The Joy of Personal Writing – Fall Semester
Thursday, November 1 (started Sept. 20)
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Film Forum
Friday, November 2
7:00 - 9:00 PM (doors open 6:30)
Room 507
The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), starring Stanley Holloway, John Gregson, George Relph, and Edie Martin, directed by Charles Crichton.
When a branch railway line in England is threatened with closure, the villagers take it over as a private concern. The color film, which shows us an England that is no more, is one of the best Ealing comedies. The script has pace, it’s polished, and the action works up to a fine climactic frenzy.
Ben Bean will lead a discussion about the various issues raised in the film. Laughter, good conversation, and popcorn are included, so be sure to come! Members: $3. Nonmembers: $4.
Inheritance – The Legacy of FDR and The WPA
Friday, November 2
7:00 - 9:00 PM
Ceremonial Hall - 4th floor
FDR and the New Deal: A presentation by Christopher Breiseth, president of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in Hyde Park.
Checking Out the WPA Legacy: A presentation by Gray Brechin, author, geographical historian, University of California at Berkeley.
This special event features two presentations and a slide show that recall the remarkable era when the United States government, uninvolved in war, showed compassion to the plight of U.S. citizens while building a plethora of monumental works that are part of our lives today.
Following the stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent bank closures, the Great Depression hit hard. Led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt after his inauguration in 1933, the New Deal brought a pivotal change in our government, with the institution of programs like Social Security, the establishment of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – and the public works programs that gave Works Progress Administration (WPA), Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CWA) jobs to millions of the unemployed.
We now enjoy the artistic and monumental legacies of those projects, many funded through the Public Works Administration (PWA). “Alphabet soup” labor built the 10-acre Conservatory Garden in Central Park, did restoration work on the Statue of Liberty, landscaped its island, worked on subway construction and constructed the Holland Tunnel, the Triborough Bridge, the Central Park Zoo and hundreds of pocket parks in all the boroughs. This is only a tiny sampling of all the projects done in New York during the Public Works construction period of 1933-1938.
“I am not for a return to that definition of liberty under which for so many years a free people will be gradually regimented into the service of the privileged few. I prefer, and I am sure you prefer, that a broader definition of liberty under which we are moving forward to greater freedom, to greater security for the average man than he has ever known before in the history of America.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt, Fireside Chat 1934
Free admission. Presentations followed by question-and-answer session. NY Society for Ethical Culture – 212-874-5210, ext. 117.
Sunday Meeting, November 4
Early Sunday Morning - 10:00 a.m.
Singing Practice - Led by Patricia Bruder Debrovner and Jerry Ranck. Ceremonial Hall-4th floor.
Sunday School - Ethics for Children - 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Rooms 507 & 508
Unity in Diversity: Exploring Ethics Through the Cultures of the World
Sunday Meeting - 11:15 a.m. - Auditorium
"Ethical Humanist Award - Recognizing Courage"
Tony Hileman, Senior Leader
Carol Nadell Van Deusen Presides
Afternoon Activities - 2:00 p.m. - Ceremonial Hall, 4th Floor
Memorial Service for Francesca Sato Joelson.
Ethical Humanist Award
Sunday, November 4
11:15 AM
Auditorium
Matthew, son of Essex Ethical Culture Society members Debra and Paul LaClair, demonstrates how an ethical upbringing can lead to ethical actions. Matthew had a social studies teacher who “taught” his class that evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific and that there were dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark. Upset by the fact that his teacher, who is a Baptist youth minister, was bringing religion into the classroom, Matthew secretly recorded several of his religious statements.
When the recordings became known, Matthew was harassed and ostracized by some of his classmates and even received a death threat. Last February his parents prepared to sue the school district for violating Matthew’s civil rights and failing to protect him from harassment. A settlement of the case was eventually reached requiring both teachers and students in the district to attend a training session offered by the Anti-Defamation League on the wall of separation between church and state. The settlement also praised Matthew for his “exemplary action in standing up for his constitutional rights and the integrity of education.”
It is for his courage in pursuing this matter in the face of serious opposition that he is to receive the 2007 Ethical Humanist Award.
A reception will follow in Social Hall.
Video of today's event: November 4, 2007
Ethical Humanist Award 2007
The Joy of Personal Writing – Fall Semester
Monday, November 5 (started Sept. 17)
6:30 – 8:30 PM
Drawing Class
Tuesday, November 6
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Room 507
Lost Weekends: Alcoholism in the Movies
Tuesday, November 6
7:00-9:30 PM
Ceremonial Hall - 4th floor
Come Fill The Cup - A great 1951 performance by James Cagney as a drunken Chicago news reporter. With Phyllis Thaxter, From Harlan Ware's boozy gangland novel. Cagney's one lost film, rarely seen. For more
Men's Group
Wednesday, November 7
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Room 508
An Invitation to Dialog
Wednesday, November 7
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Ceremonial Hall - 4th Floor
All members are invited to join Tony Hileman, Senior Leader for coffee, conversation, and a sharing of concerns.
