The meeting on Sunday afternoon was a fun affair. Everyone seemed to have a good time watching the Lowder/Fernandes debate -- the parts we had time for, that is -- and discussing what we heard. The tape was interesting enough to the folks who were there that we decided to bring back the tape for next month's meeting in order to watch the rest of the tape. Everyone seemed particularly interested in seeing the Question/Answer section of the tape, where members of the audience were able to revisit statements made during the debate.
While we watched the tape, everyone enjoyed the food that was brought. Thanks particularly to Mary Mendeni and Monroe White for bringing in the vegetarian chili. I thought it was very tasty. This may become a very fun part of our regular meetings. By the way, while we nearly overflowed the room we were given for this month's meeting, my understanding is that all our other meetings that have been set up are going to be in that much larger room we met in last month. So if we keep growing, we'll be in good shape, at least for a while.
We briefly examined a story that appeared in yesterday's Greensboro News and Record, about the details of the life of a street preacher that holds forth at the County Courthouse here. The interesting thing about the article was that it included the e-mail address of the writer. I have sent Mr. Fuchs a note asking if he and his editors think the paper would be interested in doing a story on the PFA, giving us atheists and agnostics a little matching space. I'll let folks know if we get a reply.
Another part of the meeting was spent in discussing a possible field trip for the group. I mentioned the Three Colleges Observatory in southern Alamance County. There was a lot of interest in going out to have a look through the 32-inch scope. I have sent in a request for tickets for the group, asking for a reservation for 12 people. The first choice from their calendar that I put in was for Saturday, Nov. 22, a Mars observing night. The second choice was Friday, Dec. 12. I'll be sure to keep everyone informed of the progress of this request. If you'll look at the schedule, most night sessions start at 7:00, and last about an hour. So all who want to bring their kids can do so without a problem. Just be sure you're prepared for the weather.
During the meeting, I passed out all of the copies of the CD-ROM I have been copying, with the complete works of Robert Ingersoll. If anyone else wants a copy for their own, please let me know, and I'll have some new ones made up for our next get-together.
Just a few quick reminders. Our next meeting will be on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 4:00 at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greensboro. If there are any questions about the group or our planned events, please contact me at my e-mail (below).
Here's hoping everyone has a great month!