Skeptic
- Are UFOs real? Historical markers say yes
> But the marker is now one of at least 15 that say, without hesitation, that aliens have come to visit Earth. > >They join more than 180,000 other historical markers dotting the country’s landscape, and NPR found they wouldn’t be the first to claim something that may, or may not, be true. > >There’s a marker in Massachusetts that claims the town was once home to a real, live wizard. New York has a marker about a ghost that plays the fiddle on a bridge in the moonlight.
Edit: I can only think that the downvoters either believe the aliens are among us or that they don't understand the very obvious tongue-in-cheek nature of the article despite the whole "real, live wizard" part I pasted above.
- Confronting Alt-History Conspiracies & Propaganda with @miniminuteman773 / Milo Rossi | The Bridges Podcast
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A long conversation with one of the best people to fight the battle against archaeological pseudoscience on the internet. If you have not seen Milo's epic critical takedown of Graham Hancock's Ancient Apocalypse, I highly recommend checking it out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iCIZQX9i1A&t=136s
- "I just saw the trailer to Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse 2, and as an archaeologist, I have a few comments"archeothoughts.wordpress.com I just saw the trailer to Graham Hancock’s Ancient Apocalypse 2, and as an archaeologist, I have a few comments
In the second season of Ancient Apocalypse, Graham Hancock focuses his search for a lost ancient civilization on the Americas. The presentation is, if anything, even slicker than in the first seaso…
- I see your Daily Show and Nero and Raise One Morphius
It's sad to see the Bowery King mystery mongering.
- Netflix confirms S2 of Ancient Apocalypse with Keanu Reeves to guestwww.televisual.com Netflix confirms S2 of ITNP's Ancient Apocalypse with Keanu Reeves to guest - Televisual
Netflix has confirmed a second season of ITN Production's Ancient Apocalypse with Keanu Reeves to guest star.
Get ready for another 8 hours of speculative bullshit. This time with Keanu Reeves for some reason.
- Texas is about to execute someone based on junk science.www.texastribune.org Bipartisan Texas House majority urges clemency for man facing execution in shaken baby case
Lawmakers cite new scientific evidence that they say proves Robert Roberson, who is set for execution on Oct. 17, did not kill his daughter.
"Shaken baby syndrome" was a fad medical diagnosis in the 80's and 90's that has led to many miscarriages of justice (e.g. Sally Clark). It has subsequently been widely discredited by most of the Medical community, but that won't stop some prosecuters...
- Trump Supporters Spread Ridiculous Conspiracy Theory Kamala Harris Wore Audio-Enabled Earrings at Debategizmodo.com Trump Supporters Spread Ridiculous Conspiracy Theory Kamala Harris Wore Audio-Enabled Earrings at Debate
The maker of the earrings joked to Gizmodo that they could make some for Trump but his orange skin tone might be "challenging."
- Emma Thorne - "There's an Ancient Aliens Game"
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> There is an Ancient Aliens game. It's chock full of kooky conspiracies for us to fact check and debunk, plus we get to be hypnotised by Giorgio and turned into an alien. Who could say no to that?
- Milo "Miniminuteman" Rossi debunks the "Earth is growing" conspiracy theory
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- Nootropics Are Bull@#*t - Adam Conover
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Looking forward to the people coming in to tell us that Adam Conover is annoying.
- What Luis Elizondo got very wrong about the UFO videos
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What Luis Elizondo got very wrong about the UFO videos in his book "Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs"
By Mick West
- The Dumbest Conspiracy Of All Time - The Tartarian Empire
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- BBC Radio 4 - How They Made Us Doubt Everythingwww.bbc.co.uk BBC Radio 4 - How They Made Us Doubt Everything
Investigating claims there could be asbestos in make-up and the industry's response.
This is a well produced series. I'm tangentially professionally exposed to the talc issue so I'm aware of a lot of these problems.
I recommend folks add to their podcast feed.
- Medical Error Is Not the Third Leading Cause of Deathskeptoid.com Medical Error Is Not the Third Leading Cause of Death
The claim that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US has never been close to true.
- "Thousands of UFOs have been reported in Indiana. Here's where they happen the most." The Indianapolis Star embraces nonsense.www.indystar.com Thousands of UFOs have been reported in Indiana. Here's where they happen the most.
Indiana ranked 15th in the nation, according to researchers, with 3,912 total reported UFO sightings over a span of 20 years.
- Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse scraps US filming plans after outcry from Native American groupswww.theguardian.com Netflix’s Ancient Apocalypse scraps US filming plans after outcry from Native American groups
Hit show’s British host Graham Hancock has been criticized for promoting fringe beliefs about advanced lost civilization
> In a May 2000 essay published on his website, Hancock writes: “I have consistently argued that the Americas were inhabited in prehistoric times by a variety of ethnic groups – Negroid, Caucasoid and Mongoloid … Such ideas have caused deep offense to some American Indians, who have long claimed to be the only ‘native’ Americans.” > >He goes on to describe various prehistoric artifacts that he says prove the presence of Caucasians and Africans before Columbus landed on the continent in 1492. This includes his research into the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who he says was described by the Aztecs as “tall, white-skinned and red bearded – sometimes blue eyed as well”.
I don't ever want to hear that Hancock isn't a racist again.
Edit: I see we have some Hancock fans lurking. Hello! Hope you enjoy the next season despite Hancock not being allowed to be a racist in the Grand Canyon.
- The History of the World According to 'Ancient Aliens' - "I watched every single Ancient Aliens episode to uncover the deep lore of ancient astronaut theory. It wasnt worth it."
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This is from 2021, but it was news to me and yeah, we all know that show is nuts, but to have it all laid out in one place is pretty amazing.
- Dr. Dan Wilson (Debunk the Funk) and Emma Vigeland discuss common anti-vax myths on The Majority Report
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- A New Reality Show Will Pay Cash if Players Can Convince Experts the Earth Is Flatwww.indiewire.com A New Reality Show Will Pay Cash if Players Can Convince Experts the Earth Is Flat
'Flat Earthers,' a new docuseries and competition show on The Network, will offer a cash prize if people can convince experts the Earth is flat.
- Why Smart People Believe Stupid Things
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Steven Pinker explains the cognitive biases we all suffer from and how they can short-circuit rational thinking and lead us into believing stupid things. Skip to 12:15 to bypass the preamble.
- Graham Hancock's pseudoarchaeological series 'Ancient Apocalypse' renewed for season 2 at Netflix - Not a surprise considering its success, but still disappointingwww.whats-on-netflix.com 'Ancient Apocalypse' Documentary Series Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix
The controversial yet popular documentary series Ancient Apocalypse has been renewed for a season 2 at Netflix, What’s on Netflix has learned. First released on Netflix on November 10th, 2022, the series became one of...
Milo Rossi, aka Miniminuteman, a YouTuber with an archaeology degree did a multi-part deep dive into exactly all of the things Graham Hancock got wrong or just plain lied about and I highly recommend it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iCIZQX9i1A
- Zodiac signs irrelevant to psychological well-being, research confirmswww.psypost.org Zodiac signs irrelevant to psychological well-being, research confirms
A large-scale study has debunked the influence of zodiac signs on well-being, showing no significant impact on happiness, health, or financial satisfaction, challenging long-held astrological beliefs with robust scientific evidence.
- [Sources] COMM2240 International Media: Reliable Web Resources | LibGuidesguides.wpunj.edu LibGuides: COMM2240 International Media: Reliable Web Resources
LibGuides: COMM2240 International Media: Reliable Web Resources
Journalism/Media - https://www.cjr.org/
https://cpj.org/
https://freedomhouse.org/reports
https://www.ifj.org/
https://ipi.media/
https://www.iwmf.org/
https://medialandscapes.org/
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media
https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media
https://rsf.org/en
https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/wsis
Newspapers - http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
https://www.freedomforum.org/todaysfrontpages/#1
https://www.4imn.com/
Social Media - https://ezproxy.wpunj.edu/login?url=http://www.statista.com
https://www.dragonsocial.net/blog/social-media-in-china/
https://datareportal.com/library
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/03/most-popular-social-networks-mapped
Extra - https://ground.news/
https://www.wikihow.com/Search-by-Image
- As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow • Statelinestateline.org As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts’ worries grow • Stateline
Lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis.
(USA)
>Some lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis. Public health experts worry the renewed opposition to childhood immunizations will reverse state gains in vaccination rates. Meanwhile, cases of some diseases, including measles, have increased across the country.
>>We’re against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies. >– Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston
>“Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking,” said Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, who sponsored his state’s legislation.
Picture unrelated to article:
- Brain Really Uses Quantum Effects, New Study Finds
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Was Roger Penrose not completely insane when he proposed his Orch OR theory of the mind? Still doesn't explain the hard problem of consciousness, but a step closer?
- The Vatican declares that it can no longer confirm the supernatural... but you can worship it anyway.apnews.com Vatican moves to adapt to hoaxes, Internet and overhauls its process for evaluating visions of Mary
The Vatican has radically reformed its process for evaluating alleged visions of the Virgin Mary, weeping statues and other seemingly supernatural phenomena.
> The new norms reframe the Catholic Church’s evaluation process by essentially taking off the table whether church authorities will declare a particular vision, stigmata or other seemingly divinely inspired event supernatural. > >Instead, the new criteria envisages six main outcomes, with the most favorable being that the church issues a noncommittal doctrinal green light, a so-called “nihil obstat.” Such a declaration means there is nothing about the event that is contrary to the faith, and therefore Catholics can express devotion to it.
...
> The norms also allow that an event might at some point be declared “supernatural,” and that the pope can intervene in the process. But “as a rule,” the church is no longer in the business of authenticating inexplicable events or making definitive decisions about their supernatural origin.
- The Ideological Subversion of Biologyskepticalinquirer.org The Ideological Subversion of Biology | Skeptical Inquirer
SUMMARY: Biology faces a grave threat from “progressive” politics that are changing the way our work is done, delimiting areas of biology that are taboo and ...
Excellent essay from Coyne and Maroja that picks apart six widespread examples of biology being corrupted by (often well-intentioned) ideology.
- Miniminuteman: Filip Zieba Debunked - TikTok's Worst Conspiracy Theorist | Pt. 1
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This is a super long debunking video, over 90 minutes, but Miniminuteman is always fun.
- The children who remember their past liveswww.washingtonpost.com The children who remember their past lives
What happens when your toddler is haunted by memories that aren’t hers?
- Decoding the Kensington Runestoneskeptoid.com Decoding the Kensington Runestone
The story goes that this stone covered with Viking runes was found in a Minnesota field in 1898. Its true history is much more interesting.