CFI | NYC Event Calendar: January 2010
December 29, 2009
In This E-mail
-- Know someone in Washington, DC? Tell them to catch CFI | NYC's Michael De Dora Jr., who will be speaking at CFI | DC on Jan. 10.
-- Our friends, the New York City Skeptics, will host Richard Wiseman Jan. 5.
-- Save the date: Feb. 13 is Darwin Day, and CFI | NYC and the NYC Skeptics will soon announce an event.
-- Show your commitment to science, reason, free inquiry, and humanist values: become a Friend of the Center!
January Public Lectures
Jan. 20: Eric Alterman: What Would Tom Paine Think? Liberal Values In Obama’s First Year
Our annual Thomas Paine Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Eric Alterman , media columnist for The Nation and Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism at Brooklyn College. The event takes place exactly one year after the inauguration of President Obama, and Paine’s view—on issues ranging from economic justice to freedom of and from religion—are highly relevant to some of the most significant political controversies that have emerged during the first year of the new administration.
Admission is free and open to the public.
Click here for more information.
Jan. 10: CFI-DC Presents: Voices of Reason -- Michael De Dora Jr.: Belief and the Public
CFI | NYC Executive Director Michael De Dora Jr. will travel to Washington, DC, on Jan. 10, to give a talk at CFI | DC. In his lecture, De Dora weigh such foundational questions as: What is the nature of belief? Is belief -- religious, moral, or otherwise -- meant for the public? If so, how do they fit into the public square, and what are the consequences for concerned citizens? And in light of all this, how should we think about secularism?
Admission is $6, or free for Friends of the Center. Click here for more information.
Jan. 5: NYC Skeptics Present: Richard Wiseman: Investigating the Impossible
For over 20 years, Professor Richard Wiseman -- noted skeptic, psychologist, and magician -- has investigated a whole host of strange psychological phenomena. In this talk, he describes some of his more colorful adventures, including his work into why some people are lucky, his search for the world's funniest joke, and whether people really can walk on hot coals.
Admission is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
January Community Events
Wednesday, Jan. 13, 8:00 p.m. : The Jolly Thirteen Club, a monthly conversation-based meal on skepticism. Click here for more.
Wednesday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m. : Drinking Skeptically, a pub-based monthly drinking meetup promoting fellowship and networking. Click here for more.
Show Your Commitment to Reason, Science, Free Inquiry, and Humanist Values
In the contemporary marketplace of ideas, one can find responsible, objective, and evidence-based information on everything from foreign policy to hormone replacement therapy. Yet when it comes to some of our most fundamental questions -- about human values, the transcendent, or the borderlands of science -- one often only hears from partisans of traditional religion, New Age practitioners, or anti-science movements.
With its network of scientists and other thinkers, its grassroots advocacy and public education organizations, and its popular and scholarly publications, the Center for Inquiry fills this gap, lending a credible voice to critical inquiry and the scientific outlook.
Help CFI promote and defend science, reason, freedom of inquiry and humanist values by becoming a Friend of the Center. Friends of the Center receive:
- Free or discounted admission to CFI events
- A handsome enamel lapel pin and colorful CFI vinyl decal
- 10% discount for national events sponsored by CFI and its affiliates, the Council for Secular Humanism & the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry
- Invitations to special “Friends” events and private receptions
- 15% discount on selected Prometheus Books titles
- One Center for Inquiry guest pass to give to a friend
- Knowledge that you are helping an important cause
Join the Center for Inquiry by becoming a Friend of the Center.
The CFI | NYC Capital Campaign
The next step of CFI | NYC's development is to take its place as a leading cultural institution. To this end, we are seeking to purchase a 5,000+ square-foot property in Manhattan (hopefully with room for expansion) to serve as the headquarters for our growing staff and to become a permanent home for reason, science, and secular values in New York.
We are challenging our friends -- humanists, skeptics, and freethinkers in the New York area -- to help us exceed our goal of raising $6.25 million. Our goal is based on the amount considered necessary to purchase and renovate a building that will suit our needs.
Our capital campaign brochure is available for download on our website at http://www.centerforinquiry.net/nyc/news/capital_campaign .To request a hard copy of our brochure, or to inquire about making a contribution, call Sherry Rook, Vice President of Development, at (800) 818-7071.
