NZ Skeptics

Things to do Read out the horoscope for the wrong sign and see if your listener agrees with it. If you do get a personal astrological interpretation, tape it and listen to see how much information you provided yourself and how specific the astrologer was. Keep the New Year predictions made by astrologers, psychics and…

Barnum Statements (generalisations) e.g. “You feel you have unfulfilled potential.” Rainbow Statements (covering both ends) e.g. “You are generous but sometimes selfish.” Vanishing Negative (getting it right either way) e.g. “Did X?” If “Yes”, “I thought so”; if “No”, “I thought not” Scoring a medium/psychic – a checklist of the most common topics, phrases and…

Sitting cross-armed at a meeting might not mean that someone is “blocking you out” or “getting defensive”. She may just be cold or have a backache or simply feel comfortable sitting that way. It is dangerous to read too much into nonverbal behavior. Bob Carroll, The Skeptic’s Dictionary Defined as the “art and science of…

Further reading Robert T. Pennock. Tower of Babel: The Evidence against the New Creationism Robert T. Pennock (editor). Intelligent Design Creationism and its Critics Kenneth Miller. Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution As Darwin wrote, there is grandeur in an evolutionary view of life, a grandeur that is…

Those who claim bee pollen cures or alleviates any illness or produces therapeutic benefit are promoting the product as a drug. Recently FDA asked that all shipments of a particular product and its promotional literature, advocating use of pollen in this sense, be recalled by the manufacturer. Other steps may also be taken, including seizure,…

If we are going to fund and put into place agricultural or pest control practices, it is important to ensure that they are clearly proven to work. Author Vicki Hyde monitored possum peppering practices as part of her involvement with the Possum Research Bioethics Committee of Landcare Research. Biodynamic farming and gardening has gained a…

Scientific creationism is a grotesque parody of human thought and a downright misuse of human intelligence. In short, to the believer, it is an insult to God. Michael Ruse Many “creation scientists” clearly hold their view for religious, not scientific reasons. They have every right to hold the religious views of their choice, but to…