Archive for the ‘interviews’ Category
Saturday, August 28th, 2010
We interview Mary Roach, author of the bestselling science-humor book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. She’s also the author of Stiff (about human cadavers), Spook (the scientific inquest on life after death), and Bonk (the science of human sexuality). Packing for Mars is both educational and laugh-out-loud funny. It’s available in hardcover, audiobook, and for Kindle.
If you can’t get enough of Mary Roach (and let’s face it, who can?), John interviewed her back in 2005 at SciFiDimensions.com, and reviewed both Stiff and Spook.
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Tags: bonk, mary roach, packing for mars, spook, stiff
Posted in astronomy & space, books, humor, interviews, medical research, podcast, science | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Posted in interviews | 1 Comment »
Monday, July 12th, 2010
We talk with Michael Largo, author of the entertaining, enlightening, encyclopedic tome God’s Lunatics: Lost Souls, False Prophets, Martyred Saints, Murderous Cults, Demonic Nuns, and Other Victims of Man’s Eternal Search for the Divine. His previous nonfiction works include Genius and Heroin, The Portable Obituary, and the award-winning Final Exits: The Illustrated Encyclopedia of How We Die. For more about Michael and his books visit FinalExits.com.
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Tags: god's lunatics, michael largo
Posted in books, history, humor, interviews, podcast, religion | No Comments »
Sunday, June 13th, 2010
We talk with Christina L. Graves, a biology student (and prebiotic chemistry researcher) at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Christina walks us through the recent announcement by the J. Craig Venter Institute that they have created a self-replicating, synthetic cell. We also discuss the reaction to Venter’s news from religious groups like the Catholic Church, Creation Ministries International, and even the Raelians.
Briefly mentioned: The new Adrien Brody/Sarah Polley film Splice, a sci-fi-horror shocker about genetic engineering gone very very wrong.
Glossary of terms:
Abiogenesis – the theory of how life on Earth could have arisen from inanimate matter.
Prebiotic Chemistry – the field of study involving the spontaneous chemical reactions which may have led to the formation of biomolecules and/or life on early Earth.
Stanley Miller (1930-2007) – an American chemist and biologist who is known for his studies into the origin of life, particularly the Miller-Urey experiment which demonstrated that organic compounds can be created by fairly simple physical processes from inorganic substances.
Atheopath – A neologism, coined by Creation Ministries International’s Jonathan Sarfati and used (as far as we can tell) by no one else, which combines the word “atheist” and the suffix “-path” (”one afflicted by a specified disorder”) to create a word meaning something like “one afflicted by atheism.” Apparently it’s intended to echo scary words like sociopath and psychopath. Perhaps we should coin the counter-term “theopath.”
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Tags: abiogenesis, atheopath, j. craig venter institute, jcvi, prebiotic chemistry, raelians, splice, synthetic cell, venter
Posted in christianity, cults, interviews, medical research, new age, news, podcast, religion, science | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010
If you care, tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer, a Congressionally-declared event recently ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. (In the shadow of the NDP is the lesser-known but laudable National Day of Reason–check the calendar for events near you).
Meanwhile, National Public Radio has aired this excellent article about the controversy. It features Freedom From Religion Foundation co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor and Asheville (North Carolina) city councilman Cecil Bothwell.
Tags: national day of prayer
Posted in civil rights, interviews, news, politics, religion, religious rights | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
A judge has ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional, handing Dan Barker’s Freedom from Religion Foundation a victory in its lawsuit against the federal government. President Obama (who participated in the NDP last year) immediately said he would participate again this year. The feds will appeal, and it’s likely this will be settled in the Supreme Court (although, the way that body has been ruling lately it’s likely the decision will be overturned). And for those that are interested, there’s a counter-observance the same day as the NDP called the National Day of Reason.
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Tags: andrew bush, british libel law, mark of the beast, microchips, national day of prayer, simon singh, southern reason
Posted in atheism, civil rights, interviews, movies, news, podcast, politics, religious rights, science | No Comments »
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Sort of. Here’s a sneak peak at “Southern Reason,” a work in progress by aspiring documentarian Andrew Bush. “Southern Reason” is a look at the experience of being an atheist in the American South. David and I were flattered that Andrew asked us to serve as his guinea pigs. He’ll be conducting other interviews (hopefully) with prominent Southern atheists and will make the finished product available later this year.
Andrew is also hoping to do a little “crowd sourcing” to spruce up the film. If you have music or images (for which you own the copyright) that Andrew can use for “Southern Reason,” send them to movie@americanfreethought.com.
For more about Andrew and his work visit AndrewBushFilms.com.
Tags: andrew bush, southern reason
Posted in atheism, interviews, movies, news | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
John C. Snider with Christopher Hitchens, Emory University, February 26, 2010
American Atheists president Ed Buckner reports on the recent meeting between representatives of the Secular Coalition for America with White House officials.
Plus: We meet the Hitch! Allison joins us to talk about “The Only Subject Is Love,” a seminar we attended at Emory University featuring Salman Rushdie, Christopher Hitchens, and filmmaker Deepa Mehta (who is developing a film adaptation of Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children). The event celebrates the opening of Rushdie’s archives at Emory. Surprises included spontaneous recitations of poetry (Hitchens selecting the heartwrenching “Dulce et Decorum est,” Rushdie the humorous “The Walrus and the Carpenter.”) And…we learned that Hitchens’ memoir–Hitch 22–is due out in June!
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Tags: christopher hitchens, deepa mehta, ed buckner, emory university, salman rushdie, secular coalition for america, white house
Posted in arts, atheism, civil rights, interviews, podcast, politics, religion, religious rights | 1 Comment »
Podcast #84 Bonus Material – Newdow in 2002
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010I’m packing up to head to Newark for the American Atheists convention this weekend, but meanwhile, here’s a blast from the past. Waaay back in August 2002, I (John C. Snider) interviewed Michael Newdow when he was just hitting the national scene with his first lawsuit challenging the Constitutionality of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
And to get the Christian perspective on this issue, I interviewed Dr. Bob Allred, who at the time was pastor of Atlanta First United Methodist Church (the oldest church in Atlanta). Dr. Allred went on to pastor at at least one other church in the metro area, but I lost track of him two or three years ago. This interview is also from 2002.
My apologies if the sound quality of these interviews isn’t as good as it could be; my apologies also if my delivery is flat and/or less-than-professional. This was an early, early experiment in internet broadcasting, certainly predating the podcasting phenomenon by several years. In any case, I hope you find it an interesting and enlightening listening experience. Enjoy!
Tags: michael newdow, pledge of allegiance, under god
Posted in atheism, children, christianity, civil rights, commentary, interviews, religion, religious rights | 1 Comment »