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Doubtful News Roundup for 31 October 2014

10/31/2014

 
Fears abound this scary week in Doubtful News. So, let us reassure you.

Confirmed: Death of girl IS NOT vaccine-related  A tragic death of a young girl was found to not be related to the HPV vaccine she was administered. She died that same day after the injection from an overdose of antihistamines. HPV  (the Gardasil vaccine) has become a popular target for anti-science activists and certain ignorant politicians who are trying to discredit the value of vaccinations. 

Blackout freakout: Solar flares erupting  Impressive sunspot activity this week prompted concern that the earth would be hit with a stream of charged particles that could disrupt communications. Interest in solar flares, coronal mass ejections and their potential disruptive power surged in response dredging up an urban legend about a predicted 3-day blackout to occur in December. There was no merit to such rumors and the solar flares did not result in catastrophe on earth. Yet, this is why monitoring is critical.

What are Americans afraid of?   A new study about fears of Americans reveals some predictable results about crime, natural disasters and what people are really afraid of. There is also considerable information about paranormal beliefs included in the survey. Good news and bad news, mostly bad but more evidence that about 20% of the population should probably seek help.

Tale of demon-possessed house is refuted by former residents   A news story promoting a book about a “demon house” sounded remarkably “Hollywood based” and too extraordinary to be true. Turns out the former residents thought so too and are none too pleased about being depicted as living in a hell house.
 
Hello this is *&@^% calling from Microsoft about your computer  Have you gotten one of these scam calls saying there is something wrong with your Windows computer. I know, it’s fun to tell them you have a Mac or Linux setup just to yank their chain but such scams targeted elderly people and scammed them with fake security software. At least one of these companies has been smacked down.

Two popular stories from Doubtful News were expanded here on SWIFT earlier this week: the disclosure by Boyd Bushman about aliens and spacecraft and the supposedly confirmed piece of Amelia Earhart’s plane. The high hit counts on these stories shows that the skeptical point of view is an extremely important view to make known. 

Visit DoubtfulNews.com for more stories everyday. Then respond when friends and family pass on these false stories and misinformation. Do your part. Spread the word. Share.


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Group obsessed with finding Amelia Earhart's plane

10/30/2014

 
By Sharon Hill 

You've certainly seen the news story -- "Piece of Amelia Earhart's Plane Conclusively Identified".  That's actually incorrect. But it's a nifty trick that a research group called TIGHAR has pulled to make you believe so, aided by rather clueless news outlets that love to post sensational stories.

There is more to this tale. There is almost ALWAYS way more to the story than a press release or news feature will reveal. How is the reader to know? Engage some skepticism no matter how much you want to think it's true.

Let's examine the TIGHAR claim that they have a real piece of Earhart's plane.

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    SWIFT is named after Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels. In the book, Gulliver encounters among other things a floating island inhabited by spaced-out scientists and philosophers who hardly deal with reality. Swift was among the first to launch well-designed critiques against the flummery - political, philosophical, and scientific - of his time, a tradition that we hope to maintain at The James Randi Foundation.

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