CFI Forums

Lansing Skeptics in the Pub-note ANOTHER venue change (APRIL)

2013-04-03T07:39:42-05:00

Unfortunately, we’ve lost our normal venue due to them going out of business permanently. :(
We’re unsure of a permanent new venue yet, but for the April Skeptics in the Pub (SITP), on Saturday, April 20, 7-9 pm, we will be meeting at the following location:

Harry’s Place
404 N Verlinden Ave
Lansing, MI 48915
(517) 484-9661

If anyone has any questions about this event, please feel free to email me at mmiverson at me dot com OR if you need to talk to one of us for any reason, please feel free to reach me at 5) 763-7032.

Feel free to check out our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/306894372773587/

Thanks and hope to see some new faces this month!!!

Melissa and Brian Iverson, hosts, SITP Lansing

Women in Secularism 2 Roomshare

2012-08-31T08:08:28-05:00

Registration for Women in Secularism 2 is up. For those who are interested in sharing a room at the host hotel or a nearby hotel, post here. If you are a local that has space in your home for someone from out of town, it is much appreciated.

http://www.womeninsecularism.org

February Lansing, MI Skeptics in the Pub Venue Change

2013-02-16T09:59:01-05:00

Hi all,

For this tonight’s/February’s Skeptics in the Pub get-together (Saturday, Feb 16th), due to an unexpected closure, our normal venue - the Irish Pub and Grill - is currently closed! (We just can’t find a dependable venue!)

However, fear not! A great new venue has been chosen for tonight and a table is waiting in CFI’s name. We’ll be meeting at Tavern on the Square, at 206 S. Washington Square (between Allegan and Washtenaw) in Downtown Lansing. The group runs from 7-9, but people are of course welcome to stick around past 9.

Also, if you haven’t “LIKED” the CFI-Michigan Facebook page, it’s a great way to stay informed with quick updates on great CFI events like our Skeptics in the Pub group as well as many, many other. The link: https://www.facebook.com/cfimi

If anyone has questions regarding Lansing’s Skeptics in the Pub Group, our contact information for hosts Melissa and Brian Iverson is available on this event’s FB page.

We regularly meet on the third Saturday of the month and we always love to have new people join us. We’ll keep the Facebook event page(s) updated with regard to whether or not our regular venue (Irish Pub) will be open next month - here’s hoping.

Post replies if you want updates to this thread.

January 2013 CNY Skeptics Meeting

2012-12-18T10:26:10-05:00

“The Fine Print: Your Pay Shrinks as Monopolies Prosper”

Presentation by David Cay Johnston

Sponsored by CNY Skeptics http://cnyskeptics.org

Time: Monday, January 14, 2013, 7:00 PM

Where: Dewitt Community Library in the Shoppingtown Mall, Dewitt, NY

Event is Free and Open to the Public

Please contact David Harding at 315-636-6533 for more information, or info at cnyskeptics dot org

Presentation Summary:

The average income of the bottom 90 percent of Americans has fallen back to the level of 1966 while the top 1 percent of the top 1 percent has seen their incomes grow more than five fold. David Cay Johnston will explain how government policies make this happen while destroying jobs, foster monopolies and risking massive disasters from crumbling pipelines, bridges and dams.

Presenter Bio:

David Cay Johnston is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Free Lunch” (Penguin, 2007) and “Perfectly Legal” (Portfolio, 2003), as well as “10 Excellent Reasons Not to Hate Taxes” (New Press, 2008). His most recent book is, “The Fine Print” (Penguin, 2012). He teaches at Syracuse University after 40 years as an investigative reporter and lives in Rochester. He most recently wrote a column on taxes for Rueters.

Doomsday 2012

2012-12-01T20:26:14-05:00

Here’s a good antidote for all the 2012 doomsday nonsense that’s going around….Now playing at the Dreyfuss Planetarium at the Newark Museum:

Tales of Maya Skies
This new planetarium show transports us to the jungles of Mexico and the city of Chichén Itzá with its beautiful stepped pyramids, presenting the rich history, calendar, science and culture of the ancient Maya. Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays, 2 pm;
Saturdays & Sundays, 2 & 4 pm. Recommended for adults and children ages 10 and up. 40 minutes

See the Planetarium website for details.

Newark Museum, 49 Washington St., Newark NJ 07102, 973-596-6529

Dawkins at UofM 10/23/12

2012-10-18T11:45:41-05:00

Richard Dawkins presents “The Magic of Reality” at Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor Tues 10/23/12 from 4 to 6 PM. The event is free but seating is first-come-first-served so it is advisable that we would arrive before the doors open at 3:30PM. Are any of you interested in meeting up before the lecture and possibly socializing afterward? We could have a sign or name tags so we could find each other. Any suggestions on where to meet afterwards would be appreciated. Someplace that can handle a group, have a very reasonable menu and be quiet enough to hear each other would be great.

Eschaton 2012 - Ride available - Toronto to Ottawa

2012-09-11T10:48:25-05:00

Hi,

Is anyone from Toronto planning to go to Eschaton 2012, http://eschaton2012.ca/

I will be driving and can take a few more.

Sandy

First Kentucky Freethought Convention

2012-08-15T11:50:58-05:00

This is a first for us: The Kentucky Freethought Convention will take place on October 6, 2012 in Lexington, Kentucky.

Speakers include:

Seth Andrews
Former Christian radio broadcaster; Thinking Atheist podcast

annalise fonza, Ph.D.
Former United Methodist Church clergywoman

Edwin Kagin
Founder of Camp Quest; National Legal Advisor for American Atheist

Edwin Kagin, J.D.
Attorney at law in Union, Kentucky, a founder of Camp Quest, and the National Legal Director for American Atheists.

Jim Krupa, PhD
Professor of Environmental and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Kentucky

Dr. Will Gervais
Associate Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Kentucky

Gretchen Mann, M.D.
Chief Medical Officer, Military Entrance Processing Station, Louisville; Ended worldwide Gideon proselytizing

Jen McCreight
McCreight is a doctoral student and SSA board member who is known for her blog BlagHag and the Boob Quake event (http://www.blaghag.com/2010/04/in-name-of-science-i-offer-my-boobs.html).

More info here: http://www.kyfreethoughtconvention.com/

I’ll be there!

Italy Meets Germany: A Forum for Young Leaders (IMG)

2012-08-13T03:49:48-05:00

(Berlin, September 17th-20th, 2012)

Seminar Agenda

Italy Meets Germany: A Forum for Young Leaders (IMG) is a network of individuals who have an interest in exploring and supporting Italo - German Relations. Participants join the forum by taking part in an IMG Weeklong Seminar, following which they are encouraged to conduct their own research and organize their own activity in the field. ICD Weeklong Seminars are targeted at students and young professionals with an active interest in Italy and Germany.

Weeklong Seminars are held several times throughout the year and consist of 4-5 day programs of lectures, seminars, and workshops, together with cultural and social activities. The Seminars aim to give the participants an insight into key perspectives on Italo- German relations, and to introduce them to a network of likeminded individuals.

Once individuals have taken part in an IMG Weeklong Seminar and joined the forum, they become a part of the ICD’s network, which facilitates communication between like-minded individuals across the world. members are supported by the ICD in organizing leadership initiatives, conducting academic research, and are invited to join the ICD Online Forum - enabling them to share information and communicate with likeminded individuals across the world.

The next IMG Weeklong Seminar will be conducted in Berlin from September 17th – 20th, 2012.
In addition to looking in greater detail at the history and development of cultural diplomacy, the next IMG Weeklong Seminar will focus in particular on the following main theme: “Common Strategies and Bilateral Relations in the New Era of Diplomacy”.

Participants
Italy Meets Germany: A Forum for Young Leaders (IMG) is open to all relevant stakeholders and individuals with an interest in exploring and strengthening relationships within Italy and Germany as well as the relationships between the two countries and the rest of the world

Participants will include young professionals, students and academics, representatives from politics, diplomats, practitioners from the civil society and the private sector, Media representatives and other individuals with an active interest in the Program’s themes.
Participation Cost
The participation cost for the program is 195 Euros. If offered a place in the program, applicants are then required to transfer the participation cost to reserve their position.

To apply please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/culturalbridges/index.php?en_ylf_application-form

For more information please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/culturalbridges/index.php?en_ylf_img

Cultural Diplomacy in Europe: A Forum for Young Leaders (CDE)

2012-08-13T03:49:25-05:00

(Berlin, September 11th-14th, 2012)

Seminar Agenda
Cultural Diplomacy in Europe: A Forum for Young Leaders (CDE) is a network of individuals, who have an interest in exploring and strengthening relations between European States. The program is based on the recognition that the increasing economic and political integration of the European Union must be accompanied by sustained activity to ensure that public opinion and relations between individual member states, and between member-states, remain positive and constructive at the grass roots level.

Individuals can join the CDE Forum by taking part in one of the CDE Weeklong Seminars, which are held several times throughout the year. Each CDE Weeklong Seminar will be focused on a specific theme related to Europe and the goals of the Forum. The Seminars consist of lectures, seminars, debates and panel discussions that will feature leading figures from the media, international politics & diplomacy, academia, civil society, and the private sector. In addition to the academic components, participants take part in a range of social and cultural activities.

The next CDE Weeklong Seminar will be conducted in Berlin rom September 11th - 14th. In addition to looking in greater detail at the history and development of cultural diplomacy, the Seminar will focus in particular on the following theme: “The North and South of Europe: Two Identities with a Common Goal”

Seminar Speakers
The speakers during the conference will include leading figures and experts from international politics, academia, the diplomatic community, civil society and the private sector, from across the world. These speakers will include a number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board.

Participants
Cultural Diplomacy in Europe (CDE) is open to all relevant stakeholders and individuals with an interest in exploring the relation between European states

Participation Cost
The participation cost for the program is 195 Euros. If offered a place in the program, applicants are then required to transfer the participation cost to reserve their position.

To apply please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/cde/index.php?en_cde_application-form

For more information please visit:
http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/cde/index.php?en_about-cde