HSMNY: Meeting Schedule for the 2012 Season

⁽¹⁾ Tuesday, January 10, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Join with other concerned Humanists and Freethinkers. Please bring your ideas about how we might turn our talk into real action; perhaps raise our voices to be heard, and make a plan to try to affect at least one small area of screaming need, as Humanists, in this scary in-humane world. What are your ideas?

It's a New Year and the need to embrace new directions is in order! We know the old adage about doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result...well, we talk, talk, talk, sharing our thoughts, voicing our concerns...oftentimes without much agreement about the worrisome world situations that may grieve us. Much less, agree on how to respond.

Here is a brand New Year, as yet "un-used," with a new opportunity to do something worthwhile...something different...something that might result in making beneficial change. What are we going to DO ABOUT OUR CONCERNS?

Toward enlisting like-minded young Folks, I would like for our group to have an active Humanist presence on every college campus in the city! How about distributing magazines and books at least once a week? Do you have any connections already? Can you envision coordinating with any present Student Groups? Any volunteers? If you like this idea,....let's make plans!

⁽²⁾ Tuesday, January 24, 2012: On our usual 4th Tuesday, January 24th, our adopted meeting place, the building of the New York Society for Ethical Culture (NYSEC) is closed. Rather than meeting in a restaurant, etc. here's a suggestion for an alternative plan:

You are invited to attend a play about a timely issue, considering all the publicity about the influence of the evangelical religious right in the Republican primary campaign. The play to which you are invited is entitled:

How The World Began (stage play).

How The World Began. It's about a teacher who becomes embroiled in a small town's hysterical reaction to a mention of (omygod!).....Evolution.

The Women's Project sent us this specific invitation: "How The World Began is an extraordinary opportunity for Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York members."

This takes place at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, 416 West 42nd Street, between 9th Avenue and Dyer Avenue. Here follows the promo on their website:

"Women's Project, in association with South Coast Repertory, presents How The World Began, by Catherine Trieschmann, directed by Daniella Topol, designed by Clint Ramos, Brian H Scott and Darron L West, with Justin Kruger, Adam LeFevre and Heidi Schreck."

"Strictly limited run thru January 29, 2012, Tuesdays-Saturdays at 7:30p, Sundays at 3:00p & 7:30p."

"Following the stellar success of her play 'CROOKED' at WP in 2008, Catherine Trieschmann returns with a new play about Susan, a high school biology teacher who leaves Manhattan for a job in Plainview, Kansas. Susan is ready for more than a little culture shock, but she's not prepared for the firestorm that engulfs the town when she makes an off-handed comment about the origins of the universe."

This sounds like my cup-of-tea! How about yours? The special Group Rates are $25 each for the performance. It would be so nice to have a Humanist get-together before and after for company, and to share our thoughts and ideas.

Please respond ASAP to make a PLEDGE OF $25 if you wish to attend, so that we can qualify for the group rates. Call Beth so she can purchase the tickets ahead of time. A total of nine persons will give us the group rate, but even better, here's a pitch for HSMNY Membership:

How about, if you are able to, pay $35 for the evening's performance, the extra $10 will constitute your new Membership in the Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York! It's a New Year! Ordinarily, I'm so delighted to see Folks show up for a meeting that I never mention a yearly membership fee.

The NYSEC has been most gracious in adopting us and allowing us to meet there WITHOUT CHARGE when other meetings take place in the building. This means when the Security Staff needs to be there anyway, but only then.

We started out attending the Socrates Cafe there, on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, hosted by Ken Gans. The discussion of philosophy and current events are quite similar and in harmony with our HSMNY Members, so we asked if we could meet there on alternative Tuesdays, and they have kindly allowed us to do so.

Our Webmaster is a volunteer who receives no compensation for his work. He is still devoted to Corliss Lamont and does everything possible to promote this Humanist Chapter named in his honor, and to promote the lifetime good work of Corliss Lamont. Please visit the website: Corliss Lamont Website. If we indeed had a Membership bank account, we might surprise our Webmaster with some wages to thank him for his devotion. Well, maybe get him a Pizza?

Please invite others, bring friends! Please call Beth Lamont at any time regarding any of these matters. Hoping to see you'all soon!

⁽³⁾ Tuesday, January 31, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Well, what do you know! There's a 5th Tuesday in January...an extra day for meeting this month, and how nice, since we had missed the 4th Tuesday at the NYSEC we are invited back there! So, come get-together on Tuesday evening January 31st and bring your important issues for discussion. And action!

Come after work, whenever you can, please; and join with other Humanistic thinkers who are operating "outside the box!"

We Americans are in deep doodoo and it's going to take a real revolution of values to work our way out of this mess. Let's talk about what we can do to make real changes. What are your ideas? What are your plans?

Humanist Hugs to all from Beth. Call for info, any time OK.

⁽⁴⁾ Tuesday, February 14, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

⁽⁵⁾ Tuesday, February 28, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Hello Humanist Activists! Here's our chance to show support for our belief in the Bill of Rights and our trust in the People's Right to Peaceably Assemble for Redress of Grievances! Important issues are at stake! We are all invited to join with others of like mind, with what is hoped to be a very large gathering, in behalf of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, that will take place at Union Square, beginning at noontime on Tuesday, February 28th, and continuing for all of the day.

For additional information about the Union Square event, please visit https://www.humanvalues.net/blog/?p=46.

At this evening's HSMNY meeting, Beth Lamont will report on the day's events.

Light snacks are available. Hope to see you there!

⁽⁶⁾ Tuesday, March 13, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

⁽⁷⁾ Tuesday, March 27, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Our Guest Speaker will be Hugh McGuire, who worked with the Connecticut State Legislature. Related to this work, he has created studies on "community cohesion" and its antithesis, the forces that historically have driven Americans apart from each other. These forces that prevail today with such passion in Occupy and Tea Party movements share heartfelt convictions that something is terribly wrong, but differ radically as to where the real fault lies.

Ooops! Lies? Who said that? Maybe lies might be an operant word in this nationwide disconnect? Perhaps a root cause of misplaced blame? Please bring your thoughts to this discussion table. We need your input! And vitally important...what actions might help to remedy even one problem?

Hope to see you Tuesday evening! Call Beth for more information.

⁽⁸⁾ Tuesday, April 10, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Please bring your own topics for discussion. You may have suggestions for future meetings and subsequent topics for exploration, and even ideas for inviting other speakers that you know will be of interest to the Group.

Light snacks are available. We welcome your interest and your input. Hope to see you there!

We would like to take this opportunity to invite everyone to attend a special Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 12:00 Noon until dark at The Half-Moon Corliss Lamont Peace and Justice Center, located in Ossining, New York (Westchester County).

This event is being sponsored by Volunteers For Peace, the Connie Hogarth Center For Social Action, and radio station WBAI.

There will be music by the Rivertown Kids and the Raging Grannies of Westchester and many inspiring speakers. There will be literature on related issues, especially concerned with Protecting Mother Earth and our Endangered Environment; Peace Persons will emphasize: Our Endangered Species!

For additional information about this event, including transportation instructions, please contact Conference Organizer Andrew Bell and be sure to download the following Adobe Acrobat PDF file for an official announcement that contains program details.

Earth_Day_Celebration_Invitation_-_Saturday_April_21_2012.pdf (53,949 bytes).

⁽⁹⁾ Tuesday, April 24, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Our special guest speaker will be Sidney J. Gluck, an expert on China who will give a presentation entitled, "The Crucial Distinction between Capital and Capitalism".

Light snacks are available. We welcome your interest and your input. Hope to see you there!

Please call Beth with any questions or for additional information.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Tuesday, May 22, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Dr. Sidney J. Gluck, an authority on China's political and economic history, will be our featured speaker. He will address various issues in the U.S. relationship with this new dynamo of industry and base of power.

We welcome your participation. Come with discussion in mind and bring your own items of interest for sharing. There'll be light refreshments.

Please call any time for more information, Beth. See you there!

⁽¹¹⁾ Tuesday, June 12, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Our special guest speaker will be Todd Wiseman Jr., co-founder of Hayden 5 Media LLC, a Manhattan-based media production company. He will address the subject of "Increasingly Oppressive Government Technologies including Drones, Facial Recognition, and Online Privacy Legislation".

We'll discuss what technologies and policies are being dreamt up and implemented by governments of the world, reflecting on the Arab Spring, the London Riots, and the Occupy movement. Todd will discuss his new film on the topic, The Exit Room.

We welcome your participation. Come with discussion in mind and bring your own items of interest for sharing. There'll be light refreshments.

Please call any time for more information. Beth. See you there!

⁽¹²⁾ Tuesday, June 26, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

QUESTION: What good is hard-earned wisdom if it isn't shared? This is not just a philosophical question...it is a very practical one! In the long-range scheme of things, evolution-wise, we desperately need to be getting wiser and wiser, instead of...well, this leads to the other QUESTION: "What the hell's a handbasket?"

Please attend our next meeting where we can seriously discuss these issues! And leading this exploration of ideas is our special friend, Sy Amkraut, who for the last 25 years has taught and attended classes at the "Learning in Retirement" school at the University of Arizona and at CCNY in New York. His fields of study are Politics, History and Geography.

Sy urges, along with me: "Elders Off Our Rockers! Don't just sit there! Share your wisdom!"

Please join us, even if you're only a youngster. We welcome your participation!

Here's a homework assignment for you: please research a very important and relevant word that is used in Sociology; the word is MEME. We find that some people have never even heard of this word. Be prepared to report?

See you there! You'll find good company and light refreshments. Best wishes from Beth. Call for more information.

After the Tuesday, June 26, 2012, HSMNY Chapter Meeting, several of the meeting attendees continued the evening's discussion at a nearby bistro.

Present was Paul Sladkus, Beth Lamont, Sy Amkraut, and David Levene. Paul Sladkus shot the above video (16 minutes 23 seconds).

Paul founded Milestone Broadcast Corporation (MBC) in 1985 and in turn created Good News Planet (GNP), a 501(c)3 humanitarian outreach organization. The video can also be found on the GNP website at the following URL.

Humanist Beth Lamont | Good News Planet
https://goodnewsplanet.com/humanist-beth-lamont/

The video can also be found on the YouTube website at the following URL.

Humanist Beth Lamont - Go to a wonderful background at: - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBxzZaB6W0s

⁽¹³⁾ Tuesday, July 10, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

If you are in touch with other Humanists and activists you may becoming more aware of our collaborative impact; dare we say "Power?" We might all wish to celebrate some small victories signaling progress in the long needed move to Humanize some of the inHumane systems in this world. Come hear a report from the nation's capital on the Rally For Reason, and of the city-by-city effort to challenge the Supreme Court ruling for Citizens United that allows our democracy to be sold-out to the highest bidders as a sham...a hypocrisy!

We need your ideas on how to use this momentum...our Freethinker Humanizing People power to share the philosophy with others and to help to give them and each other courage to to face adversity in behalf of the effort to make this earth less dangerous for life as we can envision it...without wars and all of the other hazards to living things. Please bring your ideas and information to share with other Humanists. We will all be speakers!

This is related to an article entitled "Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans" by David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association, that was published in the July/August 2012 issue of The Humanist magazine.

See you there! You'll find good company and light refreshments. Best wishes from Beth. Call for more information.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Tuesday, July 24, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

Our special guest speaker will be Bernice Cosey Pulley, who is an historian of the Civil Rights years in which she herself was immersed.

This will be a memorable evening and we hope to see you there.

For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth, and be sure to download the following Adobe Acrobat PDF file that contains background information about our guest speaker.

hsmny20120724.pdf (44,342 bytes).

⁽¹⁵⁾ Wednesday, August 15, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Adler Study (room number 514) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

We will be privileged to view a unique film of a highly dramatic one-person play, The Humanism of Jesus, featuring Humanist Pioneer Joseph Ben-David of the Church of Humanism (now in his nineties!) playing six different roles. A discussion will follow.

The play was performed for four months in New York, and it presents Jesus as a humanistic personality who challenges ancient and contemporary myths about his life and reveals his true aspirations. Millions of people await the second coming of Jesus. Prophecies warn of wars, famine, pestilence, and other calamities that will afflict humanity at the time of his second coming.

But what would people really do if Jesus returned today? We know what they did to Jesus-like personalities including Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. The show's thrust is against the tyrannical designs of fundamentalism and the threat of the Orwellian nightmare. It speaks out freely on some of the most critical issues of life and society. Might he be targeted for assassination?

For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth, and be sure to download the following Adobe Acrobat PDF file that contains more information about this special event.

hsmny20120815.pdf (89,279 bytes).

⁽¹⁶⁾ Tuesday, September 11, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the 5th Floor, in the Felix Adler Library, of the gracious historical structure that hosts our group twice each month, free of charge, the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ]. Pertaining to this privilege, for which we are sincerely grateful, we might dare mention a matter of needed Chapter membership dues, support in any amount, which we would promptly turn over to our gracious Ethical Hosts.

New York Society for Ethical Culture logo.

The HSMNY invites you to gather with others of rational mind to observe the 11th anniversary of an event that is certain to be written into history as a pivotal point in our experiment with democracy, and perhaps as a signal of the erosion and decline of our cherished American Freedoms.

Corliss Lamont experienced the frightening forerunners of these erosions of freedom, and devoted his life to promoting Civil Liberties and the Humanist philosophy, which in its respect for human well-being, is in a perfect position to exercise its newly found strength to influence the long-needed taming of unruly, controlling and devastating capitalist power. There! We've said it...all in one breath! Now, We'll get off our soapbox and introduce our brilliant speaker for this Humanist Meeting.

Our guest speaker will be Pauline Cantwell, who is so famous for her myriad of talents and achievements. One meeting will not suffice to cover all of the important information that she will convey...out of her vast reservoir of experience as a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) Representative at the United Nations, and her research into the sciences, especially the human-made influences on the worrisome phenomenon of "Climate Change." The unlimited corporate influence on election financing, though we protest this stifling of the voice of the ordinary citizen, may not truly be the greatest danger in our world.

Please attend this important Humanist Meeting and bring your thoughts and concerns...even your brochures, flyers, etc. for sharing with others. All are welcome. Please bring Family Members and Friends. Snacks are available.

For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth.

⁽¹⁷⁾ Tuesday, September 25, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

We'll have a discussion about the lifelong dedication and philosophy of Corliss Lamont. What would he be saying about the status of Civil Liberties in this country today?

What about the domination of our electoral process by corporate money? We can be certain that he would be supporting the Occupy Wall Street movement!

Books are available. Light snacks will be served. For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth. Hope to see you there!

⁽¹⁸⁾ Tuesday, October 9, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

As suggested by Chapter President Robert Heihn, we will be discussing the current U.S. political situation, including the upcoming presidential election. Please attend and bring along your own opinions on the subject.

Books are available. Light snacks will be served. For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth. Hope to see you there!

⁽¹⁹⁾ Tuesday, November 13, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fifth Floor (please check sign in Lobby for precise room number) at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, located at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West [ click here for map ].

ARE HUMANS EVOLVING INTO A MORE ETHICAL SPECIES? Let's hear it for a bit of progress! Let's hear it for a few bold surges in that direction, wherein the populace, wearing their sensitively-tuned "BS detectors," resisted and renounced the onslaught of zillion dollar lies, and opted for a little logic, choosing a leader with whom they could more readily identify. Black, brown, feminist, student, elderly, workers, and lots of "out-of-workers," we recognized that we're all-together destined to be in deep doo-doo, if the power of the elite status quo had prevailed.

This may be a truly significant unifying moment in history for us Humans to acknowledge and to exercise our own power, in creating the kind of society in which we wish to live. I like to believe that we are more respectful of each other, more compassionate, and more able to employ critical reasoning. More Humane? More Humanistic? Let's hope!

On this theme, of the underpinnings of the Humanist Philosophy, our speaker for this meeting will be Joseph Ben-David. You are invited to hear his talk about some current manifestations of the Humanist Philosophy, perhaps indicating a trend that we Humans might eventually be evolving into more ethical, respectful and compassionate beings. Again, let's hope so! Hope to see you at the Meeting!

Here is the word from Joseph Ben-David, himself:

Subject: Humanistic Psychology and the Struggle for Humanism

When people consider the meaning of psychology, they usually think in terms of psychotherapy, neurosis or psychosis. They don't see the connection between the revolution of humanism and the dynamics of the human potential movement. During the early 1950s, a new modality for enhancing human relations and personal development emerged, namely Humanistic Psychology or "The Third Force."

Having its distant roots in Renaissance humanism, Humanistic Psychology focuses on liberating people from mental oppression and on fostering their positive potential. It is revolutionary in that it radically raises social awareness of the varied aspects of reality and in that it establishes authentic communication both interpersonally, communally, and trans-culturally.

The presentation will include a overview of the ideas of Erich Fromm, Abraham Maslow, Albert Ellis, Carl Rogers, Karen Horney, Viktor Frankl and other greats in the field and what they can do for you.

The speaker, Joseph Ben-David, is a humanist counselor and group facilitator who has conducted hundreds of human potential and sensitivity workshops in the U.S. and Europe. He is the director of The Humanist Foundation in New York, an instructor in the Humanist Leadership Training Seminary and a professional member of the Association for Humanistic Psychology.

Books are available. Light snacks will be served. For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth. Hope to see you there!

⁽²⁰⁾ Tuesday, November 27, 2012: We will meet from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM on the Fourth Floor (Richie Perez Room) at the Community Service Society of New York, located at 105 East 22th Street at the corner of Park Avenue.

Instead of holding our meeting as usual at the New York Society for Ethical Culture (NYSEC), Carl Lundgren has invited us to attend a celebratory function at the CSSNY.

For additional information about this meeting, please call Beth. Hope to see you there!

For your reference, the announcement of the event is reproduced below.

Subject: Gasoducto Muerto! A Community Celebration

Saludos Familia

On October 11th, the government of Puerto Rico, after months of consistent and effective pounding, marching, organizing and agitating by the people of Puerto Rico, the diaspora and its allies, was forced to surrender and give up this ridiculous, dangerous, costly and unnecessary 92-mile long gas pipeline project known as the Gasoducto.

On November 27th, NY Contra el Gasoducto would be honored if all the wonderful brothers and sisters and organizations that played a role in this movement would join us in celebrating this important and historic victory!!!

If you recited a poem, danced, played an instrument, invited us to your church or group, marched with us, signed our petitions, attended our forums, distributed our information, wrote letters, called a politician, anything and everything, no matter how great or small, led to this victory and we would love to see you and thank you personally!

We'll have some refreshments but this is a potluck affair so please bring a dish or a beverage!!!

We will also be inviting our friends who continue to fight local pipelines and fracking in New York State so we can get an update on some of these struggles and learn how we can help.

We can't thank you all enough for your support, commitment and involvement with this struggle. We hope it serves to inspire and motivate others involved in similar efforts. SI, SE PUDO!!! SI, A LA VIDA!!! SI, A LA MADRE ISLA!

WHAT: Gasoducto Muerto/Dead! A Community Celebration
WHEN: November 27, 2012
TIME: 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
WHERE: CSS, 105 East 22nd Street (Corner of Park Avenue) 4th Floor (Richie Perez Room)

Humanist Society of Metropolitan New York

The Corliss Lamont Chapter of the American Humanist Association

2012 Schedule