Capitalism and Inequality

Capitalism & Inequality posterWednesday 22nd October 7.30pm The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With economist Douglas Lock

In this talk, Douglas Lock will be presenting key ideas from economist Thomas Piketty’s surprise bestseller, ‘Capital in the Twenty-First Century’.

Piketty’s central claim is that inequality in the world’s most advanced capitalist countries is increasing and has been for at least 30 years. He also demolishes the persistent myth that we’re living in a meritocracy in which great wealth is earned and deserved, and he claims growing inequality makes democracy unsustainable.

Hailed by many progressives as an economic messiah, Piketty's ambitious goal is to change the way wealth is distributed. Among his controversial proposals are an 80 percent tax rate on the very highest earners, not to raise money for education or welfare, as he does not expect such a tax to bring in much revenue, but simply 'to put an end to such extreme incomes'.

Come along to hear Douglas explain the economic ideas that have taken the world by storm, and made Piketty an international celebrity.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

For more information on Piketty and his ideas, watch Thomas Piketty on TED (20 minutes)

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and the chance to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to this event on those sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/events/212829072/

https://www.facebook.com/events/957375840945118/

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed by car and on foot via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Henry Schachter – The Holocaust: My Story

Henry Schachter - HolocaustSaturday 11th October 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

Henry Schachter was born in 1939 to a Jewish family living in Berlin. Soon after, his family fled to Poland and then to Belgium, where his parents took the agonising decision to hand their only child to a non-Jewish family for his safety. His parents were later captured by the Gestapo, and deported in the penultimate convoy to Auschwitz. Henry will be sharing the moving story of how he survived the Holocaust in hiding before undertaking a journey to Britain in search of his surviving family members.

Come along to hear Henry’s moving personal story of how he escaped Nazi persecution during Europe’s darkest years and details of his early life in Belgium, followed by his quest to find out what happened to his parents, and how he subsequently built a new life for himself in England. We expect Henry's story to be primarily an uplifting one of triumph over adversity, and he does not focus on the horrors of the atrocities committed by the Nazis.

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile.

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/events/208965392/

https://www.facebook.com/events/1504492783141836

Can you help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster? If so, please download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

Sunday Assembly (aka “Atheist* Church”) comes to Bournemouth

Sunday assembly

Bournemouth Sunday Assembly’s Inaugural Event

Sunday 28th September from 11.00am to 12.30pm

Rooper Hall, 5 Victoria Park Rd, Bournemouth BH9 2RB

September 28th 2014 will be an important day for Sunday Assembly!

Across the world, many new Assemblies will be launching and thousands of people will be coming together to celebrate being alive. Thousands of people who didn’t know each other before will be coming together to form new communities, and the great news is one of them is in Bournemouth!

Sunday Assembly was founded in London in January 2013 by comedians Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans as “all the best bits of church but without the religion, and with awesome pop songs too”. “We are dedicated to helping the people that attend, and the folk in the wider community, to make the most of this one life that we know we have”. “We harness fun, joy and wonder to build communities and to help others”.

Sunday Assembly is for everyone who wants to:

  •  Live Better. We aim to provide inspiring, thought-provoking and practical ideas that help people to live the lives they want to lead and be the people they want to be
  •  Help Often. Assemblies are communities of action, building lives of purpose, encouraging us all to help anyone who needs it to support each other
  •  Wonder More. Hearing talks, singing, listening to readings and even playing games helps us to connect with each other and the awesome world we live in.

Each service is based around a theme, with a guest speaker, poets and/or comedians and some great pop songs. The theme of the first assembly will be ‘community’.

* Please note that although Sunday Assemblies are regularly referred to as ‘atheist churches’ by the media, Sunday Assemblies welcome everyone, regardless of any theological beliefs they may have.

For more information, or to help organise Sunday Assembly Bournemouth, visit https://www.facebook.com/sundayassemblybournemouth

(Edit: Link to new post on 26th October meeting: http://dorset-humanists1.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/singer-songwriter-shelley-segal-at.html )

‘One Life’ Course: Exploring Humanism and Atheism

October/November 2014. All sessions: 7.30pm to 9:30pmThe Green House Hotel, 4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

LogoBHA2012.1The ‘One Life’ Course: A six week introduction to Humanism and Atheism (Course Tutor: Chair of Dorset Humanists, David Warden)
This popular and enlightening course is intended for everybody who is interested in Humanism and wishes to discover more about its principles and the activities of Humanists. It's a great opportunity to explore life's big questions from a non-religious perspective, while meeting and interacting with interesting new people in a positive friendly environment.
During the course we’ll discover how Humanism provides a rational, non-religious way of approaching life’s ‘big questions’, and how it offers values that help us to live happy, worthwhile and fulfilled lives.
Session schedule:
   1. Humanist Beliefs and History: Tuesday October 7th 2014
   2. The God Debate: Monday October 13th 2014
   3. Secularism and Religious Privilege: Tuesday October 21st 2014
   4. Ethics & Morality without Religion: Tuesday Nov 4th 2014
   5. Prospects for Happiness: Tuesday November 11th 2014
   6. Possibilities for a Good Society Tuesday November 18th 2014
   (No meeting on 28th October due to half-term break).
There will be a small charge for this course to help cover venue hire. All sessions 7.30pm – 9.30pm at The Green House Hotel, Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX.
Total Course cost (The total course cost is the same regardless of how many sessions you choose to attend)
   · £15 for non-members, or £12 for members of Dorset Humanists.
   · Early booking discount: £2 off members’ and non-members’ prices if booked before 15th Sept.
   · Flat rate of £5 for students (whenever booked).
Please make cheques payable to ‘Dorset Humanists’, or contact us for BACS payment details.
Please book early to avoid disappointment due to a limited number of places

Some feedback from previous ‘One Life’ courses:
· “An amazing course – it’s been fantastic!”
· “Just what we need to introduce people to Humanism”
· “As a Christian I felt at ease and accepted by those present.”
· “My mind continues to buzz about many issues arising from the course”
clip_image002[2]Course Tutor: David Warden BA, MA, Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Chair of Dorset Humanists.
For further information, email David Warden at chairman@dorsethumanists.co.uk or phone 07910 886629, or talk to us at one of our meetings.
(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).
Click here to view details of forthcoming and recent Dorset Humanists events on this website.

September Bulletin

DWThe recent World Humanist Congress in Oxford was a stunning success – please look inside this month’s Bulletin for our report and pictures.

Humanists are sometimes accused of being too human-centred. Our next talk by Emeritus Professor Norman Mclean, who is also Chair of South Hants Humanists, will help us to explore the philosophy and practicalities of animal rights.

As we approach the next election, Humanists should be concerned about the basic requirements needed to live a fulfilled and decent life. Housing is one such requirement yet in the UK today 600,000 people are homeless even though 740,000 residential properties stand empty. Please come along to our evening talk this month by Jude Todd who’s been on the frontline of this social problem.

Also in this month’s bulletin, we outline details of the forthcoming launch of Bournemouth Sunday Assembly on Sunday 28th September.

Finally, a quick reminder about our One Life course in Humanism and Atheism, which starts in October. We still have a limited numbers of places available and there’s a discount for anyone booking before 15th September!

For full details of all our events and news see inside the Bulletin. We hope to see you soon.

http://dorset.humanist.org.uk/dorset/DH-Bulletin-September-2014.pdf

Best wishes,
David Warden
Chair, Dorset Humanists