This year, we are doing something a little different – for those who prefer a little extra challenge, we are offering three different options for participants to choose. All of the excursions end at the outfitters location in West Newton – the differences are in the put-in locations. You have the choice of 1.a fairly short run (2 hrs or so) from Cedar Creek Park, or 2. a medium length run (4 hrs or so) from Smithton, or 3. for those desiring something a little more lengthy, putting in at Whitsett (6 hrs or so). Every one can arrive at the outfitter at the time appropriate for their run and be transported to the put-in location. Then, as the group works its way downstream, those who have opted for the shorter runs can join the group as they get to the other put-in locations. By the time we get to West Newton, we should have a veritable armada – well, flotilla, anyway.

Rate schedule is as follows: $30 from Cedar Creek Park, $35 from Smithton, and $40 from Whitsett. This price is per canoe, two people per canoe. A third person can ride in the canoe for an additional $3. This is great if you have a child or a friend who wants to participate. And for those of you who have your own canoe, the outfitter will transport your canoe to the put-in for a nominal fee ($3 or $4 I think).

So if you are looking for some summer fun, come on along for the ride. Maybe YOU can enjoy the rope swing – or not. To reserve your canoe, e-mail BillK at unkabeard@verizon.net and send a check for the correct amount to:

CFI-Pittsburgh
PO Box 19003
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Reservations need to be in and paid by July 31st.

You remember Mr. Sherman — Illinois Representative Monique Davis interrupted him while he testified before the Springfield House State Government Administration Committee to spectacularly flip her shit:

I don’t know what you have against God, but some of us don’t have much against him. We look forward to him and his blessings… I’m trying to understand the philosophy that you want to spread in the state of Illinois… This is the land of Lincoln where people believe in God… What you have to spew and spread is extremely dangerous… It’s dangerous for our children to even know that your philosophy exists… Get out of that seat! You have no right to be here! We believe in something. You believe in destroying! You believe in destroying what this state was built upon.

This is just a sample of Mr. Sherman’s experiences. Come out and join the discussion this Tuesday!

When: Tuesday, May 5th 2009, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Where: Quaker Meeting House, 4836 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (Oakland/Shadyside)

The recent high winds snapped a pole along Route 51 near Francesco’s Restaurant. This not only killed power to the restaurant, but created a hazard that forced the blockage and a detour of Rte. 51. Ten tough old birds managed to challenge the blockade or wait out the detour, but in the intervening hour delay, many prospective attendees turned back, including our speaker for the evening, Darwin impersonator David Campbell.

You can still catch Dr. Campbell’s wonderful show for the next three Saturdays at 2pm, at the Carnegie Science Center. Some might scoff at the notion of this as a Valentine’s date, but really what is more romantic than natural selection? (Just ask the Skepchicks!)

And without further ado, let me show you the awesome birthday cake, CFI’s Victor Bernard made that we missed:

I don't need to dig for a photo of Dr. Campbell because I can just Google for photos of Darwin. He's that good.

Dr. David Campbell of The Darwin Center For Science & Reason brings Darwin to life in Darwin Remembers, a theatrical experience from the voyage of The Beagle to his death with actors recreating the voices from the past. I’ve seen this performance on dvd and Dr. Campbell is absolutely wonderful. I cannot think of a better way to mark the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth than stepping into history with Dr. Campbell’s Darwin live on stage, and I’m delighted to say that we can!

Where: Carnegie Science Center
When: 2pm Saturday January 31st and every Saturday in February!
More info: call (412) 237-3400

If you’d like to meet Dr. Campbell and discuss The Darwin Center for Science & Reason, he will be the special guest speaker at the Center for Inquiry’s February dinner meeting.

When: February 12th, 6pm [edited! I originally posted the 2nd]
Where: 2238 Route 51 Clairton, PA 15025 [Jefferson Hills]
More details: CFI calendar

Here is a write-up from the Trib: Workshop, show reveal how ‘mentalists’ work their magic

Join Us for an Evening with

Toni Van Pelt
Director of CFI’s Office of Public Policy in Washington, D.C.

“Promoting Science & Reason in Law and Policy”

Scientific thinking is being challenged culturally in the United States today as never before. Despite the success of science and technology in providing us with unparalleled benefits, religious fundamentalists and some postmodernists seek to inhibit free inquiry. This is a highly charged political issue, because both science and secularism are under attack. While a number of organizations lobby and work to defend science politically, so far no organization has worked to defend science and inquiry in all important areas of human endeavor more than the Center for Inquiry.

In it’s first two years, CFI’s Office of Public Policy – with the indispensable help of our members – has established the necessary credentials for action in our government’s halls. Please come to learn the ways the Center is standing up, speaking out, and demonstrating the responsibility and privilege necessary to maintain a civil society – and learn how you can help!

We’re very pleased to welcome Toni to Pittsburgh to give us a first hand look at what the OPP is doing to represent secular humanists to the Federal Government. This is an excellent opportunity for all of us to get a better handle on the issues that affect us and learn what is being done to resolve them. It will also give a greater appreciation of the scope of the Center’s activities and their importance to our world today.

See you Monday!

For more information about this and other CFI Pittsburgh events, please call (412) 384-5893 or visit www.centerforinquiry.net/pgh.

You’ll probably recognize a ton of people in this video, including Lawrence Krauss, who is speaking in Pittsburgh on Oct. 3. I recommend Googling anyone you don’t already know.

If you like what you hear definately checkout Pittsburgh’s CFI chapter.

A deep fried cheeseburger. Or proof there could not be a loving god?

At our pre-meeting dinner gathering at Bettis Grille, Brandon was the only one who braved the deep fried cheeseburger. Although, rumor has it BillH has successfully taken on one of their deep fried meatloaf sandwiches in the past. We, as skeptics of course, require proof. Research grants may or may not be available for proposals delving into the subject of which deep fried monstrosity is more extreme*.

After our table of nine completely failed to finish the Tower of Carrot Cake (for two) we headed over to the Carnegie Science Center to meet up with the rest of the crew for a private showing of their IMAX film “Wild Ocean”. I am not sure if I can recommend allowing your entire field of vision to be filled with an undersea mass of undulating sardines being attacked from all directions by dolphins and dive-bombing birds on a full stomach. If the action scenes don’t make your tum flop, gorgeous swooping aerial shots of waves crashing over rocky shores just might.  You should see it, and you should see it before dinner, but probably not if you’re planning to go out for seafood.

Questions I have after watching this documentary on the importance of maintaining the oceans’ biodiversity that have absolutely nothing to do with the actual subject:

1. When did sharks become prettier than dolphins or is thinking dolphins are adorable something you grow out of? Does this mean I’m old?
2. Is it totally badass to surf in the part of the world where the greatest number of shark species are waiting for the cold front to refill their favorite all-you-can-eat buffet or just nuts?
3. Aren’t you glad there isn’t a deep fried sardines appetizer on the Bettis Grille menu?

Following the movie we discussed some upcoming events that will be composed in a more serious post once details are finalized. There was also some discussion about science education, and those who weren’t off marveling at the most inaccessible accessible restroom I’ve ever seen while this part of the conversation happened are invited to write about it. (Hint.) 

* And by “may or may not” I mean “aren’t but should be”.

I just got word that folks can meet up early for dinner at Bettis Grille on the northshore at 5:30pm.  Even if you can’t make it to dinner, we will meet in the inside lobby of the Rangos Theater at 7:00 and then view the movie at 7:15. This will be followed by discussion and socializing afterward until 9:00.

I’ll be there – it’s been a long time since I’ve been to the Science Center and I’m looking forward to a great discussion.  Hope you can make it!

When: Thursday, September 11th
Dinner: 5:30pm Bettis Grille, 375 N Shore Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Carnegie Science Center: One Allegheny Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15212

My first experience with Pittsburgh’s skeptic community was via the first-and-only meeting of the now-dissolved Pittsburgh Atheist Meetup. The Atheist Meetup was great. We talked about everything from Monty Python’s Life of Brian to our own personal conversion stories (which all seemed to start with either “I was raised Catholic and…,” or “I read Dawkins and…”). At the time I’d never had an experience quite like it, ten atheists just sharing ideas, experiences and, if I remember correctly, a few Pope jokes.

It was at the Atheist Meetup that I learned of the Greater Pittsburgh Association of Deists and Agnostics, which thankfully has now changed it’s name to the Pittsburgh Secular Freethinkers. The Freethinkers is a monthly Meetup of secularists who get together to discuss a monthly topic (most of the time we talk about everything but the topic).

Then about three months ago, Laura started up a Pittsburgh chapter of Drinking Skeptically… Which is AWESOME. Now, because this is my first post and you don’t know me very well, you don’t know how rarely I toss around the word awesome. In my world only four things are awesome.

Things that are awesome:

• Child Birth
• The Grand Canyon
• Cup Noodles
• Drinking Skeptically

I’m not going to explain the first three; its obvious why they’re awesome. But what makes Drinking Skeptically so awesome is its simplicity: Skeptics + Booze.

It was at the first Drinking Skeptically get-together that I learned of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Center for Inquiry (CFI), and my knowledge of Pittsburgh‘s skeptical community continued to grow like a snow ball.

Now, I haven’t actually attended a CFI event yet, but I’m sure I will because they have so many events. Pot lucks, socials, movie nights, book clubs, educational workshops… I hear those daffy disbelievers even went canoeing.

At one point I intended to attend CFI’s book club in the South Hills (next meeting is Sept. 13). I’d even picked up Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class and thumbed through it, but couldn’t make the meeting due to work-related responsibilities (nuts).

Six months ago I was starving to get together with some like minded skeptics. Now, I’m hoping that this blog will help even more of Pittsburgh’s freethinkers find the community I have.

But to prevent myself from ending on too sappy a note, I’d like to point out to everyone that my high school chem teacher is a pedo (no, I did not go to Catholic school).