NOSHA – NOSHA

Together we lost our great friend and mentor, Harry Greenberger ( June 22, 1927 – May 3, 2017 )

Marshall Harris addressed the audience at the monthly May 20 program of NOSHA and we felt this was a wonderful statement to share with everyone who knew and loved Harry. Harry was the most unique of friends in his way of giving, his honesty and sincerity. I don’t think I’ll ever come across a friend quite like him ever again in my lifetime. He lived his life his way. He pretty much took charge of every aspect, even his exit. […]

Trans-Up!

(Another newsletter submission from our November 19 meeting) Sally Jackson was, at different times, a band director, trumpet player, and professional photographer before she moved to New Orleans from Houston and subsequently began to express herself through writing novels and poetry. That was also the time she transitioned at the mature age of of 57, though she had known she was different at the age of four. Caroline L’huillier was born into a military family two months premature on All […]

Just a Walk in the Park

To follow is an article from our current newsletter, The Humanist Advocate (Issue 1, 2017) September 24 The “Unholy Strollers,” the unofficial walking (and parading) group of the also unofficial NOSHA Social Aid and Pleasure Club turned out a good participation for The 27th Chevron No/AIDS Walk—a yearly fall fundraising event organized by the No/AIDS Task Force. Not only did 11 walkers make the two-lap trip around Audubon Park, but the NOSHA group pledged at least $650, both of which […]

A Cornucopia, Through Research

To follow is an article from our current newsletter, The Humanist Advocate (Issue 1, 2017) October 15 A research director with the U. S. Department of Agriculture brought a large, open-mouth shopping bag with him for his presentation to our October meeting. In the bag were many of the products the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), a branch of the USDA is credited with developing. The director, K. Thomas Klasson, Ph.D, has been known to the regulars and some occasional guests […]

Times-Picayune Columnist Has Guides for Understanding Politics

To follow will be a series of articles from what would have been our current newsletter, The Humanist Advocate (Issue 1, 2017). Unfortunately, our production manager, John Simon, was unable to continue volunteering his time with us into the new year due to changes to his professional work load. Many thanks to John for his help this past year! However, that doesn’t mean you have to miss the excellent reviews of our fall events by Board Member and reporter, Marty […]

A Dispatch from Kenner: Meeting Muslims for the First Time

Twenty four hours ago I attended a “Meet-A-Muslim” gathering in Kenner, Louisiana at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center. Every Wednesday from 6-7pm people of “all faiths, or no faith” are invited for a short talk about the origin of that particular brand of Islam, listen to a short incantation from the Qoran view a short video and have the opportunity to ask any question that one might have concerning Islam. Then you mingle while enjoying the most delicious cake […]

NOSHA in 2017 – Hail and Farewell

As we move into a new year, we would like to remember and give many thanks to those who are stepping down and welcome those who have stepped up to help NOSHA with our organization going into 2017. Both Grant Smith and Ricky Adams are leaving our board of directors after many terms of service. Smith has been a tireless volunteer at our monthly meetings handling our directional signs and Adams initiated the design and ongoing maintenance of our fun […]

Holiday Spirit by Audrey Coulter

This is a poem by NOSHA member, Audrey Coulter. She read it to attendees at our annual Winter Solstice party earlier this month and we thought it was so good that we should highlight it for everyone who couldn’t be there! I no longer believe in Christmas Nativity scenes make me cringe Halleluiah choruses assault my ears Santa and elves bring me to tears I once believed in the myth Believed in […]

BOOK REVIEW: Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity

Readers interested in the early development of the Christian religion will enjoy Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity, by biblical scholar James D. Tabor. The book focuses on the first 30 to 40 years of the Christian movement, a period that is poorly documented and poorly understood. Much of Tabor’s assessment falls well within the mainstream of scholarly opinion. Jesus of Nazareth was a real, historical person, although the romanticization of his life story makes it difficult […]

BOOK REVIEW: Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts

The literature, both scholarly and fanciful, on the European witchcraze is voluminous and of uneven quality. It was a pleasure, then, to find a work of scholarly quality that stands out for its unusual perspective. Historian Anne Llewellyn Barstow has studied the phenomenon from a much need feminist perspective in Witchcraze: A New History of the European Witch Hunts. There is far less here, than in many other studies of the same phenomenon, about religion and beliefs about witchcraft, and […]