Younger Next Year

Does anyone else have a heart monitor?

Do you have a regular exercise routine?
What is your maximum heart rate (220-age)?
Do you know your aerobic rate (65%)?
By the way Chris Crowley turned 78 in September and looks great

Harry's rules:

1 Exercise six days a week for the rest of your life
2 Do serious aerobic exercise four days a week for the rest of your life
3 Do serious strength training, with weights, two days a week for the rest of your life
4 Spend less than you make
5 Quit eating crap!
6 Care
7 Connect and commit

The Shallows

After 12 years of a variety of provocative and entertaining books and the friendly interaction with 7 very smart guys, I ask myself what I have learned.
What is the meaning of life?
What is knowledge?
What do I believe?
We have read classics, escaped in fiction and adventure, studied the economy, explored the cosmos, addressed poverty and the environment, and pondered philosophical questions.
So…what do I know?
Not much…my working memory can’t find a damn thing.

As a group or "reading class" are we developing "an increasingly rare form of cultural capital" or "an increasingly arcane hobby."

More Sam Harris information

Check out the videos on the book (particularly the one by TED) on his web site at http://www.samharris.org/. You can also check out the non-profit organization he co-founded at http://www.project-reason.org/.

For he's a jolly good fellow...

Stan the man at his open house to honor his induction as a Fellow to the American Chemical Society and his service to Cal State LA and the field of Chemistry.

Stan said in his speech that collaborating with 3 or 4 Nobel prize winners was pretty nice, but being associated with the No Name Book Club is the highlight of his career.

THE NO NAME BOOK CLUB

We are the No Name Book Club, as opposed to the No Name Book Group, we were the first to not come up with a name. We consist of a doctor, a psychologist, a lawyer, a chemist, an accountant, a school headmaster, an entrepreneur, and a business consultant.

The official order of hosts is Bill, Paul, Bob, John S, Dave M, Dave J, Stan, and John H.

Billions and Billions...

Speaking of Carl Sagan...I love this web site...

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/scienceopticsu/powersof10/

This is another great one for learning more about the universe and the earth...

www.digitaluniverse.net

If you click on the tab on the bottom you can see diagrams of the universe.

Name that Book

Here are a few of my favorite quotes. Can you name the books?

1. They should know what lurks between those sesame seed buns.
2. We are awfully lucky to be here - and "we" I mean every living thing.
3. "But he can't be a Hindu, a Christian and a Muslim. It's impossible. He must choose."
4. Along the way, the little horse and the men who rehabilitated him captured the American imagination.
5. That day, thanks to her stubbornness, I switched from practical-but-attractive to pure tango, and not just in my underwear.
6. Behold the greatest cover-up in human history. Not only was Jesus Christ married, but He was a father.
7. I did it perfectly. After all these years. The old lift-and-dive trap.
8. "Is your last name your first name backwards?"
9. The class met on Tuesdays. No books were required.
10. "A Nimbus Two Thousand!" Ron moaned enviously. "I've never even touched one."
11. "The wags used to say...the death of a single white American equalled five Israelis, fifty Bosnian Muslims, or fifty thousand Africans."
12. The only demons we must fear are those that lurk inside every human mind: ignorance, hatred, greed, and faith, which is surely the devil's masterpiece.
13. We need our president to restore September 11 to its rightful place on the calender - as the day after September 10 and before September 12.
14. Better that than sitting in a jail cell for teaching that asshole a lesson about defensive driving.
15. Instead of "think globally, act locally," the mantra of Greens should be "think ethically, act politically."
16. The honest middle, where much of the nation lives, can't find a place to hear a genuine discussion.
17. Do we have the will and foresight to make decisions for the sake of descendants we will never know?
18. As a group or "reading class" are we developing "an increasingly rare form of cultural capital" or "an increasingly arcane hobby."

Answers: Fast Food Nation, A Short History About Nearly Everything, Life of Pi, Seabiscuit, The Kindness of Strangers, Da Vinci Code, Kite Runner, Holes, Tuesdays with Morrie, Harry Potter, Zanzibar Chest, End of Faith, Longitudes and Attitudes, Hillbilly Elegy, Getting to Green, Muzzled. Countdown, The Shallows

History of the Book Club

Bill and Paul decided to start a book club in October of 1998. They invited fellow tech member Lou, South Pas connections Stanley and Bob (now a canyon dweller), John S, and Dave M. John H. joined the club at our third meeting when a second Dave from Antelope Valley never materialized. David J ended up replacing Lou from Encino in May 2003.

The group has stayed in tact ever since. We have meet nearly every month, usually on the second Tuesday, for the next 18 years. The individual that selects the book also gets to host the group for the next meeting. The books are usually relatively short in nature so everyone has time to finish before the next meeting.

Over the years the book selection has expanded to a wide range of subjects that reflect our interests and taste. The books have helped to expand our knowledge and provided entertainment. The monthly gathering has been something to look forward to. Although the intent of the gathering may be to discuss the subject book, no one knows where the discussion will go.

Even though I have moved to San Diego over a year ago, I still make my monthly trek to the San Gabriel Valley for our special gatherings.