David Riddell

It's about 25 years since I joined the NZ Skeptics, and eight years since I took on the editorship of this magazine. It's been fun, but it's time I handed the NZ Skeptic on to other hands, so this ... (484 words)

Welcome to 'enlightenment' Herald on Sunday (17 August) reporter Russell Blackstock has been along to check out Avatar - not the movie, but a self-improvement course founded by an ex-Scientologist. ... (1311 words)

The Orphan Conspiracies: 29 Conspiracy Theories from The Orphan Trilogy, by James & Lance Morcan. US$5.62 (Kindle Edition), Amazon. Reviewed by David Riddell. Lance and James Morcan are a New ... (1552 words)

So after a break of almost 13 months, fluoride is now back in Hamilton's water supply. It was 5 June last year that the council, after three months of public consultations, submissions and hearings, ... (401 words)

Hunt on for lost dinosaur fossil Author and journalist Ian Wishart claims Taranaki could be the last resting place of a giant lizard- like "dinosaur" and is issuing a challenge for it to be ... (1270 words)

Psychics get credit for body discovery Two psychic mediums have been credited with helping to find the body of a Stratford man who drowned in the Patea River last September (Taranaki Daily News, 1 ... (1259 words)

And so another year begins, and as I write this on New Year's Day 2014 there is the opportunity, as with every new year, to reflect on past years and consider the prospects for the future. 2014 will ... (394 words)

In spite of the quality international line-up of scientists and science communicators at September's annual NZ Skeptics Conference in Wellington, it's probably not surprising that most of the media ... (429 words)

Iridologist's neglect led to 'avoidable' death A Te Horo iridologist breached the code of human rights and failed, as a healthcare provider, to give a Feilding grandmother proper care, the Human ... (1303 words)

It took Hamilton City Councillors about one hour to banish fluoride from the city's water supply on 5 June, a move Waikato Medical Officer of Health Dr Felicity Dumble said discounted the mainstream ... (426 words)

In Issue 100 of the NZ Skeptic I commented on how issues of concern to this society never seem to go away. A classic example of the moment is the case of Neon Roberts, the seven-year-old English boy ... (463 words)

Two of this issue's articles have a lot in common. Keith Garratt (p 7( and Michael Edmonds (p 13( both illustrate how individuals can make a difference through active skepticism, whether it be making ... (435 words)

Twelve questions - and a gong So the world didn't end on December 21. While the supposed Mayan Apocalypse attracted considerable media attention most of it, before and after, was light-hearted and ... (1275 words)

If the beliefs of a sizeable number of people turn out to be correct, this will be the final issue of the NZ Skeptic. According to a survey of 16,262 people in 21 countries conducted by market ... (483 words)

Charter schools open door for creationism Government plans to establish charter schools look like providing a way for creationists to get their teachings into New Zealand's classrooms (Dominion Post, ... (1220 words)

George Gwaze was first cleared of the murder of his adopted daughter Charlene Makaza on 21 May 2008. At the time I wrote in NZ Skeptic 88's Newsfront that it had taken since the first week of 2007 ... (454 words)

How to raise a psychic child All children are psychic, according to one of the stranger items to appear in the NZ Herald (30 May) for a while. Sue Bishop is described by writer (I hesitate to say ... (1334 words)

The discovery of a long-missing body offers a rare chance to put the psychic stars of Sensing Murder to the test. On Saturday 19 May 2012 the remains of Auckland teenager Jane Furlong were found in ... (2249 words)

On a recent visit to New Plymouth I was rather taken aback to see a billboard outside a central city church posing the question: "Evolution? How come we still have apes?" It wasn't so much surprise ... (410 words)

Scientologists get government money A drug awareness programme run by the Church of Scientology has received government funding to spread its views through schools and community groups (Sunday Star ... (1174 words)

A recent UMR Research poll has provided a snapshot of what New Zealanders believe about a range of paranormal subjects. More than half accept that some people have psychic powers; on the other hand, ... (412 words)

The Bosnian Pyramids: The Biggest Hoax in History? Directed by Jurgen Deleye. VOF de Grenswetenschap. Watch online (www.thebiggesthoaxinhistory.com): €5.95. DVD: €19.95 (excl. shipping). Reviewed by ... (331 words)

The Natural Health Products Bill passed its first reading in Parliament in September. It appears to have wide support across most political parties, and those who follow such things expect it to pass ... (435 words)

Top scientist turns to alternative medicine Prominent physicist and science commentator Sir Paul Callaghan is resorting to vitamin C megadoses and Chinese medicine to treat his terminal cancer ... (1250 words)

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There are times when the world seems to run along quietly from day to day, with very little happening. Then there are times like these. There are the ongoing aftershocks in Christchurch, many of them ... (419 words)

In the aftermath of the Christchurch earthquakes, Ken Ring's predictions were widely, though often inaccurately, reported. David Riddell looks at Ring's writings, and compares them with actual ... (1431 words)

Quake wakes up spooks A Christchurch para-normal investigator says Canterbury's September 4 earthquake has more than doubled the number of reported supernatural events in the province (The Press, 8 ... (1303 words)

This year' s NZ Skeptics conference in Auckland was the usual mix of stimulating presentations and good companionship, but it will go down in the society' s history as the end of Vicki Hyde' s term ... (416 words)

Fake bomb detector leads to deaths One of the main reasons for the success Al Qaeda has had in getting bombs past checkpoints in Iraq is that the main device used to detect explosives is a uselss ... (1276 words)

As part of the Memorandum of Understanding between the National and Green parties, the Ministry of Health has been developing proposals for a natural health products scheme to regulate such products ... (396 words)

When creationists try to harmonise their worldview with certain inescapable facts of geology, the result is chaos. Recently I had forwarded to me a document bearing the title Debunking Evolution: ... (2256 words)

Autism paper binned Twelve years after it induced panic among parents world-wide, a paper linking the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism has been withdrawn (NZ Herald, 4 February). The ... (1184 words)

When Richard Dawkins made a flying visit to New Zealand in March he attracted people from all over the country - including three from this household. Tickets to all events were quickly snapped up, ... (441 words)

The nzskeptics Yahoo discussion group has been very busy of late, with December 2009 registering more than 300 new messages - the largest number in the almost five years of the group's existence. In ... (351 words)

Psychic and TVNZ join forces to profit from child's disappearance When Sensing Murder psychic Deb Webber announced on TV One's Breakfast show that missing Auckland toddler Aisling Symes was in "a ... (1282 words)

NZ Skeptic editor David Riddell finds Kelvin Cruickshank less impressive in person than he appears on Sensing Murder. A shorter version of this review appeared in the Waikato Times on 9 December ... (1305 words)

Flaky diagnostic tool fans toxin scare fire Hard on the heels of the Bent Spoon awarded to the Poisoning Paradise 'documentary', the NZ Herald has produced an appalling piece on alleged pesticide ... (1228 words)

THE 2009 annual NZ Skeptics Conference in Wellington was its usual mix of good times and thought-provoking material, though with some unique touches. The Kingsgate Hotel was a rather more luxurious ... (406 words)

Having recently joined the happy hordes of mp3 player owners, our household has been getting an object lesson in the nature of random events. For those who have yet to succumb to the charms of these ... (483 words)

Save the rocks, say Celt theorists THOSE zany Ancient Celt people never give up, do they? Now they're campaigning to protect some boulders on a hillside at Silverdale, north of Auckland, due to be ... (1095 words)

Although formal religion is continuing to decline in this country, belief in the supernatural remains high. That seems to be the main conclusion to be drawn from a recent survey of New Zealand ... (425 words)

'Pet psychics' get a boost The flourishing pet psychic industry has received free publicity from an Australian article reprinted in the NZ Herald (23 January). I guess it was the silly season, that ... (1212 words)

February 12 is Charles Darwin's 200th birthday, and the old guy, or at least his ideas, are still in pretty good shape. While evolutionary theory has been broadened and elaborated extensively in the ... (415 words)

Breast-pill maker busted A company making pills which falsely claimed to enhance women's breast size has been fined $100,000 for breaching the Fair Trading Act (National Business Review, 16 ... (1219 words)

The Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) has upheld a complaint from the Commerce Commission against TV3 current affairs show 60 Minutes. An item, broadcast at 7.30pm on 15 October 2007, presented ... (433 words)

Another annual conference has come and gone, with the usual collection of thought-provoking presentations. This issue we present two highlights, from Waikato University biology lecturer and science ... (401 words)

David Riddell revisits the 2008 NZ Skeptics conference. The NZ Skeptics learned first-hand that strange lights in the sky can have rational explanations as the annual conference kicked off at Waikato ... (274 words)

New Zealand a sceptical nation? Readers of the NZ Skeptic may find this a bit hard to believe, but New Zealanders seem to be a fairly sceptical bunch overall (Sunday Star-Times, 11 September). ... (1240 words)

While the recent national curriculum review confirmed evolution's place as the central organising theory of modern biology, creationists continue to try and chip away at the edges. Most recently, ... (403 words)

The murder that never was Charlene Makaza went into hospital with an acute Aids-related condition in the first week of 2007. By the time the 10-year-old Zimbabwean girl died 18 hours later, doctors ... (1281 words)

A strange transformation has overtaken the murky world of the creationists. This article is based on a presentation to the 2007 NZ Skeptics Conference. Creationism has always been primarily an ... (2802 words)

It always helps keep matters in perspective to read about skeptical episodes from days gone by. I've recently been reading The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero, by ... (432 words)

Biologist expelled from 'Expelled' The Intelligent Design (ID) movie Expelled (Editorial, NZ Skeptic 86) has scored a spectacular public relations own-goal at a screening in Minneapolis (New York ... (1285 words)

Blind Faith, by Ben Elton. Bantam Press. Reviewed by David Riddell. The world of Ben Elton's latest novel is a skeptic's worst nightmare. In this future London, government has been captured by the ... (529 words)

Those of you with broadband might enjoy one of the latest shots in the US 'culture wars' over creation and evolution. Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial, is a two-hour documentary on the ... (437 words)

Exorcism leads to charges The death of Wainuiomata woman Janet Moses during an attempt to lift a Maori curse, or makutu, was very widely reported (eg NZ Herald, November 12). Now six women and three ... (1340 words)

I must make a point of never again flying while the All Blacks are playing in the World Cup. I was over the Atlantic for the 1995 final, and flying home from the South Island during this tournament's ... (469 words)

NZ UFOs get attention The call for UFO sightings from the Tauranga-based UFOCUS group caught the attention of the Waikato Times (July 28) which ran a two-page feature on alien visitations in this ... (1271 words)

The Letters to the Editor columns have been spilling over with irate readers concerned about yet another attack on New Zealand's sovereignty. The cause of all the anger is the proposed Therapeutic ... (464 words)

Creationist Museum up and running After years of planning and fund-raising among the faithful, the Creation Museum has finally opened in Kentucky (Los Angeles Times, May 31). The 5600 square metre ... (1272 words)

After a bloodless coup, the NZ Skeptic has a new editor. This doesn't mean much in practical terms; for many years I've been working closely with previous ed Annette Taylor. She will now take on the ... (376 words)

Female 'sorcerers' tortured and murdered Four Papua New Guinea women, believed by fellow villagers to have used sorcery to cause a fatal road crash, were tortured with hot metal rods to confess, then ... (1225 words)

Garfield was right-there's nothing like a piping hot lasagne on a winter's night. Especially when eaten with good wine and fine people. During our repast, we got to talking and the New Zealand ... (414 words)

ET gone home The disappearance of UFOs and little green men has been reported on once more, this time by the Dominion Post (3 April - see NZ Skeptic 77). Ben Macintyre notes that these days UFOs have ... (1315 words)

'Homeopathic' malaria pills no good Holidaymakers planning trips to the tropics have been warned to avoid homeopathic remedies that are claimed to prevent malaria after several UK travellers ... (1227 words)

Some people are skeptical about UFOs and alien abductions-but for all the wrong reasons. Gary Bates is the latest in a long line of Australian creationists who have mounted tours of New Zealand since ... (814 words)

The decision by Judge John Jones ruling that the promotion of Intelligent Design (ID) in schools is a violation of the constitutional ban on teaching religion, is at least a temporary victory for ... (446 words)

Intelligent Design ruled a pretext for religion in the classroom In a decision which sets an important precedent for US science education, a court has ruled against the teaching of the theory of ... (1338 words)

Don't bother watching the skies Could it be that visitations from flying saucers, which have been so frequent over the last 60 years, are now on the wane? Or is something more sinister going on? ... (1344 words)

The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Life, by Richard Dawkins. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, $79.99. All life has a common ancestor. Or to put it another way, every creature alive today, ... (315 words)

Dead money A spiritualist group has been given $2500 to teach people to communicate with the dead, the Herald On Sunday reports (15 May). The Foundation of Spiritualist Mediums received the Auckland ... (2034 words)

Geller offers to exorcise artwork The Scottish border city of Carlisle says a stone artwork commissioned to mark the millennium has brought floods, pestilence and sporting humiliation, but an ... (1389 words)

How to Poison your Spouse the Natural Way: A Kiwi Guide to Safe Eating, by Jay D Mann. JDM & Associates, $24.95. Reviewed by David Riddell. A Christchurch mother who fed her five-year-old son raw ... (329 words)

Intelligent Design Gets a Boost The small Pennsylvania town of Dover has become the latest battleground in the creation/evolution war. If it survives a legal test, this school district of 2800 ... (1370 words)

The reading by Jeanette Wilson which featured most prominently on the 20/20 programme awarded the 2004 Bent Spoon (see page 3) was of a woman named Maria. It transpired after the reading that Maria's ... (752 words)

Did the ancestors of the Celts sail to New Zealand and establish a network of megalithic survey points and astronomical sight lines? Some think so The prehistory of New Zealand is generally thought ... (2103 words)

Psychic Scam Busted Two fortune tellers apparently failed to foresee the end of their alleged scam in Christchurch (The Press, January 29). The men were arrested and charged with fraud after they ... (1341 words)

"Dr Jaz" Dies Dr Neil McKenzie, better known to music lovers as Dr Jaz, died in May following a long battle against a brain tumour (Bay of Plenty Times, May 15 2003). Neil McKenzie was also a ... (1323 words)

1421: THE YEAR CHINA DISCOVERED THE WORLD, by Gavin Menzies. Bantam, $54.95. Zheng He is not a name that is well known in the west. However, his seven voyages from China, through the Indian Ocean to ... (538 words)

Australians turn up the Heat on Pan Breaking news as this issue goes to press (Waikato Times, April 30 and elsewhere) is the recall by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of 219 ... (1276 words)

In Darwin's Shadow: The life and science of Alfred Russel Wallace, by Michael Shermer. Oxford University Press. Alfred Russel Wallace was the co-discoverer of perhaps the most revolutionary idea in ... (447 words)

Sometimes the most successful prophets are the ones that don't even try In the aftermath of the Challenger disaster and the death of Princess Diana, the world was quickly awash with black humour and ... (879 words)

If I Could Talk to the Dead Animals Pet psychic Carol Schultz of Chicago has been gaining a lot of international attention, with identical reports featured in June editions of the Cairns Post and ... (914 words)

In Mendel's Footnotes: An Introduction to the Science and Technologies of Genes and Genetics from the 19th century to the 22nd, by Colin Tudge. Jonathan Cape, $59.95. The recent advances in genetic ... (379 words)

Help at Hand for Mobile Phone Users I would've thought the main hazard from mobile phones was the increased risk of accident when using one in the car. No-one seems to worry about this, however, ... (1330 words)

The Crucible of Creation: The Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals, by Simon Conway Morris. Oxford University Press. Cradle of Life: The Discovery of Earth's Earliest Fossils, by J William Schopf. ... (293 words)

Three sketpics go head to head with a creationist lecturer. When the call went out on the Skeptics' mailing list for people to take part in a debate against Australian creationist John Mackay, I ... (841 words)

IN THE United States, creationists have long waged a strong political campaign to have their ideas recognised by the courts and the educational authorities. But in this part of the world, it seems, ... (647 words)

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a candle in the dark, by Carl Sagan. Headline, $29.95. In 1656 Thomas Ady, in his book A Candle in the Dark, was one of the first to speak out against the witch ... (522 words)

About the time this issue makes it to the letterbox, those Americans not glued to chat-shows or the latest update on alien abductions will be treated to a documentary on recreations of ancient ... (852 words)

Australian creationist Peter Sparrow toured New Zealand recently. Peter Sparrow is a black-bearded, bespectacled, bear of a man. He is cheery, articulate, and an excellent spokesman for the Creation ... (1476 words)

by Colin Lambert. Moana Press. Reviewed by David Riddell Colin Lambert is a magnetic healer from Waihi, and in this book he tells his story. Brought up as a Baptist, and a former painter and ... (1106 words)

by Whitley Strieber, Arrow Books, $12.99. A true story? That's what it says on the cover. When I first heard that horror story author Whitley Strieber (The Hunger, The Wolfen, among others) had ... (834 words)

MAGNETIC HEALING AND OTHER REALITIES, by Colin Lambert (Moana Press, $24. 35), Reviewed by David Riddell. Colin Lambert is a magnetic healer from Waihi, and in this book he tells his story. Brought ... (732 words)