Yearly Archives: 2016

Where’s Wessie? Snake story is confusing and growing cold

By | September 2, 2016

It’s now September and there is still no conclusion to the Wessie mystery which surfaced in late June. Is there a giant snake on the loose in Westbrook, Maine? In my last post, I discussed the evidence advanced so far and the problems with it – eyewitness reports from locals and from two police officers, though… Read More »

Cryptozoology “expert” called in to look for Maine serpent (UPDATED: Snakeskin found)

By | August 22, 2016

Back in June, locals of Westbrook, Maine said they saw a large snake slithering around. After no sign of the beast a week later, a Westbrook police officer witnessed it eating something near Riverbank Park on the Presumpscot River. A second officer called in also saw it. From their Facebook page: On 6-29-16 at about 0330… Read More »

Human sacrifice at CERN? It’s not a joke when bizarre claims are taken seriously

By | August 19, 2016

Reaction has been varied regarding a video seemingly depicting a human sacrifice on the grounds of CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, the location of the Large Hadron Collider and cutting edge particle physics research. Some people are chuckling at the spoof while others see it confirming their dark suspicions and sinister worldview. As a science advocate… Read More »

Psychical Research President states scientific disbelief in psi is “pathological”

By | June 7, 2016

What a very strange “President’s Letter” is in Issue 77 of the Paranormal Review published by the Society of Psychical Research (Winter 2016). I read and re-read it trying to make heads or tales out of Dr. Poynton’s meaning and assertions. He seems to despise the application of reason and questioning, wishing the stodgy “pathological” scientists and… Read More »

You (didn’t) WIN: Jackpot scams from the car dealer

By | May 27, 2016

I’m usually pretty good at spotting the “small print” on gimmick mailers and promotional contests. The latest one from a local car dealership was well-hidden. I looked and looked. Got out my hand-lens and scanned the tiny print in the margins. Hmm. This one was sneaky. Mail flyers from car dealers that say you’ve won… Read More »

Animal Planet’s Monster Week tones down the hype for 2016

By | May 23, 2016

It’s business as usual at Animal Planet channel. It’s Monster Week. You know, it’s not that bad to air shows like The Cannibal in the Jungle for one week or on occasion. But AnPlan has gone too far in the past several years by suggesting that mermaids, Megalodon and cryptids exist by co-opting bad or outright… Read More »

End of an era: the last Skeptic’s Dictionary newsletter

By | May 22, 2016

Dr. Robert T. Carroll created the Skeptic’s Dictionary – a source I have used for, oh gosh, over 10 years now. I was upset to hear of Bob’s serious illness. I consider Skepdic.com to be a PRIMARY go to source for skeptical reference. With nearly 800 entries, I have, by default, linked to his site for… Read More »

Well-worn paranormal paths go nowhere: When to give up

By | May 12, 2016

Gary Campbell is the keeper of the Official Sightings Register at Loch Ness. In an article today in the Daily Record, he says that even after 20 years of this project, sightings still continue. Gary Campbell, keeper of the register, said the fascination of Nessie was showing no signs of abating. He accepted five sightings for… Read More »

The Bigfoot Book: Speculation and supernatural but no skepticism

By | April 28, 2016

Nick Redfern’s latest, The Bigfoot Book, has a sound premise and great potential. It’s all about stuff you may never have heard about or saw relating to the Bigfoot phenomena. This is a collection of small articles on topics related to the Bigfoot phenomenon – an “encyclopedia” (though not comprehensive by any means) written in… Read More »

Paranormal investigators and Velikovsky sound similarly sciencey

By | April 20, 2016

In January 2013, I wrote about Immanuel Velikovsky, Worlds in Collision, and pseudoscience, referencing Michael Gordin’s excellent book The Pseudoscience Wars (2012). Well, I’m writing about it again, to be included in a book about amateur investigation groups “sounding sciencey” and fooling the public. I went back to some of my old sources and found a good one. It’s… Read More »

Dreaming of DNA: Review of Sykes’ Bigfoot, Yeti and the last Neanderthal

By | March 31, 2016

Originally published in the UK as The Nature of the Beast, Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes’ Bigfoot, Yeti and the Last Neanderthal: A geneticist’s search for modern apemen is highly enjoyable and reveals a bunch of interesting tidbits as well as showing us some rather personal insights and new facts from the professor who attempted to bring credibility to the study of hairy… Read More »

They must have changed the definition of “true”: The Conjuring 2

By | March 28, 2016

So, I just watched the trailer for The Conjuring 2 in which crack self-righteous demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren investigate the Enfield poltergeist case in the U.K. It begins by stating the story is based on the “true case files” of the Warrens. Yeah, no. Nothing about this is “true” in the conventional sense of the… Read More »

The State of the Science: Parapsychology (Book Review)

By | March 11, 2016

In October of last year I wrote a blog post about a review of a new parapsychology compendium. Finally, I’ve gotten to read the entire book referenced for myself, cover to cover, 400+ pages. Parapsychology: A Handbook for the 21st Century (2015) edited by Etzel Cardeña, John Palmer, David Marcusson-Clavertz It took about 7 weeks… Read More »

A Guide to Ghost Hunting Guidebooks: NO MORE! Please!

By | January 16, 2016

This might come as a shock to the millions of ghost enthusiasts out there: The scientific consensus is that ghosts are NOT spirits, remnants of the dead, recordings of energy, or supernatural entities. Our existing knowledge about nature does not point to a conclusion that ghosts are a single definable thing, paranormal or normal, that you… Read More »