Skeptical Inquirer — Feature
Psychic Defective: Sylvia Browne’s History of Failure
by Ryan Shaffer and Agatha Jadwiszczok
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
The most extensive study of alleged psychic Sylvia Browne’s predictions about missing persons and murder cases reveals a strange discrepancy: despite her...
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The Psychic and the Serial Killer: Examining the ‘Best Case’ for Psychic Detectives
by Ben Radford
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
An examination of the 'best case' of psychic detective abilities offers insight into how extraordinary claims are made, exaggerated, and clung to despite...
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Encounters with Aliens (the Local Kind)
by Martin Bridgstock
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
A strange army of paranormalists has infested the Internet and mail system. We need and understanding of the ethics and practicalities of dealing with people...
Disinformation about Global Warming
by David Morrison
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
Most arguments from global warming disputers don’t make scientific sense or are based on distorted or obsolete information. Here are short answers to ten of...
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Faith in the Power of Witchcraft
by Anthony Layng
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
Believing that there are witches with malevolent power can have numerous social and psychological benefits for a community. This helps explains why...
Oprah Winfrey: Bright (but Gullible) Billionaire
by Martin Gardner
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
There are two Oprah Winfreys. One is the African-American woman who struggled against incredible odds in abject poverty to become the wealthiest, most...
Mann Bites Dog: Why ‘Climategate’ Was Newsworthy
by Mark Boslough
Volume 34.2, March / April 2010
Feature
“When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news.”
Assessing the Credibility of CFI’s Credibility Project
by Gary Posner
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
The September/October 2009 Skeptical Inquirer carried the commentary piece "Can a Reasonable Skeptic Support Climate Change Legislation?" by...
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Coral Castle: Fact and Folklore
by Karen Stollznow
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
How a diminutive, frail, uneducated, unskilled man built Coral Castle without modern machinery has supposedly "baffled scientists, engineers, and scholars."
‘Heads I Win, Tails You Lose’: How Parapsychologists Nullify Null Results
by Richard Wiseman
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
Parapsychologists have tended to view positive results as supportive of the psi hypothesis while ensuring that null results don't count as evidence against it.
The One True Cause of All Disease
by Harriet Hall
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
Alternative practitioners constantly claim that conventional medicine treats only symptoms while they treat underlying causes. They’ve got it backwards.
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Religious Fundamentalism and Same-Sex Marriage
by Anthony Layng
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
Americans' attitudes toward same-sex marriage have rapidly changed, defining it now as a civil-rights issue. Nearly all the remaining determined opposition...
The War on Cancer A Progress Report for Skeptics
by Reynold Spector
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
Although there has been some progress in the war on cancer initiated by President Nixon in 1971, the gains have been limited.
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Wedge Strategy Update: Intelligent Design Creationism Since the Dover Trial
by Barbara Forrest
Volume 34.1, January / February 2010
Feature
The creationist havens of Louisiana and Texas are doing all they can--which is considerable--to flout the law and inject intelligent design into public schools.
The Paradoxical Future of Skepticism
by Daniel Loxton
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
Like many skeptics, I'm preoccupied by one question: "How do we take this thing to the next level?" I have an answer to propose.
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Reinventing the Skeptic Conference
by Reed Esau
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
SkeptiCamps are informal, community-organized events borne of a desire to share and learn in an open environment.
Skeptical Parenting: Raising Young Critical Thinkers
by Heidi Anderson
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
There comes a moment in every parent's life when your child asks you the question you most feared hearing from your dear one...
Skepticism 2.0
by D.J. Grothe
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
When Carl Sagan, James Randi, Paul Kurtz, Martin Gardner, Ray Hyman, and others came together in the mid-1970s to form CSICOP...
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Skepticism and Blogging
by Karen Stollznow
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
Blogs first appeared in the late 1990s as "web logs," In the form of journals or diaries. Blog has become a generic...
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Skepticism: New Paths Ahead
by Jeff Wagg
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
I just returned from Dragon*Con, the "convention of conventions" that is held over Labor Day weekend each year in Atlanta.
Skepticism via YouTube
by Tim Farley
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
In the summer of 2008, Georgians Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer claimed to have found a Bigfoot carcass...
A Skeptic’s Guide to Podcasts
by D.J. Grothe
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
As most of the readers of the Skeptical Inquirer probably know, podcasts are audio shows...
State-Sponsored Quackery: Feng Shui and Snake Oil for California Nurses
by Owen Hammer and James Underdown
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
The Independent Investigations Group investigates pseudoscience particularly therapeutic touch in professional nursing.
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Surfing for Skeptics
by Blake Smith
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
Whether you are looking for data on a particular type of questionable claim, trying to find some like-minded friends...
Talking Skepticism to Generation Y
by Justin Trottier
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
If anyone ever wonders just what impression a skeptic's words, stories, explanations, and arguments have, there's no better...
Skeptical Books for Children and Young Adults
by Timothy Binga
Volume 33.6, November / December 2009
Feature
I was asked to write a bibliography of youth-oriented skeptical books not only because I am the director of libraries at CFI...
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Does Subliminal Persuasion Work? It Depends on Your Motivation and Awareness.
by Brandon Randolph-Seng and Robert D. Mather
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Recent psychological research provides more answers about why and when subliminal information can influence...
A Growing Hysteria
by Lorne Trottier
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Angry citizens' groups in hundreds of different communities across the United States protest against the location of new...
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Modern-Day DaVinci’s ROM: Range of Motion or Rip Off Machine?
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
A supposedly revolutionary (and remarkably expensive) exercise machine called the ROM makes amazing claims in advertisements.
NDE Experiment: Ethical Concerns
by Sebastian Dieguez
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Anecdotal reports of people having paranormal perceptions during near-death experiences are widespread, and it has been...
Power Line Panic and Mobile Mania
by S.T. Lakshmikumar
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
What is the physics that underlies any possible linkage between mobile phones, power lines, and cancer?
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Violent Video Games: Dogma, Fear, and Pseudoscience
by Christopher J. Ferguson
Volume 33.5, September / October 2009
Feature
Video games are at the center of a modern media-based moral panic. Too often, social scientists have fueled the flames...
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Careful Phrasing: A Matter of Life and Death
by Danny Helman
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Many people believe one is more likely to die from a shark attack than from falling airplane parts. This finding has been...
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Chiropractic Neck Manipulation and Informed Consent
by Samuel Homola
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Although there is evidence to indicate that neck manipulation can cause stroke by damaging vertebral or carotid arteries...
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Obama on Science, Discovery, and Open Inquiry
by The Editors
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Excerpts from a talk by President Barack Obama to the National Academy of Sciences, Washington D.C., April 27, 2009.
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On Evolution, Abortion, and Astrology
by Alan Orenstein
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
Survey research about the kinds of people who read horoscopes shows the effects of religious and scientific beliefs.
Pathology or Paradigm Shift? Human Evolution, Ad Hominem Science and the Anomolous Hobbits of Flores
by Kenneth W. Krause
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
A pint-sized Hobbit recently shook the science world's foundations and set anthropologists at one another's throats.
Seeing the Indigo Children
by Benjamin Witts
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The Indigo children are touted as the next evolutionary stage in human development, and their supporters boast that these...
Whats Wrong with the I Ching? Ambiguity, Obscurity, and Synchronicity
by Charles Sullivan
Volume 33.4, July / August 2009
Feature
The I Ching is an ancient Chinese oracle that many believe mysteriously offers clear advice on important questions.
Ghosts, Doughnuts, and A Christmas Carol: Investigating New Mexico’s ‘Haunted’ KiMo Theater
by Ben Radford
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
A careful investigation into one of the most famous haunted theaters in the Southwest.
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Life and Planet
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Evolution, Climate Change. Two Grand Themes of AAAS Science Fest.
Playing by the Rules
by Harriet Hall
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
It is useless for skeptics to argue with someone who doesn’t play by the rules of science and reason.
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The Roots of Skepticism
by Christopher diCarlo
Volume 33.3, May / June 2009
Feature
Some of the central ideas of ancient skepticism have historical significance and still influence...
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Deep History or Shallow Cognition? Cognitive Biases and ‘Esoteric History’
by John Ray
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
A host of new media productions have reignited the belief that extraterrestrial visitors aided early human civilization...
The Pearl Harbor ‘Winds Message’ Controversy: A New Critical Evaluation
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
A new investigation by the NSA confirms that a Japanese message was not heard until after the attack on Pearl Harbor began.
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The Potential Habitable Zone on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus
by Felix Wasiak
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
Recent discoveries from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have led many scientists to believe that microorganisms found on Earth...
Science and Antiscience in America: Why It Matters
by Elizabeth Sherman
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
If science doesn’t inform the decisions we make, the consequence is that people suffer.
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What Open-Mindedness Requires
by William Hare
Volume 33.2, March / April 2009
Feature
If we are to steer a course between being obstinantly defensive and wantonly credulous, it is important to understand...
An Astronomer Looks at UFOs: A Lot Less than Meets the Eye
by Andrew Fraknoi
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
When I talk about UFOs in my introductory astronomy classes, I always tell my students that I absolutely believe in UFOs.
‘Buzzing Bee’ Missile Mythology Flies Again
by Kingston A. George
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
An ICBM launch in 1964 was photographed from a nearby mountain, resulting in tight security and a UFO myth that refuses to die.
The Minsk UFO Case: Misperception and Exaggeration
by James Oberg
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
The 1984 Minsk sighting demonstrates how UFOs can be created from mundane phenomena.
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Roswell Update: Fading Star?
by Dave Thomas
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
The Roswell incident is often held up as the best documented case of alien visitation. It involves the allged crash of...
The Stephenville Lights: What Actually Happened
by The Editors
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
One of the most widely publicized UFO reports of the past few years is the so-called Stephenville Lights of January 8, 2008.
The Trained Observer of Unusual Things in the Sky (UFOs?)
by James McGaha
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
Listed here are examples of basic knowledge needed to identify a UFO--important factors no trained observer would lack.
UFOlogy 2009: A Six-Decade Perspective
by Robert Sheaffer
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
Waves of UFO sightings may be a thing of the past, but interest in UFOs is stronger than ever.
UFOs and Aliens in Space
by David Morrison
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
It is widely (but falsely) reported that Buzz Aldrin saw a UFO on the Apollo 11 flight.
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UFOs: an Assessment of Thirty Years of Official Studies in France
by David Rossini, Eric Maillot, and Eric Déguillaume
Volume 33.1, January / February 2009
Feature
A re-examination of the three decades of 'official' French UFO studies finds serious defects and problems, some systematic.
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Love at First Sight
by Stephen Bertman
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Feature
Science is exploring the "mystery" of love at first sight. As it turns out, our search for Mr. or Mrs. Right may simply be...
Quantum Weirdness: An Analogy from the Time of Newton
by Paul Quincey
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Feature
What Einstein called "spooky action-at-a-distance" is similar to "action-at-a-distance" that bothered people in Newton's time.
Science and Footprints
by Michael Dennett
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Feature
A recent article in a scientific journal argues that alleged footprints at the Patterson film site provide evidence for Bigfoot.
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The Skeptic Meets the Moral Panic
by Erich Goode
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Feature
Moral panics are collective delusions and behaviour that a threat posed by an evil agent is more serious than evidence suggests.
The Wholesale Sedation of America’s Youth
by Andrew M. Weiss
Volume 32.6, November / December 2008
Feature
In 1950, approximately 7,500 children in the U.S. were diagnosed with mental disorders. It is at least eight million today.
The Bipolar Bamboozle
by Stephen Ray Flora and Sarah Elizabeth Bobby
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Feature
Millions of people are being told they have a severe psychiatric disorder and are being prescribed antipsychotic medication.
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Corporate Self Interest and Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression
by Peter Barglow
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Feature
An American corporation has pressured the FDA to pursue its expensive and unproven Vagus Nerve Stimulation device for depression
‘We Couldn’t Say It in Print If It Wasn’t True’: Akavar’s Version of Truth in Advertising
by Harriet Hall
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Feature
An ad for a weight-loss product falsifies its own slogan by printing outright lies.
The Myth of Nibiru and the End of the World in 2012
by David Morrison
Volume 32.5, September / October 2008
Feature
An astronomer tries to counter misinformation on the Internet about a supposed rogue planet and an impending catastrophe.
Anomalous Cognition: A Meeting of Minds?
by Amir Raz
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Feature
A conference on "anomalous cognition" raises issues on the role of scientific evidence, replicability, and philosophy of science
Anomalous Cognition? A Second Perspective
by Ray Hyman
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Feature
Challenged on the evidence for anomalous cognition, participants in a conference on the subject simply ignored the challenge.
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Arthur ‘N’ Me
by Harlan Ellison©
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Feature
As time, space, and gravity had their way with us, we spoke less frequently. The years slipped by in shadow, but three years...
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But You Deceived Me! The Necessity of Deception in Investigation of the Paranormal
by Katharine Merow
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Feature
A student concludes that the use of pretext is invaluable in the quest for truth after completing a project in which she put...
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In a Mirror, Darkly: Does Superstition Reflect Rationality?
by Konrad Talmont-Kaminski
Volume 32.4, July / August 2008
Feature
How can humans be rational when they persist in believing superstitions? The answer depends upon seeing reasoning as...
The Human Nature Project
by Lionel Tiger
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
We need a movement exploring our inner nature with all its mystery. Our genes are a crucial part of that story.
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If It Exists, It Is Natural
by Jeremy M. Harris
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
Both the word supernatural and the concept behind it rest on shaky foundations. In fact, they fade to irrelevance in...
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Merchandising God: The Pope Tart
by Karen Stollznow
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
Jesus on a tortilla? The Virgin Mary on a cheese sandwich? The "Nun Bun"? With eBay's emergence, there has been fervent...
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The Nature of the Supernatural
by Daniel R. Altschuler
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
It is common to argue about the supernatural. Indeed, entire volumes are written to discuss such things as the existence of...
Skeptical Ethics— What Should We Investigate?
by Martin Bridgstock
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
Skepticism has, as one of its major motivations, a deep ethical concern about the consequences of unwarranted beliefs.
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Some Splainin’ to Do
by George Englebretsen
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
During his John Dewey Lecture to the American Philosophical Association in 2006, Nicholas Wolterstorff, a well-respected...
WARNING: Animal Extremists are Dangerous to Your Health
by P. Michael Conn and James V. Parker
Volume 32.3, May / June 2008
Feature
Animal extremists are foot soldiers in a quiet war that could restrict the ability of researchers to develop drugs.
China Gone Modern
by Kendrick Frazier
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Feature
In the nearly 20 years since our last visit to China, the country has undergone a stunning economic and physical transformation.
Gary Schwartz’s Energy Healing Experiments: The Emperor’s New Clothes?
by Harriet Hall
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Feature
Schwartz says his experiments reveal our natural power to heal based on our ability to sense and manipulate human energy fields.
Let’s Keep Our Cool about Global Warming
by Bjørn Lomborg
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Feature
Given the recent debate in our pages over global warming and climate change, we invited Bjørn Lomborg for his perspective
The New China and the Old
by Paul Kurtz
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Feature
20 years of CSI and CFI interactions with China help reinforce Chinese scholars' efforts in boosting scientific understanding
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Ten Million Marriages: An Astrological Detective Story
by David Voas
Volume 32.2, March / April 2008
Feature
The largest test of astrology ever undertaken shows that love has nothing to do with the stars— even though patterns...
Chiropractic: A Profession Seeking Identity
by Samuel Homola
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
The chiropractic profession is resisting changes that will establish it as a back-pain specialty...
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Creationism, Catastrophism, and Velikovsky
by William D. Stansfield
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
Catastrophism is a tenet of biblical fundamentalism (creationism). Immanual Velikovsky was a neocatastrophist...
A Darwinian View of a Hostile Atheist
by Irwin Tessman
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
The frontal assault on religion by Richard Dawkins and others may mark a new chapter in the warfare of science with theology.
The Difference between Hahnemann and Darwin
by U. Kutschera
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
In contrast to evolutionary biology, homeopathy is a closed, dogmatic system of fixed rules.
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How to ‘Haunt’ A House
by Ben Radford
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
When a terrified family sought information about the ghosts they believed haunted their home, they found only...
A Skeptical Consumer’s Look at Chiropractic Claims: Flimflam in Florida?
by Bruce Thyer and Gary Whittenberger
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
There is no scientifically credible evidence that chiropractic treatment can alleviate high blood pressure or arthritis...
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Stalking the Nutty Notions
by Robert L. Wolke
Volume 32.1, January / February 2008
Feature
There are more crackpot "spritual," "medical," "theraputic," and "healing" schemes out there than you can shake a talisman at.
The Anti-Vaccination Movement
by Steven Novella
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Feature
Despite the growing consensus that neither vaccines nor mercury cause autism, a stubborn vocal minority claims otherwise.
Biodynamics in the Wine Bottle
by Douglass Smith and Jesús Barquín
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Feature
Is supernaturalism becoming the new worldwide fad in winemaking?
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The End of the Einstein-Astrology-Supporter Hoax
by Denis Hamel
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Feature
Astrology books and Web sites often describe Einstein as favorably regarding astrology. Einstein, however, was known for...
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Masaru Emoto’s Wonderful World of Water
by Harriet Hall
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Feature
It can read, listen to music, look at pictures, hear your thoughts, heal you, and create world peace.
Vaccine Safety: Vaccines Are One of Public Health’s Great Accomplishments
by Richard G. Judelsohn
Volume 31.6, November / December 2007
Feature
As the 20th century drew to a close, immunization was declared its greatest public health achievement.
AIDS Denialism vs. Science
by Nicoli Nattrass
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Feature
AIDS denialists believe that HIV does not cause AIDS and that antiretrovirals should not be used for HIV prevention or treatment
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Fix Your Ruptured Disk without Surgery?
by Harriet Hall
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Feature
The Truth behind the Ads
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How to Survive the Apocalypse
by Stephen T. Asma
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Feature
With the Rapture and Armageddon soon coming, you haven't much time to prepare. Here's a survival guide for those whose...
Is This Article on Conspiracies Part of a Conspiracy?
by Chris Volkay
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Feature
Elvis is alive, Paul McCartney is dead, and the government that couldn't prevent the 9/11 attacks continues masterminding...
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Storm World
by Chris Mooney
Volume 31.5, September / October 2007
Feature
Hurricanes, Warming, and Scientific Uncertainty