House of Gucci tells the true story of the iconic Italian fashion family. The film follows the rise and fall of Guccis (and soon-to-be-Guccis) from 1978 to the 1990s. You can track the era by the hairstyles and cars, as well as Christmas gifts (such as Simon and...
News
The True, Heartwarming Story of the Mall of America’s Black Santa
In 2016, before COVID and 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...
Why Men’s and Women’s Buttons Are Different
Sure, I'm best known for researching urban legends, monsters, mass hysterias, and ghosts. But sometimes I write about why buttons are different on men's and women's clothing, as in this piece I'm quoted in... Also, don't forget to check out my podcast! ...
Rep. Lauren Boebert’s Weird Fear-mongering Tweet
Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert sent this weird fear-mongering tweet. It's wrong on several levels: 1) she's confusing missing *children* with reports; 2) "missing" doesn't imply abducted, and most are runaways who return within hours; 3) "the media" isn't...
Quoted in New Book ‘Encountering the Sovereign’
One of the pleasures of my job (along with random stranger hate mail) is seeing where my research is referenced. I'm mentioned in a new book, "Encountering the Sovereign Other: Indigenous Science Fiction." I haven't read it yet but it definitely looks interesting......
My Scary Face Makes the News!
My psychologist friend Stuart Vyse wrote an interesting article on scary faces, and mentioned me in the piece! Not sure how I feel about that, but take a look anyway... It's HERE.
Quoted in Chupacabra Article
Nice article on the chupacabra in Mississippi's oldest newspaper that credits my research and book. I'm not even annoyed that they (like many others) used a copyrighted photo of mine. Check it out!
Squaring the Strange # 162: Moral Panics and Games!
For those who didn't see it: New episode of Squaring the Strange is out, the first in our series on Moral Panics. This week we look at games: it's not just first-person-shooters that have caused parents and social guardians to wring their hands and ask "will no one...
23 Years at ‘Skeptical Inquirer’!
The first issue of Skeptical Inquirer with me as Managing Editor came out 23 years ago, joining the indefatigable editor Ken Frazier. Been quite a ride; I hope I've helped encourage at least a little critical thinking during that time...
Revisiting the ‘Mystery Missile’ Scare of 2010
This month is the anniversary of one of the highest profile—and best documented—UFO reports in modern American history, with hundreds of eyewitnesses and reasonably clear (albeit nevertheless ambiguous) video footage. Despite the (at-least-temporarily) unidentified...