No Rest for the Wicked

14th October 2024

It’s going to be a busy end to this year, with two conferences coming up and a few other goings on that we’re looking forward to here in Wellington. As well as the Decult and NZ Skeptics/NZARH Conferences, Bronwyn and I have a couple of smaller events on the horizon. Firstly, we’re booked to go on a ghost hunt at the end of this month, and then we’re also hoping to finally get to hear a talk on UFOs from Share International. We’ve tried twice so far, and had events cancelled on us, so hopefully the third time’s a charm. Expect to hear more from us on these events in this newsletter, and maybe also an alien special issue coming soon.

In this week’s newsletter, I’ve started farming my kids for skeptical material and very quickly found myself looking into the history of auras, via the new idea of Aura Points. Katrina has demystified Halloween by giving us a breakdown of all the weird and wonderful elements that make up our modern spooky celebration. Hamish decided to message Ken Ring on a whim, and was surprised when he received a reply back. Bronwyn’s looked into another “cure” for autism, and yet again found that it doesn’t stack up. And Brad’s been contemplating how we need to be careful about our choice of words when talking with others, as it can be easy to use words that alienate your listeners - something that becomes more of a struggle as we get older.

Mark Honeychurch

Aura Points

Mark Honeychurch - 14 October 2024

Aura Points

After finding out a couple of weeks ago that my kids were aware of “mewing” six months before I was, I jokingly berated them and asked them to let me know of any other nonsense they might come across online. This request was instantly met with a barrage of weirdness and nonsense, although one stood out immediately - Aura Points.

All Hallows Eve

Katrina Borthwick - 14 October 2024

All Hallows Eve

Halloween wasn't really a thing growing up in New Zealand over 40 years ago, but it seems to have taken off in the last few decades. No trick or treaters have been determined enough to find their way to the top of the hill where I live, and I've now stopped buying lollies to save our waistlines at home. If we do ever get one, we'll need to think of a really good trick - or worse, give them fruit.

A Short Conversation with Ken Ring

Hamish Dickson - 14 October 2024

A Short Conversation with Ken Ring

Hi Ken. Has anyone done a formal statistical analysis of your Weather Almanac comparing what the weather was like on those days predicted and if so, can you provide a link please?

Weaponising Words

Brad MacClure - 14 October 2024

I was thinking the other day about the lyrics of the Mark Knopfler song “Sailing to Philadelphia” . It's a gorgeous song, recorded as a duet by Knopfler and James Taylor. It's all about the chaps who surveyed the Mason-Dixon line. You should have a listen.