SUNDAY APRIL 12, 1-3 PM

DECEPTION IN TODAY’S SOCIETY: LYING AND LIARS
HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM

 

We are delighted to welcome R. Lee Walters, President of Excalibur Private Investigations, to our podium to discuss Deception in Today’s Society: Lying and Liars. Lee is a veteran of the FBI with 24 years of service, the last five of which were as a Supervisory Special Agent.  He led a multitude of fraud investigations in areas of banking, health care, investments and public corruption. He was one of the first agents assigned to the Whitewater Investigation of Bill and Hillary Clinton and was responsible for the conviction of the then sitting governor of the state of Arkansas, Jim Guy Tucker. How can you tell when someone is lying? Come find out!

 

 

SUNDAY MARCH 19, 1–3PM

SOCRATES CAFE'
HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM

 

Question. Opine. Consider. Examine. Review. Deliberate. Take a firm position. Or Change your mind. These are some of the many activities that take place in our discussions at Freethinkers' monthly Socrates Café. The topic for this month is Changing Your Mind. This discussion will look at what makes disagreement productive rather than divisive. Under what conditions do people genuinely reconsider their views? No research necessary, just bring your thoughts about the subject and your life experience. It's not a debate, but a gentle inquiry into the positions we hold on a particular idea. If you know you will be joining us, email ramack@hotmail.com. Thank you to our lead moderators for this discussion, Sharon LaPlume and Frank Magnarelli.

 

SUNDAY APRIL 26, 1–3 PM

PHOTOGRAPHER AS WITNESS:
PHOTOGRAPHY’S POWER TO REVEAL AND TRANSFORM

HOBBY BUILDING EVENTS ROOM

While historians write about events after they happen, photographers stand in the midst of them, bearing witness in real time. This presentation by Freethinker Domenica Genovese will highlight those who documented child laborers, war casualties, vanishing cultures, Depression-era suffering, and civil rights struggles—images that didn't just record history but shaped how we remember and understand it.
     As design director and co-founder of the firm, Greatest Creative Factor, Domenica spent her career collaborating with professional photographers and cultivating her own lifelong passion for photography.

 

 

 

 

On Monday, April 13 from 6:30-8 pm, our  Banned & Woke Book Club will be discussing our current selection, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Almost everyone has heard about this dystopian novel as it was a best seller or from the award winning television series which took home an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Plan to join us at the Hobby Building Event Room to opine about whether you think this could possibly happen—or is just a figment of the author's imagination? Read the book, watch the series, or just check Wikipedia and let's talk about it. Register by emailing Glenn Cohen at gcohen2022@outlook.com or sign up at the Sunday meeting on March 8.  See you there!

 

And on Sunday, April 26, our own Domenica Genovese will present Photographer as Witness. This presentation will highlight photographers who documented child laborers, war casualties, vanishing native populations, Depression-era suffering, and civil rights struggles. These photographers bear witness to history as it unfolds, standing in the midst of events while historians write about them later.

Photography doesn't just record history—it shapes our collective memory and understanding of our world.

 

 

DOING GOOD FOR GOOD’S SAKE

 

March is Spring Cleaning Month in Florida!  Remember to bring any items you find while cleaning out your closet, garage, or pantry that would be helpful to unhoused individuals living rough on the streets or in the forest. Freethinkers Debby Levy and Roland Campbell will transport your unneeded camping equipment, clothing, and food items to their Monday night program which provides a hot dinner for the homeless in downtown Ocala. Shoes for both men and women are especially needed. Just bring your donations to any Sunday meeting and they will be sure they are distributed the very next day to people who really need them. For more info text or call Debby at 561-346-7401 or Roland at 917-742-6514. 

 

WOW!  Karen Henkel Reeves and her mat makers group who crochet water resistant mats for the homeless are overwhelmed with your generosity and now have a million used grocery bags (well, almost) to use for this purpose so we will suspend collection of bags for now.  Karen's been out with a wrist injury to her crocheting hand but will be back in action soon. If you want to help her out, she will be giving a lesson on how to crochet the mats on Wednesdays March 4 and 18 at 9:30 in the Art Room in the Hobby Building. If you are not talented at crocheting but would like to help, she can show you how to cut the bags into strips that are used in the mat making.  

 

     We are overwhelmingly grateful to all the Freethinkers who support Karen, Debby, and Roland in their volunteer efforts to help the homeless. You have no idea how far your donations go to help people who are living without shelter. Thank you for caring!

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

WELCOME COMMITTEE

 

Do you have a smiling face we can borrow for our Sunday meetings? The Welcome Committee could use 1-2 more people to greet members, direct first time attendees, distribute candy and attendance sheets for each table and collect the same after the meetings. Hours are 12:30–1 pm and 3–3:15 pm. Can you spare 45 minutes of your time? There is nothing better than making our members feel welcome. Email Kathy Bell at kbell4570@aol.com or text/call 863-455-6286. Must be available most meeting dates or if you prefer, you can volunteer to be a backup to the team on an as needed basis. Thanks!

 

The Freethinkers Florida Club at On Top of the World meets twice a month in the Hobby Building Event Room for presentations, discussions, and social time. If you are coming from outside On Top of the World, please email  FreethinkersFlorida@gmail.com for information on entry through the gate.

 

 

 

LOOKING BACK AT MARCH

On March 8 we welcomed our friend Jennifer Hunt Murty, the owner/publisher of The Ocala Gazette for a session of Ocala Gazette Listens. Jennifer was able to assemble a long list of topics of interest raised by our members, much of which had to do with the need for investigative reporting on local issues. Jennifer’s determination to access what should be public information even when government agencies are uncooperative is what the First Amendment is all about. Look for some of your ideas to surface as headlines in the Gazette.

 

And on March 29 we held our first ever Freethinkers Picnic at OTOW’S Veterans Park Pavilion. Fifty of our members brought side dishes and dessert, while our own Roland Campbell and John Dziembowski barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs. Thanks to them and to Debby Levy and Karen Henkel-Reeves, our event managers extraordinaire, for making this such a fantastic social outing!

 

 

 

LOOKING AHEAD TO MAY

 

 

Don’t we all wonder as we get older why our bodies just aren’t cooperating?  On Sunday, May 10, Freethinker Glenn Cohen will help shed some light on this mystery with his presentation on The Biology of Aging. A professor emeritus at Troy University, Glenn will rely on his expertise and research as a biologist to unravel some mysteries, as well as to help us understand what to expect from our bodies as we age.

 

And on Sunday, May 24, we will welcome Rabbi Merrill Shapiro of Jacksonville, FL who will be speaking on behalf of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State where he serves on the AU National Board of Trustees and is a former board chair. Americans United is at the forefront of filing litigation to compel local, state, and federal government entities to respect our constitutional right to freedom of and from religion. Come join us for Is the First Amendment alive and well in Florida? And bring your questions for this interactive presentation.

 

 

 

SUGGESTION BOX

 

We had a suggestion about suggestions! That is, could suggestions be listed in the newsletter along with their disposition, a yea or nay or maybe? We think that is a great idea. So, here’s what was in the box in March.

 

1. List suggestions in the newsletter—Yea. Done!

2. Have a link to our email address so readers can send write-in suggestions to the newsletter editor. —Tea. Done. See the link to freethinkersflorida@gmail.com here or below. Suggestions and comments are welcome!

3 Topic:  Past Life Regression—Nay. We have had a number of offers for presentations on parapsychology, but the Steering Committee has elected not to pursue this topic. Some classes on parapsychology are already offered at Master the Possibilities.

4 Topic:  Volunteer Opportunities for the Disabled—Maybe, but we would likely broaden the topic to Volunteer Opportunities for Seniors.

5 Topic:  County Women’s Shelter—Yea. Shelby Kearns will be speaking about Marion County’s Domestic Violence Shelter on October 25 re services, support, and volunteer opportunities. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

6.Topic:  Using AI to improve your doctors’ visits—Maybe. Looking for a speaker.

7. Topic:  Medical Aid in Dying—Yea. Tony Ray, Director of Florida Death with Dignity will be speaking on September 13.

8. Topic:  The Nexus Between Crime and Mental Illness—Maybe. We have asked for a speaker from our local NAMI chapter (National Alliance On Mental Illness).

9. Topics:  Music, wine, food, travel—Yea. Of these, music is the most relatable to freethinking. On September 27 Dr. Rod Broker will present A Time for Singing: The Music of Civil Rights and Protests of the 1950’s-60’s

 

If you have a suggestion, please drop a card in the Suggestion Box at any regular Sunday meeting or email us at FreethinkersFlorida@gmail.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOING GOOD

As always, your donations of used clothing and shoes, food, sealed toiletries and personal hygiene products, and used camping gear are gratefully received at any Sunday meeting.  They will be distributed by Debby Levy (text 561-346-7401 if you need info) and Roland Campbell the very next day when they serve a hot meal to the homeless in downtown Ocala every Monday night.  Thanks for doing good.

 

The Freethinkers Florida Club at On Top of the World meets twice a month in the Hobby Building Event Room for presentations, discussions, and social time. If you are coming from outside On Top of the World, please email  FreethinkersFlorida@gmail.com for information on entry through the gate.