Free Will Revisited

Free Will Revisited

Michael Abramson

March 30, 2014

Michael Abramson 2This is a follow-up discussion of Free Will, which was the topic of Daniel B. Miller’s Dec. 8, 2013 Forum.  Michael Abramson, a physicist specializing in numerical simulations, will offer his insights about connections between our Free Will and certain properties of a physical world. The arguments that he will be presenting may have profound implications for our approach to fundamental political and moral issues.

 

Michael’s Slide Presentation.

 

Humanist Community Forum (2014-03-30): Free Will Revisited (Michael Abramson) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

End of Life – Know Your Options and Control Your Destiny

End of Life – Know Your Options and Control Your Destiny

Carol Ann Wegenast and Barbara Engdahl

March 23, 2014

Carol Ann WegenastCarol Wegenast, a Physician’s Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) trainer for the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California (http://www.coalitionccc.org/), will present the POLST form. ThePOLST is a medical order signed by the doctor and the patient giving YOU control about what kinds of medical treatments you do or do not want at the end of your life.

 

Click here to view Carol’s Slides.

Barbara Engdahl from Compassion and Choices (http://www.compassionandchoices.org/) will speak about the “Advance Health Care Directive” with the new “Dementia Provision”.

 

Humanist Community Forum (2014-03-23): End of Life – Know Your Options and Control Your Destiny from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Climate Change

Climate Change

Steve Raney

March 16, 2014

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Climate is the world’s top priority issue in terms of causing the most human suffering and a disproportionate impact on subsistence peoples. For climate, CA state government is the world’s best, with remarkably strong, visionary climate laws/regulations, including a 12-month-old Cap and Trade program. In contrast, our gridlocked national government protects the status quo.

Steve Raney (a volunteer with the Silicon Valley chapter of 350.org, a national volunteer climate activism organization, with Master’s Degrees in business, software, and transportation) will discuss ways the Humanist Community in Silicon Valley can participate in local actions, followed by a campaign to make CA policy national policy.

Click here to view Steve’s Slides

Watch a video of Steve’s Presentation below :-

Humanist Community Forum (2014-03-16): Spreading California’s Amazing Climate Protection Nationally (Steve Raney) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

Shopping and Cooking for Time, Taste, Cost, and the Planet

Shopping and Cooking for Time, Taste, Cost, and the Planet

Laura Stec

March 9, 2014

Laura Stec warmJoin chef and author Laura Stec from Kaiser Permanente and The Food Party! for a crash course on deliciously healthful and helpful tips and tricks. You’ll learn day-to-day ways to THRIVE in your kitchen including: why to keep water as far away from vegetables as possible, knife sharpening skills, quick cooking tips, and how to cook for one. Laura will also address some healthy people and planet connections from her book Cool Cuisine – Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming.  A mini cooking demo (with samples for the audience) completes the presentation.

 
Watch Laura’s presentation below :-

Humanist Community Forum (2014-03-09): Shopping and Cooking for Time, Taste, Cost, and the Planet (Laura Stec) from Humanist Community-SiliconValley on Vimeo.

NSA Spying – Why it makes you less safe

NSA Spying – Why it makes you less safe

Marc Perkel

March 2, 2014

 

Marc croppedThe NSA and the Obama Administration have tried to position the NSA spying as a “balance” between freedom and safety, implying that theNSA spying makes you more safe. In fact the opposite is true. NSA spying makes you less safe and is a threat to civilization itself. This presentation explains the technical concepts of how the Internet works and explains how the NSA is creating a single point of failure to bring down the Internet.

Marc Perkel is a self taught computer expert who has been designing and building computers since 1972. He was also formerly the system administrator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.