Scholar’s Notebook
October 2012
Scholar's Notebook is published monthly September to May, and features information on speakers and topics
for Monthly Meetings (open to the public), highlighting Study Groups, member achievements, and
announcements of interest.
HOW TO UNDERSTAND AND HARNESS
THE FORCES OF NATURE
By: Christopher Wills, Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Member of
the Center for Molecular Genetics, UCSD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20TH AT 1:30 P.M.
“My talk will be about the balancing forces, which I call green equilibria, that
keep natural ecosystems diverse and healthy. It will draw on my own work and
my visits to many terrestrial and marine ecosystems around the world. It will
also show how similar balancing forces have shaped our own evolution and
how we must be able to understand and harness these forces if we are to save
our planet – and ourselves! The talk will be illustrated with many photographs
that I have taken throughout the world.”
Room 111-A Chancellor's Complex, UCSD
Christopher Wills - Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and
Member of the Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California,
San Diego.
Education: B.A. and M.Sc. in biology from the University of British Columbia in
1960 and 1962, and a Ph.D. in genetics from the University of California at
Berkeley in 1965. NIH postdoctoral fellow from 1965 – 1966.
Academic career: Assistant professor of biology at Wesleyan University in
Connecticut from 1966 – 1972. Associate and full professor of biology at UCSD
from 1972 until his retirement in 2010
Research interests: Maintenance of genetic variability in human populations;
the forces that maintain variation in complex ecosystems such as rainforests
and coral reefs; the evolution of diseases; and the evolution of our species.
Honors: Guggenheim Fellowship 1977 – 1978
Award for Public Understanding of Science from the American Association for
the Advancement of Science (1999)
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Publications (a selection):
His book on human evolution, The Runaway Brain (1993) was translated into
every major language.
His 1998 book Children of Prometheus: the Accelerating Pace of Human
Evolution was a finalist for the 2000 Aventis Prize, the most important English
prize for science books.
His most recent book, The Darwinian Tourist: Viewing the world through
Evolutionary Eyes (2010) was called the year’s most important travel book by
Condé Nast Traveler.
He is currently at work on a book, Green Equilibrium: Balancing the Futures of
our Species and our Planet, to be published by Oxford University Press at the
beginning of 2013.
FROM THE PRESIDENT
TOPICS OF INTEREST: This is the inaugural month for a new but not entirely unfamiliar
section of the SDIS website, "Topics of Interest." My earlier "From the President" columns
frequently examined issues and ideas in depth. No longer. Such ruminations will henceforth
appear under the "Topics of Interest" heading. This month its principal topic is civility and
incivility of discourse. This is a "hot" subject these days. We dealt with aspects of it during
our September SDIS panel discussion meeting. Many others have considered it too, and I've
provided links to videos of a few. Do visit "Topics of Interest" now and regularly in the future
at http://sdscholars.org/topics-of-interest.
THE FIRST EVER NORTH COUNTY SENIOR FLASH MOB FOR SDIS MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:
What is the world might this mean? If you live in the north county, stay tuned for further
word from Pat Fouquet. If you don't live in the north county and can't bear to miss out on an
event with so interesting (intriguing? unnerving? oxymoronic? exciting?) a name, contact Pat
at drpatfouquet@yahoo.com. If you ask her with suitable deference, I'm told that she will
grant you temporary permission to consider yourself a denizen of the north county for the
duration of this event. With that build up, it should be fun. I'm told it will likely also include
food and good conversation. I may contact Pat and count on her good graces to grant me
temporary north county status.
The concept for the event originated at a good-time-was-had-by-all luncheon in Cardiff
attended by our most northern member, Wayne Fanebust from South Dakota, his daughter,
Pat Fouquet, Gerry Horwitz, Jean Mayer, and me. Wayne says he has just completed a new
book, soon to be released. I'll keep you informed.
BARNSTORMER JIM: AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF AVIATION by Al Christman: A copy of this
book has been donated to SDIS by Al Christman's daughter. Long a member of SDIS, Al
passed away during 2011. The "In Memoriam," for him in the September 2011 Scholar's
Notebook states, "It was Al's last wish that the book be published..." Fulfilling this wish, it
has now been published. In it Al tells the story of his father, one of the barnstormers who
introduced aviation to the nation.
Sam Gusman
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CHRISTMAS PARTY IS COMING TO TOWN!!
Mark your calendars on December 1st for a Christmas Luncheon. The place and exact
gathering time will be announced next month, but we wanted to be sure you marked your
December 1st calendar to join us.
Marla Jensen
marlajensen@sbcglobal.net
NOVEMBER 17 2012 - MONTHLY LECTURE SERIES
lone R. Stiegler, FAIA (Fellow of the American Institute of Architects) has established IS
Architecture as an award-winning firm dedicated to the preservation and renewal of our built
environment. Ione will discuss the saga of the Sikes Adobe Farmhouse, recovering from near
total destruction in the 2007 Witch Creek Wildfire, to its 1881 appearance, a story of
fortitude. Brands of burning palm leaves fell on the wood shingle roof and although the site
had a fire suppression system, only the four walls of the original adobe remained. The nonprofit that owned the historic adobe and the wildland preserve also lost their headquarters
and all their documentation of the building. The architect, five days after the fire, was able to
replace the lost documentation from the Historic Structures Report and Cultural Landscape
Report. Fortunately Federal Emergency Management Agency funds were available to protect
the adobe ruins while the reconstruction/restoration design commenced. The restoration/
reconstruction design, completed in 2010, incorporated several fire barriers, either hidden
within the structure or incorporated in a subtle manner, to prevent this tragedy from ever
happening again.
STUDY GROUPS:
The Colloquy Cafe
Our topic for September was “Power.” After quickly dispensing with “power in physics” and
the other physical definitions of the word "power," we quickly agreed that it can have both a
positive and a negative connotation. Of course, we discussed “political power,” and we also
explored “personal power” as well as “powerlessness.” Several members made thoughtful
comments about the "power of the internet and social networking.”
The Colloquy Cafe meets on the third Wednesday of each month, and again on Wednesday,
October 17, 2012, from 1:30 to 3:30 p. m. Our topic will be "Conformity." For information
on this Study Group, please contact M.E. Stratthaus at mestratt@san.rr.com.
Culture One
The Culture One study group has turned its attention to a new topic: the manner in which
public discourse shapes culture and is shaped by culture. The background reading is Public
Discourse in America, edited by Judith Rodin and Stephen Steinberg. This book, a collection
of essays, draws heavily on the original research and analysis produced for and by the 1996
Penn National Commission on Society, Culture, and Community (convened by Judith Rodin,
President of the University of Pennsylvania). The September meeting of Culture One was
devoted entirely to the first of the book's three essays on "Public Discourse and Democracy"
(Part One of the book). The next meeting of this study group, on Thursday, October 18 at
2:00 p.m., will start with attention to the second of these three essays and, if time permits,
then the third. Contact Sam Gusman at sagus@sbcglobal.net if you are interested in attending.
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Culture Two
The Culture Two study group will discuss chapter six ("The Case for Equality / John Rawls")
in Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael Sandel on Friday, October 12 at 1:30
p.m. If you are interested in attending, contact Sam Gusman at sagus@sbcglobal.net.
The Film Group
The Film Group will meet Wednesday, October 3 at 12:30 p.m. to view Of Gods and Men, a
historical drama about the ordeal of French Trappist monks in the mountains of Algeria who
are taken captive by Islamic fundamentalists. The monks had been aware that they might be
in danger, but had assumed that if they were captured, they could reach common ground
with the fundamentalists. Guests are welcome. Contact Barbara Heckler at
bheckler@san.rr.com.
Our September selection, Brazil’s Central Station, was a nominee for Best Foreign Language
Film in 1998, losing to Benigni’s Life is Beautiful. Director Walter Salles uses color to depict
the changes that title character Dora goes through. At the beginning of the film, colors are
monochromatic to show Dora’s narrow life. As Dora changes, bright colors appear
everywhere – in homes, stores, gates, walls, clothes. Fernanda Montenegro is outstanding
as Dora, an embittered ex-school teacher who writes (for a fee) letters for illiterate travelers
in Rio’s main railway station. But she neglects to mail the letters. Montenegro received a
nomination for Best Actress, losing to Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love.
Dora befriends a homeless boy and begins her journey of change. Some scenes show the
faith and belief in God of the Brazilian people, rather than depicting any specific
religion. Salles (who received acclaim several years later for The Motorcycle Diaries about
Che Guevera) shows us the beauties of northern Brazil. His story about broken lives is really
about the search for ourselves, for our roots, and about the possibilities of hope.
The Literature Group
Our next meeting will be held October 8 from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Cathy Blecki's
home. Marla Jensen will lead a discussion on the poetry of e. e. cummings (sic), a big change
from Raymond Chandler's "The Big Sleep", which we reviewed last time. We are twelve in
number and routinely all are present. Check with Harry Boyle, hhboyle28@cox.net, near
group time, if you wish to come. Our meeting dates vary; we are brownbaggers and as a rule
we start fresh with a text. We mostly address novels and poetry is a favorite as well.
Perhaps, I might say we're on the lookout for a main question the artist struggles to clarify,
and discuss what appears to be his or her success.
The Neuroscience Group
The Neuroscience group (aka Science, Brain Study Group) will meet on Monday, October
22nd at Bea Rose's apartment at 3 pm. The discussion will focus on the first chapter in
Mind edited by John Brockman, which is an essay by Steven Pinker entitled "Organs of
Computation." Visitors are welcome; however, it would be best to call first and/or for more
information contact Bea Rose at (858) 458-9263 or rose2737@roadrunner.com. Meetings are
scheduled when everyone can attend which makes our 'monthly' meetings somewhat elastic.
Works-in-Progress
Have you a project you’d like to present to for discussion? If so, please contact Donna Boyle
at dboyle101@cox.net.
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