trentmkelly/rationalwiki huggingface dataset:
Alastair Noble

'''Alastair Noble''' is the director of the [[Creationism_in_the_UK#Centre_for_intelligent_design | Centre for Intelligent Design]] in Glasgow.<ref>[http://www.c4id.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=166&Itemid=26 Centre for Intelligent Design - Personnel]</ref>

==Calls for ID in schools==

In December 2009 he caused controversy by suggesting that [[Intelligent Design]] should be taught in British schools.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/01/evolution-curriculum-intelligent-design-school The Guardian - Alastair Noble wants ID taught in British schools]</ref> This was in response to the government deciding to place [[evolution]] on the National Curriculum at an earlier age, something that was petitioned for by the [[British Humanist Association]]. Noble specifically accused educators of teaching "[[Materialism|materialist philosophy]]" if they didn't teach a [[pseudoscience]] such as ID alongside established science like [[natural selection]]. The arguments put forward were the usual [[creationist]] dribble; that evolution doesn't explain the [[Abiogenesis|''origin'' of life]], that complexity can't evolve and so on.

==See also==
*[[Creationism in the UK]]
*[[PRATT]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|pseudoscience}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noble, Alastair}}
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Pseudoscience promoters, Living people
Alberto Gonzales

[[File:Gonzales relaxed in chair.JPG|thumb|"The Geneva Conventions? You're cute."]]
{{uspolitics}}
'''Alberto Gonzales''' is a former U.S. Attorney General under President [[George W. Bush]], having succeeded [[John Ashcroft]]. Gonzales held the post from 2005 to his resignation in September 2007.

Having served several positions for Bush when Dubya was Governor of [[Texas]], Gonzales became his White House Counsel when he became President. At this position as the President's lawyer, he made sure the White House had the legal right to use [[torture]], calling the Geneva Conventions "quaint". He worked with Vice-President [[Dick Cheney]] and Justice Department lawyer John Yoo to implement techniques such as [[waterboarding]] and whittling away at the legal barriers to us doing so.

Gonzales even made us feel sorry for John Ashcroft, his predecessor. While the latter was in the hospital, seriously ill, Alberto gave him a visit to try to get him to sign off on a quite possibly illegal wiretapping bill that the Deputy Attorney General who was filling in for Ashcroft refused to approve. Ashcroft pointed out that he wasn't in a position to do so, although when he got out he okayed it anyway.
After becoming Attorney General in 2005, Gonzales eventually became embroiled in the scandal that saw eight U.S. attorneys fired and replaced with less-qualified lawyers who were perceived as more loyal to Bush and more willing to prosecute [[voter fraud]] claims against [[Democrat]]s. The new Democratic majority in both Houses and some Republicans insisted that Gonzales step down, and succeeded in forcing him to testify before a committee about the firings. During this testimony, he famously said "I don't recall" over 55 times in the first round of questioning alone.<ref>[http://crooksandliars.com/2007/04/20/daily-show-alberto-i-do-not-recall-gonzales Crooks & Liars: Daily Show: Alberto "I Do Not Recall" Gonzales]</ref> He eventually resigned in disgrace and was replaced by {{wpl|Michael Mukasey}}.

==See also==
*[[Michelle Malkin]]
*[[Military Commissions Act]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|politicians}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzales, Alberto}}
[[Category:Bush administration]]
[[Category:Former U.S. Cabinet Members]]
[[Category:Lawyers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Texas]]

Categories: Bush administration, Former U.S. Cabinet Members, Lawyers, Living people, Texas
Alexa

{{hatnote|Not to be confused with {{wpl|Amazon Alexa}}}}
{{internet}}
'''Alexa''' (or '''Alexa Internet''') was a website that collected data on [[Internet|website]] visitors. Originally, the site only collected data based on the browsing patterns of users who had installed the company's software tool on their browsers. Later, Alexa claimed that it had expanded its data collection procedure to include additional sources, but the details were not made public. 

Alexa's traffic rankings for websites that reach large percentages of Internet users, such as [[Wikipedia]] and [[Google]] may have been fairly accurate, at least for tracking trends. But the company also reported traffic ranks for their top 100,000 rated sites, often reaching so far into the tails of the distribution that the margins of error would overwhelm any actual potential ranking. Likely any ranking below about the top 1000 is dominated by error and worthless. 

Beyond traffic rankings, Alexa embraced the [[voodoo]] of demographic tracking. Based on the few cookies it has access to, the operating system and browser used, Alexa claimed to be able to tell a site visitor's age, education level, number of children, gender, and whether the site was accessed from work, home or school. The way this demographic information was supposedly gleaned was not published, but the likelihood that even the most basic information (gender, age, location) was even remotely based on the true population of users is extremely small. The more specific demographic information can be completely disregarded.

The service shut down in May 2022.<ref>Mayank Parmar (December 8, 2021). [https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/amazon-is-shutting-down-web-ranking-site-alexacom/ "Amazon is shutting down web ranking site Alexa.com]. ''Bleeping Computer''.</ref>

==See also==
*[[Pseudostatistics]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
 
{{stub|internet}}
[[Category: Internet]]
[[Category:Pseudostatistics]]
[[Category: Websites]]

Categories:  Internet, Pseudostatistics,  Websites
Alexander technique

{{altmed}}
The '''Alexander technique''' is an [[alternative medicine]] therapy that focuses on posture. It claims that a range of health issues are caused by poor posture while sitting or standing. It is considered a complementary technique, which means it is not usually used at the exclusion of mainstream [[medicine]].<ref>[https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/complementary-alternative-or-integrative-health-whats-in-a-name Complementary, Alternative, or Integrative Health: What’s In a Name?]. NIH.gov. Retrieved 2 Dec 2025</ref>

==History==
The technique is named after its creator, {{wpl|Frederick Matthias Alexander||,}} an [[Australian]] actor, who developed the technique in the 1890s to help with {{wpl|laryngitis||.}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Pain Procedures in Clinical Practice |edition=3rd |year=2011 |pages=205–222 |publisher=Elsevier |vauthors=Moroz A, Cohler MH, Schulman RA |chapter=Chapter 21: Body Work and Movement Therapies |doi=10.1016/B978-1-4160-3779-8.10021-1 |veditors=Lennard TA, Walkowski S, Singla AK, Vivian DG |isbn=978-1-4160-3779-8}}</ref>

==Method and effects==
The method is usually taught in one-on-one lessons several times a week. It focuses on the relationship of the head, neck and spine when sitting or standing, and involves practicing movements and positions and relaxing one's muscles.<ref name="nhs1">[https://www.nhs.uk/tests-and-treatments/alexander-technique/ Alexander technique] on the NHS website. Retrieved 2 Dec 2025.</ref>

According to the [[NHS]] in the [[UK]], there is some evidence that the Alexander technique helps chronic pain, and even perhaps {{wpl|Parkinson's||,}} but proponents usually greatly overpromise just what it can help with.<ref name="nhs1"></ref>

=See also=
* [[Chiropractic]] medicine

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Manipulative therapy]]
{{stub|Alternative medicine}}

Categories: Manipulative therapy
Alexandra Sellers

{{langnav}}
'''Alexandra Sellers''' is a [[linguistics|linguist]] who claims to be able to speak the [[language]] of [[cat]]s.<ref name=youtube>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la8gfJo0NrE Crazy Cat Conversation Lady - Fortean TV.]</ref> She published her findings in the book ''Spoken Cat and Relevant Factors in Worldview''.<ref>[http://alexandrasellers.com/spoken-cat-book/ alexandrasellers.com] "The language of Cats is as old as what humans call 'the domestiCation of the Cat' (Cats give it quite a different name)..."</ref> According to her, "here is your [[milk]]" is "birr pirp r'mow" when translated into cat speak. "Here are a few tidbits," meanwhile, becomes "mRRah mRRah pirp r'mow."<ref>Anthony Campbell. "[http://acampbell.org.uk/bookreviews/r/sellers.html Spoken Cat: Alexandra Sellers]."  2000.</ref> You think we're kidding. We are not. It's going to get 
worse
 funnier.

She also believes that cats have their own body of [[myth]]s and [[folklore]]. She says that the cats have told her that they came from Canopus (the second brightest [[star]] after Sirius)<ref>"[http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/C/Canopus.html Canopus (Alpha Carinae)]."  ''The Encyclopedia of Science''.</ref><ref group=note>As Sirius is the [[dog]] star, clearly Canopus must be where cats are from!</ref> to educate [[human]]ity on cleanliness. In particular, they believe that we should use our excrement as fertilizer, instead of disposing of it in our drinking [[water]].<ref name=youtube/>  

Here is a story which she claims was told to her by a tabby from [[New York]]:
{{quotebox|One night when Brau was sleeping, his sister, Agh, stole his [[testicles]]. In the morning she said, "Brau, I have found some tasty delicacies."  Brau was hungry and ate them up. After his meal, Brau realised he had no testicles left. He laughed and said to Agh, "That is an excellent trick."<ref name=youtube/>}}

She seems genuine in all this (and not a [[poe]]), but you can never be sure. Ms. Sellers is the author of numerous romance novels. In her online bio, she writes "Her favourite hobby is foreign languages, of which she has studied eight: French, Farsi, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek, Italian, and [[Latin]]. Her talent for languages (along with her sense of humor) was also expressed in her book Spoken Cat and Relevant Factors in Worldview, a self-teaching language primer of the Cat language."<ref name=bio>[http://alexandrasellers.com/about/ Her bio.]</ref> Make of that what you will.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|language}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sellers, Alexandra}}
[[Category:Cats]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Cats, Pseudoscience promoters, Living people
Alice Bailey

{{sources needed}}
{{newage}}
'''Alice Bailey''' {{lived|1880|1949}} was the [[Author|writer]] of a series of books on esoteric [[occult]] subjects, heavily influenced by [[Theosophy]], [[reincarnation]], and [[astrology]] as well as [[Christianity]] and a heavy smattering of [[pseudoscience]].

While her books are typical hard-to-understand muddle like most in that field, she is claimed by some to be a major influence on today's [[New Age]] beliefs, although she is not widely read in those circles.

Bailey's books claim that there is a benevolent [[Great White Brotherhood|spiritual hierarchy]] of [[ascended master]]s overseeing events on [[Earth]] and guiding humanity into higher levels of existence. Her writings contain an early example (in 1940) of the term [[New World Order]] to refer to a social [[democracy|democratic government]] she believed this spiritual hierarchy would guide humanity after [[World War II]].  She believed this hierarchy would eventually reveal themselves to mankind and "The Christ" would return to Earth, this time in the form of [[Maitreya]] (a figure from [[Buddhism]]) rather than [[Jesus]].

Alice Bailey's writings have been accused of [[antisemitism]] because of her strong opposition to [[Zionism]] and her belief that [[Orthodox Judaism]] would have to end through the intermarriage of Jews with other people before The Christ would return.

{{stub|New Age}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Alice}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:New Age]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]

Categories: Authors, New Age, Pseudoscience promoters
Alister McGrath

{{christianity|1}}
{{cquote|Well I think you make some very interesting points...|||Alister McGrath's favorite phrase}}
[[Alister McGrath]] is Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford and Gresham Professor of Divinity.<ref>[http://alistermcgrath.weebly.com/Alister E. McGrath]</ref> He is a [[Sophisticated theology|sophisticated theologian]] who spends his time 
tearing off the mask of nature to stare at the face of God
 studying [[theology]].

==Early life and views==
He claims that he used to be an [[Atheism|atheist]] and a [[Communism|Marxist]].<ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Science-Religion/2005/08/Breaking-The-Science-Atheism-Bond.aspx?p=1 Breaking the Science-Atheism Bond]</ref> He believed atheism and science were complementary worldviews, but changed his view and became a [[Christian]].

==Arguments and refutations==
===Debate with Richard Dawkins===
All quotes and arguments come from the debate between McGrath and [[Richard Dawkins]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LGm0iWPC80</ref>{{dead}}
*"I think the issue of where God comes from is a very significant question, but from a Christian perspective, that isn't really the question that is to be asked. The idea is that God was there before everything..."
::Clearly a case of [[Special pleading|special pleading]].
*"Again you've raised some very interesting questions, and again you've highlighted some tensions inside Christian theology, and certainly, the way of approaching things that I would want to adopt would be this: '''Not to begin with a predetermined or preconceived idea of God''', 'God must be simple' or 'God must be complex', but rather to try and infer what god must be like on the basis of what God has done or in terms of what God has revealed Himself to be. And thus, '''I think the point they should make actually might be driven to some extent by a preconceived idea of what God must be like'''."
::Highlighted parts show how McGrath contradicts his premise in the ''very next sentence''. This is a [[Self-refuting idea|self-refuting idea]]. 
*He inconsistently argues that God will choose to save some people from disasters, yet not others, but will not intervene to stop the other people from dying in the disaster.

===''The Dawkins Delusion''===
In 2010, he released (through Veritas Books) ''The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine'', his critique of ''The God Delusion''.<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/Dawkins-Delusion-Atheist-Fundamentalism-Veritas/dp/0830837213/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509598752&sr=8-1&keywords=the+dawkins+delusion&dpID=516fGvwIWIL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch ''The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine'' (Veritas Books)]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Alister}}
{{stub|Christianity}}
{{apolbox}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Christian apologists]]

Categories: Living people, Christian apologists
Allele

{{Sources needed}}
{{Evolution}}
An '''allele''' is a variation of a [[gene]].

==Alleles in the genome==
Most genes only have one allele; however, some have multiple variants. For example, the gene for eye color in humans (and some other animals) has several alleles: blue, green, brown, etc. In paired chromosomes, it is possible to have two alleles present, one in each copy of the chromosome. Where both alleles are the same in the pair, the organism is referred to as homozygous with respect to that gene. Where the alleles are different, it is referred to as heterozygous.

==Dominant and recessive genes==
Alleles can be described as "dominant" or "recessive" and a mixture of the two can appear in allele pairs in the genome. In some cases, one allele will be dominant while the other is recessive, and the dominant gene will be the only allele expressed. Only individuals with two recessive alleles of a gene (homozygous recessive) will express the recessive form. Genes may also be co-dominant (both or all alleles expressed) or have incomplete dominance (alleles "blend" to form an intermediate type in the [[phenotype]]).

==See also==
*[[Genetics]]

==External links==
*{{wpa|allele}}

{{stub|evolution}}

[[Category:Genetics]]

Categories: Genetics
Allen R. Schindler, Jr

'''Allen R. Schindler, Jr''' was a person who served in the [[United States of America|U.S.]] military until he had his head and body brutally stomped in by two sailors, Terry M. Helvey  and Charles Vins, because he was [[gay]]. Helvey received life in prison, but Vins was allowed to plea bargain as guilty to three lesser offenses, including failure to report a serious crime, and to testify truthfully against Helvey.  Vins served a 78-day sentence before receiving a general discharge from the Navy. Later, Helvey was quoted as saying, "He deserved it."<ref>Jameson, Sam.  "U.S. Sailor Sentenced to Life Imprisonment in Murder".  ''The Tech''.  The Tech Online Edition.  May 28, 1993.  http://www-tech.mit.edu/V113/N28/sailor.28w.txt.html.</ref>  His death ultimately resulted in [[Bill Clinton|President Clinton]] fostering the [[Don't Ask Don't Tell]] policy, which progressed from something designated to protect the military into a right wing anti-gay campaign.
 
==See also==
*[[Gay rights]]
*[[Homophobia]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|sexuality}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schindler, Allen R., Jr}}
[[Category:Human rights]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
 <!-- Until a more specific category can be found/made. -->

Categories: Human rights, Homophobia
Allen Steere

'''Dr. Allen Steere''' is a professor of rheumatology, a medical researcher, and the discoverer of [[Lyme disease]].  Steere discovered Lyme disease in 1976 when he noticed a cluster of people with similar unexplained symptoms, which other doctors initially believed were juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, in a heavily wooded [[Connecticut]] town called Lyme (and the next town over, which is conveniently named Old Lyme),<ref name="nyt">[http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/17/magazine/17LYMEDISEASE.html?pagewanted=1 Stalking Dr. Steere over Lyme disease] ''New York Times''</ref> though the [[bacteria]] responsible were not discovered until 1982.<ref name="qanda">[http://web.archive.org/web/20080307191326/http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/medicine/rheu/Q&ALYME.pdf Lyme Disease: Questions and Answers]</ref>  Steere was also a leader of the research for the Lyme vaccine,<ref>[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C00EED8173CF937A35756C0A96F958260 SCIENTIST AT WORK: ALLEN C. STEERE] ''New York Times''</ref> though it was taken off the market in 2002.

==Chronic Lyme disease==
Steere is an outspoken critic of so-called "[[Lyme disease#"Chronic" Lyme disease|chronic Lyme disease]]" - the belief that Lyme's infection of the body is persistent and not treatable with the two-to-five week antibiotic courses<ref>[http://www.ilads.org/files/ILADS_Guidelines.pdf ILADS Guidelines]</ref> recommended by the people who actually do science and research and that kind of stuff.<ref name="IDSA">[http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/9/1089.full IDSA Lyme disease guidelines]</ref>  Steere believes that those who do suffer from Lyme-related symptoms after treatment do so because of autoimmune effects of the Lyme-causing bacteria,<ref>[http://www.massgeneral.org/research/researchlab.aspx?id=1337 Allen Steere, MD] Research profile</ref> not because of persistent infection.  He believes others never had Lyme in the first place, instead having either [[chronic fatigue syndrome]] or [[fibromyalgia]].<ref name="nyt" />  Despite the agreement of most medical experts that chronic Lyme disease is not real,<ref name="IDSA" /><ref>[http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/ld_humandisease_treatment.htm  CDC: Lyme Disease Treatment and Prognosis]</ref><ref>[http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/lymedisease/understanding/pages/chronic.aspx NIAID on Lyme disease]</ref> a substantial number of patient "advocacy" groups and individual "advocates" arose to promote chronic Lyme diagnosis and treatment.  Unfortunately for Steere, a major form of advocacy is intimidating, harassing, stalking, and writing death threats toward him.<ref name="nyt" />

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steere, Allen}}
[[Category:Physicians]]

Categories: Physicians
Allopathic

{{altmed}}
'''Allopathic''' is a [[snarl word]] invented by [[homeopathy|homeopathetic]] medicine founder [[Samuel Hahnemann]], and used by [[quack]]s, to disparage [[evidence-based medicine]], and the real doctors and other trained professionals who practice it.

No one knows what its roots are, but ''allo'' is a derivation of the Greek, meaning "different". This was in contrast to the ''homeo'' in homeopathic, which means "same", referring to Hahnemann's false theory of "like cures like."

Generally, allopathic medicine refers to "the broad category of medical practice that is sometimes called [[Western medicine]], biomedicine, scientific medicine, or modern medicine"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20041126152514/http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2001/WHO_EDM_TRM_2001.2.pdf ''Legal Status of Traditional Medicine and Complementary/Alternative Medicine: A Worldwide Review''], 2001. Accessed 2007-09-121</ref>—in other words, it's the stuff that works. However, by homeopathy's definition, ''all'' non-homeopathic medical ideas must be allopathy since they aren't based on "like cures like"; this means that [[Irony|ironically]], according to the original definition, every other kind of "alternative" medicine (like [[herbalism]], [[vitamin]]s, [[chiropractic]], etc.) is also part of allopathy.

It is also sometimes used as a term to distinguish [[osteopathic medicine]] education from that received by other medical doctors in the US.<ref>http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=195503 Academic Geriatric Programs in US Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical Schools] citation by way of example</ref>

The use of the term outside of the academic discussion of the philosophy of medicine, or the specific context of osteopathic education as previously mentioned, is generally a dead giveaway that the speaker is a [[True Believer]] in [[alternative medicine]].

==See also==
*[[Evidence-based medicine]]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{stub|alternative medicine}}

[[Category:Neologisms]]
[[Category:Woo]]
[[Category:Arguments against evidence-based medicine]]
[[Category:Snarl words]]

Categories: Neologisms, Woo, Arguments against evidence-based medicine, Snarl words
Alpha

{{fork}}
*[[Alphabet]]
*[[Alphabiotics]] — an [[Alternative medicine|alternative medical practice]]
*[[Alpha Course]], a Christian evangelism program
*[[Manosphere glossary#Alpha|"Alpha males" or "alphas"]], a [[manosphere]] term for controlling and sexually active males
*[[Alpha-Omega Institute]] — a [[Christian]] [[young Earth creationist]] institution
*[[Radiation#Particulate|Alpha radiation]]
*[[Alpha waves]] — electric neural oscillations produced by the brain