Leicester Secular Society

Meetings for September to December 2005 Most lectures are on Sundays at 6:30 pm — at Secular Hall, 75 Humberstone Gate, Leicester — All welcome — Free refreshments available. Tuesday 27th – Friday 30th September. EXHIBITION arranged by Ned Newitt, on THE LEICESTER JOBLESS WORKERS' MARCH 1905. Ned is well known for his research into the history of working people in Leicester. People will remember his talk on the subject in June. Sunday 2nd October 6.30pm. Colin Hyde: "Voices from the Past." Colin is the Director of the Leicester Oral History Project. In his talk he selects carefully from thousands of hours of oral history recordings, including some voices that wil be familiar to Society members. Sunday 9th October 6.30pm. Frontline Books presents Radical Fiction Members and guests are warmly invited to Frontline Books' 2nd Anniversary featuring bestselling radical and revolutionary fiction, with supper and a glass of wine. Sunday 16th October 6.30pm. John Newsinger on "The U.S. Marine Corps." John specialises in searching out the histories of groups which people have accepted uncritically. What are the facts behind this "elite" group of soldiers. This will be a "warts and all" learning experience. Sunday 23rd October 6.30. HEADSTRONG EVENING (see below). Sunday 30th October 6.30pm. FILM — "A LETTER TO MR BLAIR". This film was made by two courageous young women who monitored events in Falluja, Iraq, before, and after the U.S. assault on the city. They involved with Iraqi families — and the film is a letter to Blair, and all of us — about then impact of this sort of attack on peoples' lives. It is hoped to bring one of the film makers to speak on the film. Sunday 6th November 6.30pm. Viv Jackson: "Living in the Occupied West Bank." Viv spent three months in a small Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank. The town was regularly menaced and attacked by a neighbouring radical Israeli settlement. She describes her experiences. Sunday 13th November 6.30pm. Annual General Meeting for members and intending members. Wine and cheese. Motions should be submitted at least two weeks previously. Come and catch up with the progress of the building renovation scheme. Sunday 20th November 6.30pm. Bettina Atkinson — "Climate Change". Bettina is the specialist in climate change from Leicester Friends of the Earth. Recent events have drawn world attention to the topic. Sunday 27th November 6.30pm. Thelma Ruby — "That's Entertainment." Thelma has led, and continues to lead, an extraordinary life. Her late husband was wounded as a member of the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Thelma's career has been, and still is, on the stage. She played the main part of Dolly in Thornton Wilder's "The Matchmakers" in the very first production of The Phoenix Theatre in Leicester alongside an unknown who had a non-speaking part — named Anthony Hopkins! Thelma will be giving extracts from her roles and being raconteuse of her many experiences and of fellow Thespians, such as Orson Welles. Sunday 4th December 6.30pm. HEADSTRONG EVENING (see below). Headstrong Evenings — these may be late arranged meetings on topical events: or an evening of spontaneous discussion. They are named after the Headstrong Club in Lewes which was where Tom Paine forged his revolutionary ideas in the eighteenth century.