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Skeptic Summary #287

Breastfeeding, shooting oneself in the foot, mutilations, problems, RealClimate and more!

Breastfeeding fatwa - For people who think that all Fatwa suck.

House Republicans attempt ‘GOP Kill’ option - State your piece, but remember: Poe rules, always.

Pediatricians reverse on genital mutilation - To cut or not to cut. Eh… not.

Editor’s Choice: Posting problems - Sorry, folks.

RealClimate, Climate science from climate scientists — I have used RealClimate as a resource when debating with climate change deniers, and also to get the latest low-down on climate change news for years, and yet it had not occurred to me to use this valuable site as an Evil Pick until just now. Go figure.

RealClimate is a commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists for the interested public and journalists. We aim to provide a quick response to developing stories and provide the context sometimes missing in mainstream commentary. The discussion here is restricted to scientific topics and will not get involved in any political or economic implications of the science…

Have a question about climate change? RealClimate is easily one of the best resources of its kind on the web. And it’s important to note that the folks running the site really are climate scientists.

SkeptiQuote: If God creates a world of particles and waves, dancing in obedience to mathematical and physical laws, who are we to say that he cannot make use of those laws to cover the surface of a small planet with living creatures? — Martin Gardner

Wednesday: Dave gets a Facebook page, and talk started on how Facebook has been screwing up recently. Bugged software, hacked code and bad privacy settings, it’s a wonder that they’re still in business. Apparently Farmville is that addicting. Discussion changed to Martin Gardner’s planned video feed for the next TAM. Ricky had recently read Ender’s Game and was recontemplating the possibility of interstellar space travel, including this time the relativistic effects. Dave was quick to point out a few books dealing with this thought: Tau Zero, The Ballad of Beta-2, and Oprhans of the Sky. Chat continued on about the Ender’s Game series and then back to Facebook which ended the night.

Come chat with us.

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The 50 Worst Inventions

The Adventures of Lil Cthulhu

Andrew Wakefield Fights Back

Blasphemous Frog’s “Evolution Highway”

BREAKING: Third time’s a charm, Congress passes science act

Could the Smallpox Vaccine Protect Against HIV?

Dana Carvey is “DARWIN”

FDA warns Lenny Horowitz

Fear of Vaccine-Autism Link Strikes UK Dog Owners

Friday Weird Science: College Student Regrets

Frontline — Jenny McCarthy Changes her Story Again

Grayling on the Dalai Lama

Hoax of the Day: The Deepwater Horizon was destroyed by a North Korean mini-sub

How church shopping is polarizing the country

How Martin Gardner warned us to beware the bee people from Mars

John Lennon — Imagine

Jupiter Moon’s Ice-Covered Ocean Is Rich in Oxygen

Karl Giberson: It’s un-American to criticize faith

Learning from Martin Gardner

Miracle Muscles, Only $14,615

The mysteries of migration

The New Battle of Glorietta Pass

Nine Fish With “Hands” Found To Be New Species

Ray Allen with “Lord Charles” — World’s Greatest Ventriloquist — 1986

Report: Majority Of Government Doesn’t Trust Citizens Either

Scientists Build Case for Undersea Plumes

Skepticality #130 — The Sound of Science!

Stephen Fry — Last Chance to Think

Study: Early Childhood Vaccines Don't Damage Kids’ Development

Study Finds Supplements Contain Contaminants

The Varieties of Atheist Experience

What’s New by Bob Park

When did God become a sports fan?

Why do libertarians deny climate change?

Why We Won on Draw Mohammad Day

Got some skeptic news items? Send them to us, and we’ll think about adding them.

Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, by Martin Gardner.



“Fair, witty appraisal of cranks, quacks, and quackeries of science and pseudoscience: hollow earth, Velikovsky, orgone energy, Dianetics, flying saucers, Bridey Murphy, food and medical fads, more.”

— Book Description

Forum Topics:

1. The Supper
2. PZ expelled from Expelled — Dawkins slips in!
3. Funny FAILS
4. The shallow end of the gene pool…
5. Documentary: 1983 ‘Moonwalk’ was staged
6. House Republicans attempt ‘GOP Kill’ option
7. DMV Senior Motorcyclist Handbook
8. ‘Zion Oil’ getting into hot water?
9. Scattershots: gargoyles & grotesques
10. Moon-walker claims alien contact cover-up

Articles:

1. Fundamentalists Hate Noah’s Ark
2. Evolving a Venom or Two
3. Miracle Thaw Tray
4. Miracle Thaw — The Bogus Miracle
5. The Polonium 218 Controversy
6. 2nd Law of Thermodynamics Argument Weak on Both Sides
7. The Bible’s Bad Fruits
8. Astrology
9. Skeptic Summary #286
10. More on the Polonium 218 Controversy

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