related_results_labels_thumbs({"version":"1.0","encoding":"UTF-8","feed":{"xmlns":"http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom","xmlns$openSearch":"http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/","xmlns$georss":"http://www.georss.org/georss","xmlns$thr":"http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0","id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-09-06T13:16:32.901-04:00"},"title":{"type":"text","$t":"The Mad Skeptic"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"Straddling the line between ivory tower and blue collar.  \nThe notes, comments, and general ramblings of a Gen-X Scientist and Skeptic."},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/posts/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/-/woo?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026max-results\u003d6"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/search/label/woo"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/-/woo/-/woo?alt\u003djson-in-script\u0026start-index\u003d7\u0026max-results\u003d6"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"17"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"6"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-3390452085033103843"},"published":{"$t":"2010-07-14T21:52:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-07-14T21:52:02.544-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"CAM"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"New York"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"albany"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"magnets"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"A Blast from the Past -- The Magnet Hucksters"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: left;\"\u003eHere's an oldie but a goodie:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI've written about this in the past and m\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-05/051206benny.html#i3\" target\u003d\"_self\"\u003ey story was discussed on the Swift \u003c/a\u003eat one point. \u0026nbsp;Basically, way back in 2005, there were vendors on the New York State \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_State_Plaza\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eEmpire State Plaza\u003c/a\u003e Concourse (a large mall-like setting which links all the building on the Empire State Plaza) who were selling magnet jewelery and making claims they could stop pain and cure various things. \u0026nbsp;I've lost the original letter I sent in complaining. \u0026nbsp;Most likely, it is on my old computer which is sitting in a corner because it's clock battery is dead and I haven't gone out to get one to replace it. \u0026nbsp;A version of the \u003ca href\u003d\"http://baron-army.livejournal.com/104583.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eoriginal letter is on my LiveJournal account\u003c/a\u003e (I now realize I've been a Skeptic blogger for over 5 years now!) but it is no where near as interesting as the response I received:\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003ca style\u003d\"margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;\" title\u003d\"View 06 03 06 Magnet Response on Scribd\" href\u003d\"http://www.scribd.com/doc/34348624/06-03-06-Magnet-Response\"\u003e06 03 06 Magnet Response\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e \u003cobject id\u003d\"doc_42206\" style\u003d\"outline: none;\" width\u003d\"700\" height\u003d\"800\" name\u003d\"doc_42206\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" data\u003d\"http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf\"\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"movie\" value\u003d\"http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf\" /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"wmode\" value\u003d\"opaque\" /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"bgcolor\" value\u003d\"#ffffff\" /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowFullScreen\" value\u003d\"true\" /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"allowScriptAccess\" value\u003d\"always\" /\u003e\u003cparam name\u003d\"FlashVars\" value\u003d\"document_id\u003d34348624\u0026amp;access_key\u003dkey-2456t1ssf121nmbdsoio\u0026amp;page\u003d1\u0026amp;viewMode\u003dlist\" /\u003e \u003cembed id\u003d\"doc_42206\" type\u003d\"application/x-shockwave-flash\" width\u003d\"700\" height\u003d\"800\" src\u003d\"http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id\u003d34348624\u0026amp;access_key\u003dkey-2456t1ssf121nmbdsoio\u0026amp;page\u003d1\u0026amp;viewMode\u003dlist\" name\u003d\"doc_42206\" allowscriptaccess\u003d\"always\" allowfullscreen\u003d\"true\" wmode\u003d\"opaque\" bgcolor\u003d\"#ffffff\"\u003e\u003c/embed\u003e\u003c/object\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI found the response while going through things as I prepare to move into a new apartment. \u0026nbsp;As you can read, the NYSCPB really doesn't grasp the evidence against magnets relieving pain or the concept of placebos. \u0026nbsp;In that, I was very disappointed. \u0026nbsp;However, it wasn't too soon after my letter was mailed in and this response was generated that the magnet hucksters stopped appearing on the Concourse. \u0026nbsp;I think they realized the heat was on them or someone told them to change their advertising. \u0026nbsp;Much to my chagrin, they have reappeared within recent memory although their signs have changed. \u0026nbsp;Mostly, they read just something about \"magnetic jewelery\" although I do think I saw a 8.5x11 print out with \"testimonials\" written on the top. \u0026nbsp;Next time they are around, I'll be taking pictures.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-3390452085033103843?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/3390452085033103843/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d3390452085033103843\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/3390452085033103843"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/3390452085033103843"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/07/blast-from-past-magnet-hucksters.html","title":"A Blast from the Past -- The Magnet Hucksters"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-4951092528097650432"},"published":{"$t":"2010-05-21T21:49:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-05-21T21:49:39.036-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Review:  Joe Nickell's Real Life X-Files"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003e\u003ca href\u003d'http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813122104?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d390957\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0813122104'\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d'float: right; width: 200px; height: 305px; ' src\u003d'http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S_c3XPMWbjI/AAAAAAAABTI/0DvPh-U7drc/4195FR4KY9L._SL160_.jpg' border\u003d'0'/\u003e\u003c/a\u003eI recently finished reading Joe Nickell's \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813122104?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d390957\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0813122104'\u003eReal-Life X-Files: Investigating the Paranormal\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' style\u003d'border:none !important; margin:0px !important;' src\u003d'http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003d0813122104' height\u003d'1' border\u003d'0' alt\u003d''/\u003e . While I did find it an entertaining read, I don't think I'm Joe's audience.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eJoe's style is pretty easy going and there really wasn't too much cerebral activity going on in my head as I read. Again, I don't think I'm the target audience and I read his posts in Skeptical Inquirer. I really believe this book is meant for the potential skeptic, the uninitiated doubter, or the woo-woo leaning but open minded individual. If that is the Joe's audience, I think he hit the nail on the head. Each chapter is a different investigation and provides a brief synopsis of the background, investigation and conclusion. Personally, I would have enjoyed the book more if he had really gone into depth but I think this synopsis style would work for those who are skepticurious.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eAbout those skepticurious folk...while I appreciate what Joe is doing by providing his references within the text (i.e. “Getman, 2010\"), it could prove distracting to the reader unfamiliar with in-text references. I felt the flow was broken up a little and the book would have been better served with end notes. But, hey, that's only my opinion. As anyone who reads this blog knows, I've been messing around with both forms of referencing.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp style\u003d'margin-bottom: 0in'\u003eIf you are a hard-nosed, research-driven skeptic, this book may not be for you. Having said that, I do like to live vicariously through Joe's writings and this book really does make you wish you had his job. At the same time, I think this book would make a superb gift for anyone who is undecided about things like ghosts, various lake monsters, and the like. I'm pretty certain they will enjoy it.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-4951092528097650432?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/4951092528097650432/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d4951092528097650432\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/4951092528097650432"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/4951092528097650432"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/05/review-joe-nickell-real-life-x-files.html","title":"Review:  Joe Nickell\u0026#39;s Real Life X-Files"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-6766512718644830461"},"published":{"$t":"2010-01-15T12:07:00.001-05:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2010-01-16T23:46:20.994-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"cryptozoology"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"bigfoot"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Loren Coleman's Best Defense to Criticism? Ad Hominem Attacks of the Critics."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d'http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d'http://lh5.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/S1CgwLxYwQI/AAAAAAAABJU/ywoGIYdgQP0/%5BUNSET%5D.gif?imgmax\u003d800' style\u003d'max-width: 800px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;'/\u003eIn response to a rather \u003ca href\u003d'http://idoubtit.wordpress.com/2010/01/13/decade-cryptozoology/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eaccurate run down on cryptozoology\u003c/a\u003e over the last decade by \u003ca href\u003d'http://idoubtit.wordpress.com/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eidoubtit\u003c/a\u003e, Loren Coleman essentially resort to nothing more than a revealing temper tantrum of sorts and relies entirely upon an extended ad hominem attack.  You can read Coleman's post here:  \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.webcitation.org/5mntYHlEA' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eMuseum Heckler\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eI also feel it is important to point out that I have archived his post.  In the past, \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.themadskeptic.com/2009/12/all-bigfoot-all-time.html' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eMr. Coleman displayed his intellectual dishonesty\u003c/a\u003e and has been observed by myself and others to revise his posts to eliminate or alter statements he has made.  Actually, I'll make it policy to archive any of his posts that I am critiquing in the future.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAs can be seen in idoubtit's original post, she provides a critique that Loren Coleman's \"museum\" houses nothing more than a collection of models, toys and recreations of supposed crytids.  Coleman responds with a variety of things attacking idoubtit's character.  He does offer only one actual rebuttal to her assessment:\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cblockquote style\u003d'font-style: italic; font-family: Comic Sans MS;'\u003eThe ICM does contain first hand evidentiary items collected by cryptozoologists during their investigations. These include, but are not limited to, one-of-a-kind, priceless objects, such as, traditional cultural artifacts and materials from Native peoples; Yeti, Sasquatch, and Orang Pendek hair samples; and Yeti, Orang Pendek, Yowie, Bigfoot, Thylacine, and Mystery Felid footcasts.\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eColeman really misses the point.  Yes, he may have an impressive array of cultural artifacts and yes he may have an impressive collection of supposed bigfoot print casts.  However, not one of these items or the entire lot of them does anything to prove the existence of these so-called \"cryptids\" any more than the Shroud of Turin, the blood of Jesus in Bruges, and Spear of Destiny prove the existence of Jesus.  They are only artifacts.  \u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eLet's apply Occam's razor here.  Which is more likely?  Do the cultural artifacts Coleman has in his museum represent the practice the \u003ca href\u003d'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_worship#Hunting_Cults' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eAnimal worship\u003c/a\u003e or \u003ca href\u003d'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totem_pole' target\u003d'_blank'\u003efamily and cultural history\u003c/a\u003e within a hunting-based society or do they represent bigfoot?  Which is more likely?  Which has more evidence?  Which has already been demonstrated?  Coleman and his fellow cryptozoologists are using \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.skepdic.com/confirmbias.html' target\u003d'_blank'\u003econfirmation bias\u003c/a\u003e to use these cultural items to reinforce their belief in cryptids.  What about the casts?  Casts are the only real, tangible \"evidence\" bigfooters have had in their arsenal of belief for some time.  Unfortunately, casts have been shown to have been faked and, to date, no evidence indicating the existence of bigfoot has ever been recovered from one -- whether it is DNA or otherwise.  Some argue that the wide range of shapes and sizes indicate a natural distribution of characteristics and this can then be inferred to indicate a real population.  I would counter that argument that a group of similarly-minded people intent on carving their own feet but lacking a template to work from other than their own foot, would carve fake feet which also exhibit a natural distribution.  While I can test my hypothesis, Coleman can not test his.  In other words, it is unfalsifiable and, as such, exists in the realm of belief and not science.  What about the hair samples?  Have they been tested for DNA?  Again, no real evidence has ever been recovered from any hair sample.  The last \"big\" hair sample brouhaha I recall resulted in the hair having come from a Bison.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eColeman also tries to reduce idoubtit's argument to a semantic one.  He is correct that language count.  While I may have not used the word \"schwag\" or \"swag\", Coleman's claim that what he contains in his museum is \"evidence\" is equally onerous in regards to the animals he believes exists.  What his museum, ultimately, is about (even if he doesn't recognize it himself) is one man's obsession with a pseudoscience and, within that context, what he has is evidence.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eI'm certain Coleman's museum is an interesting one to visit.  Bigfoot has always been my favorite monster and I bet his museum is filled to the brim with all manner of items that would interest me.  However, I wouldn't go there for anything substantive beyond a better grip of the pseudoscience.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003chr width\u003d'50%'/\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdit (1/15/10)\u003c/b\u003e: idoubtit has posted a response to Coleman's diatribe:  \u003ca href\u003d'http://idoubtit.wordpress.com/2010/01/15/response-to-cryptomundo-from-ms-idoubtit/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eResponse to Cryptomundo by Ms. Idoubtit\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdit (1/16/10)\u003c/b\u003e:  I have learned the Loren Coleman denied idoubtit's request to post her response on his site.  Evidentially, he has posted a link as an edit to the blog entry after the section where he begs for money.  As an aside, I suggest you forgo any donation to Coleman's collection and donate your money to a reputable charity to assist the victims of the Haiti earthquake.  I digress.  Unfortunately, I can only now see the blog post as it stands.  I suspect Coleman altered his post after he was called out by idoubtit on her blog.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eStill, what we see here is a thin-skinned true-believer who can't take even the most minor criticism.  And, as has been seen time and time again, if you feel you can't win the argument, you attack your opponent.  Coleman has accused me of being a \"blogstalker\" (whatever that may mean) and now this most recent ad hominem attack.  As I observed with my last interaction with him, the Cryptomundo posts afterward are run of the mill cryptozoology fluff pieces -- perhaps as a means to get the readership to move somewhere else or to bury the post.  Regardless, I still have it archived for all to see.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eOne last thing.  Coleman brings up Meldrum's bigfoot paper in the \u003ca href\u003d'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journal_of_Scientific_Exploration' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eJournal of Scientific Exploration\u003c/a\u003e.  Apparently, Coleman is not aware of the journal's reputation of being a sounding board for woo-woo and decidedly non-scientific papers.  There is probably a good reason Meldrum's paper is published there -- no reputable journal would touch this nonsense.  So Coleman, here's your answer:  his peer-reviewed paper was publish in a journal that not only is not recognized by either the Web of Science or Thomson Reuters (that's a big deal by the way), the editors readily admit they publish non-scientific material.  Peer reviewed?  Yes but by fellow woo-woo true-believers (like the creationists' journals).\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003csmall\u003eImage by \u003ca rel\u003d'dc:creator cc:attributionURL' title\u003d'Link to Mykl Roventine\u0026apos;s photostream' href\u003d'http://www.flickr.com/photos/myklroventine/'\u003eMykl Roventine\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/small\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-6766512718644830461?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/6766512718644830461/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d6766512718644830461\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6766512718644830461"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6766512718644830461"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2010/01/loren-coleman-best-defense-to-critism.html","title":"Loren Coleman\u0026#39;s Best Defense to Criticism? Ad Hominem Attacks of the Critics."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-6743768725543699109"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-20T16:03:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-02T10:21:03.752-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"sex"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"misinformation"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"books"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Get Your Woo-woo Out of My Bedroom!"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/So2pnMoYzXI/AAAAAAAABDs/F5WkYCsATIU/%5BUNSET%5D.png?imgmax\u003d800\" style\u003d\"float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 800px;\" /\u003eWoo-woo is notorious for popping its useless head up in places it doesn't belong.\u0026nbsp; Woo-woo keeps people from seeking and getting the appropriate medical attention they need.\u0026nbsp; It needlessly separates innocent people from their hard earned cash as they seek some benefit from a useless modality.\u0026nbsp; It still gets people killed for being witches or for being possessed by demons and, like religion, it wants to stick its grubby fingers into our sex lives as well.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eA recent visit to the continually idiotic Huffington Post lead me to an article by Linda Savage \"\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/linda-e-savage/spiritual-sex-the-art-of_b_261488.html\" rel\u003d\"nofollow\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eSpiritual Sex:\u0026nbsp; The Art of Multidimentional Orgasm\u003c/a\u003e\".\u0026nbsp; I read it and realized I was stupider after doing so.\u0026nbsp; I decided to write about it here in an attempt to potentially buffer someone from a case of stupid so severe it hurts.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFor fuck's sake (literally) do not fall for this kind of babble!\u0026nbsp; It's going to do as much good as homeopathic \"Viagra\" or crystal treatment -- nothing.\u0026nbsp; Sex comes in many forms between, not only people of all walks of life, but also animals of all types.\u0026nbsp; The birds and the bee do it.\u0026nbsp; Does this mean I need to take wasp spray with me?\u0026nbsp; Is the cosmic plane covered with guano from fornicating pigeons?\u0026nbsp; I wonder where Ms. Savage's evidence of the supposed \"cosmic orgasm\" is hiding.\u0026nbsp; Give me a break.\u0026nbsp; Her article's goal seems only to make sexually discontented people even more discontented because they haven't fucked the hand of god!\u0026nbsp; Yes, some people get off on \"genitally focused sex\" (which by definition is what it is seeing how they're our SEXUAL ORGANS).\u0026nbsp; Good sex is good sex and it doesn't involve a godhead or cosmic alignment.\u0026nbsp; If you are unhappy, you don't need Ms. Savage's help.\u0026nbsp; Talk to your partner(s).\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eHere's a sampling of the crap that will probably be, or already has been, on Oprah pretty soon (emphasis is not mine):\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cb style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eSpiritual Union \u003c/b\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003ewhich is the ecstatic expanded experience producing altered states of consciousness. It encompasses the \"cosmic orgasm:\" the timeless, boundless state where orgasmic waves move through all the energy centers. Cosmic orgasm can and does occur spontaneously to anyone, but as a practice, it can replenish the life force with release through the crown of the head.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eShe writes of the \"fact\" humans can achieve orgasms on \"multiple dimensions\".\u0026nbsp; WRONG!\u0026nbsp; How does she know?\u0026nbsp; Yay, quantum physics!\u0026nbsp; You're being used again to push some nut job's woo-woo!\u0026nbsp; I guess if this was true it would give multiple orgasms a whole new meaning.\u0026nbsp; Give me proof you sanctimonious \"expert\"!\u0026nbsp; She writes of the concepts of \"chakras\" and meridians to support her ridiculous claims.\u0026nbsp; All unprovable or, worse, disproven.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eLike most of the garbage on the \"HuffPo\" (No, Arianna.\u0026nbsp; This is NOT a term of endearment.) and as I suspected, Ms. Savage has supplied us ignorants who like to rub uglies a book and CD on how we can transform our sex - \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0975336908?ie\u003dUTF8\u0026amp;tag\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;linkCode\u003das2\u0026amp;camp\u003d1789\u0026amp;creative\u003d390957\u0026amp;creativeASIN\u003d0975336908\"\u003eReclaiming Goddess Sexuality: The Power of the Feminine Way\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" border\u003d\"0\" class\u003d\" lsgdkzrtmltoyknqkznc wkcbpwjinfazanjsjswt wkcbpwjinfazanjsjswt\" height\u003d\"1\" src\u003d\"http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t\u003dthemadskeptic-20\u0026amp;l\u003das2\u0026amp;o\u003d1\u0026amp;a\u003d0975336908\" style\u003d\"border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important;\" width\u003d\"1\" /\u003e.\u0026nbsp; Not surprizingly, it's aimed at women because, let's face it, it can be easy to sexually satisfy most men.\u0026nbsp; I guess that must be the reason because her book doesn't address men's issues -- gay or straight.\u0026nbsp; Maybe we aren't enlightened enough or maybe her head's up her ass.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePhoto by: \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/zawtowers/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003ezawtowers\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-6743768725543699109?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/6743768725543699109/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d6743768725543699109\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6743768725543699109"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/6743768725543699109"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2009/08/get-your-woo-woo-out-of-my-bedroom.html","title":"Get Your Woo-woo Out of My Bedroom!"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-5506223066899154714"},"published":{"$t":"2009-08-11T16:11:00.004-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-10-02T10:21:19.971-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"New York"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"albany"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"drugs"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"religion"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"government"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"politics"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"With Friends Like These..."},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d\"http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"weed\" src\u003d\"http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/SoHRXzKx0-I/AAAAAAAABDo/xxlVaRO31zY/%5BUNSET%5D.png?imgmax\u003d800\" style\u003d\"float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px; max-width: 800px;\" /\u003eTo avoid any misunderstandings I'll say this from the beginning:\u0026nbsp; I support the legalization of marijuana.\u0026nbsp; I don't smoke it or use it in any way but I do feel the evidence does not support the supposed \"gateway drug\" claim made by ex-president \u003ca href\u003d\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eTricky Dick\u003c/a\u003e and his philosophical followers.\u0026nbsp; I also believe we have only begun to explore the benefits of this plant and considerable research still needs to be done on its potential benefits for the sick.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eRegardless, an article ran today in Albany's local paper -- the Times Union -- which illustrates the non-rational fringe element in support of legalization.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eThey write about Abigail Storm-Eggink and her husband, Dan Eggink, and their attempt a lobbying the New York legislature for the legalization of pot.\u0026nbsp; Silly hippies!\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/senate-1265468-coup-son.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eDon't they know they need to offer someone's kid a job if you want to get something done in New York?\u003c/a\u003e\u0026nbsp; I've seen them walking around town with their \"Free Pot\" sign in, what appears to me, to be the most ill-conceived promotion scheme ever constructed.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eWell, one of them got herself arrested carrying a pot plant at the capital and this lead to the Times Union article:\u0026nbsp; \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID\u003d829771\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eCouple brings pot plant to Capitol\u003c/a\u003e.\u0026nbsp; Head on over and give it a read and gaze at lunacy.\u0026nbsp; Hopefully, the marijuana-legalization crowd gets as far away from these loonies as they possibly can!\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eFirst, they're on a mission \"from god\"!\u0026nbsp; I can't think of a bigger red flag for craziness.\u0026nbsp; As I recall, that's the same reasoning suicide bombers and the Texas Board of Education use.\u0026nbsp; I believe they mention god at least three time in the article.\u0026nbsp; Well, there you have it!\u0026nbsp; Case closed!\u0026nbsp; We shouldn't be allowed to use marijuana because of it's properties (or lack there of -- visa vis Tricky Dick); we should be allowed to smoke it up because some mythological super-being says it's OK.\u0026nbsp; Sound reasoning if I ever heard it!\u0026nbsp; Sign me up for the crazy train.\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eSecond, Mr. Eggink seems to believe Mary Jane can cure cancer.\u0026nbsp; Say what?\u0026nbsp; That's a testable claim and, while I'm no doctor, my basic research since reading Mr. Eggink's claim, has come up empty.\u0026nbsp; I suspect these two are also in the woo-woo camp with homeopathy and new age healings.\u0026nbsp; I wonder how that jibes with their pot smoking imaginary friend in the sky?\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003eAt any rate, the marijuana legalization crowd needs to stick with the facts -- something these two don't appear to be doing.\u0026nbsp; There is a mountain of evidence out there that supports their position and it doesn't require two vagabond wackos to get attention.\u0026nbsp; Legislators don't like gimmicks or, apparently, dirty hippies as Senator Farley (who thought they were \"kind of funny\") pointed out in the article \"\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style: italic;\"\u003eI don't think they were taken seriously by anybody; I don't think their issue is taken seriously by anyone.\u003c/span\u003e\"\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003ePhoto by \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/thevortext/\" target\u003d\"_blank\"\u003eAlexandra Moss\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie\"\u003e\u003cimg alt\u003d\"\" class\u003d\"zemanta-pixie-img wkcbpwjinfazanjsjswt wkcbpwjinfazanjsjswt\" src\u003d\"http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id\u003deb29cc16-16ac-841f-8a59-91174dea5766\" style\u003d\"-moz-binding: url(chrome://global/content/bindings/general.xml#asdfzxcv);\" /\u003e\u003cbr /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-5506223066899154714?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/5506223066899154714/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d5506223066899154714\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"2 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/5506223066899154714"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/5506223066899154714"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2009/08/with-friends-like-these.html","title":"With Friends Like These..."}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"2"},"georss$point":{"$t":"42.642167067064676 -73.75778675079346"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4977309212311534399.post-5104042400102069136"},"published":{"$t":"2009-07-22T14:33:00.001-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-08-12T13:43:01.858-04:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"PSA"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"volunteerism"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"software"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"website"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"media"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"woo"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"outreach"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"[PSA] Skeptical Software Scoop"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003cdiv xmlns\u003d'http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d'http://lh6.ggpht.com/_PqiPgKVm1uI/SmdVo8_zHbI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/gX1C7KUt4uc/%5BUNSET%5D.png?imgmax\u003d800' style\u003d'max-width: 800px; float: right; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px;' alt\u003d'web of trust'/\u003eDo you run \u003ca target\u003d'_blank' href\u003d'http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/personal.html'\u003eFirefox\u003c/a\u003e?  I hope you do.  While there have been some recent security issues with the newest release (3.5), the browser is highly customizable.  All you do is select the various \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/recommended' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eAdd-ons\u003c/a\u003e you'd like and it is installed and maintained by the browser.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eA couple of the  critical security related Add-ons I use are:  \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eAd Block Plus\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5207' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eCS Lite\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/722' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eNo Script\u003c/a\u003e.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eOn top of those, I run Add-ons which augment my browsing experience:  \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eGreasemonkey\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eXmarks\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3576' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eGButts\u003c/a\u003e, and others.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eSomewhere in between the security category and the augmentation category lies \u003ca href\u003d'https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3456' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eWeb of Trust\u003c/a\u003e -- which I only discovered yesterday.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eWarning to the open source folks out there, this Add-on isn't open source and it has a licensing agreement.  However, it's potential good far outweighs the open-source conundrum.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eWhat \u003ca href\u003d'https://www.mywot.com/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eWeb of Trust\u003c/a\u003e (WOT) does is it analyzes websites' content for 'trustworthiness' based upon community-based input.  There are 4 categories upon which a website can be graded:  Trustworthiness, Vendor Reliability, Privacy, and Child Safety.  All one has to do is click on the WOT button in your browser and grade a site and those results are added to the community results.  Those results are then displayed as a little color-coded WOT icon next to links in websites.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eSo, I suspect you already know where I'm going with this one.  Skeptics can now rate the woo woo sites they come across.  I realize there already is an superb automated service over at \u003ca href\u003d'http://www.quackometer.net' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eQuackometer.net\u003c/a\u003e (which just added a Twitter service too!) but I suspect that service isn't widely known outside of the Skeptic community.  WOT could help bridge the gap between Skeptics and the general browsing community.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eHow hard will it be to rate some psychic's website on the WOT scales?  Download the Add-on and give it a try.  Heck, if you don't like it, all you have to so is uninstall.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eDamn, I can't believe I beat \u003ca href\u003d'http://skeptools.wordpress.com/' target\u003d'_blank'\u003eTim Farley\u003c/a\u003e to this one!  At least I think I did...\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d'zemanta-pixie'\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d'http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id\u003d58a97695-c8a4-8fd5-ae13-0251af1c5148' alt\u003d'' class\u003d'zemanta-pixie-img'/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d'zemanta-pixie'\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d'http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id\u003d4c366bb2-6c2e-8039-8d7c-f4ed7f87cad7' alt\u003d'' class\u003d'zemanta-pixie-img'/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class\u003d\"blogger-post-footer\"\u003e\u003cimg width\u003d'1' height\u003d'1' src\u003d'https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/4977309212311534399-5104042400102069136?l\u003dwww.themadskeptic.com' alt\u003d'' /\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/feeds/5104042400102069136/comments/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID\u003d4977309212311534399\u0026postID\u003d5104042400102069136\u0026isPopup\u003dtrue","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/5104042400102069136"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http://www.blogger.com/feeds/4977309212311534399/posts/default/5104042400102069136"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http://www.themadskeptic.com/2009/07/psa-skeptical-software-scoop.html","title":"[PSA] Skeptical Software Scoop"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Baron Army"},"uri":{"$t":"http://www.blogger.com/profile/07476349695309049940"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$extendedProperty":{"xmlns$gd":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005","name":"OpenSocialUserId","value":"17303909186244852468"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});