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Tag Archives: JREF
On Thursday I’m Talking Ghosts At Skeptics In the Pub, Cheltenham Science Festival Fringe. Controversy May Ensue :D
So I am trying to write my talk on The Science of Ghosts for Thursday night… Continue reading
Posted in Debunking myths, Fun forthcoming events, Paranormal, Science, Uninteresting to others whitterings about my life
Tagged Cheltenham, Cheltenham Science Festival, Cheltenham Skeptics in the Pub, Chris Jensen Romer, Fake Sceptic, JREF, Rational Scepticism forum, Scepticism, Science of Ghosts, Science Show Offs, skepticism
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Booting the Ball in No Man’s Land… A Rant for Sceptics
I should really avoid this topic like the plague, but I’m going to talk about it anyway, and risk upsetting everyone, because that what I happen to do!
I nearly titles this the “sceptics movement”, but as I think the idea of a movement that makes sceptics sounds like a creed or religious group is a misnomer I avoided that term; one thing is certain, sceptics always argue, disagree and often strongly, over all kinds of things. Where the evidence is solid they tend to agree, but on moral issues, tactical issues, social or political issues, or scientific areas where the evidence is weak sceptics hold strongly divergent opinions. And that is good and healthy. Continue reading
Posted in Debunking myths, Paranormal, Social commentary desecrated, Unclassifiable!
Tagged Anomalous Psychology Research Unit, APRU, ASKE, Ciaran O keefe, Ersby, fls, Hayley Stevens, JREF, Matthew Smith, Prof. Chris French, Prof. Richard Wiseman, scepticism and the paranormal, skeptic movement, skepticism, skepticism and the paranormal, SoapySam, Society for Psychical Research, UK sceptic culture, UK skeptic culture, UKSkeptics
15 Comments
Five things I learned from #ghostnobbergate
You can say what you like about Professor Brian Cox, the guy has style. The discussion of the Infinite Monkey Cage episode on spooks et al. led to his Twitter postings that apparently caused outrage, and the amusing little spat … Continue reading
Psychic News closes down after 78 years — but why?
I am aware of the byzantine politics of the Spiritualist movement, and the complex theological, administrative and personality clashes which sometimes (always?) arise. In this the Spiritualist National Union is much like any other church, or much like any other organisation, be it poetry club or gardening society.
In those two factors, economic issues and doubtless some political manoeuvring we see the immediate reasons for the decline of Psychic News (a newspaper that as long term reader of this blog may recall once featured me on the front page!). It is a shame, but possibly to be expected. And yet… Continue reading
Posted in atheism, Paranormal, Religion, Social commentary desecrated
Tagged Charismatic Christian Churches, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Chat magazine, Colin Fry, Derek Acorah, Derren Brown, Dr Chris French, Dr Richard Wiseman, Dr Susan Blackmore, European Journal of Parapsychology, falling advertising revenues, Fortean Times, ghosthunters, Ghosthunting TV shows, hands-on theological investigation., I'm with the Woolwich, ITN, James Randi, Jane Millichip, John Edwards, John Wesley, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, JREF, Living TV, mediums, Most Haunted, New Atheists, New Religious Movements, New Sceptics, New Skeptics, Paranormal, Paranormal Magazine, paranormalisation' of our popular culture., Penn & Teller, Prof. Richard DAwkins, psychical research, psychics, Richard Dawkins, S.P.R, sceptics, skeptics, Skeptics in the Pub, Society for Psychical Research, Spirit & Destiny magazine, spiritualism, Spiritualist National Union, spiritualists, Susan Blackmore, teenage Wiccan wannabes, thoughts on spiritualists, Tony Stockwell, UK Skeptics, war and spiritualism, war and the psychic
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Death of an Atheist Forum; the lessons of history
Following the bizarre collapse of the Richard Dawkins forum, I posted this on the excellent Rationalia and Thinking Aloud Forums. It will be my last blog entry on atheist forum politics 😦 I am after all not actually an atheist!
OK, I think I’m giving up on the whole atheist forum thing. I’ll tell you why, then move on to other topics tomorrow…
Firstly, I am still shocked, saddened and miserable about the demise of the wonderful RichardDawkins.net/forum. The problem is I have seen it ALL before, and not so long ago. If I thought this was Josh Timonen’s fault, or Dawkins, I could just laugh and move on, and help fight. The thing is I can’t any more. It’s something fundamental and deeper. Continue reading
Posted in atheism, Debunking myths, Religion, Science, Uninteresting to others whitterings about my life
Tagged American Atheists, atheism, Atheist forums, atheist politics, Darat, IIDB, Internet Infidels, Internet Infidels Discussion Board, JREF, Madalyn Murray O’Hair, New Atheism, Old Soul, Rants n Raves, Rational Response Squad, rationalia, rationalia.com, RDF, RDFRS, Richard Dawkins, Richard Dawkins Foundation, RichardDawkins.net, Secular Web, Skeptics Guide to the Universe, Thinking Aloud Forum, tsig
14 Comments
Richard Dawkins Forum launches monthly Science Writing Competition
While I don’t have as much free time as I would like these days, the forum at http://forum.richarddawkins.net/ remains one of my favourite places to hang out on the net, along with the JREF forum and UK Skeptics. My beliefs … Continue reading
A Day in the Life of a Paranormal Investigator
I just wrote this on the UK Skeptic’s forum, in response to this article by Chris Sherwood here on the same subject. I think mine is closer to the truth 🙂 And before you panic, it’s not autobiographical – these … Continue reading
Posted in Dreadful attempts at humour, Paranormal, Science, Uninteresting to others whitterings about my life
Tagged a day in the life of a paranormal investigator, Chris Sherwood, JREF, Paranormal, parapsychology, psychical research, Society for Psychical Research, UK Skeptics, want to be a paranormal investigator?
9 Comments
"And sometimes he's so nameless" 
Is it time to give up on “Skepticism”?
Today I’m recovering from a rather unpleasant patch of illness that has left me drained, tired and at times irritable — and has prevented me posting the following thoughts for over a week. As I can’t see anyone caring anyway, … Continue reading →