Category: Third Monday – vic skeptics

August 23, 2005

SSSSSSS

Sceats’s Specially Selected Southern Skeptics’ Social Snippets

(by Rosemary Sceats, April 2003)
As regular readers of this prestigious publication would be aware, Melbourne Skeptics have an informal gathering at Pugg Mahones Irish Pub in the CBD, on the third Monday of each month. In March, this coincided with St Patrick’s Day on the 17th, and since we figured that there would be standing room only at Puggs that day, decided to hold the event at The Whitehorse Inn, Hawthorn, instead (the new venue for our quarterly dinner/speaker meetings). Whether it had anything to do with St Patrick or not, there was a bumper turnout at the Burwood Road venue, and a jolly good time was had by all in attendance. Perhaps it had more to do with the fact that we were welcoming a pair of visiting Skeptics from the USA, Marilyn and Len Levine, who were on their first visit to Australia View More SSSSSSS

August 23, 2005

Skeptical Film Night

  • When: Wednesday 9th February, 2005, 7pm (early)
  • Where: The Whitehorse Inn (Upstairs)
  • Cost: FREE

The Victorian Skeptics have decided to try a new kind of event, a Skeptical Film Night. During this FREE event, we will show two documentaries, each followed by a discussion on the topic.
The two films will be

Water Divining Test : James Randi & Dick Smith
Guru Busters
  • Water Divining Test : James Randi & Dick Smith
    • In a dusty country field in 1980 Australian entrepreneur Dick Smith and American magician James Randi watched 16 water dowsers demonstrate their abilities. The Skeptics’ Prize waited for any who displayed clear abilities outside the range of random chance.
    • http://www.skeptics.com.au/journal/divining.htm
  • Guru Busters
    • India is renowed for its gurus and mystical psychics, but the Indian Rationalists want the world to know that these gurus are fakes who use crude magic tricks to prey on innocents. Some frauds such as the infamous Satya Sai Baba even have immense political power.
    • http://www.eagletv.co.uk/home/guru.htm

The Water Divining Test is one of several documentaries available on the Australian Skeptics’ “Great Water Divining DVD” available at http://vs240081.server-store.com/store/products/item127.inetstore
Guru Busters is shown with the permission of “Eagle & Eagle Ltd”
(keywords: water dowsing / dowsers / dousers / water divining / water dousing / psychics)

August 23, 2005

Mark Mayer

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~kengreatorex/mypic33.jpg
During GASS 2003 at the Melbourne Museum, our guest, well-known Sydney magician and Skeptic Steve Walker introduced Vic Skeptics to Melbourne performer, Mark Mayer. Mark, as it turns out, apart from being a consummate performer, has highly developed Skeptical credentials of his own.
Mark was invited to feature at our November 12 public meeting. His theme was “The History of Spiritualism“, and was as much a lecture as a magic show. He illustrated his presentation at each stage with an appropriate baffling, audience involving illusion.
Following positive feedback from the show, Mark developed his performance into the one-man theatre show “Talking With the Dead – Or Lying to the Living?”
Mark is a full-time professional entertainer, and does a lot of work at View More Mark Mayer