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.

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.

B.S. on Saturday, Brunch on Sunday

Brother Sam Singleton, Atheist Evangelist is coming back through Missoula.

Brother Sam (B.S.) has been busy traveling all over the country spreading the good word (so to speak), and at long last he's making another pass through Missoula.

He'll be performing his new show "If the Ocean was Whiskey and God was a Duck" at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center ( 519 South Higgins Avenue ) on Saturday, April 2nd at 7pm. Tickets are $10 at www.samsingleton.com, or $15 at the door. Students get a $5 discount. Seating is very limited, so get your ticket's early.

Bring some extra cash to the show for B.S. paraphernalia, such as Exbaptism Soap and "Rational Household" door signs, and of course, M.A.S.S. T-Shirts, and to make a donation to the M.A.S.S. Billboard Fund.

After the show, there will likely be a trip with B.S. to a nearby tavern for the purpose of consuming beverages and friendly conversation. But don't stay out too late, because...

Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch comes again on April 3rd at 10AM at The Stone of Accord, 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 get you there lickity-split.

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.

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).

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?