Atheists of Silicon Valley

News and Upcoming Events of Interest

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NOTE: Most of our meetings are on the 4th Wednesday of the month, at 7:30 pm at 425 Lotus Ln., Mtn. View.

ASV Library at meetings: bring books & magazines; get books and magazines

Everyone is welcome at our meetings: members, non-members, Atheists, Agnostics, Pagans, Deists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, ... You don't have to come out of the closet at the meeting or even give your real name. Our membership and Yahoo lists are not public. We don't charge for atttendance, but do ask if people want to donate to help with the small expenses of keeping us going and doing outreach.

For events in San Francisco, see the San Francisco Atheists calendar.
For events in the East Bay, see the East Bay Atheists calendar.
For Humanist Community Sunday events in Palo Alto, see their calendar.

Psychologist Marlene Winell Offers Weekend Retreats For Recovery From Religion

Marlene Winell, Ph.D., the author of a book on recovering from the psychological scars resulting from a fundamentalist upbringing, plans weekend retreats that focus on what that recovery means.

“The effects of authoritarian religious training can last a long time and run deep, seriously impacting your ability to enjoy life. The process of leaving one’s faith often creates intense feelings of confusion, grief, anxiety, and anger. Full recovery can be difficult if the issues are not clear and you feel alone in the struggle.

“This workshop is designed to support you in this process of healing and growth. The weekend is a powerful group experience of sharing personal history, examining key issues, and exploring new liberating concepts. In addition to discussion, we will use experiential methods including art, guided visualization, movement, and role-play. There will also be time for shared meals, relaxation, and fun.”

To register, send an email to mwinell 'at' gmail.com with your contact information.

Thursdays at 3pm PT, The Infidel Guy Show

On blogtalkradio.com.

Toll-Free: 888-503-0802

Send debate suggestions to: producer 'at' infidelguy.com

» Upcoming Events «

Tue Feb 9, 7 am: Dr. Ed Buckner debates "Does God Exist"
- on www.wtic.com

Dr. Ed Buckner, President of American Atheists, will debate John Rankin of the Theological Education Institute this Tuesday, Feb. 9, beginning at 10 am ET (7 am PT). The forum is the Jim Vicevich Show on WTIC radio in Connecticut. The program will be streamed live on the internet - just visit www.wtic.com

Feb 12-14 - Secular Student Alliance N. California Regional Leadership Summit
at Stanford University

Saturday, Feb 13, 5 pm - Sean Faircloth, Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America
- at Stanford

SCA

Secular Student Alliance

Invites you to hear

Sean Faircloth
Executive Director
Secular Coalition for America

on

"One Nation
Under the Constitution"

The Secular Coalition for America lobbies for secular policies in Washington, D.C.
Secular Coalition Executive Director Sean Faircloth will discuss how the values of our nation's founders directly connect to the values of the secular movement and how theocratically-based injustices in American law are not a historical artifact -- but rather a stark current reality that we all have a moral obligation to address.

Note: This event is part of the Secular Student Alliance's Leadership Summit. If you are interested in attending, contact: lyz [at] secularstudents.org

Secular Coalition for America | http://www.secular.org
P.O. Box 66096 | Washington, D.C. 20035-6096 | (202) 299-1091

Saturday, February 13th, 5 pm
Location:
450 Serra Mall, Bldg. 370
Stanford

Sunday, Feb 14, 11 am - The Secular Student Alliance
- at The Humanist Community in Palo Alto

Bob Stephens, longtime Humanist Community member and founder of the annual Darwin Day Celebration, will present a short history of the connection between the Humanist Community, the Darwin Day Celebration, and the Secular Student Alliance (SSA). August Brunsman IV, the Executive Director of the SSA, will then discuss the history and ongoing success of the SSA, including SSA activities occurring at Stanford this weekend.

NEW Location:
Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto

Tuesday, February 16, 7 pm - The Bay Area Russell Set

- at the Szechwan Café, 406 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

BARS will once again mark Darwin's birthday by discussing the relationship between evolution and philosophy. The reading this year will be Suzanne Cunningham, Philosophy and the Darwinian Legacy, chapter 2: "G.E. Moore and Evolutionary Ethics." This reading will be posted at BARS's Yahoo! and Meetup groups.

Sunday, Feb 21, 11 am - Russell on the Nature of Ethics
- at The Humanist Community in Palo Alto

What is ethics? How do we know right from wrong? What does it even mean to say that some action is "right" or "wrong?" Bertrand Russell, one of the greatest philosophers and humanists of the twentieth century, grappled with questions like these all his life. Peter Stone, a Stanford Political Science Professor and longtime member of the Bertrand Russell Society, will discuss Russell's views on the nature of ethics.

NEW Location:
Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto

Wednesday, Feb 24, 7:30 pm - George Lakoff:
Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century Politics with an 18th-Century Brain
- at Stanford

“Our democracy is in danger. That danger has its roots in money, power, social structure, and history, but the ultimate source of that danger is in the brains of our citizens.”
—George Lakoff, The Political Mind (2008)

George Lakoff, one of the world's best-known linguists and cognitive scientists, has written books for those who want to know their own minds better, to understand why so many Americans are willing to vote against their own interests, and to figure out why so many progressive leaders don't seem to make much progress. The title of this evening's program is the subtitle of his latest book, The Political Mind, in which Lakoff argues that the political divide in the US between red and blue, conservative and progressive, has its source in the deep cognitive frames, prototypes, and metaphors we use to make sense of the world we live in. Political reason is not as reasonable as we suppose, but its unconscious and emotional logic can be better understood — in fact, it has to be understood if we hope to defend our most valuable political ideals: freedom, equality, and democracy.

This event is co-sponsored by the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies.

GEORGE LAKOFF, Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics, UC Berkeley

George Lakoff is the author of more than ten books including these bestsellers, Metaphors We Live By; Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservative Think; Don't Think of an Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the Debate: The Essential Guide for Progressives; and Whose Freedom? The Battle over America's Most Important Idea. Lakoff has been an advisor to presidential candidates and a frequent consultant to the Democratic party.

Location:
Cubberley Auditorium, School of Education
Stanford
Free and open to the public.

Sunday, Feb 28, 11 am - A Visual Concept for Our Future Humanist Community Center
- at The Humanist Community in Palo Alto

For the past year a Humanist Community committee has been meeting to develop a visual concept for a facility of our own that would serve as a Center for all of our activities, and help us expand our activities and influence in Silicon Valley. The Committee has presented their work to the Board of Directors for their comments and suggestions. Adjustments have been made to accommodate the Board's suggestions and the Committee is now ready to present their work to the Full Community Membership so that we can answer questions, listen to your comments and suggestions and then complete our work. Bob Stephens, Chair of this committee, will lead this discussion.

NEW Location:
Palo Alto High School
50 Embarcadero Rd
Palo Alto

APRIL 2-4, AMERICAN ATHEISTS 36th National Convention
- in Newark/New York City

Featured speakers include:The Convention will take place at one of the premier meeting venues in the NJ-NYC region - The Magnificent Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel at Newark Airport. We've arranged a special rate of only $84 (plus tax) for 1 to 4 in a room. This special rate covers "shoulder daters," in effect beginning Wednesday, March 31 through Monday, April 5. This allows you and family/friends to make a "mini-vacation" of the Convention weekend, and visit all the great tourism sites in the area, including New York City. There is free parking for those staying at the hotel, along with free internet and other amenities.

The Newark Liberty Renaissance Hotel is located at 1000 Spring St., Elizabeth, NJ, with shuttle service to and from the Newark Airport. AMTRAK and NJ Transit stop at Newark Airport station.

Make your reservations promptly with the Renaissance Newark Airport Hotel by calling 1-866-234-7535. To qualify for the special room rate, you must ask for the special American Atheists Convention rate of $84 (plus tax).

See American Atheists for more info.


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