The Amherst Club

March 2, 2010

Notes

President Larry Siddall gave us our word list for the day, containing - among other words -- concision and sesquipedalian.  No guests were present to receive this edification.  Bob Grose, who recently resigned from the Club, sent a lovely thank-you letter for the plant he received from the Club.  Rachel Mustin announced the creation of a new group within the Club - the Mugwumps.  This exclusive group is open to anyone who purchases a mug for ten dollars.

Ruth Miller invited members to join her and others at The Harp on March 11 for the annual St Patrick's Day festivities.  Arthur Kinney announced an oud and lute concert at the Renaissance Center on Sunday, March 7th.  What's an oud?  Come to the Renaissance Center and find oud.  Also on Sunday, if you have comments to share about Love Notes this year, join the committee chairs at the annual debriefing potluck at Phyllis Lehrer's at 11:30.  It is pot luck, but no desserts please.  Isaac Ben Ezra announced that extensive ACTV interviews with School Committee candidates may be viewed at www.actvamherst.com

Ruth Hooke described her recent participation in the "Freedom March for Gaza."  It took her and over 1300 others to Cairo but no further, since the Egyptian government would not permit them to travel into Gaza. (Eighty-five protesters did manage to get in, due to the intercession of Mrs. Mubarak.)  As Ruth noted, the Egyptian blockade of Gazan ports is being supplemented by an effort to barricade the underground tunnels which are virtually the only means for materials (both humanitarian and otherwise) to get to Gaza.  Ruth explained that Egypt fears that members of Hamas will use the tunnels to enter Egypt and she said that as an ally of the United States, Egypt is participating in the blockade of Gaza which the United States support.  While the demonstrators were unsuccessful in changing the position of the Egyptian government, they were in the local press a great deal and felt support from academics and intellectuals who are trying to express opposition to the government on this and other issues.

At the conclusion of the talk, a club member urged Ruth, as Program Committee Chair, to arrange for a presentation from another point of view on this complex and vexed subject.

Michael Greenebaum, Note-taker