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Saturday, September 14, 2013
"Last Ape Standing", Chip Walter on Atheists Talk #211, March 24, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/KxRnGUuf0lU/atheists_talk-0211-20130324.mp3
Human beings are alone in the world. Homo sapiens are the only remainders of genus homo. Our closest relatives are chimps and bonobos, but many of our closer relatives have been lost to time.
In his book, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived, science journalist and documentarian Chip Walter explores how we came to stand alone and what happened to our very distant cousins. From the publisher's description:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/KxRnGUuf0lU/atheists_talk-0211-20130324.mp3
Human beings are alone in the world. Homo sapiens are the only remainders of genus homo. Our closest relatives are chimps and bonobos, but many of our closer relatives have been lost to time.
In his book, Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived, science journalist and documentarian Chip Walter explores how we came to stand alone and what happened to our very distant cousins. From the publisher's description:
Drawing on a wide variety of scientific disciplines, Walter reveals how a rare evolutionary phenomenon led to the uniquely long childhoods that make us so resourceful and emotionally complex. He looks at why we developed a new kind of mind and how our highly social nature has shaped our moral (and immoral) behavior. And in exploring the traits that enabled our success, he plumbs the roots of our creativity and investigates why we became self-aware in ways that no other animal is. Along the way, Last Ape Standing profiles other human species who evolved with us and who have also shaped our kind in startling ways - the Neanderthals of Europe, the "Hobbits" of Indonesia, the Denisovans of Siberia, and the recently discovered Red Deer Cave people of China, who died off just as we stood at the brink of civilizations eleven thousand years ago.
"Atheism For Dummies" Dale McGowan on Atheists Talk #210, Sunday, March 17th, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/CzSCgZOYtyM/atheists_talk-0210-20130317.mp3
Dale McGowan is an accomplished writer and leader in the atheist community. Dale is perhaps best known for his book, Parenting Beyond Belief, the first resource of its kind for freethinkers raising children. He has also written Raising Freethinkers, Voices of Unbelief and two fictional novels, Calling Bernadette's Bluff and Good Thunder. He blogs about his life and family at The Meming of Life.
Dale's newest book, Atheism For Dummies, is now available from Wiley Publishing. From the publisher's website:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/CzSCgZOYtyM/atheists_talk-0210-20130317.mp3
Dale McGowan is an accomplished writer and leader in the atheist community. Dale is perhaps best known for his book, Parenting Beyond Belief, the first resource of its kind for freethinkers raising children. He has also written Raising Freethinkers, Voices of Unbelief and two fictional novels, Calling Bernadette's Bluff and Good Thunder. He blogs about his life and family at The Meming of Life.
Dale's newest book, Atheism For Dummies, is now available from Wiley Publishing. From the publisher's website:
For people seeking a non-religious philosophy of life, as well as believers with atheist friends, Atheism For Dummies offers an intelligent exploration of the historical and moral case for atheism. Often wildly misunderstood, atheism is a secular approach to life based on the understanding that reality is an arrangement of physical matter, with no consideration of unverifiable spiritual forces.
"50 Simple Questions for Every Christian", Guy P. Harrison on Atheists Talk #209, March 10, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/Yx90rI-MX8w/atheists_talk-0209-20130310.mp3
Author and skeptic Guy P. Harrison returns to Atheists Talk to discuss his forthcoming book, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian. Continuing in the tradition of his previous "50 Things" books, this one is addressed at helping Christians and non-Christians explore each other's viewpoints. From the publisher's description:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/Yx90rI-MX8w/atheists_talk-0209-20130310.mp3
Author and skeptic Guy P. Harrison returns to Atheists Talk to discuss his forthcoming book, 50 Simple Questions for Every Christian. Continuing in the tradition of his previous "50 Things" books, this one is addressed at helping Christians and non-Christians explore each other's viewpoints. From the publisher's description:
This is a friendly and conversational inquiry about basic Christian beliefs from a sceptical viewpoint. Despite waning church attendance, Christianity continues to be one of the most influential forces in the world. As such, it's important that everyone gains some understanding of the basic Christian tenets and that Christians understand why non-Christians may react with skepticism to their worldview. This unique book poses fifty simple questions about Christianity that will hopefully foster mutual understanding between Christians and non-Christians. In a respectful style that is friendly and conversational, the author tries to shed light on Christian beliefs. Each question is followed by commentary and analysis that is skeptical and tough but never argumentative or condescending. Designed to promote constructive dialogue, "50 Simple Questions" will enlighten, educate, and inspire thoughtful reflection on topics that are central to history's most popular religion.
A Generation’s Changing American Dream (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/08/19/changing-american-dream
Everybody knows how tough it’s been for a generation of young Americans just hitting the workforce – or trying to – in the last half dozen years. American twenty-somethings have walked straight into a wall of recession. Been knocked back into parents’ homes and recalculations of what life will bring.
My guest today Jennifer Silva says that recalculation is deeper than you may understand – especially for low-income Americans. Back on their heels and feeling betrayed, she says, they are redefining the American dream sharply downward.
This hour, On Point: young Americans’ new dreams.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/08/19/changing-american-dream
Everybody knows how tough it’s been for a generation of young Americans just hitting the workforce – or trying to – in the last half dozen years. American twenty-somethings have walked straight into a wall of recession. Been knocked back into parents’ homes and recalculations of what life will bring.
My guest today Jennifer Silva says that recalculation is deeper than you may understand – especially for low-income Americans. Back on their heels and feeling betrayed, she says, they are redefining the American dream sharply downward.
This hour, On Point: young Americans’ new dreams.
- Tom Ashbrook
The Rise Of E-Cigarettes (Tom Ashbrook, On Point)
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/11/e-cigarettes
America fought for years to get out of the clutches of cigarettes and the ravages of tobacco. Many Americans still fight to break free. Now there’s a new player. E-cigarettes. All the nicotine of a cigarette, but none of the tar and gunk that lead to cancer – as far as we know.
You may have seen people puffing them. Vapor in, vapor out. No actual smoke. But there’s a big debate over the net impact. Are e-cigarettes a nifty way off of traditional smoking? Or are they a new gateway to nicotine addiction and, ultimately, back to cigarettes?
This hour, On Point: the e-cigarette dilemma.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/11/e-cigarettes
America fought for years to get out of the clutches of cigarettes and the ravages of tobacco. Many Americans still fight to break free. Now there’s a new player. E-cigarettes. All the nicotine of a cigarette, but none of the tar and gunk that lead to cancer – as far as we know.
You may have seen people puffing them. Vapor in, vapor out. No actual smoke. But there’s a big debate over the net impact. Are e-cigarettes a nifty way off of traditional smoking? Or are they a new gateway to nicotine addiction and, ultimately, back to cigarettes?
This hour, On Point: the e-cigarette dilemma.
– Tom Ashbrook
Friday, September 13, 2013
Week in the News: Russia, Syria and Colorado Senate Recalls
Interview:
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/13/week-in-the-news-russia-syria-colorado
It’s hard to remember a week like this in American foreign policy. A president throwing the brakes on a military strike to ask Congress for support – that doesn’t come. A Russian diplomatic push becoming an overnight American diplomatic push. Vladimir Putin lecturing Americans on exceptionalism . It may all turn out great – Syria disarmed of chemical weapons, no US quagmire. It may be a mess. We’ve record US inequality, wild floods and a big gun control recall in Colorado, Twitter going public. Up next On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
http://onpoint.wbur.org/2013/09/13/week-in-the-news-russia-syria-colorado
It’s hard to remember a week like this in American foreign policy. A president throwing the brakes on a military strike to ask Congress for support – that doesn’t come. A Russian diplomatic push becoming an overnight American diplomatic push. Vladimir Putin lecturing Americans on exceptionalism . It may all turn out great – Syria disarmed of chemical weapons, no US quagmire. It may be a mess. We’ve record US inequality, wild floods and a big gun control recall in Colorado, Twitter going public. Up next On Point: Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
- Tom Ashbrook
Friday News Roundup - Domestic (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-13/friday-news-roundup-domestic
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-13/friday-news-roundup-domestic
President Barack Obama takes
to the airwaves this week, and instead of asking Congress to approve a
strike in Syria, he called for diplomacy. Freed from having to vote on
Syria, the focus in Washington returns to fiscal issues. House leader
John Boehner looks for support from Democrats to help pass spending
measures in the House. If Congress doesn't agree on a resolution, much
of the federal government will shut down Oct. 1. Bill de Blasio got the
most votes in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. And across the
country, remembrances on the 12th anniversary of 9/11. A panel of
journalists join guest host Tom Gjelten for analysis of the week's top
national news stories.
Friday News Roundup - International (Diane Rehm Show)
Interview:
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-13/friday-news-roundup-international
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2013-09-13/friday-news-roundup-international
Talks between the U.S and
Russia to disarm Syria of chemical weapons start with tension. Syrian
President Bashar Assad insists the U.S. stop threatening military action
and arming Syrian rebels. In Egypt, suicide bombers kill soldiers in
Sinai as the new government extends its state of emergency and broadens
its crackdown on Islamist militants. A satellite image suggests North
Korea is restarting a plutonium reactor. And an Indian judge sentences
four men to death for raping and killing a student. A panel of
journalists joins guest host Tom Gjelten for analysis of the week's top
international news stories.
Two Florida Voter Fraud Investigations Fizzle — Only Arrest Involves A Republican Firm
A pair of investigations by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement offer additional evidence that conservative fears of ... Read more
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Obamacare Not Hindering Full-Time Hiring Expectations, 500 CFOs Say
Those concerns that Obamacare will make the nation's part-time recovery even worse may be a bit overblown, according to the findings of a recent surve... Read more
Warren: 'I Don't Understand The Logic' Of Congress Not Taking Action
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke on the five-year anniversary of the financial crisis, saying Congress should act to end ... Read more
Kochs Respond To Report Of Their New Political Group
WASHINGTON -- Koch Industries, the conglomerate run by the billionaire conservative funders Charles and David Koch, responded ... Read more
Cantor: If We Can't Defund Obamacare, Let's Delay It
In order to persuade conservatives lawmakers to vote to keep the federal government funded past Sept. 30, House Republican ... Read more
Florida Takes Obamacare Obstruction To Whole New Level
The Florida Department of Health took a big step toward obstructing Obamacare outreach this week -- then almost immediately ... Read more
How Ted Cruz Is Keeping Jesse Helms’ Legacy Alive
Helms, the longest serving senator from North Carolina, is renowned for speaking out against civil rights, voting rights, gay ... Read more
Heritage Puts Anti-Obamacare Billboard In Times Square After State Announces Huge Premium Drop
The message is just the latest political stunt from the organization that first developed the individual health care mandate ... Read more
1 in 5 Americans struggling to put food on the table
Many Americans are still struggling to put food on the table, a full four years after the global recession ended, a new poll by Gallup shows. Indeed ... Read more
Stem cells generated in live mice
This is a significant breakthrough in stem cell research. However, please note the article points out that embryonic stems cells are still the gold standard that has not yet been reached any other way, and that even this breakthrough is not yet proven to be capable of all the same things that embryonic stem cells can do, though it is closer.
Therefore, I point out that anyone who says we do not need embryonic stem cell research, because other types of stem cells can do the same things, is asserting a falsehood. (I'm looking at you, Michigan Catholic Conference of Bishops.)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266015.php
Therefore, I point out that anyone who says we do not need embryonic stem cell research, because other types of stem cells can do the same things, is asserting a falsehood. (I'm looking at you, Michigan Catholic Conference of Bishops.)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/266015.php
Putin pens NYT op-ed urging 'caution' in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin took his case for caution in Syria directly to the American people, writing an op-ed for Thursday's New York Times th... Read more
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
"Liars for Jesus." Chris Rodda on Atheists Talk #121 June 26, 2011
Interview:Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/LSeDfHl32Qw/Atheists_Talk-0121-110626.mp3
Revision of history to modify the present is an old trick on the populace. The United States was not intended to be an officially Christian Nation by the founders, but there is a movement afoot to lie about our basic freedom to disbelieve or believe and be full citizens. David Barton is the most prominent of the revisionists, quote-mining his way through the past to create the impression that the deists, atheists and secularists who crafted the U.S. Constitution and the republic really wanted to make sure that God smiled on our government and people. The Liars for Jesus want us to believe that government would be crippled and ineffective without a reliance on Godly teaching and supplication.
Chris Rodda never intended to be a writer, but as an observer of such revisionism she decided that she could not accept what the Liars for Jesus were foisting on an American public willing to accept their distortions. So, she started researching and writing and finding the source documents the faux historians were so deliberately mangling. She realized that she would need a three volume book in order to dispel (with these inconvenient things called "facts") the notion that this is an officially Jesus-directed nation. The first volume of Liars for Jesus is now out and available and Scott Lohman will be talking Rodda about what she has accomplished in her research so far.
Board Members Push For Creationsim In Science Textbooks
Students in Texas will soon be reading biology textbooks that teach creationism if some of the state's textbook review ... Read more
This Has Conservatives Terrified
Parents and students of America, beware. A new set of education standards is already at or coming soon to schools around the ... Read more
House Republicans Push Monsanto Protection Act
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans will include an extension of the so-called Monsanto Protection Act in the spending bill ... Read more
Woman Sues Over Horrific Transvaginal Ultrasound
When Marianne Keith, 52, went to the hospital with severe abdominal pain in February, the physician recommended that she have a ... Read more
Trader Joe’s Is Dropping Coverage For Some Part Time Workers — And That Means Obamacare Is Working
Trader Joe's decision to stop offering health benefits to workers who log less than 30 hours per week isn't a failure of ... Read more
Employers Actually Plan To Hire More Full-Time Workers As Obamacare Rolls Out
American companies expect to increase the number of full-time employees by 1.8 percent over the next 12 months, undermining ... Read more
Charged With Illegally Dumping Polluted Fracking Fluid, Exxon Claims ‘No Lasting Environmental Impact’
Pennsylvania's Attorney General has filed criminal charges against ExxonMobil for illegally dumping tens of thousands of ... Read more
The Origins Of An Epidemic: How Right-Wing Religious Communities Give Measles A Chance To Spread
A recent measles outbreak in Texas was traced to an evangelical church that preached against vaccines. That's not an isolated ... Read more
Big Banks Are Even Bigger Five Years After The Financial Crisis
The problem of "too big to fail" banks remains a concern five years after they had to be bailed out.The post Big Banks Are Even ... Read more
Goldman Sachs: Sequestration Is Hurting The Economy And Will Get Worse
Sequestration showed up in disappointingly low income growth and will get worse as the cuts continue.The post Goldman Sachs: ... Read more
POLL: Majority Of Muslims Worldwide Reject Extremism
A new Pew survey shows that Muslims are concerned about extremism and reject Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and violence in the name of ... Read more
Pope Francis' No. 2: Clerical celibacy is open to discussion
The Vatican's new secretary of state has said that priestly celibacy is not church dogma and therefore open to discussion, marking a significant chang... Read more
'WE ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED' -- Food Stamp Cuts To Get House Vote In Syria's Shadow
"There are 50 million people in the United States of America who are hungry, 17 million are kids,"
WASHINGTON -- The debate in Congress over whether the United States should bomb Syria may be diverting attention from the ... Read more
WASHINGTON -- The debate in Congress over whether the United States should bomb Syria may be diverting attention from the ... Read more
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
"The Fact of Evolution" Cameron Smith on Atheists Talk #208, Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/hGoZpyVjF9U/atheists_talk-0208-20130303.mp3
Dr. Cameron McPherson Smith has the A's covered: Academic, Author, Archaeologist and Adventurer - and now Atheists Talk radio show guest! An illustrious pedigree, if we do say so.
Dr. Smith has been all over the world looking for new places to explore, phenomenon to uncover, and stories to tell. Join us when we speak with Dr. Smith about his book, The Fact of Evolution, in which he lays out in plain language what evolution is, how it works, and ultimately - in light of all evidence - why it is not up for debate.
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/hGoZpyVjF9U/atheists_talk-0208-20130303.mp3
Dr. Cameron McPherson Smith has the A's covered: Academic, Author, Archaeologist and Adventurer - and now Atheists Talk radio show guest! An illustrious pedigree, if we do say so.
Dr. Smith has been all over the world looking for new places to explore, phenomenon to uncover, and stories to tell. Join us when we speak with Dr. Smith about his book, The Fact of Evolution, in which he lays out in plain language what evolution is, how it works, and ultimately - in light of all evidence - why it is not up for debate.
"Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason" Seth Andrews on Atheists Talk #202, Sunday, January 20th, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/gc_Ut_xSQUg/atheists_talk-0202-20130120.mp3
Seth Andrews is the founder of The Thinking Atheist, one of the most popular atheist communities on the internet. The Thinking Atheist produces a podcast of the same name, YouTube videos, hosts a thriving forum, and offers resources for those who are questioning religion or seeking information to refute religious apologist arguments.
Seth Andrews joins Atheists Talk this Sunday to discuss his new book, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason. This autobiography describes Seth's upbringing in a Christian family and predominantly Christian community and takes us through the questions and doubts that he found himself asking as adult who eventually left his religion.
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/gc_Ut_xSQUg/atheists_talk-0202-20130120.mp3
Seth Andrews is the founder of The Thinking Atheist, one of the most popular atheist communities on the internet. The Thinking Atheist produces a podcast of the same name, YouTube videos, hosts a thriving forum, and offers resources for those who are questioning religion or seeking information to refute religious apologist arguments.
Seth Andrews joins Atheists Talk this Sunday to discuss his new book, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason. This autobiography describes Seth's upbringing in a Christian family and predominantly Christian community and takes us through the questions and doubts that he found himself asking as adult who eventually left his religion.
"The Young Atheists Handbook", Alom Shaha on Atheists Talk #201, Sunday, January 13th, 2013
Interview:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/FCQK-p6vC_s/atheists_talk-0201-20130113.mp3
If you pick up Alom Shaha's The Young Atheist's Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God thinking you're getting a how-to book, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, you may not. While that was Shaha's original intent in writing a book, his editor persuaded him to write something much more personal. From the publisher's description:
Download/Listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/FCQK-p6vC_s/atheists_talk-0201-20130113.mp3
If you pick up Alom Shaha's The Young Atheist's Handbook: Lessons for Living a Good Life Without God thinking you're getting a how-to book, you may be disappointed. On the other hand, you may not. While that was Shaha's original intent in writing a book, his editor persuaded him to write something much more personal. From the publisher's description:
Growing up in a strict Muslim community in south-east London, Alom Shaha learnt that religion was not to be questioned. Reciting the Qur’an without understanding what it meant was simply a part of life; so, too, was obeying the imam and enduring beatings when he failed to attend the local mosque. But Alom was more drawn to science and its power to illuminate. As a teen, he lived between two worlds: the home controlled by his authoritarian father, and a school alive with books and ideas. In a charming blend of memoir, philosophy and science, Alom explores the questions about faith and the afterlife that we all ponder. This is a book for anyone who wonders what they should believe and how they should live. It’s for those who may need the facts and the ideas, as well as the courage, to break free from inherited beliefs. In this powerful narrative, Alom shows that it is possible to live a compassionate, fulfilling and meaningful life without God.Join us as we discuss Shaha's book and work promoting science.
Atheists Talk: Michael Shermer on “The Believing Brain”
Interview:
Download/listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/6SdMh06yTwk/Atheists_Talk-0145-20111211.mp3
Michael Shermer is the founder of the Skeptics Society and editor-in-chief of Skeptic magazine. He is the author of several books on the topics of belief and the history of science. His latest book is The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths.
Download/listen: http://feeds.mnatheists.org/~r/AtheistsTalkRadioShow/~3/6SdMh06yTwk/Atheists_Talk-0145-20111211.mp3
Michael Shermer is the founder of the Skeptics Society and editor-in-chief of Skeptic magazine. He is the author of several books on the topics of belief and the history of science. His latest book is The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths.
In this work synthesizing thirty years of research, psychologist, historian of science, and the world's best-known skeptic Michael Shermer upends the traditional thinking about how humans form beliefs about the world. Simply put, beliefs come first and explanations for beliefs follow. The brain, Shermer argues, is a belief engine. From sensory data flowing in through the senses, the brain naturally begins to look for and find patterns, and then infuses those patterns with meaning. Our brains connect the dots of our world into meaningful patterns that explain why things happen, and these patterns become beliefs. Once beliefs are formed the brain begins to look for and find confirmatory evidence in support of those beliefs, which accelerates the process of reinforcing them, and round and round the process goes in a positive-feedback loop of belief confirmation. Shermer outlines the numerous cognitive tools our brains engage to reinforce our beliefs as truths.Join us as we discuss why the processes that help our brains makes sense of the world also trip us up and make it easy to believe strange things. Interview by Carl Hancock and August Berkshire. Hosted by Stephanie Zvan.
Interlaced with his theory of belief, Shermer provides countless real-world examples of how this process operates, from politics, economics, and religion to conspiracy theories, the supernatural, and the paranormal. Ultimately, he demonstrates why science is the best tool ever devised to determine whether or not a belief matches reality.
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