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A Humanist Hotline to a Secular Worldview December 2020 AA HumanistHumanist hotlinehotline toto aa secularsecular worldviewworldview Features this month: • Humanist Climate Action • Should We Go A-Carolling? • Why I don’t do Christmas • Humanism in Action • SACRE Volunteer • Annual Review • and much more Get your own Humanistically Speaking hot-lined direct from the editors [email protected] David Brittain Executive Editor, Humanistically Come in, sit down, put your feet up… Speaking CONTENTS So here we are, at the end of our first year, and my summary Regular Features in yellow report is at the end of this issue on page 30. I do hope, dear 1. Cover story reader, that you have enjoyed this year as much as we have! 2. Editor’s Introduction Christmas articles are inevitable at this time – even for a 3. Breaking News… Humanist magazine – and there’s plenty of personal comment 5. Playing the Trump Card on pages 8, 15 and 18. There’s also an article about the 6. Humanist Climate Action Humanist Climate Action Group on page 6, and about how we 7. Dear Darwin treat and eat animals on pages 28 and 29. 8. Thought for the day 10. The Halal question… But we cannot ignore the terrible killings that happened in 12. YouHu – Conference report Europe – born from the insane notion of being ‘in the name of 14. Group Network God’, and we include a Muslim perspective on page 27. 15. Why I don’t do Christmas I hope all these articles are of interest, and inspire your own 17. Humanism and Christmas reflections, so do please email us and tell you what you think – 18. Terrorism feature but not just about the issues mentioned here. Let us know 19. Humanists in Action about anything that you think might relate to Humanism. 20. Interviewing the Chair 23. A day in the life I would also like to draw special attention to page 4. It doesn’t 25. Essay Contest just list the winners of our little book of humanism competition, 26. Letters and Emails but it asks those of you who might feel inclined, to make regular 27. A Muslims perspective… donations to Humanistically Speaking. Next year, we will be a 28. Eating other animals? smaller, monthly magazine, and we want more competitions, 29. Humanists and animals more up to date reporting, and at the same time help the 30. Annual summary review editors, who pay for their own printing, and publishing software. 33. David’s Book Review But we also have ambitions to grow into a national newsbrief, 35. Final thoughts and that demands professional standards with related costs. So my appeal to you is this: If you like what we do, and can spare just £1.00 per month by regular bank transfer, then you CONTENT DISCLAIMER could play your part in transforming our regional magazine into Our editorial team consists entirely of a national Humanist newsbrief. But even if you don’t donate, humanist volunteers. Articles are please do become a regular subscriber. Just email us at written by them, or by our readers and contributors, and published at the [email protected] and enter one word: discretion of the editorial team. We Subscribe and we will do the rest. By joining that list, you will strive to publish content in line with get your regular future issues delivered direct, and at the same humanist aims and values but views expressed by writers are their own and time inspire us with your seal of approval. not necessarily shared by the South Thank you for your continued support, and we would like to Central England Humanists Network or Humanists UK. wish you all a very happy winter holiday! David Brittain Send your own comment to [email protected] Page 2 BREAKING NEWS Getting the word out – So what do how humanist group you think leaders can help of it so far? Humanistically Speaking has a potential readership of 2,500 - but only if group leaders ‘Humanistically Speaking’ goes help share the word. We really do appreciate our link being placed on your website, but this monthly… could be limiting our impact if your members Following on from our end of year review, only visit your website occasionally. The latest and the enthusiastic feedback we received issue could be out of date by the time your during the Humanism in Action online contacts realise it’s there. conference at the beginning of October, Some groups have a we’ve taken the big decision to go monthly mailing list of paid starting in 2021! members and One of the driving forces is our desire to keep supporters. Sending our on top of news stories and stay current. Once link along with your own normality resumes we also want to be able to newsletter each month advertise live your humanist events around would be the easiest and the region. With your help and engagement best way to support us, we’ll do our best to stay topical! and help keep everyone up to date. Humanistically Speaking covers a lot of subject areas and there are more topics we’d For other groups, sending it out via a Meetup like to cover. Our aim is to keep you link might be another solution. This may capture informed, educated, and inspired, offering a a different range of audience members, and two-way communication medium and forum might bring distant ones into your reach if they to share what works, what doesn’t, and what read an article that inspires them to get in you and your neighbouring humanist groups touch. Of course, there’s also Facebook, Twitter are getting up to as well as including topical and Instagram feeds too, which hopefully will news and our regular features. Our twelve stimulate conversation and enliven your feed. month trial is now complete, and we’d love to What benefits us, really helps you too, and have your feedback, both positive and helping each other is why we are here. negative, on how you think we did. Humanistically Speaking is for humanist groups included in the South Central England Humanist Network… but our readership is growing beyond this boundary Page 3 BREAKING NEWS You’ll get your own personal copy of Humanistically Speaking sent direct to you, and your name will be automatically placed in the hat for the next competition! Following October’s issue of Humanistically Arriving late to the party…? Speaking we held a prize-winning lottery for all In case this is your first visit to Humanistically of our lovely readers who have requested a Speaking we have come quite a distance since direct subscription. The lucky winners have now our first printed issue. Our back issues are received a copy of Andrew Copson’s and Alice available below, and you will see the various Roberts’s new book, the little book of growth and design improvements made over humanism. Names were randomly-plucked time as we have found our way. from Humanistically Speaking’s direct subscribers list, and we were very happy to send Jan Apr Jun the winners their own copy of this wonderful little hardback book. And the winners were: Aug Oct Values John Cregan Farnham Humanists Tony Peach Basingstoke Humanists Alan Montgomery Farnham Humanists Like What We Do? Help Fund Us! Richard Scutt Dorset Humanists Humanistically Speaking is created by unpaid Charlie Yianoullou Guildford & Woking volunteers, yet we do incur some costs and Greg Kent Brighton Humanists we’d like to expand our operations. Could If you didn’t win, there will be another book- you make a voluntary donation by Standing winning lottery in the New Year – so keep your Order from just £1.00 a month? Or a one-off eyes peeled for that announcement, and so long donation? We’ll leave our bank details here as you are a regular subscriber, you will have and let you surprise us. Please use HS another chance to win! DONATION as the reference. Account name: Basingstoke Humanists Not yet a regular subscriber? That’s easy to Sort 30 98 97 – Acc 33031168 change. All you have to do is email us at [email protected] and type • Running Costs just one word – ‘Subscribe’. We’re open to any • Technology upgrades reader, it’s free, it couldn’t be easier to register, • Leaflet printing and there are absolutely no strings attached. • Travel expenses Humanistically Speaking is for humanist groups included in the South Central England Humanist Network… but our readership is growing beyond this boundary Page 4 Playing The Trump Card Looking at the 45th President through Humanist eyes I’m not a Trump fan. There, I’ve said it, and I’ve probably now alienated half of you, or have I? It’s probably fair to say that Trumpism didn’t greatly resonate with most humanists. The throw-away comments, the tantrums when it looked like he was losing, the demands for a recount and the claim that his votes were legal whereas Biden’s votes were fraudulent. Plus the whole ‘fake news’ thing. There was something about Donald Trump that rubbed me up the wrong way. I think it was the way he walked on stage, the swagger, the superiority, glancing down at those so clearly beneath him. But could we have Aaron Darkwood expected anything else? Wasn't he just playing the role which destiny Creative Design Editor and his fans demanded? He started out with privilege and this was followed by a business career of getting whatever he wanted, where nobody ever said ‘No’. Was it any wonder he became the world’s most famous narcissist? Some might argue that being a billionaire is the perfect rehearsal for the presidency, that he simply fulfilled his destiny.
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