Tag Archives: brian cox

NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR GODLESS PEOPLE – A RATIONAL CELEBRATION FOR CHRISTMAS

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NINE LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR GODLESS PEOPLE – A RATIONAL CELEBRATION FOR CHRISTMAS

SOLD OUT- The Bloomsbury Theatre, London 15th – 19th December

TRY HERE FOR THE HAMMERSMITH SHOW 20th December

The return of 2008’s sold out show of science, song and some interpretative dance. Tickets, by the way, are selling fast, I think Fri and Sat are sold out already, so move quick if you want to come.

This is not an attack on religion, but a celebration of science and the rational world.

Last year saw Jarvis Cocker singing I Believe in Father Christmas with a 25 piece orchestra before Richard Dawkins took to the stage to talk of cobwebs followed by a Top of the Pops dance to Harry Nilsson’s Can’t Live if Living is Without You.

This year promises to be even more eclectic. Every night will see physicist and code breaker Simon Singh, Bad Science author Ben Goldacre, acclaimed singer songwriter Robyn Hitchcock, multi award winning comedians Josie Long and Richard Herring, Thick of It star Chris Addison, and the Mini Mystery Fax Machine Orchestra appearing every night.

Special guests will include pagan sock cat worshipper and the man who changed the face of the comic book, Alan Moore (16th), manmade climate change denier and legendary enthusiast Johnny Ball (there should be some interesting backstage arguments there) (15 -17th), Quirkologist and psychologist Richard Wiseman (15th and 19th), I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue Legend Barry Cryer with Ronnie Golden, one of the few singers to have a top ten science hit, John Otway, CERN scientist and former popstar, Brian Cox and many more.

Other acts will include Richard Dawkins, Natalie Haynes, Christina Martin, Marcus Chown, Joanna Neary, Andrew Collins and some star comedians being kept under wraps.

Tickets available here – www.thebloomsbury.com/event/run/1363

    BCA v Singh: appeal news.

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    As I suspect a great number of you will already know, the gathering in support of Simon Singh’s legal defence went ahead in the Penderel’s Oak this evening, with visible weight added by attendance from Tim Minchin, Dr Evan Harris, Prof Brian Cox, Dave Gorman, Nick Cohen and many others.

    While Simon was expected to announce whether an appeal of his Preliminary Hearing will be forthcoming, his legal team are still working on the case and as yet cannot confirm the outcome. It would seem that an appeal will be made if legally possible, but with the deadline for this decision being 10 days from now (28th May), I suspect decisions and news will be will be forthcoming fairly quickly.

    I’ll try to update this blog with notable news, links and updates as they come to my attention. Please do leave comments with info, or send me an email too: digest [at] skeptic.org.uk

    For now, a running commentary of the event by its guests can be found here: #singhbca

    A rather loosely-phrased petition aiming to prompt change in British libel law can be found here: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/reformlibellaws

    EDIT:

    Links:
    An interesting article from Wendy Grossman: http://www.newswireless.net/
    From the Nature Network:
    in-my-opinion-the-british-chiropractic-association-is-being-unscientific
    From the New Humanist:
    simon-singh-hopes-to-appeal-chiropracty

    And a review of Trick or Treatment including the following, very pertinent paragraph:

    “Singh and Ernst do not set out to comprehensively condemn alternative therapies, but rather to emphasize the importance of evidence. Properly conducted clinical trials (double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled) are the best way to ascertain whether or not a therapy or product provides benefit beyond the placebo, and this applies to all therapies, not only complementary ones. It seems obvious, but as the authors state, the ‘plural of anecdote is not data’; it seems that some alternative therapists rely on anecdote to ‘prove’ their success.”
    http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net