“Psychic” Maria McKensie revealed in an interview with “The Examiner” (the national supermarket tabloid, not the local paper) that space aliens disguised as humans are roaming the streets of San Francisco! “I discovered them two years ago”, she says, “but I didn’t reveal their presence then because I was afraid it would start a panic.” Looking out her office window in San Francisco’s financial district, she reportedly became aware of people walking strangely — as if they weren’t fully adjusted to earth’s gravity. (In some circles, people like that are known as junkies.) “And even more strange, they alw…
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[Ed. Note: Both Ken Bomben and Mike McCarthy did excellent analyses of Jeanne Borger’s predictions. Although J.B. is not strictly Bay Area, she is widely known enough that an analysis seems instructive. Since we published Ken on the specifics, let’s see the fine job Mike did on the methods.]
It must be borne in mind that a large number of Ms. Borger’s “predictions” are not easily checked, due to her careful phrasing, not to mention her choice of topics. One of her stylistic marks is the “either/or” prediction, of which this is an example: “The threat of a Soviet invasion of Poland still casts a somber shadow across the whole of Europe. …
According to practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), acupuncture has a myriad of useful applications. It not only relieves pain by painfully pricking a person with needles, but it can repair every ailment and disorder imaginable, from hair loss to infertility to flatulence, as well as recently invented ones, such as restless leg syndrome. One of the newest applications is the acupuncture facelift, which is a less expensive version of the traditional facelift where skillful reconstructive surgeons reshape your bank account.
Like other TCM’s, acupuncture is based on reliable, time-tested ancient Chinese wisdom, like the practice of protecting buildings and …
Need a little help from our friends …
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skills to good use? The Bay Area Skeptics Board wants a zippier web site with sliding banners and such. Leave a ‘comment’ and we will get back to you.
(The following is unabashedly stolen from The Center For Inquiry.)
Susan Gerbic
June 27, 2016
The seventh SkeptiCal was held Sunday, May 15, 2016, at the Oakland, CA, Asian Cultural Center. I’ve attended all seven, each is unique and I always leave feeling that I’ve had a great experience. This is billed as the Northern California Science and Skepticism Conference, and as usual for this specific event, is heavy on the science. The speakers are varied enough to keep the audience interested as you will soon see. The hosts are the Bay Area Skeptics led by Eugenie Scott and Sacramento Area Skeptics, Frank Mosher.
I attend as many skeptic conferences as I can, and each one has its own “flavor” and style. SkeptiCal differs from others by being a no-frills event, but without you noticing that th…
A New Group: Silicon Valley Skeptics
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…and our board president is giving a talk there!!!
Please welcome the Silicon Valley Skeptics to our extended community. They have a Meetup page HERE. If possible, attend the talk on December 4th by Dr. Eugenie Scott, board president of the Bay Area Skeptics.
What if ‘Intelligent Design’ Had Won? Reflecting on 10 Years Since Kitzmiller v. Dover
Ten years ago, the decision in Kitzmiller v Dover determined that
Intelligent Design was a form of creationism, and thus unconstitutional to advocate in public schools, but what if the decision had gone the other way? What would have been the legal, political, scientific, and educational fallout? Dr. Scott is president of the Bay Area Skeptics, and the former executive director of the National Center for Science Education, Inc., w…
Acts & Facts & Pacifiers
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(Reprinted from the National Center for Science Education.)
Acts & 
Chelyabinsk meteor. © 2013 Alexandr IvanovFacts is the monthly publication of the Institute for Creation Research, which equips “believers with evidence of the Bible’s accuracy and authority through scientific research…”
Here at NCSE, we maintain a subscription to Acts & Facts to remain informed of the ICR’s stance on various topics and as a reminder of what we face in defending science education. The May 2014 issue has an article by Dr. Jason Lisle—ICR’s Director of Research—that is a case study in avoiding worry and shirking responsibility by donning blinders in adopting a human-centric view of the universe.
(N.B. Blinders are those bridle attachments on racehorses to keep them from looking to the side and …
Sheldon Helms talk in San Francisco
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Sheldon Helms, a BAS Board Member, was featured at a gathering of the Atheist Alliance of San Francisco. The presentation title:
Gay Conversion Therapy: You Make Me Sick.
As our country deals the issues of Marriage Equality, gays in the military, and other forms of inclusion of gays and lesbians into mainstream society, and as Russia and others institute draconian laws limiting the rights of their gay and lesbian citizens, fringe religious and therapeutic organizations have operated mostly in the shadows, attempting to “convert” their homosexual clients to heterosexuality through a mixture of prayer and pseudoscience.
Helms describes the history of attempts to define homosexuality as an illness and to make gays go straight. He details such aspects as: the goals and viewpoints …
Sheldon Helms
On September 12th, 2012, Bay Area Skeptics was delighted to be present for Professor Sheldon Helms’ presentation entitled Gay Conversion Therapy: You Make Me Sick.
Sheldon’s presentation was particularly timely because on September 29th, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 1172, which protects lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) minors from “reparative” therapies administered by mental health professionals aimed at altering sexual orientation or gender identities and expressions.
Governor Brown was quoted as stating that such misguided an unscientific psychotherapy “will now be relegated to the dustbin of quackery…This bill bans non-scientific ‘therapies’ that have driven young people to depression and suicide.” As overdue as th…
Summer 2012 Skeptics Toolbox Open for Registration
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Skeptics Toolbox LogoIf you have never attended a Skeptics Toolbox, or if you have, now is the time to register for the summer 2012 course. These courses, sponsored by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, are held in Eugene Oregon every summer, and include discussions and workshops led by expert skeptical investigators.
Check out the website for further information. http://www.skepticstoolbox.org/ Being on the west coast has its advantages!
