Conference tickets now on sale

Tickets to the NZ Skeptics Conference 2019 are now available for sale, with early-bird prices until the end of September (but of course, we’d love you to buy sooner so we get a good idea of numbers).

The conference has a bunch of exciting speakers, including all the hosts of the popular Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe podcast, Guerrilla Skeptic and psychic buster Susan Gerbic, and world-renowned mentalist and psychic entertainer Mark Edward.

This year’s conference will be held in the heart of Christchurch. Visit the conference website for more information and to get your tickets.

Nationwide school video competition promotes vaccination

The Force Field Film Challenge, aimed at helping kids to learn about the importance of vaccines, is an innovative competition being spearheaded by the New Zealand Skeptics.

The Challenge will test the research and creative skills of New Zealand Primary and Intermediate students in a deep dive to promote vaccination and the advantages of herd immunity. Students will be asked to put together a short film, up to three minutes long, to educate New Zealanders on how vaccination and its strong but seemingly invisible protective force field works.

Full-on creativity will be a requirement! Costumes, puppets, animation and any other presentation techniques that can grab the viewer’s attention are encouraged. A comedy sketch that shows how evil diseases can get thwarted? A gritty drama demonstrating how powerful vaccinations are at keeping New Zealanders healthier? Anything goes! The Number 8 wire, out of the box thinking that New Zealand prides itself on will be put to the test.

In preparation for this challenge, the NZ Skeptics have launched a funding campaign with Givealittle to help raise the prize money:

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/force-field-film-challenge

The funding goal of $10,000 will be exclusively used as prize money, and will be awarded to the winning schools. The first place entry will win $5,000, with five runner-up entries getting $1,000 each.

NZ Skeptics Chair, Craig Shearer, said “It’s a sad fact that, even today, preventable diseases can have a horrific impact on New Zealand communities. The overwhelming scientific consensus shows that widespread vaccinations, resulting in herd immunity, are a safe and effective tool to fight these diseases. Measles, Influenza, Whooping Cough and even Polio have all been shown to be effectively combated by modern vaccinations.”

The Givealittle funding campaign will run until the 30th of April, with The Force Field Film Challenge being launched later in 2019. The challenge will be managed by the New Zealand Skeptics, a New Zealand registered charity.

NZ Skeptics launch official Facebook page

Facebook has been host to some lively discussion among Kiwis who identify as having a skeptical outlook. These pages are not endorsed by NZ Skeptics Society, and we have no control over their content. Unfortunately, some of the content falls well outside the collective views of the NZ Skeptics committee.

We have now set up an official page on Facebook which will reflect the general views of NZ Skeptics. We’ll be sharing curated content here and making general announcements that are relevant to members of the society and a broader NZ audience.

You can visit the page here.

“Grief vampire” psychic preys on grieving family

We’ve recently seen another example of psychics acting as the “grief vampires” they are and preying on a grieving family.

Northland woman Theres’a Urlich has been missing since February 2018. The family, who have not seen their loved on for over seven months, was recently approached by a psychic with some gory details of what had happened to Theres’a.

The family decided to contact the police. The response from NZ Police is:

Police do not currently work with psychics and it is entirely the decision of the family if they wish to pursue that avenue.

This is a good thing!

NZ Skeptics were approach the the NZ Herald for our response. NZ Skeptics chair Craig Shearer was quoted at length. Read the NZ Herald article for more details.

 

Palm Reading claims – our response

PalmWe were asked today to comment on an article on Stuff about palm reading, and how seeing the letter M on your non-dominant hand is a sign of future success. Luckily, despite it being Christmas Eve, our new Media Spokesperson (and Secretary) Craig Shearer was able to put together a solid response on short notice! Here’s the response in full:

 


People are good at seeing patterns in everyday life, even when no actual pattern exists. Suggesting a pattern to somebody will greatly improve the chances of them seeing it, even if it’s just one of many equally valid interpretations of what they are looking at. Think about when you see a pattern in the clouds. You can make somebody else see it much more easily if you tell them what they are looking at – a dog or a dragon, for example.

The creases on people’s palms have some connection to their development embryonically – and there are certain instances where genetic diseases can correlate with particular patterns of creases. However, it’s drawing a very long bow to suggest that the pattern of creases on a person’s palms would have any predictive effect on their life “success” – however success may be measured.

Palm readers work in a similar manner to psychics and clairvoyants – usually picking up on little cues from a personal reading that gives the person the answers they’re expecting to hear. In Jon’s case, however, this statement relating to all people with the letter M on their non-dominant hand appears to be more akin to astrology. He has offered some generically positive predictions that are bound to make anyone feel good.

The real test for these types of claims would be to see whether a particular pattern can be repeatedly and reliably matched up with a particular life outcome, without the palm reader knowing who the subjects are.

This article has an interactive survey asking readers whether they have a distinctive M pattern on their hands. At the time the NZ Skeptics were asked to comment on the article, of those surveyed a whopping 83% can see the M. This is a pretty clear demonstration of the suggestive nature of this type of fortune telling. A mixture of an identifying feature that appears to fit most people, along with a set of predictions that make people feel good, will usually hit the mark for many and make them feel positive about the accuracy of a reading.

One potentially dangerous aspect to this is that it encourages thinking that your life’s outcome is predetermined – that your life is in the hands of your genetics or fate. Even if most people find an “M” on their non-dominant hand, and are led to believe that they will have a successful future, what of those that can’t see the “M” who have a belief in palm reading? Will they walk away from this believing that their life going forward will not be successful?

While the patterns on your palms may well be fascinating, it pays to be skeptical of claims that don’t have solid evidence of their worth, particularly when someone is asking for money in return for their service.

Herman Petrick’s Ghost-busting Claims

Herman PetrickThe Taranaki Daily News published an article about Herman Petrick, who claims to be able to help people by removing harmful negative energy. The author of the article, Taryn Utiger, asked the NZ Skeptics to respond to five questions about Herman’s claims. Here are our responses in full:

  1. Is there any scientific proof that negative energy exists or does not exist?

There’s no evidence that the type of negative spiritual energy Herman talks about exists, and no scientific basis for the concept of these energies. Although it can never be positively proven that this kind of energy doesn’t exist, every attempt so far to prove that it does exist has failed and this lack of evidence suggests that it’s unlikely there is any such a thing as spiritual energy.

Herman’s website doesn’t appear to have any evidence to back up his claims, just many assertions about negative energy and how he can help you to clear this energy for a price.

 

  1. Why should people be careful when dealing with people who claim to have special powers or skills?

There are many potential risks when dealing with people who claim to have a connection to, or understanding of, other-worldly powers or energies.

The most immediate concern is that people are often asked to pay money to the practitioner, and it’s generally not a good idea to pay for any service that doesn’t have a good evidence base. In Herman’s case, he states that he’s charging between $50 and $250 for a service where he has no proof that it does anything at all.

Some supernatural practitioners have also been known to take large sums of money from vulnerable people – using tactics such as gaining their trust or telling the unwary person that their money needs “cleansing”. Although this is relatively rare, there are several cases in New Zealand of this happening, along with many more around the world – and the effects can be devastating.

Beyond monetary issues, belief in pseudoscientific ideas such as those of spirit energies, ghosts and other supernatural entities and powers can cause people to make bad life decisions. People have been known to refuse proper medical care, make harmful financial choices and act on bad work or relationship advice.

Often the people who are targeted by those claiming to be able to use special powers are the most vulnerable in society. In Herman’s case, it is worrying to see that a lot of the cases he purports to be able to treat may be attributable to mental health issues, and there are even claims on his website that he can treat “any mental illness” as these are supposedly signs of “negative attachments”.

 

  1. What would your advice be to anyone who considers using services like these?

If you’re considering employing the services of someone who claims to have supernatural abilities, ask for evidence that the claims they make about their abilities are true. Testimonials should not be considered as sufficient evidence, as clients are often mistaken about whether something works or not.

The level of evidence should be proportional to the strength of the claims being made. If someone is claiming something that sounds unlikely to be true or doesn’t line up with what science has taught us about the world we live in, make sure you set a very high bar for the quality of evidence you are willing to accept from them as proof of their claims.

If you want to check the internet for more information, be aware that all sorts of claims are made on websites of varying quality. Wikipedia is a good place to start, and the “See also” and “External links” sections usually contain links to more good quality information on a topic. If the claim is related to your health (including mental health), talk to your GP about what they think.

If you decide to take the plunge and visit someone claiming they can help you via supernatural means, take a friend along with you who you trust not to let you spend money on something that’s not worth it. Especially if the issue you are seeking help with is a very emotional one for you, it’s a good idea to have someone there that will help to ensure you don’t make any rash decisions.

 

  1. Why do you believe people claim to have these powers?

It’s hard to guess the motivations and beliefs of people who make these kinds of claims, but they seem to fall into two broad categories.

Firstly, there are the people who are, at some level, aware that they are not in possession of the powers they claim to have. These people may have ways of justifying what they do, such as that they are bringing solace to grieving people or that if they weren’t helping this person, someone less scrupulous would be doing it.

Secondly, others seem to have never taken the time to critically check out their claims. They truly believe that they have special abilities, and positive feedback from their clients helps to bolster this belief (of course, there are many reasons why a client may give positive feedback despite the service they’ve received not actually making a difference). Confirmation bias can help people to remember the positive seeming results they see when offering their services, but forget the times that their powers didn’t seem to work. Along with other biases that our brains use to make sense of the world, someone claiming supernatural powers can easily end up with the mistaken belief that their powers are real.

 

  1. Is there anything you would like to add?

If Herman is serious about his claims, the NZ Skeptics would be keen to help him to test his abilities under controlled conditions. It is important that he takes the time to back up the claims that he is making. The alternative, that he continues to charge people money for a service that he can’t prove is real, would be disappointing to say the least.

NZ Skeptics announce 2015 Awards

The Pharmacy Council has been awarded the 2015 Bent Spoon Award from the NZ Skeptics for proposing a change to their Code of Ethics that would allow the sale of healthcare products that have not been shown to work.

The Pharmacy Council is responsible under the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act for setting standards of ethical conduct for pharmacists in New Zealand.

Section 6.9 of their 2011 Code of Ethics states that pharmacists can only supply or promote products where there is no reason to doubt their quality or safety, and when there is credible evidence of efficacy.

Groups such as the NZ Skeptics and the Society for Science Based Healthcare have identified pharmacies selling unproven “remedies” such as homeopathy, and put pressure on the Pharmacy Council to enforce their Code of Ethics.

In response, in August 2015 the Pharmacy Council proposed to change the wording of their code.

This proposed change would allow the sale of “complementary therapies” that are not supported by credible evidence of efficacy.

Chair of the NZ Skeptics, Mark Honeychurch, said:

It’s disappointing that the Pharmacy Council would even consider that weakening their Code of Ethics is a good solution to the problem they have of non-compliant pharmacists.

Surely it makes more sense to educate pharmacists about what is and isn’t ethical to sell, and for the Council to be more effective in policing this section of the code – rather than to change their code to allow unethical behaviour.

Each year the NZ Skeptics announces the Bent Spoon Award for the New Zealand organisation which has shown the most egregious gullibility or lack of critical thinking on a science-related issue.

A close runner-up for the Bent Spoon award was TV3’s 3D current events show, with their episode “Cause or Coincidence?” which suggested that the Gardasil vaccine was to blame for two unexplained deaths of New Zealand girls, along with others who have suffered from illnesses after receiving the vaccination.

In addition to the Bent Spoon, the NZ Skeptics’ Bravo Awards praise a number of attempts to encourage critical thinking over the past year.

This year’s winners are:

  • Rosanna Price (Fairfax Media) for her coverage in Stuff of All Black Waisake Naholo’s “miracle” natural cure for a fractured leg bone.
  • Simon Mitchell (University of Auckland) for his very strong rebuttal of the claims made in an NZ Herald article of 12 September, 2015 entitled: “Hope is in the air: Hyperbaric chambers – the real deal or a placebo?”
  • Adam Smith (Massey University) for his article in the NZ Herald countering the claims made in TV3’s 3D episode “Cause or Coincidence?”
  • Ben Albert (University of Auckland) for his effort in writing an excellent submission to the Pharmacy Council, and his rallying of healthcare professionals to put together a letter to the editor of the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Also this year, the Denis Dutton award for New Zealand Skeptic of the Year was given to Daniel Ryan for his work as President of Making Sense of Fluoride, as well as for his skeptical activism efforts for the Society for Science Based Healthcare and his commitment to helping the NZ Skeptics Society.

The awards were conferred at the NZ Skeptics Conference, held in Christchurch from the 20th to 22nd of November 2015.

NZ Skeptics Awards: http://skeptics.nz/awards
NZ Skeptics Conference: http://conference.skeptics.nz

Pharmacy Council Response Submitted

Pharmacy Council Code of EthicsThe NZ Skeptics sent a submission to the Pharmacy Council last Friday in response to the Council’s consultation on a suggested change to their Code of Ethics. Thanks to all our members who took the time to visit pharmacies and send us your reports about what they had to say about homeopathy.

We know of at least three other submissions that were in a similar vein to ours, including a submission from the Society for Science Based Healthcare, one from Edward Linney and a great response from the New Zealand Medical Association.

Skeptical Thoughts on the Radio!

Mark HoneychurchGraeme Hill’s Weekend Variety Wireless radio show on RadioLive is a Sunday night fixture where two prominent skeptics, Siouxsie Wiles and Mark Honeychurch chat about current skeptical topics and events.

Skeptical Thoughts

Graeme HillOur current chair, Mark Honeychurch, has been filling in for Siouxsie Wiles recently on Graeme Hill’s Weekend Variety Wireless show on RadioLive. He’s had fun chatting with Graeme on the Skeptical Thoughts segment, and has talked about rugby injuries, therapeutic paint, the igNobels and the Republican Primary, amongst other topics.

Here are links to the recordings:

Keep an ear out – he may be returning to the radio soon!

Pharmacy Council Submission

pcnz-logoWe are looking for skeptics around the country to help the NZ Skeptics Society gather evidence for a submission we will be making to the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand. We need people to visit pharmacies around the country and gather information about how homeopathy is sold and promoted. Unfortunately, we have limited time to gather this information as our proposal needs to be submitted by the 1st of October. If you are able to help us, please read on:

Recently the Society for Science Based Healthcare has asked the Pharmacy Council about their Code of Ethics, and how it relates to the sale of homeopathy in pharmacies. Section 6.9 of the code says that healthcare products can only be supplied “when there is credible evidence of efficacy”.

The Pharmacy Council has now opened a consultation with a view to changing this part of the code. Their proposed amendment would do away with the requirement for evidence of efficacy for supplying both complementary therapies and healthcare products other than medicines and herbal remedies. In its place, the proposed code says that pharmacists should be able to provide “sufficient information about the product” to allow “the purchaser to make an informed choice”. The consultation document goes on to say:

“Pharmacists should be able to advise patients about the general use, current state of evidence, associated effectiveness and any safety issues relating to complementary and/or alternative medicines. This knowledge should provide the basis on which a pharmacist makes a conscious decision on whether or not to supply or promote these types of medicines. In instances where there is credible evidence to suggest a specific complementary and/or alternative medicine/product lacks efficacy, pharmacists should not promote or recommend its use.”

Pharmacy Council Code of EthicsThe NZ Skeptics Society will be submitting a proposal, and we would like your help. We plan to use homeopathy as a good test subject, as it’s clear that it doesn’t work beyond any placebo effect. We are concerned that pharmacists, and pharmacy assistants, are not all aware that there is no good quality evidence that homeopathy works, and that some pharmacies are willing to promote homeopathic products as a viable treatment for various conditions.

What we would like people to do is to take a few minutes to visit a pharmacy close to you and ask about a homeopathic product. Listen to what the pharmacist has to say about the product, whether it works, what conditions it is good for, etc. Then, when you are able to, send us an email telling us what was said, the date of your visit and the name of the pharmacy you visited (store brand and location should be sufficient). The more details of your conversation the better, including the name of the homeopathic product, any specific claims of efficacy and so on. However, even if you can only give us a general overview such as “they told me it would help with insomnia”, that information will still be useful to us. If you’re really keen, and live somewhere with several pharmacies nearby, feel free to visit more than one and send us multiple reports.

We’d also like to hear of negative results, where a pharmacy doesn’t promote or even doesn’t sell homeopathy – as well as it being fair and balanced to collate these results, it would be heartening to hear that some pharmacies are abiding by their Code of Ethics! Even if you are unable to talk to a staff member about homeopathy, please let us know the details of the pharmacy you visited and whether it stocks homeopathic products.

Any prior encounters with a pharmacy would be relevant as well, where a pharmacy has tried to sell you a homeopathic product or where they’ve defended homeopathy after you’ve challenged them for selling it in the past. I’ve talked with several skeptics who have had homeopathy recommended to them by pharmacies, and I can also name two pharmacies close to me where I’ve challenged their sale of homeopathy and been told that they sell it because it works.

Please send your responses to [email protected]. As I said before, our submission has to be in by the 1st of October so we would like to have all responses in by the 29th of September – two weeks from today. We will make our submission public when it is complete, and will ensure we anonymise any personal data in your responses before adding them to the document.