Active Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Doing - Lifelong Friends
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WELCOME TO CLUB NEWS & NOTES – November 2021
Editor: Ellen Breazeale – breazeales@comcast.net
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CLUB NEWS
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My Baby, She Wrote Me A ....
New Club
Name the best film that Bette Davis ever made!
'Now, Voyager', 'Dark Victory', 'Jezebel' or
'Whatever Happend to Baby Jane?
All interesting but none compares to her greatest
film, 'The Letter'.
This movie, made in 1940 is an American film noir
crime melodrama directed by William Wyler, and starring Ms. Davis, Herbert Marshall and James Stephenson.
We'll be watching 'The Letter' and the favorite films of club members during
sessions of a new club, 'Friday Night at the Movies', which will meet once a month
-- 4th Friday-- at 5:30PM.
If this sounds like your kind of fun,
contact the club leader, Ellen Breazeale.
Breazeales@comcast.net 415-892-6546
Photo Caption: Thomas De La Rue Playing Cards were produced in England. The Bette Davis spade was part of a set of Warner Brothers stars.
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CLUB LEADER NOTES
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With the onslaught of COVID, the ESCOM Centers at Kentfield and IVC have been closed for the last 20 months. Consequently, most of the clubs are
meeting via ZOOM.
A special mention to the members of Humanities Club, one of the oldest ESCOM groups, lead by Ruth King. This club has been meeting at the IVC ESCOM Center. Ruth and her group have kept in touch with each other during this long, long COVID period! Many members do not access the internet and are anxious to return to their Saturday morning meetings to watch videos from the Great Courses company.
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!
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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: From the June 1, 2018 issue of 'Scientific American':
Consciousness is everything you experience. It is the tune stuck in your head, the sweetness of chocolate mousse, the throbbing pain of a toothache, the fierce love for your child and the bitter knowledge that eventually all feelings will end.
The origin and nature of these experiences, sometimes referred to as qualia, have been a mystery
from the earliest days of antiquity right up to the present. Many modern analytic philosophers
of mind, most prominently perhaps Daniel Dennett of Tufts University, find the existence of
consciousness such an intolerable affront to what they believe should be a meaningless universe of matter and the void that they declare it to be an illusion. That is, they either deny that qualia exist or argue that they can never be meaningfully studied by science.
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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: M 31 Andromeda Galaxy/Constellation: Andromeda
Distance: 2.5 million light years
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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.
Nov. 10: "Rosalind Franklin, The Dark Lady of DNA" by Brenda Maddox
Dec. 8: Josephine Baker,
"Jazz Cleopatra" by Phyllis Rose.
Jan. 12: Book Selection Meeting for 2022
415-897-4844
Photo Caption: Josephine Baker lying on a tiger rug and dressed in a silk evening gown and diamond earrings. The picture was taken in 1925 in Paris.
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Book Club Forum – Zoom
4th Monday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
415-883-2823
Photo Caption: Braille was developed in 1819 by the French army so soldiers could communicate at night without speaking or using candles. Fifteen-year-old French schoolboy, Louis Braille, learned about the code and eventually developed the more usable, streamlined version of the braille alphabet we know today. While a sighted person can read 300 words per minute, some fast braille readers can whip through a book at a speed of 400 words per minute.
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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!
Nov. 23: Benito Mussolini:1933 essay from the Italian Encyclopedia:
"The Doctrine of Fascism". To be- mailed.
Dec. 28: Annie Dillard, Selected essays (chapters 1, 2, and 8) from
"Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" - To be e-mailed.
Jan. 25: Joseph Conrad's "The Secret Sharer".
Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488
Photo Caption: ‘Pilgrim at Tinker Creek’, written in 1974, is a nonfiction narrative book told from
a first-person point of view. The book details an unnamed narrator's explorations near her home,
and various contemplation on nature and life. The title refers to Tinker Creek, which is outside Roanoke in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains. The book records the narrator's thoughts on solitude, writing, and religion, as well as scientific observations on the flora and fauna encountered. Touching upon themes of faith, nature, and awareness, ‘Pilgrim’ is also noted for its study of theodicy and the inherent cruelty of the natural world.
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Chess Club
Every Friday - 2:00 pm
All levels of players welcome.
Contact: Bob Phillips
bob.phillips3@gmail
415-301-1906
Photo Caption: The famous Ladies' Chess Club of London was organized at their first meeting on January 14, 1895. Predating that monumental event was the creation of the Women's Chess Club of New York. In 1893 a small group of women who were meeting at Eliza C. Foot's apartment at 28 East 22nd st. in Manhattan to play chess decided to organize something more formal. This group called itself the Women's Chess Association of America.
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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: According to the Pew Research Center, 20% of adults in the United States in 2018 said they get their news from social media "often," compared to 16% who said they often get news from print newspapers, 26% who often get it from the radio, 33% who often get it from
news websites, and 49% who often get it from TV.
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Digital Camera Club – Zoom
1st Monday - Field Outing
3rd Monday Virtual Club Meeting
1:00 - 3:00 pm
Contact: Harvey Abernathey
415-385-0054
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.
Photo Caption: Club members are pictured at the Pronzini Farms Pumpkin Patch in Petaluma where they captured images for the October monthly theme of "Season's Changes". The next monthly club outing is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 1 to Buena Vista Winery and Sonoma Square.
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The Encouragement Writing Club – Zoom
Every Other Wednesday 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Contact: Bernie Cookson cooksonlaw@comcast.net 508-864-6367
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.
Photo Caption: After the Bible, “The Diary of Anne Frank” is
the most widely read nonfiction book in the world.
Translated into 60 languages, it's been adapted countless times for stage, film and television and used in schools
across the country to help children understand the meaning, and horror, of the Holocaust.
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Exploring the Relationship Between
Theology & Society – Zoom
2nd Friday Noon - 2:00 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.
Contact: Ken Kaprelian (415) 819-7180
Photo Caption: Jerusalem remains an important place of pilgrimage for Jewish people. Until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Roman occupation of the city after the Bar Kokhba revolt, it used to be a duty for Jewish people to visit Jerusalem three times every year, to coincide with three major Jewish festivals - Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. Here pilgrims are praying at the Western Wall of the Second Temple.
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Food Glorious Food! – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Nov. 23 - TBA
Dec. 28 - TBA
Jan. 25 - TBA
Photo Caption: Love 'em or hate 'em...Brussels sprouts, a Thanksgiving staple, contain high amounts of compounds called glucosinolates which, when metabolized in the body, give them their characteristic sharp or bitter taste. This taste divides family and friends around the dinner table.
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Great Courses Group – Zoom
Every Thursday 1:00 - 2:00 pm
We'll be finishing the Great Courses series, 'Life in the World's Oceans' early in the month, followed by a movie about the brutality of keeping Orcas in captivity.
Then the group will be starting a new series from PBS.
See the following dates:
Nov. 4 - Lecture 29 'The Urban Ocean: Human Impact on Marine Life' and lecture 30: 'Our Role in the Ocean's Future'
Nov. 11: 'Blackfish', a documentary film, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite,
that tells the story of Tilikum.
Nov. 18: 'The Greeks, Crucible of Civilization'
Join us for these sessions.
Our meetings are fun and filled with lively discussions.
Photo Caption: A black-figured neck-amphora, with Dionysos and two satyrs, and on the other side, a four-horse chariot. Dionysos holds a drinking-horn in one hand and a vine branch in the other. Attributed to the painter Psiax, and signed on the rim by Andokides as potter. Part of an extensive collection at the British Museum in London.
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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.
Contact: Kevin Colgate
Photo Caption: Six ways to make people like you: 1.) Become genuinely interested in other people. 2.) Smile. 3.) Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most
important sound in any language. 4.) Be a good listener. 5.) Talk in terms of the other person's interests.and 6.) Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely.
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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: From The Metropolitan Opera website in describing the April 4, 1970 performance
of Bellini’s Opera ‘Norma’: This opera may be the most challenging soprano role in all
of Italian opera. Only the very greatest have the technical mastery and vocal acumen to convey all the facets of this virtuosic part. With this legendary cast, everything comes together in this bel canto masterpiece. Joan Sutherland’s ravishingly beautiful voice can do anything Bellini’s spectacular vocal line requires. As Norma’s friend Adalgisa, Marilyn Horne proves that mezzos can sing as gloriously as sopranos. Together they sent audiences into a frenzy.
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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 949-922-3291
or Paula Hammons paulahammons@yahoo.com 415-948-8451
Photo Caption: Ah, the Argentinean tango....one of the most famous and influential dances in the world. Originating in Buenos Aires in the 18th century, tango brought together working class European immigrants, indigenous Argentinians and former slaves. A tango orchestra typically consists of bandoneons, violins, piano and double bass, in addition to guitar and drums. Among these instruments, the bandoneon is perhaps the most key instrument in producing the authentic, emotional and nostalgic sound of tango.
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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!!!
Contact: Gary Gonser ggonser3@gmail.com
Photo Caption: The first plays were performed in the Theater of Dionysus, built in the shadow of the Acropolis in Athens at the beginning of the 5th century, but theaters proved to be so popular they soon spread all over Greece. Drama was classified according to three different types
or genres: comedy, tragedy and satyr plays.
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Reflections on WWII Club – Zoom
Fridays 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
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 video series from the Great Courses group:
415-883-7139 or
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. In this cartoon, he reminds his fellow citizens that they need to sacrifice to win the war.
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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).
Nov. 28 - 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: November 19 is designated as National Play Monopoly Day in recognition of the iconic board game in which players walk the streets of Atlantic City -- Park Place, the Boardwalk, Baltic Avenue. Created by Lizzie Magie in 1903 to explain the single-tax theory of Henry George, the rights to the game were bought by Parker Brothers for $500. In 1941, the British Secret Intelligence Service had John Waddington Ltd., the licensed manufacturer of the game in the United Kingdom, create a special edition for World War II prisoners of war held by the Nazis. Hidden inside these games were maps, compasses, real money, and other objects useful for escaping. They were distributed to prisoners by fake charity organizations created by the British Secret Service.
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"Who Done It?" Book Club – Zoom
3rd Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
We’re a Mystery Book Club
Nov. 17: "The Shaman Sings" by James D. Doss
Dec. 15: "A Test of Wills" by Charles Todd
Jan. 19:"Facets of Death" by Michael Stanley
Contact: Diana Davis
415-897-4844
Photo Caption: Edgar Allan Poe’s story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," first appears in Graham’s Lady’s and Gentleman’s Magazine. The tale is generally considered to be the first detective story. It describes the extraordinary “analytical power” used by Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin to solve a series of murders in Paris. Like the later Sherlock Holmes stories, the tale is narrated by the detective’s roommate
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ESCOM | Telephone: 415-485-9652 | email: escom@marin.edu
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