Jefferson Humanists

Jefferson Humanists is reviving Movie Time! Prior to Covid, we used to get together and watch movies together every month. We are bringing this event back and will be meeting on a Saturday afternoon. That will allow us extra time so we can discuss the movie afterwards.
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For our January kick off movie, we will be watching, The Greatest Beer Run Ever, a fascinating film based on a true story.

You've heard of care packages, but never like this. Based on an insane-but-true story, watch as a good-hearted, but seriously naive, New Yorker named "Chickie" Donohue (Zac Efron) makes a promise that will change his life: hand-delivering American beer to his buddies on the front lines of the Vietnam War.

What starts as a ridiculous gesture of patriotic support quickly descends into an unbelievable, action-packed journey through a war zone in Vietnam in 1968. This is a dynamic, high-stakes adventure that will make you laugh, gasp, and ultimately see the realities of war through the eyes of a guy who just wanted to buy his friends a round.

Come join us to see an epic, true story of friendship, loyalty, and an ill-advised duffel bag of Pabst Blue Ribbon!

We'll watch the movie together and then spend some time afterwards discussing it.

We will provide popcorn, movie candy and drinks. Please RSVP to this Meetup or email Movies@jeffersonhumanists.org so we are sure to set up enough seats. Due to space constraints, attendance is limited to the first 16 people who RSVP.

This event is sponsored by Jefferson Humanists.
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Chickie Donohue: Don't be dumb, Arthur. This ain't a war no more. It's mass murder.
Coates: That's what war is, Chick. It's one giant crime scene.
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Sgt. Major Perez: Everyone once in a while you run into a guy who's too dumb to get killed.

Join Jefferson Humanists for our monthly program where we will enjoy Dr. Rick Adams's presentation, Carpe Noctem: Things that Go Bump in the Night.

Bats are one of the most unique mammals on earth. Not only are they the only flying mammalian taxon but they also have an extremely sophisticated echolocation system used for navigating, hunting prey, and midnight rendezvous in total darkness. And bats are the second most diverse Order of Mammals with more than 1,450 species dispersed across every continent, except Antarctica.

In North America, they provide critical ecosystem functions protecting forest/crop lands as well as reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases. Insectivorous bats are the only significant consumers of nocturnal insects, thereby controlling their populations that would otherwise wreak havoc on ecosystems. In the U.S. alone, the collective of insect eating bats save our economy at least $57 billion annually, which exceeds the median revenue of a Fortune 500 company. Bats are also primary pollinators for iconic and keystone cacti species of the desert southwest, including agave plants - bringing $3.6 billion to Mexico’s economy annually. In the tropics, bats pollinate and disperse the seeds of more than 600 plant species critical in supporting tropical food webs and humans alike. They are worthy creatures to appreciate and protect.

Dr. Rick Adams delivers a lively and engaging discourse on the unique anatomy, amazing physiology, interesting behavior, incredible evolution, and vastly important ecology of bats that make them one of the most enigmatic groups of animals in nature. You might even want to put up a bat house!

About our Speaker
Dr. Rick Adams is Professor Emeritus at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, Colorado. Since 1984 his research encompasses Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation of bats in Colorado, Wyoming, Caribbean Islands, Belize, South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia as well as in Sichuan Province, China. He is also President and Founder of the Colorado Bat Society (https://www.coloradobatsociety.org/), an organization dedicated to educating the public, protecting bats and their habitats in Colorado and beyond. Dr. Adams is the recipient a number of academic awards, and several teaching awards at the University of Northern Colorado. He is the author of Bats of the Rocky Mountain West, winning awards on both first and second editions.

This program is hosted by Jefferson Humanists, a chapter of the American Humanist Association.

To ensure we set up enough seats, please RSVP on this Meetup or by email to RSVP@bhfs.com.
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SCHEDULE

We will serve appetizers from 4:00 to 4:30, then start the program. A small donation is suggested for the food, and wine will be served for a $3 donation.

We hope to see you at 4:00 pm, on Sunday, January 25th, at Jefferson Unitarian Church! It is an in-person-only event.
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"We see then that the bat is a very wonderful creature, one of nature's triumphs and masterpieces." - W.H. Hudson

Join FROG, the Free thinkers Reading Opportunity Group, for the Saturday February 14 book group meeting from 2-3:30 PM.

In February we'll be discussing Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy by Katherine Stewart.

Adapted from Goodreads:
Why have so many Americans turned against democracy? In this deeply reported book, Katherine Stewart takes us to conferences of conspiracy-mongers, back-room strategy gatherings, and services at extremist churches, and profiles the people who want to tear it all down. She introduces us to reactionary Catholic activists, atheist billionaires, pseudo-Platonist intellectuals, self-appointed apostles of Jesus, disciples of Ayn Rand, women-hating opponents of “the gynocracy,” pro-natalists preoccupied with the dearth of white babies, Covid truthers, militia members masquerading as "concerned moms," and battalions of spirit warriors who appear to be inventing a new religion even as they set about attacking democracy and its foundations.

Stewart provides a compelling analysis of the authoritarian reaction in the United States. Stewart's reporting and comprehensive political analysis helps reframe the conversation about the moral collapse of conservatism in America and points the way forward toward a democratic future.

This book group is sponsored by the Jefferson Humanists (Find Friends. Share Ideas. Do Good.) To learn more about us, see jeffersonhumanists.org. You can find our reading list for the entire year there.

The Humanists provide snacks, bring your own beverage of choice. Please RSVP to this Meetup so I know how many chairs to set out!

Upcoming Book Group Meetings:

Saturday March 14 - The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America by Jeffrey Rosen
Saturday April 11 - This Other Eden by Paul Harding