The Skeptic Zone

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The Skeptic Zone #830 - 1.September.2024 Aug 31, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:08 You Can Count on Adrienne The Travels of a Skeptic Zone Reporter Adrienne interviews Andras Pinter from The European Skeptics Podcast and Coleman Watts, a former conspiracy theorist turned science communicator, on her travels to the Rocky Mountains and then onto Iceland. Join her for these informal but informative interviews across the globe. The ESP Podcast https://theesp.eu Coleman Watts YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkThisThroughChannel 0:21:46 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:35:14 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the psychic predictions of Andreas Zee. 1975 July to December - The Australian Women's Weekly http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Sydney Skeptics in the Pub - Special Presentation The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See Thursday 5 September - Occidental Hotel in the City https://www.meetup.com/AustSkeptics

The Skeptic Zone #829 - 25.August.2024 Aug 24, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:02:50 Kate & Allie Folklore or Future Quiz Join Kate this week as she challenges Allie with a quiz. Kate will uncover a mysterious array of treatments and Allie will have to unravel the enigma of whether these practices hail from folklore of old or persist in the modern day. Play along to test your knowledge and possibly discover secret remedies you may have never heard of. 0:19:36 I Think We Need To Think Once again Susan Gerbic heads to a SkeptiCamp, this time in Seattle in the US state of Washington. Her interviews with organisers and attendees give us a flavour of the event. Susan's reports from local events encourage all of us to be more proactive no matter where in tne world we are. 0:30:42 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to prediction of the future from the past and mindbody spirit. 1984.12.29 - Canberra Times 1988.01.03 - Canberra Times 1995.09.04 - Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Sydney Skeptics in the Pub - Special Presentation The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See Thursday 5 September - Occidental Hotel in the City https://www.meetup.com/AustSkeptics

The Skeptic Zone #828 - 18.August.2024 Aug 17, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:22 Beyond Belief Bob Nixon tunes in and finds an old aquaintance up to his old tricks - very old tricks. "Like Deja vu all over again" In this report from 'The Skeptic Magazine' in 2001, a former investigator of Australian Skeptics the late Bob Nixon, reviews a farcical TV special about the paranormal, starring among others, Uri Geller. The TV Special, in 3 parts, can be found here. https://vhistory.wordpress.com/2014/08/26/beyond-belief-tape-1956 0:25:16 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Kat McLeod. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:37:32 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to 'Letters to the Editor'. 1984.11.17 - Sydney Morning Herald 1984.12.12 - Sydney Morning Herald 1984.12.18 - Sydney Morning Herald 1984.11.27 - Sydney Morning Herald http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

The Skeptic Zone #827 - 11.August.2024 Aug 10, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders With a short tribute to skeptical journalist Jane Hansen. 00:04:12 Vale Mark Edward We are saddened to hear of the death in the past week of Mark Edward, skeptic, magician, mentalist, author and partner to Susan Gerbic. Tributes from Adrienne Hill and Susan Gerbic. Mark Edward Wilson, who was known by his stage name Mark Edward, died Sunday, August 4, 2024 at home after a year's long battle with prostate cancer. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/mark-wilson-obituary?id=55809128 0:17:14 Broken Breakthroughs From Power Balance to magnetic therapy, Richard Saunders reviews the history of recent 'quick fix' gizmos designed to improve your health and empty your wallet. 00:43:10 The Loons from Canada In part 2 of a 2 part series, Kate and Allie take a look at the phenomena of Access Consciousness and Access Bars. Who founded Access Consciousness and when? Learn the "Clearing Statement" that will improve all aspects of your life and discover the dark side of this so-called therapy. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking/rasputin-phrenology-and-dark-allegations-madness-access-consciousness https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/access-consciousness-phrenology-fused-with-energy-medicine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/access-consciousness-a-new-version-of-phrenology Also Dark Matter in the Pub, Saturday evening 24 August https://events.humanitix.com/dark-matter-in-the-pub-sydney/tickets

The Skeptic Zone #826 - 4.August.2024 Aug 03, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:03:42 The Loons from Canada In part 1 of a 2 part series, Kate and Allie take a look at the phenomena of Access Consciousness and Access Bars. Part one: What is access consciousness and its "Ten Keys to Freedom" and how much does it cost? https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/critical-thinking/rasputin-phrenology-and-dark-allegations-madness-access-consciousness https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/access-consciousness-phrenology-fused-with-energy-medicine https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/access-consciousness-a-new-version-of-phrenology 0:21:34 Maynard's Spooky Action Maynard heads for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to ask people if they have a favourite sporting superstition. 0:29:44 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:42:20 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to superstition and sport. 1932.12.21 - The Advertiser - South Australia 1935.11.23 - The Daily Telegrath - Sydney 1995.10.13 - The Canberra Times http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Australian Skeptics on the hunt for the DROP BEAR! https://youtu.be/ij5DM-vyBBk

The Skeptic Zone #825 - 28.July.2024 Jul 27, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders Also a look at the current nominations and past winners of the Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon Award. https://www.skeptics.com.au/about/activities/bent-spoon 00:09:24 For Crying Out Loud! It's Kat McLeod This week Kat gives us an overview of the first ever 'Global Skeptics in the Pub', held as part of the SkeptiCal Conferance of the Bay Area Skeptics. Included are the thoughts of the some of those who joined in. 0:18:16 Maynard's Spooky Action In this segement from a much longer interview, George Hrab from the Geologic Podcast chats to Maynard about his views on skeptical and critical thinking. George Hrab is a dancin' fool - The full interivew via Planet Maynard. https://maynard.com.au/george-hrab-terpsichore 0:00:00 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Fire Walking. 1994.02.07 - The Courier - Ballarat, Victoria 1994.02.20 - Herald Sun Sunday http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Dr. Karl Firewalking with Richard Saunders https://youtu.be/0oLNoqwPiKc Myth Busters Firewalking https://youtu.be/JibIlisE9uA Also Australian Skeptics on the hunt for the DROP BEAR! https://youtu.be/ij5DM-vyBBk

The Skeptic Zone #824 - 21.July.2024 Jul 20, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:42 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham Challenging Times By Barry Williams Over 20 years ago, one Victor Zammit, a retired Sydney solicitor, apparently decided to take the skeptics on at their own game and has issued a challenge of his own. "$1 Million Challenge to Disprove Evidence of Life After Death." - A reward of one million US dollars is offered to any skeptic anywhere in the world who can rebut and refute, beyond absolute, all the evidence for the existence of the afterlife. Tim is joined by Richard Saunders to discuss this bizarre challenge from almost 2 decades ago. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 21 No. 4 (2001) http://www.skeptics.com.au Media Watch TV, Astrology Story https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8FKJ9pcWCvw&t=796 0:37:06 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:47:38 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to 'Media Astrologers'. 1986.08.18 - The Sun Herald http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Nominations for the Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon Awardhttps://www.skeptics.com.au/about/activities/bent-spoon

The Skeptic Zone #823 - 14.July.2024 Jul 13, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:00 Astrology Trash is Bad News We report on a bizarre situation in Australia where it is proposed to run a regular astrology segment in the evening TV news bulletin. Is this an act of desperation to gain more viewers? What has been the reaction from other media? https://www.skynews.com.au/business/media/channel-7-defends-stupid-new-astrology-segment-following-scathing-criticism-over-addition-to-evening-news-bulletin/news-story/c42a2558c156dc5a7432ecfbd4faed2c https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/channel-7-defends-controversial-news-segment-after-radio-hosts-takedown/news-story/5ae7fe3e1c5dd95117463d75f0f523ad 0:15:50 The Loons From Canada Kate and Allie get together to talk about some North American and Australian relationship slang as they explore the hypothesis of Love Languages. 0:28:08 Maynard's Spooky Action Maynard and Richard catch up to talk about the upcoming global event, Skeptics in the pub, held all around the world on 19th of July at 7 pm. https://www.skepticalcon.com/global-skeptics-in-the-pub 0:34:46 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to James Randi and his expose of the Rev. Peter Popoff. 1988.02.20 - Sydney Morning Herald http://www.trove.nla.gov.au The Secrets of the Psychics. Video https://youtu.be/Pc3uHqtH8bg&=677

The Skeptic Zone #822 - 7.July.2024 Jul 06, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:06:52 Ben Radford talks UFOs Once again we welcome the world renowned skeptical investigator, author, podcaster, and deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine, the one and only Ben Radford. In a wide ranging interview Ben talks about the Roswell UFO incident, cryptozoology, and his upcoming visit to Sydney Australia to take part in Skepticon 2024 - the Australian Skeptics National Convention in November. 0:29:36 Australian Skeptics Newsletter #200 What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:44:36 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the Roswell New Mexico UFO case of 1947. 1947.07.09 - The Glen Innes Examiner 1947.07.09 - The Newcastle Sun 1947.07.10 - The Advocate, Bernie Tasmania 1947.07.10 - The Sun, Sydney https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_incident http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Global Skeptics in tne Pub https://www.skepticalcon.com/global-skeptics-in-the-pub Videos from the New Mexico Science and Reason https://m.youtube.com/@TheNMSR

The Skeptic Zone #821 - 30.June.2024 Jun 29, 2024

Show notes

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 00:04:14 Cold and Hot Reading We play a clip of a recent radio appearance by Richard Saunders (ABC Australia), where he discusses so-called psychics and some of their tricks. Also the reading of a report by Ian Bryce, from the pages of 'The Skeptic', when he, Saunders and Alynda Brown tested a 'Palm Reader' in Australia. Richard Saunders on ABC Radio Australia. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/overnights/ovn-skeptics/104010516 0:26:06 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to The New Age - Part #3. 1988.5.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald http://www.trove.nla.gov.au 0:47:58 A Kate & Allie On a Roll?

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