In the wake of the leaked Supreme Court draft decision suggesting that Roe v. Wade is imperiled, many took to social media encouraging women to delete apps that help them track their menstrual cycles. Countless messages and memes circulated on social media telling...
Critical Thinking
‘Primum Non Nocere’ in Skepticism
About two years ago, around the start of the COVID pandemic, I was looking at a friend’s Facebook page answering her question about how best to protect herself. At the time, masking was just coming to the fore but social distancing was advised and hand sanitizers were...
Squaring the Strange # 177 – Field Trip to Bagansland with Susan and Kenny!
Just in time for Halloween: A look back at a classic Squaring the Strange show! We begin with a look at the continuing danger of online rumors igniting mob violence and the Google engineer who is in the news for his belief that the AI in development there has...
America the Fearful: Parsing America’s Ubiquitous Referenda
In the wake of the July verdict in the dueling defamation lawsuits between actors Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, there was of course much punditry, commentary, and crystal gazing. It was seen not merely as an outcome of one trial between two often-toxic celebrities but...
Squaring the Strange # 179: Deviant Death Rites and Bizarre Burials
Word around the campfire is that there's a new episode of Squaring the Strange! This week we dug up some strange ways people have sent off their deceased loved ones. As a medieval person, how would you keep Aunt Edna from coming back as a vampire or a bitey undead...
False Abuse Claims Used in Politics
False abuse claims are, sadly, being used to settle grudges: "The partner of Vanessa Wilson, the former Aurora, Colorado police chief, was charged with filing a fabricated child sex abuse report. Robin Niceta anonymously called Arapahoe County social services on Jan....
Guest on ‘New Mexico Living’ for ‘America the Fearful’
For those who didn't see it: I was a recent guest on 'New Mexico Living', talking about my new book 'America the Fearful: Media and the Marketing of National Panics.' You can watch the short interview HERE!
Parsing America’s Ubiquitous Referenda
In the wake of the recent verdict in the dueling defamation lawsuits between actors Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, there was of course much punditry, commentary, and crystal gazing. It was seen not merely as an outcome of one trial between two often-toxic celebrities...
What’s ‘Problematic,’ When, and Why
In my previous blog I discussed the (real and performative) outrage over Will Smith attacking Chris Rock at the Oscars, and the curious lack of outrage over co-host Amy Schumer’s long history of (alleged) racism. From racist jokes to behavior,...
Investigating the ‘Stonehenge Surprise’ Crop Circle
The new issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine features my investigation into the amazing crop circle that appeared near Stonehenge in 1996. It's unique in its complexity and that it's said to have been created in under an hour during daytime. I offer a different...