August 2016 Skeptical Crossword – Solution
July 2016 Adscrabble Answers
a. hamster
b. markets
c. ramjets
d. stammer
e. maestro
f. both armrest and smarter
A Skeptic’s Guide to Dowsing
This article first appeared as a Vic Skeptics discussion pamphlet and again here in 2010.
The full range of our discussion pamphlets can be downloaded from our USEFUL INFO page.
Dowsing, (also known as Divining) is widely practised in Australia. Dowsers claim the ability to detect useful substances in the ground using processes which are not able to be explained by current scientific principles.
The most frequently dowsed substance in drought-prone Australia is water. Many Australians can claim a friend or relative who is a water-diviner.
Australian Skeptics have long been interested in dowsing. It clearly lies within the range of paranormal activities which come under scrutiny. Australian Skeptics offer a sum of money, (currently $100,000) to anyone who can demonstrate paranormal ability of any kind. Our only stipulation is that candidates must pass a proper scientific test, the protocols of which have been agreed upon by all parties before the test commences. Most acceptors of this challenge have been water-diviners; probably because they are genuine people who believe in their abilities, and are as interested in being tested as we are to test them.
“Mixed Bag” Questions September 2016 – Answers
1. the gums
2. Brazil
3. The major daily Russian newspaper during the Communist era. It means “Truth”.
4. A solitaire-like card game
5. Jack Ruby
6. Locally known as “greenstone”, but we’ll accept jade.
7. the nose
8. Egypt
9. Barry Sheen
10. South Africa; it ignored international sanctions regarding its hiring of overseas celebrity performers during the Apartheid era.
HARDER:
11. The Boston Strangler
12. Caraway
13. Raymond Chandler
14. 601 / 602
15. Mad Hatter, March Hare, Dormouse, Alice, White Rabbit (briefly)
16. 0872
17. (a) Jack Kelly, James Garner, Roger Moore; (b) Warner Brothers; (c) Mel Gibson
18. The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry IV Part 1, Henry IV Part 2, Henry V
19. 1907
20. Random Access Memory
“Mixed Bag” Questions August 2016 – Answers
1. the mouth
2. North America
3. Rod Laver beat Tony Roche
4. bombardier
5. 1972
6. two
7. Japan
8. Adelaide
9. Tom Watson
10. five: Robert Menzies, Harold Holt, John McEwen, John Gorton, William McMahon
HARDER:
11. Its primary meaning is “of the West wind”, but we’d accept secondary meanings of “mild” or “gentle”.
12. Rani
13. 2012
14. Her husband died building the Great Wall
15. Jerry Garcia
16. cockroach racing
17. 1935
18. Katy Manning
19. Number of consecutive bounces on a pogo stick (88,047)
20. World Quizzing Championship
“Mixed Bag” Questions July 2016 – Answers
1. an inn
2. TNT
3. The Ewings
4. stick
5. Brian Epstein
6. Cliff Richard
7. suicide
8. South America
9. Nancy Kulp
10. Jon Cleary
HARDER:
11. castrato singer
12. It crossed the Atlantic Ocean
13. ice and snow
14. Lion – taming celebrities Siegfried & Roy
15. Last place of several hundred people listed in the official line of succession to the British crown
16. Nuclear weapons (code names)
17. Barbara Windsor
18. Exxon Valdez
19. spaghetti
20. capital city
2016 Convention latest
AUSTRALIAN SKEPTICS NATIONAL CONVENTION 2016 will be hosted in Melbourne at The Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne from 25-27 November, with the annual Dinner at The Leopard Lodge, Melbourne Zoo on Saturday evening 26 November.
Early-bird ticket sales commence on-line from the Convention website,
http://convention.skeptics.com.au/
on Saturday 4th June.
Early-bird ticket purchasers will receive a discount and will be able to reserve seats close to the stage.
We can confirm that speakers at the convention will include Lawrence Krauss, Edzard Ernst, Harriet Hall, Michael Marshall, Katie Mack and Mel Thomson, with more great speakers to be announced soon. Nicholas J. Johnson is our M.C. for the annual Dinner. Information about our speakers is available from the Convention website.
June 2016 Puzzles
This month we introduce a new category: a Word Quiz called “CROSSWORD CLUES”.
JUNE 2016 SKEPTICAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE is about General Skeptical issues and has standard and cryptic clues supplied.
JUNE 2016 LOGIC & MATHS PUZZLES is the 47th in the series. If you’d like to catch up on the ones you’ve missed, they start in August 2012 – see PUZZLES ARCHIVE 3;
and go the PUZZLES PAGE for a new lot of Picture Puzzles (this month they’re all film titles)
and “Mixed Bag” Questions (Trivia type Questions) for June.
Enjoy!
Keep on Taking the Beads and Mirrors
by Dr Peter Thorne
Dr Peter Thorne was formerly the Head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Melbourne. He has been a member of Tender Boards for major Government IT projects including the re-equipment of the Australian Tax Office and Australian Customs. He was a member of the National Procurement Board established by the Hawke/Keating Government.
In the “beads and mirrors game” industrially advanced nations acquire primary products won from the land, or even the land itself, from less industrially advanced nations in return for manufactured goods.
Australia was still an economic colony of Great Britain until the middle of the 20th century. Our principal role in this relationship was as a primary production nation. For the past 50 years transnational corporations have taken over from the UK as our masters in the beads and mirrors game, particularly in the advanced technology business.