Category: Video+discussion

Humanist Watch Party for California Freethought Day

President of Black Nonbelievers, Mandisa Thomas, speaks to the crowd at California Freethought Day

12 noon-5 p.m., October 12, 2025

Humanists at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto invite you to a Watch Party for California Freethought Day. The day is sponsored in part by the American Humanist Association.

California Freethought Day combines the fun and atmosphere of a fair with the education and activism of a conference. It’s a festival of freethought.

Join us to celebrate freedom of speech and thought, civic engagement, enthusiasm for science, social justice, and the separation of church and state.

The live event will be outdoors at the California State Capitol Building and livestreamed to UUCPA’s Room 4-5.

This 24th year will feature speakers, entertainers, podcasters, authors, awardees, scholarship recipients, and more.

  • Jonathan Lopez as “Hellen Heels”
  • Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist
  • Bongo Furies, Frank Zappa Cover Band
  • Nick Fish, President of American Atheists
  • Karma Waltonen, Writer and Atwood Scholar
  • Corey Wright, Shiny Happy People Season 2
  • Liana Pilar de Leo, Scholarship Winner
  • Haram Doodles, Ex-Muslim Cartoonist
  • Thomas Smith, Host of Serious Inquiries Only
  • Erica Lee, Congressional Candidate
  • Lydia Smith, Podcaster
  • Andy Swan, as Uncle Sam

See the full agenda: https://freethoughtday.org/main/
We’ll be sure to have pizza, fruit, and cookies.

Attend in Person:

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
505 East Charleston Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Room 4-Room 5, across the patio from the sanctuary.
https://www.uucpa.org/events/humanist-watch-party-for-california-freethought-day/

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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
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RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/311260305/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20251012/ca2a8264-136f-4ba8-8e4d-45ab118637c3/humanist-watch-party-for-california-freethought-day

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

Communicating with the Other Side

Greg Lukianoff, lawyer, journalist, author, and activist, at TED 2025 in Vancouver, Canada

11 a.m., September 28, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss two videos exploring free speech and finding common ground through communication.

The first video is The radical act of choosing common ground. In it, Nisha Anand talks about why lasting change requires the hard, even radical, choice of partnering with people you’d least expect.

The second video is Let’s get real about free speech, a 12-minute video from April 2025. In it, Greg Lukianoff reminds us why free speech is the best check on power ever invented.

Nisha Anand is an Indian-American activist and CEO of Dream.org whish works at the intersection of criminal justice reform, green economics, and tech equity to develop cutting-edge solutions to our toughest problems.

Greg Lukianoff is an American lawyer, journalist, author, and activist who serves as the president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE).

You can pre-watch Nisha Anand’s video at https://www.ted.com/talks/nisha_anand_the_radical_act_of_choosing_common_ground_sep_2020
You can pre-watch Greg Lukianoff’s video at https://www.ted.com/talks/greg_lukianoff_let_s_get_real_about_free_speech

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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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/2025-09-28/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/311231702/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250928/73b3003a-033b-4cb0-9110-84114997a6af/communicating-with-the-other-side

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1971385612059189505

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

Will we go to Mars? Can we really live on Mars? Was there already life on Mars?

jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia26368-perseverance-finds-a-rock-with-leopard-spots

11 a.m., September 21, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss three videos about life on Mars. Will we go to Mars? Can we really live on Mars? Was there already life on Mars?

First, Elon Musk talks about SpaceX’s ambitious Mars goals in a company update at Starbase in a 9-minute video from last May 30, Elon Musk shares ‘tentative’ Mars game plan in SpaceX update at Starbase.

Then, on his Instagram account AstroKobi, Kobi Brown asks if going to Mars is even desirable in a 17-minute video from May 27, Should We Really Go To Mars? (with Bill Nye).

Finally, AstroKobi’s Kobi Brown will give a report on new evidence from NASA JPL that there has been life on Mars in a 14-minute video from just last week. The video is NASA Probably Just Found Life On Mars.
You can preview these videos at:
https://youtu.be/-HojSvdYYCs
https://youtu.be/kLBw6D6kk-Q
https://youtu.be/_wdrFB_SpzI

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:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

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/2025-09-21/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/311106803//

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250921/c496feb4-6e99-4f21-a445-747423031a9b/will-we-go-to-mars-can-we-really-live-on-mars-was-there-already-life-on-mars

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1968748294919585965

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

Share our event on Patch: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250914/65517ab3-814e-4434-9d14-6bdb9641c4b1/the-tipping-points-of-climate-change-and-where-we-stand

The Tipping Points of Climate Change — and Where We Stand

Johan Rockström

11 a.m., September 14, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss the most up-to-date scientific assessment of the state of the planet

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas.

We’re nearly halfway through the 2020s, dubbed the most decisive decade for action on climate change. Where exactly do things stand? Climate impact scholar Johan Rockström offers the most up-to-date scientific assessment of the state of the planet and explains what must be done to preserve Earth’s resilience to human pressure.

Johan Rockström is Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Professor in Earth System Science at the University of Potsdam. He is an internationally recognized scientist on global sustainability and Earth resilience. He is deeply involved in research on the future trajectory of the Anthropocene and tipping points in the Earth system. With more than 25 years experience in applied water research in tropical regions, he is also a leading scientist on global water resources. Professor Rockström is a driving force behind myriad international scientific initiatives, including the Earth Commission and the Planetary Boundaries Science Initiative, as well as actively consulting on global sustainability issues for national and multilateral government organizations and business networks.

You can preview this 18-minute talk from August 2024 at: https://www.ted.com/talks/johan_rockstrom_the_tipping_points_of_climate_change_and_where_we_stand

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:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

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/2025-09-14/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/311017189/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1966713318065754208

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

Share our event on Patch: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250914/65517ab3-814e-4434-9d14-6bdb9641c4b1/the-tipping-points-of-climate-change-and-where-we-stand

Can Deep Fakes Destroy America?

Sam Gregory speaks at TED Democracy: Imagining our common future. November 14 – 15, 2023, TED World Theater, New York. Photo: Ryan Lash / TED

11 a.m., September 7, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss two videos on the dangers of AI-generated “deep fake” videos.

In the first video, When AI can fake reality, who can you trust?, Sam Gregory warns us that we’re fast approaching a world where widespread, hyper-realistic deepfakes lead us to dismiss reality. What happens to democracy when we can’t trust what we see? Sam presents three key steps to protecting our ability to distinguish human from synthetic and explains why fortifying our perception of truth is crucial to our AI-infused future.

A technologist and committed activist for human rights, Sam has served on the Technology Advisory Board of the International Criminal Court, co-chaired the Partnership on AI’s Expert Group on AI and the Media and led the Threats and Harms Taskforce of a leading coalition to develop standards for media provenance. He’s testified on AI and deepfakes before the US Congress and to the National AI Advisory Council, written for WIRED, The Hill and a range of academic journals and is frequently interviewed by major media. You can preview this 12-minute video, made in November 2023, at
https://www.ted.com/talks/sam_gregory_when_ai_can_fake_reality_who_can_you_trust

The second, US Civil War in 2025 (It’s Closer Than You Think) is an animated video from The Infographics Show that illustrates the fictional collapse of the United States due to an expert AI generated, perfectly timed fake video. The Union ends, not with a bang, but an upload. Watch now to find out what could cause the next US civil war and consider how it could be avoided.

The Infographics Show focuses on making animated motion infographic videos, made in a fun and entertaining way. You can preview this 22-minute talk at: https://youtu.be/rdGsP7oNFDo

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:
webcal://p162-caldav.icloud.com/published/2/Mjk3Nzk1MTgyMjk3Nzk1MRBa7aU6zKSIJMfDjhqBP8r3muvKK3GLLCRnZoCneHpXv08CyGJAJRVI5yyh-SVWxGJE9xHfdUs72pmiBNlOBpY

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/2025-09-07/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/310896056//

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1964100471594918231

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

Share our event on Patch: https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250413/ac0864d9-e26a-49eb-a3e5-ecc9a1abed1b/erasing-history-how-fascism-works