TOPICS  OFFERED  FOR  SUMMER  2019

 

Classes start May 1st and end August 30th.

Holiday periods are adapted to by individual class voting.

1.         (AFL)      AMERICA’S  FIRST  LADIES 

Their husbands have been President but First Ladies have interesting lives and stories too.  One of the most underestimated—and challenging—positions in the world, the First Lady of the United States must be many things: an inspiring leader with a forward-thinking agenda of her own; a savvy politician, skilled at navigating the treacherous rapids of Washington; a wife and mother operating under constant scrutiny; and an able CEO responsible for the smooth operation of countless services and special events at the White House.  Compare and contrast the two most recent First Ladies for example.  Some have helped shape the country’s history--think Eleanor Roosevelt--while others have been absolute supporters of their husbands--think Lady Bird Johnson--and others have been forces in their own right--think Hillary Clinton.  There are many books that touch on the lives of and impacts of First Ladies, so choosing a text should be easy.  Presentation topics could focus on one Lady or could compare and contrast two or more.

Possible Common or Supplemental Reading:          

First Ladies: Presidential Historians on the Lives of 45 Iconic American Women, by Susan Swain  (April 2015; paperback)

First Women: The Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies, by Kate Andersen Brower  (January 2017; paperback)

Becoming, by Michelle Obama  (November 2018)

2.         (AIS)       AI  SUPERPOWERS  

Bill Gates has been quoted as saying that if he were considered one in a million, there are a thousand of him in China. We’re about to see the consequences of that in the race to develop artificial intelligence.

The concept of AI in general has been explored by others, such as Nick Bostrom in Superintelligence, and has been promoted by Ray Kurzweil and worried about by Elon Musk and others. This book takes a practical look: who’s gonna be firstist with the mostest?

Possible presentations include:

·      Is this perhaps a Sputnik moment? Can Trump rise to the occasion?

·      Where will AI superior to human minds first occur? China? The U.S.?

·      When will AI superior to human minds first occur? 2045? Never?

·      Soon or late, here or there, What will be its early applications?

·      What will be the applications of mature AI — and what entities will be making those decisions, us or It?

Common Reading:    AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, by Kai-Fu Lee  (September 2018)

 

3.    (ALG)    A  LOOK  INSIDE  THE  ALGORITHMS  THAT  ARE  SHAPING  OUR

   LIVES  AND  THE  DILEMMAS  THEY  BRING  WITH  THEM

If you were accused of a crime, who would you rather decide your sentence―a mathematically consistent algorithm incapable of empathy or a compassionate human judge prone to bias and error? What if you want to buy a driverless car and must choose between one programmed to save as many lives as possible and another that prioritizes the lives of its own passengers? And would you agree to share your family’s full medical history if you were told that it would help researchers find a cure for cancer?

These are just some of the dilemmas that we are beginning to face as we approach the age of the algorithm, when it feels as if the machines reign supreme. Already, these lines of code are telling us what to watch, where to go, whom to date, and even whom to send to jail. But as we rely on algorithms to automate big, important decisions―in crime, justice, healthcare, transportation, and money―they raise questions about what we want our world to look like. What matters most: Helping doctors with diagnosis or preserving privacy? Protecting victims of crime or preventing innocent people being falsely accused?

Hello World takes us on a tour through the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of the algorithms that surround us on a daily basis. Mathematician Hannah Fry reveals their inner workings, showing us how algorithms are written and implemented, and demonstrates the ways in which human bias can literally be written into the code. By weaving in relatable, real world stories with accessible explanations of the underlying mathematics that power algorithms, Hello World helps us to determine their power, expose their limitations, and examine whether they really are improvement on the human systems they replace.

Common Reading:    Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms: 1st Edition by Hannah Fry (September 2-18)

4.         (ARA)     ON  SAUDI  ARABIA:  ITS  PEOPLE,  PAST,  RELIGIONS , FAULT LINE  –  AND  FUTURE  

We hear a lot about Saudi Arabia and the antics of Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salim in the news these days and wonder why the United States continues to align ourselves with this rogue nation. Why is Saudi Arabia different from other Arab states? How did it become that way? And what are the forces that keep it in place?

Karen Elliot House, former diplomatic correspondent, foreign editor and publisher of the Wall Street Journal, is the author of this authoritative book on present-day Saudi Arabia. She spent five years visiting Saudi Arabia, observing, talking to people and analyzing what she learned all in preparation for this book. She interviewed Saudi princes as well as the poorest citizens and, being a woman, had access to Saudi women and their stories. Ms. House presents many issues including widespread poverty, restlessness of the citizens and clergy, royal family conflicts, suppression of women and failed attempts to broaden the economy.

This quick read, colored with interesting anecdotes, gives a good overview of the country and sets the stage for discussion about what is happening in the country now, and where it’s headed in the future. Furthermore, it will cause us to think about whether our relationship with this country should change.

Presentation topics include the following: U.S. alliance and strategic interests, economic reform and megaprojects, Khashoggi murder, suppression of women, religious issues, human rights, conflict with other Arab nations, royal family, and many more.

Common Reading:    On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religions, Fault Line – And Future, by Karen Elliot House  (September 2012)

5.         (ASP)      ART  AND  SCIENCE  OF  PREDICTION   

Superforecasters are clever (with a good mental attitude), but not necessarily geniuses. Accurately selected amateur forecasters (and the confidence they had in their forecasts) were often more accurately tuned than experts. If you're wondering if there's any way to predict an election, an economic crisis or even a war, our authors have an answer. They use psychology and political science and a lot of common sense combined into a general approach to decision making, and they tap into what's often called the wisdom of crowds. Our common reading is a fascinating book and it will make you think. In particular, to think about the future.  Superforecasting has been termed “The most important book on decision making since Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.”

Research/presentation topics might include: the direction of the stock market, outcomes of various elections, chance of conflict in the South China Sea, advances in countering climate change, the World Series, solutions to problems of pollution, etc.

Common Reading:    Superforecasting –The Art and Science of Prediction, by Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner  (Crown, September 2015)

6.         (BSS)      BEST  AMERICAN  SHORT  STORIES  OF  THE  20th CENTURY

The Best American Short Stories of the Century brings together the best of the best-55 extraordinary stories that represent a century’s worth of unsurpassed accomplishments in this quintessentially American literary genre.  The collection includes Hemingway, Faulkner, Richard Wright, Tennessee Williams, Willa Cather, Saroyan, Flannery O’Connor, Cheever, Eudora Welty, Joyce Carol Oates, Carver, Ozick, Isaac Bashevis Singer as well as other famous and not-as-famous authors.

This can be a two-to-three-trimester opportunity to read and discuss America’s best-ever short stories.

Common Reading:    The Best American Short Stories of the Century, editors John Updike and Katrina Kenison  (April 2000, paperback) 

7.         (DEC)  GREAT  DECISIONS  -  2019

The Foreign Policy Association, an independent, nonpartisan organization, annually publishes a listing of eight topics deemed of special urgency and importance to the nation.  The Great Decisions Global Affairs Education Program celebrated 65 years in 2019, and includes the annual Briefing Book, Great Decisions TV, the National Opinion Ballot Report, discussion groups across the country and the GD Online newsletter.

These subjects, with pertinent background and reference material, will comprise Great Decisions 2019.  The FPA now publishes a DVD that presents background information on the issues from subject matter specialists.  The final topics for 2019 have been announced; they are:

Great Decisions 2019! The eight topics are: 

·      Refugees and Global Migration

·      The Middle East: Regional Disorder

·      Nuclear Negotiations: Back to the Future?

·      The Rise of Populism in Europe

·      Decoding U.S.-China Trade

·      Cyber Conflicts and Geopolitics

·      The United States and Mexico: Partnership Tested

·      State of the State Department and Diplomacy

In the study/discussion group, each issue will be introduced by watching the FPA’s DVD presentation to set-up the discussion sessions which will be structured using the briefing book.  Additional resource material suggested by the FPA will be available on reserve in the library.  We will consider the U.S. position — and we each develop our own position — on these world issues.

Each class member will give a researched presentation that augments the eight topics, and members will also share leading discussions of the common reading.

Common Reading:    Great Decisions – 2019 is available from the FPA.

                                       FPA Website: http://www.fpa.org/great_decisions

8.         (DOC)     THE  DOCUMENTARY  MOVIE  

Not long ago, if you wanted to see a documentary film, you had to take a course, go to a movie festival, or catch it on PBS.  Nowadays we can find documentaries on our TVs through the magic of the Internet, Netflix and other online sources or from our libraries. While your basic Hollywood studio movie is primarily made to make money, a documentary is the expression of its creator's personal passion.  This S/DG will explore the world of modern masters of the documentary.  Presenters will choose a film that class members can view at home before each class session, and then present for discussion whatever facets of the film they choose – the contents or subject, the techniques, the background, the director’s focus on the subject, and its effect on public opinion.  Many Omniloreans after taking this class have been amazed at the diversity of what is available and how many of these films are unexpectedly enriching.

No Common Reading.

9.         (FGV)      FORGIVENESS:  POSSIBILITIES AND  LIMITATIONS                             

One day, while imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. Haunted by the crimes in which he had participated, the soldier wanted to confess to--and obtain absolution from--a Jew. Faced with the choice between compassion and justice, silence and truth, Wiesenthal said nothing.  But even years after the war had ended, he wondered: Had he done the right thing? What would you have done in his place?

In this important book, fifty-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal's questions. They are theologians, political leaders, writers, jurists, psychiatrists, human rights activists, Holocaust survivors, and victims of attempted genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, China and Tibet. Their responses, as varied as their experiences of the world, remind us that Wiesenthal's questions are not limited to events of the past.

The first portion of the book is by Simon Wiesenthal himself.  It is about his time in a concentration camp and his daily journey to a hospital to work.  As he passes a cemetery that has sunflowers growing on the graves, he reflects on how he will be remembered and how he will not have flowers or butterflies on his burial spot.

The second part of the book has over 50 essays by people like Sven Alkakaj, the Dali Lama, Dennis Prager, Mathieu Ricard, Desmond Tutu, etc.  There are many possibilities for presentations and discussion including our own thoughts and limitations for forgiveness.  Alternatively, biographical data of some of the lesser-known authors could be provided ahead of the discussion of their essays.

Common Reading:    The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limitations of Forgiveness, by Simon Wiesenthal (revised/expanded edition, 2008)

10.      (GOV)  THE  FIFTH  RISK:  WHY  GOVERNMENT  MATTERS

Time and again, Michael Lewis has described complicated subjects such as the 2008 financial meltdown (The Big Short), how big data and analytics changed baseball forever (Moneyball), and college football recruiting (The Blind Side) in ways that are accessible to non-experts.  Now, in our common reading, he examines what happens when the people who are given control over our government have no idea how it works.

The title “Fifth Risk” comes from an analysis of the great risks confronted by a department such as Energy, which worries about nuclear accidents or an attack on the electrical grid. The “fifth risk” was the bland-sounding category of “program management” that could be defined as the tendency to respond to long-term risks with short-term solutions.

As Lewis writes, neither Donald Trump nor his closest advisers had much appreciation, let alone reverence, for the functions of the government they were about to inherit after the 2016 election. Instead, they seemed to have an indifference bordering on contempt.  Lewis examines the real-world consequences of such an attitude, using examples from three Government departments:  Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture.

There is a myriad of topics for presentation, including risks to foreign policy, the economy, or virtually any other area of Government.  Whether or not you’re a supporter of President Trump, this S/DG should give you an appreciation of why the Government is as large as it is, and why “big government” might not be the pejorative you think it is.

Common Reading:    The Fifth Risk, by Michael Lewis  (October 2018)

11.      (LLL)       THE  LURE  OF  LADY  LUCK

For many decades California has allowed draw poker clubs (e.g., Gardena) and horse racing (e.g., Hollywood Park) on a local option.  Later Bingo became legal for non-profit groups, and California created and ran a statewide LOTTO game.  The emergence of Indian casinos around the state has brought Las Vegas-type gambling within a short drive to anyone in California.  The recent explosion of Texas Hold ‘em Poker on television is amazing.  It has spawned numerous online poker websites.

This class will study gambling, its early history, its role in America’s culture, various games played today, their attraction, their players, gambling casinos, gaming industries, etc.  We will try to learn the lure of gambling and why some people are addicted to it.

Areas for potential research and presentations include:  various games of (ancient and current), odds of winning, casinos, gambling cities and economics, the gaming equipment industries, online gaming, Indian casinos, gambling addiction, societal impacts of gambling, etc.

Our goal is to learn about gambling, its roots in history, its role in and impacts on our society today, and why we never win the Super LOTTO jackpot. A typical meeting will have discussions of related news items and presentations by group members on research topics.

Possible Common Reading:       Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, by David G. Schwartz (October 2006)

12.      (MAG)    MAGIC  OF  THE  UNIVERSE

We don't consider someone educated unless they're familiar with literature, etc. Yet we think nothing of being scientifically illiterate. Here's a chance to fix that. In just seven chapters and 80 pages Carlo Rovelli wrote a N Y Times bestseller that truly broadens your horizons. It covers the biggest ideas in physics, the biggest ideas about our universe. It was called Elegant and Poetic by NPR. Physics is the concrete explanation of the magic of the universe. It is the search for the truth about how everything in the universe operates interdependently on a grand scale (galaxies) and on the minute scale.  This search, at times, has been fraught with the real danger of losing your life. Galileo was almost burned at the stake, commuted to life imprisoned under house arrest, for simply saying that the Earth revolved around the Sun.  

The book is clear and can be read at varying levels for neophyte and physicist alike. It has only one equation and that is shown merely to demonstrate its compactness and beauty. Ideas for presentations range from technical topics to biographies of the great scientists (some like Einstein and Feynman are fascinating people).

Common Reading:    Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli   (March 2016)

13.      (NSI)       THE  CREATIVE  GENIUS  OF  NEIL  SIMON                     

Recently deceased at age 91, Neil Simon wrote over 30 plays and films.  He contributed to numerous TV shows and to the humor of many comedians.  This S/DG will explore his background, life and work.

We will be inspired by his genius and learn more about comedy in America.

Neil Simon’s Memoirs is the book we will read. It is currently out of print but is available in Kindle versions.  The print version to be available again by the time the class starts.

Class members will each choose a play, film or other creation of Simon’s; the entire class will watch it at home. The presenter will discuss the film or play, giving background information.  Questions will be prepared for various chapters of the book in an order determined by the class.

Common Reading:    Neil Simon’s Memoirs, by Neil Simon  (December 2017)

14.      (OWC)    THE  OPIUM  WAR  IN  CHINA           

Description: Few historical events were more significant in China's modern history than the Opium War. It ended in a humiliating defeat and a treaty which set a disastrous pattern for the century to come. “The symbolic power of the Opium War is limitless. It set in motion the eventual fall of the Qing dynasty -- which in turn led to the rise of nationalism and communism. The Opium War has come to stand for everything that today's China seeks to put behind it.” In his new book Imperial Twilight, well-regarded historian Stephen Platt dramatically tells the story of “one of the most shockingly unjust wars in the annals of imperial history. This riveting narrative of relations between China and the West has important implications for today's uncertain and everchanging political climate.”

Possible presentation topics:

·      Gunboat Diplomacy

·      History of Opium in China

·      How Hong Kong Began and Developed

·      Opium Poppy History

Common Reading:    Imperial Twilight: The Opium War and the End of China's Last Golden Age, by Stephen R. Platt  (May 2018)

15.      (PAR)     HOW  PARIS  BECAME  PARIS 

Well, it wasn’t always Paris, you know!

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Paris was known for isolated monuments but had not yet put its “brand” on urban space. Like other European cities, it was still emerging from its medieval past. But in a mere century Paris would be transformed into the modern and mythic city we know today.

In the 1600s, the city saw many changes. It became the first to tear down its fortifications, inviting people in rather than keeping them out. Parisian urban planning showcased new kinds of streets, including the original boulevard, as well as public parks, and the earliest sidewalks and bridges without houses. Venues opened for urban entertainment of all kinds, from opera and ballet to a pastime invented in Paris--recreational shopping. Parisians enjoyed the earliest public transportation and street lighting, and Paris became Europe's first great walking city.

A century of planned development made Paris both beautiful and exciting. It gave people reasons to be out in public as never before and as nowhere else. And it gave Paris its modern identity as a place that people dreamed of seeing. By 1700, Paris had become the capital that would revolutionize our conception of the city and of urban life.

Possible presentation topics: 

·      A look at one of the many colorful people who helped shape the city

·      Contrast Paris’ progress to the development of other 17th century cities

·      Life as a common Parisian citizen vs. as an aristocrat

·      How American cities adopted, tweaked or rejected Paris’ urban planning ideas

Common Reading:    How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City, by Joan DeJean  (April 2015)

16.      (PLT)         THE  SEVEN  BASIC  PLOTS  TO  STORIES   

It is often heard that there are only so many story lines or plots to all of the novels, movies, plays and tales that we read or see.  Now here is an author that has both spelled them out, and explained how many stories we are familiar with fit into his categories.

He discusses stories as varied as those from the Greeks, the Movies, Fairy Tales, Shakespeare and contemporary literature.  From Gilgamesh (the oldest written story known) and Beowulf to Star Wars and the Lord of the Rings. He shows how they all fit into his scheme of plots.

His seven plots are: (1)  Overcoming the Monster, (2) Rags to Riches, (3) The Quest, (4) Voyage and Return, (5) Comedy, (6) Tragedy, and (7) Rebirth.

Potential Topics for Research:

·      How a favorite story (of the presenter) fits into one of the seven plots (obviously this could repeat in many presentations)

·      Other schemes for describing plots, e.g.: "The 36 Basic Plots" (Could also be repeated as class members find different historical schemes for categorizing plots)

·      Reasons why the stories of at least the Western World seem to be able to be categorized into groups, from a psychological point of view

·      Joseph Campbell's Hero With A Thousand Faces and its relationship to story plots

·      A Jungian explanation for common story plots.

Note:  Part one of the book is sufficient, covering everything that is needed in 12 chapters and 235 pages.  The rest of the book deals with the author’s view of the psychology of it all - and that is material for another course, or could be used, optionally, by the class for presentation material.

Common Reading:    The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, by Christopher Booker (January 31, 2005)

17.      (PPM)     PEOPLE  PLUS  MACHINES  

Artificial intelligence is a pervasive part of modern life – used to predict corn yields and map disease outbreaks, among other applications. Using machines for “decision making” seems scary to some people, and there are a number of effects that will be disruptive, but the benefits are quite large in some cases. This S/DG will look at various AI techniques and application from the perspective of getting the most benefit with minimal, or at least acceptable, harm.

Possible research/presentation topics might include: my favorite AI assist to living; how AI capability depends on computer power; which jobs might AI eliminate; how will living standards be helped and hurt; how does AI relate to robotics.

Common Reading:    AIQ: How People and Machines Are Smarter Together, by Nick Polson and James Scott (May 15, 2018)

 

 

18.      (RAC)     LEARNING  TO  TALK  ABOUT  RACISM      

What does it mean to be white in a society that proclaims race is meaningless, yet is deeply divided by race? In the face of racial inequity, most white people cannot answer that.  This S/DG will look at the factors that make this question so difficult: mis-education about what racism is; ideologies such as individualism and colorblindness; segregation; and the belief that to be complicit in racism is to be an immoral person. These factors contribute to what is considered white racial illiteracy. White people in the United States often grow up without having to talk or think about race and fail to build up the tolerance needed for discussions of any depth on the topic.  But racism is a topic of frequent social discourse.  This S/DG is designed to take an honest and current look at racism and says it's time for white people to practice building stamina for the critical examination of white identity, to break out of the cycle of defensiveness and engage more constructively in conversations about racism. 

Using the book, White Fragility, as a springboard, members will explore the emotions and behaviors that function to reinstate white racial equilibrium and to prevent meaningful cross-racial dialogue. The author, white anti-racist educator, Dr. Robin DiAngelo, clearly and compellingly takes readers through an analysis of white socialization. Weaving research, analysis, stories, images, and familiar examples, she provides the framework needed to develop white racial literacy.  Research and presentations will look at how race shapes the lives of white people, what makes racism so hard to see, identify common white racial patterns, and popular narratives that work to deny racism.

DiAngelo describes this phenomenon with admirable academic rigor and she proposes good, common-sense suggestions for dealing with it.

If you’re white and interested in diving deeper into racial literacy and deepening connections across racial divides, this S/DG will be illuminating. If you’re not interested, you may want to reconsider. We don’t know what we don’t know! Hopefully, this class will fill in those gaps in a very clear and precise way.

Common Reading:    White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by Robin DiAngelo (June 26, 2018)

19.      (RDC)     HOW  TO  RUN  A  DRUG  CARTEL    

Skimming the chapter headings promises a fun tour on the order of Freakonomics: The Cockroach Effect and the 30,000 percent markup; Why Merger may be better than Murder; James Bond Meets Mr. Bean.

You may learn that drug wars are worse than useless, that cartels practice corporate social responsibility, and that human trafficking is a natural outgrowth of drug trafficking.

The good news: economists may make the best policemen, and the most likely future is not necessarily a Sicario scenario.

Possible presentations include:

·      What’s it like in Denver these days? Should we invest in Mary Jane?

·      What’s on the cutting edge of designer drugs?

If drugs are legalized, should human trafficking be as well? What do economists have to say about that, eh?

Common Reading:    Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel, by Tom Wainwright (March 2016)

20.      (SCC)     PRACTICAL  SOLUTIONS  TO  CLIMATE  CHANGE  

(From the book) “In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.”

The topics (each a few pages and illustrated) are grouped under Energy, Food, Women and Girls, Buildings and Cities, Land Use, Transport, Materials, and Coming Attractions, any of which suggests any number of presentations.

This is an opportunity to explore climate change from a solutions-based perspective.

Common Reading:    Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken  (April 2017, paperback;
 215 pages plus a part on “Methodology,” “What the Numbers Tell Us,” short bios, and a large index. 
There are also short essays and book excerpts from a few familiar authors.)

21.      (STY)        SHAKESPEARE’S  TYRANTS

Omnilore has a deep fondness for Shakespeare’s plays and the bard himself.  This S/DG would look at the playwright’s insight into bad (and often mad) rulers.  As an aging, tenacious Elizabeth I clung to power, a talented playwright probed the social causes, the psychological roots, and the twisted consequences of tyranny like Richard III, Macbeth, and Lear.  Shakespeare delved into the lust for absolute power and the catastrophic consequences of its execution.

With uncanny insight, he shone a spotlight on the infantile psychology and unquenchable narcissistic appetites of demagogues—and the cynicism and opportunism of the various enablers and hangers-on who surround them—and imagined how they might be stopped.  The political and social aspects of a society in crisis fascinated Shakespeare and shaped some of his most memorable plays.

Possible presentations could center on comparison between the various plays and current leaders world-wide; Why have Shakespeare’s works continued to fascinate; Societal conditions in the time periods presented in the plays.

Common Reading:    Tyrant:  Shakespeare on Politics, by Stephen Greenblatt  (May 2018; 217 pages)
[FYI: This book is sold in the UK under the title Tyrant: Shakespeare On Power; same book--just different title]

22.      (WEA)  THE  HISTORY  OF  WEATHER  

From Amazon:  Colorful and captivating, Weather: An Illustrated History hopscotches through 100 meteorological milestones and insights, from prehistory to today’s headlines and tomorrow’s forecasts. Bite-sized narratives, accompanied by exciting illustrations, touch on such varied topics as Earth's first atmosphere, the physics of rainbows, the deadliest hailstorm, Groundhog Day, the invention of air conditioning, London’s Great Smog, the Year Without Summer, our increasingly strong hurricanes, and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Written by a prominent and award-winning environmental author and journalist, this is a groundbreaking illustrated book that traces the evolution of weather forecasting and climate science.

Class members would base presentations and discussions on the many weather events discussed in the book (as has been done in S/DG’s like Best Science and Nature Writing) or presentations could be added, depending on class members input.

Andrew Revkin is strategic adviser for environmental and science journalism at the National Geographic Society and former senior climate reporter at ProPublica.

Common Reading:    Weather: An Illustrated History, by Andrew Revkin (May 1, 2018)

23.      (WFR)     HOW  WILDFIRE  WILL  SHAPE  OUR  FUTURE  

(From Amazon on the book, Firestorm)  For two months in the spring of 2016, the world watched as wildfire ravaged the Canadian town of Fort McMurray. Firefighters named the fire “the Beast.” It acted like a mythical animal, alive with destructive energy, and they hoped never to see anything like it again. Yet it’s not a stretch to imagine we will all soon live in a world in which fires like the Beast are commonplace. A glance at international headlines shows a remarkable increase in higher temperatures, stronger winds, and drier lands– a trifecta for igniting wildfires like we’ve rarely seen before.

This change is particularly noticeable in the northern forests of the United States and Canada. These forests require fire to maintain healthy ecosystems, but as the human population grows, and as changes in climate, animal and insect species, and disease cause further destabilization, wildfires have turned into a potentially uncontrollable threat to human lives and livelihoods.

Our understanding of the role fire plays in healthy forests has come a long way in the past century. Despite this, we are not prepared to deal with an escalation of fire during periods of intense drought and shorter winters, earlier springs, potentially more lightning strikes and hotter summers. There is too much fuel on the ground, too many people and assets to protect, and no plan in place to deal with these challenges.

In Firestorm, journalist Edward Struzik visits scorched earth from Alaska to Maine, and introduces the scientists, firefighters, and resource managers making the case for a radically different approach to managing wildfire in the 21st century. Wildfires can no longer be treated as avoidable events because the risk and dangers are becoming too great and costly. Struzik weaves a heart-pumping narrative of science, economics, politics, and human determination and points to the ways that we, and the wilder inhabitants of the forests around our cities and towns, might yet flourish in an age of growing megafires.  (Amazon)

Presentations could be on the California fires, climate change, the advantages of managing wildfire, the economic costs, future strategies…

Common Reading:    Firestorm: How Wildfire Will Shape Our Future, by Edward Struzik (October 2017)

24.      (WST)     WESTERNS  IN  FILM  NOIR

Many Omniloreans remember watching the ‘Saturday Westerns’ with John Wayne, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper and Glenn Ford as they rescued damsels in distress or saved towns from evil outlaws.  This S/DG will use the recommended book as a starting point to focus on this genre of films with the actors, actresses, and directors involved.  The author looks at how the shift from the very earliest westerns with the singing cowboys moved to a different staging of the western hero myth in movies like Searchers, High Noon, or Who Shot Liberty Valance.  Various films from this time period can be selected by the members to view and discuss in conjunction with the book.   Film and history lovers alike will find stimulating topics for discussion. 

Possible presentations include: greater detail about some of the actors, actresses, and directors of this era; how women were portrayed; comparison with current events and politics of the time; reviews of the films; what led to the ‘spaghetti westerns’ made famous by Clint Eastwood; how would the heroes and anti-heroes of today compare with the westerns of this period (think Deadwood, Breaking Bad, Justified).

Common Reading:    The Noir Western: Darkness on the Range 1943-1962, by David Meuel (February 2015; 220 pages)