The Laws that Sex Workers Really Want

Gauri van Gulik

11 a.m., April 7, 2024

At this Sunday’s Humanist Forum, we will watch a discussion about laws to regulate or eliminate prostitution and their actual effect on sex workers. Activist Juno Mac explains four legal models that are being used around the world and shows us the model that she believes will work best to keep sex workers safe and offer greater self-determination.

In a second video, Human Rights for Sex Workers, Gauri van Gulik, the former Deputy Europe Director of Amnesty International, explains why Amnesty International voted to pursue a policy to protect the human rights of sex workers.

You can watch these videos at:
https://www.ted.com/talks/juno_mac_the_laws_that_sex_workers_really_want
and at:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/08/sex-workers-rights-are-human-rights/

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On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as 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 for lunch.

If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you.

———-

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

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)
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

———-

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

What Our Language Habits Reveal

Steven Pinker

11 a.m., March 31, 2024

This Sunday we will watch and discuss a video of Steven Pinker. In this TED talk, Professor Pinker discusses how the way we form sentences reflects subtle facts about our thinking and how we perceive reality. He looks at how languages expresses what goes on in our minds, and how the words we choose may communicate more than we realize.

Steven Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University specializing in visual cognition and developmental linguistics.
View this video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjQM8PzCEY0/

———-

This week, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089. (On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.)
We invite you to bring a dish for a potluck luncheon after the forum.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.
If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you.

———-

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

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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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RSVP on Meetup:
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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

The US vs Itself – and Other Top Global Risks in 2024

Ian Bremmer

11 a.m., March 24, 2024

This Sunday we will watch and discuss an interview by TED’s Helen Walters with Ian Bremmer about the top global risks of 2024.

Ian untangles what’s in store for the war in Ukraine, the state of the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the tensions putting democracy in the United States to the test, while AI continues to evolve faster than governments can regulate it.

Ian Arthur Bremmer is an American political scientist, author, and entrepreneur focused on global political risk. He is the founder and president of Eurasia Group, a political risk research and consulting firm. He is also a founder of GZERO Media, a digital media firm.
He has a BA degree in international relations, magna cum laude, from Tulane University and subsequently obtained both an MA and a PhD, in political science from Stanford University. His doctoral dissertation was “The politics of ethnicity: Russians in the Ukraine”.

———-

This week, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089. (On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.) A simple lunch will be served after the forum. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

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

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.

———-

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:
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RSVP on Meetup:
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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

Roe v. Wade v. Dobbs v. Jackson: Adventures in Constitutional Theory

Zem Laski

11 a.m., March 17, 2024

Join Zem Laski as he presents to us in person this Sunday in Mountain View.

With a gridlocked and dysfunctional legislative branch, it falls to the U.S. Supreme Court to de facto formulate policy. Some of SCOTUS’ decisions have a profound impact on American society, with abortion being the prime example. But the reversal of Roe demonstrates that any rights and privileges previously affirmed by the Court are, in fact, hanging by a thread.

So how was it possible for SCOTUS to reach one conclusion in Roe and then an opposing one in Dobbs? We’ll explore some differing legal philosophies – textualism, originalism, liberalism – which may guide Constitutional interpretation and which, in turn, can produce starkly different outcomes. It is also worth pointing out that the U.S. does not affirmatively guarantee some of the rights that we think it does.

MINI-BIO: Zem Laski is a passionate and aspiring software engineer who used to earn money from practicing the trade. He immigrated to the U.S. from Poland in 1981, and has a checkered legacy of employment and educational attainment in both countries. He wound up with a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford, and a master’s degree in Information and Computer Science from UC Irvine. At present, Zem enjoys a quiet and sedentary life in south San Jose, courtesy of the Social Security Administration. He takes pleasure in intellectual banter, especially on subjects in which he is ill-informed.

3/17/2024 Zev Laski from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as 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 for lunch.

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

———-

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

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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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RSVP on Meetup:
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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

The Unique Model of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action

Rohan Pandit

11 a.m., March 10, 2024

This Sunday, Rohan Pandit of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action will join us over Zoom. He will provide details into what SVYCA does, its unique model, its accomplishments, and its initiatives for the upcoming year.

Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action empowers teens and young adults to combat climate change immediately through impactful education and policy initiatives. SVYCA youth work in focused climate action teams to ensure important climate policies and measures receive support at every level, including local, regional, and statewide. Youth at SVYCA gain in-depth knowledge about climate policy, build relationships with key climate stakeholders such as elected officials and climate tech leaders, and gain exposure to climate career pathways across multiple industries and disciplines.

Mr. Pandit is the Executive Director of SVYCA. Before joining SVYCA, he served as a top aide for California State Senator Josh Becker, and worked as a Field Organizer for the Biden Campaign. He is a passionate advocate for innovative climate policy and empowering youth to take action in the fight against climate change by providing them with opportunities for engagement and green career pathways.

3/10/2024 Rohan Pandit from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

———-

This week, join us online. (We had planned to offer our forum in person with fellow humanists at Maker Nexus, 1330 Orleans Drive, Sunnyvale CA, 94089, but we have had to cancel that. On the first and third Sunday of the month, you can continue to attend our forum at the Mountain View Senior Center.) We may visit a nearby restaurant for lunch after the forum. If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom. Help us make sure we have room for you. If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to let us know.

———-

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

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.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Add this event to your Google calendar:
Like us on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/humanistcommsv/
Visit the Humanist Community web site:
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RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/299637816/
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