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developed by JhackAbout Skeptikai
Skeptikai defends science and exposes pseudoscience. Living in Japan also allows for an interesting opportunity to discuss fascinating stories that go unnoticed elsewhere. Psychological phenomena and intriguing cases from around the globe are also regularly highlighted.
The Psychological Science of StorytellingIt hit me about two years ago, sometime after I started this blog. Somewhere between the…
Islamic Blasphemy and the “Freedom” to Choose your Own ReligionIn the last few weeks, Muslims from Bangladesh have been going crazy trying to fight back…
Inattentional Blindness and the Invisible ViolinistIf a tree falls in the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? It…
Hamas-Israel Ceasefire Ends as Gaza Schools Drop Sports for Military TrainingI have been following the news regarding the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza that…
Are Vocal Homophobes Really Just Homosexuals in the Closet?Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who…
Why Haven’t We Found the Missing Link in the Fossil Record? Science Answers!War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. -George Orwell If evolution is…
Bollywood Zombies and The Westernization of Indian Pop CultureGo Goa Gone, the first Western-style zombie flick to be made in Bollywood, was just…
Hungary Solves Homelessness by Finding Places for All… in Jail?The brilliant move of Hungary lawmakers to criminalize the act of being a homeless person…
The 2013 Pigasus AwardsEvery year, the James Randi Educational Foundation gives awards to recognize the special…
Did Jesus ‘Want’ to be Nailed to a Cross?I'm pretty sure the answer to the question in the title is "no," but there are many things…
Tag Archives: celebrity
17 Most Tweeted Events of 2011 (You’ll NEVER guess #1)
2011 was an impressive year for Twitter. (Beyonce is pregnant!) Many people, myself included, started taking Twitter seriously this year, and the numbers of users continue to increase, with no sign of letting up. (She’s pregnant!) Since the year is almost finished, there have been many people who have been saying that the biggest event of the year is… yes, Beyonce being pregnant. At least in terms of the number of people talking about it. (Pregnant!) But the year is not finished, and there has already been something that not only beat the record number of tweets per second, but absolutely demolished it. So let’s look at the most Tweeted events of the year.
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings, Culture, Japan, Legal Issues, Media, NewsManga, Translations
Tagged celebrity, crime, movies, sports, twitter
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That’s Just the Way it Goes
Japan being traditional (in terms of its legal system), and sticking to its guns can be seen as a double-edged sword. It’s nice to see consistency, and enforcing the notion that no one is above the law, but is it going too far? Recently, after arriving at the Narita International airport, English comic actor Russell Brand was deported from Japan due to his criminal record from over a decade prior. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, though. He was not the first celebrity to be unceremoniously expelled from Japan.
Posted in Culture, Japan, Legal Issues
Tagged alcohol, celebrity, criminal record, drugs, gambling, jail, japanese law, sumo
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Skeptikai Notices (June18) – News, psychology, Japan, & more
Posted in Aggregators/lists/rankings
Tagged brain, brainscan, celebrity, computers, kiss, natural disaster, riot, vancouver
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Rock Star Skepticism
If you thought there was no skepticism in the Japanese rock scene, you would be wrong.
Most people reading this (i.e., English speakers) are probably unaware of just how much music Japan produces. Japan has a rich musical history and distinct cultural sound, not to mention the second biggest music market in the world, right after America. I find that some Japanese bands are able to tap into the sounds of their American counterparts, but not really vice-versa. Regardless, I’m not here to review music. I’m here to introduce you to the award-winning Japanese rock band “Radwimps.” Their music is not only fantastic, but their lyrics are always meaningful and fascinating. My favourite Radwimps song did what so relatively few have done in Japanese history (or mainstream music history in general): They dissed God.
Posted in Activism, Culture, Japan, Skepticism
Tagged atheism, celebrity, God, music, religion, skepticism
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Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous – Korean Slave Edition
Two years ago to this day, at 15:30, Jang Ja-yeon complained in a phone call with her sister that she was overwhelmed by stress and wanted to end it all. The sisters (along with their brother) had been living together since a decade prior, after car accident claimed the lives of their parents. You can imagine the depression and stress of a massive celebrity in the public limelight, but this 26 year-old Korean beauty was not simply pressured by the media. What happened behind the scenes was what pushed her off the edge. Her sister could not get a hold of Jang for the rest of the afternoon, so she finally decided to go home to check on her. Four hours after their last phone call, Jang’s sister came home to find her body hanging from the stairway banister. It is suspected that she committed suicide only an hour after they spoke.
Posted in Biographical, Culture, Legal Issues, Media
Tagged celebrity, depression, K-pop, Korea, stress, suicide
6 Comments