Erasmus

Let's head back to our beloved Rio Zêzere, departing from a meeting point just south of the Castelo do Bode dam. We will paddle 9 kms down the lush river landscapes and through a few “mini rapids” on our way to the river beach in Constância. Whether you're an experienced kayaker or a sporty beginner looking to try something new, this event is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. **Duration**: approx. 4-5 hours in total * 2.5 hours on the water (incl. breaks) * 2 hours for a picnic lunch and swim at the river beach **Price**: €20 per person. This includes: * Kayak rental, including life jacket and paddle * Certified monitors to ensure the safety of all participants To reserve your spot and facilitate organization with the kayak company, please send your **payment** via Revolut (@maaadison) or MBWay (+491624520214) **by the end of the day Thursday, June 18th**. First come, first served! **What to bring:** * Swimsuit, neoprene, and/or clothes that can get wet * Shoes/sandals that can get wet * Sunscreen and hat * Change of clothes, second pair of shoes, and a towel * Waterproof case for your phone to take pictures along the way * Picnic lunch and blanket **Level:** Suitable for beginners and children (8+). Well-behaved dogs welcome. Basic instructions will be given by the guides before we begin. The kayak rental company covers personal accident and civil liability insurance at no extra cost. Safety is taken very seriously and there will be certified monitors guiding us along the descent. **How to get there**: 🚙 : Arrive by **09:30** by car(pool) to the **[drop-off point](google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B032'50.5%22N+8%C2%B020'48.1%22W/@39.5473611,-8.3466944,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d39.5473611!4d-8.3466944?entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDUxMi4wIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D&skid=4b837780-0960-4c40-a9e4-08a1e9f19e21)** 🚂 : Arrive by **09:15** to the train station in **Entroncamento**. From there, the rental company will shuttle you to the starting point. There are several train options from e.g. Oriente at different price points - be aware that your Navegante pass is NOT valid on these trains. *\*\* Please inform me 24hrs in advance if you are planning to arrive by train* After you have pre-paid, you will be invited to the WhatsApp community to organize carpooling as well as share pictures and other event-related information. There is no public transport in the area, so make sure to join the group chat! **Important notes:** * This event will take place even with a chance of light rain - consider a rain jacket for your own comfort See you on the water! *Lisbon Kayak Crew is not liable for any damages or injuries incurred during this activity. Please evaluate your own health and physical state and participate at your own risk.*

Main Library, Meeting Room 2B Join us for a welcoming evening of reflection, gentle music, and meaningful conversation. We’ll begin with a short grounding moment, followed by a brief reading from spiritual or philosophical traditions, and an open reflection circle where participants can share (or simply listen). Libera Animae is an interfaith community focused on inner growth, creativity, and authentic connection. All backgrounds are welcome.

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Two principles pull opposite ways here. The principle of mediocrity (the Copernican principle, Sagan's "no privileged place in the universe") says we are ordinary, so what happened on Earth probably happened everywhere, which makes the silence scream louder. The anthropic principle says of course we find ourselves somewhere life was possible, since we could not observe anything else, so our being here may say almost nothing about how common life is. Which lens do you trust, and does the silence still demand an answer once you account for observer selection? * And if we did confirm life out there and had to accept we are not special, what would that do to belief in a higher power, and would shedding (or keeping) that belief help or hurt our odds of pulling together as one species? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

"Do as I say, not as I do." Children tend to have a built-in ability to recognize hypocrisy quicker than many adults, and there are few children who will respect an adult whose actions do not match his or her words. John the Baptizer wanted to make it clear that God himself is in NO way pleased by people who claim to follow Him and whose lives in NO way reflect His character. In fact, the Greek word for "actor" that people used in the first century is *"hypokrites"*. John called out the truth to any and all who would listen--from peasants to the king, even at peril of his own life and freedom--and insisted God does not judge by words alone, but by actions and in truth. Luke Chapter 3 concludes with making it clear to the Jewish and Greek readers of the day that Jesus was not only the rightful King of Israel, but also the true Son of Man--the Son of Adam, Who came to provide a way for those who had followed Adam into sin to return to fellowship with God. Take a look at Luke Chapter 3 and join us at **10 am,** **Sunday, June 28,** at **True Food Kitchen at Easton Town Center.** We'd love to see you there! Get your tickets on [EventBrite](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/columbus-luke-3-tickets-1989802924110)! Check us out on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/events/1657939185252324)! Connect with us at our new website for [LocalCA](http://%5Bwww.localca.org%5D(www.localca.org)/ "\[www.localca.org\](www.localca.org)")!

Welcome, readers! Our June read is ***Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible*** ***Voyage*** **by Alfred Lansing.** A work of nonfiction, and one of the most astonishing survival stories in history, we follow Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew after their ship is crushed by Antarctic ice. Stranded in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the men endure months of isolation, freezing temperatures, and near starvation—yet refuse to give up hope. Lansing brings their ordeal to life through vivid detail and firsthand accounts, capturing both the brutality of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. At its core, the story is a powerful testament to leadership, perseverance, and the unbreakable will to survive against impossible odds. Looking forward to discussing with everyone! We will meet at Zaftig Brewing Co in their event room in the back. We are welcome to bring in our own food, but **all** **drinks must be purchased at the bar.** Happy reading! 📖

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.