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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20170124T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20170124T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190209T170349Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190209T170349Z
UID:125-1485286200-1485293400@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Rule Of Law
DESCRIPTION:Our world would be one of anarchy without the “Rule of Law”. Our interactions with others and with the state depend on the rules of contract law\, consumer law\, land law\, employment law\, financial law\, the law of nuisance and negligence\, family law\, criminal law\, and of course\, public and constitutional law. These are just some of the main areas of law there are many other branches of law. As responsible citizens we observe the law on a daily basis\, but ironically most of the time this is subliminal we are not fully aware that this is what we are doing our relationship with the law is almost automatic. Given the pervasive nature of law\, it is somewhat surprising that we are expected to know the law. It is almost as if we are assumed to have an inherent understanding of the rules we must abide by. How very strange! \nAs a lecturer in law\, it always surprises me how very little my students know about the subject I teach\, and about the law in general. Even more interesting is the fact that many people have misconceptions about the law and erroneous notions of what it involves. A sociologist (aka sceptic!) would have various explanations for why this is. Whatever the reason\, it is a fact that we are often unaware of the nature of the law that governs our lives. \nSo how much do you know about the law? This session will identify some common legal misconceptions and will then focus on one particular area of law. You will be asked to decide on the truth and falsity of some legal propositions\, so bring a pen! \nCarol is a non-practising barrister and Principal Lecturer in Law at a London University. She has been lecturing in law for 20 years and has taught many subjects\, from Construction Law to Negligence and the Law of Evidence. \n£3 on the door with all proceeds going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/the-rule-of-law/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20161107T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20161107T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190209T124500Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190209T124500Z
UID:126-1478547000-1478554200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:How Much Surveillance Is Acceptable In Democracy
DESCRIPTION:Jim Killock is the executive director of the Open Rights Group. Since joining Open Rights Group in January 2009\, Jim has led campaigns against three strikes and the Digital Economy Act\, the company Phorm and its plans to snoop on UK users\, and against pervasive government Internet surveillance. He is working on data protection and privacy issues\, as well as helping ORG to grow in size and breadth. He was named as one of the 50 most influential people on IP issues by Managing IP in 2012. In the same year ORG won Liberty’s Human Rights Campaigner of Year award alongside 38 Degrees\, for work on issues from copyright to the Snooper’s Charter. \nSince 2009\, ORG has doubled its supporter base\, budget and workload\, and held its first two activist Conferences\, ORGCon. \nJim is a trustee of FreeUKGen\, the volunteer project to digitise genealogical records\, and sits on the Governance Board of CREATe\, the UK’s research centre for copyright and new business models in the creative economy. He is on the Advisory Council of the Foundation of Information Policy Research. \nBefore joining ORG\, Jim worked as External Communications Co-ordinator of the Green Party. At the Green Party\, he promoted campaigns on open source\, intellectual property\, digital rights and campaigned against the arms and espionage technologist Lockheed Martin’s bid for the UK Census. Lockheed Martin have since been prevented from handling UK Census data as part of their contract. He was also a leading figure in the campaign to elect their first party leader\, Caroline Lucas MP. He has a blog at http://jim.killock.org.uk/ \n£5 to cover costs with any extra going to charity.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/how-much-surveillance-is-acceptable-in-democracy/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20161003T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20161003T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190209T124208Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190209T124223Z
UID:127-1475523000-1475530200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:How Experience Shapes The Brain
DESCRIPTION:CHANGED FROM THE 1ST OF AUGUST TO THE 3RD OF OCTOBER. The brain is the most complicated computational device humans have access to. It is a network of 86 billion neurons\, each with 1000 connections\, allowing communication inside our minds\, but also with the rest of our body. The workings of the brain are better understood now than ever before\, however there are still questions we are nowhere near answering. \nIn this talk we will look at the basic makeup of the brain and how it communicates\, before taking a more detailed look at what happens when this communication is altered through learning. We will see inside the brain and look at how experiences change the brain and how this relates to diseases like schizophrenia \nPeter Bloomfield is a neuroscientist at University College London. His current work is investigating changes in the brain during skill acquisition/learning. He has a research focus on the “glial cells” of the brain\, he has a core interest in how laboratory research relates to human experience and how disorders of cognition and perception occur \n£5 to cover costs with any extra raised going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/how-experience-shapes-the-brain/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160906T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160906T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190209T124019Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190209T124019Z
UID:128-1473190200-1473197400@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Why Eating Bugs Will Soon Become The New Normal
DESCRIPTION:By 2050 the global population will reach 9 billion and this will put ever increasing pressure on food and environmental resources. How can we ensure global food security without further damaging the environment with intensified farming practices? \nOne UN backed solution is to focus on alternative sources of protein\, such as insects for food and animal feed. About 2 billion of us already include insects in our diets\, though it is still a growing trend in the west. \nInsects are described as having a variety of different flavours\, from mushroomy to pistachio or pork crackling. They are comparable to beef in protein and contain beneficial nutrients like iron and calcium. Their environmental impact is also minimal\, requiring far less water and feed than cattle\, and releasing fewer emissions. \nDuring this talk\, Jenny will explain how insects might replace some of the meat in our diets and also give some tips on how to cook them. \n— \nJenny Josephs is the founder of The Bug Shack\, a company aiming to promote edible insects as a sustainable source of protein. She has spoken at the Winchester Science Festival and TEDx Southampton Uni \n£5 to cover costs with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/why-eating-bugs-will-soon-become-the-new-normal/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160830T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160830T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T210150Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T210150Z
UID:130-1472585400-1472592600@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:COMPare: what happened when we tried to correct the record on 58 misreported trials
DESCRIPTION:For 6 weeks in late 2015\, the COMPare team monitored every clinical trial published in the top 5 medical journals for “outcome switching”: when trialists report something different from what they originally said they would report. Of 67 trials assessed\, 58 (87%) were found to contain discrepancies between pre-specified and reported outcomes. \nOutcome switching is already known to be extremely common\, even in top medical journals. But COMPare went one step further: they wrote a letter to the journal for all 58 trials found to contain discrepancies to correct the record on the individual trials\, and to test the “self-correcting” properties of science. \nThe responses to these letters from journal editors and trial authors were unprecedented\, and shed light on the reasons why this problem persists. The aim of COMPare was to fix outcome switching\, through correction letters and open discussion. They never expected the levels of misunderstanding and bias at the heart of the issue. \nBased at the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine\, COMPare is made up of three senior researchers\, 5 graduate-entry medical students\, and a programmer. The project was born when one medical student came to the department in search of a project. The idea of monitoring the outcomes in clinical trials was made possible by 4 more medical students\, who were recruited to make the vast amount of analysis possible. All assessments are reviewed by senior colleagues\, and decisions made at weekly team meetings. There is no specific funding for COMPare: all the students work for free\, driven by the desire and opportunity to fix a broken system. \nVisit the COMPare website (COMPare-trials.org) for more details about their team\, methods\, results and blog. \nHenry Drysdale and Aaron Dale are from St Anne’s College\, University of Oxford and their work has been featured in The Economist and Nature \n£5 on the door to cover costs\, with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/compare-what-happened-when-we-tried-to-correct-the-record-on-58-misreported-trials/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160704T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160704T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T205704Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T205704Z
UID:131-1467660600-1467667800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Wow and the Woo of Quantum Physics
DESCRIPTION:There is no doubt that quantum physics embodies mind-blowing concepts that force us to question the very nature of reality. And if there’s a contender for our current best “theory of everything” then quantum mechanics wins hands down. \nBut\, far too often\, the word “quantum” signals the worst type of vacuous pseudoscientific gobbledegook. It’s exploited by those who are entirely clueless about the underlying physics — or\, worse\, should know better — to evoke a misplaced mysticism about the “holistic” nature of the universe. Moreover\, when consciousness and quantum collide\, the nonsense factor goes through the roof! \nPhilip Moriarty will aim to tease out the science from the mysticism and show that while quantum physics certainly has its weird and wacky aspects\, it’s at heart a theory of waves. That means we can very often easily interpret what’s happening at the quantum level in terms of the everyday world around us – he’ll take a look at what coffee cups\, drums\, and a SlinkyTM can tell us about the broader nature of the universe (and Deepak Chopra’s place in it). \nPhilip Moriarty is a professor of physics at the University of Nottingham. \n£5 to cover costs with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/the-wow-and-the-woo-of-quantum-physics/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160606T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160606T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T205303Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T205838Z
UID:132-1465241400-1465248600@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Superforecasting and Geopolitical Intellegence
DESCRIPTION:Since 2011\, a team of 200 civilians has been predicting the future more accurately than US intelligence agencies. Formed five years ago under the auspices of IARPA (the US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity\, informally known as ‘DARPA for spies’)\, the Good Judgement Project’s ‘Superforecaster’ teams have been forecasting the specifics of North Korean missile programmes\, the movement of Russian troops and the longevity of Robert Mugabe\, achieving a 50% lower error rate than the previous state of the art. \nThis talk will cover who makes these forecasts\, how they are doing it\, and some techniques shown to make nearly anyone more accurate when predicting the future. \nMichael Story is a policy researcher and Superforecaster with the Good Judgement Project. Find out more at michaelwstory.com
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/superforecasting-and-geopolitical-intellegence/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160510T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160510T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T205204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T205204Z
UID:133-1462908600-1462915800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Adventures With Cosmonauts- An Unofficial History Of The Russian Space Program
DESCRIPTION:When Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon in 1969 – the Americans entered history as the winners of the Space Race. This isn’t their story. \nMicky Lachmann is going to talk about their competitors the Soviets\, and how they managed to beat the Americans to almost every milestone in Space. \nIt’s a story we don’t know very well – the Soviets operated under a shroud of almost total secrecy. But some of the early cosmonauts are still alive and have incredible and often terrifying stories to tell. So this is also an account of going to Russia and trying to find these amazing – and mostly bad tempered – men and women. \nMicky studied Natural Sciences and then dropped out of a PhD in tropical fish behaviour to work in science journalism. Over 15 years at the BBC he has worked on – among other things – Walking with Beasts\, many Horizon’s and is partly responsible for bringing Brian Cox to our screens – for which he is very sorry. \n£5 to cover costs with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/adventures-with-cosmonauts-an-unofficial-history-of-the-russian-space-program/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160405T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160405T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T205042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T205042Z
UID:134-1459884600-1459891800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Inside AA
DESCRIPTION:Inside AA: Can A Non-Existent God Cure Alcoholism? \nAlcoholics Anonymous offers a commonly accepted and media endorsed “spiritual” programme of recovery. Yet while AA’s social worth is rarely challenged\, its efficacy rate appears comparable to that of spontaneous remission. \nWe’re all affected by alcoholism and addiction in some way. Can a non-existent Higher Power really offer meaningful solutions to this debilitating and potentially fatal condition? If so\, how can we help all the skeptics with drinking problems? \nAA’s famous 12 Step programme evolved from the tenets of a now forgotten evangelical Christian mass movement. First published in 1939\, it remains entirely unchanged since then. \nHow did AA become the go-to treatment modality for one of the great social health scourges of our time? Is spiritually-based health care even ethical? It’s the twenty first century\, is this really the best we can do? \nThis wide ranging talk draws on the work of philosopher Dan Dennett and evolutionary psychologist Andy Thomson (Trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation) to show how sacred texts and faith-based belief systems can be undermined in the new age of internet transparency. \nJon Stewart was co-founder\, guitarist and co-songwriter for platinum-selling Britpop band Sleeper. He currently lectures in popular culture at a local HE Institution\, and is a PhD researcher at University of Southampton. \nA grateful sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous for 15 years\, Jon also campaigns for more up-to-date evidence-based secular treatment options via his blog at http://jonsleeper.wordpress.com/ \n“I can thoroughly recommend Jon’s brilliant talk on this subject.”\n(David Warden\, Chair\, Dorset Humanists) \n“Hats off to Jon Stewart – what a great talk. Informative\, humorous and to the point … this was one of [our] best events ever!”\n(Adrian Rox\, London Atheist Activist Group) \n£5 to cover costs with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/inside-aa/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160301T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160301T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T204655Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T204655Z
UID:135-1456860600-1456867800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Why These Former Law Enforcement Officers Say End The War On Drugs
DESCRIPTION:If law enforcement said we need to legalise all drugs\, would you ask them why? \nLaw Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) are a global and domestic organisation of police\, intelligence personnel\, judges\, undercover drug detectives and military who have all seen the failures of current drug policy from their up-close and personal perspective. \nThe global illicit drug trade is worth around $320billion a year\, with enforcement costs around $100billion\, are our children really protected\, are we a healthier society for the criminalisation of drug users\, does the war on drugs work or does it simply serve to make drugs a more lucrative trade at the cost of communities? \nWhen those on the front-line say we should reform drug laws then it’s time we looked at the alternatives. Maidstone Skeptics in the Pub exclusively host: \n– Neill Franklin\, LEAP’s global Executive Director and a 34 year veteran in the U.S police force retiring as a Major. \n– Annie Machon\, a former MI5 Officer turned international commentator with specialist interest in counter-terrorism and security. \n– Neil Woods was an undercover drugs detective for over a decade in his 26 years in the police. \n– Diane Goldstein retired as a Lieutenant Commander and has over 20 years of experience in the U.S police service.\nCome along and join the frank debate on how we should best form a drug policy: Should drugs be based on morals or evidence? \nTo find out more\, visit www.ukleap.org and www.leap.cc \n£5 to cover costs with the rest going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/why-these-former-law-enforcement-officers-say-end-the-war-on-drugs/
LOCATION:Pizza Express\, 32 Earl Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1PF\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20160215T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20160215T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T204326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T204326Z
UID:136-1455564600-1455571800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Lies\, Damn Lies\, and Statistics
DESCRIPTION:Science and medicine have transformed our lives immeasurably\, and never in history have they been more central to our lives and well-being. Yet despite this\, there is often a glaring disconnect between the findings of actual science and media reporting of such topics\, and consequently there is often a needless chasm between public perception and the evidence on many contentious topics. This can lead to needlessly adversarial and counter-productive discourse of everything from vaccination to climate-change. In this talk\, physicist and science journalist Dr. David Robert Grimes discusses the frequent problems in reporting science from misunderstandings to bad statistics to false balance\, and discusses the factors that influence this and how such problems can be remedied. \nDr. David Robert Grimes (@drg1985) is a physicist and writes regular opinion and analysis pieces on scientific issues for the Irish Times and the Guardian science\, and is a regular panellist on science issues on radio and television. He is joint-recipient of the 2014 Maddox Prize for Standing up for Science. \n£3 to cover costs with any extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/lies-damn-lies-and-statistics/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20151027T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20151027T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T204135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T204135Z
UID:137-1445974200-1445981400@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Unseen Universe
DESCRIPTION:With ever more ambitious telescopes and probes giving us pictures of far-off comets\, planets and even other galaxies\, it is easy to think that the mysteries of our Universe are solved. But look closer and we find that those galaxies are spinning much faster than they should be and our brightest stars are flying away from us at ever faster speeds. To present day we understand a mere 4% of what makes up our Universe – the photons\, protons\, electrons\, Higgs bosons etc… Dr Chapman will be talking about the other 96% – the stuff that makes our Universe do very strange things but that we know almost nothing about.£5 donation to cover cost with the extra going to charity
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/the-unseen-universe/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20150903T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20150903T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T203943Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T203943Z
UID:138-1441308600-1441315800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:How to Make $100 Million Using a Fake Bomb Detector
DESCRIPTION:He’s jailed for 10 years now but how did a British conman sell bogus bomb detectors to Iraq for $85 million? A lack of scepticism cost the lives of an estimated 2\,000 people in Baghdad. Meirion Jones tells\, with the help of video clips and secret recordings\, how Jim McCormick and his chums worked the scam around the world and how whistleblowers and a Newsnight team exposed the scandal. This is about multi-million-dollar bribes in Baghdad\, and UK PLC turning a blind eye to boost exports\, but this is also about the lethal consequences of not basing policy on evidence. Meirion will demonstrate two real bogus bomb detectors as sold by the hoaxers for up to $40\,000 each and show you how to make one that works every bit as well for less than a pound. \nMeirion Jones is a BBC producer who is in the unusual position of winning the 2013 Scoop of the Year award for a programme which was never broadcast – his exposure of Jimmy Savile as a paedophile. He also won the Daniel Pearl International Award for Investigative Journalism in 2010 for his reports on toxic waste dumping by Trafigura in Africa. He has exposed everything from the fixing of the 2000 US election\, to how Britain helped Israel get the atom bomb\, from corrupt politicians to the affair of Mark Stone and the undercover cops\, as well as homeopaths and healers. \n£5 on the night with proceeds going to charity.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/how-to-make-100-million-using-a-fake-bomb-detector/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20150616T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20150616T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T203808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T203808Z
UID:139-1434483000-1434490200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Brain Washing is Wrong- Scientology and North Korea
DESCRIPTION:Scientology is a new religion\, founded in the 1950s by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. Its teachings are based on Hubbard’s writings\, and the church claims to have millions of followers worldwide. Notable followers include Tom Cruise and John Travolta. \nScientology has gained recognition as a legitimate religion in many countries\, and yet many people believe it to be both a cult and a business\, often using harassment and bullying tactics to silence its critics. In 2007\, the Paranoma programme aired an episode called ‘Scientology and Me’ in which John Sweeney investigated the organisation. After a number of intense interactions with Scientologists\, John was involved in a dramatic confrontation with a church spokesperson\, a clip that has since been viewed on YouTube over 1.5 million times. \nJohn Sweeney is an award winning investigative reporter for the BBC and author of the books ‘Church of Fear: Inside Scientology’ and ‘North Korea Undercover’.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/brain-washing-is-wrong-scientology-and-north-korea/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20150519T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20150519T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T203521Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T203521Z
UID:140-1432063800-1432071000@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Struggle For Evidence Based Policy
DESCRIPTION:Professor David Nutt came under the media spotlight when during his chairmanship of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) he refused to fudge the issue of perceived drug harm. He broadcasts widely both on radio and television including BBC science and public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit drugs\, their harms and their classification. He will be talking about the issue of persuading politicians and other decision makers to define policy based on evidence. \nIn 2010 The Times Eureka science magazine included him in the 100 most important figures in British Science\, and the only psychiatrist. He is currently the Edmond J Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology and director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences\, Imperial College London. \nHe broadcasts widely to the general public both on radio and television. He was the subject for The Life Scientific on BBC radio 4 and has appeared in several BBC Horizon programmes and the Channel 4 documentary Ecstasy-live. Additionally he is much in demand for public affairs programmes on therapeutic as well as illicit drugs\, their harms and their classification. His also lecturers widely to the public as well as to the scientific and medical communities. \n£5 on the door to cover cost with all the extra going to Professor Nutt’s organisation\, Sense About Science
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/the-struggle-for-evidence-based-policy/
LOCATION:Cafe Nucleus\, Gabriel's Hill\, Maidstone\, Kent\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20150302T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20150302T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T203139Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T203139Z
UID:141-1425324600-1425331800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:What Happens When The Oil Runs Out
DESCRIPTION:Across the world\, 30 billion barrels of crude oil are produced each year\, not only for fuel but to make products ranging from plastics to pharmaceuticals. Nearly all our food also depends on oil. \nHowever\, world oil production is set to decline within 5 years. If we continue as we are\, Western civilisation will collapse. Our salvation requires a re-adaptation of how we live\, from the global to the local to a world of small communities far less dependent on transportation. Technology will not save us\, unless we cut our energy use and particularly our demand for oil. Fracking is being hailed as the solution. Is this the case? \nProfessor Chris Rhodes is Director of Fresh-lands Environmental Actions and is based in Reading. He has written numerous scientific articles and recently published his first novel\, University Shambles\, a black comedy on the disintegration of the British university system.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/what-happens-when-the-oil-runs-out/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20141208T193000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20141208T213000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T202909Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T202909Z
UID:142-1418067000-1418074200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:How Life Reflects Numbers And Numbers Reflect Life
DESCRIPTION:Alex Bellos will talk about his book Alex Through the Looking Glass: How Life Reflects Numbers and Numbers Reflect Life\, his follow-up to the bestselling Alex’s Adventures in Numberland. In the course of the talk he will discuss his survey to discover the world’s favourite number\, psychological responses to mathematics and how very simple rules can generate very complex behaviour. And other fun maths stuff. \nAlex Bellos is the bestselling author of Alex’s Adventures in Numberland\, which was shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize. He is the Guardian’s maths-blogger\, and has worked for the paper in London and Rio de Janeiro as its unusually numerate foreign correspondent. He is currently a curator-in-residence at the Science Museum. His new book\, Alex Through The Looking Glass\, is out now and will be on sale on the night.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/how-life-reflects-numbers-and-numbers-reflect-life/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20141112T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20141112T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T202734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T202734Z
UID:143-1415822400-1415829600@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Artificial Intellegence
DESCRIPTION:Artificial Intelligence has been a staple of popular culture for generations from promises of a Leisure Age when robots would do all of our work while we lived in luxury to scare stories where robots turn against their masters. \nDr Tucker looks at some of the key figures in AI in the last century through to the state-of-the-art learning machines that are all around us today and asks whether we will ever really have intelligent machines that are comparable to humans. \nDr Allan Tucker is senior lecturer in computer science at Brunel University. His research focuses on designing algorithms that can learn models from data to predict the future and assist experts in making decisions. His biomedical work includes long term projects with Moorfields Eye Hospital exploring models of eye disease and he collaborates with Leiden University Medical Centre on models of gene regulation. \n(credit to Tunbridge Wells SitP whose site I stole this off 🙂
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/artificial-intellegence/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20141022T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20141022T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T202642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T202642Z
UID:144-1414008000-1414015200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Hero Maker
DESCRIPTION:For years\, journalist Will Storr has been writing about people with strange beliefs: demon hunters\, UFO spotters\, homeopaths and a couple who swore they’ve met the Yeti in some woods outside Ipswich. One afternoon\, he was sitting at a Creationist lecture in the far north of Australia when he asked himself a question that he couldn’t even begin to answer. Why don’t facts work? The people that he had met\, in his ten years of reporting\, were often not stupid. Many were demonstrably intelligent. So why didn’t superior information fail to replace the inferior. Why did logic fail? \nThe answer was to lead him on a journey which is recounted in his new book: The Heretics: Adventures with the Enemies of Science (Picador\, 2013). Along with a spectacular cast of characters – including climate skeptic Lord Christopher Monckton and controversial historian David Irving – and some of the planet’s most celebrated experts in brains and thinking\, Storr finds his answer in what he calls ‘The Hero Maker’ : the collection of neural illusions by which we understand the world to be a narrative struggle which are at the centre of. We populate this narrative with heroes and with villains\, and we flatter ourselves that we are the most important character in it. We are not agents of reason\, but storytellers. \nWill Storr is an award winning journalist and a novelist. For more information\, please see: www.willstorr.com
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/the-hero-maker/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140922T190000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140922T210000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T202355Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T202355Z
UID:145-1411412400-1411419600@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Moving From Ideology to Evidence- Science Denial on GM Food\, Nuclear Power and Climate Change
DESCRIPTION:Mark Lynas is the author of several books on the environment\, including High Tide\, Six Degrees\, and The God Species. His most recent publication\, in July 2013\, was the Kindle Single ebook Nuclear 2.0: Why a green future needs nuclear power. He is a frequent speaker around the world on climate change\, biotechnology and nuclear power\, and was climate change advisor to the President of the Maldives between 2009 and 2011. In October 2013 he was appointed a Visiting Fellow at Cornell University’s\, Office of International Programs at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He is also a member of the advisory board of the science advocacy group Sense About Science\, and is vice-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Emerging Technologies\, which produces an annual top 10 list of the technologies with most potential to change the way we all live.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/moving-from-ideology-to-evidence-science-denial-on-gm-food-nuclear-power-and-climate-change/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140916T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140916T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T202051Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T202051Z
UID:146-1410897600-1410904800@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Smashing Physics- News from the energy frontier
DESCRIPTION:The discovery of the Higgs boson made headlines around the world. Two scientists\, Peter Higgs and François Englert\, whose theories predicted its existence\, shared a Nobel Prize. The discovery was the culmination of the largest experiment ever run\, the ATLAS and CMS experiments at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. But what really is a Higgs boson and what does it do? How was it found? And what will the LHC do next? Jon Butterworth\, a leading member of the ATLAS experiment\, will talk about all this and more. \nJon Butterworth is also Head of the Department of Physics & Astronomy at UCL\, and writes for the Guardian at http://www.theguardian.com/science/life-and-physics
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/smashing-physics-news-from-the-energy-frontier/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140805T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140805T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T201804Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T201804Z
UID:147-1407268800-1407276000@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Autism Treatments: The good\, the bad and the ugly
DESCRIPTION:Tannice gives a specialist talk on “Autism treatments: the good\, the bad and the ugly” which discusses the toxic treatments that many Autistic children are exposed to on a daily basis. Focusing on Hyperbaric Oxygen Tanks\, Lupron (US only) and Chelation\, Tannice exposes her audience to a murky world of misunderstandings and misrepresentations as to the causes and “fixes” alternative medicine proposes. \nCareful to weigh up the costs and benefits of several alternative medicines in the context of frightened parents who lack adequate support\, Tannice’s talk has been described as “informative\, eye-opening and anger-inducing” as well as “packed full of information to entertain\, inform and shock”. \nTannice also takes her audience through the results of her survey examining attitudes towards people on the spectrum with some incisive and some misguided responses to what “cures” or causes autism. Spoiler: nothing and we don’t know. Addressing the controversial disability rights issue of whether a “cure” for Autism is a useful idea or not is also part of Tannice’s remit\, with a short discussion of the prevailing attitudes\, her own view and points of view on how Autism is both a help and a hindrance. \nVaccinations and the false link between MMR and Autism is another subject that simply couldn’t escape examination and despite a reluctance to give credence to the theory with the oxygen of attention\, Tannice applies significant ire to anti-vaccination stances\, carefully deconstructing and skewering the arguments.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/autism-treatments-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140716T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140716T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T201443Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T201443Z
UID:148-1405540800-1405548000@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Kent Philosophy Club
DESCRIPTION:Unfortunately Mark had to pull out\, so instead we’re going to be holding an informal meet up on Philosophy. Paul\, who started the group\, has a degree in philosophy and psychology\, and started the group to give to meet others in Kent interested in philosophy rather than give talks.\nIt will be free to anyone who wants to come a long and chat. No experience in philosophy is necessary\, just an interest and a desire to learn.\nThe topic this time will be Skepticsm 🙂
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/kent-philosophy-club/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140602T203000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140602T223000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T201033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190209T134952Z
UID:149-1401741000-1401748200@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:Leftie Cock Womble
DESCRIPTION:Kate Smurthwaite is a stand-up comedian and political activist.\nKate is often a guest on news and debate shows and is well known for her forthright opinions and campaigning work. Appearances include BBC 1’s The Big Questions\, BBC Breakfast\, BBC News 24\, Channel 4 News\, Channel 5 News\, ITV News\, ITV This Morning\, Sky News\, BBC Radio 2 Jeremy Vine Show\, BBC 5live\, BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour\, BBC Radio 4 The Moral Maze. In 2012 Radio 4’s Four Thought series included a 15-minute program written and performed entirely by Kate about sexist humour and sexism in comedy.\nShe also writes for publications from Cosmopolitan to both the Guardian and the Independent and is the Vice Chair and Media Spokesperson for campaign group Abortion Rights UK.\nKate is a writer for the BBC Three political comedy show The Revolution Will Be Televised.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/leftie-cock-wobble/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20140423T200000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20140423T220000
DTSTAMP:20260525T160652
CREATED:20190208T200850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190208T200850Z
UID:150-1398283200-1398290400@maidstoneskeptics.co.uk
SUMMARY:An Atheists guide to the Alpha Course
DESCRIPTION:The Alpha Course runs in 162 countries and has been attended\, according to their website\, by 20 Million people. Over 9 weeks\, students are guided through Christian theology ostensibly to Explore the meaning of Life. \nSimon Clare\, an unabashed atheist\, signed up to his local course in Brighton\, wondering if his faithlessness would be challenged. Spoiler: He wasn’t converted but he was surprised at how the course affected his attitude to faith – not to mention what goes on during the later stages of the course. \nThe new Archbishop Of Canterbury\, Justin Welby\, is an old friend of the Alpha Course’s organisers and his election suggests that Alpha has graduated from fringe group to a central part of Christianity’s struggle to survive. \nAs well as giving an overview of the course from biblical history to singing in tongues\, Simon will discuss what atheists\, humanists and skeptics might learn from it.
URL:http://maidstoneskeptics.co.uk/event/an-atheists-guide-to-the-alpha-course/
LOCATION:The Style and Winch\, 72 Union Street\, Maidstone\, Kent\, ME14 1ED\, United Kingdom
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END:VCALENDAR