Speaker – Page 15

How we know what we know: Thermodynamics

Ron Garret

11 a.m., June 13, 2021

At this Sunday’s Humanist Forum, Ron Garret will discuss “How we know what we know: Thermodynamics”.

Ron Garret is a software engineer by trade. He is currently working on easy-to-use-cryptography software. He was a co-founder and CTO of Virgin Charter, and an early hire at Google. He was previously a rocket scientist. He also made a feature-length documentary about homelessness (graceofgodmovie.com). His blog can be found at blog.rongarret.info.

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Because of the coronavirus situation, this Forum will be held online.

If you don’t intend to ask any questions or make any comments during this Forum, then please click the below link on Sunday around 11 a.m. in order to view the Forum as it occurs (in real time):

www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/live

Note the new website above for streaming the Forum.

If you may want to ask a question or make a comment during this Forum, then please click the below link on Sunday around 11 a.m. in order to view, and possibly take part in, the Forum as it occurs (in real time):

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/314247393?pwd=d285R2VxWWdNcmk4NHdPaVNpWjc4dz09

(Note: this is a different link than has been posted here previously.)

If you don’t have the Zoom app installed on your desktop computer, then joining the meeting via the above link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer, and then take you to the meeting.

You can also install the Zoom app on your smart phone, and then enter:

314247393

as the meeting number, and

255787

as the passcode, to get to this Zoom meeting.

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How we know what we know: Thermodynamics – Ron Garret from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

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Wishing for a Better Future: The Unfortunate Destination of Many “Recyclables”

Christine Hoffman

11 a.m., June 6, 2021

At this Sunday Forum, Christine Hoffman will discuss “Wishing for a Better Future: The Unfortunate Destination of Many “Recyclables” “.

When it comes to recycling, many people are confused on what really should go in their recycling bin. I mean, who isn’t? What is allowed in your recycling bin depends not only on the small number inside the three arrow triangle recycling symbol, but also the size and shape of the container. And these already confusing rules can vary drastically from city to city. We will talk about how we got to our current state of recycling, the problems with it, and even talk about some dreams for a better future, drawing insight from other countries. Not all recyclables are equal. Which are actually recycled? What can we do?

Speaker Bio: Christine Hoffman has been a lifelong environmentalist and waste-reduction advocate. Over the past two years she has personally worked to reduce her plastic pollution footprint, causing her to realize challenges in the transition and see solutions. She holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics and worked on sustainability related projects while working on her thesis, focusing on optimizing non-imaging solar concentrators. She currently teaches machine learning and data mining to high school and university students, but also aspires to become an entrepreneur for a company that uses technology to enhance container reuse.

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Because of the coronavirus situation, this Forum will be held online.

www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/live

Note the new website above for streaming the Forum.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/314247393?pwd=d285R2VxWWdNcmk4NHdPaVNpWjc4dz09

(Note: this is a different link than has been posted here previously.)

You can also install the Zoom app on your smart phone, and then enter:

314247393

as the meeting number, and

255787

as the passcode, to get to this Zoom meeting.

———-

Wishing for a Better Future: The Unfortunate Destination of Many “Recyclables” – Christine Hoffman from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Do your online shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6173979, and Amazon donates to the Humanist Community every time you do.

Peaceful Death: Another Option?

Jim Van Buskirk

11 a.m., May 30, 2021

At this Sunday Forum, Jim Van Buskirk will discuss “Peaceful Death: Another Option?”.

California’s “End of Life Option Act” took effect in June 2016 allowing patients to request — and physicians to prescribe — life-ending medications. However only ten states currently have such laws, and some people desiring a death with dignity don’t meet states’ strict criteria. There exists another potential option: for over 25 years Final Exit Network, which grew out of the Hemlock Society founded by Derek Humphry, has been supporting those who wish to hasten their own deaths. Learn more about this important organization, what it does and how it addresses the needs of potential clients who are not necessarily terminally ill.

Also discussed will be the shortcomings of Advance Directives. Many communities are served only by religious-affiliated hospitals and nursing homes, which refuse to honor certain AD requests. In other cases, medical staff simply ignore the requests. Even for those not looking to hasten their death, FEN serves as a strong advocate for members who need help getting their legally enforceable wishes honored.

Presented by Jim Van Buskirk, Final Exit Network Regional Coordinator.

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Because of the coronavirus situation, this Forum will be held online.

www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/live

Note the new website above for streaming the Forum.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/314247393?pwd=d285R2VxWWdNcmk4NHdPaVNpWjc4dz09

(Note: this is a different link than has been posted here previously.)

You can also install the Zoom app on your smart phone, and then enter:

314247393

as the meeting number, and

255787

as the passcode, to get to this Zoom meeting.

———-

Peaceful Death: Another Option? – Jim Van Buskirk from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Do your online shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6173979, and Amazon donates to the Humanist Community every time you do.

Christianity – 57 Varieties

Richard Hewetson

11 a.m., May 23, 2021

At this Sunday Forum, Richard Hewetson will discuss “Christianity – 57 Varieties”.

Most Christians are ordinary people with many different beliefs. It is important that we not generalize about them and stereotype them.

Our speaker, Richard Hewetson, has a Master of Divinity degree from Seabury-Western (Episcopal) Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL. He was an Episcopal priest from 1957 to 1972.

———-

Because of the coronavirus situation, this Forum will be held online.

www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/live

Note the new website above for streaming the Forum.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/314247393?pwd=d285R2VxWWdNcmk4NHdPaVNpWjc4dz09

(Note: this is a different link than has been posted here previously.)

You can also install the Zoom app on your smart phone, and then enter:

314247393

as the meeting number, and

255787

as the passcode, to get to this Zoom meeting.

———-

Christianity – 57 Varieties – Richard Hewetson
from Humanist Community-SiliconValley
on Vimeo.

Do your online shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6173979, and Amazon donates to the Humanist Community every time you do.

Atheism in America

Professor Elizabeth Drescher

11 a.m., May 16, 2021

At this Sunday Forum, Professor Elizabeth Drescher will discuss “Atheism in America”.

Nonreligion—whether in the form of religious indifference, extra-institutional spiritual exploration and innovation, or antireligious antagonism—has a long and varied history in the United States. At times in American history, being someone who refused religious labeling and participation was something respected and tolerated as a marker of the Constitutional values separating “church and state” in a uniquely democratic nation. At other times, rejection of religion in general, and Christianity in particular, was seen not only as immoral, but as profoundly and even dangerously un-American. In the 21st century, the religious landscape in the United States is far more diverse and complex than ever, with some 70% of the population claiming an institutional religious identity or affiliation in one of dozens of major and hundreds of smaller religions. However, an increasing proportion of Americans— especially young adults—do not have traditional religious identifications or affiliations, many self-identifying as atheists, agnostics, humanists or secularists.

For the past 5 years, Professor Elizabeth Drescher has been teaching a class on Atheism in America at Santa Clara University. She will discuss how the nonreligious have participated in the shaping of American culture and continue to do so today.

Elizabeth Drescher (Graduate Theological Union, 2008) is Adjunct Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University, where she also directs the Living Religion Collaborative. Her research, writing, and teaching focuses on the lived experience of religion, spirituality, and nonreligion among ordinary people in the contexts of everyday life. Her publications include Choosing Our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of America’s Nones (Oxford University Press, 2016), chapters on religion and media in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and the American News Media (2015), and numerous articles on religion in everyday life in publications including the Atlantic, Washington Post, SF Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, America, and Religion Dispatches.

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