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One for the Workers!
by Hugh Taft-Morales, BES Leader
May Day, also known as International Workers Day, is officially May 1st. This year, in Maryland, it came a few days later. But then the millions of Americans who work for low wages have always had to wait for victories. It’s been over six years since the last modest increase in our minimum wage. But thanks to progressive activists and responsive representatives, on May 5th Governor O’Malley signed into law a bill raising Maryland’s minimum wage to $10.10 per hour by 2018.
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President’s Report
from the Assembly
by Emil Volcheck, BES President
The 99th Assembly of the American Ethical Union took place in Skokie, Illinois, just north of Chicago, from May 1 to 4. This is the annual gathering of ethical societies, where we meet to share ideas, gain energy, and advance the Ethical Culture Movement. Karen Elliott, David Korn, Hugh Taft-Morales, Kathleen Wilsbach, and I attended. Let me share some highlights from my perspective as president, which I hope will whet your appetite to hear more at our group report on July 13th.
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Summer Sundays
10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
JUNE 1
“Do You Haiku?â€
Karen Elliott
Many people know that haiku is a Japanese poetic form. Quite a few know that is has a set number of syllables (17: five plus seven plus five) and lines (three). A fair number know that it usually references nature and implies a season. Come and learn a few more things about the haiku form and its history, listen to some traditional and not-so-traditional examples of it, and spend a little time writing one or two yourself with Karen Elliott, whose poetic goal for 2014 is to write a haiku for each day.
JUNE 8
“Sensitizing Oneself to Critical Issues of Raceâ€
Simran Noor
This talk will address an issue that Karen Helm brought up in her Ethical Action Report. There is a great need to sensitize ourselves to the critical issues of race. Simran’s work centers on uniting policy reform strategies and grassroots advocacy to transform inequity and exclusion into fairness and inclusion. In this talk, we will discuss the meaning of structural racial inequity, understand more on how it has been created and recognize the implications for our work moving forward.
JUNE 15
“This I Believeâ€
Angad Singh
Angad Singh will lead a discussion on the subject of beliefs inspired by the NPR program “This I Believe.â€
JUNE 22
“The Nature of Science and Myths
about the Scientific Methodâ€
Amy Trauth-Nare
Professor Amy Trauth-Nare will talk about the characteristics that make science a unique way of knowing and understanding the world. She will also discuss common misconceptions regarding the nature of scientific knowledge and scientific inquiry.
JUNE 29
“Yoga: Body and Mindâ€
Hugh Taft-Morales
After last summer’s successful seated-yoga program, Hugh Taft-Morales will offer another supplemented with more personal insights into the benefits of increased harmony between the body and mind he attains through his modest yoga practice. Wear comfortable clothes if you want to participate in some gentle poses.
JULY 6
“Holistic Health: Overview of Practices, the Science, and Some Nonscience; You Decideâ€
Nancy Poznak
Nancy Poznak will present some of the more mainstream practices popular in the U.S. She will discuss the most common reasons people turn to alternative health and the various ways in which people have been helped. She will present some of the science that supports these practices and some of the ‘nonscience’ that prevails in some practices. ‘Nonscience’ refers to the established methodology of these practices, some of which have been developed over hundreds or thousands of years. Each person can decide what to believe.
JULY 13
“AEU Assembly Reportâ€
Karen Elliott, David Korn, Emil Volcheck, Kathleen Wilsbach
Karen Elliott, David Korn, Emil Volcheck, and Kathleen Wilsbach will report on the 99th Assembly of the American Ethical Union. The Assembly is the annual gathering of all ethical societies. Hear how Ethical Culture is moving forward at a national level.
JULY 20
“The Revolving Door of Addictionâ€
Ronit Klemens
Almost all recovering addicts return to addiction within one year after successfully completing any number of recovery treatment programs. This unsolved problem is a result of our inability to agree on the nature of the problem. Recovering addicts fall between the cracks of psychology, medicine, and the law. Prisons and recovery programs take advantage of the lack of initiative of the different responsible agencies. Instead of resolving the problem, addicts are simply housed in prisons that seek addicts as customers. I will explain the problem from a psychological, medical, and legal perspective, and offer my opinion on how to start solving this problem.
JULY 27
“How Humanism Has Helped Meâ€
Fred Compton
Fred will share his personal experiences and lead a discussion inviting others to share theirs.
AUGUST 3
“What Does the Term ‘Special Education’ Mean?â€
Jayme Smith
This presentation will include an overview of special education including a definition of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) (see http://goo.gl/4dvEFQ), services, and how students can be served outside public education. One example of a non-public school, is the High Road School of Perryville. The talk will provide an overview of this school.
AUGUST 10
“Understanding Economicsâ€
Karla Wagner
Wondering why, in an age of increasing productivity, prosperity is lost, jobs disappear or move overseas, and we are competing with each other to work more hours for less? Concerned that your children have fewer opportunities than you did? Wondering how to stop the last ecologically fragile areas on the planet from being looted? Conventional Neoclassical and unconventional Marxian economics do little to explain why. A political economist named Henry George offered an alternative view in his book Progress and Poverty, published in 1879. He believed that people should own what they create, but that everything found in nature, most importantly the value of land, belongs equally to all humanity. This talk gives you the critical thinking tools to go out, decide for yourselves, and take ownership of public policy at every level; local, regional and state.
AUGUST 17
“Socially Responsible Softwareâ€
Stuart Hirsch
Ubuntu is an open source operating system developed on a collaborative/Wiki basis which makes an ideal replacement for Windows XP. I will explain how it works, what programs are available, and hope to have disks to give out. Ubuntu and open source software are developed by professionals and amateurs to promote computer usage and literacy. Ubuntu is mainly used as the operating system for low cost and older computers distributed in third world countries to help educate children and improve the lives of the poor. Open source software is application software with the same mission. The idea is to distribute capable software for free or very low cost to everyone. Open source software is often referred to as “free†software not because of its price but because the source code is available to everyone. The “free†refers to freedom because the source code isn’t owned as intellectual property.
AUGUST 24
“The 2014 National Young
Feminist Leadership Conferenceâ€
Laura Griffin and Eilish McCahill
Laura Griffin and Eilish McCahill report on the 2014 National Young Feminist Leadership Conference. The conference was an empowering experience, providing connections to other feminist activists as well as greater understanding of intersectionality and feminism.
AUGUST 31
“Climate Changeâ€
Kate LaClair and Monique Stins
Climate change is drawing increasing attention around the world, no longer only from climate scientists and activists, but also more unlikely sources like the Pentagon, which recently pronounced climate change a “severe threat†to national security. Publication of new and rapidly mounting evidence has changed everything we thought we knew about climate change, and how to stop it. Kate LaClair and Monique Stins (both biologists and members of BES) will explore the science behind this new understanding of climate change, and what it means for all of us alive today.
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“Savior†of the
Terra Cotta Warriors
by Don Helm, BES Member
The background to this tale is that I was invited to be Keynote Speaker to the plenary session of the 2013 meeting of the International Association of Engineering Geology and the Environment, which was held in Beijing. Everyone has his price to come out of retirement and the conveners had mine as soon as they offered to pay not only all of my expenses, including international airfare, but also those of my wife, Karen.
My anecdote is:
“After the conference in Beijing, I joined one of the geologic field trips. This one ended in Xi’an, home of the ancient terra cotta warriors, to view the famous land fissures that have unfortunately destroyed parts of this historic city. Xi’an served as the Imperial Capital of 17 dynasties as well as to Chiang Kai Shek’s government before and during World War II, not to mention its being the point of origin of the famed silk route between China and the Mediterranean world that was assiduously traced in reverse by Marco Polo, who wanted to corner the market.
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Young Adult Book Club
Join our new Young Adult (YA) book club as we begin reading Cory Doctorow’s novel For The Win. Download the PDF for free. This book is engaging for both youth and adults and deals with thought-provoking themes of labor struggles in a global Internet economy. Kathleen Wilsbach will introduce the book, and Andy Brokaw will facilitate discussion. The new meeting time will be one Saturday evening per month, TBA. Please see Argentine Craig or Emil Volcheck for any questions or to join.
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Committees Seeking Volunteers
The Ethical Action Committee is looking for volunteers to serve as Secretary and Contributions Coordinator. The secretary takes meeting notes and helps follow-up and track action items. The Contributions Coordinator will support a new initiative in which the collection every Sunday is split 50/50 with BES and a designated charity. The Contributions Coordinator will research and vet proposed charities. If interested, please see Ethical Action Chair Kate LaClair.
To help our society grow, we need to establish a Fundraiser Team to ask for contributions from friends outside our society. It's our hope that, along with our Pledge Team, the Fundraiser Team will create new events and fun activities involving both nonmembers and members. We are grateful to Rosalie Donatelli, who launched the Flower Power Fundraiser, which brought in hundreds of dollars. Lane Berk has offered to host a party at her home. If you would like to become a part of the team and bring your creative ideas to help raise funds in a fun way for all, please contact Paul Furth at 619-278-9322.
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SOMEONE GETTING MARRIED?
The Baltimore Ethical Society has a Leader and a team of officiants who are trained and licensed to conduct weddings, memorials, and other life passage ceremonies. For more information about our ceremonies or to make arrangements, please contact our Officiant Team Coordinator, Kathryn Sloboda.
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NOTE REGARDING MATERIAL DONATIONS
Recently, some confusion arose regarding the request of receipts for donated items. As such, the Board has passed a resolution that states receipts will be given by the Treasurer only with the approval of the Board. Receipts for your financial donations, as they already are approved, will continue to be issued. For items that the Board has not authorized, no receipt will be given. An appeal to the Board can be made to obtain that authorization, even after the fact. The Board continues to reserve final say on this matter.
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