I recently had a free-ranging chat with Vito D'Amico (aka The Amazing Vito) on myriad things including the perils of Zoom masturbation, Bigfoot sex, the wanna-be "vampire" roommate of a girl he dated, why ghost beliefs can be harmful, confirmation bias, why real...
Investigation
Quoted in a CBC article on the TikTok Challenge / Knockout Game
I'm quoted in a new CBC article on the new appearance of an old social media scare, the "knockout game" or "blackout challenge." You can read it HERE. Non-Francophones can read it using the "Translate" button at the top right, and the rest of you can marvel at...
Guesting on the Paracast Paranormal Radio show!
I was a recent guest on the Paracast Paranormal Radio show, talking with Gene and Randall about some of the strange cases in my new book Big-If True: Adventures in Oddity. We get into claims about UFO coverups, curses, walking trees, eHarmony, and all sorts of...
‘Wonder Woman’ And The Alamo Theater Publicity Stunts
I wrote an article investigating the infamous "Women-Only Wonder Woman" screenings in 2017. It was a fascinating hoax that exploited social media and social justice, reaping huge publicity and lawsuits--and an apology from the theater. The long-delayed,...
Squaring the Strange #138: – Insurrection Wednesday and an Antivax Primer
In the recent episode of Squaring the Strange we discuss the Capitol rioters, then debunk many vaccine fears including about Andrew Wakefield's bogus MMR-autism link study and myths about Covid vaccine harms. Check it out HERE!
Squaring the Strange #164: Moral Panic Series Part 3: Film and TV Danger!
This penultimate episode in our moral panic series starts with a discussion of the TikTok worries that interrupted schools last week as authorities braced for possible gun violence. Then we talk cinema and television from old to new, and the themes in moral panicking...
“Big–If True: Adventures in Oddity” Available in Paperback and Kindle!
Pleased to announce that my new book 'Big-- If True: Adventures in Oddity' is now available in paperback and Kindle. Please check it out if you feel so inclined! You can get it HERE!
‘Why Are You Asking?’ Reporting The Black Santa Story
In a previous blog I discussed my research into an ugly episode of racial hatred that tainted the 2016 holiday season. The Mall of America hired its first African-American Santa Claus, an Army veteran named Larry Jefferson. A local newspaper, the Minneapolis Star...
The True, Heartwarming Story Of The Mall Of America’s Black Santa
Back before the pandemic, amid the encroaching commercialization of Christmas, Black Friday sales, and annual social media grumblings about the manufactured controversy over whether “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” is appropriate, an ugly episode of racial hatred...
Squaring the Strange #135 – Investigative Skepticism with Kenny Biddle
"This episode we discuss the otherworldly monolith that's popped up in a remote part of Utah, and Ben shares another in his series of "used book mysteries," this one perfectly timed for the election. For our main segment, we have a lengthy discussion with newly minted...