Fall-winter program 2011-2012

STUDY DISCUSSION PROGRAM FOR FALL/WINTER
FALL SESSION - 2011

301. Ripped from the Headlines
Every day major newspapers publish essays from leading thinkers on current topics, with
sometimes vastly different opinions. Several days before each session, the discussion leader will
select 4 to 6 contrasting essays on particular topics, usually two topics per week, and email the
articles in PDF form to participants. You will need access to email to participate. We will discuss
process details during the first session.
Mondays, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., September 26, October 3, 10, 17, 24
Leader:

302. Oktoberfest Beer Tasting
Celebrate Oktoberfest by attending a convivial tasting of some of Europeʼs best known beers.
Rate the beers and pick your favorites while munching on foods selected and prepared to
enhance the experience. Lederhosen optional!

Sunday, October 2, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Leaders: Jaine Urban, Peggy Norman
Host: Louisa Crowley

303. An Adventure with Gibreel and Chamcha
The Satanic Verses, a novel by Salman Rushdie, is an adventure story about two Indian actors.
In each of the nine sections of the book they live in a different time and place. The constant is
their relationship and the imaginative and ever-changing world they live in. As we read, it feels
like we are traveling on a magic carpet. Hold on tight!
Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. , October 3, 10, 24,31, November 7, 14, 21
Leader: Harriett Lyle

304. Laemmle Theatre Group
The Laemmle Theatre always has some interesting films showing. With your input weʼll choose
the best, meet for an early afternoon matinee, stroll to a nearby restaurant for tea, a snack and a
discussion of the movie. About a week ahead of time, youʼll receive instructions about where and
when to meet. Carolyn Karpin will handle communications. Tea and movie ticket not included.
Join us for some great films.
Thursday afternoons, October 6, 20, November 3, 17
Leaders: Helen Brown , Carolyn Karpin
Place: Laemmle Theatre, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
Members: $10
305. Contemporary Africa
Using Current History Magazine, weʼll discuss six topical essays on Africa today, including (1) the
challenge of the Arab Spring in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, (2) the hopes and woes of the worldʼs
newest state, The Republic of South Sudan, and (3 and 4) excellent articles on the issues of
population growth and educational processes, relevant to the U.S. as well.
Thursdays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., October 6, 13, 20, 27, November 3, 10
Leader:

306. Very, Very Beginning Watercolor
Introduction to the color wheel, mixing colors, graying colors and wet vs. dry paper. You will go
home with basic paints, brushes, palette and your completed painting. Cost includes art supplies.
Maximum: 8 persons

Friday, October 7, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Leader: Louisa Crowley
307. Beginning Watercolor
These two mornings will provide additional creative opportunities for those who already have their
paints, palette and brushes. Still life set-ups, photos and other paintings and pictures will be
available for you to paint. At the break we will admire each otherʼs work. Paper and other
supplies will be provided.
Saturdays, 9:00 – 1:00 p.m., October 8, 29
Leader: Louisa Crowley
308. Updike, The Early Stories, 1953-1975
In 1986 John Updike quoted Philip Roth, “What I want is to possess my readers while they are
reading my book … to possess them in ways that other writers donʼt.” In this collection of stories,
he does. One reads slowly – the magic is in the words and the subtle delineation of each
protagonistʼs dilemma. The language entices and delights – portraying with little surprises and
deft plotlines slices of life that ring true.
Tuesdays, 2:30 - 4:30 p.m., October 11, 18, 25, November 1, 8
Leader:

309: Moliereʼs Tartuffe
Tartuffe is a Catholic priest who manipulates his way into the confidence and affection of Orgon,
an affluent bourgeois concerned with his own salvation, whose wife and daughter Tartuffe
attempts to seduce. Together we will read and discuss an English translation of the play.
Wednesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., October 26, November 2, 9, 16
Leader:

310. PALAC-Caltech Connection: Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes, aka juvenile diabetes, is the inability to produce insulin and typically goes
undiagnosed in children and young adults. The lab at Stanford Medical School, where I have a
summer fellowship, is doing groundbreaking research on the role of a certain gene (called “Deaf
1”) in Type 1 diabetes. When we understand it, there is promise of applying that knowledge to
restore the ability of the pancreas to produce insulin. Join us for a discussion of this genetic
research and the molecular mechanisms behind this autoimmune disease.
Thursday, November 17, 7:30 – 9:30
Student Leader: Catherine Xie

311. Will the Tea Party Succeed?
Opposition to the health care reform act earned Senator DeMint (R-SC) the nickname “Senator
Tea Party.” Devotion to the Tea Party Movement has led him to criticize many in his own party.
His book, The Great American Awakening, covers 2008-2010 and explores economic stimulus,
corporate takeovers, executive branch political paybacks, and fiscal insanity in Congress. It
provides insight as to why Americans join the Tea Party Movement and aim to realign the nationʼs
politics in the 2012 elections. Limit 14.
Fridays, 2 – 4 p.m., October 21, 28, November 4, 11, 18
Leader: Robert Gorski
Host: Kathy Moyd

FALL SAFARIS

S04. Tour of Hollyhock House, the Aline Barnsdall residence
Hollyhock House, Frank Lloyd Wrightʼs first Los Angeles project, built between 1919 and 1923,
represents his earliest effort to develop a regionally appropriate style of architecture for Southern
California. Taking advantage of Los Angelesʼ dry, temperate climate, the property is a
remarkable combination of house and gardens. No host lunch after the tour at Il Capriccio on
Vermont (parking limited—carpooling will be necessary). Limit 30
Friday, October 14, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Place: Carpool from West Walnut, Pasadena Cost:
S05. Tour of the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
This new Museum (LAMH) presents the history of the Holocaust as objectively as possible. For
this reason it exhibits many original artifacts and displays them in a way that allows them to tell
the individual stories they contain. Audio guides and almost 20 interactive displays, enhance the
experience. An Interactive Memory Pool in the World That Was and a Virtual Photo Album help
build an understanding of Jewish life throughout Europe prior to WWII. We will have a Holocaust
Survivor speak to our group. No host lunch in the neighborhood. Limit 30
Tuesday, November 15, 8:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Place; Carpool from West Walnut, Pasadena Cost: WINTER SESSION - 2012

401. This Time is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly
Having compiled and painstakingly analyzed 800 years of financial data and written a highly
regarded and accessible historical account detailing an extraordinary range of financial crises,
authors Reinhart and Rogoff summarized the genesis of these financial follies for media
audiences to be “arrogance and ignorance.” Each time, the experts have chimed “this time is
different”—that the old rules of valuation no longer apply and that the new situation bears little
similarity to past disasters. This breakthrough study definitively disproves these claims. A “just
the facts maʼam approach.”
Thursdays, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., January 5, 12, 19, February 2, 9, 16
Leader:

402. Great Decisions 1
The Foreign Policy Association, an independent non-profit organization, yearly publishes Great
Decisions, a series of 8 in-depth articles by policy experts and global thinkers. Through this
national program we are provided background information, news and context for anyone seeking
to understand global issues and eager to discuss them. As an experiment, each meeting will
begin with a
30-minute video. Come join our lively discussions.
Sundays, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m., January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12, 19, 26 Leader: Dennis
Thompson

403. Great Decisions 2
The Foreign Policy Association, an independent non-profit organization, yearly publishes Great
Decisions, a series of 8 in-depth articles by policy experts and global thinkers. Through this
national program we are provided background information, news and context for anyone seeking
to understand global issues and eager to discuss them. As an experiment, each meeting will
begin with a
30-minute video. Come join our lively discussions.
Thursdays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., February 16, 23, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, April 5
Leader:

404. Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth
A loose–knit group of high-level scientists, with extensive political connections, ran effective
campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four
decades. Oreskes and Conway address tobacco, acid rain, the ozone hole, global warming, and
DDT, showing how the ideology of free market fundamentalism, aided by a too-compliant media,
has skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing issues of our era.
Mondays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6
Leader:
405. The Ginseng Hunter, by Jeff Talarigo
This contemporary novel gives an unforgettable look at the enormous hardships of life along the
border between China and North Korea as seen through the eyes of a young Chinese ginseng
hunter. Weʼll also discuss the foreign policy of the U.S., China, Russia and the DPRK concerning
the Chinese-North Korean border.
Tuesdays, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., January 10. 17, 24, 31
Leader:

406. How to Live, or A Life of Montaigne, by Sarah Bakewell
How to get along with people, how to deal with violence, how to adjust to losing someone you
love—such questions arise in most peopleʼs lives. They are all versions of a bigger question: How
do you live? This question obsessed Montaigne, a Renaissance French writer, who tried
(“essayed”) to find answers, his now famous essays. This lively, fascinating and spirited
biography relates the answers he explored.
Wednesdays, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m., January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Leader: Joyce Newman

407. Wine Tasting: Northern vs. Southern California
Join the group for a shoot-out wine tasting that will compare wines from northern California with
their equivalents in the south. Which part of the state really has the best wines? Weʼll be tasting
both white and red wines but will accommodate those with preference for one or the other. The
wines will be complimented by California cheeses, breads and chacuterie.
Sunday, January 29, 4:30 – 6:30
Leaders: Jaine Urban, Peggy Norman
Hosts: Bill and Jaine Urban

408. Music of the Romantic Period
Using as a starting point Robert Greenbergʼs taped lectures on the romantic period in music from
the group entitled “How to Listen to and Understand Music”,Weʼll delve into the genre, form and
sound of the music, including recorded and live examples not on the tapes. If time permits, weʼll
compare different pianists performing the same piece.
Tuesdays, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m., February 7, 14, 21, 28, March 6
Leader: Mila Gierowitz

WINTER SAFARIS
S06: Tour of the Adamson House, Malibu, Tuesday, January 31, 2011
S07: Tour of the Rifkind Center for German Expressionist Studies, LACMA
Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Source: http://palac-pasadena.info/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Fall-Winter_Program_2011-2012_.256150131.pdf