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The Ethical Culture Society of Essex County
Platform Programs 2011-2012Platform Programs each Sunday at 11:00 AM
516 Prospect Street, Maplewood, New Jersey 07040
Corner of Parker and Prospect
Phone 973-763-1905
Current Week
Sept 11, 2011 Anja Moen
Opening Day and 9/11 Commemoration. Our president, Anja Moen, and interim leader, Martha Gallahue, will lead the program, welcoming everyone back for the new season and leading a colloquy. Given the significance of the date, the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the focus will be on what has been learned since then and what it takes to forge understanding and peaceful coexistence when there is a clash of ideologies. To set the tone for the year ahead, we will have a chance to write our hopes and ideals on fresh leaves to affix to our Peace Tree.
Sept. 18 Martha Gallahue · "Positive Peace: Our Way Through to the Good:
At the regular Sunday Platform of the Ethical Culture Society at 11 AM, Sunday, September 18-the
Sunday before the International Day of Peace (Sept. 21) -Martha Gallahue, our Interim Leader, will share experiences from The National Peace Academy that can transform our perspective from despair due to climate change, political fragmentation, and growing economic inequality to hope in the human ability to make necessary adaptations toward resilient community. Martha defines peace according to the Earth Charter, "Peace is the wholeness created by right relationship with ourselves, others, other cultures, all life, Earth, and the greater whole of which we are all a part."
She explains, "We may no longer be able to fix the damage caused by war and earth's depredation, but we can transform to a loving approach moving forward. Earth has the right to benefit from human presence and we will all be better for it when that happens."
Sept. 25 David Brancaccio “Fixing the Future: Making the Economy Work for More of Us”
[If David Brancaccio is called away, we will have a circle discussion on the same topic] Journalist David Brancaccio will discuss with us the topic he explored at the Rededication Ceremony of the New York Ethical Culture Society last October, examining the problems dogging the American and the world economy, and his idea on how it could be steered in a direction that would provide greater benefit for a greater number of people.
David Brancaccio specializes in stories important to democracy and our economy through the eyes of real people. His accessible yet authoritative approach to investigative reporting and in-depth interviewing earned his work honors in broadcast journalism, including Peabody, Columbia-duPont, Emmy, and Walter Cronkite awards. As host and senior editor of public television’s NOW on PBS, David brought his engaging, probing style to business and finance, the environment, national security and human rights. His book, Squandering Aimlessly, is a nationwide odyssey to speak to Americans about money and values. David Brancaccio and his wife Mary and those of their children not away in college have been living in Maplewood.
Oct. 2 Mary Babiarz, "Variations on a Theme — the life of a professional musician"
Mary Babiarz will give us a "backstage" tour of the life of a professional musician, with history, stories, performance and more. Mary plays violin, viola and piano. She is a member of the Paper Mill Playhouse Orchestra, has performed with the Johnny Mathis Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and actively freelances in the New Jersey/New York area.
Mary is Director of the Stirling Strings Chamber Music Workshop, a monthly workshop for amateur string players held at the Ethical Culture Society. She is a coach for the New Jersey Youth Orchestra and was co-director of 4 STRINGS! — A Summer Chamber Music Academy for Young String Players. She is a music teacher for "Stepping Stones", a preschool in Livingston for children with Down Syndrome, and was the recipient of the 2007 "Volunteer of the Year" Award given by ARC of New Jersey.
Mary is a Maplewood resident and maintains a private teaching studio for violin and viola.
Oct. 9 Jim Walsh, "Keeping our water supply safe"
It is not often that we think about water because it is readily available from our tap for cooking, cleaning, drinking and gardening; however, water problems are at our door step. We will explore our connection to water and how things like fracking, electricity, privatization, water bottling and agriculture are impacting this relationship.
Jim Walsh is the New Jersey Director for Food & Water Watch (www.foodandwaterwatch.org). Jim is a dedicated political organizer with over ten years experience working in local and national movements to empower communities to work for social, racial and economic justice.
When does civil disobedience become a legitimate means to express disapproval with government policy? Why is such a tactic arising in response to government policy on the environment? Martha Gallahue was one of over 1,200 people arrested during the Tar Sands Action that took place in front of the White House, August 20th-September 3rd. The Action was led by Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org.
Martha Gallahue chairs the NGO Working Group on Climate Change within the Committee on Sustainable Development at the UN. She is an AEU Leader serving as main representative for the National Ethical Service of the AEU and is interim consulting leader at the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County.
Oct. 23 Marnie Valdivia, "The Middle East and Sustainable Eco Solutions"
Marnie Valdivia, who spoke at Ethical in March 2010, was in Egypt earlier this year and witnessed
some of the "Arab Spring" for herself. She will be speaking about the relationship between food and water insecurity and the inevitability of conflict, and the significance of environmental development in peace building efforts. Also, there will be some time allowed to give people the opportunity to ask any questions about her time in Egypt during the January 25 revolution.
Marnie Valdivia is from Belmar, NJ. She is a graduate of Drew University (Religious Studies with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies) with concentration on Islam, Judaism, Arab-Israeli conflict, and grass roots peace movements and peace building.Marnie is currently the Global Program Support Intern at CNFA, an agriculture aid development firm in Washington, DC, and is a first year student in the Middle East Studies program at the George Washington University, with a professional specialization in Sustainable Development and the Environment.
Oct. 30 Betty Levin and Karen Bokert, "Day of the Dead Celebration"
Betty and Karen will lead us in a special pre-Halloween event, honoring the dear departed, Mexican-style. They invite everyone to bring photos of beloved people who have died and an object you associate with that person. There will be music and an atmosphere of remembrance with candles and special decorations and a chance to share memories of that person and the significance of the chosen object.
Karen Bokert — ECS member, artist and yoga teacher — studied art in Mexico years ago. Karen says, "I did a lot of traveling around Mexico and one of the most memorable trips was to the island of Janitzio in the middle of Lake Patzquaro in the State of Michoacan. We students traveled there to spend the night on the island, which is a cemetery, and to keep vigil with the friends and family of those buried there. They bring food, pictures of the departed, guitars and candles, and simply sit by the grave sites all night long in a beautiful vigil. The candlelight can be seen for miles around as it lights up the sky.
"Ever since that powerful experience … I have tried in some fashion to remember those dear to me who have left us and I am delighted to assist in creating a Day of the Dead simulated ceremony at Ethical along with Betty Levin."
Nov. 6 Susan Rose, “A Year of Living Ethically”
We all want to live our lives as ethically as possible, but really, how do we do that on a day to day basis, how do we sustain living ethically? No Impact Man and others have undertaken specific projects, changing their behaviors for a year, or more. What can we, in Ethical Culture learn from their work?
Susan Rose (Teshu) is an Ethical Culture Leader serving as the Dean of the Leadership Training Program of the American Ethical Union and as the Leader of the Ethical Society Without Walls (ESWoW), the American Ethical Union congregation serving people who are not able to attend Ethical Culture Societies in person.
Susan is a lifelong Ethical Culturist, growing up at the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture. She was a member of the Ethical Culture Society of Essex County for ten years Susan had many roles, including serving as president during a time of great growth at Essex. She also served as a representative to the AEU Board for five years and served as the liaison between the Board and the AEU Membership Committee.
The experience of being such an active lay leader at Essex, combined with her participation in what is now the Human Faith Project, led Susan to pursue Ethical Culture Leadership. She was certified as a Leader in 1999. Susan lives in Cambridge, MA and is the proud mother of two wonderful young adults.
Nov. 13 Tina Weishaus, "Our Choice: Sustainable Future or Climate Catastrophe”
Tina Weishaus is a nurse psychotherapist and global warming educator. As she says, she is concerned about the health of individuals, society and the planet, and as a result is committed to educating people about the dangers we all face from global warming/climate change. She was trained by Vice President Al Gore in 2006 and then again in 2010, and has done hundreds of programs throughout New Jersey — like the one she will present to us at ECS — on the science, impacts and politics of global warming. Tina is a Mastered Level RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, and has a private practice in Highland Park, NJ.
Nov. 20 Martha Gallahue, “Social Media and Social Change”
Martha Gallahue will discuss digital innovations for social change and its implications for ethical culture. She will explore what blogging and Twitter have to do with bringing out the best in others as a way to bring out the best in ourselves. Martha will share her observations of other peace builders who are doing this today. She works with interns at the UN who are getting the message out on Climate Change through social media.
Nov. 27 Anja Moen, “Thanksgiving Colloquy: Did the Native Americans make a mistake?”
A look into the self-interest or self-sacrifice of generosity. As we understand it, their generosity didn't exactly pay off for those Native Americans who entertained the settlers at that first Thanksgiving feast. But often it does. Anja Moen will lead our discussion into the way generosity plays out in our own lives and in the world around us.
Dec. 4 Dr. Barbara Velazquez, “On Creating a Humanitarian Consciousness”
Dr. Barbara Velazquez of the Taskforce for Humanity Coalition will discuss her work and that of her
colleagues in attempts to create a better world through promoting a more evolved consciousness. She will discuss her journey as a server, the philosophy and values behind her efforts, the founding and work of the Taskforce. Dr. Velazquez will also mention some of the like-minded organizations with which the Taskforce collaborates. And she will discuss the Maplewood Kindness Campaign and the Kindness Committee of Northern NJ.
Dr Velazquez holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and has a private practice in Maplewood. She is the founder and president of the Spiritual Unity Network (www.spiritualunitynetwork.org) and is Director of the Taskforce for Humanity Coalition (www.taskforceforhumanity.org) . She is on the Board of Voices around the world, an organization seeking to promote progressive education practices and is a member of the Organizing Group of the Network of Spiritual Progressives. Dr. Velazquez is a Metaphysician and teaches the Ageless Wisdom.
Dec. 11 Memorial for Fred Sebastian with the Solidarity Singers and others.
Those attending will be given the opportunity to share memories of Fred. He was our Office Manager and a Trustee on our Board of Trustees. He was widely known for his activities in local peace groups. Fred and his book table were a common sight at peace actions throughout the area.
Dec. 18 Martha Gallahue, “The Power of Friendship in Leadership.”
At solstice, tradition holds that enter into a period of reflection during the winter season. Using this as a starting point, Martha will offer a reflection on the relationship between self-awareness and enlightened activism. This Platform will be a mix of personal experience and stories from her work with National Ethical Service and National Peace Academy. She will mention how ritual can provide the link between the two.
Martha, Interim Leader with ECSEC, is a licensed psychoanalyst in private practice, Main Representative at the UN for National Ethical Service and serves on the faculty of National Peace Academy.
Dec. 25 Christmas Day Patrick Colucci HumanLight: A Humanist Alternative for the Holiday Season."
This is an opportunity to learn all about t he festive holiday of HumanLight, designed to celebrate humanist values and
community. Patrick Colucci is vice-chair of the HumanLight Committee and a member of the NJ Humanist Network and the American Humanist Association. Based New Jersey, he's a longtime activist in the peace movement and Humanist movement. He has been involved in publicizing HumanLight since its inception in 2001.
Jan. 1 New Year’s Colloquy: “Reviewing and Resolving”
Jan. 8 Meredith Sue Willis, “Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna as a Political Novel.”
Novelist Meredith Sue Willis will speak about how novels can be political, using as her primary example Barbara Kingsolver’s recent book, The Lacuna, which examines the relationships of people in society through events like the assassination of Leon Trotsky as well as through fictional situations and conflicts. This talk is based on a paper Sue presented at the Emory & Henry College Barbara Kingsolver Literary
Festival.
Meredith Sue Willis, fiction writer and native of West Virginia, teaches novel writing at NYU. She is a past president of the Essex Ethical Culture Society and past chair of the South Orange/Maplewood Community Coalition on Race. Her most recent book is a short story collection called Re-Visions: Stories from Stories. Her newsletter for readers and writers is online at http://www.meredithsuewillis.com/booksforreaders.html . She lives in South Orange with her husband Andy Weinberger, a rheumatologist in private practice. Their son Joel and his wife Sarah are graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Jan 15. 11 a.m.
9:30 Martha Gallahue "Right Relationships in Our Community"
11:30 PM: “Connections That Matter.”
Jackie Fox, Director of Valley Settlement House and Martha Gallahue will share the podium and discuss why our connection with one another matters. What does right relationship look like between our two organizations? We will welcome additional comments from President Anja Moen and Gus Lindquist who teaches science and arts to the youngsters at VSH. We hope to have a couple of young people from VSH to participate.Valley Settlement House is a non-profit social service agency. It is the oldest “Settlement” in New Jersey and the third oldest in the United States. The Settlement House programs have provided educational and cultural development and continue to seek volunteers to work on those programs.
Valley Settlement House is concerned with the family and each of its members. It aims to afford opportunities for each to find and develop his/her potential for a positive life in the home, neighborhood and community.
Jan. 22 Gus Lindquist & Betty Levin: Curiosity, Imagination, Creativity--- Vision, Program, Mission:
Gus will discuss "The Evolution of a Program: Curiosity, Imagination, Creativity---->Vision, Program, Mission" based on over ten years of originating and participating in three programs for educational outreach to the children and youth of local underrepresented populations in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Gus's programs are supported by the Light and Life Laboratory (LLLab)--Dr. Knut Stamnes, Director (Anja's husband)--in the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics (PEP) at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ.
Betty will introduce a proposed program of "Conflict Resolution" to start next Fall in pursuit of her vision for peace. The audience will be able to participate in its planning, helping to establish the sequence of "Vision, Program, Mission" out of their own "Curiosity, Imagination, Creativity".
Jan. 29 Lenny Bornstein, “Bullying: Looking at causes, and ways to stop it”
Whether we’re talking about bullying, teasing or hazing, intentional humiliation and harassment have been around for a long time. Some might even include the treatment of inmates in concentration camps, or the treatment of minorities. Drawing on his decades of work within regular and special education, Lenny Bornstein examines the phenomenon of abuse, what it stems from, and how to counteract it.
Lenny Bornstein has been a teacher, a school principal and educational administrator, and a frequent speaker at colleges and professional organizations, and operates Premier Events and LB Entertainment, an interactive entertainment company based in Millburn. He is the author of NoHop, The Kangaroo Who Thought He Couldn’t, a book about bullying for pre-schoolers. He is also a fervent supporter of Arts Unbound (which has a store in Maplewood), a non-profit organization that provides arts education, skills building and vocational opportunities in the visual arts to youth and adults with mental, developmental and physical disabilities.
Feb. 5 Zia Durrani and Anja Moen, “Women in war, women in crises”
Zia Durrani and Anja Moen will describe the organization “Women for Women international”.
The Board has decided to sponsor a woman (sister) in a war zone through the organization Women for Women international. This organization helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives. In 1993, the founder, Zainab Salbi, started her work in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since then the organization has helped more than 316 thousand women survivors of wars. The organization helps through education and access to income-generating opportunities, among other things. The organization was awarded the 2006 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.Zia and Anja will describe this organization and the situation of women in war zones, through information from the organization, and also from two books we have studied: Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. This book describe women’s crises around the world and also gives inspiration and practical steps for action.A Thousand Sisters by Lisa J. Shannon, about Lisa’s own struggle to live a meaningful life and thereby commit to helping other women. She organizes runs for women and sets a goal of raising a million dollars for women in Congo — the worst place on earth to be a woman. She travels to Congo to meet some of the sisters she sponsors and other women in the program. This book changed my perspective on human cruelty as well as human kindness.
Join us to start our Ethical sponsorship of a sister in Congo. This program will give us the opportunity to study other places in the world and help a woman we can become personally involved with.
Feb. 12 Martha Gallahue, “Through the Eyes of Another”
Martha will describe her experience at the Climate Change Conference in Durban, SA, through the eyes of a Hindu couple whom she stayed with while there. Her purpose is to illustrate the many layers of perspectives that interface at a World Conference and how this mix can shape a more cosmopolitan world.
Martha, our Interim Leader, is a licensed psychoanalyst in private practice, Main Representative at the UN for National Ethical Service and serves on the faculty of National Peace Academy.
Feb. 19 Bennet Zurofsky, “Occupy Plutocracy”
Bennet’s talk will focus on how the USA has become a plutocracy, how that manifests itself in the laws of taxation, labor, and free speech (among other places), and the significance of the Occupy movement in trying to end the plutocracy. At least one song will be included.
When he is not in his office or a court room, you can frequently find Bennet on a picket line, supporting worker and community struggles, working for peace and responsible government, defending free speech rights, or raising fighting spirits as the Director of the Solidarity Singers of the New Jersey Industrial Union Council
Over the years, his primary practice has been the representation of many international and local unions. He has also helped hundreds of unrepresented employees in efforts to obtain justice from their employers.
He regularly provides pro bono representation and advice in support of activists working for progressive change throughout New Jersey.
Bennet lives in Maplewood with his wife Susan J. Vercheak. http://zurofskylaw.com/bio.php.
Feb. 26 Bill and Margaret Edwards, “Household Cats as Pet Therapists”
Margaret and Bill Edwards will discuss how their cats visit with people in nursing homes, adult day care centers, hospice and humane education programs. They will describe the qualities they bring to this special service work. Two of the cats coming along with them will demonstrate ‘paws on’ for those in attendance who would like a visit. There will be time in the presentation for observations and questions.
Margaret and Bill have been involved with their cats in pet therapy since 2000. They are affiliated with the Delta Society’s “Pet Partner” program, St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare’s “Paws for People” program and the Love on a Leash Foundation.
Rescheduled for March: Dr. Geri Fee
Biofeedback is defined as the technique of using equipment to reveal internal physiological events in the form of visual and auditory signals in order to teach patients to manipulate these otherwise involuntary or unfelt events. Teaching patients to control a wide range of physiological processes has profound effects in managing physical symptoms. For example, biofeedback has been successful in the treatment of hypertension, migraine and tension headaches. Scientific studies have provided evidence that objective neurological signs and symptoms can be altered.
Dr. Fee will demonstrate the Open Focus technique, and will show how biofeedback equipment is used.
Biofeedback as an Adjunctive
Technique in Treating Meical Conditions
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