3:30 p.m., November 10, 2024

The Atheist Community of San Jose invites the Humanist Community to an in-person presentation by Bertha Vazquez. Here is the description from their announcement at: https://www.meetup.com/acofsj/events/304311948/

We all like to think we’re rational and logical, but the truth is that our brains are riddled with cognitive biases and shortcuts that can lead us astray. These mental shortcuts, once essential for our survival, now make us vulnerable to misinformation and disinformation. The abundance of information in the digital age exacerbates this problem, as we’re constantly bombarded with claims and counterclaims. To navigate this complex landscape, we must cultivate a healthy dose of skepticism and critical thinking. By recognizing our cognitive biases, questioning assumptions, and seeking credible sources, we can better protect ourselves from the dangers of misinformation and make informed decisions. Let’s explore together how we are successfully overcoming the shortcomings of our modern human brains as they have evolved over eons.

Bio:
Bertha Vazquez is a retired science teacher who taught middle school for 34 years in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. She is the Education Director and the Director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science at The Center for Inquiry, an international nonprofit organization that promotes reason and science. She runs a teacher-led network of over 100 teachers who have presented over 400 professional development sessions for their fellow teachers in all 50 US States. Her multi-faceted approach to teaching climate science has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, Earth magazine, and in a book and film series by Lynne Cherry titled, Empowering Young Voices for the Planet. Her efforts awarded her the 2008 National Environmental Education Charles C Bartlett Award, among others. She is the editor and contributing author of the book, On Teaching Evolution, published in 2021 and lead author of Corwin Press’ What Teachers Want to Know About Teaching Climate Change (February 2025). Ms. Vazquez has also worked in several translation projects, including the translation of Maria Jinich’s book into English, A Brief History of Four Billion Years of Evolution: Understanding Darwin. A regular contributor to Skeptical Inquirer magazine and speaker at skeptical and humanist conferences, Bertha is a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.

Bertha Vazquez has presented several times at CSICon (including CSICon 2024) and the following review was published in the Skeptical Inquirer Magazine, March/April 2019:
“Watching her on stage at CSICon it’s clear that TIES (The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science) owes much of its success to the force of her presence and personality. Her enthusiasm for her subject is utterly contagious. Her drive to learn, discover, and share her knowledge is undeniable. She’s a true renaissance woman.”

This event will be held at the Campbell Community Center, 1 W. Campbell Avenue # C-31 in Campbell, California. Go to the Mary Campbell Room number Q84, which is right next to the Community Center’s Campbell Parking Lot just off of Campbell Avenue.

11 a.m., November 3, 2024

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, for a conversation with Fish Stark, the American Humanist Association’s new Executive Director. We’ll talk everything Project 2025:
What it is,
what sets it apart as a grave threat,
and how you can get involved to stop it!

Fish Stark is an organizer, educator, social entrepreneur, and lifelong humanist. Fish has spent his career turning big ideas into bold action in service of belonging, flourishing, and social justice for all people.

If you can’t join us Sunday, the Bay Area Humanists (BAH) are hosting Fish on Saturday at 3 pm, on the same topic. Here’s the announcement for the BAH event:
https://www.meetup.com/sfhumanists/events/304066769/
(Remember that US Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend.)

11/03/2024 Project 2025 – Fish Stark from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Attend in Person:
On the first and third Sunday of the month, such as this Sunday, you can attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Ave., Mountain View, CA 94040. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.

If you can join us in person, please email vp@humanists.org to help us make sure we have room for you. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom.

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Also, we will continue to present our forums on Zoom. To join and be able to ask questions and make comments, click here.
No password is needed — our host will admit you from the waiting room. Joining the meeting via the link will download and install the Zoom app on your desktop computer (if it’s not already installed), and then take you to the meeting. You can also install the Zoom app on your computer or smartphone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
Passcode: 250634

You can also call any of the following phone numbers and then enter the above Meeting ID and the Passcode in order to join the meeting by phone.
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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https://www.humanists.org/blog/2024-11-03/

RSVP on Meetup:
https://www.meetup.com/humanistcommunity/events/304279382/

Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
https://x.com/HumanistCommSV/status/1851435123801276686

Project 2025: The Religious Right’s Attempt to Dump Democracy https://t.co/9mvgZXKFFV #Meetup via @Meetup pic.twitter.com/nTJQT1mLeq

— Humanist Community (@HumanistCommSV) October 30, 2024

Watch videos of our past Forums: https://vimeo.com/user2798508