Committee for Skeptical Inquiry

[Barry Karr <SkeptInq@AOL.COM>]

Darwin Day is on its way!

(at the end of this message is an announcement for the Darwin Day event at
the Center for Inquiry International in Amherst, New York)

What will you be doing to mark the occasion of Charles Darwin's birth, 195
years ago, this February 12th?

Individuals, institutions, families, schools and groups from around the
world are planning celebrations of all kinds. At www.darwinday.org you can
visit the home of the Darwin Day Program and peruse the events calendar to
see if there are any activities taking place near you. If there aren't we
encourage you to create your own by looking through the event ideas also
available at the web site.

Darwin Day provides a fabulous opportunity to learn about the fascinating
science of evolution, to raise a glass to the men and women who have, and
continue, to advance our understanding of life in the universe, to savor the
fine taste of Neil Matson's "Primordial Soup" in tribute to our humble
beginnings (http://www.darwinday.org/event_info/evoeating.html,) plant a
garden with the help of Joan Treis and her extensive research on Darwin's
Garden (http://www.darwinday.org/arts/darwins_gardens.html) and of course to
help combat the misinformation spreading about the globe on the subject of
evolution and natural selection.

Of possible interest to skeptics is the fact that this year's Darwin Day
falls the day before a Friday the 13th, a popular date for the infamous
"Superstition Bash." The first (sort of) combined event was registered this
week by the National Museum of  Ireland. Along with a fascinating lecture
and tour of the new "Darwin Trail" located at the museum, Friday the 13th
will witness a special presentation entitled "Unlucky for Some!" -
discussing extinction and survival.

Some of the great events that have occurred on Darwin Day include the
California Academy of Sciences "Darwin Road Show" where, taking the example
of the Antique Roadshow, community members are invited to visit a location
where their fossils, rocks, plants, artifacts and related items are examined
and identified by scientists of various flavors. The most well known event
in the US is perhaps the Tennessee Darwin Coalition's annual Darwin Day
event, founded by a regular contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine,
Massimo Pigliucci. The week-long event includes a variety of activities for
all ages as well as a Teacher's Workshop for elementary and secondary
educators in the community. Other events have employed educational
entertainers such as anthropologist and songwriter Richard Milner as Charles
Darwin: Live & In Concert, Stephen Baird and the Opossums of Truth with
their songs Hallelujah Evolution!, Charles Darwin, and others, Sonny Meadows
and his tribute to Darwin found on a special music CD created for HumanLight
celebrations entitled "Let the Light Shine," and the rendition of Biologist
Floyd Sanford's play "Darwin Remembers: Recollections of a Life's Journey."
School, family and community activities have included scavenger hunts,
nature hikes, tree planting and so much more. Friends have gathered together
for a "Darwin in the Pub" night, open mike celebrations where poetry, prose,
jokes, quotes and trivia are shared, or just a good old fashioned meal of
fish and chips.

It's a fun time to be an evolutionist...consider joining us at
www.darwinday.org

We would love to hear what you have planned for Darwin Day 2004 or if you
have any ideas to share on the Darwin Day web site at www.darwinday.org. You
can write to us at info@darwinday.org

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Darwin Day at the Center for Inquiry
Guest Speaker: Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for
Science Education (NCSE)

Amherst, N.Y. (February 11, 2003) - The Center for Inquiry will host its 3rd
Annual Darwin Day Celebration and Fish Fry on February 12, 2004, from 5:00
p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at 1310 Sweet Home Road, Amherst, NY. Admission is $10.00
at the door, $5.00 for Friends of the Center and students. The event
includes a fish dinner with the price of admission, Darwinian games and
amusements for kids, a raffle and the talk by Eugenie Scott. To find out
more about the event and RSVP, call Kevin Christopher at (716) 636-4869 ext.
218.

Dr. Scott has been both a researcher and an activist in the
creationism-evolution controversy for over twenty years. She has received
national recognition for her NCSE activities, including awards from the
National Science Board, the American Society for Cell Biology, the American
Institute of Biological Sciences, the Geological Society of America, and the
American Humanist Association. Her talk for Darwin Day is titled "Dissing
Darwin for Fun and Profit: Antievolutionism in the 21st Century." For more
information about the NCSE, visit www.ncseweb.org.

Charles Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 (the very same day as Abraham
Lincoln, to the amazement of astrologers everywhere). In 1859 he published
his theory of natural selection and evolution in "The Origin of Species" and
radically altered the understanding of the origins and diversity of life on
Earth. Though thoroughly established by scientific evidence, Darwin's theory
continues to encounter active resistance from religious fundamentalists, who
see it as a threat to a strict, literal Biblical worldview and pressure
school administrators and boards to remove it from curricula and standards.

Darwin Day is an international celebration of Darwin's work create to
promote a positive understanding of the English scientist's contribution to
our understanding of the world.  Many groups around the world are
celebrating in one fashion or another (see www.darwinday.org for more
information).

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