Skeptical Thoughts
2017
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
July 2, 2017
Baby kept sick by mother's bad decision
A mother in the US was found by doctors
1 min read, 154 words. Continue Reading...to be causing her child to fall ill because she was taking pills made from her own placenta. A company in the US makes the pills from dried placenta, and you supply them with your placenta after your child's birth. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Placenta
InfoWars promotes theory that NASA keeps slave kids on Mars
Alex Jones, anchor man of the news outlet InfoWars in the US, hosted Robert David Steele on his show this week, and talked about Robert's theory that NASA are holding slave children on Mars
1 min read, 159 words. Continue Reading.... This has led to NASA officially denying the accusation, along with another recent claim that there are no active rovers on Mars. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, NASA
I went to a Scientology Event
Since I attended the opening of the new Scientology building in January, I have been called occasionally by a church member called Will who has been inviting me to Auckland Scientology events. However, I'm in Wellington and so I've been waiting patiently for a local event to be announced.
4 min read, 788 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Scientology
June 18, 2017
Breatharians make Dangerous Claims
A breatharian couple, Camila Castello and Akahi Ricardo
2 min read, 203 words. Continue Reading..., have publicly claimed that they live on "cosmic nourishment" from the "energy that exists in the universe and in themselves". They claim that they didn't eat at all for a period of 3 years, and that they hardly ever eat. When they do eat, it's a piece of fruit or some broth. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Breatharianism
Probable nonsense promoted at Hamilton Fieldays
An article in the Herald
2 min read, 225 words. Continue Reading...this week talked about several innovations that were showcased at the Hamilton Fieldays event. Unfortunately, one of the products, DermaShield , appears to be be very much pseudo-scientific. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vet
I was visited by Jehovah's Witnesses
The Jehovah's Witnesses came around for an hour or more yesterday, having previously chatted with me last week.
3 min read, 572 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, JW
Auckland Church Promoting Magical Oil
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has been handing out
3 min read, 409 words. Continue Reading...cross shaped vials of a "holy oil" which it says have been blessed in Jerusalem and can "activate people's faith" in order to treat medical conditions such as depression, addiction, heart problems and chronic pain. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Oil
June 11, 2017
Apparently I need a colonic
Nigel Antony Gray is a Scientologist who believes he can predict earthquakes and that the weather is controlled by the government - and recently that fidget spinners send out harmful "frequencies". Nigel has decided that he will allow skeptics to join his secretive Facebook group - Spiritual Awareness New Zealand - as long as they follow his instructions.
3 min read, 601 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Pseudoscience, CAM , Tags: Colonic
Credulous alt-med article on Radio NZ
Radio NZ published an article
2 min read, 365 words. Continue Reading...this week that seemed to accept, without evidence, claims that traditional Maori medicine can help with medical conditions including cancer. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Rongoa
Aussie shows how lax sham journals can be
Since a letter of mine was published in the New Zealand Medical Journal recently, I've started receiving occasional emails inviting me to send in a paper to a new journal for publication. It's immediately obvious that these are sham journals, as they call me Dr Honeychurch and are for topics that are unrelated to my area of interest (and not even expertise!), alternative medicine:
2 min read, 380 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Scam, Journal
June 4, 2017
Robert Bigelow believes aliens are on earth
Robert Bigelow is convinced that aliens are not only real, but they have visited earth
2 min read, 338 words. Continue Reading...and are living on our planet. He believes that his grandparents were visited by an alien craft, and says that he has spent millions gathering evidence that aliens are among us. People have pointed out that his company Bigelow Aerospace's logo looks a lot like the head of a "gray" - the most popular depiction of an alien, with big almond shaped eyes and a teardrop face. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Aliens, UFO
USA "pulls out" of the Paris Climate Accord
Although there is a history in skepticism of people being "skeptical" of climate change, modern skepticism understands that there is a broad consensus amongst scientists that climate change is both real and caused by humans.
3 min read, 426 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Climate
Nice article about Dave Hansford and 1080
Dave Hansford from Nelson has written a book
2 min read, 256 words. Continue Reading...- called "Protecting Paradise: 1080 and the Fight to Save New Zealand's Wildlife" - about New Zealand's use of the poison 1080. The name appears to be a play on the Graf Boys' documentary Poisoning Paradise, which tried to paint a picture that 1080 is not as safe as the government says it is. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, 1080
Don't put ground up wasp's nest in your vagina
A new alternative therapy has become popular recently
2 min read, 228 words. Continue Reading...- grinding up oak galls and putting the paste in your vagina. Oak galls are woody balls created when a wasp larva grows inside an oak tree's leaf bud. It is being claimed by sellers of this remedy that it can tighten and clean your vagina and improve your sex life. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, WaspNest
May 21, 2017
Blasphemy Law may finally be repealed
After incidents with Stephen Fry
1 min read, 162 words. Continue Reading...and Jakarta's mayor , blasphemy made the news and there has finally been a push in government to repeal our archaic blasphemy law . Bill English expressed his surprise that we have a blasphemy law (which is funny, given that he's Catholic and the Catholic church have unsuccessfully tried to use the law in this country in the past), and David Seymour attempted to introduce a private member's bill to parliament to repeal the law (section 123 of the Crimes Act). Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Blasphemy
Proof of a flat earth
Someone in the US recently flew on a plane
3 min read, 425 words. Continue Reading...with a spirit level to prove that the earth is flat. Instead he demonstrated a misunderstanding of physics. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, FlatEarth
Proof that people were in NZ before Maori?
A claim has been made
2 min read, 207 words. Continue Reading...by Noel Hilliam that European settlers beat Maori to settling NZ, and that reconstruction of skulls from a woman and man have shown that they originated in Wales and the Mediterranean, respectively. The woman had blue eyes and blonde hair, and the Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, History
May 7, 2017
Te Kiri Gold makers forced to release a statement
On April 11th I submitted a complaint to Medsafe about Te Kiri Gold
9 min read, 1661 words. Continue Reading..., a bleach made by farmer Vernon Coxhead which he is selling as a cancer cure. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, MMS, Bleach
Nigel Antony Gray Still Crazy
Nigel Antony Gray, who shot to infamy last November when he "predicted" an earthquake, gave a talk in Petone last night.
2 min read, 299 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Scientology
April 23, 2017
Arise Church
Last Sunday I went to church - not once, but twice. Arise is a large evangelical church that started in Wellington about 15 years ago, and has grown and spread to several other cities.
5 min read, 988 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Evangelical, Arise
Kelvin Cruickshank talks to Jonah Lomu
Kelvin Cruickshank has made the news
2 min read, 306 words. Continue Reading...because he's promoting a new book - "Surrounded by Spirit". In the book he claims he talked with the spirit of Jonah Lomu at a show last year, apparently unaware that Jonah's brother John was in the audience: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Psychic
April 9, 2017
Te Kiri Gold Cancer "Treatment" on sale
We talked about Te Kiri Gold
3 min read, 499 words. Continue Reading...last year, when Sir Colin Meads was in the news endorsing it as a treatment for cancer. Although it wasn't on sale back then, and Vernon had been promising to run proper scientific trials of the product before putting it on the market, this seems to have now been forgotten. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, MMS, Bleach
Otago Uni Screened Vaxxed
Otago University have defended their decision
1 min read, 138 words. Continue Reading...to allow a screening of Vaxxed, citing free speech and a need to controversial topics to be discussed. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
April 2, 2017
NASA spends over $1 million on theology
Professor Jerry Coyne
3 min read, 479 words. Continue Reading...is in New Zealand at the moment, ticking our country off his bucket list. I talked with him in the pub a few nights ago, and he alerted me to a developing story in the US where NASA has spent over $1 million on the "Center of Theological Inquiry". They have been tasked with investigating the "societal implications of the search for life in the universe", although a look at the topics they're working on makes it sound like the money is being spent on all sorts of weird and wonderful issues: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, NASA
Citizen Science and Planet 9
I received an email earlier this week about a new Citizen Science
2 min read, 358 words. Continue Reading...Project called Planet 9. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Science, Astronomy
Vaxxed Premiered at Reading Cinemas LynnMall
Vaxxed
1 min read, 193 words. Continue Reading...played at the LynnMall Reading cinema in Auckland today at 3pm. It's disappointing to see a major corporation allow a misleading, dangerous movie like Vaxxed to play at their venue - and presumably they will be turning a profit from this. Unsurprisingly there's nothing on Reading's website or Facebook page about the screening. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
March 26, 2017
Census adds new non-religious categories
The NZ Census asks a question of respondents about Religious Affiliation. Historically, the only response available for non-believers has been "No Religion". NZ Stats have now added several categories
1 min read, 134 words. Continue Reading...in time for the next Census in 2018. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Atheism
I wrote a letter to the NZ Medical Journal
Mark Hanna of the Society for Science Based Healthcare and I had an exchange over IM a few months ago, where we realised that there are so many bad claims being made for alternative therapies that if you picked a random combination of condition and treatment, chances are high that someone in NZ is making illegal claims that the treatment can successfully treat the condition.
7 min read, 1211 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, CAM
Shaquille O'Neal believes in a flat earth?
Shaquille O'Neal gave his support
2 min read, 221 words. Continue Reading...to the flat earth conspiracy movement on a podcast recently. However, although many websites were quick to jump on this, it turns out that Shaq was just joking: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, FlatEarth
March 19, 2017
Australian who faked cancer diagnosis and cure found guilty
Belle Gibson
2 min read, 224 words. Continue Reading...of Australia, who lied about a cancer diagnosis to sell alternative medicine, has been found guilty of "defrauding clients and profiting from false cancer claims". Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Scam, Cancer
Interview with Sensing Murder producers
An interview
6 min read, 1145 words. Continue Reading...with Philly de Lacy (chief executive) and Carolyn Harper (executive producer) of Screentime, who make Sensing Murder, was conducted by Steve Kilgannon of the Sunday Star Times this week. Some really good questions were asked, possibly in part because I was able to talk to the journalist before the interview and give some hints. There are some fascinating things said in the answers given in this interview, such as: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Psychic
March 5, 2017
My Visit to faith healer Father John Rea
Six of us skeptics went along to Father John Rea's healing event on Tuesday in Tawa, Wellington. John is a well known healer in New Zealand, and he's appeared on my skeptical radar in the past for making claims about being able to treat cancer.
5 min read, 877 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Healing
February 19, 2017
Homeopathic Teething Tablets linked to US deaths for sale in NZ
Homeopathic products are made by diluting a substance that causes similar symptoms to the condition they're meant to treat. In the case of Hyland's Teething Tablets, that substance is belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade. Wikipedia says that it's "one of the most toxic plants found in the Eastern Hemisphere".
1 min read, 180 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Homeopathy
Strange lottery "tactic" - buying multiple tickets with the same numbers
A man from Nelson
2 min read, 220 words. Continue Reading...won $100,000 recently when his numbers came up in the lottery, and he'd purchased 12 tickets with the same numbers. Although this is touted as a lottery tactic, in the long run, on average, people using this method to play the lottery will win less than others, as any wins they have will result in a lower payout per ticket. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Lottery
Vaxxed movie showing in Auckland in April
Anti-vaccination advocates in New Zealand have raised enough money to bring a screening of Vaxxed
1 min read, 121 words. Continue Reading..., a movie created by disgraced ex-doctor Andrew Wakefield and promoted by Robert de Niro, to New Zealand. The movie is an attempt to sow doubt about vaccines, and makes extensive use of secret audio recordings of CDC employee and "whistleblower" William Thompson. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
Whales were stranded by "weather modification" technology
Apparently
2 min read, 376 words. Continue Reading...the recent stranding of hundreds of whales at Farewell Spit was due to an energy beam from Mount Taranaki. This theory has been posited because of a radar map of rain, which shows an expanding beam supposedly originating from the mountain. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Weather
February 5, 2017
Ex fraudster released early trying alternative cancer treatment
Vicki Latele, who was jailed for mortgage fraud, has had a tough time. She has cancer, and has had her stomach removed. It appears that the standard treatments, such as chemotherapy, have not helped her, and she's been released from prison on compassionate grounds.
2 min read, 319 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Pseudoscience, Scam , Tags: Cancer
Ricky Gervais talks about science vs belief
This is an argument
1 min read, 120 words. Continue Reading...I've never heard before against an idea I occasionally hear - that belief in science is just like religion, because it requires faith. In fact, I last heard this argument only a couple of weeks ago. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Atheism, Science
Scientology out on the streets in Grafton
I was messaged this week by someone who works near the new Scientology centre in Auckland. They told me that there are lots of Scientologists out on the streets at the moment, including outside the nearby hospital, trying to bring people into the church. The way they do this is quite disingenuous, normally starting with offering a free personality test - the Oxford Capacity Analysis
2 min read, 386 words. Continue Reading...test (nothing to do with Oxford University) Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Scientology
January 29, 2017
Kiwi Creationism
Robert Hunt spoke on behalf of Creation Ministries International this morning at Upper Hutt Baptist Church.
5 min read, 920 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Creationism
January 22, 2017
Scientology "Ideal Org" Grand Opening
Scientology are pushing to open new "Ideal Orgs" around the world, and Auckland's old Whitecliffe Art school building has been converted to a new Org. It was purchased in 2007 with a $10 million loan from Scientology central, but recently local Scientologists borrowed a further $6 million to restore and modernise the building.
3 min read, 457 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Scientology
December 3, 2017
Acupuncture websites are misleading
Daniel Ryan from the Society for Science Based Healthcare wrote a study looking at acupuncture advertising
2 min read, 273 words. Continue Reading...in NZ. He ran a targeted search for New Zealand websites making claims about being able to treat a list of conditions for which advertising claims are restricted by the Medicines Act. Categories: Pseudoscience, CAM , Tags: Acupuncture
Gluckman talks about science denialism
Sir Peter Gluckman, the PM's Science Advisor, says that NZ has a science denial problem
1 min read, 77 words. Continue Reading..., but that it's no worse than the rest of the world. Peter thinks that social media bubbles are contributing to this issue, by allowing people to get their news only from places that agree with their existing views on topics. He points out that traditional media is becoming more likely to be polarised as well, which is not good. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Science, Science
Most UK Water Boards use dowsing
# NZ Skeptics Conference
The NZ Skeptics conference was a great success, with a quiz on the Friday night and a weekend of fascinating talks. We gave all the attendees a bag of alternative medicine nonsense.
2 min read, 354 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Dowsing
Holes in popular conspiracy theories
In a recent article
2 min read, 292 words. Continue Reading...Cracked dot com has pointed out flaws in several popular conspiracy theories. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Science
November 12, 2017
Go Green Expo
There's lots of nonsense
3 min read, 407 words. Continue Reading...at this year's Go Green expo, and I'll be there today sampling the weird and wonderful. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Expo, CAM
Ghost in TradeMe mirror
After a ghost was spotted
1 min read, 148 words. Continue Reading...in a picture of a mirror being sold in a TradeMe auction , Wendy McCawe from Wellington Photographic Supplies quickly spotted that the "ghost" in question was actually a picture of the lead character from TV show Outlander. I'm impressed that she spotted it - I put the image through online forensic image tool Forensically, and couldn't see anything. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Ghost
Sexual Harassment of kids is okay, because of Joseph and Mary?
Republican Senate candidate Judge Roy Moore has been accused of sexually assaulting
1 min read, 124 words. Continue Reading...a 14 girl when he was 14. He has a worrying track record - as well as other accusations of sexual harassment of young girls, he's twice been promoted to the Supreme Court and then removed because of his refusal to follow church/state separation laws. He was suspended for trying to stop legal gay marriages from being performed. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Evangelical
Dr Libby Weaver hits the news - twice
Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, not a medical doctor, who regularly posts alternative medicine articles in Stuff. She sells books, goes on speaking tours, has promoted a Multi Level Marketing scheme - USANA over-priced vitamins - and now sells her own alt-med products
1 min read, 191 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Libby
October 15, 2017
Doterra selling cancer cure in NZ
Doterra is a successful multinational company which sells innovative medical treatments - or at least that's what they'd have you believe. In reality, it appears to be
4 min read, 701 words. Continue Reading...a Multi Level Marketing scheme, based on Essential Oils, which preys on vulnerable people and makes dangerous untrue claims about their products . Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Doterra
Christchurch private detective offering lie detector test which is unlikely to work
The prevailing scientific opinion on lie detector tests is that they don't work well enough to be relied on in courts as evidence - in fact, they're probably not even a good way of discerning the truth. Unfortunately a Christchurch based private detective is selling tests to couples
1 min read, 104 words. Continue Reading...as a way of finding out whether a partner has cheated. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Polygraph
Breast Milk Soap
A company is making claims
1 min read, 168 words. Continue Reading...about their soap made out of breast milk. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Milk
October 1, 2017
The Apocalypse has been moved
David Meade, who I spoke about last month as predicting the end of the world around the 20th of September, has given us all a reprieve
1 min read, 107 words. Continue Reading.... Obviously the world didn't end, but he now says that October the 21st is the real end of the world. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Apocalypse
The FreeMan movement/Sovereign Citizens
I recently found out that a movement which is popular in America has reached our shores
3 min read, 444 words. Continue Reading.... The Freeman movement, otherwise known as Sovereign Citizens, consists of people who believe that it is possible to declare yourself no longer beholden to the laws of your country, and not liable to pay taxes. Normally the process involves filling in obscure government forms, opting out of government forms of ID such as driving licenses and passports and writing signed declarations using lots of very big legal sounding words. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Freeman
Some great common sense advice from Rob Stock at Stuff
The Pharmacy Council recently ran a consultation about a new proposed Code of Ethics, after they tried to weaken their code a couple of years ago to remove the requirement that pharmacists could only sell alternative medicines where there was evidence that they work.
2 min read, 387 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Pharmacy
July 16, 2017
GMO Bananas may save lives
I'm hoping that the anti-GMO crowd don't sink the new GMO banana
1 min read, 102 words. Continue Reading...before it has a chance to be properly tested. The banana has had genes inserted that allow it to create alpha and beta carotenes, which allow our bodies to create vitamin A, which should help some of the quarter of a million children who die every year due to a lack of the vitamin. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Science, GMO
Gifting Circles now illegal
Women's gifting circles have made the news again this week as they are now officially considered a pyramid scheme by the Commerce Commission.
2 min read, 308 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Scam, Scam
Siggi Henry profiled in the Spinoff
The Spinoff did a great job
1 min read, 80 words. Continue Reading...of looking into Hamilton Councillor Siggi Henry's views on a variety of topics. It turns out that she's anti fluoride, anti-fat (she recently said that obesity was a risk to others as fat people could fall on you and hurt you) and anti-vaccine. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Fluoridation
Vaxxed is still a nuisance in NZ
The group responsible for bringing Vaxxed, an anti-vaccine movie, to Australia and New Zealand is still causing issues in our country. There are more screenings of Vaxxed coming up, including one in Wellington
2 min read, 350 words. Continue Reading...that I will try to attend: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Vaccines
December 17, 2017
UK has scrapped useless treatments
18 classes of health product are being de-funded
1 min read, 72 words. Continue Reading...by the NHS in the UK, including 7 that are blacklisted: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, NHS
My visit to the OTO
A friend recently contacted the OTO
5 min read, 874 words. Continue Reading...to ask about us attending one of their services, and last night we went to their Gnostic Mass in Wellington. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, OTO, Occult, Crowley
First Pastafarian Citizenship in NZ
Adding legitimacy to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, the first citizenship has just taken place
1 min read, 87 words. Continue Reading...with a new citizen wearing a colander on his head. Bjorn Oback, from Germany, wore a colander in Hamilton recently. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, FSM
Spontaneous Human Combustion in London
In September, a 70 year old man apparently burst into flames
2 min read, 204 words. Continue Reading...in London. It's a sad event, and a horrible way to die. The press have started calling it a case of Spontaneous Human Combustion - the idea that people sometimes just randomly burn. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, SHC
Nonsense Pharmacy to open in Wellington
A new pharmacy called Wellworks, focussing on natural health products, is due to open
1 min read, 135 words. Continue Reading...in Wellington in January. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Pharmacy, CAM
November 5, 2017
NZ Skeptics conference in Wellington
This year's NZ Skeptics conference
1 min read, 63 words. Continue Reading...is in Wellington in 3 weeks. We have speakers such as Cara Santa Maria from the USA, and an ex naturopath, Britt Marie Hermes. We're hoping to officially announce our $100,000 prize for evidence of the supernatural, and it will be interesting to see what kinds of applicants we see over the next few months. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Events, NZSkeptics
Auckland thinking of dropping Glyphosate
Auckland council are "revisiting" their decision
1 min read, 121 words. Continue Reading...to use popular weedkiller glyphosate, more commonly known as RoundUp. Auckland councillor Wayne Walker seems to be pushing a move to stop using the weedkiller, despite the fact that Federated Farmers and New Zealand's EPA say that it is safe. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Danger, Glyphosate
Children handed religious tracts at Halloween
My kids went out trick or treating the other day for halloween, and came back with more than just chocolate and lollies. Religious pamphlets were being handed out at some of the local houses, and my 10 year old daughter knew that I'd be interested to see them.
3 min read, 405 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Tract
Women Stranded at Sea for 5 months
Two women in a yacht were rescued this week
3 min read, 442 words. Continue Reading..., adrift a long way off the coast of Japan. Their story is that they left Honolulu for Tahiti, and immediately hit a storm which damaged their boat. After drifting for 6 months at sea, and being attacked by sharks, they were eventually rescued by the US Navy. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Scam, Scam
October 8, 2017
Sun protection pill goes on sale in NZ
NZ now has its second ingested product
2 min read, 302 words. Continue Reading...for sun protection being sold. The first hit the market a few years ago, and is from a company called Osmosis Skincare. Their product contains "harmonised" water, which is described as: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Sunscreen
New healing device about to go on sale in NZ
A couple of years ago I went along to a talk in Wellington about a new device called the QTB (Quantum TrailBlazer), now rebranded as a QSB - Quantum Scalar Box
2 min read, 227 words. Continue Reading.... Back then the device was made from a piece of sewage pipe spray painted black, with several blue LEDs around the top. We were told to believe that the device was emitting "scalar waves" (a pseudo-scientific idea) on the Solfeggio frequencies. I sat there for half an hour while the device went through a range of these frequencies, supposedly healing areas of my life. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, QTB, QSB
Conspiracy Theorists waste no time after Las Vegas shooting
These days, with modern technology, it only takes a matter of days after most tragic events before conspiracy theorists have converged on an "alternative narrative". For the Sandy Hook massacre, there are people who claim it was a "false flag" operation where no children were actually killed. For missing flight MH370, the aeroplane was apparently re-routed to a secret military base.
4 min read, 608 words. Continue Reading...Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Shooting
September 3, 2017
Nonsense book gets free media coverage
The Herald published an article
2 min read, 246 words. Continue Reading...about someone's prediction that the world will end in a few weeks. David Meade, described as a Christian numerologist, claims that on or just after September the 20th (my birthday!), the world will meet a fiery end. Categories: Religion
One-sided article updated after complaint
Last week an article was published
3 min read, 425 words. Continue Reading...on Stuff talking about how a young New Zealand woman who has had cancer (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) since she was 14 is going to spend $20,000 on an alternative treatment for her cancer - Ozone Therapy. The clinic says about this therapy: Categories: Pseudoscience, CAM
Newshub thought a picture of someone holding something rectangular was newsworthy
Newshub published an article
1 min read, 46 words. Continue Reading...about an 80 year old picture showing a native american man holding something rectangular with flat edges. Although it conceivably looks like an iPhone 5, as the article concedes it's much more likely to be a mirror or blade. Categories: Pseudoscience
Iraq was Invaded because they had a stargate
Another crazy conspiracy theory I'd never heard of - that Saddam Hussein owned a Stargate
2 min read, 387 words. Continue Reading..., and that the US had to invade to take it from him. Categories: Conspiracy
August 27, 2017
Naturopath Implicated in Cancer Deaths
Stuff has a great article
3 min read, 588 words. Continue Reading...about a Naturopath who has been involved in treating the cancer of two patients who have died recently. The patients have both spoken out about how they think they made a mistake in trusting the naturopath. Categories: Pseudoscience, CAM , Tags: Naturopathy
Satanic Panic
It looks like the book has finally been closed
4 min read, 644 words. Continue Reading...on one of the most famous Satanic Panic cases in the US - that of the Kellers. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Religion, Satanism
August 6, 2017
Daughter conned into selling her possessions
Lori Harris from the UK has sold all her belongings
2 min read, 340 words. Continue Reading...to pay for treatment for her mother, Lisa, who has stage 4 ovarian cancer. The Go Fund Me page for the fundraising effort for this treatment, which asks for £200,000, talks of needing money for immunotherapy in Germany, and links to a great article describing how this new therapy has the potential to allow us to treat some cancers in a novel way. Categories: Pseudoscience, CAM , Tags: Cancer
Haunted Doll "strikes" again
Debbie Merrick bought a doll
3 min read, 415 words. Continue Reading...for £5 and then placed the doll on eBay, after making international news by talking about the doll being haunted. Apparently the doll scratched Debbie's husband, although the doll was not seen causing the scratches - the husband simply woke up with scratches on himself. The determination that the doll caused the scratches came from a psychic friend. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Ghost
Jacinta Ardern Conspiracy!
Vinny Eastwood has suggested
2 min read, 252 words. Continue Reading...that the new head of the Labour Party is in league with the Freemasons: Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, Freemasons
Finally, a skeptical story about Lotto
There was a nice story
1 min read, 140 words. Continue Reading...about the 30th anniversary of the Lotto this week from Stuff. The article talked about how the fact some numbers come up more often than others is likely chance (Lotto take this seriously, and apparently regularly wash and weigh the balls to ensure there's no bias). The difference in frequency between the most drawn ball, number 1 (16.91%) and the least drawn ball number 34 (13.97%) is not huge, and I suspect the number frequency draws a bell curve. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Lottery
July 30, 2017
Rural US Doctor may have to leave NZ
There's a lack of rural doctors in NZ, and one doctor has spoken on Radio NZ
2 min read, 207 words. Continue Reading...this week about the trials and tribulations he's suffered trying to renew his visa to stay in the country. Dr Feller is a GP at Mountainview Medical Centre in Hawera, and the medical centre is badly in need of the service he provides. Losing him would not be good for the local community. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, MMS, Bleach
There a major conspiracy theory I've never heard of!
Last week I learned about a new conspiracy theory from Weather Wars International, a Facebook group dedicated to spreading nonsense about government control of the weather. A video posted to the group
3 min read, 567 words. Continue Reading...shows a field and trees, along with a light halo and what appears to be a rotating planet in the background. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Conspiracy, BlueBeam
Sensing Murder hasn't helped NZ Police
Emails have been released
2 min read, 364 words. Continue Reading...about the show Sensing Murder from OIA requests, and have brought to light (unsurprisingly) that the show has not materially helped the Police, and in some circumstances is considered to be a potential problem for ongoing cases. Categories: Skepticism , Tags: Pseudoscience, Psychic