Welcome to the 86th Edition of the Skeptic’s Circle!

I’m not a bitch, really. I’m actually a friendly and polite person. But…bitch is an expressive and versatile word. (It was one of abusive epithets I defined for my Honors thesis.) Used towards women, dogs, inanimate objects and men, it can mean anything from the malicious person to the nasty gossip, and can refer to friend or foe. In this blog, the “bitch” tells people what they don’t always want to hear…

Of course, the Skeptic’s Circle is comprised of intelligent and rational contributors, so we’re all bitches here…  I invite you to visit, revisit and enjoy the following posts and sites from within our skeptical community. Everything is bookmarkable!

These posts cover an eclectic range of themes, including alternative medicine, genetically modified foods, conspiracy theories, intelligent design, psychics, prayer, penis enlargement, bananas and pubic lice…

Barry Williams, esteemed Editor of the Skeptic pens an eponymous blog for The Australian. In It’s all a plot, Barry tackles the Conspiracy Theory. From ‘chemtrails’ to the Princess of Wales, conspiracy theories abound. With different versions and a lack of evidence, these are the bane of all skeptics. Yet, a skeptic is often confused with a conspiracy theorist. Indeed, both question, but only the skeptic applies critical thinking…

Bazza is a fair dinkum good bloke, and you should peruse his other beaut blog entries which cover topics such as homeopathy, fire-walking, religion, vaccination and anti-vaxers, mainstream versus fringe theory  and much more. Yes…how ironic that he looks like Santa Claus…

Speaking of Conspiracy Theories, we all know they are trying to poison us with Frankenfood. Everywhere, pharmers plot our gastronomical genocide, or so some believe… 

The Conspiracy Factory churns out a post demonstrating that science journalism isn’t invariably scientific. Exposed: The great GM-food scare made up by the Independent suggests that the only thing the expose exposes is the inability of some journalists to interpret scientific data, and their penchant for sensationalism. Some journos should stick to reporting church fairs and pottery classes.

PalMD AKA Peter Lipson of denialism also treats the contentious issue of genetically modified foods in the post GM foods cause delusions. One rumormonger ‘discovered’ a fictitious disease (Morgellons Syndrome) and now links this to GM foods. This reminds me of Monty Python’s E Henry Thripshaw’s Disease (scroll down to “The man who says words in the wrong order”).

Because PalMD paid me a sizeable fee, I am fiscally persuaded to plug an additional post that provides facts and fallacies about autism (and mercury myths, etc.). More journalists who should stick to bake sales…

Dr Romeo Vitelli is the author of Providentia. His post The Mercury Mavens is a fascinating look at the historical and modern use of mercury in medicine. The beautiful liquid metal can be blamed for death and disfigurement as a ‘treatment’ for smallpox and syphilis, but is it to blame for autism?

Zoo Knudsen of Knudsen’s News reports the exciting story that untrained, unpublished autism specialist scaremonger Jenny McCarthy has been featured in the current Who’s Who List of Autism Researchers.

Hang on…this appears to be one of those scams…

You too can be included in The Who’s Who List of Skeptics. For only $999.99 you (or current resident) will be awarded a Strontium Level membership to this prestigious organization!

In The argument from banana, Theo and Jef Clark of Humbug! present an argument that makes a vertiable smoothie of Ray Comfort’s “the banana is an atheist’s nightmare” theory. Personally, this atheist’s nightmare is the brain-gnawing image of Ray sensually sliding a fruity phallic instrument into his sheath-like fist. JeebusNationDotCom evidently had the same thoughts.

I await the sequel, The Durian: The Atheist’s Revenge…

Rod Clark, the Skeptical Surfer, has the dirt (or rust, as the case may be) on the IonCleanse FootBath. Rod’s illustrations demonstrate that one of his “friends” (sure, Rod…) suffers from an array of embarrassing, socially-repugnant symptoms, such as “Backed-Up Colon By-Product”, “Male Prostate Discharge”, and “Old Locked in Drugs.” 

In a simple yet ingenous test, detoxification is demystified. Rod reveals this supposed de-tox machine to be a re-tox machine. Forget expensive pedicures, soak your feet in a soothing puddle of rust - guaranteed NOT to cause tetanus! So, keep your $220 for Vegas. However, the manufacturers stand by their product with the irrefutable claim, “it has aroused the consumption upsurge.”
The moral is, beware Kellog’s Chemists and their vague promises to rid the body of “toxins”. But, this doesn’t solve Rod’s “Hormonal Imbalance”, “Multiple Slimy Goo Floating”, or “Life time back up of the colon”. Perhaps the $2895 model might work better?

Bob Carroll of Skepdic fame presents an article about the Templeton Prize. The ‘Nobel Prize’ of theological studies, the award seeks to marry science and religion. However, these two make for uncomfortable bedpartners, and the relationship hasn’t been consummated. Can spirituality find sanctuary in the contentious field of cognitive science? Is this theory-then-research or the dreaded research bias?

When you’ve read this article, you’ve only just begun! Grab a cup of tea, and peruse the entire site, although you’ll be in need of something decidedly stronger by the end of it… 

In keeping with the theme of research bias, Corale of Away From The Bench  emerges from the lab to provide us with Paying the Piper: Funding and Research, an insightful blog entry about research, facts following funding and advertising. Some (paid) spokespeople lambast the pharmaceutical companies, creating a media menage a trois of hyperbole, hypocrisy and conspiracy theory. (Be sure to check out the pornful sight of the sturdy, sun-kissed “Big Farmer” as he reclines in regal pose…)

In Take your Vitamins…and Die? the skeptical alchemist provides a brief analysis of a panic study (or panic reporting) that claims, “Vitamin A, beta-carotene, and Vitamin E may increase mortality.” Is there truth to this, or is this a headlining, sensationalist sound-byte? Our blogger discusses the methods and findings of this study. The bottom line still seems to be that supplements simply produce expensive urine, and may even be dangerous, unless the subject is deficient in said vitamin or mineral. Yet still…people play internet doctor, self-diagnose and self-medicate…

Bing McGhandi of Happy Jihad’s House of Pancakes tackles a cretin of ‘psychic medium’ Allison DuBois fans (someone correct me, please, if cretin isn’t the collective noun for this group). For some context to Allison DuBois: As evil as a 4-dollar bill, check out this previous post. Bing becomes the bane of the bevy of believers in this torturous dialogue. Keep the drug of your choice on hand to cope with the sycophancy, credulity, illogical logic and misspellings… 

Podblack Cat of the Podcat Blog ponders the big question: why do people believe? And furthermore, who believes what? In Women and Skepticism Part 2, this cool cat presents a thoughtful and well-researched post that provides some preliminary discussion into belief, and the incidence and implications of belief in the paranormal across gender and across culture. (Of course, check out Women and Skepticism Part One too.) The Podcat Blog is a wealth of information, resources and wit.

Self-confessed “geek and nerd” Joe Dunckley is the author of Cotch.net. (I will forever misread this as crotch.)

He has rewitten a comedy sketch from That Mitchell and Webb Look that appears to be a cruel parody.

That’s skepticwang!

To say I like most poetry would make me a liar,

Set poems to music, or set them on fire.

The Digital Cuttlefish is the only poet I can more than bear,

This poem satirizes God, another the National Day of Prayer!

There are some pretty bizarre fetishes out there that you peverted skeptical people practise. Then there’s the innocuous-sounding pthirophilia. This is really a most foul philia, a fetish for pubic lice. LoveBugz.net is a forum and online store for these “insects in sex”. This reminds me of Spanish Fly, only more unhygienic, and even more disturbing…

Send your complaints to the Bug Girl who purchased (*snicker*) and tested this product, one you won’t find coming to your local supermarket anytime soon. The pre-test post is Pubic Lice: “Sea monkeys in your pants” and the post-test post, with the unexpected title, is I have Pubic Lice in my Mailbox. I shall never complain about receiving daily emails about speaking in tongues and alien languages - ever again!

Dr King Martin Rundkvist of Aardvarchaeology presents the post: All of my Readers are Descendants of Royalty. Yep, most people claim to be related to a Duke or a Baron or other (my family claim lineage with a Count…you may call me Countess Skepbitch!) But Martin goes back in time a wee bit further…what an incestral ancestral bunch we are…

Chris Hallquist, the Uncredible Hallq, posts a review of the ‘documentary’ Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. I applaud Chris for watching the film and attempting to understand the beliefs of Intelligent Design proponents. The last fuckwit I argued with about Richard Dawkins vehemently denounced The God Delusion…but hadn’t read the book (not even the freebie chapter online). At any rate, Chris gives the movie two thumbs sideways. He quite enjoyed it for its kitsch value, its melodrama, and its pathos.

Also, check out Expelled Exposed, a “truth behind the fiction” site from The National Center for Science Education. However, this isn’t a case of “What Ben Stein isn’t telling you about Intelligent Design”, it’s what he simply doesn’t understand. His infamous character discusses “Voodoo Economics” but the actor believes in ‘voodoo’…

Richard Murray of bankrupt artist v.3 provides the votive offering: Alright, who shit in my inbox? This recounts his Facebook War over evolution, inspired by Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Richard apologized for submitting his entry via Facebook, but I prefer this to his usual method of bombarding me with telepathic messages…

Honey, I’m cured! Thadd Nelson of Archaeoporn treats a topic that’s been doing the rounds of late. Honey A Medical Miracle? assesses the claim that eating local honey will ’boost immunity’ against allergies.

From Royal Jelly to Manuka honey, honey is often the topic of urban legend. Isn’t it enough that honey is useful as an antimicrobial agent and antioxidant, contains natural preservatives and tastes exquisite?

Jesus promised the world that he would return. Obviously, he has been delayed by security at the Pearly Gates for trying to smuggle manna. As we wait for Armageddon, Jesus returns unto us in minor forms, appearing on tortillas, in bowls of spaghetti, on potato chips, rocks, tree trunks and pastries. Now, Jesus goes hi-tech. Colin, The Skeptic Dad, discusses the latest coming of Jesus pareidolia… Jesus on a sonogram.

(*warning* Self-plug: For more on pareidolia check out my experiment Merchandising God: The Pope Tart in the current May/June edition of Skeptical Inquirer.)

Have you heard of the Carlos Hoax that took place in Australia in the 1980s?

Carlos was the ingenious invention of James Randi and Jose Alvarez, the latter channeled this “2000-year-old-spirit” to demonstrate the gullibility of people, and the credulity of the media. Inspired by our beloved Skeptic’s Circle, and paying homage to the (not so) Great Carlos, a suspicious bunch of Aussie Skeptics have formed… Skeptics of Carlos - An Australian Blog Circle. The first hosting will take place on May 13.

Hurry to host and submit your post!

Elliot of Skelliot’s Weblog provides us with a review of some popular skeptical podcasts in Podcast Run-down! He claims that the podcast is “Our New Messiah”, so blogging must be like worshipping trees or somesuch. A spanking for Elliot as he forgot to review skeptical vodcasts. Oops! There is only one!

Tottle over to The TANK Vodcast to view the final episode of our first season. This show features TANK Host Richard Saunders interviewing blogger Mooeypoo, whose experiments demonstrate that science can be fun (and edible). I did an interview with theology student Matt Johnson, and we discuss religion in the United States today.  Get into The TANK…the only skeptical vodcast!

At the eleventh hour, Seth Manapio of Whiskey Before Breakfast (a fine idea) submitted a most worthy post. In The Skeptical Mary Speaks, John interviews the interviewer, Swoopy, of the outstanding podcast Skepticality. We get the inside goss on the show, the guests, and learn more about the intriguing woman herself.

At the twelfth hour, some n00b skeptic called Orac of Respectful Insolence insolently submitted not one, but three entries! I sent him an Out-of-Office reply, but he didn’t buy it…but truly, I’m pumped about Orac’s entry! He expands on a previous post in which he blows up a few inflated reports about penis enlargement.

 Orac’s second post presents a review of two controversial academic papers that link mercury to…you guessed it…autism! These papers provide blanks for the “mercury militia” who are determined to see mercury as a causal factor of autism, be it through vaccines, or now, “environmental release”.

Orac also suggests we visit Science-Based Medicine, a blog that treats pseudoscience themes from chiropractic to cancer cures. These are well-researched, well-referenced posts from a host of notable authors including Steven Novella and Harriet Hall (The SkepDoc….ah, the skep- morpheme!).

And finally, have you ever walked past a street light and mumbled, “Arr…fuck!” as it suddenly switches off, leaving you stranded in darkness? Perhaps you also affect watches, lightbulbs, and the radio volume with the immense powers of in your mind… 

Action Skeptics report on a new ‘paranormal’ phenomenon known as Street Lamp Interference. This is a genuine psychic occurrence, and has nothing to do with sensors or faulty equipment at all. This post confirms the speed at which some people look for the supernatural to explain the natural, and emphasizes how often we notice the hits, but not the misses. I particularly enjoyed the foul-mouthed squabble that appears in the comments section…

…and as I sign off for this edition, I pass the baton of skepticism to those two troublemakers, Akusai and Magus of Action Skeptics. They will host the 87th Edition of the Skeptic’s Circle on May 22, 2008. In the meantime, spam the lads with your enlightening, witty, but always skeptical blog entries.

xxx The Skepbitch

I’ve just arrived home from a trip to Salt Lake City. For my Australian readers, Salt Lake City is the Canberra of the United States (but with added religious lunacy). Awful ’souvenir’ shot glasses and t-shirts throughout the state proclaim - “Eat, drink, be merry - for tomorrow you may be in Utah”…

No, I didn’t go there for the skiing, I attended a conference, but I also had the opportunity to see Sylvia Browne live during her Farewell Lecture Tour. This will be the subject of an upcoming article for the Skeptic magazine.  

It was more of a comedy routine than the advertised seminar about ‘Temples on the Other Side’. In fact, reading the flyer that accompanied my ticket, she didn’t treat any of the promised themes at all! But she did do a generous 30 (brief) readings…with an audience of 3000…

Who said that skeptics are the cantankerous ones?! During the two-hour lecture she griped, whinged, whined and bitched about people’s bad attitudes, intermingled with her cherry-picking of religious philosophies.

Nowadays, she is so cynical and jaded, I’m surprised that she believes herself…

Salt Lake City wasn’t so bad, after all. A slower pace, friendly people, good food. Alright, there are some wowsers there; one must purchase a ‘membership’ from a ‘club’ or ‘house’, and a food item, to secure an alcoholic beverage (indeed Sydney’s Corso at Manly Beach pulls this same revenue earner, but without the religious sentiment).

Salt Lake City has some impressive galleries and museums, including the North American Museum of Ancient Life. I don’t know why I was so surprised, after all, this is Utah, not Kansas or Kentucky. Actually, Utah is rich in paleontological finds (even after Sylvia left…).

As the wikipedia entry for Salt Lake City claims, the name is a metonym for Mormonism. Persecuted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints founded the city, which grew around the magnificent architecture and gardens of Temple Square.

Although the city is only 50% Mormon, it is infused with the presence of Mormonism. (I know you’re all keen to hear about Polygamy, but that’s for a chapter of my book. Besides, most polygamy is confined to compounds in Southern Utah.)

By day one I was adept at identifying the Mormons; the children with children, the Sisters in their long skirts talking wistfully about marriage, and the Elders in suits and ironed shirts, sitting in cafes, drinking glasses of milk.

Everyone was dying of boredom (presumably to get to heaven). Everything is closed on Sundays, like Australia until the 1980s.  I witnessed three bored kids sharing a cigarette and the following conversation…

#1: “I’m so bored. What’re we gonna do?”

#2: “I dunno.”

#3: “Let’s go to church to see Mark!”

And off they went! I can only assume that poor Mark was dragged along to church by his parents, but this further roped in his friends, in the end. Therein lies the successful religious socialization…

The most memorable part of my trip was attending a performance of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. That is, after I was subjected to a handbag search. Before I could find the atheist badge that exposed me, I noted that all bags were being searched, including those owned by the faithful, such as the highly suspicious looking Grandmother before me…

Surrounded by the splendid acoustics of the Tabernacle building, the orchestra was powerful and skilled, and the choir was, excuse the punning, heavenly and angelic.

A choral performance beats church any Sunday!

Religion has wrought the horrors of war, ignorance and intolerance, but this music is a rare inspiration of belief.

And so, episode 4103 of Music & The Spoken Word  was recorded with The Skepbitch in the audience!

My cat thinks “you’re a twat”…

In my articles I research and then report. I research claims, and report my experiences in testing these claims.

Occasionally, a subject doesn’t like my precise documentation, and so resorts to nasty threats…

I have currently been trying to arrange a visit with a pet psychic, to investigate this as a belief and practice. An internet search revealed Diane London - pet psychic.

I never thought I’d need proof of the claim before I could even ask for proof of the claim, but here’s what happened…

I emailed Ms London with the following polite, upfront request:

“Hello! I found an article about you that said you do pet readings, and that you’re in San Rafael. I’d love to book an appointment with you if you are a pet psychic, and still live in the Bay Area.
 
Looking forward to hearing from you!” 

Pretty innocuous stuff, a friendly request for her services…services that she advertises publicly. Nothing litigious there…surely?

However, it elicited this unexpected litigious response:

“please be advised that any further contact is unwelcome–and shall be deemed as harassment–I am forwarding this email to my attorney—and law enforcement agencys—an  investigation is in progress—and possible civil action–as required–in the future–please include your phone number-address–so that my attorney can locate you—you have been warned”

Yet her website gushes: “I take a very personal interest in everyone (sic) of my clients - It is with sincerity, compassion, sensitivity and confidentiality that I have to offer the insight and answers to your questions and concerns - I look forward to being your personal psychic.”

Her personal reply to me was not so “compassionate” or “sensitive”.

Did my skeptical reputation precede me? Did she fear a debunking? Impossible. I never revealed my last name. So, why the unincited acrimony? Does she have something to hide? Does she want to remove herself from her previous claims? If she is further retracting her claim of being a ‘pet psychic’, I counsel her to delete:

This page.

And this page.

And also this page.

Not to mention this page.

But most importantly, and damningly…this page from The Seattle Times. Oh shit…it’s syndicated all over the web like a psychic rash…

What’s the story? 

London was formerly an actor - Most wait on tables, but London became a telephone psychic…for ten years…

Working for a large company, London reveals that many of her former colleagues ”are about as psychic as a potato”, but maintains her own claims of psychic abilities. Following a dispute with her employer, in which she threatened the company, as one does, with black candle Santeria, Diane was terminated. In response, she sued the company. She eventually received unemployment benefits as compensation.

Does she now fear reprisal from her former ‘colleagues’?

Paranoid, she ’sensed’ danger, but of the legal kind…

This defensiveness might explain her aggressive, abrasive, unwarranted reply to me…but I further interpret this as a denial of her ‘pet psychic’ claim. To this end, I have linked her claims above, and made copies of each page, should I be reproached for merely repeating her claim, which is:

“You have probably wondered about how your pets ‘think’ and what they ‘think’ about. Anyone who has pets in their home has. Animals are by Nature telepathic. Your pets have so much they want to share with you. Their ‘thinking’ is not so different from ours. I can help you establish deeper communication with your beloved animals.”

Fight fire with facts.

Diane - you are as psychic as a potato…

No Easter Bunny this year!

I’m one of those Atheists/Skeptics who enjoys cultural and aesthetic aspects of religion - I’ll visit temples, churches, shrines, synagogues, sanctuaries, holy places and places of worship - not as ‘god’s house’, but as cultural, anthropological, historic, artistic and curious glimpses into beliefs and the human mind.

Religious holidays are especially interesting times to see this in action. This is the gig, man…THE performance, and the reunion concert for the lapsed…

The artworks, the candles, the floral arrangements, the flock in their ‘Sunday best’, the clergy in their Elvis-like vestments.

Sometimes there’s even grog and snacks too! (although somewhat tasteless wafers, I’d add…)

 But don’t drink the water there…it’s holy…

Although admittedly, sometimes the clergy tell some tall tales!

(Once I heard this story about the world being created in six days…I would have been spanked for such a big fib!)

It’s all inspiring…in a self-inspirational sort of way…

I went to church today. California in lined with these fantastic Spanish Missions, and I’ve been fortunate to travel to all of them, from the elusive, hauntingly dilapidated yet beautiful Mission San Miguel, to the touristy Mission Santa Barbara. Most have museums, collections of early photographs and displays of artifacts. I live right near the reconstructed Mission San Rafael, and even though a right bitch works in the gift shop, I visit there on occasion, for the ambiance.

Today, Easter Sunday, I went to church to get some footage for a TANK Vodcast interview, but I also listened the priest’s sermon.

An Easter sermon can be filled with bits and pieces of philosophy and psychology (if you overlook the supernatural bits about Jesus’ resurrection, omnipotence and martyrdom for our sins).

If I took anything away with me, it was the priests’ earnest and virtuous cry for peace, kindness and good will, be we “Christian, Muslim, Jew or non-believer.”

Then the brick of rationalism hit me over the head (and other tangled metaphors). As an epilogue to my Moral Atheist blog entry, and another tool in the armory of the Atheist, the Skeptic, and the Agnostic…it’s not a matter of atheists stereotypically ‘not being moral’, and religious people stereotypically ‘being moral’…’the burden of proof’ isn’t with the atheist to prove that we have morals, it isn’t even with the religious to prove that atheists ‘don’t have morals’.

Morals don’t need religion.

And now…

to more secular concerns…

I’m hanging out for Walgreens to discount the Lindt Easter choccies!

The latest TANK Vodcast is out now!

We have a quickie with the Skeptic Editor Barry Williams, a chat with the crowd attending Skeptics in the Pub in Sydney, a chinwag with two members of SkeptiCamp in Colorado, a peek at TANK Host Richard’s recent seminar for the Australian Skeptics , and The Skepbitch’s interview of Randy Felts, Ghost Tour Host extraordinaire - outside The Alamo, in San Antonio, Texas.

Is the Alamo haunted?

Get into The TANK…the only Skeptical Vodcast.

The day I realized that I was an atheist I went on a murdeous, adulterous, blasphemous, idol-making, mother and father dishonoring, Sabbath-forgetting, thieving, coveting, false-witness-bearing rampage.

Not really.

A hemorrhoidically common assumption is that Atheists (the non-religious, Skeptics, Agnostics, etc.) are not moral people.

If it weren’t for laws, and the moral guidance of the religious, life would be one big Led Zeppelin backstage party.

After the party, there would be eternal hellfire and damnation. That’s one bitch of a hangover…

In a warped syllogism: Religious people are good. Atheists are not religious. Therefore, Atheists are bad.

Religion = Good. No Religion = Bad. Sounds kinda…I dunno, reductionist?

There is no original sin, and no original goodness. 

Human culture is replete with the over-simplified good versus bad dichotomy: God versus Satan, Super Hero versus Villain, and even internal Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde struggles. The latter, in its less extreme form, is probably closer to the truth. In the words of the (n)ever popular song Ebony & Ivory, “There is good and bad in everyone.” Jesus had a bad temper, and Hitler was a Christian.

Good and bad are social constructs, and so are morals. Perceptions of good and bad, and notions of what is immoral or immoral change over time, and across cultures. For example, ‘Christians are good people’ is not a universal belief…

Importantly, the Church/Synagogue/Mosque/Temple, etc. aren’t the sole moral educators (or necessarily useful ones). Morals are mostly taught by our parents, our family, our friends, our schools, our universities, and our society. Then the wacky time comes when you have to understand right from wrong yourself - and take responsibility for any mistakes.

If you think that religion is a moral harness, then that says a lot about you. Is it only religion, not your own understanding of what’s right and wrong, that prevents you from wrongdoing?

Godless=lawless/badness is a successful stereotype. A generalization. Discrimination.

God=good is a self-perception of the holder of the belief. An unfounded sense of moral superiority.

Here’s where I’ll flex my stereotype muscles. (In my experience) the religious kids that I went to school with were hypocritical little fuckers who slept around, took drugs, drank, stole, lied…and went to church on Sunday. Jesus died for your sins - so, sin away - make it worthwhile!

I don’t need indulgences, confessions, pardons, OCD rosary beads, prayer, forgiveness, healing, flagellation, hair shirts, or Jesus…

The ‘moral’ of this story is: treat people as the individuals they are. Don’t make unfair assumptions about people you don’t know. Why not follow your own Golden Rule: ‘do unto those as you would have them do unto you?’ Or try Karl Popper’s modern twist of treating others as they want to be treated?

I can’t tell you how many times people have mistaken me for a Christian - friendliness and a smile do not a religious person make. There are bad Christians and good Atheists overall, and everyone’s a bit of both.

Don’t forget the research statistics of beliefs represented by prison inmates.

Skepticism, Atheism, Rationalism and other ways of thinking don’t aim to take away your culture, your values, your ideals, your ethics, and your morals. They aim to explain, and give truthful meaning to our existence.

So, come over to the ‘dark side’ sometime, where you might just find that enlightenment…

“If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair” a mask!

The latest TANK Vodcast has something for everyone!

- Tom Cruise look-a-likes

- Men in business suits and balaclavas (my personal favorite!)

- Protests and activism

- Bikinis on the beach

- bits of James Randi and Phil Plait

- bizarre theater superstitions and myths

- Kylie, Karen the Skepbitch, hosts Richard and Stefan, and more!

Get into The TANK…the only Skeptical Vodcast.

The skepbitch dictionary (in Print) defines ad hominem as:

        adj. 1. describing the usage of prejudice where rationale and logic are warranted.

                2. describing criticism that irrelevantly focuses on the opponent, rather than the opponent’s opinion.

        etymology: Latin - against the man (or for the politically-fucking-correct: against the person)

Today…I was the victim of an ad hominem attack, popped out of a cyber potato gun…

John Hawkins of the Right Wing ‘News’ blog, has decided to be the Christian to walk into my Lion’s Den by posting an entry about the Skepbitch site in his literary master(batorial)piece Freaky Liberal Blog Names.

His point is that Conservatives, such as he, are unfairly branded “angry, homophobic, racist, misogynist people.” John doesn’t perpertuate this stereotype at all with his motto, “Bashing the French before French bashing was cool.”

Tomorrow’s Word of the Day will have to be irony…

John bitches about the Skepbitch blog, along with my mates BitchPh.D., Angry Black Bitch and The G Bitch Spot.

Do you see a pattern here? John, like a naughty, repressed school boy looking up the ‘bad’ word fuck in the dictionary, has done a blog search on bitch!

Little Johnny has been caught red handed (The Commie bastard!) and will receive a spanking on the botty until it’s red raw (The Pinkie bastard!).

Hey, John - I AM NOT A FUCKING AMERICAN! I’m not a liberal. I’m not a conservative. I don’t subscribe to your two-party system.

With popcorn in hand I spent some time reading your blog, and your tiny mind full of sterotypes and bullshit. I’m a fucking conundrum to you. I lived in ‘liberal’ Berkeley, but I hated every minute of it. I eat tofu, but I support your troops. I use profanity, but I teach language to your children. I’m an atheist, but I work at my local St Vincent de Paul (a Catholic organization) - dishing out food to your fellow Americans - more than you do to support your own country…

Moreover, this is NOT a POLITICAL blog (but I’ve had pervy right-wing minions fluttering about here all day - welcome, my pretties… don’t fly your wings too close to my flame…)

This is a blog about skepticism (and political extremists are exactly the kind of people I’m skeptical about). But you wouldn’t know this, because you didn’t read any of the entries…

I’d call you an ethnocentric, paranoid, conspiracy-theoried, racist, hypocritical, misogynistic, repressed, politically ignorant, misinformed, goose-stepping, star-spangled-bannered son-of-a-bitch…but then that would be an ad hominem attack…

I snuggled up skeptically with Kylie Sturgess (aka Kiless), a knowledgeable, passionate and active skeptic and educator. Kylie is also a fellow reporter for The TANK Vodcast and was the recipient of the 2007 Australian Skeptics’ Prize for Critical Thinking.

The intrepid Kylie goes where few skeptics bother to tread…

Not interested in merely preaching to the converted, Kylie’s interests are in communicating science, skepticism and education.

Our pillow talk was about the word skeptic as a label, skepticism as a concept, and people with “large Skep-whatevers.”

How can we get off the soap box, drop the kitchen orator performance and make a difference?

Skepbitch: What is skepticism?

Kylie: Modern skepticism is probably best summed up as “A skeptic follows the evidence and uses it as a tool for thinking.”

Historically, skepticism has its roots in Pyrrhonism and loosely branching off from Plato’s Academy. I recall, however, that in the criticism of such ancient origins, skepticism had (possibly annecdotal) tales of Pyrrho being stopped from walking off cliffs because he ‘doubted they were there’! But the ideas influenced writers like Cicero (probably my first introduction to the term when I did high school Ancient History), Descartes, Hume and so forth, and over time clarified it to become a more practical ‘tool for thinking’, in particular to scientifically testable claims. Whatever value skepticism has for society is up to the society in which it’s practiced.

Skepbitch: How did you become a skeptic?

Kylie: My childhood enthusiasm for The Investigators, the long-running Australian consumer affairs program, led me to become intrigued by consumer education, media claims and how we were led to believe ‘weird things’. I was educated and went on to teach in schools of various religious and educational philosophies. I have relations who trust tonics, vitamins, magnet therapy and psychics. A desire to know why people tend towards various beliefs just led me to research more. In the end, it’s because of an important element of wanting to know how educational systems could better facilitate critical thinking in schools. 

Skepbitch:  Why should other people be skeptics, and what should we be skeptical of?

Kylie: I’m not convinced that it’s something that people ‘must’ become, quite honestly. More often than not I see people responding to the term as about being ‘cynics’ or ‘debunkers’. An interview with Dr Richard Wiseman on Skepticality, pointed out how the term potentially alienates people, which is why he avoids it - I’ve seen myself how ad hoc enthusiasm for ‘getting women into skepticism!’ ignores how there are far better, more accountable and more organised science education programs out there slugging away for many, many years. A great many people (regardless of gender orientation) are promoting questioning of claims and educating and communicating without being lumped under someone else’s label and it seems unfair to do the same with the word ’skeptic’.

Daniel Loxton on the same podcast show points out how what he calls “new skepticism” is tending towards political / atheist / humanist issues that don’t deal so much with testable paranormal and pseudoscientific claims, as seen in the early history of CSICOP. So, I’d say that if people want to be ’skeptics’, they certainly can - but I’d say it’s their choice but to research and figure out how they want to approach the term and whether or not they’ll serve what they see as a need, whether it be social, intellectual, educational, what have you.

Skepbitch: How can other people become skeptics?

Kylie: It’s tough! “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree” is how one friend puts it. As humans and members of our respective cultures, we’re not immune from culturalisation and socialisation and if raised to believe A, we may feel a tendency even after we have intellectually accepted B. That’s something that I think people forget at times - it’s not possible to avoid cognitive dissonance with everything that comes your way. Reading, discussion, research, finding a particular passion in investigating a certain claim all help.

But I wouldn’t, after seeing how people tend to judge others over how ’skeptical’ one is (for example, how deists have been treated), say that it’s something one must do. I’d settle for more people not getting ripped off, or companies not touting false products, or frauds being stopped than having more cliques wearing shirts with a large ‘Skep-whatevers’ on it.

Thanks Kylie!

The rest of us should now tottle over to Kylie’s blog to read her views on women and skepticism in the post, She’s Already Got Science…

…In the new episode of the TANK Vodcast…  

Karen (aka the Skepbitch) interviews Ted Gwin, the Blind Mystic, a former psychic reader.

Michael attends the Sydney Scientology Raid by Anonymous.

Jayson witnesses John Edward’s appearance at Australia Zoo, and the non-appearance of Steve Irwin’s ’spirit’.

…all hosted by Richard and Stefan.

View this episode, jam-packed with everything but jam, at:

The TANK Vodcast blog.

Australian Skeptics

Mystery Investigators

Richard Saunders’ collection of skeptical videos at YouTube.