From: Robert Sheaffer Subject: Re: Objective overview of FATE? Message-ID: <9304070149.AA21836@lll-winken.llnl.gov> Date: Tue, 6 Apr 1993 12:21:20 PDT John Kane > > We were just talking about FATE magazine, and it was mentioned that > FATE was not a good solid source. After all these years, has anyone > done a study of the folks at FATE, their behavior on and off court, > and before and after they work for the magazine? It would be nice to > see something on their lack of objectivity in areas not related to > quarrels with skeptics. How could a magazine promoting "True Stories of the Unknown" have subject areas that did NOT provoke quarrels with skeptics??? :) One recent FATE-atrocity involves James Oberg and John Keel. Keel wrote some wild stuff in a Fate article about how NASA satellites had suposedly detected mysterious radio signals, which were allegedly tied in with the Bermuda Triangle, or extraterrestrials, or something. Oberg, noting Fate's claim that everything they publish is true, documented, and verified, challenged them on this. Keel's reply was essentially, 'well, NASA *did* detect an unexplained flash of light on the ocean once,' and he insisted that Oberg look up the details himself. Oberg replied that Keel had not even come close to substantiating the claims he made in his Fate article. > > (Aside to Sheaffer: if you have anything negative to say about them, > please mail to MY address, not the list. ;-) Danke.) Why? I'm sure that the list readers are most interested to see this! -- Robert Sheaffer - Scepticus Maximus - sheaffer@netcom.com Past Chairman, The Bay Area Skeptics - for whom I speak only when authorized! "Marxism and feminism are one and that one is Marxism" - Heidi Hartmann and Amy Bridges, quoted by Catharine MacKinnon above the first chapter of her "Toward a Feminist Theory of the State"