Events
Darwin Day Lecture 2012
Date: 08 February 2012
Description:
Note that Richard will NOT be speaking at this event with Adam Rutherford due to changes in travel - the event is sold out. See the link to the event below for details
Doors open at 7
Event from 7:30-9:30 PM
Creation: Synthetic Biology and the Origin of Life
The 2012 Darwin Day lecture will be presented by renowned author, broadcaster, scientist, and geek Adam Rutherford.
Dr Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, author and broadcaster, as well as an editor at the science journal Nature. He presents television and radio programmes and is a writer for The Guardian newspaper.
Tickets:
General public: £12
Members and students: £7 (BHA, AHS, CFI and UKAFHA members and students)
Event Website: http://www.humanism.org.uk/meet-up/events/view/167?page=1
Location: Congress Hall, Congress Centre, 28 Great Russell Street , London WC1B 3LS, United Kingdom
Rally for Free Expression
Date: 11 February 2012 Time: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Time Zone: London
Description:
RDFRS UK is proud to sponsor the Rally for Free Expression
The One Law for All 11 February rally for Free Expression is being held in London from 14:00-16:00 hours at the Old Palace Yard opposite the House of Lords.
The call for action follows an increased number of attacks on free expression in the UK, including a 17 year old Rhys Morgan being forced to remove a Jesus and Mo cartoon or face expulsion from his Sixth Form College and demands by the UCL Union that the Atheist society remove a Jesus and Mo cartoon from its Facebook page. It also follows threats of violence, police being called, and the cancellation of a meeting at Queen Mary College where One Law for All spokesperson Anne Marie Waters was to deliver a speech on Sharia.
The Day of Action has already been endorsed by nearly 100 groups and individuals including Jessica Ahlquist, Centre for Secular Spaces, Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain, Richard Dawkins, Equal Rights Now, Jesus and Mo Creator, Taslima Nasrin, National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies, National Secular Society, Salman Rushdie, Southall Black Sisters, and Peter Tatchell. To see the list and add your own, click here.
Moreover, One Law for All and the National Secular Society are following up on the incident at which a One Law for All meeting was cancelled at Queen Mary after death threats. Tower Hamlets police said this morning that investigations in to the incident are on-going. They are working with university security and examining CCTV in attempts to identify the offender. They have also offered a police presence when the speech is rescheduled. We reported that the person making the threats had been seen again at the Francis Bancroft building on Wednesday 17. Furthermore, Dominic Bell, Vice President of the Student Union at University of London, said that his union is ‘committed to freedom of speech’ and would aim to improve the quality of security at their events. He said the union is ‘working on improving our monitoring and assessment of risk and [he] will be meeting the Director of Student and Campus Services and the Head of Security more frequently to go through this’.
In addition to the London rally, there will be actions and acts of solidarity in other cities, including Australia, France, Gambia, Germany and Poland.
Clearly, the time has come to take a firm and uncompromising stand for free expression and against all forms of threats and censorship.
The right to criticise religion is a fundamental right that is crucial to many, including Muslims.
11 February is our chance to take that stand.
You need to be there.
Enough is enough.
For more information, and details of the Day of Action, visit http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/
Event Website: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/11-february-2012-free-expression-day-of-action-your-chance-to-take-a-stand/
This event is sponsored by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Location: Old Palace Yard, London, United Kingdom
Andy Thomson - Why We Believe in God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith
Date: 12 February 2012
Description:
Event date: Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 2 pm
Location: Baxter Lecture Hall
Speaker: Dr. Andy Thomson
Tickets: First come, first served at the door. Seating is limited. $8 for Skeptics Society members and the JPL/Caltech community, $10 for nonmembers. Your admission fee is a donation that pays for our lecture expenses.
IN THIS LECTURE BASED ON HIS NEW BOOK, psychiatrist Andy Thomson examines the evolution, history, anthropology, sociology, and psychology of religious beliefs and provides a brief and accessible guide to the exciting new discoveries that allow us to finally understand why and how the human mind generates, accepts, and spreads religious faith and god beliefs. Dr. Thomson is a staff psychiatrist at the University of Virginia’s Student Health Center and the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy, and maintains a private practice of adult and forensic psychiatry in Charlottesville, Virginia. He serves as a trustee of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Event Website: http://www.skeptic.com/upcoming-lectures/
Location: Baxter Hall - Caltech Campus, Pasadena, CA, United States
Archbishop of Canterbury and Richard Dawkins in conversation
Date: 23 February 2012
Description:
This event is being organised by Oxford University's Theology Department and is aimed primarily at university members, although there will also be a small number of tickets for non-members of Oxford University.
Ticket bookings open on 12th January 2012 at http://tinyurl.com/Dialogue2012. Please note that the event will not be listed on the booking site until 12th January, and that there will only be 50 tickets available for non-members of Oxford University.
Tickets will cost £5 each.
Link to further details
Please note correction to date. This event will be taking place on 23 February 2012, not 25 Feb, as previously stated.
Richard will be speaking at this event.
Location: Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford, United Kingdom
Marlene Dietrich – the world’s most glamorous atheist
Date: 28 February 2012
Description:
Marlene - movie star, cabaret artiste, war hero, lesbian and atheist! In this entertaining show – presented as a fundraiser for the National Secular Society - Terry Sanderson looks at the many aspects of Dietrich’s complex personality. He will explore her legendary movie career using generous clips from her best films then, accessing rare archive material, give a moving tribute to her phenomenal work as an anti-Nazi during WW11. She was truly an atheist in a foxhole.
The evening culminates with a complete performance, on the big screen, of her fabulous one-woman show, with which she toured the world.
Recorded in Sweden in 1963, this is Dietrich at her peak, accompanied by Burt Bacharach and his orchestra. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see a legendary performer in dazzling form.
Tuesday 28 Feb, 7.30pm
Tickets £10 from http://www.secularism.org.uk/marlene-dietrich--an-affectionat.html or by post: Marlene, PO Box 130, London W5 1DQ
Event Website: http://www.secularism.org.uk/marlene-dietrich--an-affectionat.html
Location: Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL, United Kingdom
Moving Secularism Forward
From: 01 March 2012 To: 04 March 2012
Time Zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Description:
The Center for Inquiry (CFI) and the Council for Secular Humanism will hold their annual conference "Moving Secularism Forward" March 1–4, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida.
At "Moving Secularism Forward", learn about one of Florida's most dramatic church-state battles regarding the Blaine Amendment, and much, much more; including an optional motorcoach excursion to Kennedy Space Center.
Scheduled to speak:
Daniel C. Dennett, Sir Harold Kroto, PZ Myers, Russell Blackford, Stephen Law, Rita Swan, Anthony Pinn, Victor Stenger, Elisabeth Cornwell, Eddie Tabash, Ophelia Benson, Lionel Tiger, Ronald Bailey, Razib Khan, Jamila Bey, Sikivu Hutchinson, David Silverman, Bill Cooke, Steven K. Green, Ellenbeth Wachs, Ronald A. Lindsay, Debbie Goddard and Tom Flynn.
Musical entertainment by George Hrab.
Event Website: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/events/moving_secularism_forward
Location: Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport, Orlando, FL, United States
Question.Explore.Discover
From: 10 March 2012 To: 11 March 2012
Time Zone: London
Description:
QED is a two-day science and skepticism conference taking place in the Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester on the 10th-11th March 2012.
Fantastic speakers from the worlds of science and entertainment will be joining us for a weekend celebration of science, reason and critical thinking.
Latest Update
Paula Kirby of the Richard Dawkins Foundation will be chairing a Question Time-style discussion about God and religion at QED. Read more and remember to buy your ticket (while you still can).
Supporting Good Science
At our 2011 event we raised £5,262, which was donated to the National Autistic Society and Sense About Science. We have decided to support these two charities again for 2012 and hope to raise even more money in support of good science.
QED is organised by North West Skeptical Events Ltd on behalf of the Greater Manchester Skeptics Society and the Merseyside Skeptics Society.
Event Website: http://www.qedcon.org/
Location: Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester, United Kingdom
Secularist of the Year 2012
Date: 17 March 2012
Description:
The National Secular Society presents its seventh annual presentation of the £5,000 Irwin Prize for Secularist of the Year on Saturday 17 March 2012 at 1PM.
The prize will be presented to the person adjudged to have made a significant contribution to secularism in the preceding year at a glittering lunchtime event in central London. Tickets are now on sale at £45 each (£15 students with identification) to include a welcome cocktail, three course lunch and all the entertainment.
Event Website: http://www.secularism.org.uk/secularist-of-the-year-2012.html
Location: SoHo, London, United Kingdom
Secularist of the Year
Date: 17 March 2012
Description:
The National Secular Society’s annual £5,000 for the person adjudged to have contributed something significant to the cause of secularism in the previous year will be presented at a glittering lunch on Saturday March 17 (1pm) in London.
Tickets are now on sale, and include a three course meal with welcoming cocktail and coffee and all the entertainment. It’s a convivial event held in a glamorous Soho venue and represents an opportunity to network with other secularists from around the country as well as honouring our best activists.
Full details and booking here: http://www.secularism.org.uk/secularist-of-the-year-2012.html
Event Website: http://www.secularism.org.uk/secularist-of-the-year-2012.html
Location: Soho venue, TBA, London, United Kingdom
Reason Rally
Date: 24 March 2012
Description:
Across America, in every city, every town, and every school, secularism is on the rise. Whether people call themselves atheists, agnostics, secular Humanists, or any of the other terms used to describe their god-free lifestyle, secularism is coming out of the closet. According to a recent Harris Poll, we are the fastest growing theological segment – in all fifty states.
But as we emerge from hiding, we meet hostility. Nationwide, secular people are among the most despised in the country. Our politicians ignore us, our society berates us, and we are blamed for everything from 9/11 to earthquakes.
The Reason Rally is a movement-wide event sponsored by the country’s major secular organizations. The intent is to unify, energize, and embolden secular people nationwide, while dispelling the negative opinions held by so much of American Society… and having a damn good time doing it!
On March 24, 2012, from 10:00AM – 4:00PM at the Washington Mall, nontheists from all corners of the nation will descend on Washington, D.C. en masse to deliver the good news: “We’re huge, we’re everywhere, and we’re growing.”
It will be the largest secular event in world history. There will be music, comedy, great speakers, and lots of fun… and it’s free!
From 10AM - 4PM
Event Website: http://reasonrally.org/
Richard will be speaking at this event.
This event is sponsored by the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.
Location: Washington Mall, Washington, DC, United States
Annual Convention of American Atheists
From: 25 March 2012 To: 26 March 2012
Time Zone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Description:
The Annual Convention of American Atheists will be held March 25th and 26th, 2012 (following the Reason Rally) at the Bethesda North Marriott and Convention Center in Bethesda, MD.
This year's theme: "Come out! Come out! Wherever you Are!" We will be concentrating this packed-to-the gills convention with help in all aspects of coming out of the atheist closet to your friends, family, and co-workers.
Pre-purchase Tickets now for $179 (Students with ID can come for $30 and get a free T-shirt and membership in AA)!
Join us as we follow the Reason Rally with our annual convention. Last year, nearly 800 people joined in our largest convention ever, and this year, we intend to break that record. We will feature some the movement's best speakers, live entertainment, and good old-fashioned atheist socializing.
The venue is the beautiful Marriott Bethesda North, which is right next to a METRO stop and boasts beautiful updated rooms and a truly FANTASTIC menu. We will have two meals, including our second-annual costume Buffet and our formal sit-down dinner, plus a fund-raiser "Dine with the Pros" event.
The speakers are lining up now. We promise this will not be a convention to be forgotten. Don't miss it! The price will go up as time goes by.
Event Website: http://atheists.org/events/2012_National_Convention
Richard will be speaking at this event.
Location: 5701 Marinelli Road , Bethesda, MD, United States
Sam Harris to Speak about Free Will for Skeptics at Caltech
Date: 25 March 2012
Description:
SAM HARRIS IS THE AUTHOR of the New York Times bestsellers, The Moral Landscape, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. His new book is short (96 pages), to the point, and will change the way we all view free will, as Oliver Sacks wrote: “Brilliant and witty—and never less than incisive—Free Will shows that Sam Harris can say more in 13,000 words than most people do in 100,000.” UCSD neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran notes: “In this elegant and provocative book, Sam Harris demonstrates—with great intellectual ferocity and panache—that free will is an inherently flawed and incoherent concept, even in subjective terms. If he is right, the book will radically change the way we view ourselves as human beings.”
Event Website: http://www.skeptic.com/upcoming-lectures/
Location: Beckman Autitorium, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, United States
Rock Beyond Belief
Date: 31 March 2012
Description:
Noon-8:00PM
Rock Beyond Belief is an ambitious project that will be putting on a free festival consisting of secular speakers and musicians, both big name and small. We are a small grass-roots outfit, but we have the backing of many major secular and military foundations. Currently we are focusing on a large-scale event that will be on the main post parade field on Fort Bragg. Eventually Rock Beyond Belief wants to spread the message to many other military installations.
We are not interested in just being a counter-event to the offensive Rock the Fort concert. We are also not interested in putting on an anti-christian, anti-religious, or anti-anything event. Rock Beyond Belief is A Day of Fun and Entertainment for the Rest of Us.
In the spirit of Richard Dawkins’ Out Campaign, we are embracing the fact that just by coming out and saying “we are non-theists, and also we are your firefighters, your military members, and your neighbors and friends” that we help to shed the negative connotations and debunk the myths associated with being a non-believer.
Join us!
Event Website: http://rockbeyondbelief.com/
Richard will be speaking at this event.
Location: Main Post Parade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States
2012 Global Atheist Convention – ‘A Celebration of Reason’, 13 - 15 April 2012.
From: 13 April 2012 To: 15 April 2012
Time Zone: Melbourne
Description:
Australia’s two largest newspapers, The Sunday Age (Melbourne) and The Sun-Herald (Sydney) are featuring the story that the ‘Four Horsemen’, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens will be appearing together for the first time in public at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention – ‘A Celebration of Reason’, 13 - 15 April 2012.
The story The Sunday Age, http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/government-comes-to-atheist-party-20110514-1enkv.html
The story The Sun-Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/national/government-funds-atheist-talkfest-20110514-1en8p.html
A media release of the announcement, here, http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/news/
Event Website: http://www.atheistconvention.org.au/news/
Richard will be speaking at this event.
Location: -, Melborne, -, Australia
Center for Inquiry: Castles Along the Rhine Riverboat Cruise
From: 29 April 2012 To: 06 May 2012
Time Zone: Amsterdam
Description:
Book before November 15th and get $150 off per person.
The Center for Inquiry Travel Club is pleased to announce that Richard Dawkins will be speaking on its 2012 Rhine River Cruise, joining human rights activist Maryam Namazie and CFI’s president & CEO, Ronald A. Lindsay.
The cruise will take place from April 29 to May 6, 2012. This is a riverboat cruise—on the Super Ship (S.S.) Antoinette, "the most luxurious river cruise ship in the world"—so space is very limited. Cabins for this cruise will go fast, so make your reservation today.
The Rhine River Valley is justly celebrated both for its natural beauty and its history. The Rhine's imposing castles and fortresses, erected over a millennium, provide a dramatic testament to its history, mute witnesses to centuries of trade, intellectual exchange, and the occasional clash of arms. The Rhine has also inspired some of the world's most moving art, music, and literature.
The Rhine is a fitting setting for an intellectual feast. Lively discussions and stimulating presentations on science, religion, ethics, and the challenges facing secularism—all taking place in comfort amidst visually stunning locations—will provide guests with an unforgettable experience.
Event Website: http://www.centerforinquiry.net/cruise2012
Richard will be speaking at this event.
Location: --, Basel, Switzerland
Imagine No Religion 2
From: 18 May 2012 To: 20 May 2012
Time Zone: Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Description:
Sponsored by Kamloops Centre for Rational Thought and Atheist Alliance International.
Speakers:
Lawrence Krauss
PZ Myers
Mariam Namazie
Desiree Schell
Christopher DiCarlo
Andy Thomson
Seth Andrews
Matt Dillahunty
Joyce Arthur
August Berkshire
David Eberth
Tickets on Sale Now!
Taking place at the Kamloops Convention Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada.
Event Website: http://imaginenoreligion2.com
Location: 1250 Rogers Way, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
Eleventh Annual Towel Day
Date: 25 May 2012 Time: 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM
Time Zone: UTC
Description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day
Towel Day is celebrated every 25 May as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their love for the books and the author, as referenced in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on May 11, 2001.
Location: Earth, Solar System, Universe, United Kingdom
Twelfth Annual Towel Day - May 25th every year
Date: 25 May 2013 Time: 12:01 AM - 11:59 PM
Time Zone: UTC
Description:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_Day
Towel Day is celebrated every 25 May as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their love for the books and the author, as referenced in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The commemoration was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on May 11, 2001.
Location: Earth, Solar System, Universe, United Kingdom
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