Category to indicate a forum is a single speaker.
May 29, 2016
In this Forum, we will show a “TED Talk” (see www.ted.com) with the above title (see http://www.ted.com/talks/sam_harris_science_can_show_what_s_right). The video features Sam Harris, who is the renowned author of “The End of Faith”, a Ph.D. neuroscientist, and a philosopher. After the video is shown, there will be a general audience discussion of the topics that Dr. Harris discusses in this 23 minute video.
May 22, 2016
Martin Carcieri is Professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University. He will be discussing a chapter from his book, “Applying Rawls in the 21st Century: Race, Gender, the Drug War, and the Right to Die”, that discusses affirmative action and reparations.
Humanist Community Forum (2016-05-22): Rawls on Affirmative Action/Reparations (Prof. Martin Carcieri) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.
May 15, 2016
Jason Spitzer, from the California Clean Money Campaign (www.caclean.org), will discuss the California DISCLOSE Act, which the State Legislature is currently considering, along with other campaign finance reform and anti-corruption bills that have been introduced. The California DISCLOSE Act would require that political ads for California candidates and propositions prominently display the top three contributors to the ad.
Click here to see the slides that were shown during this Forum.
Humanist Community Forum (2016-05-15): The California DISCLOSE Act (Jason Spitzer) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.
May 8, 2016
Scott Lee Spence is the President of the National Civil War Association of California, a 501c3 educational corporation in 1983. The NCWA educates the public about the American Civil War through public reenactments and school visits. In addition to traditional presentations about the Eastern Theater of the Civil War, the NCWA has in recent years started to explore the role of California, the events of the Pacific Theater, and the roles of women and minorities in the War. Mr. Spence will be discussing some of these new narratives at this presentation.
Humanist Community Forum (2016-05-08): The Civil War (Scott Lee Spence) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.
Note: Below is a statement from the speaker that he sent us after his talk that he wanted us to post:
Dear Humanists and Hosts,
I must apologize for some factual errors I made during my presentation to you group. Shortly after leaving your meeting, it dawned on me that I said “Black Hills” as opposed to the “Cherokee Nation” when speaking of gold mining. Due to fatigue I mixed up two examples of Native Americans being forcibly removed from their lands due to mining concerns.
The offer to speak to your group came between two very large events the National Civil War Association was running. The first, at the beginning of May, involved hosting 3200 school children over two days, as well as two days for the general public. The second event was held on Angel Island at the beginning of June, and required me to prepare to cook three days’ worth of meals for 45 people. The food to be cooked on a wood burning stove in a kitchen with no running water.
In addition I was working many hours of overtime on a special project at my job.
It would have been a better choice on my part to wait to do my presentation later in the summer.
Some other factual error I committed include…
Mixing up the Biographies of Joseph Pierce and Thomas Sylvanus (Ah Yee Way); Joseph was adopted by a Connecticut Sea Captain, and Thomas was brought to the US against his will as part of the Coolie/Pig Trade, an attempt to replace African Slaves with Asian ones. Thomas escaped from bondage in the South and ended serving in two different Union regiments. He was captured and survived Andersonville prison.
The woman on the cover of They Fought like Demons is Frances Clayton, not Sarah Rosetta Wakeman aka Pvt Lyons Wakeman.
I will take a look at the video this weekend and write up anythings that need correcting.
As the head of a 501c3 educational organization, it causes me no small embarrassment to know that I made what I consider big blunders.
My thanks still go to all of you for inviting me to speak before you.
Sincerely,
Scott Lee Spence, NCWA President
May 1, 2016
Humanist Community member James Hunt speaks on the “Recent Chromosomal Fusion” theory, and presents his book: “23, How Humanity Came To Be”. Over many years, in many books, there are many suggestions that Africa launched anatomically modern humans, replacing all older species. Anthropologists say something happened, but there are very few suggestions of what exactly that macro-evolutionary event was. What evidence is there for macro-evolution in human DNA? Why did anatomically modern humans all come “out of Africa”? Ernst Mayr wrote that chromosomal fusions have no effect on species, but there is clearly evidence that 23 chromosome humans are drastically less diverse than earlier 24 chromosome species. Is it time to consider the obvious? Homo Erectus was a 24!
Humanist Community Forum (2016-05-01): A New Theory of Human Origin (James Hunt) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.