Anyone who gets to know me figures out pretty quickly one of my main passions (other than the skeptical movement of course) – museums. I love museums, the way they smell, sound, feel, the odd micro climate they often harbour and even the varying forms of museum worker you find lurking within. Some of those workers are like me – the strange morlock people squirreled away in dimly lit back rooms caring for objects that the public rarely see.
As a main stay of skeptical interviews the “What made you become a ‘Skeptic’?” is a very relevant question and never really seems to become boring. As has been discussed by many in the community, skepticism is not a natural state of mind. The way in which our brain works is not always rational and I often find myself having to think myself ‘down’ when my mind jumps to easier but more irrational conclusions – be a bump in the night or serendipity. For me it was a journey in which not only was religion an accepted part of life but so were alternative practises around health and general well being.
We have been lucky enough to be included in the tour that James Onen is doing of the UK and Ireland.
So at 6pm on Sunday 9th October he will giving a talk about “The Rise of Skepticism In Uganda”. He is an author on the blog Free Thought Kampala if you would like some further reading!
Any and all donations to the cost of bringing James in Ireland are greatly welcomed, as well as donations to our wonderful hosts, Exchange Dublin.
As usual in the Exchange there shall be cake and refreshments – feel free to bring along some treats!
So I’ve been looking in to adult vaccination in Ireland. Mostly because I have a number of friends who are in the process of having/or have had children and I want to make sure I am fully vaccinated so I don’t pose a risk to them before they get their vaccinations.
I am anxious to ensure I am up to date with all my jabs.
The new home of our podcast! The Skeprechauns’ Podcast.
The iTunes feed should be sorted this week too – hopefully. Enjoy!
Today I commented on “The Sovereign Independent”‘s rant about the Irish Independents’ piece on conspiracy theories. As I was quoted by Ed in the article on behalf of Skeptic Ireland, the Sovereign really let rip and told me I was a New World Order shill. Despite the furious tone of the Sovereign article and ominous threats that I would be “held accountable” for my “inaction”, I wanted to respond to the author Neil and engage in debate. Sadly, the entire comment thread was deleted, so I’m going to post my comments here instead.
Initial Comment
It’s funny how one little quote can inspire such vitriol and anger.
When I was emailed by Ed Power about his impending article for the Irish Independent I immediately thought of one of our skeptics, Jamie. He is much more interested in the “conspiracy theory” end of skepticism and also runs a really interesting group called the Longnow Foundation for Dublin.
So this one little quote, mentioning this website brought down a small (okay, tiny) hail of brimstone down on myself today. I suppose this what happens when you put an email address out there – eventually someone will email you who doesn’t exactly agree with you world view.
Homoeopaths consider playing the race card: http://skepchick.org/2011/05/homeopaths-we-can-play-the-race-card/
Will they ever officially admit that they are making it up as they are going along?
We’re told sitting can kill you?: http://imgur.com/eH22I
Are the devil pictures a nice touch?
For some nerdy astrophysics-y fun, there’s a new game out: http://universesandbox.com/
Gravity is all the more fun when crash into each other in fiery explosions.
Particle physicists have again not found the Higgs: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/life-and-physics/2011/may/11/1
They’re just teasing at this stage.
#SuperInjuction : http://www.skeptical-science.com/humor/superinjunction/
How much would you pay so your wife wouldn’t find out about the other woman?
Once again we are lucky enough to bag ourselves an amazing guest through luck and serendipity.
Richard Wiseman has very kindly offered to give us a talk call “Researching the Impossible” at 9pm, Thursday May 5th in Exchange Dublin.
As always in the Exchange we can bring along our own cake, snacks and (non-alcoholic) drinks. Have a look at some of the pictures from the George Hrab gig to see some of delicious treats we enjoyed! Also there is a kettle and mugs, so you can even have a cuppa and enjoy a world-class talk.
See you then!
Our next SITP will take place at 6:30pm til late on Saturday 12th March 2011 in the Lord Edward, Dame Street Dublin.
Some of things that will be discussed: The new government, 1023 Campaign and QED, the upcoming Atheist Conference in Dublin this summer, possibilities of further talks/events, what kind of events would you guys be interested in, and anything else that is weighing on your mind.
Hope to see you there for a drink and a plate of chips!
