Reminder LF Meeting Today

[donna steadman]

Good Morning, Freethinkers,

Just a quick reminder that we'll be getting together on Zoom this afternoon at 4:00 p. local time.

See you then!

Dab

On August 12, 2025, at 1:26 PM, Lakeside Freethinkers <lakeside-f...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


Hello Freethinkers!

As you know, our globe-trotting member Vijay is back in Lakeside now and  has an interesting program planned for our next meeting.  He'll be talking about "Einstein's God" based on the work of Baruch Spinoza...whose ideas  laid the foundation for later philosophers to make the case for  'atheism & agnosticism' .

I'm also happy to announce that we have a new member who recently moved to the Lakeside area and will be attending this meeting.   Welcome to the Lakeside Freethinkers group,  Courtney Nicole!!

As is our custom during the summer months, we'll be holding our meeting on Zoom.

Please reserve Thursday,  August 21st  from 4-6pm (local time) to participate in this program.

If you haven't already done so, we sure would appreciate your RSVP as soon as possible,  please!

Thanks a lot,

Dab S.

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[david...@seanet.com]

Hi,

Would love to attend but it'll be midnight here in Umbria.
Peccato!

Say hi to everyone for us
Bobbi and I will be back late October.

David

> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lakeside-freethinkers/8slf31mcj9uvlnaptf99srpd.1755784871562%40email.android.com.
>

[Donna Steadman]

Hi David ,

If you're up late tonight drinking some of that good Italian wine, feel free to tune in.   Here's the Zoom link:

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3114443075?pwd=MFdQNlJ2SjFxUlR2c0N0UmZPOVZpUT09&omn=89449975375

Meeting ID: 311 444 3075

Passcode: 298064Enjoy your vacation in Umbria!

Enjoy your vacation in Italy!

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/lakeside-freethinkers/bc820863f73cd91459d441a6a6d9e841.squirrel%40wm.seanet.com.

[Catherine Virgenock]

I enjoyed Vijay’s presentation. How
sad that this brilliant man was
ostracized from his community and had such a menial job (grinding lentils) that eventually killed him. This was interesting about our 2025 Congress. I wonder if the 24 “unaffiliated/don’t know / refused” are atheists, probably not even a category choice or possibly fear of not being reelected if it might become known.
Sent from my iPhone

[Donna Steadman]

Thanks for this info, Cathy!  Maybe the Humanist on the list is a "Secular" one...but in any case, the Christans definitely dominate the US Congress.  I don't see that changing in the foreseeable future, do you?

Have a good weekend!

-Dab

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[Catherine Virgenock]

Hola Donna …

Not publicly!

Sent from my iPhone

On 23 Aug 2025, at 1:14 p.m., Donna Steadman <dab...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Vijay Nilekani]

Hi Catherine,

Thank you for the feedback. Baruch Spinoza took up glass lens grinding. The ones that go in eye glasses. He died from inhaling the glass dust at the age of 47.

I am a curious guy and did some additional research on lens development.

The first eye glasses were developed in Venice, Italy in the 13th century AD. The technology moved to Spain in the 15th century, where it was further developed.

Spinoza's ancestors were Shepardic Jews who moved from Portugal to Spain to the Netherlands. It's possible that's how he got into that business to pay for his living. (He had been driven out of his community because of his profound philosophical views that conflicted with the Abrahamic faiths of a God in Heaven.

An interesting aside. The lens for telescopes and microscopes were developed in the 17th century in the Netherlands. That led to breakthroughs in Astronomy and Biology/Chemistry, that only furthered the sciences, leading to modernity. Further validating what Spinoza and his beleaguered thinkers were preaching and investigating.

Yahoo Mail: Search, Organize, Conquer

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