Three months ago I wrote a blog post both here and at Young Australian Skeptics about the case of Rom Houben, a man who was left in a vegetative state after a car crash.  Some uncouth attention seekers decided to abuse this man, his family, and their dignity for their own 15 minutes of fame by claiming he could communicate with the outside world.  They used a common scam trick known as Facilitated Communication, and the media fell for it hook line and sinker.

Three months later it appears they have FINALLY run some very very basic tests.  The results are just as expected by the skeptical community – it wasn’t Rom communicating after all, it was all the work of the facilitator.  Of course, barely any media companies are covering this and letting the public know, so most people will continue to believe it was true. Continue reading →

(This was also posted at YoungAusSkeptics.com)

The news sites are going crazy right now about a Belgian man called Rom Houben who has spent the last 23 years in a coma. His facilitators are now claiming he was not in a coma at all, but rather that he was just trapped concious inside is body unable to get out and communicate with the outside world.

The skeptic sites are going crazy as well about this story, but not for the same reason. Watch the video below and see if you can pick the reason why.