MMR and Autism: An Elaborate Fraud

Past Speakers

Skeptics in the Pub Quiz!

When: Thursday,November 29th 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Casa Bar, 29 Hope Street

PLEASE NOTE: this event will take place DOWNSTAIRS in The Casa. Regretfully, this room is not wheelchair accessible.

On this rare fifth Thursday in November we’re organising a general knowledge pub quiz.

Join your host, Dr Tom Williamson, in The Vines for a night of rational enquiry; it’s free to enter and there will be prizes for the best performances on the night! Tom is, of course, excluded from winning a prize, unless you count being carried aloft through the streets of Liverpool on the shoulders of his peers for producing a magnificent quiz. Everyone is welcome, feel free to share and invite your friends…

More information:

Charlotte Hardman – Feeding the mind: Is chocolate really as addictive as cocaine?

When: Thursday,November 15th 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Casa Bar, 29 Hope Street

Why is it so difficult to stop eating the chocolates even though we’re full? A popular idea is that certain foods like chocolate are addictive and that “food addiction” explains why so many people are overweight.

But does food really have the same effects on the mind and body as hard drugs? Or is food addiction simply a myth or an excuse for over-eating?
To answer these questions, I will talk about the latest scientific research on food and addiction with a particular focus on the role of psychology. I will consider the similarities but also the key differences between eating and substance use disorders.

Dr Charlotte Hardman is a lecturer in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of Liverpool. Her research examines the factors which influence appetite, eating and food preferences and she has worked in this area for more than 15 years, including designing and testing interventions to change eating behaviour. She has a PhD in Psychology and has published over 40 scientific papers in prestigious journals including Nature Reviews Endocrinology and the International Journal of Obesity.

@CharlotteHardm3

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Skeptics in the Pub

James Crossland – Fake News is Old News: The British Origins of 21st Century Psychological Warfare.

When: Thursday, September 20th 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Casa Bar, 29 Hope Street

In recent years, the idea of the internet being “weaponised” to disseminate propaganda and warp public perceptions has been presented as a new means of waging war. The idea of one state using the latest communications technology to engage in psychological warfare against another, however, is far from new, nor is it the uniquely Russian practice that it is often presented as today. As this talk will explain, so many of the psychological warfare techniques used by the trolls of today were not developed in Russian “bot factories”, but in top secret radio stations in Britain over 70 years ago. There, during the country’s darkest hour, a rag-tag group of journalists, poets and political hacks conspired to wage a war of words against Hitler’s Germany, and in so doing pioneered what we in the 21st century now call fake news, targeted propaganda, and communications hi-jacking.

James Crossland is a Senior Lecturer in International History at Liverpool John Moores University. A specialist in the history of modern warfare, intelligence and the laws of armed conflict, he is the author of War, Law and Humanity: the Campaign to Control Warfare, and Britain and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 1939-1945.

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Skeptics in the Pub

Paul Duncan McGarrity: A Practical Guide to Attacking Castles

When: Thursday, July 19th 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: Frederiks, 32 Hope St, Liverpool

From the age of sieges and chivalry comes a show about medieval love, adrenaline junkies and an insane quest for glory. Join comedian and archaeologist Paul Duncan McGarrity as he explains how modern life could be so much better if we all take a moment and learn how to attack a castle. From the host of the Ask an Archaeologist podcast and live show comes another hour of hysterical historical fun.

‘A more pleasant way to pass an hour could scarcely be found’ (BroadwayBaby.com).

More information:

Pixie Turner: Never Mind The Nutribollocks

When: Thursday, June 21st 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: Frederiks, 32 Hope St, Liverpool

Low-fat, low-carb, lose weight, eat clean…never before have we had access to so much nutrition information, and never before have we been so confused about what to eat. The rise of social media and the ‘wellness’ movement has allowed nutrition misinformation to spread like wildfire. But what is actually fact when it comes to eating healthy? And why are we so eager to fall for pseudoscience when it comes to our diet?

Pixie is a nutritionist (ANutr), food blogger, and avid Instagrammer. She graduated with a First Class degree in Biochemistry, and went on to complete a Masters in Nutrition with Distinction. She runs an award-winning blog, and has been featured as a nutrition expert on BBC and Channel 5. Her first book, ‘The Wellness Rebel’ was published April this year.

More information:

Robin Ince: Pragmatic Insanity

When: Thursday, May 3rd 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Casa, 29 Hope St, Liverpool

Robin Ince’s first new stand up show in three years is a clash of the two cultures, a joyous romp through his favourite artists and strangest scientific ideas. From the work of Stanley Spencer to Niels Bohr, it is 90 minutes fizzing with ideas about creativity in science and art, as well as asking why we believe we see what we see and why we believe what we believe.

As well as being a prolific stand-up, Robin Ince is the co-host of the award winning BBC Radio 4 show Infinite Monkey Cage and author of several books, including I’m a Joke…and So Are You. He is the winner of the Time Out Outstanding Contribution to Comedy Award, as well as The Francis Crick Science Journalism Award and 3 Chortle awards. He recently finished a 70-date, record-breaking tour with Brian Cox that concluded at Wembley Arena.

As with all MSS events, tickets are free, but entrance will be prioritised to people who reserve a place via Eventbrite:

Reserve a place via Eventbrite »

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Alice Howarth: Cancer cures – are we nearly there yet?

When: Thursday, February 15th 2018, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: Hus, Tempest Building, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2DT

Dr Alice Howarth

One in two of us will suffer with cancer in our lifetime and almost all of us have some experience of the disease. But do we really know what cancer is and how we can work towards a cure? Is a cure even possible? And how can we arm ourselves with the right information to help us prevent and treat cancer?

Alice is a researcher who has worked in the Institute of Translational Medicine at the University of Liverpool with both non-profit and for-profit organisations. In this talk she will discuss what cancer is, how it works and just how we are working towards understanding and curing the disease. She will talk about the complexities of research and some of the big success stories that relate directly to some of the many types of cancer. Only when we understand the difficulties we face can we discern between bogus cancer treatment claims and genuine scientific advancement in this field

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Edzard Ernst: A Scientist in Wonderland

When: Thursday, January 18th 2017, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: Hus, Tempest Building, Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2DT

Edzard Ernst is an academic tour de force within the skeptic movement.

Starting his career as a medical doctor, he became interested in alternative medicine and eventually became Professor of Complementary Medicine at the University of Exeter, conducting a number of studies into the effectiveness and safety of many common alternative approaches. Finding little evidence supporting the claims made, he has become an outspoken critic of the alternative medicine industry.

As well as over 700 scholarly articles, he co-wrote the bestselling book “Trick or Treatment” with Simon Singh. He retired from academia in 2013, following a dispute with Prince Charles’ Foundation for Integrated Health. Through blogs, newspaper columns and public lectures, he remains actively involved in combatting medical misinformation to the present day.

In 2015, he was awarded the John Maddox Prize for “standing up for science”.

#Dave: Literally the Best Magician

When: Thursday, November 16th 2017, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

After a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe and fresh off the back of hosting QED 2017, Skeptic regular Dave Alnwick tours his new show ‘Literally the Best Magician’.

Is Dave Literally the Best Magician? He certainly thinks so and intends to spend an hour proving it. Working through every genre of Magic, Dave hopes to ‘one up’ the classics of conjuring.

Ok, enough of this third person charade. I’m doing a Magic show. It’ll be really good, you should totally come. In the past I’ve focused on mentalism (y’know that Derren Brown mind reading business) but I thought I’d step away from that and have a go at old school stuff. It’s not easy making tricks with rope, tissues and post-it notes interesting but I’m pretty sure I’ve smashed it.

“He is the kind of performer who could probably make reading the dictionary into an entertaining show” – WorldMagicReview.com

I’ll even do a talk after the show about Magic. I’ll teach you a trick. We’ll do a Q&A. Maybe have a drink. It’ll be dope. See you there.

Our events have wheelchair access, via a portable ramp which can be installed on-demand. If possible, please let us know you’re coming through contact@merseysideskeptics.org.uk so we can make sure the ramp is ready.

Chris Coltrane: Make Love and Smash Fascism

When: Thursday, September 28th 2017, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Donald Trump. Poverty. Brexit. Piers Morgan. Yep: the entire planet has turned to garbage. Well, lucky for society then that Chris Coltrane has the solution to LITERALLY all the world’s problems, with his 6th solo stand-up comedy show: Make Love and Smash Fascism!

A new hour of hilarious, passionate political comedy to soothe your heart and kick-start your spirit. In his new stand-up special, Coltrane makes the case for optimism in a world filled with hate. He defends refugees against far-right Christians who turn them away (you know: like Jesus would have); he calls out Theresa May (the Waffle-Iron Lady); and he defends social justice using the most powerful and deadly weapon known to humanity: punchlines. And as for the election result: for the first time in years, it feels like the left could win – and Chris offers hope on where we can go from here. Coltrane says: “This year, more than ever, we need cheering up. In a world determined to crush your spirit, laughter is a radical act. And thus, coming to see me do comedy counts as activism.”

Never too earnest, and always playful, fans of alternative comedy, intelligent nonsense and engaging storytelling will adore Coltrane’s new hour. Mark Thomas says “Chris Coltrane is the future of British political comedy. He is funny, smart, and often right!”

PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS SHOWS:
★★★★★ Three Weeks: “An exciting, exuberant performance which is as informative as it is funny.”
★★★★ Chortle ★★★★ The Skinny ★★★★ The Scotsman
The Guardian: “Likeable, upbeat, and an attractive cheekiness… By Coltrane’s account, protest is getting funnier – which can only be good news for political comedy.”

Cancelled: Tamasin Cave: Does Lobbying Distort Our Democracy?

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CANCELLED EVENT
Unfortunately for reasons beyond our control we have to reschedule this event. There will be NO talk taking place on Thursday 21st September. HOWEVER: please join us in DR DUNCAN’S for a drink instead!
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When: Thursday, September 21st 2016, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: Dr Duncan’s, St John’s Lane, L1 1HF

Tamasin Cave

Tamasin Cave will talk about the UK’s £2bn lobbying industry and the tactics they use to bend government to their will: how lobbyists build relationships with government; their manipulation of the media; the way that they use academics, scientists, think-tanks, front groups and others to spread their messages; and their attacks on opposition groups. She will talk about how the private healthcare industry has lobbied to open up the NHS to more private operators – and how schools are going the same way; how energy companies have hired a small army of lobbyists to persuade government and local communities to support fracking; how the ‘revolving door’ works to support the arms industry; and more.

Tamasin is a writer, campaigner and commentator. Her new book, A Quiet Word: Lobbying, Crony Capitalism and Broken Politics in Britain, co-authored by Andy Rowell, shines a light into one of the darkest and least-understood corners of our political culture: the UK’s £2 billion commercial lobbying industry. She is a director of Spinwatch, which investigates corporate PR and lobbying, as well as government spin. Since 2007, she has also led the campaign for transparency regulations for lobbyists.

Our speaker events have wheelchair access, via a portable ramp which can be installed on-demand. If possible, please let us know you’re coming through contact@merseysideskeptics.org.uk so we can make sure the ramp is ready.

Secrets & Lies: Psychology of Conspiracy Theories – Karen Douglas

When: Thursday, May 18th 2016, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Professor Karen Douglas

Was 9/11 an inside job? Is climate change a hoax? Was Princess Diana murdered? Millions of people appear to think so, disbelieving official explanations for significant events in favour of alternative accounts that are often called ‘conspiracy theories’. In recent years, psychologists have begun to investigate what makes conspiracy theories appealing to so many people. In this talk, Prof. Karen Douglas will broadly overview what psychologists have found out so far, and will discuss some of her own findings on the causes and consequences of belief in conspiracy theories.

Karen Douglas is a Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kent. In addition to conducting work on the psychology of conspiracy theories, she is involved in projects examining sexism in language, the influence of sexist ideology on attitudes toward pregnant women, and the psychology of internet behaviour.

Crucifixion’s a Doddle – Julian Doyle

When: Thursday, March 16th 2016, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

15337616_1168644423221671_3847331051881702007_n Julian Doyle is a writer, director, photographer, editor, movie special-effects creator. He is most famous for editing the Monty Python films and for shooting the effects for Terry Gilliam’s Time Bandits and Brazil, which he also edited.

His occult movie, Chemical Wedding, has become a cult classic and his acclaimed play, Twilight of the Gods, about the tumultuous relationship between the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and the composer Richard Wagner, was described by the magazine Philosophy Now as ‘Masterful’.

Ask an Archaeologist – Paul Duncan McGarrity

When: Thursday, February 16th 2016, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

15283939_1168632886556158_6362493368872952143_n An archaeologist and comedian (same person, Paul Duncan McGarrity) sits in a room and answers your questions on any subject as honestly as possible. Could be rude, probably crude. Be prepared to talk candidly with the protection of context.

‘Like a very tall, funny, excited child’ (Scotsman).

GHost Hosting 17, No Such Thing As Gravity

When: Friday, January 27th 2016, 6pm
Where: The Williamson Tunnels, Liverpool

16003246_1208210502598396_4630370098395663644_n Skeptics! Chris French is coming to Liverpool to help deliver GHost Hosting 17, part of FACT’s “No Such Thing As Gravity” exhibition.

This is not an MSS event, but we expect many Skeptics to be interested in coming along. It is free to attend, but requires registration: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ghost-hosting-17-ghosts-in-body-and-mind-tickets-30217321823

If you fancy joining us, register yourself and we’ll meet up at the Williamson Tunnels shortly beforehand at 6pm.

Event details:

What makes a ghost? GHost is a visual arts and creative research project which explores the nature of ghosts both metaphorically and practically in its activities. Serving as a supporting platform (or host) GHost aims to enable invited guests to visually and conceptually manifest and interrogate the idea of the ghost. The project takes its title from a work by Marcel Duchamp: “A GUEST + A HOST = A GHOST” Marcel Duchamp (1953).

For GHost Hosting 17, No Such Thing As Gravity artist Sarah Sparkes continues this programme of research seminars with an interdisciplinary seminar and performance event exploring the concept of ‘a formula for ghost making’, focused around faith, belief, and religious practice. How do spirits and ghosts contribute to or affect different religions and beliefs? How are practices used to embody, evoke or communicate these notions?

Sparkes will be joined by Professor Chris French, professor of Psychology and founder of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit (APRU) at Goldsmiths, specialising in the psychology of paranormal beliefs and experiences, cognition and emotion; and by Christian Weaver, a specialist in ethnomusicology and musician, composer and practitioner of ritual drumming. Artist Birgitta Hosea will also present Medium, a site-specific performance in which the artist takes the role of a techno-medium.

You’ll also have a chance to explore the Williamson Tunnels, and discover the other end of the GHost Portal that you might have already seen in FACT.

A new commission for FACT and the Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre, in association with National Museums Liverpool. The project has been supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Misrepresenting Reality – Michael Dougan

When: Thursday, January 19th 2016, 7.30 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

15078718_1147417875344326_4673999974074067383_n In January, the MSS welcomes Professor Michael Dougan whose criticism of the referendum campaign’s “industrial dishonesty” went viral.

Misrepresenting reality without any supporting evidence – indeed usually directly in the face of the objective evidence. Peddling fantasies and making promises never to be delivered – often contradictory promises directed at different audiences. Attacking any opposition or dissent as biased and incompetent – or as part of some elitist / establishment conspiracy. Undermining the legal and political institutions upon which our democracy is based – all the while claiming to be their only true defenders. How did the Leave campaign get away with all this? And why are we still letting them get away with it?

Michael Dougan is Professor of European Law at the University of Liverpool. He specialises in EU Law, particularly EU constitutional and institutional law, legal relations between the EU and its Member States, the law of the Single Market and free movement of persons / EU welfare law. Michael also contributes to wider public and political debates about European law: for example, providing advice to UK government departments, parliamentary committees and EU institutions. Michael is Joint Editor of Common Market Law Review – the world’s leading scientific journal for European legal research. He was awarded a Jean Monnet Chair in 2006.

MSS Presents: David Alnwick – Mind Wizard

When: Thursday, November 24th 2016, 8.00 PM – 10.30 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Off the back of last year’s sell out tour, The Cult of Dave, his TV special, Dave Alnwick: Trickster, and a stellar appearance at the recent QED conference, Dave is back with his new hour long show: MIND WIZARD.

Expect misdirection, mind reading and manipulation. Will you be converted?

After each show there will be a Q&A where Dave will highlight some of the techniques used in the show.

“If you saw Dave’s brilliant show at QED, then you’ll know why even skeptics signed up to the Cult of Dave.” – Simon Singh

“They were burning people for this 300 years ago” – Phill Jupitus

MSS Presents: Socialist Fun-Times, with comedian Chris Coltrane

When: Thursday, September 22nd 2016, 7.30 PM – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Imagine writing a flyer in June for a political comedy show in August. What’s Britain even like now? Did we really Brexit? Has joy been privatised? Is Theresa May our Prime Minister? Oh god. Oh god no. Say it ain’t so.

Well, if the world seems bleak, don’t despair: Chris Coltrane is back with another hour of hilarious, Tory-smashing stand-up comedy to inspire and delight. If you like social justice, kindness, libraries and joy, Coltrane has a show for you.

In Socialist Fun-Times, comedian and activist Coltrane (“Josie Long’s favourite comedian on Twitter”) tries to find even a shred of optimism in this distinctly broken country. In a world full of Farage and Trump, Chris has the antidote.

Along the way he champions political correctness, defends refugees, and asks why we can’t have Easter Eggs all year round. You’ll leave happy or hungry. Either way, Coltrane will consider it a victory.

Fans of intelligent nonsense will love Coltrane’s fifth stand-up show. Come and see this comedian who The Guardian once described as “Exactly as good as Monty Python*”!

(Directed by Ed Morrish, the BBC producer behind such hits as Dilemma, and John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme.)

* Four years ago The Guardian gave my debut show a three star review. Two years ago they also gave Monty Python Live a three-star review. So basically, what The Guardian is saying is that I’m exactly as good as Monty Python. Shut up, that IS what it means.

Why eating bugs will soon become the new normal – Jenny Josephs

When: Thursday, September 15th 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

By 2050 the global population will reach 9 billion and this will put ever increasing pressure on food and environmental resources. How can we ensure global food security without further damaging the environment with intensified farming practices?

One UN backed solution is to focus on alternative sources of protein, such as insects for food and animal feed. About 2 billion of us already include insects in our diets, though it is still a growing trend in the west.

Insects are described as having a variety of different flavours, from mushroomy to pistachio or pork crackling. They are comparable to beef in protein and contain beneficial nutrients like iron and calcium. Their environmental impact is also minimal, requiring far less water and feed than cattle, and releasing fewer emissions.

During this talk, Jenny will explain how insects might replace some of the meat in our diets and also give some tips on how to cook them.

Jenny Josephs is the founder of The Bug Shack, a company aiming to promote edible insects as a sustainable source of protein. She has spoken at the Winchester Science Festival and TEDx Southampton Uni.

Herding Hemingway’s Cats: how do our genes work? – Kat Arney

When: Thursday, August 18th, 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

The language of genes has become common in the media. We know they make your eyes blue, your hair curly or your nose straight. We’re told that genes control the risk of cancer, heart disease, alcoholism or Alzheimer’s. The cost of DNA sequencing has plummeted from billions of pounds to a few hundred, and gene-based advances in medicine hold huge promise.

There are 2.2 metres of DNA inside every one of your cells, encoding roughly 20,000 genes. These are the ‘recipes’ that tell our cells how to make the building blocks of life, along with all the control switches ensuring they’re turned on and off at the right time and in the right place. But rather than a static string of genetic code, this is a dynamic, writhing biological library. With the help of cats with thumbs, fish with hips and wobbly worms, Kat will unpack some of the mysteries in our DNA and explain the latest thinking about how our genes work.

Dr Kat Arney is a science writer and broadcaster whose work has featured on BBC Radio 4, the Naked Scientists and more. She has just published her first book, Herding Hemingway’s Cats, about how our genes work.

How to Make $100 Million with a Bogus Bomb Detector – Meirion Jones

When: Thursday, July 21st 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

He’s jailed for 10 years now but how did a British conman from Liverpool sell bogus bomb detectors to Iraq for $85 million? A lack of skepticism cost the lives of an estimated 2,000 people in Baghdad. Meirion Jones tells, with the help of video clips and secret recordings, how Jim McCormick and his chums worked the scam around the world and how whistleblowers and a Newsnight team exposed the scandal. This is about multi-million-dollar bribes in Baghdad, and UK PLC turning a blind eye to boost exports, but this is also about the lethal consequences of not basing policy on evidence. Meirion will demonstrate two real bogus bomb detectors as sold by the hoaxers for up to $40,000 each and show you how to make one that works every bit as well for less than a pound.

Meirion Jones was a BBC producer who is in the unusual position of winning the 2013 Scoop of the Year award for a programme which was never broadcast – his exposure of Jimmy Savile as a paedophile. He also won the Daniel Pearl International Award for Investigative Journalism in 2010 for his reports on toxic waste dumping by Trafigura in Africa. He has exposed everything from the fixing of the 2000 US election, to how Britain helped Israel get the atom bomb, from corrupt politicians to the affair of Mark Stone and the undercover cops, as well as homeopaths and healers.

No Turn Unstoned: The harms and benefits of recreational drugs – Suzi Gage

When: Thursday, June 16th 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

The media love to sensationalise the dangers of illicit drug use, whilst downplaying or even ignoring the harms from legal drugs. Suzi takes us on a trip through the current scientific understanding of the harms, and also potential benefits of recreational drugs, both illegal and legal.

Dr Suzi Gage is an Epidemiologist at the University of Bristol, investigating associations between substance use and mental health. When not staring at spreadsheets full of ones and zeros she writes the Sifting the Evidence blog on the Guardian website, and has a small obsession with synthesizers.

Aliens: Mr Green and Mr Gray cannot visit us today – Stevyn Colgan

When: Thursday, May 19th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Given the bewildering variety of life on Earth – all stemming from one self-replicating molecule – can we really predict what life on other worlds is like? Maybe not. But we can imagine what it isn’t like.

Stevyn Colgan has been involved with aliens for three decades. He’s held Jabba the Hutt’s face, helped sculpt creatures for Bruce Willis to shoot at, and had a script accepted for Doctor Who in the 1980s. In this entertaining talk, you’ll hear about feuding gangs of scientists, film directors with less imagination than children, and the perils of concrete poo. You’ll also come to realise that if we really are intelligently designed, we’re an illogical and inefficient system.

Stevyn Colgan is an author, artist, songwriter, speaker and oddly-spelled Cornishman. He is one of the ‘Elves’ that research and write the popular BBC TV series QI and co-writes its sister show, The Museum of Curiosity, for BBC Radio 4. He has given hundreds of talks across the UK and USA and is a regular at festivals and events such as Skeptics in the Pub, QEDCon, Cornbury, Hay, Cheltenham, Latitude and the Edinburgh Fringe. He is a contributor to the bestselling QI books and annuals and is the author of ‘Joined-Up Thinking, Constable Colgan’s Connectoscope’, ‘Henhwedhlow: The Clotted Cream of Cornish Folk Tales’, ‘The Third Condiment’, ‘Why Did The Policeman Cross The Road?’ and co-wrote ‘Saving Bletchley Park’ with Dr Sue Black.

Heresy to Witchcraft: Politics and the Creation of the Witch as an anti-social outsider – Deborah Hyde

When: Thursday, April 21st 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Witchcraft became big news in the 16th and 17th centuries. Torrents of learned discussion turned to action, and the corpses piled high. But where did the legal infrastructure for such a mass persecution arise? Had this power already been tested and used? Deborah will discuss totalitarianism, paranoia and yearnings for empire in the making of a very bloody delusion.

Deborah has been writing about the supernatural for nearly two decades. She blogs on ‘Superstition, Religion and Being Human’ as ‘Jourdemayne’ but often suffers from mission creep. She’s also Editor-in-Chief of the Skeptic Magazine. Her daytime, grown-up job is a makeup effects coordinator in the film industry.

Merseyside Skeptics’ March Megamix 2016

When: Thursday, March 17th, 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

After the success of last year’s March Megamix – where we gave you not one Skeptics in the Pub speaker, but six – we thought we’d do it again! Speakers this month will include:

Dean Paton from Big Heritage, on how and why he protested against Christian homophobes at Chester Pride Parade
Kat Ford, on evolutionary psychology
Duncan Royle, on policy-based evidence
Tom Williamson, on the 9/11 Truth movement
Michael Marshall, on Bad PR in the media

We’ll see you in The Vines, Lime Street from 8pm on March 16th for something a little different!

Why vapers think e-cigarettes will lead to the end of cigarettes, and why their optimism may be misplaced – Robin Ireland

When: Thursday, February 18th 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Electronic cigarettes are a hot topic and not only in public health forums. Public Health England have pronounced e-cigs as around “95% less harmful than tobacco”. However the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America and the World Health Organisation take a much more precautionary stance. The latter view ‘Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS)’ as having potential public health benefits but these are yet unproven. Robin Ireland, a Liverpool-based public health advocate, will discuss the evidence as much as it is available in the context of tobacco control efforts in England.

Robin is Chief Executive of Heart of Mersey and the Health Equalities Group originally established in 2003 to address the inequitable levels of heart disease and stroke on Merseyside. Robin was awarded his Master of Public Health at the University of Liverpool in 2007 and was elected Member of the Faculty of Public Health through Distinction in 2015. His position on e-cigs has led him to be vilified by vapers on social media whilst the Institute of Economic Affairs has branded the Health Equalities Group, “Sock Puppets”.

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The Phantom of Heilbronn and other Forensic Faux Pas – Emma McClure

When: Thursday, January 21st 2016, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

We’ve all seen it: A renegade detective pours over the scene of a grizzly murder. They find an overlooked clue; a hair, a footprint, a shell casing. Detailed forensic analysis matches the clue to the bad guy, and the bad guy goes to jail. This is how modern day forensics are portrayed in shows such as ‘CSI’ and ‘Silent Witness’; forensic evidence is seen as conclusive when it comes to catching suspects and deciding if someone is guilty in a criminal trial. But could the traces left behind at a crime scene lie?

The science in areas such as DNA collection has progressed enormously in recent decades allowing for breakthroughs in many old and cold cases. However, we have also seen many high profile exonerations of those previously convicted of the most serious of crimes on seemingly ‘conclusive’ forensic evidence. This has lead to increasing scrutiny of the way it is analysed, interpreted and presented in the courtroom.

In this talk, prison lawyer Emma McClure examines the issues with forensic techniques, highlighting the amusing, confusing and sometimes tragic consequences of failing to take a skeptical approach to evidence in the field of forensic science.

Inside AA: Can A Non-Existent God Really Cure Alcoholism? – by Jon Stewart

When: Thursday, November 19th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Alcoholics Anonymous has become a widely accepted and media approved treatment for problem drinkers. Yet while AA’s social worth is rarely challenged its efficacy rate, estimated to be as little as 5%, appears comparable to that of spontaneous remission.

Can a non-existent “Higher Power” really offer meaningful solutions to the debilitating and frequently fatal condition of alcoholism?
If so, what happens to all those alcoholic atheists and skeptics?
How did AA become the go-to treatment modality for one of the great social health scourges of our age?
It’s the twenty first century, is this really the best we can do?

Jon Stewart was co-founder, guitarist and co-songwriter for platinum-selling Britpop band Sleeper, with whom he enjoyed three UK Top 10 albums and eight UK Top 40 singles. Jon subsequently played on albums by K D Lang and Mel C, and contributed to feature film and documentary soundtracks including Trainspotting and Telstar: The True Story of Joe Meek.

Jon currently lectures in cultural history at BIMM Institute, Brighton, on programmes validated and awarded by University of Sussex. He is also a PhD researcher at University of Southampton. Author of a long-running column in Guitarist magazine, Jon has published a wide range of research in peer reviewed journals and collections of academic essays. An active and sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 14 years, Jon quit the fellowship in early 2014. His blog “Leaving AA, Staying Sober” is at http://jonsleeper.wordpress.com/

The Cult of Dave – David Alnwick

When: Thursday, October 29th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Mind Reader. Cult Leader. Dave.

David Alnwick takes his critically acclaimed magic show on tour, gathering new followers in order to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming the leader of his own cult. Employing practical, real world examples of ‘social manipulation’, Dave will entertain, excite and inspire. Come and worship at the feet of your new lord and commander.

– “F***ing Ninja Ginger Wizard” -ThreeWeeks
– “COMPLETELY F***ING AWESOME” – The Skinny
– “Impossible tricks, indestructible wit; he is charming, fluid and insanely quick!” – #SRCZ

After the performance Dave will give a 30 minute talk on the ideas and techniques employed within the show including some mention on the wider psychology in play, followed by a question and answer session.

Homeopathy in the UK: The NHS and Beyond – Michael Marshall

When: Thursday, October 15th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

==ANNOUNCEMENT==

As Alok Jha has unfortunately had to cancel at the last minute due to work commitments, our Vice President Michael Marshall will step in to deliver a talk.

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Homeopathy is one of the most widely debunked form of alternative medicine – yet homeopathic remedies adorn the shelves of respected pharmacies and are funded by taxpayers on the NHS. How big of a problem is this? Using information and personal experiences gathered during his last 6 years of campaigning against homeopathy, Michael Marshall will highlight how much money is spent on homeopathic remedies, how this gives undeserved credibility to homeopathy, how such remedies can lead to genuine harm and what you can do to help.

Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He regularly speaks with proponents of pseudoscience for the Be Reasonable podcast. His work has seen him organising international homeopathy protests and co-founding the popular QED conference. He has written for the Guardian, The Times and New Statesman.

Lies, damned lies and statistics: How we get science coverage wrong – David Robert Grimes

When: Thursday, September 17th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Science and medicine have transformed our lives immeasurably, and never in history have they been more central to our lives and well-being. Yet despite this, there is often a glaring disconnect between the findings of actual science and media reporting of such topics, and consequently there is often a needless chasm between public perception and the evidence on many contentious topics. This can lead to needlessly adversarial and counter-productive discourse of everything from vaccination to climate-change. In this talk, physicist and science journalist Dr. David Robert Grimes discusses the frequent problems in reporting science from misunderstandings to bad statistics to false balance, and discusses the factors that influence this and how such problems can be remedied.

Dr. David Robert Grimes (@drg1985) is a physicist and writes regular opinion and analysis pieces on scientific issues for the Irish Times and the Guardian science. He keeps a blog on these topics atwww.davidrobertgrimes.com

Big Screen Science – David Kirby

When: Thursday, August 20th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Many skeptics look suspiciously at science in the movies and may ask themselves: Why don’t these filmmakers ever talk to real scientists? You may be surprised to learn that filmmakers do, in fact, speak with scientists on a regular basis. Hollywood filmmakers routinely ask science consultants to examine scripts, participate in pre-production meetings, and serve as advisors on the set. There are even a number of recent initiatives by high profile scientific organizations, including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, designed to facilitate scientists’ involvement in entertainment productions. In this talk Dr. Kirby will elaborate on the role science consultants play in negotiating information transfer between the scientific community and the entertainment community as well as showing how filmmakers must negotiate scientific accuracy within the constraints of film production.

Dr. David A. Kirby is Senior Lecturer in Science Communication Studies Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at University of Manchester.

Leftwing Propaganda Machine – by Chris Coltrane

When: Thursday, July 16th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Chris Coltrane is a comedian and activist in the anti-austerity movement that Mark Thomas once described as “the future of British political comedy”. He’s also a keen fan of skepticism from the sidelines, dipping his toes into the anti-homeopathy and pro-choice movements, plus his 2013 stand-up performances at QED and the MSS. “Basically I’m a nice man and I’d very much like the Merseyside Skeptics to like me”, he says.

In July Coltrane will be bringing a work-in-progress preview to us of his new Edinburgh Fringe show, Left Wing Propaganda Machine, a show he thinks will be about “evidence, and how people in power are bad at using it”.

He’ll be using stand-up comedy to argue for an evidence-based drugs policy; for an end to austerity; and he’ll be talking plenty on how every single statistic that British people think they know is wrong. How can democracy even work when we’re so badly informed? And how on earth does someone make that funny? Come and see Chris in July, and see if he’s worked it out.”

Evidence matters. And it matters that we ask for it – by Chris Peters

When: Thursday, June 18th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

This isn’t just a simple talk; it’s a call to arms. Every day, we hear claims about what is good for our health, bad for the environment, how to improve education, cut crime, and treat disease. Some are based on reliable evidence and scientific rigour. Many are not. These claims can’t be regulated; every time one is debunked another pops up – like a game of whack-a-mole. So how can we make companies, politicians, commentators and official bodies accountable for the claims they make? If they want us to vote for them, believe them, or buy their products, then we should ask them for evidence, as consumers, patients, voters and citizens.

The Ask for Evidence campaign has seen people ask a retail chain for the evidence behind its MRSA resistant pyjamas; ask a juice bar for the evidence behind wheatgrass detox claims; ask the health department about rules for Viagra prescriptions; ask for the studies behind treatments for Crohn’s disease, and hundreds more. As a result, claims are being withdrawn and bodies held to account.

This is geeks, working with the public, to park their tanks on the lawn of those who seek to influence us. And it’s starting to work. Come and hear what the campaign is going to do next and how you can get involved.

Dr Chris Peters is the Scientific Liaison at Sense About Science, a charity aiming to put science and evidence in the hands of the public.

Do Computer Scientists Dream of Electric Sleep? – Katie Atkinson

When: Thursday, May 21st, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

In this talk Katie will provide an insight into the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to show how current research on the topic breaks many of the moulds found in numerous depictions of AI in sci-fi literature and films. She will provide an overview of the main techniques used to represent aspects of intelligent thought and behaviour, and discuss some of the landmark success stories and current state-of-the-art. Katie will further pinpoint some of the challenges that AI researchers face, covering technological, legal and ethical aspects.

Dr Katie Atkinson is a Reader in the Agent Applications, Research, and Technology (Agent ART) Group of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool. The Agent ART Group carries out both pure and applied research in the area of autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the Computer Science department was ranked 1st in the UK for 4* and 3* research, with 97% of their research being rated as world-leading or internationally excellent.

Her research concerns computational models of argument, with a particular focus on persuasive argumentation in practical reasoning and how this can be applied in domains such as e-Democracy, law and agent systems. She has published over one hundred articles on these, and closely related, subjects. She received her PhD from the University of Liverpool in 2005.

Reasoning with the Unreasonable – by Harriet Hall

*Note: This talk does not take place on our usual date in the month, but instead takes place on the FIFTH Thursday of the month*

When: Thursday, April 30th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Dr. Hall will relate her always frustrating and often hilarious experiences as the token skeptic in a local community discussion group, and will follow up with a useful list of anti-science memes that refuse to die (like “science doesn’t know everything”) and will show how skeptics can answer them effectively.

Dr Harriet Hall is a retired family physician and former Air Force flight surgeon who writes about medicine, alternative medicine, science, quackery, and critical thinking. She is one of the founders and editors of the Science-Based Medicine blog, a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and co-author of the textbook Consumer Health: A Guide to Intelligent Decisions.

Merseyside Skeptics’ March Megamix

When: Thursday, March 19th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

For our March Skeptics in the Pub talk, we thought we’d do something different, which is why rather than one speaker we thought we’d give you six! Giving a short talk as part of our Merseyside Skeptics March Megamix will be:

Mike Hall – President of Merseyside Skeptics Society – on the Monty Hall problem and counter-intuitive maths
Michael Marshall – Vice President of Merseyside Skeptics Society – on high street allergy tests
Laurie Phillips – on perpetual motion machines
Emma McClure – on forensic science and errors in the criminal justice system
Geraint Parry – on Science and May 7th

So, we’ll see you in The Vines, Lime Street from 8pm on March 19^th for something a little different!

*Please note: Due to the unexpectedly early arrival of his daughter Rosalind, Tom Williamson will no longer be speaking at this event. I’m sure you’ll all join us in understanding his withdrawal, and congratulate him on his fatherhood!*

The Knowledge – Lewis Dartnell

When: Thursday, February 19th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Maybe it was an asteroid impact, a nuclear war, or a viral pandemic. Whatever the cause, the world as we know it is over and humanity must start again. What would you need to know to not only survive in the immediate aftermath, but avert another Dark Ages and accelerate the rebooting of civilisation from scratch? The Knowledge is a grand thought experiment on the behind-the-scenes fundamentals of how our world works, and what drove the progression of civilisation over the centuries.

Dr Lewis Dartnell is a research fellow at the University of Leicester, working in the field of astrobiology and the search for life beyond Earth. He has written three books: Life in the Universe: A Beginner’s Guide, My Tourist Guide to the Solar System and The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch.

AIDS Denialism – by Myles Power

When: Thursday, January 15th, 2015, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

In the early days of the AIDS epidemic many bizarre and dangerous ideas were advanced regarding the origin of the disease and its cause. Since the discovery of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) these conspiracy theories, which once filled the void left by the lack of information, have all but vanished. Over the past three decades HIV has been the subject of intense scientific research which has resulted in effective treatments, rapid HIV tests, and promising cures. Yet unbelievably there are a small number of people who are sceptical of the “official story”. Although these people are small in numbers they are extremely well funded and can pose a very real threat to public health. Many have chosen to spend their money on spreading their harmful theories, defend people who have irresponsibly infected their partners, and funded the documentary House of Numbers.

The documentary encourages people to come off their medication, tells them that HIV tests don’t work, and that anti-viral drugs such as AZT are the real cause of AIDS. To do this the makers of the documentary make liberal use of out-of-context quotations from scientists interviewed for the film, deceitful editing techniques, and flat out lies.

YouTube vlogger Myles Power has dedicated a large amount of time to exposing some of the more insidious claims in the documentary. In response there have been multiple Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) violation claims filed against Myles in an attempt to silence his criticism.

In his talk Myles will discuss some examples of the dangerous assertions in the documentary and explain how they have led to the death and suffering of hundreds of thousands of people. He will also talk about the failure of the DMCA and how it can be exploited by the proponents of pseudoscience.

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Truth and Lies in Advertising – by Richard Burdett

When: Thursday, December 18th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

This talk looks at advertising from both the consumer’s and the advertiser’s perspective. Can consumers trust what they’re seeing, reading, hearing and clicking on? And, in an increasingly fragmented and fractured media environment, can advertisers trust the data on which they’re making multi-million pound investment decisions?

Richard Burdett began his career at Saatchi & Saatchi, spending eleven years working with clients such as BA, BP, Cadbury Schweppes and Sainsbury’s.

He then moved from advertising to the fledgling world of multi-channel television, initially as Head of Ad Sales for The Discovery Channel and subsequently as Head of Marketing for UKTV. Next stop was Vice Chairman of CIA (now MEC) one of the world’s largest media buying agencies. In 2003 he became Head of 4Creative, Channel 4’s in-house ad agency, working on shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, Shameless and Jamie’s School Dinners as well as the launches of More4 and Film4.

Richard is currently MD of Horse & Country TV, a thematic channel which does exactly what it says on the tin. The channel has brought over fifty new advertisers on to TV and was one of five nominees for Best Factual Channel in this year’s Broadcast awards, up against BBC3, BBC4, Discovery and History.

Follow Richard on Twitter @rgburdett

Lifting The Lid: Ongoing adventures in the world of pseudoscience – by Michael Marshall

When: Thursday, November 20th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

It’s easy to think of pseudoscience existing in a glass case at a museum – something to be examined and critiqued from a safe distance, but not something to touch and to play with. In a talk that has been hugely popular at more than 25 events this year, using examples taken from his own personal experiences in skepticism Michael Marshall will show what happens when you begin to crack the surface of the pseudosciences that surround us – revealing the surprising, sometimes-shocking and often-comic adventures that lie beneath.

An Atheist on the Alpha Course – by Simon Clare

When: Thursday, October 16th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

The Alpha Course runs in 162 countries and has been attended, according to their website, by 25 Million people. Over a 9 week period, students are guided through Christian theology ostensibly to “Explore the meaning of Life”.

Simon Clare, an unabashed atheist, signed up to his local course in Brighton, wondering if his faithlessness would be challenged. Spoiler: He wasn’t converted but he was surprised at what he learnt about faith.

The new Archbishop Of Canterbury, Justin Welby, found his faith at the home of the Alpha Course and his election suggests that the Alpha model of spreading the word is now at the heart of Christianity’s struggle for survival. As well as giving an overview of the course from biblical history to singing in tongues, Simon will discuss what atheists can learn from the Alpha Course.

Simon Clare runs Horsham Skeptics in the Pub and is a founder member of the South East Skeptics Society.

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Is Cleanliness a Bad Thing? – by Sheena Cruickshank

When: Thursday, September 18th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

This talk will highlight how the rise in sanitation and vaccination in developed countries has seen a correlative prevalence of autoimmune disease and allergy, leading to the counterintuitive possibility that we might be able to cure the current wave of allergies and autoimmune diseases with worms.

Dr Sheena Cruickshank lectures in Immunology in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. Her work explores the relationship between cleanliness and allergies.

Inside Britain’s Creationist Schools – by Jonny Scaramanga

When: Thursday, August 21st, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Jonny Scaramanga attended a fundamentalist Christian school in the ’90s where he learned that the Loch Ness Monster disproved evolution, God disapproved of the NHS, and homosexuals were an abomination. He talks about what students learn in these schools today, and what we should do when the parent’s right to freedom of religion conflicts with the child’s right to a sound education.

Jonny is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Education, where he is researching student experiences in Britain’s 50 Accelerated Christian Education schools. He has written for the Guardian, the Times Education Supplement, New Humanist, and New Statesman. His broadcast appearances include BBC Radio 4, BBC2, BBC local radio, and Channel 4’s 4Thought TV. His blog, Leaving Fundamentalism, won the 2014 Ockham Award for Best Blog. You can follow @JonnyScaramanga on Twitter.

The Psychology of Possession and Exorcism – by Chris French

When: Thursday, July 17th, 2014, 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

It can be argued that human beings tend to be intuitive dualists, finding it easy to believe that “mind-stuff” simply cannot be reduced to matter. Such intuitions underlie the belief that mind (or, as some would call it, “soul”) can become separated from the physical body. Indeed, most people go further and believe that consciousness can in some way survive physical death. Comforting though such beliefs may be, they also open the door to the possibility that other spiritual beings, both human and non-human, may at times take control of another person’s physical body. Belief in possession and exorcism is widespread in many societies, both ancient and modern. Neuropathological and sociocognitive factors that underlie such beliefs will be presented in this talk.

Professor Chris French is the Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society and a member of the Scientific and Professional Advisory Board of the British False Memory Society. He has published over 120 articles and chapters covering a wide range of topics. He frequently appears on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims, as well as writing for the Guardian and The Skeptic magazine. His most recent book, co-authored with Anna Stone, is Anomalistic Psychology: Exploring Paranormal Belief and Experience.

Eggs, Milk, Holiday, Death – by Robin Ince

When: Thursday, June 19th, 2014, 6.30 – 8.00 PM
Where: The Vines, 81 Lime St, Liverpool

Join us for an evening with Robin Ince as he mulls over being excited about being self-conscious in the universe for a finite amount of time, strange nights in the Monkey Cage with Brian Cox and reads from his favourite scientists, along with some shouting and confusion.

Robin is a presenter, comedian and writer – he currently presents the Infinite Monkey Cage on Radio 4 with Brian Cox.

He is also the creator of numerous shows (Bad Book Club, Happiness Through Science and the upcoming (Robin Ince is) In and Out of his Mind) and science events (The School for Gifted Children, Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People, Uncaged Monkeys and Robin and Brian’s Christmas Compendium of Reason).

You can find out more about Robin at www.robinince.com.

The Angels of Mons: a legend of the Great War – by Dr Dave Clarke

When: Thursday, May 15th, 2014, 8.00 PM

‘…the greatest wartime mystery of the 20th century…’ A.J.P. Taylor

One hundred years ago, in August 1914, a force of 30,000 crack British troops were surrounded outside the Belgian city of Mons by a massive German Army three times as strong. But at the very moment they expected to be annihilated the attack was suddenly halted, allowing the troops to escape and fight another day.

Back home, newspapers attributed the escape of the British Expeditionary Force to “a miracle” and many Christians came to believe that the Germans had been stopped by a vision of angels that appeared between them and the BEF. And as the war bogged down in the trenches wounded soldiers and nurses who cared for them came forward to claim they had witnessed the miracle at Mons.

The Angels of Mons captured the imagination of thousands across the world, bringing hope of victory to the Allies and restoring faith to those who lost loved ones in the slaughter on the Western Front. As the centenary of the legend approaches the story lives on with plans for a battle of Mons trail and commemorative events to mark the beginning and end of the war in the Belgian city.
In this talk David Clarke – author of the definitive book on the mystery (The Angel of Mons, Wiley: 2004) – sets out to reveal the facts behind the story, drawing upon original documents and accounts from journalists who collected stories about the ‘angels’.
The talk follows the evolution of the story to the present day and asks if it really was ‘the first example of a modern urban legend’.

Dr David Clarke is an expert on folklore and supernatural beliefs. He is a senior lecturer in the Department of Journalism at Sheffield Hallam University. From 2008-2013 he worked as The National Archives consultant for the opening of the Ministry of Defence’s UFO files. His book The UFO Files (Bloomsbury 2012) is the first comprehensive history of the MoD’s UFO investigations. His website is dedicated to folklore and journalism: http://www.drdavidclarke.co.uk/

Why Haven’t We Cured Cancer Yet? Debunking the Conspiracies – by Dr Vicky Forster

When: Thursday, March 20th, 2014, 8.00 PM

Millions of pounds is poured into cancer research and drug development every year and although cure rates for many forms of cancer have improved dramatically in the last fifty years, some remain exceptionally hard to treat. An increasing number of passionate cancer conspiracy theorists claiming that ‘the cure’ has already been found and is being suppressed and that unproven alternative therapies are better than conventional therapies, are threatening the health of cancer patients and the reputation of cancer charities, doctors and researchers.

This talk will aim to address misunderstandings about the basic biology of cancer, look for any evidence behind the most popular touted ‘alternative cancer therapies’ and hopes to stimulate discussion as to why there are a growing number of people who believe in these largely-unfounded conspiracies.

Dr. Vicky Forster is a cancer research scientist at Newcastle University, and a survivor of childhood cancer. She is also passionate blogger for a large cancer charity and tweets a lot about her own work and demanding evidence for alternative cancer treatments and therapies.

http://www.bigheritage.co.uk/

What do faith healers, Roman gladiators and anal probes have in common? – by Big Heritage

When: Thursday, February 19th, 2014, 8.00 PM

The answer is, they all take centre stage in the Roman Medicine Roadshow, a public education workshop organised by Merseyside-based non-profit organisation, Big Heritage.

Developed by a team of archaeologists and funded by the Wellcome Trust; this project explores medicine in the Roman world, and examines how human remains and archaeological discoveries can tell us more about the practicalities and ethics of medicine in the past. Exploring the past also helps shed light upon the logic of modern-day faith healing and sacred temples by viewing them through 2nd century eyes.

This talk will be given by archaeologists from Big Heritage, and will consist of a light-hearted lecture followed by an opportunity to handle a range of Roman medical tools and casts of human remains from Roman Britain displaying a range of diseases and impact traumas.

Inside the Weird World of Scientology

by John Sweeney

When: Thursday, January 16th, 2014 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

John Sweeney

Tom Cruise and John Travolta say the Church of Scientology is a force for good. Others disagree. Award-winning journalist John Sweeney investigated the Church for more than half a decade. During that time he was intimidated, spied on and followed and the results were spectacular: Sweeney lost his temper with the Church’s spokesman on camera and his infamous ‘exploding tomato’ clip was seen by millions around the world.

John Sweeney tells the story of his experiences for the first time and paints a devastating picture of this strange organisation, from former Scientologists who tell heartbreaking stories of families torn apart and lives ruined to its current followers who say it is the solution to many of mankind’s problems.

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets

by Simon Singh

When: Thursday, December 12th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Please note that this event is on the second Thursday of the month, rather than our normal third Thursday of the month slot.

Simon Singh

Simon Singh, best-selling author of ‘Fermat’s Last Theorem’ and ‘The Code Book’, will discuss his forthcoming book ‘The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets’. He will explain how a team of mathematically gifted writers have covered everything from calculus to geometry, from pi to game theory, and from infinitesimals to infinity in various episodes of The Simpsons. Singh will also discuss how the writers of Futurama have similarly made it their mission to smuggle deep mathematical ideas into the series.

The Skeptical Bobby

by Stevyn Colgan

When: Thursday, November 21st, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

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Stevyn Colgan is a former member of the Met Police Problem Solving Unit, which developed creative and innovative approaches to issues that did not respond to traditional policing methods. He is an expert on problem-oriented policing and has lectured extensively on the subject throughout the UK and US.

Stevyn is also an author, artist, songwriter, and oddly-spelled Cornishman. He is one of the QI Elves and co-writes its sister show, The Museum of Curiosity for BBC Radio 4.

His latest book Constable Colgan’s Connectoscope (Unbound, 2013) is published in paperback on 5th October 2013.

A Skeptic’s Guide to Ghost Hunting

by Hayley Stevens

When: Thursday, October 17th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Hayley Stevens

Described as ‘one of the sharpest and best skeptical commentators out there’, Hayley Stevens has addressed international audiences about researching the paranormal as a non-believer. She is one of Britain’s most vocal skeptical paranormal researchers and has been actively investigating ghosts and monsters since her teens when she used to believe that such things existed.

During her talk Hayley will explain everything a person could need to know about ghost hunting, from making ghosts forget their name, to the important role Play-Doh has in modern paranormal investigation. Riveting stuff that you simply cannot afford to miss.

Alien Mummies, Monsters and Mermaids: Challenging the Mystery Mongers

by Paolo Viscardi

When: Thursday, September 19th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Paolo Viscardi

From mummified aliens in deserts and monsters washed up on beaches to mermaids and holy fish, there is an interest in the unusual that can whip up a storm of speculation and spectacle. But cutting through hype, assumptions and misinformation is essential when you’re trying to uncover the truth. Join Paolo Viscardi in exploring some weird objects from the past and present – using scientific methods and museum collections to get beneath the surface of aliens, monsters, mermaids and the hype they have inspired.

Paolo Viscardi is a Natural History Curator at the Horniman Museum in Southeast London. He is a fellow of the Linnaean Society and a representative of the Natural Sciences Collections Association. In his spare time Paolo blogs about identifying bones at Zygoma and helps run an online biology Q&A site called ‘Ask A Biologist’. He organises and hosts monthly science communication events called PubSci and regularly lectures to a variety of audiences on topics ranging from Darwin to mermaids.

How Quackery Corrupts Real Science

by David Colquhoun

When: Thursday, August 15th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

David Colquhoun

One of the UK’s most outspoken and well-qualified opponents of alternative medicine and bad science, pharmacologist David Colquhoun runs the DC’s Improbable Science blog, which is devoted to criticism of scientific fraud and quackery. It has a particular focus on alternative medicine, including homeopathy, Traditional Chinese medicine, herbal medicine and other practices, which he calls ‘pure gobbledygook’.

In addition to his outspoken disapproval of alternative medicine in academia, Colquhoun frequently speaks against misrepresentation of alternative medicine as science in the media, and against governmental support of it. His blog discusses also wider problems in science, medicine and Higher Education. It was listed among the 100 best blogs in 2009. It was blog of the week in the New Statesman (30 May 2010). And in 2012 it was co-winner of the first UK Science Blog Prize, awarded by the Good Thinking Society.

Colquhoun was a member of the Conduct and Competence Committee of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), a regulatory body for alternative medicine in the UK. Colquhoun has stated he was surprised at being accepted for the position. However, he was dismissed in August 2010.

Colquhoun, FRS is a British pharmacologist at University College London (UCL). He has contributed to the general theory of receptor and synaptic mechanisms of single ion channel function. He previously held the A.J. Clark chair of Pharmacology at UCL, and was the Hon. Director of the Wellcome Laboratory for Molecular Pharmacology. He was made a fellow of the Royal Society in 1985 and an honorary fellow of UCL in 2004. Colquhoun runs the website DC’s Improbable Science, which is critical of pseudoscience, particularly alternative medicine, and managerialism.

What Every Parent Needs To Know About Steiner Schools

by Andy Lewis

When: Thursday, July 18th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

With Michael Gove and the coalition approving new Steiner Schools to open under the Free School Programme, it is timely to look closely at the origins and beliefs of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the occult movement of Anthroposophy. Steiner was a mystic who believed he had direct clairvoyant access to cosmic knowledge. As such he developed an esoteric belief system based on karma, reincarnation, astrology, homeopathy and gnomes. His visions gave insights into architecture, art, dance, agriculture, medicine, education, science and diet. His racial hierarchy of spiritual developmental resonated in Germany in the early 20th Century turning a personal belief into a worldwide movement. Today we find hundreds of anthroposphically inspired organisations in the UK alone: everything from Steiner Schools, Biodynamic farms to banks, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, charities and cheese makers.

Andy Lewis has been trying to lift the veil on the inner secrets of the movement and will discuss how this secretive movement has direct impact on public life. He is the developer of the web site quackometer.net, which explores the pseudo-medical claims of alternative medicine web sites and their impact on society.

That Guilty Look: The Modern Face of Physiognomy

by Kat Ford

When: Thursday, June 20th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

The notion that one can judge a person’s character on the basis of their facial appearance is an idea that dates back to the ancient Greeks and for a short period, the practice of physiognomy was considered scientific. Despite the fact that this ancient practice has long been discredited, the idea that one can “read” a person’s character simply by looking at their face still persists within folk psychology. In fact, this belief and our natural tendency to judge people on the basis of facial appearance has a surprisingly pervasive effect on all of our lives.

In this talk Kathryn Ford will look at the modern face of physiognomy trying to answer questions such as; why do we judge people as soon as we see them? How accurate are these judgements? And does facial appearance effect how people are treated within the criminal justice system?

Warning: This talk will involve some discussion of rape.

Kathryn Ford received a BSc in Neuroscience and Psychology from Keele University in 2011 and an MSc in Evolutionary Psychology from Brunel University in 2012.

Church Of Fear : Inside The Weird World Of Scientology

john-sweeney

When: Thursday, May 16th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Tom Cruise and John Travolta say the Church of Scientology is a force for good. Others disagree. Award-winning journalist John Sweeney investigated the Church for more than half a decade. During that time he was intimidated, spied on and followed and the results were spectacular: Sweeney lost his temper with the Church’s spokesman on camera and his infamous ‘exploding tomato’ clip was seen by millions around the world.

Electric cars are rubbish. Aren’t they?

by Robert Llewellyn

Robert_Llewellyn

When: Thursday, March 21st, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Nothing but glorified golf carts that take forever to charge and then run out of power on the way to the shops. Try finding somewhere to charge them. They cost a fortune to buy and another fortune to replace the battery when its range drops to half. You don’t want to believe all that nonsense about them being environmentally-friendly. They are actually worse than petrol-powered cars because the batteries are made from dirty lithium and use electricity made from dirtier coal. There isn’t even enough lithium in the world to make all the new batteries we’d need anyway. Electric cars are just rubbish. Aren’t they? – Robert says no. This evening he’ll tell us why he thinks we need to put away our prejudices and think seriously about electric vehicles as the future of transport.

The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories

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by Rob Brotherton

When: Thursday, February 21st, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Why do some people believe unproven and implausible conspiracy theories? What’s the harm if they do? And just what is a conspiracy theory, anyway? Rob Brotherton provides a psychological perspective on the peculiar phenomenon of conspiracy theorising.

Rob Brotherton is a doctoral researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London. His ESRC-funded PhD concerns the measurement and cognitive correlates of conspiracist ideation. Rob is Assistant Editor of The Skeptic, the U.K.’s longest running sceptical magazine (www.skeptic.org.uk). Rob blogs about the psychology of conspiracy theories at www.ConspiracyPsych.com.

Dr Geraint Parry: Future food – Why GM is Important!

When: Thursday, January 17th, 2013 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

In a last-minute change to our scheduled programming January’s talk will presented by Dr Geraint Parry on the “Future food: Why GM is Important!”.

Geraint is a plant biologist and researcher at the University of Liverpool. He has had papers published in Nature Cell Biology, PNAS and Plant Cell.

NOTE This event replaces our advertised talk from Andy Lewis on Steiner Schools, which has unfortunately been post-poned due to circumstances beyond our control.

Andy Lewis: What Every Parent Needs To Know About Steiner Schools

With Michael Gove and the coalition approving new Steiner Schools to open under the Free School Programme, it is timely to look closely at the origins and beliefs of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the occult movement of Anthroposophy. Steiner was a mystic who believed he had direct clairvoyant access to cosmic knowledge. As such he developed an esoteric belief system based on karma, reincarnation, astrology, homeopathy and gnomes. His visions gave insights into architecture, art, dance, agriculture, medicine, education, science and diet. His racial hierarchy of spiritual developmental resonated in Germany in the early 20th Century turning a personal belief into a worldwide movement. Today we find hundreds of anthroposphically inspired organisations in the UK alone: everything from Steiner Schools, Biodynamic farms to banks, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies, charities and cheese makers.

Mike Hall: The Nativity

When: Thursday, December 20th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Herod, shepherds, stables and kings–every schoolchild knows the story of the Nativity… or do they? Mike Hall takes a critical look at the Nativity story presented in the New Testament. It may not be quite as familiar as you think.

Mike Hall is the president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and presenter of the Skeptics with a K podcast. His particular interests are the existence of God, alternative medicine, logic and Doctor Who. He once appeared on the Sky One game show “Are You Smarter Than A Ten Year Old?”. He wasn’t.

Skeptics in the Pub: Barry Kushner

When: Thursday, November 15th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Why is it when our debt is lower than it has been in 200 of the last 250 years, our borowing is cheaper than during Thatcher, when unemployment and a decrease in taxation has caused the deficit, are we told that the cuts are necessary and the only option?

This talk challenges the misleading information about our economy in crisis that has become the single overwhelming narrative. Barry Kushner’s talk has done a tour of public meetings, Nerve magazine event, Adult Learners week, trade union conferences and seminars, Labour group meetings, and commended by the New Economics Foundation, senior politicians and trade unionists as a clear, simple explanation of our economy.

Skeptics in the Pub: Confessions of a Former Health Food Shop Worker

by Becs O’Neill

When: Thursday, October 18thth, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Three and a half years behind the counter in a health food shop can be a learning experience in more ways than one. From vitamins and minerals to the latest celebrity-endorsed wonder supplement, no main street or shopping centre is complete without a purveyor of alternative therapies. Likewise, there are very few people who don’t associate vitamin C or echinacea with the treatment of colds or flu. If these ideas are so pervasive, one question is why? What is it about the sellers of these therapies that make them seem so valid or trustworthy?

Well, take it from a former believer: the answer is definitely not black and white.

Mark Lynas: The God Species

Mark Lynas
When: Thursday, September 20th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Building on recent scientific discoveries, Mark Lynas explains that there are nine ‘planetary’ boundaries that humanity must not cross if Earth is to continue to support life and our civilisation. Climate change is one, but others – like ocean acidification, nitrogen use and biodiversity loss – are less well known, though equally crucial.

But this is no depressing lamentation of eco-doom. Instead Lynas presents a radical manifesto that calls for the increased use of controversial but environmentally friendly-technologies, such as genetic engineering and nuclear power, as part of a global effort to protect and nurture the biosphere. Ripping up years of ‘green’ orthodoxy, he reveals how the prescriptions of the current environmental movement are likely to hinder as much as help our vitally-needed effort to use science and technology to play God and save the planet.

Mark Lynas is the author of The God Species: How the Planet Can Survive the Age of Humans, published by Fourth Estate in July 2011. He has previous written two major books on climate change – High Tide: News from a warming world (2004) and Six Degrees: Our future on a hotter planet (2007).

Mark Stevenson: An Optimists View of the Future

When: Thursday, August 16th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Mark Stevenson has been to the future a few years ahead of the rest of us – and came back believing we still have everything to play for. His voyage of discovery took him to Boston to visit a robot with mood swings, to an underwater cabinet meeting in the Indian Ocean, and Australia to question the Outback’s smartest farmer, had his genome profiled, and glimpsed the next stage of human evolution … then he tried to make sense of what’s in store.

The result was An Optimist’s Tour of the Future, which is finding fans from schoolchildren through to Nobel Peace Prize winners. Mark will talk of the future of humanity and how technology will help remedy some of these problems.

Mark combines two careers – one as a successful writer and comedian and as co-founder and director of the cultural learning agency Flow Associates and the science communication agency ReAgency, Roving Learner at The Age of Smart, a fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and Nibmaster General for the Ministry of Stories.

Mark Henderson: The Geek Manifesto

When: Thursday, July 19th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

There are 650 MPs in the House of Commons. 158 have a background in business, 90 have been political advisers or organisers, and 86 are lawyers. Only one of them is a scientist. Is it any wonder that politics so often lets science down, and fails to exploit its skeptical methods to design policies that are fit for purpose?

In the Geek Manifesto, published by Bantam Press in May 2012, Mark Henderson explores this disconnect between science and politics, and charts the emergence of a new force that is promising to mend it. From the Simon Singh libel case to the sacking of David Nutt and the Science is Vital campaign, people who care about science are starting to stand up to be counted. The geeks are coming — and our country needs us.

Mark Henderson is ex Science Editor of The Times, and current Head of Communications at The Wellcome Trust.

David Nutt: The Struggle for Evidence-Based Policy

When: Monday, July 9th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

The Merseyside Skeptics Society is pleased to announce a special additional talk for July. We will be joined by Professor David Nutt, current Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London.

Professor Nutt was a member of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, and was President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology but it was during his chairmanship of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) and his refusal to fudge the issue of perceived drug harm that brought him into the public spotlight.

Please note that this additional talk for July will be on a Monday evening, rather than our usual Thursday slot.

Skeptics in the Pub: Stephen Law

Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole

by Stephen Law

When: Thursday, May 17th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Wacky belief systems abound.

Members of the Heavens Gate suicide cult believed they were taking a ride to heaven on board a UFO. Muslim suicide bombers expect to be greeted after death by 72 virgins. And many fundamentalist Christians insist the entire universe is just 6,000 years old. Of course its not only cults and religions that promote bizarre beliefs significant numbers of people believe that aliens built the pyramids. How do such preposterous views succeed in entrenching themselves in the minds of sane, intelligent, educated people and turn them into the willing slaves of claptrap?

Believing Bullshit is a witty and insightful critique that will help immunise readers against the wiles of cultists, religious and political zealots, conspiracy theorists, and various other nut-cases by clearly setting out the tricks of the trade by which such insidious belief systems are created and sustained.

Skeptics in the Pub: Ash Pryce

How to be a Psychic Con-Man

by Ash Pryce

When: Thursday, April 19th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Ash Pryce of the Edinburgh Skeptics Society presents a fully interactive demonstration of various tricks that psychics have used over the years.

From the Fox Sisters through to Uri Geller, psychics have been claiming to be able to do things beyond our understanding, but Ash Pryce knows better. Nearly all of the major claims of psychics and mediums can easily be re-created and tonight Ash will be reproducing such famous feats as Uri Geller’s Telekinesis, Filipino Psychic Surgery, the Remote Viewing experiments of America’s “Stargate” program (The 70s CIA shenanigans and not the inter dimensional, Goa’uld busting kind) and much more – including an attempt to beat the odds of the Randi Million.

A fun, entertaining and magic filled evening that also takes a look at the history of psychic trickery and how it has become such a popular phenomenon. Warning to those on the front row – there will be blood!

Skeptics in the Pub: Mark Edon

Creationism in the UK – Closing the Ark Door After the T-Rex has bolted?

by Mark Edon

When: Thursday, February 16th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Mark Edon, from the British Centre for Science Education will be talking about the current issues surrounding creationism in the UK; why Skeptics should care; how to argue against creationism and maybe even a bit of science.

About the Speaker

Mark Edon is a lifelong fan of science, and first got involved in the UK anti-creationist scene after creationists interfered at his children’s school. He is currently studying for a degree in Life Sciences at the Open University.

Mark is also the Humanist representative on the Leeds City Council Standing Advisory Committee on Religious Education (SACRE) and the secretary for the BCSE (British Centre for Science Education).
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Skeptics in the Pub: Peter Blanchard

Homeopathy: Is it legal?

by Peter Blanchard

When: Thursday, January 19th, 2012 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Homeopathic products have long been shown to have no effect on illnesses, and no active ingredients – yet these sugar pills are sold on high streets across the country and by our most respected pharmacists. Given that the pills are indistinguishable from sugar pills, yet proponents claim remarkable powers of healing from them, how legal are the claims made?

Peter Blanchard is a blogger and activist who has amassed the most comprehensive lay understanding of the ins and outs of regulating homeopathic products.

In this talk, he’ll explain who can and can’t supply homeopathic products, what homeopathic remedies can be advertised and what claims can and can’t be made about. He’ll also cover the highly restricted circumstances under which some homeopathic medicines can be supplied – exposing those who operate outside of these rules.

Having been successful in getting reluctant regulators to act on those who break the law, he’ll go through tactics you can use to make successful complaints, and how you can help.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Michael Marshall

Bad News: How PR Came to Rule Modern Journalism

by Michael Marshall

When: Thursday, December 15th, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

“You can’t believe everything you read in the papers.”

Everyone knows this, but few people realise this truism extends far beyond the celebrity pages and gossip columns, and spills into ‘real’ news. Here, the near-invisible influence of PR companies is often pivotal in deciding what news gets told, and how it gets reported. By taking a brief look at the history of modern journalism, and using real examples taken from recent headlines, Michael Marshall will show why you really, really can’t believe everything you read in the papers.

Michael Marshall is the co-founder and vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and appears on the “Skeptics with a K” and ‘Be Reasonable’ podcasts. Besides organising the national and international 10:23 Campaign against homeopathy, he writes about the often-unsuspected role of PR in modern media. Michael has written for The Times, The Guardian and The New Statesman, and has lectured as part of the Sheffield Hallam University Journalism degree.

Ben Goldacre once called him ‘a mighty nerd from Liverpool’, and the self-proclaimed psychic Joe Power once called him something very rude and unprintable.

bad news, journalism, Marsh, Media, Michael Marshall, PR

Skeptics in the Pub: Jon Ronson

The Psychopath Test

by Jon Ronson

When: Thursday, November 17th, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

When the journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist who has recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail he is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for answers, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness. Jon meets a Broadmoor inmate who swears he faked a mental disorder to get a lighter sentence but is now stuck there, with nobody believing he’s sane. He meets some of the people who catalogue mental illness, and those who vehemently oppose them. He meets the influential psychologist who developed the industry standard Psychopath Test and who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are in fact psychopaths. Jon learns from him how to ferret out these high-flying psychopaths and, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, heads into the corridors of power.

Jon Ronson is an award-winning writer and documentary maker. He is the author of two bestsellers: “Them: Adventures with Extremists” and “The Men Who Stare at Goats”, and two collections, “Out of the Ordinary: True Tales of Everyday Craziness” and” What I Do: More True Tales”.

adventures with extremists, jon ronson, men who stare at goats, Psychology, psychopath test, them

Skeptics in the Pub: John Walliss

It’s (Not) the End of the World As We Know It

by John Walliss
When: Thursday, October 20th, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

On 21st May 2011 the end of the world should have begun. This prophecy, from evangelical Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping, however, did not come to pass. Christians all over the world were not raptured, the Tribulation period did not begin, and Camping, who has subsequently suffered a stroke, and his followers are having to come to terms with the apparent failure, or at least delay, of the prophesied events to occur.

Camping however, is not unique in religious history. Numerous other prophets and religious leaders have made claims that the world will end on a specific date with events subsequently proving them wrong.

John will examine the phenomenon of prophetic failure, drawing on the wealth of literature that we have developed in the social sciences over the last 60 or so years. In doing so he will hope to answer such questions as what happens when prophecy fails and does prophecy ever really fail?

John Walliss is the senior lecturer in the sociology of religion and Director of the Centre for Millennialism Studies within the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Liverpool Hope University..

end of the world, Harold Camping, John Walliss, rapture, sitp, Skeptics in the Pub, tribulation

Skeptics in the Pub: Stuart Ritchie

The Science of Pornography and Anti-Porn Campaigners: A Skeptical Look At The Debate

by Stuart Ritchie

When: Thursday, September 15th, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Is pornography turning us all into sex offenders? What effect does it have on societal attitudes towards women? Is porn taking over the internet? If certain recent books – such as ‘Pornland’ by Professor Gail Dines – are to be believed, pornography is having all these effects and more, and is a hugely detrimental force in our society.

But what does the best scientific evidence say? Stuart Ritchie, a PhD Psychology student at The University of Edinburgh, takes a skeptical look at the arguments for and against pornography.

NOTE: This is a replacement talk for “How to be a Psychic Con-man” by Ash Pryce, which has been postponed until further notice.

anti-porn, pornography, sitp, Skeptics in the Pub, stuart ritchie

Skeptics in the Pub: Richard Peppiatt

The Street Of Shame: Tales of Fleet Street

by Richard Peppiatt

When: Thursday, August 18th, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Rich Peppiatt is a former tabloid reporter who earlier this year quit the Daily Star in a sensational open letter to proprietor Richard Desmond.

His talk will lift the lid on what life is really like behind the doors of Britain’s red tops, what drives the journalists who work for them, and just what needs to be done to reform an industry which for too long has behaved with impunity.

In what promises to be a night packed with anecdotes from the jaw-dropping to the hilarious, Rich will take you on a tour through the pitfalls of Fleet Street.

daily star, journalism, Media, richard desmond, richard peppiatt

Skeptics in the Pub: Deborah Hyde

Unnatural Predators

by Deborah Hyde

When: Thursday, July 21st, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Deborah Hyde will tell us about cultural aspects of the religious and superstitious experience. This evening we will discuss and answer such questions as:

Why do the dead chew in their graves?
Why do vampires strike in autumn?
Why do ghosts live in electric clocks?

A gory talk full of the unexpected, it’s a round-up of the folklore of the macabre.

About Deborah

Deborah has been writing about the supernatural for nearly two decades. She blogs on ‘Superstition, Religion and Being Human’ as ‘Jourdemayne’ but often suffers from mission creep.

She’s also one of the organisers of Westminster Skeptics and is Editor-in-Chief of the Skeptic Magazine. Her daytime, grown-up job is a makeup effects coordinator in the film industry – more vampires and zombies, then.

deborah, ghosts, hyde, jourdemayne, liverpool, Merseyside, predators, pub, skeptics, supernatural, vampires

Skeptics in the Pub: Brian Deer

MMR and Autism: An Elaborate Fraud

How the Case Against the Vaccine Was Built

by Brian Deer
When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

As the Wirral becomes the latest area of the UK to suffer a measles outbreak in an unvaccinated population, investigative journalist Brian Deer visits Liverpool to speak about how he uncovered the “elaborate fraud” behind the MMR scare.

In February 1998, the Lancet medical journal triggered a global alarm with research proposing a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism. The researchers’ leader, Andrew Wakefield called for the vaccine to be “suspended”. But all was not as it appeared to be. Following investigations over a period of 7 years for The Sunday Times, the British Medical Journal in January denounced Wakefield’s research as “an elaborate fraud”.

The story raced round the world. A Harris poll in the United States found that 47% of Americans had heard Deer’s story. The New York Times said his work was “extraordinary.” Now, on 16th June, he comes to Merseyside Skeptics Society to talk about how Wakefield rigged the research linking MMR with autism, how he did it, who paid him for it, how much money he expected to make out of it, and the years-long investigation which finally nailed him. This is one of the big science stories of today.

Autism, bmj, deer, liverpool, measles, mmr, vaccine, wakefield, wirral

Skeptics in the Pub: Alan Henness

The Nightingale Collaboration

by Alan Henness
When: Thursday, May 19, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

In 2009, Alan Henness heard about the British Chiropractic Association’s libel case against Simon Singh for the article he wrote for the Guardian about bogus therapies. He started to look at chiropractors’ websites and was appalled by the claims being made – he decided to do something about it. Alan submitted complaints about 524 chiropractors to their statutory regulator in June 2009; nearly two years later, many of those complaints have yet to be decided.

Simon Singh’s case encouraged many skeptics to see what they could do to challenge misleading claims. However, many were unsure how best to make complaints and also saw the need to have larger, coordinated campaigns if they were going to make a real impact. The Nightingale Collaboration was set up to enable sharing of knowledge and experience in challenging misleading claims in healthcare advertising, and to encourage anyone who is concerned at protecting the public from misinformation in healthcare promotion to join them in challenging it. The Nightingale Collaboration aims to improve the protection of the public by getting misleading claims withdrawn and those responsible held to account.

Skeptics in the Pub: Chris French

Haunted houses, telepathy and UFOs: Investigating the extraordinary

by Chris French
When: Thursday, April 21, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Over the last decade, the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit of Goldsmiths University has investigated a wide range of weird and wonderful topics, including alien contact experiences, sleep paralysis, haunted houses, dowsing, and telepathy. Many paranormal claims have been scientifically tested under properly controlled conditions along the way. This overview by Professor Chris French will present some of the results of such investigations.

About Chris French

Chris is head of the APRU, and appears frequently on radio and television casting a sceptical eye over paranormal claims. He is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and writes for the Guardian’s online science pages.

This is a different lecture to the one delivered for us by Chris in September 2009

5 Comments

Skeptics in the Pub: Bob Churchill

You’re Probably Not A Jedi: The Census Campaign And Why It Matters

Bob Churchill, British Humanist Association

by Bob Churchill
When: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Bob Churchill will discuss the BHA’s Census Campaign, what the problem with the religion question on the Census is, why it matters in the long-run, and why you’re probably not a Jedi. Bob will also divulge the surprising reasons as to why the Office of National Statistics declined to make the question more accurate even though they knew how to do it – and it’s probably not what you think.

About Bob Churchill

Bob is Head of Membership and Promotion of the British Humanist Association. He studied Philosophy at the University of Warwick and Queens University, Canada. Subsequently he worked in communications for a social housing organisation and then in marketing and information systems development for an industrial technology company.

Bob joined the BHA in January 2008. He has responsibility for managing the membership scheme and communications, promoting Humanism via their events and publications and liaising with Local Humanist Groups.

NOTE: Due to our regular third-Thursday slot clashing, somewhat ironically, with St Patrick’s Day, this lecture will be taking place on Wednesday 16th March, at the Head of Steam, Liverpool.

Atheism, BHA, bob churchill, british humanist association, census campaign

Skeptics in the Pub: Gareth Williams

God, Shaw and Wakefield – Two Centuries of Anti-Vaccinationists

by Gareth Williams
When: Thu, Feb 17, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Gareth Williams qualified with Honours in Medicine and Pharmacology from Cambridge University in 1977 and trained in London and Geneva. He was Professor of Medicine in Liverpool, where he built up an internationally recognised research group in diabetes and obesity, and then Dean of Medicine in Bristol, where he remains as Professor of Medicine and Lead for European Relations in the Faculty. He has written 200 scientific papers and has authored or edited over 20 books, including the prize-winning Textbook of Diabetes. Gareth is a former President of the Anglo-French Medical Society and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Angers. He is Chair of the Trustees of the Edward Jenner Museum. His hobbies include playing music (both reputable and disreputable) and writing fiction.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Neil Gavin

Climate Scepticism in the Media: Gone But Not Forgotten

by Neil Gavin
When: Thu, Jan 20, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Head of Steam, 7 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Climate scepticism is a complex beast with many facets. The talk will look at some of these facets (at strands of argument and claims-making), but will also focus on the political roots of the phenomenon. The talk will venture onto the ground of ‘climategate’ and what it tells us about climate science and climate politics, before engaging with just how salient contrarianism is in the media (from press, to television to the web).
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Skeptics in the Pub: Hayley Stevens

I’m a Ghosthunter; Get Me Out of Here!

by Hayley Stevens
When: Thu, Dec 16, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Ghost hunters across the country commit a multitude of sins while looking for ghosts in haunted buildings, but it’s all harmless fun, right? Wrong!

Join Hayley Stevens, the founder of the British Anomalistic Research Society, as she takes you on a terrifying tour through the British field of paranormal research and unleashes several skeletons from several cupboards. From fraudulent hauntings and paranormal politics to sham ghosts, outright fraud and the dreaded paranormal curse…
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Skeptics in the Pub: Martin Poulter

How to Create Your Own Cult, the Scientology Way

by Martin Poulter
When: Thu, Nov 18, 2011 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Scientology has been described in the States as “ruthless, litigious and lucrative” and in this country as “corrupt, sinister and dangerous”, yet it boasts global success and has made hundreds of millions of dollars. Thanks to the Internet, it now faces an unprecedented global opposition. The scary secrets of Scientology and its recruitment methods will be exposed in this talk. It will be useful for anyone wanting to set up their own lucrative cult.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Elizabeth Pisani

Public Health Prostitution: Has HIV made whores of us all?

by Elizabeth Pisani
When: Wed, Oct 27, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani will argue that a bloated AIDS industry dances to the tune of money and ideology rather than science and common sense. The result: over 60 million HIV infections to date, and still rising.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Sarah Horton

Being Sarah

by Sarah Horton
When: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer at 43 and lives in Liverpool. She underwent six surgeries including mastectomy, oophorectomy and breast reconstruction, plus gruelling treatments. She has 49 inches of scar and lives with the permanent fear of the cancer returning.

Sarah Horton claims that the UK has conned itself into thinking breast cancer is a treatable disease and there is little debate on prevention.

This October Sarah Horton is calling for breast cancer policy to focus more heavily on prevention and for breast cancer patients to be given further choice and control over their treatments.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Tracy King – Cancelled/converted to a social

We’d originally planned to have the excellent Tracy King from Skepchick come to talk to us about Storm: The Animated Movie. However, due to demands of her role with TAM London (tickets still on sale – buy them now!) Tracy has had to cancel at the last minute, which is a huge – yet understandable – shame.
Instead, this event will revert back to a social at Dr Duncan’s, where there’ll be drinks, laughter and the chance to chat to your fellow skeptics, and stuff. Which is pretty damn cool, in any case.

Hope to see you there!

Skeptics in the Pub: Evan Harris

The Way Ahead for Skeptical and Rationalist Campaigning

by Dr Evan Harris
When: FRI, Sep 17, 2010 8.00 – 10.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Dr Evan Harris, was educated at the Blue Coat School in Liverpool and qualified in medicine from Oxford University in 1991. He was the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon from 1997-2010. During his time as an MP – and since – he has campaigned strongly for free speech, human rights, equality, science, evidence-based policy, secularism and much else besides. He was the Lib Dem Science Spokesman and served on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, the Science and Technology Select Committee.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Mike Hall

Five Bad Reasons to Believe in God

by Mike Hall
When: Thu, Aug 19, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Apologetics is the systematic defence of a position. Religious apologetics specifically is a field of theology which seeks to present a rational basis for religious faith, defend the faith against objections and support the claim “God exists”. But are the arguments made by apologetics sound?

Mike Hall takes a look at five common apologetics, deconstructing the arguments presented and exposing any flaws.
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apologetics, Atheism, god, Religion

Skeptics in the Pub: David Aaronovitch

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History

by David Aaronovitch
When: Thu, Jul 15, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere – from Pearl Harbour to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana.

In his book Voodoo Histories, writer David Aaronovitch entertainingly demolishes the absurd and sinister conspiracy theories of the last 100 years. Aaronovitch reveals why people are so ready to believe in them and the dangers of this credulity.

Meticulous in its research, forensic in its reasoning, hilarious in its debunking, Voodoo Histories will arm anyone who has found themselves at the wrong end of a conversation about moon landings or the twin towers.

David will examine the need, when iconic figures such as Kennedy, Monroe or Princess Diana are killed, to construct an overarching explanation that mitigates the pain and anxiety of their loss – showing what happens when, as in the case of Diana, conspiracy theories actually make it as far as a court of law.

Conspiracy Theories, David Aaronovitch, Skeptics in the Pub

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Skeptics in the Pub: Phil Allport

Dr Phil Allport

Liverpool and the Large Hadron Collider

by Phil Allport
When: Thu, Jun 17, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

The Large Hadron Collider is the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator. It was built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) with the intention of testing various predictions of high-energy physics, including the existence of the hypothesized Higgs boson.

Dr Phil Allport will be talking to the MSS about the involvement of Liverpool and other UK universities in the design and construction of the LHC experiments, as well as the schedule for the accelerator’s projected 20 years of operation.
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Large Hadron Collider, Physics, science

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(Cancelled) Skeptics in the Pub: David Aaronovitch

Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History – Cancelled

Apologies for the last minute notice, but after an unforeseen emergency eye surgery, our guest speaker David Aaronovitch has had to pull out of the event on Thursday. This is of course a huge shame, but we’ll be keeping the room for the date, so instead we’re hosting a social event in the Vines at 8pm. Please feel free to come along and chat to us about skepticism, conspiracy theory and other skeptical topics.

Conspiracy Theories, David Aaronovitch, Skeptics in the Pub

Matt Smith, Million Dollar Challenge, psychic, Skeptics in the Pub

Skeptics in the Pub: Matt Smith

Million Dollar Psychic

by Dr Matthew Smith
Matt Smith
When: Thu, Apr 15, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Can a scientist become a psychic and win a million dollars?

Do we all have hidden psychic powers? Can we learn to be psychic? Psychologist Dr Matthew Smith is determined to find the answers to these questions and see if he can discover and develop his own abilities and claim the $1 million offered by magician James Randi for anyone who can demonstrate psychic ability.
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Daniela Rudloff, Psychology, Skeptics in the Pub

Skeptics in the Pub: Daniela Rudloff

Mental “Shortcuts” – A Necessary Evil?

by Daniela Rudloff

When: Thu, Mar 18, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Summary

Can we really trust our eyes? Why does a footballer’s performance usually drop right after they’ve been sold to a high-paying football club? What exactly is “anchoring”, and why are we doing it in a pub?

Daniela Rudloff will answer these and other questions by giving an introduction to the everyday mental shortcuts and biases we often employ, arguing that even though they might be misleading, they are also necessary – and almost impossible to avoid.
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Skeptics in the Pub: Anniversary Special (formerly Andy Lewis)

Anniversary Bonanza

When: Thu, Feb 18, 2010 8.00 – 11.00 PM
Where: The Vines (aka the Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances our booked guest speaker Andy Lewis is unable to make this event. However, all is not lost – in honour of the first anniversary of the Merseyside Skeptics Society we’ve decided to replace Andy’s talk with a number of short talks on a variety of topics:

Emotional Freedom Technique, by Allan Callister – a look at the latest craze for face-tapping therapy
Bad Logic, Mike Hall – examining logical failures, with examples from the world of religion
PR and the Media, Michael Marshall – how PR gained control of journalism, and where we go from here
How Science Works, Tom Williamson – what is science, how do we do it and how do we know it works?

Plus, a live recording of the Skeptics with a K show.

alternative medicine, andy lewis, Pseudomedicine, science, skeptic

4 Comments

Skeptics in the Pub: Simon Singh

Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicine on Trial

by Simon Singh

When: Thu, Jan 21, 2010 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Where: The Vines (aka The Big House), 81 Lime Street, Liverpool, L1 1JQ

Summary

Prince Charles is a staunch defender and millions of people swear by it; most UK doctors consider it to be little more than superstition and a waste of money. But how do you know which treatments really heal and which are potentially harmful? Simon Singh and his co-author Professor Edzard Ernst investigated the evidence for and against alternative therapies and published their conclusions in “Trick or Treatment?”, an honest, impartial and hard-hitting examination and judgement of more than 30 of the most popular treatments. Singh, who has also authored “Fermat’s Last Theorem” and “Big Bang”, will discuss how and why he got involved in writing about alternative medicine. In particular, he will discuss the origins, philosophy and testing of acupuncture and homeopathy, two of the most popular forms of alternative medicine. Singh, who is currently being sued for libel by the British Chiropractic Association, will also comment on his ongoing legal battle and the impact of libel laws on scientific journalism.
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alternative medicine, Pseudomedicine, science, Simon Singh, skeptic

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Skeptics in the Pub: December 17th – Trystan Swale

Trystan Swale

Ghosts and the People Who Hunt Them

Trystan Swale

When: Thu, Dec 17, 2009 8:00 – 11:00 PM
Where: Crown Hotel, 43 Lime Street, Liverpool.

Summary

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.
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ghosts, paranormal

Skeptics in the Pub: November 19th – Alastair Miller

Quackery in the 21st Century: Unproven Treatments for Unexplained Symptoms

Alastair Miller MA FRCP DTM&H

When: Thu, Nov 19, 2009 8:00 – 11:00 PM
Where: Crown Hotel, 43 Lime Street, Liverpool.
Alastair Miller

Summary

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) otherwise called Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) is a medically unexplained syndrome. That is, it is a well defined complex of symptoms that add up to this diagnosis but with no biomedical explanation at a physiological, anatomical, biochemical or molecular level to give a basis for these symptoms. However, there are well established therapeutic approaches (Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Graded Activity programmes) that are evidence based and approved by NICE (the National Institute for Clinical Excellence). Regrettably, because these approaches are behavioural rather than pharmacologic there is much dissatisfaction with them in the patient community which therefore spends considerable time and money on unproven therapies exploited by well meaning or less well meaning practitioners.
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Skeptics in the Pub: October 15th – Ariane Sherine

The Atheist Bus Campaign and The Atheist’s Guide To Christmas

Ariane Sherine, Comedy writer and journalist

When: Thu, Oct 15, 2009 8:00 – 11:00 PM
Where: Crown Hotel, 43 Lime Street, Liverpool.
Ariane Sherine

Summary

Journalist and comedy writer Ariane Sherine talks about creating the global Atheist Bus Campaign, now running in twelve countries across the world, and how it started with just 700 words on The Guardian’s website. She’ll also talk about editing the new charity book The Atheist’s Guide To Christmas, which features 42 of the world’s most entertaining atheists, including Richard Dawkins, Charlie Brooker and Derren Brown.
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Skeptics in the Pub: September 17th – Chris French

The Psychology of Anomalous Experiences

Professor Christopher C French, Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London

When: Thu, September 17, 2009 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Where: Crown Hotel, 43 Lime Street Liverpool, L1 1JQ

Chris French

Summary

Ever since records began, in every known society, a substantial proportion of the population has reported unusual experiences many of which we would today label as "paranormal". Opinion polls show that the majority of the general public accepts that paranormal phenomena do occur. Either the paranormal is real, in which case this should be accepted by the wider scientific community which currently rejects such claims, or else belief in and experience of ostensibly paranormal phenomena can be fully explained in terms of psychological factors. Anomalistic psychology attempts to provide non-paranormal explanations for anomalous experiences in terms of known psychological factors. This approach will be illustrated with examples relating to a range of ostensibly paranormal phenomena.