38 Old Country Rd
Garden City,
NY 11530

(516) 741-7304

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• Viewpoint
• The President Reports to You
• Spice Events
• Correction
• Pledging Part III
• Supermarket Certificates
• Pandora's Box -- Public Affairs Committee
• American Ethical Union News
• Long Island Alliance
• Film Night at EHS
• Travel Group for Singles
• Book Group
• News . . . News . . .News
• Spell Checker Poem

Say you have heard of the Ethical Culture Societies and you want to find the national body. You would have a hard time since the American Ethical Union (the federation of Ethical Culture and Ethical Humanist Societies) doesn't contain the word "culture" or "humanism." Indeed, it appears to represent the labor movement.

The AEU is only a little less obscure to the average member of an Ethical Society. Few know what it does, fewer still care. Nevertheless, it does play a vital role in the promotion of the Ethical Movement.

I am now serving, once again, on the board of the AEU, this time as one of the representatives from the National Leader Council (formerly, in its more chauvinistic days, known as the Fraternity of Leaders). The board meets several times a year, usually on a Friday night and all day Saturday, to discuss the various ways in which the idea and institution of Ethical Culture can be promoted.

One function of the AEU is to recruit and train for professional leadership. Most recently our Society served as the venue for intern Susan Teshu. Also, member Joan Beder, who remains on the Leadership Committee of the AEU, was the chair of that committee.

Our Society has taken on the task of serving as the production arm of the publications outreach for the Movement. We have a high-powered reproduction machine and, through a grant from the St. Louis Ethical Society, we own a device, which allows us to put covers on books. This combined with desktop abilities, means that the Movement will have in constant supply some of the basic titles by Leaders of the movement. Two works of Felix Adler's are now available, along with one by Algernon Black and my own book, Ethical People and How They Get To Be That Way.

The work of the AEU isn't as visible or immediate as that of a Society, but it is essential for the continuation of Felix Adler's creation 122 years ago.

Can the AEU be better? Sure. Can it be more efficient? Certainly. Can we do without it? Not at all.

===== Arthur Dobrin

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There was something magic in the room - it was there. Was it caused by the settings; the beautiful autumn-defined colors of the table decorations? Perhaps it occurred because of the candlelight? I can't be sure, but I know it was there.

There was something magic in the atmosphere - it was there. Is it possible that the sincere manner, in which members greeted and spoke with one another, the party-like ambience contributed? Maybe it was because there was so much spectacular food being prepared, served and eaten? I can't be sure, but I know it was there.

There was something magic in the warmth - it was there. Did it happen because members were gathering to be with each other again? Perhaps it was the result of friends uniting in an urgent and common cause? I can't be sure, but I know it was there.

There was something magic in the air - it was there. Was it the kinetic energy caused by people with an age spread of more than half-a-century performing on the same stage? Maybe the growing knowledge of the immense amount of careful preparation necessary by the many members involved contributed to it? I can't be sure, but I know it was there.

There was something magic in the excitement - it was there. Is it conceivable that it was because it was a special evening that grew more and more sensational with every passing moment? Is it possible that the realization of being a part of a once-in-a-lifetime event at the Society added to the aura of the evening? I can't be sure, but I know it was there.

I don't really think there was any supernatural power at work on Saturday, October 10th at the Society. I'm quite sure that neither sorcery nor witchcraft was involved in the preparations or in the execution of perhaps one of the best evenings I have ever had the sheer joy of being a part of. No, if there is any way of characterizing and defining the kickoff of the 1999 pledge it is surely love, community and oneness of purpose. The magic in the auditorium, in the atmosphere, in the excitement, in the warmth and in the energy levels can only have come from one source - YOU, OUR MEMBERSHIP!!!

The same commitment and cooperation will result in a pledge drive that has 'success' written all over it.

===== Richard Rapp

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There are still some open SPICE events. If you are interested in attending any of these events please call Rob Napoli at 516-248-8382

• #8 - Celebrate Sci-fi, December 5, at 8pm.
• #9- Gingerbread, December 12, 2pm.
• #13- High Tea, February 7, 2:30pm.
• #14- Backstage at the Opera, February 13.
• #17- Sing-a-long , March 13, 7:30pm.

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The names of Alice and David Sprintzen were inadvertently omitted from an article in last months newsletter. The article contained a list of members who made proportionately generous pledges. Alice and David should have been included in the list. Please accept sincere apologies for this oversight.

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As members of the Society, we are all responsible for planning the Society's present and future well being. Like our own households, we must work together, budget and plan. Although we delegate certain responsibilities to our Board of Trustees, similar to the way a family would delegate certain responsibilities to particular family members, we are all responsible for contributing to the Society.

Our participation in Sunday programs, committees, functions and projects within the Society is a benefit to the Society as well as to ourselves. Similarly, our pledges to the Society result in an economic benefit to both the Society and its members. How, you may ask, does giving money act as an economic benefit to the donor? Although the mechanics can be complicated, the answer is simple. Charitable gifting is good, very good. Because it is good, there are both emotional and financial rewards. Our taxing authorities recognize this system of rewards by allowing charitable contribution deductions. Under current law, an individual who itemizes on his or her tax return can deduct charitable contributions of cash or equivalent up to 50%, 30% or 20% of his or her adjusted gross income, depending upon the type of charity. Good news - the Society is a "50% charity." Better news - if you should be so inclined, amounts that exceed the 50% ceiling can be carried forward and deducted for up to 5 years.

A charitable contribution is deductible in the tax year in which it is paid, regardless of when the contribution was pledged. Pledges made in 1998 for 1999 can be deducted on 1998 income tax returns if the pledge is paid in 1998. Pledges made in 1998 but paid in 1999 will be deductible in 1999. The "deduct when paid" rule allows for some good end of year tax planning. For example, if you want to deduct both your 1998 and 1999 contributions this year or if you have considerably more income in 1998 (through a sale of stock, bonus or some other good fortune) than you anticipate in 1999, you should consider paying your 1999 pledge before December 31st of this year. The Society also benefits by having immediate use of these funds at the beginning of the year.

Whether or not you pay your 1999 pledge this year or next, you must keep your canceled check as evidence of the charitable contribution. The Society will also send a written acknowledgement of your contribution, which you must also save for tax purposes.

As you think about year-end tax planning and other important family matters, please remember to include your generous pledge to the Society as part of your family financial plan.

===== Joseph Milizio

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Beginning this month, the Society will start a program of supermarket food certificate sales. These certificates, ranging in value from $5.00 to $25.00 each, will be sold on Sundays after the platform and on weekdays during office hours. This program will generate funds for the Society without cost to certificate purchasers. The supermarkets involved are Edward's, Waldbaum's, King Kullen and A & P.

Thanks a lot to everyone who helped guide this program by responding to the survey sent out this summer.

===== Ben Gersten

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Next Meeting: Sun. Nov. 15, 10:00 am
Thoughtful question for the month courtesy of Irv Sherega: What percentage of the myriad of wars and conflicts worldwide are being fought with weapons supplied by America?

After continuing to research the School of Americas, the taxpayer financed school in Fort Benning, Georgia that has been dubbed the "school of the assassins," the Public Affairs Committee has passed a resolution calling for its closing.

The following information comes from School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) literature. The SOA costs taxpayers almost $20 million a year according to Pentagon figures. In 1993, the UN Truth Commission released a report on El Salvador that cited over 60 military officers for atrocities. Over two thirds were graduates of the SOA including:

• 2 of 3 cited for the assassination of Archbishop Romero
• 3 of 5 cited for the murder of US churchwomen
• 3 of 3 cited for the murder of union leaders
• 10 of 12 cited for the El Mozote massacre
• 19 of 26 cited for the Jesuit massacre

Another topic that the PAC has been focusing on is the affection that large American companies have for using exploitive sweatshops in third world nations. The following comes from the literature of the National Labor Committee: Women in Haiti are paid 6¢ for every $19.99 Disney garment they make. Teenagers in Honduras are paid 25¢ each for $19.96 Kathie Lee pants. Women in El Salvador working 12-hour shifts were paid 77¢ for every $178 Liz Claiborne dress jacket they made.

The National Labor Committee is focusing their efforts on calling for corporate disclosure. In this Holiday Season of Conscience, their literature is entitled, "The people's right to know campaign." They are attempting to blast open the secrecy and the hidden exploitation that allows these practices to continue. They say, "This campaign is about transparency in the global economy, about throwing open the locked factory gates, tearing down the barbed wire and removing the armed guards. It is about letting in the light of day, so it is harder to abuse children and operate sweatshops."

Wal-Mart is being targeted to make public their labor situation, most particularly because of their campaign to "Buy American." While advertising such a slogan only a small percentage of their goods are actually made in America. Only 11% of the Kathie Lee line are made in America, 17% of Wal-Mart's men's Faded Glory clothing, and 4% of its McKids label. Meanwhile the company's operating profit last year was $7.6 billion while the Walton family themselves are worth about $50 BILLION.

On Thursday, December 10, there will be a day of vigils and caroling in front of Wal-Mart stores to honor the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. If anyone is interested in joining or in more information please see someone from the committee.

===== Janet Rudolph

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This year the AEU has devoted itself mainly to internal organizational matters. One big issue seems to be on the way to resolution: reducing the size of the board to 12 members, one of whom will be a Leader.

There is uncertainty, though, about how the board will be elected. While anyone can run (and engaged members are encouraged to do so), exactly who will vote for the candidates is yet to be determined. One approach is to send out the ballot to all members of the movement; another is to have delegates to the Assembly vote for the board.

There are pluses and minuses to each approach. The first is more democratic and involves everyone but it is costly. The second allows for a more informed choice since delegates can meet candidates first hand but it allows a small number of people to make choices for everyone else.

The other remaining item is how the votes will be counted. Mostly Americans are familiar with winner-take-all elections. But there are other possibilities, some of which were once used in the US and are still in use throughout Europe. This is proportional voting and there are several ways in which it can be done. Again there are pluses and minuses for each approach.

The AEU Board is asking for opinions regarding these matters from boards of societies and from

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I recently joined the board of the Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, of which the EHS is a member organization along with over twenty local peace and social justice organizations. You may not be aware that the Alliance office is located on the second floor of the EHS. Its mission is to educate and activate Long slanders about the importance of nuclear arms reduction and eventual abolition, cutting the military budget and reallocation of financial resources for basic human needs. The Alliance participates in many outreach programs. It now has a reactivated high school student group meeting weekly at EHS. The Annual Kairos Awards Dinner on December 5 will honor long time peace activist Father Daniel Berrigan and Long Islander Bill McNulty, who is committed to closing the School of the Americas. For more information about the Alliance or to attend the Awards dinner, call 516-741-4360. Executive Director Robert Lepley or Assistance Director Megan O'Handley will be happy to speak with you.

====== Peggy Jacobs

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Hosted by Paula Grenot and Lisa Saft. Join us in viewing films that we like, on a giant screen TV, which may or my not present ethical issues ...you be the judge. After the film stay for a brief (but heated?) discussion. Popcorn to be provided, please BYOB beverage). Schedule as follows:

• Thursday November 19, @ 7:00PM- "Local Hero": 1983, 110 min. Scottish director Bill Forsyth's charming offbeat comedy.
• Thursday January 21,1999 @ 7:00PM- "Devil in a Blue Dress": 1995, 101 min. Sexy film noir for the 90's w. Denzel Washington.
• Thursday March 18,1999 @ 7:00PM- "Times of Harvey Milk": 1984, 87 min. Oscar winning documentary about one of the first openly gay politicians.
• Thursday May 20,1999 @ 7:00PM- "Cold Comfort Farm": 1995, 105 min. Upbeat British farce w. wonderfully bizarre characters.

Mark your calendar! Thursday, November 12, 7:30pm. Our monthly meeting, as yet in the planning stages, will be another in our exciting meetings to help you with your travel plans. The Travel Group for Singles is for single, widowed, divorced or separated people. Each month, those interested in traveling will have the opportunity to hear about new things in the field of travel, and to network with their peers. Annual membership is available or you can pay per meeting. We will be meeting at the Society on Thursday, November 12th at 7:30pm. Refreshments will be served.

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Come join us in our fiction book group. We meet every other month on a Friday night. All the books chosen are available in paperback and none is more than about 200 pages.

So read for pleasure, read for stimulation, read to break the "frozen seas of soul".

• October: Dreams of My Russian Summers, Andrei Makine - "One of the great novels of this century." Philadelphia Inquirer
• December: Baumgartner's Bombay, Anita Desai - "The book is exhilaratingly alive. . . Astonishing." Newsday
• February: H, Eliabeth Shepard - "A very poignant, enthralling debut." The Boston Globe
• April: Guided Tours of Hell, Francine Prose - "Irresistibly readable." The New York Times Book Review
• June: Breath, Eyes, Memory, Edwidge Danticat - "Danticat's calm clarity of vision takes on the resonance of folk art." - The New York Times Book Review

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• Don't forget to make your appointment to meet with Arthur to discuss your Ethical Family package. Included are health care proxies, an organizer for important documents and a discussion of funeral plans. These aren't easy matters to discuss. If they were easy, you would have already done it. But make life easier for your survivors. Arrange an appointment to spend an hour with Arthur now.
• On Monday night November 16 the world's leading expert on the Romani (gypsy) holocaust will speak. Paul Polansky is the author of Black Silence: an Oral History of the Gypsy Holocaust and Living Through It Twice (poems of the Romani Holocaust). This is the last stop on his current nation-wide tour. Arthur Dobrin will also read his political poems. There is no charge.
• Do you have a favorite recorded song that you want to share with other members? Arthur is organizing a Sunday morning around the theme 'My Favorite Song." Bring in the recording, let us know why it is your choice and let us share it with you. Call Arthur to let him know what you plan, so he can organize the morning properly. His favorite is "Jesse" by Roberta Flack. Come hear why. No date is yet set for this morning event. It all depends on the response to this request.

I have a spelling checker. It came with my PC. It plainly marks four my revue Mistakes I cannot sea. I've run this poem threw it. I'm sure your pleased to no. Its letter perfect in it's weigh My checker tolled me sew. (more anoymous humor from the net) -- From Ethical Fellowship of Austin

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