Detailed Calendar Page
August 2009

August 6, 2009 - Robert Silver - Borders in the Sand, Rock and Snow

from the Arabian Sea to China: Pakistan's Western Border

Bob Silver, member #728 and former Club president, will discuss the former and present conditions as well as show motion picture footage he shot in Waziristan, Khyber, Swat Kohistan, Dir, Chitral, Paktoonistan and Bamian. Bob has travelled the breadth of central Afghansitan by foot, horse and jeep; he is also a retired senior NCO Reservist and has been an adjunct lecturer/instructor in both the Navy's Counterinsurgency and the Army's Counterintelligence Courses. source: Bob Silver

August 13, 2009 - Frank Grochulski - Race by Outboard Powered Inflated

Surfcraft around South Africa's Point Aguillas
Brent Rockne James (Tentative) - Top Secret Subject

Frank Grochulski, a prior visitor to the Club and now living in San Bernadino will relate and show video of his "Race by Outboard Powered Inflated Surfcraft around South Africa's Point Aguillas". This litoral waters course of 750 miles has an almost unbelievable number of bumps and will be fun to see and hear the first American winner.

And, possible double-header, Guest Lecturer Brent Rockne James, a Manhattan Beach enterprenuer, has earned a million airline frequent flier miles travelling to China where he manages factories for the U.S. and world markets. The subject is top secret.

source: Bob Silver

August 20, 2009 - Bob Mosier – Classic Car Restoration

A renowned classic car restorer Bob started his career working for and being mentored by the late Phil Hill. Bob is the "go to" guy when you want to enter your classic car at the Pebble Beach Concourse d' Elegance. He is currently preparing a vintage Bugatti for this exclusive event. Bob will regale us with exciting tales about his adventures sailing all over the world as a mercenary crew member on various race teams. This will include the 1988 Maxi-boat Yacht Championship won by his team.

source: Bob Silver

Bob's Bugatti

August 27, 2009 - Dr. C. Martin Stickley, Doctor of Science

Alternative Views about Global Warming

Click Here for a copy of the Presentation outline titled "Principal Reasons to Doubt the Significance of CO2
(Greenhouse Gas) Heatng of the Earth"
 

Contrary to the current popular view, there is no proof that global warming is caused by atmospheric CO2 produced by human activities. On the other hand, there is solid evidence that natural processes (i.e.not man-made) are having a much greater influence on the earth’s heating and associated climate change.

This presentation will review the major reasons for doubting that man-made CO2 is causing global warming. If time permits, related topics will be covered as well (climate sensitivity, shortcomings of computer models, etc.)

Dr. C. Martin Stickley received his electrical engineering education at the University of Cincinnati, MIT, and Northeastern University.

As a Lt at the Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratory he built the Air Force's first laser in 1960 and became the Chief of the Laser Physics Branch.

In 1971 he joined ARPA as Deputy Director of the Materials Sciences Office and later was promoted to Director of that office. During that period he led successful developments of windows and coating for high power IR lasers, modeling and test patterns as a means to design, understand, and monitor semiconductor IC processes, Ho and Er lasers, PtSi staring focal plane arrays, and initiated long-running ARPA programs in GaAs integrated circuits and HgCdTe focal plane array materials processing.

In 1976 he joined ERDA (later to become the Department of Energy) as the first Director of the Office of Laser Fusion where he obtained Congressional authorization of the NOVA laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator at Sandia National Laboratory.

In 1979 he joined the BDM Corporation as Vice President for Advanced Technology and developed a contract-supported group conducting research in optical computing, sensor protection, focal plane array assessment, and particle bed reactors.

In 1990 he joined CREOL at the University of Central Florida as Associate Director and Professor of Electrical Engineering where he helped to build this organization into a position of world-leadership in optics and laser technology. From 1997 through 2000, he was an IPA with the AFOSR's European Office of Aerospace R&D in London where he had responsibility for programs and activities in lasers, optics, and materials.

In 2002, he rejoined DARPA where he has established programs in nuclear isomers, x-ray lasers, high efficiency light sources for pumping high power lasers, microantenna arrays for millimeter wave and IR imaging, single crystal diamond wafer characterization, low energy nuclear reactions, compact high energy electron accelerators, and scalable approaches to high power lasers using diode lasers as the source.

In 1976 he received the Secretary of Defense Meritorious Civilian Service Award for his contributions to high power IR optics and integrated circuit process technology, and in 2006, he received the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service as a Program Manager at DARPA. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. He is a member of the Cosmos Club of Washington, DC and the University Club of Winter Park, Florida.

source: Bob Silver