The Skeptic Zone

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:52

M S S X Alice Howarth and Laurie Phillips Celebrate ten years of the Merseyside Skeptics Society at the special one-day event at the Liner Hotel in Liverpool.

It's been ten years since the first meeting of the MSS, and ten years since the first episode of Skeptics with a K – the UK's longest-running skeptical podcast.

http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/mssx/

0:13:46 Astrology in the White House Astrology, which seems to be enjoying a renaissance among millennials and Gen Xers, is only one sad example from our flabby-minded post-truth era. - By Ron Reagan

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2019/04/25/feature/spring-cleaning-2019-eight-things-to-toss/

0:28:50 Jessica Singer on SitP What does it take to run a Skeptics in the Pub event? We ask Jessica Singer from Australian Skeptics about her trip to vist SitP in London.

http://london.skepticsinthepub.org/

0:42:08 Maynard's Spooky Action... Once again Maynard heads for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to find out what people think of the large cash prize offered by Australian Skeptics. Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au Skepticamp in Brisbane http://www.brisbaneskeptics.org/2019-skepticamp

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:40 No Spirts in the Spirit Box We chat to Kenny Biddle about his investigations into the strange and bizarre device known as a spirit box. Proponents of this box claim it is a conduit to communicate with the souls of the dead.

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/groundbreaking-ghost-experiment-breaks-no-ground/

Geeks and Ghosts

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgVvr4HhIEKXdWu-VQplnbg

0:18:52 Susan Gerbic in the UK A catch up with Susan as she tours the UK. Also we hear about Mark Edward and his Victorian style seances. 0:27:45 A Ghostly Investigation From the pages of the Skeptic magazine, a ghostly tale of investigations with a haunted house, graveyards and a skeptical reporter.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au Flu Vax Day https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/04/09/free-flu-vaccination-day-in-sydney-may-4/ Skepticalcon San Francisco http://www.skepticalcon.org Maynard's Love Shack http://www.maynard.com.au/maynards-loveshack-returns-saturday-may-4th

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:10 Interview with Professor Dave Dave Farina aka 'Professor Dave', tells us about his series of free educational videos covering many scientific disciplines. Also his battle with Flat Earthers!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0cd_-e49hZpWLH3UIwoWRA

Response to Globebusters - The Earth Still Isn't Flat https://youtu.be/XONAgf9Eg9U

https://professordavedebates.simplecast.fm

0:21:20 Anti-vax naturopath banned A naturopath has been banned from providing any health service by the Health Care Complaints Commission. By Jane Hansen

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/antivax-naturopath-banned-after-watchdog-puts-bite-on-her-claims/news-story/d2e196142433676619ffa45902182fd7

0:24:20 Superstition in Sport Why do some athletes cling to superstitions? A brief interview with Kristine Dun. 0:29:25 Flying Sorcery From the pages of 'The Skeptic Magazine', searching the skies for evidence of UFOs and a history of hoaxes. By Steve Roberts

https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine

0:39:30 Maynard's Love Shack #2 People all over Sydney are rushing, hushing and flushing to The Red Bar in Glebe for the underrated date of Saturday May 4th, 8pm til midnight for Maynard's Loveshack. Maynard the retro DJ behind the Madd Club and many other happenings over the decades, presents a night of shameless sounds that celebrate the pop and pretentiousness of the late 20th century.

http://maynard.com.au/maynards-loveshack-returns-saturday-may-4th

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:56 Maynard's Spooky Action Maynard heads for Sydney Skeptics in the pub and asks pubbers the big question, "What topics, if any, should skeptics give up?" 0:19:24 Maynard's Spooky Action - part #2 Australia in Space. An interview with Kerrie Dougherty about Australia's involvement in the space race. Kerrie Dougherty is an independent space historian, curator and writer and a lecturer in the Space Humanities department of the International Space University.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Australia-Space-Kerrie-Dougherty/dp/1925309657

0:27:10 Mind your Spirit, Body and Wallet We look at 30 years of the Mind Body Spirit festival in Australia. An interview with Tim Mendham editor of 'The Skeptic Magazine' from Australian Skeptics. 0:43:30 So-called 'Psychic Detectives' sensing nothing There's a reason police don't work with psychics. Psychics don't work. Which is a bit of an issue in the results-orientated realms in which police and search-and-rescue personnel operate. With the best will in the otherworld, not one example of face-scrunched, chest-tightening, I-feel-such-a-chill emoting has yet solved a single New Zealand murder or resolved a search.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/opinion/111702736/psychic-information-an-oxymoronic-offering-for-police-searches

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au Flu Vax Day https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/04/09/free-flu-vaccination-day-in-sydney-may-4/ Canberra Skeptics talk https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:00 Science Outreach with Dr Kate Carter Kate Carter, Director of Community Science Education at NCSE. Kate joined NCSE in 2018, after lecturing in biology and working in curriculum development and informal education. She holds a Ph.D. in human evolutionary biology from Harvard University.

https://www.ncse.com

0:26:10 The Raw Skeptic Report... with Heidi Robertson Something does smell right in New Zealand Schools. An Auckland primary school has pulled therapeutic diffusers from the classroom after a high court threat from a parent who said the essential oils could trigger asthma attacks. Heidi looks into Essential Oils. What are they, what of the claims and do they live up to them?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/index.cfm?objectid=12217639

0:42:00 Mind Body Spirit and Money Thursday, November 16, 1989, was an auspicious day for the New Age in Australia. It marked the opening of the four-day Festival for Mind, Body, Spirit, what is surely the largest gathering so far of New Age marketing yet held in this country.

https://www.skeptics.com.au

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au https://www.meetup.com/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:10 What would Darwin say... A interview with Dr Eugenie Scott about what she thinks Charles Darwin would have to say to today's 'Young Earth Creationists'. 0:14:55 Measles Outbreak Emergency New York county declares Measles outbreak emergency. Rockland County, north of New York City, has barred unvaccinated children from public spaces after 153 cases were confirmed. Also Measles fear in the Bay Area.

https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/03/26/measles-santa-clara-county-apple-stanford-macys-exposure/

0:25:15 Millbrae Skeptics in the Pub We head to Millbrae Skeptics in the Pub, near SFO Airport, to enjoy a Guinness, a meal and good company. We ask the big question, 'should you argue with somebody who is wrong on the Internet?' With Greg Dorais, Leonard Tramiel and more.

https://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Skeptics/

http://bayareascience.org/calendar/

0:41:20 Australian Skeptics looking for 'psychic detectives' Many self-professed psychics claim to have assisted police by providing "insights" into the whereabouts of missing persons, finding evidence, etc. The newspaper headline "Psychic helps in huntforwoman" is commonplace, but rarely do we hear of any follow-up on how useful the psychic's advice (or the newspapers) would lead one to believe.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au

https://www.meetup.com/AustSkeptics

https://www.meetup.com/Mordi-Skeptics-in-the-Pub/

0:00:00

Australian Skeptics Inc on Christchurch Tragedy Australian Skeptics Inc (and this podcast) is deeply saddened by the horrific terrorist attack in Christchurch on Friday which targeted the Muslim community.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/03/19/aust-skeptics-inc-on-christchurch-tragedy/

0:03:15 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:06:13

Social Media Crackdown on Anti-Vax More and more social media outlets are cracking down on the misinformation of the anti-VAX crowd.

https://thehill.com/policy/technology/435207-instagram-to-block-anti-vaccine-hashtags-amid-misinformation-crackdown

https://www.wired.com/story/facebook-anti-vaccine-crack-down/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/03/22/gofundme-joins-facebook-instagram-and-pinterest-anti-vax-crackdown/3249907002/

https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/20/health/kentucky-governor-children-chickenpox/index.html

0:20:50

The Raw Skeptic Report... With Heidi Robertson Past winner of the Australian Skeptics bent spoon award Pete Evans, now seems to be jumping into the murky waters of Anti-VAX rhetoric and 5G fears.

0:36:50

Readers' Indigestible From the pages of "The Skeptic" magazine, the Journal from Australian Skeptics. Tim Mendham looks at those 'other' publications, where skepticism is a dirty word ... sometimes. One is an extreme example of niceness, with lashings of all things New Age that will give you a sugar rush of epic proportions. The other is more down to earth ... literally.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine/

Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:10:20

Pete Evans, anti-vaxxer? Celebrity chef Pete Evans supports anti-vaxxer Paul Chek on social media. Jane Hansen, The Daily Telegraph

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/celebrity-chef-pete-evans-supports-antivaxxer-paul-chek-on-social-media/news-story/219eacad3c620dbe2c01df9541109478

0:13:00

Life is Wild... With Michelle Franklin Only in.... Darwin? Michelle takes a look at the "only in..." meme.

0:20:45

PhD Called into Question Review finds Wilyman anti-vax PhD "incomplete", "biased" and "flawed" A recent study by four researchers has raised serious concerns over the notorious PhD thesis by leading anti-vaxxer Judy Wilyman, which earned her a PhD from the University of Wollongong in 2015.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/03/05/review-finds-wilyman-anti-vax-phd-incomplete-biased-and-flawed/

0:28:30

GMO Only Kevin Davies interviews Jose Barrero and Marina Trigueros. GMOonly is an initiative dedicated to the promotion of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and the sale of products made with GMOs. They are the first brand proud to show upfront the benefits of using GMOs.

https://www.gmoonly.com/about

0:35:05

Aust Skeptics Inc statement on climate change After more than 60 years of research, the agreement among scientists is that the climate is changing and that this change is mostly human-induced. The agreement is as strong as that concerning evolution and the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Among experts, disagreement about the core elements is almost non-existent.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/03/15/aust-skeptics-inc-statement-on-climate-change/

Also Canberra Skeptics https://www.meetup.com/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:15

New Zealand Dowser Dollors Down Drain We interview the Chair of New Zealand Skeptics, Craig Shearer about how Wellington ratepayers are funding a pseudo-scientific method to find buried water pipes. The contractor, Downer and the Wellington City Council are not concerned at the public's perception their money has been spent on disproved science. Rather than use electronic equipment, a Downer contractor working on a Wellington City Council project used two copper rods to tell him where pipes lay.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/03/06/471504/wellington-ratepayers-foot-bill-for-pseudo-science https://skeptics.nz

0:23:33

Mike Willesee, Skeptics Winner and Loser Australian journalist Mike Willesee has died at the age of 76 after a long battle with throat cancer. He is noted as the only person to win both positive and negative awards from Australian Skeptics. He had a long, largely positive, relationship with the Skeptics during the 1980s, but less positive during the 1990s.

https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/03/01/mike-willesee-trailblazing-journalist-skeptics-winner-and-loser/ Signs from God video https://youtu.be/GYhdKpGwqXI

0:37:08

Old Folk Remedies We head for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to find out if pubbers remember some old folk remedies from years ago.

Also Maynard's DJ Gig in Sydney https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=468290 Richard Saunders' Bay Area Skeptics talk, 14th March http://baskeptics.org

0:00:00 Introduction Maynard 0:03:22

How to catch a "Psychic" We talk to Susan Gerbic about her Sting Operation to catch out an alleged psychic. Does he get his information from the heavens? Seems more likely from 'The Cloud'!

Inside the Secret Sting Operations to Expose Celebrity Psychics - New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/26/magazine/psychics-skeptics-facebook.html Buckle Up - Seatbelt Psychic https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/buckle_up_-_seatbelt_psychic Thomas John (The Seatbelt Psychic) - Busted for Cheating! - Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faBIIFA5wng

0:24:08

Homeopathetic

From the pages of 'The Skeptic Magazine', a report by Jim Goulter. "I was disturbed to find a pamphlet entitled Homoeopathy, The quiet achiever of HIV/AIDS treatment. The extravagant claims of the feature article so confidently elucidated, set me wondering as to the value of my impending immunisation." https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine/

Also Maynard's DJ Gig in Sydney https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=468290 Richard Saunders' Bay Area Skeptics talk, 14th March http://baskeptics.org

Canberra Skeptics Talks https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

Richard Saunders' talk at Sydney Skeptics in the Pub

https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/AustSkeptics/