Active Lifelong Learning
Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Doing - Lifelong Friends
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WELCOME TO CLUB NEWS & NOTES – July 2021
Editor: Ellen Breazeale – breazeales@comcast.net
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CLUB NEWS
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The Long and Winding Road...
Traveling ten years to return home from the Trojan War, Odysseus' journey is chronicled in Homer's 'Iliad' and many modern books.
If your copy of 'Bullfinch's Mythology' is gathering dust on your bookcase, think about starting a Ancient Civilizations 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!
Contact: breazeales@comcast.net
Photo Caption; It's amazing that you can learn about the ancient Greeks, marine life, or American History while playing Pinochle through educational playing cards. Here, Odysseus' old nurse Eurykleia recognizes him from a scar as she washes her master's foot.
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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 14 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: René Descartes (1596–1650) was a creative mathematician of the first order, an important scientific thinker, and an original metaphysician.
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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
This is a great club, looking for new members!
Meetings are filled with good conversation.
Contact Diana Davis to learn more!
July 14: "Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings" by Amy May
August 19: "Cleopatra" by Stacy Schiff
September 8: Teresa of Avila (no book yet)
415-897-4844
Photo Caption: Wall mural depicting Eleanor of Aquitaine, the only one done during her lifetime.
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Book Club Forum – Zoom
4th Monday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
415-883-2823
Photo Caption: 'Children Reading', an oil on canvas done by the Swedish artist, Hugo Salmson ( 1843-1894).
By second grade, most kids can sound out and recognize words and can read and understand sentences.
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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.
July 27: Federalist Papers #’s 10 (regarding factions) and
74 (regarding Presidential pardons and command of the military).
Also: two poems: Emily Dickinson-"'Hope is the Thing with Feathers";
and Edna St. Vincent Millay-"I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed".
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.
Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488
Photo Caption: Gabriel García Márquez was one of the best-known Latin American writers in history. He won a Nobel Prize for Literature, mostly for his masterpiece of magic realism,
Cien años de soledad ( One Hundred Years of Solitude).
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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: The great Bobby Fischer was a chess prodigy at age 13 when he won a game which
a Cold War confrontation between the US and USSR, it attracted more worldwide interest than any chess championship before or since.
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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: 'His Girl Friday', a hilarious comedy made by Columbia in 1940, is considered one of the all-time great movies about journalism. It starred Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell, and Ralph Bellamy (pictured above with character actor, Earl Dwire). It is estimated that the normal rate of verbal dialogue in most films is around 90 words a minute. In this movie, the delivery has been
clocked at 240 words a minute.
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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: Photographer Eadweard Muybridge was commissioned by Leland Stanford – an industrialist, former Governor of California and avid horseman – to photograph a horse in motion to analyse its gait. This was to settle a bet that Stanford made, saying that a horse lifts all four feet off the ground while running. Muybridge’s photo, 'The Horse in Motion’ was shot in June 1878
and became the first example of chronophotography.
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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.
We will also discuss the impact that education, at the primary and university level, and the media has had on individuals and then by extension their families.
Contact: Ken Kaprelian (415) 819-7180
Photo Caption: A spot in the hilly section of the Camino de Santiago, a 500-mile trail leading to
the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition holds that the remains of the saint are buried.
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Food Glorious Food! – Zoom
4th Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
July 27: Potatoes
August 24: "Omnivore's Dilemma"
by Michael Pollan
September 28: One pot simple recipes for dinner,
lunch or dessert....
Photo Caption: Each year, Americans consume more than 4.5 billion pounds of french fries (including more than two billion fast-food orders), snack on 6.7 billion pounds of potatoes processed into potato chips, and consume about 75 million pounds of Tater Tots.
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Great Courses Group – Zoom
Every Thursday 1:00 - 2:00 pm
New Series - starts July 8
Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire
Commanding shoguns and fierce samurai warriors, exotic geisha and exquisite artisans—all were part of a Japanese renaissance between the 16th and 19th centuries when Japan went from chaos and violence to a land of ritual refinement and peace.
But stability came at a price: for nearly 250 years, Japan was a land closed to the Western world, ruled by the shogun under his absolute power and control.
'Japan: Memoirs of a Secret Empire', is part of a PBS series. It brings to life the unknown story of a mysterious empire, its relationship with the West, and the forging of a nation that would emerge as one of the most important countries in the world.
Join us for this three-week series. Our meetings are fun
and filled with lively discussions.
Photo Caption: Three actors in a Kabuki production. Kubuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama and is known for its heavily-stylized performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate kumadori make-up worn by some of its performers.
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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: King Arthur's Round Table inspired a series of children's educational books about math. Currently, there are 11 books in the series written by Cindy Neuschwander and Wayne Geehan. The main character, Sir Cumference, is a knight in the kingdom of Camelot. He has a wife called
Lady Di of Ameter and a son named Radius.
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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: George Gershwin's 'Porgy and Bess' was first performed in Boston on September 30, 1935, before it moved to Broadway in New York City. It featured a cast of classically trained African-American singers—a daring artistic choice at the time. After an initially unpopular public reception, a 1976 Houston Grand Opera production gained it new popularity, and it is now one of the best-known
and most frequently performed operas.
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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: Spanish is a global language with nearly 500 million native speakers, mainly in
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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!!!
July 20: The Importance of Being Ernest
by Oscar Wilde
August 17: The Clean House
by Sarah Ruhl
September 21: Candida
by Bernard Shaw.
Contact: Gary Gonser ggonser3@gmail.com
Photo Caption: 'The Clean House' is a play by Sarah Ruhl, which premiered in 2004 at Yale Repertory Theatre, was produced Off-Broadway in 2006, and has since been produced in many theaters.
The play is a whimsical romantic comedy centered on Matilde, a Brazilian cleaning woman
who would rather be a comedienne.
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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).
July 25 - 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 the Fourth of July: On this day... Americans consume around 150 million hot dogs; the famed Macy’s fireworks show in New York City uses more than 75,000 fireworks shells and costs about $6 million; President Zachary Taylor died in 1850 after eating
spoiled fruit at a holiday celebration.
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"Who Done It?" Book Club – Zoom
3rd Wednesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm
We’re a Mystery Book Club
July 21: "The Blackhouse"
by Peter May
August 18: "The Cuckoos Calling"
by Robert Galbraith
September 15: "The Case of the Missing Servant"
by Tarwuin Hall
Please contact the club leader for a list of books
selected for 2021.
415-897-4844
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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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