[BES Friends] Movable treats and October program

[Stephen Meskin]

*Sun Oct 5, 10:30 am - noon ** Movable Treats* Summer donations were 
down, so let's start of the new "meeting season" with an extra large 
supply of desserts. As a reminder, Moveable Feast delivers meals to AIDS 
and cancer patients and their families. BES' "Moveable Treats" programs 
provides individually packaged single portions of desserts that are 
included in these meals.

Bring your desserts with you to the meeting, and place them on the table 
in the corner of our meeting room. Use sandwich bags or snack bags to 
wrap your desserts in serving size portions, and label them to indicate 
generally what they are. Mark your desserts if they contain nuts or 
peanuts. Avoid desserts that have heavy icings or that contain alcohol.

Also *
Coffeehouse tonight, (Sat Oct 4) 7 pm*
*Poetry Group, Sun Oct 5 9:30 am* *

**Platform: Oct 5: "Spiritual Morality and Feet of Clay" By Hugh 
Taft-Morales, EC Leader in Training
*
    Great spiritual moral leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin 
Luther King Jr., are often placed on a pedestal by human society, yet 
their inevitable human limitations and frailties often disappoint us. 
Some people idealize such leaders because in a world darkened by 
violence and greed, we seek moral heroes that can balance evil with 
their unblemished goodness. At the other extreme, some take a certain 
pleasure in tearing down these icons of moral purity, either to expose 
hypocrisy or to relieve themselves of the burden of living up to such a 
high standard. Platform question: From the perspective of the history 
and philosophy of Ethical Culture, how can we acknowledge the goodness 
expressed by our moral leaders, while admitting their limitations, in a 
way that brings out our best as moral leaders?

    Hugh Taft-Morales taught philosophy and history at the Edmund Burke 
School in Washington, D. C. for 19 years. He left teaching in the summer 
of 2006 to train for leadership in Ethical Culture and is in a 
three-year leadership certification program with the Humanist Institute. 
Hugh served on the Board of the Washington Ethical Society from 
2002-2006, and for the last year was president of the Board. He served 
for two three-year terms on the American Philosophical Association 
Committee for Pre-College Instruction. He wrote a booklet entitled "So 
You Want to Teach Pre-Collegiate Philosophy?" published by the APA. In 
1986 he earned a Masters in Philosophy from University of Kent at 
Canterbury, England. He graduated Cum Laude from Yale University in 
1979. He lives in Takoma Park with his wife, Maureen, and has three 
children .

*Platform: Oct 12: "The Ethical Life and Politics: Part Two" By John 
Nugent, BES Member*

    The second in a series of platforms on the Ethical Life and Politics 
will focus on the competing moral worldviews that form our current 
political and culture war. (For a description of Part One, see the 
description of the Sep 7 program.)

    John Nugent, a member of BES, is the President/CEO of Planned 
Parenthood of Maryland and has been a health care administrator for over 
35 years. John holds an MA in ethics and a BA in philosophy and has been 
an adjunct college philosophy instructor. John is Treasurer of the Board 
of the Washington Area Secular Humanists and is a Certified Humanist 
Celebrant.

*Sun Oct 12, 9:30 am ** Ethical Mindfulness Meditation*
    Back by request, it's the monthly mindfulness meditation group. Come
    and sit with us for a guided meditation based on the teachings of
    Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk nominated by Dr. Martin
    Luther King Jr for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is a great help for
    "one on one" ethical action situations, when you find it tough to
    respond calmly and respectfully to negative behavior. No meditation
    experience necessary. Facilitated by Karen Elliott. Want to know
    more? Contact Karen at KarenSElliott at aol dot com.

*Sun Oct 19, 9:00 am **Ethical Action Breakfast*
    Come to the Society an hour early on Sunday and give just $5 to eat
    breakfast and support our Ethical Action projects at the same time.
    Proceeds will support actions developed by the Ethical Action
    Committee. Come eat your fill and have your say about what we can do
    to promote sustainable transportation. Yum! For more information
    contact Ben Busby. 

*Platform: Oct 19: "Low Carbon Diet" By Susan Lower, Educator and 
Environmental Activist*

    Change your Carbon Footprint and Lower Your Energy Bills! Do all the 
small changes we make to lower our carbon footprint really matter? Susan 
Lower's entertaining Powerpoint presentation is about low- or no-cost 
changes people can easily make to help the environment. Global climate 
change may be here but we can all help to lessen its impact. Join us for 
this inspiring discussion!

    Susan Lower is a graduate from the University of Maryland, College 
Park, with a B.S. degree in Biology Education and graduate classes in 
Environmental Science. This is her 22nd year teaching. She has been at 
her current assignment at River Hill High School for 8 years and is 
other currently teaching GT Biology and AP Environmental Science. In 
addition she is the sponsor of ecology club and student energy auditors. 
Last year students audited 172 homes in the River Hill community. This 
year Mrs. Lower will be training students from additional schools around 
the county. Mrs. Lower was instrumental in getting her school certified 
as a Maryland Green School and participating in the Howard County Green 
Schools program.
    She is one of the founders of the Climate Change Initiative of 
Howard County (CCIHC) which sponsors discussion groups and participates 
in Environmental Advocacy. She has received various awards including 
Technology teacher of the year and High School teacher of the year from 
Western Maryland (now called McDaniel) college.

*Oct 26: "Fall Festival"Facilitated by Karen Elliott, President*

    We welcome the autumn---time of harvests and beautiful 
colours---with our traditional Stone Salad and a celebration of families 
of all sorts. Please bring an ingredient suitable for the stone salad; 
dressings, bread, dessert, and drinks will be provided. Festivals at the 
Society are a time to celebrate our BES family and share some laughter 
and thoughtfulness as we mark the passing of time and the seasons, both 
in nature an din our lives. They are interactive and usually include, as 
we say at story-time, "the children and the child in us all."

*Sun Oct 26, 12:30 pm ***N*ewcomers' Meeting*
    New to the Society and interested in learning more? Thinking about
    joining? Come to the Newcomers' Meeting, held following the last
    platform of every month, and learn more about Ethical Culture and
    about our Society---its history, its philosophy, and its
    organization. Meetings last about one hour and attendance is
    recommended before becoming a member. 


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