M.J. Rose

Here is a little dip into the skeptic’s pool this week. It’s healthy to familiarize oneself with both sides of a story, don’t you think?

“It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring”. – Carl Sagan

Little Atoms – Radio and Podcast

(From Skeptic News)

Philip Escoffey AKA The Grey Man, is one of the UK’s top psychic illusionist/mind readers. A Psychology graduate, Philip has been earning a living as a mentalist for the last 10 years.

A confirmed skeptic, Philip is dismissive of spiritualists, mediums and astrologers. However, he has a deep academic interest in the reasons why people need to believe and is an expert in how techniques like cold-reading are employed by psychics the world over. To this end, Philip was recently seen adding a little balance to five’s Britain’s Psychic Challenge.

Philip is currently previewing his stage show “Six Impossible Things Before Dinner” in London, before embarking on a month long residency at the Pleasance Theatre Edinburgh.

For the Little Atoms site and podcast, click here. “Little Atoms is a live talk show about ideas. Each show features a guest from the worlds of science, journalism, politics, academia, human rights or the arts in conversation.”

I’ll leave my comments to myself regarding the Fed’s so-called “new phenomenon” known as thermal expansion, but you are welcome to add yours!

CNN: Conspiracy theorists ‘not swayed’ by WTC7 explanation

David Edwards and Stephen C. Webster

(Thanks to Supernatural News for this article)

What really happened at 7 W.T.C. on Sept. 11, 2001? Government investigators say they know the truth.

Fires, and not controlled demolition, caused the collapse of the tower, claims a new report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The institute, a federal scientific agency which promotes technical industrial standards, is the first government agency to present an all-encompassing theory of the building’s demise.

But that theory is being met with consternation among those who believe something more sinister was afoot on 9/11.

“It has been a mystery since 9/11,” said CNN’s Deborah Feyerick in a Friday report. “Why did World Trade Center building seven collapse nearly seven hours after the twin towers fell?

“Was it diesel fuel in the building? Or planted explosives, a controlled demolition of government offices as conspiracy theorists allege in films like Loose Change?”…(full article)

I continue to be bummed out about the bigfoot hoax. I am actually quite surprised by how disappointed I am!

(Props to Godlike Productions for the article)

Bigfoot hoaxers from Georgia face lawsuit

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

They claim their hoax was not for profit, but Atlanta residents Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer received $50,000 from a California Bigfoot tracker who now plans to sue to get the money back.

The two Georgia men’s tale of having found a Bigfoot carcass in the North Georgia woods really started to stink when California Bigfoot enthusiasts finally examined the body and found it was just a costume.

“There will be legal action” said Catherine Ortez, who works for Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. in in Menlo Park, Calif. The organization paid for rights to the men’s story and their find. “If this was a joke, it was very methodical and thought-out,” she said.

The Searching site was founded by Tom Biscardi, who authenticated and promoted the alleged Georgia Sasquatch. Biscardi, who did not return calls requesting comment, has his own credibility issues, according to a police officer in a nearby jurisdiction.

“He was involved in a similar hoax a few years back,” said Agent Dan Ryan with the Palo Alto (Calif.) Police Department.

In an interview with WSB-TV Wednesday night, Whitton and Dyer’s attorney, Steve Lister, blamed Biscardi for blowing his clients’ joke out of proportion.

“It started off as some YouTube videos and a Web site,” said Whitton, “We’re all about having fun.”

Whitton, 28, a Clayton County police officer for six years, was fired Tuesday after news of the hoax spread. Dyer, 31, is a former Clayton County corrections officer.

Though, according to their site, the pair are not averse to making money off their amusement. For $500, you can join them for a Bigfoot expedition. They also sell Sasquatch-related T-shirts and caps.

Repeated attempts to reach both men were unsuccessful, and Lister did not return calls seeking comment.

To watch some videos related to the hoax on Tom Biscardi’s website, click here.