Category: Forums

Category for all Forum posts.

Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.

A video of a CNBC News report

11 a.m., March 19, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we will discuss a 20-minute 2020 video on “Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.”
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, some American politicians continue to deny that climate change exists, while others question the severity of its impact. But public opinion is shifting, and today even oil and gas companies publicly admit that climate change demands action. So why does climate denialism continue to influence U.S. politics? Here’s a look into who is funding the movement, and why denial is mainly a U.S. problem.
You can preview this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1rxv1yPQrc.
The following Sunday Nicolas Little of the Center for Inquiry will talk to us on Zoom about quack medicine.

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

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 smart phone, 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.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism

A video of an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan

11 a.m., March 12, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we will watch and discuss an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, “It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism.”
Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history.
A self-described democratic socialist, he is often seen as a leader of the progressive movement in the United States.
Sanders sought the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States in 2016 and 2020, finishing in second place in both campaigns.
You can prewatch this video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC2TGXAxfnE.

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

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 smart phone, 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.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

How Identity Causes Problems in Our Society

Scott Wakefield

11 a.m., March 5, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday, Humanist Community board member Scott Wakefield will speak to us in Mountain View about How Identity Causes Problems in Our Society.

Have you had an experience like this? When discussing a social topic with someone, you find them merely repeating things they have heard from a group that they strongly identify with. They are not interested in seeing, let alone discussing, your point of view.
Strong identity with a group symbolizing power can be worrisome. After all, democracy often caters to the groups that “play the games right”. While these groups may not have a big membership, they certainly have a big political clout, enough to get politicians to take their sides.
Does a person’s social identity interfere with rational, objective thinking?
Is this more likely to occur when the group is more powerful?
Do others behave this way? Do I?

About our speaker
Scott first moved to The Valley of Heart’s Delight in 48 years ago. (You may know it by its other name, Santa Clara Valley.) He had already heard of Sunnyvale as the home of the phone hacker Cap’n Crunch. For several years, Scott served on the Research Advisory Committee of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute in Palo Alto. For the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Scott volunteered as a Case Investigator for the Santa Clara County Public Health Department. Scott’s sons live in Davis and Seattle.

23/03/05 Scott Wakefield from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

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 smart phone, 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.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

Mysteries of Spinal Fluid Told Through Art and Storytelling

Dr. Masuma Ahmed

11 a.m., February 26, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday one of our members, Dr. Masuma Ahmed, will speak to us in Mountain View.

The brain is perplexing and poorly understood. A holistic approach emphasizes the interdependency of the different parts of the body to perform various functions. The cerebral spinal fluid in the dura mater of the spinal cord performs its critical function by continuously circulating around the brain, keeping it calm and cool. However, the dura mater can rupture, leaking spinal fluid, causing the brain to sag and misbehave. Dr. Masuma Ahmed presents the puzzling behavior of the brain when it lacks spinal fluid, using an innovative artistic and storytelling approach.

About our speaker
Dr. Masuma Ahmed, a physicist and high-tech professional turned artist and writer, received her Ph.D. in physics from Yale University. Masuma is a self-taught artist who has studied art and creative writing at Stanford, Yale, and the Bangladesh Art Institute. She received many awards for her artwork from international and US galleries. Masuma was one of the 16 artists selected by the City of Palo Alto to paint the BLM mural in the city in 2020. Masuma also painted murals in Palo Alto, Redwood City and Harlem. She had solo art exhibits in Palo Alto, Redwood City, and San Jose. Masuma was the “Artist of the Month” in Redwood City for the month of July 2018. Masuma’s poems were published in the New York City Poetry Table Anthology and the Waverly Writers Group Poetry Anthology. Masuma captures the voices of women, diasporas, and science through her artworks and writings at New York City Rainbow Faces, www.facebook.com/nycrainbowfaces.

23/02/26 Dr. Masuma Ahmed from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

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 smart phone, 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.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

The Uniqueness of Humans

A video of a talk by Robert Sapolsky

11 a.m., February 19, 2023

Join the Humanist Forum, in person OR on Zoom.

This Sunday we will discuss “The Uniqueness of Humans” a 36-minute TED Talk by author, biologist, and neurological scientist Robert Sapolsky. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences, and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. In addition, he is a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya.
You can preview this video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY1x8k79bZE.

———-

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

———-

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 smart phone, 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.

———-

RSVP on Meetup here.
Like us on Facebook here.
Follow us on Twitter here.
See videos of our past Forums here.
Add this event to your Google Calendar

Do your online shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6173979, and Amazon donates to the Humanist Community every time you do. Note that Amazon plans to wind down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-closing-amazonsmile-to-focus-its-philanthropic-giving-to-programs-with-greater-impact