Category: Video+discussion

How Oil Propaganda Sneaks Into TV Shows

Rollie Williams

11 a.m., July 6, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a half hour video from Climate Town. Rollie Williams shows how oil propaganda is inserted into movies and TV shows and becomes part of what is considered “common knowledge.”

Climate Town is a documentary-comedy show focused on addressing the climate crisis through highly researched and vetted climate communication.

Rollie Williams is a Brooklyn-based comedian and video editor, with a Climate Science and Policy degree from Columbia University. He is the creator and host of the digital comedy series Climate Town. In the past few years, the channel has amassed 520,000 subscribers, several millions views, a handful of awards, and has spawned an engaged Discord community of fun climate people.

Williams is also the co-creator and co-host of The Climate Denier’s Playbook podcast which is exactly what it sounds like. Formerly, Williams hosted the monthly comedy show ‘An Inconvenient Talk Show’ featuring comedians (SNL, The Daily Show, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert) and climate scientists (NASA, MIT, Harvard).

You can preview this 31-minute video here: https://youtu.be/wBC_bug5DIQ

Attend in Person:
On the first and fourth Sunday of the month, like this Sunday, 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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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250706/ca8b1bde-db0e-442d-bffb-a8b977d24122/how-oil-propaganda-sneaks-into-tv-shows

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Humanists at UUCPA Humanist Conference Watch Party

AHA Conference (from 2014)

7 a.m., June 28, 2025

This month, the American Humanist Association is holding its 84th Annual Conference, entitled “Humanists Move America”.

The Humanists at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, UUCPA, invite you to a watch party, so we can participate in the conference together.

The conference is in Chicago, but the Humanists at UUCPA have reserved a room with a TV at the church. Unlike the legacy monthly Humanists at UUCPA meeting, this watch party will be in-person only.

Topic: Humanist Conference Watch Party
Format: In-person
Host: Humanists at UUCPA
Where: Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto
Room 10 (the meeting room closest to the parking lot)
505 East Charleston Road
Palo Alto, CA 94306

Sessions
AHACON25 Schedule with links to speaker biographies:
https://www.conference.americanhumanist.org/schedule

7:00am-7:45am
Swipe Left, Swipe Right:
The Future of Mating and Marriage – A Humanist’s Perspective
with Darrel Ray

8:00am-8:45am
Hope or Havoc:
The Future of AI and Human Freedom
with Krystal Jackson

9:00am-9:45am
The Secular Case for Reparations
with Cynthia McDonald

11:00am-10:45am
Fighting Back in the Courts:
How AHA’s Legal Strategy Is Evolving for 2025 and Beyond
with Amitai Heller

12:00pm-12:45pm
From Representation to Power:
How Humanists Can Build a Political Movement
with Wil Jeudy, Sarah Levin, Karina Quintanilla, and Stephanie Vigil

1:00pm-1:45pm
Center for Freethought Equality Annual Meeting
with North Dakota State Senator Ryan Braunberger and former Colorado State House member Stephanie Vigil
Being a member of the humanist and atheist community is no longer an effective opposition issue in today’s politics.

Attend in Person:

If you can join us, 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.

———-

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https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-06-28

Visit the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto event page:
https://www.uucpa.org/events/american-humanist-association-annual-conference-watch-party/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/308524063//

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250628/8105192f-5f12-4b2e-87ac-28b771fb1f33/humanists-at-uucpa-humanist-conference-watch-party

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1934485328066474096

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

What Can We Do

Matt Schlegel

11 a.m., June 15, 2025

Join us either in person or over Zoom, as we welcome Matt Schlegel.

Humanity is now in the midst of the polycrisis, in which multiple crises confront us all at once – the climate crisis with extreme weather and fire events, acute land and marine biodiversity loss, domestic political turmoil, and increased geopolitical tensions. With so much happening simultaneously, it can be overwhelming. For those who do want to do something they often ask, “What can I do?” But is that the right question? Long time climate activist Matt Schlegel says a better question to ask is, “What can we do?” In this talk, Matt shares tips on how to start down the path towards finding or building a community of people who want to create a better, pro-social world that focuses not only on navigating the current crises but also directs energy towards building that better future for all life on our one shared planet.

Bio
Best-selling author Matt Schlegel is committed to developing highly effective, style-diverse teams and giving them the tools and strategies to navigate environments defined by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity), and tackle challenges that are seemingly impossible. Principal of Schlegel Consulting (https://evolutionaryteams.com/), Matt discovered a powerful system called the Enneagram and used it to develop a novel set of tools, strategies, and applications for team effectiveness that he uses in his consulting practice and shares in his book Teamwork 9.0. As the climate crisis becomes an ever more daunting problem, Matt uses the Enneagram tools to guide teams towards pro-social solutions that address the crisis. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattschlegel/

06/15/2025 What Can We Do? – Matt Schlegal from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
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.

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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RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/308408584/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250615/75ae0a92-74c3-4a5a-bdf0-f7e88fb644bd/what-can-we-do

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

“Writing Doom”, a short fiction film about the dangers of AI

Superintelligence Imagined, Creative Contest on the Risks of Superintelligence

11 a.m., June 8, 2025

This Sunday we will watch Writing Doom (2024), a prize-winning film from The Future of Life Institute on the risks of advanced Artificial Intelligence. This video stood out for its ability to deliver on the key message of the institute’s “Superintelligence Imagined” creative contest, while also producing a striking and entertaining piece of media. The institute was so impressed that they added an additional $20,000 ‘Grand-Prize’ to celebrate this submission.

The Future of Life Institute is a privately-funded organization whose mission is to steer transformative technologies toward benefiting life and avoiding large-scale risks.

You can watch this 27-minute video at: https://www.suzyshepherd.co.uk/writing-doom

Attend in Person:

This Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists in the Orchard Room at the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, 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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Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-06-08

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/308312131/

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250608/64e7a1a3-7878-4bc0-bdb5-557d86808516/writing-doom-a-short-fiction-film-about-the-dangers-of-ai

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1930736909153956138

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

How about a little humor around politics

Graham Kay

11 a.m., May 25, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we explore some of the political humor out there. A skit that one person might think is the best, doesn’t seem funny to someone else. Isn’t that funny?

“The Final Days” White House Correspondents’ Dinner Skit, 6 minutes long, from 2012. A president laughing at himself.
https://youtu.be/PbbUYhyoWz8

Some old Mark Russell routines seem quite recent.
https://youtu.be/lSApwyHrsJE

A Canadian Explains Why Trump Can’t Invade Canada. Everyone on the Program Committee thought this quite funny. 5 minutes.
https://youtu.be/pdLaAyZ0waI

“Republican or Not”, a 5-minute Saturday Night Live skit from 2022, is not anti-Republican.
https://youtu.be/8h_N80qKYOM

“President Obama’s Anger Translator”, as seen on C-SPAN. Another president having fun at his own expense. 5 minutes.
https://youtu.be/HkAK9QRe4ds

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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Like us on Facebook:
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Visit the Humanist Community web site:
https://www.humanists.org/blog/2025-05-25/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1925792645734859001

Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
https://patch.com/california/paloalto/calendar/event/20250525/5e3713f5-8a48-410d-8a4e-60aeac35b80b/how-about-a-little-humor-around-politics

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