Russell Dear is a mathematics teacher and skeptic from Invercargill.
Contradictory Belief Systems
1 November 1994
A friend of mine once visited a faith-healer, one of the religious variety from the United States who periodically come to New Zealand to swell their bank balances. She attended the meeting because of a persistent pain in her elbow. Despite my suggestions that it was only tennis elbow, she was worried and thought perhaps the pain was serious. She had an aisle seat near the front and during the proceedings the "healer" approached her and asked about the pain in her arm. Apparently she hadn't told anyone why she was there. She was impressed.
Equine Pseudoscience
1 November 1992
Do horses really have a distinct set of personality types or is it just a load of equine excreta?
School Teachers and Skepticism
1 February 1992
The debate over how "dry" a skeptic should be in promoting skepticism does not appear to take into account the dangers of ridicule in hardening the very views we are attempting to counter. This is particularly so in schools, where both teachers and pupils have things to learn.
Messing About With Books
1 November 1991
A quick perusal of the shelves of your local library can show you where the purchasing priorities lie — and they're not in the science section.
Back Out Gracefully
1 August 1991
An attempt at chiropractic consultancy in Southland schools didn't do too well after their dubious practices were debated by the local community.