– Date – Janurary 8, 2013
– Send your cool ‘SCIENCE!’ shout-outs to
.
– Theme song by Steve Seamans of the Daisy Dillman Band. Get the song HERE.
– Thank you to everyone who has been purchasing books, Skepticality stuff, or using our Amazon link to help us!
Skepticism, Past and Future
– Obituaries up to July 2012 are included in the TAM 2012 In Memoriam reel which you can watch online.
– Paul Kurtz died on October 20.
– Sir Patrick Moore died on December 9.
– Leon Jaroff died on October 20.
– Sergey Kapitsa died on August 14.
– James Gerrand died on October 12.
– Sun Myung Moon died on September 3.
– Martin Fleischmann died on August 3.
– There is a guide to skeptic conferences on Lanyrd that Tim created, it contains over 500 videos from over 50 past events, as well as a full 2013 schedule.
– Paranormal investigator Joe Nickell's profile on Lanyrd is a good example of how the site pulls together video, books and more all in one place.
– Skeptic History facts are posted daily on social media find out where on this page at Tim's blog.
Unnatural Virtue
– Telepathy has been studied by scientists since 1882.
– Rod MacRae's A History of Sustainable Agriculture says the term 'organic' was first widely used in the USA by J. I. Rodale in the 1950's.
– Advocates of modern organic farming go back as far as Sir Albert Howard (1873-1947) and Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925).
– The most dangerous bacteria in America's food supply is E. coli, which is found in abundance in cattle manure, a favorite "natural" fertilizer of organic farming.)
– The evidence for the superiority of organic food is mostly anecdotal and based more on irrational assumptions and wishful thinking than on hard scientific evidence.
– Organic food does not offer special protection against cancer or any other disease.
– Organic food is not "healthier" than food produced by conventional farming, using synthetic pesticides and herbicides.
– Sources:
– Ames, Bruce N. Ph.D. and Lois S. Gold Ph.D. "Pollution, Pesticides, and Cancer: Misconceptions," 1997. Miller, Henry I. and Gregory Conko. (1994)
– The Frankenfood Myth: How Protest and Politics Threaten the Biotech Revolution. Praeger Publishers. Morris, Julian and Roger Bate. Editors. (1999).
– Fearing Food: Risk, Health and Environment. Butterworth-Heinemann.
– Give Me a Break: How I Exposed Hucksters, Cheats, and Scam Artists and Became the Scourge of the Liberal Media. Stossel, John. (2005). Harper Paperbacks.
– The March of Unreason: Science, Democracy, and the New Fundamentalism. Taverne, Dick. (2006).Oxford University Press.
– The Skeptics Dictionary and Skeptic's Dictionary for Kids.
– A paperback edition of Unnatural Acts: Critical Thinking, Skepticism, and Science Exposed! is now available from Lulu.com. For more info, click here. The eBook is still available.
Wikipedia
– Susan Gerbic
– The Skeptic Wikipedia Project.
The News in Religion
– The Church of England has lifted a ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops on condition they pledge to stay celibate.
– Saudi Arabia's top cleric on Friday warned against the mixing of the genders, saying it poses a threat to female chastity and society.
– A Catholic priest in Illinois has reportedly taken a leave of absence after he called 911 to seek help with a pair of handcuffs.
– Heather's other podcasts:
Ardent Atheist on Twitter: @Ardentatheists and Skeptically Yours on Twitter: @SkepticallyYour.
– Follow Heather on Twitter: @HeatherHenderso.
Stanislaw Burzynski
– Burzynski promotes some anti-science non-evidence based medical treatments for cancer.
– Bob Blaskiewicz has been active in letting more people know just how dangerous and terrible the cancer treatments are.
– You can help out Bob, and others who might have loved ones or friends who might get drawn into his 'treatment' center.
Skpepticism and the Humanities
– Yes, Virginia, There Is a Dragon in Beowulf
– Barber, Elizabeth Wayland and Paul T. When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth. Princeton UP, 2004.
– Barber, Elizabeth Wayland. When They Severed Earth from Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth. Skeptics Society Distinguished Speakers Lecture Series, California Institute of Technology, Mar. 6, 2005. DVD.
– Barber, Paul. Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality. New Haven: Yale UP, 1988.
– Klaeber's Beowulf and the Fight and Finnsburg. 4th ed. ed. R. D. Fulk, Robert E. Bjork, and John D. Niles. U of Toronto P, 2008.
– Siebert, Eve. "Monsters and Dragons and Dinosaurs, Oh My: Creationist Interpretations of Beowulf." Skeptical Inquirer Jan./Feb. 2013.
The Odds Must Be Crazy
– The Odds Must Be Crazy.
– This week's featured story is, "Three, Two, One…".
– Story was submitted by reader Nick Ward
– Visit the story link for a more detailed analysis and to add your comments.
– Additional thoughts and considerations provided by Barbara Drescher.
– Our producer and audio engineer is Brian Hart.
– Our theme music comes to us courtesy of Brian Keith Dalton, AKA Mr. Deity.
– Please visit The Independent Investigations Group Los Angeles.
– The Odds Must Be Crazy can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
– Wendy Hughes is on Twitter.
– Jarrett Kaufman is on Twitter.
– Barbara Drescher is on Twitter.
– Brian Hart is on Twitter.
– Brian Keith Dalton is on Twitter.
Another Doubtful Year – Interview Sharon Hill
– Sharon Hill creator of 'Doubtful News'.
– Find Doubtful News from 2012.
– Derek's first client is/was an Aviation Archaeologist.
– Scientology battles for zoning rights in Derek's local area.
– Derek works for the water industry.
– Sharon on Twitter under @IDoubtIt.
