President/Publisher:
Susan Sackett
Vice President/
Webmaster:
J.B. Wright
Treasurer:
Ann Marie Eisentraut
Program Director:
Henry Geist
Secretary:
Shelley Newman
Members at Large:
Alan Newman
Myra Rubinstein
Bruce Stiles
Al Wendler |
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The Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix meets at 9:00 a.m. on alternate Sunday mornings at a local restaurant. Currently, we meet at the HomeTown Buffet, 1312 N. Scottsdale Road, in Scottsdale. Map to the HomeTown Buffet. We enjoy the company of our fellow Humanists during brunch followed by a lecture from a guest speaker and topic discussion.
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Upcoming Meetings and Topics
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Mar 21st |
Subjugation and Escape
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Speaker: Lisa Bauer
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Lisa Bauer has described her experience with Islam and religion in the October/November 2009 and December/January 2010 issues of Free Inquiry magazine, with an introduction by Richard Dawkins, whom she assisted with research duties for his latest book, The Greatest Show on Earth. The final installment describing her saga is in the February/March 2010 issue.
Lisa is currently a graduate student in Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson. In the past two years, she has made great strides towards overcoming both religion and her own social phobia, and has become involved in various atheist and humanist groups.
In the articles, Lisa describes her lifelong journey from atheism to her family's Roman Catholicism to Islam, and finally back to atheism. It was a long and often treacherous journey, emotionally painful and often self-destructive, extending to sexual as well as emotional submission to a trusted authority figure. In the end, though, and with the help of some trusted friends, she managed to break free of her former religions.
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Mar 27th |
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
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Event: Book Club
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For the month of March only: The book club will meet at the Scottsdale Civic Center Library, Gold Room, 3839 N. Drinkwater Blvd., Scottsdale, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
From Wikipedia:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (commonly shortened to "Alice in Wonderland") is an 1865 novel written by English author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll. It tells the story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world populated by peculiar and anthropomorphic creatures. The tale is filled with allusions to Dodgson's friends. The tale plays with logic in ways that have given the story lasting popularity with adults as well as children. It is considered to be one of the most characteristic examples of the "literary nonsense" genre, and its narrative course and structure have been enormously influential, especially in the fantasy genre.
Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1872) is a work of children's literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), generally categorized as fairy tale.[citation needed] It is the sequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). Although it makes no reference to the events in the earlier book, the themes and settings of Through the Looking-Glass make it a kind of mirror image of Wonderland.
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Apr 11th |
Self Defense, Gun Control Laws and Related Issues
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Speaker: Marc Victor
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Our HSGP member Marc J. Victor is an attorney in private practice in Chandler. He last spoke to us two years ago, and we are delighted to welcome him back as a guest speaker.
Marc graduated Summa Cum Laude from ASU in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Justice Studies, and received his law degree in 1994 from Southwestern University of Law in Los Angeles.
Marc has represented clients in more than a thousand major felony cases including first and second degree murder, sex cases, gun cases, major drug cases, complex white collar cases, federal appeals, and other complex state and federal matters. Jury trial experience includes several murder trials including death eligible matters as well as complex sex cases. Marc has represented clients in many high profile and media attention cases.
In addition, Marc Victor is a member of, and advisor to the Freedom From Religion Foundation, especially on matters of church/state separation here in Phoenix area. Visit his website at: http://www.attorneyforfreedom.com
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Apr 25th |
Shooting Your Mouth Off about the 2nd Amendment
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Speaker: Bob McWhirter
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Robert J. McWhirter is Assistant Federal Public Defender, District of Arizona. He received his Juris Doctorate from Arizona State University College of Law in 1988. Upon graduation, Bob clerked for then Vice Chief Justice Stanley G. Feldman of the Supreme Court of Arizona. He has been an Assistant Federal Public Defender since 1989, representing Native Americans and other clients in a broad range of Federal cases including homicide, sexual abuse, and bank robbery. In addition, Mr. McWhirter has developed a specialty in criminal immigration law, having published articles in the Georgetown Immigration Law Review and the Criminal Practice Law Report. The American Bar Association has published his book The Criminal Lawyer's Guide to Immigration Law: Questions and Answers. Mr. McWhirter also teaches criminal immigration law and immigration consequences of criminal convictions nationally for Criminal Justice Act Panel Attorneys (with the program sponsored by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts), as well as the history of the Fourth Amendment.
Bob McWhirter is one of our most fascinating speakers, and we were thrilled to welcome him back for a sixth time!
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May 02nd |
Are There Universal Moral Values?
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Speaker: Dr. Peter de Marneffe
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May 16th |
To be announced
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The Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix is open to presentations on a
variety of topics, many of which are controversial. Please note that the
opinions expressed by our guest speakers do not necessarily reflect the
viewpoint or philosophy of HSGP.
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HSGP BUILDING UPDATE
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Our building is located at 627 West 8th Street (between Alma School and Country Club) in Mesa. The adobe home is situated on .8 of an acre of land. We anticipate completion sometime this year! When renovated, we will have a huge 1800 square foot meeting space, a kitchen, library, children's activities, storage and office space. Note: We still need your tax-deductible donations of $$$$ cash!
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FUND RAISING STATUS FOR OUR NEW HOME
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Our February fundraising drive was a huge success! At press time, we were almost at our goal! To see the results go to http://www.HSGP.org/hhfaqs. The online version of this column will continually be updated. Thanks to all who supported us, and to those who plan to do so in the future. Remember, we still need your donations to maintain the building once it's completed! |
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FUND RAISING CORNER
By Bruce Stiles
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PLEASE BEGIN A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION
I’m happy to report that our program of recurring small monthly donations has gained a lot of momentum, thanks to our February pledge drive.
Having a predictable cash flow allows us to better plan ahead, because we can identify when we will have enough funds to make specific improvements.
I would like to encourage more Members to make a small recurring monthly donation. Doing so will not only help to get the building completed, but will also enable the donor to get well-deserved recognition. If a donor makes fifty monthly donations of $20, his or her name will be included at the Bertrand Russell Level on a plaque that will be permanently displayed in the building.
If you would like to make donations by BillPay, make the payee “Humanist Society Greater Phoenix.” (There are usually not enough spaces available to include the “of.”) Our address is P.O. Box 26044, Scottsdale, AZ 85255-0117. Our phone number is 602-426-1313. You can put “Building Fund” in the memo field, but we know what it’s for.
And as always, thank you for your support.
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Bruce M. Stiles, CFP®, ChFC®, is the Director of Development for HSGP and provides general information to Members and others as a public service. Ideas and opinions expressed in this column are his alone, and do not reflect the opinions of HSGP, which makes no claims or warrantees about the suitability or outcomes of ideas and opinions expressed in the column. |
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CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
PROGRAM HAS BEGUN!
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Our Childhood Education Program has begun! We held two sessions of our FUN-DAY SCHOOL in August, with several parents, kids and helpers. Children are enjoying crafting, drawing, story time and more, while learning Humanist values!
Our Fun-Day School will meets in the (smaller) private room at the HomeTown Buffet, concurrent with the meeting for adults in the main room. The kids' program begin around 9:30, with breakfast, and finishes around 11:15 a.m., when our lecture in the main room concludes.
We have a few teen and young adult volunteers to help with the kids, and we would also like to encourage parents and grandparents to bring your kids and offer your assistance on a rotating basis.
Future activities being planned include evolution studies and activities, coloring, story-reading, and social activities such as games. A complete curriculum will be forthcoming, and "evolving." During this pilot stage, attendance will be free and reservations are not required. (Later, we will want to register the children and their may be a small fee to cover supplies.)
Note: Please RSVP to Jamaica Popejoy prior to each HSGP meeting (jthmfan86@yahoo.com) if you are planning on bringing children -- she needs to plan for the appropriate activities. |
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CAR POOL UPDATE, by Harold Saferstein
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HSGP has a car pool network. Save $$ and be a helpful, happy Humanist. If you need a ride to an HSGP event or can offer a ride to people in your part of town, contact me, Harold Saferstein, at 480-991-7548, or e-mail me at dermaz@cox.net. If you signed up a few years ago, please sign up again, as the list needs to be updated. I will put those in need of a ride with those offering or those who might wish to alternate ride sharing. It's FREE!! |
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BASHAS' PROMOTION RETURNS!
Once again, we have a chance to get FREE MONEY! The Bashas' SHOP AND GIVE (formerly called "Thanks a Million") program is back! Go to http://www.bashas.com/charity to learn more.
Just shop at Bashas' grocery stores from now until the end of April, 2010. For every dollar you spend, we will get 1%. If you already have a Bashas' "Thank You" card, you will need to re-link it to our special number: 23113. You only need to do this once and you'll be good until April 30th. (Go to the customer service desk to do this. Or you can link the card you already have online by going to their website -- see first paragraph above). If you don't have a Bashas' card, you can ask for one -- it's free; just be sure to link it to 23113. So please try to shop at least once a week at your nearest Bashas', even if it's only for a few items. Every purchase will help HSGP! |
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HSGP FREE MONEY WITH eSCRIP!!
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HSGP has signed up for the eScrip Program. It's easy to earn money for HSGP just by doing your everyday shopping!
Go to the website www.escrip.com to sign up. Our Account ID is: 500020562. When signing up, use this and type in Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix for the charity you want to support. Their website is secure, and you can put in your credit card numbers safely. Follow the instructions to select your own password. Then, when you shop at select merchants, we will get credit. (Unfortunately, Safeway will not donate to us because we are not a K-12 school.)
You can shop online at eBay, or Barnes & Noble, Sears, Amazon, and many more! If you book your American Airlines tickets through the approved eScrip travel service, we also get a percentage, as we do if you book a Carnival Cruise! These are just a few of the many easy, painless ways to help HSGP! |
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HSGP SUPPORTS HOMEBASE!
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 The people at HomeBase are thrilled with our support! Our next drive will be on MARCH 7th. Please bring NEW white crew socks, bottles of shampoo and conditioner (especially needed), as well as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and other toiletries for distribution to young people living on the streets of Phoenix. They also appreciate gently used clothing, which the young people can wear on job interviews.
Bruce and Kathy Pettycrew, who volunteer to take our donations down to HomeBase, would like to remind you that while it may be tough to donate in these difficult financial times, even ONE pair of new socks will be greatly appreciated. Thank you! |
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OUR MEMBERS-ONLY YAHOO! GROUP
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A special Yahoo! Group has been set up for paid HSGP members only. It's free and only takes a minute to sign up! Join Yahoo Humanists. Susan Sackett is Moderator; sign up and if you are a paid member, you will be approved by the Moderator, usually within 24 hours. Messages and archives of this group will be accessible only by members, so there is no spamming or flaming. Messages will be posted once they are approved by the Moderator, so if your posts are within the normal Yahoo! guidelines, they will be approved and posted.
We continue to have lively discussions on religion, politics, ethics and other Humanistic concerns. We've had some extremely interesting posts lately, covering topics such as stem cell research, gay issues, theocracy, global warming, and other important areas of interest to Humanists. We now have 64 members signed up. Join our group today! |
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Susan Sackett, Certified Humanist Celebrant, would like to remind you that she is available for all your life passage ceremonies, including weddings and commitment ceremonies, baby namings, coming-of-age celebrations, funerals/memorial services, and even divorce celebrations! Special 10% discount for all HSGP members and their immediate families! Humanist Celebrant. Discounts for HSGP members! Contact her at humanist@hsgp.org. |
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