Dr Edward Presswood discusses whether it is wise for the NHS to pander to triskaidekaphobia and other irrational beliefs. The practice of supporting such beliefs in the NHS is well intentioned but Edward suggests that doing so undermines the foundations upon which medicine stands. Edward will present a witty lecture that will amaze you as to how far superstitions influence our public life.

The evening will start at the usual time of 6.30 p.m. in the Bloomsbury Room, and after Edward’s lecture there will be a short question and answer session before we retire to a local pub for further debate around 8.00 p.m.

A suggested donation of £2 will be requested on the night towards the cost of room hire.

Follow Edward on the following sites:

Webite

Twitter

Hi All,

This month the book is “The End Of Faith” by Sam Harris.

There are many videos on Youtube of Harris talking about the book.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+end+of+faith

You can find it on Amazon as usual.

Don’t forget to use the link from the BHA website.

http://www.humanism.org.uk/home

The link is at the bottom right of the page. By using this link you are helping the BHA.

Just like the previous meetings we will meet at 19h and start talking and debating.

It can be difficult to find each other in the Festival Hall.

Here is a map of where we usually meet.

• Being creatures of habit, we meet in front of the bar before the start of the event

• Meeting area 1 is used when there is no event in the pit

• Meeting area 2 is used when there is an event in the pit

• There is a chance that neither area is available.  If this is the case, someone will wait in the pre-meet area for stragglers until the official start time.

http://tinyurl.com/7snwmco

If you have any questions please feel free to contact myself or Ben.

Baptiste: 07540399918

Ben: 07875508780

This 2 1/2 hour walk is a good way to get our outdoors programme underway for 2012, with a gentle but sociable walk around Walthamstow Reservoirs, which is one of London’s top but largely neglected bird (and angling) sites. At this time of year it hosts large tree-nesting colonies of Grey Herons and Cormorants, which should have their young out now as they are early breeders. Recently they’ve also been joined by Little Egrets, which didn’t breed in this country 10 years ago. There’s plenty of other birds too, mainly wildfowl, whilst Kingfishers are always present (somewhere!). There are toilets on site (and a car park if you’re not coming by rail or bus). We’ll finish the walk at the Ferry Boat Inn pub where you can return your separate ways or join me for a pint. They do good food so some of you might like to lunch there before the walk.

There is an entry charge of £1. Please bring binoculars if you have them, but I will bring a telescope and will be looking rather obvious just outside the station entrance. As usual there will be a voluntary collection in aid of CLHG, £2 suggested. The walk from the station to the reservoirs takes about 10 minutes. The walk is suitable for wheelchairs, but not for dogs I’m afraid.

Every first Wednesday of the month we meet for a social evening at a central London pub. Drop by if you’re non-religious and you would like to meet like-minded people in a relaxed atmosphere. If you’re just questioning your beliefs and aren’t sure where to turn, or you are non-religious and looking for something less intellectual to do, this could be just right for you. [A voluntary donation of £2 is requested - but first timers are welcome to give us a free trial] You’ll find us at the 4 high tables on the right as you come in

The bar itself can be seen here on Google Streetview.

This is our regular quieter Sunday lunch meet up.

Anne Marie Waters raises the issue should women in 21st century Britain wear the burka?

For some wearing the burka is a religious and individual right and they think liberal Britain should support them in wearing it, for others it is a retrograde symbol of female oppression and wearing it in Britain today supports the oppression of women in less democratic countries.

Where do you stand on this controversial issue?

Anne Marie Waters is spokesperson for the One Law for All Campaign. She campaigns against Sharia and religious Laws as she believes they represent a sacrifice of the rights of women in the name of legal and cultural relativism. She is a law graduate with a strong interest in family law and human rights and the interaction between the two. She has written various papers and articles on the rights of women in family law and on human rights internationally.

The evening will start at the usual time of 6.30 p.m. and after Anne Marie’s presentation there will be an opportunity for a short debate before we retire to the Enterprise pub around 8.00 p.m. where the debate might continue.

A suggested donation of £2 will be requested on the night towards the cost of room hire.

Hi All,

If you haven’t yet please make sure you join our dedicated Book Group Meetup page.

http://www.meetup.com/CLHGBookClub/

This month the book is “Hitch 22: A Memoir” by Christopher Hitchens You can find it on Amazon as usual.

Don’t forget to use the link from the BHA website.

http://www.humanism.org.uk/home

The link is at the bottom right of the page. By using this link you are helping the BHA.

Just like the previous meetings we will meet at 19h and start talking and debating.

It can be difficult to find each other in the Festival Hall. Here is a map of where we usually meet.

Being creatures of habit, we meet in front of the bar before the start of the event

Meeting area 1 is used when there is no event in the pit

Meeting area 2 is used when there is an event in the pit

There is a chance that neither area is available. If this is the case, someone will wait in the pre-meet area for stragglers until the official start time.

http://tinyurl.com/7snwmco

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Ben.

Ben: 07875508780

Sadly I won’t be there (again) but I am looking forward to reading this book!

Come and help us celebrate Darwin’s birthday at this special Sunday lunch.

We will probably be eating a traditional Sunday roast but did you know Darwin was not adverse to tasting the many species he studied?

While at Cambridge Darwin joined the Gourmet Club which met once a week and tucked into such delights as hawk and bittern, however his curious taste did not extend to old brown owl which he found ‘indescribable’.

During his voyage on the Beagle he ate armadillo, ‘a most excellent dish when roasted in it’s shell’, agoutis, ‘the best meat I ever tasted’ and also puma, ‘it tasted like veal’.

He also tried rhea, but sent some uneaten parts back to the Zoological Society in London; they named the bird after him, rhea darwinii.

In the Galapagos he ate iguanas and giant tortoises, he liked the later so much he loaded 48 of them aboard the Beagle to eat on the journey back.

If you know any more interesting facts about Darwin please bring them along to the lunch.

You may also like to think what gift you would bring him for his Birthday, were he able to join us for dinner. What book would you give him, and what would you tell him about life in the 21st century and how he has effected your life?

http://www.meetup.com/HUMANACTION/events/48879042/

The Central London Humanists are giving their support to this event organised by One Law for All.

“Freedom of expression is a  non-negotiable prerequisite for all other human rights. It must be limited when it would be an immediate and present danger to the rights of others. Thus the interdiction of  shouting “fire” in a crowded space when there is no fire. Incitement to violence should not be allowedbut is not always so clearly definable. It is, however, perverse to allow people to curtail a right to freedom of expression by threatening violence. This is what a small minority of extreme religionists are doing. More moderate religionists (and others) provide cover for this unacceptable behaviour by failing to make clear and unambiguous their commitment to freedom of expression independent of the subjective quality of the information being transmitted. Granting me the freedom to say something you approve of is to grant me nothing. You support my freedom of expression when I lawfully express something of which you do not approve.”

Josh Kutchinsky, Membership Organiser

Here’s the manifesto of the Rally from One Law for All’s website:

One Law for All is calling for a rally in defence of free expression and the right to criticise religion on 11 February 2012 in central London from 2-4pm.

We are also calling for simultaneous events and acts in defence of free expression on 11 February in countries world-wide.

The call follows an increased number of attacks on free expression in the UK, including a 17 year old being forced to remove a Jesus and Mo cartoon or face expulsion from his Sixth Form College and demands by the UCL Union that the Atheist society remove a Jesus and Mo cartoon from its Facebook page.

It also follows threats of violence, police being called, and the cancellation of a meeting at Queen Mary College where One Law for All spokesperson Anne Marie Waters was to deliver a speech on Sharia.

Saying ‘Who gave these kuffar the right to speak?’, an Islamist website called for the disruption of the meeting. Two days later at the same college, though, the Islamic Society held a meeting on traditional Islam with a speaker who has called for the death of apostates, those who mock Islam, and secularist Muslims.

Whilst none of this is new, recent events reveal an increased confidence of Islamists to censor free expression publicly, particularly given the support received from universities and other bodies in the name of false tolerance, cultural sensitivity and respect.

The right to criticise religion, however, is a fundamental right that is crucial to many, including Muslims.

Clearly, the time has come to take a firm and uncompromising stand for free expression and against all forms of threats and censorship.

11 February is our chance to take that stand.

You need to be there.

Enough is enough.

Please join us on our new dedicated  ”HumanAction” Meetup site:

http://www.meetup.com/HUMANACTION/events/48879042/

We will let you know the meeting point and will attend the rally all together with our banner! 

—-

The One Law for All 11 February Rally for Free Expression is being held

in London from 14:00-16:00 hours at the Old Palace Yard, opposite the House of Lords.

Confirmed Speakers at London Rally: Hasan Afzal (Stand for Peace), Jenny Bartle (National Federation of Atheist, Humanist and Secular Student Societies), Roy Brown (International Humanist and Ethical Union), Nick Cohen (Writer), Sue Cox (Survivors Voice Europe), Christopher Crowley-Jenns (Kings College London), Alex Gabriel (Blogger), A C Grayling (Philosopher), Faisal Gazi (Spittoon.org), Jennifer Hardy (Queen Mary Atheism Humanism and Secularism Society), Kenan Malik (Writer), Chris Moos (London School of Economics Atheist, Secularist, and Humanist Society), Rhys Morgan (Student activist), Maryam Namazie (One Law for All and Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain), Yasmin Rehman (Campaigner), Pragna Patel (Southall Black Sisters), Gita Sahgal, (Centre for Secular Space), Terry Sanderson/Keith Porteous Wood (National Secular Society), Kate Smurthwaite (Comedian), Bahram Soroush (Labour Rights Activist), Rupert Sutton (Student Rights), Jac Thomas (Kings College London Atheist, Secularist & Humanist Society), Marco Tranchino (Central London Humanist Group), Anne Marie Waters (One Law for All) and Susan Zhuang (University College London Atheist, Secularist & Humanist Society). There will be a message from Richard Dawkins and the Jesus and Mo cartoonist.

—

NOTES: Contact for more information or with details of actions or events being organised outside of London:

Maryam Namazie

Anne Marie Waters

Spokespersons One Law for All

BM Box 2387 London WC1N 3XX, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 7719166731

onelawforall@gmail.com

www.onelawforall.org.uk

This event has not been organised by the Central London Humanist Group, but many of our members will be going, and we want you to know that it’s at Congress Hall, not Conway Hall

This year’s 2012 Darwin Day lecture will be presented by renowned author, broadcaster, scientist, and geek Adam Rutherford.

Dr Adam Rutherford is a geneticist, author and broadcaster, as well as an editor at the science journal Nature. He presents television and radio programmes and is a writer for The Guardian newspaper.

The 2012 Darwin Day lecture will be chaired by biologist Steve Jones.

About the Chair:

Steve Jones is a biologist; Professor of Genetics at the Galton Laboratory of University College London; coeditor (with Robert Martin and David Pilbeam) ofThe Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution; and author of In the Blood; The Language of the Genes: Biology, History, and the Evolutionary Future (winner of the 1994 Science Book Prize); Darwin’s Ghost: The Origin of Species Updated;Y: The Descent of Men : Revealing the Mysteries of Maleness ; and Coral: A Pessimist in Paradise.

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