Archive for September 16th, 2009
The Great Faith Debate Update
Posted by CyberLizard in Uncategorized on September 16, 2009
Apparently this thing is exceeding the producer’s expectations. And since there will now be a huge mob descending on UCF, they’ve decided to abandon tickets or any other forms of organization and decided to make it first-come-first-serve for the debate.
If you’re planning on coming as part of the Orlando Atheists & Freethinkers group, make sure you show up at the entrance to the UCF Arena by 6:15pm. There will be a table set up with a red balloon. We’ll have to go in as a group if we want to sit together.
If you can’t attend, check out the bottom of the notice below. There’s an email address for you to send your questions in. They’ll be selecting some of these for the debaters to respond to during the Q&A.
Here’s the update from TheGreatFaithDebate.com:
SEATING & TICKETS:
We are encouraged to see such a record turn out for this exciting event. Over the past few days we have watch the registration numbers soar over 6000 people. Our original seating/overflow process did not calculate for this capacity so we have adjusted for the crowd.
• ALL SEATING IS NOW FIRST COME FIRST SERVE – FLOOR LEVEL / LOWER BOWL / UPPER BOWL
• YOU DO NOT NEED TICKETS OR ANY FORM OF ID TO ATTEND THIS EVENT – WALK-INS ARE WELCOME.
• YOU MAY NOT RESERVE OR HOLD SEATS FOR FRIENDS/FAMILY/GUESTS. USHERS WILL MAKE SURE EVERY SEAT
IS FULL, EVEN IF YOU ARE WAITING ON SOMEONE. PLEASE WAIT FOR YOUR ENTIRE PARTY OUTSIDE THE DOORS AND SIT AS AN ENITRE GROUP TO AVOID ANY CONFUSION.IMPORTANT POLICIES:
Please adhere strictly to the following:
• NO VIDEO CAMERAS ARE ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING – STILL PHOTOGRAPHY IS ALLOWED.
• THIS IS A CIVILIZED, COLLEGIATE ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL OF THE DEBATERS AND THEIR OPINIONS. ANY UNORDERLY CONDUCT MAY RESULT IN REMOVAL FROM THE VENUE.
• PARKING FOR THIS EVENT IS FREE IN THE DESIGNATED AREAS. FOLLOW THE DRIVING DIRECTIONS FOR PARKING AT THE UCF ARENA. DRIVING DIRECTIONS CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.THEGREATFAITHDEBATE.COM.
Q&A SESSION FOR THE DEBATE:The debate format will involve a 30 minute question and answer time shared by both Dinesh D’Souza and Christopher Hitchens. If you have a question for either of them, submit your questions to the address below. A selection of these questions will be read live at the debate as time allows:
• Inspire@CollideCo.com
The Final Countdown
Posted by CyberLizard in Science on September 16, 2009
Shuttle Patch
The final flight of a Space Shuttle (STS-133) is tentatively scheduled for September 16, 2010. Endeavour will be the final Shuttle to fly. I will personally be very sad to see the birds stop flying. I was standing on the bank of the Indian River watching the very first shuttle launch. I fully intend to be at the last.
The Great Faith Debate
Posted by CyberLizard in Religion on September 16, 2009
Orlando Atheists & Freethinkers
On Thursday, September 17th at 7:00 PM at the UCF Arena, an event is taking place that is being billed as The Great Faith Debate. Christopher Hitchens will be debating Dinesh D’Souza on the value of religion, the existence of God, and the effects of religion on society. Tickets (free!) are were available here. Unfortunately, general admission seems to be sold out. Do not despair, for the Orlando Atheists & Freethinkers reserved a block of tickets and they still have a good number left. Here are the details.
I will definitely be there. It should be interesting and (hopefully) entertaining to see one of the Four Horsemen of the Atheist Apocalypse speak in person. I’ll have a full report after the event. I’ll probably be twittering it as well, so be sure and follow @CyberLizard.
Here’s how the website TheGreatFaithDebate.com pumps up the participants:
Christopher Hitchens, an atheist and anti-theist, is well-known for his critique of religion, which he says is “immoral”, “mythical”, and “man-made”. He is well known for his work as a journalist and for his authorship of the controversial book “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything”.
Dinesh D’Souza is the author of several bestsellers, including “What’s So Great About Christianity” and “The Enemy at Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11”. He uses intellectual reasoning to promote conservative values and defends traditional religious culture from a social and historical standpoint.
Both speakers are well-versed in current cultural events, and are extremely adept at addressing the challenging issues that face today’s society. Hitchens is witty, humorous, and a little daring. D’Souza is animated, polite, and occasionally mischievous.
Come expecting some surprising twists in the conversation as the two tackle the topic of religion and atheism from scientific, historical, and social perspectives.
If you’re a local, or even semi-local, come check it out! And come say “hi” to me.
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