Number 118 Summer 2015 New Zealand Skeptic Skeptical Thinking About Charity Effective vs. Ineffective Charities The Budwig Protocol A ‘life-saving cancer protocol’ Another GMO Paper Retracted The impact of scientific fraud skeptics.nz ARTICLE CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions are welcome and should be sent to: CONTENTS P.O. 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Where: Fork and Brewer Skeptics-in-the-Pub/ 2 | NZ SKEPTIC Editorial Christine Jaurigueis an Early Childhood and Primary School teacher in Wellington. Email her at [email protected] Driving on the Left love the summer because it means road trips. And road trips mean podcasts and audiobooks. And podcasts Throughout history, the left has to some extent been Iand audiobooks usually mean an hour or so of debate and defined by the right: revolutions arose from monarchies, discussion with whoever is unfortunate enough to be stuck and movements from established traditions. The left gave in the car with me. Usually it’s over something frivolous, us civil rights, women’s rights, animal rights, democracy like how an audiobook episode of Doctor Who couldn’t – ideals that pushed back against the status quo. But now, possibly work because, you know, time travel. Other times the argument goes, with racists and bigots in short supply, it’s something more serious, and then fun time is over. the left have become confused. In searching for them, they’ve become desperate; now anyone who dares criticise This summer I listened to some of Sam Harris’ podcast a foreign action is a bigot. The ‘other’ is always right simply Waking Up (see the review in this issue’s Skeptacular!). for not being Western. Now we probably all have our differing opinions on Sam Harris and what he does for the skeptical community, but And so, we live in a world in which the US Democrats I will be the last person to disrespect his willingness to put can’t bring themselves to explicitly name the cause of the his name and reputation (and no doubt, mental health) terrorism - Jihadism caused by Islamism - for fear of being on the line when it comes to standing up for reason and branded bigoted or Islamophobic. rational thinking. We have feminists who rightly get fired up and indignant I was particularly entertained with the episode “On over unfair work environments, but cannot bring the Maintenance of Civilisation” where he interviews themselves to oppose the burqa. the journalist Douglas Murray. While some of the We have reached the point where the left is so afraid conversation is rather vitriolic, as is Murray’s way, a lot of of stepping on a societal groups’ toes, of being seen as the vitriol is aimed at a surprising group: the left. discriminatory or intolerant, that they become apologists for truly medieval, misogynistic, murderous regimes. Putting aside everyone’s political leanings, I think we all can agree that a world which has Donald Trump as Which leads us to Donald Trump For President actually the American president is a world where something has being a possibility. Why have the republicans become gone seriously wrong. I can think of other Donalds that the ones with moral perspicuity here? Why have liberals I’d much rather have as the president of pretty much the decided to place religious freedom above other freedoms? western world: Donald Duck. Ronald McDonald. Old Is the left failing us here? MacDonald had a farm. But the conversation between Harris and Murray brings What do you all think? Do you agree or disagree with up something interesting and worth considering: is the left Harris and Murray? Please consider writing in to let us failing us in today’s society? know. Which side of the road do you drive on? r skeptics.nz| 3 Newsfront Read something of interest? Share it with us. Email [email protected] (Please indicate the publication and date of all clippings) RIVAL FLAG DESIGN IS BAD FENG SHUI | Stuff, 14 Mar NEW PLYMOUTH MAN GIVES UP RETAIL MANAGEMENT 2015 | The alternative to the New Zealand flag is “bad TO BE A GHOST-BUSTER | Stuff, 22 Dec 2015 | Herman feng shui” and could bring bad luck, instability and even a Petrick’s first experience with banishing what he calls stock market crash, a New Zealand feng shui consultant demonic energy came out of the blue in a home in says. Wellington in May, 2012. He says he was staying the night The Kyle Lockwood black, white and blue silver fern at a friend’s house when she sat up in bed at 2am and design was chosen as the preferred alternative to the started screaming. current flag, and voters will this month be voting for the “The next day she told me all of these things that one they want to represent the nation. happened in her house and she’s had family and friends Auckland-based feng shui master Francis Lui said the stay over and they’d had issues with this house too,” Petrick new flag had a “yin” design, which wasn’t good, and black says. “She was being terrified every night. Just like demonic on top was a bad omen. type stuff. She was going to church and the church came “Black represents mourning, loss and implied loss, and it and blessed the house to get rid of these things and they also resembles evil and sadness,” Mr Lui, 45, said. “In feng couldn’t do anything. shui, black also represents water and water makes stock I remember just the next day walking through her house markets go down.” with my arms spread and I was speaking out loud and I Mr Lui, originally from Malaysia, said he supported said ‘Whatever this thing is in the house you need to F-off. a flag change but would not vote for the Lockwood This is my space, you need to leave’. alternative. Then about a week later I called her and I asked how her “Unlike Canada’s maple leaf, which is steady and house was and she said it was the weirdest thing, because balanced on both, our silver fern cutting across the new whatever it was, it was gone.” design is indecisive,” he said. “Even the blue is a lighter Petrick, who has worked in retail for most of his life blue to the current flag, a mark that the country could get and is the manager of New Plymouth’s Farmers store, weaker.” didn’t really understand what had happened. To this day Feng shui is a Chinese philosophical system of he describes the event as bizarre and yet claims he has harmonising people with the surrounding environment. gone on to research, study and, in his words, clear negative, According to Mr Lockwood, the bright blue represents dark or demonic energy from houses, humans and even the nation’s clear atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean which household pets. all New Zealanders or their ancestors crossed to get here. Now he runs a business called Global Energy Clearing The silver fern was a New Zealand icon for over 160 that has become so successful that he and his wife years, he said, and had been worn by many generations. Rebecca have quit their high paying jobs and are leaving Mr Lui also said overall, the new flag had “yin” New Zealand in early 2016 to travel the world as energy characteristics and lacking in “yang” elements.