[Hac-announce] Fw: Happy Carl Sagan Day!

[June Schafer]

It's November 9, 2012.  Happy Carl Sagan Day!  For more, visit 
www.carlsaganday.org


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Center for Inquiry" <grassroots at centerforinquiry.net>
To: <president at cthumanist.org>
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2012 1:38 PM
Subject: Happy Carl Sagan Day!


Center for Inquiry

HAPPY CARL SAGAN DAY!
And Happy 35th, Voyagers!


Carl Sagan was a Professor of Astronomy and Space Science and Director
of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies at Cornell University, but
most of us know him as a Pulitzer Prize winning author, the creator of
the groundbreaking PBS series, COSMOS, and a tireless advocate for
science and reason.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=hNg-a6W_3DP6-WH3RSxclQ
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=PEJzkx8IQMyP0O5sycA3kA

Sagan was that rarest of individuals. He was a scientist and
researcher who was also adept at communicating scientific ideas to the
general public. He was an example of how to blend healthy skepticism
with a child-like sense of wonder. He was a teacher who
routinely disproved the unfounded and often dangerous beliefs of his
fellow humans without ever losing his belief in humankind.

Today, on what would have been his 78th birthday, thousands of people
around the world are taking time out from their normal routine to pay
tribute to Sagan, revisit his meaningful work, and revel in the cosmos
he helped us discover and understand.

Check our Carl Sagan Day Event Calendar for activities near you!
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=vZcfWeVWrT5dkQsDGzIKNQ


--- How can you celebrate Sagan Day? ---

Whether you're an independent skeptics group, an astronomy club, a
science department, a researcher, a teacher, a student, or just a
really big Sagan fan, there are plenty of ways to celebrate Sagan Day:

*  Host a COSMOS marathon-all 13 episodes are available for
free at hulu.com.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=wOxkQDGWE5WA_sTUfvD8Zw

*  Check out Sagan's many books at your local library or bookstore
using the thorough listings from WorldCat.org.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=UEMAJ4hZV8Qvd7oB_a664g

*  Enjoy the special collection of articles by or about Sagan,
previously published in Skeptical Inquirer magazine.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=UTU9rzd65-vMolWoeiK0aA

*  Listen to Sagan's last public address for the Committee for
Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP) as replayed on CFI's
podcast, Point of Inquiry: "Wonder and Skepticism."

http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=_pv81Cw_-yWtm9KnQN8MTg

*  Listen to Ann Druyan, writer, producer, and widow of Sagan,
discuss life with Carl, his outlook on life, and his famous
Gifford Lectures, "The Varieties of Scientific Experience," also
on Point of Inquiry.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Xi9ww0cliSgOWD8CY-drTA

*  Host your own apple pie baking contest (from scratch, of
course).
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=BUbS5N_-o2IabFpzrOytVw

*  Dress like Carl for a day!
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=aL2NtT4iO9Co5p9HNfa-3Q

*  Refresh your skeptic skills with a review of Sagan's Baloney
Detection Kit.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=DocDPLCNDUusFyQD7QgAKg

*  Invite your friends over and try to convince them you have a
dragon in your garage.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=jY6QuhF6G-StDPWCzFMpMw

*  Take in a star show at your local planetarium.
*  Snag a pair of these gorgeous Pale Blue Dot earrings and
coasters from Surly Amy!
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=VM6_lbXfJisrZ01THOxrEg

http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=HxLSl8UJSEuzMkdQG4zwEA

*  Learn everything there is to know about Voyager 1 and 2.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=JTjCY8aqJ-cA84mlvhA0cA

*  Remember how thrilled you were when you saw the first stunning
images from Voyager and go revel in these gorgeous NASA
Voyager galleries.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=54P2TSWgV0W64EjGT12Tog

*  See where the Voyager probes are now! (Yes, incredibly, they are
still working and sending back data from over 15 billion
kilometers away.)
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=FgDH0s1ybVYXjBMUGoG57Q

*  At the very least, seek out a dark sky, look UP, and reconnect
with the grandeur of the cosmos.

--- EXTRA: Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the launch of the Voyager
probes ---

Sagan worked on many of NASA's robotic spacecraft missions, but
perhaps his most enduring contribution was to develop and
assemble the Voyager Golden Record that was sent out with each of the
two Voyager probes in 1977.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Fm2shtVz5Ao71U82LpfIlQ

Sagan's idea was to design a phonograph record to carry the
sounds and images of life and culture on Earth to the depths of space
where, hopefully, another advanced spacefaring civilization might find
it.

The golden record cover-what has become an iconic
image-contains the instructions on how to play the record, plus
a pulsar map to show where in the cosmos it came from, i.e., Earth.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=Wu0k8T5OgrDZ6fDHds6z8w

Sagan's enthusiasm for space and his visionary approach to science and
science education have inspired millions of people in countless ways,
and that is why we take time to honor him, remember his work, and
revel in the cosmos he helped us understand.

--- Carl Sagan Day 2012 Commemorative Posters ---

This year's Carl Sagan Day poster is a tribute to the Voyager Golden
Record. The high-quality design is available online for FREE,
so download the PDF and print as many posters as you like.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=oE5nArMKRxgYpfWV4tx5Fg

Additionally, the responses to last year's poster were so positive we
decided to modify it for this year and keep it available to fans and
Sagan Day event organizers. Each of these 11x17 posters has the same
basic design, but we made three versions, each featuring a different
Sagan quote.

Happy Sagan Day!
And thank you, Carl!

Very special thanks to Ann Druyan and Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc.,
for their gracious permission to use images and content from COSMOS,
and for making it possible for so many CFI branches and campus groups
to screen COSMOS for this special occasion. Learn more about Cosmos
Studios at the Carl Sagan Portal.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=P2fiPQ7B8LU5nbAwOq1C6w

COSMOS imagery and logo copyright © 1980 Druyan-Sagan Associates,
Inc. formerly known as Carl Sagan Productions, Inc., courtesy Ann
Druyan. For more information about CFI or Carl Sagan Day, please
visit carlsaganday.org or email grassroots at centerforinquiry.net.
http://action.centerforinquiry.net/site/R?i=g6xUxt-c3L-EFWUAdWBEvQ

Additional images courtesy of NASA.

©2011 Center for Inquiry
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