This week, Sam, Mike, Becky and Eileen talk with Dr. Hall, the Skepdoc, about immunization and the pertussis epidemic in areas of Washington State.

Harriet A. Hall, MD, is a retired family physician and former Air Force flight surgeon. She writes about medicine, so-called complementary and alternative medicine, science, quackery, and critical thinking. She’s an editor and one of the 5 MD founders of the Science-Based Medicine blog, and is a contributor to Skeptic magazine, Skeptical Inquirer, and the Quackwatch website.

Has Mike been swallowed up by some Mayan-inspired quantum afterworld? Sam, Nick, and Dan explore this option as well as several other completely ridiculous end of the world notions.

Bob, Mike and Sam talk about what is necessary: the tragedy in Connecticut and the religious response to it. Then, we studiously avoid the topic and talk about other important things going on. As an additional palate cleanser, Dan returns with an apocalyptic Moment of Science.

Also, this obviously explicit Onion article.

Guest Libbie Hawker talks with the Mike and Sam about her new novel, “Baptism for the Dead“, about atheist fiction, and current news items.

This week, Sam and Mike have a conversation with Tacoma-local and member of The Clergy Project, Robert Parham. Also, we talk about unicorns, and maybe some old guy on television.