Humanist Society of Gainesville

Dear Friends,

We have another meeting coming up real soon! This Wednesday, November 19th , Tara Lee is our speaker. She’s been coming to our meetings this year, and so you may have met her already. Tara is a male to female transsexual activist and has been totally ” Out ” since 2000. During these years she has given lectures, workshops, written articles, organized events and worked with great passion for the cause of Transgender/Transsexual civil equality.

Tara, even when she was Douglas, has been a passionate activist since her teens. She has been involved in Civil Rights, Peace, Women’s, No Nukes, LGBT, Boycott Grapes and other movements concerning social justice. Her first activist action was in 1964 with the Bobby Kennedy Senate campaign in New York.

Tara is a person who has seen history in the making, and been a part of it. In her own way she’s been making history for the last 50 years. Don’t miss what promises to be a very enlightening and informative talk. I had coffee with her least week, and I found her to be wonderfully positive, funny and insightful. The time just flew by, as I think it will for you, too, this Wednesday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on NW 34th street, 7pm.

Folks, this is our regular meeting night coming up. For those of you who were at last week’s meeting, you will have noted that the Nominating Committee’s proposed slate of officers and board members was announced. They were: President: Al Tweedy; Vice President: Greg Mullaley; Secretary: Jim Sullivan; Treasurer: Jim Nail; At-Large Board members:  Pierce Butler, Kathleen Stipek, Annie Thomas and John Townsend. Members of HSG were, and are invited to name anyone that was willing to serve in addition to the above named. This Wednesday we (members) will be voting.  The new Board will take office in January. Be there to wish them well! Coffee will be provided, don’t hesitate to bring something yummy like you did last week. This is a good time to say how much I appreciate you! Yes, you! You all have been turning out in record numbers for the last several months and it makes a difference. We’ve been dragging out every chair in the closet! There’s a real buzz when the room is full, and I’m sure you’ve noticed. Let’s keep it that way.

See you soon!

Ginger Andrews

Humanist Society of Gainesville

Dear Friends,

Dr. Fletcher Baldwin’s talk on Wednesday about legal precedents and their consequences was VERY INTERESTING! While many of us were confounded and offended by the means that our government uses to prance about on our civil rights, Professor Baldwin’s wit and his belief in the Rule of Law held the day.  We thank him for giving his time so generously, and for binging his wife Nancy. Together they make an amazing legal team and we’re so fortunate to enjoy the fruits of their commitment to our community. Oh, and thank you to those of you who asked such thoughtful and piercing questions! It gave our speaker a chance to know his audience; I, for one, noticed how passionate he became about some of the answers! Good job, people!

What?!?  $130 dollars for the Food4Kids program were collected at the meeting? Well, well, well that’s quite a success. I never doubted that our members and guests were the gems of the earth.  That’s certainly by far the largest single donation we’ve made to this worthy charity. My challenge worked but, uh, what shall I ask for next? I think I’d better give you guys a break.  Of course, you can always update your membership or join as a member; WE need the $$, too! As bitcoin trading is at its peak with the rise of modern technologies like the bitcoin profit app, we are accepting contributions in the form of bitcoins too. Therefore, bitcoin traders can make use of this opportunity. Bitcoin Profit app is a reliable auto-trading bot that has a high rate of return and pays its customers on a regular basis. It is entirely based on algorithmic auto trading, which is capable of monitoring market price changes and placing trades.

SUGAR, SPICE, AND EVERYTHING NICE would encapsulate the feeling and the theme at Ann and Bob Brown’s party Saturday night. What a welcome! Log cabins are so charming, and this warmly lighted and decorated home was made for socializing. Lots of great conversations were had in the many interesting spaces both inside and out. The food was amazing and I can see that there is a down-side to socializing with good cooks. I left the party quite happy, but shaped like a pumpkin. I met some interesting new people last night! Jessica, Dan, Virginia, Dave and Mary Beth. I hope we’ll be seeing them all at (all) future events. I also enjoyed the opportunity to socialize with Marilyn, Jo and Rick for the first time at a party instead of just meetings. Yeah, we’re all pretty awesome. Thank you Bob, and Ann for such a generous display of hospitality and bonhomie. It was a perfect kick-off to a new season with the HSG.

There’s a lot of big stuff coming up for us very soon.  Rather than subject you to a super-long letter and the inherent soporific effect, I will close now and compose another letter getting you guys excited about the events of November and December. Actually, we’re booking programs well into 2015, so don’t expect to get bored.

Wishing you all well,
Ginger Andrews
HSG

As a reminder, there will be no formal meeting of the Gainesville Humanist society this July. Our usual meeting day/time will resume on August 20th.

I would like to invite you to attend our monthly meeting scheduled for this coming Wednesday, the 18th of June. We will meet at  the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall on NW 34th Street at 7PM.   Our speaker this month is Dr. Lawton K. Swan from the Department of Psychology at the University of Florida. His topic is “Why People Believe Weird Things.” He has spoken to our group before, and we’re thrilled to have him back! Come a little early and socialize over coffee and snacks. We welcome your additions to the refreshments.

Those of us who braved the weather to attend the Pool Party yesterday were rewarded by Annie and Lex Thomas’ gracious hospitality, great food, a refreshing swim and good company. Their beautiful home is in a great neighborhood, walking distance from 13th Street and, since we behaved ourselves, we’re invited back! Stay tuned. An additional treat was the arrival of the new HSG T-shirts from Dragonfly Graphics. Many were bought with enthusiasm by the party-goers, but there are lots left. They come in a variety of styles and sizes and are priced at $18. Have a look at the Facebook page to see the styles, or pick one up at the meeting Wednesday. Please buy one, or several, and wear them with pride.

In other news, the Blueberry Picking trip and Quarterly Trash Pick-up were both a success; thanks to those of you who participated!  The next social event is a picnic and tour of the Japanese Print exhibit at the Harn, Sunday the 22nd of June, at noon.  I need ten people to attend in order to meet the criteria for the docent led tour, so sign up with me today! Otherwise, I’ll have to recruit people off the street!

As always, I’m looking forward to seeing you all at the meeting on Wednesday, and hearing news from you and what you’ve been up to since we last met. I welcome all comments and suggestions.



Affectionately,

Ginger Andrews
Vice-President

Humanist Society of Gainesville

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our monthly meeting tonight. Professor Donna Waller will be our speaker, and her topic is The Founders and Religion. Please join us for an enjoyable time with Dr. Waller and your fellow Humanists Wednesday May 21st , 7PM at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on NW 34th Street. Feel free to bring refreshments to share; we will have coffee available.

As usual, we will be collecting donations for the Food4Kids Backpack Program in the form of small food items, or cash. Your generous donations are deeply appreciated. At the meeting, I’ll update you on the social events planned for the Summer. For those of you who can’t make it to the meeting, I’ll be sending out a re-cap of the meeting and information on the Summer events as they approach.

Ginger Andrews,

Vice President

Humanist Society of Gainesville

Dear HSG Members and Friends,

I hope to see you on Wednesday the 21st of May for our monthly meeting at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. This month we have a guest speaker  Dr. Donna Waller , Professor Emerita from Santa Fe College. She will be speaking to us about  American History, specifically, Our Founders and Religion. She’s an engaging speaker and possesses a great depth of knowledge of history and political science. The meeting begins at 7pm; come early and enjoy the company of your fellow Humanists. We’ll have the usual coffee, and a few other refreshments provided. Please bring a little something, if you’re so inclined, to add to the cheer.

As summer approaches, I have been planning some recreational activities to Beat the Heat! Namely, a Docent-led tour of the Harn with lunch at Camellia Court, a pool party on  Saturday, June 14th hosted by Annie Thomas, tubing down the Ichetucknee river, and yes, blueberry picking.  For now, mark your calendars for Annie’s pool party on the 14th, and I’ll get days and times for you on the other stuff as I nail down the details.

Please join us Wednesday the 21st to hear Dr. Waller. Show up, and show your interest! As always, I welcome your communications and comments.

With affection,
Ginger Andrews

Vice President

Humanist Society of Gainesville

For our February meeting the Humanist Society of Gainesville celebrates the 205th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin.  Our speaker will be Dr. Fred Gregory a Professor of History of Science at UF. He will be speaking on Charles Darwin, the man, his work, and its impact on the world. Dr. Gregory has a Ph.D. from Harvard, has served as the Chairman of the History Department at UF, and has been president of the History of Science Society.  His course, The Darwinian Revolution, is one of the many courses offered on CD by The Teaching Company. Our meeting is, as usual, the third Wednesday of the month, February 19, 2014, at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4225 N.W. 34th Street, at 7 pm.