Category: Forums

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Assurances and the Nuclear Arsenal in Ukraine

U.S. President Clinton, Russian President Yeltsin, and Ukrainian President Kravchuk

11 a.m., March 30, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we discuss whether Ukraine should have given up the nuclear weapons on its soil thirty years ago. Was this a wise decision? Given the war in Ukraine today, would things be different if they had not done so?

First, we’ll watch a Voice of America report, Ukraine looks back with regret at 1994 deal requiring it to give up nukes, covering details of the Budapest Agreement and events after its signing.

In the second video, Should Ukraine have kept its nuclear weapons?, the Kyiv Independent’s reporter Oleg Sukhov sat down with Robert Kelley, an engineer with 35 years of experience in the U.S. Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex, to discuss whether the weapons Ukraine gave up would be of much use now, and if the country still has the capacity to produce a nuclear device.

Join us to discuss this currently relevant topic on the history of Ukraine.

You can watch the first, four-minute video at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ms5xaBH2arY,
and the second, eleven-minute video at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Eb9E1anaGY.

Attend in Person:
Attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-03-30/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/305732153/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250330/573b5b28-b21b-421a-8dac-3c7e78001bfd/assurances-and-the-nuclear-arsenal-in-ukraine

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

Using Humor in Interpersonal Conflict Resolution

Steve Carell in The Office

11 a.m., March 23, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we delve into how to resolve conflict by looking at several short videos and discussing them. Our facilitator has found that humor can diffuse conflict situations, especially in “hot topics” areas such as politics, religion, and other areas of disagreement among friends, co-workers, family, and elsewhere.

Come this Sunday to explore this topic in depth from several possible angles to see if we might better use the positive aspects of humor when discussing challenging subjects with others. Humor can also have adverse effects, which we will look into.

Bio: The facilitator of this Sunday’s meeting is Carl Angotti. He is a semi-retired engineering consultant, and very long time member of our community. He likes to look at complex subjects from a subjective and neutral point of view. He has previously facilitated several of our meetings.

Attend in Person:
Attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-03-23/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/305732153/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250323/723cb196-7719-41a8-ac1e-1cb4b97609da/using-humor-in-interpersonal-conflict-resolution

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1902162578232766606

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

Conversational Strategies to Avoid Being Fooled

Carolyn Dougherty

11 a.m., March 16, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we welcome a guest speaker from the Central Valley.

Disinformation is a huge problem in our society. What can we do to help friends who fall for it? We will discuss why using conversational strategies, based on research, may be more effective than debunking alone to help our friends – and ourselves – from being fooled.

Carolyn Dougherty is a retired teacher. She is a volunteer and instructor at Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at University of the Pacific, a member of the planning committee for the SkeptiCal Conference, and the founder and facilitator of Rational Roundtable, a group that promotes science and critical thinking in the Central Valley of California.

03/16/2025 Conversational Strategies to Avoid Being Fooled – Carolyn Dougherty from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as March 2nd, 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.

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

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Add this event to your Google calendar: Google Calendar

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

Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-03-16/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/305732153/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250316/24785a0e-a07c-4c02-8525-9c73b56de2cd/conversational-strategies-to-avoid-being-fooled

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1898968216703217970

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

Trump and the Future of Ukraine

Former U.S. Amb. to Ukraine Steven Pifer

11 a.m., March 9, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video of Steven Pifer on Ukraine, recorded March 5. “Few periods in the history of U.S. foreign policy have witnessed such a dramatic flip-flop as the past two weeks. Rarely have two weeks brought the Kremlin such good fortune.”

Mr. Pifer was the third United States Ambassador to Ukraine, from 1998 to 2000. He is currently affiliated with the Center on International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University.

You can preview this 26-minute talk at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpFhFpTOCY

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in Milpitas Library Group Study Room A, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.
If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-03-09/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/306581545/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1897826729223389315

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

Share our event on Patch: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250309/c82f3100-57f1-416d-b307-badd9c4aa90a/trump-and-the-future-of-ukraine

Are There Constitutional Constraints Against President Trump’s Actions?

Prof. Leland Chan

11 a.m., March 2, 2025

Join us for a combined meeting of the Bay Area Humanists (BAH) and the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley, either in person or online, as Prof. Leland Chan speaks to us in Mountain View.

The second Trump administration hit the ground running with a flurry of Executive Orders, the scope of which raises questions of legality and constitutionality.

  • Can the presidency unilaterally eviscerate USAID activities if the programs had been created and funded by Congress?
  • Doesn’t that violate the principle of separation of powers?
  • Can President Trump unilaterally eliminate birthright citizenship?
  • Can he eliminate all “DEI” programs within the federal government?
  • Can he unilaterally form the Department of Government Efficiency and, if so, what powers could it have?
  • What about Panama, Greenland, and Canada?

In this presentation, Prof. Chan will discuss how the U.S. constitution had been crafted in order to prevent the concentration of power (that the Trump administration is now attempting to wield), and how those constraints can fail.

ABOUT LELAND CHAN
Leland Chan is currently an adjunct professor of law at Golden Gate University. He is a retired General Counsel of the California Bankers Association. He holds a Juris Doctor (JD) degree from the University of California at Berkeley.

03/02/2025 Are There Constitutional Constraints Against President Trump’s Actions? – Leland Chan from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as March 2nd, 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 can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

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/2025-03-02/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/305604963/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250302/ad045dab-0086-4ef6-af70-eaacd8bf2432/are-there-constitutional-constraints-against-president-trumps-actions

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1889188715395969041

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