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Guests' Degrees/Credentials/Accrediations

Started by Uncle Duke, January 28, 2015, 08:15:39 PM

Uncle Duke

Has anyone ever heard any C2C host challenge a guest as to their credentials, especially advanced degrees?  Listened to a repeat of an old Art show tonight where he had a female guest as an expert on "shadow people".  She had a PhD in paranormal studies from the "International Research Academy".  Over the years I've heard other guests with advanced degrees from equally questionable schools with names like "Cosmic Consciousness University" and "Inter galatic Harmony University".  My all time favorite is HAARP gabber "Dr. Nick Begich" who received a "Doctor of Medicine (Medicina Alternitiva), honoris causa, for independent work in health and political science, from The Open International University for Complementary Medicines, Colombo, Sri Lanka, in November 1994." 

Then there are guests with degrees from schools with at least halfway respectable names, but are nothing more than diploma mills.  (Good example is ufologist "Dr" Kevin Randle's PhD from California Coast University, a school accredited by something called the "Distance Educational and Training Council".)  Throw in quacks claiming "medical" degrees like Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Doctor of Traditional and Earth Medicine, Naturopath etc., and of course there's Christian Wilde talking like he's Michael DeBakey. Has anyone, either host or callers, every called out one of the charlatans on their bullshit education standing?

Delphi

That's a great question uncle,  I'm anxious to see how people weigh in on this.. im wondering the same thing


zeebo



b_dubb

I think fact checking would be bad business for Coast and paranormal shows in general

Delphi

OK all good and funny fellas but me and uncle really want to know if you guys know of any illegitimate guests

Uncle Duke

Quote from: b_dubb on January 28, 2015, 08:55:09 PM
I think fact checking would be bad business for Coast and paranormal shows in general

Sure, but I see a difference between "fact-checking" and what I'm talking about.  Consider Randle, it's a fact he has that degree, no matter how dubious it is.  Contrast that to guys like Bob Lazar and Don Schmidt, they lied about having degrees.  Fact checking would reveal the latter, but confirm the former.  At question is the validity of the degree/school, not necessarily whether the individual has the degree.

Delphi

Uncle, about Lazar.. I heard that the government erased his credentials or similar?  Is there any validity to this?

Uncle Duke

Quote from: Delphi on January 28, 2015, 09:14:07 PM
Uncle, about Lazar.. I heard that the government erased his credentials or similar?  Is there any validity to this?

Of course not

Delphi

Ha, OK fair enough..  I'd like to hear about some more guests though.. You got me googling like crazy now

There are also guys like Mike Bara, who in particular calls himself something like a former mechanical engineering consultant in the aerospace industry.  As far as I understand he dropped out of engineering school after a year (the first year is a fair amount of work, but otherwise dead easy) and went into drafting.  The only mechanical engineering consulting he could have possibly done was consulting mechanical engineers on how to draw dick pics in AutoCAD, which is why he phrases it that way.  Of course Noory shortens it to just aircraft engineer, or something like that.  This one bothers me in particular because even most people working as engineers with B.Eng. or B.ASc. degrees can't ethically use that title unless they belong to a professional engineering association -- and most don't bother because it takes several additional years, exams, and jumping through a lot of hoops.  Bara is out there giving a bad name to the profession.

There are others who might have a bachelors in something like 'science and creative writing with concentration in physics' from some fly by night school, along with a Ph.D. in Literature, and they go around calling themselves a doctor of physics.  I don't happen to think you can call yourself a scientist unless you have a graduate degree in it and have published at least one peer reviewed paper to demonstrate your competence.  It takes a hell of a lot of work, intelligence, headaches, and sleep along with social deprivation, and these guys just have not earned it.

This kind of thing really bothers me.

zeebo

Some of them got degrees from the school of hard knocks (to the head).

Juan

Perhaps Dr. EmVee should establish Bellgab University and issue degrees in various disciplines for modest remuneration.  Perhaps some generous bellgabbers could endow chairs, such as the Ed Dames Chair for International Bride Collecting.

cweb

Nothing tops "Science Advisor to Walter Cronkite."

wr250

Quote from: Juan on January 29, 2015, 06:30:40 AM
Perhaps Dr. EmVee should establish Bellgab University and issue degrees in various disciplines for modest remuneration.  Perhaps some generous bellgabbers could endow chairs, such as the Ed Dames Chair for International Bride Collecting.
or the jazmunda chair for international poop stories and horse porn.

Uncle Duke

Quote from: cweb on January 29, 2015, 08:43:46 AM
Nothing tops "Science Advisor to Walter Cronkite."

Ironically, RCH does not talk about his academic background, nor have I ever seen any college degree at any level attributed to him.  Conversely, his better half, "Dr" Robin Falkov has a degree in Oriental Medicine.  Apparently her ginsing root, Ben Wa balls, and eye of newt treatments were not up to curing her cancer and she had to turn to evil big pharma and real physicians.

Marc.Knight

The sad thing is that the charlatans with fake degrees are smart enough to end up on an internationally broadcast radio show reaching millions of generally "low information" listeners.  They sell their poorly written, self-published books and hold a four hour (one-sided) conversation with a disinterested, blathering host.

Quote from: Uncle Duke on January 28, 2015, 08:15:39 PM
Has anyone ever heard any C2C host challenge a guest as to their credentials, especially advanced degrees?  Listened to a repeat of an old Art show tonight where he had a female guest as an expert on "shadow people".  She had a PhD in paranormal studies from the "International Research Academy".  Over the years I've heard other guests with advanced degrees from equally questionable schools with names like "Cosmic Consciousness University" and "Inter galatic Harmony University".  My all time favorite is HAARP gabber "Dr. Nick Begich" who received a "Doctor of Medicine (Medicina Alternitiva), honoris causa, for independent work in health and political science, from The Open International University for Complementary Medicines, Colombo, Sri Lanka, in November 1994." 

Then there are guests with degrees from schools with at least halfway respectable names, but are nothing more than diploma mills.  (Good example is ufologist "Dr" Kevin Randle's PhD from California Coast University, a school accredited by something called the "Distance Educational and Training Council".)  Throw in quacks claiming "medical" degrees like Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Doctor of Traditional and Earth Medicine, Naturopath etc., and of course there's Christian Wilde talking like he's Michael DeBakey. Has anyone, either host or callers, every called out one of the charlatans on their bullshit education standing?

When did Randle get his degree, Duke?  I met him a few times in the late eighties and he seemed like a dedicated and sincere Roswell investigator whose background in military intelligence gave him some serious cred.  Since then, not so much, and now I think he's just another cog in the Roswell disinformation machine.  Even more so now that I'm reading Mirage Men, which is absolutely fascinating and makes a strong case that various government and defense agencies, sometimes without each other's knowledge, have been behind just about every famous UFO incident.  I suppose Randle felt that a dubious doctorate would give him the appearance of impressive academic credentials to go with his military background.

from c2cam website
"Dr. Carmen Boulter is a Professor at the University of Calgary in Canada. She teaches in the Graduate Division of Educational Research in the Faculty of Education"

she made a documentary called "the Pyramid code"

her phD is in education, focusing on english as a second language, oh yeah and she's been to Egypt a bunch of times

Uncle Duke

Quote from: Robert Ghostwolf's Ghost on January 29, 2015, 11:41:17 AM
When did Randle get his degree, Duke?  I met him a few times in the late eighties and he seemed like a dedicated and sincere Roswell investigator whose background in military intelligence gave him some serious cred.  Since then, not so much, and now I think he's just another cog in the Roswell disinformation machine.  Even more so now that I'm reading Mirage Men, which is absolutely fascinating and makes a strong case that various government and defense agencies, sometimes without each other's knowledge, have been behind just about every famous UFO incident.  I suppose Randle felt that a dubious doctorate would give him the appearance of impressive academic credentials to go with his military background.

Don't see a date for PhD on his site or even Wiki, just says he got it from CCU.  A quick review of his books on Amazon, however looks like his first book ("Invasion Washington") with "PhD" on the cover was published in 2001.

Quote from: Uncle Duke on January 29, 2015, 12:03:54 PM
Don't see a date for PhD on his site or even Wiki, just says he got it from CCU.  A quick review of his books on Amazon, however looks like his first book ("Invasion Washington") with "PhD" on the cover was published in 2001.

Thanks! I haven't read anything he wrote since the late eighties/early nineties. In fact, I haven't read any UFO books in almost as long, but I strongly recommend Mirage Men (at least the first two-thirds of it--haven't finished it yet).

cweb

Quote from: Uncle Duke on January 29, 2015, 09:01:30 AM
Conversely, his better half, "Dr" Robin Falkov has a degree in Oriental Medicine.  Apparently her ginsing root, Ben Wa balls, and eye of newt treatments were not up to curing her cancer and she had to turn to evil big pharma and real physicians.
I know someone who goes around calling herself "doctor" for having a higher "degree" in something I regard to be snake oil. It's really obnoxious. Same as honorary doctorates- but I've never been one for ceremonies.


There are also people who try to parlay their memberships of organizations into something else. Like how Jesse Ventura calls himself a SEAL. He did serve in Vietnam with a Navy UDT group, but he likely didn't see the same type of action the SEALS did.

Delphi


zeebo

Last nite they had a supposed attorney/contractor/contactee on discussing Planet X.  I wonder what his degree's in.

VtaGeezer

Quote from: Delphi on January 29, 2015, 01:48:55 PM
I though ventura was a straight up Seal?
Seems to be some controversy about it.  He did get 70s era Seal training but it's not proven that he deployed as a Seal (in a Seal unit) in Vietnam as he once claimed. Some say the BUD/S training makes him a Seal.

wr250

Quote from: zeebo on January 29, 2015, 02:48:10 PM
Last nite they had a supposed attorney/contractor/contactee on discussing Planet X.  I wonder what his degree's in.

19.5 degrees

Uncle Duke

Quote from: zeebo on January 29, 2015, 02:48:10 PM
Last nite they had a supposed attorney/contractor/contactee on discussing Planet X.  I wonder what his degree's in.

Unless the guy is a complete idiot, you can bet if he says he's an attorney, he has a law degree.  As a whole, there is no group more protective of their professional standard than lawyers.  Anyone fraudulently claiming to an attorney will bring down the full wrath of the ABA in short order. 


Juan

That's what Bellgab U should offer - the 19.5 Degree.  One is thus certified as expert in everything.

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