Podcasts about Good Thinking Society

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:45 The Ockham Awards We talk to Michael Marshall from the UK about the recent Ockham Awards. Michael is the project director of the Good Thinking Society and president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. https://www.skeptic.org.uk 0:18:20 The Book of Tim Tim Mendham calls in to give us an overview of what to expect in the new addition of 'The Skeptic' the journal from Australian Skeptics. http://www.skeptics.com.au 0:31:06 A Dive into a Trove A wander through the decades of digitised Australian newspapers on a search for references to "Seances". http://www.trove.nla.gov.au https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-468508573/view?partId=nla.obj-468562297#page/n3/mode/1up Also Corona Conspiracy - Upload Images https://coronaconspiracy.cloud

Let's be honest - does anyone actually read newspapers any more? When was the last time you saw someone reading a newspaper? When was the last time you were behind someone in a shop who was buying one? Newspaper circulation has dropped drastically as more and more people consume media online. After all, why wait to read about it tomorrow when twitter can give you live updates? News corporations have had to adapt to this, and the changes they've made have seen the quality of journalism all but slide off a cliff. Michael Marshall returns as our expert for this. Michael is the co-founder of The Good Thinking Society, as well as Skeptics In The Pub, and has a wonderful podcast called Be Reasonable where he talks to nutters (basically). Our comedian is the wonderful Phil Chapman, get following him on social media! Enjoying the podcast? Please subscribe on Youtube, Spotify, iTunes, wherever you get your pods.

I interview Michael Marshall about his role as a skeptical activist in the UK.  Michael's mission is to use his platform with The Good Thinking society to expose fraudulent medical practices like homeopathy and promote a more thoughtful, skeptical society.

Michael Marshall is a skeptical activist, freelance journalist, co-founder and Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptic Society, project director of the Good Thinking Society and has featured in The Times, The Guardian and New Statesman. And in case you can't tell from that introduction, he doesn't believe in psychics.  In fact, not only does he not believe in them, he spends a fair amount of his life actively disproving and campaigning against them. So much so that he's been sued by some of the most prominent psychics in the country. Michael is a man on a mission, and that mission is to expose the practice of psychics. Joining us is stand up comedian Simon Wozniak, one of the most original and thought provoking comedy voices on the circuit today. A real breath of fresh air, Simon's comedy is winning over audiences across the country and gaining him legions of followers.

Episode 51 of our satirical, skeptical comedy podcast. Your host is Andy Wilson (@InKredulosi) of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-organiser of QED conference. Appearing are: Kat Ford – PHD student and member of The Merseyside Skeptics Society (@KatLikesJam) Michael Marshall – The Ockham-winning Marsh of the Good Thinking Society, Merseyside Skeptics Society, co-host of […]

Episode 50 of our satirical, skeptical comedy podcast. Your host is Andy Wilson (@InKredulosi) of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-organiser of QED conference. Appearing are: Brian Eggo – Scotsman of great repute and proud father who captains good ship Glasgow Skeptics (@BrianEggo_ Michael Marshall – The Ockham-winning Marsh of the Good Thinking Society, Merseyside […]

This week we welcome Annika back and first chat a bit about comets and astronomy and about some of the excellent online skeptical events there now is to follow, like the UK Skeptics in the Pub Online, the new Cologne events and Susan Gerbic's About Time project. In this week in history we hear about Carl Jung, who was born on 26 July in 1875. Just like Freud he got a lot of things terribly wrong, but his ideas still inspired a lot better psychology later on and they continue to be part of the present-day culture. Then we poke the pope and find that even though Francis appears to want to fight the sex abuse scandals, last week's new guidelines confirm that the Church continues to get most of their priorities completely backwards. Lots of corona in the news this week: - The COVID19 infodemic re Western Europe - Corona conspiracy myths in Germany - Andrew Wakefield and other anti-vaxxers mobilising against a future corona vaccine and unfortunately it is working - Hungarian guy gets convicted for coronavirus misinformation - Austria's relaxed rules on masks has bad effect on infection rates - Google bans ads for conspiracy theories - the PSA investigates the UK Society of Homeopaths for non-compliance - Russia wages war on homeopathy - Good Thinking Society help the BBC in producing excellent documentary about fake cancers ‘cures' - BMJ presents study on medical science communication in the age of disinformation - Is the Russian Dyatlov mystery finally solved? The prize for being Really Right (perhaps controversially) goes to a Swedish doctor who turned himself in for assisted death. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Right; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes Events Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders & Celestia Ward https://www.2headsstudios.com https://squaringthestrange.libsyn.com 0:09:24 Homeopaths Caught Out.... Again! Michael Marshall from the Good Thinking Society Marsh talks about the philosophy behind his podcast, 'Be Reasonable' that invites believers to have their say. Also the investigations of the Good Thinking Society into the claims being made by UK Homeopaths about treatment for COVID-19. Also Skeptics in the Pub online. http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts https://www.twitch.tv/sitp 0:30:19 Logical Fallacies. With Michelle Bijkersma This week Michelle looks at "Special Pleading". This is when instead of admitting your point of view or argument is wrong, you try and find a loop-hole that gives you an ‘out’ and saves you from defeat. It is also when a person makes an exception to a universal principle because they are holding on tight to a belief that doesn’t align with that principle. A Logical Fallacy is an error we can make in reasoning, but it usually crops up when we are discussing or arguing our point of view. 0:36:53 Past Bent Spoon winners vie for the dishonour in 2020 In the 38 years of the Australian Skeptics’ Bent Spoon Award, issued to the perpetrator of the most preposterous piece of paranormal or pseudoscientific piffle, we have never had the need to award this dishonour to the same person twice. However, with the current COVID-19 situation impacting on the whole world, some of the Bent Spoon winners from past years have suddenly and dramatically thrown their hats into the ring for 2020. - Story by Richard Saunders and Tim Mendham https://www.skeptics.com.au/2020/04/16/past-bent-spoon-winners-vie-for-the-dishonour-in-2020   0:44:21 The Book of Tim - With Tim Mendham Review of 'The Science of Miracles' Tim gives us his thoughts of this book by lenganady investigator of all this paranormal, Joe Nickell. Tim pays special attention to Joe's look at the 'Miracle of Fátima' from 1917. http://www.skeptics.com.au Also Maynard's 2020 Calendar http://maynard.com.au/2020-maynard-calendar Skepticon 2020 https://www.gcskeptics.com/skepticon-2020

Michael Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society in the U.K., talks about flat earth belief and its relationship to conspiracy theories and other antiscience activities.

We are bringing you a selection of topics this week, some Corona-related and some aren't: QED organisers ask you to hold your travel arrengements at this time... The Vatican issues a decree that makes confessions obsolete, the Good Thinking Society convinces the PSA to impose strict conditions on the Society of Homeopaths, they also team up with Richard Wiseman to support magicians with the Good Magic Awards. A new project aiming at spreading the word of science in the Spanish speaking communities, how the global fight against disinformation is doing, Snopes and their need for help in keeping up their fact-checking work, a Hungarian foundation running an online course to teach children critical thinking skills in the times of COVID-19, GWUP pledging to stay on track with science in their reportings, quacks in the time of Corona, a possible connection between blood type and COVID-19 infections, and Spanish skeptics providing you with enough to read while you're in quarantine. The VtdK and the Royal Dutch Medical Association countering a bogus therapy.

This week Claire Kroulik-Klingenberg joins Jelena and Pontus for the 199th episode – we're into our fifth year, folks! In This week in Skepticism, Jelena tells the story of how a young pre-Sherlock-Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle fictionalized the real story of a ghost ship, creating a modern legend. Pontus Pokes the Pope and goes through some of the main on-going abuse scandals, while Francis himself celebrate with lasagne. In the news we learn about good news for Skeptic Pepijn van Erp, we also hear that institutionalized sex abuse happens also in the Church of England and that an American church causes two deaths in Latvia. The Good Thinking Society scores two wins this week, both regarding ear candling and homeopathy and we again establish that the Swedish Free School system very often is a front for religious indoctrination. Measles may be on the decline in Europe, but is continuing to create disasters with thousands of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a state of emergency declared in Samoa, where 1.5% of the total population has been infected, a number that is rising exponentially (as we release this it is more like 2%). A recent Swedish court case renews the discussions about assisted deaths. Despite some serious topics in this episode we finish off with a bit lighter Really Wrong Award that we hand out to Dr Cameron Sepah, who for some reason believes we all need to make our lives more boring. It's called Dopamine Fasting. Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; This Week; Pontus Pokes the Pope; Radio Spot; News; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes Events Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

In this episode, we talk to Michael Marshall. Michael is the project director for the Good Thinking Society and the Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He recently spoke in Sofia about the campaign against NHS homeopathy funding his team organized. In this episode you’ll hear us discuss: - How can we promote rational thinking in the media by abiding to the narrative needs of journalists - What can skeptics do to make their events more inclusive? - What are the weirdest beliefs Michael has heard on his podcast “Be Reasonable”? Listen to this talk about public policy, flat and hollow earth, and the Venusian ships Nazis used. --- You'll find the show notes at ratio.bg/podcast/25 We want to thank our sponsors from SBTech - you can learn more about them at sbtech.com/careers If you like the podcast, you can support us at patreon.com/ratiobg

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:05:45 Skeptical Adventures with Dick Smith Australian Skeptics patron Dick Smith tells of the time he flew out James Randi to take part in Australia's largest water divining challenge. Also other investigations and adventures over the years. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsudGI1mVCMP3D-YedfDUFzgEvtc_UfgA 0:27:05 Good Thinking Society takes on Ear Candles The BBC's Executive Complaints Unit has upheld a Good Thinking Society complaint against "Claudia tries... Ear Candling", a short video which appeared on the Glasgow based digital platform, The Social. They were concerned that the video gave the misleading impression that ear candling is both effective and safe. https://goodthinkingsociety.org/bbc-upholds-our-complaint-against-claudia-tries-ear-candling 0:34:00 Bailey Harris visits Ark Encounter What better way to spend Easter weekend than to take a tour of the Ark Encounter and expose the anti-science that it bleeds from every pore! That is just what author and secular activist Bailey Harris, partnered with Secular Student Alliance, did earlier this year. https://youtu.be/XYnyKnQHY64 0:40:34 The Hole in the Pole - Part #3 Virtually every religion refers to a subterranean world which is variously an afterlife (hell, purgatory, or Elysian Fields) or a secret place where other civilisations do their business. The Greeks had Hades, the Jews Sheol, the Tibetan Buddhists have Shamballa, the Nordic people have Svartalfaheimr, the Hindu Patala. And, of course, the Christians have Hell. Tim Mendhamlooks at varoius adventres to try and find the world beneath. https://www.skeptics.com.au/the-magazine Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au Award for Dr Karl https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-11-20/dr-karl-kruszelnicki-unesco-award-science-communication/11717044

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:09 Another strike against Homeopathy The head of the NHS launches an outspoken attack on the homeopathy industry for peddling deadly anti- vaccine myths. Simon Stevens accuses practitioners of spreading toxic 'misinformation' about jabs, which poses 'a significant danger to human health'. We get the background on the story from Michael Marshall from the Good Thinking Society. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7619805/NHS-chief-blasts-homeopathy-dangerous-blames-industry-fuelling-antivaxx-myths.html 0:14:16 CSIcon 2019 Interviews - Part #2 Guest reporter Rob Palmer talks to Elizabeth Loftus about false memories, Jim Underdownabout investigating paranormal claims, Janyce Boynton about Facilitated communication and Joe Schwarcz about demystifying science. 0:33:16 Geeks, Gamers, Nerds & Kids Tim Mendham, editor (and EO) of 'The Skeptic' magazine from Australian Skeptics, reads an item from Vol. 39 No.1. What is the cross-over between the Nerds and the Skeptics? https://www.skeptics.com.au Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au BAS talk http://baskeptics.org Canberra Skeptics https://www.meetup.com/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

This week we have a very interesting catch up with Ovidiu Covaciu who attended the International Global Vaccination Summit organised by the European Commission and the WHO. But before that we celebrate that Jelena singlehandedly (not really) made sure that the new Center for Population Health in her home city of Seattle was dedicated to Dr. Hans Rosling, the Swedish professor and science communicator. We also talk about how Pope John Paul II this week in 1996 admitted that evolution probably has some merits to it after all. That doesn't necessarily mean he liked it much. After the interview we poke the pope with some more Amazon news and the hilarious innovations of the Vatican to make use of modern technology. Yes, it's the eRosary™, that nifty device we've all been waiting for! It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and send those Hail Marys to the heavens above at the flick of the wrist (literally). In the news we find another win for the Good Thinking Society against Peter Popoff, we anticipate the yearly ComceptCon skeptical event in Portugal and go through how the Swedish Skeptics was invited by the government to give their opinion on the coming CAM-regulations. Then we go to Spain where the Spanish Skeptics at ARP-SAPC join others to fight the dangerous idea of Bio-Neuro Emotion. We finish off with handing out a Really Wrong award to the Polish ‘Law and Justice' party that has passed a law that says sex education for kids is a form of paedophilia. Really, they said that. Oh, and there's a surprise coming for our most faithful patrons – you can join them if you want to! Enjoy! Segments: Intro; Greetings; This Week; Interview; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; Really Wrong; Quote and Farewell; Outro; Out-takes Events Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe

Show Notes 0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:03:50 Harmful Homeopathic 'Cures' We interview Michael Marshall from The Good Thinking Society in the U.K. about the action being taken to fight the extreme foolishness that is Homeopathy.   https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/gts-cease-psa/ 0:20:02 Chabot Space & Science Center A tour with Leonard Trameil The only thing more extraordinary than the science we are learning about the Moon is its incredible beauty. Chabot's stunning new photographic essay explores the Moon's sweeping craters and once-active volcanoes, with photos by NASA astronauts who witnessed its beautiful desolation firsthand, new views captured by their astronomers using Chabot's reflecting telescope, and images taken via satellite that allow us to explore places we have not even yet visited.   https://chabotspace.org/visit/exhibits/luminous-moon/ Also Skepticon 2019 https://skepticon.org.au Canberra Skeptics Talks https://www.meetup.com/SocialSkepticsCanberra/

This week Jelena discloses the location of her new place to live - and it's far away! Then we hear about how Pasteur would not have been even close to pass today's ethical guidelines when he tested his rabies vaccine, that the Catholic Church will discuss marriage for priests but rather walk out of the game than play football against pro-choice opponents. A huge meta-analysis covering 60 million people clearly shows the benefits of HPV vaccinations, the Good Thinking Society needs our help in challenging the PSA over homeopathy accreditation and France will stop funding homeopathy which directly hits the finances of Boiron. A much-publicized study is very premature in claiming that there is a link between microbiomes and autism, Iceland recognizes the need to allow for gender neutral names and absurdly under the legal system in Sweden, your man gets a milder sentence for beating you, if it turns out you have "provoked him" by being unfaithful. Finally, apropos Prince Charles' latest endorsement of homeopathy, Pontus goes on a rant against monarchy and hands him a Really Wrong award. Segments: Intro; Greetings; This Week in Skepticism; Pontus Pokes the Pope; News; GSOW Radio Spot; Really Wrong; Quote; Outro; Out-takes Events Calendar: http://theesp.eu/events_in_europe To listen and see show notes go to: http://theesp.eu/podcast_archive/theesp-ep-177.html

https://www.makingbetterpod.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Making-Better-02-Michael-Marshall.mp3 Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He regularly speaks with proponents of pseudoscience for the Be Reasonable podcast. His work has seen him organising international homeopathy protests, going undercover to expose psychics and quack medics, and co-founding the popular QED conference. He has written for the Guardian, The Times, the New Statesman and Gizmodo. You can follow him on Twitter at @MrMMarsh and you can consume episode 2 of Making Better in text form here.

In the eighteenth episode we are really excited to be joined by Michael Marshall from the podcasts Skeptics With A K and Be Reasonable and the Good Thinking Society.In this episode we explore the Argument from Ignorance Fallacy, with examples from Trump talking about voter fraud and Ted Cruz's father.In Mark's British Politics Corner we look at Boris Johnson talking about Russian election interference and Theresa May claiming Corbyn doesn't have a clue.In The Fallacy in the Wild, we check out examples from Super 8 and 12 Angry Men and Marsh tells us about some of the interviews he's done with conspiracy theorists.Jim, Mark and Marsh go head to head (to head?) in a game of Fake News, the game where Mark and Marsh have to guess which of three Trump quotes Jim made up.And finally we talk to Marsh about homeopathy, The Good Thinking Society, talking to people you disagree with, and reaching out to non-skeptics before we round up some of the crazy Trump stories from the past week.You can contact the guys at pod@fallacioustrump.com , on Twitter @FallaciousTrump, or facebook at facebook.com/groups/fallacioustrumpTo find out more about Marsh and his work go to https://goodthinkingsociety.org/ or http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/fallacious-trump/donations

This week our three hosts discuss a great number of things including how a delusional German physician got away with killing people, and how Pope Francis thinks right to tackle poverty. Loads of good news this week: The John Maddox Prize goes to Britt Hermes and Terry Hughes this year, ARP-SAPC reaches 20 years of activity, the Spanish government moves against pseudo-therapies in health care, the BBC upholds the Good Thinking Society's complaint about a homeopathy-related phone-in and ComCept awards journalist Vera Novais for advocating science as opposed to nonsense. Also, on the less positive side, we report on child marriages no longer being recognised in Sweden, no matter what the culture of the country of origin is, authors of a paper based on a national survey into CAM use in the UK suggest NHS funding for bogus therapies and christian parents threatening legal action for something that wasn't what it looked like. And the Norwegian Labour Party gets this week's Really Right prize for suggesting the revoking of VAT excemption for alternative medicinal practices.

Join us to hear about Pope Francis' failing October synod, Galileo and how homeopathy is getting a really hard beating in Spain. In other news the Good Thinking Society fights Goop, EU tries (but fail) to get statistics about the anti-vaxx movement and how science is hard: Contrary to what you have heard humans have not wiped out 60% of all vertebrates and an organic diet has not been proved to prevent cancer.

In this special episode of Skeptics with a K, Marsh and Alice talk about Good Thinking Society’s in-depth new research into crowd-funded cancer treatments, recently published in the British Medical Journal.  And Mike talks about going to the cat cafe.

Jonathan and Chris interview Michael “Marsh” Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society and the vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society in England. They discuss how Marsh and Simon Singh met; what a skeptical charity does; why Marsh interviews people with fringe beliefs; changing people's minds with nudges; the Good Thinking Society's campaign to stop the NHS from funding homeopathy in the UK; how PR releases get used by journalists to create “churnalism”; and crowdfunding campaigns for alternative cancer cures.   Michael Marshall on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MrMMarsh The Good Thinking Society website: https://goodthinkingsociety.org The podcasts Marsh is involved with: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/   Theme music: "Troll of the Mountain Swing" by the Underscore Orkestra.   To contribute to The Body of Evidence, go to our Patreon page at: http://www.patreon.com/thebodyofevidence/.

This week we are talking about how our website got attacked by Russian users, then touch on politics before we get on to discuss great minds like the late Stephen Hawking and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. News items include those about MMS and how the Netherlands banned it, a Dutch company offering bogus bioresonance diagnostics and therapy, religion losing ground all across Europe, Doctor of Homeopathy requested to be made obsolete in Germany by Edzard Ernst et al, Spanish quacks promoting apitherapy, and homeopathy on the NHS​ over and done with in London thanks to the efforts of the Good Thinking Society​. Former president of Ireland Mary MacAleese gets this week's Really Right prize for being progressive amongst catholics.

This is our 100th episode!!! To celebrate, we interviewed some of the superheroes of skepticism who have already been on the show and could accept our invitation to come back for a quick update. Our guests were Gábor Hraskó, who was our guest on episode #001, Natalie Grams whose new book is out, Michael Marshall who talked about some new achievements of the Good Thinking Society, Liubomir Baburov and what's planned for the future of Ratio, Sean Slater and what to expect from Skeptics on the Fringe in 2018, Massimo Polidoro and his new book along with news from CICAP and Susan Gerbic checks in together with Richard Saunders to finish the show with what was definitely the largest span of time zones in the history of our podcast. Thanks for bearing with us and please keep listening to The ESP as we intend to stay.

This week, Eli Bosnick and Noah Lugeons team up with Michael Marshall of the Merseyside Skeptics for an atheist review of Six: The Mark Unleashed, the story of two men held prisoner by the antichrist, and another man, also held prisoner, except he’s a fake prisoner that has to kill the leader of the resistance. Or not, though, because it all turns out to be about satellites. Or, at least, it seems like it until it’s about something else at the end. If you’d like to hear more from Marsh, you can find his podcasts here: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ For more information about the QED conference, click here: https://qedcon.org/ You should also know more about the Good Thinking Society: http://goodthinkingsociety.org/ --- If you’d like so see us live, check out our latest tour dates here: https://scathingatheist.com/2017/05/01/god-awful-movies-world-tour/ --- If you’d like to pick up a copy of our new ebook; Diatribes Volume 2: 50 More Essays from a Scathing Atheist, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Diatribes-Essays-Scathing-Atheist-Presents-ebook/dp/B06XQTJT4R --- If you’d like to make a per episode donation, please check us out on Patreon: http://patreon.com/godawful Our theme music is written and performed by Ryan Slotnick of Evil Giraffes on Mars. If you’d like to hear more, check out their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/EvilGiraffesOnMars/?fref=ts All our other music was written and performed by Morgan Clarke. To hear more from him, check him out here: https://soundcloud.com/morgandclarke

This week we talk about Swedish Skeptics treating their members to 15 tickets to the European Skeptics Congress and how we were interviewed by Skeptical Inquiry before we talk about the famous Oxford Evolution debate. Then we dive into skeptical news around Europe talking about homeopathy being debunked (which does not impress the Homeopathic World Congress), The Good Thinking Society, antivax-sentiments in Italy and Switzerland, mistletoe therapy in Austria, Chinese medicine in Hungary, 30 years of skepticism in Spain, Brian Dunnings new film Principles of Curiosity and how the EU Court of Justice believes science can be ruled on in courts.

On this week's show, we release the Trump tapes before Trump does; we stare, jaw agape, at the smoldering, dystopian comic tragedy that is the global political landscape, and Michael Marshall will be here to talk about the UK's latest funkadelic elections. To get tickets to QED, click here: https://qedcon.org/ To learn more about the Good Thinking Society, click here: http://goodthinkingsociety.org/ To learn more about Merseyside Skeptics, click here: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/ To hear Marsh's podcasts, click here: http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/podcasts/ To support our show on Patreon, go here: https://www.patreon.com/skepticrat To hear more from Evil Giraffes on Mars, go here: https://www.facebook.com/EvilGiraffesOnMars/?fref=ts

This week brings you a segment on Florence Nightingale, events across Europe and skeptical news including the latest success story of the Good Thinking Society with getting eBay to remove a dangerous product (Black Salve) from their listings, climate targets not being taken seriously, annual prizes awarded by ARP-SAPC in Spain, Spanish skeptical events mounting to 600 since 2010, the UK foreign secretary making false claims, German podcast award for Schlaulicht and a new skeptical podcast on the market in Germany called Nachgefragt. Also, Metro in Sweden comes out with a demonstrative issue intentionally full of fake news, Hungarian family and their naturopath sentenced to prison for killing an infant out of carelessness, Stephen Fry and his blasphemy case in Ireland and Fiona O'Leary fighting against antivaccination nonsense in the form of a demonstration at the screening of Vaxxed.

This week we are bringing you an episode packed with news, important events and topics from all over Europe: - Autism Acceptance Month - World Homeopathy Awareness Week - Poppy seeds causing false positive drug tests - Public opinion and vaccination - The latest on the screenings of the movie Vaxxed in Germany and Ireland - ComCept's Flying Unicorn Awards - Nominations open for the John Maddox Prize - QED - Question. Explore. Discover. announced - Nominations open for the British Podcast Awards - Call for speakers at the 17th European Skeptics Congress in Poland - Our calendar of skeptic events - An update on the NHS vs homeopathy - Prince Anne backing GM crops - BBC to uphold the Good Thinking Society's complaint against the Look North report on chiropractic for animals - An update on the UK Charity Commission's latest actions - A researcher banned from seeking funding after misconduct in Germany - The German government passes legislation about punishing social media firms for not removing hate speech - New fronts in the war against pseudoscience in Medicine in Spain - El Esceptico issue 46 is out commemorating Carl Sagan, who's been dead for 20 years now… - Swiss skeptics open research department - The current state of measles and the effect of the anti-vaccination movement in countries across Europe - How Swedes handle an attack on their capital

This episode is entirely dedicated to one topic, which is the latest wrongdoings of the antivaccination campaign, namely the screenings of the pseudo-documentary "Vaxxed - From Cover-up to Catastrophy". Our guests, with whom we discussed this issue were Michael Marshall, project director at the Good Thinking Society and activist Fiona O'Leary, founder of Autistic Rights Together.

This week we are talking about whether Nutella contains a known carcinogen, how the number of autism cases is not on the rise, vaccination against chicken pox called to be made mandatory in Hungary, An interview with Prof. Edzard Ernst on the website of CSI, EvoKids making their brilliant video on evolution available in German, English and Turkish and the Good Thinking Society's next take on acupuncture. This week's Logical Fallacy was the Red Hering and Pontus is really optimistic about recent developments in tackling fake news.

This week, Cara chats with Michael Marshall of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. They discuss his incredible work both as the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the host of the Be Reasonable Podcast. But the primary focus of their conversation is the unholy alliance between journalists and PR companies, as Marsh exposes in his blog "Bad PR." Follow Marsh: @MrMMarsh.

This week, Cara chats with Michael Marshall of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. They discuss his incredible work both as the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the host of the Be Reasonable Podcast. But the primary focus of their conversation is the unholy alliance between journalists and PR companies, as Marsh exposes in his blog "Bad PR." Follow Marsh: @MrMMarsh.

On this episode, you'll find news, events and interesting topics, including 1023 in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Austria and Germany, Edzard Ernst's new book, The Golden Board 2016 Awards in Germany, unlicensed blood drug for sale, Hungarian cancer, "bishop" convicted for selling MMS in Ireland, Finnish Trump-game, CICAP's telepathy test makes it to the news, the Good Thinking Society's first maths project starts and the governing Polish party is Really Wrong. Also featuring a report from QED 2016 as well as an interview with Edinburgh Skeptics. Segments Intro; Greetings & Feedback; On this day; What's on in Europe?; What's hot in Europe?; QED report; Really Wrong; Interview with Edinburgh Skeptics; Quote

This time we chatted to Michael Marshall, Co-Founder of the Merseyside Skeptic Society, and Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, on the value of effective communication, the ongoing battle against pseudoscience, and the importance of exposing yourself to disagreeable ideas.

Along with a usual run-through of feedback and events across Europe in the coming week, this episode is dedicated to our interview with science educator, author, journalist and founder of the Good Thinking Society, Simon Singh. You can also listen to two short interviews (with Andrea Cardinale from Italy and Leon Korteweg from the Netherlands) recorded at QED - Question. Explore. Discover. in the middle of October. Segments: Introduction and greetings; Events in Europe; Short interviews from QED; Interview with Simon Singh; Outro

I det första avsnittet intervjuar jag Michael Marshall från Skeptics with a K, Good Thinking Society och Merseyside Skeptics. Vi är båda ganska trötta efter en lång konferens. Musik: Beyond the walls av Schizoïd Bass (licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives International License)Mer av honom: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Schizod_Bass/

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:04:33 More Good Thinking... with Michael Marshall The Good Thinking Society welcomed the decision by NHS Wirral CCG to decommission homeopathy and Iscador services. The decision comes after months of consultation which showed overwhelming support from the public for an end to funding. At QED 2016, in the Ockham Awards event/campaign shortlist, readers of the British version of 'The Skeptic Magazine' voted for The Good Thinking Society for their homeopathy in the NHS campaign. http://goodthinkingsociety.org/ https://qedcon.org/ 0:32:50 Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia issues position statement on anti-vaccine nurses and midwives On October 11 2016, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia responded to a number of complaints regarding anti-vaccination material and advice being disseminated by registered nurses, enrolled nurses, and registered midwives, by publishing a new position statement on anti-vaccination misinformation: https://reasonablehank.com/2016/10/13/nursing-and-midwifery-board-of-australia-issues-position-statement-on-anti-vaccine-nurses-and-midwives/ 0:37:47 Maynard's Spooky Action... Interviews at "An Evening with Goldacre" in Sydney Robyn Willims from ABC radio's Science Show Signe Dean from SBS radio and Australian Skeptics http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/robyn-williams/2913842 http://nevertoocurious.com/ Also... NZ Skeptics Conference 2016 - Queenstown, 2nd-4th December http://conference.skeptics.nz

On this episode, you'll find news, events and interesting topics, including Rosetta, ComCept officially instituted, ECSO website launched, The Good Thinking Society winning another battle, Spanish pharmacists take action against selling homeopathy, BBC report revealing shocking training for autistic people, My Scientology Movie not screening in Ireland and the Swedish Democrat Party pushing for equality of Medicine and CAM. Segments Intro; Greetings & Feedback; On this day; What's on in Europe?; What's hot in Europe?; Really Wrong; Quote

tSE 020 - Michael Marshall, Project Director at The Good Thinking Society Hosts: Natalie Newell (Skeptical Parenting) and Dan Broadbent (A Science Enthusiast)!Login to access this episode's bonus-level content! Sponsor: Homeopathy, because who wants real medicine? God of the week: Hephaestus Interview: Michael Marshall!Marsh is the project director at the Good Thinking Society, one of the organizers of QED, co-host of Skeptics with a K podcast, and the host of the Be Reasonable podcast, which are published by The Merseyside Skeptics Society. Follow Marsh on Twitter as @MrMMarsh! Why we love the internet:Kid Jokes on Twitter

Well, we did say that EdSkeptics regular Rumit Somaiya's talk would be out this week, but due to "scheduling conflicts" (heh) it will be delayed another week. We're really happy to bring you a great interview as an alternative, however, as newly-crowned committee member Heather Pentler talks to our old friend Michael Marshall about the media bring crap, weird medical claims and athletes' obsession with woo. Michael Marshall is the Project Director of the Good Thinking Society and the Vice President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society. He regularly speaks with proponents of pseudoscience for the Be Reasonable podcast. His work has seen him organising international homeopathy protests and co-founding the popular QED conference. He has written for the Guardian, The Times and New Statesman. Find out more at http://goodthinkingsociety.org/ or by following him on Twitter @MrMMarsh and @GoodThinkingSoc

On this episode, you'll find news, events and interesting topics, including Nessie, Bayer buying Monsanto, the European Skeptics Congress Facebook page launched, as well as Paul VI's legacy, the Good Thinking Society pushing the Charity Commission, a surgeon attempting to perform a head transplant, the UN calling for transparency of clinical trials, an atheistic campaign that hit Denmarks national church, the false hope of the Hufeland Klinik, a Swedish ghost hunting TV show in violation of regulations and ear candling promoted by a UK quack. Segments Intro; Greetings & Feedback; On this day; What's on in Europe?; What's hot in Europe?; Logical Fallacies; Really Wrong; Quote

On this episode, you'll find news, events and interesting topics, including Pokémon Go, The Good Thinking Society vs the BBC, banners to indicate retraction in scientific papers, a guy jailed for insulting the Dutch King, scapegoating and the state of exorcism across Europe. Also, we have an interview with Penny Lane, producer and filmmaker whose film 'Nuts!' is a must for all skeptics. Segments Intro; Greetings & Feedback; On this day; What's on in Europe?; What's hot in Europe?; Interview with Penny Lane; Logical Fallacies; Really Wrong; Quote

  0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders and Stefan Sojka 0:09:15 Good Thinking with Michael Marshall NHS Liverpool CCG ends funding for homeopathy - The Good Thinking Society welcomed today’s decision by NHS Liverpool CCG to decommission homeopathy services. The decision comes after months of public consultation which showed overwhelming support from Liverpool residents for an end to funding. http://goodthinkingsociety.org/the-good-thinking-society-welcomes-nhs-liverpool-ccgs-report-on-homeopathy-funding/ 0:30:52 The Cass Files with Dr Cassandra Perryman Meet our new reporter, Dr Cassandra who is a PhD in Psychology, specialising in research methods, analysis, and ethics. She's a bicoastal girl who talks to her cats, and reads way too much Pratchett, Gaiman, and Butcher. 0:36:33 Maynard's Spooky Action... Supanova 2016 Look out! It's Maynard and Tim Ferguson for a quick hello and a chance for Richard to thank Maynard for all his hard work. http://maynard.com.au 0:40:00 Labor scraps rebates for natural therapies Update... Taxpayers won't be subsidising them if Bill Shorten becomes prime minister. https://ajp.com.au/news/labor-slammed-planned-natural-therapies-rebate-cut/ 0:45:44 The Skeptics Guide to the Universe The SGU rouges drop by to wish the Skeptic Zone a happy 400th episode. http://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcast/sgu/571  

Homeopathy in Liverpool, regression to the mean, mistletoe, and cancer. Plus Big Pharma, broken laptops, and healing crises. Keeping arnica behind the clock, it’s Skeptics with a K. Have your say on the provision of homeopathy by NHS Wirral CCG at: surveymonkey.co.uk/r/5GP78LJ Donate to Good Thinking Society at goodthinkingsociety.org/donate.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders 0:09:18 Labor scraps rebates for natural therapies Taxpayers won't be subsidising them if Bill Shorten becomes prime minister. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen announced on Friday that from July 1, 2017, taxpayer-funded private health insurance rebates would no longer be available for natural therapies. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/06/10/labor-scraps-rebates-natural-therapies 0:12:10 The Good Thinking Society welcomes NHS Liverpool CCG’s report on homeopathy funding Continued funding or end of funding to be decided on June 14. The Good Thinking Society welcomed a report from NHS Liverpool CCG on the subject of homeopathy, which showed overwhelming support from Liverpool residents for an end to funding. http://goodthinkingsociety.org/the-good-thinking-society-welcomes-nhs-liverpool-ccgs-report-on-homeopathy-funding/ 0:16:24 Does Naturopathy work? The truth about ‘natural’ medicine - Shelley Stocken Recent reports of a Sydney naturopath allegedly endangering the life of a baby; the son of a naturopath shunning radiotherapy for “alternative therapies”; and a disgraced Gold Coast doctor turning to naturopathy rather than maintaining her registration raise the question, what’s the deal with naturopathy? http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/does-naturopathy-work-the-truth-about-natural-medicine/news-story/ebba033e2bad6801f736db1a9235cc9e 0:22:53 Dr Brad McKay on TV Dr Brad appears on TODAY Extra and calls out homeopathy for what it is! What do the viewers think? https://www.9now.com.au/today/2016/clip-cip8uo3fo000o0jo4cdezivrw/b86e4809-12aa-46c6-b558-62964b24b04a 0:31:46 Failed stockbroking firm consulting a psychic Glenn Rosewall, executive chairman of the failed stockbroking firm BBY, was consulting a psychic and ‘vibrational healer’ for at least 12 months prior to the firm’s demise, according to sources. http://www.skeptics.com.au/2016/06/01/boss-of-failed-stockbroking-firm-sought-business-advice-from-pyschic/ 0:37:43 Threats of assault against Reasonable Hank Explicit and direct threats of physical assault towards the blogger uploaded to facebook. https://reasonablehank.com/2016/06/10/shawn-dhu-posts-video-threats-of-assault-against-reasonable-hank/    

For the 2nd episode of The Turnout I spoke with journalist Michael Marshall of The Good Thinking Society (as well as the Be Reasonable podcast and others).Michael was the man behind the 10:23 campaign which was a ...mass overdose of homeopathy outside branches of Boots UK in several major cities throughout the country, to publicly demonstrate the inefficacy of homeopathic products and protest against their sale.I asked Michael about the history of homeopathy and what it actually is, or indeed isn't. I also asked him about it's availability on the NHS in various parts of the country and what should be done about it.We also got on to some of the wider dangers of "medicines" that are not based on any solid science.Hope you enjoyLINKShttps://twitter.com/MrMMarshhttp://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/be-reasonable-podcast/http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/inkredulous-podcast/http://goodthinkingsociety.org/http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwell

For the 2nd episode of The Turnout I spoke with journalist Michael Marshall of The Good Thinking Society (as well as the Be Reasonable podcast and others).Michael was the man behind the 10:23 campaign which was a ...mass overdose of homeopathy outside branches of Boots UK in several major cities throughout the country, to publicly demonstrate the inefficacy of homeopathic products and protest against their sale.I asked Michael about the history of homeopathy and what it actually is, or indeed isn't. I also asked him about it's availability on the NHS in various parts of the country and what should be done about it.We also got on to some of the wider dangers of "medicines" that are not based on any solid science.Hope you enjoyLINKShttps://twitter.com/MrMMarshhttp://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/be-reasonable-podcast/http://www.merseysideskeptics.org.uk/category/podcast/inkredulous-podcast/http://goodthinkingsociety.org/http://michaelgreenwell.wordpress.com/https://twitter.com/mgreenwell

0:00:00IntroductionRichard Saunders 0:03:50Wi-Fried?We look at the fallout from ABC TV's science show 'Catalyst' after its broadcast of a story that many see as nothing more than scaremongering. Included is the reaction from the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) via their science channel. 0:22:40Homeopathic RadioWe join Michael Marshall from the Good Thinking Society in the UK has he appears on BBC radio to counter the strange statements from a local homeopathic G.P. 0:33:40Evidence Please... with Jo AlabasterJo reports on why some parents in the north coast region of NSW are suspicious of vaccinations. Induced are quotes from our very own Heidi Robertson.

Myles and James are joined this week by Michael Marsh from the Good Thinking Society and Skeptics with a K to discuss the on going campaign to stop wasting limited money on a something which has been shown not to work. Marsh and the Good Thinking Society have been instrumental in forcing local funding boards […]

Welcome to the first show of 2016! We return to discuss Harry Price, the Enfield Poltergeist, a haunted immigration centre, Ed and Lorraine Warren and some scary hotel experiences shared on Tripadvisor. Find the episode notes at spooktator.co.uk For this episode the team are joined by Michael Marshall of the Good Thinking Society. Learn more about Michael and his work at goodthinkingsociety.org If you enjoy the show why not leave a review? Episode 5 will be released in two weeks time and will contain more news stories from January 2016. Spook to you soon...

2015-12-16 Featuring an interview with Michael Marshall, project director of the Good Thinking Society, co-founder and vice-president of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and co-host of its official podcast, Skeptics with a K, and host of the podcast Be Reasonable. Segments: Intro; Listener feedback; What's on in Europe?; On this day; What's new in Europe; Interview with Michael Marshall; Logical Fallacies; Short interview with Martin Poulter; Really Wrong; Quote

This week, Heath makes a triumphant return to welcome guest masochist Michael Marshall; Project Director of the Good Thinking Society, co-host of Skeptics with a K, and host of Be Reasonable.  Together, we take on What If…; the story of It’s a Wonderful Life, but in reverse.  We watch Kevin Sorbo turn from a successful, philanthropic, considerate investment banker, to a failed reverend in a termite infested church, thanks to a little bit of head trauma. --- If you’d like to hear more from Marsh, check him out on Skeptics with a K or Be Reasonable.  You can also learn more about the Good Thinking Society if you’d like. Our theme song was written and performed by Ryan Slotnick of Evil Giraffes on Mars.  If you’d like to hear more from him, you can check out the band’s Facebook page.

0:00:00IntroductionRichard Saunders 0:05:00Good Thinking vs. HomeopatheyThis week Michael Marshall of the Good Thinking Society fills us in on the latest moves to rid the UK of the quackery of Homeopathy 0:28:00Evidence Please... with Jo AlabasterJo reports on the case of a mother who was brave enough to share her child's plight with Whooping Cough. The reaction from the the anti-vax crowd was predictible. 0:35:05A Week in ScienceThe Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation with a mission to bring science to people and people to science. 0:40:07Maynard's Spooky Action.. Maynard chats with Joanne Benhamu, a Vice-President of Australian Skeptics and a Clinical Nurse Consultant who coordinates clinical trials in radiation oncology.

In GBA 230 we get better acquainted with Sally. She talks about connecting with people, maths, computers and horses, teaching teenagers, IT training, being independent, self knowledge, stepping out of your comfort zone and so much more. Sally plugs: Spark London: http://stories.co.uk/ Skeptics in the Pub: http://www.skeptic.org.uk/events/skeptics-in-the-pub And stepping out of your comfort zone I plug: Stand Up Tragedy Presents: http://www.facebook.com/events/461679520679231/ Spark Hackney Open Mic: Gifts https://www.facebook.com/events/689270927876614/ Donating to GBA: http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cm…_id=4RCU5NHZURXUL We mention: CERN: http://home.cern/ Good Thinking Society: http://goodthinkingsociety.org/ Simon Singh: http://simonsingh.net/ David Nutt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nutt Bradford Photography Museum: http://www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk/ Matt Parker: http://standupmaths.com/ Full Frontal Nerdity: http://festivalofthespokennerd.com/dvd/ Festival of the Spoken Word: http://festivalofthespokennerd.com/ Oresteia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oresteia Almeida Theatre: http://www.almeida.co.uk/ The Beaux' Stratagem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beaux%27_Stratagem National Theatre: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ Kent PCC resigns over twitter: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22083032 Amy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_(2015_film) Amy Winehouse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Winehouse Manfred Mann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Mann Val Doonican: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Doonican Sandie Shaw: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandie_Shaw Andrew Jennings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Jennings Help more people get better acquainted. If you like what you hear why not write an iTunes review? Follow @GBApodcast on Twitter. Like Getting Better Acquainted on facebook. Tell your friends. Spread the word!

This is the podcast of the 2015 European Skeptics Conference – the regular conference of The European Council of Skeptical Organisations, taking place in London on 11-13 September, 2015. Joining Marsh today is writer and activist Mark Lynas. Tickets for the conference are available at: http://euroscepticscon.org/. Find out how to donate to support the Good Thinking Society. … Continue reading

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders   0:06:00 Michael Marshall from Good Thinking Palm readers have operated in seaside towns across the UK for many years.  In the absence of any proof that palmists have any ability to accurately advise on the future, the Good Thinking Society wanted to find out whether the trust given by so many was well-placed, so they visited a palm reader in Blackpool.   0:23:15 A Week in Science The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation with a mission to bring science to people and people to science.   0:27:00 If I could talk to the animals... In 2009 the Nonsense Podcast set out to investigate an animal psychic. We find our crew having dinner after the evet.. With Jason Hamiester, Dr Rachie, Bastard Sheep and Richard Saunders.

0:00:00 Introduction Richard Saunders   0:05:20 The Raw Skeptic Report This week Heidi Robertson looks at some more of the extraordinary claims (with outextraordinary evidence) made at Mind Body Spirit.    0:22:00 A Week in Science The Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) is a national scientific not-for-profit organisation with a mission to bring science to people and people to science.   0:25:22 Good Thinking with Michael Marshall Always good to catch up with the work and investigations from the Good Thinking Society.

Big stars, big ships, big egos, and not-so-big operations. Plus mind control, propellers, hips, and body builders. Buzzing away, it’s Skeptics with a K. Donate to the Good Thinking Society at goodthinkingsociety.org

Episode 30 of our satirical comedy podcast. Your host is Andy Wilson (@InKredulosi) of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and director and co-organiser of QED conference. Appearing this time are: Tom and Cecil – co-hosts of the fabulous Cognitive Dissonance podcast (@dissonance_pod) Michael Marshall – Fellow QED organiser, Project Director at the Good Thinking Society, co-host […]