• Conspiracy Theories

    Project 2025

    I’m seeing a lot of alarmist posts on Facebook about something called Project 2025. If Trump gets elected (again), Project 2025 will go into effect and all this horrible stuff is going to happen. People who are scared don’t understand about Lobbyist Groups and how things work in Washington. Project 2025 is a proposal by the Heritage Foundation. A proposal is something that a lobbyist group presents to Congress saying, this is something we would like to see happen. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of lobbyist groups presenting hundreds of proposals all the time. 99.999% of proposals fail. Congress looks, says nah, and goes on to the next proposal. On…

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Nature

    The Joro Spider

    Yet another case of people sharing alarmist memes without checking the facts. Even some of the news media are spinning the misinformation. The Joro Spider (Trichonephila clavata), is related to golden orb garden spiders, which many people are familiar with. The Joro is found in many areas in Asia, but since about 2013 or 2014, it’s been spreading throughout parts of southern and eastern United States. Scientists think they arrived as stowaways on cargo ships. Female have blue and yellow banded legs and back, and asymmetrical red, yellow, and black markings on their abdomen. Males are plain brown. Like many other spiders, baby Joros will spin a parachute-like web to…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    The George Washington Quarter

    Will people ever learn that just because a meme says it, it’s not automatically true? Variations of this are going all over the internet. Learn the Real Story In 1932, Congress decided to replace Lady Liberty’s image with George Washington on the US quarter. Several sculptors submitted designs, including one by artist Laura Gardin Fraser. The following is Laura and her submission: But John Flanagan’s design was chosen instead. Over the next several decades, sometimes Washington faced the phrase in question, and sometimes not. I don’t remember ever hearing any objection to where “In God We Trust” was positioned. In 2020. the U.S. Mint announced the American Women Quarters Program.…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    Nephilim Giant Ring

    New conspiracy! This just started showing up in the last few days on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. This text accompanies the image or video: Possible Nephilim Giant ring reported to have been found in a quarry dating back 13,000 years ago. Is this the jewelry of a giant from ancient times? Or was this created more recently? If it’s true, what would be the size of this Nephilim? The image was stolen from Antiques Roadshow. See for yourself in This Video Clip The object in question is an ankle bracelet from the late 1800s. Don’t share that nonsensical hoax.

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Food

    Bioengineered Foods – What’s the Big Deal?

    I don’t understand why this bioengineered subject has exploded all over the Internet like it’s something new. For several decades now, if you are buying food which is not labeled organic or non-GMO, then you are consuming bio-engineered ingredients, and lots of them. The only thing new is, that the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Law went into effect. Companies used to have no requirement to disclose this information. Now they do. I want to make it clear that I’m not “for” bioengineered foods. I try to avoid them as much as my budget will allow. What I’m objecting to is the misinformation, panic, and downright silliness concerning the subject. The…

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Science Denial

    Conspiracies, Science Denials & Hoaxes – Intro

    This is an introduction to a series of posts I’ll be writing about conspiracy theories and science deniers. Before I begin, I have a couple of opening remarks: [1] Some people use religion (usually the Bible), to “prove” their points. I will be using religion to answer these arguments. Sorry if that offends anyone, but that’s how it is. The Bible is a valuable spiritual guide, but to use it to disprove science or prove a conspiracy theory is to desecrate it. The Bible is to be used for growing spiritually, and to use as a teaching tool to help your fellow Believers grow spiritually. It’s never for shoving into…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    The Ben Ben Stone

    I frequently see posts on social media and elsewhere on the internet about the Ben Ben Stone. The text accompanying the photo varies, but typically goes something like this: The Pyramid of Ben Ben has puzzled scientists for thousands of years and until now they have not been able to solve the puzzle. The pyramid is located in the Egyptian Museum. The pyramid is made of black iron stone, which is only found in space in space meteorites. All its components do not exist on the face of the Earth.. And here the second puzzle appears because it is iron stone, which is very impossible and difficult to shape and…

  • Conspiracy Theories

    Oh No! A Solar Eclipse!

    So… we’re going to have a Solar Eclipse on April 8. What a bunch of ridiculous conspiracy theories and misinformation springing up ahead of this event. The above meme and similar ones are popping up on social media, accompanied by every kind of alarmist drivel people can dream up. Does nobody read past the headlines, or try to confirm the truth of a matter? I just asked a dumb question. People don’t. Yes, authorities are advising residents who are in the path of the eclipse to be prepared. But if alarmists would bother to find out why- it has ZERO to do with the eclipse itself. The eclipse is a…

  • Conspiracy Theories,  Science Denial

    Medical Conspiracy Theories

    One of the favorite targets of conspiracy theorists and science deniers is the field of medicine. So reject medicine and go back to the way it was before real science became involved. Enjoy bloodletting, foul concoctions being administered via enema, high death rates during birth (for mothers and babies), no washing of hands or instruments between patients. Compound fractures were too complicated to set, so your arm or leg was removed with a meat saw and no anesthetic. During recovery, there was a very high chance of dying from the ensuing infection. Diseases and medical conditions that are easily treated now were death sentences. I could keep going, but it…