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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Aug 08th |
"God on Trial" -- Author Richard Morris Discusses and Signs His Book
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Speaker: Richard Morris
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Author Richard Morris will discuss and sign his book, "God on Trial."
Synopsis: Blasphemy, murder and the Lord don’t mix when
religion and reason collide in court. When university graduate student David Stone publicly challenges Pastor, he unknowingly threatens Pastor and Sister Leah’s lifestyle of crime, corruption, and debauchery. David is arrested for blasphemy and contends the State must first prove the existence of God in court, using the standard Rules of Evidence. This book is about critical thinking and challenges the reader to ask:
What do I know and how do I know it?
Dr. Richard W. Morris, a lawyer licensed in two U.S. states and England, is a member of Mensa, a former teacher and adjunct professor. In his half-century as a pilot (airline transport pilot, flight and ground instructor licenses) he flew as pilot-in-command (captain) in some forty countries on four continents.
He began his legal career as a prosecutor, and did criminal defense before limiting his practice to civil matters. His published credits include articles in such diverse periodicals as the San Diego Realtor magazine, San Diego Mensan, American Atheist, Playboy, Truth Seeker and Art World News.
Richard also co-authored The Art Fraud Virus, with Richard W. Stevens, and is now working on his next Sister Leah novel, Murder at the Hospice of God.
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Aug 22nd |
The Proliferation of Casino Gambling; SMART Recovery® for Gambling Addiction
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Speaker: Dr. Harold Saferstein & Dr. Emmett Velten
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We will have two speakers to address casino gambling and addiction problems.
Dr. Harold Saferstein is a retired dermatologist and longtime HSGP member, who has spoken to us in the past on a variety of subjects. He is a retired Board Certified Dermatologist, licensed to practice medicine in Arizona. He earned his MD at University of Illinois Medical School in 1958 and completed 4 years of residency at Temple University Skin and Cancer Hospital in Philadelphia. He then practiced Dermatology in Wheeling, WV for 30 years and retired to Arizona in 1993. He was Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at West Virginia Univ. Medical School and a Lecturer in Dermatology at Pittsburgh University Medical School. He did some clinical part-time practice here in AZ for a few years.
Dr. Emmett Velten is a clinical psychologist licensed in Arizona and California, with forty years of professional experience. He holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology from the Univ. of Chicago and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the Univ. of Southern Calif.
He had a long-term association with the late Dr. Albert Ellis (AHA Humanist of the Year for 1971) and the Albert Ellis Institute, where he served for nine years on its Board of Trustees. He was also a training supervisor and a member of its Board of Professional Advisors. He has been on the clinical faculty at the Univ. of Calif., San Francisco; taught at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco; was a Volunteer Advisor to Self Management And Recovery Training (SMART Recovery®); a past president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and editor of SMART Recovery®’s newsletter.
He co-authored two books with Albert Ellis -- When AA Doesn’t Work for You: Rational Steps To Quitting Alcohol, and Optimal Aging: Get Over Getting Older. He was editor and wrote three chapters in Under the Influence: Reflections of Albert Ellis in the Work of Others. In early 2010 he published (with Patricia E. Penn, Ph.D.) REBT for People with Co-occurring Problems: Albert Ellis in the Wilds of Arizona. Later this year, he will publish Albert Ellis: American Revolutionary.
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Aug 28th |
Your Religion is False, by Joel Grus
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Event: Book Club
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The Humanist Book Club meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at 10:30 a.m. at the Mesa Main Library, 64 East 1st Street (East of Country Club Way at the intersection of N. Centennial Way -- N.W. corner)
From Amazon.com:
"The funniest book ever written about why your religion is false!
Whether you're a Christian or a Jew, a Muslim or a Hindu, a Rasta or a Jain, an Environmentalist or a Cheondoist, a Scientologist or a Giant Stone Head Worshipper, your religion is false.
But don't feel bad -- so is everyone else's! When you want to know what not to believe, this is the only book you need."
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Sep 12th |
Philosophy, Consciousness, Neuroscience
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Speaker: Dr. Bernard W. Kobes
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Dr. Bernard W. Kobes has been an Associate Professor of Philosophy at ASU since 1992. He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy from UCLA. He has written numerous professional articles for publication. In addition, he holds lifetime memberships in the American Association for Artificial Intelligence; the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, and the U.S. Chess Federation.
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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 by the end 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 fundraising drive was a huge success! We reached our goal! Construction has begun (see Shelley's article below)!
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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Community Center Concrete Complete
by Shelley Newman
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Progress has been rapid the past few weeks. Keep checking the project webpage for ongoing progress at www.hsgp.org/hhfaqs. Thanks to Jan Wright, a link to photos of the project has been added to this webpage so you can view each step of construction.
Major accomplishments:
• Building permits issued –June 8th.
• Demolition complete – June 12.
• Grading, soil compaction and footer trenches done – June 23.
• Underground plumbing complete & inspected – June 25.
• Concrete poured for new restroom, patio & assembly hall – July 1.
Henry Geist has completed plumbing for the water heater in the old portion of the building. He is continuing to work on pricing the materials, plumbing & lighting fixtures we have to purchase for the new portion of the building.
Richard Dewey is now our coordinator for volunteer tasks. Some tasks, such as installing new windows, and repairing water-damaged wood flooring and door trim, can be done at anytime. Others, such as painting, plumbing & lighting fixture installation, and landscape planting, will be scheduled to align with the construction project. If you are able and willing to help with these efforts send Richard an email at richard.dewey@cox.net. |
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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 AUGUST 8th. NOTE: THEY NO LONGER NEED CREW SOCKS!! But they still need 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 70 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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