April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

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Dardedar
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April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

Post by Dardedar »

This is a very busy week for freethinker issues, so everybody listen up!

Note that our freethinker meeting this week will be on Sunday, April 22. We have some brand new events we will be showcasing. First off, live interactive psychic tests with rewards of $10,000 on the line. We have been having some interactions with people claiming to have specific psychic powers on the local NWAonline newspaper forum. Especially in the comment thread of this article on "Bigfoot." When one of our members offered to give their house to anyone who could bring in Bigfoot, they charged that our offer was "fraudulent and dishonest." But little did they know, we don't make those kinds of offers. So we had our lawyer put together a three page affidavit affirming the legally binding nature of our claim. You can read it online, we've posted it here. Bring in Bigfoot, get a house. This also gave us the idea to offer these psychics (who are now furious with us and threatening restraining orders ), the opportunity to take $10,000 from us if they can do what they already claim to be able to do: Clairvoyance and telekinesis. These tests, will be conducted live at our meeting Sunday and participants don't even need to attend. We've figured out a way that psychic claimants can email in their intuitions in during the meeting. Discern the word in the box correctly, $1,000. Discern the object correctly, $1,000. Get them both right, receive a total of $5,000. Move the ping-pong ball via telekinesis, receive $5,000. The details of our rewards, and precisely how these tests will be conducted, are posted online here. Feel free to share with friends. While this is open to everyone, let's please let those who seriously believe they have these powers, get in line first.

Last night we had about 15 freethinkers (at least) show up for two lectures at NWACC defending "Intelligent Design." These were conducted by two "sciency sounding" missionaries from the Discovery Institute. The two lectures were about as expected but during the approximate 40 minutes of questions and answers, seven of us stood up to interact and let them know not everyone was buying what they were selling. We also brought our own handout which they graciously said we could distribute, and we did. The content of this handout is posted on our forum here. They were handing out free copies of the thoroughly dishonest "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed." A film which noted film critic Roger Ebert perhaps summed up best in one sentence:

"This film is cheerfully ignorant, manipulative, slanted, cherry-picks quotations, draws unwarranted conclusions, makes outrageous juxtapositions (Soviet marching troops representing opponents of ID), pussy-foots around religion (not a single identified believer among the ID people), segues between quotes that are not about the same thing, tells bald-faced lies, and makes a completely baseless association between freedom of speech and freedom to teach religion in a university class that is not about religion." --Link

We have a careful balance to walk as we try to remain polite with people who are peddling unquestionably dishonest information at our local institutes of higher learning. We will be there to confront them.

Opportunity! They are going to do their show again this evening at the U. of A. Union Theater, at 5:30pm. Two, 40 minute back to back lectures, then questions. Feel free to come late. If there is any science education to be had it will be at the end with the interactions. We would like to get a good turn out. Details are on their Facebook here.

Also, this Saturday, the student freethought group Occam's Razor's will be hosting an all day series of notable speakers at an event called Logicon. It will be on the U. of A. campus in Kimpel Hall. See the poster for this event here. The Logicon Facebook page is here.

Also, on Saturday there will be another gathering of the NWA Religious Recovery group at the Fayetteville Library. Their Facebook page is here (note, it will be upstairs this time).

And then Sunday we have our Fayetteville Freethinker meeting. And with that, more good news! If you're one of the sixty or so who ordered one of our new, first edition, Fayetteville Freethinker tee shirts, then you will be able to pick it up at the meeting. Linda says we have ordered some extras so even if you didn't pre-order, you may still be able to get one. "Think More... believe less."

***
Meeting Details:

When: Sunday, April 22, 2012.

Where: The Fayetteville Public Library. 401 W. Mountain
St. (two blocks west of the town square). Library phone: 571-2222.

Time: 2:00 - 4:30 pm

Room: The Walker Room, the main meeting room. Go in the front door, through the
lobby and go to your right. You can bring a snack or coffee from Arsaga's in the library lobby.

Map: http://tinyurl.com/b3sfgf
***
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Dardedar
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Re: April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

Post by Dardedar »

.
Haley Stevens, Fayetteville Freethinker of the Month

At our April meeting, Darrel gave a presentation about an article written by Haley Stevens in the May/June issue of Skeptical Inquirer. She stood up and made a complaint about a Christian group (operating on local sidewalks) that was handing out literature which made specific claims of prayer based healing abilities (such as curing "conditions like MS, addiction, cancer, asthma, arthritis, paralysis"), without any evidence. We made her "Freethinker of the Month."

Image

See the video clip here:

Haley Stevens, Freethinker of the Month

Hayley says on her blog that our recognition "made her day." Good.

Here is an interview with her in a November 2011 issue of Skeptical Inquirer.
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

Post by Dardedar »

The results of the psychic tests conducted at our April meeting have now been posted on our main webpage.

Here's how it all went down:

We conducted a three part Psychic Test with a reward of $10,000 as outlined here. Participants were to attempt to remote view and identify two things hidden in a sealed case: a word written on a card, and a distinct object of some sort. We had nine participants, five at the meeting and four attempts were sent in via email. There were six attempts to get the word and the written and verified submissions were as follows:

"bicycle, goat, prevarication, fast, trout, Bullshit!"

As was revealed to the audience when the case was opened by a library volunteer, the word on the card was: "Girls"

We had eight attempts to discern the object in the case. The eight submissions, written and verified, were:

"Bible, bell, Bologna, shower head, magic wand, apple, White Knight (chess piece), toy car."

As was revealed to the audience when the case was opened, the object was a: "Shoe."

Image

The audience was told there would be a clue, and the clue was at that point revealed to be that the conductor of the meeting had been walking around without his right shoe (because it was in the case!).

We also made available our telekinesis test: a ping pong ball under a glass dome. Move the ball one inch, receive $5,000. All attempts failed.
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

Post by Dardedar »

Here are the clips we played at our April meeting:

God burns house but saves Bible: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4urR8G41X0

Michelle Dugger addresses over population: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxzXlk6Z97o

Noah's Ark God and Giraffes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CccaGaKOlSI

Hawking... No God, no Fate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L7VTdzuY7Y

The most astounding fact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D05ej8u-gU

Through these godless eyes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txp8LhL56rU

What a Wonderful World, David Attenborough: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auSo1MyWf8g
"I'm not a skeptic because I want to believe, I'm a skeptic because I want to know." --Michael Shermer
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Re: April 2012 Freethinker Meeting and Events

Post by L.Wood »

God Burns Down House but Saves Bible!
What a blessing! Staying in motel for weeks, haggling with insurance adjusters but they have
their family bible. What a friend we have in Jesus.
"Blessed is the Lord for he avoids Evil just like the Godfather, he delegates."
Betty Bowers
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