Paranormal
oracknows | August 1, 2006I don't often do reader mailbag sorts of posts, but this question was so good that I thought it would be worth answering on the blog. Indeed, I almost thought of making this whole question another in my Friday Woo series, but decided that I wanted to answer it now.
Reader TB writes:
I've been following your blog for a few months now and love being both educated and entertained. The Friday Dose of Woo is great. While I have an idea of what you mean by woo it would be helpful to me and others visiting the page if you included a definition and perhaps the etymology.
My first temptation was to…
oracknows | July 6, 2006It's that time again, time for the 38th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle.
Thirsty?
Well, LBBP over at Skeptic Rant offers parched skeptics a fine assortment of beverages including Satire Cider, Quack Quencher, Woo Brew, and Creationist Tonic, among others. It's just the cool, refreshing dose of critical thinking to quench that skeptical thirst that's been intensified by the rampant credulity of society in general and the blogosphere in particular.
Drink deep!
And come on back for the 39th Meeting of the Skeptics' Circle, which will be hosted by Mike over at (appropriately enough) Mike's Weekly…
oracknows | June 1, 2006All you need is this.
Yes, it's the Jesus Pan.
Who needs to wait for miracles to produce things like the Jesus grilled cheese sandwich? Now you can make them yourself!
Prediction:
Coming soon....The Virgin Mary Pan!
Maybe you can think of other great products along these lines? Lenin, anyone?
oracknows | May 28, 2006Worried about ghosts bothering you? What about demons possessing you? Or aliens abducting you for all sorts of strange experiments, complete with anal probes?
Well, fear no more! I've discovered just the thing. You need a Paranormal Restraining Order!
Feel like sinning and don't want to be subject to the Lord's wrath? This is just the thing! Tell the Big Guy to stay away and leave you alone!
Here are some handy guidelines that you might be in an abusive relationship with a paranormal entity and hence need a restraining order:
You frequently worry about how they will react to things you say or…
oracknows | March 10, 2006As a skeptic, when discussing psychics and how there is zero scientific evidence for the existence of psychic powers, I often come up against the attitude that says, "What's the harm if people believe in psychics?"
What's the harm indeed? Have your palm read, and it's kind of fun, but you generally don't take it all that seriously. The same is true of psychic readings, which, for most people, seem to be more a form of entertainment than anything else, given how little stock most people put in them. The prevailing attitude out there seems to be that, if people are willing to give up their…
oracknows | February 26, 2006Ya gotta love it. Whether it be the Virgin Mary under a freeway overpass on W. Fullerton Avenue in Chicago or on a window in Perth Amboy, NJ, or the face of Jesus on a shell, on the wall of a shower, on a sand dune, a potato chip, or (my personal favorite) a pierogi, it would seem that human capacity to attribute miracles to the tendency of the human brain to see images in patterns is never-ending.
This time, Jesus has appeared to a man in Connecticut, who, according to this story, is selling holy hardware on Ebay. (Where else?):
MANCHESTER, Conn. Feb 26, 2006 (AP)-- Thomas Haley was…
oracknows | February 21, 2006His Noodliness walks (or flies) among us, and here's the evidence.
Hey, it's better than any "evidence" that I've seen supporting the existence of UFO's or ghosts.