Features
Ear Candles – The Brain Softening Effect: An Instructive Tale
Norman Pridmore reflects upon his personal crusade against a pseudoscientific therapy
Science or Non-science?
Doug Bramwell examines the features which distinguish science from pseudoscience
A Case of Spirits
Chris Willis looks at the history of spirit photography
Do Astrologers Have To Believe In Astrology?
Nick Campion questions whether “belief ” is a useful concept when applied to astrology
Humour
Sprite, by Donald Rooum, the ongoing saga of an ethereal being who has the misfortune to fall for a confirmed skeptic.
Cartoons by Tim Pearce and The Parking Lot is Full
Pictures from Hilary Evans’ Paranormal Picture Gallery
Book reviews
A User’s Guide To The Brain by John Ratey
Fairies in Nineteenth-century Art and Literature by Nicola Bown
A Magick Life: A Biography of Aleister Crowley by Martin Booth
How To Build A Time Machine by Paul Davies
An Entertainment for Angels: Electricity in the Enlightenment Age by Patricia Fara
The Book of Nothing: a natural history of “zero” by John D Barrow
Netherworld: Discovering the Oracle of the Dead by Robert Temple
The Universe in a Nutshell (Unabridged audio cassettes read by Simon Prebble) by Stephen Hawking
News and comment
Editorial
Kate Holden and Chris French
Skeptical Stats
A column based on the observation that sometimes statistics don’t lie – they’re just plain crazy…
Hits and Misses
Forget apples
Bankrupt consciousness
Seeing ghosts
New trends in alt-med
Crackers
Decomposing
Vampire days
Skeptic at large: Appreciating Asimov
Wendy M Grossman
Philosopher’s Corner
Julian Baggini
Rhyme and Reason: A Rael Expert
Steven Donnelly
From Michael Heap
Chairman of the Association for Skeptical Enquiry
Letters from our readers
It’s a Fare Cop!
Selective Criticism
