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[Music]

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welcome to the skeptic zone the podcast

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[Music]

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yes it's the skeptic zone podcast

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episode number 716 for the 26th of june

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2022 richard saunders coming to you this

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week once again from the beautiful state

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of oregon

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here in the pacific northwest of the

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united states always on the lookout for

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bigfoot

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but only finding very nice local beers i

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must say

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i'm not a bigfoot hunter i'm a beer

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hunter

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coming up on this week's show

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i read a piece i wrote for

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a group in peru all about the irrational

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beliefs in australia and included

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in this week's show notes is a link for

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the original spanish version of the item

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i'm about to read so i wrote this

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with people from south america in mind

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talking about irrational beliefs in

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australia but i sort of figure people

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around the world might find this

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interesting

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following that it's the book of tim with

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tim mendom this week tim mendom looks at

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the life and times of james usher now

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james usher was the cleric who sort of

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calculated using biblical references

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timelines and

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family trees that sort of thing

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what he considered to be the age of the

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earth which dated back to something like

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404 000 i mean bc in that area

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and he

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is still being used today as a reference

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by creationists

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this is a very interesting article

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written by martin bridgstock all about

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how usher came to his conclusions

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and his impact on

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creationist thought very interesting

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those of you who follow the creationism

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debate which isn't as big as it used to

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be in australia at least i think you'll

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find this item about james usher very

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interesting

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then to round off the show it's once

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more back to the digital archives at

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trove looking at the sunday mail from

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brisbane the camera times the daily

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telegraph

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dating from the 1930s all the way to the

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1990s

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oddball stories strange stories about

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the paranormal and the supernatural just

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things i couldn't quite define any other

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way but

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oddball

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stay tuned at the end of the show for

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more announcements from me

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but now it's time for me to run

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downstairs and have some leftover nachos

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mmm

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nachos with a bit of

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a bit of jalapenos yum okay well i do

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that i hope you enjoy

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[Music]

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recently i was asked to write a story

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report for the peruvian

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rationalists humanists

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or

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hura

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peru h.u.r.a peru

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and so i sat down

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and had a thought and came up with

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something about the uh

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the state of the paranormal or the

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irrational

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beliefs in australia

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and this has been published it was

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published on saturday the 9th of may

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at neo skeptics and i will link to this

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site

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in this week's show notes

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and the important thing is it's been

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published in spanish

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i wrote it in english

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it's been translated so spanish speaking

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people

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especially in south america

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can read what i have to say

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about the paranormal here in australia

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so i thought i would read it out here on

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the skeptic zone

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and i will add a link in this week's

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show notes to the peruvian rationalists

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and humanists

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and a link to

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the item

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why is it that far away places invoke a

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certain amount of

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mystery

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growing up in australia i remember

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hearing of places in south america and

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thinking what a strange and wonderful

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land it must be

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full of mystery and adventure and

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unexplainable phenomena

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maybe even supernatural events or

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strange animals unknown to science

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not forgetting the reports of ufos

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together with the truly awe-inspiring

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nazca lines of peru

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were they really made by ancient aliens

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i wonder if people in south america when

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they think of australia also imagine a

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land full of mystery and strange animals

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well

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yes

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australia does seem to have more than

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enough of its fair share of strange

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animals

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but they are very real

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it's an interesting fact that our famous

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duck billed platypus an animal so

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strange it was once thought to be a

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practical joke something stitched

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together from odds and ends

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has fossil ancestors that can be found

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in south america yes our lands were once

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joined some

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60 million years ago

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but is australia

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truly a land of mystery and wonders

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well i can only say

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yes it is

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we are the land of the oldest living

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culture in the world that of the

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indigenous peoples

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and have natural wonders from the coast

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to the desert and great modern cities to

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rival any in the world

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however

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like many other countries

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australia too has no end of

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paranormal

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supernatural

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and pseudoscientific claims

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let's start with those animals you might

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think that we here in australia would

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have no need to invent strange animals

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apart from the duck bill the platypus we

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have the kangaroo

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the koala no end of venomous spiders and

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snakes

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but somehow for many people all those

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are not enough

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so

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bigfoot

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known here as the yaoi a strange

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ape-like beast that like its north

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american cousin

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has yet to be proven to exist but that

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doesn't stop many people over the

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decades reporting that they have not

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only seen it

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but sometimes

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have even made plastic casts of its

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footprints

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can it be that we are jealous of north

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america

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maybe but unknown animals or cryptids

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are reported all over the world so

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in that sense australia is nothing

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special

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and thinking of animals in the

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countryside reminds me of one of the

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oldest and most beloved of what we might

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call irrational phenomena in australia

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that being

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water divining or water dowsing

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the belief that people can find hidden

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underground water with rods or twigs

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dates back thousands of years long

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before european farmers arrived in

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australia

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but

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as much of the country is dry and even

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the green areas can suffer from droughts

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it is not at all surprising that this

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practice has been part of life in the

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regional areas

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for hundreds of years

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it is also the claim that has been

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tested more than any other

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by the australian skeptics

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even the late james the amazing randy

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made a special trip to australia in 1980

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to conduct a large-scale test of local

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diviners

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luckily for us

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the event was filmed for tv

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and is now available on youtube it is a

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classic example of not only james randy

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in action but a lesson in investigation

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for the rest of us of course any trip to

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the countryside gives you the

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opportunity to gaze up at the night sky

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and see the same stars as you would do

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in south america but while you enjoy the

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view

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keep an eye out for alien spaceships

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that are reported flying about our skies

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do you know that some claim there is a

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secret underground base in the middle of

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australia where the u.s government

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conducts experiments on alien robots

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we also have ufo organizations for those

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wishing to connect with like-minded

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people and swap stories of close

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encounters

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other aspects of irrational thinking

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that is part of

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life in australia are the many

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many types of alternative medicine on

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offer we have homeopaths iridologists

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acupuncturists

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even some vets do this

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and people using strange devices

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that use energy vibrations and

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frequencies

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homeopathy for example can be found on

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the shelves of most pharmacies together

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with other unproven therapies again it

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seems that australia is nothing special

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as these so-called healing modalities

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are common in many parts of the world

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ghosts are everywhere we have haunted

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houses

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in fact more than one house lays claim

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to being australia's most haunted

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strange apparitions seen in graveyards

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and things that go bump in the night

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feel like an adventure

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then join a team of ghost hunters as

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they use their night vision cameras and

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audio gear

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in the hopes of capturing a real spirit

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some years ago i visited a local

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graveyard in sydney with a paranormal

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investigation team as they tried to find

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the spirits of the long dead

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and speaking of the dead do you feel

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like you want to talk with your dead

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grandmother

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australia has mediums psychics and

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others claiming paranormal powers that

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are very happy to help you contact those

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in the afterlife

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morning tv shows feature readings of

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audience members

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magazines carry advice and insights from

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the other side

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and live stage shows of talking to the

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dead

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are a feature of clubs

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paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs

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irrational thoughts and behaviors such

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as the ones i've mentioned

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are as common in australia as they might

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be in other countries around the world

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but we are often compared to the usa in

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the uk

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and to be honest we are similar in many

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respects

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i would find just as many psychics

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mystics tarot card readers in those

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countries as in australia

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where

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australia differs from many other parts

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of the world

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is when it comes to religious claims

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such as miracles be sure

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00:11:39,750 --> 00:11:38,160
we do have such claims

289
00:11:42,710 --> 00:11:39,760
but they are rare

290
00:11:45,030 --> 00:11:42,720
religion as a whole has never been the

291
00:11:46,949 --> 00:11:45,040
social movement in australia that we see

292
00:11:49,750 --> 00:11:46,959
in other parts of the world

293
00:11:52,069 --> 00:11:49,760
a key example is that in australia

294
00:11:54,629 --> 00:11:52,079
someone running for political office

295
00:11:57,110 --> 00:11:54,639
even the prime minister does not have to

296
00:11:58,949 --> 00:11:57,120
mention god god's

297
00:12:01,990 --> 00:11:58,959
faith and such like

298
00:12:05,110 --> 00:12:02,000
he or she can have no religion

299
00:12:07,030 --> 00:12:05,120
and largely no one cares

300
00:12:09,670 --> 00:12:07,040
could you imagine this happening in some

301
00:12:12,470 --> 00:12:09,680
other parts of the world it is often

302
00:12:15,269 --> 00:12:12,480
said that no one in the usa for example

303
00:12:19,350 --> 00:12:15,279
could ever hope to be elected if they

304
00:12:20,710 --> 00:12:19,360
were an atheist or even agnostic

305
00:12:24,550 --> 00:12:20,720
australia

306
00:12:26,389 --> 00:12:24,560
is a far away land of wonder and mystery

307
00:12:29,269 --> 00:12:26,399
we have so much wonder and mystery that

308
00:12:32,629 --> 00:12:29,279
we really don't need to invent any more

309
00:12:35,030 --> 00:12:32,639
but that is what humans do regardless

310
00:12:37,990 --> 00:12:35,040
yes we have more than enough irrational

311
00:12:41,269 --> 00:12:38,000
beliefs in this country but we also have

312
00:12:43,269 --> 00:12:41,279
a strong skeptical community headed up

313
00:12:46,230 --> 00:12:43,279
by australian skeptics

314
00:12:49,030 --> 00:12:46,240
the great tug of war between reason

315
00:12:50,790 --> 00:12:49,040
and unreason continues in the far away

316
00:12:53,590 --> 00:12:50,800
land of kangaroos

317
00:12:55,870 --> 00:12:53,600
and maybe just maybe

318
00:13:00,230 --> 00:12:55,880
the odd yowie or two

319
00:13:04,470 --> 00:13:02,550
and once again you can read that report

320
00:13:06,629 --> 00:13:04,480
in spanish

321
00:13:08,629 --> 00:13:06,639
and i hope my south american listeners

322
00:13:10,710 --> 00:13:08,639
will head to this page

323
00:13:13,030 --> 00:13:10,720
and it's the peruvian

324
00:13:15,110 --> 00:13:13,040
rationalist humanists

325
00:13:17,829 --> 00:13:15,120
and i will link to that page so you can

326
00:13:31,590 --> 00:13:17,839
enjoy that in spanish in this week's

327
00:13:37,990 --> 00:13:34,790
[Music]

328
00:13:40,470 --> 00:13:38,000
hi this is susan gerbic from gsow that's

329
00:13:42,790 --> 00:13:40,480
guerrilla skepticism on wikipedia i want

330
00:13:45,269 --> 00:13:42,800
to thank everyone who via the skeptic

331
00:13:47,910 --> 00:13:45,279
zone podcast has contacted me to become

332
00:13:50,629 --> 00:13:47,920
an editor on wikipedia together we have

333
00:13:53,110 --> 00:13:50,639
worked on or created over 1200 wikipedia

334
00:13:55,189 --> 00:13:53,120
pages countless thousands of people all

335
00:13:58,389 --> 00:13:55,199
over the world access those pages each

336
00:13:59,509 --> 00:13:58,399
day in fact we're over 52 million page

337
00:14:01,829 --> 00:13:59,519
views

338
00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:01,839
like many listeners i also give back to

339
00:14:05,350 --> 00:14:03,360
the skeptic zone via monthly

340
00:14:06,790 --> 00:14:05,360
micropayments and i want to encourage

341
00:14:08,870 --> 00:14:06,800
you to do the same

342
00:14:10,790 --> 00:14:08,880
is the information and entertainment you

343
00:14:13,110 --> 00:14:10,800
get each week from the show worth five

344
00:14:13,829 --> 00:14:13,120
or ten dollars a month i sure think it

345
00:14:16,870 --> 00:14:13,839
is

346
00:14:19,189 --> 00:14:16,880
follow the link at skepticzone

347
00:14:21,700 --> 00:14:19,199
and show your practical support thank

348
00:14:35,430 --> 00:14:21,710
you

349
00:14:36,790 --> 00:14:35,440
[Music]

350
00:14:38,930 --> 00:14:36,800
and now

351
00:14:41,670 --> 00:14:38,940
a reading from the book of tim

352
00:14:50,310 --> 00:14:41,680
[Music]

353
00:14:55,350 --> 00:14:53,110
hi my name is tim mendem i'm executive

354
00:14:57,430 --> 00:14:55,360
officer for australian skeptics inc and

355
00:14:58,629 --> 00:14:57,440
i'm the editor of our magazine the

356
00:15:00,230 --> 00:14:58,639
skeptic

357
00:15:03,590 --> 00:15:00,240
and today i'll be reading an article

358
00:15:07,350 --> 00:15:03,600
from the september 2018 issue of the

359
00:15:08,870 --> 00:15:07,360
magazine which is volume 38 number three

360
00:15:12,949 --> 00:15:08,880
you can download the whole issue for

361
00:15:14,550 --> 00:15:12,959
free from our website skeptics.com

362
00:15:18,069 --> 00:15:14,560
this particular article is called the

363
00:15:19,670 --> 00:15:18,079
man who dated the world and got it wrong

364
00:15:21,990 --> 00:15:19,680
it's written by martin bridgstock who is

365
00:15:23,269 --> 00:15:22,000
a life member of australian skeptics

366
00:15:25,910 --> 00:15:23,279
and it's about

367
00:15:28,629 --> 00:15:25,920
someone who is a patron if you like or a

368
00:15:30,389 --> 00:15:28,639
patron saint of young earth creationists

369
00:15:31,430 --> 00:15:30,399
and more will be revealed as we go

370
00:15:36,069 --> 00:15:31,440
through it

371
00:15:39,829 --> 00:15:37,670
now martin starts off his article by

372
00:15:43,030 --> 00:15:39,839
saying when my mother passed away she

373
00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:43,040
left me an old bible published in 1899.

374
00:15:47,030 --> 00:15:44,800
the interesting feature is that it has a

375
00:15:49,430 --> 00:15:47,040
chronology of the world in the margins

376
00:15:52,870 --> 00:15:49,440
for example we are told that god created

377
00:15:55,430 --> 00:15:52,880
the world in 4004 bc that noah's flood

378
00:15:57,430 --> 00:15:55,440
began in 2349 bc

379
00:15:59,749 --> 00:15:57,440
and that moses parted the red sea in

380
00:16:01,829 --> 00:15:59,759
1491 bc

381
00:16:03,990 --> 00:16:01,839
there is evidence of a kind

382
00:16:06,310 --> 00:16:04,000
backing these numbers there is also a

383
00:16:08,389 --> 00:16:06,320
massive scholarly work carried out by

384
00:16:10,550 --> 00:16:08,399
one of the sharpest minds of his day in

385
00:16:12,550 --> 00:16:10,560
this article i want to understand this

386
00:16:14,389 --> 00:16:12,560
man's thinking in how he came to his

387
00:16:16,629 --> 00:16:14,399
conclusions

388
00:16:20,069 --> 00:16:16,639
james usher and that's usher with two

389
00:16:22,470 --> 00:16:20,079
s's by the way 1581-1656

390
00:16:24,710 --> 00:16:22,480
was born into an irish protestant family

391
00:16:26,870 --> 00:16:24,720
for his whole life he was both a devout

392
00:16:29,110 --> 00:16:26,880
anglican clergyman and a first-rate

393
00:16:30,550 --> 00:16:29,120
scholar eventually becoming archbishop

394
00:16:32,470 --> 00:16:30,560
of amar

395
00:16:34,629 --> 00:16:32,480
anglicans in ireland were in a strange

396
00:16:36,949 --> 00:16:34,639
position the london government strongly

397
00:16:39,110 --> 00:16:36,959
disapproved of roman catholicism and

398
00:16:41,509 --> 00:16:39,120
supported the church of ireland however

399
00:16:43,590 --> 00:16:41,519
most irish the vast majority clung to

400
00:16:45,430 --> 00:16:43,600
their traditional faith and hated the

401
00:16:46,949 --> 00:16:45,440
protestant heresy

402
00:16:48,949 --> 00:16:46,959
usher became heavily involved in

403
00:16:50,790 --> 00:16:48,959
catholic protestant disputes

404
00:16:52,710 --> 00:16:50,800
he wrote long times of biblical and

405
00:16:54,790 --> 00:16:52,720
historical analysis

406
00:16:56,150 --> 00:16:54,800
his total collected works run to 17

407
00:16:58,389 --> 00:16:56,160
volumes

408
00:17:00,389 --> 00:16:58,399
in addition usher took part in debates

409
00:17:01,749 --> 00:17:00,399
with catholic opponents

410
00:17:05,429 --> 00:17:01,759
perhaps his most sensational

411
00:17:07,909 --> 00:17:05,439
confrontation took place in 1625

412
00:17:11,429 --> 00:17:07,919
at the northamptonshire home of lord

413
00:17:13,510 --> 00:17:11,439
john and lady elizabeth mordent

414
00:17:15,669 --> 00:17:13,520
the mordants had a problem

415
00:17:17,750 --> 00:17:15,679
lord john was a catholic while lady

416
00:17:19,829 --> 00:17:17,760
elizabeth was a protestant

417
00:17:21,270 --> 00:17:19,839
they both took their religion seriously

418
00:17:23,590 --> 00:17:21,280
the couple finally agreed that each

419
00:17:25,429 --> 00:17:23,600
would appoint a champion to argue for

420
00:17:28,069 --> 00:17:25,439
them in a debate

421
00:17:31,190 --> 00:17:28,079
one of them would then convert

422
00:17:33,350 --> 00:17:31,200
lady morden chose usher as her champion

423
00:17:35,430 --> 00:17:33,360
lord john chose a well-known jesuit who

424
00:17:37,990 --> 00:17:35,440
went by the name of beaumont

425
00:17:39,350 --> 00:17:38,000
though his real name was rookwood he may

426
00:17:41,590 --> 00:17:39,360
have changed it because he was the

427
00:17:43,110 --> 00:17:41,600
brother of one of the gunpowder plotters

428
00:17:44,630 --> 00:17:43,120
that's the one who was included guy

429
00:17:46,789 --> 00:17:44,640
fawkes

430
00:17:49,190 --> 00:17:46,799
martin says that i have taken part in

431
00:17:51,029 --> 00:17:49,200
debates against fanatical opponents so i

432
00:17:53,190 --> 00:17:51,039
know that it is astonishingly difficult

433
00:17:55,830 --> 00:17:53,200
to secure a clear win

434
00:17:58,830 --> 00:17:55,840
in this debate usher went first

435
00:18:01,270 --> 00:17:58,840
he spoke for a total of three

436
00:18:03,270 --> 00:18:01,280
days outlining his thesis that the

437
00:18:05,350 --> 00:18:03,280
current catholic church was not at all

438
00:18:06,789 --> 00:18:05,360
like the original christian church and

439
00:18:08,630 --> 00:18:06,799
that the church of england was a far

440
00:18:09,909 --> 00:18:08,640
better claimant to be the true church of

441
00:18:12,789 --> 00:18:09,919
god

442
00:18:15,590 --> 00:18:12,799
as his argument rolled remorselessly on

443
00:18:17,990 --> 00:18:15,600
beaumont became more and more distressed

444
00:18:20,230 --> 00:18:18,000
finally on the fourth day it was

445
00:18:21,430 --> 00:18:20,240
beaumont's turn to speak and nobody

446
00:18:23,510 --> 00:18:21,440
could find him

447
00:18:25,029 --> 00:18:23,520
then a note was discovered apologizing

448
00:18:27,750 --> 00:18:25,039
and saying that he had forgotten all his

449
00:18:29,510 --> 00:18:27,760
arguments he had run away

450
00:18:31,510 --> 00:18:29,520
lord john morton kept his word and

451
00:18:33,270 --> 00:18:31,520
converted to anglicanism

452
00:18:35,430 --> 00:18:33,280
much later he became one of the few

453
00:18:37,350 --> 00:18:35,440
aristocrats to side with parliament

454
00:18:39,430 --> 00:18:37,360
early in the civil war

455
00:18:40,230 --> 00:18:39,440
lady morton never forgot what usher had

456
00:18:43,350 --> 00:18:40,240
done

457
00:18:45,029 --> 00:18:43,360
and her gratitude later saved his life

458
00:18:46,230 --> 00:18:45,039
now what links all this to the age of

459
00:18:48,950 --> 00:18:46,240
the earth

460
00:18:50,870 --> 00:18:48,960
usher spent 18 years studying the early

461
00:18:52,549 --> 00:18:50,880
writings of the church

462
00:18:54,070 --> 00:18:52,559
in these early days the proponents of

463
00:18:56,150 --> 00:18:54,080
christianity were taunted by

464
00:18:58,710 --> 00:18:56,160
non-christians who argue that the new

465
00:19:00,549 --> 00:18:58,720
faith had no roots in history

466
00:19:02,150 --> 00:19:00,559
the christian answer was to appropriate

467
00:19:03,909 --> 00:19:02,160
the jewish holy book

468
00:19:06,549 --> 00:19:03,919
and to incorporate it into the christian

469
00:19:08,470 --> 00:19:06,559
bible calling it the old testament

470
00:19:10,470 --> 00:19:08,480
this gave christianity a history going

471
00:19:11,990 --> 00:19:10,480
back literally to the creation of the

472
00:19:14,710 --> 00:19:12,000
world

473
00:19:16,630 --> 00:19:14,720
it also suggested tantalisingly that the

474
00:19:18,549 --> 00:19:16,640
creation could be dated

475
00:19:20,310 --> 00:19:18,559
in the old testament there are long

476
00:19:22,390 --> 00:19:20,320
strings of begats

477
00:19:23,909 --> 00:19:22,400
along with the ages of the begattas

478
00:19:25,110 --> 00:19:23,919
chronicling thousands of years of

479
00:19:26,789 --> 00:19:25,120
history

480
00:19:27,750 --> 00:19:26,799
usher set to work on this problem of

481
00:19:29,350 --> 00:19:27,760
dating

482
00:19:31,669 --> 00:19:29,360
he had to make sure that his evidence

483
00:19:33,430 --> 00:19:31,679
was as reliable as possible so he

484
00:19:35,510 --> 00:19:33,440
scrupulously compared

485
00:19:37,990 --> 00:19:35,520
various translations of the bible

486
00:19:39,029 --> 00:19:38,000
including hebrew samaritan and greek

487
00:19:41,110 --> 00:19:39,039
versions

488
00:19:43,029 --> 00:19:41,120
he could work in all these languages he

489
00:19:45,110 --> 00:19:43,039
heard of a chaldean translation

490
00:19:46,710 --> 00:19:45,120
somewhere in the middle east and sent an

491
00:19:49,110 --> 00:19:46,720
agent to acquire it

492
00:19:51,510 --> 00:19:49,120
while the agent was working asha studied

493
00:19:54,230 --> 00:19:51,520
chaldean so that he was ready to examine

494
00:19:56,070 --> 00:19:54,240
it after years of work usher concluded

495
00:19:58,549 --> 00:19:56,080
that the hebrew version was most

496
00:20:00,070 --> 00:19:58,559
reliable so he used that

497
00:20:02,710 --> 00:20:00,080
usher spent years working on his

498
00:20:04,390 --> 00:20:02,720
chronology and looked like failing

499
00:20:06,789 --> 00:20:04,400
using the lists of begats in the old

500
00:20:08,710 --> 00:20:06,799
testament and the ages of the fathers he

501
00:20:09,830 --> 00:20:08,720
compiled a chronology several thousand

502
00:20:12,070 --> 00:20:09,840
years long

503
00:20:14,230 --> 00:20:12,080
beginning with adam and ending up among

504
00:20:15,750 --> 00:20:14,240
the later old testament prophets but

505
00:20:17,350 --> 00:20:15,760
without a fixed point

506
00:20:20,710 --> 00:20:17,360
he needed to anchor this floating

507
00:20:23,110 --> 00:20:20,720
chronology in historical time

508
00:20:24,390 --> 00:20:23,120
it was here that usher made his crucial

509
00:20:26,230 --> 00:20:24,400
breakthrough

510
00:20:27,350 --> 00:20:26,240
he noticed what had eluded other

511
00:20:29,430 --> 00:20:27,360
scholars

512
00:20:30,789 --> 00:20:29,440
in the second book of kings he saw an

513
00:20:34,630 --> 00:20:30,799
incident which occurred during the

514
00:20:37,510 --> 00:20:34,640
captivity of israel in babylon quote and

515
00:20:40,390 --> 00:20:37,520
it came to pass in the 7th and 30th year

516
00:20:43,510 --> 00:20:40,400
of the captivity of jehoiachin king of

517
00:20:46,549 --> 00:20:43,520
judah in the 12th month on the 7th and

518
00:20:48,549 --> 00:20:46,559
20th day of the month that evil meredith

519
00:20:50,950 --> 00:20:48,559
king of babylon in the year that he

520
00:20:52,149 --> 00:20:50,960
began to reign did lift up the head of

521
00:20:54,789 --> 00:20:52,159
zhao king

522
00:20:58,230 --> 00:20:54,799
king of judah out of prison that's the

523
00:21:00,789 --> 00:20:58,240
second book of kings 25 27.

524
00:21:03,110 --> 00:21:00,799
usher knew that evil meredith was the

525
00:21:05,350 --> 00:21:03,120
son of king nebuchadnezzar

526
00:21:07,669 --> 00:21:05,360
in his encyclopedia greeting he had come

527
00:21:09,190 --> 00:21:07,679
across a list of kings and their dates

528
00:21:13,669 --> 00:21:09,200
compiled by the mathematician and

529
00:21:14,789 --> 00:21:13,679
scientist ptolemy in the 1st century ce

530
00:21:16,789 --> 00:21:14,799
this included the date of

531
00:21:19,750 --> 00:21:16,799
nebuchadnezzar's death

532
00:21:21,590 --> 00:21:19,760
asset took ptolemy's date and converted

533
00:21:23,750 --> 00:21:21,600
it into a modern calendar

534
00:21:25,350 --> 00:21:23,760
concluding that nebuchadnezzar had died

535
00:21:27,270 --> 00:21:25,360
in 562

536
00:21:28,870 --> 00:21:27,280
bc

537
00:21:31,590 --> 00:21:28,880
that gave his chronology a fixed point

538
00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:31,600
in time working back through his list

539
00:21:35,230 --> 00:21:33,280
usher computed that the world had been

540
00:21:37,990 --> 00:21:35,240
created

541
00:21:39,350 --> 00:21:38,000
3442 years before the death of

542
00:21:42,789 --> 00:21:39,360
nebuchadnezzar

543
00:21:44,710 --> 00:21:42,799
adding the two numbers gave 4004 bc as

544
00:21:46,149 --> 00:21:44,720
the date of creation which is nicely

545
00:21:48,310 --> 00:21:46,159
neat isn't it

546
00:21:50,149 --> 00:21:48,320
usher wasn't finished though

547
00:21:52,070 --> 00:21:50,159
he noted that there was ripe fruit in

548
00:21:53,669 --> 00:21:52,080
the garden of eden

549
00:21:55,510 --> 00:21:53,679
clearly this meant that

550
00:21:57,830 --> 00:21:55,520
creation took place in the northern

551
00:22:00,470 --> 00:21:57,840
autumn and symmetry suggested that this

552
00:22:01,990 --> 00:22:00,480
would be during the autumn solstice but

553
00:22:05,029 --> 00:22:02,000
usher also noted a strange

554
00:22:07,590 --> 00:22:05,039
characteristic of a verse in genesis it

555
00:22:09,029 --> 00:22:07,600
ran and the evening and the morning were

556
00:22:10,789 --> 00:22:09,039
the first day

557
00:22:12,310 --> 00:22:10,799
genesis 1 5

558
00:22:14,070 --> 00:22:12,320
i should noted that morning usually

559
00:22:15,590 --> 00:22:14,080
comes before the evening

560
00:22:17,270 --> 00:22:15,600
so this had to mean that the earth was

561
00:22:18,950 --> 00:22:17,280
created the evening before the first

562
00:22:20,870 --> 00:22:18,960
full day

563
00:22:22,070 --> 00:22:20,880
symmetry suggested that the time was 6

564
00:22:24,070 --> 00:22:22,080
pm

565
00:22:26,070 --> 00:22:24,080
so after all his labors asha

566
00:22:29,029 --> 00:22:26,080
triumphantly concluded that the world

567
00:22:33,270 --> 00:22:29,039
had been created at six pm on saturday

568
00:22:35,669 --> 00:22:33,280
october 27 4004 bc

569
00:22:37,430 --> 00:22:35,679
armed with his conclusions usher set out

570
00:22:39,830 --> 00:22:37,440
to do what no scholar could possibly

571
00:22:42,230 --> 00:22:39,840
have done before him he set out to write

572
00:22:43,510 --> 00:22:42,240
a history of the world with correct

573
00:22:44,710 --> 00:22:43,520
dates

574
00:22:47,029 --> 00:22:44,720
however

575
00:22:49,029 --> 00:22:47,039
events now turned against him he

576
00:22:50,870 --> 00:22:49,039
traveled to england and became chaplain

577
00:22:52,350 --> 00:22:50,880
to king charles the first

578
00:22:55,750 --> 00:22:52,360
the civil war

579
00:22:56,950 --> 00:22:55,760
1642-51 ensued and usher lost his

580
00:22:58,549 --> 00:22:56,960
position

581
00:23:00,470 --> 00:22:58,559
his papers were scattered while he

582
00:23:02,310 --> 00:23:00,480
avoided the war and his king was

583
00:23:03,669 --> 00:23:02,320
defeated and he was left essentially

584
00:23:05,669 --> 00:23:03,679
destitute

585
00:23:08,149 --> 00:23:05,679
further the cromwell government was not

586
00:23:11,190 --> 00:23:08,159
well disposed to the king's ex-chaplain

587
00:23:13,430 --> 00:23:11,200
and was considering action against him

588
00:23:14,390 --> 00:23:13,440
luckily a past good deed came back to

589
00:23:16,390 --> 00:23:14,400
help him

590
00:23:18,870 --> 00:23:16,400
lady elizabeth mordent was now the

591
00:23:20,710 --> 00:23:18,880
dowager lady peterborough her late

592
00:23:22,549 --> 00:23:20,720
husband's support for parliament gave

593
00:23:24,549 --> 00:23:22,559
her great prestige

594
00:23:27,990 --> 00:23:24,559
she sheltered usher in her london

595
00:23:29,990 --> 00:23:28,000
residence and he avoided prosecution

596
00:23:33,110 --> 00:23:30,000
visitors to the house remember him as a

597
00:23:35,669 --> 00:23:33,120
tall courteous kindly person he was now

598
00:23:37,830 --> 00:23:35,679
an old man driven by his desire to write

599
00:23:39,750 --> 00:23:37,840
his great history of the world so each

600
00:23:42,390 --> 00:23:39,760
day he would find a welded place in the

601
00:23:45,110 --> 00:23:42,400
house set up his table and papers and

602
00:23:47,029 --> 00:23:45,120
write while engaged on his task

603
00:23:49,029 --> 00:23:47,039
usher saw from the roof of lady

604
00:23:50,950 --> 00:23:49,039
peterborough's house the execution of

605
00:23:53,430 --> 00:23:50,960
charles the first

606
00:23:55,590 --> 00:23:53,440
the event shook him deeply but he was

607
00:23:57,590 --> 00:23:55,600
able to continue with his great task

608
00:24:00,149 --> 00:23:57,600
what did eventually stop him was age and

609
00:24:02,230 --> 00:24:00,159
infirmity he completed the second volume

610
00:24:05,110 --> 00:24:02,240
of his history taking the reader up to

611
00:24:07,430 --> 00:24:05,120
70 ce the year when the romans stormed

612
00:24:09,190 --> 00:24:07,440
the jewish temple in jerusalem but he

613
00:24:11,430 --> 00:24:09,200
had to stop there

614
00:24:12,950 --> 00:24:11,440
he died in 1656

615
00:24:14,390 --> 00:24:12,960
and the second volume was published

616
00:24:16,549 --> 00:24:14,400
posthumously

617
00:24:17,669 --> 00:24:16,559
after usher's death he was widely

618
00:24:19,510 --> 00:24:17,679
praised

619
00:24:21,029 --> 00:24:19,520
even his opponents paid tribute to his

620
00:24:22,230 --> 00:24:21,039
personal kindness and profound

621
00:24:23,909 --> 00:24:22,240
scholarship

622
00:24:25,269 --> 00:24:23,919
oliver cromwell organised the state

623
00:24:28,070 --> 00:24:25,279
funeral

624
00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:28,080
usher was buried in westminster abbey

625
00:24:33,029 --> 00:24:30,480
what ensured usher's fame however was

626
00:24:35,510 --> 00:24:33,039
when thomas guy a successful publisher

627
00:24:38,390 --> 00:24:35,520
who also endowed guys hospital used the

628
00:24:40,549 --> 00:24:38,400
chronology in an edition of the bible

629
00:24:42,549 --> 00:24:40,559
the use of the dates was common until

630
00:24:45,350 --> 00:24:42,559
the end of the 19th century which is

631
00:24:47,269 --> 00:24:45,360
when martin's bible was published of

632
00:24:50,310 --> 00:24:47,279
course usher's dating system was

633
00:24:52,470 --> 00:24:50,320
hideously ludicrously wrong

634
00:24:54,710 --> 00:24:52,480
the earth is actually more than 700 000

635
00:24:56,950 --> 00:24:54,720
times older than usher's estimate and

636
00:24:59,669 --> 00:24:56,960
yet at the time usher's chronology was

637
00:25:01,909 --> 00:24:59,679
not regarded as strange or eccentric

638
00:25:03,750 --> 00:25:01,919
other scholars such as sir walter rally

639
00:25:06,310 --> 00:25:03,760
and oxford vice chancellor john

640
00:25:08,230 --> 00:25:06,320
lightfoot also made estimates and their

641
00:25:10,789 --> 00:25:08,240
figures were similar to ushers

642
00:25:12,470 --> 00:25:10,799
how could such a keen well-informed mind

643
00:25:13,830 --> 00:25:12,480
be so terribly wrong

644
00:25:15,510 --> 00:25:13,840
the short answer is that there was no

645
00:25:17,990 --> 00:25:15,520
adequate way of dating the past back

646
00:25:19,590 --> 00:25:18,000
then it cannot be observed directly all

647
00:25:21,990 --> 00:25:19,600
we can do is look at what is currently

648
00:25:23,909 --> 00:25:22,000
observable and make deductions

649
00:25:26,470 --> 00:25:23,919
like many people usher accepted the

650
00:25:28,230 --> 00:25:26,480
bible as a reliable source of knowledge

651
00:25:30,789 --> 00:25:28,240
and so all his learning and reasoning

652
00:25:32,710 --> 00:25:30,799
led him into a useless dead end

653
00:25:35,110 --> 00:25:32,720
usher was not an obscurantist like the

654
00:25:37,190 --> 00:25:35,120
modern creation scientist he simply had

655
00:25:38,950 --> 00:25:37,200
no other source of information it should

656
00:25:40,710 --> 00:25:38,960
be clear that usher was quite different

657
00:25:42,950 --> 00:25:40,720
from the evolution deniers who regard

658
00:25:44,950 --> 00:25:42,960
him as some sort of patron saint by the

659
00:25:46,549 --> 00:25:44,960
standards of his day he was a highly

660
00:25:48,470 --> 00:25:46,559
regarded scholar

661
00:25:50,310 --> 00:25:48,480
he took care with his evidence and

662
00:25:51,590 --> 00:25:50,320
worked hard to make sure it was the best

663
00:25:53,269 --> 00:25:51,600
available

664
00:25:54,950 --> 00:25:53,279
some of his findings such as the dating

665
00:25:56,710 --> 00:25:54,960
of nebuchadnezzar's death

666
00:25:59,590 --> 00:25:56,720
and his judgment that the hebrew bible

667
00:26:00,870 --> 00:25:59,600
was the most reliable still stand today

668
00:26:02,630 --> 00:26:00,880
on the other hand

669
00:26:04,390 --> 00:26:02,640
new ways of thinking about the past soon

670
00:26:06,710 --> 00:26:04,400
began to appear

671
00:26:08,310 --> 00:26:06,720
within a few decades of usher's death

672
00:26:10,950 --> 00:26:08,320
observers were starting to think quite

673
00:26:14,630 --> 00:26:10,960
differently about the age of the earth

674
00:26:16,710 --> 00:26:14,640
edward lewd 1660 1709

675
00:26:18,630 --> 00:26:16,720
was a welsh scientist he noted that

676
00:26:20,789 --> 00:26:18,640
rocks occasionally fell from the sides

677
00:26:22,870 --> 00:26:20,799
of lambertus pass

678
00:26:24,710 --> 00:26:22,880
in north wales and came to rest on the

679
00:26:26,789 --> 00:26:24,720
valley floor

680
00:26:28,870 --> 00:26:26,799
loot heard from the locals that such

681
00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:28,880
falls only happened two or three times

682
00:26:32,310 --> 00:26:30,080
in a lifetime

683
00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:32,320
and so he counted boulders and estimated

684
00:26:35,350 --> 00:26:33,760
that the earth was perhaps two hundred

685
00:26:36,549 --> 00:26:35,360
thousand to three hundred thousand years

686
00:26:39,110 --> 00:26:36,559
old

687
00:26:42,789 --> 00:26:39,120
a little later the kant debuff

688
00:26:44,950 --> 00:26:42,799
1707 1788 performed experiments on the

689
00:26:46,070 --> 00:26:44,960
cooling of hot metal balls of various

690
00:26:48,230 --> 00:26:46,080
sizes

691
00:26:50,630 --> 00:26:48,240
he tried to extrapolate to the earth

692
00:26:53,430 --> 00:26:50,640
allowing for the insulation effect of

693
00:26:56,789 --> 00:26:53,440
its crust and atmosphere ending with an

694
00:26:58,789 --> 00:26:56,799
age of 74 832 years

695
00:27:00,950 --> 00:26:58,799
the theological outcry made him keep

696
00:27:03,430 --> 00:27:00,960
secret his personal estimate

697
00:27:06,870 --> 00:27:03,440
of about 10 million years

698
00:27:08,710 --> 00:27:06,880
now both lude and buffa we're wrong

699
00:27:10,149 --> 00:27:08,720
but we can begin to see the emergence of

700
00:27:13,269 --> 00:27:10,159
people thinking about the age of the

701
00:27:15,269 --> 00:27:13,279
earth in a recognizably scientific way

702
00:27:17,029 --> 00:27:15,279
better estimates would follow converging

703
00:27:19,990 --> 00:27:17,039
on the current estimate of an earth

704
00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:20,000
which is 4.6 billion years old in a

705
00:27:24,710 --> 00:27:22,640
universe perhaps three times that age

706
00:27:26,470 --> 00:27:24,720
instead of really killing usher a

707
00:27:28,070 --> 00:27:26,480
charitable reaction is to regard him as

708
00:27:30,950 --> 00:27:28,080
a man of his day

709
00:27:33,080 --> 00:27:30,960
an estimable scholar and apparently a

710
00:27:37,430 --> 00:27:33,090
good man

711
00:27:38,870 --> 00:27:37,440
[Music]

712
00:27:42,710 --> 00:27:38,880
that article is from the skeptic

713
00:27:44,470 --> 00:27:42,720
september 2018 which is volume 38 number

714
00:27:46,549 --> 00:27:44,480
three and as i said you can download

715
00:27:48,470 --> 00:27:46,559
that copy of the magazine for free from

716
00:27:50,549 --> 00:27:48,480
our website and while you're there you

717
00:27:52,470 --> 00:27:50,559
might subscribe to the magazine as well

718
00:27:55,380 --> 00:27:52,480
because the four most recent issues you

719
00:28:17,909 --> 00:27:55,390
can't download for free

720
00:28:21,750 --> 00:28:19,909
hi this is brian dunning

721
00:28:23,909 --> 00:28:21,760
as part of national science week in

722
00:28:26,310 --> 00:28:23,919
australia canberra skeptics will be

723
00:28:29,350 --> 00:28:26,320
hosting a free screening of my latest

724
00:28:32,950 --> 00:28:29,360
documentary science friction this will

725
00:28:36,630 --> 00:28:32,960
be on sunday the 14th of august at 1pm

726
00:28:37,710 --> 00:28:36,640
king o'malley's pub 131 city walk in

727
00:28:41,110 --> 00:28:37,720
canberra

728
00:28:44,950 --> 00:28:42,870
so what is it all about well you know

729
00:28:47,269 --> 00:28:44,960
those tv documentaries you see and the

730
00:28:49,750 --> 00:28:47,279
science experts they feature did you

731
00:28:52,789 --> 00:28:49,760
know that producers often edit them out

732
00:28:55,029 --> 00:28:52,799
of context and twist their words to make

733
00:28:58,549 --> 00:28:55,039
it seem like they promoted some pop

734
00:29:01,669 --> 00:28:58,559
sensationalism instead of the real facts

735
00:29:03,190 --> 00:29:01,679
science friction exposes this practice

736
00:29:04,630 --> 00:29:03,200
and gives the scientists a chance to

737
00:29:07,430 --> 00:29:04,640
clear the record

738
00:29:13,909 --> 00:29:07,440
you will be shocked to see how the media

739
00:29:19,750 --> 00:29:17,430
that's sunday the 14th of august at 1pm

740
00:29:21,350 --> 00:29:19,760
at king o'malley's pub

741
00:29:26,070 --> 00:29:21,360
for further information about this free

742
00:29:30,870 --> 00:29:28,310
thank you and i hope you all raise a

743
00:29:33,590 --> 00:29:30,880
glass to help promote science and

744
00:29:41,710 --> 00:29:33,600
truth-telling in the media i know i

745
00:29:48,110 --> 00:29:46,630
[Music]

746
00:29:57,269 --> 00:29:48,120
do

747
00:30:01,789 --> 00:29:59,269
now it's time once again to dive into

748
00:30:03,990 --> 00:30:01,799
those pages at trove at

749
00:30:05,350 --> 00:30:04,000
trove.nla.gov.edu the online resource

750
00:30:07,430 --> 00:30:05,360
from the australian government and the

751
00:30:09,750 --> 00:30:07,440
national library of australia and what a

752
00:30:11,269 --> 00:30:09,760
resource it is digitized newspapers

753
00:30:13,430 --> 00:30:11,279
gazettes journals

754
00:30:16,310 --> 00:30:13,440
all sorts of things going back many many

755
00:30:17,750 --> 00:30:16,320
many decades indeed into the past

756
00:30:19,510 --> 00:30:17,760
centuries

757
00:30:21,990 --> 00:30:19,520
as long as you can go back here in

758
00:30:25,350 --> 00:30:22,000
australia with the newspaper

759
00:30:29,669 --> 00:30:27,510
and in keeping with our general theme of

760
00:30:31,510 --> 00:30:29,679
looking up paranormal supernatural and

761
00:30:34,549 --> 00:30:31,520
related subjects

762
00:30:36,389 --> 00:30:34,559
i just ran a general search and look for

763
00:30:39,110 --> 00:30:36,399
maybe the odd side

764
00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:39,120
maybe they're all odd the stranger side

765
00:30:45,830 --> 00:30:42,240
when it comes to the paranormal

766
00:30:49,110 --> 00:30:45,840
[Music]

767
00:30:51,990 --> 00:30:49,120
and our first random return comes from

768
00:30:56,070 --> 00:30:52,000
the sunday mail brisbane queensland

769
00:30:59,509 --> 00:30:56,080
dated the 17th of december 1937

770
00:31:02,149 --> 00:30:59,519
ghost ordered off the streets

771
00:31:05,029 --> 00:31:02,159
the ghost of the late sir arthur conan

772
00:31:07,509 --> 00:31:05,039
doyle has been ordered by a new york

773
00:31:09,750 --> 00:31:07,519
judge to stop parading through the

774
00:31:10,870 --> 00:31:09,760
streets on the grounds that he

775
00:31:13,430 --> 00:31:10,880
or it

776
00:31:15,590 --> 00:31:13,440
was blocking the footpaths and parading

777
00:31:18,470 --> 00:31:15,600
without a permit the ruling was

778
00:31:19,909 --> 00:31:18,480
delivered to mrs elizabeth o'hare a tall

779
00:31:22,789 --> 00:31:19,919
white-haired woman

780
00:31:24,789 --> 00:31:22,799
who explained that she was the personal

781
00:31:25,909 --> 00:31:24,799
representative of sir arthur conan

782
00:31:26,950 --> 00:31:25,919
doyle's

783
00:31:28,470 --> 00:31:26,960
ghost

784
00:31:31,909 --> 00:31:28,480
on earth

785
00:31:33,789 --> 00:31:31,919
mrs o'hare known amongst the occult as

786
00:31:35,590 --> 00:31:33,799
elizabeth the

787
00:31:38,230 --> 00:31:35,600
transcriber

788
00:31:41,269 --> 00:31:38,240
was taken to court after she had marched

789
00:31:44,710 --> 00:31:41,279
down fifth avenue with a huge banner

790
00:31:48,070 --> 00:31:44,720
challenging mr joseph dunninger

791
00:31:50,149 --> 00:31:48,080
a noted spook debunker to debate with

792
00:31:53,269 --> 00:31:50,159
sir arthur's ghost on the question of

793
00:31:55,110 --> 00:31:53,279
whether spirits of the dead can return

794
00:31:57,350 --> 00:31:55,120
to the earth

795
00:32:00,230 --> 00:31:57,360
mr dunninger had offered two thousand

796
00:32:03,509 --> 00:32:00,240
pounds to anyone who could produce a ten

797
00:32:07,110 --> 00:32:03,519
word code which he said sir arthur conan

798
00:32:08,870 --> 00:32:07,120
doyle gave him before he died mrs o'hare

799
00:32:11,990 --> 00:32:08,880
answered with her challenge

800
00:32:14,549 --> 00:32:12,000
she disclaimed personal responsibility

801
00:32:17,190 --> 00:32:14,559
for the parade it was conan doyle's

802
00:32:19,430 --> 00:32:17,200
spirit she said i had no choice in the

803
00:32:22,230 --> 00:32:19,440
matter the judge

804
00:32:25,350 --> 00:32:22,240
rubbed his chin and said he had no

805
00:32:27,350 --> 00:32:25,360
desire to set himself up as a judge of

806
00:32:29,269 --> 00:32:27,360
the supernatural

807
00:32:32,149 --> 00:32:29,279
there is a great deal about psychic

808
00:32:34,149 --> 00:32:32,159
matters that i do not know he pointed

809
00:32:37,269 --> 00:32:34,159
out you bet there is

810
00:32:40,549 --> 00:32:37,279
chimed in mrs o'hare i mean

811
00:32:44,070 --> 00:32:40,559
said the judge flushing slightly that i

812
00:32:46,710 --> 00:32:44,080
don't know much about ghosts i know

813
00:32:50,230 --> 00:32:46,720
about the lore however and i would

814
00:32:53,430 --> 00:32:50,240
advise you to stop parading and handing

815
00:32:56,710 --> 00:32:53,440
out pamphlets when told that she would

816
00:32:59,590 --> 00:32:56,720
go to jail if she offended again mrs

817
00:33:00,710 --> 00:32:59,600
o'hare sighed and promised to obey the

818
00:33:03,750 --> 00:33:00,720
law

819
00:33:06,549 --> 00:33:03,760
later she told reporters that she gave

820
00:33:08,630 --> 00:33:06,559
the undertaking on the advice of

821
00:33:11,110 --> 00:33:08,640
abraham lincoln

822
00:33:13,269 --> 00:33:11,120
who was with me in the courtroom

823
00:33:15,350 --> 00:33:13,279
advising me right along

824
00:33:16,269 --> 00:33:15,360
she then added that lincoln's spirit

825
00:33:18,310 --> 00:33:16,279
would be

826
00:33:21,509 --> 00:33:18,320
reincarnated soon

827
00:33:22,789 --> 00:33:21,519
so there you go all the way back in 1937

828
00:33:25,190 --> 00:33:22,799
that would have been

829
00:33:27,509 --> 00:33:25,200
an interesting day in court

830
00:33:29,269 --> 00:33:27,519
and now what what other random craziness

831
00:33:33,590 --> 00:33:29,279
can we find from the canberra times

832
00:33:35,830 --> 00:33:33,600
dated the 2nd of march 1991 so

833
00:33:39,430 --> 00:33:35,840
leaping forward many decades

834
00:33:40,180 --> 00:33:39,440
and this is from michelin busico in san

835
00:33:41,430 --> 00:33:40,190
francisco

836
00:33:44,389 --> 00:33:41,440
[Music]

837
00:33:46,149 --> 00:33:44,399
kidnap victims of ets tell all under

838
00:33:47,430 --> 00:33:46,159
hypnosis

839
00:33:50,789 --> 00:33:47,440
they're out there

840
00:33:53,350 --> 00:33:50,799
removing brains taking women's eggs

841
00:33:55,830 --> 00:33:53,360
creating a hybrid race

842
00:33:58,389 --> 00:33:55,840
tiny creatures with giant heads

843
00:34:00,630 --> 00:33:58,399
giant creatures with tiny heads

844
00:34:01,669 --> 00:34:00,640
creatures with heads like honeydew

845
00:34:03,669 --> 00:34:01,679
melons

846
00:34:05,750 --> 00:34:03,679
they've all been there sneaking through

847
00:34:08,149 --> 00:34:05,760
the sky in spacecraft

848
00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:08,159
vacuuming up earthlings poking and

849
00:34:13,510 --> 00:34:11,760
probing us in unspeakable ways or so

850
00:34:16,310 --> 00:34:13,520
we've been told

851
00:34:18,069 --> 00:34:16,320
they're aliens extraterrestrials the

852
00:34:20,310 --> 00:34:18,079
little green men

853
00:34:23,750 --> 00:34:20,320
and they've been getting away with it

854
00:34:25,909 --> 00:34:23,760
for eons because we poor humans

855
00:34:28,389 --> 00:34:25,919
don't remember the encounters

856
00:34:29,909 --> 00:34:28,399
either the memories are so horrible we

857
00:34:32,829 --> 00:34:29,919
repress them

858
00:34:37,589 --> 00:34:32,839
or the tricky extraterrestrials make us

859
00:34:40,869 --> 00:34:37,599
forget but we've been evolving too

860
00:34:44,230 --> 00:34:40,879
now ufologists like psychologist edith

861
00:34:46,869 --> 00:34:44,240
fiora have a way to make us remember

862
00:34:48,550 --> 00:34:46,879
hypnotize abductees

863
00:34:49,829 --> 00:34:48,560
and they talk

864
00:34:52,230 --> 00:34:49,839
actually

865
00:34:55,430 --> 00:34:52,240
they talk their heads off going on for

866
00:34:58,550 --> 00:34:55,440
hours in a single session telling of

867
00:34:59,510 --> 00:34:58,560
cruising alien ships et's taking them on

868
00:35:03,270 --> 00:34:59,520
board

869
00:35:05,589 --> 00:35:03,280
and not all the experiences are bad

870
00:35:08,310 --> 00:35:05,599
san francisco bay area abductees have

871
00:35:10,230 --> 00:35:08,320
told fiora about aliens

872
00:35:11,109 --> 00:35:10,240
curing ailments

873
00:35:14,630 --> 00:35:11,119
from

874
00:35:16,870 --> 00:35:14,640
yeast infections to cancer

875
00:35:20,390 --> 00:35:16,880
fiora herself remembered

876
00:35:22,150 --> 00:35:20,400
under hypnosis being abducted in 1980.

877
00:35:24,630 --> 00:35:22,160
the aliens beamed her up from her

878
00:35:26,470 --> 00:35:24,640
bedroom in los gatos california one

879
00:35:27,750 --> 00:35:26,480
night and showed her around their

880
00:35:30,950 --> 00:35:27,760
spaceship

881
00:35:33,829 --> 00:35:30,960
it was just a typical roundish interior

882
00:35:35,910 --> 00:35:33,839
kind of shiny low lights she says

883
00:35:37,270 --> 00:35:35,920
i wasn't frightened at all

884
00:35:39,270 --> 00:35:37,280
but then

885
00:35:41,829 --> 00:35:39,280
she knew what to expect

886
00:35:45,510 --> 00:35:41,839
fiora has compiled 13 case histories of

887
00:35:48,069 --> 00:35:45,520
abductees into a book encounters in

888
00:35:50,150 --> 00:35:48,079
which she also explains how to tell if

889
00:35:51,670 --> 00:35:50,160
you have been taken

890
00:35:54,710 --> 00:35:51,680
indications are

891
00:35:57,910 --> 00:35:54,720
gaps of time you can't account for marks

892
00:36:00,790 --> 00:35:57,920
on your body you can't explain or dreams

893
00:36:04,630 --> 00:36:00,800
about ufos or extraterrestrials

894
00:36:07,349 --> 00:36:04,640
fiora lists 25 other hypnotists who work

895
00:36:10,790 --> 00:36:07,359
with abductees in her book 11 of them

896
00:36:13,270 --> 00:36:10,800
are in the bay area around san francisco

897
00:36:16,230 --> 00:36:13,280
local abductees can call in reports to a

898
00:36:18,310 --> 00:36:16,240
ufo hotline based in

899
00:36:19,990 --> 00:36:18,320
menlo park california

900
00:36:23,030 --> 00:36:20,000
those who've

901
00:36:25,190 --> 00:36:23,040
gone up and those who study them say

902
00:36:26,790 --> 00:36:25,200
abductions follow a pattern

903
00:36:28,230 --> 00:36:26,800
it's night

904
00:36:30,790 --> 00:36:28,240
they're alone

905
00:36:34,710 --> 00:36:30,800
there's a bright light then suddenly

906
00:36:36,470 --> 00:36:34,720
a pack of aliens standard issue ets are

907
00:36:39,430 --> 00:36:36,480
short around

908
00:36:40,630 --> 00:36:39,440
130 centimeters and that's just over

909
00:36:42,230 --> 00:36:40,640
four feet

910
00:36:45,109 --> 00:36:42,240
with big heads

911
00:36:48,150 --> 00:36:45,119
light grey skin no hair slender bodies

912
00:36:51,109 --> 00:36:48,160
and a silver jumpsuit or something of

913
00:36:53,750 --> 00:36:51,119
the sword fiora says virgil staff

914
00:36:55,190 --> 00:36:53,760
chairman of an organization of ufo

915
00:36:57,670 --> 00:36:55,200
watchers said

916
00:37:00,230 --> 00:36:57,680
there's not much known about the feet

917
00:37:01,430 --> 00:37:00,240
witnesses frequently say they couldn't

918
00:37:04,870 --> 00:37:01,440
see feet

919
00:37:07,510 --> 00:37:04,880
the abductee is sucked into a spaceship

920
00:37:10,710 --> 00:37:07,520
the preferred vehicles for the bay area

921
00:37:12,150 --> 00:37:10,720
aliens are sources though some ships

922
00:37:15,349 --> 00:37:12,160
look like

923
00:37:17,750 --> 00:37:15,359
balls of fire staff says then they are

924
00:37:19,349 --> 00:37:17,760
given a physical examination that

925
00:37:23,109 --> 00:37:19,359
requires

926
00:37:25,829 --> 00:37:23,119
many probes fjord said they are examined

927
00:37:27,670 --> 00:37:25,839
in every orifice of their body by a

928
00:37:31,109 --> 00:37:27,680
number of these

929
00:37:34,150 --> 00:37:31,119
aliens staff says things have been quiet

930
00:37:37,109 --> 00:37:34,160
in the bay area lately there were two

931
00:37:40,390 --> 00:37:37,119
reports in november two in december and

932
00:37:43,510 --> 00:37:40,400
one in january but for every abductee we

933
00:37:45,670 --> 00:37:43,520
can learn about he said there are dozens

934
00:37:46,630 --> 00:37:45,680
hundreds maybe thousands we don't know

935
00:37:48,790 --> 00:37:46,640
about

936
00:37:51,030 --> 00:37:48,800
some of the et's have been compassionate

937
00:37:52,390 --> 00:37:51,040
but the typical story is the abductees

938
00:37:54,310 --> 00:37:52,400
are treated like

939
00:37:57,349 --> 00:37:54,320
laboratory animals

940
00:37:58,870 --> 00:37:57,359
diane tay mother of two chinese herb

941
00:38:02,630 --> 00:37:58,880
distributor and

942
00:38:04,390 --> 00:38:02,640
cosmic frequent flyer explains about the

943
00:38:07,109 --> 00:38:04,400
aliens who've been

944
00:38:08,790 --> 00:38:07,119
dropping by for more than 20 years

945
00:38:11,430 --> 00:38:08,800
ever since they've planted something in

946
00:38:13,829 --> 00:38:11,440
her brain she's been able to contact

947
00:38:16,630 --> 00:38:13,839
them whenever she likes they call her

948
00:38:19,670 --> 00:38:16,640
sometimes too with advice or information

949
00:38:21,990 --> 00:38:19,680
about the future in her

950
00:38:25,190 --> 00:38:22,000
most vivid memory

951
00:38:28,710 --> 00:38:25,200
gentle big-headed aliens took her from

952
00:38:32,390 --> 00:38:28,720
her bedroom i remember dark eyes bigger

953
00:38:35,430 --> 00:38:32,400
eyes and more slanted eyes she said

954
00:38:36,630 --> 00:38:35,440
not real crazy like in some pictures

955
00:38:38,630 --> 00:38:36,640
more gentle

956
00:38:39,750 --> 00:38:38,640
they were tall and thin and had bigger

957
00:38:41,990 --> 00:38:39,760
heads

958
00:38:45,349 --> 00:38:42,000
but just slightly

959
00:38:48,470 --> 00:38:45,359
they did not communicate through words

960
00:38:50,630 --> 00:38:48,480
first she found herself in a cold room

961
00:38:53,670 --> 00:38:50,640
with a brilliant blue light that had

962
00:38:55,190 --> 00:38:53,680
something to do with killing bacteria

963
00:38:56,630 --> 00:38:55,200
then came

964
00:38:59,670 --> 00:38:56,640
an examination

965
00:39:01,270 --> 00:38:59,680
they were very interested in taking all

966
00:39:04,550 --> 00:39:01,280
kinds of blood

967
00:39:07,910 --> 00:39:04,560
making analysis and laboratory workups

968
00:39:09,589 --> 00:39:07,920
she said there was a machine over my

969
00:39:11,349 --> 00:39:09,599
head for some time

970
00:39:14,310 --> 00:39:11,359
i felt as though something had been put

971
00:39:15,510 --> 00:39:14,320
into my mind there was something going

972
00:39:18,230 --> 00:39:15,520
on there

973
00:39:21,430 --> 00:39:18,240
they also cut inside things that were

974
00:39:24,790 --> 00:39:21,440
going in through my abdomen and i didn't

975
00:39:27,910 --> 00:39:24,800
have any anesthesia it wasn't such a bad

976
00:39:31,589 --> 00:39:27,920
experience she says afterwards they took

977
00:39:33,670 --> 00:39:31,599
her into a round auditorium with 200

978
00:39:35,270 --> 00:39:33,680
other people a giant screen flashed

979
00:39:38,550 --> 00:39:35,280
picture after picture of scenes from

980
00:39:39,589 --> 00:39:38,560
earth oceans guy smoke stacks people in

981
00:39:41,589 --> 00:39:39,599
hospitals

982
00:39:45,030 --> 00:39:41,599
she became inspired to help people take

983
00:39:48,069 --> 00:39:45,040
care of themselves and to become better

984
00:39:50,870 --> 00:39:48,079
caretakers of the planet after it was

985
00:39:51,910 --> 00:39:50,880
like i had a sense of purpose

986
00:39:53,670 --> 00:39:51,920
she said

987
00:39:56,790 --> 00:39:53,680
like yeah

988
00:39:59,109 --> 00:39:56,800
now i know now what i'm supposed to do

989
00:40:00,470 --> 00:39:59,119
james harder a civil engineering

990
00:40:02,310 --> 00:40:00,480
professor at the university of

991
00:40:04,550 --> 00:40:02,320
california berkeley

992
00:40:07,670 --> 00:40:04,560
says feelings of being on a mission are

993
00:40:10,470 --> 00:40:07,680
a common result of interplanetary chats

994
00:40:13,190 --> 00:40:10,480
alien encounters are his advocation

995
00:40:16,069 --> 00:40:13,200
he's been collecting data for 30 years

996
00:40:17,589 --> 00:40:16,079
and has interviewed more than 300

997
00:40:21,510 --> 00:40:17,599
abductees

998
00:40:23,349 --> 00:40:21,520
including fiora he says 95 of people who

999
00:40:24,710 --> 00:40:23,359
have been abducted by aliens have no

1000
00:40:26,710 --> 00:40:24,720
idea it happened

1001
00:40:29,510 --> 00:40:26,720
he hypnotizes people to make them

1002
00:40:32,150 --> 00:40:29,520
remember if they fit a certain profile

1003
00:40:35,430 --> 00:40:32,160
active in the peace movement convinced

1004
00:40:36,950 --> 00:40:35,440
ufos are real pursue a spiritual path of

1005
00:40:39,990 --> 00:40:36,960
enlightenment

1006
00:40:43,109 --> 00:40:40,000
and have psychic ability

1007
00:40:45,990 --> 00:40:43,119
ets are interested in us because the

1008
00:40:47,910 --> 00:40:46,000
earth is going through a crisis phase

1009
00:40:51,430 --> 00:40:47,920
that's very interesting to the rest of

1010
00:40:54,150 --> 00:40:51,440
the galaxy god is said i think some are

1011
00:40:56,790 --> 00:40:54,160
trying to guide us to a better way of

1012
00:40:58,630 --> 00:40:56,800
life harder also says skeptics are

1013
00:41:01,270 --> 00:40:58,640
threatened by the idea of something

1014
00:41:04,150 --> 00:41:01,280
smarter than them lurking out there

1015
00:41:05,589 --> 00:41:04,160
philip j class former editor of aviation

1016
00:41:09,030 --> 00:41:05,599
week magazine

1017
00:41:12,230 --> 00:41:09,040
and author of books debunking ufo claims

1018
00:41:13,670 --> 00:41:12,240
also thinks people who believe they were

1019
00:41:16,550 --> 00:41:13,680
abducted

1020
00:41:18,790 --> 00:41:16,560
are responding to hypnotic suggestion he

1021
00:41:20,550 --> 00:41:18,800
suspects many are just looking for a

1022
00:41:22,710 --> 00:41:20,560
little celebrity

1023
00:41:25,349 --> 00:41:22,720
class who has spent 25 years

1024
00:41:28,150 --> 00:41:25,359
investigating ufo claims has a standing

1025
00:41:29,430 --> 00:41:28,160
offer to pay ten thousand dollars u.s

1026
00:41:31,349 --> 00:41:29,440
which is

1027
00:41:32,790 --> 00:41:31,359
at the time twelve thousand seven

1028
00:41:35,589 --> 00:41:32,800
hundred and eighty eight dollars

1029
00:41:37,750 --> 00:41:35,599
australian to any abductee

1030
00:41:40,390 --> 00:41:37,760
provided the federal bureau of

1031
00:41:43,349 --> 00:41:40,400
investigation backs up the story

1032
00:41:45,589 --> 00:41:43,359
no one has come forward so far

1033
00:41:47,349 --> 00:41:45,599
ufo believers accused the fbi and the

1034
00:41:50,470 --> 00:41:47,359
national aeronautics and space

1035
00:41:53,030 --> 00:41:50,480
administration of a massive cover-up

1036
00:41:54,230 --> 00:41:53,040
dating back to the 1940s

1037
00:41:56,470 --> 00:41:54,240
staff said

1038
00:41:59,670 --> 00:41:56,480
it appears the government has won or

1039
00:42:02,550 --> 00:41:59,680
more vehicles in addition to bodies but

1040
00:42:06,069 --> 00:42:02,560
they've locked people up brainwashed

1041
00:42:08,870 --> 00:42:06,079
them and maybe even terminated them so

1042
00:42:09,910 --> 00:42:08,880
we can't be expected to produce hard

1043
00:42:14,069 --> 00:42:09,920
evidence

1044
00:42:17,750 --> 00:42:14,079
and at the bottom it says k-r-d-k-r-d

1045
00:42:20,950 --> 00:42:17,760
not sure what that means but there it is

1046
00:42:22,710 --> 00:42:20,960
and i must say that the fad for talking

1047
00:42:25,910 --> 00:42:22,720
about or reporting

1048
00:42:28,390 --> 00:42:25,920
being abducted by spaceships has um

1049
00:42:31,270 --> 00:42:28,400
largely disappeared

1050
00:42:33,270 --> 00:42:31,280
i do remember in past decades there was

1051
00:42:34,470 --> 00:42:33,280
a lot of talk about it but now

1052
00:42:36,630 --> 00:42:34,480
it's uh

1053
00:42:38,630 --> 00:42:36,640
like ufos themselves really it's more or

1054
00:42:40,470 --> 00:42:38,640
less a relic of the past

1055
00:42:42,630 --> 00:42:40,480
and finally we come to the pages of the

1056
00:42:45,430 --> 00:42:42,640
daily telegraph published in sydney on

1057
00:42:46,870 --> 00:42:45,440
the 21st of october

1058
00:42:48,630 --> 00:42:46,880
1950

1059
00:42:51,589 --> 00:42:48,640
we're skipping about

1060
00:42:53,510 --> 00:42:51,599
all over the 20th century at the moment

1061
00:42:55,910 --> 00:42:53,520
by barry lawrence

1062
00:42:57,430 --> 00:42:55,920
all the world loves dragons

1063
00:42:59,510 --> 00:42:57,440
and bunnies

1064
00:43:02,230 --> 00:42:59,520
and in case it doesn't mention it in the

1065
00:43:04,230 --> 00:43:02,240
story a bunyip is a

1066
00:43:05,829 --> 00:43:04,240
mythical australian

1067
00:43:08,470 --> 00:43:05,839
uh creature

1068
00:43:11,190 --> 00:43:08,480
last week police at we wore

1069
00:43:14,069 --> 00:43:11,200
new south wales announced that a

1070
00:43:15,750 --> 00:43:14,079
swamp monster which alarmed local people

1071
00:43:17,109 --> 00:43:15,760
for six weeks was

1072
00:43:20,150 --> 00:43:17,119
just a bird

1073
00:43:23,109 --> 00:43:20,160
they said it was a bitten a bird which

1074
00:43:25,270 --> 00:43:23,119
makes a hollow bellowing sound while it

1075
00:43:27,510 --> 00:43:25,280
searches for food in the night

1076
00:43:29,829 --> 00:43:27,520
sounds the bird made gave rise to a

1077
00:43:31,670 --> 00:43:29,839
belief that a monster was prowling the

1078
00:43:34,630 --> 00:43:31,680
we wore marshes

1079
00:43:36,710 --> 00:43:34,640
some said that it was a crocodile others

1080
00:43:39,030 --> 00:43:36,720
that it was a bunyip

1081
00:43:42,309 --> 00:43:39,040
women and children stayed home at night

1082
00:43:44,309 --> 00:43:42,319
men patrolled the marshes with rifles

1083
00:43:47,430 --> 00:43:44,319
people reported that they had seen

1084
00:43:48,309 --> 00:43:47,440
tracks which only a crocodile could have

1085
00:43:51,030 --> 00:43:48,319
made

1086
00:43:53,430 --> 00:43:51,040
somebody produced evidence that soldiers

1087
00:43:55,750 --> 00:43:53,440
had released baby crocodiles in the

1088
00:43:58,790 --> 00:43:55,760
district some years ago

1089
00:44:02,150 --> 00:43:58,800
after six weeks of excitement the news

1090
00:44:04,550 --> 00:44:02,160
that the monster was a harmless bird

1091
00:44:05,430 --> 00:44:04,560
seemed rather disappointing

1092
00:44:07,109 --> 00:44:05,440
four

1093
00:44:11,109 --> 00:44:07,119
let's face it

1094
00:44:13,589 --> 00:44:11,119
everybody loves a monster since the dawn

1095
00:44:15,270 --> 00:44:13,599
of human reasoning the night men the

1096
00:44:18,470 --> 00:44:15,280
unknown have been

1097
00:44:21,990 --> 00:44:18,480
peopled with ghosts and wraiths

1098
00:44:25,829 --> 00:44:22,000
sinister goblins and terrifying monsters

1099
00:44:28,390 --> 00:44:25,839
we are parting with them reluctantly

1100
00:44:30,390 --> 00:44:28,400
in ireland where the celtic twilight

1101
00:44:32,630 --> 00:44:30,400
still lingers they have their

1102
00:44:35,430 --> 00:44:32,640
leprechauns and banshees

1103
00:44:37,910 --> 00:44:35,440
water horses and water balls in the

1104
00:44:42,230 --> 00:44:37,920
scottish western isles folks still

1105
00:44:44,390 --> 00:44:42,240
believe in seal men and seal women

1106
00:44:46,150 --> 00:44:44,400
in the north of england they talk of the

1107
00:44:48,550 --> 00:44:46,160
lambton worm

1108
00:44:51,030 --> 00:44:48,560
which can stretch seven times around a

1109
00:44:53,349 --> 00:44:51,040
hill and eat all the sheep for miles

1110
00:44:56,710 --> 00:44:53,359
around throughout west and central

1111
00:44:58,790 --> 00:44:56,720
europe belief in vampires and werewolves

1112
00:45:02,230 --> 00:44:58,800
human beings who magically turn into

1113
00:45:03,190 --> 00:45:02,240
wolves persists strongly norwegians

1114
00:45:05,349 --> 00:45:03,200
still

1115
00:45:08,309 --> 00:45:05,359
beware the kraken

1116
00:45:09,510 --> 00:45:08,319
a frightful sea monster when they go

1117
00:45:12,470 --> 00:45:09,520
fishing

1118
00:45:15,030 --> 00:45:12,480
canadians occasionally see

1119
00:45:17,829 --> 00:45:15,040
a sheep come serpent monster which they

1120
00:45:19,270 --> 00:45:17,839
call the ogopogo mediterranean people

1121
00:45:23,349 --> 00:45:19,280
still believe in

1122
00:45:26,470 --> 00:45:23,359
dejans ghouls satas sirens

1123
00:45:29,270 --> 00:45:26,480
hard-headed scots dowling refused to

1124
00:45:31,589 --> 00:45:29,280
allow their tourist attracting loch ness

1125
00:45:34,390 --> 00:45:31,599
monster to be debunked

1126
00:45:36,069 --> 00:45:34,400
and australia youngest nation of all

1127
00:45:37,910 --> 00:45:36,079
stays in the picture

1128
00:45:40,230 --> 00:45:37,920
with the bunyip

1129
00:45:43,589 --> 00:45:40,240
civilized people from all over the world

1130
00:45:46,069 --> 00:45:43,599
love frankenstein and dracula films and

1131
00:45:48,309 --> 00:45:46,079
like to read about lost valleys where

1132
00:45:50,950 --> 00:45:48,319
prehistoric monsters still live

1133
00:45:52,950 --> 00:45:50,960
fantastic monsters troop through fiction

1134
00:45:55,990 --> 00:45:52,960
and comic strips

1135
00:45:59,750 --> 00:45:56,000
most of the old-time monsters or dragons

1136
00:46:01,349 --> 00:45:59,760
have a beautiful and chaste maiden

1137
00:46:04,470 --> 00:46:01,359
enthrall

1138
00:46:07,349 --> 00:46:04,480
waiting to be rescued by a knight errant

1139
00:46:09,109 --> 00:46:07,359
with a sharp lance or magic spell said

1140
00:46:13,270 --> 00:46:09,119
george and the dragon is a classic

1141
00:46:15,430 --> 00:46:13,280
example and the we wore monster had

1142
00:46:17,910 --> 00:46:15,440
something in common with it the women

1143
00:46:20,550 --> 00:46:17,920
and children menaced by the monster

1144
00:46:22,790 --> 00:46:20,560
stayed at home while the men armed with

1145
00:46:25,910 --> 00:46:22,800
rifles instead of lancers

1146
00:46:28,870 --> 00:46:25,920
and ingenious crocodile traps instead of

1147
00:46:29,990 --> 00:46:28,880
the old-time magic and cantrips word

1148
00:46:32,309 --> 00:46:30,000
spells

1149
00:46:35,190 --> 00:46:32,319
sailed forth to do battle

1150
00:46:37,510 --> 00:46:35,200
this week professor w m o'neill

1151
00:46:40,870 --> 00:46:37,520
professor of psychology at sydney

1152
00:46:43,990 --> 00:46:40,880
university told us his opinion

1153
00:46:45,670 --> 00:46:44,000
about why everybody loves a monster it

1154
00:46:48,069 --> 00:46:45,680
is the simple mental process of

1155
00:46:50,870 --> 00:46:48,079
projecting our fears and baser impulses

1156
00:46:53,190 --> 00:46:50,880
on to something outside ourselves said

1157
00:46:55,910 --> 00:46:53,200
professor o'neill we like monsters

1158
00:46:59,030 --> 00:46:55,920
because they are uglier than we are more

1159
00:47:02,230 --> 00:46:59,040
vicious more secretly menacing

1160
00:47:05,510 --> 00:47:02,240
more antisocial we personify them as

1161
00:47:08,230 --> 00:47:05,520
animals animal-like or be steel because

1162
00:47:11,270 --> 00:47:08,240
their repulsiveness is a crystallization

1163
00:47:14,069 --> 00:47:11,280
of those submerged instincts in us which

1164
00:47:17,109 --> 00:47:14,079
we are taught to regard as uncivilized

1165
00:47:21,270 --> 00:47:17,119
or animal for example the professor said

1166
00:47:24,309 --> 00:47:21,280
we project our baser instincts onto

1167
00:47:27,910 --> 00:47:24,319
animals when we give them names like

1168
00:47:30,549 --> 00:47:27,920
dingo rat and snake in the grass

1169
00:47:33,510 --> 00:47:30,559
to people whose characteristics we

1170
00:47:34,390 --> 00:47:33,520
dislike the modern expression wolf he

1171
00:47:36,309 --> 00:47:34,400
said

1172
00:47:38,710 --> 00:47:36,319
as applies to a man who lusts

1173
00:47:42,309 --> 00:47:38,720
indiscriminately after women is a good

1174
00:47:45,589 --> 00:47:42,319
example of bestial personification the

1175
00:47:48,870 --> 00:47:45,599
human wolf of today is a recognizable

1176
00:47:51,510 --> 00:47:48,880
survival of the goat-legged stayer of

1177
00:47:52,870 --> 00:47:51,520
the ancients in other respects professor

1178
00:47:55,910 --> 00:47:52,880
o'neill added

1179
00:47:58,390 --> 00:47:55,920
present-day monsters and bunips were

1180
00:48:01,589 --> 00:47:58,400
survivals of the dragons ogres and

1181
00:48:03,510 --> 00:48:01,599
monstrous myths of our ancient folklore

1182
00:48:04,950 --> 00:48:03,520
i asked the professor why nobody

1183
00:48:08,710 --> 00:48:04,960
believed in

1184
00:48:10,630 --> 00:48:08,720
good fairies anymore but so many still

1185
00:48:13,190 --> 00:48:10,640
like to believe in monsters the

1186
00:48:15,990 --> 00:48:13,200
equivalent of bad fairies

1187
00:48:18,870 --> 00:48:16,000
in the first place he said monsters

1188
00:48:22,150 --> 00:48:18,880
dragons ogres and such like represent

1189
00:48:23,829 --> 00:48:22,160
evil in folklore and the nice fairies

1190
00:48:26,390 --> 00:48:23,839
represent good

1191
00:48:28,950 --> 00:48:26,400
later on as the myths and fairy tales

1192
00:48:32,069 --> 00:48:28,960
pass through the sieve of general public

1193
00:48:35,670 --> 00:48:32,079
education this simple symbolism was

1194
00:48:38,150 --> 00:48:35,680
modified and prevailing optimism or

1195
00:48:39,910 --> 00:48:38,160
pessimism determined the balance of

1196
00:48:42,630 --> 00:48:39,920
power between the good

1197
00:48:45,270 --> 00:48:42,640
and the bad myths it may be a reflection

1198
00:48:48,069 --> 00:48:45,280
on the times that we live in that only

1199
00:48:50,710 --> 00:48:48,079
the monster symbol of pessimism persists

1200
00:48:52,870 --> 00:48:50,720
in our fancy we don't like having our

1201
00:48:55,349 --> 00:48:52,880
monsters debunked

1202
00:48:57,910 --> 00:48:55,359
when they fade inevitably into myth and

1203
00:49:01,030 --> 00:48:57,920
legend we obstinately retain them in

1204
00:49:03,030 --> 00:49:01,040
folklore and fairy tale pandamime and

1205
00:49:06,309 --> 00:49:03,040
carnival the

1206
00:49:08,470 --> 00:49:06,319
wee war crocodile will return

1207
00:49:11,670 --> 00:49:08,480
he will show up as a bunion in the back

1208
00:49:12,710 --> 00:49:11,680
blocks or as a sea monster at a coastal

1209
00:49:14,390 --> 00:49:12,720
resort

1210
00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:14,400
you can't keep

1211
00:49:22,150 --> 00:49:20,309
[Music]

1212
00:49:24,150 --> 00:49:22,160
now that is a very interesting article

1213
00:49:26,309 --> 00:49:24,160
from 1950

1214
00:49:29,270 --> 00:49:26,319
because we still see the same sort of

1215
00:49:31,589 --> 00:49:29,280
thing going on today

1216
00:49:33,670 --> 00:49:31,599
we might think of the

1217
00:49:35,750 --> 00:49:33,680
various times here

1218
00:49:37,349 --> 00:49:35,760
in the hidden land of sydney up into the

1219
00:49:39,670 --> 00:49:37,359
mountains and people

1220
00:49:43,190 --> 00:49:39,680
over the years reports saying panthers

1221
00:49:45,750 --> 00:49:43,200
or cougars or lions and things like that

1222
00:49:48,549 --> 00:49:45,760
and these creatures of course are never

1223
00:49:50,790 --> 00:49:48,559
brought forward or any uh evidence of

1224
00:49:53,880 --> 00:49:50,800
their existence still

1225
00:49:55,030 --> 00:49:53,890
people swear they see them

1226
00:49:56,790 --> 00:49:55,040
[Music]

1227
00:49:59,030 --> 00:49:56,800
so there we go a few

1228
00:49:59,910 --> 00:49:59,040
interesting little

1229
00:50:02,870 --> 00:49:59,920
odd

1230
00:50:04,230 --> 00:50:02,880
eclectic bits and pieces of news

1231
00:50:06,069 --> 00:50:04,240
connected with the paranormal the

1232
00:50:08,230 --> 00:50:06,079
supernatural the strange

1233
00:50:10,069 --> 00:50:08,240
over the decades

1234
00:50:13,510 --> 00:50:10,079
and don't forget you too can spend a

1235
00:50:15,829 --> 00:50:13,520
happy hour or two sifting through

1236
00:50:18,470 --> 00:50:15,839
the many thousands upon thousands of

1237
00:50:19,750 --> 00:50:18,480
reports magazines journals

1238
00:50:24,630 --> 00:50:19,760
so on

1239
00:50:31,050 --> 00:50:27,430
and you never know what monsters you

1240
00:50:31,060 --> 00:50:48,950
[Music]

1241
00:50:51,910 --> 00:50:50,549
thank you for listening to the skeptic's

1242
00:50:53,670 --> 00:50:51,920
own podcast and thank you to those

1243
00:50:56,309 --> 00:50:53,680
people who continue to support the show

1244
00:50:58,470 --> 00:50:56,319
at skepticzone.tv

1245
00:51:00,790 --> 00:50:58,480
either by patreon or paypal or

1246
00:51:04,150 --> 00:51:00,800
occasionally the once-off very generous

1247
00:51:06,230 --> 00:51:04,160
gift and thank you very much to

1248
00:51:09,109 --> 00:51:06,240
an unknown

1249
00:51:10,870 --> 00:51:09,119
unknown benefactor you know who you are

1250
00:51:12,790 --> 00:51:10,880
thank you very much

1251
00:51:14,390 --> 00:51:12,800
well i wonder how your week has been

1252
00:51:16,150 --> 00:51:14,400
going so far

1253
00:51:17,510 --> 00:51:16,160
lots of running around

1254
00:51:20,230 --> 00:51:17,520
lots of

1255
00:51:22,950 --> 00:51:20,240
dividing your time between work and

1256
00:51:25,190 --> 00:51:22,960
whatever you have to do well i certainly

1257
00:51:26,950 --> 00:51:25,200
hope the skeptic zone gives you maybe a

1258
00:51:29,190 --> 00:51:26,960
pause during the daytime or do you

1259
00:51:31,030 --> 00:51:29,200
listen to it while you're busy running

1260
00:51:33,109 --> 00:51:31,040
around doing other things

1261
00:51:35,430 --> 00:51:33,119
maybe you're in the garden

1262
00:51:36,549 --> 00:51:35,440
maybe there's a nice red rose in the

1263
00:51:38,230 --> 00:51:36,559
garden

1264
00:51:39,829 --> 00:51:38,240
people do all sorts of things listening

1265
00:51:41,990 --> 00:51:39,839
to the skeptic zone

1266
00:51:44,230 --> 00:51:42,000
if you're on a long drive i hope the

1267
00:51:45,750 --> 00:51:44,240
show keeps you entertained

1268
00:51:47,270 --> 00:51:45,760
keeps you going to get to your

1269
00:51:49,190 --> 00:51:47,280
destination

1270
00:51:50,870 --> 00:51:49,200
whatever you're doing

1271
00:51:53,349 --> 00:51:50,880
i thank you very much for listening but

1272
00:51:56,309 --> 00:51:53,359
for this week this is richard saunders

1273
00:52:03,430 --> 00:51:56,319
signing off from the beautiful state of

1274
00:52:06,710 --> 00:52:05,270
you've been listening to the skeptic

1275
00:52:08,069 --> 00:52:06,720
zone podcast

1276
00:52:11,270 --> 00:52:08,079
please visit our website at

1277
00:52:16,870 --> 00:52:14,390
for show notes contacts and to access

1278
00:52:19,109 --> 00:52:16,880
the back catalog of episodes going back

1279
00:52:21,030 --> 00:52:19,119
to 2008

1280
00:52:23,750 --> 00:52:21,040
you can follow the skeptic zone podcast

1281
00:52:25,910 --> 00:52:23,760
on twitter at skepticzone

1282
00:52:28,230 --> 00:52:25,920
visit our facebook page or leave a

1283
00:52:30,309 --> 00:52:28,240
review on itunes

1284
00:52:33,510 --> 00:52:30,319
you can also support the skeptic zone

1285
00:52:36,870 --> 00:52:33,520
via patreon or paypal the skeptic zone

1286
00:52:38,470 --> 00:52:36,880
podcast is an independent production the

1287
00:52:40,790 --> 00:52:38,480
views and opinions expressed on the

1288
00:52:43,349 --> 00:52:40,800
skeptic zone are not necessarily those

1289
00:52:45,050 --> 00:52:43,359
of australian skeptics or any other

1290
00:53:16,790 --> 00:52:45,060
skeptical organization

1291
00:53:22,230 --> 00:53:19,670
harder also says skeptics are threatened

1292
00:53:25,750 --> 00:53:22,240
by the idea of something smarter than