April 2013 Picture Puzzles – Answers
1. The Sounds of Silence
2. Long Johns
3. Escargot
4. Naughty nineties
5. bellicose
6. titanium
7. The door is ajar
Sean Faircloth in Melbourne
Announcing the upcoming tour by American author and orator, Sean Faircloth.
Sean Faircloth is the Director of Strategy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation and will be presenting in Melbourne at the Spot Basement Theatre at 6:30pm on Tuesday 26 March, 2013.
Reclaiming a Secular Australia is a topic of interest to anyone with a secular view, including many skeptics. The interference of organised religion in schools, health and government will also be addressed.
Sean Faircloth may be known to some readers as the author of ‘Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Rights is harming us all, and what we can do about it!’
Faircloth’s tour is supported by a number of organisations including the Victorian Skeptics, The Rationalist Society of Australia, Council of Australian Humanist Societies, the Progressive Atheists, the Humanist Society of Victoria and the University of Melbourne Secular Society.
On this tour, Faircloth will also be appearing in Sydney and Perth, before heading to New Zealand for further appearances.
The Spot Basement Theatre is in the new Business and Economics building, at 198 Berkeley St, Carlton.
Tickets are $28 for adults or $12 students and healthcare card holders.
For further details of Sean’s tour and other events in Victoria, please visit the website of Rationalist Society of Australia. Tickets for the Spot Basement Theatre event can be purchased here.
Logic and Maths Problems 2013 – Solutions
1. A = 8, B = 12, C = 5 and D = 20
2. 6
3. 19 and 91
4. Not possible or 101%
5. 1 + 2 + 34 + 56 + 7 = 100
6. 3 litres
7. 463/512
8. 631 x 542 = 342,002
9. 12o C
10. 5 cents
March 2013 “Mixed Bag” Answers
1. T for “ten”
2. Eminem, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Robbie Williams
3. Superman
4. Fiji
5. 2017
6. Jane Saville
7. A. Western Australia, B. Queensland, C. Northern Territory, D. New South Wales
8. Volvo
9. C Nearly certain
10. Both A and B are correct!
Happenings Feb 2013
by
Mal Vickers
Pharma
I love data and so does ‘Sense About Science’, the UK based pro-science trust. Sense About Science has launched the All Trials Campaign. The campaign aims to have pharmaceutical companies release the data from all the clinical trials they conduct.
Without the release of all data, pharmaceutical companies are free to indulge in selective publishing. That is, they may only publish the clinical trials that show the most favourable results for the products they would like us to consume.
The campaign coincides with the release of Dr Ben Goldacre’s new book ‘Bad Pharma’.
Countering Antivax Anecdotes with Provax Anecdotes
“Mrs Williams said they made what they thought was an informed decision not to vaccinate any of their children because of concerns over adverse reactions, but had since changed their minds.”
Mrs Williams is quoted as saying:
“It was hideous. He was spasming every three minutes. He was biting his tongue and bleeding. His arms were spasming and he was arching his back and his whole face and jaw was completely locked.”
A family in the UK came to exactly the same conclusion – that vaccination isn’t so bad, the benefits of avoiding the disease far outweigh the small risks. They were struck View More Happenings Feb 2013
February Puzzles
February Puzzles are now in pride of place at the top of our PUZZLES PAGE
They include the usual monthly Picture Puzzles, Mixed Bag Puzzles, Skeptical Crossword Puzzle and Logic & Maths Puzzles.
Logic & Maths Puzzles February 2013 – Solutions
1. none
2. a. 6 snakes; b. 14 lizards; c. 7 people
3. 15 attempts
4. Yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, green, brown, blue, grey
5. a, c & d
6. View e is not possible
7. Seat 2
8. Alan is 21, Brian is 8, Chuck is 16.
9. 11 times
10. Cabbage(21), pea(22), Leek(33), carrot(75)
February 2013 “Mixed Bag” Questions – Answers
1. a) 26 Miles in a marathon; b) 6 sides to a cube; c) 5 lines in a limerick
2. They are written using only straight lines
3. Munchkins
4. Robert Downey Junior
5. Warsaw
6. Aerial Bombing
7. Huey, Dewey and Louie / Donald Duck’s nephews
8. Stripe, Sprite, Ripest
9. Rocket Science
10. A. Shorthand for “South-West Township”