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Feb 12: 2013 Darwin Day Celebration!

2 Feb

February 12th is the birthday of Charles Darwin, and “Darwin Day” is a global celebration of science and reason. This will be the 5th celebration in Saskatoon and the 3rd year that the Saskatchewan Minister of Education has recognised February 12 as Darwin Day in Saskatchewan!

The University of Saskatchewan Freethought Alliance, Saskatoon Skeptics and Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan are proud to host the annual Darwin Day celebration in Saskatoon on February 12 from 7-10 pm.

Come and help us celebrate Darwin’s 205th birthday with 2 presentations followed by discussions. Speakers this year are paleontologist Frank McDougall and biologist Tracy Marchant. Tracy Marchant’s talk, “The Animal Tree of Life”, will focus on the changes in our understanding of evolution, particularly of vertebrates, since Darwin’s time.  Frank McDougall will speak on how the geography of the Cypress Hills Uplands area affected the flora and fauna in that area.

Birthday cake and coffee will be available and the Museum of Natural Sciences is nearby for touring and working on a scavenger hunt.

Schedule of Events (subject to change):

6:30 pm Doors open

7:00 pm Introduction & 1st Presentation

8:15 pm Birthday Cake & Coffee; Museum Touring

8:45 pm 2nd Presentation

10:00 pm Pub Discussion (anyone interested can join us for further discussion & cheer – at nearby Alexander’s Restaurant)

You are welcome to attend all or any part of the event.

Donations are welcome and appreciated. Suggested donation: $10 (not required). Charitable donations to the Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan are eligible for a tax receipt if contact information is provided.

Come out for an evening celebrating science!

If you are not familiar with campus, please have a look at this map.
Here are some parking suggestions that are near the biology building. Most should have a maximum of $4.00 to park there in the evening.

  • Lot 5 beneath Agriculture Building
  • Lot 1 across from Place Riel
  • Lot 8 by Physics
  • F lot beside the education building
  • G lot behind Thorvalson
  • Meters will cost $1/hr with a 4 hour maximum

We are looking for volunteers to help with the following tasks:

1) Putting up posters – ASAP

2) Event set-up – 6:15pm Feb 12
3) Event assistance (e.g. door greeter, sales table, display table, speaker contact at event) – during event Feb 12
4) Event clean-up – 9:45-10:15pm Feb 12 (some may be done during the last lecture, so that we can get out and to the pub discussion promptly;)

Please email Kendra if you are able to help out in any way.

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Sep 29: Light the Night Walk for Blood Cancers

5 Aug

The Centre for Inquiry is participating in the Light the Night Walk for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. We are part of a collaboration in which pro-science and secular groups like CFI are uniting to raise $1,000,000 to fight cancer. The purpose is to help make a difference in the lives of those affected by blood cancers.  We’d love for you to join the fun, walk with us and help raise funds for life-saving cancer research. It’s free to participate and you will raise funds online. Everyone who raises $100 or more will get a T-shirt.

Click here or use the link below to sign up, and join our team, Centre for Inquiry Saskatoon – FBB:

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.aspx?TSID=365108&langPref=en-CA

If you can’t join us at the walk, you can sponsor one of our team members to help us reach our goal.  Thank you for choosing to make a difference!

More Information:

Each fall, in communities all across the US and Canada, thousands of participants raise funds for vital, lifesaving research and patient services and, on these special nights, they carry illuminated balloons to show the support of a caring community.

Light the Night walkers raise funds and walk as individuals or on a team with friends, family and co-workers.

This year, for the first time ever, freethought, atheist, skeptic, and secular humanist groups are coming together as one unified team to pool our efforts and become the first team in LLS history to raise $1,000,000 in its first year.

Our team is Foundation Beyond Belief (FBB) and we need you to help this worthwhile cause by joining the walk or donating.

How will we ever raise $1,000,000?!?!?!

A million dollars is a LOT of money, but we have a not-so-secret weapon: the Stiefel Freethought Foundation has pledged to match every dollar we raise up to $500,000! As an extra incentive, the top fundraising teams will have the opportunity to direct up to $5,000 in SFF grants, with half going to a local qualifying freethought nonprofit and the rest to qualifying FBB Allies of their choice, such as CFI. (More information about the incentive program can be found here.)

This is a great opportunity to rally behind something big that reflects our shared values: the healing power of scientific research, education, and compassionate patient care. Please sign up and join all of us in the fight against cancer.

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June 14: Nate Phelps: The Uncomfortable Grayness of Life

20 Apr

Thursday, June 14, 2012, 7:00 PM

311 – 23rd St. E., Saskatoon, SK

Downstairs in the Theatre

CFI Saskatoon is excited to announce that we’re bringing Nate Phelps to the city for Pride 2012. This is an official Pride Festival event in collaboration with the Saskatoon Diversity Network.

Nate Phelps, the estranged son of “God Hates Fags” church leader Fred Phelps, tells his story of enduring physical, emotional and psychological abuse as a child raised in the hate-filled theology of the Westboro Baptist Church. He recounts his escape from his father’s home at age 18 and his journey from dogma and hate to reason and acceptance, as an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

Nate was recently published in The Huffinton Post: “Life After the Westboro Baptist Church“. Nate describes his upbringing in the notoriously homophobic Westboro Baptist Church, and his journey of enlightenment that turned him into a pro-gay rights advocate.  You can also watch a 2010 2-part interview with Nate by (interim) National Executive Director Michael Payton on CFI’s Think Again! TV.

The Westbro Baptist Church (WBC) is an Independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals of American servicemen and desecrating the American flag.

The group bases its work around the belief expressed by its best known slogan and the address of its primary Web site, God Hates Fags, asserting that every tragedy in the world is linked to homosexuality — specifically society’s increasing tolerance and acceptance of the so-called homosexual agenda. The group maintains that God hates gays above all other kinds of “sinners” and that homosexuality should be a capital crime.

They were the subject of a 2007 BBC documentary film titled “The Most Hated Family in America“.

Agenda
6:30 pm Doors open
7:00 pm Welcome and Presentation
9:00 pm Social
9:30 pm Pub Discussion (Location TBD)

Admission (at the door)
General Admission: $10
CFI Friends of the Centre and Students: $5
NEW CFI Friends of the Centre (after April 14, 2012): FREE

Note that your RSVP here does not guarantee you admission. It is first come, first served at the door.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre. Admission for this event is free for new CFI Friends, so join today! CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish. You can also join or donate in person at one of our events and you can send cheques to
Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

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May 3: Debate: Should Assisted Suicide be Legalized in Canada?

13 Apr

Thursday, May 3, 2012, 7:00 PM

311 – 23rd St. E., Saskatoon, SK

Downstairs in the Theatre

The Centre for Inquiry Canada is presenting a series of debates across the country on the issue of assisted suicide. With strong arguments on both sides, this is a complex and emotionally-charged issue.

Motion: “Should assisted suicide be legalized in Canada?”

Proposition Debater: Wanda Morris, Executive Director of Dying with Dignity

Opposition Debater: Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Moderator: University of Saskatchewan Debate Society Member

This promises to be a stimulating debate about a very topical issue in Canada. Hope to see you there!

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

CFI thanks both Dying with Dignity and Euthanasia Prevention Coalition for helping to sponsor this event.

More about the Debaters:

Wanda Morris is the Executive Director of Dying with Dignity, a charitable organization established in 1982 to educate the public about end of life options and the importance of advance care planning; to provide information and resources to the public and lawmakers about the choice in dying movement and the reasons why appropriately regulated assisted dying should be legalized in Canada; and to provide support for individuals at the end of their lives including support at the bedside for those who wish to determine the nature and timing of their dying. Wanda has been actively involved in the 2011 “Right to Die” charter challenge brought before the supreme court of British Columbia, and is an advisor to The Right to Die Society.

Alex Schadenberg is the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

About the “Right to Die” Charter Challenge:
Gloria Taylor is a 63 year old woman who suffers with Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Last year, she petitioned the Supreme Court of British Columbia to give her the legal right to end her life before the progressive disease makes living intolerable. A decision by the Court is expected soon.

Agenda
6:30 pm Doors open
7:00 pm Welcome and Debate

Admission (at the door)
General Admission: $10
CFI Friends of the Centre and Students: $5
NEW CFI Friends of the Centre (after April 12, 2012): FREE

Note that your RSVP here does not guarantee you admission. It is first come, first served at the door.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre. Admission for this event is free for new CFI Friends, so join today! CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish. You can also join or donate in person at one of our events and you can send cheques to
Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

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February 12th: 2012 Darwin Day Celebration

31 Jan

Sunday, February 12, 2012, 1:00 PM

112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK

Enter the Biology/Geology building, walk ahead past the displays and through some doors, turn left

February 12th is the birthday of Charles Darwin, and “Darwin Day” is a global celebration of science and reason. The Minister of Education has recognised February 12, 2012 as Darwin Day in Saskatchewan!

The University of Saskatchewan Freethought Alliance, Saskatoon Skeptics and Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan are proud to host the fourth annual Darwin Day celebration in Saskatoon on February 12 from 1:00-5:00 pm.

Come and help us celebrate Darwin’s 203rd birthday with 2 presentations followed by discussions. Speakers this year are from the U of S Biology department: Prof. José Andrés and Prof. Dick Neal (Emeritus). Birthday cake and coffee will be available and the Museum of Natural Sciences is nearby for touring and working on a scavenger hunt.

Schedule of Events (subject to change):

1:00 pm Introduction & 1st Presentation

2:45 pm Birthday Cake & Coffee; Museum Touring

3:15 pm 2nd Presentation

5:30 pm Pub Discussion (anyone interested can join us for further discussion & cheer – probably at nearby Alexander’s)

You are welcome to attend all or any part of the event.

Donations are welcome and appreciated. Suggested minimum donation: $10 (not required). Charitable donations to the Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan are eligible for a tax receipt if contact information is provided.

Come out for an afternoon celebrating science!

We are looking for volunteers to help with the following tasks:
1) Event set-up – 12:30pm Feb 12
2) Event assistance (e.g. door greeter, sales table, display table, speaker contact at event) – during event Feb 12
3) Event clean-up – 5-6pm Feb 12 (some may be done during the last lecture, so that we can get out and to the pub discussion promptly;)

Please email Kendra if you are able to help out in any way.

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September 26: James Randi! – Guest Speaker

8 Aug

Monday, September 26, 2011, 7:00 PM

The Roxy Theatre

320 20th St West , Saskatoon, SK (map)

Main Theatre
James Randi is coming to Saskatoon!  This is a great event to attend with your family and friends to attend – whatever their beliefs.  We are looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event with greeting, set up, and clean up. Let us know if you are willing to lend a hand.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

James Randi has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world’s most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

Randi has pursued “psychic” spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water “with a memory,” and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public’s eyes in the name of the supernatural.

He is the author of numerous books, including The Truth About Uri Geller, The Faith Healers, Flim-Flam!, and An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural. His lectures and television appearances have delighted — and vexed — audiences around the world.

Randi is the founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF) with a mission is to promote critical thinking by reaching out to the public and media with reliable information about paranormal and supernatural ideas so widespread in our society today. The JREF offers a still-unclaimed million-dollar reward for anyone who can produce evidence of paranormal abilities under controlled conditions. Through scholarships, workshops, and innovative resources for educators, the JREF works to inspire this investigative spirit in a new generation of critical thinkers.

Agenda
7:00 pm Welcome and presentation
9:00 pm Social (Location TBD)

Advanced Tickets (Ticket prices will increase by $5 at the door)
General Admission: $20
CFI Friends of the Centre: $10
Students: $10

Purchase your tickets online through Eventbrite at http://randi-saskatoon.eventbrite.com/.  Tickets will also be available at the door for an extra $5  if they are not sold out.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre.  Tickets for Randi are discounted for CFI Friends, so join today!

CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.  CFI recently launched the Next Big Step Challenge – if we can raise enough money by Sept 30, a major donor has promised $200,000 to help fulfill the vision of CFI homes for reason, skepticism and freethought in key cities across Canada.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish.  You can also join or donate in person at one of our events and you can send cheques to:

Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

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August 26: How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass (Guest Speaker: Chris DiCarlo)

4 Aug

Friday, August 26, 2011, 6:00 PM

Rusty Macdonald Branch Library – Auditorium

225 Primrose Drive, Saskatoon, SK (map)

Go in the main doors. The auditorium door is ahead and to the right.

Mark your calendars and tell your friends!  We hope everyone will try to attend and support this event.  We are also looking for volunteers to help out on the day of the event with greeting, set up, and clean up. Let us know if you are willing to lend a hand.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or become a Friend of the Centre today (more information below).

Chris DiCarlo will be reading from and speaking on his new book, How to Become a Really Good Pain in the Ass: A Critical Thinker’s Guide to asking the Right Questions .

A really good pain in the ass is someone who is empowered with the ability to spot faulty reasoning and, by asking the right sorts of questions, hold people accountable not only for what they believe but how they behave.

This book revolves around asking and answering five very important questions. They are so important, they are called the Big Five:

  1. What can I know?
  2. Why am I here?
  3. What am I?
  4. How should I behave?
  5. What is to come of me?

Chris was in Saskatoon last August for the We Are All African! Can scientific proof of our commonality save us? event.  He is a great public speaker and the event was very well received.

Agenda
6:00 pm Doors Open
6:15 pm Welcome and presentation followed by questions
8:30 pm Meet & Greet Social (Location TBD)

About DiCarlo (see also  DiCarlo’s website)
Voted TV Ontario’s Big Ideas Best Lecturer and Canadian Humanist of the Year by Humanist Canada in 2008, Dr. DiCarlo presents highly insightful and lively discussions. He is a past Visiting Research Scholar at Harvard University and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Here, he conducted research for two books he is currently writing titled: The Comparative Brain: The Evolution of Human Reasoning and The Evolution of Religion: Why Many Need to Believe in Deities, Demons, and the Unseen. He has been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences and has written many scholarly papers ranging from bioethics to cognitive evolution.

Without your support, the Centre for Inquiry cannot put on major events such as this. We encourage you to donate or join as a Friend of the Centre.  We are planning a lunch with DiCarlo for CFI Friends, so join today!

CFI is a nationally registered educational charity and all donations over $10 are eligible for a tax receipt.  CFI recently launched the Next Big Step Challenge – if we can raise enough money by Sept 30, a major donor has promised $200,000 to help fulfill the vision of CFI homes for reason, skepticism and freethought in key cities across Canada.

When donating online, you can add a comment that you would like the funds to remain in Saskatchewan, if you wish.  You can also join or donate in person at our meetup on August 14 and you can send cheques to:

Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan
Box 31043 RPO Broadway & Taylor
Saskatoon, SK, S7H 5S8

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May 22: Post-Rapture Party!

11 May
Sunday, May 22, 2011, 5:00 PM

Winston’s English Pub & Grill

243 21st Street East Saskatoon, SK

As I am sure you all know, the world is coming to an end, starting with the Rapture and great earthquake on May 21, 2011. Thus, a party for all the unsaved who are left behind is in order… come on out and have some fun!

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May 5: International Day of Reason

1 May

Canadian Blood Services

325 20TH STREET EAST Saskatoon, SK

May 5, 5:30 PM

“Donating blood has a tangible effect – it can save lives. This is in contrast to prayer, which has no effect beyond placebo.”

The International Day of Reason is used to inject reason and rational thought into actions and behaviours. It was started as a National Day of Reason in response to the US National Day of Prayer. Rather than praying (which has been shown to have no effect in all properly designed studies i.e. double blind placebo studies), we will do something that has a measurably positive effect: saving lives. To do our part, we will be having a group blood donation through Canadian Blood Services. We will meet at the downtown blood clinic starting at 5:30pm (and appointments continuing for about an hour). For those who can’t make it at that time, please book an appointment that will work for your schedule any time that day or within a week of it and let us know to count it in this blood drive. We encourage everyone eligible to donate every 56 days.

The Saskatoon Freethinkers is a Partner for Life (partner ID number: SASK010719), which means we’ve committed to donating a minimum number of units of blood. Most of the donations will occur separately, but we’re doing this one as a group donation, which will hopefully prompt some of our members to become regular donors. You will only be counted as a member of our group if you register online or at the clinic with our partner ID (SASK010719). If you are already a member with another partner you can have just this one donation count toward our group by providing the number at the clinic. To preregister as part of our freethinkers partner group online, go to the Partners for Life section of the website.

Need another reason to donate? 

To watch a Canadian Blood Services video ad, click here. Approximately every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. The good news is that one blood donation – in just one hour – can save up to three lives.

New donors can sign up at the clinic before their first donation. The website is very informative and you can also call 1-888-236-6283 (24 hours) to speak with a nurse if you have any questions you would like answered before May 6th. If you have not donated before or for a while, you should read the information about eligibility on the website. Some of the rules have changed, so please don’t assume you are ineligible. For example, visits to the Mayan Riviera in Mexico do not automatically reduce eligibility. At the clinic, you will be asked to privately answer a number of personal and health related questions to ensure your blood is safe (risk-based) – all of this remains confidential. For those who are certain that you cannot donate blood, you can ask a friend or family member to donate in your name.

Be sure to eat regular meals that day and at least a snack before you donate. After you donate, there will be pizza at the clinic (for all donors) and then those interested can find a place for coffee. Important: alcohol and intense physical activity are not advisable on the day of your donation. We need accurate numbers, so please RSVP as soon as possible and let us know if something changes.

Please join us in saving lives!

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February 12th: 2011 Darwin Day Celebration!

28 Jan

February 12th is the birthday of Charles Darwin, and “Darwin Day” is a global celebration of science and reason. The Minister of Education has designated February 12, 2011 as Darwin Day in Saskatchewan!

The Saskatoon Skeptics and Saskatoon Freethinkers aka Centre for Inquiry Saskatchewan are proud to host the third annual Darwin Day celebration in Saskatoon on February 12 from 1:00-5:30 pm. Come and help us celebrate Darwin’s 202nd birthday with a film and 2 presentations followed by discussions. Birthday cake and coffee will be available outside the theatre.

We are hosting this event in conjunction with The Saskatoon Secular Family Network which will put on Family Activities from 1:30-4:00 pm. Children of all ages are welcome; all minors require a guardian. There will be fun science experiments and activities for the entire family (RSVP here). This will take place in the “band room” of the school – look for the signs!

Schedule of Events:
1:00-2:30 pm Introduction & Film (part)
What Darwin Never Knew
2:30-3:00 pm Birthday Cake & Coffee; Displays and Activities
3:00-4:00 pm 1st Presentation
Prof. Larry Stewart,Department of History
4:00-4:15 pm Break
4:15-5:30 pm 2nd Presentation
Prof. Angela Lieverse, Department of Archaeology & Anthropology
5:30 pm Pub Discussion (anyone interested can join us for further discussion & cheer – location TBD)
1:30-4:00 pm Family Activities

You are welcome to attend all or any part of the event.

Donations are welcome and appreciated. Suggested minimum donation: $10 (not required). Charitable donations are eligible for a tax receipt if relevant information is provided.

Come out for an afternoon celebrating science!

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