Lakeside Freethinkers Meeting Minutes January, 2026

[Lakeside Freethinkers]

The monthly meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers was held at Yves'
restaurant on Thursday, January 16, 2026, with 13 members present.
Chair Lloyd Kumley opened the meeting about 4:10p.m. welcoming
everyone and asking each attendee to say a few words of introduction
about themselves.   Then he passed around  a donation
envelope  for contributions to continue the  group's scholarship for
science student, Fatima. An additional $1500p. was collected from members.

As the topic of the day was sharing information about  2025
advancements in the fields of science, medicine & technology, Chad
began with a review of Artificial Intelligence, specifically
describing some of the problems associated with its development.

and massive energy consumption.  A lively discussion debating the

 pro's & con's of this ubiquitous technology ensued.
 Donna followed by reading a recently published article in "Scientific
American"  entitled "Ten Medical Discoveries that transformed how we
thought about health in 2025".  Fortunately, not all medical research
funding has been cut in the U.S.
Brad presented next by comparing certain health benefits of eating
plant -based vs. animal protein. As studies indicate that the physical
performance of participants eating one diet or the other was
essentially equal, he made the case for eating a plant-based diet  as
it is much more planet-friendly  (based on environmental concerns such
as pollution generated  & resource consumption).
Rich then spoke from personal experience about certain herbs with
anti-inflammatory properties which have a positive effect on
auto-immune disorders such as arthritis (especially rutarin powder
available through i-herb).
Linda told the group about an experimental earth- friendly way to make
concrete using sea water.  As the traditional manufacture of concrete
leaves a massive carbon & pollution footprint, this alternative process

 could be a great boon to the health of the planet.
Lloyd closed the presentations with a scientific finding about the
origin of the Earth's Moon. This discovery was made using newly refined 

equipment to test the heavy metal isotopes of moon rocks collected on
Apollo space missions.  The upshot was that the Moon was likely
created from rock chunks resulting from a collision of the Earth with
the planet Theia about 4.5 million years ago.

An informal discussion followed until all remaining group members left 

the restaurant at 6:10 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Dab Steadman, Secretary