The Skeptic Zone

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders and Adrienne Hill 0:02:32 Maynard's Spooky Action It's back to Sydney Skeptics in the Pub where Maynard interviews Adrienne Hill. Maynard also asks pubbers the big question, "Are the old fashioned skeptical topics still relevant to today's skeptical movment?" https://www.meetup.com/Austskeptics 0:28:50 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:41:02 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the paranormal. 1946.10.12 - The World's News 1950.10.09 - Worker 1947.09.18 - The Age http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also   10 Years Ago The Skeptic Zone #231 - 23.March.2013 Dr Steve Novella from the SGU Podcast Richard Saunders chats to Dr Novella about his podcast and other skeptical adventures - A Week in Science with Dr Paul Willis - inFact with Brian Dunning -

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:06 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill WikiProject Folklore With the help Richard Saunders, Adrienne takes a look at the top ten list of topics at "WikiProject Folklore", which states, "Founded in 2018, the WikiProject's goal is simple: to improve Wikipedia's coverage of folklore-related topics by identifying and employing sources from folklore studies. Members build relevant articles that meet Wikipedia's reliable source criteria, develop categories and templates, and work to improve pre-existing problem articles that fall within the scope of the project. " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Folklore https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Folklore/Popular_pages WikiProject Report, Special:FAQs https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-04-01/WikiProject_report 0:26:18 The Teachings of Carlos A look at some of the pages from the book "The Teachings of Carlos" from the great Carlos H

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:00 Nostradamus in Print A chance find of a newspaper clipping in a Berkeley book store leads to Richard Saunders ordering a long forgotten publication from 1983, "The Untold Story - Nostradamus' Unpublished Prophecies". 0:27:26 Nostradamus on TV A trip back to 1979 and 1989 to look at the documentaries produced by the Seven Network in Australia, "The Prophecies of Nostradamus". A case study in how myths and assertions can be presented as fact. https://archive.org/details/the-prophecies-of-nostradamus-1979 0:42:10 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:54:00 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to Nostradamus. http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also   10 Years Ago The Skeptic Zone #229 - 10.March.2013 Maynard's Spooky Action.. Look out for P

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:48 Planets In View Richard Saunders travels to the Chabot Space & Science Center to meet up with Leonard Tramiel. Together they gaze, in broad daylight, at the planets Venus and Jupiter. https://chabotspace.org 0:13:12 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill An interview with Jonathan Jarry Jonathan is a science communicator for McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, or the OSS, and the co-host of the award-winning Body of Evidence podcast. He is frequently quoted in local, national and international media on issues of science and pseudoscience and is a regular on CTV Montreal News. His subversive video about a fake cancer cure went viral and reminded over 14 million people to be skeptical. Johnathan has been interviewed on the Skeptic Zone before on episode #569 in 2019 about the dangers of ear candling. This is an edited version of the interview. To hear the interview in full, use this YouTube link. https://youtube.com/w

0:00:00 Introduction Susan Gerbic 0:01:38 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill WikiProject Alternative Medicine With the help Richard Saunders, Adrienne takes a look at the top ten list of topics at "WikiProject Alternative Medicine", which states, "This WikiProject aims primarily to facilitate the development of professional articles on all aspects of complementary, alternative and integrative medicine. The scope of this WikiProject will be referred to throughout our project pages simply as CAM (complementary and alternative medicine)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Alternative_medicine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Alternative_medicine/Popular_pages WikiProject Report, Special:FAQs https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-04-01/WikiProject_report 0:25:04 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

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:28 Brian Dunning - The Dangers of Film Making We catch up with Skepoid Podcast host Brain Dunning who tells us of his unpleasant experience with hypothermia while filming his new documentary The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You to See This interview was record in Bend, Orgeon. http://www.theufo.movie 0:19:14 A Tribute to Dr Harriet Hall Susan Gerbic reads her touching tribute to our late friend and tireless campaigner against quackery. This item was originally posted in the Skeptical Inquirer online. https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/harriet-hall-from-passive-skeptic-to-movement-juggernaut/ 0:33:04 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham What Goes Around By Tim Mendham A delusion is a belief that is clearly false and that indicates an abnormality in the affected person's content of thought. A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 40 No. 2 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:40:54 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:10 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Skeptical Workshops Online Susan Gerbic tells Adrienne of two-hour interactive workshops held over Zoom. These workshops use case studies to practice interactions with people to have more respectful and productive conversations about odd things. The main goal is to become the person that people come to when they have questions about weird things. There are a series of workshop topics that can be customized for your group. https://www.facebook.com/GSoWproject for more information. 0:19:24 Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month We catch up with Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan for an update on her journey with ovarian cancer. Siobhan O'Sullivan is an Australian political scientist and political theorist who is currently an associate professor in the School of Social Sciences, University of New South Wales. Her research has focused, among other things, on animal welfare policy and the welfare state. https://www.ocrf.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:10 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill WikiProject Cryptozoology With the help Richard Saunders, Adrienne takes a look at the top ten list of topics at "WikiProject Crypozoology", which is "a group dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of articles related to cryptozoology, a pseudoscience and subculture. The goal of this WikiProject is to improve coverage of cryptozoology on English Wikipedia. This project covers notable figures and topics related to the subculture, its history, geographical diffusion, and related places and people. We will specifically deal with all articles contained in the Category:Cryptozoology and its subcategories." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Cryptozoology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Cryptozoology/Popular_pages WikiProject Report, Special:FAQs https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-04-01/WikiProject_report 0:27:29 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendha

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:00 Conspiracy Leaflet in my Letterbox. From the One World Government to COVID-19 to H.A.A.R.P and much more besides. We examine a small leaflet that's been left in the letterboxes around Sydney suburbs. 0:21:02 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:33:34 The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham A review of an important book in the history of Australian Skeptics. Creationism: An Australian Perspective Edited by Martin Bridgstock and Ken Smith Australian Skeptics https://tinyurl.com/CreationismAustSkeptics A reading from The Skeptic, Vol. 40 No. 3 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:43:44 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to the Australian Skeptics National Convention in 1990. http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also   10 Years Ago The Skeptic Zone #

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:08 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill WikiProject Skeptical With the help Richard Saunders, Adrienne takes a look at the top ten list of topics at "WikiProject Skeptical", which is "dedicated to creating, improving, and monitoring articles related to Scientific skepticism (British English spelling: scepticism), also known as rational skepticism or skeptical inquiry. The focus includes articles about claims which are contrary to the current body of scientific evidence, or which involve the paranormal. The project ensures that these articles are written from a neutral point of view, and do not put forward invalid claims as truth." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Skepticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Skepticism/Popular_pages WikiProject Report, Special:FAQs https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-04-01/WikiProject_report 0:28:12 ChatGPT on Skeptical Topics Another tr

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:22 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill Vale 'SkepDoc' Dr Harriet Hall MD Adrienne pays tribute to Harriet, who was a retired family physician, former U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, author, science communicator and skeptic of international acclaim, who wrote about alternative medicine and quackery for magazines and articles discussing evidence-based medicine for the Science-Based Medicine blog. She usually wrote under her own name or used the pseudonym "The SkepDoc". She was also a frequent speaker at science and skepticism related conventions in the US and around the world. https://tinyurl.com/skepdocseries https://skepticzone.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=Harriet 0:17:42 Sydney Skeptics in the Pub At long last Sydney Skeptics in the pub is back and looking forward to 2023. We hear from new pubber Stephen Bavaro, who was a recent speaker at the Australian Skeptics convention. Also from Tim Mendham and Richard Saunders as they address the

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:06 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill WikiProject Paranormal With the help of Rob Palmer and Richard Saunders, Adrienne takes a look at the top ten list of topics at "WikiProject Paranormal", which "aims to provide a framework for the improvement and organisation of articles related to the paranormal, anomalous phenomena and other similar areas." https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Paranormal https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Paranormal/Popular_pages WikiProject Report, Special:FAQs https://Wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_Signpost/2013-04-01/WikiProject_report 0:24:36 A new book from Susan Gerbic In this interview, Susan tell us of the book she is writing about so-called "Grief Vampires", people who prey on grieving and vulnerable people by apparently receiving messages from their dead loved ones. 0:37:32 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspaper

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:00 Pseudo Archaeology An interview with Stephen Bavaro, a student and contributor to the Skeptic Magazine. His interest is in real archaeology versus pseudo archaeology. 0:17:36 The Skeptic Zone in Review From January to December, 2022 was full of surprises, interesting reports and interviews on The Skeptic Zone Podcast. Richard Saunders takes a look at some of the highlights of the past year. 0:27:44 Evidence Please... with Jo Alabaster In this classic report from 2015, Jo looks into "cupping therapy", a sure way to gain bruises on your back but little else. 0:34:02 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "New Year Predictions". http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also   10 Years Ago The Skeptic Zone #220 - 6.Jan.2013 Maynard interviews with James Randi - Dr Rachael Dunlop. The AVN and Google - Maynard in the Pub! Sydney Skeptics in the Pub give May

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:02:54 Dr Eugenie Scott - Part #2 In part two of a two part interview with Dr Eugenie Scott, we look at the lamentable so-called documentary series on Netflix entitled "Ancient Apocalypse". Also we hear about Eugenie's thoughts on debating creationists and other pseudoscientists. 0:24:32 Dog ate my... what? Adrienne from very cold Calgary gives a report on a humorous but potentially serious mini labradoodle adventure that resulted in a vet visit, leading her to investigate nutritional trends for pets. She enlisted the help of the Triangle Area Skeptics member Faith Newsome Rodriguez, from Raleigh, North Carolina, whom she had the pleasure of staying with when she was on tour with Susan Gerbic of GSoW fame. 0:42:07 A Dive into a Trove Funding for Trove under threat! We read a report about the possible discontinuation of this valuable resource. With thanks to listener Daryl Colquhoun. A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspape

The Skeptic Zone #741 - 18 December 2022   Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:02:16 Dr Eugenie Scott - Part #1 In part one of a two part interview with Dr Eugenie Scott, we look at the ongoing battle against intelligent design, or creationism as it's truly known, and science. Eugenie also looks at the encroaching creationism and religious point of view into the public school system. 0:21:11 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:38:50 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Crystal Power". http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:07:56 ChatGPT What can AI tell us about a skeptical podcast from Australia, Brian Dunning's movie, why people believe in UFOs, and the Skeptical Fairy Godmother Angel from the Internet? 0:00:00 The European Skeptics in Sydney A relaxed chat around the table with the European Skeptics Podcast crew who were in Sydney as part of their Australian tour. 0:36:32 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Erich von Daniken". http://www.trove.nla.gov.au

0:00:00 Introduction Adrienne Hill 0:03:02 Skepticon 2020 Tim Mendham phones in his report from the first day of the Australian Skeptics National Convention, including the winnner of the Bent Spoon Award. 0:07:54 A chat with Andras Pinter During a recent visit to Sydney, Andras Pinter from the ESP, European Skeptics Podcast, spoke with Richard Saunders about podcasting and the trip to Australia by the European Skeptics. 0:17:55 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:28:12 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Stanton Friedman". http://www.trove.nla.gov.au Also Australian Skeptics National Convention 2022 Science & Skepticism in a Changed World 3 - 4 December, National Library of Australia, Canberra https://skepticon.org.au

0:00:00 Introduction Maynard with Richard Saunders 0:05:50 Claire Klingenberg Claire Klingenberg is the President of the European Council of Skeptical Organisations and co-organizer of the Czech Paranormal Challenge. Since 2013, she has spoken at multiple science and skepticism conferences, and has consulted on a range of projects where pseudoscientific belief meets science. This week she headed to the Skeptic Zone studios to chat with Richard Saunders. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vji9ygw00ZU 0:22:10 Rob Palmer at CSICon 2022 In his final report, Rob roves around the halls at CSICon 2022 in Las Vegas and bumps into Natalia Pasternak and Carlos Orsi from Brazil, Abhijit Chanda from India and Thomas Westbrook from Holy Koolaid on YouTube. https://skepticalinquirer.org/authors/rob-palmer 0:40:58 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "UFOs". The Barrier Daily Truth - 30th May, 1950   The Sydney Morn

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:04 An interview with Zion Lights Zion Lights was a spokesperson for the 'Extinction Rebellion' organisation before leaving it owing to fundamental disagreements with the group's reasoning and activities. Today her focus is on the importance of communicating science effectively, the climate and ecological emergency, the problems with environmentalism and clean energy. Skeptics in the Pub video https://youtu.be/f0mHZe1JEGM https://www.zionlights.co.uk https://www.emergencyreactor.org 0:32:54 Australian Skeptics Newsletter What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill. Video https://youtu.be/4jakYguXUks cumming.ucalgary.ca/resource/tourette-ocd/children-and-adults/disorder-specific-resources/tourette-syndrome-and-0 http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:42:04 Rob Palmer at CSICon 2022 Guest reporter Rob roves around the halls at CSICon 2022 in Las Vagas and bumps into Hollywood actor Aaron Fors togethe

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:06:42 A Strongly Worded Letter Skeptics receive all sorts of interesting letters from the public, some complimentary, some not. It seems that many people also believe that skeptical organisations wield much more power or influence than we really do. On today's show, Richard Saunders reads one of the more noteworthy examples of frustration from a corespondent. 0:18:16 You Can Count on Adrienne. With Adrienne Hill The Story of 'Lady Ganga', Michele Frazier Baldwin, daughter of Kendrick and Ruth Frazier. When Michele, a 45 year old Mother of three was diagnosed with late-stage cervical cancer, she took this as a call-to-action. She decided that she would travel to India to paddle board over 700 miles down the Ganges River, spreading awareness about this disease that was going to kill her and breaking a World Record in the process. https://www.ladyganga.world LADY GANGA: NILZA'S STORY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5yMCzx0ctU 0:23:34 Rob Palm