Challenge Sally Press Conference - Prof. Chris French Talk Merseyside Skeptics 2011-11-03 | 31st October 2011, The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool Prof. Chris French takes questions from the audience at the Challenge Sally event. Video Production: Mark and Heather Pentler
Dr Melanie Thomson - Medical Gaslighting: From Hysteria to Post Exercise malaise Merseyside Skeptics 2024-02-17 | Ever wonder what happens to people who seek medical care for ailments that evidence-based medicine has failed to study in-depth? Or to provide treatments or ‘cures’? They are at the mercy of the ‘appeal to authority’ fallacy, perpetuated by the medical profession as it stands. Come and find out if you are at risk of misdiagnosis and medical gaslighting!Dr. Melanie Thomson is a microbiologist and science communicator. She has an MRes (distinction) and a Bacteriology PhD from at York, with a post doctoral on Helicobacter at Leeds institute Molecular Medicine. She worked as a research assistant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, developing treatments for life-threatening peanut allergies, and ran her own lab in the Deakin University and Geelong Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases.In 2014 she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and has since become an advocate for patients. She won the Leadership Award at the 2017 Geelong Awards for People with a Disability, and is a founding steering member of Women in Science Australia. Since returning to the UK mid pandemic in August 2021, she’s worked as a Lecturer in Medical Science at UCLan Burnley and now works as a Research Programme Manager, back in Leeds, working at the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre on the Infection and AMR Themes.
Skeptics in the Pub Online - Liam Brierley: Origins of the Novel Coronavirus Merseyside Skeptics 2020-04-06 | Origins of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) – is the infodemic systemic?Is it a bat? Is it a snake? It is a pangolin?? More importantly, how do we know?The novel coronavirus, now established as SARS-CoV-2, is an ongoing global health emergency with outbreak size estimated at over 70,000 cases of COVID-19 disease (at time of writing). Investigations into this virus’ origin have taken place upon an unprecedented public stage of early-access and pre-published research platforms, as well as academic Twitter. While rapid global knowledge sharing has been one result, the spread of questionable claims based on flawed science has been another, thanks to the closed gap between academia and public.I’ll show what we know about where newly emerging viruses come from, before dissecting some of the unsubstantiated claims made about SARS-CoV-2 in preprint research and their influence on the media. I’ll also discuss how we might reduce the impacts of the double-edge sword of preprint availability during future epidemics.Liam Brierley is an epidemiologist and research fellow at the University of Liverpool as well as a media ambassador for the Royal Statistical Society. His research interests revolve around using data to understand why viruses jump between host species and to predict future outbreaks of infectious diseases.This is the first test stream for Skeptics in the Pub Online, a new initiative to maintain SitP events during COVID-19 self-isolation.
Robert Llewellyn - Electric cars are rubbish... arent they? Merseyside Skeptics 2013-03-25 | Electric Cars Are Rubbish. Aren't They?21st March 2013The Head of Steam, LiverpoolNothing 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.Robert Llewellyn is an actor, writer, comedian, TV presenter and self-described wishy-washy liberal best known for playing the android Kryten in the long-running BBC sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf. He presented Scrapheap Challenge for 10 years and these days he can be seen on TV presenting the shows Car-Pool on Dave and How Do They Do It? on Channel 5. He is probably the UK's most prominent advocate of electric vehicles (EV) and presents a YouTube-based show called Fully Charged which documents current developments in the electric vehicle industry. He also writes a column for the EV website The Charging Point. He has been notably critical of BBC Top Gear's position on electric vehicles -- a case in point being the Top Gear "review" of the Tesla V in 2008 which is currently the subject of a lawsuit by Tesla. This February he debated the motion "This House Believes Electric Cars are the Future of Transport" at the Oxford Union. The motion was carried. http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather PentlerStill Photography - Richard Cooper
Rob Brotherton - Psychology of Conspiracy Theories Merseyside Skeptics 2013-03-06 | The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories21st February 2013The Head of Steam, LiverpoolWhy 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.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Barry Kushner - Economyths - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2012-11-19 | Economyths15th November 2012The Head of Steam, LiverpoolWhy 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.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Testing the Shuzi Sports Band Merseyside Skeptics 2012-08-31 | Merseyside Skeptics visit a local rugby club to put the Shuzi Flat Black Sports Bracelet to the test.Stock footage supplied by:The Royal Institution & iSaudeBrasilused under a Creative Commons licenseMusic byKevin MacLeodused under a Creative Commons license
David Nutt - Evidence-based Drug & Alcohol Policy - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2012-08-07 | The Struggle for Evidence-Based Drug & Alcohol Policy9th July 2012The Head of Steam, LiverpoolA special irregular edition of Skeptics in the Pub, with 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.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Mark Henderson - The Geek Manifesto - Skeptics In The Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2012-08-02 | The Geek Manifesto19th July 2012The Head of Steam, LiverpoolThere 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.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Mark Edon - Creationism in the UK - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2012-02-24 | Creationism in the UK - Closing the Ark Door after the T-Rex has Bolted16th February 2012The Head of Steam, LiverpoolMark 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.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).http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Michael Marshall - Bad News - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2011-12-20 | Bad News: How PR Came to Rule Modern Journalism15th December 2011The Head of Steam, 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", "Righteous Indignation" and "Strange Quarks" podcasts. Besides organising national and international campaigns against homeopathy, he writes about the often-unsuspected role of PR in modern media. He was once called by Ben Goldacre 'a mighty nerd from Liverpool'. He was also once rather amusingly called a very rude word by self-proclaimed psychic Joe Power.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Jon Ronson - The Psychopath Test - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2011-12-05 | The Psychopath Test17th November 2011The Head of Steam, LiverpoolWhen 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".http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark & Heather Pentler
Rich Peppiatt - The Daily Star Ate My Profession! - Skeptics in the Pub Merseyside Skeptics 2011-11-07 | The Daily Star Ate My Profession!18th August 2011The Head of Steam, LiverpoolRich 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.http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uktwitter: @merseyskepticsfacebook: http://www.facebook.com/merseyskepticsVideo Production - Mark Pentler
Challenge Sally Press Conference - Introduction and Dr. Simon Singh Talk/Q&A Merseyside Skeptics 2011-11-03 | 31st October 2011, The Adelphi Hotel, LiverpoolAfter an introduction by the Merseyside Skeptics Society President, Mike Hall, Dr. Simon Singh talks about the Challenge Sally project, the claims made by Sally Morgan, and what people believe.Video Production: Mark and Heather Pentler
Challenge Sally Press Conference - Michael Marshall Talk + Q&A Merseyside Skeptics 2011-11-03 | 31st October 2011, The Adelphi Hotel, LiverpoolMichael Marshall, the Vice President and Press Officer of the Merseyside Skeptics Society, talks about the role of the MSS in the Challenge Sally, and announces the future of the event.Video Production: Mark and Heather Pentler
Challenge Sally Press Conference - Prof. Chris French Q&A Merseyside Skeptics 2011-11-03 | 31st October 2011, The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool Prof. Chris French takes questions from the audience at the Challenge Sally event. Video Production: Mark and Heather Pentler
Dr. Simon Singh - Challenge Sally - Merseyside Skeptics Society Merseyside Skeptics 2011-10-31 | Dr. Simon Singh gives his verdict after Psychic Sally Morgan 31st October 2011 The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk
Prof. Chris French - Challenge Sally - Merseyside Skeptics Society Merseyside Skeptics 2011-10-31 | Prof. Chris French gives his verdict on Psychic Sally's no-show.31st October 2011The Adelphi Hotel, Liverpoolwww.merseysideskeptics.org.uk
