"When the new documentary film Miss Representation premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, audiences were riveted, and Oprah Winfrey acquired its broadcast rights. Writer/Director Jennifer Siebel Newsom interwove stories from teenage girls with provocative interviews...
Psychology
How Did 9/11 Change American Entertainment?
A decade ago this week, while many were still reeling from the staggering and devious devastation of the September 11, 2001, attacks, some in the news and entertainment industries tried to divine the public's reaction.There was much speculation about how the tragedy...
‘Contagion’ Film and Vaccine Deniers
The new medical thriller Contagion features Jude Law as a conspiracy theorist anti-vaccination blogger. Here's a short history of anti-vaccination advocates, their tactics and motives. You can read the story at LiveScience.com.
Most Anti-U.S. Terrorism Committed By Americans, Not Muslims
Historically it is not foreign Muslim extremists but instead Americans — often Christians — who have been responsible for the vast majority of anthrax terrorism. Read more about it on LiveScience.com.
NY Court Recognizes Eyewitness Testimony as Unreliable
The New Jersey Supreme Court recently issued new rules to prevent innocent people from being wrongly convicted of a crime based upon eyewitness testimony, acknowledging what scientists and psychologist have concluded for years: eyewitnesses can be--and often...
Step Right Up! Bare Breasts! Equal Rights! UFO Literature!
"Free your breasts! Free your mind!" That's the rallying cry of the group GoTopless.org, which held a series of recent events around North America promoting a woman's right to bare her breasts in public. Is this pro-nudity, equal rights group an unlikely covert front...
UFO Over Chinese Airport: Aliens or Cloud?
According to a Chinese newspaper, air traffic at a major Chinese airport was temporarily halted on Wednesday Aug. 17 — not because of a power failure or bad weather, but because of a potentially threatening Unidentified Floating Object….It's amazing what a little...
My Discovery News Column on Miracles Generates Controversy
Last week I wrote a column for Discovery News about a boy who recovered from drowning, and whose recovery was considered by his friends and family to be a miracle from God. It turned into quite a controversial piece, generating over 100 comments from readers, as well...
State Fair Tragedy: Why People Refuse Evacuation Orders
The state fair tragedy last weekend that killed six people and injured 50 was, in theory, a preventable accident. People were warned that disaster might strike, but they ignored safety warnings. Here's why. Read the full piece on Discovery News.
Tracking the Chupacabra Reviewed in SF Chronicle
When it comes to folklore, Mexico's mythical creatures and personages are generally ancient in origin and essentially benign in nature...This March, paranormal investigator Benjamin Radford, managing editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine and columnist for Discovery...