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Dec 9 7:00 PM

9 attended (est.) – 5.00 5.001

FLASH!


How Do You Deal With Family and Friends
Who Celebrate Christmas Rites?


NYC Atheists’ ‘LIVING WITHOUT RELIGION’ Group to Consider
How to Get Through Religious Holidays Without Going Crazy


‘Tis the season to be jolly? Not for everybody.

There are those of us who get classically depressed around Christmas time. We hate the forced cheeriness, we resent being obliged to buy gifts for people we don’t like, we avoid the touchy family get-togethers, we hope to steer clear of all the palms held out for holiday tips.

We find the Christmas lights on houses in the suburbs bizarre, the greediness of children opening their Christmas and Hannukah gifts offensive, and the nativity scenes in parks distasteful. We deem holiday movies maudlin; holiday tinsel and decorations tacky; Christmas carols are nauseatingly redundant--and we loathe eggnog.

Moreover, a growing number of us feel we should save the forests by not cutting down evergreens to decorate a house for one week. And, oh yes, we don’t like being made to feel like Scrooge just because we aren’t joining in the ho-ho-ho.

Too Much Jollity

If you’ve got your own story of holiday disaffection, your own angst about the forced merriment, come and share them with us at New York City Atheists’ Living Without Religion discussion and support group on Wednesday, December 9th at 7 p.m.

You’ll experience the camaraderie and goodwill of like-minded atheists who will understand your feelings and feel your pain, under the leadership of psychotherapist and atheist Linda Blaikie, L.C.S.W.—who admits that she herself isn’t keen on holiday hilarity.


Follows Nationwide Concept

The Living Without Religion workshop was recently started by NYCA following the concepts of Dr. Darrel Ray of Kansas City, who has started Recovering from Religion groups all over the country. Dr. Ray recognized that people who have separated from their religion need the support of others who have gone through it or are in the process of going through it.

Dr. Ray’s idea is to meet in small groups of six to 10 people, follow simple guidelines that ensure meetings are productive and provide support for those who attend. “Nobody has all the answers, but we think there are answers to be found in openly sharing and discussing,” Dr. Ray advised.

Solutions Through Reason

NYCA’s discussion leader, Linda Blaikie, a practicing licensed psychotherapist since 1974, worked for three years in a mental health clinic before she went into private practice, which she continues to this day. She has dealt with problems of depression, anxiety, relationship issues, work issues and phobias. Her approach to the Living Without Religion workshop is, however, one of an open group of peers who offer friendship, wisdom, commonsense and logic to their fellow atheists.

Join us, you are not alone! Come on Wednesday to take part in, examine and enjoy the atheist point of view in solving life’s problems!

Learn how common-sense, logic and down-to-earth solutions can be shared with friendly, like-minded people! Share your feelings and questions with caring atheists.


EVENT SUMMARY


WHAT: “How to Deal with Families and Friends Who Celebrate Christmas Rites,” a problem-solving workshop led by Linda Blaikie, L.C.S.W.

WHEN: Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Address of meetup (private home) will be provided to those who RSVP

PHONE 212-879-2687 to RSVP.

COST: Free to members. If you are not a member, you may become a member at the workshop.

New York City Atheists is a 501C not-for-profit association dedicated to the separation of church and state and to promoting the atheist life style and values. All are welcome, including agnostics, humanists, secularists, freethinkers, skeptics and those who are questioning and seeking.



JANE
MANHATTAN, NY,

3 Yes
0 Maybe

Dec 2 7:00 PM

9 attended (est.) – 4.50 4.503

we will next hear a Teaching Company lecture entitled: Rome, the Stoics and the Rule of Law

Note: The Files section (on the left of this panel) contains an outline of the lecture.

Please arrive by 7:00 p.m. so we can start the first lecture promptly.

The meeting is limited to 15 people so if you are interested : call (Roger Smith) 917-363-7470 for meeting location.

Remember: you must be a member to attend (though you can sign up for membership on the evening of the lecture, so come on down).

No location was chosen for this Meetup

9 Yes
0 Maybe

Nov 24 7:00 PM

15 attended (est.) – 4.50 4.502

Spanish-Speaking Atheists Reaching Out To Latino Community
Come Out, Come Out, Says New Group to Hidden Nonbelievers


The Spanish-speaking community in New York City and environs has long been known to be predominantly religious; it is thought that some 90 percent of Latinos are devout catholics.


That is not really accurate, says Juan Castro, leader of New York City Atheists’ (NYCA) first Spanish-speaking division. Castro believes that the oft-quoted figure overlooks up to 15 percent of the Latin community who are hidden atheists but have not come out as such.


Spanish-speaking atheists do not “come out” freely or easily because (1) they do not wish to offend the majority and (2) religion in the Latin neighborhoods is as much about community, festivals and family events as it is about faith, according to Castro.

But all that may be changing. Castro and a group of avant-garde Spanish community members from the New York area have organized a small but vital group of atheist leaders who are planning to make new inroads into Spanish communities here and in the Boroughs.


Meet Tuesday, Nov. 24


The group, sponsored by NYCA, is having its second meeting on Tuesday, November 24 to plan ways of reaching out to the nonreligious in Latin communities.


On the agenda for the Tuesday meeting is: planning ways to convince Latino atheists to “come out”; how to publicize the group; how to educate young Latinos that there are alternatives to religion; how to form close atheist units that will provide some of the unity that religion now offers to the Spanish community.


If you are a Spanish-speaking atheist, come to this second meeting of the first, historic Latino atheist group in the Metropolitan area! Give your support to the brave iconoclasts--the teachers, scientists, businessmen and professionals—who are pioneers in organizing Spanish nonbelievers!


EVENT SUMMARY


WHAT: “REACHING OUT TO ATHEISTS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY” – A discussion led by
Juan Castro, leader of the first Spanish-speaking atheist group in the New York Metropolitan area.
WHEN: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 7 p.m.


WHERE: Conference Room, East Side 70s, private residence.
CALL JANE EVERHART, 212-879-2687 to get exact address


COST: Free. But you must RSVP to the above phone number with your name.
Your name will be given to the building concierge and checked off when
you arrive.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:


Juan Castro
New York Region Spanish-Speaking Atheists (NYRSSA)
Phone: 646-387-2796


Jane Everhart
Director of Communications
New York City Atheists
212-879-2687
=======================

Ateos Hispanoparlantes Alargan la Mano a la Comunidad Latina/Hispana

“Declárense”, “Declárense”, Dice un Grupo Nuevo a los No Creyentes Ocultos


Se ha sabido por mucho tiempo que la comunidad hispanoparlante de la Ciudad de Nueva York y sus alrededores es predominantemente religiosa; se piensa que el 90 por ciento de los Latinos son católicos devotos.


Esto no es realmente exacto, dice Juan Castro, líder de la primera sección de hispanoparlantes de New York City Atheists (NYCA). Castro piensa que esa cifra, tantas veces citada, ignora hasta un 15 por ciento de la comunidad hispana que se compone de ateos ocultos que no se han declarado aún.


Los ateos hispanoparlantes no “se declaran” libre y fácilmente porque (1) no desean ofender a la mayoría y (2) la religión en las comunidades latinas forma parte tanto de la comunidad, sus festivales y sus acontecimientos familiares como de lo que es la fe en sí, según Castro.


Pero todo esto puede estar cambiando. Castro y un grupo de vanguardia de miembros de la comunidad hispanoparlante del área de Nueva York han organizado a un grupo de líderes ateos pequeño pero enérgico que está planeando abrir caminos en las comunidades hispanoparlantes y en los “Condados” (“Boroughs”).


Reunión el martes, 24 de noviembre

El grupo, auspiciado por NYCA, celebrará su segunda reunión el martes, 24 de noviembre, para planificar los modos de alargar la mano a los no religiosos de las comunidades latinas.


Se incluyen los siguientes en la agenda de la reunión del martes: planear cómo convencer a los ateos latinos de que “alarguen la mano”; cómo dar a conocer al grupo mediante publicidad; cómo dejar saber a los latinos jóvenes que hay alternativas a las religiones; cómo crear unidades estrechas de ateos que se proporcionen a sí mismas una parte de la unidad que la religión le ofrece actualmente a la comunidad hispana.


¡Si usted es un ateo hispanoparlante, venga a esta segunda reunión del primer, histórico, grupo de latinos ateos del Área Metropolitana! ¡Dé su apoyo a estos valientes iconoclastas—maestros, científicos, comerciantes y profesionales—que son los pioneros de la organización de hispanoparlantes no creyentes!

RESUMEN DEL ACONTECIMIENTO

QUÉ: “Ateos Hispanoparlantes Alargan la Mano a la Comunidad Latina/Hispana” – discusión dirigida por Juan Castro, líder del primer grupo de ateos hispanoparlantes del ÁreaMetropolitana de Nueva York

CUÁNDO: Martes, 24 de noviembre de 2009, a las 7:00 p.m.

DÓNDE: Sala de Reuniones (“Conference Room”), East Side 70s, una residencia privada. LLAMEN A JANE EVERHART, 212-879-2687 para obtener la dirección precisa.

COSTO: Gratis. Pero debe confirmar su asistencia (“RSVP”), dando su nombre, al número de teléfono arriba indicado. Se dará su nombre al conserje del edificio y se tachará su nombre de la lista cuando llegue.

PARA MÁS INFORMACIÓN:

Juan Castro

New York Region Spanish-Speaking Atheists (NYRSSA)

Teléfono: 646-387-2796


Jane Everhart

Directora de Comunicaciones

New York City Atheists (Ateos de Nueva York)

212-879-2687

JANE
MANHATTAN, NY,

9 Yes
2 Maybe

Nov 19 6:30 PM

54 attended (est.) – 4.50 4.506

Was Jesus Invented By a Committee?

Prof. Brancazio Separates the Myth from the Man


Did Jesus really exist or was he invented? How much of the Jesus story is true and how much is a fairy tale? If he existed, what did he really say—and could this have gotten changed over time into the overzealous stories we now know?


For Professor Peter J. Brancazio, author of “The Bible From Cover to Cover,” an excoriating book that strips bare the inconsistencies and fabrications of the bible, there is no doubt that someone like Jesus historically existed, though he admits there’s very little written evidence for it.


“I think his message is so radical that there had to have been a historical Jesus,” says Brancazio. “If he wasn’t real, somebody had to have said all those things.”


What Was the Real Message?


But what has happened to Christ’s message? “A lot of what Christians believe about Jesus Christ was actually developed 100, 200 or 300 years after his death,” says Brancazio, who will trace how Jesus was transformed by the early Christians into the son of god and a member of the trinity.


It was all done by committee, he insists: “All of the attributes that Christians presently believe about Jesus—the trinity, being the son of god—were actually created by church conferences where people basically voted on what was to become canon.”


But, adds the professor: “What was Jesus’ actual message? What did he really say to people and did this get transformed over time?”


Scientist Turned Bible Scholar


Dr. Brancazio was chosen by Newsday as one of six “Great Teachers in New York” in 1990. He taught for 35 years in the Physics department of Brooklyn College. He created, and has taught for seven years, a now-famous course called “Science and Religion,” inspired by a grant from the famous Templeton Foundation. He now teaches this course at Long Island University, where, according to Dr. Kay Sato, of C.W. Post-Long Island University, “he thoroughly amazes and delights students with his fascinating insights and in-depth knowledge.”


The professor, a scientist turned biblical scholar, confesses to having read both the New Testament and the Old Testament four times, an exhausting and critical study campaign which inspired him to write his book “The Bible From Cover to Cover.” But it also put him in the forefront of bible debunkers and inspired a whole new career in teaching the truth about the bible and the Jesus fables.


Most Popular Speaker


Professor Brancazio is one of the most popular speakers that New York City Atheists (NYCA) has ever had. Last year, his first lecture to NYCA in May on “Demystifying the Bible” was such a success that we had to invite him back in July to demystify the New Testament too. His witty, entertaining presentation of a generally scholarly subject inspired the sell-out of his book (which is now available on Amazon.com).


Come on Thursday, November 19, to hear the personable, dynamic professor talk about his latest debunking subject: How Jesus was mythologized over the centuries into a godhead and saintly figure, and how the man whom many Christians today worship as god may have been just a human being with an entirely different message than that which is being disseminated by the churches now.


EVENT SUMMARY


WHAT: “Was Jesus Christ Invented by a Committee?” a talk by Dr Peter
Brancazio, scientist and biblical scholar.


WHEN: Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 pm


WHERE: SLC Conference Center
352 Seventh Ave. (bet. 29th & 30th Sts.)
16th Floor


COST: We would appreciate a donation of $5 to cover the cost of
the Conference Center. Unemployed exempt.

SLC Conference Center
New York, NY, 10001

26 Yes
9 Maybe

Nov 17 7:00 PM

45 attended (est.) – 5.00 5.004

FLASH!


Hot Topic: Atheist Activism…


How Far Should Atheists Go to Fight for Our Rights?

Should We Be Suing to Get Chaplains Out of the Police Dept?


NYCA’s daring-duo discussion leaders, Michael and Alexandra, want to know: How far should atheists go to fight for our rights?

On Tuesday evening, November 17, the two join together once more at the Stone Creek Bar & Pub to lead a sizzling discussion, this time on atheist activism: What should we atheists be doing? When do we take a stand? When should we put our actions where our mouths are?

The issue that the two are throwing out to the Meetup group for discussion will center on the legal action New York City Atheists Inc. (NYCA) has proposed: a suit to get religious chaplains out of New York City’s police and fire departments.

The facts are: New York City maintains, and pays the salaries of, a corps of religious chaplains to minister to the psychological and spiritual needs of our policemen, our firefighters and their families. These chaplains are supported with the tax money paid to the City by you and me.

For atheists, this means that we are financially supporting religious representatives to minister to our citizenry—a situation that clearly violates every precept in our Constitution and Bill of Rights that calls for separation of church and state.

With the encouragement of an NYCA member who was himself a former police officer and who suffered departmental pressure to associate himself with some religion, NYCA decided nearly a year ago to institute a suit to remove the chaplains from government agencies. The suit is now in the discovery phase. It will no doubt create a citywide—perhaps a nationwide—ruckus when it gains momentum. Should we proceed posthaste?

Co-Hosts Share Stage

Discussion leaders Michael Dorian and Alexandra Sidiropoulos have the unique ability to co-host in tandem, like Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin—only smarter and more feisty.

Charming, compassionate Alex, atheism’s female George Stephanopoulos, is originally from Missouri, though her ancestors came from Greece, the land of Socrates. She became an atheist after a childhood experience at a church summer camp that was very much like the oppressive one depicted in the notorious “Jesus Camp” movie. Today, she works as an administrative assistant in a law firm that specializes in intellectual property and in her spare time is also co-host of one of NYCA’s Cable TV shows.

No Holds Barred

Witty and wise Michael Dorian is known for his no-holds-barred telling-it-like-it-is attitude. Expect a few choice words from him if the mood strikes him; no prude, he.

Michael, film director, playwright and educator, is the director and producer of the award-winning documentary film, “Pizza, The Movie,” which was recently chosen to be shown on Channel 31 in New York. This fascinating, funny film is about the highly competitive rivalry in pizza-dough throwing contests here and in Italy.

Come on Tuesday to hear our dynamic twosome lead the discussion of a fascinating and important topic. Give us your input, your ideas and the benefit of your experience, among like-minded people.
Enjoy meeting vibrant, thinking atheists from all over the city! Stay afterwards to mingle and chat with hosts Michael and Alex.

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: “Atheist Activism—Should We Be Fighting Harder for Our Rights?”
—a discussion led by Alexandra Sidiropoulos and Michael Dorian.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 17 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Stone Creek Bar and Pub
140 East 27th St. (Bet. Lex & 3rd), Back room.

COST: Free. But we hope you will purchase a drink or food to
compensate Stone Creek for letting us use their space.
The food is good and reasonably priced, and they have
an excellent selection of beers.


------------------------------------------------------------------

New York City Atheists Inc. is a 501C not-for-profit organization dedicated to the separation of church and state and to promotion the atheist lifestyle and values. All are welcome, including agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, skeptics and those who are simply questioning and seeking.

Stone Creek
New York, NY, 10011

30 Yes
8 Maybe

Nov 11 7:00 PM

10 attended (est.) – 5.00 5.003

FLASH!


How Do You Solve Personal Problems in an Atheist Way?

Boss on your back? Mother-in-law hounding you? Not sure you are ready to marry your girlfriend? If you were religious, your parish minister would no doubt help you resolve these personal dilemmas.

But if you are an atheist, where are the ministers and preachers you can go to? Who is available to help you solve personal ethical, moral or practical problems? Where’s your life coach, where’s your rabbi, where’s your Dutch Uncle lavish with advice?

Now, New York City Atheists is providing an answer. Forget the ministers and preachers; they’re just going to tell you to pray for strength to bear your burden. We have a better idea: a group that offers psychological, emotional and problem-solving support for non-believers.

We’re calling it the LIVING WITHOUT RELIGION group, led by psychotherapist Linda Ford Blaikie, L.C.S.W. It will meet once a month with the goal of helping each other resolve our personal problems through reason, scientific knowledge, empathy, logic and understanding.

There will be no charge for this cutting-edge atheist support group, but you must be a member of New York City Atheists (NYCA) to participate. (Can join at meeting.)

Linda Ford Blaikie has been a practicing licensed psychotherapist since 1974, when she got her degree in clinical social work. She worked for three years in a mental health clinic, then went into private practice, which she continues to this day. She has dealt with problems of depression, anxiety, relationship problems, work problems, phobias and a whole spectrum of emotional issues.

Mourning the Lost god

Blaikie herself comes from a very devout Catholic background. In college, she became disenchanted with Catholicism and found that she could no longer believe in god. “What happened in the next three years felt like a divorce,” she says. “I would forget I didn’t believe in god and I’d pray and I’d cry and I missed god and I missed the Virgin Mary.” But she got through it “through sheer force of will,” and has been an atheist ever since, though quietly, without much fanfare.

That changed recently: “When Obama said the word ‘nonbelievers’ in his inaugural speech, I thought, this is my hour. I now have eight years of opportunity to come out,” Blaikie says. “I realized that this is the moment when atheists need to gain ground, demand respect and be on an equal footing with religious groups.”

Blaikie believes that in the LIVING WITHOUT RELIGION support group, there will be people who are recovering from religion as well as those who are intellectually “already there” but who need to emotionally mourn the loss of their religion and resume living a moral and ethical life without the aid of any supernatural deity. “They lost their comfort, their Daddy, their community, their rosary beads, their protection. In our group, we hope to accelerate the recovery process and learn the joys of atheism from each other.”

Small Groups
Blaikie became interested in the concept of an atheist support group when she read about the Recovering from Religion groups started by Dr. Darrel Ray, Ed.D, of Kansas City. Dr. Ray recognized that people who are separating from the religion that they had been inculcated into as children needed the support of others who were in the same situation or who had already gone through it. He started Recovering from Religion groups in Kansas City, Cleveland and Cincinnati that were so effective, the concept has now spread to about 15 cities nationwide.

According to Dr. Ray, “We meet in small groups of six to 10 people. We follow simple guidelines that ensure meetings and events are productive and provide real support for those who attend. No one has all the answers but we think there are answers to be found in openly sharing and discussing.”

Blaikie followed the progress of Dr. Ray’s groups, noted their rapid proliferation and felt that this was a process that could be adapted to atheist groups in New York. She recognizes that our New York community is very different from Kansas City or Des Moines: Many New York atheists have been nonbelievers for a long time. And while some New Yorkers are still dealing with separation-from-religion issues, many are also dealing with the problems beyond separation, such as how to deal with an urban world in which atheists are estranged or misunderstood or live lonely lives isolated from other atheists. Blaikie believes that a support group along the lines of Dr. Ray’s groups can help in every aspect of dealing with life problems—from job issues to health problems to relationship dilemmas—in a secular, logic-based way,

The LIVING WITHOUT RELIGION group will meet on the second Wednesday of each month, starting November 11. To RSVP, simply telephone group facilitator Jane Everhart at 212-879-2687. In line with Dr. Ray’s philosophy, we will start 12 people, so first come, first served. But we will put your name on the waiting list in case someone doesn’t show up or drops out.

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: LIVING WITHOUT RELIGION atheist support group led by
psychotherapist Linda Ford Blaikie, L.C.S.W.

WHEN: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 at 7 pm

WHERE: Location will be given to participants when you sign up

COST: Free. But participants must be members of New York City Atheists Inc. (Can join ay meeting.)

RSVP to: Jane Everhart,
Director of Communications,
New York City Atheists
212-879-2687

New York City Atheists Inc. is a 501C not-for-profit association dedicated to the separation of church and state and to promoting the atheist life style and values. All are welcome, including agnostics, humanists, secularist, freethinkers, skeptics and those who are simply questioning and seeking.

JANE
MANHATTAN, NY,

10 Yes
0 Maybe

Nov 8 12:00 PM

53 attended (est.) – 5.00 5.004

How Religion Exploits Human Emotional Needs To Lure Us Into the Church

Psychiatrist Explains Mankind’s Vulnerability to Supernatural Beliefs



Have you ever wondered why catholic priests are called “Father,” nuns are “sister” or “mother” and the Pope is allegedly the “Holy Father” of us all?


It’s called “kin psychology,” says psychiatrist J. Anderson Thomson Jr. of the University of Virginia, and it’s one way the church implicitly (or explicitly) generates the emotional attachment of its flock.


Since time immemorial, humankind has favored kin over strangers. In fact, kin psychology may represent one of our deepest, most primordial survival mechanisms. It begins with the attachment of the newborn to its mother and harks back to primitive folk living in caves where the kinship attachment was the difference between survival and being killed by a warring tribe.


So is it an accident that the church represents itself as kinfolk? Dr. Thomson thinks not. It is one of the many ways that religion has appealed to deep human emotional needs to lure people into the church.


Analyzed Suicide Terrorism


Dr. Thomson has a private practice of general psychiatry and forensic psychiatry in Charlottesville VA, as well as serving as a staff psychiatrist at the University of Virginia’s Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy and the Counseling and Psychological Services of the University of Virginia Student Health Services.


Dr. Thomson is also known for his dynamic speech on suicide terrorism at the 2007 Atheist Alliance International convention in Washington, DC—now dubbed “the Woodstock of Atheism”—where he gave a cutting-edge talk on how religion convinces people to become suicide bombers.


At the NYC Atheists brunch on Sunday, November 8, Dr. Thomson will discuss why human minds generate and accept religious beliefs.


Church Exploits Emotional Needs


Humans, he notes, are vulnerable to the generation of religious beliefs “because these beliefs arise from normal cognitive mechanisms that are in our brain but which were originally designed for other purposes.” The kinship mechanism, for example, which originally evolved for survival purposes, has been hijacked by religion to enhance the church’s appeal and control its flock.

Come on Sunday and hear Dr. Thomson’s fascinating dissection of what draws people into the influence and protection of the church. Find out how to avoid the emotional traps that religion uses to pull in its needy and vulnerable followers. With knowledge, analysis and inner strength, humans can resist the pull of the promises and seductions of religion, says Dr Thomson.


EVENT SUMMARY


WHAT: “The Psychology of Religion: Why We Believe
IN GOD" BY Dr. J. Anderson Thomson, well- known psychiatrist and analyst
on how religion creates suicide terrorists.


WHEN: Sunday, November 8, at 12 noon.


WHERE: Press Box Restaurant and Pub
932 Second Ave. (bet. 49th & 50th Streets)


COST: Brunch, $20.( Includes selection of Buffett entrees and salad,
one soft drink, coffee, tax, and tip. We
highly recommend going
back for seconds of the delicious Eggs
Benedict.

THE PRESS BOX
New York, NY, 10022

31 Yes
9 Maybe

Oct 29 6:30 PM

47 attended (est.) – 4.50 4.504

Evolutionary Trends: Why Did Dinosaurs Go Extinct?

The Clues Are Right Here Under Our Feet:
Dinos Once Ruled New York


Everyone loves to hear about dinosaurs, says Dr. Bret Bennington, professor of geology atHofstra University. They are captivating to just about everybody. “It’s the mysteries surrounding them,” he explains. “The big question everyone wants to know is, why did they go extinct? But equally important,” he notes, “is why and how did they get started?”

What’s amazing to New Yorkers is that clues to these dinosaur mysteries lie beneath our very own feet. “There is a fascinating and very rich history of dinosaurs on the East Coast—New York,New Jersey and Connecticut,” says Dr. Bennington, who will discuss this intriguing discovery at NYC Atheist’s October 29th meeting. “We don’t have the kind of dinosaur fossil bones you might find out West; but we have some significant information preserved in the rocks in our area.”

Dinos Roamed New Jersey

Yes, dinosaurs once roamed the lands the George Washington Bridge spans, they trod on what is now the Jersey Turnpike, they lumbered through woodlands that, eons later, became Park Avenue.

Moreover, dinosaurs have some interesting significance in terms of evolution: “They are a good illustration of the process of evolution and of some of the big evolutionary ideas that have been developed in the last 150 years,” asserts the professor.

Dinos Survived Longer Than Man

The man who coined the term “dinosaur” was a British zoologist whose ulterior motive for defining this category of giant reptiles was actually anti-Darwinian. He was Richard Owen, probably the only person that Darwin ever admitted publicly to not liking.

Owen was one of the heads of the British Museum and a famous comparative anatomist. He worked on some of the vertebrate fossils that Darwin brought back from the Galapagos Islands. But Owen was an anti-evolutionist and became an intellectual opponent of Darwin. He believed that his dinosaurs would provide a counter argument for evolution.

But of course they didn’t. “Actually, dinosaurs were efficiently evolved for survival, since they lasted for 150 million years. In contrast, our lineage, hominids, have been around for only six million years, so dinosaurs have got us beat for a quarter and a half of magnitude.”

Dynamic Speaker

What made dinosaurs finally go extinct? “The rocks and fossils that provide clues to that event are here in the New York area,” reveals Dr. Bennington, who for 17 years has taught geology, Darwin, paleontology and Dinosaurs at Hofstra University. “This is a very interesting place for the study of dinosaurs.”

Come on Thursday to hear this dynamic speaker tell you things you never suspected about dinosaurs and evolution!

Come to enjoy a tour of the dinosaurian world revealed in rock formations of the New York area. Hear about the spectacular scientific relationship of dinosaurs and evolution in a friendly Atheist atmosphere where you can ask questions freely and openly.

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: “When Dinosaurs Ruled New York,” a talk by Dr. J. Bret Bennington,

Associate Professor of geology at Hofstra University

WHEN: Thursday, October 29, at 6:30 pm

WHERE: SLC Conference Center

352 Seventh Ave. (bet. 29th & 30th)

16th Floor

COST: We would appreciate a donation of $5 to help cover cost of meeting

space. Unemployed exempt.

SLC Conference Center
New York, NY, 10001

22 Yes
7 Maybe

Oct 27 7:00 PM

13 attended (est.) – 5.00 5.002

An Historic Event:


First Spanish-Speaking Atheist Meetup Group To Debut


In response to popular requests from atheists in New York’s Spanish community, New York City Atheists, Inc. (NYCA) is organizing the first Spanish-speaking Atheist Meetup in the city, perhaps the first in the country.

The new Spanish Atheist Division of NYCA will hold its first Meetup on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at the Stone Creek Bar and Restaurant on 140 East 27th St. at 7 p.m.


Most Active Atheist Group

NYCA has been on the cutting edge of the atheist movement since 2003 and has been the City’s leading innovator in organizing for the Atheist cause. NYCA is the ground-breaking organization that recently sponsored the bus poster advertisements which sped through the city on buses with the message, “You don’t have to believe in god to be a moral or ethical person.”

NYCA also puts on four Atheist cable TV shows a week, has two Atheist educational or scientific lectures a month, sponsors a Philosophy Club and a Singles Meetup, does street tabling at Columbus Circle every Saturday (weather permitting), demonstrates for Atheist causes, and organizes Atheist cruises and other atheist social events.

NYCA Lobbies, Marches

NYCA, whose main goals are the separation of church and state and the advancement of the atheist lifestyle and values, also lobbies in Washington and Albany for atheist causes. NYCA members have marched in demonstrations here and in Washington to demand the removal of the words “Under god” from the Pledge of Allegiance, to back military atheists (“Atheists in Foxholes”), to demonstrate, during the Pope’s visit to New York, against child abuse by priests and to press for removal of government funding for church charities.

Spanish Delegates Appear

A delegation of Spanish-speaking atheists came to an NYCA meeting on October 11 to propose a Spanish-speaking division of the group. Its goal, they projected, would be to open the overwhelmingly religious Spanish community to freethought ideas and to provide support to those who are already sympathetic to the freethought and atheist movement.

The Spanish division of NYCA will be led by, and managed by, Spanish-speaking Atheists, many of whom have said they are scientific and medical workers who wish to open their Spanish communities to the reasonableness of scientific and nonreligious thinking.

Spanish Cable TV Show Planned

An initial public-relations drive will contact Spanish-speaking publications and newspapers and enlist prominent Latino speakers and artists to support and educate the nonbelievers and freethinkers already within the Spanish community. Eventually, a Spanish-speaking Cable TV show is planned to help reach the Latino community.

If you speak Spanish and are sympathetic to the Atheist cause, come October 27 (Tuesday) to the Stone Creek to become a part of this history-making organizing group! Meet like-minded Latinos, join in their camaraderie, open up your world to the new age of freethought and scientific advancement!

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: Historical First Meetup of the new Spanish division of New York City Atheists Inc.


WHEN: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 7 p.m.


WHERE: The Stone Creek Bar and Restaurant (Back Room)

140 East 27th St. (bet. 3rd & Lex.)


COST: Free. But as usual, we hope you will order a drink or food to compensate Stone Creek for letting us use their space. The food is good and moderately priced, and there is an excellent selection of beers.

===========================
For Immediate Release

Ciudad de Nueva York ateos Inc.

Contacto de Prensa: 212 879-2687

Un acontecimiento histórico:

En primer lugar habla española Ateo Meetup Group Para Debut


Oct.15, Nueva York-En respuesta a las peticiones populares de los ateos en la comunidad española de Nueva York, Nueva York ateos, Inc. (NYCA) está organizando la primera de habla española Ateo Meetup de la ciudad, tal vez la primera en el país.

La nueva División de español ateo NYCA celebrará su Meetup por primera vez en Martes, 27 de octubre 2009 en el Bar y Restaurante Arroyo de Piedra en 140 East 27th St. a las 7 pm


Más activos Ateo Grupo


NYCA ha estado en la vanguardia del movimiento ateo desde 2003 y ha sido líder innovador de la ciudad en la organización de la causa Ateo. NYCA es la innovadora organización que patrocinó recientemente los anuncios de autobuses cartel que atravesó la ciudad en los autobuses con el mensaje "Usted no tiene que creer en Dios para ser una persona moral o ética."

NYCA también pone en cuatro de televisión por cable Ateo muestra una semana, tiene dos Ateo educativos o conferencias científicas de un mes, patrocina un Club de Filosofía y Meetup individuales, se calle la presentación en Columbus Circle, todos los sábados (si el tiempo lo permite), demuestra por causas ateo, y ateo organiza cruceros y eventos ateo social.

NYCA grupos de presión, marchas


NYCA, cuyos objetivos principales son la separación de iglesia y estado y el adelanto de la forma de vida ateo y valores, también los grupos de presión en Washington y de Albany para las causas ateo. NYCA miembros se han manifestado en las manifestaciones aquí y en Washington para exigir la supresión de las palabras "bajo Dios" en el Juramento de Lealtad, para respaldar los ateos militar ( "ateos en trincheras"), para demostrar, durante la visita del Papa a Nueva York, contra el maltrato infantil por los sacerdotes y para presionar por la eliminación de la financiación del gobierno para obras de caridad de la iglesia.

Los delegados españoles aparecen


Una delegación de ateos de habla española-llegó a una reunión de NYCA el 11 de octubre para proponer una división de habla española del grupo. Su objetivo, se prevé, sería abrir la comunidad española mayoritariamente a las ideas religiosas librepensamiento y para prestar apoyo a los que ya son simpatizantes del librepensamiento y el movimiento ateo.

La división española de NYCA estará encabezada por, y administradas por los ateos de habla española-, muchos de los cuales han dicho que están científica y médica de los trabajadores que desean abrir sus comunidades españolas a la racionalidad del pensamiento científico y no religioso.

Español Cable TV Show de Planificación


Una opinión pública inicial de las relaciones de la unidad se pondrá en contacto de habla española de publicaciones y periódicos y obtener prominentes oradores y artistas latinos para apoyar y educar a los no creyentes y librepensadores ya dentro de la comunidad española. Finalmente, un espectáculo de habla española de televisión por cable está prevista para ayudar a alcanzar la comunidad latina.

Si usted habla español y son solidarios con la causa Ateo, vienen 27 de octubre (martes) a la Quebrada de Piedra a formar parte de esta historia de adopción de la organización de grupos! Conoce a los latinos con ideas afines, participar en su camaradería, abre tu mundo a la nueva era de progreso científico y librepensamiento!

RESUMEN DE EVENTOS


QUÉ: En primer lugar Meetup Histórico de la nueva división española de Nueva York Ciudad ateos Inc.

CUÁNDO: Martes, 27 de octubre 2009 a las 7 p.m.

DÓNDE: El Bar y Restaurante Arroyo de Piedra (Back Room)
140 East 27th St. (entre calles 3 & Lex.)

COSTO: Gratis. Pero, como siempre, esperamos que para una bebida o comida para compensar Stone Creek por permitirnos usar su espacio. El la comida es buena y de precio moderado, y es un excelent selección de cervezas.

Stone Creek
New York, NY, 10011

12 Yes
2 Maybe

Oct 20 7:00 PM

41 attended (est.) – 4.50 4.503

FLASH!

Daring Duo Hosts NYCA Meetup Again!

You Loved Them, You Asked For Them—

They Are Back on Tuesday, Oct. 20

You loved having Alexandra and Michael host the September New York City Atheists meetup—55 of you showed up, and the discussions sizzled!

We are lucky to be able to get the darling duo back again: Pert, smart Alexandra Sidiropoulos, whose ancestors came from Greece, the land of Socrates, and handsome, talented Michael Dorian, film director extraordinaire.

They will be at the Stone Creek Bar & Pub on Tuesday, October 20, to lead another scintillating atheist discussion. This time, one of the topics will be California preacher Ray Comfort (“The banana guy”), notorious for claiming that god created the shape of the banana so it would be easier for humans to eat. He also claims that he can “scientifically” prove that god exists. (He really can’t.) Most recently, Preacher Comfort is distributing Darwin’s Origin of the Species with an added defamatory Christian fundamentalist introduction.

Church Camp Victim

Alexandra is originally from Missouri (just like the old saying “she’s from Missouri” implies, Alex questions everything). She became an atheist after a childhood experience at a church summer camp that was very much like the one depicted in the notorious “Jesus Camp” movie. Today, she is working as an administrative assistant in a law firm that specializes in intellectual property

Michael Dorian, film director, playwright and educator, is the director and producer of the award-winning documentary film, “Pizza, The Movie,” which was recently chosen to be shown on ION, Channel 31 in New York. This fascinating, funny film is about the highly competitive rivalry in pizza-dough throwing contests here and in Italy.

Finds Humor in Religion

Michael, who also teaches in New York, has been an atheist and a member of NYCA for several years. He picketed the Pope with us and he started NYCA’s blog. He is an intelligent, articulate, outspoken discussion leader who brings logic and common sense to the table. He also happens to have a terrific sense of humor (like another film director, Woody Allen) that shows up in his film. But with Michael, it’s not a self-deprecating form of comedy but rather, humor based on the contradictions and idiocies of our society.

Come on Tuesday to hear this dynamic duo make mincemeat out of the banana guy! Come, share your views with a group of friendly, like-minded people. Stay afterwards to chat with our charming hosts. You will also have an opportunity to buy a DVD of Michael’s film, “Pizza, The Movie.”

And remember, so far we have had five couples heading for the altar who met at our Stone Creek Meetup: One marriage, two engagements and two going-steady couples. Who knew that our vivid, heated discussions would set cupid’s arrows roving? Not us.

EVENT SUMMARY

WHAT: Discussion led by Alexandra Sidiropoulos and
Michael Dorian on "The Banana Guy Disses
Darwin."

WHEN: Tuesday, October 20, at 7 p.m.

WHERE: The Stone Creek Bar and Pub

140 E. 27th St. (Bet. Lex & 3rd)

Back Room

COST: FREE. But we hope you will purchase a drink or food to

compensate Stone Creek for letting us use their space.

The food is good and reasonably priced and they have

an excellent selection of beers.

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New York City Atheists Inc. is a 501C not-for-profit organization dedicated to the separation of church and state and to promoting the Atheist lifestyle and values. All are welcome, including agnostics, freethinkers, skeptics and those who are simply questioning and seeking.

Only members of this Group can view the location for this Meetup

26 Yes
9 Maybe