trentmkelly/rationalwiki huggingface dataset:
Rick Renzi

[[File:Rick Renzi, official 109th Congress photo.jpg|thumb|right|165px|A Rick Renzi sockpuppet in the official congressional photo. Note fingers sticking up under the hair.]]
{{uspolitics}}
'''Rick Renzi''' {{lived|1958}} was a [[Republican Party|Republican]] Congresscritter from Fairfax, [[Virginia]] formerly representing an [[Arizona]] congressional district he doesn't live in.  

Little is known about much of his adult life; he did some kind of top-secret work for the [[Pentagon]] before running for Congress.  He bought a house in Arizona in 2002 just before running for the seat, which he never moved into (instead his campaign staff used it for late night [[beer]] busts, earning numerous complaints to the police from neighbors); the house was foreclosed right after the election for non-payment.  The whole time he and his family stayed in Fairfax except when he was in Arizona to campaign or schmooze with his "business partners".  After buying the seat by flooding the district with attack ads paid for with funds he skimmed from his insurance company, he used his seat to pass legislation directly benefiting his business partners and family.

He is also a rabid [[anti-abortion]] fanatic who got into a fist fight on the House floor over [[stem cell research]]. He has 12 children whose names all begin with the letter "R".

==The moral of the story is==
On February 2, 2008 he was indicted on 35 federal counts of public corruption, money laundering and other charges.  Surprise, surprise. 

He was convicted on 17 of those counts in June 2013 and sentenced October 28, 2013.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140720212756/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ex-us-rep-rick-renzi-be-sentenced-arizona Ex-US Rep. Rick Renzi gets 3-year prison term] by Bob Christie (Oct. 28, 2013 5:12 PM EDT) ''AP''.</ref> He was pardoned by outgoing president [[Donald Trump]].

==Special bonus==
Congressman Rick Renzi was caught live on C-SPAN necking and canoodling with Congresswoman Katherine Harris on the floor of Congress.  Watch the two lovebirds in action [http://youtube.com/watch?v=dPmVcmrim5k here!]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|politicians}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Renzi, Rick}}
[[Category:Convicted felons]]
[[Category:Former United States Representatives]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:United States politicians]]

Categories: Convicted felons, Former United States Representatives, Living people, United States politicians
Rick Ross

[[File:Rick Ross.jpg|thumb|left|Ross's promotional photo.]]{{cults}}
'''Rick Alan Ross''' {{lived|1952}} (so as not to be confused with the rapper of the same name<ref>Who he sold rickross.com to, in case you're wondering what happened to old links.</ref>, or with the drug dealer after whom the rapper was named) is an anti-[[cult]] activist. He got into the cult thing when he discovered a [[Pentecostal]] cult infiltrating the [[Jewish]] nursing home his grandmother was in and got just a bit pissed off at that sort of thing.

He used to do deprogramming but got sued to bankruptcy over a case that went wrong and now sticks to exit counseling and making information on cults available.

He is the founder of the '''Cult Education Institute''', formerly the Rick A. Ross Institute, a non-profit organisation with a mission "to study destructive cults, controversial groups and movements and to provide a broad range of information and services easily accessible to the public for assistance and educational purposes online through the Web."<ref>[https://culteducation.com/aboutus.html About Us], Cult Education Institute, accessed Aug 22, 2019</ref><ref>[https://culteducation.com/culteducation.html Rick Ross], Cult Education Institute, accessed Aug 22, 2019</ref>

His site is a gold mine of good-quality information on all manner of cults, coercive groups, and questionable and manipulative organisations.

Ross appeared in two episodes of ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]'' criticising [[New Age]] [[woo]] and life coaches.<ref>
''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]'', episode 2.07, ''Yoga, Tantric Sex, Etc.'' and episode 3.04, ''Life Coaching''.
</ref>

==Controversy==
During the 51-day [[Waco]] standoff in 1993, the [[FBI]] consulted Ross because he claims to be a "cult expert". Scholars blamed the violent ending of the Branch Davidian siege on the fact that the FBI took advice from Ross (who has no formal education on the subject) rather than academics.<ref>
http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/hush-hush-sweet-charlatans-6426159
</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.culteducation.com/ The Cult Education Institute] (formerly the Rick A. Ross Institute)
*[http://www.cultnews.com/ Cult News from Rick Ross]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|cults}}
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Jews]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Internet, Jews, Living people
Robert Charroux

{{Nazism}}
'''Robert Joseph Grugeau''' {{lived|1909|1978}}, better known by his pseudonym '''Robert Charroux''', was a [[French]] 
[[author]]
 [[crank|lunatic]] who is known for his amalgamation of two very different ideas, [[ancient astronauts]] and esoteric [[Nazism]].

In his books, with such fantastical titles as ''[[Legacy of the Gods]]'' and ''One Hundred Thousand Years of Man's Unknown History'', Charroux proposes the notion of an [[extraterrestrial]] [[Nordic]] [[white race]] who lived on the (fictitious) island of [[Hyperborea]], situated between [[Greenland]] and [[Iceland]]. These aliens purportedly came from a [[Planet X|cold planet far away from the sun]].<ref>Robert Charroux, The Mysterious Past, Futura Publications Ltd., 1974 pp. 29-30</ref> How they could so quickly adapt to [[Earth]]'s much more temperate climate is anyone's guess. Anyway, according to Charroux, these extraterrestrial Nordics, along with Celts, are the ancestors of the entire human race. Well, them and the [[Atlantis|Atlanteans]], who were [[shoehorn]]ed into the story for seemingly no reason other than to [[Poe's Law|make it even more batshit insane]].<ref>[http://www.the-savoisien.com/wawa-conspi/viewtopic.php?id=701 Robert Charroux - Histoire]. (French)</ref> In support of this "theory" he appeals to the geoglyphs of ancient American civilizations, such as the [[Nazca lines]], and their apparent similarity to the Long Man of Wilmington in [[England]].<ref>Lost Worlds, Robert Charroux, p97</ref> Charroux rejected human [[evolution]], [[Crank magnetism|of course]], instead adhering to human [[devolution]] (with a "d"), which states that we, as a species, are slowly descending from our lofty heights of blond-haired, blue-eyed, white-skinned glory. Such a pity.<ref>Lost Worlds: scientific secrets of the ancients, Robert Charroux, 1974, pp. 39-44</ref>

The load of [[bullshit]] stated above has evidently been adopted, at least to some degree, by some of the folks over at [[Metapedia]], who make reference to the ideas of devolution and the "master race" in their articles on Nordicism and Hyperborea.

[[Erich von Däniken]]'s claims were inspired by Charroux's in part. Charroux's publisher threatened a lawsuit for [[copyright]] violation due to Von Däniken [[Plagiarism|plagiarizing]] him. As a result, von Däniken added citations of Charroux in later editions.

==See also==
*[[Savitri Devi]]
*[[Woden's Folk]]
*[[Ernst Zündel]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charroux, Robert}}
[[Category:Ancient aliens]]
[[Category:Antisemites]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Crank magnetism]]
[[Category:Fascists]]
[[Category:Neo-Nazis]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Racists]]

Categories: Ancient aliens, Antisemites, Authors, Crank magnetism, Fascists, Neo-Nazis, Pseudoscience promoters, Racists
Robert Temple

{{ufology}}
'''Robert K. G. Temple''' {{lived|1945}} is an [[United States|American]] [[author]] best known for his book ''The Sirius Mystery'', which argues that the [[Dogon people]] were contacted by fish-like [[Extraterrestrial|aliens]].

== Credentials ==
Temple has an undergraduate degree in Oriental Studies and [[Sanskrit]],<ref name=rt>[http://www.jasoncolavito.com/robert-temple.html Robert Temple]. An overview by [[Jason Colavito]].</ref> but strangely, his website also lists the following qualifications:<ref>[http://www.robert-temple.com/academic.html Academic Affiliations], Robert-Temple.com.</ref>
*"Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society". The RAS accepts anyone willing to pay the entry fee.<ref>[http://www.ras.org.uk/membership Membership], Royal Astronomical Society.</ref>
*"British School of Archaeology at Rome". Also open to anyone willing to pay the entry fee.<ref>[http://www.bsr.ac.uk/support/membership/the-bsr-annual-fund The BSR Annual Fund << The British School at Rome]</ref>

Showing these titles is somewhat like a scientist proudly advertising the fact that they're a member of [[National Geographic]].

== Claims of suppression ==
Temple has claimed that various government agencies from around the world are trying to suppress his works.<ref>[http://www.robert-temple.com/articles/moses_new_dawn.pdf ''Who Was Moses?'']</ref><ref>[http://www.jasoncolavito.com/1/post/2012/06/robert-temple-and-the-cia-persecution-wheres-the-proof.html Robert Temple and the CIA Persecution: Where's the Proof?], Jason Colavito.</ref> That's obviously why ''The Sirius Mystery'' is available on [http://www.robert-temple.com/books2.html Temple's site] (which is, of course, suppressed and online at the same time), [http://www.amazon.com/Sirius-Mystery-Scientific-Evidence-Contact/dp/089281750X Amazon], and [http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sirius-mystery-robert-temple/1112986707 Barnes & Noble].

== Influence ==
Barbara Weber Ray, in ''[[The 'Reiki' Factor in The Radiance Technique]]'', claims [[Reiki]] is very ancient and goes back thousands of years. She cites ''The Sirius Mystery'''s description of the Dogon people's knowledge and suggests it is possible that [[Reiki]] may also be of extraterrestrial origin.

== External links ==
*[http://www.robert-temple.com/ His site]
*[http://www.robert-temple.com/papers/Sirius-AnswerCritics.html THE SIRIUS MYSTERY: ANSWERING THE CRITICS]
*[http://www.debunker.com/texts/dogon.html ''The Sirius Mystery''] (excerpt from ''UFOs and Outer Space Mysteries''), a skeptical analysis by [[James Oberg]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Temple, Robert}}
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theorists]]
[[category:Living people]]

Categories: Authors, Conspiracy theorists, Living people
Robert Williams

{{Psychology}}
'''Robert Williams''' {{lived|February 20, 1930}} is an esteemed [[African-American]] psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the Washington University at St. Louis.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080424080901/http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~psych/williams.html Williams' personnel page]</ref> He is known for his diametric opposition to [[racialism]] and supposed [[The Bell Curve|racial discrepancies]] between the [[IQ]]s of white people and black people. He is also known for coining the term "{{wpl|ebonics}}," which is another word for African American Vernacular English (or "AAVE" for short). 

==BITCH==
Williams created the Black Intelligence Test of Cultural Homogeneity by drawing from a glossary of African-American speech and personal experience “Danger: Testing and De-humanizing Black Children” Though structured similarly to traditional IQ testing, European Americans scored consistently lower on the BITCH than African Americans. Williams did not conclude this proved the intellectual inferiority of White Americans, which is something working in favor of Williams against white psychologists, whom when conducting "studies" on the supposed differences in cognition between races tended to believe that this proved the intellectual inferiority of Black Americans.<ref>''The Evolution of Human Psychology for African Americans'', pg. 113</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|psychology}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robert}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Psychologists]] [[Category:Racism]]

Categories: Living people, Psychologists, Racism
Rock Against Racism

[[File:Rock Against Racism flyer (front).jpg|thumb|left|165px|RAR flyer from 2018]]
{{race}}
'''Rock Against Racism''' was a [[United Kingdom|British]] anti-[[racist]] campaign that raised awareness for its cause by staging rock concerts.

RAR was originally conceived by Red Saunders and Roger Huddle as a one-off concert, but nothing came of the idea until August 1976 when [[Fun:Eric Clapton|Eric Clapton]] drunkenly praised [[Enoch Powell]]. Saunders, Huddle and two members of Kartoon Klowns<ref group=note>Exactly who or what Kartoon Klowns were appears to have been largely forgotten.</ref> responded with a letter to ''New Musical Express'' announcing the launch of the Rock Against Racism movement and calling for collaborators; Huddle since claimed that they received hundreds of letters in reply. RAR was ultimately part of a broader anti-racism movement (its frequent partner, the Anti-Nazi League, was founded in 1977) that grew up in response to the [[National Front]].<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20040627165515/http://www.socialistreview.org.uk/article.php?articlenumber=8931</ref>

The first RAR carnival was held in 1978.<ref name=dkrenton>https://web.archive.org/web/20051226071352/http://www.dkrenton.co.uk/rock_against_racism.html</ref> The campaign prompted a backlash from the [[white power]] music scene, which launched [[Rock Against Communism]] in response.

At the time, Roger Huddle was working for the [[Socialist Workers Party]] as a graphic designer. The SWP was closely involved with RAR, allowing its PO box and print shop to be used by the campaign.<ref>Andy Beckett, "When the Lights Went Out: Britain in the Seventies", Faber & Faber, 2009, pp. 449-50.</ref>

The original incarnation of RAR gradually faded away during the eighties, although an arguable successor &mdash; {{wpl|Love Music Hate Racism}} &mdash; was set up in 2002 following the elections of [[BNP]] councillers in Burnley.<ref name=dkrenton/>

==See also==
*[[Stop Murder Music]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Music]]
[[Category:Racism]]
{{stub|music}}

Categories: Music, Racism
Rods

{{ufology}}{{cquote|A rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.|||[[Book of Proverbs|Proverbs]] 10:13}}

'''Rods''', or '''Sky-Fish''' as they are also known, are [[Unidentified flying object|UFO]]s (or maybe they are the aliens themselves? Who can say?) that are, surprisingly, in a rod shape. They range from several inches in length to over a foot, with membranes on the sides to assist in swimming through the air. Rods can travel at such a speed that they cannot be seen with the naked eye; however, much "good" footage has been taken of them (and we mean good in the loosest sense possible). They appear to be intelligent, dodging and weaving around obstacles and, in some cases, passing right through solid matter - which would obviate the need to dodge round, one would have thought.

==Sightings==
[[Image:A Skyfish.jpg|thumb|left|A collection of scary Rods]]
[[Jose Escamilla]]<ref>http://www.roswellrods.com</ref> was the first person to get a rod on tape (and also claimed that he was going to give the producers of ''Monster Hunt'' on the [[History Channel]] a [[Masturbation|"Monkey Spanking"]]) and devoted his life to standing around with his camera pointed in the air trying to catch them on film, a technique known as "Sky Fishing". From the look of his website, Sky Fishing for Rods was not a particularly rewarding financial endeavour, but we thank him anyway for his dedication to hunting these creatures.

==Explanation==

On the History Channel show ''MonsterQuest'', rods were proven to simply be exactly what they look like; camera illusions caused by motion blur and shutter speed issues. At high speed, a moth was seen. At regular speed, it was a rod. Rods tend to be observed by people who forget that cameras do not work the same as eyes - among other things, there are quite a few things, particularly [[insect]]s, that move rather faster than the frame rate of the typical camera, thus creating the rod-like appearance. Believers in rods still deny that they are camera illusions, but don't seem to be in the business of disproving this.

Amateur [[Astronomy|astronomer]] Bob DuHamel wrote a lengthy article, explaining exactly how the rods are "created;"<ref>[http://www.amsky.com/ufos/rods/ The "Rods" Hoax]</ref> findings which have been echoed by other people examining the phenomenon.<ref>[http://www.odbic.com/sol/bugs.htm Sol's "Rods" Study]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Orbs]], for the round type
*[[Cryptozoology]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Ufology]]

Categories: Ufology
Roger Bate

{{Denialism|1}}
'''Roger Bate''' is a [[libertarian]] economist and fellow at the [[American Enterprise Institute]].<ref>[http://www.aei.org/scholar/roger-bate/ Roger Bate], American Enterprise Institute.</ref> Bate has had a history of jumping between [[conservative]] [[think tank]]s for the purpose of promoting [[deregulation]] through unorthodox campaigns.<ref>Adam Sarvana, [https://archive.is/xcwZV Bate and Switch: How a free-market magician manipulated two decades of environmental science]. Archived from storiesthatmatter.org, 2 June 2009.</ref> He is a founder and current co-director of Africa Fighting Malaria (AFM), a project affiliated with the [[Competitive Enterprise Institute]].<ref>Donald Gutstein, [http://thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2010/01/22/DDTPropaganda/ Inside the DDT Propaganda Machine]. thetyee.ca, 22 January 2010.</ref> AFM is an [[astroturf]] group dedicated to promulgating [[anti-environmentalism]]. It particularly promotes the myth that the "banning"<ref group=note>Any mentions of exceptions in the ban for anti-malarial purposes are curiously omitted.</ref> of [[DDT]] led to millions of deaths in [[Third World]] countries and that [[Rachel Carson]]'s work on the effects of DDT was fabricated. AFM falsely claims that widespread use of DDT would save millions of lives, despite the known adverse health effects and the fact that mosquitoes have increasingly [[evolution|evolved]] resistance to the pesticide. Bate, [[crank magnetism|as to be expected]], is also a [[global warming denialism|climate denier]].<ref>[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Roger_Bate Roger Bate], Sourcewatch.</ref>

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

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|denialism}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bate, Roger}}
[[Category:Environmentalism]]
[[Category:Libertarians]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Living people]]

Categories: Environmentalism, Libertarians, Pseudoscience promoters, Living people
Rogerian argument

[[File:Carl R Rogers.jpg|thumb|165px|Carl R. Rogers]]
{{logicnav}}
A '''Rogerian argument''' is a type of [[argument]] in which one tries to seek a middle ground between two opposing arguments rather than trying to dictate a "winner" unlike in a traditional [[Aristotle|Aristotelian]] argument.<ref>[https://owl.excelsior.edu/argument-and-critical-thinking/organizing-your-argument/organizing-your-argument-rogerian/ Excelsior Online Writing Lab (Excelsior College OWL). Rogerian Argument.]</ref> This kind of argument is largely inspired by the 20<sup>th</sup>-century [[American]] [[psychologist]] {{wpl|Carl Rogers||.}} One may "win" in a Rogerian argument by successfully convincing the opponent to consider alternative arguments.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-cLQmZuSEMgC Teich, Nathaniel. Rogerian Perspectives: Collaborative Rhetoric for Oral and Written Communication. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1992.]</ref>

==Alternative name==
*'''Rogerian rhetoric'''

==Typical usage in argument==
#Person 1: Raises argument <math>A_1</math>
#Person 2: Raises argument <math>A_2</math>
#Person 1 or 2: Creates argument <math>A_3</math>, a 'compromise' of <math>A_1</math> and <math>A_2</math> that typically contains premises from both <math>A_1</math> and <math>A_2</math>
#Person 1 or 2: Argues argument <math>A_3</math> typically using the combined premises of <math>A_1</math> and <math>A_2</math>

==As rhetoric versus an argument==
Suppose that the Rogerian argument technique is being used on two arguments, <math>A_1</math> and <math>A_2</math>, that are disjoint. That is, <math>A_1 \cap A_2=\emptyset</math>. Then, it is impossible to have a formal argument using Rogerian argument techniques; there are no common premises. At this point, the purpose of deploying '''Rogerian rhetoric''' is more analogous to a negotiation medium than an argument technique whose purpose is to simply understand the opposing argument rather than trying to change it.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=7gs3gw9du4wC Harry Phillips, Patricia Bostian. The Purposeful Argument: A Practical Guide. Cengage Learning. Jan 1, 2011.]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel#The Hegelian Dialectic|Hegelian synthesis]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|logic}}
[[Category:Arguments]]
[[Category:Logic]]

Categories: Arguments, Logic
Rolfing

{{DISPLAYTITLE:Rolfing®}}{{altmed}}
:''Did you mean ROFLing? Or perhaps {{wpl|Rolf Harris|Rolf Harris}}? Or maybe your finger slipped and you wanted to read about [[Fun:Golf|golfing]]? Which is only painful if you ignore someone saying "fore" and get hit by a stray ball.''

:''Not to be confused with '''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralphing ralphing]''', though that may follow a particularly intense session of Rolfing.''

'''Rolfing'''&reg; (or '''structural bodywork''' if you can't afford the Rolf Institute version) is the [[massage]] of the body's connective tissue or fascia, usually done in a series of 8-10 sessions lasting 1 hour each.  Rolfing&reg; has a reputation for being painful. It is claimed to bring the body's posture back into correct alignment, stretch the connective tissue back to its original length, increase height, correct poor range of motion and bad habits, unburden your bank account of excess cash, and have many [[woo|unspecified]] general health benefits.

Rolfing&reg; was invented by Ida Rolf in the 1940s. Rolfing&reg; and Rolfing&reg; Structural Integration&trade; are trademarks of The Rolf Institute of Structural Integration of Boulder, [[Colorado]], which certifies anyone wishing to practice Rolfing&reg;.

Rolfing&reg; enthusiasts tend to make [[metaphysics|metaphysical]] claims for the practice as well, especially that Rolfing&reg; brings the body back into "balance" with [[gravity]], and that this [[woo|somehow]] aligns the body with the earth's "energy field".

There is no evidence whatsoever that Rolfing&reg; (or even just Rolfing) does any good at all for anything.<ref>Jones, T.A. (2004). [http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1047965104000178  "Rolfing"]. Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Clinics of North America 15 (4): 799–809. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.pmr.2004.03.008 doi:10.1016/j.pmr.2004.03.008]. [http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15458753 PMID 15458753].</ref> But it hurts, so it must be good, right?

Some real [[Mehmet Oz|doctors]] can be found to advocate this process, but the same can probably be said for [[smoking]].

Really, ROFLing is much better, with laughter being the best medicine and such.

==See also==
*[[Massage]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Alternative medicine]]
[[Category:Manipulative therapy]]

Categories: Alternative medicine, Manipulative therapy