Perseids Event Cancelled

The weather for Ovando changed to thunderstorms and rain all evening, so it doesn't look like we'll have much of a view of the sky. We'll try again next time.

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!

Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch for Non-Campers

Those members of M.A.S.S. that are attending the Bozeman Freethinkers Camping/Lewis & Clark Caverns/Museum of the Rockies trip this weekend won't make it to brunch, but not everyone is going to Bozeman and we have a standing reservation at the Stone of Accord. So, brunch is still on.

In the absence of the entire board or directors who will be either camping or otherwise out of town, Martha has agreed to be our official M.A.S.S. representative for brunch (just in case there's a need for such a person).

If you're not going camping, please come out for brunch and keep Martha company.

Where: The Stone of Accord (4951 North Reserve Street), in the Meeting Room
When: Sunday, August 1st, 10AM

If you're not sure where to go, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the meeting room. She'll make sure you get to the right place.

M.A.S.S. Movie Date: COSMOS (Ep 4 & 5)

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, July 17th, at 3:30pm.

Episode 4: "Heaven and Hell"

A descent through the hellish atmosphere of Venus to explore it's broiling surface serves as a warning for our world about the possible consequences of the increasing greenhouse effect. Then, Dr. Sagan leads viewers on a tour of the solar system to see how other heavenly bodies have suffered from various cosmic catastrophes.

Episode 5: "Blues for a Red Planet"

Is there life on Mars? Dr. Sagan takes viewers on a never-before-seen look at the red planet through the eyes of science fiction authors and then through the unblinking eyes of two Viking spacecrafts that have sent thousands of pictures of the stunning Martian landscape back to Earth since 1976.

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

When: Saturday, July 17th, 3:30pm-5:30pm
Where: Missoula Public Library - Large Meeting Room (downstairs)

After the show, you're invited to join us at a downtown bar for further discussion. Stick around after the lights go up and introduce yourself if you're interested.

Independence (From Superstition) Day Brunch

If you're not headed out of town for the holiday weekend (or if you're headed to our area from points beyond), join the Missoula Area Secular Society for Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch to celebrate our independence from superstition and dogma.

We'll be meeting at the usual time and place for our usual lively and educational discussions on science, secularism, and superstition.

Where: The Stone of Accord, 4951 N. Reserve St. (in the meeting room).
When: Sunday, July 4th, 10am - Noon

If you're not sure where the meeting room is at the Stone of Accord, just ask the host(ess) at the door and they'll direct you to the right place.

Fireworks Photo (c) Michael Seljos

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).

June Sunday M.A.S.S. Brunch

It's time once again to enjoy the bewildered looks on the faces of your friends and family when you tell them that you're going to Sunday M.A.S.S.

We've been seeing more and more people coming to our monthly brunch event, and if this keeps up we're going to outgrow the meeting room at the Stone of Accord soon. We look forward to the day that we move into the regular dining room and claim part of it as our own, but we're not there quite yet, and won't get there without *you*.

We had some people who thought the meeting room was full last month and declined to join us. So, allow me to say that, depending on how we arrange the tables and chairs, we can fit up to 32 people in that room. We re-arranged once last month as more people showed up and we would have happily done it again. Don't be shy, even if we look crowded. Too many people is our favorite problem to solve.

So, please join us this Sunday at 10:00 AM at The Stone of Accord (aka the *new* Sean Kelly's) at 4951 N. Reserve St. near Interstate 90. If this is your first brunch with us, just tell the hostess you're with the group in the "meeting room" and she'll show you the way.

Keep up to date on all of our other events by joining our Facebook group, following us on Twitter, and/or subscribing to this site's RSS feed. All of our events also get posted to our new calendar page long before they get announced anywhere else, so if you like to plan ahead, bookmark that page and check back often.

UPDATE: This month's Sunday M.A.S.S. will include a special all-ages sneak preview of Brother Sam Singleton's latest sermon. You don't want to miss this!

Waffle Photo (c) avlxyz