Video+discussion

Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.

A video of a CNBC News report

11 a.m., March 19, 2023

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This Sunday we will discuss a 20-minute 2020 video on “Why Climate Denial Still Exists in the U.S.”
Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused by human activity, especially the burning of fossil fuels.
Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, some American politicians continue to deny that climate change exists, while others question the severity of its impact. But public opinion is shifting, and today even oil and gas companies publicly admit that climate change demands action. So why does climate denialism continue to influence U.S. politics? Here’s a look into who is funding the movement, and why denial is mainly a U.S. problem.
You can preview this video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1rxv1yPQrc.
The following Sunday Nicolas Little of the Center for Inquiry will talk to us on Zoom about quack medicine.

You can attend our forums in person with fellow humanists in the Maple Room of the Mountain View Community Center at 201 S Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View. Lunch will be served after the forum. We request a $10 donation for lunch.
If you attend in person, COVID protocols will be followed. Vaccinations and masks will be required. If you have symptoms that may be COVID, kindly attend on Zoom (see below).

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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 smart phone, and then enter:
Meeting ID: 816 5389 0712
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You can find international phone numbers to call here.

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It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism

A video of an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan

11 a.m., March 12, 2023

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This Sunday we will watch and discuss an interview of Bernie Sanders by Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation, “It’s OK to be Angry about Capitalism.”
Sanders is the longest-serving independent in U.S. congressional history.
A self-described democratic socialist, he is often seen as a leader of the progressive movement in the United States.
Sanders sought the Democratic Party nomination for president of the United States in 2016 and 2020, finishing in second place in both campaigns.
You can prewatch this video at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC2TGXAxfnE.

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The Uniqueness of Humans

A video of a talk by Robert Sapolsky

11 a.m., February 19, 2023

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This Sunday we will discuss “The Uniqueness of Humans” a 36-minute TED Talk by author, biologist, and neurological scientist Robert Sapolsky. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences, and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. In addition, he is a research associate at the National Museums of Kenya.
You can preview this video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY1x8k79bZE.

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Do your online shopping at https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-6173979, and Amazon donates to the Humanist Community every time you do. Note that Amazon plans to wind down AmazonSmile by February 20, 2023. https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/company-news/amazon-closing-amazonsmile-to-focus-its-philanthropic-giving-to-programs-with-greater-impact

Why Do We Sleep?

A video of a talk by Russell Foster

11 a.m., February 12, 2023

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At this Sunday’s Forum we will consider why we sleep. It’s a topic we are all intimately aware of. In the 2013, 21-minute TED video “Why Do We Sleep?” neuroscientist Russell Foster pursues this question, covering what happens to us during sleep and the effects of lack of sleep.
His talk by no means completely covers the topic, so you are invited to bring your own knowledge and observations to this forum. You can preview this video at: https://www.ted.com/talks/russell_foster_why_do_we_sleep.

Russell Grant Foster is a British professor of circadian neuroscience, the Director of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and head of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi). He is also a Nicolas Kurti Senior Fellow at Brasenose College at the University of Oxford.

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Causes and Consequences of Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine

A video of a talk by Michael McFaul

11 a.m., February 5, 2023

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At this Sunday’s Humanist Forum, we will watch and discuss a video of a talk given at Stanford last October by Michael McFaul, in which he discusses Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He cites Putin’s changing attitude toward NATO, and events in both Russia and the international scene that preceded the invasion.
Michael McFaul is an American academic and diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Russia from 2012 to 2014. McFaul is currently the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor in International Studies in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, where he is the Director of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies. He is also a Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute, and a contributing columnist at The Washington Post. Prior to his nomination to the ambassadorial position, McFaul worked for the U.S National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and as senior director of Russian and Eurasian affairs. In that capacity, he was the architect of U.S. President Barack Obama’s Russian reset policy.
You can watch this 42-minute video at Explaining the Causes and Consequences of Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine | Michael McFaul.

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