Modern Humanism in Africa – Kato Mukasa

For this talk, Kato will be drawing from two of his more recent books: The God Business and the Death of Reason in Africa (2021), and: Modern Humanism, and How to make it work for the People.

He will explore the history of religion in Africa, both traditional religions and those imported by colonists, and the effect that religion has had on the lives and the thinking of people in Uganda and further afield throughout Africa.

Kato will also talk about his view of practical Humanism, how it should not be restricted to conferences and lecture theatres, but be taken to the grassroots where it can be seen in action. Modern Humanism is more concerned with activism and there are several ways through which Humanism can be made more relevant

Kato Mukasa is a Ugandan lawyer; he is the Executive Director of Legal Relief Frontiers LTD, a non governmental organization which provides Legal Relief services to the poor in Uganda. Over the years in his practice as a lawyer he has handled human rights cases which involve supporting LGBTQ rights, abused children, rape victims and victims of land evictions among others. He has espoused these views on local media and has a number of published books, such as „Challenging the myths about homosexuality“.

Kato is also a humanist in a country where only 0.2% of the population identify as non-religious. Having had a keen interest in religion in his early teens, he was eventually expelled from his Catholic high school for refusing to attend mass.

He is the chair of Uganda Humanist Association the oldest Humanist organization in Africa, and a former member of the board of directors of the International Humanist and Ethical Union.

In 2007 he co-founded the Humanist Association for Leadership, Equity and Accountability to promote critical thinking and human rights. Its monthly campus discussions are attended by people of faith and non-believers. It also sponsors students and assists young mothers in acquiring entrepreneurship skills, among other programs. He is the founding director of Pearl Vocational Training College and Pearl Mukasa Memorial High School, schools which provide education to the marginalized urban and rural poor, young mothers and needy students.
Sadly it is perhaps not surprising that views such as these, in a very traditional and religious country, have made him the target of attacks.

Science Friction – how surface interactions shaped the world – Laurie Winkless

We are surrounded by stickiness. From the bike tyre that grips the road and the Post-it note that’s become an office mainstay, to your non-stick frying pan, and the ice that transforms waterways each winter. All of these things are controlled by tiny forces that operate on and between surfaces, with friction playing the leading role. In this talk, Laurie will explore the role of friction in both the manufactured and natural worlds. She will describe how our understanding of surface science, and our ability to manipulate stickiness, have developed throughout history, transforming the world around us. If you’ve ever wondered how the ancient Egyptians could move colossal stone blocks, or why earthquakes happen, you might find the answers here.

This talk is inspired by Laurie’s latest book, ‘Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces’. Published by Bloomsbury in the UK and Europe on 11 November 2021, it will reach other markets in early 2022.

Laurie Winkless is an Irish physicist and author. After a physics degree and a masters in space science, she joined the UK’s National Physical Laboratory as a research scientist, specialising in functional materials. Now based in New Zealand, Laurie has been communicating science to the public for 15 years. Since leaving the lab, she has worked with scientific institutes, engineering companies, universities, and astronauts, amongst others. Her writing has featured in outlets including Forbes, Wired, and Esquire, and she appeared in The Times magazine as a leading light in STEM. Laurie’s first book was Science and the City. Her second, Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces, is available now (in hardcopy, e-book and audio formats) from all good bookshops.

SkeptiCamp Monterey 2022

The First Skeptic Conference of the year!

links:
ZOOM meeting
YouTube channel – join the conversation

Schedule and speakers’ topics

All times Pacific – Speaking times are flexible – bear with us (Česká republika je o 9 hodin napřed!)

 

9:46am  – Welcome from Susan Gerbic, founder of Monterey County Skeptics and Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia (GSoW).  

10:30am – Facepalm – the absurdities of the Truth Movement – Claus Larsen & Steen Svanholm

About: As editors of 911facts.dk, an independent medium which aims to investigate the core claims of the Truth Movement, Steen Svanholm and Claus Larsen have investigated conspiracy theories for more than a decade.

Summary: Conspiracy theorists present their alternative explanations as far better supported than “the official accounts”. In reality, the theories are not only lacking in evidence, they are also absurd and often contradict each other. The lecture will also explain the thinking behind these problems and how the Truth Movement handles the absurdities in an Orwellian manner.

 

11:00am – Linda Rosa – Attachment Therapy: the most cruel quackery

11:45am – Rob Palmer Critical Thinking 101: Inoculating Yourself Against False Beliefs

Summary: Our brains evolved on the African savannah well enough to allow survival in that unforgiving environment. But our thinking is far from perfect. We are primed to trust the opinions and anecdotes of people we know. We conclude that something is true based on inadequate personal experience, less-than-perfect memory, faulty logic, and a host of cognitive biases. All of this can lead us to believe in things which do not comport with reality, and often results in bad decisions and even harm. In this talk, Rob Palmer will discuss these topics from a skeptical perspective, because understanding our innate cognitive shortcomings can help us think more rationally, better avoid errors, and live better lives.

Rob Palmer is affectionally called The Well-Known Skeptic – find his column for Skeptical Inquirer here.

 

12:15pm –  Kyle Polich – Cryopreservation: a skeptical survey

Summary: Cryogenics are a speculative technology aimed at preserving a dying human body in a way that enables thawing and revival once medical science has discovered a cure. To date, no such revivals have been achieved in human beings. Should we be calling cryogenics “woo”? If I can afford it, what are my odds? Where is Walt Disney’s head? These questions and more will be explored.

Bio: Kyle is the host of the popular podcast Data Skeptic – find more here.

 

12:45pm –  Adrienne Hill – Tic Tok Tics with Teens and the Pandemic

Summary: Since the second wave of the pandemic, a surge of patients with “acute onset tic-like behaviors” have been seen in Calgary and around the world. The headlines in the news have blamed Tik Tok, social media and even the teens themselves for being attention-seeking. Adrienne will discuss what is currently known about these unusual cases.

Bio: Galactic overlord of both time and space within the boundaries of Calgary, Alberta – she is the giver of talks on moose and the superiority of Canadian maple syrup vs Australian maple syrup.

1:30pm – Lunch – hang around and socialize with attendees and speakers

 

2:00pm – Richard Saunders – International Skepticism in Action – The Great Australian Psychic Prediction Project

Summary: Richard Saunders gives us an overview of the largest survey every undertaken into the question of whether it is possible to see into the future using paranormal powers.

 

2:30pm– Mano Singham – Why the age of the Earth has oscillated wildly over time

Summary: The age of the Earth seems to be a settled question in the scientific community, But estimates of its age have oscillated wildly in the past, starting with it being considered really old (even infinitely old) to becoming very young (of the order of thousands of years) to becoming sort of old (hundreds of millions of years) to younger again (tens of millions of years) to the current view of it being really old (of the order of billions of years). This talk will look at the interplay of scientific and religious thinking that was driving this fluctuation.

Bio: Mano Singham is a theoretical physicist and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. His recent research interests are in theories of knowledge and physics and philosophy. He is the author of four books, the most recent of which is titled The Great Paradox of Science: Why Its Conclusions Can Be Relied Upon Even Though They Cannot Be Proven that was published by Oxford University Press in 2019.

 

3:15pm – Craig Good – Eating Sceptically

Summary: A lot of people worry about eating the “wrong” food. Well-funded campaigns have spent years convincing you that some foods are good, some are bad, and some are downright evil. It doesn’t have to be that way. Craig Good’s book, “Relax and Enjoy Your Food”, uses science and a little common sense to take away all that anxiety. In this talk Craig will discuss persistent myths about food, how to apply science to nutritional decisions, how to identify trustworthy sources of diet information, and how to eat fearlessly and guiltlessly.

Bio: Craig Good spent thirty one years at Pixar (and Lucasfilm before that), and is now an Assistant Professor at the California College of the Arts. He’s guest-hosted and written for the Skeptoid podcast, and has been a guest on The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe. He has wide-ranging interests that include food and science. When his daughter was diagnosed with anorexia he got an up close look at how important it is to have a healthy relationship with food. As the author of Relax and Enjoy Your Food he’s put on his science communicator hat to untangle the myths that keep us anxious and less healthy than we could be.

 

3:45pm – Allison Long – Maine Vaccines and GSoW

Summary: Allison will be expanding on her involvement with the Guerrilla Skeptics on Wikipedia project – mainly focusing on Maine, USA.

 

4:15pm – JD Sword – Operation Onion Ring – Or, How to Fool a Grief Vampire

Summary: JD will be speaking about his involvement with the April 2021 sting that caught medium Thomas John hot-reading a group of children 5-12 years old.

JD is a columnist for Skeptical Inquirer focusing on demonic topics

Dušan Majer: 5 momentů Space X v roce 2021

Firma SpaceX ani v roce 2021 nezahálela. Dokonce už teď můžeme říct, že pro ni byl tento rok z hlediska počtu startů tím nejaktivnějším v celé její historii. V tom množství zajímavých momentů se pokusíme najít pět nejdůležitějších či nejzajímavějších, které si zaslouží být nejvíce připomínány. řeč tak bude například o výběru upravené Starship jakožto lunárního landeru pro program Artemis, nebo o historicky první čistě amatérské výpravě Inspiration4.

Dušan Majer (* 1987) vystudoval gymnázium AD FONTES a po maturitě nastoupil do regionální televize, ve které pracoval několik let jako redaktor. Ve volném čase se věnoval kosmonautice. Postupně zjistil, že ho baví si o ní nejen číst, ale že je mnohem zajímavější získané informace předávat dál. Na podzim roku 2009 se proto odhodlal ke dvěma malým krokům pro lidstvo, ale velkým pro něj – na internetu zveřejnil své první video o kosmonautice a založil diskusní fórum věnující se tomuto oboru. Během dvou let se původně nesmělý audiovizuální příspěvek proměnil v pravidelnou tvorbu, kterou zastřešil pořad Dobývání vesmíru a kterou v posledních třech ročnících soutěže SCIAP ocenila AV ČR hned pěti oceněními. Od roku 2012 je navíc šéfredaktorem blogu kosmonautix.cz, který se zaměřuje na zpravodajství z kosmonautiky. Na MALL.TV vytváří pořady Vesmírné zprávy, Vesmírná technika a Vesmírné starty.

Předání Ceny Jiřího Heřta redakci ČT Hyde Park Civilizace s přednáškou D.Stacha

Ocenění, jehož záměrem je zvýraznit zásluhy laureátů o užívání, šíření a popularizaci metod kritického vědeckého myšlení, jež představuje hráz proti epidemii falešných a lživých zpráv zaplevelujících veřejný prostor předali členové Klubu skeptiků Sisyfos v malém sále Planetária Praha 15. 11. 2021.

Záznam slavnostního prvního předání Ceny Jiřího Heřta redakci České televize Hyde Park Civilizace s výtečnou a vtipnou následnou přednáškou Daniela Stacha nejen o vzniku tohoto pořadu, ve kterém se do dnešního dne objevilo mimojiné i 31 laureátů Nobelovy ceny,
můžete shlédnout ZDE.

Invazní druhy okolo nás V. – 2. část

Webinář on-line, navazující volně na předchozí setkání a semináře , materiály i pro začátečníky a nové mapovatele, řešitele projektů či výzkumných a odborných prací aj.
Přihlášky do programu i k účasti prosím na armillaria@seznam.cz – tvoříme jej společně, vzájemně užitečně a prospěšně pro své dovednosti i pro přírodu.

Přístup on-line je tento: https://meet.google.com/cda-xbjr-day
(14- 17 hod., možná skončíme později, dle vstupů do programu a účasti, akce bude pro další zájemce zaznamenána)
Akce je realizována s podporou MŽP, Lesů ČR a Nadace Ivana Dejmala pro ochranu přírody, v rámci pogramu Ochrana biodiverzity Českého svazu ochránců přírody, který v letošním roce podpořily i Billa, NET4GAS a nadační fond Veolia.

Pátečníci: Vojtěch Novotný – Papua Nová Guinea: kmenové jazyky, kmenová biologie a kmenová medicína

Přednáška se zabývá jazykově a kulturně nejrozmanitější zemí světa, Papuou Novou Guineou. Devět milionů lidí hovořící 850 jazyky zde vytvořilo celou řadu unikátních a zajímavých kultur, každá se svým vlastním přístupem ke zkoumání přírody, včetně snahy rozpoznat, utřídit a prakticky využít místní rostliny a živočichy. O tradičním lékařství pralesních kmenů panuje řada iluzí a mýtů, zde se pokusíme o realistický pohled – obsahují tropické pralesy lékárničku budoucnosti a jsou kmenoví léčitelé užiteční ve světě moderní medicíny?

Vojtěch Novotný (*1964) vystudoval Přírodovědeckou fakultu Univerzity Palackého v Olomouci. Zabývá se ekologií herbivorního hmyzu v tropických ekosystémech. Pracuje v Entomologickém ústavu, součásti Biologického centra AV ČR v Českých Budějovicích, přednáší na Přírodovědecké fakultě Jihočeské univerzity a vede terénní stanici na Papui-Nové Guineji. Je členem Učené společnosti České republiky.

Odkaz na stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiDCkOEnsnQ

Událost na Facebooku: https://www.facebook.com/events/592024238683268/

Týden Akademie věd ČR

Týden vědy a techniky AV ČR má za sebou dvě úspěšné dekády, a tak mu AV letos připravila nový koncept i název. Chce  totiž, aby největší vědecký festival v Česku byl svátkem a oslavou Akademie věd. Nezastřeší jej proto jen jedno hlavní téma jako v minulosti, ale naopak: věda a výzkum se představí ve všech svých podobách. První ročník pod názvem Týden Akademie věd ČR se uskuteční tradičně v podzimním termínu od 1. do 7. listopadu 2021. Přijměte pozvání nejen do sídla Akademie věd na Národní třídě v Praze, ale především na pracoviště. Uvidíte nejnovější úspěchy AV a na čem vědci a vědkyně dlouhodobě pracují.