Newsletter

Newsletter of the Ethical Humanist Society of Greater Chicago

December 2007

Welcome to Our Sunday Morning Programs in December

• CHUCK MERTZ, WNUR talk show host, speaks on Sunday, December 2nd. His topic is "This Is Hell! How Not to Make Money in Radio." Mertz will talk about his outspoken, provocative Saturday morning show and how, no matter how acclaimed, it can't make money in today's private and public broadcast industry.

• CANDACE GORMAN, civil rights attorney, speaks on Sunday, December 9th. Her topic is "Guantanamo: America's Gulag." Attorney for two prisoners at the infamous Guantanamo prison, Gorman will discuss how Bush administration anti-terrorism policies threaten our many cherished freedoms by denying detainees the right to know what they are accused of and who their accuser is, and by subjecting them to indefinite detention and aggressive interrogation.

• Our ANNUAL WINTER FESTIVAL is on Sunday, December 16th. This cheery, intergenerational event is the last Sunday program of the year. It features our traditional candle-lighting winter solstice celebration and sparkling, gift-laden "mitten tree." Please bring warm clothing and nonperishable food items for decorating the tree and for donating to a local welfare agency. Enjoy musical performances by our Sunday School children as well as a play written and directed by our YES (Youth of Ethical Societies) group.

• NOTE: There are no regular Sunday morning programs on December 23rd and December 30th. Programs will resume in the new year with our annual Living Ethics series, beginning January 6th.

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Coming Activities and Events

• Our SUNDAY MORNING COLLOQUIES are from 9:20 a.m. to 10 a.m., in the library. Led by Ken Novak, we meet in a small, non judgmental group to share and examine how we live our lives. This month's topics are Joy on Dec. 2, Working on Dec. 9, and Appreciation on Dec. 16.

• Our ETHICAL HUMANITIES non-fiction group, led by Ken Novak, meets on Sunday, December 2nd, at 12:20 p.m. We'll discuss Stumbling on Happiness, by Daniel Gilbert. A professor of psychology at Harvard University, Gilbert relates what cognitive science, neurology, and behavioral economics teach us about the elusive nature of psychological well-being.

• Our READERS THEATRE GROUP meets for the last time this year, on Monday, December 3rd, at 7 p.m. Come and have fun. Read a play with us. For information, contact Susan Burck.

• Our SECOND SATURDAY COFFEE HOUSE, hosted by Vicki Elberfeld, is on Saturday, December 8th, at 8 p.m. The program is headlined by performance poet and visual artist Emile Ferris. Open-mike sign-up (all acoustic, all genres) begins at 7:30 p.m. There is a $5 minimum charge at the door; moderately priced refreshments are available.

• A HOLIDAY PARTY AND FUN NIGHT is planned for Friday, December 14th, at 7:30 p.m. There will be board games, an open mike, and a sharing of winter holiday memories. Leading us in songs of the season will be Mary Bachmann, Marilee Cole, Gail and David Hardesty, and Mary Novakovic. The Society will provide beverages. Admission for those who bring an appetizer or dessert for eight is only $5 ($10 for others). Children 18 and under are free. Everyone is welcome!

• Our CREATIVE WRITERS GROUP, led by Milt Zerkin, meets on the third Sunday this month, December 16th, at 12:15 p.m. It's a chance to share your short original works with us. Newcomers are welcome.

• Our FILM DISCUSSION GROUP, led by Alan Kimmel, meets on Monday, December 17th, at 7:15 p.m. We've again chosen two currently playing films. No Country for Old Men, adapted from the Cormac McCarthy novel about a sociopathic hit man, stars Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem. Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a crime story involving two brothers, was directed by Sidney Lumet and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke.

• Our next FICTION CIRCLE is on Sunday, January 6th, at 12:20 p.m. We'll discuss A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini. Unlike his earlier The Kite Runner, this novel focuses not on male relationships but on mothers and daughters and friendships between women in latter-day Afghanistan. Interested but sight-impaired? Contact Ken Novakat kennovak@gmail.com to borrow an audio CD of the book.

Recent Sunday Programs

• BILL CURRENT, founder of the Refuge Center for Artists in Recovery in Skokie, spoke on October 14th. His topic was "Alcohol, Addiction, and Art." The meeting was chaired by Matt Cole.

Current talked about his own life as a chronic drinker and how he cured his addiction. "I was lucky," he said. "Recovery is like a miracle," he mused. Now I want "to give back to society" by "helping others to recover". He went on to discuss his founding of the not-for-profit Refuge Center as a place where "we try to bring people back and restore their self-respect."

Mark Oldach, an artist and staff member of the Center, told of his own recovery from substance abuse, which he described as triggered by pain and boredom. "Bill saved my life," he said. Both speakers emphasized the need to ask for and give help and pointed to the use of art as therapy. Current closed by showing and commenting on slides of his clients' stunning artwork, on display at the Center's gallery.

• ANIL KASHYAP, a Society member and Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago, spoke on October 21st. His topic was "Understanding the Recent Financial Market Meltdown." The meeting was chaired by John Ungashick.

Anil called recent stock market behavior "atypical" and "not so remarkable." He attributed the crisis in sub-prime adjustable rate home mortgages to the proliferation of "crazy loans" to buyers with poor credit and to "dependence on the unprecedented rise in housing prices." He noted the great increase in bank lending since the 1990s, the Federal Reserve Bank's recent boosting of interest rates, and "a huge retrenchment in the housing market."

Anil showed graphs of U.S. financial behavior over the years. He discussed borrowing between banks, including that in the "asset-backed commercial paper" market. He muted any doomsday predictions, noting differing opinions among economists as to how long the instability in the housing market will continue. "On the whole," he said, "the U.S. economy has held up." He also pointed to other uncertainties in the economy, such as the future of investments from developing nations around the world.

• JENNIFER SCATES, president of the American Ethical Union, spoke on October 28th. Her topic was "Ethical Humanism as a Uniquely American Experience." The meeting was chaired by Tom Hoeppner.

Jennifer lauded Felix Adler for founding Ethical Culture as "a religion of ethics" in 1877. She recounted major historical events of that time, calling this period of "scientific rationalism and democratic idealism" the "wellspring of the Ethical movement." In America, she said, it also led to the rise of Reform Judaism and, by questioning Christian dogma, to the rise of Unitarianism. "Religious idealism is one of the most creative forces in human life," she added.

The Ethical movement pioneered "a new focus on ethics" and "a dependence on good behavior," Jennifer went on. The stress was "less on creed and more on deed." She pointed to "ongoing living and learning as our salvation" and "ethics as the foundation of a lifelong faith," in which "morality takes precedence over dogma." This "balance between thinking and doing is not easy," she concluded.

• DANIEL MARCOTTE, popular minstrel singer and bard, presented an intergenerational program on November 4th. He called it "Unicorns and Dragons: Renaissance Songs and Stories." He was introduced by Sharon Appelquist.

Dressed in plumed hat, flowing cape, high boots, and baggy shirt and pants, Marcotte weaved the story of his life through a medley of old Irish songs. He merrily accompa- nied himself on lute, drum, and whistle, while recounting his work as a music major, singing waiter, and musical director of his local church and Wisconsin's Bristol Renaissance Fair. Like the medieval bards, "I wanted to bring song back to the community," he said.

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Our People

• Gail and David Hardesty have been members since December 2005. Attracted by our "camaraderie and creativeness," they soon became active participants in the life of the Society. Gail is a teachers' mentor in the public schools and David is retired from a career in graphic arts production. They live in Skokie. A belated and warm welcome to you!

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Sunday School Scoop

Last month we began an ongoing drive to benefit the Niles Food Pantry. A list of needed items is next to the collection bin in the community room--we hope you can help restock their shelves. We also collected glasses for Sight Night, worked on blanket squares for Project Linus, and baked muffins for the Sunday coffee hour. We had a Family Potluck Breakfast on the 18th and enjoyed Renaissance storyteller Daniel Marcotte on the 4th, who taught us about the history of bards.

At the annual Winter Festival this month, the Sunday School children will present a special play written and directed by our YES group, and we'll enjoy our traditional music, mitten tree, and candle-lighting ceremony. The children will hand out the special gifts they made for everyone who attends. We'll begin making monthly lunches for the Lincoln Park Community Shelter--let me know if you'd like to donate supplies for this project.

Best wishes for the New Year!

—Sharon Appelquist, Director

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YES News

Our Youth for Ethical Societies group had a wonderful time meeting with teenagers from other Societies at the national YES conference in St. Louis in November. Accompanying our eight teens were Ron Baiman and Ed and Laura Drower.

Closer to home, our YES group was busy with other activities, including a bagel sale on October 28th, helping Milt Zerkin with the plants, and writing, producing, and directing a skit for the Winter Festival. In the new year they're looking forward to a monthly series of topical discussions. They plan to meet more often--on the second and last Sundays of the month--because they have lots to do and discuss! The next bagel sale is on December 2nd-- see you there! (Proceeds will help send our teens to next year's YES conference.)

—Melanie Neal, YES Advisor

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Notices and Announcements

• Our Annual Pledge Drive is off to a strong start. By mid - November, we had received pledges of $20,540 from 36 members, or 36 percent toward our $57,000 goal. Of these early pledges, 18 were from Sustaining Members, those who have pledged either 20 percent over last year or their fair share of $600--a member's portion of the ultimate goal of pledge income being 50 percent of our budget. Thank you for your prompt and generous response!

• Our Tribute Fund (see box below) 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. A special Holiday Tribute is a splendid gift idea for December. Both the regular Tribute forms and the colorful Holiday Tribute forms are available on a literature table.

• A Winter Workday is planned for Sunday, December 30th, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Among the possible tasks are setting up the auditorium and elevator lobby for the January Living Ethics series, resetting the literature tables, cleaning and organizing the storage rooms, moving and trimming the plants, cleaning the kitchen, and painting the reception area. Refreshments will be available. Please contact Building Committee chairs Scott Walton or David Wokosin. Volunteers of all ages are welcome!

• Our Special Events Committee is recruiting new members, so we can better plan and execute popular Society activities such as potlucks, parties, and holiday and friendship dinners. If you'd like to volunteer for the committee, contact Sue Walton or Judy Carney. The next meeting is planned for Sunday, December 2nd, at 12:30 p.m.

• Our Ethical Action Committee is again assisting at the Rice Children's Center Holiday Store in Evanston on Tuesday, December 11th. New or like-new "giftables" are for Rice youngsters to give to their loved ones for the holidays. For details on gift donations or helping at the store, contact Marne Glaser.

• Our Documentary Film Night is taking December off. Hosts Marne Glaser, Paul Ozarowski, and David Wokosin wish all a safe and happy holiday season and look forward to resuming the series in January. Meanwhile, we welcome suggestions for future screenings.

• Our Ethnic Dinner Out also is skipping December, making way for various year-end holiday events. We'll resume our exploration of various ethnic dining experiences in January. To make suggestions, you can contact Richard Curren at richard_curren@yahoo.com.

• Our Environmental Footprint Committee, chaired by Lisa Crowe and David Wokosin, would like to thank you all for our sell-out of energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) on November 18th. Please also note that there are new green-topped recycling bins for plastic, metal, and glass around the building. Our next committee meeting is on Sunday, December 16th at 9:30 a.m.

• Our Audio-Visual Committee still needs volunteers to assist in videotaping, audiorecording, and photographing our Sunday programs. If you're interested, contact Paul Ozarowski for details. Training will be provided.

• Our Library has many great books to check out. Librarian Fred Malkinson asks that all donated books contain the donor's name and be left in the office or on the table across from the 2nd floor elevator.

• Membership in the Society is open to those who share our ethical outlook and wish to join our caring community. The next Membership Orientation is on Sunday, December 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.). It's then a short walk to our building. A return #290 bus to the Howard station leaves Touhy and Cicero at 1:20 p.m.

• Our Board of Trustees meets on Wednesday, December 12th, at 7:15 p.m. Plans for next year will be discussed. Society members are welcome to attend.

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

• 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@ethicalhuman.org, or call the office.

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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, Oliver Pergams, Renee Sullivan, Claude Williams

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
Webmaster: Simeon Carson