Previous Events

HALVASON Membership Meeting­­

When – Sunday, June 21 at 2:00 pm  

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

What – The speaker for our regular HALVASON membership meeting will be member Loretta Cardaronella. Loretta is a semi-retired elementary school teacher. She has been involved with the organized freethought movement in Las Vegas since 1990 and is the current president of HALVASON. The title of her talk will be "The Future of Religion--One Man's Conclusion." This talk is based on an article that appeared in a recent issue of Free Inquiry magazine. The article was written by Mr. Gregory S. Paul, an independent researcher, and is titled"The Big Religion Questions Finally Solved." The article deals with many intriguing questions such as: Has religion been universal in all human cultures? Why has religion had such staying power over thousands of years? Why has the U.S. been slower to become secularized than other western developed countries? What is the likely future of religion throughout the world?

 

HALVASON Forum 

When – Sunday, June 14 at 1:00 pm  (following the Board meeting at  11:30 am)

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library East Meeting Room

What – This is a chance to come and meet members informally and have freewheeling discussions on Humanist topics. See you there! (Please note that the Forum is now regularly on the second Sunday.)

 

HUUMANIST Forum

When – Sunday, June 7, at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What – “A Little Forum on Atheist Spirituality”. For more information email Paul Lacombe at: humanist@uuclv.org

 

HALVASON Membership Meeting

When – Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

What - The speaker for our regular HALVASON membership meeting will be Mr. Donovan Nichols, M.Ed. Mr. Nichols is the Program Coordinator for Student Involvement and Activities at UNLV. He is also a national speaker for the Pay It Forward Foundation. The title of his talk is "Pay It Forward--Change the World by Helping Others”. There will also be a drawing for free copies of the "Pay It Forward" book and movie. This meeting will take place in the Program Room of the Las Vegas Library located at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North (between Washington and Bonanza opposite Cashman Field).

We also plan to revive a former long-standing tradition at this meeting by inviting those present to join board members for dinner and conversation afterward. We will have dinner at Jerry's Nugget, which is located a little further north on Las Vegas Boulevard.

 We hope you will be able to join us.

 

HALVASON Forum 

When – Sunday, May 10 at 1:00 pm  (following the Board meeting at  11:30 am)

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library East Meeting Room

What – This is a chance to come and meet members informally and have freewheeling discussions on Humanist topics. See you there! (Please note that the Forum is now regularly on the second Sunday

 

HUUMANIST Forum

When – Sunday, May 3rd at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What – HUMANISIMO! Raul Martinez gives us a humorous look at the past, present and future of HUMANISM as seen through his eyes. A collection of conversations, misunderstandings and improbable encounters starting in Mexico, continuing in the U.S. and ending sometime in the future. Raul shows us how to have fun while being an atheist in a world of believers.

 

HALVASON Membership Meeting

When – Sunday, April 19 at 2:00 pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

 What - HALVASON will sponsor a speaker, Mr. John Powers, who is a member and past president of HALVASON. He will be speaking on “Addiction, Homelessness and Depression: A Personal Story”. Please see Mr. Powers’ bio which follows below.


 

On April 19, 2009, at the HALVASON Membership meeting we will welcome Mr. Powers to talk about his life, one full of what our society has identified as lifestyle problems.

Mr. Powers, having lived through these situations personally, will give a unique perspective on these conditions from the ‘inside’.  He has come to what many may consider unique perspectives on his life and the problems and events which caused each of them.

Mr. Powers is an eleven year member of HALVASON.  He spent most of that time on its Board, including a term as its President (2005-2007).  He is now taking a break from club governance. 

He graduated Birmingham High School in 1968 with Very High Honors at age 16.  By age 19, in 1971, he had a B.A. degree from UCLA in Stagecraft & Motion Picture & Television Production. 

The 1960’s Cultural Revolution was in Full Bloom.  He returned to his high school musical roots, fronting and writing original songs for his own group.  He played drums, keyboards, guitar, and bass guitar, as well as singing.

However, along with this came drugs and drug dealing.  By 1977, he met and soon married his wife, Mary Susan Cromwell Sebby.  In 1979, he entered Southwestern University Collage of Law, eventually becoming Student Body President.  Unfortunate circumstances led to Mary Susan’s suicide in 1981, when he left for several months in England and Europe.

So lay the foundations of deep depression, addictions, and, later, homelessness, which lasted (with few interruptions) for over three years.  The 1980’s did, however, allow attendance at the Van Mar Academy of Motion Picture and Television Acting, a two year program during which he was hired to teach classes for new students, and led to his own teaching at that school for another two years.

After moving to Las Vegas in 1989, John spent almost a decade acting in over 20 plays and musicals for the Actors Repertory Theatre, the only Equity Guild (union signed) theatre in Vegas at the time.

Now John Powers is teaching acting during his retirement, an active advocate for a “cease-fire” in the “war on drugs” – a medical problem he describes as “America’s longest Civil War”.

His last speech to HALVASON was on the history of America’s drug war from the 1870’s to the present day, given in 2006.

 

HALVASON Forum 

When – Sunday, April 5 at 1:00 pm  (following the Board meeting at  11:30 am) (***Please note that the Forum will be on the first Sunday instead of the second because of the library being closed on Easter***)

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library East Meeting Room

What – This is a chance to come and meet members informally and have freewheeling discussions on Humanist topics. See you there! (Please note that the Forum is now regularly on the second Sunday.)

 

HUUMANIST Forum

When – Sunday, April 5 at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What – Joyce Patterson-Rogers will discuss Issues of Choice. Before Roe v. Wade, a group of Yale women lawyers fought the Connecticut anti abortion law with a class action suit and won. There were 1,100 plaintiffs and all the depositions from the Fairfield County plaintiffs were taken in Joyce’s living room.  These were not “welfare mothers;” these were professional women and wives of executives of Fortune 500 companies.  Joyce was so struck by their sometimes harrowing and often demeaning experiences that she is researching and writing a book of actual life stories of women who had abortions in the days when they were illegal.  Whether you are “pro life” or “pro choice,” Joyce wants you to understand the freedom of choice that will be lost if Roe v. Wade is struck down.

 

 

 

 

Biography of Margaret Downey

 

Margaret Downey was born into a multi-cultural family in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Growing up in a highly prejudiced southern society in the 1950s, Downey became concerned about persecution and bigotry at an early age. As an adult, ending discrimination has been her life goal.

 

Downey founded the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia (FSGP) and the Anti-Discrimination Support Network (ADSN) in 1993. In 1994 Margaret founded the Thomas Paine Memorial Committee.

 

The Thomas Paine Memorial Committee has established proper recognition for the memory of Thomas Paine in various Pennsylvania cities including Philadelphia, Lancaster and York. Downey is also the author of city proclamations honoring Thomas Paine in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and in Garden Grove, California. She also authored the Philadelphia City Council Resolution that declares June 8th as Thomas Paine Day.

 

ADSN is concerned with discrimination against the atheist community, and ADSN monitors public office positions and public schools. Downey has represented the interests of the non-theist community at several United Nations conferences dealing with Freedom of Religion or Belief.

 

In 2003, Downey created the Richard Dawkins Award and implemented its presentation and design for six years. Downey is a past board member of American Humanist Association, the Humanist Institute, and the Thomas Paine National Historical Association. She is a current board member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, Enlighten the Vote (formally Godless Americans Political Action Committee), and the Robert Green Ingersoll Museum.

 

In the year 2002, Margaret became the first “Secular Humanist Celebrant” in Pennsylvania. Taking advantage of Pennsylvania’s “Self-Uniting” marriage licenses, Margaret performs godless weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals.

 

Downey is also the creator of the Tree of Knowledge, which is fast becoming a winter holiday icon for the secular community.

 

Along with many television appearances, Downey has been a guest speaker on National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation and Radio Times. She has also been featured on radio programs in almost every state and most recently China

and Jamaica.

 

Margaret Downey Contact Information

Address: P. O. Box 234, Pocopson, PA 19366         

Phone: (610) 793-2737

Email: Downey1@downey1.cnc.net

Website: www.secular-celebrations.com

 


 

HALVASON/LVFS Membership Meeting

When – Saturday, March 21st at 2:00 pm   (****Please notice that this is not the usual day that we hold our membership meetings.)

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

What - HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Ms. Margaret Downey. Ms. Downey will be visiting here from Philadelphia. The title of her talk will be "Rearing Children Free From Religious Intrusions". Ms. Downey is well-known in the freethought community. She has served as a board member of almost every nontheist organization in the United States. She is the founder of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, and the past-president of the Atheist Alliance International. We hope you will be able to attend. (For further information on Ms. Downey, please see www.myspace.com/margaretdowney and her bio which follows below.)

 

HUUMANIST Forum

When – Sunday, March 1st at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What - The acclaimed “First Freedom First” film production “Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Separation of Church and State……But Were Afraid to Ask!” will provide the substance of this forum. The first three topics of this series will include: Worship or Not; Academic Integrity; No Religious Discrimination. Paul LaCombe will lead a discussion following the screening.

 

HALVASON/LVFS Membership Meeting

When - Sunday, February 15th, at 2:00 pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

What - HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Professor Larry Ashley. Professor Ashley is an Associate Professor in Residence in the Department of Counselor Education at UNLV, the Director of the Problem Gambling Treatment Program at UNLV, and a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry in the UNLV School of Medicine. The title of his talk will be “Problem Gambling.” This meeting will take place in the Program Room of the Las Vegas Library at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North (across from Cashman Field).

 

HALVASON Board Meeting

When – Sunday, February 8th at 11:30

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library East Meeting Room

What - The monthly board meeting date has been changed to the 2nd Sunday for this month and the Forum has been cancelled.

 

HUUMANIST Forum

When - Sunday, February 1st at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What - Gary Devaney will facilitate "God's Biblical Heroes" in response to our invitation to him to fit the biblical heroes into what humanists find uncomfortable.  For more information, please contact Paul LaCombe at huumanist@uuclv.org

 

HALVASON/LVFS Membership Meeting

When - Sunday, January 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV in the Library Program Room (Across from Cashman Field)

What - HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Professor Oliver Hemmers. Professor Hemmers is the Director of the Office of Strategic Energy Programs at UNLV. He is also an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Chemistry there. He is going to speak on “Renewable Energy Research.”

 

UUCLV HUUMANIST Forum

When -  Sunday, January 4th at 11:30 am

Where - UUCLV Worship Hall - 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What - "An Overview of Humanist Women from the 1200's to Today."  Laurie Bullock will be highlighting several women who espoused and furthered the cause of Humanism for women and men.  It will cover the struggles for recognition within their times up to today. And will include a call to men and women to work together to advance the Humanism so badly needed in today's world and in the future.

 

Open Forum - HALVASON/LVFS

When - NO FORUM THIS MONTH  due to holidays

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (map)

What - This meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants. It is held in the East Conference Room of the Las Vegas Library.

 


We would like to thank those who attended the HALVASON / LVFS Winter Solstice Party on December 21st. Though the turnout was smaller than expected, there was plenty of good food and conversation had by all—including a prospective new member or two. Our best wishes go out to all members and their families for a wonderful new year--one that looks to have an atmosphere more congenial to Humanist goals.

Happy New Year!


Special  Announcement

In place of our usual afternoon speaker meeting:on Sunday, December 21st at 6:00 p.m., HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a WINTER SOLSTICE PARTY at the home of HALVASON member Bob Hannah and his wife Geri. Membership will receive an email with attached map and directions to their home, which is located in the Anthem area. HALVASON and LVFS board members will prepare full turkey and ham dinners served buffet style and including soft drinks and water. You are welcome to bring your own alcoholic beverages. There will be a $10 charge per person for the party (to be paid at the party) since we are hoping to recover the cost of the food and possibly raise a little money for our treasuries. If you would like to attend, please call or email Loretta Cardaronella, who is coordinating the party, so we will know how much food to prepare. Loretta's home phone is 258-1587 and her email is lorettac2@cox.net.  We hope you will join us for what should be a very enjoyable evening.

 

UUCLV HUUMANISTS Forum

When - Sunday, December 7th at 11:30

Where - 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV (map)

What - Dr. Ken Osgood, contributor to the NV HealthCare Summit recently released "Guiding Principles to Protect and Improve the Health Status of All Nevadans", will discuss how to reduce the number of people without adequate health insurance.  He will also relay personal experiences dealing with negative interference in healthcare at end-of-life." For more information, please contact Paul LaCombe at huumanist@uuclv.org

 

HALVASON/LVFT  

When - Sunday, November 16th at 2:00 p.m.

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (map)

What - HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Professor Leroy Pelton. The title of his talk will be “Homelessness and the Politics of Deservedness.” Dr. Pelton is a professor in and former director of the School of Social Work at UNLV. He is also a professor emeritus of the School of Social Work at Salem State College in Massachusetts. Dr. Pelton has written four books and numerous journal articles and other publications on psychology, social work, child welfare, and social policy. This talk will take place at 2:00 p.m. In the Program Room of the Las Vegas Library located at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North (across from Cashman Field).

 

Open Forum - HALVASON/LVFS

When - NOTICE – the Sun, November 23 Forum has been CANCELLED.

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV (map)

What - This meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants. It is held in the East Conference Room of the Las Vegas Library.

 

UUCLV HUUMANISTS Forums

When -  Sun, November 2, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Where - 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What -   Paul Seidel will facilitate a discussion on “Living proud, as a Humanist”. How has humanism supported diverse pathways in life and what expectations does one have for one’s future especially in areas of milestone transitions?

 

SPECIAL EVENTHALVASON/LVFS

When - Thursday, October 30, 6:30 pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV

What - Thursday, October 30th, at 6:30 pm, HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Mr. Edward Tabash. Mr. Tabash is a lawyer in the Los Angeles area. He is also the current chairman of the national legal committee of Americans for Separation of Church and State and the current chairman for the First Amendment Task Force for the Council for Secular Humanism. The title of Mr. Tabash's talk is "The Threat From the Religious Right on Our Modern Freedoms". His talk will include an overview of what the Founders meant by the First Amendment, how the religious right is attempting to subvert the intent of that amendment, and how a shift of just one vote on the Supreme Court could usher in a theocracy. This talk will take place in the Program Room of the Las Vegas Library located at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North (across from Cashman Field). Mr. Tabash speaks to many groups around the United States including at the national conventions of many freethought organizations. We are very lucky to have such a fine speaker coming to Las Vegas to speak to us. We hope you will be able to attend. (Please notice that this talk is not taking place on the usual third Sunday date of our regular general meetings. There will not be a general meeting on the 19th of October.)

 

UUCLV HUUMANISTS Forums

When -  Sun, Oct 5, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Where - 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

What -  Humanism and the Novel - Inspired by the work of Salman Rushdie, Bruce Isaacson will facilitate a discussion starting with "Humanism, 'God' and literature: What are people for?" Bruce will direct our exchanges to consider whether man was intended to be served or should serve or set priorities. Bruce will end with an acknowledgment of the difficulty in debating purpose and "God" because so many mean entirely different things by the word.

 

Membership Meeting --HALVASON/LVFS

When - Sun, Sep 21, 2pm – 5pm

Where - 833 N. Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas, NV

What - On Sunday, September 21st, HALVASON and LVFS will jointly sponsor a speaker, Prof. David Hassenzahl. Prof. Hassenzahl is the current chairman of the Department of Environmental Studies at UNLV and is the author of numerous books and articles. The title of his talk is "Las Vegas: The Sustainability Everytown”. His presentation will simultaneously explore the unique sustainability challenges facing Las Vegas and argue that, despite or even because of these conditions, Las Vegas can serve as an exemplar for urban sustainability. His talk will take place at 2:00 p.m. in the Program Room of the Las Vegas Library located at 833 Las Vegas Boulevard North (across from Cashman Field). We hope you will be able to join us.

 

Las Vegas Atheists September Meetup

When - Tue, Sep 16, 7pm – 9pm

Where - Jason's Deli - 3910 S Maryland Pkwy - Las Vegas, NV 89119 - USA

Description - Atheists Meetups > Las Vegas Atheists This is our regular atheist meetup at Jason's Deli. The gathering is mainly social. This event began several years ago with just a handful of us at the Barnes and Noble book store. We outgrew that location years ago and have been at Jason's Deli ever since. For this event, all types of conversation are welcome. There is usually too large of a group to have one conversation. We recommend that you switch seats periodically to meet new people. Think of it as musical chairs without the music. If you hear someone talking about a topic that interests you, jump on in. There are always new people each week so don't feel shy about meeting someone new. We hope to see you there!

 

UUCLV HUUMANISTS Forums

When -  Sun, Sep 7, 11:30am – 1:30pm

Where - 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

Description - Scientology is one of those mysteries of modern life which generates curiosity at the very least. Carl Kaun will talk from his experience with this movement. Location: Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Las Vegas, 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, east of Pecos at 11:30 am. At 11:30am on the first Sunday of each month, come to the UUCLV HUUmanists Forum. 3616 East Lake Mead Blvd, east of Pecos. Please join us. The topics are current, controversial and interesting - definitely will stir up some great discussions.

 

Forum: Sunday June 1, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities (a joint event with UUCLV)

"What exactly is happiness?" Without confronting established religion, Ryan Smith will take on the challenge of celebrating life without the benefit of supernaturalism.

 

Forum: Sunday May 25 at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room
 The forum is a meeting for discussion of  topics of interest to humanists and freethinkers

Meeting:  Sunday May 18, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room (joint with LVFS)

"Road to 2050" Futurist Dick Pelletier will discuss the unfolding of various technologies -- such as stem cell therapies, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and quantum computing -- and the possibly amazing implications for what it means to be a human being.

Forum: Sunday May 4, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities (a joint event with UUCLV)
"Coming out as an atheist in America" Raul Martinez  explore the pros and the cons; the danger and the fun; the pleasure and the pain that comes from offering NOTHING to the world.  Raul is an ordained minister and proud Mexican Atheist, and describes himself as magnificently humble computer geek and defender of human rights.

Meeting:  Sunday April 20, at 1:00 p.m. (note time change) at Wayne Bunker Memorial Park, 7351 W. Alexander Road (SW corner of Alexander and Tenaya)
Picnic: We will be serving a variety of barbecued and grilled meats.  This is a potluck affair.  Please call Loretta at 258-1587 to coordinate your participation. Further details are available here.

Note: This will be the last opportunity to say goodbye to Mel Lipman before he retires to Florida.

Forum: Sunday April 6, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities (a joint event with UUCLV)
"What Humanism has to Offer Mankind"  Randon Beckstead will facilitate the discussion centered on the Human Condition -- not a lost cause in need of supernatural reinforcements, but a reality worthy of celebration in its own right.

 

Forum: Sunday March 30, at 1:00 p.m., in the Las Vegas Library Program Room
The Forum is a  meeting for discussions of items of interest to humanists and freethinkers
NOTE the change of date.

Service: Sunday March 30, at 10:00 a.m. at the UUCLV facilities
"The lighter side of humanism":  HALVASON member Paul LaCombe will turn to Isaac Asimov and Kurt Vonnegut for inspiration, and speak to a whimsical and humorous side of humanism. Laughter will be permitted.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday, March 16, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Varieties of Freethought

Speaker/
Moderator:

Dr. Mel Lipman, longtime humanist activist and President of the American Humanist Association

Note(s):

This is a joint HALVASON/LVFS presentation

 

Place/Time:

Sunday March 2, at 11:30 p.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

It's the Community, not the Economy

Facilitator:

Laurie Bullock

Notes:

How do we live in community and strengthen our bonds within the human family and with the rest of the interdependent web of existence? This discussion will focus on the evolving community and our connections to it.

This is a joint event with UUCLV.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday, February 24, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

None: this meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants.

Speaker/
Moderator:

None: this meeting is an open forum.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday, February 17, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

A World of Clashing Darwinisms

Speaker/
Moderator:

Dr. David Wrobel,  UNLV  Professor of History and the  current President of the Pacific Coast Branch of the American Historical Society

Note(s):

Dr. Wrobel's talk focuses on the debate over Darwinian Science and the applications of evolutionary theory to human society in the late 19th century, and in doing so, lays the foundation for more informed discussion of a range of contemporary hot button issues from welfare policy to intelligent design.

This is a joint HALVASON/LVFS presentation

 

Place/Time:

Sunday February 3, at 11:30 p.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

The Menace of Fundamentalism

Facilitator:

Gary DeVaney, author of "The God Murders"

Notes:

Gary will discuss the menace of fundamentalism and an end-times mentality that promotes a risky foreign policy stance as well as neglect for an ailing environment and troubled biosphere.

This is a joint event with UUCLV.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday, January 27, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

None: this meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants.

Speaker/
Moderator:

None: this meeting is an open forum.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday, January 20, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Letting Go of God

Speaker/
Moderator:

Julia Sweeney (video)

Note(s):

We will display portions of Julia Sweeney's video Letting Go of God, interespersed with discussion from attendees. 

From an Amazon review: 
Equally comedic and insightful, "Letting Go of God" is Sweeney's brilliant one-woman show about her struggle with her faith. Grappling with the seeming contradictions in Adam and Eve, Noah, the Ten Commandments, and even the teachings of Jesus - and trying to understand the Bible's messages about morality, family values, and human suffering while faced with door-knocking Mormons and wise-cracking priests - Sweeney takes listeners on her very personal journey from God to "not-God".

This is a joint HALVASON/LVFS presentation

 

Place/Time:

Saturday, December 22, at 6:00 p.m. at the home of HALVASON member Leslie Tighi

Topic:

HALVASON Winter Solstice/Holiday Party

Speaker/
Moderator:

None.  See description in Notes

Note(s):

Members of HALVASON and the LVFS are invited to attend the joint HALVASON/LVFS Winter Solstice party on Saturday, December 22nd, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Last year's party was a huge success and lots of fun for everyone, and we expect this year's to be even better. We will be serving a holiday dinner of with a variety of meats (turkey, ham and beef), a large variety of side dishes (including potatoes, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, and vegetables), and soft drinks and ice. Those desiring alcoholic beverages are welcome to bring their libation of choice.

There will be a $10.00 charge to attend, payable at the door, to defray the costs of the event.

Those planning on attending the event need to RSVP by phone or email to Loretta C. (Phone: 258-1587, email: lorettac2@cox.net) by Wednesday, December 19th. The RSVP is needed because the event is held within the Red Rock Country Club, a gated community, and we need to give a list of names to the guard gate so that the guards will know who is permitted to enter. We will also use the list of names to plan the amount of food needed.

Time is short (my fault), so please RSVP in the next couple of days if you are able to attend.

The party will take place at the home of HALVASON member Leslie Tighe (as it did last year), at 2676 Red Arrow Drive in Las Vegas. Here are directions to Leslie's house.

We will take a few minutes near the start of the party to approve a HALVASON Board of Directors. The current Board has identified a slate of candidates it will present for affirmation. This slate consists of current Board Members Mel Lipman, Carl Kaun, John Powers, Loretta C. and Bill Jacobs, together with new candidates Mike Plaistad, Leslie Tighe, Fred Knapp, Robert Hannah, and Jim Dreitzler. We look forward a dynamic organization in the coming year with this board.

Members may also indicate their approval or disapproval of the slate of Board candidates to any board member, by phone, in person, or by email. My phone number is 897-0337, and my email address is carl@halvason.org.

The Winter Solstice party will take the place of the normal HALVASON/LVFS Members meeting. That means there will be NO Member's meeting on this coming Sunday, December 16. There will also be no forum on December 23.

We hope you will join us for a delicious dinner and congenial conversation with like-minded individuals.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday December 2, at 11:30 p.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

Presidential attitudes on bioethical issues

Facilitator:

Dr. Kurt Regner, Asst. Professor of Life Sciences at UNLV

Notes:

This is a joint event with UUCLV.  Notes from a previous presentation by Dr. Wegner to HALVASON are available.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday November 25, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

None: this meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants.

Speaker/
Moderator:

None: this meeting is an open forum.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday November 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Congregation Ner Tamid, 55 N. Valle Verde Dr., Henderson 89074.  Tel: 733-6292.

Topic:

Interfaith Council Thanksgiving Service

Speaker(s):

Representatives of various faith traditions.

Note(s):

HALVASON President Carl Kaun will represent Humanism.  Our participation on the Interfaith Council depends on our representation at these Services, and we encourage members to participate.  Participants have an opportunity to submit written questions at each event.  A short fellowship and refreshments follows the forum, prepared by the host faith community.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday November 18, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Exploring the dark side of religion: how religion impacts the individual and society

Speaker/
Moderator:

Ryan Smith

Note(s):

Ryan is an elementary school teacher and initiator of an online business.  He was at one time a fundamentalist Mormon missionary, and has gone to religious school and worked for the Mormon Church.  He has spoken to the HALVASON/UUCLV forum on sex and religion.

The membership meeting will include final nominations for the Board of Directors and their election.

The talk is a joint HALVASON and LVFS event.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday October 28, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

None: this meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants.

Speaker/
Moderator:

None: this meeting is an open forum.  Mel Lipman has announced that because of the national AHA board meeting earlier in the day, several members of the AHA board, including Executive Director Roy Speckhardt, will be present.  This will provide an excellent opportunity for members to ask about AHA's direction and to indicate their desires.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday October 21, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Where our health insurance dollars really go

Speaker/
Moderator:

Kenneth Osgood, MD, MPH

Note(s):

Dr. Osgood is President and Director of  Product Development for MSR Medical Scientific Resources
This is a joint HALVASON and LVFS event.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday October 7, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

Common Arguments against humanism revealed:  Pascal's Wager, Einstein believed in god, Hitler was an atheist, the universe must have been designed, etc.  Come and discuss arguments you have heard or may hear in the future and why they are fundamentally false.

Facilitator:

Randon Beckstead

Note:

This is a joint HALVASON/UUCLV event

 

Place/Time:

Sunday September 16, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Modern Therapy: where the secular and spiritual collide (and sometimes overlap)

Speaker/
Moderator:

Steven Kalas

Note:

Mr. Kalas is a former ordained minister who writes a human-oriented column Sundays and Tuesdays for the Review-Journal.  Further information on Mr. Kalas is found below at 6/23/2007.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday September 2, at 10:00 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

Varieties of Judaism--From orthodox fundamentalist to humanistic

Presentor:

Mel Lipman, president of the American Humanist Association

Note:

There is NO joint forum in September due to Labor Day.  Mel is talking to the UU congregation.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday August 26, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

None: this meeting is an open forum for discussions of items of interest to participants.

Speaker/
Moderator:

None: this meeting is an open forum

 

Place/Time:

Sunday August 19, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Religion in the 2008 elections

Speaker/
Moderator:

Dr. Ted G. Jelen

Note:

Dr. Jelen is a professor of Political Science at UNLV.  His main research interests are in public opinion, religion and politics, feminism, and the politics of abortion.  He is an editor of the academic journal Politics and Religion, and a former editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday July 15, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Human rights and church/state separation

Speaker/
Moderator:

Dr. Gregory S. Brown

Note:

Dr. Brown is an Assistant Professor of History at UNLV

 

Place/Time:

Sunday July 8, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities  NOTE DATE CHANGE!

Topic:

Who owns our bodies, anyhow?  Dr. Kurt Regner will facilitate this forum from the world of bio-ethics which we will call "Who owns our bodies, anyhow?" The several areas of current interest - cloning, stem-cell research, genetic engineering among others, prompt us to ask this question. Current Admininstration efforts to stymie research in these areas brings us back once again to the Wall of Separation. Join us for a stimulating discussion.

Facilitator:

Dr. Kurt Regner, Asst. Professor of Life Sciences at UNLV

Note:

This is a joint event with UUCLV.  Notes from a previous presentation by Dr. Wegner to HALVASON are available.  President Carl Kaun recently wrote a hopefully provocative letter to the Las Vegas Sun concerning stem cell research.  Deanna Dally wrote a to-the-point letter urging stem cell research.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday June 24, at 1:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room
NOTE TIME CHANGE

Forum:

What should the HALVASON Forum do for members?  Where should we meet?  What should we talk about?

 

Place/Time:

Sunday June 17, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Godless Grief and remembering Clark Adams

Moderator:

Cathe Jones of Godless Grief

Note:

This is a joint event with LVFS.   Cathe will lead a discussion of  how humanists and other nonbelievers grieve, including remembrances of Clark as appropriate.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday June 3, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

Unfit to Serve:  Why, in a nation where the constitution guarantees separation of church and state, would an agnostic, atheist or humanist be incapable of gaining national office? Why is freethought seen to be synonymous with evil?

Facilitator:

Paul LaCombe

Note:

This is a joint event with UUCLV.

 

Place/Time:

Sunday June 3, at 2:00 p.m., at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation  facilities at 3316 E. Lake Mead Boulevard, a block east of Pecos.

Topic:

A memorial for Clark Adams, celebrating a life well-lived.

Speaker:

Mel Lipman will deliver opening remarks.

Note:

This is a joint event with LVFS. 

 

Place/Time:

Sunday May 20, at 2:00 p.m. in the Las Vegas Library Program Room

Topic:

Humanism in the civil rights movement

Speaker/
Moderator:

Mr. Michael Estes, who has given this presentation at other events. At six feet six inches tall, Mike Estes is certainly easy to find in a crowded room!   He is currently a member of the Atheist Coalition of San Diego, and has been involved with freethought organizations in the San Diego area for over fifteen years.  He was raised as a Baptist until age twelve when he read The Autobiography of Malcolm X and Introduction to African Civilizations by atheist John G.  Jackson.  That started him on a journey from religion to atheism that took over ten years to complete.
    Mike has a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from San Diego State University, is an Air Force veteran, and is currently completing a sabbatical from his career as a Quality Assurance Software Engineer, taken in part to spend more time on issues related to freethought and church-state separation.

Note:

This is a joint event with the Las Vegas Freethought Society.  Please join us for what both Mel Lipman and Clark Adams describe as a stirring presentation, and following discussion

 

Place/Time:

May 6, at 11:30 a.m. in the UUCLV facilities

Topic:

A humanist examination of sex, exploring differences in outlook from more fundamentalist perspectives.

Facilitator:

Ryan Smith, husband, parent and humanist

Note:

This is a joint HALVASON/UUCLV event.

 

Place/Time:

May 6, at 2:00 p.m. in the brand new theater of the Sci Fi Center, at  2520 State Street (just west of Commercial Center and just south of Sahara; park along State Street)  NOTE THAT THIS IS A SPECIAL EVENT AT A NEW LOCATION

Topic:

Where the Hell is Jesus? A Look at the "Trial Transcripts" of Peter and Paul, which is a humorous take on evidence in Acts that Jesus didn't exist

Speaker/
Moderator:

Richard Carrier,  a Ph.D. student of ancient history at Columbia University and frequent lecturer and debater on atheism, theology and history.  He is one of the most noted scholarly authorities of first century Rome.  A veteran of the U.S. Coast Guard, Richard holds a  B.A in history from Berkeley and two masters degrees in ancient  history, one M.A. and one M.Phil, both from Columbia University.   He is also the author of Sense and Goodnesss Without God: A Defense of  Metaphysical Naturalism and has three chapters in The Empty Tomb: Jesus  Beyond the Grave, an anthology edited by Robert Price and Jeff Lowder. He also has numerous articles on the Secular Web ( http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/richard_carrier/) and on his own blog ( http://richardcarrier.blogspot.com). Richard is a popular speaker at various freethought functions as he is able to use humor to give a modern understanding to issues of ancient history.

Note:

This is a joint event with the Las Vegas Freethought Society.  Please join us for what promises to be a really fun presentation.