Active Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Doing - Lifelong Friends
WELCOME TO ESCOM NEWS & CLUB NOTES – May 2022
Editor: Ellen Breazeale....breazeales@comcast.net
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ESCOM NEWS
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Spring Membership Meeting
It's time to meet our new officers and Council members.
Time to get updates on new Administration, Finances and
future plans.
Time to socialize.
Time to celebrate ESCOM!
Saturday, May 21
11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Deedy Lounge - Kentfield Campus
Photo Caption: Almond Blossom, Vincent van Gogh (1853 - 1890), Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, February 1890. Oil on canvas, 73.3 cm x 92.4 cm. Currently on view - Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
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CLUB 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!
Most of the ESCOM clubs are continuing to meet via ZOOM.
Some clubs -- Astronomy, Bridge, Chess, Humanities, the Book Forum, and Table Games -- will be meeting in person at either the Deedy Lounge or the IVC ESCOM Center. This change is noted for each of these clubs.
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Arlene Stark
Philosophy of the Mind Club – Zoom
1st, 3rd & 5th 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 Chaos Theory.
We are currently viewing Great Courses videos on the subject
All interested are invited to participate and contribute.
Photo Caption: Chaos theory models how a population of living creatures changes from one generation to the next, when there are limits to the available resources. It is one of the simplest equations that can generate deterministic chaos—apparently random behavior with no random cause. Chaos theory led us to realize that simple nonlinear equations can create very complex dynamics and that apparent randomness may conceal hidden order. Popularly known as Chaos Theory, this discovery has innumerable applications, including the motion of the planets in the solar system, weather forecasting, population dynamics in ecology, variable stars, earthquake modeling,
and efficient trajectories for space probes.
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Astronomy Club
2nd Monday
10:00 am - Noon
IVC ESCOM Center
The ESCOM 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,
to name a few.
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 about the hunt for exo-planets and the conditions for and
against the possibility of life existing elsewhere.
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.
We are now engaged in the lecture series from the Great Courses
titled “A Field Guide to the Planets”, 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: What: Cluster of galaxies, known as the Virgo-Coma Cluster, comprising approximately 1,500 + galaxies. (Dark spots in photograph indicate where bright foreground stars were removed.)
When & Where: Constellations Virgo & Coma Berenices
Distance: Approximate center of cluster is 54 million light years distant
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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.
May 11: "Margaret Sanger" by Jean H. Baker
June 8: "The Secret History of Wonder Woman"
by Jill Le Pore
Contact: Diana Davis:
Photo Caption: Wonder Woman's origin story relates that she was sculpted from clay by her mother Queen Hippolyta and was given a life as an Amazon, along with superhuman powers
as gifts by the Greek gods.
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Book Club Forum
4th Monday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
IVC ESCOM Center
Contact: Louise Kerr
Photo Caption: The best-selling book of all time is the Christian Bible. It is impossible to know exactly how many copies have been printed in the roughly 1500 years since its contents were standardized, but research conducted by the British and Foreign Bible Society in 2021 suggests that the total number probably lies between 5 and 7 billion copies.
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Book Club Marin County – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:00 - 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 audio books.
As in the past, we welcome suggestions for future readings!
April 26: Three pieces concerning war: “The Moral Equivalent of War”, William James; a July 1932 letter from Albert Einstein to Sigmund Freud, concerning war; and the September 1932 Freud reply.
May 24: Tolstoy, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich", Oct. 6, 2010 edition, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
June 28: short stories: Lionel Trilling, “Of This Time, Of That Place”; and John Updike, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and So Forth"-to be emailed.
Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488
Photo Caption: Portrait of the author Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828-1910) by Orlow, Nikolai Vasilievich (1863-1924. Oil on canvas. State Museum of Leo Tolstoy, Moscow
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Bridge Club
Every Wednesday
1:00 - 4:00 pm
Intermediate players welcome
Contact: Margaret Harding
mfh10@comcast.net
Photo Caption: The late Victor Mollo is one of the best-loved authors ever to write about bridge. He wrote many excellent
how-to books on the game, including the classic
'Card Play Technique' with Nico Gardener. He is remembered as a humorist and the author of 'Bridge in the Menagerie' and its sequels. . Readers are captivated by the Hideous Hog and the Rueful Rabbit as they play the game.
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Chess Club
Every Friday - 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Deedy Lounge - Kentfield
Newcomers -- at all levels -- are welcome but you must know how to play the game!
Contact: Bob Phillips
bob.phillips3@gmail.com 415-301-1906
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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: The American Bar Association lists five cases that are being heard before the Supreme Court this year that it deems 'significant'. One of them is Apple Inc. v. Pepper (Antitrust)
The issue: Apple has monopolized the market through the sale of apps in its App store, say some iPhone users. But can these users sue the company under the current antitrust laws?
A group of consumers argue that Apple has a closed system for sale of apps on its devices and
the company artificially inflates prices because developers must go through a single store
that takes a sizable 30-percent cut of their revenue.
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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 Abernathey
Photo Caption: Group shot of the April 1 outing to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, with the shooting theme of "Flora & Fauna". The club's May 2 outing is scheduled to take place at
Loch Lomond Marina in San Rafael on the theme of "Pathways".
Reach out to Harvey if you would like to join us.
Image by Harvey Abernathey.
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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: Ariana Huffington is the co-founder of The Huffington Post, the founder
and CEO of Thrive Global, and the author of fifteen books. She has been named
to Time magazine's list of the world's 100 most influential people and her HuffPost is the highest earning blog pulling in $500 million per year.
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Exploring the Relationship Between
Theology & Society – Zoom
On hiatus for a few months...
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 : May 8 is is a Buddhist festival that is celebrated in most of East Asia and South Asia commemorating the birth of the Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later the Gautama Buddha.
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Food Glorious Food! – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
May 24: Restaurant Outing, TBA
June 28: Topic selection for 7/22-12/22 meetings
Photo Caption: Trending as one of the most popular foods of 2022 is the sunflower seed. The kernel, or meat, of a sunflower seed is the edible part. It's tan, soft to chew, and has a slightly buttery flavor and texture. Whole sunflower seeds are often roasted, salted, and seasoned in their shells, and many people enjoy munching them this way. They're a particular favorite at baseball games.
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Friday Film Night - Zoom
Last Friday - 5:30 pm
Club members will watch a favorite film every month and discuss it afterwards.
Running time for films will be approximately 90 minutes allowing for plenty of time for everyone to be
mimic Roger Ebert.
Contact: Ellen Breazeale - breazeales@comcast.net
Note: If don't have an opportunity to contact the club leader, you can join the group and watch the movie by using this Zoom link:
https://marin-edu.zoom.us/j/97652600292?pwd=UDNxSldrRlc1dlY4RWhQbmJKSmNiQT09
Photo Caption: The winner of the first Academy Award for 'Best Picture' was a black and white, silent film, 'Wings'. Made in 1927, the film was a romantic action-war picture. It starred Clara Bow, Charles Rogers and Richard Arlen. Gary Cooper appears in a small role which helped launch
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Great Courses Group – Zoom
Every Thursday 1:00 - 2:30 pm
The GC group will be starting a new
12-week lecture series,
'The Celtic World'.
The lecturer is Professor Jennifer Paxton, Director of the University Honors Program and Clinical Assistant Professor of History at The Catholic University of America.
You can 'drop in' and join us for these sessions.
Our meetings are fun and filled with lively discussions.
Photo Caption: The Gundestrup Cauldron was discovered by workers cutting peat blocks in a bog near Gundestrup, North Jutland, Denmark on May 28, 1891. The cauldron was one of the greatest
ever finds of ancient European art. The details of the decorative reliefs on the cauldron
show a clear Celtic influence
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Humanities Club
1st & 3rd & 5th Saturday
1:00 - 3:00 pm
This group studies the history and culture
of 17th and 18th Century Europe
by viewing series
from The Great Courses company.
Contact:Ruth King
ruthjjking@yahoo.com 415-898-5845
Photo caption: The tradition of chamber music was first established in the late 1700's and early 1800's by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven during
the so-called Viennese Classic Era,
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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: In Ukraine, the situation on the ground is changing rapidly, making it difficult to track the allocation of aid. Is effective altruism in the context of war possible? Peter Singer explains why giving in response to Ukraine is complicated in a recent New York Times article titled
'Can Altruism Be Effective During a War?'. Here's a link to his article:
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Opera and Beyond Club - Zoom
2nd Tuesday 1:00 - 4:00 pm
This session presents a showing of a complete opera.
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.
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 enthusiasm and desire to participate is what counts!
* If you would like to suggest an opera or have access to any operas,
please contact the club leader.
Contact: Michael Sachs
Photo Caption: Metropolitan Opera Live in HD (also known as The Met: Live in HD) is a series of live opera performances transmitted in high-definition video via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera in New York City to select venues, primarily movie theaters, in the United States and other parts of the world.
This month, Puccini's spectacular opera, 'Turnadot', is being broadcast on May 7 with an encore viewing on May 11. Tickets are on sale for both the Regency and Lark theaters. Here's a link for more info:
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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 largest of the Broadway theaters is the 1,933-seat Gershwin Theatre, while the smallest is the 597-seat Hayes Theater.
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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 video series from
the Great Courses group.
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. Here, he depicts Pierre Laval, French politician and statesman who led the Vichy government in policies of collaboration with Germany during World War II, for which he was ultimately executed as a traitor to France.
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Spanish Club – Zoom
Every Friday 1:00 - 2:30 pm
Intermediate level conversation
in Spanish on various topics.
Contact: Roberta Schwarz, reschwarz@sbcglobal.net
949-922-3291
or Paula Hammons paulahammons@yahoo.com
415-948-8451
Photo Caption: The Spanish Colonial style of architecture dominated in the early Spanish colonies of North and South America. Mexico, as the center of New Spain—and the richest province of Spain's colonial empire—has some of the most renowned buildings built in this style,
Guadalajara's cathedral with its distinctive neo-Gothic towers built after an earthquake toppled the originals in 1818. Begun in 1561 and consecrated in 1618, the building is almost as old as the city itself.
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Table Games Club
IVC ESCOM Center
2nd and 4th Wednesday
11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Games such as Scrabble, RummiKube, Mexican Train (Dominoes), and some card games!
We encourage fun and participation. Game rules are followed but there maybe some 'wiggle-room' (so keep your rule-books at home!)
Sue Derana; (415) 987-1719; sderana@yahoo.com
Photo caption: Vintage Mah Jong tiles are highly valued as the game had a resurgence in popularity
in recent years. The game involves skill and luck and is played by four people using domino-like engraved tiles. It emerged in China in the 1800's and in the 1920's it briefly sparked a global fad.
By the mid-20th century ,it had become a hallmark of Jewish American culture.
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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).
May 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!!!
This month's bit of trivia: Moms and grandmothers alike can thank Philadelphia activist Anna Jarvis for the Mother's Day carnation tradition — and even the holiday itself.
On May 10, 1908, Jarvis sent hundreds of white carnations, her late mother’s favorite flower, to her hometown church in West Virginia for a celebration honoring all mothers.
The day,scheduled on the second Sunday in May, became a national holiday in 1914 under President Woodrow Wilson.
Photo Caption:Vincent Van Gogh, Portrait of the Artist’s Mother (1888)
Van Gogh’s introduction to art was through his mother, Anna Carbentus Van Gogh, who was herself an amateur artist. This portrait was painted from a black-and-white photograph, into which
Van Gogh inserted color.
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"The Wednesday Detection Club" – Zoom
1st Wednesday
1:00 - 3:00 pm
May 4: "The Crocodile on The Sandbank"
by Elizabeth Peters
June 1: "A Morbid Taste for Bones" by Ellis Peters
Contact: Diana Davis
Photo Caption: Amelia Peabody is left a wealthy orphan after the death of her studious father, who has left her everything in his will because she is the only one of his children who shared his interests, namely history and archaeology. The inheritance enables her to travel abroad in order to follow her enthusiasm for antiquities.
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"Who Done It?" Book Club – Zoom
3rd Wednesday
1:00 - 3:00 pm
We’re a Mystery Book Club
May 18: "Maisie Dobbs" by Jacqueline Winspear
June 15: "Raven Black" Ann Cleeves
Contact: Diana Davis
Photo Caption: At thirteen, young Maisie goes to work as a maid in the London household of Lady Rowan Compton, a wealthy suffragette and philanthropist. Though she is poor, Maisie is rich in intelligence. One night, Lady Rowan finds Maisie reading in her library and not just reading but teaching herself Latin and philosophy.
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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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