The Two Percent
2016.11.09 (Wed) 16:21
We lied.
Only once, but we did lie. It was one of those little white lies meant to spare other people's feelings. The kind of lie you hope people won't ever question, because it'll just make things w [»]
From the Depths of the Woo Mail Bag
2009.03.13 (Fri) 11:12
You know how sometimes you put something on your "to do" list, only to have it slip down your priorities so far that suddenly it's a year-and-a-half later, and you never actually did it? No? Oh. Guess [»]
Breaking Diet News: Someone, Alert the Media!
2009.03.02 (Mon) 21:25
In a shocking surprise that shocked and surprised nobody (except people who really, truly believe that fad diets work), the results of a surprisingly shocking In a shocking surprise that shocked and surprised nobody (except people who really, truly believe that fad diets work), the results of a surprisingly shocking [»]
We've Got Mail!
2007.08.31 (Fri) 21:24
We received the following e-mail from Octavo this morning:
I'm pretty certain that you receive your fair share of hate mail and it just seems unfair of you to keep such [»]
We're Still Waiting for the Ass Gnomes
2007.06.22 (Fri) 12:30
We recently received a quick note from R. Gomez via our contact page. Well, actually, it was two quick notes, sent within ten minutes of each other, but the second was merely a continuation of [»]
Beating a Kiai Master About the Head and Neck With the Foot of Reality
2007.03.28 (Wed) 18:18
Since we've been busy with computer crashes, work, and children (real ones in addition to those of our commenters who just act like they're children), we thought we'd at least put somethingsomething< [»]
Just Not Getting Your Intended Clientele
2007.03.02 (Fri) 22:38
[In order to overcome a "feature" of our MovableType installation, it is unfortunately necessary to include a short blurb at the top of this Rant. Without it, some of our pages are rendered unre [»]
Putting the "Fan" in "Profanity"
2007.02.06 (Tue) 01:35
Okay, we admit it: we swear. A lot. Sometimes, perhaps, even more than is precisely necessary. But, in all sincerity, who the fuck cares?
Apparently the majority of folks that Okay, we admit it: we swear. A lot. Sometimes, perhaps, even more than is precisely necessary. But, in all sincerity, who the fuck cares?
Apparently the majority of folks that [»]
Skeptics' Circle #53
2007.02.01 (Thu) 11:09
We've rounded the corner on our real life commitments, and we think we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. In short, we expect to be back to posting by early next week (or maybe even this week [»]
Another Reason Not to Read the Funny Pages (Like We Needed One)
2007.01.12 (Fri) 19:24
We don't read the funny pages anymore. In fact, we don't even subscribe to any newspapers — we get our news online, which is faster, cheaper, and far less likely to get ink stains on our fingers [»]
Pat Robertson's Latest Round of Woo
2007.01.03 (Wed) 22:45
Sorry, we must have missed something — what's the difference between religiosos and psychics again? This Sorry, we must have missed something — what's the difference between religiosos and psychics again? This [»]
Credulous Asshats of the World: You Can't Have it Both Ways
2006.12.01 (Fri) 13:46
As we've mentioned in the past, we still gets lots of correspondence regarding our various posts on As we've mentioned in the past, we still gets lots of correspondence regarding our various posts on [»]
The State of the Union, According to Us
2006.11.19 (Sun) 21:48
Today, November 19th 2006, marks the second anniversary of the Two Percent Company. It hardly seems like we've gone through two years of anger, frustration, and disbelief at the utter insanity of the [»]
Skeptics' Circle #46
2006.10.26 (Thu) 15:20
The forty-sixth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at is available for your perusal over at [»]
Skeptics' Circle #45
2006.10.12 (Thu) 14:40
The forty-fifth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at is available for your perusal over at [»]
Sylvia Browne Outs Herself (Or, "Summer is Nothing But Reruns")
2006.08.27 (Sun) 22:17
There are two things that we can be certain of in this world. The first thing is that self-proclaimed psychics will make asses of themselves on at least a semi-regular basis. After all, when you make [»]
Take THAT, Skeptics!
2006.08.22 (Tue) 16:11
Finally, we have definitive, scientific proof that ghosts exist! Check out Finally, we have definitive, scientific proof that ghosts exist! Check out [»]
You Might Need Arnica Montana
2006.07.28 (Fri) 23:31
An acquaintance of ours recently underwent some major surgery, and came out of the hospital with some interesting advice from her doctor: she was told she should be taking something called Arnica Mont [»]
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!
2006.07.04 (Tue) 00:49
You'll note that, in the title above, we've capitalized our happy sentiment to our readers. Why? Because we at the Two Percent Company feel that it is imperative that we highlight a growing problem in [»]
Yeah, But What Was His Plea?
2006.05.11 (Thu) 22:05
You know those Nigerian e-mail scams, right? If you're like us, you've probably received hundreds of them, if not thousands, over the years. Have you ever wondered what kind of person could be stupid [»]
Skeptics' Circle #31
2006.03.30 (Thu) 13:39
You know, we haven't gotten any less busy over the past few weeks (with non-blogging tasks), but as soon as we free up, we're going to check out the You know, we haven't gotten any less busy over the past few weeks (with non-blogging tasks), but as soon as we free up, we're going to check out the [»]
A Nebula Far, Far Away
2006.03.24 (Fri) 17:06
Just to emphasize that you can fall prey to pareidolia even when you're quite aware of what it is, we present , we present [»]
Skeptics' Circle #30
2006.03.16 (Thu) 20:10
Okay, we admit it — with the NCAA tournament in full swing, we haven't had a chance to read the Okay, we admit it — with the NCAA tournament in full swing, we haven't had a chance to read the [»]
On Skepticism: A Reply to Francois
2006.02.21 (Tue) 22:59
Some people don't seem to understand skeptics.
The usual complaint is that skeptics are too closed minded, and that they spend their time trying above all else to disprove the supernatural. Wh [»]
Sylvia Browne Outs Herself
2006.01.09 (Mon) 14:24
Finally, self-proclaimed psychic Sylvia Browne has offered some strong evidence concerning her supposed powers. Unfortunately for her, the evidence she offered pretty convincingly shows that she is fu [»]
We Must Have Hit the Skeptical Jackpot!
2005.12.08 (Thu) 21:27
Sure, we write about lots of topics, but our most popular posts (according to our stats) are our Rants on self-proclaimed psychic and real-life media whore Sure, we write about lots of topics, but our most popular posts (according to our stats) are our Rants on self-proclaimed psychic and real-life media whore [»]
In Which We Try to Accept a Psychic Challenge
2005.12.02 (Fri) 13:21
The gauntlet has been thrown down, and we have accepted the challenge. Now all that remains is to see if the self-proclaimed medium who issued the challenge actually accepts our acceptance. Perhaps a [»]
Skeptics' Circle #21
2005.11.10 (Thu) 17:54
The twenty first edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at Pooflingers Anonymous. Check it out. We got a good laugh out of the post submitted by Matt, the proprietor of Poo [»]
Allison DuBois - Even More of a Hypocrite Than Previously Thought
2005.11.07 (Mon) 20:38
You'd think that, with all the research we've done into media whore and self-proclaimed psychic Allison DuBois, nothing about her would surprise us any more. Well, hypothetical hypothesizing person, y [»]
Einzige's Roommate is Not God
2005.11.01 (Tue) 15:25
PZ Myers pointed us to a fresh post over on The Lippard Blog by co-host Einzige, who presents a clever little parable: You start to wonder about what you might make yourself for dinner when suddenly y [»]
Skeptics' Circle #20
2005.10.27 (Thu) 12:04
The twentieth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at the Uncredible Hallq. Go forth and peruse. One post that really caught our eye was Orac's entry on stem cells. It se [»]
What Would Skeptics Do?
2005.10.21 (Fri) 18:28
A brief exchange on Bill Maher's show last Friday (we caught a re-run) got us thinking: Washington Post columnist Tina Brown: Given that we're in this — I mean, given the sort of religious persu [»]
Quite Reasonable Doubt
2005.10.05 (Wed) 10:57
These days, it's impossible to watch television without seeing advertisements for various shows — even when those shows aren't on the network you've tuned in to! So please keep in mind that we w [»]
On Being Almost Famous in Kansas City
2005.10.04 (Tue) 00:25
We were contacted last week by Aaron Barnhart from the entertainment beat of the Kansas City Star. He had come across our series on Allison DuBois, and wanted to cite us in an upcoming article. After [»]
Pareidolia on Parade
2005.10.02 (Sun) 00:31
As reported in the New York Times, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is running a gallery showing entitled The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult, displaying a variety of photographs of "ghostly" [»]
Rockstar's Challenge
2005.08.31 (Wed) 22:30
Okay, all you superpowered psychic folks, here's your chance to warm up for a shot at the JREF million dollar challenge! Fellow clever skeptic blogger Rockstar has issued an exciting challenge, open t [»]
DuBois Revisited
2005.08.31 (Wed) 16:53
Well, it has been almost six months since we posted our original Allison DuBois Week Rants, and wouldn't you know: Allison is still out there promoting her bullshit "powers." Checking over our web sta [»]
Skeptics' Circle #14, Carnival of the Godless #19 & #20
2005.08.07 (Sun) 11:27
It looks like we missed a few carnivals recently, so we thought we'd take this opportunity to catch up. In point of fact, only two of the three carnivals mentioned below are late since one came out to [»]
Skeptics' Circle #13 (Farewell, St. Nate)
2005.07.22 (Fri) 12:04
The thirteenth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at Respectful Insolence. If you can manage to overcome your triskaidekaphobia, please go check it out. Orac has done a [»]
Skeptics' Circle #12
2005.07.08 (Fri) 13:04
The twelfth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at the UTI Annex. So grab a Ouija Board, shake up your Magic 8 Ball, and soothe your senses with some skeptical goodness. [»]
Is it Safe...?
2005.07.08 (Fri) 11:45
The Two Percent Company would like to extend our apologies to our regular readers for our somewhat, ah, light Ranting as of late. In case you aren't a subscriber, and have been wondering where the hec [»]
A Letter to Miraclist, the Whiny Psychic
2005.06.27 (Mon) 01:00
You'll love this one. About a week ago, we put out a call to all psychics, mediums, dowsers, and other purveyors of the paranormal arts to send us their predictions about the Natalee Holloway case. Na [»]
Skeptics' Circle #11
2005.06.23 (Thu) 13:32
The eleventh edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at Anne's Anti-Quackery & Science Blog. We've been pretty busy over the past week or so, between actual real life ev [»]
Calling All Psychics: Help Natalee Holloway
2005.06.14 (Tue) 13:47
Calling all psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, spiritualists, and anyone else who wants a shot at the title: tell the world what happened to the missing girl in Aruba! Perhaps we should explain. Despite [»]
Skeptics' Circle #10
2005.06.09 (Thu) 12:01
The tenth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal over at Skeptico. We would normally make a silly joke about how you should do something wacky while eating your way through the [»]
We Repeat: Aromatherapy is Bullshit
2005.06.07 (Tue) 00:21
As skeptics and promoters of rational thought, we have written about a wide range of topics on our site. More than any other topics, the paranormal/pseudo-science write-ups tend to attract some intere [»]
Skeptics' Circle #9
2005.05.26 (Thu) 11:12
The ninth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at St. Nate's. So grab your divining rod, rub your magic lamp, and spin topless around the greased pole of skeptical hedonism. I [»]
Skeptics' Circle #8
2005.05.13 (Fri) 09:38
The eighth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at Pharyngula. So whip out your crystals and break into your favorite chant as you roll naked through the rich, creamy skeptici [»]
Busting Internet Bullshit
2005.04.29 (Fri) 01:44
Attention all Two Percent Company readers: please take a look at the following official virus warning which we recieved this morning: This information arrived this morning, from Yahoo and McAfee. Plea [»]
Skeptics' Circle #7
2005.04.28 (Thu) 11:23
The seventh edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at Thoughts from Kansas. So pull down the shades and light a few aromatherapy candles while you take in the hedonistic delight [»]
The Skeptics' Circle Wants You!
2005.04.26 (Tue) 10:52
The seventh edition of one of our favorite blog carnivals, the Skeptics' Circle, will be posted on Thursday, April 28th. If you've got some skeptical writing, by all means get it over to Josh at Thoug [»]
Only God Can Prove a Negative, and There Is No God
2005.04.25 (Mon) 00:54
In response to our series on Allison DuBois, we have received a fair amount of feedback. Among the critical comments, there is one specific theme that we've heard more than any other — people qu [»]
Indoctrination Sucks
2005.04.22 (Fri) 00:25
Angry Professor relates two sad stories of a common form of parenting that we, personally, see as psychological child abuse: what most folks like to call "indoctrination." First she tells the tale of [»]
Skeptics' Circle #6
2005.04.15 (Fri) 17:56
The sixth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at Socratic Gadfly. At a glance, we see mention of astrology, medical quackery, angels, creationism, conspiracy theories, psychi [»]
MIT Joke Paper Accepted in Conference
2005.04.15 (Fri) 01:47
This one's just too good. Three graduate students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology put together two randomly generated academic papers consisting entirely of high-brow vocabulary and "cont [»]
This is the Harm of Pseudoscience
2005.04.14 (Thu) 13:54
Over on Respectful Insolence, Orac has put up a post simply called "The Orange Man." This is required reading for anyone who has ever thought: "Well, alternative medicine might not work, but what harm [»]
An Ongoing Conversation About Beliefs
2005.04.13 (Wed) 03:07
We recently received a comment on one of our Allison DuBois posts asking about our beliefs and our skeptical approach to life. The commenter, Cat, had the following to say: I feel for you guys being s [»]
Coka-Bala Classic
2005.04.08 (Fri) 23:08
No, the recent upsurge in the popularity of kabbalah couldn't possibly be just another scam to bilk gullible fools out of tons of money. That's why it isn't primarily aimed at celebrities with lots of [»]
Some Monday Links
2005.04.04 (Mon) 23:33
It has been a little hectic here lately, and we haven't had a lot of time for anything in depth. So, to keep you thinking (and probably in some cases grimacing), here are some Monday Links. First, Ed [»]
Skeptics' Circle #5
2005.03.31 (Thu) 23:05
The fifth edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at Science & Politics. At a glance, we see mention of therapeutic touch, hypnosis, acupuncture, creationism, astrology, and [»]
Skepticism 101: Two Classes We Wish We'd Taken
2005.03.26 (Sat) 20:57
Recently, we were made aware of two examples of college courses in critical thinking and skepticism, and we must admit, we were jealous. If classes like these were available to us during our college d [»]
Terri Schiavo: Psychics & Loons Set Us Straight
2005.03.26 (Sat) 14:36
In case you're not the kind who cottons to medical or legal facts, and if you're tired of all of the uninformed opinions circulating around the Terri Schiavo case, it's comforting to know that we have [»]
Extraordinary Fiction & Bullshit Claims
2005.03.25 (Fri) 18:47
It seems that some people took our commentary on Allison DuBois to mean that we don't like the show Medium. Just to set the record straight, that is not at all what we were saying. In fact, we don't w [»]
Some Sunday Links
2005.03.20 (Sun) 14:53
It has been a little quiet around here since Part V of Allison DuBois Week and the Fourth Edition of the Skeptics' Circle both came out on Thursday. The push of getting those posts out the door, combi [»]
The Fourth Edition of the Skeptics' Circle
2005.03.17 (Thu) 08:44
Welcome to the fourth edition of the Skeptics' Circle — a blog carnival aimed at gathering the best skeptical writing from around the blogosphere into a handy bi-weekly digest. In case you're ju [»]
Medium: The Dubious Claims of Allison DuBois - Part V
2005.03.17 (Thu) 08:00
Allison's Answers to Skeptics: John Edward: But I'm a psychic. Stan: No dude, you're a douche. John Edward: I'm not a douche! What if I really believe that dead people talk to me? Stan: Then you're a [»]
Medium: The Dubious Claims of Allison DuBois - Part IV
2005.03.17 (Thu) 00:00
The Success Rate of Allison's Powers: "Well, maybe you're right. I don't like being wrong one bit. But, maybe this once I might be a little wrong." — Lady Elaine Fairchilde, Mister Rogers' Neigh [»]
Medium: The Dubious Claims of Allison DuBois - Part III
2005.03.16 (Wed) 00:00
Allison's Track Record Assisting Law Enforcement: "As usual, should you or any member of your I.M. Force be captured or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence. This tape wi [»]
Final Call for Skeptical Writing
2005.03.15 (Tue) 23:28
So far we've received a handful of submissions for the Fourth Skeptics' Circle, but nowhere near the number we'd like to see. Please send us your skeptical writing before the Wednesday deadline. Note [»]
Medium: The Dubious Claims of Allison DuBois - Part II
2005.03.15 (Tue) 00:00
Dr. Gary Schwartz's Research: "We believe that the purpose of science is to serve mankind. You, however, seem to regard science as some kind of dodge or hustle. Your theories are the worst kind of pop [»]
Medium: The Dubious Claims of Allison DuBois - Part I
2005.03.14 (Mon) 00:00
An Introduction to Allison DuBois: A friendly skeptic that we know — let's call him Steve — recently took a technical training class through work. During a break in class, some of the stud [»]
Send Us Your Skeptical Writing for the Skeptics' Circle #4!
2005.03.10 (Thu) 13:29
As we said earlier, it will be our privilege to host the next Skeptics' Circle here at the Two Percent Company on March 17. Please send your skeptical writing to us at [skepticscircle AT twopercentco [»]
Skeptics' Circle #3 (Send Us Your Posts for #4)
2005.03.03 (Thu) 13:17
The third edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal at Rhosgobel. Radagast was kind enough to include one of our recent Rants, A Piece of Our Mind — About Ten Percent, in thi [»]
A Piece of Our Mind - About Ten Percent
2005.03.01 (Tue) 23:49
We've all heard it said: the old canard that humans "only use ten percent of their brains." Sometimes it's posited along with self help strategies which promise to teach us how to use the elusive othe [»]
Skeptics' Circle #2
2005.02.17 (Thu) 12:26
The second edition of the Skeptics' Circle is alive and kicking. There seems to be no shortage of Behe bashing (bashing people who use bullshit pseudo-science to attack real science is always a good t [»]
Skeptics' Circle #1
2005.02.03 (Thu) 09:44
The very first edition of the Skeptics' Circle is available for your perusal. So far, the entries we've read certainly live up to our expectations. In the face of the growing proliferation of quackery [»]
Believe What You Want To Believe
2005.01.30 (Sun) 17:46
At times, readers ask us questions which they feel go to the heart of our stated goals: Why do we care what other people believe? Why do we criticize and belittle religion, the paranormal, alternative [»]
Skeptics' Circle & Carnival of the Godless
2005.01.29 (Sat) 13:09
Two new round ups came to our attention earlier this week. First, is the Carnival of the Godless, created by Unscrewing the Inscrutable. Entries are closed for the first issue (which will be out tomor [»]
Florida Board of Governors Votes Down FSU Chiroquackery
2005.01.27 (Thu) 23:35
We were happy to see the headline in the Miami Herald tonight that read "State board kills chiropractic school at FSU." According to that article: Florida's Board of Governors today killed a proposal [»]
Attention Floridians: FSU Chiro Vote Imminent
2005.01.25 (Tue) 23:21
Concerned reader Paul has sent us a message regarding the upcoming vote on whether to go forward with the proposal of a chiropractic college at Florida State University. Florida's statewide Board of G [»]
Update: Chiropractic Treatments Are Still Bullshit
2005.01.25 (Tue) 21:34
We recently received a comment on our Rant concerning the proposal to create a school of chiropractics at FSU — a proposal we firmly oppose. The comment seems to be fairly representative of the [»]
Academic Validation of Pseudo-Science Bullshit
2005.01.05 (Wed) 21:33
Hot on the heels of our last Rant about the entertainment and media industries validating bullshit by labelling their fiction as "real phenomena" (read our Rant about the upcoming movie White Noise, a [»]
Based On a True Story? White Noise and EVP
2005.01.02 (Sun) 23:38
Is it just us, or has there been a disturbing trend of entertainment endorsing crackpot bullshit lately? We've talked about the SciFi channel, and their endorsement of ghosts and spirit mediums. CourT [»]
Reiki Bullshit In Our Own Backyard
2004.12.14 (Tue) 00:55
Reading through a recent JREF weekly update, we were startled to see the name of a fairly local hospital, Chilton Memorial in New Jersey, apparently offering Reiki sessions. JREF reader Richard Seibel [»]
SciFi Channel is More "Fi" Than "Sci"
2004.12.01 (Wed) 16:41
In James Randi's weekly wrap-up, Guy Matthews of the UK writes in to tell us about what the SciFi channel did to Merrye Olde Englande. In 2001 Sci-Fi UK announced they were going to be setting up shop [»]