Category: Video+discussion

Erasing History: How Fascism Works

Prof. Jason Stanley

11 a.m., April 13, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video of Jason Stanley, as he gives proper context to what fascism means and how the Trump administration’s second term could really mean the completion of the American fascist state.

Host Chris Hedges spoke with him on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report, recorded on March 26.

Jason Stanley is an American philosopher who is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. He has accepted an appointment at the University of Toronto based on what he describes as the deteriorating political situation in the United States.

You can preview this 59-minute talk at:
https://youtu.be/cw2Kgz_2cBk

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in Milpitas Library Group Study Room A, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.
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.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

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Using Humor in Interpersonal Conflict Resolution

Steve Carell in The Office

11 a.m., March 23, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we delve into how to resolve conflict by looking at several short videos and discussing them. Our facilitator has found that humor can diffuse conflict situations, especially in “hot topics” areas such as politics, religion, and other areas of disagreement among friends, co-workers, family, and elsewhere.

Come this Sunday to explore this topic in depth from several possible angles to see if we might better use the positive aspects of humor when discussing challenging subjects with others. Humor can also have adverse effects, which we will look into.

Bio: The facilitator of this Sunday’s meeting is Carl Angotti. He is a semi-retired engineering consultant, and very long time member of our community. He likes to look at complex subjects from a subjective and neutral point of view. He has previously facilitated several of our meetings.

Attend in Person:
Attend our forum in person with fellow humanists at the Neutra House Conference Center, 181 Hillview Ave, Los Altos, CA 94022. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation.

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.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)

Find an international number to call: https://zoom.us/u/afYkAuvE6

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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Trump and the Future of Ukraine

Former U.S. Amb. to Ukraine Steven Pifer

11 a.m., March 9, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss a video of Steven Pifer on Ukraine, recorded March 5. “Few periods in the history of U.S. foreign policy have witnessed such a dramatic flip-flop as the past two weeks. Rarely have two weeks brought the Kremlin such good fortune.”

Mr. Pifer was the third United States Ambassador to Ukraine, from 1998 to 2000. He is currently affiliated with the Center on International Security and Cooperation at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University.

You can preview this 26-minute talk at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpFhFpTOCY

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists in Milpitas Library Group Study Room A, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.
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.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

———-

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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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The Quest to Understand Consciousness

Antonio Damasio

11 a.m., February 23, 2025

Join us this Sunday, either in person or online, as we watch and discuss the 18-minute TED talk from March 2011, The Quest to Understand Consciousness by Antonio Damasio.

Every morning we wake up and regain consciousness, but what exactly is it that we regain? Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio uses this simple question to give us a glimpse into how our brains create our sense of self.

Antonio Damasio’s research in neuroscience has shown that emotions play a central role in social cognition and decision-making. His work has had a major influence on current understanding of the neural systems, which underlie memory, language, consciousness.

Neuroscientist, Antonio Damasio, is the author of Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, which was adapted into a musical composition performed by Yo-Yo Ma at the American Museum of Natural History.

You can preview this talk at:
https://www.ted.com/talks/antonio_damasio_the_quest_to_understand_consciousness

Attend in Person:
Join fellow Humanists to consider the propositions in Milpitas Library Group Study Room B, 160 N Main St, Milpitas, CA 95035.
Often after our meeting, we find a nearby inexpensive eatery for a luncheon.
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.

———-

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

Join the meeting by phone: +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
Find an international phone number to call: here.

———-

Subscribe to our events in your Apple Calendar:
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Retweet our announcement on the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter:
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The rise of the ultra-right in the US

8/1/1983 President Reagan talks with Newt Gingrich during a trip via Air Force One to Atlanta Georgia

11 a.m., February 2, 2025

Join us in person or online as we watch and discuss the documentary, The rise of the ultra-right in the US.

The tightening of abortion laws, the 2021 storming of the Capitol, a flare-up in racist violence: The US far-right has never been more powerful and visible than it is today – and that’s not just due to Donald Trump. The ultra-right has managed to gain a foothold at the very heart of US politics.

The triumph of the radical right is the outcome of a well-thought-out strategy set in motion more than 40 years ago by a conservative minority thirsty for power. And this group has pushed through its agenda under the nose of the world.

Written by Alice Cohen and Gilles Biasette, this film was a coproduction of Arte France, Radio Television Suisse, CBC Radio Canada, Al Jazeera, and posted in English by DW, Deutsche Welle, a public, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the German federal tax budget.

You can preview this 51-minute video at:
https://youtu.be/jrhREluLdBs/

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.

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)
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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Click the Interested button or share on Patch:
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