Craig is back on NZ soil in body, but not quite in mind, so while he gets over his jet lag Bronwyn, Mark and Katrina have invited fellow committee member Brad McClure to the party. Brad enlightens us that if our hearts did beat at 432 Hz, cancer wouldn’t be a problem because we’d be dead. Mark brings in the binaural beats, Bronwyn forces everyone to listen to some of the awful and not so awful music she found for the Cult Leaders and Devotees music poll, and Katrina explains why the pain you may feel after listening to all of this is oh so very real.

Craig is still AWOL at his secret MLM conference so Bronwyn and Mark keep calling in some blood debts. Long-suffering skeptic James Kerr finally humours us with his presence, and gives the team an education on Universal Basic Income. Bronwyn talks about what put the zing in ZAP (Zenith Applied Philosophy). Mark talks about that old skeptical standby, UFOs, and Katrina returns yet again to discuss popular myths in psychology.

Craig has abandoned us, so Bronwyn and Mark abandon any sense of brevity in revolt. Mark gives an update on the wind down of his time with Eastern Lightning, and Bronwyn talks about Frank Turnbull, David Mayo and the early history of Scientology in New Zealand. Return guests Katrina and Daniel carry the rest of the podcast. Katrina talks about Elon Musk’s brain chips, and her own life as a cyborg. Daniel, on the other hand, does twice the work as the rest of us, with the shortest segment ever (how people are trying to game the ratings of the new live-action Little Mermaid movie), and a report on the anti-trans rhetoric on show at the Freedoms NZ roadshow in the Hutt Valley last week.

Long time listener, but definitely not first time caller, Susan Shearer joins the crew this week to train the most problematic (and only) member of her downline. Bronwyn gives an update on the various travails of Highden Temple and the International School of the Temple Arts, and Craig offers a tongue in cheek eulogy to the late Rashid Buttar.

Craig is back with us and having a breather before his future travels to Utah, so we are making him work twice as hard. We debunk the rise of mercury in retrograde in the current newscycle; devour a very interesting Official Information Act Request; despair that claiming allodial title doesn’t preclude you from paying taxes; and dive into the life and crazy wisdom of the late American spiritual guru, Franklin Jones, aka Adi Da Samraj, aka Da Free John, aka Bubba Free John.

When the chair entity is away, the committee members really struggle to keep to any agenda. While Craig is off galavanting in cafes on the other side of the ditch, Bronwyn and Mark call in reinforcements in the form of Katrina and Alistair, both of whom have provided variety in our past two newsletters. Al talks about the School of Prophets, Katrina gives advice on how to increase the real science in your life by ditching the junk, and Bronwyn puts a bow on her research into Builders of the Adytum.

Craig joins us on a high after he spent the evening stumping the comedians on the show 7 Days, and talks about magical Gummy Bears. Mark travels down a rabbit hole of woo that goes from Buddha stones, to ghosts, to wishing plates, and back again, and Bronwyn brings the show to an end with something a little “jolly”.

Hell is empty, and the heathens are recording on a sunny Good Friday. Mark bemoans the fact that he is aging, and rants about being upsold on bluelight filters at SpecSavers. Craig is salty at Bronwyn’s trolling, yet nevertheless answers the call to talk about the recent EV fire on the Auckland motorway. We discuss the responses (or in Kelvin Cruickshank’s case, lack thereof) to our $100,000 Challenge, and Bronwyn closes out her series on Evangelicals and New Zealand with some words of (Ray) Comfort.

Mark has found a failing of ChatGPT, but it’s not what you think. Bronwyn and Mark talk about their recent experience making an oral submission for the Therapeutic Products Bill. Finally, the team talks to Stuart Landsborough; lifelong skeptic, recent retiree, and the founder of Puzzling World and the NZ $100,000 Psychic Challenge.

We are a smaller contingent this week, but not by much. Dan Ryan returns to share how his and Mark’s investigation into the Chinese sect Eastern Lightning is progressing. Census day was March 7th, and we wonder whether the recent deluge of Star Wars content will impact the Jedi population. We also talk about Drag Story Times and the misguided responses they’ve received.