Agnostic

This week we'll look at the third chapter of [Science and Human Values](https://sciencepolicy.colorado.edu/students/envs_5110/bronowski_1956.pdf), by Jacob Bronowski. In this work Bronowski contends that science is not merely a technical method, but instead is grounded in the same philosophical principles which characterise an open society. These values include honesty, freedom, and tolerance of uncertainty and, he argues, abandoning them leads to intellectual and moral disaster. Please read the chapter before attending.

No events UFN until a temporary stand-in host is found. A nice pub to meet in near Oxford Circus for our group's weekly pub event. They have a nice menu with reasonable prices. It should be quieter on a Tuesday evening than near or at the weekend. Though I have an interest in Japan all nationalities of course are welcome in our group. There will be an Ayamei sign on one of the tables in the comfortable lounge upstairs. Any problems getting there or any questions my phone number is 07706964277. Bill No membership fees or event fees for this group by the way.

**THE NEW YEAR - RESTARTING ON 6 JANUARY 2026** New members welcome. We are a 4 part choir with a life-affirming, humanist focus. We're a friendly bunch, and the singers in your section will help you get started and feel welcome. New members will be able to borrow printed music. We do perform both formally and informally, and our varied repertoire supports this. For regular attendees, please print out your music, which is available in the [members section of our site](https://london.humanistchoir.org/groups/library/buddydrive/). If you need access, contact Laurence. ([members@london.humanistchoir.org](mailto:members@london.humanistchoir.org)). For more information see the [Join Us](https://london.humanistchoir.org/join/) page , or listen to the choir on our [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@LondonHumanistChoir). We always allow potential members to try us out for a couple of weeks. We do not hold auditions. By all means message with any queries. **Term Dates (6 a year) AUTUMN/WINTER 2025** * NEXT TERM - Tuesdays 6 January to 12 February inclusive. * Draft repertoire to follow.

uSwitch is located on the first floor of the ZPG building at 5 Copper Row, London, SE1 2LH, London (Click on the map for directions) What 3 words location: [https://what3words.com/puts.sudden.else](https://what3words.com/puts.sudden.else) The Clojure dojo is a collaborative way to learn Clojure/ClojureScript through practice. The aim is to learn a little more than before you started. This event is for those new to coding through to more experienced developers. We organise into small groups (2-4) people and write code to solve challenges great and small, chosen by those at the event. We aim to ensure someone in your group has some Clojure experience, so you shouldn't feel lost (well no more than all developers do when Stack Overflow is broken). Example challenges for the coding dojo are listed on this website: http://www.londonclojurians.org/code-dojo/ Various past exercises have been loaded to [https://github.com/ldnclj](https://github.com/ldnclj/lisp1.5/blob/master/src/lisp1/5.clj) # Approximate schedule: 18:40 Doors open and start collecting suggestions 18.45 Pizza should have arrived 19:00 Quick intros and vote on suggestions 19:15 Break out into groups and start practising 20:45 Gather together for a quick show and tell # What should I bring? We organise into small groups, so if you have a laptop with a working Clojure environment please bring it along (there are lots of online Clojure environments, so you can just use your browser too). # How do I get in to the building? At the glass doors press the buzzer to inform the security guard you are here. Say you are here for the event on the first floor. Is there way to talk with the Clojure community? Why yes. The Clojurians Slack channel is full of friendly people who love to try and help. People based in London are often in the #clojure-uk channel. Sign up for a free account to the Clojurians Slack community via http://clojurians.net/ What is Clojure? Clojure is a JVM language that has syntactically similarities to Lisp, full integration with Java and its libraries and focuses on providing a solution to the issue of single machine concurrency. Its small core makes it surprisingly easy for Java developers to pick up and it provides a powerful set of concurrency strategies and data structures designed to make immutable data easy to work with. If you went to Rich Hickey’s LJC talk about creating Clojure you’ll already know this, if not it’s well worth watching the Rich Hickey “Clojure for Java Programmers” video or Stuart Halloway “Radical Simplicity” video .

TIMINGS Doors Open: 17:30 Tournament Starts: 19:00 Tournament Finishes: 22:30 Doors Close: 23:00 FORMAT & STRUCTURE Limited: Booster Draft Product: 3 x Avatar: The Last Airbender Play Boosters Structure: Swiss (3 rounds) non-DCI™-sanctioned REL: Regular Venue Capacity: 29 players ENTRANCE FEES Casual Play: Free Booster Draft: £28.00 Trading: Free PRIZES 9pts (3-0-0) - 4 x 'Universes Within' Play Booster 7pts (2-1-0) - 3 x 'Universes Within' Play Booster 6pts (2-0-1) - 2 x 'Universes Within' Play Booster 3pts (1-0-2) - 1 x 'Universes Within' Play Booster 0 pts (0-0-3) - 0 x 'Universes Within' Play Booster

This House Believes UK Museums Should Return Artefacts to Their Countries of Origin **Why Are We Having This Debate** Should museum artifacts be repatriated? Who actually owns the artifacts? Are there any legal obligations to return artefacts? **Articles** [List of contested artefacts at the british museum - British Museum](https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection "https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection") [Public opinion polls on the topic - YouGov](https://yougov.co.uk/entertainment/articles/36778-should-britain-return-historical-artefacts-their-c "https://yougov.co.uk/entertainment/articles/36778-should-britain-return-historical-artefacts-their-c") **Come along and have your vote!** **What To Expect** 3v3 panel debate where our members explore the strongest arguments for a given topic. A debate should tell the audience what they need to know and not just what the speakers think. If you feel the same way, then we want to meet you. Debate London is the year-round series of free public debates held across London. The series is run by Debate London, a social enterprise that helps its members to advance their personal and professional development by teaching them how to debate. All of our speakers are club members who have agreed to defend a particular perspective the audience need to hear, rather than just share their own personal opinion. After presenting the point of view assigned to them, the audience are then given the floor to cross-examine them and share their own position. The only time we hear what the speakers really think is at the end of the debate when they tell us where they really stand and whether this changed at all while learning how to defend the perspective assigned to them.

We gather to celebrate a second anniversary of our 2140.wtf community Join the Celebration: 2140.wtf Second Birthday Meetup! The 2140.wtf community is turning 2 years old and we're throwing a vibrant birthday bash to celebrate everything we stand for: art, music, freedom tech, open source, Bitcoin, and the Nostr protocol! 📅 Date: Friday, January 16, 2026 📍 Location: REINSTATE - 1 Wythes Road London E16 2DN 🕒 Time: Evening vibes 18:00-23.00 – check updates on our nostr profile or X (2140wtf) This is a Bitcoin meetup and Nostr London meetup rolled into one epic gathering. Expect: - Live music and DJ sets (Madmunky and Rockaz) - Art installations and creative displays (community collection) - Inspiring presentations, including: BAO - Bitcoin Autonomous Organisation (exploring decentralized governance in Bitcoin) Nostr Hub Project (a hub for Nostr development, NIPs, apps, and community collaboration) Bhive (physical space for the open source community) - MadMunky cooking a delicious free meal for all attendees - Complementary drinks to keep the vibes flowing - Free entry – no tickets required! Family-friendly vibes with all tribes welcome. We're all about building and supporting the open source community that powers these revolutionary technologies. Come connect, share ideas, and celebrate the unstoppable spirit of decentralization. Help Make It Happen – Donate on Geyser.fund! To cover all necessary costs, we're crowdfunding this event on Geyser.fund – the Bitcoin-native platform that keeps everything transparent and border-less. Your sats will directly support this community-driven celebration and help spread the message of open source, Bitcoin, and freedom tech. Donate here: https://geyser.fund/project/2140wtfsecondbirthdaypartybitcoinnostrldnmeetup Every contribution counts – whether it's 21 sats or more! Let's make this second birthday unforgettable. See you in East London! 🚀⚡️🧡 #Bitcoin #Nostr #OpenSource #FreedomTech #2140wtf #nostrlondon ##nostrldn #bhive #nostrhub

“Bootleg romanticism,” exemplified by “tongue-in-cheek” thrillers that mock the quest for values while smuggling in Romantic elements to cash in on their appeal. Join us for an in-depth discussion on Ayn Rand's view of art in Chapter 8 of her book *The Romantic Manifesto*. You can buy the full book here: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Romantic-Manifesto-Philosophy-Literature-Shakespeare/dp/0451149165](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Romantic-Manifesto-Philosophy-Literature-Shakespeare/dp/0451149165)

**In a time of division and isolation, come be part of the community that's rebuilding the town square, one table at a time.** In BreadBreakers, we use the common space of the dining table to have conversations where neighbors can **hear, be heard, and know one another.** If you're hungry for good discourse and deeper community, join us for a Community Dinner in Reston and help blaze the trail to a healthier, more connected society and democracy. Here’s how it works: For just two hours, multiple tables of people set aside the need to "win" and instead focus on sharing, listening, and connecting. Guided by experienced table hosts, we'll tell our stories, try to understand each other, and practice being in community with those with different views or backgrounds. **At this dinner, participants will get to choose between three different topics, including some current events.** Topics could range from the political, to the spiritual, to the philosophical, to the off-the-wall - but no matter which table you choose to sit at, you can be sure it'll be like no dinner conversation you've had before! You can also **suggest a topic** by emailing us at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com. Food will be provided for free. For those who wish to provide a donation to help fund BreadBreakers, you can [give here](https://pushpay.com/g/restorationrestonumc?fnd=pO6G-N7oO7FH7Mp1u-x6mA&fndv=Lock&r=No&lang=en&src=pcgl) or at the event. We'll have vegetarian and gluten-free options available. If you have any additional dietary restrictions (Celiac Disease, vegan, etc.) please let us know at BreadBreakersInfo@gmail.com so that we can implement the appropriate food handling procedures. **Join us, invite a friend, and be a part of the movement to mend our fractured society and normalize a better way of talking with one another.** BreadBreakers, an initiative by [Restoration United Methodist Church](https://restorationreston.org/breadbreakers) in Reston, VA, is a religiously inclusive community. All faiths and all stripes are welcomed. Our leadership, volunteer team, and community include people who attend Restoration and people who don't.

Hey all! My name is Sarah, I'm a romance girlie in my twenties, and welcome to the Mostly Romance Book Club! I am a big mood reader so assigned books at book clubs don't really do it for me. I wanted to create a space where anyone can come with whatever book they want, meet new friends, and chat about what they've been reading. When: First and third Thursday of every month, starting in February. 7-8:30 pm. Schedule: First 30 minutes: Introductions and chat about all things books Next 45 minutes: Silently read your personal physical book, ebook, or audiobook (yes audiobooks count :)) Last 15 minutes: Chat some more and wrap up the meeting

For our January Happy Hour let's go back to Rai's Pour House! The Happy Hour will be on the second Tuesday of the month. We will meet at Rai's Pour House which is owned by the same people who own and Rai's Rendezvous, Rai's Pizza and Sully's Pour House. Tuesday specials include $1 wings (10 wing minimum) and half price bottles of wine. The Happy Hour Menus are posted in the Photos.

Addiction isn’t limited to substances. It can show up in the everyday things we crave: technology, exercise, social media, work, and even the constant pursuit of achievement. This session explores the roots of addiction and why quick hits from doom scrolling, overworking, technology, or seeking attention never truly satisfy. Together, we’ll discuss what it means to live as our authentic selves in a culture wired for dopamine hits, instant gratification, and the fear of missing out – and how spiritual practices and community can help us reclaim balance and wholeness.

***Registration required at Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy -*** [Birding Algonkian - Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy](https://loudounwildlife.org/event/birding-algonkian-january/) Join Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy on a search for birds at the Algonkian Regional Park in eastern Loudoun County. This bird walk takes place each month except December. With extensive frontage along the Potomac River, its rich bottomland forests, extensive wetlands and grassy areas combine to make it Loudoun’s top birding hotspot. Bring binoculars if you have them. We’ll meet at the boat ramp next to the parking lot.