Calendar

May 2008
Prior Months' Activities

May 2008

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM

May 4

The Long and the Short
By Fritz Williams, Leader Emeritus, Baltimore Ethical Society

In his last talk as Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society, Fritz Williams reflects on what this work has meant to him and what he's tried to accomplish. He speaks about developing his own message about a good life that is grounded in emotional and moral health and is shaped by everyday encounters and experiences. He reflects on how he has attempted to use storytelling as a means of examining the process of moral development. And he expresses his gratitude for the opportunity to do this work within a religious movement with an unwavering commitment to human worth. It is work that will continue in the next phase of his life with a greater emphasis on writing and publication.

Speaker bio:
Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of the Baltimore Ethical Society and serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

May 11

Messages of Difference
By Alan Klein, Trainer/Consultant

As the South Pacific song goes, "You've got to be taught..." In our youth we are bombarded with messages from many sources, some intentional, some subliminal. We will explore the messages that we received about people who are like us and people who are unlike us, as well as their impact on our lives today.

Speaker bio:
Alan Klein is a trainer, consultant, coach, facilitator, administrator and teacher. He specializes in the areas of leadership development, valuing diversity, team building and communication. Alan also provides organizations and other groups with support and facilitation in the use of large group methodologies. Throughout this work, he emphasizes self-awareness as a vehicle for enhanced competency and effectiveness in interpersonal situations. He was elected to membership in the NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science in 1997 and currently serves on its Board of Directors

May 18

2008: Common Ground: The Earth as Humanist Icon
By Hugh Taft-Morales, Ethical Culture Leader-in-Training

Reflecting on the first photograph of the earth taken from beyond the moon, Archibald MacLeish wrote in the New York Times that it was an image with whose help "man may discover what he really is". It reveals a truth that we ignore at our own peril: "To see the earth as we now see it, small and blue and beautiful in that eternal silence where it floats, is to see ourselves as riders on the earth together, brothers on that bright loveliness in the unending night--brothers who see now they are truly brothers."

This image, generated by rational science yet emotionally and aesthetically inspiring, offers common ground to people of diverse philosophical perspectives. Not only does it remind all human brothers and sisters of our interconnectedness, it reflects a profound philosophical link between beauty and fragility. The image of the earth reflects the existential limitations central to human existence, and should continue to serve as a humanist icon - an enduring, sacred, symbol worthy of spiritual devotion.

Speaker bio:
Hugh Taft-Morales taught philosophy and history at the Edmund Burke School in Washington, D. C., for 19 years. He left teaching in the summer of 2006 to train for leadership in Ethical Culture and is in a three-year leadership certification program with the Humanist Institute. Hugh served on the Board of the Washington Ethical Society from 2002-2006, and for the last year was president of the Board. He served for two three-year terms on the American Philosophical Association Committee for Pre-College Instruction. He wrote a booklet entitled "So You Want to Teach Pre-Collegiate Philosophy?" published by the APA. In 1986 he earned a Masters in Philosophy from University of Kent at Canterbury, England. He graduated Cum Laude from Yale University in 1979. He lives in Takoma Park with his wife, Maureen, and has three children: Sean (20), Maya (14), and Justin (12).

Annual Membership Meeting
At 12:30 PM, following refreshments.

May 25

No meeting
Instead, attend the annual picnic on Monday, May 26th!

Prior Months' Activities

April 2008, March 2008, February 2008, January 2008, December 2007, November 2007, October 2007, September 2007, Summer 2007, May 2007, April 2007, March 2007

April 2008

April 6

Forces of Destruction
By Fritz Williams, Leader Emeritus, Baltimore Ethical Society

People are generally unhappy with the Bush administration. Liberals decry the belligerent go-it-alone foreign policy, the invasion of Iraq on false pretenses, the tax reductions that benefit mostly the rich, the erosion of personal privacy. Conservatives complain about the inept conduct of the war and overall fiscal irresponsibility. But it's a mistake to focus almost exclusively on George W. Bush and the neo-cons. Bush is the culmination of a movement driven by powerful business interests which has been restructuring American society for about 40 years. Fritz Williams examines this movement and the disastrous consequences of the policies it has promoted.

April 13

Spring Festival of Hope and Peace
facilitated by Karen Elliott and Steve Meskin

We take time to recharge our batteries and think deeply about why we work for peace and freedom, and how wonderful the world could be if we all truly lived lives of peace. A humanist Seder reminds us of how important freedom really is.

April 20

Must the World Hate Us?
by Richard T. Arndt, PhD, Retired Diplomat

One hears a great deal now about the world hating the U.S. A better question might be: Did they ever love us, and, if so, why? And if they did love us, was their love a healthy way for other nations to relate to the world's most powerful nation and, as Senator Fulbright used to say, its most provincial? Current policy aside (going it alone, reliance on military force, downplaying diplomacy, impeding global initiatives like Kyoto), there are more permanent issues. One is the perceived US role in what is called Globalization. We are told that more Public Diplomacy is the answer, but do we know what Public Diplomacy is?

Speaker bio:
Richard T. Arndt was a Fulbright scholar in France and received a PhD in French literature from Columbia Univ. In 1961, he joined USIA, was assigned to Beirut, where he discovered cultural diplomacy. To this little-known art, he made a career commitment that has lasted until today. After Beirut, he served in Sri Lanka, Tehran, Latin American Affairs, Rome, and Paris before returning to Washington in 1980 and retiring 1985. He has been President of the US Fulbright Association, Chair of the National Peace Foundation; President of Americans for UNESCO, and Chair of the US Committee to Save Ancient Tyre. He has authored "The First Resort of Kings: US Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century in 2005". His wife Lois W. Roth, also a US cultural diplomat, died in 1986.

April 27

An Ethical Footprint
By John W. Nugent, President/CEO of Planned Parenthood of Maryland

Long before the concept of a "carbon footprint" came in vogue there was the concept of the "Ethical Footprint". It is a measure of the impact that an individual's activities have on the demonstrable well being of oneself or another human being." It is meant to be useful for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their ethical impact. Today we will examine the concept of "an ethical footprint", the role that Ethical Culture can play in the dialogue about the place of ethical footprints in our lives and communities, and some of the current ways the definition and understanding of ethics is changing.

Speaker bio:
John Nugent was the CEO of a Hospice program prior to joining Planned Parenthood in 1997. He holds an MA in ethics from San Francisco Theological Seminary and a BA in philosophy and has been an adjunct college philosophy instructor. He was co-chair of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Bioethics task force and served on the National Hospice Organization's ethics committee. John is active in the Board of the Washington Area Secular Humanists, the Board of Baltimore Westside Market Center Merchants Association, and served on the Board of the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival. He is a graduate of the Leadership Baltimore and Leadership Maryland programs and is currently part of the Weinberg Fellows program. John is a certified Humanist Celebrant/Officiant through the American Humanist Association.

March 2008

Mar 2: "An Island of Goodness " Fritz Williams, Leader Emeritus of the Baltimore Ethical Society

All of Fritz's "Good Life" talks this year have been rewritten extensively. But on March 3 he will make an exception. In a talk entitled AN ISLAND OF GOODNESS, he will tell his own version of the story of the village of LeChambon, and he will tell it exactly as he first told it on January 8, 2006. "It was a talk that almost wrote itself," he recalls, "and the power of goodness in an era of violence and hatred shone right through it with a transparency that took me by surprise. I've told a lot of stories, but this may be the most moving, most powerful story of them all."

Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of BES and serves as a regular speaker and teacher at the Society. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Mar 9: "Silence and My Role as a Maryland Legislator" Delegate Liz Bobo, District 12B, Howard County

Liz Bobo, local legislator, will discuss the week long silent retreat led by an American Buddhist monk that she attended in the last two years. Liz writes, "My ability to draw on what I learned at those retreats at the height of activity of the legislative session has proven very helpful. I have gained deeper peacefulness and equanimity." She will also connect this experience to what she learned by listening to Hans Peter Durr, head of the Max Planck Institute in Munich, generally agreed to be the foremost quantum physics institution on our planet.

Liz Bobo has served in the Maryland House of Delegates for the last 13 years. She is currently chair of the land use & ethics subcommittee and a member of the natural resources and the environment subcommittees of the Environmental Matters Committee. Liz has been in public service 1976, including a term as Howard County Executive. (She is the first woman in Maryland to be elected county executive.) She is currently on the Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities and is Co-Chair, Maryland Clean Car and Energy Policy Task Force. She was born in Baltimore, received a BA in literature and a JD, both from U. of Md., and is a member of the Md. Bar. Much more info about Liz is available at the House web site: http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/06hse/html/msa12188.html

Mar 16: "Ethics and Mental Illness: Past and Present" Denise Camp, Director, MARTYLOG Peer Support Mental Health Wellness & Recovery Center

Prior to a true medical understanding of mental illnesses, people suffering with maladies of the mind were shunned, punished and locked away. With advances in medications and treatments, people with mental illnesses can live productive lives. However, they are still often shunned and stigmatized. How can we apply the Commitments of Ethical Culture to this oft misunderstood class of fellow human beings?

Denise Camp is the Director of the MARTYLOG Peer Support Mental Health Wellness and Recovery Center in Pikesville. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Ms. Camp was working on her Masters in Electrical Engineering when she was diagnosed with Clinical Depression (now known as Major Depressive Disorder). Though she continued to work as an engineer, Ms. Camp's illness eventually disabled her, keeping her out of the workforce for more than 10 years. With the right mix of medications, caring mental health professional and a psychiatric rehabilitation program called Prologue, Inc., Ms. Camp has become an outspoken advocate for the public mental health system by testifying in Annapolis and now actually works for the psychiatric program she once attended.

Mar 23: "American Idealism at its Best: The Lyceum Movement, 1830-1860"David O'Donaghue, Psy.D.

The Democratic system requires both an educated populace and public forums in which to grapple with issues. David O'Donaghue, the founder and director of the Baltimore Lyceum, will explore how the Lyceum Movement met these objectives through the establishment of local educational centers, sponsoring such speakers as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Nathaniel Hawthorne on lecture circuits around the country. He will also tell us about his experience in continuing this tradition by re-establishing lyceums in the mountains of North Carolina, in New Orleans and now in Baltimore.

David O'Donaghue, Psy.D. spent the first 15 years of his working life as a psychologist. He then chose to return to school to do doctoral work in philosophy, concentrating on the influence of German philosophy on transcendentalism and adult education. David is the founder and director of the Baltimore Lyceum.

Mar 30: "Sustainable Design: The LEEDing Edge"Kim Schaefer, AIA, Principal � Terralogos Eco-Architecture

Sustainable living is becoming more and more common, but many people are still unaware of some of the ways they can incorporate sustainability into their lives. Kim Schaefer is one of the founders of Terralogos Eco-Architecture, a firm that specializes in applying sustainable design techniques to existing structures. Kim will share with us her experiences working in this area, as well as her reasons for focusing her business on sustainable design.

Kim Schaefer, a LEED accredited professional, holds a Bachelor in Environmental Design from Texas A&M University and a Masters in Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Ms. Schaefer has been involved in several international sustainable design projects, including work in Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and Mexico. She is a Registered Architect in Texas, Virginia, and Maryland.

Ms. Schaefer is particularly concerned with bringing sustainable design practices to affordable housing and with the revitalization of urban communities; to that end she has worked with such associations as Habitat for Humanity, the Sustainable Washington Alliance, the US Green Building Council, and A Rocha, an international Christian conservation group. In October 2006, she received the Innovator of the Year Award from The Daily Record for her sustainable design work. She also has a BES connection; she mentored BES youth member Samuel Hudnet in his research project on Sustainable Design, done while he attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute.

Other March 2008 Activities

Sat Mar 1, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House featuring Gedalya Chinn � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation requested)

Gedalya spent his formative years bouncing around New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Maryland, and has the scars to prove it. He is a high school drop-out but managed to graduate from the University of Maryland Baltimore County with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre. Literary influences include Walt Whitman, Reinaldo Arenas, Anne Sexton and Samuel Beckett. When not writing poetry, he has spent the past few years writing plays and has had productions of his work mounted here in Baltimore. In June, he will marry the love of his life and is doing cartwheels and somersaults about that. Open mic follows.

Sun Mar 2, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced by Karla ahead of time via e-mail. To be added to her e-mail list, write her at poet at BaltimoreEthicalSociety dot org.

Sun Mar 2, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Please continue to support this project, which gets excellent reviews from the folks at Moveable Feast who prepare and deliver meals to homebound AIDS and cancer patients and their families in the greater Baltimore area. Once again, here are our guidelines: 1) Bring your desserts with you to our meeting and place them on the table in the corner of our meeting room. 2) If possible, use sandwich bags to wrap cupcakes, brownies, cake slices, and sweet breads in single servings and label what they are (in general, not a list of ingredients). 3) Mark your desserts if they include nuts or peanuts. 4) Avoid desserts that contain alcohol and desserts with thick icings.

Sun Mar 2, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat Mar 8, 6 pm The Humanist Way Study Group and pot-luck dinner

A great introduction to Ethical Culture or a refresher course in humanist religion. Whichever way you look at it, The Humanist Way by Ed Ericson is worth reading�and discussing.

The third HUMANIST WAY discussion will be combined with a pot luck dinner at the Helms on Saturday, March 8 at 6 pm. The discussion will look at Ethical Culture's place in the larger landscape of liberal and humanistic religions. Participants are encouraged to read chapters 5 and 6 of THE HUMANIST WAY by Edward L. Ericson, former Leader of the Washington and New York Ethical Societies. Copies may be purchased from the Baltimore Ethical Society for $15.

Fritz Williams will lead the discussion, and he is coordinating the pot luck gathering as well.

Sun Mar 9, 7 pm Community Circle

Sun Mar 16, 9:30 am Poetry Group

No rhyming required! Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced by Karla ahead of time via e-mail. To be added to her e-mail list, write her at poet at BaltimoreEthicalSociety dot org.

Sun Mar 23, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

New to the Society and interested in learning more? Thinking about joining? Come to the Newcomers' Meeting, held following the last platform of every month, and learn more about Ethical Culture and about our Society�its history, its philosophy, and its organization. Meetings last about one hour and are hosted by members of the Society, sometimes including Fritz Williams, our professional Leader.

Sun Mar 23, 7 pm Community Circle

February 2008

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Feb 3: "A Simpler Life " Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

Day after day we're bombarded by messages inviting us to improve the quality of our lives by buying new products and services and by taking part in additional activities. But we already have more stuff than we have room for, and in most cases, our lives are seriously overextended. Continuing his "Good Life" series, Fritz Williams examines ways of simplifying our lives and living lives that are more focused, better balanced, and kinder to our own health and the health of our planet.

Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of BES and serves as a regular speaker and teacher at the Society. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Feb 10: "Opening Up the Intelligent Design Controversy" Nathaniel Comfort, PhD, Assoc. Prof. of History, JHU

Why do scientists have so much trouble in the ongoing debate with the creationist/ID fundamentalists � despite having every scrap of evidence on their side? While Prof. Comfort is utterly persuaded by the evidence for evolution, both Darwinian and non-Darwinian (e.g., random drift), he sees in the ongoing debates over evolution something troubling about the place of science in our culture. He says, "I consider it a badge of honor to have been singled out for attack on the Discovery Institute website for this argument. On the other hand, serious scientists have criticized me for being too soft on the ID folks. So I am positioned right about where I want to be: not beholden to either camp."

Nathaniel C. Comfort , an associate professor in History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, is a historian of genetics and biomedicine with an interest in the history of recent science and oral history interviewing. He holds degrees in biology (BA, UC Berkeley, 1985), neuroscience (MS, Cornell, 1990), and history (PhD, Stony Brook, 1997). Professor Comfort is currently working on the history of human and medical genetics in America. He is the author of The Tangled Field, a biographical study of the geneticist Barbara McClintock (Harvard, 2001), and the editor of The Panda's Black Box: Opening Up the Intelligent Design Controversy (Johns Hopkins, 2007), from which this talk is drawn.

Feb 17: "Food Donations Impede the Elimination of Hunger and Poverty" Robert Egger, Founder & President of the DC Central Kitchen

We must rethink our devotion to food donation. Food programs have sidetracked efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty; co-dependency within the system is multifaceted and troubling. Food donors and recipients are trapped in an ever-expanding web of immediate gratification that offers the recipients no long-term hope of ever achieving independence and self-reliance.

Robert Egger is the Founder and President of the DC Central Kitchen, where unemployed men and women learn marketable culinary skills while foods donated by restaurants, hotels and caterers are converted into balanced meals. Since opening in 1989, the Kitchen has distributed 17.4 million meals and helped over 605 men and women gain full- time employment. Currently, Robert is the Chairperson of the DC Mayor's Commission on Nutrition. Also, he was the Co-Convener of the first ever Nonprofit Congress. Robert's book on the non-profit sector, Begging for Change: The Dollars and Sense of Making Nonprofits Responsive, Efficient and Rewarding For All, which was released in 2004 by HarperCollins, received the 2005 McAdam Prize for "Best Nonprofit Management Book" by the Alliance for Nonprofit Management. Robert shares his ideas about the nonprofit sector and the future of America at www.robertegger.org.

Feb 24: "4th Annual BESpeak-Off"Facilitated by Gordon Stills, retired Balto. City Public Schools Principal

The Baltimore Ethical Society, as an aspect of its community outreach, sponsors the 4th Annual BESpeak-Off (an oratorical contest) in an effort to increase language proficiency among middle school students in Baltimore City. Recognizing that spoken language is often the key to one's success in a wide range of situations (interviews, jobs, appointments, promotions, etc.), the Society seeks to encourage students to understand that the HOW of what may be said may often be as important as the MEANING of what may be said. During previous speak-offs, students have come to the Society with great anticipation, gleaming hope, and wonderful presentations. The audience has never been disappointed, the parents are always overjoyed, and the Society feels a special pride and delight in participating in one small aspect of each student's personal effort.

Gordon Stills, coordinator of the speak-off, retired 25 years ago as principal of the old Northern Parkway Junior High School here in Baltimore. During his 30 years as an educator, he taught English and served as department head and administrator at Booker T. Washington Jr. High, Clifton Park Jr. High and Douglass Sr. High. Prior to his post at Northern Parkway Jr. High, he worked at Baltimore City College High School where he served as principal for the last 2 all-boys classes. For 10 years in the middle of his career, he was director of the highly acclaimed Summer Writing Opportunity Program (SWOP) at Friends School on North Charles Street. A member of the Baltimore Ethical Society for over 45 years, Gordon serves now as Ethical Humanist Officiant at the Society.

Other February 2008 Activities

Sat Feb 2, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House featuring Dennis Barnes & Poets Ink � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation requested)

Special Event: Publication reading for "Shades of Light" by Dennis Barnes, poet and coordinator of Poets Ink workshops for Maryland State Poetry and Literary Society, plus a Poets Ink workshop with editors Dennis Barnes and Rosemary Klein.

After our featured reader, we'll have a break during which those attending can work with a Poets Ink editor. Poems will later be published in a chapbook. Open mic for those in the workshop, as well as others attending, follows.

Sun Feb 3, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Feb 3, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Sun Feb 3, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat Feb 9, 6 pm The Humanist Way Study Group and pot-luck dinner

A great introduction to Ethical Culture or a refresher course in humanist religion. Whichever way you look at it, The Humanist Way by Ed Ericson is worth reading�and discussing.

The second HUMANIST WAY discussion will be combined with a pot luck dinner at the Society on Saturday, February 9 at 6 pm. The discussion will look at Ethical Culture's place in the larger landscape of liberal and humanistic religions. Participants are encouraged to read chapters 3 and 4 of THE HUMANIST WAY by Edward L. Ericson, former Leader of the Washington and New York Ethical Societies. Copies may be purchased from the Baltimore Ethical Society for $15.

Fritz Williams will lead the discussion, and he is coordinating the pot luck gathering as well.

Sun Feb 17, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Feb 24, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

January 2008

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Jan 6: "Taking Laughter Seriously" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

Laughter is possibly the most contagious form of pleasure. It spices up relationships. It brings down pretensions and puts people at ease. It works like medicine in times of sadness, anxiety, and grief. On the most basic level, it is a way of coping with the ultimate absurdity and purposelessness of life. Fritz Williams includes laughter and a sense of humor in his year-long overview of the good life.

Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of BES and serves as a regular speaker and teacher at the Society. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Jan 13: "Even the Black Sheep Has a Shrine" Mike Franch, Ethical Culture Leader

My brother died August 5, 2006. We had only reconnected about six years ago, after years in which his whereabouts were unknown to the family. He was the family black sheep. Now, as he was slipping away, I discovered that his circle of friends, coworkers, and neighbors held him in high regard and deep affection. There was more to David than I had realized.

There's always more to other people than we realize. Our religion addresses part of that when it talks about worth and dignity. It should also provide a ladder so we can, in the words of Felix Adler, "surmount those walls which surround the shrine" in the other. If we don't try, he said, we ourselves are spiritually dead.

Mike Franch was BES leader from 1975-84. A historian by training (Ph.D., University of Maryland), he has taught history at a number of colleges and until his 2007 retirement, worked in health policy at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He is affiliate minister at the First Unitarian Church, Baltimore, and speaks often at Ethical Societies and Unitarian churches. He is on the Maryland Humanities Council's Speaker's Bureau, and is also a storyteller, English country dance caller, and urban bicyclist.

Jan 20: "Belated Justice for Nazi Resisters" Susanne Riveles

Susanne Riveles will report on contemporary research findings about Nazi crimes against humanity. Only since the fall of the Berlin wall are new Nazi-Justice records accessible to researchers in a unified Germany. She will describe the organization, work and persecution of the largest Berlin based resistance organization fighting the Nazi regime on numerous fronts. The members of the group were driven underground and acted under the permanent threat of being arrested. Over 200 members were caught, tried by the infamous Peoples Court, and executed in the last months of World War II.

Susanne Riveles was born in Berlin and her family suffered severely at the hands of the Nazis. Her father was executed for his role in Resistance activities. She later earned her Ph.D. in Afric an studies at Howard University. Her studies relate the treatment of the people of Namibia under German colonial rule to the Nazi racially discriminatory treatment of Jews. She has worked with Amnesty International and led the Southern Africa Coordination Group in the defense of prisoners of Apartheid. She was Director of the Africa desk for Lutheran World Relief and was Director of the Education and Advocacy for International Justice and Human Rights Program for Church World Service. In those roles she has traveled to Africa, and has written, testified and advocated to improve conditions for development and human rights. She is currently on the Boards of the Abell Improvement Association (AIA), the Charles Village Community Benefits District Management Authority, and the International Alliance of Women (IAW). She is Regional Vice President for the Americas and Convenor of the IAW's Commission on Women, Peace and Security. She is responsible for Planning, Land Use, Sanitation and Housing for the AIA.

Jan 27: "The Politics of Presidential Primaries" Richard Katz, Professor of Political Science, JHU

By this time the two major parties will have had primaries or caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Nevada. In addition, Republicans will have had a primary in South Carolina and county conventions in Wyoming. Our own president, Dick Katz will help us read the presidential tea leaves; describe how the primary process affects our democracy; propose a better primary process; and mention some things we might consider when Maryland holds its primary is on Feb 12.

Richard Katz is Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Political Science of Johns Hopkins University where he has taught for 30 years. He received an AB from the University of Michigan and PhD from Yale in political science. His research interests are Comparative Politics (Parties, Elections, European politics) and American Politics. He has written 10 books; over 100 articles, chapters, reviews, and conference papers; and has served on numerous editorial boards and advisory committees, most recently as Consultant to the Privy Council Office of the Government of Canada. He is currently doing his second stint as President of BES and performs many of the little tasks that keep the society humming.

December 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...
========> NEW!! Study Group Starting Dec 15 <======== see...

Dec 2: "A Good Life in Bad Times" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

Fritz Williams states "In my talks this year, I am speaking about living a good life. A life that is joyful and satisfying. A generous life that has a positive effect on others. A life that is good through and through. I've set the bar high, and I don't blame anyone for protesting. Sometimes, in fact, I'm inclined to take issue myself. �It's hard enough to live that kind of life,' I'd like to say, �under the best of circumstances, but how can you expect us to live like that when all kinds of bad things are happening to us and when we're surrounded by so much violence, injustice, and suffering? When the planet itself is in danger? Does it make sense even to aspire to such a life?'"

Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of BES and serves as a regular speaker and teacher at the Society. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Dec 9: "A Good Life in Bad Times Continued" An interactive program facilitated by Stephen Meskin and Karen Elliott

In the recent movie "Wristcutters: A Love Story", the characters find themselves in an even less wonderful world after removing themselves from the one we live in. In spite of this, they find moments of quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) joy and beauty. We continue our discussion of living the good life in bad times. Where will you find yourself in the discussion � as an optimist, a pessimist, a cynic, or a realist − and are there really sides? Why do we continue to try and live good lives in this bad world?

Stephen Meskin is a member of the BES Board, an Ethical Humanist Officiant, and a Mathematician. He is a graduate of the Humanist Institute and attended the AEU Lay Leadership Summer School in 2006. See Dec. 23 for bio of Karen Elliott.

Dec 16: "The Invention of Race" Karen Helm

Americans internalize their race classifications almost as they do their gender identities. But recent race scholarship shows us that the effect of using labels like "Italian- American," "Black," or "Asian" has rarely been benign. Karen Helm will trace the ideology that underlies our use of racial terminology and discuss how it shapes our understanding of history, events and behavior. She will explore the information that we actually convey when we use it and suggest ways to ensure we are saying what we mean.

Karen Helm is an Ethical Humanist Officiant and a member of the BES Board who labels herself "a sociologist," "a woman," and "a human being." She has worked in urban housing development in NYC, run a community mental health facility in Richmond, CA, and engaged in Aboriginal health advocacy in Melbourne. She has also served as San Francisco VP of NOW and as President of the State of Victoria YWCA, Australia. She was heavily engaged in voter registration during the �60s and is currently President of the Friends of Druid Hill Park.

Dec 23: Winter FestivalFacilitated by Karen Elliott

We take time to examine and celebrate dark and light just past the shortest day of the year. We spread some light ourselves, too, by bringing mittens and other warm garb to decorate our mitten tree and small "sun gifts" to share.

Karen Elliott is an Ethical Humanist Officiant and Vice President of the BES Board. She has presented poetry workshops in local schools since 1995 and has also taught computer courses in schools and elsewhere.

Dec 30: Annual Pancake Breakfast

Come and bring a side dish or something to drink. Pancakes and fixings are provided, along with coffee and tea. Good conversation will also be provided (by all in attendance).

Other December 2007 Activities

Sat Dec 1, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House featuring performance poet Linda Joy Burke and Native American Flute player Jan Seiden � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation appreciated)

Our December coffeehouse will feature two BES favorites. Performance poet Linda Joy Burke will warm us up with her flair and incredible sense of rhythm. Then, Native American Flute player Jan Seiden will play for us on her ever increasing selection of flutes. Have you ever experienced someone playing two flutes at once? It's an evening not to be missed!

Sun Dec 2, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Dec 2, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Sun Dec 2, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat Dec 15, 6 pm The Humanist Way Study Group and pot-luck dinner

A great introduction to Ethical Culture or a refresher course in humanist religion.

Whichever way you look at it, The Humanist Way by Ed Ericson is worth reading�and discussing. The discussions will be facilitated by Steve Meskin, Karen Elliott, and Fritz Williams.

The first HUMANIST WAY discussion will be combined with a pot luck dinner at the home of Don and Karen Helm in the Bolton Hill section of Baltimore on Saturday, December 15 at 6 pm. The discussion will look at Ethical Culture's place in the larger landscape of liberal and humanistic religions. Participants are encouraged to read the first two chapters of THE HUMANIST WAY by Edward L. Ericson, former Leader of the Washington and New York Ethical Societies. Copies may be purchased from the Baltimore Ethical Society for $15.

Fritz Williams will lead the discussion, and he is coordinating the pot luck gathering as well. Attendance will be limited to 14 persons, and preference will be given to people who have just started coming to BES in the last several years.

Sun Dec 16, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Dec 23, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

November 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Nov 4: "A Passionate Life" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

Last month Fritz spoke about the role of compassion in connecting with ourselves and with everyone around us. In his next talk, he will explore the challenge of building on that same profoundly emotional base as we pursue our lives, our work, and all our activities. In an environment with many distractions and all the corrupting influences of a consumer culture, he holds up the ideal of the passionate life and addresses what it means to be fully and authentically present in our lives.

Fritz Williams is Leader Emeritus of BES and serves as a regular speaker and teacher at the Society. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Nov 11: "The Good Life: A Passionate Life Continued" An interactive program facilitated by Stephen Meskin

We more fully explore what it means to lead a passionate life and how we can accomplish this. Share examples of lives lived with passion and techniques for doing so ourselves. Discuss related questions, such as whether a passionate life is something that can only be accomplished by those whose basic needs have been met.

Stephen Meskin is a member of the BES Board, an Ethical Humanist Officiant, and a Mathematician. He is a graduate of the Humanist Institute and attended the AEU Lay Leadership Summer School in 2006i

Nov 18: "Empathy, Imagination, and Ethical Development"Bob Berson, Leader, Northern Westchester E.S.

Dr. Berson will discuss Empathy as it appears in the human species, how it develops in the human individual, and whether it is a natural or learned part of being human. He will discuss the role that Imagination plays in the development of Empathy and the role of both in Ethical growth. He will address what impedes or even defeats Empathy and Ethical living and also what fosters them.

Robert Berson, EdD, PhD, is Leader of the Ethical Society of Northern Westchester and a clinical psychologist in private practice in Manhattan, a graduate of the Riverdale Yonkers Sunday School as well as of the Fieldstone School. He is Dean of the National Leader's Council of the American Ethical Union.

Nov 25: "Global Warming is Hot"Stephen Meskin, Ph.D.

Global warming is the hot new buzz word. With Gore sharing the Nobel Prize for his work, politicians are starting to talk about it; newspapers, magazines, and TV shows are tripping over each other to tell the story. Global warming has become a cultural phenomenon. The general consensus is that it is really happening and human activity is the cause. Some communities and individuals are starting to take action.

Finally an environmental issue has captured the world's attention. What should we do? What could we do? What will we do? What are the ethical implications of action?

Stephen Meskin has been part of a group in Columbia studying global warming. He will bring some of what he has learned to the platform and may also bring someone along to help explain what is going on in Baltimore. Dr. Meskin is a member of the BES Board, an Ethical Humanist Officiant, and a Mathematician. He is a graduate of the Humanist Institute and attended the AEU Lay Leadership Summer School in 2006.

Other November 2007 Activities

Sat Nov 3, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House featuring poet Dan Jenkins and the mellifluous tones of Steven Yorkman � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation appreciated)

Our November coffeehouse will feature the confessional poetry of Dan Jenkins about his relationships, both tragic and loving. Also featured is Steven Yorkman, who possesses an incredibly warm and rich voice. Steven will sing his own songs, which chronicle his heartbreaks and rise out of despair. Come and listen!

Hold that date! Featured performers on December 1st are BES favorites poet Linda Joy Burke and native American flute player Jan Seiden!

Sun Nov 4, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Nov 4, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Sun Nov 4, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sun Nov 18, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Nov 25, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

October 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Oct 7: "Compassion: The Heart of the Good Life" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

Fritz Williams believes than an authentic moral life is grounded in emotional health and openness. Moral rules may guide our actions, but the motivation to do good resides in our emotions--our emotional connection with ourselves and with others. Compassion holds the key to both happiness and goodness. It is the heart of the good life.

Fritz Williams serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader of BES. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Oct 14: "The Good Life: Compassion Continued" An interactive program facilitated by Karen Elliott

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language describes compassion as "a feeling of deep sorrow and sympathy for another who is stricken by suffering or misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the pain or remove the cause." Together, we create our own definition of compassion by examining how we act out of compassion and how it feels to us.

Karen Elliott is an Ethical Humanist Officiant and Vice President of the BES Board. She has presented poetry workshops in local schools since 1995 and has also taught computer courses in schools and elsewhere.

Oct 21: "Reflections on Violence" Michael Glaser, Poet Laureate of Maryland

Michael writes: "I have been reflecting a lot recently on the following quotation of Thomas Merton's:

'The rush and pressure of modern life are a form, perhaps the most common form, of innate violence. To allow oneself to be carried away by a multitude of conflicting concerns, to surrender to too many demands, to commit oneself to too many projects, to want to help everyone in everything is to succumb to violence.

More than that, it is cooperation with violence. The frenzy of the activist neutralizes his work for peace. It destroys his inner capacity for peace. It destroys the fruitfulness of his own work because it kills the root of inner wisdom which makes work fruitful.'

This quotation helped me understand some of the anger I was experiencing from the frustration I felt as I tried (over/against some significant resistance) to "help" my students think about/cope with / put into some kind of perspective what happened at Virginia Tech last spring � I think that somehow all this will create the core of what I will talk about.

If you are going to use text in your newsletter to promote my visit, I would much prefer you quote Merton rather than my bio or statement about my service."

Oct. 28: Family Fall Festival facilitated by Karen Elliott

What do you get when you mix a caring community, a fall morning, and a round, grey stone? BES' own traditional Fall Festival, of course�complete with Stone Salad and lots of sharing and caring.

If you haven't participated in the Fall Festival before, come prepared to share what you are thankful for and bring a good appetite and a contribution to our miraculous "Stone Salad". Drinks, bread and butter, and salad dressings are provided, along with some songs and a lot of smiles.

Other October 2007 Activities

Sat Oct 6, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free

(donation appreciated)

Sun Oct 7, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Sun Oct 7, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sun Oct 7, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Oct 14, 12:30 pm Joyful Sounds

MUSIC MAKING AT BES with Bob Markush acting as chief instigator, a number of BES members and friends are gathering after our meeting and refreshments on the second Sunday each month to sing for an hour or so. Eventually, we're hoping to form a group of singers who will sing occasionally at our meetings, but right now we're just making music for our own pleasure. Our sessions are open to anyone who's interested. If you like to sing, join us in the big room after the Sunday platform.

Sun Oct 21, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Oct 21, 12:30 pm Baltimore Eating Society lunch & socializing the 3rd Sunday each month.

Contact Andrea Tabbat for more information.

Sun Oct 28, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

September 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Sep 9: "The Good Life" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

For most of human history, a life we might consider a good life was reserved for a privileged few. But at long last, in the developed regions of the world at least, a good life, a life that is meaningful and happy, has become possible for the masses, and we experience that possibility as both opportunity and obligation. But even in the midst of unprecedented prosperity and unbounded life-style options, the good life remains elusive. Our quest for the good life often feels like working at a job where the wages fluctuate unpredictably. Like searching endlessly in the hope that the search will reveal just what it is we are looking for.

Fritz Williams serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader of BES. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

Sep 16: "The Good Life: Continued" An interactive program facilitated by Karen Elliott & Stephen Meskin

What does "the good life" mean to you? When Leader Emeritus Fritz Williams decided he wanted to reprise his very popular "Good Life" series with an eye towards creating a book from it, members of the Program Committee were thrilled. We are also going to reprise the follow-up programs we did the last time, wherein we delve deeper into the various aspects of a good life than we have time for during the regular program "talk back".

Stephen Meskin and Karen Elliott are Ethical Humanist Officiants and are on the BES Board. Steve is a graduate of the Humanist Institute. Karen has presented poetry workshops in local schools since 1995 and has also taught computer courses in schools and elsewhere.

Sep 23: "Fostering Ethics in the Face of Globalization" John Daken, Leader in Training

The world seems to be getting smaller all the time. Interlinked economies, ecologies, and cultures make the term "global village" more accurate every year. These developments raise important moral questions, but when religious leaders have their turn in the village square their mutually exclusive dogmas stymie their efforts. Painfully aware of the religious elements of modern terrorism, liberal theologians have grappled with the viability of creed in a post-9/11 world but have been reticent to move into the uncharted waters of the non-creedal. But our pluralistic world calls for a pluralistic ethics, rooted in a faith in the unique ethical capacities of every person and played out through an inclusive, elevating discourse.

John Daken is currently a Leader in Training, under the guidance of BES Leader Emeritus Fritz Williams. He is a member of the Washington Ethical Society and a Master of Divinity student at Meadville-Lombard Theological School. He is trained as a psychiatrist.

Sept. 30: "Poetic Activism" Kim Roberts, poet & playwright

Kim Roberts is founder and editor of the seven-year-old Beltway Poetry Quarterly, an online cyberjournal, which in Spring 2006 published an anthology of 46 poems written in response to the war in Iraq. As said in that anthology's introduction: "Thankfully, the poets refuse to acquiesce. When the politicians are compliant and the press is distracted by the next sparkly thing, the poets continue to believe, to speak out and to say no to fear. They are na�ve and hopeful and true." Roberts discusses how poetry contributes to "provocation and witness."

Kim Roberts has published widely in literary journals throughout the US, as well as elsewhere, and authored two books of poetry, The Kimnama (Vrzhu Press) and The Wishbone Galaxy (WWPH). Her poems have been set to both rock and classical music and several have been choreographed by the Jane Franklin Dance Company. Additionally, she has penned six plays, one of which received a staged reading at the Kennedy Center. Roberts has been the recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the DC Commission for the Arts, and others.

Other September 2007 Activities

Sat Sep 1, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free

(donation appreciated)
Our September coffeehouse will be an all night open mic. Come and listen to some new voices on the Baltimore poetry scene, and probably a few well known ones as well.

Sun Sep 9, 10:30 am - noon Movable Treats

Sun Sep 9, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sun Sep 9, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Sep 16, 12:30 pm Joyful Sounds

Sun Sep 23, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun Sep 23, 12:30 pm Baltimore Eating Society lunch & socializing the 3rd Sunday each month.

Contact Andrea Tabbat for more information.

Sun Sep 30, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

Summer 2007

Discussions Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

During the summer, Sunday meetings are shorter (one hour) and less formal, consisting of informal discussions on social, spiritual, or philosophical issues facilitated by Society members.

Jun 3: "Intimate Terrorism" Karen Elliott

Jun 10: "What Should We Do at BES?" Stephen Meskin

Jun 17: "Making a Profound Decision" Tony Kirkland (Father's day)

Jun 24: "Peacework: A Video Campaign Against Family Violence" Fritz Williams

Jul 1: "Why is it Always About You?" Rosemary Klein

Jul 8: "What We Learned at the Assembly" Karen Elliott

Jul 15: "Ethical Identity" John Daken

Jul 22: "The Anti-war Movement: Why Aren't We All Marching?" Cathy Malcomb

Jul 29: "Ethical Humanist or Humanist Ethical?" Bob & Diana Corbett

Aug 5: "Immigration Policies" Fritz Schwarz

Aug 12: "What is Religion and Why Should We Care?" Stephen Meskin

Aug 19: "Race Without Rancor" Gordon Stills

Aug 26: "Experience of Poetry" Karla Mancero

Other Summer 2007 Activities

1st Saturday Coffee House 7 pm � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation appreciated)

Sat, Jun 2
Sat, Jul 7
Sat, Aug 4

Movable Treats 10:30 am - noon

Sun, Jun 3
Sun, Jul 1
Sun, Aug 5

Sun, Jun 10
Sun, Jul 1
Sun, Aug 5

Volunteers Needed

Sat, Jun 2, to Sun Jun 3: Charles Village Festival, Emil Volchek facilitator

Fri, Jun 29, to Sun, Jul 1: Columbia City Fair, Stephen Meskin facilitator

Sat, Aug 25: Clean Up Party, Bob Corbett facilitator

May 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

May 6: "Bigger, More, Faster, Louder " Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

We have been taking it for granted in this country that technological innovation, economic growth, and expanding markets hold the key to improving the lives of people everywhere. But we are learning that this is not necessarily the case, and there are ominous signs that we are stretching the limits of our finite planet to the breaking point. Fritz Williams talks about the collision between market-based economics and ethics, and he searches for more humane and sustainable images of the good life.

Fritz Williams serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader of BES. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

May 13: "Moveable Feast: Moving into the Future" Jeff Burch, Development Director, & Tom Patrick, Volunteer Coordinator, Moveable Feast

Recently Moveable Feast, an organization that the Baltimore Ethical Society has supported for some time now, has had their funding cut due to changes in the application of the Ryan White Act funds. Development Director Jeff Burch will inform us about what happened with their funding and ways we can help them. Tom Patrick, Volunteer Coordinator, will also give us more information about volunteer opportunities and how BES' contributions make a difference.

Jeff Burch is relatively new to non-profit work, having been with Moveable Feast for just four years, the last one and a half as Development Director. He was previously a teacher in the Baltimore County school system.
Tom Patrick has been with the organization for almost 17 years. Last year he coordinated 4,342 volunteer visits resulting in over almost 20,000 volunteer hours for the organization. He spoke to BES about his experiences at Moveable Feast last year. You can find out more about Moveable Feast on the web at http://www.mfeast.org/ .

May 20: "Life With Cancer and Beyond" Karen Elliott, Judy Katz, & Cathy Malcomb�cancer survivors

The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be 26,390 people diagnosed with cancer in Maryland this year. Probably every one of us can think of someone they know personally who has had cancer. Just as there are many types of cancers, there are many types of experiences dealing with the disease. Three members of the Society will share their stories of the impact of cancer on their lives and what they learned from the experience.

Karen Elliott has been in remission from one incident of cancer for 11 years.
Judy Katz has had to live through multiple incidents with two different kinds of cancer.
Cathy Malcomb had multiple types of cancer identified at the same time.
All three are all members of the Baltimore Ethical Society and have served on its Board; Judy is currently Treasurer and Karen is finishing up her third consecutive term as President.

May 27: End of Season Picnic Noon-3 PM

Bring a potluck contribution and a good appetite to the picnic that ends the formal season of talks at BES. Enjoy the outdoors in Monkton(and the usual good talk and food). For more info call the Society at 410-581-2322.

Other May 2007 Activities

Sat May5, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free

(donation appreciated)
Our May coffeehouse features young local poet Olivia Haynes, whose rapid reading style and vivid portrayals of Baltimore life have won her awards and much acclaim. Come and hear things from a fresh perspective!

Sun May 6, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun May 6, 10:30 to Noon Movable Treats

Overall contributions were down a little in April, but the desserts that did come in were properly packaged and labeled and saved Belva a lot of work. Please continue to support this project, which gets excellent reviews from the folks at Moveable Feast who prepare and deliver meals to homebound AIDS and cancer patients and their families in the greater Baltimore area.
Once again, here are our guidelines: 1) Bring your desserts with you to our meeting and place them on the table in the corner of our meeting room. 2) If possible, use sandwich bags to wrap cupcakes, brownies, cake slices, and sweet breads in single servings and label what they are (in general, not a list of ingredients). 3) Mark your desserts if they include nuts or peanuts. 4) Avoid desserts that contain alcohol and desserts with thick icings.

Sun May 6, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat May 12, 10 am Officiant Training

Fritz Williams will be conducting a training session for current officiants and those who are interested in becoming officiants at the Baltimore Ethical Society from 10 a.m. to noon. Officiants work with individuals and couples at a critical and formative time in their lives, and they conduct ceremonies which are public expressions of the religious and ethical values we stand for.

Sat May 12, 6 pm Eight Commitments Workshop #7 (reservations required)

Sun May 13, 12:30 pm Joyful Sounds

With Bob Markush acting as chief instigator, a number of BES members and friends are gathering after our meeting and refreshments on the second Sunday each month to sing for an hour or so. Eventually, we're hoping to form a group of singers who will sing occasionally at our meetings, but right now we're just making music for our own pleasure. Our sessions are open to anyone who's interested. If you like to sing, join us in the big room after the platform meeting.

Sun May 20, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun May 20, 12:30 pm Annual Membership Meeting

Vote on the budget, learn Board election results and make your opinion known.

No May Baltimore Eating Society due to the Annual Membership Meeting

No May Newcomers' Meeting due to the End of Season Picnic

Apr 2007

April Workshop: Communication for Connection

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

April 1: "The Great Divide" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

It's been said that Americans are polarized as never before. We are divided not only by differences of opinion on specific issues, but by massive orientation differences that span a wide range of political, economic, social, ecological, and religious attitudes. Fritz Williams asks what has created the phenomenon of "comprehensive conservatism and liberalism." And he explores the need for more reasonable and less doctrinaire communication across the great divide.

Fritz Williams serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader of BES. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

April 8: "Why Religion is Mainly a Matter of Economics: A Scientific Analysis" Greg Paul, Evolutionary Scientist

Far from rejection of the existence of a creator leading as, as many predict, to societal disintegration, cross-national comparisons of differing rates of religiosity and societal conditions show that the highly secular, pro-evolution 1st world democracies enjoy low rates of societal dysfunction, while pro-religious and anti-evolution America performs much more poorly. Religion and creationism remain popular only in nations where socio-economic disparities are high, and the majority of the population is so chronically anxious about their financial situation that they seek supernatural assistance and comfort.

Gregory Paul is an independent researcher with interests in paleontology, evolutionary science and more recently the interactions between science, religion, politics, economics and society. His research on the latter led him to be labeled the churches' public enemy #1 by MSNBC, denounced as un-American in the Wall St. Journal. Paul edited the Scientific American Book of the Dinosaur, and wrote Dinosaurs of the Air (Johns Hopkins University Press). His societal research is intended to provide the public with the information they need to better chart the future course of society, and to challenge long standing myths held by all sides of the culture war.

April 15: "Spring Festival of Hope and Peace" Facilitated by Karen Elliott, President BES

We can look around the world and get depressed from all the violence and anger, the greed and poverty, and uncaring cruelty � but it's spring, the flowers are blooming and we know that working together, we can make a difference. "There's so much wrong � what can I do to eliminate poverty and injustice in the world?" Although we'd all probably like to make a huge difference in the world as individuals, for most of us the answer is that our job is to take care of a small piece of the whole. Come celebrate the positive and spend some time thinking about what we can do to brighten our small part of the world.

Karen Elliott is President of the Baltimore Ethical Society and one of its Ethical Humanist Officiants. She has worked for social justice on large and small scales since she was a young girl, including confronting bullies in the school yard at the age of 7. She is the proud mother of a son studying sustainable architecture, so he can make his own contribution to making the world a better place.

April 22: "Five Rules for Social Justice" Joe Pettit, Asst Professor, Morgan State University

Joe will discuss his five rules: 1) Differentiate between unfortunate and unjust situations. 2) Avoid misanthropy. 3) Consider injustice first, justice second. 4) Think like politicians. 5) Opportunity, opportunity, opportunity.

Joe Pettit is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies. Joe's research focuses on religion, ethics, and public policy. He is co-chair of the Religion, Public Policy, and Political Change Consultation of the American Academy of Religion. His writing can be found on the web at www.thecommongood.org/showfile.asp?file=5_26/pettit122206.html on the death penalty and on affordable housing at page 15 of www.thecommongood.org/thecommongood/FaithandtheMetropolitanChallenge.pdf

April 29: "Beyond Right and Wrong " Jone Johnson Lewis, Leader, N. Virginia Ethical Soc.

Ethics is about deciding who's right and who's wrong, who's good and who's evil. In our Ethical Culture tradition, ethics is about relating to others by attributing essential human worth, right or wrong. Jone will explore this paradox and suggest some practices that build our ability to act more ethically without focusing on right and wrong.

Jone Johnson Lewis, Leader of NoVES since 1997, has also served as the Leader of our Chicago Society and as Interim Exec. Director of the AEU. She's a UU minister as well as Ethical Leader, and worked in business and computers before changing careers. Jone's many interests include women's history, web site development, the Transcendentalist movement in American history, and Nonviolent Communication.

Workshop: Communication for Connection

Using techniques of Nonviolent Communication as developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

Sat Apr 28: 12:30-6pm

Facilitated by: Jone Johnson Lewis

We'll explore and practice the basics of communicating for connection, a way of relating to one another so that everyone's needs matter and conflict is handled peacefully and with respect.

The workshop uses some simple techniques and concepts, and lots of practice. If you're new to Nonviolent Communication, you might want to read one or the other of these two books by Marshall Rosenberg: Nonviolent Communication or Speak Peace in a World of Conflict (see http://noves.org/nvc/).

Requested donation $10 per person.

Other April 2007 Activities

Sun April 1, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun April 1, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat April 7, 7 pm 1st Saturday Coffee House � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free

(donation appreciated)
April may be the cruelest month, but it should be the funniest coffeehouse of the year as guest host Walter Massey tells stories that bring tears (of laughter) to your eyes. Special musical guests for the evening are BES' own Fritz and Belva Williams, and the featured reader is "the mystery poet" (come and see). It's sure to be an evening of shared joy and laughter, and will include an open mic where you can hear some great poetry in a rainbow of voices. Come and see what goes on at BES at night!

Sun April 8, 12:30 pm Joyful Sounds

Sat April 14, 6 pm Eight Commitments Workshop #6 (reservations required)

Sun April 15, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Sun April 15, 12:30 pm Baltimore Eating Society lunch & socializing the 3rd Sunday each month.

Contact Andrea Tabbat for more information.

Sun April 22 from 12:30 to 1:30 or 2 pm, Craft Workshop

On the last Sunday of each month, from February through April (and resuming in October if enough people want to continue), we will have a craft workshop after the program. This month we'll start off with some beading and make name tag holders to replace the elastic string most of us are using. What's the deal? If you participate in the workshop, you pay a discounted price for the materials for one of whatever it is we're making that you get to take home. You also agree to make at least two extra items to sell, to benefit BES. Costs will vary depending on what we're making. Future projects include decorating candles (like the ones we light during the program), and making mosaic stepping stones out of broken dishes and other scavenged decorative items. Sound like your bag (we could decorate canvas bags sometime, too)? Sign up ahead of time so you can be sure there'll be enough materials for you to have some craft fun. Call Judy Katz at 410-377-0306 or e-mail her at Treasurer at BaltimoreEthicalSociety dot org to register for the March workshop.

Sat April 28, 6 pm, Pot Luck Dinner

Sun April 29, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

March 2007

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other events see...

March 4: "The Long View" Fritz Williams, Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society

We don't think a lot about dying. We're too busy being alive. But from time to time, we're reminded that our feelings about death, including feelings we're scarcely aware of, have a significant impact on the way we live our lives. Fritz Williams pauses in his busy life to consider our feelings about death and their everyday consequences.

Fritz Williams serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader of BES. Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies. He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME -- SET CLOCKS AHEAD -- SO YOU WON'T BE LATE

March 11: "Windows of Opportunity" Mary Herman, Community Leader Washington ES

One hundred and thirty-one years ago, Dr. Felix Adler delivered the organizing address which led to the founding of Ethical Culture. He called for a new religion of the spirit marked by a passionate commitment to attributing worth in others, to eliciting the best from others, and to seeking justice. Participation in the Baltimore Ethical Society provides the opportunity to reflect on the ideals Ethical Culture represents and how its message might make a difference in the shape of our world and in our understanding of the meaning of being human. What windows of opportunity do we have to express our faith in humanity? What would we be doing if we believed in our principles with every fiber of our being?

Mary Herman joined the WES program staff in 1996 and has been a member since 1980. Mary's areas of leadership at WES include membership, celebrations, adult education, compassionate care, social events programs, women's programs, leadership development, annual pledge campaign, and pastoral counseling. Mary has authored curriculum for WES courses and most of their seasonal ceremonies. She was instrumental in 1996 in revising the philosophy, goals, and curriculum outline for WES's Sunday School. Mary holds a master's degree in Human Development and two bachelor's degrees, one in Fine Arts and the other in Psychology, and is currently enrolled in a graduate level program in humanistic studies with the Humanist Institute. Mary lives in Silver Spring with her husband, Gene, who is a small business owner, and their two daughters, Arianna and Emily.

March 18: "Crossing the Potomac" John Daken, Ethical Culture Leader-In-Training

John Daken served in the U.S. Navy for 18 years. Trained as a psychiatrist, he participated in responses to terrorist attacks against the USS Cole and the Pentagon. In 2004 he deployed to Iraq. Gradually souring on the potential of military force to adequately address the terrorist threat, he realized that the alternative, peaceful path to global common ground must successfully contend with our world's secular and religious fundamentalisms. Compelled to be part of the solution rather than an instrument of the problem, John resigned from the Navy in October. In this address John will tell the story of his journey across the Potomac from his desk at the Pentagon to the fertile ground of a budding religious career, and will outline why he believes that Ethical Culture offers a ray of hope in these troubling times.

In addition to being a Leader-in-Training, John Daken is a Master of Divinity student at Meadville-Lombard Theological School. For the next 18 months, he will be working with BES as part of his training. This is his introductory address to our community.

March 25: "The American Ethical Union: Retrospect and Prospect" Katherine Archibald, Executive Director, AEU

Beginning with the inception of the Ethical Culture Movement and the subsequent establishment of the American Ethical Union in 1889, the AEU has spoken for the entire Movement. It has played and continues to play a critical role in ethical action and social reform, leadership training, support for local societies, and legal endorsement for religious and civil liberties. It advances religious education, gives us an international presence in the IHEU and develops ethical culture literature. While our past informs our future, we continue to search for innovative models for success.

Ms. Archibald became Executive Director of the AEU on June 7, 2006. She holds a master's degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. She has been a member of the executive committee of the board of directors of Columbia University Club and has served on several trustee level committees for Columbia. Previously, she served as regional exec. director of the American Cancer Society's Westchester Region; as a v. p. and director of the YMCA of Greater N.Y.; as v. p. of membership for the U.S. Council for International Business; and at the American Management Association, she managed program staff and was responsible for their Management Course and Strategic Planning Certificate Program.

Other March 2007 Events

Sat March 3, 7 pm Coffee House � Poetry � Music � Refreshments � Open Mic � Free (donation appreciated)

Two lavish weavers of the written word bring their poems to the spoken word. Ryan Coffman and Joseph Crespo will be the featured poets this month. Ryan Coffman is a globe trekker with a graduate degree in Public Health as well as a poet. And as a poet some of his influences are H.P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allen Poe, Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, Charles Bauldiere, Anne Sexton, Diamanda Galas, and other artisans of yester year. Joseph Crespo is another seasoned traveler. He lived in Mexico and was part of a poetry/prose group that focused on giving feedback to each other. He returned with the desire to start a group in US when he came back home to Baltimore. He is also the former host of the very popular open mic that was going on back in the day at the One World Cafe that no longer exists in Federal Hill.

Sun March 4, 9:30 am Poetry Group

Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced by Karla ahead of time via e-mail. To be added to her e-mail list, write her at poet at BaltimoreEthicalSociety dot org.

Sun March 4, 12:30 pm Board Meeting (members welcome)

Sat March 10, 6 pm Eight Commitments Workshop #5 (reservations required)

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME -- SET CLOCKS AHEAD -- SO YOU WON'T BE LATE

Sun March 11, 9:30 am Book Group

We will probably discuss chapters 9 & 10 of "Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance" by Naom Chomsky. A critique of American foreign policy. It argues that current U.S. policies in Afghanistan and Iraq are the continuation of a half-century of an "imperial grand strategy." For more information contact Bob Corbett.

Sun March 11, 12:30 pm Joyful Sounds

Bob Markush has been pushing hard to get BES folks who like to sing together for music making. Bob has some madrigals to try out, Belva and Fritz have some rounds which are easy to learn, but create a lovely effect, and there are songs that the AEU is assembling for a new AEU songbook.

A number of people have expressed an interest, but it's been very difficult to find an agreeable time. On Sunday, February 4, a small group made up of Bob Markush, Dorothy Goldsmith, Lane Berk, Sherry Richardson, Miriam Hardes, Em Sabatiuk, and Fritz and Belva Williams defied the Super Bowl hype (and the bitter cold) and enjoyed an evening of wonderful food, conversation, and music making at Bob and Dorothy's house.

We want to see whether we can keep the ball rolling, and we're gathering at BES after the platform and refreshments on the second Sunday of each month for an hour or so of music making. We're hoping to have two or three trained voices to lead the way and we'd love for a piano player to emerge, but for the rest of us there are no requirements besides liking to sing and enjoying the company of other singers. Join us if you can.

Sun March 18, 9:30 am Poetry Group See March 4.

Sun March 18, 12:30 pm Baltimore Eating Society lunch & socializing the 3rd Sunday each month.

Contact Andrea Tabbat for more information.

Sat March 24, Potluck Dinner

Sun March 25, 9:30 am Book Group See March 11.

Sun March 25, 12:30 pm Newcomers' Meeting

March 25 from 12:30 to 1:30 or 2 pm, Craft Workshop

On the last Sunday of each month, from February through April (and resuming in October if enough people want to continue), we will have a craft workshop after the program. This month we'll start off with some beading and make name tag holders to replace the elastic string most of us are using. What's the deal? If you participate in the workshop, you pay a discounted price for the materials for one of whatever it is we're making that you get to take home. You also agree to make at least two extra items to sell, to benefit BES. Costs will vary depending on what we're making. Future projects include decorating candles (like the ones we light during the program), and making mosaic stepping stones out of broken dishes and other scavenged decorative items. Sound like your bag (we could decorate canvas bags sometime, too)? Sign up ahead of time so you can be sure there'll be enough materials for you to have some craft fun. Call Judy Katz at 410-377-0306 or e-mail her at Treasurer at BaltimoreEthicalSociety dot org to register for the March workshop.

The Baltimore Ethical Society

Calendar

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see... ========> NEW!! Study Group Starting Dec 15 <======== see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Discussions Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...

Using techniques of Nonviolent Communication as developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

Sat Apr 28: 12:30-6pm

Facilitated by: Jone Johnson Lewis

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other events see...

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME -- SET CLOCKS AHEAD -- SO YOU WON'T BE LATE

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME -- SET CLOCKS AHEAD -- SO YOU WON'T BE LATE

Platforms Sunday at 10:30 AM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -for other activities see...
========> NEW!! Study Group Starting Dec 15 <======== see...