Category: Activities (Page 22 of 50)

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

September 16th at 11am Current Affairs: Real Life as a Palestinian-Has America gotten this one right or wrong? As a successful international lawyer, some two decades ago, David Maloof asked: “How could he make the biggest difference in this life. He decided that the biggest challenge he could undertake was to try to solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

June 7, 2021 /

Real Life as a Palestinian-Has America gotten this one right or wrong?  David Maloof will moderate the discussion.

  1. Background

I am pleased to lead an in-house conversation on “Real Life as a Palestinian: Has America Gotten This Right or Wrong?” on September 16th  from 11am-12 noon.

To save on time, let me start by providing my personal vantage point.

As a successful international lawyer, some two decades ago I asked: how could I make the biggest difference in this life?  I decided that the biggest challenge I could undertake was to try to solve Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

I then undertook the following tasks, among others:

1.  Visiting Palestinian refugee camps in the West Bank and Lebanon to participate in real life; funding recreational facilities and a basketball court at a Palestinian refugee camp; serving on the national board of a Christian organization (“Churches for Middle East Peace”) dedicated to this cause, still a member; taking out a ½ page ad in the New York Times; paying for highway billboards; attending international Jewish organization’s peace conferences and lecturing on college campuses about my experiences; reviewing legal brief for US peace activist NGO.

2. Meeting with Middle East Christian Leaders; Palestinian leaders in Ramallah; Chief Palestinian negotiator (Saeb           Erekat) and Palestinian and Arab leaders and ambassadors in Washington and London; Israeli Foreign Ministry in Tel Aviv; members of Knesset in Tel Aviv; Israeli Settlement leaders; and Israeli media elite.

3. Meetings with US Senators, their staffs, and officials in the State Department; meeting with National Security Council Staff in the Obama White House; meeting with US Consul General in Jerusalem; providing informational documentaries to the same National Security Staff; meeting with George Mitchell, U.S. peace envoy.

4. Interacting with US media to place Palestinian peacemakers on US television and radio programs, such as CNN International and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (2009).

5. Arranged for the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to directly address the American people in English on a college campus (The Cooper Union) and call for peace (September 22, 2014).

Notes on the parameters of the September 16, 2021 discussion given the potential breadth of the topic and the limited time:

1. I would like to hew closely to the subject of: “Real Life for a Palestinian.”

2. I suggest that given time restraints we avoid discussion of historical events and try to stick to the current situation in 2020-2021.

3. I suggest that it would also probably be useful to focus on current living conditions in 2020 and 2021 in Palestine and in Israel.

4. suggest that we should focus more on current and possible future US policies than past ones.

Media

 I suggest that you might go online and watch some of the two following media:

1. “John Oliver – Last Week Tonight” Israel v. Palestine (5/17/21)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/jgbw2g1hobvpevv/John%20Oliver%20-%20Israel%20v.%20Palestine%20Conflict.mp4?dl=0

2. “Budrus” (2009) (1 hour, 22 minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/Budrus-Ayed-Morrar/dp/B00B1Z20UQ

3. “Five Broken Cameras” (2011). (Nominated for an Academy Award in 2013 for “Best Documentary.”) (1 hour, 34 minutes)

https://www.amazon.com/5-Broken-Cameras-English-Subtitled/dp/B00B03Z858

4. “The Daily Show” (guest Mustafa Barghouti) (2009)

https://www.cc.com/video/l00143/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-exclusive-anna-baltzer-mustafa-barghouti-extended-interview-pt-1

5. Anna Balzer, “Life in Occupied Palestine.” (2008)

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Occupied-Palestine-Eyewitness-Stories/dp/0930852478

6. Written Materials

I also suggest reading some of the following written materials:

Daily Life/Human Rights in Israel

  1. B’Tselem, “A Regime of Jewish Supremacy from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea: This is Apartheid,” (2021)https://www.btselem.org/sites/default/files/publications/202101_this_is_apartheid_eng.pdf
  2. B’Tselem, “This is Apartheid,” (2021) https://thisisapartheid.btselem.org/eng/#1
  3. Human Rights Watch, “A Threshold Crossed: Israeli Authorities and the Crimes of Apartheid and Persecution,” (2021) https://www.hrw.org/report/2021/04/27/threshold-crossed/israeli-authorities-and-crimes-apartheid-and-persecution
  4. Amnesty International, “Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories 2020” (2020) https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/middle-east-and-north-africa/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/

Treatment of Children in Palestine

  1. UNICEF, “The Situation of Palestinian Children in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon,” (2010)https://www.unicef.org/oPt/PALESTINIAN_SITAN-final.pdf
  2. Human Rights Watch, “Second Class: Discrimination against Palestinian Arab Children in Israel’s Schools,” (2001)https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/israel2/ISRAEL0901.pdf

Life in Gaza in 2020-2021

 1. Ghalayini, Basama, “A Gazan’s View on Hamas: It’s Not Complicated,” (2021) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/opinion/israel-hamas-gaza-ceasefire.html

2. Save the Children, “Denial of Healthcare outside Gaza Is a Death Sentence for Children,” (2020) https://reliefweb.int/report/occupied-palestinian-territory/denial-healthcare-outside-gaza-death-sentence-children-save#:~:text=oPt-,’Denial%20of%20healthcare%20outside%20Gaza%20is%20a%20death,for%20children’%3A%20Save%20the%20Children&text=Children%20in%20Gaza%20are%20dying,Save%20the%20Children%20is%20warning

3. Al Jazeera, “‘Staggering’: WHO Says 200,000 Palestinians in Need of Health Aid,” (2021) https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/2/who-says-nearly-200000-palestinians-in-need-health-of-health-aid

4. BBC, “Israel-Gaza Violence: The Conflict Explained,” (2021) https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44124396#:~:text=A%20ceasefire’s%20been%20agreed%20between,240%20people%20have%20been%20killed.&text=Israel%20and%20Hamas%20both%20claimed%20victory%20in%20the%20latest%20conflict

5. Conley, Julia, “This Is the Price of War,” (2021) https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/05/27/price-war-israeli-newspaper-publishes-photos-all-67-palestinian-children-killed-gaza

6. Balousha, Hazem and Berger, Miriam, “The U.N. Once Predicted Gaza Would be ‘Uninhabitable’ by 2020.  Two Million People Still Live There,” (2020)https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/01/01/un-predicted-gaza-would-be-uninhabitable-by-heres-what-that-actually-means/

7. Hearst, David, “Gaza 2020: How Easy It Is for the World to Delete Palestinian Pain,” (2019) https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/gaza-2020-un-report-history-forgotten-israel-blockade

8. Kuttab, Jonathan, “Israel Has Effective Control over Gaza,” (2020) http://arabcenterdc.org/viewpoint/israel-has-effective-control-over-gaza/

9.  Mahmoud, “Speech at The Cooper Union: Rethink Palestine,” (2014) https://oldwebsite.palestine-studies.org/jps/fulltext/188331

 Anthologies

a.The Electric Typewriter, “8 Great Articles about Israel/Palestine” (2019) https://tetw.org/IsraelPalestine

b. Foote, Jilliam, Jensen, Kristen, and Wintz Neighbor, Tese, “Understanding the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Resource Packet for Educators” (2009)https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/csrcs/wp-content/uploads/sites/478/2017/08/Israel-Palestine-Resource-Packet.pdf

 

Current Affairs: June 17th Universal Basic Income in Europe-Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland and Leading figure is in the global basic income discussion. Appearance courtesy of Ric Grefe Time: Jun 17, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

June 6, 2021 /
Hosts: Mike Wheeler and Mark Nunan
Note the time is 10am EDT for the Current Affairs. One hour earlier than usual. Mr. Cooke is joining us from Scotland.
June 17th   Universal Basic Income in Europe-Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland and Leading figure is in the global basic income discussion. Appearance courtesy of Ric Grefe
As the COVID19 pandemic has thrown the world into turmoil, pre-existing issues of economic insecurity, the changing nature of work, and the impact of climate change have been accelerated and deepened.  This has brought a significant challenge for the public and businesses, yet it has also opened up space to consider new ideas for changing the social contract of countries around the world.
One of these ideas to have sprung to prominence is that of a basic income, a regular, secure, and unconditional payment made to each eligible person.  Cities across the US are considering piloting examples of the policy to test its impact, and countries such as Scotland are actively exploring opportunities to introduce the idea on a national level.
Join Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland and a leading figure in the global basic income discussion to explore the history of this old idea; the reasons that it has gained such traction in recent years; and what the future might look like.  It will be an opportunity to explore your questions, reflections and critiques of basic income; and to potentially identify steps for getting involved if that is of interest.”
Jamie Cooke’s global references
Mike Wheeler’s US references

Link to Famie’s presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R4gvZdicQY

 

 

Current Affairs: Universal Basic Income in Europe, June 17, 2021 10:00AM EDT

June 6, 2021 /
Hosts: Mike Wheeler and Mark Nunan
Note the time is 10am EDT for the Current Affairs. One hour earlier than usual. Mr. Cooke is joining us from Scotland.
June 17th   Universal Basic Income in Europe-Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland and Leading figure is in the global basic income discussion. Appearance courtesy of Ric Grefe
As the COVID19 pandemic has thrown the world into turmoil, pre-existing issues of economic insecurity, the changing nature of work, and the impact of climate change have been accelerated and deepened.  This has brought a significant challenge for the public and businesses, yet it has also opened up space to consider new ideas for changing the social contract of countries around the world.
One of these ideas to have sprung to prominence is that of a basic income, a regular, secure, and unconditional payment made to each eligible person.  Cities across the US are considering piloting examples of the policy to test its impact, and countries such as Scotland are actively exploring opportunities to introduce the idea on a national level.
Join Jamie Cooke, Head of RSA Scotland and a leading figure in the global basic income discussion to explore the history of this old idea; the reasons that it has gained such traction in recent years; and what the future might look like.  It will be an opportunity to explore your questions, reflections and critiques of basic income; and to potentially identify steps for getting involved if that is of interest.”
Mike Wheeler’s US references

Jamie Cooke’s global references

 

 

Wander Roosevelt Memorial on Roosevelt Island, June 23, 2021

June 5, 2021 /

Joe Spain and David Mace will lead the Happy Wanderers in their final outing of the spring/summer season on Wednesday, June 23, the first trip to Manhattan on Metro North since the fall of 2019! The group will be leaving the Darien station on the 8:33 AM express to Grand Central (8:37 AM out of Noroton Heights); masks are required on Metro North. You should buy your tickets for the train at the machines on the Darien  or Noroton train platforms. A Metro Card will be needed for the Tram to Roosevelt Island. If you don’t have a Card, you can buy your train ticket from the machines with one Metro Card ride included.  The group will congregate at the information booth on the main floor upon arrival in Grand Central. The walking destination is the 59th St. Tram to  Roosevelt Island, and then to the Four Freedoms Roosevelt Park at the south end of the Island. From there, the group will take the East River ferry to 34th Street, and have lunch. We then will walk back to Grand Central, with a short stop at the Morgan Library, and an afternoon train back to Darien. Please get in touch with Joe (203-554-4201) or David (203-505-9693) if you would like to join this excursion.

DMA Picnic, June 16, 2021

May 4, 2021 /

 

On Wednesday evening, June 16, the DMA hosted its first annual picnic/cookout in two years. The turnout was monumental – over 230 people enjoyed a beautiful evening together in the picnic grove at Weed Beach. What a wonderful personal gathering to cap off a challenging yet rewarding DMA year. The late spring weather was perfect, the food was delicious, the music was most entertaining and the company was superb.

A huge thank you to Alex Garnett for taking the lead in organizing this affair. His personal reflections are most appropriate: “I would just say that we have come a long way since the days of our wives bringing the food, the time we moved all the furniture from the DCA in a hired truck and also did our own grilling to now having Danny and his Vavala’s staff do all the heavy lifting.

The beauty of this event and our holiday party is that we have so many wonderful people who really care about one another. As we all age, we may slow down a bit but the hugs, smiles and laughter always help to brighten our lives.”

One DMA member, Mark Nunan, was so moved by the perfect weather that the bard in him was inspired to share a short celebratory poem on the occasion:

Not too hot, not too cold

Still – could have rained out

Ya – but Garnett’s got clout

Our day reigned sun, real gold

 

 

 

Hike Ward Pound Ridge, Monday May24, 2021, 10:00

May 1, 2021 /

 

HIKING WARD POUND RESERVATION

    MONDAY MAY 24, 2021

  10:00 AM

 

Ward Pound Reservation is a 4,315 acre park located in Cross River, New York with more than 35 miles of hiking trails over varied terrain. We plan to cover only a fraction of that, about 3 miles, with some moderate climbing and descending on the Leatherman’s Loop section. The reward for the climb is a spectacular view of the Cross River Reservoir and surrounding territory. The trails are wide (except for the up and down to the Loop), well maintained and clearly marked. For the adventurous, a short but steep side trip to see Leatherman’s Cave is an option! 

Guests and dogs on a leash are welcome and there will be no lunch after the hike which should take us about 2 hours.

We will assemble in the parking lot at the ticket booth (no fee) at 10:00 AM sharp and then drive our cars about a mile to a large parking lot at the trailhead (where there are porta pottys). DON’T BE LATE!

DIRECTIONS;

Address—6 Reservation Road, Cross River, NY 10518.

Reservation Road is Rte 121 and the entrance is just south of the intersection of 121 and Rte 35. Take either 124 up through New Canaan or the Merritt to exit 35 and then north on 137 to Inn at Pound Ridge. Past the Inn bear left on 137 to the end then right on 121 for 2.9 miles to the entrance.

CONTACTS: Dave McCollum and/or Bob Plunkett

Hike recap:

On a refreshing cool morning after the heat of the weekend, a hearty group of 12 (plus one dog) spent a delightful two hours exploring a tiny section of the mammoth 4,300 acre reservation in Cross River, NY. The park offers not only hiking over miles of trails but also camping, picnicking and horseback riding. Ever on the lookout for fauna, we spotted a fat worm and a tiny frog—wild kingdom! 

 

As on past hikes here we opted for the Leatherman’s Loop trail which climbs steeply to a scenic overlook of the Cross River Reservoir. Once on top we paused to admire the view and take some photos. As we descended from the viewpoint over a narrow but navigable trail we stopped again for a side trip up to Leatherman’s Cave, one of the many caves frequented by the legendary “Leatherman” who roamed the northeast around the mid 1800s. Four of our group hiked up the very steep rock path to the cave. Alas, he was not in residence.

We returned to the main trail to continue our 3 mile circuit back to the parking lot. A very pleasant hike in a beautiful and rugged park.

 

This was the final hike of the 20-21 DMA year. Since September of 2020,  we have been on 7 hikes or almost one a month, giving our hikers a chance to get outside to walk and talk to fellow DMAers despite the pandemic. We will resume our hiking program in September along with resuming the optional lunches.

 

Dave McCollum and Bob Plunkett

Darien Memorial Parade, May 31, 2021

April 26, 2021 /

Contact Mike Heitz

This year’s Memorial Day Parade will occur on Monday, May 31. The Memorial Day Ceremony will take place immediately following the Parade at the Karl Lang monument in Spring Grove Veterans Cemetery. In case of inclement weather, the Ceremony will be moved to the Darien Library. The Parade will step-off at 10:00 am sharp and is a great opportunity to demonstrate pride in our role in the Community. Suggested attire for parading members will remain the same as in years past; namely, tan slacks, blue shirts – but not strictly enforced as all, of course, are welcomed!
The drop-off location is the Good Wives Shopping Center (drop-off time is 9:00 am; the Parade organizers will designate our assigned drop-off point with signs and guides at the Shopping Center) and the pick-up location is the Stamford Health Darien Draw Station at 1500 Post Road, a few yards across from the Darien Library.
We usually have about 6 cars in the parade, some being used for members who are more comfortable with riding the distance. Please let Mike Heitz (mheitz14@gmail.com) know if you have a car to include in the Parade and whether you will drive or wish to ride in a car or simply intend to walk the route. Lastly, we request that masks should be carried for use as required (or as deemed prudent).

 

 

 

Wander Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, May 25, 2021

April 26, 2021 /

David Mace and Joe Spain

The next wandering of the DMA will be on Tuesday, May 25 to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay is a wildlife refuge managed by the National Parks Service as part of the Gateway National Recreation Area.  It is located in Queens just a little over an hour’s drive from Darien.  Our group will leave from the DCA parking lot at 8:30 am.  We will car pool to the site and then enjoy the beautiful scenery and birdlife.  Bring your binoculars and your camera.   Afterward we will have lunch.  If you are planning to join us please let Joe Spain or David Mace know in advance.  We look forward to this spectacular day.

 

Current Affairs: COVID Update, Thursday, May 20, 2021 @ 11:00

April 19, 2021 /

Host: Bob Baker

Discussion Leader: Charles Salmans

On Thursday, May 20 at 11 a.m., I will lead a Current Affairs discussion on Covid — an update. We’ll address vaccine resistance and what may be required to prevent further mutations that potentially could get around the vaccines, the challenge of vaccinating people in poor, high density populations, whether a vaccine passport should be required, and what lessons have been learned so we are better prepared should another pandemic arise.

Charles

Slides from the discussion: Covid Discussion DMA Current Affairs

 

Updates on the latest Covid infection rates, vaccination rates, hospitalizations, and deaths are available from several sources.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/05/11/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/

Breakdowns for Connecticut, the United States, and Around the World

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/connecticut-covid-cases.html

CDC data on vaccination rates

https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

Wall Street Journal — US Covid metrics take a positive turn

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-covid-19-metrics-signal-hopeful-turn-11620423357?mod=searchresults_pos3&page=1

Taking ‘Extraordinary Measures,’ Biden Backs Suspending Patents on Vaccines

The Biden administration, siding with some world leaders over the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, came out in favor of waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/us/politics/biden-covid-vaccine-patents.html?campaign_id=4&emc=edit_dk_20210506&instance_id=30321&nl=dealbook&regi_id=23957096&segment_id=57373&te=1&user_id=42ca5c51e1c82904455ab0db126e5d4c

Can Employers Require Vaccination

Vaccine hesitancy, misinformation is just part of the problem.

“The Magic of RNA: From CRISPR to Coronavirus Vaccines.” presented by Tom Cech

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtQkoW8yQ4A

Wander Groton, April 20, 2021

April 7, 2021 /

Groton Connecticut is an old New England town settled in the 1640s between the Thames and the Mystic Rivers.  Early on it became a shipbuilding town.  During WW1  Groton became a submarine base and in 1954 the first nuclear powered submarine, the Nautilus, was launched from Groton. In the waning days of the American Revolution the turncoat Benedict Arnold overwhelmed a cadre of militia on the heights of Groton overlooking the Thames. Arnold sacked the town as well as setting New London on fire across the river.  This is the only major battle fought during the Revolution in Connecticut.  We will meet in the parking lot of the DCA at 8:30 am.  Those who wish to car pool may do so.  Others may wish to drive alone.  It is a 1 hour and 45 minute drive to Groton.  We will pick a place for lunch either in Groton or in another town on our return.  Please join us for an exciting day in a lovely part of Connecticut.  Let Joe Spain or David Mace know of your interest in joining us.

 

Joe Spain, David Mace

Some great pictures: Wandering in Groton

Hike Greenwich Audubon Center Thursday April 22 at 10:00 AM.

April 5, 2021 /

Trailmaster: Dave McCollum

Greenwich Audubon Center in Greenwich, CT at 10:00 AM on Thursday April 22.

Greenwich Audubon Center is a 285 acre sanctuary which opened its doors in 1943 as Audubon’s first nature education center in the country. Located on land donated by Eleanor Clovis Reese and H Hall Clovis the center includes over 7 miles of trails through a rich diversity of hardwood forest, meadows, lakes, streams and vernal ponds. Also on the property are an expansive Nature Education Center, an old apple orchard and original New England homestead buildings.

We plan to meet in the main parking lot at 10 AM and hike for about two hours over varied terrain including one steep climb and several sections of rocky trail. We rate this as a hike of moderate plus difficulty. The footing on our pre-hike was very good. The scenery is spectacular particularly at this time of year before the leaves are out.

The Center is located at 613 Riversville Road in Greenwich on the north side of the Merritt Parkway. Exit at Round Hill Road and use GPS to get you to the center. As always, guests and spouses are welcome but no dogs on the property please! There will be no  lunch after this hike.

CONTACTS: Dave McCollum and Bob  Plunkett

 

Hike recap. On an unseasonably cold and windy April morning, twelve DMAers and guests hiked 2.8 miles in under two hours over spectacular terrain at the 285 acre property which also serves as the education center for Greenwich Audubon.
Located on land donated by the Clovis family the center’s trails traverse meadows, hardwood forests, lakes and some awesome rocks and ravines. Despite the heavy downpour yesterday, the trails were largely dry or just damp. With the
leaves still not out, the varied topography of the center was in full view. What was not in view was wildlife! We saw a grand total of one robin and a chipmunk! All hikers were totally up to the steep (160 vertical feet) path from the lake area
to the parking lot. This is a property that should be on our regular hiking rotation.

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