The Skeptic Zone #542 - 10.March.2019

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:15 New Zealand Dowser Dollors Down Drain We interview the Chair of New Zealand Skeptics, Craig Shearer about how Wellington ratepayers are funding a pseudo-scientific method to find buried water pipes. The contractor, Downer and the Wellington City Council are not concerned at the public's perception their money has been spent on disproved science. Rather than use electronic equipment, a Downer contractor working on a Wellington City Council project used two copper rods to tell him where pipes lay. https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/03/06/471504/wellington-ratepayers-foot-bill-for-pseudo-science https://skeptics.nz 0:23:33 Mike Willesee, Skeptics Winner and Loser Australian journalist Mike Willesee has died at the age of 76 after a long battle with throat cancer. He is noted as the only person to win both positive and negative awards from Australian Skeptics. He had a long, largely positive, relationship with the Skeptics during the 1980s, but less positive during the 1990s. https://www.skeptics.com.au/2019/03/01/mike-willesee-trailblazing-journalist-skeptics-winner-and-loser/ Signs from God video https://youtu.be/GYhdKpGwqXI 0:37:08 Old Folk Remedies We head for Sydney Skeptics in the Pub to find out if pubbers remember some old folk remedies from years ago. Also Maynard's DJ Gig in Sydney https://www.trybooking.com/book/event?eid=468290 Richard Saunders' Bay Area Skeptics talk, 14th March http://baskeptics.org