Postmodernism

We'll be discussing Beings by Ilana Masad. We meet in person at a member's home -- the address will be posted here as a comment to those attending. Find the book on [Bookshop](bookshop.org), [Montgomery County Libraries](https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/montgomery-county-public-libraries), and [PG County Libraries](https://catalog.pgcmls.info/). \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- “The alien abduction meets lesbian yearning novel that will restore your faith in the universe. Ilana Masad excavates the juiciness of historical archives and the otherworldly mysteries of the everyday in her most brilliant work yet.” –Ruth Madievsky, author of All-Night Pharmacy In 1961, an interracial couple drove through the dark mountains of New Hampshire when a mysterious light began to follow them. Years later, through hypnosis, they recalled an unbelievable brush with extraterrestrial life. Unintentionally, a genre was born: the alien abduction narrative. In Ilana Masad's Beings, the couple's experience serves as one part of a trio of intertwined threads: Known only by their roles as husband and wife, Masad explores the pair's trauma and its aftermath and questions what it means to accept the impossible. In the second thread, letters penned by a budding science-fiction writer, Phyllis, to her beloved, Rosa, expose the raw ache of queer yearning, loneliness, and alienation in the repressive 1960s-as well as the joy of finding community. In the present day, a reclusive and chronically ill Archivist attempts to understand a strange forgotten childhood encounter while descending into obsession over both Phyllis's letters and the testimony of the first alien abductees. Over the course of a decade, Phyllis wrestles with her desires and ambitions as a lesbian writer, while the abducted couple grapple with how to maintain control of their narrative. All the while, the archive shatters and reforms, redefining fact and fiction via the stories left behind by the abductees, Phyllis, and the Archivist themself. Masad makes human what is alien and makes tangible what is hidden – sometimes by chance and sometimes intentionally – in the archive.

UCM is dedicated to helping members develop self-confidence -- critical thinking ― effective presentations ― extemporaneous speaking ― listening ― leadership ― time management ― developing the best YOU! Join our hybrid meeting from home or in person. Take the step to a more confident, professional and well understood you. When: 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month hybrid Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm (Arrive at 6:45PM for a Meet and Greet. Building closes and meeting starts at 7PM sharp. E-mail ucm8127@yahoo.com for Zoom link and questions. Visit our club website at http://ucm.toastmastersclubs.org/ for more information. Join us!

[Profs and Pints DC](https://www.profsandpints.com/washingtondc) presents: **“Owl Wisdom,”** an introduction to the biology, habits, and conservation of various owl species in our region and beyond, with Steve Sheffield, professor of biology at Bowie State University, curator of mammals and birds for the Natural History Society of Maryland, and president of the Maryland Ornithological Society. [Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at [https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-owl-wisdom](https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-owl-wisdom) .] Who wants to learn about owls? If you are fascinated by these hunters of the night, you’ll love spending an evening with Steve Sheffield, a biologist who extensively studies owls and works to conserve them. He’ll start by covering the different types of owls in our region and elsewhere, and the ways in which their bodies and their sizes represent physical adaptations to their environment. He’ll especially focus on the owl species of the United States and Canada, describing their biology, ranges, preferred habitat and prey, behavior, and vocalizations. You’ll learn how and why field biologists study owls and how owl researchers from around the world assemble periodically to discuss their work. We’ll consider owls' value to ecosystems and, especially, humans and human-dominated landscapes where they serve as especially efficient killers of rodents and other crop-harming pests. Dr. Sheffield will talk about the many years he has spent researching owls, with much of his work focused on their exposure to environmental contaminants and how they’re affected. Being top predators, owls serve as sensitive bioindicators of contamination throughout the food chain. Much like canaries in coal mines, they function as an early warning system alerting us to potentially dangerous levels of toxicity. We don’t just study them for their own good, but ours as well. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. The talk starts 30 minutes later.) Image: Burrowing owls in Florida (Photo by travelingwayoflife / Creative Commons).

Visit us at http://easy-speak.org/portal.php?marknow=0 Or, send us an email with any questions you may have! fairfaxtoastmasters@gmail.com

The title of this movie is the name of a fictional phone app designed to help blind people. Like the real app on which it’s modeled ([Be My Eyes](https://www.bemyeyes.com/)), the software allows a blind person to contact a sighted volunteer, point the phone at something, and hear a description of what’s on the screen. It’s useful for grocery shopping, walking through unfamiliar territory, reading menus, and hundreds of other daily activities. In this story, the protagonist is a blind teenager who’s fiercely independent. She gets a cat-sitting gig at an isolated mansion, and she uses the app to familiarize herself with the layout and posh amenities. It seems like a cushy assignment until intruders arrive, and then the app changes from convenience to lifeline. ■ Title — *See for Me* ■ Director — Randall Okita ■ Cast — Skyler Davenport, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Laura Vandervoort ■ Unrated, suitable for teens and adults ■ ©2021 \| 1h 32m \| Crime\, Drama\, Horror\, Mystery\, Thriller ■ Distributed by Image Entertainment

Check us out at http://6713.toastmastersclubs.org/ Email us at officers-6713@toastmastersclubs.org OR, call us at 703-967-1415 The meeting promptly starts at 12:00 PM. The agenda comprise of: • Pledge of Allegiance, • Toastmaster of the Evening leads the meeting, • Thought of the Day, • Joke of the Day, • Formal Speakers, • Table Topics, • General Evaluation & Evaluation of Speakers, • Timers Report, • Selection of Best Speaker, Table Topic, and Evaluator, • Adjourn

**Join Nova Scribes for an in person Scribe Circle** to practice graphic recording together and build the kind of community that makes solo work feel a little less solo. We'll spend the heart of our time graphic recording a former Nova Scribes talk on visual practice as well as spend some time reflecting on our work and sharing real time feedback. **Who is this for?** Graphic recorders, visual practitioners, sketchnoters and anyone who listens, thinks, and draws at the same time. Whether you've been doing this for years or you're still finding your style, you're welcome here. **No prior experience with the group required.** Bring your paper and markers - a few foam boards will be available. The fee covers the price of the venue.

Anne Conway (1631 – 1679) and Mary Astell (1666 – 1731) share a sex, intelligence, and the same unsettled century. After a long obscurity, their work has reemerged and invites the reader to consider how reason, belief, and the self might still be brought into harmony. **The Women** Anne Conway, born and raised in London, spent her youth wandering through the vast hallways of what is now known as Kensington Palace. Apart from being a woman, at least two other notable circumstances shaped Anne’s life – she lost a son in infancy and later suffered from severe pain. Pain as a concept found its way into Anne’s philosophy as a purgative, transformative experience. It was while seeking a relief from pain that she came into contact with the Flemish physician and philosopher Francis Mercury van Helmont, who later introduced her to Kabbalistic thought and to Quakerism. Anne converted to Quakerism shortly before she died. Mary Astell was a native of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. Unlike Anne Conway, Astell remained unmarried and eventually moved to London with little or no financial support. Her early philosophical writings are found in the correspondence with John Norris and were later published as *Letters Concerning the Love of God* (1695). After publishing the *Letters* and *A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, Parts I and II. (1694, 1697),* Astell became somewhat of a celebrity in London. Her two other well-known published works were *Some Reflections upon Marriage* (1700) and *The Christian Religion* (1705). In her later years, in keeping with her investment in female education, Astell managed a charity school for poor girls in the Chelsea neighborhood. **The Philosophies** Anne’s only surviving work, *The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy*, was published posthumously and anonymously in 1690. It is said that Leibniz had a copy of *The Principles* in his library with Anne Conway’s name written on the front page. Anne’s vitalist conception of all being may have influenced Leibnitz’s own views, in particular his *Monadology*. *The Principles* is often viewed as a theodicy. The existence and nature of God occupy the central place in Anne Conway’s triadic philosophical system. The three “species” are God, Christ, and the “unity of multiplicities” where “the whole creation is just but one substance or entity.” God is the immutable and perfect maker of all things. God “wanted to create living beings with whom he could communicate.” Alas, God’s light was intolerable for his Creatures, and, after dimming the light a bit, God designated the Messiah’s soul as the Middle Nature and “a safe place” for all Creatures. Everything and everyone fall under the umbrella of Anne’s “Creatures.” Everything and everyone is a subject to eternal mutability. Creatures can metamorphose into other kinds of creature, growing more or less spiritual – more or less like God. Under the principle of similitude, Conway maintains, everything and everyone has some semblance to God and therefore must be in some sense spiritual and alive. Mary Astell sides with Descartes in his dualistic views and in the method of obtaining knowledge through clear and distinct perceptions. In her metaphysics, Astell distinguishes two kinds of beings—minds and bodies that come in various degrees of finitude and corruptibility. God is placed at the heart of her metaphysical system and is the “first intelligence.” Human minds and corporeal particles are finite and incorruptible, while human bodies and physical objects are finite, naturally corruptible entities. Within the created beings, Astell names four categories: minds, bodies, mind–body unions, and the particles that compose bodies. A mind-body union is mysterious. However, we “know and feel” it, and therefore it must be real. **Reading:** We will read and discuss Anne Conway’s *The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy* and the second part of Mary Astell’s *A Serious Proposal to the Ladies.* Anne Conway, *The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy,* 25 pages, [https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/conway1692_1.pdf](https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/conway1692_1.pdf) Mary Astell, *A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54984/54984-h/54984-h.htm](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54984/54984-h/54984-h.htm)* **Additional Reading:** Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Mary Astell, [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/astell/](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/astell/) Anne Conway, [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/conway/](https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/conway/)

To secure your spot, purchase your ticket from the Eventbrite link ([https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-bar-crawl-tickets-1989819433490](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-bar-crawl-tickets-1989819433490)). RSVPing only on the Meetup page, doesn't allow you to attend the Event. ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASE IS REQUIRED. ABOUT THE EVENT Get Ready to Crawl, Celebrate, and Shine – The Official Pride Bar Crawl Awaits!Gather your crew, rock your rainbow, and get ready for a day of colorful drinks and epic bar-hopping fun. **Time: 2pm-10pm (ticket pick up is from 2-4pm)** ***\*Registration is from 2PM-4PM. You'll receive your wristband and Swags. If you can't make it by 4pm TEXT/EMAIL YOUR QR CODE to a friend, so that they can pick everything up for you.*** ***But the party and specials continue till 10PM!*** **Dress code : Anything reflecting pride.** **What do you get:** **Access Venues Cover Free** **Drink Specials ($4 Light Beers, $5 Pride Shots, $6 Rail Drinks)** **Party Favors** **Entertainment and DJs** **Tons of shenanigans** **All you have to do is grab a ticket, throw on something festive and join the fun!!!** **MUST BE 21+ TO CRAWL** **PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE** **USE RIDE SHARE OR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION IF YOU ARE DRINKING** **There will be a lot of people. Use the comment box of the Meetup to coordinate amongst the group.** **This is also a wicked 'MeRtUp' with a saving!** **What is MERTUP?:) Mer + Meetup = Mertup.** **Mer is known as the Meetup guy. He likes to connect people and his fans coined that name for him. So, at his events, everyone will become a Wing Person to everyone:) When you get get there, we will introduce you to someone and you will be responsible to introduce that person to another person. That is MERTUP!** **Enter the Promo Code 'MERTUP' to redeem your 20% discount!** ([https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-bar-crawl-tickets-1989819433490](https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pride-bar-crawl-tickets-1989819433490)) FAQs REGISTRATION Registration is from 2PM-4PM. You'll receive your wristband. If you can't make it by 4pm TEXT/EMAIL your QR Code to a friend. So that they can pick everything up for you. TICKETS You MUST have your ticket on your phone. Tickets are transferable and not refundable. You can give your ticket to a friend to use if you cannot attend the event. ID Government issued ID is required! It will be checked at every participating bar that you choose to go to. All participants must be 21 years old or older. WEATHER Event goes on rain, snow or shine! STILL HAVE QUESTIONS? Reach out to [info@merevents.com](http://info@merevents.com/) HAPPY CRAWLINGS!!! Payment Instructions : 1. Login to see the 'Get Tickets' button, on the ticket link. Then hit the button. 2. Verify correct dollar amount for number of people you're paying for. 3. **If *you don't have a Paypal account, proceed to the next page and scroll down to see "Pay with a Debit or Credit Card". Then turn off the button 'Save The Info and Create Your Paypal Account'.*** 4. If you have a Paypal account, simply log in, and pay as you normally would via Paypal. **How to Unblock the Pop-up Blocker on Your Phone** Many of our patrons advised us that they have a Pop-up Blocker on their iPhones and it hinders them from buying tickets. To unblock, please follow the following steps : For Safari Users : 1. Go to Settings. 2. Scroll down to Safari and click on it. 3. Select Block Pop-ups and turn it off. For Google Chrome Users : 1. Open Google Chrome. 2. Click on the three dots and you will see many options. 3. Click on Settings. 4. Scroll down to content settings. 5. Select Block Pop-ups and turn it off. Refund & Ticket Resell Policy All sales are final. We only refund the full amount, if the event is canceled. If it is rescheduled, we will send an email to ticket holders advising that. A full refund will be given to those that let us know within 2 calendar days of the update email, if you are unable to make it on the new date. No refunds will be given after that time. However, you can sell your ticket to someone else if you are unable to attend. Please, feel free to post in the comment box for the event, that you have a ticket for sale. Work out payment between yourselves, and have the seller only send the organizers a message letting us know the full name of the person taking your spot. You must let us know two hours before the RSVP close time, on the day of the event. **FOR FURTHER INFO, REFER THE EVENTBRITE LINK AND PURCHASE TICKET. IT RULES.**

We will be meeting in the Wilson Room. For June, we will be reading Excellent Women by Barbara Pym. A paperback version runs 231 pages. It was published in 1952. The GoodReads blurb is One of Barbara Pym’s richest and most amusing high comedies, *Excellent Women* has at its center Mildred Lathbury, a clergyman’s daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those “excellent women,” the smart, supportive, repressed women who men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors—anthropologist Helena Napier and her handsome, dashing husband, Rocky, and Julian Malory, the vicar next door—the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived in a vanishing world of manners and repressed desires.

New players are always welcome to come try it out! What you need: A bathing suit. Preferably something light and tight. We have extra gear for new players. But if you have your own pair of flippers, a snorkeling mask, and a snorkel then bring them along. Please bring this signed and completed form to practice: https://cdn1.sportngin.com/attachments/document/c7dc-2321473/USOA_Waiver_2022-07-07.pdf Unless you are already a member of USOA: https://www.underwater-society.org/page/show/4284471-usoa-registration To find us: You can tell the front desk that you are here for underwater hockey and they will let you in for free. You can ask them for help finding the pool. If no one is at the front desk just walk past it and there will be a set of stairs on the left. Take the stairs and take a right at the bottom of the stairs. The men's and women's locker rooms are straight ahead, and you will need to go through them to access the pool deck. Once you are out on the pool deck you will be exactly where we practice. Agenda: First 15 minutes: Arrival at the pool, getting gear from the shared gear bin, dividing into two teams, getting gear on. Minutes 15-30: Getting in the water, teaching any new players the basics Minutes 20-70: Scrimmage/practice. Minutes 70-75: Putting away club gear, putting the lane lines back in place, clearing the pool deck. (optional) afterwards: Go to a local restaurant for food, drinks, and socializing.

A struggling screenwriter suffers no shortage of challenges both professionally and personally. His life takes a bizarre detour when a homeless person begins following him. Eventually the writer learns that there’s much more to the fellow than his unkempt appearance and chaotic demeanor. The story may confuse the viewer at times, but once the paradox comes into focus – many paradoxes, actually – the plot surges forward to a memorably peculiar ending. ■ Title — *Paradox Lost* ■ Director — Dennis Curlett ■ Cast — Clarissa Thibeaux, Danny Cymbal, Dennis Curlett ■ Unrated, suitable for general audiences ■ ©2021 \| 1h 33m \| Comedy\, Sci\-Fi ■ Distributed by Gravitas Ventures

We will meet at the visitors center. This is a dog-friendly wetland. *Black Lit. Book Club is a closed affinity space for Black women, femmes, and nonbinary readers. All Black Lit. events are intentionally designed to provide a safe, supportive environment where Black readers can connect with one another in real life. To preserve the purpose of that space, attendance is limited to those who identify within that community.*

Welcome to Drunken Philosophy, a casual, curious, social discussion club. Come grab a drink and a seat at The Oracle. **Optional topic for this meetup: Where is everybody?** In 1950 the physicist Enrico Fermi was talking about aliens over lunch and asked a question that still has not gone away: if the universe is so vast and so old, and even a fraction of those billions of stars have planets, where is everyone? By the numbers the galaxy should be crowded with civilizations. Instead we look up and hear silence. That gap between "they should be everywhere" and "we see no one" is the Fermi Paradox. One of the most unsettling answers is the idea of a **Great Filter**: somewhere on the road from dead chemistry to a galaxy-spanning civilization, there is at least one step that is almost impossible to get past. Maybe the filter is behind us. Maybe life starting at all, or simple cells becoming complex, or intelligence ever evolving, is the freak accident, and we already cleared the hard part. Or maybe the filter is ahead of us, and advanced civilizations reliably wipe themselves out before they spread. Here is the part that messes with people. If we ever found life somewhere else, even pond scum on Mars, most people would call it the greatest discovery in history. But it might be the worst possible news. It would mean life is common, the early steps are easy, and the hard step is still in front of us. So the eerie silence overhead might actually be the best sign we could ask for. **Questions to wrestle with:** * Is it better to be alone? Would you rather we find alien life and learn we are not special, or find nothing and quietly improve our odds of surviving? * Where do you bet the filter sits, behind us or ahead of us, and why? * If it is ahead of us, what is it? Nuclear war, climate collapse, AI, something we cannot even picture yet? And can we do anything about a filter we cannot see coming? * Two principles pull opposite ways here. The principle of mediocrity (the Copernican principle, Sagan's "no privileged place in the universe") says we are ordinary, so what happened on Earth probably happened everywhere, which makes the silence scream louder. The anthropic principle says of course we find ourselves somewhere life was possible, since we could not observe anything else, so our being here may say almost nothing about how common life is. Which lens do you trust, and does the silence still demand an answer once you account for observer selection? * And if we did confirm life out there and had to accept we are not special, what would that do to belief in a higher power, and would shedding (or keeping) that belief help or hurt our odds of pulling together as one species? * Does any of this change how you live, or how humanity should be spending its time and money right now? As always the prompt is optional. Come for the conversation, stay for the drinks, and bring your own questions.

Columbus Code & Coffee is an inclusive, informal co-working session. People of all skill levels attend, and we love it that way. Many people (optionally) bring projects to work on, and many other people (optionally) socialize the entire time. It's entirely up to you! **What to Expect at the Intro Circle** \~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~\~ Near the beginning of the event (1:30 pm), we do a standup: * Organizer announcements, updates, and logistics Round 1 - (7 secs max): * Your name * What you're working on * What you can help others with Round 2: * Community events you wanna plug. If none, that's cool too. Round 3: * Job opportunities you're hiring for OR announce that you are looking for one. If none, that's cool. After the introduction circle, everything is self-organized! Feel free to work alone, pair up, attend one of our workshops/presentations, or mingle!

Join us for an hour of writing! We’ve discovered that it’s strikingly helpful to write with other writers. See if it’s true for you at 7:00pm on Wednesday, February 11 at Streetlight Guild. Be it a book, blog, script, essay, dissertation, resume, melody, poem or just plain work stuff, you are invited to write it with us. No one will see what you've written or give you unsolicited advice. Instead of just thinking about writing, come and get some real writing done. **SCHEDULE:** 6:45ish - Quick introductions 7:00 - Timer starts: write for 1 hour 8:00 - The End **OPTIONAL SOCIALIZING** happens before and after the writing hour. Writing is very solitary. Connecting (and sometimes even commiserating) with other writers is a cool thing. **BEING LATE IS OKAY:** just show up and get settled! If you were on time, please be willing to make room for the friendly latecomer. Happy writing & I look forward to seeing you at Streetlight Guild! **WHAT SHOULD I BRING?** Whatever you need to be able to write! You're welcome to bring earplugs/headphones if noise will bother you! **OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS:** * **RSVP:** Please RSVP by 6:00pm the evening of the meeting. This helps me know how many to expect, and if we'll need additional space! * **COVID:** While masks are not required, please be mindful of the other writers around you and their comfort levels. * **WIFI/OUTLETS:** Outlets are limited, so please ensure your devices are charged when you come! But Streetlight Guild does have free WiFi! Yay! * **PARKING:** There is free public parking at Streetlight Guild.

Join us as we discuss our June pick: Metal Slinger by Rachel Schneider! Book description: Even though she's not one of them, Brynn has spent her life among the Alaha, training to be a guard and waiting for the chance to attend the annual market hosted by the Kenta–the very same people who exiled her adopted community to a life at sea. Going to the market is a rite of passage eagerly anticipated by all young guards, but Brynn does not anticipate breaking a century-long peace treaty while there. Nor does she plan for the intense encounter with an enemy soldier that now threatens to unwind the fragile coexistence between their people–and everything Brynn once believed about herself to be true. Brynn's loyalty to the Alaha is tested when the truth of her identity is brought to light by this soldier who's taken an oath to bring her back to where she belongs. Narrowly escaping death on the violent high seas, Brynn's connection to the Alaha is further tested when she learns about the world of magic she's been denied. She was once certain of her fate and where she belonged, but the dark, knowing eyes of this stranger have her questioning everything, including her heart. Packed with knife fights and seafaring adventure, METAL SLINGER is the smash-hit start to the romantic fantasy duology, the Fire & Metal series

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

We've moved to guild.host Look for us there. https://guild.host/events/buckeye-cocoaheads-nscoders-tcbrk5

Based on the novel Roadside Picnic, it is NO picnic, but rather one of the masterpieces of world cinema. Andrei Tarkovsky's 1979 Soviet sci-fi classic, recounts the expedition of a writer and professor led by a mysterious guide called "The Stalker." to a futuristic wasteland called "The Zone." Dripping with existential dread, it continually presents strange occurrences that will have us debating the meaning of what we've just viewed right through the ending. *Stalker* (1979) can be streamed for free on HBOMax, the Criterion Channel or Kanopy. It's also available for rent on Amazon Prime and AppleTV. The Columbus Library has two copies on disc.