On Saturday night I went to see wrestling. Specifically, I went to the All Star Wrestling Porirua 2 event, where eight different wrestling matches were held in one evening. Here's the signed poster I paid $7 for, to commemorate the event:
This weekend was the Humanist Conference in Auckland, with some great international and local speakers.
As if people not vaccinating their kids isn't enough nonsense to deal with, there's an increasing trend for pet owners to not vaccinate their pets as well. This appears to be due to silly concerns such as that their pets might suffer from autism, despite the fact that autism hasn't been observed in animals.
It looks like the book has finally been closed on one of the most famous Satanic Panic cases in the US - that of the Kellers.
Up to 80 kids - 1 in 4 - at Brunswick North West Primary School in Melbourne have contracted chicken pox. The school is tolerant or even welcoming of parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids. Newsletters have reiterated this view:
As a teacher, it's unsurprising that I often come face to face with issues to do with children. I don't pretend to be an expert on children, and neither am I a parent, pediatrician or psychologist. However, while the government is making their laws, and social media is debating the ins and outs, and parents are wailing about their parenting rights, I have been there with the kid who has nothing for breakfast, the kid who thinks hitting is a way to solve problems, and the kid who thinks a certain way because that's what his mum and dad think.
All children are psychic, according to one of the stranger items to appear in the NZ Herald (30 May) for a while.
Adam van Langenberg gives practical suggestions on how to run a high school skeptical society, based on his own successful experience.