Dear NoVES Folks - I am offering a three part course on Felix Adler's booklet, Life and Destiny, published in 1903.  this course is being offered through the AEU. It is an evening course on December 1, December 8, and December 15. For more information check out the AEU website at: https://aeu.org/event/foundations-of-ethical-humanism/ If you are interested, register now as spaces are rapidly filling up. Randy Best ..read more

Dear NoVES Community - Take a bike ride between November 23rd and 30th and get $25 donated by CareFirst to community-based food programs run by Dreaming Out Loud.  I plan on participating in this program (multiple times) in the coming week. All I need to do is send documentation of my ride and the donation will follow. Complete information about this program can be found at: https://dcbikeride.com/pedal-4-a-purpose/ I hope some of you can participate too.  Get on your bikes and ride! Randy Best - NoVES Leader ..read more

Dear NoVES Folks - I am offering a three part course on Felix Adler's booklet, Life and Destiny, published in 1903.  this course is being offered through the AEU. It is an evening course on December 1, December 8, and December 15. For more information check out the AEU website at: https://aeu.org/event/foundations-of-ethical-humanism/ If you are interested, register now as spaces are rapidly filling up. Randy Best ..read more

Dear NoVES Community - Take a bike ride between November 23rd and 30th and get $25 donated by CareFirst to community-based food programs run by Dreaming Out Loud.  I plan on participating in this program (multiple times) in the coming week. All I need to do is send documentation of my ride and the donation will follow. Complete information about this program can be found at: https://dcbikeride.com/pedal-4-a-purpose/ I hope some of you can participate too.  Get on your bikes and ride! Randy Best - NoVES Leader ..read more

Dear NoVES Members and Friends - It is gratifying to see decisions come out of our current Supreme Court that I wholeheartedly support.  The recent decision affirming LGBTQIA+ people protection from employment discrimination is certainly a major step to recognizing the worth and dignity of marginalized people.  Here is the American Ethical Union's statement on this momentous decision. In Love and Justice, Randy AEU Statement on Supreme Court LGBT Discrimination Decision The American Ethical Union (AEU) enthusiastically endorses the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in favor of gay, lesbian ..read more

Dear members and Friends - Many of you may have received the most recent AEU Statement in your e-mail.  In case you have not had an opportunity to read it, here it is... Yours in Ethical Community, Randy AEU Statement on George Floyd and the Aftermath Another month, another murder of a black person by white police officers. This time it was George Floyd. When will this injustice end? How many times do the American people have to be confronted with videos of heavily-armed police officers brutally killing restrained and unarmed black men, women, and children before we find our moral voice ..read more

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police led to an uprising protesting Police violence and ongoing and systemic racial injustice. Protests included burning a Police Station, property damage, fires, and looting businesses.  It is hard for white people to understand the form, motivation, and purpose of these acts of protest and civil unrest. I look to people of color for an increased understanding.  Trevor Noah provided excellent insight in his video "George Floyd and the Dominos of Racial Injustice".  Give it a look... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4amCfVbA_c&t=14s ..read more

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire – [Part 1] OPENING REFLECTION There are times when I am able to forget that I am living in a pandemic with social distancing and sheltering in place. Right now is not one of those times.  Although I participated in Zoom meetings before the pandemic, Zoom meetings have become my quintessential pandemic experience. I forget the pandemic while wandering in the woods with my grandsons, absorbing the natural beauty that surrounds me.  Being in the presence of boys three and five-years-old, I easily forget my cares and fears, for a moment, before they r ..read more

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire – [Part 2] I admire the work of Trump’s health care and pandemic experts, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci and others, their dedication to sharing their expertise with the public – finding creative ways to present information, while trying not to directly contradict the President’s pronouncements.  That they often feel the need to coat their corrections with vacuous flattery underscores how far expertise has fallen.  The emperor has no clothes and we all must tell him how nice his new suit is. Trump continued to promote hydroxychloroquine on several ..read more

Earth Day 2020 Wednesday, April 22nd is Earth Day.  The 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day observance. I find trouble recalling what Earth Day commemorates during this time of social distancing and sheltering at home.  COVID-19 takes up too much of my mental bandwidth.  The Climate Crisis is lurking in the background.  Waiting to reemerge when I resume my daily routines. Earth Day’s focus has changed over the years, from the early focus of the environmental movement on preservation and conservation, to recent concern about the climate crisis and global sustainability ..read more