University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

[Atheists] Reminder: Elections Tonight!

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:51:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to remind everyone that tonight we will be having a
movie night and elections. The event will start at 5pm in CAB 269. We
will be showing Jesus Camp.

If you are interesting in running as an executive for the club next
year, please come! For those of you who are wondering, the time
committment is usually one hour a week in the office plus a half hour
meeting with the exec about once a month. Your office hour once a week
is enough time to get what you need to have done.

We will need a President, VP External, VP Fincance and Operations, and
VP Internal. Here are the descriptions of the positions (as per our
constitution) for those who are interested:

President – responsible for:
(i) Organizing and presiding over meetings, activities, and events;
(ii) Acting as the official spokesperson for the UAAA;
(iii) Ensuring that the letter and spirit of the Constitution is upheld;
(iv) Abstain from voting, except in the event of a tie, where the vote
of the president shall decide
the issue;
(v) Exercising absolute discretion in all matters for which a vote is
not specifically mandated under Article 9.1. ;
(vi) Having co-signing authority over UAAA cheques with either the
Vice-President Operations and Finance or Vice-President External.

Vice-President External – responsible for:
(i) Assisting the President in any of his or her responsibilities as
delegated by the President;
(ii) Assuming the responsibilities of the President should he or she
be absent;
(iii) Registering the UAAA with the Dean of Student Services and the
Students' Union before the
annual winter deadline;
(iv) Acting as a liaison for the UAAA whenever communication with
another external organization (from the university, community,
affiliates, or media) is necessary;
(v) Inviting and thanking speakers who are invited to any
UAAA-organized event;
(vi) Having co-signing authority over UAAA cheques with either the
President or Vice-President
Operations and Finance.

Vice-President Operations and Finance – responsible for:
(i) Assisting the President in any of his or her responsibilities as
delegated by the President;
(ii) Keeping an inventory of all UAAA merchandise;
(iii) Providing a place where UAAA merchandise can be safely stored by
applying for office space each year;
(iv) Preparing a budget, for the following academic term, by the final
meeting of the current
academic term;
(v) Maintaining the membership roster in keeping with Article 2.6. ;
(vi) Having co-signing authority over UAAA cheques with either the
President or Vice-President
External.

Vice-President Internal – responsible for:
(i) Assisting the President in any of his or her responsibilities as
delegated by the President;
(ii) Organizing club functions and fundraising;
(iii) Communication of information within the UAAA;
(iv) Planning, organizing, and coordinating UAAA functions with the President;
(v) Overseeing the recruitment of new members;
(vi) Maintaining the files and documents pertaining to the UAAA.

Cheers,
Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] T-shirts!

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:35:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

For those of you who ordered t-shirts, they are arriving tomorrow
afternoon! :-)

They will be available for pick up at our next event (Wednesday March
24th at 5pm in CAB 269, where we are going to screen the movie "Jesus
Camp" and hold elections for the new executive of the group for next
year).

You can also pick up your shirts at any of our office hours:

* Mondays: Farid - 12:00-13:00
* Tuesdays: Sonia - 9:00-10:00
* Wednesdays: Ryan - 12:00-13:00
* Fridays: Rhys - 13:00-14:00

Our office is in 040C of lower level SUB (right off the Student Groups
Lounge).

If none of these times work, please send an email to
atheists@ualberta.ca (DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS EMAIL), and we can
arrange a time to meet up so that everyone gets their shirt.

Cheers,

Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Various Subjects.

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

First, as you all know voting on SU elections and other referenda is
taking place tomorrow (March 3rd and 4th), and among one of the
referendum proposals is the physical Activity and Wellness Centre
(PAW). The Paw Centre will include a fitness facility more than twice
the size of the current Van Vilet Center as well as a prayer and a
study space among other things. Some concerns were raised on whether
more prayer spaces are needed in a secular university, but after an
executive meeting the UAAA decided that we are not going to take an
official stance opposing this referendum since our members have the
right to choose for themselves. However, this does not mean that our
members can't let their voice be heard. We encourage everyone to let
their voices be heard by either writing a letter to the Gateway or by
raising awareness on the subject.

Secondly Liquid Rationalism is this Thursday March 4th so come out and
let us know what you think on the subject.

Third, T-shirt orders are "theoretically coming" according to Sonia,
so hopefully we'll get them in by the next LR.

If you missed the debate on January 28th here's a link with the
videos: (Part 1: http://vimeo.com/9607509 , Part 2:
http://vimeo.com/9608130 ) and there are some pictures too:
http://marcjulienobjois.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=7847

Lastly, we are holding a movie night on Wednesday March 24th in CAB
269, where we are going to screen the movie "Jesus Camp" and hold
elections for the new executive of the group for next year. So if you
like to see UAAA on campus next year please come out show support by
running for one of the four positions, all members are welcome to run
for any position.

Farid Iskandar
VP Internal

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Liquid Rationalism/Shirt Order

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:39:00 +0000

Hey Everyone,

We are having Liquid Rationalism this week on Thursday February 4th at
Dewey's (starts around 3 pm) where we will talk a little bit about the
debate and other upcoming events for this group. Come out if you are
interested. If you are still interested in purchasing a shirt for this
group ($20) you can sign up at Dewey's or come to the club's office
(SUB 0-40C) during our office hours. Also, if you prefer to have LRs
on Fridays please let us know.

Farid Iskandar
VP Internal
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Does Morality Exist Without God? Debate Jan. 28

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 06:34:00 +0000

Hey Everyone,

Attached is the poster that was made for the debate.

Does Morality Exist Without God? This debate has been going on for
centuries and it's making a stop at the University of Alberta.

Date: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Time: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Myer Horowitz Theater

Yes:

Massimo Pigliucci: has a Doctorate in Genetics from the University of
Ferrara (Italy), a PhD in Evolutionary Biology from the University of
Connecticut, and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Tennessee.
He has done post-doctoral research in evolutionary ecology at Brown
University and is currently Professor of Philosophy at the City
University of New York.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massimo_Pigliucci)

No:

Michael Horner: a Canadian philosopher who promotes and defends
Christianity on university and college campuses. His lectures and
debates provide convincing arguments for the Christian faith.
(http://www.michaelhorner.com/index.php)

Tickets for the debate cost $2 for students and $5 public. They will
be sold at Infobooths around campus and at ticket tables outside
(before the debate).

Rough Schedule:

5:00 – doors open
5:30 – debate starts
7:10 – Q&A from audience

This event is organized by: University of Alberta Student's Union,
Campus for Christ, University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics.

Hope to see you there

Farid Iskandar
VP Internal
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

[Atheists] Origins Discussion

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:28:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Sorry to spam you with email, but below is an event that you may find
interesting.

Cheers,

Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations

*Title:* Beyond the "Evolution" vs. "Creation" Debate
*Lecturer:* Dr. Denis O. Lamoureux
*Date*: Thursday 21 Jan 2010
*Time:* 5:00 to 6:00 PM
*Place:* Lecture Theater DP-2104 (Dentistry-Pharmacy Centre)

*Abstract*
Are there only two positions on origins: either "evolution" or "creation"?
This lecture is an introduction to professional terminology,
science-religion dialogue, and various views on origins (young earth
creation, progressive creation, evolutionary creation, deistic evolution,
and atheistic evolution). Lecturer also shares his personal voyage in this
debate.

*Biography*

Denis O. Lamoureux is an Associate Professor of Science and Religion at St.
Joseph's College in the University of Alberta. He has debated leading
anti-evolutionists, including Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, and Jonathan
Wells. With Johnson, he co-authored *Darwinism Defeated? The
Johnson-Lamoureux Debate on Biological Origins* (1999). Lamoureux has
recently released *Evolutionary Creation: A Christian Approach to
Evolution*(2008). He holds three earned doctoral degrees-dentistry,
theology, and
biology.

--
Denis O. Lamoureux DDS PhD PhD
Associate Professor of Science & Religion
St. Joseph's College, University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2J5
Tel: 780 492 7681 ext.246
Fax: 780 492 8145
E-mail: dlamoure@ualberta.ca
Website: www.ualberta.ca/~dlamoure
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Office Hour Change

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 02:52:00 +0000

Due to unforseen circumstances, tomorrow (January 19th) Sonia's office
hours will be from 12:00-1:00. You can drop any t-shirt orders off at
that time. Her office hours will return to normal the following
Tuesday. Sorry for any problems this may cause.

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] UAAA Events/Info

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:37:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

Just a few things of note:

_____________________________
1. T-shirt Order

We will be doing a t-shirt order again this year. Everyone is
encouraged to order a shirt! We are selling both girls and guys shirts
at a cost of $20. Order forms are available at our table in Main SUB
on Thursday (Jan 14th), or online at:
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/members.html

Please return the order form with money to our office (040C) during
our office hours - posted here:
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/events.html

Otherwise, email us at: atheists@ualberta.ca (DON'T RESPOND TO THIS
EMAIL) if you want to meet with one of the exec at another time to
drop off your order form.

Orders are due February 1st.

_____________________________
2. Liquid Rationalism

We are going to be holding Liquid Rationalism at Dewey's on this
Thursday (January 14th) from 3pm-6pm. We will try Thursday's to see if
it is less busy, but if not a lot of people can attend we may change
it back to Friday. This is a great chance to socialize.

We'll be handing out forms for the T-Shirt order, and discussing the
upcoming movie night and debate with Campus for Christ. Also, to help
locate the group for those first-timers, look for the gentleman
wearing a crown of thorns (Our president Rhys). On top of that, we
should have our banner on the table. Hope to see everyone there!

____________________________
3. Movie Night

We will be holding a movie night on Wednesay, January 20th starting at
5:15pm. It will be held in CAB 281. We will be showing cartoon
episodes such as South Park, Futurama, and Family Guy. If you have an
episode that makes fun of religion (or atheists) bring it in and we
will vote on what we watch. Hope to see you there!

__________________________
4. Debate

Don't forget about the debate between UAAA and Campus for Christ on
January 28th at 5:30pm (doors at 5pm)! It will be held in Myer
Horowitz theatre. The topic is God and morality. Posters will be up by
the end of the week, with all of the information.

Cheers,
Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] UAAA in Winter Semester

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:52:00 +0000

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a restful holiday/winter solstice/x-mas/etc...

There is just some information I would like to give out before classes
start again!

_____________________
1. Clubs Fair

We will be needing volunteers to sit clubs fair for us in order to
represent the club. We are asking for one hour shifts. We have a table
in Dinwoodie on Tuesday January 12th, and in main SUB on Thursday
January 14th. Here is a link to a spreadsheet where you can sign up to
help out:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AmP-Y82T4XjIdGNfNTk1QTdvd1ZuZEwtbkE2YmxJNkE&hl=en

Please let me know if the link does not work.

____________________
2. DEBATE!

We, along with C4C and the Students' Union will be hosting a debate
about morality and God on January 28th. It should be very interesting!
We will be bringing up Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, who is a well known and
respected scientist and philospher. You don't want to miss this event!
Tickets will be $2 at the door. More details will follow, but as of
know we are planning for the event to start at 5:30pm (with doors at
5pm) and it will be held in the Myer Horowitz Theatre in the Students'
Union Building.

__________________
3. Liquid Rationalism

We will continue to hold Liquid Rationalism events this semester. We
meet every second Friday in Dewey's to discuss events and ideas, as
well as socialize and drink beverages. All are encouraged to attend.
We will try to make ourselves more visible this semester as well. We
will be sending out another email will the date of the first LR later.

Cheers!

Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] UofA Atheists and Agnostics Newsletter

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Greetings, fellow Atheists, Agnostics, and Freethinkers!

I hope the Fall Semester is treating you all well. We have lots of
news from the Atheist world that we'd like to catch you up on, so
please bear with us if this e-mail gets a little long!

First things first. If you have not already done so, please take a
second to join our Facebook group. It's a great way for us to quickly
inform you about upcoming events, and share links to neat sources or
videos we find online.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=5442393782

We are also on Twitter, for those of you who use that medium. Ryan
sometimes posts current information about Liquid Rationalism events on
this account.

http://twitter.com/UoAAaA

Another order of business is to formally invite you all to next week's
Liquid Rationalism, on November 6th, 2009, at Deweys on Campus. Liquid
Rationalism is a chance for you to hang out with other free thinkers
and enjoy a few beverages, or just grab a coffee and catch up with
other members on what's happening in the Atheist world. Past LR's have
brought us such memories as "Pope Hat Day", "Finding Jesus Photoshop
Contest", and various other good times which are too hazy for me to
recall in detail. For those new to Campus, Deweys is located just
South of Cameron Library, and just East of CEB and CAB in the old
Power Plant.

Some current news from the freethinking community that you might find
interesting: Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort are leading a campaign to
distribute free copies of the Origin of Species to celebrate the 150
year anniversary of it's publication.

"Origin into Schools"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN9zpf5cT0M

The bad news is: it has a 50 page introduction that slanders Darwin,
tries to discredit evolution, and promotes a Creationist / Intelligent
Design viewpoint. 100, 000 copies of this book are set to be
distributed at Universities all over North America. More information
on this can be found in the following link:

http://www.livingwaters.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=383

As well as a free PDF version of the book to be distributed:

http://assets.livingwaters.com/pdf/OriginofSpecies.pdf

Lastly, I would like to share with you a link for a Youtube video
called "Jesus The Evidence". It's a documentary that has been banned
in the United States for it's viewpoint on Christianity. I found it to
be a more science/history based version of Zeitgeist, so if you're
interested check it out! (Thanks to Chris Allen for sending me this
link!)

"Jesus, the Evidence"

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=8285B54DB1014024

Well, that is it for now. We hope to see you all at Liquid Rationalism
next week!

Continue doubting,

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

"Most people, I believe, think that you need a God to explain the
existence of the world, and especially the existence of life. They are
wrong, but our education system is such that many people don't know it."

-Richard Dawkins
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Movie Time

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 10:24:00 +0000

Sorry for the second email, but I forgot to include the time for the
kick off event.

The God Who Wasn't There will be screened at 5pm on Wednesday 9th, in CAB 239.

Ryan Bromsgrove
VP External

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Clubs Fair, Re-registration, Kick Off Event, Twitter

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Hello All

I hope you had a good summer. This email is about four things:

1. Clubs Fair Volunteering.
2. Re-registration (EVERYONE READ!)
3. Kick off Event
4. Twitter Account

1. Clubs Fair Volunteering

Clubs Fair is happening next week, and our table needs volunteers. If
you are interested, all you have to do is sit at the table and talk a
bit about the group to potential new members checking out our display.
Clubs Fair is the event that gets us the most new members each year,
and so we appreciate anyone who volunteers their time to help out.

If you would like to volunteer, please insert your name on the
following Googledocs spreadsheet:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Amb85rmVK-NqdEctdGRUbm1HMS1NRnpwbzJpOTJkSlE&hl=en

Ideally we would like at least two people for each timeslot. The SU is
still finalizing times for Clubs Fair, so it is possible that these
times may change very slightly. Monday and Tuesday we will be in the
Butterdome, and Wednesday to Friday, at Quad.

As with previous years, the UAAA is helping to set up and clean up for
clubs fair. This gets us additional funding, meaning we get to hold
better events throughout the year. We defintely appreciate anyone
willing to come out early on Wednesday to move tables around, or stay
late on Friday to take down the tables and pick up garbage. At the
moment, the times on the spreadsheet are not final, but probably won't
change much.

2. Re-registration (EVERYONE READ)

If you would like to remain a member of the UAAA for the 2009/10 year,
you must send an email to atheists@ualberta.ca with the subject "UAAA
REGISTRATION". Do NOT reply to this email, as it will be sent to the
wrong place. All you need to put in the email is your name, and
preferred contact email address. If you do not send this email, you
will not remain on our memberlist!

3. Kick Off Event

Our first event of the year will be a screening of The God Who Wasn't
There. This will be on Wednesday, September 9th, in CAB 239. Everyone
is welcome to come out!

4. Twitter Account

The UAAA now has a Twitter account: http://twitter.com/uoaaaa. We'll
be using it to announce events and such, so if you're on Twitter,
please follow us!

If you have any questions about anything, you can email
atheists@ualberta.ca and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

Thanks, and enjoy the last days of summer!

Ryan Bromsgrove
VP External

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Petition against the bill making evolution classes optional in Alberta

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:56:00 +0000

Dear UAAA members,

As you may have heard, the Alberta Legislature is considering a bill that would require teachers to notify parents in advance if a class will be discussing subjects related to religion, sexuality or sexual orientation. For some reason this is deemed to include the study of evolution. Once notified in this way, the parents would have the right to withdraw their children from such classes if they contradict their religious beliefs. Some people joke that since the bible (apparently) says that pi=3, any math class that teaches otherwise would also be optional.

Here is one of the news stories that have appeared on this topic:
http://technology.sympatico.msn.cbc.ca/News/ContentPosting?newsitemid=cgy-bill-evolution-law-alberta-classes-teachers&feedname=CBC-TECH-SCIENCE-V3&show=False&number=10&showbyline=True&subtitle=&detect=&abc=abc&date=True

There are numerous reasons to oppose this bill (or, more specifically, some of its sections), as you may guess. The most vigorous opponents seem to be the representatives from NDP. They are vastly outnumbered, but they've launched a petition to demonstrate the support for their position from the public. If you agree that religious parents should not deprive their children of good science education, please sign this petition, linked to below.

Page with more details and a link:
http://www.ndpopposition.ab.ca/site/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.details&ID=8027&t=8&i=54

The petition itself:
http://www.ndpopposition.ab.ca/uploads/Bill%2044%20Petition.pdf

All the best,
Zoya

P.S. If you are not interested in this, then sorry to have wasted your time.

[Atheists] Fwd: My new books

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 21:12:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

Below is an email from Victor Stenger, a professor from the University
of Colorado and a Research Fellow for the Center for Inquiry -
Transnational. Some of you may have heard his talk when he came down
to Calgary last year. His most recent book was God the Failed
Hypothesis, which I have heard many people have enjoyed. He will be
having another book coming out soon.

Sonia Milbradt
VP Finance and Operations
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

Dear Canadian friends,

My next book Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos, and the Search for Cosmic
Consciousness will be available shortly. Please take a look at the
review in New Scientist at
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227041.600-quantum-gods-dont-deserve-your-faith.html
.

I have also sent in the manuscript for The New Atheism: Taking a Stand
for Science and Reason which I assume will out by the end of the
year. See my website for more information.

Thanks for the hospitality you showed to Phylliss and me during our
trip to Alberta last year. Hope to see you again sometime.

Vic

------------------------------------
Victor J. Stenger
http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] New posters and upcoming events

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

This will likely be my last post to the mailing list as UAAA president, as on Tuesday we hold our elections, and I'm graduating. Thank-you all for the support this year, and best of luck in the future.

We've launched a new poster campaign, based off the successful Atheist Bus ads that are running in Toronto and Calgary (since 60% of respondents to our poll preferred the "probably no God" slogan over the "You can be good without God" ad). You can spot these posters around campus or check out some pictures at our website: http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/2009/03/new-poster-campaign.html

Finally, we have two more planned events for the year:

On Tuesday, 24 March at 5:00 PM, in CAB 239, we will be screening Bill Maher's satirical documentary Religulous and then holding elections immediately after. We will be electing a new president, and VPs (internal, external, and operations-finance). Please considering running, and if you have any questions, feel free to email any of the exec (http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/exec.html).

Our last Liquid Rationalism will also be on Friday, 27 March in Deweys at any time after 3:00 PM. We now have a banner for these events to help you find out where we are. Hope to see you all there.

Thanks for a great year, and keep doubting,

Ian Bushfield
President, UofA Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
University of Alberta

New poster campaign

thzatheist@gmail.com (Ian) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 20:45:00 +0000

We've launched a new poster campaign on campus to support the Atheist Bus ads.

[Atheists] Atheist Blood Drive Tomorrow!

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Hey everyone. Sorry for the short notice, but there is an atheist
blood drive taking place tomorrow at 12:00 at the Canadian Blood
Services Edmonton Donor Clinic (8249 - 114 ST). If you can make it
out, your donation will be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Ryan Bromsgrove
VP Internal UAAA

University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/

_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] IDEAfest

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:01:00 +0000

Just a quick plug of an exciting event that's happening tomorrow (Saturday, March 7).

IDEAfest is a series of 15 minute presentations from 10-5 in Tory 95 (basement). Among various presentations will include a presentation by myself on "Atheism, Alberta and the 21st Century" which will outline the state of freethought in the province and look ahead to where it's going.

Here's the full summary and itinerary from the Facebook event:

-----------------------------
AGENDA
The goal is for students to teach one another and stretch our brains in a different direction, practice our presentation skills, and share something we find interesting with a broader group. After that we will have met many interesting people and we can go and have some libations and nosh with them!

Why did the financial crisis happen? What is happening in Gaza? What are Genetically Modified Foods? What is happening in the Congo? Think that you are an expert? Know enough to give a brief overview? Come and share your experiences, and then sit on some other lectures by your peers. IDEAfest is not just restricted to current events- presentations on storytelling, creative writing, songs, poetry- all are welcome!

10AM
Welcome, Format, Introductions

10:05AM
A- Lisa Amerongen: Improv Workshop
B-
C- Eric Kline: The Alberta Student Film Festival: The success of the U of A Society of Creative Filmmaking in a niche market."

1030AM
A- Christel Hyshka: the current UN process to negotiate an new Kyoto Protocol (i.e. International Climate Negotiations)
B- Stella Lee: Research on emotional design (am a phd student on human computer interaction).
C- Ian Bushfield: Atheism, Alberta and the 21st century

11AM
A- Mack Male: Twitter and social media...
B- Idris Fashan: What is advertising doing to us? What does it offer us?
C- Alex Abboud: The 15 Steps to Making Edmonton a Better City.

1130
A- Jordan Schroder: Future LRT and Urban Development in Edmonton
B: Nathan Brown: SUBvision and student filmmaking
C: Adam Rozenhart: dub5: Its time to find time to manage your time.

12PM
A- Samantha Power and Aaron Chubb: Underground Media and the Importance of do-it-yourself local media.
B- Kevin Kutchinski: How global free trade will cure poverty.
C- Michael Janz: What I saw in Israel before 'Cast Lead'

1230- 1PM
Lunch Break
- Do you know of a potential sponsor? If not, we will be loving the Ho Ho's in HUB.

130PM
A Reg Cheramy - Experiments in Brainstorming - Edistorm
B: Daveberta.ca: How to develop a following online
C: Matthew Capowski: "How we solve our problems is the problem: How thought and knowledge prevent the operation of intelligence".

2PM
A Jacqueline Sarah Geller: Because you live your life in it: The importance of the history of clothing'
B: Lyndsay Burnett: The importance of Theatre Arts and Arts in general in the grownth (physically and emotionally) of children
C: Derek Warwick: "Putting an End to Rape Culture: Challenging Attitudes and Misinformation."

230PM
A: Brendan Trayner: Breast Cancer research: Promising, relevant work made possible by fundraisers
B: Brock Richardson: The Student Mutual Respect Initiative: bridging the gap between rights policies and student community at the U of A.
C:Erin Rayner: The Campaign to Control Cancer

3PM
A: Graham Frobb The SUBnews: The U of A's first student-run satirical television program.
B: Kyla Fisher: TBA (Genocide and race relations)
C: Dave Schroder: Community Security: Vigilantes or Volunteers? Case Study on the Edmonton Guardian Angels.

330PM
A Cam Linke: Developing Products, Start-ups, and Community
B: Chris Henderson: One thing that George W. Bush did right.
C: Katharine Laurie: "Human Rights Accompaniment in Guatemala".

4PM
A: John Braga: How my love of science fiction in high school led to me taking a physics degree. How my physics degree led to a hatred of science fiction.
B: Andy Grabia: "Turn On, Tune In, and Put Down Your iPod: Reflections on Listening"
C:

430PM
A: Ross Lockwood: "Zymurgy and the Physics of Beer".
B: Madeline Bachmann: Fertility Tourism
C: "Debunking the stigma around Weed" Tyler Trueman of Sunshine and Grass.

5PM Adjourn for Pizza and Beer!
Location: Will survey the audience in the morning.

---

We also have a Liquid Rationalsim coming up on Friday, March 13 (perhaps a superstition bash theme and we will have signs to show where we are) and on the 24th we will be showing Religulous and holding our elections for the 2009/2010 year. (More information to come in the next week).

Hope to see you all out.

Ian Bushfield
President
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

[Atheists] Atheist Bus Ads Cont

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:31:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who emailed me their comments and concerns about the atheist bus ads. A number of things are much clearer now.

After talking to the Vice-President of Pattison Outdoors Advertising today, I learnt that the concern that was likely echoed by the Edmonton Journal reporter was actually more complicated than it had been framed.

Pattison's main concern is that they do not want to run a cheap controversial ad that's sole purpose is to generate media. With that said, he would support our ad, if it were worth it to their company. This means he would rather see a larger ad campaign so that when he fields hundred of angry religious callers he can rest easier at night.

However, the ad campaign being run in Calgary is smaller than he quoted to me for what he wants to see. In Calgary they will have only 8 ads on the sides of buses. Perhaps there's not a lot of internal communication in Pattison advertising, or perhaps he hardened his heart on the issue.

Nevertheless, the Freethought Association of Canada (of the "There is probably no god..." ads) and Humanist Canada (of the "You can be good without God" ads) are both testing the waters here to potentially run here. They are not competing groups, and merely want to see a productive dialogue be raised in each city that the ads run. The FAC has done very well pursuing PR when these ads are launched, and potentially have a larger coiffer backing them. However, the Humanist's ad may appeal more to the less confrontational among us.

I should note that both of these ad campaigns are driven solely by donations from people across the country. You can donate to the FAC campaign at http://atheistbus.ca or to the Humanist Canada campaign at http://www.humanists.ca

So I'll put it to a vote: which ad, or no ad do you want to see?

Which atheist/humanist ad campaign would you like to see on Edmonton transit? ( polls)

Please only vote once. The poll closes in one week on Friday, 27 February 2009 at 3:00 PM (right when Liquid Rationalism starts).

And feel free to send me (thzatheist@gmail.com, do not reply to the mailing list) any more comments you have about the ad campaign.

Ian Bushfield
President, UofA Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
University of Alberta

[Atheists] Fwd: Upcoming Ronning Centre Events

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Are you in Camrose over the next little while, or feel like a drive?

If so the Chester Ronning Centre is having a couple of interesting upcoming events (note specifically the second and third events):

----- Begin forwarded message -----

On Saturday, February 21, Ingrid Cramer-Doerschel will be presenting a Ronning Consultation on Hildegard of Bingen in Her Time and Now. Hildegard of Bingen (1098?1197) was a German nun and founder of monasteries, scientist and naturalist, herbalist and physician, prophet, poet and composer. Through her work and visions she made manifest the relationship between humankind and God in all its perplexity, a relationship defined by renunciation and dedication. Is she a model of how to live in the twenty-first century? This Consultation will take place Saturday, February 21 from 10:00 a.m. - noon at Trinity Lutheran Church in Edmonton, 10014 - 81st Avenue. A light lunch will be served.

On Thursday, February 26, Joseph A. Buijs will present Does Religion Poison Everything? A Critical Response to the New Atheism. A recent strand of atheism argues for the demise of religion from our cultural landscape because of its inevitable harm, individually and socially. But this atheistic critique is questionable. On closer, critical examination, the argument is flawed and shows a misunderstanding of what religion is and ought to be about. This Seminar will take place Thursday, February 26 from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. in Room F104 in the Faith & Life Centre on Augustana Campus in Camrose, 4901 - 46 Avenue.

March 3, Janet Wesselius will present Science as Salvation? Religion, Science and Myths. Common understanding of the relation between science and society is that the inevitable conflict was decided in favour of science. Yet many adhere to religion, even though our society is officially secular. However, this is a simplistic view since science is burdened with salvific hopes, given the apparent success of its methods in an overtly secular society. This Seminar will take place on Tuesday, March 3 from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. in Room F104 in the Faith & Life Centre on Augustana Campus in Camrose, 4901 - 46 Avenue.

There is no fee to attend any of these events, and registration is not required.

For those who missed There is No Holiness but Social Holiness with Matthew Francis on February 10, exploring the life and work of John Wesley, an audio recording may be heard from the Camrose Church of God website, found at http://www.camrosechurchofgod.ca/audio_archive.php . Further audio recordings of other recent Ronning Centre events will be available in the coming months.

For more information on these events and the work of the Ronning Centre, visit our website at www.augustana.ualberta.ca/ronning

Regards.

Debbie Smeaton for
David Goa and Dittmar Mundel
Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life
780-504-5942; 780-672-1581
david.goa@ualberta.ca; pdmundel@telusplanet.net
www.augustana.ualberta.ca/ronning

----- End forwarded message -----

[Atheists] Atheist Bus Ads

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 22:42:00 +0000

Hi everyone,

As you're probably aware a number of Freethought groups worldwide have taken out ads on buses stating "There is probably no god, now stop worrying and enjoy your life." These ads (and similar) have run in London, England, Washington DC, Toronto and soon Calgary (among other cities).

However, some cities, like Ottawa, Halifax and Vancouver have rejected the ads. Typically they use the grounds that the ads are offensive (the Halifax ad said "You can be good without god").

As part of their investigation of this issue, the Freethought Association of Canada (who have launched most of the ads and atheistbus.ca) emailed Pattison advertising (who run the ads in Edmonton), and were told that the ads likely wouldn't be allowed in Edmonton. Following on this, I just did a brief interview with a reporter from the Journal who stated that Pattison's position is that they will only run ads that sell a product, and tend not to run ads for these types of campaigns.

I told the interviewer that we locally haven't planned anything yet in terms of these ads and that I would collect opinions from the group. So now's your chance: What do you think about these ads not running in Edmonton?

From your responses I'll work with the club's exec to figure out an appropriate response.

Please send your responses (which will be kept confidential) to: thzatheist@gmail.com

Ian Bushfield
President, UofA Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
University of Alberta

[Atheists] Upcoming Events

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Here's a couple events to mark on your calendar:

Tomorrow (Friday, 6 Feb), at 3 PM is the next edition of Liquid Rationalism at Dewey's. This week we celebrate the changes made to the convocation ceremonies, as the University agreed to change the charge from "use your degrees for the glory of God..." to "...for those who believe, to serve your God..." A definite step forward.

Next, Darwin Day 200!
February 12 is the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, and while the group has not officially planned anything, the department of Biology has a plethora of activities happening. Here's a rough outline of their events:

Seminars
2-5 PM Room BioSci M-145

Schedule:
2:00-2:05 Welcome/intro
2:03-2:45 Denis O. Lamoureux "Darwin's Religious Evolution"
2:45-3:25 Dawna Gilchrist "Darwin - a Geneticist at Heart"
3:25-3:35 10 min Break
3:35-4:20 Philip Currie "Darwin and the Dinosaurs"
4:20-5:00 Dr. Rich Palmer "Darwin's distractions: Barnacles, earthworms, and an obsession for natural history

For more information, check out:
http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/darwin/

Also, we may have an after-party following the events for those who can't get enough Darwin (more details to come).

Hope to see you out,

Ian Bushfield
President
University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics

[Atheists] Does God Exist Debate, featuring PZ Myers

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:11:00 +0000

The University of Alberta Atheists and Agnostics, and Campus for Christ are co-hosting a debate on the existence of God. Arguing that a God does exist is Kirk Durston, national director of the New Scholars Society and PhD. candidate at the University of Guelph, and arguing the other side is Dr Paul Zachary Myers, biologist and associate professor at the University of Minnesota, Morris, as well as famed author of the blog, Pharyngula.

Date: Monday, January 26th
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: ETLC E1-001

The cost for students is $2, non-students, $5. CFI Friends of the Center are free. All profits will be donated to a local charity.

The debate will last approximately 2 hours, with the second hour being audience questions.

Afterward will be a Pharyngufest, most likely at RATT. All are welcome!

Please check back, as further details may be added.

Ian Bushfield
President, UofA Atheists and Agnostics
http://www.ualberta.ca/~atheists/
University of Alberta

[Atheists] Fwd: Campus Unitarian Atheism Discussion Brunches

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:55:00 +0000

From the Campus Unitarians, unfortunately the first service is already over.

----- Forwarded message -----

Hi everyone.

Hope the new year is treating you right!

You're invited to a series of services at the Unitarian Church of
Edmonton that explore aspects of atheism. Members of the Campus
Unitarian group were involved in advising on the subject. There are
three sessions in all, with the first one starting this Sunday. We'll
go out for brunch and a discussion after each talk. Here is the
schedule:

Sunday, January 18, 10:30 a.m.
Atheism I: Atheisms (exploring all the different kinds of atheisms)

Sunday, January 25, 10:30 a.m.
Atheism II: Humanism (Unitarians, including Charles Potter of
Edmonton, were instrumental in drafting the first Humanist manifesto;
what does humanism mean in a 21st century, post-human context?)

Sunday, February 2, 10:30 a.m.
Atheism III: Your Turn (an open mic session where we can ask
questions, talk about our definitions, etc.)

All the services take place at the Unitarian Church of Edmonton at
10804 119 Street. Each service is about an hour long.

After each service, we'll meet and go to brunch to talk about the
ideas we just heard.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Cheers,
Suzette Chan
Campus Unitarians

----- End forwarded message -----
_______________________________________________
Atheists mailing list
Atheists@mailman.srv.ualberta.ca
http://www.mailman.srv.ualberta.ca/mailman/listinfo/atheists

[Atheists] Fwd: ORIGINS LECTURE

atheists@ualberta.ca (UAAA) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:47:00 +0000

Here's an upcoming lecture that many club members often enjoy:

Title: Beyond the "Evolution" vs. "Creation" Debate
Lecturer: Dr. Denis O. Lamoureux
Date: Thursday 22 Jan 09
Time: 5:00 to 6:20 PM
Place: Lecture Theater DP-2022 (Dentistry-Pharmacy Centre)

Abstract
Are there only two positions on origins: either "evolution" or "creation"?
This lecture is an introduction to professional terminology,
science-religion dialogue, and various views on origins (young earth
creation, progressive creation, evolutionary creation, deistic evolution,
and atheistic evolution). Lecturer also shares his personal voyage in this
debate.

Biography
Denis O. Lamoureux is an Associate Professor of Science and Religion at St.
Joseph's College in the University of Alberta. He has debated leading
anti-evolutionists, including Phillip Johnson, Michael Behe, and Jonathan
Wells. With Johnson, he co-authored of Darwinism Defeated? The
Johnson-Lamoureux Debate on Biological Origins (1999). Lamoureux has
recently released Evolutionary Creation: A Christian Approach to Evolution
(2008). He holds three earned doctoral degrees-dentistry, theology, and
biology.