What's New?

Our May 2020 newsletter is now available for download on our newsletter page.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail list to get advance notification of events.

There will be no in-person HAC meetings until further notice. The video platform used for each meeting varies.

In order to support the effort to limit the spread of Covid-19 via a social distancing effort, we’re cancelling or rescheduling all events for the next 30 days. Some events will be held online.

When What
Saturday, June 6th
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Humanist Explorations - Social Meeting

We do not want to compete with the official protests, one of which is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Saturday. We will hold a social meeting for anyone who is interested instead.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88076461861

Meeting ID: 880 7646 1861

Monday, June 8th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Member Discussion

What response to current events would you like from the Humanist Association of Connecticut? We have traditionally avoided group public statements. Staying silent may make us appear to support those we very much do not. Come discuss it.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83880835103

Meeting ID: 838 8083 5103

Monday, June 15th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Monthly Meeting: Manuela Wagner and Intercultural Competence

Manuela Wagner is a specialist in the integration of Intercultural Competence and Intercultural Citizenship in world language education and across the curriculum from elementary school through post-secondary education.

In her presentation she will discuss the interplay of theory and practice of implementing models of Intercultural Competence and Citizenship as well as related theoretical frameworks (theories of criticality, intercultural communication, social justice, and intellectual humility). A new question she considers is how education can facilitate students’ understanding of their own convictions in order to avoid possible negative consequences of blind convictions.

If you are interested in some short readings, here are links to three blogs:

https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/openfordebate/2019/10/07/do-intercultural-citizens-need-to-be-intellectually-humble/

https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/openfordebate/2019/10/21/the-role-of-conviction-in-intercultural-competence-citizenship/

https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/openfordebate/2019/11/04/addressing-ethical-dilemmas-in-teaching-for-intercultural-citizenship-the-role-of-ih-and-conviction/

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81751201634

Meeting ID: 817 5120 1634

Saturday, June 20th
2:30 PM to 4:30 PM

Book Discussion Group: “The Book of Separation: A Memoir” by Tova Mirvis

Born and raised in a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish family, Tova Mirvis committed herself to observing the rules and rituals prescribed by this way of life… But over the years, her doubts became noisier than her faith, and at age forty she could no longer breathe in what had become a suffocating existence. Even though it would mean the loss of her friends, her community, and possibly even her family, Tova decides to leave her husband and her faith.

This is a memoir about what it means to decide to heed your inner compass at long last. To free the part of yourself that has been suppressed, even if it means walking away from the only life you’ve ever known. Honest and courageous, Tova takes us through her first year outside her marriage and community, as she learns to silence her fears and seek adventure on her own path to happiness.

The book discussion as a virtual event using the Zoom platform.

1) If you have signed up for the discussion on Meetup, you have access to the Zoom link for the meeting.

2) If you are not a 'regular' attendee and have not signed up for the discussion on Meetup but plan on attending, please send us an e-mail (kvngough@aol.com) and we will send you an invitation to the meeting.

Here is a link to a short video that discusses how to join a Zoom meeting: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting-?zcid=1588

Sunday, June 21st
3:30 to 5:30 PM

Board Meeting

All members are welcome to attend.

Monday, June 29th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Discussion: Who Destroyed Three Mile Island?

Nicholas Means uses real events to share principles of team building for developers. His method of presenting his point is usually to give an incredibly informative presentation of a real event. This is his presentation on Three Mile Island.

On March 28, 1979, at exactly 4 o’clock in the morning, control rods slammed into the reactor core of Three Mile Island Unit #2, halting the nuclear reaction because of a fault in the reactor cooling system. At 4:02, the automated emergency cooling system activated as the reactor core temperature continued to rise. At 4:04, one of the plant operators made the befuddling decision to switch off the emergency cooling system, dooming the reactor to partial meltdown. Why?

Please enjoy the presentation prior to the discussion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xQeXOz0Ncs

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89139482514

Meeting ID: 891 3948 2514

Notes

Dinners: If you're planning to attend one of our social dinners, please RSVP to programs@cthumanist.org, so we can give the restaurant a rough head count.

You can RSVP for the dinners and most HAC events via meetup.com.

Titles selected for our book discussions can be found in most local libraries or ordered from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.

We're on Twitter and Facebook. HAC is a chapter of the American Humanist Association, a member of the Connecticut Coalition of Reason, and a UU Humanists local group.