From the Radford Files archives: In October 2009, a six-year-old boy named Falcon Heene was thought by many to have been floating alone through Colorado skies on Thursday in a silvery weather balloon created by his inventor father. It turned out that the whole...
Media Literacy
7 Questions with Writer/Director of ‘The Gospel According to Stephenson’
In my new CFI blog I interview the writer/director of a proposed skeptical vampire film. Plus, what prions taste like, and a bad clown... you can read it HERE.
2012 Disaster Film Contains Pro-Science Themes
From the Radford Files archives: 2012 Disaster Film Contains Pro-Science Themes The recent big-budget Hollywood blockbuster disaster film 2012, directed by Roland Emmerich, depicts a global catastrophe and flood. John Cusack stars as a divorced Los...
Reality Check: Is America ‘Numb’ to Mass Shootings?
In the wake of a shooting at Oregon’s Umpqua Community College that left at least ten people dead, last week President Obama held a press conference in which he stated that “Somehow, this has become routine. The reporting is routine. My response here at this podium...
Stonehenge Myths and Conspiracies
With the news last month about the discovery of a “super-Stonehenge” circling one of the world’s most famous monuments, attention has once again focused on the Wiltshire marvel. There are thousands of ancient stone circles across Europe, of which Stonehenge is...
Ghost Hunter Self-Expertise…
In reviewing my shelf of ghost hunting books for a book chapter I'm writing I noted that the author of two 2011 books on ghosts and ghost hunting writes that she "is new to the paranormal community, having entered field investigation in 2008." Doing a bit of math and...
Conspiracy-Riddled Jade Helm Operation Ends
The conspiracy-ridden Jade Helm 15 operation that conspiracy theorists said was preparation for Obama's establishing a New World Order ended this week with no guns being taken and, really, nothing happening. Here's my article for Discovery News on the topic, and why...
A Cross-Cultural Note about Possession and Exoricism
In a recent interview about exorcism and spiritual possession I had to keep reminding the interviewer that in many cases possession is a welcome experience done under the supervision of a witch doctor or houngan (in the case of voodoo). When Americans think of...
Why Conspiracy Theorists (Presumably) Don’t Drive Chevys or Volkswagens
I spend an inordinate amount of time dealing with conspiracies and conspiracy theories. Over the years I've written about dozens and dozens of conspiracy theories, including the Obama birthers, the Sandy Hook shootings (for which I still receive hate e-mails), Osama...
Paranormal Kool-Aid Interview: What’s the Harm in Magical Thinking?
I was interviewed on the harm in magical thinking, including discussing my research into muti murders in Africa, in which albinos have been persecuted, attacked, and murdered because of the belief that their body parts are magical. It’s a topic I’ve written about and...