Santa Barbara Humanist Society Newsletter for September 2001

• Meetings
• Membership Notes
• Social Scene
• Getting to Know You - Lottie White

• Web Site of the Month
• Notes of Interest
• Other Items of Import

We meet on the third Saturday of each month at 3.00 PM at Jefferson Hall, 1525 Santa Barbara Street, Santa Barbara, California, except for our Solstice parties in June and December. PLEASE NOTE Due to a conflict at the Unitarian Society our September meeting will be held on Sept 8th instead of Sept 15th when it was scheduled.

RUTH ADAMS

ANNETTE GOODHEART

FRANCFS HALPERN

JAMES KARLS

PETER KOELSCH

ELLEN LUBEC

TREVOR PHILLIPS

MARY STUNTZ

ERIKA THOST

ELISE Van ENOO

A special welcome is being planned for all of our new members! As you may be aware our Society membership has greatly increased in the past few months. While growth is wonderful, it also presents some problems as we move toward increasingly large numbers. We want to do everything possible to make certain that the members get to meet and know one another. In addition to our outstanding speakers and events, social companionship with like-minded persons is important to you as many of you have indicated in your comments to us. Therefore, your Social Committee is planning a Newcomers Reception on September 28th, Friday at 4pm at the home of Anne and Russ. Invitations will be sent by mail to our most recently signed up new members and along with the Board we expect to have about 40 persons present. This will be an informal gathering with wines and light fare.

Arts and Letters Dinner/Opera Night-- We have a few places left for our evening out on September 13th at 8:00 pm. Please call for availability for this delightful night of music and cuisine with your fellow members. (Anne at 564-6086)

Dinner after the September meeting with be at an old favorite, Yen Ching, on de la Vina in the (old) Ralphs shopping center. Hope to see many of you there.

Sunday Brunch will be at Starlight Cafe on Hitchcock at 10AM on the 30th of Sept. No reservations necessary, just show up and have a good time with your fellow members.

December l5th will be our Winter Solstice Party held at the private dining room at Sizzler. We will have our own salad bar, choice of grilled trout, chicken breast, or steak entree, glass of wine or other beverage and a dessert. We are working on entertainment which will be a comedian or a magic act. The social committee is working on carpools for those unable to drive at night. The cost of this fantastic evening will be the bargain prIce of under $20! More later on how to reserve your place.

Refreshments at Meetings - Here is a list of Cookie Sign-ups for the upcoming meetings. Anne will call you one week prior to the meeting to remind you of your date. Please bring 4 to 5 dozen small but nice cookies (half each if two are bringing). If for some reason you have to miss your date please arrange with someone who has another month. Thank you for your cooperation:

What's wrong with America - it's going to hell in a handbasket. The media are hopelessly biased to the left. Or is it to the right? Our youth are lazy and stupid to boot. Or is it that they face performance pressures far beyond what is reasonable? Or maybe their schools are at fault? Or is it their parents who are at fault? Corporate America is ripping off customers right and left while CEOs become obscenely rich. And the environment is ruined in the process.

What's wrong in Israel/Palestine? Northern Ireland? Indonesia? Afghanistan/Pakistan/India? Anywhere in the Middle East? And, lest you think I am complacent, right here in Santa Barbara?

Obviously, there is no single answer to these complex issues. But there is a process that can contribute to the development of potential solutions: CRITICAL THINKING. Critical thinking and its cousins Skepticism, Rational Inquiry, Science, etc. have a potentially enormous role to play when we face these - and a countless myriad of other - issues. But critical thinking seems to be "missing in action" in far too many cases. Why? And what can we Humanists do about it? I will attempt to look at some relevant issues in the next months, but can only touch upon the issue this month.

Clearly, the species homo sapiens has been endowed with the ability to engage in critical thinking but has also been endowed with emotional baggage that seems to interfere with our rational thought processes at every turn. This is just one of many reasons why we often react to problems in a self-destructive or irrational or shortsighted manner.

Another impediment to critical thinking is our inherent limitation to deal with scales beyond the normal world we evolved in. The slogan "Think globally, act locally" asks humans to consider the effects of our actions on people and places thousands of miles away. Doing so obviously does not come naturally. Similarly, given a lifetime measured in a few decades, its difficult for us to appreciate time spans measured in millennia. The immense age of the earth is, I think, one of the most difficult obstacles to the acceptance of Darwinian evolution. Finally, very large and very small numbers themselves are often beyond our comprehension. For example, when the Federal budget is discussed in terms of trillions of dollars, our eyes glaze over and millions, billions and trillions - which are vastly different numbers - seem to meld together into a meaningless mishmash.

These are typical of the issues we must face. I'm sure we won't come up with any answers, but asking the questions and searching for some alternatives is an essential process.

Last month's speaker, Seth Shostak, an astrophysist from Mountain View and a witty, intellegent and entertaining scientist, provided our Society an informative and humorous insight into The Search For Extra-terrestrial Intelligence (SETI). His enthusiasm matched his knowledge of the subject. A most wonderful afternoon spent on a very serious project.

In October a very special guest, Joe Nickell, the Head Investigator for CSICOP and Skeptical Inquirer Magazine, is scheduled to be with us. He is the author of the Inquest into the Shroud of Turin, a significant publication documenting the findings of 3 separate studies into the age of the so-called Shroud of Jesus. Mr Nickell has also lately been on undercover investigations of Modern Spiritualism. (Too bad Ramtha has left Santa Barbara or there could possibly have been a "Debate"). This event will be at our regular Society meeting time and date, the 3rd Saturday of October, the 2Otb. A full house is anticipated.

The William Edelin Lecture attracted over 500 people and our Society's sponsorship netted over $1000. Many thanks to all who participated; from the ticket takers, the organizers, the refreshment committee, the information providers, the reception hosts, and to all the others who I can't remember just now. A great effort for a great event.

After the Edelen Lecture we gained many new members - we are approaching lOO paying members and sending out over 175 Bulletins each month. Is this a great organization or what? Please take the time and make the effort to greet and get to know the new members at our Saturday Meeting and Sunday Brunch. Make them feel comfortable and welcome in our community of "Like-Minded" and Friendly Humanists.

It has been requested that we initiate an Advertising Column in this Bulletin to be used for members to sell and buy items as well as locationg needed services or offering services (such as house sitting, trips to airport, etc) It has been agreed that each Ad of 3 lines maximum will cost the placer $5.00. Send Ad to our Post Office Box 30232, Santa Barbara, 93130.

The new Keith Bailey Memorial plaque and Palm tree has been installed by the City in the New Chase Palm Park. The plaque and tree are just east of the Snack Bar Building, near Cabrillo Boulevard.