The Why-Files
The Journal of the Inquiring Skeptics of Upper New York
The The WHY-Files is the newsletter of the
Inquiring Skeptics of Upper New
York. It was published monthly in advance of our
meetings
up through October, 1999. In October ISUNY's board voted to suspend
the Why-Files due to lack of funds, and to give the editorial staff
of five years a break.
Volume 5
- Issue 1
What is skepticism?, Part II, 1999 Psychic Predictions, and
the effects of lightning on power lines.
- Issue 2
What is skepticism?, Part III, Benefits of Skepticism,
and puzzler questions.
- Issue 3
What is skepticism?, Part IV, The UFOs of October Part I, Administrivia
and more puzzler questions.
- Issue 4
The UFOs of October Part II, Evolutionary Medicine, What has ISUNY Done?,
and more puzzlers.
- Issue 5
The UFOs of October Part III, Skeptic Jeopardy, Recovered Memory of Diaper
Rash Therapy, and more puzzlers.
- Issue 6
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Science Fiction and skepticism, Head Injuries,
and Amnesia and How Deep is the Ocean?
- Issue 7
Creationism, Rebecca versus the UFOs, and Muppets Teach Children
Irrational Beliefs.
- Issue 8
Alternative Medicine, Science as a Culture of Explanation, and Albacon review.
- Issue 9
Claims of UFO Abductions and Recovered Memory, Economics and Social Science
Research, 1999 Ig Nobel Prize Recipients, Extreme Levitation, Terry Pratchett,
and Who Was the First President of the United States?
Volume 4
- Issue 1
ISUNY on WRPI,
Roswell, New Mexico: An interview with David Quinne,
Review of Why People Believe Strange Things,
and 1998 Psychic Predictions.
- Issue 2
Editorial: Skeptics and religion, Predicting predictions, and
do extraordinary claims always require extraordinary evidence?
- Issue 3
Commander Data and the possibility of Artificial Intelligence,
proposed officer slate for 1998-99, whatever happened to
Tamerlane A. Edvardssonn , and Can theories ever be
disproved.
- Issue 4
April elections, How many people can the Earth support (March meeting report),
Feng Shui, What is Quantum Metaphysics and Is There a Scientific Method?
- Issue 5
Summer picnic schedule, Why Don't Believers Just Listen, Cydonia Revisited,
Empowered Water and David Quinne's new line of pamphlets.
- Issue 6
The Protocols of Zion, misc predictions and prognostications, and a review
of Lords of the Left Hand Path.
- Issue 7
Science Education, summer picnic highlights, Rumors of cat eating,
and Imagination Deficient Personality.
- Issue 8
What is the Center For Inquiry? and What is Peer Review?
- Issue 9
Claims of Pre-Columbian contact with the Americas,
Problems investigating paranormal claims, scary movies and
Haunted by the unknown. Also, good news for past speakers.
- Issue 10
What is skepticism?, Part I, Swing Dancing cults and trepanning, and
the Eighth 1st annual Ig Nobel prize winners.
Volume 3
- Issue 1
Carl Sagan, the Demon-Haunted World, Satanic Ritual Abuse and 1997 predictions.
- Issue 2
Women in Skepticism, How to write a Skeptics Book, and the intelligence
of extraterrestrial intelligences.
- Issue 3
Cargo Cult UFOs, How to get a Gardian Angel,
Book Review, Myth of Repressed Memory, responses to Women in Skepticism,
and Science Wars in India.
- Issue 4
Satanic Ritual Abuse, The Cardiff Giant, and Everything You Know is Wrong.
- Issue 5
Heaven's Gate, the Hale-Bopp meteorite, Psychic Skeptics and SRA-part II.
- Issue 6
Mystery of the East Caves of Syracuse, Satanic Ritual Abuse part III,
and what is a postmodernist?
- Issue 7
Body building myths, the Iris Potato famine and will it rain
at the first Skeptic Picnic.
- Issue 8
New Directions for ISUNY, The Skeptic Friends Network,
and Mysterious Professors from Buffalo visit Charles Forte's Grave.
- Issue 9
CSICOP's Media Watchdog, Skeptics and Science Fiction: Point/Counter-Point,
The Wizard of Oz and Pink Floyd, and Contest #1: Disclaimers that Aren't.
- Issue 10
Close Encounters, More on The X-Files, and investigating a Haunted House.
- Issue 11
East Coast Skeptic Gathering,
Haunted House Editorial,
Chinese Apocalyptic Messianism,
Disclaimer Contest Results,
and the 1997 Ig Nobel Prize results.
Volume 2
- Issue 1 1996 Predictions, Mark Pendergrast's visit, measuring distances and the role of skeptical organizations.
- Issue 2 Satanism, Comet Hale-Bopp and the weather.
- Issue 3 Vampires, Psychics online and our first real letter to the editor.
- Issue 4 Movies, Maharishi U., and what has
happened to the missing Ross Perot supporters?
- Issue 5 Shakespeare, Higher Superstition and People on the moon.
- Issue 6 More skeptical skepticism, Hoagland and the Brookland Bridge.
- Issue 7 Methods, motives and beliefs of skeptics and Independence Day.
- Issue 8 Life on Mars, Footprints on the Moon and the Hollow Earth.
- Issue 9 Ghost, Vampires, Ross Perot and the Ig Nobels.
- Issue 10 Hale-Bopp companion, Indonesian Matian Arts, Foetid Jelly Meteors and an Appology to Zeta Reticulans.
Volume 1
- Issue 1 1995 Predictions, the Marfa lights and a history of UFOs.
- Issue 2 From believer to skeptic, and Skeptical skepticism.
- Issue 3 UFOs on TV, Charles Fort and Evaluating Experts.
- Issue 4 Alien Encounters at Disney and Haunted Real Estate.
- Issue 5 Anomalaus Phenomena I, UFO books, Skeptical Acronyms, and Confessions of a Conspirator.
- Issue 6 Anomalous Phenomena II, UFO links and watering the lawn.
- Issue 7 Holocaust deniers, Orgone telescopes and the downside of believing in UFOs.
- Issue 8 Offended by Science, Roswell, multi-layered marketing opertunities, Model Agnosticism, and being chased around Florida by hurricanes.
- Issue 9 Environmental problems with traditional medicine, skeptical etiquette, and Orgone energy.
- Issue 10 Alien Autopsy, False memory and did O.J. do it?
- Issue 11 Victims of memory, more Alien Autopsy and fundamental problems with fundamental physics.
Volume 0
- Issue 0 Rapid prototype issue with Fantastic Archeology.
- Issue 1 German crop circle and the UFOs of October.
The Why-Files are typeset using the
TeX
document preparation system written by
Donald Knuth
of Stanford University.
Articles, reports, reviews, and letters published in the The
Why-Files represent the views and work of individual authors.
Their publication does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by
Inquiring Skeptics of Upper New York or its members unless so stated.