Active Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Doing - Lifelong Friends
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WELCOME TO CLUB NEWS & NOTES – August 2021
Editor: Ellen Breazeale – breazeales@comcast.net
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CLUB NEWS
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We Gotta' Get Out of This Place...
Traveling in our post-Covid world is forever changed.
In Paris, the Louvre, which has long struggled with overcrowding, now requires all visitors to book a time slot since the museum reopened in July.
If your future travel plans are now more restrictive,
but you're still passionate about far away places with strange sounding names, think about starting an Armchair Travel Club to share your knowledge and enthusiasm with other ESCOM members.
E-mail the Clubs Chair, Ellen Breazeale,
who will send you a Club Application Form!
breazeales@comcast.net
Photo Caption; The Ace of Clubs, part of a deck of cards produced for the Royal Holland Lloyd line
around 1920-21, was presented to the line's passengers. The liner pictured is the Amsterdam.
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:
Did You Ever Have to Make Up
Your Mind?
New Club
Reflections on WWII Club – Zoom
Fridays 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Meetings begin on August 13
Fifty-five million people died in the Second World War, the greatest conflict in human history.
To better understand all aspects of this conflict and to share our own experiences,
we'll be watching two series from The Great Courses company:
World War II: A Military and Social History, which will examine the
social and economic effects of the war.; and
Unsung Heroes of World War II, which features men and women
of courage and conscience who helped change the course of history
but who, for various reasons, have slipped into history’s shadows.
Photo Caption: Although widely known for his children’s books, Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Seuss, was also the chief political cartoonist for the New York newspaper PM from 1941 to 1943. He created approximately 400 cartoons about World War II. This one targets America's reluctance to join
the WWII fight. The cats -- Hirohito and Hitler.
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New Club
The Encouragement Writing Club – Zoom
Every Other Wednesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Meetings begin on August 11
The objective of this club is to share what you've written -- short story, essay, poem -- with the group which will review and critique your work..
honestly but gently.
Contact: Bernie Cookson cooksonlaw@comcast.net 508-864-6367
Photo Caption: New writers usually get that first creative work in view through small journals, like the one published by ESCOM and edited by Denize Springer. In 1923, for instance, Ernest Hemingway's first book, 'Three Stories and Ten Poems', was published in Paris by Robert McAlmon. Hemingway was 24.
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CLUB LEADER NOTES
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No matter what your interest, there’s an ESCOM club that’s ‘right’ for you.
Review the list below. See what’s being offered and contact
a club leader to join the group!
With the onslaught of COVID, the ESCOM Centers at Kentfield and IVC have been closed for the last 16 months. Consequently, most of the clubs are meeting via ZOOM. Some are on hiatus but will return once these Centers open again.
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Arlene Stark
Philosophy of the Mind Club – Zoom
1st & 3rd Monday 10:00 am - noon
This club continues as a tribute to its esteemed late leader, Arlene Stark.
Discussions focus on Science and Philosophy. Our current area of interest
is on consciousness. We are currently viewing YouTube videos
on the subject and reading a recent book,
by Annaka Harris.
All interested are invited to participate and contribute.
Photo Caption: The parable of the blind men and an elephant originated in the ancient Indian subcontinent. It is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and conceptualize what the elephant is like by touching it. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences which may be equally true.
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Astronomy Club – Zoom
2nd Monday 10:00 am - Noon
The Astronomy Club is engaged in learning and discussing about the (non-mathematical) current knowledge of the structure of the universe and its components.
This includes the different kinds and lives of stars, planets and planetary systems, asteroids and comets, galaxies and galaxy clusters.
In addition, we follow the contemporary discoveries of numerous active spacecraft and earth-based and space-based telescopes which use the range of the
electro-magnetic spectrum.
We learn and discuss the hunt for exo-planets and the conditions for and against the possibility of life existing elsewhere, black holes, white dwarfs, neutron stars, dark matter and dark energy, the expansion of the universe, the cycles of our Sun and
how life on Earth might be affected.
Our format is roughly an hour of discussion and presentations of book reviews, contemporary space exploration events, and what to look for in the current night sky.
This is followed by a lecture from the Great Courses Series on Astronomy fundamentals and eventually on Cosmology, after which we discuss the material covered and
any contemporary discoveries that provide insights to the lecture.
Contact: Michael Patrick mdpatric@pacbell.net 415-456-2778
Photo Caption: Galaxy Messier 51 Constellation Ursa Major
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Book Banter Book Club – Zoom
2nd Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Biographies, Autobiographies and semi-fictional biographies of lives before and after WWI
August 19: "Cleopatra" by Stacy Schiff
September 8: Teresa of Avila (no book yet)
October 13: "Big Sister, Little Sister, Red Sister" by Jane Chang
(The story of the three Soong sisters)
415-897-4844
Photo Caption: Saint Teresa of Avila's love of God and her desire for spiritual union with him found expression in a vision in which an angel pierced her heart
with a golden spear and sent her into a trance.
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Book Club Forum – Zoom
4th Monday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
415-883-2823
Photo Caption: According to the editors of Smithsonian magazine, the top ten most influential travel books ever written are:
1.Herodotus, 'Histories' (c.440 BC)
2. Marco Polo, 'The Travels of Marco Polo' (c.1300)
3. Laurence Sterne, 'A Sentimental Journey ...France and Italy' (1768)
4. Mark Twain, 'The Innocents Abroad' (1869)
5. Norman Douglas, 'Siren Land' (1911)
6. Freya Stark, 'The Valley of the Assassins' (1934)
7. Jack Kerouac, 'On the Road '(1957)
8. Tony and Maureen Wheeler, 'Across Asia on the Cheap' (1973)
9. Bruce Chatwin, 'In Patagonia' (1977)
10. Peter Mayle, 'A Year in Provence' (1989)
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Book Club Marin County – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:30 - 3:00 pm
Note: While all meetings are scheduled to end at 3:00 pm, the ending time is flexible.
Planned reading-always subject to change!
If anyone wishes to attend and purchase any of the selected books, they should feel free to contact Julio Burroughs to obtain book(s) via Book Passage (to avoid shipping cost).
Of course, if you prefer not to purchase, try the Marin Library (they have curbside service).
If you are a library member, you also have access to Hoopla which has many audio books.
As in the past, we welcome suggestions for future readings!
August 24: Gabriel Garcia Marques novella: "Chronicles of a Death Foreold"
(Vintage International 2003 Ed., Estimated cost $10.15)
September 28: Shirley Jackson, short story:“The Lottery” and Ursula Leguin, short piece: “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”. All to be e-mailed.
October 26: William Faulkner, two short stories: "A Rose for Emily" and "Dry September; and
Poem by T.S. Eliot "Aunt Helen".
All to be e-mailed.
Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488
Photo Caption: William Faulkner arriving in Stockholm for the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm. He won the prize for Literature and was cited "for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel." This photo was taken
on December 9,1950 at the Bromma Airport.
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Chess Club
Online play on Chess.Com
Every Friday - 2:00 pm
All levels of players welcome.
Contact: Bob Phillips
bob.phillips3@gmail 415-301-1906
Photo Caption: A scene from the 1977 movie,'The Chess Players', written and directed by Satyajit Ray. The film is set on the eve of the Indian rebellion of 1857 and focuses on the daily life of two wealthy men, who are devoted to chess, The story is presented against the background of scheming officials of the British East India Company, the history of its relations with the Indian ruler of Awadh, and the ruler's devotion both to his religious practice and the pursuit of pleasure. .
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Current Events and Issues – Zoom
2nd & 4th Thursday 10:00 am - noon
After more than 20 years, we are still actively engaged in discussing current events.
Through participation, ESCOM club members experience teaching and learning opportunities.
We welcome new participants and topics that interest you.
Come, join us. Sit in on one session, no obligation - you may like the experience.
Many have! Hope to see you soon.
Photo Caption: A key finding of the World Association of Newspapers 'World Press Trends Repor'
is that more than half the world’s adult population read a newspaper: more than 2.5 billion
in print and more than 600 million in digital form.
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Digital Camera Club – Zoom
1st Monday - Field Outing
3rd Monday Virtual Club Meeting
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Open to anyone who would like to expand their photographic capabilities by learning from others on how to capture images.
Our monthly camera club photo outings are currently scheduled outdoors with social distancing protocols and our virtual meetings are held via Zoom.
Contact: Harvey Abernathy
Photo Caption: Arguably the most famous sporting photo ever taken, this snap by American photographer Neil Leifer shows the moment that Muhammad Ali stood over the defeated Sonny Liston following their second world title fight on May 25, 1965. The two bouts between the boxers
were shrouded in controversy, with many believing that the outcome of both was fixed.
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Exploring the Relationship Between
Theology & Society – Zoom
2nd Friday 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
The relationship between theology and society includes how people deal with this topic in both their personal
and professional life.
For some people their place of worship is a primary source of theological information.
As a part of our discussion, we will be sharing different life experiences of worship both positive and negative and how these experiences have affected our perspective.
At the next session...
We will be discussing Plato's 'Allegory of The Cave', which brings together a series of very common ideas for philosophy: the existence of a truth that exists independently of the opinions of human beings; the presence of constant deceptions that make us stay away from that truth; and the qualitative change that is needed in order to access that truth.
Contact: Ken Kaprelian (415) 819-7180
Photo Caption: Depiction of Plato's 'Allegory of The Cave'.
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Food Glorious Food! – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
August 24: "Omnivore's Dilemma"
by Michael Pollan
September 28: One pot simple recipes for dinner, lunch or dessert.
October 26 - Topic Selection Meeting
for 2021-22
Photo Caption: Pot-au-feu is a French one-pot beef stew. According to the chef Raymond Blanc, it is "the quintessence of French family cuisine, the most celebrated dish in France, and considered a national dish. " It is a typical dish served for Christmas.
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Great Courses Group – Zoom
Every Thursday 1:00 - 2:00 pm
New Series - starts July 29
The Earth’s ocean is its most significant feature. Taking up more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, our ocean is essential for life on this planet. It provides approximately 2/3 of the oxygen we breathe, and it helps control and regulate our climate.
Life on this planet evolved in our ocean almost 4 billion years ago. The ocean has nurtured life ever since, to the point today that 25% of all species on this planet currently lives in the ocean, although scientists believe that we may have only discovered 10% of the ocean’s species diversity.
Join us for this fifteen-week series.
Our meetings are fun and filled with lively discussions.
Photo Caption: Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile.
The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion.
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Moral and Ethical,
Legal Roundtable – Zoom
1st and 3rd Tuesday
10:00 am – noon
The Roundtable is a long running ESCOM Club for discussions, explorations, and issues in our contemporary world.
Stimulating discussions among and between the attendees and the
facilitator are the primary mode of participation.
Join us with your ideas and opinions.
Photo Caption: A 'brainstorming' session....A term popularized by Alex Faickney Osborn in the 1967 book 'Applied Imagination'. A group of people meet to generate new ideas and solutions around a specific domain of interest by removing inhibitions. All the ideas are noted down without criticism and after the brainstorming session the ideas are evaluated.
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Opera and Beyond Club – Zoom
2nd Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
This session presents full opera recording
Last Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
This session is a gathering to share the glories of opera. You do not have to know a lot about opera.
Your enthusiasm and desire to participate
is what counts.
Everyone may contribute by selecting their
favorite opera aria.
The club leader will access it on YouTube and talk about it during the session.
Also, you can share an article about opera, music, composer, an anecdote, your life experiences, etc.
We are all enthusiasts!
* If you would like to suggest an opera or have access to any operas,
please contact the club leader.
Photo Caption: 'Così fan tutte' (All Women Do It) is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The San Francisco Opera's 2021-2022 Season will stage performances of this opera from November 21 to December 3.
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Spanish Club – Zoom
Every Friday 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Club Leader: Lucy Wait
Intermediate level conversation in Spanish
on various topics, including the
Netflix 60-episode series, Bolívar,
which is done in the telenovela style.
Contact: Roberta Schwarz, reschwarz@sbcglobal.net 415-435-3540
or Paula Hammons paulahammons@yahoo.com 415-948-8451
Photo Caption: The Spanish term for tin-glazed ceramic tiles is “Mayólica”, distinguished by a milky-white glaze. This type of tile, a contribution from the Moors Islamic culture, became known as “Talavera”, after the Spanish ceramic center of Talavera de la Reina in Castilla de la Mancha (northern Spain).
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Reading Great Plays - Zoom
3rd Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
We'll be reading a play each month and
attempt to release its magic to reveal
the author's main objective -- storytelling.
There is no memorization, no accents, no ego and no stress... just the joy of bringing the play alive!!!
August 17: The Clean House
by Sarah Ruhl
September 21: Candida
by Bernard Shaw
October 19: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
by Christopher Durang
Contact: Gary Gonser ggonser3@gmail.com
Photo Caption: George Bernard Shaw, the author of the play 'Candida', was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. He wrote more than sixty plays, incorporating both contemporary satire and historical allegory. Shaw became the leading dramatist of his generation and in 1925
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Trivia Quiz
Calling All Smarty Pants - Zoom
4th Sunday - 7:00 p.m.
Hosted by Janis Luft, longtime Mistress of Trivia for the Belvedere-Tiburon Library.
General knowledge questions.
Interactive team contest (teams assigned).
August 22 - Hope to see you
for another round of Bear with Me Trivia.
As always, you’ll get 4 rounds of 5 questions, many with multiple answers.
You’ll jot down your own answers and at the end of each round of questions, the club leader will randomly sort you into Zoom rooms where you will decide on a team name (funny, punny names encouraged) and confer with your teammates before presenting your group’s answers.
The winning team gets bragging rights for a whole month!!!
Photo Caption: Little known facts about watermelon: Watermelons have been cultivated in Egypt for more than 5,000 years...According to Guinness World Records, the largest watermelon ever was grown in Arkansas by Lloyd Bright and weighed 268.8 pounds!..A watermelon will not grow
in your belly if you eat the seeds.
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"Who Done It?" Book Club – Zoom
3rd Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
We’re a Mystery Book Club
August 18: "The Cuckoos Calling"
by Robert Galbraith
September 15: "The Case of the Missing Servant"
by Tarwuin Hall
October 20: "The Red Knife"
by William Kent Kreuger
Please contact the club leader for a list of books
selected for 2021.
415-897-4844
Photo Caption: Raymond Chandler is considered the founder of the hard-boiled school
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For the complete ESCOM Club List, Click Here
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ESCOM | Telephone: 415-485-9652 | email: escom@marin.edu
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