Find out about various skepticism-related events around Vancouver, BC (as well as some major conferences farther afield) through our Google Calendar feed. You can add these events to your own calendar by copying the feed’s link address and pasting it into Other Calendars -> “Add by URL” in Google Calendar. You can even see upcoming local events displayed on a map of the Vancouver area.
If you’d like to have your group’s event added to this calendar, send email to: events@vancouverskeptics.org
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Upcoming events:
- World Skeptics Congress in Berlin, GermanyFri. May. 18, 12:00 am Mon. May. 21 - 12:00 amBerlin, Germany
- Imagine No Religion 2 ConferenceFri. May. 18, 12:00 am Mon. May. 21 - 12:00 amCoast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre, 1250 Rogers Way, Kamloops, British Columbia V1S 1N5
- Skeptics in the Pub in Port MoodySat. May. 19, 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm248 Newport Drive, Port Moody, BChttp://www.meetup.com/Skeptics-in-the-Pub-Port-Moody/
Meet up with freethinkers, science fans, and religion-free people on the third Saturday of every month, and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of St. James's Well Olde Irish Pub in Newport Village.
This is a new Meetup group and is a great place to make friends and get involved in new events and activities and to be informed of matters of interest to critical thinkers and science enthusiasts.
We are meeting on the third Saturday of every month. St. James's Well is at 248 Newport Drive, Port Moody, BC a few blocks from Ioco and Barnet Hwy. There is a free parking lot to the right of the pub and parking spots around the pub. - Partial Solar EclipseSun. May. 20, 3:58 pm - 6:23 pmAs seen from Vancouver, BC
- May Café Sci: Andrew Holding, "Forgotten Knowledge: The discovery and loss of a cure for scurvy"Tue. May. 22, 7:30 pm - 10:30 pm579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BChttps://www.facebook.com/events/283178651776660/
Dear Café Scientifiquers,
Our May café will happen on Tuesday May 22th, 7:30pm at The Railway Club. Our speaker for the evening will be Andrew Holding, a research scientist who is currently employed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK. He has worked on many Science outreach projects including founding and organising Skeptics in the Pub in Cambridge, which holds monthly talks by various speakers with the aim of highlighting the application of critical thinking and scientific method. His talk will be:
Forgotten Knowledge: The discovery and loss of a cure for scurvy
Of all the slang names for the British, none is more iconic than
'Limey'. While the the term provokes majestic images of the Golden Age of Sail, scurvy cost countless sailors and seamen their lives. It was once not unheard of for nine out of every ten members of a ship's crew to have succumbed to scurvy by the time it returned to port. The results of James Lind's work on the HMS Salisbury in 1747, which led to a cure, without doubt saved innumerable lives. Yet in Cherry-Garrard's account of Robert Falcon Scott's 1911 expedition to the South Pole, he writes: "There was little scurvy in Nelson's days; but the reason is not clear, since, according to modern research, lime-juice only helps to prevent it." So why did Lind's results get
forgotten? - CFI Lecture: "Science, society and the #arseniclife debacle" by Dr. Rosie RedfieldThu. May. 24, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm555 West Hastings Street #1800 Vancouver, BChttps://www.facebook.com/events/288236011261916/
Terasen Cinema (Room #1800, Main Floor), Harbour Centre, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver
Science lecture entitled "Science, society and the #arseniclife debacle" by UBC microbiologist Dr. Rosie Redfield.
This talk will address how personal biases and funding sources affect scientific judgement as well as the increasing roles of social media in both the practice and public communication of science.
Dr. Redfield is very active in promoting science to the general public so this promises to be an exciting talk!
Drinks afterwards at the Railway Club. - Richmond Skeptics in the PubThu. May. 24, 7:30 pm - 10:30 pmLegends Pub, 6511 Buswell St., Richmond, BCRichmond Skeptics in the Pub is a casual social event for local science enthusiasts who value critical thinking and skepticism. Join us for drinks and food in a friendly atmosphere. It's a great place to meet local skeptics, make new friends, and get involved and informed about new events and activities.
We meet on the fourth Thursday of the month at the Legends Pub in Richmond, located at 6511 Buswell Street, minutes from the Brighouse Skytrain station and Richmond Centre. There's free parking on the roof for those who need it. - BCHA Toastmasters Info MeetingSun. May. 27, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm650 West 41st Ave., Vancouver, BChttps://www.facebook.com/events/286713334754440/
Room: Oakridge Seniors Centre
On Sunday, May 27th, a representative of Toastmasters International will be speaking at our regular meeting. Based on the reception to the presentation the BC Humanists may pursue the creation of a Humanist Toastmasters group.
Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. Their membership is 270,000 strong. These members improve their speaking and leadership skills by attending one of the 13,000 clubs that make up our global network of meeting locations. - Caustic Soda Live @ VanCAFSun. May. 27, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BChttps://www.facebook.com/events/351032504943692/
Did you miss our last live show in downtown Vancouver? The next one is 11am Sunday May 27th @ the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival. Our guest is Cinema Sewer's Robin Bougie and the topic is "Censorship."
IT'S FREE!
Tell all your friends! Book your time off now! Resist the urge to make other plans with your family! - LSI Café Scientifique “Seeing is Believing Series' Title: “NanoSpace Invaders: Seeing into the Subcellular World”Tue. May. 29, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BChttp://cafesci.lsi.ubc.ca/2012/04/12/upcoming-event-seeing-is-believing-part-3-may-29th-2012/
LSI Café Scientifique “Seeing is Believing Series’
Title: “NanoSpace Invaders: Seeing into the Subcellular World”
Presented by:
Dr. Edwin Moore, and
Dr. Wayne Vogl
Date: Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Time: 6 – 8 pm
Location: LSC3, Life Sciences Centre, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
RSVP to nvohra@mail.ubc.ca by May 22, 2012
More information at http://cafesci.lsi.ubc.ca - World Science FestivalWed. May. 30, 12:00 am Mon. Jun. 4 - 12:00 am
- CFI Lecture: "The future of blasphemy" by Austin DaceyWed. May. 30, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm1866 Main Mall, Vancouver, BCRoom: BUCH A103, UBC
https://www.facebook.com/events/247581488682467
The Centre for Inquiry Vancouver and UBC Freethinkers are proud to present a talk on "The future of blasphemy" by Austin Dacey.
Austin Dacey is a philosopher, author, and human rights activist whose work on issues of freedom of conscience and expression has been profiled by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC World Service, NPR, and Voice of America. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including USA Today, Dissent, and the New York Times. - TRIUMF and Science World present CERN Director General Rolf Heuer: "Unveiling the Universe" 8:00pmSun. Jun. 3, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver, BChttp://www.scienceworld.ca/plhc2012
Free tickets at: http://www.plhc2012.eventbrite.ca
TRIUMF and Science World present a free public lecture on our quest to understand space and time.
CERN Director General Rolf Heuer will speak at Science World at TELUS World of Science to engage the public with the many scientific adventures taking place at CERN, including ephemeral neutrinos that apparently disobeyed Einstein's laws, doppelganger-like anti-atoms likely never before seen in the universe, and the frantic search for the one fundamental particle to rule them all, the Higgs. This free lecture takes place in the OMNIMAX® Theatre at Science World, and will be the opening lecture for the Physics at the Large Hadron Collider (PLHC) Conference by TRIUMF hosted at UBC the following week.
Sunday, June 3
Doors open: 6:00pm
Lecture, followed by Q & A: 6:30pm–8:00pm
Free tickets at: http://www.plhc2012.eventbrite.ca
Presented by Science World British Columbia and TRIUMF. - Transit of VenusTue. Jun. 5, 3:06 pm - 9:48 pmVancouver, BChttp://www.transitofvenus.org/
http://transitofvenus.nl/wp/where-when/local-transit-times/
What is a transit of Venus?
When Venus passes directly between earth and the sun, we see the distant planet as a small dot gliding slowly across the face of the sun. Historically, this rare alignment is how we measured the size of our solar system.
When is it?
The next transit of Venus occurs the evening of June 5, 2012. This will be the last transit of Venus to occur in your lifetime.
What should I do?
Mark your calendar. Plan your observing location and eye safety. Tell friends. Download and support the ToV phone app. Enjoy the rare sight! - BCHA June Book Club - Bright-SidedTue. Jun. 5, 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm245 E Broadway, Vancouver, BChttps://www.facebook.com/events/165246756931801
Our book for June 5th is Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich.
The BC Humanist book club will be held on the first Tuesday of every month at Our Town Cafe (at the corner of Broadway and Kingsway). The event is free, but consider supporting the venue by purchasing a drink or snack. Please suggest books for upcoming months and invite anyone who may be interested. Most books are available at the Vancouver Public Library or local book stores.
About the book: Bright-sided: How positive thinking is undermining America - A sharp-witted knockdown of America’s love affair with positive thinking and an urgent call for a new commitment to realism
Americans are a “positive” people—cheerful, optimistic, and upbeat: this is our reputation as well as our self-image. But more than a temperament, being positive, we are told, is the key to success and prosperity.
In this utterly original take on the American frame of mind, Barbara Ehrenreich traces the strange career of our sunny outlook from its origins as a marginal nineteenth-century healing technique to its enshrinement as a dominant, almost mandatory, cultural attitude. Evangelical mega-churches preach the good news that you only have to want something to get it, because God wants to “prosper” you. The medical profession prescribes positive thinking for its presumed health benefits. Academia has made room for new departments of “positive psychology” and the “science of happiness.” Nowhere, though, has bright-siding taken firmer root than within the business community, where, as Ehrenreich shows, the refusal even to consider negative outcomes—like mortgage defaults—contributed directly to the current economic crisis.
With the mythbusting powers for which she is acclaimed, Ehrenreich exposes the downside of America’s penchant for positive thinking: On a personal level, it leads to self-blame and a morbid preoccupation with stamping out “negative” thoughts. On a national level, it’s brought us an era of irrational optimism resulting in disaster. This is Ehrenreich at her provocative best—poking holes in conventional wisdom and faux science, and ending with a call for existential clarity and courage.