Skeptical Thoughts
2015
Here are the topics I chose to talk about on RadioLive for the year. Some of them may not have been mentioned on the radio due to a lack of time.
Show
December 13, 2015
Save the Wellington Astrology Centre
The Wellington Astrology centre, a drop-in office in central Wellington, is struggling to make ends meet and has turned to Pledge Me to raise funds
1 min read, 71 words. Continue Reading.... It's been running since 2011, but now needs $3,000 to cover the next 3 months of bills. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Astrology
Faith healer Rod Parsley seeks conventional treatment for throat cancer
Rod Parsley of the World Harvest church isn't relying on his healing abilities to treat his throat cancer but is seeking actual medical treatments.
2 min read, 234 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Cancer
Eighty children get chickenpox at school that calls for 'tolerance' of vaccine dodgers
Up to 80 kids - 1 in 4 - at Brunswick North West Primary School in Melbourne have contracted chicken pox
1 min read, 154 words. Continue Reading.... The school is tolerant or even welcoming of parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids. Newsletters have reiterated this view: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
Disciplined osteopath George McKenzie yet to apologise
An osteopath in Christchurch has been disciplined
4 min read, 650 words. Continue Reading...for treating a patient's toothache by touching her breast. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Osteopathy, CAM
Bronx priest stole more than $1M from two NYC churches
A Bronx priest stole more than $1M
1 min read, 133 words. Continue Reading...from two NYC churches, and used the cash on a wild S&M romance with his beefy boyfriend Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Priest, Scam
Marlborough clairvoyant steals $250,000 from couple in rest home
Former accountant turned psychic took $250 thousand
1 min read, 189 words. Continue Reading...from an elderly couple in a rest home who had been friends with him for 30 years. The money was taken over a period of 12 years. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Psychic, Scam
Anti-vaxxer's baby hospitalised with whooping cough
Australian Anti-vaccination activist's 11 week old daughter hospitalised for whooping cough
1 min read, 82 words. Continue Reading..., which kills 1 in 200 children who pick up the infection. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
November 15, 2015
End of the World Predictions
There has been a major end of the world prediction about every 100 years or so from 66AD onwards. Then from 1500AD (16th Century) every 10 years, then by the 1970s pretty much every year.
4 min read, 771 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Apocalypse, Armageddon
October 11, 2015
The world ends... again
2 min read, 392 words. Continue Reading...During the recent visit of Pope Francis to the United States, in every city he visited, (Washington DC, New York City and Philadelphia,) there were people at the fringes of the largest crowds wearing bright yellow shirts, often carrying large yellow signs, handing out literature proclaiming the end of the world for October 7, 2015 from eBible Fellowship, led by Chris McCann.
Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Prediction, Apocalypse, Armageddon
Perth Electrical Engineer finds errors in climate models
Dr David Evans
1 min read, 121 words. Continue Reading...has found that, while the underlying physics of the model is correct, it had been applied incorrectly . Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Climate
Online real estate agency offers ghost-free home certification
House Network
1 min read, 146 words. Continue Reading...in the UK is offering a ghost-free home certification service, and they point to a report that says that: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Ghost
MagneSleep lost an ASA complaint
MagneSleep lost an ASA complaint
2 min read, 228 words. Continue Reading...about a magnetic bracelet they sell, and they don't like me Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, ASA, Magnet
NHS wants to employ a Spiritual Healer
The NHS are advertising
2 min read, 210 words. Continue Reading...for a spiritual healer . Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Reiki, CAM
Zimbabwe prophet's attempt to prove he can walk on air' falls flat
Shepherd Bushiri has claimed in a video
1 min read, 180 words. Continue Reading...that he is walking on air. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Miracle, Prophet
October 4, 2015
Clairvoyant solves phantom freaking out Dunedin
Regent theatre, Dunedin
1 min read, 101 words. Continue Reading..., playing Phantom of the Opera. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Ghost
Haka gives ABs more than a psychological lift
A silly article
1 min read, 184 words. Continue Reading...on Stuff recently talked about the benefits of a haka before playing rugby: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Haka, Sport
NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today's Mars
NASA announced
2 min read, 224 words. Continue Reading...ahead of time that it would be holding a press release about an important discovery. Lots of speculation, as always. Maybe life on mars, although no hardware to test properly for life on Mars. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Mars, NASA
Doctors and pharmacists clash over complementary medicines
The Pharmacy Council is trying to change part of its Code of Ethics: Here is the old code:
2 min read, 277 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Pharmacy, CAM
More sex for a healthy prostate - report
One in 13 men will develop prostate cancer before the age of 75.
2 min read, 240 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, CAM
September 27, 2015
Kiwi traveller in Peru dies after Amazon drug ritual
Matthew Dawson-Clarke, 24, from Auckland was in Peru and took part
1 min read, 118 words. Continue Reading...in a cleansing ceremony. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Ayahuasca, CAM
California's Drought Is A Government Conspiracy
Apparently
1 min read, 121 words. Continue Reading...the current drought in California is a conspiracy. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Drought
Dalai Lama Says a Female Successor Should Be Very Attractive
The Dalai Lama has spoken about his successor
1 min read, 60 words. Continue Reading..., and suggested that if it's a woman, they would have to be attractive. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Buddhism
Blood Moon on September 28 will bring huge earth-destroying earthquakes
A blood moon
2 min read, 294 words. Continue Reading...is a new name for a lunar eclipse, where the earth travels between the sun and the moon. The full moon turns red. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Moon
Jesus brain scan a miracle
Stuff published an article
1 min read, 103 words. Continue Reading...last week about Tamaha McDonald, from Blenheim, who is currently living in Mexico. Tamaha's wife, Jennifer, suffers from a lung condition which means that she needs a double lung transplant. They are currently raising money to help with this. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Miracle
August 16, 2015
Advertising Standards Authority Complaints
A new website
1 min read, 49 words. Continue Reading...shows stats for ASA complaints. There are lots of companies making unsupported claims, such as Life Energy Designs - who tell us that the earth poisons us with Electromagnetic Waves ("Geopathic Stress") and that we should purchase their devices to keep us protected. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Skeptics, ASA, CAM
Martin Harris is Supreme Winner at the Pharmacy Awards
The awards
2 min read, 350 words. Continue Reading...are hosted by the Pharmacy Guild of NZ and Pharmacy Today. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Pharmacy
Bravo Award
A bravo was awarded
1 min read, 64 words. Continue Reading...at last year's conference to Graeme Hill for his ongoing promotion of science and challenging of pseudoscience on Radio Live. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Science, NZSkeptics, Award
Dr Jim Mason - Creationist
Dr Mason
1 min read, 57 words. Continue Reading...is currently touring in New Zealand : Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Creationism
Waisake Naholo's miracle healing
Waisake Naholo's miracle healing Waisake Naholo has a cracked fibula - the smaller of the lower leg bones (alongside the tibia).
1 min read, 192 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, CAM
Resene Promotes Colour Therapy
Most of the serious claims have already been removed, after I talked to them on the phone, but Resene still talk about crystal energy
1 min read, 31 words. Continue Reading...and other nonsense concepts. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Paint
September 20, 2015
GOP Candidates and Vaccines
There was a Republican candidate debate
3 min read, 487 words. Continue Reading...on Wednesday, and I thought it would be good to look at the wrong-headed thinking of some of the candidates regarding vaccines. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Politics, Republicans
IgNobel Prizes
The Ig Nobel Prizes honor achievements that make people laugh, and then think. The prizes
3 min read, 525 words. Continue Reading...are intended to celebrate the unusual, honor the imaginative — and spur people's interest in science, medicine, and technology. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Science, IgNobel
Appetite for diet supplements benefits few, experts say
A Southern Cross survey
1 min read, 149 words. Continue Reading...suggested some 1.56m New Zealanders regularly took the products. About 750,000 had done so for at least five years. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, CAM, Vitamins, Supplements