One of New Zealand’s most senior journalists, and a long-standing member of the NZ Skeptics, has announced his retirement (Dominion Post, 2 December, Sunday Star Times, 3 December). Frank Haden has been best known in recent years for his columns in the Sunday Star Times, but his 50 year career in journalism has included time as editor of the Sunday Times and assistant editor of the Dominion.

He has listed his favourite issues as “The Iraq invasion, the persecution of Ahmed Zaoui, compensation for uncontrollable thugs, euthanasia, prostate cancer screening, anywhere/anytime speed cameras, quack medicine, the excesses of the Treaty industry, Parole Board decisions, nuclear power, global warming myths”. He has claimed that he doesn’t U-turn on his views: “I spend a lot of time saying `I told you so!’ after being proved right.”

He has often been described as right wing, a label he denies. “I’m simply not a right-winger. I hold a lot of inflammatory ideas that might seem to some people to be right-wing, but I’m not at all. Stripped to bare necessities I’m quite a compassionate kind of person, so long as people are prepared to take a fair measure of responsibility.”

Ironically it is prostate cancer, for which he advocated screening long before being diagnosed with the illness, which has now forced his retirement at the age of 76.

Haden’s departure from the country’s newspaper scene has been widely commented on. Even those who did not share his views respected his professionalism. Nicky Hager, who has never been accused of being right-wing, had this to say in a recent press release:

“The recently retired Frank Haden was an honourable example of a genuine commentator. I quite often did not agree with his views but I respected his independent and considered opinion.”

Water spraying exercise ‘successful’

A special police convoy carrying Maori elders has sprayed 10,000 litres of Waikato River water on SH1 and SH2 in a bid to free the spirits of crash victims (Waikato Times, 4 December). Dick Waihi, iwi liaison officer for the Counties-Manukau police district, said the operation had been successful.

“It was a first for the country and we have had some really good feedback,” he said.

Maori elders consider the combination of blessed river water and prayers to be a trigger for the release of the spirits of those trapped by violent deaths on the roads. Water was pumped from the Waikato River into a tanker at Tuakau by the New Zealand Fire Service.

From 5.30am the convoy drove south from Mt Wellington to Mercer on SH1, and then along SH2 to Maramarua. The ceremonial spraying was interrupted at Mercer and Maramarua, where a karakia was performed. Mr Waihi said the 21/2-hour exercise was cost-free, with people donating labour and resources.

Despite the prayers, Mr Waihi said the exercise was non-religious and not just for Maori fatalities.

“Some people don’t have an understanding why we are doing it. They should find out more about Maori protocols before making comment.”

Telephone telepathy exists: Sheldrake

Maverick British scientist Rupert Sheldrake has proof, he says, of telepathy. Many people have the experience of receiving a phone call from someone shortly after thinking about them-Sheldrake conducted experiments that proved that such pre-recognition exists (Dominion Post, 7 September).

Each person in the trials was called by four relatives or friends at random. In 45 percent of cases, the subject correctly guessed who was calling before picking up the phone. “The odds against this being a chance effect are 1000 billion to one,” Mr Sheldrake told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. If it worked both ways-so my friends wouldn’t ring me during a movie-now that would be impressive.

Chip off the old block wasn’t a UFO

Cool headed detective work has put paid to a UFO which apparently soared over a long-forgotten cycle race at Lancaster Park more than a century ago. Sports writer Joseph Romanos said an object in the sky was spotted by a photo processor who was preparing an 1890 image for a book on the history of the park published last year (Dominion Post, 7 September.)

“She blew it up large and the more it was blown up the more it looked just like a UFO. You could just about see people in it,” Romanos said.

No one knew what it was and the photo didn’t look doctored so Romanos and co-author Don Neely went to Christchurch where they tracked down the original negative in the Canterbury Library, where all was revealed.

“It was a chip in the original glass negative,” said Romanos, adding that up to that point he was starting to believe in UFOs. “I’m disappointed, as I was hoping the book would sell well in Canterbury and Roswell.” He decided to mention his close encounter after publication of another UFO image found recently at the Devonport Navy Museum.

That photo, taken from the bridge of the navy cruiser Royalist in 1965, has baffled experts who are squabbling over what the mystery object may be.

Get me to the church on time

According to a new study, older people who regularly attend religious services are healthier than those who don’t.

The study, conducted by Dr Joanna Maselko at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, looked at 1174 highly functioning men and women in their 70s. It found that those who went to a church, synagogue or mosque at least once a week had a significantly slower decline in their lung function over the following years than their peers who didn’t attend services regularly.

In 1988, when the study began, 65 percent of female participants and 51 percent of men reported attending services regularly. Over the follow-up period, lung function declined twice as much in people who didn’t attend services regularly compared with those who did.

While the more religious individuals were more physically active and less likely to smoke, these differences didn’t account for their better lung function.

Dr Maselko said that attending regular services could possibly protect people by giving them a supportive community. “In the US, social isolation among the elderly is a huge problem.”

Prof packs punch

Skeptic columnist Raymond Richards got saturation coverage in the Hamilton papers (Waikato Times, Hamilton Press, Hamilton This Week) before and after his charity boxing match at Auckland’s Sky City Convention Centre on November 17.

Richards, dubbed ‘Sugar Ray’ by the Waikato Times, was the only 50-year-old academic on the ‘Fight Nite’ bill (which included former All Black Frank Bunce), and was up against an opponent, Andy Neish, who was 2kg heavier and 12 years younger.

“My first goal is to make it up the steps into the ring,” he said. “Then, with my eyes, if I can make him out, I hope to drop him before I topple over. I don’t want to chase him.”

The event raised money for child cancer work (“What’s a little concussion compared to the big C?”), but Richards also said he was fighting for everyone who has been told they are too old to do something. The Waikato Times also noted his other public fights, centring on his “feisty academic opposition” to Mormons, homeopathy and quackery.

In the event, he was able to use his longer reach to keep Neish at bay (apart from two blows to the ear in the second round) and bloody the younger man’s nose, winning on points. He has been approached to appear at this year’s Fight for Life, but is seriously considering hanging up his gloves and going out on a high.

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