1 May 2011
Englishwoman Doris Stokes was a medium - by which I don't mean her dress size was between small and large. She claimed she spoke to people "on the other side," to use the euphemistic jargon of the darkened drawing room. She was a sort of cosmic Telecom operator, only I suspect her charges were a good deal higher than 99c a minute plus GST.
1 November 2005
Frank Searle, who produced 20 pictures of the Loch Ness monster and did more than anyone to make it a major tourist attraction, died on March 26 aged 84 (Dominion Post, 7 July).
1 August 2004
On Saturday, July 10, Cynthia Shakespeare died in a car accident on the way to a tramping trip. With her death we have lost a wonderfully enthusiastic and energetic member of the Skeptics.
1 May 1997
Britain's The Skeptic magazine celebrated its tenth anniversary with a Top-Ten survey of paranormal phenomena of the decade.
1 August 1996
CSICOP has been trying to have available, both to its staff and to anyone else who wishes to use it, the finest library of skeptical materials on the paranormal in the world. We have been gathering material for this collection as a part of the Center for Inquiry's library, under the direction of Dr. Gordon Stein. He has been combing the used bookstores of the country for appropriate material.
1 November 1993
A selection of the song competition entries presented at the Skeptics Conference.
1 November 1991
NZSCICOP now has a videotape library in the capable hands of Alastair Brickell, RD 2 Kuaotunu, Whitianga. Tapes may be hired for the cost of packaging and posting, around $5 (more will be gratefully received). If anyone has something interesting on video, Alastair would, no doubt, be delighted to receive a copy. There are already three under request: the Oprah Winfrey show on UFOs, a programmne on European tests which showed scientific backing for homeopathy, and one from a few years back involving James Randi and Australian water diviners. In the meantime, here are the current titles.
1 November 1987
During my recent visit to America, I had the pleasure of making contact with several of the Skeptics in the San Francisco area. The editor of BASIS (Bay Area Skeptics Information Sheet), Kent Harker, entertained me for a day and gave me the information from Free Inquiry that has been put together to make the article on American Faith Healers. I also had a happy evening with Bob Steiner, the founder of the Bay Area Skeptics, He is a chartered accountant but now spends more time on his magic shows and the affairs of the skeptics. He is currently demonstrating to local policemen how sharks work the 'three-card-trick' or 'thimble-rigging' and how accomplices work with them. Numbers of these sharps can be seen in action on the streets of New York, but not to my knowledge elsewhere. Most interestingly, Bob showed me the video of his appearances as 'Steve Terbot', the American psychic on the Bert Newton show in Australia. He was on three shows. In the first two he demonstrated his powers and then allowed himself to be unmasked. He also appeared at some local halls and was showered with money (which he returned) from earnest believers. I have several issues of BASIS, dealing with the matter but will not repeat them here as it was fully covered in the June 1984 issue of the Australian Skeptic which many members will receive. However, if members would like to know more, please let me know. I have several phone numbers of Bay Area skeptics. If anyone is visiting there I am sure they will be as warmly welcomed as I was.
1 May 1987
By all accounts the first annual meeting of the Society at. Dunedin recently was a great success. This edition of the Skeptic has been designated as a conference special as we thought that members would welcome a permanent record of an historical occasion. The timing of the conference was determined by David Marks' departure and this meant that several of us were unable to go. 1 could not go because I had to supervise the dress rehearsal of the school play (If you want to know, Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco and a great success).