ChiCago EthiCal humanist Newsletter of the Ethical humanist sociEty of chicago

January 2017

Welcome to Our Year-Opening Sunday Morning ProgramsALISON SIDERIS, veteran TV property master, set director, and costumer, speaks Sunday, Janu-ary 8th, on “Whose Prop Is It, Anyway?” As part of our World at Work series, Sideris will discuss her career in the television industry,

including her current role in designing props for the long-running game show Whose Line Is It Anyway?

LEN JASON, professor of psychol-ogy at DePaul University and director of its Center for Community Research, speaks Sunday, January 15th, on “Understanding Unexplained Illness: From Knowledge to Action.” Jason will discuss chronic fatigue syndrome, a debilitating illness that, trivialized and stigmatized in the past as “yuppie

flu,” is now the subject of finding ways to return its victims to full participation in community life.

PATTY and TOM ERD, own-ers of the upscale Spice House retail stores and internet site, speak Sunday, January 22nd, on “Adding Spice to Our Lives.” They will reveal the tri-als, tribulations, and joys of be-ing part of “the world’s second oldest profession—spice merchants.” They will add a bit of flavor by educating us on “the love and lore of spices.”

DEBORAH TURKHEIMER, profes-sor of law at Northwestern University and author of books on criminal law and feminist legal theory, speaks Sunday, January 29th, on “Rape Law in Flux.” Turkheimer will discuss how policymakers face the problem of sexual assault, though “the laws and practices surrounding rape remain profoundly dis-connected from modern understanding of sex and sexuality.”

Happy New Year Everyone! The days are slowly beginning to get longer; Spring WILL

return. Over the Winter Break, I hope everyone was able to take some time to reconnect with the things that make life worthwhile.

In this new year, change is on the horizon. Remember that here, at the Ethical Humanist Society, you will always find a kind and inclusive home. Keep your eyes open for all the many opportunities we have for connecting and engaging more deeply with one another, as well as for helping in our greater community. We have something quite wonderful here. Enjoy it, enjoy each other—and share it. —Katherine Ross, President

Other Society Events• Our next Game Night is on Saturday, January 7th, from 6 to 9 p.m. Bring your own food and beverage, or if you come by 6:15 you can chip in for pizza. Meet new people and enjoy a variety of popular games. See you! • Our next Fiction Circle, led by Ken Novak and Sue Sherman, is on Sunday, January 8th, at 12:15 p.m.We’ll

compare two short stories, Alice Walker’s “For Everyday Use,” available online at http://bit.ly/2ioC8Vb, and Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” available online at http://bit.ly/2hlLWh9.• Our Film Discussion group meets next on Monday, January 9th, at 7:15 p.m. Tell us what you think about one or both of these currently playing movies:

Fences, based on an August Wilson play, is an emotional character study of an African-American father. It was di-rected by Denzel Washington and stars him and Viola Davis.

20th Century Women is a chain of anecdotes about a middle-aged single mom’s attempts to raise her teenage son. It was directed by Mike Mills and stars Annette Bening. • Our Creative Writers group, led by Sue Sherman, meets

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The meetinghouse of the Society is at 7574 N. Lincoln Ave., Skokie. Sunday programs start at 10:30 a.m. A social hour fol-lows. For parking, use our lot, spaces at the adjoining store, How-ard St. or Jerome St., or the lot at the Albany Bank. If you need transportation, call the office by 1 p.m., Friday—we’ll try to get a ride for you.

on Sunday, January 15th, at 12:15 p.m. Just as Rochelle Zappia did before winning her Illinois Emerging Writers Award, come and share your short, original works with us.• Our next Ethnic Dinner Out is on Saturday, January 21st, at 6:30 p.m. Come and enjoy friendly company and authentic, reasonably priced Oaxacan cuisine at Kie-Gol-Lanee, 5004 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago. Please make your reservations with a reply-all to ehsdinners@gmail.com. • Winter Reflections, a new series of monthly Saturday morning conversations on “Exploring Ethical Humanism: Our History, Motivations, and Beliefs,” begins on Janu-ary 28th, at 10:30 a.m. Ken Novak will get us started this month by presenting some information to spur conversa-tion about Ethical Culture and Humanist beliefs and ideals. We’ll warm up with coffee and . . . . See you.• Our Second Saturday Coffeehouse, hosted by Vicki Elberfeld, is skipping this month. We’ll resume in February for another great musical evening.

Recent Sunday Programs• DANA SUSKIND, professor of surgery and pediatrics at the University of Chicago, spoke November 20th on “Thirty Million Words: Building a Child’s Brain.” Kara Malenfant was moderator.

Suskind said “language is the most critical factor” in development of a baby’s brain, which is “incredibly active in the first three years of life.” Emphasizing the “need for parent talk” in learning language, she said “all parents value their children” and need to be encouraged “from day one” to read and talk to their baby. She regretted that “many chil-dren are left behind,” largely because of their family’s lower socio-economic status. “It’s all about language” and the mil-lions of words they are or are not exposed to, she said.

Susskind called for a “public health approach” and “poli-cies that deal with parents as well as children.” She pointed to advanced technology and to development of public health infrastructure. Noting that current research is used to affect policy, she called for “vigorous testing” and “con-tinuous assessment and feedback” on brain development.

• DAN IVANKOVICH, noted orthopedic surgeon and co-founder of the One Patient Global Health Initiative, spoke November 27th on “Transforming Chicago: One Patient at a Time.” Ed McManus was moderator.

“My job is dealing with pain and disability”; I “help peo-ple get back to work,” Ivankovich declared. “As healers, not just surgeons,” he said his Bone Squad “combines psy-chology and orthopedics to improve the quality of people’s lives.” He said they stress educating the patient and amelio-rating their pain, making only short-term use of narcotics. While supporting medical marijuana for pain treatment, he noted that it is very expensive and not insured.

Ivankovich pointed to his having done hundreds of pain-relieving joint replacements. He condemned the lack of access to treatment by low-income people, “who need it the most,” and to discrimination against them by doctors. He criticized insurance and pharmaceutical companies for the high cost of drugs and called for more involvement by the government and the medical community.

• JESÚS (J. .J.) PÉREZ, a standup comedian and profes-sional dog walker, spoke on December 4th. As part of our series on “Our World of Work, “ his topic was “Jesus Walks Dogs.” Ray Berg was moderator.

Pérez casually listed the many dissatisfying jobs he endured before finding his attraction to walking dogs. “I needed a change,” he said. He showed charming pictures of his favorite dogs, naming each and humorously describ-ing their widely different traits and personalities. Dogs are needier than cats and want “to please their owner,” he said. They have been bred differently than cats, he added, rue-fully noting their various illnesses, like arthritis and cancer.

Pérez said little about his clients and had no pictures of them. He dismissed the notion that dogs look like their owners but said they often act like them. He observed that “the first rule of dog walking is patience,” concluding that “It’s not work when you do what you love.”

• CHRIS JOHNSON, award-winning photographer and film maker, spoke December 11th on “A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy and Meaning in a World Without God.” Svetlana Bekman was moderator.

Johnson talked about his travel around the world to write a coffee-table book of commentaries and photos featuring a diverse group of 100 atheists, including scientist Rich-ard Dawkins and philosophers A. C. Grayling and Patricia Churchland. His aim, he said, was to counter “the myth that without God, life has no joy or meaning.” Not so, he insisted, because for me, “losing religion means I can enjoy life more.” Atheism, he said, “celebrates the joy of life” and salutes the “spiritual transcendence and awe of nature.”

Johnson did point out that religion gives people “a sense of belonging and community.” He explained that people “believe in an after-life because they are scared of death.” He called for “less negativity” by atheists, and “treating religious people with respect.”

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The Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago, founded in 1882, is a chapter of the American Humanist Association.Officers & Trustees: Katherine Ross, President; Jan Kuhn, Vice

President; Ray Berg, Secretary; John Ungashick, Treasurer; Svet-lana Bekman, Matt Cole, Alan Kimmel, Sue Sherman, Ed Thomp-son.Sunday School Director: Katherine RossYES Advisors: Lisa Crowe, Sharon Appelquist Office Administrator: Sharon AppelquistNewsletter Editor: Alan Kimmel Ethical Officiants: Matt Cole, Katie Merrell

Notices and Announcements• Our Holiday Gift Card and Toy Drive was a great success. Thanks to everyone who participated. We deliv-ered three big bags of toys and gift cards, as well as the donations from the Mitten Tree at our Winter Festival, to Between Friends Chicago, a non-profit organization work-ing to break the cycle of domestic violence. Thanks also to those who donated gift items to the Rice Holiday Store.• The Society has a YouTube channel. You can see videos of any Sunday program you’ve missed the past month—like that of Dan Ivankovich, J.J. Pérez, and Chris Johnson. • Visiting the Society for the first time? Welcome! Per-haps you came to a Sunday morning program, or enrolled your child in our secular Sunday School, or took part in one of our activities and interest groups. We hope you’ve found the caring, humanist congregation you may have been looking for. At our monthly Newcomers Chat, you can learn more about the Society and consider becoming a member. If you have any questions, please email joinus@ethicalhuman.org. • Enjoy the coffee and social hour after our Sunday morning programs. We provide coffee and serve bite-sized snacks brought by our members, who use a schedule corresponding to their last names: 1st Sunday, A–D; 2nd Sunday, E–K; 3rd Sunday, L–P; 4th Sunday, Q–Z. We also thank the volunteers who help with the setup and cleanup each Sunday.• Getting married? Naming your baby? Having a memorial service? Our Ethical Officiants are trained to perform weddings, baby namings, and memorials. For a caring, secular ceremony, inquire at our office.• Join one of our committees—like Ethical Action, Sunday Program, Hospitality, Fund Raising, Building, Membership, Publicity, Audio-Visual, Adult Education, and Caring. Are you interested? Call Sharon Appelquist at the office.• For a weekly email update on future programs and ac-tivities subscribe to our website: EthicalHumanistSociety.org. For our monthly printed newsletter, a subscription is $20 per year if you aren’t a member, a contributing friend, or new on our mailing list.

Our People . . . • Rochelle Zappia, daughter of Abe Dolgoff, has won the 3rd place Gwendolyn Brooks Poetry Award in the Illinois Emerging Writers Competition. Her stunning poem, Don’t Ever Let Them Sing, is a satirical blast at American slav-ery, which she first read at the Society’s Creative Writers Showcase last year. Copies are available on line and on our literature table. Congratulations, Rochelle!• Julia Julstrom-Agoyo, daughter of Steve and Carmen, has completed her 2016 Fulbright Grant in small-town Malaysia, where she was teaching and acting as a cultural

ambassador for the United States. She also enjoyed travel-ing throughout southeast Asia in the past year. We’re proud of you, Julia!• Jesús (J. J.) Pérez, a Sunday morning speaker last month, has joined the Society! J. J. grew up in Chicago and lives in Logan Square. A professional dog walker and social media personality, he was attracted to the Society by its “sense of community” and his desire for the “varied knowledge” imparted by our speakers. A warm welcome to you, J.J.!• Len and Luda Smikun are also new members. They emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979 and have lived in Glenview since 2000. Luda is a clinical psychologist, Len a mathematician. Ethnically Jewish, but with liberal views and no strong religious beliefs, they were attracted by like-minded individuals in the Society. Welcome, Len and Luda!• Robert (Bobby) Jackson is also a new member. He lives in west suburban Lisle and is a post-doctorate intern in environmental studies at Argonne Lab. Bobby says he has avoided churches but as a humanist has found many nice, like-minded people at the Society. Glad you found us, Bobby!

Sunday School Scoop . . . December was a blast! The kids decorated candles to

give as gifts and we rehearsed our play—all for the Win-ter Festival on the 18th, where we successfully engaged everyone in our “MadLibs Nutcracker,” entertained with individual performances, decorated our fabulous Mitten Tree, and generally brought light to one of the darkest days of the winter.

We return from Winter Break on January 8th, when we’ll learn about some interesting traditions that ensure good luck in the New Year. Throughout January we’ll explore the Commitments of Ethical Humanism that pertain to Human Rights, Peace, and Social Justice. We will end the month with a Service Project “Bee” in the Community Room.

—Katherine Ross, Director

Who We Are

The Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago is a self-governing, inclusive, caring community—providing a home to those who seek a rational, compassionate philosophy of life without regard to belief or non-belief in a supreme being.We focus on the ethical values that bring people together, not

on the beliefs that keep people apart. In the spirit of intellectual, philosophical, and artistic freedom, we come together to explore life, nature, and the universe.We celebrate births, conduct wedding ceremonies, and host

memorial services. We provide for the ethical education of our children, based on rational, critical thinking. We believe in working together for a better world, and strive to

act so as to bring out the best in others and thereby in ourselves.

Ethical Humanist Society of Chicago

7574 N. Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077-3335Phone: (847) 677-3334; Fax: (847) 677-3335Web Site: www.ethicalhuman.orgE-mail: office@ethicalhuman.org

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JANUARY 2017 CALENDARThe office of the Society is openevery weekday - 10 am to 2 pm.

Call 847-677-3334 with any questions.

GAme NiGht

6:00 p.m.

10:30 LeN JAsoN

“Understanding Unexplained Illness: From Knowledge to Action”12:15 - Creative Writers

10:30 PAtty & tom erd “Adding Spice to Our Lives”

10:30 ALsioN sideris “Whose Prop Is It, Anyway?” 12:15 - Fiction Circle - Sunday Program Committee

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

BoArd of trustees

7:15 p.m.

fiLm discussioN GrouP 7:15 p.m.

ethNic diNNerout

6:30 p.m.

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WiNter refLectioNs

10:30 a.m.

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Golden Rule Sunday School: Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to Noon

No ProGrAm

10:30 deBorAh turkheimer

“Rape Law in Flux”

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