School is out, and SHAFT has not met as a group this summer. I would like to see 8: The Mormon Proposition together, but there is also an event being hosted by the Salt Lake Valley Atheists that we can attend. On July 4th, at 11:30 AM at Sizzler (371 E 400 S, SLC), they will watch a video about Dr. Jared M. Diamond’s book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. He examines what caused some great civilizations and cultures like Polynesian Easter Island, Anasazi, Maya and the Viking colony on Greenland to collapse.

I am excited for this event. You may remember Dr. Diamond from his Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller Guns, Germs, and Steel.

It is unclear to me whether Diamond himself will make an appearance or if we’ll just watch a documentary of his. Either way, this promises to be a great event. I’ll keep you posted about the details as they become available. In the meantime, please visit the Facebook event page for more info.