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Anti-Semitism Entertainment/culture Evolution History Holocaust Intelligent design/creationism Movies Politics Pseudoscience Religion Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The fall of Ben Stein

You know, even though I know he’s been a Republican talker for a long time, that he worked for the Nixon administration as a speechwriter and lawyer, I’ve always kind of liked Ben Stein. My wife and I used to like to watch Win Ben Stein’s Money, and he was quite amusing as the principal […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

Essential reading on HIV/AIDS denialism

Fellow SB’er Tara Smith, and academic neurologist Steve Novella have written an essential primer on the dangerous pseudoscience and quackery that is HIV/AIDS denialism. It’s published in PLoS and is entitled HIV Denial in the Internet Era. It makes a number of excellent points about the deadly quackery that is HIV/AIDS denialism, including how its […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Friday Woo Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

Your Friday Dose of Woo: A homeopathic journal club

So, after nearly two weeks of torturing myself trying to put together an R01-level grant on short notice and make it actually competitive, I’m finally free. The grant has been submitted (amazingly, the online submission process went through without a hitch), and, sleep-deprived but still hopped up on the Sudafed that kept the mucus membranes […]

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Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Paranormal Pareidolia Pseudoscience Quackery Religion Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The Enemies of Reason, Part I: Slaves to Superstition

It’s here, and it’s on Google Video. I watched it last night, and it was a blistering attack on the irrationality that is so common in our society: Part I begins with Richard Dawkins sitting in on some sort of New Age chanting ceremony (the discomfited look on his face is priceless to watch), after […]

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Cancer Evolution Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Religion Science Skepticism/critical thinking

What a lot of it boils down to when it comes to antiscience

After a long run of arguing against global warming and indoor smoking bans, it appears that our favorite Libertarian comic with a penchant for bad arguments and ad hominem attacks on scientists has temporarily left the field of blog combat in a huff of “giving up” that reminds me of a certain Black Knight telling […]