From the Chairman

Keith Lockett, our hard-pressed and indefatigable Editor, has particular difficulty in getting good material for the NZ Skeptic and it turns out that he is not alone in his editorial problems. One overseas skeptics group editor has offered a free subscription to the US Skeptical Inquirer to anyone who agrees to write a regular column. Another editorial, from the Iowa group, complains that "material was in short supply, as was time" and that "sometimes the time involved in putting together a newsletter like this can become large". These problems, which Keith will recognise readily, meant that their Fall issue was late and had to be combined with the Winter issue. Even then it was about the same size as one of our regular issues.

Getting material is a continuing problem and will remain so. I am in favour of quality rather than quantity, and local content rather than otherwise. Despite this we have to be kept in touch with what is going on in sceptical circles overseas and, as we are not allowed to use telepathy, this Newsletter is our best channel (if I may use that word).

We receive newsletters on exchange from overseas sceptical groups—that is why I magically know about the problems in Iowa—and I circulate them-te-the-editor and round the Committee. (where is Iowa?) The newsletters are an interesting view on what is going on in the world of scepticism. We have been able to follow the US tour by the great Indian skeptic B Premanand who practically single handedly runs and writes the newsletter for the Indian skeptics group. They have a lot of trouble with God-women there, we discover.

We got top billing—well middle billing really—in The Rocky Mountain Skeptic. We were in the centre of a page displaying the front pages of a number of international newsletters. Our headline, while neat and elegant, did not stand out as well as the others on the page but there we were! The editor offered copies of all the international publications in return for a short report each month. Once again another desperate editor searching for copy. We could do the same thing here: a member who agrees to provide a column to the NZ Skeptic each quarter would get first look at all the international newsletters we receive. It might be a precis of overseas events, an international page like the newspapers.

Keith points out that, for most members, NZ. Skeptic is all they get for their money and that four issues is about the minimum that should be provided—and there is something in that argument. Please let us know what you think. Write to me (or the editor) and give your views on the Newsletter and its content.

What else has been going on? We had some interaction about "lucky numbers" in Lotto. Lotto draw number 83 had a surprising group of numbers including an abundance of 7's. One of our members, Mr Don McDonald, pointed out the coincidence and there was some discussion in the Press and TV. Of course it makes no difference to the chance of winning (assuming the drawing process itself is random) though such coincidences may alter the payout to the winner.

An excellent Auckland Herald Weekend Magazine article on Clairvoyants by Tapu Misa on April 22 included a remote telephone reading by that well-known Christchurch clairvoyant, D. Dutton. Good one this—a nomination for the Media awards this year, perhaps?

[had a brief part in a talkback on Radio Pacific with an Auckland husband and wife who are apparently in contact with aliens in flying saucers and who recently set up a group with similar beliefs. Our friend from the Aetherian society was also interviewed. I am not sure if each believed the other lot or not.