September 9, 2015

Too Complicated?

This is a brief article about the evolution of the human eye. It first appeared as a Vic Skeptics discussion pamphlet.
The full range of our discussion pamphlets can be downloaded here:

https://skeptics.cafe/useful-info/

or here:

http://www.skeptics.com.au/resources/educational/

Note that the diagrams in this article can be saved in high res by clicking on each diagram.

too complicated header

It is often claimed that the eye is such a wonderfully purposeful organ that evolution (i.e. random chance) can not possibly explain it; it must have been designed. In support of this position, Charles Darwin himself often gets half-quoted.

View More Too Complicated?

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August 31, 2015

September Puzzles

02aTry
SEPTEMBER 2015 SKEPTICAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE
on RELIGIOUS IMAGERY ;

or the
SEPTEMBER 2015 LOGIC & MATHS PROBLEMS

new PICTURE PUZZLES and  MIXED BAG QUESTIONS  at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE

Enjoy!

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August 27, 2015

Special Event – Susan Gerbic

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Thursday 1st October 2015

Affectionately called The Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the co-founder of Monterey County Skeptics, and a regular contributor to SKEPTICALITY podcast and the founder of the GUERILLA SKEPTICISM on WIKIPEDIA project. She received the “In the Trenches” award at CFI’s 2012 Skeptic’s Toolbox, and the James Randi award for Skepticism in the Public Interest in 2013. Gerbic’s efforts to clean up pseudoscience on Wikipedia and create pages for well-known skeptics has made her a “super villain” in the eyes of the paranormal community. You can contact her at SusanGerbic.com

7.30 pm

The Club Room,

La Notte Restaurant 140 Lygon Street Carlton

($5 entry)

(Join us for an al fresco meal from 6pm)

 

 

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July 31, 2015

For the Classroom

Untitled Capture-03Vic Skeptics produces original classroom material, which we make available free.
It’s mainly aimed at Science teaching and learning, but it serves a wide range of topics and age groups.

We invite you to look over and sample our down-loadable .pdfs, which include:

  • “A Skeptics Guide to ……“  discussion sheets
  • Crosswords (blackline masters)
  • Wordsearches and quizzes (blackline masters)
  • Cryptograms (blackline masters)
  • The Darwin Day Suite of classroom exercises

Go HERE or click on the USEFUL INFO tab at the top of the page

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July 31, 2015

August Puzzles

 

puzzles graphicThe

AUGUST 2015 CROSSWORD PUZZLE

has the theme of OSTEOPATHY, in the light of our recent article on that topic.

There’s the usual monthly set of

LOGIC & MATHS PROBLEMS

with seven new Picture Puzzles and twenty new Mixed Bag Questions  at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE

Enjoy!

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July 4, 2015

Review – Psychic Sally in Melbourne

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By Mal Vickers

 After the self-promotional video Sally walks on stage to applause:

 “Now, there is a young boy here, as I walked on, he came on with me. I’ve not had a chance to process him. His name is James. He is saying (putting on the voice of a little boy) ‘I am sorry, I am sorry’.”

Sally Morgan’s show is underway.

For the benefit of readers, I set aside an evening along with fellow Skeptic Tony Pitman to report on popular UK psychic Sally Morgan’s show. Braving a very cold mid-winter’s Melbourne night to attend, we sat amongst 500 people in the audience of the Athenaeum Theatre which was at approximately 50% capacity.

Sally Morgan is one of the best known psychics in the UK, but is less well known in Australia. She has certainly attracted a fair share of controversy in the UK (see here, here and here).

I did a little research before attending; well, when I say ‘research’ I mean that I watched a few of Sally Morgan’s promotional You-Tube videos. The most obvious difference between the promotional videos and the actual live gig View More Review – Psychic Sally in Melbourne

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June 30, 2015

July Puzzles

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Our

JULY 2015 SKEPTICAL CROSSWORD PUZZLE

has the theme of CONSPIRACY THEORIES

There’s also a set of
JULY 2015 LOGIC & MATHS PROBLEMS

Seven new Picture Puzzles and twenty new Mixed Bag Questions have been placed at the top of the PUZZLES PAGE

Enjoy!

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June 23, 2015

“Mixed Bag” Questions September 2015 – Answers

1. Honey (”Hunny”)

2. Praised

3. She had defected from a Russian Cruise ship by diving overboard.

4. Cats

5. Nine Days Old

6. Katherine Hepburn 1981; Sally Field 1984; Jessica Tandy 1989

7. Little Shop of Horrors

8. My Country, ‘Tis of Thee

9. Bendigo

10. C. Ethiopia

HARDER:

11. Bird of paradise

12. Damage from earthquakes

13. She sank herself with her own torpedo

14. J

15. St Paul Minnesota

16. Compete in 8 Olympic Games

17. Groundhog Day

18. A cria

19. It had a moveable jaw

20. Australian Grand Prix

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