Category: Activities (Page 1 of 32)

Activities are gatherings that occur on a regular schedule, usually weekly, to enjoy a specific pastime.

Book Club: The Restless Wave, by James Stavridis, Feb 12, 2025

The Restless Wave by Adm. James Stavridis pp.400

From the New York Times bestselling former NATO commander comes a riveting historical novel that charts the coming-of-age of a gifted but immature young naval officer as he is tested in the crucible of World War II in the Pacific

Scott Bradley James arrives in Annapolis, Maryland, as a plebe in the class of 1941 without a terribly good idea why he wants to be a naval officer, other than that his father was a sailor, and he wants to see the world, whatever that means. Scott and his roommate become fast friends, and, after surviving scrapes of their own making, the two fetch up at Pearl Harbor. War is brewing, and their class has graduated early. They have been sent to battle stations.

Admiral James Stavridis is an acclaimed novelist, a decorated military leader, and a great student of military history. He draws on it all to capture the experience of being storm-tossed by the bloody first years of the Second World War. Scott Bradley James is a talented young officer, but he has a lot to learn. And war will have a lot to teach him.

The Restless Wave offers a gripping account of the U.S. Navy’s astonishing progress through the first three years of the war in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor through to Midway, Guadalcanal, and the Coral Sea. A story of character under pressure in the harshest of proving grounds, it is written with careful fidelity to the truths of war that have made sea stories essential to the art of storytelling since Odysseus. (Goodreads)

Book Club: Knife by Salman Rushdie, Jan 8, 2025

Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie ( ; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and Western civilizations, typically set on the Indian subcontinent. Rushdie’s second novel, ”Midnight’s Children” (1981), won the Booker Prize in 1981 and was deemed to be “the best novel of all winners” on two occasions, marking the 25th and the 40th anniversary of the prize.

After his fourth novel, ”The Satanic Verses” (1988), Rushdie became the subject of several assassination attempts and death threats, including a ”fatwa” calling for his death issued by Ruhollah Khomeini, the supreme leader of Iran. In total, 20 countries banned the book. Numerous killings and bombings have been carried out by extremists who cite the book as motivation, sparking a debate about censorship and religiously motivated violence. In 2022, Rushdie survived a stabbing at the Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York.

In 1983, Rushdie was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He was appointed a of France in 1999. Rushdie was knighted in 2007 for his services to literature. In 2008, ”The Times” ranked him 13th on its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. Since 2000, Rushdie has lived in the United States. He was named Distinguished Writer in Residence at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute of New York University in 2015. Earlier, he taught at Emory University. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2012, he published ”Joseph Anton: A Memoir”, an account of his life in the wake of the events following ”The Satanic Verses”. Rushdie was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by ”Time” magazine in April 2023.

Rushdie’s personal life, including his five marriages and four divorces, has attracted notable media attention and controversies, particularly during his marriage to actress Padma Lakshmi.

Happy Wanderers, Thursday, Nov 14, 2024

 Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 8:36 a.m.

 The next visit to New York will actually be to New Jersey! We will take the train from Darien at 8:36 a.m. (or 3 minutes later from Noroton Heights) to Grand Central, and then via the shuttle and bus across to Weehawken. Under the guidance of Sunil Saksena, we will go to Hoboken and visit sites along the Hudson River, including the Erie Lackawanna railroad depot and Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.

 Please direct any questions to David Mace or Joe Spain. Contact them at davidmace@optonline.net or jhspain@sbcglobal.net.

Current Affairs December 12 at 2pm: Dan Lew will lead discussion of the ethical and societal implications of AI development,

The evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been a transformative journey, from its humble beginnings in the 1950s to the current era of machine learning and deep learning. As AI continues to advance, it holds immense potential to revolutionize various industries, such as healthcare, finance, and transportation. However, this potential also raises concerns about the utopian and dystopian implications of AI on human society. On the one hand, AI can enhance productivity, improve decision-making, and drive innovation, leading to unprecedented prosperity and progress. On the other hand, the increasing reliance on AI raises questions about job displacement, bias, and surveillance, potentially exacerbating social inequalities and threatening human autonomy. As we navigate this complex landscape, it is crucial to consider the ethical and societal implications of AI development, ensuring that its benefits are equitably distributed and its risks mitigated, ultimately shaping a future where humans and AI collaborate harmoniously.

Book Club: Battle of Ink & Ice by Darrell Hartman, Dec 11, 2024

“A sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news that follows the no-holds-barred battle between two legendary explorers to reach the North Pole, and the newspapers which stopped at nothing to get–and sell–the story. In the fall of 1909, a pair of bitter contests captured the world’s attention. The American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed to have discovered the North Pole, sparking a vicious feud that was unprecedented in international scientific and geographic circles. At the same time, the rivalry between two powerful New York City newspapers–the storied Herald and the ascendant Times–fanned the flames of the so-called polar controversy, as each paper financially and reputationally committed itself to an opposing explorer and fought desperately to defend him. The Herald was owned and edited by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., an eccentric playboy whose nose for news was matched only by his appetite for debauchery and champagne. The Times was published by Adolph Ochs, son of Jewish immigrants, who’d improbably rescued the paper from extinction and turned it into an emerging powerhouse. The battle between Cook and Peary would have enormous consequences for both newspapers, and help to determine the future of corporate media. Battle of Ink and Ice presents a frank portrayal of Arctic explorers, brave men who both inspired and divided the public. It also sketches a vivid portrait of the newspapers that funded, promoted, narrated, and often distorted their exploits. It recounts a sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news, one that culminates with an unjustly overlooked chapter in the origin story of the modern New York Times. By turns tragic and absurd, Battle of Ink and Ice brims with contemporary relevance, touching as it does on themes of class, celebrity, the ever-quickening news cycle, and the benefits and pitfalls of an increasingly interconnected world. Above all, perhaps, its cast of characters testifies–colorfully and compellingly–to the ongoing role of personality and publicity in American cultural life as the Gilded Age gave way to the twentieth century–the American century”–

Book Club: Breaking Through by Katalin Karikó, Nov 13, 2024

A powerful memoir from Katalin Karikó, winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, whose decades-long research led to the COVID-19 vaccines

“Katalin Karikó’s story is an inspiration.”—Bill Gates

“Riveting . . . a true story of a brilliant biochemist who never gave up or gave in.”—Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

Katalin Karikó has had an unlikely journey. The daughter of a butcher in postwar communist Hungary, Karikó grew up in an adobe home that lacked running water, and her family grew their own vegetables. She saw the wonders of nature all around her and was determined to become a scientist. That determination eventually brought her to the United States, where she arrived as a postdoctoral fellow in 1985 with $1,200 sewn into her toddler’s teddy bear and a dream to remake medicine.

Karikó worked in obscurity, battled cockroaches in a windowless lab, and faced outright derision and even deportation threats from her bosses and colleagues. She balked as prestigious research institutions increasingly conflated science and money. Despite setbacks, she never wavered in her belief that an ephemeral and underappreciated molecule called messenger RNA could change the world. Karikó believed that someday mRNA would transform ordinary cells into tiny factories capable of producing their own medicines on demand. She sacrificed nearly everything for this dream, but the obstacles she faced only motivated her, and eventually she succeeded.

Karikó’s three-decade-long investigation into mRNA would lead to a staggering achievement: vaccines that protected millions of people from the most dire consequences of COVID-19. These vaccines are just the beginning of mRNA’s potential. Today, the medical community eagerly awaits more mRNA vaccines—for the flu, HIV, and other emerging infectious diseases.

Breaking Through
 isn’t just the story of an extraordinary woman. It’s an indictment of closed-minded thinking and a testament to one woman’s commitment to laboring intensely in obscurity—knowing she might never be recognized in a culture that is driven by prestige, power, and privilege—because she believed her work would save lives.

Book Group: Table for Two by Amor Towels, Oct 16, 2024 @ 2:00

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

“A knockout collection. … Sharp-edged satire deceptively wrapped like a box of Neuhaus chocolates, Table for Two is a winner.” —The New York Times

“Superb … This may be Towles’ best book yet. Each tale is as satisfying as a master chef’s main course, filled with drama, wit, erudition and, most of all, heart.” —Los Angeles Times

Millions of Amor Towles fans are in for a treat as he shares some of his shorter fiction: six stories based in New York City and a novella set in Golden Age Hollywood.

The New York stories, most of which take place around the year 2000, consider the fateful consequences that can spring from brief encounters and the delicate mechanics of compromise that operate at the heart of modern marriages.

In Towles’s novel Rules of Civility, the indomitable Evelyn Ross leaves New York City in September 1938 with the intention of returning home to Indiana. But as her train pulls into Chicago, where her parents are waiting, she instead extends her ticket to Los Angeles. Told from seven points of view, “Eve in Hollywood” describes how Eve crafts a new future for herself—and others—in a noirish tale that takes us through the movie sets, bungalows, and dive bars of Los Angeles.

Written with his signature wit, humor, and sophistication, Table for Two is another glittering addition to Towles’s canon of stylish and transporting fiction.

Current Affairs 2pm October 17,2024, Sunil Saksena will lead a Current Affairs discussion about India’s economy, its politics, the state of its democracy, its foreign policy and whether Washington’s growing friendship with India will yield the results it expects.

India’s rise as a global power is marked by its growing economic, military, and strategic significance. With the world’s largest population and a burgeoning economy projected to be the third largest in the world by 2027, India is increasingly seen as a pivotal player on the global stage. Its strategic importance is underscored by its role in regional and international alliances, such as the Quad and BRICS, and its leadership among the Global South. Geopolitically, India is central to the Indo-Pacific region, where great power competition is intensifying. Its strategic partnerships, particularly with the United States, have strengthened, driven by shared concerns over China’s regional ambitions. The US-India relationship has deepened through defense cooperation and technology transfer, positioning India as a key partner in maintaining a “free and open Indo-Pacific”.

For US foreign policy, India’s rise offers both opportunities and challenges. The US views India as a potential counterbalance to China, aligning with its vision for regional stability and prosperity. However, India’s commitment to strategic autonomy and its longstanding ties with Russia present complexities in this partnership. Despite these challenges, India’s democratic framework and growing geopolitical influence make it an essential component of US foreign policy in Asia.

https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/why-india-became-indispensable-to-us-foreign-policy-and-pakistan-was-left-behind/

Strategic Advantages of India in Shaping the Global Order

https://www.project-syndicate.org/onpoint/india-must-manage-its-own-growing-global-systemic-importance-by-mohamed-a-el-erian-and-michael-spence-2024-03

https://www.economist.com/asia/2024/06/04/a-shock-election-result-in-india-humbles-narendra-modi

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/world/asia/india-changed-modi-swearing-in.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/06/07/world/asia/india-election-map.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/04/25/how-strong-is-indias-economy

https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/economy/asia-pacific/india-economic-outlook.html

https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2024/01/how-india-can-seize-its-moment-to-become-the-world-s-third-largest-economy/

https://hbr.org/2023/09/is-india-the-worlds-next-great-economic-power?utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=domcontent_businessmgmt&utm_term=Non-Brand&tpcc=domcontent_businessmgmt&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD9b3uRB0VkvhYT9pD5B3rebUfvD9&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv6vBmYu5iAMVTWhHAR2YqzomEAAYAiAAEgL5RvD_BwE

Golf Outing: Darien Country Club, Sep 24, 2024

The golf committee is happy to announce our third golf event which will be held on Sep 24, 2024 at the Country Club of Darien.

Tee times will begin at 8:30 (TO BE CONFIRMED), followed by an optional lunch.

Thanks to Tom Lom, who has sponsored the event, we have the opportunity to play on one of the most beautiful courses in Fairfield County.
The format will be three non CCD members playing with a CCD member.
As always the committee will take entrees on a first come basis.
The fees will be $115 Greens fee for non-CCD members, $47 Cart fee.
If  you want to play on this special course on August 20, please e-mail  Cliff van Voorhees: civanv@gmail.com.
PLEASE TELL HIM IF YOU ARE A CCD MEMBER OR NOT.
Your golf committee again thanks Tom Lom for making this great outing possible!
Bob McGroarty, Jerry Crowley, Cliff van Voothee

Book Club: Battle of Ink and Ice: A Sensational Story of News Barons, North Pole Explorers, and the Making of Modern Media by Darrell Hartman, Dec 11, 2024

“A sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news that follows the no-holds-barred battle between two legendary explorers to reach the North Pole, and the newspapers which stopped at nothing to get–and sell–the story. In the fall of 1909, a pair of bitter contests captured the world’s attention. The American explorers Robert Peary and Frederick Cook both claimed to have discovered the North Pole, sparking a vicious feud that was unprecedented in international scientific and geographic circles. At the same time, the rivalry between two powerful New York City newspapers–the storied Herald and the ascendant Times–fanned the flames of the so-called polar controversy, as each paper financially and reputationally committed itself to an opposing explorer and fought desperately to defend him. The Herald was owned and edited by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., an eccentric playboy whose nose for news was matched only by his appetite for debauchery and champagne. The Times was published by Adolph Ochs, son of Jewish immigrants, who’d improbably rescued the paper from extinction and turned it into an emerging powerhouse. The battle between Cook and Peary would have enormous consequences for both newspapers, and help to determine the future of corporate media. Battle of Ink and Ice presents a frank portrayal of Arctic explorers, brave men who both inspired and divided the public. It also sketches a vivid portrait of the newspapers that funded, promoted, narrated, and often distorted their exploits. It recounts a sixty-year saga of frostbite and fake news, one that culminates with an unjustly overlooked chapter in the origin story of the modern New York Times. By turns tragic and absurd, Battle of Ink and Ice brims with contemporary relevance, touching as it does on themes of class, celebrity, the ever-quickening news cycle, and the benefits and pitfalls of an increasingly interconnected world. Above all, perhaps, its cast of characters testifies–colorfully and compellingly–to the ongoing role of personality and publicity in American cultural life as the Gilded Age gave way to the twentieth century–the American century”–

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