May 26, 2013 Skeptics Brunch in New West

Join us on Sunday, May 26 at 1pm for brunch and conversation at The Met Bar and Grill (map), right beside Columbia SkyTrain Station in New Westminster. The Met serves breakfast dishes until 2pm, but you can also order from their lunch menu or just drop by for drinks with our group. You can RSVP through the New Westminster Skeptics’ Meetup group or through the Facebook invitations that are sent to the Vancouver Skeptics in the Pub members.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

Road Trip to the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham, WA

According to Wikipedia, “On 15 June 1899, Nicola Tesla performed his first experiments at his Colorado Springs lab; he recorded his initial spark length at five inches long, but very thick and noisy.”

Let’s take a road trip down to Bellingham, WA on Saturday, June 15 and see what kind of sparks the MEGA ZAPPER Tesla coil at the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention can produce. According to the Spark museum’s website:

The Spark Museum of Electrical Invention offers an exciting and educational experience for audiences of all ages. Compelling, interactive exhibits spanning four centuries of scientific achievement and cultural heritage are featured in a world-class collection of unique objects. The Spark Museum displays the inventions and innovations that changed the course of human history.

Carrie Chapman contacted the museum and got us a discounted rate so that we can have a tour guide and see the MegaZapper Electrical Show for $10 each instead of $12. Our tour will be from 1 to 2pm, and the MegaZapper show is at 2:30pm.

I’m told there’s also a good board game shop, a comic book shop, and a donut shop just down the street from the museum, so we’ll check those out too, while we’re in the area. Jacob Vohs lives in Bellingham, and he’s recommended Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro as a good brewpub where we can eat/drink that evening before we head back to Vancouver.

We’ll need to coordinate carpooling as the date of the trip approaches. Feel free to make your own ride sharing plans with others who RSVP to this event, or post a comment on the event page saying that you need a ride or have seats available in your vehicle. If necessary, we could look into renting a van and splitting the cost among the passengers. Please RSVP to the event on its Facebook page so we know how many people are going, or email info@vancouverskeptics.org if you don’t use Facebook.


View Bellingham SPARK Museum, Comics, Board Games, Donuts, & Brewery in a larger map

May 23, 2013 Richmond Skeptics in the Pub

Join us on Thursday, May 23 at 7:30pm for drinks and food in a friendly atmosphere with local science enthusiasts who value critical thinking and skepticism. 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 Legends Pub in Richmond, located at 6511 Buswell Street, minutes from the Brighouse Skytrain station and Richmond Centre. There is free parking on the roof for those who need it.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

May 21, 2013 Skeptics in the Pub Downtown

Join us on Tuesday, May 21 at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club‘s back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends. As always, if you arrive late and they’re collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you’re with the skeptics’ group to get in for free.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

May 1, 2013 Chris Stedman talk + Skeptics in the Pub in Kitsilano

Join us by 7pm instead of 7:30pm this month on Wednesday, May 1 for a special evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation at the Billy Bishop Legion. The BC Humanists have invited us to start earlier than usual to hear a talk by Chris Stedman, the Assistant Humanist Chaplain at Harvard University, an interfaith activist, and the author of Faitheist – How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious.

Chris_Stedman,_2012Come out to hear Chris Stedman, to discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends. As always, the Billy doesn’t serve meals, but you are welcome to bring in food from the nearby restaurants, or go in with a few others and have pizza delivered.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

George Hrab at The Railway Club

Centre for Inquiry Vancouver is proud to present an evening with George Hrab!

You can RSVP on the Facebook event page and buy your tickets at http://hrabvancouver.eventbrite.ca.

In addition to the two hour set George is performing on stage at the Railway Club from 6 to 8pm, there will be limited tickets available for a private reception in the back bar afterward where you can meet and socialize with George and fellow attendees and even hear an acoustic set from George.

Hrab_Trebuchet_coverMulti-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer, composer, and heliocentrist George Hrab has written and produced six independent CDs; published one book; recorded hundreds of episodes of an award winning podcast; and even performed for President Clinton— all in a personal quest to improve his audience’s cognitive skills by reaching them through their funny bones and dance shoes.

George has gained international notoriety by producing an award-winning weekly show called The Geologic Podcast which features humor, sketches, and skeptical/free-thinking commentary through various segments.

Exposure through his show has led George to travel around the world, performing his songs in a solo acoustic setting. Along with his superlative musicianship and clever songwriting, these intimate shows are known to showcase his quick wit and incendiary social commentary. He’s been a featured performer as well as Master of Ceremonies for James Randi’s The Amaz!ng Meeting—including TAMs in Las Vegas, London, and Australia—and as a special guest/performer in the Galapagos on the JREF’s Amaz!ng Adventure.

George Hrab in AdelaideGeorge toured both Australia and New Zealand as part of a fan-organized “Styrofoam Tour,” where he played to standing room crowds in Brisbane, Melbourne, Christchurch, Auckland, Adelaide and Canberra; and also performed in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Ireland as part of his “Golden Ticket Tour.”

He was asked to write the theme song to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast and premiered the song FAR at the 213th American Astronomical Society Meeting in Long Beach, California. His Occasional Songs for the Periodic Table, a 118-part song cycle featuring a song for each element of the periodic table, has been described as the first “true geek symphony.”

George’s range of skills include being the drummer and music director for the nationally recognized 70s soul tribute band, The Philadelphia Funk Authority; publishing a collection of essays called Non-Coloring Book; and even lecturing on diverse topics from jazz history to science—including a science track discussion about the non-radiometric evidence for the earth’s age at Atlanta’s Dragon*Con convention.

George is considered one of the preeminent skeptic/science/atheist/geek-culture music icons currently living in his apartment.

CFI VancouverThe Centre for Inquiry Vancouver is an educational charity with a mandate to promote science, skepticism, critical thinking and secular values. Proceeds of the event will go to support CFI’s important mission, please consider supporting us or becoming a member.

Purchase tickets at http://hrabvancouver.eventbrite.ca

 

April 25, 2013 Richmond Skeptics in the Pub

Join us on Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm for drinks and food in a friendly atmosphere with local science enthusiasts who value critical thinking and skepticism. 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 Legends Pub in Richmond, located at 6511 Buswell Street, minutes from the Brighouse Skytrain station and Richmond Centre. There is free parking on the roof for those who need it.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

April 28, 2013 Skeptics Brunch in New West

Join us on Sunday, April 28 at 1pm for brunch and conversation at The Met Bar and Grill (map), right beside Columbia SkyTrain Station in New Westminster. The Met serves breakfast dishes until 2pm, but you can also order from their lunch menu or just drop by for drinks with our group. You can RSVP through the New Westminster Skeptics’ Meetup group or through the Facebook invitations that are sent to the Vancouver Skeptics in the Pub members.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

April 16, 2013 Skeptics in the Pub (and Pub Quiz) Downtown

This month at Skeptics in the Pub, CFI Vancouver presents the Skeptical Pub Quiz Smackdown!!

Following in the tradition of the Canadian Skeptical Pub Quiz Smackdown, we have created a new pub quiz that tests your knowledge of science, history, pop culture and of course, skepticism. We’ll be having the pub quiz at the Railway Club as part of our usual night of Skeptics in the Pub.

A few other cities may join us in hosting their own pub quiz, so there could be a chance to compare your skeptical knowledge with those across the country. Regardless, what is at stake is the claim of smartest 4 person team of skeptic-know-it-alls here in Vancouver!

The quiz includes multiple rounds of questions, matching, multimedia and other surprises, so study up! Assemble your team of 4 people and come ready to compete (or form your team with a few others after you arrive).

Join us on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, conversation, and this month even a skeptical pub quiz in the Railway Club‘s back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends. As always, if you arrive late and they’re collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you’re with the skeptics’ group to get in for free.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.

April 3, 2013 Skeptics in the Pub in Kitsilano

Join us on Wednesday, April 3 at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation at the Billy Bishop Legion. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends. As always, the Billy doesn’t serve meals, but you are welcome to bring in food from the nearby restaurants, or go in with a few others and have pizza delivered.

You can RSVP to this event on Facebook or Meetup.

Upcoming events:

  • The rocket science of sustainability: What alien worlds teach us about our own -- by Prof. Jaymie Matthews (UBC)
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.eventbrite.ca/event/6594086089
    Water is important to all of us, but it has recently become especially exciting to astronomers hunting for alien worlds.
    We are now finding planets that orbit in the "habitable zones" around their parent stars. In astro-exoplanetary-science-speak, "habitable zone" translates as "the range of distances from a star where the temperature at a planet's surface is between 0 and 100 C." Think of it as a Goldilocks zone, where the planet is not too hot, not too cold, but "just right" for liquid water oceans to exist.
    Water alone doesn't equal life. But "no water" equals "no life" as we know it. That equation applies not just on alien worlds, but on our home world as well. We can't experiment with the global environment (or at least we shouldn't) and astronomers can't experiment with conditions on other planets. But we're finding planets with conditions that astound even science fiction writers. Those extreme alien environments will help us refine models of how the Earth responds to change.

    How do we search for exoplanets and what have we found so far? What can you expect in the next few years... indeed, in the next few months? What lessons can a student of global sustainability learn from a rocket scientist?

    Listen to an astrophysicist grapple with these questions and hear his answers on Tuesday, 21 May at 6:30 pm.

    Free Refreshments offered -- RVSP info@arpico.org
    -----------------------------
    Speaker: Prof. Jaymie Matthews

    Recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012
    Professor of Astrophysics in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of British Columbia
    Mission Scientist leading the Canadian Space Agency's MOST project
    Officer of the Order of Canada

    Prof. Matthews’ media adventures include frequent appearances on CBC TV and Radio, CTV, Global, CNN, CityTV, The Knowledge Network, Shaw TV, and Space: The Imagination Station, as well as playing himself (“Jaymie – Rocket Scientist”) in a national Fountain Tire television ad campaign. Dr. Matthews posed in multiple guises (from a microwave repair man to an X-ray version of Austin Powers) in the Discovery Channel documentary series "Light: More Than Meets The Eye", and as himself in the documentary “LUNARCY!” which premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. He has yet to live down being quoted in Discover Magazine as saying "Exploding Star Contains Atoms from Elvis Presley's Brain - Scientists Confirm the King of Rock & Roll Lived in Another Galaxy 170,000 Years Ago!”
  • PWIAS Lecture at Vogue Theatre: "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"
    Tue. May. 21, 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
    918 Granville St, Vancouver, BC
    http://www.pwias.ubc.ca/the-wall-exchange/2013-spring.php
    "Bugs 'R Us: The Role of Microbes in Health, Disease and Society"

    Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm at The Vogue Theatre
    Doors open at 6:30 pm. Come early to hear the Oscar Hicks jazz sextet!

    Tickets are free but must be reserved and are in limited supply. Reserve your ticket online: http://voguetheatre.com/events/
  • Skeptics in the Pub Downtown
    Tue. May. 21, 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm
    579 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/130386883822234/
    Join us on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm for another evening of skeptical fun, food, drinks, and conversation in the Railway Club's back bar. Come out and discuss skepticism-related activities in Vancouver with your fellow science enthusiasts, rationalists, and critical thinkers, and maybe meet some new friends.

    If you arrive late and they're collecting a cover charge at the door, just tell them you're with the skeptics' group to get in for free.
  • CFI Public Forum Meeting
    Wed. May. 22, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    2066 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/251906418282157/
    CFI Vancouver is pleased to present a Public Forum Meeting. Do you have questions about CFI? Do you want to volunteer or get involved? What sorts of activism do you want CFI Vancouver to focus on? What kinds of Events would you like to see? These questions and more will be discussed at our Public Forum Meeting.

    In order to involve our members, our supporters and the public who come to our events, we want these meetings to be a chance for people to ask us questions, suggest strategies and get involved in events. The meeting will be chaired by three representatives from CFI Vancouver and they will take questions from the audience on important topics relating to CFI.

    This is an opportunity to make your voice heard, and let us know where you'd like us to director resources to help make Vancouver a more skeptical and humanist friendly city.

    We will be meeting at the back room of the Tipper Restaurant. From 7pm to 8pm will be dinner and socializing and from 8pm to 9pm will be discussion by our CFI reps.

    As the Tipper is generously giving us use of the back room for free, please consider coming and buying food and/or drinks.
  • Science Online Vancouver: Sex, Shock, and Science
    Thu. May. 23, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
    1455 Quebec St, Vancouver, BC
    https://www.facebook.com/events/298177723648712/
    Most science communicators are always on the lookout for ways to draw attention to and then educate about a topic, and using sex as a hook is an obvious way to accomplish the first. However, does the use of sex – or any other shocking hook for that matter – distract the attention from the real topic? Does it provide attention and possibly entertainment without adding any scientific value, or is it a useful tool to reach a broader audience when communicating science?

    Using the current Science World exhibit “The Science of Sexuality” as a starting point we will get into the nitty grittys of using sex and other shocking hooks to draw people into a scientific debate.

    Join us May 23 at 7 pm at TELUS World of Science. Follow the signs around Science World to enter through the doors at back of building. We strongly encourage everyone to bring their own wine/beer and snacks.

    http://vancouver.scienceonline.com/2013/05/15/sex-shock-and-science/

You can always find the latest event information on the Vancouver Skeptics Event Calendar on VancouverSkeptics.org.