| Lifelong Learning – Lifelong Doing – Lifelong Friends WELCOME TO ESCOM NEWS & CLUB NOTESWinter 2025Editor: Ellen Breazeale….breazeales@comcast.net |
 2025 – The Year of the Snake…a time for contemplation and patience Here’s a link to what’s happening at the San Francisco Zen Center andMill Valley’s Green Gulch Farm. |
 CLUB NEWS………………………………………………………………………………………………..The ESCOM Council wants to thankKevin Colgatefor faithfully leadingthe Moral and Ethical, Legal Roundtablefor the last eight years. The club held its last meeting in December after completing its study of ‘Thoughts on Capitalism’. |
| …………………………………………………………………………………………… CLUB NOTES…………………………………………………………………………………………… No matter what your interest, there’s an ESCOM club that’s ‘right’ for you. Review the list below. See what’s being offered andcontact a club leader to join the group! Most of the ESCOM clubs are continuing to meet via ZOOM but somemeet in person. Please access the ESCOM Club List for complete details. |
 Arlene Stark Philosophy of Science Club – Zoom1st, 3rd & 5th Monday10:00 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 studying ‘Medical Myths, Lies and Half-Truths’. People can join anytime. Contact: Jay Conner greatferm@email.com Photo Caption: How do myths begin. Read more to find out… |
 Astronomy Club2nd Monday10:00 am – Noon IVC ESCOM Center The ESCOM Astronomy Club is engaged in learning about and discussing the (non-mathematical) current knowledge of the structure ofthe 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 spacecraftand earth-based and space-based telescopes which use the range ofthe electro-magnetic spectrum. We learn and discuss about the hunt for exo-planets and the conditions for andagainst the possibility of life existing elsewhere. Our format is roughly an hour of discussion and presentations of book reviews, contemporary space exploration events, and whatto 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” and will view the following lectures: After each lecture, we’ll discuss the material covered and any contemporarydiscoveries that provide insights to the lecture. Contact: Michael Patrick mdpatric@pacbell.net 415-456-2778 Photo Caption:What: Determining Asteroid size.How: Not using visible light, instead using infrared light. |
 Book Club Forum4th Monday 1:00 – 3:00 pmIVC ESCOM CenterJan 27 – ‘How the Light Gets In’ – Joyce Maynard Feb 24 – ‘There Are Rivers in the Sky’ – Elif Shafak Mar 24 – ‘Look for Me There’ – Luke Russert Contact: Shirley Genetingenetin@sbcglobal – 415-717-5138 Photo Caption: Following the death of her former husband, Cam, fifty-four-year-old Eleanor has moved back to the New Hampshire farm where they raised three children to care for their brain-injured son, Toby, now an adult. Toby’s older brother, Al, is married and living in Seattle with his wife; their sister, Ursula, lives in Vermont with her husband and two children. Although all appears stable, old resentments, anger, and bitterness simmer just beneath the surface. |
 Book Club Marin County – Zoom4th Tuesday 1:30 – 3:00 pmNote: 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! Jan 28 – Emily Dickinson poems: ‘By the Sea’, ‘I Bring An Unaccustomed Wine’, ‘I Died for Beauty’, ‘The Wind’s Visit’, ‘I’m Nobody! Who Are You?’, and ‘Tell All the Truth but Let It Slant’ Feb 25 – Fredrich Durrenmatt’s novella, ‘A Dangerous Game’ Mar 25 – Shakespeare, ‘Richard III’ Contact: Norman Nayfach normansn@hotmail.com 415-499-3173Julio Burroughs Julioburroughs@gmail.com 415-927-1488 Photo Caption: Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (Dec. 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet, who was little-known during her life, but she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence |
 Chess ClubEvery Friday – 2:00 pm – 4:30 pmDeedy Lounge – KentfieldContact: Spencer Starspencer.star@gmail.com Photo Caption: This is one of the most famous paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola and also more proof that chess was for centuries a game popular among women as much as men. The Chess Game depicts three of Sofonisba’s sisters: Lucia (left), Europa (middle), and Minerva (right). They are enjoying a relaxed moment playing chess accompanied by the governess who is looking over at the game. |
 Current Events and Issues – Zoom2nd & 4th Thursday10:00 am – noonCurrent 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 begins 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 havebeen 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: With the death of Jimmy Carter in late December, the U.S. Federal Government was charged with planning and holding his state funeral. The first of these general public mourning events came upon the death of Benjamin Franklin (pictured) in 1790, and in 1799,following the death of George Washington. Preparations for Franklin’s funeral after his death on April 17, 1790, included a funeral procession to the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia and burial at Christ Church Burial Ground on April 21. It is estimated that 20,000 mourners gathered for Franklin’s funeral. The cortege was composed of Philadelphia society, ranging from Mayor Samuel Powel to American astronomer David Rittenhouse. Muffled bells rang and flags on the mast of ships as well as atop all government buildings flew at half-staff. Learn More… |
 Digital Camera Club1st Monday – Field Outing 3rd Monday Club Meeting10:30 am- 12:30 pmIVC 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 Field outings are: Jan 6 – COM Workshop with shooting theme of “Low Light” Feb 3 – Throckmorton Theater with shooting theme “Quirky” Mar 3 – Las Gallinas Ponds with shooting theme “Birds”Join our group to discover unique and unexpected locations, capture amazing photographs, and share your experiences! We typically meet in person on the 3rd Monday of each month at the IVC ESCOM Center to showcase photos on a shared theme, exchange ideas, and learn from one another.We’d love to have you with us! Contact: Harvey Abernatheyndimages6@gmail.com 415-385-0054Photo Caption: Photo by Harvey Abernathey – Group outing on November 4th to Old Adobe State Park, shooting on the theme of “Textures”. |
 Great Courses Group – ZoomEvery Thursday 1:30 – 3:00 pm This group is continuing to watch a wonderful video series, ‘Museum Masterpieces: The Metropolitan Museum of Art’, a course consisting of 24thirty-minute lectures. Professor Richard Brettell, Ph.D., who was the Margaret McDermott Distinguished Professor of Art and Aesthetics at The University of Texas at Dallas, is the lecturer. Professor Brettell believed that no other museum covers the history of humanity and its achievements as thoroughly as ‘The Met’. It is not just the greatest art museum in America, but that it is also the most complete encyclopedic art museum on the planet, rivaled only by the Louvre in Paris and the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, whose collections have significant gaps by comparison. 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 Photo Caption: One of the many African beaded masks at New York city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. |
 Maj Jong Club2nd & 4th Tuesday10:00 am – noonIVC ESCOM Center This club was formed to teach peoplehow to play Mah Jong andto offer a venue forexperienced 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 ofpeople who need lessons or just want to play. Contact: Linda Henderson linda_h@peak.orgPat Bailey… pbailey49@aol.com Photo Caption: There are eight flower tiles in a Mah Jong set. They represent the four seasons — Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring — and four Confucian plants: chrysanthemum, bamboo,orchid, and plum. |
 Mindfulness Meditation Club11:00 am – 12:30 pmNovato ESCOM Center: 1st, 3rd & 5th Tuesday(in-person & Zoom) Kentfield ESCOM Center: 2nd & 4th Tuesday(in-person only)This club brings folks together to learn and practice mindfulness. Whether we’rejust beginning or have meditated for years, we practice together to settle inour bodies while building capacity to accept negative experiences, savor positive ones, and embrace the impermanence of both. Our time together includes guided and silent meditations, plus group discussion to share skills and grow as a community. 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 415-328-4294Photo 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. |
 Opera and Beyond – Zoom2nd Tuesday1:00- 4:00 pmFull opera videos shown with English Subtitles Jan 14 – Die Fledermaus – Johann Strauss IIFeb 11 – La Boheme – Giacomo PucciniMar 11 – Rigoletto – Giuseppe Verdi Contact: Michael Sachs: (415) 298-1939 michahsachs@gmail.com Photo Caption:. ‘Rigoletto’, the tragic story about the licentious Duke of Mantua, his hunch-backed court jester Rigoletto, and Rigoletto’s daughter Gilda, is being performed this Summer at the Santa Fe Opera. Here’s the link to SFO’s production notes. |
 Reading Great Plays3rd Tuesday1:00 – 4:00KentfieldJan 28 – ‘Table Manners’ – Alan AyckburneFeb 25 – ‘Harvey’ – Mary ChaseMar 24 – ‘Uncle Vanya’- Anton Chekhov Contact: Gary Gonser ggonser3@gmail.comJohn Petrovsky jpetrovsky45@gmail.com Photo Caption:‘Table Manners’ is part of the ‘The Norman Conquests’, a trilogy of plays written in 1973 by Alan Ayckbourn. Each of the plays depicts the same six characters over the same weekend in a different part of a house. ‘Table Manners’ is set in the dining room, ‘Living Together’ in the living room, and ‘Round and Round the Garden’ in the garden. |
 Spanish Club – ZoomEvery Friday 1:00 – 2:30 pm Intermediate level conversationin Spanish on various topics. Contacts:Roberta Schwarz, reschwarz@sbcglobal.net 949-922-3291 Paula Hammonspaulahammons@yahoo.com 415-948-8451 Photo Caption: For hundreds of years, residents of Valencia, Spain, have celebrated the arrival of spring and paid tribute to San Jose (Saint Joseph), the patron saint of the carpenters’ guild, by building and then ceremonially burning huge monuments made of wood, cardboard, and paper. The monuments, or fallas, consist of ninots, or figures, many of which are caricatures that portray current events and celebrities. The two-week-long festival features parades, fireworks, and fiestas, and ends with the burning of hundreds of fallas,signifying cleansing and renewal. |
 Table Games Club2nd and 4th Wednesday11:00 am – 12:30 pmIVC ESCOM CenterGames 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: Listed as one of Amazon’s top10 games in 2024 with sales to more than 7,000 customers, this trivia-based board game allows participants to yell out the answer even if it’s not his/her turn. The first player to make it from start to finish on the game board wins. |
 Travel Literature 2nd Monday1:00 – 3:00 PMIVC 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. Contact: Deborah Patrickdebpatrick3@gmail.comy 8 Jan 19 – ‘The City of Falling Angels’ – John Berendt Feb 15 – ‘The Sheltering Sky’ – Paul Bowles Mar 12 – ‘Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople’ – Patrick Leigh Fermor Photo Caption: ‘The City of Falling Angels’ tells the story of some interesting inhabitants of Venice, Italy, whom the author John Berendt met while living there in the months following a fire which destroyed the historic Teatro La Fenice opera house in 1996. |
 The UR Discussion Group – Zoom2nd & 4th Friday – 10:00 – Noon Ur is a prefix, meaning primitive, original,earliest – as in Ur-text, Ur-language,or Pilsener Urquell, the source. It can also be an abbreviation for Ultimate Reality. The UR club is beginning a 24-lecture series on Frederick Neitzsche,enriched by the new (2018) biography, ‘I Am Dynamite’, by Sue Prideaux. Come see. Join us anytime. Contact: Jay Conner greatferm@email.com 415-858-3297 Photo Caption: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture, who became one of the mostinfluential of all modern thinkers. |
 “The Wednesday Detection Club” – Zoom1st Wednesday1:00 – 3:00 pm Feb 5 – ‘Nonna Maria and the Case of the Missing Bride’ – Lorenzo Carcaterra Mar 5 – TBA Contact: Diana Davis calekdiana@yahoo.com 415-897-4844 Photo Caption: Nonna Maria has lived on Ischia, an island in the Gulf of Naples, her entire life. Recognizable by the widow’s black she’s worn every day for decades; she always has pasta on the stove and espresso in the pot for the neighbors who stop by to ask her advice on life and love. Everyone knows her, and she knows everyone’s business. So, if something goes wrong, islanders look to her, not the local carabinieri, to find the solution. When a recently engaged woman confesses that she’s afraid her fiancé, a stranger to Ischia with a murky past, might not be who he seems, Nonna Maria helps her disappear so she can investigate the true nature of her betrothed. |
 ”Who Done It?” Book Club – Zoom 3rd Wednesday1:00 – 3:00 pm Jan 15 – ‘The Alehouse Murders’ – Maureen Ash Feb 19– ‘The Maid’ – Nita Prouse Mar 19 – ‘Pesticide’ – Kim Hayes Contact: Diana Davis calekdiana@yahoo.com 415-897-4844 Photo caption: After years of captivity in the Holy Land, Templar Bascot de Marins escapes with injuries to his body and soul. Now on sojourn at Lincoln Castle, he hopes to regain his strength, and mend his waning faith-but not even the peace of God’s countryside is safe from the mortalcrimes of man. When four victims are found slain in the town alehouse, Bascot discovers that what appears to be the grisly end to a drunken row is in fact a cunning and baffling case of murder. Bascot tracks his quarry from bawdy-house to baron’s keep, once again risking his life for the justice of God’s will. |
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