Newsletter

Newsletter of the Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago

March 2008

Welcome to Our Sunday Morning Programs in March

• NAISY DOLAR, community activist and former Chicago aldermanic candidate, speaks on Sunday, March 2nd, in a special International Women’s Day program. Her topic is “Women in the Immigrant Family: Earning Our Place in America.” Dolar will discuss how she has drawn strength and a commitment to public service from the generations of Filipino immigrant women that have come before her.

• JESSE SHAPIRO, University of Chicago economist, speaks on Sunday, March 9th. His topic is “The Economics of Media Slant and Bias.” Prof. Shapiro notes that news outlets have enormous discretion in choosing what events to portray and how to portray them. He will discuss the quantitative tools he uses to identify the incentives that shape those choices.

• DAVE DINASO and his “Traveling World of Reptiles” is the intergenerational, environmental program for Sunday, March 16th. DiNaso will bring several large and small reptiles and show why these sometimes dangerous, often-feared animals are necessary for the environment. By allowing us to see and touch them, he hopes we may learn to respect them and protect their natural habitat.

• GREG PRITCHETT, quality assurance and distribution manager for the remarkable StreetWise magazine, speaks on Sunday, March 23rd. His topic is “My Life at StreetWise.” Pritchett, himself a former vendor, will describe the inside life of the magazine’s vendors, its code of conduct, and how it is used as a stepping stone in their lives.

• SAMUEL EPSTEIN, Professor Emeritus of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at the University of Illinois, speaks on Sunday, March 30th. His topic is “Losing the War on Cancer: How to Reduce Our Own Risks.” Contending that we are losing a winnable war on cancer, Dr. Epstein will discuss the politics of who is responsible. He will refer to avoidable carcinogens such as those in cosmetics, personal care products, and genetically engineered milk.

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Coming Activities and Events

• Our SUNDAY MORNING COLLOQUIES, led by Ken Novak, are from 9:20–10:00 a.m. In a small, nonjudgmental group, we meet early to share and examine how we live our lives. This month’s topics are all new: Equity on Mar. 2, Bias on Mar. 9, Animals, Strange and Familiar, Mar. 16, Charity, Mar. 23, and “The Wisdom to Know the Difference,” Mar. 30. Each topic is coordinated with that day’s platform.

• Our SECOND SATURDAY COFFEE HOUSE is on Saturday, March 8th, at 8 p.m. The featured performer will be singer/songwriter Larry Mesirow, on guitar, who returns with another enjoyable program of folk, ladino, and topical songs. Open-mike sign-up (all acoustic, all genres) begins at 7:30 p.m. There is a $5 minimum charge at the door, and moderately priced refreshments will be available.

• Our FICTION CIRCLE is on Sunday, March 9th (postponed from March 2nd), at 12:15 p.m. Ken Novak will lead a discussion of E. M. Forster’s Room with a View. Published just 100 years ago, the novel explores Edwardian-era tensions between the modern and medieval, propriety and sexuality, religion and free thought, and class and love.

• A SPRING COMMUNITY NIGHT, for singles, seniors, and families, is on Saturday, March 15th, 4:00–10:00 p.m. We’ll have conversations, videos, a sock hop, a group collage, activities and contests with prizes. Prices are $5 per adult, $10 per family (with a dessert or munchies), $8 per adult, $15 per family (without a dish). Kids under 18 are free. For reservations contact Sue Walton.

• Our FILM DISCUSSION GROUP, led by Mike Rush and John Ungashick, meets on Monday, March 17th, at 7:15 p.m. We’ll discuss two current movies. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, winner of the 2008 Palme d’Or at Cannes, tells about two young women negotiating an abortion in 1987 Romania. In Bruges stars Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell, who play mismatched Irish hitmen sent to Belgium on an unspecified assignment.

• Our next DOCFILM NITE is on Friday, March 21st, at 7:30 p.m. We’ll be showing the classic jazz documentary Jazz on a Summer’s Day, set at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1958. Children’s films will be shown concurrently. Childcare will be provided. Coffee will follow—please bring snacks to share.

• Our ETHNIC DINNER OUT skips its usual third Saturday because of the March 15th Spring Community Night. We’ll resume in April with more great dining.

• Our CREATIVE WRITERS GROUP, led by Milt Zerkin, meets as usual on the fourth Sunday of the month, March 23rd, at 12:15 p.m. Come and share your short original works with us. Newcomers are welcome.

• Our next ETHICAL HUMANITIES discussion is on Sunday, April 6th, at 12:15 p.m. We’ll discuss Adele Faber’s and Elaine Mazlish’s How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk. Does this classic on parenting language tell us something about effective political talk? If you’re vision-impaired, contact Ken Novak at kennovak@gmail.com for an audio version.

Recent Sunday Programs

• JIM KENNEY, executive director of Common Ground, returned to conclude our Living Ethics series on January 27th. He spoke on “Religion, Violence, and God.” The meeting was moderated by Carolyn Welch.

“Religion is not inherently violent,” Kenney began, but “the growth of violence is exacerbated by globalization.” Referring to Jessica Stern’s book, Terror in the Name of God, he noted several grievances she had identified as giving rise to violence: “alienation, humiliation, demographics, history, and territory.” He argued that while these “deeply felt” grievances undermine the community, they are “fixable.”

Kenney said we face “an identity crisis.” He warned of some religious communities demanding that their followers reject the work of science. He pointed out that anti-intellectual, anti-scientific pronouncements are a clear indicator of that community’s own decline.

• HAKI MADHUBUTI, renowned poet, professor of English at Chicago State University, and founder of Third World Press, spoke on February 3rd. His topic was “The Spirit in Most of Us: Religion as Culture.” The meeting was moderated by Marne Glaser.

Madhubuti said he was introduced to the black literary tradition as a youngster by the work of Richard Wright. “The literature of my people gave me sustenance” and induced me “to try bringing beauty into the world.” Noting “It is easier to believe than to think,” he decried the mass media. He called for saying “no” to the most outrageous commercials.

“Learning to take hold of one’s life is difficult in a culture that values property over life, ” Madhubuti said. “An ethical code is necessary if we’re to have peace and harmony among people.” He added that “the core of wellness in a community is to understand the preciousness of life.” He decried belief systems that are “anti-self” and, calling for our taking personal responsibility, stressed the importance of how we practice our faith.

• SUSAN and JOE BURCK, VICKI ELBERFELD, and KEN NOVAK, Society members, continued our 125th anniversary commemoration with a special program, “The Birth of the Ethical Movement: Felix Adler’s Call to Action,” on February 10th. The meeting was moderated by Sue Walton.

The program was an abridged version of Felix Adler’s address to the first open meeting of the Society for Ethical Culture of Chicago in 1883. Adler asserted his belief in men having “the strength to reach their real convictions” and the need for “a clearer understanding of applied ethics.” He said that if we “act the good,” we “will believe in it.”

Adler noted that when we lose faith in our traditional places of worship, we still would need “an institution for perfecting the moral life.” Children especially “require direct moral action,” so it isn’t enough, he added, to simply raise our children well in the home. “The time calls for action,” he declared in a flourishing conclusion. “Let us do our part faithfully and well. Our children’s children will hold our memories dearer for the work which begins here.”

• ART SHAY, noted as “Chicago’s Top Photo- journalist,” spoke on February 17th. The meeting was moderated by Paul Ozarowski.

Shay described photojournalism as simply “walking around with a camera and taking pictures.” He told of his 60-year career in Chicago, pointing to the many books of photos that he has published and his work in such prestigious publications as Life and Time. He attributed the demise of weekly photo magazines to TV, which “is not saddled with deadlines.”

Shay showed a montage of his photographs over the years. They featured such luminaries as Hugh Hefner, Diana Ross, Joe McCarthy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Liberace. He related humorous accounts of how some of his most famous photos came about almost by accident.

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Our People

• Chris Naylor is a new member of the Society. He works in internal auditing and lives with his wife and 8-month old daughter in Deerfield. He likes the Society as a place “for getting together with real topics and presentations.” Welcome, Chris. We’re glad you found us!

• Svetlana Bekman and Michael Dupuis are also new members. Svetlana is a lawyer, Mike is a stay-at-home dad/teacher. They live in Evanston and have two children in our Sunday School. In the Society they have found “a community to help us create an affirmative identity for our family that embraces our naturalistic world view, our quest for knowledge, and our desire to reach outside ourselves and lend a helping hand to those near and far.” Well said—and welcome!

• Oliver Pergams was interviewed last month on the NBC network news and on National Public Radio about his research into people’s interest in nature. He was also the subject of a recent Chicago Tribune column by Dawn Turner Trice. Oliver, a conservation biologist, has spoken on the subject at past Society programs.

• Ann Neal, mother of member Melanie Neal, died on January 18th at the age of 78. She was an avid traveler and animal lover. Our condolences on your loss, Melanie.

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Sunday School Scoop

We’re very excited to welcome Dave DiNaso’s “Traveling World of Reptiles” as our intergenerational Sunday program this month. They’ll help us learn the importance of protecting the natural habitats of these often-misunderstood animals. Included will be a 15-foot snake!

We’re looking into a couple of outdoor volunteer efforts this spring—one at Emily Oaks to help ready their trails for the summer, another to help clean up and maintain the natural areas along the North Branch of the Chicago River.

We’ll also continue to pack lunches for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter. There’s a sign-up sheet on the Sunday School bulletin board for donations of supplies. We’re also planning another Sunday School family breakfast and a Society Volunteer Appreciation breakfast to honor the committee chairs and others who do so much to keep the Society running smoothly.

—Sharon Appelquist, Director

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Notices and Announcements

• Our Annual Pledge Drive rolls on. By mid-February, we had received pledges of $48,710 from 101 members, or 85 percent of our goal of $57,000. If you haven’t yet made your pledge, please do it soon—or contact Treasurer John Ungashick with any questions, Thanks for your continuing commitment and generosity!

• Our annual Memorial Day Weekend at Lake Geneva is scheduled for May 24–26. So hold these dates for a relaxing, outdoor getaway with family and friends. Full details will be in the April newsletter. To help plan either the adult or children’s activities, you can check with Tom Hoeppner.

• Our Ethical Action group has several projects you can join in: volunteering at the WTTW pledge drive on March 1st (see Marne Glaser), putting on an appreciation luncheon for Rice Children Center teachers in March or April (see Marilee Cole), operating an Evanston noontime soup kitchen on June 23rd (see Shirlee Rubenstein or Marilee Cole), and putting together a pick-up performance troupe to cheer people in hospitals and adult homes (see Marne Glaser). We also plan to take part in an anti-war rally at Chicago’s Federal Plaza on March 19th.

• Our Friendship Dinners are back. During the winter and spring, members take turns hosting small groups in their homes for potluck dinners, usually on the fourth Saturday of the month. A dinner is already scheduled for March but not yet for April or May. For information on being a host, call Sue Walton.

• Our Environmental Footprint Committee is urging us to reduce waste by using our own mugs instead of styrofoam and paper cups at our Sunday coffee hour. To help save the environment and publicize the Society, cloth bags, coffee mugs, buttons, greeting cards, and apparel with the Society logo are now available at the Ethical Humanist Shop: http://www.cafepress.com/ehsc. The next committee meeting is Sunday, March 9th, at 12:30 p.m. For more information, contact Lisa Crowe or David Wokosin or email environmental @ethicalhuman.org.

• Our Youth for Ethical Societies (YES) group has been busy with their popular hot dog and bagel sales at several of our Sunday meetings in January and February. Another bagel sale is planned for March 30th. They’ll also continue to help with our plants and outdoor sign. A series of monthly topical discussions were begun last month, with a conversation about culture and religion and how children are influenced by their parents’ beliefs.

• The Friday Night Movie Series resumes on April 4th with a stunning, award-winning film allegory from Brazil.

• Our Tribute Fund is a convenient, caring way to publicly honor each other—with congratulations on a birthday, anniversary, or graduation, condolences on the loss of a loved one, wishes for recovery from an illness, or hailing a good deed. Get a Tribute form on a literature table.

• Membership in the Society is open to those who share our ethical outlook and who wish to join our caring community. The next Membership Orientation is on Sunday, March 9th, at 12:15 p.m. To discuss membership, you can also contact Membership Chair Tom Hoeppner.

• Try Public transportation to our Sunday meetings. The #290 PACE bus leaves the Howard L station at 9:30 a.m. and goes to Touhy Ave. and Cicero Ave. (Skokie Blvd.), a short walk to our building. A return #290 bus to the Howard station leaves Touhy and Cicero at 1:20 p.m.

• Get the electronic edition of our newsletter. It comes sooner and saves postage. Email a request to the office, noting pdfnewsletter as the subject and your name and address. A subscription to the mailed newsletter is $20 per year if you’re not a member, a contributing friend, or new on our mailing list.

• Our Weekly Program Update is emailed to anyone who wants to be regularly informed of the coming week’s meetings and activities. To be on the list, send an email to programinfo@ethical human.org or call the office.

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Tribute Fund

• “To Katie and David Wokosin: “Thanks for your constant, quiet and tireless efforts in our Ethical Community.” —from ANONYMOUS

About Us

The Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Chicago is a democratic fellowship and spiritual home for those who seek a rational, compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or nonbelief in a supreme being. We value the importance of living an ethical, responsible, and joyful life. We promote intellectual, philosophical, and artistic freedom, avoiding dogma and rigid creed. We nurture a sense of wonder about life, nature, and the universe, and are inspired by models of human achievement. Shaped by the forces of humanism, democracy, science, and religious reform, we cherish human diversity and focus on what we have in common, not on what keeps us apart.

While respectful of the faiths and traditions we may have been born to, we serve as a new religion or as an alternative to religion.

We care for and support each other, sharing our joys and sorrows. Like traditional religious communities, we celebrate births, conduct wedding ceremonies, host memorial services, and provide for the caring, ethical education of our children.

We believe in deed beyond creed and in working for a better world. We recognize the worth and dignity of every person, and strive to act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in ourselves.

Meetings of the Ethical Humanist Society are at our home in the Greiner Center, 7574 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie, IL 60077. Sunday meetings start at 10:30 a.m. Refreshments and a social hour follow the program. Child care is available. Everyone is welcome. If you need transportation, please call the Society office by 1 p.m. Friday. We will try to get a ride for you. The Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Chicago was founded in 1882. The Society is a member of the American Ethical Union.

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The Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Chicago, founded in 1882, is a member of the American Ethical Union.

Officers and Trustees: Scott Walton, President; Matt Cole &
Dick Carney, Vice Presidents; Paul Ozarowski, Secretary; John Ungashick, Treasurer; Yolanda Adler, Joe Burck, Lisa Crowe, Sheila Caplan Curren, David Hardesty, Oliver Pergams, Renee Sullivan

Sunday School Director: Sharon Appelquist
Office Administrator: Alison Martin
Newsletter Editor: Alan Kimmel
Ethical Officiants: Marne Glaser, Jo-Ann Hoeppner, Tom Hoeppner, Ken Novak
AEU Representative: Tom Hoeppner