Author:

Roe v. Wade v. Dobbs v. Jackson: Adventures in Constitutional Theory

Zem Laski

11 a.m., March 17, 2024

Join Zem Laski as he presents to us in person this Sunday in Mountain View.

With a gridlocked and dysfunctional legislative branch, it falls to the U.S. Supreme Court to de facto formulate policy. Some of SCOTUS’ decisions have a profound impact on American society, with abortion being the prime example. But the reversal of Roe demonstrates that any rights and privileges previously affirmed by the Court are, in fact, hanging by a thread.

So how was it possible for SCOTUS to reach one conclusion in Roe and then an opposing one in Dobbs? We’ll explore some differing legal philosophies – textualism, originalism, liberalism – which may guide Constitutional interpretation and which, in turn, can produce starkly different outcomes. It is also worth pointing out that the U.S. does not affirmatively guarantee some of the rights that we think it does.

MINI-BIO: Zem Laski is a passionate and aspiring software engineer who used to earn money from practicing the trade. He immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in 1981, and has a checkered legacy of employment and educational attainment in both countries. He wound up with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford, and a master’s degree in Information and Computer Science from UC Irvine. At present, Zem enjoys a quiet and sedentary life in south San Jose, courtesy of the Social Security Administration. He takes pleasure in intellectual banter, especially on subjects in which he is ill-informed.

3/17/2024 Zev Laski from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

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The Unique Model of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

Rohan Pandit

11 a.m., March 10, 2024

This Sunday, Rohan Pandit of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action will join us over Zoom. He will provide details into what SVYCA does, its unique model, its accomplishments, and its initiatives for the upcoming year.

Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action empowers teens and young adults to combat climate change immediately through impactful education and policy initiatives. SVYCA youth work in focused climate action teams to ensure important climate policies and measures receive support at every level, including local, regional, and statewide. Youth at SVYCA gain in-depth knowledge about climate policy, build relationships with key climate stakeholders such as elected officials and climate tech leaders, and gain exposure to climate career pathways across multiple industries and disciplines.

Mr. Pandit is the Executive Director of SVYCA. Before joining SVYCA, he served as a top aide for California State Senator Josh Becker, and worked as a Field Organizer for the Biden Campaign. He is a passionate advocate for innovative climate policy and empowering youth to take action in the fight against climate change by providing them with opportunities for engagement and green career pathways.

3/10/2024 Rohan Pandit from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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This week, join us online. (We had planned to offer our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089, but we have had to cancel that. On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.) We may visit a nearby restaurant for lunch after the forum. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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RSVP on Meetup:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

An Introduction to Ukraine

Milena Naymark

11 a.m., March 3, 2024

In this wide-ranging lecture, Milena Naymark will look at Ukraine in several ways.

  • Geography and basic facts
  • History
  • Demography and language
  • Culture, including music, folklore, and cuisine
  • Famous scientists and achievements
  • Modern history, including the current 10-year war
  • Prospects for the future and hopes.

In addition to telling and showing us about Ukraine, Ms. Naymark has offered to cook some Ukrainian dishes to share with us.

Milena Naymark was born in Kyiv, into a Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian mixed family. As a child, she studied piano, voice, and music theory. She competed as a figure skater until she was 14, and joined archeological expeditions most of her life.
For her education, Ms. Naymark received a Bachelor of Math with honors at the National Math and Science Lyceum, Kiev. She earned a Masters in Architecture from National Art Academy, Kyiv, and studied in the PhD program in Architecture at the Moscow Prototype and mass Housing Institute.

Ms. Naymark spent her professional life in New York, New York for 14 years, and two years in Berlin, Germany. In New York, she worked as an architect focused on mass transit, healthcare, and schools and public buildings.
Starting in 2005, she worked in healthcare design at Kaiser Permanente and Stanford Medicine in California.
Currently the Head Architect Northern California for Kaiser Permanente, she lives in Woodside.

In the charity realm, Ms. Naymark co-founded Nova Ukraine, a Ukrainian-focused charity which was Number Two in the US from 2013 to 2022. She founded YOUkraine in 2023, where she still serves.

3/3/2024 Milena Naymark from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-03-03/

RSVP on Meetup:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Birmingham, 1963: Three Witnesses to the Struggle for Civil Rights

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

11 a.m., February 25, 2024

This Sunday we will watch and discuss a video of businesswoman Mary Bush, University President Freeman Hrabowski, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, three lifelong friends, as they recount what life was like for Blacks in Jim Crow Alabama in the late 1950s and early ’60s.
In Birmingham, Alabama, 60 years ago, black students, some still in elementary school, marched for an end to segregation. They were met with police dogs, fire hoses, and handcuffs. Today, three people remember those events because they themselves were students there.
You can watch this one-hour panel discussion, recorded on February 7 at the Hoover Institute, at: https://www.hoover.org/research/birmingham-1963-three-witnesses-struggle-civil-rights

———-

This week, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089. (On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.) We may visit a nearby restaurant for lunch after the forum. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Add this event to your Google calendar:
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/
Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-02-25/
RSVP on Meetup:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508

Explaining Time, Unifying Physics, and Exploring our World in only Three Dimensions of Space

Martin Squibbs

Martin Squibbs will join us at this Sunday’s Forum to present to us and answer questions.

What if movements did not occur in time, but instead only in space, three-dimensional physical space. And here within this space of our mind, we are observing our growing memories of our perceptions of these movements (our past) and imagining memories of movements yet to happen (our possible futures). And what if time is not a measure of space, but instead a measure of the property of these memories we call duration. And what if these growing memories we observe create our world in mind, a metaphysical world within the physical reality of our mind; the only world we our self are and can be aware of.

I believe this is the nature of reality and our existence. Please allow me to share with you its properties and their measures, and see how viewing reality from this perspective may both explain many of the mysteries and problems facing Physics today, and also open our mind, which is our only real home, to a much deeper understanding of its reality.
Bio
Martin was born in England in 1964 and graduated with a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering and Management from Imperial College, London in 1987. He moved to the US in 1994. His career has been in the semiconductor industry, holding positions in applications, design, sales, marketing and business development.

Here are the slides Martin presented:
Explaining Time, Unifying Physics And Exploring our World in only Three Dimensions of Space

11 a.m., February 18, 2024

2/18/2024 Martin Squibbs from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

Add this event to your Google calendar:

Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-02-18/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/299188620/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1757644873770090588.

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508