Nonsense knows no borders

4th March 2024

Another fortnight, another newsletter. Thanks to everyone who’s been ensuring that I have good skeptical content to publish. And, dear reader, if you think you have a skeptical story in you that you want to tell, I would love to hear from you. If you’re not sure if you’re able to write a compelling story, don’t worry - I’m more than happy to help you craft something that will pass muster. And if you’re concerned that you’ll be too verbose, I’m happy to cut down your story to a more manageable size - or, more likely, serialise it and publish it in multiple issues. And, remember, if you write us an article and you’re happy joining us on the NZ Skeptics’ podcast, Yeah… Nah!, we’d love to talk with you there as well. Just reply to this email to get in contact with me, or email news@skeptics.nz, if you think you might have something that is worth sharing.

This week’s newsletter contains mainly stories from overseas. Bronwyn has written about the current madness in Alabama, which was already known for not being a commonsense state before their recent daft law changes. I’ve looked into an internet drama involving an American streaming queen. Craig keeps it local by talking about the pending closure of Newshub in a few months’ time. And, finally, Louise has looked into the goings on with the new monarch in my home country, the UK, where King Charles (I’m still not getting used to writing or saying that) has a lot of silly ideas about health.

Mark Honeychurch

News on the news

Craig Shearer - 4 March 2024

News on the news

In the news this past week has been the announcement of the potential closing of Newshub at the end of June this year.

Queen Pwnzalot

Mark Honeychurch - 4 March 2024

Queen Pwnzalot

I'm a bit of a fan of internet drama - at least the kind where someone is accused of wrongdoing. The to and fro of accusations, rebuttals, evidence, and eventual apology video, with a backdrop of hundreds of eager new YouTubers hoping to gain followers by creating reaction videos, giving their own commentary, or even adding to the investigation, is fascinating to watch, and its online nature means that everything is easily accessible from the comfort of my living room. I can watch half a dozen videos, then go searching for background information, piecing together my own picture of who the main players are, how they're perceived within the online community, and just how screwed their internet “careers” are.

Majestic magical thinking

Louise Richardson - 4 March 2024

Majestic magical thinking

His grandmother Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, lived to the ripe old age of 101, his father Prince Philip was 99 when he died in 2021, and his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth, reached 96 before her death in 2022, so King Charles, now 75, obviously has the benefit of good genes.