Humanist Association of Manitoba

2010-Jan-30

Rather than tell a story about how many people showed up, what PZ Myers said, and how the room HVAC fluctuated between too hot and too cold, we offer you a DVD for purchase. We have yet to set up an online payment system, but can accept snail mail and in person orders (at the next few meetings).

DVD order form (pdf)

In reviewing the first copy off the burner, I was reminded about how much this event meant to many attendees. This shows up in the question and answer session at the end. PZ knows his material, and then some. He ably adds a lot of perspective, and many factoids, during the Q and A in response to several difficult and insightful questions.

Transcript, you ask? We are working on it. When we have one, it will be posted on the site here. I wanted to add subtitles to the dvd, but have not (and this may yet be done in a later release, but you should not wait for that). Technical issues with trying and failing to install Kdenlive on opensuse 11.2 got in the way.

Wierd tech stuff

The daily grind of technological confusion in making dvds.

• K3B on linux hoarked on a bad sector when trying to read the master DVD.
• Roxio on Windows xp happily read the whole thing.
• Roxio then wrote a DVD, but lost the sound!
• Copied what Roxio read to linux.
• K3B happily wrote a perfect DVD with sound.

2010-Jan-10

PZ Myers spoke to an appreciative crowd of almost 300 last night at the Canad Inns Club Regent Casino Hotel last night.

[more later]

The 2010 January newsletter is now on line. It was released a couple days ago, but in the excitement never got uploaded. Enjoy the new look.

2009 Dec 30

We now have the final details on P Z Myer's visit and talk to HAM on January 9.

View/download the announcement and post it somewhere. All the organizational stuff was delayed at both ends due to the season, so get the word out. The short version:

Who

P Z Myers of Pharyngula.

What

The War Between Science and Religion

When

January 9, 7:00pm

Where

Canad Inns at Club Regent Casino

How

Donna

Urgent – if you plan to come, please email ham_librarian@yahoo.ca or phone Donna early to reserve a seat as space is limited. When he was in Fargo, over 200 people showed up. Despite being a late announcement, I suspect Winnipeg with 4 times the population can do as well.

2009 Dec 26

The 2009 Dec 08 entry and the December newletter have been removed.

And so another holiday season has passed – Christmas, Solstice, and all those other events and celebrations that occur at this time of year. Even our calendar-based new years is part of this midwinter activity.

Donna and I got back from Las Vegas where snow did not fall and I sat in a t-shirt thinking I might get tanned arms. Downright civilized. One more way to celebrate this time of year.

And yet Las Vegas appears differently to us. The hotel we stayed at, for example, has movie theatres, a bowling alley, eight restaurants, an equestrian centre, and a football field sized casino full of slots and table games. Unlike the Winnipeg casinos, it is a family friendly place full of kids as well as adults everywhere. Kids of course cannot drink or gamble, but the only other constraint is they cannot be unaccompanied by a parent after 9pm. Nobody was gaming with kids in tow. I see this as civilized. Donna sees it as disturbing.

In Las Vegas, people will bring their kids to see all the seasonal displays at the various hotels. Me: cool activity. Her: not so cool. With our mix of views, it would be interesting to know how others feel about it. We have them all, from top down command driven socialists to anything goes hard core libertarians. The question is - how much do our political or economic positions map to our views on kid friendly casinos, Vegas style. Maybe somebody could start a forum thread...

2009 Dec 20

We had a great solstice party last night. If you were not there, you certainly missed out on a fun time. Should be a couple of pics in the next newsletter, or even here.

AGM and P.Z. Meyers

On January 9, 2010, we have two back-to-back meetings. The first is our Annual General Meeting where members get to voice their opinion at the ballot box. The second is open to the public - a presentation by PZ Myers of Pharyngula fame.

Space at the Club Regent Casino Hotel has been booked. We are still working out the details.

2009 Dec 08

Notice of Removal

Material which in any way mentions chiropractic claims has been removed from this website. This includes removing the December 2009 newletter. If you wish to understand why we self-censor, you would need to follow the case of Simon Singh in England and understand the implication of today's realpolitik. Google and Wikipedia are your friends.

2009 Nov 22

Winter Solstice Party and Exec Meeting

2009 Nov 07

The HAM Exec met Nov. 3.
It was agreed that a condolence card would be sent to Skylark Sports and Travel Clinic in honour of Dr. Podalski.
A vertebrate paleontologist from the Canadian Fossil Museum will be speaking at the Nov. 14th meeting, which will be held at the Park West Inn, 525 Dale Blvd., Winnipeg (Charleswood) from around 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm. The speaker will start around 6:00 pm.
Donna Harris secured agreement by PZ Myers to addresss our group in January 2010.

2009 Oct 04

The HAM exec meeting was held on September 29. One outcome is that our October 12 meeting is going to have a movie rather than a speaker. Full details in the October 2009 newsletter. Another is that the rules for exec nominations will change for our next AGM in January.

October Meeting

At the Park West Inn
525 Dale Boulevard [Map]

Video: Break The Science Barrier (Richard Dawkins)

Saturday, October 12
5:30pm (Video to start at 6:15)
Dinner from a menu at 7:15pm

Skeptics in HAM?

Skepticism as a possible component of HAM keeps coming up. Skeptical thought, related to critical thinking, the Scientific Method and the one word question evidence? is often a prerequisite for leaving religion behind. But it is not a fundamental of Humanism in a formal sense.

Should HAM develop a skeptical component, or is this best left to others? Maybe someone could start a thread in the forum on it. Here is an example of where skepticism can be used:

The Winnipeg Sun published a story 'Province modifies flu-shot campaign' (Sep 30, page 14). In it, a study is mentioned – "... Kettner gave his thoughts on the preliminary draft of an unpublished study that offers an association between prior flu shots and the H1N1 pandemic. The study suggests those who received the flu shot last fall are twice as likely to contract the H1N1 virus."

I look at this and shudder, if this what passes for serious public health commentary (Kettner is Manitoba's chief public health officer). Points:

• preliminary So, somewhere between napkin notes and idle speculation, perhaps.
• draft Draft = incomplete, unchecked, needs significant work. See 'preliminary' above.
• unpublished AKA not peer reviewed. As I understand it, quoting unpublished studies is done to avoid peer review of sketchy work when one is politically rather than scientifically motivated. Since it is unpublished, you will also not be able to check any claims being made.
• association association is not causation.
• suggests This is a classic weasel word. From wikipedia: Weasel words is an informal term for words and phrases that are ambiguous and not supported by facts. They are typically used to create an illusion of clear, direct communication. Weasel words are usually expressed with deliberate imprecision with the intention to mislead the listeners or readers into believing statements for which sources are not readily available.

In summary, this "study" has exactly as much validity as the wall scrawlings of a crayon-equipped five year old.

A Quote

"The greatest tragedy in mankind's entire history may be the hijacking of morality by religion." – the late Arthur C. Clarke.

As we now know, morality and ethics are a product of the human mind and our nature as a social species. It has always been this way for believers, agnostics and atheists. Related quotes worth a look are at www.quotiki.com/quotes/3376. One more for the road.

"I have something to say to the religionist who feels atheists never say anything positive: You are an intelligent human being. Your life is valuable for its own sake. You are not second-class in the universe, deriving meaning and purpose from some other mind. You are not inherently evil--you are inherently human, possessing the positive rational potential to help make this a world of morality, peace and joy. Trust yourself. " – Dan Barker

2009 Sep 25

Back from Fargo, tired yet satisfied. PZ Myers, Julia Sweeney, shopping, the experience.

2009 Sep 23

In about 11 hours, 4 HAMs head south to see and hear P Z Meyers and other good stuff with the Red River Freethinkers. A writeup and maybe pics will show up in a coupkle of days.

We can and should put up a list of good "green" things people can easily do. Starting it off in economic terms:

• Laundry - run a cold water wash (with the appropriate detergent). Huge power saving.
• Laundry - Next time you buy a dryer, get one with a humidity sensor that turns off the dryer when the load is dry. Twenty minutes of extra drying time at 3 kilowatts is like running a single 100 Watt bulb for 10 hours per load.
• Compact flourescent lamps (CFLs) - Yes, they have their problems (toxic mercury vapor is released if broken and recycling issues). But a definite power saver where it runs 5 or more hours at a stretch. Regular flourescents offer similar savings.
• Those big orange things on the road? They are called busses. With even a 50 percent load, they beat any car for fuel savings. If reasonable, take one to work instead of a car. Save $150/month in parking fees too.
• Much electronic kit consumes power when in standby mode (DVD players, cable boxes, etc). Most of the claims you hear are hyped up dramatically as the power levels can be in the milliwatt range (0.001 watt). However, if you have something that is warm to the touch when in standby or not being used, it is using enough power that you should shut it down entirely or even unplug it.
• Solstice is approaching, and people like to put up lots of colored lights. Prefer LED lights if you can. Next on the food chain: minibulbs. If you want serious brightness, at least use the 5 watt bulbs instead of the 7 watt bulbs - they will still be visible 500 metres away.
• Think about big power appliance use. Keep in mind a stove element draws 15 times the power of a 100 Watt bulb. A dryer, 30 to 45 times as much. Your oven, even more. Your car's block heater - 5 times as much. What may seem like small reductions in their use can have a much greater effect than switching to CFLs, and often cost nothing.
• Remodelling the kitchen? Absolutely never put the oven or range next to the refrigerator as the refrigerator will have to work much harder when trying to remove the heat donated by the other appliances.

Whatever your position on climate change, saving energy will always save you money and consume less non-renewable energy resources. Saving the planet, or saving a buck - it's all good.

2009 Sep 09

The September 2009 HAM newsletter is available on line. It has the Sep 12 meeting details. There is also information on the Red River Freethinkers (Fargo, ND) and their getting a visit from PZ Myers (pharyngula). Some of are going to be there.

The Red River Freethinkers also had the Mayor of Fargo declare September 24 to be Freethought Day. Kudos to them for making it happen. That would never happen here in Religiopeg (but maybe we should try anyway).

2009 Sep 06

Some very short notes (will update later today after I cut grass).

September 12 Meeting

At the Deaf Center on Pembina south of "confusion corner"
Official start time: 7:00pm
Pre-meet and go for snacks (optional) 4:45pm
Presentation info

Newsletters

The August newsletter is available on line. The Sepetember one should show up by tomorrow – see the Newsletter list.

October Meeting place

(via Jeff email)

Our October 10th meeting room has been booked at the Park West Inn. This will be our chance to evaluate the facility (and even the pub next door).
The price is right, our meeting room is free and we can order off of the coffee shop menu if we wish.

Park West Inn
525 Dale Boulevard (Right near the corner of Dale and Roblin Boulevard)
Winnipeg, MB R3R 2J8
(204) 895-8200

Don't blink or you'll end up in headingly...

2009 June 4

Due to the new site design in progress, and the distraction of moving day / house hunting / house selling, updates have been a bit infrequent.

The June 2009 newsletter is now available.

On Saturday, June 13, we have our last official meeting for the summer. It will be at Mondragon Bookstore & Coffeehouse (91 Albert Street). You can buy a vegan meal there, and even an adult beverage.

It is doubling as the release party for Jeff Olsson's new book, Leaving Faith Behind. You can buy a copy, or bring one, and perhaps get his autograph. Our meeting starts at 5:30 with time to snack before his presentation.

2009 April 11

Arthur Shafer could not stay for Q and A, but his talk was plenty enough to stir a lot of discussion after he left. End-of-life issues may seem straight ahead to many of us, but the issues are nuanced. And if you think you know all the issues, you do not know all the issues. The next newsletter should have a deeper review.

Newletters - someone was kind enough to point out that the April newletter had become corrupted (he said it was ok a few days ago). I checked, found it to be borked, and uploaded a good copy: April 2009 Newsletter

If you see or experience a problem, letting me know is the way to get the problem fixed. Email: zathra_70@yahoo.ca.

Firefox and the HAC (Humanist Association of Canada) link: If you use http://www.humanists.ca/, it causes a redirect loop (basically, you can't get there from here and Firefox goes insane). If you have experienced this problem, use their new web address: http://www.humanistcanada.com/ and new name: Humanist Canada. I have updated all our links to HAC Humanist Canada

April 11 Meeting

We have Professor Prof. Arthur Schafer again, this time presenting "End of Life Decision-Making: What can we learn from the case of Samuel Golobchuk?". Details in the events page and also in the April 2009 newsletter.

HAM's got artists

Randy created a photo called "Painting Jesus" and submitted it to the member's show last year at the Winnipeg Platform Gallery (PLATFORM Centre for Photographic + Digital Arts). Here is a low res version. If you click on it, you can see the large version (1536x1152 / 1.5 meg). Please respect his copyright.

News Bits , 2009-Mar-12

There were server troubles so I could not upload anything in the last while, hence the March 1 entry appearing now.

HAM now has a projector. Presenters can bring their own computer, or with notice and kind negotiation have a HAM member bring one in that can run suitable software.

Next fun meeting: Saturday, March 14 at the Viscount Gort. More on the events page or from the March Newsletter.

Return from Richard Dawkins lecture: 'The Purpose of Purpose' in Minneapolis. Looked like over 4,000 people attended (capacity is over 4700 and it was looking pretty full).

There are now three of us looking into the website redesign. Still in the thinking stage, but we all have ideas. More are welcome - throw your suggestions onto the forum.

News Bits , 2009-Mar-01

On Feb 27, a number of us attended Dr. Brian Hall's talk, Fish that Climb Waterfalls and Other Facts that Charles Darwin Would Have Loved. We (Barry, Barrie, Neil, Donna, Grant) all were impressed and learned a few new things. For once, Barrie did not have to take over and save the day. Of great interest was Dr Hall's case for Darwin actively scooping his competitor, Alfred Russel Wallace, and that the theory should more properly be called the Wallace and Darwin theory of evolution. I think it makes sense, once you let Darwin off the pedestal of worship and allow that he, as in his theory for all successful living things, had a competitive nature too.

In the WFP, there is an article on introduced species, one of the more serious problems the world faces [http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/virus_killed_carp_on_manitoba_lakes-40498587.html 20090301pA5]. At some point (and perhaps more than once), Koi or goldfish carrying the koy herpes virus have been released into the wild. This virus has had a devastating effect on carp populations, and is cutting into a 300,000 kilogram fishery.

Carp themselves are an introduced species in North America. So this poses a puzzle: is the introduction of the koy/goldfish/virus really a bad thing as it cuts down an introduced species. Or do the benefits, to us, of the carp harvest offset the damage to other fish populations? Most governments and organizations having anything to do with living things recognize that any introduction of species is a bad thing. Whatever the situation with respect to carp, it is yet another reason we must be careful about the accidental release of non-native species.

Events are now planned further into the future. See the events page for more

Darwin Day Celebration

2009-Feb-16

Our Darwin Day celebration on the evening of February 14 was one of our best events yet. We had two speakers, cake, live music and door prizes with 36 people.

Of note: At the University of Manitoba on Feb 13, Doctor Barry Glickman was to give a talk titled 'Darwin Backwards While Looking Forwards'. Sadly, Dr Glickman came down with a sudden illness and could not show up. Barrie Webster (our former president) was asked to step in for him. Barrie, an experienced lecturer himself, gave an excellent presentation. We were lucky to get part of it again on the 14th, with enough new material to keep attendees of both interested.

Better than words: the pics .

Darwin in the WPF

Sunday, Feb 7, 2009: The Winnipeg Free Press published 3 pages on Darwin (with much input from Neil Schipper, HAM's new vice president). It is in the Perspectives section for those of you with a paper copy.

Of note: The 3 pages on Darwin are in the same section as the 2 pages of the "Faith" section. Since many believers have no issue with evolution, perhaps I should not see it as 3-2 victory.

This follows the printing of our Happy Birthday Charles Darwin ad which ran on Saturday.

Here are from WPF links (or just use their search):

• Charles Robert Darwin
• The greatest story rarely told
• U of M lectures celebrate Darwin

The February 2009 Newsletter is available now as are other newlsetters on the Newsletters page.

Darwin Bicentential

The HAM February 14 event is on. Details: Celebrating the Darwin Bicentennial. And yes, the rumored animal sex talk is also on.

An Atheist Bus Campaign in Winnipeg? - stay tuned.

Darwin Day Event Collection

We are compiling a list of Darwin-related events. It is a work in progress, so if you know of any, please contribute. If there is an error, please advise. Last update: January 17.

Annual General Meeting Summary

2009 January 10 - the Humanist Association of Manitoba regular and Annual meeting has been held. There are a few changes, as the president and vice president insisted they would not run. Read more on the AGM.

And More

Following the AGM part of the meeting, Barrie Webster gave an interesting talk, with pics, on Charles Darwin. The emphasis was on the younger Darwin, from about age 16 to the end of his Beagle voyage. Barrie deliberately put this in contrast to the usual " old guy with a beard" image, instead showing us a young Darwin as student, explorer and family man.

Our next meeting will be on February 14. There will be two talks – one on Darwin, the other on sexual selection and behaviour in animals. The first because the event is a celebration of Darwin's 200th birthday. The second is because Darwin taught us how to understand such things, and it is somehow appropriate as a Valentine's Day topic. You can bring your V-Day sweetie for an inspiring experience and still go out for whatever else you might have in mind as our gatherings usually end by 9pm.

Meet, Greet and Darwin Day

2009 January 06

In our Darwin Day quest, we are looking at a bus ad for the month of February. If you can show up for Saturday's two meetings, you might want to consider donating to the cause. Donations are optional as always, show up anyway and have a good time.

More details on Saturday are in our January Newsletter pdf. The short summary:

• Saturday, January 10
• Viscount Gort hotel, 1670 Portage Avenue at Route 90.
• Annual General Meeting (AGM) for members only at 4:30pm.
• Regular meeting for everyone at 6:00pm.
• Dinner will be available at the regular meeting for a reasonable price (and they have a new menu).
• Barrie will be talking about Charles Darwin, and the new course he and Barry are giving at the UW downtown Humanism and Darwin's Science which starts Jan 9.
• An opportunity for you to comment on and contribute to Humanist Association of Manitoba events, ideas and programs - especially in regard to Darwin's 200th birthday.

Help us, help You, help Manitoba

You can help make Darwin Day a reality in Manitoba. Call, write, im, and email local politicians and tell them a declaration of Darwin Day on his 200th birthday is an opportunity you don't want them to miss. Other organizations matter – schools, colleges, universities, museums, zoos, hospitals and medical research facilities (for animals and plants as well as humans), environmental organizations, and even businesses which touch the living world.

A sample email was sent to a few people, but numbers matter. You can take bits from our email and use it in yours.

If you get an answer of any sort, or even no answer at all, we would like to know about it. It is time to let people know who else is interested. Or what organizations that should be interested are carefully avoiding the whole thing.

Solstice 2008

2008 December 21, appropriately, was the date of the Humanist Association of Manitoba solstice party at Mondragon. Colin made a very nice poster which was distributed to various members. Click on the image for a large version and a dozen pics from the event:

Darwin Day Project

We want Darwin Day
We want Darwin Day
We want Darwin Day

The only way that will happen is if many people phone, email, text, and snail mail our political representative, organizations like the zoo and the Manitoba Museum, schools and universities, and any other organization that might have an interest. One of HAM's people did exactly that – see our Darwin Day campaign page.

HAM will have a Darwin Day event, ideally on February 12 (in early planning stages). Let's make it official.

December Newletter Available

The December 2008 newsletter is available for download, as are most earlier newsletters. The December newletter has all the Solstice Party information you will need (short version: at Mondragons, December 21.) Also:

• Sundance - On Aboriginal spirituality and a presentation by Colleen Simard.
• Humanism and Darwin's Science - Barrie Webster writes a most informative and readable piece.
• Annual General Meeting - You too can be a part of the organization, as a member, on the exec, or in any other capacity.
• Expelled movie review - How bad is it? Can you stay awake through it?
• On Solstice - when, how, why and where we experience and enjoy the phenomenon.
• Blood - One of HAM's contribution to a better world.

Projects

Nov 7, 2008 We are currently working on two important projects:

Darwin Day 2009

Charles Darwin's 200th birthday is on February 12. We are contacting other organizations that we may pool our resources, coordinate events, and create buzz. One of our premier goals is to have both the Province of Manitoba government and the City of Winnipeg declare February 12 as Darwin Day.

Darwin's theory has been refined over the years, especially with the discovery of the mechanics of heredity when Watson and Crick discovered DNA in 1954. Since then, what is now known as the theory of evolution has become the foundation of the majority of major biological and medical discoveries since then.

Projector

Almost every speaker who comes to our meetings and events asks the question "Do you have a projector?". On some occasions, we are able to borrow. Other times, we are not so lucky.

Yet a projector is standard equipment for almost any talk or presentation these days. Be it Powerpoint slides, pictures, or other documents, a projector is required. Presenters generally bring their own computers, but few have their own projectors.

We are asking for donations to this worthy cause. You can donate at the next meeting, or contact our librarian/ newsletter editor (see the contacts page).

Newsletter

Finally getting up to date here:

The October 2008 newsletter is now on line.

The November 2008 newsletter is now on line.

The September 2008 newsletter is available for download, as are most previous newsletters for those wishing to catch up.

Of interest

• September 13 monthly meeting announcement
• More on the summer party
• Len Evans honored
• Religulous the movie, and a proposal
• Best wishes to Barry Hammond
• Twelve principles of humanism
• Mysterious Page 6 features

Summer Summary

August 23, 2008 – Summer Party

After over $100 was paid to reserve a site in Kildonan Park, HAM members arrived to find the spot had been poached, and the squatters were not prepared to give it up. After much dithering, it seemed like it was going to rain anyway, so we went to Jeff's place downtown. That worked out ok for some of us.

Unfortunately, nobody was able to reach people who had planned to show up later. At the next meeting (September 13), we will be able to discuss how to avoid situations like this in the future.

For everything else, there is the August newsletter

June 29, 2008 Announcement

The HAM July 2008 Newsletter is now available for download. This month's items:

• August summer party announcement.
• First fall meeting announcement.
• A piece on our summer solstice party.
• Winnipeg is not for sale announcement.
• George Carlin tribute.
• In praise of funerals - a very human Humanist perspective.
• Humanist Association of Canada announcements

You can find all our newsletters via the newsletters page.

By the way, newletters have been published 10 or 11 times a year in the past. Your hard working newsletter editor is going for 12 this time, so stand by for August.

Noteworthy: In case you missed the buzz, Ben Stein's movie Expelled has opened in Canada. Strangely, Manitoba is not on the list – but it is playing at the Globe for your viewing pleasure. It is one of the lowest grossing movies of the last decade, and I see no reason for that to change. You can see the official site or a less biased review from the National Center for Science Education (NCSE).

June 2, 2008 Announcement

The June Humanist Association of Manitoba newsletter is out. If you aren't on the emailing list, you can download it (pdf).

Forum Usage up

HAM members should sign up now. If you are a humanist, atheist, agnostic, bright, or whatever, you can still sign up and get into the discussions.

May 19, 2008 Announcements

The library database has been uploaded. There is still a lot to be done on it (search, connect reviews, add ISBN numbers, links to shopping sites, etc). Priority is on development of the administration interface so Donna can do 1 click checkins and checkouts, easily add books, etc.

April 26, 2008 Announcement

The May 2008 Newsletter PDF is now available for download.

April 26, 2008

Skepticism is becoming of greater interest to many HAM members. Commonly, skepticism is thought to be about things like ghosts, spoon benders, stories that sound like urban legends, aliens and so on. But skepticism finds use in every day activities such as reading the newspaper or a news magazine.

A prime example is a recent story on breast cancer. The claim is that even one drink a day increases the risk of breast cancer by 32 percent. Yet this story is, as Penn and Teller are fond of saying, Bullshit!

Sandy Szwarc writes a blog about food and medical related topics from a skeptical perspective, and is an effective researcher when it comes to backing up her claims. Her analysis of a story on alchohol leading to breast cancer is an excellent example of both her critical thinking skills and our need for skepticism.

Skepticism, atheism and humanism overlap, but they are not mutually inclusive or exclusive. A Christian or Moslem could easily take a skeptical view of Sylvia Browne's claims. At the same time, a Christian or Moslem could hold at least some humanists views. Yet both remain theists and may view secularism with skepticism. An atheist or humanist may or may not care to take a skeptical view of religion. It is a matter of what we, whoever we are, consider important.

And what is 'a skeptical view'? It does not mean disbelief. It is not about cynicism. It is a view that the story being presented has problems or does not ring true, and you are not willing to take it at face value. Cetainly not without evidence, that hallmark of the scientific method and courts of law. When you have examined something and conlcuded it is a load of hooey, you have stepped out of the realm of skepticism. You could be right or wrong, but you have gone past skepticism.

Sandy Szwarc started with a skeptical take on a story. She then tries to resolve it one way or the other. Skepticism is a stepping stone, not an end in itself.

April 23, 2008

Following the Bullshit! party, I thought about Barrie W taking a negative view of Penn and Teller for not being academic in their approach. That is fine, to each his own. From my happy trips to the newsgroup alt.atheism, I discovered a series of youtube videos that Barrie and others with a taste for evidence-based offerings might enjoy.

A man going by the name Thunderf00t has made a series of over 20 science vs creationism videos. He takes the creationists head on and delivers withering attacks on their so-called "creation science" by pointing out, often in inspiring detail, the real nature of reality and science. Here is a small list to get you started:

• Part 1 opens fire on some creationist 'educational' videos, answering them with demonstrated facts from real science.
• Part 3 Hovind and his Noah's Ark 'theory' gets flushed by science.
• Part 17 the fallacy of 'teaching the controversy' in high schools.
• Part 22 Ben Stein / Clueless, No Intelligence Involved.
• Part 23 Ben Stein shredded again.

April 20, 2008

Jeff's latest Bullshit! party started with the the video of Andy Thomson's talk on Suicide Terrorism at the American Atheists conference. This was followed by Penn And Teller's "Conspiracy Theories" episode of Bullshit! Q/A discussion followed each, with "Conspiracy Theories" not making the case Penn & Teller would have liked. However, "Suicide Terrorism" worked for most people. Several found the coverage of aspects besides religion lacking.

Thomson's thesis is that three things go into the suicide bomber –

• A male propensity for what he calls coalitionary violence. That is, bands of men raiding weaker neighbors as a near universal feature of primitive societies and even chimpanzees.
• A capability for suicide, present in us all.
• Religion, a mind bending force capable of subverting the previous two in the service of suicide bombing campaigns.

We cannot do it justice here. You can find it on RichardDawkins.net with a short search, or on youtube Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Penn & Teller approached their topic as entertainers trying to excite and inspire an audience to ask questions, more than likely an audience who would never be caught dead watching a science show unless it were wrapped up in the trappings of a 'reality' show, hollyglitz entertainment, or gossip tv. They must sacrifice depth, and in the case of Conspiracy Theories sacrifice all depth in favor of emotional appeals and name calling.

They usually do better, so Jeff put on a second episode on the Bible as history. In this episode, facts were presented, with references, and on one point, the 'bible guy' made a case without being mocked. Yet all the appeal to people who think brains are uncool was there.

By the way, everything is up for discussion on the Manitoba Humanist Forum. Register and enjoy.

Sexpelled might beat Expelled in rankings. As Panda's Thumb points out, Ben Stein's Expelled, No Intelligence allowed is not setting any box office records. However, a competing documentary called Sexpelled is rapidly catching up in popularty.

April 11, 2008

Another meetup, another good time for some 30 HAM members and guests. Jim Silver gave an excellent talk on the Lord Selkirk Park situation. We could have asked questions of Jim for another hour. As well, Neil talked about the American Athiests meeting he and Sophie attended in Minneapolis last month. We look forward to hearing more about it.

Next month, we are hoping Kerem Usenmez will speak to us on the current situation in Turkey, although he has not finalized a topic. As some of you know, Turkey recently elected a religious party to government. Turkey has a strong similarity to the US in that both have very religious populations, yet both have secular societies (or at least try to most of the time).

April 8, 2008

Tonight's HAM executive meeting concluded with the following:

• Forum approved. Check the menu bar, or just jump in.
• Summer solstice party to have an FSM theme. This is the practice run for the "real" one in the fall.
• Darwin's 200th – this time, Feb 2009 will be something special.

See you at the usual place and time this Saturday.

March 30, 2008

Events updated Jim Clark to speak at HAM meeting on April 12.

Newletter – April 2008

As usual, our Manitoba Humanist newsletter editor has produced another excellent bit of work. You can Download the newletter pdf now. Of note:

• Follow up to the Skepticism-themed March meeting.
• Partners for Life
• Arthur C. Clarke
• Expelled - No intelligence allowed therefore PZ Meyers not allowed to see it.
• Book review - Emotional Lives of Animals
• More: April meeting and another Bullshit party

Expelled by the Expelled

You may have heard of Ben Stein and his movie Expelled - No Intelligence Allowed. His tale of woe is that people who speak of ID creationism in science and science classrooms are expelled. You would expect that as ID is not science. But not Ben Stein. So he made a movie.

There is a story in the story of the making of the movie. PZ Meyers of Pharyngula was used as a source and interviewed for Expelled, and appears in the movie. However, Stein's people expelled P. Z. from seeing the movie so he cannot give us a review.

But reviews abound, some of which are listed on www.expelledexposed.com/. One of those reviews is by Richard Dawkins who was standing in line with PZ when PZ was "expelled".

Obit

March 19, 2008

On March 19, Arthure C. Clarke died at age 90. A great loss to the world, yet his gifts of vision and stories will persist. See our April newsletter for more.

Return of The Happy Heretic

March 17, 2008

Judith Hayes ran a website called The Happy Heretic for many years, then shut it down in 2005. Anyone familiar with her site will recall she is an excellent writer, something of a female Sam Harris for bite and attitude, and as insightful as Richard Dawkins. Yet her style is all her own.

As it turns out, she took the site down because she was seriously ill. But now she is back, and the internet is a better place. The Happy Heretic

Our web links page has just been given major surgery.

Recent News stories

March 16, 2008

Science vs. creationism
Scientific community mobilizes defence of evolution by EVE SAVORY o March 11 at CBC.ca.

Budget for science, or at least one kind of science by Bob McDonald, host of the CBC science radio program Quirks & Quarks February 29, 2008

Religious groups want Russian cartoon channel shut down March 16, 2008

HAM Directions

March 8, 2008

Thanks to tonight's meeting, we will be pursuing new activities and directions – see the March 8 event entry. But there is more to report than that.

Blood Donations

Thanks to Heather's efforts, the Humanist Association of Manitoba now has status as an official donor organization in the Canadian Blood Services "Partners for Life" program.

HAM members (or anyone) donating blood can do so in HAM's name by providing our donor ID — HUMA008484 — in the Partners for Life program.

More information on donating blood:

• The Partners for Life program.
• The Canadian Blood Services donor information site. Or call 1-888-2-DONATE.

Flying Spaghetti Monster Pary

We have been planning this for some time and have almost nailed down a date and venue.

Yes, this means Pasta, a Pastafarian's food staple. The goal is later this spring, preferably May, possibly June. Chances of having a liquor license are slim, so don't count on there being a Beer Volcano. This will be a family friendly event with fun activities and, possibly, prizes.

The image and inspiration come from Church of the FSM.

2009 - Darwin's Birthday

Yes, this will be a big event world wide. We celebrated his birthday at the February meeting. The big one is coming next year. Charles Darwin's 200th birthday on February 12, 2009.

Humanist Inspiration

March 5, 2008

The video is entitled Atheist Life vs Religious Life. Humanists are atheists by definition, and in this video you may find out why that works. It is not so much a challenge to religion as a comparison in how Humanists and atheists find meaning and purpose in life.

The maker of the video, "Fighting Atheist" is quite productive and has more videos at youtube.

Don't forget the next meeting on Saturday, March 8.

Also, the March newsletter is available.

Bertrand Russell's Teapot

Some of you will have heard of Russell's teapot. For the rest, there's the Wikipedia entry.

No matter how far fetched the concept, you should always take these things seriously. In most agnostic fashion, you must decide for yourself, as this article shows.

Kosovo Independence

February 18, 2008

Perhaps it is a sign the post 9/11 paranoia of Muslims is dissipating. Kosovo, a country that is 90 percent Muslim and is strongly secular, came into existence today. It is recognized by a large number of Western countries who themselves are primarily Christian and/or secular. See the CBC.ca story or Yahoo news story, among others.

For humanists, Kosovo's recognition is evidence that while religions tend to create us/them relationships, we as people can overcome such things regardless of religion. We must of course keep in mind the political and recent historical aspects. You could also draw a conclusion that Kosovo's creation is also divisive, especially if you are Serbian. Even so, it seems to me that we are moving in the right direction. And if in the coming years, Kosovo demonstrates you can have Islam, secularism, and freedom from oppression for the Serbian minority, I'll call it positive evidence.

Prayer in Government

February 18, 2008

A pointless protest over Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty's call that there be an alternative to the Lord's Prayer in the Ontario legislature has been underway since last week (CBC.ca story). Much moaning and gnashing of teeth has come from some Christian groups. To be clear, what Dalton said was:

"I think it's time for us to ensure that we have a prayer that better reflects our diversity."

So no, prayer is not being omitted. This makes the whole issue 'something about nothing'. The Ontario legislature, like the Manitoba legislature, Winnipeg City Council, the House of Parliament and possibly all the rest, will continue to pray, pray, and pray some more.

There is an issue of diversity. And that issue is that expressly supporting any religion or group of religions implicitly cheapens any claim to supporting diversity. Now I do not claim to support diversity at any price for several reasons. Yet I must ask: what value is there in having government involved in religion? None, unless you have theocratic leanings.

We have laws against prayer in schools. Why do we not have laws against prayer in government? I could attribute motives and suppose reciting the Lord's Prayer would be a way of keeping out both Atheists and Jehovah's Witnesses. It may seem a flippant comment, but the victims here demonstrate that prayer neither supports the "we are a Christian country" armwavers as Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians nor any claim to diversity or inclusiveness as atheists and agnostics are the number 3 or 4 group throughout most of Canada.

So to Premiers McGuinty and Doer, Mayor Katz, Prime Minister Harper and the rest: dump prayer. You may find it helps the cause of religion as no person can claim special favor (or disfavor) based on religion.

The Underground Real Estate Agent

February 10, 2008

I think it would be more economical and just as effective to bury a box of Lucky Charms in the yard. But what do I know?

Seems a company is selling a Saint Joseph statue which if buried in your yard, will allegedly help the sale for your house. What a deal. One has to wonder what serious believers think of this sort of thing. Ours is a different paradigm, but what would a Humanist's take be on someone selling a Darwin statue for the same purpose?

On second thought, I'll save my money and just eat the Lucky Charms™.

Comedy Relief on eBay

You see the ads on every web page. Ads supposedly tied to the content, to be more relevant to you. While on a page related to human rights and religion, an unusual product showed up. I was tempted to check the price:

Jewish-Muslim Dialogue

February 9, 2008

Sophie and Boris received an email which they recommended HAM publish. So we did. Any time barriers to getting along with each other come down, it is worth noting – read it here.

HAM Newsletter

February 3, 2008

The February Newsletter is out: AGM report, news and announcements, Jim Clarks's presentation, Darwin.

American Atheists Conference

February 3, 2008 (event is March 21 through 23)

The American Atheists organization (site) is putting on a three day conference in Minneapolis — see the conference details. Ignore for a moment the one speaker whose name stands out (Richard Dawkins), and read the full list. Given the range of speakers and topics, Richard Dawkins is icing on a rich and many layered cake. If you have any chance of going, go.

TAM 6 or American Atheists Conference?

The American Atheists Conference is comparable to a major TAM (James Randi's The Amazing Meeting) event in scope. The American Atheists focus is more atheist / humanist than TAM events. TAM emphasizes skepticism and science with atheism not a requirement (but it helps). There is significant overlap, so choosing say TAM 6 (June 19-22) vs the AA Conference (March 21-23) might be a matter more of climate, travel issues and schedule. Still, a chance to see Richard Dawkins in person has got to be a major consideration.

What if she was a Humanist?

January 31, 2008

Came across a story about Miss Canada Plus being outed by Miss Toronto Tourism for reading Tarot cards.

Stephanie Conover was invited by the Miss Toronto Tourism organization to be a judge.

"Then, last week, on Monday, they asked me for a biography. I told them everything I do, how I'm an entertainer and a singer and a dancer. I talked about my charity work and I said I also have hobbies, including songwriting, knitting, painting, yoga, reiki and tarot cards."

The organization then won the Fred Phelps of Toronto Tourism Award for sending Ms Conover a nasty bible thumping letter replete with old testament quotes such as "Do not turn to mediums or seek out spirits for you will be defiled by them.".

"We hope that Stephanie Conover will turn from these belief systems and will repent from her practice of them," the letter reads.

Tarot cards and reiki are right up there with god beliefs in the unsubstantiated claims department. You would think that as a professional courtesy, the bible thumping Miss Toronto Tourism organization would be happy to have her sign up. Not so. This is yet another fine example of religion as a divider of people.

Event Update

The February meeting is finalized. A Bullshit! party is scheduled as well. On the Events page.

First home page change

January 21, 2008

As part of the first phase of the big change, material on the home page up to Nov 22, 2007 has been archived. Later, some of it will migrate back as the home page become more feature and less blog oriented. A quick
ls -1R | grep html$ | wc
shows there are 311 pages on this site. Most will remain unchanged. The rest will be rolled up into a smaller but more coherent set. There will be a few interactive features added as well.

How Science Works

January 20, 2008

The online science journals at the Public Library of Science (PLoS) contain peer-reviewed articles of interest to biologists, evolutionists and medical researchers. However, there are a few gems for the non-scientists among us.

One is Going against the Grain which describes how Jonathan Tilly discovered something which just can't be so. As we all know, female mammals are born with a fixed number of egg cells (oocytes). Over time, the numbers fall until none remain. One of researchers at Tilly's lab found that after killing off mouse egg cells, there still remained high numbers of egg cells. The article focusses on Tilly's battle with established views as he brought the research to light.

It is a fascinating story of vested interests, momentum, and also honest scientific inquiry to increase our understanding of how ovaries really work. The story started in 2002, and is still developing.

SERC and the Solstice Party

At our Soltice Party, HAM, members of HAM, and guests, donated to the Sexuality Education and Resource Centre (SERC). An email from Lori Johnson announces:

"... The total donations to SERC from HAM were in the amount of $515.00 and all of them are now receipted for tax purposes. Once again, from all of us here at SERC, sincere thanks to your membership and organization for your steadfast support of our Agency. It really is deeply appreciated. LJ"

From all of us, thanks also to SERC for the good work you do.

Before TAM 5.5

I am hoping to get some site work done, including posting a variety of humanists principles Barrie sent. Other work is in progress, but I slacked and instead wrote a short essay on humanism and dictionaries.

HAM members and non-members alike who have something to say should email their own essays, articles or reviews to me, Donna, or any HAM exec you know. Do not send copyright material, just your own work. No garantee we will print it. Basic rules are:

• You will get credit, unless you ask to remain anonymous.
• The formatting might be changed, and spelling+grammar errors may or may not be corrected at this end.
• Send it in plain text, not as an image and especially not MS Word 2007 .docx format. We like plain text, openoffice, MS Office 2003 or earlier, or 'semantic' html. We hate retyping anything more than 5 words long.
• Copyright – please see the Creative Commons for user-friendly options.
• In your email, make it clear what you are submitting for publication and what is chit-chat or instructions.

At some future date, you will be able to upload directly, but not this month. For now, email to any of : buymelunch@myway.com, or ham_librarian@yahoo.ca. Put the following in the Subject line to get past our spam filters:

HAM Content Submission

Just a short note:

Our January meeting went well. View an opinion piece on Jim Clark's presentation.

Christian myths about atheism

January 10, 2008

If you are an atheist or agnostic, you have probably encountered people who say things like "atheists have no morality since morality comes from God" or "atheists know deep inside there is a God and just won't admit it.". You may have wondered how to deal with this kind of ignorance.

One thing you can do is send then a link to the Way of Mind site's 16 Common Myths about Atheists. The author has put together one of the most complete and insightful collections on the net. A must read, no matter what your position.

Announcements

The Humanist Association of Manitoba newletter for January 2008 can now be downloaded (pdf).

Sophie's Brunch, an offline HAM get together on January 20, 11:30am. See the newsletter for more details.

Don't forget the HAM AGM followed by the regular evening meeting on January 12.

The Last and new years

January 6, 2008

A year has gone by, and with a few days to reflect, what can be said about it and our prospects in this new year?

About the world at large, we have seen an increase in fundamentalist-driven violence and hatred. But we have also seen a rise in the awareness of atheism, secularism and humanism as topics worthy of speaking out about, and even standing up for. Fundamentalism gives the world single benefit: it shows why we need to walk away from it, and perhaps religion in general.

While religious pollsters have claimed an expansion in religious belief, we see membership in HAM and organizations like it increasing. Sales of books on disbelief (Dawkins et al) are strong. More and more Letters in the newspapers show an increasing distaste of religious dogma / hatred on subjects such as homosexuality, contraception, and science itself.

About HAM, we have seen many new members, and expect more to join us in the coming year. Awareness is growing among the general public, and the media. For this, much thanks goes out to Sophie and Donna on the media side, and Barry and Barrie on the education front.

At the Movies

We rented You Kill Me (2007), a comedic crime thriller set in Buffalo and San Francisco. Winnipeg stands in for Buffalo. Other than being filmed here, and being a generally more intelligent and interesting movie than Hollywood's usual output, why would you want to see it? To catch HAM's own Lorraine James of course. You can roll through the credits at IMDB.com and learn a bit more about the movie.

Connecting

HAM members are connecting both formally and informally to other people and other organizations. Of note:

• Some HAM members are off to TAM 5.5 near the end of the month. TAM is The Amazing Meeting put on by the James Randi Educational Foundation. The TAM 5.5 theme is Skepticism and Activism.
• Jeff has started a Facebook page which sees lots of activity as like-minded people connect the Web 2.0 way. Note that you must be a Facebook member to reach the page.
• Barrie has solidified our connection to MASH (ummash.org), also known as the Manitoba Atheists, Skeptics and Humanists.
• Some members also belong to the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Winnipeg, a humanistic organization that also appeals to people who like the ritualism of traditional churches but without the religious aspects. And yet are free to hold and express theistic beliefs.

To anyone wondering if there is an alternative to religion and may be wondering if the Humanist Association of Manitoba is for them, you can come out and look us over at our next gathering on January 12 (times). We range over all age groups and walks of life. If you still have god beliefs or are agnostic, so are some of our members. And unlike our theistic opposites, we don't proselytize and we have no wish to denigrate people for being or believing differently. For a first visit, there are no fees (though you buy your own dinner) and no commitments required.

It could be fun.

Winter Solstice

December 23, 2007

The Solstice party has come and gone, and anyone who missed it – missed out. Some 45 or more people showed up. We have pics and a writeup of the good times.

The Solstice page has a few formatting changes. If your browser has any troubles, please advise me.

Changes

December 15, 2007

Solstice party time changed from 4:00pm to 4:30pm. See the events page for details.

Also, the December newsletter (PDF) is now available.

The Golden Compass movie has gotten less box office response than its makers expected. Some observers believe this is because of the negative publicity by the Catholic League and other religious groups. Not all publicity is good publicity. Yet perspective is important. The Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was flogged as having religious overtones as its author was a Christian apologist. I happily went to the movie and enjoyed it, and left as I had arrived: atheist. It is hard to imagine a fantasy movie of any sort changing ones beliefs or disbeliefs, but it seems insecure religious types are fearful of taking any chances.

Contrasts. A recent Canadian story describes how a Muslim father is alleged to have killed his daughter because she refused to wear a hijab (head scarf). This of course brought conflicting outcries from all sides. There are so many stories like this, it is sometimes hard for people to believe any good can come from those who follow the 'religion of peace'. And yet another less reported story reminds us you can only judge people as individuals, not by group membership. In the second story (American), a Jew was violently set on by a group of Christians for saying 'Happy Hanukkah'. A single Muslim gentleman rushed to his aid at considerable risk to himself. The two are now friends and stand as an example of the way we can be despite our many differences. More: New York Post story.

American religiosity sometimes leads to bills that break the Constitution-mandated separation of church and state. Thanks to Jeff for this link which summarizes the bill (full text). Strictly speaking, it is not a law and confers no special rights to a group, at least no more than declaring a day to be National Plumber's Day (April 24 or 25). But it is disturbing, especially as the orginal text of the bill is clearly evangelical.

– Grant

Golden Compass Debate

December 04, 2007

Thanks to Miep for forwarding the story. Panelists, including Justin Trottier of the Centre for Inquiry Ontario, answer several questions related to the movie and the inculcation of religious beliefs in children. Offsite at the Globe and Mail website.

But The Golden Compass is a minor issue at this time. Alberta now funds the teaching of creationism in its schools. Thanks to Jeff for a link to the story. Quote: The Alberta government has been quietly increasing funding to faith schools -- to 100 per cent in the case of "alternative" programs -- and allowing creationism to be taught alongside the Alberta curriculum.

On the lighter side, if you are feeling more than a bit blasphemous you can check out a couple of videos. The first is a commercial for a toy. The second is a parody movie trailer for The God Complex.