Next on ETFF…
Saturday, January 28; 3:00 PM EST
Too Many People?: Has the “Population Bomb” Exploded Yet?
In 1968, biologist Paul Ehrlich published the book – The Population Bomb – which became a wake-up call to the world that there were just too many people on the planet; and if something wasn’t done about it soon, there would be grave consequences. Indeed, almost 45 years later, the world is enduring perhaps the most serious ecological breakdown in human history. Famine, climate change, poverty, starvation, ever-increasing pollution… and species are going extinct at 1,000 times their natural pace due to human activity, with 35 to 40 species vanishing each day.
Was Ehrlich right then?
In the April/May 2009 issue of Free Inquiry – a flagship magazine of the humanist/skeptic/science advocacy think tank, The Center for Inquiry – the editors published a new essay by Erlich along with three others on the topic of overpopulation. Only one of the four articles disagreed with Erlich’s opinion that we are at the brink of disaster.
Indeed, it seems counterintuitive to argue that 7 billion humans in every corner of the planet isn’t a serious problem, but is overpopulation the actual cause for our ecological crises? Is disease, poverty, water and food shortages, pollution, and climate change ultimately a result of what some cynics call a cancer on the face of the Earth… Us? Or is something else going on here?
We will address these questions and concerns with special guest Ian Angus as we ask, are there too many people? Angus is editor of Climate and Capitalism, an online journal focusing on capitalism, climate change, and the ecosocialist alternative. His previous books include The Global Fight for Climate Justice, and his new book is Too Many People?: Population, Immigration, and the Environmental Crises.
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Previously on ETFF…
Merchants of Doubt: When Scientists Lie w/ Naomi Oreskes and Joel Kovel
Science is most likely our best way of knowing and navigating our universe. It is a self-correcting method by which bias is filtered through research, experimentation, and via objective means so that we can get as close to “truth” as any human endeavor might. But science is also a human construct, so it can’t help being influenced by not only our own human brains, but by the cultures our species develop in which science operates. And while science is our best method of separating human bias from fact, there can often seem to be a very thin line between each of these.
Today we want to focus on a relatively new book called Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway. Merchants of Doubt focuses on how some scientists have, and still do, misuse and misrepresent science itself – for either ideological or economical reasons – in such grave areas such as concerning the effects of tobacco smoke on human health, the Star Wars missile defense program President Reagan championed, and the current concerns around global warming.
Also joining us today will be Joel Kovel, an American politician, academic, writer, and eco-socialist. Kovel feels the rapid economic growth encouraged by globalization has caused our current, acute ecological crises. He argues that capitalism’s expansion “exposes ecosystems” to pollutants, habitat destruction, and resource depletion. He is the author of the environmentally focused book, The Enemy of Nature: The End of Capitalism or the End of the World.
Listen to Audio Here!
ETFF Talks w/ Santa!
Listen to Audio Here!
The Humanist Interviews…
Equal Time for Freethought’s exec. producer, Barry F. Seidman, had the honor of being the first person interviewed for blogger “Skepoet” for his new series on humanism. Skepoet’s blog, ‘At Crossroads of Critical Thinking and the Humanities,’ contains essays and links about Education, Environmentalism, Humanism, Philosophy, Politics, Science & Skepticism. The Seidman interview can be found here!
Barry F. Seidman interviews Meco Monardo!
Disclaimer: Yes, we know this has nothing to do with Freethought…
The artist who mastered the genre of “symphonic disco” goes by the name of Meco Monardo. “MECO” recorded over 15 albums, mostly from 1977 till 1985, as well as a host of singles some of which were not accompanied by full LPs. MECO did experiment from time to time with original work, but the musical canvas on which he arranged the many marriages of symphony music and disco included the wonderful music from films such as the Star Wars series, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, The Black Hole, Raiders of the Lost Ark, American Werewolf of London, The Wizard of Oz and of course, Star Trek.
MECO’s full name is Domenico Monardo. He was born in Pennsyvania. His father played the valve trombone in a small Italian band, and through him Meco got his first musical education. Meco wanted to play the drums, but his father convinced him that the trombone was the right instrument, and at nine that was the instrument which he was to stay with, however, for Meco the slide trombone was his choice. He joined the high school band while still attending grammar school. At 17 he won a scholarship to the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, which provided him with a solid classical and jazz music education. There, together with his two friends Chuck Mangione and Ron Carter, he started the Eastman School of Music Jazz Band. Originally not inclined towards pop music, Meco’s heart changed when he heard Petula Clark’s “Downtown”.
He began doing arrangements, for example the horn section on Tommy James’ “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” In an interview with DiscoMusic.com Meco explains that he is probably the only person who has played a jazz trombone solo on any pop record the last 50 years. This happened on Diana Ross’ 1980 album Diana, on the song, “I’m Coming Out.” Around 1973 Meco, Tony Bongiovi and a third person formed the production company Disco Corporation of America, and from 1974 to 1976 Meco worked as a record producer. The team of Meco, Bongiovi, Jay Ellis and Harold Wheeler produced the 1974 Gloria Gaynor hit “Never Can Say Goodbye” and Carol Douglas’ “Doctor’s Orders.”
The ETFF Mission…
To explore and represent an evidence-based world view, thereby providing a forum for social change based on secular humanism, scientific naturalism, and healthy skepticism.
WBAI 99.5 FM Radio broadcasts Equal Time for Freethought each Sunday at 6:30 PM. Shows beginning at another time will be noted in the schedule.
Equal time is sorely needed! Just as WBAI stands in a proud tradition of progressive dissent from the mainstream corporate political system, this show stands in dissent from the mainstream society, which is dominated today by supernaturalism and religious or “faith-based” views. In fact, many of us believe that a vital part of achieving social progress will be freeing humanity from superstition and supernatural beliefs.
We also feel that being evidence-based implies our advocating for a proactive planetary humanism rather than merely articulating what we don’t profess to believe. This means that on Equal Time for Freethought, we explore what a humanist future society might look like via addressing not only secularism or atheism, but also naturalism, spirituality, society, politics, economics, and human potential.
Call in: (212) 209-2900
Pledges: (212) 209-2950
Email: ETFF2009@aol.com
Who is Equal Time for Freethought?
Executive Producer/Host: Barry F. Seidman
Barry F. Seidman has worked as a humanist/freethought community leader and events coordinator for the Council for Secular Humanism and the Center for Inquiry (2000-2006). Barry’s writing has been published in Free Inquiry, Philosophy Now, The Skeptic UK, The New Humanist, the Daily Record of New Jersey, Biotechnology News, Oncology.com, The Sciences, Skeptical Inquirer and EXIT, and he is coeditor of the anthology, Toward a New Political Humanism. He is working on a new book on how to get to a healthy global society based on interviews conducted on ETFF.
Associate Producer/Host: Arnell Dowret
Arnell is a writer, radio host, and activist in the humanist community. He is a contributing author to the book, Toward A New Political Humanism, and to the book, The Myth of Free Will. He developed “Secular Connections” an alternative experimental workshop originally offered by Center for Inquiry in New Jersey. He is working on a book about Scientific Naturalism, Determinism, and Progressive Change.
Guest Hosts: Sunsara Taylor & Matthew LaClair
Sunsara is a writer for Revolution newspaper, a dynamic speaker, and a militant atheist. She co-founded The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime which was recognized by The Nation Magazine for waging the “Most Valuable Crusade” of 2007 for their pioneering work to expose and demand prosecution and imprisonment of Bush Regime officials for torture and war crimes.
Matthew is serving as the student President of the Center for Inquiry On Campus. He is currently a student at The New School in New York, NY. Matthew was first noticed by Freethought groups when as a high school student in Kearny, NJ, he challenged (along side the ACLU) a teacher who ignored the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution by promoting Creationism (religion) and other personal religious beliefs in the classroom.
Special Guest Hosts: Michael O’Neil & Whitney Thomson
Michael works as a website builder/IT, is a long time radio host, and an activist who has worked on behalf of The Church of Stop Shopping, the NY State Green Party, and others.
Whitney has a BA in History and a minor in Biblical Studies. She graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a MA in History and a concentration in Civil Rights and Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. Her Master’s Thesis, “Political Violence in America; 1969-1981,” analyzed various historical and political aspects of three clandestine organizations: the Weather Underground Organization, the Black Liberation Army, and the Family. She currently addresses current issues such as the societal harms of Capitalism and Capital Punishment, the Prison Industrial Complex, the Military Industrial Complex, American and Israeli Exceptionalism, the Palestinian Struggle, Neocolonialism, the Pro’s and Con’s of Globalization, and Islamophobia.
Founder: Dorothy Sara Klein