Event Listing
Skeptics in the Pub - August Soapbox Special
Inspired by the great Soapbox guests we've had on the Just Skeptics Podcast so far, for August's SitP, we'll be having a special 'Soapbox' edition. There'll be 3-4 mini-rants on diverse topics currently unexplored at our speaker events. This would be the perfect event to bring along skeptical newbies, as there'll be breaks, and a broad range of topics!
Topics announced!
We'll be treated to the following talks, from regular Just Skeptics soapbox guests Allan and Rick, alongside resident blogger extraordinaire Xtal Dave, and the InKredulous Andy Wilson of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and the 1023 Campaign.
OooooOOohhh!
Allan Callister: Quantum Touch
'Xtal' Dave Briggs: The Amazing Power of Crystals
Rick Owen: The Safety Dance
Andy Wilson: 5 Batty Bits of Business BullshitManchester SitP Social- July
If you're of a skeptical or scientific mindset and enjoy good company and good beers, come and join us for the third Manchester Skeptics in the Pub Social.
We'll be meeting in Sandbar, which is located very near to Oxford Road train station and only a 12-minute walk from Piccadilly. It's a brilliant bar with plenty of great beers at a reasonable price, and a 10% discount at the bar for SitP attendees with a namebadge!
There will be no speaker at this event, just good company and interesting conversation. Entry is free, and we'll be there from about 19:15 onwards. It is also a good opportunity to offer any suggestions for speakers, or other Greater Manchester Skeptics ideas you may have.
We hope to see you there!
July SitP: Matthew Cobb
Jan Swammerdam, mystical materialist.
Jan Swammerdam (1637-1680) was a renowned microscopist, anatomist and experimenter who lived in the Dutch Republic, and is now largely forgotten. But he helped contribute to one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of science - understanding where life comes from. Not only did he show that "all animals come from an egg laid by a female of the same species", he was also part of a small group that made the amazing discovery that women have eggs. But Swammerdam was not a modern day life scientist transposed back to the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer. He was a product of his time, profoundly mystical and deeply religious - he even gave up science for a couple of years, in order to join a bizarre sect that believed that Adam and Eve were hermaphrodites. By looking at his life, work and opinions, we can see that the road to the full development of scientific, rational thinking was not straightforward, and involved people who simultaneously believed in completely contradictory things.
Matthew Cobb is an acclaimed science-communicator, scientist and writer who spent most of his adult life living in Paris, where he worked as a scientist and spent a great deal of time active in far-left politics. His day-job is studying the sense of smell in fruitfly maggots, and being in charge of Manchester University's Zoology degree. He also studies the history of science, and recently published a book ("Generation" in the US, "The Egg & Sperm Race" in the UK and Commonwealth). He also writes regularly on science and historical issues for the LA Times and the Times Literary Supplement.
Manchester SitP Social AND BBQ!
Sorry for the last-minute notice folks!
As we've mentioned at some of the meets and on the Podcast, there will be a Social with BBQ at Sandbar this tuesday! We'll start early (6pm) so you can come straight from work if you like and get a bite to eat with us.
Come along, bring a friend, or just yourself and your questioning mind!
If you've never been to our meet-up at Sandbar before, it's a very nice pub with lots of drinks options for all, from the Real Ale Connoisseur to the Tee-Totaller. There'll be BBQ burgers etc available. We're negotiating to secure some veggie stuff too! GMS badge wearers will get a big discount on the BBQ plus the usual 10% on drinks!
June SitP: Simon Perry
Skeptical Activism and the Quacklash
Simon is an active campaigner against nonsense. Using the ASA, Trading Standards, other regulatory bodies and even gaining help from MPs, his campaigns have helped shut down dodgy allergy test services, prevented traditional chinese medicine salesmen from claiming to cure cancer and exposed psychic scams.
His largest involvement in a campaign, coined the "Quacklash" by Jack of Kent involved almost 600 separate letters being sent to trading standards to report claims to treat childhood diseases with a back rub. 60 of the letters gained 500 signatories. Further complaints were issued with the General Chiropractic Council.
Simon will be explaining the techniques he's used to fight woo, what works and what doesn't and tell stories about some of the crazy nonsense he's encountered along the way.
Simon runs Leicester Skeptics in the Pub, blogs at http://adventuresinno... and writes a skeptical column in the Leicester Mercury. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Si....
SitP Social: Geek/Nerd Pride day Special!
Geek? Nerd?
25th May *is* YOUR day!
http://en.wikipedia.o...Both Towel Day (Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy http://en.wikipedia.o...) AND Star Wars Premiere anniversary... what more do we need to convince the SitP Social organisers to have a Geeky bonanza. Stay tuned for more info on this special event.
Oh yes, this will be special! Bring your towel, sonic screwdriver or whatever you fancy... there are great things in the works!
And where better than TV21 with it's awesome sci-fi and film-themed bar?All suggestions for this event welcome!
May Sitp: Andrew Russell
The natural cycles of climate change "skeptics"
Dr Andrew Russell discusses the current scientific knowledge on climate change, alongside arguments used by climate change "sceptics".
Dr Andrew Russell is a weather and climate scientist at the University of Manchester. Alongside media appearances (such as 'The One Show' and NERC's 'Planet Earth Podcast'), Dr Russell chairs the committee of the North-West Local Centre of the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), and is an Associate Editor of the journal 'Atmospheric Science Letters'.
Find out more about Andrew Russell: http://www.andrewruss...
Ladies who do Skepticism (& Coffee): May
The Last LWDS (&C) was a small but successful meet! We talked about skeptical issues in general, plus those affecting women specifically such as the pseudoscience in advertising skincare products, and the rubbish pedalled by women's mags.
We're trying to create a network of women in the north-west who have a similar outlook on life, and are not afraid to be 'out' as skeptics! Come along to this meet- which will be held in Liverpool at Cafe Eros this time as the last was in Manchester, and this is a joint venture with the Merseyside Skeptics Society.
Why not come early and take a look around the shops, museums, and wonderful architecture available in Liverpool!
Cafe Eros is part of the National Conservation Centre http://www.liverpoolm...
Anyone wishing to travel in by train with me- let me know and we can meet up at Manchester Piccadilly!
Manchester SitP Social
If you're of a skeptical or scientific mindset and enjoy good company and good beers, come and join us for the third Manchester Skeptics in the Pub Social.
We'll be meeting in Sandbar, which is located very near to Oxford Road train station and only a 12-minute walk from Piccadilly. It's a brilliant bar with plenty of great beers at a reasonable price, and a 10% discount at the bar for SitP attendees.
There will be no speaker at this event, just good company and interesting conversation. Entry is free, and we'll be there from 19:00 onwards. It is also a good opportunity to offer any suggestions for speakers, or other Greater Manchester Skeptics ideas you may have.
We hope to see you there!
*this may be the last at Sandbar* see the meet-up discussions thread "venues"
Skeptics in the Pub - Trystan Swale
Our very first speaker will be Trystan Swale on the 13th of April at TV21 in the Norther Quarter, Manchester who will be talking about Ghosts and the people who hunt them. This will be followed by the first ever live recording of the Righteous Indignation podcast!
--GHOSTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO HUNT THEM--
Who are the people that spend their weekends sat in haunted buildings hoping to capture evidence of an after life or a snapshot of a ghost? From academics to housewives, Trystan Swale blows the whistle on the profiles, methods, means, deception, poor research and bad science of the people who continue to shape popular culture and perception of ghosts.
Between 2004 and 2009 Trystan served with a range of paranormal investigation teams in the south of England, investigating a range of unusual phenomena from poltergeists to UFOs and winged humanoids. When not busy helping compile and present Righteous Indignation Podcast, he is a teacher by profession.
--RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION--
Righteous Indignation is the weekly UK based podcast that aims to critically exam ine extraordinary claims and the people who surround them. These include ideas related to conspiracy, the paranor mal, the occult and attempts to redefine the boundaries of science and current understanding. The show is presented by Hayley Stevens, Michael Marshall, Trystan Swale and Gavin Schofield, for more information visit http://www.ripodcast....