User:Otheus/notes2


 * CSICOP stands for "Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal". In the United States, go to any book store, such as Barnes and Noble, or major magazine reseller, such as Wall Mart, and you will find perhaps 2 or maybe 3 magazines covering science (not including technology, specific to computers or diet/fitness). These magazines are Discover, Scientific American, and if there is a 3rd, it is CSICOP's Skeptical Inquirer. For many, it's a welcome balance to the dozens of magazines devoted to "New Age" and pseudoscience. (Science and New Scientist have probably a wider circulation, but they are scarcely found on magazine racks.)
 * So in explaining Skeptical Inquirer's role, the above is used to help you understand that it is what a majority of scientists think, since it is one of the five most widely available science magazines, and of these, the only one to scientifically approach the pseudosciences and claims of the paranormal.
 * Most scientists have niche interests. Those who are closely involved with CSICOP's activities also have the niche of using their scientific and mathematical backgrounds to investigate claims of paranormal and pseudoscience. Since it is a niche,