Rationalist Association/New Humanist: The magazine for free thinkers

New Humanist Update

New Humanist magazine's online newsletter

Issue #95 (19 May 2009)

Contents

  1. Mills and minarets – New issue out now
  2. A Night of 400 Billion Stars, Bloomsbury Theatre, 29th June
  3. Join New Humanist for an art exhibition and a book launch
  4. Support Simon Singh in his libel battle with the British Chiropractic Association
  5. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
  6. New Humanist in the blogosphere
  7. Subscribe to New Humanist today

Mills and minarets – New issue out now

The May/June issue of New Humanist is out now, and as always there's lots of great writing for you to get stuck into. In our cover story Paul Sims looks at how the government's counter-extremism policy has gone down in Blackburn, a town with a 20 per cent Muslim population, while Kenan Malik looks at the legacy of the Rushdie affair and argues that both the multiculturalists and Western chauvinists have got it wrong in their reactions to Islam.

Elsewhere in the issue Michael Neumann laments the death of English liberty, David Aaronovitch asks why we love conspiracy theories, Caspar Melville speaks to the editor of The Economist about the return of religion, Roger Davidson raises a glass to Tom Paine and much more.

You can access the full list of contents here.

^^ top

A Night of 400 Billion Stars, Bloomsbury Theatre, 29th June

Ad for Night of 400 Billion StarsNew Humanist has once again teamed up with Robin Ince to bring you an evening of comedy, music and science on Monday 29 June at London's Bloomsbury Theatre:

Night of 400 Billion Stars (and maybe some string theory): a celebration of astronomy, physics and other scientific distractions

in association with New Humanist magazine

Another night of scientists, musicians and comedians with Simon Singh, Marcus Chown, Ruth Padel, Martin White, Gavin Osborn, Helen Keen, Christina Martin, Peter Buckley Hill, Lucy Porter, AL Kennedy, Darren Hayman and hosted by Robin Ince. Further guests will be announced at newhumanist.org.uk. Proceeds will go to the Rationalist Association.

Tickets cost £20 (£15 concessions) and are on sale now via the Bloomsbury Theatre website. They're still available, but selling fast – book now to avoid disappointment.

^^ top

Join New Humanist for an art exhibition and a book launch

Cover of Humanism: An IntroductionThose of you in London may be interested in attending a couple of events we're hosting during the International Humanist and Ethical Union's world conference in early June.

On 4 June, 6.30pm at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, there's the preview of an exhibition of Judith Walker's paintings that's being held in association with New Humanist. If you'd like to attend please RSVP to art@judithwalker.co.uk. If you can't make the preview, the exhibition will continue in the Brockway Room at Conway Hall until 31 July (please phone ahead on 020 7242 8032 to check there is no meeting in the room).

Then on 8 June, 6pm at the Art Workers Guild, London, we're holding a book launch for the second edition of Jim Herrick's Humanism: An Introduction, which has just been released through our publishing arm, the Rationalist Press Association. If you're interested in attending please RSVP to editor@newhumanist.org.uk. The book is on sale now priced £9.99 through our book distributor Central Books – if you like to buy a copy call them on 0845 458 9911.

^^ top

Support Simon Singh in his libel battle with the British Chiropractic Association

Simon SinghAs you may know, science writer Simon Singh is currently embroiled in a legal battle with the British Chiropractic Association, who are suing him for libel after he wrote in the Guardian last year that "This organisation is the respectable face of the chiropractic profession and yet it happily promotes bogus treatments".

A preliminary ruling on the meaning of "bogus treatments" passed by Justice Eady on 7 May means that the onus is now on Singh to prove that the BCA was being deliberately dishonest, not something he intended, he argues.

Singh's plight has attracted huge support from the general book, who have been joining online campaigns (such as this Facebook group) in their thousands to express their support for him and their opposition to Britain's staggeringly illiberal, plantiff-friendly libel laws. On Monday 18 May hundreds of people packed into a central London pub for a meeting in support of Singh, at which he announced that he hopes to appeal against the preliminary ruling, although he is not in a position to confirm this just yet. You can read a full report on this meeting at the New Humanist blog.

Keep checking in on the blog for updates on the case, and be sure to register your support by joining the Facebook group Support Simon Singh and Free Speech.

^^ top

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter logoMake sure you get involved with two new additions to our online content – we've just started a Facebook page for New Humanist, which has already become a lively place for discussion as we post news from our blog and links to events that may be of interest. Join us.

Those of you on Twitter can also follow us there – we've accumulated over 1,200 followers in just a couple of months, and we're keen. Our tweeter-in-chief [or Chief Twit- Ed] updates several times a day, and he's more interesting than Stephen Fry [usually- Ed].

^^ top

New Humanist in the blogosphere

Do you read the New Humanist Blog? It's updated every day, and if you're not a regular visitor then just this month you've missed reports on Simon Singh's legal battle with the British Chiropractic Association, the failure of a book about Muhammad's child bride to find a UK publisher, our debate over the merits of, err, blogs, and the bizarre story of a celibate Polish priest and his brand new guide to great sex...

^^ top

Subscribe to New Humanist today

Montage of New Humanist coversIf you're a fan of the New Humanist website, why not take out a subscription to our shiny print magazine and ensure you get a bi-monthly dose of rationality through your door? At just £21 per year (£25 overseas), what are you waiting for?

And if you've never seen a hard copy for yourself, you can always request a FREE trial copy and see what you're missing.

^^ top

Subscribe

New Humanist will use your e-mail address solely for the purpose of sending you its newsletter. We will not share it with third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time, by following the link at the bottom of the newsletter email.

Archive

Donate to the Rationalist Association