The Day of Games

Our public meeting on Sunday, April 17th, will be a Game Day at the Roseville Library. Game Day is a fun opportunity for families and people of all ages. It has been a couple of years since we have held this event, and it was always a lot of fun. Test your knowledge of atheist history in Atheist Jeopardy, or enter the second Fern Wodtke Memorial Chinese Checker Tournament, in honor of our undefeated champion. Or sit down at a board in a simultaneous exhibition by chess master George Kane. Or bring your own favorite card or board game, and teach others to play.
   
There will be prizes galore. All prizes have not yet been decided, but if you win a game, you will likely win something.
 
There will be a business meeting at 1:15. Following the meeting, socialize and enjoy the games until the cleanup. The festivities will continue until 4:00.
    
That evening, our good friends at the Humanists of Minnesota will be holding their banquet, headlined by Brian Keith Dalton, best known as “Mr. Deity.” We want to encourage attendance at their banquet, and so will forego our customary practice of going out to eat after the meeting.


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Public hearing to be scheduled to rename the city of St. Paul

Breaking News from the St. Paul Sentinel
 
pigs_eye_picture.jpgSaint Paul City council members and Mayor Chris Coleman will be meeting next Monday to discuss preparations for a public hearing to possibly restore the city’s name to “Pig’s Eye”.  The preliminary meeting was scheduled after city lawmakers received a wave of emails, letters, and phone calls petitioning for the name change.  While it’s not clear what caused the recent influx of requests, some petitioners are citing the recent revelation of chronic pedophilia committed in the Catholic Church, said Carl Richards, the mayor’s communications director.
 
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Godless fun in Des Moines during the American Atheists convention

By Eric Jayne

dsm.5.jpgIn 1988 the popular and controversial television evangelist, Pat Robertson received an impressive second place finish in the Iowa Caucus for the Republican presidential nomination. It’s worth noting that he beat the eventual president, George H. W. Bush by six points (Bob Dole finished first). Twenty years later Iowa voters overwhelmingly selected an African-American for the Democratic presidential nomination and one year after that the Iowa State Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of same sex marriage. A few months after the same sex marriage ruling, the Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers organization gained attention for their city bus ads that said, “Don’t believe in God? You’re not alone.”  I’ve become increasingly proud of my Iowa roots, and even though I haven’t lived there for 17 years, I frequently make the 4-hour drive to visit family and friends. Since the American Atheists national convention will be held in my beloved hometown of Des Moines this Easter weekend (4/21 – 4/24), I thought I would play the part of ambassador and share some events, attractions, and information in and about beautiful Des Moines, IA
 
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Book Review: The Moral Landscape

By Grant Steves
 
moral_landscape.jpgThe Moral Landscape, by Sam Harris, ©2010, 304 pages, Free Press.

In two forthcoming books, by Patricia Churchland (Braintrust) and Joshua Greene (unknown publisher), there will be a discussion of neuroscience and morality. Their research parallels in time Sam Harris’ research for The Moral Landscape. In this review I will reference their research to compare and contrast it with Harris’ views.
 
Sam Harris has published another thought-provoking book. With his doctorate completed in the field of neuroscience, he has taken his research and presented it in a very readable and well argued book.
 
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