HUMANIST SOCIETY OF WEST YORKSHIRE
Affiliated to the British Humanist Association

NEWSLETTER (117), MAY 2009

Next Meeting  “The Coming Crisis and How We might Survive it:
The Challenge of Peak Oil”
Professor Colin Campbell, Dept of Sociology, York University
Tuesday 2nd June, 7.30 ( coffee from 7.00) in Room 2, Swarthmore, 2-7 Woodhouse Square
(for those with Sat-Navs the postcode is LS3 1AD)

Our civilisation is dependent on fossil fuels, most especially oil.  However, we have probably already passed the point at which we have extracted the majority of the earth’s reserves of oil (the so-called “peak”).  From now on oil will become an ever more scarce, and hence expensive, commodity.  The implications for this for our way of life are tremendous, extending far beyond a simple matter of finding alternative sources of energy.  Unless, therefore, we start planning now for the end of cheap oil we shall face a crisis that we will be lucky to survive.
          Colin spoke to us at our December meeting, so we all know what a good speaker he is, so come along and hear him on this momentous subject.

Report  on the AGM held on 28th April at Room 02 Swarthmore

There were 16 members present   The secretary reported that membership stands at 52, one up on last year.  The seven Speaker’s Meetings were all well attended.  Unfortunately, we cannot say the same for the Summer Social/Garden Party, despite the good weather, the impressive view over the Fulneck Valley and the best efforts of our hosts Jean and Brian Layfield.  We are trying a different type of Summer activity this year (full details in the July Newsletter).  There were three Committee Meetings in the year and eight Newsletters produced by the Secretary.  The debate “There is a Creator” at Bradford University did not go well for us as we had prepared our arguments opposing the Christian ‘Creator’,  a beneficent being who created the universe no more than 10,000 years ago, not at all the one described by the proposers   Because the Leeds U. U. Atheist Society meet weekly on Tuesdays it was decided to change our meeting night to the second Thursday of the month from next October.
The Treasurer reported that there was a loss of £17.38  on the year.  This a after a donation of £200 to the BHA appeal for the three humanist schools in Uganda,  Our balances stand at £1,565.45 so there is no need to consider any rise in subscriptions!
Our Leeds SACRE representative, Gerry Hannant, reported that he had attended four of the five SACRE meetings during the year. He had rather stirred things up on a visit to a synagogue by describing the invasion of  ‘The Promised Land’ by the Israelites and ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the inhabitants as a war crime for which, by the morals of today, both Joshua and God could be expected to be prosecuted.
Our Bradford representative, Robert Lee, reported that he had attended all five SACRE meetings.  A consultation with RE teachers and sixth formers had shown that Primary teachers  were not in favour of humanism in the primary syllabus, Secondary teachers were in favour of the teaching of humanism as were the sixth formers for their syllabus.  The SACRE itself did not want to discuss religion  and philosophy in any depth and was anxious that no-one ‘rocked the boat‘.
Paul Irving was prepared to carry on as Chairman, but when Paul Dean was nominated he decided to support the change of Chairman.  Robert Tee was re-elected as Secretary/Treasurer. 
Martin Crozier, Jean Horsfield, Brian Layfield and Robert Lee were re-elected to the Committee and Paul Irving was elected on to it (all nem con).
The Chairman, Paul Irving, thanked Mavis Tee, Herta Simpson and Jean Layfield ‘for what we were about to receive’ and so the meeting  adjourned to the Café for wine and an impressive array of      ‘nibbles’.  Douglas Dale then gave an interesting and amusing account of his progression from sea cook to writer and becoming a humanist on the way.
We should thank Paul Irving for his tenure of the office of Chairman and, in particular, for making our contacts with the University Union Atheist Society which have proved so fruitful.  Paul Dean is not the only member we have gained from this.

Quote of the Month. “Islam, as practised by millions today, has lost its compassion and integrity and is entering one of the darkest of dark ages.” - Yasmin Alibhai Brown, The Independent.

Diary; meetings, unless indicated otherwise, are at Swarthmore at 7.30 (coffee from 7.00 in the Café).
Sat. 4th July.  Outing to Cliffe Castle Museum, Keighley.  Meeting there at 11.00am. Details in the July Newsletter