Catherine Deveney is a comedy writer, columist, author, cultural Catholic, born again atheist and mother of three from The People’s Republic Of Moreland. One of her recent campaigns has been against the proliferation of 4WD’s.
On Monday 15th October, Catherine will be discussing her conversion to atheism for The Australian Skeptics at La Notte Restaurant, 140 Lygon Street Carlton at 8pm (Meal from 6pm, donation requested).
I have been interested in the human population factor in environment since I was a teenager in the 1960s. This came about through an interest in the environment and seeing a threat to wild life at that time as well as a push for and awareness of the need for National Parks in the face of “progress“, population growth and development in Australia. Around that time Paul Ehrlich’s rather alarming but seminal book, The Population Bomb came out and I read it with a large measure of disquiet. Although population was not the main preoccupation of my early adulthood, I later became concerned when it seemed to me that it was not being adequately addressed by environmental groups because it had become a taboo topic: yet population was already having such a huge impact on our environment.
It was and is a continual trade off between development and the environment and it seemed then as now that development was non -negotiable. I heard about Sustainable Population Australia some time in the 1990s and joined in that decade. I was Vice President of the Victorian Branch in 2004 – 5 and I am currently the Victorian President of Sustainable Population Australia, having been elected in 2006 and 2007.
The last four years have been packed with experience and learning. In that time, the current Vice President of SPA Victoria, Sheila Newman and I began using electronic video to record and investigate issues which are related to or dependent upon population growth. This has exposed much discontent which needs to be reported and publicized in the areas of development, democracy, population and environment.
My academic qualifications include a sub-major in philosophy and a degree in Arts/Psychology and French, Audiology and Librarianship along with about 3 years of study in Art, but my current interests are in population, energy and environment as these factors will shape the future of our world.
Have you ever bought something that you didn’t really want, because the salesperson was so nice, so persuasive, so helpful? Chances are that the salesperson (whether they knew it or not) was using some of the techniques of a skilled Cold Reader.
‘Cold Reading‘ is a term invented by stage magicians. It refers to psychological techniques used by certain people to influence the beliefs and behaviour of other people.
The term was coined back in the days of live variety theatre and carnival side-shows to distinguish it from ‘Hot Reading‘, where the magician or mystic used bits of specific information that they already had, but pretended that they were discovering for the very first time. A good Cold Reader needs no such prior knowledge.
You’ll find Cold Readers well represented View More Cold Reading
If you would like to assist us with running this stall, please contact feedback@skeptics.com.au
ScienceWorks program: http://www.scienceworks.museum.vic.gov.au
Public Debate
Sponsored by the Philosophy Department, University of Melbourne in association with the Rationalist Society of Australia and Creation Research
Date: Thursday August 2
Time: 7:00 pm
Topic: That the universe was created by an intelligent designer.
Venue: Public Lecture Theatre, Old Arts Building, University of Melbourne.
Chair: Prof Graham Priest
Speakers For: John Mackay, Craig Hawkins Speakers Against: Ian Robinson, John Perkins
Format: Speaker 1 for 15 mins Speaker 1 against 15 mins Speaker 2 for 15 mins Speaker 2 against 15 mins Questions from floor 30 mins Speaker against sums up 10 mins (no new material) Speaker for sums up 10 mins (no new material)
Admission Free Parking is available in the underground car park for $5 (coins only) Enter from Grattan Street
Skeptics Cafe, 20th of November 2007, – “Towards a Nuclear Future” Dr Colin Keay
The Electromagnetic Bomb – a Weapon of Electrical Mass Destruction
http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/kopp/apjemp.html
High Power Electromagnetic Pulse generation techniques and High Power Microwave technology have matured to the point where practical E-bombs (Electromagnetic bombs) are becoming technically feasible, with new applications in both Strategic and Tactical Information Warfare. The development of conventional E-bomb devices allows their use in non-nuclear confrontations. Dr Kopp will discuss aspects of the technology base, weapon delivery techniques and propose a doctrinal foundation for the use of such devices in warhead and bomb applications.
Well-known Sydney personality Richard Saunders was born in Kurri Kurri NSW and now just loves to eat it. He is known far and wide as an international author and origami expert with 30 books published. Richard enjoyed his time as President and is now the Technology Consultant for the Skeptic.
Richard was awarded Life Membership of Australian Skeptics in 2001 for his work on The Great Skeptic CD and since then he has created the Great Skeptic CD2, the Great Water Divining DVD and video, created the Skeptics online shop, designed the “card carrying skeptic card“, designed and created the “2005 Babes of Skepticism Calendar“, founded “Sydney Skeptics in the Pub“, initiated “The Skeptic Tank” radio show, produced the Australian Skeptics collection on TV”s “Theories of Everything” and created several of the Skeptics convention DVDs.
Richard delights in investigations, teaching critical thinking to school students and uncovering quackery.
