In this VERY special episode, Mark and Bronwyn talk with Anke, a journalist with a long-standing interest in cult groups who is organising a weekend conference in Christchurch in October that focuses on all things culty. We talk about cult survivors, cult experts, the difficulties of organising a large event, and Anke’s hopes for the future.
We’ve not scared Katrina or Brad away yet, so the Yeah… Nah! team are marching on, to pastures new. Both Mark and Bronwyn have been poking around astrology software, trying to figure out what, and who, makes it tick. Brad has tried to make sense of the impossible - homeopathy - and its use in treating horses. And Katrina looks into creative ways to get high both legally and for free. About this episode Articles we talk about: A steaming pile of Horse Homeopathy The <FAULT> in our stars: Di...
It’s our first episode with new co-hosts Katrina Borthwick and Brad MacClure, so the Yeah… Nah! squad 2.0 get to work tackling some topical issues. Bronwyn, Katrina and Mark have all suffered through watching the entire season of spiritual healing reality TV show Lost Resort, and have a lot to say about it. Katrina has looked into a dubious chiropractic company who caused a New Zealand scientific paper to be retracted. Brad complains about a fellow old-white-man who’s been complaining about the ...
It’s the end of an era for the Yeah… Nah! podcast as we bid Craig farewell. After we recover from the shock of his departure, we get down to business. Brian Paavo joins us from his helicopter to tell us about his recent visit to Scientology in Honolulu, Bronwyn snakes her way through Spiritualist history, from the enactment of the Spiritualist Church of New Zealand Act 1924 through to Red Seal Toothpaste, and Mark dunks on a couple of new personal AI devices. About this episode Our Guest Brian P...
Craig is back and as busy as ever, so you might be listening to this podcast on a day that is not Thursday. This week we are chewing the fat about intuitive eating, The Divine Light Mission, and bad batteries. About this episode Articles we talk about: The Child Lord of the Universe: Prem Rawat and the Divine Light Mission, Part 1 The child god grows up: Prem Rawat and the Divine Light Mission, Part 2 Intuitive Eating The Calm after the Steorn Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2024-08-...
Craig is away again this week, and again we’ve had to call on two committee members to do the job of one. Returning guests Dan Ryan and Katrina Borthwick try not to get bogged down by bad data, either historical or contemporary; Mark takes transubstantiation to its logical extreme; and Dan needs tech support for a sentient laptop monitor. About this episode Our Guests : Katrina Borthwick Dan Ryan Articles we talk about: Bogged Down by Mistakes: Tracking two hundred years of Irish Misinformation ...
Craig is away this episode and singing his heart out at the World Choir Games , leaving Bronwyn and Mark to fill the hole he’s left in their hearts (at least for the next two weeks). Fortunately, they’ve been able to replace him twice over with TWO special guests! Committee member Brad MacClure returns to discuss placebos, and Hamish Dickson makes his podcast debut to share his visit to the Dunedin Spiritual Expo. Bronwyn is back on her Colin Amery nonsense, and Mark talks about everything . If ...
“Yeah…Nah!” says hell yeah to another episode with a smorgasbord of features. Craig tags along to a Matariki celebration; Bronwyn wonders if her sugar-free electrolytes are illegal, and Mark keeps himself busy as always; getting the NZ Skeptics out of the YouTube naughty corner, attending a creationist “education” session. About this episode Articles we talk about: Are sugar-free electrolyte drinks actually illegal in New Zealand? In the YouTube Naughty Corner Matariki 2024 Eyelashes on an Ichth...
Your faithful podcasters are testing the limits of the NZ Skeptics’ insurance policy in this episode. Craig laments on Michael Shermer’s turn towards the unskeptical; Mark reads Sue Nicholson’s memoir, so you don’t have to; and Bronwyn examines the life of a former global Skeptics challenge contender, Colin Amery. Heads up for mentions of suicide and child death. About this episode Articles we talk about: A Call from the Other Side Tarotmancer: A brief biography of Colin Amery Michael Shermer us...
Buckle in for a wild yet contemplative ride. We’re talking about the fast-tracked ‘gamer’ saint and Jason Scamoa. Craig may be onto a winner with an astrology-based betting system, and Bronwyn and Mark try to beat Wellington on a not-great day by checking out the School of Practical Philosophy. About this episode Articles we talk about: Don the Astrologer A Visit to the School of Practical Philosophy Get schooled: A practical history of the School of Practical Philosophy Jason Momoa: From Aquama...
With the news that Reality Check Radio met their fundraising goals, the “Yeah… Nah!” team are back to their old tricks: tapping into the New Zealand zeitgeist, and maybe signing our own deals with the devil. This week, we expound on the science of the Aurora Australis, the portrayal of skeptics on film, Marsden Point, and the recent sale of ex-Centrepoint site Kawai Purapura. About this episode Articles we talk about: A Beautiful Display Movie Review: Late Night with the Devil Marsden Pointless ...
Yeah… Nah!’s ascent to the bottom rung of the NZ news ladder is on hold as Reality Check Radio scrambles for donations. Bronwyn explores an MLM that seems to have it all: misuse of real science, pseudoscientific practices, and talking olive trees. Mark makes the mistake of visiting Australia, and after weeks of badgering, Craig finally watches the new Gloriavale documentary Escaping Utopia . About this episode Articles we talk about : Conspiracy loons update The state of the Mo-nation: MLM Monat...
Another week, another NZ news outlet bites the dust. Will Yeah…Nah continue it’s slow rise to the top of the NZ media mountain on pure attrition? It sure feels like it! Join us as Craig potentially eulogises Reality Check Radio. Bronwyn makes a case for archiving all sorts of sundry websites, and Mark investigates an audio mystery. About this episode Articles we talk about : RCR gets a reality check? Ghosts of futures' past: The fragility of digital archives Time Travelling Song Lyrics Newslette...
It’s a smorgasbord of topics on the podcast for the week after holy week. Mark has some very definitive things to say about the resurrection and the Sex.Life podcast; Craig considers a future as a bible salesman; and Bronwyn goes to extremes with a mini update on Raman Pascha. Articles we talk about : Did Jesus Rise from the Dead? Bibles for sale! Sex.Life.Nonsense Crossed Lines: Ascended Masters and the Kiwis who channel them Newsletters issues these articles appear in: 2024-04-02...
In this week’s episode, Craig, Bronwyn and Mark are back with some weird and wonderful topics. Mark has been visited by Mormon sister missionaries, again. Bronwyn has responded to a request for comment about a psychic cafe in Katikati, Craig has been on a field trip to an Effective Altruism meeting at Rationalist House, and Mark has spent the last two months rolling one side of his face with a jade roller. About this episode Articles we talk about : Katikati Psychic Cafe Effective Altruism at Un...
Yeah…Nah is back to definitely not bring you the 6pm news from your local cranks, and those around the world. The gang talks about their surprise at receiving actual mail; Special guest Louise chats about King Charles’ magical thinking; Bronwyn is dismayed by developments from Alabama; Craig gives an early post-mortem of New Zealand journalism; and Mark is still on a wicket about cheaters, fakers, and plagiarists. About this episode Our Guests : Louise Richardson Articles we talk about: How to s...
Craig broke himself at the gym, but valiantly rallied so that he could avoid postponing this episode! Katrina is back to give a low down on the repeal of the Therapeutic Products Act, Mark has a movie review for us, Craig is inspired by individuals who hold multiple crank ideas at once, and Bronwyn discusses the Christchurch phenomenon that is Yasmeen Clark and Raman Pascha. About this episode Our Guests : Katrina Borthwick Articles we talk about : Repeal of the Therapeutic Products Act 2023 – W...
Welcome back for another rundown on skeptical topics, old and new, that make the world go round. Craig gives an update on Neuralink; Mark sets us straight on historical myths and reverse idioms; and Bronwyn talks about Alice A. Bailey, the grandmother of the New Age, and what she has to do with New Zealand. About this episode Articles we talk about : New Neuralink News Crossed Lines: Ascended Masters and the Kiwis who channel them Skepticism away from the Coal Face Newsletter issues these articl...
Another fortnight, another podcast. Bronwyn gives us some news hot off the internet, and exposes Craig for having a very expensive EMF Meter. Mark is sent in circles by Circling, and Craig gives a literal armchair critique of a YouTube debate between Evolutionary Biologist/Christian Apologist Dr. Zach Ardern and Stephen Woodward of the YouTube channel Rationality Rules . About this episode Articles we talk about : Yet another ISTA update A very human update on the “living man”, Roger Blake Dr Za...
No more tears! Yeah… Nah! is back for 2024 with a recent addition to our guest host retinue, new NZ Skeptics committee member Louise Richardson. We expel a bit of hot air over the books we’ve read during the hiatus, before delving into our favourite topics from the last couple of editions of the newsletter; Mark is scouted by a predatory journal, and Louise gives us two solid topics: Jim Humble’s tumble off the mortal coil, and being kinder when engaging skeptically online. About this episode Ou...
The truth can be strange, but the ways that people can and do twist it can oftentimes be stranger. In this installment of the Yeah… Nah! podcast, we talk about the Mother Of All Revelations (MOAR) and find debunkers in unexpected places. Mark breaks down 15 Minute Cities, and the inevitable conspiracy theories that had risen from them, and Bronwyn pulls another one from the archives and chats about Tabaash, one of several millennia-old deities that have chosen kiwis to be their vessels of choice...
Recorded live in front of a skeptical audience. We talk about our annual awards, the media Bravos, Skeptic of the Year, and a very surprising winner of the Bent Spoon. We also have our own bugbears to share: Craig talks about the emerging scandal that is the Twin Flames universe, Mark describes his attempt to entrap an online scammer named Agent Patrick Smith, and Bronwyn picks apart the myth of Blue Zones. About this episode Articles we talk about : Our 2023 Awards Twin Flames: Twin Documentari...
Apologies for the unexpected break. We’ve all been struck down with some form of old age (Craig), covid (Mark), and an otherwise unspecified cold (Bronwyn). But never fear, we have things to say about the past three weeks! Craig gives us a rundown of Arepa’s recent fall from grace, Bronwyn talks about the lengths people go to not celebrate Halloween, and Mark reveals that his house is becoming a proving ground for Mormon missionaries. About this episode Articles we talk about : Ārepa Hell Houses...
The gang is back this week with a bit of election talk, and a morbid curiosity about how the minority parties fared. Craig gives us a non-EV topic, debunking fears about spontaneously combusting lithium ion batteries, while Mark, still chasing that Eastern Lightning high, gets embroiled in more online scams. Bronwyn closes out the episode with three cases of fraudulent medical practice, either by New Zealanders, or with a Kiwi connection. About this episode Articles we talk about : A week in NZ ...
This week, our guest Tim Price tells Mark why he should say Yeah… Nah! to VPNs; Craig engages in one-sided email fisticuffs about gender; and Bronwyn gets grumpy about New Zealand’s role in the distribution of GcMAF, a fake cancer and Autism treatment. About this episode Our Guests : Tim Price Articles we talk about : VPN companies and their claims Wham, Bam, Autism Scams - The bad actors and bad science behind the most egregious claims about the causes and cure for Autism Newsletter issues thes...
Welcome back to another instalment of the Yeah…Nah Podcast . Craig has some thoughts about a recent RNZ interview on Near Death Experiences; Bronwyn looks at the New Zealand connection to Miracle Mineral Supplement, and the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing; Super special guest Katrina is back with a post mortem of sorts on the Therapeutic Products Act; and Mark shares his experience of being catfished. About this episode Our guests : Katrina Borthwick Articles we talk about : Wham, Bam, A...
The team at Yeah… Nah! revel in their atheism this week. We try to answer Nic Blackie’s 5 questions for non-Christians; Bronwyn ponders Naisi Chen’s hosting gig as Prayers @ Parliament’s parliamentary host; and Craig gives his mea culpa about John Dee, and talks random climate data on random substacks. About this episode Articles we talk about : Lying for Jesus: Nic Blackie Edition What to make of Naisi Chen Hottest July on record? Newsletter issues these articles appear in: 2023-09-04 2023-08-2...
In this special episode, we talk to Melanie Trecek-King, one of this year’s conference speakers who will be joining us all the way from the United States. As well as working as an associate professor, Melanie runs Thinking is Power , an organisation whose mission is to teach critical thinking skills to both students and everyone else. Her resources are a great primer for skepticism, tradching people about how to spot pseudoscience, common logical fallacies, what science is, and more. It was real...
Bronwyn kicks off the episode with some spicy MLM drama, courtesy of Stampin’ Up. Mark peers down the rabbit hole of Liz Gunn and her connection to the Fabian Society and, in a similar vein, Craig investigates Voices for Freedom’s claims that the COVID vaccine is causing an additional 90 deaths per week. To close out the episode, Bronwyn and Mark talk about their experience at a recent Gnostic Mass. Articles we talk about : Liz Gunn vs the Fabians Gnostic Mass: A touch of Aleister in the Antipod...
In honour of the documentary Ms. Information being screened as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival, Siouxsie Wiles and Director Gwen Isaac join us for a rather fun episode. Craig gets skeptical about Thermography, an alternative breast cancer screening tool; having been kicked out of Eastern Lightning, Mark is a man with time on his hands and talks about joining a group with an, allegedly, more rationalist mindset; and finally, Bronwyn talks about the more established, and far le...
