<html><body>
<DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 10:30AM</FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>January 1<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>POTLUCK PANCAKE BRUNCH<o:p></o:p></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Today we forego our usual intellectual sustenance for food of a different sort – the kind we normally we have to wait for until the platform is over! Brunch is what we’re doing (although there will also be plenty of interesting talk – how not?). Pancakes and drinks will be provided; bring something else to share for the brunch, if you like, and <B>canned goods for Viva House </B>(for details see Viva House recipe in January BESpeak). Electrical outlets are limited; contact Karen if you’ll need one so we don’t end up with uncooked egg on our face. Start the New Year with fun, fellowship, and some really good food!</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>January 8<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>ISLANDS OF GOODNESS</FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>By: Fritz Williams, Leader, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:place></st1:City> Ethical Society</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>There are times when violence and evil come to power and when goodness is marginalized and becomes almost subversive. When Germany and much of Europe were swept up in a tidal wave of Nazi racism and mass murder, a few brave individuals and small enclaves of moral subversives held fast to their faith in human worth and goodness. As part of an ongoing effort to understand the sources and contours of goodness, Fritz Williams examines the lives and deeds of some of those who kept a precious spark of humanity alive even under the banner of Nazism.<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>Fritz Williams is Leader of the Baltimore Ethical Society and serves as primary speaker, teacher, pastor, and organizational leader.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Fritz also performs weddings and commitment ceremonies.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He has worked as a parish priest in the Episcopal church, and as a writer and producer at public TV stations in <st1:City w:st="on">Harrisburg</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">PA</st1:State>, and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Detroit</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">MI</st1:State></st1:place>.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>January 15<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>THE END OF FAITH-BASED VIOLENCE</FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>By: Walter Ehrhardt, Humanist</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>How do we get people to stop killing each other in the name of their religion? What are the causes of such violence? What can we, as individuals, do about it? For answers to these questions, we will examine the ideas of two very different authors, Sam Harris and Jack Newman-Pallmeyer. Sam is an atheistic practitioner of Eastern mysticism, while Jack is a Catholic academic and pacifist.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Walter Ehrhardt has a degree in intellectual history from UCLA, and has had a lifelong interest in religion. Formerly active in organized Humanism and members of BES, he and his wife Sylvia are now members of the new Ethical Society Without Walls (members-at-large) of AEU.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P></DIV><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><BR style="PAGE-BREAK-BEFORE: auto; mso-break-type: section-break" clear=all></SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>January 22<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>AFTER THE FLOOD: TALES OF A VOLUNTEER</FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>By: Gordon Stills, Member, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Baltimore</st1:place></st1:City> Ethical Society</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Gordon returned recently from three weeks in Louisiana working for the Red Cross on Katrina recovery. In that short period, he says, he was subject to every emotion a human being can possibly experience – sadness, anger, pity, disgust, love, hope, exhilaration. He encountered a depth of poverty he had never seen before. And he developed a new appreciation of the Red Cross. This will be his retrospective on those three weeks. His words will be accompanied by a display of Katrina damage and recovery photographs.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Gordon Stills is a retired Baltimore school principal. He is also a poet, a dramatic reader and narrator, and a small businessman. A 45-year member of the Baltimore Ethical Society and former board member, he is currently serving the Society by conducting weddings and other ceremonies as an Ethical Humanist Officiant.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><B><FONT face=Arial>January 29<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>THE POLITICS OF RACIAL INEQUALITY</FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>By: Joe Pettit, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Morgan State University</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Joe will argue that racism should be understood both as a problem of laws and policies that perpetuate racial inequality (housing, education, criminal punishment, etc.) and as a stigma associated with African-Americans that prevents any significant challenge to the political realities that produce racial inequality. Joe will also consider some of the religious questions that emerge when considering racial inequality, most notably our ideas of the human and of the complicity of religious communities in perpetuating racial inequality.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Joe Pettit is an active member of the American Academy of Religion, founded in 1909, which is the world's largest association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion. He was invited to speak at BES in response to an op-ed he authored on the politics of racism which appeared in <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Baltimore Sun</I> on September 22, 2005.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>He had another op-ed published in <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Sun</I> on Christmas Day, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Government Should Assign Equal Value To All Human Life</I>.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>SPECIAL EVENTS </B><SPAN style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">(all free & held at BES, Congress Hotel, 306 W. Franklin Street)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Saturday, January 7th, Coffee House, 7:00PM</B> </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>The third first Saturday evening coffeehouse will feature the music and poetry of Brian E. Langston and poet Julie Fischer. Julie has hosted many great events in the city and is the founder of </FONT><A href="http://www.poetryinbaltimore.com/"><FONT face=Arial>www.poetryinbaltimore.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>. After the featured performers there will be an open mic; sign-up at 7PM. Coffee, tea, and snacks will be available.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 8th, Poetry Group,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 9:30AM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>The Poetry Group usually meets the first and third Sunday morning of each month (NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced ahead of time by Karla via e-mail. To be added to her e-list, send her a note at </FONT><A href="mailto:poet@baltimoreethicalsociety.org"><FONT face=Arial>poet@baltimoreethicalsociety.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 8th, BES Board Meeting,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 12:30PM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>The BES Board meets monthly, usually on the first Sunday of the month (NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Board meetings are open to all members. Come sit in and see how much fun we have, because the nominating committee may be knocking on your door soon to encourage you to join us next year.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 15th, Colloquy, 9:30AM</B> </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>A colloquy is a participatory period of self guided reflection. Attendees are asked to respond to questions, or stories, but not to each other's comments. Rather, they are asked to "speak from the heart." </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 22nd, Poetry Group,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 9:30AM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>The Poetry Group usually meets the first and third Sunday morning of each month (NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGE this month because of holiday). Bring poems that move you or that you have written to share and discuss. Each meeting we look at poems that loosely relate to a specific topic. Topics are announced ahead of time by Karla via e-mail. To be added to her e-list, send her a note at </FONT><A href="mailto:poet@baltimoreethicalsociety.org"><FONT face=Arial>poet@baltimoreethicalsociety.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial>.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 22nd, Ethical Action Group,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 12:30PM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Our current exploration of possible ethical action projects reflects an expressed concern that we need to commit ourselves to specific ongoing community service activities so that ethical action won’t just take the form of occasional events, but will become a basic part of who we are and a force that draws us together as an ethical fellowship. So far, we’ve been discussing and investigating the feasibility of three possible long-term projects:</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><FONT face=Arial>Baking desserts once a month for Moveable Feast, an organization which delivers meals on weekdays to homebound individuals living with HIV and AIDS and their dependent children.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><FONT face=Arial>Joining other volunteers in making and selling homemade cards in order to raise funds for CARES, an interfaith partnership in northeast Baltimore that operates a food pantry, provides eviction and utility cut-off emergency funds, and pharmacy assistance.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 1in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol"><SPAN style="mso-list: Ignore">·<SPAN style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </SPAN></SPAN></SPAN><FONT face=Arial>Developing new promotional contacts and venues for the annual Fred Benjamin Peace Awards contest for high school students in Maryland.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Essays, poetry, and art submissions are solicited.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>If you know any high school (public, private, or home school) students or teachers, please contact Carol at </FONT><A href="mailto:peacecalendar@comcast.net"><FONT face=Arial>peacecalendar@comcast.net</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> and she’ll e-mail the details.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The contest offers cash prizes and is conducted by MD United for Peace & Justice, and is now in its eleventh year.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Please join us. These are promising initiatives, appropriate for a small organization like BES, but we need people to take part in them and to help us coordinate them. There are opportunities for BES old-timers and newcomers alike.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some activities may require working together at certain community locations, but there are others which revolve around things we can do in our own homes.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Sunday, January 29th, Newcomers Meeting,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 12:30PM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>Are you new to the Society and interested in learning more? Thinking about joining? Come to the newcomers meeting in the library and learn more about Ethical Culture and about BES – its history, its philosophy, and its organization. Meetings last about one hour and are hosted by members of the Society, sometimes including Fritz. </FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial>And looking ahead….</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face=Arial><B>Saturday, February 4th, <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Vagina Monologues</I>,</B><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"> 7:00PM</B></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. Every year V-Day events take place in February and March at hundreds of locations around the world, including last February at BES.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>All V-Day events feature a performance of "The Vagina Monologues" and donate their proceeds to local organizations working to stop violence against women and girls. "The Vagina Monologues" playwright, V-Day Founder Eve Ensler, waives fees to V-Day benefit presenters of the play.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><FONT face=Arial>Last year there were over 2500 events in 1100 communities raising over $6 million! The BES production was one of the most talked-about BES events in years. This year will be V-Day's biggest ever. There are more events and more programs, and more ways to include people. Contact Karen at </FONT><A href="mailto:president@baltimoreethicalsociety.org"><FONT face=Arial>president@baltimoreethicalsociety.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial> for more information.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p><FONT face=Arial> </FONT></o:p></P></DIV></body></html>