Observatory Trip & Brunch

Our trip to the Blue Mountain Observatory has arrived.

We'll meet at 11:00pm, Friday night, in the parking lot for Peak Fitness at the corner of Blue Mountain Road and Highway 93/12. From there we'll drive up to the top of the mountain for the Blue Mountain Observatory's Public Observing Night. Bring a snack, a flashlight, a light jacket and wear long pants. The natural AC on top of the mountain can make un-prepared amateur astronomers quite chilly after midnight. You'll want your flashlight to find your way from the parking area to the Observatory, but once in the vicinity of the Observatory, please turn your flashlight off and leave it off until heading back to the parking lot. Lots of people (including us) will be standing around outside the observatory letting our eyes adjust to the dark to make it easier to see cool stuff through the big telescope and new arrivals shining their flashlights in everyone's eyes are not appreciated. More details ( including info about a possible private observatory night ) are available on the Facebook event page.

The following weekend, we'll have our monthly Sunday M.A.S.S. brunch on August 7th at The Stone of Accord ( 4951 North Reserve St ) at 10am in the meeting room. If you plan to attend, please RSVP on the Facebook event page for the brunch. The meeting room can fit 32 people, and we've come close to that a couple times. If it looks like we're going to exceed that this time, I'll contact the restaurant to have them move us out of the meeting room and to a far corner of the restaurant that can fit us all.

If you would like a M.A.S.S. T-shirt, we'll have them available for purchase at brunch. T-shirts are $20 and available in a variety of colors. Dues paying members who are up to date get a $4 discount on each shirt, and yes, you can pay your dues and buy a shirt at the same time to get your discount.

Annual membership dues are $20 for general members, $50 for Supporters, and $100 for Patrons (and we've even got some higher membership levels for those of you that are really gung-ho). However, becoming a dues paying member is not a requirement to attend brunch or most other events. Events are usually open to anyone interested in our cause.

Lastly, but not surprisingly, the "likers" of our Facebook page have grown considerably since our billboard went up and it continues to add new people every day. If you haven't "liked" us yet, please do so.

M.A.S.S. Camp Out 2011

M.A.S.S. Camp Out Twenty Eleven was a huge success and a lot of fun. Many of us camped for two nights while others came out for one.


On Friday night we celebrated the 3rd Anniversary of M.A.S.S. as an organization and talked about the upcoming billboard. Of course, food was cooked over fire and grill, smore's were available in plenty, and the weather was perfect.

On Saturday, a bunch of us drove down to the Clearwater Crossing Ranger Station and took a hike up the West Fork of Fish Creek to a beautiful lunch spot, and then returned to camp later that afternoon.

Saturday night we were privileged to welcome our neighbor campers and area residents to our campsite as we played host to Montana FWP Biologist Vickie Edwards. Vickie gave a fascinating presentation on elk ecology and specifics on the elk herds found in the Fish Creek area. She brought an elk hide and several antlers and even some scat (thankfully, the scat was fake), and graciously answered dozens of questions from the diverse audience.

Later Saturday evening, the rain came. We had plenty of sturdy shelter available though, so the rain was hardly noticed. In all, it was an enjoyable and educational event, and all participants are looking forward to the next.

Brunch, Bible Study, and Summer Camp!

It's almost time for another Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch. As usual, we'll be in the meeting room at the Stone of Accord at 4951 N. Reserve at 10am, Sunday June 5th. Just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll show you they way.

Also, Milo, our seminary graduate, is putting together a monthly "Secular Bible Study" class. No dogma allowed. This class will be intended to arm the non-believer with the knowledge they need to understand how the bible came into being and the influence it's had on society. If you're interested in participating, please email and watch this space for further details.

Families may be interested in attending a secular summer camp July 30 -August 6. Camp Quest Montana describes itself as "a family camp. That means families attend together. Our schedule is structured with activities for children, tweens, and teens. Sometimes, families will participate together. Sometimes, counselors will conduct the activities with the children, leaving the parents free for an adult discussion group or activity. There is also a counselor in training program for camper’s ages 13-17 who want to attend without their parents (you know how it is). Typical camp activities include games, swimming, arts and crafts, hiking, singing, and campfires. Unique Camp Quest activities include geomythology, creation stories, the scientific method, famous freethinkers, freedom of inquiry, dealing with religious bullying, evolution, and critical thinking."

No kids? No Problem! Camp Quest Montana needs volunteer staff as well. (The Missoula Area Secular Society is not responsible for organizing Camp Quest. For more information about Camp Quest, please contact them directly.)

Dr. Eugenie Scott & Sunday M.A.S.S.

The UM Chapter of Sigma Xi is hosting another Science Café, this time with the Director of the National Center for Science Education, Dr. Eugenie C. Scott.

Dr. Scott is recognized nationally as an expert on the controversy of teaching creationism in public classrooms. and served as a science and education consultant in the federal "Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District" case in 2005.

For those who defend the teaching of the science of Biological Evolution in science classrooms and oppose the teaching of Intelligent Design Creationism as if it were science, Dr. Scott is nothing short of a national celebrity.

If you have any interest in this topic, you will most certainly want to cancel whatever plans you had for Monday night, get a baby sitter if necessary, and get yourself to the Press Box upstairs seating area (not just the back room) well before the 6:30 start time to get a good seat.

Please spread the word and invite all of your friends to this important event.

Note: The UM Chapter of Sigma Xi is entirely responsible for organizing and hosting this event.


Also, don't forget that Sunday M.A.S.S. is this weekend, May 1st, at 10am at the Stone of Accord on North Reserve in the Meeting Room. If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room and she'll show you the way.

The Biology of Stem Cells

The Missoula Area Secular Society is hosting another free public lecture.

When: Thursday, Nov 18th, 6:00pm
Where: Missoula Public Library, Large Meeting Room

Embryonic stem cells hold great promise for replacing cells in damaged tissue, even brain cells, but significant challenges remain before this can be realized. Not least of challenges is that stem cells may form tumors. It is difficult to cause stem cells to differentiate into exactly and only the type of cells needed for therapy.

The ethical and political considerations about research using stem cells require a clear understanding of stem cell biology. Research on stem cells is not human cloning, which should not be attempted, yet fear of human cloning is raised to prevent research on stem cells.

The Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to host Professor Mark Grimes for a free public lecture on the biology and politics of stem cell research. The lecture will be held in the Missoula Public Library in the large meeting room downstairs at 6:00pm.

After the lecture, some members of the Missoula Area Secular Society will likely migrate to a downtown restaurant to continue the discussion over food and drink, and cordially invite you to join them. Stick around after the lecture for details.

Your Inner Fish

Neil Shubin, author of Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body, will be speaking at the University Theater at 8pm tonight.

Neil is best known as one of the discoverers in 2004 of the fossil that revealed a missing link in evolution between fish and land animals. He will discuss his 2008 book, Your Inner Fish, which tells the story of evolution by tracing the organs of the human body back millions of years, long before the first creatures walked the earth.

The event is free and open to the public.

Some members of the Missoula Area Secular Society will be meeting at about 6:45 at Food For Thought for dinner and then walking over to the theater at about 7:30. You are invited to join them, if you wish.

Perseids Viewing

The Earth is rapidly approaching the densest part of the debris trail of the comet Swift-Tuttle, the new moon will be providing plenty of darkness, and now the Western Montana weather appears to be cooperating as well, so...

Put in your vacation notice for Friday and come out with the Missoula Area Secular Society to spend Thursday night staying up into the wee hours far away from city lights learning about astronomy, or sharing what you know, while watching (potentially up to 100/hour) fiery meteors streak across the sky as they get clobbered by Earth's atmosphere.

Directions: Take Hwy 200 North up the Blackfoot approximately 38 miles. Half a mile *before* the junction with Hwy 83 (Giant Cow) there is a bridge over the Clearwater River and a fishing access site just past the bridge. You're going to want to turn left immediately *before* the bridge onto a dirt road.

However, you're probably going to miss your turn and go over the bridge (I do it all the time). In this case, turn around in the fishing access site, or go half a mile further up to the Giant Cow and turn around there. Then, on your way back, turn right immediately *after* the bridge.

Follow this dirt road north approx 1.5 miles to a point where the river gets wide enough for some people to call a small lake. Look for a giant TeePee style tent (about 12 feet tall) somewhere along the shore (should be there no later than 7pm).

The road in is not well maintained and can get heavily rutted, so use caution, but don't think that you're lost. Cars with low clearance should be able to navigate the road with little difficulty as long as they take it slow and watch where they're going.

Bring a tent to retire to once fireballs streaking across the sky are no longer enough to keep yourself awake. There will be LOTS of room to setup tents and even though you'll want to watch the stars the forecast low for the nearest town (Ovando) is 44 degrees and there may be an isolated thunderstorm or two. If you've got a good warm sleeping bag, you may try to sleep out under the stars anyway. DRESS WARM. I repeat, the forecast low is 44 Degrees!

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: The God Who Wasn't There

The Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to present a free public screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, The God Who Wasn't There.

From exposing the hidden history of Christianity to lampooning the bloody excesses of Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (which caused Gibson to attempt legal action against the documentary), The God Who Wasn't There pulls no punches.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker (and former Christian) Brian Flemming, The God Who Wasn't There includes stimulating interviews with:

• Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation
  
  
• Alan Dundes, Professor of Folklore at the University of California at Berkeley
  
  
• Richard Carrier, historian and author of Sense and Goodness Without God
  
  
• Barbara & David P. Mikkelson, authors of the Urban Legends Reference Pages at snopes.com

Join us for this free public screening at the Missoula Public Library on Saturday, June 19th at 3:30pm in the Large Meeting Room (downstairs). After the film, you are invited to join us for dinner & drinks to discuss the film at a downtown restaurant (location TBA at the screening).

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: COSMOS

COSMOS: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter and first broadcast by PBS in 1980. As of 2009, it is the most widely watched PBS series in the world. It won an Emmy and a Peabody Award and has since been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by over 500 million people.

With special permission from Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc., the Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to present two more episodes of COSMOS at the Missoula Public Library on Saturday, May 22nd, at 3:30pm.

Episode 2: "One Voice in the Cosmic Fuge"

Dr. Sagan's Cosmic Calendar makes the 15 billion year history of the universe understandable and frames the origin of the Earth and the evolution of life. We see the steps from microbes to humans. Our understanding of how life developed on Earth enables us to venture to other worlds for imaginative speculations on what forms life might take elsewhere in the Cosmos.

Episode 3: "The Harmony Of The Worlds"

Historical re-creation of the life and time of Johannes Kepler – the last scientific astrologer, the first modern astronomer, and the author of the first science fiction novel. Kepler provided the insight into how the moon and the planets move in their orbits and ultimately how to journey to them.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Families are welcome.

When: Saturday, May 22nd, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Missoula Public Library - Large Meeting Room (downstairs)

M.A.S.S. socializing at a downtown bar likely to occur after the show. Stick around after the lights go up and introduce yourself if you're interested.

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: COSMOS

COSMOS: A Personal Voyage is a thirteen-part television series written by Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan, and Steven Soter and first broadcast by PBS in 1980. As of 2009, it is the most widely watched PBS series in the world. It won an Emmy and a Peabody Award and has since been broadcast in more than 60 countries and seen by over 500 million people.

With special permission from Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc., the Missoula Area Secular Society is proud to present the first two episodes (with the rest to follow in coming months) of COSMOS at the Missoula Public Library on Saturday, March 20th, at 3:30pm.

Episode 1: "The Shores of the Cosmic Ocean"

At the beginning of this awe-inspiring cosmic journey, COSMOS host Dr. Carl Sagan takes viewers to the edge of the universe aboard the Spaceship of the Imagination. Through beautiful and accurate special effects, we witness quasars, exploding galaxies, star clusters, supernovas and pulsars. Returning to the Solar System, we enter an astonishing recreation of the Alexandrian Library, seat of learning on Earth 2000 years ago.

Episode 2: "One Voice in the Cosmic Fuge"

Dr. Sagan's Cosmic Calendar makes the 15 billion year history of the universe understandable and frames the origin of the Earth and the evolution of life. We see the steps from microbes to humans. Our understanding of how life developed on Earth enables us to venture to other worlds for imaginative speculations on what forms life might take elsewhere in the Cosmos.

This event is free of charge and open to the public. Families are welcome.

When: Saturday, March 20th, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Missoula Public Library - Large Meeting Room (downstairs)

M.A.S.S. socializing at a downtown bar likely to occur after the show. Stick around after the lights go up and introduce yourself if you're interested.

Event: Wanderers In The Sky

As you may already know, the second part of the Missoula Area Secular Society's mission is to "develop and/or promote programs focusing on secular ethics, science, history, and critical thinking for members, their children, and the public at large as alternatives to the supernatural interpretations of the human condition."

In accordance with that, we are very proud to host "Wanderers In The Sky", a presentation by Professor Diane Friend from the University of Montana Dept. of Physics and Astronomy.

The last two decades have seen a renaissance in astronomy as new technologies have opened exciting new windows into the universe. The last 15 years have been an especially exciting time for planetary science with the discovery of new worlds both within our own solar system and beyond. These new worlds have led scientists to rethink everything from the definition of the word “planet” to theories of planetary system formation and evolution over time.

This talk will start with ideas about what constitutes a planet in our own solar system and progress to a discussion of the amazing richness, variety, and abundance of planets we have found orbiting other, nearby stars.

When: Monday, February 1st, 7pm
Where: Missoula Public Library, Large Meeting Room (downstairs).

This event is free to the public and open to all ages. Please come out and give Diane a very warm welcome as the first professional educator to help us fulfill this challenging part of our mission. Bring a friend or two.

(Solar System Picture above (c) Jules Stoop)

Diner before Darwin / Movie Night

This is the second of three events in the busy month of May for the Missoula Area Secular Society (M.A.S.S.).

Join us for Diner at the Pita Pit on May 15th, before we wander over to The Wilma for the International Wildlife Film Festival's double feature evening presentation of multi-award winning films, the second of which is "Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life" by the BBC and featuring David Attenborough.

We'll start out meeting at the Pita Pit at 6:30pm for diner, then migrate over to the Wilma at about 7:00 for the 7:30 start time. If you can't make it to diner, be sure to catch up with us before we go into the theater.

If you're not sure who to look for, Jon will be wearing his "DARWIN08" Campaign Shirt. We'll also be twittering details of where we're sitting and when we're moving down the street, so have our tweets sent to your phone for up to the second alerts about how to find us.

Also, don't forget to RSVP on the Facebook Event Page (not required!), and join the Facebook Group if you haven't already.

M.A.S.S. Science Outing

Renowned Paleontologist Paul Sereno will be giving a lecture on Tuesday Evening about dinosaurs, giant crocodiles and ancient humans that inhabited the Sahara Desert.

From his bio on his website...

Discoverer of dinosaurs on five continents and leader of dozens of expeditions, Sereno's field work began in 1988 in the foothills of the Andes in Argentina, where his team discovered the first dinosaurs to roam the Earth - the predators Herrerasaurus and the primitive Eoraptor, the "dawn stealer." These expeditions revealed the most complete picture yet of the dawn of the dinosaur era, some 225 million years ago.

In the early 1990's Sereno's research shifted to the Sahara, and the search for Africa's lost world of dinosaurs. Expeditions to Niger and Morocco resulted in Sereno's team discovering and naming: Afrovenator, a new 27-foot-long meat-eater; skeletons of a 70-foot-long plant-eater he named Jobaria; a bizarre fish-eating dinosaur named Suchomimus, with huge claws and a sail on its back; and the 45-foot-long plant-eater Nigersaurus. Sereno and his team also discovered the most fleet-footed meat-eater, 30-foot-long Deltadromeus, and the skull of a huge, T. rex-sized meat-eater Carcharodontosaurus. Besides new and unusual dinosaurs, Sereno's team stumbled on the world's largest crocodile, the 40-foot-long Sarcosuchus, dubbed SuperCroc.

The lecture starts at 7:30 at the University of Montana North Underground Lecture Hall and is free and open to the public.

If you'd like to attend with other M.A.S.S.ers ... en masse, we'll be meeting at 6:00pm at Food for Thought for a quick dinner, and then heading over to the lecture hall at 7:00. If you don't want to do dinner but want to join us for the lecture, show up right before 7:00. Don't be late.

If you're not sure who to look for, Jon will dust off his "DARWIN 08" campaign t-shirt, and we'll have our Buddy Christ Bobblehead prominently visible on the table as well.

Tonight on NOVA: The Bible's Buried Secrets

Tonight at 7:00 on Montana PBS...

A visually stunning two-hour special edition of "Nova" examines decades of archaeological studies that contradict much of what is in the Bible. The entire Exodus story is debunked, as is the idea that the Israelites were monotheistic following the contract made between God and Abraham. It turns out idol worship was common through the reign of King David and right up to the Babylonian exile.

UM Free Lecture: Religion and Violence

On Tuesday, September 9th, there will be two free & public events at the University of Montana that might be of interest to some M.A.S.S. members.

Richard Rubenstein is an expert on religious conflict, terrorism, American foreign policy and methods of resolving serious international and domestic disputes, and is the Professor of Conflict Resolution and Public Affairs at George Mason University in Arlington, Va.

He will be hosting a seminar from 3:40 to 5:00pm entitled "Why Americans Fight: Our National Religion as a Cause of War" in the Gallagher Business Building Room 123.

Then, at 8 p.m. in the University Theatre, he'll give a lecture entitled "Religion and Violence in the 21st Century."

Both the seminar and the lecture are free and open to the public.

I would love to go to the lecture, but unfortunately am out of town on business, damn it. Maybe another M.A.S.S. member with a video camera would be willing to go and record it for me? Anybody?

Stargazing Encore This Friday

When: Friday, August 29th, 2008, 6:30pm - midnight.
Where: Sean Kelly's and Blue Mountain Observatory

Our last stargazing event was cut short by uncooperative clouds shortly after we watched the International Space Station streak across the sky. The Space Station won't be flying overhead this Friday, but hopefully the clouds will stay away too. Regardless of the weather, the first half of this event will proceed as normal, consisting of dinner and socializing at Sean Kelly's in downtown Missoula. We'll grab a table in the back area and possibly pull two together if it looks like enough people will be there. If you're not sure what any of the M.A.S.S. regulars look like, Jon will probably be wearing his Geocentric 'Teach the Controversy' T-Shirt ( ... Jon's is black, not yellow.)

At about 8:00pm, we'll pay our individual tabs and caravan to the Blue Mountain Observatory for their Open House. You'll get to peer through the big telescope several times as they swing it around the sky to point at globular clusters, a nebula or two, and maybe even a planet or other celestial points of interest. People will also be there to explain how to identify stars and constellations and answer questions in between your turns at the telescope. Plan on staying until at least Midnight. Children are welcome!

You should dress relatively warm, as it can get can get rather cold on top of the mountain at night this time of year. You will also ABSOLUTELY NEED to bring A SMALL FLASHLIGHT to find your way down the trail from the observatory back to the parking area. It's very dark at the observatory and flashlights here are discouraged, so expect a lot of walking around outside on rocky terrain in the dark. If your night vision is significantly worse than most people's, consider yourself duly warned.

If you'd like to RSVP (not required, but helpful), you can do so on Facebook.

"Left in the West" comments on UC court case.

Jay Stevens, a Missoula blogger for Left in the West and 4&20 Blackbirds posted some short commentary on a recent court ruling regarding the University of California and their right to reject some high school credit from private religious schools that don't meet UC's standards for acceptance. In case any readers here missed Jay's post, I thought I'd send them on over to read it.

Stargazing in Two Acts

When: Friday, August 1st, 2008, 7pm - midnight or later.
Where: Sean Kelly's and Blue Mountain Observatory

The first half of this event will consist of dinner and socializing at Sean Kelly's in downtown Missoula. We'll grab a table in the back area and possibly pull two together if it looks like enough people will be there. If you're not sure what any of the M.A.S.S. regulars look like, Jon will probably be wearing his Geocentric 'Teach the Controversy' T-Shirt ( ... Jon's is black, not yellow.)

At about 9:00pm, we'll pay our individual tabs and caravan to the Blue Mountain Observatory for their Open House. You'll get to peer through the big telescope several times as they swing it around the sky to point at globular clusters, a nebula or two, and maybe even a planet or other celestial points of interest. People will also be there to explain how to identify stars and constellations and answer questions in between your turns at the telescope. Plan on staying until at least Midnight. Children are welcome!

You should wear long pants and bring a lightweight jacket, as it can get chilly on top of the mountain, even in the summer. You will also ABSOLUTELY NEED to bring A SMALL FLASHLIGHT to find your way down the trail from the observatory back to the parking area. It's very dark at the observatory and flashlights here are discouraged, so expect a lot of walking around outside on rocky terrain in the dark. If your night vision is significantly worse than most people's, consider yourself duly warned.

If you'd like to RSVP (not required, but helpful), you can do so on Facebook.

... So Goes The Nation

It appears that the hearings to "update" the science curriculum in Texas have begun, and the cards have been pre-stacked in favor of the anti-science Intelligent Design Creationism agenda.

If you don't think this affects you or any of the children in your life way up here in Montana, think again. Text book publishers don't want to spend more money than necessary creating multiple versions of text books, opting instead to cater to the lowest common denominator of state education requirements. Texas is large buyer of K-12 textbooks and is working hard right now to lower the bar for the rest of us. "As Texas goes..."