ProFacto Newsletter Archive

Fall 2000 (Vol.6 No.2)

Mad Cows, Mad Corn and Mad Communities - Why experts and lay people perceive risk differently
By Jeanine DeNoma

Public Perceptions of Risk
By Melissa L. Finucane, Ph.D.

Therapeutic Touch - Finally, a Skeptical Book on Therapeutic Touch
Book Review by David Bloomberg

Virues, Hoaxes and Other Gremlins from the Internet
By Raan Young

Puzzle Zone | Pro Factoids

Winter 2000 (Vol.6 No.1)

Local Skeptics Groups - Surveying the Skeptic Scene
By Jeanine DeNoma

The O4R Library Project
By Richard Leinaweaver

Local Skeptics Can Make a Difference
By Ben Bradford

The Face On Mars
CSICOP Press Release

Year-end Report on O4R Activities
By Jeanine DeNoma

Finding Darwin's God
Book Review by Dr. William Thwaites

Puzzle Zone | Pro Factoids

Fall 2000 (Vol.5 No.4)

The Creation/Evolution Continuum
By Dr. Eugenie Scott

Why We Held Back - The Consequences for Neglecting to Teach Evolution
By Dr. William Thwaites

An Evening with Dennis Lee
By Dave Chapman

Testing a "300% Efficient" Motor - O4SR engineers take a critical look at Dennis Lee's motor
By Andrew Greenberg

Ashland Gets a Reality Check
By Ted Clay

How Old Is the Earth?
By Dr. Martin G. Miller

Puzzle Zone | Pro Factoids

Summer 2000 (Vol.5 No.3)

Did You Mean What You Meant?
O4R Presentation by By Bill Hoth, Ed.D.

Statements That Give Clues
By Phil Pennington

What Happened in Kansas?
By Jeanine DeNoma

Free Energy and Y2K Conspiracies
By Jeanine DeNoma

About This Issue
By Jeanine DeNoma

Ipso Facto | Pro Factoids

Spring 2000 (Vol.5 No.2)

In Search of the Golden Meme - Is the meme a useful concept or an overapplied analogy?
By Mark Cowan

Why Are We Pushing Witchcraft On Girls?
By Matt Nisbet

Ipso Facto | Pro Factoids

Winter 1999 (Vol.5 No.1)

Benign Hoaxes - Wake-up Calls to the Gullible
By Jeanine DeNoma

Graffiti of the Gods
By Ted Clay

Logical Fallacies - Understanding valid arguments
By Dave Clarke

Reporting Science - Scientific literacy and the media’s role in science education.
By Jeanine DeNoma

Stolen Valor: How the Vietnam generation was robbed of its heros and history
Book Review By Dr. Loren Pankratz

Puzzle Zone | Ipso Facto | Pro Factoids

Fall 1998 (Vol.4 No.4)

Unsupported Medical Claims - Errors and misinterpretation in alternative medicine research
O4R Presentation by Dr. Wallace Sampson, summary by Jeanine DeNoma

Scams, Schemes & Swindles - Con-artists and Their Victims
By Jeanine DeNoma

Cons and the Nature of Deception
By Jeanine DeNoma

NIH Acupuncture Consensus Conference
National Council Against Health Fraud (External link)

Puzzle Zone | Pro Factoids

Summer 1998 (Vol.4 No.3)

The Alternative Medicine Movement - An essay from the frontlines of the war on quackery
By Dr. Wallace Sampson

Advice for Skeptics - A television reporter tells how skeptics can influence programming
By Clyde Freeman Herreid

Underground Pi - Digging Out from Under Pseudoscience
By Mark Cowan

The Platinum Plover Egg
By Phil Pennington

Resources for Evaluating Alternative Medical Claims
By ProFacto Staff

An Interview with Ray Hyman - A leading skeptic discusses skepticism and the skeptical movement
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Spring 1998 (Vol.4 No.2)

Kooks and Kook Traditions
By Donna Kossy

The Oregon UFO Wave That Wasn't - The importance of press skepticism in the 1896-97 Sightings
By Robert Bartholomew

Education's 'Missing Link' - Those Creationists - Why Do They Fear Evolution and Will That Ever Change?
O4R Presentation by Dr. William Thwaites, summary by Jeanine DeNoma

Stranger Than Fiction
Book Review By Loren Pankratz

Pro Factoids

Winter 1998 (Vol.4 No.1)

Critical and Criminal Thinking - How brain damage can affect brain function
O4R Presentation by Dr. Joel Alexander, summary by Laura Graser

Pulling Our Foot - The Sasquatch Museum
By Ted Clay

The Challenge of Creationist Thinking - How religious doctrine threatens science education
By Dr. William Thwaites

National Center for Science Education - The scientific resource for creation/evolution information
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Fall 1997 (Vol.3 No.4)

Debunking UFOs: Tilting at Windmills
By Bill Capron

Oregonian Battles Pseudoscience
By Jeanine DeNoma

Probing the Brain - From Pickled Brains to Present-day Research
By Jeanine DeNoma

Persistence and Genius
Book Review By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Summer 1997 (Vol.3 No.3)

Neurology of the Weird - Brain mechanisms and anomalous experiences
O4R Presentation by Dr. Barry Beyerstein, summary by Jeanine DeNoma

Adequate Evidence for What?
(Based on talk by Larry Laudan at OSU 5/1/97)
By Jeanine DeNoma

The Millennium is Coming - When? - It's a matter of deciding when to celebrate
By Ralph S. Blois

Pro Factoids

Spring 1997 (Vol.3 No.2)

Judge Jones Recent Ruling in the Silicon Breast Implant Case
By Laura Graser

Junk Science in the Courtroom - How and why "make-believe" science gets used
By William Masters, Attorney-at-Law

Reason Wins One
O4R Presentation by Attorney J. Michael Dwyer, summary by Bryce Buchanan
Book Reviews By Jey Wann

Skepticism and Murder Mysteries
Book Reviews By Jey Wann

Not Elementary - and Not Holmes
By Jey Wann

Pro Factoids

Winter 1997 (Vol.3 No.1)

Suing the Devil: A Case of Abused Trust
By Jeanine DeNoma

Oregon's Ballot Measure 39 - Insurance would be required to cover alternative health care
By Bryce Buchanan

Pro Factoids

Fall 1996 (Vol.2 No.4)

Skeptics' Confidence Dowsed
By James Randi

A Distinctive Family of Errors - Part III: Reaching Out
By Phil Pennington

What's it Hurt?
By Jeanine DeNoma

Science and the Media - Prominent skeptics examine the roots of misinformation
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Summer 1996 (Vol.2 No.3)

The Politics of Health Fraud - Medicine and modern magic
O4R Presentation by Dr. Joe Schnabel, summary by Bryce Buchanan

Homeopathy Primer
By Bryce Buchanan

Reasoning, Writing and Rare Resources - The Independent Thinker’s Toolbox
By Jeanine DeNoma

Reasoning, Writing and Rare Resources - Lessons from Teaching
By Jeanine DeNoma

Boston and Wentachee - Connected by Credulity and Ignorance
By Bill Capron

Pro Factoids

Spring 1996 (Vol.2 No.2)

The Rise of Alternative Medicine: Anti-Science and Propaganda
By Wallace Sampson, M.D.

A Distinctive Family of Errors: Part II: At the Edge of Human Comprehension
By Phil Pennington

The James Randi Challenge - Pseudoscience Bites the Dust — Big Time
By Raan Young

If You Wish It Were True, I Have a Product For You
By Bryce Buchanan

1995: A Credulous Year in Review
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Winter 1996 (Vol2. No.1)

What We Believe ... And Why - Validating Our World View
By Jeanine DeNoma

A Distinctive Family of Errors - Part I: Don’t Get Burned
By Phil Pennington

Memory, Cognition, Hallucinations - Cataloguing error-brain ideas
By Jeanine DeNoma

Polygraph: Take It Or Leave It
By Anonymous

Popular Limitations on Rationality
By Dr. Bruce Stewart

Jerry Andrus on Perceiving Reality - A Master of Illusions
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Fall 1995 (Vol1. No.4)

Albany's Awesome Andrus - Illusionist Jerry Andrus Is O4SR's best-known member
By Jeanine DeNoma

An Up-to-Date Debate? - Answering Back
By Jeanine DeNoma

Imnaha’s UFO Illuminates Town Hall
By Phil Pennington

John Mack and ET vs. Harvard Medical School
By Bryce Buchanan

An Up-to-Date Debate? - A Textbook Case
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Summer 1995 (Vol1. No.3)

Eye-Witness Accounts - Adequate Evidence? Maybe Not...
By Jeanine DeNoma

Photographic Fakery - Adequate Evidence? Maybe Not...
By Avery Wilkins

Spirits Advance to Computers
By Jeanine DeNoma

A Night on the Town Hall
By Jeff Jones

The Trials of Evolution - Evolution and "creation science" in the courtroom
By Jeanine Denoma

Unorthodox Medicine in Oregon - Several bills have been introduced supporting alternative care
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Spring 1995 (Vol1. No.2)

Impostors, Pretenders and Deceivers - What gives liars away?
By Loren Pankratz

President's Corner - More Alien Abductions?
By Bryce Buchanan

Psychics and Scientists - Mediums, Messages, and their Meanings
By Jeanine DeNoma

Society for Amateur Scientists
Press Release

Spiritualist Memories - Mediums, Messages, and their Meanings
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids

Winter 1995 (Vol1. No.1)

The Psychology of Belief - Seattle, Sagan, and Psychology
By Jeanine DeNoma

From Incubi to ET - Seattle, Sagan and Psychology
By Bryce Buchanan

The President's Corner - An Irrational World
By Bryce Buchanan

Proper Criticism - The Importance of Responsible and Effective Communication
By Ray Hyman

Who are Oregonians for Rationality?
By Jeanine DeNoma

Pro Factoids