Podcast Thanks, Support and the Future

Thanks to everyone that has listened to my Christmas Podcasts and sent some positive words my way. Also, a huge thanks to all my brilliant guests.  At the time of blogging this, the show has had over 15,500 listens and rising. That’s far exceeded my wildest expectations. Thank you.

It’s been a huge pleasure to speak with such funny, smart and lovely people. If you’ve enjoyed hearing from my guests, please let them know by Tweeting some love their way.

It’s been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. If I’m honest, I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on anything in my life.  I’ve quickly learned that releasing 7 podcasts in 20 days, whilst maintaining a full-time job is…mental.

I’m currently weighing up the idea of another regular fortnightly show in the New Year.  I’m brainstorming some ideas to try and make it funny, informative & engaging.  Whether I do produce a new show largely depends on whether or not the audience support outweighs the server costs (£110/US$180 per year) plus production costs.  I don’t want to charge for content, so I would have to rely on the generosity of voluntary contributions from the listeners to supplement the costs.

If everybody that enjoyed the show donated a dollar, a pound or a….Yuan (I don’t really know China), this would help supplement the costs involved and could even go towards new equipment to improve production and audio quality. If you’ve enjoyed the Podcast and would like to hear more, please consider making a contribution amount of your choice by clicking below:

Click To Support This Podcast

If that’s something you can’t do right now, please take a minute to review/rate and subscribe to the show on Stitcher & iTunes.  This will improve the ranking of the show, and enable it to reach a bigger audience.  Because my show is listed in the category of “Religion & Spirituality” the majority of my competition are evangelical religious shows.  Listening, rating and reviewing will help me knock a few of them of their perch.  This thought makes me happy.

Thanks again,

I hope you’ve laughed and learned something.

Have a great Christmas

GS

Ep#7 – Ricky Gervais – Xmas Special

Actor, Writer and The Inventor of Comedy Ricky Gervais joins me on the #GSPodcast to talk about Christmas, Religion, Muppets Most Wanted and Sprouts. Not a bad Richard Dawkins impression either.  My mother weighs in with the final word on #SproutGate.

Guest: @RickyGervais

Donate To The Show: www.gspellchecker.com

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Ep#6 – Author Michael Sherlock & Simon – Jesus & The Bible Belt

Author Michael Sherlock joins me on the #GSPodcast to discuss the historicity of Christ. Man or myth? Simon drops in to tell us what life as an atheist is like in The Bible Belt.

Guests: @SherlockMichael & @SJWoodrup. Also available on Stitcher and iTunes.
Countries: Japan/Australia/USA
Exclusive Guide To The Gods by @GodChecker

Donate to the show here.

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Ep#5 – The Bible Reloaded’s Jake & Hugo

The hosts of the incredible Bible Reloaded podcast drop in on the #GSPodcast to talk The War On Christmas, The Constitution & ‘Merica. Clever Girl. Another exclusive Guide To The Gods bonus material by @GodChecker

Guests: @BibleReloaded. Also available on Stitcher and iTunes.

Donate to the show here.

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Ep#4 – Xmas Special – A Scotsman Abroad & Sabine

A Scotsman abroad joins me on the #GSPodcast to talk about Christmas in Scotland & Spain and Sabine tells us how it’s done in Germany. We’ll also hear an exclusive Guide To The Gods by @GodChecker.

Guests: @AScotsmanAbroad & @Sassy_McClever. Also available on Stitcher and iTunes.

Support the Podcast: http://www.gspellchecker.com

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Ep#3 – Godchecker & Fernando – Xmas Special

Peter of Godchecker.com infamy joins me on the #GSPodcast to talk Christmas, sprouts and God-checking. Fernando (Mexico/US) also tells us what a Mexican Christmas is like. Also available on Stitcher and iTunes.

Guests: @Godchecker & @Ismaelquinones

Donate to the Podcast: http://www.gspellchecker.com

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Ep#2 – Mr Oz Atheist & Adam Reakes – Aussie Xmas Special

Info: Mr Oz Atheist & Herd Mentality host Adam Reakes swing by the #GSPodcast to talk Aussie Chrstimas time, gifts, Psychics and a stuffed rabbit with a big appendage.

Guests: @MrOzAtheist & @AdamReakes. Also available in Stitcher and iTunes.

Donate at: http://www.gspellchecker.com

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Ep#1 – Religious T & Katrine – Xmas Special

Info: I talk about Christmas in England with Religious T (UK), get an update regarding his religious tourism project and have a northern off! Katrine (Denmark) also drops in to the #GSPodcast to tell us how the Danes do Christmas.  Glædelig jul!
Guests: @ReligiousT & @KatrinesSkrift. Also available on Stitcher and iTunes.

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Christmas Podcast – Listen Now

Back in October I extended an invitation to fellow non-believers to be a guest on a ‘planned’ podcast which would focus (mostly!) on the Christmas experience. Thankfully, I received plenty of interest from people far and wide. Phew.

The idea was to create something which would allow people to hear what Christmas means to other non-believers with varying cultural backgrounds, traditions and opinions.

My only hope is to provide the opportunity to learn something, laugh a little and reinforce the knowledge that religion needn’t be the only reason for the season.

All Episodes will be released throughout December for free via iTunes  and Youtube.  Click below to listen now:

Although these will remain available for free, if you do enjoy them, please consider making a contributory donation below.  Your contribution will be used to supplement ongoing hosting & production costs, new equipment for further shows and possibly Scotch.  Yeah.  Definitely Scotch.

Click To Support This Podcast

It’s been a huge pleasure and privilege to talk to so many different and interesting people. Finding the time to juggle full-time employment, unforgiving time differences and a laborious editing process has been a challenge, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  It’s with regret that I haven’t been able to reach out to everyone that took the time to contact me, but I’m incredibly grateful to have heard from you all the same.

Are Students Required To Accept Islam Is A Religion Of Peace? The BBC Thinks So..

The BBC is not unaccustomed to criticism. Some of it is merited; some is simply due to their stature.  People love to take a swing at a giant once in a while. I hold no agenda to single out the BBC as frequently as I have this year; it’s just that they seem to be going out of their way to mock the gods of reason.

From the censorship of satire in response to a chorus of bleating from a humourless Christian minority, to refusal to re-think the increasingly outdated and less than inclusive format of its ‘Thought For The Day‘.

There was also that nasty business whereby a ‘journalist’ was able to assert something as utterly irresponsible as “men are raised to hate women” on the flagship BBC news programme, without so much as a follow-up question. Poor editorial indeed.

Throw in the BBC’s unquestioning promotion of Atheism Plus’ odious Block bot and we have an organisation that has truly earned itself a spell on my naughty step.

Imagine then, the look of unrefined exasperation on my face, as I completed a “Practice exam” on their High School revision service, GCSE Bitesize.  You could have driven a school bus into the gaping negative space created by the rapid expansion of my oral cavity.  I still have jaw ache.

For the uninitiated, GCSE’s are qualifications awarded to high school students (age 14-16) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The BBC’s ‘bitesize’ service aims to provide revision tools and practice exercises relevant to the current school curriculum. In this instance, the subject in question is Religious Studies, with a focus on Islam.

Upon taking the two minutes required to answer the questions in question, it soon became clear that the BBC, or the relevant educational bodies do not give a flying horse about objectivity where the ‘Religion Of Peace’ is concerned.

As you can see from the below, two questions in particular, or more specifically, what the exercise deems to be the correct response, caught my eye:

If you’re unsure as to my gripe at this point, it may be best to return to your bubble.