GBHumanists October Talk and Lunch: Joe Gerstein LIVE 'On Population'
Details
For our October Talk, we are lucky to be able to take advantage of a visit to Boston by our founding President and fascinating speaker on a trip north from his Miami home. Dr. Joe Gerstein will speak before us, LIVE, at this short-notice luncheon again at India Pavilion Restaurant, 17 Central Square, Cambridge this next Sunday, October 5 at 1:30 pm.
Hopefully you’ll be able to join us for this live and joyous reunion with our longtime friend and Humanist and SMART Recovery activist! He’ll deliver a talk after we enjoy the buffet lunch together, speaking at just after 2 pm (he does have a flight to catch just after our event). Information on the lunch options below.
THE TALK:
Joe Gerstein, MD, FACP, former President of GBH and current Board Secretary of The Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard &MIT, has been interested in the area of population and its effects locally nationally and internationally since his days as a medical student and will talk on the subject of:
"The Interaction of Population Size at Local, National and International Levels"
As a medical student, he interviewed John Rock, MD, one of the originators of "The Pill, which, of course, was a revolutionary development by Gregory Pincus and Min Chueh Chang at the Worcester Institute for Experimental Biology. Likely, over 400 million women have subsequently used "The Pill."
What are the benefits and the costs of pushing beyond 8.1 billion humans inhabiting the planet? Dr. Gerstein was born in 1936. The world population was about 2.2 billion. It is estimated that about 17 billion humans have ever inhabited the planet, so about half of all humans who have ever existed are living now. There are now about 36 million refugees in the world.
The onslaught of emigrants is ferocious and is undermining the governments in numerous countries. An estimated 80 million women would like to have access to therapeutic birth control methods but do not have it. The US just destroyed $10 million worth of IUDs and implantable contraceptives. Birth rates in the developed world are near or below replacement whereas birth rates in many countries of the 'Third World' are still well beyond replacement...
So where do we go from here?"
THE RESTAURANT:
The India Pavillion in Central Square Cambridge (vegetarian options*). It is $17 per person for all you care to eat, not including drinks; bring cash or check made to GBHumanists, please).
Parking in Cambridge is free on Sundays in metered and some non-metered spots, and several garages and lots in Central Square including several just steps away on Green Street. MBTA red line Central Square station and associated bus stops are also within the block.
*(Unfortunately, the restaurant does not have any vegan options on the buffet, so check out the menu and plan accordingly to purchase from the menu and pay separately.)
Join us for a lively reunion, Talk, and meal!