ChiCago EthiCal humanist Newsletter of the Ethical humanist sociEty of chicago

JunE 2017

Welcome to Our Sunday Morning Programs in JuneJENNIFER THOMPSON, a Soci-ety member and professional opera singer, opens our summer season of mostly member-presented programs on Sunday, June 11th. Speaking on “The Myth of Vocal Talent,” Jenn will discuss the anatomy and physiology of

the singing voice and why all singers should receive formal vocal training.

JASON CLIMER, a Society member and post- doctoral fellow in neurobiology at Northwestern University, speaks Sun-day, June 18th, on “Memory Research and Perspectives on Science Education and Outreach.” Jason will discuss his

work on memory formation and the philosophy of science, and his science outreach efforts, including an ongoing video project, “Garden Variety Science.”

LISA BARROW, a Society member and an economist who specializes in education research, speaks Sunday, June 25th, on “Expansion of Public High School Choice in Chicago.” Lisa will discuss the available options other than the neighborhood high school and how student choice of what school to attend has expanded dramatically since 2002. She will point to trends in high school enrollment and the changes in the schools’ demographic makeup.

Annual Membership MeetingAll members of the Society are urged to be with us at our

Annual Membership Meeting, on Sunday, June 4th, start-ing at 10:30 a.m. On the agenda are the president’s and com-mittee reports, discussion and adoption of the annual budget, and elections to the Board of Trustees.

Nominated to fill three spots on the Board are Glenda Kenyon, Kim McWhorter, and Katie Merrell. They would join holdover Board members Svetlana Bekman, Ray Berg, Mat Cole, Katherine Ross, Sue Sherman, and Ed Thompson, and replace term-limited Board members Alan Kimmel, Jan Kuhn, and John Ungashick. Come early to enjoy coffee and a continental breakfast. Childcare will be available.

Other Society Events• Our Book Discussion Group, led by Sue Sherman and Christine Martin, meets on Sunday, June 11th, at 12:15 p.m. We’ll discuss Hillbilly Elegy, a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working class Americans, by J.D. Vance, a Yale law school graduate and former U.S. marine. Join us—even if you’ve read only part of this fascinating work.• Our lively Film Discussion Group, led by John Ungashick, meets again, on Monday, June 12th, at 7:15 p.m. We’ve chosen two current movies. The Dinner is a conversation- and food- heavy encounter by two couples and the dilemma

they face in a murder cover-up. It was directed by Oren Moverman and stars Richard Gere and Laura Linney.] Lost City of Z is a spellbinding tale of the search by early 20th Century British explorer Percy Fawcett for a lost civilization in the Amazon basin. It was directed by James Gray and stars Charlie Hunnam. (Gifted and The Lovers are backups.) See one or both films—and tell us what you think. • Our friendly Women’s Group meets again for coffee and conversation on Saturday, June 17th, at 10 a.m., at Curt’s Café, 2922 Central, in Evanston. As usual, no reservations are needed. Just come as you are.• Our Creative Writers group, led by Sue Sherman, meets on Sunday, June 18th, at 12:15 p.m. As usual we’ll share a few of our short original stories, poems, essays, and mem-oirs. We cordially welcome newcomers with their own recent creative works. • Our next Ethnic Dinner Out is on Saturday, June 17th, at Nol Bu, 5844 W. Dempster, in Morton Grove. Enjoy

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The meetinghouse of the Society is at 7574 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Sunday programs start at 10:30 a.m. A social hour fol-lows. For parking, use our lot, spaces at the adjoining store, How-ard St. or Jerome St., or the lot at the Albany Bank. If you need transportation, call the office by 1 p.m., Friday—we’ll try to get a ride for you.

friendly company and outstanding, authentic Korean cuisine. There is free parking behind the restaurant. Please make your reservations by contacting Mike Rush or with an email to ehsdinners@gmail.com. We’ll order at 6:30 p.m. See you! • There will be no Second Saturday Coffeehouse in June. But we’ll resume our relaxing musical evenings on July 8th, when we’ll welcome back singer/songwriter/guitarist Larry Mesirow.

Recent Sunday Programs• JAMES LARUE, Director of the American Library As-sociation’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, spoke April 30th on “Alt-Facts, Alt-Right, Alt-Reality.” Katie Merrell was moderator.

LaRue observed that our being besieged by ever-more-distracting information can paralyze us with indecision about what to believe. He said that while we learn mainly from our own experiences, “we edit our memories” to confirm our beliefs. He said we do not nuance information very well and so develop a mindset of always wanting to be right. Yet, he added, we need to “revel in our wrongness, because wrongness is learning.”

LaRue warned that so-called fake news has real conse-quences, but he noted that internet sources like Google and Facebook have begun to combat it. He called librarians “advocates of social justice,” adding that they “live for the chase.” He said librarians are among the most trusted sources of information. When evaluating what we read, he urged us to check what he called “CRAAP,” an acronym for “currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose.”

• AMY ELLISON and MONICA LONG, of 137 Films, presented a program May 7th on “We Believe in Dino-saurs: Creationism and America’s Troubled Relation-ship with Science.” Glenda Kenyon was moderator.

Ellison and Long said their mission as filmmakers is to bring science and culture together. They called on scientists to “tell their stories,” so that the American public can learn “to distinguish between faith and fact.” Defining science as the pursuit of evidence and the need for peer review, they showed, through clips of a documentary film now in final edit, the building of the new, monumental, ark-shaped Creation Museum in Kentucky. This salute to “hope vs. reality,” they noted, is based on the belief that “everything in the bible is true.” They called it “a war on evolution.”

Ellison and Long went on to say, however, ”We must take these people seriously” and “not make fun of them.” While we “promote science literacy” and “want to get a discussion going,” the speakers said we must understand that “people fear change and a loss of faith.” They noted too that the museum has been promoted as a major tourist attraction and an economic engine for the area.

• TOM TRESSER, educator, organizer, and longtime fighter against privatization, spoke May 14th on “What If Chicago Was Not Broke: Possibilities for Justice and Prosperity” John Ungashick was moderator.

Tresser said, “I am a defender of the public,” which is “important for democracy” and “a guard against attempts to privatize and monetize everything.” He noted that gov-ernment budgets show how “politicians plan to spend our money,” adding that a budget is “a moral argument” that “shows our values.” He criticized the city of Chicago for “making some bad choices,” citing the parking meter deal and the underfunding of pensions and the public schools. As a result, he pointed out, “we owe billions of dollars to Wall Street.”

Tresser charged that current tax policies “burden the poor” and that money “is stolen from the public” by “cor-ruption” and “toxic bank deals.” For increased revenue, he called for a progressive income tax, a financial transactions tax, and a public bank such as in North Dakota, which sup-plies cheap credit. He denounced “the phony message of scarcity,” and urged that more of us “need to run for office.”

Worth Repeating . . . Welcome Summer!Winter Chill killed,Woolen wardrobes gone;Warmer days are fast;Summer here at last.Autumn hours are soothing,Winter a blast;Spring came with a spurt,Summer here at last.Seminaries would be rested,Retreat and vested;Nature’s mission I trust,Summer here at last.Warmer days are fast;Spring came with a spurt,Nature’s mission I trust,Summer here at last. —Shamsud Ahmed, 2005

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The Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago, founded in 1882, is a chapter of the American Humanist Association.Officers & Trustees: Katherine Ross, President; Jan Kuhn, Vice

President; Ray Berg, Secretary; John Ungashick, Treasurer; Svetlana Bekman, Matt Cole, Alan Kimmel, Sue Sherman, Ed Thompson.Sunday School Director: Katherine RossYES Advisors: Lisa Crowe, Sharon Appelquist Office Administrator: Sharon AppelquistNewsletter Editor: Alan Kimmel Ethical Officiants: Matt Cole, Glenda Kenyon, Katie Merrell

Notices and Announcements• Helen Smith, a longtime member of the Society, has died at age 92. We remember Helen for her many years as an ac-tive member of the Society, and especially for her delight-ful presentations of summer programs on European opera. Helen’s long life will be celebrated with a memorial service on Saturday, June 24th, 10:30 a.m., at the Society. Our condolences to her sons Andy, Doug, and Ted.• Our newest Society members are Jason and Siobhán Climer. We’re glad you found us. A warm welcome to you both! • We have a new roof and heating and air conditioning system. Our Building Committee is delighted with the ex-emplary workmanship of the contractors on this complicat-ed and unique project—particularly Mike DiFiori, Tom and Kevin Emanuel, and Matthew Augustin. We also thank the many members and friends of the Society who participated in last year’s Bricks for the Roof campaign to help finance this costly but essential renovation. So we can enjoy our toasty warm, comfortably cool, and especially dry building for years to come! • Check our YouTube channel. We’ve updated it with videos of several recent speakers—like Christian Picciolini on “Life After Hate,” Len Jason on “Understanding Un-explained Illness,” and Adam Chilton on “The Future of Immigration in Trump’s America.” • Visiting the Society for the first time? By coming to a Sunday morning program? By enrolling your child in our secular Sunday School? By taking part in one of our activi-ties and interest groups? We welcome you to the caring, humanist congregation you may have been looking for. At our monthly Newcomers Chat, you can learn more about the Society and consider becoming a member. If you have any questions, please email joinus@ethicalhuman.org. • Enjoy the coffee and social hour after our Sunday morning programs. We provide coffee and serve bite-sized snacks brought by our members, who use a schedule corresponding to their last names: 1st Sunday, A–D; 2nd Sunday, E–K; 3rd Sunday, L–P; 4th Sunday, Q–Z. We also thank the volunteers who help with the setup and cleanup each Sunday.• Getting married? Naming your baby? Having a memorial service? Our Ethical Officiants are trained to perform weddings, baby namings, and memorials. For a caring, secular ceremony, inquire at our office.• The Society is run by its volunteers and its many committees—like Sunday School, Ethical Action, Sunday Program, Hospitality, Building, Caring, Development, Membership, Publicity, Audio-Visual, and Adult Education. To join a committee, please call Sharon Appelquist at the office. We need you!

• Our Tribute Fund is a way of honoring each other—like condolences on the death of a loved one and congratula-tions on a birth, wedding, or personal achievement. Each tribute is printed in the newsletter. Forms are on the litera-ture tables.• Ride public transportation to our Sunday meetings. A #290 bus leaves the Howard L station at 9:30 a.m. and goes to Touhy and Cicero, a short walk to our building. A return #290 bus to Howard leaves Touhy and Cicero at 1:20 p.m. The Skokie Swift’s Oakton St. station is nearby.• Rent space in our building—for a party, meeting, class, concert, ceremony, or special event—is easy. One room or several. Reasonable prices. Contact our office for more details.

Sunday School Scoop . . . May began with one of our favorite Ethical Action

Projects, spreading wood chips along the paths at Emily Oaks Nature Center. The following Sunday, Mother’s Day, we enjoyed good food, good company, and almost-warm weather for our Sunday School picnic.

We concluded the season with the Membership Recogni-tion and Sunday School Graduation Program on the 21st. Our COA graduate this year was Quinn Thompson, who reported on his fundraising activities and service projects in support of the Arbor Foundation and trees in general. We are so proud of him, and all of the other Sunday Schoolers, Thank you for all the support the Sunday School families provide. The kids did a lot of great things this year but it just wouldn’t be possible without you.

Don’t forget to come to our Memorial Day Weekend Picnic on Saturday, May 27th, at the Edgebrook Woods between 10 and 5. Sign-up and directions are at EthicalHu-manistSociety.org/signup. For more information contact me or Kim McWhorter.

We are on Summer Break from May 28th through September 3rd. We’ll return on September 10th for a new school year! Until then, watch your email for details on a summer get-together! —Katherine Ross, Director

Who We Are

The Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago is a self-governing, inclusive, caring community—providing a home to those who seek a rational, compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or non-belief in a supreme being.We focus on the ethical values that bring people together, not

on the beliefs that keep people apart. In the spirit of intellectual, philosophical, and artistic freedom, we come together to explore life, nature, and the universe.We celebrate births, conduct wedding ceremonies, and host

memorial services. We provide for the ethical education of our children, based on rational, critical thinking. We believe in working together for a better world, and strive to

act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in ourselves.

Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago

7574 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077-3335Phone: (847) 677-3334; Fax: (847) 677-3335Web Site: www.EthicalHumanist Society.orgE-mail: office@ethicalhuman.org

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JUNE 2017 CALENDARThe office of the Society is openevery weekday - 10 am to 2 pm.

Call 847-677-3334 with any questions.

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Film Discussion Group

7:15 p.m.

3

BoArD oF TrusTees

7:15 p.m.

1 2

10:30 JAson climer

“Memory Research & Perspectives on Science Education & Outreach” 12:15 - Creative Writers

10:30 JenniFer Thompson “The Myth of Vocal Talent” 12:15 - Book Discussion Group Hillbilly Elegy

4 108 96 75

11 1715 1613 1412

22 23 2418 20 2119

3025 26 28 2927

10:30 AnnuAl memBership meeTinG

Women’s Group 10 a.m.

10:30 lisA BArroW

“Expansion of Public High School Choice in Chicago”

eThnic Dinner

6:30 p.m.