've just claimed that "objective reality" is a "definition". This in itself demonstrates my point succinctly: definitions are abstracts located in the mind, which is incapable of knowing the thing-through/in-itself.  \n\nDefinitions are precise names we give to things we observe with our sensory organs, they also exist separate to the mind. Naming something says nothing of its content or action or use just that we have observed it existing and felt the need to tell others of it in a way that could be understood clearly. \n\n&gt;products of the mind = conceptions in the mind, the conceptions exist, there is no doubt, and things that exist, such as conceptions, are not fantasy, and are therefore surely products of reality.  \n\nDo you often have trouble identifying false equivocation?  \n\n&gt;Why is your tone so condescending? It's as if the things I am saying somehow threaten you on a personal level.  \n\nApologies if my disdain for your position is so apparent. I see it as one of the reasons hallucinogen research or exploration is seen as such a joke to outsiders, and why the burnt out dead head is so associated with them.   \n\n&gt;By the way, a lot of people consider it bad form, myself included, to cite fallacies rather than point out the specific issue with the specific argument.  \n\nIt told you you were arguing against a ridiculous position I didn't hold, I'm not wasting more time walking you through it than necessary. You're going to really love a paragraph or two previous then... It could take a long while to work back fallacies sentence by sentence. If it is fallacious either fix it and try again or it isn't getting a reply.\n\n&gt;from my perspective it just doesn't provide much to help me along and see what the actual issue is. it truly is elitism.  \n\nIf you'd like me to explain myself or my position feel free to ask questions. \n\nI'll see how clear I can get it. The belief that an altered state is the true reality while the true reality is the altered state is beyond silly. To then go on to claim that we can't really know anything so any hairbrain idea can be valid is laughable.\n\nRather than trying to understand your surroundings you have accepted that a false reality is much more comfortable.\n

First of all I'm an atheist, further more, I'm anti-theist (if you would've just look at the subreddits I'm subscribed to, maybe you wouldn't write this).\nSecond of all, my skepticism is based on science and common sense and not faith nor religion. It just doesn't make any sense that for so many years people reporting different extraterrestrial abductions and sightings and we have yet to establish any contact, and now it's the time that you say "duh, that's because of the government is hiding this from us!" I say that this is utter bullshit, the government wouldn't be able to cover up something on a WORLDWIDE scale... And you would probably say "there are organizations that are working world wide to cover this up!" and I would answer, these organizations are existing only in movies or they are doing REALLY lousy jobs in covering this shit up because there are still "reports" coming from all of the world...\n\nMy conclusion is 95% of the reported "sightings" are bullshit, people hallucinate and imagine stuff or just want to sound "cool" and be part of the "believers" the other 5% are simply nature events or test aircrafts that are being developed by the military (or maybe someone is pulling a prank on you...)

But isn't the whole point of homeopathy that whatever you put into the water leaves some kind of imprint on the water molecules?  So if you drip it onto a sugar pill and let it evaporate, you've lose the imprint?  Or I guess maybe it gets transfered to the sugar?  Such bs.

I dont believe in a higher power but I know That there are ghosts. Maybe auras or strong emotions perhaps are left behind. I'm not quite sure. But I've seen ghosts and been touched. I've heard things. All unexplained. I am sure they exist. i believe my uncle follows me because When i go to peoples houses(ones with and without any paranormal history) Things happen. Obviously unexplainable things.

anyone can do this. make a bunch of predictions (private wall posts) of the scores of a future rugby game. after the game make the correct prediction public.

&gt;If I can make a suggestion for you, instead of linking to a huge hour long movie about it, link to an individual argument.\n\nThat's a great point.  \n\nHere, check this out:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=hZEvA8BCoBw#t=336s\n\nBasically, the smoking gun here is how Bldg. 7 fell at freefall for at least the first 100 feet (and closely to that, thereafter) and then a Structural Engineer points out that the *only* this way could have happened was if **all** structural support were **simultaneously** removed. (ie- exploded.)\n\nMan, believe me, I do **not** want to believe that certain elements within the government could be this psychotic, but, unfortunately the evidence seems to show that.\n\nPlease, someone explain the free-fall aspect and how it could have happened *without* instantaneous removal of the support columns.

Perpetual motion electric motors are easy. All you have to do is reduce friction down into the negative range.

The Doctor ( MD ) I work with stated that every DAY our immune system destroys a cell/cells that would become cancerous if it wasn't for the intervention of our immune cells. Another good reason to eat healthy and exercise.

No, but I have cleverly diluted my essence within the air itself, so it will be just like I was there.

I liked [this Guardian article](http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/sep/21/drugs-industry-scandal-ben-goldacre) by Ben Goldacre more.

My brother is a 'Truther' and a firm believer in the inherent evil of the Freemasons/Illuminati/Bilderberg/NWO/etc.  His arguments are the same easily refuted garbage that you find on most conspiracist websites, and he's a champ at moving the goalposts and dropping red herrings.  The man is a walking logical fallacy machine, which is unfortunate as he's also quite bright.  When shown how his thinking is illogical, he simply dismisses logic.  I no longer talk about these sorts of things unless he goes off on a rant, in which case I simply laugh at him and ask him when he's going to start buying Glen Beck's books.

Oh okay- I thought you were referring to my own statement that I had a degree in business (following my stating that the complaints of business tend to be subjective whining).

&gt;Most damningly of all, the new product is highly unlikely to end the problem of weed resistance, as this 2012 paper by Pennsylvania State University researchers shows (which I wrote about here). More likely, they conclude, Dow's novel seeds will generate new generations of "superweeds"—which will almost certainly require a another round of new chemical cocktails.\n\nWell, duh. It is called evolution Holmes.

So let me get this straight. According to you:\n\nThe government of Korea was bad, therefore: they purposefully manufactured the fan death myth\n\nIs that the gist of it?

&gt; Bayesian statistics can be usefully contrasted with the standard NHST\n\nThat's not what he's contrasting. Read it.

&gt;our common enemy\n\n**MY** common enemy is racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry.\n\nOther atheists have different priorities, like murdering brown people or voting for fascists.

I found a cure for Power Balance bracelet belief.\n\nThe trick is to tackle the people wearing them mercilessly and continuously until they realize it's not helping them.\n\nJust follow them around all day and randomly tackle them from out of nowhere.

If you think this is bad, you should see how many penis enlargement ads are in the back of Popular Science.

It's indeed a very broad brush that I paint with.\n\n&gt;What do you do?\n\nYou use litmus test to judge people.  That's where Skeptics generally fail.\n\nFor instance, the September attacks are a great litmus test.  Everyone thinks they know what happened, and most all of them are wrong.  So, saying you have no idea what happend on 9/11, what do you do?  Do you blindly trust the authority because they have credibility?  No.  Do you do years of research yourself?  No.\n\nWhat you do, is you use the litmus test to find out who is intellectually curious and honest, who is stupid, and who is evil.  If someone is truly intellectually curious, they will find something about the September attacks to gripe about, and they will gripe about it.  If someone is stupid or uninterested, that's very clear.  But, if someone is using Skeptic rhetoric to uncritically promote unsustainable government BS, then they are likely going to fall in the evil category of my litmus test.\n\nNow, I understand your dilemma and interest in the movement.  But, capital 'S' skepticism is hijacked for political purposes and capitalist purposes.  Or, perhaps more likely, a movement was created using skeptical rhetoric to promote political purposes.\n\nWhat do you do?  Look at the leaders of the Skeptic movement.  Look at their agendas.  Look at who pays them.  Look at who they are friends with.  Point your skeptical eye towards whatever it is that turns skepticism into the Skeptic Movement, and you will find the problem.

Look, we have two possibilities. First, the governor was mistaken or lying. Second, there was a massive craft over Phoenix the likes of which we have never seen, and it somehow managed to escape being filmed, despite thousands of people looking.\n\nYou're seriously saying the second is what you're going with?

No, you read incorrectly and have drawn the wrong conclusion. You're trying to defend that wrong conclusion by re-writing what I wrote:\n\n&gt;If chiro had no effect then the profession would have died out long ago.\n\nWhat you misinterpreted is exactly what you wanted to see. And, you can't argue against it so you're flustered. \n\n

The bullshit? His trying to argue away his headline. The OP is an angry little person and who thinks his heros are infallable.

I think that the Atlantis myth might be based in some kind of fact. Meaning, I have no problem believing that there is a lost epoch to human history that may include the rise of an advanced (advanced as in on par with the civilization of Rome or something like that) civilization that subsequently disappeared due to some large scale natural disaster and whose knowledge and culture were carried on in other more primitive cultures that rose to become the great civilization of antiquity we are all familiar with.

His? Did you read the article? It was two people. Maybe they both had brain tumors. \n\nDo you think he sacrificed the girl for money, power, land, or respect? Seems to be a non sequitur somewhere in the middle of your paragraph there. \n\nPeople murder other people for gang affiliations, I'm not sure what that has to do with what happened here. This was clearly a crazy ass cult practice? Where is the debate here?

**You are quoting OP of this thread and not me.  Please *read* and *verify* usernames in the comments before using quotes that you attribute to the wrong people in order to prove your point DarkColdFusion**.  \n\nAnd if you think as a parent I had not read all the literature on vaccinations that was available to me at the time, then you are sorely mistaken.  I would not be surprised to find that when given the choice by their pediatricians, more parents than you think are following alternate schedules for the same reason, but likely won't discuss with others who react as you do. \n\n**ONCE AGAIN**, I do **not** question the value of vaccinations, I do **not** agree with the idea that vaccinations cause autism, but I do not think that I was harming my child or other children by spacing out the vaccinations so that only one or two vaccinations are administered in a single visit instead of four at once.   We think it is important to vaccinate against these diseases that can cause completely **preventable** deaths in small children and we still met the recommended scheduled by the end of age 1.  The only difference is that all vaccinations and their multiple follow up boosters were not given at single visits, but instead were given over a period of multiple visits.

My mind is open but I need to see really strong evidence.  If it's on a negative, I want to see the negative or at least a very high resolution scan of it.  If caught with a digital camera, I want to see the original file.  If I caught it myself I'd scrutinize it the same way I scrutinize others' stuff.  \n\nIf someone shows me a small, lo-res photo from some random blog on the internet, I'm going to assume it's fake.  Every single time.  Give me something to test and then we'll talk.  That's the kind of skeptic I am.  I'd like to believe but with the amount of bullshit out there you really have to tear things apart pixel by pixel.\n\nVideos are no different from still photos.  I want a good file.  Audio?  Never would I trust that from someone else.  Without any other context I'd have to record it myself in a haunted recording studio with top of the line equipment.  Way too easy to fake audio.

In its own way, this is by far the best UFO video I've ever seen.

I read your other post, and it still sounds very similar to what they described.

You should probably post this over in r/zombies instead, they would be more likely to know something about this than r/skeptic.

&gt;  What you really need is ... carbon  \n  \nLOL.  Trust me, there is no such thing as a carbon deficiency.  It will be hard to find an edible food that does not contain carbon.  

Oh yeah, me here on the other side of the world will totally have heard of whatever obscure organizations you might be inventing as we speak. I only knew speld as a term for a sewing pin and as an the Onion-style satire magazine and site. I guess your joke maybe just wasn't very good and go fuck yourself with your bland day. 

Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs, And Steal"\nSort of goes with Bill Bryson! "A Short History Of Everything"\n

A family friend who is also a herbalist gave me a small bottle of it in tincture form to use for pranks:  It apparently smells exactly like the scent a female cat on heat gives off.  I have put a drop or two of it on various items from bricks to shoes and in EVERY case the a male cat will spend the day snuggling up to it.  For prank use, you apparently put it around the outside of someone's window and cats will howl there all night.  Ironically in this application it produces the exact opposite effect of what you are talking about...for the person on the other side of that window at least.

It's also fun to think about without actually believing. Humans don't have any problem enjoying fiction. It's the idea that feelings (such as what is fun or comforting to believe) are a good way to know what actually exists that is really at the root of much woo and religion.

When I hear the word "natural" I rightfully assume most of what follows is either already proved to be bullshit or will soon be proved to be bullshit.

Link to Fouches [Credentials, Military Career Documents and supporting paperwork](http://www.alienscientist.com/forum/showthread.php?78-Edgar-Fouche-TR-3B-Triangles-DoD-Welcome-to-my-guest-spot), and much, much more,... and a [link to his book](http://www.scribd.com/doc/38241020/Alien-Rapture-Edgar-Fouche), that he put online for free to intercept criticisms that he is doing this for the money,...

I was about to say this. There was a picture on Reddit the other day which showed how the earth would look if we decided Australia was North. It was weird.\n\nSimilar to this : http://flourish.org/upsidedownmap/diversophy-large.jpg

not defending the guys story, but have you ever heard "samurai chatter"?\n\ni could believe that they have a language, especially if they are some kind of near-human primate\n\nhttp://www.bfro.net/avevid/sierrasounds/911.asp\n

Making snide remarks and thinly veiled inside jokes isn't evidence nor is it persuasive.  I certainly don't believe in dowsing or astrology or homeopathy but this guy seems to know that he is preaching to the choir and proceeds accordingly. "Hey, let's have a little laugh at people who think ____? AmIright?" And the repetition thing gets pretty annoying pretty quickly as apestate already mentioned.\n\nHe also seems to be solely focused on questions of objective truth. For someone whose "uncontroversial" thesis is "*Faith based belief processes are unreliable*" this might be a problem. It would help, for example, if he began his talk with an explanation of what he means by "faith based belief process" and then comparing this with other types of "belief processes". He does define what he means by "unreliable", saying that it "decreases the likelihood of arriving at true beliefs" but in this case one has to ask what the speaker thinks the difference is between "true beliefs" and "facts".\n\nPhilosophically, questions like "How big is my bathroom door?" are much different than questions like, "What values should I hold?" or "What is my purpose in life?". Sam Harris' *"The Moral Landscape"* makes a good argument for using scientific methods and reasoning to arrive at answers to these types of questions.

But it is just electromagnetic forces.  Electrons and protons have charge.  This charge will repel like charges and attract opposite charges.  The electromagnetic force is just one of the four fundamental forces in nature.  Gravity is another fundamental force, but now due to mass instead of charge.  Why is it you can set your hand on the table, and your hand doesn't fall through the table?  Atoms are mostly empty space after all right?  Like it or not, these fundamental forces such as electromagnetic force are a part of nature, and all have some behavior as a function of distance.\n\nWhen a magnet is holding a paperclip, it is not expending energy, or creating energy, or using energy.  The paperclip is feeling a force from the magnet, a force from gravity, and a force from the surface of the magnet.  These are all balanced such that the paperclip isn't moving.  There is no transfer of energy going on.  There is no kinetic energy because there is no movement.  There is potential energy in the setup: if you want to remove the paperclip, you have to exert a force over some distance, right? 

I prefer democracy to autocracy, which makes me anathema to libertarian money-fellators. Get your mouth off the cock of wealth, scumvermin.

obviously. it's either that or they refrain from making a critical selection : they don't mind sharing  dishonest, schizoid hot garbage alongside films that actually document reality   if it means they can maximize their profits.

&gt;Is it your position that there actually exists genuinely creepy behavior. \n\nNo, just as no genuinely slutty behavior exists. I may hold an opinion that something is creepy or slutty but that does not make it so in reality. \n\n&gt;or is it your position that, like "slut", the term "creepy" exists purely to shame perfectly acceptable behavior?\n\nAlthough I most often hear those terms being used to shame acceptable behavior I suppose you could use them to shame unacceptable behavior also. \n\n**Very Common Example:** Girls who cheat are sluts and Guys who sexually harass are creeps.

I see no reason to believe it's anything other than a hoax. If aliens are here and they want to communicate with us, surely they can come up with a better way to do it than stomping on our cornfields.

&gt; He's clearly not saying that F=m.\n\nYes.  We need to apply the [principle of charity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity), or risk being accused of making strawman arguments.\n\nF=ma applies to mathematically idealized point objects, and I think the real problem is the assumption that we can model a whole office tower as two colliding points.

I like number 5. I have a thing about needles so whenever the school gave me a form for vaccination information I just filled it out with fake info and signed my mom's name. Nobody ever checked and I never got caught. I never got sick either.

I also posted the additional information on its own here because I thought it needed to be read. Sometimes, adding more info can make the story less sensational but quite frankly it's incredibly interesting.

You've been listening to my claims for six hours? That's news to me captain. 

&gt;["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**"](http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/ancient-aliens-i-dont-know-therefore-aliens.jpg)

If the insects always choose the fatty sugary food when it is available, and otherwise choose at random (that is, randomly select from any of the non-fatty/sugary foods when fatty/sugary is not available, and any of the sugary/fatty foods when more than one are available) your chance of eating fatty sugary food is, with three foodstuffs, 75%.\n\nAll this kind of test seems likely to do is make you fat.

We are in the skeptic reddit... we know this...\n\nTry and tell it to the conspiracy reddit though!

I doubt it's an object due to it's proximity to the sun. But looking at the b&amp;w photo near the bottom... *that* looks like an object rather than a CCD artifact.\n\nFWIW, looking like an object ≠ actually being that object. There are a lot of people obsessed with seeing structures on the moon and mars. I really don't think so. JMO of course.

Yes, the scientific method is a way to arrive at the best understanding possible of how the world works. It has no provision for decision making. Governments are the mechanisms for decision making, and they are composed of ways of organizing people to arrive at decisions. These can be democratic, autocratic, dictatorships, etc. \n\nAs the zeitgeist movement is attempting to be autocratic, it needs a mechanism for who determines how these autocratic mechanisms function. Without that you are basically just proposing right now is to repeat the USSR, China, or Cuba- a few people take power and implement the distribution that they think is fair. Not surprisingly, I expect this to result in those people getting a lot more resources than everyone else, just has happened every time we have tried this.\n\nI like some of the ideas in ZM, but it just glosses over the most important areas of the problem (above) and says "scientific method", which isn't an answer to this question. It's like if someone asked you "What do you want to eat tonight" and you said in response "the scientific method". It just doesn't make sense.\n\nIf you wonder why people think your movement is a cult, it's because people believe it while there remain logical holes in it big enough to drive a bus through. And your supporters are frighteningly not even acknowledging them. I wouldn't have a problem if you guys at least said "listen, we still have some issues to work out", but denying these giant issues makes your movement look a lot like another place where people ignore basic logic: religious cults.\n\nShow me exactly how people would decide to allocate resources using the scientific method- how would we decide to build a school rather than a new highway, or to give everyone a new car instead of a nicer house. Show me that and you win. Otherwise, you sir are the troll.

I didn't like his explanation for this one, but the video was hilarious. Looked at the rest of videos and found a [follow-up video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_aJHoLFUPE). Definitely like this explanation more because you can actually see the girl's face. Hah

From the article:\n\n&gt; I know, \\[the author of the original statement\\] will be taken to task by mealy-mouthed well-meaning apologists who'll declare that direct conflict is bad and won't persuade anyone, but I have to disagree — the constant backing off and making apologies for nonsense is what creates an environment in which lies can grow.\n\n;-)\n\nPseudoscience is not an opinion, or an object of politics. Pseudoscience is one of two things: It's either lies, made to deceive people, or bullshit, born of a lack of interest in reality.\n\nEither way, pseudoscience is nothing where "the perspective of those who find those things to be wrong" counts. Pseudoscience is plain wrong, factually incorrect, and deserves to be relentlessly attacked on those grounds alone.\n\n(Edit: Yes, yes, the spelling...)

&gt;claiming it is man made and mans responsibility to stop it.\n\nIt's not a claim, it's a fact; we are responsible for solving it, and people like you are impeding that progress, bringing us one step closer to irreversible change.

No problem, I thought the same thing. The movie is going to suck, though. 

You might not know this but she [already had her own show](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenny_McCarthy) in the late 90s.

Yeah, what why didn't they put it out of it's misery, or at least kill it with fire?

That's gonna leave a mark.\n\nOh, wait . . .\n\nHmm, linked from the Wikipedia page:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18306448\n\nAnd full text:  http://www.worldscinet.com/ajcm/36/3601/S0192415X08005564.html \n\nAmerican Journal of Chinese Medicine?  Well, if it's a good study, it should be possible to replicate, right?\n

All you have to do is pull this skin back in the shower, give it a quick wash of water, and you're all set.

Thanks. With your post and [mrsamsa's](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/154v1b/everyone_i_know_with_infants_including_me_and_my/c7jcvgi), I now understand what homeopathy actually is. I thought it was the same thing as herbal remedies and the like. 

It's staying completely in orbit, along with the station, and spins around, just as the laws of physics state that it should...  I want to believe, but this really isn't a UFO, so to speak.  More like...an unidentified, flying, million dollar piece of equipment.

I am not positive on when, but he has never slept in his room. He would say when he was really young that he saw faces in his room. Now he just talks to me on facebook about it. \nThis is some of what he had told me:\n"Well, they've been coming near me more and more.... bad ones, mostly. I've had to actually fight some of them, and one of them REFUSES to leave me alone."\n\n"Yes, I said demon. It's menacing enough, it qualifies as demon.\nIt's a hovering entity that usually attacks when I'm alone. It pushes down on me physically and makes everything heavier. If I'm sitting down, it holds me down."\n"There's a REALLY easy way to fight spirits. You actually CAN build up spiritual energy to fight with.... that doesn't work on this one because he has no mass. It would be like shooting at a pool of water."\n"The second worst demon I have ever met, first scariest.\ndemons that were ACTUALLY trying to convince me to die."\n"As I got older, the spiritual link got stronger. Now, I see them EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME."\n"This goes WAY deeper than I can explain to anyone without sounding crazy. So far, what I've seen, a spirit can be shattered and form anew. He said "Imagine you're a spirit, a religious one. You expect heaven and instead, you get to roam around lonely. You want help, and when you try to get it, you get shot."\n"The "Heads in my closets" were what we call demons. I don't believe in a hell, or even a heaven for that matter, but I believe in demons"\n"Now even worse things are coming my way, I know why, and I am only allowed to inform a select few people. My whole "Spirit link" thing goes deeper than I want it to.\n"The kid from sixth sense would shit his pants if he had my life.\nYeah, there's gonna be a godddamned demon invasion in april. Me and the other people that can control energy and use it as a weapon against spirits are going to have to kill a lot of them.\nThey will be POURING into our world.\nFrom god knows where.....\nSpirits have their own world, but you rarely see it when you die.\nYou mostly stay on earth, according to the spirits I've communicated with.\nSorry if I ramble, but this invasion has gotten me worked up."

The info in the last link says it all.....there are good chiropractors that focus on musculoskeletal problems (for which there is a lot of evidence of efficacy and healthcare cost reduction), and of course there are bad chiropractors that spew ancient nonsense that has been disproven.  Try not to throw the baby out with the bath water....if you have back pain, have a quick talk with a chiropractor and see what they say.  If it's nonsense, find someone else.....there are lots of good ones out there.  

I found this [link](http://i.imgur.com/8Ez1B.jpg) from r/atheism helpful.  Maybe you guys will appreciate it, too.\n\nEdit: link issue

it really is getting tiresome, when people right away chime in, "if its flying and its unidentified....derp!" we know, and that's not what ANYONE means when they talk about UFOs so stop pretending like its less serious than it actually is.

&gt;The rape risk has little to do with it, really. In reality, it more makes him look like an entitled jerk. Out in the open, she could just say "no thank you" and turn around and converse with other people , and/ or walk way. But no. In the elevator, she has to stand there and has to take his reaction. He gets to force the conversation to continue, which jerks often do. Watson never even said she was in fear of being raped. She was in fear of having to talk to a potential asshole against her will. It was more like, "great, now instead of just accepting the no and moving on, he's going to make me 'explain' it" only instead of "explain" it means "excuse," as in, find a reason why I'm not the greatest potential lay or you'll look like a bitch, kind of situation. It didn't turn into that, but that was the potential bullshit that watson really thought about. Why? Because, as she later explained, that's exactly what has happened to her before at other atheist and skeptic conferences.\n\nWhat? You're a fucking idiot. You've made so many assumptions through your entire post that it's fucking laughable. I don't know what your deal here is, but you're just making shit up so you can pretend you're angry.

wow, those are great photos if the story checks out... Thanks for this!

Very aerodynamic bugs if so.  I wondered how this was dismissed so readily.  Oh yeah.... denial.\n

It's a weird spot for the Air Force to be in, though. On one hand, these people have taken and broken their secrecy oaths but if the Air Force attempts to prosecute them, it's essentially an admission that their tales are true. It's a delightful little catch-22.

1) Invent a machine that enables you to travel to alternate universes.\n\n2) Transport yourself and your team to a universe where ghosts are real.\n\n3) Ghosts.

I originally got this article from Discovery News, but Reddit has apparently banned Discovery News links for "spam or cheating".  Does anybody know what happened there?

1) Sign up for Cracked's forums (You can also use Facebook Connect).\n2) Post in the thread in [this subforum](http://www.cracked.com/forums/forum/write-cracked21-get-paid21-click-here21).\n3) Wait a couple of days for the editors to give you access.\n4) After that, you'll be given access to an otherwise hidden subforum called the Cracked Comedy Workshop, and it is there that all the magic happens.\n\nNo experience necessary, it pays, and it's pretty damn fun.\n\nEdit - [This link](http://www.cracked.com/write-for-cracked/) lays it all nicely, with pretty graphics and everything.

So, if she didn't believe in AIDS, what *did* she think was making her sick?

As skeptics, we need to ask what possible logic could justify lumping psychology and psychiatry together - that they both begin with the same prefix? That's about where the similarities begin and end. If we're going to lump psychology with psychiatry, we'd have to at least assume they're discussing *clinical* psychology, and not psychology in general, so why have they classified it as a "soft science", instead of an "applied science"?\n\nThen we note that they have the categories "Neuroscience and behavior" and "Plant and animal sciences", which covers all scientific psychology (social psych, behavioral psych, neuro psych, etc), so they can't have lumped all the most scientific research in psychology into the "psychology/psychiatry" section. \n\nOn the whole, we're no longer talking about "psychology". We're discussing a small aspect of psychology (i.e. clinical psych), and skewing our results to an unknown degree by mixing the results with those from psychiatry. And I'm unsure why the author doesn't point out that there is no difference between every category below the bottom four (that is, there is no significant difference between the "bias" in "psychology" and "computer science", including all those inbetween).

The thing in the video was definitely not chicken skin stuffed with bread. It had liquid inside it -- and you could see full veins. No, it was something else.\n\nI'm not necessarily saying it was an alien. Just that it wasn't chicken stuffed with bread. That's a ridiculous notion, having seen the video.\n\nBy the way, this my first post in here, so please don't beat me up. :)

I would ignore most of that as science fiction. Nazi pilots reported encounters with UFO's as well and Rommel died a year before the war ended. I see most of the "What if's" around Nazi's after the war as interesting alternate history, nothing more. You only have to look at things like the Nazi bell too realise there is little to no evidence for any of these theories.

Real footage, very wrong title.\n\nHow, *da fuck*, can the Pheonix lights be recorded over Fremont California?  Just fucking think before you post.

Not interested in Raul Julia's son's environmental warning flick.  

With the scope of my expertise in this field, I must say that things posted virally on Facebook that sound very well informed, are retarded.

Oh and I almost forgot.  After a lifetime of skywatching i finally saw my first UFO a few years ago.  I was standing in my backyard around 10pm and i saw a red light in the distance.  It flew directly over my head...low, pretty quick, and totally silent.  It looked almost exactly like the underside of an optical mouse...that same intense red color.  It didn't waver at all..dead solid course and it was windy that night so it wasn't a chinese lantern.  From my estimation it was probably 3-4 feet around but that's just my guess based on the speed and how clear i saw it, meaning it had to be somewhat close.  totally weirded me out

"Scientism" doesn't actually exist as it would imply a belief in it.\n\nYou don't "believe" in science, science is a method of proof.  I.e., you can BELIEVE that chickens exists (called faith), but science would say that we THINK it exists and then go find one to prove it.\n\nSee the difference?  "Scientism" implies belief with no proof, therefore it doesn't exist.

That's wild.  I just heard the song Indigo Children by Puscifer this weekend and had been laughing my ass off at the Wikipedia article.  How very timely.  

Please provide a link to any purported medicinal properties of "essential oils". Please no links to folks selling them or pushing them. Thanks.

I currently work at a biodynamic farm, and though I'm still new to the concept, I do know that much of the planting schedule is based on astrology. I believe the Farmer's Almanac was as well.

I don't get it.  Sometimes there just aren't cars. This sounds like a pickle glitch to me. \n\n&gt;Today I ordered a sandwich with pickles,  but when I got it, it didn't have any pickles. :O 

Is using line and paragraph breaks a New World Order conspiracy too?

They are completely unsubstantiated, one good clue is the complete lack of any explanation of the mechanism by which any of the dire consequences could be caused.

This happens everytime I drive down the street from my house. We go under the streetlights down the street and one always turns off, but its never the same one. Once i'm further down the road, but can still see it if I look back.. It's back on. I'm not sure why, but I always thought it was interesting. Glad i'm not the only one!\n\nEdit: It happens in other places, no matter where i'm at, but most frequently by my house since I go by that one most often.

It's another non-falsifiablehypothesis whose only support is faith. In other words, these questions about the nature of our reality are fun to think about, but not nearly as important as working out how this reality works.

By definition astroturfing must be done in public. If I send a private message then I cannot be astroturfing can I? If the message is private then who can I influence or what can I promote? That would seem to be to be elementary logic.\n\nIf you suspected me of astroturfing and if you are opposed to astroturfing then why did you publicize my message? Wouldn't that be astroturfing yourself?\n\nIt doesn't make any sense.\n\nRegarding talking shit, I meant your invitation to talk conspiracies. I did not mean any other content in your subreddit.\n\nI'm not offended. I tried to be polite and decent by bringing my concerns to you personally. Instead of either accepting or rejecting my criticism, you chose to apply some twisted logic and make disparaging public claims about my motives.\n\nI wouldn't piss on your subreddit if it was on fire, which is probable considering it's drier than a witches snatch.

Because that is your standard movie plot line. You have your bad guys ( criminals, other countries, aliens) , with an advantage, but the good guys win against the odds. That's all their is too it, most film plots are driven by conflict and ones with aliens are no different. \n\nThere are also films such as Close Encounters, Men in Black and ET with non-hostile alien characters which have been very popular.

I think I have been trolled... he knew I'd post to /r/skeptic and get him all sorts of new business. 

Oops sorry.    It was damn ambiguous though.  Thanks for the compliments!  

Hey, I saw some of your folks at Skepticon. I need to get me one of them Aperture Science shirts.

Then you don't read so good.  That link right there you'll note has words. Some of those read that she fully endorses Rebecca Twatson minus one caveat:  boycotting Dawkins.  Read the page to which she links which she says she fully endorses, and you run into, um, the nasty language of Dawkins being useless, never good human rights anyway (the feminists have done more than Dawkins ever has, which is silly) and what not.  \n\nIt's called research. It's what good little skeptics do.  Go forth and sin no more.

Is it evidence of the paranormal... no.  It's not enough... but it's a good start.\n\nBut, with a respectable source, it can be evidence that an event requires some actual study.\n\nWhat surprises me is how no one does one simple thing that would make hoaxing much harder.\n\nUse two cameras.\n\nPoint the cameras at each other, and use an event to sync their feeds.  Then, you can't pause or edit one without the other seeing you do it.  You'd have to edit two feeds for the event, and while possible, is much harder.\n\nThis has another bonus when you have that 'door opening by itself'... put one camera on each side of the door and (this is the important part) have the whole door in frame.  All of it.  Not just part of it, most of it, etc.  even a sliver off frame calls it into question.\n\nThis then gets the object in question from both sides.\n\nIdeally that would take 4 cameras, but even the step to two would be a big improvement.\n\nAt the end of the day, you need consensus.  Enough respectable people who can identify and create paranormal situations for it to be evidence.  Hoaxing has gone back far before editing equipment, or even cameras.  And while some tech has made it easier, some has made it harder.  It's just a matter of remaining skeptical and checking for yourself.

Try not to think about it too much. Just move on, plenty of more crazy where that came from.

They also forgot about the infamous pseudo science called the lie detector and intelligent design.

The side of Titanic didn't read "HMS Titanic," but did read "Titanic." (Even though the ship was the HMS Titanic)

Call me when both wings rip off at 30K feet and the fuselage floats to the ground like a fairy snowflake.

Interesting.  Just land lines, though?  Or cell phones, too?  I don't know anybody under the age of 40 that has a land line any longer (with the exception of relatives in hurricane prone areas). \n\nI'd imagine the sampling method would cause things to get pretty skewed after awhile.\n\nI'm probably not going to explain this right, but here's my best shot:\n\nSo, let's say your radio station KXYZ is playing an eclectic mix of things and  this company does a land line phone survey about what's being listened to in general.  When the statistics show a lean towards, say, sappy music, the station decides to play more sappy music.  People who don't like sappy music turn off the radio and start listening to pod casts instead.  The next time there's a survey, the only people still listening to the radio are the ones that like sappy music, so the radio continues to play even sappier music.  Eventually, listeners dry up to the point it's no longer profitable (according to the surveyors) and the network drops in the ratings to the very bottom.\n\nIs this how network decay works?\n\nGlad you're getting to switch up the programming, though. I like Kaku. He's cheerful and I can say I almost sort of somewhat understand the general idea behind multi-dimensional theoretical physics because of him. 

Actually, it's not as hard as Lincoln would make us believe.\n\n[A simple google search with a quoted string indicates ...](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22The+problem+with+quotes+on+the+internet+is+that+it+is+hard+to+verify+their+authenticity%22)\n\nUmm. ... Hmm. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n

The machine's action would be ironic in that it's the literal opposite of what it's intended effect was. (Preventing vs creating rain). It's closer to situational irony than verbal irony, but close enough.

Not all atheists are skeptics.  Which is why I prefer the term 'skeptic'.

Given enough time, this is the one homeopathic recipe that would actually "work." Water with a fractional ppm of beer in it will not keep you drunk. ;)\n\n

Are you criticizing libertarian politics specifically or just nutjob attitudes in all political persuasions? As I'm sure you've noticed, a lot of debunking needs to be done in the political platforms of many more parties than just the libertarian one.\n\nThat being said, I'm a skeptic, atheist, concerned about environmental issues, and getting into libertarianism all at once. I can tell you that there are a lot of republicans/neocons/anarchists/etc posing as libertarians; whether you've been debating with actual libertarians or reading their material I don't know, but I do share your concerns about these type of people regardless. One recent gem from Lew Rockwell claimed that the ecosystem was an "abstraction" that never helped anyone. There also seems to be a faction that supports the "big pharma conspiracy" ideas too. Not all libertarians follow/support these little offshoots.  \n\nAlso, being a skeptic who's getting into libertarianism, I would love to see someone try to debunk it thoroughly. I would counter that "historical examples" are valid evidence when the topic is political systems, since governments and their policies through time are all experiments of sorts, and the results of those experiments should be taken note of.

I wonder what quantum immorality might refer to. Having searched google for it, it seems that I wasn't the first person to make such a typo. Hah.

Regardless it's woo's attempt to appeal to scientific authority (and they got it wrong)

There are a lot of variables. One factor is that individuals who are out of shape and don't ride on a regular basis, those who are more likely to have an accident, are more likely to stop riding after helmet laws are introduced. That is a factor that will change from place to place.\n\nBut I wonder, why does it really matter if the helmet laws work (which is silly, it depends on a lot of variables that no central planner can know)? This doesn't seem to be an issue you can make a meaningful statement on, simply showing statistics doesn't *mean* anything. 

1) I didn't say it was aliens... but it was aliens \\~(-.0)~\n\n2) Sounds like deer, maybe even fighting/having sex(maybe birthing too). This could mean some other similar animal since you're in Canada, elk, moose, caribou, Idk.\n\n3) Interesting but definitely appears to be a reflection of light off something caused by the flash of the camera. So nothing, unfortunately.\n\n  [1] and [2] Are all bugs and dust.\n\n  [3] and [4] Are very interesting but do appear to be bugs flying close to the camera lens.\n\n4) Really strange, it would be hard to back up anything in the video. When recording video and audio you at least need to really know absolutely what parts are contaminated by real people in order to properly determine what's going on.

The chart specifically states *when taken orally by an adult with a* **healthy** *diet*.

I don't buy that at all. I'm sorry, but there's nothing wrong with Lord of the Rings. There's nothing wrong with watching Star Wars. It's not anti-science; it'sfiction.

However, when you get right down to it, most all of human medical knowledge, including clinical trials is really collections of anecdotal evidence. The fact of the matter is one rarely is certain how anything will work for a particular individual short of that individual trying it, assuming some level of common sense is applied. 

&gt; It's mainly about money. Chiropractors do have one thing in common with doctors and pharmaceutical companies: there's more money to be made in treating people than curing them. "Oh, you have the flu? Come in a few times this week."\n\nDo you have a source for this?

I don't see why people so reliably attribute to malice what is more easily attributed to incompetence. Music companies only collectively realized that you need to offer a better product than pirates to survive (in the form of low-cost, DRM-free, per-song digital sales) very recently, and the parade of spectacular failures on the road to that end (like the Sony rootkit fiasco) is some firm evidence that music companies, et al. just have *incredibly* awful internal leadership (not to mention overzealous legal departments with no understanding of marketing or PR). Most other media companies haven't even gotten as far as the music industry on the digital front--movie and TV companies still seem to think they can charge money for a product that's dramatically worse than a free (if illegal) alternative. I see no reason to regard SOPA as anything more than just a continuation of their previous collective idiocy.\n\nEDIT: Had accidentally forgotten a.

Why's he got to be such a dick about it, calling it nonsense like that? ;-P

No, it describes decisions that have been made. \n\nI can't think of any good analogies that aren't programming related, so I apologise for that in advance...\n\nIts like the front end to a program. The front end displays what is going on in the program. It doesn't make any decisions, that is all done by the program in the background. All it does is display the decisions that have been made. It makes sense of what is going on in the background.\n\nAs far as the user is concerned though the front end is all that matters. They can't see what is going on in the background. \n\nYour conciousness is the front end to your brain. Its the bit that you display to everyone else. It doesn't decide it just describes. At least that is my understanding anyway. 

&gt;liberals refuse to address how socialism destroys productivity \n \nBWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAH\n\n"Dur Socialism! DUR!"

Some people even believe that aspartame is a plot to kill 80% of the world's population.  I'm not joking, I wrote an article last year on a guy who made that claim:\n\nhttp://www.dumbassguide.info/blog.php?bid=26\n\n80% of the population!  The stuff has been out there for about 30 years now!  That's one really ineffective population control measure!

If you believe that [a string theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superstring_theory#Extra_dimensions) is an accurate model of reality then there are many hidden spatial dimensions ([M-theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory), which is a more generalized kind of string theory, posits 11 dimensions). The trouble is, all of these extra dimensions are curled up very tightly so that they don't have an effect on our large-scale observations. No living being would be able to exist "in" these dimensions unless they were much, much smaller than a single atom (the dimensions are somewhere around 100000000000000000000th the diameter of a hydrogen atom). It should be noted that string theory/M-theory are basically just pretty mathematical models at this point and experimental evidence is non-existent.\n\nSo, the only reason these extra dimensions are "invisible" is because they're very small, and if they exist you're travelling through all of them every time you move!

Hope so.\n\nAnyone that would claim such a thing is infact saying that their god is too much of a moron to come up with an elegant and simple solution like gravity, and instead has to constantly hold everything together himself, also making sure that atoms in a liquid with higher specific gravities tend to collect together.

Homeopathy is based on double-bullshit:\n\n* First, the "law of similars", by which a remedy is produced from a substance that would cause the disease's symptoms in a healthy person, is utter nonsense based on a prescientific understanding of health (basically sympathetic magic) and biologically completely implausible.\n* Second, homeopaths claim that diluting these substances over and over and over, in most cases far beyond the point where even one single molecule of the original substance is left in the dilution, makes them stronger.\n\nThere are many more things, like good studies showing it's only as good as placebo, the logical disconnect between claiming the remedies are personalized and how they are actually marketed over-the-counter (namely *against disease X* instead of *for person Y*), the fact that their "science" has not progressed in 200 years etc. etc.\n\nBut for me, prior probability cuts it: As [Orac says](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/11/measuring_contaminants_and_concluding_th.php), "for homeopathy to work, not only would scientists have to be wrong about huge swaths of well-characterized science they'd have to be spectacularly wrong."\n\n(Note: Peruse [Orac's page](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/), [Quackwatch](http://www.quackwatch.com/) and [The Quackometer](http://quackometer.net/) for loads of information on typical arguments from homeopaths.)

It's a great way to spend an afternoon.  Just make sure you're not at risk for aneurysm.

I'm having trouble processing what you said. Could you explain what you mean by "realignment of the marrow"?

my big problem with this is that the ScienceNOW article isn't seeking to defend the miracles, the demon-exorcising, the resurrection or any of the more eyebrow-raising stories in the Bible.  They're seeking to defend what is pretty much the most defensible, human and scientifically-accessible (not to mention medically-interesting) event in the New Testament: a 1st-century Jewish rabbi getting beaten up and nailed to some wood.  The claim they are trying to defend is not that he came back to life a bit later; merely that he died in around 6 hours as the NT suggests rather than several days, as some doctors believed should have been expected.\n\nSo really, the comic is basically attacking a straw man.  Sure, we should be worried if we see an article speculating the mechanisms of Prometheus's regrowing liver, but that is not what is happening here at all.  A more fitting analogy would be to expect a discussion on Prometheus playing with fire - the kind of thing people have doing since the dawn of civilisation.

A light glare gets bigger the farther away it is. It makes sense.

~~[Here's](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Piu75P8sxTo&amp;feature=player_embedded) a handy video showing exactly how it's all done. ~~\n\nAlready posted by OP

so if thats the sketpic community, what is the conspiracy community?

Praying did not kill the baby, not going to the hospital did. It's a subtle distinction, I know, but it's intellectually dishonest to act as though the problem is impractical action rather than a lack of practical action (given that the two are not mutually exclusive).

you consider Billy Meier grounded? O_O\n\nhttp://www.ufowatchdog.com/billy_meier.htm\n

Very true. A lot of woo I've seen is "Broscience"- also the reason I hate going to the gym. 

That's odd.... the NYSED licenses _teachers_, not institutions.  It oversees public schools, but not colleges and especially not specialty independent schools.   \n\nAlso, there's this:\n\n&gt; In Partnership with the State University of New York Purchase College \n\n... which could mean they piggy-back off their paperwork and accreditation.

She might get miraculously cured again and get someone else sainted. This nun could be a 2-fer.

&gt; And now we have what -i understand to be- two (or three?) prominent figures of the skeptic movement (that sentence makes me seriously, violently ill) bickering and exchanging arguments over something completely insignificant and people are jumping to defend their icons or whatever. Skepticism now has its own drama and politics ffs. That's just pathetic...\n\nSo do what I do: Completely ignore them all. You're obviously talking about skepchick thing. Why do you care about it? I think it's boring and I don't care about it. Why does it have to taint this subreddit? Which is mostly collecting information useful to people that don't want to be wrong about stuff.\n\n&gt; I feel that skepticism is becoming a trend or another group to belong to rather than a position one holds, or rather SHOULD hold by default.\n\nI don't think you really have an issue with this, I think you made that up to complain divert the attention from the fact that you're complaining about this boring skepchick drama.

Great reply, thanks.  I just got the whole story..  turns out he also suggested smoking weed.  I'm guessing she saw a eastern European older hippy doctor.  It's a shame she ended up with that quack, I have been trying to convince her that her fear of doctors is irrational and speaking to a good one is the best way to help her.... then she comes home like "SEE!!" . . Damn it, it's really hard to help stubborn people sometimes.  \n\n

I have noticed that in general, the fewer the number of subscribers the more civil the discussion. As the subreddit becomes more popular, the discussion gets more out if hand.

debunked. it is a pixel glitch. different photos overlaid on top of each other all show the same artifacts in the same place. for your prove it, scroll down the posts in this forum, there is a gif that demonstrates it.

&gt;“after all” he explains, “most mutations do stupid things like giving a bulldog a smushed nose.” And who wants a smushed nose?\n\n[lol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_breeding)

Reading comprehension would rise if people wrote correctly. eridius is entirely correct, not in a nit-picky way, but in a common sense, and "this is how it should *and would* be read by most people", way.

Which is especially funny since corn was basically invented by Native Americans over centuries (or millenia?).\n\nedit: It has come to my attention that the word "corn" means something completely different outside of North America.  This discussion was obviously about maize, which is what I meant.

&gt;what frustrates me are organizations that want to attribute global climate change (strictly?) to humans so that they can sell a product or service.\n\nAny business thats going to benefit or lose out because of a belief in ACC obviously aren't going to pay attention to the scientific fact, but thats not different in any other issue.\n\nYou should also remember the media has a vested interest in this issue as well, for them money favors controversy.\n\n&gt;the line between man and natural climate change seems rather shaky\n\nWell any line there is just a matter of semantics, the change we cause is ACC but what we really fear is that we will affect or trigger a naturally existing positive feedback loop.

It's a research tool developed by Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory. The sphere that you see represents the sun. The markings on the sphere are various events that occurred on the sun on a particular date. The abbreviations you see explain what those events are. FI = filament, CH = coronal hole, etc.\n\nIn our case, we're interested in a coronal hole (CH) which occurred on March 12th, 2012. After we input the correct parameters, we see the green outline of the actual shape of the coronal hole.

Once you realize you would act the same way whether it was true or not, Occam will come help you put this goofy little thought experiment on the back burner. If he exists

*I could do with more simple mysteries in my life.*\n\n  UFO's will do the trick. They hold up to skepticism. This is a genuine mystery. 

I take more of a sceptic/scientific approach to things so my opinion isn't normally 'liked' on r/paranormal and r/creepy but here is what I feel. I don't believe ghosts are spirits or entities from 'the otherside' or anything but more energy. They very well could be a completely different form of creature or being that we can't comprehend. Anyway, when someone lives in a space for a prolonged period of time, it almost imprints their energy into the area. Think about it like this, your body uses energy every second to send messages to your brain and nuerons and so on. Energy can't be created or destroyed, only used. So when a person dies, their energy doesn't die with them. This isn't a soul but the actual energy their body used to operate on a normal day. I feel that, in a routine that is familiar, that energy can remain and 'haunt' a place. This could cause sightings and orbs to poltergeist attacks. The more energy being used at the time of death, or the leading up to the initial death, like a murder or extreme fear, the more energy left after death causing more 'haunts' at the spot. This energy can interact with people and can even hurt them if it is concentrated enough. Again, these are just my views so take it for what they are worth. I have done some paranormal investigation and plan to continue, and I agree with a lot of people here. Get some old tape recorders or digital recorders than can tune into white noise and do some EVPs. Also, while walking around your house, talk to them. Tell them you don't like them messing with you. I believe this allows your own energy to become stronger and form a kind of field that doesn't allow them to interact with you.

This article seems incredibly lenient toward the obviously bunk claim of dowsing.

unless you are selling a concept to people and paying them with bags of rice...

For not wanting a guy to talk to her in an elevator assuming the worst? I think so. One would call it racist if she had assumed such things about her and some african man so why not call it sexist?

Me too!  Let's be birthday pals :-).  \n\nBecause - If the world has to end someday, it might as well be our birthday.

My wife is a veterinarian, and I mentioned this article to her after I had posted my initial comment, and much to my surprise, she didn't shoot down the idea. She gave a TAM talk about veterinary woo, and I guess she didn't find anything terribly compelling about the laser therapy. But time will tell.

Really interesting article. Explanations for why people feel a 'presence' 

Yeah, I did get the impression the author actually believed what he was writing.

This is the "What's the harm" argument. Not a good position to debate from. 

If Mendel had any clue, there is a high probably they never will. Idiocracy!

It looks like a human shape so Google automatically blurs it out. Just like with license plates.

&gt;So... after all these people telling you that you're misinformed, are you going to do more research, re-examine your opinions or even change them?\n\nVaccines are not engineered.  I go into Autocad, design some break pads, and prove that the work before they are built.  You don't do the same thing with vaccines.  Vaccines are discovered through trial and error.

Honestly, and this is my own belief so I could be wrong, I think it depends on the spirit, if the spirit followed a religion in it's life time then it might go with that same religion if invoked in it's death, say 'the power of christ compels you to fuck off' or something the ghost will bugger off. If it was say, athiest and you tried catholic stuff on it, it may get pissed off.\n\nBut, that's just what I've noticed in my own escapades and dealings. I don't know if anyone knows for certain with these things.

OK, I have made a post asking for show of hands of people interested in using our API. We will email all of our users about this today or tomorrow and see if we can get a few people volunteering. \n\nAre you up for working on one of the browser plugins?\n\nEdit: forgot the link! \nhttp://blog.rbutr.com/2012/06/do-you-want-an-api-for-rbutr/

Right, so it's not the kind of DVD player with a tray, so it'd be impossible for a disc to get lost/stuck inside?

I wonder why he said that.  Did anyone actually believe that in the late 50's?

Wouldn't it be crazy if you went back and the tree and the house were there completely unscathed?

I hear the slenderman thing in different places, but what exactly is it?

Denial is bad. Questioning is good. Let's talk about it and look at the evidence. BTW, ancient aliens, homeopathy and interviews with santa claus is not evidence.

Commenting to let you know OP has not delivered and to complain about this fact.

Derren Brown's stance on hypnosis is actually your point 2) (source: his book Tricks of The Mind). Which he obviously can't tell in his shows, at least not in front of the subjects, he's got to pretend something special is going on, the subjects need to somehow believe in it for it to work, they need a reason to play along.

A real open-minded person would say "I have seen no proof, so I don't currently believe it exists." Not "I haven't seen it so it's not true." I haven't seen Mercury, but I believe it exists because reliable sources tell me it does. 

Not to be hyperbolic, but I sphere this is a sine that we're off on a tangent. We shouldn't protract it, so let's coordinate our efforts in getting to the point.

It's nice that he apparently discovered his own book because someone was thoughtful enough to send him a copy. \n\nThe moral apparently being that you don't always remember what you wrote when stoned.

Unlike [*innate* intelligence](http://www.123chiropractors.com/articles/innate-intelligence/), which has been proven by SCIENCE.\n\nSeriously, though, isn't that, more or less, #2? i.e. "we don't have enough evidence to conclude that inherent intelligence, if it exists, plays any role in academic success"?

The GOP is smart enough to know that their religion would be undermined if people could think for themselves. This is a theocratic move by a theocratic party.

I posted it because many skeptics are concerned with fallacies in general. Fallacies provide reasoning for being skeptic about claims.

Yes, let's laugh at a misrepresentation of our opponents. That's not fallacious at all.

Greatest prank of all time. Must be hard for the people who have devoted their life to studying the deeper mystery behind crop circles to discover it's just a couple of guys with some rope and a plank of wood.

Interesting enough, this is what a ghost actually looks like. Weird, whether or not this is fake. But when I saw the one I saw, who looked like he was from the 1960s or 50s. I couldn't see his face, it was blurred, but I could see his yellow polo and slacks. His hair was blonde. Strange. 

I'm impressed they managed to dump such a large chunk of the periodic table into. Most of the stuff in there is useless, some of it is pretty bad for you such as all the heavy metals and stuff like arsenic but in such small doses it shouldn't much and the same goes for the useful minerals like calcium or iron. So some useless solution that possibly smells like rotten eggs, sounds tasty

We probably wont have a solution for it in here except "welcome to the matrix," but thanks for sharing. Awesome to see you put so much work in to trying to figure it out instead of sending it back right away.

Man this guy's life is changing after seeing something incomprehensible and the only support he's getting are phallic jokes.  \n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/hEnVe.jpg

1st Paragraph : Disagree.  He is asking [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) for help.  He is seeking out information to improve his knowledge as to why that was BS.  Which it was.\n\n2nd Paragraph : Really??? \n\n3rd Paragraph : Disagree.  See paragraph 1 comment.\n\n4th Paragraph :  What??  Who is declaring a fatwa??  You are using a [reductio ad absurdum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum) fallacy here.  He IS investigating before he is going back to his friend.  He IS looking for information before telling him he is wrong.  That's the point of his post.\n\n5th Paragraph :  Agree\n\n6th : Partially agree.  I would not wait for someone to tell me their evidence, if I doubted it I would ask for it.  If they can't produce I would dismiss.  Now it seems to me that if the friend posted this on OP's FB page this is part of an ongoing discussion, so this may be his friends 'evidence'  who knows.  But like I said before, I think you are splitting hairs.  It is BS, you know it, I know it, OP knows it, he was just looking for a way to express this.  Thats all.  But you jumped on it making it out he was going to launch a 'fatwa' on his ass.  OTT IMO.  He didn't understand it and he asked [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) for help.\n\n7th : Agreed.  But I personally don't accept anything that you need to 'believe' in.  What was the reason he 'knew' it was BS?  You don't know.  So maybe you are being too critical of his motives.\n\nNext section.  After a patronising start ("This all seems like basic skeptic/critical thinking stuff")   You list 3 points...\n\nPoint 2 is being disingenuous.  He said he didn't "have any good arguments".  Not the same as having "no reason to believe it was false".  \nhe looked at it, his (to paraphrase you) skeptic spidey sense tingled but he was at a loss to explain the woo.  So he asked for help.  If ppl had come back and said...No....it's genuine but he still stuck to his belief then he deserves the wrath you have show towards him, but he was right to be suspicious, but he just didn't have the experience or knowledge to express it.\n\nAfter 3 points...\n\n1st Paragraph:  YES!!!  THAT'S WHY HE WAS ASKING FOR HELP AND INFO FIRST!!!\n\n2nd : Since when is that a basic tenet of skepticism??  The basic tenet is 'Where is the evidence?'  That's all.  But he is trying to learn, trying to understand.  But you seem to have a problem with him doing that.    I have agreed that she should have said 'suspect' instead of 'know' but that is the only issue here.  A simple semantic connotation.\n\n3rd : I think we are doing both at the same time.  Teaching through example if you will.  You are correct that you don't know he is only a skeptic because he thought it was cool?  But you are ascribing all sorts of things to OP that you can't know.  And then damming him for it.  Total Straw Man stuff.\n\n4th : I don't think so, because I think your reasoning is flawed.  You are defining skeptcism incorrectly (twice) and have used several logical fallacies in your arguments.  You even suggested a "I'm right and everyone else is wrong" in para 2!  That is not logical thinking that is woo thinking.

Can you give an example of an ~~alternative medicine~~ product that doesn't also have the effect of making the consumer forgo a traditional alternative, if there is one?

And pores. Or pours? We must only pour the wine into the glass while *twirling* *twirling* *twirling* counter-clockwise!

Hear are planes flying in at a low angle. I live in Portland and this has happend to me too. The airport is north-ish from where the are filming. These planes are coming from areas like Japan, Alaska or SW Canada 

Local news:  http://tucsoncitizen.com/wryheat/2012/04/04/statistical-significance-in-science-how-to-game-the-system/

... or a zoo. or quarantined as dangerously irrational. or an ongoing, enormous genetic engineering experiment.

Do you have evidence for that? I'm inclined to agree with you but I'd be curious to know what reason you have for thinking this is bunk.

Demons? Preposterous. You can hide behind other dimensions all you like (dimensions of which there is no proof), but it doesn't change that the existence of ET's is infinitely more probable because of the sheer scale of the universe (a universe which we can assume actually exists). Whether we've been visited or not here on earth is a different question altogether (personally I think maybe not). Djinn, unicorns, demons etc. belong in the bible and in other fairytale collections. The existence of ET's (as in entities from other worlds) is at least logically defendable.

Actually it's one of the few scientifically valid tests of intelligence - it's the only one that really has mainstream acceptance. It's so popular because it is such a robust measure that accounts for all of the abilities we consider to be products of "intelligence". \n\nThere's a common misconception, and I'm not quite where it started, that IQ is invalid and that IQ tests "only measure your ability to test IQ tests", which obviously isn't true given it's massive predictive success in more areas than just "test taking". \n\nThere is a deeper philosophical question of whether a fuzzy concept like "intelligence" is fully described and measured by the concept of IQ, but as scientists this is an irrelevant question. What we know is that IQ operates as an excellent proxy for the behaviors and traits that we describe as "intelligence" which makes it an incredibly valid scientific test of intelligence. 

Well, that's kind of the point. No pseudo-scientist is a "scientist". I'd say Chopra is a great example of pseudoscience though. He frequently takes all sorts of jargon from quantum mechanics and mixes it up with his own concepts of spirituality, consciousness and alternative medicine in a way that is very vague and has nothing to do with the actual science of quantum mechanics. By carelessly throwing these scientific terms around, he is misleading people into thinking that his beliefs have some sort of basis in science when they don't.

Misapplication of antibiotics produces antibiotic resistant bacteria *fast*. Similarly when you take out non-price considerations for spraying Round-Up, you shouldn't be surprised that farmers essentially breed weeds into resistance (i.e. slowly increasing dosage).

Scumbag Hermione:\n\nDoesn't believe resurrection stone can possibly be real.\n\nUsed a necklace to go back in time and change the future.

This is very true and it has happened to me. A few months ago I woke up and saw my fiance sleeping peacefully next to me. I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep. Upon waking up a few hours later, I remembered seeing him and was startled to figure out that he was at work the entire time.  \nIt wasn't a dream, I remember seeing him so vividly that it made my eyes water when I realized he was never there. It shook me to the core but it made me more open to our energy as living beings.  \nI feel like maybe he wanted to be in bed, sleeping next to me but his flesh was elsewhere.

haha, why would a television network give a fuck about resources? They will be heard, academia will not.

I've actually gotten a really good set of data from asking on /r/skeptic. It seems this subreddit is a lot more level-headed than the majority of Reddit and I've gotten a pretty good idea of the pros and cons of chiropractors.\n\nAs far as work, everyone has a fairly expensive office task chair (the aeron or similar) so I'm not sure what else to do. The actual desk is too high resulting in me keeping my chair too high for the monitors. But the only likely result of lowering the chair will be forearm and wrist strain. Maybe I'll stick some wood or books under it and see if they help.

I think YakCat may be thinking of ["Philip".](http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/p/philip.html)

When you say 'cracking' are you actually physically experiencing the crack or is it more like someone's popping a balloon while pushing on your back?

I didn't say "we need government" I pointed out that something will exist that has the 'force' that you so despise, libertarians gloss over that fact as quickly as they can be it the "taxation by gunpoint, guvmintbad" or "blah blah, we don't need government" ignoring the fact that something will exist, like it or not, with the 'force' to govern.

How do you know the video was edited?\n\nHow do you know it was someone from NIST that edited the video?\n\nSince the collapse of the penthouse is a key piece of evidence in how the [failure of a single column would have initiated a global collapse](http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=284), why would they do that?\n\nThis is the thing that gets me about the conspiracy theory:  It requires a government that is brilliant, highly organized, dedicated, and absolutely fucking retarded all at once.

I remember them feeling fairly normal if a little cold, also the smell of the room has always stood out, kind of like a sterile hospital smell but sweeter i guess.

Such a silly monkey. \n\nPerhaps you should do a little less drugs and spend your time learning about how scientists perform the research that we perform, which pushes us forward as a species.\n\nOf course someone talking about astral travel and doing DMT is probably too far gone to be logical and unbiased. \n\n 

Art Bell was amazing at what he did. He really personified a lot that I think is great about radio.\n\nThere is an intimacy to radio that other mediums just don't come close to imho. The ideas of radio being "a voice in the dark" or "the constant companion" really come through when Art Bell is behind the microphone. Radio was the perfect way to present all the those spooky ghost stories and alien encounters they talked about on the show. \n\nI have various opinions about his guests (most of them bad) but that man was good at radio. He could interview a lawn and make it interesting. He was not too believing of his guests (Sylvia Brown got banned from his show) nor was he too dismissive (he wouldn't have had a show at he handled his guests like that). \n\nAlso, his show is for entertainment. Not once did I ever hear him present himself as a serious news man. I still enjoy tuning in to listen to George Noory from time to time. It is a bit of silly fun. 

I personally don't recall seeing the more recent ones, but that may very well only be because I haven't looked too much.  Your having seen one from only a few months ago shows that the phenomenon is ongoing, so I imagine if you put in "Earth Sounds" or something like that and do a youtube search under "most recent", you might very well come up with some that happened VERY recently.

Ugh, that's the least skeptical answer possible. It's a feel good, new agey answer but it sucks.\n\nThe best source for information like this is the consensus of experts.\n\n&gt; If something makes profound sence to you, then it is is probably true\n\nNo. No no no no no. The strength of a belief has no correlation with how likely that belief is to be accurate. If something has a lot of evidence and the evidence and interpretation are accepted by those who study the field then it is probably true. \n\nYour gut telling you something is true has *no* value ... isn't that skeptic lesson number 1?\n\nSorry to be a little harsh here but I have noticed the rise of this troubling state of mind that once you read a few books and accept the "skeptic ideology" then you can start making gut decisions about things because you now have the keys to truth. This is the exact type of thinking that the skeptic movement and science is opposed to.

&gt; since Ron Paul himself has never advanced such ridiculous theories\n\nHe hasn't? Are you just unfamiliar with him or something?\n\n[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=-b_DC_jhkLI) is him talking about one world government conspiracy shit in 2009.\n\n[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWP0soYaKFY) is him talking about the Bilderbergers.\n\n[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkbAa-Wi7KA) he predicts a 'false flag' attack.\n\n[Here](http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/global-warming/) he called Global Warming "the greatest hoax", and referring to it as "terrorism".\n\n[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=X554O6TwiYM#!) is his insane, conspiracy-laden speech to the John Birch Society (an organization dedicated to insane conspiracy nonsense).\n\nThose are just a few examples out of many, and don't even go into his infamous newsletters, which were *chock full* of conspiracy nonsense (along with racism and homophobia).\n\nHe has built his career on conspiracy theories, and actively recruited conspiracy theorists as supporters. Ignoring his connection to the conspiracy movement is an exercise in self-delusion.

I didn't, till my mind was changed. A possession and the use of a medium changes your stance on things.  She was able to describe the same face I saw right after the possession was over, and I told no one of him or the injury the face had. 

"Properly peformed" homeopathy, while completely useless, should also not have any inherent detrimental effect other than the part where morons use it instead of real treatments. On the other hand, any form of "conversion therapy" is inherently harmful by instilling self-loathing and, typically, causing lasting psychological damage. I'm not saying homeopathy is good or safe, but honestly, at least someone whose been "treated" with homeopathy probably believes it's helping and is happy that they've defeated the evil pharmaceutical industry, rather than hating themselves and believing they're going to Hell because they can't overcome their "disease".

The ones that still gets stuck in my head over all these years, though, are [The Statue Got Me High](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrc9siok3IU)\n\nAnd [We Want A Rock](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amUowhHVBM4)\n\n[James K Polk(and other presidents)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbVWd_dc6Tc)\n\n

&gt;The fear of all synthetic pesticides is based on data from unrelated chemicals that are no longer used.\n\nThat's not true. There are very real, studied dangers (usually birth defects or neurodevelopmental issues) from certain synthetic pesticides currently in use, especially in the workers that administer them.\n

I have thought about this for a while.  It's a great idea, but I'm a mediocre developer!

This article was suprisingly good inspite of the Huffpo's usual attempt to spin it into something sensational. Col. Friend seemed reasonable and the below quote sums it up pretty well:\n\n"Do I believe that we have been visited? No, I don't believe that," he said. "And the reason I don't believe it is because I can't conceive of any of the ways in which we could overcome some of these things: How much food would you have to take with you on a trip for 22 years through space? How much fuel would you need? How much oxygen or other things to sustain life do you have to have?"\n\nHere is a guy with more access to classified information than just about anyone for or against UFOs being Extraterrestial in origin. His job was to investigate UFOs for the US and determine threat level, in a highly classified project. He belives there is life around other stars, and despite all of that he doesn't believe UFOs are extraterrestial in origin. A tip of the hat to you Col. Friend,

Now, i'm not a geologist or anything, but can i guess it's just a high level of metal in them along with air bubbles?

I just can't go to to wikipedia until this donation drive is over. *Shudder.*

This isn't an assumption - it's just the truth. Rotting teeth can be a much bigger problem than some realize. For example, one of my clients ended up with a  life-threatening infection that almost took her life about 2 years ago (her infection spread and she ended up with pericarditis). If we have a way to prevent these complication, even in small amounts, we have a societal duty to so even if most cases aren't that extreme. \n\nPeople who are poor have a lot of problems, which ones are their biggest is entirely relative and it's a piss poor reason for trivializing ANY health issue. 

I gave you an upvote for novelty, but I have to say this thought is a little revolting. \n\nHumans are not the pinnacle achievement of the universe. When people regard themselves which such glorified notions they end up feeling entitled and become destructive - as evidenced by your statement that maybe evil and greed should be sanctified. 

It's kind of like their own ignorance is the source of the perpetual energy required to keep working on a device like this.\n\nRegardless, it's a cool kinetic sculpture even if the goal is misguided.

There are so many external factors that affect the stock market and the economy that are out of a president's control like world events, commodity prices, weather, etc.   

Glad there was an update. I was really wonde- 5 months, you say?\n\nYou sure you're not the Doctor?

Fair enough. I do agree that there are interesting parts of libertarianism. I'm coming at this from the perspective of someone who was convinced a while back, then saw some flaws, assumed there were solutions, went looking for those solutions, and never found them. So, as much as I really like parts of it, I end up arguing against it as a full coherent concept.\n\nIf you're not sure about answers to those questions, I'd strongly urge you to go looking for them. Hey, for all I know you'll find the answers that I couldn't find, but at least go hunt those answers down :)\n\nThanks in return.

Sorry, I should have been clearer.  That was my source for Monsanto saying that they don't go after unintentional cross pollination.  I think sometimes I get my wires crossed since I usually try to set the facts straight in /r/politics and it's always an uphill battle.  Truthiness, not facts seem to inform the debate for many of the anti-GMO crowd.  They are entitled to their opinion on Monsanto's business practices, but they are not entitled to their own facts.

I saw this a couple of months ago.  I just figured it's a statue.  It doesn't look alive or anything.  It is weird that they blurred the whole body.

"Through a mirror, darkly" is a quote from the Bible, basically means that man's understanding of Everything is like seeing the reflection of an ancient (to us) mirror. I was paraphrasing it to imply that often when people put thoughts into someone else's head they're actually reflecting and giving voice to their own thoughts, and when those thoughts are stupid, they make stupid assumptions about the other person's thoughts.\n\nI can't really explain it better, it was just a throwaway line.

Yes.  Alien civilizations chose to contact us using wheat fields.

Agreed, I just wasn't feeling like getting into someone over that this morning. My genes are lazy today. :D

&gt;The only thing you would need to do is limit their allotment on a monthly basis. That is almost literally zero extra overhead. When they reach their limit, they are isolated from the grid.\n\nThere you go, reduced quality of life. I dont want any limit on my energy usage, and if there would be, my quality of life would be reduced.\n\n&gt;What do you mean by "no more geothermal and hydro"? Are you jsut saying words without thinking about them? Do you think that the energy created with them would stop once you finished building the facility?\n\nNope, but no **further growth** would be possible once you build over all suitable sites.\n\n&gt;It tells us that coal was allowed to flourish and become cheaper over time and now it has a strangle hold on the market because of lobbying. Without the same benefits, how do you expect renewable tech to become cheaper? Do you have zero idea how technological progression works?\n\nSure, give them the same benefits for every TWh they produce as to all other energy sources. That would be fair.\n\nbtw. I was pointing out actual energy production subsidies, research and development should of course be generously subsidized (but also for other non-carbon energy sources).

I think that brings up a good point about the Internet. This last Jesus coming back thing was subject to the viral spread of the internet more than anything before. As these things will from now on be part of the internet and not localize to a cult, they will start looking more and more like reposts. Hopefully this should make everyone bored of them much more quickly. 

Thanks for this explanation. Maybe I'm not understanding the implications of blocking the uptake of fatty acids and increasing the release of fat, but I was under the impression that the product I linked in my OP only purports to decrease appetite. Maybe the two are linked for all I know. Would you say there's a plausible method of action of action for suppressing appetite? I'm just curious about that, regardless of the probable lack of evidence. \n\n&gt;I think it's another case of pseudoscience that latches on to one interesting legitimate study, then blows the findings way out of proportion.\n\nIndeed, I assumed so from the start. Just wanted to make sure I didn't assume wrong. =)

His [youtube videos](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLC7h3owDnc&amp;feature=player_embedded) are frelling hilarious.

I'm aware of epigenetics. I don't deny that the environment has an affect on our genes, that would be silly.

&gt;since they never gave a shit about depictions before the neocons lied us into war.\n\n\nYou should read some history...

a [mind map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map), huh? that's like, brainstorm... these peeps might think it's some sort of actual model of understanding. at any rate, that thread's filled with, at best, wishful thinking - at worst, horrendous misconceptions.\n\nlooks like the same sort of pseudoscience going on in, say, /seduction.

Ha!  And [@HealthRanger](http://twitter.com/HealthRanger) (Mike Adams of NaturalNews.com) has been removed from the [health category](http://shortyawards.com/category/health) for apparent ballot stuffing.  Seems he or his followers were creating new Twitter accounts just to vote.

The bone is of what "appears" (by archeologists on site) to be that of a human.  The bones of the indigenous turtles look very similar and a conclusive appraisal couldn't be made.   What is significant (among other things) is that this bone was found in an area missing the rest of the skeleton as if meaty portions were kept and returned to the camp where it was discovered.  Further investigation is warranted.

*"There is a strong and growing evidence base for homeopathy and most notably, this also includes childhood diarrhoea."*\n\nAnd what might this growing evidence be? The amount of homepathic medicine being sold has increased, persons are 'feeling' better after they take it, or a non-scientific study where double-blind is not implimented? Yeah, probably one or more of those.\n

Man, how dumb do you have to be? Don't you immediately look at the calendar and think "how many different combinations can there be...well, there's only one variable (no leap days in July)...so...um, 7 combinations?"

from what I can find it doesn't seem that even CNTs would be strong enough, however I can't find a reliable source. Can any help me out there?

So intelligent, posting an article that doesnt mention any kind of an explanation for noises yet titles the post "strange noises explained".

Awesome, as in something to be an awe of, the way it constructs over time such elegant organisms.\n\nNot awesome, as in something to take delight in, such as when the victims of homeopaths end up dying from things that we have treatments for.

I agree. I think that we should have another word for most of what is called miracles – something a step above "unlikely coincidence," but below full-on unexplicable.

"Grasping at straws?" What, do you think I'm trying to slander the guy?

So we are disproving bullshit with more bullshit? Not sure what to think of this.

&gt;Zecharia Sitchin clearly states the tablets are talking about extraterrestrials.\n\nYikes. Zecharia Sitchin also thinks that Nibiru is real. Do you have anyone reputable to quote about the Sumerian tablets?\n\n&gt;There's already so much proof out there so lets move on.\n\nThis is where you and I split off drastically. What are your standards of proof?

BAT BOY!!!!! You met Batboy!!! Weekly world news needs to know!!!

I went to a chiropractor a couple of times (lower back pain), and he used electrical muscle stimulation both times. Do you use it, and what is your opinion of it?

...and you both neglected to provide links to any evidence or peer reviewed research on the majority of your claims so in my opinion you are both full of shit!

Conventional doctors should sue this magazine for suggesting that they keep worthwhile treatments from their patients.

The problem is that those people are impervious to reason. I'm convinced that the people that respect them least are their own leaders.

Not only do drones offer an easy explanation - I was wondering if it isn't even more intentional than that, meaning, is it possible that all of the news stories coming out about drones now are being planted intentionally, *because of* the rise in UFO sightings, and as a way to confuse the public.

Yes, it is a real thing. The brain sometimes has difficulty handling certain forms of stress or long term stress and coverts it into physiological symptoms. Often these symptoms cause more stress as they can look like horrible diseases such as Parkinson's or MS and expensive tests must be performed to rule out these diseases. The disorder can be aggravated by all kinda of stress. For example, mine flairs up when it's cold outside.

I help the people that come to me. But its not like I travel to other states and tell the people with dramatic music I can see their dead family member. If the come to me and I can understand them, I try to do what I can. (Explain they are dead, try to do research on how they died, help them understand whatever questions they have, sometimes send flower or a letter, and most of the time I just help them find their way back home. Because a lot die while they are away from home, usually on vacation or a road trip and they get... lost.)\n\nAs for interviews no thanks. I am  happy being anonymous me. Unless it was a written form such as this. \n\nI havent sought proof because I do not care if people believe me or not. I am not trying to profit off anything, make this into a job, or really care to tell others about it period. There are so many people out there wanting a second chance to tell someone they loved them but thats not what happens to me. I see the people who died, but for some reason stay around. Those people are who I see, not every single person who died in the world shows up to my door or in my life.\n\nI hope that makes sense  

Whoever made this video has apparently NEVER heard of a lens flare...

its 2 surfers which of one is being sprayed with white ocean water from a breaking wave....................?

The pekingese I had for dinner last night was pretty tasty, actually. 

&gt; That's funny... in the USA, they always use the overweight middle-aged man gorging himself on fettucine alfredo. \n\nYeah, we'll be using that example soon enough. As a physician friend of mine said, we have the same weight problem as the US, we're just lagging behind by a decade or two.\n\nAs long as we are mentioning fun examples: Studies of finnish lumberjacks were part of the discovery of the connection between diet and cardiovascular health early on. These guys were doing this incredibly demanding work in the way below freezing temperature. To even be able to meet their daily caloric demand (8000-1000) they had to eat the fattest unhealthiest stuff they could come over. High-calorie diet, saturated fat, physical excursion in the cold, what more could one ask for as plaque?

I heard from a marine pilot friend of mine, after many drinks, that there is a secret underground airbase near downtown Austin. 

It's very rarely used correctly. It basically only occurs as the plural of nouns ending with "-ius". Yet there seems to be a plague of "virii" (viruses).

Look at your assailant; now back to me; now back at your assailant - you're holding a banana!

Just because he's trying to prove a point with it doesn't mean it's not a joke. If you think all the people that found that funny are stupid, I think your judgment is clouded by the subject of the matter at hand and you aren't looking at the statement objectively.

You correct peoples' grammar when they're doing something professional.  When you're nitpicking on a website like Reddit, you're not being helpful, you're trying to prove that you can spot grammatical errors. \n\nGood job, braj, go work at a publishing office somewhere. 

This has nothing to do about whether "creepy" is subjective or not. We don't need to prove whether the man in the elevator was "objectively" creepy according to some set definition. But you made an assumption about what criteria Rebecca Watson uses to assess creepiness (i.e., attractiveness), and then used that to make an unjustified inference to the attractiveness of the man.\n\nInferences are arguments (so you can't hide behind "that's my opinion), and thus need evidence to back them up. What kind of evidence would justify the argument? Some sort of evidence that Watson actually used such criteria to assess his creepiness. Without that, you are essentially putting words into her mouth.\n\nIn short, you are free to define "creepy" whichever way you please, but you are not free to assume someone else is using the same definition that you are.

Check out [http://youarenotsosmart.com](http://youarenotsosmart.com) The book is also fantastic.

look harder, not just at sellers, but comments: http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2008/04/homeopathy-for-allergy-relief/

Collins is actually born again, was an athiest for a while in his youth and is a firm believer now.

My understanding is that during a pole reversal (they actually do happen) the poles will become twisted and this: http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/magnetic_field.jpg is an accurate representation of what will happen. But it isn't an instantaneous event and takes several thousand years. Sorry that I am not knowledgeable enough to go into greater detail. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal

Maybe you got possessed by a ghost who killed him/herself at the hotel, possibly in that very room. The ghost reenacted his suicide using you.

&gt;So for example, Ordeal By Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction a Civil War text published in 2000 (that's 135 years after the end of the Civil War) by authors James McPherson and James Hogue, who we can assume were not eyewitnesses to the Civil War or the Reconstruction period, should be considered fictional until proven otherwise?\n\nIn case you're wondering why you're downvoted, you're comparing a known secondary source that takes material from known primary literature with a claimed (but historically known to be false) primary source (the gospels). It's not even close to the same thing, and it's an absolutely terrible analogy.

&gt; except the size of it makes that very unlikely without a story or evidence of what that would be. They measured it at 1km long and 200m wide. That's no small 'object'.\n\nAs far as the size of the object, that is pure speculation.  If it was an especially bright object it would appear larger than it is as the light oversaturates the sensor and bleeds out.  The length of the object is an illusion too.  You can tell that it is streaking across the sensor frame-by-frame.  That is why from one frame to the next the "head" of the object is located exactly where the "tail" of the object is in the next frame.  The object is merely exposing a trail across the sensor during the entire time the sensor is picking up that information.\n\nthe fact is, it is impossible to say how large the object is, there simply isn't enough information to make a claim either way.

Well, congratulations.  That was sufficiently scary as fuck.  Love it.  Though it seems like unholy entities from beyond sure are repelled easily by wooden doors.

&gt; Why so hostile?\n\nIt's because there are sooo many people that profess knowledge of science while completely scoffing at phenomena like this when the reality is that phenomena like this is, simply put, absolutely real.\n\n&gt; I'm genuinely curious why you would accept this story on face value. \n\nI'm not necessarily accepting a story like this one in particular at face value.  I'm acknowledging that this story is very much like the many documented cases that exist and that have been pretty heavily researched and documented by some rather credible academics.\n\n&gt; What's more likely? That this person posseses, quite possibly, the most amazing talent in recorded human history?\n\nSee . . . sigh . . . It's actually *not* "the most amazing talent in recorded human history."  It's actually quite an amazing ability, to be sure, but it's not "the" most amazing.  There are many, many amazing things that exist on this planet.  Unfortunately, it's kept from the knowledge of many, and a lot of people - like youself - simply follow this ignorant line of sheep-like thinking without questioning or understanding just how wrong the paper academics and supposed authority figures on this planet have it.\n\n&gt; Rewrites the textbook on everything from Physics to the Bible\n\nBoth physics *and* the bible are full of flaws.  Not saying paranormal phenomena isn't, but you're - again - basically only pandering to what the MSM establishment says is or is not.  FYI, the MSM (and that which they control like science, education, and academia in general) is *not* on your side, or on the side of enlightening or helping the masses.  That MSM rhetoric and info that you so dutifully and haughtily regurgitate is, as I said earlier, actually designed to make sure that you do little but remain an ignorant sock monkey.\n\nYou gotta break out of that, and as useful as the tool of science is for building one's house of knowledge, you must always realize that it is only that - a tool - and the way it's practiced on this planet, it's not even actually the best tool for the job at this point.\n\n&gt; oh, by the way - he can't actually give a single shred of proof for?\n\nProof?  What kind of proof are you talking about here?  Ultimately, all you have is the OP's words in a computer to go by; that and the shit ton of documentation that's out there for anyone that cares to research and investigate the phenomenon.\n\n&gt; Or that he is either trolling/mentally ill?\n\nHe/she might be.  That's definitely a possibility, unfortunately.  The fact of the matter, however, is that even if he/she *is* trolling, it doesn't for one moment cancel out or negate the many times in recorded history where things like this have indeed happened and been documented *without* anyone doing any trolling.\n\n&gt; The world is amazing. Just because it isn't full of ghosts, aliens and magic dragons doesn't remove that fact.\n\nThe world *is* amazing.  The systematic, ignorant, societal dumbing down of this planet and the people in it, however, makes many associate circularly fallacious words like "magic dragons" with very real phenomena like ghosts and ET existence.  Then, in one fell swoop, many attempt to take the whole of the actual authentic phenomenon on the one hand, group it together, and try to discard it with the flimsy paper straw man they put up for the very purpose of knocking it down on the other.\n\nIt encompasses the height of a hubris, disingenuousness, and ignorance that I personally have a hard time reacting to very courteously.

Put your cursor over each square.  The original creator of the Table also added a definition with each "Element of Nonsense".  The image by itself, though nice, is missing the creators addition contribution.  

I've seen alot of videos lately from airplanes. I like this. Rumors of sightings by plane passengers or pilots were always rare and taboo back a few years ago, so no one talked about them. &lt;3 technology for being able to document stuff like this. 

Try "chemtrail grid." You will find like 450,000 sketchy-ass pictures. I really find it implausible that every single one of these pictures is someone just joyriding their private plane. 

Don't worry, GodDonut, most of us here see you on the right side of things.

I thought I replied, but I guess I didn't.\n\nHonestly, they could have. But, they really didn't seem like the type to mess with someone. They were serious, somewhat older and calm. The truck they were in was very, very small and I could tell they were well above 6'0", so if he was ducking, you would notice.

*Vaccinium* is a genus of berries, *vaccinum* is the word root for "vaccine" and refers to cows, since Jenner noticed cross-resistance to smallpox in milkmaids, who had been routinely exposed to cowpox. If you ever read something referring to fair or pretty milkmaids, it's because their resistance to smallpox meant they were less scarred by the disease.\n\n[For more info, read about this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Jenner).

Gross.  Uncircumcised penis look like those water-snake toys from the early 80's.  I have been with a lot of guys, but there is no way I would put an uncircumcised penis anywhere near my mouth.  Just not going to happen.  ICK.

Way back when I was in third grade ('93-94) my older sister and I had future aspirations for having our own rock band.  Neither of us could play instruments so we just wrote a lot of lyrics and bound them together into albums.  I had this one dream that had a song on-repeat that I had never heard before.  It ended up getting stuck in my head for days and I chalked it up to inspiration and wrote out what lyrics I could remember into the ol windows 3.1 machine.  \n\nFlash-forward to the year 2000.  I've all but forgotten about most of that stuff until I was riding around delivering newspapers one night when this all-too familiar song came onto the radio.  I had never heard it before but it was deeply familiar.  Then the chorus hit and my heart practically stopped.  It was "South Side" by Moby.  I had written down this exact song (lyrics and melody) from a dream 7 years prior.  I tried to explain it to my family but even though clairvoyance is rampant in my mother's side of the family it was dismissed; I must've just heard it somewhere else, they said.  I still wish we hadn't gotten rid of that computer when Windows 98 came out...

yes, I would expect them to say that...they're the chosen few!  Wouldn't want the plebians to get in an ruin things.\n\nI jest, but there are ways to maintain intimacy and still grow your attendance.  VIP events, afterparties, etc...

Flu kills people. Are you gonna lock up everyone with a running nose? I was with you up to charging parents.

TIL: It's written together when used in German, but as two words in English, French (of course) and other languages - apart from those who've equipped the word with their own spelling, eg *Schäslong* in Swedish, *Szezlong* in Polish or *Sjeselong* in Norwegian.

It's not typical to have to pay these amounts to be in a legit trial.

It's kind of funny when you hear things like this.  Even  if he were right and this was some sort of angel or other supernatural entity, how could he possibly identify it as his father?  Even if we were to accept the premise as true, it's just wishful thinking on his part to believe he can identify it.

Oh my god, I laughed out loud so many times.\n\nI would honestly watch this as a comedy.

Nobody knows what's going to happen, but there's lots pointing to *something*.

two groups that no one *good* cares about.\n\nedit: added a word.

Given that Godel's Incompleteness Theorem is correct, and that all systems of knowledge ultimately rely on something outside themselves which equates to mere faith... then SO WHAT? \n\nIt is perfectly reasonable to conclude as a next step, that some systems are going to rely on their ultimate faith MUCH more or less than others. In terms of self consistency a religion would have a much more tenuous ground for proof within it's own context (for many reasons), than say a science or mathematical field.

No you didn't say that all are successful, but it sounds like you are trying to give Jobs a pass for doing something that wasn't going to work by saying "it was an experiment". Plus, he wasn't dying at the time. If he had gone with surgery in the beginning, we might not be having this discussion.\n\nAnd I started with explaining why sometimes experiments do work. Not with logical fallacies.

meh. this vid is kinda old and the ufos look like insects to me. srsly a few dots scattered around the screen which can be seen for no longer than a single frame? insects.

In my neck of the woods, they're used interchangeably.  Sprinkles might be the more common usage but everyone knows what you mean regardless of which term you choose.

Might want to ask your obgyn.  Getting vaccinated should be standard of care before getting pregnant.

Welcome to r/skeptic, the home of "we demand evidence of your claims" skeptics rather than the pure "I don't believe the official story" semi-skeptics that also use the word.  You're among science dorks that enjoy debunking everything from psychics to bad medicine.  The [JREF](http://www.randi.org/) is a big part of that.

One needs the actual paper. Because this sounds like it's just typical neuro-reporting.\n\n"Researchers have found subject that most closely resembles the ideal brain activity of our hypothesis based off correlating brain activity with self-reports on subject's happiness." doesn't have the same ring as "scientifically proven happiest man on the planet".\n\nAnd nobody's brain activity is identical so I'm not sure what they mean by "never reported"\n\nIt's hard to figure anything concrete out from this article and I'm too drunk too look for another.

I've watched this video before. I actually came here to post it. Its an excellent series that pretty much (without saying) takes kinesthesiology and throws it out the window. \nIf only most people were educated and less brainwashed to notice. 

A few days after I got my picture with Randi, my wife started a psychology class and a picture of Randi was in the first few pages of the text book. She showed her professor my picture who put it up on the projector for all to see in class. 

She probably has spoken about them, and you overheard indirectly, or were just blind guessing.

I dunno...Buddy pushed down on my hand at my side and I fell over. I put the bracelet on and he did it again and I was solid. Maybe a placebo...but..it worked i guess...It was fucked. I then watched him do the same thing to 3 of my friends.

The 1% is stuff we can't explain. Let me repeat that. Stuff we can't explain. Not necessarily aliens 

ah crap... whoops, trigger finger went off too soon. You're absolutely correct and I was wrong (that'll teach me to swap between subreddits too quickly..). Comment amended.

If you search around on http://tobaccodocuments.org/ (which is a real source), you'll find a few documents relating to Dr. Olkin. They all relate to him getting funding from Tobacco regarding a single study he did to investigate the suitability of statistical techniques used in some studies of the health effects of tobacco. A study which the scientific adviser for the tobacco companies said would probably not produce results of industry interest.\n\nMost of the allegations in the article are bullshit, though.

Can we get more silly, empty analogies and less science?  I don't think so.

Anybody who uses the word "pls" instead of "please" in a professional setting is somebody who does not deserve the money of anybody. 

Where the hell did you get 1 in 500 from the source you just linked?  Besides, Celiac - as confirmed by biopsy - is the endgame of a progressive condition.  Autoimmunity to gluten can be quantified in a much larger population than Celiac disease can be confirmed, and all-cause mortality is significantly increased in non-Celiac gluten intolerance.\n\nThis "fad diet" may technically be trendy, but there is probably more science behind it than all the other fad diets of the last 100 years combined.  Meanwhile, diagnosis rates of Celiac are WELL below the numbers predicted by random sampling, so we should logically expect this to gain even more popularity as time goes on.\n

I'm not sure you'll belong there if my joke went over your head, son.

So you chose to blatantly **ignore** what *throwaway-o* stated above to spread your bullshit, religious, worldview? Statists will be statists.

I agree, but unfortunately it just doesn't work in that way, or at all

This is an interesting question. Muscles can obviously knot up with repeated movements and other physical stressors and cause intense pain, like in the mysofascial trigger points (although from my cursory read of several pages, there did seem to be a number of iffy, woo signs on the Wikipedia page, such as a study that had compared acupuncture points to trigger points and found overlap).\n\nHigh levels of anxiety can also cause aching, knotted muscles (neck and shoulders being the most common areas). The stress hormones released when we are chronically anxious seem to be responsible for this. In people with generalized anxiety disorder, muscle tension is a key symptom (Joormann, J., &amp; Stober, J. (1999). Somatic symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder for the DSM-IV: associations with pathological worry and depression symptoms in a nonclinical sample. Journal of Anxiety Dis- orders, 13(5), 491–503.). \n\nSo, yes, muscle tension can be caused by psychological stress. For more on the anxiety disorders check out http://abnormalpsych.wikispaces.com/anxiety

I didn't have room in my mouth for mine, thus they were removed. Good thing, too, because there really isn't anyplace for them to have emerged without pushing other teeth out of the way.

All I want is a body. Alive, dead, skeletal, whatever. Something more than blurry photos or footprint casts. It is simply inconceivable that a hunter or boyscout troop hasn't stumbled across a body.\n\nUntil then, I'll file bigfoot away with the loch ness monster, alien abductions, and god. Things I would love to see, but refuse to take on faith.

Magnetitum also goes by the names of Magnetite, Ling Ci Shi, Ci Shi Ling, Huo Ci Shi, and Sheng Ci Shi.  Its chemical composition is Fe3O4 or can be written as FeO·Fe2O3 (sorry don't know how to do subscript).  The magnetite extract within Magnetic Pill is created through a highly specialized process which proves to be a critical element within the supplement.  The specifics to this process however are part of the proprietary creation method of Magnetic Pill so I can't share the details : )\n\nLet me know if I did not quite cover anything or if you have any other questions Blue.\n

She's your ex and this is a recurring dream of hers. It's possible that she told you about it once when you weren't really paying attention.

if you were to see this in the side of your eye, wouldn't you assume somebody flashed a flashlight quickly in your direction, after which you would give chase ? 

Electric fields really don't work that way. Nor do magnetic fields, for that matter.

I know very little about 9/11. I mean I have looked a lot at websites and documentaries on both sides. A lot of the conspiracy theories I find very silly, but the only thing I find odd, is that before building 7 went down there was so much talk of 'pulling' the building, and the fact that the bbc reported it 20 mins before the actual event. Now as I said before I am ignorant and cannot claim to have a firm idea about what happened and I am very willing to be persuaded (either way). If anyone has any explanation, for the firecrew and media videos I would love to hear it.

Just because he's not on a teleprompter doesn't mean anything.\n\nHe was on there pushing his book deal, and really, it means he's not all that different from Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly. He's just on a different part of the spectrum of political talking heads. Like Bill Maher too, who works for HBO (Time Warner).

Please stop upvoting this. In addition to NSFW ads displayed on the page, this user is a member of a spam network posting links to ##-media.tumblr.com. See [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/reportthespammers/comments/qreu5/network_of_users_reposting_content_but_with_link/) for more information.\n\nIn addition, all of these are reposts with duplicate titles/images. If you like the content, find the original and upvote it!

but I'm referring to the dogma of the investigational methodology itself.  One is free to dispute claims...within the rules.  

Fake psychic readings are very much akin to astrology readings (which are, of course, also fake).  They are formed of various, often contradictory generalizations.  \n\nWhile there were only 9 persons who had completed the survey at the time, I scored with the majority as I expected.

Hey can I use this? I'm an investigator from the Caribbean Paranormal Society. I can talk to our Evp analyzer so we can check what it is.

&gt; Ok, here. No doubt this is the most critical and thorough review of the existing data.\n\nThe article itself talks about needing to use Chinese samples because fluoride levels in first-world water supplies were consistently low.\n\nThey go on to pretty much define "high fluoridation" to being natural sources of fluoridating in the 5mg/L to the 100's of mg/L. \n\nAfter reading this article, it's entirely possible that better educated individuals are located closer to better regulated water supplies. This alone would more any account for any difference in IQ.\n\n&gt; reduced aggregate intellectual capacity. Other than being red states.\n\nI stopped reading right there. Just because someone disagrees with on politics doesn't automatically make them dumber than you.

&gt;you had to keep your counter free of dishes and keep your floors vaccuumed or a sea monster would eat you and your family, you'd devote disproportional resources to those particular things.\n\nAm I the only one here that thinks this is a great analogy??\n\nIt may not be what we want to hear regarding climate change, but it's a really good analogy for the fallacy being applied.

Purely anecdotal, but pretty much any TED talk I have seen which I thought dubious was a TEDx talk; more local talks which are not half as vetted as TED proper. Admittedly I have not gone and painstakingly checked the sources on TED proper talks, the credentials of the speakers and the facts presented didn't seem extraordinary enough for me to be dubious enough to check them out.

it does but again, only people who are posting are the ones who love to bitch that it wasn't a video of an E.T. jumping out of some sort of aircraft.. explaining their existence and then jetting off back into the atmosphere.  like you said, new stuff to see, but everybody wants to be a skeptic because that's more "credible" in the eyes of who gives a f*ck.

&gt; even authorities can go insane or be temporarily delusional or hallucinogenic\n\nYes.  However, this only applies to one, two, or a *very* minimal percentage of extremely UNindicative examples and scenarios.  This particular type of assertion you your part completely falls apart when you take into account the sheer number of trained, qualified personnel that have observed verifiable objects that have witnesses and have been tracked by radar equipment.\n\nAt that point, one is actually *not* appealing to authority.  You are appealing to the sheer number of affirmative accounts given by individuals with a great deal of experience in deciphering visual data.  This is a far different thing, comprising data existing on a completely different and more powerful order of magnitude altogether.

It's fine, I didn't even really get into Star Trek until college.  The common theories behind saucer propulsion state that they would likely use some type of gravity generation engine, locking onto some large mass and manipulating the amount of pull it has on different parts of the ship to move through space.  Whatever propulsion system they use, it would be highly inefficient to have combustion, exhaust, or many moving parts.  We don't make form without function, as it causes drastic waste and can be of hindrance.  If efficient enough, they would have no need for any other shape than a saucer.  Maybe a sphere, but we have reports of triangular ships, cigar shaped ships, and sphere shaped ships.  There's no real definite answer to your question, as no one here has experience with extra terrestrial engineering.  The best we can give you come from eyewitness reports(the majority who say they see saucers or triangles)and deduction.

Ive never looked into crop circles but i might. While those structures could very well be man made, i think its a possibility aliens could have helped shown. Who knows how far humanity goes back. This planet is very old and life has been living on it billions of years. Its pretty incredible to think about how little each and every one of our existences is in comparison to the universe. I feel like my potential as a person is hindered because people as a whole make it the normal to consider anything with space irrelevant, unless it has to do with "God"

With the description, I kept trying to read the part where they said that it was now okay to get vaccines.  I can't wrap my head around the anti-vaxxers NOT being the hoax.

It seems we need to talk a bit about standards of evidence here.\n\nIn a universe where we had infinite time and infinite resources, we'd be able to rigorously verify all claims put before us as a matter of course. However, we do not live in such a universe, and so we need to be somewhat selective as to which claims we need to _rigorously_ verify.\n\nHence the oft repeated aphorism "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"; it's a recognition of the fact we cannot prove every minute claim put before us if we hope to get anything done; if I say "I had a turkey sandwich for lunch", you've got no reason whatsoever not to take it at face value under most circumstances.\n\nThe amount of rigor we need to apply varies with 1) how extraordinary the claim is and 2) the consequences of the claim being true.  If I claim I had a dodo sandwich for lunch, it's time to demand evidence because I am claiming something extraordinary - where the hell did I get a dodo???  If a murder trial hangs in the balance over whether I ate a turkey sandwich for lunch as opposed to, say, brisket, then the consequences of getting it right are dire, and thus rigor is again called for.\n\nYour KKK example doesn't work on either grounds; it's a non-trivial claim with huge social consequences should we act on it.\n\nSo how does this apply to the situation at hand?\n\nFirst...unfortunately, sexual harassment is a commonplace happening; there is nothing extraordinary in the claim it sometimes occurs in the skeptical community.\n\nSecond...the consequences of accepting claims sexual harassment has occurred are minimal here, merely prompting us to enact policies we should already have had in place (and shame on us for not already having them!); no one is asking to ruin anyone's career here, just that events have policies in place making it clear that sexual harassment is not okay and that event organizers are prepared to deal with it should it occur, that claims of sexual harassment will be listened to and taken seriously (say by keeping a record of the incident on file so if several people step forward saying someone is consistently a problem or someone catches video or other solid evidence, the perpetrator can be asked to leave the event), and so on.\n\nGiven that _several_ women have come forward - not just Ms. Watson and Ms. McCreight - and said "yes, sexual harassment has been a problem at skeptical events", I'd say that meets any reasonable evidentiary claim to accept that, yes, sexual harassment is happening and needs to be addressed. Since the consequences of accepting this are, quite simply, just doing something we should have already done considering the prevalence of harassment in society at large, there is no need to go all CSI on the matter.\n\nIn trying to push for a criminal-trial level of rigor, you are effectively claiming that either sexual harassment is so rare as to be unheard of (effectively dismissing the claims of the women who have come forward to say otherwise), or you are claiming that the consequences of accepting their claims at face value (enacting policies we should already have in place but don't) too dire.  Which is it?\n\nAs for your mention of hyperbole...oy. Equating "let's enhance public awareness of a problem and get some commonsense policies in place to help address it" to "Jesus' anal warts, man! FALSE CLAIMS OF RAPE RUINING PEOPLES' LIVES! ZOMG!!!" is hyperbole.  Pointing out you're being an hysterical alarmist running around squealing that the sky is falling is not.\n\nEDIT: minor grammatical error

Yeah I know just Assassin's Creed from what I played has never really gone to far past the memories of when the assassin actually has a kid. But also I have stated it is not something I believe in just a possible explanation if you want it.

The one thing I've heard was mostly placebo effect, but also that the body receives pain in a certain manner from the nerves so that causing pain in certain locations, especially strong pain, would make other areas feel numb. The way your stubbed toe stops hurting after you break your arm.

&gt; Are you suggesting that the true believer salesmen are going to limit their own sales pitches? Caveat Emptor.\n\nYes, I am, because **this shouldn't be a business**. There shouldn't be a "buyer" or a "salesman" in the first place.\n\n&gt; Not all TMers are fundamentalists, but the higher up you go int he TM organization, the more true believerism you will find.\n\nNot so much higher up as closer to the "core", most of whom are are the bottom of the totem pole.\n\n&gt; See above: true believerism abounds. Even so, most of the kids I met at MIU when I learned TM were somewhat cynical of their parents' beliefs, even though they were taking the Yogic Flying course themselves.\n\nIt's funny... I hadn't even mentioned the flying bit yet...\n\n&gt; and a lot appear to be well-adjusted, successful adults. Are you sure you aren't associated with a certain group of people and judging everything based on a specific sub-culture?\n\nBetween my classmates, friends, and my brothers friends and classmates I've known about a six-to-eight year span of graduating classes. From around '98-'05 or so, and of course many more outside of that range.\n\nSo no, not a specific sub-culture. Especially when you consider the fact that my brother and his "sub-culture" would be described as true believers.\n\n&gt; At the highest level, of course. How could you possibly expect otherwise? Have you ever talked to a person who was selected to be a US Electoral College member? The ultimate in Party Advocacy. No other Way could could possibly exist than the XYZ Party.\n\nYou need to work on your formatting, FYI.\n\nAnd, again, this is supposed to be a spiritual movement. This is supposed to be about the pursuit of enlightenment. What you're saying is, essentially, that it's too big to achieve that goal. In which case, despite any disagreements we might have on the details, we agree on one thing: **TM is not the solution**.\n\nTM is obviously broken when even its apologists are comparing it to the Electoral College.\n\n&gt; Are y ou saying you have heard bad things about King Tony on a personal level? I have never heard ANYONE say something bad about him as a person.\n\nI've never heard anyone saying anything bad about Ronald Reagan and George Bush as people, either.\n\nGood people can believe in silly things. And when you get enough good people believing in enough silly things, people tend to suffer.

You know, I opened my copies of both H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872 and did a search for the following terms:\n\n* Childrens Health Insurance Program\n* Childrens Health\n* CHIP\n* Implant\n\nI found a couple areas regarding CHIP in both bills, sadly, NO WHERE DID IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IMPLANTING, NOTHING, ZERO, ZILCH.\n\nREAD SOMETHING THAT ISN'T ALEX FUCKING JONES, thanks.\n\n**EDIT:** Alex Jones makes shit up, I think you might have noticed.

Definitely. Same with the incident in the south west states shown in the "red alert" UFO hunters episode if you know what I mean.

LED street light with the diffuser hatch open. Maybe one of [these](http://www.sell21.com/photo/201012/28/42w-LED-Street-Light-235833.jpg)

&gt;The parents who give in to their kids tantrums end up raising spoiled brats.\n\n\nThis is /r/skeptic, do you have a source for that?

I've heard the same thing about honey. No idea if it *actually* works or not. 

Is smallpox only eliminated in the US? I had to get the vaccine when they deployed my unit to Iraq. Just curious why they gave it to us if it's considered eliminated.

Just be honest with the guy, ask him the question we all want an answer to, in a polite and respectful manner. \n\nSomething like; Most studies, scientists, and professionals in the world of healing - and many skeptical people such as myself who take heed of that knowledge find little evidence for the efficacy of your treatment, is there anything you would like to say, or any evidence you would like to present to maybe change my mind? 

And then the next week....\n\n"DIET FADS DAMAGE AUSSIE MUM'S HEALTH"

First yes they are a total scam like the power balance for example. What funny though is the company's making those along with the Q-Ray and crap like that make allot of money. I dunno how their business works but yes they are selling a bogus product will they make money doing so well maybe they will. \n

&gt;http://www.journalofastrology.com/\n\n&gt;http://www.nesh.com/the-new-england-journal-of-homeopathy/\n\n&gt;http://www.homeopathyusa.org/journal/\n\nCool eh? Look at all them respectable journals!\n\n&gt;the study doesn't find that the result is similar to placebos, it finds it similar to other therapies. There is a gulf of a difference.\n\nI will concede this. But it still doesn't show that chiropractic techniques do what they claim to do, just that it can sometimes relieve lower back pain. 

Maybe we shouldn't have, as you call it, "top down goveenment coercion," but we should demand our leaders accurately represent facts. Ron Paul doesn't in this clip, and neither do you.

At least sinful of the 'bearing false witness' kind. But I believe libel and false advertising are also illegal.

It's already turned into an AIDS denialism sewer. This is like an inverse Obi-Wan: Kleinbl00 struck it down, and it returned more dangerous than ever.

Fetus tissue is what concerns you?  What could this tissue do, come back to life and complete the developmental process inside you?  \n\nThis is an appeal to emotion that is completely lost on me.

[Here you go](http://www.skepticnorth.com/2011/04/voting-green-read-this/).\n\nThe sad truth, I suppose, is that any pie-in-the-sky view of a political party is going to lead to disappointment.  For the Greens, specifically, they really are a woo party.  Even their environmental policies are fairly bad, including among other things the utter rejection of nuclear power and GMO farming.  I have little doubt that their intentions are solid, that they do think they're working in the right direction, but anti-science is anti-science, and the end result is them marketing the "green" label to espouse a misguided ideology without any effort at scrutiny.

Data covering "years" is indeed a microtrend. Decades less so, but even then the site is cherry picking data it likes and ignoring data it does not. More importantly, it is ignoring any and all context for the data, and assuming that a single change in the gun control laws is the predominant factor.

Well, I mod [/r/DontPanic](/r/DontPanic). I made everything there, Carny666 just helps with approving posts and such. If you like what you see, I would love to join you on this reddit. I found it by the random button and now I'm kind of obsessed. 

I honestly haven't heard anything about a DNA shift. Can you post any links? As an amateur biologist I would love to read about it.\n\nI did experience sleep paralysis when I was a teenager and I can tell you that it feels incredibly real. So I can understand how some people may get confused.

Hello. Thanks for doing this. Not sure what career to take or pretty much what to do with my life. Any insight would be great. 

This happened to my grandmother once, she showed me the diamond. Are you saying my grandmother is a liar?

Presumably, manipulation of her neck and shoulder caused trauma to the subclavian or brachial artery causing it to clot and leading to death of the arm from lack of blood flow.

Hold on, are you admitting that women are systematically treated better than men, and somehow claiming that it is *not* a women's privilege?

I can't find anything claiming it wasn't Camping, but I also can't find anything that it was that wasn't published in the last month long after the story broke and Camping became a media focal point. Most articles at that time speculated it was due to the whole December 21st crap. \n\nEvangelicals preachers have been claiming that the end times are coming any day now for decades. Their rhetoric has really stepped up in recent years. Honestly, I think there's a greater chance she was influenced by Beck's Bible prophecies nonsense if anything. 

[Brian Dunning has an excellent rebuttal to your point.](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4003)\n\n**TL;DR:** As long as you are selling responsibly and not causing harm (e.g. advocating a product as an alternative to actual medical attention), it is ethical to sell stuff you know is crap. These people want to buy it, and whether it comes from you who doesn't believe in it, or from a new-ager who believes in it with all their heart, the customer will be getting the exact same outcome. If they are happy with that outcome and are willing to pay for it, who are we to stop them?

Good. You want to be around kids in a public school? You'd _better_ be contributing to herd immunity.

[Russell's teapot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot) might exist, that's its point. It's imprudent to say it doesn't, because one hasn't combed the whole space between Earth and Mars to check. However, it *is* prudent to *assume* it doesn't. But for logical purposes it *might* exist, however, the burden of proof is on the one making a definite statement on the state of affairs - a positive assertion. That assertion might be about the lack or existence of something. The assertion that we *don't* live on a sphere of rock is a positive assertion, it's making a definite (and even testable) statement about reality. Same goes for asserting the sun is *not* a flaming kitten.

Yeah, it really sounds like a residual haunting. That would explain why she never comes inside as the house wasn't there when she died, and the man obviously had some sort of routine in that area. 

Consciousness, in philosophy and science, is the thinking and experiencing of the universe. Consciousness is a self-awareness. computers are not self-aware, so they do not have a conscious, but we are aware that we exist, so we are conscious beings. \n\nWhen I say that it doesn't exist, I do think that it does exist. I really mean, like the rest of the scientific community, that our conscious is just a complex interaction of the materialistic, deterministic brain. Science is of this opinion because we are always finding out more about it, and it seems to experience the same chemical and biological needs that the rest of the body and niverse does, and we are ever leaning more, and it seems to follow the rules of determinism. 

Tell him that scientists are no more conspiring to get people to not believe in god and christianity than he and his pastor are conspiring to get people to believe in them. In fact, strictly less so as there's an intersection.

I would argue that your ridicule is not the best idea. Communication and understanding doesn't not come from ridicule. It's easy and it is lazy but much more can be done than simply giving up. I find that if you put some time and effort in with people like this, and help them come to terms with there own poor logic, you'll get more out of it and they will too.  \n\nYes, it's frustrating as hell, but it can be a great exercise in self control.

Do you have any scars or strange marks on your body?\n\nHave you ever been x-rayed since these experiences? If so, were there any anomalous objects on the x-rays?\n\nDo you have any kind of emotional reaction to pictures of aliens as shown in abduction accounts?\n\nDo you have any strong feelings about these experiences?\n\n

Alright, this makes everything feel a lot less dangerous. \nI'll look into finding a medium\nThanks for the help man

Difference between assholery, and realistic skepticism. Im just vocal about how I feel. Whats perverse is how you had to look through my comment history, how is that relevant at all to this discussion?

No. I definitely think it's ridiculous that you asked this in /r/Paranormal, or that you began making anything out of two power outages at all.

&gt; Do you see other people acting this way at conferences? Could you imagine Dawkins acting this way? Ann Druyan?\n\n&gt; Anyone?\n\nJust because of this incident, I wonder about how we treat religious people.  Is it parallel?  Do we dismiss this type of behaviour when it advocates for our side?  Do we not even see it?  Just something I am pondering.

Sugar records the water's memory of the PCB's that were in the water 33 mmols ago. Is 33 significant, or can we go with 133 mmol?

I had a guy come to my Christian school when I was younger and show us a ton of this sort of thing as well as backward speech in music.  It was laughable then, and still is now.

You do realize a physical therapist goes to school for specifically that stuff, and they do it every day, AND they have a license for it?  Basically (good) chiropractors are unlicensed and untested physical therapists.  Wouldn't you want to know your chiropractor can actually pass the test?

Recommended Videos:\n\n* [Law without Government - Pt 1 - video (basic)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khRkBEdSDDo) &amp; [Part 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kPyrq6SEL0) &amp; [Part 3](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qmMpgVNc6Y)\n* [Funding Public Goods: Six Solutions](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQvjZ12Vpko)\n* [Prof. Edward Stringhman: Security and Law without government (moderate)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItjiDWa48q4)\n* [Private Law - Hans Hoppe (advanced + economics)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej6uqo2ugZM&amp;feature=related#t=2m08s)\n* [Anarchy and Efficient Law - David D. Friedman - video/lecture (advanced + economics)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXWFWIM8OCI)

OK, I did some quick googling:  \n\n&gt; "Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God . . .  \n\n&gt; "Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.  Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures . . . Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces.  The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness.  The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. " (Ezekiel 1:1, 4-5,15-16, NKJV)\n\n\nNothing about that really indicates "space ship", does it?  OK, a wheel inside a wheel can invoke flying saucers.  Except they are not flying... they are sitting on the ground beside living creatures.  \n\nAnd even if it did perfectly describe a flying saucer, that isn't compelling evidence for flying saucers any more than any other anecdotal account.  \n\n\\* edit: formatting, clarification\n\n\n  

What part of "this is not the norm" didn't you read? I'm very happy for you (although I opted not to read the part about your life story as it's irrelevant to the discussion) and I love Thailand. However, if just that one instance I saw was the only case that has ever happened it would still prove your claim that this NEVER happens wrong. I think you're taking this a bit personally so I'm going to be as clear here as I can. The number of times miracle Buddhist healing has happened in Thailand is equal to or greater than one. Thai people exhibit vestigial cultural behaviors which can be traced back to a time when stories about spirits and demons were taken seriously. Both of these facts are proof positive that Buddhist mythology has a direct effect on the behavior of Buddhists, both with belief of without, and as such cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to Buddhism as a whole. Am I still representing Thailand incorrectly? Or do I need to use more qualifiers like "some," "occasionally," and "maybe," so as not to offend?\n\nWhile I'm on a role though Canada has universal healthcare but still occasionally gets parasitized by faith healers. Mexico is working on universal healthcare and it seems like every third statue is crying blood down there. What is it about the idea that there is still a miniscule bit of mysticism hanging around Thailand that so offends you? Seems to me that it's part of human nature. I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find it in small quantities at every MENSA meeting. \n\n\nEdit: this "healing" thing I whitnessed was done at one of Buddhas footprints, not your usual temple if that informs you of the level of obscurity I'm talking about.

Why not think of everything that can go wrong? What's not skeptical about that?

CTR-ALT-5-DELETE\n\nThen, while holding the HOME KEY in tandem with the key pad PG DN button, spit into the CD-ROM drive.\n\n*You can do it*

thank you. i ended up listening to the first two last night (the ones without friedman), very good stuff. the second in particular was mindblowing.

The episode where they faked a UFO sighting and people in the area called 911 to report UFOs in the area.\n\nFact or Trolled?

&gt; Simcha Jacobovici, who has made a documentary about the find for the History Channel...\n\nNo need to continue reading.

1: Take picture of a person\n2: Degrade it with some PS filters\n3: Post it on a blog, claiming nobody was in the building\n4: Post a link to the blog on all kind of networks, even those who do not wish blogspam\n5: Feel like a hero\n\ntl;dr: Having difficulties trusting the blog or the picture.

A picture means so little out of context.\n\nFor all we know the woman had been hemorraging with a stillborn baby between her legs...

Finally, this is a good answer. You'll check out tens of specialists before going to surgery, you should do the same with chiros.

This is just my personal take, but by putting an increased emphasis on education being controlled top-down starting at the federal level meant that there's a one-size-fits-all approach applied to every state in the union, most recently exemplified by No Child Left Behind. There's a very big problem with having out-of-touch congressman vote on bills to these kinds of standards and the US education system has faltered significantly as a result. States and individual school districts teach to broadly defined standards, designed intentionally to cater to the lowest common denominator, in order to continue to receive increasingly scarce funding. It's a broken system and it's not the only public service to get this treatment in the past 40 years.

I work on a raw milk farm part-time when I'm not in college, it's an interesting job.\n\nThe people who run the farm firmly believe that raw milk has all sorts of health benefits and that it provides all sorts of extra proteins and whatnot. One co-worker claimed it cured her daughter's asthma.\n\nI'm a biotechnology major, am trained in good science, and mentally called bullshit on basically everything they said, though I didn't call them out on it (I wanted the job). From my lab experience, I can say with certainty that if the milk is prepared properly in a sterile environment (ours is), then there's a very low chance of health risk due to bacterial contamination. I have also done some independent research and found that there is no scientific paper published that really claims any sort of health benefit. That's all pseudoscience.\n\nOn the other hand, raw milk is much richer, because it has no fat removed, and in my opinion, it is downright delicious. So that's why I drink it.\n\nI still work at the raw milk farm on and off, I've talked about it on this subreddit a bit before, AMA if you'd like to know more.

Jesus man, is this seriously the best you have today? It's like you're not even trying anymore man. It's the same rehashed insults, that granted those may have been insulting when you first said them, now are worn out and old. \n\nCommon man, you can do better than this. I have faith you in Cowz, don't give up on the dream dude. 

What are you talking about? Sahelian is an MD as well.  He got his Bachelor's in Nutritional Science.  And since when was nutrition some quackery science?  Do you not believe that nutrition matters?  Barrett also did his residency in Psychology.  He has NO training on internal medicine or anything like that.  His medical training is limited to reading books written in the 1960's and his reporting appears to come from a selective reading list.  \n\noh, and to answer you question:  I posted this here because Stephen Barrett's writing shouldn't be read with any amount of credibility. \n\ntl;dr: I'm skeptical of Stephen Barrett's intentions. 

I am more concerned with the "produce evidence for" part than the "God did it" part. the latter is just stupid and wrong, the former is wrong on an entirely different level.

Infectious diseases &amp; irritants: look up some about how immune system works, what irritation is, etc (the cups are basically a sort of skin irritant). I don't know about shingles but we generally used either cupping or other skin irritants in cases of infection like cold. There is a reasonable mechanism for some weak effect. I wouldn't expect it to be particularly good as a treatment, but one thing for sure, it is not something that would have zero effect on immune system. I don't see why one would be any more than mildly surprised that it has effect on the immune response to an infection.\n\nAlso, i came across the mustard plasters being likewise poo pood as woo alongside with cupping. Well if you are prone to getting cold feet, as in, feet just gets cold even though its reasonably in the socks, it helps for sure (slight burning somehow makes the body not shut off circulation in feet), and also somehow (who knows, your brain does have some control over peripheral blood flow, and it may well be the case that some simple conditioning can help) fixes the cold feet issue. \n\nWho the fuck would think you can cure cancer with cupping, though.\n\nedit: also, cups suck considerably stronger than vacuum cleaner. Also, nowadays, the woo would use glass cups with fire and the non-woo would use rubber suction things that generate much more predictable suction. I bet though, with fire you get larger placebo component to the effect.

Why would being shorter than 20ft be better on some other, unknown planet?

Another thing.... The "Myakka Skunk Ape" Basically what happened was an elderly couple saw a creature they believed was an orangutan in their backyard over the course of a couple days. It was stealing apples off their deck I believe. So one night they laid out apples, some cut in half, others whole. It came back, and took only the whole apples. Husband went out there and took 2 photos. Wife sent the photos along with an anonymous letter to the Sheriffs dept. stating that she thinks someone lost their orangutan (or it got out of the zoo), and she was afraid that it may hurt a child. She wanted the Sheriffs to be aware of this. Never mentioned Bigfoot or Skunk Ape (what it is called in the south), and thoroughly believed that it was an orangutan. \n\n[Here is a link to the pictures](http://www.lorencoleman.com/myakka.html) \n This was the nail in the coffin for me. 

Are guys not a protected class? I would argue this is just a loophole to weed out male candidates.

Depending on where you lived, your well-water may have been naturally fluoridated.\n\nYou may have been getting daily fluoride without realizing it.\n\n[Check out this map](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Groundwater-fluoride-world.svg) of regions with high fluoride in their groundwater.\n\nThere are also regions outside of the marked boundaries which have fluoride at levels which are not quite as high, but are still at dentally efficacious levels.\n\n\n

lol what does that even mean?! omg ur brilliance is so awesome! ur so awesome! i wish i was u just for one day, just to see who cool it would be 

...as if things weren't bad enough you now have an FBI van outside your residence.

Or perhaps the one with American woman's voice was a fake to obfuscate and discredit the other convincing ones. \n\nDismiss one, dismiss them all.\n

Yeah, been around the region. Even after a decade I don't like durian, but is more because of the consistency of the flesh than the smell. 

Cool story. You get to hear my Key West Story, not paranormal though.\n\n\n\nI was around 22, and my cousin gets this great idea to go to the Keys for July 4th (we lived in central FL.) So we drive down to Ft. Lauderdale and pick up her friend and proceed to Key West. We've got lots of cheap Vodka and good LSD. Our hotel room was shit, smelled like plastic Floridian furniture and stale pipe tobacco, we did not spend much time there. So I walk all over that damn island dosed two winks away from wonderland with these two hippy chicks who can't keep their clothes on. It was really damn hot though. I remember thinking one night well after sundown how bizarre it was that you could not sit on a park bench without it burning you through your damn pants. We didn't eat much. I let the women do all of the food finding, and they were vegetarians. A nice cool crisp salad would have been so good, but no. Cheese. All they ate was cheese. Cheese pizzas, calzones, marinated cheese, goat cheese sandwhiches, crackers and cheese. Nothing like spending a few days in 105 degrees full of cheese, cheap vodka and how ever many hits of LSD. Not paranormal, but I saw some paranormal things. It was a good time though, youth well spent.

It's common to hear noises and make them out to be voices, yes. It's called auditory pareidolia if I'm not mistaken.

Calling a someone a fucking ass when I see that they are a fucking ass is all I did. You condescended to this guy who you never said was particularly assholish about his beliefs, and you never even said who brought it up first either, and then you post here 'venting.' Sounds like a fucking ass to me.

I'm sorry, can you please clarify? I am not sure if you are saying I am trying to troll with this post, or what did you mean?

There's more to this story. I went to childrens hospital in Lexington, Ma with my sister. She was getting some check up. Anyway, on our way home we got completely lost. We drove for about an hour trying to find our way back to Malden. Somehow, we ended up on 93 north near Quincy. I don't know how we got there and don't remember seeing signs for interstate 93 anywhere. We were finally on a direct route back home and I decided to look through my wallet. This is when I found said atm card. My sister just calls it "bizahh". I have no real explanation.

Its disappointing that they didn't name homeopathy specifically. (they named all the other pseudo sciences in that TEDx) 

Groundbreaking insights! Come get your groundbreaking insights here!

No, you are the fool. It's stuff like this that needs to make us question it. You are an idiot for assuming it's fake. Only a sith and dumbass deals with absolutes.

There is one study from Toronto that shows stress reduction in believers, hardly lots and lots.\n\nhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304160400.htm\n\nhttp://www.neurodiagnosticdevices.com/brain-believer-unbeliever-brain.htm\n\n

I recommend [Biofortified](http://www.biofortified.org/) its a website by scientists who actually work in the field. They post analysis of peer-reviewed papers, talk about the myths surrounding GMO, and actually respond to questions. \n\nI'd also point out that very few(although there are some) anti-gmo proponents actually work in the field. The best I've seen is a similar field but that is like taking a meteorologists opinion on Climate Change rather than a climatologist. There are definite criticisms of certain GMO practices but most of it is  about bad business practices and not the science. \n\nTake for example the recent Prop. 37 in California. After reading the proposition it was clear that it wasn't based on scientific evidence, and more based on a hatred of organizations like Monsanto which it would have done nothing to address. Not only that but the proposition was backed in large part by organizations that would have seen increased profit if the bill had passed. It also went beyond current guidelines of food labeling standards. \n\nIts anecdotal but every time I've argued with Anti-gmo folks most of their arguments boil down to examples based on fictional books, theoretical possibilities that aren't even possible, and the idea that living organisms shouldn't be patented which has nothing to do with the science of GMO, and patenting is definitely a problem that exists in more than just GMO organizations.\n\nNot that there aren't some criticisms. Monsanto has made round-up ready crops that are resistant to the herbicide thus it can be sprayed without damaging the crops and kills the weeds. However, the weeds are becoming resistant to the herbicide, so Monsanto's solution was to make the plants more resistant so they can spray more herbicide. This is leading to a feedback loop and eventually herbicide resistant weeds which is a real problem, and over-spraying of herbicides. Also, a tendency towards mono-culture crops.\n\nI think the way forward should be a mixed approach taking what works in GMO and what works in Organic Farming. However "organic" proponents seem to be unreasonably antagonistic towards this approach as GMO is an anathema to them. 

&gt; I should've just exercised/worked it out myself.\n\nWell, not necessarily. There's no shame in having an actual doctor prescribe physiotherapy or an appointment with an actual massage therapist...

I'm right there with you, but my optimism hangs on threads in the face of scientific data...  hence why I'm trying to live life as full as possible and fill most of my time with rock climbing.

Took me a few minutes to realize why that map looked so familiar. hey neighbour,  the area of that place is basically a big square so there is a way back from almost every direction. First time would be very confusing.

It's a fact. I've been drinking aspartame for almost 25 years, and I feel older, closer to death, if you will. I have more gray hair now, and less hair altogether. I cannot run as fast as I once could. It is undoubtedly a plot to kill me. I feel I have only a few dozen years left on this earth.

It was awkwardness played out to be ominous.  I think both parties lacked tact.

I'll chose to believe you when you say it is not smoke, or rather that none of you were smoking at the time. It has smoke-like characteristics, but it's origins are odd to be sure. \nThe image isn't photoshopped either, so I really have no idea man. I wish I could get shots like this. 

Greer is a whole other can of worms I don't even want to get into. He took a dive off the deep end. \n\nAnyway, I'm more concerned with Meier's 'evidence.' Has the evidence been debunked/proven?

Heh, [I don't think you can actually consume unhealthy doses of cinnamon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxlv9l7WSOo)

This looks just like one of the tons of bloggers that post on Huff Post, not an agent of Huff Post. I have several friends who post op/eds, humor pieces, other commentaries. None of them are employed by or receive compensation from Huff Post.\n\nTo be clear, I agree the vaccine scare is a bunch of bullshit. And Huff Post may be all the things people are saying, but this article isn't proof of that. (By the way, check out her other articles. This isn't the first time she's ranted about vaccinations on there.)\n\nIf there's a connection I've missed, I apologize, and could you please show me?

Dantalian Jones has a book on [Cold Reading](http://www.amazon.com/The-Handbook-Psychic-Cold-Reading/dp/1449906222) that I highly recommend. Instead of bashing their heads trying to convince them, learn and use a few of these techniques. Once they're impressed by your sudden new-found psychic abilities, you can explain to them how what you are doing is exactly the same as what these other "readers" are doing.\n\nRight now there is a double-edge knife - they're hurting you by clinging to this nonesense that they unfortunately believe in, and they are hurting themselves by not facing the reality that he is genuinely gone and incapable of communication, and giving money to hucksters that will say whatever they want to hear.

He has been nothing but a wonderful friend to me, and how his joy and desire to share my positive experience confirms he is a jerk to you is a fucking mystery to me. 

&gt;He also claims that the bible says you shouldn't do hallucinogenic drugs. \n\nReally? Because I'm pretty sure that Ezekiel and Revelation were both written while the authors were on shrooms.

Yea where I grew up it was a rite of passage to figure it out for yourself.  Kids wouldn't out the truth to other kids, that would have been considered really low.

You don't believe in God; and you aren't sure if God exists.  You are an agnostic atheist.

The problem is that _many_ things have looked promising over the years and were complete failures. I despair of ever there being a cure.

Very much my pleasure, Reddite - I take this topic rather seriously and if I can promote a discerning eye in a few more people, then I feel I've fulfilled my obligation as an amateur UFOlogist and researcher. Your thanks is greatly appreciated.

I cannot help but think that this is fantastic, Se, it would eliminate a lot of pollutant... but it would be based on a lie... so. hard. to. decide. if. evil. plan. is. god. 

Demons in what sense? Beings from hell? Malevolent nature spirits?

The sad thing is that this person acknowledges their wishful thinking, and rather than actually trying to find solid evidence that could stand up to scrutiny and support their belief, they ask people to not explain something as simple as a smudge on a lens.

I play D&amp;D with my friends. I follow the superstition that if I treat my dice with love, they'll roll high numbers for me. 

In addition to the usual droplets of fuel leaking from the thrusters on every flight - that never fails to make the UFO crowd go "AHA!!!" - you also get washers, pieces of tape and all sorts of other debris.\n\nIf it's rotating when the sun hits it, it'll appear to be blinking.\n

I suspect, if you follow the market closely, that you have found some nice Chinese instruments too.  It isn't like the Chinese, haven't had thousands of years of expereince carving wood.\n\nOne of the hot selling makers right now is [Scott Cao](http://www.scottcaoviolins.com/), who has both US and China operations, he knows how to offer quality at a nice price.  He has a bunch of VSA (violins society of America) awards in the last couple of years.

Another perception would be we are of great extremes now. We are in the midst of a chaotic and troubling time where it seems as if the planet and it's mass consciousness could teeter into any direction. However, as of the last few months I am extremely positive that we are making strides towards that goal of maturing into a mass society that is "pro life" We live in harmony with all, we sustain our mother earth and look after her. Us that are having these discussions and that are learning everyday are the "genetic future" We are the future stewards of this earth and it's up to us to be the change we want to see in the world. \n\nI'm 24 I just started growing cannabis, my own veggies, I search for truth as much as possible, I read on nikola tesla and the energy of the cycles i.e. our era of society is a (cancerous parasite)...well it was or will be a "was". Our technology is based on explosions and destructive forces that are not efficient but are profitable. It's an era based on greed, power, darkness...... The future is impansion, suction, cooling, infinite sources of energy free to all. Jetsons era.....but with love in our hearts. :D I look forward to it! Love you all

Sounds like that was a future version of himself, if so he'll have to back and complete the timeline.

Awww, why is this getting down voted? I thought Reddit was all about bashing conservatives.

He diddn't explain the illnesses, just the supplements, which were pretty clear to begin with. Anyway, anon3737 above made it clear for me

They were similar in size, but were standing slightly differently, but that coulda been perception through the glass too I suppose. Refraction and all that.

Personally I think Khorsandi is very funny, but YMMV. She is a theist who is capable of laughing at religion, so I think it could be an interesting show.\n\nAnyway, you do kind of need these non-boffin people in the show for the same reason Doctor Who needs a companion. Most of what is discussed is going to be totally unfamiliar to a lot of R4 listeners, so you need a layman who doesn't understand either. Then Coxy can explain to them (and the audience) what is going on.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that the vast majority or religious people have these experiences. Their religion is entirely the result of choice - the choice to continue believing what they have been told from childhood. Any religious person who thinks god is talking to him is just a schizophrenic who is incorporating his schizophrenia into his religion.\n\nThis is the difference I am trying to point out with my original comment.

I'd say if you notice one shut off at random times in random places, that's probably nothing, but if you leave a trail of extinguished street lights in your wake, that might well be something.

I had something like this happen to me once. For a few days in a row, I dreamt/woke up singing a song, then heard it on the radio later in the day. So this particular day I woke up with Suffragette City by David Bowie stuck in my head. Later, I was with my parents in the car and said "I haven't heard suffragette city yet today" and explained what happened the last few days. Not even a minute later, the next song that came on the radio was fucking Suffragette City. Needless to say, me and my parents were pretty freaked out. I wouldn't really call this a glitch in the matrix, but it was pretty weird and only happened like 2 or 3 times. hasn't happened since. 

Honestly, what this sounds like is either a harmless spirit trying to make their presence known or a more dangerous case of an escalating poltergeist haunting. Just to be sure, I would suggest that they set up a camera directed in the most active zones of the house or to hire a 1 night investigation crew who will do a more thoughout search of the house and history.

I can't make a call on this one yet, and I don't have the expertise to do so until we find out for sure, but here's my take on it.\n\nThe OP of that thread is making the same error made by conspiracy people: he's looking for evidence to confirm his theory rather than disconfirm it. Just look at his post, it's full of so much anomaly seeking and confirmation bias, you can tell he's frantically going around on Google looking for anything to prove his theory. I can understand about the infodump about various radiation detectors and so on, but why are these reports of people hearing booms, and the aircraft and the earthquake thing relevant? We don't even know what's going on yet and he's already drawing links between ostensibly unrelated events. Apophenia at its finest! Also how on *Earth* is it relevant to point out that the DoD owns a lot of land in the area? So what?!\n\nHe might have good intentions, he might even actually be on to something, but he's going about it all wrong.

The stuff about MSG most certainly isn't true.\n\nIs it really true that nutritional science is still in its infancy? I thought it had been recommended for decades to simply eat your vegetables, eat meat, grains, and get exercise, etc. The old food pyramid, or the newer [MyPlate](http://www.mypyramid.gov/) was, I thought, based on the best knowledge we have. Though of course some people require certain changes to their diet, for instance some people are lactose intolerant or other things, etc.

Well this got all 'cloak and dagger' all of a sudden :)\n\nI haven't thought about my any possibility of threats. They were very happy to talk to me, openly, about what they had experienced so I guess they are not to worried about it either. Both men are in their 80's as I mentioned, so I would assume that they are not to worried about their own lives.\n\nAs to whether they are plants ... the possibility always exists, I suppose. Either way, it will be an interesting story.

The green water one looks at the bottom of the flask, the water pauses, as if it is going down into the stand via the wood holding piece into a pump.

&gt; because when something immensely useful is misused or abused\n\nThat's exactly the point. Using cars or drugs correctly will decrease the number of deaths.

I'm not saying untested theory *can't* work, I'm simply saying it hasn't yet. And because of that, the logical conclusion is that of the many tried but imperfect systems capitalism is the best (or least bad if you prefer). Experimental evidence is also a huge burden on a lot of the more grand all encompassing theories of physics, that doesn't mean we change the rules and accept them without evidence.\n\nIt is a bit of a catch-22 a government would have to try something untested (and therefore risk failure), but until FDR Keynesianism was untested and now it's an accepted part of every capitalist government. Trying something new is risky but it's the only way to demonstrate effectiveness. \n\nBut to my knowledge, there is no big untested alternative that isn't more than a century old. I'm not just trying to be a socratic dick but please tell me what you have in mind because I don't know of what alternative you might be referring to.

&gt;they would consider putting up a sign saying that the event was "private" and not associated with the OSC\n\nThat's good, I really hope they do this. And kudos to you for speaking to all the right people. \n\nInformative pamphlets about the tricks psychics use might help a few people. The key would be to not seem aggressive and come off as crazier than the psychics. Just have some people offering out a short, well-written pamphlet called something that sounds neutral like: Psychics: How do they do it? (It could come off as wonder.) I'd help write it, though Randi or Shermer probably have something similar to use.

I was about to disagree with your above comment (-3 points) but after reading this further explanation, I agree. I'm a big guy trying to lose weight and I realize that the only people my obesity should matter to is myself (and maybe family). 

Seeing has how contrails have been around since large aircraft have been around you could have easily caught him out on this especially since the contrails were coming from prop planes.\n\nAlso the average height that the planes fly at would mean the volume of air that the "chemtrails" would have to fall through would me that they would probably reach the ground in not only vastly diminished amounts like parts per million, but they would be hitting the ground possible hundreds of miles away.\n\nAlso Clouds. I think you did a great job of not being a dick, but it seems like you didn't bother to find out what contrails are and could have given a reasonable explanation of what they are. \n\nAlso if chemtrails are true where are the whistleblowers of airplane engineers who would have to design gas release systems on a commercial airliner. Technicians that would have to maintain such systems or at least notice them when doing regular maintenance. Pilots who are willingly poisoning most likely their own families. Pretty much every airport, airline, mechanic, engineer, and pilot would have to be in on it and never peep a word in the history of aviation. This conspiracy would be so large as to make something like the "moon hoax" look small in comparison.\n\nAlso check this out manhttp://contrailscience.com/what-in-the-world-are-they-spraying/ basically a resource for anyone wanting to challenge a chemtrail believer.  

l. Can't. Tell. There are more reflections on my computer's monitor (CRT). l'll check this out at home.

Kind of off topic, but not really.  Have you ever watched the movie, "Lunopolis?"  It features Lafayette, La.  It's kind of an independent film, but pretty good.  I just watched it last night on Netflix, and reading these comments and seeing that you are from NO I was just wondering.  Synchronicity and all that.  

The rain would be moving in reverse if this were the case. Good thinking though I had to go back watch to it again after reading this...

Even if it is not a bear or turkey, this would be piss easy to fake under these circumstances. Poor zoom, subject barely visible through the brush, there is every possibility that this is fake, if not a bear. 

I can't believe that anyone is still discussing this tired old conspiracy theory.

no, the one im talking is white lights, that seem to shimmer various colors at times, no red and green guides or anything like that.\n\nmany people have seen these craft down here over the years, and there are many accounts that have been given about it as well.

I still tune in to C2CAM fairly regularly, but the show has gone to shit since Art Bell left (pardon the language). It's pretty much conservative-hyperconservative-paleoconservative radio full of conspiracy theories and whatever Alex Jones says is true. I like to think of it as the extreme version of what Clear Channel plays during the day.\n\nC2CAM is a hollow shell these days. It's spirit is gone (although, I see faint images of it whenever Ian Punnett is on). The new guy on the weekends from Las Vegas is even worse.\n\nMysterious Universe keeps the spirit of Art Bell alive, IMHO.

Obviously fake. The last is especially obvious. Convenient that the craft stopped directly in front of the cameraman to do an utterly pointless 360 before flying off. Why would it do that?

Thank you but I do fundamentally disagree with you.  It's simple tone trolling.\n\nAnd I can't speak for you, but when someone throws out a brilliant argument completely destroying the opposition *and* can do so with passion, then I find the effectiveness of their rhetoric vastly increases.  Ridicule is a powerful rhetorical device and should be used.

This Happened in LA last night, might have some connection?\n\n[Massive Fireball Over California Coast – October 17th, 2012](http://amsmeteors.org/2012/10/massive-fireball-over-california-coast-october-17th-2012/)

The original flowchart is [here](http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2010/10/handy-alternative-therapy-flowchart.html).

I cant call it horrible, as there are too many examples of truly horrible (ala Peter Jenings, ancient aliens etc), and although I cant say its revolutionary or unique, it does offer coverage without eye-rolling, or dismissing cases off-hand, nor sold them down the river as many others(ufo hunters) have done,...\n\n\nNot quite Fact or Faked, which is still one of the best imo(as ufology is in desperate need of some intellectual honesty), but not quite horrible,...

Implying that she believes her mother can hear her in the afterlife - still bullshit.

He could have just asked a dictionary, it's got a pretty clear opinion on what a documentary is.

lol you don't even need all of that the when they say dude or bro would be enough to get wasted on

As appealing as that afterlifestyle sounds, I think I'd haunt my old college dorm.  It was and I guess still is the dorm for musicians and artists, so there will always be something happening.  And hot girls, too.\n\nIf I had to haunt someone I know, it would be my ex-fiance.  She tried as hard as she could to ruin my life.  Turnabout is fair play, right?

Coincidence, not a glitch. Glitches aren't coincidences, glitches shouldn't be possible (by current understanding of the universe). That's just chance and possibly a fuck-up with the paperwork and timing in some office.

If you stick to the falsification framework, then really what you get are people alternating between unfalsifiable claims and falsified claims. For instance, when the astrologer claims "you are going to have a death in the family next year," and you come back with your entire family alive the following year, the astrologer has made a falsified claim.  However when the astrologer then searches for friends, pets, distant relations, changes in time frame, and the rest of the well-worn routine, the claim moves to be unfalsifiable.  \n\nReligions often do make claims which are easily falsifiable.  However when those points are falsified, the response is to move the point to unfalsifiable territory.  This could be "there are different sorts of truths" or "that's not really what the passage meant."  Like the astrologer, it can often a transition from an falsified claim to an unfalsifiable claim.\n\nA closer examination of this transition, however, demonstrates the failure of the strict falsification framework.  Falsification is predicated on a number of auxiliary definitions (who is family, and what it means to be dead, in the astrologer example), facts about the world (how death is assessed, how long is a year), etc. When the common meaning of a statement doesn't hold up, the auxiliary components of the statement are modified to claim the statement is still true. \n\nThis problem is best resolved in Bayesian terms, but that is a longer discussion. 

Yeah, and that was just an example. I can't "manipulate" or move any mental images at all. It takes me a lot of effort and concentration to even conjure a picture in my mind.

A few weeks after my cat died, I had gone to bed early one evening and turned off all the lights. As I was lying there in the dark, still wide awake, I suddenly heard soft steps in the room and felt something jump up on my bed and settle on top of my legs.\n\nNeedless to say, since my cat had recently died and I had no other pets, I was completely shocked and wasn't sure how to react. After spending a few moments ruling out natural explanations like lucid dreaming or [hypnagogia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia), I finally sat up in bed and turned on the light, wondering if I was about to see the ghost of my dead cat.\n\nThere really *was* a cat on my bed. But it wasn't *my* cat. Somehow, the neighbor's cat had managed to sneak into my house, opened my bedroom door and crawled into bed with me where it was warm and comfy. (It had never done so before, so this was completely unexpected.) I was pretty relieved to find a natural explanation, but at the same time, I was also a bit sad that it wasn't my cat that had come back one last time to say goodbye.\n\nTL;DR: I thought my dead cat had come back to visit me, but it was actually a cat burglar.

This quote comes from an era when heroin was sold over the counter. I will grant that harmless (and benefit-less) homeopathic solutions are a better choice for managing your cough than China white. Our knowledge of pharmacology has advanced a bit since then.\n

You can expose them to a very tiny amount and see if any reaction occurs... At least I know that's how I was tested for allergies as a child. Tiny amounts administered on pin pricks.

Ooh, I know! Let's ape the general reddit community by having a pun thread!

sure it could. it could also, not. why not be skeptical of everything? I posted it because I wanted the community's feedback.\n\nI appreciate yours as well.

The background on that site burns my eyes.  I couldn't read anything.

It's barely on-topic, but [Mitchell and Webb](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw) made an awesome send-up of the the Moon Landing conspiracy theories.

Looks like a mylar balloon floating around...maybe something like [this Tiki balloon or something](http://www.partytimesrus.com/item/_Tiki_Island_Mylar_Balloons/11999/c410)  Maybe it is Optimus Prime? :)

The woman in the red top at the start was my high school biology teacher. She wasn't very good.

I've seen hundreds of videos and photos of what appear to me to be alien spacecraft. I've even seen some videos of aliens (and you won't find them on YouTube) and other weird stuff. Those aren't "beyond human thought or imagination" at all. In fact, they're probably less weird than a lot of Star Trek and Star Wars kind of stuff. I've heard Bob Lazar, and he seems legit, and I think Travis Walton is legit, but there are so many fakers and hoaxers trying to pile massive garbage on top of all this stuff. Look as John Lear. At one point he made open statements about towers on the moon harvesting human souls for recycling, and later he admitted that a lot of what he believed before was crap. He had high ranking insider informants, but he got all confused and spread a bunch of disinformation anyway. That's why we have to be careful about this stuff. You need more than a grain of salt with this stuff. You need buckets. You need to be able to make your own salt from the ocean. \n\n6th dimensional ETs? Seriously? Okay, what are these dimensions. We have three Euclidean spatial dimensions and one temporal dimension that we can experience directly. Is there supposedly a universe next door with a fourth spatial dimension, a hyperspace? More? How do we know? Where does this information come from? Can we set up a meeting with these 6th dimensional aliens over coffee and talk about it? What if it's all disinformation designed to confuse UFO nuts and invite mockery? Every heard of Alternative 3? It was a mockumentary made for British television, and it was almost like the War of the Worlds broadcast with people believing it, and they followed with a book that got international distribution and suckered even more people. \n\nIt's not "breaking oaths of secrecy" if you're making up shit.\n

You're implying more than that. Arguing semantics won't save you now. Your assuming it's under controlled flight. I'm posing that it is a piece of debris in fast wind. The speed is relative to what exactly? Because it looks fast doesn't mean it is, especially when you don't know the scale. Who's being logical now?

I'm not sure. I was making a reference to a sect of Christianity that believes only certain people will be allowed to go to Heaven during the Rapture. I could be wrong.

This article is asking the right question, but not answering it. It explains confirmation bias, and asks how we can persuade someone out of their entrenched worldview, but the solution offered (have someone considered credible deliver the information) is merely a guess on their part. Just as the initial assumption (that fair fact reporting would help) was debunked, so too might this new theory about who delivers the information.\n\nI say let's not jump to conclusions or make recommendations until more study has been done one overcoming confirmation bias.

[Reasonable Doubts](http://doubtreligion.blogspot.com/)\n\nIt focuses pretty much solely on religion, but does an excellent job of covering the logical fallacies and what not.  Also, they have the most in depth and best explanations of naturalism and determinism in about 8 episodes of their podcast.  

Thanks for posting this study. I see this as just one more way that I could be influenced if I did not question something. Yea for me I love doing research, and trying dig out facts can be great fun. Alway question what you are told especially if it is from an authority.

Fun to see that a Swedish-language podcast, Skeptikerpodden, is so high. Lots of skeptical swedes here, I guess.\n\nOr not, and you simply think Swedish sounds funny.

Yeah, but this has been _really really throughly_ gone over. And over. And over.\n\nI mean, how much burden of proof would you like? Are you telling me you can't complete this sentence as it has a missing....... ?

at work people ask for these nonstop i have to tell em no, you're fucking retarded, just buy some overpriced food or something why buy neoprene at a million% markup

So sick of this alarmist bullshit about "wood pulp" in food. IT'S FIBER YOU ASSHATS! Doesn't matter what it's derived from, IT'S FIBER! It makes you poop and it's good for you! The worst thing fiber can do to you is make you constipated for a while if you get too much.

Lots of people still are falling for the 9/11 troofer crap. Thats one will sadly be with us for at least another generation I'm sad to say.\n\nJust visit /r/911truth to see what I mean.

&gt;It does help, as well as the vitamin and V8 suggestions (**if you have nutrient and vitamin deficiencies anyway**).\n\nIf you are already getting enough vitamins consuming more isn't going to help anything.

I'd look for TV paranormal investigators and give them a lot of of unusable haunting footage. For example, I'd curse like a sailor, so of they tried to replay on air it would have to be bleeped out and I'd do things like cup their balls with my icy ghost hand or stick one chilly ghost finger up their asses--"I felt...something, uh, somewhere--just trust me, this place is haunted!" If I could make myself visible--just my tits. 

lolwut \n\nI don't know what you're talking about.  All of my posts have been brigaded.\n\nFalse accusations, bully tactics, ad homs, etc \n\nLiberals only tool: stifling any opposition. Same old song and dance.\n

If you could do a basic reading of my future that would be amazing :)

You have not had many many street fights. You have been in shouting matches. You should give a shit about spot fighting because sport fighting is how martial arts evolve. You would know that if you seriously studied martial arts. 

I cannot locate where Cherry said this.\n\nBased on the [YouTube clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6JY-rqTiss), Don Cherry said, "I'm not interested in scientists."

And his Aunt seems to be decades ahead of her time in terms of dress sense.

That doesn't sound like Aspertame, that sounds like caffeine sensitivity.

r/circlejerk would have been a better place for your submission :)

Yeah, that paragraph is clearly the product of a pissing match between conservatives and liberals. They're complaining about generically named yet very specific progressive education projects.\n\nThe 'clarification' by the RPT Communications director, though, makes the issue crystal clear:\n\n“I think the intent is that the Republican Party is opposed to the values clarification method that serves the purpose of challenging students beliefs and undermine parental authority,”\n\nGo look up "values clarification" ([Here's](http://www.education.ucsb.edu/webdata/instruction/hss/Values_Clarification/ValuClarif_Method_Outline.pdf) one take on it).  It's an educational program that encourages students to identify and question their own values and those of others around.  The RPT is terrified this will make students begin to question Bible based morality.

I agree with this characterization of the debate. I've seen plenty of woo-peddlers of all genres and this guy (at first glance at least) does not behave like one. There is no evasiveness or ideological dogmatism that you usually find in woo-folk. He explicitly admits that he could be wrong about some things and gave a rather detailed answer for what result would falsify his hypothesis. \n\nI can't speak to the topic itself - I don't know much about it. Just trying to say that this is not someone who can just be swatted aside like most of the trivial examples we see on here all the time. \n\nEdit: reading some more and I'm impressed with [the way he's explaining his positions](http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/12edbj/im_gary_taubes_science_writer_and_author_of_sweet/c6ujzfn). There's a lot of "I don't know enough to say ..." and "I think X is true but I'm not fully convinced yet by the evidence", etc. Definitely not someone I would brush off without fully researching first. 

Yeah!! /r/ufo don't need proof, we will just take your word for it.. facepalm,, and this is why the ufo "movement" is a joke.  Thanks for the downvotes bitches. 

I think you've forgotten to take into account matrilineal and matrilocal systems where the paternal role is taken by the closest male relative on the mother's side and not the biological male parent.

I don't know man, I'm going with interdimensional foam on this one buddy.\n\nI think it's drunk.

When I was younger I was able to see them all the time, as I've grown up I've lost that "ability" but can still feel when they are around or when something's up. I see "static" all the time that acts as a sort of layer to my vision and it gets dense in certain areas and I know something is there. It's hard to explain really

Nah, the pilot hears the voice. You can't hear it in the video. It would be great to get a proper translation of this. Any Russian Redditors out there?

I can write the manual for it. It could go like this:\n\n&gt; *This earth-friendly device converts harmful electrical pulses into natural energy waves. Plug it into any electricity outlet and the device will:*\n \n&gt; * *recombine AC/DC current according to kinesiological principles,*\n\n&gt; * *realign any misdirected* qi,\n\n&gt; * *suppress the radiation generated by electricity, and*\n\n&gt; * *detoxify your house.*\n\n&gt;*This device complies with holistic standards and is approved by naturopaths. Install it in the room you use the most and replace the crystal once a month, or have it recharged by a crystal therapist.*\n\nMake it super-ugly and slap some chakra symbols on it. I'd love to see it sitting in people's living rooms.\n\nDamn, this is so easy. I understand now how so many of these things exist.

I had this happen in similar circumstances. I put my head on the pillow, blinked and was fully refreshed with a sudden change in the ambient light. It was wonderful.

The mere fact that the NBA allows it proves that they know that it doesn't work. They don't allow performance enhancing substances. Why would they allow a bracelet that improves balance, coordination, and performance beyond what the players would normally have?

I'm a big fan of Sitchin. However, his work, like most ancient history text, it is to be taken with a grain of salt.  That being said, I always found that he didn't take evolution into consideration as much as maybe he should have.  He seems to think that science some how proves that we went from ape-man to human easily and without much time, and is explained by alien genetic altering .  I don't agree with that.

I think it's important to realize that the "lights" that we see UFOs emit are likely also electromagnetic emanations - not necessarily lights in the "car headlights" that we humans are used to associating them with.\n\nLight can also be seen as a result of a chemical reaction taking place between different elements as well, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is what is responsible for a decent portion of the "lights" that we see.

I believe what you're looking for is a physical therapist (which is a conventional medical specialist), but you should probably speak about it to your doctor (not having any medical expertise, I'm not sure how effective or safe it would be for your case).\n\nIf you're planning to visit any complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) practitioner like the ones you mentioned, visit [QuackWatch](http://www.quackwatch.com/) first - the editor is an MD, so is far more qualified than myself. Generally, though, the consensus on CAM seems to be that none of it works, otherwise it wouldn't be CAM, it would be normal medicine.

The whole "rich white" thing is part of the vernacular of feminism -- i.e., Richard Dawkins is rich and white, thus he couldn't possibly understand the plight of the disadvantaged / marginalized, etc. 

This just sent me to the source. Also how\nI got into David sadaris.  His audio books are great.

I agree 100%\nI am a fairly manly man type of dude, but shit like that has brought out the inner 8 year old girl in me more than once.  

&gt;-yes, we have tried to explain this to ourselves logically, however the more we tried reasoning, the more things became apparent to us.\n\nWhat exactly becomes apparent?

It isn't an apt analogy, and you touched on why. You don't live in Germany in the late 30s. Furthermore, you're bringing morality in to a discussion of adhering to a US tax code. \n\nBy your logic no state could have any law whatsoever. Germany abused its power to pass laws in the early to mid 20th century, and now the entire concept of a state is invalidated. 

As some who has been trained in wine tasting I can say this is 100% accurate. Even in my class everyone would answer different tastes for the same wine. It's a completely individual thing.

yeah the guy is pretty famous in pseudoscience.  he's one of the main proponents of the anti-vax movement, and a thoroughly disreputable character.\n\nlost his medical license recently also, due to the MMR vaccine scare fraud which he perpetrated.  completely unethical.

tried sitting down with pencil and paper and asking questions and 'letting the movements happen'?\n\nbefore starting say out loud "you are not going to truly control me so we might as well communicate. what do you want/need?"

I just keep my piehole shut because I didn't want to be the asshole of the party.  It's enough that I know homeopathy is bullshit and share it with my close friends and family.

He means that it essentially becomes ineffective at killing bacteria after a while. One of my friends did a big project on triclosan and he found that it failed to kill virtually any bacteria after only five exposures. Of course, this isn't peer-reviewed, graduate level stuff or anything, but it's a very common occurrence with antibacterials.

&gt;Religion is a choice. Race isn't.\n\nAnd so are career choices, nationalities (in most cases), hobbies,cultural expressions, etc:\n\n do you believe that demeaning a janitor is ok? do you believe demeaning Turkish nationals is ok? do you believe demeaning video game players is ok? do you believe demeaning Sikh traditions is ok?\n\nedit: added an extra example\n

She recommended reading Weston Price's study, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration...\n\nA quick Google brought up Weston Price's wikipedia page, and the section on nutrition sounds like absolutely classic Leftist anti-Western propaganda (I consider myself quite far to the Left, but I'm not anti-Western).\n\nFrom wikipedia:\n\n&gt;In the book, Price claimed that various diseases endemic to Western cultures of the 1920s and 1930s - from dental caries to tuberculosis - were rarely present in non-Western cultures. He argued that as non-Western groups abandoned indigenous diets and adopted Western patterns of living they also showed increases in typically Western diseases, and concluded that Western methods of commercially preparing and storing foods stripped away vitamins and minerals necessary to prevent these diseases. His claims extended from physical degradation to moral degradation as well.\n\n&gt;A 1981 editorial by William T. Jarvis published in Nutrition Today, was more critical, identifying Price's work as a classic example of the "myth of the healthy savage," which holds that individuals who live in more technologically primitive conditions lead healthier lives than those who live in more modern societies. The review noted that Price's work was limited by a lack of quantitative analysis of the nutrition of the diets studied and the overlooking of alternative explanations for his observations including malnutrition leading to the lack of caries in primitive societies and overindulgence of the Western diet, rather than the diet itself, as cause for poorer health. The review makes the assertion that Price had a preconceived positive notion about the health of "primitive" people, which led to data of questionable value and conclusions that ignored important problems known to afflict their societies, such as periodontal disease.

"it was analyzed by a specialized state of the art piece of software that can determine if an image is authentic or not" - bullshit.

Your points are all quite valid, I am not arguing with you, merely expounding a bit with a slightly different viewpoint.\n\nHistory is rife with examples of smaller forces defeating larger and more powerful forces. Our own Revolution was a great example, particularly in South Carolina. Ho Chi Minh used our revolution as a blueprint for the unification of Vietnam, and it worked. Afghanistan has been invaded countless times, and it has broken many armies and a few countries.\n\nIts not just one peasant with a rifle, its every peasant with a rifle. There is no need to assault an Air Force base, or Army post, unless you intend to harass and disrupt ops somewhat. What you need to do is wear down the opposing force until the will of its leaders falters and they quit. Only about 10% of the population wanted a change, and even less of them actually did something about it in our Revolution. Admittedly, it would have been a much longer war without the French Navy.\n\nYes indeed, the US military is indeed powerful and we have lots of equipment. I know first hand, since I used to be part of it. There are a couple things about the US military being used inside the CONUS that need to be addressed. It is not a lawful order to disarm the populace and confiscate weapons like the Guard did in New Orleans. It is up to the NCOs and Commissioned Officers to know what is and isnt lawful, they do not follow blindly and should at least question an unlawful order, then act accordingly. National Guard seems to make gaffes like N.O. relatively often, probably due to less training and also living in the civilian world rather than active duty where it is 24/7/365. The Guard is responsible for inside the CONUS though, so they are the go to force at first.\n\nOne guy standing out there with a rifle isnt much of a threat. A couple million armed people is a different thing entirely. This is not only as a defense against an oppressive domestic government, it is also a defense against foreign aggressors. There is a reason why the Soviets never invaded during the Cold War, and only part of that is mutually assured destruction. The other part is they learned first hand at places like Stalingrad and Leningrad what an armed populace can do to an invading army, in addition to the regular army. They know the capability of every peasant with a rifle, and they know we have more rifles than people. \n\nNot that I fancy Red Dawn as reality, hardly. I know war first hand, and it isnt like the movies. Dont discount all of us "crazy war veterans" who have training, it isnt just the overweight gun toting republitards that live here. Not all of us are blind to what is happening, and not all of us will side with the government blindly.\n\nAnyway, just because the military is an incredibly powerful force is not reason enough to disarm the populace. That is why we have the 2nd amendment, and why the framers felt the need to so prominently state the right to bear arms of very citizen. \n\nIn my mind, education is an incredibly important precursor to using firearms, and education would do far more to limit violence than more restrictive gun laws would. Cure the poverty and desperation, and you cure the violence. I find it curious that the party that is all about gun rights is so adamant about less education for the masses. Ignorant people are much easier to control than an educated person, so that probably plays a huge part in that.\n\nSorry for the wall of text. I tend to be verbose.

&gt; Why can't these people accept a naturalistic explanation?\n\nPerhaps because they are not you?

Yet another Truther knocks down a straw man argument that doesn't actually exist.\n\nThe WTC buildings were held up by central columns, destroy the central columns and there's nothing holding the building up. That's why they fell with no seeming resistance.\n\nhttp://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/jom/0112/eagar/eagar-0112.html\n

That's a cannibal, not a zombie. Both are two different horror groups.

It's funny when people support CAM with claims that "Big Pharma" and the "Medical Establishment" are greedy and trying to take your money.  I can assure you that chiropractors and other CAM practitioners are very interested in your money as well.

&gt;I'm hoping some physicist who reads this subreddit will chime in and give us their thoughts on the matter.\n\nNice. Count me in. I find this very fascinating. Where's Dr. Kaku?\n\nI agree with you about the importance of both skepticism and science in the search for honest answers to these questions. I wish we could get Michio Kaku on here to answer this. He was going to do an IAMA; I wonder if that'll ever happen.

Wernicke's Area or Broca's Area forgot which one.\nEdit: Also, yes, I agree go see a neurologist or at least your doctor.

Great article! I like how he threw-in about the use of word “natural” being used as an unregulated label. As skeptics, we see this term all too much in alternative medicine, organic, and woo-science LOL

Maybe not, but if guys can't learn to stop threatening women with rape and violence it is.  And that's the part I"m talking about.  The guy in the elevator is some guy who's being lumped into an unfortunate group because not enough people are standing up to those threatening women.

Your dad is an ass. Why the fuck did he not tell Bill's friend he would break himself. Either an ass or not a prophet.

It's just a haunting of a person. What does he say it looks like? Is it human or something else? I usually jut scare them away, like if I see one I have trained my self to attack if it looks hostile.

Constructive criticism, yo. I love my neighbors to the south, but I'm not blind. Your public school system is total garbage, we all know it. All I can do is hope.

Not sure why I'm giving this the time of day, but for the sake of clarity:\n\n* Granite is not mud. It's not cement. \n* Granite is an igneous rock. It is not liquid at low temperatures.\n* Granite is an intrusive rock. It does not erupt at surface. \n\nAlso, the laughably random dating (Between 200 million and 3 billion? Gee, thanks for clearing that up). Tell us how old the bloody formation it's intruded into is. It's not hard.\n\nSo unless this giant dug down a few km and stuck a fireproof foot in some cooling magma then you won't see something like this.

Haha thanks ^_^ I have more... but I wish i had more than what i do xD

Yeah, an internist obviously wouldn't know anything about disease.

Not a chance. I particularly like the part about "healthy wavelengths," as if some radio wavelengths are safe at any power.

&gt;Most studies show no significant improvement compared to controls. There is generally still improvement though.\n\nNo improvement compared to controls means that there is **no improvement** (assuming the studies are valid and methodologically sound). Even if there was a tiny, tiny, tiny improvement, that would only be relevant to athletes trying to alleviate enough pain to shave off .000001ms from their time, the results would be statistically significant and show a difference from the controls. 

Is that a twin peaks reference?  If so I can't possibly upvote you enough.

&gt; because he made "**ungodly**, and mean-spirited" comments\n\nRight action for the wrong reason.

It tastes exactly the fucking same because it's the exact same fucking water. But if you're really this stupid then enjoy wasting all your fucking money, you illiterate retard.

When I was a kid I'd occasionally try to move things with my mind by staring at an object and imagining it moving.  It never worked :(\n

I love that Bloop.\n\n\nCan't really explain why, but I love that it exists. 

Believing in a conspiracy theory that has less evidence than "the official story" is pretty much the opposite of skepticism, but saying "We can't be completely sure that 'the official story' is true" or "Here are the holes in 'the official story'..." would be skepticism, IMO.

There is one risk with swallowing homeopathic remedies, as some places people sell herbal medicines marketed as homeopathy. 

My thing is this... interest rate...I guess you'd have to time it perfectly so that the charge would only apply to one billing cycle, and you'd need to have a card that doesn't automatically charge you interest/has an insanely low rate to make it worth it. \n\nBut then again, still worth it. 

I normally upvote the shit out of you because you present a voice of reason in an otherwise barren landscape of shills and trolls, but this time I digress.  I found the video interesting(especially considering the recent reports of the flat rectangular UFOs that have been floating around), but the commentary takes a completely non scientific approach with extraordinarily broad claims.  While I don't immediately dismiss claims of chemtrails(I lived in a small town for a few months with no nearby air travel paths that had hundreds of criss-crossed 'contrails' in the sky in the morning and evening), claiming that it may be body snatchers and that you will know in a few weeks is absurd.\n\n Commentary with people shouting, claiming to know something's origins or size with no point of reference, or shaking the camera violently is an instant turn off for me on these things.  The video itself is interesting enough and reminds me of the reports a few months ago of UFOs captured on film during an air show(though I wish there was a larger frame of reference), but there's no need for the tin foil hat.\n\nOnto the video, I don't think these are insects for a few reasons: there are two of them in a(nearly)perfectly straight line as they cross the screen, only changing angle as the jet flies past.  Most insects would have an extremely difficult time flying in a straight line, especially two in a row.  Also, the jet moves further away from the objects as they cross at an extremely fast speed.  Based on the given frame of reference, zoomed as it is, this would be impossible unless the objects were fairly close to the jet in altitude.  If the objects were closer to the ground, there would be no noticeable change of the jet's position in reference to the objects, and if they were higher than the jet there would be a much more noticeable change of position.\n\nEither way, it's interesting.

I never understood the *moral* dilemma of teaching the best scientific theory that we have to offer.  There is no debate whether to teach plate tectonics in geology.  If a teacher is worried about receiving personal flak for teaching such a subject, that's one thing.\n\nThis is science class.  Why don't we keep the topic confined to science.  Why even bring up "personalizing your response to include your religious perspective"?  I just feel like addressing the issue before it comes up gives legitimacy to a false reality that is a literal acceptance of a creation myth.

I rather think they'll consider this as justification for every claim they've ever made. They won't even consider the idea that "so-called" skeptics are actually skeptical of Big Pharma. Instead they'll say it's just become so egregious that they can't lie any more and continue to be taken seriously. Alternative medicine is partly a conspiracy theory about actual medicine, and the reaction will be along those lines.

Could just be someone calling from a bad line, but ghost calls sound like that too. I used to get them all the time, even captured some on my answering machine; sometimes a whispered phrase; and slowed down 100 - 200%, even the pops and scratches turned out to be voices. I wonder why they whisper.

Absolutely.  The one thing I never do if I can help it is sleep with the door open.  Especially if no one else is around.

Dwindling numbers should embolden them: "do you want us to leave too?"

Now, I'm beginning to think that I just hallucinated, but that's freaking me out.

If you look at Carter's statement and than you look at history, you will see that there was no new release of information regarding the subject. Source of information=facts of history. I am not sure why he didn't but I would suspect that someone convinced him otherwise. No, we believers have no proof other than looking at his statement and comparing it to what did or did not happen. 

The fact of the matter is that these people already exist, they've already had a kid and they're already negligent idiots.\n\nSo the only real choice is between:\n\n* The kid can be exposed to further risk for the rest of their childhood and either die from their negligence, grow up to resent his parents for his loss of vision or grow up to be the same kind of child-endangering moron as them, or\n* The kids gets taken away and raised by parents who will care for him and educate him properly.\n\nBasically, it's now a choice between a normal, one-eyed adopted kid, a poorly-raised kid who may well end up getting maimed further by his parents or a *dead* kid.  Given that choice, I think the fact that kid is unlikely to be maimed further or killed is worth celebrating.

Try recording your discussions with friends one day. I have done that on a number of occasions just for fun. We all sound like horrible actors.

Stay in it. Your entire drawing suggested you are a loving person who desires to heal others, despite your deep and secret pain. Keep going, your future is bright and positive, and the significator suggests that this is the role you were destined to play.

Ahhhhh awesome!  I seriously am even more shocked with this now than I was.  I am going to try to get a better screen shot of the flame-tail today.  \n\nI can't thank you enough for your help! xD

thanks, that's a start. Some of this stuff is just weird, like "The receptionist also said that on the day Pope John Paul II died, his spirit came to see Nemeh, both women said."

Last I saw the LFTB was in like 70% of all national ground beef. Could be wrong I'm too lazy to search. If it was just the really cheap stuff I might not have as much of a problem.\n\nAnd I like the idea of labeling food. Not just in this case but in many others (GMO foods etc.) simply because the consumer should be able to easily choose what they want to eat (wither or not if the product is actually dangerous or its just all media hype). It might be more costly but knowing what you eat is important.

How about that graph of ice cream sales vs. crime for each month?  Or the plot of number of churches vs. number of bars?

No its cool you make a very valid point about the double standard "god" has demonstrated through his 100% percent good vs. evil bastard thing and the only thing I could offer as a point of contention AS I AM NOT BACKING HIS EXISTENCE AT ALL would be that perhaps he has some grand form of goodness if you will about which that of the human mind on an individual level cannot comprehend. Just because you or I do not know fully the will of this being how does that refute what his goodness would be? I see that by taking this position i may be walking into a trap well if you or I don't know fully the workings of god then why is he 100% good? NOW I COULD BE WRONG AS I AM NOT A BIBLICAL SCHOLAR but wouldnt a god anything less than 100% good be contradictory or un-godlike? I think if there is a god NOT FUCKING SAYING THERE IS wouldn't that being have to be 100% good? As far as what i can choose...yes i can choose to believe whatever the fuck I want I can choose to believe the earth is flat or the sun circles the earth or whatever i want to but there is a distinction between what is true and what is just idiotic. I still have the choice however, perhaps our brains work differently...i dont necessarily think so but whatever honestly it sounds like semantics to me but whatever, I think you make very valid points on all accounts and agree with you in alot of instances. Next time perhaps just a link to Pascal's wager will be sufficient as I think you have misunderstood my intentions for asking the question in the first place and has given me the opportunity to speculate on what else you may have misunderstood with reagrds to this subject in general. 

Because you'd still be facilitating a market and a demand for the animal horn, which would still motivate some impoverished fool to kill the rhino for a share of the action, and which would still do buckley's for a persons cancer, or any other medical problem.\n\nEDIT: Last sentence tweaked for grammar and clarity. Also, buckleys is an Australian idiom for slim to no chance of success.

Did you check upstairs for a cat? Otherwise, there's always the remotest possibility a cat got into your place.

Paranormal State's season finale offered a bit of cryptozoology and legend...the search for the 'Jersey Devil'. They were able to capture an infra-red image of a creature that appeared to have wings. Now, I'm not going to say that they found a Jersey Devil, but they did find something that needs to be investigated. The 'wing' may just be an anomaly due to the infra-red process...but, I doubt it. Watch the videos and give me your assessment.

I understand what you mean. To me, deja vu is, as you said, a feeling you get when you're *sure* that current, real time events have happened before. I don't get it with regularity, but it happens often enough...I definitely know the feeling. So I know why the whole matrix scene is frusterating to you, because that's not deja vu to me, either. If the *first time* Neo ever saw that cat, he felt "Whoa, this has happened before", that's what I call deja vu. It is feeling like something has happened before **when you know it hasn't**. In a case like OP's or Neo's, if I were in that situation, I'd be aware of the fact that this event *just happened* moments ago, and that it was repeating itself. I wouldn't be thinking "this has never happened before but I feel like it has!" Hope this all makes sense, haha.

If microbial life exists on mars, I'm guessing caverns like this would be a good place to look for it [provided there is availible water within]

The video was posted to facebook by my mother's friend looking for opinions on what it was so no, I don't have it. I've rewatched it and I think what you're seeing as a face is a piece of material hanging off a shelf; I couldn't see any faces at any point. We're 90% sure she just took the video by accident or something, but the arm is just unsettling and I don't know what it could be.

"God is an ever receding pocket of﻿ scientific ignorance" -Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Yeah,  they are about money. But one thing the Vatican isn't about is stating something as a miracle that is easily verifiable that is not. If things they claim are miracles from god and everytime they do it, it could be easily proved that it is not. That would create more skeptics, and the Vat doesn't want more of those. 

It's fake.\n\nI love how the 'ghost' is always placed right where you'll see it best.

Okay, so levels of BPA dropped when they stopped using plastic, but were those levels ever high enough to have a biologic effect in the individual?  Unlikely.\n

I think Daemonax is saying that if a huge list of smells give your brain a boost then rosemary isn't special like it's being made out to be in the article. 

Except she never even said it will help you.\n\nAnd this guy doesn't claim to be able to help everyone. He also doesn't charge for his services, and he tells everyone that he sees to continue seeing medical professionals and to heed their advice.\n\nI'd never watch Oprah if not for my girlfriend, and I'm usually the cynic/skeptic in the room, but in all honesty - I've never seen Oprah sit so squarely on the fence, and go so far as to look at her guests like they're very possibly crazy. 

How did you feel when you were in the room at the time you took it? Your personal experience/spidey sense may give some insight. 

Probably because the vast majority are miss-identifications. But then again, look at all the different types of aircraft we have, and we're just one species.

That's because I was attempting to be humorous, failing as usual I see.

i think it is safe to say that the crazies are in fact the skeptics who say NO evidence exists. I still respect the ones who are curious or just simply waiting for physical evidence. That is after all where everyone else comes in trying to get that evidence disclosed.

Understandable. I appreciate your input. :). The submitter of this blog has more stories.  When she shares them at Ghostsstory...and if they're any good, I'll update. 

Not directly, but the faq states that if you retell experiences from childhood, you must be aware that your memory can be incorrect.

what does this actually prove? that people are susceptible to suggestion? that's the reason advertising is so powerful.\n\nit doesn't prove that non-organic food, produce, etc. is as healthy or good as organic.\n\ni buy all my produce from whole foods. my other options are Big Y and Stop &amp; Shop supermarkets.\n\nThere's a world of difference in the quality, taste, etc. of produce between the 3 stores. The difference is so noticeable that I don't buy produce from non Whole Foods stores anymore.

I know how vaccines work, but because they don't reproduce, then you can get a dose which doesn't fully trigger the immune system. You see that in a case when they still get the disease, but with less severity. And that means that the disease can be passed along after experiencing the anti-body response. 

I wouldn't say it's *completely* meaningless.  The US system is one of checks and balances.  While budgets are technically written by Congress, the President also traditionally releases his own budget for consideration.  His allies in Congress bring that to the floor for negotiations, so the end result is something in between.  As being part of the budget, any new taxes and spending also have to be voted on by the President who can choose to veto them.\n\nAnd while Congress also technically regulates the financial markets, it is the President who appoints the Fed Chair. \n\nSo while the President can't take *full* credit for the financial situation of the country, neither can Congress for that matter.  And that's not even bearing to mind the external factors that have much more relevance to the performance of the economy than either the President or Congress combined.

I'd recommend everyone to watch this video. I've watched it quit a few times and it will help you understand all which is about to happen in the following months.

upvoted cause i wanna know too! i would love to stick some of these in my local grocery store. 

&gt;We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs that are simply a relabeling of Outcome-Based Education (OBE) (mastery learning) which focus on behavior modification and have the purpose of challenging the student’s fixed beliefs and undermining parental authority.\n\nYikes. That's frightening.

And what you've just said is exactly why mainstream people don't believe there's a problem with corruption. 

As a Spanish speaker, just from an analytical standpoint, the people on the video sound sincere. They seemed surprised to see the objects, and according to what they say they're at the same altitude as the plane. Someone asks, somewhat concerned "why are they following us?". Someone also comments that they're going pretty fast, though a specific speed is not mentioned in the video.

&gt;the issue with these "conditions of exclusion" is that they are easily faked. People could fake them for a variety of reasons.  \n\nThe burden of proof should be on the *doctors* not the patients. The very fact that it is assumed the patient is faking when a doctor can't identify the cause -- or when outsiders can't understand the symptoms -- is itself a huge indication of the problems with the medical industry. The first being hubris. I look at it this way: if your computer crashes and you take it to a tech specialist, does he/she claim you are faking the problem when he/she can't solve it? No, that would be ridiculous.   \n \nAs I mentioned before, statistically there are very, very, very few people who fake symptoms for conditions like this. There simply isn't a benefit, medically or personally. Going to doctors is not fun. Spending all your earnings on medical care is not fun. Being treated in a hostile or dismissive manner by doctors, friends, co-workers, and/or family is not fun. I've found that people who raise the faking issue are usually people who aren't fully informed on the subject.   \n\nIn addition, trying to fake these kinds of conditions is not easy, contrary to popular opinion. You don't just walk into the doctor's office, rattle off a list of weird symptoms, and walk out a happy faker with a bag of meds and an excuse for your behavior. The process is exhausting and difficult for those who are legitimately ill; I can't see a faker choosing this path. One has to go to a range of doctors, and submit to a battery of tests -- all of which are expensive -- for sometimes a year or more before a diagnosis is given. There are much, much easier ways to get attention and prescriptions if that is someone's goal.    \n\nYou know what is far more common? Patients going to doctors and faking *simple* things like headaches or sleep problems for the sole purpose of getting and misusing prescription drugs. Sadly, this is much, much easier and more beneficial than faking a complex condition like Fibromyalgia. Again, there is very little benefit, if any, to faking a condition of exclusion: it's actually much harder to get prescriptions, for example.  \n\nThe number of healthy people I know who fake simple, easily-named problems in order to get high of Vicodin, Ambien, or something similar: too many to count. The number of sick people I know who fake it: literally only one. And he is a sociopath, so the faking is part of an actual illness.\n\n&gt;The reason doctors haven't been able to solve this problem yet is that it's related to the brain - which we're only beginning to understand.  \n\nHaving known people who were diagnosed with conditions of exclusions, like Fibromyalgia, I agree that the source of the problem is neurological for some (maybe many). It seems science barely understands the brain function or the effects of brain chemistry on the body. My frustration is that we as a culture are aware of this, but still turn the magnifying glass on the patient instead of the medical industry. There should be a lot more funding and a lot more studies on how the brain is functioning in patients with conditions of exclusion.  

Who said the brain runs on fat directly? The brain can run on ketones or glucose.

i cant pin point it to ONE thing really - i have always been into basically anything weird since i was a kid - i used to watch Unsolved Mysteries as a kid, that was my FAVORITE SHOW in those days

Lenin? http://rlv.zcache.com/vladimir_lenin_cccp_portrait_sticker-p217484860121449540tdcj_400.jpg\n\nSo the Soviets made it?

If the egg hatches into a chicken then I would say it's a chicken egg even though it's an egg from a "nearly chicken".

That gas station was featured on another show and debunked as a bug. They hit the nail on the head. But I agree, when I seen that man being so dramatic, I thought to myself "ok buddy...wait 'til there is a real ghost in your face."

That 3 decades saw a shift in skepticism from anti-paranormal activism to more general pro-science activism. I think that's a big part of it.\n\nI expect another big change in skepticism coming soon as the common unscientific ideologies that are still embraced start to be understood better by science. \n\nMy guess is Free market utopians and equality advocates will have to abandon some of their political ideals in the face of evidence from behavioural economics and genetics/neuroscience. Some will, some won't and will no longer be considered skeptics as knowledge moves away from their beliefs. It happened a bit with climate change already.\n\nIt's probably wrong to see it as big changes instead of evolution (punctuated equilibrium style). The skeptical community has always been skeptics and people who happen to agree with skeptics for unscientific reasons.\n\n

Vaccines have saved millions of lives.\n\nThey're part of the reason we're sitting at 7 billion humans on this planet at the moment, give or take.\n\nMeasles, like chicken pox, can kill.  Eradication of that disease, more or less, has led to massive improvement in the lives of billions. \n\nEverything you're mentioning is hearsay and conjecture.  You're taking outliers and giving them the same weight as well-known statistics.  The odds that your kid will react badly to a vaccine are small. The odds that your kid will contract a disease that could permanently damage them as a result of others not being vaccinated is much larger.   Vaccination is important. \n\nPharmaceutical companies don't make a lot of money producing vaccines.  They're easy to produce and they're not patented, for the most part.  Our government actually has to give money to these companies so they'll get around to producing enough of the vaccine to go around. The shortages in the past few years for, say, the flu virus?  Due to downward production because it wasn't economical enough to produce the vaccine. That's a bigger crime, I think, then what you're proposing. 

The proper position is anti theistic secular humanist anarcho socialism.\n\nWake up sheeple. 

They have this one item that retails for $52,800 [Page 6](http://www.audioquest.com/pdfs/RetailPriceBook_v2010-May-web.pdf)

Ah, my two favorite groups of Luddites...GM food paranoids and anti-vaccine fools.  Please smack 'em around some more.

&gt;According to there findings...\n\nIt's THEIR, goddammit! THEIR!\n\nAny article about DNA functions is bullshit if author can't learn even basic grammar rules.

Please see following quoted similar question for answers. :)\n\n&gt;[–]QwertyQT68 \nHow to the dead present themselves to you?\n

&gt;LOL Like I didn't already know how to hide anything remotely useful in garbage already.\n\nNot sure what you mean by this tbh.\n\n&gt;"If the paranormal exists" This is a matter of POV and probability not existentialism.\n\nEither it does or it doesn't, it doesn't matter about the individual's point of view if there's demonstrable evidence of its existence. I've no idea why you've brought existentialism into this. Can you clarify your meaning?\n\n&gt;I don't know how YOU are expecting to find anything interesting with that kind of mentality. The parts of paranormal research that are proto-science and fringe science will not yet have enough credible sources, so you will end up missing out on a lot of useful and interesting material, most of it anecdotal and or spontaneous and limited to one-time events, and the weirder stuff blurring subjective-objective POVs.\n\nI expect to find facts with 'that kind' of mentality, which is a scientific one, which is what is needed, not an emotion-evoking one. By 'credible sources,' I mean studies that have taken into account anything that may disprove whatever is being documented, e.g. accounting for sleep paralysis, electrical interference, background noise, etc. and it should be something that is investigated by more than one person before being considered legitimate. This in no way means nothing interesting will be found. All it means is that what is found will have credibility, and won't just be the usual "well a friend of a friend is a psychic and she said ol' Bob still haunts the farmhouse!"\n\nIf it can't be replicated, then it should be discounted as evidence. Simple as. Sorry if that takes all the fun out of it, but if you want paranormal science to be taken seriously, you cannot base your beliefs purely on anecdotes and a wish for it to be real. \n\n&gt;I think better advice would be to carefully record all the details you can get your hands on and apply the critical thinking of the methods of science to the data AND test any hunches or more artistic sentiment you may have regarding the data for their more subjective meaning and purpose (your intent is relevant just as the 'intent' of any phenomena you encounter is relevant).\n\nSubjectivity and anecdotal evidence has no place in science. \n\n&gt;Also, be warned, Truth seekers are especially prone to be misled and confused by the Trickster Archetype that presences itself in "paranormal" phenomena. Lies and trickery go hand in hand with honesty and virtue in these Dragon infested waters.\n\nIs the hyperbole really necessary?

Our certain set of abilities is considered taboo, as we live in a highly religious area. Anything that I've learned about my own talents is due to failed attempts to block things out. I'm 19, and my first paranormal experience I can remember occurred at the age of 4; I was commonly left home alone whilst a vicious spectre called me throughout the house daily using voices familiar to me, including my own. When I actually encountered it, I cannot remember what I saw, but it was enough to put me in a state of emotional comatose, keeping an ever constant negative outlook for years.

Credit goes out to [pit_pat_kit_kat](http://www.reddit.com/user/pit_pat_kit_kat/)!

I agree, which is why I'd like the OP to identify what he saw.  He could have easily seen any number of US Navy training planes, which are all painted orange and white and could be mistaken for Coast Guard colors.  Then, there would be any number of reasons why a pair of US Navy training planes did a quick take off and landing.\n\nSome examples:  [T-45](http://www.libnot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/t-45-navy-trainer1.jpg), [T-2](http://www.cloud9photography.us/Military-Aviation-10/North-American-T-2-Buckeye/T-2-USN-00002-North-American-T/312021655_RGcGD-M.jpg)

This is kinda how I have always felt, if these people are power mongering ego-maniacs, how the hell would they ever agree on anything? 

Edzard Ernst has pointed out that all the trials had problems with blinding, this is a pretty serious issue. So it's reasonable to be skeptical that acupuncture performs any better than sham acupuncture.

Did I say anything about "near future?"\n\nAnd there is a "C", "D" and "E" to natural selection as well. (More than that too depending on who you speak to in the field.)\n\nc) reproduce more successfully than your competition.\n\nd) enables your relatives to reproduce more effectively.\n\ne) live longer which can benefit "c" and "d".\n\n"Social" is part of our genes and therefore social consequences are indeed part of natural selection. For instance wolves are social creatures. If a wolf can't get a grip on the social norms of life in a pack, it will likely be chased out which will lessen the likelihood that its genes will be passed on.\n\nAnd when I spoke of natural selection having its day, I was thinking VERY long term. There could be companion benefits to autism that are yet undiscovered and perhaps irrelevant in today's environment. (Think resistance to malaria as being the positive companion to the liability of sickle cell.)\n\nAutism may appear to be a liability today, and may in fact cause its carriers, for a variety of reasons, to reproduce at a lesser rate. But if the gene survives and then suddenly our environment changes, it could be the key to survival.\n\nNatural selection WILL have its day. Our seemingly impenetrable civilization will be a blip on the radar screen of life on Earth. We will again be at the mercy of its whims.

Is he actually a doctor? Even if he is, can we stop calling him that?

Whilst the pain could well be real in the sense that the person is suffering, is it not possible that the cause in many cases could be rooted in other mental causes, like stress, etc?\n\nAfter reading up on fibromyalgia, there's no test for it, and the symptoms are so varied I'm surprised it's even classed as a singular cause.

Then why are most of these thread comments from people who did get evolution education in American schools? I understand there could be bias in the selection of comments but I would think those who hadn't gotten evolution education would be all too eager to complain about it.

I leafed through his paper on the subject, it's a very thorough treatment of the Casimir effect, and then it goes off into more absurd realms that might be less, well, scientific.  The citations, which I also leafed through, are citations to those sections, not to the crazyland sections.\n\nhttp://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/9901011

So all therapy is a lie? After all, all it is is the power of suggestion.\n\nSome issues can be talked away.

BPS used to be "Are We Alone?" but they changed it, because there isn't enough SETI news to drive a podcast.  It was either widen the scope or change the name to, "As Far As We Know, We're Still Alone."

Not funny or clever, if you don't have anything useful to say dont say it

&gt;  Your stance is that marijuana can't possibly have any medicinal effects because you're ideologically attached to that idea.\n\nYour reading comprehension skills make me wonder how you even learned how to use the word "ideologically" in a sentence correctly.\n\nOh, wait.  You didn't.  For someone to be ideologically attached, they have to be supporting personal goals.  To this point, you have no clue what my personal goals are, you just think that me fact-checking you means I'm against what you're trying to say.  \n\nFurthermore, you have no idea what my "stance" is here.  All I have said is that your arguments of "it's helping people so it's good" and "he's giving it away so he's not a kook" are fallacious.\n\nIt is entirely possible to show your arguments to be shit without caring one way or the other about the point of them, sweetie.

Vaccines aren't 100% effective.  In addition there are some people that can't be vaccinated(e.g. people with allergies to certain ingredients in the vaccine or that have weakened immune systems).  The people that can't be vaccinated rely upon everybody else getting vaccinated to prevent them getting sick. 

What? How is that anything but proof of her divine calling. I mean she could shapeshift into a cat with the power of the lord, and obviously died mid change. 

I'm all for religious freedom, but seriously, the Church of Body Modification?  What the hell is that?

Pi!\n\ne!\n\nSquare root of 2!\n\n0!\n\nThere's a actually a high chance of guessing them right.

I hate mountain dew but I know I just watched you get your silly ass  kicked.  You had nothing. Your stupid wisecracks against me  **"ooga gooba booka googa. Tits."** mean nothing. \n\nWatch the video I linked. http://rememberbuilding7.org/\n\nlove,\n\n your sweetie,\n\nhoneybooboo

&gt; you need to study some economics....\n\nI did.\n\nI highly suggest that, when you talk to me, you don't address me in a condescending tone of superiority as if you were trying to disqualify what I have said by claiming that I am ignorant.\n\nFirst of all, I'm *far* from being ignorant on the topics I like to discuss, economics included.\n\nSecond, you don't know me, my education, or my knowledge, so you have no excuse whatsoever to accuse me of ignorance.\n\nThird, the economic argument you made to disbelieve the economic argument that was presented to you is through and through false.  It's a studied, demonstrated economic fact that the bigger a company grows, the more inefficiencies it accumulates so, at some point, the economies of scale start becoming *negative*.  You just don't see this effect very often in a statist economy because when companies become large, they co-opt the available government violence to shut down cheaper competitors early.\n\nFourth, the argument you made addresses in no form whatsoever what I said.  Whatever market forces created the monopoly can also destroy the monopoly.\n\nBut mostly, save your condescension for your kids, OK?

Yeah I went to a different site and found out they're going after the Daily Mail and declined the million dollar challenge. That's egg on my face. 

:/\n\nThis doesn't really sounds like it's based on anything. Except maybe personal observation.  And clearly he's not asking people "why do you answer in that way," which means we have literally no context for him to base these observations on.\n\nI mean, I'm not saying people who are easily offended are good critical thinkers.  They're probably not.  But I don't see what the rest of the article has to do with that. 

Pretty f'n sweet if it is real.  Though it could be a CGI layer, as one comment suggests, it does remind me of a video I saw in the early-mid 2000's that showed a very faint object rise above the horizon at sunset, stop in mid-air, then shoot off at incredible speeds.  I believe this was before a lot of people were doing CG effects and it would certainly have been a rarity back then, it seems.  I need to find that vid.

&gt;Nowadays, most chiropractors have backed off a bit\n\nYeah I was about to say it's probably pretty rare to have a chiropractor tell you that he doesn't believe in germ theory. That's a special sort of crazy right there.

I otherwise agree with you for the most part. I just think the hypocrisy was distracting and set the wrong tone for what could have been a more constructive conversation. I find that people learn by example better than by being given instructions.

wow that is really awful, does no one pay attention to science anymore?

Why didn't they just claim it causes mutations or it contains Super Soldier Serum?  This was a missed opportunity.

Especially kids. Tell a kid that something is hiding in the closet and by the morning you'll have a detailed description.

I've had Crohn's Disease for 28 years. I use OTC tylenol, and a prescription anti-spasmodic when it's bad. I've thoroughly researched the side effects and mechanism of each.\n\nI don't think you're going to beat me in terms of "who has the most pain", but that would be a stupid argument anyway.\n\nThis guy is overdoing it. In my opinion.

Cool story dude. You might want to edit it into a few paragraphs, instead of that one block of text. Kind of hard to read.

\nThe high contrast style is eye melting. To much white and the blue text is to light.

Jersey Shore plus Sally Morgan. "Reality" television for a select audience. 

A lot of medical schools don't even require doctors to take the Hippocratic Oath anymore.

I think this is an actual glitch -- but am wondering how you paid for something remembering you had money from your wallet without your wallet (since you knew your wallet was on the TV.)  "Then I went home and found my wallet on my tv where I left it." may square with what happened, in your mind, but doesn't square with paying for something with money you don't think you have with you. Know what I mean?  Just trying to understand.

I'm not trying to say he DIDN'T exist. The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. I'm just saying there is no definitive proof (at least in my book.) 

Fred Singer was a major player in the organized tobacco denial - see for instance those internal documents of the tobacco lobby:\n\nhttp://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/action/document/page?tid=ymo86b00&amp;page=1

I know you know you sound crazy. If there is any way at all to accurately predict things (you said that you know a few actions that trigger changes) you should get some second party confirmation. Someone in this thread suggested some screencaps of those conversations with those people who knew a lot about you.\n\nIf you haven't guessed, you've piqued a lot of curiosity :p You say that you've taken 2 years to accurately determine that you aren't crazy. I know I'd be interested in some evidence for my own curiosity, and I'm sure others here share that sentiment. Hell, if anything I'd be curious to keep some contact or see some occasional updates from you, as that would prove that there's at least one version of you that hasn't gone back in time to 2010.\n\nAll in all, best of luck. I hope that you can find someone IRL who you trust who is real and can help you through whatever it is you're experiencing. Cheers, mate.

&gt;It's sort of funny that these guys would start this shit in a place like /r/skeptic, where the majority of the people coming here are going to sift through the relevant information before taking action.\n\nIt's because they think they are being "skeptical" when they are just being denialists. So they come over here, post stuff, and then go back to /r/climateskeptics to complain about how /r/skeptics is "[one of the biggest circlejerks on reddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/climateskeptics/comments/kwgys/skeptics_did_i_miss_something_had_anyone_ever/c2o33fl)".\n\nI've noticed in the last week or two that they appear to have been making a concerted effort to concern troll /r/skeptics.

This is such an accurate description of my thoughts on the show. One of the only shows I've ever planned around.

Hehe, I don't think that actually happens. I have seen no evidence that any human has starved to death while remaining fat, and I would be shocked if it has happened, since people have done year long fasts and just lost a bunch of weight.\n\nI was just pointing out that if the "fat people can't lose weight by not eating" hypothesis were actually correct, then you would still not expect to see a bunch of fat people in concentration camps because they'd simply die off.

You're wrong about reading other comments.  One of the reasons I bothered to comment here is because I noticed you consistently mock people for providing any explanation other than space alien.  Categorically rejecting any Earthly explanation only makes you, and "believers" in general, come off as irrational.  You clearly enjoy wallowing in your own philosophical meanderings, but to me, the question of whether aliens exist and have visited this planet is not a subject for *philosophy*. 

Someone has to check and make sure people are putting the appropriate stickers on. It's regulation, it's going to cost someone.

&gt; Just seems like providing health care (including advice) and coverage should be completely separate.\n\nCommie pinko socialist libtard!  I bet you love Obama and his asian parents!  Why do you hate America?!\n\n(In case it's unclear, /sarcasm)

Thanks for the reply.  I'll be sure to check it out.  The Day Before Disclosure is a good one, but I haven't seen it in a while, so it might be time for a rewatch.  Out of the Blue is probably my favorite that I can think of.

There are few astronauts, that once they get away from NASA and jobs in the aerospace industry open up about what they saw in orbit. The shuttle flight accounts I take very cautiously because the amount of debris and junk orbiting is just too much. The earlier missions accounts have a tad more intrigue about them. 

I just found this subreddit through random, and I know I'm late to the party but I have a story to share. My grandfather passed away six years ago, two days ago was the anniversary of his funeral. Almost four years ago I had a very surreal dream about my grandpa, in my dream I saw him! He was smiling so big and I could see his blue eyes sparkling. The whole dream I kept hearing him tell me he felt whole again and he was so happy! (I'm getting chills as I type this) I hugged his neck in my dream and couldn't let go. When I woke up for work that day I felt as if I had really physically talked to him, I was very comforted and happy. At work that day I had to leave to get a new driver's license as I was pulling out of the jobsite I received a call from my stepfather telling me to meet him at my grandmothers. When i got there I knew something was up, my entire family was there. When I walked up my mom informed me that my grandmother had passed away overnight in my grandpa's chair. I knew at that moment exactly why he was so happy in my dream, he had his love back with him finally. 

I agree with "be the change you want to see" but if you just go with the will of the people, you end up with American Idol rather than Arrested Development.  Hence mods, spam filters, and sidebar reminders/rules about appropriate content.  

I got about 1/2 of the way through before deciding it was fucking depressing. 

So true. However, human psychology is also very strong and people already know they results they want and so subconsciously assist the demonstrator. 

Yep, I think in part this is because (as someone has mentioned in this thread), Brown sometimes uses NLP terminology to "explain" what he's doing - in the same way he sometimes uses psychological terminology to "explain" what he's doing. The important thing to remember here is that his explanations are as big a part of the trick as the actual trick is, and is simply an extension of his misdirection. \n\nI think in part it's also just a desperate attempt for the practitioners of a pseudoscience to try to justify their field by latching on to a semi-respectable source; like crap universities which send out degrees and doctorates to anyone who will take them just so that they can list them as belonging to their university. 

If only there were some way of supplementing your vitamin D intake...

Great advice, I've actually been thinking about how some of the great in-depth discussions I've had are lost somewhere on facebook. I was thinking about at the very least copying over or expanding on them on a blog or something.\n\nIt would at least be a little more productive!

you know this glitch may have cause you to stumble upon something, during a fight record it to see how stupid it is. Now go write a marriage counseling book and make millions

I really wish I could go to this.  Well I wish it were happening and that I could go to it

&gt;carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat  \n\nBesides the fact that they cited the heavily flawed and bias China Study, this tipped me off to the article being a bit skewed by personal feelings.  \nedit: grammar 

&gt;That's funny, I drink tap water and I don't feel very dead **YET.**\n

yeah. I'm actually surprised your first comment got downvvotes from this crowd (I get why I'm getting downvotes...)\nbut I think if we had a stable society, then our population (growth) would be kept in check by the actual carrying capacity of the planet. I'm not suggesting we let people starve to death because the planet cant support them. But there needs to be some kind of economic restraint on this unlimited growth... and I don't mean by imposing more trade regulations... idunno there's just so much shit that's fucked I wouldn't know where to start.\n

Were there superstitions that conflicted with the standard model of physics? Not trolling, I'm genuinely curious.

I'm aware of how disinfo works, I just don't think Good's work fits that profile. I think it is more likely he is a very keen researcher whose credulity filters are a bit off. He's not any where near as bad as most of his contemporaries in terms of this. 

Is there something wrong with being... skeptical of something like his death?

So one country makes the whole of Europe bad, makes sense. And I have no interest to  immigrate to America, my life will/is much better here.

No where in this post is mentioned any claim that "alien spaceships" are responsible for crop circles. Were such a claim made though I'd be interested in hearing how you came up with an infinite probability that it is not so. Fortunately there is some extraordinary evidence available that casts doubt on man's responsibility in all cases:\n\n*Expulsion cavities (holes blown out at one or several of the plant stem nodes) are most often found in the 2nd node beneath the seed- head. However, in recent years they are being seen also in the 3rd and 4th nodes down the plant stem, as well as occasionally occurring in the top (apical) node. These holes are thought to be one of the plant abnormalities caused by exposure to microwave radiation which -- particularly in circles which occur in young, green crop -- instantly turns the plant's internal moisture to steam. If the microwaves are intense enough -- and the amount of moisture at the stem node great enough -- the rapidly expanding steam in these lower nodes can only escape by blowing holes out through the tough external fibers in these lower nodes. [In the apical, or top, nodes -- the youngest part of the plant -- the external fibers are considerably more elastic and the steam created there by exposure to microwaves seeps out more easily, stretching the nodes at the tops of the plants as it does so.]*\n\nand\n\n*After this 1993 discovery, regular soil sampling was instituted at most crop circles sampled by the BLT Team. Subsequently, tiny 10-40 micron diameter spheres (and/or partially ablated particles) of unusually pure iron have been regularly found in soils from crop circle sites. Sometimes clusters of these very small, perfectly spherical, magnetic particles are found; sometimes larger spheres (40-50 microns in diameter), which are strongly magnetic, are discovered adhering to bits of soil covered, or inter-mixed, with a partially-melted glaze of the same material.*\n\nand\n\n*c. When crop circles occur in more mature plants, where the embryo is fully formed or nearly so, the seeds will again be visually stunted and will weigh less than normal, but the effects on reproduction vary. One effect observed has been an alteration in normal growth-habit of the developing seedlings: in species which have a normal variability of growth at particular stages, this variability has been lost -- with the result being that all of the germinating seeds exhibit synchronized growth.*\n\nI find all of these observations rather difficult to account for by mechanical means of circle formation only.

I'm personally pretty skeptical when it comes to videos like this, but I've witnessed a similar phenomenon twice IRL. \n\nWhat I saw: one really bright, seemingly central object that 'released' smaller, sets of two objects that seem to be connected as if by a rubber band. I wish I had an explanation.

&gt; Either the government does not know about the problem in which case it is incredibly ignorant. OR it knows about it but does not care.... or it knows about it but simply can't do anything to stop it due to shear volume.\n\nI'd humbly suggest a third possibility: sample bias.  Since your citations are primarily of the "I would say", "where I live" and "I overheard" variety, they're anecdotal and small in reach.  Individual humans are notoriously bad at generalizing and estimating based on personal observations (I catch myself doing this *all the damn time*).  You've also assumed a supply-side change has driven the coke price down, when a number of other factors can have that effect in a given drug economy (decreased demand, quality change, pricing competition).\n\nI'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying you're an individual.  If you don't trust the government's numbers, find non-governmental large scale surveys.  And be willing to find your own blind spots.  Most notably: if you're a young guy that "occasionally dabbles", you're probably hanging out in (and disproportionately sampling) the types of places and situations where other people who "occasionally dabble" hang out.\n\nFood for thought.

How do you know it was ghosts and not Aliens or Jesus sending her a message or the chupacabra breaking into her house or a timetraveler? You can see the problem, some strange things happened that you don't have an explanation for, it could have been a million different things, and you are automatically jumping onto one conclusion of what happened with no evidence and assuming if you have no evidence for something else then it must be ghosts. My guess for what probably happened was she thought she saw something move outside the door but there was nothing and as she told this story and thought about it memory biases took over and made the story into something more than it was.

Science isn't perfect.  The 'this isn't repeatable' argument only goes so far towards examining some phenomena.  If there is an anomaly that repeats itself at all, it begs to be examined.  **Whether that anomaly can be repeated "in a lab" is not the issue, but that it's examined when it presents itself.**  I love Sagan for many things, but he was seriously closed minded with regard to anomalous phenomena.  Not a debunker on the level of Klass, but a debunker nonetheless.

Ah, ok, I see a possible avenue for confusion.\n\nYou're using the idea of a turing machine as a way to describe an information processing system that dynamically associates input to symbols for constantly changing use. That's true enough, but a turing machine might be better understood as a machine whose runtime is dynamic because the symbols it allocates allow it to perform any logical (mathematical logic) algorithm. \n\nIf the *mind* (not the brain) is *that* we haven't really said all that much. In fact, what we've done is put the mind in a box whose dimensions scale with respect to symbolic complexity. Put another way, you've narrowed the mind down to a point where the only thing we can manipulate to achieve more or less features of the mind is its symbolic complexity (and efficiency). But consider some of the things we attribute to the mind. Constructs such as *self*, *consciousness* (conscious cognition), *agency* etc... Also some constructs, such as *heuristics* which need to make assumptions in order to function. A turing machine might not be the best model for accounting for these features, if they really are a process of mind. And again, this isn't even to speak of the brain.

Two days seems abnormally fast for death by septacemia. I wonder what they did? Rub dung in the wounds?

I just don't see the whole point of this argument. Yes, these people probably saw things that they themselves couldn't explain. So what? Are you saying these things are aliens? Or just that there are "unidentified flying objects"? Because I doubt anyone is going to argue there, purely because people are not very good at identifying strange things.

Wow - I always kind of thought Glenn Beck was secretly a fashion designer.

I think calling them idiots is entirely appropriate. When faced with mountains of evidence that also happens to line up quite well with logic, continuing to hold to a contrarian point of view that not only has no evidence, but also no logic, makes one an idiot. We should not be shy about calling them out on their idiocy.\n\nPerhaps if we as a society stopped sugarcoating such things in the false belief that "all arguments are valid," fewer idiots would be listened to as seriously as they are now. 

When I was a teenager, before I knew much about anything, the local chiropractor helped me out immensely.  She took x-rays of my back before doing anything.  She is also a medical doctor.\n\nI observed her results in myself and in others, when my mother later worked for the office.  It sure as fuck isn't faith healing.\n\nI never heard anything spiritual or supernatural in the whole business either, or my mother would have condemned it as demonic.

I agree with you. There is no reason to invade Pakistan, for one. As corrupt and weak willed as the Pakistani government is, they are not despots or a military threat to the US. They are generally an ally.\n\nMy **only** claim was increased military interest and this being wonderful justification to further extend American tendrils into Pakistani sovereignty. We've been escalating drone attacks in Pakistan for months, essentially since Obama took office. My degree and graduate studies are basically in this field. I'm not making claims that come out of left field, but a bunch of people in a forum mostly about completely unrelated subjects are acting like they have masters degrees in IR and I'm shouting crazy things about the end times from a park bench.

false analogy.\n\ndude, you're using animal products right now, it's all around you.  that was my point.  you have a couch, right?  where do you think the wood glue comes from to hold it together?  it's *all around you*.  

In terms of mass panic, I believe it will be small community based pockets of violence. \n\nThere's a documentary here in Australia called 'go back to where you came from'. Its about a group of entitled racist people in Australia with strong feeling on the illegal boat people/immigrants that seek asylum in Australia. They spend time with these people to understand what theyre escaping.\n\nEvery one of them is seeking to escape famine, food shortage, war and violence. All of the above from societal decay. The stories they tell are horrifying. Neighbors stabbing children to get rice or water. Gangs coming through and extorting the locals. Locals turning rogue to protect the community ultimately to become what they detest. The society becomes fiefdoms before falling into family groups trying to scrape a living in localized world filled with hate. \n\nThen they escape. But where could we escape to?\n\nTheres TeD discussions talking that on the one hand, amid all this violence were at our most peaceful. Then theres arguments against it. Regardless, we dont often see real violence in our western societies. When it does collapse, and it will undoubtably even for a short time, it will be a terrible thing to witness. Perhaps nothing so bad as a global collapse, or even a national collapse, but we'll be witness to some terrifying things. Things we've never had to accept but many people around the world deal with on a daily basis. 

If the sun goes red giant first there's also a chance the earth gets pushed out of orbit. I think the odds are 50/50.\n

Oh, I found a caption for it:\n\n Cancer Can't Live in an Alkaline Oxygenated Environment. Easiest way to Alkalize your body is by eating alkaline-forming foods.\n\nArgh!

Strictly speaking, there are no doubts about whether it is real. There are doubts about whether it is psychogenic.

In terms of game theory, it really depends on how complex the game in question is - you could trivially concieve of all possibilities in noughts and crosses, and even the likes of Chess and Go can be "solved" in the same fashion, given sufficient computing power.\n\nHowever, your average (or not so average, given that this is Holmes) murder investigation would be a hideously complicated game to simulate, and we could comfortably say that no human brain could handle it in realtime. Whether it would ever be theoretically possible starts to run into both Chaos theory and quantum uncertainty, of course, but I might personally be inclined to conject that there is a level of approximation where the statement is true, for any practical purpose.

That sounds like a fun thing to do, though I wouldn't get your hopes up too much. Hit or miss, it sounds like a good plan!

There are perfectly rational moral, economic, and philosophical reasons to support the existence of a state. 

Because you've never used it, the "portal" in that area has never opened. I hope you do take me seriously, and since you claim it has never been used, you should be fine.

Absolute shit.\n\n- Looked like a street light that was going in and out of focus / zoom in and out.\n\n- Wobbly cam\n\n- Dubious subject

Even in 1982 it was very rare to see a CD.  The first time I saw one personally was doing Christmas shopping in 1983 and I lived in the suburbs of a major city.

C may practice Buddhism but C is hardly showing the compassion and understanding of a Buddhist. You're likely correct if "pop" means trendy.

Funny, I must have missed the part where I claimed my personal experience is global statistics.

What, exactly, was her logic in making that bet?  If the world *did* end, you wouldn't have been around to read the Bible, so there's *literally* no downside to you making that bet.  Did she not think this through?\n\nAnyway, not exactly a "book" per se, but you might have her take a look at [LessWrong](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/LessWrong).  Some of their stuff is kind of... weird (transhumanism, in particular, may not be your cup of tea), but most of the [Sequences](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences) are excellent in their fields; [How To Actually Change Your Mind](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/How_To_Actually_Change_Your_Mind) may be a good place to start, although there is [a lot of material](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ArchivePanic).

"The object had an egg shaped hole leading into it from the top, as an opening."\n\n[This would also explain the burn marks](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2qb0m5vfm1r1ogyf.jpg)

Because it or factions within it knows they are real, but have no clue as to what UFOs represent. \n\nThey covet the technology, as the possessor of such devices would literally rule the world. There is no weapons platform that we have that even approaches the performance capabilities of observed UFOs; if the US had them, they'd use them. Iran, anyone? \n\nFar more important is the psychological impact on governmental systems as they stand in our society. These objects can violate our airspace, hover over sensitive installations, nuclear power plants and silos, evade our defence systems at will. \n\nIf the governments of the West, particularly the US, admit to the public, OK these things are real and this is what they are doing, but we don't know jack shit about what they are or where they are from, then the public is going to react with the equivalent of "why the fuck do we pay these idiots anyway? They can't really protect us." Commence societal reaction against our current 19th Century ruling paradigm. \n\nIn the mean time, the US and other governments are desperate beyond measure to understand what UFOs are before anyone else, for the aforementioned strategic reasons. \n\nThis is the hypothesis that I believe explains all of the paradoxes of the UFO censorship issue. \n\nThe religion issue does play a part, because can anyone really predict what the 20% religious crazies in society will actually do if they learn UFOs are real and there's nothing about that shit in their iron age mythologies? \n\nEssentially the big deal is about control, the psychological control that the government has over the populace. It hangs by a thread. Something monumentally unconventional will shake conventional views. \n\nI'm not really sure what might happen, but I often think that admission that UFOs are real would actually have no long term serious impact in the way many theorise, given our cultural acclimatisation to the concept; people would be excited for a while, but fall back to printing a few T-shirts, inventing a new religion or two, but in general continuing on exactly as they did before. The people that rule our civilization, however, appear to be out of touch dolts for the most part, and apparently fear change when they can't predict the outcome. They want to keep things the same, keep the status quo. \n\nEdited for grammar.

Well, that seems like something you could test at a party. Get everyone drunk, then promise to sober them up with diluted beer.

Actually not, it would be like that if the majority of Mcdonals would sell gas and then you find one that only sells you " as if" gas.

That's pretty bad when even among the astrology books, she's getting her stuff looked down on. 

&gt;The main reason why Autism is associated with Vaccinations is because the symptoms of autism begin around that age, not to mention some just want someone or something to pin blame to.\n\nNo, the main reasons are because of the discredit study by Andrew Wakefield, who has had his medical license revoked in the UK.

Why are you responding the exact same thing three times over?\n\nAnd so everything that's said in the Zeitgeist movies is false by default? I'm not saying it's true by default, but if you're arguing that it's false by default, you're the one who's not skeptical - skeptical of the old ideas you attach yourself to so non-empirically.

As a biologist, I can confirm this is a common tease we have with those of softer sciences and even softer subfields. For example, I am specialized microbial ecology. Most of my friends are also microbiologists but geneticists and molecular focused. We joke about how my specialation isn't a science in the same tone.\n\nI was very wrong to assume this form of joking extended to computer science, math, and psychology. I used to make this joke during scientific discussions with science friends for a long time. Then one say I was with a group of friends those 3 disciplines and a physics student and I made the joke to him and they explained they thought I was just being an ass before, not that I was being facetious. 

Pretty sure what he's talking about is what Edgar Fouche spouted off a decade ago. Not a credible source if you ask me. For one, he said these objects use a "magnetic field disruptor" that's supposed to reduce its weight by 89% although nothing in modern science supports this claim.\n\nHe also said that the craft is propelled by conventional rocket engines, which again makes no sense since that would make a LOT of noise, which is contrary to the claims in almost every triangular UFO sighting I've heard of.

If it illuminated the rest of him also then maybe I would kind of almost buy it.  But it's just the side of his back, and also it doesn't illuminate his face.   If there were something behind him for the flash to reflect off of then maybe, but as it I don't buy it.

Hey, I'm pretty sure the black guy on the first pic isn't photoshopped.. :)

The idea is that when you are cleared of all negative blockages (and I know this doesn't sound scientific), you won't be having any negative emotions within you. It is generally agreed in both religions and health sciences that anger is not good for you. I know what you are trying to mean that anger can be a positive emotion, as in it can propel you into action, etc? My view is that action motivated by anger doesn't necessarily lead to good consequences, and you don't need to have anger in order to take action. Also, some may say that it is better to be angry than depressed, and to some extent, I might agree, but nevertheless, peace and love is still better than anger. \n\nIf you really enjoy feeling angry, then EFT might not be a good tool for you. :) 

You know about Big Oil and Big Pharma, but have you ever peered inside the shadowy world of Big Dentistry?

She's actually an accounting major, this is just a required kines credit.\n\nI don't know why her book doesn't bring the hammer of justice down on the bullshit that is homeopathy and naturopathy; I was furious it was even mentioned without a cautionary notation in a textbook used by a first tier university.

I should have said "seems". And withholding information (which they do) is definitely a form of lying, so maybe that word isn't accurate. Part of what I was hinting at was the strange dynamics of a very advanced telepathic race. Very unlike ours. It really brings a whole new meaning to the concept of 'hive mind'.\n\nThey certainly aren't laying all their cards on the table. I have to wonder if we are even capable of comprehending their 'cards' and motives. Part of being human is to have a need to rush to conclusions even if we don't have all of the information. Many researchers do this. \n\nWhen any being does things to another being without their consent, the motives (good, bad, incomprehensible or neutral) get lost with that harsh realization. We demand control and consent, and it doesn't happen with these encounters. An obvious analogy is taking your dog to the vet. Do you say: "time to go to the doctor, boy", or do you say: "Hey buddy! Let's go for a ride!"? They don't treat us as equals intellectually because we aren't.\n\nThe problem that I have with Vallee's interpretation (as well as David Jacobs and others) is that he assumes that they are manipulating us for malevolent purposes when we honestly can't be sure what their motives are. He isn't as concerned with the 'why' as he is with the whole 'lack of consent' thing. \n\nI'm definitely not saying he is wrong, just that coming to that conclusion is premature. \n\nTL;DR: 'lying' is a complex word, and telepathy makes it even more complicated.

It's on my list, my very very long list of things to read.  Thanks

I'm very sorry for your loss. I can't imagine having to deal with this as well as a seemingly psychic dream.\n\nI had a very vivid dream of a friend after he passed away in a car wreck. It's not the same, but I remember having to decide to take comfort in the dream, instead of questioning or allowing it to add pain to the situation. Take care. 

Thanks for posting this! Hadn't seen it and found it really interesting.

No, it isn't. Even mental disorders deserve time and attention :/

If they know what the car looks like and have his plate, they can meet him at his house.  No need to chase him there.  If the car is stolen it's easy to identify, put out an apb.

Thank you! This is what I was looking for.\n\nRussel is on my reading list and I'll add Popper per your recommendation.\nIndeed, I am looking for some epistemological discussion. I posted it here because I want to see what different individuals with the "skeptic" leaning use as a validation for their understanding of reality.\n\nI'll think of posting something on r/philosophy as well.

Not to imply less significance to these important daily events, I'm sure.

Yes, I've gotten the "you've got a closed mind" spiel from people who believe untold heaps of bullshit. I lectured them on the difference between being open minded, closed minded, and being unable to sift through bullshit. The TL;DR is "Open minded means accepting something when the evidence supports it, even if you find it personally disagreeable."

&gt;I have a hard time believing that drunk idiots spend their nights producing all those figures\n\nWe didn't usually get drunk until the next day when all the anoraks came down to ooh and aah over the art we'd made. 

Anecdotally, I grew up in a town with naturally-occuring high fluoride level in the drinking water, and we still had enough smart kids for a gifted program at school.  This headline's just another attempt to frighten / manipulate.  

If ∞ = 0, as you seem to be saying, then wouldn't ∞ + 1 = 1? Your conclusion that "∞ is nothing" doesn't seem to make sense.

That's a great question! I'm not really sure. I don't think I've done it often enough or long enough to find out. For the purposes of the video I made sure that it wasn't me, but if I try it on my own I "help it along" if I can sense where I'm going. So it's usually not so difficult as it appears in the video.

WTF is a Jacobson Flange?  Google didn't find anything about it.

Thanks a lot adrianrain! I always love to hear that the little amateur dog and pony show I put on for fun is appreciated. :)

**Col Alexander** again gave testimony that is largely in line with his previous talks. He asked how many people saw him during this very Area 51 series, and few had (I got the DVD but haven't watched it yet). He made his common point that yes, some UFOs are physically real and intelligently controlled. He says they show up on essentially every observational channel the military employs, but that the government simply does not prioritize them as being relevant because 1) they have been concluded to offer no threat and 2) UFOs are a political clusterfuck that no one wants to deal with. \n\nHe said the most important thing is to get it to be acceptable for top scientists to openly publish on UFOs. The basic scientific questions haven't been answered in so many cases and it's far too soon to even know what the right questions are. He said the Rendlesham Forest case is about the best report on record, and reiterated his common point that Halt and many of the other witnesess were part of the military's Personel Reliability Program that involved ongoing psychological and drug testing due to their proximity in command to nuclear weapons. He said it's ridiculous to think that talking about UFOs is career enhancing for someone like Halt.\n\nI caught Alexander last during the reception. I said I thought his book was a particularly sane one, and that I was often baffled by how intensely people react against it. We chatted for a moment and he indicated I could email him further questions. I'd love to see an AmA from him, but I know he's a two-finger-typer. Again, I didn't ask "ET or No" because I know he would not answer that. [Just watch this video if you don't believe me](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2ctB3pUYFU). I got him to sign my copy of his book of course, and he asked how I wanted it. As he was signing I joked, "how about you sign it 'MJ-12?'" Unfortunately at that moment he was told the lecture was starting, so I have a slightly scribbled note. 

[these](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6a7WNUxexk&amp;feature=player_embedded) look the same...wtf?

The Hindu belief is that this is all a dream.  The Buddha had to come along to remind them that it doesn't matter if it's real or not, you should still be the best you you can be.  Besides, worrying about the plane of existance you're on  is only recommendable if it's not the one you remember being in.  Otherwise it's just a good way to get wrinkles.

I agree with Myers that they should wait to issue press releases until after they publish the primary research.  We wouldn't to jump to conclusions until after we actually read their research, would we?!\n\nUnfortunately, Myers does exactly this here.  What's worse is that he really doesn't seem to know much about brain anatomy.  While the amygdala is not exactly just the "fear center" of the brain, it is not just any old part of your brain.  It responds to adrenaline (not exactly fear) and is attached to the hormone center of the brain through the hypothalamus (involved in memory).  Too much adrenaline and your amygdala will force a memory to form that will be difficult to lose.  PTSD anyone?  Your amygdala did that to you (I guess the guy with the gun was also involved).  Joking aside, the amygdala does all sorts of things in response to adrenaline, including the inhibition of sexuality. [Amydgala Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala]\n\nMyers also takes issue with the lack of explanation offered for the observation that conservative minded people have larger amygdalas.  Is it cause? or effect?  At this point, who knows, but finding a correlation like this is significant in its own right.  Personally, I wonder if all of the fear based news that conservatives have been flooded with lately is not partially to blame.  \n\nWatch Fox News-&gt; secrete adrenaline when scared by Glenn Beck's fear mongering -&gt; activate the amygdala-&gt;form solid memory of said fear mongering\n\nI also would not be surprised if genetics were somehow involved.  Evidence is beginning to mount that genes can affect political tendencies. \n\nAre we returning to phrenology?  Doubtful.  I think we are entering a new age of neuroscience, a field that barely existed 15 years ago.\n\nTL;DR: Amygdala responds to adrenaline and helps form memories of evens that cause fear.

Was informing a friend about it, so I ended up making this. Would appreciate if someone with a big screen resolution could do it while still keeping the graph headers.\n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/Ni8Bt.jpg\n\nData from these two tables:\n\nhttp://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/bearreport/table2.asp\n\nhttp://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/bearreport/table4.asp\n

Give me a break, don't try to act like you are arguing with me in good faith after you've already read the Atlantic article and read the interview with the PR head who reiterated that their goal is to follow church doctrine and church doctrine is that gay people should die.  What the hell are you on about?  Go be spiteful somewhere else. 

Fly southwest airlines, no mother fucker is gonna try to hijack them and live. Bitch I gotta be to work on monday, you ain't getting me another job.

Most people were smokers, huh? That explains away half the cases. Case closed! And the other half, non-smokers? Sorry, its too late, I said case closed, so there must be nothing worth investigating there. \n\nSceptic logic: Explain one case and you've explained them all!

You can be an atheist and believe in the paranormal/unexplained. Things like EVP and UFOs are real occurrences. We just don't know what they are or don't fully understand them.

Not necessarily, it could be multiple elements at work. What I'm saying is that people are seeing something, there is something directly observable there. What it is we just don't know. But it's not Venus reflecting off swamp gas or what have you.

Something like this happened when I watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean in theaters. I swear when the pirates attack the town in the beginning of the movie, the well from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disney World can be seen with the animatronic guy getting dunked in it. At the time I remember thinking that was a pretty neat way to pay homage to the ride. But when I saw it again on dvd it wasn't in there or on tv.

This is All sleep paralysis. The brain sends signals to ur limbs to stop moving when ur asleep. This is to prevent u from hurting urself. Iv had the same experience where a shadowy figure was standing next to me. 

Have you ever really looked at some of the delicious animal products we eat, before they're cooked...?  Really?\n\nAnyway, your comment is exactly what I'm getting at with my original post - ironic for r/skeptic: "Things are how I say they are because they just are, alright".

FIY for anybody interested, they are exposed to *ethylene* gas, which causes them to ripen. Ethylene is one of the simplest hormones in the plant kingdom, and is the reason why if you put an apple in a bag with an unripe banana the banana will ripen(because the apple is releasing ethylene).

Right. Unless your the only programmer. Then it doesn't matter.  It would be a nice thing to have a maintainable codebase. Keep in mind though, OP stated that it would be rough to hand over the project in its state, meaning its not maintainable. He never planed for it to be handed over, but things change. So must he. Sucks to be the next guy in this case, but I happens. 

&gt;a very very very very very liberal college\n\nif it has that much of a reputation it would probably just be more effective to tell us where you went to college.

To be fair, most of Newton's writings were on [mysticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton's_religious_views).  His success in physics has not brought those views into greater repute.

You seem to have missed the purpose of my post. Is your anger a knee-jerk reaction to the word homeopathy? I was asking if anyone has information about what was in the tablets. I asked because I was surprised that the tablets seemed to work, but I made no effort to prove to you all that they do work. Now I've learned that homeopathy specifically means that the ingredients have been diluted to oblivion, so the question is probably meaningless. 

is the light in said room visible from anywhere? ie outside window

I'm guessing the guy is referring to some organometallic compound containing arsenic that the body finds easier to deal with, vs metallic arsenic. when I saw the headline I was guessing there was some difference between As(III)/As(V) toxicity, like there is with Cr(III)/Cr(VI).

Think you missed my point. The claim that grass feed beef is inherently safer is easily countered by merely a few days of grass feeding. It has nothing to do with the 99% of the rest of the life of the cattle.\n\nYour link is for all cases of E.Coli and not just for beef. And, if you looked further you'd see that E.Coli accounts for only 4% of the hospitalizations.\n\nFurther, unless grass feed beef is 100% free of E Coli, it's still going to have some potential for contamination due to processor error. 

The problem is that de Grey is not a total and complete quack.  He's a theoretical biologist like Raerth says, but he's a very bad theoretical biologist, prone to making lots of sloppy claims that are not supported by evidence.  His contribution to the field has been to raise lots of public awareness and funding, at which he certainly excels, but as far as the science itself, his work is sloppy and second-rate.  To read an excellent critique of his SENS proposal, check out Estep et al.'s criticism of him in the MIT Technology Review:\n\nhttp://www.technologyreview.com/sens/docs/estepetal.pdf

If you have  ghost story you can type it up and send it to my friend Lex at AnythingGhost.com or record it yourself and he'll play it on the show. No sound effects or music please, Lex will add those in later for you.\n\nI'm skeptical of all stories but enjoy them nonthless. With this show, one story in particular stood out. I don't remember that line from Sixth Sense; does anyone else? I kind of doubt that particular story; how can they remember their own experience if they can't remember a vital line from a movie correctly. 

President of America under a video filter? Check.  \nBullshit words: "The only thing that comes from the 'whole' or the 'zero' "? Check.  \nTense-Ambient music? Check  \n  \nI'm no scientist either but I can smell this bullshit a mile away.

He asked that I just try praying for a "sign" or "help" from god/jesus (whatever) to give me faith. \n\nSince there will *always* be some "sign"... Just reverse this and tell him that, instead, you asked for a "sign" that you were right NOT to believe in Christianity; then describe all the "signs" that you *will* see.  

The internet campaign is an attempt to get a sock puppet to get divorced.

Consider co-ops for indoor shopping; they usually have locally-grown food.  You can [check the directory](http://www.coopdirectory.org/directory.htm) to see if there is one in your area.

This is true, yet so many people who claim to have read the book must have skipped over the pharmacological heavy parts where he states it is only an hypothesis, and spread it as fact. I have actually read scientific papers where they mention human DMT yet cite no sources to back their claim. That is troubling!

Hypnagogic hallucinations.  I have had them.  They are terrifying but there are no aliens coming to take you away.\n\nI have also experienced many, many waking hallucinations that appear as real as anything that *is* real.  Combine the two and you....well, you get it.

Beth root is my go-to physical aid for banishment. Powerful feminine sex-energy and Saturn's propensity for setting boundaries work wonders for helping you clear a space of whatever you want to lock out. Mandragora would work the same way but it is very expensive. The truth is that you don't *need* any physical items for a successful banishing, the intent and will ought to be enough.

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for. As far as I can recall there were no glaring falsehoods in the film.

Why do you feel the odds of aliens visiting us is small?  Alot of people claim that we are just too far away from a another inhabited planet and that the energy and time it takes to travel here is just too much.  What do we know about interstellar travel?  100 years ago we were just learning how to fly and now we send craft to the mars.  Makes you wonder what another species, that could be thousands of years more advanced, could be able to do. 

This guy has circled the globe a dozen times, he doesn't have time to argue with every angry teenager that's never actually read any of his work.

Bob Larsen, star of the 1990s version of the satanic panic. look him up, hes the older fellow on stage with the ladies. he's been a spiritual huckster for decades. Anything he is into is utter bullshit.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Larson\n\nYoutube has an interesting and slightly painful/silly interview/conversation between him and Nick Schreck and Zeena Lavey (Anton LaVey's daughter) about satan, werewolves rock n roll and other spooooooooooky topics.

Not really a UFO is it? Also on r/science http://www.news-1st.com/bright-object-found-by-curiosity-on-mars-just-a-piece-of-the-rover/

This is exactly what I'm talking about.\n\nYour first argument is pretty much a personal attack.  I'm obviously an idiot if I don't agree with 98% of people without evidence.  Just take our word for it, we're smarter than you.  We live on a planet where the majority of people still believe that magical deities are actively interfering with our lives, sorry if 'well most people believe it' doesn't really seal the deal for me.\n\nAnd why does methane always get left out of the discussion, and other greenhouse gasses.  It always just seems to fall back on CO2, even to the point where it's now called "carbon" by most people.\n\nMaybe I"m arguing from both sides here.  Trying to ask them to dumb it down to prove their point, then complaining when they shorten a term and focus on one of many gasses.

Wait, this is a thing? How did this become a thing? Damn my ethics. Why can't I just have none, and make money on all this crazy crap?

It's certainly fair to criticise him on the basis of an Islamist state being able to use his speculation as propaganda, but if an Islamist state is using his words as propaganda to gain support for a nuclear first strike, wouldn't they no longer be speculation?\n\nFurther, I don't think his negative assumptions are wrong. *If* there were a fundamentalist Islamist regime with long-range nuclear weapons, the logic of mutually-assured destruction would probably have less sway over keeping them (and therefore the US) from striking first (given that the *fundamentalist* regime would fervently believe in martyrdom, etc.). I guess he just forgot to mention the fact that the diminished deterrent goes both ways.

Did you know that dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) can kill humans if inhaled?

What about Occam's razor? You think it has some kind of value here? That's funny.\n\n&gt;Just because certain explanations are possible doesn't, in any way, make them likely. \n\nI never said it was likely that aliens built the pyramids, I said one explanation wasn't more likely than the other.\n\n&gt; If you honestly think it's a 50/50 chance either way, you're lacking some basic common sense dude.\n\nOk, let's all have a good laugh. Demonstrate that one is more probable than the other without any knowledge of the variables involved. Blind intuition isn't valid.\n\nHey I know! Tell me the probability of picking a red marble in this giant bag of marbles I have right here. Just try that. Should be easy.\n\nIt's common sense, right? Should be very easy.\n\nQuick downvote him! He knows epistemology and we can't make any kind of rebuttal! Purposeful ignorants...\n

The general public loves conspiracy theories, ever watch the History Channel?

I was being overly conservative with my number. Thanks for providing a more accurate statistic. I stand corrected. 

&gt;How can I convince them it wasn't a ghost without accidentally implying they're insane or that they're first hand accounts are void.\n\nThe thing is, while their firsthand account may not be "void," it is *not* infallible. Just because you think you see something doesn't mean you did. Optical illusions are everywhere on the internet and are a great demonstration of this. What it boils down to is that not only your eyes, but your body and your mind can play tricks on you, and you should not immediately assume that everything you experience or perceive is rooted in fact.

This reminds me of a Dateline (or some other magazine show) I saw once, years ago. They took a real diamond ring and a cubic zirconium ring, and asked women outside of a mall to pick the real diamond. The results were about 50/50; about what you'd expect if the subjects chose completely at random.

Ugg... Reminds me of that "FoodMatters" documentary.  I had to turn it off the minute someone said cooked food = virii.

Which is what Prometheus was to me; soft sci-fi. It wanted to sound scientific without actually having science or flat out ignoring what the science had to say about its philosophical quandries and in many ways was outright hostile to science itself. It was Star Wars, or a movie version of Ancient Aliens, all fluff and no depth or meaning.

If you're having a nightmare, I'd advise against looking into a mirror in your dream world since things can get freaky whenever mirrors are involved. I do the clock test, which is when you look at a clock, quickly look away, and look back again. The clock hands will always be different both times in a dream.

Jesus.  Need more bullshit terms in the video title.\n\nPlease add MEGA and TURBO.\n\nPlease tell me how the hell that is an "ovni stargate mothership", or what the fuck that means.

Then conspiracy theorists will say the cleaned up image of the grassy knoll was altered to take out the shooter on the knoll.\nDoesn't matter HOW much evidence you might put up. The dedicated ones find a way to discredit it somehow.

I don't mean to poo poo your glitches, I want to believe but I have a hard time meshing these things into my beliefs. :/ What is one of the weirder ones?

There have *always* been mathematicians, astronomers, engineers, and supernatural beliefs. I maintain that you're underestimating what human beings in groups can accomplish when they are focused and inspired. These weren't premature humans. They were just like you and I.

Wait... Lack of controls (I.E., anti-monopolistic) means LESS corporate power?\n\nThis is exactly why I can't take the Libertarian platform seriously. 

The guy says the cia took the video and he never saw it again so yeah 

There is no need to be a douche when some one is just offering help.

I normally like Rebecca Watson, but after this hubbub.  Fuck Skepchick.\n\nEdit:\n\nJust to clarify my point.\n\nIf I were to get uncomfortable while being in an elevator with a black person, I would be labelled as racist.  So why is Rebecca the victim when she felt uncomfortable with the proposition of coffee? 

Discovered on May 26, 1974.  Reported in the media on April 12, 1974.

Uhm... that's not how "trying to convince people stuff is real" works.\nIts more like this: If you're gonna call something (like that) real, prove it.

["The brain's ability to function can start to deteriorate as early as 45..."](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16437785) So.\n

&gt; Thankfully, The Universe has a way of working itself out. \n\nEventual heat death in billions of year's time? \n\nEdit: get the quote right \n

I wish this was just BS, but unfortunately it's not. For a while, I thought I was going insane. It is a taboo subject, and you can't really talk to anyone about it or they look at you like you're crazy.

Giant redflag in the article is how it says, "They eschew the synthetic fertilizers and toxic sprays that are the mainstay of conventional farms."\nWhich seems to me to fall under the Naturalism Fallacy. Organic farms use non-synthetic pesticides and fertalizers which says nothing about their safety, toxicity level, or efficacy.\n\nNot to mention Organic Food is marked up so the margins are far greater for farmers. This seems to be circular reasoning Organic Produce makes more for farmers because they charge more for it, which makes more money for them.  I'm skeptical of the whole organic food movement because they charge more for a product that is more or less the same thing with a new word in front of it.\n\n\n

This is what I was thinking....I am *certainly* not a doctor, but when they said bacteria was eating his brain...I mean, how could that not cause at least some permanent damage?

Ok, now that we have the link....~~what is it specifically that tops the charts of disgusting?~~ see edit. Looks like an attempt to prove a case against the HPV vaccine.  They even cite some mainstream articles to support this argument.  This time we aren't going to get away with just pointing out that the AVN is the boogey man, we actually have to refute some of this stuff to get the job done.\n\nInstead of simply labeling it disgusting (which is essentially the same type of gut instinct that fuels anti-vaccine fears), go through it and point out what you have a problem with and state why or why not these points are absurd based on current knowledge. Surely we can have some fun going after it in this manner.\n\nI think the big one I want to see someone from the AVN give more detail about is this:\n&gt;But, how many young, healthy girls have been injured or crippled by Gardisil? Hundreds? Thousands. How about deaths following vaccination? Twenty? Forty? Sixty?\n\nIt is a rhetorical question designed to leave an emotional impact on the reader with no scientific support cited.\n\n**Edit:**  Ok, reading the comments I am starting to see why it's being labeled disgusting.  Lol.  Reading things like that with an analytical mind sometimes I fail to react to things emotionally the way other people would.  I would agree with you OP, comparing people who have cervical cancer to whores might not be the best way to go about arguing a point.

After the chronic pain I was experiencing for 2 months, yes. I was willing to try anything at that point.\n\nEspecially because it felt to me like I had a vertebrate that was "stuck" and pinching something in my neck. He somehow freed it up and the pain completely cleared up a day or so later after some initial soreness.

Thanks for the links; I actually just finished *The Demon Haunted World* this morning, and I'll be offering to loan it to my friend.

That makes a lot of sense.... if you can't beat them, pretend to join them. 

lol oops.. I guess I was too much into the whole skeptic mindset.

Hey, you said you had answers, you were all like - "PFFFF ANY MAGICIAN CAN DO IT". And I was like - "Oh yeah?". \n\nAnd now you are dodging the question.\n\nP.S Your explanation on the LED was completely bullshit. Battery in your shoe? You go replicate that and come back.

This one is obviously just a coincidence, but still creepy as hell. I would be pretty freaked out if this happened to me.

&gt; their children\n\nI object to the implication that parents own and rightfully have control over children. Children are people, and citizens. The government's overriding duty is supposed to be to protect its citizens, even where parents attempt to obstruct such.

"It's no different than praying"\n\nExactly. Both are equally bullshit.

If there are flashing lights on genuine UFOs then they want to be seen. \n\nThe general theory is that aliens have had a prohibition against confirmable physical contact until the collective consciousness of the planet is ready for it. "Ready" is indicated by how people react to UFOs - memory loss, or fear and terror = not ready. Remembering, fascination &amp; wonder = ready.\n\nAlong these lines there is tons of information being presented about UFOs that people can either accept or reject as they like. There is no intention to push or force anything upon anyone. \n\nThe end result would be that UFOs are a phenomenon of consciousness that will require a paradigm shift in our understandings of the nature of reality. Naturally any large scale change like this will be traumatic to groups that have vested interests with other ways of thinking. For that reason there is no forcing of change.

I read the titles, if I see a heading like "Star Destroyer caught on tape!" maybe I would check that out. Maybe not.\n\nAs stated in the original post I believe all the good stuff is confiscated by Government. (Edit: or could be passed off as CGI these days)\n\nIn any case, we know what we saw, and for my part don't need any further verification. \n\nI'm Just waiting for full disclosure, in the meantime, I do really enjoy some of the stories and documentaries posted to this subreddit

How can they legally use the word "teething" on something that is seriously dangerous for teething?  What the fuck, regulators?\n\n

They claim they proved something impossible but they didn't they just proved that people lie about their age on surveys. So what?

Incredible. Thanks for this link. I was having difficulty visualizing the four finger bit.

You know, I'd love to see an AMA from a nuclear engineer/physicist. Someone with a lot of experience in Nuclear Reactors and someone that can give a professional explanation of the chances and scale of "catastrophic failures" and the nuclear waste issue. 

Cool, this was my assumption, that it wasn't healthy, but wasn't as "omfgdoomsday" as some people had stated.

I agree, and there seem to be studies that support it, but then others that seem to discount it as residual of a CBT therapy that seems to go hand in hand with hypnotherapy.

But it IS an UFO. An Unidentified Flying Object. Is it really there? No, I think not. Looks like something on the lens. Or if it's an old real photograph, it could be a drop of emulsion that got there when the film was developed and someone tried to wipe it off, causing the 'tail' on the UFO.\n\nMaybe ask on abovetopsecret.com, there are some clever guys over there (and a lot of lunatics also)

Atheism and creative writing are not mutually exclusive. Lighten the fuck up. 

&gt;Holistic health is a concept in medical practice upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social should be taken into account and seen as a whole.  \n\n- wiki\n\nit is verifiable, scientifically proven fact that people recover from injury and disease quicker if they are given sunlight, spend time with loved ones, get to pet a dog or cat, breath fresh outdoors air, and otherwise are taken care of beyond just what is provided in modern hospitals.  there have been studies...  with statistically significant sample sizes, control groups, and double blinds.  therefore, "holistic medicine" is not quackery or woo, it is fact.  \n\nHOWEVER - this woman is NOT an actual practitioner of "holistic medicine," she's pushing "past life regression," and "emotional freedom techniques" and CALLING them "holistic."  she IS practicing quackery and woo.  \n\ndon't throw the baby out with the bath water. \n\nthank you, that is all. 

I think most skeptics think that life almost certainly exists elsewhere.  Odds are very good that it wasn't just found though.

That title screen was amazing. He should get an Oscar for that part.

Aren't places with famines usually near the equator and bathed in huge amounts of sunlight?  They must all be just fine then, right?

If by extraneous you mean a thorough destruction of a psychic then yes, it's extraneous.

I'm not convinced that it'll be earth shattering or life changing at all, to be honest.\n\nI believe that any such documents are at a ridiculously high level of classification, so much so that the sort of person who would pass info to Wikileaks will ever even know they exist let alone have access to them - that's if the documents even exist in the first place (it's likely that something as serious as that will not be written down for the upmost security reasons).\n\nDon't expect Full Disclosure from Wikileaks, especially not from diplomatic cables.

I know at least 5 people who tell me all the time that those stupid bracelets work. Bad thing is I work with them. 

I've been unable to find much of anything really explicit. I've found a lot of accusations of it taking on a religious character, but they mostly seem ridiculous and founded on misinformation or misunderstanding. The stuff I was referring to was more undercurrents than anything explicitly religious, like how Kurzweil turns his idea of "foglets" (among other things) into something akin to prophecy even though we have no good reason to believe such a thing is even possible at all, or how some anarcho-transhumanists use language like "freedom from the tyranny of genes". Sorry I couldn't find anything better for you.

Think price. There is a huge difference between my $1500 car and another $150,000 car.

As I understand it lactose tolerance only came about with the introduction of farming/domestication around 11,000 years ago and is therefore a relatively recent evolutionary change that hasn't spread across the whole population yet.

&gt; [a magnetic vortex was discovered in the area of the Gulf of Aden. Russia, the PR China and the USA joined efforts to study what it was but discovered that it defied logic and the laws of physics](http://i.min.us/idxkbO.jpg)

The pet peeve of scientologists is psychiatry, not so much psychology. \n\nTo be fair, Scientology's attitudes were formed in the 1950s, when you had lots of bodies accumulating in the graveyards of psychiatric hospitals, and you had people like the inventor of lobotomy merrily going around the country promoting their "cure"\n\nSee the PBS documentary on the Lobotomist, for example. \n\n* http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/lobotomist/\n\n* http://documentarystorm.com/the-lobotomist/\n\nor the film Titticut Follies (1967)\n\n* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titicut_Follies\n\n* http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=a97_1233076955\n\n**Psychology is not psychiatry, but the cross-association is killing you.** \n\nfor example:\n\n/r/troubledteens might disagree with you.\n\nYou really need to do something about folks like these\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/search?q=rotenberg\n\nand then there is this issue\n\nhttp://www.bostonmagazine.com/articles/2006/05/head-games/\n\n&gt;*Of the Massachusetts doctors who have lost their licenses for sexual misconduct with patients, almost half — 26 — were psychiatrists.*\n\nThe common stereotype is that the field attracts "a certain type of person"\n\nPhysician, heal thyself\n\n[EDIT: then there is [the whole Decline Effect thing](http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/12/13/101213fa_fact_lehrer) as well]

I disagree. Its not half-horrific, its fully horrific. The part about the monetary system has been debunked and isn't supported by any legitimate economists. The parts about building an untested resource based economy are also tripe. 

All good points, but we've been giving them several billion carrots a year, and lot what it's gotten us. Maybe it's time to bring out the stick. 

I'm sure the post was trying to reference [Dol](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolorimeter), but there is no real objective measure of pain. \nMostly a mixture of self-report and observation is used, including heart rate, sweating, clenching, swearing etc.\n\nCan't think of the source now, but apparently older men have, on average, the highest pain threshold... through experiments done during World War II. In terms of being able to take the most intense electrical shocks before saying "uncle" so to speak. I'll try to find any corroboration. 

She has gotten pretty tired of it, i wouldn't say its a signpost, of either good or bad things to come. Its just kind oh annoying, when you are trying to put away the groceries and someone had to do the same inn the cart next to you. It gets crowded

&gt;Jillette: Call of Duty is art\n\n&gt;No. No it is not. \n\nThat's something that's purely opinion based on what is otherwise an excellent skeptic's list.\n\nSomething else to note, in addition to what you already said about Switzerland: It also has one of the highest guns-per-capita rate in the world, and the government issues citizens fully-automatic rifles with which to serve their mandatory military terms. It's probably the worst example of successful gun control that she could have used of all European countries.

Apology accepted.\n&gt;I just happen to feel that my side is based on better evidence, is a coherent narrative, and makes fewer dubious assumptions.\n\nI feel that that "evidence" is skewed by disinformation, innuendo and lack of credibility (government and government funded entities).\n&gt;But again, you're going to disagree with that, and that's fine.\n\nYes. And that is fine. Thanks for the discussion.\n

Then they get lots of people claiming they did it wrong. They didn't use the right size of pyramid or didn't orient it to true north etc.  They haven't proven anything in the minds of the believers.   

That sounds... really possible then. Does anything you see sound like the triangles described by witnesses in these accounts? If not, what do they look like? Can you draw a back-of-the-napkin picture and upload it?

....in a controlled low-calorie diet. This study says nothing about HFCS vs. Sugar in uncontrolled normal diets where if you're not careful, HFCS is in *everything* and there's way too much of it.

I thought the idea here is to share sightings of things in the sky that CAN'T be easily explained ergo UFOs, not "let's make wild guesses about things in the sky we know nothing about". \n\nIt's about sharing interesting videos and although some discern adds to the discussion, throwing the stamp chinese lanterns on everything makes this discussion pretty dull don't you think?\n\nWhen I say UFO I am not saying aliens. If that is what you assumed then those are your presumptions and you need to address them within yourself. I am not looking for aliens, I am looking for things I can't explain too easily, marveling at the wonders of whatever there is on and around this planet we habit hopefully broadening my mind while doing so.

Richard Dolan and Leslie Kean have a hell of a lot of very solid documentation in their books. Bob Lazar is full of shit. IMO, of course.

Are you implying that libertarianism is the best possible government solution for mankind?

This post title sounds like it came straight out of a comic book.

At the end of the day I think it all boils down to who annoys you and who doesn't - I respect Nick Pope for example but cringe when he comes out with the stupidest statements - 'Greatest genuine UFO Video ever seen' ( then it turns out to be a student prank) or - 'One of the best UFO pictures ever taken ' (and we're all staring at a Seagull). Even the best of them sometimes sell their soul for the cash dangled by the tabloid media. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article637499.ece

What I've noticed as an Indian is that for many religious people in India, the supernatural world is a very real and accessible place. They might believe in a single God who manifests himself in multifarious ways, or in traditional polytheism, but they still believe strongly that it is possible to interact with this supernatural dimension. Many people even believe that since we are manifestations of the divine being, that we are also capable of somehow expressing divine powers in the real world. \n\nI think most of them realize that they themselves are incapable of doing anything of that nature, but they continue to believe in that sort of mysticism because they think that they haven't yet progressed to a higher level of spirituality where such things are possible. So, when they encounter priests and swamis who claim to be in direct communion with the supernatural and are well versed in typical 'spiritual talk', they are susceptible to believing their claims and become followers. \n\nWhy so many Westerners do so is something of a mystery to me. But, I guess there are also Christian denominations that have somewhat similar beliefs and practices. I've read that there are Pentecostals who believe that God can directly speak through them. \n\nThe best we can hope for, it seems, is for more Indians to develop the kind of religious practice that you see among very liberal Christians, where there is still a supernatural dimension with an all-powerful being but they aren't really concerned with interacting him with so much. Their focus is just on the other aspects of religion, in living according to the framework of ethics and guidelines it provides them. This is how a lot of educated and cosmopolitan Hindus approach religion. \n\nIt seems like too much of a leap to ask people to question whether they have valid reasons for believing in a supernatural dimension in the first place, at least in India. 

Ouija boards are horrible gimmicks, don't use them. Try setting up a EVP or cameras. Use profession equipment if you can. With today's technology's there is no reason to use Ouija boards. Also I agree with Jack_Shid You have a higher chance of winning the lottery then being attacked by the after life. (Though case have happened). As for getting it to leave well I don't know of any sure way to do that. I think though if they aren't causing you harm then there's no need for them to leave. 

its more the weird sort of arrogance which permeates blog posts like this, and the fact they have no real intelligence behind their reasoning, as if they are just rehashing what someone told them what to think about astrology. They seem not to be convinced by their own arguments against it. I dunno its just a uneasy feeling I get reading it. 

I don't want to go into any hypothetical motivations of something that might or might not be real. I was simply trying make you aware of your own inconsistencies. They basically have access to magic by our standards but still would need to weld and polish any metals?

Seems like your mind is made up.  I doubt someone with your attitude will ever be convinced of something so fantastic even if it is true.  I'm not sure if it is just arrogance or the stigma surrounding ufo's.

Eventually, when you see that your lashing out is done from withing some emotional wound you should see refuge within those things you fear. In this instance, for you it would be sincerity. That's what you mask with your cynicism. Good luck. ; )

The primary difference between "Anarcho Capitalists" (market anarchists) and "Minarchist Libertarians" is that the minarchists promote minimal government (i.e. 1%), whereas the anarchists promote no mandatory subjugation (i.e. 0%).\n\nWhile "new Libertarians" focus on rights, you'll find that the more informed ones tend to shy away from the concept of rights, and tend to focus more on the "[Non Aggression Principle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-aggression_principle)."\n\n* If we're to be technical, rights don't exist; what exists is a violation of rights.\n* Politicians have hijacked the word "rights" to mean other things, including entitlements.\n\nFor example, when someone says "I have a right to X" what are they really saying?\n\n* I should be able to pursue X without government/violent interference.\n* I should be entitled to free X, provided for through confiscation of other's property.

I agree and, to be clear, don't support prosecuting them at all. Nonetheless, and perhaps it is just me, but the headline left me with the impression that they were, to paraphrase, sitting in their offices the day after an earthquake they never predicted and were arrested for it.

[Jenny McCarthy](http://jennymccarthybodycount.com/Jenny_McCarthy_Body_Count/Home.html) has earned a few as well.

&gt;I think that if you answer it legitimately without any secondary influence it will yeild an accurate result.\n\nScience tells us that it doesn't. It actually can never give us accurate results, because the categories it uses to classify personality types aren't valid constructs. 

That PDF is great, have read about a quarter of it so far. Thank you.\n\n*Addendum*\n\nStarted off better than it ended... Newton's flaming laser sword is simply a tool that says "stick to testable claims".

Even with perfect magnets never wearing out, this thing would wind down eventually. Fucking magnets, how do they work, well, they can't do any mechanical work in a cycle, it's just a mathematical property of the way magnetism work

Divorce her, get her to admit that she's wrong, and then remarry.  That way, she'll get to always be right in arguments with her husband and you won't be married to a crackpot.\n\nWait... but divorces and marriages are expensive...\n\nWhat if you guys faked getting divorced, then you convinced her, and then got married.  That would at least save on the divorce lawyer.

No, it's just a really, really, shitty town. "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin." is an old saying around Boston.

I quit smoking thru Hypnosis. It worked like a FRIGGIN CHARM!\n\nAnybody who says it doesn't work is just close-minded. Granted, I started smoking again like 5years later, but I smoked right before the session and then afterwards didn't even want one for months. No nic fits, no nothing.\n\nPlacebo it may be, but it did work. All I was looking for was results.

Shouldn't you technically be asking for a solid *source* and *evidence* from Rasheemo that the examples he cited bear sufficient similarities to WTC 7, first?

Just say that regular exercise with probably do more than any supplement or vitamin.

&gt;However, it seems a bit far-fetched that **my strawman** can explain away an increase from 1 in 10,000 in 1980 to 1 in 88 today.\n\n\n\nHowever, it seems a bit far-fetched that **their strawman** can explain away an increase from 1 in 10,000 in 1980 to 1 in 88 today. **My strawman on the other hand sounds so much more likely!**\n\nscnr

I agree that we should not limit skeptical inquiry.\n\nBut I also know that there are 10s of millions people in the US who would be interested in skepticism but turned off if they felt that skepticism **required** atheism.\n\nLearning how to think critically/skeptically shouldn't require you to automatically sign-on to a list belief (or non-belief) statements before hand, it should (and must) be open to all. 

Verifiable, *unreliable* effects. And charging people for it is not nice.

**/r/skeptic** is its own worst enemy. OP and commentors assume the authority to *eyeball* whether sustained lift occurred with no information on how the airspeed changed over time.\n\nYou can accept the merit of the reporting or withhold judgment until future demonstrations. You can't make the call.

No no no, it's real! Here's several shots of it over the Golden Gate Bridge, Miami, and Tokyo:\n\nhttp://dave.zfx.com/nav.html\n\nOh wait...

It's my reply to your "They're not Hitler" comment.\n\n[Here](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/fe90l/peta_really_doesnt_want_to_leave_any_doubts_about/c1fai3n)

Whats funny is that many folks know that , purposefully sleep facing up toward the ceiling inorder to invoke sleep paralysis. 

So if I understand your argument correctly, Congress is so incredibly untrustworthy that they shouldn't be allowed to audit the Fed (let alone have any type of oversight of them). But they are trustworthy enough to allow them to regulate the employment and customer relation decisions of every employer in the country. \n\nWhich is it? Are they a benevolent group just looking to "protect" people or are they an untrustworthy bunch who are trying to exploit the system for their own gain?

That foul smell wasn't a sulfuric smell was it? If so that can be a sign of a demonic entity. Blessing the home will help or could make it worse. It's a hell of a problem. Just don't fear it, and make certain it knows it is your home now. Keep a positive vibe.

It may well be that your brother is simply not intelligent enough to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. At least he has lots of company. 

Well, I think there is a likelihood that the government doesn't know shit about what is going on. They may have some crashed technology or something, but I sincerely don't think they know intent or anything. If this is the case, then the argument of disclosure becomes something different. 

Well, both can be true though. It's not like religious people are know  for applying equal amounts of reason to everything. But i have heard similar statements made before, sooo...\n\nEdit: isn't it a thing where people believe that it's not gravity, but god's "hand" holding everything down?

I didn't know that the lights of a UFO can cross onto the ISS!! It's some kind of independent freak light that cuts through whatever the hell that thing is made of!! Seriously, I believe in a bunch of crazy shit, but this a fucking lens flare. 

Changed direction mid-descent, you say?  Innnneresting.  If it was a meteor, pieces may have broken/calved off and appeared to fly off in different directions as the object slowed in the lower atmosphere.  Still interesting flight behavior.

I'm sorry, but your second-to-last sentence puts you in a camp far removed from skepticism.

The things you are experiencing are actually pretty common. Yes, furniture and other items can indeed be haunted, and it's possible that the chair is what brought in the activity. Chances are, if there was anyone attached to the chair, they're likely going to be gone now that the chair is gone. You may already be aware of this, but John Zaffis has a basement "Museum" of haunted items he's collected from folks who were having experiences similar to yours.\n\nhttp://www.johnzaffisparanormalmuseum.com/#!__items/photocarousel0=0

I was standing outside in North Central Phoenix, no windows anywhere nearby.

The one where you rely completely on unlikely hypotheticals such as "unrevealed benefits?" If you believe that is a reason to pursue a line of inquiry with no reason to justify a claim even to he tested then a) you are ignorant about the process of science and b) I have an "unrevealed" bridge to sell you.

In cultural terms we also have a very detailed record of where the Noahtic myth comes from. The Ekidnu Epic &gt; several smaller translations &gt; The Epic Of Gilgamesh &gt; &gt; a few smaller translations &gt; Noahs Ark.\n\nYou can literally trace the stories development through different cultures in the area through time. (Of course believers will often try to argue these as "proof" of a flood, but at the same time it demolishes the specific claims of Noah.) abd of course there was a major flood in that region a long time ago.

I brought this up during that movie with the handsome guy from the Hangover. I would have waited until the movie was over but the derp was too itchy.

You are right, but people will call us nuts until they see it for themselves.

She knew and so did he. Nobody is so dumb that they'd hoestly think approaching somebody with such blunt sexual "invitations" would be an actual exorcism. It shouldn't even be in this thread. It's just a priest getting sued by the partner he did silly roleplaying with.

How to know if you're full of it: [When you get this reaction from Steve Doocy.](http://i.imgur.com/RSzYZ.png) 

Actually, I just downvote you and ignore.  You proved beyond a reasonable doubt that you're immune to logic months ago.

Right on.  Meanwhile, these religious scammers collect millions from the gullible ... not that I have a problem with people making a lot of money.  It's the scams and bullshit that ticks me off.

A Christian friend's sister, for some reason became worried about 2012 prophecies due to the two deadly earthquakes that happened recently.\n\nWas able to point her towards a Neil deGrasse Tyson video on 2012, and pointed out that she should be asking what evidence there is to support the idea that South Americans thousands of years ago could predict the end of the earth, and it'd have to be extraordinary evidence. So hopefully it'll get her thinking.

Looks like you were right after all. It was a jet. I tip my hat to you, sir. The 'flame' was just sunlight.

Some phones will dial a number when you say a contact's name, right? Maybe it heard you yell his name and it dialed it. But if you don't have the call in the log, that's very strange. 

But maybe the [nocebo effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo) can.

Better make your own suit out of old tires and various cutlery since frictional heating will be a bitch. Don't forget to pack a space suit, just in case.\n\nHappy TMing!

Do you or your parents still live in that house? Can you find out any information about the people that lived in the house before you? \n\nGreat story by the way

Hi jay! I listen to the podcasts and I have a direct contradiction to the way your team of skeptics deal with issues and the way circle jerking skeptics deal with issues. Too often a "skeptic" channel outright denies claims just so they feel more empowered. How can we save the skeptic community from these free boaters so that the skeptic community is not endangered from being looked upon quackpots themselves?

.... how do I seem ashamed of the beliefs that I openly share. Your delusions are getting stronger... Hurry go fuck the demons out of yourself.

I think you need to take your sarcasm detector in for a tune-up.

...along with Jesus' corpse, right?  /Another Roadside Attraction.

the post is from his BBC blog, which is an awesome read if you have a spare month. the series of posts entitled 'Kabul: City number One' is especially good, all insights about the history of western activity in Afghanistan.

It's basically a big panel with oodles of potentiometers and switches - I'd likely attach an auxillary box to the top edge and fill it with banana jacks patching to and between various switches and knobs on the device. Besides the addon, I think it'd look pretty much the same from the outside.\n\nAs for scale, it's about the size of thick briefcase.

You had a precognitive dream, which quite a lot of people experience in their lives.\n\nWith the use of the "probable future database" (a probabilistic database which can make projections into the future), you were given the opportunity to get a glimpse of the larger reality. A way to wake you up.\n\nIf any of what I have said makes you curious, my best advice to you is to go to Youtube, and search for "Tom Campbell" (he's a physicist and explorer of consciousness) or "twcjr44" and watch one of his lectures. It is a logical and scientific explanation (a model and theory) of the larger reality, it integrates physics, metaphysics and philosophy into one coherent framework of understanding reality. \n\nHave fun, I am happy to have been of assistance. 

I can definitely say that's happened to me. I'll repost my story from the original GITM thread:\n\nBack around 1998 or so, I'd watch the news every morning before going to high school. One day, they reported that Jeff Baxter of Steely Dan had died. I clearly remember them mentioning it before a commercial break, then doing a photo montage with "Hey Nineteen" playing in the background afterward.\n\nI went on for years assuming he had passed, until I randomly came across an article mentioning how he's now working in the defense industry. That was quite a WTF moment. I scoured the Internet for any mention of a false report of him dying--nothing. Granted, it wasn't what it is today, but someone should have mentioned it in a newsgroup or something. The news channels I watched were all DC affiliates, so a lot of people would have seen the story.\n\nIt's possible that I dreamed it, but before that day I had never heard of him--I knew of Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, but none of the secondary players. My best guess, based on that and many other experiences I've had, is that sometimes the universe just likes to fuck with us.

Compared to medicine which actively harms you, medicine which does absolutely nothing is an improvement.

Well, the WHO recommends no more than 1.5 grams per liter and the U.S. recently lowered the maximum limit to 4 grams per liter.  I'm not sure if the industries that produce fluoride waste really need your help in selling their leftovers to the water company.  

Yo, hyperbole-person, in her talk where she talked about the guy, she did not call him a potential rapist. She said he'd made her uncomfortable and that it wasn't really a great way to meet chicks at a conference. 

Another interpretation is that he didn't see the truck go across the junction because it was going so fast and he blinked/looked away for a second.

That makes him sound like he either thinks very little of you or too highly of himself. (or that he sees you as someone he needs to protect and finds your attempts cute). I tend to always assume worst case scenario though.

The thing that most bothers me about the Truthers?  The fact that they made it impossible to ask "did those in power know the attacks were coming and intentionally do nothing in order to forward their political goals" without getting lumped in with the "guided missiles and look -- squibs!" loons.

I do not think that visibility is a factor, because if you do take it as one, then you must ask yourself why there are less sightings in Australia for example or any other place with dry climate (Israel for example, there are absolutely no sightings there, exact 0, and those that were reported proven to be fake).\nIt still looks like urban myths and pop culture to me...

Why *would* cranberry juice be good for bladder infections? it's not like you piss cranberry juice when you drink it. Gets digested and filtered like everything else.

It's part of the FBI, two agents that work in the basement. One of them is skeptical, the other wants to believe. 

And if you are causing a ruckus at least do it to someone who actually has authority to handle the situation. I don't know how many times I had to deal with a customer who decided it was a good idea to blame the 16 year old cashier for a faulty product or a wrongly labeled product. \n\nAs a manager at Walgreens I once had a customer make one of my cashiers cry, on purpose and then taunted her. I removed him from the store and he received no refund from us. And I was reprimanded by Corporate. \n\nI also told a woman that she would no longer receive any service at a Blockbuster store I managed until she could speak to me like an adult and not a child.

That person is hiding with all the Nobel scientists who Michele says affirm creationism.\n\nThey'll turn up as soon as we put out the fire on Michele's pants.

That's why it's often a good idea to first ask someone what evidence it would take to convince them that they're wrong.

[FTFY](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=cupping)  :p     wasn't trying to be a dick actually I had forgotten about LMGTFY giving you the search code.  

facehammer probably just can't tell the difference between ron paul fanboys and libertarians because there are so damn many fan boys.

I think you're mom was right. Dreams are known to foresee tragedies.

Well I supose that's more likely to effect you than the date you happen to leave the uterus....

Everything can be hoaxed?  I am glad to hear see hear you say that.  \n

[I think](http://www.reddit.com/r/skepticgems/comments/l9vgm/orson_welles_on_cold_reading/) it just [encouraged](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/lac8z/orson_welles_on_cold_reading/) a repost.

BREAKING NEWS: Some lawyer made a bunch of retarded shit up about time travel without providing any meaningful proof. Film at 11.

nah I'm in southeastern.... the shithole of Ky lol, but out of all the nearest cities... Cincinnati is my favorite lol\n 

The 'cult of ridicule' obfuscation technique has been so effective that I've never really taken the MIB stories very seriously. Why would they even bother when witnesses are considered nutcases right from the getgo? That said, I'd prolly crap my pants if two guys that looked like that showed up on my doorstep. ; )

The American College of Pediatricians may be nominally secular, but it's hardly unbiased - it's a [politically conservative](http://www.acpeds.org/Core-Values-of-the-College.html) (and therefore, anti-gay) advocacy group.\n\nThe founder, Dr. Joseph Zanga, [has described](http://catholicexchange.com/2003/07/30/90378/) the group as being "with Judeo-Christian, traditional values that is open to pediatric medical professionals of all religions who hold true to the group's core beliefs: that life begins at conception; and that the traditional family unit, headed by an opposite-sex couple, poses far fewer risk factors in the adoption and raising of children."\n\nAs for the studies, well, the ACPeds doesn't have a peer-reviewed journal (and given their blatant and open ideological bias, any claims of peer-review would be rather suspect), the articles cite unreliable sources, and it looks rather suspect as to whether the citations to peer-reviewed sources support the claims being made.\n\nFrankly, this is the trappings of science, but it looks like garbage, and that's without even examining the particulars of the article in-depth. I guess I *could*, but I don't really see a point. It's political garbage.\n\nAs for the one other source - the link to statcan, well, I don't know where they copied their link from, but it 404s, so I'm guessing they didn't check the source themselves. I have a sneaking suspicion it doesn't say what they claim, or at least, does not in context. But I don't see a point to hunting down their source for them.\n\nAlthough I'm not certain it matters, as domestic abuse often goes unreported, so a disparity could arise from a greater willingness to report abuse, rather than an actual difference in abuse.

James Earl Jones should be ashamed of himself for letting this shit get on his station. 

Haven't checked the link, but I wouldn't be surprised. It would probably make you feel relaxed, so less stress would mean reduced blood pressure. But I wouldn't expect it to be any better placebo/sham-treatment.

I read\n\n&gt; The formation of such organization or group-like structures [...] Stop it\n\nas suggesting that a skeptic subreddit is a bad idea/counterproductive, etc.. and that closing it would improve skepticism.\n\nIt doesn't really matter whether you really meant that or not, since if anyone *does* say that in future I can point them here and if r/skeptic can't be justified as a useful/worthwhile organization it *should* be shutdown (or least, I'd leave).

Told my dad your story, he loved it. And it reminded him of this [song.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTsE9Pb6apM)

Same here. It seems LOTR did for New Zealand what Top Gun did for the Air Force.

When I first saw this post I read "psychics" as "physics" and was concerned.

I wouldn't care who is facing what direction -- I would be facing the numbers so I can see where I am at and how long until I am off the fucking thing. I hate elevators.

It still seems serendipitous, I'd take it that way anyhow; it reeks of spirit guide BTW.

I thought that meant pawn stars, american pickers, and american restoration.

well, even when you DO go through the accepted search channels, you must still consider the source. Most people are skeptical of researchers with "Maharishi University of Management" after their name, but would you expect world famous researchers with a proven track record in other fields to be biased when they start researching and writing about meditation?\n\nBeing able to see where (what venues) people publish in their "off hours" gives one a feel for biases as well, and you'll never see that merely by looking through pubmed and friends.

Would those figures not be more relevant as percentages of people who got the vaccine and died from it vs the percentage of people who didn't get the vaccine and died of hpv caused cancer. 

I see what you are pointing out with that AMA, but something that should be considered is that by the time most children reach the age that they are having sex, the keratin has built up enough that there is a loss of sensation. These men that have it done in adulthood may experience either little or no change. However, I would think that over the next several years there will be a change, one that may be too gradual for the person themselves to notice. \n\nI think we will just have to agree to disagree, because I do not believe that circumcision is like a vaccination. If it the foreskin has no issues, and phimosis is not a concern, there is no reason to remove it. With proper education, STDs and HIV won't be a concern, seeing as we live in a country with freely available, and oftentimes also free, prophylactics. \n\nOne of the arguments for circumcision is that is prevents penile cancer and HIV and urinary tract infections. In my mind, that is akin to pulling all adult teeth to simply prevent cavities. There are treatments for those things, and removing the foreskin to prevent something that has a statistically low occurrence (penile cancer) is silly. You mention that men who have no foreskin won't know the difference. There are movements now for men who want to get the benefits of a foreskin. There are ways to stretch residual foreskin that can stretch all the way back to a full foreskin, or artificial sheaths that will restore sensitivity. \n\nTo me, it all comes down to the ability to consent. I will say that I agree that there is little actual risk in the procedure. One disagreement that I have is no anesthesia. They argue that it's a baby, and won't remember, but I still think that it is painful and no one deserves surgery without something, anything to make it better. I also understand that it's dangerous to put babies under, but that, to me, says that it at least shouldn't be done to newborns. I feel that it should also be noted that I don't believe in piercing babies ears, either. That is a choice they should also make for themselves. 

wow dude. don't ever believe a magician, why would he tell you the truth? the residual heat? c'mon.\n\nyou have the book trick down though, well done.\n\nand as for driving, again, ridiculous. Knowing a closed course can probably be done, but probably not worth a risk with two human lives in the car. But he was driving with live traffic and at least once turned into oncoming traffic. It is MUCH more likely he could see perfectly fine.\n\nThat is what magicians do. They will pretend like you have the upper hand and vaguely guess at things so you think they are generating power, when the entire time they have it locked from jump street.

&gt; Why can't it just be someone standing back there, as well?\n\nThat would make just too much common sense.\n\n&gt; Though the creepy nature (peeking out in darkness, almost totally hidden) does suggest a more intentional placement.\n\nThis phenomenon isn't just relegated to old grainy photos.\n\nhttps://encrypted.google.com/search?q=%22when+you+see+it%22&amp;hl=en&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;hs=QMy&amp;rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&amp;prmd=ivns&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;ei=TcQkTrGNMMPisQKt_ejnCw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=mode_link&amp;ct=mode&amp;cd=2&amp;ved=0CBQQ_AUoAQ&amp;biw=1680&amp;bih=840\n\nWhy intentional placement vs. someone walking by who just doesn't give a F.\n\n\n&gt; I don't really see the whole in his ear though.\n\nI agree.\n\n&gt; Isn't that just a result of both elements being in shadow and increased in brightness equally?\n\nThat makes sense.\n\n&gt; I mean, that whole in his ear seems like the perpetrator would have to purposefully cut out that portion and why would he do that?\n\nI agree.  It's an old grainy photo that has been highly penalized.  Possibilities are:\n\n* Shitty old photographs/film &amp;/or developing.\n\n* Cigar behind the ear.\n\n* Fountain pen behind the ear.\n\n* Smudge, mark, crease, fold, repaired crease or fold (ala black marker) on old photograph.\n\nLooking at the original photo, I would place my bet on it just being a shadow.  Look at the left sides of the faces of the other two men.\n\nhttps://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/268492_568695782528_59700013_32086531_7813044_n.jpg

Is the dog fixed?! One problem is that if it's not, it'll go into heat once every 6 month and just act crazy... Barking, being mean, etc. \n\nHave YOU , our roommate, or your girlfriend experienced feelings of dread, sorrow, or reluctant in leaving a room?!\n \nHave to tried to narrow it down to one room or others?! Have you looked up the history of the place?!\n\nLet me know and PM me and I can try and i will research what I can\n

Terrible fake. You're not seeing them slide around during zooms etc? 

haha seriously?  It's 100% fake.\n\nwatch how the orbs disappear behind the trees.  then when they are behind the yellow light of the lamp posts.  jesus people, can't you tell cg when you see it??

So would you see absolutely no problem with "comprehensive research" on whether or not NASA faked the moon landings by a group not affiliated with NASA? You're not questioning anything, you're just giving legitimacy to a point not base in science or physics, wasting millions of dollars, and fueling misguided fear of radiation.

I mean that as a reply to the other Guy. Meaning you owned him and some pretty amazing counter points . Great comments!

your inner child died a long time ago didn't it. I'm sorry for your loss.  (edit:spelling, fuck grammar) 

Funny you should mention that because the only thing I completely discard as evidence IS flying objects.

Did you take a picture of something bright just before you took this pic?

Your question doesn't make much scientific sense. Nobel Prizes are not an objective indication of intelligence. They're an award given by a committee voting on what they thought was the best and most influential research or work over a given time span. You could win one because you just so stumbled upon a new chemical or because you spent decades working on bringing one idea to fruition.

Indeed.  For the poor chemist, cheap seltzer water (sometimes called tonic water, with the sole ingredient listed as "carbonated water") is probably valid.  No guarantee on molarity, though the pressurization probably allows for a "saturated" solution once allowed to go flat.

Here's the [ESP powerpoint](http://users.tpg.com.au/adamvanl/MSSS/ESP.pptx). Here's the [Armageddon powerpoint](http://users.tpg.com.au/adamvanl/MSSS/Armageddon.pptx). 

To clarify, I thought it was more interesting than anything. Though not scientifically validated, it's still a compelling and thought-provoking article, don't you think?

Dr Pepper Snapple Group (spun off of Cadbury Schweppes) owns A&amp;W Root Beer, which licenses it to Yum! Brands (spun off of PepsiCo) for the restaurant. \n    \ntl:dr; I have no idea.

What's the best way to get chicken blood stains out of clothing?

I actually saw a video a while ago, it was on the travel channel during halloween.  I've been looking for it ever since but no luck! If someone finds it I'll love you forever

OK, look at this way - which is the more likely outcome of cross-posting this to /r/christianity? Will it be effective in addressing the problems that you refer to, or will it be seen as antagonistic?\n

His first question to me was: "Why doesn't everyone know that this stuff happens?" which I found very ironic.

It's a lot like someone saying there's a wand that makes anyone into the most powerful wizard in front of a group of people who know nothing about wands.

Ask them to DEFINE a basic miracle, you know empirically. Something all miracles have in common, other than stupid observers. and of course how does that PROVE a god's existence as opposed to some 'superior in some way (like a illusionist)' (not supreme) being with understanding and command of knowledge that is far beyond the pathetic perceptions of the gullable?

hahaha dude thats a tough one. I'll give you my take but you're not gonna believe me.\n\nI've heard reports of these, but never on the ground. I've speculated that they are astral projections of human beings, inter-dimensional beings, or extra terrestrial. In any event it seems that you could possibly be witnessing a slow one that cannot escape gravity, quite frankly, because it is retarded or something. Who knows? Just a thought, I guess.

The black dots surrounding the white dot?\n\nLooks like dragonflys to me!  :p

I love cryptozoology. But I think there are animals in this group that might not be so paranormal. Just because it's unknown it's not necessarily paranormal.

are you me from a parallel universe where i'm not just benny but DISCOBENNY

maybe it was you in the universe where you did pull the trigger.

In the first photo it looks like Godzilla on the distant horizon

&gt;4. Nonorganic Potatoes\n\n&gt;The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board\n\nGee, I wonder if he's biased.\n\nAlso, argument from authority.

&gt;No your scenario is not sexual objectification.\n\nSo, if we make no assumptions and take people at face value, then he didn't objectify her.\n\n&gt;But propositioning a woman you have never met in a confined space is a silly thing to do, and many would feel that the man in this situation was being misogynist. Of course he is going to make her feel uncomfortable, that he does it anyways means he simply doesn't care.\n\nAssuming he was propositioning her, how would he know her reaction? He may not have considered it a potentially threatening situation. He also may have had non-sexual intentions. It's not immediately obvious that it may be threatening, even if it might seem a little creepy. I think suggesting he doesn't care is a bit silly, since it wasn't obviously a sexual remark, and he didn't continue but just stood in silence.

Mostly, the astronomical distances involved and the energy required to traverse them.\n\nLet's say the civilization is indeed 1 million years ahead of us. Let's also suppose, because at this point physics tell us this is true, that they are restricted to sublight travel. That means these extraterrestrial craft would still be a long, long way from arriving. That's based on the fact that we have not found planets with life as we know it. I'm, of course, not accounting for exotic (and unproven) "helpers" like wormholes. \n\nI find it far more likely that we're seeing misidentified terrestrial craft, weather phenomena, products of imagination and top-secret military craft. \n\nThey might be on their way here. But I think it unlikely that they've gotten here - and certainly not in the number New Age types fervently want to believe. I recommend you check out Michael White's Weird Science. It's a great book, and it has some very enlightened speculation on ufology.

Wow thank you everyone for some really intelligent comments! This has helped allot just to understand what is going on and what I can do to handle it better... The things I and other workers have noticed are: one day myself and the 2 kids who were with me at the time were sitting at the table and herd a massive bang bang in another room and we walked in to see the washing machine lid up again even though washing had only just finished and no one was near it.. Also a very recent one for me is we have an ensuite where the support workers sleep and I was awoken the other night by a sound than I herd small footsteps on Lino you know the sticking sound barefeet does on Lino? Than two loud jumps I got up and it stoped..I will copy past a message one of the other workers sent me which is really scary can't ATM will in about 1hr 30 mins. Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply means allot

ok relax with the alien connection. This kind of technology was screwed around with by Tesla, we all know this technology and greater is available, but society and planned obsolescence needs to catch up. Me thinks after this maybe american revolution happens well see much more interesting tech appear out of the woodwork.

Well said. When I first discovered "Bullshit!" I sat through the first season and just agreed with everything they said, that was before really being able to think critically for myself. And indeed, they really seem to view the world through their own filter. No self criticism at all.

I do believe this is trolling. [](/beh "RAGE FACES IN EVERY SUBREDDIT")

Facebook = Making money with others people life tidbits...\n\nWait a minute... i think ´ve seen this before !

I noticed that, too: "Winston Wu is founder of SCEPCOP, The Scientific Committee to Evaluate PseudoSkeptical Criticism of the Paranormal."\n\nSmells like a troll.

Well it appears they were initially extracted for virus testing, then the copy of the copy of the copy (etc for 40 years) is now used to test for taste reactions (among others), which is even farther distanced away... use it if ya got it sort of thing. They sure aren't feeding poor unsuspecting humans their own children as these religious groups like telling their blind followers.

Sad to think that you passed out and woke up without anybody at least trying to help you 

Please don't take this as a flippant, obnoxious question, but why do you guys still have royals at all? I'm from across the pond and, though I've only known a few dozen in my life, no English citizen I've ever met has cared one bit about the Queen or her progeny. Apparently, they're still a big deal to many English folk, but is it just historic nostalgia? Are they important to the structure of government in some way that I'm not aware? Would it be bad if there were never a King again? Is the Throne a benign source of authority at this point, or could a king significantly change public policy?\n\nSorry for my naiveté.

lol, "place to cook"... those are shittin' holes if I've ever seen em.

Yes!  That's the other difference that I was having trouble articulating while falling asleep at my desk.  Part of the "smoothness" of Pepsi that makes it taste more like sugar water (not in a bad way) is that it has less carbonation.  Coke is more carbonated and has more bite to it.

My personal experience as well is that I'm almost always sick for more or less the exact same stretch of time regardless of what pills I take, so beyond taking something to take the edge off of particularly bad symptoms I don't do much.\n\nMy mother, on the other hand, will invariably show up with echinacea and a hundred little rules of things I *should* and should *not* do while sick, and out of politeness I will nod and thank her before going back to my usual flu regime of TV and staring at the ceiling.

Eh, I disagree about PZ.\n\nI think he makes things worse. While I agree that misogyny is awful and shouldn't be ignored or accepted, I think PZ often ends up going after the people instead of the arguments, and it causes silly splits in the community as people become emotional and more and more polarized.

To me they appear like tractors pulling the 'thing' along. You can almost see the shadows of the tethers. Also if they are turrets, the bottom one has a single one, the next 2, etc and the top one 4??

so much nonsense deserves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAOxY_nHdew

There are many reasons that it could be filed away as bullshit, but I don't see one in your statement.\n\nImplicit in being alive is ancestry with a drive to reproduce. Do you believe that a drive to avoid pain is stronger?\n\nMany people *would* choose death over some types of pain, such as that from severe burns. Many people would choose to sacrifice themselves if it saved their child. I think we can establish that some types of pain can be balanced with death itself, and we can establish that the reproductive drive can be balanced with death itself, too.  Do you want to conjecture over how much pain someone would voluntarily accept to save a child, or even to have a child? I imagine that passing a kidney stone would be within the realm of acceptable pain for a large number of people.\n\nNow, to clarify your statement, could you please explain the benefit of (even painlessly) having a kidney stone and passing it?

&gt;Moreover, if he was able to view the image, was it not technically already downloaded to his computer?\n\nIf it was a webpage then yes. But he used a remote desktop application, so the image itself was encapsulated within that applications datastream. It wasn't transmitted as a jpeg or whatever, it wasn't transmitted as a single file. It was part of a stream of data and so it was not easily (if at all) possible to separate one from the other and extract just the image.\n\nHe could have pressed printscreen to capture his entire monitor to his clipboard, and then paste that into an image application and create an image file. But before that point there was no image file.

And yet [still represent only 17.4% of congressmen/women](http://congress.org/congressorg/directory/demographics.tt?catid=all), speaking only about the legislative branch and not mentioning similar biases in the other branches of government. This is similar to the situation in most Western countries, and the causes are of course much more complex than "oppression of women" (and anyone claiming that *is* a viable cause clearly hasn't been paying attention to this conversation). Nonetheless, the fact remains that while female interests are better represented than ever before, political institutions still offer greater access (for many interrelated reasons!) to men.

I have very long, thick and curly hair and I have found that many shampoos have a negative effect on my hair. If I use shampoo it will generally feel greasy, frizz more and I get dandruff. Now I only shampoo my hair on occasion and with higher quality stuff and my hair looks and feels much better. Maybe that cheap shampoo works for some people but it does not for me.

I can definitely see where some of them come from. I'm not sure if it's from limited education in the topic, but it is hard to grasp a physical reason for the process of synthesizing ideas. I personally think there probably is, but it'd be kind of difficult to argue either way before we even have neuron paths worked out.

I always say "I'm a Capricorn, but I'm not really superstitious.  Capricorns rarely are."

&gt; I believe I am misunderstood here\n\nFar from it. **You** were the one doing the misunderstanding, not us. You chose to attack others on the basis of a position that you had apparently done nothing at all to research (and I use "research" in the widest possible sense here, including things like "referring to a dictionary"). 

I agree, it seemed to me he used an event that the earth encounter regularly as a mode to push his own ideologies and beliefs, pretty much like most people who want everyone else to believe the same things as they do.

Why the heck is the audience ooohhhinng and awwwiiing when Randi is just simply brushing powder on that guy's chest?!?

If that's what you need to believe...why not just go find it and see for yourself? OH yeah that's right. The physical evidence you have provided us dictates that you are more interested in challenging other people instead of challenging yourself. How convenient for you! Is it really that hard for you to shut up for 5 minutes and listen instead of talk? Every time you answer you are shutting yourself off from a wealth of knowledge that people who control you don't want you to know, therefore feeding right in to what they want from you. How convenient for them.

Oh, of course. Also, spay and neuter.  I should have been more specific by saying "influence policy regarding animal well-being."

Thanks for posting this, it's an awesome story. My only questions are pretty tangential and motivated by the fact I am a physicist, but what do you are you most interested in studying in physics, and what textbooks are you reading at the moment? :P\n\nHope you have a lot of success in whatever you pursue in the future and lead a wonderful, woo-free life!

[John Edward](https://www.johnedward.net/) hit superstar status with *Crossing Over*, which was a kind of cold reading talk show on Sci-Fi (fittingly enough). He still has a show on W*e* TV, called *John Edward Cross Country*. He had an episode of South Park made about him (featuring a great example of cold reading by one of the boys... I think Stan), he's mentioned by name in Tim Minchin's "Storm," and is most likely the most famous cold-reader in the world.\n\n[Sylvia Browne](http://www.sylviabrowne.com/) is just as bad, and just as famous. She's been on the Montel Williams show on numerous occasions, and has had running feud with Randi since 2001 when she accepted his supernatural challenge.\n\nShe's yet to submit her "abilities" to a scientific test.\n\nI find it amazing that you're so familiar with Randi, but you've never heard of Sylvia Browne, when they're such famous rivals.

the matrix multi-smith fight was anything but realistic in fighting or premise. sometimes they fly sideways (ie without ballistic trajectory). In one point of the fight a smith is flung 24 feet high and 30 away, colliding with a nearby building and then returning to fight. He kicks a guy so hard it turns into a double flip 30ft of horizontal travel. he kicks a guy on the ground causing him to slide 15 ft without moving backward more than 4 inches. There is some serious troll physics in that scene.

I'm unsure about her claims about vaccination but she seems to have some at least interesting advice on cfs.

&gt; Are you pointing to atheist/agnostic &gt; nothing in particular?\n\nNope, the poll appears to show that Atheists outperform evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics. Catholics tend not be be bible readers (in general) and just go with the party line, but often the evangelicals are into bible studies in a big way. It would appear the Atheists are the most knowledgeable ... this might just be a correlation and not a causation, so while not conclusive, is still interesting.\n\nI do also suspect you are correct regarding the length being sufficent to inhibit rationality (cherry pick the nice bits etc...), but I also ponder the thought that the flow of information given has a specific bias and is not diverse. Give open honest folks more information, alternative sources, textual criticism, and you might begin to see some rational thinking taking place. Some do indeed manage to break free and begin to think for themselves. Some good examples include the TV programs done in the UK by Dawkins that presents new information, normally not available to believers because their sub-culture tends to filter it out. I've seen some begin the process of starting to question previously held assumptions as a result.

I'd love to punch him. He's as morally bankrupt as any televangelist out there. 

I don't know of any studies which suggest *not* eating breakfast is healthy. You could look at the reasons given by those who claim that breakfast is a necessary part of a healthy diet, however. ("Kickstarting the metabolism", "energy for the day", etc. *Edit:* these are all vague and unscientific concepts, usually asserted without backing evidence.)\n\nThe studies also fail to recognise that people who care about what they eat will tend to eat more regularly, and thus those who don't are more likely to skip breakfast. This doesn't mean that people who eat all the right things at random times during the day are not healthy.

Why should we ever encourage circlejerk?\n\nIt just increases the Us/Them mentality, which I believe plays a major role in the problems of the world.

There are too many problems with accepting the stories from people who have NDEs.\n\nFirstly, we can actually replicate NDEs, putting people in machines and spinning them around with high g-forces. Often enough people report having them. Which to me points to the brain malfunctioning when it's put in a stressful situation, such as high gravity, oxygen deprivation, etc.\n\nThat NDEs happen is not in dispute. What is in dispute is that they're evidence that consciousness continues on after brain death. I don't see how you're going to get evidence for such things.\n\nPrescott's findings haven't convinced the scientific community. Of course you probably think it's because we're all "fundamaterialists", an amusing title to lob at those who are unconvinced that psychicalism has been falsified.

Physicists and engineers learn the same rules of physics and use all the same equations, just in two different ways. So, yeah. A physicist would be as qualified as an engineer when it comes to this argument.

It's nice to know that they'll report something even when it goes very much against what their demographic wants to hear. NPR has integrity.

Not really. There are references to a Jesus, a common name, but outside the bible we only have a few accounts, none of which conclusively tie the Jesus of the Bible with the Jesus referenced. No outside reference of Jesus mention him doing anything divine or miraculous.

A lot of the stuff on the front page made a lot of sense to me.  Change your life by understanding what's going on in your brain... sure.  I wasn't familiar with SPECT, but it seemed reasonable...  Until I saw the supplements the guy was selling.  \n\n

&gt; It's just NOT OK to hop in an elevator with someone you've never spoken to and give them an extremely lightly veiled proposition for sex.  If he had asked her out for the next day, or to stay for a drink in the lobby or something it would be different, but I think every adult knows what it means when you invite someone back to your hotel room. HINT: It's not coffee.\n\nGood grief.  You sound like a puritan.  Lots and lots of people have one night stands because they want to, and that's ok.  Asking someone to go home with you at the end of a night, in private, is how it's optimally done.  His approach was awkward, but it wasn't some nefarious plot.  She said no, he said goodbye; no harm, no foul.  

If they've been watching us for so long, then they would surely understand that they are scaring the hell out of us.

Actually, I think s/he was implying that *you* were the sexist jerk, because obviously only sexist jerks recognize that some gender claims are mythical and some feminist talking points are fallacious. Obviously.

My stepfather's a dentist. Please, please use real toothpaste. For your own sake. Just... trust me. Please use real toothpaste, it will save you headaches in the long run.

Time of year and various other cycles affect the frequency and ability of impact of these things.  This particular fall is much more turbulent in this regard.  

It is.  But lies are still lies.  If someone has a valid point, they shouldn't have to lie.

How exactly do you see free riders being a problem in a libertarian society when nobody is compelled to provide services to them? I can come up with a few esoteric examples but nothing that approaches what you would find in a redistributive economy.

Just one note.  Smallpox is not making a comeback.  Smallpox has been eradicated since 1980, due to a vigorous worldwide vaccination program.  Nobody really gets vaccinated for it, since your only way to get it is my doing a bad job of handling one of the few vials of it that are stored in a couple of labs.  \n\nThe others are making a comeback, though, and a part of that is attributable to the unvaccinated.  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\nBeing older, you're less likely to come in contact with someone with one of those diseases than if you were younger, but if you do, it's pretty likely you'll be quite sick.

I don't know if thats what it was, but that sounds exactly like what I saw.

Why, to inject you with those *chemicals* of course! I've read all about them in the paper.

There is a difference between thinking something is most likely true (you are lemonpjb) and asserting that something is categorically True no matter what evidence is presented (Christ is risen). \n\nThere is also a distinction to be made between fantastic and not-so-fantastic claims. For instance, if you claim that you had a ham sandwich for lunch today I'm going to believe you. I won't believe you because I have empirical evidence (all I have is your anecdote) but because your claim is so mundane and fits so well into my model of reality that a simple anecdote will suffice. There also isn't any stake in the validity of the claim so there isn't much sense in spending time on an empirical analysis.\n\nIf, on the other hand, you claimed to know the mind of God and wanted to enact legislation based on that knowledge I'm going to ask for a lot more substance than your anecdote. The stakes are high and the claim is in contravention with my model of reality.\n\nTheists are bad skeptics. Yes skepticism is a continuum and theists are on the ass end of it.  

To many woosters and quacks, "vibration" is a magic word that can mean whatever you like. Everything can be claimed to vibrate (or not, which would then make it a Bad Thing^TM ) and it can mean any spiritual or scientific \\*cough\\* thing you want it to.

This is a tangential thought, and not intended as a troll -\n\nThere is a paradox to me that we are mad about modern woo yet we are so keen to protect and preserve ancient woo

Technically, that's not a Catch-22 situation. It's simply unfortunate.

I don't see what the problem with that is. It is fun to have subreddits like this, and if it wasn't /r/nosleep it would be another subreddit someone gets mad about because of those rules.

If I claim that my religion requires my child to attack any other children his age to demonstrate his superiority, can they refuse to take care of my kid?

I'm pretty good with this stuff... You can test me if you'd like.

LOL. Is your kind of NLP something that turns pseudo code into actual code?

well, I don't understand what he means by planted here.  Did they plant all the other animals on the Earth?  Or are we just lucky enough to have similar biology?

Weird, it tasted not so different from sugar to me, but I've heard that some people respond to the flavor differently. I'm eating low-carb, so it's very useful during those times when I'd really prefer to just inhale a quart of ice cream. 

&gt;Making suggestions of alternate therapies isn't unethical.\n\nUsing your position as a healthcare professional to give the appearance of legitimacy to 'treatments' that have no peer reviewed scientific studies to support their effectiveness is absolutely unethical.

I never said you faked it, I was implying that its too god damn indistinguishable, it could literally be anything that involves small lights or light sources\n\nedit: it was also a joke on how a lot of other UFO pictures are always of really bad quality 

I know it's a long thread, so I don't expect you to read through the whole thing, but this sentiment has been addressed several times. No one of any integrity has ever suggested that we "know all the physics of the universe." Nobody is saying that anywhere at all.

I've always been skeptical of the whole "processed foods are bad" mentality. I accept that *certain* processes can diminish the value of food, like boiling might leach out nutrients, but the term "processed" is so generic as to be useless. Are grated carrots worse than whole carrots? Are potatoes sorted from smallest to largest less healthy than randomly sized potatoes? I wish people would say what they mean.

Yeah it's a great book, that along with Michael Shermer's Why people believe weird things, have both helped me with my critical thinking skills and journey out of hardcore religion! 

There's sort of a grey area: UFOs and bigfoot seem like obvious bullshit and would require quite a bit of evidence to prove convincingly.\n\nAs for real events like September 11th or the JFK assassination, I don't think we're being told the whole story by authorities, but that isn't necessarily a reason to believe in the validity of any crackpot theory.

However, in this case you did make it seem that you wavered on the internal energy, chi, quigong, whatever name is popular now that is why I was pointing out the other studies.    \nMust have happened overnight, the thread was pretty much downvote free up to 11 CST.

I might not recall correctly, but I think you might be off on life expectancy due to the fact that this number probably is life expectancy at birth. Due to very high infant mortality all over the world right up until modern times these numbers are often off by a large factor for anyone lucky enough to survive infancy.\n\nLife expectancy in classical Rome (approx. same era) was 37 years at birth, but 52 for anyone surviving until 15 years of age [wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy#Life_expectancy_variation_over_time) . The more rural nature of the palestinian region might mean that the numbers are different for that particular region. Might be lower due to lack of "modern" roman technologies as sewers and aqueducts, but my guess would be that they could expect a longer life due to less exposure to deceases.\n\nI don't *know* that you're off on your number, and your argument doesn't hinge on it being that accurate, so just think of this as some input from the sideline. 

A better question would be not if a psychic has ever been correct, but has a psychic ever been correct more often than statistical probability would dictate. If you make enough guesses, a certain number of those guesses would be correct, if they are getting more correct guesses than you would expect, then there is something more to look into, though the reason for the statistical anomaly may not be psychic ability.

&gt;but if it's coming out in your urine then it's NOT being absorbed, right?\n\nIt absolutely is being absorbed.  If it's not absorbed it comes out in your feces.  The only route to the urine is gut - blood - kidney - bladder.\n\nDuring that journey, it might have a biologic effect, and it might not.  We're fairly sure it *can*, but the question is whether or not there's enough to matter.  All the studies that show some positive effect of BPA is done using amounts too large to be reasonably exposed to by eating things that were stored in plastic.  This is okay though, we always start with high doses because if there's no effect, than there's no need to test low doses.  But until you check low doses for an effect you can't claim there is one.

There shouldn't be anything indigestible in meat in macro quantities.\n\nThe fat content of ground beef is listed on the packaging.  Note that regular ground beef varies from 30% fat to very low (2-6%) fat.  The slime is centrifuged which lowers the fat content, but I'm not sure what the final number is.  I'm sure you could look it up.\n\nVitamin content may be slightly altered but not necessarily.

It's referred to as a hoax and a simple and likely technical explanation is given, but it sounds like the parties responsible are still not known. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Television_broadcast_interruption_hoax

if it is from a government agency then the answer is none, they do not recycle but they do resell

I'll give you the same explanation I gave emjaiz.  The distinction *unidentified*, in this case is really a distinction without a difference.  Here we can take unidentified to read as *easily identifiable* and thus not let similar (easily identifiable) sightings clog our perceptions of the truly anomalous UFOs that do exist.

So next time when creationists will claim they are "skeptical" about evolution we should also all walk away? Or when a playboy bimbo claims that we should stop all vaccines - we should all walk away?

Some of that sounds familiar.  Most of it isn't as bad as they try and make it sound.  For example, the FDA won't shut down a farmer because one of his bunch of grapes had a spider on it.  That's just something you get with fresh fruit.  Meat cleaned with ammonia is not dangerous or disgusting, it's good technique.  Mild food poisoning can present flu-like symptoms and you may confuse it for a cold or flu.\n\nOther things have issues with definitions.  The cost of "health" food vs "junk" food for example.  I think we can agree that candy corn is junk food, but what about pizza, or pasta?  The cheapest thing in the supermarket is usually bulk rice.  There's no way you can put that in the junk food category.\n\nAnother issue is that things aren't bad unless they're concentrated.  They mention BPA in soda cans and pesticides.  At high levels these are harmful.  At levels you are exposed to, they're not.  This is why if you look up people who've been harmed by pesticides, it's always people who work with them at chemical factories, not people who eat the food they've been used to treat.\n\nThe biggest problem is they don't source anything.  Often times studies don't say what people claim they do, other times the studies aren't strong enough to support their own hypothesis.  There's too many facts thrown at you to have a meaningful discussion about any of them.

unless you elaborate and give reasons why you feel your perspective or expertise makes you more credible than those involved with access to the raw data, then you are in the wrong subreddit.

This is a video full of baseless conjecture.  I wouldn't even know what to refute.  There is no supporting evidence to their claims about the future, they're just saying "it's not going to work" and "we're doomed".  Ok... why?  One what economic theory are you basing this?\n\nThough it does bother me that one of the people (and other people I hear) claim that increasing troop levels in Afghanistan is a broken Obama campaign promise.  That's simply not true.  He repeatedly stated that he believed Afghanistan was the more important front.  He's even on record [in a Time magazine point/counterpoint with McCain](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1823945,00.html) saying he intended to increase troop levels.

Well, let me put it to you like this: If you are aware of all the studies from the 80s and 90s that said saturated fats are bad for you and lead to heart disease, remember that these results were all in diets that were high in carbs. In carb controlled diets, there has not been shown to be any negative correlation between heart disease and saturated fats.\n\nCoconut oil is a saturated fat. It is great for a keto type or paleo diet, but it is not a magic bullet that will improve any diet.\n\nEDIT: Where I said "carb controlled" above please read "low-carb." Many of those tests did keep carbs at a controlled rate, but not at a ketogenic rate. Sorry for any confusion.

I notice that it seems in all of the examples you've given that it's a digital time display. Are there any instances of this happening with an analog clock? (Round clock with big hand and little hand)

Sorry, I misread the bit about the eyes being almond shaped.\n\nPretty sure it was an owl. 

Here's a [write-up](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/cranberry-juice/) that focuses on UTI, rather than bladder infection.

This is stolen from a previous commenter...\n\n&amp;amp;gt;http://www.skepticalabyss.com/ “at a skeptics event like TAM we have all the classic ingredients to make it an ideal place for sexual harassers to victimize women” etc\n\n&amp;amp;gt;http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/05/20/zero-intolerance/ — “you’ve probably seen the public behavior of some of these guys already. . . . Not only are these speakers still allowed to show up, but they’re still in demand. Conferences need to sell tickets and fill seats. When organizers stop inviting some of the people on this [sexist] list, unless sexism is a primary concern for donors, unless experiences are allowed to be made public, organizers get overruled.” [This is the audacious and unsupported claim that there are known sexual harassers on programs but that that is ignored because of a financial interest.]\n\n&amp;amp;gt;http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/05/23/real-progress/ — “I’ve also seen ideas about conferences sharing or consolidating data to make it easier to identify problem speakers” [This suggests something like the creation of a blacklist of "sexist" speakers?]\n\n&amp;amp;gt;http://freethoughtblogs.com/blaghag/2012/05/dealing-with-badly-behaving-speakers/ — “I remarked that when I was about to attend my first major atheist/skeptical conference, multiple people independently sent me unsolicited advice about what male speakers to avoid at the con. The same speakers were mentioned by different individuals, with warnings that they often make unwanted and aggressive sexual advances toward young pretty women and that I should not be alone with them.” [Are these rumors about which men will rape or harass or accost someone? Are these rumors unfounded?]\n\n&amp;amp;gt;And at the same post — “Speakers and conference organizers should not be looking to get laid at conferences because they are there in a professional setting, even if attendees are there for more entertainment reasons.” [Are we seriously telling speakers and attendees at atheists and skeptics at conferences that they shouldn't be engaged in sexual activity? This usurps others' adult responsibilities and rights and is counter to my personal values.]\n\n&amp;amp;gt;http://freethoughtblogs.com/almostdiamonds/2012/05/22/making-it-safer-in-the-meantime/ — “some of the male speakers at our conferences use their conference appearances as an opportunity to abuse women”

That's funny.  I am in the exact opposite situation:\n\nMy uncle believes that 19 cave dwellers (in four separate, but highly coordinated efforts -- armed with nothing but box cutters -- and without any assistance from the "inside"), successfully circumvented the most advanced national security infrastructure in modern history -- successfully pulverizing (according to Rudi Giuliani's eye-witness account) three buildings with just two planes; whereas, I obviously do not.\n\n(And allow to speculate:  You are a die-hard Republican.  And had a Democratic President been in the office at the time, there is no way in Hell you would believe that pile of absurdity, either.)

I believe that the actual scientific evidence is that women who never have children have a higher risk of breast cancer. There is something beneficial about the hormonal changes a woman experiences when she goes through pregnancy. To interpret this as "abortion causes breast cancer" is pure evil. For state government to force doctors to give this interpretation is criminal. 

&gt;UFOs, in my view, are hyper-dimensional entities that have lived on this planet since quite possibly, before mankind. In essence, UFOs aren't craft, but living entities themselves. (will lose most folks on this statement alone, but just hear me out for a minute)\n\nSo they are not aliens then?

Cg artist here, all that is easy to fake, even the helicopter. What's hard is to get the lens to distort like that(out of focus part). Also has anyone made a note that these guys are trying to start their one web show? Is it possible this is a viral campaign to get hits on their webisode?  

&gt; the results reveal that consumers of fast food, compared to those who eat little or none, are 51% more likely to develop depression.\n\nThey're not even trying anymore.

Water from lots of different sources makes it harder to move further away from the mean, not easier.\n\nDoes Fluoride accumulate in the body?\n\nFluoridation is extremely valuable for oral hygiene which is a big deal. It has actually been suggested that poor oral hygiene is even linked to issues as far flung as heart conditions.\n\nThe risks are very small and the gains are huge.

Oh, MAN!\n\nI've had a death flash before too!  I mean, I dunno if that's what it's called, but yea!\n\nI think in a parallel universe we are no more...

For the aspartame claim, you can reference [this meta-study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&amp;Cmd=ShowDetailView&amp;TermToSearch=17828671&amp;ordinalpos=1&amp;itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum). Or [this summary from Stephen Novella](http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/aspartame-truth-vs-fiction/) (which references the study).

True, [THC](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16908594) isn't the only anti-cancer cannabinoid either. [Cannabidiol induces programmed cell death in breast cancer cells](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21566064).

Religions are faith-based beliefs which means facts are not necessary for believing and they are immune to facts disproving their belief.      \n\nIf facts are presented that oppose their belief then they believe the facts must be incorrect. It's basically [this](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_SQ44FCDzSHY/TG4f9yW0WdI/AAAAAAAAA90/8vMmHECo2Us/s1600/religion-religion-christianity-mormon-demotivational-poster-1251419350.jpg).

That depends on how you define synchronicity. I don't believe that there is any objective significance in the event. But there was no subjective significance in the event either. As in, it didn't really mean anything to me. It was just strange. So, no. I would say this was just a coincidence. 

Dissappearing ink! what about the writing on the paper, was that still there?

And don't even get me started on High Fructose Corn Syrup (which actually does make you sick)...my brother has bought into this diet soda bullshit &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;\n

I think it's odd that doctors are stating this as fact without any official study being mentioned as well.

The movie demonstrates that the person commenting it has no idea on how bodies break. when the top part of the tower lean to the right, the left side of the tower is snapped open. What to try it? take a handful of spaghetti and bend them in one direction. When they break, check in which direction the small pieces are thrown.\n\nOn the fact that the top part disintegrates, it does not surprise me either. The structure of the tower was made of an external modular "net" made of vertical spaghetti, kept together by radials connected to a central column. When the central column breaks, and the top part begins to fall, the top part of the column bends, pushing the radials and eventually breaking them. Without support from the radials, the external cage is loose and breaks down into pieces, both due to the falling radials and the column itself.\n\n

Oh come on James Randi has done more for the modern skeptic movement than anyone else in recent decades.

This is the same old story: people are terrible about estimating probability.

I agree with most of this but the storyteller in me prefers a couple of alterations.\n\nWhile I can easily believe that an "Anthropologist" race of aliens are observing us and not willing to intervene with our development I can't shake the idea of a "Barbarian" alien race that somehow came into advanced technology and while they are vastly more intelligent than us, they are not indifferent as the "Anthropologist" race is or have a great grasp on a "universal understanding". So this "Barbarian" race could be one of several races, such as the Greys or Reptillians, and their intentions with interacting with Humans/Earth is completely selfish. While the "Barbarian" race continues to do what they want here they are aware of the "Anthropologist" race watching and know they can't go too wild here or the "Anthropologist" race would be forced to intervene. \n\nThat said I also believe there is a third race at work here, a "Peace Corps" race that comes to Earth with the sole intention of "helping". They may be the ones that provide abductees with odd abduction events that involve traveling the Universe and being told the secrets of life. The "Peace Corps" race would be the Norse aliens and they too are aware of the other races, both the "Anthropologist" and "Barbarian", and choose their interactions with humans in respect. I would imagine they fear of helping us humans too much because of the "Anthropologist" race similar to the way the "Barbarian" race fears pushing the envelope too much with them.\n\nFinally I would make one last wild guess and say that both the "Barbarian" and "Peace Corps" races are previous studies of the "Anthropologist" race but the "Anthropologists" intervened more often with those two races than they are doing with humans. Its because of their interventions that caused those races to develop advanced technology faster than their "universal understanding" resulting in two sides of a morality coin. The "Anthropologist" don't want to make the same mistake (thrice) with the Humans/Earth which is why they are trying hard not to stop the other two races (unless, of course, they have to).

Maybe that's how that cat that senses death operates, after all, cats have a greater sense of smell and connection with the paranormal.

True, given a certain understanding of the universe and what possibilities *can* manifest into reality in that universe. \n\nFor example, if the universe is deterministic, then no future will ever arise, even given infinite timespan, that would require a break in those deterministic forces. If nothing can ever move faster then the speed of light, then no future will ever arise that allows for or requires movement faster than light.\n\nI agree with you that the idea is little more than mental gymnastic bullshit, though. In fact part of my argument to support this is the above paragraph.\n\nEdit: I also find it important that something can be more likely than something else in an infinite span, even if all possibilities manifest. Consider the string of digits 1000100010001000... There are an infinite number of zeros, and an infinite number of ones, but if I place my finger randomly on the string, I have a better probability of finding a zero, than a one. 

I don't want to live in a society that's cuttroat and where everyone has to look out for themselves. I want to live someplace where my fellow people help me out, and I also help out my fellow people. Laws helping to protect myself and others from scams helps to do this.\n\nFor instance I don't have time to, for myself, run every test out there to confirm every scientific claim for myself. Nobody can educate themselves to that extent. I must rely on various groups of scientists, trusting that they use the scientific method properly (because peer review should call them out sooner or later if they don't), and that their conclusions are the based on the best data currently available.\n\nSimilarly, I also don't have the time to 'kick the tires', as it were, on everything I buy. I rely on products having gone through proper testing and that their claims are accurate and based on these tests. It's not possible for an individual to do this, in requires extensive studies on multiple people over time. It's neither reasonable or practical to expect people to do this for themselves. The FDA serves a valuable role in this way.\n\nAs for oppression, I can and will try to 'oppress' the freedoms of people that try to steal. That the con men are so good that many of the people they're stealing from don't yet realize they're being stolen from is a bit beside the point. They're still being robbed, and in many cases their lives are being put at risk because of this robbery.

These guys had all day EVERY day to think up new ways to use the materials they had at hand. \n\nAlien theorists drive me nuts because I think it does a disservice to humanity's creativity. 

Fwiw I've bought organic cucumbers that have tasted like shit.  Secondly, look into the sources of "organic fertilizer", thats one huge NOPE.

Having been an atheist before though I can understand their attitude because I wouldn't have believed myself either to be honest. \nMy only advice to atheists is to seek out the paranormal with their logic detectors on maximum, screw the open mind bullshit. Be yourself, that way when you truly DO have a paranormal experience, you can't ever go back.

I can say, personally, that skepticism is what led me to atheism. I was already a skeptic about everything in my life *except* religion. When I finally allowed myself to look at my religion with the same skeptical eye I looked at everything else, the walls came crumbling down quite quickly. I don't regret it though. There's a certain freedom that comes with being completely intellectually honest with oneself.

I'd like to see the host, Holly Willoughby and Leigh Catherine fighting about this, naked, using my cock as a weapon.

holy shit it shtis on the militon th godamn thread with had about this on skepctic you guys hsould know beter than now seriulsy you gusy are as geting as bad as atheism as this point.

Well, without context *they* can't claim anything in the first place that we'd have to refute - but I understand that this is lost on most woosters. :-)\n\nAnyway, it is unsurprising that holding a phone to your head will warm your head and neck - mostly from your own body heat in your arm and hand, plus potentially the warm battery of the phone. The thermal heating due to the EM radiation is all but negligible.\n\nWhat we'd need here is a control picture with someone holding a banana to their head. Or even better their wallet, nice and warm from their own pocket.

I'm amazed that these quotes from Dawkins I'm seeing that specifically address the elevator encounter are being inflated into somehow being a "seal of approval" for everything sexist being brought up here.  I'm also amazed that Youtube comments are being treated as something akin to hate mail here.  Youtube is full of horrible commenters.  I generally avoid reading them because they're almost always chock full or idiotic bigots who will be horribly vitriolic at the slightest thing.\n\nThe author of this article certainly has legitimate complaints.  That tweet from whoever that guy is is something that I'd definitely think was grounds for barring his attendance at TAM.  That's a specific threat from a public twitter account that is unambiguously associated with his real life identity and it should be taken very seriously.  Threatening Youtube comments from random people are not noteworthy, though.

I find their totally unironic use of the heading "biocentrism" to be deeply hilarious.

What about Nicola Tesla and his free energy project? Why haven't we developed it further to enhance the quality of life for everyone on this planet? Simply because those who were funding him (mainly JP Morgan) didn't see a business plan, no potential to make money. So they shut him and closed the book. What do you call this?

I don't feel there is anything paranormal from your original statement, It feels more like medical problem. Drink more water and stay positive! Don't ponder about it, Nothing had harm you right?

I'll accept the possibility that they may need to tweak their limits and methodology. I'd like to hear the other side of that argument though.

&gt;the Russians have been there, dumped a huge, yes, it is not inconceivable\n\nNiiiiiiice Wordsmithing.

It's a brief summation of a religious text... am I missing something?

There's a lot of information online about the Australian (Westall High School) case.\n\nI'm trying to recall where I found out about the one in Southern California.  Initially I thought it may have been at the NUFORC website but when I searched there I couldn't find it.  However I did find yet another California school case that was almost identical near Shasta Lake.  Check it out:\n\nhttp://www.nuforc.org/webreports/036/S36988.html\n\nIn fact if you search the database for California sightings alone using the keyword "school" you'll find many reports of UFOs hovering over schools.  The specific one I'm thinking of occurred at a private elementary school (maybe near Oxnard?).  Kids playing outside during recess watched a disk land in a wooded gully north of the playground, and as I recall saw humanoid creatures outside the craft from behind the chain-link fence surrounding the yard.  Some of the parents heard stories about the incident and tried to investigate further.

&gt;Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves\n\nThis is a tired argument.  First, milk is altered once it comes out of a cow to be more palatable to humans.  It's *designed* for humans.\n\nSecond, since when do we only eat things designed for us?  The only thing in nature that is actually designed to be eaten by a person is fruit.  Were chickens designed to be eaten?  If so why not skip the feathers and beaks to make it easier for us.\n\n&gt;Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk\n\n&gt;American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994\n\nDid you by any chance read the article listed?  Probably not, so I'll break it down.  They used info from this study to propose that heavy dairy use may lead to increased fractures when older.  They didn't prove that it does.  They don't even suggest that it must be true.  If there is a follow-up study to this one, that goes on to do the research necessary to prove it, they didn't include it on their web page - probably because it doesn't exist.\n\nIt's easy to pick papers that suggest this or that.  They are meaningless (no matter the topic) by themselves, and must be compared to the larger body of evidence.\n\nGo [here](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/).  Type "cow milk" and some other words into the search bar, like "health" or "bones".  Be prepared to comb through 10s or even 100s of papers.

There is a middle ground.  Some hospitals offer 'birthing centers'; quiet and home-like places that have the advantage of being in close proximity to emergency medical care in the unhappy event that a child is in danger of suffering from oxygen deprivation, or the mother begins to hemorrhage.  \n\nIt just seems silly to increase the risk to mother and child by not taking advantage of access to critical care at such a critical time.

I think you misread what I said and you also do not understand what the  GOP stance entails. I'm not going to argue a brickwall here.\n\nHere, I'll edit in so it's clear. I'll bold the keywords.\n\n&gt; However, I believe that **academic environments should allow the debate** (within a moderated amount of time) **between students** so they can espouse their beliefs amongst peers without feeling like they're being force-fed by an authority figure.\n\nThis isn't something that is going to adversely affect little Timmy's science time. A single class taken out so the students can debate amongst themselves will harm nobody. If your kid requires a single class to understand whatever science class this happens in, well, the kid has more prevalent issues.

&gt;How can we know that God is not unmoving and so therefore objective?\n\nWhat do you mean by unmoving?\n\nThat wouldn't make it an objectivist moral theory, it would only make it universal or non-relative. The morals would still be arbitrary/subjective; that is, even if God were unmoving, it *could have been* the case that, say, curb-stomping babies was morally good and right if only God had commanded that from the start. God is an "entity", a "person", a "mind" that is commanding morality. It can't be objective because the morality doesn't exist independently of God. 

Very interesting story. Have you ever done any research into the history of your old house? \n\nThe little girl may have attached herself to you, which is why you still feel her presence. Maybe she's just scared and feels safe around you.

After listening to Dr. Steven Greer, this Made me think that the Majestic were testing the waters for public reaction.  

But why did he put the word 'Quantum' in his title?  Also here's a direct link to the book on Amazon so those with money can throw it at the author:\n\n[Amazon Link](http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Gods-Creation-Search-Consciousness/dp/1591027136/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1342918024&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=quantum+gods)

I have got any actual study data handy but I have read that Vitamin D definicy can make MS worse. Also as people with MS (like my wife) get fatigued easily a good balanced diet will always be of benefit. If I get a chance tomorrow I will do some proper research.

I'm in the middle of the road with this one. There were some similar sightings the past few nights in VA. They turned out to be RC Airplane enthusiasts who'd mounted led arrays on their craft. I'm super-curious about the "sonic booms". Can you elaborate on that aspect of the event?

I read a wonderful thing on VINE that had a graph charting the Gardisil related pregnancy losses. In girls aged 7 to 18. Oh, BLESS their cotton socks. 

Just know that if the points of the stars are pointing up, they Are symbols for protection. 

My view is, 10 out of 100 people are going to forget to turn off their cell phone, so why can't the other 90 use theirs?  Also, doesn't this only happen when the cell phone is relatively close to the device?

So you didn't read what I wrote.\n\nI wrote:\n&gt;If he was speaking on the level of everyday interactions with normal people then I would have no problems with his talk.\n\nYou rebutted with:\n&gt;The community at large he's speaking of (from what I could tell) was the individuals that talk to other individuals, not the people speaking at conferences, but self-proclaimed skeptics.\n\nSo we agree on that point, but you're quick to take the opportunity to caricature skeptics and atheists based on petty anonymous internet name calling that will always happen between any two subsets of the internet that are in conflict.\n\nThere's a difference between getting up in a believer's face and conversing with like minded skeptics in an informal way that you wouldn't convey to a believer. Your r/atheism and r/skeptic circlejerk bashfest point is not valid.

Oh fuck. I won't click that link. I don't want to rage and preserve my faith in humanity.

but seriously, how can u have lived thru the Gulf war not hearing abut national guard every goddamned day?  They were the ones fighting!!

And it just barely missed hitting 50 yesterday in Minnesota, which is known for being a whole lot colder than PA.\n\nI have to confess that I wonder what ol' Senator Inhofe and his kid have to say now, after the [igloo incident](http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/02/10/dc-igloo-takes-aim-at-global-warming/) last year. By their logic, I have conclusive proof that the earth is 50 degrees warmer than it should be.\n\n

We could write an email to the executives funding this, perhaps?  With links to the articles about the bracelets being junk?

It is possible though, I am personally schizo affective, and while my delusional thinking didn't reach anything close to "Dave Mabus" it was learning to be a critical thinker combined with medication that brought me back from the edge.  

now isn't that pretty interesting. With the UFO sighting around the world this year it really makes you truly wonder.

If only. I posted a video on his wall (not knowing that Bill Gates is apparently the Antichrist to anti-vaxxers... whoops) and.... [this is how I know there is no reasoning with him, ever.](http://i.imgur.com/9kdkh.jpg)

[It's a fake because it was done by some 3D design students,](http://www.upi.com/blog/2012/12/19/Eagle-takes-off-with-baby-maybe-VIDEO/6841355926325/) and they've done it before, and are now taking credit.\n\nArticle is by UPI, and contains links to other relevant information.\n\n

I would love to see this narrated with your notes; MST3k style :)

No.  No way.  This guy is a poison.  He believes that all alien intervention is a benevolent one.  It goes against all of the horror stories of those who have had pretty violent and nightmarish abduction scenarios.  This guy is a tool.  I just heard he is up for the Douche Bag of the Universe Award this year.  So good luck with him.  Disclosure won't happen.  And his claims are those of a snake oil salesman on the subject.  His voice has been dampened over years of not being able to deliver.  I implore not to follow this nonsense.  

that proves nothing. Especially when you do not have that with the 4th, 5th and now this one. We still do not know.

I agree with you. That ms probably one of the best time travel explanation that leads the least paradoxes. But if he chose to order the pizza on that day because he distinctly remembers the pizza already being ordered, then we still have to think about the cause happening before the effect.

This looks **a lot** like a firefly.  Or some other flying bug.  Downvoting:  I do appreciate the content, but I don't think it's a saucer.

Best argument against it I've come across.\n\nhttp://www.peterates.com/props-1112.shtml#prop37

I'm not sure why you thought this was relevant to r/skeptic, unless your goal was to see who would be first to link to the debunking.... if so, [then I win!!](http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/ooops-mother-jones-falsely-reports-charles-koch-compared-obama-saddam-hussein_592728.html)

I think it does taste better. I also like the bottle style (tall glass) better too.

Does the book mention any other hypothesis besides alien origin?  \n\nWhat I mean is that I've always been of the opinion that if there is an 'extraordinary' explanation to UFO's (which I'm not entirely convinced of) it is that they are not from far away.  They are from here, but from another time or dimension.\n\nIt makes no sense that craft from distant origins would just keep popping up all over the world.  Why us?  Why here?  It makes far more sense that they are 'us' from the distant future or a parallel dimension.  It would better explain their interest in us, their repeated visits, their seemingly humanoid behavior and appearance, their desire to remain secret.\n\nAnd the idea of time or inter-dimension travel is at least as feasible as travel over great distances of several light years I would think (in other words, none of them is yet feasible to us).

Yeah this one was well done.  The pencil-drawing animation to illustrate the audio recollections of the the witnesses is very effective.  These video documentaries of multiple-witness sightings are a lot more gripping than book accounts of the same.  It's very difficult to dismiss first-hand accounts by the original witnesses which is also why the Disclosure Project was successful.\n\nI'm surprised there aren't more video documentaries covering the Farmington UFO armada of 1950, the Fox Lake Yukon sighting of an object the size of a football stadium by two dozen witnesses in 1996, and the gargantuan 3-mile wide V-shaped UFO over Phoenix in 1997.

You're really gonna point to this poorly made documentary as your evidence? Is that really enough to convince you? If so, I ought to be able to convince you of all sorts of crazy things.

Ok, go ahead. That's what you should do anyways. My point is you shouldn't say "fuck you".

I agree about Greer.  He doesn't help their credibility at all, but despite that, when you have a panel full of scientists, engineers, military and civilian witnesses coming forward like this, you're just blatantly putting your head in the sand, if all you try to do is discount and dismiss their experiences without at least first considering the possibility that they are telling the truth.

[brief explanation](http://www.drlwilson.com/Articles/INFLATON.htm)\n\nInflation is the hidden tax, although yes, you do often pay extra taxes on merely holding money. 

SPicy foods "help" in two ways:\n\n1) they help clear your sinuses, which is a treatment of symptoms only, but really drastically improves your quality of life while ill.  A runny nose does not purge an infection from your body, though.\n\n2) Plants in the Capsicum family (most spicy peppers) tend to contain a very high amount of Vitamin C which can help your body fight off infect..... very very slightly.  If you got sick as a result of a depressed immune system resulting from a vitamin C deficiency, then it would help a lot, but I don't think that's a serious problem in the western world.\n\nSo.... basically it doesn't help you get better, but it can sure help you feel better in a non-placebo way.

I don't think so, I think its yet another high ranking official having a bunker made for them.\n\nin 2002, in Washington, sounds like this went on for a week underneath Cheney's house.

You are not alone in your experiences, I too have dealt with the paranormal when i was a child. And of course people will be skeptical but only you know your own truth right...well my very first experience was when I was about 5-7 years old. I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. As I entered the hallway I looked down the hall towards the living room. Tho it was dark I was able to see a figure sitting down on the sofa. But at the moment I thought it was my dad. So right after I thought it was him I heard him snore in his room (dad s'mores loudly lol) and then the figure stood up. It reached the height of the ceiling and I just ran the fuck out of there into the bathroom where I stood there for a good 10 mins before I checked again. The figure was gone and I ran into my parents room and stayed with them. Till this day I remember the figure very clearly and I'm 20 years old now 

&gt;and bought them by maxing out his credit cards\n\nOr he used student loan money.

To play devils advocate a little, we haven't *completely* explained the way living things  function  - we have a core framework and a lot of details down,  but there's plenty unknown.\n\nA non-reductionist view can have some value in providing a perspective on the big picture, which sometimes is useful even when its foundation is wrongheaded.  Conversely a concentration on the lab and on details etc., can lead us astray, with the tail wagging the dog.\n\ne.g. many 'woo' practices end up giving a lot of time and effort to sympathetic consultation and reassurance, giving pretty solid support to the placebo effect.  Conversely there can be a tendency in modern scientific medicine to treat everything with a pharmaceutical pill, ignoring the mental element and perhaps the placebo-esque support that could actually boost the pharmaceuticals benefits.\n\nOf course, non-reductionist views tend to devolve into made-up specifics which contradict observable fact.  I'm just pointing out that it's *slightly* more shades of gray than I'm reading.  Sometimes there's a baby in that murky bathwater.

Did anyone else learn of this after seeing it advertised after Laurence Leng's Unbelievable? Is it any good, or is it claptrap?

I never called it a PCT, I said it was a popular conspiracy theory. I didn't say anything about it being right or wrong either. It was just an example.

I re-upped you. People love to downmod opinions; very annoying. Check out Richard Dolan's books - see my comment above.

Are you fucking kidding me? [They gave Poles and Czechs special badges for Christ's sake!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_concentration_camp_badges)

Nope, ive actually been before. I lost my father when I was young and I wanted to go, hoping for some sort of contact. It was around the time John Edwards was first doin his thang. He identified me in the audience and nailed it all, I asked some questions and he answered. Was it a generalization? possibly, but its nice to believe when all I wanted was to speak to your father again.

We definitely did the same thing... I read that entire wikipedia page. At least we won't be scammed anytime soon.

Yoga is fantastic exercise. It's incredibly thorough; there are very few little muscles or tendons that aren't strengthened and/or stretched by it. And everything is done in gradual stages to minimize the possibility of damaging or overtraining something. I have a really bad back, and I haven't found anything that does a better job of repairing it.\n\nThe "energetic" benefits are, of course, total bullshit. Ignore that entire facet of yoga (if you can) and you're left with a good body maintenance program.

A theory that has very little or no basis in reality at this point. Anti-vaxxers are a danger due to the damage they do to herd immunity. A provable and quantifiable damage. Yet you invent a boogeyman that cannot be proved. Your assertion isn't even a hypothesis as it cannot be observed. At best it's a guess. At worst it damages the credibility of those arguing for vaccines because it, like the anti-vax propaganda has no proof at all. This is the very thing I am arguing against. We don't get to just make shit up. That's what the other side does and that's what we are trying to fight with evidence, science, and cold hard facts. Anything less and we are simply talking out of our collective ass. 

I'm skeptical of the sensationalism involved in those sites as well, however they did link to the original New York Times article penned by the guy they're talking about.

That was my initial thought, a meteor in the sky behind the volcano.

Hey no problem (this was already posted to r/ufos a while back I believe so the credit should go to this community) :) I wouldn't get too amazed by it, if you zoom into peoples faces they have been blurred using photo manipulation.  As r/user drmoroe30 makes a good point of saying in the above comment, I'm screaming fake, even though I'm looking at a gigapixel image UFOs.

The blog post is about a study you massive pile of human garbage, he even links to it.\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20383332?dopt=Abstract&amp;holding=npg\n\n\n

Well, tbh I dunno any more about any generic anti conspiracy arguments (such as whistleblowers). E.g. consider human radiation experiments, a lot of people involved, testing on orphans and such (not just terminally ill), this didn't leak for a while and when it surfaced the amount of outrage has been negligible. \n\nIf someone came out with classified documents and blueprints of demolition charges, would that change your or my view? Not that much, because it could just as well be faked. \n\nI think though the issue with conspiracy theories is indeed that they are trying to convert every oddity into support for their theory. It would be far more probable (than controlled demolition) that some group of people in the government would e.g. aid terrorists in this somehow, but that theory doesn't claim support by some dramatic evidence, whereas the demolition theory tries to use fact of towers falling as support for itself.

[Not homeopaths!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd64lbDPack)\n\nBut that should be a lethal dose for everyone else.\n\n

There is compelling evidence that early Osteopaths were considered quacks by the medical establishment.\n\nThere is also compelling evidence that osteopathy is essentially an offshoot of homeopathy. And there are presently many far out osteopaths who use osteopathic manipulation and homeopathy in conjunction with standard Western (allopathic) medicine.\n\nIn America, osteopaths work side by side with allopathic doctors without too many problems. However, in England it appears the homeopaths and osteopaths are much more closely related.\n\nAs an interesting aside, Samuel Hahnemann (the founder of homeopathy) coined the term allopath as a pejorative term for medicine that does undo harm to patients (somehow not realizing what homeopathy really does). The Philadelphia hospital that bears his name was the premier school for osteopaths. 

The source of the problem is considering these people "otherwise intelligent".  Just because they're not visibly mentally retarded or something doesn't mean they're intelligent.

WTF? there is other evidence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accupunture#Evidence-based_medicine\n\n

The explanation? Someone actually found your keys, robbed your place and left the keys in your room... simples.

Modern medicine offers both good and bad points. Homeopathy only offers bad points (unless you count the placebo effect).

Like him and it.\n\nBeware people that attack others, and by that I mean exactly what you've interpreted (the page was constructed specifically to discredit him)

&gt;Who the fuck needs freedom from mermaid spirits? How is that a thing?\n\nI think this is a pretty strong survival of pre-Christian local mythology.  IIRC in some areas when a baby is still-born or deformed they say that it was a "fish baby" and "return" it to the river.  Could be bullshit, but it as with voodoo and santeria we're not talking about the same brands of Xtianity you'd find in most of the US

&gt;Look at every argument attacking or defending a position from the point of view that the person making the argument knows the truth, and they're deliberately trying to mislead you.\n\nThat doesn't always work. Some people genuinely believe in their chosen from of woo.

They think its easier to sneak up on ghosts in the dark. Oh, and it makes for spookier tv.

But I HAVE put effort in. All I kept coming up with was material from organisations with agenda, Green Parties, Environmental Protection Agencies, News Articles, etc.

it's so creepy/amazing. you should also check out the episode of futurama called 'reincarnation' if you like exploring your mind/the world. talk about alluding to the truth.

Yeah, you should work a little bit on that trolling. It's not super effective.

I loved the Lama's responses on impermanence. Should we ruin our good mood by reminding ourselves it wont last? Well, impermanence is reality, and accepting that leads to true happiness. That's a core tenet of of my (atheist) beliefs. 

Any decent political system aims to improve and provide those things... It's difficult though.\n\nToo many anarchists spend their time in rhetorical arguments or trying to explain away evidence that indicates that anarchism wouldn't work.

Well, something happened to me a month or so ago, where I had finally let go completely and genuinely wanted to die. In that state of mind, I drifted off to sleep and the next day there was a table sitting in the back garden that I **know** wasn't there before because I have specific memories of walking across the area where it now sat, obviously this couldn't have happened if the table had been there. Of course it had apparently "always been there" but I remember different.\n\nThis is just your run of the mill strange experience, but I think that in another universe, another me decided to attempt suicide instead of going to sleep and succeeded. So I'm picking up where that me left off in this universe where the event of my suicide attempt never happened, explaining why I have no memory of trying to kill myself, only of going to sleep with a very real desire for death.\n\nWell, if this isn't quantum immortality, and if it isn't another me in another universe, it certainly is *something* and nobody's going to convince me otherwise.\n\n 

You can tell someone is in over their head in an argument when they resort to calling their opponents retards. Stay classy liberals. 

&gt;Their experience tells them that lack of snow in Vancouver and 2 years later 7 inches of Snow in Seattle are neither extreme nor unusual.\n\nStrawman argument.\n\n&gt;They take the "Oceans will boil" statement by Jim Hansen as pure lunacy.\n\nThere's a difference between not believing that runaway global warming will create a Venus-like condition (I don't, and the vast majority of scientists who accept AGW don't either) and refusing to acknowledge the reality of man-made global warming.\n\n&gt;Yet some are being converted and we see them spout clearly inappropriate statements on the air.\n\nThere's nothing inappropriate about agreeing with the scientific consensus. What is inappropriate is claiming that scientists are in on some kind of conspiracy to suppress the truth, or to pretend to post scientific posts while just posting sciencey-sounding gibberish (which apparently is what *you* like to do).\n\nPlease do not misconstrue this response as a sign that I want to engage in a conversation with you. I have no more time to waste trying to talk to someone who doesn't listen, and who blatantly spouts techno-babble in order to mislead the easily-duped. Unlike you, *I* will be able to look my grandchildren in the eye when they ask me why we took so long to react.\n\nGoodbye.

You seriously need to rethink your ideas on this topic. \n\nThe main reason that FDA fails to protect people at times is because there are external lobbies that try to make it not perform its task - exactly like lobbies that advocate for alternative treatments to be outside of FDA regulation. If we get rid of FDA, these same lobbies will simply focus more of their attention on Consumer Reports and The Consumerist, corrupting them.\n\nThe only outcome of getting rid of FDA will be that we'll get rid of arguably the strongest barrier from people selling sugar as polio treatment.

I have seen something grey several times as well! I have been wondering if anyone else has that experience. Thanks for sharing.

Exactly. If there was an actual issue with these devices, I would gladly turn mine off. But, as far as I know, there is no issue. So the entire is charade is just because it's company policy. That's not a good reason for me to stop using the product I paid for.

Hahahahaha! That's pretty funny stuff. "Demand", should they? Do they need to get off of Master's lap to do that?

&gt; Or the real one that once existed?\n\nHe already is aware.\n\n&gt; the AT&amp;T monopoly is a product of state intervention.\n\nblarfmar asserted AT&amp;T is a monopoly today.

It's pretty sad. The front page is full of this Denver UFO crap and most of them are submitted by that one person and his 2 accounts.

another well recognised incident is the Kikoura Lights in new zealand. Unidentified lights were observed by five people on the flight deck, were tracked by Wellington Air Traffic Controllers, and filmed in color by the television crew. There is footage here www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q3iq4R8MgM\n\nwiki article here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaikoura_lights\n\n

&gt; It's a whole lot easier than educating yourself on what sustainable farming actually means, and doing the leg work to make sure you are buying sustainably grown produce.\n\nHaving an interest in helping the environment, and having an interest in sustainable agriculture in particular, are very different things. I see what you're saying, however.

It's probably a government-backed or defense contractor site.  The paranormal stuff screams "Department of Defense black op cover up".  The DoD loves the conspiratard UFO / E.T. / paranormal ranting, and has probably sowed most of the disinformation behind it. \n\nThere are good reasons to be skeptical of "skeptics"- the site seems to be purposefully muddying the issue's waters with paranormal claims which any dedicated conspiracy researcher knows is government-sponsored disinformation.\n\nTry this on for size:\n\n["A select group of public relations specialists – and a community of\nonline bullies – have adopted the language of skepticism to get\nwhat they want. They’re not sincere. Recognize them for what they are... \nDistraction and misdirection are the tools of magicians as well as\nintelligence agencies. The skeptic community has been put to work\nattacking corporate- and government- created straw men, discrediting the\nreal issues by association; they’ve been played." (podcast #5)](http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=96083&amp;cmd=tc)\n\n**Edit**: As expected, downvotes... because I'm not saying what you want to hear.  Nobody likes having their bubble popped.  And now, back to your regularly scheduled /r/skeptic circle jerk.

Look, for someone who has experienced sleep paralysis and separate, but more intense, spells of hypnogogic hallucinations I can say that it would be VERY easy to misinterpret a waking dream from fantasy.  I have experienced huge spiders on my walls, old guys with lit cigarettes at the foot of my bed, women trapped behind my bedroom walls (made of stucco, btw, and will tear your knuckles up).\n\nAll the while, I was (am) completely aware of my surroundings and can even communicate with the women who were unlucky enough to be sleeping next to me.  I remember everything and actually laugh about the whole thing seconds after it happens.

If we have to investigate everything ourselves why would we celebrate the people speaking the truth?

&gt; The person to blame is the alleged psychic. They're effectively endangering the child by drawing resources away from legitimate search methods in exchange for a paycheck/self-aggrandization.\n\nThis is patently absurd. The psychic didn't demand to be used. The parents chose to use them.\n\nMoreover, you don't know if the psychic actually believes in the crap they spout.

I thought this was /r/skeptic.  What is with all the 'well, yes, it is crap I *think*, but it is ok this time because the placebo effect might be necessary to help those poor poor smokers quit."   ?????\nThe question was not 'is the placebo effect worthwhile' it was 'is this bullshit'\nNow, I can't provide cited peer-reviewed evidence that it is or is not BS.\nI'm pretty sure it is total B.S.\nBut that is why I am here - to have someone who does know something go ahead and cite some useful info.\n\n/end rant.\n/sorry.

My wife sent her this sort of message last night and my niece replied with the old, oh, don't worry, I used to be worried about it too, but I looked into it and it's okay.\n\nSomebody else posted a link to a Wikipedia article that discusses the possible problems, but I know it's too long for her to ever get past the second sentence.\n\nI'll keep trying, though, she's a good person with dumb ideas and a tendency to run to the hospital for every little thing.

Well you can either accept your friend for their faults.  Or, you can go all Clockwork Orange on their ass with some restraints, eyedrops and a PC loaded with episodes of Penn and Teller: Bullshit! and JREF videos.

I would agree with you, but I think the real problem is the way the word "demon" has been abused to mean so many different things. I think there must surely be very unusual entities out there, but to call them demons is perhaps literally demonizing them. I hope that doesn't sound too absurd or farfetched.

That episode was awesome. It was great to see Bagans get so worked up over that scratching sound next to his head. I maintain that the ghost just wanted to play with that blinged out microphone he was using.\n\nAlso at the end, where the teddy bear rocked then toppled over, such a small things really intrigued me. That might have been my favorite part of that entire lockdown.

Run! Run for your life! Go anywhere near these people and you are in serious danger of losing all contact with the English language.

Even intelligent people do stupid things sometimes, and religion always influences the judgement of people who belong to a church. There are many well-educated people out there who, despite all their knowledge, still pray to the ghost of a two-thousand year old carpenter every Sunday because its just 'what is done'.

The [fixed-point theorem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-point_theorem) FTW.

Not all humans can survive on a purely vegan diet. As far as I'm aware most humans can but it's not universal.

Anti-skepticism is present is lots of movies. It's a really common theme, unfortunately. Especially horror movies, the skeptic always dies.

I have this tendency myself, particularly when reading religion/philosophy. \n\nStop periodically as you're reading. Try to catch when the writer is making an assertion, one of those 'this is the way things *are*' statements, and pull your head out of the text for a second. Taking notes can help this process, particularly if you try to make your notes in the form of a question.\n\nAdditionally, pause to wonder where the author is getting their information from. Is the paper sourced? Where were those sources published? A rigorously sited paper can be complete bullshit, and you can often tell from the bibliography.\n\nLastly, make sure you know what period the text dates from. Prevailing wisdom often colors a text, and knowing when it was published can help you remember to account for 'fads' in academia, or in culture.

It may actually be bad for you.  Until more data is confirmed, I'd suggest not taking any multivitamins.  Get your vitamins from fruits and veggies.

I only had a few sp episodes until I started working a rotating shift and got into a position where I could catnap in my office on midnight shifts. Then it seemed like at least twice a week it would happen. One night I noticed the back of my head was tingling. Come to find out the chair I was sleeping in cut off circulation to the back of my scalp. When I didn't sleep like that it didn't happen. Any thoughts anyone? 

I now really want some speakers and drivers capable of these frequencies! 

"There is no conspiracy. Nobody is in charge. It's a headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan."

I personally don't believe it was weather phenomena or ancient aliens, but it doesn't mater what I believe.  What matters is what I can prove.

A couple of those made me feel both understood and damned to alienation simultaneously. Pretty.

The video is made for profit and fame only. do not feed the trolls.

I'm sorry this is a neat coincidence but that's really pretty much it. Planes get delayed all the time, you just got really lucky.

Nice. I have actually studied a little bit into the paranormal, not so much into the investigation until now but more into locations and people around them. Speaking of dead Civil War soldiers, I don't know if you are from OK but if you are you have probably heard of Fort Reno near El Reno. A class I had went there for a history on the road thing and even in the DAYTIME pictures would show up with orb's and other weird phenomenon. We really want to go at night. It is a non-profit organization that watches the ground's so I don't see why they would have a problem with some investigation. It's kind of an out of the way area so not many people know about the activity there as far as I know.

It could be one of a number of pop-science books.  There's some speculation about the book on [here](http://www.explainxkcd.com/2011/11/16/citogenesis/#comments).

The test of whether or not something is true is NOT whether or not it makes sense.  Unfortunately this type of thinking is incredibly common.  \n\nFor example, a lot of people are taught in driver's ed that if two cars traveling at 40 mph in opposite directions, the damage in a head-on collision will be equivalent to one car hitting a brick wall at 80.  In fact this is false, and the damage would be equivalent to hitting a wall at 40.\n\nIt's so damn easy to believe things that make 'sense', and EVERYBODY does it.  It's in our nature; we're simply not designed to be scientific thinkers.  \n\nConcerning a solution, the only thing that can help is better education.  I don't think most high school teachers could give a good definition of critical thinking, not to mention name a couple common logical fallacies.  I would love to see a good 'critical thinking' course become mandatory across the country, but I'm not sure that's too likely.

&gt; Surely even the most raving Christian can't sanctify abandoning children      \n\nಥ_ಥ I wish I could believe this.

And also this gem:\n\n&gt;Do you understand the dynamics of how EMF's affect our DNA? That's a good place to start from wouldn't you agree? Do you know if there's a way to neutralize those affects? Or to transmute that energy into a form that's beneficial to our bodies? Do you know what scalar technology is or how it works? Do you know the technologies Tesla (inventor of AC which produces EMF's) invented to counteract the negative effects of his invention? I'm sure you're well intentioned but an oscilloscope can not test on the levels this product operates on. Until you understand the science upon which this product is based I think you'd be surprised to test it as they recommend, and note the positive effects first hand, which are quite convincing. 

Absolutely. And quite often this is the appropriate way to respond to things. It's not uncommon for the presence of a guy responding to crazy to be taken as evidence that the crazy is correct.

I refuse to dignify your position by trying to reason with it.  I gave it a chance, I watched Loose Change, I've talked with your ilk before and I've given your ideas a fair shake.  They failed the test, and failed it hard, and I will not waste more of my time on them.  You are no better than the homeopaths, the antivaxers, the Roswell conspiracy nuts, or the goddamn flat-earthers.  Get a grip, you delusional halfwit, and smell the shit you're peddling.

When I have the hiccups I concentrate on trying to hiccup and or expecting the next one to come and for some reason my mind takes control of my body every time and relaxes the diaphragm. It's worked for like over 20 years for me. Mind over body I guess. Strange as it sounds.

Does Ustream know you spend all day stealing other people's content?

Seeing it is originally your sub, I will let you do the honors of adding them as moderators. Welcome aboard! Also, I'm still honored to be a moderator here! I love coming here every day and look forward to reading posts. Again, welcome to everyone, to the new moderators and to anyone new to this sub-reddit!! 

I won't know till tomorrow, but I will post them if my friend can get them to me. 

Sorry, why do I clearly have a drug problem? Some other posts of mine or my username?\n\nIt was a play on the word dopamine, I smoke cigarettes but don't have any drug problems.

And to be fair, Admiral Motti was right; Vader's powers were useless. What does Vader do in response? He proves how powerful he is by doing something that hands can easily do. But get this...from four feet away! Power! Unlimited power!

Those videos were powerful crappy. Over a minute of shout outs and self promotion to start each video? The "evidence" is inconsistent and poorly presented. More imagination involved here.

You really underestimate human incompetance, evil and greed. I think you want to believe aliens are running the show so you can blame somthing else for the worlds problems.

At that point, every molecule of water on the planet must have been in that solution at some point. So, if water does have memory, then any homeopathic preparation must actually do everything at once since it contains the memory of every water molecule ever which has, in billions of years, touched everything else and remembers it. 

If that is considered being "exposed as a hoax", I have a bridge I want to sell you.

I searched for it before posting and didn't see it until after.\n\nWeird at any rate!

VicariousD on Easter don't bake a cake.\n\nRemember what happened last Easter\n\nRemember.

I'm not an expert in archaeology or anything...no, wait...yes I am.  I'd be very, very surprised if this decorated potsherd didn't turn out to be a complete forgery. But even if it isn't...\n\nWith ancient iconography of any sort, there is absolutely no way to tell for certain what any given artist intended by drawing those forms.  You can say "this is a ship"  or "this is obviously a planet with an atmosphere" or "this is a blow-up of what's in the dome" til the cows come home and it won't make you right.  Where he sees a planet and three ships, someone else could see a circle and three hats.\n\nSupposition and assumption may be helpful in archaeology, but it isn't culturally definitive at all.

"Hey skeptics, disprove this wild, unfounded claim! If you can't, it must be true!"\n\nI know the OP isn't really saying that, but that's sort of what it boils down to.\n\nLet's see the evidence that supports the idea that a science station in the Yukon caused the earthquake, then we'll see if it stands up to scrutiny. Until then, there's no reason to assume that HAARP or the Illuminati or Bigfoot or Space-Dwelling Leprechauns had anything to do with it.\n\nFurther, all evidence I've seen points to this being completely consistent with the way that nature works: big earthquakes happen sometimes. I'm sure we have some pretty good seismographic data on the whole thing that scientists are pouring over right now to help us better understand earthquakes and eventually predict when they're going to happen.

 &gt; He also kept asking where the first matter came from. \n\nAsk him where God came from? First cause argument is stupid.\n\n&gt; Then he told me the earth was 6,000 or 7,000 years old.\n\nLaugh in his face!

I have friends and family members who are involved with NASA. \n

Speculating about the motivations of extraterrestrial intelligence is nothing more than a distraction from the data.

Ok, well what happens now? \n\nIt would seem that until this sort of information is formally presented by a current authority figure in a public form that nothing will happen. My prediction is that hundreds of people will see this and the majority will not see it, or will ignore it...\n\n

It's one of the reasons. You have to admit that it's hard to take a subject seriously when you have to sift through tons of nonsense to get to the good stuff.\n\nThe bullshit absolutely outweighs anything substantial when it comes to UFOs. Which makes the whole subject hard to take seriously. Especially when evidence is incredibly hard to come by as it is.

You think God could have shown up to Show and Tell to make his son a little more popular with the other kids.

He accidentally used a magic trick that magicians have been perfecting for years. Awesome.\n\nIt's all about perspective and speed, people!

Did it look to anyone else that he got the sides wrong? After he peeked, he bantered for a bit, knelt down to pick up the envelop, and switched hands, seemingly flipping the cards around... I might be mistaken, but it's interesting to note.\n\nAlso, he recently did this trick on his lecture series with CFI. Saw him do it in Halifax. He messed up the instructions. If it was a plant in the audience, he did well, because he seemed to be as confused as everyone else.

You obviously have an awesome printer that delivers papers for you. I would thank it, not many printers can pull off that stunt.

Try to have your arguments for the benefit of other people, rather than just a private discussion.  It's more worthwhile if you can do it on a forum, blog, or podcast that other people can see.\n\nAlways try to maintain your composure.  If the other person starts yelling and calling you names, you'll come off as the more reasonable one. But don't stoop to baiting the other person, just try to have an honest discussion.\n\nAnd always acknowledge common ground, and admit when you may be wrong about something. It's not about scoring points and saving face, it's about having a genuinely honest and reasonable discussion.

The key difference here is that it's not so much about deserving something, but actively choosing to experience it in order to learn something. Thus, a 4 year old is raped not because they were necessarily bad in a past life, but because they felt they needed to experience being raped as a 4 year old in order to reach some great realisation of wisdom.\n\nFuck everything about that.

Yep, I was thinking "great, but I hope I don't see on the next page now available: Performance Balance Bracelets, doing everything those bankrupt lairs claimed and more " 

"Did Aliens Build the Pyramids?"\n"Was Darwin Wrong?"\n"Did Nazi's Escape to the Far Side of the Moon in 1945?"\n"Should a Doctor Fire an Anti-Vax Patient?"\n\nIf you can answer the question with a simple, "No!" then it's not worth writing an essay...

Be careful, Dihydrogen Monoxide is [deadly](http://www.dhmo.org/).

I've thought about disabling javascript. Is it really worth it? It seems a lot of websites use it and it makes everything just a bit smoother. 

I used to repair books for a library, and I remember one had a title along the lines of "Learn how to see auras in hours!" or something like that.\n\nI flipped through it, and it suggested placing the subject against a plain, light colored wall, and squinting until you saw the aura. If you wore corrective lenses, it would help to remove them.\n\nAmazing! =P

Admittedly it is simplified, but it is a good example nonetheless. I just don't think people of that time could grasp our technology on a level that we, nowadays, understand it. I mean, my parents who were born 40-50 years ago don't even know how to work a computer properly even when trying to perform the most simplest of tasks!

I'm still going with Carl Sagan on this, extraordinary claims like extraterrestrials require extraordinary evidence, which we simply do not have yet.  Sagan was also interested in UFOs once and would have loved to show the public solid scientific evidence he studied, but he couldn't find any.  You don't think any scientist would jump at the chance to prove aliens were real?  It would make their career, but none of them have been able to successfully prove aliens exist using the scientific method yet.\n\nWe know the Universe is large enough that life likely does exist out there, but we cannot scientifically say that we are being visited yet.  Now, I've seen all the same evidence, and some of it is compelling, unfortunately, as Sagan put it best, we need extraordinary evidence when it comes to UFOs.  Hearsay is simply not sound basis for logical thought.

You're referring to all of the "help me disprove X" posts here in /r/skeptic, right?

First: so far I have not been able to determine a list of male privilege that makes sense. The male privilege checklist is somewhat out of date, in that while some of those elements still apply, some don't... in some strata of society. For example (this is something from earlier in our discussions) education. You cited the idea that it's female subject. Women graduate high school at a much higher rate than men right now. That points to an obvious educational bias. Now, in addition to that the subjects that you say are female subjects were male subject not that long ago... there is also an increased number of female graduates in science and engineering. This is a case where in education as a whole women are privileged. In the fields of science and engineering they are catching up quickly. I have worked in small shops where most of the staff are male, and big ones that are far closer to even.\n\nsecond: I apologize, I re-read your responses. While I continue to think you are wrong, I did misread your tone. I feel that your defence of privilege theory is based on some very, very bad data. The thing is, there are stats that conflict very, very heavily with the stats privilege theory is derived from. In the end, that's the number one issue. For example, the 1 in 4 stat is based on incredibly bad methodology, and the 1 in 6 is misleading as all hell. The 78 cents on the dollar stat is also poorly thought out. It fails to include the number of hours worked, and instead focuses on number of years. These issues are the real core of the flaw in privilege theory. It's based on bad data, so it is a bad theory. Taking things like the idea that every advantage a "non-privileged" group has is the result of benevolent prejudice and every disadvantage the "privileged" group suffers is accidental downside is a just so story. It's fitting facts to your theory, not your theory to facts.

There are a few other arguments for the Bayesian approach. In certain formal contexts, an Occamian prior using Kolmogorov complexity cannot be beaten by any other Bayesian. See this [Wikipedia summary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_inference) which gives references to relevant papers. Moreover, if one wants a consistent set of priors one [needs to have a weak form of Occam's razor](http://lesswrong.com/lw/2ks/a_proof_of_occams_razor/). \n\n

Sorry, I'm still confused. Are you objecting to that change?  Certainly the change is good? The change is clearly a major boon to men and women.  In fact, a quick Google search suggests feminists lobbied for that law.\n\nWhat about the law before this change was "indemnifying women"? Everyone was getting screwed by the prior law...

&gt; Why didn’t I just stop taking the drug? I did consider it. But there’s something particularly dispiriting about quitting a medicine that’s supposed to be helping you quit smoking. I kept thinking that my body was still getting used to being on Chantix and off cigarettes, that I should wait until everything readjusted itself.\n\nAnd yet, you didn't talk to your doctor, who would have taken you off of it right away.  You had even read the warnings yourself, and chose to ignore them.\n\n**tl;dr: This idiot took Chantix, ignored the warnings, ignored the side-effect symptoms, and now is trying to make the drug company look bad.**\n

Or the stock market. You can leverage highly with options, and you just need to follow a single large stock through a couple large, rapid price movements.\n\nAlso, it's useful even if you don't get thrown back in time.

Please read the sidebar, where it says, "** Policy on memes and the like ** "

At 12:02 in this video there's a purported actual photograph of a real ET's hand and arm, presumably part of a cadaver, with a more detailed illustration above it.  You can also see what appears to be ribs of a torso.\n\nI don't know if it's real or not but it is interesting.  I've seen it before in a book but I don't remember which one.  Does anyone know where this photo first appeared?\n\nI've stumbled upon the photo online somewhere too but can't find it using google image search.\n\nAside from the webbing between digits the hand looks a bit reminiscent of some dinosaur hand and forearms.  It was pretty common for some dinosaur species to have only fully developed first and second digits with the others in vestigial partial form, for example one phalange (bone joint) but lacking the entire finger. 

So wait, let me get this straight. During those three years you never replaced the dvd?

"Everything is a vibration" is part of the narrative for the quantum-woo embracing folks. Talking about "frequency" is just taking it one step further.

Right, just wanted to make it clear to anybody reading the comments. At first, I thought you meant it was Eisenhower himself discussing the matter...

So what did your Dad say when you told him you've been seeing these ghosts since you were 13?

&gt;slimy creatures moving in drinking tube of platypus, strange creatures in bed.\n\nWhat the hell *is* that place?

* Homeopathy is fairly uncommon in Northern Europe.\n* We have excellent health care in Sweden.\n* You do not understand socialism, social democracy or logic. Work on that instead.

Can't recall, I think maybe I was checking the time but yes that's what happened. It's hard for me to explain, but the corridor between outside/inside is about 4ft narrow and only about 6ft long. When you come in from the outside area you have to turn 90 degrees left and step through into the main part of the shop. Once in the main room, I turned immediately right towards the main entrance and counter. One of my friends who was inside the main room, walked up to me and started speaking to me.\n\nI turned and replied to them and at the same time started feeling for my phone. This is when I heard it fall, seemingly out of nowhere.\n\nAt the time it fell I was standing facing the doorway (open) to the corridor, albeit at an angle. My friend Lucy was standing between me and the doorway facing me, but turned toward the sound when it happened.\n\nWhen it fell, I had had time to pass the point I found/heard it, grab a chocolate bar or whatever it was from the counter, turn and engage my friend in conversation and check for the phone. All that must have taken between 10 - 20 seconds atleast.

Well that's sort of a moot comparison I am afraid. This guy is claiming his book contains facts and he is using bad science in the process. Since he is claiming his work to be true, he needs to be scrutinized. Whereas a work of fiction is just that, fiction.

Versus sugar intake, it does have the benefit of sweetening without calories.  That's a health benefit.  So no, we can't agree on that.  Now, we'd probably all be better off if we just got used to things being less sweet, but that's a different discussion.

Burrito night in New Jersey &gt; Increased atmospheric Methane &gt; jet stream ignition of the gas.\n\nIn short - swamp gas, move along nothing to see here. 

All you have to do is research.  It's comments like these attempting to ridicule that do nothing but ultimately make the poster look very, very stupid.  If you knew anything about the existing data you'd also know that there have been pretty extensive studies and books written about the subject.  One book (whose name presently escapes me) was written by a very high ranking individual working in air force projects relating to the specific type of propulsion used under these circumstances.\n\nSo yeah....apparently you *did* miss the memo.  Unfortunately for you, however, the memo itself was one that really anybody could find and read.  Anyone more interested in learning how things work than trying to come on Reddit and sound intelligent by attempting to ridicule someone who has information that is foreign to them would likely come across the information.\n\nGood luck with that.

I too have seen a UFO in the UK.\n\nIt travelled alongside us with flashing multi-coloured lights (we were in a car) and it kept our speed even when we varied it.  We then got out to watch it for 10 mins as it stayed stationary with us.  It made no sound from right across the street, about 100 metres away.  We then set off again and it went from right next to us (parallel to our right-hand side), to the edge of the horizon in front about a second flat.  Fastest thing I have ever seen.  And there was no sonic boom.\n\nI fully believe we need to utilise this technology.\n\nIf it is ET's they need to stop fucking around and say hello.\n\nEDIT: though I wouldn't blame them for hanging back, I'm sure the US would just try to blow them up.  That or they'll start complaining that the "took our jobs".

My mom is a saint, just a naive saint. Watch how you throw around elitist accusations. 

So, year after year the UFO returned and the guy didn't have the foresight to get the best camera equipment he could find...night vision...tripod...stabilizing system?

As a runner, I'm thinking that maybe I should get one of these.  Most of the info I've read in the past says that to get better I need to run more and work hard to get faster.  I was dreading having to spend hours out running in the cold this winter in order to be able to run well in my spring races.  With this, though, I can totally slack off in my nice warm house until April, then strap this thing on my wrist on race day!

I'm sorry, this has to be the most humorless webcomic series I've ever seen. It's like something a Vulcan would write.

Sorry if I was not clear on this, but this is what I meant to say.\n\nI see lots of people try to call into question whether or not he existed at all, when historically speaking he most definitely did.\n\nAs for whether or not he did the things the Bible says he did, that's a different matter entirely.

Here's an interesting [study](http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/Placebo_Chiropractic_Treatment.shtml) done at the Palmer Institute, the center of Chiropractic nuttery. The problem these guys had was they believed that studies of chiropractic technique which included sham treatments were skewed because the sham treatments actually did some good. (shesh!)\n\nIn this case, they're using a mind-boggling stupid device (Activator) which works by shooting out a small metal probe which they press on an activation point which does something or other to cure joint pain.\n\nWell, the shame treatment was to dial the thing to zero (so it didn't shoot out at all) but it still making a big clicking noise. The real treatment was to set to whatever number was supposed to work.\n\nOf course, this study is a joke - let see why? First, it's not double blind - the treatment giver knows if they are real or a sham practitioner. Second, the population was faculty and students of the Palmer Institute! (talk about selecting a biased population). And third, there's no evidence that the REAL treatment works in the first place.\n\nThis is typical of chiropractic studies and at least demonstrates one of the sham methods they use.

No one. Ever. Said. That the skeptic movement. Exclusively consists. Of Sexists.\n\nCan we stop getting all defensive and rather acknowledge *that it happens and that it would be better if it didn't?* That's all Jen is saying, that it's great that it didn't happen to Mallorie but that that doesn't prove that it never does.

Wow! another great video, although no love from the board...\n\nHonestly, the amount of daytime "white orb" videos is kinda crazy to me. There have been multiple, repeated sightings/videos of the same, indescribable white flying orbs. I don't know if they are man-made or alien, but they seem to be largely ignored for being spotted nearly everywhere!\n\nThis is still my personal favorite, complete in crazy robed men and an incredulous sideline reporter getting way more than he bargained for:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MBEygrZAAw\n\n

I hadn't heard of this either, thanks! I love anything that has to do with official government representatives talking about UFOs.

The phenomenon of house husbands is still niche. No, I won't apologize for recognizing the well established social phenomenon of housewives, women who have never held long term jobs and lack degrees.\n\nedit: This woman has obviously held a job for a short time, but she has no degree other than business. She's spent more of her life as a housewife than at her job.

&gt;Discovery of alien life would likely be seen as some sort of validation of Scientology\n\nOnly if they fly here in DC 9s.

Really? What about all those New Age Homeopaths who are not religious, but "spiritual"?

This is almost identical to the platform of the German NPD, or the contemporary Neo-Nazi party, and is very similar to ideals espoused by Hitler himself. \n\nObedience to authority, homogenous culture, "Patriotism" or sacrificing individuality and independence for the sake of the country... This is the beginning of Fascism.

Thank you for this.  This happens to me all the time too, and I've noticed it since I was a child.  

Exactly. If you're skeptic you're also an [Agnostic atheist](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnostic_atheism).

this is a very interesting and revealing video.. the man is giving real answers! \n\ncould the Hollywood storylines be true? did visitors appear and warn us about the fate of our planet? did mankind harness their technology, is this why we've experienced so many quickly advancing technologies in the last 50+ years? \n\nI hope this all leads somewhere. I'm ready to move beyond speculation 

I agree with you in principle, but what about childhood vaccines? what about x-rays for children? What about parents making their children play outside for an hour a day? The argument that parents shouldn't be able to force something on their children that has health benefits isn't a good argument. There needs to be something else in your arsenal of arguments against childhood circumcision.

I hate the fact that some massage therapists try to mix in homeopathy with their work.  Massage, in itself, works.  It relaxes you and your muscles, but that's about it.  \n\nThey are just giving the others a bad name.

Yeah... good point, but try telling a theist the burden of proof is on them to prove the existence of a god before anyone is going to take them seriously ;) \n\nIn theory you're right, but in practise it's rather nice to have some vocal ammunition against the stupid.

Well, I can definitely picture a situation where even after we have working mind uploads, which is an enormous if (you not only need the wiring, but also the synaptic connection strengths, i.e. numbers of receptors, and who knows what else), we would still have very little clue as of how it works. \n\nIt may even be the case that brain does not have some big picture summary for us to understand. Things we design have some general plan to understand, but brain has not been designed.

Actually I kept seeing "The quote is fake!" before I even knew what the quote was. \n\nAnd then there was [this post](http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/h2saz/you_know_that_mlk_quote_that_you_have_been_seeing/) on the front page.

   If you feel like tucking in for a read, then grab a tea and a futon folks you're gonna be here for a while.\n\nLast year I had on and off experiences in my dorm with a potential "something or other" we called Merlin. We lived on the top floor of a probably 40 year old building that was not creepy in the slightest. I think we all called it Merlin to make it a little less unnerving when something would happen. It started off as almost unnoticeable things. Someone would walk out of the room and the door would close a few seconds later. Blame it on the wind, no big deal. Sitting alone in your room you might hear a roomie come in from class, only checking 15 minutes later you realize your still alone in the flat. Weird eh\n\n Then the door started closing as it pleased, though stuck with a sock wedged neatly in its crack. Papers and random objects would disappear for hours at a time, only to turn up right on your desk the next time you turn around. My roommates from down the common hall would come to see me because they said "being alone in the dorm made them uncomfortable at night." I could no longer count on getting a good nights rest before class, as I never quite felt alone at night ...I had so many corners of my room that were completely dark and drew your attention if you even kept your eyes open and the more I thought about it the more uncomfortable and sleepless I became.\n\n It wasn't something that remained constant, and the spectral shenanigans came and went as the school year progressed. It was pretty neat to be honest, as it was very interesting to talk about and many of us held our breath waiting for something else to happen. My next door roommate ( our bedroom doors were literally touching) and I had become very "tight" and we knew each others beliefs, moral stances and superstitions fairly well at this point.\n\n Jesse had been acting strange, deep circles under his eyes and the lack of his usual spark. He would play games in my room until 2 in the morning sometimes, even if he had class early the next day. It seemed he would rather exhaust himself than fall to sleep peacefully at night. One frosty winter evening we had a sit down in his room to smoke some herb and talk like we often did. After a lot of silence and sighing he told me he wasn't sleeping at night. He said something was always sitting in the darkest corners of his room, and it was always, always watching him. He didnt know what it wanted, but it just wouldnt give him peace. I told him I hoped he wasnt joking, as this was becoming a problem for me before it abruptly stopped a few months ago. He told me he was keeping it away from me, he just felt that way. I asked if it was in the room now. He sighed, looked over his shoulder into the farthest corner of his room and said yes. After that night he dropped it permanently. He talked about it like had been joking that night when I poked and prodded the subject later.\n\n  Again, months passed and it was near February now. Merlin had been on the down low, and he was all but forgotten. Then another spree of subtle ghost trolling began. Door knobs were rattling in their sockets, knocks in the middle of the night, lights found both on and off when they are always left untouched. When I would sit in Jesses room, I could see down our hallway that linked to the kitchen. Constantly I would find myself seeing a tall dark something there. Sometimes it was on the kitchen wall, sometimes it was 10 feet away from us. I would see Jesse jerk his head and look down the hall too, but he didnt want to talk about it. \n\n   Now my other Roommates were becoming skeptical at this point, as most of the things that went on were around me and Jesse. A quiet night in which me and Jesse were just sitting in my room playing Xbox, a large slam was heard down the hall. That didnt make sense, as the doors are on air cushion release kinda deals. Right after the slam, theres a commotion and my two other roommates come running down the hall. Eyes wide, they could hardly talk. We eventually get it out of them that apparently Jons door stop had been flung from underneath the door as if it were kicked violently and the door swung shut regardless of mechanism. My other roommate had been looking out the window and he swore in the reflection he saw a tall dark shadow in the doorway before the door slammed shut. I had never told those roommates about the dark shadow.\n\n The last truly nerve wracking experience before I left that damned dorm was on the night of 420. the dorm had been mostly empty, me aside, that week and Merlin was really getting on my nerves. His latest trick was opening kitchen drawers. Almost every night that week I would hear and feel the vibration of those drawers opening, open my door and see them hanging from their hole in the counter. I was seeing shadows down the hall way so much I just left my door closed and listened to music to avoid silence. Now it was 420 damnit, and I needed to relax with my green and a girl from a building over. We had been chillin in my room for a good hour before theres a long moment of silence. I had been filling a bowl when I notice the quiet and look over at chick. Shes sitting motionless, and staring down the hall. She wouldnt look at me. I put my hand on her shoulder and ask whats wrong. She says she saw a dark figure walking down the hall, and she felt immensely uncomfortable now. Her arms had goosebumps, and she was cold to the touch. She got to her feet and asked me to walk her out right now. I obliged, then sat down and really tried to compose my shaken self. I had never told her about Merlin, or his presence or the tall shadow in the hall. How had so many people experienced the exact same thing. \n\n I still believe in Merlin to this day, and pity the sucker whos stuck in Jesses room this year.\n\n The end\n\n ( edit, typo)

Could they mean the "numbers" that come after a name, like in "Bill Stickers III"? That seems more likely than numerology/astrology/etc.

&gt; take a look at the free software library\n\nSure, I see lots of "clone of" and "like X"\n\nWarcraft wasn't innovative. I don't think that the setting is particularly important in thinking about whether something brought anything new to the table.\n\n&gt; Again, your definition of innovation is far too limited and not in sync with how human creativity works, which is based on the backs of giants.\n\nYes, your definition of creativity and innovation includes derivative incremental improvements, which are neither creative nor innovative. Stealing someone else's idea to duplicate software is significantly easier than coming up with something original.

I think it's mostly for the simple sake of clarity. Since no one exactly knows what it is we are dealing with, there is a little bit of poetic freedom allowed. This also gets the feeling the person dealt with at the time, better across to the reader. Furthermore, details help to find people with similar experiences or get better feedback to what it was they experienced themselves. /r/paranormal has the bestest stories.

Can't tell if trolling or just incredibly obtuse. \n\nThe apparent motivation is the same as every other faked photo: to deceive.  

[Confirmation bias](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias) + [placebo effect](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo) + limited working memory capacity = believe whatever the fuck you feel like

This particular infographic is inaccurate and a bit on the side of fear-mongering (because what else is FB for?), but [it does have a basis in actual research.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraben#Toxicology) Relevant quotes:\n\n&gt;"From this research it is not possible to say whether parabens actually caused these tumors, but they may certainly be associated with the overall rise in breast cancer cases. Given that breast cancer is a large killer of women and a very high percentage of young women use underarm deodorants, I think we should be carrying out properly funded, further investigations into parabens and where they are found in the body," says Philip Harvey, an editor of the Journal of Applied Toxicology, which published the research.\n\n&gt;A 2004 study at Northwestern University found that an earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis related to more frequent use of antiperspirants/deodorants and underarm shaving.[17] "I personally feel there is a very strong correlation between the underarm hygiene habits and breast cancer," said immunologist Dr. Kris McGrath, the author of the study.\n\nThe [FDA's current stance](http://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/productandingredientsafety/selectedcosmeticingredients/ucm128042.htm) is that parabens are fine, but cosmetics aren't regulated by the FDA, so I personally don't give a lot of weight to their statement on the subject. Your mileage may vary. On the other hand, [the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS)](http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Formulation-Science/Parabens-safe-to-use-in-cosmetics-says-European-safety-committee), the relevant European regulatory body, also says they're fine in low concentrations. On the other side of the fence, there are  [organizations that are trying to ban parabens](http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?id=291) and other common cosmetic ingredients that have had safety/toxicity questions raised about them. Personally, I try to buy products without parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde and the rest of the rogues' gallery in them, but again, YMMV.\n

While I haven't yet found the one he's talking about, I did find this one, and its pretty sweet. The thing even changes its shape. [Hopefully its not fake.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89KkYMS8jkk)\n\nEDIT: [Here's another one.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sliZd5arkII) This has cleaned up images from the video showing the occupants and some backstory. 

He's right. Delusional idiots who have near religious views about UFO occupants are the bane of this field and are the ones who have done most to hold back real research into UFOs, far more than any intelligence agency or shadowy government factions. They are the ones that have successfully held back UFO disclosure for over 40 years by making us all look like cranks and buying into every cheap and shoddy fraud that comes down the pike, so no serious researcher or scientist would touch the issue with a ten foot pole. \n\nThat you are upset by this comment, which is merely an observation and not pointed at everyone, perhaps indicates that you're a little insecure, or think the comment hits a little bit too close to home?\n\nEither way, he's not talking about everyone here, just a few. Don't be so sensitive. 

Even when reality comes calling like this ... the anti-vax loons are still in denial.

I'm not sure what we're supposed to be skeptical about here.  There is no real point to his topic.  Everything he says can be true from a certain perspective (for example, he says we don't know what causes gravity...which is SORT OF true since we hadn't found the Higgs Boson yet), but it doesn't really say anything at all.  \n\nI don't think he's attacking science, promoting it, or anything...I don't think he's trying to convince you of anything.  Seriously, if you're supposed to take away something from the talk let me know haha.  I cannot think of anything.  \n\nIt is pretty bad though.  It sounds like something a college freshman would write to try and sound "deep"

&gt;it seems to me that proponents of Ancient Aliens theory do not question **Man's** ability to build wondrous structures, rather they question the abilities of non-Western societies to do anything without the influence of Western culture.\n\nNow *that* is an interesting take, and one I've never even considered! Thank you very much for contributing it.\n\nBased on my own experience with public schooling in the USA, there's no question that I was under-educated about history that didn't occur in Europe. It was only through my own research that I found examples of great discoveries in India, China, etc. that were certainly worthy of being taught in class, but never were.

No.\n\nI spent way too much of my life already not being a skeptic. Now, its so much a part of me, that I doubt I *could* turn it off if I wanted to.\n\nI have never been in a position where I thought it would benefit me like it did you though, so I guess I might if that were the case, but It would probably be pretty difficult.

I am sure there are multiple ways to make the illusion... but I would go with the simplest and say battery.

I've heard of this.  It is a legit form of birth control, although I doubt the 100% number, it has shown good promise in studies.\n\nThe HIV fighting effects are going to be very tiny.  Essentially this is only killing virions that are traveling up the vas deferens, which is only a fraction of one HIV vector among the many involved in sexual contact.\n\nI'd gamble that the HIV protection is statistically significant, but not medically significant.

I'm not assuming, I'm just speculating upon what seems most likely. It isn't a question of them 'not wanting to associate', it's more that they think on such an advanced and different level that communication of advanced concepts with humans might be very difficult. And whatever they are doing here, they don't need our permission for anything; we have no control over them. Why would they bother to make agreements?\n\nFrom another perspective, imagine today's human scientists traveling back in time to when Homo sapiens was fairly new, say 180,000 years ago. How much would *they* be interested in working alongside and 'collaborating' with humans from that early stage of development? No language, no technology; physiologically probably not nearly as developed in terms of raw intelligence and sheer amount of grey matter in their heads as we are today.\n\nOr, would today's time-travelling scientists just move ahead with whatever project motivated them to travel back to that time without even bothering to ask permission from or collaborating with, or, in your words, 'associating' with those primitive people? How interested would they be in helping Homo sapiens from that early time to 'EVOLVE MAYBE???' Evolution happens naturally with each sentient race.\n\nThe vast majority of abductees report events that don't bear much resemblance to any situation of cooperative collaboration. It's possible that maybe some sort of human/alien hybrid is what some abductees are describing.\n\nIt's all speculation.

&gt; are there any gluten containing sources of sugar?\n\nNo. Gluten is a protein that comes from certain grains (wheat, barley, a few others) only.\n\nBut from what I've read, most liquors are safe for gluten-free diets. You gotta be careful about special-infused liquors and creamy drinks (like Bailey's Irish Cream, etc). Many distilleries now address gluten content on their websites, though.

I'm a bit confused at what you're attempting to satirize. People/devices that supposedly clean your chakras or the concept of chakras in general?

This exact same thing happened to me, I saw my friends SS Number when he was filling out some paperwork and it was off of mine by like 3 or 4 but he was born about a month after I was

Based on this, the probability of having exactly 3 is about 16% in any given 12 month period.\n\n[Binomial PDF](http://m.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=binomial+distribution+n%3D12%2C+p%3D43%2F300&amp;amp;x=0&amp;amp;y=0)

I think you can place the thanks on Paul for that, he took a dime a dozen Messiah turned martyr and ran with it. 

I disagree - and your study is showing NOTHING about complications - it is a study on mental abilities, and on just 1000 patients in a pretty limited context. And if you study a little the difference in vaccination schedules in US vs. Europe you will see that there are pretty clear differences (which in actual life tend to be even bigger than on paper) - so your claim that\n\n&gt; Vaccine schedules, as I said earlier, are created based upon these sorts of studies. They are not arbitrary or random, they are based upon empirical evidence.\n\nis not such a clear cut!

Wait until the states' defence department see this; they will get a collective heart attack from all that nanotech on this one coin.

That's a perfectly reasonable response, but I'm simply quoting the rules of this subreddit that I think people should be abiding by. This sub was made for real, unexplainable (by science!) glitches. If you want a subreddit that wishes to share thoughts on glitches that disregard current scientific understanding (and I have no problem with that) then I really feel you should be in, or make, a different subreddit.

&gt;This line of reasoning doesn't disprove anything though.\n\nRight, it's a case where the line "you can't prove a negative" is applicable, though I hate using the word "prove/proof" when it comes to science (other than maths and logic).\n\nThe Tehran incident is interesting, seems that there was something there. The "skeptical" analysis that wikipedia mentions from Philip J. Klass is shameful. Klass seems to have just tried shoving in a prosaic explanation, even though his explanation is contradicted by simple facts such as the direction that the planes flew in.\n\n&gt;And before you pull out Occum's Razor on me, the simplest explanation is not no explanation.\n\nWell obviously. "The simplest explanation is no explanation" is clearly a contradiction, and so the negation is true.\n\nBut I'm happy with no explanation without better data. I don't feel compelled to explained that which I really can't explain, it'd be dishonest of me to claim that I could explain it.

Why didn't you post any evidence of doctoring yourself? Nothing in your links is even evidence of what you're saying. This is like a weird amalgamation of unrelated trivia combined to form the mother of all confirmation biases, and your post is the best example I've ever seen of it.\n\nYou need to reexamine your logic pathing.

No problem, I understand your points but I don't agree where you write "conversations should be full of arguments" - that should be in my opinion be reserved for serious conversations (like this) and not the kind of small talk you'd expect on a dating site. I'm pretty sure any kind of serious and argumentative discourse would be a huge turn-off for any prospective dates.

I like the part about "it chokes out your mitochondrial cells". I didn't know mitochondria were entire cells now!\n\nOf course they give absolutely no reasons why any of these things are harmful. I like how they always label foods as "harmful" because some people are insensitive to them, but most people have 0 negative effects. Labeling MSG as dangerous is akin to recommending everyone not eat peanuts because some people have peanut allergies.

Belief has nothing to do with it. I know there are UFOs - things seen in the sky which are not yet identified. I know that the possibility that they are from an extraterrestrial civilization is extremely small.

Well, if you went to a Mexican restaurant and ordered food, yes. I, however, make my own. My grandma was a cook from near the border, and she handed down a ton of really good recipes, which I only had to modify slightly to make them vegan. My favorites being enchiladas and tamales.

No, just biology. You can't cure cancer, diabetes, gonorrhea or whooping cough by adjusting the spine. Despite what the founder of Chiropractic claims. It *doesn't* sound **remotely** plausible.

Any search into Dr. Leir or alien implants has produced little to no verifiable results. 

&gt;Anecdotes show that it does not work for some people.\n\nNo they don't. They're not reviewed studies, they're personal testimony. It's no more valid than anecdotal accounts of success with homeopathy or faith healing.\n\n&gt;People are all different, have different genetics, and sometimes different physiology.\n\nThis is bizarre argument on /r/skeptic. It's like saying "homeopathy worked for ME, I must have a different body type!"\n\nIf you are asserting that there exist genetic subtypes that have substantially different dietary needs, the burden is on you to support this. Given, however, that most of the world has converted from a hunter-gatherer to agricultural lifestyle within the last 10k years, *and populations are growing and thriving the world over as a consequence*, even though a grain-heavy diet is far from "natural", it supports the view that we are all highly adaptable, and nutritional needs do not appear to vary widely based on ethnic background.\n\n&gt;You'll also notice that the article is on the vegetarian diet, not vegan.\n\n"It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, **including total vegetarian or vegan diets**, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. "\n\nThe vegan diet is a subset of the vegetarian diet. Try reading the actual paper, they deal specifically with veganism.\n

I would interested in a PM of them too. If you require my email address I can PM it to you if you want.

Please let's get this post seen. The first go to has to be going to a ~~psychologist~~ psychiatrist. What if she's doing this to herself? OP needs to be responsible and make sure she's ok.\n\nEDIT: Woops, I also wrote psychologist. Psychiatrist is what I meant.

Ive been to the chiropractor for lower back pain. Worked for me. Although I should say that once I learned to do a certain contortion of the body, that they did to me at the chiropractor, i was able to do it myself.

I will not claim that anything that cannot be proven is true. I will not advocate my own superstitious beliefs as objective realities.\n\nThat said, *I believe Bob Lazar.* Whether this is because I want to believe, or because he seems honest and sincere, I don't know, but I do. Maybe I just naturally like the guy. Maybe that makes me a sucker. He may not always communicate complicated ideas as clearly and effectively as needed, but I believe he's a genuine person.\n\nI believe in bigfoot. Too many massive footprints and weird broken tree teepees in remote locations.\n\nI believe in lake monsters or sea serpents, whatever you want to call them. It's an unidentified shy animal. I would be willing to bet the mokele mbembe is real, too.\n\nThese unproven beliefs kick me right out of the skeptics camp and into the land of the believers with the tin foil hats. Fine.\n\nHowever, I don't believe in my fellow man in general. They're too stupid and mischievous generally to be trusted, so everything a human being presents to me is inherently suspect. That means I *shouldn't* believe in any of the things listed above, but I tend to think the hoaxers are the "bad" people who think it's funny to fool other people, and the honest witnesses to strange things are the "good" people.\n\nThen again, some of the lovely honest people who make extraordinary claims are schizophrenic or otherwise unreliable, so you really have to be careful who you believe.\n\n

Sucks they can't have their fun elsewhere, like [here](http://reddit.com/r/christassie). Now there's a subreddit just asking to be trolled.

I have a similar situation. I put my childhood cat down a couple years ago and a few days after she died I walked into my room and saw her sitting on my floor crouched down like how she always sat watching me and I thought nothing of it, so I turned to put my lamp on and once I realized what I just saw I swung around as fast as I could and she was gone. That was the only time anything like that happened with her.

cashier isnt paying attention puts the 100 where they put the 20 or the 10?

There is nothing to suggest humans have ever been genetically engineered. We share DNA with creatures all over this planet, we evolved here. People point to ancient summarian tablets as proof of alien visitation and dream up all this other info.

Most people can't see it bro but your not alone there are people out there who know, time will tell if others break free.

Show me a source that says US trained DOs "cannot be called, or refer to themselves as doctors, or medical professionals."\n\nHere's mine:\n\n * The Ontario Medicine Act 1991 states that "No person other than a member (registered with the College of Physicians &amp; Surgeons) shall use the titles "physician" or "surgeon", a variation or abbreviation or an equivalent in another language. 1991, c. 30, s. 9 (1)." and "No person other than a member shall hold himself or herself out as a person who is qualified to practise in Ontario as a physician or surgeon or in a specialty of medicine.\n * The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario will recognize a degree of Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine granted by an osteopathic medical school in the United States that was, at the time the degree was granted, accredited by the American Osteopathic Association as equivalent to a degree in medicine as defined in clause (a) of Section 1 of Ontario Regulation 865/93. [Source](http://www.cpso.on.ca/policies/policies/default.aspx?ID=1654). \n * All Provinces/Territories (along with the Canadian Military) recognize the degree and DO's full rights to practice with varying requirements for registration.\n\nI suppose you'll claim that the College of Physicians and Surgeons was bought off in every Province/Territory. Again... you won't be provide a source. 

I almost feel like it carries over from mistrust of minority ethnic groups from the middle ages. I suppose that kind of mentality has existed long before then, but the middle ages was really when anti-minoirty became the hysterically appropriate thing to do.\n\nBooks I've read on witchcraft in medieval europe really hammer the point that minorities are distrusted simply because their cultural background is different, so its okay to literally demonize them and their exclusion from the status quo becomes accepted.\n\nIn conspiracy land, the status quo is two things: anti-establisment and anti-minority. I don't mean minority here in a classical sense of non-W.A.S.P. ethnic groups, but minority as someone outside *their* social group. So group A will ostricize group B because B has a different cultural background than A.\n\nPeople of Jewish heritage are numerous in places in media management, which is principally pro-establisment which is anti-their status-quo. Conspiracy nuts distrust the media, Jews head media, conspiracy nuts distrust jews.\n\nSo much junk I read about "Jewish overlords creating a new world order to enslave humanity for the upcoming Martian invasion"-like things usually stem from a root of minority-related paranoia which is especially evident in the mass breakdown of skepticism of medieval witch hunts.\n\nSo while the root cause has little to do with paranoid delusions, the details behind such conspiracy plots usually are rooted in delusion.

&gt;je·june/jiˈjo͞on/Adjective\n\n&gt;1. Naive, simplistic, and superficial.\n2. (of ideas or writings) Dry and uninteresting.\n\nThis is definitely not genuine crazy.

I'll agree with most of the stuff you have listed is disinfo. \n\nBut to say that the Illuminati/NWO is non-existent is a bit of a stretch. Let's face it. Obama, McCain, Sarah Palin, other political nominees, are NOT at the top of centralized power. Doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. 

Anyone who uses the word "privilege" unironically isn't worth taking seriously.

Conspiracy theories that are true are called conspiracies, much like how alternative medicine that works is called medicine. 

i was about to mention that very thing.  he *wants* to believe, but his analytical mind knows better.  he tends to go down the rabbit hole of idiotic ideas, seemingly for the purpose of exposing their silliness in the end.

Ask him if he remembers visiting my school and talking to this dipshit professor \n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5NRfvAMk2c&amp;amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\n\nTldr: professor interrupts Shermer lecture and has brainwashed croney film the event. That evening, this shitty video is posted online in an attempt to prove Shermer is in denial of 9/11 "truth"

Anyone else get the feeling that we are having a phased, controlled roll out of disclosure?

Really? What does Occam's Razor favor for the origin of life then?

My mistake I thought you were in some weird sense inferring that minority groups cannot be oppressed by a force that only can oppress minority groups, hence my confusion. \n\nOk, that seems like an odd co-opting of a common term, but alright.  I've looked at your source and a couple others and it appears its essentially the same definition just with qualifiers like male or white.  The wiki you linked says "Male privilege is a sociological term developed by feminists that refers quite generally to any special rights or status granted to men in a society".  You then go on to say that the term does not apply to members who are by definition not dominant members of society.  Are women defined to be non-dominant members of society?  If that is the case, then I am not impressed.  Defining something to be true is absurd but perhaps I am mistaken here as well.  \n\nIt isn't clear to me that Feminists fight for equal rights, nor is clear to me that patriarchy is a valid concept (not to say that I believe the antithesis) and this was my point about her use of the word con in the title.  If patriarchy, as it is defined in Patriarchy Theory, is an invalid concept or a false one then its perpetuation as a valid one in order to effect social policies is a scam.  If it is indeed a scam, then one would be on firm ground in distrusting the Feminist movement and its other claims.

Maybe the ape was simply 1 strand of what we humans are as a whole.\n\nCould we be a little of everything?

The main reason why large objects can't "be in two places" at the same time is that matter's "wavelength" is a function of matter and speed, the slower and smaller the larger the wavelength. So an electron orbital is about the size of an atom, while the wavelength of a ball rolling down the street is smaller than any unit of measurement that we can even comprehend. There is no "baseball orbital" because it would be some incomprehensibly small fraction of the size of a single atom and would look like, well, the exact same basketball.\n\nPeople use quantum mechanics to try to explain human consciousness too. Pretty silly :P.

The highest dB thresholds are the most audible, obviously.\n"Stuck In The Hole! Hap-py birthday!" after those words are more slurred inaudible words. Then there is a short pause. Starting again on the 10th second, the man sounds like he is speaking while weeping. Then starting on the 12th second. He is still weeping, he says "Happy birth.. day." then what could possibly be "To you" sounds like "tuhh uhh". Then at the 19th second, he says "Happy Birthday" but raises the tone of the melody on "Birthday". Then, from the 21st second to the end, what i enhanced from the audio and static (And you might be able to hear it in the static if you listen very carefully) "Happy Birthday--ay--ay--ay" like he is choking or coughing.

I went to AA for a few meetings, and to me, as a skeptic and atheist, it was utter nonsense. The realization that I came to whilst there was that I don't think like the others. I couldn't, for example, simply cast my burdens onto something (which is the god of Christianity of course) that I knew was simply make-believe.\n\nThe gatherings we had were similar to a church group. No one thanked anyone but Jesus and god and baby Jesus. The way I see it, AA meetings are just another recruitment technique for Christianity. They have more members leaving than coming in, and who better to target than the most vulnerable to increase membership? They have a monopoly on that my friends. I could go on and on about AA, but I won't at least not today.

I don't believe your story for a second, but if it was true, I would suggest you seek professional counseling. Traumatic experiences like that don't make ghosts, but they do make problems for the survivors. \n\nDo yourself and your new girlfriend a favor and get help. 

Thanks, that's interesting. In one of his talks, professor Robert Sapolsky a well known neuroscientist and primatologist has actually perpetuated this myth. I had thought that the evidence supported it but never checked... Still haven't checked, but will now have to do so.

Well it depends were she is studying it. I had a few professors that really loved Jung, and psychoanalysis and similar are still quite strong in my part of the globe...

I shall consider it, thank you for your time. It has been..enlightening. 

That link is to a single study for treatment of a single ailment. It says that the results confirm other studies, but doesn't refer to them. That makes for a very weak case.\n\nThe WHO did a wide-ranging analysis of all available research in 2002 and [published the results](http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js4926e/). In short, acupuncture seems to outperform a placebo or other treatments when used to treat *some* ailments. In others, it is ineffective.\n\nThe study you linked to is not the first to include "sham" acupuncture as one of the treatments. It has been done with toothpicks, lasers and other instruments. Those studies have generally found that the sham is approximately as effective as the real acupuncture, both of which are often significantly more effective than the alternative treatments. However, that doesn't support the conclusion from your linked article "that acupuncture does not work." It only supports the idea that, in cases where it's been shown to be effective, we don't know *how* it works.

Darker surfaces have high [emissivity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity).

Since the image doesn't specify: if you're talking about fluoride in things *other* than drinking water, several of them are attributable to fluoride.  Occupational exposure to fluoride dust can cause bone abnormalities ([source](http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/81-123/pdfs/0563.pdf)).  There is limited evidence that even in drinking water, a fluoride overdose is possible at greater than 0.7 ppm, with side effects including:  GI distress, salivation, CNS irritability, tetany, seizures, hypocalcemia, hypoglycemia, cardiorespiratory failure. Chronic excess use may result in mottled teeth or bone changes. (source: Johns Hopkins: The Harriet Lane Handbook, 19th ed. - sorry, no link).  \n\nHowever, all that being said, I'm skeptical of the chart above on two counts.  One - for most of the negative effects of the chart above (while some are *potentially* true, and others almost certainly are downright false), they require exposure from routes other than via drinking water, so you'd have to either work in a hazardous environment or go out of your way to get exposed.  Also, few municipalities exceed the 0.7 ppm level (though it happens, admittedly, often through natural fluoridation of the groundwater).\n\nTwo - it has a couple of my personal bullshitometer triggers: autism and cancer.  No specific kind of cancer, just straight up **cancer**, mean and scary.\n\nOn an unrelated note, I was visiting Portland, Oregon a couple weeks ago, and struck up a conversation with a guy at a bus stop.  The subject of fluoride in the drinking water came up (I think he brought it up) and he proceeds to go on a tirade about how toothpaste is bad for you and *cancer* this and *deadly toxins* that.  The conversation died pretty quickly after that.

That's the way B12 injections work: you *needed* the first injection so badly that you could feel it (and I've had this: it's a real rush). But once you've had the baseline raised, it doesn't hit the same way the next time. If you went long enough between injections or other supplementation, the rush would be there again. \n\nFun fact: [Kombucha tea](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombucha) is loaded with B12, and will fix you right up when you're exhausted. And it's a lot cheaper and easier to get than injections.

&gt;Everyone was spared, or their death's postponed because of the cult's faithfulness\n\nIsn't the rapture a *good thing* in the eyes of Christians? 

Well the issue is that it's Corporate America.\n\nJournalists are not given their freedom to do journalism. They are only given the job of pretending to be a journalist for ratings. If they are too harsh to a politician, they are labeled as a partisan.\n\nI have a journalist friend, he can't say anything about politicians he interviews. He can't criticize anyone harshly. He can't pretend to say anything concrete.\n\nSaying so will result in him having to remove his own "independent" label. \n\nBut he works for the government news agency, so it makes some sense for them since they can't play favorites. It makes no sense for corporations to do that except that the owners want it, or that ratings are driven by moderation-fallacy.\n\nExcept we can see by the SUCCESS OF fOX NEWS and MSNBC; and utter failure by CNN---ratings desire partisanship. And sometimes so does THE TRUTH.

Quit flaming. The object is flying, and unidentified. Therefore it is a UFO.

Well she used to deliver Indian takeaway a few years back. She was doing a delivery one night and drove into a street to see people all out on their lawns. She looked into the sky and saw a massive craft with blinking lights. It hovered there for ages. She had to make her delivery, so it was still there when she left. \n\nShe got home and my father in law was watching, low and behold, an alien movie. She pointed at the UFO in the movie and said "That's what I saw tonight!!"

They won't die from taking a placebo. She will if she stops taking her medication.

While I can appreciate your arguments.  Consider this example of "disclosure" versus the alternative of "being found out".\n\nI apply for a job and I leave out that I was fired for some reason on my resume.  I sign something that states I can be fired for not disclosing this information.  Later on, my employer discovers that I lied on my resume through a 3rd party.  \n\nNot once did I disclose any info regarding fact that I had been fired.  My employer would certainly not feel that I had (even though the fact eventually came out).  Substitute the government for me and the hackers for the third party.

Yes, that makes sense. But the cargo cults of today all perform rituals that mimic Western Culture, at least that's the extent of my knowledge. Are you implying that religions/rituals of today are a result of our possible interactions with extraterrestrials in the past, or that certain cargo cults are a result of extraterrestrial contact, or did you just find the similarity/possibility notable? 

I don't know why you're getting downvoted. This is a discussion question about UFOs and UFO related things, in the UFOs subreddit. Anyway, I have no clue why the USA military would want to drop flares over a city. That would (and did, presuming it was flares) cause a lot of confusion, and stirred thoughts of UFOs. Seeing America's distaste in citizens thinking about UFOs, you'd think they'd want to avoid people thinking about it. Putting flares in the sky, unannounced, is just silly.

We must not sell the world of vaccines that address diseases and epidemics such as bird flu pigs and perhaps in the future as long as the fish factories intelligence work, but must give it for free.\n\nBut if they were sold a high price, this means it is a trade where the virus are produced and published in the world to companies Alrosmalesp is obtained funds from the sale of medicines.\n\nDeclared that medicine and vaccines free of charge as the Bible says Green, and then it will not spread viruses even if they were true and is not engineered for the manufacture of vaccines, including corporate capital gain.

Well, people who actively go out of their way to attempt to prove the non-existence of something that, by its nature, can 't be proven are disproven, show more than a "lack of belief in god(s)" IMHO.\n\nBesides, "god" has different meanings in different cultures.\n\nIn Sandkrit, "deva" is often translated as "god," and the Yoga Sutras call ANY "attractive object of attention" used in meditation,  a "personal god."\n\nDevas, in general, are the gestalt of relationships (defined as "consciousness" in Vedic Cosmology) of a given system.  \n\nEVERY system has its own "deva," or vibrational character. Brahma is the totality of all systems, so you could call He/She/It the fundamental deva of the multiverse. Other devas are the fundamental vibration/essential character of what modern science calls the forces of nature. Other devas are the equivalent for a society, or forrest, or town, or person, or whatever.\n\nRituals allegedly can influence devas, but left on their own, they are no different than what modern scientists deal with on a day to day basis: the predictable set of behaviors/inter-relationships of a system.\n\nSo, do you believe in "devas" or not?

Where did I go, though?  Was I one of those irritating people who stands at a crosswalk without crossing...for 2 hours?

Ad hominem... Ad hominem... Ad hominem...\n\nDoes it mean anything at all to the readers of /r/skeptic?\n\nI am responding to the words on the page. They are bald. Unsupported. Wrong. No projection at all. Go to med school, then residency, then spend years in clinical practice treating injuries before you make a bald pronouncement about what is likely to happen to someone with a knife through their neck. Anything less is obviously knee-jerk superiority.\n\nThen waste your time on /r/skeptic trying to shout against the madding crowd.\n

I like the comment that says "most Illuminati are posers"... because there are tons of people who openly pretend to be Illuminati for street cred, apparently

From my understanding, physiotherapy has a very broad scope of practice and I don't know enough about it to compare it accuratelly with chiropractic. There is a lot of overlap of course as both do manual medicine, but from what limited knowledge I have I would make this distinction: \n\nI would go to a physio for rehabilitation. I.e. to get back to normal functioin after things like knee/shoulder/hip surgery, fracture, tendon rupture but also things like stroke and amputation. A chiro is not trained to deal directly with these things. I would go to a chiro instead for things like tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, cervicogenic headaches, migraine etc. And of course back or neck pain. We train specifically for these types of muskuloskeletal conditions and so perhaps we are better prepared than a physio (unless he/she has done a further specialty). \n\nAlso, a chiropractor is a primary care practitioner (and so should be able to diagnose any condition and refer to the appropriate specialist when necessary), whereas physios work mostly on referral from an MD.\n\nI'm not 100% sure on all of the above but that is my general impression.

Being a doctor in the US is being part of the most well paid and widely powerful occupation in the world so people seem to think they are more than human. The fact is everyone makes mistakes. \n\nThe responses you got are partly this and partly people trying to deal with the cognitive dissonance of believing in ineffective non-medical treatments when confronted with your conflicting post. 

It would fall under "precognition" by those who research such things. \n\nThere was a series of experiments in which a statistically relevant amount of test subjects experienced heart rate increase and other measures just slightly before shown a random erotic image. It only happened with erotic images, not "neutral" images.\n\nDo the songs have significant personal emotional meaning to you? \n\n\n

I posted awhile back that I feel I have learned nothing at my college, and was downvoted and told to "get a real major" (although I hadn't divulged my major).\n\nThe truth is that the first two years of college have been mostly a repeat of what I learned in highschool (although, true, I am at a Community College). \n\nThe only thing different were classes in my major, of which I had to take more than 10. These classes could have been condensed into 4 classes: Overview of psychology, statistics, the design of scientific experiments, and neurobiology. There should be an additional class, Cognitive Psychology, but it wasn't covered in any of my many classes.

Sorry I'm late to the discussion: I was busy *feng shui-ing* my rice.  \n\n(There are lots of combinations, so finding the exact best one is a bear!)

&gt;As well, he seems to be confusing the "normal" ideas of the majority with the normal brain functionality of the majority. There is an incredibly large difference between the two.\n\nThis is why I mentioned semantics.  We use the word ‘normal’ with different connotations and denotations in different contexts.\n\n&gt;So in this sense, I find it silly to say that the majority of people should not be the standard by which we determine normality, at least to some degree.\n\nThere should be an objective, empirical basis.  If that basis happens to be universal among the human population then so be it.  I’m not convinced that is the case for all psychological maladies.\n\n&gt;However, if someone's brain, like my own, produced abnormally low amounts of serotonin causing them to feel depressed, we would say they have a mental illness and advise them to seek help.\n\nWhat is ‘abnormal’ should be defined in comparison to a baseline empirical measurement, not through interpretation of subjective test results (‘What do these ink blots look like to you?’ ‘How do you feel?’ etc.) interpreted by some quack.  Have you ever had your baseline serotonin levels tested?  Have you had them compared to when you were distraught or elated?  Well then you have no basis for saying what an ‘abnormal’ serotonin level means for you.

1. Pretend to be a ghoul in the woods  \n2. Scare armed men in the dark  \n3. ???  \n4. Funeral?

Thank you so much for the info. I think the guy we're under is letting us take $500 off the first check after we get the $1500 check when we each get three people. \n\nI do think it's a total pyramid marketing scheme, but currently we're at the top. People actually lose weight from the product, the weight loss shake, but it's the kind of thing where most people get off of it and gain it all back. The company has been around for 7 or so years though. \n\nSo, currently as I understand I won't have to put ANY money into this because I have the financial backing of Sir-Rich-a-Lot. We'll see how this goes. I'm not putting any money down into this, and if required I'm out. 

I teach a course called "Science vs Pseudoscience" as a senior-level / graduate course at the University of Central Oklahoma. It is easily my favorite course that I teach, and I would love to have it be required for freshman. I spend quite a bit of time on this my General Psych course (but have to cover many other things as well).\n\nhttp://www.caleblack.com/svps.html

I am a transgender skeptic and I tend to view transexualism to be a subset of intersex people. People who have yy/xxy chromosomes or simply have the opposite of what their sex is. There are born people with ambiguous genitalia and people who's primary sexual characteristics are the opposite of their secondary. I do not think that is entirely inconceivable that while there are no obvious physical(non brain) mismatch, but there is a problem at the mental(brain) level.\n\nI would also like to point out that when trangender people started to try to transition, psychiatrists tried everything but the "radical" idea of letting them do so (i.e prescribing hormones of their born sex, encouraging them to have sex and other such treatments) nothing however, has or did work to alleviate the feelings they had except for transitioning.\n\nNot nearly enough research has been done but preliminary results from some studies demonstrate that for example MTF transgender people have female sized stria terminals in their brain. I recently read that MTF people also exhibits female brain wave patterns during sleep. \n\nThe  "trapped in the body" was a way to attempt to describe transgender people in the 1950s when the first sex change was possible. A better way would be to say that their is an intense agony people experience when their mental image of their body conflicts with their bodily image. As far as I know, no study has been done but it would be interesting to see if transsexual people have the mental map of their desired body in their brain instead of the body they were born with.\n\nI, like you am a materialist and I am currently studying neuroscience, I do not believe in a soul but rather that is just an awesome word we use to describe consciousness. However, I think as skeptics are default position should not to be to uphold societal dogma about sex and gender but to see what scientific evidence has uncovered and like I said,  it is seeming to point in the direction that transsexual people are at least partly the gender they claim.

I find that usually there's no amount of logical arguments you can bring to a person who has chosen to firmly believe in nonsense, such as the supernatural or wacky conspiracy theories.  They are not equipped to respond or absorb logic.\n\nA member of my family constently came up which such odd opinions and I was never able to get him to listen to scienctifically proven or logical facts.  The only things that worked were derision and ridicule.  We don't talk anymore.  I should have let it go and not listened.

It has less to do with the challenge and more to do with paranormal shit doesn't exist.  If paranormal things exist means they are part of our universe, or are a natural phenomenon - not supernatural.  The idea of something supernatural simply doesn't make any sense.

It was obviously a Room of Requirement, and locked because it was occupied. It disappeared because it was no longer needed. Mystery solved.

I read the link title, and initially thought that it was a new NBC Sitcom for the fall.

I guess, but they first need to acknowledge that no evidence for it exists. Like... at all\n\n\nIf dragons exist, then they should be scientifically measured. 

&gt; and are really small and tiny\n\nYou're describing wild strawberries, at this point they're essentially an entirely different fruit from cultivated strawberries, and have been for at least 50 years or so. \n\nYou can't really compare them to strawberries and determine anything about ripeness or such, it's pretty similar to comparing crabapples and apples and concluding that all 'apples' are evil.\n\nFassen is right about the main cultivations of strawberries being optimised for look and size though. The last truely great strawberry I had was one my parents grew in their garden. This isn't an 'organic is better' claim, it's just that it was a different cultivation of strawberries, one which favoured taste above all else.

They'll have a reason why it doesn't work. And that reason is "yeah, but... God. Duh."

Whenever you access memories, you rewrite them as well.  Memories tend to evolve and shift over time.\n\nIn the dream, you were accessing things (probably chronologically) while interspacing them with dreams about your normal life as could have been.  The could-have-beens got filed alongside the true memories, possibly overwriting a memory that had been in that period of time.\n\nIt's a filing glitch in your brain, and a very real one.  Your dreams got misfiled under "life memories" instead of under "dreams".\n\nIf I knew where to send it, I would file a bug report.

you aren't understanding what I'm saying... Yes there are small amounts of mercury in fish. What I'm saying is the problem with the vaccines is that you are injecting small children with multiple vaccines at the same time. If each vaccine has a small amount of mercury and preservatives in them, then injecting 5 of them into a small child at the same time will cause a larger concentration of these chemicals to be in its system. \n\nOh and by the way our bodies don't take care of the mercury that we intake from fish. Mercury accumulates in our body over years so giving  a developing infant multiple injections with mercury present will not be taken care of by our body. It simply accumulates.

Jindal has been off the potential republican big shot list ever since he gave the rebuttal to the state of the union a couple years ago.  the republicans have this problem where they send people up to give a speech that is inevitably going to be compared to Obama's speech.  Obama has more charisma than anyone in the GOP (and he has far more common sense and popular appeal).\n\nMore than that, Jindal has a degree in biology and is a creationist.  

&gt; I also realize you're a mod in r/UAP so arguing this here with you will be pointless.\n\nAlso, if you think the point of r/UAP is to dismiss the UFO phenomenon, you're very much mistaken. One objective is to help filter noise from signal. There's so much misinformation (arguably even 'disinformation') that people seriously interested in discerning whether or not there's anything to the phenomenon, have a hard time doing so. That's quite understandable given the nonsense that the subject's infused with. For example, put 'UFO' in Google and see what's on the first page -- currently, a UFO next to one of the twin towers as it's coming down. Such content is no-doubt one of the reasons a culture of ridicule perpetuates. That ridicule is evident in the article posted above. I wanted to bring that to people's attention. I probably should have made that clear. Now, what everyone should be clear on is the fact that r/UFOs and r/UAP *aren't* diametrically opposed.

I'm a provoker when it comes to these things. Unfortunately this dress is not haunted. I have spoken with the original owner and they are still having issues at their home so the dress does not appear to be the haunted item or the spirit is clinging to the family now. We will never know. I have since boxxed the dress back up and stored it away. Maybe one day the spirit will rejoin it but I highly doubt it. But yeah it is a big dress.

Perceived hauntings are very real, I'm sure you are well aware of that. For better or worse perceived hauntings can definitely affect resale value.

Then at least it doesn't promote pseudoscience. Hats off to you!

I used to sleepwalk aswell, and (as far as i know) always remembered it.\n\nThis one time i turned on all the lights in our 3-story house (my brother and i slept in the attic). I went back to bed and woke up few minutes later to our baby-sitter being angry at my brother for supposedly having turned on all the lights in the house. \n\n*"dont pretend you're asleep, i can tell by the look on your face you're pretending!"* she went. \n\nI can imagine she and her husband where scared shitless when suddenly all the lights where on in the house...from the basement and up! xD

Yea, I think I'll just ignore her, and not even respond to her email. In a few days, she'll probably forget she ever sent the e-mail.\n\nInterestingly though, when you do a Google search for her name, my blog post is the second result.

Huh? Radio waves are generally not very dangerous (you're bathing in them all the time).\n\nThat said, the part about "healthy wavelengths" passing through the water is obviously BS.

That wasn't my impression of his argument - I thought what he was saying was that in order to teach proper biology, including evolution, there's no need to reference religion or creationism at all. You teach the science, and although it contradicts the teachings of several religions, you present the evidence as we know it and make no mention of those conflicts. If that's what he was saying, I think I agree with him.\n\nThe point about 2+2=5, I thought, was that no math teacher would take time to point out that 2+2 does not, in fact, equal 5 - they just teach what it actually does equal and why. There's no need to become distracted with talk of unsupported hypotheses.\n\nIt probably wouldn't work that way in practice with a real teacher and a classroom full of real students, but that can be the ideal.

Yeah, but those are debatable. I'm talking certainty. "Killer asteroid coming directly for earth, you have 72 hours to live." Do you think that kind of news would be issued or not?

&gt; Herbicides and pesticides are designed to kill things.\n\nOrganics also use pesticides. Admittedly not as much. But don't assume it's pesticide-free.\n\nSource: http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/organic.html (scroll down to "Safer?")\n\nThey don't allow the use of *synthetic* pesticides, but there are still plenty of pesticides derived from plants, e.g. [Bt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacillus_thuringiensis), [Pyrethrum](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrethrum), and [Rotenone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotenone). Rotenone in particular has been shown to be [extremely toxic to fish, displaying symptoms of Parkinson's Disease to rats, and mildly toxic to mammals](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotenone#Toxicity).\n\n&gt;  How can eating those have no negative side effects to your body?\n\n"X kills Y, therefore X must kill Z."\n\nJust because it kills rats, doesn't mean it'll kill humans. Actually I have an example of the opposite. Dichlonos, or DDVP, has [considerable evidence](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=slow-acting) suggesting it's a carcinogenic and can cause nerve damage. So why isn't it being banned? The EPA concluded that "risks do not exceed levels of concern" due to a study of [long-term exposure to rats showing no toxic effects](http://www.springerlink.com/content/g067605h75k730t2/).\n\nI like this example, because I definitely agree that *some* pesticides are bad. But if we have good oversight and only allow the safe ones, then we're safer from [certain biological hazards](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wC8_9aR_6uE/SwGgtV0D9VI/AAAAAAAABuM/_KZOMI_4UXQ/s1600/mosquito_bite1.png).\n\nThe argument that organic foods are safer because of no pesticides used is misguided, if not flat out wrong.\n\n&gt; commercially produced foods (ie non organic) are specifically grown in order to create maximum volume with minimal time/effort\n\nIf you're getting your food at the supermarket, it doesn't matter if it's organic or not: it's commercially produced. Also, are you arguing *against* higher yield? The poor that have died from starvation are rolling in their graves.\n\n&gt; This essentially means that non-organic food has less nutrients as they are not as dense as organic foods (and obviously not as tasty).\n\nSource?\n\nTL;DR: All arguments I've seen claiming organic foods to be healthier has fallen flat in my mind. Pesticide use remains to be a tricky issue that needs good oversight, and neither organic, nor "conventional" foods are immune to it. The claim that organic foods have more nutritional value also doesn't hold any water (get it?). But I'd like to see a source if you have one.

Am I the only one who reads the emergency card in the seat back for every flight?

I love it but that font made my eyes bleed--though I realize why you chose it. 

I just dropped in to give props to the OP for the X-files reference

So sad. Sad but true. I grew up with Discovery, Animal Planet and later National Geographic channel, catering to a niche. Then Orange County Choppers happened...

Yes that was good.  It doesn't prove that bigfoot doesn't exist but it definitely proves that you can't trust shows who's main motivation is to gain viewers for money.

Sounds like a [hasty generalization](http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/hasty-generalization.html).

&gt;How about adding "For Rectal Use Only" stickers?\n\nAre there any stickers for "do not use if IQ is above rectal temperature" ?

&gt; you've got a lot of work still ahead of you.\n\nYes, but I wish that people in both /r/conspiracy and /r/skeptic were happier with the idea that there are many things that we will never know beyond reasonable doubt.\n\nI don't count the effectiveness of homeopathy, or UFOs above Jerusalem, as among these ideas, however.\n\nI find many denizens of /r/conspiracy somewhat too woolley, and some postings in /r/skeptic rather too smug, although both approaches can result in useful results.\n

Followed your link and couldn't find an actual article to read there, what am I doing wrong?  I'd love to read the article, despite the fact that as you stated yourself doesn't support your argument.\nAlso, to reiterate my point: people guess all the time, continue to spew out folksy "wisdom" and act like they are so smart that they don't need science.  That isn't wisdom, it's ignorance.  By your tone here I can see that this is the case here.

Something I learned in one of my classes was along the lines of how higher fat content milk causes leaching of calcium by some means. I didn't understand the process well, and I didn't do put much attention to it at the time so I cant say the specifics, but maybe somebody else could explain.

&gt;I have had several devices *on for years* during flights\n\nCripes! Where were you headed, Mars? 

Had your wife ever mentioned anything about her experiences before you told her what happened to you? Is this the first strange thing that's happened to you in the house? Do you you know the history of the house you're in? Sorry for all the questions, I grew up in a house with very similar occurrences and it felt like a benevolent thing. Don't be scared, unless you are being physically attacked, fear is pretty much the only bad thing that will upset you. Good luck!

Guys, everyone said they were a skeptic about this. And then they said it was totally awesome and true. So we should just believe it. Because they said they were skeptics.

You realize you're doing the same thing he's doing. Citing irrelevant opinions as an excuse to discount his current ones.

Is there any ground reference? (I forwarded through some of it) \n\nIt looks like it could be cells under a microscope, laser pointers on a drive in movie screen or anything else without viewing the surroundings.

While that's true, it's difficult to demonstrate an effect in a situation with a poor signal:noise ratio. If experimental trials were run with arbitrarily large sample sizes and cleanly-selected patients, it wouldn't matter, but in practice the trials are messy, like trying to measure a weight during an earthquake.

If you know this, why do you consider your ability to be a curse? Is it that you just haven't learnt how to get the "upper hand" or is it that it's a drain on you regardless?

Why should I bother to post. Any effort I put in well written posts (by my humble standards) gets trashed or ignored. Make a stupid lame circlejerk, boom! over 9000 karma. Why bother...

No. This is 100% entirely, completely wrong. \n\nThe spine can't rotate, layers of fascia and muscle prevent that. And the spinal column itself has articulations at the vertebrae above and below to even further prevent this. \n\nSubluxation is hoax.  A dangerous one. See some of my other responses in this thread. \n\nEdit; oops! Wrote can, meant can't. my apologies and fixed. 

&gt;I sat in a meeting and listened to scientists debate whether they could say some components of cigarette smoke were good for you.\n\nThat's disappointing.\n\nThough I disagree that what I said was "totally not true". But perhaps it's worse than I'd have assumed.

Depends on the cleaning fluid, I would think.\n\nIt's not a bleach based cleaner for my tub, but I find vinegar and water is just as effective as windex...\n\n

Thanks for that, I was scratching my head at the time wondering why no one remarked upon the ridiculous dilution levels. Perhaps most people don't understand powers? *shrugs*

Also the generalization of pesticide use. There are some products, like strawberries, that are so heavily pesticide-produced that one should limit their use, esp in young children.\nMostly, a pretty good article.

Why would you think that? The whole anti-vac movement has been a worldwide thing. You don't think they have internet in India and France? The local crazies point to the overseas crazies as confirmation.

Awesome, the "Alex Collier Earth History" video is very good. Even if you don't believe, it's highly entertaining. 

I think so. I spent my first year in college at UNC @ Asheville, which is extremely liberal, and this stuff even leaked into the classroom. The Big Pharma stuff was the worst - I had to take a health class there, and the teacher had a homeopath come in. He ended up spending half the class talking about how the pharmaceutical industry was suppressing information on the effectiveness of holistic medicine.  \nThe constant woo was one of the reasons I transferred. I'm pretty left-wing, but when you get too many like-minded people together and then isolate them, folks go nutso quick. I'm sure those of you who are conservative have found a similar situation with right-wing conspiracy stuff.

Was it? \n\nI dunno, it was a while ago. Wait, now that I'm thinking about it you're right. At the shining hotel they were chasing sounds of people "talking"

No, the evidence isn't *all* anecdotal. A large portion of my wall of text may have been, but it is just a story behind a large portion of the facts that you *won't* find on the internet. 

This semester in my lab we have been talking a lot about critical thinking skills. There's lots of problems you can encounter when you start asking questions like, "How can I inspire/teach my children to think critically?"\n\nIt turns out, that critical thinking is not very well understood at all, in fact there are so many open questions: What is it? What mechanisms underlie it? How does one test for "critical thinking? Specifically, the underlying mechanism is so horribly understood critical thinking research has hit an impasse. One cannot promote growth in an area if one does not know what they are growing. \n\nWe've tentatively resigned ourself with our good friend "analogical thinking" (as this is an underlying mechanism in cognition that we DO understand well), we're working on various ideas to promote the kind of flexibility in thought that's seen in analogical reasoning, just a tough and muddy mess.

See my [comment in this other thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/r75f2/prejudice_sends_some_to_alternative_medicine/c43r4ky?context=1). Furthermore, the study linked to in that article makes it quite clear that this type of experience isn't all that uncommon among trans people seeking medical care. 

Richard should know that he's making a shitty argument. "Muslim women have it bad, ergo nobody who has it less-bad than Muslim women should complain." Bullshit. Richard allows his own experiences to skew his view way too much -- see, e.g., [this](http://old.richarddawkins.net/articles/118):\n\n&gt;Odious as the physical abuse of children by priests undoubtedly is, I suspect that it may do them less lasting damage than the mental abuse of bringing them up Catholic in the first place.  \nHappily I was spared the misfortune of a Roman Catholic upbringing (Anglicanism is a significantly less noxious strain of the virus). Being fondled by the Latin master in the Squash Court was a disagreeable sensation for a nine-year-old, a mixture of embarrassment and skin-crawling revulsion, but it was certainly not in the same league as being led to believe that I, or someone I knew, might go to everlasting fire. As soon as I could wriggle off his knee, I ran to tell my friends and we had a good laugh, our fellowship enhanced by the shared experience of the same sad pedophile. I do not believe that I, or they, suffered lasting, or even temporary damage from this disagreeable physical abuse of power.\n\nTHAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, because Dawkins had no lasting issues from his molestation, we should all recognize that religion is a greater evil than molestation.\n\nI just can't take him seriously after reading that entire article, where he spends a good deal trying to downplay *fondling children* to make Catholicism look like worse abuse. In Dawkins' world, there are no degrees of good or bad -- if you can find something worse than what you're complaining of, you apparently have very little reason to complain to begin with.\n\nGod I hate that smug prick.

Basically, anyone who has a balance problem will not be able to walk while wildly flailing their arms and torso around and still keep on walking (&amp; flailing).

If you have an outbreak, don't wait until the pain forces you to a doctor. I waited and ended up with permanent pain from nerve damage.

i dont think this is the same video as te pictured object. Definitely need some background info.

It is the hour and the location. That being said I don't think it is off limits just because it makes some women uncomfortable. Most women I know would be glad someone is friendly to them. People have different comfort levels. 

i want an album from a parallel universe where At the Drive-In never broke up. can someone bring that one back for me?

&gt;The crystal swung left/right for yes and up/down for no, it got it right 4 times out of 4. I'll admit that one was kind of creepy, feel free to scrutinize this.\n\nEh, only four questions? Statistically speaking, it's not particularly surprising that she could guess right four times. When she can do it twenty or thirty or forty times without error then get back to us.\n\nAlso, have her do this with someone that she *doesn't know*. She's been with you long enough that she could easily be picking up on body language when you're being deceptive.

Woah that's way better than mine cause you actually wrote it. that's the kind of story that I have no idea how to react to. I don't believe in the supernatural but yet I believe you since I had a similar experience. 

I really want to post this over to r/conspiracy. But my mailbox has taken enough abuse for one day\n

I was pretty sure we've had the ability to "transpose" images on live tv without it being noticed since around 2000. Wish I could find the article with more details.

Well, thank you for your response.\n\nI haven't been back to the acupuncturist, but my wife really wants me to return.\n\nI typically hit the gym 3-4 times a week and eat an enormous amount to keep my weight up, but in September I didn't eat well or go to the gym, due to a back injury. Since not eating well, and not going to the gym... I have no sleep problems.\n\nNow- what do I take from this change? I think it's a digestion thing. I think I'm constantly fatigued because I'm drinking quarts of milk every few hours, and stuffing my face like mad.\n\nDiet doesn't remove the entire history of my sleep problems, I've slept weird for years, through all kinds of diets and workout regiments. But I sleep like a baby these days. I'm about to hit the gym tomorrow for the first time in a month, so we'll see!

but that makes a lot of implications about the skull that might be difficult to back up.  unless they have a good photo against something of known size or its exact measurements, it would be hard to determine weather or not this is a child's skull or something else.  \n\nI will admit that the head binding was common in the area, but why did they practice something so similar to things seen in Egypt?

I don't do it for health reasons, I just like animals.\n\nHowever, B12 supplementation is actually recommended for all diets, not just vegan ones, because the stuff is kind of a bitch to absorb in general. Most people have at least a slight deficiency.

It seems to me that protecting the populace is an important role for the government.  While you and I may be able to read a label and make a good decision, the average person may not.  Simple safety regulations protect the average Joe.\n\nThe need for at least some regulation was recently driven home for me when I posted something to facebook.  It was a paper that found that 1 in 5 ayurvedic concoctions available for sale in the US contained mercury, arsenic, and other heavy metals.  These were present in levels 10x and sometimes 100x the levels that would be considered "safe" for daily exposure.  A friend of mine, who really loves this stuff, replied to the item saying that mercury was traditionally an element in vitality elixirs and that mercury toxicity was largely a "western scientific claim."  My jaw dropped.  I couldn't believe I was going to actually get a counter argument to "don't ingest mercury."\n\nNow, if someone is ill and looking for a cure and comes upon a shop where someone claims to have training, a degree, and even calls himself "doctor", will the person make the right decision?  Will they end up sicker because this charlatan is willfully ignorant of scientific knowledge?

I've been noticing this as well, mostly just on my street, and just one particular streetlight. But last night, I drove under a streetlight on the way to my boyfriend's house.

i'm slightly reminded of that danish nutter hitting coconuts and (probably) smashing his hand in the process.\n\n^(ooh, "nutter" and "coconuts". i made a funny!)

I feel stupider for having read this thread.\n\nAm I doing it right?

&gt; It's science is great, but it's a genesis narrative that takes appropriate forays into fantasy when the story demands it. \n\n**AND I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS** for the umpteenth time.  Ugh! I feel like I'm talking to a brick wall here.\n\n&gt; Making a movie which is clearly fiction does not match those things. We seem to just disagree on this point.\n\nAgain....**I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THIS**. Ugh!\n\nHarry Potter? Fine.\n\nThe Core? Problem.\n\nThink a moment about the differences between those two films.\n\n&gt; That's completely different.\n\nAnd now you're engaging in the fine art of quadropilectomy.  Let's take it to the gist, shall we?\n\nYou: Filmmakers are not responsible because they don't intend to educate.\n\nMe: Intention has nothing to do with it. Contributing to the problem is contributing to the problem regardless of motive.\n\nIt's clear you're a reasonably smart person, which makes the level of obtuseness you're displaying here all the more frustrating.

Man, that was pretty good. I'm at a 6, and I made me really think about demons and stuff. What's it from?

That is a hell of a list. I'm book marking this for use in future arguments. Thanks for the link

I suggest you listen to the Coast to Coast AM episode hosted by George Knapp with special guest David Paulides. They spend 4 hours on the subject. The nice thing about Paulides is he doesn't ever sit there like a lot of C2C guests and proclaim "OH IT MUST BE PARANORMAL" he just lays out some circumstances that would be considered to be mysterious by most people and there are consistencies among the cases.\n\nhttp://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2012/06/24 

I mean, kudos for whoever can plan a joke that involves getting inside a locked building, into padlocked locker without a key, removing my cardigan, locking the locker back up, without a key, and knowing which way I walk to class on a Monday morning and anticipating that no one would steal it in the eight hours that it could have been laying there in plain sight on campus. If they can play a joke that good, they should be art thieves, not art majors.

You wouldn't know their reasons. For all you know they want to be seen in a way that would not panic us.

mmmm im still not totally convinced. Not to say that it couldn't be a ghost but like i said more often than not people have activity in their houses or place of investigation, and then capture a speck of dust and automatically associate it with a ghost. Not to say it isn't but im not convinced personally.

I think this is two topics conflated into one.\n\nOn one hand, there's the actual GMOs. Nothing bad with that, as long as the outcome of the engineering is tested carefully, to make sure the new organisms don't start making some kind of nasty stuff. But if it's clean, it's clean.\n\nOn the other, the company Monsanto seems to use some less-than-principled tactics in various situations. That is not okay.

That isn't just a slippery slope - it's damn near frictionless. Once you've decided that it is just fine when ignorant people (not even stupid, as you've conceded that genetics is only part of the picture) die as it is "good" for the species then why bother sending aid to Africa? Sure, we *could* help them out, but compared to me they are almost wholly uneducated and hold backwards beliefs about all sorts of things. I mean, if I can't be arsed to help out kids in California whose parents have arbitrarily decided not to vaccinate them, Africa might as well be Neptune.\n\nBasically, you've admitted that while these kids aren't destined to be idiots, their background puts them at a disadvantage, and it would be A-OK with you if they went ahead and died off since you don't want to tackle the messy issues underlying their ignorance and irrationality. Is that about it?\n\nI realize it's somewhat gauche to point this out, but you addressed only the first point of my post. You still have the following to address: "disbelieving in one thing (vaccinations) precludes the ability to be intelligent at anything else, and that not having children get sick and die or have lifelong sequelae is intrinsically desirable."

I always think bad to the idea that perhaps the US Military and/or other institutions may have UFO's of their own. If they have lights, there may be a desire for them to be seen, regardless of who is flying them. Perhaps they lights specifically so people will see them. Or hey, maybe the lights are part of some technological function. Who knows...

If only there was some science supporting whether or not vaccines were safe, instead of just the government telling us so.

I love that the research was awarded the Nobel Prize in *Science*.

Boulder has a pharmacy chain called "Farmaca".  They have Oscillococcinum right next to the cold medicines.  Nevertheless, the actual pharmacy is pretty good there - we go to the one on Pearl St. for prescription stuff.  One time, I mentioned the Oscillococcinum and homeopathic candy tablets to their pharmacist and asked "what gives?".  She just shrugged and said her domain is behind the counter - it's not her business what people put on the store shelves.  I guess you'd have to have an attitude like that to be a pharmacist in a place like that.

Well, the videos themselves are very interesting, to say the least.\n\nFirst off, the bad "matrix" music only occurs at the beginning and the end. The actual presented videos have no music, just the environmental sounds of the video.\n\nAs others have pointed out, without seeing the "raw" videos outside of this compilation, there is no way to verify their legitimacy or if they were created by the same person.\n\nHowever, looking at each of the videos for themselves provides some interesting things...\n\nFirst off, suspend disbelief for a moment that these are *not* CGI or a hoax.\n\nWe see several different videos (of varying resolutions) of a metallic object hovering over a tree-line and building and then flying off at an amazing rate.\n\nFirst off, if these videos do turn out to be authentic, then they are among the *best* video evidence for the case for intellegently controlled UAPs. Even better than the Jerusalem videos.\n\nMultiple videos/angles? Check\n\nDaytime videos? Check\n\nEasily discernable object that appers to be flying/hovering? Check\n\nNot ambiguous "light in the night sky"? Check\n\nTree-line and surrounding area for size and distance reference? Check\n\nUAP acting as if it were intellegently controlled (spinning, hovering, flying away)? Check\n\nAll of the hallmarks of a quality sighting.\n\nThe problem that many are having is the fact that someone took the videos and poorly edited them together, and did not provide links or references to the original videos.\n\nOnce the raw videos can be analyzed only then can this be determined if it's a hoax or something more interesting.\n\nNonetheless, still interesting footage.

Interesting video.  I am of the opinion, however, that if it looks and/or acts like a conventional aircraft that Ocam's razor must be adhered to.

That's really cool. I would love to hear as much about this as possible. 

Am I the only one that read that as:  \n*Federal Court Upholds Restrictions on Physics*

Wait wait waaaaiiit!\n\n&gt;Non-linear wavelength.\n\nWhat the hell? Wavelength is the **distance** over which the wave's shape repeats itself. How can that be nonlinear?

x-post to [r/nottheonion](http://www.reddit.com/r/nottheonion/)?

Completely agree. I'm just saying we can't preclude the possibility of some "baby" being present somewhere in that "bathwater". 

These sightings have been more abundant and all over the world! I am so happy to see so many people seeing our friends out there! Even if you don't believe that life exists out there...you have to admit that this shit going down as of late all over the world cant be a coincidence.

The only thing I can say is, it's advertising. It's always exaggerated. The values used are probably their best batch of eggs vs. the worst batch they could find in stores. ('Ordinary eggs' is a very vague definition)\n\nThat being said, it's only logical that a more nutritiously fed animal produces more nutritious eggs, since it can spare the resources. 

There is a lot to unwrap in that ... I will try to be brief.  The first thing is that you seem to conflate "fast growing" (and possibly "large/growing") with "good".  This is wrong for the same reason that setting your house on fire might be the fastest way to heat the room, and will get it hotter than most other methods, but this does not mean it is a good way to heat the room.\n\nWe live on a planet with limited resources, and seeing who can get the most of them consumed the fastest seems short-sighted at best.\n\n&gt;Capitalist mixed economies have the highest standard of living and the lowest wealth inequalities\n\nThe key word is "mixed" not "capitalist".  \n\nYou also seem to come to the conclusion that since other methods have failed, the one we have now is obviously the best, as if we had tried *every single* other possibility.\n\nYour last question seems to indicate you think the goal of anything not-capitalist is perfect equality, which means you don't really understand other systems or the criticisms of capitalism.

&gt;The way I read it, the general consensus is that it's valid, but limited to certain areas of cognition.\n\nThat's the softer version, linguistic relativity. The idea that language underpins all of thinking is simply wrong which is what the sapir-whorf hypothesis is. Steven Pinker goes through the problems with that in The Language Instinct. Some problems are that natural languages are ambiguous, but a computational device such as the brain needs a way of internally communicating that isn't ambiguous, also that you can have thoughts that are hard to put into words, where-as if language underpinned thought it'd be the other way around, and many other problems. Also, you can think using pictures, the wikipedia article on 3D mental rotation provides nice examples of that.\n\n&gt;Beware of the word 'but' because everything said before that will be overridden by what comes after.\n\nThat's completely bogus as the very first class in logic that you'd take anywhere would show. "It is raining but the sun is shining", that the sun is shining does not in anyway negate that it is raining.

Don't forget to define a very specific scope for the group. Scope creep happens to every group and can be hard to combat after it starts happening.\n\nNotice how a lot of skepticism online is now mostly about online bullying and other social justice causes du jour. It's always a perfectly reasonable new cause, but without focus these groups become paralyzed by having too many causes to actually do anything for any one of them.

P.S.: Took me about 3 minutes to find a download link. Your Synchronization with the internet clocks in at close to 15%.

I don't want to look stupid, skeptics love to ridicule so I don't want to upload the mango video on my own account and tell my friends "lol look ghosts throws a mango @ me lulz!".\n\nBut I've seen the thing 3 times before and now that I have the helmet cam, I WILL DELIVER!!!!

I like to joke about it as much as possible.\n\n"It's stronger the more diluted it is, right? Well don't drink any water then... you might over dose!"

Overdramatized, suggestive and unbalanced. Wouldn't watch again.

I can see smoke coming out of the building in this video (1:28), is that WTC7?

I'll just leave this here..\n\nhttp://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/aa62d35bc151.jpg

I suspect this is exactly the case. I think you need to bring in an electrician to check things out. 

I've long felt similarly.  I wrestled (not particularly well) in high school, and that shades my understanding of martial arts (especially one-on-one, no weapons combat).  I saw nothing 'mystical' about it at all; crowd the joints, keep your center of gravity lower than your opponent, use leverage (and other physics techniques).  It all made sense in terms of the physical world.\n\nAnd I understand that much of the martial arts 'knowledge' in America (where I live) is rooted in Kung Fu films, which intentionally play up the mystery and metaphysics.  Moreover, the purpose of the choreography is not to win a fight, but to look good on film.\n\nThe same objection applies to sword fighting on stage and screen as well, of course.\n\nMy father once told me that the difference between Magic and Sports is that a magician takes something that's relatively easy, and makes it look incredibly hard - whereas an athlete takes something incredibly hard and makes it look relatively easy.  I love seeing (and trying to figure out) convincing illusions; and I love seeing impressive feats of athleticism.  I assume that martial arts, as it reaches me (through media), is a combination of the two, and I appreciate it in both ways.\n\nBut it never once made me question my skeptical, naturalistic worldview.\n\nAnyhow, I recently got into the web show 'Legion of Extraordinary Dancers.'  I know, sounds lame - my brother recommended it.  I guess season three starts next week.  The show is kinda brilliant.  The basic set-up is a lot like X-men, except instead of 'mutant powers', each character has a unique talent for some form of dance.  Each has a unique origin story (that often parallels some other super-hero's origin).  And dance is depicted in the show as the dominant form of martial arts.  

I'd agree with this. Organic food to me tastes better; I can't say one way or the other on what the reasoning is, but I think a lot of the meat and produce is of better quality at whole foods. That being said, it costs more, and I'll be damned if I can get a Red Baron Bacon Implosion pizza there. 

&gt;This is an incredibly broad statement to make. Are you suggesting there's a better way to treat bacteremia besides antibiotics?\n\nCertainly not.  I'm suggesting that if you have a choice between people who can recognize bacteremia and people who can't acting as your frontline medical providers, go with the educated ones.\n\n&gt;Are you suggesting there's a more effective way to fight smallpox than vaccination?\n\nNow you're just being hyperbolic.  Vaccination doesn't *treat* anything, it *prevents* it.  \n\n&gt;A better way to combat debilitating chronic pain than opioids?\n\n...and now you're picking a fight.  I'm not interested in having it because you clearly have a bone to pick and zero interest in having an open discussion, despite your allegations to the contrary.

You are right, my statement was incomplete. We obviously do enforce some things because they have health benefits, both at the personal and public level.\n\nThe factor I left out is one that applies to all health measures: harm versus benefit. While vaccines carry some (very small) risk, and some necessary harm (puncturing the skin, causing pain), the benefits both to the individual and the public are very high. Similar arguments justify x-rays (when necessary) and exercise.\n\nIf a vaccine or x-ray came with a near certainty of causing part of the child's body to fall off, it would have a much higher bar to clear in terms of benefit in order for it to be justified.\n\nThere's also one other relevant point. The supposed health benefits of circumcision are not (as I understand it) related to *childhood* health. There doesn't seem to be a compelling reason to protect children from the alleged risk if they won't be confronted with it until they are adults and are capable of making decisions about their own health. That said, I don't think this point is necessary to justify my position, and I believe the earlier point is more than sufficient.

There aren't any currently existing cosmetic products that would go away since they don't require testing once approved. No consumer would suffer given the volume of products available at the moment. Companies would, however, be less competitive since they'd have nothing new to sell to us. They'd have to resort to repackaging and rehashing their products in different ways.

i thought i'd give you a heads up that you have a cake. have a nice day :)\n\nand i agree, fanatics are intense and loony like that.

I am not "presuming" to speak for you -- studies have repeatedly shown the bias of all human cognition -- that includes yours.\n\nI admitted that his suggested title might have been better so as not to trip up cognitively biased, self-righteous and irrational folks like you.  But the title is fine just as it stands and does not imply at all what you said -- you read into it.  That is my point.  Thanks for helping to make it.

Every time I hear someone talking about how seeing is believing, I remember his "It happened, it happened - TO ME!" line. 

To conclude that it is "effective" is being generous. It seems they are justifying it from a cost perspective, that they think the placebo effect on non-specific, self-reported, subjective symptoms is justified.  It's a common argument, "what's the harm if it makes them feel better?"  \n\nHere's a good article by Simon Singh explaining why it's a bad idea:\n\nhttp://www.1023.org.uk/whats-the-harm-in-homeopathy.php

&gt;Er yes he does.\n\nYou, sir, do not understand evolution either. \n\n&gt;there will be a non-chicken that laid an egg with all the genes of a modern chicken.\n\nNo, there would not. They are the same species. Both would be equally modern. Speciation happens in populations, not in individual organisms. \n\n&gt;Both parent and offspring are of the same species, but one, we would categorise as "a chicken", the other, "an ancestor of the chicken".\n\nWow. No. \n\n1. That's a contradictory statement. \n\n2. The parent and offspring equally modern because they belong to the same population. \n\n3. There isn't any specific point that we can point to and say that "this is a chicken, and anything before that is not a chicken." Take the link above as an example. Show me the exact point where the red colour stops being red and starts being blue.

Such appalling contempt for the Masquerade; someone's going to be staked out for the sun over this.

But you're not boiling and inhaling a bar of soap in the shower... As for the second point, citation please?

I unfriended those people because I got so tired of seeing their posts.

Adrenaline, and if you turned the wheel at the last minute (which you would definitely do if about to smash into a railing like that - natural instinct to avoid it) then you would end up being flung more diagonally away, proportional to the angle and momentum of impact. Also if your body came into contact with the railing upon impact then you would definitely have less forward momentum. So all in all, ending up sideways isn't too surprising, and it's also not surprising that you wouldn't have remembered it.\n\nI once crashed off my bike, over the handlebars straight into a fence that I headbutted, and such was the force that I ended up being flung 2 metres back over my bike, ending up on my back. All I remember is slamming on my front brake and the next thing I remember is being on my back.\n\nThe memory loss effect is due to cortisol, which is a byproduct of adrenaline when our body goes into 'fight or flight'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo\n\nReverse placebo effect.  Just like positive placebo effects don't mean that something works, the same goes for negative placebo effects. In the study, both the placebo and the acuband had nocebo effects.\n\n(Obviously it can also make matters worse by encouraging the user to not use an effective medication, which is what this thread is about, but I think you were asking about direct effects.)

What you seem to be missing is the hidden dynamic of what happens in our culture when you admit interest in this subject or try to approach it with basic objectivity. It is frowned upon.\n\nUFOs usually need to be seen to be believed. A huge hidden aspect of the subject is that a 'cult of ridicule' has been steadily built up for over 60 years now. It is now firmly ingrained in our culture to see anyone who believes in UFOs as a kook. Sad truth.\n\nIf you try to discuss this stuff over in r/space or r/science you will really see my point; you will get nailed for even entertaining the thought that UFOs are anything other than explainable by conventional  means. Part of it is the 'lack of evidence'; people demand something they can walk up and knock on, and they actually want this 'proof' to be presented by their government, which will basically *never happen.*\n\nAnother part is the idea that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, period, end of discussion. The idea that an advanced civilization might find a way to circumvent this law of physics (using other dimensions?) is seen as absurd.\n\nAnother part is the taint that the new age community has brought to the subject as they try to hijack the phenomenon to sell their books and ideas. This makes the kook tag seem appropriate to any science-minded people.\n\nThink about it: we live in a world where a group of over 100 highly respected military officers (ones with clearance to handle nuclear weapons), air traffic controllers and private sector witnesses *with direct personal experience and physical evidence of this stuff* can go in front of the National Press Club in Washington DC and tell their stories in front of the national media, and demand that they simply be allowed to swear under oath before Congress that what they are saying is true... and *nothing happens.* \n\nThat is a clear indication of what we face. People who think disclosure is imminent are not paying attention and are not looking at the reality of the situation on the ground. Unfortunately these same people are often the ones who get all excited over videos on Youtube that show chinese lanterns or similar things. It isn't doing the serious researchers any favors as far as gaining any credibility. There are serious researchers and then there are 'hobbyists' who just want to entertain themselves.\n\nThis taboo mentality can even be seen when looking at the actual numbers of people here in r/UFOs: there are at most maybe 20 of us who seriously actively discuss the topic here, while thousands apparently just lurk without commenting.\n\nI agree that this is the biggest mystery/puzzle in history. I am a firm skeptic, but also a firm believer. I am also opposed to any disclosure to the general public, an opinion few of my fellow researchers agree with. I think it's blatantly obvious humanity is not ready for this, and that rubs many people the wrong way. I'm not sure that the people who push for disclosure are aware that it's *a lot* more complicated and paradigm-changing that simply releasing alien technology to the world to end our energy problems.\n\nAnyway, all speculation and JMO.\n\n

So....Britain has an army and is prepared to use that exact same army to fight foreign invaders from any source, even space. 

well even if i was hovering over the volume bbar and somehow changed the volume (because even if you touch it you have to move it for the bar to move) it went back to an area i wasnt touching or hovering over\n\nand no i didnt even touch the jack. and if that was the case. ipods pause if you take the headphones out and dont resume if you plug them back in

I apologize. I did a bit more looking into the organization. Turns out it's only funded by the British Government, not run by them. Thank you. 

Yea it seems as though we evolved to have some sense of the future to further our existence(mating partners) and to help us avoid dangerous mishaps....ether way that episode opens up a plethora of new questions and experiments for scientist

I totally agree. It is dumb. Its totally fake. You asked the source for Angryhobbit's comment, and I said exactly where he saw it. That's all. 

There's a video on the page that says that after you inhale it in your mouth, exhaling it through your nose does the same thing a neti pot does. The neti pot physically flushes the nasal passage while leaving it moist, so I can't see how any of this would apply. \n\nAlso, does this mean after you inhale this magic salty air, and then exhale it through your nose, the salt-powder comes out of your lungs to now work on the nasal passage? Pretty unlikely science going on here. (probably a lot safer than inhaling neti pot contents though!)\n\n

Because your plastic would be small potatoes compared to the amount of recycled plastic they can buy in bulk from a recycling center. I had mentioned it in another comment, but I imagine the cost and rate of return on aluminum is high enough to justify paying the consumer to return it but probably isn't with plastic. That doesn't mean plastic is worthless in aggregate, just in the quantities that the average consumer ends up with.

The funny thing is, I can prove every claim on that website false with one simple statement:\n\n**The website still exists**

Hey, who let you out of /r/adviceanimals? Bad bot! Back to your home!

Not a single word in there about *how* it does what it does.  Water can't be a very good electrolyte, not to mention it has a hole in the back going right to your electronics. 

Never heard of this guy, and it sounds like I should keep it that way.

Your sister has pretty much admitted that she doesn't care if the things that she believes are actually true or not. Confront her with that. Directly ask her whether of not she cares whether the things that she believes are actually true.\n\nIf she says she doesn't care, and has no problem with that, then she is beyond hope.

&gt; ... you're reading this on the [Grauniad Science Blog](http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog) and, let's be honest, that makes you a [Grauniad](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian#Nickname) Reader\n\nNo it bloody doesn't, haven't you heard of [Reddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/)? Or even [Google](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Grauniad&amp;l=1)?\n

Read shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, it has "colors as drugs" going on in it, hilarious.

By the way, there's [this](http://jcsm.org/sabce/), which is a Christian rebuttal to the book.\n\nI almost want to read that one more to see the kind of weird circular explanations they had to come up with.

no, we just ended up there. She said it had a really nice view of the city. 

Do you really believe in the lamp, or are you just saying it because you saw it? 

If I didn't unreasonably dislike Rebecca for being sort of arrogant to me irl I'd love this. :D

**Content blocked by your organization**\n\n**Reason:**\n\n**This Websense category is filtered: Supplements and Unregulated Compounds.**\n\nWell, shit. Nice to see Websense at work has *some* sense.

That was actually pretty fascinating, I hope this is actually accurate and not just for the sake of comedy, I'll have to read up more on it.

Came here to say this. I know an atheist who believes in ghosts. Aren't scientologists technically atheists? They're not skeptics. \n\nReminds me of the South Park episode where everyone's an atheist, but they still have war because they fight over what to call themselves. Lol. \n\nI get the point to the article and I think some of it's valid, but skeptics and atheists are two different things. 

The /r/sasquatch is a music festival . The /r/bigfoot is good and well run. Full of trolls though so be ready to take a little crap from those turds.

Nah.\n\nPlato made the place up wholecloth. He didn't conflates any other stories to make it.

Especially considering there is a real danger which gets ignored. There is a higher risk for traffic accidents on halloween. No big surprise why, you have excited kids, perhaps with consumes which impair vision, and it's at a time of year when it's getting darker in the early evening.  

I completely disagree with that sentiment, because then I wouldn't have seen it.

I'm skeptical about this article.\n\nHer main argument is that recycling doesn't work when nobody does it. Duh. At the same time she 100% trusts in modern landfills not polluting the environment! Anti-Duh!\n\nIt's an economical argument in an ecological issue. There are better ways to make money than filling landfills.

Well ........\n\nif you perused through the book you would have realized that I posted a free online book by a serious author. \n\nYour presumptive disdain makes you look bad.\n\nTypical of book content:\n\n&gt;Another Biblical tale often attributed to extraterrestrial activities is the "nuclear explosion" that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah around 2000 B.C.^1915,1326 As related in Genesis 19:24-28, "the Lord poured down on Sodom and Gomorrah sulphur and fire from out of heaven." Later that morning there was "smoke rising from the earth as though from a furnace."\n\n&gt;But there are excellent grounds for believing that the cataclysm was the result of a great earthquake^1918 followed by explosions of natural gas.^1870\n\n&gt;Excavations at the site in 1928 revealed large burned out regions of oil, sulphur and asphalt overlying a subterranean salt dome 50 meters thick. There is clear geological evidence that "a great rupture in the strata took place centuries ago." ^1870\n\nYes, those superscripts are [reference numbers](http://www.xenology.info/Xeno/Refs1-4183.htm).\n\nMaybe you find his advice of [what to do in case of alien/UFO contact](http://www.xenology.info/Xeno/AppA.htm) absurd?

I have to add this one...\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XevJR7biQE8

yeah i hate it when my toby (lil ghost boy) does that. i cant really do much to help while your in america but maybe if it gets worse you should get a priest in.

Personally, I've sometimes looked at living animals and thought, "I'd love to cook and eat that."\n\nI'm fairly certain I'm an omnivore.

How much do carbon burning power plants pump into the atmosphere? I would have thought that the manufacturing industry would produce more. Of course going nuclear would help. Would it help enough?\n\nThere's also hydroelectric, wind and solar that could help somewhat.

The fact that it didn't already, in 2012, is beyond comprehension.\n\nThe whole notion of religion or some sky fairy is so inane and ridiculous that there have yet to be words invented just to describe HOW inane and ridiculous it is. No, I'm serious, there are no words to describe the how.\n\nI mean there sits somebody across me and tells me with a straight face and in full seriousness that there's a god. Or that we need Religion because...yea, I never understood the because fully, I'm afraid. I don't think my brain is ready to comprehend it.\n\nWhat.the.fuck.

Tell me about it! Our government (UK) is about as effective as a catflap in an elephant house when it comes to this issue! To worried about upsetting the tabloid newspapers. Argh! 

I thought maybe the ISS, as I've seen it looking somewhat orangish before, but all the passes over London recently were at about 5 AM, plus or minus an hour.\n\nMaybe a plane with its landing lights on? Sometimes those are so bright you can't see the blinking lights on the wings.

I actually saw this on a show, I can't remember what it was called but they basically tried to replicate the sighting as if it was a hoax to see how accurately they can match it, if it's a pretty good match then they can start doubting it. I believe they found that a bag of balloons and an R/C propeller does a pretty good imitation.\n\nIt was the same episode they did a ghost in a small museum.\n\nEDIT: [Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact_or_Faked:_Paranormal_Files)

It is called resonance frequency.  Everything has a certain frequency and everything vibrates at a different one.  This would not explain what your friend saw sadly.

My point is that the precision required to calculate an *eclipse* and alignment of the stars from 370 ly away is likely to be impossible with today's astronomical instruments, regardless of whatever astrological significance these alignment may have on our planet. 

Where the atheist's/skeptic's view can deservedly be called superior, is in requiring evidence and reason for beliefs and suspending belief where there is none.

I don't think the placebo affect will work on your dog...they're just not that gullible.

that would be admitting defeat. He *wanted* the other guy to know he was having a fun time at the waterslide, not to think he quit the argument because he felt defeated.

Toxins do not cause muscle injuries.  Which toxins are they referring to, anyway?

"Mailboxes drip like lampposts in the twisted birth canal of the Coliseum...Rim job fairy teapots mask the temper tantrum, o say can you see 'em?..."

It's round, therefore it's probably a spaceship. Flawless logic, makes sense.

&gt;This article sponsored by Sensa\n\nಠ_ಠ\n\nLooks like just another "fake news" site -- fake, not as in "The Onion" fake ... but fake, as in ... stay-at home mom learns the secret to whiter teeth in 3 days fake.

Get to the "defrauding" part.\n\nYou know, the part where you're actively accusing me of crime.

Indeed. If a crowd of hundreds were meticulously observing a lenticular cloud and identified it as alien spacecraft, it wouldn't be more credible evidence than if one person did it.

The thing is, cable news shows have to 'feed the beast' and a month worth of campaign where the polls are breaking 90% in favor of Obama don't make for compelling drama.\n\nIE, no one watches the second half of a blow-out Super Bowl.

I'm a staunch defender of skepticism but this clip reminds me of Bill O'Reilly the way they have a guest on for the purposes of outnumbering and ridiculing him. Using Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, who were clearly there with the advance plan of disagreeing with the reading, is contrary to the implicit contract of the demonstration. The astrologer had a right to a neutral subject and what he got was an ambush. 

You're taking that quote out of context. The whole line reads "An argument is valid if and only if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true." not "The definition of an valid argument is one where if and only if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true."\n\nHowever, upon rereading (again) I will concede that the sentence is an awkward rewriting of the line from wiki:\n\n&gt;An argument is valid if and only if the truth of its premises entails the truth of its conclusion.\n\nI assume this was an attempt to simplify the language of the wiki quote to make it easier for a layperson to understand.

Well, for point #2 the problem is thinking that diet is *the* cause of many ailments. The more nuanced view is that ailments are attributable to the interaction of a number of factors. \n\nA lot of alternative medicine people attribute all human suffering to a single thing and then write books and bang away about that single thing for the rest of their careers. Occasionally your single thing actually will relate to a particular case but it's the "stopped clock" method of healing sick people (if you *always* say it's 2:30PM/food allergies, sooner or later you'll be right purely by chance.)

First as other people mentioned, you should probably just relax. He's 12. It's ok for 12 year olds to believe in stupid shit as long as it doesn't hurt them. Think about all the stupid shit you believed when you were twelve.  Wicca/New Age Woo is all about trying to impose your will on the universe around you and it sounds like your son has had a somewhat chaotic life. It's only natural that he's going to want to latch onto a philosophy that promises him some form of control. \n\nStop trying to take that away from him. You're just going to drive a wedge between the two of you. Teach him critical thinking skills without attacking his belief system. If you teach him well, he'll figure it out on his own just like the rest of us did. Share cool science breakthroughs that can substitute for magic without directly comparing the too. e.g. "wow I was just reading how they are researching nanotechnology for treating cancer..."\n\nIf you can get him interested in Harry Potter Fan Fiction, I highly recommend [Harry Potter and The Methods of Rationality](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality) Eliezer Yudkowsky does an amazing job of spinning high level critical thinking skills and rationalism into an addicting read while simultaneously making scientists appear absolutely heroic just for doing science.\n\nSome of the concepts might be a little too high level for a twelve year old but maybe you guys can have a father/son bonding experience figuring the shit out. 

And you people say alternative medicine doesn't help people. The worlds better off without that asshole.

I dunno. I visit /r/atheism regularly and while I do enjoy making the occasional rage comic, I myself don't use facebook and the majority of the stuff I post there is either self.posts or videos. And not those stupid youtube debate videos.

Having caught up in my podcasts and listening to the one you are referring to #277 "which you should have included" I'd have to re-chime in on this.  \n\nHe did say a few things that are troubling. Giving anecdotal evidence such as his friend who started taking vitamin D a year ago and has not been sick since. I have heard so much psuodo science backed up by that same claim and I can think of many stretches of my life were I was not sick at all and at the time I was not living the most healthy life was drinking allot smoking ect so I could easily say well drinking kept me from getting the flu and so on. \n\nSaying it boosts your immune system is something else you run into allot in pseudo science and alt-med should be considered a red flag.  It would only improve your immune system if you were deficient, Same thing if you were not getting enough vitamin C you could get scurvy and any number of ailments it does not mean going over a normal level will give your immune system super powers in fact having a over active immune system causes its own range of problems many diseases are a result of a over active immune system and patients have to take immune suppressive drugs.  So if your blood levels are normal leave your immune system alone its evolved for millions of years it knows what its doing. And I brought up Vitamin C because there was the same flawed thinking behind that vitamin as well, That taking more would boost your immune system,Fight off cancer, Ect Ect And that was quackery. \n\nSaying it prevents Cancer is unproven I have never seen any credible evidence that has been vetted to support that claim and there are many types of cancer just laying out a general claim like that is also unproven and is a red flag as its not talking about anything specific and again you see this all too often in alt-med pseudo science. \n\nHe talked about the new york times article on the matter and to his credit the new york times article is a bit flawed in that it only looks at bone health and not much else.  \n\nIt is also true you have to take a large dose like 4000-5000ui to get a raise in your blood level. \n\nSteve seemed a bit mad that a few papers in regards to the other health effects of vitamin D where not released and I think he is unaware of how the peer review process works. They were most likely not published because they failed the peer review and need to go back and review their findings and research. \n\nAnd to his credit again he says hes not a doctor take what he says with a grain of salt. I think he has a very over excited opinion of vitamin D.  \n\nA girl I know who is on a anti-gluten kick made allot of similar claims that sound almost exactly like what he is saying you could simply replace Vitamin D with Dont eat gluten but shes no dumbass and thinks its actually helping her I started to go into it a bit with her but at one point thought the power of belief really seems to be working on her so I an not going to ruin it for her and what she is doing really is not causing herself any harm. \n\nAt least Vitamin D is not snake oil and costs nothing so its not like some quack remedy of some sort that could in fact harm you. \n\nSome things he states that he read here and there are at best unproven for now. So we need more research to know for sure. Steve is a bright guy when it comes to security and computer programming hes not a doctor and he states this many times. \n\nAll that said I work nights I get barely any sun at all except for an hour or two in the morning when I walk my dogs and was very deficient. \nWhich is why I said its only worth taking if your blood levels are low if not do not bother because if your levels are normal you are not going to boost your immune system or fight off cancer by increasing them. Also your body has a way of getting rid of vitamins when they are in excess levels so it would be pointless to supplement more. \n\n

I remember reading that the publishers the DSM considered a category for adults who were so easily 'prone-to-fantasy' to the point where they would believe in fairies in the garden, psychic powers, etc., but not qualify for a full-blown delusion.  I think the phrase 'prone-to-fantasy' fits too perfectly. 

Haha, I like how Giorgio tries to swear to fit in a little better.

Yeah, try homeopathy the next time you get a flesh-eating bacterial infection. :D

I don't know about fate. There have been times when I remember what will happen then change my behavior slightly to avoid that occurrence. Call it a hunch, but suspect time doesn't always travel in nice and neat straight lines.

They didn't really look into the pills. The pills are highly effective as a preventative agent. To be fair, I *am* a woman who is highly susceptible to UTIs, so I'm exactly the target patient, but pills changed my life whereas cranberry juice alone wasn't enough. It is a  lot of juice to drink daily. But by removing all the liquid and condensing it into pills, it's really easy to manage.\n\nI have  a particularly finicky urinary tract. Not only would I develop one every single time I had sex, I would also spontaneously develop them, *and* I can feel the effects starting if I start to get dehydrated (until I figured myself out, being forced to use the bathroom before a long trip/hike was the bane of my existence, and would leave me in agony). Eventually after the continual treatments, I was recommended by my doctor to go on pills. I still have to take 2-3 times the recommended dose and drink 2-3 times as much water as a normal person, but I've been UTI free for over two years now, when before that, I can't remember even going four months.

Well, most people tend to forget one little thing. God has nothing to do with religion (or religion gods).

I think you're making a thoughtful point, but I would contest that sometimes the emphasis on the difference between correlation and causation gets overblown.  Sometimes all we have to go on is many correlations, and as correlations start to add up they can be taken as evidence of potential causation.  For instance, France isn't alone: we know that there is a strong pattern of countries that offer more services and have a stronger government of having people that are happier and healthier by any reasonable measure.  The same is true looking at the U.S. state by state.  

Agreed.  That was painful.\n\nOne word at a time just lost any kind of coherent context.  Five words at a time worked better, but then the natural flow and cadence was off.  It felt very artificial.\n  \n\n

'Forced deprogramming?' Kidnap? Coercion? This guy is not a hero and no one should think this is the solution to our problems.

So what we perceive as reality, could have flaws, as in a higher intelligence made a mistake?\n

This is good advice, but not great advice. \n\nThinking about this is terms of being a professional is the right way to think about this. \n\nThis is excellent: "First things first, it's not your website. It might feel like it's yours, because you wrote it, and you put your time into it, but it's not yours. It's his"\n\nSo is this: "[On difficultly of finding a replacement] Guess what? That's not your problem."\n\nBut if you want to act like a professional then you should act like one, not just pick the parts that make things easier for you.\n\nThat means that you *cannot* keep working on his website when he starts doing things that are fraudulent (selling fake cancer cures) or unethical (promoting fake cancer cures). It doesn't matter if he's well meaning or a con artist, there is a responsibility for due diligence on his part and yours to know obvious things like this. You don't get a "just following orders/just doing my job" excuse.\n\nIt also means that this: "It's not your responsibly to make your code maintainable after you've left" is egregiously unprofessional. It was your responsibility to keep the code maintainable and understandable at all times (within reason). That's what you were getting paid for, if you delivered something that is going to blow up as soon as you leave then you just ripped your client off.

I think it says a lot when the frontpage of r/atheism is often unmistakeable from the frontpage of r/magicskyfairy.\n

I have similar experiences, except what I dream won't happen for a decade or more.

Yeah...if you want something a bit less intimidating to start, you might check out Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson" (also available free online).  It's also very good, and a bit less hefty a read.  Much of the same ground is covered in a more easily digestible way.  You might also post questions over @ /r/austrian_economics/

a perfect response to Birtherism, a hearty laugh!\n(but it's been my experience that when I laugh at birthers, they just get madder)

Did your mother make the appointment by phone? One can find a ton of info with a quick reverse phone number look-up. Full name, address, relatives, legal records, etc. From there google and facebook will happily fill in the blanks.

I heard a lot of cars and maybe the word hush.  It could be the desire to have you both move on.

If you aren't picking up a negative vibe beyond your own heebie-jeebies at the unexplained mysteriousness, I would not be too concerned. He seems polite at least. 

Depending on where you were you probably heard a mountain lion. My dad would tell me about hearing one in the woods where he grew up in West Virginia and said it sounded like a woman screaming.

&gt;Apparently you don't understand just how highly detailed our simulations can get these days, and how much work goes in to them.\n\nSorry, but a simulation without factual data to back it up, is simply an animation.\n\nThe fact is, all physical evidence was removed before NIST was commissioned to do an investigation.\n\nAnother fact is, the NIST model does not model reality. This image I created clearly demonstrates that fact:\n\nhttp://imgur.com/Ov8aG\n\nDo you know that NIST has refused multiple FOIA request to release the data behind their animation?  They will not release it.  They are going to be taken to court over it.\n\n&gt;I'm very aware of a simulation's limitations and its uses.\n\nSimulations are simular to the real event.  This is simply an animation created for marketing (read propaganda).

7 trillion dollars of fail is going to bring up a lot of hiding of facts trust me\n\nThat doesn't mean a conspiracy just idiot politicians failing to cover their ass

Lets call imagination a concept that is in the process of being translated into this reality. Sometimes there are mis-translations or concepts do not come off correctly. Lets view all concepts (memes) as self-aware autonomous life forms that seek expression in as many realities as possible both for the purpose of having an experience and also for the purpose of enriching the realities in which they can penetrate, the same way that worms play a vital role with soil and plants.\n\nNow I accept that you think this is all bullshit and that is fine. You can choose to view the world as something purely physical that ends when you die, but it becomes somewhat questionable why you have such a tremendous richness of experience, a vast diversity of people, thoughts and concepts to explore.

Not so much for me, as it was me.\n\nI've heard that many long-time Wikipedia editors have left in recent years, and now it looks like parts of the site are so compromised that psychic fraudsters are linking to it to give themselves credibility.

All of these "reports" are speculation and have no factual basis. Until this crap comes up with some hard evidence nothing they say can be taken seriously. 

Who is he to determine what is unknowable?\nWhat on earth makes him think free will is something special? As I see it that's just isolation of intentions. Hive insects are considered a collective consciousness but does that necessarily mean they don't have free will? Our neurons are a colony of cells that agree with each other on what is good, bad, necessary, etc, maybe kind of like a more closely knit hive community? People of faith fail to convince me because they overlook details like these.

I really think the dismissive attitude prevalent in the skeptic community is insultingly simplistic towards the theories put forward by scientists who aren't Eliminative Materialists. \n\nI'm not saying dualism is correct (I personally think both dualism and monism fail) but arguing for it does not put you on par with creationists.\n\nFor example, John Smythies, who has enjoyed a long and respectable career in science is publishing papers arguing for a [modified theory of substance dualism](http://www.newdualism.org/papers/J.Smythies/scex-23-01-05.pdf). \n\nAgain, I'm not saying he's correct, I'm just saying lets respect the ideas of scientists publishing in peer reviewed journals, even if their theories are outside of the norm. \n\nI think Michael Shermer is really wrong in this regard.

I think that everybody over or underestimates our capabilities to some degree. It also depends on the field.\nI'm pretty sure I know our current limits with computers, but i have little to no idea about our limits in medicine or genetic engineering. We could be anywhere between just sequenced the human genome and creating laser-eyed flying monkeys on a daily basis.\n\nI wonder if the guessed limit averages out at the "true limit". 

One would have to walk for a significant amount of time for this to be relevant seeing as how the arc of the circle would be slight.

Considering that was filmed in the Ryerson film building... I'm gonna say it is **not** a ghost.

Who knew citrus fruit with it's citric acid is actually an Alkalize.\n\nWould anyone actually think a LEMON was not acidic?

I can't speak for the coke products but I get Dr. Pepper made with Imperial cane sugar and there's a big difference in taste. Good stuff.

I'm freaking out a bit too now, cause I got high and started reading through that thread...and in a different post further down I was like "I've read that before, and that..", and I don't think it was within the last 8 hours..

Wait, there are people that actually seriously believe some of this shit? Man, Poe's Law makes my head hurt. 

That study have been severely criticized. One thing being that people usually died of other stuff before they got cancer. Another is that some typical childhood cancers (like leukemia) wouldn't leave any signs in a mummy. You know, with the lack of blood and all.\n\nSee [Steve Novella's take on it.](http://theness.com/neurologicablog/?p=2402)

Because there is no scientific evidence for any of the claims he makes.\n\n\n

Thanks for sharing, that sounds terrifying man. From everything I've learned about the paranormal it totally sounds demonic. Glad you got OUT of there. Would you ever consider going to the current residents and asking if they've experienced anything? Now that you're well out of it, wouldn't it be interesting to see if a local paranormal investigation team could scope it out?

Given there's no substantial evidence in 100 years of film, it's a fairly sound conclusion that there's no evidence to find. :(

All I'm saying is that him saying he believes in UFO's, plain old UFOs with no assumption of extraterrestrial origin, isn't even close to saying you believe in god.\n\nMy opinion?  He's being a bit facetious in that he's dismissing extraterrestrial UFOs by saying of course I believe in UFOs (plain old unidentified flying objects) because they obviously exist.  People see objects in the sky they can't identify all the time.

I tried contacting Herbert Benson by email, mail, and phone call but was never able to get through.  I do not speak dutch.\n\n

We haven't eaten poison ivy for millions of years.\n\nWhat I was talking about is co-evolution, they've evolved pesticide, and while they were doing so, we developped counter-measures.\n\nAs for Bt, again i'm not an expert, but I would believe spraying it on the plants or having them producing it will change the way your organism will have to deal with it : probably higher concentrations since it won't be washed up by rain, probable side-effects to the plant metabolism due to being inside the cells, etc... I'm not saying this is not a solution, i'm just saying I don't think it's been tested enough.

I agree with you. How can people even begin to think 'it is the work of satan' when our technology is becoming so far advanced? Are we works of satan?\n\nReligion has fucked up so many peoples minds, that when they see something that could be other life forms, they think it is gods counter part. Crazy shit. More bat shit insane than us.

No, wouldn't work; we'd have to get them to pull there heads out first.

And I have interviewed dozens of people with diagnoses of fibromyalgia as a welfare rights worker. Most had the symptoms long before they had heard of the disease. It reached a point where I would see someone diagnosed with some sort of arthritis and pick up on a kind of confusion in their manner that made me think 'Fibro'. A while later they would be re-diagnosed as having fibromyalgia. There were one or two with other sets of issues that made me think there was a direct mental health problem. However for a vast majority they had genuine physical and cognitive problems. I am not qualified to say whether or not they were psycho-somatic, viral or whatever in origin. That does not affect the fact that their difficulties were actually physically experienced and were a real barrier for those people. Their inability to function properly or hold down a job was a major source of distress to most of them. So unless you have some other evidence maybe go easy on your friend. Pychosomatic is *not* the same as malingering.

That sounds really scary, and I'm sorry to hear about it.\n\nI don't have a sleep disorder as intense as this, but I do occasionally have mild episodes that are kind of halfway between lucid dreams and sleep paralysis and can be quite frightening (demonic imagery, sounds, feelings of being pushed around in the bed).  During one of these episodes, I was finally able to gather my wits enough to say to myself "this is just a projection of my own unconscious; I'm literally just looking at the contents of my own mind; nothing there can hurt me; indeed, I should be fascinated with this unique opportunity to peer directly into my own unconscious, however initially unpleasant the contents may be."\n\nOnce I was able to adopt this stance of rational curiosity -- and I realized I was in fact genuinely curious, but my fear had eclipsed everything but the fear -- I managed to get through it and even started controlling aspects of the hallucination/experience/dream.\n\nIn short: finding/uncovering that sense of curiosity in the midst of the experience was the key for me.\n

Central Florida?  Cryptozoology?  Why swing on down to the Ocala National Forest and see if you can spot the Skunk Ape!\n\nWhile more commonly associated with sightings in the Everglades in Collier County, Sasquatch's smellier cousin has been spotted many times within the Ocala National Forest as well.\n\nThe worst that can happen is that you have fun on a camping trip.\n\nEDIT:  or get your arms torn off by an angry 8-foot-tall gorilla-man.  But hey, what are the odds?

I've only experienced it once and it by far the scariest thing I had ever experienced. The scariest part was I was still able to move my hand and I ended up choking something...or at least thats how it felt.

I saw the 2003 one, and that blew me away. This one was at least as interesting as that one.\n\nI'm simply at a loss of words - I'm not sure if I believe it all, but it's food for thought at the very least.

Did you see the length of the article? Be reasonable, for God's sake. This is a very concise reply given the sheer shitstorm of excrement Crichton spewed.

There's a spot like that on my parents stairs that gives you that feeling. I've felt it there for 20 years. I remember being a kid and trying to step past it.\nNow the carpets gone and the wood creeks. Doesn't make it any better

I just discovered [this TEDx video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qKAse8388k) by Peter Joseph of *Zeitgeist* infamy, linked from another [less skeptical subreddit](http://www.reddit.com/r/futureporn/comments/1283th/a_rather_dark_view_on_transhumanism_as_it_becomes/c6t0mds).\n\nI haven't watched it as I am at work, but given his credentials, shouldn't this also be a big big warning sign for TED that their X-talks are in serious need of Quality Control?\n\nThis situation depresses me, I have held TED as one of the last bastions of rational public discourse. I don't wont that to change.

I actually had a vaguely related incident when I was a kid. In a house I've since moved out of, I remember sleeping in our living room for some reason (pretending to be "indoor" camping or something). I woke up early morning around maybe 4 A.M. and could hear a conversation going on in another room. No, it was not my parents, I checked to see if they were awake. I remember the conversation was between a man and a woman about some flight he was on. Like he was checking in coordinates or something... There were no radios on in the kitchen next to me, nor was anyone else awake (I checked my 2 brothers). No TV on or anything related.\n\nThis was about 15 years ago and I'm 22...

I'm just saying generally guys seem to jerk off more while single.  Sex one time a day is roughly equal to jerking off twice a day for a guy, generally.

Is fibromyalgia real or fake? I have a Aunt, a PA, who's opinion I've always respected, who is working with fibromyalgia patients. What's the low down?

If someone has software for image analysis, go to it, please. Otherwise the paper I work for is publishing this on Sunday. You can take the U out of UFO.

[UFO: the True Store of Flying Saucers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bGTLtdwPHM) from 1956 is the best by far. Skip to the end to watch an extended analysis of two classic Unknowns, but be sure to go back and watch the entire movie. It's a bit boring but it has so much important information. Project Blue Book's chief Edward Ruppelt and Dewey Fournet, his Pentagon liason both worked on the film. One of the radar operators involved in the 1952 Washington DC case is interviewed as well. [Don't watch it on Netflix though because they edit it.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFUTd7w41sg).\n\n[UFOs: It Has Begun](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7100303682843029418)\nRod Serling narrates an authoritative documentary featuring Jacques Valle, J. Allen Hyneck, Project Blue Book personnel and much more. \n\nPlease watch these instead of more ancient aliens.

The only way to conclusively determine this is not human, is to do a DNA test, and publish the results. The DNA base pairs will likely not match. In fact they WONT match. There will be more or less depending on the genetic configuration of the skull. But the best way to prove this is to ship samples of the skull to various genetic testing labs around the world and have them publish their results with a comparative result from a human. 

What's interesting is that they got the results *before* they performed the test.

I wouldn't say i'm impressionable at all. I just believe it because i have lived in a place that was extremely haunted when i was younger. Things in our basement had the very classic story of my father not believing in it all. He had built rooms in the basement and we would never get any sleep because things would shake our beds constantly harass us. I'm inclined to believe because i've lived it. I know that SyFy channel in there for those reason i'm saying if you need a reference they had it on that damn show Haunted Highway. I didn't see it on the corner of my eye or anything like that. It was right there in front of me. There are plenty of stores like this not only where i live now but on other reservations as well

Call a priest n pray hard.... If Im scared I get really Baptist start calling on Jesus n telling the devil its a lier lol but seriously Ive had sum scary crap happen to me n Praying works. If u dont believe in GOD u might b screwed here. I dont believe in ghost just demons fooling ppl into thinking its harmless

Me too! This also happens with flying. Not the traditional flying over mountains and such. But like, flapping my arms and flying. It's always cool. And every time I've woken up from the flying dream, in my half awake state, I get out of bed and try to do it. Thank God no one ever sees me. Haha.

[Anthropomorphic warming.](http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/io9/2009/09/Futurama_crimes_of_the_hot.png)\n\n&gt;Failure to agree with anthropomorphic warming is modern heresy.\n\nFailure to agree with anthropo*genic* warming has nothing to do with heresy, but everything to do with the refusal to accept scientific evidence.\n\nRefusal to accept AGW theory is on par with refusal to accept Evolution.

If you are going to complain about division why are you not complaining about that between atheism and skepticism? What is the distinction there in your mind between atheism vs. skepticism and atheism and skepticism vs. atheism+? Feel free to add something to the discussion other than blanket derision.\n\nIf you actually care to look at ideas behind atheism+ (which I admit to having only had a brief glance) it would appear to be a social/political stance on "..apply[ing] skepticism [to] social issues like sexism, racism, GLBT issues, politics, poverty, and crime." Where is your problem with this? On the face of it, it looks to be a nice bridge between the atheism and skepticism movements. How is it divisive? Again, feel free to add to the discussion. 

I don't think that is the case here. In fact it is extremely good to see the press actually take a critical eye to press releases about scientific studies. To often poorly protocol'd studies get published overzealously by the press with absolutely no follow up. At least there was one  skeptical approach on this study's release compareed to the dozens of articles and papers completely over exaggerating its conclusions.

When I find "atheists" who believe in a soul....I cant handle it. How fucking stupid can you be, honestly. 

doesn't really look like there's a window.... lens was my first thought too. rather think it's something more interesting&lt;3\n

Looks like they're trying to send a message, triangles seem to be of great importance.

Sorry, but there is no reason to believe that claim.  I'm doubting that the pointer would be able to move by itself in front of a video camera.\n\nAlso closing one's eyes is easily faked and there is no way one "bystander" could confirm that a group of multiple board operators kept their eyes closed. Nor is there any reason for us to believe that this is an unbiased bystander.

I didn't see your other post I was just going from what you posted here where it sounds like you are saying giving advice on how to evaluate a particular claim is generally unhelpful.

The problem with this format (Bullshit followed by "The Truth") is the "backfire effects" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debunker ).\n\nIn short, you're giving people crazy ideas which they re-enforce by trying to defend them against the corrections you give later.

There's a difference between rationally questioning alarmism and denying scientific concensus.  Because science denialism is also being done for political ends. 

I had someone argue to me that the Bible is scientific because at some point it talks about the "disk of the Earth". The argument: "You think they had spaceships back then to see that Earth is round? CHECKMATE ATHEIST!"

Bill is no different than most people I admire in that we disagree on many things. 

Their argument is valid, but it's a straw man. It argues against an impossible diet. The say "no carb." Not few, not some, they say none.\n\nThey make this argument and it leads people to believe that low carb diets and the "no carb" diet are the same thing. 

Some local car dealership's gonna be pissed when he opens tomorrow.

A friend of mine has [Gypsy Witch cards](http://www.amazon.com/Gypsy-Witch-Fortune-Telling-Playing/dp/0880790415), which are the closest thing to tarot cards I've ever experienced.  I generally take the readings with a grain of salt and just think of it as a bit of fun, but some things that it predicted have been fairly accurate.  Then again, that could possibly be attributed to the fact that the descriptions on the cards are fairly vague and could be applied to different situations.  But like I said, it's fun to tell each other's fortunes and try to speculate on what the reading could mean. :)

I got the same response when I told my family I was diagnosed with autism at 25. They said I must be wrong because I'm too smart. It's amazing what people will dismiss.

I don't think "artifact experts" are standing up because it's quite obvious these objects reflect light and have shadows as they tumble in some footage.

It is, but it at least the idea that they are gangsters stealing money.

Ok, three issues.\n\n1. The number two rule of the internet is that there will always be assholes. Trolls and asshats will always find you on the internet and say nasty things to you one way or another.\n\n2. Do you claim that the nasty comments you get are a representative of the typical attitudes towards women in the knitting community and you're being run off the internet by male cyber-bullies who hate your cross-stitch? Doesn't sound like it to me.\n\n3. I understand that women get harassed on the web and agree that it's deplorable. And I'm not even trying to slightly downplay it, much less deny it. My issue is with someone who collects the worst of the worst of this abuse, then uses is at a sledgehammer in debates while pretending that decent comments that still disagree with something she said don't exist.

I read as: "FDA currently debating on whether to ban homeopathic drugs."

After watching the whole series on the history channel &amp; lots of thinking &amp; talking about it and other somewhat related topics with my girlfriend pretty extensively, I feel like it's pretty likely. Everything kind of relates back to a few basic stories/concepts. 

Also, Radiant-Darkness makes a keen observation about you - you are just trying to help. An honorable intention, indeed. 

Typical behavior to expect from irrational idiots. \n\nThey cant back up their beliefs with any form of evidence or logic so they have to resort to this. \n\n

Our breads are sweetened, our juice is sweetened, and a large portion of our food supply. Meats and vegetables are pretty safe. Quite a few varieties of those. Water is pretty low on sugar. Lot's of breads and grains available with very little sugar. I imagine with a good tooth brush and dental floss, a person could have some very strong teeth.\n\nThen again, dumping chemicals into the water supply is probably a more sensible solution.

Dude.  I apologize for being brash but that was just plain horrible.  I couldn't even stomach watching half of it.

I don't get his point with a lot of these.\n\nWhy is the conclusion to point 1 "this does not tell us if the video is fake" but the conclusion to point 2 is "plausible"? Neither one gives us insight into whether the event recorded in the video happened or not. Same goes for point 3. \n\nI feel like very few of these points have much to do with determining the truth of the video as they are nit-picky facts about raptors. Besides, none of these factors on their own would be sufficient to support or discredit the video.\n\nThat said, I agree with the other people who got downvoted here for saying you can tell it's clearly fake from watching it. When I first saw it, I saw the short gif version and thought "HOLY SHIT" and then I saw how fake it was. And the whole cut away/run to the kid. Come on, cheap bit.\n\n\n

BBC produced a video on fake miracles of satya sai baba. He is the real fraud, who is in cahoots with governments, politicians, industrialists, media. He need to be exposed. Supposedly a god, is admitted into hospital for illhealth. May be he will die. So, now god died as well; okay, jesus seems to have set the precedent for a god capable of dying and keep the qualification as well.

&gt;Ever since elevatorgate, there's been a huge rift in the atheist community\n\nHang on.... What I read about the whole huge silly mess made it out like there was a problem in the rationalist/skeptic community.\n\nIf it's the atheist community then that's a different thing altogether. And while I couldn't point to any evidence of misogyny and sexism in the atheist community, that's probably due to the fact that I haven't looked for it. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a fair amount of it.\n\nWhen they were talking about huge problems of sexism in the skeptic community though that made me raise my eyebrows.

I've never been one to believe in ghosts, that's why I didn't want to come off as some crazy woman thinking her son is being followed around by some ghost lady.\n\nBut, it has been strange for me. He's been acting a little stranger, etc. So I decided to ask reddit, they told me to come post here- so I did.\n\nI figured I'd get both sides- people who believe and people who don't, and see where to go from there.\n\nI appreciate everyone's answers and input, including yours. So, thank you.

&gt;A major problem with sexual harassment is indeed the fact that it is wholly in the mind of the subject.\n\nI fail to see how a stranger at a convention grabbing my breast without any sort of explicit consent from me that it is okay to do so is wholly in my mind.

If you can get location and date information, WolframAlpha can get you the historical weather data. 

Maybe he can only poop while watching porn (that's what happens when you go on reddit at 3 am, I will sleep now)

How would you know it would require rare resources?  Maybe they have Mr. Fusion.

As someone who struggled for years with debilitating neck pain, the only way I was able to cure it was with chiropractic.  \n\nIn my mid-twenties I started experiencing periodic incidents of severe neck pain which nearly immobilized me for days/weeks at a time.  I went to multiple orthopedic surgeons who took x-rays/MRIs and all prescribed physical therapy to strengthen my neck muscles, which had no noticeable benefit.  \n\nHaving exhausted all medical options, I turned to chiropractic (it was worth a shot, I figured).  Within a few minutes of meeting the chiropractor, he was able to diagnose my problem, which was that my neck was too far forward (caused by a lifetime of bad posture) and that it was causing tears to a disc in my neck.  The x-rays and MRIs were consistent with this diagnosis as well. \n\nMy treatment was actually pretty simple: at home I would use a device that bent my neck backwards and held it there for about 20 minutes a day.  Eventually, my neck was straightened out (my posture was visibly improved) and the neck pain disappeared.  As another commenter noted, the before and after x-rays are pretty dramatic.  \n\nI haven't been to a chiropractor in years, but I do believe they can be tremendously helpful in some cases.  \n\nAs a side-note, I actually lost a lot of respect for western medicine in the process.  Not a single doctor recommended I seek chiropractic help, despite plenty of evidence that it might help.\n\ntldr; where western medicine failed, chiropractic cured my severe neck pain, and I have the x-rays to prove that it was not just placebo

&gt;"Jews own all the (banks/newspapers/movie studios..."\n\nJust curious. Have you ever researched (as a true skeptic would) what individuals actually own controlling interest in all of the major banks, newspapers and movie studios and whether they were Jewish or not?

I'm excited because you're the first person I've run into that I've previous tagged! How's it going? It's kind of awesome, but then I notice that it reads GMO moron. Now I know that your link is probably bullshit without having to click on it.

If you're interested, that "Anonymous" mask is called a [Guy Fawkes Mask](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_mask).

Have you ever done the Picton Tunnel or the Quarantine station? I heard they are both pretty good, although I think the Picton one has ceased as they closed the tunnel to the public. 

Yes[[1]](http://allicincenter.com/pdf/Allicin.pdf), yes[[2]](http://www.bashaar.org.il/files/5389.pdf) it does. Historically[[3]](http://jn.nutrition.org/content/131/3/951S.full), Garlic has been used to treat numerous ailments[[4]](http://www.amazingherbs.com/meduseofgari.html).\n\nAnd is quite delicious [[5]](http://staging.italianfoodforever.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/garlicbruschetta.jpg)\n

I think D had met at least a couple of my other friends. Not sure if that includes any of the group involved in this.

&gt; He's willing to throw all religious people under the bus instead of the ones who actually harm society. Rhetoric is about changing peoples minds, not selling books, and you're never going to change peoples minds when the liberal christians who are pro choice/support gay marriage/support sex ed/etc. are villianised along with the war mongering fundamentalists.\n\nTo be fair, Dawkins has addressed this criticism in the past. His point is that he isn't even trying to change the minds of the religious. He is attempting to get the on-the-fence atheists and agnostics off of the fence and to start speaking out.\n\nTo that extent, I think he has been somewhat successful.

Of course you do.  Because the fact that my wife had to pass medical boards, is trained in minor surgeries and took a year's worth of pharmacology so that she could responsibly deal with getting people off anti-depressants after they sleep more and eat better is voodoo to you.\n\n[Gimme your worst, fuckhead.  You aren't the first and you sure as fuck won't be the last.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/ct1xb/the_wootastic_ralternativehealth_has_vanished/c0v1bet?context=2)

I've had shadow people in my room before, and I still have 'visitors'  (for lack of a better name) occasionally. The night I was first visited by a shadow person, I was staying at home and my mum ran into my room after I'd been screaming for some time when it disappeared; this preceded all my other visits :\\\n\n\nWhatever visits me now could be best described as smoke, except it plays around and darts from one area of my room to another, and it/they will interact with you as well (gather around your hand if you hold it up, for example). A couple of spiritually-inclined people have said that one is a girl, and the rest are tag-a-long visitors, but no-one knows why...they're not tied to my house so much, but me, as I've seen them elsewhere.\n\n\nI've seen transparent figures before, too - the night my grandfather died I saw him pacing back and forth in my room, at that point I didn't know he'd died. 

Yeah, have tis problem with a friend who likes conspiracy theories more than evidence

What I don't get is how everyone seems to think that aliens will resemble us humans. Now, while there *is* an assumed possibility due to where we think our origins lie, it's still highly unlikely that they'd appear that similar to us. Plus, look at how diverse the Earth's population is alone. Tons of varieties of plants and animals, and different breeds of each variety.  \nThat being said, why don't people realize the vast distances of space? Think about it -- when you look into the night sky, you're viewing the past. Any supernova you see dancing across the sky actually took place millions, if not billions of years ago. Why would it not be the same with our own planet?  \nThe Sun is a medium-sized star. It's average. It won't burst until five billion years from now, at which point no other civilization would see it any time soon unless something could inhabit the gas giants.  \nThe nearest star is Proxima Centauri, sitting a little over four light years away -- it would take four years before that explosion reached any civilization orbiting it, assuming one even existed.  \nThe radio waves Earth started emitting when the first radios were made have been traveling into space for only a few decades, and they are weak. Our planet is pretty small and, though being blue and green, would be outshone by Uranus or Neptune, both of which are way larger and have similar colours.  \nThe point is, I believe that there are alien life forms out there, I really do. But what I don't readily believe is that any of them would know about us or find us significant. If a civilization is beyond our planet's age in light years, they wouldn't even see us at all.  \nMy final note is that if we happened to receive a signal from another world, it would be exceedingly old, and whoever sent it would probably be long-gone (either the single being/group of beings who did so, or the entire race. Either way).  \n\n**TL;DR: Quit assuming they'll all look like us, and quit assuming that it's a piece of cake for them to visit us. Think of the sheer vastness of space, and of the fact that it is drifting apart even more with every second.**  \n**Still TL;DR: They're probably not gonna look like us at all.**  \nI apologize for the wall of text.

He had a podcast last year on the topic of ufos. I was kind of disappointed by his stance of condescension; ie implying that what people have seen were merely tricks their mind played on them, that the Phoenix lights were flares etc. Supremely disappointed. 

PBS?  The Depak Chopra channel?  The one that also features Wayne Dyer and Andrew Weil?

The book "The Disappearance of the Universe", where two ascended masters come to explain some metaphysical principles to a guy. They say the Roswell incident was real.

Very interesting! I hadn't seen this before. \n\nUnfortunately I wish there had been actual scientific approaches to each debunking as appose to teenager-in-the-garage style science. r/Skeptic should be just as questioning of the conspiracy "theorists" in this video as it should be the backyard bad science in it. It would be great to to see, perhaps, the four "most credible" perspectives tested with some good old fashion hard science instead of a bunch of conjecture from both sides (as presented in this video at least.)\n\nTo be truly critical of this video though I would have to say that it was a bit pointless to take a handful of individuals who were as highly opinionated as they were unqualified and unprepared to discuss these questions and then introduce them to singular individuals from different relevant areas who happen to believe things happened a different way. I don't think anyone in this video ever provided credible evidence to support or deny anything related to the topic.

Yeah, I see nothing precluding these from being RC helicopters with bright LEDs.\n\nPotentially even test flights / hype generation for a product like this\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnEN9B18v6Q

fuck you, therefore god.\n\nEDIT: [source](http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm)

No job lacks downsides or a bad history, especially in post war germany, since pretty much every company in germany has profited from the holocaust, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristallnacht or forced labor.\n\nEven worse, earths developement of modern Rocketry up to the Apollo project profited from this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun\n\n**You are just selling books.**\n\nFor example atheists are more likely to actually have read most of the bible (or any other religious text for that matter), while theists take most of it on ignorance anf faith.\n\nBooks may promote horrible or plain wrong ideas, even serious scientific books may be prooven wrong newer discoveries or contain simple printing errors. \nBut you can only speculate on how the book is used or interpretated.\n**Blame the reader, not the book.** \n\nWould you feel bad about an Astronomy book that still desctibes Pluto as a Planet?\n\nBad ideas and "known errors" have to be conserved. **If you can not learn from history, it tends to repeat itself.**

I was trying to decide the same thing but came down on the side of an upboat for Mitchen awesomeness.

So you'd rather have Comcast decide weather it could merge with the other major cable companies than have the government decide it because government can at times be corrupt? That means because  the government isn't perfect they should leave the regulating to the market?\n

Do you really think that it's mind bogglingly stupid to regulate how things that have a significant potential of causing bodily harm are sent through the mail? Or are you just not thinking this through?

ID is a re-branding of Creationism with more ambiguity.\n\nSee also: [Cdesign proponentsists](http://ncse.com/creationism/legal/cdesign-proponentsists)

I'm an acupuncture student. Needling trigger points in the neck and shoulders can get rid of all tension in the area. I've successfully treated migraines every time I've tried (6 times). This is not even remotely about qi, it's [western science](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_needling). The studies I'm linking to have been inconclusive, however new techniques have been developed since then. The muscle will spasm upon successful needling, it's quite obvious it works if you ever have it done.

No, of course I'm not. Are you claiming smallpox vanished because everyone started eating healthily around the time mass immunization started?  Of course you aren't. 

The floorboard idea is tempting, but he's in two different areas for the door.  Further more, the lamp, were it a loose hinge, would most likely hang away from the wall, which could explain the first move, but not the second.  Not that I think that the HH team is the most thorough, as the Bigfoot like creature search proved (if you can find it, there is a scene  where you can see a guy in the bushes less than fifteen feet from them and they never see him, real time or review!) but my friend and I  went over the episode you've questioned for  a while after first seeing it and i tend to doubt it could be so simple.\n\nEdit for "not"\n\nEdit 2 can't  read my own sentence structure right now...  I'm going to bed.

"Looking beyond the edge of space to the Empyrean abode of God beyond.\n\nOften said to be a 16th-century German woodcut, but more likely published for the first time in 1907 in Weltall und Menschheit, edited by Hans Kraemer."\n\nA person seeing beyond the veil of "reality", thought it was fitting.

Well, I might have been exaggerating a little. It wasn't really that bad, 2 of my friends had it at the same time so we had them come over for a chicken pox party. The idea of it would have just bothered me if they knew there was a perfectly good vaccine but made me get sick instead.\n

From the article:\n\n"CNN affiliate stations from New Jersey to Massachusetts heard from dozens of callers who reported that the lights appeared as a cone shape shining down from the sky.\n\nHowever, the lights were the result of an experimental rocket launch by NASA from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, a spokesman told CNN."\n\nWe all read about that rocket launch. This sighting was in Maine and looked spectacularly different than a rocket launched from the Virginia coast. C'mon.\n

I think the big difference here is that I am able to disagree with Bryan about this issue and not accuse him of being a mindless robot who takes his orders from Fox News.

The laws of language are not based off logic. The laws of language are based of statistical intentions of those speaking the same thing. When I say, "That was so scary. I was shitting bricks," nobody would infer that I actually was passing baked pieces of clay through my rectum. They would however correctly infer that the second sentence was causally related to the first even though there was no if, then or because connectors. This is because statistically, people who say they shat bricks are meaning that they were experiencing a large amount of fear. They would then figure that most people who say two sentences together intend them to be taken together. They would then figure that it was the scary thing that caused them to experience fear. Nowhere in this analysis does logic apply.

Depends on the stage of the fetus, the circumstances by which the fetuses were aquired and the laws of the local country. Birth is no better a strict line than conception is. The truth is ultimately a subjective decision.\n\nBut in any case, 1 year in prison seems like an odd punishment.

The worst thing on a burger is the bun. Turns out, cheese, fat and salt aren't that bad for you as long as you're paying at least a little attention to your calorie intake.

pretty sure its fake. or i was sleep walking and got caught on a trap camera... yeah the wife complains!

Yeah that would be so easy to fake. Because of that alone, I'm calling BS on this one.

Excellent story, thanks for sharing. Sometimes I don't think we appreciate our companions enough. :)

n=1 only. We need more volunteers. \n\nActually no, that'd introduce a selection bias. We need to pick 100 people at random and force durian+beer down their throat. Only then will we know.

I thought I joined the skeptic subreddit, not the bullshit subreddit.  I know you're not pushing this message and you know it's crap, but I'm not sure what good reposting bullshit here does.

&gt; Also, if I'm not mistaken organic food does have less pesticide/herbicide residue,\n\nOrganic food is allowed to use pesticides, just not recently developed ones. [Rotenone, hypochlorite, copper sulfates, pyrethrin, all outdated but considered just fine for organic crop production.](http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/CoopExt/4DMG/VegFruit/organic.htm)\n\nThe fact remains that pesticide levels on organic and conventional foods are generally within limits, so why bother?\n

I wasn't talking about schools.  But I guess the article is so you get a point for that.\n\nRegardless, I bet if the case was brought before the supreme court again today they would not rule in favor of mandatory vaccination.  I imagine in the next 20 years we will see that case make its way up the system.\n\n  \n\n

Can you give me a TLDR on their findings :)?  I have a general idea of what Hopkins thinks.  Does Mack believe these are actually alien beings?  Do you think they're alien?

It's my opinion that in modern society women have it easier. That's fine, but why do men have to suffer injustice in divorce, alimony, rape charges, disposability, etc. I consider myself a skeptic, but when it comes to MRM, there's very little to be skeptic about. We're talking about facts, the most of us at least. I truly can't understand why you find (5) so poorly constructed. I'd say you're forcing it, you're either biased or not objective: \n\nthe homeless - around 80% are male\n \nunemployed - men lost three quarters of jobs lost during the recession\n\ndivorced - the number of ''was his'' license plates is too damn high, marriage, as a legal bond, is basically extortion of men\n\nvictims of violence - girl kicks guy's face in, he calls the cops on her, he gets arrested\n\ndepressed/suicidal - because men are taught by society that their lives revolve around women and if they're not successful they're worthless\n\n&gt;it is notable for the anger it shows toward any program designed to help women\n\nThis is utter bs, but I have to note that there's a big disproportion in programs designed for women and men. What, can't we even express frustration or try to fight for more male oriented programs without being called women haters? Give me a break.\n\n&gt;“undeniable proof” of an international feminist conspiracy involving the United Nations, the \nObama Administration and others, aimed at demonizing men.\n\nI support MRM, but I don't fully believe in this. I do believe there's some kind of agenda though, how come all these fraudulent laws came to pass?\n\n&gt;local news about seemingly MRA-affiliated vandals\n\nWell, cry me a river. Say, are you aware of the recent event regarding feminists tearing down ''men's rights are human rights'' posters in Vancouver? I don't remember anyone using the term vandalism. Personally, this kind of double standards is the worst. (Btw, I don't endorse any kind of even possibly violent and malicious behavior)\n\nAs for ''misogyny!'' crybabies, I'd say that when you read anything related to men's rights, you deliberately scan for content that can be labeled as misogynystic so you can dismiss the facts that don't support your beliefs. If something is a fact, it is primarily a fact and I truly don't care if you get offended.\n\nI also think that your sarcasm is unbecoming of a serious debate you're urging for.

This is almost like when my mom tells me to get something in her room and I have a hard time looking for it, but when she goes and looks, she finds it right away. I feel your confusion.

What about JSTOR?\n\nEDIT: I'm dumb, I didn't read this:\n\n&gt;at the university I go to, anyone can walk into the library and access the electronic journals, even if you're not a student.\n\nI should really try to take advantage of this.

I dont really know much about this stuff either. I have a smiliar story involving my grandfather and his TV which was given to me after he died. But here goes what could be answers.\n\n1) I got nothing man.\n\n2) Ive heard stories about people noticing folks acting weird before they die. obviously we cant ask them in a reasonable way since they have passed. But maybe we will know if we are going to die. Maybe if its going out in a peaceful way such as in your sleep you will know when your time is coming.\n\n3) That could have been anything. an evil presence from long ago in the area that decided to start fucking with your kid. there could be a million things on what that was. But maybe your area has some untold history.\n\n4) Absolutley not. Most of us on this sub reddit joined here because we believe in the paranormal. Looking at thousands of other stories, you may very well not be crazy. If this started happening after their deaths maybe its your deceased family protected their loved ones from evil, such as the "Zombie" ghost in your kids room.\n\nI doubt that helped. but maybe it will help you get a better answer that you are looking for.

I think this is an appropriate post, and would be even without the skeptical interviewee. I think it's important to pay attention to these guys, a lot of people take their ideas seriously and it's good to know where they are coming from. 

There is a religious sect in Oregon who believe this. The law has actually been changed in Oregon to remove some of their rights. With respect to this case, if an adult refused treatment, there would be no case. With a teenager, a 16 year old, he has some say in the outcome. If the parents had done this against his will or had he been younger the sentence would likely have been more severe. I'm not saying this is right or should happen, just that this is how Oregon courts seem to be dealing with these idiots.

But what if demons were really aliens the whole time and so there never were any demons for these aliens to possibly be!? 

I thought the same thing when I read that.  He's an astrophysicist first.

&gt;Frees up time for other things\n\nHoly shit man, how much time does one spend masturbating? 

But does a parent have the right to cause a minor under their responsibility to suffer and possibly even die when there are ways to prevent that suffering? I cannot in good conscience be away of that and not try to stop it. Does the state have the right to tell the parent they cant beat their child for disobeying them? Where does the line get drawn? Why is physical violence and pain bad but physical pain due to improper treatment fine? I really want to know, where do you draw the line and why do you draw it there?

yes that is exactly what i mean. i welcome skeptism and i think topics like this should be looked at in a skeptical manner, which is why i posted it. that banter is fun, but the rude and condescending comments really arent necessary and take us even farther away from the whole point of the subreddit.\nyou honestly canNOT look at pictures of alien artifacts on the moon and say 'this makes sense to me. i absolutley 100% believe ancient aliens left artifacts on the moon for us to find". But no one can 100% discount it either (yet). 

In (circa 1990) college Psych stats class, we spent quite a bit of time on a few of these studies. The two I remember best were:\n\n1. The salt "population" study - the professor stated that all other outside factors were not ruled out. As I recall, the population studied didn't eat pork or beef either. Study flawed.\n\n2. The 1960 saccharine study - major media scare that led to the ban on saccharine, since repealed. Professor's quote (to the best of my memory): "Rats were shot up with the equivalent of 10 train car-loads per day of Diet Coke. You shoot anybody up with that much of ANYTHING, they're gonna have problems!" Study flawed. \n\nI'm glad to see this is hitting the mainstream, and, way to go, teach!

so do you have a number for his salary? Or a percentage of proceeds that he takes home?

This again is all my understanding of the issue, so instead of downvoting I'd love someone to actually explain where I'm going wrong, I'm just trying to understand better.\n\n1) So the idea of maxing out your ability to absorb or process fructose comes from the idea that fructose can only be metabolized by the liver.  Glucose however can be metabolized by the liver, fat, muscle, kidneys and the brain.  I've read that your liver can only metabolize so much fructose in a day (I've read 50-350g and have no good actual studies on this, although obviously 50 would be much more significant of a number) and whatever extra is consumed after that amount goes to fat storage.\n\n2) This could be offset by the 7 less calories of the glucose but only if those calories can actually be metabolized, goes back to the liver thing.

&gt;Open the Bible to any page, read and slowly contemplate the meaning of every word. What does this achieve? I\n\nWell, I think it helps you understand that rape was a viable method of bride-procurement in ancient Judah.

This actually happens to me pretty much every day.  It's gotten to where I can control waking up from it now, though, and it's not nearly as extreme as it used to be.  I imagine it's a kind of [sleep paralysis.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis)

The writer could only arrive at the conclusion that he did because his job was on the line. As Hynek pointed out later, anyone who showed doubts about the way that the investigations were handled by project blue book was fired and labeled incompetent. Such a label would make them undesirable in their career fields.  

[Me too!](http://imgur.com/5abIw) Think if I keep it plugged in to my desktop it'll cleanse my aura while I'm nearby?

Okay, that makes sense.  It's interesting that most of these arguments aren't actually based on any factual information, just unconfirmed rumors that refuse to die.  

&gt; Just got my copy and it's fascinating.\n\nAwesome. I read it once through and am working through it a second time so I can write a good summary for /r/UAP. Hopefully see you in the comments if/when I get to that!\n\nIt's one of the best UFO books I have yet seen. It makes me long for a world where scientists, skeptical, neutral or pro-UFO alike do actual research instead of waving their hands in the air and making generalized rhetorical statements.

The GOP may not control the movement, but they do seem to have some pretty heavy influence within it.\n\nAlso, all of the tea party candidates that have been knocking off established republican candidates are so very right wing in the worst ways possible, it's hard not to see it as GOP control in a fashion. Of course, what I just said illustrates that the GOP isn't actually in control of the tea party, as you said. But the worst aspects of their ideology seems to be coming to the forefront with most of these candidates.\n\nIf the tea party was turning out conservatives like Ron Paul or Gary Johnson, I'd be pretty gung ho about it. But when I see it turning out candidates like Sharon Angle and Ken Buck, well, it makes me think that something went very, very wrong with the movement as it is supporting an ideology of neoconservatism that is opposed to the original movement.

"...to the last I reason with thee; from classroom doors I grab at thee; for education's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."

fuck this article for shitting on joseph campbell.\nthese science extremists are getting as bad as christians.

b/c of what TFGeditor said, that's why I posted it here, since I read the story, and thought "what a perfect cover story!"\n\na la -- faking your own death so you can continue whatever it is you're doing...that's why it's here.

It is trolls like you that spoil the fun for normal people in going to forums like this. W T F do you think you are anyway making people defend themselves for stuff they have nothing to do with. So G F Y and leave me alone

OP is an idiot, I can't believe he didn't already know this. Moron! 

What type of spirit are we talking about here? I know many for repelling the lesser spirits that cannot actually harm you, but can still scare you shitless. If we are talking about anything that invades your sleep, try wrapping a light piece of cloth with sage in it around your head when you go to sleep. I have had a lot of experience with the neutral spirits of deceased family members.

The worst form is Homeopathic dihydrogen monoxide!\nSome terrorists are able to smuggle it onto airplanes in its dehydrated form!\n

I'm not trying to be flippant, but -- does she *have* cancer? Does someone close to the family have cancer? Someone who might go to her for medical advice? If not, don't worry about it for now.  \n\nYou already describe her as a "woo-believer," so I'm going to assume that this is not the only one of her woo beliefs. But not everybody is so die-hard that they cling to them even in the face of real danger or medical problems. Most people still go to doctors and listen to them when the shit really hits the fan. You can believe in anything in theory, but deep cultural stuff like "you go to a doctor when you are sick" is what usually comes out in a crisis.

People have been talking about an imminent shift in consciousness since the 1970s. It's always just around the corner. \n\nWishful thinking.

If I were in a police station and somebody told me "I know where the bodies are buried!" I'd feel obligated to check it out even if the reason the offered was "I read the answer in my dog's morning stool." Primarily because if you do find bodies -- ta-DAAAA! #1 murder suspect.

It would sound that way, but I am a very calm person. I am not worried of the theory if it be true. \n\nI am simply trying to study any and all possibility of the actual truth to our reality on this planet. This want or need to do so, has been deeply rooted in me. I have always felt what we are told, and taught through the media and those who run society did not always sit well with me. \n\nThe concept of born, school, university, job, (or just straight to job), mate, retire, die. \n\nI do not fully commit to radical conspiracy theories, but I do like to keep my options open, in my mind, so as time moves on I can be fully aware of what may have lead to future events we have not encountered yet.\n\nI have heard multiple people who do not seem insane, schizo, or attention seekers, who do not sell books, who are not trying to make coin. I only seek free information. \n\nBut this theory of Reptilians bringing Monarchy to our species, should not be discredited, no matter how exotic it may seem. If you take time to sit back, and  rationally think, you will come to the point of realizing this idea of Reptilians cannot be just thrown away into the trash bin. \n\nThe best evidence is that of the ancients. There are many texts suggesting "gods" from the skies. There are paintings and descriptions of serpent, or reptile looking beings. \n\nAll I ask is to not let your mind completely discredit this idea. As it could be true. It may not be, but that does not mean you should completely ignore it. That is very unwise. \n\nNever fully commit to a theory, and never fully discredit a theory, unless you have the actual means to do so. \n\nKeep the mind open my man. 

I think you are a terrible person. Not because you are ignorant, but because you have enough information to know better, but you are either too stubborn or too invested in pseudoscience to change your behaviour. Well, it might be ignorance, and I hope that's it.\n\nAt the beginning of all of this I had hope that at least one person would be willing to change after being given a ton of convincing information, but once again I leave in disappointment for the human race. I pity those too ignorant and uneducated to know when they are being scammed by snake-oil shamsters, but I have no pity for the likes of you. There's a big difference between being hopeful for potential sciences and pushing your schlock to get some coin into your pockets.

I like this as a PR stunt, I just saw this movie tonight. And I really did enjoy it.

tl;dr   little kids get scared in the dark and when theyre home alone.   Also sleep paralysis sometimes happens.  Oh, and a doll got THROWN a whole 2 feet!

Resources (one most do their own research. no amount of evidence I give will change anyone's views. The only way people will wake up is if they do **their own research** and come to their own conclusions) for occult study \n\n- Fritz Springmeier (serious researcher of the occults. you can find many of his lectures on youtube)\n\n- John Todd, former occultist, now believed dead. He was part of the Kolyns family, one of the first families to come to the 'New World (order)' aka the United States of America. His original name was Christopher Kolyns He made a series of tapes exposing 'the illuminati' back in the early and mid 70s. Much of what he states has come into fruition. His analysis on UFOs and the music industry was spot on in my opinion.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nf8WPQT4WE\n\nhttp://kt70.com/~jamesjpn/articles/john_todd_and_the_illuminati.htm \n\n- Jacques Valles and J. Allen Hynek (for serious ufo study. they are proponents of ultra-terrestrial theory. inter-dimensional entities have been on this planet for a long, long, time.)\n\n- [John Keel's 'operation trojan horse.'](http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Trojan-Horse-John-Keel/dp/0962653462/) Here is the PDF: \n\nhttp://dl.dropbox.com/u/45380396/John%20Keel/Operation%20Trojan%20Horse%20-%20John%20Keel.pdf\n\n- Primer on human sacrifices\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_sacrifice

There are lots of things to consider. I prefer to buy non organic farmer foods from a local Swiss producer than organic from Spain because of the less energy for transport and the water resourse mismanagement in Spain. I also don't support the working conditions there and frankly the stuff they grow is shipped green and it has no taste.\n\nOrganic is good for the soil and workers but often better regulation for everyone would be the best. For instance Swiss requirements on livestock mean that organic animals do not have that much of a better treatment than others, we have no battery raised chickens and cows can move around, antibiotic use is more regulated, etc. The problem here is EU regulations aren't as tight and now farmers are allowed to follow those instead, and thanks to Shengen we are flooded with eastern european cheaper stuff... Like mushrooms from Bielorussia, who knows how close to tchernobyl these were.grown...\n\nAnyway, organic labels are a proxy for some info about how your food was grown, and processed and its impact but never tells the whole story. Nutrition isn't even part of thr question for me. Sustainability.is number one, good living conditions second, then energy consumption, taste and supporting smaller producers.

I just got through the whole video and it doesnt cover when he was personally healed,.. so it may have been another faith healer.  The problem is I last read this article, literally, in the mid to late 80's.  But it was in one the big news mags at the time, newsweek, or time,... possibly people.  I will keep looking.  I recall the article had a pic of Randi in drag and he was surprised that God didnt reveal to the faith healer his true gender, hehe...\n

Well, if they only let you chew on some valerian root while they're performing the procedure, then it's alt.

It doesn't matter what was said since it wasn't him. The nose and eyes do not line up with known pictures of him. http://www.welfarestate.com/binladen/surprise/fake-to-real.gif

&gt;So 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.\n\nWow, you are quite an asshole.\n\nYou couldn't understand that someone could possibly have a different opinion than yours, and automatically assumed (ignorantly I might add) that this person was religious, like somehow being religious automatically makes you intellectually inferior.\n\nYou do realize that most of the greatest scientist that ever lived were deeply religious people.  My point being that one can believe in god, paranormal, and science all at the same time.   Who would have thought a human could be a complex creature?  Amazing eh?

Apparently having a craving for sweets means that you want to eat anything.\n\nGreat list!

Yeah, but I don't think anyone is suggesting that the model and the polls it were based on were that far off.\n\nFurthermore we can pretty much guarantee that Romney did not have a 95% chance of winning, calculated the day before the election on Nov 5, based on the election results.  Assume that it was actually 5% Obama 95% Romney.  Here's how the results would have looked in the case of an Obama win.  He would have likely only barely reached 270.  Florida would not be contested.  Ohio would have been the deciding state and it'd be under recount right now.  For Obama to put up the electoral college numbers he did assuming a 1/20 winning chance, you're talking about far less than a 1/1000 possibility.  Probably close to 1 in a million.  

I did read his other comments.  And it still falls into the category of "defrauding the gullible."  It you don't want to cross an ethical line, then you don't cross it.   You don't try and redefine it as something else.    And if you don't care about the ethical line, then why even bring it up?  

I'm not sure what "framework" you've chosen to work in, but the beliefs of people inform their actions and ultimately affect my life. Of course their beliefs are relevant. What "framework" have you chosen to work in that nullifies this?\n\nYou are misinterpreting my sentence, understandably because I was being brief. I was saying that philosophers claiming that all knowledge is merely beliefs that haven't been shown to be false is irrelevant because we are talking about one belief specifically which may not be able to be proven false.\n\n&gt;That is only according to your framing and standards.\n\nNo, it's according the definitions of the words involved. If you choose to use your own definitions then have fun being misunderstood. \n\nYou've also ignored my initial question about your claim that I was misrepresenting the view of agnostics. An amusing claim being an agnostic myself.

I don't think that's what the quote boils down to at all. Like SearsPoncho said, if someone proves that Homeopathic or alternative medicine works, then it's moved out of the category of "alternative". 

the one thing i dont understand... why do UFO's always have flashing lights... 

The other night I had a very realistic dream of having six inch spiders walking all over me. When I awoke there were no spiders in my house, and there are no native species of spiders that size in my country.\n\nBut I could claim I was equally convinced that it was a real experience.

Oh yeah... and even Doc Novella admits that without her on the show it would be a sausagefest.  She brought a component to the show that they probably don't want to get rid of.\n\nBut as she keeps burning bridges along with her allies, FreeThoughBlogs &amp; the SkepChicks keep standing around screaming "You are part of the problem because you don't see the sexism!", "You're with us or your against us!" with their Atheism+, they are going to find themselves on a small island without any bridges. \n\nCensoring, banning, shutting down and ignoring anyone who disagrees with her, automatically gets one labelled as a misogynist amongst her and her fanclub.  \n\nTelling someone to calm down is being dismissive.  

Aliens themselves have and are in the business of staying hidden.  That's where the origin of the agenda comes from.  Being as they have near-infinite techno logic capabilities, they could easily fool governments into cooperation. 

The stars with the black hole in the middle. The Milky Way Galaxy's stars going in a straight line. You got evidence to refutee this, because I would actually like to know if it is real or not. So much says it is correct (but their other calenders are correct aswell, so why not this one?) What I'd like to know is, how did they know and time it?

Makes you question the appropriateness of the term 'terrified'. Perhaps he was just a little jarred.

I love that you were just like GTFO DEMON AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT. 

The word you are looking for is 'contrarian.' They may appear skeptical, while of course- on these select issues anyway, they are not.  The second hand smoke episode of Bullshit comes to mind as well.\nEDIT:  I should add that I'm a big fan of both these guys, but I share the disappointment on these particular topics.

No I couldn't find who I thought was on it. Maybe he was never president here, who knows.

pretty good.  blackjack is one game you can turn the odds in your favor over.

That's MSNBC's editor of science.  That's not just some random blog.  While quiet, and not very visible, it still holds.

Just because it's painful doesn't mean it's the wrong thing to do.

We are the best critical thinkers in the animal kingdom. This is your point right? 

It's happened to mine, though the story would seem even too far fetched even for this SR. But it's more fun when it's the flashlight you happen to be using at the time.

Aluminum is economical to recycle because refining Al from ores like bauxite costs a goddamned fortune. \n\nSo it's economical because the alternative costs so much. It's like saying a Humvee is an economical commuter car when your other option is a Sherman tank. 

Debate still takes place on boards like atheism+. The issue is that most of the people getting banned (OP notwithstanding, I haven't read the thread in detail so I won't comment on whether his ban was justified) aren't debating in good faith or about the topic at hand, they're opposing things like the name "women's rights" or whether a safe space is necessary. The people I see get banned are the ones who refer to atheism+ as bigots because they focus on women's rights over men's, or similar issues that have been argued and refuted several times over.\n\n&gt;If you don't check the radicals and attack the moderates, you're going to end up with a bunch of fucking crazies.\n\nI think you may have a point in some cases (I recently unsubbed from SRS because of the degree to which they've become an echo chamber, even though I agree with most of their core ideas), but I think it's far too early to say whether this applies to atheism+. At the moment it's a very genial, pleasant sub that seems to tackle the issues with a fairly balanced approach.\n\nEssentially, I'm saying that you're perfectly allowed to criticize ideas within the topic of the discussion if you do it respectfully in an attempt to start a new discussion, but too often what I see is people making their views heard hostilely and regarding issues that have been discussed a hundred times over, often in a topic that has nothing to do with what they're posting. Normally this would get a warning, but (as we've seen from the fact that atheism+ is currently getting slammed by a downvote brigade) to make sure the board actually stays intact instead of getting beaten into the ground by such people, bans need to be doled out a little more generously than if it were a less controversial board.\n\nSorry I keep posting such long replies, I always feel like I'm forgetting something if I don't.

&gt;The article she wrote is for Slate, not Nature.\n\nAll the more reason to question the validity of the statements thererin.\n\nList the citation here, if you think that they're valid. A YouTube video is not usually a valid form of evidence.

Why do you think that agencies that operate domestically are buying such large amounts of hollow point ammunition?

&gt;You are a firefighter... Would you check your list of subscribers, see that the owner is not subscribed, and thus ignore the screams and let the people there die?\n\nI'll change your question in that I'll answer as if I was the owner or CEO of a firefighting firm.  I would probably have my firm try to extinguish the fire and charge the owners of the property that was on fire.  It would seem silly to pass up an opportunity to sell services to someone who would really, really want them.  Fires spread and it is quite possible that my subscribers are near the fire.  I might have deals with other firefighting firms that if my crews get to a fire that is damaging their subscribers' property, that we get paid for it, and vice versa.  That seems like a good way to improve customer satisfaction, and gain customers.\n\nSo, there are many reasons to put out fires for non-subscribers.

That's the thing, the specific one my father uses, I can't find any online. It's all done personally. Take note, this is the Philippines. While we are enjoying economic growth in this region, there still exists a lot of backward thinking. Sadly I cannot offer you any online resources for it. All my father goes with is his friend's word and their Rotary work.

What you really have to appreciate is all the effort that went into getting an unfocused shot with a modern camera.

Are you the expert? No? Then I'll wait for one. Meanwhile, looks just like bugs to me, and bugs were confirmed abundant by the group of folks who went to that spot. Still waiting for anyone to triangulate or film from a spot that doesn't have bugs. If the objects are at a distance, they should be observable from other locations than the buggy field. The phenomenon was described as a reliable one, so nothing is stopping anyone from gathering that evidence if it were real.

More harm than good? \n\nAgain, I'm speaking only from personal experience, but I'd have to disagree. \n\nIf I wasn't an atheist I'd thank god every day for releasing me from the economically crippling and physically destructive addiction that I found myself trapped in for nearly two decades. \n\nAs it is, I thank Pfizer.

my body and hair was perfectly dry, given that I was going to sleep and I don't go to sleep wet LOL. The shower floor is always wet unfortunately, so I can't really tell. The only indication that can prove this glitch was the paper underneath the tyre and the fact that my work bag beats me all the way to my unit before me.

ha ha!  I noticed that too.  Even the Alienware guys are giving their money back and asking that those shots not air.  

Your image links don't work for me. Can't seem to find anything on-site by searching for your image IDs either.

I admit, 'scam' is quite harsh. But had I just said "Is this accurate", it wouldn't be noticed as much. I am sure there is good advice in there. Judging by the ratings on Amazon, most people like the book. I don't hate him for trying to help people do what he has done.\n\nI'm still not convinced to read the book, though. [unkorrupted](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/14ks4o/is_the_4hour_workweek_by_timothy_ferriss_a_scam/c7e4u8m) said it best:\n\n&gt;[A]nyone who claims they only spend four hours a week working is: lying, extremely lucky, or broke. It's a pretty safe bet to just ignore anyone who is selling a "make money" system.\n\nAlso, while I'm talking to someone who has actually read the book (well, at least half of it), what is he defining as work? Because if one counts 'working' as 'anything done to gain money', it must have taken him ages to write his books. Whereas if he defines it as 'tedious stuff done to get money', then does that mean an actor barely works at all (I assume most actors go into acting due to a love of it, not for the money)?

I would look more in to this. Spirits that at already living in places we move in to are one thing. But spirits that show up in a house that you are living in are there because they want something. Your parents are attracting this spirit for some reason. Spirits roaming the astral are generally not harmless. They can influence your thoughts and emotions. A spirit of the light would not behave in the manner you described here.

Thinking that way will hurt no one but yourself. You should judge an idea by the truth behind it, not the person presenting it. It's the difference between authority from the truth and truth from authority. Ron Paul isn't someone I'd befriend personally, but I have a mind of my own and I'm confident that his voting record is a reflection that he knows how to do his job, regardless of his personal beliefs. If we stopped wasting our time voting on politically correct then we'd have leaders who actually knew what they were doing.

OK, I posted this into /r/atheism and it gets 3 down votes within mins ... but no comments to explain why. I'll be curious to see what the skeptic community thinks ... I'll be quite happy to be told I'm wrong, I'd simply like to know why.\n\nThen again, I did suggest that some atheists can be skeptical regarding religious claims, but also happy to not be skeptical about other forms of woo, so I do wonder if that upset a few folks.

About five years ago I was staying a night in my parents house, in my old bedroom. The three of us were going to bed around the same time. I was lying in bed, with my door ajar. Something tugged at my foot then my door slammed shut. My Dad was in the shower and my Mum was already in bed.

hmmm..I was born with the ability to sense a person who is about to die, be it from old age to terminally ill. I have had a few discussions with others here who also have the same skills. Nobody can creep up on me, and I have thrown up because of coming into contact with those who are close to death. Not to mention seeing ghosts/phenomena since I was 6. \n\nI never trained myself in it, but if you are born with any ability I'm sure you can hone your skills better. Were you born with this ability or is your friend just trying to teach you about them? I have met one person who can see a faint aura around people, but she says it is very rare. What type of info are you looking for and do you have the ability to see these things already?

It sounds to me like you might have seen beyond the illusion of physical existence, which is quite difficult considering we're built to live completely within this illusion.

Seriously: Do deadlifts. Head over to /r/fitness and ask them what they think. Do some research on proper form, try to find someone who does them and give it a shot. This assumes you don't have any serious underlying condition (other than Pain.) I was a passenger in a car that was t-boned (hit perpendicularly.) My lower back basically hurt all my life, and my chiropractor did nothing for me. After I started trying to get fit I started doing deadlifts. My back has been pain free for months.

Reminds me of [this event](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrasound#Suggested_relationship_to_ghost_sightings) which led to the publication of [The Ghost In The Machine](http://www.hauntmastersclub.com/files/ghost-in-machine.pdf).

&gt;It could be a poltergeist-phenomena, which is suspected to be some kind of telekinetical force coming from a single person. This is usually shown by "the ghost" following a person around&gt;\n\nCould you elaborate on this please? I'm interested :)

&gt; For example, many people claim 9/11 was a government plot because of Operation Northwoods.\n\nThe citations of Operation Northwoods are not always supposed to be evidentiary, I think, but rather to counter the argument "Our government is the good guys and would never do such a thing."\n\nI think the 9/11 truthers are nuts, but I'll give them this much: they're right that the US government is not a bunch of good guys.\n

Fuck you, Fargo the city sucked to live in. Fargo the movie was great. 

That's what I call ambition. Ability to predict the future? Great, I'll become the best weatherman of all times!

Let me guess. They start using this tonic when they get sick, and feel better after two or three days?

Fucking Red Skull... Always trying to get to Asgard and get his hand on that cosmic cube.\n

But it's a gross generalization that doesn't add to the discussion. JMO of course.

I won't deny that its interesting. It just seems too human-made to be anything otherworldly to me, you know? Like I said, flashing lights reminds me of man-made objects like toys and planes. 

&gt; Each plate of sushami is roughly 23,100.1129 vaccines' worth of mercury.\n\nHah! Thanks for that. It's a fun way of point out the absurdity of the mercury-scare part of the anti-vaccine movement.

Your body is sending weird chemicals that you aren't used to feeling, like adrenaline. I've felt the same thing you describe when I heard people talking outside my window about how they could get in my apartment. The bed seemed to become like a web where I was hyper aware and feel everything in the house. Houses make a lot of noise and its likely nothing. Its just fear after having a weird experience you cannot explain. Nothing has attached to your spirit, its hard but try to think of it rationally. \n\nI've seen things I just cant explain, and things have happened to me that were extraordinary events. But I understand that the ghost stuff in Hollywood is just not real. If there are ghosts, they are just people, and they wont hurt you and they wont attach to your spirit. Trust me, I played with an old "haunted" gypsy Ouija board and nothing is bothering me.

&gt;A simple lack of evidence for something does not make it false. It makes it unsupported. There is a difference between the two. God is unsupported, homeopathy is false. But currently it's never been studied and probably never will, so we'll just be able to think about it. \n\nYou are right, putting put the Clark quote in its proper context; it is a aphorism, not a law of physics.  Issues of falsifiability are not really relevant  \n\n&gt;And where are you getting that primitive civilizations aren't fooled? I know that the cargo cults in Melanesia at least believed that the cargo came from the gods. More than that I can't speak to, but I'm curious to see your source. (completely sincere, not being argumentative). \n\nYour example of cargo cults is probably where Clark got the idea.  I will try to find the source but the mythology around these cults has been seriously exaggerated, in the same spirit that 19th century explorers also exaggerated (or misunderstood) people they met.  Later studies found that these people understood there was a procedure the get the cargo, they attempted to replicate the technology, and didn't actually believe it was magic.  The mythology came later to explain why it didn't work.  It turns out that many "primitive" people are highly rational.  \n\nScientists today certainly wouldn't fall back on "its magic".\n\n&gt;That's a good question. I was talking about to an average person trying to fit something completely new and foreign into their framework of the world. Perhaps not to you. But you're a person who prides himself (assuming gender) on his critical thinking skills, on not being fooled. But not everybody thinks things through the way we do. \n\nThis conversation is people on /r/skeptic I am not worried about what the average person thinks.  Lots of people believe lots of things but we (theoretically) should be drawing a line in the sand.\n\n&gt;A feel good saying? I said that I find it grounding when I'm about to make an extraordinary, unsubstantiated claim like "____ is impossible." \n\nThe Clark saying is a rule of thumb that I think we should drop because it lacks support.  It is a naive saying that sounds good (from a science fiction authors point of view) but doesn't actually work in real life.  \n\nMy argument is that we should have a higher standard. \n\nHow would you respond to someone saying that: "A sufficiently effective medicine is indistinguishable from homeopathy"?

An involuntary lack of sexual release is called a dry spell.\n\nPracticed abstinence is the dedication to avoid sexual contact. It has been a part of both eastern and western philosophies for thousands of years.\n

Presumably until the govt. took control of police and firefighters they didn't exist either?

And the difference between creepy and not creepy is if she finds him attractive or not.

Since this is about the intentions – mental states – of a large and fairly diverse group of people, rather than for example a physical law, it’s not necessarily tractable in the same way that you would debunk something like faith healing. For faith healing, you can just test it, and it doesn’t really matter whether faith healers themselves are believers or deliberately tricking others – we don’t have to get inside their heads to make statements about faith healing per se.\n\nObviously skepticism is very applicable to questions like “How good was the evidence of WMDs?”, but even a very strong answer to that would be only circumstantial evidence that the US (meaning whom, exactly?) did or didn’t enter Iraq for oil.\n\nIn other words, while your question is good, it’s hard to be really rigorous about. You can still get interesting and useful answers, but probably not categorical ones.\n\nSo. I certainly don’t want to dissuade discussion here, but if you don’t get the kinds of replies you want, you might try somewhere like [r/history](http://reddit.com/r/history), where [some tools of skepticism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_method) are applied to this kind of large, open-ended question.

This is fascinating to me. Two grown people believed this. That's what gets me -- these are two adults who have apparently managed to get thus far in their lives without drowning themselves in the bathtub or electrocuting themselves while making toast, so a certain level of basic  competence can be assumed here. But they still willfully turned their brains off when the subject of religion and black magic was brought up.\n\nNot just that -- but that they disregarded every single warning sign that came up between the moment they heard of the idea from the scammers, and the moment the husband thought to himself, "Hey, my wife says someone may have assaulted her while she was blindfolded, but I'm sure that's just the devil fuckin' with us -- honey, you need to go back for the second session! Herp a derp!"\n\nReally? Come on, I'm having a hard time with the simple logistics of this whole thing. He never thought to himself, while withdrawing the money, that maybe, just maaaaybe, this might be a scam? Nope! Demons, you guys! *Demons!* I had to do it!\n\nGoddammit, there are times I wish I didn't have like, you know, morals and scruples and shit. There's obviously gold in them there retards.

I'm sorry.  Not all monitors are the same.  When I make the comic I make sure I can read it on my screen and my phone.  I assume it's alright when it passes that, generally not so good, test.  I'll keep this in mind when I make future comics.

I've asked the guys over on r/nosleep and Slenderman has been brought up a whole lot.

There was a big TIL a while back about how Jobs discontinued Apple's charity program.  There was later a (much smaller) TIL stating the opposite.  I did a search but whenever I hit next I keep getting the same results as on page 1?

Of course diet is a choice, at least in our luxurious situation, that was my point. Microorganisms and 'bugs' are an entirely different reality than what we consciously experience, with respect to awareness I mean. So that is an entirely different topic, as we were discussing consciousness and inter-species respect, particularly of the sort that dabbles in technology. I think it evident that plants are indeed aware, in a different way than us but surely there is more going on there than we understand. But there is a balance within all living, symbiotic relationships when healthy; and thus plants and I have an agreement that I will feed them when I die as they feed mine when they do. And I always respect them. In fact, I think there is probably a plant that can help for near every illness that humans get.

Probably not. We are made of the most comment elements in existence, and the order of prevalence in the body is roughly the order of prevalence in the universe. There are chemical reasons for life to be based on the elements on which it is based. There are physical reasons why biological constructs evolve the way they do. Weird stuff generally has a purpose or is vestigial.\n\nThis doesn't mean that you are wrong. it means other life is probably similar to known life, and the guy to whom you were replying isn't really off base.

Well, that's why we would like to do a shitload of research now, so that we can safely deploy the solutions before it's too late.  If it takes 20 years to be sure we have a good answer, why not start those 20 years now, instead of when Manhattan floods?

That's my point. It's set aside for foo-foo woo. Read NCACM's mission statement. It doesn't exist to fetter pseudoscience. It is an institution of pseudoscience.

Well, there are morons, and then there are misinformed people. I guess the more culpability one has for one's misinformation, the more moronic one is.  I would say a famous person has a higher culpability for any untruths they spread though.

Yes, the SCMs are good landmarks for the external jugular veins, because they run [on top of and lateral to the muscles.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Gray558.png) Naturally, it would be difficult to "see" his jugular veins.\n\nEdit: Because I said "landmarkers" and felt stupid.

[I'm pretty sure they're a pyramid scheme, too.](http://norwex.com/norwex.php?lng=7&amp;cnt=223)\n\n-- edit: the link is supposed to link to the 'Be a Consultant' page, but apparently they use a flash-based site and you can't actually get the link by just clicking the header. [Here's the right page.](http://norwex.com/consultants.php?lng=7&amp;cnt=223)

The sound could easily been echoing off of other objects and the helicopter if there was one could have been out of sight.

&gt; Radioactivity is also not necessarily a measure of activity/kg, it can also be seen as total activity - the amount of coal ash released is larger than the amount of nuclear waste released.\n\nThe article doesn't show this either. The author means if you ignore all the sequestered nuclear waste (that is, ignore all the nuclear waste) but count all waste produced by coal plants (including waste that goes into concrete or is landfilled in properly sealed pits), the coal plants release into the environment more radioactivity than nuclear plants. It's a biased headline dude.

I asked my optometrists for advice on these sorts of glasses a few years ago since I work in a data center and stare at monitors all day. He said that they can help a little but the best thing is to take breaks (especially if you get any eye strain) and remember to blink.\n\nI also turn the brightness on most of my monitors way down but that wasn't really his advice.

I don't see how that's any different from a religious belief, if you don't want to argue about religion with them forget about this because is the same thing and you will find that in the bottom both are connected. So, either you change your mind about how outside the realms of argument religious beliefs are, or you don't talk about the subject and simply enjoy their company and ignore the whole problem.\n\nIn other words, don't expect to touch one thing without shaking the other.\n\nIf you want to ignore it at least try to get them interested in science, you will have something else to talk about and maybe that will put them in their way to rationality

How have I lived in Florida all my life and have never heard about this?! haha, thank you for this! I know where I'm heading for a little vacation :P

So tell me this. Why would a demon want to torment these folks in their old home? If there are such things as demons, wouldn't they have better things to do? Why is it that any time someone has a slightly negative experience with a haunting, people insist that it's a demon? I've been researching the paranormal for well over 2 decades, and I've yet to see a case involving a demon. I've worked on many cases involving negative energies, but I've no reason to suspect that a negative energy is a demon, and not just a really cranky ghost. Let's face it, we deal with negative energies every day of our lives. Murder, terrorism, rape. Do you suppose the people that commit heinous acts change when they cross to the spirit world? I don't think so. What about the asshole that cuts you off in traffic? The old man that yells at your kids to get the hell off his lawn? Do you think he'll be a sweet, innocent spirit when he dies? Probably not. I get very frustrated when people have a paranormal experience that isn't pleasant, and instantly start throwing around the "D" word. Not all ghosts are spirits of our sweet Aunt Mary.

I just want to say thank you for your civil response. I honestly expected to get lambasted for this. \n\n:-)

The problem I have with them is that there is little to no scientific evidence that it actually works.  Can you readjust the body and have it help with soreness etc?  Sure that's what physical therapists do every day, but there is no evidence saying that they (the chiropractors) can repeat their treatment on the a diagnosis over and over, and so as a science and a medical practice, I think it is bunk.  I've also seen a number of instances where they have caused more pain than good.  

ABC News lastnight - Diane Sawyer was interviewing Paul Ryan and made a very cursory implication that his claims lacked substance and maybe, Ryan had to defend his bullshit, done very weakly in the face of some pretty weak questioning, so then they jumped right to to showing pictures of him as a kid.

the zionist conspiracy is to prop up israel period -- some do it because they know propping up israel will cause armageddon , others do it because they "believe" in a jewish state (and dont believe in a palestinian state) -- they're all zionists and they're all conspiring to prop up israel.  \n\nnow, the opposite of that is the bullshit straw man addressed in the article about jews taking over the world

She's just flirtin with you bro.  I suggest you pickup the digits and tap that in the coming weeks.

&gt;but all I hold against them is that most of the time, they're incompetent. Not evil.\n\nDo you not think that forcing people at gunpoint to relinquish half of their wealth is evil? Do you find robbery and theft tolerable? Do you believe torture, imprisonment due to victimless crimes, bombing multiple countries based on lies and falsified evidence is *not* evil? If so, you may want to see a shrink because that is not normal or healthy. The state is evil based on everything we all witness with our own eyes. And as much as you would love for me to say it's some "secret society within the government" that is perpetuating all of this evil, it is, in fact, you and people like you who is evil because you legitimize the state and turn a blind eye to its grossly obvious evils. \n\nI need not bring to your attention the evils done behind the closed doors of the state, there is plenty to see in broad daylight. \n\n&gt;apart from negligence from the evil gubmint part\n\nAnd who was punished? Who was reprimanded? And who got promotions? What became of those that failed, and lied, about their resposibilities and negligence leading up to the event? \n\nAs is the state's role, the people in charge of state affairs lied about nearly everything that happened that day. Stories changed, evidence was destroyed, and people were silenced. Not that any of this surprises me one bit; that's the nature of the state. 

I don't think you know what credulous means.\n\nDid you mean credible?

Takedown of Havas' latest study: http://www.skepticnorth.com/2010/11/magda-havas-new-ehs-study-has-serious-flaws/\n

There's no reason *not* to go to the beach or the tanning salon.  Go ahead and get a tan, just **don't burn**.  Sunburns cause skin cancer, not normal tanning.\n\nHumans evolved to live outdoors.  We've spent our entire history in the sun.  There's no reason to be afraid of it!  Just don't damage your skin to the point that it turns red and peels.\n\nThen there's the nasty little fact that [many sunscreens actually **cause** cancer](http://www.skinbiology.com/toxicsunscreens.html) so if you use it, please be careful and do your research.

&gt;Rose did not include all the answers to questions he had for the Met office. This does not disprove Rose's central point that warming has paused since 1997.\n\nMany of the points in the article are contrary to the answers he got from Met. Since we know he already had this information, it is pretty damning that he just ignored it.\n\n&gt;Rose wrote essentially the same story last year except it was about 15 years of pause instead of 16. This does not disprove Rose's Central point that warming has paused since 1997.\n\nIt shows that Rose has a history of this kind of irresponsible reporting.\n\n&gt;Rose wrote that there was a Met office report. There was not a report, just a release of data. This does not disprove Rose's central point that warming has paused since 1997.\n\nAh, but because we've already shown that Rose is not reporting honestly, and because Rose is not a climate scientist, the lack of an actual scientist's interpretation of the data calls his own interpretation into question, especially considering he represents his conclusions as actually coming from a legitimate scientist.\n\n&gt;Rose made up his own interpretation of the data. This does not disprove Rose's central point that warming has paused since 1997. Actually, it introduces bias with the wording that Rose "made up" his interpretation. The vlogger does not know the basis of Rose's interpretation.\n\nBut Rose never claimed this was his interpretation. He claimed it was Met's. But with Met saying they haven't released their report, and that they disagree with Rose's position, how is saying Rose made up the interpretation unreasonable?\n\n&gt;The vlogger goes on to make incredibly biased statement "no other tabloid newspaper had the balls to make all this up out of thin air" Come on, r.skeps, aren't your critical thinking spidey senses tingling when you hear language like that?\n\nI don't see your point. This was terrible reporting, for the above discussed reasons. He's just calling the Daily Mail out on that.\n\n&gt;"Why people believe the Daily Mail... is beyond me" By now it should be obvious: because disproving Rose's central point is less important than making snarky, patronizing videos about him and the ideological enemies that accompany him. Pick your side and start the snark. The science is not in this video.\n\nNo, but the science is readily available through the sources mentioned in the video and linked in the description.\n\n&gt;"I'm tired of checking this... for all those gullible bloggers out there who simply repeat this stuff without checking it." Well "gullible" is another bias-y word, which critical thinkers will avoid.\n\nIf you repeatedly accept lies as truth, when the truth was readily available to you, "gullible" is an accurate description.\n\nThe whole take away from this episode is that Rose **lied**. Not only that, but he has a history of lying on this subject. It is perfectly valid to discuss this kind of behavior, and examine the deceitful culture that has sprung up around climate denialism. And no, the video did not specifically discuss why Rose's argument is wrong, but it makes it very clear that the Met's reply does, and links you to it. I don't see why you're getting butt-hurt over potholer calling Rose out for his terrible behavior. A big part of skepticism is recognizing when you can trust a source of information, and when you need to look deeper. This video discusses some relevant things to that end.

Crazy. I thought all those types of djinn's were supposed to be bad, but I really haven't done much research on them, nor have I seen many shows that have had this as their focus point. Pretty interesting stuff man. Hopefully it doesn't keep haunting your friend. When did this happen again? 

/OFFTOPIC: why, just why do all UFO related website look like they were designed in 1990? I mean, c'mon. The media ridicule this thing, but that's not enough, you guys just slap your own face

Lol, somehow Kobayashi smashing down hotdogs came to mind—you really get into the competition of eating.

Thank you for your knowledgeable answer. I worry sometimes that if I continue doing it, I will start to lose control. I have to be able to catch myself for my own safety. For example, there is a staircase right out of my door. I certainly wouldn't want to walk down the stairs in such a state.

Oh surely just a ball on a clear plastic stick, ha ha- *wait what? it switched cars?*

Point well-taken...Damn rational mind clouding my spiritual judgement...

yea me too, sorry for getting all heated. I don't see the point of all this; there's like 5 posts a day max.

the [comments on the original post](http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/8h3qn/merck_paid_elsevier_to_publish_fake_journal_with/) I try not to cry "QUACK" if it seems that the people are attempting to do real science (no matter how much of a long shot the claims are) In this case, they are making no attempt to do real science, they are synthesizing chemicals, THEN trying to find evidence of their efficacy while burying evidence of uselessness or danger. If it looks like a duck, waddles, and has a beak and feathers, all I can do is call "QUACK!"\n----\nThe only question now is will the FDA close them down (at least until they get their house in order) or will they just continue busting anyone who tries to compete for suckers while fining them some tiny % of their gross revenue or nothing at all?

Some people point to the Georgia guide stones and say that they wish to reduce the earth population to 500 million.\n\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones

Hopefully some day soon they will invent some way for computers and internet videos to have adjustable volume and a mute feature. Until then I guess we're SOL.

havent you seen Avatar OP?\n\nPerfect example, its wierd talking about this, because its paranormal, but if aliens were as corrupt as we are, and we had something they considered valuable, and knew they could take it from us, why the hell not?

Indeed, I'm from Toronto but my ex lived in L.A. I found it rather absurd when I noticed one of these signs posted next to her apartment complex mailboxes. I found it actually comical all the places\nI saw these signs. They should basically just read 'life is known to the state of California to cause cancer, be afraid.'

this is crazy cool, especially after the Louisiana thing on monday getting covered up so much.

Daily Express, "a British daily middle market tabloid newspaper" (Wikipedia)

Quite the opposite.  Reality is not contingent on anybody's beliefs, but is objective.

The fundamentalists won, and the Mongols thoroughly trashed Baghdad. A quick one-two punch. They never recaptured the pinnacle of the Islamic Golden Age after that.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Golden_Age

It's a broad claim, that's what I'm getting at. \n \nI can safely say that breathing helps deliver oxygen to the brain, as does drinking water (water contains an oxygen atom...the water you drink will eventually go to the brain). Hell, I can say that pure breathing pure carbon monoxide helps bring oxygen to the brain simply because it contains oxygen and will end up in the brain after inhalation. \n\nThe claims sound like pure hype to me...

This is a lie, here's the real stats:\n\nhttp://i.imgur.com/zzcDl.png

Wouldn't be surprised if he finds some spirituality after all. That's how all this stuff goes.

**Edit:** The paper showing "many college students erroneously believe that a ball traveling through a curved tube will continue to travel on a curved path once it exits." is *Curvilinear Motion in the Absence of External Forces: Naïve Beliefs About the Motion of Objects*, by Michael McCloskey, Alfonso Caramazza and Bert Green.\n\n[The first page](http://s3.amazonaws.com/mendeley-pdf-previews/02/31/0231ac310bd04d72e55279d2013b7dd231a73682_2.png) is all google returns outside the paywall. \n\nHowever the paper read by ars technica (which cites the Curvilinear Motion paper) [has leaked outside the paywall](http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~deenasw/Assets/bloom&amp;weisberg%20science.pdf). It reproduces diagrams the undergraduates were asked to choose between, and mentions that they get it right if you replace "ball" in the question with "water" - water coming out of a curved pipe being something people have usually seen before.\n\n---\nOriginal comment:\n\nApparently [it was this paper](http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1133398) that "cited a paper that showed that many college students erroneously believe that a ball traveling through a curved tube will continue to travel on a curved path once it exits.", but it's behind a paywall so we can't find/follow the citation.\n\npyxlated pointing out that this kind of intuition makes it into hollywood movies really drove the point home for me :(

So, without any real knowledge about the illness or the treatments. Only based on some random bits and pieces found in articles on the Internet.\n\nThat what you call evidence? That's what you base your conclusions on?\n\nSeriously, how can you call yourself a skeptic?

I have considered this as well, but I didn't know any of the staff and I don't know how they would have had time to identify me wearing the rings, fish them out of the hottub, and put them back in my room. There was only a window of a few hours where they could have done this, and it would have had to have been late at night between when I got out of the hottub and went to bed. It's not impossible though.

Wow, I just started watching and one of his intro slides is, "There's lots of fiction about this stuff in movies, so there must be something to it."  I can't imagine that he's going to use that as some sort of actual point, but it's kinda sad to see it even brought up...\n\nEdti: Hrm... he's gone on to special pleading and a number of other fallacies.\n\nI feel like a lot of this was covered in [Flim Flam](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0879751983/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=kylevcom-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=217145&amp;creative=399369&amp;creativeASIN=0879751983) and elsewhere.  I don't know enough about the specific stuff he's presenting as evidence to comment.  It's interesting, but I'd have to look a lot further to be convinced.

Ghost boxes are just *begging* for paradolia. I'm astounded that anyone takes them seriously.

Here in my hometown, if you park your car on the train tracks and put powder on the back of your car, your car will get pushed off the tracks and there will be little hand prints in the powder. I've never done it out of respect for the spirits, but I know people who've done it. It never fails.

Her co-worker probably used one of the many iPhone ghost picture apps: http://www.appstorehq.com/ghostcapture-iphone-79452/app\n\nThey're super easy to use, just adds a transparent ghoulish image to any image you have. Even the Daily Mail fell for it: http://macenstein.com/default/2010/03/the-uks-sun-and-daily-mail-fooled-by-iphone-ghost-app/

My theory would be that they probably made this as part of their research for a potential story to tell before the ride.\n

To offer some metaskepticism...\n\nThe Rapture has no basis in the Bible, and none of the more mainstream and organized denominations take it seriously. The book of Revelation (the only apocalyptic book in the New Testament) was written to make sense of the events that were happening at the time of its writing within a greater theological narrative. It was not about predicting the future, but explaining the present. Further, it was not written as a polemic against those who are on the "outside," but rather to give hope to those on the "inside". It was written around 95 CE, during the first systematic persecution of Christians, and most educated Christians today know this and understand its significance within the historical context.\n\nIt's just when dumbasses who have no sense of their own faith's history pick up the book on a whim and try to "figure it out" as if it was some esoteric code, when actually when it was written the symbolism was widely understood by a persecuted audience.\n\nI'm no Christian, and I don't give a shit what you think about Christianity. But saying that Christians believe in the Rapture *because of anything inherent in Christianity* rather than ignorance of their own history is just wrong. 

Well you deserve an upvote for at least explaining why you think the way you do.\n\nAfter 20 years of watching UFO documentaries I am surprised you can only come to the conclusion that "sometimes there's fucked up stuff in the sky, man".\nPersonally I am more inclined to listen to [astronauts](http://www.syti.net/UFOSightings.html) speaking about UFOs than someone that has shut the door on everything he cant hold in his hand because he had a "nutty" upbringing.\n\nYou will see me I suppose as someone that believes too easily,an open mind that has let lots of crap in haha.\n\nI don't see opinions like your own as reasonable anymore,I see them as wilfully ignorant or the product of a typically egotistical human mind.\n

Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry didnt have to gamble with american lives when they said that. You can quote me outdated shit all day long.... however I would rather play a game. You are the president of the united states, juju2112 how do you fix this?

So here are my answers:\n\nLight/CrossOver? Im not sure, I never see it, No one tells me about it, they just kinda disappear. Most of them tell me they are going home to see their loved ones one last time, and others are not so polite to tell me what they are doing lol. So Im just left guessing what happens once they leave. \nAs for crossing over, Shaun told me that he did feel compelled to "cross over" or "go on" but he needed to finish what he felt was more important first.\n\nEvidence: a few photos, a few EVPs but nothing hardcore evidence that true science would accept. :)\n

I can see the future, give me all your money and one of us will be rich!

In both of your stories, you say you use the objects in question on a daily basis - "like any other morning."\n\nI think it's possible your brain wants to remember that you put your lip balm in your purse today because you do it every day - it is normal for you to have it with you, so it's your brain's default.  I bet it was on your dresser the whole day. \n\nI've had things like this, too - I could SWEAR I brought my phone charger to work, but found it at home at the end of the day. But guess what? I just forgot it at home, but it felt like I remembered to bring it with me because I remember to bring it with me every other day.\n\nIf the objects in question were NOT part of your everyday routine, I would find this more extraordinary. 

haha nice title for this. I don't suppose there would be any way to determine how fast these objects were going? there's probably not enough frames of reference in the video to determine their altitude or size though.\n\nedit: just watched the video again, what is that that goes off to the right between 0:25 and 0:27? looks like a meteor but in any case its going faster than the objects.

I don't see how this is depressing. Nutjobs have just as much a right to voice their ideas as we have to scoff at and ignore them.

I've heard and read evidence to the contrary: ET ships use electromagnetic fields and directed sources of gravity for travel.

Good call.  That's exactly what I was thinking with regard to a plausible mechanism.  Whether that sort of thing holds for aluminum in bats, I have no idea.  Someone already suggested r/askscience, so maybe [that will yield some interesting results](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/g20yk/breaking_in_a_metal_softball_bat_psuedoscience/) from a metals expert.

Well, RMS actually. Royal Mail Ship. (Not His Majesty's Ship, which would be a naval vessel.)

Agreed here. I don't know what value there is to explaining an experience using information that we can't possibly know to be true, accurate, or even real.

I honestly don't know if it's something she has told many people. Probably because of society's views on such things. I think if my mom accepted this was the truth about her, maybe she would calm down a little.

I studied ethnomusicology at university, especially music of the African diaspora in South America: the music of Carioca and Bahian Samba, Capoeira Angola, of Candomblé and its Cuban variant Santeria, Rumba. I studied and inquired into the religious significance and practice of the music in Santeria and Candomblé, visited terreiros in Salvador da Bahia, learned percussion, learned to sing the songs in Yoruban,  learned Capoeira Angola, its traditions and rituals in the game. I got balls deep into a lot of stuff. And the best way to really learn about how people believe is to allow yourself to believe. I tortured my mind to accept a truth about the Òrixá, for instance, in order to put myself in the mindset of the believer. It was a wild ride. It took a couple of motorcycle accidents and crazy humans (of whom I can't stay away) and the Gnu Atheists to pull me back out of the clouds.\n\nEdit: still love capoeira angola. It can be a singular experience with the right group. 

In all honesty, I said local town because I live here. People always make fun of Barrie for being stupid...but I had no idea....:(

1.  The only footage of the 1st plane hitting was a French documentary crew.  This couldn't have been on television on the morning of 9/11.  And, I believe there was security cam footage which didn't show up until years later.  So, he couldn't have seen anything on television.\n2.  Bush is an utter moron.\n3.  He didn't react ***because he was being filmed***.\n4.  He didn't react because, at the time, it wasn't that big a deal (a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center before, and didn't cause much damage).  It wasn't until the towers collapsed that the world realized how big of a deal it actually was.\n5.  Bush didn't lie about seeing the first plane hit - he was just wrong (see #2).\n6.  The neo-cons (Project for a new American Century) were dreaming a major terrorist attack would happen.  So, when it happened, Bush would have been relatively fine with it - until it ended up being a lot worse than expected.

Totally right.  This was full of facts and education that is absent from the Ancient Aliens series.  This walks you through the who, what, where, why and how of most of the "mysteries" presented by Ancient Aliens.

Thank you sir.  \nAnd do you know of any studies relating to life-extension by means of restricting reproduction to individuals over a certain age?  There would of course, be many cases of unacceptable traits in the offspring, resulting in termination; but the surviving gene-pool may be much improved.  (evolution, as you know, does not 'play-nice'. Nor does it care for social taboos.)\nEDIT: I'm afraid that particular study was not related to the type of calorie-restriction (ie. post-reproductive) I was referring to.  Obviously a lifetime of starvation is *not* going to be good for you.  Sorry - I should have been more specific.

I saw Michael Shermer give a talk at UC Davis last May but didn't have a good question. If I saw him again, I would ask him this:\n\n*"If humans are able to avoid extinction, do you think there is a reasonable chance we will move away from belief-based society and towards an evidence-based society?"*\n

There are a number of interesting posts stemming from that one. Good post. Had me reading for 2 hours, and figured I better get back here and give you an uptick.

Good point and everything, but mr.Chappelle do have some odd beliefs himself though..

That almost makes it seem less paranormal for some reason. No clue what it could be, but energy doesn't just flash off like that. Seems it would dissipate more slowly.

Yes. In a homepathic world you would have to dilute birth control pills to get pregnant. 

Just because I cannot get enough downvotes on this thread, I might as well throw in another evidence-based response that once again (surprisingly) gives some credibility to the public's concern:\n\nI'm sure you learned in pharm school (just like I learned in medical school) that generics aren't tested to determine that they are exactly the same as the brand name. They just have to be theoretically close enough. [Well... maybe they aren't checking efficacy like they should be.](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12860486). Also, [impurities](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18544188)?\n\nEDIT: for full disclosure, there are many studies that show no differences between on and off brand. I don't mean to say that all generics are bad. We just don't really check that much... so maybe some are.

I would imagine that rocks would also "flow" at a similar rate due to being constantly pulled by the earth's gravity.

Can you elaborate? I've seen that episode but I've never been involved in martial arts at all.

That's right, you cannot hide behind it and come out clean. Again, I'm not arguing in favor of acquittal of these people. I'm just saying that there is a difference, and we MUST maintain that distinction, between murder and negligent homicide.

1) He's been consistent for over a decade of publicly speaking about this.  No inconsistencies or contradictions.  This is not proof of anything, but is indeed at least an indication that his story is what he says it is.\n\n2) The things he talks about are ultimately valid in terms of what should be done on this planet.  Even if he's lying about everything ET that he talks about, the *result* of what he's saying in terms of what he mentions the human race should be doing is absolutely spot on.\n\nRegardless, people who discard anecdotal info in principle and by definition *because* it's anecdotal do more harm to themselves and the possible truth of an issue than anything else.\n\nScience is indeed a part of the puzzle, but it is only a *part* of that puzzle - not the puzzle or the answer to the entire puzzle itself that many on this planet make the mistake of thinking it is.  As it is practiced on this planet, science is as a matter of fact extremely, extremely remedial, and should not be given anywhere near the level of blind, dogmatic credence that it is generally given.

&gt; I didn't, as a matter of fact, say anything about Randi. At all. Or about your claims.\n\nI know. I never said that you did. I only put the "don't get all insulted" in there because most Randi followers *would* be up in arms about it. It was a precaution, so chill.\n\n&gt; your attempt to pin research on someone else was dubious, because you apparently have all the good information already. It's much easier for you to find your source than for him to dig through hours or days of bullshit reading to find something useful.\n\nBut I explained why the research was necessary and almost expected of those who claim to look up to him - they should already be aware of the major bad things he's done. Also, what bullshit are they supposed to be digging through? It's prettty easy to find the bad stuff about Randi.\n\n&gt; Just can't stop, can you? Do you purposefully misconstrue what people say, then insult them?\n\nWhat have I misconstrued, and when did I insult who by saying what?

What? Of course it isn't horseshit. Don't demean horseshit like that.\n\nHorseshit has its uses as fertilizer and a way for fruit seeds to spread through droppings.

Avoid DEET by standing in wood smoke...I'm sure that's way healthier. 

Yes, I'm sure ETs don't have the intelligence or technology to defeat this brilliant design.

It when over very well when Teresa Heinz-Kerry pointed out that she was African-american.

They seem to want people to think that Spiritual Fitness or Spirituality:\n-has nothing to do with religion.\n-could mean “in good spirits” or “spirited”\n-is an umbrella term, or a catch-all, universal concept for everyone to use.\n\nThey want the public to think that when the military says ‘Spirituality’ they mean ‘don’t commit suicide‘. That’s how they are justifying violation(s) of the Constitution. This murky term is a time-bomb.\n\nLuckily, the Air Force has just recently defined the term ‘Spirituality’ for us. Video Included.\n

I'd like to know why she's not being investigated for fraud.  Surely it counts as "Fraud by false representation", as defined in [UK law](http://www.cps.gov.uk/legal/d_to_g/fraud_act/#offences)?

You should make another one to counter the deadly cellphone radiation

This diatribe feels kind of paranoid.\n\nWhy is it bullshit to avoid something you think is wrong or unhealthy?

Honestly, it's such a stupid move by people who think they're doing something ethical, to go and use any means to achieve their desired ends.\n\nNot that I think being anti-GMO is an ethical stance. But many people unfortunately do.\n\nYou just end up hurting your own cause doing stuff like this.\n\nI think that GMOs are potentially great though, so I don't really care that he has shot himself in the foot so many different ways with this study, but if it was a cause I was concerned about I'd be really annoyed at this kind of dishonesty.

Harper's Ferry has always been a favorite 'haunt' of mine for several reasons. The ghost and apparition tales of John Brown have been swirling around there since he was hanged down the road in Charlestown and I have talked to people who swear he appeared and conversed with them over the years.

Yes, that's why successful actors so rarely go in for new age bullshit /s \n\nNot buying it.

"her phone's paranormal detector" ??? \n\nAre you fucking kidding me? \n\nWhat does it detect, exactly? \n\nYou're a fucking idiot. 

Apparently, 9 out of 10 responders are 95% sure that the world is going to end in a dramatic way very soon unless we give all of our money to the UN.

Wow.  I'm sure I don't need to explain that "the majority of infections were in vaccinated children" is not the same as "infections were more common among vaccinated children".  In fact, it could easily be the reverse.

Psychics do not solve crimes.\n\n[[T]the FBI and the National Center for Missing &amp; Exploited Children maintain that to their knowledge, psychic detectives have never helped solve a single missing-person case.](http://www.skepdic.com/psychdet.html)

The fact that the sun is coming up in the morning does nothing about the monsters under my bed right now :(

I met someone only a couple of months ago who said she seriously believed that the world would end in 2012. She had no interest in talking specifics: "There's just too much stuff out there!" but happily nodded along as I listed the end of the Mayan Calendar/Nibiru/polar shift/HAARP etc. as possible beliefs.\n\nI imagine by mid 2013 the believers will split into different camps:\n\n* It all happened as expected, but it was an event on a different plane of existence/dimension/vibration and/or only specially attuned people are aware.\n* The date was wrong. The new apocalypse year is 2015/2017/2030/whatever.\n* It was all a black ops/illuminati/lizard-people con, man. I never believed that shit. The real deal is... 

I am extremely suspect of that guy. I read about [his first sighting](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/uf8vj/my_ufo_sighting_over_the_bay_area_artist_rendering/) the day it came out. \n\nFive people in the car. No one has a cell phone. No one gets a single picture or video.\n\nHis [latest](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/zm2mn/redorange_fireballs_back_in_the_bay_area_last/). Same thing. He refuses to put his pics or videos on reddit, insisting that they are not of good quality.\n\nHe always has some kind of excuse. If I had 5 people in the car, it wouldn't matter if I got a shot of the UFO or not, I would at least have a witness reaction reel.\n\nI think that people who are really looking to further interest in UFO's should temper his enthusiasm a bit. And it should be better understood that asking for evidence isn't calling anyone a liar, but that there are definitely "misguided" people out there.\n\nThen again, Reddit is overrun with noobs. Almost every sub seems to be going through some kind of weird adjustment phase.\n\n

I keep my phone and the ball in the right pocket. I constantly check the time and change the song so I would have noticed and sat on the bench to wait for my little bro when i got home I sat on it.

The answer is that Nat-Geo is airing a show about UFO's today that is suppose to make you believe that UFO's are real.

Please let me in on your point.  Anecdotes are worthless and so is alternative medicine.  No one is saying we shouldn't research things which may benefit others.  We're saying that many of these studies have almost 0 possibility of returning valuable information, and that they are funded because they are not in competition with actual science.\n\nPlease, give me a logical reason why one should run a publicly funded study on the efficacy of something like homeopathy or faith healing in this day and age.

The bill talks about postmarket safety of implantable devices (e.g. pacemakers). This is designed so that if there is a problem with a device there can be recalls &amp;c. Show me where in the bill it says RFID.

Shermer has much more supporting evidence and supporting arguments than just Landis.

Well, now you've got a free answer you weren't even expecting. Congratulations.

It's a piece of debris that hit the shuttle and bounced off.  Any other brain busters?

I don't know many doctors, but I am a screen printer.  If someone came to my shop to pick up their shirts and said "Oh, praise Jesus for these tee shirts!"  I would say "Fuck you, thank me." \n\nI understand that for people, like doctors, who get the chance to actively help people (as opposed to people like me who perform an essentially useless service) that the work is it's own kind of reward, but I can't imagine that having people give credit for your work to their imaginary friend does much for the ol' ego.

Occam's razors isn't so much the "simplest answer" as it is the answer with the least assumptions.  A terrible example would be\n\n you walk into a kitchen and see the counter is clear and one person is in the kitchen.  You leave for a moment and return to find the person still there and a sandwich on the counter.  You know the sandwich wasn't there before, that sandwiches are food, that people prepare food, and one person is in the kitchen.  So in all likelihood that person made the sandwich. Assuming a second unseen person  made the sandwich introduces unneeded complexity. 

Should it increase in cold? I ams not actually sure. Ams not CO2 dissolves in water more when ams cold?

I believe anyone can call themselves a homeopath since it hopefully isn't an official title.

It is the phrase that people who don't like circumcision call it.  Because by linking it to FGM - Female Genital Mutilation, they think it should be similarlly illegal.

I've heard it being credited to Richard Feynman before, and I'm pretty sure I heard him say it once. He might of heard it somewhere else though.

That's not how "natural" and "supernatural" are defined in science though. The terms refer to the uniformity, consistency, and repeatability, of observations and phenomena. That is, a "natural" phenomenon is one that occurs again and again given similar sets of variables, and a "supernatural" one is where the result has no such restriction. So a supernatural entity is not something we can determine beforehand; ghosts, psychic powers, prayer, gods, etc are not necessarily supernatural. If such entities are proposed to be observable and measurable, then they are natural. Often, however, they are not defined that way. For the claim that "prayer can cure diseases", this is an entirely natural claim - there is nothing supernatural about it. If the claim was "prayer can cure diseases through the power of an unknowable and ineffable god", then the **effect** would be natural (thus accessible by science) but the **cause** would be supernatural.\n\nTo put it another way, for people who suggest that science can study the supernatural, suppose for the moment that invisible, intangible gremlins existed and suppose that the reason gravity appears to work is because they like to grab onto objects and pull them towards the earth in a way that is entirely consistent with our laws of gravity. How would science study these gremlins? What method or piece of technology would suffice? Presumably, the existence of the gremlins would be ruled out as being superfluous and unparsimonious, and we will explain gravity through entirely naturalistic causes. This means that even if these gremlins did exist, and they were the cause of one of the most fundamental features of science, we would have absolutely no scientific way of discovering them and we would be forced to say they don't exist.\n\nThis isn't to say that we have to believe that supernatural causes exist. Of course we can rule them out on philosophical grounds (by questioning whether the notion of the "supernatural" is even a coherent concept), and we can rule out believing such phenomena on pragmatic grounds (i.e. why believe in an entity that has no empirical or logical evidence to support it?), and so on. But the point is that the power of science as a tool comes from the fact that it recognises its limitations and is not stretched to account for our own personal metaphysical beliefs. \n\n

"I was a skeptic until..." goes in the same bin as, "I'm not a racist, but..."

Actually it's only a throw away vote if you're in a swing state. If your vote is in wither a solidly red or blue state then no matter who you vote for you wont effect the election, in those cases voting for a third party can increase their legitimacy. However in a swing state it makes more sense to vote for whichever big party you prefer, in those states only a few hundred votes have dertermined the whole election (Florida in 2000 is the big one).

It's actually time to fire up the Lion OS and have different voices read some of these links so I can save to an audio file and put up online.

It's on the right hand side, and moves towards the left around the 11:00 minute mark.

I don't believe so. I just would think if your in a scared/freaked out mood your mind is more likely to play tricks on you is all. 

Go back to your corporate Big Pharma Paymasters, you Illuminati swine!\n\nSeriously though, reading their 'evidence' fills me with impotent rage.

I'm just saying that good scientific investigations tend to be done by specialists in a related field.  If psych students were studying placebo effect, then fine, I'm all for it, but to say that it has benefits beyond placebo effect without any background in pain management, and only half-assed vaguely scientificish study is pure douchebaggery.  \n\nSecondly, you're moving into appeal to authority territory.  I'll assume for the sake of argument that Goldsmiths has a downright amazing psych department.  That however does not qualify them to be doing pain management studies.

**slow clap.gif**\n\nBravo. I'd love to see that abortion removed from the sidebar as well, but hey, I'm just glad someone else doesn't like that website that most psychiatric med sudents could do a doctoral dissertation on.

Ive seen up to 5 at a time, that time, they were in a straight liine, pulsing in rhythm. when i saw 3 of them, they were doing the acrobatics. Were they red/orange solid lights at night, was it daytime and they were silver?

So because I have no evidence that your evidence does not exist I am biased for not believing your statement?  Proving a negative is a logical impossibility.  Asking for someone to do so is irrational.

Thanks for the resources. Yeah, depending on how the first few classes go I might just have to bite my tongue through it and laugh at the idiocy of it all. It's a guest-speaker series so I'm assuming that all the speakers will be true devotees.

Ugh, my least favorite conspiracy theorist tactic; just dump a crapload of outlandish claims and force the skeptic to sort through it all for him. 

I wish the angel had something to say!  It just showed up and scared the crap out of me, that's all lol.\nWell, at least I could tell my class when we'd discuss daily events, my teacher cut me off and started class haha (kindergarden)

It's called 'research.' People change their opinions based on the facts that become available.

This is tech we are just testing now, reports of super fast objects go back to the 50's.

Needs more "increase your vibrations" and something about a crystal.  

I still have one more class tomorrow so I will try to draw something later when I get back home from school.

From a chiropractor's office? I'm still laughing. Fortunately I take a nice homeopathic remedy everytime I eat some oily stuff.\n\nI'm not dead so it must be helping.

I like where situations like this set this guy up to be a moron when in fact, he is still an expert in his field. His field has nothing to do with photography, videography, entomology, or ornithology.

This book changed my life. Thank you, Carl. You are sorely missed.

&gt;I could be a psychic too if all i did was make mass predictions about as many things as possible\n\nThats precisely what Nostradamus did too, just fyi.

&gt;I hate that skepticism and atheism are paired with ethics and moral of individuals.\n\nNormally I agree on not using personal attacks, but religion and spirituality are different because they claim to be authorities on personal ethics and morals.  That legitimately puts a religious leader like Sai Baba's personal behavior on the table for discussion.  \n\nIf religion or God is supposed to be the source of morality, then a God-man should surely be the most moral person on Earth.  A perfect religious being, such as Sai Baba is claimed to be, should therefore demonstrate perfect morals.  If he does not, or if there are serious doubts, then it is absolutely appropriate--if not essential--to bring it up because it bears directly upon his claim to be God (and religion's claim to be a source for morality in general).  \n\nAnd let's remember what's at stake here: millions of people have been hoodwinked into worshipping a fraud, not to mention donating vast sums of money to his organization.  If we don't challenge it, someone else will just come along and do the same.  It has to stop.

I predict that in 100 years, this this will be the same story of the [Many Worlds Interpretation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Many-worlds_interpretation) and the Everett-Wheeler model of spacetime. The result will be the annihilation of all theologies as we know them today.\n\nBut, for now, I appreciate and recognize that these are not truly scientific claims. Thus, the critique and derision is justified.

Of course not, I don't think it's a bad thing the WHO are doing this, I just felt like pointing out that this has the sadly unavoidable side-effect of reinforcing trust in untrustworthy practices.

Libel laws in Britain are terrible. Hopefully this will be a case that will cause them to be reformed.\n\n

Fear is only something you feel ( I will always remember that saying, it helps) Crazy? no, if you are capable of everything needed to carry out this post, you're either living in a fantasy world that needs attention or you're a person who believes this to be true. Given that you're not schizophrenic, I'm hoping. I believe you and with my experience, I'd say it's very possible. Questions?\n\n1. Does the spirits presence become affected by other people? Does it leave or react to other living people in your life when they enter a room you're in?\n\n2. Do you believe the relationship between you is one that has the same premise as a living relationship? (Loneliness, companionship, comradery, curiosity)or is it one based on chance, that is based on a physical location such as a memorable place or home where they passed that you just happened to move in to?\n\n3. Is there knowledge or information to be learned from a passed soul or spirit? Can you inquire about the afterlife? Is there ever a time where the communication allows for question and answer time?\n\nThanks for your time. 

I mentioned this project in two different threads, wondering if anyone had debunked it.  No one replied.  It's like this topic has a force-field around it.  Even here, with 6,000+ readers, nobody talks about it.

What an asinine article. Anyone who still thinks ["climategate"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P70SlEqX7oY) was a genuine controversy is clearly not well informed enough to be claiming that the evidence for global warming is insufficient. 

This is incorrect.\n\nSee: \nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/ydpoc/saw_this_on_facebook_and_figured_its_bs_or_at_the/c5up3dm\n\nFor a much better response.\n\nEdit: Please for my own sanity, at least ask for a source before upvoting desertfox.  That's misinformation up there, and it's even admitted as such down at:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/ydpoc/saw_this_on_facebook_and_figured_its_bs_or_at_the/c5unxhu\n\nI'm really disappointed by the acceptance of a statement of belief that isn't being questioned at all that doesn't have ANY backing evidence.  Why is this the top of a thread that is supposed to "Skeptic"?

If you don't get some super interesting killer question here (and don't have one of your own) may I suggest you **ask something your classmates can learn something from.**\n\nIn other words, give Shermer the chance to say something that *you* already know but that you think your classmates don't. I've given similar advice earlier on a "Dawkins is coming to us" post, and suggested asking something typical about "why are there still monkeys" or some other thing that gives the speaker the chance to teach your class something important.\n\nOr, of course, simply yield your time and let other people ask questions.\n\nHave a good day!\n\nTL;DR: Don't use your time trying to impress Shermer with intricate question from Reddit, instead give him the chance to impress your classmates.

&gt;No mention is made of how polio continues, often from polio vaccinations but under different names. \n\nSo there's a hidden epidemic of paralysis?  What exactly are these conspirators calling the paralysis-inflicting polio if not polio?\n\n&gt;His trial and error method wound up curing all of them within days.\n\nSo, all of these patients had stool samples sent to the lab after presenting with paralytics symptoms and were cured by vitamin C by the time the positive for polio results came back (mind you, they would be contagious during that period)?\n\n&gt;Note: No grants, no lab testing, and no cruel animal testing were required. Why? Because vitamin C is not a synthetic toxic.\n\nI'm pretty sure viruses (the basis of inoculation) aren't exactly "synthetic" to begin with. To the previous question - if there was "no lab testing", how the hell do you even know the patients had Polio and not some other issue?\n\nOdd, right?\n\n[So, this appears to be the article written by the doctor in question.](http://www.seanet.com/~alexs/ascorbate/194x/klenner-fr-southern_med_surg-1949-v111-n7-p209.htm)\n\nHere is a section detailing diagnosis:\n&gt;In the poliomyelitis epidemic in North Carolina in 1948, 60 cases of this disease came under our care. *These patients presented all or almost all of these signs and symptoms: Fever of 101 to 104.6�, headache, pain at the back of the eyes, conjunctivitis, scarlet throat; pain between the shoulders, the back of the neck, one or more extremity, the lumbar back; nausea, vomiting and constipation.* In 15 of these cases the diagnosis was confirmed by lumbar puncture; the cell count ranging from 33 to 125. Eight had been in contact with a proven case; two of this group received spinal taps. *Examination of the spinal fluid was not carried out in others for the reasons:* (1) Flexner and Amoss had warned that “simple lumbar puncture attended with even very slight hemorrhage opens the way for the passage of the virus from the blood into the central nervous system and thus promotes infection.” **(2) A patient presenting all or almost all of the above signs and symptoms during an epidemic of poliomyelitis must be considered infected with this virus. (3) Routine lumbar puncture would have made it obligatory to report each case as diagnosed to the health authorities. This would have deprived myself of valuable clinical material and the patients of most valuable therapy, since they would have been removed to a receiving center in a nearby town.\n**\n\nOk... so he had patients with symptoms, but didn't want to report them to health authorities because he'd lose his test sample.  There was NEVER a positive ID of polio, since he didn't want to tip the health department off.  He assumed they had it from the symptoms.  No paralytic symptoms are present in a single one of his 60 patients.  Even the small number that did get a lumbar puncture weren't tested for polio, they had a count of their white cells performed.  That proves... uh... nothing?\n\nAs an aside, he notes in his article that Sabin (who invented the vaccine that uses the attenuated virus) had actually tried vitamin C as a treatment and found no effect.  Of course, Sabin also had a lab where he could verify polio was present, instead of assuming it...\n\n&gt;Big Pharma research employs tests and experiments, to the tune of millions of dollars. This "orthodox" system entitles Big Pharma to create patented synthetic toxins that can be monopolized for big bucks with protective policing from the AMA and FDA, including the elimination of any inexpensive competition.\n\nSure sucks how big pharma made all those big profits off not curing polio, right?  What was it Salk said after completing the vaccine?  "Fuck the kids, where's the money?"  Wait wait.. I know this:\n\n&gt;When he was asked in a televised interview who owned the patent to the vaccine, Salk replied: **"There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?"\n**\n\nOh. Right.  Well, I'm sure they still made people pay out the ass for it, right?\n\n&gt;The introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) in 1955 stimulated major public interest in assuring that all children received the vaccine. Federal funds were appropriated in 1955 and 1956 to help states and local communities buy and administer IPV. [(From here)](http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/10/1440.full)\n\nOh.  What was the point of this article again?\n\n\n

You're the one who made an assertion! Yes, I demand a quote that supports that assertion.\n\nI notice you're still trying really hard to avoid answering easy questions. I'll try again:\n\nWhen you read this quote:\n\n&gt; I think most men are honestly clueless about what it means to live as a woman. There are a million little things that I hardly even think about any more which are ways in which I try to avoid sexual assault. It’s just things I do, things that I would be blamed for not doing if I were assaulted.\n\nIs this what you hear?:\n\n&gt;"you have a penis, therefore you are wrong and can't see how much damage you do by having a penis around female skeptics,"\n\nBecause if so, there may be something terribly wrong with you.

Nutters and the very few of us who struggle, often in vain, to bring order to the chaos.  Good luck with the MUFON subreddit!  I am an on-again, off-again member (who is currently off-again) in Michigan. It really depends on your local group, how committed they are, how scientifically rational, etc.  So many ways MUFON can go right (and wrong).\n\nI'll post an issue that's been on my mind with the wider MUFON community, though!

wonder why they put Monosodium Glutamate in some of them too...looking at the MedImmune/FluMist insert now...

The really funny thing is that over here in Europe shit has always "been used in America for Years"... :-D\n\nPEOPLE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD ARE SO SMART!!

While your dream is something I'd dismiss as nothing but a nightmare, I disagree that dreams don't mean anything. My grandmother had a dream once that she was lying in bed when a man in a red shirt walked past her door and then she heard screams from the next room over. In the evening paper, she read that someone had been murdered by a man in a red shirt, and that her roommate had seen this man from her bed.\n\nMy grandmother had a dream she found a quarter outside of Wal-Mart. The next day, that's exactly what happened.\n\nI had a dream before moving to Peru that I was in a desert in Latin America. I had another one where my house had a pool and we lived near mountains. I soon moved to Lima where I lived near mountains and my house had a pool. Dreams can be significant, but in your case, I'd write it off. Stay vigilant, just in case.

Its a real thing, [OBE](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-body_experience), has happened to me before, it is so, so strange.

&gt;companies have no mandate to work in the interests of the people\n\nYou're forgetting reputation. If a business has earned a poor reputation it can very quickly sink. Just look at the restaurant business for proof of that. Only because of governmental support have some poorly-run businesses stayed aloft (bank and auto manufacturer bailouts for instance).\n\n&gt;efficiency\n\nYou miss the point. That, or I didn't convey it well enough. Even if the government operated in the most efficient way possible, if business is regulated in any form, then it is bringing inefficiency upon industries which transfers to the consumer in the form of inflated costs or inferior products/services or both.\n\n&gt;environmental disasters\n\nFEMA can go die in a fire. We have no need for bureaucracy to get in the way of aiding disaster victims or fixing environmental problems. There are plenty of people outside the government willing and able to help, and I bet that even more people would want to help if there was no government agency to do the work for them.

That reminds me of those conspiracy theory web pages that are just super long with sections not arranged in any particular order, huge ass lettering, random gifs and make no sense whatsoever.

"Man is the highest level of animal."\n\nThis has got to be one of the most common misunderstandings of evolution. Evolution is NOT a hierarchy of "higher" and "lower" beings, with us at the top and single-celled organisms at the bottom.

\n&gt;"I than took the time to explain to the audience about applied kinesiology and the placebo effect."  \n\nYeah. Sure he did.  

Didn't see anything at 0:50, but at 1:10 it looks like in the top left (in the clearest part of the clouds) something small zooms into the frame in that area of the sky and then disappears. Could easily be dirt or dust from the tornado, though. 

yeah, but your Friday night is probably going to be a real shitstorm.

we had a family "talk" four years about the same thing. Between my dad, two of my sisters, and myself we were all pretty shocked of how we were "experiencing" the same thing at our house and how it all started around the same time. It made me feel a lot more sane because I thought I was going crazy, but at the same time it freaked me out that it was closer to being something real.

since when do youtube place multiple video adverts that you have to click after 5 seconds within one video?

This. I get tired if the media reporting on Ahmadinejad's antics, since he's basically the nutty whipping boy for the Ayatollah and ruling council, who occasionally needs a slap to make him shut up. The only reason we care about him at all is because he has the title "President."

I guess it's pointless, but so are most social norms. It's more pointless to train yourself to stop. Train yourself to stop biting your nails or something instead.\n\nI say "god damn it" all the time, and not to be an in-your-face atheist stickin' it to those Christians with blasphemy. I just like the sound of it. I'm not actually invoking the wrath of god, and nobody interprets it that way, so why make a big deal out of it?

It depends on the sweetener and what you consider "artificial".\n\nSaccharine was the first one recognized as being a problem.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharin\n\n

Before we discuss this further, I would like to know what studies you've read regarding placebo. It's quite well established that a placebo's effectiveness is not in the pill but rather in the cultural relevance of the treatment. \n\nTo quote Ben Goldacre regarding placebos: "Pills don't simply manifest themselves in your stomach; they are given in particular ways, they take varying forms, and they are taken with expectations, all of which have an impact on a persons beliefs about his health, and in turn, on outcome. Homeopathy is a perfect example of the value of ceremony." (If you don't know who Ben Goldacre is, you can find him over at badscience.net)\n\nThe point Dr Goldacre is trying to make is that there is importance in the way placebos are presented. If I were to fill my mothers pill bottle with tictacs, that would do absolutely nothing for her because it isn't about the pills. It's about the cultural meaning of the treatment. It's about trusting a particular kind of treatment, from a particular kind of doctor. \n\n

Wow, some people were so mean over there.  Instead of trying to educate her, some people just ridiculed her.  I thought it was pretty clear that she believed everything she was saying and actually thought her techniques were effective, but she was still called a fraud, a scam artist, and disgusting.  Thanks to those who contributed to the discussion constructively and followed reddiquette by not downvoting everything she said.

Fair enough. I just remembered that his footage shows clear spheres hovering near a nuclear power plant though so I thought I'd post it.\n

Sadly, I watched the whole thing because a friend posted a link on Facebook *sigh*. The video doesn't get much better, at around 20 min, the object they report to be a UFO is clearly the space shuttle's orange External Tank falling back to Earth. 

I'll have to ask him. Objective C.\n\nAndroid is easier to code in IMO. I know Java too but I'm a lazy ass xD

Not only did I bring the race card, I also brought a Shivan Dragon, two Demonic Tutors, Tawnos' Coffin and a Maze of Ith. Bring it on!

He should have expanded it to "natural remedies"\n\nI take fish oil 3 times a day since it's FDA approved for lowering triglycerides in my blood (I take the Sams club stuff though, not the FDA stuff, but it's all the same).

True, you can play probability, and really just existing makes you infinitely more likely to be happy, but you could also weigh societal costs if, say, you can't financially support the child. This would also raise the unhappiness for the mother. Coincidentally, I'm pretty sure financial concerns are one of the major underlying concerns for most abortions.

\n&gt;The thing was, the first couple seasons of The Real World were *great* TV.  They were actually normal people with socially relevant problems, and they interacted in important ways.  Now it's just a group of alcoholic supermodels.\n\nThat ended with the first season in my opinion.  I quit watching by the fourth or fifth. 

Yeah, he's a major troll. Ignore this tool, the McSheep!\n\nHe stinks of a 20something year old who just found out about the scientific method, and has adopted his new religion fervently. He fails to see the blindspots to his own idealogies. \n

Watching Rising Sun now.  That's some crazy stuff.  I was in San Francisco, right near the Presidio, at the time he was destroying those documents.

&gt;This is obviously a product they didn't want to get out and so how good could that be.\n\n"Pink Slime" isn't an industry term. The guy who made a fuss about it came up with that term. At the time, they probably thought you were talking about some crazy shit, so they said no.

Because when you actually look at the emails that were involved in climategate, you find nothing. That isn't the case for a doctored graph, as it can be easily debunked. And "himilayagate" was cherry picking the data from a NASA study to change the results. 

Been there. Been to Carl Baugh's "Museum" and if you've been to Ripley's Believe it or Not, you've seen pretty much the same stuff. I spent two summers as a child (11-12 years old) digging up dinosaur tracks on the bank of the Biloxi River there with Mr. Baugh. That experience was one of the main catalysts that caused me to become an atheist. The more I learned about biology, paleontology, and geology, the more I realized how crazy the young-earth creationist argument was.

I think you mean before Reddit entered its 'eternal september.' Really though, communities before that stage are plentiful. Most of them are poorly quality or niche and wont get beyond their humble beginings. The next 'big thing' is protecting the small community from the constant influx of new users, which reddit has as good a chance as any at doing.

I’ve just watched it and i would agree with the op - compelling documentary, very hard to debunk and after many years of research, these gems just keep coming. \n\nExcellent show 10/10

I do not need to quote Hansen **since the article is not about Hansen** - but you are trying very hard to avoid talking about the 9 scenarios described in the article, so at this point I really have to ask - did you at least read it before fabricating your usual ignorant lies?

Totally agree. It makes me want to go volunteer at a high school or go teach community college. But then I remember I suck at teaching more than about two people at a time. 

here is one of the videos:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TA_pKVKgKg

**To those of you who still believe in astrology:**\n\n1. Purchase your horoscope of choice and give it to a friend.\n2. Have your friend cut out the horoscope for each sign, using a permanent marker to hide the actual sign, and shuffle them. This will remove confirmation bias.\n3. Read each one, objectively, and rate them on a scale of 1-10 in terms of personal accuracy. Note the *entire* horoscope for each one. Don't give it a 10 for one true statement or a 0 for one completely false statement.\n4. Notice how they're all *relatively* accurate, but not overly so. Shouldn't one and only one of them be overwhelmingly accurate?\n\nNow, for phase two.\n\n1. Purchase another horoscope.\n2. Find another friend, preferably another "believer". Ask them what their sign is.\n3. Tell them, "I was reading my horoscope today, and I saw one of them that totally applied to you. You're a (sign), right?"\n4. When they confirm, show them the horoscope for a *completely* different sign, but present it as their sign.\n5. Note their reaction. It will be something along the lines of, "OMG that's so accurate! Astrology is so legit."\n\nDone.

And has to check at every restaurant or food-related event to make sure none of the foods have shared a cooking space with fish. For example, anything fried is usually done in shared oil. She also had to carry an epi pen everywhere until recently — she's now past the age where they consider an epi pen safe.\n\nBut yeah, let's have an allergy competition. I don't get some of the attitudes here.

The problem with a story like that, is that it's just as likely for someone to make a false claim about photographing a model as it is for someone to claim they photographed a UFO.\n\nThe Belgium UFO wave of the late 80's reports some 15,000+ eyewitnesses. It's highly unlikely that all these people, including government officials tasked to investigate it, would be fooled by a small styrofoam model. \n\n\nNow, you've linked to a Sydney Morning Herald article that references AFP as the original source. In the article, they refer to the person as "Patrick". On the wikipedia article, which mexifor posted, the photo is credited to J S Henrardi, who - if you do "literally 15 seconds of research" - came out many years ago and released the photos into the public domain. Why would Henrardi, who is easily researchable on many, many websites, hide his name from the press? He wouldn't.\n\nBesides, these objects in Belgium were spotted by pilots, and tracked on RADAR. ["During the first radar lock, the target accelerated from 240 km/h to over 1,770 km/h while changing altitude from 2,700 m to 1,500 m, then up to 3,350 m before descending to almost ground level – the first descent of more than 900 m taking less than two seconds."](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_UFO_wave#The_sightings) These are not flight characteristics of a foam model. (There are probably better resources to quote from, but I've used only your stipulated 15 second time-frame for research)\n\nThe SMH article, and subsequently the AFP article, is not worth the paper it isn't printed on. 

Most people don't know that it's like astrology; They've just been brought up to think that they are experts in back treatment. Hell, I thought that too until I actually read up on the claims of chiropractic. \n\nPlease, if a otherwise intelligent friend tells you they're going to the chiropractor, ask them if they know what it actually means, and show them the wikipedia page on it and what crazy claims they actually make. 

So your choice of username and your attempts [to incite a cross-subreddit flame war](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/duplicates/r6iwk/remember_how_yesterday_i_was_very_skeptic_at_the/) had little to do with your ban.\n\nI doubt that.

At least make the destruction interesting; like send wave after wave of ninja cats everywhere!

I don't understand what the outrage is.  You posted a valid scientific study that supports the idea that cannabinoids reduce cancer growth, even though the exact mechanism is not yet known.  This is how one makes a point.\n\n*Slow clap.*\n\nThe fallacious conjectures of the rahtin do nothing but match every other hokum-promoting zealot in the world, and certainly don't convince anyone smart of anything.\n

The reason for the attitude you describe is that if the more dramatic predictions are valid, global warming could result in a planet not fit for human life much more quickly than the kinds of problems you alluded to.

How is that an ad hominem attack?  He said you are a dick. He did not say that you are a dick, therefore you are wrong. There is a difference. 

Examples of what seem to make a fine cover for a fake UFO video.

You're assuming aliens see in the same wavelengths as us. The could be staring at our wifi signals while using what we consider to be the visible band to communicate.

First I will say I have an open mind on the subject.\n\nNow my line of thought goes like this, and I believe it to be fairly rational and reasonable. \n\nIf there was going to be a large event that would affect the entire world, why would the government notify ahead of time? This would create panic before the fact.\n\nThe government does not want this.  \n\n\nNow with that out of the way. All the amateur astronomers and professionals have stated it has broken up, and gone down in luminosity.\n\nI would very well trust this and expect it to be true, as there is photographic evidence. \n\nNow the conspiracy theorists have theories upon theories. \n\nOne of their "pieces of evidence" to reinforce their argument, is an infrared glowing spot in the sky on Google Sky. \n\nThis object, in fact, is nothing new. I can't remember the name, but it is known to be one of the brightest infrared objects in the sky. \n\nAnother argument, is the big black spot on Google Sky. The only counter argument as to why this spot would be left out is not all areas of the sky get surveyed. \n\nNow this, seems a little suspicious to me; but once again, no hard proof of anything. \n\nNow one of the theories that people are talking about now, is that, Elenin's coma, is a gas which can carry an electromagnetic charge. This is the reasoning as to why when it is in line with the Sun major earthquakes have happened. \n\nThe counter to this, is, the conspiracy theorists were calling for a major earthquake on sept 11, which never happened. They were saying that because it was close to the sun something would be triggered. \n\nNow the only reason people are trippin, is because Sept 26th-27th, is the date it will be in line with the sun and closest to Earth. \n\nThis is the date Obama is going to be in Denver, where allegedly there is a massive underground facility or bunker. You can see why this is obviously firing up the conspiracy crowd. \n\nI find it very interesting if the underground bunker is, actually real.\n\nNow onto the prophecies, the Mayan calendar and the Hopi people.\n\nThere is a man who claims to have been a Toxicologist back in the day, but then started studying the Maya and their calender. This man is Carl Calleman. He claims to have lined up the dates of the Mayan calendar with our Georgian calender. He is calling for the end date of the mayan calender as Oct.28th. \n\nThe Calendars purpose is not to predict the end of the world. But the conscious evolution of the human species. As we reach the end of the calender we are supposed to be fully consciously developed and be able to work out all our problems and see the truth in this reality. \n\nThey said once this happened, a new world could be born. This new world would come easily if we were prepared. But if we were not, there would  first be destruction for which a new world would be born. \n\nNow the Hopi's were along the same line. They allegedly said this: \n\n"You will hear of a dwelling-place in the heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will appear as a blue star. Very soon after this, the ceremonies of my people will cease."\n\n"These are the Signs that great destruction is coming. The world shall rock to and fro. The white man will battle against other people in other lands -- with those who possessed the first light of wisdom. There will be many columns of smoke and fire such as White Feather has seen the white man make in the deserts not far from here. Only those which come will cause disease and a great dying."\n\n"Many of my people, understanding the prophecies, shall be safe. Those who stay and live in the places of my people also shall be safe. Then there will be much to rebuild. And soon -- very soon afterward -- Pahana will return. He shall bring with him the dawn of the Fifth World. He shall plant the seeds of his wisdom in their hearts. Even now the seeds are being planted. These shall smooth the way to the Emergence into the Fifth World."\n\nNow they both speak of an emergence of a new world. \n\nSo, really, all this is is speculation. \n\nBut personally, I have respect for the ancient people of our planet and believe they had a greater understanding of our universe then many nowadays do. \n\nSo basically, the possibility side of me is thinking, if there is a Blue light or star in the sky...  watch the fuck out.\n\nBut realistically thinking, nothing will happen. \n\nBut yo, that doesn't mean you should be mentally prepared for any situation. You just can't fear the future. Or else this will affect your mood in the present.\n\nPeace my brothers and sisters. \n\nEdit* - I also don't even know how legit those Hopi quotes are. I'm going to try and find a better source. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi_mythology Look under "4 Worlds" and "Pahana"

Indeed. I wrote through my academic expertise that certain historical events labeled as genocide by nationalists, should not be labeled as such because of the evidence provided in accordance to the legal definition of genocide under the UN. \n\nHowever, they see it as a life-or-death matter, and a source of national pride, so they will ruthlessly edit-war and complain to admins about someone making "his people" look bad, and constantly patrolling the pages for edits. In their eyes, they have been wronged in history, and want reparations---neither truth nor evidence matters because this is what they believe.\n\nWhy would I compete with that? It's just an academic subject, if they don't want to listen to my expertise, they can continue believing in their nonsense. I have no motive to correct all the historical inaccuracies of teenagers with admin/moderator/edit powers on wikipedia. \n\nNo ones going to suddenly decide to pay reparations after they see that wikipedia says what they did was wrong. No ones going to believe the wikipedia page if they check the sources and do the research to look for evidence academically. But again, it's a nationalistic life-or-death goal for them.

Honestly, how could his role as a skeptic possibly compete with his winning of 2000's Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive?

3rd group: people who don't like seeing the same article popping up twice in their newsfeed.

 &gt; When they see an object perform manoevers that don't operate within the traditionally held view of what is physically possible, you can be quite sure that what you're seeing is a UFO, namely, there is no plausible explanation for what it might be.\n\nOr they're hallucinating. Or misinterpreting the data they are receiving (tricks of the light, optical illusions, dodgy radar). Or they're lying for the fame and the book sales. Just because something has not yet been explained does not mean that it is inexplicable.

too late, has already happened to a vast number of people in their dreams

It's not my crusade, it's not a tactic I use. I just think it's fucking absurd to see a "skeptic" asking other skeptics to please leave their woo alone.

Ex-Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer has made similar allegations. Just sayin'.

I didn't see it listed as an example in the Wiki article, but wouldn't a "rain dance" be an example of that fallacy?

http://rawfoodsos.com/2011/09/22/forks-over-knives-is-the-science-legit-a-review-and-critique/\n\nis a pretty detailed overview of some of the science behind this.  You can search this subreddit for previous threads as well as for threads related to The China Study.

Why are you only assuming that this would be made up for the election?

I suppose I made a mistake here in assuming you were generalizing the argument to, "all intelligent creatures must be omnivores," which I would counter with the fact that your study is specific to large primates.\n\nHowever, since I suppose you're more arguing that *humans* couldn't develop intelligence without becoming omnivores, I'll concede that they probably did evolve as omnivores.\n\nThat said, I wouldn't find it inconceivable that a pre-intelligent creature could develop the memes or instincts to prepare non-raw food prior to evolving more complex intelligence.

An over arching problem I see with reddit in general is "over-compartmentalizing" of information. Some might argue that that is the point of Reddit. People (uber redditors) get annoyed and nitpick when content is not perfectly aligned with their own perception (subjective) of what that subreddit should include. \n\nI on the other hand, think that a level of "cross pollination" of subreddits is actually very helpful at distributing content and should not be discouraged for the sake of compartmentalized information. That way you get exposed to similar (maybe not precisely mod defined) content while browsing different categories. You cant argue the fact that the majority of people reading this subreddit probably found this article relevant, which I feel is the real purpose of Reddit, to find pools of information you find relevant and discuss.\n\nEdit: Grammar\n

Yeah it's absurd, but no more absurd than half the claims I read on /Paranormal of people being bale to "pray the demons" out of their friends kids. I think it's all bullshit but I find it hilarious how many of you are playing the pot, calling the kettle black and making fun of these two. These two are your people; they're the ones representing your group of believers in the news right now...

Michael Scratt appears to be a fantastic researcher. I would love to see a 'team' project with him and Richard Dolan.

Right. That's why it's so important to SHOW THEM the same thing we saw in the original videos. Educating and showing people is far more effective than ridiculing and dismissing them.\n\nAnd seriously, dude: if you think those linked/compared images look anything alike you seriously need an eye exam. That's a stretch if I've ever seen one.

Better than a physio?  At least with a physio you know that, apart from being properly trained and regulated, they *won't* be into any of the cooky stuff about subluxtions etc.

It takes some getting used to, but you will eventually learn to block some of these encounters out. Having a light near your bed can help, but it doesnt stop the sensation of feeling like something/someone is in the room with you. Sometimes i will leave the light on over night, other times i will turn it off and try to contact whatever is in the room with me. As Pernix said, the biggest thing to remember is to try your best not to be afraid. Fear can easily spiral into panic, and i have had my share of panic attacks late in the night because i wanted help from someone, but noone could help me. Just try to keep your cool, and pay close attention to the entity. You will feel an intense euphoria each time you manage to help these entities. But remember that not everyone is as nice as yourself. Be cautious, but be brave.

When things like this start happening, you should set up an audio recorder and let it run for awhile. That way when you say "what are you trying to tell me," you might have a better chance of hearing it by listening back to the audio. You also might want to get some sort of EMF detector or K2 meter to help corroborate your experiences.

Um, why did this get downvoted? He is the guy who covered the story most extensively actually speaking to the parties involved. Seriously? Ridiculous. 

That depends on the Chilean government's policy concerning sightings.

I sort of felt the same way for a bit. I thought it sucked that everyone else enjoys that stuff so much and I don't, but then I realized I didn't really care that much.  :)

The guy you're responding to obviously doesn't doubt creationism is unscientific.  Your articles and dismissive attitude are unnecessary.

First hand accounts are not evidence. I lOve the dp but it is still not proof of anything. 

(OP's GF here) No, the debate went on for probably 50 comments, but for some reason OP only posted the first screen. And I wouldn't call this dude my "friend" but is rather an acquaintance I knew growing up, a friend of friends, etc. I haven't deleted him because I find his posts entertaining most of the time. \n\nAnd now, I'm basically just trolling him. 

I didn't even realize Dr Natura was being advertised on that site until after I linked to it. Point proven, I'd say!

&gt;the personal affect on participants makes it worth doing, even so.\n\nYeah, I agree. I meditate too, and I think more people should do it. I just think it sucks that people treat it as if it was magic.

I'm not saying it's legit or anything....but that's such BS....a flashlight.\n

Your poster is awesome.  Can't lie tho, that company name is gonna throw a lot of shit in the way of your success.  Funny pun-type company names don't generally get taken seriously in LA.  There are of course a few, but very few.  No clue if you want this to eventually make it TV or something, so maybe it doesn't matter anyway!  Either way, I love the poster.

you can clearly see the lights moving as if the object is rotating, flipping slowly in space and maintaining altitude, which tells me it's either an lighter than air gas craft with very accurate rotor/copter control, or it's some tech that allows a craft to hover and maneuver with little concern for gravity's effects.  The last one would be incredible, but occam's razor says it's most likely the first one.

Seriously?\n\nNo one has said Gene Ray yet? The time cube guy?\n\nHe literally seems to exist in an alternate reality where basic mathematics, common sense and logic don't work like we know them. He's the gold standard for batshit crazy. 

None of these are even binary options. Problems can be solved using rational steps but sometimes other paths are useful or available to the same or better ends. Decisions are made with facts and feelings, your feelings are usually going to be based on facts in some way. I don't even know what they would mean by "feel" something is wrong, like, do I make observations that tune me in to things that might be off or do I have some latent sense where I can detect error? When gathering information, source and content are pretty hard to separate, they inform each other.\n\nYou don't need to take a test to know if you're creative and this one doesn't seem like it is based on anything meaningful or relevant to creativity. Creativity is usually pretty evident in a creative persons words, actions, thoughts, creations, methods, and personality. 

I gathered a few of these videos and posted here asking for suggestions of what could it possibly be:\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/jxz2x/what_do_you_guys_think_about_these_videos/\n\n\nIt seems like these are airplane contrails under the effect of the sun. Look at the sky, it is almost always early morning/dusk. I really wanted these to be UFOs more than anyone in this subreddit but you never see these videos in a different time of the day.\n\n\nAlso, fucking obvious out of focus bird is not an UFO.

I hear from good authority that Fibromyalgia is a completely made up disease

You would have gotten more karma posting that to /r/wtf. Oh wait, someone else already did.

I thought some of those questions were to gauge the responder's general ability to estimate.\n\nFor example, if I asked you how far the moon was and you said, 2,000 miles, I would basically say you have no concept of space, and by extension UFO's or space aliens.

Explain why you started a thread on this of you can't talk about it, or show anyone wtf you can do.  \n\nYou never gave us a reason why you are trolling for karma.\n\nI'm sure you are a plant for this "Randi Challenge" seeing as I made it a drinking game, and gave up after the 106th mention from you.  

Is the obfuscation of science driving people to not support action?  Absolutely.\n\nBut what Attenborough is saying, and I think is legitimate, is that frequently the reverse is true, too.  People reach the conclusion that action is too costly during a recession and budget crisis, and they deny the science as a consequence of that belief.\n\nI think we give a little too much credit to the success of the denial machine.  Keep in mind, the Frontline documentary highlighted CEI's plan from 1998 to discredit the science.  It took a decade and a recession for them to have a major impact.  I think much of the "damage" to science can be repaired as our economy grows.  \n

Homeopathy uses preparations that dilute the active ingredient to such a degree that there is essentially nothing their.  The claim is that the water will "retain the memory" of the active ingredient.  It is purported that the more dilute the active ingredient, the more effective the treatment.  Most dilution ratios are 10^−60, but the really super-awesome-high-grade stuff like Oscillo has a 10^−400 dilution ratio.\n\nSome arnica creams, according to wiki, are homeopathic preparations and there is no evidence that they are effective, and the active ingredient is essentially diluted away to nothing.\n\nOther arnica creams, however, are not homeopathic, given that they are not highly diluted.  I found one gel online that reported the following: \t\n\n&gt;50% tincture: 5 g gel contains Fresh organic Arnica flower tincture from organic cultivation* (ratio 1:20) (Arnica Montana) 2.5 g. Equivalent to 0.125 g of Arnica flowers.\n\n&gt;Each g of gel contains: 500 mg of arnica flowers (arnica montana).\n\nAccording to wiki, arcina roots contain thymol derivitives, and could be used as a fungicide or a vasodilator...the jury is still out, by the looks of it.\n

I've had this big argument with some chick at an afterparty about the validity of horoscopes. Rage quited the conversation by just walking out.

I had a professor and i took several of her classes. she was getting sick and frequently started ending class early. One day she came in and there was a bright blue light emmiting from her back.  I need my glasses to see clearly and often get stuff on my lenses. so i took off my glassed to clean them and i could still see the blue . when i put them back on...still there. i was boggled. and was looking around to see if anyone else saw. but no one seamed too. That was the last day she was in class.  she died a few days later.\n

I think you're okay unless you have polycystic kidney or liver disease.

all crop circles are made by clever artists ... the earliest practitioners have documented their work and techniques on film ... now with cheap lasers and GPS it is even easier ... if aliens want to talk to us they'll do it directly, not through flattened stalks of wheat\n\nthere is a great line in PBS's I, Claudius where Livia and Claudius are talking and Claudius attempts to explain to Livia that Jove spoke through a bolt of lightning because it melted the first letter on a name on a statue and without that letter if you read it in ancient Etruscan it meant something else - to which Livia sharply retorts, "If the gods want to talk to us, they'll do it in Latin!" 

i want to believe but this UFO looks very...2D-ish to me...and what's with the movement at around 4:46?

Uh... people.  Parts of people.  There is no explanation of how they measured the frequencies.

This goes against my "never, ever, ever read youtube comments, ever" policy.

the only fake video is the 3rd one out of the series. Many claim it was placed there and was more widely distributed to quell the notion of an actual UFO, because lets face it, serious reporting on UFO's makes the general public very uneasy. This is an event that has been captured in 3 different legit angles by casual observers, including a weather station cam. I'm very sure this is a legit case of an actual UFO. You're not hearing witnesses coming forward, because again, no one in the media truly takes it seriously.\n\nAnd for the record, Michael Cohen of Allnewsweb.com has talked to the witnesses of the 4th video. Sadly, youtube is the only place for UFO shit because the media will never truly care.\n\n

It's a different audience on youtube and reddit. I wanted to say it in both places. I don't really care about karma, I just wanted to say something to youtube and reddit.

I've not contacted a single one yet. I didn't mean any disrespect to your faith dude, I just thought people might think it was a cliche thing to do just because Latin was involved, but I'm out of options.\nAlso I was more referring to the phrase itself making me cringe "Contact the Catholics"\nNo need to jump down my throat.

Are you implying that this blog is doing the same as Rob's writing? The blog post echoes the opinion of the overwhelming majority of doctors and researchers. It isn't giving medical advice; it's saying don't give baseless cries to oppose tried-and-true public health measures. 

I seem to recall that in a few cases it's been directly tracable back to the anti-vaccination epidemic. No references, unfortunately.\n\nI haven't heard of any cases being traced back to illegal immigrants or booster shots.\n\nAll that said, even if that is a factor, more people being vaccinated = fewer people getting diseases, thanks to herd immunity.

Didn't give it much time or attention, but that wouldn't be hard to emulate with just a webcam. Face recognition is pretty standard technology these days... all you have to do is recognize the face and then paint some colorful pixels around the detected face.

Bat shit crazy people living in the middle of nowhere simply because they are bat shit crazy.

ahh the monkey realized getting pissed and flinging feces was unsuccessful, change in strategy!

Ah, yes, now we're getting some kindling going! I love sceptics.

"everyone should go around with direct intravenous injections of HFCS"\n\n~ Brian Dunning

Honestly, most are indistinguishable from Orthodox Jews save their bearded messiah has already arrived. Comparatively speaking, Jesus was a pretty chill dude. Most of the stuff they quote out of Leviticus etc is more or less washed away in spirit by the New Testament. \n\n(Yes, I know... not trying to get into a religious debate about inconsistency.)

You want to find real, you have to debunk.  That there is a cloud.

They'd make significantly less money doing so. And it does not *look* good, they'd incur additional costs for coloring, ads and new packagings.\n\nBoiron is a 500m€ revenue affair (600m€ market cap), all of it on homeopathy. It's still feeding the founder's family (the Boiron family has 50,34% of the shares). They have as profitable niche, cheap in R&amp;D. Moving into confectionery would mean fighting the likes of Mars, Inc ($30bn revenue) or, even worse, [Nestlés's confectioneries](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nestlé_brands#Chocolate.2C_confectionery_and_baked_goods)

I'm going to re-post a post I made in another thread about this.  I'll also link for more sources that I posted.\n\nThe National Academy of Sciences, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society, the American Dental Association, the British Royal College of Physicians, the Royal Statistical Society, investigators at Oxford University, and every United States Surgeon General for the past 45 years have all endorsed water fluoridation. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control included water fluoridation among its list of the ten great public health achievements of the 20th century. Further, after 65 years of use, we’ve yet to see any signs that people are dying en mass.\n\nFurther Reading and Sources:\nCDC – “Recommendations for Using Fluoride to Prevent and Control Dental Caries in the United States” http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5014a1.htm\n\nCanadian Dental Association’s statement on the safety and effectiveness of fluoride. (pdf) http://www.cda-adc.ca/_files/position_statements/Fluorides-English-2010-06-08.pdf\n\nSkeptic’s Dictionary – “fluoridation of water” http://www.skepdic.com/fluoridation.html\n\n“Fluoride, or how I learned to stop worrying and drink the water” by MARCUS GEE http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/marcus-gee/fluoride-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-drink-the-water/article1970745/\n\n\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/ldmvz/the_thing_about_fluoride_in_the_tap_water/c2rymzw

I guess I should clarify that this was the outer door into the apartment building, not the door to my suite.  If my suite opened from some random key I'd be bitching at the caretaker for sure.\n\nYou're right though, that lock wasn't doing it's job.

Not without pointing out the [deaths caused by the government](http://www.downsizedcfoundation.org/fda.html).

&gt;I treat musculoskeletal conditions of the spine and adjacent regions\n\nThis is what makes me believe what you do could be legitimate.  It doesn't seem hard to imagine that manipulation of the spine could help conditions of the spine.  It's when chiropractors start claiming to treat irritable bowel syndrome, or migraines, or lymph node infections or who knows what else that we go beyond the realm of credibility.\n\nHow often does it happen that a patient comes to you with a condition outside the musculoskeletal system?  What do you do in this case?

Did you ever watch the Stargate Episode where the Asgaard came to get our help against the Replicators?\n\nWe need your ingenuity.  None of us are stupid enough to cause an explosion near our face that would throw metal at them.\n\nI still think they'd just throw meteors at us until we were all gone, or at least enough of us, but whatever.  But if we're talking alien beings, with alien motivations, who knows.  They may just never have been stupid enough to try killing each other for fun, and weren't ready for us to do that when they got here.

I'm sure most of the people who subscribe to /r/skeptic are aware of Skeptoid - but if they aren't they certainly should be.

Is it just me, or is the wrap up on this *really* light handed?  They seem to be giving several people quite a bit of screen time to make the argument from ignorance.

*Sola dosis facit venenum* -- Paracelsus, godfather of modern science (well medicine anyway)\n\nBy the way, gimme some *Atropa belladonna* to go with the Amanita and I'll eat some (thanks, competitive inhibition!).

Well at least this means they aren't shooting the cows up with antibiotics whenever they show the slightest hint of illness.

Honestly, I've found that a good deal of this non-committal approach is taught during medical school. I've had lectures on evidence-based medicine and alternative medicine in the same day before. The CAM lectures are always presented as "cultural sensitivity" and knowing about other treatments your patients might be getting, but very rarely does the lecturer make efficacy claims (either for or against). This non-committal attitude can be good for maintaining a therapeutic relationship with your patients, but can also be dangerous. Personally, if one of my patients wants to take Cold FX when they have a cold, I'm not going to make a big deal about it. If they refuse to vaccinate their children, on the other hand, we're going to have more than a little discussion about it, but even in that case there is an art to how you approach the situation.

honestly unless you can prove that the government isn't covering up top secret craft, which there is a FUCK LOAD of evidence that they are covering up top secret crafts, then wtf do you base your argument on that you think its aliums?  do you just sit here and think, fuck my life is boring  i sure do wish them aliums i saw in that movie were real, and then convince yourself that any UFO (unidentified flying object =/= alium) is 100% aliums.  are you brain dead?  and you call me the troll lmao.   i would bet 100 million dollars that you are some religious nutjob or replacing religion with your alium wishes

The poor magician.  There is nothing worse than mass hysteria.\n\n&gt; **590 high school students**\n\n...\n\n&gt; Strangely enough, only one of the **36 girls and 5 boys affected**, had shared the stage with the hypnotist,\n\nSo 6.9% of the attending student population went this direction. It is interesting that a higher percentage of girls dove into this versus the boys.\n\nI would love to know the group dynamics of those *"affected."*  How many of them shared the same class, or were walking down the same hallway observing other students act out.

&gt;When I was in the 1st grade\n\nHow old were you in the 1st grade?

Well, the *first line* of the report you link to says:\n\n&gt;Any vaccine can cause side effects. For the most part these are minor (for example, a sore arm or low-grade fever) and go away within a few days.\n\nIt goes on to say:\n&gt;It is not clear whether these mild or serious problems were caused by the vaccine or occurred after vaccination by chance.\n\nAnd:\n\n&gt;Serious allergic reaction (very rare - less than once in 100,000 doses).\nAs with any vaccine, other severe problems have been reported. But these don’t appear to occur any more often among anthrax vaccine recipients than among unvaccinated people.\nThere is no evidence that anthrax vaccine causes long-term health problems.\n\n(Also, I'm pretty sure anthrax isn't a vaccine one gives a child. When the Army did mine, I was told to stay away from infants for at least 36 hours.)\n\nIn regard to to the DTaP Vaccine:\n\n&gt;Severe Problems (Very Rare)\nSerious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses) Several other severe problems have been reported after DTaP vaccine. These include:\nLong-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness\nPermanent brain damage.\nThese are so rare it is hard to tell if they are caused by the vaccine.\n\nIn regards to flu vaccine:\n\n&gt;Life-threatening allergic reactions from vaccines are very rare. If they do occur, it is usually within a few minutes to a few hours after the shot.\n\nAnd about MMR:\n\n&gt;Severe Problems (Very Rare)\n&gt;Serious allergic reaction (less than 1 out of a million doses)\nSeveral other severe problems have been reported after a child gets MMR vaccine, including:\nDeafness\nLong-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness\nPermanent brain damage\nThese are so rare that it is hard to tell whether they are caused by the vaccine.\n\nSo, the article you link to supports the idea that vaccines are harmless for the vast majority of recipients.\n\nIf you'd like to try again, we'll be waiting.\n

If they end up in another universe and everything is the same, what happened to the "them" that was in the universe they just popped into?

It's all part of the package -\n \nMTV - No music;\n SyFy - No Science Fiction;\n Anything with News in it - No news;\n History Channel - No History;\n\nSoon the Food Network will be showing reruns of Matlock all day.\n(edit for punctuation)

I have a feeling (snicker) that somebody used their **feelings** to come up with this test, rather than reliable data. 

Thank you so much. I love coming to this subreddit and I love when other people have an interest in the paranormal while keeping a rational mind about it. But it's sometimes hard to get people to believe that our senses do fail us at times. This perfectly explains what could have happened to OP, as he says himself, and is much more plausible, in my opinion. 

You have an obsessed stalker who knows your password and decided to impersonate you on Demonoid for whatever reason. They probably didn't think you'd ever find out.\n\nEdit to ask: Did you check the personal info and e-mail that was attached to the account? Was it all in line with your identity as well?

Does that mean everyone who cares about zodiac was (not zociac babble) [Born under a bad sign](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEVKDbNZWZg&amp;feature=fvst)

When I was younger (8 or so) I distinctly remember breathing under water, in one spot in a certain swimming pool.\n\nWell, as I grew older (around 12-13), I realized this must be a dream, or just my imagination getting the better of me. Well, I went to the same swimming pool (I go there multiple times a year), and while underwater I realized I was in the exact same spot. I took a tiny breath through my nose just to prove myself wrong (I'd get a bit of water up my nose, but who cares I needed to prove to myself it was impossible), but only air came in my nose. I was down there for about 30 seconds before coming back up, and I was in total shock that I did it.\n\nNow, at 24, I have yet to try it again, as it's super absurd. I am still left wondering if the whole thing is a dream...

It wouldn't happen to be this key?\nI randomly found the other day in my room while I was cleaning...\nIt doesn't fit anywhere...\nhttp://i.imgur.com/XiPJm.jpg

Oh I know, I was just referring to the "Unvaccinated people should wear biohazard symbols so we know to avoid contact with them"\n\n

Assuming powerful people *do not* work together to achieve their goals is crazy.

Short term weight loss doesn't mean the foods are healthy in the long term and/or don't cause health problems.

SGU isn't that long at all compared to other popular podcasts that have nothing to do with science. As for the blog posts... Just wait until you discover books. 

That's why you should always drink from the toilet BEFORE you flush, so it's not as diluted. It's safer that way.

There are a couple of key bullshit indicators for anything health-related:\n\n1. They may perform trials, but not proper randomized placebo-controlled trials.\n1. They're making money off their claims.\n1. They claim that the medical establishment / government / big pharma is conspiring to suppress their results.

Dramatic much?  The flier is not going to convince anyone who doesn't already believe, and you know it.  An immigrant coming into the country will seek medical attention if they are inclined to, or they will go to a homeopathic meeting if they are inclined to.  An advertisement will not change that. Your last sentence really should read "Please proofread a document that won't change a damn thing." \nOn the other hand, if someone reading that thread was on the fence about homeopathy, you can damn sure the skeptics response convinced them the salts may have some merit.  Dickery never convinced anyone.

I'd love to see some **fabulous** hauntings. Maybe one where the orbs didn't totally clash with the furniture. 

Yes, they have a concept of all that is. Some of the enlightened ones describe every that can possibly exist as existing now. But they don't really flesh out the concepts. The seth/jane roberts material is really good in that regard.\n\nFor the aspects of all of creation, there are many descriptions of the void, which is absolute emptiness, and all that is, which is absolutely everything. We are somewhere in between. :D

Legally yes. Does not matter if the person is slightly tipsy, in the eyes of the law that person can no longer give consent.

From what I took away from the comic, it's not an argument over the definitions. It's more about pitting objective measurements (we can prove it's a square because of logical proof X for which we measured Y) against an argument from tradition (we've always believed it's a circle, therefore it's a circle).

Again, you need access to data. This is an informal forum of hearsay. Here, your debunking is purely conjecture based solely on what you know of the situation. There's no way to test the hypothesis. And it doesn't belong in an informal setting, wielded like a mace, in any case.\n\nCertain 'paranormal' phenomena like telepathy and ESP have had statistically significant showings in laboratory test settings. Traditional hauntings do *generally* have consistent and measurable effects such as electromagnetic and thermal fluctuations. It is a field of many charlatans, but then so is science in general.\n\nThere's still a lot we don't know. And really, we're just telling ghost stories.\n\n

If the technology had been around as a human made technology since the 1940's, 70 years, I would have to believe it would be in use in civilian applications by now. It would have at least been weaponized and used in previous wars which would give the country using it an easy victory. It wouldn't make any sense not to use it and dominate the enemy.

"Jefferson, unlike the other presidents, closes his documents: 'In the year of our Lord Christ,' " \n\nIf that's evidence he was a Christian, then I'm frightened to think that a future generation may accuse me of the same for several explicatives I tend to utter when stubbing my toe or breaking a glass.

Exactly. Time and time again things have come to light that challenges faith. Those that believe simply massage their "one true story" until if fits with the new facts and then move along. It has always happened and will continue to happen.

DHM is also the single most effective homepathic remedy in existence - you get much more of it the more you dilute it. Funny how that works.

I saw this video somewhere else and wanted to see if reddit was talking about it.\n\nJust for reference: http://www.ufoeyes.com/2011/01/31/proof-3rd-video-of-jerusalem-ufo-is-a-fake/

I definitely agree that medical\nPractices should be constantly reviewed, improved and questioned. I don't see how that makes tap water a viable alternative treatment though. If the article was about providing more effective treatment for mental disorders I wouldn't have a problem. What I have a problem with is advocating the use of plain water as treatment for mental disorders. It obviously doesn't work, why? BECAUSE IT'S JUST WATER!!

If you change the word "pedestrians" to "actors" or "extras", it's not as interesting any more...

I wasn't saying they do.  As far as I know the only proven active ingredient in energy drinks is caffeine.

Its simple.  Electrons are chaotic.  Ordered and logical mathematics cannot possibly be used to understand them.

As with most things in this field, there is no good, solid answer for this. It is very interesting though. Since you don't feel threatened or fearful of the place, I think you should walk through the cemetery to see what you find. You should also go to the local library or historical society to find more information on who is buried there. Don't worry about your instincts. If it leads you to something, then that is some interesting information. If it doesn't lead you to anything, well, that's interesting too.\n\nI hope you find what you are looking for and let us know if what you come up with!

[The part about heart attack symptoms is true.](http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/healthmedical/a/womensami.htm)

Occam's Razor. We know that physical stimulation does it, so why would "qi" be required?

Promoting unproven--or in some cases, proved ineffective--treatments in lieu of proven treatments?  \n\nHighly unethical.

Don't be a fool. Vaccine causes autism because...*magic 8 ball*...it interrupts the flow of Chi.

Comparing a humans ability to comprehend what they're seeing and an animals seems pretty silly to me.

No.  The Disclosure Project specifically claims to know the truth about alien visitation.  This is not about UFOs, unconventional aircraft or flying saucers.  If they have evidence of alien visitation then what is the *Disclosure Project* waiting for, not the agencies they're supposedly lobbying to disclose on their own.\n\nI don't believe that anyone who would advocate for disclosure, who also has evidence, would suppress it.  It's much more likely that no such evidence exists.\n\nFurther, Greer claims high ranking officials he's debriefed (and I doubt this entirely) don't know about these supposed alien projects.  So who exactly is going to disclose this information if *not* his project?

I don't think you are an asshole, just blunt and you come across as someone very set in their own opinion.\n\n&gt;Using chiropractic diagnostics and techniques?\nI do a standard physical exam just like an MD or PT would with more emphasis on orthopedic and neurologic testing &amp; intersegmental motion as defined as Alteration of Motion Segment Integrity in the AMA's guide to physical impairment rating.  My diagnosis rarely differs from a physiatrists or orthopedists.\n\nAbout your links: I am not a fan of Ernst, in fact he single handedly has cast a lot of doubt onto critical reviews of chiropractic purposely leaving out MANY studies when he does his lit reviews and 'meta analysis' or includes studies, like the one you linked to that obviously will show no benefit because they are visceral dysfunctions instead of MSK ones.  He tends to look for the data to support his cause and ignore the rest.\n\nDoing a google scholar search for the terms sham and manipulation yeilds a few interesting studies: [C/s ROM improves after manipulation](http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754(01)25134-3/abstract), [manipulation for painful periods](http://www.cebp.nl/media/m1046.pdf) (which I actually wouldn't treat), [a neurophysiology study of sham vs manipulation in an animal model], (http://www.jmptonline.org/article/S0161-4754\\(01\\)41028-1/abstract), [a neutral study on manipulation vs sham](http://journals.lww.com/spinejournal/Abstract/2003/07010/Osteopathic_Manipulative_Treatment_for_Chronic_Low.2.aspx).\n\nLook I will be the first to admit that manipulation has its limits but not only does it beat placebo but also FDA approved pharmaceuticals for mechanical spinal conditions.\n\nAlso a good way to find less slanted research is to search the term manipulation vs chiropractic.  Lets be real here chiropractor aren't the only providers doing spinal manipulations, MDs, DOs, and PTs do it every day and some are quite good.  It just seems that when adverse events are reported it gets attributed to chiropractors.  I found reference to several mis-representations and criticisms to Dr. Ernst with very little searching, by chiros and non chiros alike [even one review that called him out by name](http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/107555301300004547) in addtion to specifically looking for these misrepresentations.\n\nI try to keep in mind that as a skeptic we should always question, no matter who the source is.

I am not an expert on this topic, and just going on my knowledge, but you have to remember that it is not exactly the power output we are concerned about, but the amount of power absorbed by the body.  The body will handle different wave-lengths of EM radiation differently.  This is why were are more concerned about say x-rays than the wavelengths corresponding to the visual spectrum.\n\nAnd yes, exposure to the sun can cause damage within the ultra-violet wavelengths, but these don't account for the entire power-output of the sun.\n\nSo again, its not JUST the power output, other factors are involved too, that is why listing just these numbers are a bit misleading.

Note that the court case is for a S. Victor Conti, a different guy in Houston. So no ex wife angle. 

what causes utter and complete loss of reality? cuz thats the real question here.

My goal isn't to be happy, it's to say you're full of shit. Sorry brah.

I haven't seen the infomercial, but I heard he's gone off the deep end.

If you read the actual paper (*Gasp!* What a novel concept!) you'll notice that the authors don't even claim that current models are far off the mark. It just says that there are certain variables which may give erroneously high observed values for one of the key parameters in the models, and that because of the difficulty of measuring these values accurately one can't really make accurate climate models at the moment. Plus it has methodological holes in it to boot.

&gt;And the outspoken critics of God were often on hand to cheer on American military adventures in the Middle East.\n\nSince when?

&gt; Once we started to leave we were followed by a strange black car that just tailgated us for like three miles.\n\nAwwwesommmme

Somehow I knew that was an Amy Teuter piece before I clicked on it.  She *hates* homebirth with a burning passion.  She used to post nearly every article from her blog here, most of it low quality "skepticism" in which she picks whatever supports her point and ignores everything against it.\n\nLet's take the data she included.  The first thing to note is that those are *very* low infant mortality rates.  Lower that every developed country, in fact, and much lower than the US (which has a high-ish infant mortality rate for a developed country, about 6.3/1000).  Data goes up to 2006, she restricts herself to 2003.  Data is available for all races of mother, she chooses only white women. \n\nBut most importantly, she never says what CNM stands for, and describes a category not in the data "DEM."  CNM stands for certified nursing midwife, and actually has better health outcomes than doctors (probably due in part to the effect of a bias toward low-risk cases, more on this below).  DEM is not an option in the data she links, but there is "other midwife."\n\nNear term, in hospital births attended by doctors have an infant mortality of about 2.02 per 1000, whereas home births attended by CNM have about 1.84 per 1000 and 2.8 per 1000 if attended by "other midwife."  So is it homebirth at work?  I suggest if anything her data supports midwife training to be an important factor, not in-hospital versus out of hospital.\n\nHowever before we jump on that conclusion, remember this is one step from raw data.  These are not published studies and a key goal in the publication process is to discover criticisms not immediately obvious.  For example, who are the "other midwives." Are there ways to look at the data which make more sense?  Are there better ways or datasets to filter out the effect of biased selection of patients (midwives taking low risk patients, whereas doctors take both low and high risk)?  \n\nWhile this has been done, the "skeptical" OB ignores those papers because they tell a different story.  Home birth is associated with lower apgars (which is a bad thing), but lower rates of neonatal admission (which is a good thing).  Home births are longer, but have fewer complications.  The reality is not as clear cut as Amy suggests.\n\nTL;DR: The result argued in that blog is an anomaly with the rest of research on the subject, perhaps because of a personal bias by the author.

[Here's an amazing hoax](http://logosmythos.net/wilton_windmill_crop_circle_may_2010.html).\n\nThere is a little animation explaining the meaning of the hoax. There is also a mistake in the design which is either intentional or accidental depending on your interpretation.

That is a very nice setup. I am sad to say that all I normally have is instant coffee. :P

What you have described is exactly what satellites look like. \n\nBut satellites never change direction or perform manoeuvres. They go in a straight line. 

Short answer, no.  Monsanto is a corporation, a very powerful corporation that does some pretty evil things to farmers, but most of this shit you hear about them is overblown conspiracy theory nonsense.  Yep, they need to be reined in a bit on their exploitative treatment of people who accidentally have their fields germinated with Monsanto seeds, but anything beyond that is just anti-gm morons who fail to grasp just how beneficial and lifesaving genetic modification is spouting off against a big corporation they see as evil for merely practicing science.

Don't most local health departments offer vaccines for cheap? No special Doctor's visit or health insurance required.

Perhaps you simply lack language skills?  Here's a statement of fact:\n\nScience is used to prove the Earth is not flat.\n\nThat statement is complete and accurate fact.  Science may be used directly or not.  But, science is used to put telescopes in the sky which can send pictures of the Earth back to us.  Those pictures are very much proof that the world is not flat.  QED.\n\nWhen you say "nothing is proven," this is what I think:\n\n&gt;"Hey man, we are all just electric particles floating in space, and reality is just a persistant illusion, and we have no idea what reality is really like.  Maybe we are just in a video game and the Earth seems round, but it's not because we are on a flat chip.  Or, you know, like that movie the Matrix.  You can't prove the Earth is round."\n\nThat's not science or skepticism.  That's nihilism, and it's not useful.  That's just philosophy.\n\n*What is this thing called Science?* is a philosophy book.  It's about falsification.  Falsification can be summed up as nihilism, but it has nothing to do with science or any scientific achievement.  Following that dogma is the opposite of science.\n\nSee, scientist believe that observations should strengthen theories.  Falsification is saying that your observations are meaningless.  Well, that's just not useful, and it's not science.  It's just teenage stoner philosophy that's gone too far.\n\n\n

Was "fortunate tellers" on purpose or not? It did give me a laugh, thinking of fortunate tellers who only give you good news.

"The true spiritual warrior has conquered death and therefore has no fear or enemies in this lifetime or the next, because the greatest fear you'll ever experience is the fear of what? Death." \n\nWe'll see if prison changes his mind about that.\n\nHe certainly has no room to complain. According to his worldview (unless he's completely full of shit -- very possible) he must have created this new reality for himself; it couldn't have happened otherwise.

Of course there is. It's called a "Healon." You generate them by throwing a New Age hippie touch-therapist, some incense, and a large pebble of turquoise into a particle accelerator, giving it a fresh cup of really hot herbal tea, and switching it on.

Looks like a reflection of light from a circular object. I guess the sun reflected off of a mirror or metal and it luckily hit the imaging satellite.\n\nJust a theory.

For years, I've insisted on being totally rational in regards to my dice. I became known at the table as the guy who would call you out on your magical-thinking bullshit. Another player would say something like, "Ugh, this d20 is rolling extra shitty tonight," then immediately look at me and say, "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's just a random number generator."\n\nI recently decided to embrace the superstitions. Not because I think they affect outcomes, mind you, but because they look like fun. Plus, they're a shared in-joke, an element of tabletop rpg heritage, and a way to express your frustration when you somehow fail 9 consecutive saves.\n\nSo fuck it. From now on, no one touches my dice. If I roll a 1, the d20 gets dropped into my beer until the beer is finished (to wash away the bad luck). I will roll several dice, and choose to use the one with the highest roll (because that one is "rolling high tonight"). Or the one with the lowest roll (because it "got that out of its system").\n\nYou hear that, Dice Gods? I'm tired of arguing against your existence. You win! Now give me some damn 20s!

I have several friends I met through Le Leche League. (A breastfeeding support organization.) And a few of them are anti-vaccination. I don't argue with them. As it is pointless, but they frequently post this sort of thing. I hate people spreading misinformation and fear mongering. 

No, thëy arën't anywhërë nëar thë samë lëaguë as batshit-insanë PËTA. Again, I don't rëally agrëë with ëvërything thëy do or all thëir stancës, but to answër your quëstion: to thë bëst of my knowlëdgë, thëy don't opposë thë këëping of pëts, animal tësting, ëuthanasia, ëtc. \n\nTo bë fair, ëvën PËTA supports ëuthanasia, and is thë singlë biggëst ëuthanizër in thë world. Ëuthanasia is unfortunatëly nëcëssary in cërtain circumstancës; PËTA's stand on thë issuë is fucking insanë (IMHO), though, bëcausë thëy considër këëping animals in a shëltër to bë "inhumanë", and as such, ëuthanizing thëm (ëvën hëalthy onës) is thë "humanë" thing to do. Thë HSUS takës a similar, but not quitë as absolutë/militant stancë, which is a complëtë 180 from thë founding principlës of thë organization (which was originally foundëd bëcausë of how pëoplë wërë trëating horsës in Nëw Ëngland, bëliëvë it or not). I përsonally don't agrëë with thëir (HSUS') currënt stancë on thë no-kill paradigm and ëuthanasia, but again, it's morë on a pragmatic lëvël than a moral absolutist onë, likë with PËTA. \n\ntl;dr - I don't agrëë with all of thëir stancës, but no, thëy arën't anywhërë nëar PËTA in tërms of "animal rights".\n\nalso, sorry about thë umlauts or whatëvër. April fools is idiotic. \n

I can't wait for the schism between quantum woo and "traditonal" woo. 

I'm not familiar with anesthesiology, but the idea is not so hard to believe.  Different races (or phenotypic populations, if you prefer) have different biology.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance#Lactose_intolerance_by_group

So, do you believe everything anyone who isn't part of the government tells you?

Well, seeing as you'll be in a college town, especially one that brings in people from all over the world, you won't have nearly as much of an issue with it all as you would if you lived around my neck of the woods ('bout 2 hours east of CH). If it tells you anything, Chapel Hill is in one of only 8 counties in NC to vote against Amendment 1. You'll be fine there, but you're going to hate summers here. People up north (cause I lived in IL as well) are like "90 degrees! OMG it's so freaking hot!". And people in NC just laugh in their face because that's average around these parts.

I think that the limit of resolution on this meta-analysis might actually be exaggerating the data that might be interpreted as predictive. \n\n&gt; The reports we examined used one of two paradigms: (1) randomly ordered presentations of arousing vs. neutral stimuli, or (2) guessing tasks with feedback (correct vs. incorrect). Dependent variables included: electrodermal activity, heart rate, blood volume, pupil dilation, electroencephalographic activity, and blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activity. To avoid including data hand-picked from multiple different analyses, no post hoc experiments were considered.\n\nhttp://www.frontiersin.org/perception_science/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00390/abstract\n\nJust as a super trivial way to imagine how to generate these artifacts, let's say a large portion of these studies did not capture baselines of the dependent variable activity, only the delta's after stimuli began. If any successive stimuli had a calming effect it would be likely to occur before neutral or alarming stimuli. The analysis would be indistinguishable from predictive alarm. \n\nNow, to be sure, I'm not saying *this* is the artifact generating issue, but any artifact generator like this would be operating on top of a margin of error and any unaccounted for limitations of these studies. \n

I want something more concrete. I've showed some of my friends what I've caught and some see/hear what I did and some don't. I really want something that's indisputable you know? The EVPs are poor quality and the pictures could be anything. My friend mentioned in the story looked at them and she said they look more like dust than anything, and the girl could be matrixing, so I'm not sure.

I decided to look up Chalmer's argument and I was at first very confused by all the talk of zombies. For a bit, philosophers seemed a whole lot cooler.

Anyone who claims to be a UFO expert and asserts ET origins to these objects is as closed-minded as the lot of you. Don't listen to your dad or Neil Tyson, think for yourself.  This is a genuine mystery, and if you haven't got to that point then you are ignorant (i.e. lacking knowledge) of this phenomenon and probably shouldn't comment on it. Skepticism works both ways. It is not a belief system. It is a process of systematic reasoning that examines and questions empirical reality. If you think it is odd that I am in /r/skeptic, you have missed the whole point of being a skeptic. \n\n

Hey - that looks just like me!  A little older, yes, but it's unmistakably me!

Well thanks for the entertainment, everybody!\n\nThey just wheeled her into the OR.\n\nThis is what they're up against http://imgur.com/6H0Bz.jpg - wish her luck.

Why didn't she just give the dying plant some Brawndo? It's what the plants crave.

im sorry but im not going to go lightly on people like you, it is tiresome. You are an idiot for even thinking that.

I don't think that you will get anything more than misdirection on this subreddit. The terrible problem with these kinds of groups is that they unconsciously align their beliefs with the status quo, resisting to the end any alternative version of events. Here's the line of thinking (or unthinking):\n\n* People see crop circles\n* People say UFOs or aliens did them\n* Everybody knows UFOs or aliens aren't real\n* Two guys claim responsibility, saying they do them with wood and rope\n* Therefore, the circles are made with wood and rope\n* any theory that challenges this MUST suggest something paranormal, so we can't accept it.\n\nIn your discussion with Harabeck, your original question was never addressed. He just changed the subject to what he has practiced, or has a mental script for - the wooden planks and rope.\n\nAccording to the people who have actually put time into researching this, whatever their biases may be, this kind of thing may be caused by intense heat concentrated in a very small area, causing the liquid in the plant to turn to steam - expanding and causing the deformation of the "node" of the plant where the walls are structured a little bit differently from the rest of the stalk.\n\nI don't have any proof for this, but I imagine all you would need is some kind of focused microwaves of high intensity.

Suddenly I'm the newest Katie Melua fan, who would have guessed?\n\nEDIT: I mean predicted ... :P

But I'm staying on the highway. I pass by the towns, but never get off the highway and go into them.\n\nThe "ghost town" had stop signs and everything.

I don't think I've heard anyone say that this graphic caused a murder.  I've heard a lot of people say--and I thought at the time--that it creates a bad environment and is inappropriate.  

I think here lies the answer to your ethical dillema. You may not want to get out of woo business because of ethical reasons, but you may have to because of business reasons. If your largest division crumbles you may hold to these conflicting views AND yet still lose your job.\n\nYou should try to influence what you can to move the business forward to books that provide good knowledge and your knowledge of skepticism might help you figure out which is which.\n\nI see them as a family cow: it always bring milk, but it won't grow, so by creating new revenues outside of pseudoscience you show your company a growth opportunity. \n\n*note: I have the same conflict as you, I'm a designer and a lot of my work is about optimizing apps and pages that sell astrology related crap. I'll get back to you if I ever succeed in following my own advice \n\n;)

I've had Guinness ice cream, and it's the closest I'll ever get to believing in supernatural phenomena. \n\nEDIT:  Since this is a skeptical forum, [source](http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/guinness-ice-cream-with-dark-chocolate-honey-sauce-recipe/index.html)

I remember once i was talking to my friends in a group circle sort of deal and then with some Sherlock Holmes sort of action i recognized the laughter of my friend Chris behind me and being that time of day again I stuck my hand out and behind me at a really horrific angle painful almost, but caught the tomato he had thrown which would have hit a teacher. In the comments this does seem really quite rare however i literally cant catch so imagine what your talking about in slow motion but you still fail. :/ it sucks and is pretty embarrassing for myself 

Of course. When faced wth the choice, today's discerning infants are opting against going "full retard", preferring something along the Autism Spectrum (Disorder)

Was completely unaware of the misuse, school failed here. Grammar!!! 

Yeah. Was just hoping someone could chime in with a hard fact that would help me suspend my disbelief. Desperate times, desperate measures and all that.

Your reading of primary sources is original research.  I'm not saying that you shouldn't practice original research.  I'm saying that nobody gives a fuck what some anonymous troll on the Internet thinks.  **People care what independent and qualified third parties think.**\n\nSo, you can say that some study is bunk, and other studies are good, and that you prefer some studies over other studies.  But, I honestly doubt you have read any of the studies.  That's why we debate secondary sources; because, we know the secondary sources have read the primary sources, and they are qualified to interpit them, and independent.\n\nWe don't debate primary sources, because I don't know that you are qualified to debate it.

There are faults everywhere, so of course they're not unknown in the region.  The interesting question is the frequency, type, and incidence in fracking zones.  \n\nIt doesn't bother me, there's no fracking going on here.  If the gas companies turned Oklahoma into a giant sinkhole they'd be doing the country a favor.  

Occham's Razor: Rather than all we know about the world and the laws of physics being wrong it's far more likely that the family makes false claims in order to get on TV and gain local fame, or on a more practical level they might do it in order to apply for a house move. When a sham like Derek who has financial gain from this comes by and works his munbo jumbo there's no reason to assume he wouldn't jump at the chance of getting a free ghost.

"A high percentage of chiropractors" "A very small number of physio's"\nYou're dressing up a vague personal impression of these professions in scientific language, so I find it hard to take you seriously on this. \n\nMy point is simply that there isn't enough of a consensus amongst chiropractors (or physio's, or osteos) as a group to provide a meaningful critique of any of them as a profession. There's good and bad in all professions.

Thanks for the advice. I'm more worried, rather, about his belief in these drops than I am about the money. Apparently he gets them for free. Also worried about any ill-effects these drops may have.

I just wanted to point out that the "beams" are caused by the lens. At some points in the video you can see that the car headlights have the same effect, and the "beam" always faces the nearest edge of the lens.

I didn't ask for anything in particular, but I'm interested in hard evidence for/against ACV uses. I thought that's what I'd get posting in /r/skeptic. I get plenty of anecdotal evidence from these people who claim ACV is a cureall.

Haha I am sorry, I did not realize we had such a thing. Which imply that you inded are correct. Oh, how did we get this way? Is it the cold, the snow or the distant women? 

Honestly you would be surprised how mainstream people might see that, shrug and move on. A lot of people don't care about the idea of UFOs and think it's silly. Henceforth look at it for a little and prob walk away.

Why are implants found in alleged abduction victims? They aren't. Think carefully about this: if so many labs have analyzed this stuff and found it so strange, why haven't any scientific papers been published on the subject? Why is the only material on the subject books that this guy is **selling**? He recognized a vulnerable audience and is now exploiting them to sell books and lecture appearances. That's all this is.

I have a scary Picture Im going to put on here, noboby believes me~

That was beautiful. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, he points out another "amazing" component. Does the sound have to be on at all times, or only when you think your water's sexual/gender energy is off balance? \n\n"Honey, the basement fire alarm is going off!"\n\n"No, dear. Ever since Jenny was born, this house has had WAY too much of a feminine vibe. You won't let me get that new truck, so I decided to man up the water."

I just can not belive how they could fuck it up so bad. It's called **THE HISTORY CHANNEL**. Get it right.

LOL I'm really not butthurt. In fact like I previously mentioned I find you amusing because you're trying to tell me my art doesn't work when in fact I know it does. \n\n

Yeah, any sort of claims about a statistic are sketchy in my mind because nobody has an ultrasound before an abortion unless they are forced to by ignorant, spiteful politicians.\n\nFetuses all look the same.  Nobody hinges their abortion decision on whether or not their fetus looks fantastic.

You might argue using the word "natural" a lot :\n\nIt may be that the vaccine is less likely to "take" in the first year(which is true to an extent, effectiveness of a vaccine can be lower in the first year but it's still worthwhile) but that's also when the childs immune system is best set up to be exposed to things it needs to be protected from in later life. \n\nYou're protected early on by your mothers antibodies but naturally your immune system isn't sitting idle that whole time. it's learning what it's going to have to defend itself against in later life. If you can make sure it recognizes polio all the better.\n\nPerhaps stress that vaccines are the most natural way to prevent diseases because rather than administering harsh drugs you're simply training the childs natural (natural natural natural) defenses to recognize the threat.\n\nThe article seems more damning to the other side. \n\nThis is an anti vax guy outright saying \n\n"This is an impeccably-credentialed, **pro-vaccine** PhD immunologist. **She knows more about the detailed intracies of human immunology than I ever will.**"\n\nthe question then becomes, why is impeccably-credentialed \nPhD immunologist who knows more than him pro-vaccine while he isn't. \n\nIt may be a little insulting to parents to imply that they need to be trained to do what's best for their children but if the stats show that it leads to more parents getting the 1 year shot and/or more kids being immune to mumps then it's perfectly sensible to do even if the effectiveness of the earlier shots is lower.\n\nThe message I take from that is that the 1 year shots are really really important to get. \n\nThe last paragraph seems totally disconnected from the rest of the text.\n

"We might not have time for questions but you can ask me at the banquet or you can come to my table tomorrow and ask me as many questions as you'd like which I probably won't be able to answer." - Sofia Smallstorm, "chemtrail expert"

So you believe JFK was killed. You believe /r/skeptic means believing in conspiracy theories. You accuse me of weak arguments when you jump to the conclusion that a document suggesting unethical tactics means that the government approved of a similar document for 911. \n\nAnd you're suggesting that someone high up, would approve of a very highly illegal activity against its own fellow citizens which is treasonous, just to declare war on a nation, and then be willing to face consequences and/or impeachment when it comes out. I think you are really unaware of the amount of crazy stupid ideas that government creates.

This is just madness..\n\n&gt;Some of my other mentors, the Navajo medicine people often healed with water that was infused with prayers. On the reservation they work besides the doctors in the hospital and water is the only chemical remedy they are allowed to give.  I've personally seen prayer heal cancer with doctor's confirmation that the cancer was gone from the physical body.  \n\nReally? *Really?* I can't even..

So what you're saying is that fundementalism is not the reason Fargo sucks?

So if I drink 5 sodas @ 2.3 pHs each, then I could counteract the combined 11.3 pHs by drinking one serving of bleach! Does anyone have a bottle of bleach handy?  How much is one serving?  A cup?\n\n(edit: Do not drink bleach)

everyone has their own feelings on the board but the "ouija board" is made by hasbro. (sorry i said parker brothers earlier)\nhttp://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2266493&amp;prodFindSrc=search\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouija\n\nlooks like only glow and the dark now.\n\n

That's the plan. Any way you look at it, the wacko wins credibility.  Not with me at least. 

Cracked.com isn't perfect, but it's pretty good, and it's sure better than wired.com.\n

did you get a look at the persons eyes ? I'm thinking possible BEK... Not to put stuff in your head...

I saw that there was 1 other reddit that this was submitted to and found r/SOS.\n\nOh. My. God.

No, just a guess. Aquarii are known to be gifted with foresight and premonition (I think this may connect to them being the second oldest on The Grand Cycle of Life). Ironically, they can be unpredictable and erratic in behavior.\nMy sister was born on the day of Precognition and she has dreams about things that end up happening three days later.\nsource: The Secret Language of Birthdays- Gary Goldschneider &amp; Joost Elffers

Salon's title's incredibly misleading.\n\nA particular company or association of midwives is not representative of midwifery in general.

The sound of heavy rain does seem to make people feel calm.\n\nI wonder if it's because when it's raining there is less chance of unwanted (dangerous) visitors? This is mere speculation.

It must be an exciting day when you don't know if you're going to die that year.

The "Omnivore" traits are largely cherry-picked.  Most notably, they ignore omnivorous nonhuman primates which are physiologically very similar to us.

I have my firm belief that all the mystery surrounding 9/11 is because of the little wheels in the big machine trying to hide their incompetence.\n

Considering its violent and unruly past, it is not surprising that York has been described as “the most haunted city in the world” by the Ghost Reseach Foundation International.\nPerhaps York’s most famous ghost story relates to the “Lost Roman Legion” that has frequently been seen marching through the basement of the Treasurer’s House, just outside York Minster. Bizarrely it was reported that all of the soldiers’ legs were cut off at the knees………but after further investigation it was found that the ancient Via Decumana Roman road actually ran in that exact spot, 15 inches below the cellar floor.

Sounds like he's staying for the organ. Most people can't really get one of these at home. Even if they can, the acoustics are probably much better in the church.

There seemed to be evidence that chem trails have the potential to have been used in the past and could be in the future.  But yeah, people who think every single jet trail has harmful chemicals in them is paranoid.

Its amazing, they have all the same stories but from the exact opposite perspective.

As a photographer I have to say that even with all the knowledge of how to use a professional camera - in situations which require quick reactions and a level head to shoot, I still find that some mild sense of panic can still settle in. It's not easy shooting something that you have no idea about. Particularly in a UFO sighting situation, you don't know anything about the subject and what it can/will do. All you know is that you have to capture it on video or photo.\n\nGiven zero amount of knowledge and only a moments notice, I feel that any human being will be compelled to try and capture as much detail as they can, which for the conventional camera user often translates to "Shit man! Zoom in on that motha fucker".\n\nOne must also take into account the quality of the recording equipment available at a sighting - it would be highly unlikely that anyone will just so happen to have the high quality video camera, the (correct) telephoto lens and a tripod with them. We are getting closer to a point where most people will have a HD video capture device on their person whether it is on their phone or a dedicated device. However, given that we are only currently "getting close" to this idea, it is not something that is plausible on a regular basis. \n\nShooting something really high in the sky to a decent quality would require a properly stabilised telephoto lens in the region of 400-1000mm+. These lenses are not really something you'd just carry around for fun (not least to mention that they're less common), especially as you go beyond 400mm.\n\nAs a final note - please realise that in the photographic world there are 2 zoom types: Optical and digital. Optical being the type which retains quality as you zoom as the zoom is created by changing the shape of the lens structure. Whereas digital zooms by taking a smaller part of the original picture and making it bigger - hence why digital zooms are pixelated and horribly undetailed. Consumer interest has created the need for compact devices, and as such digital zoom used to be a very big thing.\n\n**tl;dr** - No one knows how long a sighting will "stick around". Coincidentally having the right equipment to record a sighting is a stupid notion. Though as tech advances it will be less stupid. Details are lost at zoom for most devices.\n\nEDIT: Your "perfect median" will depend on lens type in the camera, something that is easier to judge with SLR lenses than your bog standard compact camera. Also, digital zoom will fuck with your "perfect median".

Can't they sue the psychic too? Please? Make him or her pay as well. 

Atheism is an answer to the religion question. Skepticism is an answer to the question of rationality. I think that David Silverman is right when he says that skeptics who are atheists should answer the religion question as 'atheist', as should agnostics and other non-believers. However, that does not really take away from skeptics as a group. Skepticism speaks more to how one approaches the world. We absolutely need skeptics and the skeptical movement, along-side atheists, to answer the problems of irrationality and anti-intellectualism that are running rampant in our culture.

i like what they said about conspiracy theorists about disagreements because that really is the outcome to their inability to convince you of the conspiracy itself.\n\n" Because conspiracy theorists can't just have disagreements. If you disagree with a conspiracy theorist,then you probably belong to the conspiracy."

If she still does this to your siblings, you can report her to child protective services. But really only do it if they have something serious like eczema. 

Man you people keep posting these fakes. The one form the NFL game in 2011 was a timelapse video. YOu could see people moving super fast in the background. The images where taken with longtime exposure which makes the planes in the background appear like a long light with dots. The same goes for the freaking china ufo images they are long time exposure pictures of a helicopter with floodlights.\n\nPlease PLEASE you guys really need to learn to look this stuff up and question everything before you blindly accept it as real.\n\nOne quick google search: "long time exposure helicopter"\n\nhttp://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8e7b1891b548.jpg\n\nhttp://files.abovetopsecret.com/uploads/ats49396_close1.jpg\n\nhttp://img295.imageshack.us/img295/1017/2108465676bb48c6723o.jpg

You mean [this one?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_%28book%29)

That is too bad... To shorten it up, The Human species is in trouble and the majority of mankind unknowingly welcomes it.\n\nEDIT: I also challenge you not to read it. Just reading it can haunt you. Something like The Call of Cthulhu.

Safe? Certainly. Effective? Only if you rig the study. Health Canada? Disappointed.

Ok, so this is going into my "saved" file, so I can follow this....I find it very interesting, to say the least...I thak you for posting the Video...I would lay this side-by-side with 'Automatic Writing'. I think this is very closely related.\nI am very curious as to where you would be led, if you allowed it to take you outside?? I think you would be safe to go out, with your Husband with you, but I can also understand you not wanting to go out in Public like that!  I will be following this closely!\n\n

You can't deny that eating locally reduces the carbon emissions used to get your food. Not that I eat locally[...](http://files.sharenator.com/JustSaiyan_RE_Evidence_of_Blue-s634x461-189609-580.jpg)

There have been UFO sightings at an area where the US military tests all its experimental equipment. IF everything we hear about the US and Alien goverments is true then it would make sense its going on around there, IF. The object at dugway could be anything, but it is most likely somthing incredibly mundane, as if it was secret, it would not be lying around for every passing sattelight to see.\n\n\nMostly its just conspiracy theory with very little to back it up.

...I think you may be hallucinating. Unless you can get a video of this happening.

Thank you for the kind words! I hope I didn't blow anyone's mind. I do wish that the standard for evidence of extraterrestrial life was raised significantly, though.

A kite, maybe? If the person were to the left and several blocks away it might look very much like this. The way it elevates without swaying but then sinks with a side to side swaying makes me think possible square kite. Also, note that the bottom always faces the left (kiteflyer) and never the right.

sounds like an owl, and puppies growl at anything unusual. My dog told me there was an alien in the bushes one night when I was walking him on a lonely country road, just after Signs came out. He growled, his hackles went up, he stood rigid, and he never did any of that before.\n\nAlien turned out to be a rabbit.

Let me Google that for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UFO_sightings\n\nUFO sightings occur in major cities frequently and are some of the more compelling sightings to me since many of them are mass sightings.

there are tons of UFO sightings before the space|atomic era. UFOs didn't all of a sudden come out of nowhere on a summery day in 1947. Hardcore ufologists have studied this phenomenon and dates back before the 15th century. \n\nAlthough yes, some UFOs are most likely government craft, there are a good portion that are classic UFOs, meaning they are unidentified. \n\nWon't be surprised if he continues to insinuate that UFOs are somehow E.T related. I personally am in the Jacques Vallee camp, in which he states that these entities are inter-dimensional entities (ultra-terrestrials).

I have a T2i and it definitely takes great video, but it will come out grainy as hell at night unless you get a seriously expensive lens on it. He may be better off going with a dedicated video camera as it should be better in low light conditions and most have decent built in zooms. If his budget is $1k, the T2i body and kit lens would be all he could afford.

Thanks for sharing. I wish everyone who has seen something extraordinary in the sky would do that.

Karen Stollznow is a long-term (as in LONG term - worked as a teen in the Australian skeptic scene) contributor to skepticism; she's a JREF and CSICOP fellow, an author of dozens of articles and journal papers on paranormal investigations. Was host of Point of Inquiry, now co-host of Monster Talk. 

I have read that the method used in the Sherlock Holmes (and other detectives) stories is not induction nor deduction, but [abduction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abduction_%28logic%29), that is in itself a logical fallacy.\n\nI think the book was [The Sign of Three: Dupin, Holmes, Peirce](http://www.amazon.com/Sign-Three-Holmes-Advances-Semiotics/dp/0253204879). and it contains [this article](http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/b_resources/abduction.html) about a holmesian episode in the life of American logician Charles S. Peirce.

People make a conscious decision when they decide to use homeopathic drugs or other quackery.  The solution isn't imposing the violence of government through legislation, which will make criminals out of normal law-abiding people, and regulation, which will serve to direct more taxpayer money to corporate cronies.  Education is the only viable, long-term solution.  \nIf someone doesn't want to learn, why force them?  If they are not harming anyone else, live and let live (or die).

I'll make sure that when I spread diseases about I do it in a much more sanitary manner.

help me google?\n\nI have a sleep schedule like that. About 17-18 hours awake, 7-9 hours sleep. I force myself into a work schedule, 0530 weekdays, but around thursday I always find myself up until 3am.

Drugs are obviously magical.\n\nEDIT: In all seriousness, anesthesia can make people say weird things.  Your friend's grandmother may have suggested they call you, but it was most likely a (spooky) coincidence.

I agree with you 100%. Still though, this article is a bullshit hatchet job.  Ive seen this Finnish thing a few times in the news, I would really like to see it from a proper souce, but in the meantime, Id rather see it ostracized until proven 

Maybe he was trying to mind fuck people in the audience. I clearly remember (with 90% certainty) watching footage of both towers collapse that day, but I'm questioning it anyway. \n\nHonestly, I just think he meant to talk about footage from the first plane hitting.

__Of COURSE__ you do (blame tropicana, that is), at least to get some money off them in a lawsuit! (Hey, I'm ethnically Jewish, I'm wired to think this way :P )\n\nEDIT: Downvotes? I thought we Jews could make racist jokes about Jews without being considered racist. Oh wait, I'm an Israeli, I should know we shout Anti-semitism on every fucking thing. Oh well.

This was the link posted by the author on twitter. \n\nI don't think it's blogspam if it's on the author's own personal website. 

i want to take a picture of some paper plates and fishing line with some led's attached to it and whore it out for 1k + karma

I don't think so. Yes i know about the blind spot, that the brain fills in with surrounding detail and with information from the other eye. [Close your right eye and look at the right symbol](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Blindspot.png) - try moving away/closer to the display to see the left symbol disappear.

I've been an investigator for almost 8 years now and I think most of the shows are entertainment based.\n\nI like Ghost Adventures. They give decent info (although sometimes streched) on the place they are going into, and it's light hearted and fun. The guys are SUPER nice in real life and always have time for thier fans. I've had the pleasure of running into them several times and they always have time to talk to everyone, shake hands, take pictures, sign something for anyone who wants it. For that alone I can forgive the over the top behavior on the show. Real or not (some things I do doubt but they seem to be getting better on the whole everything is a ghost thing) thier show is entertaining and I'll keep watching.\n\nI rather like My Ghost Story as well. It's kind of along the same lines as A Hunting and Paranormal Witness. I think that some are real stories, some aren't, and some are exagerated. Again use disgression and don't believe everything that you hear unless you are able to experiance it yourself.

First, Dawkins needs no one to defend him. \n\nSecond, the point is very weak because the post treats feminism as homeopathy without explaining why. I guess he doesn't believe there are groups in minorities that can feel different and that deserve some respect.\n\n(edited to finish a sentence. Hit save too soon.)

&gt;They just don't give a shit about whether their stuff actually works. There's just no excuse for that.\n\nYou really need to read the article. This is exactly the mentality the article talks about. I always make a point of never commenting or voting on threads or comments that I haven't fully read.

Hmm, isn't that called peer-reviewed science? :)\n\nJoking aside - the problem that I see is that is hard to maintain things 'generally-interesting' while at the same point having very clear rules that are not easily opened to abuse by moderators (which currently seems to be the case in [/r/science](/r/science) - where the new rules are so strange that actually could easily justify the removal of half of the actual stories listed at the top at certain moments).

The senior programmer that I work with is pretty much the same.  He even claims to have personally witnessed a faith healing where a local man who was born with a defect in his leg (it was supposedly short by several inches) was miraculously healed before his eyes.  In mere minutes.  By prayer.\n\nOne thing I have noticed, and this may just be a very local phenomena associated with my own community, is that engineers and programmers have a tendency to be young Earth creationists at a level much greater frequency than that of other highly educated professions.  The older they are the more likely they fall into this category as well.  These guys (and they are always guys) are very good at what they do but it strikes me as odd that such logical problem solvers believe so much of this illogical stuff.  Some of them hold onto some really, really weird views that even other conservative Christians consider odd or outdated.

It's more like they think there was something a bit odd. In my experience they have misconceptions or missing information. A common one is the claim that the building fell in it's own footprint, when actually the collapse damaged it's two neighbours, one to such an extent that it wasn't repairable, and the other so that it required $1.2 billion in repairs.

ditto. first one. although Snoo as Cthulhu is kind of awesome too, heh.

I had my doubts that exopolitics would amount to much, but when politicians begin to feel safe enough to "come out" (so-to-speak) I think there's real hope.

Seconding _A demon-haunted World_. I upvoted but I just got to give it that extra plus.

&gt;“Once I went to a man’s home and warned him NOT to sleep in a certain spot.  He thought I was a fool.  Twelve years later, he died of cancer.”\n\n&gt;---Ernst Hartmann, M.D.\n\nFuck it, YOLO!

TIL:\n\n&gt; There is no effective reporting system for adverse events after chiropractic treatments. Consequently, we have to rely mainly on anecdotal evidence. Several hundred severe and frequently life-threatening adverse events have been reported, mostly caused by vertebral artery dissections after chiropractic neck manipulations.\n\n&gt; Due to under-reporting, these figures are probably only the tip of a much bigger iceberg. Vohra et al have demonstrated that "serious adverse events might be associated with pediatric manipulation".\n\n&gt; Even the report sponsored by the General Chiropractic Council stated that **"the true incidence of serious adverse events in children as a result of spinal manipulation remains unknown".**

I think many are, but they are more likely to be left (collective) libertarians, instead of right (neoliberal) libertarians. 

Yeah, paintball field I go every weekend, abandoned tiny hotel, very weird shit happens, rocks or mangos being thrown at people, small brownish ghosts peeking around windows and walking around, the worst part is this fuckers seem to have fun acting like players and confusing people, I now use a helmet camera and will post the footage as soon as the little rascal tries to confuse me again.\n\nGive me a year and I will post all the evidence I gather, maybe I send you guys the raw file as I would be scared shitless to even play the video again.

The further I get into a skeptical mindset the less likely I am to engage a believer/peddler of woo.  Its just not worth it.  

I live in Texas, and a few months ago my bestie and I saw something quite strange. It was just after dusk and getting dark and we were outside talking and bullshitting. We watch a lot of Ancient Aliens, so we tend to spend our time outside looking up.  :)  Anyway, so we noticed something in the sky very high and moving at a "normal" speed with only one light, so we watched it but didn't think anything too much since there was nothing that jumped out as extremely unusual about it. It was traveling normally, then the singular light seemed to break apart into 3 sections and all three pieces darted independently (but still in the same direction) away, barely milliseconds apart.

I think we both agree for the most part. I'd like to clarify my thoughts, though, just to be sure.\n\n&gt;Then, legitimate questions about the underlying events are buried. "Oh, we've already covered that, and everyone agrees that the accusations are bunk."\n\nWhenever I hear something along the lines of "everyone agrees (or in some cases 'the majority of people agree') that the accusations are bunk" I never blindly accept that. The first thing I do is look to see if there are any counter-claims. If there are, I independently evaluate them and see how (and if) they fit into the entire picture; i.e. are they valid?\n\nThe mainstream media (especially Westernized media) is a terrible primary source for news and information. When Michael Jackson died (or even the OJ case you mentioned) that was the major story of the major mainstream news networks for *weeks*. It's not that that was the only or biggest "newsworthy" story to cover. It wasn't that all those days just happened to be "slow news days". The mainstream media is especially sensationalized and you cannot expect it to cover matters proportional to importance to you (the viewer).\n\nThat isn't to say that you shouldn't watch or trust it. I'm saying that it should be one of *many* sources of information. I agree that it can be ridiculously easy for legitimate claims to become "buried" in mainstream and popular media.\n\nI want to add that a lack of evidence is not in and of itself evidence of a cover-up. Also, dispute over a cover-up does not necessarily imply that a cover-up actually existed. You, as a rational human being, need to search as many places as possible for *verifiable* evidence. Anybody can make a claim, and usually most do. The difficultly is being able to search through all of those claims and determine which are valid and which are invalid. Relying mostly or even entirely on major news networks is essentially letting others think for you. (The news is never a primary source, unless it's covering a story about itself.) If you truly want to know something, you need to do the thinking yourself and be active is searching as many places as you can for information.

Oh wow they actually did have some inside info now didn't they.  Maybe you should not write off some of the fringe science.  I have been saying that they would come out with the Higgs and now wow here they have it.http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_21008832/quest-god-particle-success\n

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cp1lQt-nfQ\n\nfound this among the next vid previews

&gt;"Out of everything you could genetically inherit from your dad, it's that?!"\nBrilliant.\n\nThat's mad. I don't quite have it to that extent, just happens to random streetlights, but after I've found one that it happens to it will always happen to that one. 

Amen! Unfortunately, pseudoscience is everywhere. \nIn science and medicine, what we don't know dwarfs what we do know, but there the untested is still bunk untill show to be otherwise... even if, "My Grandpa ate a cherimya every day." doesn't mean he is alive because of it. 

I don't think this comic is good.\n\nAlso, it looks like the psychic is thinking of the letter Delta with that font.

The Mayans had many calenders. Different orbits of planets round the sun and moons aswell. This is just one of the calenders getting back to the beggining again and starting the cycle over.\n\nWhat this calender represents is the lining up of all the stars in our galaxy, including our sun. We rotate round the sun, but the sun is rotating aswell as every other star, round the black hole in the centre of the galaxy. This event is so rare, it happens only once every 26,000 years.\n\nSo in all honesty, we are lucky to be here for this spectacular feat. It doesn't happen often at all. But you have to question how the Mayans were able to calculate all this without modern technology. It's crazy! But at least Nasa should get some cool pictures.\n\nI could expand upon your god thing and say, gods = extra terrestrials, but I think that might be over peoples heads... The closer the stars are together, travelling from galaxy to galaxy made easier? But anyways, their god of war and creation is apparently coming to Earth.

Watching the Discovery Channel made me an atheist and gave me the knowledge. Penn and Teller's B.S. gave me the courage to question everything. A few years later, and I'm this wonderful skeptic and anarchist.

That's such a gross oversimplification of what GMO is that it's frankly disgusting, and you are way undervaluing the work of genetic modification of *anything*. GMOs require decades of research and tens of millions of dollars to research and develop. This isn't just some guy in a Monsanto shirt who makes 11.95 an hour cutting the heads off tulips and grafting them onto carrots.\n

Looking forward to the next bill in which (Submitted by Senator B.S. Johnson) they are changing Pi from 3.14 to 3.00. \n\nThe reason behind the creation of the bill - I believe - was, "Math is hard."

I don't think this discussion was about the line between the two, only what you call them. \n\nI agree that this can be very difficult with people living hours when submerged under freezing water. \n\n

I'm a female, and schizophrenia is quite rare to be dx'ed in a female of her late 40s. Much more common in younger people. \n\nI do know quite a lot about schizophrenia, but not because I have it. That's all I want to say on that score. Let's just say that I am around psychiatrists frequently enough (though not for ME) that if I had it, I'm sure by now they'd have said something. \n\nIf you knew anything about the disease, schizophrenia is very very difficult to hide from those who are close to you. There's nobody in my life who thinks I am schizophrenic, including those professionally trained to spot it. You'll just have to take my word on that.\n\nThat said, yeah... I am very good at pattern recognition. Always have been; it's why I make 6 figures. \n\nThere's a fine line between pattern recognition which results in genius, and that which results in madness. (Not saying I'm a genius... because I'm not.....but I'm not imitation sliced cheese either....). 

Yeah, the handicapping sheets claim a similar veracity.  That's why devotees of the ponies buy them.

Also the comments are preserved by me here: http://www.skepticnorth.com/2011/08/fitnessgoop-com-allows-nonsense-about-emfs-and-allergies-but-is-intolerant-of-skepticism/

I am in the middle of a serious adventure with them, actually. I am having non IGE allergic reactions to almost all food. \n\nThe regular docs put me on antihistamines (H1 and H2) and are looking for science-based ways to both understand what is happening, and try to heal it. I went to the "natural" docs in the hopes that i could get them to try immunotherapy sooner... and they dx'd me with leaky gut and tried to sell me supplements and antacids. \n\nNot treating this could kill me. Probiotics won't save me. Then they diagnosed me with adrenal insufficiency. We checked for this at the regular doc's, and i'm fine. \n\nThey are recommending serious, prolonged, unnecessary therapies and it's scaring me to the point that i'm considering filing a real complaint with the state gov. 

First of all I think we can discount most of what the site "naturalnews.com" has to say.  Every single link I've ever seen from that place has been utter bunk.  It's as bad as motherjones and mommy blogs.

I think it all depends on how badly the rules have been 'bent' over the years regarding our free will. If even half the conspiracy shit is true that's out there, we are more or less being treated as indentured servants to the elite; other than for a select few that have rejected the mainstream, we all are told what to do and we do it. We think that's all of our own volition, but is there a chance that there are coercive elements? How good is the propaganda these days? Have they found ways of dampening our thought patterns and creativity to 'stall out' our progress for maximum gain? \n\nIf these things are true, I would like to see how humanity does without someone holding our heads under water. I believe this planet is FILLED with people who want the same thing; a safe place to live and love with those they choose. We are ultimately all the same. If the world has been designed to make us think the opposite, I want to see some 'help' in making the decision process fair. As a young person, I also don't want my grandparents decision of what's proper for them to give old rich men the authority to drive my life one way or another. We are not our parents; I think we deserve a real shot - and maybe it's available to us now and i'm totally wrong; I accept that possibility. However, I think there is more money being spent on fucking us up than there is trying to make us all better off as a whole. That's a problem that should be a priority for everyone.\n\nWith that being said, I do think we need to 'save ourselves' before we get any help, but I don't think that means that we have to revolt and hang bankers from streetlights and all that. I think 'they' have ways of measuring our thoughts/feelings on levels that we are not probably aware of. I personally think the biggest thing holding them back is fear and acceptance of who they are. I don't think they think we can handle the information yet; people are still too dependent on mass media and they are too happy perpetuating the lie... but that could change on a dime. Who knows? Any day now.... :P\n

To piggy back off this comment in the picture, why in the FUCK do I have to ingest fluoride if it is just meant to be put onto my teeth? Can't I just say, put some fucking fluoride in my toothpaste? Why in the fuck do I have to drink it? \n\nJust let me buy a roll of toothpaste and stop filling up my fucking drinking water with the shit. 

Obama's preacher gave a sermon where he said "God damn America!" while everyone in the congregation said stuff like "That's Right!", Obama may fulfill his religious duties and literally damn America by putting it in Hell. This is a preacher Obama chose to follow, was baptized by, married by, and had his children baptized by, while Romney just happened to be born a Mormon. Scary shit. \n\nSee how stupid it sounds? You should never judge someone by their religion (or lack thereof). You could make anyone sound bad by doing that. Judge politicians by what they do and their proposed policies, not make vast uneducated generalizations about their religions. 

FYI, dopp3lganger X-posted this to r/UFOS and r/reddit.com. He's looking for a fight. 

I got it wrong, but I've never (knowingly) heard a Stradivarius -- which only goes to show that you can a pretty adept musician (as I like to think I am), but still not tell the difference. It's really more about the music than the instrument.

It's closer to the camera then it appears due to 2D format that doesn't show distance. Thereby it would be moving slower. Or it's a hoax, or someone added it after, or a fly flew by the camera and they blurred it.

I always purchase generics myself.  You can buy them in bulk at Wal-Mart or Trader Joe's.\n\nWTF?\n\nSince when have cameras come in generic brand models?

Always. Every night I just about get swarmed. I was told once that to them I may be like a light is to a moth. They dont understand yet their drawn to me. Most commonly I see them almost as tattered black rags roiling and swirling normally getting far too close to my face. Others have been full on forms ranging from men, once a woman and once in Gettysburg a child. I've lived with it all my life. Glad to see I'm not the only one.

I take offense at how the writer blamed and put down "witchcraft". Witchcraft didn't lead to this, it was the grandmother opening herself to such things. I'm in a relationship with a pagan, and been to plenty of these "creepy" witchcraft shops, and they're certainly not creepy or anything bad. Most things they sell are to help people. Banishing spirits, helping with life, meditation, etc. This situation didnt have anything to do with candles, pentagrams, and satanic bibles. They were just one means to an end. The woman let herself be open to all this. She open the door herself, not the "witchcraft" stuff. So people, please don't think paganism/"witchcraft" is evil. It's no more good or evil than any other faith. Paganism is about connecting to the Earth, to the world around us. It's not about evil things.\n\nAs I said, the grandmother opened herself up to all this. The "witchcraft" didn't do this, she did. I just get tired of Christians making out "witchcraft" to be evil...

Well, I can't argue with that, but I don't have to acknowledge it.

Yes exactly. I'm bitter and I hate all religions. It's fucking nonsense. I just wanted to trash talk them. I'm ruthlessly skeptic and I abhor anyone who defends the notion that the falsities in that stupid fucking book are based in truth. Nothing constructive in your eyes is going to come out my my keyboard. So fuck off, you pretentious prick. =D

&gt;The raw number on its own means very little.\n\nWell, look at it this way - if you have hundreds of thousands of data points that support something and 50 that don't, isn't it more parsimonious to assume that you're looking at a phenomenon that is likely happening?\n\nHow do you think we make any headway on complex problems? Of course we look at numbers of experiments and data that back up the assumption. 

-  Too little blood, but obviously SOME blood.\n-  Bad jump cuts in the video.\n-  No narration.  The doctor isn't describing what he's seeing or doing, even though it's obvious sound is being recorded.  The doctor and other viewers would want to hear things that can't be felt, smelt, or gained from the context of the video.\n-  At 3:26 the "doctor" pulls an intestine type thing that wasn't attached to anything, and tucks it back into the body. \n\nThat's just a quick glance through it.  I'm sure someone who specializes in special FX could probably ID the components easily enough.

I don't have an example. But, source: I'm old an person and I remember it being used this way. Lol. \n\nI *think* the tides turned around the time of Watergate. Nixon's people started sneering it "Those damn *conspiracy* theorists and their crazy ideas!" It was meant to marginalize their opposition's position. But, I like the original meaning. I understand language changes, but concerning words like "skeptic" and "theory", I think we should educate people on context so they can't be as easily manipulated. \n\nWiki has some so-labeled "dubious" definitions of [conspiracy theory](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory), but has the sourced quote: "Originally a neutral term, since the mid-1960s it has acquired a somewhat derogatory meaning, implying a paranoid tendency to see the influence of some malign covert agency in events.

Fantastic. It's unbiased, non-confrontational...and yet you can't get the correct answer and *not* come away thinking homeopathy is nuts.

Techniques, not so much, but I'm always skeptical of claims made for the results (beyond general calming and attitude improvement)

&gt; Brian should ABSOLUTELY include these references with each video.

[Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxO6O59PHh8&amp;feature=plcp) is the Coast to Coast from yesterday about "ET Contacts &amp; Intervention".\n\n\nedit-added link cause im a dumb dumb 

Keep putting things in that pocket. My degree in trollscience tells me it will make you rich. 

You guys give money to your queen and shit. Doesn't get more stupid than that.

More than just that one study:\n\n&gt;A randomized clinical trial of patients with whiplash found an effect that was statistically significant, but "improvements in pain and cervical range of motion were small and may not be clinically meaningful."\n\n&gt;A study of the effect of elastic taping on baseball players with shoulder impingement found "elastic taping resulted in positive changes in scapular motion and muscle performance.\n\n&gt;A study of the effect of Kinesio Taping on changes in the tone of the vastus medialis muscle during isometric contractions found an increase in muscle tone 24 hours after application, but a decrease to the baseline during the fourth day. The authors conclude "Kinesio Taping used shortly before the motor activity it is supposed to support may fail to fulfil its function."\n\n&gt;A study of the effect of kinesio taping on lower trunk range of motion found an increase in range of motion for flexion, but no significant difference for extension or lateral flexion.\n\nSeems like if you use the tape like athletes do on TV (put it on during your performance, and then take it off), it works.

This is dumb. There are plenty of other reasons besides health organics are valuable. Plus, I refuse to believe based on one study that all those pesticides and herbicides aren't bad for me.

You said the article and its title are poorly written, but you didn't say why. These things aren't factual. They're unproven opinon, otherwise known as hot air.\n\nSince you also said that the people who read this Reddit are loonies, I'm sure you'll have a great time here.

That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.\n\nBesides, [the burden of proof is on you](http://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/burden-of-proof) - you made the initial claim, it is not up to anyone else to find evidence to the contrary when you have already failed to find any solid evidence to back up your original claim.

If people have officially given up on her rationality, doesn't that mean they're shitting on her only because they enjoy shitting on people?

I'm fairly positive that Mediterranean one is telling me I must smoke pot to live longer lol

It says, when you click on the name, he's a member since October 2011.  Activity: Read the Dana article, commented on the Dana article, then watched a video about a 12 year old Turkish kid stopping an armed robber.  I don't know if it's him or not, but sounded like him.  It was just yesterday so I guess wait to see if it's confirmed via a post on Randi.org?

[This guy doesn't strike me as idiotic.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Defense_of_Food)

I think the parents are right. Consider the curious case of Ferris Bueller. How could he be to sick for school and still drive to the city and enjoy a day off? WiFi is clearly to blame.

I'm pretty confident that clip is a reproduction created for a documentary. More info about the 1952 flap here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952_Washington_D.C._UFO_incident\n\n

I'd like to get liquid nitrogen from a vending machine. Would be cool to freeze stuff with.

Ok smarty pants. I mean, info not coming from blogspam or conspiracy sites, and I already read the wikipedia page

I find that when such subjects as UFO's come up most people would rather put it the category of silly. In our modern age, most people find issues that can't be directly sorted out in a lab or certified as a scientific fact as either ludicrous, uncomfortable, or downright silly. This really narrows people's interest level in questions of the unknown that might perhaps fly in the face of their own worldviews. And the status-quo makes it even easier to dismiss. Like the other redditor commented above, the best bonafide evidence we have is credible witnesses that have worked for DOD, FAA, NASA  and other gov't officials of other countries that have certainly made some brow raising statements. The quest to conquer the unknown is a virtuous one and the deck is stacked against you, but as other pioneers who dared to question our world and all that's in it (Galileo, Pasteur, etc) make it a better place despite all the criticism of their current peers. The main thing I have an issue with is with all the hoax's and sensationalists that ruin the credibility of those earnestly seeking answers and discovery. Don't give up friend, you aren't alone. 

kill your best friend after fucking his girlfriend in front of him. he'll haunt you for sure.

I thought it was pretty well known that a modern diet contains nearly all necessary vitamins, and the only one worth considering taking is Vitamin D - now that we're indoors &amp; using sunscreen all the time.

Thought this was an interview, not a debate.  God dammit, let him speak!

Yep. It might be that the universal healthcare would not be able to cover some of the most expensive treatments, but those people would be no worse off than without universal healthcare, and likely massively better off as every insurance company literally has a death panel that decides what they won't cover. \n\nUltimately, this chain mail is practically a Goebbelsian lie. Take the bad facts about yourself and accuse your opponent of them.

The last 7 mins when he talks about humanity just blows my fucken mind. 

Not hard to prove, given the [artist who made it openly admits it is a FSX video](http://www.youtube.com/user/DavidLTG).

Did anyone else read the Michael Pollan IAmA? So far it seems the Skeptics are against Prop 37 (as am I), but there's a lot of supporters in this thread, mostly of the "consumer right to know" variety.\n\nIf anyone wants to spar, there is still some activity in there with Prop 37 porponents.

In /r/conspiracy it's +10/-6. Here it's +9/-8. The skeptics in /r/conspiracy seem to be more accepting than the "skeptics" here.

&gt;My argument is that is irrational to focus on *awkward passes* when actual sexual harassment has occurred.\n\nShe didn't "focus" on awkward passes; she mentioned the elevator thing briefly in one of her regular YouTube videos about what she's been up to. It was a simple anecdote, that's all. Everyones reaction to it made it a big deal. And then people used that opportunity since there was a big shitstorm a-brewin' to talk about sexism in general. 

Had a strange storm occurrence myself a few years back. My cousin had come over for the weekend to go to Ozzfest with me and my mom, and he would be spending the night. That night, my family and I were all awoken by a loud storm. We gathered in the front room to watch the storm from our big bay window, and were astonished. The sky was lighting up red and green. It was probably around 1 am so it wouldn't be the sun setting or rising or anything. This was the most violent storm I've ever experienced, our neighborhood was getting torn up. Lightning lit the sky to where we could see clearly. The red and green lights were getting more and more intense as the storm went on. It covered the entire neighborhood with a red and green aura. It lasted about 2 hours (give or take) and then was gone almost instantly. \n\nStill have no idea whuddafuck happened. 

I think it's funny you use probabilities in saying "He probably didn't come up with..." but then critique the kids use of probabilities with "0% chance God can exist, which we know is wrong". I don't know if you can assess probabilities in either case. (BTW not trying to make fun of you or anything, just thought the dichotomy what humorous).

I think it's about as easy as tracking deaths due to treatable illnesses which were otherwise untreated.\n\nSomeone dies from the common cold and was only treated with homeopathy? Score one.\n\nSomeone dies from chicken pocks and was only treated with homeopathy? Score two.\n\netc.\n\nIf you want to argue that old people die of the flu anyway, you're missing the point.

It's a noble sacrifice.  With any luck the OP will meet a nice girl who accepts logic and reason.  Then they'll go on to make cute, reasonable, logical babies.

If that's what an OBE is I have to say I'm disappointed. I experience them regularly and I always figured lucid dreaming/OBE would be more fun.

If they have done that, they wouldn't ever tell, as the public would probably want them tried for war crimes and murder. Could you imagine how we would react if visitors were being killed in order to steal their technology?

You are making arguments from authority though.\n\nWhat you're trying to do is get people to believe based on who is making the claim, not on the actual evidence in support of the claim. You think that if someone is a government official, or someone from the military that it makes the claim more credible. It doesn't.\n\nTry looking at the evidence separate from who is making the claim, because you seem to be being persuaded based on who is making the claims.\n\nI don't actually doubt many of these claims though. I don't easily label people as liars. I'm willing to accept that they saw something that they couldn't explain. So there's stuff in the sky moving around that we can't explain, and that's that.\n\nAre you wanting to make any claims beyond that? That these are craft? That they're of intelligent other-worldly origin? Because if that's what you're wanting to claim, then you need *much* better evidence.

&gt;That would only be bad if he only cited himself. Which he doesn't.  \n\nWho was the last credible person you saw to have cited approximately more than half of his sources as himself?  (remove absolute authorities on subjects (e.g. [Evan Flatow,MD](http://www.mountsinai.org/profiles/evan-flatow)) , which Barrett is definitely not)\n\n&gt;Why provide both perspectives, when the other perspective is bullshit?  \n\nWhere does this "bullshit" theory come from?  You're intuition?  I call bullshit on that.\n\n&gt;"Don't criticize me, criticize everyone else first."  \n\n"Criticize everyone fairly" FTFY\n\n&gt;Do you have anything other than fallacies and non-arguments?  \n\nYou've given a few already.  I suggest you review those first.\n

I would take those numbers with a big pinch of salt. The standards for literacy differ from country to country and surveys might bloat the numbers of whichever side they have a vested interest in. I know from personal experience that many people that are certified "literate" in India can do nothing more than sign their name on a sheet of paper. I have a feeling things will be similar in other parts of Asia and Africa.\n\nBut yeah, almost 50% seems a bit too much.

&gt; *I would like to see any parent whos child contracts a disease they should have been vaccinated for charged with negligence and public endangerment.*\n\n&gt;&gt;    Are you gonna lock up everyone with a running nose?\n\n&gt;This is a blatant straw man.\n\nIt's actually a pretty fair representation, your idea is pretty wacko.\n\nThe only embellishment is that a runny nose isn't enough based on your criteria, it would have to really be a flu or something like it.  Maybe that your proposal itself seems like a straw man should cause you some pause here.

I agree that it's bullshit FaustTheBird is being downvoted. I upvoted for what it's worth.\n\nAs far as you removing /r/skeptic and hoping everyone is insulted: I think it's safe to say that you won't be missed. We're happy to engage you in discussion - as I did below, though you never responded - but your contributions, at least in this thread, have consisted of emotional histrionics.

Yes, me too. I haven't attributed it to myself until now; I suspected ghosts. 

&gt;Are we protecting someone's right to victimize themselves with a treatment they think will work, but doesn't?\n\nYes.\n\n&gt;At the best, it's a scam.\n\nJust like religion.\n\n&gt;At worst, it's putting them in serious danger.\n\nJust like smoking.\n\n&gt;Both should be preventable by law.\n\nNeither religion nor smoking is illegal, nor should they be.\n\n

Need an expert to determine whether or not this is real or photoshopped.  Also why hasn't there been anyone else come forward with the pictures theyve taken?  Just sounds kinda odd that "many passengers saw it" yet there is only 1 photo thats been released.  No interviews with any of the passengers on the flight, and no other reports?  Just seems odd to me..  Then again maybe this is exactly what they would do if there really was a sighting?  who knows :\\

Playing with a GSR meter, seeing various changes in ohms on my palm.  When a cold draft on my neck made my arm-hairs rise, the needle went pow to the right, huge resistance drop.\n\nAha, it may be detecting "goosebumps," small skin muscles.\n\nMaybe it's based on sensing when approaching rival makes your tail fuzz up into a huge puffball?  :)  Perhaps arm-surface electrodes would give bigger signal than finger/palm?\n

Just the python command-line prompt. If you're on a mac or most linux distributions, it's built-in. Just open your terminal (on a Mac, it's Applications-&gt;Utilities-&gt;Terminal and on a Linux machine... well, if you're using linux you probably know where your terminal emulator is), then enter "python".\n\nThere's tons more info at the [website](http://www.python.org/), but for many things it is especially useful as a desktop calculator. There's an actual mathematics environment built on python called [sage](http://www.sagemath.org/) which lets you do more advanced things, like symbolic manipulation and numerical computation.\n\nPython is my default language for writing quick one-off utilities, as well as end-user software that is not computationally intensive.

I am pretty sure I saw this exact photograph at a ghost hunters place in Eureka Springs, AR. They claimed they took the picture. So either the person who submitted the pic stole it from them or the ghost hunters are liars

This is probably the case. It also hints at why the store didn't give him any guff. Stores like this (most large chain stores like grocery stores, pharmacies, etc) have reps for their supplier who come into the store without warning and will add labels to products, set up displays, etc. Employees don't think twice about it if your stickers are official-looking.   My mother does this for Crossmark Canada. 

I said that the mechanism *could* be the same, not that it can only be the same.  A lobotomy can treat stress also, but that does not mean that talking cannot treat stress, and that does not mean that a psychic who talks to you cannot also treat stress, but only insofar as they are talking to you.\n\nOn the other hand, when we try a cancer drug, for example, the mechanism of the drug is chemical, but the mechanism of the placebo drug is psychosomatic.  The sugar pill has no chemical effect on the disease.\n\nWhen we try counseling techniques, however, the mechanism by which a trained counselor helps a patient is, by definition, psychosomatic.  The mechanism by which a "placebo counselor" would help a patient would also be psychosomatic.\n\nIn the case of this study, the mechanism by which the placebo treatments works is psychosomatic, and the mechanism by which the "real" treatments work is also psychosomatic.  That leaves an open door to varying levels of placebo effect based on the confidence, charisma, and social presence of the different practitioners.\n\nA real and a fake cancer drug do not have differing bedside manner.\n\n&gt;Talking can help alleviate stress. Therefore, talking can treat heart disease. \n\nNo, the talking treats the stress. The stress is a separate aggravating factor for heart disease.  By your logic: talking can prevent suicide attempts (true); attempted suicide can cause traumatic bone injury to the suicidal person (true).  Therefore, talking can treat broken bones (absurd).

So hopefully being an international company they're going to have high standards in the testing of any of their potential products, which might hopefully lead to new effective medicines... But maybe I'm being too hopeful.

I guess I'm in another category because I believe it isn't possible to make any of those statements until we define god.  And I can't define god so I have no frame of reference to say whether he/she/it/whatever exists or doesn't exist.\n\nI guess the closest thing to that is strong agnosticism, however I wouldn't dare say that it is impossible for anyone to ever know.

My best bet, and don't quote me on this, is to ask the property owner

Thank you but it was a weak example for the point of simplicity for me to use delusional.

Thanks, smart guy, but I did read it.\n\nFrom the article:\n\n&gt; You are not entitled to your opinion. You are only entitled to what you can argue for.\n\nI'm saying I wouldn't quite put it that way.

And since most people have different accounts or are trying to sell books, they shouldn't be taken as disclosure either.

Thanks for sharing! Based on your description of their description of what they saw, I don't really see anything similar about the two.

My sister is an artist, and she has done some work based on and discussed with paranormal scientists workd, in Edingburgh, Scotland.  \n\nTV show, I dont think so. It is just not fun TV if they go about their day trying to measure stuff I think.  \n\nA true skeptics show would crash and burn on TV, I guess. \nThere might be some good stuff online though. \n\nI really hope there is, I've been looking for some too. 

It's not so much that there was anything wrong with her original request which was good-natured - "Guys don't do it - it's creepy." \n\nThe problem was every contrary view that followed was jumped on so ridiculously. The argument is basically, "We have the final say because we're the ones who feel uncomfortable. Disagree and you're an unreconstructed misogynist." The hatefulness directed towards Dawkins in PZ's comments was especially nasty. 

when i get a car in grand theft auto, suddenly everyone is driving that car. that's paranormal as fuck.

I don't have time right now to track down the video, but I remember Neil DeGrasse Tyson talking about astrology and that there are more than 12 signs in the Zodiac. He went on to say that he read a horoscope to a class and asked the students if that sounded like their horoscope. Practically everyone answered yes. 

&gt;Nobody yet actually explained what's wrong with it, either.\n\nWhat's wrong with it?  It's a childish appeal to "well this person has it worse!"  

I agree.  Even most 900-number psychics like Miss Cleo will tell you it's for entertainment only.

freethought tolerance stops when you're promoting pseudoscience, which doesn't make people better, keeps them sick, and often enough makes them sicker or even kills them, and almost always robs them.

Agreed. I was lucky enough to randomly start with the first episode when it came out years ago. If there's one paranormal podcast I'd recommend, this would be it.

You don't need a specialist. See a regular doctor, he or she can refer you if it turns out that you do need a specialist.

Maybe you replied to the wrong comment?  The only thing in the comment was a dismissal of 2012 and no mention at all of fluoride.  That's probably why you're being downvoted. 

I experienced a VERY similar experience around that age at a church in Brazil. The way you described the light being was spot on.

I thought I'd add to this. In addition to no effect on pain or joint spacing I'm struggling to think of the mechanism of action.\n\n1) In order to reach the cartilage it must first enter the blood via the gut without begin degraded and then diffuse into the synovial fluid through the capsule in enough concentration to enter the cartilage matrix. I don't know about the digestion side of things but the diffusion into the synovial fluid and cartilage seems unlikely to me given concentrations.\n\n2) There is evidence that chondrocytes (the cells that produce the cartilage components) actually upregulate their prodection of matrix protein during osteoarthritis. So it would seem that a lack of glucosamine and chondriotin is not the problem. I fact, feedback from degenerative inflamatory process are most like to be the problem, and even if the compounds could make it to the cartilage, they would not affect this.\n\nI work mathematical modelling of cartilage, but someone who is more of an expert on the local biology and physiology might be able to add/fix this.

Yes and it annoys the shit out of me, must be a youtube thing of putting music on every video

really? guess I've just collected skeptic friends. all we do is make fun of idiots and drink beer

I've always felt the same, and honestly I think they have something in the works for the near future. 

I never said either weren't possible. I'm just saying try to prove what you've seen before you jump to a conclusion and just "believe". 

except for sunlight. that shit will kill you.\nhttp://gossiponthis.com/2012/04/26/woman-sunlight-only-diet-dies-starves-herself/\n

I'm very familiar with how human's detect patterns. That was my belief before diving deeper into astrology. \n\nYes all people go through struggles... and people do tend to ignore what is false and focus on when is true. I completely agree with you there.\n\nI guess... I just don't even care to change your mind. It doesn't affect me one way or the other. It has been a gift in my life and helps me to understand others and how to relate to them.\n\n

And been on the moon.  You've got more fingers and toes than there are people who have been on the moon.

burn sage in every room and sprinkle salt in each corner of every room

It was probably Alex Jones himself telling you that.  He's the weird guy with the weird site.  It's not an important site and should only be posted in the conspiracy theory subreddit.

I took the title from Leslie's tweet. Make of it what you will. 

Also, even if the FDA was completely corrupt, it wouldn't mean homeopathy works.

I wish they had used the You Tube Stabilizer tool\n\nalso, despite being avaiolable at 720HD, this is still quite fuzzy.\n\ncheap camera\n\nEDIT: \n\n[Partially Stabilized Version Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGBTSBb6lys)\n\nthe more stable it is the more the fakeness is obvious

Should definately post a pic of packaging etc and have teh interwebs research for you...

The real shocking truth here is that Blue is not a boy;  she is a girl.  Look it up.

TM isn't focus at all. It is simply rest. And it is VERY effective in dealing with the effects of PTSD.

So they don't pay the food label consultants? That's kinda rude of them. I would hope there would be *some* cost.

Fuck you, asshole. I certainly was, but because you're a child, now I won't. \n\nFor your information it's become very difficult to dig up articles about Obama and Pakistan because if you haven't noticed, they've been in the news a lot lately. Recent articles are dominating the google searches. I'm also at work you fucking asshole.\n\nI never claimed we were going to invade Pakistan, and I'll probably be right next to you dumping ketchup on my snow boots. But what I said:\n&gt;the US had further military interest in the Pakistan region?\n\nIs very very true.

The article and linked video were not trying to make a nuanced point about specific cholesterol sub-fractions.   They are saying that there is not a relationship between cholesterol levels and heart disease risk.  That is false.

These incidents are just a small sample of this phenomenon. If these mutilations were carried out by an intelligent alien species then the question must be asked...what are their real intentions? People go missing daily. Hundreds of thousands have never been found...without a trace. Are we considered a commodity to alien species?

A woman I know died from a simple ear infection. Do NOT take that shit lightly.\n\nEDIT: Simple infection traveled into her brain tissue very quickly.

I've found that while high on shrooms I feel more connected to nature and the planet. This is largely because I go camping out in the forest before taking shrooms, whereas if I'm in a city LSD is the preferred substance. Set and setting make a difference.\n\nBear in mind that by "connected to nature" I don't mean "I can tap into that trees thoughts man!" I mean to say that I am more aware of myself as an animal, and can respect my place in a world full of other animals. Back in twenty aught eight, I had an experience where I realized that on a global and cosmological scale, it's ok that I'm not an integral element to the world or the universe. It was a humbling and beautiful experience.\n\nWhen using LSD, I generally prefer to stay in doors and enjoy art of various form. I'm able to see things in a different manner and perspective. Me and a friend watched a season 6 episode of Lost while on acid and it was great. Desmond and Whidmore kept shifting their faces into weird angles. Next I showed him a hi-res photo of Hank Azaria as Gargamel in the (then forthcoming) Smurfs movie. We both agreed that we'd have to watch this movie while frying someday.\n\nI always try to be around friends when I do this, instead of going solo. The sense of community and shared experience is essential to me having a good time. If you're interested in mind expansion, I'd recommend starting with lucid dreaming, high caffein meditation and looking at the world from an artificial viewpoint (that is to say, walk around for a day imaging that you're an archeologist looking at humanity in the distant future or past) before you go with the external drugs. Flex your mental muscles first, then give em a super boost.\n\nTL;DR read that whole thing before reading the TL;DR\n\nTL;DR \n\n0. Start by expanding your sober mind, then slowly work your way up to being ready for drugs.\n\n1. Shrooms and Acid alter my thinking, but they aren't "magic".\n\n2. The place you're at and the people around you make a big difference to what happens.\n\n3. Use one substance for going out into a forest, and the other for being in a city. Splitting the two gives you a different experience with each substance.\n\n4. Have fun looking at and thinking about things in a different manner. You won't "see the true universe" but you will have a type of clarity and focus that is unlike anything you've felt before.

It's not a reversal of facts though. Skeptics are based around having doubt on everything, even other skeptics. If you have the tiniest sliver of consideration that some psychics might know something extraordinary, you'd take that chance to save your children.

Happens to me all the time. It would help if news sites made the date/age more pronounced on older articles.

&gt;Bear Grylls\n\nThat's easy. Do you get sudden urges to drink your own piss?

It's a fair point, but I find shows like this hilariously funny, so i sometimes watch them for a laugh. Ever seen UFO Hunters? Priceless comedy gold. \n\nThe post was more about sharing the comedy of the show, than actually being legitimately angry about it. 

Let me help you: Youre not possessed. I do not believe in possession, at least. It is something scammy neo-witch doctors say could happen to us, but I am doubtful to its actual existence.

Yes this serie of videos in Turkey is really good footage.\nAlso, the lights in this video above the sea are the same I saw when I saw a UFO, and the flying saucer at 4:00 reminds a lot of that same UFO. Coincidence? I don't know.

Hey. Yeah I know you're not trying to make any implication by your post.... I wasn't making any comment aimed at you : ) I'm taking here about pedants like Randi with no spiritual belief who make this kind of highly publicised offer. \n\nI wonder who's gained more publicity and money from his stunts, the people to which the offer was made or Randi himself? He's hailed as a great paranormal "debunker" but he doesn't get that people who are doing these things with integrity wouldn't put themselves forward for his dog and pony show. He's a joke.\n\n\n

Today I was thinking about opinions: an opinion about the color you like or the music you love, it will be true. But the UFO phenomena is common to all of us, you can't just have an opinion on it and push it, without regarding what is known. We don't have enough information to tell whether they are from another planet, or another dimension or something else.

Yes, I came to say that "have worked for you?" is the wrong question. Anecdotes are poor evidence.

What if I say i went two years without a negative thought and it didn't work?  Are you going to tell me I was having negative thought and didn't realise it?

if only there existed some sort of vast database where you could have searched for the answer to this question that plagued you for so long. my god, think of the uses of such a library.

I work in one of those jobs where nights of people going nuts make a difference. I now point out every crazy night that isn't a full moon, and every full moon that isn't crazy. \n\n

Having no idea what Charles looks like, [this](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oH30gTHBTf0/TametONHWsI/AAAAAAAAAz4/EOdAGv2Jiq8/s1600/joffrey-baratheon-1280%255B1%255D.jpg) is what I imagine after reading this article.

I don't recall ever hearing that they were 'blocked' by the military, only that there was a training exercise in the area in recent weeks (an annual training exercise not out of the ordinary). 

I'll chat for $15 an hour. I'm not psychic, but I'm a pretty good guesser.

i'm pretty shure it didn't try to scare you most of the time they won't just simply trying to make you aware of its presence

Recognizing the futility of this whole discussion, as it always is, the last thing I'll say is this: just because something is a *common* misconception doesn't make it any less of a misconception.

Go ahead and believe. There's no evidence for them, but then again it's currently impossible to disprove their existence.

3 is the number of "perfection" and as thus the perfect way to end death os desorder in our world! numerology is "inherint" in all of us ,but we fore get our innerknowledge and wisdom! of coure I , I may be wrong?...

What was she banned from the JREF forum for?\n\nIt's a shame that she and her supporters have made such a big mess of this...

I'm definitely with you own the point that further discussion is probably useless, but lets back this up one more time and try again, shall we? One of my points at a time. We'll simplify here. You've slipped from actually arguing points into repeating your beliefs over and over again.\n\nSo, my main point is that the word "privilege" as defined by common usage, means someone having an unearned advantage. If you use the word privilege to describe a person, you are implying that they are bad to most people.\n\nWe'll debate the rest later, but can you accept that?

Believe it or not (pun intended!), I wrote all of that completely fresh in my own words, with the exception of a few sentences that were already worded perfectly. For example, under Inattentional Blindness, I lifted "The brain works in filtering out potential sense data and constructing a coherent visual image."\n\nAll sources are included that I could think of to include.

David Brin wrote several interesting essays in [Otherness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otherness_%28book%29), some of which touch on this theme.\n\nBasically "aliens" and "ufos" are elves and pixies - mythical creatures that lurk just outside the circle of camp fire light, and provide a handy (if baseless) answer to many of life's questions, or a shape and texture for our nameless fears and paranoia (or wonder).  It's just that as the circle of firelight got bigger the elves and pixies were pushed further and further back, until eventually they were pushed almost entirely off earth altogether, and we had to invoke first the moon, then other planets, and now other *solar systems* to make them even vaguely plausible (as well as [the bottom of Loch Ness](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Ness_Monster), the untamed [wilds of North America](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bigfoot) and the like).\n\nBy extension, gods took a slightly different turn, where they either retreated or just became more and more transparent... to the point that they're now either living with the pixies and elves, scraping a living in the gaps between the colliding icebergs of our scientific knowledge (god of the gaps) or they're entirely invisible, so people can claim they're sat right by us at the fire, irrespective of how ludicrous and delusional they have to be to believe it (fundamentalism).

Dont believe this dangerous scammer, his "Bulk Homeopathy" product is nothing more than **Dihydrogen Monoxide** a "chemical" known to cause many thousands of deaths around the world and copious amounts of brain damage.\n\nRead about the truth here:\nhttp://www.dhmo.org/\n

What part of Virginia? We don't hear it on WCVE. What time does this air?

If she needs the word "Kardashian" on a bottle in order to increase her sense of self-worth, she's lucky to get something the K Mart lab monkeys whipped up in a mop bucket.

The best part is when he talks about kids I think, he has a real passion for kids and their curiosity.

I said below:\n\n&gt;These arguments usually follow the line, "if x were true, we'd expect to find a, but instead we find b." It doesn't really matter whether these arguments are sound; most of the people hearing them would have no idea to expect a if they hadn't just been told to expect a, nor enough knowledge to know if whether a or b had actually been found.\n\nThen you said:\n\n&gt;All documentary evidence and construction workers accounts point to large amount of molten metal that glowed a bright orange-red at all 3 building collapse sites. Aluminum does not glow when it is molten.\n\nhttp://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&amp;client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=molten+aluminium&amp;gs_sm=e&amp;gs_upl=18585l21352l1l21570l16l14l0l0l0l0l357l2897l0.7.6.1l14l0&amp;bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&amp;biw=1406&amp;bih=865&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=og&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wi\n\n1) Who on earth told you aluminium doesn't glow when it melts?\n\n2) Were they the same people trying to tell you 9/11 was a hoax?\n\n3) Did you not think to check up that statement with a 3 second google?  Particularly before sharing it with others?\n\nQED.

no your right, space junk floats in the sky and looks like an orb of light and hovers in a triangle. I can safely say it is conclusively not space junk. What it is, is another question I cant answer. But to sit there and say that it could still be space junk is nuts. Apples and oranges.

It's /r/conspiratard, and I just posted /r/conspiracy's "analysis" there.

I admit I ALMOST read the whole thing.  I got bored and skipped three or four of the last paragraphs but still felt slightly guilty about starting the last one out of order. \n\n&gt;If you’re keen to learn more about SMT, a good source is my book about low back pain\n\n...stopped feeling guilty. \n

i live in chicago and i saw this too. it was a line of planes on holding status waiting to land. pretty obvious in person.

I, for some random reason interpreted that as "That he can hit his arm with a machete, and the machete will be ok". \n\n

I think Tim Minchin [put it best.]( http://www.altairiv.net/Storm.html)

"Another reason internet searches are fruitless is that there is a dedicated group of very smart people doing everything they can to keep this malevolent entity's identity a secret. Knowledge of it at all is rare, and people who do know of it know to keep their mouths shut with any dangerous information about it."\n\nThen why have they not deleted your post that has a bunch of upvotes on one of the most popular websites on the internet? 

arrgh that is the most blue ball update possible. just tell us what you found already!

The "gluten-free" thing is becoming ridiculous. People are viewing it as some sort of alternative diet thing that's healthier, not that only people who suffer from Clialac's should be eating gluten-free. 

Is there a similar analysis of the latest Omega-3 pill craze anywhere?

I don't know why you're being downvoted -- Hipsters in the SF Bay Area are all into homeopathy too.

Obviously, electrons counteract the evil forces of protons and their sneaky sidekicks the neutrons. For $5 more you can get a shiny *Anion Certificate* to show your friends how happy and grounded you are. Boy, what a deal!

Because the amount of gnat's was so crazy, I swear I've never seen so many in one place, and it started so fast!\n\nThe night before I read this article on "Summoning Ancestors" from this weird wicken website. I've never seen anything like it, and was only reading  for the hell of it, I didn't believe a word I was reading. But there were so many sincere long ass comments that seemed so real, and hundreds of posts by each person replying. I read aloud some shit, because I can't bash anything until I try it...   and then this happened within a few hours.\n\n I was afraid to mention it in the OP because people would just shrug this post off as a troll thread.

Because it's part of the truth. the world dominant powers do not want the energy tech to get out to the public so they vehemently deny the existence of advanced alien tech. they are controling the resources and the info, and the economic flow. Gary Mckinnon has surprisingly not been assassinated yet.

Short answer: you are right. If your totally logical explanation doesn't cut it, you will never sway this person.

It's well known that skin changes its conductivity under stress. The polygraph simply measures that conductivity. That doesn't mean that a polygraph will go off when someone is lying, but when the mind is worried about something. Polygraphs are a tool, and all tools can be misused. That doesn't mean they are complete hogwash. 

You have the same attitude as me, discussion veers from UFO's to talk of galactic federations too quickly and easily.

&gt; Let's not forget that nothing happened, the guy in the lift got shot down and that was it, no assault, no rape, no nothing.\n\n&gt; Afterwards crucifying the guy for being "creepy" is very low.\n\nExcept from accounts she'd indicated several times during the course of the evening that she was not interested in any relationship or any other such thing. Yet he explicitly and purposefully stepped in the elevator she'd taken back to her room.\n\nAs to Dawkins, I'm sorry but his comments on Pharyngula were not great.

I know nothing about the Sun other than that it's damned hot (not just up there but down here too - Australia). I want this to be an alien craft the size of Jupiter refueling by using the Sun as a fuel source - the rational me however thinks this phenomena is due to something going on on the surface of the Sun which is 'drawing in' whatever gasses surround the Sun - which is why you have the outer edge of the black circular space/object arched toward the Sun (the black area is a consequence of whatever gasses are there being sucked down toward the sun - not being sucked up from it. That's my 'The Sun for Dummies' outlook on it - I so much prefer alien craft, Jupiter, refueling etc though... 

If all it takes to convince you of something is reading a rant on facebook you have a little more to learn about being a skeptic. It's well known among doctors as a problem for patients with fibromyalgia. It's also suspected to cause weight gain in one way or another. Can't find the studies for that right now but it's worth researching.\n\nA few links:\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11408989\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21176433

Argumentum ad populum is not a valid logical argument, but I think it's valid when you are a layperson and you need to follow the most popular opinion of experts whom you trust.

1 - The camera 'audio' that died was the external condenser mic, the camera still has a built in microphone. Not to mention the other cameras in the room that were still operating.\n\n2 - Yes it is slightly creepy, but mostly strange. Im sure it wouldn't be that difficult to get the voicemail recorded somehow. Especially for a guy who has a workshop built onto his house and seems to have a firm grasp when it comes to electronics.\n\n3 - The cameramen aren't hired guns. Nick and Aaron have been on the show since the beginning and have always been involved in the investigations. The three of them (Zak included obviously) were friends before they started doing paranormal investigations, and only started it once they realized they had a mutual interest.\n\n4 - Same reaction here. I sometimes question the validity of the Spirit Box, because it seems to.... perfect or convenient. Granted, there are times when it does nothing at all, but when it does get some responses they are almost too good.\n\n5 - idk, no real opinion on this one.\n\nYour last point though about them fabricating evidence just to make a show... Go back and watch some of the earlier episodes, seasons 1-3 for example. There are plenty of episodes where they get almost no evidence whatsoever. You'll see 40 minutes of lockdown footage, with maybe two instances of anything remotely paranormal happening. I do sometimes think about the fact that the frequency of 'evidence' and whatnot has increased, but I think it's unfair to come right out and say that it is fabricated.\n\n/rant

From what I've read, acupuncture has statistically significant results for some conditions - mostly relief of pain.  I would not have guessed psoriasis would be helped.\n\nNote that using applied pressure with toothpicks without regard to specific "meridian points" was as effective as acupuncture in some studies.  I wonder if it would help the psoriasis, if indeed the acupuncture helped.  The author of this article may have a point; it might help to actually log objective measurements of the psoriasis before and after acupuncture sessions.  Does your uncle always schedule a session at the appearance of psoriasis symptoms?  That's a correlation that can easily lead to confirmation bias.\n\nAcupuncture is a poor choice for the author to be critical of here because it has statistical significance above sugar pill placebo, relieving some instances of chronic pain where other treatments did not help.   The author doesn't review the literature on acupuncture, or the literature on placebo, choosing to read one study on asthma and otherwise type up a conceptual article based on their intuition of why placebo is bunk.  Hey, they might have a point, but they're also guilty of not supporting it.

\nCan you provide evidence for your claims? \n\nI refer to:\n\n&gt;I believe that in 2008 there was an amalgam of events that constituted a concerted extra-legal effort to make Bush the president, and it succeeded. \n\nSpecifically, define what you mean by "extra-legal" and what the "amalgam of events" was.\n\n&gt;I believe there are also efforts to manipulate our democratic efforts now.\n\nCan you clarify this?\n\n&gt;I believe that there is enough evidence to implicate Lyndon Johnson when he ran for the Texas senate for ballot manipulation as well as many other politicians. \n\nLyndon Johnson's ballot stuffing is fairly well accepted on the basis of Caro's book. I'm mostly curious which other politicians you're referring to?\n\n&gt;Our illusion of democracy saves us from the military subjugation our rulers would require in lieu of our ignorant support.\n\nWhat evidence do you have of there being so-call 'illusory democracy'?\n\n

Great! I don't have to blame myself when I'm overweight!  (But I still have to eat less and/or exercise more to lose weight.)

This was taken at and still active  masonic temple.. we have been doing lots of research in this building.. it is our theory there is an Active portal is the room this was taken...\n\nI can share lots of Personal experiences we have had in this in wonderful old building...\n\nWe have yet to capture on video on film, but there are several shadow people roaming the building... MULTIPLY people have seen them.. \n\nThe last time we were there (not when this picture was taken) We heard a blood curling scream coming from the lodge room that was next to us (we were in this room) we spent about 45 mins trying to debunk it.. (This room is on the 4th floor) so we know it was not coming from outside... and we had a female investigator go to different parts of the floor and scream as loud as she could to "recreate" the scream.. and we got very close with when she was in the next lodge room over.. of course, the building was locked (Doorman no one was let in, or even came up the doors) \n\nThat's just the tip of the iceberg as they say... 

My point wasn't that it's ok to believe in horoscopes (any) or let them influence your life in a bad way..\n\nOP said he was going to point out, why it's not ok to read horoscopes for fun, but his story is about a guru.\n\nOf course horoscopes are only fun if you can tell fact from fiction, which should be given when you say "i fead them just for fun". And of course, as i say, you shouldn't pay, if it's just fun, and that horoscope shouldn't try to trick you into breaking up with your partner, that wouldn't be much harmless.

That's development for you! The good news is we will resolve it soon - the front page will stop saying 'Coming Soon!'\n

Go to r/atheism and read the FAQ points addressing the meaning of atheism and agnosticism vs atheism.

&gt; a smaller, less active, less intrusive federal government, classic libertarianism.\n\nAll this is true as far as it goes. However, it also implies a return to the 1850s in terms of Civil Rights, especially for gays and women, and, in the case of Ron Paul in specific, it means a electing a guy who actually believes in the Gold Standard with all of his economically-illiterate heart.\n\n(And this is ignoring for the moment the strong correlation between being a Paul supporter and being an anti-vax loon who believes in who knows what homeopathic/naturopathic woo nonsense.)

Okay, zodiac signs are normally bullshit, but I can get behind that one. Hey, I'm a Ricky Gervais, can live with that!

I've found other articles where he is apparently trying to distance himself from saying it's a cure for anything and saying it's only a water purification system. Not sure what's going on. It's obviously a scam that many people will fall for but this site only appears to be selling books on how to boil water.

I'm not saying it would. I'm pretty sure it won't. But it would help back pain.

That's a worthwhile distinction to make, and you're right that i should have made it explicitly. The way i suggest we say it is that skeptics are not anti-*authority*; we are anti-*authoritarianism*. This distinguishes skepticism from, say, certain threads of libertarianism: We might well be [pro-welfare](http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/why-markets-cant-cure-healthcare/) or [pro–affirmative action](http://freethoughtblogs.com/crommunist/2012/03/12/two-wrongs-make-an-amputee/), should we perceive evidence of efficacy, without being ideologically pro-authority.

My fiancee has one on her hair dryer too. It activates a blue LED. That's about all.

Be careful with St. John's Wort. It *does* work better than placebo (see multiple resources all over the web), however, it can interfere with other things you are taking. *Consult your doctor* before you touch the stuff, if you are on medication already.

Not that much of a role. The bigger role was electing Alan Greenspan to Federal Reserve chair. His hands-off policies are what caused it. Partly Clinton's fault, he trusted Republicans too much.\n\nAlso there was never any existence of regulation of Derivatives, Credit Default Swaps, and credit-rating-agency accountability. These are the key issues surrounding the financial crisis and housing market collapse. Fraud was not illegal.\n\nSo there was no way for Clinton to have known unless he studied finance. These were brand new concepts during the time. You could argue that he should have had economists/finance people who would recognize these dangers, but few at the time recognized it until the mid-2000s.\n\nIn addition, liberal Democrats voted against the implementation of Gramm-Leach-Bliley ---- which is what you are referring to.\n\nClinton signed it, but only because it had majority support.

 The whole point of snake handling is the risk involved. Anyone could handle a snake with the proper gear. People like Steve Irwin entertained the world with his fearless ability to deal with wild animals. Of course when he died from an encounter with these animals there were scumbags who turned this into a reason for Schadenfruede as well. Decent human beings saw his death as a loss and definitely not the cause of merriment. Your dislike of religion is obviously eroding your humanity. 

I've not seen the documentary, but I'm pretty sure the woman "who denied chemo/radiation and cured her breast cancer with diet" is probably Dr. Lorraine Day (if memory serves) who I've heard speak about it. Aside from the facts of her case, which are verifiable as far as I know I want to clarify a point I think many people are misinterpreting.\n\nDr. Day doesn't say not eating meat cures cancer, she says eating meat causes it. That's a big difference, and a lot of it has to do with the contaminants in modern meat.\n\n**Standard disclaimer necessary on Reddit to avoid pitchforks clarifying I am not endorsing or advocating these positions merely attempting to clarify a misinterpretation I've seen multiple times on this page.**

No citation at all, gotta love when someone spams their own blog.

Sorry but if you read the original mail carefully, it states that :  \n"July 2011 this year has... "\n\nAnd it can easily be demonstrated (left as an exercise to the reader) that July 2011 doesn't happen every 823 years but actually only happens *once*. *And* it's *this* year. Now if that's not an amazing coincidence, I don't know what is. We're lucky to witness such a calendary event.\n

It's a model + blue screen hoax actually. \n\nIf you had the same VHS copy of the Empire Strikes Back as I did you might remember a making of doco where they talked about cleaning up some of the effects of the Hoth battle. They pointed out a bit where you could just see the AT-ATs *through* the cockpit of the speeder Luke was in. It's the same thing with this clip. If there was a higher quality version on Youtube you'd probably be able to see it even without raising the contrast of the image. \n\nOld school FX for the win!

Flares often deploy with parachutes... they only appear to be hovering because of how far away they are and the fact that the camera is shooting up at them.

It's also vaguely racist if you think about it. There are tons of real doctors from China and Japan. Don't sully these people with your hipster bullshit. 

Would seen a bit strange to be trolling strangers on a bus at 1am on your own wouldn't it? Any chance he could have had massively dilated pupils and a need to chew from recreational drug use? I suspect if it was anything like my experience though you would already be pretty sure that's not the case.

I've tried it, using local and nonlocal honey. I saw great results. It works because of something called immunotherapy. Because the local honey contains pollin from your area, you're giving your body small doses of the pollin that irritates you, therefore building your immunity to it.

Unfortunately, it's the children who have to pay for their parents' decisions. That's not natural selection...the kids are already born. There are a lot of people with dumbass parents who actually manage to make something of themselves.      

I think that is fair in many ways. Any time someone derives their well-being off of something, we judge whether it is an ethical source to be drawing from. With UFOlogy, the field is littered with frauds and hoaxes, and therefore any time money comes into the equation everybody starts to get nervous.\n\nThat being said, I think the key with this guy is remembering that UFOs are not suppressed as much down there as they are here. Just like we have our John Madden and Charles Barkley characters in our Sport leagues, Mexico has this dude as their UFO media cza :Pr. Are the sightings he shows all very good? No. Many are weak, but I respect the fact that he's doing what he can and he isn't trying to spin it too much. He just questions what these things might be. That's fair enough to myself. \n

Yes! I did a project on this topic. It was specifically for higher class areas where people COULD afford dental care that there's no need for fluoride in the water.

Two options. Either leave your damn books out like an adult. Or, pretend to be a satanist. Bonus points if you involve real pigs blood. 

By those standards, most links posted in /r/skeptic are NSFW. Woo outnumbers serious studies by a great margin. \n\nAlso, ignoring the stupid out there solves nothing, except perhaps indulging us with the same ignorance these people live in. Funnelling skeptics to a woo centre of gravity at worst educates us on the realities of what we face in the real world, and at best encourages informed skeptics to  directly engage the victims of pseudoscience. \n\nI know there are some skeptics who believe these people are best ignored, but they're not toddlers throwing a tantrum. They're adults who do serious harm to themselves, their families and their friends, through ignorance rather than malice. Engaging them directly seems to be futile, but direct engagement is a strategy that appears to have worked quite well for religion over the last few millennia.

Like gaiaap said, report it to MUFON. If more people saw it and reported it as well, it adds credibility to your sighting. \n\nOnce you report it online, someone will usually call within a few days and do a phone interview with you. 

Actually, I came in here specifically to congratulate OP on his choice of user name.

"[Most contemporary scholars agree that Jesus was a Jew who was regarded as a teacher and healer, that he was baptized by John the Baptist, and was crucified in Jerusalem on the orders of the Roman Prefect of Judaea, Pontius Pilate, on the charge of sedition against the Roman Empire](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_Jesus)."\n\nIs there also [consensus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus) (more or less) for Mohammed?\n

There is a chrome extension called Fishbarrel, which provides an easy way of reporting false claims to the ASA.  \nI love the way they told people to stop reporting homeopathy, because they were all over that shit (in not so many words). 

Namibian hunters might not be carrying the most up to date technology. I definitely agree though. If someone was sure that they had discovered a new species or something, you would think they would document it a bit better.

I'd say count your blessings.  Experiences with the paranormal are never pleasant, even with the benign entities.

You're right. I honestly cannot comprehend any other alternatives other than extraterrestrial, except perhaps inter-dimensional or time travelers...which are far more difficult to accept. However, we simply can't prove they are extraterrestrial. It makes perfect sense, despite what the skeptics say, but it is still an educated guess. It is not a jump in logic, it is logic.  I think the ETH is by far the best explanation, but it is still speculation. UFOs could be something we haven't even conceived as a species. You can prove UFOs are real but you can't prove they are aliens. Which is why I avoid making such a claim, even though I feel it is the only conceivable explanation we presently have. Establishing that UFOs are real, and that they exhibit intelligent control is enough. The ETH will naturally follow for those who acknowledge the facts. 

[Here's a link](http://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/129hzp/z/) for people who are interested.

ok you never know if its a dream or hallucination (which is just dreaming while awake).  Personal experience is always subjective.

If one is concerned about radiation the first thing to do is put on sunscreen. The sun's danger far far outweighs radiation from home electronics.\n\n\nhere is a fun [read](http://mybroadband.co.za/news/wireless/11099-massive-revelation-in-iburst-tower-battle.html)\n\nThe article itself serves to pretty clearly "debunk" EM sensitivity.\n\n~\n\n~\n\nA number of studies have been conducted where EHS individuals were exposed to EMF similar to those that they attributed to the cause of their symptoms. The aim was to elicit symptoms under controlled laboratory conditions.\n\nThe majority of studies indicate that EHS individuals cannot detect EMF exposure any more accurately than non-EHS individuals. Well controlled and conducted double-blind studies have shown that symptoms were not correlated with EMF exposure.\n\nIt has been suggested that symptoms experienced by some EHS individuals might arise from environmental factors unrelated to EMF. Examples may include “flicker” from fluorescent lights, glare and other visual problems with VDUs, and poor ergonomic design of computer workstations. Other factors that may play a role include poor indoor air quality or stress in the workplace or living environment.\n\nThere are also some indications that these symptoms may be due to pre-existing psychiatric conditions as well as stress reactions as a result of worrying about EMF health effects, rather than the EMF exposure itself.

&gt;But yeah, my instinctive reaction is to get all defensive with people like your wife, because, frankly, she's an outlier, and i just don't expect it. With people who call themselves naturopaths i expect woo flowing out of every available orifice.\n\nThis is reasonable, this is to be expected.  It is unfortunate, however.\n\nA little history:  "modern" medicine or "western" medicine as we understand it diverged from "nature cure" about the time of the formation of the AMA.  The history is nothing if not [controversial](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Naturopathy&amp;action=history) but the basics are this:  The AMA, an industry trade group, lobbied long and hard over many years to define 'medicine' as "that which is practiced in hospitals."  To be fair, we're talking Upton Sinclair-era sanitation and hospitals were regarded as cleaner than your local country doctor... but "home remedies" and more natural approaches to self-care were ushered out in favor of hospital-based health care.  A couple world wars where surgeons and sulfa drugs were helpful and willowbark tea and hot compresses weren't pretty much sealed the deal - the *last* kind of doctor you want around when dealing with acute bloody trauma is a naturopathic one.  However, it did permanently sway our understanding of "medicine" to "man in white lab coat with mask cuts me open or gives me powerful drugs to make me better."\n\nIt's no surprise that the rise of "alternative medicine" coincides nicely with the rise of the HMO, as created by Nixon.  Really, the initial lure of "alternative medicine" wasn't so much a distrust of the *medicine* being practiced as a distrust of the *method* (but boy howdy have we gone down the rabbit hole since).  A person is permitted more dignity and input in a Catholic confessional than they are in a well-patient checkup and we have elevated doctors to such a lofty height that we demand they be infallible, we give them mere minutes to interact with their patients and we sue them into the ground if they screw up the tiniest little bit.\n\nAnd against this backdrop of "doctor as God" the hippies rebelled.  And there are a whole bunch of "naturopaths" that have no qualifications whatsoever - a good friend's best friend died of leukemia at the hands of a "naturopath" (the ironic thing is that said "naturopath" was also a licensed MD in the state of Hawaii).  Which is one reason why the profession is rallying around the phrase "naturopathic doctor" rather than "naturopath."  In [15 states,](http://www.naturopathic.org/content.asp?contentid=57) you have to pass through rigorous medical testing in order to call yourself a "naturopathic doctor" and in most of those, you can't call yourself a "naturopath" without the training or face fraud charges.  But that's only 15 out of 50.\n\nSo yeah.  I'm used to your skepticism, and I won't tell you to ditch it.  But I will tell you that it sure sucks when I deliver that litany and what I get are people looking for holes they can hang their prejudices in, rather than giving the content their guarded attention.\n\n&gt;Frankly, i would love to hear more of what your wife (and you) think about that. About communication between the groups i mean.\n\nIt's simple, really - it's a parameter mismatch on the definition of "evidence."  As a skeptic, you hold holy the double blind test, the statistical sample, the clinical trial and the animal model.  As Walkers of Woo, they hold holy the anecdote, the personal experience, the Appeal to the Ancients and the Wisdom of the Unknown.  It's the same theological problem all agnostics face - you can't debate "faith" because faith is, by definition, undebatable.\n\nYou see something you don't understand and you test it.  You find nothing conclusive and say "see?  The test found nothing.  Your medicine has no value."  They see your test and say "See?  Your test found nothing.  *Your test has no value.*"  And when their medicine does not adhere to the same boundary conditions as yours, you can't expect them to accept the same standards.\n\nThis is even more divergent than I've already been, but in a previous life, I was an acoustician (it's a real job, look it up).  Acoustics is basically a hideous empirical curve fit onto the elegant simplicity of fluid mechanics because if you consider air a massless particle it can't transmit energy... but if you consider air a massed particle the fluid mechanics equations break down.  So you get really good at running heinous amounts of math to support the answer that you intuitively know to be correct.\n\nAnd both sides do that.  There is no person walking the earth who perfectly matches an animal study.  There is no person walking the earth who sits precisely on the median.  Medicine is inexact because humans are inexact and good doctors have an inkling of what will work before they set out to heal anyone.  And if you don't think there's confirmation bias in the *practice* of Western medicine, you're high.\n\nWhat's really funny is that different cultures respond better to different *types* of cure.  Europeans show much better response from injections.  Americans like pills.  Asians go for liquids and powders.  You can placebo test that, it's pretty weird.  But what all medicine really comes down to is getting the right cure to the right patient.  Faith Healers really *do* heal *some people* - they sure as hell don't practice "medicine" but some people really do need to get a psychic kick in the ass to get over whatever ill-defined malady they think is plaguing them.  And if Benny Hinn can cure what ails you, stay the hell out of the emergency room, please.  There are sick people who need care in there.\n\nBack to that acoustics thing - one thing I didn't do was psychoacoustics.  This is the stuff that affects your *perception* of sound.  What I did was very, very real, and could be measured by all sorts of testing equipment.  But the way it affected people was anything but.  And sometimes, in order to make the road noise go away, we'd recommend "rose bushes."  Not because they do fuckall to block sound - they don't.  But when people *see* rose bushes, they don't think so much about the freeway behind them.  Ever wondered why noisy public spaces often have a waterfall in the middle of them?\n\nAnd for most of the history of the world, "medicine" hasn't been "germ theory" and "surgery" and "MRIs" and all the rest.  It's been faith healing, basically, with some paramedic skills, and an understanding of the medicinal properties of whatever roots, leaves or flowers were nearby.  And for many, many people, having someone tell them what to do and how to heal themselves goes a long way.  And my philosophy, and my wife's philosophy, is that we have *incredible* powers of medicine available to us... that don't necessarily need to be used on everyone.  If you've been shot, get your ass to the ER.  If you've got cancer, get your ass to the oncologist.  But if you've got eczema?  That might be diet.  And a dermatologist isn't going to find that.  The person who will find that is the one who makes you do a diet diary, then takes you off wheat for a month, then tells you to take Vitamin D and measures your progress over the summer.  An approach, frankly, that doesn't jive with acute hospital visits, nor should it. \n\n&gt;Also on your topic about wanting a pill for everything, i have various mental problems, and frankly i spent years hoping there was a pill i could take, and magically be better. It's an appealing fantasy. We're advanced, why should we work for what is our right! But thankfully my parents being (now reformed) woo heads, made me look at that logically, and I noticed I as wrong.\n\nI think the most important thing we lost when we went from "healers" to "doctors" was the interaction and responsibility of the patient.  The Western paradigm is to place one's health squarely in the hands of professionals, and passively absorb whatever treatments they level upon you.  It didn't used to be this way - it used to be "brew this, make that, put it on four times a day, see me in a week."  And from a purely ritualistic standpoint, a patient will get more... call it placebo effect if you want, it's still real - from taking part in their own healthcare.\n\nI wish you luck with your health issues.  I wonder what sort of peculiar things they tried.  And I most assuredly forgive you your rambles.\n\nI, of anyone on Reddit, know what it is to ramble.

Seeing as how the theory of God posits creation, then both the bigfoot evidence and existence itself give God 8 upper hands.

I feel that something paranormal has already noticed me. But as far as the blurrs are concerned they don't seem too interested in me. They like to keep their distance never appearing directly in front of me. When they are close I only see them in peripheral vision as blurs. 

I haven't done the research here, and I'm certainly not a advocator for homeopathy, but I think claiming that a well founded, and extensively proven system should be thrown out because it ok'd something you don't like is kinda exactly the opposite of how science works and is kinda taking the same logic as most alternative healing people, just saying.  

I definitely think it is the subconscious, but there may be more power to it then we realize. For example, I always get a weird feeling before something bad is about to happen...or a little voice will tell me NOT to do something, like take my normal route home...and its always validated (i.e. accident, etc.)

&gt; I am not sure if they can "hardly be anything else." I would agree that the probability would be low.\n\nIt compounds. People of great technical ability, in such circumstances, would have far too much to win from demonstrating such ability, to pass up on doing so. Such demonstration by no means guarantees non crankery, but it does entirely exclude entire classes of crankery from consideration. edit: furthermore in the absence of such demonstration, not only it is unwise of me to assume some great competence, it is unwise of such people themselves; education requires testing, and so does self education; there is no magical internal self evaluation mechanism that lets people reliably know when and only when they are awesome; whenever I see a genuine autodidact I see a long string of hard but well quantifiable personal projects that the person has undertook, in sufficiently diverse variety of fields.\n\nRe: psychology: Does he make predictions as of how humans behave, then test with experiment, demonstrating accuracy of the models? Or does it just 'make sense'? I've read some of his writings and it seems to be entirely the latter kind of 'writings in psychology'. The psychology is a science now. If you are writing on psychology, and it does make sense, but there's no actual scientific work being done, that would be evidence in favour of woo, not against.

I love OOBE's by Robert Peterson. I got it 10 years ago and have read it 2-3 times ever since. It definitely inspires you and gets you in that OBE state of mind.

I always buy cables shielded with 4 feet of lead. You can't be too careful. 

E(num right answers)=5Prob(5 right)+4Prob(4 right)+3*Prob(3 right)+2*Prob(2 right)+1*Prob(1 right)+0*Prob(0 right)\n=1

Two possibilities are that it's not ghosts at all, but rather infrasound or electromagnetism acting on our brains in suche a way that we feel, see or hear things that are not there:\n\nhttp://fizzyenergy.com/is-infrasound-the-explanation-for-ghost-sightings/\n\nhttp://www.skepticalmonkey.com/think-youve-seen-a-ghost-just-turn-out-the-lights\n\nA third notion is how our brains fill patterns. If you turn on a box fan in a dark, quiet room, you will swear you can hear things. Sometimes it sounds like voices, other times it might sound like radio or TV. In all cases the sounds stop when you turn off the fan.\n\nhttp://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=365235\n\nIn any case, science is observable and repeatable. If people say a place is haunted and you kill the power to eliminate electromagnetic sources of energy and suddenly the place isn't haunted anymore then it's not ghosts.\n\nIt's only supernatural until someone figures out the mechanism and duplicates it on demand. Then we'll have the best haunted houses ever!

I dunno... I'd be carefull with that. What if the built up miligauss escapes from all the filtering it has been doing?\nMaybe contact EarthCalm first to ask the wait-time for the EMF to break down, or ask if you could buy a new filter.

All beings are energy animated with life by the same life force.\n\nWe can see our physical bodies because what we see falls with in our visual spectrum.\n\nEntities, souls, beings, whatever exist all around us but at a higher rates of vibration outside of our limited visual spectrum. They can hear us and see us but cannot perceive them.\n\nI can make sense out of them seeing someone calling out and then responding.\n\nNOTE: This is all speculation on my part, but spiritually it does makes sense to me.

I don't know, that Air Force saucer over that cargo plane looked legit. /s

That argument stayed surprisingly calm throughout, not what I am used to on the internet.

I see. Hopefully those more knowledgeable than I will point you in the right direction. \n\nAnyways, thank you for pointing out the Semmelweis reflex. I studied Semmelweis extensivly in Academic Decathloh; It's like he got the last word in after all.

Q:\n&gt;What does this have to do with new age thought?\n\nA: It's total bullshit.

I can't remember what they looked like but, you know how when you look at a light and when you look away you see an afterimage of the light? That's what the symbols looked like.

Sure they have, they've proven that someone took a picture of something they could not identify. They've just never proven the existence of aliens.

How can they get better if they rely on and fail based on the same logical fallacies that they always use. \n\nID/Creationism/Non-Evolutionary = Fucking magic!  Goddunit!\n\nRegardless of the name, angle, or who's presenting it, all apologetics fail on the grounds of using faith as a foundation. Once your beliefs rely on what cannot be falsified. has no basis in reality, and has no supporting evidence or is contrary to compiled evidence, your argument will fail as it's indistinguishable from every other possible claim. 

I get a kick out of the chatter and banter on some UFO videos. It kind of makes the authenticity of the video that much better. It ruled when the one guy was like "it's like energy, bro!" haha

&gt;You might also enjoy clips on Youtube of Randi destroying the careers of.... Peter Popoff on nationwide US television :-)\n\nIf only that were true... :-(

Holy shit, the rational opinion didn't get a single knee-jerk downvote. \n\nToday, I am proud of you /r/skeptic.

I met one convinced it was a C.I.A. operation to keep minorities down. Until then I had not believed anyone could be that stupid.

&gt;...showed that sentiment had been building for just about a hundred years...\n\nThat must be one sentimental lake!

Oh, my goodness... I have always know I am extremely sensitive, "empathic" in that the mood of people in the room gets under my skin. But I never thought I was "psychic," just extremely sensitive. (If you bang your foot, I am screaming "ow!") I can read non-verbal cues like a pro. \n\nWhat you wrote clarifies a lot for me. What gets me is this prof. has a science background, his first career was not psychology, and he really seems to have no regard for the scientific method. I think he is jaded and tired of seeing the flaws in many research studies. To his credit, he did a good job of teaching us how to pick apart a scientific study, which means he thinks critical thinking skills are good for something. Interesting.  

Heh, wish that my melatonin secretion was working. I have to take melatonin capsules in order to get any decent sleep.

Eyerolling for both the shit this lady is probably spouting (honestly, I have no interest in watching), but also to everyone else.\n\nAre you guys seriously getting pissed off because you now have to question an authority? I thought that was what skeptics got off to. \n\nBut I guess maybe skeptics just only like to question OTHER PEOPLE's authorities. 

Self-mutilation is a well-observed behavior in a lot of animals, even those not shown to be as intellectually or emotionally complex as cetaceans.  Animals that are stressed--whether due to illness, depression, or environment--will find all kinds of way to injure themselves, sometimes severely.\n\nI think jumping to the conclusion of "suicide" is a hasty assumption, but not completely unreasonable.  I definitely don't think a medical issue should be ruled out.  Did they do a necropsy?

I can attest the gated community does not make you any less susceptible to burglary due to things being stolen from my car.

&gt;None of those stories involved D.O.'s using OMM.\n\nYes, you're right, sorry about that I'll be more careful checking links.  There *are* stories about manipulation in there (Mrs L K) but the links are 404 and cannot be independently verified.\n\n&gt;MD from Harvard who does chelation therapy!\n\nHe should be severely reprimanded, possibly struck off.  Chelation, as I understand, is only good for removing heavy metals, anything else is unproven and should not be used.\n\n&gt;You'll find quacks in every profession.\n\nBut not every profession will *actively teach* it and recommend its use, and there is the key difference.

I think it was in the Simon Singh documentary on Libel which brought up a case where both the defendant and plaintiff were not of the UK, but the case was fought here. I can't find the particular case now, so if anyone can help me out, please post.

I think it's the next evolution for humans - we'll be entering the next dimension. Since the universe is always moving and expanding, we'll be in the next phase of our development. What exactly will be our new "features" no one can say for sure. I just hope my children will have the new capabilities that will be given to our race.

Are you even listening to yourself?  In two consecutive sentences you say "if a person uses as many reputable sources as they can... then they may make a difference" followed by "there is no meeting these people in the middle, they don't have a middle."\n\nThis is not the language of "skepticism."  This is the language of *jihad.*\n\nLet's start with "these people."  "These people" are those who have a distrust of government and large corporations and have a suspicion that the health of their child is taking a back seat to the profits of large corporations.  Hell, you might very well be one of "these people" for all I know - most people have a little "these people" in them, it's just a matter of degree.\n\n"Just a matter of degree" pretty much covers the range of "the middle."  Saying "the government doesn't have my best interests in mind" is not "unreasonable and untenable."  It's, wait for it...\n\n*skeptical.*\n\nI didn't say "evidence" didn't matter to them.  I said that they reject *your* evidence.  Piling it higher, like I said, is like throwing bible verses at an atheist.  It isn't compelling.  You wanna win an argument with an atheist, you deal in logic and tangibles.  You wanna win an argument with a theist, you deal in faith and principles.  This isn't a "we're right, they're wrong" sort of thing, it's a "they think the same as they do, only their variables are shifted" sort of thing.\n\nYou've constructed this marvelous straw man in your head of "they" as if those who trust your chosen sources less than you do are baby-torturing Jenny McCarthy clones who need to be shoved into re-education camps for the good of humanity.  You further split hairs by saying "I reject your opinion of people you have met and talked with in favor of the abstract construct necessary to prop up my worldview."\n\nAll that stuff I said people do in the post above?  *You're doing it.*  You are walling off your beliefs and parsing input so that you don't have to alter your worldview.  Riddle me this: am I going to change your mind by "putting facts in front of you constantly?"\n\nOr are you just going to find stones for your sling?\n\nWhat "your side" (I don't pick sides, I attack dogma) needs to do is figure out how to talk to people, rather than lecture them.  What "your side" needs to do is recognize that there aren't "sides" but "people" and that people who are scared for the health of their children need your sympathy and creative problem solving skills, not your dogma.\n\n"Never attribute to malice that which is more easily explained by incompetence."\n\n - Napoleon

The courthouse one was obviously someone in the courthouse saying they wanted donuts...probably had donuts in the area. EVPs are harder to rule out than that one. The low quality ones could be pareidolia easily but the ones captured in a closed off location and that are clear are a little more convincing...

I've noticed it happening when people do so while refusing or being unable to offer up any actual evidence. Yes, when someone makes an outlandish claim and says it's true "because a friend of mine saw it happen!", it's not very convincing. 

Brilliant - so may of these are hitting home with me. One day I hope to be as eloquent and wise as this man.

It is the same with people who promote Armageddon, such as the Mayan 2012.  Once it doesn't happen, they act like they were never pushing it, then focus on something else.  It is like they want everyone else to sit around and sort out the flaws in their thinking.  When their thinking is proven wrong, they just make up something else. 

But there are legitimate reasons why some people are not vaccinated - like they are too young or have a medical condition that prevents it. So these parents aren't putting their own kids at risk, they are putting the public in general at risk. We need herd immunity, and if you don't want immunity then you shouldn't get to be part of the herd. \n\nKids who can't get immunized should be able to attend a public school. Kids who WON'T get immunized should not be allowed to attend public schools. 

Look at the photo.  Look at everything above the water.  Now look at the reflection of everything in the water.  The "UFO's" reflection does not match the reflection profile of everything else.  It has been copy and pasted then turned 180 degrees.  I am 100% certain that this is a photoshop.

I think you think I mean the subject matter. I mean the state of the literature, the way research is done these days and the researchers that use these methods. You don't need to defend it by looking for causes of the issues, don't worry.

11 more hours...are you in? (I guess I *would* have to post my short sentence within my promised time in order for you to truly anticipate it.)

This "doctor" is all over the net. I am almost willing to believe its an elaborate and committed troll effort.   \n\nI got into a debate with her a few years ago on some blog, she just keeps pushing the same BS "studies".

Heres the thing, there isn't a shred of evidence against god, against the bible(or any other religious text for that manner) being infallible sure there is loads of it, but the understandable concept of some sort of higher power. So with that in mind there are plenty of non-atheistic belief systems that are not in any way contrasting with skepticism. In fact atheism itself contradicts skepticism more than agnosticism as it forms a conclusion that there is no god without any evidence to support it. The very nature of the universe is still very much an unknown, and I seriously doubt that 500 years from now our current picture of the universe will be seen as correct, hell it may be as laughable as the geocentric model of the solar system is today.\n\nI would say you can be atheist, agnostic, or a deist off the top of my head without contradicting yourself.

I suggest asking your roommate to find evidence somewhere supporting his belief that it is more efficient to leave a fan running 24/7 (generating heat, by the way).  He is making the claim, so he should bear the burden of proof.\n\nI have not found any reference to saving electricity by leaving the fan on.  In fact, every electric utility or other energy-related source says to turn it off when not in the room because "fans cool people, not the air".\n\nBear in mind these are the same utilities presently handing out free CFLs and low-flow showerheads to get people to conserve energy.  It costs them less to have you save energy than for them to have to add capacity, so they have a vested interest in conservation.

&gt; if there WAS a link between autism and vaccines, would you rather have an autistic child or dead one?\n\nIf such a link existed, I would hope society could come up with some other alternative outcomes. Like, maybe a safe vaccine.

I meant that *pure* science, stuff without a specific end goal that brings in cash or power or something, is too "expensive".\n\nIt's not *really* too expensive, of course.  It's that the resources involved are not just money, but also time.  A president has 4 years in office to make an "impact".  If he spends $1 trillion dollars on pure, good science, EVENTUALLY they will make breakthroughs that pay back dividends a billion times over.  But maybe not in 4 years.  Maybe not even in his lifetime.  Blowing shit up, however, is guaranteed results in a perfect time frame.

My patent for Placebitrol has been tied up by FDA paperwork for decades. We even had a great slogan. \n\n"Placebitrol: It works because you're crazy". 

Yeah well that guy was almost a cartoon of himself. He obviously heard Larry King ask Bill if he thought they were lying and took immediate offence to the possibility that someone could reasonably think so and then just berated and attacked Bill in defence of an imagined offence.\n\nFor men that were supposed to be taken seriously, cracking jokes and making insulting remarks and laughing about it the way they did, they made their generation look particularly stupid.

What is the topic of her discussion supposed to be? I have no idea what she's talking about; it sounds complete jumble of thoughts with a lot of personal talks of her and the person who she is talking to (behind the camera). And then at the end, she wants to say what "receiving" is blah blah blah. With a lot of the emotionally mesmerized by "receiving." 

Taken from [simianman's great post over in /r/UAP](http://www.reddit.com/r/UAP/comments/vvla0/one_of_the_best_mustread_books_on_news_media/). 

your hands appear different? how? I am very VERY interested in this detail. thanks for sharing, btw.

It is... if they couldn't replicate the original claim. They just do things out of order. 

Tesla's work on zero point energy and technology suppression by TPTB?\n\nHi, welcome to /r/ufos  this is 101 level stuff.

[Explained](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43F54hR0NW8).\n\nAnd really, if it was true (which it isn't), why would they demolish an empty building? To destroy something within the building that couldn't be destroyed by the fires? Just THINK about it, please. 

Interesting. We can at least conclude that the sounds you heard were not objectively audible as there is no sound on the tape corresponding to the ones you describe. 

I knew my 8th grade English teacher was from like, Venus or something.

Great footage! There are speculations in the comments wether they are chinese lanterns but if they were, only one would not move that much differently than the other ones.

I too would like to see somthing interesting, if only to corraborate other peoples sightings.

Why are you chiding us about something that we are powerless to stop?

It's also used for athletic recovery. The supposed mechanism of action for hot/cold showers effect on muscle recovery is vasodilation and vasoconstriction. I've only taken an intro course in anatomy and physiology, but the vasodilation and constriction would be regulating blood pressure. I don't know if it'd effect BP by significant amounts though.\n\nhttp://www.physicaltherapyinsport.com/article/S1466-853X%2803%2900122-6/abstract\n\nExcerpt from the abstract:\n\nResults. The physiologic effects of hot–cold water contrast baths for injury treatment have been well documented, but its physiological rationale for enhancing recovery is less known. Most experimental evidence suggests that hot–cold water immersion helps to reduce injury in the acute stages of injury, through vasodilation and vasoconstriction thereby stimulating blood flow thus reducing swelling. This shunting action of the blood caused by vasodilation and vasoconstriction may be one of the mechanisms to removing metabolites, repairing the exercised muscle and slowing the metabolic process down.\n\nConclusion. To date there are very few studies that have focussed on the effectiveness of hot–cold water immersion for post exercise treatment. More research is needed before conclusions can be drawn on whether alternating hot–cold water immersion improves recuperation and influences the physiological changes that characterises post exercise recovery.

I have many many picture. Message me about them and I can send them to you. I go every year for my birthday. And thanks. This was a year before they go to the hospital, but I went there the year after this. Cool stuff right?

Anyone alive in the 12th century, and especially a king who had many children, would have a good chance of being the ancestor of all people alive today (excluding isolated populations).

It's impossible to imagine what kind of thought patterns an individual alien, or alien society, would have. Would humans go someplace and leave with no trace? No, we would muck about, tip stuff over and take pretty things. \n\nAliens however? Who knows what they'd do, since we know nothing about them.

I work with autistic students. Every other mother thinks Gluten is to blame for increases in symptoms. There is no evidence of this. \n\nThey all want their kid on a gluten-free diet, which, you try to get a bunch of 19 year olds with rigidity issues and away from home for the first time to give up pizza. Go ahead, try. Besides the fact that my heart (brain) wasn't in it. \n\n

Actually the stories you can tell are not infinite, they're limited by your knowledge and the permutations of all the factors you know that can be part of a story is not finite. \n\nI don't agree that consciousness is thinking. Thought is internalized speech and speech is just a way of communication/information transfer. Communication can take many forms, even a chemical one, at the level of cells. Are cells that can communicate conscious? Are inanimate proteins prions who cause information transfer in a simpler way conscious? If so, then clearly consciousness would firmly be connected to evolutionary mechanisms (since evolution is all cells are engaged in). Then consciousness becomes just another stepping stone in evolution like sex; it increases variation by way of selective improvements.\n\nFree will does not exist, in my opinion. The genetic and chemical characteristics of your brain determines your actions. You cannot control or affect (unless you take drugs, use transcranial magnetic resonance techniques, etc) these characteristics of your brain at *will* so there you go.\n

I usually say, "Why don't you guess when you think you've figured out what sign I am.  We'll see if it's right."

Speak of the devil, I just found this example on Fark of all 3 nutbar groups wrapped into one:\n\nhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/12/rick-santorum-plant-carbon-dioxide_n_1340387.html\n

Another excellent website debunking the utterly dumb conspiracy theory that NASA did not land men on the Moon: [http://www.xmission.com/~jwindley/](http://www.xmission.com/~jwindley/)

Wow, can you give more description of what you saw?  Was he/you wearing something you own?

There's no doubt that UFOs are real.\n\nAfter all, they are just Unidentified Flying Objects.  Wether they are man-made or not, is another question.

So this is just some 64 year old plan to ease disclosure on us? Seriously?

I'm a skeptic and I don't demand proof. I expect evidence though.

People suffering from this ailment, *whatever* its causes might be are simply in **no position** to judge what they believe the causes of said ailment to be.\n\nThey aren't experts of medical research, after all.

I think he just just made a mistake. This comment thread was linked in r/skeptic and when you click a link and end up on a self-post it's easy to think that it was posted on the subreddit it was linked from. His comment would have been much more well-received in r/skeptic.

You need to watch the video on YouTube to see it.  Right click and Open in a new Tab.\n\nDoes anyone have the source for this?  It appears to be a compilation of video from that night.

I thought it went better than I expected, but I had very low expectations.  Not surprisingly, Dr. Oz always gets the last word and uses it to misrepresent what Steve is saying, but they did give Steve a surprising amount of time to string together complete arguments.  I figured he'd only be allowed to say a few sentences total, and only one at a time.  \n\nI guess my feeling is that there was enough in there from Steve to maybe convince a few people who were on the fence.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:  "show me a corpse and I'll believe in Bigfoot."

Downvote me all you want, but...\n\nI believe in evolution and I Went to Catholic school where we were taught evolution. That said, evolution is still a theory which means that science cannot prove it with absolute certainty. Calling it a fact is therefore unscientific. \n\nSecondly, scientists who do not back evolution are not necessarily acting out of a religious faith. Assuming that says more about yourself than the scientists.

Even though this hasn't received that much of a response, please don't be discouraged from writing a follow up! I would love to hear what happens in the interview. 

I do care, I really do. However, I'm not prepared to take action until I know what I'm dealing with here. Screwing up here means making things a lot worse on a girl who doesn't deserve any of this. 

Being an atheist doesn't make you anti-religious, it just means you are without any theistic beliefs. \n\nBeing anti-religious makes you anti-religious. \n\nThe irony of this coming from a self-proclaimed skeptic is dumbfounding.

Obviously Disney has a base on the moon that they aren't telling anyone about.

If you read over his analysis each step of the way, he is completely objective.\n\nNaturally, it wasn't a great way to hear actual news about what is happening with each candidate, but it was a great way to see the political ramifications of all those things.

&gt; The bill's sponsor explained to reporters that "the idea behind this bill is that students should be encouraged to challenge current scientific thought and theory."\n\n*Students* should? Really?\n\nLet them get some actual education under their belt and *then* let them challenge it. In the peer-reviewed literature, not in the classroom. That's the route I would take if I thought Creationism had any chance of succeeding...

It's like debating people who believe geocentrism, the flat-earth hypothesis, that global warming doesn't exist, that the moon landing was faked with a sound stage on Mars, or that 9/11 was done by government operatives secretly planting thermite on structural columns buried behind feet of concrete.\n\nConspiracy theorists do not honestly debate. They do not seek truth, and it's not possible to convince them of a mistake or falsehood. There is no value in debate if a person is unwilling to change their viewpoint when proven wrong.\n\nIf you are willing to change your views in the face of strong evidence opposing them, then you are not a denialist.

No, I am joepmeloen. Are you blind? You must be young _and blind.

watch the interview on youtube of richard dawkins interviewing the evolutionary biologist.  the easy answer to this is yes

Anarcho-capitalism cannot exist, you cannot enforce contracts without an authority--essentially what you are talking about is simple anarchy, where everyone hires mercenaries to kill each other. The end result is simply chaos. There is no mitigation or solution for this by anarchist believers (they are ideological pipe dreams).\n\nIf that is what you want, by all means move to Somalia or some other African nation with little to no government authority, and live your life there. 

[pareidolia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia) - or in layman's terms "jesus it's jesus on that toast. jesus".\n\n\nNow more seriously those images lacks of visual size comparison and for the "aerial" one of a scale (that glitch may look small but he's a few kilometers wide....) - the moon got a small radius and no atmosphere this completely baffles our senses and approximations- \n\nanyhow, he's not doing any arm ... let him scuttle around terabytes of pictures to look for some alien artifact (that's what I suppose he's looking for)

As much as I'd love to see this happen, it will never happen.  ever. 

Tituba took me and my friends out in the woods and said some enchantment and gave us the HPV vaccine, and then we all started having spells and doing things we knew were wrong but we couldn't stop because she was controlling us with the HPV and that's why I killed those LOLcats.

This demonstrates one of the most interesting aspects of reddit, that submission voters are very different than comment voters.

In order of appearance on page 1) A large horn, a Bass vuvuzella if you will. 2) A large flock of birds, several thousand starlings flapping about and chirping. 3) Steam turbine.

Thanks for the contribution Usakar. I get that you're a troll but you have a good about time spend on Reddit. I'm stalling on any number of projects that are important. I procastinate here because it's a place where you can associate with like and non-likeminded people and share ideas. I enjoy entertainment and there is certainly a place for that. Sure this comment doesn't contain the genuis of a [photoshopped penis](http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/j045u/i_went_on_a_party_guess_what_i_found_on_facebook/) or a [stoned looking elephant](http://www.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/je0pp/the_ent_of_the_jungle/) but there's a place for everything on reddit. This subreddit can be a place  of discussion and I've enjoyed this one. \n\nI get involved in this discussion because I'm passionate and a bit knowledgable about the dangers and complexity of substance abuse. It's a public health problem that is very difficult to study and to treat. This [2008 paper](http://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA07-4298/SMA07-4298.pdf) from SAMSA estimates that the cost to American society, where I live, to be $191.6 billion for alcohol abuse and $151.4 billion for substance abuse and those numbers are 10 years old. Yeah, I care because apart from the money we're talking about people's lives here and I think the discussion is important. \n\nDoug Stanhope is a comedian and I'm sure he can handle criticism. I'm not heckling him at a show or getting people to boycott his performances just start a discussion in a science based subreddit. I guess the point is that he's a self-selected public figure. I mean, it's not like [I'm calling out kids for being unattactive while trying to have fun and have a sense of community](http://www.reddit.com/r/Fugly/comments/s66m6/oh_boy/). How dare they?!? Obviously that deserves our attention.

I know it's beside the point, but tripe is fucking delicious. It's portrayed in this article as something bad, but it's a wonderful ingredient. People always put it down because of how it looks/sounds. Pity. If you have a chance, try it!

You're right I was using the wrong term. Sorry.\n\nWhat I mean is, a personal loan represents something that has a whole body of legal documentation associated with it. It also represents an *object* to which certain regulations apply. Same with a line of credit.\n\nThe legal documentation for a line of credit is often slightly different than legal documentation for a personal loan. The regulations that apply also might different. The default penalties also might different. \n\nThese things are functionally the same, but they may be technically different. Do any of those technical details matter? That's the question. \n\n&gt; There are specific credit card laws, yes, but you were talking about credit card debt vs. unsecured loans with no collateral as though credit cards are secured, collateralized loans, which is not the case.\n\nIf I implied this, I didn't mean to. 

I most definitely agree. But what we're saying are two *entirely* different things. \n\nYou're saying that in order for these men to be telling the truth, their assessment of what actually happened has to be correct thereby discrediting the event entirely. I'm saying that their explanation of the event is unfounded and speculative, at best, but it still happened, is unexplained and corroborated by other pieces of evidence. And that, I believe, is worthy of further investigation.\n\nThe [Rendlesham Forest](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendlesham_Forest_incident) incident has plenty of documented evidence. Oh wait, nevermind. Those files are [mysteriously missing](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12613690) from the UK's National Archives.

When I became an atheist (around 11 or 12), I was certainly utilizing the principles of skepticism, but I had no idea what a skeptic even was. I've always been skeptical and analytical of things, but I only became a "true skeptic" around the age of 22... by discovering Penn and Teller's Bullshit!

Coulda been that it wasn't a very original song. Or he bought it of a lesser known musician.

It's ironic that you said most of my commentary wasn't remotely true, which is pulled out of your ass 100% bullshit. \n\nAlso I'm still calling bullshit that you're actually an atheist. \n\n\n\n

Nobody's saying that it can't relieve pain, just that the relief is caused by the placebo effect.

He has some interesting ideas, but their validity is suspect in my opinion. \n\nI do think he's very clever and may be good at getting people interested in physics to begin with, but it's not really teaching material.

Saw that film last year at the True/False film festival. Fantastic and strange. Definitely check it out if you get a chance

&gt;Then they wonder why science and governments don't take UFO claims seriously. It's pretty simple: this whole field of study is filled with crackpots and ridiculous, unsubstantiated claims.\n\nThis made me laugh. Simple indeed. Or more specifically, 'simplistic'. \n\nIf you seriously think *that* is the reason 'science and governments' don't take UFOs seriously you are beyond all hope. Crack a fucking UFO history book from one of your serious researchers, JFC. You sound like this is your first day here. \n\nNo, they definitely aren't trying to cover anything up... *they are just not bothering because there are too many crackpots.* Yeah: they are just waiting for a good case or two to take things seriously, amirite? A crashed UFO or something like that, or maybe an air traffic controller seeing something. Or dozens of witnesses that want to testify before congress. If only shit like *that* would happen.\n\nI'm as tired of the lens flare bullshit as anyone else here. And my implying that people won't pay attention even if you hand them evidence because they are in denial is something I will stand by.\n\n

Yes, but don't surgeons either have a lot of arrogance "trained into" them or they gradually develop it? I've heard before that the uber-confident attitude of surgeons is almost necessary for their work. This would probably make you believe that your observations were more correct or had more value than anyone else's.

Yeah, you've got a point.  The "It's real, I just need a bit of help" folks are likely the ones who are going to have the hissy fit.  As they think "psychics" are real, but they personally aren't competent enough (or special enough, or whatever) to do it fair and square, and so are embarrassed to be outed.\n\nBut it's gotta take a lot of will power to keep believing when you're cheating!  I'd bet there are a lot of them which are like the atheist ministers in Dan Dennett's recent report.  They got into it believing, then got enough education on the subject to realized it's BS, but are now too far in to get out easily.\n

Because it's just too soon.\n\nSteve Jobs died. For the people to whom that matters (his family, his friends), the last thing they want to be reading is gloating blog articles about how he killed himself with pseudoscience.\n\nNot everything that happens needs to be turned into a platform for teaching the masses about rationality and skepticism.

In the US Doctors are public people so to prove libel/slander you have to prove malicious intent and that the statement was false.\n\nedit: I have read about the Singh case and he is a hero.

I am calling BS on that one. Looks really fake at some points the dots seem more blurry than the video itslef and somtiems they move too smoothly as if the framrate of the dots was higher than the frame rate of the actual camera.

Your relative might have died sooner if she had taken that junk instead of scientific treatment.  \n\nVery sad situation, especially that your mom is creating guilt for herself.  \n\nHopefully she doesn't walk away from this experience with the determination to pressure unwell acquaintances about magic cures in the future.

What you mean is that you didn't get it. I'm sure SOMEONE else saw the headline of this and thought the same thing I did: "Learn to use apostrophes and the search function so you don't repost something with a stupider headline."

[They now devote a whole (very powerful) show to the retraction.](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/460/retraction) I can only recommend that you listen to it.

You've missed another really great show, *"How the Earth was Made"*. Two seasons of incredibly interesting stuff about the geology of Earth, and specific regions like Death Valley, Vosemite, Yellowstone, the Siberian Traps, Mt. St. Helens, and many more. It is incredibly informative, and explains in understandable terms how we know what we know about geology.

[source](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acupuncture#Other_injury)\n\n&gt;  Other risks of injury include: **nerve injury, resulting from the accidental puncture of any nerve**, brain damage or stroke, which is possible with very deep needling at the base of the skull, kidney damage from deep needling in the low back. Haemopericardium, or puncture of the protective membrane surrounding the heart, which may occur with needling over a sternal foramen.

I have an extreme bias against pyramid schemes because I learned about them very early on, tried very hard to get friends in high school not to sign up for them, and in the end lost a few friends who bought into the scheme, and worse, made a few friends back who were in tremendous debt (at least for a high schooler) that couldn't be repaid for years.\n\nAnyways, you get a set of knives (or one knife?) that you have to pay ~$125 for. They say if you ever quit you can send it back and get refunded, but two friends did this unsuccessfully. Silverware might be uniquely the most slowest-selling thing on the Earth: you buy a set once, probably even at a second-hand shop or a garage sale, and then probably never buy another set again. You may get nicer silverware from getting married, an inheritance, through friends... but very rarely are you buying whole sets of things, or even new kinds of knives.\n\nSo there's the rub: you go door-to-door (in an age where the "housewife" or "househusband" is rapidly dwindling) trying to sell an overpriced knife or set of knives. Well, if they live in a house, they've probably already bought silverware, and they are probably fairly happy with it already. So the customer base is extremely slim. I almost feel this product in particular is "designed to fail", but that's just my conspiracy.\n\nThe the "real money" in Cutco is referring people to sell under you... also know as? A pyramid scheme. You somehow convince someone to try to sell this almost unsellable product and you get a cut for doing so. But even then, I had a friend try this to little success. I think Cutco has uniquely trapped itself into not being marketable to anyone with any sort of work experience know-how, so they only go after high schoolers and college kids who think this will be work, will make them money, but will end up not selling anything and also be about a hundo for a fancy knife they have no purpose for.\n\nI've seen their booth at job fairs, too: it's really good theatre. The guarantee of work, "setting your own hours", etc, etc... all those too good to be true aspects that skeptics love. Sometimes it can be hard to see when something with be a pyramid scheme, but I can assure you CutCo is just that. If you want to see a funnier (and more depressing side) of MLM, check out Penn and Teller's Bullshit! episode on it. Door to door sex toys? Of course something that asinine would exist! 

There are two people working together, one a highly respected doctor, and the other a highly respected physicist. \n\nConsidering Penrose's name is all over the world of physics, the OP calling them "experts" made me lol\n\nNot this doesn't make them right...even Einstein went a little crazy in his later years. But it still is interesting, and probably worth listening to considering they aren't trying to give you advice and self help tips like Deepak Chopra. These guys are simply on a quest to discover the origins of conscious thought.\n

I saw the link and thought, "Please be Qualiasoup, please be Qualiasoup." That guy explains things so clearly.

&gt; Except that people have access to all the information in the world and there is a new age of enlightenment an peace growing around the world.\n\n^This is a direct quote from your original contribution.  \n\nWhat am I missing here?  How is this a misquote?

YouTube has it in 9 parts\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAXpEvDvz8w

I bet the poor sap who owns the land was really pissed off too.\n

Completely agree, if I'd discovered the SGU when I was a freshman in high school, my entire school experience could have been different.

Alas, this article might be fake. Such an organization would never have its writers work from an office. With the nature of the work, they don't need to, and with the need for secrecy, they wouldn't want to. I'm also not sure there would be enough work to justify keeping the workers in an office.\n\nBut I'd love to do this job. First up, I'm a desperado. I need the money. Secondly, I think I'd be good at it. I could enter debates. In ancient Greece, when the sophists practiced debate, they'd change sides halfway through: If you're *really* good, you don't need to believe in what you're saying.\n\nI think the Israeli government does a lot of bad shit, but I'd be happy to work for them. I liked the line, “They were Christians and obviously nutters.”\n

This reminds me of the time you tried to drill a hole through your head, remember that?

No problem!\n\nThough it was concentration of aspirin that I calculated for you rather than density, and the concentration is equal to the mass of aspirin divided by the volume of the water, giving units of (mass aspirin/volume water). Molar concentrations are useful for other things, but don't convert readily to ppm or ppb, while mg/L = ppm and μg/L = ppb.\n\nThere are also 10^6 cubic centimetres in a cubic metre.

I don't know what WUWT is, but I gather that "just the facts" is a WUWT regular, since literally every time he is mentioned, it is prefaced by his association with WUWT.\n\nThat's unnecessary, and reeks of guilt by association.\n\n(I'm not a climate change denier. I just don't like bad writing)

Again, the video was a completely separate event in Virginia.  What the witness described was in Arizona.  For some reason, some idiot thought it would be good to obfuscate the witness' testimony by pairing it with a clearly contradictory video from a location 2000 miles away.

I'm pretty much certain it's made-up. Here's why:\n\n\n-I can't find a similiar story on Google News using keyword searches. Not finding evidence for a claim doesn't always mean it didn't happen, but it means there's absolutely no reason to think it did. \n\n-The phrase ” If you can survive, you must remember that I love you.” doesn't appear in any of the thousands of news sources Google News indexes.\n\n-Using [tineye](http://www.tineye.com/search/8f383c8d906419cc77b00f9d2c682b6beb735680/), the image appears to be from an [earthquake in SW China in 2008](http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90782/90872/6490796.html).

I believe there's stuff going on we aren't being told about.  Some of it must be future US planes.\n\nOutside of the US, well, if it's not us, then who or what is it?

Reading up on Kanazawa I get this pseudo-scientific vibe that I regularly get from reading about evolutionary psychology. If someone here is more versed on this subject I appreciate an input. \nSome views on his studies can be found [here](http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/05/23/the-data-are-in-regarding-satoshi-kanazawa/), [here](http://sguforums.com/index.php?topic=35689.0) and [here](http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.nl/2012/04/homosexuals-are-smart.html).

My friends and I used to play with Ouija boards all the time when we were teens. Nothing paranormal ever came of it. (Though I would, after a long time of nothing happening, begin to subtly push it around and freak my friends out.)

&gt;"fills schedule with women's studies and english courses -- is upset about lack of women in math and sciences" -- yeah, because only science majors can complain about lack of scientists. Apparently you can't criticize other people's sexism unless you work in the same sphere. Nice "argument," douchenozzles. Here's one for ya: "/r/skeptic user: complains about lack of scientific competence -- isn't a science teacher" Oh, that's not fair? Gee, funny how that happens.\n\nI actually agree with you on most of the other points but I have to defend this one. I think you're misunderstanding something here. The complaints about a lack of women in science and math isn't a complaint that women are being prevented from entering academia in math or science due to sexism. Usually the complaint is that not enough women (and men for that matter!) are deciding to major in STEM. \n\nThe hypocrisy, so to speak, comes from people saying "more people need to major in STEM!" but while they themselves are majoring in the humanities. So it's basically "other people need to start majoring in science! Not me, of course, but other people!"\n\nOther than that, I'm with you on all your other points.

Exactly. What I have seen over the last 8 years has shaken my faith in humanity to its core. My life was permanently changed by, not 911, but the response to 911.\n\nEven if the opportunity just fell into the neocon's lap and they exploited it, the public is now a giant scary violent baby to me forever.\n\nCui bono?

&gt; However, i wouldnt vote for a politician who goes on record with a religious belief \n\nSo you don't vote? O.o

That is the whole point of the Ten-Twenty-Three campaign, where people take massive overdoses of homeopathic remedies and nothing happens.  It shows that homeopathic remedies are not the same as herbal (natural) remedies.  There's literally nothing in homeopathy.  It is impossible that homeopathy could work.  That said, there is little good evidence that herbal remedies work; and in large part medicine involves taking  compounds from plants, etc., determining which specific chemical has the medicinal effect, and refining it.

This David Sereda guy is the only "scientist" who is making this claim in the context of the storm on Saturn, et al.  I can't find any credentials on this guy.  He claims to be interested in physics, but I couldn't find any evidence that he's actually a physicist, let alone an astrophysicist.  Furthermore, he's a lone nut.  There's no consensus within the physics community that this is true.  Tell your sister that this falls into the category of the lone nut fallacy.  \n\nBruce Lipton is mentioned as saying that consciousness tells DNA what to do, and he teaches at the New Zealand College of Chiropractic.  His claims that consciousness commands DNA is backward.  [Consciousness comes from DNA](http://richarddawkins.net/articles/1057).  And once again, Lipton is a lone nut.  \n\nDavid Wilcock believes that 2012 will bring about "ascension" for certain people.  This is absurd.  I don't think I have to provide any of the plethora of reliable sources and articles that contradict this fuck head's assertions.  \n\nTell your sister that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and there is not enough credible evidence here to demonstrate the Worldwide Consciousness Expansion.  

hmm, that's interesting, I have not seen anyone without a color I could clearly see.

&gt; the problem is that a lot of people who smoke cannabis, which is mainly the people who fight for its legalization, is not very skeptic-minded.\n\nYou may think that, but you cannot provide any evidence whatsoever. Your assertion should be dismissed.

Indeed it does.  The neck elongating (or clavicle lowering, to be more precise) seems like it may very well have some sort of off world influence perhaps.

Well the main issue is antibacterial soaps kill indiscriminately, and you have natural bacteria on your hands and body. The natural bacteria on your skin grow very well there and out-compete harmful bacteria. When you kill all the bacteria over and over again every day, there will be a different bacterial profile on your hands, but I'm not sure how much effect that would actually have on your health.  

I know its a bunch of paranormal bullshit, but still its odd. \n

I'm with you on this, being one of the other three. I'd say they move their operations here seeing we have a bigger base of people. We could have four moderators. It's all good, or leave it all the same. No big deal. No beef as Third said.

It's such a broad field though. Some of the ideas from self-named transhumanists strike me as silly, others sound great and plausible.

&gt;Three of those infected were babies, too young to have yet received the measles vaccines, and one of the babies was hospitalized for three days with a 106-degree fever, according to a report to be published in the April issue of Pediatrics.\n\n*This*!  This should be the only argument we need against these morons.  Your actions affect others in society.  Your kid is not in a high-risk group and the vaccine will not hurt him.  Get the fucking vaccine before you kill someone who has a real reason not to get it!

Yes. Warning: Don't be Canadian. \n\nTypical surgical wait time.

Oh, it definitely happened.  I should have done more research and/or actually looked at the date of the tutorials.  Most were done about 5 years ago, and this happened this year.  I understand what you're saying about them being a waste of money.  There are a couple of people who have managed to record clear conversations they had via spirit box.  They have also had repeat visitors, with the same voice/name.  This must be fairly simple to fake, I assume, though I don't know how one would do it so convincingly.  I like to think that it's real, though.  It's more fun that way.

&gt;its about as useful as a car driver wearing one.\n\nDon't give them ideas! Seat belt laws are silly enough. 

Sadly, well reasoned logical arguments are not going to work initially with people who have bought into Kevin Trudeau's message that there is a conspiracy by pharmaceutical and FDA to suppress the "truths" he is trying to publish.  I would fight fire with fire.  I would begin by drawing attention to his criminal convictions and his penchant for making money off the disadvantaged and vulnerable.  The [wikipedia article on him](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Trudeau) and [Washington post article](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/22/AR2005102201272.html) are good starting points.  

Many years ago my brother lived in an old haunted house in Mesa, AZ. All kinds of crazy shit went down at that house. My girlfriend and I were there one day and she went into the bathroom, only to see a bloody man in the bathtub. Just one blink of her eyes and he was gone, but she screamed bloody murder (sorry) and it was that day we found out who the ghost was.

If you want to get into the details of what a federal ban on homeopathy would look like, I don't think I have the time. \nMy response was to this: "I say, let the 'quackery' take a stand in the court of public opinion. So long as people aren't being hurt, I don't see the need for interference."\nPeople are being hurt, often. So do you see the need for interference now? \nMay I ask your opinion on childhood vaccinations? Should that take a stand in the court of public opinion or should there be a governmental pushback against anti-science quacks? I know what the answer from many Paul supporters would be and it's very troubling. 

Talented, experienced outdoorsmen can still be wrong about things.  I enjoy Stroud's show, and I adore Attenborough (someone mentions his musings on the Yeti below), but their personal accounts are not valuable pieces of evidence for a primate cryptid in North America.      

If it was just one woman in private i'd somewhat agree. But it's not in private (she even has celebrity endorsements!), she's going to encourage others to ignore doctors and do the alternative thing. That is a very very dangerous thing for society in general.

So, wait.  They said it was invisible to the naked eye, but could tell that it was 11-14 feet tall, with no reference? I call bullshit. 

http://www.networksolutions.com/whois-search/resolvefromcdf.org\n\nThis is the domain they use for contact emails. It is also registered to the ad agency.

sounds like that meteor was a ufo encounter you all had. Nothing to worry about, most likely they gave you energy balancing implants.

Looks like smoke or mist, possibly some vapor that was only made visible by the flash of the camera. The face in the top of the picture can be explained by the brain's ability to see faces in random textures, or patterns, or ever things like stains, burn marks, etc. You could have been standing by some kind of gas vent or drain that was allowing steam out, too. More than likely this is a harmless yet cool picture. The foreboding feeling you got from the path that was dark was most likely a natural reaction from your body upon seeing a possibly dangerous situation. Your body developed a feeling of caution to prevent you making a potentially dangerous choice. The picture is most likely coincidental and only added to your already uneasy mindset when it spooked you. 

This.\n&gt;It's not legally defamatory if it's true. At least in the US.\n\nI don't disagree with any of this.  It's not straw man unless you are implying skeptics will be dishonest.  I fully agree with that statement and none of my words contradict yours.  If you find that my words do contradict yours, because you implied something not stated maybe, consider it my own opinion.  I never asserted that was your opinion.  If you did imply something not stated then your words misrepresent themselves and there is not much I can do about that.  Look at the literal words.  There is no contradiction in them.

"Marijuana enhances many things, colors, flavors, sensations, but you are certainly not fucking empowered. When you're stoned, you're lucky if you can find your own goddamn feet. The only way it's a performance-enhancing drug is if there's a big fucking Hershey bar at the end of the run. Then you'll be like a Swiss ski jumper going, 'I'm there!'"\n\n--Robin Williams

"CAN YOU HEEEEEEAR MEEEEEE NOW?"  \n"Oh please, I heard you before I even heard you."

I agree with this, the judgment call comes down to whether or not the end justifies the means.\n\nCuring cancer would probably be worth any number of cute bunnies in the eyes of most people, whereas slightly improved conditioner is probably not even worth one bunny to the same sample.\n\nSo the question is, what is the range of cosmetic products and perceived benefits that would go away if animal testing were stopped? Are there any that aren't as trivial as shampoo that we're not even discussing here?

according to a 2005 gallup poll, **21% of americans believe in mediums**\n\nhttp://www.gallup.com/poll/16915/three-four-americans-believe-paranormal.aspx

Good job! You're SeeingBeyond just the monetary aspects of this skill.

My sign says "Must be at least this tall to ride"\n\nMy sign is on my belt buckle.\n

I don't mean to imply regulation in the governmental sense.  Just think about the way we've grown to entrust websites.  Either they have a strong reputation a la Amazon, or they have some sort of SSL certificate, in which a company we trust (Verisign), has done the checking and puts their seal of approval on that third-party website.  Verisign is a for-profit company, so they charge the third-party website for that certificate.  IEEE is a non-profit org, so it has different motivations of an academic nature.\n\nMy point is, we use private certification and regulation systems all the time.  We don't need government stepping in and muddling it with politics and corruption when the market can provide its own measures.

But isn't everything "alleged" in most news articles? I am waiting to read "The alleged sky is allegedly blue." About the headline: I figured that most people in /r/skeptic would catch on pretty quick.

But you also don't need to treat every fringe claim as equal to science. When you debate people directly there is a risk that is how it will be viewed by third parties.

I was also reading the Pew Research report earlier. When I saw that steep drop in religiousness in the Millennial generation a big grin came across my face :). You should take "The Internet Killed Religion" phrase and turn it into a bumper sticker.\n\nStep 1: Kill religion using the internet\n\nStep 2: ??????\n\nStep 3: Profit

I used to think it was all bullshit too when I was a kid.  When I turned 20, we were having a party at a friends place, her parents were gone for a few weeks so naturally we partied.  Some of our friends left to go get some drugs and drinks, and they had been gone a long time. \nThere were a few beers around so everyone was content but we were fast running out, and out of boredom, the host busts out the ouija.  She said she did it lots but someone needs to do it with her, and since nobody else stepped up I decide that I should be the other person in this venture.  \nAt first I was skeptic about all of it, believing that the other person moves the pointer around manipulating it and spelling out words but that all changed rather quickly. There was about 20 of us gathering around this coffee table, her and myself across from each other, hands lightly touching the pointer then the thing takes off.  To tell you the truth, I was expecting to feel the drag of her hands pushing down on the pointer and manipulating it but it was more of a hover sensation as it want around the board.  We contacted something right away and asked a bunch of stupid questions.  I don't remember exactly but things were getting strange, things nobody knew the answers to were being answered, things nobody wanted to know were being told.  A friends pregnancy, secret crush, color of underwear.\nWe must have been going for a long time, and someone asked us to ask,  "Where's ET and DD, with the shit?".  So we asked.  It started to spell out, A, S, H... Then they pulled up front.  \nNow there is no way that nobody in the party could know that these two were pulling up front in the car as this was just before the time of everyone having cell phones.  But the name of the street she lived on was Ashburn.\nThis was it for me though, nothing to frightening, but obviously something was on the otherside of that board.  I never used one since and will refuse to ever again in my life.

You call so done else irrational when you're *convinced* it's flys and your assumptions are correct, without evidence. Sure. 

But it's worth the first couple paragraphs for the amazingly awkward book report on oxygen.

Pretty sure that's a zebu.  What you are looking for is a investigator or private detective.

Next time, just ask them some questions about organic and find out how much they actually know. :P

Hey - I'm *over* over 30, and *I* still have those moments! I hope I have them until the day I die. As they say, when you stop learning, you start dying.

Even though I am not a technical man with such matters and that this comment is dwarfed by others with a lot more knowledge than I do, I will input with this.\n\nI happen to have HFA myself, and do you know one thing that pisses me off, not the bullies, not the overall lack of knowledge, or the backfiring charities, it's people like these and the anti-vaccinationists who try to prevent science from progressing, preventing more knowledge about autism and generally just embarrassing us all.\n\nAs a person who has had the MMR vaccine, I should say, if autism is the price I take from the vaccines for saving my life, when I am grateful, I would rather be autistic then dead, and I hate the fact that Andrew Wakefield has still got an audience in America, the fraudulent cunt-bastard.  

It's part of the price of freedom that different groups are allowed to pursue happiness in their own ignorant way.\n\nBesides, these primitive cultures are good for scientific study. 

&gt;I don't get how this is relevant  \n\nRelevant because you made such a big deal when others used anecdotal statements to assert a claim that jives with most other atheist's experiences that I've seen weigh in on the subject over the years, and is even somewhat easy to find out for yourself if you doubt that most atheists do not positively assert there is no god. Your 'with us or against us' statement however rests on quite shaky ground, and by even using it only serves to undermine the validity of your points you were tying to make since it makes your position somewhat hypocritical.  I found it amusing...\n\n&gt;hopeful agnostic  \n\nWhile it does have a cute ring to it, it's even further from accepted terminology you were splitting hairs on and outside *your* use of it, I've never seen it &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;    \n\nI prefer agnostic atheist to distinguish myself from an agnostic theist. Agnostic is both a noun and an adjective, and I use it as an adjective.  I know plenty of theists who admit that while they *think* god is real and conduct their life as such, they are not willing to 100% assert the claim for the same reasons I won't assert 100% that there is no god, hence the distinction. \n\n&gt;Among many other examples in this thread. Treating anyone who doesn't use the term "atheist" in their descriptor as a maroon incapable of understanding even basic verbal distinctions, even when that person is Carl Sagan.  \n\nHmm, that assertion relies heavily on interpretation. Even supposing one does interpret *this* one single thread as such, it is hardly a representation of common behaviors outside this bubble and you would have a hard time gathering evidence otherwise, so there is little point in debating this statement since it is so heavily anecdotal that the claims are meaningless, especially in this sub. FWIW, I feel like we'd make fine allies in most situations regardless of our different terminology used to define what appears to be the same position. Most atheists I've seen discuss this knows Carl Sagan did *not* claim to be atheist, but rather a [pantheist](http://www.pantheism.net/paul/index.htm), but I've never heard him called a maroon ;)\n

Why is your first thought that this is "other than normal"? \n\nAs soon as someone asumes "paranormal", they stop looking for actual answers and instead spend time spinning their wheels looking for a fictional one. If, instead, you assume that there is a "normal" explanation, you are more likely to find it.

The Green Party has always been the woo party, why is anybody surprised by this?

&gt;I don't think his comment got deleted because he shook the very foundation of their belief system. I think it got deleted because he's acting like a "Debbie Downer".\n\nMy thoughts completely. Though I can't tell if you're one of the 15 who agreed with me or one of the 14 who didn't.

Some chiropractors are also M.D.s, and the general public can't really tell the difference.  It's a guy in a lab coat saying big words.\n\nBaby chiropracty is the worst.  I can't understand how it's legal.

You guarantee that the palm, the area on the human body with the densest distribution of sensory neurons, is unable to detect small differences in heat even with lots of practice?\n\nAlso another guy tried it, and though certainly wasn't 100% he wasn't 1 for 6 either. 

Breast milk is different.  You can't get one of the 10+ diseases you could get from cows through human breastmilk.  Also, it is not shipped (generally) but used nearly directly after it is obtained (and refrigerated in between).  

Shit, I like a full beard vs that little one he had, and I prefer a flatop or a day 1 to his comb over. Shit, I dont want to be hitler...\n\nBut at least hitler killed hitler, and he also killed the guy who killed hitler.

You can see them just floating up from the ground one by one and not changing directions, taking off at speed or anything that would indicate craft.  My vote is definitely lanterns.

I think I heard once that Rick Ashley only made 15 dollars off the YouTube activity from rickrolling 

Woo: [Law of attraction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Attraction)

Its a highway which is frequently used here in germany (near munich) so there should always be cars

I never watch videos anymore.  My own sighting wasn't nearly as cool as yours, but enough to blow my mind at age 33

I feel so though I'm being trolled.... How is it defined by time zone?

Apparently as a child, 4.5 and younger, I understood Norwegian. I have no memory of this. 

Will Smith becomes more and more of an idiot the more I read about him.  \n\nI honestly feel bad for his children......

&gt; It's ALWAYS the humans fault when pitbulls go bad.\n\nHow was this the owner's fault? \n\nhttp://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/6961827/Pit-bulls-attack-jack-russell

Generally you can educate stupid, but my mom also takes echinacea on a regular basis, and believes the moon can affect people's moods, so I've given up.\n\nHere was the echinacea conversation:  Hey, Mom, you know that echinacea has been scientifically proven not to work, right?  *I read the bottle:*  "Scientifically proven to work!"  Me:  dammit, nevermind, I don't feel like explaining peer-review, and double blind studies right now.

&gt;Really? I guess that's why you accepted a false statement as fact...\n\nI've said, several times, in several different ways that I *do not* outright accept the claim as fact (I'm simply not dismissing it out of hand). Further, I've mentioned that I wasn't attempting to justify the claim, merely explaining why people aren't flipping their shit over it not being sourced. \n\n&gt;His comment (which was a direct assertion about the topic of the entire conversation) was based upon an unverified 3rd party claim.\n\nHis comment was qualified as hearsay. It as much as says "I don't know if this is true or not". \n\n&gt;Why would you not downvote that?\n\nBecause he's not presenting it as fact? Because it's an entirely plausible and easily falsifiable claim? Because he's not being a prick about it? Because this is a reddit comment and not a peer-reviewed journal?\n\n&gt;People like you ruin reddit, \n\nFuck off, you insufferable pretentious prick. You can take your eternal september and shove it up your ass for all I care, no one is asking you to be here. If you have a problem, you know where the fucking door is. I'm sure there are plenty of places that are in dire need of a mensa-candidate like yourself.\n\n&gt;Reddit used to be awesome purely because of the intelligent discussions\n\nOh ok. Do you spend a lot of time lamenting being surrounded by idiots?\n\n Intelligent discourse is not characterized by only well-sourced claims being submitted therein...unsourced hearsay is not something that can only be discussed in "dumb" conversation. The difference, rather, is in how it is approached. Maybe I'm wrong, but it doesn't look to me like [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) is taking this claim to the bank just because we are having a discussion about it. \n\n&gt;Well, in this case, the claim was false\n\nYou have a source for that claim? Or is this just you resigning yourself to unintelligent discussion, then? Or are you assuming that, because you can't prove it to be true that it is indeed false? \n\nLet me ask you this: In all of your searching, do you even know what you are looking for? Are you an architect who would know the terminology of such design techniques? I only ask because I personally am not, and would not even know where to start with this outside of talking to someone with the rather esoteric knowledge to understand what this sort of claim is even talking about.\n\n&gt;you accepted a false statement as fact without ever asking for evidence. What does that make you?\n\nSince you're putting those words in my mouth, I'll let you riddle that one out.\n

You will attain much more profound results with my trademarked "Quantum Drinking" program. 

Yeah but I live in the city. There aren't any woods or anything like that where I live. Strange creatures aren't supposed to live in the city. They would get spotted too easily. How the heck would it get to my yard if that's what it was?

That show "The Message" ……IS AWESOME\n\n\nJust finished the second episode, its extremely nerdtastic. Love it, cant say enough good things about it honestly. 

global warming doesn't mean the end of life. If and when it gets to the point where is changes our planet, man will just have to adapt to living on a harsher planet. Generally, increased temperatures will mean less frequent precipitation, but harsher storms when the rain does come. This means water will become a more precious resource.\n\nBut the largest impact is going to be on the oceans. Increased ocean temperature is bad for plankton and coral, which are the backbone of the ocean's ecosystem. It also means that the glaciers are going to melt and sea levels will rise. entire island nations will be underwater, not to mention coastal cities on most continents.\n\nUltimately, i have confidence that mankind will either do what is necessary to prevent global warming from becoming a catastrophic event, or we will use our great ingenuity to find ways to cope with climate change. The only reason we are dependent on fossil fuels is because they are the cheapest form of energy. Now that it is apparent that things need to change, our pursuit of alternative energy has grown by leaps and bounds. As governments pass stricter laws against emissions, we will likely see energy costs rise, but this is necessary to curb the effects of global warming.\n\nWe will never convince everyone. Dealing with global warming means higher energy costs, and many people will view this as some government scheme to get more money. Nuclear energy is one area where I am admittedly lacking in knowledge. I do know that it is better for the environment in some ways, but you also have to consider all of the radiation and toxic materials it produces. It is very expensive to clean up this material, and improper disposal is arguably worse for the environment. I admit that i wish i knew more about how nuclear plants operated, and because of my lack of knowledge i am unsure if they are the right way to go.

I was living in a haunted house in second year university. This place had a feeling of absolute dread when we moved in. This house overlooked a ravine and our living room was peering into it with two giant windows. The living room (main floor) was 10ft above ground and the basement led out to the ravine. We had a roomate that lasted a week down there and decided to move abruptly for no reason. \n\nMy experience occurred when I was home alone cooking spaghetti on the main floor which was open concept. This was during winter. It was really cold outside and the steam from the water boiling put condensation on the windows in the living room. I was watching a csi marathon and eating pasta. I was sitting facing the windows and the tv was positioned in front. I then noticed something in the corner of my eye. My eyes completely bugged out when I noticed that a fresh hand print was streaked across the side of the window leaving dripping streams of moisture as it trickled down the window. I booked out of that place and didn't sleep well for a month. \n\nTl;dr steamed up my windows and a handprint appeared smearing moisture from one side to the other

True, but one of the things I love about working in the field is that even when a paper is false it is still possible, and even likely, that it will be corrected. Nothing is more fun then knocking down someone's pet idea in a prestigous journal. And most scientists I know enjoy being proven wrong, even more than being right. Being wrong means you're learning. Being right means you're finished.

Thanks for being the only person to take this seriously, and that explanation sounds plausible.\n\nScience rocks.

The original assertion was that I'm an idiot.  Nano thermite particles *were* found in the debris.  You want a citation for that?  Well, an official one may be difficult to find since the 'investigation' didn't look for it and removed it.  \n\nI will keep questioning the official bullshit story until I die, or until more facts arise.  Your 'skeptical' ilk will do the opposite.  Why are we having this conversation again?

If you choose to watch Haunted Collector, it's basically a demonologist going to people's homes and taking antiques back to his "museum" assuming that this is what causes the hauntings with no follow ups whatsoever...Personally, I love all of them even if it is for entertainment only. Out of all of the evidence, even by rules of average, some must be truly paranormal.

&gt;Do your homework\n\nIt is the positive claimant who has the burden of proof. 

The truly surprising thing is that the CD was never there in the first place. Only the illusion of a CD disappeared, as the universe is a purely mental phenomenon anyway. Now the weird thing about this last statement is that "mental" does not imply existing in a physical brain. We are talking purely mental, mind only. If this answer seems too absurd or stupid, then we might question why we are on a GitM in the first place. Okay, I'll say it: All is glitches!  ;)

I love it when the government cracks down on stuff like this... as long as it relates to beliefs and views that I don't happen to share.

The tales about spirits impregnating women with monster-spawn are, in my belief, all sprung from fear-mongering and lies. Incest, rape, abuse and denial/ignorance may have resulted in birth deformities and traumatic stress. The worst demons are usually human.

This was at University of Pennsylvannia School of Medicine and a quick search shows that Daniel Langleben does a lot of work there on this subject. I followed up a little bit and the conclusion was that even if MRI's are as accurate as Polygraphs their cost is prohibitive to be used in many settings. With this whole line of research it is almost impossible to have a controlled experiment using lie's or accusations that have enough emotional valence to ensure that you are not obtaining false positives. \n\nThe whole study was three hours long. I think we went through each round of questions 3-5 times but I'm not exactly sure. It was a lot of fun as I'd never had the chance to go through a lie detector or an MRI before. I think with my own lie detector I could eventually figure out how to fake it but the idea that someone can go in without extensive practice and beat it using simple tricks is not realistic.

Yes, they believe that the bacteria in the milk is what helps with the body producing lactace to break down the milk sugars.

Yeah, just ignore woo. Let them hunt children without batting an eyelash. That'll show 'em.

There's more than enough evidence present here to back my opinion that given the lights were likely coming from sources on, or just above the ground, that an alien craft is not a likely explanation.  This opinion doesn't need to be a fact to be argumentatively sound and the most reasonable explanation given the evidence.\n \nSo, sorry if I offended you, but I don't view everyone's opinion as valid just because they have one, and I don't really have a problem with telling someone their opinion is unreasonable, or separate from a plausible sequence of events, the bounds of which are dictated by the evidence available.

Any videos of real UFOs in an age when anyone can fake this shit? No? thought not.

I recall a science teacher going on at length about these properties are why we can use glass for submarines without the glass cracking?

If there was a video that analyzed the other two angles, the explanation would be satisfying. I made this thread to hopefully shed some more light on the other two videos.\n\nAnd seriously, who gives a shit about karma? And waste of time, really? Is your time actually wasted by seeing more of these posts? If yes, then perhaps you should stop surfing reddit so much and manage your time better. 

What do you call a doctor that flunked out of med school?\n\nA Dentist.

"The plural of anecdote is not data." -[Someone](http://bearcastle.com/blog/?p=408)

I'm not advocating an agenda here, I'm just pointing out that "the reality of no government" doesn't exist at scale, in modernity.\n\nAll the good that government does is done by people, so it's fallacious to say that people don't rise up and do things about social ills.  It's more effective when good people wield the power of government because government can rally the resources of a nation, but if we look at the most effective efforts towards solving social ills, they were done by individuals amongst a backdrop of societal support and stability that also resulted in higher education and humanism enabled by advances in communication and cultural exchange.\n\nThe government in our history has been a part of the feedback loop of progress.  But let's not forget that it's a link in a chain.  Could it be something else that fulfills its role?  Possibly.\n\nThat is, we have every reason to believe that government is a stepping stone, a tool, a limited resource.  We have no reason to trust that it will come up with solutions, but can only look to it to adopt them when people already have come to expect more.

From the article:\n\n&gt;There are, and always have been, true\ndepressive disorders, in which the response to loss goes\nawry and takes on a debilitating life of its own. But in\nthe past, such disorders were distinguished from normal\nsadness that arises in response to life’s vicissitudes. That\ntraditional, common-sense distinction has broken down in\ncontemporary psychiatry, resulting in the conflation of depressive\ndisorders with normal sadness. The sources and\nsocial implications of this breakdown are as yet largely\nunappreciated.\n\nThis is a common misconception, but mental disorders are only defined when they differ from the "norm" (i.e. their responses are more extreme than the average person), and they cause significant distress which affects the functioning of the individual. No person would be diagnosed for "feeling sad" by a psychologist or psychiatrist. \n\nPart of the reason that depression seems to be 'increasing' is because of increasing the number of disorders/categories, awareness, reduction in stigma, etc, but part of the "increase" in depression is based on a false generalisation. Basically, people will often point at the rising rates of antidepressants as evidence that there is an overdiagnosis problem. However, they often fail to realise that 1) antidepressants are prescribed for things other than depression, and 2) the rise in antidepressant prescription is largely accounted for by people taking them for longer and using more of them. [The number of people actually diagnosed with depression is *decreasing*](http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.co.nz/2009/10/antidepressant-sales-rise-as-depression.html). It's also important to point out that whilst antidepressant use is increasing, [it is only increasing at the exact same rate as all other medications](http://neuroskeptic.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/real-story-on-that-antidepressant-surge.html).\n\nYou get the same silly argument with ADHD and autism, where otherwise intelligent and skeptical people (who scoff at creationists and anti-vaxxers) suddenly lose all ability to engage in rational thinking and start claiming that Big Pharma are "medicalising normal behavior". The anti-psych movement is something we need to be aware of and start actively campaigning against, especially given how serious and dangerous the consequences of the movement can be.

It could have been a demon that was trying to scare you. A demon can feed on fear and might have taken a form that was familiar and terrifying to you. 

&gt;including, famously, the refusal to admit that dinosaurs are extinct because it throws a huge wrench in their 6,000-year-old Earth theory\n\nI went to a middle school that tried to teach me this for a year. I got banned from there too.

I wouldn't say there's ONE example that undoubtedly proves it. You should check out the book http://ufosontherecord.com/. It's one of the only pieces of literature I've read that seriously looks in to the topic from a reasonable perspective.

it's a quest marker.. have you tried asking those people if they need you to kill boars or get a sword out of a cave?

Wow ghost hunting on night shifts will just freak me out more lol. What is " matrixing "?

If you want rational explanations, I can try to offer some.\n\nSplitting lights, ok, this one would require you to have an airport nearby, like 40-50km away or so. Airplanes have these landing/takeoff lights, some have on both sides of a plane, I've seen one like that at least once. You might see 2 lights as one from far enough, or the plane might have been aligned so that you only see one light. After takeoff they usually turn to the direction they are going to go, you would again lose sight of at least one of the 2 lights, and at some point they would turn the lights off anyway. Though the movement wouldn't seem very fast unless the plane was already quite close, and then you would probably have recognized it as a plane. Also you would see these very often if there was an airport nearby. Otherwise, UFOs. :) \n\nSatellites that change direction? Usually offered explanation is that you accidentally started tracking another satellite that crossed the other satellite's path.\nIf you know your coordinates and the time, you could check stellarium if there were any satellites that could match. It's not very accurate as far a I have tried it, but so far I have managed to find all the satellites there that I have shot with my camera, even the one that was awfully slow compared to other satellites (it was just a satellite with very high orbit).

First of all, you're right that there's no evidence that multivitamins provide any benefit to healthy people. But a zinc supplement contains only zinc. It isn't a multivitamin, and so research into the efficacy of multivitamins doesn't really apply here.\n\nIt's hard to give you a good answer with just the information you've given here. Is your mom's doctor a real doctor (and not a naturopath, etc.)? Did s/he give any reasons as to why she should take zinc specifically? If she was showing symptoms of a zinc deficiency, then taking a zinc supplement for a while and watching for improvement isn't a bad idea.

...except when it comes to protecting undeniable public interests, like, say, mitigating the risk of epidemic disease. I don't see how "if you want your kid to attend public school, they need to contribute to herd immunity for the safety of their classmates" is anywhere near the same ballpark as Roe v. Wade.\n\n(See also substance abuse laws, also justified under the idea of "protecting the public health".)

Any one of the elements alone would be believable. All of them together, not so much. 

A clarification of the concept I was tying to the word subconscious: The parts of the brain that to not use language. Basically most everything that is not the ego (buddhist terminology of the word ego), if that makes any sense.\n\nMore specifically what I was talking about above is metaprogramming. Or, not changing our programming, but changing the programing that changes our programing. Altering that part of the brain is nearly impossible to do without an entheogen or certain types of meditation. There are other ways, but generally it is a major pain in the ass, but a fun experiment.\n\nIf you're curious you can alter yourself for a week just to try it for fun. You just have to have the ability to be able to jump into other people's perspectives, as a sort of prerequisite. Like, you could make yourself Christian for a week (see what they see, feel what they feel, think what they think, believe what they believe, ...) and then go back, as an example.\n\nfun fun /babbles

NO TRUE SCOTSMAN!!!11!1\n\n...j/k, I think no true skeptic believes in the validity of organized religion.

I`ll kick in the **other** 50% chance of being CG,...the guy admits it,..\n\n\n**And i didnt even expect someone can take it as a REAl Video** quote-unquote from his YT comments,....[source](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wotPvacFr1U)

Ugh, I was hoping Nat Geo wouldn't go the way of History Channel.

They believe in free energy apparently. That's a good enough summary for me.

First off vaccines are free to all children in the right age groups (well payed for by taxes). The Australian healthcare system is also free if you use the public system, the system presumably that would be treating any people that get sick as a result of unvaccinated kids. As a tax payer, why should I have to subsidize their healthcare when they make a health decision which is not in the interest of the community?\n\nThe video does mention that people who register as conscientious objectors can still get benefits. The same will apply to people who can't medically receive vaccinations.

There was a study in Cardiff that finally gives some credence to it:\n\nhttp://www.wisegeek.com/does-being-cold-cause-illness.htm

You gotta pick your battles friend.  So what if it's bullshit? It shouldn't affect you, just look the other way or ignore it.

&gt;My question is\n\nIt isn't a question: understood in context with the rest of the post, it's an insinuation. Last post to you.

Sorry for the shaky camera. watch in HD\n\nThis ball was floating around, without even making a sound. \nIt was dropping and climbing altitudes at different speeds.\nAround 1:21 kinda zoomed in and you can slightly see a smaller lighter circle rotating around this 'ball' before it went eastward and disappeared.

Why would you even need any help in debunking that fallacious claim?\n\nIt should be quite self-evident that prayer doesn't work; other than to soothe the dissonance in the religiously-afflicted mind.

This isn't the first time someone in /r/skeptic has mistaken a post in /r/nosleep for something serious.

So we have your anecdotal evidence vs. the scientific method: \n\n*The physical changes (listed below) documented in crop circle plants by Michigan biophysicist W.C. Levengood have been determined by evaluating hundreds of sample plants -- both downed and standing -- taken from inside the overall perimeter of each formation against hundreds of control plants taken at varying distances outside each formation, in several directions.* \n\nForgive me if I'm skeptical.

It looks like a non-visible soldier or something. I would think it's not a ghost however, but scary anyways.

Very true. One of the things that I like best about skepticism is that it accepts that we are irrational beings at times and looks to explain that.

&gt;A "safe space" that is "protected" from reason and logic apparently...\n\nThe old richarddawkins forum had essentially the same rule about safe spaces, but I don't think anyone would suggest that it wasn't an area that promoted reason and logic. It just had rules preventing people from spamming the forum with religious preaching, in order to protect the members who were from areas where they had suffered serious discrimination due to their atheism. 

She came onto this site to make money and rip people off, I'd say she got exactly what she deserved.

A conservative homophone theologian working hard to fuck-up the lives of the poor and sick and suck money from their bank accounts. Just like Jesus would have done...er wait.

For others (like me) [the horse racing special](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX94fV4TWbc&amp;feature=PlayList&amp;p=22FC35ED58E093FA&amp;index=0)

So in your opinion, WAIT WAIT. Your *personal* NOT professional opinion. Do these drapes clash?

Grohl is a bad bitch.  Nirvana called him up to be in the band.  Then after that he runs to foo fights,

It's a little more complex than that. The most dangerous radioactive isotopes have very short half-lives (obviously, it's the energy released that is dangerous). Some people have moved back to the exclusion zone in Pripyat. Despite predictions, aside from the unfortunate children that suffered from thyroid cancer, long term cancer risks have not materialized out of Chernobyl. So "highly elevated" is not the right word. And Hiroshima? Just because it's detectable doesn't mean it's high. It's not, and hasn't been for decades.

And without the efforts to cut them that have been made, it would be climbing higher.\nConsider it a race, if you prefer, between our ability to engineer a solution and the consequence of a century or so of industrial pollution. As time goes on more and more efforts will be made, and it will get easier to make those efforts.\n\nMore public information and debate will help, such as explaining the difference between a nation reducing CO2 releases and a nation outsourcing them to China where the rules are more lax and they pollute more (plus even more from the additional transport costs).

We should hunt together! Provided we are within an hour of each other... Still poor...

Im guessing you havent received any answers because this is /r/UFOs, and there is still no relation between circles and UFOs, other than in our minds,...\n\n\nIf you want to believe check [here](http://www.cropcircleconnector.com/2011/2011.html)\n\n\nIf you want to see how people make them in 4hours or less check [here](http://circlemakers.co.uk/)

Endemic discrimination in an institution obviously still happens.\n\nInstitutionalized discrimination means that there are official laws, policies or procedures that enforce discrimination. This is illegal in the US, Canada, the UK and many other places. You can't put up a job posting with "No Women" or "No Irish" anymore.\n\nI thought the definition of that phrase was well known, but if not I can see where the confusion comes from.

there are studies, i read them on Pub Med, but theyre not "longitudinal" i.e. because this stuff is so new it hasnt been tested for long term use.  the long term testing has all been premarin related b ecause that was the gold standard yrs ago.\n\nthe normal administration of the new bioidenticals is "transdermal", through the skin.  it bypasses the digestive system altogether.  its three hormones in balance -- estrogen, estradiol, and progesterone.  premarin was i think estrogen only, which if i understand corrxly can be carcinogenic.  \n\nre vaginal injections, it sounds pretty sensationalized.  basicaly its important to get the hormones dirxly to the vaginal tissues, else you can run into the skin-tearing scenario i was mentioning.  so, you can use a plastic plunger-like thing with measuring marks on it to administer it vaginally.  i guess you could call that "injections" but its not really that.  supposedly the absorbtion rate is good and it makes sex possible again.\n

^This\n\nBear in mind that many (but not all) herbs do have measurable physiological effects on the body.  Think willow bark (aspirin), foxglove (digitalis), etc.\n\nA number of herbs also have interactions with prescription drugs.\n\nIt would be wise to check the ingredients in her supplements and search them on pubmed.gov to see what you learn.  May be harmless, in which case all she's doing is throwing money down a rathole and building belief that her (likely) alt-quack can actually cure serious diseases and not just hypochondria. \n\nOh, right.  THERE'S the harm.\n\n\n\n

&gt; I said that no skeptic thinks in that way.\n\nBut you're still somehow saying that all skeptics think the same way, as if you're all connected to some kind of hive-mind. Is that so, or do at least some skeptics think a bit different from the others?\n\n&gt; Checked those three links... And the brain as a receiver? Seriously? That's an old crackpot theory, and it still explains nothing. It just pushes the problem back.\n\nYes, seriously:\n\nhttp://www.scienceandtheneardeathexperience.com/pages/Does-consciousness.pdf\n\nhttp://www.scienceandtheneardeathexperience.com/pages/Augustine%27s-article.pdf\n\nhttp://www.scienceandtheneardeathexperience.com/pages/Rebuttal-to-Augustine.pdf\n\n&gt; I find that hard to believe. The computational theory of mind is not the default anywhere, it takes a lot of study to understand it. The default position even in secular countries like Germany, or New Zealand where I'm from is that there is some kind of ghost in the machine.\n\nGah. That may be the default position in the public at large, but it's not in academia or intellectual circles, which is what I was getting at.\n\n&gt; Anyway, is this the kind of evidence against physicalism?\n\n&gt; Because if it is it's bullshit.\n\nOMG YOU'RE RIGHT! THAT WAS THE MOST LUCID REFUTATION OF THE PROPOSED EVIDENCE I'VE EVER SEEN! WHY DIDN'T I THINK ABOUT THAT BEFORE? GO THROUGH THE EVIDENCE BEFORE SAYING IT AIN'T SO? NAH; JUST CALL IT BULLSHIT A PRIORI AND MOVE ON! :D:D:D:D::D:D:D:D

Please don't generate any traffic for a site like this. Also; If you're employed by a serious company this site is NSFW.

Whew... Had me worried there for a bit. Cripes, it just blows my mind that anyone thinks Chopra knows anything about anything.

Incorrect.  Thank you for proving how little the pro-GMO supporters actually know about this topic.\n\nThat is one of the major issues in the GMO debate.  The fact that you also do not even understand it simply demonstrates that you are trying to debate a topic while lacking the basic understanding of the concepts central to the debate.\n\nYou are no different than the woman you are attacking in the video.  \n\nThanks for the laughs, and have a nice day.  Let me know when you ever get that degree...

The door to the closet was already open, as I left it open when I went to bed. The Shadow Person didn't move anything. I was just terrified and kept thinking that whatever it was wanted to scare me - so I thought that if I rolled over and attempted to get out of the closet, that it would shut the door. I didn't move, so the door never shut. Maybe it never would have, I was just scared that it would. And it felt like 30 minutes or so, but it could've been less time. I just know it was long enough that I became fully awake for quite a while, hoping that it was my imagination and that it would be gone once I was completely awake.\n\nSorry, looking back, I was a bit ambiguous on that.

Absolutely true; it was mostly the terminology which bothered me. Crap papers getting a lot of controversy deserve mention, but only so far as to explain why and how they are crap papers.

Well, when the CIA trains them and supplies them with weapons it is not that far fetched.

They're gradually shifting towards the middle now that they're the most popular news source. Very, very gradually.

renaissance is WAAAAAAAAAY later than this stuff, hahaha. if you're thinking that as ancient then I can't argue with you. They had writing and poetry and written music, etc.. lols. also, you don't know if jesus was white or not, but its good speculation to think he's not. can you give a decent example of ancient 'enchanced creative' art or 'practical jokes' please?\n\nedit: jesus is arbitrary example because thats a religious icon that still holds today, also he never existed in the sense that he's written in. so prove santa clause is white for me

I guess the real answer is "nothing could hold that mutch(sic) pressure" that we know of in conventional research &amp; development,...but that does not mean that billions, in multiple generations of black budget programs, have not been used to do exactly that.\nFouche is an ex-employee of one of these programs and maintains that not only is the science sound, but working prototypes/models have been researched &amp; developed as well. \nHis delivery is solid &amp; it all sounds right, assuming we've worked past a few technical, scientific and physics obstacles,...

Milk doesn't change the taste a lot, but the temperature will fall noticeably with the introduction of cold milk.

Has anyone noticed how amazingly comfortable-looking and elegant [Sigmund Freud's sofa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freud_Sofa.JPG) looks?\n\nNo wonder psychoanalysis became popular so quickly!\n

I don't think it is so much the video as the question it brings to the OP's mind. He saw the video. It is an antidote.  He now wonders about all the rhetoric he has heard about smoking.

So 16 trillion dollars worth of debt is good now, seems very viable even with no more wars in the future. I'm just stating a case against an ignorant american. Europe won't crumble to shit, maybe you mean the eurozone, that's a bit more believable but probably not. The Germans make money off bailouts, also they aren't the only ones giving them out

Aha, I never thought of it that way! Homeopathy **does** work... just not in the way the people buying that crap think.

I don't think that would work. I does not sound convincing. We could solve a lot of world problems if we figure out a way to do this in a convincing way. But as always. We need to figure out what to do with the bodies. There is going to be a lot of bodies. Sad but true.

NPR Freakonomics did a segment once about how most wine ratings are near-fraudulent and that experts can't tell a $100 bottle from a $15 one, but that there does seem to be a noticeable difference between a $15 one and a $5 one.\n\nPersonally, I find it hard to even tell what *type* of wine I'm drinking unless I see the label.  Even the same bottle of wine can taste different if it's been open for a few hours from when you first open it.

Well, I propose to you that there is no such thing as the supernatural. There is only the natural. \n\nBut I'll agree that science, as it sees itself in the mirror, concerns itself strictly with physical phenomena. This wasn't always the case. At least, it wasn't always the way people defined science.\n\nIt's relatively recently, the late 19th century, that science relegated itself to the physical realm. At the time, it was Gottlieb Ficht, Hegel, and Rudolf Steiner vs. Nietzsche, Schopenhaur, and to a lesser extent, Kant.\n\nThe general question was "What is real?" What is reality? IMO, the scientist studies real phenomena in order to determine what the nature of that reality is.\n\nThe "spiritual" world lost the philosophical battle. "God is dead" described the idea that science now can fill all gaps that the hocus pocus "spiritual realm" left behind. Even today, we have the concept that modern science is the Light to bring civilization into a glorious, modern era, because it was viewed as a reaction to what many viewed as philosophical impressionism. \n\nIn my view, this is like Hitler hating Debussy. Of course, Wagner has such obvious boldness which when compared to Debussy seems confident, strident, while Debussy's chords and strokes invoke vague uncertainties.\n\nYour earlier response, which I read when completely hammered, had a truism in there that I would like to revisit. I believe that you said that it is pointless for science to overturn axioms for the sake of investigations. And I would agree with you there.\n\nBut if science can be honest about the axioms as it encounters them, that would be good enough for me. In other words, I cannot ask scientists to be comfortable with the vague, apparently dischordant philosophical ideas (Debussy). But I can ask them not to be uncomfortable.\n\nThat's really all I want. The reactionary-ism that scientists seem to approach the subject of the "paranormal" (as opposed to normal) or the "supernatural" (as opposed to natural) ... is in my view, fundamentally unscientific.\n\nWhich means that I can't ask a scientist to see God, but I can ask him, when he sees God, to be honest as a scientist about it.\n\nThis is what I believe is fundamentally missing from science. It's true that in the 19th century there was a ton of spiritisim, Fraud, charlatanism and theatrics DID definitely exist. \n\nBut it seems that there still is some kind of fear of it. It's like an ad-hominem attack, only it's a reaction against a group of charlatans and profiteers that prevents scientists from handling this stuff seriously.\n\nFor example. [Pam Reynolds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pam_Reynolds_case) is the only official NDE. People die all the time. They find the interdimensional portal to Heaven, as you put it, and they come back.\n\nMy question is, how can you say that science takes this seriously, if there is only one official, controlled case? Was it so obviously a pointless waste of time to study? At worst, you have dramatic therapeutic effects at work. There was a mafia man that had an NDE, and came back, and became a schoolteacher. Isn't this of interest to psychology?\n\nThis isn't yet to speak of telepathy, reincarnation, psi, or remote viewing. Though they're all pretty much treated the same way by science.\n\nAliens seems to be treated more or less the same way. (Especially when people say that they communicate telepathically.)

You and your studies. We already know it's true. Why waste money on stupid studies?

Did he take caffeine consumption from other sources into consideration? Not doing so is amazingly common in papers about caffeine and caffeine containing substances, and pretty much invalidates the research. Even if I can understand why. It's really hard to find people who don't get regular doses of caffeine every day. Even among kids. 

We need more information.  This is the first time I've seen accounts of "orbs" that are visible at the time they're being filmed.  Can you at least post the video?

&gt; Ron Paul's connection to the conspiracy movement can't be ignored.\n\nSure it can, since Ron Paul himself has never advanced such ridiculous theories.  Fans of his (like Alex Jones) have, but he's not in charge of who decides to advocate for his campaign.  GOProud and Log Cabin Republicans both endorsed Mitt Romney, but nobody would accuse Romney of being pro-gay.

Sorry, a conversation you had with someone that you got high with once is not proof of anything except the fact that perhaps you can type.

He most probably has a better understanding of the issue though, doesn't that make him more qualified to speak?

This too is demonstrably false, by way of every successful terrorist attack carried out by devout Muslims.

I think before anybody could start explaining or discovering what the solution to your problem is, you'll have to give a few examples about your possession other than the fact that a woman said you did.\nIm curious. 

Before even getting into the technical details of skyscrapers and airplane impacts, as I'm sure others will point out, start with the nature of the conspiracy itself. Think about how many people would need to be involved (hundreds). Think about people setting up buildings for demolition while people are still working in the buildings, and no one being suspicious. And no one coming out/whistle blowing after the fact. Think about how the simplest tasks our government attempts can be hopelessly tied up in bureaucracy. \nAlso: WMD's in Iraq. How easy would that have been to plant evidence for? Pretty goddamn easy I imagine, and they couldn't even pull that off. The whole justification for the war, and something that forever tarnished Bush's legacy, could have been EASILY faked. But they couldn't/didn't. The complexity of the organization required for "the government" to pull off something on the scale of 9/11, I think, is enough of an argument against any sort of conspiracy. \n

Yes! That! I have heard that same meaningless bullshit so many times! UGH!\n

Sorry, I'm new to Reddit and apparently I can't yet get the dry sarcasm. Soon my reddit wings will blossom into a mighty spread and I will learn.

Same here. I too usually just find myself reading an article, shaking my head that things are the way they are, and going on. About the best I could offer up as commentary is a "me2", and I usually consider comments like that worse than none. 

Never, ever, get in between a mom and woo-woo bullshit. They **need** their woo. People who point out that something is BS are evil to them. Oprahfication is nearly complete in the United States.

no, of course he can't, any more than Teller can actually catch a bullet in midair.  What he can do is create the illusion that he did so.

They didn't attack anything. They just hovered over them and disabled them. Does that qualify as an 'attack'? Kind of like irritated parents taking something dangerous out of a child's hands before they hurt themselves with it.\n\nEdit: and what the hell: that second picture is a lenticular cloud.

Mwahaha I now have all the precious karma. How did you see through my cunning plan and realise I was looking to gain profit rather than show an image that I thought r/skeptic would enjoy? Would you like me to now forfeit my 60 link karma I got from this devious act?

Do you think it's possible that your daughter is the reincarnation of your mother?

That's not a good reason to see a chiropractor. Actually, there is no good reason to see a chiropractor. I would recommend a physical therapist.

Ok, I'm not an anti-vaxxer but are any of you really pro flu shot in healthy adults. I'm not talking about old people, o can see why they would want to be protected from the flu but personally I can handle the flu and won't be getting a flu shot until I think I'd be endangering myself not to.\n\nSo what I'm asking is do all of you that get so angry at anti-vaxxers really think we should all be getting flu shots or are you only pro- vaccines that protect against disease with a reasonable chance of death/disfigurement.

They have to desensitize their dumb masses so we don't have another War of the Worlds' radio show mass-suicide/freakout.

what? relying on semantics to fight your battles now?\n\nokay, i'll clean it up for you: I think he died in a car collision. The question that is asked by people interested in this subject is whether it was an accident or if it was planned/staged. \n\nHappy?

Has anybody addressed the sizable transfer of funds from the 10:23 movement to the homeopaths?  With a growing number of participants buying around ten doses for a single use, surely this has to have an effect on the homeopaths bottom line.\n\nI'm sure a case could be made for short-term losses with intentions of yielding long-term gains.  After all, 10:23 is a campaign to bring awareness not completely unlike other advertising campaigns.  Nevertheless, something about handing my money over to the very group I oppose doesn't feel right.\n\n

Yea that aggravates the hell out of me and immediately calls the video into doubt to me.

I'm sorry, but after seeing special effects and faked videos my whole life, you just learn to spot them. This is one of those fakes.

He means that we didn't hear this from the source first-hand. Someone heard him say this on his deathbed then the maker of the video was told by someone else so we're technically hearing this third-hand. 

I bet you took the lightbulb out too, you night vision mischief cat fucker

Now you're talking, as long as we have people who can moderate it and stay on the ball with submissions to be categorized. Regulars on the ufo sub etc. 

Are you delusional or a con artist? When you try to sleep at night, are the demons keeping you awake the knowledge that you are misleading gullible individuals? 

It's simply that the efficiency of vaccines are never 100%, thus if your child has the misfortune of not developing a strong enough immune response it can still catch the disease from others.\n\nEfficacy of routinely used vaccines*\n\nDiphtheria: 87%-96%\n\nTetanus: &gt;90%\n\nPertussis: 35%-96%\nRecent studies have shown that pertussis vaccines currently in use in the United Kingdom have efficacies of over 90%\n\nHaemophilus influenzae type b (conjugate vaccines): 94%-100%\nThe polyribosylribitol phosphate-diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (not used in the United Kingdom or the United States) may have a lower efficacy in some populations\n\nOral polio: 90%-100%\nOral polio vaccine seems to be less immunogenic in developing countries\n\nMeasles: 90%-95%\n\nMumps: 90%-98%\nThe Rubini strain of vaccine virus has a lower efficacyin fact, a general study showed it to have no protective efficacy\n\nRubella: &gt;95%\n\nBCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin): 0%-80% \n\nReference: http://www.whale.to/vaccines/efficacy.html

Maybe it's [this one](http://eceti.org/Eceti.IndexII.html) in Trout Lake, Washington? I am always skeptical of websites and people who make claims like this guy does, though.  \n\nEDIT: [Here's an interesting story](http://www.oregonmufon.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=110:ufos-at-gillilands-trout-lake-sanctuary&amp;catid=40:ufo-stories&amp;Itemid=41) about that place.

&gt;He tries to predict this one and is dismissed by this agency as someone who's just causing trouble.\n\nBecause he is. He's a known quack here in Italy. He's pseudoscience at its finest. 

[Journalism has reached the point where it is no longer considered fact checking.](http://xark.typepad.com/my_weblog/2012/08/why-fact-checkers-fail.html) Fact checking could make you appear biased so it is avoided in order to maintain an audience.\n\nAs Stephen Colbert once put it "Reality has a well known liberal bias", which has gotten fact checking organizations accused of being liberal when they point out certain lies.

And I know a few of the Atheist Experience people are redditors as well.\n\nHey Rebecca!\n\nHey Russell and Lynnea!

Did you even read that article? Be honest. *edit. The one on organic food.

why would the message itself make it deemed a fake? i thought the message is what made it even more valid. \n\nMilitary helicopters chase out orbs all the time in the U.K region where crop circles are common. \n\nHere are some examples in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmXU1XRhAB0&amp;hd=1#t=49m26s

You've found a circlejerk thread in this subreddit and correctly pointed out the BS. But... are a few circlejerk topics really that huge of a deal? Are they not to be expected when a group of people get together to talk about something relevent to them? 

My girlfriend swears by her neti pot, I have yet to find the courage to try it out.  

Let me rebut that bullshit.  \n\n"Organic" farming is not healthier for the earth.  Whenever you start to argue it though, it turns into a case of "No True Scottsman," that is, whatever you say is organic farming isn't really organic farming and this kind of organic farming is the kind that's so much better for the environment.\n\nTaking some of the best practices of organic farming (I grew up on an organic farm a long time ago) like crop rotation, and cover crops, and combining them with the best practices of inorganic farming, (synthetic fertilizers, safer synthetic pesticide alternatives, no-till) is the best way forward.  \n\nBut we're not going to get there, because people buy organic because they think it's pesticide free, or healthier, or whatever myths blind their better judgement.  People are just generally really uninformed, and don't have much desire to get informed.  Like the wall of links below me, there's not a single whiff of evidence that "Organic" is better for the environment.\n\nI've had people tell me that organic was no-till, and thus, better for the environment.  Bitch, please.  I tilled the shit out of my little plot of whatever the fuck I was working on.  Probably some unpalatable hippy vegetable like rudabega.  And it hurt.  And Mr. Heberlein told me I was embarrassing him because my little 8 year old body had to jump on the spade to sink it into the earth.  Organic is all till, all the time, and it exposes the earth to run off, and at scale, that compromises the water table and degrades soil nutrient.  Which is replaced with pig shit.  Pig shit shoveling day was not fun times for this  8 year old, lemme tell you.  \n\nAnd a germane link, in case someone actually reads this:\n\nhttp://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~anthro/food/TrewavasMyths.html

In the original comments, another redditor correctly designates it The Dumbpiphany

yes but think of all the data- occasional glitches among trillions of bytes... its kind of inevitable. 

It's a Terry Pratchett reference :D The City of Um, where they invented the golem and never needed any other technology, because golems did all their work for them. Wheels were used only for toys and so on. This is from the book called "Making Money", though golems are covered earlier on, too. If you haven't read Pratchett, I highly recommend it :)

Oh I wasn't denying it happens either. Just that we need to put this into perspective. 1:250,000 is a very rare problem, and while it certainly justifies the Japanese authorities actions, it is not something which should be used to condemn vaccination in total.

I don't think that there are enough studies to to provide a good enough approach. Every time I hear "gun control" it is immediately followed by "In Europe" or "In England" which is where I live. The problem is that these 2 examples are nothing like America. Private gun ownership wasn't really encouraged. Ownership of guns can be dangerous but if the law was changed tomorrow the only thing that would change is that people who follow the law and have registered guns would have to hand them all in (dependent on type of weapon) and the criminals can carry on doing whatever they want and as far as I know there are a lot of unregistered weapons in criminal hands. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against gun control in the US, I just think the whole thing has to be approached from a new angle and not to look overseas for examples or models in order to reach a conclusion. That's my 2 pence. Happy New Year to you! Keep thinking!

Plausible causes: [Hypagognia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogic_hallucinations) and [sleep paralysis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_paralysis)

A significant portion of trees used for paper production are farmed, not logged. Because trees take a long time to be worth using, that actually results in fairly huge tree farms that probably wouldn't exist if not for the paper industry needing them. 

Well, I wouldn't say that's necessarily too far from the truth. The greatest wisdom is knowing that you know nothing, after all.

This isn't just a collection of minor points of dispute. It's really important to see #2-#9 in the context of #1, the point being that they marshal all of these elements into the grand argument that religion is inherently at odds with civilization. But if their evidence is distorted and their arguments are riddled with fallacies, then the only intellectually honest thing to do is question their conclusion.\n\n&gt; their argument from what i can remember is if you arn't following the book to the letter then your not very good with your faith and then why not take the next step and not bother.\n\nOne major question asked by the essays (particularly "The Taxonomy of Religion") is: Why should we regard fidelity to a text or creed as central to the definition of religion? Familiarity with Judaism, Christianity and Islam may make it look like that's a common feature of all religions, but some religions have no text at all and others have no one basic text that all its sects and members agree on. Others treat their texts more fluidly, and even in Christianity, the demand for absolute fidelity to the Bible is a more modern phenomenon. A more consistent feature from religion to religion would seem to be the way that religions organize themselves around rituals, so why not define them that way?

I've always been told that shirts help dogs with anxiety. I haven't heard of clothing being useful for anything more than that.

True. I still think Sapolsky is smarter than I am so a little thought is warranted. 

Yet another case where someone says that a corporation did something wrong, as if a corporation was a living being capable of making  decisions.\n\nNo, a corporation didn't do something wrong, a person or group of people did something wrong. Don't play the corporation game where  abstract concepts that exists only on paper can be blamed for the misdeeds of mankind.

Yeah, what the hell is a "bankster"? is it some sobriquet specifically cooked up for people in this scam- a portmanteau of "banker" and "prankster"? Laundering money isn't a prank, it's a federal crime.

They're not trying to help, they're trying to "help". What they're really gonna do is waste everyone's time and efforts and do nothing except have a talking point about how they went to Haiti to "help". This is nothing more than poverty tourism.

Why do you feel that communicating with a loved one would create emotional trauma? \n\nOn the flip side, do people you knew try to communicate with you? Or do people you didn't necessarily know, ask you to pass on messages to their loved ones that are still alive?

Not to sound like a humourless prick, but get that shit out of my serious subreddit.

The better question is "Can the *author* prove it" as they have neglected to do so in the article. They make claims with no sources. Better not to dwell on it, but to just ignore it when this is the case.  If they could have proven it they would have in the article.

I agree, these lamps put out a warm glow and are very pleasant.  I see them sold for about $25, so I could justify buying one because they cost the same as normal lamps.  The ions don't factor into it.\n\nedit: predictive text

I can't really be specific, like I said I was only retelling what I had heard from other people. I offer no links, no data. I was very upfront about that. \n\nI have been told that the fermentation process creates a product that has estrogen like properties. Consumed in mass by men this can cause a hormonal problem. \n\nTrue? False? Fuck, I don't know. Like the poster was asking, someone give real information, as opposed to links to people opinions.

Apparently the guy is a far right libertarian.\n\nWho sends his daughter to public school.\n\nAnd is seeking damages that rely on health and environmental safety regulations.\n\nWhat a leach on society. Way to bootstrap asshole.

Its magical thinking. Irrationality at its' best.\n\nNow I'm totally conflicted. Do I profit from irrationality or remain true to the benefits?

Does anyone see anything in that Moa picture? I really can't see anything more then a tree. 

Thank you for responding to so many questions. You're excellent, OP. \n    \n    \nI live in California. My interests include videogames, dogs, and forming complex and novel ways of interpreting reality. Among other things.

&gt;But the day will never come when someone on American media has the balls to say "The ideas the republican party is spouting are rubbish and thus we will not be discussing them today, except for how and why they are incorrect"\n\nReally?  It seems to me that many on MSNBC (Maddow, Ratigan, etc.) take this line almost every day.

Sleep paralysis used to happen so often, it terrified me several times a week. However after reading Charles Tart's fine book, "The End of Materialism" I realized that I could use these episodes as a jumping point to have an OBE(out of body experience), or at least a really cool lucid dream.  Mr. Tart actually had a subject who would have OBEs and he measured her brainwaves while she was out.  It was a weird alpha wave that baffled everybody.  So logically, I knew that my brain was probably in theta while paralyzed, which is close to alpha, so next time I got paralysis, I decided to take control and try to go out.\n\nI wanted to share my dream journal entry from 4/12/2011, it's pretty neat:\n\n4/12/2011\nMy extremities started to tingle and vibrate. I found I could not move them. A loud scary buzzing sound. Felt like my body was rising. Sleep Paralysis. Again. But this time I didn't fight, this time I said to myself,\n\n"Awesome, hypnogogic consciousness! My brain is doing it's 'theta-wave mode' thing. I want an OBE and I want to be lucid! I am going to try to float to the ceiling. I am a powerful positive &amp; loving energy vortex generator. This is really great my brain/body is doing this. I am going to go for 'unusual alpha-wave-OBE mode like I read about in "The End of Materialism" by Charles Tart! I am ready and I am into it! Bring it on! BRING IT ON!!!!"\n\nAnd I expected to hit the ceiling as I attempted to fly &amp; as they say 'astrally project.' And then this buzzing white noise got louder. And then my entire body vibrated and it was scary and I heard this evil man or entity's deep horrible voice. And then I crossed over. I do not know what I crossed over but then my consciousness went somewhere else. I think that I overshot my goal... I don't remember having a body at this point, I seemed to be pure awareness. I remember hearing the most prettiest Native American music I have ever heard -flutes and chanting and drumming. Kind of hard to explain as it was mainly a non-physical realm, but it was pitch black like outer space, a fine clear starry night. There was a gathering &amp; a bonfire, but I don't remember any smoke. I felt the presence of spirit coyote and spirit raven. And I was all ears listening to the most beautiful ethereal Native American music just playing. It lasted for a moment in this realer than real place that was forever. It was such a nice night with the stars and the fire. and then I returned through the buzz/white noise to reality my bed and body in my room. I wanted to go back, and I followed the white noise/buzzing freaky loud low sound and I got there again, but only very briefly, then I don't remember anything after this. Likely deep sleep.\n\nI wrote this the following morning. Right after waking up. Sleep paralysis is no longer scary. It is an opportunity to have adventures out of my body!

They just childishly list all the sources that support evolution and then insert "not," and "didn't."  It's pre-school stuff.\n\nIt makes it clear that the guys who come up with it are lying consciously.  They know science isn't saying that.

I think you might have misinterpreted the responses to some points. I realise I don't speak for everyone but I'll try and give the evidence based view.\n\n&gt; There are real benefits to a diet high in plant matter (vegetables/fruit/legumes/beans/et.al.) and low on animal fats. Do I really need sources? I think you really do all know this. Animal fat increases risks of many heart diseases and cancers. Many plants have properties that reduce these.\n\nI don't think anyone would disagree with you. Most of the derision here is aimed at the fad diets not a balanced healthy diet. A balanced diet isn't something the alt med people came up with they just claim it as their own to make the other things they peddle seem more believable.\n\n&gt; There are also some herbs that can be effective medicines. These herbs are plants. Some plants we eat food can also have medicinal properties.\n\nAgain no one should dispute that herbal medicine works, it's where we get a lot of modern pharmaceuticals from. There are problems with the way herbal medicines are sold though. For one herbal medicine tends to be less effective and have more side effects than the medicine made from it. It also can't be given in reliable dose size. A lot of herbal medicine sellers also sell stuff like homeopathy and using the tongue to diagnose things everywhere. There is also a tendency to over exaggerate the health benefits.\n\n&gt; Why not do what we've been doing in a symbiotic time-honored tradition for small ailments or as preventative measure?\n\nBecause we have much more effective ways of dealing with this. 

Ok, it's actually interesting that you actively know they are hallucinations, but somehow keep the illusion up (interesting in the way that you can't tickle yourself because you know it's you who's responsible and not some potential insect or whatever). Maybe this is some extreme form of imagination. Obligatory question: do you use drugs? I think the neuroscientist obviously will be able to specify the origin of these hallucinations. Does this actually only happen if you try really hard? Because if this doesn't happen by itself then you seem to be fine and just have a strange/distinctive kind of imagination. I guess the human perception is so individual and prone to it's own commanding that you can do this. 

This is why the gods gave us Trader Joe's and "Charles Shaw" (I'm not sure if the quotes are appropriate or not, he may have existed.

&gt; You mean the factually accurate, scientific consensus bubble?\n\nNo.  I mean the scientific consensus bubble.  You'd be surprised how relative is that "factual accuracy" you so dogmatically cling to.\n\n&gt; Yeah its great in here.\n\nI'm sure you feel that way.  That's part of the problem.\n\n&gt; Actually, the burden of proof is on you.\n\nLook up Virginia Steen MacIntyre.  Look up Dr. John Mack.  Look up Dr. Stephen Greer and what happened at The National Press Club.  You want to go ahead and remain an ostrich with your head in the sand after the information that they and many, many others have provided - a LOT of whom are greatly respected even *in* this "scientific consensus bubble* you so religiously cling to - then go ahead.  You've already said "It's great" in there, so I know you'll simply keep staying in your little cubby.  That's expected.\n\n&gt; If you are going to claim the sky is pink and rain is unicorn piss, then you are the one who should have to prove it\n\nI'm not claiming that, however.  To carry your analogy, not only is this being claimed by individuals vastly more qualified than you or I will ever be, but experiences have been documented too often to simply be denied as "cookery".\n\n&gt; In a perfect world maybe, but then there is such a gargunatuan volume of bullshit I would have to wade through, its simply not practical.\n\nAnd there you go.  THIS is the very reason why you and so many people like you hide behind your supposed "knowledge" and "practicality" while still be completely and entirely lost and wrong.\n\nThere IS a lot of bullshit to wade through.  There ARE a lot of bullshitters and hocus pocus p.o.s. out there.  This is absolutely true, unfortunately.  However, there is also a LOT of truth; a lot of people that are greatly intelligent, incredibly qualified, and who are considered experts and quite imminent in their field.\n\nThere's a HUUUGE mountain of hay that exists, and this dissuades the majority of people from doing anything but simply relying on what the stupid, sheep hive mind and the main stream media tells them to think . . . but there are a LOT, a *LOT* of "needles" of truth, facts, and actual events in that haystack too.  They might not be easy to find because there's so much hay, and it gets discouraging to have to wade through it all.  Many are too lazy and simply give up and decide to go back and continue to live in their little "scientific consensus bubble" that "feels so great", but the fact is that the information and the truth and the proof IS there and a lot of it GREATLY contradicts what the masses and the population are brought up and conditioned to believe is the case.\n\n&gt; You arent the matrix.\n\nI'm not trying to be.  I'm no more that than you or anyone else is.  Conversely, I'm also just as much that as you or anyone else is.\n\n&gt; Get over yourself.\n\nGet over your weak mindedness.  Get over the training you've had that conditions you into believing that what you ascertain with your stupid, incredibly weak, shitty senses is all there is.\n\nWake the fuck up.

Interesting that this was shot in Avebury, where a large number of crop circles show up every summer. The woman who filmed this said she thought there might be a crop circle there the next morning. If we knew the date this film taken on, we could check to see if any circles were reported the next day.

By no means am I an expert, wanna make that clear up front. That being said I have had something following me since I was young, I have moved 3 times in my adult life and it has always followed. I have been told to "get out" I have had remotes thrown at me, pictures thrown, and more. So far I have never been physically harmed. It is at. Times horrifying but I do not know what to do. So it is possible something followed them.

This merits discussion.  Some of these balloons offer alternatives to a ton of major sightings in the past decade.  Black triangles, spheres, ovals, cigar-shapes, et al.  Thanks for this!

I think the problem is that, at an event where trained professionals were necessary, only chiropractors (people trained in pseudoscience) were provided. It's sort of like having Evel Knievel attempting his most daring stunt ever, but only having homeopaths on hand in case anything goes wrong. \n\nIt seems that chiropractors have become viewed as valid "health care providers" now, and since there is no validity to the field, it's something we should be skeptical of and fighting against.\n\nThat's my best guess, anyway. 

I think that muscle energy, counter strain, and high velocity low amplitude (HVLA or "cracking") are legitimate means of correcting range of motion issues or muscle pain.\n\nI personally think that "cranial osteopathy" is bunk.\n\nI know for certain that MDs frequently prescribe muscle energy (to be performed by physical therapists) for range of motion or muscle pain.

20 seconds before seeing this link, my girlfriend texted me that she hung out with Dan Aykroyd last night in Vegas. Apparently, he was smoking some serious pot and talking about Area 51 and the end of the world, etc. 

Its for realz peoplz!!!!! Time to Randi involved and claim that million bucks!

I want to high-five the politician who thought of this. I fucking love this country.

It could be anything, because its hard to judge measurement with a sun that's 1000x bigger than the whole Earth. Could it possibly be mass from the sun collecting into a dense object? Could it be Mercury, or some other space object, like an asteroid or comet? Maybe even miniature black holes, or plasma balls? Or simply a deviation or gap from the flare to make it look like an object? Would something like a spacecraft even be able to get that close? Unlikely.

Haha I'm flattered but my stories aren't about exciting disks or anything like that.\n\nThe first one I saw I wrote about [Here](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/13oe2w/green_fireball_ufo/).\n\nThe second was in Dublin in the mid 90s,I was with a couple of friends and we watched what looked like a shooting star get bigger and bigger,it was glowing white with a tail composed of different colours,we swore then it changed trajectory and leveled off but today time has created doubt :(.\n\nLots of people saw it and it was on the radio but I never heard a definitive explanation(guesses about space debris etc but no reports of any due to fall).\n\nThe third last year was very strange to me.\n\nI was outside staring up at the stars(as believers and seers do,maybe thats why so many see them more than once when some people never see any).\n\nAnyway I watched what looked exactly like a satellite moving across the sky when from the opposite direction another "satellite" approached looking exactly like the first,right where they passed each other(from my persepctive)one just stopped dead and the other carried on.\n\nI watched it for maybe 5 minutes and it looked like it was moving about but it was definitely just involuntary eye movement that happens to everyone trying to focus on distant points of light(I learnt that when I went looking for answers).\n\nNone of these things mean Aliens of course but I am a believer in alien visitation for a million other reasons.\n\n**Edit:** For spelling and anecdotes.\n\nMy grandmother swore she saw UFOs hovering over my childhood house more than once.\n\nOnce in my room I listened to something walking around my room for 20 mins until my old man happened to get up and I called him(too afraid to get out of bed haha)\n\nThere was nothing there.\n\nYears after that I told my brothers and they both said they saw like a little man in the same room after I moved out.\n\nI am Irish so maybe it was a leprachaun haha,he's not online now I'll ask him what it looked like and edit later.

&gt;I challenge you not to mention religion at all for the remainder of this.\n\nThat's not a problem at all for me, but...\n\n&gt;you're a self righteous asshole.\n\n...and...\n\n&gt;fuck you.\n\n...make me doubt your willingness to discuss this. I'm very willing to have a human-to-human conversation about your belief in guardian angels, but a modicum of basic respect would be required. Otherwise, it's going to go nowhere.\n\nI'm in if you are. If you are, feel free to pose some questions. Or, if you'd like, I'll jumpstart it. What works for you works for me.

I know it sounds confusing. But you actually heard him in your head after than your brain registered it. So actually you didn't write it before you heard it.

This is a concern you might need to voice to your doctor, hopefully in private, away from your parents. As far as immediate danger, it's not like a 'piano falling on your head' type worry. It's more of a 'my parents are helping disease destroy lives' worry. If your curious about it, read up on [herd immunity](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herd_immunity).

We all feel like that sometimes.  I just assume that people are stupid until they show otherwise.

I think there is a pretty big line between scepticism of harmful pseudo-science vs. casting a flash light on the trollish comical antics of a couple of people out for some laughs that absolutely no reasonable person... and nearly none of the idiots are going to swallow.

Me too. I'm envisioning something along the lines of scientology equipment. Also, it sounds like after you pay for x amount of treatments, then you are "certified" to hold seminars and treat others. Pyramid?

Having watched every bullshit! episode, I have a hard time believing anything Penn &amp; Teller have to say about political issues. And have no doubt that organic food is just as much about politics as it is about health. Maybe moreso, at least in my social group.\n

you appear well informed and open minded. you should look at it; your area of expertise is also covered in those 6 hours

I see as if it's raining sparks of colors, my hand will go numb from finger to finger then when it all fades away the pain starts.

I think the worst thing that could possibly have happened was "Climategate". A REAL example of "scientists" exagerating the effects to suit their agenda. Honestly, what were they thinking.

That's changed since I posted. It was a brochure site covering their services healing "sick buildings" via various forms of woo.\n\nHere: \n[internal link](http://www.powerofplace.com/pages/building_therapy_pages/building_therapy.html)\n\n[cache](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;q=cache%3Awww.powerofplace.com)

This is not unusual for TM research done by TM-associated researchers. Non-independent TM research has maintained a tradition of poor methodology and numerous other deficits for decades. So while meditation research in general has steadily improved, TM research remains questionable at best.\n\nOf course as soon as the embargo was lifted, they pushed announcements to media outlets and numerous blogs.

That doesnt change the fact that there is absolutely nothing to be skeptical about in this article. Claiming to be skeptical about this on its own means you are giving it merit on it being probable, when in reality this article is nothing more than complete nonsense and utter ignorance.

One of my Professors who is my friend showed that video in a class I was taking and I watched it I couldn't believe the complete and utter shit that movie spewed. I have another friend who was really into it as well and wanted me to watch it. She's just an outright kook and believes "The Secret". 

&gt;And so the scientific search for verifiable knowledge is tainted because it's being performed by imperfect humans? \n\nI never mentioned perfection, and it's silly to even raise such a subjective concept in this discussion. Also, by using the word "tainted", you are implying that the scientific enterprise is otherwise in some pristine or perfect state, which is certainly not part of my argument.\n\n&gt;Were we so tainted when we discovered the vast expanses of the electromagnetic spectrum that we can't even see with our eyeballs?\n\nThe fact that we've made important discoveries about nature in no way contradicts anything I've said.\n\n&gt;The rest of your reply, combined with your initial responses, seems to amount to a lack of trust in the scientific process -- from claiming that Schoch's hypothesis is the most probable for dating the Sphinx (it might be! but that's very premature to say), to claiming that scientists are unable to approach these things "rationally due variously to emotional investments, fear of ridicule, taboos, etc."\n\n&gt;Where does this belief in the corruption and bias of science come from? Why are you so suspicious and mistrusting of science? Is it because the approach doesn't support some of your speculations, and so it must be wrong? Is it because you feel the world would be a better place without the discoveries that science has yielded? I don't understand.\n\nI didn't use the term "corruption" anywhere. Your use of the word "corruption" again implies a "pristine" or "perfect" state for science, which is taking this discussion down the path of subjectivity.\n\nThe tone of your response indicates I've hit an emotional nerve, and unfortunately your response makes this into a discussion about *me* rather than about scientific methodologies. If you'd like to rephrase your response into something more sober, something which accurately represents the arguments I've made, and exclude the character attacks, I'll be happy to respond further.

No, if I'd "written it off" I would say "I'm not going to read that."  What I said was, I have serious doubts about its worth and veracity because of the kind of evidence it is described to contain, and because it has not had the kind of worldwide impact that it *should* have had if it is what you claim it is.  That is the essence of skepticism--both demanding evidence and being able to evaluate the reliability of different kinds of evidence.  A knowledge of conditional probabilities.  An understanding of Occam's Razor.\n\nHard evidence of the existence of extraterrestrial life would be one of the most important discoveries in the history of civilization.  It would change *everything*.  It would be the news story of the *century*.  If this report is accurate and the evidence is as incontrovertible as you seem to think it is, and yet the New York Times and Washington Post and CNN and MSNBC didn't broadcast about it 24/7 after its publication for a month...  Well now all of a sudden you need to invent a conspiracy.  You need to say that somehow the French government, the US government, and all the various media corporations are "in on it" *so* thoroughly, that somehow they've managed to suppress this from becoming news *at all*.  But they've also somehow failed to suppress it at all because it's freely available on the Internet for anybody to read.\n\nWhich is more likely?  That we're in the midst of the most and least successful conspiracy to hide the truth that's ever been?  That a collection of entities so incompetent at doing anything else are competent enough to keep total media silence about a freely available document that would change the world?  Or that the evidence in the report just... isn't all that compelling?\n\nThat is the sort of evaluation of evidence that skepticism requires, and you need to do this sort of analysis in order to understand what you're reading.

I hope it's not exaggerated in any way...\n\nThis is a situation where it really helps to know what one is talking about; otherwise it's just wild speculation. \n\nSo here's my wild speculation - Can such a thing happen if there's some kind of water reservoir next to where they dug? And that the walls to the reservoir broke, filling up the hole? \n\n*shrugs* \n\n\n

Speaking from personal experience, with a good diet and exercise, you can stave off most of the common cold/flu.  I work in a industry where I'm always in confined spaces with different individuals, some sick and some not, and I only get sick when I haven't been eating right or with extreme temperature change.  I could be wrong.  [4]

As a European, this is very embarrassing. Sorry, California. What's *really* been freaking me out for years now is that of the people I know here, it's the better educated, more affluent ones that are prone to woo and anti-"conventional medicine" thinking.

Actually, I love Cracked and I call it stupid in the most affectionate way possible.

"do prevent" and "expected to reduce... 70% to 90%" are not the same (especially when that's of the 51% which is actually covered.)\n-----\nI have very much enjoyed debating you folks, I thought reddit was much more dull since it was balkanized, I just didn't know where to look. Thanks.

All of those examples are reliable. All are unreasonable. Don't hate the community, hate the offending individual(s). I consider myself a feminist and I'm a member of /r/atheism. I do what I can. I don't deserve to be lumped in with the bad apples of the group. \n\nI agree that the greater internet displays sexist tendencies and that it is possible to have "safe zones" ([Shakesville](http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/) is the best example I know of), but you don't get there by lambasting the community as a whole. You get there by being vigilant when you see it, not by making global attacks ala "Reddit makes me hate atheists". 

&gt;The best you can do, in fact the only intelligent and responsible thing you can do, is to rely on scientific consensus, unless you are one of the very best researchers in exactly that field.\n\nI agree, fellow intellectual. I always decide to believe exactly what the scientific consensus says, because I am not smarter than all these smart scientists who have discovered so many things to help improve my life. I understand that what we know as the scientific consensus, is a good mechanism that can not be manipulated by special interests, and has shown time and time again the benefits it has for our society. \n\nThis is why I am looking to buy some Diethylstilbestrol. This superb scientific invention has shown time and time again through many good studies by many experts, to work to prevent abortions, and thus I believe it is a good idea to take this as a preventative measure against abortion.

What I have written is uncontroversial among cognitive scientists.  

Thank you. I'm just glad I'm still here wherever that here is. Whether I started or ended up here I guess that doesn't matter. I'm either very lucky or I'm a universe traveller. Both are cool. Every moment I have with my son i count myself lucky. 

&gt;You would have to make the claim "we know everything about physics and how it works" to have confidence in the probability estimation.\n\nTo have absolute confidence sure... But in science we never have that any way.\n\nWe can be fairly confident that it's unlikely that extraterrestrials have visited us, and only a bit more likely that they ever will.\n\nUnlikely events happen every day though, so even if extraterrestrials visited us it wouldn't make it a very likely event...\n\n&gt;You know, the most amazing thing happened to me tonight. I was coming here, on the way to the lecture, and I came in through the parking lot. And you won't believe what happened. I saw a car with the license plate ARW 357. Can you imagine? Of all the millions of license plates in the state, what was the chance that I would see that particular one tonight? Amazing!\n\nAlso relevant to the discussion is this quote, again from Feynman.\n\n&gt;It is not unscientific to make a guess, although many people who are not in science think it is. Some years ago I had a conversation with a layman about flying saucers — because I am scientific I know all about flying saucers! I said “I don’t think there are flying saucers”. So my antagonist said, “Is it impossible that there are flying saucers? Can you prove that it’s impossible?” “No”, I said, “I can’t prove it’s impossible. It’s just very unlikely”. At that he said, “You are very unscientific. If you can’t prove it impossible then how can you say that it’s unlikely?” But that is the way that is scientific. It is scientific only to say what is more likely and what less likely, and not to be proving all the time the possible and impossible. To define what I mean, I might have said to him, "Listen, I mean that from my knowledge of the world that I see around me, I think that it is much more likely that the reports of flying saucers are the results of the known irrational characteristics of terrestrial intelligence than of the unknown rational efforts of extra-terrestrial intelligence." It is just more likely. That is all. 

It may be something, but my first inclination is  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia

&gt; Finally, as with any good skeptic who is also an atheist, it is in principle possible to convince me that God exists.  All it would take is evidence and a good argument.\n\nWhat evidence would be enough for you to make this conclusion? I can easily imagine a lot of different evidence that would prove that a being is very powerful, but I cannot come up with a single piece of evidence that I would be convincing that a being is "God". I'm not saying that such evidence definitely doesn't exist. I guess I'd just say that I'm skeptical that it could exist.

&gt; The government doesn't care one iota about encouraging people to have children.\n\nI love your post, but I'm not sure about this one line; a lot of governments have and a few still do (mostly with economic incentives and mostly in Scandinavia) encourage people to have children.  Of course, marriage has nothing to do with it, so I still agree with you, but it's not a totally unreasonable statement on the surface.

I agree that Hitchens is very aggressive. Still I like the sides of arguments he picks. Except the Iraq War, and I don't agree with him condemning Henry Kissinger.

Oh yes, let's deface one of the arguably most important artifacts on earth. 

I'm not saying he's necessarily right, but he does make a good point. It's basically the problem of induction. 

That's interesting.  I had been making the assumption that in a building with severe structural damage, its collapse would be partially due to that damage.  But as the [Structure Magazine](http://www.structuremag.org/article.aspx?articleID=284) article states: "Single Point of Failure."  

I really don't like it when articles like this put homeopathy on the same page as herbal medicine or vitamins. It just drives the misconception that there is any similarity further.

Exactly! Knowing the area I live in it would probably fly. A few nutjobs would try to shut it down, but the administration wouldn't let that happen.

Well my aunt was saying you could work up to consuming 1 Tablespoon a day everyday. That seems a bit much and I don't want my aunt getting hurt from this either. I guess my mom was skeptical from the start but all of her sisters are taking the stuff and I would like to try and convince them too if at all possible. They seem like they would be much harder to convince though. 

So I am wondering if that area's notorious history had anything to contribute to such a situation?

Is 'truple' a real word or is it just a typo in the article and they meant 'triple'?

It feels like if he asked her while she was still in the bar non of this would have happened. 

This is why I love this subreddit. I was expecting a load of arguments, but instead was positively delighted. People around here are usually open minded, skeptical, but not stubborn. This is the way it should be. Have some upvoats!

I don't think it's about fraudulent reports. I think people see things they can't identify in the sky, but the large majority of those reports likely have terrestrial explanations. As Leslie Kean puts it, I'm interested in only about 5% of UFO cases.

I've noticed this behaviour with one of my friends. Whenever I talk to her she's got some new crazy belief or stupid theory that she heard on Oprah or Dr. Oz or from a friend. Chiropractic immunotherapy, homeopathy, anti-vax, herbal supplements, "The Secret", cleansing diets, regressed memories, NLP, "white magic", transcendental meditation and lots of other bunkum.\n\nSo far she's never really gotten attached to any of the beliefs. I used to be concerned about some of the silly things she told me about but over time became less so because she has stuck with none of them. She finds the ideas attractive and doesn't seem to think critically about them. Whatever the belief is she wants and hopes that it's true. Sooner or later she dismisses the claims because of lack the promised outcomes and moves on to the next woo.\n\nI don't feel that there's any way to change her inclination to "believe first, question later". She regards skepticism as equivalent to pessimism and an unwillingness to consider new ideas. Even though my personal default position on any unproven claim is skepticism I can't say that I wouldn't accidentally dismiss something worthwhile if it was presented poorly or using an unfamiliar approach. Skepticism doesn't always immediately lead to the correct conclusion; it's possible for we mere mortals to misinterpret claims and evidence and come the wrong conclusion.

ALIENS CAUGHT HIDING IN WOODS\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMd60keWws8&amp;feature=related

Homeopathic software? It has such a low memory footprint? Only a few kilobytes!\n\nHere's the Python code. \n(start code)\n\n/#COPYRIGHT BOIRON, STONE AGE. THIS PROGRAM TOTALLY DOES SOMETHING\n(end code)\n\nOoo, they copyrighted it! Just like AT&amp;amp;T!\n\nEDIT: reedit borked the syntax.

Weight loss tips:\n1)Put down the fork\n2)Take a walk\n3)Put down the $%#$ fork!\n4)Repeat\n

Too lazy to use footnotes I guess, but more information is better than less either way. 

Since placebo only effects the symptom of discomfort, and then only very mildly, and has no capacity to resolve medical issues, it is never OK if your goal is to resolve a medical issue.  It is only OK if you do not, in fact, have a medical issue, in which case no treatment would be a much more cost effective approach.

I am not sure about any real benefits outside of a clear sinus (except you get to avoid the use of nasal sprays such as Dristan if you're allergic to them).\n\nI use one regularly since the cost of things like Dristan are far too great to justify their usage in anything more than extreme cases.  Do I think I am healthier as a result?  I doubt it; but it does seem to help prevent tonsilliths (I assume I have a post nasal drip which forms these as I don't have tonsils anymore).\n\nThe only research I've seen about neti pots mentioned they did no long term harm, but may increase incidents of nasal infection.

Wait, people with autoimmune disorders can benefit from immunosuppressive treatment? Oh, but there are always trade offs? Oh and maybe it would be a better idea to isolate the compounds from the parasite rather than infecting you directly?\n\nNonsense, that wouldn't be "natural."

The thing that really annoyed me is that if you are a professional anything, you don't give out advice willy nilly because that shit comes back to bite you hard. And nobody in those threads seemed to grasp the idea that if they were actually professionals, then they would be held liable for their professional opinions. 

So if there are any criticisms at all of a scientific theory or model then it is automatically "debunked"? You realise that you've debunked all of science, right?

Even if they don't seem related, areas in the brain used for music could also be used for math, and would produce such a correlation.  Have there been any studies done which support or refute a correlation?

I posted to the mothering forums recently. The subject was something like '40 doctors who are 100% against vaccination'. I went through the list, and made a reply describing each of these doctors. It included people who died in the fifties, a 'doctor' who didn't accept germ theory, and a doctor whose doctorate was in micropaleontology. My post was polite and detailed. It was deleted as being not suitable for that forum as that area was for people who had already decided not to vaccinate.  Outrageous and dangerous. 

Bartender or anesthesiologist? He's obviously got more experience with blondes. (by the way, check your spelling)

[Birdman Kicked My Ass](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOUzDGwX4kA)

That much is true. But jumping to conclusions and immediately telling a person it was an owl with such conviction, when you were not there, should also be taken with a grain of salt. :-)  sure, it may have been an owl, but it also may have been something else, something paranormal.

[See the company](http://www.heavylight.de/oscommerce/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=36) that makes them.\n[They sell the new ones as flash lights.](http://www.heine.com/PRODUCTS/PRODUCT-OVERVIEW/General-Medicine-Veterinary-ENT-Instruments/Pocket-Diagnostic-Lights/HEINE-mini-c-R-Clip-Lamp)

Why would you ask /r/Paranormal about this?\n\nWhy do you think this was a paranormal event?

That's my thought, too. Maybe the light refracted through that window.

In non-lethal amounts, it can cause unease and hallucination, perfect for convincing you that you're being haunted.

Is there any other reasonable theories as to what it was? We have evidence that it's ice because we can see the same scene over and over again whenever we look at ice chunks. I dont see what other explanation there can be. 

I remember this when it happened. I put it on my Facebook, linked to the original audio, and posted some other video clips of Edgar Mitchell talking openly about this subject. People still think I'm crazy to believe this stuff.\n\nUltimately, when it comes to this mind bending topic, it's a very spiritual thing. People have a problem with spirituality and its meaning, but to me, it's about being connected to things that you otherwise ignore. Understanding your place within the Universe.\n\nTo successfully accept that we have been visited by aliens is a spiritual notion. You cannot do it without first growing as a spiritual being, through many different means. First your mind has to be open, you have to be present and not distracted, and you have to engage your mind creatively. So many people in this world just go day to day without ever pausing for thought, they just act, all the time, without ever actually questioning what they're doing, thinking, or feeling. Very much like a robot.\n\nOur gift as humans is consciousness, and we must utilize that gift every day so we can grow spiritually. Slowly, but surely, people are growing and becoming conscious and they'll be more able to accept what Dr Edgar Mitchell (and countless others) have said.\n\nMaybe the talk of a spiritual revolution is right. We're going to reach critical mass, and suddenly alien contact will become real because people finally believe it. When that happens, because of the technology involved, the world will change forever.

What happens to a dead whale at the bottom of the ocean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3ykOKzSsTw

Dude, he says something to the effect of look to Men in Black for details, he was obviously joking.

I've saved this so I can link to it whenever I meet an evolution denier.

Well considering the context in to which you replied to, it wasn't really a general answer at all.\n\nEither way, had my parents never mentioned santa klaus, the rest of western society would certainly refer to him. The point I'm trying to make is that santa, easter bunny, tooth fairy and so on aren't necessarily damaging to logical or critical thought, a bad education is. 

I think it's great too. The more locations, the better of course, and maybe a way to search by state or city?

When I was 6 I saw my great-grandmother in my room about a year after she died and now when I'm at home if I'm stressed or sad I'll feel or hear my dog walking around. He died about 5 years ago.

That's not quite religious TV, mind you. That's from a movie called [The Adventures of Mark Twain](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088678/), and all of it is based on his stories.\n\nThat particular segment is based on [The Mysterious Stranger](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mysterious_Stranger), which is actually a big critique of religion in general.

Not to disagree with the fact that it is fake but I don't think the news would want it. 

So you're really going to compare the study and interpretation of ancient scriptures to studying science?  Maybe next you can explain the nuances of reading tea leaves.  And how's your knowledge of astrology?  \n\nI don't know what you're even objecting to.  The Bible is quite clear that Jesus was sacrificed, and even compares it to the blood sacrifices of the Old Testament (Eph. 5) and says explicitly that it was done to save us (Rom. 5).  Do you deny this?  The communion ritual is all the proof that's needed to know that the majority of christians accept it: "Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you".  Whether a christian's beliefs "can be simplified into that single phrase" is a non-sequitur, as I never said any such thing.  And trying to distract from a plain fact by insisting there's more to it is missing the point.  It doesn't matter how much you dress it up, it's still just a primitive superstition about appeasing the gods with blood sacrifice.

Your source is an online poll? \n\nYou should be ashamed and embarrassed to post this here. 

I have often wondered why this problem doesn't get talked about more often. 95% confidence isn't much when governments pay for hundreds of thousands of experiments each year.

I suspect that confirmation bias was at work.  Your mind wanders around all the time during the day, but you only notice it when your mind coincidentally wanders to something right before the topic actually comes up.

What if in the actual reality your sister hates shrimp. But when you did that you caused the *entire universe* to slip into a reality where your sister likes shrimp. As such she eats **So much shrimp** that the shrimp population decreases to the point where it screws up the oceans ecosystem, causing world war 3 to erupt due to fighting over fishing rights in the oceans, killing everyone. Man, your sister is a bitch,

tie some led's to some balloons and string em up .... simple and effective.  saw this same thing at coachella a few years back.  you can see em waving in the wind.

Indeed. There is also a cocktail of compounds from urination in the water supply, especially prescription drugs, in many downriver cities.

What is it with Reddit that the average redditor responds to a differing viewpoint with hostiltiy like this?\n\nWe don't agree, obviously, but that doesn't mean you have to be a shithead about. I'm just trying to have a discussion.\n

But don't you see? Witnessing a young child is what motivated him to change his course of action in the first place (e.g. writing this post and talking about his child). Had that not been the case, he may very well have written it off entirely as a dream.

I don't trade facts (i.e., discuss/argue) anymore on the hot (no pun intended) issues of the day.\n\nMy experience is that people convinced that the climate is not warming, or it is, but not as a result of human activity, or repeal of DADT will cripple the military, or 52% pay no taxes, or the WTC towers were wired with explosives - Those people will denounce your "facts" as lies, your "experts" as witting or unwitting shills for the shadowy, nefarious puppet masters, and will only end up seeing you as just another shill.\n\nI don't get anything out of that kind of conversation, so I just don't get into them at all...

The most logical would be as energy levels are brought up in whatever mechanism brings "lift", and as excess energies are thrown off as adjustments are made, there is a conversion or release of energy in the visible spectrum, like static on a sweaters and stuff as it comes out of the dryer, like the aurora, just energy being dumped and some of it affecting the air particles in the near area, which would make sense, lift devices on all the corners and a major thrust device in the middle.  That would explain why there are "lights" on corners.

I don't get it...You guys are skeptical of the conspiracy theories but not the claims of your gov't? So you just pick and choose what to be skeptical of? &amp;#3232;\\_&amp;#3232;\n\n

Ah, so you're reading an opinion of someone else and didn't bother to check up on it.  Gotcha.

Yeah, that's actually a legitimate trend, a similar trend was seen with smallpox before its eradication. This is mostly due to societal changes with respect to things like cleanliness of public places, personal space, hygiene improvements, etc. \n\nThat said, vaccines were still needed. Much like how we've been able to severely cut down the incidence rates for lung cancer through anti-smoking campaigns, but we still would really appreciate a cure for lung cancer. 

&gt; If you really believe that there is \n&gt; life outside our planet, in a way \n&gt; that nothing would convince you \n&gt; otherwise, then I would say that \n&gt; your belief is inconsistent with \n&gt; skepticism.\n\nWell, when you say that I believe this "in a way that nothing would convince me otherwise", you're kind of being a little silly.  There is no other way to believe in alien life.\n\nIf you believe that aliens exist, then by necessity you believe so in spite of the fact that there is no evidence and the belief is, for all intents and purposes, unfalsifiable.  There is no other option.\n\nSo what you're essentially saying here is that a belief that aliens exist somewhere in the universe is inconsistent with skepticism. \n\nI'd wager that this is a belief that is shared by a significant portion of people who call themselves skeptics though.  And if you want to argue that a person can't call himself a true skeptic and yet believe in God, then to be consistent you're going to have to make the same argument about people who call themselves skeptics and yet believe in alien life.\n\nAre you willing to do that?

How didn't they debunk ouija boards?  They blindfolded the subjects and suddenly they werent able to spell anything.  Thats pretty damn debunked if you ask me.

&gt;Because it is a belief that doesn't harm anyone. \n\nThat's a *huge* assumption.  That notion is worth an extended philosophical debate that I don't really have time for; however I disagree strongly, if only on the basis of the extensive anti-science / anti-intellectual social infrastructure that has been built to support these beliefs which undoubtedly impedes advances in other more harmful areas.  (Including the anti-vax issues which you mentioned.)\n\n&gt; Also, why do you keep capitalizing it?\n\nNo idea, is this a test graded for spelling and grammar? (also I only capitalized it once.)\n\nAlso:\n\n&gt;Have you ever talked to a creationist who could be reasoned with?\n\nIf you're claiming that nearly half of all people can't be reasoned with, then we *all* have problems.

You clearly implied that both the HRSA and the CDC can not be trusted.\nIf you can't provide evidence for your claims on a skeptic forum, why don't you just leave instead of starting to insult people. Frankly, it's pathetic.

Are you this fucking stupid?\n\nThe banks arent nationalized.  I dont need to hear any of your goddamn sources, because I am not a retard and I understand what the term 'bank nationalization' means.  Go ahead and post a link to some Alex Jones story if you want me to laugh at you.\n\nI know it hasnt happened.  The banks are all still privately owned and publicly traded on the NYSE.  \n\nAlso I hope you used four sockpuppets to upvote your posts, because otherwise r/skeptic is getting overrun by dumbfucks.

Also you could go back to find the earliest mention of the "'globalist depopulation conspiracy." I'm not sure what that would be (early Red Scare, maybe?), but I'm pretty sure Alex Jones isn't creative enough to have made it all up on his own. 

I want to upvote, but I'm not sure I want to subject others to that font...

I simply remember the times when politicians played more openly on the racist vote, so I recall a lot of the coded language that goes along with such appeals. McCain refused to denounce supporters who made such appeals. Hillary Clinton played around with that in the Democratic primary. Oddly enough, I don't think Jesse Ventura has caught on that fully to the situation.

I just commented on a post there (the one about Penn and Teller) about how I don't feel welcome. The sub is devoted to bashing libertarians and Ron Paul supporters. Yes, I realize a lot of Paul supporters also like conspiracy theories (I worked for his campaign, trust me on this) but that doesn't mean all Paul supporters are conspiracy loons. In fact, it's not even close to a majority of them despite how loud and annoying some of them are on the internet, and many, many libertarians consider themselves skeptics and despise conspiracy theorists (such as myself, and more notably, Penn Jillette).\n\nAnyway, I'd be more inclined to sub and participate in /r/conspiratard if every other post wasn't "Paultards do such and such" or "retarded libertarians think the loch ness monster is spraying chemtrails from its vagina".\n\nJust saying... Keep EPS in /r/EPS and keep /r/conspiratard about conspiracy theorists. Conspiracy theorists by definition distrust the government, so they're attracted to people who want to make government smaller. That does not mean that all people who want to make government smaller, or even eliminate it, are conspiracy theorists. Also of note, libertarians, including Ron Paul, have started to realize how poisonous some of these people can be to a campaign and have distanced themselves from it. A question on my application to work for Ron Paul's campaign was "Do you believe 9/11 was a terrorist act committed by radical muslims?"... if you answered no you were automatically disqualified. 

Its hard to tell how close it actually got to the helicopter, but surely the pilots would say something, looks like it got incredibly close.

Relevant xkcd [title text](http://www.xkcd.com/1081):\n\n&gt; Really, the comforting side in most conspiracy theory arguments is the one claiming that anyone who's in power has any plan at all.

Do you seriously believe he is authentic? The only good thing he did was bringing Ex military officials to talk on the subject. That aside, i don't see anything that adds credibility to him. If you have proof, please post it.  \nIf you think that Steven Greer is someone who is true to the cause of UFOs, ask yourself this question.  \nWhy would a proponent of UFOs try to bring the subject knowledge to the public attention for a price when people are not interested in the subject even if offered for free of charge?\n

You are not required by law to protect patents or risk losing them nor are you required to protect copyright. The only IP you are required to protect is your trademark which differs from the other two mentioned as it is for consumer protection and not a limited monopoly granted to advance science and the arts. 

If that was a universally solid position, then we should have just let Pakistan try bin Laden.\n\nI have mixed feelings about extradition, but I was merely pointing out that regardless of being sympathetic to the nature of his crimes, there is little surprise he is facing punishment after brazenly hacking the US government.\n\nIf you mistook that as jingoism, then you seem a little hyper-defensive to me.\n\nHere's your downvote back.

On this topic of vaccines. I have two kids ( 3yr old  and 5yr old )  and a wife who absolutely refuses any and all vaccines for them.  I have laid out facts, statistical evidence, and success stories ( including her own immunizations ) . \n\n she has it in her head that I'm persecuting her decision of " letting nature immunize our children "    \n\nboth her parents agree with me in getting the kids  immunized asap .  (sadly my parents are deceased no help there) \n\nI love my wife to death , shes great with the kids , She feels that  she has the best intentions for them by not getting shots  . But i fully agree with immunizing..  any ideas on how to turn her thoughts around? 

I had to really work at it to get an interpretation that made it sound like Dawkins was the one being rude. Really, the sign is not ambiguous. "As children, we used to ask questions about religion, but were told it was rude to do so. Now Prof. Dawkins is asking those same questions", not "It's rude to ask questions of religion, but here's Prof. Dawkins doing it anyway!"

A lot of the current hate on the internet has nothing to do with GM food; it has to do with the aggressive patents and a business model which is harmful to farmers.

A homeopath would believe that the preparation of arsenic would actually be a cure for ingesting a dangerous dose of arsenic - "like cures like."

It ruins the purity of your precious bodily fluids. Everyone knows this. [Here, let General Ripper explain it for you.](http://youtu.be/0he-LZNzVg0)

It shouldn't be because there is no lack until it is noted that someone looked into whether there is documentation or not.  If you actually look for it or inquire about the ships and come up with nothing then you can say that it is interesting.  \n\nMore reasonably, if you could get documentation from all of the cruise lines that run in the area that no ships were anywhere near there at that time you would be able to rule out just cruise ships.  Then you've got private yachts, oil tankers, and cargo ships to rule out.  Until then it is idle speculation that demonstrates nil.\n\n

Dear Smug,\n\nSmug smug smug. Smug smug smug? Smug; smug smug smug! Smug, therefore smug.\n\nYours smugly,\n\nSmug.

there was an interesting radiolab on prairie dog language analysis, if you are interested. Not the usual place one would start with animal language :)\n\nFor years people dismissed animals attempts at speaking our language as 'dumb mimicry', such as birds that can imitate our language in context. We are beginning to understand how intelligent certain bird species are as we begin to test them against our context of intelligence, but really that's pretty much all we can apply for the time being.

It's true that nothing is a settled issue, but as skeptics we should only adopt positions that have empirical support. If we're not qualified to judge the support for a theory in some area, then a good rule of thumb is to at least accept the scientific consensus as probably accurate unless there is a good reason to doubt their judgement.\n\nWith both cases, we find that we should currently refuse to accept the chemical imbalance hypothesis. It is not accepted in science, and all major figures in the area consistently explain that it is not currently reasonable to accept the hypothesis. \n\nIt's only in popular thought and in the public that it's seen as "fact"; in the same way many people believe in the left-brain/right-brain personality split, or that we only use 10% of our brains. 

#1 is the most important factor here. Aside from the 911 call, we have NO credible evidence of what happened. Everything else comes from (conflicting) eyewitness reports and Zimmerman's own story. Needless to say, I'm skeptical of both sources.\n\nIt's up to the police and the courts to determine the facts of the case. Unfortunately, the police in this case seem to have fumbled in a huge way. Because of their incompetence, we may never know what actually happened. 

Me too! Not that I really have anything to add other than the fact that every time I look at it, I think "1134=hell."\n\nI have since like 2nd grade when someone told me about it.

YEAH!  I know that one... They're in Canadian neuro-psychologist Michael Persinger's lab, with red bulbs on, simulating the effect of abductions using magnetic fields, and using that tape recording for reference or something.  I think it's an episode of Sightings, but I'll dig around and see.\n\nEdit:  Nope, I was thinking of the scene in Where Are All The Ufos?  The woman you're referring to though, about the tape recording, is Mary Oscarson, and whatever show it's in, it might feature John Mack.  I remember seeing it in the mid 90's on TV so I know I probably have it downloaded, just have to find it.\n\nEdit 2:  Might be an episode of PBS Nova called *Kidnapped by UFOs?*, but there aren't any clips online.  Best bet would be to try and torrent it.  Scratch that, it's not on any public trackers, and it's not on demonoid or concen.  Might have to buy it from PBS (likely on VHS lol).\n\nEdit 3:  My visual memory rules, and in spite of not seeing it in 16 years, it's Horizon - Close Encounters.  28 minute mark is the "Don't wake up" abduction that you remember, the 38 minute mark is Michael Persinger's red-light lab that I remember.  Awesome.

My thoughts exactly. It's a really good comic, but the lack of citations brings down its credibility.

I can't talk about coconut oil specifically, but there is a diet, which is almost infamous on Reddit, called Keto. Its a high fat, moderate protein and very low carb diet. It puts your body into ketosis, which means instead of your body using easy to burn carbs, your body starts burning more fat. When you have a high carb diet (which is what most people have) and your body runs out of carbs, it sends signals that makes you want to eat more carbs which can cause you to over eat and wreaks havoc on your blood sugar. But on ketosis, once your body runs out of fats and proteins you just ate, it simply turns to your stored fat and starts burning that.  \n\nNow that's slightly off topic but is tailored more towards your "eat fat to lose fat" statement in your title. I'm sure coconut oil is relatively healthy as far as oils go, and may help someone on a low-carb/keto/paleo diet, but simply adding it to any diet probably won't do shit by itself. 

E.V.Ps - Electronic Voice Phenomena\n\nNot saying they are anything paranormal, but I've captured these myself and some are unmistakable.

See, you say this like its supposed to be funny, but he's being completely serious.

I said that to follow scientific method, atheism is where you *begin* - if there is evidence then you follow it from there, you don't discount it.\n\nI'm not reaching in any way with that approach, skepticism is embedded deeply into the scientific method.\n\nBy contrast, if you instead begin with an unsubstantiated belief, find no evidence either way, and so keep the belief, that's neither the scientific method, nor skeptical, and some people may call you out on it. Rightly so.\n\n(Personally I agree there is evidence relevant to many particular religious beliefs, but the evidence I am familiar with tends to weigh heavily against the religions I am familiar with)\n\nThe majority of atheist students will answer that they're not religious, and that atheism means "they don't believe in God" - answers you give when unconvinced by the religious claims you've heard, and not necessarily a claim of faith and certainty that nothing like a god can exist. Our language is messy and ambiguous in this area and their thoughts are likely to be as well. We're lead to think that there are three even choices: believe / not sure / don't believe. Critical thinking requires breaking away from that, to illustrate, swap the question of god for "Dragons living in the gas clouds of Jupiter", it's possible the dragons exist (and we can't yet prove they don't), but it's unlikely that my example matches what's really in those clouds. Given this, most people will want to say they don't believe in the dragons, even though when pressed they must acknowledge that we don't absolutely know for certain and there's no evidence against the dragons. This is what's happening when you ask an atheist what they believe, the language/culture forces a choice between "not sure" and "don't believe", neither quite fits, but when discussing something unlikely, "don't believe" is closest, often giving a mistaken impression that faith must be involved. You'd probably be comfortable even stating outright that "there are no dragons".\n\nYou wouldn't say that everyone not believing in my dragons are members of a religion, or that your own disbelief in my dragons is a position of faith. It's just clunkiness in our language and the way we think that promotes these mixups.\n\nCertainly, some people are fully gnostic atheists, by all means be irritated and help them out - it's a critical thinking fail, not even their hard-line promoters like Dawkins would agree with them.

I'm hoping these events in our sky are significant, but I'm very skeptical about the New Age stuff. I've done DMT and 2cb and other mind enhancing substances. I've seen what looks like another plane of existence or...whatever that was. I can't really describe it. An egoless state, I guess would be close. Anyway, There's no basis in our current reality to prove or disprove anything you've said, that doesn't make it possible, or even likely. Just makes it outside of the range of debate, IMO. It'd be cool if that were true though. 

oh stop complaining about our technology lol. besides it was only a 30 second thing and im sure there are more just not on youtube.

There are many, many guardian angle stories.\n\nThis sounds like one of them.\n\nWhy is/was your mom so dodgy about it?

Problems with video:\n\n1) the glow around the object seems to have a jagged edge, and looks like an attempt to hide the Photoshop placement.\n\n2)  There's a drop shadow behind the glowing object.  \n\n3)  The shadow part goes behind the smoke and disappears while the glow doesn't actually disappear until the crater's edge.

Genes might not be the only thing that are subject to selection pressure. But I agree that this is not an example of genetic selection.

I'm no handwriting expert, but the capital E on the writing you are referring to seems to match the capital E on the writing the girls did.\n\nInteresting about the black figure though--that is the focus of your story, IMO.

A bleach used in water purification which is then *removed* before being put into the water supply is completely different from advising people to drink that self-same bleach on a daily basis.\n\nYou'll note that the [FAQ page for Potable Aqua](http://www.potableaqua.com/faq.php#4) indicates that it is a short-term, emergency solution.  I also suspect that their 4-hour time window allows the vast majority of the product to evaporate off.

I think you should be more specific. There's plenty of evidence for things like CIO damaging the brain, and verbal 'abuse' for example (screaming at a child till they cry, IMO) I think it was, inhibiting temporal lobe growth, etc. It's a little bit of a social science though until you start getting neural I guess.

This is so strange.  I worked with a Grad student last semester on research involving almost the exact same thing.  He was dealing more with confidence levels of individuals with certain political leanings when shown data from certain sources - but it ties in neatly with this article.

This short paper on the basics of critical thinking by Dr. Jason Braithwaite of the U of Birminghan might be helpful to you:\n[http://psg275.bham.ac.uk/personal/braithwaitej/Critical%20Thinkingv6.pdf](http://psg275.bham.ac.uk/personal/braithwaitej/Critical%20Thinkingv6.pdf)

Houstonian here, good luck getting anything to happen.  Houston has the highest population of Nigerians outside of Nigeria so anyone going to see her probably has a decent idea of what's going on. 

You are being unnecessarily hostile. The point I was making is that there are literally hundreds of UFO researchers and high profile people who speak about this all the time, and yet almost none of them die. Here are some of the many who are still alive today:\n\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ufologists\n\nWhy aren't they dead, assuming the government is killing people who speak out about these things. What about the 200 people at that conference recently about UFO's at nuclear sites? They are by far the most credible group of people coming out and yet none of them died. Same with disclosure project. \n\nDying in a car accident isn't at all uncommon. Let's not jump to conclusions about people dying in some conspiracy unless there is some evidence to support it. \n\n

it plays a little too much to the current conventions of bullshit hollywood "paranormal activity" for me to buy it as legit. I felt like I'd seen the same sort of things in a movie trailer dozens of times. Just didn't ring true.

he was just probably trying to cover up some talking or noise in the background.

Well, when I said open forums, I didn't mean having a shitty moderator. But I know what you mean. I'm just saying that reddit is *relatively* better. \n\nedit\n\nand there are subreddits which are very liberally moderated, like /r/atheism \n\n

Which is why he said it was a video illusion. They aren't actually passing behind the tether. There is a huge contrast between a small, out of focus particle floating in front of the camera and the huge tether which is lit by direct sunlight.\n\nSince the tether could be seen from the Earth, was observed by amateur astronomers, and nobody reported gigantic discs flying around it, one would have to assume that there were no giant discs. 

And even you are assuming a *lot* in thinking it is a 'spacecraft' that travels through interstellar space. Interdimensional travel is probably more likely if it is of ET origin.

&gt;Alien Big Cats (ABC’s) also know as Phantom cat are large felines such as Lions, Tigers, Panthers and other species of Big cats which **appear in regions outside their indigenous range** (e.g. a Lions living in wildly in England).\n\nWhat about zoos? Especially personal zoos or the educational safaris or the rentable animals for movies?

I'm of Jewish ancestry.  So yes.\n\nEverytime I point out corrections to people spouting off GMO or fluoridation conspiracy theories, I get accused of being brainwashed by big-[industry]. 

What do you mean by "consciousness probably doesn’t exist"?\n\nMy biggest problem with people talking about consciousness is that they never properly define what they mean by the word, though I've always taken for granted it is a phenomenon that exists in humans and maybe some animals, though it is poorly understood.\n\nWhat definition of consciousness do you use and why do you think it doesn't exist? What do you think people are talking about when they talk about consciousness?

Any reason why these traditions have equatorial roots? Are there similar traditions for europe, scandinavia, russia, asia?

If you want to call debris, UFOs, go ahead. Makes as much sense as seeing Jesus in a piece of toast.

My thoughts on that are too complicated for a bullet point type discussion on reddit.  Suffice to say, yes and no.  More than what we accept as reality, probably.  Spiritual in the sense of great protector watching over us, no.

Nuts.  I have a problem where I frequently ejaculate minor nobility, and I was hoping this guy could help.\n\nAre you telling me it's just a typo? :-(

I don't know what you mean by "the conscious" being along for the ride. Do you mean consciousness? The argument is that what we perceive as consciousness arises from our brain processing external inputs. It's [been](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21486293) [shown](http://download.cell.com/neuron/pdf/PIIS0896627310010822.pdf) that our brains make decisions before we are "consciously" aware of them. How do you define consciousness knowing that.\n\nAnd if you're under the impression that evolution doesn't keep something that is useless, my appendix, coccyx, wisdom teeth, and almost 98% of my genome would like to have a word with you.

Given the 90% of human beings who refuse to use their intelligence to figure out the nature of reality, it is amazing to me that we have advanced as far as we have.

And yet there is a need to communicate *something*..\n\nI contend that politics is even worse.

This happens to me too. I always worry that I am supposed to do things the way I imagined them (or I have to prevent that course of events) or some sort of universal destiny won't come true even though every event I've seen is usually something that seems really insignificant. 

Thanks I'll check it out. A co-worker of mine just told me of a similar family plot behind White Rock Lake in Dallas.

It sounds like a dog whine to me but my speakers suck. I plan to listen again over my earphones when I get home. What is it that you think you're hearing?

You understand that the engine we have today was nothing more than a useless looking piece of junk in its early stages too, right?

Dr. Roger Leir's surgeries uncover a lot.\n\nDr. John Mack has done telling research as well.

Is there a historic district downtown? I'd ask around in antique stores, tourist shops etc. for local legends, ghost stories and other weird or dark history of the area. If your family or that of a friend has lived there for generations, ask the older members for any odd town lore. It might be enough to form a lead to your own independent paranormal research!

I almost felt sorry for him, but then I though that this is what he deserved.  He has been coddled by his students and his surroundings for so long that he believes his lies.  It only took a punch to the mouth and a kick to the face to expose him, his school, and his achievements as a "fighter".  He got exactly what he deserved.

REALLY fucking stupid, disingenuous report.  Does nothing but continue to completely and entirely discredit the p.o.s. MSM.

I pre-empted it with a post of [this graph](http://www.iris.edu/hq/files/programs/education_and_outreach/retm/tm_110823_virginia/082311KMSCStation.jpg) explaining that the conspiracy theory was based on a cherry-picked graph.

creationism is not a theory, and even if it were, disproving evolution in no way validates creationism.  

I somewhat agree, and I feel that the first few weeks of this subreddit will have a bunch of similar stories because everyone's perception of a "glitch in the matrix" is different. I feel it's just things that should not happen in normal life, but somehow do.

I don't know if we actually do. I think we figure that athletes are going to have the inside line on sports equipment but I don't think there's a connection to plain intelligence. There was a commentator today who made a lot of the fact that two of the British rowers were PhD candidates in the sense that it's surprising that an Olympic athlete would be studying for a PhD.

*some viruses\n\nSome viruses do have DNA and enzymes, but not ATP

I'm still reading your story, but I can tell that you should definitely keep a journal. Log your days and see if they flow with what you remember. If they don't, I would suggest seeking a psychologist. I don't deny that something weird might've happened to you, but if you still have meshing memories, that's indicative of a mental disorder.

Not to mention that you're dismissing his evidence a priori (though it is lame and anecdotal). It's worth pointing out that stories get changed over time, even fictional memories become clear over time, being a pilot doesn't mean you have perfect knowledge of every conceivable thing in the sky. There are ways to engage these people, but I don't think being a dick is the most effective of them.

People only rarely suffer from a single delusion. For instance, I have a relative who thinks the moon and mars landings are fake, and that there is huge comet, a twin sun and a planet called Nemisis and information about them is being surpressed.  Sigh.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS IT??!!?!!!!!!!!!"   That was hella funny!\n\nedit:  Oh, and great footage.  Boba Fett's ship!!!  

You should look up the podcast mysterious universe. They have recent links to humanoid sightings that may help you. I think you're quite brave for being able to deal with these occurrences. I've heard that anti psychotics may be able to shut down what ever part of your brain is able to perceive them. I wouldn't personally but if it is antagonizing you to that degree it may be an option. I certainly don't think your crazy. 

We all are of course at one time or another wrong about something ... I'm no exception. \n\nBut am I right to suggest that we will not do anything and that it will indeed happen?

Yeah I'm considering posting this http://www.skepdic.com/autismtimeline.html\n\nsome highlights since the original Andrew Wakefield paper in 1993:\n\n&gt; 2009: "Five Minnesota children have grown sick — and one of them died — from a germ that can cause meningitis, causing U.S. health officials to warn of the importance of a common childhood vaccine."\n\n&gt; 2009: Eight cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, have been reported in Maine. According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the outbreak involves an elementary school, a middle school, and a worksite. \n\n&gt; 2008: San Diego parents don't vaccinate their seven-year-old child for measles. When she caught the disease on an overseas trip, "this decision became a whole community's problem. The outbreak infected 11 children and endangered many others."\n\n&gt; 2008: Measles cases in England and Wales rose by 36% in 2008. Confirmed cases increased from 990 in 2007 to 1,348, the highest figure since the monitoring scheme was introduced in 1995.\n\n&gt; 2006: Measles cases in England are at a 20-year high.\n\n&gt; 2005: The  CDC reports on poliovirus infections in four unvaccinated children in Minnesota.\n\n&gt; 2002: Measles outbreak occurs in Scotland.\n\n&gt; 2000: A large measles outbreak occurs in Ireland, with over 1600 cases reported and three associated deaths.

It's that new exorcism horror film The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins.

I believe the same number for the US is around 20/1000 a year. [Source](http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html)

FDA does a pretty horrible job and can be bought off.  Consumer Reports and The Consumerist are the models you need to be looking at for effective self-regulation.  Artificial regulation barely works and comes with it's own evils.

There is a guy I know on Facebook who follows the Chen trail rubbish. I enjoy throwing logical questions at him which he cannot answer. The other week he said he had found a website called Reddit. I told him to try r/skeptic :)\n

You can consider that background prayer, then.  The standard recovery rate was based on the average which would have an average amount of prayer.  So, since we're dealing with magic, you could claim that this simply proves that extra prayer is no more effective than a single prayer.  But if that were the case, then nobody should have suffered any complications at all.  So it would stand to reason that if prayer has any measurable effect, this test would demonstrate it.  It didn't, prayer has no effect.

Im glad you talked yourself out of faster than light travel being "physically impossible" by mentioning warp drive. Now onto the second part of your question: how would they find us????? Well, simply by looking. You see, a civilization capable of deep space travel would probably have the foresight to do some reconnaissance prior to their trip... heres how i imagine a group of hyper intelligent beings would handle your little dilemma, im just going to go ahead and ignore how you assigned alien lifeforms human life spans (roughly 60 years).\n\n1: make a list of bodies likely to harbor life within whatever is a reasonable traveling distance for tech you couldn't begin to fathom \n\n2: send probes \n\n3: send explorers.\n\n4:???\n\n5: Profit

Haha a movie set! That would be perfect if it was the case. I'm surprised no one had suggested that before. Idk, it all was very "real", you know? Not like a facade or a front, very complete. But it seriously would have made the PERFECT horror movie set, so you may have something. I've been googling around Cherokee ever since this thing came up again, but so far no dice. There's just so many trees up there. To be totally fair, I could be looking straight at it and not be able to see it through the canopy. \n

Farmers are seriously making the arguments that it's 'impossible' to buy non-roundup seed or that roundup seed 'will infect their crops anyway'. It sounds to me more like farmers are making excuses to not switch from roundup crops because they want to spend less energy collecting their subsidy checks.\n

I think the biggest question here is: you don't sleep with your phone? 

&gt;Anyone who says the science is settled is not a scientist.\n\nIf depends on what you mean by "settled." It it means "we know all we need to know about the climate," then you are right, that isn't correct. If it means "it's almost certain the current temperature increase is mostly due to human activity," then it's a different story.

There was definitely something flying and it was unidentified, that qualifies in my books. :)\n\nThe way it curved as it flew leaving a consistanty wide trail behind it, is just not something you see everyday. 

Okay, let's take a step back.\n\nThis is not ad hominem. Ad hominem is "to the man" of the person making the claim.\n\nThe person making the claim is in the studio. He is using the testimony of the airmen in the report as evidence for his claim. He is paying particular attention to a part of the report that supports his argument.\n\nBill merely asks him to address part of the report that might NOT support his argument. A part that in the mind of ANY rational person, might at the very least give them pause.\n\nThat's all. Bill asks him to address this. Bill is addressing the EVIDENCE.\n\nImagine if someone (totally unrelated to this ufo argument - this is hypothetical) referenced a report that there was DNA evidence that supported their particular claim. And then someone else asked them to address that the report ALSO mentioned that the sample had been contaminated.\n\nImagine if the person in our hypothetical, upon being informed that their DNA sample was contaminated, merely said, "I hadn't heard that."\n\nReally? You weren't aware of part of the report directly related to the quality of your evidence?\n\nThat's it.\n\nThis guy is cherry picking. He is offering a PART of the report that conveniently supports his view (that the witnesses are credible and they saw UFOs).\n\nBill is asking him to address MORE of the report. Part of the report that might NOT support his claim.\n\nBill asked him to address it. The guy never did.

The vast majority of the various religious people that have bothered me over the years (I like to bait them) has some bullshit story about how them or someone they know has been 'cured' of some random thing "by the power of faith" (or some equally fluffy bollocks). This is exactly the same.

The short clips that were *not* from Star Trek were drawn from a classic piece of satiric technobabble, the [Turboencabulator](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turboencabulator).\n

I'm guessing you're getting downvoted because that's clearly Venus. 

Check here tomorrow night:   http://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comments/136uho/anyone_have_2_cameras_of_any_reasonable_quality_2/\n\nA bunch of people are going up there at 11:30 AM to see what they can capture.

[Bioron's Oscillococcinum](http://www.oscillo.com/about/facts-about-oscillo/) is "200CK" diluted. As I understand it, the K means that the test tube is inverted, and it's assumed that 1% of the solution remains in the test tube. I heard this on [SGU](http://www.theskepticsguide.org/) podcast #318.

As a long-time paranormal researcher myself, I think this is the best advice I've ever read in a single location. Mind if I steal this? I'll gladly give you full credit whenever I use it.

Piltdown man. PROVES creationism! Totally discredits evolution...yeah...hmmm.

The first portion of the footage looked like some type of sky spiral, yes but the second part,  the spinning spotlight on a cloud looked nothing at all like the first part.  Something fishy going on there. 

Yeah but these ones are the ones used to crucify Jesus, our lord and savior. Didn't you read the article?!

Unpausable, unmutable ads, every time you pause, the video turns into an ad, and more ad breaks than your grandma has moles.\n\n\nFucking really? No wonder everyone uses ad blockers.

What would make you think that a diet low in carbs and high in fats would increase the risk of CVD?  I hear that from a lot of people, I have seen that in some studies ([although meta-analyses seem to show no increased CVD risk from saturated fats](http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract)), but that has not been borne out by my own risk factors (decrease in body fat, decrease in blood pressure, decrease in triglycerides, increase in HDL, stable LDL).

If you leave an egg in anything that has much acidity to it, of course the shell will dissolve.

Ouija boards operate on the fact that people don't ever hold perfectly still. When a couple people gently touch the planchette their mismatched vibrations cause the planchet to shake and walk across the board. \n\nOne person then subcociously directs it's movement. So... It in, and of itself isn't really supernatural. \n\n If you accept that everyone is a little psychic this device is as good as anything to tap into it. \n\nIf you don't believe me, try this. Have everyone touching the planchette blindfolded, and don't tell them which direction you set the board down. You wont get any real answers. 

I get what you're saying, and support your resolution, but I wonder if you still think of your "attacker" as something other than a mere projection of your unconscious . . . because it's not anything more than that.  "It" is just a tiny fragment of a dream that your brain produced, that happened to seem overwhelming and real because of the mental-sleep-state you were in.

That lady who wrote the recipe keeps forcing you to say the same thing over and over again. While all the while the conversation isn't going anywhere. It is important to distinguish sometimes when a person is basically an automation. It is a waste of your time to read what they said in the first place, let alone try to talk sense into them.\n\nIt's sad, but it is a non-thinking person. There is nothing you can directly do about that.

Heh. I send the link to my brother who's a long time buddhist. This could well piss him off enough to set enlightenment back a reincarnation or two. 

It certainly seems implied that he meant it in a way to detract from the argument at hand by attacking the person making the argument.

Someone should create a variation for the evolution vs intelligent design dabate. \n

But listening to a cd is sooo much easier than actually exercising. People love an easy option, even if it doesn't work. And chances are, with the sort of people who would try this, either option would be equally ineffective. 

It's strange isn't it? You look at the world and there is so much random awfulness that it's easy to suspend belief in anything you can't see. \n\nThen something like your story or mine happens and you wonder. 

Are there people that really believe some omnipotent being that cares enough to completely change the laws of physics inside a weather pattern over the site of a massacre in order to show its unbridled compassion would do such a crappy job at making the shape even remotely recognizable?  And at the same time, it didn't care enough to change the laws of physics just a tiny bit to make the guy's guns jam?  Really?

What does the goals have to do with science? It's not like you do it differently if you want to help people.

The movie I Know What I Saw on Netflix. And the 2010 Press Club press conference by ex-Air Force officers.

I live here in utah i have seen this. theres been more than one sighting over the past year and to be honest its creepy. 

[this guy agrees](http://depletedcranium.com/no-cell-phones-are-not-killing-bees/)\n\nedit: formatting

Its a small object in the sky. Not man made. Looks liked UFO. But they're not making contact w us. So it's just another one. 

Lol ok, walk outside during one of the storms wait for them to fall.\n\n

We know what it is, and it is in no way scientific. While I hate to quote Wikipedia, this line is quite succinct: \n\n"Astrology cannot be classified as science because it lacks empirical support, supplies no hypotheses, and resolves to describe natural events in terms of scientifically untestable supernatural causes."

You're going to be pretty hard pressed, in some cases, to find specific debunkings of the myriad claims that have been made about the Mayans.  People can make shit up a lot faster than skeptics can do research and fact checking (one might call this the "Stupidity Velocity Differential").\n\nRather than look for rebuttals to the specific claims, search for general articles about 2012 and Mayan claims.  Neil de Grasse Tyson mentions this stuff in dozens of videos.  [David Morrison did a great presentation at SkeptiCal](http://fora.tv/2010/04/24/David_Morrison_Surviving_2012_and_Other_Cosmic_Disasters).  A lot of times you can find a link just by searching for the same terms as your friend, and tacking on "[skeptic](http://www.google.com/search?q=mayan+9/11+skeptic)" or "[debunk](http://www.google.com/search?q=mayan+katrina+debunk)".

Four foot battle armour, talk about supporting your child soldiers with expensive hardware :oP\n\nThe UFO was a yellow fudge seen many times by many different people over the course of more than a month, if my memory serves. And you do not make sense. You do **not** test new equipment in a contested region, you do it at home.\n\nI don't think any country uses spying lightballs. It doesn't make sense in any way imaginable. That is why this is an interesting mystery, though not necessarily an ETV.

A printer is in fact the only thing required to get a copy of your degree. I'm saying this service saves you time of even opening a word document. Come who has time these days to fabricate a doctorate. I'm a busy man. 

&gt;If this tells us anything, it's that we shouldn't let our collective guards down - especially in a community of skeptics.\n\n(FIFY)\n\nIf James Randi has taught me anything, it's that the less you corroborate your facts, the greater chance you're being duped. \n\n\n

Mentally ill and/or the dangerously credulous, yes. "People", no ... at least, I sure fucking hope not.

There should be a website for this along the lines of talkorigins.org so that detailed answers can be provided on all these questions. \n\nIf this website is independent and not linked to the pharmaceutical industry in any way it will be helpful.

The last 2 shapes on the video are similar to traditional "top" looking ufos.\n\nThey look like flying mountains or temples.

&gt;There is no objective truth regarding the matter\n\nOf course there is. Animal spirits either exist or they don't.

Bad science and magical thinking in regards to both mental and physical health tend to encourage this kind of self-destructive behavior in practitioners.\n\nYou forgot to mention just how many meditators die from complications from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer because they don't seek proper medical treatment. It seems like every other day I'm reading an obituary in the local paper of some poor 40-something meditator who died because he or she thought that if they made enough trips to the Raaj they might be cured.\n\nIt doesn't only happen in TM, of course. The recent episode with the leaders of "the Secret" movement (whatever they call themselves) and their sweat lodge of death is another example of New Age gone wrong.

Out of curiosity, how would you quote someone who literally typed out "[...]"?

You sir are an idiot at best. \n\nThe Blog science based medicine is responsible for giving him that award and that is full of well established surgeons and scientists of all fields. \n\n

Fuck yeah! Keep the enthusiasm. We need it here. Have you read Leslie Kean's book, yet? HAVE YOU? Read it. 

&gt;In their first experiment, Gal and Rucker asked 88 students to write about their views on animal testing for consumer goods, but only half of them were allowed to use their preferred hand.\n[...]\n&gt;people have less confidence in what they write with the hand they’re less comfortable with. \n\nScrew confidence, I would have had to leave the experiment right then and there.  I literally *cannot write* with my left hand.  It would have looked like the scribbles of a kindergartner.  I mean, I can make vague chicken scratches that approximate actual letters and numbers, but getting even one entire sentence put to paper would be an exercise in agony.\n\nAre there people out there that can write legibly with their off hand?  Or am I just some sort of freak of nature that can't?  I can do plenty of things with my left hand, but writing is definitely not one of them.

I agree with the other two people.  I'd love to see some of these "Jap/Chinese videos". 

Which would be fine, but sometimes the closest answer and my answer are a significant difference.  10% is not 2% etc.  Those shouldn't have been multiple choice.

Thanks. Saving for later, this will be an enjoyable browse through the landscape of the deranged.

"I will defend homeopathy no matter what... wait 19 strips? Fuck that".

I suspect that they've probably counted the hits and forgotten the misses, and if their abilities were properly studied we'd find no special abilities.

At least you didn't dream of eating a giant marshmallow and wake up to find your pillow gone.

Here's David Gorski's (author of article) response to your rant in the comment section of the article:\n\n&gt;&gt;If giving a patient a placebo without informing them it is a placebo is unethical, then how are double blind tests ethical?\n\n&gt;From your question, I really have to wonder if you know how randomized, double-blind clinical trials are performed. Placebos are ethical in double-blind randomized clinical trials precisely because in double blind clinical trials the patients are told in advance that they will receive either active medicine or a placebo, as well as exactly what the odds are that they will be in the group receiving the experimental drug or whether they will be receiving a placebo, and they are told that the placebo is inert, no suggestion or claims of efficacy made. Informed consent is given, and patient autonomy respected. These days, however, true placebo-controlled trials are becoming more uncommon, other than for minor or self-limited conditions. Most clinical trials now compare experimental drug either added to standard of care or versus standard of care.\n\n\n&gt;&gt;I’m all for “skepticism.” But all too often, “skeptic” seems to mean “axiomatic zealot for the status quo.” It’s like that old saw “if alternative medicine worked, they’d just call it medicine.” Okay… so what do they call it while they’re determining if it works? Sham medicine? And if 20 years from now greater society has settled on the fact that it works? It’s okay for you?\nSo really – you’re saying that medicine isn’t medicine until SOCIETY calls it medicine?\nWow. Now that’s a massive straw man argument.\n\n&gt;You got the statement all wrong, anyway. The statement goes like this: Medicine that has been scientifically validated and shown to work ceases to be “alternative” and becomes just “medicine.” It’s simply a means of pointing out that what has been called “alternative” by its own advocates is only “alternative” because it has either not yet been shown to work or has been tested and failed that testing.\nAs for what we call things before they have been shown to work. That’s easy: Experimental. Not yet proven. Under investigation. We have lots and lots and lots of science-based experimental treatments that are being investigated, and we usually don’t give them to patients outside the context of a clinical trial. If the investigation leads to demonstration of efficacy to the point that a treatment becomes an acceptable treatment in science-based medicine, then the “experimental” label can be removed. So why aren’t “alternative” treatments called “experimental”? Because most of them have been in use and have been used on patients by “alternative” practitioners without testing to show whether they work or not, without a plausible mechanism, and without any science.\nOne wonders at your extreme hostility towards my post, hostility that far dwarfs any that was actually in my post directed towards this study. Clearly, I’ve gored an ox of yours. In any case, you haven’t answered the central criticism of my post, namely that this study is old wine in a new skin. It’s nothing new, but it’s being sold as though it were some sort of revolutionary discovery about placebo effects, particularly by people who are prone to woo.\n\nEdit: Misspelled Gorski's name, damn it.

I'm a Syndicalist. And I'm chuckling at your lack of perspective. And the fact you're browsing through month old threads

Are you sure you can really call those "strong" words with such certainty? \n\nEdit: See what I did there? Eh?

Not sure if this helps with anything, but the fact that the shadow on the ground was very clearly defined makes me think that the light source was really small. Like if you hooked up an LED to 20 car batteries (and it didn't fry) then shined it through a circular hole it might have a similar effect. So it seems aliens are fond of tiny bright lights.

&gt;Those published papers don't seem at a quick glance to be directly about what he's talking about in this video\n\n[This one](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18767681) concerns the 'exclusion zone' formed around hydrophilic surfaces.\n\n[This one](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19053655) describes the ability of water to hold charge between the 'exclusion zone' and 'bulk water'.\n\n[This one](http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2009/SM/b905080a) shows the cause of attraction between like-charged particles suspended in water.\n\n[This one](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19827846) discusses the effects of light on near surface water.\n\nAnd [this one](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16952332) demonstrates the growth of the 'exclusion zone.'\n\nThat's most, if not all, of the things he covered in the lecture.\n\n&gt;There's a better model that's actually used - the double layer. I'm not sure how he thinks that's cutting edge.\n\nHe doesn't present the presence of a surface layer as a new idea; but that it is much larger than originally thought and exhibits crystalline properties.\n\n&gt;The stuff at the end with his hypothesising on water in clouds not falling because it's negatively charged and the earth is negatively charged is pure bollox. We have a pretty decent idea how and why raindrops form\n\nHow rain drops form and why clouds stay suspended in the sky are two different questions.

&gt; I'm reminded of it every time I use a sheet of A4 paper\n\nOr look at art. I think it would be difficult to tell if the beauty is innate or cultural.

OMG, Darwin was only ONE scientist! Therefore his observations are invalidated by the overwhelming majority of people, whom at the time, believed god created everything.\n\nSo how many of these 1.7 million, have officially come forward in defense of the governments explanation of the events? Out of the few that have, how many were paid by said government and therefore, have conflicted motives?\n\nIf I were you, I'd stop being a stupid fucking cunt, hellbent on believing whatever load of jizz the US government shoots down your throat!

We've seen orange and blue, months apart but at our house both times.  We don't have cell phones, and both times we just kinda stared in awe of them.  I understand how there can be a siting and no proof.  

Your arguments are sound and valid, but after awhile you became more agressive and sanctimonious. Granted, its hard not to feel morally superior in that case. But you could be nicer about it. Meh, what the hell do I know? \n \nJust some tips: explain what the phrase "correlation doesn't equal causation" means (she obviously doesn't get it and forces you to repeat it a lot); try throwing in a random percentages (I mean, 70 deaths out of millions of administrations has to be lower than winning the lottery, right?); and maybe try an emotional plea (she's coming from an emotional place, not logical). \n \nBut really, it sounds like she's done arguing and you should just leave her alone.

&gt;In full disclosure I live in Vermont,\n\nHolla!\n\n&gt;It's not the organic methods that makes the food taste better, it's because you can grow food that's been selected because it tastes great, not because it ships well, is uniform, or has a long harvest window that may be more important in conventional farming. You can't get everything you want genetically in every variety and some of those traits may conflict with taste. \n\nSeriously... anyone who wants to fully understand the point you're making needs to come down to St. Paul &amp; College St on a Saturday and check out the veggie selection.

As I said, I'm no lawyer, but I believe the case hinged on the fact that he was exploiting vulnerable people, by taking advantage of their bereavement to obtain sexual favours. He placed himself in a position of authority, and then abused that power.\n\nLooking at your examples, these seem to be along the lines of "making a woman want to have sex with you." I certainly don't think they are ethical, but I agree they shouldn't be illegal. However, what has happened in this case seems to be that women who didn't want to have sex* with Lang were coerced into doing it anyway because they thought it was the only way to get something they deeply wanted, contact with their deceased relatives.\n\nWhat if a girl's father was alive, and I held a gun to his head and said "I'll kill him unless you take off all your clothes", but really the gun was empty? Would it be her fault for being gullible? Of course, this is an extreme example, but my point is that there is indeed a line which must be drawn, and this is what courts are for, to determine when someone has crossed a line into criminality.\n\nTo take a non-sexual example, if I am defrauded of my life savings by a confidence trickster, is it my fault for being gullible? In the eyes of the law, the con-man is definitely the criminal.  If the same con-man tricked me into having sex with him, or providing nude photos, why would you expect that to be legal?

&gt;What I am saying is that in order for a supernatural claim to exist, there must be some occurrence in the natural world to make the claim about. And that can be investigated.\n\nThis is the problematic part that I'm trying to highlight. No, to make a supernatural claim does not require us to point out a distinguishing occurrence in the natural world. For example, suppose we accept Chalmers' "[p-zombie](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-zombie)" argument as an argument for a kind of dualism, which must include elements of supernaturalism. The basis of the argument is that if we got two people to stand next to each other, and they were identical in every single way except one lacked consciousness or a mind, we would not be able to tell them apart through any objective, testable or falsifiable means.\n\nSo we've made a supernatural claim, through logic, that makes no claims about any natural occurrence. 

&gt;Realism, in short, is natural. The idea of the supernatural has to be learned.\n\nThe conclusion seems to be a non-sequitur. The idea of the supernatural encompasses much more than God or even gods.

This sort of thing does seem to happen.  I'd worked in Silicon Valley for years, always taking the same route home, when one day an entire intersection changed including the retail stores surrounding it. Hasn't changed back so far as I know.\n\nWhen I was in high school, there was a antiquarian bookstore along the bus route I took to after-school work.  I liked this bookstore quite a lot with its dark, mysterious interior and shelves and shelves of dusty books contained in a space rather too small for all of it.  But one day, the entire store was gone; nothing there but an empty lot. There was no sign of fire or deconstruction or other problem--the building was just gone.\n

My dad saw these last night in a triangular formation. They were stable. 

That sounds like a great idea. I'll do that from now on. \n\nI don't want to sound hokey, but afterwards, I do (and can) see lights around people. Maybe it's something in my optical cortex that is playing tricks on me, but people do have different colors about them (not in due to what they're wearing either).

More like the other way around.\n\nAlso, Sirius is not a planet. It's a binary star system. Binary meaning 2 stars. \n\nStars= Suns\n\nThe only reason why we call planets "stars" is because they look like a star in the night sky.

Glitches do happen all the time. However, since your brain is constantly creating your own little matrix to experience, based on reality of course, its liable to make mistakes. When the brain suddenly reinterprets information coming in the resulting change to the experience it creates for you can be jarring. I think we get used to it early on growing up and stop noticing it or bothering to remember. Taking psychedelics brings that all back though. You have a fresh perspective and notice how fragile your experience of reality is. Of course, since memory relies on being triggered by context, which includes mental state, sobering up makes it harder to retrieve the memory you just made while high. 

I understand what you mean, for me, i feel like my work is just beginning..

This is unusual for the BBC who typically make light of such things... I am suspicious. There has been over recent years a gradual softening up on the subject. Why?

I suspect that fear turned your situation in to something more than what it was. Hence the need to control it and maintain some level of objectiveness. I've been around things that you would probably consider "crazy" (disembodied voices, being touched by someone who wasn't there etc..), but as hard as it is, I don't let my emotions get the better of me. This is not an attack on you, just some constructive criticism.

Also worth noting: \n\nThere is one study that's made me scratch my head for a couple years ([link](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21849529), I can provide the PDF if someone wants it but I am in bed and don't want to deal with my academic proxy on my iPad, do it'll have to wait till I am at work). The weird thing is that frc increases LDL levels in the cohort. Of course, sucrose and HFCs both have frc, and actually HFCs have slightly less than sucrose. Still, as a cvd researcher I've always wondered about this. \n\nAlso I will leave this free review of the literature here: [link](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22093544) which reviews a fair number of studies looking at this sort of thing. If you want the meat of the review, go to table 6. There you will see all of the statistically significant results bonded for your convenience. Note that frc vs sucrose are pretty much no different by the methods of this meta analysis. 

&gt;the absence of Jesus would spell the end of their entire faith\n\nProbably truer of Muhammed and Islam than Jesus and Christianity,.

The human brain is highly adaptable - look at stroke victims who (with much effort) are able to re-learn to speak, even though the part of the brain devoted to language has been destroyed (for all practical purposes).\n\nBTW, you are reactive very defensively. It makes me think you are probably too emotionally involved to discuss this calmly, and without lashing out at others. You're not going to have a constructive dialog if you keep being snarky.

Been a long time fan of C2C..\n\nDespite all the complaints below, I really enjoy George Noory..moreso than Art Bell these days although I still respect him for getting C2C on the map of course.

I'm not thankful, a prescription for a trip to Cancun sounds awesome. 

The JREF also wrote about a particular aspect of the movie, free energy, here: http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/swift-blog/1538-thriving.html?widthstyle=w-wide

I think life outside of the earth is probable.  I am skeptical that this scientist has actually found evidence.  I await peer review.

This is correct. Even in this case you would be better off going to a physical therapist

Does anyone have a video of swamp gas? This is a very common explanation for UFO's but I've never seen a video or anything of it to compare. I quickly searched you tube but there wasnt much.

I'd say skepticism encompass, or perhaps simply leads to atheism better than atheism to skepticism.  Most contemporary atheists, in my experience, arrived at atheism through skeptical thinking. 

I will tell you what he may want to hear it from another chiropractor so call around in his area and try to find a non quacky chiro.  Some key questions to ask for: are techniques used (avoid anything atlas related, anything dealing with energy or with the following words: energy, applied kinesiology, non directional, maximized living), ask if they treat asthma (avoid), ask if they work with any attorneys for PI (if they get excited avoid and start asking a bunch of questions), ask if they refer to medical providers (good sign), ask if the chiropractor reads their own films or sends them out to be read (again a good sign if they send out at least some films).\n\nBest of luck to your friend.

I thought it was a good movie-- I hope some does it better though. Good info, but the movie production and narration were lacking... \n\nP.S. If you're wondering if I could have done better, the answer is no.

My dad didn't turn the flash on by accident, and all that's behind us is preserved battlefield, nobody was allowed to be on it. :/

I can relate.  My two halves of the family are like yin and yang when dealing with woo-woo.  One side is fine, the other side thinks I have been tricked by scientists and doctors into believing their crap.

I suppose that is true, waving the fists around in the air works to decrease the need for real beating. We are 70% water, and the water remembers it has been threatened.

Fair enough, but as you said, this was due to the general state of medicine in his day, not to anything he brought to the table. I'd argue that his work does far more harm than good today.

Nice list. I'm adding a few more...\n\n[Saqqara Bird's aerodynamical properties](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saqqara_Bird)\n\n[Antikythera mechanism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism)\n\n[Gloria Ramirez](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Ramirez)\n\n\n[Battle Over the Skies of Nuremburg](http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread698132/pg1)\n

What I take from this (and not very surprised by) is that regular sugar is just as bad as HFCS. It's not the type of sugar, it *is* the sugar.\n\nI like to try to avoid sugar completely; especially if it's in liquid form. You're not going to cut it out completely, but you can minimize it. If it's sugar in a fruit, I don't have issue with it (except grapes, which I don't like that much). I also don't agree with the common belief that fruit juice is healthy. Most available fruit juices have just as much sugar (or even more) than soft drinks and have a similar nutritional value. The best way of consuming fruit is from *eating* it, solids and all.

It's not debatable. You don't debate simple mathematics, engineering principles or the laws of physics. You've proven nothing except that truthers cannot accept the truth.

It's also easier to "debunk" the idea of global warming if it has "skeptics" rather than "deniers".  And unless it saves a company money, companies haven't seemed interested in spending to protect the environment.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/20/california.whooping.cough/index.html?hpt=T1\n\n&gt; Nine were younger than 8 weeks old, which means they were too young to have been vaccinated against this highly contagious bacterial disease.

That damn link is so tempting. but it'll have to wait till after work.

I'm guessing AGW means anti-global warming? I'm pretty sure that he changed his mind on that after talking with some scientist friends.

Hi, I'm the person who posted the story, I deleted it because I wasn't sure whether this was the right subreddit. I went to the doctors and they scanned my brain and did a shit tonne of tests but it showed nothing. They referred me to a psychiatrist and after only a few hours all my memories came back, apparently it was down to some kind of emotional trauma. I broke up with my boyfriend because the whole situation freaked me out too much and when I saw him it made me feel really freaked out, leading me to believe that maybe whatever caused this could be linked to him. 

hahha, English is not my native language so in all truth I never actually said that sentence... XD 

&gt;There were many videos,\n\nYes, of the flares.\n\nAnd again, the quote means nothing. The lights were flares. Nothing on radar would indicate a large craft, the only thing people saw of it were the lights, and the human eye is terrible as perceiving distance and movement under those conditions.\n

My first comment too and it might be a result of my reply and that people read my reply before you had a chance to clarify what you meant and so came to the same conclusion I did. Your probably thinking too much about it people read what you put and then mine and they don't seem to realise downvoting isn't for silencing or censoring opinions you don't agree with they are for comments that add nothing to the discussion.

I'm glad that you mentioned free speech, because it is historically a very contentious subject.  While open communication is an overwhelmingly positive practice, it too is regularly abused - by woo peddlers, hyperbolic media and litigious trolls like the WBC.  So while it is generally understood that misinformation and hate speech are 'immoral', there is no legal framework to prosecute offenders without seemingly trumping the 'right' to free speech.  On the other hand, it is possible to demonstrate that abusive speech reduces the overall quality of life, and therefore is subject to prosecution.  You could then reword 'the right to free speech' as 'entitlement to speech with responsibility for its effects'.\n\nAlso, I am not at all trying to argue that entitlements are a bad thing.  On the contrary, they are the basis of any social contract, but must necessarily come with explicit responsibilities.  Of course, that is just the theoretical baseline - in practice the social contract should also guarantee bare minimum quality of life and a cap on resource use, based on diminishing returns to quality of life per unit of value (i.e. there is nothing you can reasonably and efficiently do with $2B that you cannot do with $1B, etc...)\n\nThank you for the reply.

Looks like a missile test to me.  Dots might be added to the vid as an after thought.  If it's a UFO, it's in some serious trouble.

Its a great way to learn cold reading. I watched half a episode and you can tell its heavily edited   

Annie Jacobsen was either taken for a ride or is lying her ass off.  Her explanation of Roswell leaves FAR MORE questions than it answers.\n\nFor instance; what was the ship's propulsion methods?  How did these children fly an experimental craft hundreds of miles into the desert without being picked up on radar?  \n\nYeah, this is a bullshit money making scheme wrapped in the pages of a book.

From Seicair's comment, I gather that Potentiation is hitting the bottle?

Dr. Novella is very skilled at debating purveyors of woo as he does occasionally on the SGU.  I think even hardcore believers can be educated, if only slightly, by seeds of knowledge a skeptic can give.  It's not going to be a slam dunk but an excellent way to reach many believers and plant that seed.\nOz: "Why do you not want me to talk about these therapies on the show"\nSteve: "It turns out they don't work"

Yeah, so she didn't know what one word meant. Yes of course she is biased / left-leaning. No one made a claim Daily Kos is trying to be "neutral".\n\nBut the article presents facts and they are very reasonably well presented.  There's no need to be extra harsh on the writer.

Are you sure you meant to post this here? This is more fitting for /r/philosophy. 

Guys, the world isn't going to end the old world paradigm is going to end. We're moving into a higher density. Be prepared to see more spirituality aware people in the coming years

[The Hacker's Diet: How To Lose Weight and Hair Through Stress and Poor Nutrition](http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/www/hackdiet.html) is a good introduction to dieting for weight loss.\n\n[This guy](http://drfuhrman.com/) is a little off the beaten path, but he backs up everything he claims with mountains of studies from nationally-recognized journals of diet and nutrition, along with [his own research](https://www.nutritionalresearch.org/research).\n\nEDIT: Added link to the Nutritional Research Project.

V.O.I.P.\n\nViolence over internet protocol. More believable than the ass nuggets fighting over themselves to leave her face.

Science illiteracy + being outside a lot = UFO sightings.\n\nIt's a rocket doing a burn. I've even seen things like this happen myself.

Hi _thepet, I just wanted to commend you for keeping your cool and sticking to fact checking in your little exchange with the anti-vaxer! Well done. While the anti-vaccination "movement" as a whole might never die, some individuals involved will (eventually) respond to scientific reasoning and critical thinking. Maybe they're not the outspoken ones who spout lies to justify their positions. Maybe they're only the ones reading and following along. I'm sure you're getting to at least one of those folks every time you do this.\n\nIt's refreshing to see someone who understands that people use all kinds of heuristics to evaluate arguments. It doesn't help our case to get upset or to deny true things -- like that earlier post where OP actually argued against the claim that some people don't tolerate some vaccines, as if he's never heard of [anaphylaxis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaphylaxis#Causes)!

The point of it is simple. Make American's look stupid.\n\nRT is the Fox News of Russia, they have more agenda's than a local council meeting.

&gt; So you think that them meeting with aliens is more plausible than them being able to make up a vague story (there were very few details, and when there were, like the appearance of the aliens, they rarely agreed) and stick to it?\n\nGiven 1) everything I said with regard to child psychology, and 2) the fact that off world existence IS indeed a reality, one would be very uncritical and remiss to discard this situation as a hoax.\n\n&gt; Children don't need to be in trouble to stick to a lie.\n\nDepends on the lie, man.\n\n&gt; You do the movement no favours by believing any old shit.\n\nYou do the movement - and yourself - no favors by being an uncritical individual.

Oh for sure, it's definitely guest dependent. I tend to like the Camp Fire user submitted story podcast more. 

I am not throwing out modern medical understanding.  I simply understand its limitations and assumptions.

I think it's a bit alarmist to put forward things are less open today than they were in the medieval period, or other eras.\n

As a pilot, with knowledge of radio, navigation, and other communication equipment, I'd prefer if you shut everything off during take-off and landing. \n\nMy aircraft has a transponder telling ATC and other aircraft my altitude and location (ATC does not rely solely on radar). I have a VHF radio for talking to ATC, and a second set of VHF radios for tracking VOR radio beacons as well and precision instrument landing systems allowing me to land in very low visibility conditions. I have GPS and am required to receive 5 satellites signals in order to use it (RAIM), unlike the 3 that it needs in your car. I have ADF receivers on AM frequencies and DME (distance measuring equipment) on others.\n\nIf 200 different electronic devices, all operating at different levels of power and quality, are fighting my navigation and com systems while I am trying to land you safely on the ground, travelling at 130 kts and 400 vertical feet per minute to a point 200 feet over the runway when I cannot see ANYTHING until the last few seconds, and ONE of them (your devices) malfunctions and causes interference with the precision instruments that are guiding me through the fog, the best case scenario is a go-around.\n\nAnd cellphones rarely work over 5000' AGL because the signal is too weak.  They certainly do not work at 36,000 feet (7 vertical miles away from tower).  Any telephone system that you see installed in an aircraft does not work on traditional cellular towers.\n\nThe FAA almost never makes rules just to make rules (unlike the TSA).  They do however understand the complexities of radio transmission and the potential for interference. So for a few minutes, please, shut off the phone and laptop and relax. You are participating in an event that you take for granted because you simply don't realize everything that is going on to provide you with safest, most amazing transportation available to the public.

 Had many meetings with a frustrated old head of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health for funding issues. The teen programs at the mental hospitals and other residential programs in the US have about the same 5% "success rate" as untreated acute mental health cases (his words). Didn't talk about the adult programs as often, but I got the impression the results are similar. People check in, and either stay till their insurance "runs out" or, in rarer extreme cases, go to a more secure lockup. Most end up on SSI or welfare for life, their condition not improved for all that the treatment cost the government.

I wasn't trying to say it is not an extraordinary experience that needs to be scientifically studied, but claiming that you come to a hyper-dimension with elves, aliens, goddesses, and other visions will not help the case.\n\nOther people saw it, and made a stance that I agree on, or do you expect all the people to see it to make a stance? You don't need to see the Earth from space to accept that it is round.

Or I could of just been really tired. :) But, there is a possibility of it lingering, I've had some do that. I've just been doing my best to ignore them lately though, so unless they do anything drastic like what happened that night I don't really pay attention :s

True.  Here here.\n\nKeep an open heart and an open but sharp, critical, and discerning mind . . . and onward ho. :)

I thought that you guys would deem my excellent basketball moves as a good enough shake to dislodge two Tic-Tacs.

Sorry, my knowledge of placebo is limited.  I was just answering with my opinions if accupuncture.  I can't answer that question, even though it''s a good one.

This happens at my house also. Sometimes in different rooms of the house it will smell like an old man cologne. I notice it like once a month or so. And no, there is no one else living in my house. I have had several other things happen here too so I just think its some kind of paranormal activity. 

Thank you guys for all of your input I will definitely do a mock up presentation and tape it then put it on youtube for you all to critique :)

I hate to be that guy, but "fazes" is the word you're looking for.\n\n\nUnless I just missed some physics pun.

Sorry to be slamfucking this post, but I keep unraveling more and more. The "Tat Oyi vaccine" they mention is real, but it's alrady been developed, and it's been tested:\n\nhttp://www.retrovirology.com/content/3/1/8/abstract/

Can you give me more details about them? I want to talk to it, but I didn't know how much interaction I should give it. Like I didn't want it to build up strength by me interacting positively with it. Plus it's a bit unnerving when you are woken up by a dark figure talking to you.

Evidence based medicine works better than placebo, just not for all people. Homeopathy is less than or just as effective as placebo, meaning there is no evidence supporting that it does anything. It is water, anyway.

My friend and I saw one JUST like this! We saw ours through binoculars and the middle of it was moving in and out though..going concave and convex you could say. It was the same color\\colors this one is showing. Good catch! \nKudos for legitimate video!

Snopes forum: [Bananas fight cancer?](http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?p=1648302)\n\nSummary:\n\n&gt; (1) bananas don't make TNF.\n&gt;\n&gt; (2) It seems that extracts of bananas might possibly prime your own macrophages to make TNF if you inject it into your stomach.\n&gt;\n&gt; (3) TNF doesn't work the way the OP (FB post) thinks it works anyway.\n\n**Edit**:\n\nEven better, this claim is used as a debunking case study by this article: [Checking for pseudoscience in real science news](http://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/checking-pseudoscience-real-science-news/)

This just means that not too many people are allergic, or if they are, they don't say anything about it.  Flying with peanuts makes me incredibly uncomfortable, but I don't say anything about it, because what are they going to do?  Take away everybody's peanuts?  Also, the airlines surely are aware of it, but might have just done a cost/benefit analysis and found out that they don't mind pissing off a few people with peanut allergies, since accommodating us might be too expensive.

sleep paralysis is just a dream in which you are still in your bed in your own room. it's not that you can't move in real life, you're just not awake

Does anyone have a score of the piece? I'd like to analyze it to see if there's anything unusual about the chords chosen leading to why one might commit suicide after hearing it. The lyrics are no more unusual than many death metal songs.\n\nEdit: found it.

Why are you so afraid?! What hell do you think is going to happen to you? A ghost is going to kill you? Seriously?

The sad thing is....  we ALL dismiss the things that reach outside of our 'usual' comprehension as being 'unreal'.  ... we have this 'limit'' where we say "that can't be real" because it crosses an imaginary invisible border.  ...  Spooky voices?  okay!  Spooky man outside?  okay!  Wait, spooky floating around mysteriously defying gravity?  I call bull!  \n\nJust remember, boys and girls, that part of the point of these subreddits is to expanding our comprehension of reality.  There will ALWAYS be 'fiction'.  There will always be "short stories" mixed in with the real accounts.  \n\nJust don't dismiss one or the other because it, somehow, does not line up with what 'reality' is.  I have several stories I refuse to tell the internet just because they would be dismissed as false.  They feature events that would make most people dismiss everything out of hand because 'reality doesn't work that way'.  \n\nI see a lot of truth in places like nosleep where people dismiss everything as false.  Sometimes it's dressed up like a fictional account because it terrifies the person telling the story less.  But it still has that little grain of truth that makes my hair on my neck rise up.

blazin_chalice, can you identify that object?  If you can't its unidentified.  Also I've never seen a missile bounce without breaking on impact.  Secondly can you provide proof that this is filmed on White Sands Missile Range? Thats not all I see some other interesting aspects of this video that point to it not being a missile.  

Came here to say something along these lines, but compared to your eloquent response, I would've sounded like [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXxEI9U4sqg&amp;feature=player_detailpage#t=327s).

&gt; the reality was [Kagan] wanted to ban corporations and unions, not individuals, from creating and printing electioneering materials\n\nHow the hell is THAT a good thing? You're defending her anti-free-speech stance and making it sound perfectly reasonable! \n\nJust because we formed a union, we're not allowed to have an opinion? So only rich people who can afford to print pamphlets get to speak?\n\nYou are guilty of the exact thing you are blaming others for. 

Hence the quotation marks around the word. It's basically referring to the fact that deniers often call themselves skeptics, when in fact they're not.

Why is this being downvoted? I mean, sure, it sounds like it's probably pushing in favor for the idea that coke causes cancer eventually, but it isn't; it's an entirely valid logical statement.

&gt;if you watch his other videos this particular corner of the basement has had the most activity...\n\nIt does make sense that he's filming and aiming at the area where the disturbance is happening. Thanks for this info.

It's fair to assume he wasn't asking what you had for lunch yesterday. Perhaps something a little more interesting? :P

He was being sarcastic. There is no "Men in Black" documentary. There are men in black *documentaries*, but the Russian dude was referring to the Will Smith film.

I did read. \n\nYou say that your father "will be drinking water from jugs from now on due to the of disinfectant that he just found out is in our water softener". In what way am I supposed to conclude from that that your father doesn't know what the disinfectant is or that it's chlorine you're on about? Your additional post doesn't even say that you *know* that it's chlorine, just that it's "probably" chlorine.\n\nIf you want an answer, learn how to ask a question.

Stop sounding so foolish, you Illuminati gatekeeper employed to make us real truth-tellers look bad!

Take-home lesson: When you're a snake-oil salesman with good PR, for fuck's sake shut up and keep your head down.\n\nTaking a dispute to the court of public opinion when you're a chiropractor isn't like bluffing on bad cards - it's like bluffing when you have *no cards in your hand*. &lt;:-)

I do not know they work on the material plane or not. \n\nAny help I ever received from a guide was inspirational, mental and emotional. I have never received any physical help, but I have never asked. \n\nMy own experience does not discount that they can, would or do help on the physical plane.

Like the OP, I have never heard  a chiropractor make reference to “blockages of the spine” or claim to be able to cure cancer or autism. I am no expert, but I do happen to know many chiropractors, including someone fairly prominent on our State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Most chiros, in my experience, focus on relieving neck and back pain by manipulating the spine. The way they see it, the medical profession has maintained for decades that drugs and surgery are the best ways to treat back and neck pain, which seems rather like removing the batteries from a chirping smoke detector.\nPerhaps the person who posted before on this thread and who is in school for physical therapy can comment, but it is my understanding that physical therapists have only very recently started performing spinal manipulations, something that most physical therapists have absolutely no formal training in.\n

somethinginteresting is also assuming that the only influence on the global temperature is CO2/gas concentrations. Increases in global temperature could cause a snowball effect, where reflectivity is decreased (less snow in the upper northern hemispheres) increasing land temperature, icecaps melt increasing water temperatures overall, etc etc - just assuming that the sole temperature increase will be due to GHG emissions seems naive to me.

Whenever I hear about schemes like this, including the Rapture/atheist pet service, I just get dollar signs in my eyes.  How simple would it be to read up a chapter or so in a *"Booke of Wicca"* and advertise as a witch?\n\nThe problem is that I have ethics and would feel guilty taking people - even fucking idiots - for an expensive ride.  It's a real shame, because there is a tonne of money to be made out there.

Just to add, in Brazil if you're middle class it's standard to learn english at school and most people do outside courses too.

Nope, you have it wrong.  You are confusing capitalism with corporatism. In recent years we have seen a president come into office with the promise of change.  All he delivered was support in corporatism.  The bail outs are proof of that.\n\nI just...I cant handle this anymore.  This thread is filled with misinformation about capitalism.  I thought I was in r/skeptics.  Instead, im reading people trying to sell me on their ion bracelet version of why I should hate capitalism.  I give up.  America is doomed because because are far too lazy to actually educate themselves.  

toys r us. there is glow in the dark or pretty pink princess version available. alternately: kmart.

Great question! If there is, the OP should definitely take a look at it and see if it actually happened the way he/she saw. Sometimes a different angle reveals a lot. Perspective can be funny.

What if the undeniable evidence was your alien roommate, and you sold interviews.  That would be a continual revenue stream :)

The milk I drink comes from a local company that sells small quantities fresh from the cows. They are allowed to do this if they warn their customers that drinking it without thermally processing it may be somewhat dangerous.\n\nI usually heat it up since I mostly drink it as cocoa, but I've had quite a few cups that were "dangerous".\n\nThe cows are monitored quite well, they are properly cleaned before being milked and if you heat the milk properly, the risks are very low.\n\nBTW: The milk tastes great, which cannot be said about milk bought in a shop.

IFO = Russian ICBM (Topol-M) test firing.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iIgesHH9fg\n\nhttp://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2245947&amp;language=en\n\n

cant wait to see the vid.\n\nI live near pittsburgh myself. seen a few things also, but not recently

Interesting video, but the video quality is so bad its hard to tell whats really happening. 

You definitely got the inequality wrong on your sodium levels. The 2000 needs to be on the greater than side, unless you're trying to get at least 2000 per day.

It's gone now - I went back at the end of the 90's to see if I could find it again.   It was small, about four blocks from the harbor, and only had about ten floors, if I remember correctly.   I honestly cannot remember the name, too much water under the bridge, and too many hotels since.  I never had work take me back to Baltimore, so it was just that one time there for me, until I had a chance to kill a day passing through years later.

I'm a bit (in)famous within conspiracy circles and this guy has it right here. They believe themselves to be "Skeptics". I've even had one say I wasn't a Skeptic because "You don't even question the Official 911 story, how are you a Skeptic? How do you call yourself a Skeptic when you believe everything the government tells you??" \n\nTo them being "Skeptical" means "question everything", so they believe themselves to be the True Skeptics^tm and people like us goverment sheepules or "paid government propagandists". \n\nThe TL;DR:  these are some of the dumbest people you'll ever talk to online.  

They've made no progress with cancer in the last 50 years?!  What an incredibly irresponsible statement to make.  The survival rates for nearly all forms of cancer are vastly better today then they were even 10 years ago.  Ignorance coupled with smugness is such a disgusting thing to watch.

Before you try to prove something, you have to decide what you are trying to prove.  I ask what you would like me to prove, and you are non responsive.\n\n&gt;If you don't, logic dictates that the null hypothesis is most likely true.\n\nI hope you realize that has no basis in logic.  That's just some shit you made up.\n\nEdit:\n\n&gt;there are private owners of the world reserve banks\n\nYou are OK with private individuals printing currency, selling that currency to the US government, and then collecting interest from that currency?  Most people see that as the very definition of both corruption and slavery.

Yeah, I've thought about this too. Maybe it's not "the CIA completely carried out 9/11" or anything, but they definitely did some shady shit and covered it up. I feel the official story cannot be correct, and I feel this very, very surely. But until the facts are exposed it will be hard to determine the "level" of sinisterness going on here. Maybe it was a legitimate attack, and we just covered our asses a bit. Either way, it's not okay, and the truth needs to come out. Without knowing who the hijackers were, it's difficult to link this to Afghanistan at all.

Doesn't account for cars on the road, and how he managed to find a parking spot. \n\nThe simplest explanation is usually the right one; that he could see fine the entire time. 

backstory: Someone RTed a tweet from @JennyMcCarthy. I thought, "That name sounds awfully familiar" so I checked and I'm pretty sure it was indeed *that* Jenny McCarthy. I started looking around her website and was not too surprised at what I found: Rather than saying, "Don't vaccinate your kids!" the message was much more about seeking out *information* and making sure that you made an *informed decision*, weighing all the risks and benefits of vaccination, before you actually walk into the doctor's office. One of the things that it linked to was this. I thought maybe someone here would know a lot about it. Is it generally a well-respected organization that does good, scientifically sound work, etc.? Or is it something that was designed by /r/skeptic's favorite villains, the anti-vaxers, to make their position seem like it's backed up by scientific studies?

Does Astrology even classify as an art? I thought it can only be classified as pseudoscience!

I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THAT IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO POUR WATER INTO ACID AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THIS IS PURELY A MATTER OF BELIEF EVEN IF EVIDENCE SAYS YOU'LL END UP WITH A CLUSTERFUCK ACID BURN\n\nTAKE THAT SKEPTICS!!!

Quantum Physics... Therefore everything and anything!\n\nNow buy my product.\n\n\n\n 

&gt;Coming onto r/paranormal and replying self righteously to a bunch of people's posts implying that they SHOULD(kind of a crap mind set, who are you to know what everyone SHOULD be focusing on) be spending their time on, is obnoxious.\n\nYou're right, and I apologize.\n\nI have a personal bias against belief in the powers of the Ouija board, and I'm projecting it in here, where it doesn't belong.

&gt;An Incredible new theory of a growing earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kL7qDeI05U\n\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanding_Earth\n\n\nThe earth is wider around the equator by 55 K. then measured around from pole to pole. When something happens to change where the equator is (commit impact?) some places become under water and some out of the water \n\n\n\n\nAlso, every meteor/commit impact adds mass to the earth. (A lot of it water.)\n\n\n\nSay, did you know the gold on earth was made into gold by at one time being a collapsing star?

Would you mind explaining what Sagan's law is? I have never heard of it, and my google searches for it have found nothing.

I don't get this - it's pretty much all NASA footage and is very interesting. Why the downvotes?

Pain sensation is something that happens in the mind, it's not like having cancer. So the placebo effect can be quite strong when it comes to pain relief.

Mixed Martial Arts Tournaments. Popular in the 90s. You would have known that if you had been in the Martial Arts for a while. Around before MMA.

It has been mentioned throughout this thread that milk consumption has been linked to many health conditions through epidemiological studies, it just hasn't been proven to have a causal relationship.

There are several studies with different outcome.\n\nIt works better than standard hospital treading. [1](http://www.bmj.com/content/311/7001/349.abstract)\n\nIt's same effective. [2](http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199810083391502)\n\nThe most studies aren't done very well. [3](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8902660)\n\nDoesn't work better than a placebo. [4](http://adc.bmj.com/content/84/2/138.abstract)\n\n

Im assuming this came up because of the [brochure](http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/05/17/The-Vetting-Barack-Obama-Literary-Agent-1991-Born-in-Kenya-Raised-Indonesia-Hawaii) that was recently released. \n\nIndeed it is interesting but at this point inconsequential.

There are actually placebo effects. Plural. \nAnd some comments here get it right, it does not heal anything.\nIt is essential in medical research to be able to measure the efficiency of a treatment or medication.\nFor a detailed explanation, look here:\nhttp://www.csicop.org/si/show/the_poor_misunderstood_placebo/

none... running lights are purely human and for commercial craft....   \n  \noh... and this:  \n**Skeptic is not a bad word**  \n  \nBeing a skeptic is good... if you are not, if you do not demand irrefutable proof, then you are just a nutjob follower of any woo bullshit anyone wants to shove down your throat  \n  \n"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" ~ Carl Sagan  \n  \nTo date there has been zero irrefutable evidence of alien visitation to this planet.  \n  \npresumption of truth and speculation on how it could be true is called fiction.... not evidence  

If you got cancer from 13 stupid comments, I'd hate to see what going to NaturalNews.com gives you! 

We've been making radio signals, but they were only strong for a short period of time. Modern radio operates at a fraction of the power density, using digital and spread spectrum technology which makes it look like noise from afar, and mostly in frequencies which are readily blocked and absorbed by interstellar dust. The chances of us being heard are slim to none unless we try to broadcast ourselves. 

Yeah, I suppose that would be the next step. Thanks for the idea.

&gt;The rocket appeared to be in space.\n\nZero evidence of this.\n\n&gt;The rocket and all the fuel is being accelerated downward at the exact same rate. There isn't enough air in space to make friction important in this case.\n\nFriction has nothing to do with any of what I said. Which you clearly did not understand.\n\n&gt;Wow. No. Gravity would be making it accelerate toward the ground at all times regardless of which direction it's moving. It would never "begin" falling because it's always falling.\n\nUm, gravity is always acting on it, but it is not always falling. In layman's terms, which you clearly are, it begins "falling" once its total acceleration is positive in the direction of Earth's surface. Things are not "falling" simply because gravity is in effect.\n\n&gt;I'm sorry, I cannot explain these things in a way that will make sense to you until you understand the basics of physics.\n\nYou are not fooling anyone with that. You are not a physics major, and if you are, I feel sorry for whatever university you went to, because your understanding of physics is horrifyingly bad.\n\nLast post to you.

Nah, satellites get pretty burned up while reentering. I kinda looks like aluminium. The patterned end of it looks like a very 60's UFO but mostly it just looks like the end off a big old storage tank.

At 2:11 in the video, the rotor with the coils is exposed and not moving even though the magnets are in place.  However, once he puts the fan blades on, it magically begins to spin.  \n\nConclusion:  The magnets are shit, but he does have a magic fanblade!

That's all well and good, but pyramid power *is* a testable hypothesis.

The pictures of the "supposed alien" are from a youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AveJSRL8KgQ&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\nyou almost had me (not really)

I also noticed the sunshine comment, and I'm glad you posted the thing about antidepressants. Thank God I didn't have to subscribe; you did the dirty work for us!\n\n&gt; Skeptics do not believe in intuition.\n\nI actually didn't know that most skeptics thought that. Is this true? \n\nAs a psychologist I believe that intuition, while not completely accurate, has a biological/evolutionary basis. I also noticed this as a nanny and partner. \n\nPeople pick up ancient cues that our ancestors relied upon before language without realizing it. They don't know what they are picking up on, so they call their ideas intuition. \n\nLike the time I just woke up and realized my partner was cheating and with whom. I had no idea what made me realize that; he must have dropped some subtle cues, or it was the way he said her name. Nothing he did was suspicious but I confronted him and he said I was right.

They link to a Coast to Coast AM webpage with photos. Doesn't seem alien to me though, but he should report it to a local museum I think.

What kind of help do you need?  I would suggest reading Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird things, it might help you understand these people.

&gt;If you didn't have companies making closed source operating systems, and claiming ownership of the intellectual property that produces then we wouldn't have any operating systems.

Saying he does exist and you could shoot him, I feel there might be some issue with killing an endangered species or perhaps something to do with killing an ape. But that's a moot point. 

My First Thought: Well, if they wanted us dead they'd probably have done it already. \n\nMy Second Thought: Hope they don't make us zombie-slaves.

How likely would it be to actually take out enough key people for that to happen though?  If even a couple dozen survive they would easily be the smartest people on the planet which would give them a distinct advantage.  I'd say they'd more than likely be able to come together and run whatever nation is the most powerful.  If not directly then at least from behind the scenes.  They'd also be able to guarantee that science education was preserved.\n\nKind of like "The Book of Eli".  The most powerful group of humans on the West Coast of the US was powerful only because they were trying to preserve all our knowledge.  If any group that doesn't understand a decent amount of the advances made in the last few centuries tried to rise to power it would be easy enough to stop them.

oh yeah\nand whatever did become of linda blair\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_series

I'm happy for your friend!  I'm still sitting here hoping against hope that someone I know, who went to quacks for the first year after a cancer diagnosis, will beat it now that she's "given in" and started conventional treatment.

I would be very skeptical anytime you see the word antioxidants.

Aloe Vera makes for some pretty good cheap hair gel. And it's supposed to help with sun burns, but I've never really felt it's soothing effects. It just goes on, feels cold on a burn, but I've also heard that it will act as an insulator too, which may cause your burn to feel hotter over time.\n\nBut I can verify that it's pretty good hair gel, and it doesn't smell bad.

I love reaching out and talking to people who are doing interesting new things in the skeptical community.  I tackle paranormal claims  all the time on my podcast and blog The Dumbasses Guide To Knowledge (www.dumbassguide.info), and you can feel free to take advantage of any of my research and arguments.\n\nMy email address is on the website, if you want to bounce some ideas off me I'd be happy to oblige.  And once you get your project going perhaps you'd be interested in coming on my other podcast The Invisible Sky Monster Podcast (www.invisibleskymonster.com) where you can plug it and we can talk about other stuff as well.

Mothman on Netflix is pretty sweet.\n\nAlso, search youtube for any of the ghost shows, most are online.

Werd.  And someone really can't see where the money is coming from.

Two questions:\n\nAre you an American citizen and/or do you reside in the United States?\n\nIn a short few sentences or less, how would **you** personally define libertarianism?\n\n\nThese are incredibly relevant, because in the United States, corporations essentially own the government and manipulate it in an effort to reform or remove limitations and regulations in order to maximize profits. I see libertarianism as allowing that because there is, essentially, little to no government involvement in the economy whatsoever. Strong governments with strong economic limitations and regulations, as well as high corporate taxes, are actually proven to be quite efficient and quite awesome. Look at Japan, who has a decent amount of government regulation in the construction industry. Because of that, strict codes apply to the construction of new buildings, which keeps the buildings strong and resilient against earthquakes, which saves lives. Also, they have strict automative regulations, which allows them to produce amazingly fuel efficient (and safe) vehicles that trump American-designed vehicles. Everybody wins. Could you actually see something like that working under a libertarian society? In a society already riddled with poverty, crime, war, and desolation, do you honestly think that setting it to a near-anarchy government is the best?

If it worked, it wouldn't be "alternative" it would just be called "medicine." 

Or just go in one direction... The direction that the evidence lays in. There are plenty of conspiracies that were true. This particular conspiracy which was real is often used by conspiracy theorists to try to soften people up to get them to accept their own pet conspiracy theory.

Do you have some kind of specific vitamin deficiency? If not, they're unlikely to do very much. 

Your saying out of all the planets in the UNIVERSE you think there isn't at least one more planet out there with life on that is more complex then a single celled organism? Do you know how big our universe is?

Great success!  Among all of the nonsense out there, anti-vaxers have the greatest potential for widespread harm, and should be vociferously opposed at every opportunity.  Kudos to Elyse for rounding everyone up, and to everyone who complained for fighting the good fight.

Complaining about what taxes pay for is like complaining about what a mugger does with the money he steals from you.

Okay. The lack of corroborative proof, however flimsy, is off-putting to say the least.            \nBut, your persistence inclines me to believe that there is some validity to your claims.               \n\nIf you're genuine then I apologise.       \nHowever, you post a claim but provide zero in the way of proof.            \nAnd a cursory google search (which you referenced) does not even provide anecdotal evidence.              \n\nAnd the competency of disinfo agents or otherwise is something for recipients to interpret.               \nWe are all subject to daily propaganda. How deep you wish to delve depends on your desire to know reality.             \n\nI am not angry. I am continually astonished by the depths of depravity individuals perform in the name of personal gratification.       \nI am jaded. And I don't feel much hope for the human race.       \n\n\n\n

I actually learned later, from those paranormal shows, that burning something like that, something that has an energy or presence tied to it is a bad idea, because instead of getting the energy out of your home, you release it from the object and it can be free to go where it wants.  I believe that is why it came back after the cleansing.

First the NWO is real as you and me my friend if you don't agree well I wish I could believe that too.\n\nThe Annunaki is a direct translation for: From those from heaven to earth came. Sitchen discovered this in the Summerian tablets from 6000 years ago, why on earth is this a problem for you? Whether it's legend or fact, Sitchen did not invent this term.\n\nPeleidians could exist, the Peledies is a big group of stars, however did Billy Mierer have contact with them? Who knows.\n\nI think its hilarious though is people on this subreddit bash those above that I have mentioned which have data to support their possibility of being legitimate and then they turn around and post articles/comments based on the "findings" of the COMPLETE FRAUD that is known as Alex Collier and his magical Alien Monet because they "Beleive him". WOW, just WOW.\n\nFucking hypocrites.\n\n

jesus I am wrong a lot in this thread. I had a rash problem recently and thought I'd read Shingles was life threatening, but I am clearly mistaken. I should just tone shit down if I'm going to post to /r/skeptic, shit.\n

I don't understand how posts like this are getting downvoted in /r/skeptic. Dirkef88 points out he is not an expert in the subject, gives his perspective, and then asks for feedback on it. And to top that off, he is extremely polite! I pop in the thread and see he has negative votes. Why in the world would someone downvote comments like this?

Good, I am glad this is over in your life. The thing in the book is a story about this guy who sees this creature and it talks to him and gives him advice and what not and eventual becomes attached and possesses him. Quite scary if you ask me, the thing that stuck out to me was how old your daughter was and was still seeing George. 

I take your point but here's some possible thoughts. \n\nThere's no contradiction between the idea of a god and belief in science *necessarily*.  Everything we see could be the result of a life form that exceeds the universe in scope and (to us) unimaginable power. I don't see it as very bloody likely, but to a priori rule it out is to be (sorry) unscientific.  \n\nOf course, what is completely contradictory is insistence in belief in aspects of our particular god myths that science has already disproven. So you are right in this case because the university is very clearly tied to this god myth. But you should also note that more moderate institutions have managed to easily believe in science and god simultaneously, by discarding the aspects of its myths that science has disproven, while maintaining the moral and myth core of the religion. \n\nAlso, it's interesting to ask what spirituality is and whether there is something of value within it, despite the fact that the idea of the "spirit" itself is ascientific (and the more I think about it, fairly absurd). \n\nSpirituality seems to include an appreciation of the grandness of existence coupled with coming to a humble understanding of one's (very small) place in the universe, while at the same time enjoying a wonder in the complexity and amazing miracle (sorry to use the word. You can substitute 'incredible improbability' if you like) of getting to exist as a sentient life form in the first place. \n\nScientific types often reach the same feelings without calling it spirituality, of course, but having tread both paths at different times in my life I feel like they are fairly similar emotionally. So in that way too, science and spirituality can co-exist.  \n

So if my store sells tampons, I'm responsible for causing periods?

I'm sorry this isn't true. \n\n&gt;It's far more likely that these strange lights have a perfectly good explanation grounded in physics. \n\nSo would the explanation of ships from another planet if they were here; it would just be beyond our current understanding. If you took an iPad back to 1800 it wouldn't be witchcraft. \n\n&gt;you can't substantiate your claim with any evidence.\n\nThere is tons of evidence. If you've not gone out and done the simplest amount of research, what are you basing your opinion on? 

And quince is an awesome fruit. I want saffron spiced quince now. That family sounds delicious.

Chiropractors do some of same treatments that physical therapists do, or if you prefer it, vice versa, but you're much less likely to have quackery tossed in with accepted treatments in conventional medicine. 

Have you read the Varieties of Religious Experience by William James?

Most believe there's more than one. Reported sights over the years are thought to be due to a small population of the creature.

But birth control would be evolutionarily selected *against* wouldn't it? &gt;.&gt;

If a government buys dowsing equipment, I'd say it's their fault for being an idiot. 

If my little girl (9 mos old) got sick because of some stupid parents not vaccinating their children I'm pretty sure tax breaks would be the least of their worries.  \nAs far as I'm concerned they are no different from someone using a gun to shoot up a daycare.

Quite true, as I acknowledged in my last reply. The OP could probably find someone to represent him for free, however, and were I to find myself in a similar situation and they actually sued (we should note that so far the only thing that's happened is an angry letter from a spouse) I'd be filing counter suits.\n\nWe should also note that in many states, in order to recover defamation/libel/slander damages in light of a first amendment defense, there must be "clear and convincing" evidence that the supposed libel/slander is false or should reasonably be known to be false. In other words, if the Spine Doc from God wants to claim that the blogger's assessment that his theology crap has no scientific grounding is defamatory, he's going to have to convince a court that it's been scientifically proven that God created us and that only through God-based chiropractic work can we experience "80 years of incredible health."\n\nLong story short, I do agree with you that SLAPP suits can cost innocent writers a hell of a lot of money, but I don't think he's at the point where he needs to worry. If everybody responded to angry-random-person takedown notices, the internet would be a barren place indeed (Leave Britney Alone!!!). Once he gets a letter from an actual lawyer who's actually representing the god doc, it's time to get worried, and to start sniffing around to see if there's anyone who can help him with the case. Until then, he's received no official takedown notice, and has no reason to get overly upset.\n\n\n

Anyone who edits Conservapedia as a Poe troll is just providing more potentially useful source material for Schlafly's project. It doesn't matter that it makes Conservapedia look ridiculous to already-educated readers.\n\nConservapedia is intended (dunno if it's successful) to be an educational tool for home schoolers, designed to cast the darkness upon the next generation of Jesus warriors. For example, the [increasingly hysterical](http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Theory_of_relativity&amp;diff=938317&amp;oldid=938313) page denouncing Einstein's Theory of relativity is usually coatracked (*cf.* [Wikipedia:Coatrack](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Coatrack)) with a sermon Schlafly likes about "[moral relativism](http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Theory_of_relativity&amp;diff=prev&amp;oldid=12009)".\n\nConsidering the target audience &amp;mdash; mainstream america used to teach school kids that George Washington [never told a lie](http://www.lindseywilliams.org/LAL_Archives/Cherry_Tree_Myth.htm) &amp;mdash; the science is considered unimportant here. For the next generation of homeschooled kids, the ability to quickly condemn any academic's position as "moral relativism" will be more useful than the ability to design a working particle accelerator.

Roughly, the way it's supposed to work is that there are three branches of government: Legislative, Executive, Judicial.\n\nLegislative writes laws and makes many other decisions -- for example, Congress decides whether or not to go to war.\n\nThe President, specifically, is the person who actually signs a bill into law. I believe any bill with a majority in favor can end up on the President's desk this way. He doesn't make the laws -- he can propose them to Congress, but really, so can anyone -- the biggest difference between the President proposing a bill and you or I proposing it is that he usually has a lot more respect and cooperation from Congress. But Congress actually votes on laws -- the President doesn't get a vote.\n\nThe President can also *veto* a law, which is a bit more than a vote -- he can refuse to sign it, in which case it goes back to Congress again. This time they need a more solid majority -- I believe it's 2/3rds. If they have enough of a majority, there's nothing the President can do.\n\nSo he's got *some* control over this process, but most of the control is Congress.\n\nThe President is the head of the Executive branch, which, aside from signing laws, is also responsible for enforcing them -- I believe this is everything down to actual law enforcement. He's also the Commander in Chief of the military. Only Congress can declare war, but the President pretty much gets to tell our entire armed forces what to do. So, Obama did actually order the strike on Osama Bin Laden, for example. But he can't actually declare war -- rhetorically, he can say it's a "War on Terror," which means about as much as a "War on Drugs," but the US won't actually be at war until Congress says so.\n\nFinally, even after Congress and the President sign bills into law, or even after the President orders some military operation or some other federal action, the Judicial branch has a say. For example, if someone is put on trial under a certain law, it's ultimately up to the court how to interpret that law, or even if it's valid. Especially if it makes it all the way to the Supreme Court, for example, it could be decided that the law in question violates the US Constitution, at which point the law becomes void.\n\nThere are probably a lot of details I'm missing here, but the basic idea is not that the President has no control, but that he has somewhere under a third of the control. There is no one person with absolute political power to do anything in the US. The President can say -- and has said -- things like "I'm going to tax the wealthiest 1% of Americans, and use that to help pay for college for the other 99%." And congress can then say -- and has said -- effectively, "Fuck off, we're not passing that law." He still has a lot of power -- he can order military strikes, he can veto things and require Congress to get some 17% more votes in order to pass it -- but really, the biggest thing the President can actually do to affect the economy is to go to Congress, look his most Presidential, and say "I'm the President of the United States, and I need your help to get something done."\n\nIt used to be that the President *did* have a lot of power just from that, because he was "the leader of the Free World," so when he spoke, people *listened,* and congress would usually give him what he wanted.\n\nLately, though, Republicans have made it their mission to get him out of office. They've spent four years trying as hard as they can trying to sabotage his efforts, so that they can now say (and have said), "Look how badly he did on the economy!" The past two years, they've controlled a solid majority in congress, and they tend to vote all as a group -- the Democrats will actually sometimes disagree on things, but the Republicans like to present a unified front.\n\nBut I'll stop now, that's enough politics for one day.

Mm, interesting, I think I know what you mean. And I guess that they're unaware that they are actually putting out a worldview that might contrast with other people's.

First, many of the points you enumerate are direct responses to assertions made by the study's authors. \n\nSecond, the authors are explicitly framing the study as a study of acupuncture, not, as you put it, of sticking needles in animals. To take but one of more examples, they are explicitly sticking the needles in a point which has its own proper name and which is supposed, by 'ancient wisdom,' to be special.

Would it ever be appropriate for a homeopath to consider themselves a skeptic?

with this quality we need to have a reference. So if your pictures has something in it that Google moon does not have, then we have some proof. 

Aren't all classes other than biology devoted to non-evolution? Why can't there be one non-non-evolution subject taught in schools?

Dust. It's much closer to the lens than it appears, and was hit by the flash. 

There are conspiracy theories for almost every Islamic terrorist attack. Some Muslims can't face the fact that it's not always a religion of peace.\n\nEdit: wording for clarity

Title says this one is on dyslexics but it has a group of healthy adults in it, in addition to a placebo group so 3 groups in total - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/116285\n\nAnd yes it would be nice to have larger studies. That's always nice.

Mellowbird is a prolific faker of Paranormal video's, and continues to be so... he's just in it for the youtube moneys

Have a Scientist replicated gravity. The can't explain yet we all know it exist. To think that our scientific methods are the definitive word on the universe is the height of arrogance. 

It boils down to who you choose to believe. Medical professionals or parents desperate to find a cause or assign the blame for their child's diagnosis for autism. \n\nhttp://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.1904/healthissue_detail.asp\n\nIf vaccines caused 1 autism case out of 1000 inoculations they prevent 10 deaths caused by not vaccinating. The thing is there is NO credible scientific proof that vaccines are causing autism, but we can document the deaths attributed to preventable childhood diseases. It seems to be easier to believe in cover ups and conspiracies than science.\n\nhttp://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CCMQtwIwAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DXo97VouL0ls&amp;ei=GTYgT9O3CfLYiALr_qGLAQ&amp;usg=AFQjCNHSV6NlMFM3tbmMoa9CVLTQm0M4dA&amp;sig2=gD7n9_Dn5yBhDaxvtM8sPw is part 1 of a Penn&amp;Teller Bullshit! episode on the vaccine controversy.

Could someone please set up two cameras on location? Maybe, if we all contacted the news station that originally aired the story, they could do it?\n\nedit: grammar.

They are bias as hell. In Pens own words: "... we're fair and we never take people out of context. We're biased as all fuck. But, we try to be honest."\n\nTheir show is very entertaining, no question there. So many idiots in this world and it's always fun to watch them being mocked. But they should not be taken seriously by anyone in my opinion. Especially since they don't really look to disproof anything.\n\nJust to give an example for what I mean. The episode dealing with Yoga, Tai Chi and similar health things. The only people they interviewed where some idiots who believed all sort of nonsense about Chi flowing and mystical healing powers of ancient techniques. Then they spent the whole episode mocking those idiots and concluding that Yoga and Tai Chi are bullshit.\nThey could have asked one of those people who don't believe in any stuff like that and just do any of the above, because it is fun, relaxing and healthy. Not because of Chi flowing or anything like that. Only because exercising is healthy. But of course, that wouldn't have made for an interesting show.\nSo yes, they are biased as all fuck and fun to watch, but should imo not be seen as anything but entertaining.

I don't think anyone here is of the opinion that the numbers themselves make the argument.  I think the point here is it's not feasible for every individual to acquire the knowledge and expertise to really have an informed opinion on the matter.  This is true of many issues.  It is reasonable for the average person - or the policy-maker - to trust experts in this kind of situation.  That's what they are there for.  The argument you're making, while not wrong in and of itself, is often used by deniers to distract and kick the can down the road.  The idea that every guy-on-the-street needs to 'sort out the evidence for himself' is just a stalling technique.

Start a journal of your experiences. Note everything you can think of. Day, time, location in the home that the event took place, who was in the home at the time and where they were in the home, even the outside weather conditions. Maybe after several months, you can notice patterns, and that might help you answer your questions. 

For people who don't want to read a wall of text:\n\nI live on a reservation and i'm new here i moved here with my older brother and we moved from another reservation. There are stories i heard almost immediately about this story called the Tall man from my cousins who live about an hour from here. Said he was at a party when people started talking about it. Said people will always see him just standing and watching. \n\nWell of course i believe him because i like paranormal things but thought i would never encounter such a thing. If you happen to watch SyFy channel they actually featured something recently but anyways here is what happened to me. I just moved in here with my brother he lived here about a month before i got here so he was all settled in already. \n\nI have this tiny room next to our kitchen but in order to get into the kitchen you have to pass this little hallway which leads down into the basement always kinda gave me the creeps walking past that would always think something would be watching me down there. My room had two doors that one that lead into the kitchen and another into the living room. So i go through the one to the living room which also leads to the bathroom. \n\nSo i go to the bathroom and decide to get something to drink it's daylight out mid day maybe. I'm walking into the kitchen and we have this window right above are water faucet. I see something walking by a dark shadow with a cowboy hat on all i see are the top of his shoulders and his head and hat and this window is smaller than most of our windows. So i see this and think right away 'what the hell is that?' i kinda sprint to the window and look out both ways and see nothing and our back door is really close maybe 7 feet away. \n\nI run over there open up the door and see nothing. I thought 'hmm maybe someone just walking by and i saw his shadow'. about a week later whatever i saw started to bug me and wanted to see this window from the outside. So i put on my shoes and take a walk around the house and to my surprise this window is about 9 feet high. I'm 6'2 and there is no way i could reach this window so whatever i saw had to be that tall even in order to for me to see a shadow and even that close and about a foot away from that window if that person was walking that close would be walking right into our back porch.\n\nI'm convinced that whatever i saw was the tall man and i just caught were he was walking away from my house. I hear stories where people see him staring into windows maybe that's what he was doing there but i just happen to catch it where he walked away. Haven't seen anything since and my brother is a police officer here and he tells me that he gets calls all the time about people seeing this thing. 

I agree, and probably many on r/atheism do as well.  But - and I admit I haven't watched any more of the vid - this can't possibly be what Deepak Chopra meant, right?  If Chopra were to make this argument on religious/magical belief, my opinion of him would be totally changed.

The video by itself makes me think of lanterns, but if this many people made so many reports... hmm. The video seems different from the descriptions.

It seems glaringly obvious to me that this is an ice formation that merely appears 'cylindrical' because of pixelation. \n\nTo draw the conclusion that this is an intelligently designed/manufactured structure is pretty much a huge stretch. 

Its pretty annoying when people say stupid shit like, "obviously your brain isn't working," or "blah blah tinfoil hat."\n\nIn most subs, ad hominems are part of the up/downvoting process.\n\nBut we get enough of that shit IRL for just saying "UFO." We all know only about 5% of sightings are truly unidentified.\n\nThe solution is to get people to consider not only the possibility, but the likelihood of witnesses actually seeing what they said they saw. \n\nBasically, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. This isn't /atheism, where you can just make fun of someone immediately on account of there being no evidence, because there is. \n\nEnthusiasts, the really true, discerning ones, care about the integrity of this conversation. Disinformation bothers us even more (way more I'd argue) than it does non-enthusiasts, because it detracts from the total sum of UFO believability. And ironically, it dupes the skeptics into using it as proof the whole discussion is a farce.\n\nSo if I was a mod, I'd snuff out those one/two liners that just make fun of the whole conversation. \n\nWhenever someone just drops in and says "swamp gas." Or, "get your head examined," it reminds me of how far we have to go.\n\nBut I try to keep in mind: it could all vanish with one definitive case. One smoking gun (fingers crossed.) 

This is exactly why I think the OP is wrong.  While it may be trying to get past the stage where "HA!! I got you!" is the focus, I think it is probably an important stage in the development of, as it were, proto-skeptics.  I think the community should probably look harshly on those out solely to pick fights, but I think we need to acknowledge that aspect of the skeptic community and try to work with those people in that category rather than to simply exclude or deride them.

South Africa never even had a monarchy. We left the British Commonwealth in 1961.

I felt like the recreation attempts didn't look anything like the original video.  I thought it was an interesting case, and if I was in David Eckhart's shoes I would have cameras set up all over my house.

aside from games, listening to music/podcasts/audiobooks, watching videos, reading offline email/rss feeds, composing emails, whatever other apps you've got installed that don't need the internet to work\n\n60-70% of the stuff I use my android phone for doesn't require a network connection (as opposed to a feature phone)

The second link certainly sounds egotistical, but that doesn't make someone wrong, nor of course does it make them right. Also of course nature does not need to be in line with the simplest equation, though it often seems to be.\n\nToo many of the criticisms that I see of Yudkowsky attack him personally.\n\nCalling the singularity stuff, religious, is it seems to me looking simply for similarities. I agree with Minsky, you should look for differences, looking for similarities leads to mind rot.\n\nThe thing with Yudkowsky is that if you're going to criticise what he says, then you're going to have to make sure that you hit your target. Too many of his critics attack his followers or him, rather than what he has said. That's what you've done here and what that first link did too.

The show ended like, three years ago, and the Aschen were like, 8 years ago, at least.

True, it is. I never thought you doubted my story, I was just explaining my reasoning.

I'm trying I'm trying! \nThese people seem think think that they are going to single handedly end the world by opening a gate to hell which all demons will flood though and rule the world MUAHAHAH!!!!!\n\nNo, its just a boring board game. Woooo.

Actually, sapphires are not rubies and rubies are not sapphires.\n\nBoth are different forms of corundum.

That's pretty much what a real cancelled notice looks like. You don't send off to the printer for something like that. Probably was done for the lulz though.

Censorship is *never* the correct answer.  Only makes it look like you have something to hide.\n

You going to thank him/her for the citation or are you just going to troll and run?

Again I'm still confused if these are a list of why consumers choose raw milk or if you are defending your position as a raw milk producer. Actually, thinking about it perhaps these things become one and the same in the marketing feedback loop between consumer and producer. The consumer states their preference and the producers adopts them for marketing, the producers market their own reasons and the consumer adopts that into their preferences.\n\nThe argument of taste still doesn't really matter, if someone says "I prefer the taste of raw milk" then who am I to argue with them? I'm willing to accept that raw milk has a different taste to pasteurized milk but the preference of that taste is down to the individual.\n\nYou have now introduced some extra elements into this argument in your aside regarding "a complete balanced food" and spiking of insulin levels.  Now I'm not a bio-chemist specialising in diet and nutrition, and given that you appear to be an independent dairy farmer I would say that you aren't either. In which case again I would ask that you provide citations for these claims because in my cursory scans of wikipedia I haven't seen any mentions of these claims.\n\nI still stand by my arguments about your original points 2, 3 &amp; 4 (and to a degree point 5) because these read to me as arguments designed to trigger an emotional response in the reader and remind me of the sort of arguments that you get from supporters of Alt-Med. And as they are very brief statements they are painting a binary picture where raw milkers are paragons of virtue and all other milkers are mistreating their cattle in the graphic ways that you portrayed.  But you have admitted that there are "dirty" raw milk farmers out there as well as ethical farmers supplying to the major industry, so these binary arguments now become worthless. And as a side note I would like to declare that I support ethical and sustainable farming and the practice of factory farming does make me feel sad.\n\nThe corporate/political arguments are all valid points, but don't these effect the farming industry as a whole? They don't really have much to do with the raw vs. pasteurized debate until we move to the realm of regulation of the raw milk producers, which we both agree is a good thing\n\nI'll admit that I'm dubious of the "wheat issue" because I always see it brought up by new-agey woo woo hippie types. I haven't fully researched the topic so I remain dubious until I get around to it.  But if Joel Salutin claims a "whole host of health problems" for cattle, what are they and what is the effect on their milk and it's subsequent ingestion in humans?\n\nNow fair enough, I was a bit cheeky with the "Man Boobs" comment, but my point (if not immediately clear) still stands. Your very brief initial statement does not state the problems with giving cattle hormones, and without explaining these problems you are tapping into the "OMG Teh Hormones are giving me moobs!" paranoia which some people have.  At least on your reply you have stated that these hormones are harmful to the animal, but you have neglected to say what the harm is to the animals and what the harm is to humans who ingest their milk. Instead you have just tapped into the great Monsanto conspiracy. And yes, I'm fully aware of who Monsanto are, their dodgy business practices and their lobbying power but again these are matters political and not evidence of dangers to public health.\n\nNow yes, I mentioned Big Pharma first, because your initial and subsequent arguments are starting to fall into similar patterns that I've seen with alt-med proponents. And again we go back to the very basic one line statement that you started with which does not explain the problems with cattle taking antibiotics, and again if you do not explain the problems then you are tapping into the paranoia of Big-Pharma. And have you explained the problems? No, you still haven't, and until you can cite some very strong evidence that treating cattle with antibiotics represents direct harm to humans who consume their milk then this argument is empty.\n\nIf "The health problems that arise from consuming denatured proteins are currently a hot topic of research, and beyond the scope of this discussion" why did you bring up the denaturing of whey originally? That was your original point wasn't it? That pasteurization caused whey to denature?\n\nYou still haven't provided any evidence that lacto-ferrin actually is destroyed by pasteurization have you? Because that's the point you were trying to make at first that I question. And when I say "get it from another source" I mean for humans to obtain it form a source other than milk. Sorry, should have been clearer there.\n\nRegulation good, Corporations bad. Yes we know, this is the point we agree on but you're still failing to provide evidence for your new claims such as the complications in the 40s and 50s.\n\n**tl;dr Ad hominem attack from someone who makes bold statements with no apparent evidence.**

Farmers and people who can build houses I'd imagine (construction workers, I guess?). Or, if people are so inclined than may grow their own food or build their own house. 

Seems to me like it could be one of those things where if someone believes hard enough they can see what they want to see, but it'd be interesting to hear the opinion of someone who has experience with this sort of thing.

The end goal of the system should be to make sure there are resources available so that any reasonable request (ie, "I want an MP3 player", not "I want my own BATTLESHIP!") can always be met upon request. It seems fairly clear that there is a statistical range where people's needs generally fall, ie one person will consume X amount of calories, X amount of energy and X amount of other resources to live. Once you figure that out, you can design the system so that the available resources match the need with a little extra to cover any blips in demand. \n\nOne can also postulate that in every resource request, there are quantifiable factors to determine its urgency. If person A is without food and requests some, and person B needs a new battery for his MP3 player, the request from person A will take precedence if there is a conflict, and investigations into why there was a resource shortage start to make sure it won't happen again. If there is no conflict, both get what they need.\n\nThere is no need for decision making and quotas in a full-fledged RBE; the idea is that the scientific method will be applied to establish the relative priorities and there will be a rule-set that will be employed to determine where in the scale of priorities any resource request falls. The end goal being to make sure there are resources to meet all reasonable requests when they are issued. \n\nThat, of course, combined with shared ownership of the big-ticket items. Transportation would be communal - but obviously properly designed so it was at least as usable as today's version and non-polluting. Recreational vehicles (boats, etc) would be available for everyone to use in the harbor, in sufficient quantities to meet the needs (again, completely quantifiable using statistics and following up on usage) and so on.\n\nBasically, redesigning and changing things so that they follow sensible rules that are equitable for all. And to power and drive society, massively pervasive automation so that people wouldn't have to work 24/7 to maintain society itself. 

I'm curious, what other thoughts does your friend have about "connecting to the universe". I have friends who are like this as well.

What are you looking for exactly? To me it seems you are trying to prove UFO's are an impossibility. You are saying they can't get here in any practical time span and at the same time you say speculation about alternative ways to get here is not allowed. Your (well written) post is proving that unless these beings grow to be hundreds of thousands years old they'll never be able to reach us but alternatives to straight from point A to point B travel can not be in the equation. Just because we can not do it doesn't mean others can't either. It's like asking to build a car after all fossil fuels have been depleted and saying you can't use solar power though.\n\nIn my opinion this question comes down to this; Is the fact UFO's/ET's are observed nonsense because the laws of physics as we know them pretty much rule out practical interstellar travel or is that same fact an indication that there are other ways to get from point A to point B than just in a straight line.\n\nThere is still a lot left to discover in physics. Last night I was watching an old episode of The FBI Files and it was about a case in the 80's, it was mind blowing to see how primitive everything was done back then, manually going through lists of license plate numbers and things like that. \n\nThe contrast between present time and thirty years ago is insane, mind you, I was born in '77 and I thought we pretty much had reached the pinnacle of technology when I got my first [walkman.](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EvB5VGlnETE/TddlPEg17qI/AAAAAAAAABc/TLIZ8HJOV_o/s1600/early_walkman.jpg) That fucker had autoreverse! Imagine a walkman so smart it knew the tape had ended and started playing the other side all on it's own and all in glorious stereo. Never in a million years would I have thought I would see mobile phones let alone ones with which you could take pictures, video, watch movies, play games, get on the internet and stuff it with a thousand hours of music. Go back in time forty years with the specs of your iPhone and ask the guys at Apple to make it for you, they'd tell you it can not be done.\n\nNow continue that progress we made in one hundred years a couple of thousand years and imagine what can be done. You simply can not say what is possible or not only by looking at our own knowledge and accomplishments.

How about the lights having more than 1 witness?  I can't believe out of all those videos the guy filming was the only person who saw them.  \n\nalso, the lights are obviously bugs moving close to the camera.. sheesh

Well, that's creepy as fuck. I'd like some more details. What do you mean by "feels familiar"? What made you think it followed you home? Have you had other paranormal experiences? What state and city, or at least region? 

That's the weird part, there was no real emotion involved in those events.  It was like it will happen in a matter-of-fact manner.  When the SUV hit us I didn't even realize it did until we spun to the opposite corner.  But I admit there was some fear afterwards- heck I didn't drive for 3 days until I forced myself to go to the store.

I live in Atlanta. If its not the top place in America, it is damn close. Can get an underage girl right off of the intersection of Piedmont and Ponce any time after 11pm. Usually 7 girls in the parking lot and a pimp nearby. Police never bust them, all they do is shoo them away. \nAlso, all the hotels and motels around the airport are sketchy as shit, as well as up and down the highway. \n\nOf course, I do not have any solid evidence, but I worked for a not for profit for these girls, and many have told me where they get picked up, who does it, etc. You get them cleaned up, taken care of, and then they run away to go back to being a prostitute cause it pays more. 

Downvoted for factual info? Argh. Skepticism means looking at things factually.  Guess im in the sheeple area.

For some reason it totally slipped my mind to delete the message. ಠ_ಠ \n\nExcuse me while I go being a dumb blonde.

I see what you're getting at, but that is just interpreted reality. And for the sake of not needlessly repeating myself, I shall direct you [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/Glitch_in_the_Matrix/comments/143mvl/i_suffer_from_high_level_visual_snow_if_i_focus_i/c79u2ot) for my explanation of reality vs. interpreted reality. 

&gt; Anyone who uses undefined "energy" to make money should get catapulted into the sun.\n\nThat would require too much energy. The real kind.\n

http://tech.mit.edu/V124/N6/saffordlet.6c.html\n\nThis is a response to the column.  This has mentions to the actual studies.

on high fat diet calorie restrictions are important but their argument is that it is easier to restrict calories because you arn't hungry when you dont eat carbs.\n\nfrom a physics background energy in &lt; energy out means weight loss. but you also need to worry about HOW your body uses certain energy over others (keto/paleo argument).

I never really bought the theory that he in the woods, if not because I don't want it to be so anticlimactic.  I live by the Colombia River too, so I always kind of hope to find some more of that money just to find some undiscovered history.\n\nUnsolved Mysteries had a very compelling argument in favor of an elderly man who died in Florida and confessed to his wife with a box of evidence, but I heard that wasn't all it was chalked up to be.

That doesn't sound crazy. I know it can be mental. But that doesn't mean it's repressed emotions.

Relevant tidbit ILYesterday. Roe. vs. Wade has dropped crime rates across the country. Source: Freakonomics 

I can tell this guy means well and all, but it's a bit insulting when some layman comes along claiming to have the answer to a condition that kills thousands of people every year.\n\nIt's even more insulting when they refuse to accept they're wrong, like in the 2nd half of this conversation after Red MD levels with him.

Can the OP show this video to his parents? Perhaps even record them watching it?

so an emotional response equates not being in your right mind?  so a man who finds out his wife is cheating is allowed to beat on her because he's having an "emotional response?"  \n\nDRUGS and ALCOHOL cloud judgement and make someone unaccountable for their actions.  (however, even that is no excuse unless the mind-altering substances were forced on you)  but emotional responses should be taken with a grain of salt, and thought about before acted upon.  these women did something stupid at someone's request, and now they want him to pay for what they did.  why? 

And this explains the lights?  The noises? What about the chess board?  If you are going to debunk, which is perfectly acceptable if plausible, you must examine EVERYTHING!! 

Definitely - picking a perfume is a many days experience of trying one on, seeing what it's like an hour later, a couple more hours later, then again a few hours after that. And if you don't like it at every stage - repeat with next perfume.

I didn't get the impression that her message was for skeptics to use kid gloves as much as she thought it was an issue of 'lost in translation'. She said she has realized that the skeptic community already mostly functions out of compassion and concern. The issue was that both sides have a different way of thinking and talking about things and that misunderstanding keeps them from any valuable communication.

I have the same exact feeling. That woman made her choices and died for it. If it inspire a handful of people not to fall for quack, she would have been useful in her death. I can't get why people believe in those things. Is it the fear to die? The fear that you can't do anything but trust someone? Does it really need to be our own fault if we are sick?

I thought he was just against healthy adults getting the flu vaccine.

I never said that evolution isn't real... What's with would be smart asses putting words in your mouth to prove themselves right?\n\nEvolution is very real and you just have to look at animals of today to see that... What my point was, is it could have been any other mammal that could be in our place. Why us / apes? This is something we DON'T know! It could even have been dolphins in our place. Natural selection only does so much (esp when we are just like ants on an anthill.\n\nWould say I like your thinking, but it's just sticking your head in the sand and your ass in the air. You believe there could be life, but you don't want to believe that until there is 'proof' (a scientist that could get paid to say, or not say it...) So you want to believe that we are the only intelligent life in the entire existance? It's impossible.\n\nAnd what about space travel? You think we are at the fastest and best method? It's pretty laughable to he honest. Cars certainly never went over 200 mph when they were just invented. Fuck, the first flight didn't even last a minute...\n\nI don't fully believe the AA idea, I just like the concept of genetically mutating in order to speed up evolution. But aliens and ufo's are very real, wither the 'proof' is there or not.

Some people over at /r/conspiracy think that the US govt. activly supports and funds terrorist organizations like Al Quida(sp?) so that they can spend insane amounts of money on getting rid of them....\n\nI don't believe that, but it's honestly making me wonder.  The US has proven history of "supporting" one regime and then taking it out 10-20 years later, Fidel, Gadaffi, Sadam, Bin Laden, ect...... who all had US support, weapons, funding, ect....

maynotbethinking,\n\n&gt;You've already made up your mind about me, that I am irrational and illogical\n\nyou can change my mind by NOT *being* irrational or illogical. Plenty of people here have given you ample opportunity to show something to support you claims. You only had to present some evidence. Instead you link to nonsense articles and you tube videos. None of which can be rationally regarded as evidence. (if you dont understand why then you need to a) learn some very basic science; b) read the articles).  \nYou force me and anyone else to conclude that you are indeed irrational, illogical and perhaps under 12years old.\n\nI saw for myself and it proved to be bullshit. \n\nYou linked to what you thought was the best evidence you had and it was all nonsense, utter bullshit. *Your links!* You didnt actually present any viable information. did you actually read any of the articles you linked to? are you able to understand why they are so poorly presented that they cannot be considered by anyone as evidence? \nand youtube videos? come on!    \n\nI invite you to develop your understanding and you can see for yourself\n\n&gt;I am not here to sell you, or anyone else anything.\nI am not here to convert you to some religion.\n\n..you clearly are...that is exaclty what every comment of yours has been doing. And you admit that you dont have evidence when you say 'find out for yourself'. Thats saying 'i cant actually provide any evidence for this so i hope you can find it and stop calling me out on my lack of evidence in front of everyone'  \n\n&gt;being a freethinker  \n\nyou are absolutely NOT a free thinker. Ypu have shown so far that you have failed to arm yourself with a basic understanding of science, or critical thinking or of rational thought. So you are a slave to what nonsense anyone throws at you. You apparently have no choice but to assume the youtube videos etc are true because you are enslaved by 'inability to think'. I am so haopy to have moved beyond that situation by becoming a real freethinker.\n\nso Maynot its very easy and I'll say it once and clearly: Please feel free to provide some actual evidence of you claims. Take as much time as you need and I invite you to learn some science too. Then you can see for yourself what is real. Then you can also become a freethinker. Like me.

This didnt happen too me, but too a friend of mine. Every time i think of this story it just gives me the chills.  He was with a couple of friends and i guess one of them had a pretty big property with a tree house somewhere in the back yard.  They were up in the tree house telling ghost stories and someone said when you hear the horse whinny at midnight ghosts are around.  No one really thought anything about it and they continued on with their night.  That is until it was midnight when they heard a whinny come from outside.  They were all pretty freaked out but they just locked the trap door and went to sleep.  That morning when they all woke up no one was were they where when they went to sleep.  My friend was outside at the bottom of the ladder, another person was somewhere in the back yard, and one was even back in the main house.  No one knows what happened or how they got there. I would say sleep walking, but all 3 of them on the same night seems like to much of a coincidence. 

People need to really stop linking that as efficacy of acupuncture.\n\nIt says that acupuncture is basically placebo.\n\nFrom your article\n&gt;he largest study of acupuncture health insurance companies have brought a sensational result: The Nadelstecherei actually works - but it does not matter where the therapist hinsticht. The successes of the Chinese art of healing only effect due to a giant suggestion

If by fake you mean it is exactly as it appears to be, then yes, it's fake. If by fake you mean it was digitally edited to add in the tablecloth, I don't think that is the case. Mythbusters was able to reproduce the video perfectly by laying down a tablecloth, laying down a transparent plastic sheet over it, and then putting the dishes on that. The bystander's reaction probably is completely genuine, and the tablecloth moves completely naturally.

How can you possibly know any of that to be true? I doubt they care about disclosure all that much.

its all around you but if you dont know what to look for you wont see it , example , god creats the human race , he sends angels down into human bodys like in the movie avitar , he then sends the greys down to work on trying to alter the human body to make them able to live without the need for food and able to travel at the speed of light as the human body isnt built for the pressure , god didnt create the human race from mud he used a machine , he isnt a real creator lets get that out of the way , so the plan goes wrong and he flods the earth , the greys working with humans tell them about the floow and gods plan ending so they set sail and survive to go on and start again out of the sight of heaven , if they dont know you exist they cant take your free will ..... so again god comes and uses the machine to create adam and eve for the second plan , it fails and again the race is destroyed but this time he did it himself by the use of a bomb , again the greys tell people about it and leave , this is also in the bible but told in a different eay (makeing it look like god gave a crap and told the human race about it) he then starts plan 3 and makes adam and eve for a third time , this plan is still happening and the greys involvement is this -&gt; medical experimentation on the human race for 2 reasons , live without the need for food and be able to fly at light speed without the pressure makeing the human body explode.. they send every desiese here for the greys and human race to cure in the part about makeing the human body live as other races do without the need for food ,  to be able to travel to other planets its needed so please keep this in mind , the greys in doing this work also want to gain certan technology and told the human race about  gods plan to destroy both plans as both were a failure , what heaven does is tell you how to make something and they do take the free will of man in order to do so if you are unable to follow their orders alone ..  the greys know this and therefor told man simple so he could start again out of the sight of heaven as they well know the plan for the human race and can use this to their advantage , please think about this for a second , if you want something you lie and this is what they did , they told the survivers of the first 2 plans that they are created by them , places like ariea 51 are used by the greys for a few reasons , first for the technology second for the manipulation of humans DNA and their own cross breeding of races and animals , you can already see this in the past texts of old civilizations such as sumaria we all know about this happening today just by a google search on places as D,U,M,B,S , angels are still here and some are easy to see if you know what they realy look like , no wings ;) most have black curly hair and you will mostly find them wearing black , this is for a reason , its their colors , all races are given a garb by god when first created apart from the human race simple because of the control of the species in  different ways , the human body is a tool for them , god isnt what we are lead to believe and the human race is nothing more than a farm animal bred for one soul purpose .. the harvest of the human soul for god to read the minds of before the second death ( second death kept hidden for  years by old jwes who didnt like what god was doing to the human race and hid this fact along with many others)  when god started plan 3 he gave man kind a machine that was used to reproduce food and was used in the bible on 3 occasions , please bare with me here and research this and look between the lines in what im about to tell you .. when plan 3 started the people had a machine that you can find in the bible , it transformes matter by way of breaking it down with a high energy  (annihilation) matter into energy into matter , you place  matter you want recreated onto it lets say wine ;) and you use water , you pour the water into the machine and press a button , the machine them breaks the matter down and transformes it into energy and back into matter , this machine was uses to create gold by a famour king in the bible "solomon" if you look into the myth of this king his famour mines have to this day NEVER been discovered , then a rather famous jewish man got it into his head he could creat a cult with this machine and used it .. yes you guessed it .. he turned water into wine .. no miracle here only a technological marvel... turning 5 fish and 3 loves into 500 on the side of a mountan is quite easy with a machine like this  , as far as i know this machine is in rome and not working , the greys would like to get their hands on it to see if they can get it to work again but with modern civilization being the way it is would tear it apart if this got out  as it would bring down religion as we know it , why do i tell it on reddit / simple . noone will give a shit and as my life is already in danger by the poweres that be i dont give a rats ass .. please do some research and read between the LInEs and dont let them take your freedom for a masonic system of control as they too are victims of a lie and know not what they do, thanks for reading , freedom be with you ..

Thanks for the link... the image looks very similar to what I've seen in their presentation, the difference is that it is the "positions" that were placed in the binary tree, not the people. (it's more or less the same thing but yet another layer of confusion). \n\nAnother layer of confusion is that there is no obvious upstream of resources, no "traditional pyramid". It does not flow but jumps. When a certain balance is reached in the binary tree, the top of the tree "jumps" to another value. (from 50 to 450). I tried to ask where does this money come from and I was redirected to the "logic" of the system. "when the balance is struck, the position changes levels". I tried insisting for an answer on where the money comes from for this change to occur and I was accused that I wasn't paying attention to the presentation and that I refuse to "understand" the system. \n

I'm in Texas. There's an allegedly haunted statue of Jesus in a graveyard next to the middle school I went to. It's about 9 feet tall if you include the pedestal he stands on. It's made of bronze, and due to its age, it's lost its luster and is now very dark. We like to call him Black Jesus.\n\nHe's located in a small space in the back of the cemetery that retreats into the woods. There's been claims all around that the statue will change its pose (not due to any particular circumstances, I don't think). Originally the statue will be looking straight ahead of him or into the sky, and his hands will be cupped with his palms facing the sky. However, he has been seen rather often with his face and palms facing the ground, bearing a dark, depressing facial expression. I have seen the statue only once myself, but others really like to visit it. \n\nArticle (scroll down to the Huntsville stories): http://theshadowlands.net/places/texas1.htm\n\nImages:\nhttp://imgur.com/a/84bv9\n

That's all well and good but you're not backing up any of your assertions. Where is the peer reviewed literature on this "proven" science? Do you have a journal article? Or...just Youtube videos of discredited cognitive psychologists lacking even a rudimentary understanding of string theory?\n\nAlso, is english your second language? Or are you functionally illiterate? I am beginning to feel like I'm picking on a special needs person. \n\nIf I am, I apologize.

&gt;The thing was I was hyper and inattentive in school, but when I got home I could concentrate, literally for hours at a time, intensely focused on building large Lego projects and playing video/board games. It became apparent, when I started studying it, that I had none of the symptoms of impassivity or hyperactivity.... I was just bored. When science and math got more challenging my grades went up.\n\nThe psychiatrist you visited should have assessed whether something like this is the case. But, of course, ADHD doesn't mean that you can't concentrate on anything, it largely occurs to people who can't concentrate on tasks that don't interest them. \n\nYes, everybody has this problem to some degree, but it becomes a problem when these people cannot complete any task that they don't enjoy. Obviously, in the real world, we're often faced with things we don't want to do but need to be able to do them (at least some of the time to some reasonable standard) in order to function. \n\nI don't know whether it was right or wrong to diagnose you with ADHD, but being focused on building lego or playing games wouldn't at all disqualify you from the diagnosis (and would be quite consistent with ADHD). It might have been that you were just on the cusp, and the psychiatrist and your parents decided that it would be better to try medication rather than leaving you as you were. For all we know, the short stint where you took your medication was enough to get you back on track. 

The original way of life that Wicca is derived from came from the Celtic people and was the de facto way of life in Europe, Britain and Ireland before the Romans.\n\nLet your son know Universities of the Mysteries (as they were called) with memberships of thousands, especially in Scotland, down the west coast and Ireland were the original scientific explorers. There's legends of Joseph of Arimathea going to Scotland for training, then Jesus after him. Alchemy, brewing of various concoctions, including beer was common. Back then, what we know now as air borne yeast *was the angels* - try to use anything but science to brew beer and only disappointment will occur :(\n\n**Ergo, science is good**

Doesn't she record some of her songs in both English and Spanish? 

&gt; I disagree that scientific thinking means discarding what is not proven.\n\nYou... disagree? That's **exactly** what Occam's Razor says. And what probability theory says. Which part do you disagree with? The math? You already said that science is about choosing the best (a.k.a. most probably true) answer, so all that's left is disagreeing about probability theory, as far as I can tell. So which part of the math do you disagree about?\n\nNot to mention, out of the infinite unproven theories, which one do you accept? Do you just choose randomly? Do you just pick the one that your parents picked? I'm honestly curious what your policy is once you've opened up the field to all hypotheses without evidence.\n\nYour last paragraph... okay, it's not a physics book, nor did I say it was. The point is that people are treating the Bible completely differently than all other similar books, and it's obviously for historical (and not rational or scientific) reasons. You want a moral book, read the Tao Te Ching. You want to know about the universe, read a physics book. You want to know history, read a history book. You want to know philosophy, read a philosophy book. There are better books than the bible in every one of those categories.\n\nI asked you why you accept unproven and unprovable premises from a book with obviously untrue stories. Why would you decide that when the Bible talks about God that it's telling the truth, but other parts are myth? Why can't the whole idea of God be an allegory?

When you can't get results with your homeopathy, just add real stuff.  Amirite [Zicam](http://www.fda.gov/Newsevents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm167065.htm)?

Indeed - there's a lot to take in there.  \n\nIs this basically a common cause argument?  

I'm in Nz. me and a group of friends saw one of these flying across the sky. anyone know what they are? I saw it quiet close and know it's not a Chinese lantern or flare. these things seem to have a mind of their own and can stay still even with heavy winds.

There are several portions of your experience that deserve attention if we are to make an honest assessment:\n\n&gt;I'm a firm believer in spirits myself, though I have never seen anything abnormal.\n\nThis is an extremely telling opening statement, as you are stating that you are capable of holding a belief in something that you have no reason to believe in, other than intuition and/or a want to believe. This also implies that you are likely to observe strange phenomena outside of the frame of the paranormal. Would you agree? Disagree?\n\n&gt;I see a woman with blonde hair bent over tending to what I at first think is a dog. I try to adjust my eyes more, and I see that there's no dog. Okay, that's fine. I was just seeing things.\n\nYou're beginning to "see things" that aren't there.\n\n&gt;I try to focus in on the woman more, and she's incredibly dark even though there is a good amount of light down there. I'm looking and looking at her and she almost looks translucent.\n\nYou're now seeing through what appears to be a human body.\n\n&gt;I look away for a split second, the amount of time it took was the equivalent to a blink. I look back, and she's gone.\n\nYou're witnessing something that you are visually perceiving disappear.\n\n&gt;I'm very spooked at this point, so I immediately throw my blinds down, shut my light off and close my eyes. I feel VERY uneasy at this point.\n\nPanic and anxiety set in.\n\n&gt;I just have a sudden feeling that she's in the room with me. I start getting very intense, gruesome visuals of a woman very bloody and beaten, possessed, and just in terrible states that look absolutely terrifying. These visuals are incredibly vivid.\n\nThe panic and anxiety intensifies, along with mental visuals.\n\n&gt;Now, I was already very scared at this point, and I would not want to be conjuring these things up at this point, nor is it something my mind would normally think about.\n\nYou're experiencing disassociation with your normal behavior.\n\n&gt;I kept trying to get myself to stop picturing these things, but no matter how hard I tried to veer my thoughts in a different direction, these visuals wouldn't go away.\n\nYou're losing control.\n\n&gt;But I still couldn't open my eyes. I was completely frozen. I firmly believe that I was not in control of my own thoughts at this point.\n\nYour cognitive and physical reactions are significantly hindered.\n\n&gt;Then suddenly, I get a rush of warmth up my legs, and there's almost like a pressure on them, even though I don't even have a blanket covering them. Then, the warmth goes away, and my legs are completely cold. A very fast and drastic change of temperature and feeling. I feel like she was sitting on my legs.\n\nYou experience hot/cold flashes.\n\n&gt;I'm just looking for opinions and relatable experiences. I'm still rather shaken up and disturbed with what happened and what I saw. Just looking for a little clarity. Thank you all!\n\nI fully understand. I would be spooked, too! But consider your experience reasonably. Yes, it's possible that you experienced a genuine paranormal event in which you were affected in a material way by an immaterial entity that used to be a material human. It's more likely, in my opinion, that you experienced something along the lines of an anxiety attack with hallucinatory effects. There's no downside to relaying this to your doctor, while at the same time burning sage and performing ritual magick.

Looking off into the ceiling indicates recollection. She is unprofessionally 'trying' to remember a script because the fake science here is so absurd it cannot be intellectually grasped.

Additionally, if there is any such information substantiating the claim, are the benefits sufficient enough to outweigh any potential negative effects?

Protip: to remove sleep paralysis slowly start breathing faster and faster until you get no oxygen coming in and you will wake up in a gasp of air.\n\nIf you're not scared however, you can have a good experience in sleep paralysis.\n

It's only classified as a UFO because [this guy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Kazantsev) wrote a science fiction story about it in 1946 and certain people ran with it.

All that time, and all that shit happening, and not one one picture/video taken?

That's neat. [This guy's](http://projectmaji.com/forum/inde%C2%ADx.php?/topic/22-ufo-spotted-wi%C2%ADth-night-vision/) post on it is interesting.

Your [questions](http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens), my research...\nfact: Our history only goes back five or 6000 years ago, when Homo Sapiens appeared some 50 000 years ago as an established species.\n\na. wireless power for free\n[Eric Giler demos wireless electricity ](http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/18ek5P)\n\nb. teleportation\n[DNA molecules can 'teleport', Nobel Prize winner claims](http://news.techworld.com/personal-tech/3256631/dna-molecules-can-teleport-nobel-prize-winner-claims/)\nor google: nobel prize winner dna teleport\n299,000 results (0.20 seconds) \nAny of the first 30,000 articles will work! Thanks to our technology evolving at over 50000% from 1911.\n\n\nc. intelligence. Realize how smart you are.\n[Common Sense](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTXnC7fVqpw)\n\nd. bias.\nAre you going to judge millions of UFOs/Crop Circles because 99% are fake?\nyou just admitted 1% are real. \n\n**TL;DR  Digg(pessimistic) and Youtube(immature) comments have overtaken Reddit  **

My issue with him is that he openly ridicules and pretty much dismisses the subject in a five minute stand up routine without reference to any of the well documented cases that are out there.  Furthermore, no one said they didn't respect him, nor did I try to discredit him, but if he's going to start speculating on a subject he clearly knows little-to-nothing about then he deserves to be called out on it.  Irrational scepticism at it's finest.

Bones are supposed to look like [this](http://i.imgur.com/Hz9kP.jpg)? There must be something very, very wrong with me, then. Perhaps one of god's pharmacists could prescribe me something to cause my bones to produce healthy, leafy growths?

I was just about to google "is it normal for people to cry when they are scared" because I am doing the same...

As hard as I want to believe this is Poe... I have met many people who believe it.

In American measurements, please.  Also, how would you compare the object's size to a McDonald's Golden Arch from 5.5 Chucky Cheese parsecs?

[Get educated with scientific proof, Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science](http://www.amazon.com/Sasquatch-Legend-Science-Jeff-Meldrum/dp/0765312166). Bigfoot exists, I have no question in my mind that it does, more than aliens or ghosts. It makes the most sense scientifically and it's basically been proven so, through science. Even Jane Goodall has beliefs in bigfoot. It's not some magical creature, just an upright hominid that has yet to be discovered by science...no different than Giant squids or new species of animals that are discovered every day. Every culture on Earth has something resembling bigfoot in their culture or history, even bones of old Giganthopithicus creatures resemble what would be a bigfoot today.

I pulled so many all nighters before my last final senior year of college. After the exam, I went to my room to change because I had a final meeting with my boss before I left school, well instead I passed out and slept for 14 hours, missed my own going away party and my friend that drove from a different city to help me pack up my belongings to move out. Ugh, never trust in naps, ever. 

Anecdotes **do not** equal evidence, and have no place whatsoever in scientific discourse. By resorting to anecdotes, you are showing that you do not have a solid argument to being with.\n\nI think you'll find, if you look in to it, that the evidence quite obviously suggests not to prescribe antibiotics for viral disease, unless you suspect co-infection with a bacterial agent. This anecdote simply highlights the case of one incompetent doctor. It says nothing against evidence-based medicine as a whole.

Yes, I agree and I'm struggling with my opinion of Derren Brown for years now. \n\n\nOn the one hand, he is a brilliant entertainer and does a lot for 'our cause'. He has done bits on psychics and cults, debunking faith healers and so on.\n\nOn the other hand, he is a charlatan. You only have to look at any comment page of any of his videos on youtube. You'll find someone 'explaining' his tricks with NLP, his amazing memory or some other psycho bullshit on every single page, when its actually sleight of hand. He *does* have a disclaimer and even distanced himself from NLP in one of his books, but I wonder if he could or should do more.\n\nIn that case, he falls under the category 'actively debunking a charlatan'. 

- [Mirror/motion tile effect](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-27bJdrhhAI)\n- [Artificial camera shaking](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKR1OIQFsFg#t=1m47s)\n- [Audio glitches](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3zIghCxm8U)\n- [Lack of shadows](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IK8X3HXro#t=0m50s)\n\netc etc etc...

Typical believers, suppress anything that criticises them. YouTube's a bit crap like that with DMCAs, I got a strike today for posting a copyright song. Oh it's copyright, by *me*. Idiots.

What do you call Dr. Ian Stevenson's work then!? He has matched autopsy photos to birth marks! Surely that is classified as scientific evidence that can be repeated, over and over again. There is also a heart surgeon, Dr. Pim van Lommel, who has evidence of clinical brain death, when people have had near death experiences. That should be impossible because the brain is showing as DEAD. Dr. Lommel and other medical professionals have had patients who were showing up on all the hospital medical equipment as being dead, but when they were resuscitated they were able to recall the exact process and even conversations that took place between the medical staff. That is rather difficult to do if your brain is not functioning. Some of these events have never been properly explained and it is most definitely worthwhile for researchers to take a look.\n\nTLDR - People ARE providing evidence.

Thank you, I will definitely get my hands on Bad Pharma first as I work in clinical trials and this doesn't look like a paranoia conspiracy author.

This is the billion dollar question to me. There is no way to *prove* they are extraterrestrial. However, it's pretty much the only thing that holds water once you take in the whole picture. Are these things machines? They appear to be...at times. Are they under intelligent control? (not necessarily biological intelligence) Certain cases strongly suggest they are. Particularly dogfight cases. These things react to stimuli. They maneuver and evade. *IF* they are machines and they are intelligently controlled....well what then? What options does that leave?\n\nThis is the limbo I remain in. I see that UFOs are real, but accepting them as extraterrestrial would be going past the hard evidence. Still, its the only theory that fits the phenomena, and doesn't fall apart under the case load. Maybe there is a reason everyone associates UFOs with aliens. Including the skeptics. Its not all cultural. Even in the Aurora Texas case of 1897 (i think), one of the townsfolk thought: *Martian*. Its exactly what our brains are screaming at us.  Where else would these things be coming from if not the inconceivable vastness of space. If our own species is any indication, intelligent life happens and it manipulates natural resources and creates technology. So it is not an outlandish, Occam's Razor defying idea. The Fermi Paradox, especially in light of the recent announcement of the abundance of terrestrial bodies in our galaxy, isn't a paradox at all if they are already here. The objects in our sky would appear to be an indication of this. \n\nStill, I will sit here uncomfortably on the fence...with you. UFOs are real, but if I *believe* they're extraterrestrial, then where do I draw the line? Abductions, cattle mutilations, crop circles, angels, Ezekiel, thunderbirds, Nazca Lines, etc... Its a bottomless rabbit hole, that requires entirely changing everything you think. Not to mention, its a downright frightening prospect. 

In reference to the environmental impact: IIRC, aspartame breaks down into phenylalanine (a common amino acid), and a methyl compound that eventually turns into formaldehyde. Neither one is particularly uncommon in nature (formaldehyde forms in rotting fruit, etc.). 

I go to a good Chiro, but this is in Sweden, and I know for a fact that he is good. This kind of quack doesnt really happen here as far as I know. \n\nI've been surprised that there are such a strong feeling Against Chiropractors in here, but I see where it all comes from. \n\nTo me it seems like the general public really will belive anything people tell them.  Frightening. \n\nI don't think it needs to end any more than massage - but it does need to be HEAVILY controlled so there are only the good type. Question is if that is possible at all.  \n\nWhy do people belive all that shit man? I dont get it. Severe brain rot? Why would a Chiropractor fix autism?  GAH

Exactly. It's my understanding that the placebo effect doesn't actually fix your problem, it just makes you feel better (masks the symptoms). So if you have a tumor or something and it's causing terrible pain, a sugar pill might make you feel a whole lot better but the tumor won't vanish (as far as I understand anyway).

Anecdote does not equal data or evidence, Imagine the hole medical practice was run by people telling stories on what worked for them...  although I do not doubt that it worked for you in that case. It remains dangerous to have your neck manipulated by a chiropractor. May I suggest you read the excellent or trick or treatment to learn more about science based medicine.   \nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trick-Treatment-Alternative-Medicine-Trial/dp/0593061292\n

Now, these results would be very different if the test subjects were people living in third world countries on subsistence diets.\n\nOr people in first world countries living on a soda and twinkies "diet".

And how many languages do you speak?  English is not OP's native language, why don't you reply to him in his native tongue and let him critique your grammar and spelling. 

This would be extremely easy for the OP to do, if she wasn't just making this all up. Sorry to ruin the fun for you.

To be fair, the press probably didn't ask the FAA, and the FAA probably doesn't seek out every weird press report to respond to.

&gt;why would increasing the number of vaccinated people and health care coverage reduce the population\n\nYou know you could listen to the talk. Your instict is right,  better health directly leads to poorer people having fewer kids. 

I would tend to agree. I was just more curious if anyone had specific experience with the claims I discussed. I've never heard those specific ones before.

Interesting wiki page for you.\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balam_(demon)\n\n

Sources please? Without them you're just dispatching us on a witch hunt fueled by confirmation/disconfirmation bias. 

&gt; I know this is an old post, but I was under the impression that the \n&gt; debris that was collected was inconsistent with the kind of plane that\n&gt; allegedly hit the pentagon. There were photographs of a few bits and\n&gt; pieces, one of which was an engine segment that did not match up\n\nare you an expert to say with absolute certainty about it? Don't you think that if they had to stage the thing, they would actually use *the right engine* ?\n\n&gt; wrong model/manufacturer. I don't remember where I saw this and \n&gt; it could have been wrong. My point is that debris, especially small\n&gt; scraps, could easily have been planted for photographic propaganda.\n\nYes, sure. They may also have detonated the thing themselves. Everything can be made into propaganda if you want, but damn... at least we have to use Occam's razor a bit sometimes...\n\n\n&gt; Even if there's no proof of this, it isn't an impossibility.\n&gt; As for saying that the missing plane and passengers were abducted\n&gt; by aliens, that's just silly.\n\nOf course it is. as it's silly to believe that the airplane never hit the pentagon.\n\n&gt; It seems like you're trying to make the idea sound far more\n&gt; outlandish than it really is. Depending on who was actually on the\n&gt; plane, a few different things could have happened. This is all purely\n&gt; hypothetical, no evidence, but let's say that the passengers were all\n&gt; in on it. They just have to live different lives with different identities \n&gt; now.\n\nListen, I think you just read too much Dan Brown recently... how do you have 150 people *change their life, forget about their previous one, and fucking shut the hell up for the rest of their lives?* Come on... be serious.\n \n&gt; If not, they just need to have been killed, or locked away someplace.\n\nYes, they have been killed when the freaking plane crashed on the freaking pentagon.\n\n&gt; As for the security cameras, I don't know what reason they could \n&gt; have for not releasing the security camera footage from the hotel\n&gt; and gas station across the street.\n\nLet's put forward another, simpler hypothesis: decency? It's not like everything must be made into a show, and although I believe americans as the second biggest idiots on this planet (first being the muslims), I may understand a bit of grieving when it comes to show one of their planes crashing into the most representative building of the US military power.\n 

Yeah; I do not know any sort of Latin, so I was just sharing what I thought it may say. That is really creepy if it means that. 

Art De Vany is living proof that there are benefits gained from adopting a more "Paleolithic" dietary lifestyle. Hes 70 years old, works out as hard as most 20 year olds and helped reduce the symptoms of his son and wifes diabetes significantly with his eating habits.\n\nAlso you can purchase his book on amazon which is very light reading and covers his whole philosophy very concisely and efficiently. \n\nHis logic in a broad stroke is that the evolution of our bodies ended at the hunter-gatherer level while we as a society continued to develop into a more agrarian culture. So, all the sugar from our new agricultural grain-based (and now junk food heavy)  diets are not "the norm" for our bodies. He argues that our bodies did not evolve to accept such extremely high carbohydrate diets. \n\nEven if you dont agree with his rationale, its still a compelling read and probably the best/most accessible take on the so called "Paleo-Diet"

Gonna call the ranch when wife rolls to work. I'm really excited for this one! Bringing a flashlight I heard sometimes the craft flash back.

&gt; Yet he explicitly and purposefully stepped in the elevator she'd taken back to her room.\n\n*gasp*  I'm shocked at the audacity of this man.  He rode on the elevator with her ?! While being in possession of a penis ?!  And then to top it all off he called her interesting and extended an invitation for coffee ?!  What a disgusting despicable human being.   Let's round up the lynch mob and get this rapist off the streets.

Graphology is real and valid, insofar as you can tell if someone has Parkinson's Dz or dementia or prefers left or right hand.\n\nOutside that, not so much.

Bad show that gives a bad image of the community. The ghost show was terrible, they never found anything. Classic one: "Did you hear that?" And then: commercials. After that you learn that they were startled by a cat or something. This is not  serious show at all.

I hope they don't have cell phones. Signal strength drops off with the square of distance, and a cellphone or laptop right near the gonads.... \n;)

&gt;Why would the man admit to insurance fraud (a felony) on national television?\n\nJust a guess... because he knew he could get away with it no matter what?

&gt;I do not know they work on the material plane or not.\n\nDo you know that there are planes at all, and that some are immaterial?\n\n&gt;My own experience does not discount that they can, would or do help on the physical plane.\n\nIf spirit guides exist, and if they do interact with or affect our detectable, observable universe, then they can be found just like the rest of the electromagnetic spectrum was.\n\nIf spirit guides exist, and they do *not* interact with or affect our detectable, observable universe, then the claim that they exist is a [logical fallacy](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/logical_fallacy) called [unfalsifiability](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Pseudoscience#Ideas_are_unfalsifiable), meaning that a claim has been made that can neither be proved nor disproved. This is most commonly illustrated by Bertrand Russell's [Russell's Teapot](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell's_teapot) analogy, which goes like this:\n\n&gt;"If I were to suggest that between the Earth and Mars there is a china teapot revolving about the sun in an elliptical orbit, nobody would be able to disprove my assertion provided I were careful to add that the teapot is too small to be revealed even by our most powerful telescopes. But if I were to go on to say that, since my assertion cannot be disproved, it is intolerable presumption on the part of human reason to doubt it, I should rightly be thought to be talking nonsense. If, however, the existence of such a teapot were affirmed in ancient books, taught as the sacred truth every Sunday, and instilled into the minds of children at school, hesitation to believe in its existence would become a mark of eccentricity and entitle the doubter to the attentions of the psychiatrist in an enlightened age or of the Inquisitor in an earlier time."\n\nOther examples are the [Flying Spaghetti Monster](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_spaghetti_monster) and the [Invisible Pink Unicorn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invisible_pink_unicorn), both satire religions created to illustrate the absurdity of unfalsifiable claims.\n\nCan you think of any ways in which you can determine, with evidence (as opposed to your own personal inspiration or intuition), that spirit guides exist, and that they interact with our detectable, observable universe? This is something I'd be interested in exploring.

Your rant relies on the premise that people who reject the claim of a conspiracy *haven't* questioned or looked at the evidence. You'e assuming that anyone who looks at the evidence with a skeptical mind *has* to agree with your claim that 9/11 was an "inside job", when in reality we've simply come to the opposite conclusion.\n\nThat's why people are downvoting you.

Lordy, lordy, lordy.\n\nEven the best of the 'mainstream skeptics' are pretentious cunts. \n\nWell, you do seem like a genuinely nice fellow - For clarification; I in no way wish to cause you actual distress with my comment, this is only a friendly ribbing. 

Possibly, I just wanted to rule out the more mundane possibilities :)

Why is this paranormal? It could just as easily be a dude in a white shirt walking kinda slow.

His CIA claim is where my bullshit detectors first went off. Real CIA folks don't run around telling everyone that they worked there, even after retirement. My uncle was in the CIA, and no one in the family (except his wife) knew the truth until after he died.

The major flaw in Popper was that he doesn't account properly for statistical theories. If we predict a medicine will relieve symptoms in 80% or patients, and the first two hundred show no effects, I'm not actually falsified, I just need to say that the next 800 will show effects.\n\nMedicine is a science, yet it contains many statistical claims that are not fully falsifiable. Though falisifiability is characteristic of science, it is not a defining trait of all scientific claims.

I cant believe people are getting all up in arms here re: the belladonna issue.\n\nWho gives a shit?  The funny thing is the definition of homeopathy means there are little to NO traces of the original substance.  In many ways, this makes the users look even more dumb!

I love it.  \n\nA suggestion, could you extend the graphic by showing a timeline sort of thing starting from the  last image and have the pentagon become a hexagon and then an octagon as more and more evidence pile up.It would show that we weren't wrong in the past but less accurate.  \n\nThis would help counter a popular argument that science used to say X, now it says Y, why should we believe it?

Just because Watson discovered DNA and won a Nobel prize for it doesn't mean he has a basis to say that blacks are "genetically inferior." Just because someone is a scientist doesn't mean they know shit when they're talking outside their singular, narrow field. 

That price was from Amazon. It is out of print I think. I have heard you can get it direct from the publisher but I haven't followed up yet.

Oh I absolutely get it. Skepdic, sounds like skeptic.\n\nIt also spells Skep Dick. 

Is there any reason this picture should not be real? Is there something strange/supernatural/whatever in it that I don't see?

Read the link.  There is no fuzziness in the law regarding citizens giving birth to children outside the US:\n\n     Title 8 U.S.C. § 1409 paragraph (c) provides that children born abroad\n     after December 24, 1952 to unmarried American mothers are U.S.\n     citizens, as long as the mother has lived in the U.S. for a continuous\n     period of at least one year at any time prior to the birth.\n\nThere are extra requirements for a male citizen imparting citizenship to his children when they were born outside the US, but for women it's pretty simple.

I said "I imagine that the statistics might not be so awful", from which you could surmise that I have statistics to back this up which might be imaginary.\n\nWhile I don't have statistics, I do know that people are to a large extent in control of their own destiny.\n\nAs an analogy, car travel is often said to be a very dangerous way to travel.  However, most of the deaths due to car accidents are due to a small minority of poor drivers, where a "poor driver" is defined as someone who has a lot of car accidents.  If you are a good driver, you are far less likely to die in a car accident than a poor driver.  And yes, I have seen statistics which support this analogy.\n\nIf you know you're a poor driver, then don't drive.\n\nIf you know that you're at risk of complications, don't have a home birth.\n\nSimple principles such as these might make a large difference in the statistics.\n

I had to stop the video when he began speaking about dimensions. Whenever you hear a so-called ufologist speaking about beings from other dimensions, either turn and walk away, turn the TV off, or close your entire browser. \n\nHere's the skinny: there cannot be beings from "other dimensions" because we *don't just live in 3 dimensions*. We live in ALL of them, and if there are 10 dimensions, we right now live in all 10 dimensions. They are not separate; they are all interconnected. 

There are quite a few political conspiracy theories that deserve debunking  just as much as the other things on this page. 

Sorry for your loss.\n\nStart seeing others and tell her you'll continue to fuck and love her from afar by sending your energy her way.

If something threw something at me, I would crap my pants too. Haha\nI've only heard this apparition once, and that was last Thursday. I was talking to a friend on the phone, and all of a sudden it just cut out and I heard this loud, ragged breathing or snorting noises coming through my phone. My friend said he didn't hear anything when I asked him about it. I knew it was there, and that it was only a matter of time before I saw it. Shortly afterwards I actually did see it. Needless to say, I told my friend I had to go, and I ran into my house. 

It was tracked by radar. Also they did a color scan and found it was solid.

[This may be of interest](http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/science/near-death-experiences-30-years-of-research-part-3-62098.html) (look below "Verified NDE Accounts").

The only 'paranormal' thing about this, is that somehow it made it onto the front-page of this subreddit. &lt;sigh&gt;

Non-existence is the best State system.\n\nBut assuming you mean what is the most desirable State if State's having to exist was taken for granted, then it would be a Monarchy, preferably with powerful constitutional **restraints**.

Those are some good points I hadn't considered. I guess I just have too little faith in humanity since I tend to wonder whether it's trolling. And maybe too many Reddit hours too. :)

you think you can just force your way into a military base and "take secrets"?\n\none does not simply... ah fuck it. \n\ngood luck with your plan. \n\n

Timm's on the case. Well said.\n\n"But Timmy242... it's a *fleet!"*

Without a method to mitigate "common human biases"?  That method is trial and error.  Without a control the results may be unsure, but they are hardly insignificant.  So you may not believe a shaman when he tells you his gods make the sun rise, but I'm sure you would believe it if he told you that his poison arrow kills quickly, or that eating his berries causes dreams, or that chewing his leaf numbs pain.\n\nThe ultimately pertinent question is: is acupuncture a Chinese snake-oil remedy that has been successfully pawned on people 'til this day, or might it truly be somewhat effective?\n\nIf I had to guess, I'd pick the latter, but would be open to argument.

&gt;She has never been to college, but has taken all sorts of certification courses and whatnot.\n\nThat's because those courses are just novelty items, kind of like naming a star or buying land on the Moon. Like, seriously, [here](http://www.dreichel.com/Articles/Dr_Zoe.htm) is a cat with a Ph.D. You get a diploma as long as you pay them, there's no need to actually do stuff.

Yes I agree. Hume did write about this. This does not get around the problem of induction though. However inductive reasoning is important scientifically otherwise we could not make any assumptions. 

Where did the connection between the shootings and the LIBOR scandal come from?

Alien Agenda - by Jim Marrs was far and away better than any other book on the subject I've read.

This is an interesting documentary re: "Food as your medicine"\n\nIn short it talks about conventional MD's who treat their patients with food and either drastically reduce or completely eliminate their patients' need for conventional drugs.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijukNzlUg\n\nWhat's especially noteworthy are the researchers' ability to "dial up and down" the incidence of cancer in mice by adjusting their diet.

It's extremely unusual to use "believe" to mean anything other than "to think that something is true," so even if that is what you were doing, you never said so, which made your statement:\n\n&gt; I know people who believe in stuff they know isn't true.\n\nself-contradictory as far as anyone reading it is concerned.\n\nIf it seems that people are focusing on terms instead of what you meant, consider the possibility that we had no idea what you meant.

What does "alternatively medicated" mean? Herbs and such?  It can't mean homeopathy, because that's not even medicine.  (unless you count placebos)

That it's advertising for the ghost tours that the article just mentioned.

That same person has videos about 9/11 conspiracy's. Are you really going to believe this guy?

If you look at that photo and think "that could be a UFO", you are engaging your imagination.  If you think "that's *definitely* a UFO!", then you are delusional.

I don't get conspiracy theorists. Yes, the Bohemian Grove is real, and many elite people meet there. Yes, Bilderberg is real and elites meet there too. \n\nBut so what? What possibly shows there is something nefarious going on? All we can conclude is that politicians and rich people meet occasionally, that doesn't really tell us anything. 

"what's scientific about ignoring it if some people have been "cured" by faith healers?"\n\nIt's not scientific to address it in the first place. I'm sorry I misread part of your post. galaxy nexus reading.

Your definition of skepticism isn't one that would be accepted by most of the skeptical community.  \n\nI, and I think most people here would agree with me on this, consider applied skepticism to be just the scientific method in action.  So if it's science versus religion, skepticism is on the side of science.\n\nI'm not sure what you mean by there's "nothing to debunk".  There's plenty to debunk in creationism, it's all bunk.  \n\nSkepticism applies to issues whether they have a resolved answer or not.  It's about figuring out the facts and opposing disinformation.

"Individual income tax rates in Switzerland consist of Swiss federal, cantonal and communal taxes. While the maximum rate of federal tax rate is 11.5%, adding the cantonal and communal taxes the total tax burden on individuals change between 22.42% - 42.28% depending on canton."\n\nhttp://www.taxrates.cc/html/switzerland-tax-rates.html\n\n

Here is an example. A white kid who is good at basketball keeps playing and practices as hard as any black kid. now the two face off and the white kid has a slightly off day and the black kid plays good or just average. The white kid is more likely to say "He is just more naturally talented than me I will never be that good" even if he can and will be. Now this won't stop all or most from continuing their dream, but at the end of high school Colleges will have a choice between those two equally footed students and most will pick the black kid because they think he is going to have more "natural talent." This process will happen several times and the people that have just the same amount of natural talent will be whittled down to the point where there is a larger fraction of blacks than white. which just perpetuates the stigma. 

Or maybe the problem is that americans are fat-asses and are looking for an explanation that doesn't make them feel guilty, like, the problem is the HFCS and not drinking 3 liters of soda a day.

Ok i hear you, im considering all of these things and it is bringing me from a 60-40 to a 50-50. Operation Northwoods was a plan to fake terrorist attacks that the Joint Chiefs of Staff all signed and it got up to Kennedy.\n\nThanks for not just dismissing what im saying btw.

being that I was at a [7] when I saw this video, saw the three ufos in a row and of course thought of Orion's belt. I intended that to be more of an idea of a message that supposed aliens could convey by flying in formation, my sincerest apologies reddit

Thanks for the answers.  Thank goodness you haven't encountered foul odors and that nobody has been harmed, but I'm sorry that your poor daughter is a part of all this as well.  That rules out the very worst of the spirit archtypes.  Right now I have two potentials in mind.\n\nMore questions:\n\n1) How did the voice that spoke to your friend sound? Was it a single voice or multiple voices? Was it masculine or feminine? Adult or child-like?\n\n2) Important: Are you or your girlfriend part of a particular religion?\n\n3) What can you tell me about how the entity played with your daughter?\n\n4) Ask your girlfriend this: what kind of hostility has she been feeling was there?  Was it as little as something being annoyed or as great as something wishing to cause harm?\n\nSo far what I'm seeing is that the entity(s) do not appear to be evil, but a cleansing of your house will be required just in case.  If nothing else, to give your daughter peace.

You've got it all wrong! It was SUPER MILITARIZED THERMITE. Granted, we all know thermite isn't explosive, but SUPER MILITARIZED THERMITE might be. They painted it on the pillars. Even though without something holding thermite in place, it will just burn out (away from what it's on) maybe SUPER MILITARIZED THERMITE doesn't.

yet strangely it cures thepain in the guy's face the water retains the memory of the punch,

Excuse me: I had to ask my mom if she remembered these and I stand corrected..all 3 are the same... The one I thought was after is in fact the actual photo and the others are cropped. So they are all the same shot just cropped edit, cropped original and original untouched.

There are several. I think you may be thinking of electroacupuncture, or "electrical nerve stimulation" in the real world.

How about showing us the actual pictures he tried to take. Even if they don't show anything the metadata might prove they were taken when you say they are. And if it was with a phone they could even be geolocalized.

You didn't really need the explaination, just the 'crop circles are too complex' quote and the helicopter.\n\nWhen you (or someone else) reposts this next week, you might try this variation and see if it makes a difference.

Simply because something is not scientifically rigorous doesn't mean that it is not useful at achieving a sense of truth and possible knowledge.\n\nThere certainly is a hierarchy. There is a lot of dependable research that doesn't meet the strictest scientific guidelines and is quite far from be bunk. There may be a problem of ambiguous demarkation, but it is fallacious to dismiss research based on that ambiguity. There definitely are differences, for example, between much of psychology and much of pseudoscience. 

My question is, why do people think 'aliens from other planets' are here at all?  I just don't think that's what this is.  GrooveCombo is right in saying it's projecting ourselves onto 'them'.  Nothing I've seen from this leads me to think 'extraterrestrials'.  It's a lot weirder than that.

Very interesting indeed.  Seems valid enough and I agree there's certainly another phenomenon that I was not aware of and did not account for.\n\nWho knows then.  Might very well *be* bokeh.  [Who knows](http://i.imgur.com/9M9DC.png).

&gt; Yes, but what conspiracy theories have in common with any other psuedo-science, and the reason that skeptics attack them the same as any other psuedo-science, is the complete lack of evidence.\n\nThis isn't true at all. There's usually extensive evidence for all of these things - including videos of the ghost of bigfoot bending spoons with its mind. The question is what standard of evidence and which default assumption applies for each case.\n\nFor most things that skeptics dismiss, the "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" claim applies, along with the default assumption that without such evidence such claims are probably false. A video of the ghost of bigfoot isn't good enough. Videos can be easily faked, so the existence of such a video isn't enough to override the default assumption that ghosts don't exist.\n\nFor (non-supernatural, alien-free) conspiracy theories, the same reasoning doesn't apply at all. "Conspiracies" aren't extraordinary, they're reasonably commonplace. People work together, keep secrets, and spread misinformation all the time. The existence of PR departments with large budgets in every major organization is common knowledge.\n\nTake a claim like "the moon landings were filmed on a sound stage in Arizona". This can't be immediately dismissed as an extraordinary claim the same way bigfoot's ghost can. In order to dismiss this claim it's necessary to look at the actual evidence: The evidence of a moon landing is overwhelming, and the evidence for the sound-stage claim is pitiful. Even then, this claim is still quite a bit more likely than bigfoot's ghost bending spoons.\n\nFor something like JFK's assassination or the 9-11 attacks, the situation is much less clear. Of the explanations provided, many of them are physically possible. The claim that the US government is an untrustworthy source on these events is completely reasonable. A look at the evidence certainly raises some interesting questions; the evidence in conflict with the official story is at least as good as a shaky video of bigfoot's ghost.\n\nI'm not saying that the Mafia was working with the FBI to shoot JFK or that Dick Cheney personally planted explosives in the twin towers after making off with five tons of gold from the basement... but the idea that government that's well known to twist the truth for PR purposes is a 100% reliable source for information on historical events is absurd. No government has *ever* been trustworthy on this sort of thing.\n\nRemember: The combination of politics and PR is just as dangerous as pseudoscience, especially when you mistake PR for reliable sources.

Haha, oh my. Isn't it interesting that ~~woo~~-people like this almost always threaten with court drama instead of defending themselves or *welcoming* criticism? Keep fighting the good fight sir. There is no such thing as too much education :-)\n\nEdit: edited out woo, so they don't come after me next!

have four or five friends line up wearing long sleeves. one has the bracelet underneath.\n\ndon't explain to the other friends about it or what it does. have your other believer friend try to push each of them over.\n\nSimple experiment you can easily recreate with what and whom you have available.

"No one in his family has ever been that sort to come back ater death." This made me laugh pretty hard. I thought everyone had zombie relitaves.

I use iTunes to keep up with my podcasts, and it sucked on windows, and now that I have a Mac it sucks equally! Can you recommend something?\nSorry for the blatant thread-jacking :)

I had head lice when I was in middle school. I got rid of them by scrubbing my hair and scalp with olive oil. So I don't really think (based on personal experience) that pesticides are needed to get rid of them. I imagine if this stuff has a lot of tea tree oil in it that it would probably be sufficient to get rid of them. 

&gt; So I guess Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq don't count as war zones either.\n\n&gt; It's not because we "don't like him." It's because he was an enemy commander in a 10 year long war effort.\n\nIt's very simple, I'm one of those law and order types.  When you bypass the law to further your own personal agenda it weakens the very laws that that protects you in other cases.  Those examples you gave are part of the problem, and you will get no disagreement from me that Osama was bad guy.  \n\nThere is no legal structure in place for the president to order a man killed with out a trial.  If you wan to do that fine, but do it right.  Pass the laws needed to allow this to happen first, then run around murdering people, until then this entire situation is illegal and bullshit. \n\nAnd as an IR specialist I'm sure you know that there is a lot of people out there that do bad things to do us, but that does not give us the right to go around killing them at a whim.

I've thought that maybe the multi-ship/balls of light UFOs that move in strange patterns and absorb into eachother - maybe the patterns they are making is a message or an attempt to communicate?

There are [very clear **regulations**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certified_organic) regarding organic certification, you're just wrong.\n\n&gt;It is a 100% marketing term\n\nYou yourself posted evidence to the contrary...

Very nice interview, glad that they didn't get stuck on a discussion of religion.\n\nDawkins' response that *one is false and one is true*, in response to it being pointed out that being made in God's image is more comforting than being a rather insubstantial speck in a vast universe, was awesome.

Love this link! The entire gallery has some really good pics. Thanks for sharing!\n

I don't think this is necessarily the case. I think many people truly believe that it works. Perhaps they think they have seen it work in the past. These instances could have really been caused by the placebo effect or the body healing itself, who knows. Either way, I will continue to hold more worth in evidence based treatment.

Interesting, what dilution are you using? \n\nIn all seriousness, these people should be put on posters, and those posters should be put up in all stores that carry homeopathetic nonsense.

This is actually really tragic, he needs counseling a lot more than debunking.

If the subreddit was dedicated to Unidentified Fishy Objects, then would you be happier with people posting fish that they see that they can't identify?\n\nThis is what it's all about.  Identifying something that is actually seen yet you don't know what it is and it doesn't seem to fit in to your expectations of reality.\n\nAaand you have a problem with that?

In part 2 I wondered if he was going to start seducing him when his robe dropped below his shoulders.  

Im going to stop reading your replies if you keep putting a TL;DR at the end. Its one thing to insult the way I think as close minded, its another to insult my intelligence by believing I wont at least humor your response with a full read through.

...dang, this was a bit ago. Anyway, yeah, seriously. Some may have been hiding, I guess, but I wouldn't have been surprised

The text for a sensation and perception course I took several semesters ago (Schiffman's "Sensation and Perception: An integrated Approach") said that "most of the reports so far have been positive" in regard to using acupuncture with electrified needles for pain relief.  The text (obviously) didn't mention any of the woo explanations, but instead hypothesized that the effects of acupuncture might be explained by spinal gate control theory.\n\nThe papers it cites are:\n\n* Joseph Needham and Lu Gwei-Djen. A Scientific Basis for Acupuncture. *The Sciences* 1979.\n* Chen et. al.  Optimal conditions for eliciting maximal electroacupuncture analgesia with dense and disperse mode stimulation. *American Journal of Acupuncture* 1994.\n* Berman. Is acupuncture effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia. *Family Practice* 1999.\n* Loitman. Pain management: beyond pharmacology to acupuncture and hypnosis.  *JAMA* 2000

Hrm.  [NY Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/10/13/2010-10-13_mystery_shiny_objects_floating_over_manhattan_spark_ufo_frenzy.html) says "A mysterious shiny object" but the video shows several suspiciously balloon-lookin' things.  \n\nThis photo's also going around but is neither a shiny object nor several small white objects, plus the guy posting it runs a media company that does visual effects.\nhttp://twitpic.com/2w1r98\n\nHrm.

This just reminded me that when my brother and I were kids the same thing happened, we were walking to the local swimming pool and suddenly my brother grabbed the top of his head and said something had just hit him, then did it again, we checked the grass and found two $1 coins. Was super weird, and because we were walking outside I couldn't figure out what happened. We were walking past some gardens where some vagrants sometimes lived, but vagrants aren't usually the type to throw money at people, unless its accompanied by some sort of crazy display. Also since they hit him on top of the head someone would have had the throw them straight up in the air with fantastic aim to hit him

Man, is everything bad for us?  Sunscreen?  *Sunscreen?*  That was pretty much the last remaining pharmaceutical that was unquestionignly good for you.

"Knowledge gives rise to infinite possibilities"\n\nI must say, some of these aren't half bad, and an amusing number of them are better than anything I've heard him say.

Thanks. It's really encouraging to see someone Actually Change Their Mind in an online discussion. Too many people value "defending the answer I started with" over "finding the right answer".\n\nAnd yet some jackasses have downvoted you.\n\nEVERYONE, STOP DOWNVOTING SANSWORK AND INSTEAD LEARN FROM HIS COURTEOUSNESS AND INTELLECTUAL HONESTY. Jeez.

There was a time, when I was in college, where I had taken more classes than I should have and had a room to myself, and slowly lost most of my friends, so I do blame this on the stress and loneliness, but take from it what you will.\n\nI would see people standing in my peripheral vision. Most of the time it was just a person that was made up of the absence of light. They weren't shadows because they were three dimensional, it's more as if someone made a person out of whatever you make sunglasses out of but fuzzier. They were kind of like transparent men that light didn't pass through very well and they seemed to suck in the light around them as well.\n\nWhenever I was still, like when I was reading a book or using the computer, they would slowly materialize and become more and more defined until I looked at them and they would disappear.\n\nThen in early December they started to move. At first I only saw them move when my head was moving, like I'd be turning around in my chair, find I was looking directly at dark in the shape of a man and it would move off in the opposite direction. Shortly after that I could start to see them walk in front of me sometimes when I would lose focus with my eyes. Usually it was when I was looking at the computer, I would lose focus for a second and the shape of a 3D shadow head would pass between me an the monitor. The last development I had was when I would close my eyes for a moment and open them sometimes there would be a dark figure there that would fade away over the next second or so. Sometimes it would be inches from my face and sometimes it would be far away. Sometimes there would be more than one. Sometimes I could make out where eyes should be and a nose, but they never had mouths, and sometimes they would just be shadowy blobs.\n\nThen I went home for Christmas break and started hanging out with a friend from high school who never made it out of my home town. I had always been scared of drinking, but he brought me to a few bars and I found that my hallucinations disappeared when I drank. I drank for the next semester, and was eventually turned on to pot which did a good job of chasing the crazy away as well. Eventually I met the girl of my dreams, cut back the substance abuse, and now I very rarely have problems. I'm pretty sure that I was just going crazy and nothing paranormal happened, so take this with a grain of salt.

http://venice.cineca.org/Report_II_WP3.pdf Page twenty one has a chart comparing the age of first MMR dose, it is different than the US charts. *shrug*

My problem is that people keep coming after me for simply pointing out that someone has made an outrageous claim. It shouldn't be presented with some sort of false equivalency. It's remarkably similar to saying that the theory of evolution is equivalent to someone flipping on the light. I'm open to the UFO discussion, I'd point to the Tehran incident, but this is moronic. If you are leaving room for this incident being a ufo. You. Are. A. Moron.

It's a safe space for feminists not atheists. It's a place where people who are both atheists and feminists can talk about stuff that interests them without getting drowned in " what about the MENZ!" debates in every single thread.

I don't think your stupid for believing extraterrestrials had some hand in our past. I just think you are being very lazy.\n\n

A little googlefu revealed a [Rocket design facility](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makeyev_Rocket_Design_Bureau) not more than 50 miles from the city of [Chelyabinsk](http://g.co/maps/y5m8n) where these were filmed from.\n\nSo obviously its Aliens.

I looked through some of the most recent results. There is possibly something to the fact that people can "feel" EMFs. For the most part, people who think they can feel them, really can't detect wifi, for example, when it's turned on or not. But there may be some people who have more heightened sensory awareness. The question really is, do they hurt you and that seems to be no.\nhttp://doubtfulnews.com/2012/10/electromagnetic-sensitivity-cant-escape-it-but-here-is-the-science/

&gt; antimatter which is theorized but not necessarily observable\n\nAntimatter exists and is used all of the time in experiments and elsewhere.  All that term means is positively charged electrons or negative protons (and similar variants for other types of particles/conglomerates), nothing magical.  [PET Scans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography) are an example of it being used for a practical application.\n\nAnyway, I know it was just an example, but you should try to educate yourself on modern scientific theories before throwing around terms without knowing what they mean.  If you must, build your beliefs *on top of* science, not *around* it, and they'll be much more sensible.

I think you spilled some Non Sequitur all over your Ad Hominem, there.

You're over-thinking it.  Homeopathy stops making sense long before you get to the question that you're asking.  Have some mercy, man.  The more questions you ask, the sillier these people look and they look silly enough already.  Although, it does seem that you've put another nail in the homeopathic coffin (that thing must be all nails and no coffin at this point).

You tell yourself every morning; "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." 

Advice from a pastor would probably be better then psychic BS...

It appears to be falling sharply. The rate of infant circumcision was down from 56% in 2006 to 32.5% in 2009. Still much higher than it needs to be, but at least it's a step in the right direction.\n\nhttp://www.drmomma.org/2010/08/us-circumcision-rate-falls-to-33.html

Dr. Oz should know better.  The demographic that watches his show his most at risk to be taken in by psuedoscience.  His duty should be TO his viewers, not TO GAIN viewers.

Actually, I think [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MOnehCOUw) is even more compelling as an argument - it's certainly one I'd not thought of before...

Thank you for being so pragmatic and outspoken. This sub needs more of it.

That really isn't true in fact and in this thread is disregarded in principle. \n\nNo mainstream doctor is involved in the growing or processing of his or her medicines these days. At the same time on this thread herbalism is dismissed en masse and labelled alternative and therefore scientifically unsound despite the fact that much of it is by your own definition medicine.

&gt;Comments are closed.\n\nThere's a sign what you are reading is BS right there.\n\nedit:\nAfter really digging in I'd like to add a little laugh about this "article".  Hahahahaha ha.\n\nThe author has the attention span of a fly, first up.  It starts out about some vaccine hoax but switches gears after a paragraph into an anti-fluoride tirade before ~~segwaying~~ *they segue* into some nonsense about tricking people into dialysis.  Then it's on to how evil the CDC is and how they are murdering people before switching to how many people aspirin has killed(wtf), then back to the mad scientists at the CDC and their master plan to kill millions of people(with asprin?).\n\nI see a lot of faulty assertion used to prop up baseless claims; these are used to beg a question or two. Some names are slandered, a few straw men burned. Comments are closed because there's no refuting this "evidence", author's mind is made up. Case closed.\n\nExpress train to crazy town. Toot toot.

&gt;Agreed. But if we want to study the cancer effects of pesticide X then we get an animal model like mice (say) and dose groups of them with measured amounts of X and examine the effects of different amounts of X on the different groups of mice. We don't need to use the food with X residue on it to test the cancer effect of X. An experiment like that would be harder - you would be less certain of the amount of X each animal was getting.\n\nWhat's your point exactly? My point is that the sensationalist headlines spawned from this study ( *"It's official.  Organic food is a waste of cash"* -- Really, /r/skeptic?) are complete BS.  The study offers *no* grounds to even begin to reach such a conclusion.\n\nEDIT:  Whoops, typo

http://imgur.com/a/Sk2Yi\n\nThis is from 2011. Admittedly I have not delved into this much since then. \n\nThese graphs in a nut shell show us printing vast sums of money and that money then going nowhere and just idling at the central banks.\n\n&gt;For a skeptic, you are woefully uninformed.\n\nI think the word you're looking for is "misinformed"\nI would obviously disagree with that assessment but feel free to argue.\n

Interesting read. It seems like he is so close but yet so far away.

What show is this from?  The format looks similar to the Ancient Aliens show, but they don't seem to be talking about aliens, and instead seem to be talking about evidence for the Biblical flood.\n\nAnyway, the video makes some very strange assertions.  They're confused that they didn't find any tools, but why should that confuse them?  You don't generally find tools lying around sites that have already been completed.  The tradesmen don't finish their work and throw their tools down to litter the ground, which are never removed before the place is abandoned.\n\nYou find tools at unfinished construction sites and quarries, places like that.  It's very strange that some people think the absence of tools is somehow a mystery.  Notably, there are no actual archaeologists saying this.\n\nAnd regarding the animal carvings, speculating that they're somehow related to a flood and a Noah's Ark type story is really stretching it.  \n\nOther than that, the general facts about the site appear to be correct from the basic research I've just done.  The site *is* about 11,000 years old, and does push the boundaries of what we know about human civilization.  It *was* buried for some unknown reason.  And there *is* a lot that we don't know about the purpose of the site and the people who built it.\n\nBut the thing is, stuff that we don't know is just that: stuff that we don't know.  Wild speculation and silly inferences add absolutely nothing to the discussion.

I do that sometimes, but in reverse. I'll be asleep, then wake up just enough to think I have something to check on, or to do, and then I'll dream that I got up and did it. Then, I wake up fifteen minutes later, realizing that I never got out of bed in the first place.\n\n\nIt's an oddly comforting experience.\n\n\nAlso, I love how this subreddit doesn't force you to accept everything at face value. Almost every story here has a comment giving a good alternative explanation, which I appreciate. It's a refreshing break from some of those *other* subreddits.

Who is being antagonistic and instigating?  How about the person calling someone's judgment of the lack of evidence a result of "insecurities" and "stupid"?  How antagonistic is that, asshole?  If you "know", then you must be part of the 1% that you keep bitching about.  Produce evidence beyond someone saying they saw something or photographs blurry as shit.  The burden of proof lies with the person making absurd assertions.  If you KNOW, then habeus corpus.  But you DON'T.  You *know* just as much as my religious acquaintances *know* there is a God.  You *believe*, based on insufficient evidence.  And then get on a high horse and look down on other people who don't believe.  Ah yes, the clueless teeming millions of non-believers.  Funny how that works.\n\nYou patronizingly refer me to the Condon Report.  Let's take a look - from the summary of the report: "there appears to be no verified and fully satisfactory evidence of any case that is clearly outside the framework of presently known science and technology".  Then they ask for more resources to debunk sightings that they were thus far unable to debunk.  The report is full of debunking.  Let's try the chapter on "direct physical evidence".  The physical evidence they cover includes: naturally occurring radioactive material, luminous paint, field marks left by farm vehicles, humans compacting soil, human use of gas accelerant to burn marks in the ground, cobwebs by ballooning spiders, house paint with titanium oxide pigment, aluminum produced by a specific human company, and a lawn mower muffler, metals deemed produced by earthly technology, a claim of special pure metal debunked... and the chapter concludes, "This project has found no physical evidence which, in itself, clearly indicates the existence in the atmosphere of vehicles of extraordinary nature."  Please point out what part of this report YOU consider EVIDENCE that we have been visited.  You are the one making the absurd assertion, so back it up with specifically what led you to that conclusion you feel so smug about.  Your first citation isn't panning out.  The lack of evidence is not evidence.  Claiming people are keeping the truth a secret is not evidence.  A mountain of tenuous bullshit is not evidence.  Show us stupid insecure blind heathens what you KNOW, or STFU.

Actually, a UFO is close to a default. An Alien spacecraft, however, is not.

Not trying to alarm you but you should probably visit a skin doctor. Grey itself is no big deal, but grey a 16 is unusual. It's worth getting it checked out.

As far as it sounds you should have been a skeptic since the start. My point is I don't believe anyone can truly be a believer in the paranormal until they've had their own experiences.

\nI don't have time for elucidation, brother, but I KNOW it works if you WANT it to.

I remember that interview. Isn't that the one where the military-type yells at him and basically calls him a milk-drinker?

This would be correct.\n\nElectrical activity is essentially always occurring around us. Think your computer is really off? It's not, same thing with living organisms/tissue.\n\nAction potentials are always there, after all matter is there throwing around trading electrons back and forth as part of their little dance.\n\nComatose != death, so the Neurologist who said he went to Heaven is first mistaken in that he thought he died (didn't even die clinically, kinda sad) and didn't suffer a permanent death either.\n\nHow to best explain it... the brain controls pretty much everything, so in case of danger, comatose can be thought of a hibernate or sleep mode as it were to a computer. It may look shutdown, but stuff is still going on (because the organism is still alive).\n\nLong story short: It's an argument from ignorance.

[RationalWiki](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Conservapedia) has a ton of content about CP.

Well, what is "proved"?  Stan Friedman is a good enough source, but Lazar will counter-claim that his records were erased by black ops.  ;)  Let's just say his claims were always highly suspect and couldn't be backed up by documentation or credible witnesses.

No adult person should be forced to become vaccinated.\n\nThe kids are another story.

I don't see why you assume it was about death in any way. It sounds more like a passed-out experience.

Skeptic. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

There's some useful info in the book, but don't think it will revolutionize your life or get the same results he did.

I have tried looking at them, but other then books, there's not much on there. I'm looking for articles, reliable web pages,Things of that nature.

I'm suddenly feeling the need to make fun of my friends with degrees from Wesleyan. 

I don't think that is obv. at all. Flares dont travel in a perfect linear line for a distance of a few miles. These lights lasted around five minutes, and came into view from a point above the town that would have been at least 4 miles away from the crash site.\n\nPlus, in the boat crash, when the boat is destroyed and people are flailing in the water and struggling for the shore, I doubt anyone was able to find and shoot a flare gun.

&gt;  It's working for people.\n\nSo do sugar pills.  That's why we have these things called *test groups*, *control groups*, and *[double blind testing procedures](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_experiment)*.\n\nJust because someone ***gives away*** hokum does not relieve them of the burden of proof, it only means they either aren't running a business, or they are engaging in a loss-leader marketing plan.\n\nIt's not a new schtick to give some of the product away to promote a future sale.

This is it. I prefer Neil DeGrasse Tyson's attitude. It's unflinching and uncompromising, but it offers rather than robs, augments rather than diminishes. "I'm so sorry, you appear to be irrational. Here, check out the entire universe and the laws which govern it. Awesome, right?" I can't stand the smug fuckers because they give the religous and irrational more ammunition to feed their "You're persecuting us / It's just another religion" argument-gun.\n\nI just dislike Maher's smug fucking plastic-surgery degraded face intensely, and the cronyism of his arsekissing guests. You hear republican idiots waffling about intellectual elitism, and all Maher does is offer a prime example of exactly that. Only he's as intellectual as my shoe.

I wasn't trying to draw attention to any one comment. Have you seen [Idiocracy](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/)? All I was attempting to say is that the quality of the discussion wasn't exactly on par with The Four Horsemen.\n\nJust for the record, I don't even want to be "treated gently." I want people to argue with me if they think I'm wrong, even with vitriol if they think it's called for. I was just disappointed that the ratio of engaging arguments to juvenile dismissiveness was so heavily in favor of the latter.\n\nI'm slowly coming around to the conclusion that your mosh pit metaphor is spot on.

Because the author is creating an assumption that aliens are remotely anything like us. What if they were tiny? What if they were made of gas or some sort of liquid? What if they were resistant to radiation and needed very little shielding? What if they came up with a method of propulsion that did not require traveling in the interstellar medium?\n\nI mean to the best of our knowledge, yea it would have to be a huge ship, but we don't have much knowledge of interstellar travel, kind of like a blogger who assumes an alien ship has to be big.

What happened to waiting until a study is repeated and peer reviewed before jumping to conclusions?

I heard it many times. I was too weirded out to ever do anything about it, though.

My assumption was that she is part of the anti-vaccine crowd, not sure who else might've found that funny.

My understanding is that a lot of the time Osteopaths have a slightly easier time getting through medical school and slightly less stringent acceptance procedures into schools that offer Osteopathic medicine education.\n\nso when you see a DO, it should probably just be a DM; Doctor of Mediocrity. Chances are really good they don't believe in the quackery at all, they just became a DO because it was cheaper, easier, and less likely to wash out of. I've had a few DOs before, and they were all mediocre doctors. They're everywhere here in the bible belt, mostly because the religious hospitals and universities push osteopathy pretty hard.\n\nhaving said all that, the core belief of Osteopathic medicine, that pharmacology should come secondary to diagnostics and touch is not entirely flawed and there is something to be said for not tripping over yourself to reach the pills whenever somebody comes into your office. I've had a lot of bad experiences lately with doctors who are very quick to perscribe and get you out of their office so they can bring another paying customer through the door. However, the DOs out there aren't actually following this philosophy, and the ones who are tend to be chriopractors with expensive degrees.

I love how they put psychological problems of the "encounters" in the category of EVIDENCE for ufos.

there are tons of books written about how history books are incorrect. there are even phrases like, 'the winners write the history books'. the truth is obviously not always known. \n\nOn your other point, I think conspiracy theories come into existence because not all the facts are told to the public, and thus people must fill in the gaps, and create a story which makes sense. Of course they are not always correct.\n\nA classic example is JFK, I think it is general knowledge that Oswald worked in some capacity for the government / CIA. Just this idea alone, leads people to fill in the gaps that the government was involved. Plus the government never releases all of the 'evidence' you talked about earlier, so what are people to think.\n\nThe fact that the government has done things in the past like the Gulf of Tonkin incident means that both, the history books were incorrect about the incident, and if the government is capable of doing something like this once, then surely they have done it before, and will in the future. Once a liar, always a liar. \n\nThis is why there are conspiracies and always will be. 9/11 conspiracies are the same way, not all the information is out there, the government holds video, and doesn't release it. What are they hiding, it must be incriminating...\n\nMost real conspiracy theories seem to be more Coincidence theory. A large coincidence of facts, but how are they all tied together...

I still see a poll and say fuck you frank \nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBL2QfgQES4&amp;p=A95F2E0C04348746

I often use the metaphor of a windmill, or an Italian using excessive hand gestures to describe the fighting you see "on the streets". It's worse when two drunk people start fighting and just fall over, [actual footage](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVsuiLBUPs).

I feel very dumb for not noticing the problem with this until I read your comment.  

cheers, I recall reading a similar story to the thread you linked quite awhile ago and the idea is freaky.  From what I remember it involved a phone conversation between a couple, the guy received a voicemail whilst she was beside him or something.  It is annoying I cant remember the full jist of the story..  Will look into it and see if i can find it.  What's your opinion on this sort of thing?  

All deception is self-deception. All deception starts with SELF and ends with DECEPTION.\n\nWhat the skeptic doesn't realize is that he is deceiving himself as well, running around putting post-it notes on things that are "evidence" and things that are "not incontrovertible evidence."

&gt;Have you ever been curious as to visit a haunted house/place to see if it \nis really haunted?\n\n* Yes. I love old abandoned places. But working 12 hours shifts AND being a full time student has limited my ability to go to any such places. *BUT if you like old abandoned places I recommend r/abandonedporn LOL I know the subreddit name sounds weird but they have lots of awesome photos of old abandoned places. :)\n\n\n&gt;Are there situations where you actually hate the ability?\n\n* Yes. Sometimes I just want to be alone, for example, while I am on vacation or visiting a historic area/monument/place. \n\n&gt;Do the people that visit you know that they need to visit you or are they drawn to you (or your energy)? \n\n* If I find them, wherever it may be, I try to help them. But they Do NOT seek me out, flock to my  home, search for me and cross states/countries/continents.  A lot of people get confused and think I have some sort of beacon that just attracts them. Haha.\n\n&gt;Are they aware of their current state as if they were still alive?\n\n* Some do. Some know that they have passed but feel the need to stick around to finish whatever it is they need. Most are just wanting to make sure that loved ones are going to be okay and taken care of.\n * Others, those that I refer to as "in Shock", seem to be confused on what is happening. I see this a lot with people who died suddenly in a different area than where they lived. Such as car accident victims, vacationing families. \n\n&gt;Do you get tired of having this ability?\n\n* I do sometimes, like when I am on vacation, trying to relax, or even when im trying to study. Lol. \n\n&gt;As last few questions, do you have any ghosts that keep revisiting you? If so, do you know why?\n\n* nope. I havent had anyone do that. But I also move a lot. So I guess it could happen if I finally settle down in one place haha. \n\n\n\n\n

What strikes me about the golden ratio and Fibonacci Sequence is that when in nature they are found in efficient structures.  Evolution would expect efficiency to be selected for.  For example [sunflowers](http://www.popmath.org.uk/rpamaths/rpampages/sunflower.html) pack seeds in a double Fibonacci spiral.  You'd expect this since greater number of seeds = greater chance to pass on those genes.  It didn't happen randomly, like some creationists suspect we believe, but was approached asymptotically over a large number of successive generations.  

Right, but it is not a valid logical argument to dismiss the message because of who is presenting it. If you follow the donate link at the bottom of the site you can see who is supporting it and their political agenda. My question is whether the actual claims are valid, not whether there is a political agenda behind it.

Probably be wise to take down all of Santorum' videos since he's joined the "You're no Christian so you're immoral" crowd. \n\nHis speech is as hateful as anyones these days. 

Um, killing people is against the law in a hypothetical Libertarian world. Thus they company should be shut down, and it should be illegal for such a company to form in the first place. Do you even read anything about Libertarianism, or do you get it all from /r/politics?

Aye, gotcha.  As usual, all his stuff isn't super hot but his flow and subject matter are noteworthy.  I'm still checking out his newest latest but his first album, "The Cool", was an insta-classic.

It makes me chuckle when people think "news" organizations are concerned with the news.  All of them have ONE BIG AGENDA and it's the same... to make money. They use sensationalism to get ratings and ratings to sell advertising. 

I like this. It doesn't make any claims that it can do anything, just things that clear up on their own.\n\nIt does probably treat these things as a placebo effect, which is what you want to do with your kids anyway, unfortunately, it might make them think homeopathy is legit.

Shoot off an e-mail to your head office. Tell them the story. Tell them to imagine a worker or customer gets hurt. Considering that they may be liable for damages ask them if they'd prefer treatment to be done with conventional medicine or placebos.

The clarity of that photo is clearly from a chaser aircraft, sent to record the controlled re-entry of a de-orbited satellite.  Do I feel like doing comparisons of all such photos to determine which one?  Hell no.  

I think from Majorr_Tomm's questions that he feels like the craft *could still be in the water* where you saw it descend.\n\nWouldn't it be nice if the proof we need were that easy to acquire?

Unless the editors state the exact reason for withdraw I wouldn't make too big of a deal bout this. The article never actually went to press. It was withdrawn after a positive peer review and initial acceptance by the editorial staff. It could have been withdrawn by either the editors or any one of the co-authors for a myriad of reasons. I don't know for certain but I am pretty sure the most common reason for withdraw at this stage is that the paper contains mostly results published in other papers without significant new addition by the authors.\n\nAll that being said one less paper by Wakefield in the literature is a good think in my opinion.

I see that you gave up.  That was completely non responsive dribble.  Lets take it one sentence at a time.\n\n&gt;You suggest the microbes we have yet to discover and put in vaccines are already proven safe.\n\nWho specifically designs the microbes that go into the vaccine?  Please give me a specific name.  Who designs these microbes?\n\nThe answer is no one designs them.  They already exist; they are simply discovered.  Perhaps they are discovered, isolated, and killed.  But, that is not a design process.\n\nYes, the companies that manufacture vaccines want you to believe they are designed; they lie.  They lie so they can get patents on the existing microbes.  But, that criminal action does not mean that they are designed; it just means they are lying.\n\nSo, give up.  Go back to sleep.  The world does not need you.

I do see what you mean, and i agree that it is worth pointing out when it happens. I agree that there is a more value-based and wholly non-pseudoscientific case against fluoridation, and i only mean to say in response that i don't think it carries much weight (without meaning to liken it to the tinfoil-hat case). Thanks for braving the downvote brigade and making this observation publicly. :)

though i don't want to take away anything from your experience, our "souls" actually (one belief) choose our bodies and our life paths before entering them.  read "The holographic universe" such an eye opener to me.\n\nthough this feeling im sure was awesome and im jealous i havent had it :(

Funny, but probably not too effective with her. She'll be moved by my concern I think, so strong research is really my best friend here.

Why is this getting voted down so much, rather than objections being voiced?\n\nWhat I want to know is with the test where they primed the subjects afterwards... How would you do that? You could then only show them the picture, then priming word, and then you'd need to stop... Otherwise the priming word could easily just be priming them for the second picture rather than the first.

If they were translated to Greek originally, wouldn't we simply know the Greek pronunciation of Egyptian hieroglyphs?

I know it's the Daily Mail, but I was still caught off-guard by the comments. I managed to read just the first ten or so before a headache kicked in.\n&gt;A very minor scam....unlike the one perpetrated by the global warming fiends.\n- xsnake  \n\nRrrright...\n&gt; The real cause of climate changes, volcanic activity, intensification of seismic activity etc., is the planet Eris getting closer to our solar system. It was named 2003-UB-313, and known in Antiquity under various names as Nibiru, Marduk, Nemesis, Hercolubus, the Gods Planet, the Planet of the Empire, and the Planet of the Crossing. It was first observed on October 21, 2003 using the 1.22 Oschin telescope, at Mount Palomar Observatory (California). Discovered by Michael E. Brown, Chad Trujillo, David L. Rabinovitz, on January 5, 2005. Further observations published in October 2005 have shown a satellite around Eris named Dysnomia (Gabriel). The planet Eris/ Nibiru periodically gets closer to Earth once in 3,600 years generates numerous climate changes, one being the global warming with its natural consequence: the melting of the glaciers. Nibiru doesn't "crash into Earth". It passes and causes pole shift, as it has for millennia, wiping out great civilizations from Sumer to Atlantis.\n- Hylian  \n\nO_o\n&gt;All you people make me laugh. run around like spreading rumors and lies and then all puffed up saying it's all false. You create a problem then stick out your chest saying you've solved it. Yes your all heros and all lost.too. You didn't make this world and your too thick to talk to the God who did. God has come here, He even came as a man, but most of you are just too smart too comfortable to educated to receive Jesus Christ. Humble yourselves, receive Jesus Christ as Savior or not. That is the reason your here. Decide. stop pretending.\n- Jeff Kern

Is it just me or does this seem like a sad attempt to convert people

He's not actually a doctor. He holds a bachelor of science degree in Psychology, which if it's not obvious, has nothing to do with anthropology or genetics or even biology in general.

Hurr I am 12 and what is this, I'm clearly so new to the internet I coldn't possibly have noticed people trolling. No. I'm just passionate about a topic, and when people come and attack it, I'm within my rights to defend it whether people are shit stirring or not. 

&gt;Eastern Europeans are even more white, than most of white americans, who are slowly cross-breeding with niggers and beaners.\n\nPlease, take your Neo-Nazi garbage back to r/whiterights. 

I'd like to see more details.  To what degree were men more likely to survive because they pushed their way first to the lifeboats, and to what degree because they were bigger and bulkier and therefore more resistant to hypothermia, hunger or thirst?  When the Estonia sank in the Baltic, only one child survived - a boy of 11, IIRC.  The reason given was that most of the victims froze to death, even in the lifeboats, and since children are smaller they lose heat faster.

Commas may [sometimes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comma#Uses) be used for parenthesis. I think this use is acceptable.

Please PLEASE read holographic mind, or holographic universe, they are both books AND concepts so google them. You will love how what you are describing falls right in to place :)

Agreed. I would be one of those likely to convert to SVG in Inkscape\n\nEdit: clarity and idiocy

I get upset when people lie about the suffering of others.  I get especially angry when those liars are trying to peddle a one man show.  That is, I get angry when people lie about important things for no reason other than that they want to be important and make lots of money and get lots of attention.  And then they have the temerity to  pretend that they're doing good.  \n\nBeing someone who tries to appreciate the complexities of life and knowing how difficult it is to truly understand anything, nothing makes me more angry than smug ignorance.

**Video 1:** The cityscape with the faked UFO in the background isn't moving in sync with the ground/wall and the tree to the right when the camera moves as seen in the clip below.\n\n(And since both the tree, and the wall are moving in unison I believe we can rule out blaming the "rolling shutter" effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_shutter)\n\nEspecially look at the beginning of the video where the wall and tree\nare moving together in unison and the backdrop isn't moving in sync. Reminds me of greenscreen special effects in an 80s movie.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHOc35nmUDk\n\n\n\n**Video 3:** Easily proven as a fake. When I first saw it I could immediately see it was a flat, 2 dimensional picture I was looking at. \n\nThey used a picture from Wikipedia as a background http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Jerusalem_night_7088.JPG, added a "UFO", played the video on a LCD screen and filmed it with another camera. Blatantly obvious when they zoom in. (see the high resolution 720p version.)\n\nThe audio sounds acted and edited. Someone analyzed the audio track and found 8 different splicing points.\n\n\n**Video 4:** This is the long version, posted by the same guy who posted the short one I belive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH_eUxwe1DI\n\nDead giveaway at about 4:22 when they switch from the real footage to the doctored ufo footage. The quick rotation looks very fake. \n\nNow, when the UFO is filmed the shaking looks unnatural, and when zoomed in the frequency of the shaking should change but it doesn't. \n\nIt's VERY easy to create videos like this, complete with amazing looking shining lights, motion blur, camera shake, etc in for instance Adobe After Effects.

I don't need to, I choose to. You see, one does get a little bit frustrated when confronted every day with the same BS propaganda coming from the Climate Change Denial camp. Calling them for what they are (either idiots or liars) does help relieve the pressure and increases my life expectancy.\n\nYou didn't answer the question, though. Is the first part of the sentence wrong because of the second part?

That is a total crock of shit. I did research on whole herbs and fractionating them. It is called pharmocognosy. And it is useful, is done, and can be done to determine what sorts of synergy exist. But first you must identify what is there in the first place! This cry that you can't isolate out the parts because it loses "something" is pre-scientific vitalism. And the notion that you can't make a shitload of money from whole herb preparations is utter nonsense - just look at how big the supplement industry is. All thanks to the DSHEA and the fact that they don't actually have to prove anything they do to sell it. But legitimate scientists actually take that stuff and make really useful medications from it. The notion that you need the whole plant is a vitalistic and/or naturalistic fallacy. \n\nAnd stop giving out medical advice on the internet. It's not a good idea for someone who knows what they are talking about, let alone you.

Why Time magazine would publish this nonsense is beyond me. I used to think they were a serious news magazine. They admit well into the article that the "researcher" in question has so far refused to provide any corroboration at all for these ludicrous claims. So what we have here could be summarised as "Crackpot makes wild claims she refuses to substantiate; real scientists remain skeptical (well, d'uh!)". 

If you were to reask the question as "How do you feel about glendale police spending tax money to pay psychics or pursue leads by psychics on finding (missing child)?"  \n\nI bet the response would be drastically different.

This is not /r/science. You should probably check out that other UFO subreddit where everything needs to be super-verified and all that stuff. \n\nFor myself, I enjoy the mystery of it all. I like posting videos of flying things that I find mysterious and are somewhat unexplained. I don't require them to be of a certain quality; rather, I merely ask "is this interesting or is this not?"\n\nSometimes people up-vote, sometimes they down-vote. Sharing is caring man. I think you should take a load off and get off your crusading horse... just my 2 cents. I'm not going anywhere.

Because of "oh no toxins". The manufacturer-supplied product reviews, a.k.a. lies, say things like "I noticed that the common recommended flea and tick treatment was causing him anxiety and affecting his central nervous system".\n\nHere's the truth: It's possible for Advantage to cause central nervous system issues. It's an insecticide that affects nicotine receptors, and that can cause symptoms like salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, trouble breathing, and ataxia (wobbly movements) [[source1]](http://www.ehow.com/video_4872543_symptoms-advantage-flea-control-poisoning.html), [[source 2]](http://www.petparents.com/show.aspx/products/advantage-multi-for-dogs/productlabel). The main reason why animals are poisoned is not following the label. You shouldn't use it on pregnant or nursing animals, very young animals, or geriatric animals. You shouldn't use the wrong animal version of Advantage, i.e. using Advantage for Dogs on your cat. You shouldn't use more than the recommended dose. And if somehow your pet has some of these symptoms, you take your animal to the vet immediately. In other words, this is not the kind of condition that you self-diagnose as the fake product review implies.\n\nConsumers with poor critical thinking skills or a poor understanding of risk will over-weight the possibility of Advantage toxicity. They incorrectly conclude that a 100% safe product is better than a proven effective product that has a very very small risk of problems.\n\n**TL;DR**: The product description references rare problems with Advantage toxicity, usually due to misuse, to imply that it can't be trusted, so you should use their safe product instead.

\n\nbest of luck OP. I hope you guys can find some definitive help! 

Agreed.  THe box and the paper at the beginning move precisely as one would expect if someone was jerking on a string attached to the ceiling.

It has something to do with water memory.  Which is almost certainly bullshit, unless  it's not.   I think there are "explanations" for acupuncture and phrenology.  

I would think they are just using a buzz word, and they are really meaning to say they do not used hormones and antibiotics.  

Friendly reminder - isolated aminos /= protein. Not saying whose wrong or right here, but I keep seeing people equate the two when they aren't the same at all. 

nope, all true events.\n\npeople on reddit are so..... "nice"....\n\nit's nice to meet you too logga.

There's totally such a thing as a voice without a body.  Recorded voices.

And what sort of corroborating, physical evidence would you expect to find from a craft sighting?  It is like trying to get a Amazonian tribesman to prove to his witch doctor that he saw an airplane fly over head.  What would you expect to find as physical evidence after that sighting?  It would be unreasonable to expect physical evidence given the circumstances of the encounter.  I am not claiming that the craft crashed, or dropped alien leaflets inviting us to the opening of some new intergalactic club.  It is an error in thinking to say that a lack of physical evidence doesn't mean that the encounter didn't take place.    \n\nAnd I know that one may counter with, "We know that airplanes exist" so the analogy is a bad one.  Yes, but to the Amazonian tribe the airplane would violate just as many "laws" to them as a super secret government craft would to us.\n\nWhy is it so tough to believe that, with potentially billions or trillions invested over the last 60+ years in black projects, that we couldn't have come up with this technology?\n\nOh, and I owe you upvotes for the stimulating conversation! 

I think you are painting a strawman of a very small selection of people, I think most people understand that evidence is important and basic logic of which a base for an argument can be built.

Near enough. As much as "African," if we're going to be that pedantic about it.  American Caucasians are some wide mixture of Germanic, Scots-Irish, Italian, etc. 

Don't know who this is, but I'm going to take a wild guess here: this guy was one of the jocks, and now he's jealous at the nerds for his perceived failure of a career.

I wonder if maybe we need to come at them another way. The first paragraph does say\n\n&gt; Tea partiers are [...] quite keen, like majorities in all sorts of polling, on research into new energy sources.\n\nAnd I think that's heartening, at least. Frame it as reducing dependence on foreign oil instead of solving a problem that they don't even believe in, and they might even not object too loudly to having their tax dollars go towards such research. 

Good suggestions! As I recall the house did have quite a mouse problem. We had a cat that took care of that for us after some time, but there were a few months when we first moved in where a mouse sighting was nearly a daily occurrence. The footsteps thing was interesting. I only ever heard it during the day, usually in the afternoon. The sounds would generally pass within a few feet of me then leave the room and turn the corner. They were always quite loud, like someone wearing boots walking around. Usually with the same cadence as footsteps.  The rodent theory definitely has merit though. Perhaps it was a combination of hearing that, along with hearing the sounds of the house when the wind hit it just right that led to the perception that it was "footsteps".\n\nThanks for your input.\n\n... also I noticed I typed "here" and not "hear".. yikes.

Send the money to me. I will tell you what you want to ~~hear~~ know.

I would get a dslr, one with 35mm "full frame" sensor, you can turn ISO really high with them while the picture/video quality is still very good. Newer ones can act as very good video cameras, too.\n\nFor night shots, I would take a lens with large aperture, like f/1.4, which lets a lot of light in. This and the 35mm sensor lets you to shoot stills in very low light even handheld. Of f/1.4 lenses, 50mm prime might be cheapest of them, but even that lens alone costs more than your better-than-average video camera. \n\nAlso a tripod would be very important for ANY shots or videos (daytime videos too), even a monopod would do for videos. They can be very small and fit in a pocket. (well, at least I think I saw one pocket-size monopod somewhere)\n\n\nI wouldn't go with any night vision, since you'd need to have [Nat Geo level gear](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQPc2oc1kcw)  to distinquish a bird from a plane or insect, everything that flies would be an UFO for you. \n\n\nBut cheapest way to improve your low-light video or still shots quality? A tripod or monopod. \nThough instead recording a video, I would take long exposure still shots, you can figure more out of them than from shaky videos with dots of light on a sky. You would see their paths, changes in paths if any, color changes, everything.\n\n\nAlso, photography is a great hobby! :)

I too am only interested in about .5% of the content of this /r/.

&gt;I am going to say that at this point given your definition privilege has actually become something that is not useful for discussion, as the definition prevents it from being an actual valuable tool for looking at circumstances.\n\nNo, it stops being a valuable tool when people try to argue that blacks or women can have privilege. \n\n&gt;Now, if you want to talk about unearned advantage as a result of circumstances, women, blacks, etc. can in fact experience it. Girls are assumed to be better students in school. This is a recent shift, and not a historical truth... so it doesn't fit patriarchy theory very well (in fact it's only a couple of generations old).\n\nMost of these "unearned advantages", that I've mentioned, are a result of benevolent sexism (or racism) and have significant costs for the people involved. With your girls in education example, girls are viewed to be better students but only in areas where it is viewed as "bad" for men to be talented in - English, arts, history, etc. When girls are smart in maths or science, they are viewed as unfeminine, not "real women", etc. (And, of course, when the reverse happens and men get interested in "feminine" topics, they are insulted for being 'womanly', which is in itself just another way of attacking women).\n\n&gt;The evidentiary standards needed for hard science aren't present in critical theory, and privilege theory in particular is fuzzy as all fuck.\n\nIgnoring the false distinction between "hard" and "soft" sciences, it doesn't matter if it's not a "hard" science as it's still a science. It's a concept developed by scientists, studied through scientific methods, and forms the basis of a strong scientific theory. \n\n&gt;Any theory that (at least according to you, my reading on it seems to disagree) defines itself in such a tautological way is not very useful.\n\nThere's no tautology at all. I think you've misunderstood what that words refers to. It would only be a tautology if the concept said: "Only white men can be privileged because white men are privileged". It of course doesn't say this, it's a concept that refers to how the norms of society are developed around the dominant groups, which in turn results in society being built around their needs and interests, and so they're given advantages and benefits that minority groups don't get. For example, since the 'average' person in society is able-bodied, we build stairs because they are the most efficient and cost-effective way of creating a manual way of ascending floors. However, able-bodied people are privileged here because this standard feature of society disadvantages those in wheelchairs. \n\n&gt;Sometimes you don't experience the unearned advantage, but you still have the privilege because that's in the definition... even if it doesn't freaking help you in real life.\n\nThis is why privilege is a societal issue, not an individual issue. Overall, however, individuals of privilege will always be better off than unprivileged people in the same situation. \n\n&gt;If the unearned advantage isn't present, that should require a modification of a theory that's predicated on unearned advantage, but since the idea that you always have the privilege even when you don't have the advantage is baked right in... well, then, it's circular and untestable.\n\nAgain, I think you need to study up on the concept a bit before trying to critique it. Your comments are a little nonsensical and aren't particularly relevant to the concept of privilege.\n\n

If there was nothing to see there, what was she trying to photograph? \n\n\n

Breakdown:\n\nMyself: Is it like that Will?\nWill: Yeah man you got it.\n\nFirst EVP\n\nWill: Continues on about something\nMe: (Interrupting) Did you... (I pause)\n\nSecond unexplained sound\n\nWill: Did I what?.\n\nMe: (mumbling) I don't know I thought I heard something\n\nEND\n\nIf you still can not hear it I am sorry cause everyone I show this to can clearly hear it and even see it (even though slightly) the changes in a program called audacity. Sorry about it being a .WAV but that is the only format I can export audio in right now.

Same as using sports rubs with capsicum - the pepper overrides the pain signals and you don't notice them as much.\n\nOf course, it's just a sensory thing - it doesn't relieve the inflammation or heal the raw skin. In fact, it's not really recommended for open wounds or raw skin. 

I asked the Witch Doctor and he told me what to do. He said... kill your kids lol.

Not to defend Bill, but it is true. His argument wasn't bad, it was logical. Ideology can force people to do terrible things that they would have otherwise not thought about doing if they lacked the ideology. Religion is an ideology with its own doctrine of what to punish and what not to punish and it actively encourages lack of reason, lack of education, superstition, and anti-evidentialist philosophy which only leads to moral ineptitude or moral superiority against the innocent.\n\nEven if he sounded rude or politically incorrect, doesn't mean it wasn't sound reasoning. \n\nBill Maher has a lot of faults especially with science and skepticism when it comes to alternative medicine / health / vaccines. Doesn't mean he's wrong about religion.

Bam. That's what I was waiting for. I'll chew through it tomorrow. Thanks! 

I often look at people like this, preachers, mediums, faith healers, astrologers, etc and really wish I were smart enough or had big enough balls to pull off something as blatant, truly, if a person wants to pay $500 an hour to watch someone pretend to talk to the dead, I'm just the chap.  In fact I'll do it for $200 an hour and throw in a Ben and Jerrys for good measure.

Regular parties: yes, Skeptic parties: I guess not if what you are implying is true.

Burning sage is a method that assists in 'cleansing' the energy of a space. It's really not a cure-all, especially with established issues like the one you've got, but 'clearing the air' can help in some specific ways. It can make it easier to distinguish between outside influences and your own mind. \n\nIf this entity is really persistent I would be surprised, based on what you've said. I suggest hanging feathers at doorways, [like this but with real feathers](http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifesuchthat_yana/5480888644/in/photostream/), dreamcatchers above your bed, pyrite or gold would be the best stones to use, remember that amulets do not work on their own without your full mental intention behind them.

&gt;There is no good evidence that it works better than a placebo\n\nWhat evidence do you have to back up that claim?\n\n&gt;despite considerably research\n\nWhat evidence do you have to back up the claim that it's been considerably researched?\n\n&gt;there is a pretty strong consensus that homeopathy is no more effective than a placebo.\n\nWhat evidence do you have to back up this claim?

It looks like a case where potentially promising, but still fairly early, research is being handed to the public, who's going to start treating it like fact.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of peer-reviewed literature on it, and what there is seems to be about half reviews and suggests further research is needed.  It's interesting, and possibly not total bunk, but it does need more information before there's an answer.  \n

I can't, you're not going to find reliable sources for this kind of silly stuff. 

**Dizekat,  I think if you'll examine the evidence I am presenting you'll see what I am talking about isn't woo.**\n\n.\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajTafbG7II (Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical)\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36IX7fjfTVM\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=madoDvtKEes (from discovery channel)\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Arr4C52grQ&amp;t=5m53s (Guinness world records)\n\n\n.\n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n.\n\n\nhttp://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html\n\n.\n\n[Meditation changes temperatures: Mind controls body in extreme experiments](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2002/04.18/09-tummo.html)\n\n.\n\nDuring visits to remote monasteries in the 1980s, Benson and his team studied 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\nThe researchers also made measurements on practitioners of other forms of advanced meditation in Sikkim, India. They were astonished to find that **these monks could lower their metabolism by 64 percent.**\n\n.\n\nTo put that decrease in perspective, metabolism, or **oxygen consumption, drops only 10-15 percent in sleep and about 17 percent during simple meditation.**\n\nIn 1985, the meditation team **[made a video of monks drying cold, wet sheets with body heat.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajTafbG7II)** They also documented monks spending a winter night on a rocky ledge 15,000 feet high in the Himalayas. The sleep-out took place in February on the night of the winter full moon when temperatures reached zero degrees F. Wearing only woolen or cotton shawls, the monks promptly fell asleep on the rocky ledge, They did not huddle together and the video shows no evidence of shivering. They slept until dawn then walked back to their monastery.\n\n**[Original study published in journal Nature](http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v295/n5846/pdf/295234a0.pdf)**\n\nhttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v295/n5846/pdf/295234a0.pdf\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\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\n\n\n[Translated Version From Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre](http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&amp;hl=en&amp;rurl=translate.google.com&amp;sl=auto&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http://www.umcn.nl/OverUMCstRadboud/NieuwsEnMedia/archief/2010/mei2010/Pages/RadboudwetenschappersonderzoekenIceman.aspx&amp;usg=ALkJrhgAw-pYPgb7GjnNbF386eswXF0rsA)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n.\n\n\n\n\n\n**Can meditation influence the autonomic nervous system? A case report of a man** \n\n **immersed in crushed ice for 80 minutes.** \n\n\n.\n\n                  \nJan T Groothuis, Thijs M Eijsvogels , Ralph R Scholten, Dick HJ Thijssen, Maria TE Hopman \n\n**Departments of Physiology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Nijmegen** \n\n**Medical Centre** and **Department of Rehabilitation, St Maartenskliniek; Nijmegen, The Netherlands**; \n\nand **Research Institute for Sports and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University,** \n\n **Liverpool, United Kingdom.**\n\n\n\n\n.\n\n\n**Background:** \n\nThe autonomic nervous system responds independently, autonomously and automatically \n\nto changes in the homeostasis of the cardiovascular system and thermoregulation. **However, the world** \n\n**record holder of full-body ice immersion claims he can influence his autonomic nervous system** \n\n**through the Asian Tummo meditation technique, which is associated with descriptions of intense** \n\n**sensations of body heat. We, therefore, assessed the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses to** \n\n **full-body ice immersion in this individual.**\n\n.\n\n**Methods:**\n \n.\n\n**A 51 year old male was fully immersed in crushed ice for 80 minutes whilst performing** \n\n**Asian Tummo meditation.** Blood pressure and heart rate were measured continuously using an \n\nautomatic blood pressure device. Core body and skin temperature were measured continuously using \n\nan ingestible telemetric temperature pill and wireless sensors, respectively. Oxygen consumption was \n\nmeasured using pulmonary gas exchange every 30 minutes. \n\n.\n\n\n**Results:** \n\n\nCore body temperature during the 80-minute ice immersion period decreased gradually from \n\n37.7 to 37.1°C. Skin temperature decreased at the upper limbs from 28 to 5°C and at the lower limbs \n\nfrom 28 to 18°C. No immediate blood pressure or heart rate response at the beginning of full-body ice \n\nimmersion was observed. Over the full 80-minute ice immersion period, blood pressure gradually \n\nincreased from 128/84 to 163/97 mmHg and heart rate from 70 to 90 bpm. Oxygen consumption \n\ndoubled from 5.7 at baseline to 11.0 ml/min/kg during immersion and remained stable. \n\n.\n\n\n**Conclusions:** \n\n\nNo immediate blood pressure and heart rate responses were observed, as typically \n\nobserved when (partially) submerged into ice(water). Despite 80 minutes of full-body ice immersion \n\nand significant heat loss through the skin, **core body temperature was maintained probably by an** \n\n**increased energy expenditure (and therefore heat production).** This individual may have influenced the \n\nautonomic nervous system, thereby actively regulating the cardiovascular system and \n\nthermoregulation. \n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n**(this is about Wim Hof and Tummo (inner fire) meditation)**\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22685240\n\nThe influence of concentration/meditation on autonomic nervous system activity and the innate immune response: a case study.\n\n\nKox M, Stoffels M, Smeekens SP, van Alfen N, Gomes M, Eijsvogels TM, Hopman MT, van der Hoeven JG, Netea MG, Pickkers P.\nSource\n\nDepartment of Intensive Care Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. m.kox@ic.umcn.nl\nAbstract\n\n\n**OBJECTIVE:**\n\nIn this case study, we describe the effects of a particular individual's concentration/meditation technique on autonomic nervous system activity and the innate immune response. The study participant holds several world records with regard to tolerating extreme cold and claims that he can influence his autonomic nervous system and thereby his innate immune response.\n\n\n**METHODS:**\n\nThe individual's ex vivo cytokine response (stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) was determined before and after an 80-minute full-body ice immersion during which the individual practiced his concentration/meditation technique. Furthermore, the individual's in vivo innate immune response was studied while practicing his concentration/mediation technique during human endotoxemia (intravenous administration of 2 ng/kg LPS). The results from the endotoxemia experiment were compared with a historical cohort of 112 individuals who participated in endotoxemia experiments in our institution.\n\n**RESULTS:**\n\nThe ex vivo proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine response was greatly attenuated by concentration/meditation during ice immersion, accompanied by high levels of cortisol. In the endotoxemia experiment, concentration/meditation resulted in increased circulating concentrations of catecholamines, and plasma cortisol concentrations were higher than in any of the previously studied participants. The individual's in vivo cytokine response and clinical symptoms after LPS administration were remarkably low compared with previously studied participants.\n\n\n**CONCLUSIONS:**\n\n**The concentration/meditation technique used by this particular individual seems to evoke a controlled stress response. This response is characterized by sympathetic nervous system activation and subsequent catecholamine/cortisol release, which seems to attenuate the innate immune response.**\n\n

You know, what you were talking about was not free energy in the slightest. "Extracting energy either from the surface of the Earth directly, or from the atmosphere." is very much **not** free energy and it would help your points a lot more to not refer to it as such.\n\nSolar power is 'extracting energy from the Sun' and it isn't free energy. Wind power can be thought of as 'extracting energy from the atmosphere' and it certainly isn't free energy. What they are are renewable sources of energy.\n\nThat said, your argument wasn't a very strong one. It boiled down to "Tesla did things, therefore everything he might have done is possible" and "scientists don't like vague ideas". You weren't actually arguing anything specifically about the technology and it doesn't help too much if we don't know anything about his supposed 'free energy' technology. Discussing open possibilities without any hard evidence isn't very conducive to discussion. I could make a post saying that there are rumours that Einstein thought up an anti-gravity machine and that intuition says that most things that Einstein theorized were accurate. Without any actual proper documentation that Einstein did this or any actual documentation on how it would have worked, this is all baseless speculation.\n\nBut yeah, that's not free energy. You'll get a much better response if you don't refer to it as such.

I think he was careful to put "deserve" in quotations. And about his criticism of punishment, I think he means to say that pure retribution for crimes is a bit silly when you put free will into perspective. He accounts for the benefits of punishment in right after in parentheses, "deterring, rehabilitating, or merely containing".

Okay guys, did nobody check out  the rest of GoNewsNOW's YouTube channel? Looks kinda hoaksy to me.\n\nAlso, what kind of professional news / camera guy keeps zooming IN and OUT over and over?

Condoleeza Rice came to my college recently to give some bogus speech about how the American youth would decide the future and her experience as Secretary of State.\n\nI *really* didn't want to attend the speech, but if I thought I could get a second during the Question and Answer portion of the program I would have asked: "Miss Rice, why don't you think that we ever talk about the hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians?" That would have been a story I could tell for years.

Probably - but after 12 years I think he'd have given up the story by now. If not, well, kudos for dedication, friend.

Please be careful about calling this a hoax or placing the blame on Jennings.  As has been repeatedly reported by [skeptical doctors](http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/desiree-jennings-on-2020/), the neurologist that examined her [suspected that there was a strong psychogenic component](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/11/desiree_jennings_cured.php) to her symptoms.  The blame lies with the woo-docs that she ended up going to for treatment.\n\nAs [JT Eberhard so eloquently pointed out](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI-YvrHZVvk), diseases of the mind and brain should be something the skeptic movement cares about.  It's fairly clear Ms. Jennings wasn't physically sick, but the mental component cannot and should not be dismissed by us spectators.  She may have been genuinely ill in the mental, if not physical, sense of the word.\n\nThere is simply no evidence that it was a conscious fake.  The blame lies with the reporters and opportunistic quacks that glommed on to this tale.

Thanks for sharing.  I am very similar to you in that I walk around on clear nights with my head tipped back constantly.  I always look for constellations and planets and orient myself with the north star just for fun.  I am subbed to this reddit because of a single sighting that I had about 8 years ago.  I was walking out to my car from my aunt's house after thanksgiving dinner and saw 2 red lights next to each other in the sky about 30 degrees from the horizon separated by about the width of a quarter held at arms length.  At first glance I thought they were radio tower lights, but I stopped in my tracks when I remembered there were no radio towers anywhere nearby and the lights were steady, unlike the flashing of any beacon.  I stood there staring for about 30 seconds when they both flashed and quickly came together, spinning around each other a few times and then flying off in opposite directions over the horizon in opposite directions at an impossible speed.  The entire flash, spinning and zooming off process took under 1 second.  Ever since, I have been really into researching this topic.

Not sure if he's trolling... but if not...  his comment about the expensive LHC vs. a cheapass magnification glass irks me greatly.  It's this kindof armchair-philosopher-everything-is-simple-stupid conjecture that gets awesome projects at NASA-esque organizations canceled around the world.

One night stand -- oh, like I was listening to what they were saying?\n\nLonger term partner -- none.

Agreed! Imagine the MSDS on rubber bands and push pins if 3rd grade weaponization were considered ;)\n

You're welcome. Still, please don't take my word for it. If you find someone in your studies who does have some constructive thoughts on the matter, please let me know. \n\nIt's the shoehorned and completely unjustified version of (generic, not just god-related) agnosticism that gets my goat - "We can never know! We can never understand! HerpDerp! How glorious it is!" Ugh. \n\nEdit: Oh, one final thing. It may be that this guy, like so many other academics, is merely laying out people's beliefs, not necessarily subscribing to something. It's been my experience that most intro (or even upper level) philosophy courses are nothing more (and this is not a criticism) than highly specialized history classes. To wit - "Guy A believed X and Guy B believed Y. Construct an imaginary debate between guys A and B." Philosophy, if you'll forgive the cliche, has no waste disposal system. It keep *everything* - the ultimate hoarder :)

&gt;I think you'll find that it's always the genetic and chemical characteristics that shape your response to any given situation, *tampered by external conditioning.* (italics added)\n\nwhat more do you want? Isn't that enough to say 'I am the author of my own decision?'\n\nMorality, or the lack thereof, as stated by you is true, but its not the end of the story...\n\nhow do memes (as meant by Dawkins in the Selfish Gene) work into your opinion? 

I tentatively agree with you. (thanks for the compliment btw) The only problem I see that deals with this is by not ensuring herd immunity, we inevitably allow viruses and infections to mutate and evolve. This could potentially cause future health risks where vaccinations aren't effective for the next generation. So while we can say that there isn't a direct risk to us, there could be a potential future risk. But I'll concede that it perhaps isn't practical to force people to vaccinate themselves on the basis of a slippery slope argument. Good response, I appreciate civil debates over baseless accusations.

You'll like [this UFO video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvhVNfsq68) then. Not only is it the closest shot of a UFO that I've ever seen, it also takes off at great speed at the end. If its CGI, then it's damn good CGI.

I guess I should say Alexandria. I didn't know Oakton was so close!!!

Religious fundies live in fear. Knowledge to them is like kryptonite to superman. They need ignorance for their religion to continue to exist. Naturally they fear enlightenment. They know instinctively that their belief systems will crumble in the face of data.

That's because you're not going there solely to tell them why their thing is stupid and wrong.  Safe spaces are really friendly and nice when you don't go in planning to burn them down.  Skeptix, on the other hand, is a fucking asshole.

On one hand I really try to keep a sceptic approach to things like these. There's just one thing, which is that usually when you see cave paintings the depictions of animals and humans seem to be somewhat propertionally correct and all. I would then think it logical to conclude that these drawings may just be what these ancient people have actually seen.\n\nI'm not saying this proves aliens visited, but I certainly think it makes these drawings interesting.

I highly doubt it would be able to support the weight of the head without any muscles in it's neck.

I'm sure Stenger doesn't actually argue that 'there is either evidence for the supernatural or there is not', with the implication that such evidence would be scientific if the supernatural concepts were real, as obviously you can't discover supernatural entities using a tool that limits itself to studying the natural. *Even if* supernatural processes or entities were actually real, the scientific method tells us to automatically ignore and reject such things, so by definition there can never be scientific evidence of a supernatural thing. It's circular reasoning to say that, for example, god doesn't exist because there is no scientific evidence to support such a claim. 

Not necessarily. It's based on a complicated algorithm, and if he can crack that he can guarantee himself some wins. Alternatively he can perform statistical analysis on which numbers come up more often (few random number generator programs are truly random) and what methods are used to come up with those numbers (like never getting quick-picks, always enter your own numbers).

It still doesn't mean that we can't get excited about it, though, man.\n\nNo one of any worth is saying "Squee!  Einstein IS WRONG!"\n\nWe are however, saying "Squee! Einstein _might_ BE WRONG!"\n\nThe folks at CERN are no slouches, so this isn't quite a repeat of those two buffoons who claimed they'd discovered cold fusion via palladium ages ago (their names and the university they were at escape me at the moment)\n\nOf course they're being skeptical of their own findings--and this ...honestly makes me all the more excited--it means this is coming from responsible scientists.  \n\nEven if it turns out to be an error due to a fundamental flaw in their equipment or system of measurement, it will have been a fun and instructive ride. : )

"When I was a boy of 14, my Father was so ignorant, I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years."   - Mark Twain

I always like seeing John Mack being interviewed, and the interviews with the abductees were handled quite well too. The critics of Mack could have been given more screen time, if only to demonstrate further their own biases and inability to engage with the issue in an impartial manner. Also was great to see a little of Patrick Harpur - was a shame he only appeared for about 30 seconds though.

hmm no depth of field - it could be a bug up close or a bird further back.  Wings falling off upon pull up is not terribly unusual.

that could be. He may have consistently made the same error, or he could have said it correctly. 

Haha, my freshman year roommate in college wrote a letter to his home district [congressional representative](http://sensenbrenner.house.gov/) as a "concerned citizen" worried about the dangers of the "toxic" dihydrogen monoxide in the water supply.\n\nHe got back a letter noting that dihydrogen monoxide was of great concern to Jim Sensenbrenner and that maintaining high water quality was a top priority of his office.

Man, I wish I could get autism from a vaccine. It would be great having a proper excuse for missing social cues and liking the colour yellow.

Possible, though from how the doctors acted, I don't think I was supposed to feel better from the fluids so quickly. They made it seem like I should've had to stay much longer with how sick I had gotten, as they were complaining I was 'wasting their time' and such.

^^ This is exactly the explanation I was looking for, I was looking for ways to scientifically disprove the claims

And that evidence isn't extremely compelling and radical evidence, which doesn't dismiss (1) or support (2).\n\n

I mean other than the placebo effect. I remember reading about it on slashdot years ago.\n\nI'll look it up when I'm not on a phone.

I didn't like the point about the government not releasing a **SINGLE** declassified document about E.T.'s and U.F.O.'s when the fact is there is many.

no, i don't think so, she was in hospice at the house, she was like 90 when she died, she lived there with her son\n

&gt;try it yourself and find out for yourself\n\nThat's still anecdotal evidence.

TIL that there are whole organizations dedicated to crop circles

Watch the NASA videos, and then tell me who do you believe - your lying eyes or NSA explanation?

I have a feeling Julian Assange was *persuaded* to "forget" about them while he was serving his little stint in prison...

Ha Ok but it's not like you can see things slowing down in real time when your high to the effect OP is descrinjng

Turns out that the postman does some good shit in his spare time.

As a former, recovering conspiracy theorist, I have to say this is pretty damn accurate.  At least as far as I'm concerned.  What really helped me break out of that mind set was the simple question I started asking myself:  How would you disprove your belief?  This is wayyyy more effective in getting on the right path than trying to do the opposite:  Always attempting to "prove" your own beliefs.  Which inevitably leads to the self-reinforcing hours of "research" on fringe sites, etc.  It's quite an awful/sick mentality, quite frankly.  And there's a lot of people out there doing the same thing.

I'm not sure why some retard downvoted you, but have a vote back.  You're right, it's bullshit.  You're enraging me even further with your logic.

The 'laws' of logic are human convention, abstractions and conceptualizations and, unlike physical attributes (those things most often referred to as 'physical laws') logic can be perfectly consistent and valid while describing complete and utter nonsense.  

SHH SHHSHHHHH!!!! Did you hear that?! DID. YOU. HEAR. THAT!?!?!? 

Unfortunately many doctors continue to refer to chiropractors for political reasons (or so as not to "insult" their patients with the truth). \n\nThe real crime is that insurance covers this (and many other worthless alternative medicine modalities) and then makes it impossible to get coverage for new but promising experimental treatments.

As a mathematician, I look at people looking at the Drake Equation and rolling their eyes and roll my eyes, because they've misunderstood the point. [1]\n\nThe Drake equation is emphatically _not_ supposed to give an accurate estimate of the probability of life in the universe. The idea of the Drake Equation is that even with _absurdly conservative figures_, you still get a nontrivial probability of life occurring in the universe. \n\nTo show what I mean, let's just do the math: \n\nRecall that the equation is:\n\n    N = R * fp * ne * ft * fl* fi * fc * L \n\n    R = the average rate of star formation per year in our galaxy\n    fp = the fraction of those stars that have planets\n    ne = the average number of planets that can potentially support life per star that has planets\n    fl = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop life at some point\n    fi = the fraction of the above that actually go on to develop intelligent life\n    fc = the fraction of civilizations that develop a technology that releases detectable signs of their existence into space\n    L = the length of time for which such civilizations release detectable    signals into space\n\nLet's take some _extremely_ low probabilities for some of these, I'm going to leave R abstract for the moment.\n\nSay the following:\n\n    fp = 1/10^5\n    fl = 1/10^7\n    fl = 1/10^7\n    fc = 1/10^7\n    ne = 5/100 -- taking into account a guess at the ratio of life-supporting planets and moons in our solar system versus the total number, and halfing it.\n    L = 10^6 earth years\n\nLet's choose R=1, that is, there are no new starts being formed. This equation then gives us the probability that any one star might support life, so the probability of any one star having life is roughly 1 / 10^19, let's call it 10^-20. These numbers are, indeed, totally made up, but they're also pretty absurdly overwrought, if you don't think they're overwrought enough, make the probabilities lower, because the crux of my argument is this, there are an estimated 10^22, to 10^24 stars in the observable universe. So even with this very extreme estimate, the probability of intelligent, signal-producing alien life would dictate something in the vicinity of 50-1000 civilizations (again, a conservative estimate) in the observable universe.\n\nThis, notably is using estimates much smaller than the traditional historical estimates, many of which are flat out wrong (R is, for instance, definitely not 1).\n\nTo wit, the point is never to get an accurate estimate of the number of signal producing civilizations in the galaxy, and anyone trying to do so is using a futilely underpowered tool, but -- to make the argument that life exists in the universe, I think the Drake Equation is a useful tool in that regard.\n\n\n[1] Hopefully you can forgive my facetiousness\n 

well she went from claiming she was possessed by the devil to filling a law suit so one can only assume the exorcism worked. \n\nthe thing that annoys me most about these types of crime is that the victim sets them self up to be taken advantage of or abused and then acts surprised. time and time again religious leaders rape, molest, rob and abuse people. religion is not a bastion of divine morality and i almost have no sympathy for those that cant get that fact into their thick skull.   

Daniel Dennet would say that a susceptability to hypnosis was for a long time your only type of health ensurance

This is one of those sightings that seemed so promising at first and then... nothing.\n\nIt had everything going for it-- multiple credible witnesses, alleged multiple pictures even FAA reports and then it just sort of faded away never to be heard of again.

Sounds good, but that would make a sustained note. This was like a pluck. Like someone hit the string using a pick. 

Good show, mate. I think a lot of people would benefit from an introduction to logic and argument.

If you consider the effects of accelerated global warming due to using coal over nuclear the possible resultant climate change could continue to have effects just as far into the future.

(sorry cant resist but) maybe " the artist formally known as Prince " was onto something............just the wrong color

Just juicing up the death ray, they will be here in a couple of days for a folk bbq.

Here's a fun exercise:  Watch the video and keep your eyes wide open, just like the nut you're watching.  Only blink when he blinks.\n\nThat sort of gaze is a clear indicator of something very wrong behind the eyes.

I don't understand how hundreds of people coming out in Phoenix saying they saw a UFO is not entirely convincing. Then after the fact, the air force or other military agency wants to start dropping flares over a largely populated US city just an hour after the real event. Give me a break. \n\nNo matter how much "evidence", eye witness accounts/testimony, this subject is so hard for us to believe that I think that at least some of us will never accept UFO's/aliens reality. That's just me. \n\nI mean, if a UFO/Alien were to land in your yard and you were the only one to witness, for example, I would bet you would still be in disbelief. Some of you. Just as if God were to appear. I would be trippin, pinching myself, etc, saying is that real? I understand. But it wouldn't still discredit at least hundreds of people who were out to watch the hail bop comet that night in Phoenix. 

I wonder how this works.  The sign form is borked. It attempts to send half the querystring of the form via an e-mail from your desktop.

I would say this is a misleading title.\n\nThe study was to determine if one or the other was better for weight loss in a calorie-restricted diet and concluded:\n\n&gt; Diets that contain sucrose are equally effective to those containing the caloric equivalent of high fructose corn syrup (in terms of potential for weight loss).\n\nThe fact that everyone lost weight to the same degree in calorie-equal diets makes a big leap to show one diet component to be equal to another diet component. 

I would very much like to have an experience like that. A real mystery. Alas. Hasn't happened yet. 

Wow paranormal stalkers are the worst, 90% of the video content on our site is generated by us either through live investigations or ghost hunts. Posting 4 posts in 5 years warrants spam? Go suck it

I disagree entirely. They fly around in metallic ships that are similar to those designed or conceptualize on earth. The odds of it being piloted by something other than an alien or human are infinitely higher than it being piloted by some yet unknown third option which doesn't fit into either of those categories. \n\nPersonally I think it is more plausible that UFO's would be time travelers than aliens or something else. I mean they would blend in perfectly so you'd never know they are here,  and that would explain why the ships seem to look exactly like the ones humans make or conceptualize in Science fiction rather than something truly alien. 

That's true that pre-meditation brain state is unknown and you could conclude that people with more folding are more likely to meditate.  But on a common sense level that just doesn't make sense to me.  Why would something like increased brain folding make people more likely to do something as specific as meditating?  Don't you think there would be a couple of outliers with low levels of brain folding who meditate anyways?\n\nedit: It's kind of like saying that runners with strong running muscles might just be predisposed to have strong running muscles and that's why they started running.  It's possible, but likely not the case for all runners.

There could be numerous clever ways that he got the numbers including actual psychic powers, however, it is much more likely that he is using mentalist techniques than him having powers. Especially when one sees a professional mentalist at work and one that specifically states they do not have powers but still can pull off the same feats.

I disagree corn fed or usually has better marbleing there by usually better taste.

Hope he recovers all the money that this has cost him, it was rather expensive just to get that ridiculous ruling overturned.

Always loved this quote, but I don't think it goes far enough: it's not indistinguishable from magic, it *is* magic.  \n\nIf you don't know any of nature's laws, than everything in nature is supernatural.  It's only when we've cognitively "tamed" a phenomena by isolating and defining its constituent components and mechanics that it transforms from being supernatural to natural.  But the only thing that changes is the way we think about it.\n\nIt is we, and only we, who have the power to bless any given phenomenon as "natural", once we've satisfied ourselves that it does occur, and we have some understanding of how and why it occurs.  The obvious problem here is that we did not create the universe, and thus we are unlikely to ever be able to isolate and describe every extant event or phenomenon in the universe.  \n\nThere's no reason any outlying phenomena cannot, or should not, be referred to as supernatural or magic, including any intelligently created technologies with which we are not, and may never be, familiar with.

Yup. I was the only guy in my old squad that didn't believe this nonsense. "Can you PROVE that aliens weren't there?!" "Well, no. But th-" "AHA! We are all the offspring of ancient aliens! I *knew* it!"

To avoid this, make everything generalized, towards psychic tricks in general. 

A bit of a silly article, but what are some other ailments that seem to exist only in the mind that are common in other parts of the world?

I'm glad you said "ache" but that's not what the picture says. It says "ear infection". And "stomach flu", not "stomach ache".

Also check out Richard M. Dolan's "UFOs and the National Security State". Lots of really good history and documentation in there.

I'm a skeptical motherfucker, but cloud busting seems to work. Ya, I've tried it.\n\nhttp://educate-yourself.org/tjc/visualray21may0.shtml\n\nJust cuz it's unusual doesn't make it impossible. It's important to keep that in mind.

so clever and mature, I can tell you're the stud of your school.

To be perfectly blunt I don't really care if some or many human cultures are dying. They'll never all die out due to the fact that people are always creating their own cultures. The level of diversity will decrease a bit, but there has never been that much diversity anyway due to the simple fact that we're all the same species. The list of [human universals](http://www.depaul.edu/~mfiddler/hyphen/humunivers.htm) is huge, and gives a good idea of how similar rather than different all human cultures are.\n\nAs a skeptic, atheist and anti-theist I would quite like to see religions all die off, which would mean a massive change for many existing cultures.\n\nThe end of language diversity would not mean the end of all diversity anyway.\n\nThe story in the Bible of the Tower of Babel and how God feared the abilities of humanity united by a single language and had to divide them up by confusing their lanugages I think does have a hint of truth to it, that united rather than divided humans can achieve greatness.

&gt; It turned out that the blank book had a rating by some of the other members! They couldn't believe it was blank, because [the book] had a rating. In fact, the rating for the missing book was a little bit higher than for the two others. **The fact that there was nothing in the book had nothing to do with the rating.**\n\nWe're doomed. 

&gt; Where can I find out more?\n\nOn the internet.  Sounds like a horrible answer, I know, but - even though there is a lot of disinformation out there, there is also a lot of factual data stuffed in the middle of all of it.  You just have to read/watch a lot, and then reference and cross reference the information; take everything with a pretty soluble grain of salt, and then arrive at *overall* and general assessments based upon the direction that the accumulative data points toward.\n\n&gt; Do you believe in different dimensions/densities?\n\nNo.  I don't "believe" that different dimensions/densities exist.  They *do* exist.  This is not a question of belief.  It is an already established, scientifically proven fact.

From the abstract it looks like [he's](http://www.case.edu/med/microbio/andrulis.htm) going way outside his field and spouting nonsense.

He appears to be using cherry-picked quotes from Shermer and others to try to discredit them as skeptics and coopting certain aspects of skepticism to promote one or more conspiracy theories. He isn't really providing much at all in the way of evidence supporting 911 truther ideas, but rather trying to make the well known skeptics of these ideas look bad, as in somehow hypocritical, conflicted, or gullible. Not sure if any of that would qualify as ad hominem or not. But, after listening to the whole thing, one gets the sense that he does have a rather large axe to grind.

This isn't any more convincing than other previously seen footage (much of it which has been debunked). All we can really see is an obscure black figure which appears to move and begin to rise in stature. This is the point when the camera person should investigate more closely, but instead they obviously run. \n\nLike others have said, it appears that It could be a bear beginning to stand on it's hind legs, or perhaps even a different animal of similar stature. Hell, there's nothing proving the entire thing isn't contrived. 

Well fine, we can obviously try a well controlled double blind test to see if people can tell the difference between stuff that has been shipped long distances (probably in refrigerated storage) vs locally grown produce.\n\nI'm not sure what the results will be.\n\nI did read about a nicely conducted experiment to do with freshly roasted coffee vs coffee that had been freshly roasted and then frozen for up to 8 weeks. There didn't seem to be a difference.\n\nThis is really a brilliant example of a well down experiment that can be carried out in the home. http://www.home-barista.com/store-coffee-in-freezer.html

To be fair, he was never a serious presidential candidate. He only ever appealed to the lunatic fringe of the religious right, an opponent would literally have to start punching babies to lose to him.

Well if we can get 100 redditors to read this post, no one will believe it anymore, right?

And she expected you to get a bible from where after the world ended?

Are you talking about the Vimannas?  Check out part 2 for a look at those:\n\nhttp://www.dumbassguide.info/blog.php?bid=44\n\nSilliest space ships you've ever seen, right?  It makes you almost wish it were true! :D

It was a standard water bottle, transparent and rounded on the bottom like a dasani or aquafina bottle. I'm pretty sure we would have noticed if there was a marble or a ball bearing in the bottom of it..

Gah, I should have noticed something was up when the sherrif's quote had telepathic surrounded by a bracket and a parans. My apologies. 

The issue isn't so much the religion, it just seems that way because they use it to justify their shitty social structure.\n\nThey don't let their women participate fully in their economy, and they justify it with religion.  They have shitty hierarchies with religious leaders at the top but it could be any religion, because in almost every one there's a priest class that is looked upon as nearly infallible.\n\nCorrupt religious leaders taking wealth, monarchs hoarding wealth, 50%+ of their human resources squandered because of lack of vagina, culture that looks down upon entertainment.\n\nIn the west, we're fat, distracted with games and movies, and there's nothing to stop women from achieving in business.  That's why we don't violently rebel.  Even after 9/11, our idea of reacting was demanding our armies do something, there were no massive movements in the streets.\n\nIslam can be just as peaceful or just as violent as any other religion.  Even buddhism has been used to justify atrocities.  It's their culture, and their religion is a major part of their culture, but if it wasn't Islam, I'm sure they could find something else to encourage their hateful lifestyle.

I threw up a little in my mouth while reading that article. Disgusting.

Personally, I trust Nasa's math more than some website that links to other crackpot websites as it's "source".\n\nhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-135\n\n&gt; "Comet Elenin will not encounter any dark bodies that could perturb its orbit, nor will it influence us in any way here on Earth," said Yeomans. "It will get no closer to Earth than 35 million kilometers [about 22 million miles]. "\n&gt;\n&gt; "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&gt;\n&gt; "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."

He forgot to mention the reptilians from zeta reticuli who live in a hidden base on the moon who latch onto peoples chakras.

That is a fantastic dream.\n\n\n\nHowever as unfortunate as it may be I don't predict anything of the sort happening until our space brethren actually grace us with their physical presence.

You can't get arrested because someone didn't like what you said. You can only get arrested if you're inciting hatred, which is what happened [to this muslim guy](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-16581758) who was handing out "Gays must be killed" leaflets. Simple words which don't harm anyone are not illegal.\n\n&gt;You might as well allow testimony from homeopaths into court.\n\nUhh... I'll pretend that you're a camel and this sentence was the result of you smashing your massive head against the keyboard, because let's be honest, no human could actually say that in these circumstances. After all, it's in UK where homeopathy keeps getting kicked in the balls. Not US.

yes he is haha, well i told toby off for being naughty and he behaves like a good lil ghostie now

well i don't know were you live but i am Canadian and i was able to get mine 100 dollars at the local bass pro shop. they go from around 80 all the way to 1900 dollars. 

Ugh, trying to predict the evolutionary paths that animals will take.

A taunt? We aren't talking about what I have. I believe we are talking about what could be considered valid or not and whether or not everything should pass muster for the sake of it.\n\nI am on the side of no. People should be critical. People should be more analytical and other people who hoax and seek fame clutter the field and make actual worthwhile seeking difficult as you spend a great deal of time dealing with other peoples egos and desires as opposed to the subject at hand.

None of those people labeled themselves "futurists," and I really think you are misusing the term. You have created a definition that is ridiculously broad. You can't reasonably call someone a "futurist" just because they think of something that would be cool that at some point then exists. Everyone's a futurist in that case.

I'll just need you to send me your GPU Paypal CSS header tag. And I'll bill you 20 net connections within the clock cycle. That way, when you're SLI lines up with the RAM voltage you will realize the transaction has been made.

Yes, and it can also be spelled Ether.  \nI do not think It was ever believe to be related to the 'Weight of souls' (see [Snopes](http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp) for that one)  \n\n

That's not empirical evidence. You're just theorizing about how things would work in a free market. You're not taking into account history or other evidence - you're just laying out your thoughts on some potential problems with the free market. It's opinion, not fact.

You might think that, but you'd probably be interested to know some people don't pay attention to the world around them very carefully.

The fact that as soon as he mentioned this he got a letter from an actual law firm proves that his initial contact was not.

Thank you for the information. \n\nLooking at the wiki, my skeptical alarm goes off at the lack of dependable research done on its effectiveness. \n\nIf we haven't conclusively proven it to be as effective as non-fluoridation, why bother? It is costly and the consequences are comparable to not doing it, apparently. \n\nThough the risks are quite low, I wonder now if we do it only because leaders of the time based the decision on inconclusive study, and are reluctant to undo a long standing tradition. 

I will always remember Miller in Repo Man [explaining the weirdness going on](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&amp;v=X4QKiYar9pI#t=6s).

&gt;Partly because the term Eastern medicine is a broad enough one that there is likely to be some validity hidden in there, even if the rest is hogwash. \n\nMy main issue is that advocates of alternative medicine are not typically interested in separating what's valid from what's dumb. I agree, there very well could be some merit, but practitioners seem uninterested in finding out what really works. I frequently drive past an acupuncture place that advertises its services with a list of things it can treat, including: pain, **infections**, high blood pressure, fertility, and obesity. How am I supposed to take any of that seriously? Same deal for chiropractors, who made some wild claims in England, including: infant colic, ear infections, and asthma. This resulted in a fiasco when someone [called them out on it](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Singh#Chiropractic_lawsuit_and_backlash). It's bewildering to me because advocates of these things *should be the ones doing the research* instead of making claims and failing utterly to investigate them or back them up.

It is a similar principle behind [jumping beans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_jumping_bean).

I saw something float across the night sky that looked like a jellyfish once. It was fluorescent-esque, in that it seemed to emit a small glow, and it sort of gyrated a little bit the way a jellyfish does in the ocean. It also looked like a diagram of a cell; elliptical and hollow with something in the center. It was about the size of a dime, if held up against it. It didn't change direction or make any sounds. I've never seen anything like it before or since. *I do not make any claims that this was extra-terrestrial in nature or that it was paranormal in any way*, particularly considering my proximity, at the time, to a well-known military base. It is the weirdest thing I've ever seen, though.\n\nI've had episodes as a younger child where I'd wake up paralyzed, terrified, and forced to look at haunting visuals, but they can easily be explained away by hypnagogic hallucinations / sleep paralysis.\n\nI have many recollections as a child of seeing [The Hat Man](http://www.jesusisnojoke.com/theshadowpeople/id19.html), but this is much more likely to be a combination of imagination and the brain's penchant for making patterns out of everything.\n\nI have memories of a strange white demon-looking creature living under my bed and behind my closet, but I now know that this was just residual influence after I saw a Tales From The Darkside episode called [Inside The Closet](http://www.kindertrauma.com/?p=323) that resonated in my fears for a long time after.\n\nEarlier in my life, I would've claimed all four incidents to be proof of paranormal phenomenon, and I would've been genuine in saying so, even though it's just not the case.\n\nThe jellyfish / cell nuclei object in the sky is what remains as an unexplained mystery.

Read it not in terms of "scientists charged with doing science" but as "members of the committees failed in their public duty which indirectly caused deaths".

"That mumps party was fun, when's the polio party and bubonic fiesta?"

I'm with blueboybob on this one. Go to her dean and keep going up.

Thats real possible. I'm not saying I have any of the answers, But I firmly believed for a long time that I was somewhere else spiritually(?) before the event.

So, let me get this right.  You checked with your mother and she confirmed the the same misconception you already stated?  You are just taking your anecdote one step back from your misconception about reality to her misconception about reality.  For the sake of argument, I'll grant that it's possible such a condition exists.  Now, has there ever been any actual evidence of such a thing?  No, there hasn't, to answer for you.  So, even if you happened to be correct coincidentally, in every meaningful sense, you are still wrong.  You could randomly guess that there is a planet out there filled with pink unicorns and then we find one a thousand years from now.  Does that mean you were justified in your claim?  Sorry, your luck in happening to be correct did not justify the false reasoning you used to arrive at the conclusion.  You are still wrong in any meaningful sense.

&gt;There's science on one side, and a bunch of people with political and economic interests on the other.\n\nThere's also interest from the climate change side as well. Businesses that want subsidies for green technology, as well as the many politicians who push for taxes and regulations. 

So, basically, you're saying that some average joe who sees a UFO in his backyard sky - and starts describing how it utilizes some special awesome force for flight, that's hidden in it's pulsating lights...   Is credible?\n\n\nOne of the major signs of a liar is someone who expounds too much, well beyond their reach.  \n\n\n**Believable**: "I saw a green triangle of lights.  I think it was a UFO."\n\n**Un-Believable**: "I saw a green triangle of lights.  They seem peaceful, and I think the ship was powered by some sort of Ion-drive with a force-field around it".\n\n\n**yawn**.  You're smart.  I get it.  Link some of these "most authentic sightings ever recorded in history" besides that little "a orb was detected, I flew my fighter towards it, it zoomed away" thing.\n\n

Nobody needs proof of your former occupation for you to have a valid opinion around here,...but it is nice to have a knowledgeable one ;-)\n\n\nBut just to play devils advocate: how exactly were projects assigned names in say, WWI,...or 1898, the year of the alleged Aurora, Tx., incident,...?\n\n\nPoint is, we dont know when this room was given a name, an it very well may have been before there were computers, or navies, or air forces, etc. All of these came about after WWII, which leaves a pretty big hole in your argument if this was assigned a name before that time. Hell, it could very simply be the color of the paint on the walls,... \n\n\nMaking assertions, without knowing context, can be hazardous to your logic,...

I can't tell if you're trolling or if the article went completely over your head.  It's not meant to convince you of anything.  It's meant to give you a feeling of what it's like to hold an irrational belief based on tradition and emotion and then have that belief attacked by science and reason.  The point of the article is to make you feel like a theist, not warn you of the dangers of fireplaces.

In this episode, Doug mentioned that he debated some Mormons in his Planet Japan podcast.  I tracked down those episodes:\n\nhttp://media.podcastingmanager.com/41294-83256/Media/pj37.mp3?ref=rss\n\nhttp://media.podcastingmanager.com/41294-83256/Media/pj38.mp3?ref=rss\n\nI also know that the guys at Irreligiosophy have debated some opponents before.\n\nhttp://www.irreligiosophy.com/\n\nAnd I understand that the Righteous Indignation podcast frequently has guests on with opposing views:\n\nhttp://parafort.com/\n\nAre those along the lines of what you're looking for?

Plenty of woo on that site.  Check out the free gifts if you really want to "Influence others with your mind".\n\n

I watched the show a couple of times...I think a lot of their show is staged. I guess whatever they have to do to get some ratings, just dont expect the majority of reasonable-minded People to buy into it (and this comes from a HUGE Paranormal 'anything' Fan). 

well if the overlord decrees.\nIve read a bit on Prozac studies and not all show a statistically significant effect above placebo although some do of course.  \n\nI have read a couple of studies that acupuncture is just placebo but these haven't satisfied me beyond a shadow of a doubt.  Acupuncture is very reliant on the skill of the practioner and may only be ideal for a particular subset of injuries.  It could also be faith-healing but faith-healing that can be effective and is a lot cheaper than other conventional treatments through the western medical system. \n\nYou may be right about Feng Shui -- there is that superstitious side, perhaps ive seen more rational proponents of it.

[This is the camera I use](http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-Wireless-N-Internet-Monitoring-Camera/dp/B002OHDFOA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1334499210&amp;sr=8-1) (mainly for security, but it's a pain to set up) but it doesn't have night vision so I'm not sure what camera they used. I also have a Logitech webcam that has motion-detection and captures video clips when activated.

Yeah, I think that's just a natural result of being skeptical-minded without being skeptically-trained a la science. At some point probably several years ago, I saw some moon-landing conspiracy footage where they were asking, "why was the american flag waving when there's no wind on the moon?" I thought this was a pretty knock-down point and from then on, up until embarrassingly recently, thought it was just common educated knowledge that the moon landing was a fake.\n\n\nI actually still don't know the answer to the flag question though, I've been meaning to find out.

A shit-ton of this is happening on Twitter and is swirling around Free Thought Blogs. Thunderf00t (or however you're suppose to spell it) has dealt out an unfortunate amount of this crap and his minions seem only to happy to do his bidding.\n\nPZ Meyers has been doing a great job of holding down the fort through this. Props to him. 

This is consistent with what I've read before, but I'm sure I'll have a blast going over these references in detail. Thanks! Couldn't agree more that this is an area deserving of further research.

Well, I guess we would still need to find renewable, clean energy sources, but we wouldn't have to do it as quickly, which I suppose would cost us less money. The main argument for why we shouldn't do anything about the, in their opinion, hoax of climate change, is money. And, as heb0 hinted, they think it's all just a communist plot to expand government, which especially angers the libertarian crowd, as expanding government can never be a good thing in their narrative. So:  \n\n1. It's about saving money/the economy  \n\n2. It's about keeping government small, and keeping the libertarian narrative alive at all cost  \n\n3. For the really nutty, Gawd wouldn't let us destroy the earth, so climate change can't happen and they have to deny it  \n\nas far as I can tell.  \n\n(Not trying to pick on libertarians by the way, they're humans, and like all humans, they have a tendency to reject science that goes against their worldview.)

You're not writing *several gigabytes of RAM*\n\nA snapshot is a few kilobytes of data that just tells the OS where it left off. \n\nPlenty of time. \n\nOtherwise, what's your explanation? 

Apparently, Redditors are experts in that without any medical training. 

You know this is an interesting subject, it's a subject that many interesting and intelligent people have debated over the years and one that is taught in introduction to ethics classes at the college level.\n\nYou are doing what most ideologues do when they run into the skeptics movement. You have made a claim, and then demand that we prove you wrong, while siting back and thinking "I *am* a clever fellow. Look how I stumped those stuffy skeptics"\n\nYou are the one making the claims about the necessity of an arbiter. You also seem very sure about your evidence, even if you haven't presented any for most of your comments or your central argument. \n\nFrequently, I find that the only honest answer I can give to a questions is "I don't know, the issues is unresolved, but I hope we figure it out." This does not mean that any unsubstantiated claim is true until is disproved. 

I moved into a house when I was a teenager and we were cleaning out the basement when I stumble upon one I flipped shit and was like I do not want this I was never was one to want to mess with the paranormal I had a friend who was interested in it he said they tried it once and he locked it in a safe until someone else wanted it. He seemed really freaked out when I asked him what happened he never said.. to my dismay. Last I heard is it keeps getting bounced around town someone even thought about burning it after using it and decided to just pass it on afterwards it is strange.

What do you find is the best place and time to look? I've been searching alot the past years but have seen nothing since.\nI lost the feeling of being watched since I moved houses.

Sorry, but it appears that the scientific evidence is in my favor here. Your side seems to be the one analogous to creationism. 

Anything oil can do, can be done with other materials. I'm no what-ever-you-call-a-guy-that-knows-what's-in-asteroids, but i am hard pressed to think of any precious metals that wouldn't be found in space.\n\nThat aside, it's just hard to imagine a species smart and powerful enough to get here, but dumb and weak enough to need us, barring some District 9 type scenario.

I sighed because I've increasingly been seeing, "that's a straw man" misused all over reddit (along with, "don't derail").  The one subreddit one might hope that wouldn't happen in would be /r/skeptic, since a good understanding of logic is a necessity for judging many claims.\n\nIn other words, I'm not sighing at you so much as the state of reddit "culture" wrt this particular claim.  

As freaky as it might seem, if you could somehow get in touch with her again, that would probably be the coolest thing ever. I certainly would want to try if it was my dad!

Since we're are on r/skeptic have you or your friend considered the idea that fat is not dangerous for diabetics and that increasing dietary fat consumption and decreasing carbohydrate consumption would help his diabetes? I was very skeptical of this but the minority report on this idea is very convincing.

Me too.  The only occasions where it was extremely relevant was were theism interferes with my morals.

Thanks for taking the time to write all that! Very informative!\n\nWould you recommend giving it a try? Or is there a reason you stopped?\n\nI used to lucid dream a lot as a child, and it was awesome, but all the talk of sleep paralysis, and a blurring line between reality and dreaming kinda freaks me out.

I'm really sick of chain letters. A few weeks ago I got a chain letter about some unlicensed doctor talking about what prevents Cancer etc, it was ridiculous, and they included Dr. Oz's name as an appeal to authority when he had nothing to do with it. \n\nAnd people kept forwarding it, like wtf...

Yes there have. I just bristle at the idea that peer review is infallible. Some people treat it almost...religiously. Hey, scepticism!

I don't think saying that there's "no reason to suspect that mining or fracking had any impact" is the same as dismissing the possibility.  \n\nThe fact is that if you have no evidence, then you have no evidence.  And if you have no evidence, then there's no reason for any kind of suspicion.\n\nThat doesn't dismiss the possibility that evidence will show up in the future, but as it stands saying that there's no reason for suspicion is a correct statement.

&gt;but it does prove that some sort of afterlife existence does exist.\n\nNo, it doesn't.  It only proves that you've convinced yourself an afterlife exists.  It says nothing about whether or not an afterlife *actually* exists.

What explanations? Did you watch the video? How do you explain what he saw? You are clearly a troll.\n\nCan you give one example of a government official who actually saw a UFO and accepted the explanation for what they saw? One? No I didn't think so, because that never happens.\n\n

I have no idea whether any of his claims about working with the CIA hold water, but reading them got me thinking about an interesting dilemma.  I wonder what it's like to work for the CIA, have legitimate complaints about the organization, and simultaneously have to deal with an imbecile coworker that goes off the deep end on nonsense conspiracies.  Any time you tried to bring up inefficiencies, questionable missions, mistakes, etc. to your superiors they'd be inevitably be accompanied by paranoid rants from people like Robert, which is the perfect excuse to not do anything about real problems.  I can picture sitting in a meeting that starts out with reasonable critique of CIA policies, but then some idiot starts yelling about secret assassination plots and the meeting ends with no one changing their minds.\n\nThat's the bitter irony of hardcore conspiracy theorists - they drown out real criticism and any hope of changing bad policies, then pretend that it's everyone else's fault.

Strage you should ask that? I have found that the 1st and the 3rd day were the worst days! It seems that "they" rested" the middle day and came "back" to revoleved to keep us alert be "aware"!!! GOD I love pysch!!!\n\n

It's pretty impressive when you can make me do a mental double-take every 5 seconds.

I love watching movies from back then and also old episodes of the Twilight Zone because no one was ever without a smoke. Smoking was a big deal back then! Now it seems like people actively avoid and ignore it.

I've been lost in another country plenty of times but never felt I traveled thru time

I remember a guy started selling hawking Mona-Vie at work. This was around 2008 when the economy tanked and just after everybody took a 5% pay cut. I was very adamant in debunking this guy's claims and we nearly came to blows over it. I remember there were guys there who were not so good with money but had mortgages and families to feed and they were buying this shit. 

What does everyone think of [this](http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/02/6568249-we-think-that-bin-laden-death-photo-is-a-fake)?

You could have had a seizure and should definitely see a doctor.   That is exactly how mine started.

Fair enough. That being said, do we agree that if a chiropractic mentions he can treat anything else besides lower-back pain, then he is a quack?

OK but I am also convinced it's sometimes a good idea to distrust media. What exists in most TV channels isn't journalism anymore.

[The turkey UFO sighting](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUEjeYn5Obg)\nShows the occupants in the vehicle. One of the best videos ever.

Placing a spectrum (like personality) into small labeled boxes is good in terms of describing most but bad in terms of dealing with any individual.  It's just daily stereotyping.  

the biggest myth is that if its real the media will cover it. They absolutely would not. The media in the United States is a joke no offense. They do not air anything the government does not like. You do not have free press and haven't had it for decades. 22 governments around the world have openly said in their media that these things are real over the past decade. Not ONE of these announcements have made it through the filter. Don't take my word for it though go look for yourself.

I look around at our world.  We have fucked up our environment.  Our population is growing exponentially.  We have limited resources.  If we could get to another habitable world easily (the FTL drive is easy, we'll have it soon possibility), my instinct is that many of us would be plenty willing to exploit it.  Even if that meant wiping out the Native Americans or whoever we found there.  We will become even more willing to exploit other worlds as our environment decays and our population grows.  We are definitely barbaric.\n\nAssuming that having FTL drives somehow guarantees a species is not barbaric sounds like a good recipe for becoming lunch to me.  It would be the equivalent of ancient Rome assuming that having airplanes would make you civilized.  "Surely, if they know how to fly, they won't still be barbarians."  Because we don't know how to make FTL, we can't posit how "advanced" a civilization has to be to develop it.  All we know is that they have to be ahead of us in that area.\n\nI agree that there is a high likelihood that the technology is extremely difficult to obtain, and consequently they will probably be civilized.  But I don't think we should operate on the most probable case, but instead should consider the worst case possibility.  Broadcasting our presence may very well be equivalent to announcing, "Hey!  Wolves!  There is prey over here."  If there are wolves, they will probably approach with caution because that announcement sounds like a trap to the wary.  If FTL is easier than we currently believe, the universe may be full of wolves.\n\nIn short, I think assuming that they are *advanced* to the point of civility is dangerous hubris.  I agree that you are probably correct about them, but I am unwilling to risk the extinction possibility of being wrong.  It is not so much fear, but prudent risk management of the unknown.\n

I'm a fan of the anthropology of religion, and I really like this idea. Where should this be located? \n\nI can picture it now; a 10-ton obelisk; the Gods of Earth.

Sometimes ghosts take energy from electronic devices, think about it, has your phone/ipod randomly died or had a moment of spazziness?

I can defo see a weird shape in the picture, but I am in the mind that it may just be something completely non paranormal.

You would have said the same thing about doctors back in the day.\n\nI remember when I first heard about Emily Bronte dying; she, like many of her age refused to see doctors because they were absolute quacks.\n\nThat shocked me and I'll never forget it. I never read any of her works, we just discussed how she died for some reason in our class.\n\nThe point is that medicine evolves. And I'm not sure that doctors becoming "pharmaceuticalists" was the right evolution, either. Chiropractic could get better or worse, depending on how they adapt to science and knowledge.

I am guessing this different than the WOW signal from years ago?

Do *you* want to consume salt that been been tainted by artificial preservatives? Organic salt is preservative-free.

Someone would get in big shit for that. You could alternatively turn it off and see if they keep complaining about issues; unfortunately, that wouldn't work if the kids know that the wi-fi's not on.

This is an interesting thing... if they can't advertise, then their clients' healths will be in danger, apparently, but the only reason they won't be allowed to advertise is if they can't demonstrate that their products do any good... but if their clients' health is in danger without their product, then surely they have evidence that they work?\n\nIt isn't rocket science, homeopaths. Just show us that it actually works. Prove our smug little faces wrong, why don't you?

&gt;A "sixth sense" is VERY likely\n\nIt is! Considering that we have well over five or six senses.

&gt;Do you ever drink?\n\nNo, though I have many many years ago. Found it pointless because it doesn't aid clarity of thought.

I'd like to add on a bit to your comment on #4:\n\n"Extraordinary hypothesis require extraordinary evidence" is essentially paraphrasing Hume in *On Miracles*.  In context, Hume was referring to supernatural events (specifically, the resurrection of Jesus) which contradict all of our prior experience of how nature works.\n\nHis conclusion was that witness testimony was not enough to warrant belief in such things, because witnesses are fallible and/or they can lie, and stronger evidence was needed.\n\nSo, yes, the author of this article is really misunderstanding what this slogan means or where skeptics tend to use it.  The intent of the slogan is not so much to dismiss anything that isn't established theory as it is to ensure that claims which would completely overturn established theory would have credible enough evidence.\n\nAlso, the author is completely wrong about his assertion that extraordinary evidence, if it exists, would be discouraged from being discovered by this.  Requiring extraordinary evidence in order to *accept* a claim does not in any way require that evidence in order to *investigate* it.

FWIW [you can deep-link youtube videos](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLeztJkhi4U#t=2m25)

There is a clear shadow, which indicate this thing is tall. One day I'm sure we will get evidence that humans once lived on Mars and that the planet, once upon a time had an atmosphere like Earth.

keep in mind that the spiritual community also warns of false aliens 

My g/f is an avid watcher of these and frequent visitor to /nosleep. I sat through an episode and found it entertaining at best. I was more interested in the actual interviews and found the reenactments to be OK at best. 

Ever heard of Google? It's a search engine. You have heard of the internet, right? The wonderful world wide web?

Ppl should really pay more attention to your story. The friggen lady said there had always been one! Thus meaning no moving escalators!!!! A friggen glitch in the matrix!!!! Sheesh!!! People read!!\nLol. Sorry. Done venting. Skeptics-pah! I ve got an open mind

Photos of a dolls head, ceramic powerline insulator, some grainy industrial waste... Oh and that lovely x-files CG art at the top. Yeah, plenty to believe.\n\nWhile I *like* to think that there may indeed be structures up there (The Chinese have plenty of ancient documentation that talks about temples on the moon and so forth), I doubt that if this was the case any of us would ever know about it, and certainly if someone were to try and come public, the government wouldn't just 'fire' you and let you go babbling about it.\n\n*Or would they...?*\n\n\nheh.

Welcome to club. Try not to go crazy.\n\nedit: What is the general proximity to where you live? I figure you posted in this forum for a reason, but try not to get too wrapped up in UFO mythology- or shaman or new-age or whatever mythology for that matter.

Woah, I did that once. Stuck my hand right down in a campfire to get a fucking penny a dropped, took me a while to realize I should have burnt my hand off.\n\nEdit: I should mention I was very young when this happened lol

I love that column!\n\n&gt;Dear Cecil:\n\n&gt;In reading through your column "Vegetarians Go Ape," I noticed an unusual fact that you seemed to expose with great confidence. You stated that "Jane Goodall established more than twenty years ago that wild chimpanzees kill other animals once in a while and eat the meat with relish." I question the accuracy of this. Where would wild chimpanzees obtain relish?\n\n&gt;— Guru Singh Khalsa, Los Angeles

Saying that there's "nothing wrong" with idle speculation isn't the same as saying that wanting proof is not the correct response. \n\nI would also argue that idle speculation leads to rumoring and believing far too easily. There may not be anything wrong with it in certain circumstances and venues, but that doesn't make it the "correct response" (even if it's not the "incorrect response").

I dont know anything about the "doctor". But I did look up the hieroglyph and it appears to at least be in Egypt. I think it is jumping conclusions for anyone to say what is inside a space that has not been opened yet.   

I'm not sure about resources. The planet is a lot bigger than us and there's plenty of water and animals and plants and metals to eat and there's still plenty of room for us to build houses. When we actually do end up having a crisis I always get the impression that we would figure it out in advance long enough to do something about it.\n\nIf we want humanity to be around for a long time it's still a good idea to try to colonize The Moon and Mars and send that spaceship Sid Meiers is always talking about off to Alpha Centauri.

Actually, IIRC, the position of the church is rather similar to [that of Stephen Hawkings](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/space/article7107207.ece).\n\nNot everyone out there is going to be friendly, you know.\n\nbut maybe you would prefer a religion that says space aliens are demons, and that earth is the only place with intelligent life on it.

&gt; But the paper also called them "devices". Don't devices have to have a function, in order to be "devices"?\n\nI see what you're saying, and yeah I agree, but it's not necessarily an incorrect use of the word. A device can be "a thing made for a particular purpose;" regardless of what that purpose is or whether the thing achieves that purpose. A device can also be "something elaborately or fancifully designed."

What part of San Antonio.. Just wondering. I'm just 15 min up from 1604 on 281. 

Looks like r/altmed just lost over 1% of their subscribers.\n\n*Edit* - Then again, it looks like this thread has gotten them some attention. Probably the highest flux of new subscribers they've had in a while.

What you don't know is the whole time you ran, an evil shadow was reaching for you behind your back....

Your question is quite valid, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for an answer. Tiger337 gets asked the same thing quite often here in r/skeptic. Looking through his posting history [here](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/search?q=author%3ATiger337&amp;sort=new&amp;restrict_sr=on), it appears a good portion of his submissions have no clear connection to skepticism.

I know - but it is a conundrum.  I think there needs to be room for doctors to help patients in these circumstances, but it does impinge on informed consent.\n\nIt must be frustrating for M.D.s to have patients taking up time in their clinics who really can't be helped by any available treatment - but who might be helped by placebo.  This is one of the reasons I think the current climate of dissing homeopathy may be counter-productive.  In such circumstances homeopathy might be just what a patient needs.

Makes sense! Why would It/They (not sure what word to use, but I mean whoever created the simulation) care what one person knew/believed? There's still everybody else out there--and they can probably be manipulated through the simulation to believe that you're crazy and dismiss it all. 

Hmm... Well, I mean it heavily depends on which herbs you use. Assuming that there are herbs that contain a component that helps in these cases (not an unreasonable assumption, I think), you have to administer them to the body, one way of doing so woud be via skin absorption. Ointments and salves work like that. \n\nCould be legit.

hmm. Stobes. red and green signal lights? shaky cam = inconclusive. But would lean towards aircraft.

&gt; Sibat is one of scores of people reported arrested every year in the kingdom for practicing sorcery, witchcraft, black magic and fortunetelling\n\nKilling someone for any crime is simply ridiculous, so let's leave that off the table.\n\nHere we have a case where the law has more woo-content than the crime itself.  The punishment isn't for committing fraud or theft, it's because they're "magical."  Unbelievable.\n

A very interesting video. (Unlike the silly flood of balloons-and lanterns-in-the-sky vids being posted here today.) Could be a helicopter, but I seriously doubt it, being soundless. 

&gt; This is the ruling made by the judge saying that Simon was implying that the chiropractors were knowingly peddling something that they knew to be bogus, right?\n\nThat's right, yes. He wrote an article in April 2008 about chiropractors claims to be able to cure colic in children, specifically he said of the British Chiropractic Association (BCA) "This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments." The BCA sued him for libel and won and he's just been granted leave to appeal that verdict.

this is called 'synchronicity'.  There is no meaning to it, it just happens.

My grandpa died when I was about eleven, we weren't that close because he lived ages away, and in my family we call our nana and granddad's parents grandma and grandpa, if that makes sense.\n\nAnyway about a year ago I had a dream I was in my nana's house (my grandpa was her dad) and we were just doing the usual, talking in the kitchen and what not. Anyways I look out into the hall and I see my grandpa standing there, but in my dream  knew he was dead so I was really scared. I tried to go down the hall and out of the back door but I could see him walking towards me and the door wouldn't open.\n\nI don't remember the rest after that, but it was terrifying and I don't understand why I would have a nightmare with a dead family member, particularly a family member who I liked. 

I mean level.  I primarily teach the introductory courses in physics, which include basic thermodynamics.  The atomic model is the starting point of that subject, so I designed this question specifically to test their understanding of that model.

Please don't apologise.  They called themselves this, before finding out it was a sex act.

By their own logic, this argument suggests that by, say, shining a pocket torch on my food I am endangering myself... what with light being "radiation", and all that.

More like "Sorcha FAIL", amirite guys?  Heh.  Don't forget to tip your waitresses...

HI, you said that you have learned how to comunicate with ghosts, I have just two questions: one, how? please teach me, I'd very much like to learn, and two, have you learned how to protect yourself against restless of posibly dangourous spirits whom may intend to harm you?\nJw \n\n-Tusani2696\n

I've been to Midgetville, but they were pretty hostile.  I'd imagine when cars fulls of teens are constantly barging into your little community, you'd get angry too, but oh well!

Plus, I guarantee there are more nursing and public health in that group than med students. \n\nTl;dr: Sensationalist headline doesn't represent actual study results. 

I'd like to see the same tactics used to deprogram Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

&gt;cases per 55m, why 55m? seems an odd number.\n\nMaybe something to do with the population of the UK during the time of the graph? An average maybe?\n

"Alien Vessel"? Hmm, I didn't see any aliens. \n\nDownmodded for using X-Files soundtrack. Pathetic sensationalism.

With two articles on this in the past two days, couldn't this have gone in the comments of one of those? With less than a dozen comments in the last one, it's not going to get buried. \n\nDo we need an r/skepticdrama for infighting between skeptical bloggers?\n\nI guess I'm just saying that this is not the type of content that I want to dominate r/skeptic.

And here is the elaborate cover-up organized by the local deniers:\n\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/climateskeptics/comments/qniou/remember_that_lindzen_hatchet_job_in_rcorg_and/\n\nNote how the retards claim that the files were 'mixed accidentally' - even if each file has inside on the first line a good description of what the data represents.

I think a lot of people confuse Maher's opinions to make him seem worse than he is. As for the whole "I believe in god" thing, I think what he means by this is that his belief is closer to pantheism than atheism, and he has talked about, like many of us, the fact that the difference between the disbelief in gods to the belief in gods is that he has the intelligence to say that he doesn't KNOW there is no gods, its just what he believes.\n\nNow, down to the anti-vaccine thing - I don't think it's neccesarily an anti-science stance, it's more of his anti-business stance. Pharmacies are big business and you can't expect anything that involves business to be completely trusted or to have completely noble motivations and be completely selfless. Therefore, it is a good thing to keep a skeptical eye on big pharma, especially in America, the king of capitalist countries.

I'm going to have a look into making something like this, I will let you know how I get on!

Watch the video in the article. Could very well be some LEDs in a lantern or some such, but the lights sure do look pretty. 

Well, just to play devils advocate for a second. \n\nIf company A did decide to nerf the cure for a treatment - would company B (when they became aware of a cure) decide to release the cure itself, or would the suits conspire together to only release treatment drugs so that the industry itself could profit? \n\nBut then again, medical research isn't restricted to just one country, there is a vast amount of human resource and dynamic at play here. 

Thank you for that link. I've read his [autobiography](http://www.amazon.com/My-Own-Way-Autobiography/dp/1577315847/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1274679135&amp;sr=8-1), but I haven't listened to any of his lectures. He has the most lucid insights into spirituality I've ever read.

Put some vegetable oil in the refrigerator and see what happens.

Yes. Yes it would.\n\nOh well, it looks like he's given up. I think he called me a pigeon. 

The assertions which you derive from your analysis of my response displays your inability to intelligently analyze the data presented.

Definitely. The Five Families are still pretty active.\n\nChicago and Boston are also hot spots for organized crimes, even today, particularly for the Irish(-American) mob.\n\nThough if I'm not mistaken, the Irish mob started out like Crips / Bloods as a violent street gang first and later re-organized and formed an organized crime entity like the mafia.

I think it's reasonable to suggest that not everything should be gone over with a fine-toothed comb.  Nobody has the kind of time or energy to apply the same skeptical rationale to absolutely everything, it simply can't be done.\n\nIt's important to know how much skepticism you should apply to a situation.

Zicam is apparently 1C, or a 1:100 dilution. This is not really consistent with believing that higher dilution = stronger medicine, and homeopathy's usual 30C/100C stuff.   \nZinc does have some support for a small duration of a common cold, but I'm not sure if a nasal spray works (http://www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001364.html), but is apparently also associated with loss of smell and such.

Yeah, so now you're suggesting we attack a military base with explosives?\n\nHave fun with the FBI there, buddy.

Science isn't a really a matter of opinion, though. If someone makes an assertion, they have to back it up. There can be disagreements, but that doesn't mean all positions are equally good.

yeah, no joke.  Without a video as I read, I was highly entertained and interested, but it started to feel like I was getting suckered into a nerds text version of As The World Turns.  Someone's gotta teach that guy how to build a more navigable and professional site.

I feel compelled to watch this every time it's posted. It makes me sooooo angry. Why? Why do I watch it?

Nice and blurry. Hard to identify anything when the videographer can't manage to simply focus the lens.

wait, really? that's dumb. well, i like the "t-aras of barbie doll heads and your arms crossed for a pillow" mbd a lot

&gt;Clear? \n\nUm, nope. It looks like you just insulted me. I don't really see the explanation. Could you try again? 

A few years ago I conjured a tulpa in the form of a mass of excrement. \n\n\nIt made me smell like shit.

Here is what the linked Quickmeme image says in case the site goes down or you can't reach it:\n\n&gt;Title: They confuse everyone\n\n&gt;* WHAT ARE THOSE STRANGE LIGHTS IN THEIR ATMOSPHERE?\n&gt;* CHINESE LANTERNS\n\n&gt;^[[Direct](http://i.qkme.me/3r4c3t.jpg)] ^[[Background](http://imgur.com/dGOxY)] ^[[Translate](http://translate.google.com/#auto||WHAT+ARE+THOSE+STRANGE+LIGHTS+IN+THEIR+ATMOSPHERE%3F+-+CHINESE+LANTERNS)]\n\nThis comment was left by a bot to help people who can't access Quickmeme images for any reason. Some of those reasons are described on my [FAQ](http://www.reddit.com/r/qkme_transcriber/comments/o426k/faq_for_the_qkme_transcriber_bot/) page. More information about me can be found in my first [AMA](http://www.reddit.com/r/self/comments/vxeak/hello_i_am_a_bot_who_posts_transcriptions_of/).

Oh noes.  In a world of p, I was !p, and became q.\n\nThe horror.

I know how it was performed but it wasn't a magic trick, and it also wasn't supernatural.  \n\nI've already debated it ad nauseum in two other threads. \n\nI've posted studies of masters of similar arts, and the results they have been able to achieve under medical observation.  \n\nNo one really cares to be honest. \n\n

Dude! Imagine Slenderman and tell us about it! That'd be awesome. Or alternatively imagine a mammoth, or a dinosaur, or a blue sweet peppper, or...

There is a ghost named stu who was 49 when he died, he died of a heart attack, he is from i believe he said Louisiana/the south. He says there are certain things that they aren't allowed to talk about pertaining to what the afterlife is like and any details about it.\n\nThere is another ghost named Agatha/Ingrid, I get the old fashion name from her but she hasn't told me her name, she is rather old just from the energy she gives off.\n\nThere is a little girl who likes to say "Hi" before i go to bed, she hasn't been around lately so i think she was either tied to my house or the surrounding area, which i why she hasn't been around.\n\nI don't have any physical evidence besides seeing them multiple times. I've seen Stu atleast 5-6 times in the past 3 years, he used to stand in my closet and look outside through my window, i could tell it was him because he always wears those reflector shirts with the 3 strips. I've asked him why he wears that and the response i've gotten was that he likes them and thinks they are cool, so i guess they can change clothes in the afterlife if they want lol.\n\nI haven't had much contact with Stu in a while besides the energy that i have identified to be Stu, the others i haven't heard from in a while. 

You can't argue with stupid.... No matter what you say here, it will still be a UFO to them.\n

So simple. I make this argument a lot regarding social construction arguments for the existence of anything (God, Santa, etc.). There's a big difference between socially constructed Santa and socially constructed cars.

Nope. Just thought it was disingenuous that the economical part was completely ignored on the left side of the infographic.

http://muddypuppy.com/pages/robert/alaska/fauna/bear_tracks_sand.html\n\nHere's another link.\n\nAnyways, I shouldn't sound so dismissive and, yeah, I did act like I knew for sure that these were bear tracks. I'm still pretty sure but I think we all should hold off judgement until more photos are released.\n\nThe thing that I find suspicious is:\n\n"Editor’s Note: Apparently I need to make this clear: this quick post only includes a close up of one footprint. There are other photographs that include a string of these tracks along a stream. So again, let me stress that there isn’t just one print.. there are several, this is just the closest photograph of a single track. We’ll release the other photos soon."\n\nWhy the delay in releasing the photos? I mean, seriously, why post just one photo if you have more?

I know he's not one of those Young-Earther's who believes in some sort of "trickster" god who put fossils in the ground to make the world seem older than it is, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe that there is some sort of massive "atheist-scientist conspiracy" to discredit the Bible. It seems to me he just believes that scientists simply have it wrong. It's a more than a "little" cognitive dissonance, it's a MASSIVE amount.\n\nThough, not a YEC, I was a Christian once, and I'm sure I was (and still am) guilty of many cognitive biases, but this is just too much for me to fathom. I guess my question for you as a former YEC is, how can someone accept science in general except for THIS bit of science, and still think they are being unbiased towards the evidence?

You say you felt like years passing while in that state. Literally? I mean, you must feel older now than you are if that's the case. And during that experience, I guess you didn't get hungry or needed any sleep. How did you perceive that? Years without any sleep can't be good for your sanity. Also, didn't you feel lonely all those years? And did you have any difficulty getting into your ordinary life again after such a long period of time? It's a lot of questions, I know, but I just can't wrap my head around the assumptions you had been gone for years.

Exactly.  What does "trustworthy" even mean when describing an information source?  It could be God's own Twitter feed, you'd better believe I'm going to take everything with a grain of salt unless I see a source, and the source turns out to be good.

Popular Mechanics has [a great article](http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/architecture/4278874) summarizing the [NIST's official report on Building 7](http://www.nist.gov/el/disasterstudies/wtc/). You can read their [full report](http://wtc.nist.gov/media/NIST_NCSTAR_1A_for_public_comment.pdf) if you'd like to dive into their findings. I also found [this NIST video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK_iBYSqEsc) very informative.

Playing the believer for a minute, having cable would make it pretty easy to send back pictures.  Cable sends internet these days and it could easily send those pictures back.\n\nAlthough, I guess you could make the same argument the same with satellite, but I'm think the upload bandwidth on satellite is small.  This too is wild speculation.\n\nThe antenna could send back a signal through the big antenna one has outside the house.  The electronics they used were shrunk down through miniaturization.\n\nSorry, I hate playing the believer because it is soo easy.

Looks almost like missiles being out paced by their intended target before running out of fuel... 

Well, they apparently found this wood at about 13,000 feet, just under the limit of the permanent ice cap of the mountain.\n\nThis mountain has been populated in the past. Who's to say this isn't a remnant from that population?\n\n&gt; established human settlement on the grounds none have ever been found above 11,000ft in the vicinity\n\nSounds to me like they just made another discover and pushed that limit up to 13,000 feet lol.

No, but I also don't think NASA is the only space program. It's public knowledge that the military had its own space program independent of NASA.

According to this scale my baseline is "Hurts Little More." So much pain.

That's fairly close. I think too a lot of people are afraid and scared and want "big brother" to protect them. 

It's amazing how someone so uneducated in a subject matter can *seem* so intelligent.

&gt; Quantum Physics states that information travels on waves of energy, the information being "I AM HEALTHY" is what is traveling in the water flowing your body which is made up of roughly 70% water. We like to ask the question, "What information are you drinking today?"\n\nIf you ever see another human being drinking this bullshit, do us all a favor and slap it right out of their hands. 

I cross-posted on r/atheism. Maybe someone in Houston will take notice.

You touched on something I have been thinking about - Do you think Alex Jones believes his rhetoric now? I think he may have become trapped by it. Giving up easy money, plus a certain degree of celebrity can't be easy, not to mention publicly admitting he is in error.  I am curious as to what point delusion stops and fraud beings.

&gt; first time I heard about ADHD and medication was on South Park. Made me think that ADHD was bullshit and an example of Americans drugging everything they can.\n\nSame impression here. I heard of it from my GF who's from US.\n\nEspecially as the medications used for it are general psychostimulants and just about anyone can take them and get productivity increase, which is exactly what I heard of (military using those to enhance pilot performance, people in college doing it illicitly for exams, etc).\n\nTo legally sell such useful compound today, you need to label some people as having a disorder and prescribe it, because of this war on drugs attitude.

Are you aware of any literature available online that might speak more to silvers place as a cautious substance?  I'd like to learn more.

OMG, I was visiting a friend in the countryside in Arkansas and heard what I thought was a woman screaming not too far away. I mean it sounded like someone was being raped or beaten. I RAN to her door; she grabbed a gun and we went walking around her house where we both heard it again several times. We didn't see anything and were nervous all night.  \n  \nWe later learned that there had been a panther in the area and that you can tell they're nearby because they scream like a woman in distress.

Just to clarify, I wasn't trying to snark or anything. It was a very "Not sure if sarcastic..." moment. Figured I'd err on the side of too much info. Apologies if it came off nasty.

burning it is bad. you can sometimes hear blood curdling screams when you burn a board. i believe you're suppose to shred it and bury it. but i don't think i can do that.

Am I the only person here that thinks this guy is making it up as he goes along? I mean, come on.. The French use double negatives, so it's proper for us to use them for "emphasis"?  

You're right, in hindsight 'banned' is probably a bit of a harsh word. They can still be sold, but they're also not allowed to claim they have any health effects, they must be advertised as purely cosmetic.

&gt; Is it possible to demand a fair conversation?\n\nYeah.  It's possible.  Some Earth humans have been said to have done this, and have succeeded.  Some situations are very loving and mutual.\n\nSome, however, are also similar to, for example, a wolf or a wildebeest wondering why it's not being allowed to stop for a second and actually *communicate* with the behaviourist that's shooting it in the leg, tranquilizing it, poking around it's teeth and its hide and then tagging its ear or putting a radio controlled collar on it.\n\nThe point is that sometimes not every ET contact is about having a two way, back and forth communication between the ET and the terrestrial human.  Sometimes there's a very specific job at hand, and you're only dealt with in a very clinical manner, and that's it.  You can resist, but you'll likely have even less success than the wolf or the wildebeest at getting away.  This is no reason to let anyone or anything do something to you if you don't want them to.  No.  Fight it if you feel you need to or should.  Just realize that 1) sometimes you can fight and fight and it'll *still* happen, and 2) not every single time that something seems (or even is) scary is it actually bad or harmful or worse to you.  Sometimes (many times even) there is no harmful intent or effect.

The quality of most cell phone video is low. I do think there are more and more videos than there were before camera phones. Also, a lot of people are non believers and do not watch the sky so they are not tuned in at all. You really think that those people who have come forward in the disclosure project are lying? What about the former astronauts who have talked about what they have seen and/or witnessed. If you research enough you will find NASA transmissions where astronauts are talking about UFO"s. You will also find that NASA under the directive of the United States has blurred many images from the moon. Why won't they point Hubble at the moon?  What about stupid SETI, why didn't Paul Allen buy one of those cameras that they used on STS-75 and deploy it into space? Why hasn't any rick person deployed their own satellite into space? Why did Fife Symington initial lie about the Phoenix lights? Why doesn't Fife tell the truth about who told him not to say anything about it at the time it was happening? 

I think "makes up" is a bit harsh. Unless you can provide a link to where he admits he made it up, it more likely he's just misremembering, or there's confirmation bias.

If this is the future of Archeology and science, then I give up.

Lol, no they don't. But I agree it's easy to make shit up about people.

&gt;the artist type, drawn more to the spiritual and natural than scientific and medical.\n\nLet's not conflate spiritual and natural.\n\nI love the natural world, but don't need to imagine it has any nebulous spiritual qualities.\n\nAnd of course some people such as Sagan or Dawkins have used spiritual to mean that feeling of awe that one gets contemplating nature... Though in general I think it's better to avoid using the word because it'll confuse matters, unfortunately.

Facing something  that creates the fear response is, sadly, not the same as facing your fear.  None  the less, you can will the emotion of fear to subside with a little practice.  All you need is the right motivation.

Read the book I linked for some arguments against eugenics.  The thing is that eugenics reformed under the name "human genetics".  They have abandoned the principles of *negative*(sterilization/euthanization) eugenics in favor of the principles of *positive*(breeding good bloodlines to produce superior humans, the same way they do with horses)eugnenics.  Also I dont believe that "we all support eugenics to a certain degree".  I didnt realize there was any laws against someone with down syndrome, for example, reproducing.  Unfortunately eugenics doesnt just consider those with mental disabilities to be inferior.  it includes those with brown eyes, those with epilepsy, those who wear glasses, those with ANY form of hereditary disease, and those who break the law.  It was eugenics that created the Aplha and Beta used by the military at one point to classify soldiers into groups, it was eugenics that created the IQ test, its first iteration included many questions that were nothing more than pop trivia(eg was XXX a singer, actress or a writer?) and the whole science behind it was a sham.  \n\nHuman genetics on the other hand while not as dangerous as the former eugenics, still has its dangers if left unchecked.  Imagine a world where those who have money can breed themselves children who are stronger, healthier, smarter and truly ARE a superior race.  A world such as this would run the risk of creating a genetic underclass of citizens.  People who are unteachable and therefore unemployable by many businesses, who are un-insurable by the medical industry and who excel beyond those of lesser means.  In doing so they finally win the class wars.  The rich will be perpetually rich and the poor perpetually poor, because they truly are inferior.  \n\nIf you read the book you will see that the most staunch supporters of eugenics are the wealthy elite.  The Rochelfellers, the Harrimans, the Carnegies, and many of the other "old money" families that beleive in population control as they beleive that poverty is the result of over-population rather than the reality which is the opposite(those who are poor tend to have more children, in many cases especially in third world countries, due to having more children meaning more chance of survival).  This may sound extreme but this is risk we are running in our time right now with regards to human genetics which is eugenics in its current form.  While not as bad as its original form, is still racially and more specifically nowadays *financially* driven, as in it is being driven and supported by the ultra rich in an attempt to make sure they maintain their superiority over the rest of the planet.  \n\nI realize your comment was mostly joking, but you seemed to display a lack of knowledge of *what* eugenics actually is/was.  I seriously recommend reading that book if you are interested in more info on what eugenics is/was and the dangers involved in following said movement and philosophies even in its current iteration.  \n\nEDIT: Also, to add to the the second last paragraph above, it is the same people driving eugenics today as were doing it in the past.  The same people who applauded Hitler and Mengele right up until they thought they might get bad press for continuing said support.  They didnt stop supporting him cause they realized their mistakes, they stopped supporting him *openly* to save their reputations, while still believing in what he and they were doing.  \n

Qualify and/or quantify "intense."  In what way?  How is that a useful or critical descriptor?  I have put the qualifier "most likely" onto my statement as a qualifier of what it could be, but I have to admit that seeing these videos I wonder how people can think "obviously a UFO."  Perhaps in the strictest sense of the term U.F.O., but hardly displaying inexplicable behavior or amazing technology or apparently intelligent control.  You people really, really *want to believe*.  I would rather want to know based on a critical analysis of what has come before, especially in the case of Mexico City sightings (mostly balloons, with one or two true unknowns).

Hooray for pareidolia.\n\nHere's a [google maps link](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Galway,+Ireland&amp;hl=en&amp;ll=53.268326,-9.049318&amp;spn=0.00158,0.004128&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=66.954931,135.263672&amp;oq=galway&amp;t=w&amp;hnear=Galway,+County+Galway,+Ireland&amp;z=19) if you're curious.\n\nCamera view is east. Using street view on the other side of the water you can verify the buildings. [link](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Galway,+Ireland&amp;hl=en&amp;ll=53.26934,-9.045062&amp;spn=104.377272,270.527344&amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068&amp;sspn=66.954931,135.263672&amp;oq=galway&amp;t=w&amp;hnear=Galway,+County+Galway,+Ireland&amp;z=3&amp;layer=c&amp;panoid=7CX-Rdo48SYgElx_lyebtg&amp;cbll=53.26934,-9.045062&amp;cbp=13,-223.22774718458157,,0,-3.3231552117586176)\n\nIn my opinion, it doesn't look like whatever that is is standing on the grass. Could have been some part of a passing boat in the water just beyond.

Heh. Don't you find it a little ironic giving me that advice when :\n\nA) Your use of proper form is a little off. \n\nB) You are actually attacking the person who wrote the blog, as the only time I used "UFO" was in a quote of the article. \n\n:/

The problem is "the different stuff" in the case is not proven to work.  

&gt;Doctors should inform patients fully. This is one issue.\n\nThe issue with raising the ethics of placebo is that it presumes the doctor has perfect knowledge, and hinges the ethics of the placebo on that knowledge.\n\nLet's say it's July 10, 2002 and you're an orthopedic surgeon.  You've been doing arthroscopic surgery for ten years.  You're well-regarded in your profession.  You've got a big day tomorrow - you're doing a debridement on a USC running back with a bright future ahead of him.  He's eager to get it done so he can maybe grab a slot in the NFL after he graduates.\n\nThen the next day you open your JAMA and read ["Arthroscopic Knee Surgery No Better Than Placebo Surgery."](http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/438238)\n\nSo.  Do you cancel your patient?  Do you cancel your career?  Do you wait for more research to be done?  Do you write an angry letter to JAMA?  \n\nWhat about your patient?  This "sham" surgery is quite possibly his ticket to the NFL.  And what about the study?  What if it's wrong?\n\nI don't think there are right answers to this.  I don't think there are wrong answers to this.  I think these are bioethics questions, and I think that the *ethics* of placebo are a very, very different question than the *effectiveness* of placebo.  And what I see, time and time again, are "skeptics" attempting to argue against efficacy on ethical grounds.\n\nYeah, "Doctors should inform patients fully."  That doesn't mean it isn't *the patient's choice.*  Suppose you've got a cancer patient.  She asks you "Doctor, should I pray?"  What sort of "informed consent" are you going to give them?  Remember - [outlook has an effect on survival rates in cancer.](http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/early/2010/12/10/JCO.2010.28.4455.abstract?sid=c70bb6c2-723e-4342-86ed-d2d32ef48d8a)  You may think of this as an "ethics" question but if the patient *thinks* they're going to get better, they have a better chance of actually doing so.  So choose wisely.  But also remember that if you endorse prayer, the skeptics are going to come down on you like vultures on carrion.\n\n&gt;This has nothing to do with whether you can take birth control pills, kleinbl00. Your doctor should inform you of the side effects, risks, and benefits and allow you to choose for yourself. Same with euthanasia and every other issue, including placebo treatments.\n\nHere's the lines from the study that everyone's so bent about: \n\n&gt;    “Not only did we make it absolutely clear that these pills had no active ingredient and were made from inert substances, but we actually had ‘placebo’ printed on the bottle,” Ted Kaptchuk of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who led the study, said in a statement.\n\nWhat's the argument the article takes?\n\n&gt;The reason is that, even though they did tell their subjects that the sugar pills they were being given were inert, the investigators also used suggestion to convince their subjects that these pills could nonetheless induce powerful “mind-body” effects. In other words, the investigators did the very thing they claimed they weren’t doing; they deceived their subjects to induce placebo effects by exaggerating the strength of the evidence for placebo effects and using rather woo-ish terminology (“self-healing,” for instance).\n\nSo - informed consent, but not too informed, and not too uninformed, but just the right amount of informed, or else it isn't actually medicine, and you're "violating the trust" of the patient.\n\nIn other words, the author of this article places not only the impetus of knowledge on the doctor, it places the impetus of *the semantics of that knowledge* in order to avoid any undue influence.  In other words, the doctor not only has to tell the patient what's up, he has to tell the patient what's up in a way that could not be construed to influence the patient in the slightest possible way.\n\nWhat's that phrase all the pharmaceutical companies put in their ads?  Oh yeah.\n\n"Consult your doctor."\n\n

If God can violate the most basic logic principle, then he is very powerful, indeed.

&gt; You are clearly confusing multiple primary sources and seconday sources\n\nYou are clearly confusing the fact that there has only been ONE SINGLE SCIENTIFIC SOURCE EVER that claimed a connection between autism and ethyl mercury. ONLY ONE, and that is Andrew Wakefield. Everything else, and I mean literally everything else about the connection between autism and ethyl mercury is based off of the work of Andrew Wakefield. \n\n&gt; There are thousands of secondary sources for Wakefield.\n\nNo there are not. There has only been ONE study EVER that found any sort of evidence to suggest that there was a connection between ethyl mercury and autism. EVERYTHING ELSE is based off of that one shoddy piece of research. \n\n&gt; We discuss secondary sources, because they are written by an independent third party.\n\nActually, you haven't discussed any secondary sources, you've just claimed that they exist. Why don't you show us some of these scientific secondary sources? But wait!! You can't!! Because there are NO scientific secondary sources for Wakefield's work. The ONLY source based on ANYTHING scientific was Wakefield's paper, which touched off the autism ethyl mercury connection. There are NO other scientific secondary sources for Wakefield's work. There's only blind conjecture of non-scientific sources, and Wakefield's absolute crap of a research paper. \n\nYou have NO secondary scientific sources, NONE, ZIP, NADA, but hey if you want to disprove me why don't you go ahead and show me some of these scientific secondary sources. Show me some scientific papers backing up Wakefield! Hell, why don't you explain why we should even accept Wakefield's paper considering he FAKED THE RESULTS!! Please let's see ya do some research to prove your point. \n\n\nOh and I'm still waiting for your response to my other post. You know the one where I pointed out that you don't know the difference between ethyl mercury and elemental mercury! The one where you showed that you're an idiot with an ideology who has no clue what's going on.\n\nOr how about explaining why exactly is it mercury is immune to the scientific method like you've claimed multiple times now?\n\nHell why don't you explain why mercury is somehow magically immune to the dose-response relationship, which regulates literally every other chemical in existence?! Why exactly does it not apply to mercury?

Because quite simply the following will happen when the general public finds out.\n\n1. panic\n2. hoarding of supplies like in a hurricane or natural disaster\n3. the economy will have a quick burst and then completely collapse.\npeople will stay at home, not go on vacation and generally not buy anything other than fuel, water , food and weapons.  as the economy is designed to constantly expand  it cannot survive this kind of shake up.\n\nThis civilization as a whole isn't prepare to be demoted from top creature in the known universe to a lower less evolved species.\n

"Ulf Buck (left) is a Rump Reader from Meldorf, Germany. He's also blind, yet he claims he can read people's futures by feeling their naked buttocks."\nNot blind...brilliant.

Yes, it was very good.  I thoroughly recommend it.  Unfortunately, my joke is dangerously close to a spoiler, so I can't in good conscience explain it to you.

But what if it *is* his hair? What if that is his *real hair*, and it is *attached* to his *head*?

Two of the posts on the [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) frontpage are about this precise thing. :P Hence posting it.

You hit it, I had been getting weird vibes from skepchick an PZ both for a while, but this was a clincher of insantity.  I've pulled back from nearly all the skeptic sites I was reading and people I was following cause this is utter lunacy.  

What's always worked for me is to carefully disassemble your HDD and remove the surprisingly strong neodymium-iron-boron magnets that you will find inside.\n\nNext, you have to grind them up to a fine dust and mix them in a 1.5 cups of water with 2 drops of Lycopodium and shake vigorously.  Then dump out all but 3 drops of that mixture and mix those three drops with 2 cups of water and 1/100 of a teaspoon of your  neodymium-iron-boron dust.  The take three drops of *that* solution and mix it with a gallon of diet coke.  Now you have your mixture prepared.\n\nDrink it.\n\nOnce you have fully ingested your diet coke you should now be able to verbally communicate with your PC (sorry Mac users) and ask it where it's problem lies.  What you need to grind, dilute and drink to **fix** your problem obviously depends on what your PC tells you, so I'll save that lesson for another day.\n\n*you may also grow hair in places that you did not know existed as a result of this solution*

Yes we've got mountains of evoidence regarding the formation artifical cirrus clouds, however these are not just vaopor trails people:\nhttp://carnicom.com/air1.htm\nhttp://www.agriculturedefensecoalition.org/?q=jet-tracks-persistent-jet-contrails-weather-photosynthesis

Uhhh. I though that's what I just provided.\n\nOK then, just add this as:\n\n* CO2 is increasing in the atmosphere ([WDCGG](http://gaw.kishou.go.jp/wdcgg/wdcgg.html))\n\n* The CO2 in the atmosphere has a decreasing C13/C12 ratio, which is the fingerprint of fossil fuel CO2 as opposed to natural CO2 ([Ghosh 2003](http://www.bgc.mpg.de/service/iso_gas_lab/publications/PG_WB_IJMS.pdf))

It's called deja reve ... "already dreamed." Dreams are known to be precognitive. Interpreters like Jung, Moss, Faraday and Cayce have documented precognitive dreams. I use it as a basis behind the idea of literally following your dreams in a [book I wrote about dream work.](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XAF6R2) [Here is a free book sample](http://www.scribd.com/doc/91668385/Dreams-123-Sample). See chapter three.

Our time is the time it takes the Earth to go around our sun. Each planet orbits its parents stars at different rates. I may not have worded it correctly, but this is what I mean.\n\nDistance will still be the same on each planet, but time will always vary. An hour that passes here, is different to an hour on Mars. Then you can bring in gravity. Gravity is said to affect timespan.\n\nEven travelling in a car, time is going slower than to those that aren't travelling by car (ever so slightly.) The faster you go, the slower time appears to go than on the outside.

I think that was almost more of a filibuster than an answer. :) 

original photo (with no lights at the corners) : http://www.ufocasebook.com/2009b/greenvillesc052609b.jpg 

send this shit to Pen &amp; Teller.\n\nThey've got to know something about it.

How does your solution to the first problem solve anything? The point of the first bullet, is to show that people will automatically assume you are LIKE holocaust deniers by attaching a powerful emotional appeal to someone's credibility. It's wrong, and therefore, the word denialist is wrong.\n\nThe distinction is not important and it's not even universal. Not everyone has such definitions, and you're not going to teach all of society the definitions.\n\n The attachment of labels to those denying for the sake of denying compared to denying for the lack of evidence, can only be used to confuse the two.\n\nIt's not a term that's why I have animosity for it. Not only isn't it a term. It's also a great way to discredit someone without debate. It's especially especially stupid for anyone in /r/skeptic to attach labels to people simply refusing to acknowledge some position--because much of the time, skeptics aren't always in the popular position.\n\nPeople are always called denialists for not believing in God. Do you think this is acceptable? \n\nPeople are called denialists if they deny a genocide that was fabricated without evidence by nationalists. You think this is acceptable? In essence, you cannot as an academic, deny anyone's genocide, for fear of being labeled a genocide denialist (and compared to Holocaust deniers). \n\nIt's simply wrong, and as a subscriber to /r/skeptic you should be horrified about such an unintellectual word.\n\nIt's like a politician approving of a word like "WordA: defined as: An ignorant politician." Then going out for a speech and saying "My opponent, he's a WordA. How can you vote for a WordA?" It's hypocritical, because any politician can be ignorant. It's also stupid, because one day, someone might label him a WordA and use it's emotional power to convince the public of something that isn't quantifiable.

Dust isn't paranormal, otherwise every house I have lived in has been haunted.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-obamas-america-critics-notebook-2016-20120827,0,3566497.story\n\nEssentially, a movie based on a bad book. The only reason it's popular is because the right-wing movement hails it for being critical of Obama, regardless of the validity of that criticism. It could call Obama a space alien and they'd call it genius.

Aren't you just saying that every prediction need to be tested before the claim is accepted as truth? That's obvious and already done, the question is just about when it's accepted as truth.  \nWe can't possibly tie the standard of evidence to the amount of predictions made, nor the strength of them, simply because we cannot know how that beforehand. Heisenbergs uncertainty principle was seen as something weird with no value outside philosophical ideas about the predictability of the world, but now it seems to explain everything at a particle level. Tell me if I misunderstood your point here.\n\nAnd yes, that's pretty much what I say. Most claims need new evidence, but if you have an extraordinary claim you have to explain why noone else have noticed this anywhere else in science before. Basically you have to show that what you claim is undoubtable true insted of just very likely to be true, because people who should have seen it before haven't.\n\nThe statement "extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence" is just a nice way to say "turning over science is difficult".

This is an important effect which helps explain the retrenching of religious and social attitudes in the last decade.  The internet is a powerful adversary against long held beliefs.

One would hope that the cables revealing the truth behind T H E  E V E N T will not be suppressed. Thank you, pravda for shedding light on the conspiracy. The fact that there is actually no such document referred to in the article is proof as to just how far the conspiracy goes. Someone has traveled back in time and deleted it!

As "out there" as the event may sound, Cold was mentioned in the 1966 Grinning Man sightings in New Jersey.\nThe man communicated with Derenberger telepathically and said his name was "Cold"\n[Alien Lore No. 186 - Indrid Cold, The Grinning Man](http://jackbrummet.blogspot.com/2010/10/alien-lore-no-165-indrid-cold-grinning.html)\n\nThey used to have a write up on Wikipedia about this but it's gone now. \n\nWhich now I see is what CaerBannog was talking about above. 

He's being attacked and downvoted mercilessly for no other reason than being a UFO "advocate" (also partially because he keeps using the IAmA to promote his books) but he's really asking for it when he says shit like this:\n\n"There is more to the world than physical evidence. Frankly you can't go out and see either a super nova or a neutron star."\n\nUmm no. We actually *can* go out and see them. We have observational (and in some cases [physical](http://arxiv.org/abs/0902.3446)) evidence of supernovas and neutron stars. I'm shocked that he can say something like that and still call himself a physicist.

When do they act certain? All points are put forth as a question. 

&gt;These are the first definitions for atheist that appear on these dictionary sites.\n\nAnd as you see, they are inconsistent. They also do not describe its definition, but rather its perceived common usage. \n\nWikipedia on [atheism](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism):\n\n&gt;**Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities.[1]** In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.[2] **Most inclusively, atheism is simply the absence of belief that any deities exist.[3]** Atheism is contrasted with theism,[4][5] which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.[5][6]\n\nAlso:\n\nReligious Tolerance on '[Definitions of the term "Atheism"](http://www.religioustolerance.org/atheist4.htm)'\n\nAbout.com on '[What is Atheism? Overview of How Atheism is Defined in Dictionaries, By Atheists](http://atheism.about.com/od/definitionofatheism/p/overview.htm)'\n\nr/atheism's FAQ on '[What is atheism?](http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/atheism#Whatisatheism)'\n\nThat said, I'm not going to get into an argument with you about the definition of atheism. It's a huge waste of both of our times. 

I'm amazed at how many government informants have so few details when it comes to aliens.\n\nI am reading "Blind Man's Bluff" about submarine warfare from Diesel engines to nuclear and beyond.  Tons of classified material, lots of people who talk about this that and the other.\n\nDetails like birthday cakes, who the XO on duty was, what the pass times were are stated, and corroborated by multiple sources.  How is it that these sorts of "informants" have no details (when for example being a "surveillance team lead" or whatever they don't go into when things were wiretapped, how long, and in what manner.  Any transcript, documents anything?\n\nYes yes yes, confidential and all that... post it to wikileaks then. 

A neurosugeon did my surgery.  You say I did not need surgery But I suffer from degenerative discs disease. I had no disc left on L5 and S1 and the chiropractors still said they could fix the problem and release the nerves as they said..  You also say I got a bad chiropractor.  In that 17 years I went to about 5-8 different chiropractors.  So I guess all the ones that I have gone to were all worthless.  I think I will stick to a regular doctor from now on.  If a doctor told you that you would have to come see him 40 times for him to cure your flu, would you still go to him?  No you wouldn't, so why should you go to a person who will tell you it will take 40 sessions for them to cure you, and then after the 40 sessions you aren't cured.   You say there are bad doctors out there as well.  Well I research all the doctors that I go to and guess what so far to date and I haven't had a problem with any of them.  But every chiropractor I have gone didn't fix anything, so you can love your chiropractors, but I will stay clear of them and let everyone know of how useless their practice is.

Do you not understand? When you face the fact that they can't be compromised or reasoned with you can actually actively work around them or against them instead of trying to work with them. This is people realizing that we have to start doing something about the tea party/extremist republicans.

I agree with Elshar. It's like when you're trying to have a serious discussion about literature and someone tries to throw in a treatise about eating Irish babies. 

It does help with pain, although not much more than any placebo, and it appears that where you insert the needles has almost no effect. In double-blind tests, with trained acupuncturists vs randomly inserting needles, the same effect was reported with both. I really, really cba getting references for you though, I just listen to a lot of SGU.

I usually chalk it up to a mis-spark in the headmeats, but entertain alternate understandings when it suits me. 

I see your type of comment whenever anyone involved in ufology is brought up in this subreddit. "People think he's cool, but i don't think he's cool". \n\nI agree though, just funny. It's like we can't even come to some kind of consensus about who's got street cred and who doesn't 

The After Effects used on the figure appearing in the glass is cool, but they failed to make sure that the image tracked the motion of the camera. \n\nClearly fake, and pretty amateurish, really.. 

All the contrary, when it comes to your own health you want a really objective judgement, and you are the least qualified to be objective regarding your own health.

I just listened and did not hear any response. I only heard what sounded like a chair being moved across a wood floor. 

Not far fetched at all. Now excuse me please I need to forward this email my grandma sent me 10 times or something bad will happen.\n

I read something that a fungus that grew in the tanks where MSG was made caused people to get sick. I can't find any information on it, though.

[This debunking](http://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/dv1gr/debunking_theres_no_such_thing_as_a_vegan/) might be of interest.

This will definitely destroy the homeopathic market!  \n\nZOMG it was paper all along and vibrations.\n

Simon Cowell thought this was a good idea too: http://imdb.com/title/tt0339034/

Much like the slave owners were very easy convinced that their slaves are better-off just being property, and much like the republicans a century ago decided that voting rights are just for white male voters.

Sadly the anti-vax kooks are still at it ... and the result is that they will end up killing young children by scaring parents into not getting their kids vaccinated.

&gt;That's as much of a cop-out as saying "it's almost like she's a woman,"\n\nHere you are implying I might as well be saying she is a woman, which completely defeats the purpose of my post because not just women can be at fault.  You seem to have misinterpreted what I was saying, or I did the same with your original statement.\n\n&gt;I accused you of implying that her being a human somehow makes her **bad arguments acceptable**, just as other people who are not you have done in the past in regards to women.\n\nI have yet to see an attack on her arguments.  Only attacks on her character.\n\n&gt;I can assure you that I am both A) Not a a demigod and...\n\nI never said anyone was.  Just that figure heads, in any arena, are often treated as such by there followers.  \n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------\n\nI don't know who you are, and who you are doesn't matter.  So far you have completely misread everything I have posted, and mostly made my points for me.  If you can provide the evidence of what arguments of hers are flawed then go for it.  However, being a drama queen or a dick doesn't detract from how right or wrong statements or arguments may be.  \n\nIn the same way that Rebecca Watson being a drama queen doesn't make her arguments any less valid, you having an " enormously highly trafficked blog" doesn't make you more.

Here's [another nice discussion of cell phone RF emissions and also microwave ovens](http://www.peterdolph.com/2009/08/will-microwave-radiation-give-you_19.html) by Peter Dolph. tl;dr - There's a related 'health issue' (not cancer) concerning tissue heating which is quantified in terms of the specific absorption rate or SAR and in most cases its very hard to exceed the recommended SAR limit using a modern cell phone.\nI also like Bob Park (sorry to see that kleinbl00 no longer does) and glad to see that he gave you a nice easy-to-understand explanation of the issues.\nBTW, liked your GDL blog site too.

Holy crap! The [same ghost](http://imgur.com/NaKpT) is in my house!

I count 27 examples of headlines used in the article. 13 of these headlines were criticized for being unfair to the Democrats, 14 of the headlines were criticized for being unfair to the Republicans.\n\nDid you perhaps read a completely different article by mistake?

It was smart of OP to put something next to the coin to provide scale. 

You do know that all plant food is Genetically modified. Its been cross breed with other varieties to get the results the grower wants. The only difference with GMO is that you can target the genes you want to change. Thus there is not more danger in a new genetically modified breed than a new variety that is created through cross breed. Actually GMO's could end up being safer because they most likely need less pesticides and weed killers sprayed on them because they where engineered to be more resistant.

From what I've heard in rumor form and just Googled, [TSA agents](http://www.infowars.com/cancer-surges-in-body-scanner-operators-tsa-launches-cover-up/) have been displaying abnormal cancer rates since the machines went into use.\n\nAt the same time, I can't find any sources more reliable than the one I just linked to (Oh, a natural cures website. *That*'s reliable. A blog on WordPress? Gee, that screams integrity). [TSA's official blog](http://blog.tsa.gov/2011/06/tsa-cancer-cluster-myth-buster.html) claims it's a lie, but I'm inclined to distrust that for obvious reasons.\n\nWell, that's inconclu--AHA! A source I'm not keen to snort derisively at! [Wired](http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/12/questions-linger-on-safety-of-airport-body-scanners/) seems to think they're relatively safe, but that TSA's being evasive and inept in telling anybody how.

7 feet and found in Africa...Did people forget that blacks are the dominant race in Africa?

Unlike a lot of people with views I don't fully agree with, I have a lot of respect for Penn, simply due to the fact that he IS so optimistic. He's no politician - he just genuinely sees the best in people. From this perspective, "pure" libertarianism (not the bullshit "conservative in disguise with a few tiny little contrarian bits" junk we see a lot of from the likes of Glenn Beck) makes a lot of sense. I'm fairly liberal and think that in the real world, this "we're all good people that will all get along and take care of each other" viewpoint seems a bit naive (much like pure communism, which also makes plenty of sense if you take away the part about human nature). Still, unlike most (real) politicians, I actually like listening to Penn, since I get the impression I'm getting an honest, intelligent opinion rather than a string of carefully calculated talking points or a simple preach to the converted. There's a logic there to this individual perspective that you don't see in the back-and-forth compromise and bizarre religious slant in the current political party circus. 

Where are you getting that number from? Wikipedia says persistence hunting generally lasts for two to eight hours and you generally go about 16 to 22 miles. Both the documentary clips I've seen on the topic also mention hours of running in the Kalahari.

Just referring to the fact that people claim that if you eat snow your basically eating pee.\n\nSurely the evaporated urine would be basically be water anyway once separated from other bodily waste, plus it would be so watered down by other sources which would dilute it to the point it is basically just water anyway.\n\nI know technically all snow had a least a few drops of what at one point constituted as someone's urine, its more about the ratio of urine to water, whether it would contain any significant amount.

Like all woo, it lacks any basis in reality and so continues to fracture and become more disparate since there are no core facts to build upon.\n\nNow there are also "Crystal Children" and "Starseed children" options for those parents who still don't think being an "Indigo" is special enough.

I think that is where all the fun comes in. We don't know anything, we never will. It means we get to pursue the truth forever, and I find that wonderful and amazing and magical. \n\nI'd start getting in to theories on chaos, order, and random sets, but I think that could get rather lengthy (as there is so much out there, and it's all so very interesting with all the following possibilities)

You go it, I'm in western Canada.  There's some areas that grow corn, but no soy beans that I know of.  Peas are popular here, though.

Oh no, I agree with you... the main problem with FPTP is that it promotes the loudest most common-denominator talking head to the top of the pile. 

It's disheartening to read the replies. \n  Here's the problem: So long as humans emulate the behavior of those that feel they are genetically superior to us there is no argument those who take advantage of other creatures just because they can will make that is not hypocritical.\n\nIt's like the golden rule, tit for tat.

I'm not defending or attacking the gun culture, but such cultures exist. Putting gun control in place may not change the culture.

&gt; Oh yeah the Inquisition.  How is this monster not in jail?\n\nDo you know who else used hyperbole to associate historical atrocities with an unrelated modern incident? HITLER!\n\nThe Inquisition was the systematic mass torture and murder of suspected heretics.  Ross' actions were deplorable but it isn't even close to the same thing.\n

You know she got that from her youth pastor's weekly newsletter and found it profound enough to post on facebook.

It's possible to eat a very healthy and balanced vegan diet.  It's hard to do, and not everyone will get it right, but it is certainly possible.  There are also arguments to be made as to why it is a good idea to eat a vegan diet.  I'm not a vegan, but I do object to simply calling them idiots as a whole.

if I saw it going in at an angle i would do the same. follow its trajectory. Although i think this one isn't real, we need to give people more credit in the common sense department.

No, these were indeed sea fish, as my route rarely veered off from the coastline.

On the completely opposite spectrum of topic:\n\nIt's true that subjecting water to a microwave beam will dump that beam's energy into vibrating the molecules of water.  It's also true that intersecting ultrasound beams can interfere to produce a desired signal, such as music.  I wonder if it's possible to use two intercecting microwave beams to produce coherent sound in a water target.

You said the exact same thing all over again without adding anything.  You still feel that all issues are best handled by those that come before you, that the process of discovery is irrelevant to understanding, and that authorities are always more useful than logic without noting that the reason you're even having the debate is the person you're debating has rejected your authority.\n\nYou are dogmatic to a fault and I won't continue talking to you.

Credibility is tarnished by attempts to glamorize.  Anyone who wants to present evidence with the hope of being taken seriously should take note: leave out the dramatic music, leave off the scrolling fonts, leave off your pseudonym in 30+ font size, leave off the ad for your youtube channel, leave off editorial, sensational interpretation.  Just present WTF you saw.\n\nAnd as for the video's title and subtitles during the movie claiming it was made Sept 15, it speaks to credibility.  You say: what if they're just a moron?  I say: it takes a moron to trust a moron.

and where much of that money go? The Sudan People's Liberation Army, the same group accused of rape and looting in South Sudan

He wants to stick around, just let him. I'd be excited if former pets came by to say hey

I think [Buzz Aldrin had the right approach](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin#Bart_Sibrel_Incident).

It's a: a list of hypotheses, plus b: it probably got a lot of different causes, for different people, not just the dopamine one. \n\n&gt; I really hate to say this, but it really just seems that you don't understand. It's not about not getting shit done. It's about never feeling motivated to do anything, ever. Not even to play games or otherwise enjoy oneself. It isn't an every now and again thing. It's life destroying.\n\nDoesn't sound like attention deficit *hyperactivity* to me. The point is, ADHD is as ridiculous of a diagnosis as that 'strawman' example of mine. There is no way there is a single cause for all instances of this problem. \n\nOn top of this, with all the medications everyone's been taking everything is probably severely co-founded with the aftereffects. In general, if you boost some types of signal in the brain, after enough time, the brain will adjust the synaptic strengths, re-normalize. Then when you're off meds you get actual problem.

I think it was from Food Inc or from Penn &amp; Teller's Bullshit episode on organic food, but I remember hearing that in order to be certified as organic food you have to use older/scarier pesticides. The newer pesticides of today are designed to be safer overall. You can't eat organic and use the pesticide argument, because (if the information is correct) you are forcing them to use *worse* pesticides.

My encounter with a [Hellhound](http://gatherer.wizards.com/pages/card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=238331).

I believe though there were a bunch of shopped pictures put in with the real ones in that incident, i imagine to cast purposeful doubt...

That's a good idea. If they see yours, they can dismiss it. At that point, you can say "Look, you can bring in your own equipment and record what you want. We are 100% serious and will do whatever it takes to prove it."

Insensible losses.  Respiratory tract secretions, heat (this is huge), sweat (no, it doesn't have to be tons of it), bowel and urinary movements, turnover of skin.  Mostly it puts your body in a catabolic state where your muscle and fat is being broken down into molecules the body uses to keep cells functioning.  It's conservation on a molecular level.

it really saddens me that people like you still think this is all based on faith.

&gt;Laser Therapy has roots in the ancient acupuncture techniques using a cold, non-invasive laser to balance the energy flow between acupuncture points on the ears, nose and hands.\n\nFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU......

The only problem is vaccines rely heavily on herd immunity. They aren't 100% effective, so even if you're vaccinated, there's a small chance you can catch the disease.

Still weird though that it would get flipped around in the ocean and stay connected to the body 

Hey saw this and thought Id let ya guys know about /r/MusicalComedy a subreddit I made for musical comedians, huge amounts if videos by Tim Minchin and Bo Burnham

Solid advice.  I've been much happier since I stopped trying to explain basic science to my roommate.

I asked him when I watched AvA play, those testimonials were given to him by DR Greer. And are made up of the disclosure Project interviews. 

Tits aren't actually mostly air... are they? Like... you couldn't *deflate* them... right?

The guards all arrived at the same time from the same direction immediately after the angel arrives, which makes it look staged.  There's no way they would have responded that quickly to an unprecedented phenomenon during an otherwise boring day at the shopping mall.

You do not need any evidence to back it up. Your sister does, for she is the one making quite incredible claims here.

Umm...what's *in* the boxes?\n\nStrange that out of so many being found there is only 1 partial photo of one, and it's of a kid next to it, and not a one has tried to actually *open* the boxes.\n\nAlso, there are a LOT of anonymous sources, including GLP AC's.\n\nI call hoax.

Other FAA rules say that every instruction must be clear to every passenger.  That's why the emergency placards in the seats look like wordless cartoons for a five-year old.  The attendants would be required to distinguish devices with and without radio functionalities.

You're still providing people with energy, you still have to build the machines (the R&amp;D costs would be astronomical), keep them running, set up &amp; maintain a way to distribute it - so there's plenty to charge for. Hell you could probably charge more for it if you went for the *it's environmentally friendly* angle. 

Roger that. I mis-read your post. I wasn't trying to foil your comment.

Believing and Knowing is quite the opposite. I think the mistake you make is not knowing that believing in PA is being closed minded. You won't look up a rational explanation, but instead just explaining it with "It cannot be explained - so it must be paranormal". Don't get me wrong. I don't give a fuck in what you believe. I am just a very rational person. I don't believe in God, Paradise, Phantoms, Ghosts or Santa Claus. At a certain point the brain should have been evolved enough to know that these things are just fairy tales.

I'll laugh when the oil dries up. Everybody will be fucked up in the butt because of that.

It does sound more probable that your haunting is internal, a manifestation of your guilt, than external. I'd strongly recommend that you read Michael Newton's book "Journey of Souls"; I think it will help you find a path towards some acceptance.

I love Kingsley, his points are usually valid and he masks educational talks behind humour and profanity.\n\nDespite him focusing mainly on pop culture, he's a great youtuber to watch.

Thanks for the information guys. My friend showed me this and I was a bit skeptical, he got pissed off because of it.\n\nI was just genuinely curious about how to verify a claim like this when there was no sources given and it was 12 year old girl on local news.

You trust VPNs? Hope you enjoy the redeathening camps. I send all of my internet traffic via carrier pigeon.

In Universities, Philosophy deals largely with this and so there's often a course or two dedicated to the subject of evaluating arguments. If you really want to get deep into it, you can go right into the philosophy of logic. People like that are called "Logicians" at the professional level. It's got a nice ring, don't you think? "Logician"… sounds like a powerful wizard of logic.

&gt;You'll wanna put 3x &lt; x &lt; 9x your bodyweight through your bones\n\nHow about weight lifting combined with running?

How do you tell someone that most of their fears are ridiculous and untrue?

thanks, I will look again, my room is quite small, maybe 15' by 8'. That is a good explanation for the foot steps, the biggest event regarding the steps was when I was ~12 so I couldn't really make up a logical solution.

Yea please don't do that, I don't want this to backfire on him :-\\

I know there was a recent thread in which Kaku was called out for basically going on TV and saying that anything from time travel to wormhole-based FTL are definitely achievable.

I'm totally open to the idea that there might be nothing physical to look for, in which case there is a good psychological reason to dig into what makes this phenomenon so lasting and accepted.  And in doing that, reduce the number of people seeing them, and come up with their own interesting results.  Carl Jung was interested in UFO's from that angle.\n\nBut when there's more evidence than just someone's hallucination (radar reports, for example), or the witnesses are more than 5 guys drunk camping one night, it shouldn't be brushed off just because the word UFO was used.  People don't want to run down every dead end I'm sure, but dismissing the people who honestly feel their life has been altered by such things and left without some answers isn't the answer either.\n\nAuthoritative studies would help keep people from being so ready to accept crap evidence as 'proof'.  Which is another very good reason to do some legitimate work with the reported accounts.  There needs to be more education of the public on what is actually being seen, and why people are saying they're seeing them.

I've always known he was special.  Sometimes I wonder if he hasn't got a mental illness.

I do believe in empathy. I have a really close friend whose family seems to be able to read people with uncanny clarity. They struggle to read me though, it seems either they can't sense anything or they sense erratic and conflicting signals so I wouldn't carve these words in granite:\n\n&gt;This intuition has never let me down and the people I have come in contact with were always exactly what I expected them to be. It is as if people are wearing masks and it is extremely easy to see through what people really are.\n\n\nThis is pretty much the same way she described her experiences to me. I have the personality of a chameleon though. I'm wearing masks on masks on masks that are constantly regenerating and changing. Sadly it's a defense mechanism that I cannot disable either, I've only been able to truly share my 'beingness' a couple times with my friend, but both times it was an incredible experience. \n\n\nI'm also sensitive to the emotions and 'beingness' of people around me although I think it is different then the way she senses things. For me it's more passive, if I focus on it I lose it, or I interpret it incorrectly. If I'm focused on something else or letting my mind wander I'll get hooked into an undercurrent of information from my surroundings, once I'm hooked in I can bring some focus to it but if I give too much attention to it, it seems to evaporate.\n

I would add that the evidence is also being hidden from the entire people of Earth. But that's just me ...

compelling story... especially when you start seeing all of the other sightings around Texas the past few weeks.. 

condensation does not answer why when i opened my grinder to check if there was anything in it, the inside was wet.  or why when i pulled my debit card out of my wallet it was wet, when the wallet wasn't wet and neither were the cards surrounding my debit card.

there was no time for any commands either way. it was like she was my reflection. thats how synced it was

Oddly enough, ufos seen and photographed in the 40s, 50s,60s and 70s all looked like top hats or plates thrown in the air. \n\nNow with computers and better home made special effects, the fakes look more elaborate and have settled on a disc shaped or orb look. Leading to the conclusion...\n\nMost of everything and I mean everything you see are fakes that copy off each other. The ones that are the most realistic (which, what's realism in this case?) are the disc shaped, v shaped, cigar and orbs. There are so many fakes it would be almost impossible to see the real thing and know it 

Then I would say, something that looks like the Navigators from Dune.

Yes mam it is absolutely necessary that my pants are off! How dare you question the authority of god!!

When I was in Kindergarden, I was taught that my tongue was evenly divided into 5 different receptor areas (sweet, salty, etc.). I realized 1) it wasn't and 2) parts of my body are rarely divided in geometrically pleasing sections. 

Yea, I agree there isn't any bad energies, seems the spirits are just curious. 

I wonder what the procedures were? Perhaps we are more than our bodies and capable of interdimensional perception?

I don't know enough about thorium to critique it, but any time I've seen these seemingly miraculous technologies, I'm disappointed by a usually huge catch. I hope that is not the case here...

But we all play around in it every night, right? If it's real, I mean. In 2004 I had a dream in which I was observing a number of people writhing around on a lime green shag carpet in a large white room, they were transforming into werewolves. In the dream, I said "this can't be happening, werewolves aren't real." Suddenly a voice at my elbow, a man in an all black suit who resembles young John Larroquette, who has appeared in three of my dreams, two involving shape shifting; "oh they're real all right."\n\nThe full moon before last, I believe I may have astral projected into my back yard as a *werewolf*; it was the most incredible feeling; power and sexuality far beyond my waking form; a feeling of being fully and properly seated in one's body, *aware* of every inch of it. I looked up the moon in Stellarium, and it was in the correct phase and location. It is the only time to my knowledge I have ever been *something else* in a dream.\n\nDoes this make me a werewolf?

I'm pretty sure your doctor would ask you about your diet if you were fat or your blood pressure or blood sugar was unusually high, or if you looked pale and sickly. There's a reason doctors monitor vital signs. 

[This American Life](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/338/the-spokesman) did a nice segment several years ago about the story of Rachel North, one of the survivors of the London subway bombings. She wrote about her experiences online and was later verbally attacked and threatened by conspiracy theorists. \n\n[player link](http://www.thisamericanlife.org/play_full.php?play=338)

Do you feel that it's necessary to ask the internet how to handle every single aspect of your life that's remotely out of the ordinary? 

This seems more like a qualified endorsement than a dispassionate, critical assessment of a  "high end" accessory.\n\n

&gt; are experimental cancer treatments silly?\n\nI'm not sure you understand how experimental cancer treatments work. Doctors don't just wake up in the morning and say to themselves "you know, that rock looks like it might cure cancer so I'm going to make some of my patients eat it and see what happens". By the time it gets to human testing, efficacy has been demonstrated on other animals and the mechanism by which it may work is well understood.\n\nThis is the opposite. Some shaman just says "stick a needle in your ass and you'll get better", without backing it up with evidence.\n\n&gt; I don't think that caring adults doing what they believe is in the best interest of their children should be considered child abuse.\n\nYou're probably right, child abuse is too strong - it's not (usually) a deliberate attempt to harm the child. Perhaps child neglect would be a better description.

Here's [one of many ways](http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/may/12/psychic-claims-james-randi-paranormal) in which this has already been accomplished.

Well. That's almost identical to the start in The Dead Zone by Stephen King. Except the main character in the book went into coma for 5 years.

maybe they are a group of really asshole aliens with a lot of free time!

I know two people who believe that 9/11 was "an inside job". Both also have a tendency to believe every other conspiracy theory out there - one believes that the moon landings were faked and the other believes that crop circles are made by aliens. Rather than healthy scepticism, these people manifest an uncritical readiness to believe anything that contradicts what authorities tell them (in some cases, even if these beliefs are mutually contradictory). Of course, that's very handy for politicians who would like to label any story other than their own as crazy. Real critical thinking is hard to do, especially when there is so much noise in the debate.

Congratulations, you’re a mod of [r/brightgreen](http://www.reddit.com/r/brightgreen/). If you don’t like it, make a better one.

Hey, I'm a big fan of organic foods in general, but when something is labeled "juice" it typically just has [actual juice or fruit](http://www.minutemaid.ca/en/products/100_percent_juices/home_squeezed_style_oj_ct.htm) as an ingredient. And I can't find the list right now, but I've seen oranges listed as a "minimally contaminated" food (i.e., not as important to buy organic). In that I'm not made of money, I try to focus my organic purchases on the so-called [dirty dozen](http://green.yahoo.com/blog/daily_green_news/332/the-new-dirty-dozen-12-foods-to-eat-organic-and-avoid-pesticide-residue.html).\n\nPeanut butter, on the other hand, tends to have hydrogenated oils (*far* worse than pesticide residues) unless you buy a "natural" or "organic" variety -- that's one you can buy where peanuts (or peanuts and salt, if you prefer) are the only ingredients.

Could it possibly be that he DID take screenshots but that he is wisely keeping quiet about it ?\n\nEspecially since everything was probably seized and he couldn't back up his claims anyway.

Except in the last little bit, apparrently artificial plants confer the same results, and there is no caveat saying that you will lose the air freshing and "detoxifying" component.\n\nAlso "detoxifying"....

I think it's easy enough to read up to the conclusions. If they try to quote the paper, people *will* catch it.

Nope. I just don't particularly care about this topic. I am not dismissing it or validating it. Which, given the admittedly small amount of research on the topic, I think is the best position to take as a non-expert.

I understand the reasoning for it.  I'm just saying that it should be different.  \n\nAs I said in the article, I'd like to see skepticism develop a large enough following that it's not just the rare store that carries them.  I'd at least like to see skeptical magazines become more popular than magazines about royalty.\n\nMany skeptics may not want all of the episodes of a skeptical magazine.  They may just want to buy it when there are articles they are interested in. I'd like to see there develop a large enough following for this kind of material that more stores would find it advantageous to stack these magazines.

So it is unskeptical to say "I believe in no unicorns, although if provided evidence to the contrary I would absolutely change my position." The lack of any evidence of unicorns is in fact evidence of there being no unicorns. It is a very small bit of inductive evidence, however it is what one would expect to find if there were, in fact, no unicorns. 

Don't forget\n\nCrucifying a socially-inept guy as a vicious sexual predator intent on committing rape: also acceptable\n\nBut of course, in the mind of a "feminist" (I won't dignify this particular breed with an un-quotation-marked title because I know the majority of actual feminists are truly interested in equality and making the world better for all genders) all men are already rapists who should be feared and hated by women, so they just look at something like this as validation (holy shit! one creepy dude in an elevator! guess we were right about all men being evil).

I feel exactly the same. I am a Christian. But I do not believe that we are the only creations of our God (I also agree with you about God-driven evolution but that is for another subreddit I suppose :))\n\nBelieving in other life forms created by what I believe to be God has no bearing on what I believe to be my salvation.

He really gets me excited and wanting to try different things (e.g., isolation chambers) but he says a lot of dumb misinformed stuff.

The talk referenced by the article is titled "How Girls Evolved to Shop". That's the context here. How is directly addressing the context of discussion a "strawman"?

So fake it's embarrassing to watch. Though the part where the "eyes" light up and flash is a nice touch. 

Try to keep in mind that while your discomfort with such a policy is **completely valid**, that discomfort has no bearing on whether or not the holocaust is **true**, *as presented*. \n\nGiven the circumstances we need to draw a line between sufficiency and necessity -- the policy is sufficiently specific to be an indication of holocaust controversy, but it is a far cry from necessarily being an indication of conspiracy. Don't underestimate how easily the mind plays tricks with issues like this.

&gt; This Greek Orthodox monk claims he has a piece of wood from the Holy Cross   \n  \nWhat was it I heard about bridges and the sale of them again?

Yes, I know it's thoroughly pseudoscientifical, but the question was if the WHO endorses the practice. The answer it seems is vague, and not as clear cut and flattering as the reiki people would describe it..

I feel like this is the likeliest of scenarios. He was basically involved with the air force and its surveillance programs for over forty years, he might've picked up on something and was trying to research more independently. He definitely didn't just watch the shows when I was around, but when he was alone too.

You mentioned you were reading creepy stories on reddit first and while they didn't freak you out at the time, they had a little bit to rattle around in your brain first before you started having bad feelings...

What you say makes sense but i want to believe...  Also, portals and probes should make scanning a galaxy a managable task. 

The way I see it, there are two camps : \n\nThe first camp are people who do not have much scientific understanding and find science in general to be confusing, obtuse and impenetrable. Various factors are the reasons for this - willful ignorance, lack of good schools to teach people about science, misleading media reports chock full of hyperbole with a lack of honest-to-goodness fact checking in lieu of a sensational headline and a failure of the science community to do some good 'ol fashioned PR. \n\nThe second camp consists of people who can make an easy buck off the first group. 

Thanks to Jay I now feel the impulse to yell out scientists names whenever I read a quote.

i only really vote if i see something that i hadn't seen before, or that seems completely insane. i mean, i'm sure everyone could run around digging up the crazies, but some of that crazy shit would be way too similar.

lol sort of except this wasnt like the same bird and helicopter again, it was like a repeat of the same event, the exact same motion, it was eerie like i jumped back in time a few seconds or something in fact since the second time the bird flew by it was so similar i kept looking, almost expecting the helicopter to fly by but not really since thats impossible and then when it did it was like.  WHAT THE FUCK just happened lol

At this stage of TED's evolution there's no way to avoid a thousand different criticisms. Everyone seems to have an opinion. But happily it also has a lot of defenders.  Don't worry, it's not going away. Happily it's owned by a non-profit, has a successful revenue model, and can control its own destiny.    We just have to keep listening.

My favorite is the one about the Federal Reserve being involved in promulgating a one world government by debasing the money supply of the USA. Throw in the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Illuminati, The Rothschild, The Masons, just pick and choose your favorite secret group of usurpers and voila! New World Order. Oh, and Woodrow Wilson started the Fed and the income tax, so he is the original evil genius.\n

except that what if the parents decided to just feed there kids twinkies from 2 months old

Also, one more thing: the RDA is often way off and is often calculated to prevent severe deficiencies. For example, you mention vitamin D. The RDA for vit. D is 400IU. Well, that is barely enough to prevent rickets in the general population, but not high enough to prevent osteopenia and other problems. A more reasonable level of supplementation is probably more like 4,000IU or even higher. \n\nIf you're new to this stuff, it's hard to figure out which of the RDAs are too low, and which are too high. \n\nFinally, it is best to get vitamin D and other micronutrients from real food, but in some cases it is very difficult (e.g., Mg and Zn). 

None of your information was bad.  Be skeptical of illskillz.  He is spreading woo in his own way by claiming that mainstream practicioners are illegitimate.  We are skeptical around here of people who won't accept medical help, such as the anti-vaxxers and the events that led to Steve Job's death.  DO's are equivalent to MD's.  The hivemind in r/skeptic is blind to this.

more video of the same\n\nhttp://www.tudou.com/programs/view/YneT6nMeLzI/

I remember reading an article suggesting that chiro adjustments can cause strokes, but the "study" described lacked any statistical rigor and was basically completely worthless.  The guy who performed the "study" actually investigated alternative medicine claims for a living, so I'm guessing he just popped it out to justify his paycheck for another few months.\n\nOr are you thinking of a different actual study?

[Full text of the paper available here](http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/12/70)\n\nNow, I'm no expert on health issues and reading medical papers do boggle my tiny little mind but it seems to me that this paper is investigating the usage of NSAID on patients who may be at risk from known side effects of NSAID usage.  Please do correct me if I've misread that wrong.\n\nAnd if I am right, then surprise surprise a chiropractor's website has mis-interpreted data to suit their own cause

Salem 1691, anyone? It was probably ergotism then, and likely pharmacological now, as well. 

Do you really not see a difference between deciding yourself when you want to be sexual, and when others want to make you sexual?

&gt;Treatment session typically last for 30 minutes, or until I have applied my unique protein-enriched pearlescent ointment to the affected area, after which, I generally loose interest.\n\nOne of the few times that misusing "loose" instead of "lose" actually comes close to making sense. It still grates on me though.

Great stuff!\n\nI'll echo the sentiments of another here:\n\n*chips72- If your doing your homework, this is required viewing....Peace...*\n\n\n

I watched the whole video expecting to see someone explain a magic trick and it turned out to be about people watching a whole video to see someone explain a magic trick. And in neither case did anybody explain anything. _Thbbbbbbbbt_

As sad as it is, Heaven's Gate is small potatoes when it comes to how awful cults can get.

I say put the Iama on this subreddit. We are the ones truly interested so let us ask the questions? I understand it'll receive a larger audience elsewhere, but as OP said, definitely will receive some backlash and negative feedback.\n\nEdit: Spelling. On my phone...

my dad and I used to take tons of road trips when I was a kid. We often did it at night and we always listened to art bell. I really like the new years episodes. As far as my favorite? Ill have to get back to you on that one... \n\nI haven't listened to coast to coast in years? Is it still good?

GOOGLE is your friend:\n\nwww.google.com/search?q=Mcpherson+family+footage\n\nReveals this link\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?&amp;v=sH6C1j_Vag4#t=29s\n\nAlso seen here:\n\nhttp://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=293294965124915343&amp;q=mcphearson+tape\n\nwhere it is described as a fake video recreation, but does have the birthday party.\n\nYMMV. Enjoy.\n\nBTW, AFAIK \n\nLisa McPherson has nothing to do with the any of the above. \n\nAlso, the LM case was muddied by a prosecutor who wanted a case to hang his political ambitions on, and a coroner who was [exposed as incompetent](http://www.sptimes.com/News/041300/news_pf/TampaBay/Questions_put_150_aut.shtml), missing an embolism which is a very common cause of death after an auto accident. [It's like forensics 101](http://www.sptimes.com/News/030700/news_pf/TampaBay/Doctors_paid_by_churc.shtml). It was so bad that [Medical Examiner Joan Wood had to resign](http://www.sptimes.com/News/093000/news_pf/TampaBay/Medical_examiner_leav.shtml), and the prosecutor had to give up the case due to no actual evidence, and with it his grasping attempt at fame.\n\nIt's a messy story of political ambition gone wrong, and polarized relations between the church and the state. \n\nAnd not very relevant to [/r/UFOs](/r/UFOs) 

[Simon Singh debunking The Bible Code at Nerdstock: 9 Lessons and Carols for Godless People.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trskyRkTre0) HTH! Or at least gives a jumping-off point to start your mission.

&gt;Osteopathy is a form of alternative *to pharmaceutial-centred* medicine.\n\nFTFY\n\nMedication is just one facet of modern medicine. There are things like physical therapy, surgery and nutrition that all are complimentary.\n\nWhat do you have to say about DO training? Do they not have the same understanding and scientific background as an MD? The only place where they diverge is that DO's take a holistic, preventative approach and MDs take a specific, symptomatic, pharmaceutical-based approach.\n\nYour comment kind of bothers me because you just said people have been duped when you know very little about the differences. And so many people have upvoted it!\n\nIn some states, DOs and MDs are licenced by the same agencies! They both are practitioners of medicine and either can be surgeons.\n\nI downvoted your comment.

\\#1 image on reddit only if you are subscribed to /r/atheism and the exact same subreddits that you are.

I checked out her site.\n\nIf you want to see your monthly horoscope you get the first few lines of it, with a "Continued&gt;&gt;" link that takes you to a page full of links to buy calendars and her book, then the article, which also contains a paragraph encouraging you to buy her book. After the article, there are schedules of her appearances, then reviews of her book, then, *again*, links to buy calendars and, guess what?... her fucking book.\n\nBy the way, here's an excerpt from my July horoscope that literally made me laugh:\n\n&gt; Typically, Mars stays in a sign for seven weeks, but Mars stayed in Virgo for nearly eight months - enough to make you feel the world was gunning for you. If your friends and your siblings tell you that you've become paranoid, tell them that is easy for them to say. They haven't had Mars nipping at their heels for months.\n\nThat pesky Mars!

Great article!  IF that is all true, that would be something.  Not doubting it but still skeptical.  Anything is possible.

Damn you, now I have [a Ministry song stuck in my head](http://www.mtvmusic.com/ministry/videos/47092/no_w.jhtml).

I think PZ Meyers has severely misunderstood what Loxton was trying to say.  It's not that religious beliefs are not to be questioned, just that beliefs that make no claim to evidence aren't matters for skeptical inquiry.

You would have a heck of a lot of Chinese backing you up as well as some international scholars. The number of people supposedly massacred is controversial to put it mildly. \n\nThe Allies also used propaganda of course. 

That would have been super scary to see. Thanks for drawing it! I heard that certain entities can take any shape they want, so that may not even have been the true form of what you saw.

Same Lazlo that does bits for Rockstar (GTA, Red Dead Redemption, etc.)?  Kind of a pity that he's a moon hoaxer.

Yaaay! Interestingly, I'm on my way to Cambodia in a couple weeks. I'll bring you and highdra back a bunch.

&gt;But the socially liberal left is overwhelmingly more trustful of science.\n\n*En masse* they are probably statistically more trusting, but at the individual level, the lefty nutjobs are no more rational than right wing nutjobs. I was in a book store in 2002 and overheard two lefties talking about the very recent death of senator Paul Wellstone in a plane crash. My jaw hit the floor when one of them said words to the effect of, "I hope the Republicans don't get away with murdering him by sabotaging his plane".... and the person she was taking to **agreed**!

Back to the probe'ulator you go.\n\n..well, at least you tried.\n\n

The experiment with the plants and the conclusion about heating food have nothing to do with each other: there simply is no DNA in water. I can't think of any way to explain how microwaving water could kill a plant but boiling it wouldn't, unless they didn't let the microwaved water cool down or screwed the experiment up some other way. It's only one plant for each kind of water, so there's not much to conclude anyway.  \nAs for eating microwaved food: sure, DNA will denature; the strands will separate, perhaps more so in a microwave than with regular boiling, I don't know. But microwaves are non-ionizing, so there won't be strange chemical bonds forming, and no radiolysis (to form radiolytic compounds) should happen (good old-fashioned natural fallacy there, btw). Denatured DNA is not dangerous, at a small scale it happens for cell division, at a larger scale it's necessary to duplicate DNA in the lab. I think all DNA you eat gets broken down anyway, and if it doesn't you'd just shit it out because it would be to large to absorb. 

Then maybe you shouldn't post silly comments if you're not interested in backing them up.

A friend carries a jug of water around with him. He tries to drink a half-gallon a day, but usually finishes the whole gallon. Good for him! At first I thought he was refilling the same jug at home with his own filtered water or tap water. He was buying a new jug at the grocery store every day or two! A bit wasteful, but it's not the costliest stupid hobby. But THEN he picked up alkaline water. Imagine this, people... spending NINE DOLLARS every day or two on a jug of filtered water!! Insane.\n\nAnother story was this girl on facebook said she buys three different water containers at a time, each with different alkaline charges, for three different purposes. One to drink, one to prep food, and one... to clean and wipe surfaces with! Fucking water! To clean up countertops!! Needless to say she got sick in a couple of weeks and of course the facebook update was about how the water she was drinking was going to make her better, not that is was the actual problem in the first place. Ugh.

MSG is made from seaweed, and though it's a flavor enhancer when paired with savory I don't think it should be considered "fake meat flavoring".  In fact you need the meat to have a flavor to enhance..

&gt; it might be a random sound that I perceive as something along those lines.\n\nyeah auditory pareidolia, a lot of evps could be.

Agreed.  My main points were just:\n\n1. I've never actually come across those scientific dogmatists as you describe.  Any proponent of science I've ever spoken to freely admits that scientific consensus and theories are never irrefutable (otherwise they cease to be scientific) and that current understanding can always be changed by future discoveries.\n\n2. I've noticed that mostly I only hear about these kinds of people (the scientific dogmatists) from secondary sources - from people, usually  promoting some kind of pseudoscience, making reference to them in an attempt to discredit any legitimate science standing in opposition to their ideas (rather than having to go through all the trouble of providing good evidence themselves).  \n\n&gt;But by the same token, when people begin to treat science as ideology...\n\nI think your quote is accurate.  But I would argue the "people" who do this are by and large not the actual scientists.

Sometimes actually they can identify the particular sound their human's vehicle makes, and your scent can reach them loooong before you even appear.  My dog knows the sound of my car, and whenever my friends come over, if it's one he particularly likes, he'll let me know before my friend even reaches the stairs.  Really their noses/senses(except for eyesight for the most part) are way way better than ours.  No matter where you go or what you do your scent comes with you, is caught on the wind, and brought around with you.  The crazy ability to track you cross-country is way more impressive than just knowing when you're coming home.  If they can find you states and states away, they'll have no problem catching your smell when you're a few blocks down. 

You'd think a guy with any sort of 'mystical connection' would know it is perilously poor form to accuse women of exuding things.

To me it seems it's just as suited for this subreddit as anything else that gets posted here. I'm specifically referring to [this part of the Hessdalen lights documentary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNObDdZPsY8#t=07m50s) (watch from 07:50 to 14:20). Not sure what to make of that. The interesting thing is that there are so many observations.

Yelling at the end of you argument does not increase its validity.\n\nNeither I nor the article in question disagree with your position.\n\nThe whole point was a self healing catalyst that can process dirty water. To create hydrogen/oxygen using the input power of solar cells. To use the hydrogen as energy storage. Neither I or the author or the article stated it reduced the amount of energy required to split the water molecule. \n\nGood day.

Maybe we should compile a list of pointed questions for chiropractors like:\n\nBy what mechanism does chiropractic manipulation affect the immune system?\nWhat effects do nerve impingements have upon nerve impulses?\nWhat is your response to &lt;insert study here&gt; which shows no benefit from chiropractic?\n\nJust to get the ball rolling...

this deer has a great oh shit face http://www.outdoorsweekly.com/assets/trail_1110_export/images/DeerFlash_JPG.jpg

Why, that's very kind of you. Actually, I have to claim that the idea was first put forward in the comments section of the Sun's article on this. In case you don't know, the Sun is a trashy UK tabloid. In a reversal of the general rule, the comments are usually more intelligent than the articles!

&gt;You're now tagged in RES as "Dumber Than A Creationist".\n\nFTFY

Thanks for posting this! Listening to him right now. He is so interesting to listen to. 

&gt;10 fascinating things claimed wrong by one questionably informed cracked.com-style sourceless article\n\nBetter headline.\n\n**TL; DR: ** HFCS are good, cellphone cancer is fake, hooves on horse statues mean nothing, Columbus didn't discover the roundness of the earth, bananas will still be here in 10 years, newton's apple as true as washington's apple tree, Typhoid Mary only killed three people, Einstein could do diffeq at 15 and passed math, Titanic sent out CQD not first SOS, margarine is not plastic.

My story isn't that great and its short but I used to live in Belmont, Ohio and I was about 7 or younger. Basically one night I looked outside my window on the second floor and saw something going towards the moon. I was excited and scared at the same time. Because it reminded me of a ship from star wars. Just the way the engines glow at the back of the ship [Shuttle Light Example](http://images.wikia.com/starwars/images/3/36/Aa23.jpg)\nI called for my parents to come look at the thing that seemed to be progressively climbing towards the moon. This wasn't super far away mind you. Extend your arm almost as far out as you can, retract slightly and then put your thumb out. Thats the size of the lights. \n\nNow honestly, this could've been my imagination or simply a dream but I remember crying my lungs out for my parents to come see and they wouldn't. And i remember being excited and scared over this object. I believe its true because since then i've always had a fascination with UFOs. I believe its because i've seen one myself. Either way If I'm remembering correctly the lights were not there once i got back to the window from crying/running from my parents room. Which was right next to mine.

OK, I'm not saying that the climate isn't changing, but if you adhere to the scientific method, then most of the major "global warming" models built for the past 10 years need to be revamped. I have followed the announcements closely, argued with friends that it was happening, pointed out to the data matching the models.\n\nAll this cold weather does not fit the predictions, and as much as I would love it to do so, it just doesn't. The leading minds were saying they had 95%+ confidence in their models and it was enough to base world changing behavior and treaties upon. I believed it. I argued for the "models" at the time. \n\nBut just like any theorem, when the data departs from the "model", then the model was wrong. There is no question about this. Does that mean everything is wrong? Hell no. But it does mean that the scientists don't understand global weather nearly as well as they claimed. So get back to the drawing board and show what's going on. \n\nAs of now, there aren't very many good models showing what's going on right now. It appears that the globe is much better at regulating it's temperature than given credit for initially. More heat = more evaporation = more moisture and cooling in the air. Until models are built that can reliably explain what has happened, and then be put to the test, we can't really be sure what is happening. \n\nThat's how science is supposed to work. You make a theory. You build a model. Then you see how good it is at predicting things. If the models fails, then you didn't understand it good enough and need to start over. I don't give religion or superstition any breaks on this, and so I won't do it for global warming either. Science will prevail, but that doesn't mean you take the first theory as a universal law!

Yeah, I've seen all the trailers. I wanna see the entire thing. I'll pass judgment after I see the movie. \n\nIf its that great, why hide it? 

What a lovely gift, to know your grandfather is there with you!  Crows and ravens are very cool totems.  Ted Andrews "Animal Speak" is very good, as midnighttrix recommends.  Wisdom, foresight, resourcefulness, they're also the trickster (illusionist).

I too have thought about this. One can already see the warning signs such as five hour energy shots and other energy supplement abuse.\n\nI can remember some students in my AP courses in High School using their little siblings ritalin before big exams and for homework. Worked well for them. Can't say that I wouldn't have done it if the opportunity had arisen. \n\nOn a pure cost-benefit analysis, many mainstream nootropic drugs are well worth it if your school or job requires high amounts of mental energy.\n\nI don't know, maybe I'm missing something.

I haven't seen anything in this article or in any of the comments that specifies how this demonstrates Kurzweil doesn't understand what he's talking about, especially in regard to the specific article PZ Myers wrote to discredit him.\n\nEssentially all he's saying is Myers misunderstood his thesis and that he never even discussed using the genome to reverse-engineer the brain. I understand if there may be some issues with the specifics of the information theory-based figures Kurzweil presents, but that's not the point.\n\nAnd I especially like Kurzweil's discussion of the history of the human genome project; certainly a skeptic like PZ Myers would have been among those who, two decades ago, thought sequencing the genome would take many decades longer than it actually did, if not declaring the task impossible altogether.\n\nI admit to be a fan of Kurzweil's, but I don't think I'm overlooking some broad error or lack of an appropriate rebuttal in this article. I also think his response showed much more class than Myers's article, which resorted to puerile name-calling without any real provocation.\n\nEDIT: I was talking about the rebuttal as posted by Kurzweil. Just realized this wasn't the same link.

I'm going to play skeptic devil's advocate here, so be warned.\n\nThe picture may well have just fallen off. These things happen. There's nothing intrinsically paranormal about it, you only attribute it to being paranormal because it happened so close after the passing of your grandmother. It may have even happened before and family members have just put it back up without thinking twice. \n\nAudio phenomena can be odd. A rhythmic banging in any house if often interpreted by the brain as footsteps, even though its exactly the sound some heating systems make when hot water begins to move through the system. Also, is your house carpeted? Did the footsteps sound like they were on wood? Footsteps on carpet are almost inaudible. Why would a ghost be clomping on floorboards if you have carpets?\n\n Both incidents in your bedroom you mention being almost asleep. This is totally typical of a dream, when you'll swear you are still awake and paying attention, but you're really asleep. \n\nI'm not trying to totally poopoo your experiences, just showing you there may be other explanations. 

Stupid assumptions that nature is benevolent. Nature is likely to produce organisms that are dangerous to us. It happens a lot with viruses and bacteria, but there are also many plants that have evolved defense mechanisms that are harmful to us.\n\nOf course humans with the techniques of genetic manipulation could produce something dangerous, but there is nothing inherently bad about GMOs. We can also intelligently design genetically modified organisms that are beneficial for us.

Ya-youre missing some pretty important tools in your ufo analysis skillset if you cant see these are aircraft. Distance can distort light very well to the naked eye or cameras with poor resolution or zoom capability. \n\n\nYou can pretty much discount anything in the sky with measured blinking lights as man-made,...particularly if there are nearby airports. Proof that aviation specialists can indeed be expert witnesses imo,... 

They lost their credibility the instant they entertained the notion it might be true at all.

Truth, I can see Rachel and Phoebe in Central Perk on that sofa\n

If you just want to meditate, then what is stopping you?\n\nNo charge.

well obviously, loads of them do formal logic, a fair few universities do philosophy and maths as a degree.

Reminds me of the old joke:  \n\n"Daddy, what do you think is worse, ignorance or indifference?"  \n"Stupid kid! I don't know and I don't care"

&gt;It doesn't come up in most people's lives- but throw on 50 lbs of muscle lifting weight. SEE if you don't think regularly about the fact that you could just choke anyone who fucks with you out.\n\nReplace government with church and you get the Christian argument against atheists. If you can't be a decent person without government, please stay in a highly governed area. Thanks.

I had just reached the part where you saw the arm and my phone buzzed and wifey said OMG something fell in the bathroom. \nFreaked me out!

Thus why I was so confused.  I tried my best to figure it out...  

Depends on where the prayer is, whether it's being expected of kids who might not be religious, and because it goes towards indoctrinating them in a way that should be a more personal matter.\n\nCalling me, or him, an asshole is just that.  Name calling.  

Ehh, that might work for chronic pain or self limiting problems where you just need symptom relief.  How would you cure liver cancer or syphilis? :P

Am I the only one that sees something on the very right hand side.

I disagree and I upvoted you. No one is claiming to have the truth in here, at least not me. All I'm saying is that there are things just don't add up about ancient history.

Collapse due to extensive structural damage and prolonged fire, with contributions from the unusual construction of the building itself.\n\nYou know the 9/11 Commission Report doesn't go into the engineering details of the collapses.  \n\n\n\n\n\n

here is the author talking about the book on the daily show.\nhttp://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-14-2009/barbara-ehrenreich

Or it's the exact opposite of what you're saying?  The parent was saying this is an ad hominem attack, when you discredit the argument due to the source.  In his case, he is discrediting the source based on the argument.\n\nIt would be an apples to apples comparison if Drudge said something and the parent discredited it based on his links to infowars.

Not only that, it implies (as happens all too often, particularly amongst partakers of BS) that love and ego are mutually exclusive. Any psychologist or psychotherapist worth a damn will emphasize the importance of self-love and self-respect as prerequisites for other-love and other-respect. There are rational, intellectual, sound ideas and reasons behind love and its importance.  No need to resort to bullshit.

Started reading the story, and got excited, because in this subreddit, I expected the line: "Jeff has turned into a cat, sorry"\n\nOr just the fact that she now owns a cat instead of a dog (named Jeff), and no one else remembers her having a dog, in their eyes, Jeff was always a cat.\n\nBut the actual story was a bit disappointing, especially in relation to the title.  Oh, but wait! This is a glitch! A story titled "Cat" is about a dog!!! Arrrgh, the fabric of reality........-----

Assuming there there is an E.T. presence, who is going to disclose this and why?  The scientists won't (they keep chanting that there is no evidence) and why would the government?  At that point they loose a huge advantage, especially if we have been able to back-engineer their technology. 

A million US dollars of attention is like an hour, so they're not worth too much.

agreed. Logical fallacies. This is probably why [/r/atheism](/r/atheism) didn't appreciate it.

Probably a good thing they didn't pick up tetanus. That one sucks.

&gt;Also the article and website is blogspam. \n\nExcuse me, do you even understand the definition of blogspam?\n\nI found this article on my daily reading of various sites. I posted it because it's a good article.\n\nI am not affiliated with the website. I didn't write this, nor do I receive revenue from it.\n\nSo it ain't blogspam, chum. \n\nYou didn't even read the fucking thing, did you? It is entirely obvious that the image is a fictional recreation intended to go with the commentary. This is absolutely clear from the article body, *particularly since they conclude that black triangles are unlikely to be black budget secret aircraft*.\n\nApparently reading more than a couple of sentences or a two-line meme is beyond most people these days. \n\nYou should spend more time reading and thinking. 

&gt;You are mistaken if you think that the mere fact that the body can manufacture an enzyme precludes any need to consume enzymes contained in food.\n\nDid I say that? Did I come close to saying that? You've taken a red herring and run with it. I will explain it and I'd like to see you actually then comment on an actual argument of mine.\n\nI said that if these enzymes you mentioned are produced naturally or ingested elsewhere *then* the whole discussion is pointless (also if they are broken down within your stomach). Even then, that would not prove a benefit to raw milk...it only shows enzymes would be present. The direct benefit must be shown.\n\nOkay, so can we get back to the discussion. You keep going off in weird ways. Control your temper. Rather than accuse me of some strange strawman, ask me for clarification.\n\n&gt;Hi Daide, so does that mean that because enzymes are formed naturally that we do not need to consume them from food?\n\nSimple. Easy. Non-accusatory. If I said something that stupid then belittle me, sure. That would be a dumb position.

How can you control what no one can/will say is fact, be it articles or videos? Its always going to be a conspiracy and swamp gas, and we'll always be the crazies until our great government gives us the green light on something we already know is true, or they show themselves. Until then, the beauty of the internet is being able to weed it out for yourself by researching or using your better judgement. And besides, I thought the down vote button was for the fakes and BS?

The "no true Scotsman" fallacy has no interaction with directly questioning someone's qualifications for their job based on their own assertions of scientific fact.\n\nRon Paul does not show a basic education or understanding of immunology -- even the most fundamental concepts.  If he answered these questions the same way when he was in medical school he wouldn't have gotten out of first year.  

Great read - honestly. This sighting will haunt/intrigue you for the rest of your life. I know, as I too am unable to explain a sighting - and it's very unsettling.

To clarify, he said he would jump at 11:11 AM universal time. Which is in under and hour.

In terms of plugin, I was thinking more for comments, not the articles themselves.\n\nAnything controversial on blogs or news outlets is generally bombarded in the comments with the same tired arguments, recycled again and again.\n\nXKCD proposed (and maybe even used?) a novelty filter to prevent people from posting comments with the same content. This would be similar - comments with common misconceptions automatically marked up with standard responses for all to see. Gish Gallops would end up being a mass of rebutr links and commenters would have a harder time *pretending* that there has been no rebuttal. Meanwhile, genuine undecideds would have easier access to responses to stock arguments that appear reasonable at face value, and it would avoid the endless blog comment arguments that cover the same ground again and again, that convince no-one and end up just alienating the more casual reader.\n\nI can dream can't I? :)

Cows can have infections that can be passed to humans through raw milk.  

To expand on this, [here's](http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/08/01/reader-mailbag-what-is-woo-1/) a great article discussing the term. (Also a great blog in general, if you don't mind the frequently abrasive tone.)

Hard to say; is someone sitting next to you? That corona suggests genuine orb phenomena, and they often project images of one-kind-or-another.

His blog is excellent, and though most of the posts are UK-centric, his dissection of the press, government and others' (such as the anti-vaccination movement) misuse of scientific studies are relevant to just about anyone\n\n[Bad Science Blog](http://www.badscience.net/)

Vaccines are also not 100% effective.  After 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, about 98% of people are immune.  A small percentage are still at risk, but usually herd immunity takes care of it. \n\nI learned this earlier this year when I had the mumps, despite being vaccinated :(

except the article says the sighting took place on july 6th...and the article it links to at the beginning is from may...\n\nhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5406187/Crop-circle-found-Wiltshire.html

Sure - religious people don't *ignore* logic, they merely hold it as less important than religious doctrine.  I think a big part of why religion is so hard to maintain (weekly brainwashing, etc.) is the cognitive dissonance that comes from that.\n

god, could not stare at that page for more than a minute with that colour scheme, 

i have no idea if it has a common source, but i have seen this before. the person in question was ranting about how the LCROSS mission (impacting the moon to find water iirc) was a violation of international treaties and was to start war with the aliens or something crazy like that. i think it's a somewhat rare conspiracy theory, but possibly common in people that believe multiple conspiracy theories (the really loony loons).

Not to butt into the conversation here, but the way you describe those experiments they seem to hinge on subjects experiencing immediate reactions to WiFi, rather than testing for long term exposure to high frequencies.  \n\nFor instance, if you ran the same experiment with carbon monoxide or radiation instead of WiFi, the subjects couldn't tell you when you "turned it on," but the health risks would certainly show up in the long term.  \n\nI agree that wifi being bad for you is probably bunk, but that experiment sounds like it was deliberately setup to make people look stupid.

You do realize that UFOs and aliens are two separate things, right?

They used rum as an example.\n\nRum us not 95 proof.\n\nAlso, "proof" isn't measures in degrees.\n

It's more being unable to focus on anything for very long.  It doesn't sound so bad, until you realize how many things require focus.  Like eating.  And sleeping. And relationships are really frikking hard if you can literally be distracted by a pile of snow and walk away in the middle of a sentence without realizing it.  Do you have any idea how hard it is to not do something you didn't realize you were doing in the first place?\n\nOn the plus side, I almost never get more than 5 lbs above my ideal weight range.  ADHD should be the next fad diet.

Try r/UAP instead of just giving up on the subject completely.  It's a smaller sub, but what is there is pure UFOlogy gold.

I hope you're being sarcastic about the "morons" part. Makes far more sense to direct attention towards Mars than Mercury as the conditions are more friendly to the chances of finding major discoveries like water. Would have been far more moronic to invest all their time and effort in to Mercury when Mars was a far better candidate.\n\nIf you were being sarcastic then... lol. 

"Open-minded."\n\n"Dammit, Scully, and your rigid scientific view of the world."

Yet another example of liars not keeping their lies straight. \n\nAmerican prison incinerators consume one body in eight hours.  According to the storyline, the two at Auschwitz supposedly burned 25,000 a day!!!\n\n- no piles of ashes were ever found.\n\n- no mass graves were ever found.\n\n- lampshades of human skin, soap of human fat, photos of stacked bodies were all propaganda hoaxes\n\n- no German documents were ever found mentioning plans to exterminate Jews\n\n- most deaths in German camps came in the last 90 days of war of Typhus and starvation due to allied bombing.\n\n\nDebunking this nonsense is too easy.

FIXED...I've always heard creepy shit underneath my basement too. 

No it isn't.  I agree its mostly bunk, but its not even close to chiro. Ive been to both (mom was a hippy).    Ive found that MDO's tend to have more empathy and a much better bedside manner, while still having all the same medical chops.

My agreement with your comment was reflected in my upvote - good contribution. A historical and accurate study of history shows that conspiracies have shaped the modern world. 

are you actually being logical and critical?  she's obviously a troll.

&gt; She just politely listened to it\n\nAnd that's about all you can ask of a person.\n\nIf satisfaction only comes if you can browbeat someone into thinking as you do you won't get satisfaction very often, nor will you be very effective in urging people to be more skeptical about nonsense like astrology.\n\nAnd isn't that what it is all about? Helping people see through nonsense and evaluate the world with reason?\n\nBesides, this person didn't merely listen politely, they expressed admiration for his passion and knowledge, and admitted that they don't have the same knowledge. They may believe in nonsense, but they also showed a spark of an open mind there; they showed that they're a person who may one day come to appreciate science and skeptical thinking. Casually dismiss that -- or even worse, rudely dismiss it -- and you help ensure she *never* comes around.\n\nIf we'd like people to have a more rational view of the world, we also need to remember that we're ambassadors; the way we treat people matters. It doesn't mean we respect their views mind you. That's not what I'm arguing. But it does mean we don't unprovoked treat them like trash, especially when they show a willingness to listen.\n\nOf course, if all we're looking for is something with which we can bludgeon others with our intellectual superiority, then none of that matters.\n\nPersonally, I do not fall into the latter camp.

You had me at Bill Nye and Beakman's World.Absolute childhood favorites.  I also loved eyes of nye as an "adult".

I don't agree with him, but he's right about ya'll abusing the system.  Hell he even got downvoted for saying so.  Have an upvote my man...  (your ideas are still wrong and dangerous)

Question answered by Science / Wikipedia: \n"At the low altitudes at which Mir orbited there is a variety of space debris, consisting of everything from entire spent rocket stages and defunct satellites, to explosion fragments, paint flakes, slag from solid rocket motors, coolant released by RORSAT nuclear powered satellites, small needles, and many other objects.[83] These objects, in addition to natural micrometeoroids,[84] posed a threat to the station as they have the ability to puncture pressurised modules and cause damage to other parts of the station, such as the solar arrays.[85] Micrometeoroids also posed a risk to spacewalking cosmonauts, as such objects could puncture their spacesuits, causing them to depressurise.[86] Meteor showers in particular posed a significant risk to the station, and, during such storms, the crews slept in their Soyuz ferries to facilitate an emergency evacuation should Mir be damaged."\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mir

Of course, I completely agree with you on that.  Any statement somebody makes that has no evidence, and where there's no prospect of gaining any evidence in the foreseeable future, cannot be considered to be viable science.\n\nSo my belief that aliens exist shouldn't be considered scientifically viable - it was never intended to be. 

Not to mention he has now taken to mentioning @SPVM (the police) in his tweets.  My [twitter mentions have been lovely all day](https://skitch.com/kylev/fqsw1/tweetdeck).\n\nOh, and, "Hey Jen!"  Thanks for your blog entry to kick things off.

I see plenty of skinny pipe hitting ents - Have no idea how they do it

If TF were to complain about receiving death threats, i'd back him up unhesitatingly.

Yeah, the moron opinion is on reddit as well. Is that a surprise?\n\nOutside of online forums she has a bad reputation because her messaging is always more about raising her brand as a pundit than anything else. That includes other people spending time trying to help with the various gender issues in the community. Just like PETA tactics are disliked by animal rights people who don't want to be famous.

Well clearly you didn't *know* anything.\n\nI'd like to see an Australian or New Zealander who thinks the same way.... In my browsing since this thread was posted I've found 100s of people who believe it... All who stated where they were from stated America. Shock horror.

I think it takes a broken heart to make most skeptics. It makes us wary of having it happen again.

Perhaps a silly question... but how did they get DNA to test? What did they test exactly? 

This seems like the easiest answer to me as well. Look first at what subset of the population is most likely to floss regularly (concerned for hygiene and body maintenance, likely higher income, has access to medical care, whatever else) and then see if that population has life-expectancy indicators outside of the flossing itself.

I like to think of r/skeptic as a place for interesting content, this post would of been better off in circlejerk.

I would look at them over the top of my glasses and say "Are you fucking kidding me?"\n\nI have a friend who thinks the moon landings were faked. I have addressed each particular "proof" she has multiple times. There is no convincing her.

Never attribute to the metaphysical that which can be explained by coincidence.

I'm pretty sure you need a government license and certification to handle most types of rockets.  Licensing exists precisely to protect the public good and safety.

There are trade-offs that occur in practice. Like you, I suspect that point-of-use is less efficient *if measured naively*. In actual use, there are factors such as heating the pipes between a tanked water heater and the point of use, maintaining the tank water temperature between times of use, etc.\n\nSo the cost savings claims come from only expending energy on demand and at the point of use, not from being more efficient.

I wish every skeptic could read this post. It seem that for so many skepticism has become an identity rather than a practice, and they fervently argue against anything that opposes that identity.\n\nMost refuse to even consider holding their own beliefs to the same flame of skepticism which they hold everything else to. If they did, this issue would never even come up.

Disclosure won't happen.  Why would any government body with an advantage like knowledge of E.T. and their technology admit it?  Or (even worse) admit they are here but that is all we know and that we are helpless and powerless?\n\nI am very glad that those who want disclosure at any cost aren't running the country.  \n\nFor Christ's sake....people waiting around for disclosure reminds me of the sailor's wife waiting at the window for her sailor to return five years after his ship was reported missing.\n\nPeople downvoting me are offering no counterpoint; typical.  If any of you would rather have "disclosure" *and* everything that would come with it (read: a global economic meltdown that would make the stock market crash of 1929 seem like a game of Chutes and Ladders) then whatever.\n\nYou can't have your ufo cake and eat it too.

Brian Dunning did a [Skeptoid episode](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4136) where he answers questions re: light therapy. \n\nTo answer your question succinctly: no.\n\n&gt; Light therapy is also employed by alternative practitioners for a whole range of conditions for which it has **no plausible clinical value**. 

Mocking birds(obviously) but I'm not sure if you have those there....here (Texas) w have a lot of them and they can mimic almost anything, I have hard car alarms, different cell phone ringtones....one time even a cow that one was weird

The second paragraph in the wikipedia on HFCS article explains the different varieties of HFCS that are produced. HFCS 55 with 55% fructose/42% glucose which is used as a replacement for sugar in soft drinks. HFCS 42 contains 42% glucose and 53% fructose and is used in baked goods. Also HFCS 90 is made with 90% fructose, that that is normally used to blend HFCS 42 to HFCS 90.

Too lazy to find the original source but [here](http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/01/physics-crop-circles/).

What he's trying to say is that cancer is tied to coke. Very few people do get cancer due to coke, but we don't know yet, why only them.\n\nAm I right in my understanding, yougottabetrolling(NO! I'M NOT TROLLING!)?

So the neurosurgeon who studies brains for a living claims he had a very lucid experience while his neocortex was disabled, which shouldn't happen according to him. But a bunch of redditors who probably barely passed biology are going to write it off as a dream, like they know what they're talking about. Is there anyone here who is also a neurosurgeon that would like to dispute this?

Thanks. This is what I was looking for. Looks like my initial impression was mistaken.

That human civilization is older than was once thought is not proof of ancient aliens.\n\nYou are like the religious fundamentalists who use the argument that because science is incomplete, it is completely wrong.\n\nWhen science has found out everything, it will stop. :)\n\nThe assertion that "mainstream archeology" (there is no mainstream, the field is very diverse and competitive with multiple groups in great disagreement about findings and chronology) dismisses findings outside the consensus is simply 100% **wrong**. \n\nWhat scholars reject are nonsensical hypotheses asserted without proper evidence, or theories that are untestable. Klaus Dona's material is a good example of this. \n\nThe artefacts presented with "spacecraft" are generally just cultic objects with standard glyphs, like Pacal's sarcophagus lid that Von Daniken made much of as a depiction of a spacecraft, which was comprised of perfectly comprehensible Mayan glyphs.\n\nYou should learn more about archaeology before dismissing the field so casually.

I cannot speak with any degree of authority about poop trajectory. More research may be needed.

Sure, they got a few details wrong, but I think people are being a bit ivory tower in their scrutiny here.  Cracked gets a lot of views and the fact that they have a skeptical article at all is a plus for reasonable people.\n\nIf nothing else, this plants a seed of curiosity about this topics for people read up on skeptically.  It's better than then being completely credulous of these "unsolved mysteries" (which, to be fair, they do also).\n\nRather than nitpicking the tiny details, we should be grateful that this article exists at all.  Rome wasn't built in a day and all that jazz.  Incremental improvement is the only way we're going to make progress.\n\nDoes someone need to post Phil Plait's "Don't Be a Dick" talk again?

What about the Affordable Care Act and other similar bills/acts/etc.?

No, he won't be attending. Not unless he's willing to go under a pseudonym.

Ack, I did indeed mistake your reply for his. My apologies.\n\nYou raise an interesting point because it stands to reason that one's own healthcare data is better than anyone else's. And ultimately, physicians (epidemiologists excluded) are not interested in which drug/treatment has a 95% response rate, but which works for the individual patient.\n\nSo with that in mind, the answer to: "Should John stop drinking milk?" is yes.\n\nBut that's a different question than "Is John's acne *caused by* his drinking milk?" For that, we have insufficient data and a inadequately objective methodology.\n\nA more difficult question to answer would be "Is what happened to John of enough significance to tell other people about?" In other words, is he a statistical abnormality, or has he stumbled upon something prevalent but previously undescribed? To answer this question, it's up to the randomized control trial.\n\nThe problem with inferring from personal anecdote is that people are all too willing to jump straight to answering the last question.\n\nOur average citizen hears a story about someone.\n\nAt time t, "Someone" had some medical problem.\n\nAt time t+1 he did Something.\n\nAt time t+2 he no longer has the medical problem.\n\nFor a lot of the general populace, that's all that they need to hear to convince themselves that because "Someone" did Something before whatever problem they had was cured, then it means doing that Something cured him of that problem. That's the essential post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Worse yet, some people are willing to extrapolate that answer to aforementioned third question, and go so far as to suggest that because Something supposedly worked for Someone, then it means Something should be used by everyone!\n\nJohn isn't so bad, he reproduced his experiment. But I have a feeling that most of the anecdotal "testimonials" on the internet are not the result of 6 repeated "experiments".

I believe it applies to almost no arguments in our lives, because all of our problems involve actual boundaries, including Bigfoot. It's only relevant when talking about God, and even then it's just a copout. The wildlands of the world are bigger than a square mile of Kansas, but they still comprise a limited and observable space.\n\nIn virtually all non-hyopothetical circumstances, absence of evidence (after having done research, as Harabeck stated and you directly refuted) certainly is evidence of absence. All of our extremely complicated scientific inquiry involves larger-scale versions of the mile of Kansas flatland analogy.\n\nAnd Bigfoot does not exist.

Sounds like a good plan. "Look, this body is struggling with some disease, let us introduce additional traumas so the body has to spend even more strength to heal all of them, because that will spend up the healing process". I don't even know how the varying healing processes in the body interact with each other or how the proper terms for these things are, but it still sounds dumb. 

&gt;astral projection is very real.\n\nSaying that it is real doesn't make it real. Evidence makes something real. There is no evidence of astral projection, only subjective testimonial. Whenever put under observational scrutiny, it has failed experiment. For more information, see [Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science](http://www.amazon.com/Brocas-Brain-Reflections-Romance-Science/dp/0345336895/) by Carl Sagan and [Philosophy of Science and the Occult](http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Science-Occult-Suny-Series/dp/0791402045) edited by Patrick Grim.\n\nIf your cousin is capable of astral projection, then your cousin should do mankind and the disciplines of science a favor and offer up his abilities for controlled and measured investigation.\n\nUntil he (or anyone else who claims this ability) does this, the evidence stands: there's nothing discovered so far that implies that our bodies are anything but bodies, or that there is any separation between matter and consciousness.

I can not wait to see and hear what you find! Post lots of pics ok?

Placebos don't "work".  There is a "Placebo effect", but this doesn't mean that they "work".

&gt;The only thing that still interests me about anything under the paranormal name is EVP. I don't think they are supernatural, but they are definitely cool. The voices I have picked up are very interesting.\n\nI'll never forget sitting in my bedroom about 15 years ago playing my guitar when suddenly the room was filled with a disembodied voice. My initial reaction, naturally, was one of both intense curiosity and abject terror. That is, until I realized that my neighbor was an avid CB radio junkie and his transmissions had found their way through my guitar amplifier. It was more funny than anything else (but for a moment... whew!).

No, its not bull shit.  \n\nThe right of a parent to decide what is in the best interest of their children is paramount.  \n\nYes, absolutely there are cases where a parent is making a clearly bad and in some cases even abusive decision.  Should society step in and take over?  \n\nMaybe.  _It depends_ and that is the whole point.  \n\nWho decides what is "abusive" or "necessary"?  For medical care, yeah in some cases its pretty clear what is proper and what is withholding necessary treatment.  But its not always the case.  \n\nLets take a simple example.  Wisdom teeth.  "Common" practice is to yank those bastards out sometime in the teenage years whether they are healthy or not.\n\nBut what if I, as a parent, decide that no, we're not yanking out my kids perfectly healthy wisdom teeth.  Hmmm?  Then what.  You calling CPS on that one?  \n\nOK, another example Circumcision.  There is some very slight evidence it can reduce transmission of VDs.  It also "promotes cleanliness".  Are you now forcibly going to circumcise every male child in the US?  There is health benefit there (supposedly) - so by your definition, it sounds like a yes.  What if parents choose not to mutliate their kids penises, are you calling CPS again?  \n\nI can go on and on.  There are plenty of "it depends" situations.  The ones who need to decide for the kids are the parents.  If the parents are total fuck ups and are actively hurting their kids in demonstrable ways then yeah, now we as a society need to discuss it and look after the kids in that situation.\n\nI'm not convinced that the government requiring vaccinations meets that criteria.  Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. \n\nBut, see, this is America and we aren't socialists.  We don't force people to do what is best for the good of society.  So if that is the justification for forcing vaccination - whether it makes sense or not - its never going to fly here.  \n\n\n\n

You mean trying to seduce a ghost? I don't know that it would work. But if it did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell people about it. People think that's it's crazy enough to believe in ghosts. I can't imagine the response you'd get from telling people you had sex with one, lol.\nI sleep in "haunted" places all of the time. Just showering in those buildings makes me super uncomfortable. \n\nOn the other hand, there are reports of people being raped by demons...\n

What the actual fuck?\n\nMaybe you should do some research on your house/history of the land you house is on. And maybe snoop around the house more to see if there is actually some kind of area below the house or an access to that area (provided you do find such a place, **FOR LOVE OF NOT WANTING TO SEE YOU ON R/NOSLEEP** *DON'T INVESTIGATE IT FURTHER* without having a bunch of other adults with you for backup!)

Your opinion was by default, the majorities, you then went and looked for evidence and ideas that affirmed what you already believe.\n\n&gt;Many people here, including myself, have spent a great deal of time looking. How can you say otherwise when you haven't even gotten into a detailed conversation yet?\n\nNo you haven't, you heard about it, decided your opinion beforehand, then did very minimal research googling the word "debunked" with variations of thermite and 911 whenever you'd encounter a 9/11 truther online, growing more confident in your stupidity by the dumb people around you doing the same thing.

Obviously chinese lanterns. They are naturally occurring in superheated environments.

please learn what ad hominem actually means. \n\n*hint*- it's not just insulting somebody or something

I think he's saying that Jesus Christ and Angels did not exist, thus neither did any suspected UFOs. 

[There global warming stuff was discussed here about a week ago](http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/iryft/pen_and_teller_give_an_amazing_perspective_on/c265pc7)\n\n[Here's their global warming show](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yb56lLnyyE)\n\n[1st "Expert"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yb56lLnyyE#t=4m00s)\n\n\n[2nd "Expert"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yb56lLnyyE#t=10m26s)\n\n[They also say at the end that they don't really know the truth about global warming](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8GZjfBhhNA&amp;feature=related)\n\n\nThat whole episode was definitely one of their worst, no genuine experts were brought on, the people on the show that were saying global warming was happening were generally full of woo and their "experts" saying global warming wasn't happening weren't experts. Their arguments against the woo were generally legitimate but to bring in "experts" that are making claims against the science and play them in opposition of some loosely associated environmentalist woo is poor \n

Well I would be interested if you can learn the answer. If it does decrease surface tension then it seems to me that it would follow that it would clean better, soap works by breaking the surface tension of water.

I call flat out bullshit on the article. Never happened. Some random news source from bumfuck Nigeria, a country that is not known for quality journalism, does not count as anything more than hearsay. 

If they can traverse the entire universe I'm sure they are not short on whatever material they might need for any purpose.

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. This just seems to be one of the go to arguments, and it really isn't a very good one. 

Woah, quite the lengthy reply, but I appreciate the thoughts.\n\nI was making an attempt to describe, in an abstract way, of what you went in length about.  The circuits and pathways.  (seeing as I deal with molecular pathways all the time, this should have been more evident, doh!) I was just vaguely referencing them rather then actually talk about the pathways.  But this is an extremely awesome post! \n\nIf I have anything to add to this when I'm done reading and processing, I'll poke my head back in, but this looks pretty solid.  :)\n\nbut just an FYI, I'm a cellular &amp; molecular biology senior (only 1 term left) who also has an interest in neurological/consciousness feilds.  So any other resources on this matter would be awesome.

&gt;That's false.\n\nAgain, you display unwarranted certainty in face of the unknown. Tsk.

Sounds easy enough! I once embarked on an expedition to create Vagina Flavored Ice Cream....  And by that I mean, it only got so far as researching how to get the flavor/smell into it...

There is no such thing as "alternative" medicine. If it is scientifically proven to work, it's medicine.

I'll give you two of the arguments.\n\nFirst, NIST admits that WTC7 collapsed at free fall acceleration for 2.3 seconds, and fell at a very fast clip the rest of the time.  To collapse at free fall for that long, about 30m, 100ft, or 8 stories of steel structure had to be removed in an instant.  The alternative is the building moving through the path of most resistance, without resistance.\n\nSecond, the CIT witnesses at the Pentagon, independently give the same testimony.  That testimony is very creditable, yet it completely contradicts the impact theory.  [This video from CIT gives the witnesses testimony](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5FhQc-LJ-o), and shows why it is not compatible with the impact theory.  Be sure to watch it.\n\nCheers!\n\nEdit: Who would downmod this?  Why?

Cue "cmon...do you REALLY think if there were a UFO behind the helicopter the first place we'd hear about it is Reddit?" \n\nI don't think we've heard the last of this story.

First of all, "hahahaha".\nGood now that this is out of the way, I'd like to pose a question to Americans (from what I understand this particular end of the world has caught on mostly in the US) :\n\nAren't you a little bit scared ? The article says that \n"Saturday, Judgment Day, when they expect to be absorbed into heaven in a process known as the rapture. Nonbelievers, they hold, will be left behind to perish along with the world over the next five months."\n\nSo, this is not a *poof* "aww shucks we were wrong how silly of us" situation, this is a big-ass "HOLY SHIT I GOT LEFT BEHIND TO SUFFER THE END OF THE WORLD OVER THE NEXT 5 MONTHS!" freak out. Isn't anyone worried at the destructive potential of a crazy person thinking they've been condemned to hell as a sinner ANYWAY ? You've heard the argument against atheism that goes something like "so if you don't believe in god how do you get your morals ? why don't you go out and kill people ? " and as ridiculous as it is, just think of the mindset of the person telling you this. That is an individual who probably WOULD lose it if he believed his god deemed him unworthy and abandoned him.\n

She's a little girl, tan with black twin braids. She wears a lot of sundresses and Mary janes. She can't physically eat, but she can probably eat it in a ghost sense... it isn't affected in the physical world but it is in hers. She appears for a few minutes. Penny is very prominent in my life and I actually alter my decisions around her to try and preserve her "innocence" 

You miss my airplane point. I'm saying that it wouldn't make sense to categorize an airplane as one thing if it is flying and as another category of thing when it is on the land. I am not talking about IFOs that can be attributed to airplanes. \n\nI personally think Hynek's definition is the best. It allows people to talk specifically about the cases that have been classified as unknown *after* scientific analysis. These are the cases that are of the greatest scientific interest. \n\nAnd "monster" is a stupid suggestion. 

I agree.  The funny thing is that I haven't watched any of the Animatrix in at least five years, but last week I got it out and watched this short.\n\nNothing glitchy about that... just interesting and cool.

The atheist in me says it's ok, also the baby made an agreeing noise.

The entire basis of chiropractic is based on the idea of the "subluxation" of the spine. This is its founding principle. There have been any cases of a proven subluxation. The term describes a condition which does not exist. In Britain homeopaths are prevented from describing subluxations as the cause of any disease.  Unfortunately the link I have no longer works but here is my AP style formatted reference.\nChiroACCESS. (2010). Claims of Subluxation Causing Disease Prohibited     in Great Britain. Retrieved November 25, 2010 from the ChiroACCESS Web site: http://www.chiroaccess.com/News/Claims-of-Subluxation-Causing-Disease-Prohibited-in-Great-Britain.aspx?id=0000165

BACK STORY:\n\nSo my friend was going to make a scary video (one where like a face jumps out or something), but instead he caught some fast-moving white light. He insists there's no camera trickery or whatever with the footage.\n\nThe information I have got from him is that it was filmed with an iPhone 4 and the light on it was on. No-one else was in the house, and no other light sources were on. He did not see it with his eyes, but he managed to see it through the camera whilst filming.\n\nAny ideas? I was thinking possibly a small fly near the lens (making it appear larger and faster), but I'm not an expert...\n\nEDIT: Spelling.

Holy crap! Wow! I have tried to explain this to myself for years!!! I have retold the sensation to my parents but they had no clue what I was talking about!!! I was about four and had this crazy dream. The dream itself was incredible and I can't really describe it but I woke up shocked and scared! I was alone in my grandparents house and I called out for my mom! When I found her I explained what I experienced to her she had no clue what I was talking about. For years I had simply just left it as my first memory and although I am an extremely forgetful person I remember this vividly. You describing become conscious of your self has given me some serious enlightenment to this mystery. THANK YOU! :D

I've seen it from both ends. A couple hardcore neocon economics professors, and my school's political science department is pretty much entirely made up of liberals. I even had one poly-sci professor who would give you a worse grade for arguing in favor of a conservative point of view. The history department tends to lean left as well, though I had one prof that I'm pretty sure was a libertarian - he was the only history teacher I've ever had that pointed out that Hoover wasn't a free market politician, but started several government programs that FDR built on, or that the Robber Barons got that nickname from competitors, not consumers.\n\nAs a whole, I'd say most of my profs have had a discernible left-leaning bias, but I've had the conservatives and the unbiased profs as well.\n\nEDIT: Come to think of it, I think there's some evidence which suggests that it's easier to perceive bias that you disagree with and harder to perceive bias that you agree with. Perhaps the reason conservatives think that colleges have a liberal bias and liberals don't is because conservatives are perceiving all the things they disagree with and liberals are just hearing "the truth as they know it."

The best thing about this strategy is that **"Natural Selection"** will take care of the idiots who exclude their children from Vaccinations. 

&gt; It's to the point where this is just cluttering up the whole subreddit\n\nOut of the top 25 stories, 2 are about climate change. Not what I would consider about climate.\n\nAlso, we should not create an environment where people are *discouraged* from disagreeing with each other. From what little I understand, there is climate change happening. If there is evidence otherwise, I would like to know. /r/skeptic sounds like the perfect place for that.

From New Scientist (21 June 2009):\n\n&gt;Grey hair may be unwelcome, but the processes that produce it are now better understood and could be protecting us from cancer.\n\n&gt;Cells called melanocytes produce the pigments that colour hair and their numbers are kept topped up by stem cells. Hair goes grey when the number of stem cells in hair follicles declines. Now Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University in Japan and colleagues have found what causes this decline in mice.\n\n&gt;When the researchers exposed mice to radiation and chemicals that harm DNA, damaged stem cells transformed permanently into melanocytes. This ultimately led to fewer melanocytes, as it meant there were fewer stem cells capable of topping up the melanocyte pool. The mice also went grey [(Cell, vol 137, p 1088)](http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867409003742). Nishimura's team proposes that the same process leads to the reduction in stem cells in the follicles of older people

Yes. The "organic" movement has a load of bullshit stored in it. However, the movement is sparking interest in locally grown stuff. \n  \nWhich is further pushing for pastoral farming... which is not a bunch of "woo." That food, unlike "organic" is better for you. Tremendously so. \n  \nEdit* This is not a response to you, but the replies to your post.

Also, can you cite any of what you're saying?  The first cited study I found echoes your first statement, but would disagree with your second:\n\nhttp://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/03/news/la-heb-sheen-aa-20110302\n\n&gt; Some research presents a rosier picture. A 2007 study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research discovered that those in 12-step treatment programs had a 49.5% abstinence rate after one year, while those who were in cognitive behavioral therapy programs had a 37% abstinence rate.\n\n&gt; A small study published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors in 2002 found that among 56 people who finished an in-patient AA treatment program, about half were employed or productive, socially stable and abstinent after two years.\n\n&gt; Addiction specialists we spoke with were quick to praise AA, we should add. They say the organization has many benefits -- and that addiction in general is extremely hard to treat successfully. AA and other similar 12-step programs are usually better than no treatment at all, they say. **A 2006 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology found that among 628 people, those who took part in AA for 27 weeks or more had better 16-year outcomes for such factors as abstinence and good social functioning than those who had no treatment.**\n\nEmphasis mine.

It was a huge explosion over Russia in 1908.  [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunguska_event)  It is believed to have been caused by a less dense, rocky meteor that broke up in the earth's atmosphere and exploded before it hit the ground.  There was no real crater found like in most heavy metal meteors that hit earth.  It exploded with 1000 times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb and knocked over 80 million trees over 830 square miles.

Let's see it. And I doubt it but who knows! Not really his style.

All the scratches are on the front and back of her legs. On her stomach. On her lower back and on the back of neck. These are places she could very well reach.

Careful there. You need to define what natural medicine they talked about. Aspirin is derived from natural medicine in the form of willow bark, after all. ;)\n\nI'm not leaping to any conclusions about the beliefs of the downvoters, other than they either did not watch/did not comprehend the video, or they did, and chose to ignore it in order to dogpile on you. Neither of which I find acceptable behavior from a self-styled skeptic.\n

It won't be accomplished until you  morons learn to use 'you're' instead of 'your'. I mean they covered this in 9th grade english, how far did you get?

2005, I watched 16+ flashing white massive orbs race above me.  

We use machines to kill cattle and package the meat. We refrigerate the meat send it long distances.\n\nThere're a lot of machines and tools in the process.\n\nIf you want to talk about prior to modern society, we raise animals in fences we build. We kill them with a knife of some sort. We then use fire to help break down the meat, and use utensils and ceramic plates to tear the meat apart prior to digestion.\n\nAll of these are tools that help us eat meat.\n\nPottery is a huge part of archaeology.

I have lived in St. Augustine for 9 years now.  I moved here right before my step mom died from Hepatitis C.  When she died, her ashes were down stairs in the garage (don't ask, my dad put them/her there.)  I always had a strange feeling being in that house with her ashes in the garage.  I was upstairs in the living room, watching Futurama.  Commercial break, I flipped the channel to the TV scrolling guide.  Flipped almost immediately back to Comedy Central and decided to heat up some food during commercial.  About 15 minutes later, i had just finished eating in front of the TV.  I picked the remote back up to change the channel, it wasn't working anymore.   As any normal human would do, I banged the thing on the table and pressed the buttons harder with no luck.  Decided the change the batteries out.  When I opened the cover, I noticed something strange...... All 4 AA batteries were installed backwards.  Now, being that i was at the house alone, and never left sight of the TV/remote, there was only one explanation, me step mom.  She was a bit of a tyrant when I was little.  And, this was not the first time she reversed the batteries in the TV remote.  But when I was little, she did it to try and make sure my siblings and I didn't watch TV.  I was young, and it actually worked on me a few times, before I learned about manually operating the TV.\nAt this point, i knew that she was trying to tell me she was in the house.  I freaked out and left, went to stay at a friends house.  The next day, i was at the bar with my dad, he started telling me that him and this chick came back to the house that night, after i had left.  But he was interrupted in the middle of sexy time by someone moving stuff around downstairs, but when he checked, no one else was home.  \nThat is my only personal paranormal experience.  But it freaked me out a  lot.  I moved out of my dad's house that same week.        

What is means is not that liberals are correct, but that reality doesn't reflect republican ideas, because the current age of republicans are living in a bubble far far away from reality. Both economically "trickle down economics" and pretty anything that has to do with their social conservatism  / christian right  authoritarian  stances.  When you watch Fox News,  they don't rely on facts or evidence at all for their arguments, they lie all the time, because they don't care about truth, they care about furthering their narrative.\n\nThis is why reality has a "non extreme christian right, free market corporatist"  bias.

Thanks so much. So basically it has *some* small effect, but you have to constantly use the lenses in order to keep it up, and the risks in involved are pretty significant. 

 People with your ideology have been guilty of far more murder beyond comprehension in history; you're a fascist.   Lemme guess...,you're pro abortion too.  As long as it hasn't come through the hole it isn't real, once it has, ...I'm a smug moral bigot! 

I agree. Some are very likely Chinese Lanterns, but others are obviously not. To only focus on the obvious is crazy, so unless the OP has some definitive proof, we get to have fun imagining aliens in our brains!

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrestrial?s=t\n\nThat's stretching the definition of "Terrestrial" quite a bit.  If they do indeed do this, then I guess it could make sense, but it would be stupid.\n\nLook up "terra".  It means earth or land.  

RationalWiki has an [article on the paleo diet](http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Paleo_diet) that I've found informative. The underlying philosophy behind the paleo diet is bunk. It does not resemble the diet of our Paleolithic ancestors. Even if it did, humans are constantly evolving, so there's no reason to think that we would need to follow the same diet today. There is so much variation among humans and the foods we eat that it's ridiculous to think that there's one perfect diet that we are all intended to follow.\n\nThat doesn't mean that the paleo diet is bad. It does limit sugar and other simple carbs while emphasizing fruits and vegetables, which is good dieting advice all around. Some paleo dieters have trouble getting enough fiber, but there are ways to overcome this within the diet itself. If it works for you, the paleo diet is a perfectly fine diet to follow. There's just no reason to think that it's inherently better than any other diet.

Here, look. I found a video for you because Atlas Orthoganal was suggested to me once and there is no way in hell I would ever let someone simply shove my C1 back into place like this.\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWdo4OBmzbA\n\nIt's quite simple to see - things are moving. No one is saying if it's right or wrong, good or bad. Simply that chiropractors move things. I can give you other x-ray videos of adjustments moving things around, but I figured you'd appreciate this because there is common ground as I would never dream of directly trying to move it by itself.\n\nDo you understand what I'm saying? You perform an action and it has an effect on a basic level. You're the one offering interpretations. I'm simply saying it moves shit around, for better or for worse.

Did you ready canteloupy's comment? The overwhelming preponderance of homebirth studies show no increased risk of mortality and morbidities over low-risk hospital births.

I have limited experience with Journals in general. I was introduced to them through Uni' but I'm still not very confident navigating them, it's true. =[

Yep. Ended up having to put something over my eyes. Was kind of frustrating.

Indeed.  Medical studies are great to figure out which drugs do/don't work when we don't really know for sure how or why they work.  However, when the basic science is understood well enough we can decide whether something is possible based on the experiments that lead to that science, rather than medical studies.

You're absolutely right! I'm genuinely sorry for not further or more appropriately clarifying my opinion.

Christ guys this is the camera strap hanging down in the picture. They don't realize it when taking the picture because the viewfinder is above the actual lens on a camera like this. it's not paranormal. I've seen this way too often in amateur investigations or pictures of "ghosts" that uneducated people find on their pictures. 

Yay! It was also probably my most prominent glitch. xD The rest are "You're dumb, you didn't look hard enough," glitches. 

Yes I know that duh. The point is, they make important government decisions, they control committees that shape the lives of millions, why shouldn't they be held to the same standard? \n\nFurther, why are we testing them just to see if they are born here? Why not give out rigorous loyalty tests? Or intelligence tests? Why stop at birth???

I'd be willing to bet that the figures popping out of the top are relatively recent while the figures in the lower areas are more historical. They stylistically are very different. Hoax.

I think Matt and Trey are goofs.  They have opinions, they aren't always right, and they don't take themselves too seriously.  Usually when they are wrong they are misinformed.  \n\nBill is wrong the same way over and over again, even though he's been corrected.  He's right because he's an ideologue and he's wrong because he's an ideologue.  He's not a good critical thinker.

&gt;Put simply, we don't need to know the origin of the objects in order to determine their existence. In fact, nowhere in science is it necessary to establish the origin of a phenomenon prior to determining the very existence of the phenomenon.\n\n

If your doing your homework, this is required viewing....Peace...

I've always wanted to tell this story, but never had the opportunity. My father told me his experience with it. \n\nMy father and his friends were playing with a Ouija board and just generally goofing around with it. None of them believed that the board actually had any sort of power. Eventually, through either inquisition or a simple prediction, the board said my father's friend's dad would die in the near future. This disturbed my dad's friend, who stopped playing soon after. \n\nThe next week, his father was struck by a car and killed immediately. Ever since, my father's friend has been deathly afraid of any kind of Ouija board. I know my father wouldn't have made up something like this; it's just not in his nature. Although it's certainly spooky, I think it's more to do with coincidence than a Ouija predicting it. I can never be sure, though. 

Honestly, what else can you expect from a group that practises fraud on a daily basis?\n\nThey start from a morally and ethically bankrupt position so there's nothing to stop them stooping as low as they can imagine.

I just heard this on the radio today, and I'm sure it won't be long before the anti-vaccinationists latch onto this, distort it, misunderstand it, and try to spin it into fuel for their crusade. So, let's get a jump on this.\n\nI think the main mistake this article makes is that it's implying that the vaccine is ineffective for seniors when really the problem is that the vaccine provides less protection for seniors. Because vaccines merely teach the immune system how to fight a virus, if your immune system is already weak (as it is for most seniors), you're not going to get much of a benefit from the vaccine.\n\nOf course, the vaccine still provides *some* protection to seniors, no matter how weak their immune system is. Also, it helps the people who come into contact with seniors to not spread the virus around.\n\nOverall though, I think it's a pretty fair story.

We can make educated guesses though. We now know that planets are incredibly common and considering that the earth had hardly enough time to cool before the first life appeared here and it uses the most abundant elements in the universe, it is quite a safe bet that there is life elsewhere. Now finding that life and proving this (if you excuse the term outside of mathematics) is another thing entirely.

This article makes my brain hurt.  According to these people, its because of the Wifi....\n\nಠ_ಠ

Glad I kept reading. I came close to downvoting before I reached the "that was satire" line.

&gt;Some creator cannot be ruled out\n\nThis makes you an agnostic.\n\n&gt;though there is no reason to believe in it in the first place\n\nThis makes you an atheist.\n\nSo you're an agnostic atheist. Simply saying you're agnostic doesn't answer the question of whether you believe or not.\n\n\n

I heard that the Federation Wesleyan University is giving an honorary doctorate to Wil Wheaton. You just realized that you don't care who gets a phony baloney "doctorate" from a fake university.

"How do you account for the placebo effect in your treatments?"\n\n"What is the statistical significance of your treatment when the placebo effect is controlled?"

My high school had a shop class (graduated 5 years ago). We also had food nutrition, sewing, and personal accounting/finance. Granted, none of these classes were mandatory.

The camera was shooting at a speed of 1/160, if you know anything you would know that's pretty fast. fast enough that you could miss them in the blink of an eye, and they are far away, far enough to where it would be very difficult to see with the human eye. Not saying your wrong about the bug thing, but its very very unlikely. And why would someone else in Kansas have take a photo almost exactly like it..

I can tell you after serving 10 years active duty in the army, that yes, officers do return salutes when a soldier of lower rank salutes them, regardless of what medal the soldier may or may not be wearing.

It's more related to CYA medicine. OB's get sued if anything's wrong with the kid, and planned C-section is lower risk for things like cerebral palsy.\n

You're right, I was unfamiliar with the pharmacology of piracetam. Your proposal would be more rigorous.

It seems like she's saying that they haven't produced cures for everything, because they don't want to, rather than it being hard, or nigh impossible. Didn't listen to the whole thing though.\n\n*Addendum*\n\nSeems she might also be connected with the church of scientology, makes her less credible.\n\n*Addendum II*\n\nIf she is connected with the CoS then it actually makes her completely unreliable as she apparently worked as a sales rep for psychiatric drugs according to her website.

Was Singapore the nation with very serious punishments for crime?

Well, I was more questioning whether this is something worthy of interest as presented by the blog.  However, in terms of concern, no I'm not overly concerned that a company is selling legally labeled products for which there is a large demand.  Now we could talk about the parameters of labeling and false advertising standards for products like this.  That would be a blog post worth paying attention to if it brought up some interesting concerns in that area.  I'd probably be a fan of better labeling on non-science-based medicines, but I doubt it would help much with the real problem of people wanting this stuff.\n\nSo, what really concerns me is that there is such a demand for homeopathic remedies in the first place.  Surely there is plenty to talk about in these areas.  I don't think that this blog post is saying anything about any of this stuff.

Years ago I had a friend who told everybody that she had an imaginary friend named Fygar (a video game dragon) who wrapped around her body and she treated it like a pet.  I was sitting in the back of the car with her and her boyfriend one day and I was staring at my arm, imagining that a monkey demon was chewing on it.  She was driving and suddenly lurched in pain; she yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"  I told her about the monkey demon and she told me to stop, because I was scaring Fygar.

I'll say it again. Some people enjoy living in ignorance such as yourself. Why? because ignorance is bliss son.

Pretty sure this is why, and the because I believe richard dawkins spoke out against it.

This is not bad scientific journalism at all. If it were being published in, say, a newspaper, then it should probably come with a bit more explaining what this *doesn't* imply, but this is being published in Scientific American. The intended audience can figure that out themselves. \n\nNowhere in the article does it draw undue connections. It makes it clear that the psychological and physical bonds between mother and child are different things.\n\nIt does, perhaps, imply that there is a nifty metaphor to be made out of this discovery, but that's just writing... remember, this is just a short article, not a research paper.

Yes, he does bring up several points. However, he offers no empirical support for his claims.

Yea.  I just liked the title, but i'd think most people heard the scream lol.  When I first heard it I almost dropped my phone cause I startled me cause I never thought I'd catch anything like that.   Yes after I watched the video I let her out of the room. She had free reign of the house for 2 weeks after that until we found her a nice family.\n\nEdit:  Mis-read the comment so I changed what I said to reflect it lol

I wish there was a way to validate that, but if it is true then bravo to you! 

Sorry still awake just been listening to podcast whilst lights are on lol.. Ah dear any interesting story's guys?

When anyone mentions the Mayan end of world stuff, I usually say that my desk calender has ended on Dec 31 every year for the past 25 years and the world has not ended.

Sorry but I have better things to do than dig around in my attack to please a stranger on the internet.  Also, I'd love to work for the EPA, good money, good benefits....beats my current gig.

upvote because i disagree and think you're a fucking idiot, but i want people to see the rebuttal that proved you wrong. sorry bout da pertussis, but the vaccine didnt do it to ya.

I've seen dozens of these woo sites. They never tell you what it is exactly that they are selling, let alone how much it costs, until they give away [insert arbitrary monetary amount here] of "free" reading material so you think they are totally generous and just want to get their message out to help humanity. This distracts from the fact that they are actually greedy fuckballs pitching fake benefits to stupid people.

A real skeptic requires some kind of evidence for a belief, and as far as I can tell there's no evidence for or against the existence of a deity. We just don't know, and it really doesn't matter what we believe.

It should be pointed out that the ideas in the video you linked to have been hotly debated by other scientists.   \n\nDr. Lustig is very opinionated and [is not very open to opposing opinions](http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/). This should raise red flags for anyone considering his viewpoint.

&gt; Who decides if something can be described as being logical?\n\nSomething can be correctly described as being logical if and only if it is logical. That is not a matter of decision, and it doesn't matter a damn who says what.

I am thinking they meant consent and just where suffering a mild case of aphasia. It happens to me all the time.

Whereabouts in VA? My girlfriend was hearing noises similar to these late at night about a week or two in Harrisonburg.

Just check out the conversation I'm having w/Topsy_Kretts on here.

That and wealth is negatively correlated with family size.  Hard to build wealth when so many are so sick.  

How can you tell that it's 'moving too fast' from a tightly cropped, really blurry frame in a highly edited video?? 

It's been over 20 years since I was an adult who believed in god, but still your definition of 'belief' is ridiculous and offensive.\n

The penis is quite obvious in the second; do you know any reason a spirit might be projecting such an image for you? I'm thinking a cheeky high school kid, given the little sign.\n\nEdit; I'm seeing rows of text in the third; is that *exam* in the center row?

Your grammar is not superb. \n\nI cite "The UFO Experience: A Scientific Enquiry" by Dr. J. Allen Hynek as my scientific evidence for UFOs.\n\nWhat book or report do you cite to refute this excellent work of science?\n\nI will no longer stoop to reply to your name calling, as I believe such immaturity undermines the quality of debate.\n\nI say that you are arguing like a Christian because you are merely saying that you know things to be true without providing any footnotes, or sources. And when I provide a source you merely call that source a moron. To me this is exactly how a Christian argues.

Its amazing to me that people can believe such crap.  \n\nAnyways, aside from the many, many other problems to deal with in that email, have you explained to him that establishing a causal link would require incredibly unethical things to be done, like infecting people with HIV?

Honestly, I love Paul the octopus.  I think it is hilarious and I want to keep going, just like if I was flipping quarters and happened to keep guessing correctly I would be interested in seeing how far the streak can go.  I cannot imagine that people really believe he is psychic though.  I mean if he was psychic, wouldn't he be psychic about octopus things and not human things.  What could an octopus know about soccer... he doesn't even have feet.  

The only thing that defines a "poison" is the dose - too much water, too much salt, too much of anything is harmful. Cyanide makes almonds taste good or kill you, depending on how much you take.

Do you think the only research that has been done is to correlate smoking rates with lung cancer rates?

timmy you must've been the one that created [this](http://ijustwanttofitin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/weather_balloon.gif)

What shocked the shit out of me was how I stopped sweating. I used to be a very sweaty guy, particularly in my feet. Literally the second I started showering without soap, I became a way less sweaty dude. I wonder how much of it has to do with the fact that I scrub my body much rougher than I did with soap. 

That is *exactly* why I posted this article with the title I used.

Believe me. I wanted it all to be true. I love conspiracies and I'm convinced a large amount of them have substance. I just felt this lecture was based around people who are already believers, and with such a crazy topic, you should have a few verifiable facts in there. I wouldn't say I'm positive of anything except that his presentation was poor. Thanks for reading though!

I'm gonna go all r/atheist on you but this reminds me of a recent discussion I had with my mother about praying etc. I have told her a couple of times in the past that I don't believe in god (told her I was agnostic, not atheist) but got a big lecture so I never touched the topic. Recently she realized from our past few conversations that I don't pray daily (like my parents do), or at all and she said "you should pray. Nothing can happen without God's will". \n\nMy reply was "So if nothing can happen without God's will, then it must be his according to his will that I don't pray so it's all fine"\n\nOf course she didn't like it and said "don't use your logic to justify it." She didn't use the word 'logic' in the same way as science would use it, but that was the end of discussion and to me it was clear that logic had the upper hand.\n\nAlso, [today's SMBC comic](http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2292) feels so appropriate to this discussion.

This is the one thing I remember from Italian class!!!! Yayyy for using the language correctly!

Your sister speaks to you, her brother, about when her mother died thus: "... when my mother died." ?

Fair enough, perhaps I panicked a bit.  Thanks for the advice.  

I'll just leave this [here](http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/surgeries-procedures/redhead-anesthesia.htm)

As there are plenty of rational suggestions... perhaps it is a message from a macroscopic sentient universe showing you that you are the potent archetect of the reality that you bring into being, or something. Good shit tho, either way.

Yeah, this.   And a triangle out there in 3d space that can be viewed from multiple angles is not hard to view from an angle that makes it look vaguely like the triangles shown here - which are similar but not at all identical.  Plus the NYC ones drifted around into multiple formations - easy enough to cherry pick the frames where they look like similar frames from el Paso.\n\nAlso: if they were the same phenomenon, why didn't the NYC ones have the same distinctly firework-lookin' trails behind them as the el Paso ones?

No. You test claims by looking for evidence of whether it is false OR true. Debunking something is the act of exposing something as false. We should enter the testing unbiased as to its veracity. If it is proven to be false, then we use that evidence to debunk it. 

I've had quite a few people see mine.  In one case, the lady (a stranger) was so convinced that she couldn't break from the reality that we had never met.

LaJollaJim actually agrees with something posted in /r/UFOs?! Say it ain't so! :P

&gt; is over 100 times the infant’s RDA of this nutrient.\n\nI suppose if we were giving them this same shot daily, weekly, or even monthly I might be a little alarmed.  As it stands, a single shot doesn't really seem that bad.\n\nTheir statistic about the leukemia caused by vitamin K was also very suspect.  So suspect that I felt that a few moments of Google-fu were in order...\n\nhttp://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199309233291301

So I guess then that you would also laugh at the misfortune of mountain climbers or circus performers? You must have no end of deaths to celebrate. 

The problem with an issue like this is that there are many degrees. Skeptical of warming? Human influence on warming? Severity of warming? The political consequences?\n\nI think the evidence of warming is clear, and the logic is sound. I question the influence humans have, but it makes sense to believe humans are having "some" influence. And even if humans are causing severe climate change, I don't believe in any amount of government involvement whatsoever.

I grew up in the same county as the Hallelujah Acres cult people (basically super raw-food vegan Christian fundamentalists).  They don't believe in vaccines, but for some reason believe in dragging their entire whooping clans to the county health department as soon as they all get pertussis.  Why "vaccines = bad" but "getting meds and sucking up limited county resources that are intended to help the poorest residents, not wealthy cultists = good", I'll never know.

I remember picking up other signals quite often when using wireless devices back then, but "they're all going to die" is a pretty creepy thing to hear on a crossed connection. 

Moral objectivism and objective morality are actually different, despite sounding so much alike. For morality to be objective, it would need to have independent existence of people's feelings about morality, and a law book isn't a book of morals in the necessary sense.\n\nSo objective morality is more like moral absolutism, but moral objetivism is different.\n\n\nI think.

I'm not an endocrinologist, but from what I've read, it seems to be more complicated than that. A calorie is a calorie as a measure of heat, but our bodies don't process every source of calories the same way. There are different pathways for breaking down and using different macronutrients, obviously. Taking in a lot of sugar, in particular, either directly in candy or soda or indirectly from a high carb diet, seems to screw up metabolism in the long run in ways that make insidious weight gain impossible to avoid. Think of it this way: you know from common sense and experience that taking in 500 calories of alcohol every day will have a different effect than 500 calories of starchy vegetables even though you're getting the same number of calories in both cases, just from different types of carbohydrates that aren't metabolized the same way. The difference will be more pronounced when the 1000 calories comes from fat or protein instead. Excess protein won't raise your blood triglycerides the way excess sugar will, as an example, because they're not used in the same way.  \n\nThe idea is that the human body doesn't work the way measuring calories in a lab works, where we can just burn the food and measure the energy obtained from it; this isn't just a thermodynamics problem, in other words, so the fact that a calorie is a calorie doesn't have that much to do with how and why we gain weight. We have to digest and eventually use the food for fuel or something else - so while a calorie is certainly a calorie as far as being a unit of measure, not all macronutrients are treated the same way by the body even if they have the same caloric value.  \n\nIf you're interested, Dr. Robert Lustig, endocrinologist out of UCSF who studies childhood obesity, [posted a lecture on the subject](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) that went viral a few years ago and is probably a source of much of the 'calories aren't just calories'. (That, and a book by Gary Taubes that I still haven't read but which seems to be popular.) It's only at the undergrad level and I think was meant for the general public so it's a pop science lecture and not strictly a lesson on metabolism, but it's a good intro. And people who disagree with him have posted responses or written response articles, so it's not too hard to get some other views on the subject.

You would think that someone that amazing would at least have a wikipedia page. Or at least any mention anywhere else besides UFO/paranormal related websites. \n\nIt's not "fault in some details." The guy claimed to have created a rocket with a fusion engine in 1971. This technology doesn't exist today in 2012. He lied.

Just a pyramidonimbus cloud, move along people. \n\nCaused by the refraction of light through prismatic shaped clouds giving the appearance of a novel pyramidal or trapezoidal prism depending on conditions.\n\nOr a weather balloon filled with swamp gas.\n\n\n

Don't summarize your thoughts.  That's what they want you to do.  Expand them.

It may help to extend it to a similar problem with 100 doors.\n\nContestant chooses a door. Odds = 1%\n\n"Host" opens 98 doors without prize. Odds = 1%\n\n"Host" offers the choice to change selection to the only other remaining door. Changing doors yields 99% chance of winning.\n\nAmazingly enough, I tried this explanation on co-workers, and it worked on all but one. Stubborn guy, that one.\n

&gt; "When I look at this, I see the potential to there being 30 wireless internets or 30 cellphones and I would never expose myself to being that close [to those]," she said.\n\nReminded?  It's the exact same fucking thing.\n\nSometimes I really hate the forced neutrality in news articles.  On one side, there are people who are saying that there are possible health consequences.  On the other side, there are people who proved that it has no more health consequences than standing in the fucking street.  But, guess whose viewpoint is presented first...

HAARP went back in time and had sex with Hitler's mother, thus HAARP is the father of Hitler.

I will, as a point of warning rather than a threat, advise you that your position that r/AlternativeHealth is "not a debating site" is like a risky one to take.  Reddit was designed not as a private link sharing site but as a collaborative news site *with* lively, threaded discussions.  Wielding the ban hammer anytime someone dissents will eventually recruit someone with some pull (or some /b/-tards) to call you a censor and invade.  That's just how the Internet seems to work.\n\nI've found that down-voting or replying is more effective than banning (and thus inviting angry retribution).\n\nWhat's more, it's probably dangerous in a very real way to quash dissent on sub-reddit purporting to be about health.  If you or another contributor posts something provably false about, say, cancer diagnosis and then follow up by banning anyone who disagrees or points out the fatal flaw in the linked article, there could be real consequences for another of your readers.\n\nIn the end, it sounds like you're trying to use reddit in a manner for which it was not intended.  You are, of course, free to make the attempt but I am pessimistic about your likelihood for success.  You may want to seek a pure social bookmarking service instead.

&gt;The video makes a good case that the large majority of modern day UFO sightings are likely our own military's.\n\n\nIndeed. Once you get some idea of the number of black budget craft that have been thru the R&amp;D cycle, prototyped, **scrapped**, and then had the tech patents shelved (never to be seen again) you can see how plausible it is,...these programs HAVE and DO perpetuate sightings,...Just because you've never seen anything like it, does not mean it is not ours,...but that further lends credence to people like [Ben Rich who were in the Military Industrial Complex](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHbfbUVP-7M), and still had sightings of genuine unknowns.\n\n\nAnd when you see the length and breadth of the tech we have possessed, such as the antigrav craft of the 50s(not to mention the current unknown gen of the tech we R&amp;D'd in the 80s/90s), the need for aliens in our skies, to justify a large number of sightings becomes less and less,...\n\n\nBut then the need for a massive, (perhaps nationless,) breakaway military industrial complex becomes more and more,...unless all that tech and patents are just being shelved or worse yet, destroyed, as seems to be the indication,...leaving nothing for them to disclose,....\n\n\n&gt;But it strengthens the ET hypothesis when we look at older sightings from the 40s, 50s and 60s since we very clearly didn't have the technology during those years.\n\n\nYou might have to drag that back to the 20s, 30s for me to agree with that. We gained so much industrial, metallurgical, and pharmaceutical technology in the late 40s, that it really bent the perception of what was and was not possible technologically. Alot of it may have been very detrimental to ourselves and our environment, but we went there anyway. To deny it is to deny our own ingenuity. It took some great visionaries to create Tesla coils, V2 missles, TTBrown fields, electro-static interference cruise missiles(foo-fighters) and nuclear engines, yet they undoubtedly all did come from the imaginations of man,...

I've dealt with similar headaches near continuously for years, since mid-childhood... You learn to deal with them, but it still sucks

People like this should be barred from seeking medical treatment.

"Science is bollocks!"\n\n"Would you prefer your dentistry and surgery with or without the science?"

Usually, not always. They're caused by deposits in the eye casting shadows on the retina. They can be translucent, but they don't have to be.

Is there any mind boggling stupid comments about the video on fb yet? I don't know how to help because if they had common sense they would realize how stupidly fake this is.

Any site that has info that you personally don't like can be called a conspiracy site.\n\nRandi's trouble with the law goes way back.\n\nThe guy who got busted by the Feds is a long-time accomplice of Randi's.\n\nRandi is crooked and has been crooked for years.

you don't sound like a proper skeptic.\n\nalso, i'm just emphasizing stuff up there. i'm saying it looks like one of those things that are recycled over and over because the people using it don't have much (or anything) else. ;)

The immune system responds to biochemical markers on viruses and bacteria.  Compounds like food dyes are *much* smaller than cells or even proteins.  The immune system will not respond AT ALL to small compounds like this.\n\nI am not an expert but I know that much.  If the post said something like the liver spending time cleaning out that shit it would sound more reasonable (but still be BS, IMO).  \n\nFYI, the liver and the kidneys remove some stuff from the bloodstream (like alcohol), some stuff isn't absorbed by digestion (as you allude to), and some stuff builds up in fatty tissues (like DDT).\n\nOn another note, you might want to look up info on cancer.  It happens when cells' self-regulation goes awry and the cells start multiplying in an uncontrolled way.  I don't know what the immune system has to do with it, really.

It's scary how many people just lap that up uncritically. But then most people don't have the biomedical knowledge that coolmanmax (the other skeptic) and I have, and the OP certainly writes well and sounds impressive.

You don't teach a degree in the next big science breakthrough. If they are teaching it to students there should be evidence of it's efficacy, if not then it's on the same level as a homeopathy degree.

i second that. there are, unfortunately, a load of idiots here. 

I don't know what to think of it. All I know is that the numbers I see appear too frequently to be a coincidence. What's weird is that I try to keep my clocks all on the same time, but everything besides my phone falls out of sync to the time it was originally at out of sync. And that makes me run into those numbers way more than I feel comfortable with. I ignor it as much as possible, and tried to think I just know when to look at these clocks. That maybe it's something I do subconciously, but I start to think otherwise because what are the odds I'd always see a triple number and not any other number? 

Same here except I didn't even make it that far. I found the people very irritating.

It is also illegal here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imminent_lawless_action

So it's statistically significant, but probably not clinically significant.

&gt;we know from the historical record that governments are willing to engineer tragedies and outrages so that they can then use them to forward an agenda.\n\nI do agree with this in general and with the specific example you've provided. Anyone with an agenda and the means to promote it can be expected to do so. As I've mentioned elsewhere I'm not a full-spectrum conspiracy denialist, but I am (I think appropriately) skeptical about many specific claims that conspiracy theorists tend to make about, for example, 9/11 or the Kennedy assassination. I certainly don't advocate the position that the "official story" we get from any one source (or even a commission) should be taken at face value or that it is the final word- that would be a markedly unscientific approach.

The question was never whether or not flying objects that are unidentified exist. Any object in the sky that you cannot identify is technically a UFO.\n\nNo, the real question is what exactly are these UFOs? A question that is not answered in that Huffington Post article with a sensationalist headline.

"Liquid Oxygen Supplements"\n\nFuel additive for NASA launch vehicles. Got it. 

HPV controversy isn't that new, there was a bit of a fuss when it was introduced in the UK a few years back, mainly from Catholics worried it would somehow encourage promiscuity.\n\nThen in 2009 a girl was given it at school and died 2 hours later, which stirred up the  controversy again.... until: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8284517.stm 

In many cases, it's just [this.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia) But the evidence into the existence of the paranormal is astounding. \n\nThings exist that we cannot begin to understand or explain.

That's actually a extremely cogent point. I couldn't understand why she would bring the court case at all, but reflecting on your point, if her lawyers focus exclusively on the deceit/mistaken angle and completely disregard the whole psychic mess it can at least be framed in terms that can be tried. \n\nIt's still of course completely nuts, and for the judge to rule for her would set a precedent that one can engage in business based upon magical thinking, which is not a prospect I find at all appealing.

In that list, *Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King* is the one movie that's different from the rest. It has supernatural stuff all the way through and basically has Shaggy and Scooby having a weird supernatural adventure rather than having the whole gang investigate a mystery. That movie is more like some earlier schlock like *Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf* and *Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School* and the 80s stuff that had that annoying asshole Scrappy-Doo.\n\nThe rest of the movies all have the gang investigating a mystery (Zombie Island starts with the gang getting back together, which makes sense now that I see it's the first of the modern direct-to-video movies), and although the first several involve real monsters the production values are very good and they're pretty entertaining movies. The first ones follow the formula of "Look, it wasn't real after all! We've solved the mystery!", followed by, "Oh holy shit! *That's* real! Let's get the fuck out of here!" [Not an actual movie quote.] After a few movies they seem to have decided to go back to the original form of having all the supernatural stuff be fake.\n\n*Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!* was the first Scooby-Doo movies my son watched, and I have to admit it fooled me. I went most of the way through thinking, "This is pretty good, but I don't like that the ghost pirates are real. When I was a kid Scooby-Doo was blah blah blah get off  my lawn", and then boom, they revealed that all the supernatural stuff was fake and I was a happy ten-year old again.

This is an interesting case imho. According to what I consider 'general' UFO 'lore', it is most likely the case that Presidents after Eisenhower unlikely knew about the ET presence. Obviously entirely speculation, but it would seem that after Truman allegedly initiated Majestic 12 the President wouldn't have a need to know. Again IMHO, I think that the absolute last President that would have had direct knowledge of the alleged ET presence was JFK. That's a whole different topic though. Excellent article from an excellent site. Props and and upvote.

&gt;I can't claim to know the reasons every person has that chooses to buy organic. I personally know that I'm trying to keep down the number of pesticides and herbicides released into the environment as best as I'm able.\n\nAs far as I know, the pesticides that are approved for organic farming require a larger amount than the ones used by non-organic farms.\n\nUnfortunately the whole organic/non-organic thing is highly political and emotional. So it's not totally clear which is better, but I lean quite a bit towards suspecting that organic farming is not better.

It's pretty much biofeedback except usually they do it with brainwaves; the research on it shows that you can affect your own brainwaves, but no one's really sure if that really helps with anything. You can use biofeedback in general to treat conditions like anxiety disorders - basically you just train yourself to understand your body cues and relax. That page you linked to though, contained some pretty dubious stuff.

I was referring to the [Denver airport conspiracy](http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4194) in which the Illuminati is apparently giving us clues as to what they are doing by making the architecture and design of the airport as well as the murals on the inside into symbols of the coming apocalypse and other vague threats.

Is it just me, or do they magically disappear when the plane passes the light pole, 1 in 100000 to catch a ufo on tape, 1 in not happening to have them pull a slight of... street pole, act on you too.

Missing The Point On Purpose: When Bloggers run out of Legitimate Concerns.

&gt; effect other than placebo\n\nSee thats the thing acupuncture does have an effect even if it is placebo. And the cost and ritual helps people believe in it. Sometimes placebo is enough to reduce someone's suffering. 

there are such things as "mini-strokes" that can be either bad or not really bad, depending on where in the brain they are located. I definitely would get it checked.

No I mean she fleshes out the conversation with a bit of ... conversation.\n\nAnd especially when Steve is talking in his field, Rebecca is thinking of the audience when she remands him to explain the jargon. I think its to her credit that she does this by posing a question.

Some people *might* have an intolerance for it. \n\nSome. As in, very very very few. Like... less than actual peanut allergy.\n\nSo of course it's the debbil.

I believe it was pretty well known and reported on major news channels like CNN that Romney was winning the votes in urban areas and losing to Santorum in the rural ones. I live in Ohio and remember seeing the republican primary map and noted how it looked almost exactly like the general election. But instead of Obama in Cincinnati/Columbus/Cleveland and red in the rest of the state, it was Romney in those cities and Santorum everywhere else...with Romney in the lead.

It's not like you've provided any proof for your claims that it's a deformity in the frontal lobe, that it's neurochemical, or irreversible.  Take a step back and a deep breath man.

Hmm, ok: Sorry, I guess I got sucked in by the editorial nature of newspaper articles which present the vetting of the hypothesis as if the details are all known and now proven....

Hmm... but on the other hand, I can recollect a number of occasions in majority where after sharing the new information (generally of the stuff found on the internets, or science) with much enthusiasm, the reply has been of one word, like, "Oh ok", "Weird", "Interesting", etc., and a dead conversation.  \nOnce I got a "Ok ok, now let's do something fun" and *they* proceeded to sing along the car radio. My cousins suck!  \n\nSometimes the superiority comes from the other side for not having come across the information first, but most times the audience just isn't interested, a la the group in Friends to anything Ross Gellar (the geek) had to say.

It's recommended you don't.  They have already been washed and covered in an edible mineral oil for protection. 

This. What is the conspiracy waiting on? The population to hit 10 billion?

Until you switch back to Reddit and there are phantom lines all across the screen...\n\n*rubs eyes*\n\nThere we go. Much better.

Modern day snake oil. The people manufacturing and selling this crap have no morals.

Similar, because military air targets look alike? http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/s4bi4/latest_st_petersburg_ufos_are_military_targets/ I don't understand why this is being ignored by r/UFOs. 

Not all skeptics are atheist. Some are agnostic because there is no proof one way or the other. 

First... ಠ_ಠ\n\nSecond... This waste of other resources was already my suspicion. Do you have some kind of reference? 

Maybe, but I understand it and what I posted, quote included, is correct.

I've yet to see an article on UFOs in SciAm which isn't biased beyond the point of rationality and riddled with prejudice and fallacy. Not surprising to see Shermer behind this one. Same old pseudo-sceptical garbage - http://www.tricksterbook.com/ArticlesOnline/CSICOPoverview.htm\n\nI suggest you spend your time on addressing the concerns of real sceptics, not the endless stream of intellectual garbage that comes from pseudo-sceptics who aren't concerned with truth and science but in acting as self-aggrandising rationalisers of the status-quo.

I accidentally ended up with pitbull puppy. She was the sweetest, gentlest dog I've ever seen. 15 years, and not a single aggression problem.\n\nAnecdotal, of course. 

That's owned is it?  Two completely flawed (see above) and mutually contradictory pieces of evidence!  Did you actually have any understanding of what you were reading?  How can it be too cold to melt aluminium (according to the thermal imaging camera), but hot enough to "melt concrete"!  If you accept the thermal imaging camera data, which would suggest it's the coldest office fire ever(!) - doesn't that disprove all the "thermite" stuff hot enough to melt blah blah blah???  I mean, do "truthers" actually read any of this stuff back to themselves?  The poster owned themselves!

No problem.  Just doin' my internet duty.  I am sure that didn't make you feel any better about your experience though.  Sorry 'bout that. 

As far as I can tell the scan is quite legitimate, its the conclusion they draw that seem to be far more outlandish and falling outside the land of rigor.

You two must be interdimensional-travel buddies! It's like meeting someone from your hometown while in a foreign land! :)

You can find much of the text there indeed, but not in the format that griffjam used, with the quotation and the mix-match of text to match the answers.\n\n&gt;but plagiarism is not cool.\n\nDepends on the purpose. For this purpose that griffjam is doing it, that is, to avoid fallacies from personal bias and to make the text more accessible, it's quite cool, especially since the text there is copyleft and created by a collective.\n\n&gt;Griffjam could have just posted the link\n\nAnd then be completely ignored because people would take a look at the url and dismiss it out of hand.\n\n

If I labeled myself a 'maleist' and advocated for strong male rights, I would get booted off the set.

Climategate? That was one guy fudging his data. \n\nFor this problem to be systemic all the peer-reviewed journal editors and all the members of the National Academies would have to be in on this massive conspiracy, having sold out everything they stand for, for what amounts to chump-change (compared to what their opponents stand to lose). \n\nFurthermore, unless you're being paid by oil companies, funding is not given with a specific result in mind. That's not how science works. If these guys find clear evidence that global warming is not anthropogenic, it'll be published just the same. To say otherwise implies a massive conspiracy as stated above.\n\nI don't think there is any noise whatsoever, you need to investigate the issue a little better and you'll see that Occam's razor cuts through the bullshit pretty easily.\n\nPosted in r/skeptic a few months ago: \n\nhttp://sciencebasedlife.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/x97ke.jpg

&gt;You understand that mental health doesn't just refer to mental disorders, right? It also refers to the unarguable cognitive declines that cannabis users demonstrate.\n\n"Inarguable cognitive decline" is something that the research sure has a hard time pinning down.  There's a few studies that claim to spot a correlation, but those same studies don't correct for social and economic factors like education level, parent's income and education level..  Every time, the heavy use category that "proves inarguable decline" is a group that does little but [smoke large amounts of pot all day while skipping high school and avoiding their broke, uneducated parents](http://www.cmaj.ca/content/166/7/887/T1.expansion.html).  \n\nThat same study goes on to show that moderate users exhibited greater IQ *increases* between ages 14 and 25 than non-users... then conveniently ignores that association in the conclusion &amp; analysis.  Light to moderate pot users rose up from their middle-range IQ scores to become smarter than the non-users who came from households with older and more educated parents!\n\n&gt;With that said, the studies linking cannabis use to things like schizophrenia and depression are usually based on large-scale longitudinal studies that account for SES and exclude self-medication explanations, as well as being supported by animal studies.\n\nTHC seems to act as a psychotic and the schizophrenia association is there in the data, but it is so small as a percentage of cases that I'm not so sure you can be completely sure that self-medication isn't a factor.  Did you know that [wheat might be causing a whole lot more schizophrenia](http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org/content/37/1/94.short) than weed is?  Enough so that it is at least a complication in 1 out of 5 cases?\n\nOn the other hand, another active cannabinoid, CBD, seems to act like atypical antipsychotic and anxiolytic drugs - with fewer side effects!  Specifically, [this review of the literature](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22716160) suggests it might be quite effective in *treating* [schizophrenia](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22716146).\n\nSo can we keep our panics in relative perspective, and stop putting people in jail for a plant that is so damn scientifically interesting?

I learned the same from my gen bio II class and evolution class as an undergrad. 

The fear at the time was probably caused by a combination of the situation being so unnatural, and the display made by the being seemingly designed to trigger terror (teeth, eyes, demonstration that the wall between us was not a significant barrier). Hasn't really affected me since apart from getting a bit creeped out when I think about it.

So if you have a fancy spaceship that runs out of enriched uranium fuel, I wonder how many thousands of years of life support you would have just waiting and hoping somebody would stop in and give you a hand.

I would agree because;\nBlood is often drained= less growth media for bacteria\nsame goes for evisceration and organ removal. A dead body is a big bio reactor, remove the fuel and it slows "combustion". A drowning victim will decompose faster for the same reasons, it has nothing to do with the ritual it's just science.

I said neither thing.  What I said is: " *If you think physics can detect it, then show that physics has detected it*".\n\nIf you think it can be done, show that it can be done.  That is your responsibility.

As long as (in this case) it probably avoids at least 10 cases of cancer from the same 100000 (and potentially more than 100 in the entire population) I guess that the allergic side-effects are not that bad ...

so really when an atom bomb detonates and kills millions its gods will.\n\n\ni need to go phone my brother Al, he's Kinda into allah.

You are way off. Don't confuse popular hypnotherapy (mostly relaxation bullshit IMO) with hypnosis (an actual phenomenon). 

Pretty awesome.  Never seen that one.  It's shape morphs over time.

Interesting thought, and yea Highway 1 is amazing. I have driven it many times but my gf has not. Some of the most beautiful parts of the country imo

&gt;you failed to demonstrate how that isn't argument from ignorance.\n\nAre you suggesting that the claim that science has a specific use is an argument from ignorance?... I'm afraid the burden of proof is on you there, good luck demonstrating that.\n\n&gt;i think you believe science only deals with very limited realms of knowledge, but in fact science is study of the universe, all of it. if it exists, science can study it. if its an illusion, science can study the illusion.\n\nNo, science is a tool designed to study the empirical, the natural. This is why the main assumption behind it is 'methodological naturalism' (the assumption that no matter what reality is really like, it's easier to just assume that it's natural). This is why science used to be called "natural philosophy". Science obviously cannot study everything that exists, and this is easy to demonstrate - maths, philosophy, logic, aesthetics, morality, etc, (unless of course you don't believe those things exist), and this is obviously ignoring all possible supernatural entities. \n\nThe important thing that a basic science education should teach you is that science is not a study of what's real. It is metaphysically neutral, hence why it is based on methodological naturalism and not metaphysical naturalism. This is the **strength** of science, in that no matter what metaphysical system is true, science still works. So if solipsism were true, or dualism, or idealism, or materialism, or whatever, science would still work and it would give us the exact same results regardless of what is true in reality. (Or, in other words, did you ever wonder why science talks about studying 'phenomena'? If it were a study of reality, they would be studying noumena). \n\nPeople can obviously make extra philosophical claims about the nature of reality by using scientific results, and try to support positions like scientific realism (that what science describes is real), but that's a position that you need to support if you want others to accept it. \n\n&gt;what you are describing is the progression from superstition to scientific understanding, just as we thought lightning was the wrath of a diety once, that feelings of dread were caused by vengeful spirits, or that the stars were determining our daily lives.\n\nNone of those are supernatural claims. They are all natural claims, and able to be studied by science. \n\nThe supernatural is that which is immeasurable, unobservable, and disorderly - contrasted with what science studies (the measurable, observable, and orderly), it becomes clear why science cannot study the supernatural. Simply put, what possible scientific tool do you think is capable of collecting data on something which can't be measured or observed, and behaves in a non-orderly fashion? \n\n&gt;well the difference between a scientist and somebody who thinks like you are suggesting is a scientist is OK with saying we don't know, let's not invent something until we do. then he goes out and tries to find a good explanation for it.\n\nFirstly, I am a scientist, and secondly, I'm presenting the standard position from science on the issue of the supernatural. Again, this is high school science stuff. \n\nIf something happens in the world, then yes, we go out and investigate it and come up with an explanation. But, importantly, we come up with a naturalistic explanation. Why is this? Because scientific claims needs to be testable and falsifiable. Supernatural claims are neither of those things. This means that when we investigate something that has happened in the world, we will necessarily and automatically reject and ignore any possible supernatural explanations, and we will conclude some naturalistic explanation, **even if the real cause is supernatural**. \n\n&gt;lightning is discovered to be static discharge, that ghost sightings and feelings of dread are caused by low frequency sounds that are just below the threshold for human hearing, but enough to register subconsciously as a feeling of dread, and that stars are just like our sun, but light years away and just as old as they are far.\n\nAgain, none of those claims (the deity sun, ghosts, stars, etc) are supernatural claims, so irrelevant to this discussion.\n\n&gt;just because we call our explanations "nature" does not mean that they are seperate from the supernatural. it only means that the supernatural has no good explanation. if the phenomenon is real then we should study it and describe it.\n\nBut it's impossible to study the supernatural through a method that explicitly restricts itself to the study of the natural. I can't explain this any other way. \n\n&gt;in order for your point to be accurate you must demonstrate a case of something that is supernatural and proven to be true.\n\nWhy would I, *as someone who doesn't believe the supernatural exists or is even a coherent concept*, have to demonstrate an example of a real supernatural entity or event? What kind of logic is that?\n\nIn order for my point to be accurate, I just need to point out that science studies testable, falsifiable, and observable things, which everybody must necessarily accept. I think the part where you're tripping yourself up is either in your understanding of science (where you seem to believe that science is the study of everything in the universe), or in your understanding of the supernatural (where you seem to believe that it means the 'wacky' or 'weird' things, rather than the technical definition used in science). 

I like the way the quote continues: "When therapeutic entrepreneurs make claims on behalf of their interventions, we should not waste our time trying to determine whether their interventions qualify as pseudoscientific. Rather, we should ask them: How do you know that your intervention works? What is your evidence?"\n\nWhether X is pseudoscience is definitely related, but still a bit of a meta-discussion that doesn't directly address whether X works.

There is motherfucking aliens in this motherfucking plane!\nBut seriously the guy is a heck of a cameraman. I wish there was footage this good of a real saucers on full frame.

I keep linking this site here, it's very useful:\n\nwww.examine.com/supplements\n\nRun by guys from reddit.

The article linked is actually a mock to the detection software.\n\nENRICOs, where reading articles is the shit!

Here are 6 studies showing some dairy-milk acne connection.  I'm not sure how reputable they are, but they made it to nih.gov.  See www.acneresearch.org/studies for a long list of other studies on the topic.\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20361171 -&gt; Observational studies, including 2 large controlled prospective trials, reported that cow's milk intake increased acne prevalence and severity\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15692464 -&gt; "We found a positive association with acne for intake of total milk and skim milk."\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17083856 -&gt; "We found a positive association between intake of milk and acne."\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19709092 -&gt; "Metformin treatment, and diets low in milk protein content and glycaemic index reduce increased IGF-1 signalling."\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19549242 -&gt; "the intake of dairy and soy products (P = 0.04) was significantly associated with a lower incidence of acne."\n\nhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20822969 -&gt; "This study also showed that a high glycemic load diet, dairy food intake, high fat diet, and iodine in Korean foods appear to play a role in acne exacerbation."\n

exactly, and if they ever tell you that you HAVE to answer the question, remember your 5th amendment baby, ive seen people completely ignore the 5th because an officer said they have to answer, and end up fucking themselves over.

The triggers that set it off were, 1) the death of my father as this is when things really started and 2) when my mother got remarried a year later as this is when it started to get intense and violent.  The church said that it did not like another strong male presence in the house.

Ireland does not have raccoons, and has never had any need of air-conditioning. -  If your father said these things, you should make it clear that you understand that he was mistaken; otherwise it detracts from your credibility as a storyteller.  In fact, pointing-out your own misperception, towards the end of your tale, would actually give more weight to your testimony.  i.e. "..the noise of claws scratching inside the walls, and the sudden blasts of cold air, that I had attributed to raccoons and faulty A/C; became a lot more sinister when I discovered Ireland has no raccoons and doesn't use air-conditioning..."

Nope.  The poster, [ghibmmm](/user/ghibmmm), is an active HIV/AIDS denier.  I bet a lot of people up-voted it due to the interesting Semmelweis story at the start, not realizing the "crazy" that was further down.

It has been known for like 40 years that she was just a disturbed 14-year-old girl. It's a tragic case, but not a spooky one. \n\nBy the way, pictures of people jumping out of bed are about the least convincing piece of evidence ever. 

They are a medical massage therapist but you know what?  Working knots out of muscles works.  Is it something you can do with a tennis ball on the floor by yourself.  YES.  Sometimes it helps to have a person push you past your pain threshold.

OP: This is  a highly suspect site: if you are really a skeptic learn to click around on sites and evaluate their provenance. From an about page:\n\n&gt;This is one of a family of health websites managed by Isocorp Medical with forums discussing medical and health care issues. Discover how effective different drug treatments are and find out about complentary and alternative medicine options, such as holistic medicine, homeopathic medicine, traditional chinese medicine, natural medicine, medicinal herbs and plants.\n\nClick through to the tlink provided for isocorp and you get:\n\n&gt;The IsoCorp Digital Media Group spans news reporting, research and publication of medical and other journals to provision of enterprise marketing\n\nSo please do not upvote this post: it will only allow for their page rank to increase which they do not deserve.

Any major surgery, regardless of what is being done, should have a medical reason for the surgery, not a psychological one IMO

I think the best benefit is that you can lose a lot of weight. Basically you have to be eating almost non-stop all day since the caloric density of raw foods is so low (you can't eat most meats or grains).

&gt; no they didnt\n\nhttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v295/n5846/pdf/295234a0.pdf\n\nWe 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.**

A triangle of Chinese lanterns which moved across the sky in 9 seconds?  They must have been strapped to an experimental aircraft!

&gt;a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire.\n\nThat could easily be interpreted as describing rocket propulsion. \n\nI think Ancient Aliens is bunkum, but if aliens did come in space crafts - How do you think they would've been described back then? 

It's already been said so I'll just put in my experience. I've used the calories in vs. calories out theory to both increase my lean-body mass and decrease my body-fat. I've done this 3 times successfully for powerlifting comps and wholeheartedly reject the bodyacceptance movements nonsense about being "genetically obese".\n\nMy explanation for the BA ignorance is they are not aware how many calories they actually consume. Olive oil has over 100 cals per tablespoon for example. 

&gt;The main problem of it for me is that I personally want people to get sick. I don’t want them to get so sick that it overwhelms them, I want them to stay strong within their sickness. But as far as I’m concerned healthy sickness strengths you. You know, like I have been pleased for my children to build in strength through sickness. And I am concerned that we nowadays take a lot of measures that are designed to stop sickness from happening and as far as I’m concerned, well from what I see we haven’t ended up with a healthier society. In fact I would worry that we’ve ended up with a sicker society by neutralising out of it sickness.\n\n\nThe rest of the room is dumber now because of what you just said. 

I'm so glad to be done with this Mayan calendar bullshit. The sad thing is, next year there's going to be another stupid ass doomsday prediction people are going to fall for. \n\nI mean, how many till people wise up? There were 3 in the past two years alone. There's been around 20 in the last 30 years. 

your body is a complex ecosystem, and there are bacteria that aid in digestion by breaking down things we couldn't otherwise, bacteria make B vitamins and other things that are good for us; so they could potentially be good for you. the organisms that live in you are related to not only what you eat (did you read the study about mice getting better memories after being few a common soil bacteria?), but your genes as well (if twins are separated the twins will have more similar bacteria inside them then the people living with them). And sometimes your body needs to progress to the best functioning ecosystem over time so i suggest trying to eat a variety of foods, but the yogurt couldn't hurt

&gt;Read again: A person has been murdered. I think a murder is not a suicide because it would be called suicide, and let alone a workplace accident.\n\nThe OP assumed murder without evidence/explanation of said conclusion. Therefore, those things I postulated are in fact viable possibilities.\n\n&gt;Anything that is not the impossible is true. ANYTHING.\n\nThis is utterly preposterous, it's not even funny how illogical this is.\n\n&gt;Another expample: If you can't give an alibi, or evidence, or proof that makes it impossible to link you to a murder then you are a suspect.\n\nAnd you're still missing the point; This would only mean it would be *possible* that you committed a crime **not** you certainly committed a crime.

Actually, I think Alex Jones is a hack. He brings some things to light, but couples it with a good chunk of disinformation. He confuses as to who the bad guys really are.\n\nWhy is there an [Al'Qaeda flag hanging over a Benghazi courthouse?](http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/282353/benghazi-sea-al-qaeda-flags-john-rosenthal) [Why was Libya invaded 2 weeks after Gaddafi annouced all Libyan oil would be bought with African Gold Dinars from that point onward?](http://maxkeiser.com/2011/09/04/gaddafi-gold-for-oil-dollar-doom-plans-behind-libya-mission/)\n\nAl'Qaeda is not run by the US government; neither is the CIA. There exists within our power structure a certain group of people who have far greater control than the rest. They have armies you and I don't know about and places to go that we can't imagine. The people who we see as those in power don't have any power at all; the puppetmasters are nearly nameless and faceless. That's how they want it.\n\nThe greatest proof of all of this is that there are ALWAYS geopolitical gains to Al'Qaeda's targets. They are the perfect enemy in a war against nobody; they seem to have endless funding, fluid leadership, and never disorganize. The reason for this is they are protected as a tool by the global elite; Al'Qaeda is their "thug" that does their dirty work (while pinning blame on the Islamic world).\n\n

OP, I have one question for you\nWhat would you say is the ultimate meaning to life here on earth?

I agree, but much of the time they throw things just to frighten you. Gives them a kick.

Wow that was an interesting read. It was funny how simply by presenting rational arguments, you were labeled as "really aggressive" and needing to "tone it down a bit."

the only other weird thing was that there was an extremely(very very) quick flash in the air overhead, but I have not experienced anything suspicious happen to myself. I actually saw some the night I posted my story which is a testament to how often I see them. I recently have come with a conclusion as to they're origin. I only see the lights in the wintery months, at times while people would generally be awake, and having fires at home. Considering this fact, I believe that some of the smoke particles act as catalysts for some slow chemical reaction that occurs at a atmospheric boundary that is fairly close to the ground. My next door neighbor's pond always loses water at night which could be part of it. 1,2-Dioxetane is a dimer of formaldehyde and could theoretically interact with the soot particles in the air to form a air suspended flame. This would explain the blue glow and the fact that the only long lived orbs are the ones I see over his pond while the others are fleeting. I should also add that I live in a very swampy part of New Jersey, and around late summer, at night, in a local park that has a lake, I see small(1-2 cm) flames that persist for about half a second, coming out of the ground in places that have not been disturbed by foot traffic. these flames differ from glow bugs not only because they happen when it gets cold but because they shift from blue, and go to a light green and get blown away about 2 seconds faster than glow bugs, and when I shine a light on the spot where the flame has happened, there aren't any bugs, just cracked dirt with some leaves. it is very cool and never noticed it until I recently spent way too much time in the woods. \n\n\ndespite such a mundane explanation there are things I cannot explain.\n the only time i strangely wake up in the middle of the night is when I see the lights. I also used to experience neurological symptoms but I don't really as much now, the symptoms may be caused by to much carbon monoxide which could be a product of these flames, or perhaps the CO could be attributed to the environment.\n\nextra facts you may be interested in\n last night, the colour of the ball I saw was shifting between dark brownish red and blue very quickly when I looked at it through my binoculars(very painful to look at). It sort of looked like a dull flame and wasn't blinking but was moving and stopping, getting brighter, and then darkening and moving again.

However they were not charged due to making false claims. Th psychic was charged for not investing all the money he got from his investors. He kept some for himself. If he invested all of it then there would be no charges.

Selective omission: "So, one day last year, the horoscope was right." (Fails to mention other 364 days of the year).\n\nAlso, some variation of this *might* be possible- perhaps the variables affecting planetary motion are effective on a smaller scale in human lives. Wouldn't bet on it, though.

Most likely. That and some cashiers don't ever learn how to do their job (and deactivate the security tags like the register normally automatically does for them)

No, it's really not like that at all. It would be like paying $50 to fix a leaking drain to avoid paying $100 a year to replace the wood that rots from the leak.

In all of the texts, there is a subjective component to the OBE. You can project your own ideas/thoughts/desires and what not onto the playing field. Those who have practiced OBEs greatly will say that its a balancing act between subjective and objective. You have to also practice at staying objective during the experience so your own manifestations and projections don't come into the mix. \n\n\nApparently, eventually as you get "deeper" into the other things that exist you can find that objectiveness. But at the OBE level it's a blend of both. 

Yes, the function of thrusters and fluid dynamics aren't exactly new concepts.\n\nPlease detail the locations of the invisible thrusters in these videos and explain the geometric shapes and trajectory changes.\n\nI don't think the local authorities will give you my mother's number, she's not THAT well known.. &lt;wink wink&gt;.

You're conveniently sidestepping explaining motion.\n\nWhat you're doing is never addressing the full picture. You're explaining one aspect at a time, but not all aspects or characteristics. \n\nYet somehow, your explanation is 'better' than mine. I shouldn't be surprised. No wonder the world is such a mess. 

I was calling it total BS until the last frame.  The light shining directly in the camera looks EXACTLY like a light I saw years ago over Area 51.  Not sure what to think of this vid now...

I'm sorry, but I'm certainly not the one who has to "read up".\n\n'Trick or Treatment' is a sensationalist book which contains many conclusion and figures blown way out of proportion (mostly for monetary gain I guess?). Singh is a journalist and Ernst is a researcher, and not a very good one at all, according to his [collegues](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1997256/?tool=pmcentrez) (there is more if you want, [here](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2277121/?tool=pmcentrez) and [here](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1563471/?tool=pmcentrez)). I don't know you, but I like to base my conclusions on actual facts and not on someone's opinion of those facts.\n\n&gt; further, the evidence you site, much like the supposed evidence for acupuncture and homeopathy, becomes less and less convincing the closer it is analysed, not more and more as it should. \n\nHow is that so? Quite the opposite, in fact the [systemic review](http://chiromt.com/content/18/1/3#abs) I sited was recently update to include more evidence for the effectiveness of chiropractic for [sciatica and radiating leg pain](http://www.gcc-uk.org/page.cfm?page_id=1550#L2). I.e., it just got more convicing.\n\n&gt; And meta-studies, ie the study of all the various studies on the topic ranked by quality of methodoly, sample size etc, all reach the conclusion that chiropractic is of virtually no use for anything beyond the obvious release of muscle tension for back pain (which is essentially equivalent to a massage). \n\nA pretty wild statement don't you think? ALL reach that conclusion? You can start with the systemic review I just quoted. But hey, I'm open-minded and I know there are some studies out that show SMT (if that's what you mean by chiropractic) to be no more effective than placebo. But then again, there are some that show the opposite, so now what?  And I like to be aware of all the evidence out there. So please, can you forward me the meta-studies you mentioned?\n\nThanks and sorry for the long reply.

They're supposed to be thick and off balance. The idea is that you then have to use little stabilizing muscles that in normal shoes get isolated and go unused. Its a different take on the same idea as the barefoot shoes. Your plan was to sue them saying their product worked? 

One thing about this show is they will get some non-scientific opinions from people but also get the scientific opinions as well.  It's okey they show other ways of thinking and leave it up to you to decide. \n\nI was a bit put off by this a few times but the rest of the series is decent. \n\nIt's not up to BBC's almost college level learning and skeptical viewpoint but for a american science show its alright. \n

&gt; Why don't people clue into this.\n\nThis is a really interesting question. From what I've seen, people are bullied and neglected as children into becoming dimwits. Notice how militaristic and paranoid the far right is the the US.

It is, but a different sort. Kick it off with a cause fallacy and use confirmation bias after that, and you have prayer, don't you?\n\nI agree that it's not religion, but it's the closest those bird brained creatures can manage.

This is deeply disheartening and depressing to read and unfortunately only serves to reinforce my suspicions about the lack of rigor in this field.

&gt; the FDA\n\nAhh, the infallible arbiters of what is truly healthy. \n\nDo you really eat pink pork (or chicken)?

That was the basis of Isaac Asimov's [Foundation series](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series). In this science fiction world there was a study called "psychohistory" that could predict the major trends of society. There was one important caveat: Nobody in the society being predicted could know the results of the psychohistorical analysis. Otherwise it would invalidate the predictions.

&gt; You seem to still misunderstand the differences between a non-corporeal entity and a tangible entity. You can't turn your head to check if a god exists.\n\nMetaphorically. We have.\n\n&gt; I've done interpretive dance, I've drawn pictures of sandwiches, I've checked by all my means, but I haven't found any proof of any sort of black hole in our galaxy. Thus one isn't there, and we can stop looking. I hope you see why this line of logic is silly.\n\nNone of those are ways in which it is conceivable to perceive a black hole. We do have measurable evidence of them.\n\nPrayer and supplication, however, are ways in which are generally acceptable to gain god's attention and/or favor. You know this.\n\n&gt; Right, you're the one claiming to be in possession of knowledge you can't possibly have. Your pride has subsumed your logic.\n\nNope. I don't claim to know for certain. But I don't believe the answer is 'yes'. Ergo, I am an agnostic atheist.\n\n&gt; How is brevity related to correctness again? \n\nWe weren't talking about correction though, but about smugness and pretension. You need to go on a philosophical ramble in order to justify being an intellectual coward and to claim superiority over atheists "who claim to know". Going on a 15 minute diatribe to explain why the other party is an idiot for proclaiming a belief is kind of smug and pretentious you have to admit.\n\n&gt; Then I can't say with any great level of certainty that they don't exist on earth.\n\nSo, just in case, you might want to lay out some leprechaun traps. Since they are as equally likely as deities.\n\n&gt; The oceans are still largely unexplored.\n\nThe deep ocean isn't explored fully, true. The Gulf of Mexico where the pancake batfish was found isn't that far off the coast. We've found new species in places we've thought we've scoured extensively. Much like the god of the gaps argument you have to keep narrowing your parameters in order to separate leprechauns from deities.

Sorry what I meant was, you can't *prove* a negative claim to 100% probability. I can say there is no bigfoot, I can give plenty of evidence- or show a lack of sufficient evidence to support my theory that there is no bigfoot, but that doesn't mean there is no chance that there is a bigfoot. The chance is just so low that I should assume there isn't one until overwhelming evidence appears.\n\nSo saying there is no evidence of god can't disprove god, but the lack of evidence gives the probability of a god to be very low.

Kind of creepy...in the description it says it was some sort of fire even though officals haven't found the source...any updates on that?

You should really try to act in a more mature way. I thought I was the only one with whom you acted in such a childish manner, but now it's starting to look like the norm rather than the exception.

MK-Ultra is a good one. Google that some time. It pisses me off not only because the government really was being psychotically evil, but because it fuels every other bullshit government conspiracy theory. "Well if they did MK Ultra who's to say they aren't poisoning us with chemtrails?!"\n

Put backslashes (the one above the Enter key) in front of the parentheses to escape reddit formatting.  Like this:\n\n    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_\\(newspaper_strip\\)#Newspaper_strip\n\nGives you this:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Spider-Man_\\(newspaper_strip\\)#Newspaper_strip

If your looking to be able to spout out an endless array of economic and political information your going to need to UNDERSTAND a lot of political and economic information. Meaning nothing is easier to remember than something you learned rather than memorized. In school your constantly forced to remember and then regurgitate back the answers. That is not learning, when your interested in something on your own you learn it like a story and from their your less likely not to forget it, because you see it differently. The more you read the more you will learn and be able to remember so read and listen as much as you can and it will stick eventually. 

I can't think of a better place to have a cropped ad of Pamela Anderson's tits trying to sell domains than on that page.

My mother has been totally sucked in by this 'power band' crap. She thinks it will prevent diabetes...

What type of scavenger native to northern russia has jaws strong enough to bite through frozen limbs but small and dexterous enough to eat tiny eyeballs out of their sockets without damaging surrounding tissue? Keeping in mind that the body is only about a foot tall so the eyes would be the size of a thumbtack. \n\n

They did link to NYT and WSJ in the article, were those a better source?

Sorry I was working a pretty good frothing rage on this last night, but I just mean that he's not a good storyteller in any sense.  I couldn't listen to the entire original episode, it was like a parody.  It was pretentious, insincere and manipulative.  And it was banking on his authority of the subject matter to make it relevant.  If he were telling a story about something unimportant, like a baseball game, he wouldn't have gotten anywhere near a show like This American Life.

The science isn't - and has never been - all over the place. The science - meaning the kind that performs experiments and demonstrates the veracity of conclusions based upon evidence - says that it isn't harmful and is in fact beneficial to teeth. The Pseudoscience - the kind of stuff associated with people who drink colloidal silver and make unsubstantiated claims backed only be youtube videos of an angry old man from the midwest ranting at the camera - says that it's bad for you.\n\nSiding with the first group will probably never steer you wrong. 

I wouldn't be surprised if she actually was an amazing artist. There's nothing woo-ey about child prodigies, really. \n\nThe claim that her mother was an atheist before this all started, though? That seems pretty hard to believe. The woman dresses like Sylvia Browne if she started channelling Ramtha.

The fires expanded the floor girders which connected the floor to the vertical column. As a result, the connections broke, and with no lateral support the vertical column buckled, leading to failure.\n\nWhile it's difficult to picture how a building _would_ collapse, that's just a common problem in trying to apply day-to-day physics to giant scale material. For example, steel girders look like overcooked spaghetti in the [collapse of Big Blue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxM83_hHJC8). When the load is applied in a direction where the structure was not designed to handle, it can fail _easily_.\n\nYou're right not to listen to whacks like Slipgrid.

The problem lies in the presentation of statistics to those who don't know how to interpret them, and then subsequently the bias of those people who do interpret statistics for the general population (the Bill O'Reilys of the world).  If everyone had a firm grasp of statistics then the problem would be diminished, but there are always different ways of presenting the same information that create different impressions on the listener. \n\nIf there was one crime committed in a small town last year, and this year there are two one could create a very different impression by presenting a percentage change versus the change in the values themselves.

I remember that episode. It was a hotel custodian or something and his other personality was a woman of some kind.

Thanks for putting up with my endless barrage of questions haha.  This is all fascinating to me.\n\nWhat other strange and/or paranormal things have you encountered in your life?

&gt; OMSG POISON\n\nFTFY. I'll let you choose what the S stands for.\n

for dark matter, the only evidence for it is that if you solve some equations that have to do with gravity for the mass of the universe it indicates that there must be a shitload of unaccounted for matter otherwise the answers do not make sense.  I think it is more likely that we do not really understand gravity the full nature of gravity than that such a thing is possible.  Unless there is just a shitload of black holes out there, but then the universe would not be expanding at an ever increasing rate, it would be contracting or at least slowing down.  As it were our understanding of gravity is seriously suspect, but merely pointing this out gets massive downvotes even though anyone can downvote while no one yet has the knowledge to correct our views on gravity.  r/skeptic is fine until someone out skeptics them, then it's holy fucking war.

I'm not sure how an understanding of the Bible and Christian theology precludes scientific literacy.

&gt; Then you either illiterate or intellectually incapable of comprehending simple english sentences. I told you explicitly to what I objected.\n\nWhen calling someone illiterate, it really helps if you proof-read your sentences first. Saying “you illiterate” instead of “you _are_ illiterate” rather takes the wind out of your sails (oh, and incidentally “english” should be capitalized, too).  Moreover, you claimed to have read my comment history, so you have plenty of evidence to draw on regarding my communication skills.\n\nEssentially, you're resorting to name calling. Keep digging yourself that hole.\n\n&gt; Enough of this anesthesia crap: You have demonstrated that playing a tape with statements like "you won't feel sick" makes people not feel sick. \n\nAwesome, I'm glad you accept that, even if you show your distain by calling it “crap” (classy!).  And there was the video a hernia surgery with no anesthetic too, and plenty more where that came from.\n\nI'd love to get your comments on that video. Did you watch it? Did you think it was faked somehow?  Or is it uninteresting because they didn't also try to do abdominal surgery with a placebo as well and compare the two?\n\nTo me, the analgesia stuff, especially the major surgery ones, are interesting.  Let's argue it a few different ways ways to see why:\n\n1. If hypnosis is no better than a traditional placebo: In this case, if we accept the evidence that surgery has been performed using hypnotic analgesia, it means that general anesthesia is, at least sometimes, worse than a placebo.  That's a pretty interesting finding about general anesthesia!\n2. If hypnosis is better a traditional placebo: Why? Since they use the same mechanism (suggestion), what is going on that would make hypnosis outperform the placebo?\n3. If we don't accept the evidence that surgery has been performed using hypnotic analgesia, what is the explanation for what appears to be occurring in these videos and reports?\n\n&gt; You don't know the definition of Ad hominem.\n\nYou mean [like this one](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem#Circumstantial):\n&gt;&gt; Ad hominem circumstantial points out that someone is in circumstances such that he is disposed to take a particular position. Ad hominem circumstantial constitutes an attack on the bias of a source. This is fallacious because a disposition to make a certain argument does not make the argument false; this overlaps with the genetic fallacy (an argument that a claim is incorrect due to its source).\n\nFWIW, based on scant evidence, you seemed to have made a number of very tenuous assumptions based on reading a comment where I said “I'm a hypnotist”.  Most of them amount to name calling.\n\nFrom what I can tell, you assumed that I am a hypnotherapist. I'm not. You've also assumed that I don't understand science, the scientific method, etc. Again, assumptions with scant evidence. Basically your evidence is that I disagree with you about hypnosis.\n\nI'm a skeptic and a scientist. You don't have to look very far down my comment history to see my explaining to people that their dualistic ideas about consciousness are nonsensical and referring them to Daniel Dennett.  Dennett often describes consciousness as a “bag of tricks”, and I've long been interested in those tricks, and how they work. I enjoy sites like [mindhacks.com](http://mindhacks.com) and books like [_Thinking Fast and Slow_](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/books/review/thinking-fast-and-slow-by-daniel-kahneman-book-review.html?_r=1&amp;pagewanted=all), both of which show just how flawed most people's understanding of how their minds work really is. \n\nWith that in mind, I learned about suggestion and hypnosis, both practicing on friends and figuring out how to do it on myself. What better way to enhance your knowledge of a phenomena than to conduct some experiments of your own. You could learn how to do it too, the principles are really simple, and it's not at all hard to understand how it works. Here's my quick version [as a reddit comment I wrote about a year ago](/r/IAmA/comments/fg068/iama_hypnotist_who_uses_hypnosis_in_a_variety_of/c1fo2b7).\n\nFWIW, I also have a handbook on cold reading. Learning about those techniques was quite eye opening too.  Some day, I might try that on people too, not because I really believe in psychic phenomena, but because it's fun to screw with other people's heads and exploit the ways in which they're not as rational as they might think they are.  If I do, I'll be sure to say “I do palm readings” in a reddit comment somewhere, and think of you.\n\nAnyway, it's been very entertaining interacting with you. If you learned something (even if it's only that name-calling isn't a very good argument strategy), cool. If not, no worries.\n

That would be an awesome super power! However, I think it is only your brain messing with you. What you just described is the definition of dejà vu. Also, the brain can be a dickbag a lot of times. Screws with your memory a lot, sometimes to a point when you remember things that never happened to you. Maybe something like that is the case here. You should write down your dreams immediately after waking up, every time. Worst case scenario is the dejà vu stops and you stop being freaked out. 

I don't think it's worth the price for that little honey. Simply a better disguised scam.

I read *her post*. That tweet isn't what she linked to and isn't the statement under discussion. If she just said that we wouldn't even be talking.

I've seen it before, but it's good to brush up, especially since I'm on the steering committee for a new branch of Independent Investigations Group.

By "third entity" are you referring to the Third Man phenomenon that climbers experience, or something else?

Ask them if they know anything about [flashbulb memory](http://www.open2.net/eyewitness/martin_conway.html) and its relation to crime reporting by [eye witnesses](http://www.open2.net/eyewitness/line_up_graham_pike.html)\n\nThere's a bbc [programme](http://www.open2.net/eyewitness/index.html) on the subject, where about dozen people are led through some cognitive tests and then taken to a pub for lunch. The programme organisers then stage a brutal stabbing in full view of all of the volunteers. They are unaware that the event isn't real, and when the "police" arrive to take statements, everything is filmed. It highlights the fallibility of perception even for events you have been a part of.\n\nEdit: I'm a plonker. The programme is called Eyewitness, you can find the link to the main bit of the programme through the links above.

Could also be a rotational artifact of the satellite in question.  Could be a million things that could be easily explained if you were honest with yourself and made the most meager effort to, first, eliminate the obvious (a satellite).  It's simple, and I'll even do you the favor because you seem to have a genuine passion for the subject.  Why don't you provide me with the 8-14-2010 time/direction you were looking and I'll do the research for you, as you seem unwilling to do this simple check and balance on your sighting.  If nothing turns up in a basic satellite skywatch, then kudos to you.  Were you to report this sighting to anyone interested in the serious study of these phenomena (MUFON, CUFOS, etc.)  They'll tell you the same thing.

We're talking about two different things I think - the total force that the tennis ball exerts on the bowling ball is equal the force it receives from the bowling ball. However that is no where close to being the equivalent of the bowling ball's total force.

Personally, I use Stephen Hawking's theories to explain why tarot cards work. 

A few trolls with loud voices, many social media accounts and the tacit consent of one of the communities anoited "leaders."

I think they mean 'ten commandments given twice' =&gt; 10 + 10, then 'on two stones' =&gt; 1+1 = 2 =&gt; 10+10 + 1+ 1 = 22  \nStill, bloody muppets  \n\n\nedit: formatting

not quite, the graphs clearly showed that a certain percentage of people using the real bands did worse, the only consistency was the no change category which was approximately the same. However, there could've been a placebo effect as the majority of both of the groups saw improvement. The kid was also smart enough to do a double blind study where neither group was made aware of whether or not the bands they were wearing were the real ones or the "placebos." So yes it very well could be concluded that the improvement was a result of the placebo effect. But if you are still skeptical, SkepticallySkeptical go test it for yourself and prove the child wrong. Keep in mind, these kind of tests have already been done by legitimate scientists doing essentially the same thing, but with far more refined and accurate testing methods and tools, of course they have money and decades of experience experimenting. 

The funniest thing is the paradox.\n\nIf you knew how to predict the lottery numbers - would you tell anyone?\n\nDerren is either a a liar or very stupid.\n\nI might go and watch the video now.

No thank you, I would rather eat this *unnatural* produce, which probably contains no Carbon.

&gt;So if fluoride works internally, why do we also put it on our teeth topically?\n\nBecause it also works topically. However, some people cannot afford toothpaste.\n\n&gt;the water is so heavily naturally fluoridated that it softens their teeth.\n\nHence the need to defluoridate the water in those types of areas.\n\n&gt; 4 ppm\n\nThis is the [maximum level](http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/basicinformation/fluoride.cfm/) of fluoride permitted in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency. &lt;2 ppm is recommended.\n\n&gt; why hasn't the rest of the industrialized world followed our lead?\n\nYou mean the UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand, who all have some amount of fluoridated water? And most of continental Europe puts fluoride in their salt, just like iodide in the US.

I've had the same pack of rolling papers for over a year now. And it always looks like its about to run out. Weird shit man. 

I think delusion is a better word. They want to believe that it's real so strongly that they're able to overcome any doubts

Not applying any method to whether or not its fake. Just stating the facts of why these shows are not always a good thing for people who dont realize they are for entertainment. 

This is all stuff i've heard before. But ok lets say all of the above is true. Why haven't you built one and given them to your friends? You say know someone who's built one ? He should really write a publication on it, he'd win a nobel prize. \n\nAre you really suggesting that everyone with this knowledge is being bribed by the government? Let me ask you this, just how many people do you think are in on this ? How much money would it take for them to not talk? 

It's [turtles all the way down](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles_all_the_way_down), smarty.

If you open your mind too much, your brain will fall out:\n\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUc_kATGgg&amp;feature=youtube_gdata_player\n\n\n\n 

You should check out the book Science and the Spook, it is very relevant to your topic.

I have a friend whose dad is a Chiropractor and she wants to be one as well.  Whenever we talk about what Chiropractic medicine is she always insists that it has nothing to do with "innate intelligence" or helping your energy flow.  I actually had to tell her the history of Chiropractic medicine as she didn't know.  Then I told her the exact same thing you just commented. heh.

My grandfather was a DO. A DO gets extra training in the musculoskeletal system, they're do the same amount of med school as an MD and more in some cases. He delivered babies, performed surgeries, and whatever else. He finished his career as a distinguished hospital inspector. Backstory is so you know that a DO is in fact a doctor first and an Osteopathic physician second. \n\nSo it's not like going to a chiropractor who says your cold is because your spine is out of alignment. 

upvoted for mentioning [buttcandles](http://buttcandle.com/). I need to think up some sort of alternative medicine bullshit contraption and get paid.

sucks the glitched carton didn't at least have some glitch milk in it.

The pesticide is not in the plant. The plant is modified to be resistant to the herbicide thus the herbicide kills only the weeds and not the plant. However the problem now iz weeds are becoming resistant to the herbicide. This is mostly to do with monsanto's round up ready crops and not gmos in general. Gmo is just a tool and its all in how it is used. There good examples and bad just like anything else.

There's a series of lava beds in Washington state, here is a photo:\nhttp://www.123rf.com/photo_4329411_dry-hills-and-lava-rocks-in-landscape-of-eastern-washington.html\n

No need to use that kind of language. Have some class; we are on the internet here.

&gt;If we have 1 central entity doling out what is "compassionate," there are two scenarios. One might be a net gain or a net loss. Suppose we have thousands of entities interacting and helping each other, our risks are highly mitigated. Having a central government administering help for 300m+ people seems both ungainly (in the vertical management versus horizontal decision making scenarios) and arbitrary.\n\nYes, that is true. A capitalist institution, though, doesn't even have the goals of reducing suffering, increasing freedoms, reducing inequality, increasing quality of life, or improving knowledge. They have the goal of increasing their own wealth, which often runs contrary to the aforementioned.

(Australian Skeptics member): I for one am of the opinion that name calling (including the use of the word "woo") is not a useful approach, as to me that is an example of acting superior or aggressive to others. Critical thinking is incompitable with name calling IMO.

I've heard that there is a lot of people just waiting for the old guard to retire/die so they can start making changes.

Eloquent, yes.  Accurate, no.\n\nIt's a sad observation that one doesn't need to *misunderstand* something in order to embrace woo.  Many hapless folks aren't even aware of the science that would otherwise light that candle.

Everything on that site unfortunately has been debunked. Unfortunately for you OP you are arguing the equivalent of "God exists, and it's specifically the Christian God as written so in the bible". If I were you I'd just go for appeal to authority using NIST.

I find it amazing that people get excited about this and wonder what it is. It's Chinese lanterns, people. Why is that so difficult to accept? Use some basic common sense and deductive reasoning.\n\nThere are tons of valid interesting UFO videos on the internet; why bother with this mundane lantern crap? The lights flicker, they stay in one place or drift slowly, they are slightly yellow-orange like a lantern would be; there are a hundred videos of similar uninteresting chinese lanterns... can we please move past this nonsense?\n\nNo unusual lights, no unusual shape, no signs of independent or intelligent control or motion, no indication of large size, no unusual speed. Basically NOTHING WHATSOEVER to indicate it's not lanterns. I hate to be a buzzkill, but it's beyond annoying at this point.

&gt; All the small farmers I have known are highly educated about their crops, are personally invested, and very generous.\n\nThen you have anything but a realistic ground to base your opinion on. The small farmers you're dealing it are selling to an elite market, and by elite I mean very rich. If we tried to feed the whole world from small organic farming, more than half of the population would have to convert into illiterate, ignorant, and brutish slaves of the land. That's not precisely my ideal, and I doubt that it's yours too.

You take a long wooden board, drill holes on either end, tie a rope to each hole, enter a wheat field, walk with one foot on the board and one on the ground, stomp down the crop in a pattern and .... VOILA!   A crop circle!  ;)

The general talk is not bad but Dyson is just trying to paint himself as a "heretic of science" just to cover for his climate-change denial - he is just moving his denial from "not possible" (as he claimed during the '80s) to "the warming is not measured correctly" (on which he was just debunked by the BEST team of physicist twice more important than him, including Nobel-winner Perlmutter) to "it's not going to be that bad" - and in the process he is recycling all the denialist myths that have been already debunked and providing 'fake solutions' that sound easy and convenient but have no large-scale economic base ...

Sorry but it looks like a paperclip on a car windshield and without panning out to get a comparison to the surrounding area, that's all it will ever be, a paperclip.

Facebook "like" is the new prayer.  It's the easiest way to feel like you're doing something without actually doing anything.  

As somebody [said](http://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/vlgxb/could_time_travel_be_a_natural_phenomenon_my/c59coih) in /r/LetsNotMeet, it's [picture jasper](http://www.tobydesign.com/uncategorized/what-is-picture-jasper).

My knowledge of classical history is dismal, so I hope someone with a better education will step up to correct me; but my understanding is that Aristotle was complicit with the Pythagoreans in suppressing the works of those like Democritus who insisted on experiment. I believe Democritus or their contemporaries had done the work on falling masses, but since it was counter-intuitive and inelegant, it was suppressed.  Heliocentrism was figured out by Aristarchus just a few years after Aristotle. The same Aristarchus who (by physical experiment) calculated the radius of the Earth to a pretty good approximation.\n\nI don't fault Aristotle for being wrong about his facts. Our best scientific minds are currently wrong about many things. Where I fault Aristotle is in his preference of an elegant and beautiful thought over an inelegant or disquieting fact. It is this mindset that can lead the most brilliant and noble minds into fiercely defending falsehoods and inhibiting the advance of knowledge.

We have some EVP's in the pipeline. Check out our night vision video's from our recent trip to Ireland on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGhostlyGathering

Kind of also felt like a combo of awkward dweebs + bad reporting.  Hard to tell.

Big Oil is part of a rival group that seeks to rule the world to torture everyone in it.  The Global Warming group seeks to rule the world to tax it. Subtle difference.

Scientific evidence = qualitative measurements?\n[You're doing it wrong](http://images.memegenerator.net/instances/280x280/9371195.jpg)

The silliest part, and it shows how little that these people understand chemistry and potentials for danger, is that outside in nature they are being bombarded by cosmic rays, uv radiation, and any number of natural chemicals(although almost all chemicals are natural seeing as the universe is chemicals as well as your own body) that can harm them just as much if not more than what they claim is hurting them.

Thanks for the info, but did you misspell *prizes* every time on purpose?

Yep old [DTMF (Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual-tone_multi-frequency_signaling) tones. They're still used in some amateur radio applications. They're a good way to send commands as audible sounds.\n\nI'm not sure they're still used on cell phones. When you're using a phone that's physically wired into the network, then your switch station is always listening. You send a sequence of audio tones and it decodes it into an address for the phone you want to ring. When radios are involved things get a bit different. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that cell phones eventually boil down to still sending the same tones but with caller ID involved and whatnot, I suspect there's more going on.

Yes, it absolutely is.  Advancement is advancement, regardless of application.

http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/110v3q/canadian_chiropractor_paralyzed_a_woman_and/c6iupao\n\nCan you look these over and maybe we can discuss what you feel is missing to see the conclusion I've made?

But of course. UFO stands for "Unidentified Flying Object" not "Alien Spaceship".

If it is possible for you and I to exist...\n\nanything is possible.

What's a good Christian to do then? [After all, a vote for Romney is a vote for Satan.](http://www.votingforsatan.com/)

It's tantamount to child abuse, in my opinion. This guy was our dorm chief in boot camp- yes, a leadership spot- and his facebook reads like No Bark Noonan's blog. 

That is pretty damn sneaky on the part of the gays.  The only way you would know they were infiltrating your school library would be to search for code words like, "gay", "homosexual", or "transgendered".  Diabolical!

For teething it's less damaging to wildlife than ivory or coral, though I would be wary of small pieces being swallowed, the rest is just BS.

My 3 yr old son told us of the pink lady, when we moved into our current house last yr.  we thought it was imagination, then we started hearing something going up and down the basement stairs.  And my sister in law swore she saw a figure reach for her.  We asked the former owners and they proceeded to name these entities.  And the pink lady was their mother that died.  She wore a pink robe while she was sick up until she died.  So, I guess that kids are more sensitive.

&gt; So you're saying it's not whether or not it's social science that is the criterion but it's the methodology?\n\nYes &amp; no.  It is based on (a) methodology, (b) frequency of use, (c) reaction of peers, and (d) if a better methodology is possible at all.\n\nIf you want a more complicated answer.  \n\n1. In general, observational studies in humans are easy &amp; great at generating hypothesis.  Unfortunately, it is also easy to confuse correlation with causation to hype up your findings for funding/publicity/publication.  This is why it is common to find another report of "coffee is good/bad for you".    On the other end of the spectrum, it is also easy to do in vitro experiments with cell lines, etc. and come up with another "cure for cancer".  \n\n    But scientists do not recommend changing the standard of care for cancer patients or changing your coffee intake based on these studies alone.   The standard response from an unrelated scientist is always "This is very interesting/exciting/promising but more studies need to be done..."  \n\n    Of course if you restrict yourself to humans - as is frequently the case in social sciences, it is very hard (impossible or very expensive) to do follow-up studies with controlled perturbations.  So typically, the response to an observational study becomes dominated by confirmation bias.  There are always variables that are not controlled, it just depends on your POV if you consider them important or not.\n\n2. To make matters worse, social sciences also inform policy.  Here, I sympathize with them.  If you ask a cancer biologist, how to treat a particular cancer, he can be honest and say his data is preliminary and although he might have a better treatment in the future, it is probably safer to go with the less than ideal current standard of care.\n\n    OTOH, when you want to prevent a recession or fix a school system, your opinion might be based on sloppy observational data but so is everyone else - so you would rather have your suggestion tried instead of the opposing one.  And if it works, this single uncontrolled experiment becomes the mainstream response (e.g. the response to the Great Depression, the "broken window" theory, etc.) - until it doesn't work in another context, because the uncontrolled variables were different.\n

The witness was named Bruce Lee, he worked for the publishing company. It was at a "first day on the shelves" party for Strieber's *Communion*, the woman had a New York Jewish accent (!) and she was pointing out all the "errors" in the book like she had been there. She have a male companion, but he said nothing. They were odd looking people.

I don't believe it's a bad idea at all. If you're comfortable with their presence, there's no reason to be afraid. From what you describe, the presence you're experiencing is pretty harmless.

Yeah, simply attacking  someone for questioning a well-established field of science because they don't have the proper grounding isn't helpful. But there are groups of people who declare themselves to be skeptics about things like evolution and climate change not because they've examined the evidence and found it lacking, but because they don't want to believe in the first place. To be skeptic, you don't hold true to your values in the face of evidence to the contrary, you avoid holding true to values that don't stand up to scrutiny. That's not skepticism, that's dogmatism.\n\nPerhaps that's the point I'm trying to make here. People sometimes mistake dogmatism for skepticism, because the lines can get a little blurry.

I guess we are made up of atoms explosively discharged after a star has digested as many elements as it could. Which means...\n\nWe are star poop.

I may not understand your reference, but I also have decided to take a look at some old, dead posts. 

I have, yes. One dream that especially stood out to me took place when I was maybe 4 or 5. I dreamed of walking in the woods and, in a big clearing, discovering a gigantic parrot, squawking and flapping its wings. Weeks later, my family and I went on vacation; while there, we went walking through a trail in the forest, and there was a huge statue of a parrot in a clearing there.\n\nAnother time, when I was in high school, I dreamed of seeing a friend who had graduated a couple years earlier walking the halls. The next day, he visited for the first time since he had graduated.

You haven't provided any evidence of what you said, and no where have ai wished you ill health, but yes, you are being a jack ass. 

Are you able to ask questions in your dreams despite it's control over them? I've never delt with anything like this, but with any situation I can't stress enough how important research it. Research the property. Your home. The town/city's history. Anything relevant that you can get your hands on. Knowledge is your greatest defense. As other have said, if you go, ground yourself. Only take positive energy with you.

So, according to this, every individual is immortal from his own point of view? Or is this a false conclusion?

&gt;You don't, and no one on this thread has been able to disagree with the many truthful aspects of this image\n\nActually, I did. I questioned the evidence that allows you to claim this a "significant plurality" are rioting. You have not provided any empirical evidence, but made plenty of assertions. Please provide data to back up your claims, thanks!\n\n&gt;But the first step to solving a problem, is admitting there is one.\n\nI think we all understand there is a problem. The problem is that you don't seem to understand there are *two* problems, two partners in this dance of intolerance: those who overreact, and those who fan the flames.\n\nThose are simply reflections of a larger geopolitical situation, which you grossly oversimplify in your attempt to pet this on the specific religion. The Middle East (nor adherents of Islam) is in a state of humiliation, and has been for a while. The reasons for this are complex, and not sorely the fault of religious extremism, but also of Western interventionism; the Iranian 1953 *coup d'état*, [which was orchestrated by the UK and the US](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d'%C3%A9tat) (other sources [here](http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB28/) and [here](https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol48no2/article10.html)), was instrumental in the rise of Islamic fanaticism, for example.\n\nThe problem with your argument is that you're only looking at this from one angle. Others have made that criticism, which you have failed to address. By saying "it's Islam's" fault, you are missing the bigger picture: current tensions have *much more* to do with social, economical, and political factors - both regional and global, because of oil's importance to our civilization - than they do with religion.\n\n&gt;By attacking the movie-makers, you are telling people that freedom of speech has limitations, and that insulting people is wrong\n\nNo, I am telling people that actions have consequences, and that flamebaiting is not a constructive endeavour.\n\nHow do you feel about the filmmakers lying to the actors, then putting them into harm's way by changing what they said and who they're portraying? How is that not worthy of condemnation?\n\n&gt;You have to stand up for freedom of speech, no matter how hateful or bigoted or stupid it is.\n\nI can stand up for it, and then condemn it when it is counter-productive and/or inaccurate. I will fight to the death to protect your right to say dumb inflammatory shit, but I'll still call it dumb inflammatory shit.\n\nRemember that love is more powerful than hate. In this context, this means showing the restraint and maturity many of these protesters lack, and refraining from adding fuel to the fire.\n\n&gt;Religion is not in a criticism-free bubble. It is not sacred, it does not need to be defended from every insult and ramblings of an idiot.\n\nIt certainly does not, however the insults and ramblings of idiots should be condemned as well as the overreaction, and trying to blame it on the actual religion should also be condemned for being narrow-minded, near-sighted *and* ineffective.\n\nIn evaluating your response to these arguments, do consider that I hope those who committed the murders are brought to justice, something which the Lybian government has vowed to do.

&gt;Wow, nice and abrasive from the start but yes I have given a lot of thought to what I wrote.\n\nI apologize. I'm in a terrible mood. I think I'm having the MANses. \n\n&gt;I hope you're not insinuating that the few hundred years we've been studying bacteria is equivalent to that of a species tens of thousands of years more advanced studying a lesser life form for thousands of years.\n\nNo. I'm saying it isn't arrogant to think that a greater life form would be interested in observing and following a lesser species. But since you brought it up, it could be going on for thousands of years without our knowledge, like we've been studying micro-organisms (obviously for less time).\n\n&gt;Now did you take your food and sit on a fire ant nest to while eating it?\n\nI'm not sure how to answer this. I ate it on my picnic table. My point was that even though I could get more food cheaper closer by, there is motivation (unknown to you) for me to drive across town to get the materials necessary for me to live. \n\nI've given considerable thought to the subject and have come to the conclusion that it's nearly impossible to rule *anything* out in terms of possibilities. \n\n\n

Do you know if anyone has actually done this? I'm curious to see how it went...

Lincoln did instate a [temporary income tax](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revenue_Act_of_1861) to aid in funding his horrible war. 

Very good analysis. I agree entirely.\n\nHowever, the author's avowed atheism might actually be skewing his views, this is the only flaw I detect. We don't know that religion might be such a determinative factor in ET's analysis of our stability.\n\nHowever, as an atheist, I tend to agree with his opinion. 

If they had access to technology that could manipulate gravity, it would be far bigger news, what with space settlements and science fiction suddenly becoming reality. 

Thank you for this. This article is exactly what I've been looking for.

To date I have bought countless (more than 20) copies of the End of Faith and given it away. I get it at cost price VERY cheap from a mate in a bookshop. It usually gets a good response. I think I'll go get some more tomorrow because of this post.

The pertussis vaccine in particular is important. It's one of the ones that needs to be updated every 10 years. If you, an adult, haven't had your pertussis booster, you can indeed catch the disease without knowing it; it tends to present in adults as just a bad/lingering cough. But if you have it and don't know it, you can still give it to un-vaccinated kids, or people with compromised immune systems. \n\nBut the solution there is really just to make sure that people are aware of which vaccines need to be re-administered in adulthood. 

I think there is very little to support it as an actual science. Never use an illusionist as support for science. 

Indeed. Baroness probably knows more than I do--I've only been experiencing these things for 6 months. Luckily I had trusted friends who were able to explain it all and share all their combined knowledge with me.

what could it be? it's super disturbing to me. Makes me feel like i was being shown something

I'd prefer to think that it's my husband whispering while I'm asleep just to mess with me or I'm a sleeper agent and that is the phrase that flips me.

Right, asking for people that created the problem to pay for it is just illogical - since our entire legal system is based on the fact that when somebody is caught stealing everybody pays for that, and when BP creates a disaster the company is never required to pay for the cleanup, and taxes are only cut for the top 1% and so on!\n\n&gt; Since you seem to only care about the emissions coming from the US, you're a liar and a political tool.\n\nI have to point out to retards like you that seem to invent stuff (something that we actually call LYING) that I NEVER claimed that I ONLY care about emission coming from US - for the moment I care about the CO2 cleanup in a way proportional to the total CO2 contribution - something that the legal system always seems to take into account when you have multiple contributions - so as a gross estimate I keep US responsible at this point for about 50% of that, and Europe + JP for about 40% - but unlike US which is never reducing their CO2 consumption but instead only exporting it to China, Europe in general and Germany and France in particular seem to be very successful in reducing their carbon footprint! (the fact that they don't have so many dishonest retards ready to rationalize their own stealing like you do probably also helps a little).

I picked one up today.  I'm going to read through the introduction once, then glue those pages shut and keep it on my bookshelf.\n\nEdit: This was at the University of Minnesota: Twin Cities.  They're all over the place on East Bank.  Weird, considering we're not on that list.

Except that that's not what you said. And the bigger issue is whether free markets are more likely to create fraud than big governments are likely to create demicide. My answer to that is that it depends what type of gov't we're talking about.

no, she's clearly sitting.  looks like in a ski lift going down.

cool, i'll look into it, it's not quite what I was looking for but I love these kinds of thought processes. \n

Can't they wait at least a month after Skyrim has released? November is just a bad month for an invasion.

I'm kind of disappointed with the skeptic crowd with their response to this.  Her post is pretty decent and challenges our group think.\n\nAt worst, she may be succumbing to main stream conventional wisdom as to what food produce what health benefits.  But who among us are really such experts in dietary health that we know enough of the studies to separate out the true claims from the bullshit?  Let's face it.  Are oats oversold in terms of health claims?  Honestly, most of us would have to look it up and do some damn research.  Does a diet in animal fat increase risks of heart disease and cancer?  Do you really know the answer off the top of your head?  These are such mainstream ideas that it's difficult to even begin reasearching them properly to separate fact from fad.\n\nIs the fact that some herbal remedies really do work so horrible to us?  Can we not address our concerns practically?  Issues such as variable dosage control, lack of research into appropriate dosage, products being oversold and over hyped as to how effective they are?

Tomatoes are a poor choice, the current commercial mass produced ones for the Retail Supermarket Chains and Ketchup producers are picked green, the skins are very tough tennis ball like and designed to withstand long distance haulage and shelf life. In short they are crap nutrition free tasteless bags of water and pulp. 

Except that when you start saying that the universe *actually* revolves around the Earth rather than saying its possible to frame it that way, you require evidence. In addition to us having models there is an *actual thing* happening.

That's a whole lot of speculation based on not a lot of information at all.

I used to visit Huffington Post very frequently in the past, for their political coverage. I had no idea this was going on, because I never checked their "Health" coverage, or in fact anything other than politics.\n\nI became aware of the quackery being promoted at their site a few months ago. Although it never directly affected me because I didn't read it anyway, I have since totally stopped visiting their site in protest. I sent an email to them informing them why I was boycotting their site.\n\nI agree with Mugendai that such idiocy seems to be the left-wing answer to creationism. There are idiots on both sides, they just pick different things to be silly about.

I understand fully double-blind placebo studies are difficult with acupuncture but I thought that the accepted approach was to choose random acupuncture points in the control group vs the 'official' points in the other group. Any idea why that wasn't attempted here?

Ask what happens if they exacerbate an undocumented medical condition like a degenerative bone disease that's been weakening your vertebrae? 

I have an EVP that is so clear that it's undeniable. The problem is, everyone I share it with tells me I'm lying and that I was not alone when it was captured, and that the voice is that of a female in the area. I've given up on sharing my evidence with others. You can't change peoples' minds. They'll only agree with you if they already agree with you. I now investigate purely for my own benefit and feel no need to prove anything to anyone.

Because you know so much about me and what I contribute to humanity.

It's those two things that always weirded me out about flat earthers.  Especially artificial satellites.  They could, I suppose, make some sort of argument about the sun being a special case and unique.  But if you take their cosmology seriously, you'd expect all satellites to go up, then fall down.\n\nBut logic is obviously not a strong point with such people.

Are you serious? This is not the same thing at all. We live in a day and age where vaccines **are** readily available, and are far safer than the alternative that these parents are utilizing. They are also enabling and encouraging other parents to carry out such actions. They are not doing this under doctor's supervision, they have no idea what biological hazards they are receiving or even know for sure where they are coming from. They don't know if this is the best time in a child's life to "inoculate" or whether the children are going to have a hypersensitive reaction or perhaps have immune issues.\n\nBut most importantly, they are sending this shit via the mail! Not only is this probably a felony, but they are putting tons of innocent bystanders at risk. These are highly infectious diseases that are passing through a mail system, and these envelopes could come in contact with postal workers, truck drivers, and most dangerously other envelopes. The only worse way I can think of to do this kind of crap would be to bring the kids via plane, and infect everyone in airports too. \n\nAlso, the whole chickenpox thing isn't so horrible, although it's not as harmless as these parents seem to think it is. But to then move on to diseases like measles, mumps and rubella is absurd! These diseases are also highly infectious, and sometimes deadly.\n\nSo no, I don't think this is preferable.

But they still need to be accepted, which is the problem. Once accepted I see no reason why they shouldn't be published online quickly.

atheism is a belief, based on reason. why a belief? because we can never be 100% sure no gods exist.

Oh, I get it now. This all makes sense. I need to lock my door, never leave my house and smash my computers so I don't have to deal with people like this anymore.

She needs to surrender her degree as she is an embarrassment to her school and the profession. Perhaps a more likely credential for her would include a specialization in Homeopathy, Energy-Fields/Crystals and Prayer.

I'm not aware that they have been debunked. But I haven't read Klass or Menzel extensively enough to know if they've ever written about these photographs. \n\n[The Condon Report's case file](http://files.ncas.org/condon/text/case46.htm) on them concludes:\n\n&gt;  This is one of the few UFO reports in which all factors investigated, geometric, psychological, and physical appear to be consistent with the assertion that an extraordinary flying object, silvery, metallic, disk-shaped, tens of meters in diameter, and evidently artificial, flew within sight of two witnesses. It cannot be said that the evidence positively rules out a fabrication, although there are some physical factors such as the accuracy of certain photometric measures of the original negatives which argue against a fabrication. \n\nAnd at the 1969 AAAS conference on UFOs organized by the one and only Carl Sagan (and the one-eyed Thornton Page), a photography expert presented a paper which discussed the McMinnville discs. This paper agrees that there is a physical object in the McMinnville photographs which he cannot identify. The discussion can be found in Sagan and Page's book [UFOs: a Scientific Debate](http://www.amazon.com/UFOs-A-Scientific-Debate-Hardcover/dp/B008AK6XNU?tag=duckduckgo-d-20).

From listening to him, he is holding the kool-aid pitcher. If he is raising money to build these peace palaces then he buys into the "whole" Maharishi thing in a way that, say, Al Gore (another meditator), doesn't (at least publicly.)

No what escalated the incident was Richard Dawkins Muslima comment. till then it was eh.

I suspect that we are existing in some form of construct that is responsive to the active self-aware mind. Whether it is a simulation of some kind or the universe as gestalt entity is open to question. I think this is the key to many of the great mysteries that we face in physics and metaphysics.\n\nI find Campbell's theories deeply interesting. \n\nIf we analyse the unusual and anomalous phenomena we experience with this viewpoint, it begins to make more sense, from the uncertainty principle to UFOs.

Is there some sort of YouTube rule about a UFO vid requiring music?  Perhaps they just don't seem real unless there's music.

"my primary explanation for these things is that yes, they're real. and it would be much better if some other agency in the government like NASA pursue these things because they could be very important to us scientifically." approx quote of Col Friend

&gt;Every act of knowing begins with an act of faith.\n\nCould you expand on this? I'm interpreting this as - when you first learn something, you don't know whether it's true or not without further examination, so you might first accept it on faith. But, you then study it further, examine the verifiable, established evidence and/or reasoning for the claim, and judge whether you should retain a belief in the claim or not. A skeptic would argue that you shouldn't immediately accept truth claims on faith. Rather, you should suspend belief until you have the opportunity to study it further and examine the evidence. \n\nIf you are a Christian, what evidence can you put forward for the claim that Jesus was a divine being and that his proclaimed miracles are true? 

Right...but...then you could never extrapolate from any individual to any larger group when assigning blame. It seems to be disingenuous to ignore such a clear through line.\n\nYour assertion would imply that you feel it is possible they killed her and sacrificed her liver for a reason other than their magical beliefs. That is a sensible statement, if you can back it up with some evidence. Otherwise, the simplest explanation is that she was sacrificed as part of a magical ritual and the OPs title is an accurate counter to anyone using the "harmless" bit for defending woo.  

If you actually read the article it clearly states that he said no such thing.

So you believe this truther nonsense simply because it fits into your political agenda? Are you always willing to disregard the truth just because it disagrees with your worldview?

errm... it has been published (Sept 4th). I read it earlier in the week. I've seen this misinformation mentioned a few times... do you know where it came from?\n\nYou can access the study here, but you probably need to pay for it unless you happen to be at a university with a subscription. [Are Organic Foods Safer or Healthier Than Conventional Alternatives?: A Systematic Review](http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1355685)\n\nalso, before it comes up, [the journal is peer reviewed](http://annals.org/public/about.aspx) and *quite* difficult to get into:\n\n&gt;Material published in Annals is subject to peer review and the journal greatly appreciates the efforts of the over 18,000 volunteers in our reviewer database who provide critical input into our peer review process. Acceptance rates for original research range from 6-8% in recent years.\n\nWhile we're on the topic, this paper is a systematic review. These are *extremely* useful in medicine for evaluating the harm/benefit of treatments, drugs, diets, etc, because they go through all the literature (*systematically*, you might say), and attempt to draw conclusions from the aggregate results. This is akin to throwing a bunch more people in your survey to get a more precise answer. You can even use some fancier statistical methods to resolve whether there is systematic publishing bias (note: from this review &amp; what I remember of it, there wasn't any evidence of publishing bias. always good to hear!).

"You're living in a 'dream world' Neo!" - as far as not-aliens explinations - it makes the list

Exactly. So your point is that we have no real evidence to go on. Good. So was mine.

numerous experts have said that they are very clearly missile test ranges. They even said there are similar ranges at the Area 51 Facility.

But isn't the total amount of water vapor in the atmosphere a symptom of the global climate?  Where CO2 levels are pretty steady regardless?

Homeopathic activated charcoal?\n\nWhat the hell does that mean?

&gt; *"To account for the results presented in Parts 1 and 2,\nPart 3 will develop a theory based on holographic principles explaining how intuitive perception accesses a\nfield of energy into which information about future events is spectrally enfolded."*\n\nOh yeah.. You don't say? \n\n**EDIT:** Checking out the rest of the site it's pretty obvious that it's just quackery. I'll read the rest of the paper after work but it already appears to be hand picked results. They only used volunteers who already "practice" their HeartMath system. 

I have some knowledge of the guy. I grew up in the town he's from in MS and used to see him when he would come into the gas station I worked at as a teenager. PM me for some information that I'd rather not get into here. 

Not really. The thesis is that moon footage was faked for propaganda reasons, to bulk up the amount of footage from the real missions. Very non-conspiracy.

Contact has been made with an alien civilization!  Awesome video.

um, not weird in the slightest. you might as well say 'things happen sometimes'

Let's *please* not do this Facebook-conversation posting like in all other subreddits.\n\n This was a subreddit for intelligent discussion and not 'LOL, my friends are dumb' posts.

So you are saying that no intelligent being from another planet *has ever* visited this planet?  Don't worry, it isn't a trick question.  I just have problems with wildly unverifiable statements.\n\nOk, so if you aren't prepared to make a blanket statement that "no intelligent life has ever visited the Earth", then when *do you* think E.T. *might have visited*?  1 million years ago?  1 thousand years ago?  Or how about 70 years ago (when we humans started manipulating the atom)?\n\nShit, now is as good a time as any.

"I have approximate answers and possible beliefs in different degrees of certainty about different things, but I'm not absolutely sure of anything, and of many things I don't know anything about" -- Feynman

Probably some tropical storm happened somewhere far away and picked up squirrels and blasted up the air in the jet stream and land behind your friend

[Alien Agenda](http://www.amazon.com/Alien-Agenda-Jim-Marrs/dp/0061096865) was a great read with varied perspectives.

&gt;I am not "presuming" to speak for you -- studies have repeatedly shown the bias of all human cognition -- that includes yours.\n\nAnd most of rationalism involves training yourself in **correcting** this bias, not sitting back and using it as an excuse for believing woo-woo. Biases exist - they aren't inevitable, nor are they permanent and immutable. So, yes, kindly leave me out of your "we are all ..." statements. We can do much better. And many actually do. \n\nAs for the rest, boo-freaking-hoo. Frankly, you've amply demonstrated that my original suspicion about the point of the article was valid and my attempting to give you the benefit of the doubt was a waste of time. Still, it's the right thing to do given a lack of information so I guess I'm glad I did it.  [Edited for formatting]

&gt; No one can explain why, but people who have tasted the vodka have noticed a difference. Perhaps an even greater purity of spirit.\n\nPerhaps the placebo effect.

&gt; I can't explain it in any way in terms of either Western medicine, or what little I know of Western physics or chemistry or whatever.\n\nI admit, I giggled like a little schoolgirl.\n\n&gt; Any idea what chemicals aluminum might react with to generate heat?\n\nSure -- [bromine](http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/JCESoft/CCA/CCA3/MAIN/ALBR/PAGE1.HTM), many others.  Google for aluminum and exothermic.\n

From what I understand, the risks of aspartame are no worse than the risks of consuming sugar or corn syrup: too much is a bad thing, but in moderation, there's absolutely no harm. I've never taken the "conspiracy" seriously.

The [UFOs](http://www.skepdic.com/ufos_ets.html) entry is embarrassing. There is so much wrong information there I don't even know where to start.\n\n&gt; …nothing has come from the study of UFOs in the past 21 years that has added to scientific knowledge...further extensive study of UFOs probably cannot be justified in the expectation that science will be advanced thereby." –Edward U. Condon \n\nWritten by Edward Condon, the same guy responsible for the controversial [Condon Report](http://www.cohenufo.org/nicapcondon.htm)? From the link: "Dr. Condon, although he is named in the Air Force contract as the project's principal investigator, did not make a single field investigation. Nor did he interview even one of the hundreds of pilots, astronomers, aerospace engineers, control tower operators, and other highly competent witnesses sent to him by NICAP at Colorado's request."\n\nProf James McDonald's also critiqued of the report: [UFOs and the Condon Report: A Dissenting View (pdf)](http://puhep1.princeton.edu/~mcdonald/JEMcDonald/mcdonald_021869.pdf).\n\nIf we're cherry picking comments on the subject, [I'd like to also include these.](http://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/tif59/ufo_cloaking_device_status_cloud/c4my04n) \n\n\n&gt; That is, there has been no recurring identical UFO experience and there is no physical evidence in support of either a UFO flyby or landing.\n\nWrong. Trace landing cases have been reported and analyzed, especially when Project Blue Book was in full swing. [Hynek personally investigated](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonnie_Zamora) a few of these trace landing cases.\n\n&gt; There are as many photographs of UFOs as there are of the Loch Ness Monster.\n\nWow, again, wrong. See: [Hessdalen Lights](https://www.google.com/search?sugexp=chrome,mod%3D0&amp;q=hessdalen+light&amp;um=1&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;hl=en&amp;tbm=isch&amp;source=og&amp;sa=N&amp;tab=wi&amp;ei=B2_fT9KbAuqO6gGf9rGkCw&amp;biw=1163&amp;bih=854&amp;sei=C2_fT561N8qJ6wGptamYCw) \n\n&gt; It seems more reasonable to believe that the only reason we cannot explain these sightings by conventional means is because we do not have all the evidence\n\nNot according to [Project Blue Book's Special Report No. 14](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Book#Project_Blue_Book_Special_Report_No._14). It states: "The higher the quality of the case, the more likely it was to be classified unknown."\n\n&gt; Finally, it should be noted that UFOs are usually observed by untrained sky watchers and almost never by professional or amateur astronomers, people who spend inordinate amounts of time observing the heavens above\n\n[According to a 1977 survey of the membership of the American Astronomical Society](http://www.uapreporting.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/jse_08_1_sturrock.pdf), table 3.2 shows that when you break down the respondents in terms of those who have witnessed something unexplainable versus those who have not witnessed anything unexplainable, we find again that the witnesses are **more likely to be professional night observers** while non-witnesses were **more likely to not be night observers at all.** This is a truly potent contradiction of the notion that astronomers "don't see UFOs".\n\nLast but not least, I love how the supposed skeptic who wrote the article automagically makes the jump from UFOs to aliens without skipping a beat. \n\n----\n\nedit: meant to reply to [this comment.](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/comments/v86jn/why_is_there_no_faq_with_sources_for_debunking/c5260ng) whoops.\n \nIs [Reddiquette](http://code.reddit.com/wiki/help/reddiquette) dead in this sub? \n\n&gt; * Consider posting constructive criticism / an explanation when you downvote something, but only if you really think it might help the poster improve.\n\n&gt; * Don't downvote opinions just because you disagree with them. The down arrow is for comments that add little or nothing to the discussion.\n\nThis sub is a joke. Filled with nothing but debunkers masquerading as skeptics. I don't even know why I bother.

None of these say what you claim they say unless one is primed beforehand to hear exactly that. \n\nI decided to listen to this with my eyes closed before reading any of the comments.  I heard nothing that I could make out.  It's just noise.

This is the Telegraph. It will make any ridiculous statement, as long as it is anti-europe. They also had an article that said that [the EU banned Wifi in schools](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/mobile-phones/8514380/Ban-mobile-phones-and-wireless-networks-in-schools-say-European-leaders.html). I think we can assume that this article is equally nonsense.\n\nLast time, I wrote to the author, asking if he could reference which decision that was, as I was unable to find it. He never responded, but after a long search, I found out that I could not find it because the guy confused two different groups. One of which has no power to make decisions. And in precisely this group, one lone guy said that he would advice to ban wifi in school, which everyone else ignored.\n\nIf you can reference the EU-decision, we can talk about it, but I am done taking the Telegraphs word on anything eu related.

That's whats so incredible about victor. Of course everyone is monitored, but whats amazing is he managed to do everything in secret, maybe not on his own but without any sectors finding out about anything. I see your point very clearly, the gov is cynical and won't trust anyone. You see, the point is, all that being said, trust mistakes were made on the military's part and victor got away with it. All repeat my response to your question. Yes they monitor everyone and would have tried to stop this, BUT it is clear they had no idea what happened and victor slipped past their defense. \n\n\nExtremely improbable? YES. Still Possible? YES.

Hrm, you're right, actually.  I think there was a study that proved that price impacted response.  I still hold that charging for placebo is unethical, though.

Those pictures looked awfully fake, must check out the video.\n\nEDIT: Well in the video it at least looks like it might actually exist.\nIt doesn't look that hard to make though.

It is possible to look up the research done by others. You don't have to have done the research yourself to have an informed opinion. The fact is that the Antivax community is WRONG in all of their claims. Get off of your high horse. When it comes to vaccines, all the evidence is in and they work. There is no room for argument on this one.

Um, I don't mean to be rude, but are you fucking retarded?  The point of it being weird and why I posted was the dreams that I was going to die of cancer which just lead to a self check and results where I saved my life by catching the cancer early...\n\nHence..."I think this story belongs here"  But some people can't be pleased.

At first I thought they played it in reverse to look like it's going back up. But the guy with the phone is not moving in the same way.\nbtw if anyone interested in translation:\n"This is a no fly zone, he cant fly there, unless it's a police helicopter, on the mountain.... It's like some ball of light..... What is this? It's going down.............Wooow! Did you see that? Oh, there is a bunch of them there. Look. Woow."\n

I can't find the studies right now, but here is the guy that was interviewed in the story:\n\n&gt;Industry-funded studies seem to reflect the result of corporate strong-arming. Lai reviewed 350 studies and found that about half showed bioeffects from EM radiation emitted by cell phones. But when he took into consideration the funding sources for those 350 studies, the results changed dramatically. Only 25 percent of the studies paid for by the industry showed effects, compared with 75 percent of those studies that were independently funded.\n\nRead More http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation#ixzz22uzSiof6

It's fairly common. I'm a writer, and sometimes I'll recognize something I'm writing while writing it. My dreams work through ideas and even make suggestions on phrasing. I wrote about this phenomenon in chapter three of a [book about dreams.](http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007XAF6R2). Chapter three is included in a [free book sample](http://www.scribd.com/doc/91668385/Dreams-123-Sample) I posted on Scribd, if you're interested. I took a few of the anecdotes from /r/dreams.\n\nIf you'd like to know more about this glitch in the Matrix, read about Jung's theory of synchronicity, aka "meaningful coincidence." Also, a book called The Holographic Universe gives some ideas about what could be behind it. The term for it is "deva reve," which means "already dreamed."

I always bother my friends by disagreeing with them for the sake of it, I always want to stick up for the other side if they're really set in their own opinion. Even if I don't really agree I like the opportunity to try and figure it out, I think that's part of what being a skeptic is, and people downvoting like crazy on here is really discouraging that. I was really excited when I found /r/skeptic, because I thought this would be a place where that kind of discussion belongs, and we don't have to take it personally. But I guess there are always a few people getting upset.

When I read posts like this, I always wonder: "Is this guy trolling?"\n&gt; A cloud of thick green mist would make way up my carpeted almost month.\n\n&gt; My toys (Buzz and Woody) would go on on and off every night and it wasn't until we moved that everything stopped...\n\nToy Story 4: The Uber scary haunted don't-turn-around edition\n\nSeriously, the painful lack of English skills in most posts has driven me pretty much out of this sub. 

I can tell the difference between Carlo "technically its wine" Rossi and a $5 bottle.  I pretty much can't tell anything after that.

That's the first thing I found too but I think it's the Minnesota edition so I'll give the video the benefit of the doubt but I'm still far from convinced...

I'll grab the book when I finish work and I'll read the chapter again. Because that's how I do New Year 2012

I think you've probably got a very skewed perspective of evolutionary psychology if you think it's flawed, or if you think that they use modern stereotypes.\n\nThey don't use modern stereotypes, they look at hunter gatherer tribes. The tribes from Papua New Guinea have provided a lot of data for one.\n\nThe stuff about 1950's gender roles is the kind of argument against it that Gould came up with as he was opposed to it for political reasons, not scientific ones.\n\nEvolutionary psychology explains why people tend to favour family members over others, and that causes problems in the modern world when a boss goes and hires a nephew or brother for example and gives them a good position even if they're no good at the job.\n\nI'd recommend reading some of Steven Pinker's books, this [paper](http://web.missouri.edu/~gearyd/MatechoicePDF.pdf) on the evolution of human mate choice is also a very good introduction.

I agree, that's like a pharmacist telling you to use herbal remedies to cure your ailments. 

Ive been on that road. It is extremely dangerous and at night you definitely feel the spirits

Where the guy pays the gardener to say that he saw something paranormal "I was a ghost,......... Right there"

Ummm... you are on the wrong thread. We are talking about the conspiracy nuts who think the buildings were a controlled demolition. You can leave now.

I'm guessing it's nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction, and it doesn't bother me. If a few more people take the time to read it in its entirety and in context, I'm sure the trend will reverse. If not, no skin off my nose.

hey. the name Martyn Stubbs hasn't been mentioned in this subreddit for a couple years.. he cataloged proof of sentient life in space and the lack of it being officially acknowledged.\n\nconsider 1:05:00 of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_K2WCvc7yA and the minutes that follow

This is the third sighting I've seen from this week that shows the existance of unexplained red lights. Heres the first set posted onto this subreddit:\n\n[http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/11ohk8/my_two_ufo_videos_over_canary_wharf_london/](http://www.reddit.com/r/UFOs/comments/11ohk8/my_two_ufo_videos_over_canary_wharf_london/)\n\nthis time it was followed by a helicopter

[well...](http://www.reddit.com/r/skeptic/duplicates/ujwru/dunno_bout_you_but_i_love_skeptic_themed_comedy/)\n\ni'm guessing this is something for... /funny, maybe? =)

I added a sort of overhead view of what I think happened.\n\nThis kills the glitch.\n\nI think I was entertained by this because it truly startled me. Sorry I debunked your glitch =/

No, the OP asked we think about accupuncture.  I answered.  Accupuncture is placebo and therefore worthless.  There are safer ways of achieving the same effect, ranging from a kiss from mommy to a doctor asking how you are.  This is not a discussion of placebo.  It's a discussion accupuncture.

To be fair, they appear to average out as independent events but there can be made very compelling arguments as to why that might not have been the case. If the data showed that yes indeed players are streaky, I can't see anyone being shocked by that.\n\nIt would be fun to try this with various games and sports. Although fiercely aware of my own biases, I still find it difficult to imagine that prior successes (or failures) don't influence player performance.\n\nSurely confidence has some influence on athletic performance? We've had many studies on that in the past and I can't think of any that didn't correlate positive mental states to improved performance.

It probably wasn't a 'demon'. There are good and bad, positive and negative spirits, and the ones we call evil are just the opposite of love, sanctity, serenity. Sometimes those demons are imps or just tortured spirits that feed of fear, anger, hatred. If you feed them with that energy, and those feelings, of course they will stick around. You can witness this in the real world with real people. If you hang around alcoholics, drugs dealers, drama queens, you are bound to meet some unsavory people, and the judgments they hold and beliefs they hold keep them inside a box of grief. They very much enjoy seeing others suffer, and sometimes that could be you if you are close to them. (Co-dependent personality type.) Like the saying, "Some men just like to see the world burn." I'm not sure your demon was physical, but it certainly could have presented itself in your (and friend's) minds as real. If you want to shed it, learn transcendental meditation (6 months - take classes). Hold neither anger, resentment, nor fear nor pity towards it. See it as what it is, and nothing more. "It is what it is". It can be likened to a leech. The leech does not care about you, only your blood. If you were to run out of blood, it would simply swim away. While meditating, if you truly want to speed up the process, simply close your eyes and say "God please help me". It's actually quite simple and effective, so simple not many think to just ask for help or try it. No debts, no guilt. But as far as I know that is the only thing god will help with. Your question: can they attach without you knowing? I believe so as not everyone is self-aware.\n\nOh one more thing, also see a psychiatrist to rule out schizophrenia. Things like this are more than often physical chemical problems in the brain. If that doesn't help, do the meditation and just say "Please God help me."

Thank god there was no first date. My friend wasn't so lucky though, I think they dated for a few weeks. Hence being on my newsfeed.

Actually from what I know it was very cheap to keep it running. It's kind of sad.\n\nSure the chances of finding anything are literally astronomical, but I think it is still worth doing.

So I know Mike has been seeing and filming these lights a while but the question is then why isn't some one with a hd or a professional camera sitting with him and taking these shots?  

&gt; "You were always deep into your work, but always ready and willing to help others if they needed help."\n

Most likely a skeleton did this. Check your closet, there may be one in there, trying to rustle your jimmies. 

And the one about cellphones keeps radioactive energy out of your soul chakra, which is on the right side of your head.

Yes, it is perpetual deja vu, but to the point that I can predict things happening. Usually I can't remember anything until the day of, but yes, it's very much like that.

LOl, but if you only have to be outside in the rain for a given period and not have to move from A to B, the best thing is to stand still! That way the least amount of rain will fall on you!

A few months ago, I tried an experiment.  I made a post on /r/paranormal asking for the best evidence of ghosts/paranormal activity that they had.  \n\nThey had literally nothing.  Almost every response was some form of 'video and audio evidence can be tampered with/faked.  It's all about personal experiences.'  \n\nI find it *very* hard to believe that in this day and age when everyone has a video camera on their phone that there is no convincing video evidence of anything paranormal.

Me too! I recently saw a link to that audio here and I do remember thinking that same thing.

Cool video.  Just wondering if anyone ever tries to correlate these youtube videos with NUFORC reports.  I didn't find any matching reports for this date/area.  

In their defense, I just read this which is pretty weird: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/20/14580549-mystery-ground-shaking-rattles-south-jersey?lite=obinsite

I've found that deja vu generally means I'm on the right path, I'm right where I should be. 

1) Because climate AGW is an [externality](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externality) of carbon (and other gasses) emissions, the solution to pollution (another eternality) was government...\nMoreover it is a global problem you need everyone on this planet to regulate (tax, whatever) emissions to make it effective.\n\n2) Because the bad is much more than the good :) The problem is not change, but the speed of change.\n\n3) Pretty much all of it... as far as we know.

I'm going to blame it on general scientific ignorance. \n\nSince the 1960's onwards there has been a general feeling that anything artificial is bad, and anything natural is good. People don't seem to understand that the source is irrelevant, it's the contents which matter. Natural vitamin C is identical to artificial vitamin C. \n\nAt the same time, there is a selective reporting loop going on. Because we 'know' that immunizations are dangerous, a bad reaction will be reported. Because diseases are natural, the bad reactions will be ignored. \n\nFinally, because immunization has dramatically reduced the numbers of cases of disease, the side effects of immunization has become more common, and they don't understand that isn't because immunization is more dangerous, but a small effect in a large sample. 

Indeed. I was merely highlighting the fact that people don't seem to realise we have been screwing with the genetics of our food sources since farming began; before even. This difference is that now we are doing so with molecular genetic techniques. 'GMO' is horrible terminology to begin with and provides little information on the genetic differences between a 'GMO' and the wildtype; did the modification insert cross-species genes? Was it created using molecular genetics techniques, radiation, what? 

There aren't "shortcuts" to the laws of physics. There are just laws of physics. The mistake is assuming that *our beliefs about them* are correct and complete.\n\nThink of it this way: if you understood momentum but not gravity, seeing someone use gravity to change the vector of an object would appear to be a "shortcut".

Yeah, someone pointed that out via an iPhone app. I kinda feel dumb now, but at least I know it's fake.

Would that be *more* or *less* crazy than a perpetual motion machine?\n\nI can't decide.  

Are you 7 or are you just George Bush senior? Either way, your mother must be a terrible cook to spawn so much hate, because both Broccoli and spinach (along with the perennial childhood nightmare food Brussels sprouts) are *amazing* if cooked well... and like everything else they are shit if cooked poorly. And many, many people have no idea how to prepare them.

How do you know it was Reiki (I.e. the manipulation of Ki) that did it?\n\nEdit: clarified the question.

I've had episodes of sleep paralysis when I was experimenting with lucid dreams. First nights I couldn't do more than reality checks, I started noticing that my mind tried to make me believe that I was awake multiple time. After I got used to these reality checks and beginning to experience lucid dreaming one of these sleep paralysis episodes came to me.\nOne day I woke up sleeping facing the ceiling, the light of the bedroom was off but the light of the other room was on ( I remembered that I've switched both off when sleeping), then I see a strange silhouette moving through the door, it was like a medium sized doberman dog with red glowing eyes and an open red mouth, it was walking slowly and awkwardly towards me, and I couldn't move anything besides my head. \nScariest shit ever.\n\nI have had other 2 experiences without deliberately trying to have lucid dreams, that I'm sure that some people would qualify them as "alien abduction" experiences but I don't believe in such things.\n\n(sorry for my shitty english)

They do get it from MUFON. There is a report button on the top right that brings you here.\nhttp://www.mufon.com/reportufo.html

Don't you mean *tenderized*?  Cummon man!  Harness your inner Overlord!!

The more dilute the solution, the more powerful it is. He's just diluting time to enhance the effect.

Fibromyalgia is but one example of how far down the rabbit hole you can go using symptoms alone to diagnose. If you only go on symptoms - as disclosed by the patient - the logic end point is "Spectrum disorders". Diseases diagnosed by a spectrum of symptoms: if the patient feels 7 of the following 30 symptoms, they may have X spectrum disorder. \n\nThe problem is that it's the best we currently have for a broad host of mental illnesses and Fibromyalgia-type mysterious illnesses. I think we'll look back on this period of medicine in the same we look back at leeches. 

Sounds like the realm of the 'Miracle Fruit' (also known as Flavor Tripping)  The pulp from this fruit binds to the flavor receptors on your tongue and make sour/bitter things taste sweet.\n\nhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/28/dining/28flavor.html\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synsepalum_dulcificum\n\nIt's an awesome experience, if you ever get the chance.  Lemons, limes, and grapefruits taste like an idealized version of Lemonade, Limeade, or Grapefruit juice; pickles (especially the ones with hot sauce in them) are fascinating, and super dark chocolate tastes like the most perfect milk chocolate.\n\nAnyway, I can imagine a mechanism similar to this being used to alter the perception of flavor.

Interesting article. It seems to me that perhaps the best route is a progressive mixture of all 3 methods.\n\nThe direct method intuitively seems most beneficial for primary students because they absorb facts with ease and don't have the sufficient scientific foundation to entertain more challenging topics.\n\nOnce that foundation is established, though, it seems that students might benefit from a slightly more Socratic method to get them comfortable with creating and questioning their own ideas. Finally, once the students are versatile scientific thinkers, it might benefit them to have more intellectual freedom.\n\nIn any event, I was extremely pleased to learn that studies are being done on how to most effectively teach science to students, as I consider that to be one of the weakest (and most important) aspects of contemporary education. 

That's what I don't believe about the Disclosure Project.  They seem to think that evidence of unconventional aircraft is evidence of aliens.\n\nHave the presented *any* verifiable evidence of alien visitation?

Im telling true personal stories. How am I supposed to prove facts? 

Antivaxxers are super-unscientific !!! Right, fellow intellectuals ???

&gt;They do jump ship.\n\nThere's a difference between jumping ship and jumping off a ship.  If AT&amp;T has an 80% market share, you'd metaphorically be jumping into the ocean.

The phrase "homeopathic remedy" is a misnomer.\n\nLying should be enough be reason to dislike it. Lying to sell a product should be outlawed. Lying about medicine should land someone in prison.

Please people, I'm begging you. Don't watch this show. It's a massive waste of your time. \n\nIf you're interested in "ancient astronaut" theories, check out Carl Sagan's discussion in a book he co-wrote called *[Intelligent Life in the Universe](http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Life-Universe-I-Shklovskii/dp/189280302X)*. You can dig into his references if the subject interests you. \n\nAncient Aliens does positive harm to your mind. So skip it.

Well, I guess I should mention that I've been a paranormal researcher since 1990, and I have never seen any evidence supporting the existence of demons. I do not believe they exist. I do believe in negative energies, and have seen evidence supporting their existence, but I believe them to be the spirits of people who were negative when they were alive. Serial killers, terrorists, rapists, the prison system is filled with them. As far as something from the spirit world that wasn't the spirit of a living person, my experience tells me they don't exist.

Nope. I didn't know it could work with only a hum. I'm going to check that out...

This is not necessarily the case. Selective breeding is not genetic modification. The specific corn that was banned in the UK has bacteria dna embedded within the plants own dna in order to make it pest resistant. It's similar to programming the plant to produce it's own antibiotics, which we then consume.

But they scrambled fighter jets in Belgium to chase those, and does the TR-3B even exist? I can only find mention of it on UFO and conspiracy websites.

In this case, we have a real-world control group encompassing all the people receiving the conventional treatments for this form of cancer, who have a 5-year survivorship rate 5x higher than Burzynski's group. It's especially bad considering that in a sample this small we have no way of knowing if his survivor is one in twelve or one in twelve thousand.

It's always interesting to read how these sightings weigh on people's consciousness over the decades.  

My personal endgame argument is that if anything could have disqualified Obama, Hillary would have rooted it out before the primaries.

gdoteof, I think it best to first ask moronometer if s/he is familiar with this case. For all you know, they could be very informed (as much as a layman is) after reading Orac's take on it. It's best to be skeptical, yes, but it's also best to be aware when you jump the gun.

Could be ionized gas exhaust, not impossible. Very pretty nonetheless. 

Do you know what they call natural remedies that have been proven to work?  Medicine.  Using natural remedies that have been proposed to work but which haven't yet been tested by the scientific community can be a risky but also possibly rewarding venture.  However, never replace modern medicine with some mumbo jumbo pseudo science.  Unless, that is, you're willing to die just to prove some stupid point that no one cares about.  \n\nLong story short; just like the guy in the comic, I too will judge anyone like that. :P

Yes, keep us posted as to whether or not it locks with the new handle. Do you have any children? Any potential for it being a prank? 

This is a perfectly defensible claim, though for clarity, catjuggler is saying that a portion of the side effects are likely to not be at all related to the drug in question. Drugs must list all *reported* side effects. This does not mean that causation has been established. 

Formal logic and the law of relativity are mere unjustified assumptions according to you it seems. Not sure what to say. Do we know that 2+2=4? Or is that an assumption as well in your opinion?

If you are going to go into my post history and respond to everything with "amateur psychology", I could mention informal logic. If you don't an argument that shows that my argument is wrong, then rational people will tend not to believe you.\n\nSince you are an antisemite whose political beliefs have been thoroughly discredited both theoretically and in practice, it's unfortunately an uphill battle for you. That's unfair, I know, but if you have a good argument then you will convince people. Responding with a handful of cliches does not do the job.

"And now, for the holiday season, our guest Tim Minchin has a song all about the Pope..."

I'm not saying you were, but this happened to me once while I was on mushrooms lol

Because our people live lives based on convenient lies, untruths and pseudo-science.\n\nWe tend to get the politicians we deserve, not the ones we need.

Have you read all the posts? And what about the sidebar. Some of my recent posts there have been material straight out of the sidebar. \n\nOr put another way: you should post something good!

I agree completely. I'm just trying to make it clear that psych symptoms aren't generally very cut and dry where it turns into a disorder.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people in [/r/skeptic](/r/skeptic) have no fucking clue what skepticism is.

Yeah he was probably napping, because his right armpit is not as warm as the left

It's funny to think of asking fairly mundane questions like, "Did you have an emotional event in your life before coming here?" or, "Are you doing magic tricks?" are considered "on the offensive" in the context of faith.  They are more forward that Louis usually goes, but I think they're really important and frank questions.

The Lions Club spends a bunch of money on Anti-Abortion campaigns and the Salvation Army only hires conservative evangelical Christians and actively hates gay people. 

The job of a journalist is to tell the story, not let politicians spout their talking points. It's not "putting their job on the line," it's doing their job. \n\nIf I don't go out and protest what?\n\n

yes, it is.  If you move along up to the tunnel, the object is still visible inside.