Archive for category QED
QED Announces Tickets and Speakers For 2012
QED Tickets: On Sale Now!
- Joe Nickell, one of the most widely-respected and experienced paranormal researchers of all time, with a phenomenal investigative history include discovering the techniques behind the making of the Turin Shroud and uncovering the true story behind the Amityville house.
- Recently retired from his post as Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, Edzard Ernst has long been a tireless and diligent researcher into all manner of alternative modalities, admirably exposing the pseudoscience at their core – not least of which in his book Trick Or Treatment, co-authored with 2011 QED speaker Simon Singh.
- Maryam Namazie is a human rights activist, commentator and broadcaster. Spokesperson for both the One Law for All Campaign against Sharia Law in Britain and the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, in 2005 Maryam was named Secularist of the Year by the National Secular Society and has campaigned tirelessly on secular issues.
- David Aaronovitch is an author, broadcaster, and journalist who has enthralled audiences up and down the country with his thorough debunking of conspiracy theories – a topic comprehensively covered in his 2009 book, Voodoo Histories.
- Recently-appointed Managing Editor of The Skeptic magazine, Deborah Hyde has been writing about the supernatural for nearly two decades. A makeup effects coordinator in the film industry by day, Deborah’s extensive knowledge of the macabre and esoteric folklores of cultures around the world has thrilled Skeptics in the Pub groups across the country.
- Steve Jones is former Head of the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London and has written and lectured about science to a general audience for over fifteen years. Steve also recently led the BBC Trust review of impartiality and accuracy in the BBC’s coverage of science, concluding the media often offers undue weight to fringe beliefs.
- Sarah Angliss is trained in electroacoustics, music and robotics, combining all three to create original sound installations, exhibits and live performances that mix cutting-edge science with vintage sound technology and stories from the history of science.
- Ian Ridpath has been a full-time writer, editor, broadcaster, and lecturer on astronomy and space for almost 30 years. With over 40 books to his name, Ian has an encyclopaedic knowledge of UFO folklore, and in 1986 was commended in the British Science Writers Awards for his investigation and explanation of Britain’s most famous UFO case in Rendlesham Forest.
QED Team Raise £5k for Charity
As the co-organisers of QED, along with the Greater Manchester Skeptics, it’s with great pleasure that we can share the following statement with you:
In February 2011, the first QED conference saw nearly 350 people come together for a weekend celebration of science and critical thinking, in what became a highly successful and entertaining event. Today, the QED team are delighted to announce that as a result of the event, £5,262 was raised – to be split between the charities Sense About Science and The National Autistic Society.
A spokeman for the event said, “It makes us all tremendously proud and thrilled to be able to donate to two great charities. It’s a testament to the popularity and success of the conference that so many people came and had a great time, and that we’ve been able to donate a respectable amount to two great causes is definitely the icing on the cake.
“We’d like to thank everyone who made the event the success it was – from the amazing roster of speakers who so kindly gave up their time to be a part of our event, to everybody who attended and made the weekend a success. From the overwhelmingly positive feedback we’ve had – and the many not-too-subtle demands to stage a follow-up event – it’s clear that QED was a great weekend for all involved, and we’re delighted to have been able to achieve this”.
Aswell as announcing the sums donated to charity, the team have confirmed that the next QED conference will take place on the weekend of March 10th-11th, 2012. While details of speakers are yet to be confirmed, the event will take place once more in the Ramada Jarvis Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester, and will once again be organised by North West Skeptical Events Ltd, comprising of members of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and Greater Manchester Skeptics.
To stay up to date with the latest information on the next QED and to be first to hear when tickets go on sale, subscribe to updates from the event team.
QED Vodka: Why Do Things By Halves…?
I’m sure you all saw our QED Vodka footage by now – where we made a batch of homeopathic vodka for the BBC, and then trialled it around the streets of Liverpool. What fun.
What you might not have seen is the full sales pitch, as (for reasons of time) we had to trim a lot of it down. Still, I had a lot of fun coming up with it, crafting a fine line of bullshit-benefits while never straying from what could be tenuoulsy claimed about a) water and b) the placebo effect. Because if you’re going to do something, why do it by halves?
So, to preserve the sheer bullshit I forced myself to come up with, I thought I’d post it all here (as well as giving you it as a PDF so you can see what was on the other side of that clipboard I’m clutching in the footage).
Enjoy! And get your QED ticket now to sample some QED vodka with us in person in February! Read the rest of this entry »
How To Make Your Own Homeopathy – The 10:23 Way
Posted by Marsh in 10:23, Homeopathy, QED on November 29, 2010
Back in July, the 10:23 campaign were invited to work on a project with the BBC, as part of a wider documentary on homeopathy. The project involved ‘QED Vodka’ – a new, fictional, homeopathically-prepared vodka-based lifestyle drink.
Unfortunately, given the willingness of homeopaths involved in the documentary to admit to practices which were dangerous and unethical, the piece was dropped. However, all was not lost, and the footage was retrieved and edited – and ahead of an announcement this week of the 10:23 Campaign’s plans for 2011 it’s been released for your viewing pleasure.
The name of the vodka is, of course, taken from the ‘QED conference‘ – the 2 day science extravaganza which will feature as a centrepiece the 10:23 Campaign’s next major protest, details of which will be formally announced on Wednesday. Tickets are still available, and it’s not to be missed.
Announcing… Robin Ince
The QED team are delighted to announce the fantastic Robin Ince will be joining the line up for the two-day skeptical festival in February 2011.
A legend on the live comedy circuit and co-host of Radio 4′s The Infinite Monkey Cage Robin is one of the UK’s most loved skeptical voices – mixing ascerbic wit and comic fury with a genuine enthusiasm for the world and for the contribution of science. His live shows often feature readings from the very inspiring (Sagan, Feynman) and the… inspiring in an altogether different sense (step forward, Phillips, Moir and Coulter).
Robin’s QED set will form the centrepiece of an evening’s entertainment on Saturday 5th February, taking place after the planned gala dinner, and free for ALL QED ticketholders. Further acts playing throughout the night are yet to be announced.
To book your tickets to see Robin and the 10 other fantastic speakers we’ve announced, visit http://www.qedcon.org/
QED: 9 great speakers & a spectacular price!
‘QED: Question. Explore. Discover.’ proudly announces 9 of the spectacular speakers who are taking to the stage in front of 500 skeptics and fans of science in The Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester (UK) on the 5th and 6th of February, 2011.
In addition to George Hrab’s unique abilities as host, the following exciting and original speakers span an eclectic, diverse line-up covering issues such as alternative medicine and health, religion, media, conspiracy theories, scams, psychology and the sciences: a body of topics and personalities that will convince and energize all skeptics and critical thinkers:
Given the recent controversy around faith schools including anti-science and anti-evolution in their curriculums, Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the US National Center for Science Education, is a perfect voice of critical reason on some of the most pressing issues in the UK today.
Jon Ronson is the former, sometime keyboard player in Frank Sidebottom’s band, manager of The Man from Delmonte and more recently an investigative journalist and documentary maker, with fame both nationally and internationally. His work includes The Men Who Stare At Goats, a book, documentary and most recently a hugely successful Hollywood film that charts Jon’s experiences with surreal elements of the US Army. At QED Jon will be revealing never-before-seen material from his upcoming book.
Co-host of the recent C4 web series The Science of Scams, Kat Akingbade is a passionate communicator of science and educator in the public arena whose history has included posts at Oxford University, The World Health Organisation as well as working with the BBC for both TV and radio.
Bruce Hood, director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre, is a well-known skeptic and psychologist whose work with superstitions led to the publication of Supersense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable and his most recent work The Science of Superstition: How the Developing Brain Creates Supernatural Beliefs.
The co-founder and twice editor of The Skeptic magazine, blogger and journalist Wendy Grossman is an exciting addition to the festival from the founding of the skeptical movement in the UK. Speaking about ‘policy-based evidence’, Wendy will to show the danger of letting ideology lead the research.
Director of both BAFTA nominated Taking Liberties and the 2009 tour-de-force Starsuckers, Chris Atkins is a clear voice in accessibly exposing how the public are manipulated through the real-world motivations of the media in creating and perpetuating news and celebrity. As the perpetrator of the recent ‘Urban Fox Hunter’ hoax, Chris demonstrated the ease by which the national and international media can be fooled.
Next up: Juggling. Or, specifically, science and mathematics explained by Colin Wright via the medium of juggling. This is a unique talk, comically covering what are often thought of as dull subjects in an incredibly engaging and enjoyable way. Having been around the world and beloved by all who see it, now it’s time for QED!
Simon Singh is the particle physicist and former producer of Tomorrow’s World who has published several outstanding books, including Fermat’s Last Theorum, The Code Book and Big Bang. These excellent works have recently been outshone by the legal maelstrom that surrounded his work with Edzard Ernst in Trick or Treatment and the Guardian article that developed those themes with regard to chiropractic: Beware The Spinal Trap. After almost losing his house in the lottery of a libel trial and touring the country to campaign for libel reform, Simon is taking to our main stage in February – to talk about the subjects he’s passionate about, putting aside the horrors of libel!
Last but not by no means least, is the star of 3 science series on BBC TV during 2010 Jim Al-Khalili. His easy style and clear explanations are making science and the history of science, including Islam’s major, but often overlooked influence, ever more accessible to both young and old.
The above list is enough to sate the needs of any hungry rationalist, while the bar will take care of their thirst… but this newly established feature of the skeptical and science festival calendar has one more, unique feature to introduce to the thousands of people who are already keenly following what QED has to offer: The amazing price.
- Standard: £99
- Students: £75
- Gala Dinner with Celebrity Special Guests: £45
QED is affordable by all, easily accessible from every part of the country by road, rail or air and, even with the cost at an incredibly low level, it will raise a significant sum for two amazing causes that are much in the minds of anyone with an interest in science, rationalism and skepticism: Sense About Science and the National Autism Society.
Tickets can be purchased from the QED website from: http://www.qedcon.org/tickets/
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