Social Dinner in Shelton

Tom and Deidre Kennedy kindly offered to host an early evening dinner at their home in Shelton for the third year running, and provided a meat and a vegetarian entree. Several other guests brought side dishes, appetizers, and desserts. It was a welcome chance to get out of the house on a day when most of the country is closed, and spend some time with like-minded friends.

Annual Meeting and Winter Solstice Party

We started the evening with a potluck dinner at 7:30 PM. Our annual meeting and election of officers for 2016 was held soon after 8:00 PM and included an update on the organization by HAC President Carol Siddall. The business meeting was followed by our winter solstice party, which included music from Mickey Koth and friends, a piano solo by Carol Podgwaite, a guitar solo by Kathy Lyon, and some dance instruction by Bill and Kathy Lyon.

We discussed “An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life” by Mary Johnson. Ms. Johnson attended the discussion, so it took the form of direct questions to the author.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Humanist Conversations: Interview Day

We watched and discussed a 1996 comedy drama "Interview Day" about the parents of four teenagers applying for admission to Cambridge University.

November board and standing committee meetings.

This was our last board meeting of the year as we hold our annual meeting in December.

Book Discussion Group: The Collapse of American Criminal Justice by William Stuntz.

We discussed “The Collapse of American Criminal Justice” by the late Harvard law professor and evangelical Christian William Stuntz.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

A list of books we will be discussing during the remainder of the year are on our Meetup site.

Monthly Meeting: Nina Stein - Peace Trip to Israel

Nina Stein described her trip to Israel with a peace group.

Humanist Conversations: Secret Prisons?

We watched and discuss a TED talk on what the US does with prisoners it used to house at Guantanamo Bay.

We decided to move Conversations back to the Unitarian Society of New Haven. We will return to the Wilson Branch Library next year.

October board and standing committee meetings.

Book Discussion Group: It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis.

We discussed “It Can’t Happen Here” by Sinclair Lewis.

Copies of the book were widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

A list of books we will be discussing during the remainder of the year are on our Meetup site.

Monthly Meeting: Chris Stedman – Can you Really Love Your Enemies?

Chris Stedman, author and Executive Director of the Yale Humanist Community talked about the idea of forgiving your enemies, which appears in multiple cultures.

We met on a Sunday afternoon as our usual Monday night meeting time was inconvenient for our guest speaker.

Humanist Conversations: Inequality for All

We watched and discuss the 2013 documentary "Inequality for All", featuring Robert Reich.

This meeting was held at the Wilson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, 303 Washington Ave, New Haven.

September board and standing committee meetings.

Monthly Meeting: Dr. John Pawelek

Yale cancer researcher Dr. Pawelek returned to give us an update on his work and a travelogue of recent visits to Croatia and Italy to attend conferences.

Book Discussion Group: Goliath - Life and Loathing in Greater Israel by Max Blumenthal.

We discussed the controversial “Goliath - Life and Loathing in Greater Israel” by Max Blumenthal. Kevin Gough admitted that he did not remember who suggested that we read the book.

August board and standing committee meetings.

Book Discussion Group: Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty.

We will discuss “Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul: Church, State, and the Birth of Liberty” by John M. Barry.

For four hundred years, two fault lines have divided America: one is the proper relationship between the church and state, and the other is the balance between the rights of the individual versus the power of the state. In this extraordinary book, award-winning New York Times best-selling writer John M. Barry examines the origins of these fault lines. What he finds is as relevant today as it was when they first emerged in the seventeenth century.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Monthly Meeting: Understanding Climate Change

Dr. David Schafer was our featured speaker with a talk on climate change.

David began with some history, starting with several Ice Ages (thousands of years ago) and their explanation, by scientists from the early and later 19th century, in terms of low levels of “greenhouse gases,” notably carbon dioxide and methane, in Earth’s atmosphere.

Next he turned to the exact opposite effects of recent times: potentially catastrophic warming of Earth’s atmosphere and solid and liquid surfaces due to rapid, steady accumulation of the same greenhouse gases, in particular carbon dioxide, the major product of fossil fuel combustion. He will discuss the evidence for these changes and the associated arguments presented by climate scientists and others, including some politicians, who question their validity.

He went on to present the most probable scenarios for future climate trends according to current predictions, without and with various proposed solutions to the problem. He will close with some practical suggestions as to how each of us can contribute to these solutions

Humanist Conversations: The Loving Story

For our August Humanist Conversations, we watched and discussed the 2011 HBO documentary “The Loving Story.”

On June 2, 1958, a white man named Richard Loving and his part-black, part-Cherokee fiancée, Mildred Jeter, traveled from Caroline County, VA to Washington, D.C. to be married. At the time, interracial marriage was illegal in 21 states, including Virginia. Back home two weeks later, the newlyweds were arrested, tried and convicted of the felony crime of “miscegenation.”

Book Discussion Group: 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, a Work of Fiction.

We discussed “36 Arguments for the Existence of God, a Work of Fiction” by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Monthly Meeting: John Dietrich, Humanist Hero

Doug Peary presented the latest in his series of popular lectures on famous humanists. The subject this time was John Dietrich, one of the signers of the first Humanist Manifesto, and a successful Unitarian minister who became known as the Father of Humanism.

July board and standing committee meetings.

This board meeting was held a week earlier than normal so that our recording secretary could attend.

Annual Picnic at Gayle Walter's Home in New Haven

Gayle Walter kindly volunteered to host this year's annual picnic, which replaced the June monthly meeting.

June board and standing committee meetings.

Book Discussion Group: Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights.

We discussed “Pro: Reclaiming Abortion Rights” by Katha Pollitt.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Humanist Conversations: The Critique of Reason

For our June Humanist Conversations, we took a field trip to the Yale Art Gallery to view the exhibit "The Critique of Reason."

May board and standing committee meetings.

Monthly Meeting: Ken Feder - Sheep, Spirits, Stars, and Massacres
Deciphering the Ancient Rock Art of North America

Ken Feder, Ph.D., gave another of his popular talks at our May monthly meeting.

“From cave paintings of Ice Age animals in Paleolithic Europe to artistic depictions of historical events by nineteenth-century residents of Canyon de Chelly, art provides a window into the minds and lives of past peoples. I have spent the last few years examining sites in North America where indigenous artists told their stories, leaving behind comprehensible messages about their world. In my presentation, I will share some of that art and propose at least possible meanings for some those messages. There will, of course, be lots of cool pictures!”

Ken is a professor of Archaeology at Central Connecticut State University, author of five books and the co-author of another. He has been the token skeptic on several TV programs.

New Haven Walk Against Hunger for Connecticut Food Bank

Thanks to several very generous donations, our team in the Connecticut Food Bank's New Haven-area Walk Against Hunger at East Rock Park in New Haven raised over $1000 for the Food Bank. Ironically, this year the walk was two weeks later than usual, moving it out of the Foundation Beyond Belief's Week of Action.

Book Discussion Group: Fighting Back the Right.

We discussed “Fighting Back the Right” by David Niose, former president of both the American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America.

The author joined us via Skype for the discussion.

Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Humanist Conversations: ISIS

At our May Humanist Conversations, we watched and discussed a recent Frontline documentary on the origins of ISIS. (We had intended to do this in April, but got talking about other things.)

Community Health Center Race for Mental Health

The Week of Action is an initiative started by Humanist Rabbi Adam Chalom through the Foundation Beyond Belief. It takes place April 30 to May 6

We chosen to participate by supporting the Community Health Center Race for Mental Health on Saturday, May 2 at Hubbard Park in Meriden. Rebecca was joined by several members of the Yale Humanist Community for the early morning walk.

April board and standing committee meetings.

26th Anniversary Meeting: David Niose

David Niose, former president of both the American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America, returned as the featured speaker for our 26th anniversary meeting. June Schafer charged David with providing some good news about Humanism, and David rose to the challenge, with details of how much more the AHA is doing now than 10 years ago.

Book Discussion Group: Waking Up

We finally discussed “Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion” by Sam Harris after postponing the earlier scheduled discussion in March. Copies of the book are widely available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Humanist Conversations

At our April Humanist Conversations, we said we would watch and discuss a recent documentary on the origins of ISIS, but the discussion digressed onto other topics and we decided to postpone the documentary until May.

March board and standing committee meetings.

Book Discussion Group: Waking Up

Our March book discussion of “Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion” by Sam Harris was postponed due to snow.

Monthly Meeting: A Humanist Tour of Great Britain

We enjoyed our annual break from the winter weather with another travelogue from Steve and Susan Boshi, this time applying their uniquely humanist perspective to the arts and tourist attractions of Great Britain.

Special program: Aid in Dying in Connecticut

In place of our March Humanist Conversations, we hosted a special program on this year’s attempt to pass an aid in dying bill in Connecticut similar to the laws in Oregon and Washington states. Tim Appleton, the Connecticut Campaign manager for Compassion and Choices, showed the touching HBO documentary of “The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardiner“, which was followed by a question and answer session.

Rescheduled from January

Special Program: David Niose, Fighting Back the Right

David Niose, Legal Director of the American Humanist Association, past-president of the American Humanist Association and past-president of the Secular Coalition for America, discussed his new book, “Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason.”

“Fighting Back the Right” examines the rapidly changing political scene and demographics in America, as increasing numbers are identifying as non-religious and support for issues such as marriage equality are at an all-time high. David discussed the emergence of a new alliance of progressive interests who are committed to fighting for rational public policy in America and reversing the damage inflicted by decades of conservative dominance. The talk was followed by a book signing.

February board and standing committee meetings.

Book Discussion Group: Sex at Dawn

For our February book wereadi“Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality” by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá. Copies of the book were not widely available in public libraries in Connecticut.

Monthly Meeting: The Continuing Evolution of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution

In honor of Darwin Day, David Schafer presented an encore performance of his 2001 talk on the development of the theory of evolution from Darwin through DNA.

Humanist Conversations: Steven Brill's Bitter Pill

At our February Humanist Conversations, we watched a video of Stephen Brill on Charlie Rose, talking about his 26,000 word Time cover article on healthcare and the causes of the high cost of healthcare in the USA.

January board and standing committee meetings.

We held a marathon board meeting to start the year.

POSTPONED!

Special Program: David Niose, Fighting Back the Right

Due to bad weather predicted for Saturday, we postponed David Niose's talk.

Monthly Meeting: PJ Deak

The full title of PJ's talk is “13 Baktun: tourism, identity and the new millenium of the Mayan calendar. The travel log of a family visiting the western highlands of Guatemala.”

In the fall of 1524, the Spanish conquistadores – in their quest for gold and power – attempted to control or destroy the world of the Maya. In the 1950’s the U.S. Government – in their quest for empire and wealth – manufactured a coup to protect American business interests in Central America from “Communism” and began a decades-long civil war, which left 200,000 indigenous people dead.

Yet the Maya people, their culture, and their world-view survive. And on the winter solstice of 2012, the Mayan understanding of time and space entered a new age – the age of 13 Baktun – an era of hope rising. As globalization has increasingly come to the Western Highlands of Guatemala, the Deak family has had the privilege of traveling there in 2002 and again in 2014 to experience the culture and world-view of the Mayan people; and to have their sense of personal identity changed, at least a little, by their relationship to this part of the world.

Join PJ Deak in a photo-narrative illustrating the diversity and unity of our humanity. Share meaning and explore our human lives together – as one family of North Americans encounters the people and places at the center of the universe, with the sun directly overhead.

Book Discussion Group: Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America

For our January book we read Barbara Ehrenreich’s “Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking has Undermined America” Copies of the book are available in public libraries in Connecticut, and at local and online booksellers.

Humanist Conversations: I. F. Stone on the Trial of Socrates

At our January Humanist Conversations, we discussed an article published in the April 9, 1979, New York Times Magazine. Scholars have puzzled over the conviction of Socrates for 24 centuries. If his crimes were so heinous, why wasn’t he tried earlier in his life? What really happened at the trial and why was he found guilty? Famous and controversial journalist I. F. Stone was also captivated by the mystery, and this is his reasoning and conclusion. Please try to at least skim the article. We will view a short Robert MacNeil interview with Stone on this topic.

Tom Platt hosted the meeting and suggested the topic. We had to cut short the discussion due to snow.