BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//NYC Atheists - ECPv6.15.10//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://nycatheists.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for NYC Atheists REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20160313T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20161106T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20170312T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20171105T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20180311T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20181104T060000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT DTSTART:20190310T070000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:EST DTSTART:20191103T060000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180211T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180211T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20180203T053656Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180203T054243Z UID:37258-1518350400-1518361200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:February Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SUBJECT: Does Religion Have the Right to Deprive a Child of a Basic  Education? – My Fight Against the Hasidic Yeshivas\n\nSPEAKER: Naftuli Moster\, Executive Director of Young Advocates for Fair Education\n\n\nYou’ve heard the rumors\, read the articles in the newspapers and probably wondered:  Could this be true? Is it possible that a religious sect would deprive its children of a modern education\, including science and mathematics\, in order to more strongly imbue its ancient religion? \nNYCA’s February Brunch speaker says yes. He is Naftuli Moster\, executive director of Young Advocates for Fair Education (YAFFED)\, an advocacy group committed to getting Hasidic children a fair and equitable education that will help them survive in a modern world. \nSects Focus on Religious Education \nAn investigation in 2015 by the New York City Department of Education found “shockingly sub-standard education at the 39 Hasidic yeshivas in the city\,” according to a report by City Council member Daniel Dromm\, chairman of the City Council’s education committee. \n“The schools have been accused of spending relatively little time on basic education in favor of religious studies–to the point that they have produced graduates who cannot read or write English or do basic math\,” says Councilman Dromm. \nNew York state law requires private and parochial schools to provide instruction \nthat is “substantially equivalent” to what is offered in the public schools. \nHowever\, graduates of Hasidic yeshivas have told investigators that boys get just six hours of secular education a week. When they become 13\, all secular education ends and they only attend religious instruction. \nBroader Implications for Atheists \nOur February Brunch speaker Moster says his group\, YAFFED\, believes that “every child is entitled to a fair and equitable education that is in compliance with the law.” \nImpatient with the snails-pace of reform led by elected officials\, YAFFED has produced its own 90-page report titled “Non-Equivalent: The State of Education in New York City’s Hasidic Yeshivas.” The group’s goal\, Moster says\, is to get the ultra-Orthodox world to “act responsibly in preparing their youth for economic sufficiency and for broad access to the resources of the modern world.” \nFor Atheists\, this controversy goes beyond its New York locale. If  the Hasidic Jews are required by law to bring modern education into their classrooms\, what about Catholic parochial schools? What about the home-schooled children? \nIs this case the precursor to the opening up of children’s education all over our nation? Is this\, as one educator put it\, “the beginning of the end of teaching fairy tales in school?” \nCome on February 11th to hear this brave proponent for Hasidic children as you enjoy our Brunch buffet with friendly fellow non-believers. \n\n\n\nThe cost of this event is $25 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2018-feb/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180125T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180125T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20180122T190926Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180122T191115Z UID:37242-1516905000-1516914000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:January Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: NYC Atheists Future\, Succession\, and Delegation Plans \n  \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2018-jan/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180116T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180116T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20180106T015839Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180107T232714Z UID:37212-1516129200-1516136400@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:January Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Trump \nWhat can and should we do as atheists? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2018-jan/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20180114T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20180114T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20180101T181919Z LAST-MODIFIED:20180101T182140Z UID:37196-1515931200-1515942000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:January Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SPEAKER: MIKE REISS\nMike Reiss has won four Emmys and a Peabody Award during his twenty-eight years writing for “The Simpsons”. He ran the show in Season 4\, which Entertainment Weekly called “the greatest season of the greatest show in history.” In 2006\, Reiss received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Animation Writers Caucus. “Springfield Confidential”\, Mike’s memoir of three decades at “The Simpsons”\, will be released by Harper Collins in June 2018. Reiss has written jokes for such comedy legends as Johnny Carson\, Joan Rivers\, Garry Shandling… and Pope Francis! For his comedic contributions to the charitable group Joke with the Pope\, in 2015 Pope Francis declared Reiss “A Missionary of Joy”. Reiss co-created the animated series “The Critic” and created Showtime’s hit cartoon “Queer Duck” (about a gay duck). “Queer Duck” was named one of “The 100 Greatest Cartoons of All Time” by the BBC. Mike Reiss has been a contributing writer to more than two dozen animated films — including four ICE AGEs\, two DESPICABLE MEs\, THE LORAX\, RIO\, KUNG FU PANDA 3\, and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE – with a worldwide gross of $14 billion. \nMike and his wife\, Denise are members of NYC Atheists. \n\n\n\nSUBJECT: WRITING JOKES FOR “THE SIMPSONS”… AND THE POPE!\nMike Reiss has won four Emmys during his three decades writing for “The Simpsons”. Born Jewish\, an atheist since age eight\, has also written seven Christmas books. \nHe was also named “A Missionary of Joy” by Pope Francis for his work with the charity “Joke with the Pope”. Reiss will discuss the uses of religion in The Simpsons\, illustrating it with rare animated clips. Hear his hilarious and amazing story. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2018-jan/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171210T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171210T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171205T052505Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171205T054003Z UID:37093-1512907200-1512918000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:December Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SPEAKER: SUSANA MARINEZ CONDE\nSusana Martinez-Conde is a neuroscientist and science writer. She is a professor of ophthalmology\, neurology\, and physiology & pharmacology at the State University of New York\, Downstate Medical Center.\n\n\n\nBOOK: CHAMPIONS OF ILLUSIONS\nA full-color celebration of stunning visual illusions and the science behind them.
In Champions of Illusion\, Susana Martinez-Conde and Stephen Macknik present a smorgasbord of mystifying images\, many selected from their Best Illusion of the Year Contest. Whether it’s false motion\, tricks of perspective\, or shifting colors\, Champions of Illusion is packed with adventures in visual perception. If you have ever found yourself face-to-face with an utterly bewildering illusion\, you know the powerful effect such images have on the mind. The question we often ask ourselves is\, how is that possible? \nMartinez-Conde and Macknik\, who study the intersection of neuroscience\, illusions\, and stage magic\, explain just why we think we see the things we see. Featuring the most bizarre effects and unbelievable mind tricks\, along with classic illusions and illuminating descriptions of what is actually going on in your brain when you are deceived by visuals. Champions of Illusion is an electrifying mix of science and magic that you will not soon forget. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-dec/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171130T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171130T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171030T165225Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171030T170459Z UID:37017-1512066600-1512075600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:November Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: Religion News Service \nSPEAKER: Kimberly Winston \nKimberly Winston covers atheism and freethought for the Religion News Service which delivers an unbiased viewpoint on breaking news from around the world\, reporting on faith\, spirituality and religion. \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-nov/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171114T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171114T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171030T165232Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171030T165917Z UID:37018-1510686000-1510693200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:November Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Dangerous Religious Convictions \nDangerous religious convictions are rampant amongst disadvantaged communities in our city\, acting only to compound their troubles and leading to very real\, very tangible tragedies. Why is this and can we do anything about it? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-nov/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171112T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171112T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171030T165242Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171030T165638Z UID:37019-1510488000-1510498800@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:November Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:TOPIC: Recovering From Religion\nSPEAKER: Gayle Jordan – Executive Director\, Recovering From Religion \nDoubt Your Beliefs? Have Questions About Changing Or Leaving Your Faith? You Are Not Alone\, And We Are Here To Help. Learning how to live after questions\, doubts\, and changing beliefs is a journey. We at Recovering from Religion are intimately familiar with this path\, and we are here to help you to cross that bridge. Our passion is connecting others with support\, resources\, community\, and most of all\, hope. We have two forms of support available below: peer support and professional support. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-nov/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171026T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171026T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171002T165406Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171002T165532Z UID:36951-1509042600-1509051600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:October Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: BLACK NON-BELIEVERS \nSPEAKER: MANDISA THOMAS – PRESIDENT\, BLACK ATHEISTS \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-oct/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171010T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171010T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171002T165210Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171002T165343Z UID:36948-1507662000-1507669200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:October Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Immigration \nWHY IS MAYOR DEBLASIO SURRENDERING TO THE HASIDICS? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-oct/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20171008T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20171008T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20171002T164815Z LAST-MODIFIED:20171002T165024Z UID:36938-1507464000-1507474800@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:October Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SPEAKER: JIM HELTON – AMERICAN ATHEISTS: NATIONAL FIELD ORGANIZER \nJim G Helton is the National Field Organizer for American Atheists. After attending the Reason Rally\, he co-founded the Tri-State Freethinkers and then became the Kentucky State Director. Under his leadership they adopted the Highway in front of the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter which also included a protest that received international attention and changed the story. He also played a key role in eliminating Gideon’s bible distributions in public schools and removing abstinence only sex education. \nMr. Helton has appeared in The Bill Nye Film\, We Believe in Dinosaurs documentaries and countless news articles which include The New York Times\, Miami Herald\, Washington Post… His activism for the separation of church and state has even reached TV specials in France\, Switzerland\, and several other countries. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-oct/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170928T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170928T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170829T165209Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170902T233141Z UID:36864-1506623400-1506632400@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:September Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: The Satanic Panic: The Witch Hunt of the Late Twentieth Century \nIt was a season of the witch…more than two decades which saw\nmainstream Christianity warning about the Devil’s influence in our\nmovies\, television shows\, books\, music\, and even our children’s games\nand toys. \nSeth Andrews transports us back in time to explore The Satanic Panic\nof the 70s\, 80s and 90s. Learn about its origins\, its humorous\,\nbizarre and often hysterical claims\, and the very real damage done\ninside this frenzy of fear. \nSPEAKER: SETH ANDREWS \nSeth Andrews\, a video producer and former Christian broadcaster\, now\nhosts “The Thinking Atheist\,” one of the most popular online atheist\ncommunities in the world\, a site which encourages all to reject faith\nand embrace doubt\, curiosity and reason. \nSeth has authored two books. “Deconverted: a Journey from Religion to\nReason” chronicles his journey out of superstition\, and “Sacred Cows”\nis a lighthearted romp through many of the world’s strangest beliefs\nand traditions. \nSeth hosts The Thinking Atheist podcast on BlogTalkRadio\, a broadcast\nthat has been downloaded worldwide more than 40 million times. \nWith a mix of humor and heart\, Seth Andrews speaks around the country\nabout his former faith\, the rise of reason\, and why we should all\npursue a personal relationship with reality. \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-sept/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170919T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170919T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170829T165152Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T165356Z UID:36863-1505847600-1505854800@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:September Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Immigration \nSHOULD RELIGIOUS FOLKS FROM AROUND THE WORLD WHO STAND LITTLE CHANCE OF ASSIMILATING INTO OUR CULTURE BE ALLOWED ENTRY TO THE STATES? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-sept/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170910T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170910T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170829T165218Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170829T165814Z UID:36865-1505044800-1505055600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:September Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SUBJECT: SECULAR MUSIC \nPERFORMER: SHELLEY SEGAL\, SINGER AND SONGWRITER FROM AUSTRALIA \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-sept/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170727T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170727T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170705T170414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170718T170514Z UID:36762-1501180200-1501189200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:July Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: WILL FACEBOOK REPLACE THE CHURCH? How Facebook is like a church\, according to founder Mark Zuckerberg \nFacebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said: “Its members gather to comfort and encourage one another. They check in on the sick and struggling. They wish each other a happy birthday. But it’s not church. It’s Facebook.” \nBoth the church and Facebook are similar in the way they create community and bring people together. “We all get meaning from our communities\,” Zuckerberg said. “Whether they’re churches\, sports teams or neighborhood groups\, they give us the strength to expand our horizons and care about broader issues. Studies have proven the more connected we are\, the happier we feel and the healthier we are. People who go to church are more likely to volunteer and give to charity — not just because they’re religious\, but because they’re part of a community.” \nZuckerberg made the analogy last week as he announced the new mission of the world’s largest social network: “Bring the world closer together.” That comes as Facebook reached 2 billion users on Tuesday and expands its previous mission\, as the CEO and founder described it\, “to make the world more open and connected.” (It also comes as ProPublica published a review of internal documents shedding light on the algorithms Facebook’s censors use to determine hate speech.) \nChristian publications interpreted Zuckerberg’s remarks in different ways; some said he was suggesting the social network should draw inspiration from the church\, while others fretted he was envisioning a future where Facebook replaces the church. \nSpeaking to an audience made up of administrators of popular Facebook groups\, Zuckerberg announced a goal to connect 1 billion people via groups and encouraged the administrators to invite and care for people in theirs — much like clergy do. \n“As I’ve traveled around and learned about different places\, one theme is clear: Every great community has great leaders\,” he said. \n“Think about it. A church doesn’t just come together. It has a pastor who cares for the well-being of their congregation\, makes sure they have food and shelter. A Little League team has a coach who motivates the kids and helps them hit better. Leaders set the culture\, inspire us\, give us a safety net and look out for us.”  \nA LIVELY DISCUSSION WILL FOLLOW \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-july/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170718T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170718T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170705T170038Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170706T231832Z UID:36758-1500404400-1500411600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:July Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Empathy and Forgiveness \nTo what degree do we empathize with our religious neighbors even when they are hostile to us? Can we forgive those same people who have harmed us in the past? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-july/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170709T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170709T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170627T170403Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170627T170547Z UID:36734-1499601600-1499612400@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:July Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SUBJECT: MY JOURNEY OF A BANGLADESHI WOMEN FROM ISLAM TO ATHEISM \nZERIN FIROZE is an outspoken Ex-Muslim\, atheist\, feminist and human right activist. Due to her advocacy for secular\, LGBT and women’s rights\, she has received death threats from groups such as Ansar-Al-Islam\, Jamaat-Shibir\, Hefajat-e-Islami and was forced to flee Bangladesh \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-july/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170708T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170708T110000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20150819T150032Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170705T165952Z UID:26470-1499511600-1499511600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:Street Tabling DESCRIPTION:On Saturdays during the summer months\, we set up our cozy tent-covered table on the sidewalk on Columbus Circle (in front of the Time Warner Building) and chat with interested with passers-by. We don’t accost people\, but simply make ourselves available to provide information and answer questions about what we do as an organization and about atheism in general. We are always well-received and a very nice time is had by all. The people who approach us are almost always quite friendly and sincerely interested. \nWe always need volunteers. Come and join us for as much or as little time as you can! \nFirst Shift: 10:55 AM to 2 PM (extra assistance needed during setup)\nSecond Shift: 1 PM to 4 PM\nThird Shift: 2 PM to 6 PM \nIf you plan on helping out\, please drop a quick email to nycatheists@gmail.org to let us know your availability so we can schedule our staffing accordingly. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/street-tabling/ LOCATION:Columbus Circle\, 10 Columbus Circle\, New York\, NY\, 10019\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Other END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170704T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170704T170000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170616T164332Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170620T163200Z UID:36703-1499169600-1499187600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:July 4th Picnic DESCRIPTION:NYC ATHEISTS ANNUAL JULY 4TH PICNIC\n\nJoin us in the beautiful Conservancy Garden in Central Park!\n\n\nMeeting place will be in the upstairs gazebo behind the fountain.\n\nBring your own food & drinks.\n\n(5th Ave at 105th Street)\nSubway: 6 (103rd) / 2 & 3 (110TH st) / 4 & 5 (110th)\nAfterwards we can visit the Museum Of The City Of New York.\nFor further information\, contact Larry Shaw at lshawfunny@aol.com. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/july-4th-2017/ LOCATION:Conservatory Garden\, 5TH AVE AT 105TH STREET\, New York\, NY\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Other END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170629T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170629T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170602T230920Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170606T205631Z UID:36665-1498761000-1498770000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:June Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSUBJECT: WE WILL LISTEN TO WNYC’S BRIAN LEHRER INTERVIEW OF BROOKE GLADSTONE ABOUT HER NEW BOOK: The Trouble With Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time.  \nHOW fake news\, post-truth\, and why reality itself has become a hotly contested issue of our time.  \nA LIVELY DISCUSSION WILL FOLLOW \nBrooke Gladstone\, host and managing editor of WNYC’s On the Media and the author of The Trouble With Reality: A Rumination on Moral Panic in Our Time (Workman Publishing Company\, 2017)\, talks about fake news\, post-truth\, and why reality itself has become a hotly contested issue of our time. \n“It isn’t like there are two bubbles in this country\,” says Brooke. “I think there are as many bubbles as there are individuals. They are bespoke\, hand crafted.” \nThe remedy for reality is not so simple. “Fact checking alone won’t stop Trump\,” Brooke says\, “We are wired to lie to ourselves to keep our worlds consistent.” \nReality. It used to seem so simple—reality just was\, like the weather. Why question it\, let alone disagree about it? And then came the assault\, an unending stream of “fake news\,” “alternative facts\,” and lies disguised as truths that is overwhelming our notions of reality. Now we can’t even agree on what a fact is\, let alone what is real. How on earth did we get here?\nIn 1985\, critic and educator Neil Postman published Amusing Ourselves to Death\, the most incisive\, impassioned warning label ever issued on our media diet. To illuminate the danger\, he contrasts two pivotal works of dystopian fiction: George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World.\nIn Orwell’s vision\, he notes\, we are crushed by a merciless oppression imposed by others\, whereas in Huxley’s vision\, we are seduced\, sedated\, and satiated. We enslave ourselves. \nWhat Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book\, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much information that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism.\nOrwell feared that truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared that the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared that we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared that we would become a trivial culture\, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies\, the orgy porgy and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. \nIn 1984\, Orwell added\, people are controlled by inflicting pain. \nIn Brave New World\, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short\, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us … \nOrwell\, who in 1948 was fixed on Nazi devastation and Soviet ascendancy\, seemed to have nailed it. But 37 years later\, Postman saw that in our time and place\, it’s unquestionably Huxley. He portrayed a world that leads ineluctably to the election of Donald Trump. \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-june/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170613T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170613T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170602T231130Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170602T231226Z UID:36667-1497380400-1497387600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:June Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Climate Change \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-june/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170611T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170611T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170602T230550Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170606T205853Z UID:36662-1497182400-1497193200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:June Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SUBJECT: CREATION STORIES / MYTHS \nA creation myth (also called a cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. While in popular usage the term myth often refers to false or fanciful stories\, formally\, it does not imply falsehood. Cultures generally regard their creation myths as true. In the society in which it is told\, a creation myth is usually regarded as conveying profound truths\, metaphorically\, symbolically and sometimes in a historical or literal sense. They are commonly\, although not always\, considered cosmogonical myths – that is\, they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or amorphousness. \nCreation myths often share a number of features. They often are considered sacred accounts and can be found in nearly all known religious traditions. They are all stories with a plot and characters who are either deities\, human-like figures\, or animals\, who often speak and transform easily. They are often set in a dim and nonspecific past that historian of religion Mircea Eliade termed in illo tempore (“at that time”). Creation myths address questions deeply meaningful to the society that shares them\, revealing their central worldview and the framework for the self-identity of the culture and individual in a universal context. \nCreation myths develop in oral traditions and therefore typically have multiple versions; found throughout human culture\, they are the most common form of myth. \n——————————–\nSPEAKER: THOMAS LEE \nRemember tin-can telephones?  As a kid I loved the way the long\, taut string would hum as it carried the voice of a distant\, unseen speaker directly into my ear. \nFor me\, storytelling is like having a tin-can telephone with a string stretching out through time: through years\, over centuries\, and across millennia. I listen while far away\, in the distant past\, someone tells me a story; their voice still hums and vibrates\, alive in my mind.\nOnce a story reaches me\, my task is to pass it on to new listeners\, young and old. I hope they will start the story vibrating down new strings\, travelling on into an unseen future. \nHOW DID YOU BECOME A STORYTELLER? \nWhile I was living in London after college\, I ran away to Scotland one summer to work as a chef in the tiny fishing village of Crinan. While there\, I became absorbed in the stories of the Brothers Grimm\, struggling to translate them from the German. When friends asked what I was reading\, I found myself caught up in recounting these amazing\, sometimes unsettling tales. \nBack in London\, where I was training in classical theater\, I began to perform these stories for a variety of audiences. I quickly discovered I had to “unlearn” some of my theater training in order to tell stories.  Stories\, I realized\, were not texts to recite so much as maps one could follow to create a unique\, shared experience with listeners. \nMy one man play “Grimm” was produced in a late-night performance at a London pub theater called\, appropriately\, The Man in the Moon. That production went on to the Edinburgh Festival and was later excerpted on BBC-TV. \nLiving in England\, I was able to spend a lot of time in Italy and other parts of Europe\, where my understanding of folk-culture and traditional stories expanded significantly. Once established\, my appetite for traditional stories became voracious. I discovered the treasures of the British Library and spent many\, many hours tracking down elusive and ancient tales. \nThis was in the late 1980s\, when storytelling was experiencing a spontaneous revival both in England and in the United States. I was fortunate to encounter many other travelers on the same path. \nWhen I returned to America and began telling stories to children\, the real power of traditional stories struck me with a tremendous force.  Children have taught me most of what I know about stories and storytelling. \nLiving in New York City in 1999\, I began telling stories at the Metropolitan Museum of Art\, where my ability to explore the connections of stories to their broader artistic heritage took on a tremendous new depth.  In my first project there I was invited to tell a version of “Gilgamesh” based on  a new translation of three-thousand year old cuneiform tablets. \nIn 2005 I became the director of arts VOYAGE\, an arts-integration program at Spencertown Academy in Spencertown\, New York.  This program is an amazing opportunity to synthesize visual art\, history\, story\, and learning while working with many wonderful teachers and students. \nIn 2008 I was invited to be the storyteller-in-residence at R.J. Kinsella Magnet School of the Performing Arts\, in Hartford\, Connecticut.  This is a wonderful learning community where storytelling serves to enrich students’ lives in many artistic forms. \nHaving worked extensively and intensively with students and children for twenty years\, I now find myself turning back to adult audiences as often as possible.  I particularly enjoy bringing storytelling to new listeners –  adults who may not have had a story told to them for many years. \nWhen I’m not telling or researching stories\, I find myself propping up my century old farmhouse in beautiful Chester\, Connecticut\, or gardening with an amateur’s zeal. Further afield\, I visit my family on Cape Cod or\, when time and budget allow\, return to my old haunts in England and Italy. \nOne never knows where the next story might be found! \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-june/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170525T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170525T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170503T163924Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170523T012146Z UID:36553-1495737000-1495746000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:May Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSPEAKER: Lee Moore \nTOPIC: Lee will lead a discussion on how we can make a difference by becoming more effective and successful activists\, both individually and as an organization. \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-may/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170516T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170516T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170503T163932Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170503T164310Z UID:36554-1494961200-1494968400@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:May Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: WHERE DO WE AS ATHEISTS STAND ON THE SUBJECT OF RACE\, AND WHAT CAN WE DO TO COUNTER RACISM IN AMERICA \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/discussion-night-2017-may/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170514T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170514T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170502T170150Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170502T170533Z UID:36548-1494763200-1494774000@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:May Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SUBJECT: Fake News – Repetition Becomes Fact \nVIDEO: The Brainwashing of My Dad \nExamines the Influence of the “vast right-wing conspiracy” News Media. How right-wing news programs\, talk shows and internet sites turned her once reasonable father into a raging embodiment of intolerance and suspicion. It warns of how generations of Americans have been tricked into an angry cult-like devotion to a new conservative lord and savior: Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-may/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170427T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170427T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170402T032214Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170402T032636Z UID:36478-1493317800-1493326800@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:April Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSPEAKER: Mercer Brugler\, Ph.D.\nAssistant Professor of Organismal Biology – NYC College of Technology \nTOPIC: Explore the beautiful and unusual lifeforms that thrive on the sea floor! \nCruise with Dr. Brugler as he explores the unusual and beautiful life-forms that thrive on the ocean floor. Dive to ocean depths where no light penetrates and chemicals bubbling from cold seeps fuel strange ecosystems and undersea microbes convert methane into food via chemosynthesis. \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-april/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170418T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170418T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170402T032203Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170409T213838Z UID:36477-1492542000-1492549200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:April Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: The Trump Presidency: How Do We Fight Back? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/april-2017-discussion-night/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170416T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170416T150000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170402T031255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170402T032138Z UID:36474-1492344000-1492354800@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:April Brunch & Speaker DESCRIPTION:SPEAKER: Katherine Stewart\nPresident\, American Atheists \nSUBJECT: Betsy DeVos and the Republican Plan to Make Charters Available for Religious Schools \nAUTHOR: The Good News Club – The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children \nA chilling exposé of the well-funded\, highly coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to use public schools to advance a fundamentalist agenda. \nKatherine Stewart’s chilling exposé of the well-funded\, highly coordinated effort by Christian Nationalists to use public schools to advance a fundamentalist agenda. \n“Even those well-versed in the religious right’s attempt to Christianize American institutions will likely be shocked by The Good News Club. Katherine Stewart’s book about the fundamentalist assault on public education is lucid\, alarming\, and very important.” -MICHELLE GOLDBERG\, author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. \nIn 2009\, the Good News Club came to the public elementary school where journalist Katherine Stewart sent her children. The Club\, which is sponsored by the Child Evangelism Fellowship\, bills itself as an after-school program of “Bible study.” But Stewart soon discovered that the Club’s real mission is to convert children to fundamentalist Christianity and encourage them to proselytize to their “unchurched” peers\, all the while promoting the natural but false impression among the children that its activities are endorsed by the school. \nAstonished to discover that the U.S. Supreme Court has deemed this—and other forms of religious activity in public schools—legal\, Stewart set off on an investigative journey to dozens of cities and towns across the nation to document the impact. In this book she demonstrates that there is more religion in America’s public schools today than there has been for the past 100 years. The movement driving this agenda is stealthy. It is aggressive. It has our children in its sights. And its ultimate aim is to destroy the system of public education as we know it. \nThe cost of this event is $20 which includes a wonderful all-you-can-eat brunch followed by our guest speaker. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/brunch-2017-april/ LOCATION:The Press Box\, 932 2nd Avenue\, New York\, NY\, 10022\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Sunday Brunch and Speaker END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170330T183000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170330T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170301T182400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170301T183335Z UID:36423-1490898600-1490907600@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:March Monthly Meeting DESCRIPTION:Host: Ken Bronstein \n\nSPEAKER: Rafael O’Halloran\nAssistant Professor of Radiology\, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai \nTOPIC: Brain Imaging Technology\, Neurological and Psychological Diseases \n\nA $10 charge for this event is used to help cover the cost of the venue. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/monthly-meeting-2017-march/ LOCATION:SLC Conference Center\, 15 West 39th Street – 3rd Floor\, New York\, NY\, 10018\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Thursday Monthly Meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20170314T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20170314T210000 DTSTAMP:20260419T182213 CREATED:20170301T182354Z LAST-MODIFIED:20170309T171714Z UID:36422-1489518000-1489525200@nycatheists.org SUMMARY:March Discussion Night DESCRIPTION:Topic: Scientology\, How Can We Oppose This Blight on Our Culture? \nHost:  Lee Moore \nThe event is free\, but please purchase food or drink to compensate Stone Creek for the use of their space. URL:https://nycatheists.org/event/march-2017-discussion-night/ LOCATION:Stone Creek Bar and Lounge\, 140 East 27th St.\, New York\, NY\, 10016\, United States CATEGORIES:ALL,Tuesday Discussion Night END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR