Category: Fake News We Don’t Like
So what’s the truth about this spontaneous combustion story going around?
While it is true that there is an unsolved mystery involving the death of an elderly man in London this past September, and while it is true that police are asking for information on this case, the Metropolitan Police of London have never suggested this is a case of “spontaneous combustion” as so many news outlets have suggested. This is likely because spontaneous combustion, as far as we know, does not scientifically exist. (Read below regarding the science.)
Here is the report from the Metropolitan Police, released on 12.15.17.
Appeal for information following death of man from fire in Haringey
Dec 15, 2017 06:52 GMT
Detectives investigating the death of a man who caught fire in Haringey are appealing for information and witnesses.
Shortly after 13:00hrs on Sunday, 17 September, emergency services were called to a man ablaze in Orchard Place N17, near to Williams House.
Members of the public made efforts to put the fire out and called police.
Officers, London Ambulance Service and London Fire Brigade attended the location. The fire was quickly extinguished by LFB and the man was taken to a specialist hospital outside of London by London’s Air Ambulance.
No property was damaged as a result of the fire.
The man who died has been identified as John Nolan, 70, who was originally from County Mayo in Ireland, but was living in Tenterden Road, N17. He was a retired Construction worker who was unmarried.
A post-mortem examination on 27 September gave cause of death as severe burns. An inquest will open at Barnet Coroner’s Court on 13 March 2018.
The cause of the blaze was investigated by specialist LFB investigators, and no accelerant was found.
Detectives from Haringey CID are investigating. Enquiries continue to establish the circumstances. No arrests have been made and the death is being treated as unexplained at this time.
The investigating officer, PC Damien Ait-Amer, said: “We have spoken with a number of witnesses who saw Mr Nolan abalze, but we have yet to establish how the fire started.
“Mr Nolan was a well-liked member of the community and none of our enquiries so far have indicated that he had been involved in a dispute of any sort. Nor does any account given by witnesses suggest that he had been in contact with another person at the time of the fire.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident but has yet to speak with police is urged to call PC Damien Ait-Amer via 101. You can also tweet information to police via @MetCC.
UPDATE: May 2018
However, coroner Andrew Walker concluded on Tuesday that the retired construction worker, 70, originally from Swinford, died as a result of “accidental ignition of clothing”.
“It’s likely that Mr Nolan accidentally set his clothes on fire whilst lighting a cigarette,” Mr Walker told North London Coroner’s Court.
(Reported by The Irish Times, May 22, 2018)
Spontaneous Human Combustion: Facts & Theories
Benjamin Radford, M. Ed., is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and author of six books including “Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries.” His website is www.BenjaminRadford.com.
https://www.livescience.com/42080-spontaneous-human-combustion.html
3200 Phaeton Asteroid Leads to End Times Predictions… Again
While rapture-ready folks are celebrating today, the flyby of 3200 Phaeton has been known for years and is not considered a threat to our survival by science. One YouTube video even explains that 3200 Phaeton proves Barack Obama is the anti-Christ due to Oprah declaring he is “the one” on some tangentially associated date and that Phaeton sounds like Python–more proof–and that Phaeton is a destroyer in mythology, and, and…) In fact, NASA recently explained Phaeton in connection with the Geminids Meteor Shower which peaked December 13-14, 2017.
“About the Geminid Shower
The Geminids are active every December, when Earth passes through a massive trail of dusty debris shed by a weird, rocky object named 3200 Phaethon. The dust and grit burn up when they run into Earth’s atmosphere in a flurry of “shooting stars.”
“Phaethon’s nature is debated,” said Cooke. “It’s either a near-Earth asteroid or an extinct comet, sometimes called a rock comet.”
As an added bonus this year, astronomers will have a chance to study Phaethon up close in mid-December, when it passes nearest to Earth since its discovery in 1983.”
Asteroid Phaethon NASA Fact Sheet 12.13.10
The Geminids are a unique meteor shower in that their identified parent body is not a comet, but what seems to be an asteroid! Of the meteor showers with known parent bodies studied by meteor scientists, the Geminids are the only shower to have an asteroidal parent body; all others have a cometary origin. 3200 Phaethon measures 5.10 km in diameter which increases the ‘unique’ factor; considering the amount of debris we see, we would expect Phaethon to be a much larger body!
Phaethon was discovered on October 11, 1983 using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, and named after the Greek myth of Phaethon, son of the sun god Helios, due to its close approach to our Sun.
Phaethon is technically classified as an asteroid — the first to be discovered via satellite. But how could an asteroid produce meteoroids that cause the Geminids? One theory is that Phaethon broke apart from another object, ejecting meteoroids as a part of the breakup. This doesn’t agree with other things we know, however. Another theory is that a collision with another object thousands of years ago could have produced debris that Earth now travels through. This theory appears to be unlikely as well, based on other evidence. Another theory assumes Phaethon to be a dead comet (the spent nucleus of a comet whose ices had been sublimated away) that produced debris in the past that now intersects Earth’s orbit. But no evidence for mass loss from the object has ever been reported…. until recently. In 2009 the NASA spacecraft STEREO-A observed 3200 Phaethon to brighten by a factor of two, quite unexpectedly. This brightening at perihelion was likely due to a release of dust from the object, possibly due to heating and cracking of the surface rocks as Phaethon came close to the Sun. That brings us to the fourth theory, that Phaethon is a rock comet. The problem with this theory is that it doesn’t account for the amount of dust in the Geminid stream.
So what it comes down to is that the Geminid parent object is a mystery.
More FACTS:
Goldstone Radar Observations Planning: Asteroid 3200 Phaethon
https://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/Phaethon/Phaethon_planning.2017.html
3200 Phaethon 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) was discovered on 1983 Oct. 11 by NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). With a diameter of about 5 km, Phaethon is the third largest near-Earth asteroid classified as "Potentially Hazardous" after 53319 1999 JM8 (~7 km) and 4183 Cuno (~5.6 km). Phaethon has an unusually high eccentricity of 0.890 and a perihelion of 0.140 au that is among the smallest known in the near-Earth asteroid population. Due to the close perihelion, Phaethon is named for the Greek mythological son of Helios (the Sun god). In Greek mythology, Phaethon drove his father's chariot for one day, lost control of its horses, and nearly set the Earth on fire. Phaethon will approach within 0.069 au of Earth on 2017 December 16 when it will be a strong radar imaging target at Goldstone and Arecibo. This will be the best opportunity to date for radar observations of this asteroid and we hope to obtain detailed images with resolutions as fine as 75 m/pixel at Goldstone and 15 m/pixel at Arecibo. The images should be excellent for obtaining a detailed 3D model. Extensive photometric observations by many observers have yielded a rotation period of 3.6 h, a lightcurve amplitude of up to ~0.4 mag, and a pole direction of (lambda, beta) = (85+- 13, -20+-10) deg (Ansdell et al. 2014). Ansdell et al. also obtained axis ratios of x/y = 1.04 and x/z = 1.14, so Phaethon appears relatively unelongated along its equator but somewhat flattened at its poles. Spectroscopic observations by several observing teams strongly suggest that Phaethon is an optically-dark B-class object. However, thermal infrared observations dating back to the 1990s by Harris et al. give an optical albedo of 0.11 that seems somewhat bright for the B class. More recent observations by NASA's NEOWISE mission have detected Phaethon and could provide an update on the diameter and albedo. Phaethon was detected by radar at Arecibo in December 2007. Due to equipment problems, the 2007 data consist of a modest number of echo power spectra and a handful of delay-Doppler images from two days. Echo power spectra obtained at Arecibo in 2007 were strong and provided a maximum bandwidth of 44 Hz. Combined with the rotation period of 3.6 h, the bandwidth places a lower bound on the maximum pole-on dimension of about 5.7 km. The 2007 delay-Doppler images show a rounded object, which is consistent with the shape of the echo power spectra, but were relatively weak and do not show detailed surface features. The 2007 Arecibo observations have a radar cross section of about 2.4 km^2, that, if we adopt a diameter of 5.1 km, imply a radar albedo of 0.12. As such, the SNRs in the tables below could be too low by about 20%. Phaethon is widely thought to be the parent body for the Geminids meteor stream due to similarities between its orbit and that of the meteors (Whipple 1983; Williams and Wu 1993). Most meteor streams are associated with comets, so this raises the question of whether Phaethon could be an inactive comet nucleus. Observations by Jewitt and colleagues have revealed episodic activity by Phaethon, but have not, to date, shown the signature of particles as large as those in the Geminids meteors. The implication is that Phaethon experiences occasional outbursts that produce particles far larger than any seen so far. As such, Phaethon is an unusual object that appears asteroidal most of the time but occasionally shows low levels of activity when it is near perihleion. Phaethon is classified as an asteroid, not as a comet, and despite the high eccentricity, the object's Tisserand parameter is not cometary. The 2017 apparition is the closest to Earth since the asteroid's discovery so it may be possible for optical observers to detect new activity. If Phaethon shows unexpectedly strong activity in 2017, then there is a small (perhaps very small) chance that CW radar observations might reveal echoes from a cloud of small particles similar to the "skirts" seen in radar observations of active comet nuclei. The very low perihelion of Phaethon makes it a possible candidate for detecting general relativistic and/or solar oblateness effects in its orbital motion (Margot and Giorgini 2010), so one of our principal objectives is to obtain high-resolution radar ranging measurements to support this effort. Phaethon will be brighter than 16th magnitude for about one month from November-December 2017. Phaethon is predicted to reach 11th magnitude in mid-December when it will be visible in small telescopes for experienced observers at sites with dark skies. Phaethon is potentially detectable at Goldstone for about three weeks and tracks are scheduled on ten days between Dec. 11-21. Due to its relatively rapid motion in declination, Phaethon is visible at Arecibo on only five days from Dec. 15-19 and observations are scheduled on all of those dates. We may also request time at Green Bank to receive Goldstone transmissions. The 2017 encounter is the closest by this asteroid since 1974 and until 2093. Phaethon is classified as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" by the Minor Planet Center. Orbital and Physical Characteristics Name Phaethon Number 3200 Discoverer IRAS Discovery date 1983 Oct 11 orbit type Apollo Close approach date 2017 Dec 16 Close approach dist. 0.0689 au Close approach dist. 26.8 lunar distances semimajor axis 1.271 au eccentricity 0.890 inclination 22.2 deg orbital period 1.433 y perihelion distance 0.140 au aphelion distance 2.402 au MOID 0.0206 au Tisserand parameter 4.510 (asteroidal) absolute magnitude (H) 14.6 diameter 5.1 km optical albedo 0.11 spectral class F, B rotation period 3.603 h lightcurve amplitude 0.11 - 0.44 mag pole direction lambda = 85 deg, beta = -20 deg PHA Phaethon Close Earth Approaches Within 0.15 au: Date (TDB) Body CA Dist MinDist MaxDist Vrel TCA3Sg Nsigs P_i/p A.D. 1631 Dec 04.87057 Earth .129451 .129448 .129455 37.463 0.28 8.94E5 .000000 A.D. 1723 Dec 05.57449 Earth .145430 .145389 .145471 38.105 2.71 6.83E5 .000000 A.D. 1746 Dec 06.19456 Earth .128707 .128685 .128730 37.584 1.48 6.47E5 .000000 A.D. 1769 Dec 05.41186 Earth .142850 .142847 .142853 38.059 0.18 6.18E5 .000000 A.D. 1802 Dec 07.50563 Earth .128020 .127994 .128046 37.576 1.69 5.65E5 .000000 A.D. 1812 Dec 14.41557 Earth .075414 .075392 .075436 31.957 1.32 5.41E5 .000000 A.D. 1845 Dec 08.17934 Earth .111777 .111762 .111792 37.074 0.95 5.05E5 .000000 A.D. 1855 Dec 15.93005 Earth .086277 .086264 .086289 31.544 0.70 4.93E5 .000000 A.D. 1888 Dec 09.19404 Earth .088686 .088677 .088694 36.336 0.56 4.43E5 .000000 A.D. 1898 Dec 16.74220 Earth .107786 .107778 .107794 30.863 0.40 4.47E5 .000000 A.D. 1931 Dec 13.50144 Earth .038389 .038386 .038392 34.597 0.21 3.88E5 .000000 A.D. 1964 Dec 08.70985 Earth .131281 .131280 .131283 37.774 0.09 4.10E5 .000000 A.D. 1974 Dec 16.36240 Earth .054746 .054745 .054747 32.365 0.07 3.49E5 .000000 A.D. 2007 Dec 10.19673 Earth .120896 .120896 .120896 37.446 0.02 4.10E6 .000000 A.D. 2017 Dec 16.95810 Earth .068932 .068932 .068932 31.888 0.03 5.45E5 .000000 A.D. 2050 Dec 11.82259 Earth .082569 .082568 .082571 36.236 0.09 2.86E5 .000000 A.D. 2060 Dec 18.48085 Earth .111131 .111129 .111133 30.648 0.08 2.72E5 .000000 A.D. 2093 Dec 14.45306 Earth .019812 .019810 .019813 34.234 0.14 1.69E5 .000000 Wow... A.D. 2136 Dec 13.92650 Earth .055065 .055062 .055068 35.401 0.20 6.11E5 .000000 A.D. 2146 Dec 19.83488 Earth .090252 .090248 .090255 31.170 0.16 98428. .000000 A.D. 2189 Dec 15.24219 Earth .035481 .035478 .035485 34.795 0.21 74794. .000000 A.D. 2199 Dec 20.58935 Earth .094898 .094896 .094899 31.016 0.06 2.44E5 .000000 A.D. 2242 Dec 14.61151 Earth .091625 .091613 .091636 36.502 0.68 62050. .000000 A.D. 2252 Dec 19.01935 Earth .033027 .033013 .033041 32.755 0.72 51202. .000000 A.D. 2295 Dec 15.68761 Earth .079921 .079893 .079949 36.095 1.62 1.19E5 .000000 A.D. 2305 Dec 22.37725 Earth .084068 .084034 .084103 31.292 1.67 1.56E5 .000000 A.D. 2348 Dec 18.51981 Earth .026363 .026291 .026435 34.388 4.49 2.31E5 .000000 A.D. 2358 Dec 23.35001 Earth .096338 .096314 .096363 30.968 1.17 2.57E5 .000000 A.D. 2401 Dec 15.20440 Earth .122133 .121893 .122374 37.327 14.55 3.24E5 .000000 A.D. 2411 Dec 20.98099 Earth .021385 .021209 .021565 33.333 18.19 3.47E5 .000000 A.D. 2454 Dec 15.03196 Earth .141051 .138488 .143615 37.905 157.41 4.26E5 .000000 A.D. 2464 Dec 20.49665 Earth .025300 .024373 .026604 33.392 174.52 4.52E5 .000000 Phaethon also makes repeated close encounters with Venus, Mercury, and 15 Eunomia. Last update: 2017 Dec 14
Fake “Julian Assange” Says Hillary has Dementia; Retweeted 8500 Times So Far
Fake account since deleted:
@Twitter just deleted this tweet with no explanation as to why. I’m posting it again. Please retweet!
Leaked medical documents show @HillaryClinton was diagnosed as having early-onset Subcortical Vascular Dementia in mid-2013. #HillarysHealth #HillarysDementia #UnfitForOffice pic.twitter.com/ZGCJS818mT
— Julian Assange 🧢 (@Real_Assange_) December 11, 2017
The description of the fake account even declared it was a “Parody”:
“You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Parody Account. PARODY ACCOUNT!!!
Magaville, USA”
Skeptic Review Reminder:
Courtesy Media Literacy Week 2017.
Dueling Hashtags: Things I Trust More than CNN vs. Things I Trust More than Fox News
On December 8, 2017, two major networks were forced to correct major stories. Twitter users responded by letting off MAJOR some steam:
Fox News issues correction after inaccurately reporting Moore accuser forged yearbook signature https://t.co/WmD44ukpJh pic.twitter.com/ZwTzcrB41N
— The Hill (@thehill) December 8, 2017
Twitter celebrated with #ThingsITrustMorethanFoxNews:
Fixed it for you: “We at @CNN wholeheartedly apologize to @WikiLeaks for broadcasting fake news about them, will come clean about how this happened and fire those found to be responsible.” https://t.co/9jwlmUNBen
— Julian Assange (@JulianAssange) December 8, 2017
Twitter celebrated with the #ThingsITrustMorethanCNN:
Peanut butter and jelly is now racist? Fake news!
Although this story was thoroughly debunked over FIVE years ago, it seems to again be making the rounds on social media. The fake news began circulating based upon an innocent in-service workshop for teachers which actually occurred in 2012, and was, of course, completely taken out of context.
From there, it was spun into a ridiculous story that not only had a Portland, Oregon principal declared PBJ a symbol of racism, but was actually banning the sandwiches from her school. In fact, the principal never even used the word “racism.”
SNOPES:
Fact Check/Claim: Portland schools are banning peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for being racist. FALSE
POLITIFACT OREGON
Portland Public Schools did not spend half a million dollars to label the sandwich “racist.” The principal never called the sandwich racist. The Portland Tribune never said the principal called the sandwich racist. And yes, we don’t usually weigh in on lunch, but who could resist? The statement is inaccurate and silly.
We rate the statement Pants on Fire.
Apparently, the story really took off when Breitbart’s website picked it up, adding to the mix that PBJ was now going to be a “hate food.” (True, diversity, equity and implicit bias were discussed in the training, but the fact remains—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches simply were never declared racist.)
Memes and misleading stories were shared hundreds of thousands of times. Here are just a smattering to avoid:
Church Shooting Fake News: Facebook Photo of Devin Kelley as Antifa
This week marks the beginning of Media Literacy Week which is directed at students and educators, but Fake News and Media Literacy are everybody’s problem.
Today alone, a screenshot of Sutherland Springs shooter’s now deleted Facebook page has been shared, altered and then reshared.
Original screenshot:
Altered screenshot implying he is a member of Antifa:L
Likely, there will be more to follow. The following meme has been produced in honor of Media Literacy Week:
Media Literacy Week – November 5-9, 2018
The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) announced U.S. Media Literacy Week (#MediaLitWk) will be held November 5 –9, 2018. The mission of Media Literacy Week is to raise awareness about the need for media literacy education and its essential role in education today.
Organizations, schools, educators and Media Literacy Week partners from all over the country will work with NAMLE to participate in events including #MediaLitWk classroom lessons, virtual events, online chats, screenings, PSA’s, panel discussions and more.
Sponsors includeTrend Micro, Nickelodeon, Twitter, and Facebook.
The conference brings together journalists, pre-K to grade 12 educators, higher education professors and researchers to create dialogue around teaching media literacy and providing the tools students need to develop critical thinking skills around news and the media.
Media literacy is the ability to access, evaluate, analyze, act, communicate and create using all forms of media.
Media Literacy is a crucial life skill in the 21st century. Virtually all careers today require some level of critical thinking about media and media messages, as well as the ability to produce and work with a variety of media and information.
Media Literacy should be an essential part of education today. Low-income schools and communities in particular often lack the resources needed to adequately prepare them to create and criticize media and technology.
Media Literacy empowers people to be both critical thinkers and creative producers.
Media Literacy Week USA is a celebration of the efforts by educators and organizers nationwide to prepare youth to live, learn and thrive with media.
Tools:
Use #medialitwk on Twitter.
Memes:
Additional memes: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/mrzygbx7ttz8jkc/AAAyA2Vemy6i6xKkn6oViwfaa?dl=0
Teacher’s Resources and a toolkit for educators are available free online at https://medialiteracyweek.us/
Fake News: How Can We Know What’s True?
Skeptic Magazine Marks 25th Anniversary with Live Science Variety Show
When: September 27, 2017, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Where: Broadcast on The Young Turks Network; Limited tickets available for live show: 75 Ninth Ave., New York, NY. https://goo.gl/YVcdKM
Dr. Michael Shermer, founder of the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magazine, will mark 25 years of combating ‘fake news’ with ‘HOW CAN WE KNOW WHAT’S TRUE?’, a live variety science show, in partnership with YouTube Space NY.
Celebrity creators and public intellectuals are slated to debate Dr. Shermer on a range of issues such as climate change, vaccinations, reemergence of the ‘Alt-Right’ movement, religion and life beyond earth. Live debate segments will include ASAPScience hosts Mitchell Moffit and Greg Brown, world renowned philosopher Deepak Chopra, and award-winning author Aspen Matis.
The event will also feature Grammy-nominated recording artist Mike Posner, host of his newly released philosophy podcast What Does It All Mean? Broadcast on The Young Turks Network, the event will focus on the role of skepticism in today’s political climate –where evidence and facts are increasingly dismissed.
Climate change, government engagement in science legislation, the relationship between science and faith, the dangers behind radical social ideologies — the Skeptics Society has for more than two decades, explored these issues that affect us all. Pairing some of the most influential minds in science, philosophy, journalism and popular culture, the commemorative science variety show addresses these ongoing issues as they relate to the digital age, fact-checking fake journalism, and as a result, coming to know the truth.
Happy 25th Anniversary messages will be broadcast from Skeptic fans around the world, including ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ co-creator and star Rachel Bloom, bestselling author and biologist Richard Dawkins, and celebrity illusionist Derren Brown. A pre-show magic act by the longest running magician in the history of New York City, Prakash Puru, will demonstrate how easily we are fooled, and science rapper Baba Brinkman will debut a skeptic-themed track.
Happy Birthday video:
Dr. Shermer says there is no better time than now to learn how to be a better skeptic. “Skepticism is the most important right we have, because talking and listening to others is the only way to find out if we’re wrong, if we’ve gone off the rails. I think we need to continue to move towards this method of examination in the next quarter century, particularly in crucial areas like climate change and terrorism, which pose potential threats to our existence.”
“Over the next 25 years, who knows what crazy ideas people will hold, so we have to equip society with a cognitive toolkit that is general enough to be applied to any and all claims, including those we can’t think of now. We don’t know what we don’t know. Science and skepticism are the best methods ever devised to understand the true nature of the world,” said Shermer.
With celebrity guests from all areas of science and entertainment, ‘HOW CAN WE KNOW WHAT’S TRUE?’ offers a unique perspective on how each of us can be our very own best skeptic.
About the Skeptics Society:
Once a fringe movement, today’s skeptical community now deals with the biggest and most important issues of our time: terrorism, religion, gun violence, climate change, alternative medicine, and science education. The Skeptics Society was the first to investigate the Holocaust deniers, the first to debunk the 9/11 Truthers, and pioneered the method of letting the proponents of a belief speak for themselves. Fighting for scientific fact in the face of fallacy has become a worldwide movement; the Skeptic Society now hosts chapters all over the globe including England, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
End of World Prediction Makes “Christians Look Silly”: Christianity Today
“In this case, it’s making Christians look silly.”
Second, while it is true that numbers do have significance in the biblical narrative, making these kinds of broad sweeping predictions about the end of the world simply doesn’t makes sense.
To read the article in full:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2017/september/end-times-fake-news.html
End of the World to Occur 9.23.17; Handy Countdown Clock and Rapture Index