The Podcast from Australia for
Science and Reason - Since 2008
Click Here for The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project
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The Skeptic Zone #824 - 21 July 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.
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?
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.
SkeptiCampNM - Presented by New Mexicans for Science and Reason
Adrienne flies to Albuquerque, New Mexico to attend a meet up of local and regional skeptics.
Interviews with... Stirling Forsyth, Mary Catherine Harris, Tom Parker, Kurly Tlapoyawa, Sonia Veronica, Frank T. Etscorn, and from the Squaring the Strange podcast Celestia Ward, Ben Radford and Pascual Romero.
We take a look at a recent press stories from Australia and Britin regarding UFO promoter and Australian journalist Ross Coulthart. Also we wonder what we can glean from Wiki about his current notoriety.
Guest reporter Rob Palmer attended the inaugural Triangle SkeptiCamp that took place on 25th of May 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
In part #3 of a series of interviews from the event, Rob chats to Faith and Ramiro Rodriguez from the organisating team, as well has Melanie Trecek-King from Thinking is Power.
We talk to famed fighter of nonsense Dr Eugenie C. Scott about the upcoming SkeptiCal Conference.
SkeptiCal is the scientific skepticism conference
brought to you by Northern California Skeptics. The SkeptiCal Conference brings stimulating and entertaining speakers (including Australia's own Dr Karl Kruszelnicki) to a world-wide audience of science fans, critical thinkers, and, in the words of Carl Sagan, questioners of "extraordinary claims". Join them for two engaging days of speakers, interviews, and discussions. And - test your wits on a round of SkeptiCal trivia, and try your hand at SkeptiCal's popular Skepardy! game.
Guest reporter Rob Palmer attended the inaugural Triangle SkeptiCamp that took place on 25th of May 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
In part #2 of a series of interviews from the event, Rob chats to Kenny Biddle, chief investigator at the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and attendee Jane Selkie.
This week Kat and Adrienne take a skeptical look at 'Baby Helmets'. Are they truly necessary or just another example of our culture's obsession with over-protection? What is the medical point of view? Baby helmets, also known as cranial orthoses, are seen by some as intervention for infants with positional plagiocephaly (flat spots on the head) or brachycephaly (narrow, elongated head shape).
0:12:20
Bend Nerd Night
Energy Trivia. Join Brian Dunning from the Skeptoid podcast as he leads a round of trivia at 'Nerd Night' in Bend, Oregon. Test your knowledge!
Guest reporter Rob Palmer attended the inaugural Triangle SkeptiCamp that took place on 25th of May 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
In part #1 of a series of interviews from the event, Rob chats to Coleman Watts, the host of the 'Think This Through' YouTube channel. He also catches up with Erika Engelhaupt, science journalist and author of 'Gory Details'.
Adrienne Hill and Janalee Morris share their immersive first experience at the Psychic and Crystal Fair, where they interacted with vendors and attendees. Could anyone predict their future or enhance their health? Tune in to find out.
0:19:42
Reviewing the UFO Documentary
We chat to Brian Dunning about the thousands of reviews and comments left on his documentary, 'The UFO Movie THEY Don't Want You To See'. Some are insightful, many are just plain ridiculous. It's clear that his movie has certainly caused a stir in the UFO community.
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers
on a search for references to Fortune Tellers.
1909.02.27 - The Beverly Times W.A.
1918.03.07 - The Telegraph QLD
1934.01.09 - Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser QLD
1938.12.21 - Argus Melbourne
1949.09.26 - The Daily Mercury QLD
1909.10.29 - The Star, Sydney
1922.08.04 - The Canowindra Star, NSW
1903.03.06 - The Geelong Advertiser
1932.08.08 - The North West Champion, NSW
This week Kat relates her journey, over the past year, from attending a skeptical conference in Canada to becoming a reporter for the Skeptic Zone. This is right from the 'who could have ever see this coming?' files and is a great illustration of how important it is to support skeptical events. Plus we hear Kat's theme music for the first time.
0:11:28
Ben Radford, Australia Bound
The legend himself! Ben Radford has been a fulltime scientific investigator and writer for 25 years. Now for the first time he is heading to Australia to talk at the Austraian Skeptics National Convention in November in Sydney. Will he find the elusive Yowie during his trip? We also hear about other meetings Ben is attending and more about the Squaring the Stange Podcast.
0:23:56
The Book of Tim. With Tim Mendham
The History of EUTSBy Barry Williams (aka Sir Jim)
In this classic article, Sir Jim R. Wallaby investigates energies unknown to science... and those that are.
This week, Adrienne gives us an overview of the recent 'We Can Reason' conference held in Calgary, Canada. We hear about each of the invited speakers and meet one of the delegates, a listener of the Skeptic Zone right from episode #1, Brenda Hill.
Next it's a road trip to the Royal Tyrrell Museum, which houses one of world's premier collection of dinosaur fossils. Here Richard Saunders gives us his thoughts on this wondrous example of science in action.
Finally, on the drive home, Adrienne interviews Jonathan Jarry, one of the hosts of the popular Body of Evidence podcast from Canada. Jonathan was also an invited speaker at the conference.
https://tyrrellmuseum.com
0:23:18
Australian
Skeptics Newsletter
What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill.
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers
on a search for references to Psychic Predictions.
1972.01.02 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1973.12.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1981.01.02 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1989.01.01 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1992.12.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald
Is AI all that it's cracked up to be? This week Richard Saunders tempts fate by asking AI to write a script in his own style. Are the results worth it? You be the judge..... Mate!
0:12:12
Australian
Skeptics Newsletter
What skeptical news has caught the eye of Tim Mendham this week? Read by Adrienne Hill.
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers
on a search for references to Haunted Houses
1955.07.19 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1955.07.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1970.02.25 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1986.10.26 - The Sydney Morning Herald
For many decades, Dr Steve Roberts has been investigating reports of UFOs. In this informal chat with Richard Saunders, Dr Steve looks at various recent UFO fads and some from history.
Join Tim Mendham and Richard Saunders at Sydney Skeptics in the Pub as they talk about the special guests lined up for the Australian Skeptics national convention in November.
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers
on a search for references to Australian Skeptics.
1984.07.05 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1987.02.11 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1989.03.17 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1994.11.14 - The Sydney Morning Herald
1998.03.30 - The Sydney Morning Herald
A review of a TV documentary from 2010. Mary Rodwell travels Australia seeking out those who claim to be abducted by UFOs. Can she convince her son during the course of the two week adventure? What, if any, real evidence does the documentary provide?
Milbourne Christopher (1914 - 1984) regarded those individuals who claimed extrasensory perception or psychic powers to be actually using magic trickery. He wrote three book-length exposes regarding those he said were false seers or psychics: ESP, Seers & Psychics; Mediums, Mystics & The Occult; and Search For The Soul.
A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers
on a search for references to Anti-Vacation in tne 1950s.
1952.03.14 - The Barrier Miner
1954.10.25 - Daily Mercury in Queensland
1955.05.26 - The Central Queensland Herald
1958.10.03 - The Australian Jewish Times
Verna Morris, Maureen Chuck, Ken McLeod, Monica Saville, Dr Richard
Gordon, Dr Karl Kruszelnicki, John Bundock, Peter Bowditch and Lauren
Cochrane with Ada and Jack.
Join the cast of the Skeptic Zone Podcast, and a host of
special guests, in their first audio adventure as they board the
Australian Space Ship Solar Flare to fight
the forces of woo thoughout the galaxy!
Ducks
on a Coin 4,961 × 3,508 pixels, file size: 4.65 MB
Folded and Photographed
by Richard Saunders
The Skeptic Zone Podcast
is an independent production by Richard Saunders and the team of reporters.
The views and opinions expressed on the Skeptics Zone Podcast are not
necessarily those Australian Skeptics Inc. or any other skeptical organisation.