Life, the Universe & Everything Else

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Ashlyn, Laura, and Lauren discuss what they’ve been up to in the nine or so months since the last episode of the podcast!

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Links: What’s For Dinner? (Noble & Whimsical)

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren discuss a variety of would-be rulers, touching on German monarchists, American neoreactionaries, and micronations in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

The Reichsbürgers: Die Reichsminister drohen mit dem Tod (taz.de) | Everything we know about German coup leader Prince Heinrich XIII who wants to be king (The Mirror) | Reichsbürger movement (Wikipedia) | 2022 German coup d’état plot (Wikipedia) | Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss (Wikipedia) | Imperial County of Reuss (Wikipedia) | REUSS Trek BBS (Angelfire)

Neoreaction and the “Dark Enlightenment”: The Dark Enlightenment: the Tech Oligarch Ideology Driving DOGE’s Destruction (Common Dreams) | Dark Enlightenment and Accelerationism: The Technocratic Threat (The Study IAS) | High Priest of the Dark Enlightenment (Hedgehog Review) | Anti-democratic ‘Dark Enlightenment’ ideas have spread from Silicon Valley to Washington (Cascade Institute) | Dark Enlightenment (Wikipedia) | Neoreaction a Basilisk (Eruditorum Press)

The Principality of Sealand: Sealand Quality Foods | Welcome to Sealand, the World’s Smallest Country | Principality of Sealand (MicroWiki) | Principality of Sealand (Wikipedia) | Maunsell Forts (Wikipedia) | HM Fort Roughs (Wikipedia) | Radio Caroline (Wikipedia) | Paddy Roy Bates (Wikipedia) | Michael Bates (Wikipedia)

The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands: Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands (MicroWiki) | The Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands & Marriage Equality in Aus (Do Go On, YouTube)

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem discuss some of the year’s most absurd, disappointing news, with a healthy heaping of CanCon: Canada losing Measles Elimination status, the government’s inability to give accurate tax advice, the Liberal Prime Minister’s right-wing agenda, and Elon Musk’s ongoing meltdown.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Note: We encountered problems with Ashlyn’s audio file during this recording and had to resort to backup audio—so if you’re wondering why the audio quality is a little off, and why Ashlyn suddenly disappears for Something Nice, that’s why!

Canadian Revenue Agency’s Inaccurate Advice: Canada Revenue Agency’s contact centres are not providing taxpayers with timely and accurate information (2025 Report of the Auditor General of Canada) | CRA Continues to Have Major Problems in Call Centres: Auditor General’s 2025 Report (Canadian Tax Lawyer Analysis) | In scathing report, AG finds CRA call centres are slow to answer and often inaccurate (CBC News)

Mark Carney’s Right-wing Agenda: 2025 Canadian federal election (Wikipedia) | Who Is Mark Carney, Really? (The Walrus) | Minister apologizes for ‘poor choice of words’ about meeting with B.C. First Nations group (CBC News) | Guilbeault resigns from cabinet after Carney signs Alberta pipeline deal (Global News) | How Mark Carney lost his cabinet’s green conscience (Toronto Star)

Canada Loses Measles Elimination Status: Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status (Canada.ca) | Measles (National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases) | Measles vaccines: Canadian immunization guide (Canada.ca) | Measles: For health professionals (Canada.ca) | Measles deaths down 88% since 2000, but cases surge (WHO) | PAHO calls for regional action as the Americas lose measles elimination status – PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organization) | How Regions Earn and Keep Their "Measles-Free" Status (History of Vaccines) | ‘An embarrassment’: What losing measles-elimination status means for Canada (McMaster News) | Measles Cases and Outbreaks (CDC)

Elon Musk’s Ongoing Meltdown: Elon Musk’s biggest controversies (The Week) | America PAC Contributions (FEC) | Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say (Reuters) | Elon Musk salute controversy (Wikipedia) | Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats (The Week) | A Timeline of Elon Musk’s Terrible 24 Hours—A Dark Day for X, Tesla and More (Forbes Africa) | Vivian Jenna Wilson on Being Elon Musk’s Estranged Daughter, Protecting Trans Youth and Taking on the Right Online (Teen Vogue) | Elon Musk Goes on Transphobic Rant (HuffPost Latest News) | Elon Musk urges German far-right party to overcome ‘past guilt’ (NPR) | Exclusive: DOGE ‘doesn’t exist’ with eight months left on its charter (Reuters) | Tesla Diner: Elon Musk’s Hollywood Restaurant Is an Undercooked Mess (Rolling Stone)

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Neverdream – An Audioplay: Neverdream – An Audioplay

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn, Lauren, Laura, and Gem discuss some of the year’s most absurd, disappointing news, with a healthy heaping of CanCon: Canada losing Measles Elimination status, the government’s inability to give accurate tax advice, the Liberal Prime Minister’s right-wing agenda, and Elon Musk’s ongoing meltdown.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Note: We encountered problems with Ashlyn’s audio file during this recording and had to resort to backup audio—so if you’re wondering why the audio quality is a little off, and why Ashlyn suddenly disappears for Something Nice, that’s why!

Canadian Revenue Agency’s Inaccurate Advice: Canada Revenue Agency’s contact centres are not providing taxpayers with timely and accurate information (2025 Report of the Auditor General of Canada) | CRA Continues to Have Major Problems in Call Centres: Auditor General’s 2025 Report (Canadian Tax Lawyer Analysis) | In scathing report, AG finds CRA call centres are slow to answer and often inaccurate (CBC News)

Mark Carney’s Right-wing Agenda: 2025 Canadian federal election (Wikipedia) | Who Is Mark Carney, Really? (The Walrus) | Minister apologizes for ‘poor choice of words’ about meeting with B.C. First Nations group (CBC News) | Guilbeault resigns from cabinet after Carney signs Alberta pipeline deal (Global News) | How Mark Carney lost his cabinet’s green conscience (Toronto Star)

Canada Loses Measles Elimination Status: Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status (Canada.ca) | Measles (National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases) | Measles vaccines: Canadian immunization guide (Canada.ca) | Measles: For health professionals (Canada.ca) | Measles deaths down 88% since 2000, but cases surge (WHO) | PAHO calls for regional action as the Americas lose measles elimination status – PAHO/WHO (Pan American Health Organization) | How Regions Earn and Keep Their "Measles-Free" Status (History of Vaccines) | ‘An embarrassment’: What losing measles-elimination status means for Canada (McMaster News) | Measles Cases and Outbreaks (CDC)

Elon Musk’s Ongoing Meltdown: Elon Musk’s biggest controversies (The Week) | America PAC Contributions (FEC) | Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE using AI to snoop on U.S. federal workers, sources say (Reuters) | Elon Musk salute controversy (Wikipedia) | Trump-Musk relationship implodes in taunts, threats (The Week) | A Timeline of Elon Musk’s Terrible 24 Hours—A Dark Day for X, Tesla and More (Forbes Africa) | Vivian Jenna Wilson on Being Elon Musk’s Estranged Daughter, Protecting Trans Youth and Taking on the Right Online (Teen Vogue) | Elon Musk Goes on Transphobic Rant (HuffPost Latest News) | Elon Musk urges German far-right party to overcome ‘past guilt’ (NPR) | Exclusive: DOGE ‘doesn’t exist’ with eight months left on its charter (Reuters) | Tesla Diner: Elon Musk’s Hollywood Restaurant Is an Undercooked Mess (Rolling Stone)

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Neverdream – An Audioplay: Neverdream – An Audioplay

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Lauren, Ashlyn, and Laura discuss the extremely shaky science behind the new guidance issued by the White House concerning acetaminophen use during pregnancy. The bottom line? Don’t take medical advice from conspiracy theorists, whether they’re real estate developers or environmental lawyers: talk to your doctor instead!

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Previously on LUEE: Episode 208: The Worst Possible Guy for the Job | Episode 101: “Trace Amounts”

Vaccines: Andrew Wakefield: the fraud investigation (Brian Deer) | Lancet MMR autism fraud (Wikipedia)

Acetaminophen: Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability (PubMed) | White House Press Release | RFK Jr., HHS to Link Autism to Tylenol Use in Pregnancy and Folate Deficiencies (Wall Street Journal) | What the research says about Tylenol and autism (CBS News) | Health Secretary RFK Jr to link Autism and Tylenol use in pregnancy sending company’s stock price spiraling (The Independent) | Acetaminophen is a recommended treatment for fever and pain during pregnancy (Health Canada) | SOGC Statement on Acetaminophen Use in Pregnancy (Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada)

Leucovorin: Autism Announcement Fact Sheet (US Department of Health and Human Services) | Q&A: What is leucovorin, now being hailed as an autism treatment? (University of Virginia) | Folate (National Institutes of Health) | What to know about leucovorin, unproven autism drug touted by Trump (PBS News) | Folate (Oregon State University) | Leucovorin (StatPearls NCBI Bookshelf) | What is leucovorin, the drug the Trump team touted at its autism announcement? (CBC News) | Cerebral folate deficiency (Wikipedia) | Folate receptor autoantibodies more common in ASD families (ARRI) | Leucovorin for autism? Many scientists — and parents — are skeptical (NPR)

Diagnosis: Autism Spectrum Disorder (National Institute of Mental Health) | What Is Autism Spectrum Disorder? (Psychiatry.org) | Autism spectrum disorder: definition, epidemiology, causes, and clinical evaluation (PMC) | Autism (World Health Organization) | Autism (Health Canada) | Autism spectrum disorder – Diagnosis and treatment (Mayo Clinic) | Diagnosis (Autism Canada)

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Lauren, Ashlyn, Gem, and Laura discuss things that they find difficult to understand.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Links: Coevolution of neocortical size, group size and language in humans (Behavioral and Brain Sciences) | Dunbar’s Number: Why the Theory That Humans Can Only Maintain 150 Friendships Has Withstood 30 Years of Scrutiny (Neuroscience News) | Complaint tablet to Ea-nāṣir (Wikipedia) | Dyscalculia (Wikipedia) | The Unforgivable Sin of Ms Rachel (Lindsay Ellis)

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Lauren, Laura, and Ashlyn discuss medical scammers, grifters, and con-men, current, recent, and historical. Discussed on this episode: Malachi Love-Robinson, a modern-day Doogie Howser; James Graham, an 18th century Scottish sexologist; and Casey Means, a health grifter who also happens to be Trump’s pick for Surgeon General.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Malachi Love-Robinson: Police: Juvenile posed as doctor at St. Mary’s hospital (South Florida Sun Sentinel) | Florida teenager is accused of posing as a doctor. Again. (The New York Times) | Fake teen doctor arrested again for fraud (South Florida Sun Sentinel) | Part One: The Fake Doctors Who Gave Everyone Alzheimer’s (Behind the Bastards) | Part Two: The Real Bastard Was Health Insurance Companies All Along (Behind the Bastards)

James Graham: 10 Weirdest Medical Hoaxes in History (Listverse) | All-cleansing, all-healing, all-vigorating: James Graham’s earth cure (Royal College of Physicians) | James Graham as Spiritual Libertine (SpringerLink) | The Prince of Quacks and How He Captivated London (JSTOR Daily) | Dr James Graham: Sexologist and His Temple of Health (Geri Walton: Unique histories from the 18th and 19th centuries) | James Graham (sexologist) (Wikipedia) | Graham’s Celestial Bed (Hoaxes.org) | Pneumatic chemistry (Wikipedia)

Casey Means: Who is Casey Means? Trump’s new surgeon general nominee sparks drama (USA Today) | Casey Means, Trump’s new pick for Surgeon General, draws wide criticism (Chief Healthcare Executive) | Review and Summary: Good Energy (Sekar Writes) | “She Was Tearful About It”: The Nuances of Casey Means’s Medical Exit and Antiestablishment Origins (Vanity Fair) | Kennedy’s Coalition of Quacks Wants to Feed America a Diet of Lies (McGill University Office for Science and Society) | Casey Means, Trump’s surgeon general pick, profits from wellness sales (AP News) | Zen Basil | Levels.com

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Lauren, Ashlyn, Laura, and Gem discuss some common misconceptions, focusing on cast iron cookware, Victorian corsetry, sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections, and the Canadian political system.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Corsets: Victorian Image of Pregnancy through Corsetry (Maryland Center for History and Culture) | Here’s How Corsets Deformed the Skeletons of Victorian Women (Forbes) | Demystifying the S-Bend (Redthreaded) | Vintage X-rays reveal the hidden effects of corsets (CNET) | The history behind corsets: how a piece of clothing sparked controversy, criticism and empowerment (The Wildcat Tribune) | Victorian Corsets: Dangerous or Misunderstood? (HistoryExtra)

Syphilis and Other STBBIs: Syphilis Treatment and Monitoring (UpToDate) | Sexually Transmitted Infections and Blood-Borne Pathogens (Manitoba Health) | History of syphilis (Wikipedia)

Cast Iron Cookware: The Truth About Cast Iron Pans: 7 Myths That Need to Go Away (Serious Eats)

The Canadian Political System: Debunking Myths: Unraveling Misconceptions about Canadian Political Parties (Chris Wick News) | Three Myths That Shape Canadian Politics (Law & Liberty) | 10 Political Misconceptions About Canada (Listverse) | Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Wikipedia) | Charter of Rights and Freedoms (History of Rights) | Canadians confused about charter rights (CityNews Vancouver) | The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Government of Canada) | List of current senators of Canada (Wikipedia) | List of federal political parties in Canada (Wikipedia) | Majority and Minority Governments (Government of Canada) | Responsible Government (Government of Canada) | Governor General of Canada (Wikipedia) | List of governors general of Canada (Wikipedia) | Motion of no confidence (Wikipedia) | Deputy Prime Minister of Canada (Wikipedia) | Nepean Members of Parliament (House of Commons of Canada) | Comparing Electoral Systems (Elections Canada’s Civic Education) | How Do Canadian Legislatures Differ from their U.S. State Counterparts? (MultiState) | Canadian and American Governance: A Comparative Look (Government of Alberta)

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Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

Originally published 17 September 2018.

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Gem, Laura, Ashlyn, and Lauren discuss the history and future of patent medicine, from snake oil and Piso’s Cure for Consumption through Bovinine and bitters all the way to the Burzynski Clinic.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that delves into issues of science, critical thinking, and secular humanism.

Note: Additional music in this episode by Kevin MacLeod, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0.

Patent Medicine: Patent medicine (Wikipedia) | Snake oil (Wikipedia)

Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound: Advertising Motherhood with the Lydia E. Pinkham Medicine Company (Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study) | Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound (The Embryo Project Encyclopedia) | Lydia Pinkham (Wikipedia)

Piso’s Consumption Cure: The Great American Fraud, by Samuel Hopkins Adams (Wikisource) | Piso’s Trio: One Step Ahead of the Law (Federation of Historical Bottle Collectors)

Micajah’s Medicated Wafers: Micajah’s Medicated Wafers (Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health) | The Fundamental Antagonism: Veritism and Commerce in Medical Practice (Bennett Holman)

Bovinine: Bovinine (National Museum of American History) | Bovinine Beef Food Tonic (National Museum of American History) | The Bovinine Co. blotter (National Museum of American History) | 15 Curious Quack Remedies From the Age of Patent Medicine (Mental Floss) | Bovinine, by the Bovinine Company (Google Books) | Bovinine Bottle | New Haven Morning Journal and Courier (1895-06-19) | Hand Book of Haematherapy with Clinical Reports, 1902, by the Bovinine Company | The Medical Times and Register (Google Books) | The Popular Science News and Boston Journal of Chemistry (Google Books) | Hemotherapy (Wikipedia) | Misbranding of Bovinina. U.S. v. Bovinine Co. (National Library of Medicine)

Soda Pop & Bitters: Angostura bitters (Wikipedia) | ‘Pop’ Culture: Patent Medicines Become Soda Drinks (CSI) | A Brief History of Bitters (Smithsonian)

Right to Try and the Burzynski Clinic: Right-to-try law (Wikipedia) | “Right to try” laws and Dallas Buyers’ Club: Great movie, terrible for patients and terrible policy (Science-Based Medicine) | The cruel sham that is right-to-try raises its ugly head at the federal level again (Science-Based Medicine) | Burzynski Clinic (Wikipedia)

Ian James and the Combo Breakers: The Broken Among Us by Ian James and the Combo Breakers (SoundCloud) | The Broken Among Us by Ian James and the Combo Breakers (BandCamp)

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Originally published 17 September 2018.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/

On this episode of Life, the Universe & Everything Else, Ashlyn is joined by Lauren, Laura, and Gem to discuss right-wing authoritarianism and how to fight it.

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is a podcast that explores the intersection of science and society.

Fascism 101: Ur-Fascism (Umberto Eco, The Anarchist Library) | Fascism (Wikipedia) | Neo-fascism (Wikipedia) | Fascist symbolism (Wikipedia) | List of symbols designated by the Anti-Defamation League as hate symbols (Wikipedia) | Trump and the Nazi symbol of the Odal Rune (International Auschwitz Committee) | Paradox of tolerance (Wikipedia) | The Warning Signs of Fascism: They’re Subtle Sometimes (Ambysoft) | Fascism – Authoritarianism, Nationalism, Militarism (Britannica) | How to Spot a (Potential) Fasc!st (YouTube)

How to Join the Resistance: U.S. could lose democracy status, says global watchdog (Radio-Canada.ca) | Without the Awful Roar of Its Many Waters (Margaret Killjoy) | The only thing that can stop Trump is a general strike (Nora Loreto) | Into the Demiground (Margaret Killjoy) | Margaret Killjoy – A Short and Incomplete Guide For New Activists (Anarchist Federation) | Fascism is rising out of the corpse of liberal democracy (Nora Loreto) | We failed to stop the rise of fascism. What comes next? (Robert Evans, The Anarchist Library) | The Sky is Falling; We’ve Got This (Margaret Killjoy) | The Authoritarian Regime Survival Guide (Verfassungsblog on Matters Constitutional) | Black Trowel Collective Microgrants | How to Build an Antifascist Movement (The Walrus) | Yale professor who studies fascism fleeing US to work in Canada (The Guardian) | Canada’s little-known anti-socialist internment camps (Briarpatch Magazine)

The Intersection of Fascism and Healthcare: Hate fascism? Then don’t be a health supremacist (Maarten Steenhagen) | The Rise of Medical Fascism (The Nation) | Medical Care, Nazism, and the Holocaust (Experiencing History: Holocaust Sources in Context) | This ‘College Protester’ Isn’t Real. It’s an AI-Powered Undercover Bot for Cops (404 Media)

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Listen: Direct Link | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed

Life, the Universe & Everything Else is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://winnipegskeptics.com/