Episode One Hundred And Sixty – On Fitnah – Interview With Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie is a political activist, campaigner and blogger, and the spokesperson for Fitnah - Movement for Women’s Liberation, and also the Equal Rights Now, One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. The official site for Fitnah: Movement for Women’s Liberation can be found at http://fitnahmovement.blogspot.co.uk, and is described as a protest movement demanding freedom, equality, and secularism and calling for an end to misogynist cultural, religious and moral laws and customs, compulsory veiling, sex apartheid, sex trafficking, and violence against women. It aims to remind the Islamic regime of Iran and Islamists everywhere that the women’s liberation movement is a source of fitnah for their rule alone. The petition for supporting Fitnah can…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Nine – On Psychiatric Tales, Science Tales And Faking A Moon Landing With Darryl Cunningham
Today marks the end of World Immunisation Week and if there’s one thing I could recommend to people who are thinking of discussing the value of science and vaccination, it would be work like that created by Darryl Cunningham. Darryl Cunningham went to Leeds College of Art and is a prolific cartoonist, sculptor and photographer. He has also worked as a health care assistant on an acute psychiatric ward which informed and inspired the thoughts and experiences which went into his best-selling Psychiatric Tales. As a review in The Independent says, “His deceptively simplistic cartoons married with an easy-read writing style announced him as a new talent on the graphic novel scene.” When I was studying a unit in…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Eight – On Sceptici în România – Skepticism In Romania
The first skeptical podcast in Romania, Sceptici în România, aka “Skeptical Romania” takes a skeptical view on education, law, politics, science, pseudo-science, miracle claims, miracle cures and vampires. Each episode has either a interview, a debate or a science segment – a podcast in a country where superstition is the norm and paranormal can be seen as ‘normal’! This interview features a chat with Eddy Petrisor, Miruna Chelbea and Ovidiu Covaciu – all hard-working, passionate skeptics with a keen interest in promoting a rational attitude towards the weird and wonderful. You can find their site at http://podcast.sceptici.ro. Links mentioned in the show include: http://insulaindoielii.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/colon-help-sues-wordpress and http://insulaindoielii.wordpress.com/trial-updates. This show is available on Zune, mp3 via Libsyn or iTunes. Visit www.tokenskeptic.org – and I’d love…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Seven – On The Media Guide To Skepticism – Interview With Sharon Hill
Welcome back listeners and thanks to everyone for the supportive messages and Tweets about the Token Skeptic podcast’s win in the Ockhams Awards at the recent QEDCon! I’m very proud to have been selected by the judging panel, after seeing the very impressive competition that I was up against – please do check out all the finalists and winners, which will soon feature on the www.skeptic.org.uk website. Speaking of skepticism, I was very impressed with a document that came out last month by Sharon Hill, which features on the Doubtful News website. It’s called The Media Guide To Skepticism and features some fascinating tips and guidance for anyone interested in finding out more about skepticism….
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Six – On Why Is There A Skeptical Movement – Interview With Daniel Loxton
On February 6th of this year, the Skeptics Society announced a new project over on the Skepticblogs site, authored by Daniel Loxton: For over twenty years, the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magazine have labored at the forefront of the skeptical movement—constantly experimenting, often pushing the boundaries, but always circling back to the heart of the skeptical tradition. This week, we’re pleased to present Daniel Loxton’s challenging and provocative new project, “Why Is There a Skeptical Movement?” (PDF). Almost two years in the writing, these two meticulously-researched chapter-length explorations dig deeply into the roots, founding principles, and purpose of scientific skepticism. If you don’t know who Daniel Loxton is, then you really need a history lesson….
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Five – On Reclaiming A Secular Australia – Interview With Sean Faircloth
Get ready Australia and New Zealand – Sean Faircloth is on his way! Sean Faircloth was hired as the Secular Coalition for America’s Executive Director in June of 2009 and served a decade in the Maine State Legislature. In his last term he was elected the Majority Whip by his colleagues and was an accomplished legislator, successfully spearheading over thirty pieces of legislation, particularly involving children’s issues and justice system reform. Sean Faircloth is a strong advocate of the separation of church and state and has received many awards of recognition including the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maine People’s Alliance, the 2005 Excellence in Advocacy Award from the American Heart Association’s…
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Token Skeptic – 2013 Ockhams Award For Podcasting!
The Token Skeptic won an award over at QEDCon, which is running this weekend! Here’s the speech I wrote in the highly unlikely case I won (with extra huge thanks to Hayley Stevens of http://hayleyisaghost.co.uk for saying it and collecting the award on my behalf): Big thank yous to the The Skeptic, The Ockhams Awards Committee and QEDCon, who considered the Token Skeptic worthy of being considered with the other great shows in the running for this prize – keeping company with them was honour enough, so please do support all of our podcasts. [I mean that – podcasting can be a big challenge at times, and it’s an ongoing commitment that should get some love – so kudos also to Skeptics with…
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Episode One Hundred And Sixty – On Fitnah – Interview With Maryam Namazie
Maryam Namazie is a political activist, campaigner and blogger, and the spokesperson for Fitnah - Movement for Women’s Liberation, and also the Equal Rights Now, One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain. The official site for Fitnah: Movement for Women’s Liberation can be found at http://fitnahmovement.blogspot.co.uk, and is described as a protest movement demanding freedom, equality, and secularism and calling for an end to misogynist cultural, religious and moral laws and customs, compulsory veiling, sex apartheid, sex trafficking, and violence against women. It aims to remind the Islamic regime of Iran and Islamists everywhere that the women’s liberation movement is a source of fitnah for their rule alone. The petition for supporting Fitnah can…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Nine – On Psychiatric Tales, Science Tales And Faking A Moon Landing With Darryl Cunningham
Today marks the end of World Immunisation Week and if there’s one thing I could recommend to people who are thinking of discussing the value of science and vaccination, it would be work like that created by Darryl Cunningham. Darryl Cunningham went to Leeds College of Art and is a prolific cartoonist, sculptor and photographer. He has also worked as a health care assistant on an acute psychiatric ward which informed and inspired the thoughts and experiences which went into his best-selling Psychiatric Tales. As a review in The Independent says, “His deceptively simplistic cartoons married with an easy-read writing style announced him as a new talent on the graphic novel scene.” When I was studying a unit in…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Eight – On Sceptici în România – Skepticism In Romania
The first skeptical podcast in Romania, Sceptici în România, aka “Skeptical Romania” takes a skeptical view on education, law, politics, science, pseudo-science, miracle claims, miracle cures and vampires. Each episode has either a interview, a debate or a science segment – a podcast in a country where superstition is the norm and paranormal can be seen as ‘normal’! This interview features a chat with Eddy Petrisor, Miruna Chelbea and Ovidiu Covaciu – all hard-working, passionate skeptics with a keen interest in promoting a rational attitude towards the weird and wonderful. You can find their site at http://podcast.sceptici.ro. Links mentioned in the show include: http://insulaindoielii.wordpress.com/2012/10/11/colon-help-sues-wordpress and http://insulaindoielii.wordpress.com/trial-updates. This show is available on Zune, mp3 via Libsyn or iTunes. Visit www.tokenskeptic.org – and I’d love…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Seven – On The Media Guide To Skepticism – Interview With Sharon Hill
Welcome back listeners and thanks to everyone for the supportive messages and Tweets about the Token Skeptic podcast’s win in the Ockhams Awards at the recent QEDCon! I’m very proud to have been selected by the judging panel, after seeing the very impressive competition that I was up against – please do check out all the finalists and winners, which will soon feature on the www.skeptic.org.uk website. Speaking of skepticism, I was very impressed with a document that came out last month by Sharon Hill, which features on the Doubtful News website. It’s called The Media Guide To Skepticism and features some fascinating tips and guidance for anyone interested in finding out more about skepticism….
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Six – On Why Is There A Skeptical Movement – Interview With Daniel Loxton
On February 6th of this year, the Skeptics Society announced a new project over on the Skepticblogs site, authored by Daniel Loxton: For over twenty years, the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magazine have labored at the forefront of the skeptical movement—constantly experimenting, often pushing the boundaries, but always circling back to the heart of the skeptical tradition. This week, we’re pleased to present Daniel Loxton’s challenging and provocative new project, “Why Is There a Skeptical Movement?” (PDF). Almost two years in the writing, these two meticulously-researched chapter-length explorations dig deeply into the roots, founding principles, and purpose of scientific skepticism. If you don’t know who Daniel Loxton is, then you really need a history lesson….
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Five – On Reclaiming A Secular Australia – Interview With Sean Faircloth
Get ready Australia and New Zealand – Sean Faircloth is on his way! Sean Faircloth was hired as the Secular Coalition for America’s Executive Director in June of 2009 and served a decade in the Maine State Legislature. In his last term he was elected the Majority Whip by his colleagues and was an accomplished legislator, successfully spearheading over thirty pieces of legislation, particularly involving children’s issues and justice system reform. Sean Faircloth is a strong advocate of the separation of church and state and has received many awards of recognition including the 2006 Legislator of the Year Award from the Maine People’s Alliance, the 2005 Excellence in Advocacy Award from the American Heart Association’s…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Four – On Little March – Interview With Shelley Segal
Shelley Segal was brought up in a musical family, singing from the age of three and performing with her father’s wedding band from age eleven. She’s been performing her original music live for ten years and recording for four years and even moved to the UK for a production deal and recorded two albums there. Her first is An Atheist Album, which is a reflection on her world-view as an atheist, on religion and related themes, and on the first of March, you can get her latest release Little March - a jazzy/bluesy collaboration with US guitarist singer song writer Adam Levy. Shelley has written and recorded pop, folk, jazz, blues, country, electronic, reggae and rock songs…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Three – On Mice And Minds – Interview With Dr Emma Burrows
Welcome to episode one hundred and fifty-three! Dr Burrows, of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, has been given a Victoria Fellowship to continue her study in new touchscreen technology, which aims to improve treatment for dementia, schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. For this episode of the Token Skeptic, we discuss her work and the claims of the “educational exercise program” known as Brain Gym, with suggestions as to how to sensibly and skeptically approach such practices. Dr Emma Burrows also presented at the 2012 Science and Feminism session of “Cherchez la Femme“, which is a monthly gathering of current affairs and popular culture from a feminist perspective. Theme songs are “P&P” by Derek K. Miller of…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty Two – On Bad Pharma And AllTrials.Net – Interview With Dr Ben Goldacre
Dr Ben Goldacre is a best-selling author, broadcaster, medical doctor and academic who specialises in unpicking dodgy scientific claims from drug companies, newspapers, government reports, PR people and quacks. As of 2012 he is Wellcome research fellow in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. His first book, Bad Science sold over 400,000 copies, is published in 18 countries, and reached #1 in the UK paperback non-fiction charts. His new book, Bad Pharma, which exposes bad behaviour in the pharmaceutical industry, was published at the end of 2012. For this interview, we discuss the extent of the problems that face the medical establishment - the ramifications of an unscrupulous alliance between the pharmaceutical industry and regulators, the…
Episode One Hundred And Fifty One – On The Houston Cancer Quack – Interview With David Gorski And Robert Blaskiewicz
For this episode, I do a joint interview with both Dr. David Gorski and Dr Robert Blaskiewicz on the recent fundraising effort called The Houston Cancer Quack, which has already reached over $8000 at www.crowdrise.com/fightchildhoodcancer - for a very good cause. In “honor” of Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski’s 70th birthday on January 23rd, 2013, the Skeptics for the Protection of Cancer Patients are fundraising for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The goal is to raise at least $30,000 by Burzynski’s birthday, the approximate cost of entering one of his clinical trials of antineoplaston therapy – with the challenge to Dr. Burzynski to match the total sum donated by skeptics, science advocates, and others who value good research into devastating forms of childhood cancer. Dr David Gorski writes…
Token Skeptic Special Episode – On The End Of 2012 With Doubtful News
A special final episode for 2012! This includes a round-up of the year with Sharon Hill of Doubtful News and a summary of suggested movies, documentaries and books that I read this year. The full list can be found at My 2012 Reading And Viewing (And Event-Going) In Review. Doubtful News is a unique news feed providing links to original sources of internet news stories about things that make you go “Hmm…” News is pulled from a wide range of sources including paranormal and anti-science sources. Categories of news include: alt med/anti-vax, cryptozoology, hauntings, paranormal, UFOs, psychics, questionable claims, superstition, and money-making schemes, among others. Information about paranormal and skeptic personalities is also included, good news and bad….
Episode One Hundred And Fifty – On Fighting And Skepticism – With Dave Jones of Hiyaa! The Martial Arts Podcast
Welcome to episode #150 – it’s Christmas Day and the fourth birthday of the Token Skeptic podcast! Here’s a present for you all, but it’s particularly meant for Gerry U., Richard C., Sebastian B., Howard L., the Hoaxilla podcast, all of the donors from Flattr and all the long-term listeners and supporters – that means you! I really appreciate the feedback and endorsement – and sincerely hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable holiday season. I’ll be back in 2013 with the 365 Days of Philosophy site, and even more Token Skeptic episodes, so feel free to keep telling me what you think and how well the show is going! This episode features a topic…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Nine – On The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide And The Atheist Census
It’s a two-for-one Token Skeptic! Firstly, an interview with Hemant Mehtah, where we talk about his new book, The Young Atheist’s Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive. Hemant Mehta, ”The Friendly Atheist” blogger at patheos.com, discusses how to deal with teachers and administrators who promote faith in public schools, handle the peer pressure and ostracism that may come with being an outspoken atheist, and create successful student groups that encourage conversation over conversion. The second interview is with Carlos A. Diaz, the President of Atheist Alliance International and the new Atheist Census. It’s a project to count and collect demographic information on the world’s atheists, and within seventeen hours of its release it was offline due to a denial of service attack. However, it is back…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Eight – On Apocalypse (Now?) 2012 – Interview With Dr Joseph Gelfer
Did you catch the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, doing an advertisment for a JJJ radio show, where she jokingly talked about the impending end of the world? This episode of the Token Skeptic takes a closer look at whether Australians are more skeptical or just as drawn into the claims as any other country when it comes to 2012 apocalypse prophecies – and investigates what makes a sensible approach to take, particularly with believers of younger years. Dr Joseph Gelfer works as an Adjunct Research Associate at the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University and holds a doctorate in religious studies from the Victoria University of Wellington. A number of people believe that the end of the world is due…
Special Episode – Interviews For TEDxPerth
TEDxPerth is back, bigger and better with a day-long conference on Saturday, 8 December 2012 at the Octagon Theatre at The University of Western Australia. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TEDxPerth, where x = independently organised TED event, involves video and live speakers combined, to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. This episode was recorded during the technical rehearsal before TEDxPerth, and features interviews with: Andrea Gibbs Dr Carmen Lawrence Tasha Broomhall Brad Norman Martin Hagger Andra Kins Bernadette Jiwa Sam Longley TEDxPerth 2012 will be broadcast…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Seven – On Being Born To Do Science – Interview With Laurie Tarr
Laurie Tarr is a stay-at-home mom with two kids. She has a B.S. in physics from Centre College and works part-time as a science educator for Mad Science of Kentucky. Along with her husband Rob, she founded the Louisville Area Skeptics in 2009, where she organizes Louisville Science Café, a monthly science outreach program for the public. She also organizes Born to Do Science Kentuckiana, a monthly science outreach program for children in the Kentucky and Southern Indiana area. Louisville Area Skeptics - http://www.louisvilleareaskeptics.com/ Born to Do Science Kentuckiana - https://www.facebook.com/BtDSKentuckiana Mad Science - http://www.madscience.org/ Monty Harper - http://www.montyharper.com/index.html YouTube Channel for easy, at-home science: http://www.youtube.com/user/SteveSpanglerScience Theme songs are “P&P” by Derek K. Miller of www.penmachine.com and “Leap Second” by Milton Mermikides, of www.miltonmermikides.com. Please leave positive…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Six – On Savita Halappanavar – Interview With The Skeprechaun Podcast
This episode focuses on my questions of the Skeprechaun Podcast - produced by two Irish skeptics Rebecca and Fionnula, looking at their excellent episode #33 called “For Savita”. Both episodes contains potentially distressing content, as we both talk about the death of Savita Halappanavar. While the podcasters Rebecca O’Neill and Fionnuala Murphy of Skeprechauns have lively, entertaining and often humorous takes on issues involving skepticism and science, their most recent episode looked on the death of Savita Halappanavar, 31, from India, who died of septicemia on October 28 2012 – four days after asking for medical termination. As of the release of this episode, Savita’s family have given the Irish government until this Thursday to agree to an independent public inquiry into her death…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Five – On Wild Sex With Dr Carin Bondar
Let’s talk about sex. And not just any old sex. The animal kingdom is a wild place — and it’s got mating habits to match. We’re getting it on with kinky rituals, titillating pheromones, post-coital cannibalism, golden showers, orgy marathons and penises that put King Kong to shame. Biologist-with-a-twist Dr Carin Bondar is stripping down to the bare truth of nature’s X-rated side – with the new web-series Wild Sex! Wild Sex has already featured on the Huffington Post, I09, Jezebel and a great interview featured on Scientific America’s Science Sushi Blog! For this Token Skeptic interview, we discuss Dr Carin Bondar’s start in science, her work as a PhD in freshwater ecology and in…
Social Networking For Scientists Summary
Notes from the talk I gave on 14th November, on Social Networking for Scientists. What follows is by no means an exhaustive list of links, ideas and suggestions for improving the profile of scientists in Western Australia. As a not-a-scientist (my thesis is in the measurement of paranormal and pseudoscientific beliefs), but a former Media and English teacher, I have collected a number of useful strategies over time in order to best handle social networking – some of the more useful ones include: Blogging – online journal, “biographical-log” – analysis, comments and reflections, online personal journal with reflections, comments, and links. Science Blogs www.scienceblogs.com Wired Science Blogs www.wired.com/wiredscience/science-blogs SciBlogs New Zealand www.sciblogs.co.nz Discover Blogs…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Four – On Morning Heresy – Interview With Paul Fidalgo
Paul Fidalgo is the communications director of the Center for Inquiry, and previously led communications for the Secular Coalition for America and FairVote: the Center for Voting and Democracy. He holds a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University, where his master’s thesis was on atheists in American politics. Paul is also an actor and musician whose work includes five years performing with the American Shakespeare Center. He lives in Maine with his wife Jessica and children Toby and Phoebe. You can read the Morning Heresy, a daily digest of news and links relevant to the secular and skeptic communities, at http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blogs. Additional congratulations to Milton Mermikides and Bridget Mermikides, on the arrival of their…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Three – On How an Atheist Found Common Ground With the Religious – Interview With Chris Stedman
In Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground With the Religious, Chris Stedman draws on his work organizing interfaith and secular communities, his academic study of religion, and his own experiences to argue for the necessity of bridging the growing chasm between atheists and the religious. As someone who has stood on both sides of the divide, Stedman is uniquely positioned to present a way for atheists and the religious to find common ground and work together to make this world—the one world we can all agree on—a better place. A full transcript of this interview is available at www.freethoughtblogs.com/tokenskeptic The official website for Faitheist can be found at http://faitheistbook.com. Previous Token Skeptic podcast interview with Chris Stedman: Episode…
Episode One Hundred And Forty Two – On Women In Science And Wikipedia – Interview With Professor Uta Frith
Ada Lovelace Day was held on the 16th October, 2012 – a day that celebrates the contributions of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. As you may know, Ada Lovelace is considered the first programmer, due to her work on Charles Babbage’s analytical engine. So I was very interested to learn that Wikimedia UK and Professor Uta Frith of the Royal Society held a Women in Science-themed editing event for Ada Lovelace Day. As Jane Evans wrote for an article on the event for The Upcoming: 2012 marks the Royal Society’s 350th birthday. Sadly women have only been fellows for the past 67 years, and still only make up 5% of the…
Episode One Hundred And Forty One – On Rbutr And Reddit – Skepticism Online
Happy International Skepticism Day! For this episode, I’m talking to Shane Greenup of Rbutr – it’s the full version of the interview you might have already caught part of on The Pod Delusion, Episode #155. rbutr is a community driven app which creates links between webpages where the content of one page is a rebuttal against another. The content may be directly arguing against the original content, or generally presenting contradictory evidence. App users are alerted when they browse a rebutted page, providing them a link through to the rebuttal(s). Reddit is often called “The Front Page of the Internet” – it’s a social news website where the registered users submit content, in the form of…
Power Of The Podcast – Token Skeptic Introduction To Podcasting Lecture From ScienceRewired
Reposted from the ScienceRewired site – head to the conference website for notes on sessions and more. What do you want your listeners to know? What can you produce, in a feasible manner? What can podcasting do that other social media mediums (or other traditional forms of outreach) can’t provide? The Token Skeptic podcast began in 2009 and primarily features interviews with scientists and pop-culture figures involved in science and philosophy; it also includes essays, travel journals and lectures. Average listening audience per episode over 11,000; one episode per fortnight (sometimes more depending on availability). The creation of a podcast isn’t anything new – articles from way back in 2005 in the New York Times…
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