NZ Skeptics Articles

Jessica Macfarlane

Jess Macfarlane was the last Editor of the NZ Skeptic journal.

An Atheist in Iran

9 February 2021

I like to sum up my style as a combination of brevity and rambling. This time the newsletter will be of the former persuasion.

Article of atheism

9 February 2021

Late last year we were contacted by Sina Nasiri, who had written a heart-felt article about his journey to atheism while growing up in Iran. His article explored the risky business of finding people to trust and confide in, in a society where being an atheist is no trivial thing – where apostacy from Islam is punishable by death.

Fruity Vagina Melts go viral on TikTok

18 January 2021

The author of my Bible – The Vagina Bible, Gynaecologist, columnist and author Dr. Jen Gunter was on Twitter recently, again, to educate people about how a vagina is able to self-clean, without any help from the wellness industry which is doing its best to make money out of people by shaming them into thinking they have to fix a problem that isn't there.

Lockdown Protests at the Beehive

18 January 2021

There were many false claims made on 14th January, by Billy Te Kahika and his supporters outside the Beehive in Wellington. The most dangerous claim was that Covid-19 is no more deadly than the flu (2 million people have died worldwide at the time of writing). Among other strange things, they claimed that Jacinda Ardern is a communist who wants to keep putting New Zealand into lockdown, including organising one again on 15th January, the day after the protest.

Piña coladas and Protests

18 January 2021

In a world where for some 2021 is already giving 2020 a run for its money, I'm trying to appreciate my freedoms. That includes the freedom to relax, drink cocktails and enjoy the balmy weather, and not get stressed out about where to put cocktail flavoured suppositories to solve make-believe problems invented by the wellness industry.

U.K. Society of Homeopaths have Accreditation Suspended

18 January 2021

In a win for skeptics everywhere, On 11 January 2021, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) in the U.K. moved to suspend accreditation of the Society of Homeopaths (SoH), because they found that the SoH “did not appear to have prioritised public protection over professional interests in its handling of complaints or governance processes, which undermined confidence in its ability to ensure its registrants were compliant with its own Code of Ethics and position statements.”

A Grinchy point of view

28 December 2020

In the very first verse of The Grinch, we learn that the Grinch hated Christmas, and then Dr. Seuss writes “Now please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason”. My young self always wondered about that. Why couldn't I ask? Was I supposed to not ask questions so I wouldn't feel guilty about parcelling him up in my mind as the bad guy? That advice always seemed very sinister to me. I'm instinctively deeply skeptical when someone tells me not to question something.

Ex-chef's face off Facebook

28 December 2020

In other news, Australian ex-celebrity chef Pete Evans has finally been kicked off Facebook for spreading conspiracy theories about Covid-19. He had previously been fined $25,000 for trying to sell a 'Bio Charger' device as a fake coronavirus cure via a livestream on the platform.

Insulting, ridiculous, disappointing & dangerous

28 December 2020

Dr. Siouxsie Wiles wrote on twitter recently about a NZ Herald article which wondered if New Zealand's response to the pandemic was an overreaction. While pointing out that she hadn't read the article (it was pay-walled) she said “But if the answer isn't a resounding NO WE DIDNT then the piece is insulting, ridiculous, disappointing, & dangerous”.

What's the harm in a good conspiracy?

28 December 2020

What's the harm in viral conspiracy theories? This bbc.co.uk blog investigated the people who had been affected by and involved in the spread of misinformation in 2020. The piece touches on Covid-19-deniers who ended up contracting the illness, people who became internet sensations and ended up speaking to thousands about their conflicting and nonsensical notions, and the hurt of having newly estranged family members.

Doubt is your friend - Survey

7 December 2020

Scoop.co.nz published a survey looking at New Zealanders perceptions of misinformation. One finding was “The majority of New Zealanders surveyed agree that disinformation has the ability to greatly influence someone's opinion (91 percent), but far less (53 percent) acknowledge that disinformation could influence them.” This hubris is something we need to work on. That belief that it can't happen to you is the very reason wrong ideas may be lurking untouched and untested in your belief system.

Social Cleansing

7 December 2020

Unfortunately, those same algorithms aren't smart enough to detect the baby in the soiled bathwater, and seem to be defenestrating the lot, blocking misinformation as well as videos debunking anti-vaccination misinformation. YouTuber Stephen Woodford was one who found himself scooped up in the cleansing. He recently posted a video to his YouTube channel Rationality Rules called 'The Covid-5G Conspiracy – Debunked'. It was taken down and he was sent a letter explaining why. Woodford made the letter he received from YouTube public, highlighting the reasoning given; “we think it violates our medical misinformation policy”. You can see Woodford's response here.

Social Media Cleansing

7 December 2020

It's been a very busy few weeks for me of Birthdays, training, events, and Christmas tree decoration. My irrational rage at people who erect festive trinket dust collectors before December 1st has abated, only to be replaced by incredulity over people who are 'decorating' their routers with faraday cages to protect themselves from 5G.

Stolen Identity Keto pill Scam

7 December 2020

The ABC News website published a story about a keto pill scam using a famous (in Australia) NZ born TV Doctor (Dr Brad McKay) to promote their nonsense without his knowledge. Dr McKay was not happy with the fact they had stolen his identity to promote their products, but is still struggling to get the posts removed as Facebook has given him the equivalent of a sorry-about-that shrug and taken no action. He has approached multiple authorities and agencies in Australia but (at the time of writing) is still waiting to hear back from them.

Understand the wool

7 December 2020

Understanding marketing tactics is a good way to learn how to be more skeptical about them. Knowledge can help you take off that wool you didn't know had been pulled over your eyes, and see the truth behind the lies, and hopefully be able to make a better decision about where and how to spend your hard earned cash.

A challenge, a denial and a declaration of victory

16 November 2020

It was show weekend here in Canterbury. Another long weekend to squander in the garden and pottering about the house. I've also been thinking about why on the Xbox game Assassin's Creed Valhalla my son chose to stand up for the seemingly uninformed and offended peasant, rather than the man of medicine (aka warlock) who was bemoaning the general distrust in knowledge. Perhaps it was the jaunty animal skull head-piece the warlock was wearing that made him look more like the bad guy, or perhaps it was just the promise of better loot...

and the fake cancer cure

16 November 2020

I've been binging on Netflix again and am looking forward to the next series of Ratched, a psychological thriller based on a character from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a book by Ken Kesey. Be warned, the fashions may be fabulous, but the skull crunching gore is pretty grim.

Car makers' climate denial

16 November 2020

You probably already heard that Exxon knew about climate change back in the 70s and 80s, and chose to double down on the misinformation, but now, as an EV driver myself I was interested to learn the latest news to come out about climate change denial relating to big Auto, specifically Ford and GM. In the first part of an investigation by E&E News, we find out that the automakers were well aware that car emissions caused climate change 50 years ago. Their own scientists were telling top executives that emissions from the vehicles they were producing would lead to climate change.

NZ Skeptics is hereby the most skeptical society

16 November 2020

On 6th November this year, after the US president used the word 'hereby' to claim, without any evidence whatsoever, that he had won the state of Michigan in the US election, NZ Skeptics thought, to heck with empirical data, hereby is a magical word, how can we exploit its power?! The answer, a boldly worded tweet by @NZSkeptics: “I hereby declare the NZ Skeptics Society is the most skeptical society”.

The case of the missing VHS - FOUND!

16 November 2020

Good news! We have found someone who has a copy of the video (VHS tape) taken of James Randi speaking at Canterbury University back in 1993. Next steps will be to check if it's good to digitise, and if so, we'll look to publish it to our YouTube channel. Keep posted.

The Homeopathy Challenge

16 November 2020

In Homeopathy news, Edzard Ernst, retired academic physician and specialist in complementary and alternative medicine (and skeptic hero) has created a “challenge for all homeopaths of the world”. In a similar way to the James Randi Educational Foundation's one million dollar paranormal challenge, Ernst has come up with a scientific way for homeopaths to “prove” their worth. What entrants need to do is identify the contents of 6 homeopathic solutions that they have chosen, but that have been transferred into containers marked 1 – 6 by a notary and sent back to them.

News Front

1 May 2020

Skeptic summary: Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel says people with an Asian background are staying at home to avoid racist comments from people assuming they might be carrying coronavirus (Covid-19). This is the harm of misinformation, and a reminder again that we can't be smug and think New Zealand don't have a racisim problem. It does.

Perspective

1 May 2020

Lockdown made me think of what it would be like to travel to Mars. Stuck in familiar confines, the same people around every day. The same food. A slowly diminishing blue marble the only vibrant object in a black sky hung with tiny white stars.

Logical Fallacy Tarot cards

1 February 2020

At the 2019 NZ Skeptics conference I had the pleasure of meeting a student of Applied Mathematics and Statistics and SGU fan, Melissa Bather. I was impressed by her fan art of the SGU which she presented to them at the Gala Dinner. Luckily, we were dining at the same table in the Great hall, (along with two speakers – Jacinta Cording and Cara Santa Maria!) and Melissa and I got to talking.

News Front

1 February 2020

Skeptic summary: The kiwis who are taking a stand against vaccination misinformation. We salute you.

Smoke & weird crackers

1 February 2020

As I looked out at the Australian smoke filling our normally blue New Zealand skies, it made me angry. Angry to think that where there is smoke, there is fake news holding us back from taking action on the climate crisis. There are still many who don't think we need to change from our current course, and others who think our contribution wouldn't make a difference anyway. Still too often I hear arguments which are nothing more than false balance, the scientific consensus put aside because of some meme picked up on social media. I believe we can't afford to ignore the science and we must act. It's the right thing to do. We need to set an example, even if our contribution is small by individual or national standards.

A brief look at some haunted houses in New Zealand

1 November 2019

In a preface to the 2019 conference, and with the opening event being held at Riccarton House, a supposed haunted house, we thought we'd have a quick look at some of the reputed most-haunted houses in New Zealand, and check out some of the reasons why people think the places really are haunted.

A skeptical view

1 November 2019

As one of the tweeters for NZ Skeptics, I've helped accumulate a diverse collection of followers, who inspire and educate me. However, lately, people with very different, and, frankly, misogynistic viewpoints have jumped into my bubble. This has also been an interesting and educating experience, because there is nothing like having your ideas challenged to get you to examine them critically. I've also impressed myself at my ability to live by the mantra “don't feed the trolls”.

Activism and awareness

1 November 2019

A quick word to let you all know that our project to promote herd immunity through vaccination is still in the fund-raising stage. We have been working behind the scenes to secure funding from a large donor, but still need your help.

News Front

1 November 2019

Skeptic summary: A brilliant piece on CEASE therapy, the bogus autism 'cure' made from watered down vaccines. CEASE stands for the Complete Elimination of Autisim Spectrum Expression, and was invented by a homeopath, Tinus Smits, who followed the basic (false) principal of homeopathy that like cures like. So assuming that vaccines and toxins cause autisim (which they don't—the cause is still unknown, and there is no link between vaccines and autism), it was thought that diluting vaccines and toxins (which ones?) would cure autism.

Health claims of Salt Lamps

1 August 2019

The claims made about the benefits of using a salt lamp are many. They range from reducing the need for an inhaler, to promoting happiness and wellbeing. Most of them seem to revolve around the idea that they purify the air.

News Front

1 August 2019

Skeptic summary: Students took a test to measure their belief in pseudo-scientific ideas before and after a course in critical thinking and a control course. The good news is, the course in critical thinking dramatically reduced participant's belief in pseudoscience! The not so good news is, this course is not currently rolled out at every school in the world, and belief in pseudoscientific ideas seem to be on the rise.

Nuclear secrets

1 August 2019

You may remember an article we published about unreasonable fears around nuclear power. It argued that the price of energy in human lives has been much higher in other forms of energy, with coal as the clear leader in causing harm.

News Front

1 May 2019

Skeptic summary: Despicable. When people are in a vulnerable situation, it is harder for them to be sceptical. We need to support our family and friends to avoid these tragedy vampires.

The 15th of March was two days

1 May 2019

The morning of the 15th of March I woke up ready for a positive day with my son at Cathedral square, to attend the school strike for climate.

The Force Field Film Challenge!

1 May 2019

The Force Field Film Challenge, aimed at helping kids to learn about the importance of vaccines, is an innovative competition being spearheaded by the New Zealand Skeptics.

News Front

1 February 2019

Skeptic summary: Good work all those who complained. Fluoride is not a "Neurotoxin" and claims it is spread fear, uncertainty and doubt. Complaints said it was "scaremongering" and "misleading".

Roll it in glitter

1 February 2019

I was very honoured at this year's conference to be awarded the NZ Skeptic of the Year. That honour has made me reflect on what it means to me to be a skeptic and why I decided to jump into the role of tweeter as well as editor.

Siouxsie Wiles honoured

1 February 2019

We are proud to mention the honour our regular contributor Siouxsie Wiles received this year.

Skeptics in the media

1 February 2019

From psychics to naturopaths, NZ Skeptics has been retweeting news from NZ and overseas that highlights the real harm that pseudoscience can do.

News Front

1 November 2018

Skeptic summary: Kimberley Collins went to the anti-1080 protest in Timaru, but not to join the side of the protesters. She was there to provide a scientific point of view, and to talk to the reporters and make sure they had a quote about how 1080 is saving our native wildlife. Among other things, she is a science communicator and Forest and Bird South Canterbury committee member. On twitter she has been active in holding the press to account, calling out @NewsroomNZ for not including enough quotes from scientists on this debate.

Paranormal Paradise

1 November 2018

As a metaphor for anxieties, stories of the paranormal provide a great release. For those of us up at night worrying about bills to pay, health issues, children or even climate change, shows about good guys surviving an onslaught of zombies, demons and so on, can provide a welcome catharsis.

Astro Katie talks the end of everything

1 August 2018

I've been following Astro Katie on twitter for a while, as I enjoy it when she replies to people who seem to display a lack of understanding of astrophysics, which allows me to enjoy how amazing she is at describing astrophysics.

Dawkins - Science in the Soul NZ tour

1 August 2018

In the last issue of this publication it was mentioned some skeptics were pulling out of this talk due to the nature of the allegations against Lawrence Krauss. He was accused of sexually assaulting a number of women. That case continues, and his name persists in the link to the show at the Isaac Theatre Royal.

Influencing skeptics?

1 August 2018

I was having a flu jab the other day (because I believe in the amazing power of vaccines to prevent illness and protect vulnerable people in our community from infection) and told the nurse I was the editor of the NZ Skeptics (I know what a bragger!), and guess what, she assumed I didn't believe in vaccines. I soon cleared things up and she seemed genuinely relieved and shook my hand. It made me wonder what type of negative experiences she's had with people when they found out what her job is, and also if the idea of skepticism perhaps needs a bit of positive P.R.

News Front

1 August 2018

Who: Unknown When: 05/04/2018

Fun and science

1 May 2018

How to get your kids thinking critically… it's something I've thought about a lot.

News Front

1 May 2018

Skeptic summary: A facebook page protesting against the poison 1080 (which has been proven to help bring back native bird numbers by reducing predator numbers) received more than 1000 posts before a misleading photo was removed.

Skeptics media and in the pub

1 May 2018

In case you've missed it there is an awful lot going on in the Skeptical world all the time, right here in New Zealand.

To Conform or Rebel?

1 May 2018

On 23rd February 2018 Buzzfeed.com broke the news that the prominent atheist and skeptic Lawrence Krauss had been accused of sexual assault. Later we learned that this news had a New Zealand connection as Professor Krauss was not going to be attending the show in Christchurch with Richard Dawkins. Looking at Skeptics in the pub message boards I can see attendance may be affected by people's feelings toward the remaining speaker's attitudes to women.

Charge me up

1 February 2018

It has felt this summer like we are on a highway to hell. The roads themselves have been literally melting, and we had better get used to it. We are heading to a new climate reality, with more and more records being broken around rising temperatures, fires, droughts and other extreme weather events.

Conference Announcements

1 February 2018

For the article “Don't waste money on superfoods and supplements” published in Stuff, 29th Sept 2017.

Conference recap

1 February 2018

I am almost certain, that despite the fact the conference was held in a Wellington nunnery, none of the attendees converted to the cloth, and none became extras in the next Peter Jackson dwarf-based epic (please email me if I am wrong: editor@skeptics.nz).

News Front

1 February 2018

Skeptic summary: Happy day! Climate change denier quits radio

Newsfront

1 November 2017

Skeptic summary: Congregation sides with God who apparently prefers gay couples to live in sin rather than be married in his church.

The Fake News Issue

1 November 2017

I enjoy a good coffee, a bit of light astrophysics chat with Neil de Grasse Tyson, and spring with its blossoms and daffodils.

Turmeric and Food Safety

1 November 2017

I decided to dip my spoon further into the benefits (or not) of turmeric after reading this issue's bio-blog by Alison Campbell and ended up learning about how food safety methods are being dropped due to consumer pressure based on unscientific thinking.