This week:
- First Apocalypse 2013,
- Cancer charity win McCarthy loss,
- CIDA supports anti-gay charity,
- The Pope quits, and
- Christy Clark and the state of BC secular state
Download the episode here!
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First Apocalypse 2013
A little over a month into the new year and already there are stories (thankfully not that many) about possible end of the world because a close approach of asteroid 2012DA14 could hit the Earth. It is possible that it could take out a satellite, so Don takes a look and what would be the worst case scenario and why even then its not the apocalypse.
Find out more:
Cancer charity win McCarthy loss
After a massive backlash at news a Ottawa cancer charity was having Jenny McCarthy as a mainline draw, Jenny was dropped. We discuss the issue and its aftermath. Don also raises the question is this just censorship?
Find out more:
- Anti-Vaccination Advocate Jenny McCarthy dropped from Ottawa Cancer Event
- Ottawa cancer foundation drops Jenny McCarthy from Bust a Move fundraiser
CIDA supports anti-gay charity
Recently it has come to like that CIDA has given hundreds of thousands of dollars to a religious group for development in Uganda. Uganda is infamous for laws that are, under certain conditions, making homosexuality a capital offence (as in death sentence). It has become an issue here because <> is a anti-homosexual group that are propagating hatred against the LGBT community AND we are giving them money to help (indirectly) proselytize in Uganda.
Find out more:
- Funding stopped for anti-gay religious group pending investigation
- Fantino orders review of funding for anti-gay group working in homophobic Uganda
- Fantino defends Uganda grant decision against anti-gay claims
- John Baird slams anti-gay statements by CIDA-funded group
The Pope quits
The pope quits and we take a very quick moment to discuss why he retired, the implications and the state of the papacy.
Find out more:
- A Statement Rocks Rome, Then Sends Shockwaves Around the World
- The Proud Tradition of Popes Resigning
Christy Clark and the state of BC secular state
Recently we’ve seen some pretty shocking displays of religion and politics intermingling. Ethan attended a for-pay event where BC Premier discussed her religious beliefs, how they drive her politics and the reason atheist are just bad people…well she did quite put it that way.
Find out more:
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Skeptical Highlights:
Cooperation, conflict and the cultural evolution of religion - 2nd Annual HESP Symposium
Recently archaeologists have begun to explore new ways of conceptualizing the role of religion in past human societies. So far, however, contemporary cultural evolutionary approaches to the study of religion have not featured in this discussion to any great extent. This symposium seeks to change this state of affairs by bringing together archaeologists, anthropologists, and psychologists to discuss the hypothesis that religious beliefs and practises facilitate the emergence of large-scale, complex societies by enhancing within-group cooperation. Some of the questions we anticipate examining during the symposium include: Do some forms of religion promote social solidarity and cohesion more effectively than others? How important are religious leaders in stimulating or preventing cooperation? Are costly rituals essential to the formation of large-scale, complex societies? How does increased social stratification relate to changes in religious beliefs and practises? Do episodes of warfare and territorial expansion follow shifts in religious beliefs and practises? Do environmental conditions make some types of religion more or less likely?
When: Friday, February 15, 2013 – 8:00 AM PST
Where: Simon Fraser University, IRMACS 10900 (Burnaby campus)
Cost: free
Sponsored by: Human Evolutionary Studies Program, SFU,Cultural Evolution of Religion Research Consortium, UBC
Café Inquiry: The Controversies of the DSM V and Mental Health with Dale Beyerstein
Saturday, February 16, 2013
1:00pm
Room 1505 of SFU Harbour Centre
The fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association is ready to be released in May. Many critics of previous editions have focused on the sheer number of diagnoses contained in them, and the vagueness of the symptoms used to diagnose the mental illnesses recognized. Dale Beyerstein has been involved in the skeptics movement for 40 years. He has also been the Consultant to the Ethics Committee of the BC Mental Health and Addiction Services and will lead a discussion on the controversies of the DSM V
Darwin’s Shadows: Family, Friends, and Influences with Dr. Greg Bole
Thursday, February 28, 2013
7:00pm
SFU Harbour Centre (Room TBA)
You probably know some interesting things about Darwin himself, but how much do you know about the people that surrounded him and supported him? Exploring the family and friends who influenced the life of Charles Darwin.
What is the origin of The Origin of Species?
Dr. Greg Bole is an Instructor teaching Evolution, Ecology and Genetics in the departments of Zoology and Botany at UBC
Event is by donation (we suggest a donation of $5 to $10)
