Allison Dubois
Richard Saunders reports on how ‘mediums’ turn tragedy into bad taste entertainment. In May – June 2026 American Allison Dubois is once again visiting Australia, this time with her “Cold Case” tour, claiming that she will be “working some cold cases that are close to your hearts“. Twenty years ago she was the latest psychic […]
“Black Salve” – Conviction and Penalties
Richard Saunders reports on decisive action taken against dangerous quackery. Following her conviction in October 2025 for the unlawful advertising and supply of black salve and other unapproved therapeutic products, Belinda Gae Harris was sentenced on 16 January 2026. Ms Harris, who trades under the cancelled business name Tickety-Boo Herbal, was sentenced to seven months’ […]
Attack of the ‘Psychics’!
Richard Saunders reports on how Dark Age thinking is never far from our modern world. According to some people out there, albeit mostly online, any one of us could be the target of a Psychic Attack! Are you worried? Should you be? Before you reach for your breastplate, bow and arrow, let’s first discover just […]
NO Future Seen in Fortune Telling
Major German study in accord with The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project The GWUP (Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften – Society for the Scientific Investigation of Pseudosciences) in Germany evaluated 2099 annual predictions from fifty-two sources. One quarter were too vague to test, more than half were clearly wrong, and solid bullseyes were rare. […]
Orgone Not Gone
Richard Saunders reports on health gizmos and their true believers and conspiracy theorists Monica Smit is best known as being an anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protester during the COVID-19 years. She is the founder of Reignite Democracy Australia (RDA), an anti-lockdown and COVID-19 conspiracy group. Recently, Monica and her mother, Lise Smit, have made videos to […]
From Wuhan to Skepticon
Scientists who have come under a negative and unjustified spotlight will be featured at Skepticon XL, this year’s national convention in Sydney later this month. Among them will be Prof Dominic Dwyer, who was the Australian member of the World Health Organisation’s mission to explore the origins of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China. Dwyer wrote in […]
2022 Bent Spoon – your chance to nominate an anti-hero
Propose a perpetrator of preposterous piffle Nominations are now open for the Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon award, one of the least sought-after credits in the Skeptical world … or any world, for that matter. It has been awarded every year since 1982* and it recognises the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or […]
The Skeptic latest issue – science pretenders
The June issue of The Skeptic magazine includes a special feature on “science pretenders” – proponents of pseudoscience riding on the coattails of genuine science. Articles in the feature include discussions on how to differentiate science from pseudoscience; the misuse of scientific concepts and terms, particularly the much-abused “quantum”; the story behind the recent documentary […]
