Catherine Deveny is a comedy writer, author, columnist and stand-up comedian whose television work includes Network 7’s Full Frontal, The Eric Bana Show, All Star Squares, GTV 9’s The Midday Show, IMT and Super Debate Series, ABC TV’s Good News Week, 7.30 Report and Backberner, SBS’s Mum’s The Word and Network 10’s Unreal TV, Rove Live, Skithouse and The Wedge. She is has been a regular columnist for The Age newspaper over the last nine years and her work appears frequently in Australian and overseas publications. Catherine Deveny has also been named in the Top 100 Most Influential Melbournians by The Age (Melbourne) Magazine.

Deveny will be speaking to the Melbourne Atheist Society on Tuesday, the 11th of November at 8pm. Her talk is titled ‘My Conversion to Atheism.’ Location: Unitarian Hall, 110 Grey Street, East Melbourne [Melways 2G, D2]. Admission free, no prior booking necessary, all welcome.

A JOINT EVENT WITH THE MELBOURNE UNI FILM SOCIETY

When Mrs Garrison refuses to teach the theory of evolution at South Park Elementary, famous biologist (and atheist poster boy) Richard Dawkins is brought in to replace him. So begins ‘Go God Go’, an epic two-part episode of South Park that the Secular Society and Melb Uni Film Society are proud to be co-presenting this Thursday evening.

Following South Park, we will be screening Part 1 of Richard Dawkins’ BBC documentary ‘Root of All Evil?’, of which the now infamous best-seller ‘The God Delusion’ is based on.

FREE Pizza, Beer and Soft Drinks for UMSS & Film Society members

Details:
Time: 6pm
Date: Thursday October 23
Location: ‘Widescreen Room’ 4th floor of the Arts Centre (cnr Swanston and Grattan sts)

Preview:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=dznR57d29bs

This Friday (Oct 3rd) UMSS will be mingling with the Melbourne Atheists for a relaxed night of food, drinks and a bit of healthy conversation! We will also be joined by students from the newly formed Secular groups from RMIT and Deakin University!

The event will be held at Getrude Hotel, 148 Getrude st (crn Napier st) in Fitzroy between 6:30-9:30pm.

Furthermore, the night will also be the official launch party of the new weekly radio program ATHEIST AGE, which premieres on Tuesday the 30th of September.

ATHEIST AGE is a Melbourne Atheists initiative, and will be broadcasting on 3RPP (98.7 FM) at 11pm every Tuesday night! Podcasting will be available shortly for those of you who can’t stay up that late or missed the first episode. UMSS will endeavour to keep its members up to date with such progresses.

“Why I don’t believe the world came to be in 7 days”
Two perspectives on the origin of the universe

For the Christian Union, Minister Tim Patrick, Chaplain to the University of Melbourne and former CSIRO scientist will be speaking on his views of creation. For the Secular Society, Ian Robinson, President of the Rationalist Society of Australia, will be addressing the audience on evolution, and the naturalist worldview.

Details:
1:00pm onwards
Friday 19th September
Skeats Lab, Earth Sciences Building (McCoy)

Pizza and soft drinks will be provided afterwards.

We know CU members will be there will bells (and t-shirts) on, and it would be great if they didn’t completely outnumber us! If you haven’t been to any of our events yet this year, this would be a great one to start. Please come along to what we hope will be a thoroughly engaging event, and show your support for the freethought cause

Tamas Pataki is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne and Deakin University. He has published widely on the philosophy of mind, psychoanalysis, moral philosophy, and aesthetics. He has written for The Australian, The Age, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Metascience and Australian Book Review. His review essay, ‘Narcissism Incarnate’, in The Australian’s Review of Books (August 1999) won the Australasian Association of Philosophy Media Prize. Pataki’s latest book is the provocatively titled ‘Against Religion’, focusing on the psychology of religious belief.

UMSS is proud to be hosting Tamas Pataki this month for a exclusive reading/signing of ‘Against Religion’. The event will be held at the University Bookstore on Wednesday September 10 at 5:30pm for a 6pm start. The event is free and catered, but there are limited spots available, so RSVP is essential (contact jason@umss.org).

Pataki will be reading excerpts from the book and discussing his thesis on the psychology of religion. Following a Q&A, there will be an opportunity for attendees to purchase ‘Against Religion’ at a special discounted rate, and also to have it signed.

We look forward to seeing you there!

‘[Pataki] writes as a scholar, with careful and qualified argument.’
Barney Zwartz (The Age)

‘Pataki’s Against Religion is the latest in a spate of atheistic books … But while the related offerings of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens may have the edge for flair and accessibility, Pataki gets the prize for focused inquiry.’
Daniel Williams (Time)

‘Pataki’s is as lucid and insightful an account of the psychoanalytical model as you will find … ‘
Amanda Lohrey (The Monthly)

‘Reading Pataki, you sense you’re in the presence of a forceful mind with the ability to examine this complicated subject straight on. His claim that “faith is just a refusal to think” in a time when clear thinking is a necessity makes this book a worthy read.’
Jackie Adair Jones (media-culture.org.au)

TEAM PASTAFARIAN is a joint ventue between More Beer! inc. and the Secular Society. For information contact Nik at flyingsnm@gmail.com, or check out team’s Facebook group.

UMSS is excited to announce that renowned skeptic Michael Shermer [USA] will be touring Australia for National Science Week.

Dr Shermer is the founder of Skeptic Magazine, Executive Director of the American Skeptics Society, and regular columnist in Scientific American. He is the author of many popular books, including Why People Believe Weird Things, The Science of Good and Evil, Why Darwin Matters, and most recently, Mind of the Market.

Here are details of his Melbourne events:

‘Why Darwin Matters‘
OPEN DAY EVENT Sunday 17 Aug
10.30-11.30am
Carillo Gantner Theatre, Sydney Myer Asia Centre,
University of Melbourne
FREE, no reserved seating

‘The Mind of the Market‘
Michael Shermer presented by Natasha Mitchell, also featuring Stephen Mayne
Monday 18 Aug
6.30pm for 7-8pm
Redback Hotel, Flemington Road, North Melbourne
FREE, drinks at bar prices

If you’re not familiar with Shermer, check out these great interviews on Point of Inquiry;
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/michael_shermer_why_darwin_matters/
http://www.pointofinquiry.org/michael_shermer_the_mind_of_the_market/

Lynne Kelly, author of The Skeptic’s Guide to the Paranormal, will also be featured on Open Day as part of National Science Week. Details:

Lynne Kelly
‘Taromancy Exposed’
OPEN DAY EVENT Sunday 17 Aug
11:30-12noon
Carillo Gantner Theatre, Sydney Myer Asia Centre,
University of Melbourne
FREE, no reserved seating

For more Science Week events, go to http://www.scienceweek.info.au

Details:

Wednesday the 6th of August
1.00-2.00 pm
Joe Napolitano Room A
Second Floor, Union House

The AGM is perhaps the most important event on the UMSS calendar. It’s where we plan for the year ahead and elect the committee.

We need at least 30 people at the meeting for the club to be accredited with the Student Union for the next 12 months. As a shameless bribe, we will be providing FREE PIZZA for members!

Those hoping to stand for the committee can be nominated by other members at the meeting, or by self-nomination. A show of hands will determine the votes.

FREE PIZZA! Woo!

July 7 2008

Melbourne rally supports growing opposition to World Youth Day

Secular and human rights student activists from around Melbourne have organised a rally to oppose the $150 million in taxpayers’ money going to Catholic World Youth Day. The rally also plans to publicly condemn the Pope’s attitudes towards women, homosexuals, non-believers and contraception.

The rally starts at 1.30pm on Sunday, July 13 and will be held on the steps of Parliament House, Spring Street. Student groups have organised the speakers, who include Australian Humanist of the Year and former Senator Lyn Allison.

On the occasion of World Youth Day, NSW police and emergency service workers have been given the power to hand out fines of up to $5000 to anyone ‘causing an annoyance or inconvenience’ to WYD patrons. “Fortunately, in Melbourne we do not have the same draconian laws as Sydney. We want to show our support to Sydney protesters whose civil liberties have been trampled by the NSW government,” stated Jason Ball, President of the University of Melbourne Secular Society and event spokesperson. “These NSW laws are censorship. Not allowing t-shirts or signs that could ‘annoy’ the participants is a blatant attack on freedom of speech.”

On the state sponsorship of the religious event, Lyn Allison commented “Australia does not have a history of debate and discussion about the appropriate interface between church and state. The current issues now provide an opportunity to start a real debate on the need for and ways of separating church and state. Other countries are doing this. Norway is consulting nation wide on formal separation. It is time that Australia followed suit.”

The rally will also be protesting the Catholic Church’s opposition to the use of condoms, even in AIDS ridden Africa. “Restricting contraception in developing countries is a clear breach of the right to health,” says women’s rights activist and speaker at the rally, Sue Bolton. “Furthermore, the Pope’s opposition to abortion condemns thousands of women to death each year through backyard abortions. The Pope labels homosexuality an ‘intrinsic moral evil,’ which is divisive and discriminatory, and only encourages the spread of homophobia.”

At the rally, volunteers will be handing out condoms and collecting donations for the Victorian AIDS Council. They will also be wearing t-shirts and holding banners that openly critisise the Pope’s views, which due to the new laws is a freedom exclusive to citizens outside of NSW.
For more information and full list of speakers go to:

http://youthagainstwyd.org

Time: 6pm till late

Date: Friday July 4th