Skeptoid episodes you'd like to see

[The True Scotsman]

Originally Posted by Bram Kaandorp

Yeah, that would be great! The TV series "The Pretender" was based on this guy (at least on the general idea), and I love to hear more about him. I mean, how much info is there on this guy (rhetorical)?

I can't imagine there is much info on him that isn't sourced by anecdotal accounts, but perhaps there is some conflicting evidence to the stories. Maybe he was in two different places at once or he was in the same place at the same time as the person he was supposedly portraying.

[Safe-Keeper]

The "Tehran UFO Incident". Saw a reference to it in a comment on skeptoid.com and it looks really fascinating. Would love to see a natural explanation.

[John Albert]

Originally Posted by Safe-Keeper

The "Tehran UFO Incident". Saw a reference to it in a comment on skeptoid.com and it looks really fascinating. Would love to see a natural explanation.

That's a good one!

[Paradox74]

Originally Posted by argalarga

I'd love to hear Skeptoid episodes on:

The Prophecy of the Popes
Die Glocke
Rock n' Roll myths and legends (backmasking, subliminal messages, etc)
A more detailed look at the anti-vaccine movement

Dunning has already done an episode on backmasking and one for subliminal messages. I still have yet to hear him tackle the holocaust denial movements and their arguments but I guess those things aren't as popular as Ancient Aliens and whatnot.

Here's backmasking:
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4105

and on subliminal messages:
http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4063

[Safe-Keeper]

Quote:

A more detailed look at the anti-vaccine movement

You say "a more detailed look at", so you may be aware there's already podcats on vaccines on Skeptoid, but if you aren't, go search for "vaccines" .

[Bram Kaandorp]

A subject maybe not really in the public eye, but nonetheless very prevalent (and probably useful in certain cases);

Essentialism.

For example, is any book better than any other book of the same edition? I'd argue it isn't, and yet I don't think I'd exchange my copy of I Am Legend for any other copy of the same book (except maybe for an older edition, which is also due to essentialism).

It's a fascinating subject, and I'd love to hear your (Brian) take on it.

[Berlot7]

My girlfriend mentioned a documentary about cancer treatments and big pharma. She stated that if ever to unfortunately get cancer, she wanted to be treated by a guy named Stanislaw Burzynski because he has a record of curing cancer that medical companies don't want us to know about. She had apparently seen a documentary on this guy called "Burzynski - Cancer is Serious Business" and said it blew her away.

I'm seriously skeptical and the wikipedia page states the documentary is seen as simplistic, unethical, and paranoid.

Would like to see what Skeptoid thinks.

[Harknights]

Is there a measurable effect on Baseball players performance and steroid use?
So
What do steroids do?
Does that effect help the performance of a baseball player?
Looking back can we see that effect?
Could there be other greater effects, such as how the ball is manufactured, that has greater effects on performance?

[Bram Kaandorp]

Originally Posted by Harknights

Is there a measurable effect on Baseball players performance and steroid use?
So
What do steroids do?
Does that effect help the performance of a baseball player?
Looking back can we see that effect?
Could there be other greater effects, such as how the ball is manufactured, that has greater effects on performance?

Sounds interesting. Reminds me of the helium football myth in mythbusters.

[Tarot_Is_A_Card_Game!]

History of Tarot Cards
Dolphin Therapy
Compact Disc vs Vinyl Record
Ear Candles
Bogus American Indian Spirituality

[Digit]

Please cover salt therapy (or halotherapy as it is sometimes called). This therapy seems to have grown in popularity recently, particularly here in Australia. From what I have seen so far it has all the hallmarks of woo. There are some cited studies that look far from convincing. Mostly Russian and generally not very well designed. Those that are most convincing cover inhalation of nubilsed hypertonic saline, but this raises the question - if this method works well, why not use this instead of sitting in some salt room for long periods of time. Carrying around a simple nubilser would be much cheaper and more convenient.

[John Albert]

Now that the holidays are over, I'll let on about how cool I think it would be if Skeptoid did holiday-related themes.

You know, like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, etc. -related episodes around that time of year, addressing various holiday-related woo from around the world.

Maybe it's something that can be planned for next year?


ETA: Maybe something about all those dead birds that keep appearing every New Year's Day, and mass animal deaths in general...

Let's start off this 2012 Doom Year on the right foot!

[jeremydschram]

Talk about bpa is all over it's supposed to be in printer ink on receipts and in plastics. I even heard someone tell me it could rub off INTO you from a cell phone. LOL
Here's there proof www .ewg.org/bpa-in-store-receipts

[IdiotWhacker]

norway UFO that little strange spiral in the sky that some people think that it has something to do with UFO's

[justabloke69]

Would love and ep on massage. As a qualified masseur I heard a number of extraordinary claims will studying. That it can relieve stress in the short term and can be very relaxing are probably reasonable claims. But can it improve circulation? What are the affects of massage in general? What about the different types of massage?

I’ve just finished listening to all of Skeptiod, start to finish. Why does Brian no longer invite people to his clothes-optional spa :-)

[Safe-Keeper]

Oh! I know!
The fur industry.

I find this to be is a question that it's really hard to find objective information about. Would be awesome if Dunning could do a take on it, if only for the US.

[grunion]

The Man That Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo (really, I mean, what kind of amazing luck at roulette would it take to make a casino run out of money?)
The lack of historical evidence that Jesus actually existed
Second-hand cigarette smoke as a public health hazard (I know P&T tried to debunk this but it didn't sit ell with me)
Did James Earl Ray assassinate Martin Luther King?
Holocaust "Revisionism"
Steve Jobs was killed by his alt-med philosophy
Aum Shinrikyo
Clonaid
Freemen On The Land
Also, I know Area 51 has been flogged to death but what about the recent journalist's book claiming that Stalin sent mutant children in experimental saucer aircraft to strike fear into our hearts?

[Wildtime]

Here's a few suggestions:

Dr. Oz - is he a real doctor dispensing quack alternative medicine advice?

Deregulation - what's the rationale behind those who are in favor of it?

[John Albert]

Seconded on the Freemen On The Land/Sovereign Citizen movement(s).

[feinburgrl]

Does Alcoholics Anonymous really work? That's a topic I would like to hear about.

[Bram Kaandorp]

Originally Posted by feinburgrl

Does Alcoholics Anonymous really work? That's a topic I would like to hear about.

Even though Penn & Teller did an episode on this, I'd be very interested to see what Skeptoid makes of it.

[ratcat]

Is this really possible?

[Father Dagon]

Originally Posted by grunion

The Man That Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo (really, I mean, what kind of amazing luck at roulette would it take to make a casino run out of money?)

I think that Discovery Channel made a program on myths like this before they went full reality show. True, you can make a specific table run out of money. And for the sake of drama, the table is covered with a black shroud. But the rest of the tables have money left. So winning all the monies from an entire casino is highly unlikely.

Of course, the casino wants to attract more mar... er, visitors. So take great pains to obfuscate the difference between breaking a table and entire casino in the PR.

[Chris Slater]

Here’s one that falls into the Conspiracy Theory heading.

“There is a deliberate policy to Islamise Europe and the US.” This is based on a theory that two groups are combining forces to spread a dominant form of Islam throughout the world. Anders Breivik would have subscribed to this.

The first protagonist is formed of well-funded Islamic groups from the Middle East who want Islam to be the sole world religion.

The second protagonist, according to the conspiracists, is formed of European and US Marxists and anarchists who have, through the education system, convinced Western governments and the populace that Muslim immigration is necessary and that they will both assimilate and enhance the West’s culture. Part of the plot is that these groups want to bring down Western society in order to rebuild it along their lines, and are using conflict with Muslims that they consider inevitable to bring this about.

Of course, such a subject could be deemed “offensive to Muslims” and be withheld, but that would form part of the conspiracy!

[Wildtime]

Is photographic, or eidetic memory actually possible? I just watched a snippet of a documentary (called "Where Did I Put My Memory?") on TV about memory and they interviewed some of the contestants in the World Memory Championships. Most of them used associative techniques to memorized names and dates, which, admittedly took months or years of training to refine. None of them claimed to have photographic memory. Are there people who possess the ability to perfectly recall events in detail, or is it a myth?

[Mrs.Sherman]

When I got my Asperger's diagnosis, I asked my Neuro-psychologist whether that would explain my memory. My memory is a symptom of my Asperger's Syndrome. I don't have the television-late-night-movie-version of photographic memory, but my memory isn't normal.

[Beerina]

When I outscored the other 450 students in Jr high on our common English test, and by quite a bit, he teacher asked if I had eiditic memory. I said I didn't think so.

[M167A1]

Electromagnetic Pulse as and "end of the world: scenario.
This has been something of a big topic among preppers for some time.

A detailed examination of "raw milk" this is big on both sides of the political aisle. I know this has been discussed as part of larger subjects but if you can find enough to talk about this would be good.

Reliability of polygraph "lie detectors"

An examination of the often repeated dangers of second hand smoke. there is much truth here but it it gets blamed for pretty much every ill. How much of it is true?

Thanks!

[Slughorn42]

I'd like to see an episode that examines the case of Kaspar Hauser, the young German man who claimed to have been brought up in total isolation. Was his story true? Was he part of the House of Baden? I think it's definitely worthy of a Skeptoid episode.

[xeroillusion]

Is there any validity to my friend's claims of how terrible soy is bad for you? I've been told that it creates a glue in your body. I've been told that it causes males to produce extra estrogen. Thus causing a decrease in your libido. They say it also contains anti-minerals. I honestly don't believe any of these claims. Just needed some scientific data to back it up.

[dlev]

My father is of the older generation i.e takes EVERYTHING that he reads on the internet or watch on youtube at face value and as an authority.

Recently, he has been a little obesessed about his jewish identity and heritage and keeps mailing me obscure studies about jewish genetics and how "all jews are related and all hail from the ancient hebrew as one united people".

I've been reading up on the subject from different resources and what I've been able to find out is that jewish genetics is a bit problematic and really hard to do as most people are in fact related to each other, certain gene flows across continents, population drift and so one makes it REALLY hard to make such research when it comes to tracking down and compare hablo-types in the gene pool of jews.

It would be interesting to learn more about this subject on an skeptoid episode! Love the show!

///Daniel Levy

[Slughorn42]

Here's another topic that may be worthy of a Skeptoid episode: Did John Wilkes Booth escape and live for decades under an assumed name? There have been several books that allege he did. I remember seeing an episode of Unsolved Mysteries that dealt with it. More recently, Brad Meltzer's Decoded investigated the claim and apparently descendants of Edwin Booth are trying to get his body exhumed for a DNA comparison. Then again, there plenty of "so-and-so didn't really die when we think they did" theories and Brian can't possibly address all of them. I don't expect him to do an episode examining the "Elvis is Alive!" phenomenon, for instance. Still, I think Booth is a fascinating enough figure that this might warrant an episode.

[Jontg]

Originally Posted by Chris Slater

Here’s one that falls into the Conspiracy Theory heading.

“There is a deliberate policy to Islamise Europe and the US.” This is based on a theory that two groups are combining forces to spread a dominant form of Islam throughout the world. Anders Breivik would have subscribed to this.

The first protagonist is formed of well-funded Islamic groups from the Middle East who want Islam to be the sole world religion.

How's this first bit a conspiracy theory? Anyone who actually believes in the rightness of their own perspective wants others to come around to it--there are well-funded Islamic reform lobbies all over Europe, just as there are hundreds of Christian outreach programs trying to save souls in Africa.
It's a natural consequence of shifting demographics--the faithful always harbor zealots, and zealots always try to corrupt the rule of law with scripture. In a sense, skeptics are the same--who here wouldn't toughen up consumer protection laws and reform the public school system if they could? It's human nature, and in a twisted way proof of the intrinsic goodness of humanity, that makes us want to help people who are so unfortunate as to be wrong.
ETA: Actually, don't answer that. I forgot there are Randians amongst us.

[grunion]

It seems as if Brian is checking in on this thread as a number of these seem to have been covered recently.

I'd love to hear an episode on Mass Hysteria - events like the Tanganykan Laughing Disease outbreak, Salem Witch Trials, St. Vitus' Dance, The Blackburn Fainting Fits, Koro, or the Strawberries With Sugar panic in Portugal. They seem to be universal in nature - though the victims are preponderantly teenage girls all groups and cultures have been afflicted. Who's to know whether we are in the throes of one? How can you tell?

[Checkmite]

How about an episode on the "green children" of Woolpit?

[DuvalHMFIC]

Originally Posted by NomadicScribe

I would love to see an episode about John Titor. I had only heard of this about six months ago, and I was surprised to see that there hasn't been an episode about it. Especially with the supposed "proof" floating around of designs for a time traveling machine. I can't post links yet, but if you google search "john titor time machine" you will find a link.

It's very detailed, but ultimately proves nothing. Still, a fascinating subculture has sprung up around these "John Titor believers". Could make an interesting episode.

I actually just read through the entire thread to see if this had been mentioned yet. While it's certainly a hoax, it would be a fun episode for Brian. Going back and reading through the forums where "John" used to post is pretty funny.

No Olympics after 2004 (or maybe 2008). I was especially surprised he made this prediction since it was so soon after his postings. The rest were a little further out, and are just now being debunked. Of course, we must have changed something to make this happen!

[Checkmite]

No fate but what we make, etc.

[Temecula]

I don't know if suggestions in this thread turn into actual episodes, but I have 2 suggestions.

First and foremost, the dreaded Brown recluse spider. I have them in my new home, and a weekend of research has found that they are not even 1/100th the threat to my health that the media would have me believe, and most of the popular mythology associated with them is exactly that. Most reports of brown recluse bites are misidentified, often in areas where they do not inhabit such as California, while the effects and frequency of their bites is also not even close to what is widely believed. please, do an episode about the brown recluse, there is a ton of real info out there contrary to popular belief.

Second, I keep hearing the same two rehashed reports of a Bull Shark attacking someone in lake Michigan in the 1950s, as well as one's body being found in 2008 in lake Michigan, but I can never find anything even close to confirming either. There are a lot of unbelievable bull Shark stories for other bodies of water also. This would make an interesting episode.

[Graham2001]

How about the claims that the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami was triggered by a nuclear weapon. There was a man in Australia called Joe Vialls who claimed that he had 'proof' that the CIA/Mossad were behind it.

This link leads to a copy of his (apalling) article:

http://www.reformation.org/joevialls.html

[klaus18]

I'd love to hear one about sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk, lost in 2000 with all hands from a large explosion near the torpedo room. What makes this so compelling to me is that the incident occurred in seas shallow enough that the hull didn't collapse, and several of the crew survived the initial explosion. The official story is the the survivors died several days later when the emergency equipment keeping them alive caused a fire which consumed all of the available oxygen from asphyxiation, even as rescue was being attempted.

Even with a story as interesting as this, there are a half dozen very confident conspiracy theories. The accident occurred during a naval exercise, and the US government admitted that they had submarines observing, most notably the USS Memphis. Memphis' sonar logs were provided for the investigation as the only witness record for the explosion, and rumors are rampant that the submarines collided, or even attacked each other with live rounds.

The rescue operations have their own cloud around them. Some believe that the Russian government deliberately stalled the rescue to sacrifice the crew for national security. Given the nature of a nuclear missile submarine, this is not implausible. Others believe that the US threatened or bought off the Russians because they did not want sailors to report a US aggressive attack. Some even claim that the crew survived all the way up to the point the rescuers breeched the ship, deliberately murdering them for the same reasons.

There are the usual smattering of claims about reptillians, UFOs, and energy vortices.

Thanks for reading!