The TGA and bioresonance: RIP
In a fun sequel to Ken Harvey’s May talk, July brought a detailed examination of the legal guidelines surrounding alternative therapies and the work in amending the restrictions to encourage more evidence-based practices from Lorretta Marron of the Friends of Science in Medicine. Since the early 19th century, various forms of electrotherapies have claimed to be able to cure everything from tuberculosis to spinal deformities. Legal restrictions relating to these therapies have
Combating Holocaust denial
June brought a change from our usual scientific skepticism with an insightful talk from history teacher Duane Galle on refuting Holocaust revisionism. Following a detailed discussion of historical and contemporary antisemitism and denialism, Duane broke the undeniable proof of the atrocities of the Holocaust into categories and thoroughly examined the cogency of documents, testimonies, and archaeological evidence. The documentary evidence of the Holocaust included contemporar
COVID-19 scams in Australia: The role of regulators
Following on from April’s talk on COVID-19 myths, May brought a more closer examination of these scams and the role of regulatory bodies in reducing misleading advertising from skeptic Dr Ken Harvey, the president of Friends of Science in Medicine. In such uncertain times, it’s no wonder companies are taking advantage of the confusion to trick vulnerable and uninformed customers. The Therapeutic Goods Administration has received over 500 complaints in the last couple of month
Gone Viral: Challenging some of the online myths associated with COVID-19
In keeping with social distancing regulations, April brought our first proper online meetup, with an informative and very relevant talk on debunking COVID-19 myths from Simon Leonard, an infection control nurse at the Gold Coast University Hospital, the epicenter of the crisis in Queensland. Following a detailed explanation of infection transmission and immunology, Simon provided a comprehensive analysis of a range of myths and false beliefs relating to COVID-19, beginning wi
Mistake of fact excuse in Queensland rape law: the path to reform
2020 kicked off with January’s Skeptics in the Pub, where Professor Jonathan Crowe discussed his work in reforming the ambiguous and archaic legislation concerning sexual assault in Queensland. Following a comprehensive examination of the legal definitions of consent and assault under the Queensland Criminal Code, Professor Crowe detailed a range of ‘rape myths’, such as intoxication, mental incapacity, and lack of resistance, as well as several case studies which employed th
Grief Vampires - Wikipedia and more
GC Skeptics wrapped up 2019 with our first international speaker, Susan Gerbic discussing her work on guerrilla skepticism and debunking psychics. Following a demonstration of mentalism tricks and techniques from her colleague Mark Edwards, Susan detailed her experience setting up Operation Pizza Roll, her famous sting of psychic Thomas John. She explained how psychics perform ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ reads to trick unsuspecting victims into believing in paranormal communication in b
Critical thinking for new Skeptics
During November’s GC Skeptics in the Pub, our own Dr Paulie Stehlik talked about the foundations of critical thinking, her academic contributions to the skeptical movement, and the “skeptics’ toolkit”, including logical fallacies, the formation of valid arguments, and real-world applications of skeptical thought. Dr Stehlik explored the structures of arguments, beginning with false premises which lead to incorrect conclusions. She also explained a range of logical fallacies,