“Conversations with Soledad”

On February 15, 2007, Murray Hill Institute sponsored a luncheon for Women in Media at the Princeton Club in downtown Manhattan. The featured speaker was Soledad O’Brien.  For a report and photos of this event, click here.

 Culture and Core Beliefs Lecture Series
by Alice Ramos

George Sim Johnston, author and columnist, was our fourth speaker in the “Culture and Core Beliefs” lecture series on the evening of March 9, 2007.  His lecture was entitled “Did Darwin Get It Right? Christianity, Evolution, and the Debate over Origins.”

Charles Darwin’s notebooks indicate that he was pursuing an agenda which was not entirely scientific: he seems to have wanted to eliminate God from the universe.  While evolutionary theory did not begin with Darwin, he contributed to the discussion his theory of natural selection, a theory of how evolution happened.  This theory basically says that organisms produce offspring with slight variations from their parents, and then those individuals with peculiarities which make them better adapted to the environment will survive through a process of natural selection or of what is also called “survival of the fittest.”  Darwin explained the evolution of all forms of life by means of a “struggle for survival.”  This theory presents us with a mechanistic world-view.  To further elucidate his theory, Darwin spent much time observing pigeon breeders: through selective breeding, pigeons could be made to develop certain desirable characteristics.  From these observations Darwin concluded that over long periods of time species could evolve into new and different species.  However, what Darwin was observing was simply not evolution, but rather variation.

The greatest problem with Darwin’s theory was and continues to be the fossil record: fossils do not show gradual evolution.  As paleontogists have observed, the problem is not with the fossil record but rather with Darwin’s theory.

After Darwin’s death in 1882, his theory was for the most part rejected.  Around 1930, however, a neo-Darwinism emerged.  Those who cling to Darwin today tend to be agnostic on the subject of origins.  Richard Dawkins, for example, has said: “Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.”  Sir Karl Popper has described Darwinism as a “metaphysical research program.”

Some of the profound questions which discussions on evolution lead to are the question of the origin of human life and man’s distinctiveness from other forms of life and the question of whether we are the product of blind chance or rather the creation of an all wise and loving God.   For an outline of Sim Johnston’s talk, click here.

COMING THIS FALL:  Professor Robert George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University will give the fifth lecture in the Culture and Core Beliefs series on Friday, September 28, 2007, at 7:30 pm.

Book Signing and Presentation: It’s So You!

On Saturday afternoon, March 24 Murray Hill Institute hosted a presentation and book signing by Mary Sheehan Warren, author of It’s So You!

At this event, Mary presented her book and explained the basic elements of style—palette, wardrobe planning, accessories—and provided answers to the most frequently asked fashion questions.  She explained how, armed with a mirror, a pencil and this liberating book, any women—CEO or stay-at-home mom—can look her best every day of the week.

It’s So You! offers a radical new approach to fashion that helps each person to discover and develop her personal style.  Every woman can put fashion in its place, making it a tool for her personal and professional growth, and save money at the same time.

For more information on Mary’s book and her plans for future fashion events, please visit her website:  www.marysheehanwarren.com.

IN MAY: Antonia Arslan will do a book signing and presentation of her new novel at Murray Hill Place on Friday, May 18, 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Antonia’s novel, Skylark Farm, deals with a family struggling for survival during the Aermenian genocide in Turkey, in 1915.

Evenings of Professional Development
for Young Professional Women
 
On February 28, 2007, Marisu Rodriguez spoke on “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Embarking on a Career in Corporate America.”  Marisu shared useful information she has gathered in her 20 years of work experience in corporate America.

IN MAY: On Wednesday evening, May 23, from 7:30 to 9:00, the young professional group will enjoy a presentation on “Principles of Interior Design and Decoration.”

Fashion Forum
On February 24, three three alumni from the Savannah College of Art and Design shared their experience in the working in the field of fashion.  On April 28, Mary Ping, fashion designer, spoke about the conceptual understanding of designs.