Lifelong Learning - Lifelong Doing - Lifelong Friends

WELCOME TO ESCOM NEWS & CLUB NOTES

May/June 2024



Editor: Ellen Breazeale....breazeales@comcast.net

CLUB NEWS

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The ESCOM Council would like to thank two club leaders who recently stepped down from their posts ---

Bob Phillips and Lisa Symonds.

Bob led the ESCOM Chess Club for many years and kept it going during the COVID Pandemic -- not an easy task.

He's now going to fill his 'free' time with playing golf and doubles tennis, shooting pool, and taking walks in the woods with his wife each week. 

Lisa has done a wonderful job this last year forming a new ESCOM Club, The Explorers. Just as the club was to launch with its first events, Lisa was

assigned to a new job in Reno,

We wish both of them well and again thank them for all the hours they've

contributed to ESCOM.

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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 but some

meet in person. Please access the ESCOM Club List for complete details.

Arlene Stark 

Philosophy of Science Club – Zoom

1st, 3rd & 5th Monday

10:00 am - noon

This club continues as a tribute to its esteemed late leader, Arlene Stark.

Discussions and programs focus on Science and Philosophy.

The group is starting a new series -- “What Darwin Didn’t Know” -- which examines the developments of Darwin’s theory since its formulation.

Ongoing for 24 lectures. People can join anytime.

Contact: Jay Conner greatferm@email.com

Photo Caption: From fish, reptile, ape, to man.

Astronomy Club

2nd Monday

10:00 am - Noon

IVC ESCOM Center

The ESCOM Astronomy Club is engaged in learning about and discussing 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. 

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 “Radio Astronomy: Observing the Invisible Universe”, 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: Messier 64, NGC 4826 - Galaxy

Where: Constellation Coma Berenices

Distance: 17 million Light Years

Size: 50,000 + light years diameter

Book Club Forum



4th Monday 1:00 - 3:00 pm

IVC ESCOM Center

May 27 - 'The Wager' - David Grann

Jun 24- 'The Flaming Trees of Thika' - Elsbeth Huxley

Contact: Shirley Genetin

genetin@sbcglobal - 415-717-5138

Photo Caption:  New York Times Best Seller. A story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events on The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but

 the very idea of empire.

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 you prefer not to purchase any of the books to be discussed, you may wish to 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! 





May 28 - Adam Kirsch, non-fiction: 'The Revolt Against Humanity-Imagining a Future Without Us.' [Columbia Global Reports, 2023, paperback, ISBN 9781735913766-$16].

Jun 25 - Thornton Wilder: 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey' [Hawthorne Classics,

about $5.00].

Contact: Norman Nayfach normansn@hotmail.com 415-499-3173

Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488

Photo Caption: 'The Bridge of San Luis Rey' was Thornton Wilder's second novel, published when he was just 30, and it won him the Pulitzer Prize in 1928. It tells the story of a religious man's spiritual quest to determine why God allows disasters to occur. Wilder sets the action in Lima, Peru, in 1714, where a Franciscan monk witnesses the collapse of a bridge that has stood for over a century,

killing the five people on it.

Chess Club

Every Friday - 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Deedy Lounge - Kentfield



Contact: Spenser Star

spencer.star@gmail.com

This long-time ESCOM Club has a new leader -- Spenser Star. Here are some of his thoughts about the club and about chess.

Chess is in a golden age with more interest and more ways to play than ever before. About 70% of the adult population (US, UK, Germany, Russia, India) has played chess at some point in their lives, and 605 million adults play chess regularly. 

We have an ESCOM Chess Club that meets Friday at 2:00 pm in a room at the Kentfield Campus. Members also play online during the week. We have about a dozen people who are members with about eight who play regularly on Fridays. In addition to our regular Friday games, we have rapid (25 minutes) and blitz (10 minutes) tournaments with two games a week, played either over the board or online. Everyone in a tournament plays every other player twice, once as black and once as white.

Players are rated with an ELO number, where 400 to 600 is a beginner, 700 to 1200 as advanced beginner to intermediate, and 1300 to 1800 as advanced intermediate. Grandmasters typically are rated 2600 to 2850. In our club most of the players are in the inte

rmediate to advanced intermediate with some people at the advanced beginner level.

If you are new to chess, there are many free lessons available at chess.com, lichess.org, chessable.com or on youtube.com. 

Chess is a great game. Wherever you are, at home or traveling, you will always

find chess players. 

Current Events and Issues – Zoom

2nd & 4th Thursday

10:00 am - noon



Current Events club has no agenda.

Because…once you write it down, it is no longer current.

From Jay Conner, the club leader: Before the meeting at 10 AM the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, we each have time to turn to our morning news source of choice for a nugget of news or concern we can present for the consideration of our assembled fellows.

I remember members who claim we have been doing this longer than anyone, that the memory of ESCOM runneth not to the contrary.

Perhaps it runneth not to the affirmative either, but who haveth the burden of proof ?



We welcome all fresh, new, informed opinions, civilly presented and argued.

Contact: Jay Conner greatferm@email.com 415-858-3297

Photo Caption: Gallup was the first polling organization to conduct accurate opinion polling for United States presidential elections. Gallup polling has often been accurate in predicting the outcome of presidential elections and the margin of victory for the winner. However, it missed some close elections: 1948, 1976 and 2004, the popular vote in 2000, and the likely-voter numbers in 2012. 

Digital Camera Club

1st Monday - Field Outing  

3rd Monday Club Meeting

10:30 am- 12:30 pm

IVC ESCOM Center

Open to anyone who would like to expand their photographic capabilities by learning from others on how to capture images.

Our club meetings are held in-person at the IVC Campus.

Our next club outing is a multi-day trip from May 3rd - 6th; scheduled to "Explore the Gold Country" around Sonora, CA with shooting theme of "Bits & Pieces". 

Feel free reach out if you would like to join with our group to explore locations you may not think of going to...then getting together to share the experiences of photography.

Contact: Harvey Abernathey

ndimages6@gmail.com 415-385-0054



Photo Caption:  Photo by Harvey Abernathey - Group outing on April 1st to Japan Town in San Francisco, shooting on the theme of "Shapes".  

The Explorers

Monthly - Place/Date/Time TBA

Do you like to explore new places, learn new things, meet new friends or revisit local places you have not been to for a while? 



The Explorers, a new group, is for you! 



May 15 - Miniature Gold at McGinnis Park

Jun 7- Concerts on the Green at Novato City Hall

Please read the description for these two events...click here.

Contact the club leader with any questions.



Ellen Breazeale...breazeales@comcast.net

Photo Caption: Amelia Earhart was an American aviation pioneer. On July 2, 1937, Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world. During her life, she embraced celebrity culture and women's rights, and since her disappearance has become a cultural icon.

Friday Film Night - Zoom



4th and sometimes last Friday - 5:30 pm

Club members watch a favorite film every month and discuss it afterwards.

Running time for films is approximately

120 minutes allowing for plenty of time for everyone to mimic Roger Ebert.

May 24 - 'The Duelist'

France, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.

See IMDB Overview...

Jun 27 - 'Never too Late For Love'

Astolfo, a retired professor, moves back to his hometown and befriends an odd group of local characters. The group of four live harmoniously at his place when he comes across Stefania, a charming and generous woman of his age. Astolfo falls in love and struggles with feelings he thought belonged to the past.

See IMDB Overview...

Contact: Ellen Breazeale - breazeales@comcast.net 415-892-6546

Great Courses Group – Zoom

Every Thursday 1:00 - 2:30 pm

This group is watching a video series, 'Understanding the World's Greatest Structures: Science and Innovation from Antiquity to Modernity', a course consisting.

of 24 thirty-minute lectures.

The lecturer, Stephen Ressler, is a Professor Emeritus from the United States

Military Academy at West Point, where he taught for 21 years. He holds

an MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University and is a registered professional engineer in Virginia. He served in a variety of military engineering assignments in the United States, Europe, and Central Asia.

A new course will begin in early July...'The Early Middle Ages'.

You can 'drop in' and join us for these sessions.

Our meetings are fun and filled with lively discussions. 

Contact:

Ellen Breazeale breazeales@comcast.net  415-892-6546

Walt Campbell walterlcampbell@aol.com

Photo Caption: Fallingwater is a house designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935. Situated in the Mill Run section of Stewart township, about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA. Built partly over a waterfall on the Bear Run river, the house was designed to serve as a weekend retreat for Liliane and Edgar J. Kaufmann, the owners of Pittsburgh's Kaufmann's Department Store. It is used in the Great Courses lecture series as an outstanding example of the uses of concrete.

Humanities Club

1st & 3rd Friday

1:00 - 3:00 pm



IVC ESCOM Center

Contact:Ruth King

ruthjjking@yahoo.com 415-898-5845

New Leader Needed...

This Club's meetings are divided between two Great Courses series:

'London in the Time of Dickens', an opportunity to experience the British capital through the eyes of a literary master whose work is inextricably tied to the city and its rich history.

Throughout 12 lectures taught by Professor Lillian Nayder of Bates College, you’ll tour the city of London in a time of rapid transformation through the life and work of Charles Dickens, uncovering the history of the metropolis, while also witnessing the everyday experiences of Londoners from all walks of life as Dickens represents them.

'The World was Never the Same', a captivating course in which

Professor Rufus Fears—a master storyteller and one of the most popular instructors on the Great Courses faculty—provides viewers with 36 of the most important and

definitive events in the history of the world. 

History is made and defined by landmark events -- moments that irrevocably changed the course of human civilization. While many of us are taught that anonymous social, political, and economic forces are the driving factors behind events of the past, Professor Fears believes that it's individuals, acting alone or together, who alter

the course of history.

Photo Caption: After democracy was created, it had to be protected. And no battle was more important to defending democracy in its formative stages than the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. The clash between Athens and the massive Persian Empire; a conflict that

involved decisive leadership and surprise tactics

Maj Jong Club

2nd & 4th Tuesday

10:00 am - noon

IVC ESCOM Center

This club was formed to teach people how to play Mah Jong and to offer a venue for experienced players to meet.

This is not a club where you can 'drop in' with the expectation that you can join a game. You must contact the club leaders, so they can plan

on the number of people who need lessons

orjust want to play.

Contact: Linda Henderson linda_h@peak.org

Pat Bailey... pbailey49@aol.com

Photo Caption: Most Mah Jong players learn the 'names' of the tile 'suits' -- cracks, bams, dots, winds, and flowers. But few know that these 'suits' also have symbolic meanings. Cracks, for instance,

represent money and prosperity.

Read the following article on the history of Maj Jong and some aspects of the game that

are not readily available.

Here's the link...Why Are Mahjong Tiles Called Cracks? A Computer Geek‘s Deep Dive - 33rd Square

Mindfulness Meditation Club

1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday

11:00 am - 12:30 pm

IVC ESCOM Center

Hybrid Meeting - Zoom option



This club brings us together to learn and practice mindfulness meditation in a supportive group setting.

Whether novice or experienced practitioner, we can always develop further, and community helps. Our emphasis is on mindfulness of the body, which many consider the most important form of practice. We take advantage of biological knowledge and draw from ancient wisdom traditions.

Our goal is to grow more familiar and comfortable with the basic features of life, including transience, interdependence, and the inevitability of challenges. We foster compassionate acceptance of current circumstances while building capacity to meet life with clarity, gratitude, generosity, and skill.

Contact: Will Meecham willmeecham@gmail.com 415-328-4294



Photo Caption: Mindfulness...a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations.

Moral and Ethical,

Legal Roundtable – Zoom

1st, 3rd, and 5th 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.

This club is currently studying 'Thoughts on Capitalism', a 36-lecture course taught by 

Professor Jerry Z. Muller, Ph.D. It is designed to help students think about capitalism, not only as an economic system, but in terms of its moral, political, and cultural effects.

The club is also discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT), Google Gemini (GPT),

and Synthetic Biology. All Parts of the Comimg Wave (Mustafa Solymen)

the impacts across society.



Join us with your ideas and opinions.

 Contact: Kevin Colgate 

kevincolgate@hotmail.com 415-624-4362 

Opera and Beyond Club - Zoom

2nd Tuesday 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Full opera video

shown with English Subtitles

Future Operas will be announced on a monthly basis.

Contact: Michael Sachs

 michahsachs@gmail.com 

415-298-1939 

Photo Caption: You don't have to go to La Scala to enjoy

good opera. It's available in Petaluma at the Cinnebar Theater, a 1908 schoolhouse, which was purchased by

Marvin Klebe (1935–1999) and his wife, Jan Klebe, in 1970

as a venue to produce opera and musical theater.

To learn more about the upcoming production at the Cinnebar of Puccini's glorious love story, 'La Boheme', click here:

La Boheme - Cinnabar Theater

Spanish Club – Zoom



Every Friday 1:00 - 2:30 pm

Intermediate level conversation

in Spanish on various topics.

Contacts:

Roberta Schwarz, 

reschwarz@sbcglobal.net 

949-922-3291

Paula Hammons

paulahammons@yahoo.com 

415-948-8451

Photo Caption: A holiday with mariachis and margaritas! Absolutely fabulous! Did you know that more people in the United States celebrate this holiday than people in Mexico.

If you want to learn more, click on the following link. ..

10 Interesting Cinco de Mayo Facts You Didn’t Know - StudySpanish.com,

Table Games Club

2nd and 4th Wednesday

11:00 am - 12:30 pm

IVC ESCOM Center



Games such as Scrabble, RummiKube, Mexican Train (Dominoes), and card games! 

We encourage fun and participation.

Game rules are followed but there maybe some 'wiggle-room'

(so keep your rule-books at home!)

Contact: Sue Derana 

sderana@yahoo.com 415-987-1719

Photo caption: Mexican Train is becoming very popular in Marin. The JCC in San Rafael for instance, holds periodic two-hour sessions on learning how to play. The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from his or her hand onto one or more chains, or trains, emanating from a central hub or "station". The game's most popular name comes from a special optional train that belongs to all players. However, the game can be played without the Mexican train; such variants are generally called "private trains" or "domino trains". It is related to the game Chicken Foot.

Travel Literature 

2nd Monday

1:00 – 3:00 PM

IVC ESCOM Center

This club was formed to share travel through the writings of talented authors and the experiences each member has had -- whether

extensive or limited.

May 13 –

May 13 - 'Into A Paris Quartier' - Diane Johnson

Jun 10 - 'Lost in My Own Backyard' - Tim Cahill

Contact: Deborah Patrick

debpatrick3@gmail.com

Photo Caption: Diane Johnson explores St-Germain-des-Prés, that most touristic of Paris neighborhoods, and tries to do it justice. Part of National Geographic’s Literaty Travel series, which challenges authors to write guidebooks to the areas that inspire their fiction.

"The Wednesday Detection Club" – Zoom

1st Wednesday

1:00 - 3:00 pm

May 1 - 'The Penguin Pool Murder' - Stuart Armstrong

Jun 5 - 'The Case of the Dotty Dowager' - Cathy Ace

  Contact: Diana Davis 

calekdiana@yahoo.com  415-897-4844 

Photo Caption: In this classic whodunnit, crime-solving teacher Hildegarde Withers discovers a dead body while on a trip to the New York Aquarium with her third-grade class.

"Who Done It?" Book Club – Zoom

3rd Wednesday

1:00 - 3:00 pm

May 15- 'Mastering the Art of French ' -

 Colleen Cambridge

Jun 19 - 'Fprtime Favprs tje Dead' -

Stephen Spotswood

Contact: Diana Davis

 calekdiana@yahoo.com  415-897-4844 

Photo caption: Set in midcentury Paris and starring Julia Child’s fictional best friend, this magnifique reimagining of the iconic chef’s years at Le Cordon Bleu blends a delicious murder mystery with a unique culinary twist.

For the complete ESCOM Club List, click here.

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