Phoenix PhenoMenon 2007 Program Schedule
*note: schedule subject to change, final schedule will be available at
registration
Friday
3pm-7pm Registration open
3pm-7pm "Welcome" Root Beer Float Party
3:30-5:15 Movie: The Usual Suspects
4:30-5:30 History of Modern
American Dress, Lori Archibald
5:30-7:00 Movie: Pi
6pm-Midnight Babysitting Room available
6-7 Greek Mythology, Dr. Lisa George
7:30 Doors open for Trivia Banquet (cash bar available)
8-9:30 Trivia Banquet
Heather Fallon, RG Chair
Greg Webster, Trivia Master
Tony Jurewicz, Loc Sec
10-Midnight Chocolate Fantasy Party, Crystal DeFrate
10-11:15 Movie: Fantasia 2000
10:30-? Fun Group Games
11:30-1:40am Movie: Moulin Rouge
Saturday
8am-10:30 Breakfast available
9am-11am Registration open
10am-Midnight Babysitting room available
10-11 Listening Effectively, Tom Stack
10-11:40 Movie: Why We Fight
11-1 Lunch available
11-Noon History of the Harvey Girls, Pat Hull
11-1 Sudoku Tournament, Brian Smith
12:15-1:15 Numerology For Fun, Joan Fallon
12:30-2 Movie: House of Dawn
1:30-2:15 Memorization Techniques, Tony Jurewicz
2:30-4:30 Intelligent Design, Dr. David Lynch
2-4 Fun group games
3-5:30 Movie: The Da Vinci Code
4:45-5:45 Issues in Agricultural
Biotechnology, Dr. Guy Cardineau
6-7:10 Movie: History's Harvest: Where Food Comes From
5-6:30 Texas Hold-'Em
6-7 Develop Your Psychic Abilities, Carrie Shubert
7-8 Trivia Contest, Barbara Bradley
7:30 Sangria Room opens
8pm Fiesta Mexican Dinner opens
9pm Pool party
9-10:45 Movie: The Harvey Girls
9-? Fun group games
12:00-1:30 Pizza Party and Midnight Movie: Borat
Sunday
8:30-10 Breakfast available
9:30-10:30 Beading workshop, Heather Fallon
10-1pm Babysitting room available
10-10:45 Solar Power Installation, Clark Jones
9:30-11:20 Movie: Memento
11-1pm Lunch available
11-12:30 Past Life Regression, Jackqueline Sutnick
11:30-1pm Movie: The Future of Food
12:30-1pm Memorization contest, Tony Jurewicz
1pm RG/Hospitality closes
1pm-? Mensa Testing Session, Gordon Tyus
The Usual Suspects
Near the end of The Usual Suspects, Kevin Spacey, in his Oscar-winning
performance as crippled con man Roger "Verbal" Kint, says, "The
greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he
didn't exist." This may be the key line in this story; the farther
along the movie goes, the more one realizes that not everything is
quite what it seems, and what began as a conventional whodunit turns
into something quite different.
Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and
brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan
a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but
then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Kaiser
Soeze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Soeze
at some point and must pay back now. The payback job leaves 27 men
dead in a boat explosion, but the real question arises now: Who actually
is Kaiser Soeze?
History of Modern American Dress Lori Archibald
American History is inseparable from American Style. Fashion reflects
each era’s social, political, and economic forces. Whether we’re
talking about the Victorian Age, 1930’s Hollywood glamour, the start
of teen fashions in the 50’s, the 60s upheavals, or how the 80s glitz
led to grunge, fashion provides a distinctive lens to examine profound
changes.
Lori Archibald is an experienced speaker with the Fashion Institute
of Design and Merchandising.
Pi
Darren Aronofsky scripted and made his directorial debut with this
experimental feature with mathematical plot threads hinting at science-fictional
elements. In NYC's Chinatown, recluse math genius Max believes "everything
can be understood in terms of numbers," and he looks for a pattern
in the system as he suffers headaches, plays Go with former teacher
Sol Robeson, and fools around with an advanced computer system he's
built in his apartment. Both a Wall Street company and a Hasidic
sect take an interest in his work, but he's distracted by blackout
attacks, hallucinations, and paranoid delusions. Shown at the 1998
Sundance Film Festival where Aronofsky won the drama directing award.
Greek Mythology Dr. Lisa George
Dr. George, Assistant Professor of Classics in the Department of Languages
and Literatures at Arizona State University, obtained her PhD in
Classics at Bryn Mawr after graduating in Latin and English at Vassar.
Her major publications include “Greece” and “Rome” in Mythologies of
the World: The Illustrated Guide to Mythological Beliefs & Customs,
“Ancient Theater” in Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient
Greece and Rome, and the forthcoming book, Prostitutes in Plautus.
Find out more about Dr. George at http://www.asu.edu/clas/dll/classics/lisageorge.htm
Fantasia 2000
Initially released to IMAX theaters 60 years after the original Fantasia,
Fantasia 2000 was meant to revitalize Walt Disney's goal of a constantly
evolving film, with new segments replacing old ones with each re-release.
Only The Sorcerer's Apprentice remains, with seven new shorts. Angular,
abstracted butterfly-like shapes fly through the air in Beethoven's
Symphony No. 5; computer-animated whales take flight in Respighi's
Pines of Rome; Al Hirschfeld's caricatures of New York life come
alive in George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue; Hans Christian Andersen's
The Steadfast Tin Soldier is retold with computer animation against
Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, Allegro, Opus 102; frantic
flamingos try to stop their yo-yoing comrade in Camille Saint-Sans'
Carnival of the Animals, Finale; Donald and Daisy Duck play Noah
and his wife trying to manage the ark to Sir Edward Elgar's Pomp
and Circumstance; and the cycle of life, death, and rebirth are celebrated
in Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.
Moulin Rouge
Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, who leaves behind his bourgeois father
during the French belle époque of the late 1890s to seek his fortunes
in the bohemian underworld of Montmartre, Paris. Christian meets
the absinthe- and alcohol-addicted artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
(John Leguizamo), who introduces him to a world of sex, drugs, music,
theater, and the scandalous dance known as the cancan, all at the
Moulin Rouge, a decadent dance hall, brothel, and theater that's
the brainchild of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). Christian also meets
and falls into a tragically doomed romance with the courtesan Satine
(Nicole Kidman), who becomes the star of the play he's writing, which
parallels the couple's romance and utilizes rock music from a century
later, including songs by Nirvana, Madonna, the Beatles, and Queen,
among others. Loosely based on the opera Orpheus in the Underworld,
Moulin Rouge was shown in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
Listening Effectively Tom Stack
Listening: it’s something so simple. By listening effectively, we can
move mountains. We learn more, understand more, and provide compassion
for those experiencing life’s most difficult moments -- if we just
open ourselves to the possibility of truly listening. Yet, listening
can be difficult to master. How many people take the time to develop
great listening skills? You can observe a lot by listening. We need
to be able to talk and listen in a way that works not only for candor
and accuracy, but also maintaining our relationships, learning to
listen and to hear between the lines. Life member Tom Stack will
facilitate a listening workshop, presenting materials and practicing
techniques to improve our listening. Tom is a long time Database
Analyst who formerly taught HS Math, a numbers guy with a focus on
improving productivity. Tom has an MBA, 2 sons and has lived in Phoenix
since 1989. He is a former toastmaster who has facilitated this workshop
with very positive reviews at the 2001 Toastmaster Leadership Insitute.
Why We Fight
In 1961, as Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his final address to the nation
before leaving the office of President of the United States, he warned
that America "must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted
influence...by the military-industrial complex." Nearly 45 years
later, as the United States finds itself waging a war in Iraq for
reasons that seem increasingly unclear with the passage of time,
Eisenhower's statement becomes all the more pertinent, and the question
becomes more apt: has the machinery the United States established
to wage war helped prevent conflict, or has it done more to inspire
it? Documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki offers an in-depth look
at how the United States has readied itself for battle, and why and
how the nation goes to war. Named for Frank Capra's famed series
of Defense Department films (which explained the motives behind America's
entry into World War II), Why We Fight features interviews with foot
soldiers, Army recruits, Pentagon personnel, decorated veterans,
members of Congress, national security advisors, top military strategists,
and many more as they talks about the core philosophies of American
military strategy and how they have changed since the end of the
Second World War. Why We Fight received the Grand Jury Prize at the
2005 Sundance Film Festival.
History of The Harvey Girls Pat Hull
Pat Hull, a long-time member of GPM, will talk about the fascinating
history and far-reaching impact of the Fred Harvey Company and the
famous Harvey Girls.
Pat's original research into The Fred Harvey Company for an ASU class
in 1992 led her to track down two elderly women who had been "Harvey
Girls". The resulting first-person interviews are now contained
in the Arizona Room of the ASU Fletcher Library. One can only hear
and view these irreplaceable recordings in a locked room under guard
while wearing gloves! Her research has also appeared in a 2 year State
Capitol Archives Traveling Display.
Following her presentation, we will be screening "House of Dawn",
a PBS documentary about Mary Jane Colter, the architect who designed
many of the Harvey Hotels, the Sante Fe Railroad, and the Harvey legacy.
Soduku Tournament Brian Smith
Fun for beginners as well as experts! Compete with your fellow Mensans
for bragging rights and a prize for the champ!
Numerology for Fun Joan Fallon
Joan Fallon, a member of GPM and our current Scholarship Chair, will
talk about the history of Numerology and the basic process of applying
numerical values to letters to use the name and birth date of an
individual to analyze and define personality. This class is JUST
FOR FUN!
House of Dawn
(Shown in conjunction with Pat Hull's presentation on the history of
the Harvey Girls)
A PBS documentary about architect Mary Jane Colter, the Harvey Hotels
she designed, and the Santa Fe Railroad which paid for the buildings,
containing beautiful footage of many of the historic hotels left behind
in the wake of the Harvey legacy. The film details Harvey gift shops,
the Harvey tours, the Harvey train service aboard the Santa Fe trains,
and how Fred Harvey more or less "invented" the western image
and the western tourist industry. It also discusses some of the Native
American artists Colter knew and employed and tells about the Harvey
Exhibit at the San Diego Worlds Fair.
Memorization Techniques and Contest Tony Jurewicz
A few months ago, Tony heard that a new record had been established...someone
had memorized Pi to over 100,000 places! This led him to wonder, "How
do they DO that!?!?" After several days of research, he got
his answer, and he'll share some of the tricks of the trade with
the rest of us. This talk will touch on some of the techniques that
allow people to memorize seemingly impossible amounts of information,
and you'll have an opportunity to show how much you've learned on
Sunday, when we'll reconvene for a brief Memory Showdown!
Tony Jurewicz is a long-time member of Mensa, and is currently serving
as GPM's Loc Sec.
Intelligent Design Dr. John Lynch
Dr. John Lynch is an Honors Faculty Fellow at Barrett Honors College
at Arizona State University with a background in Evolutionary Biology.
His current research focuses on the history and philosophy of the
life sciences, particularly the interactions between science and
religion during the nineteenth and early twentieth century, in particular
religiously-based anti-evolutionism.
Dr. Lynch will be speaking on the history of Intelligent Design and
the recent Kitzmiller vs. Dover case, the first direct challenge brought
in United States federal courts against a public school district that
required the presentation of Intelligent Design as an alternative to
evolution as an explanation of the origin of life.
Find out more about Dr. Lynch's research and publications at http://www.public.asu.edu/~jmlynch/
The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown's controversial best-selling novel about a powerful secret
that's been kept under wraps for thousands of years comes to the
screen in this suspense thriller from director Ron Howard. The stately
silence of Paris' Louvre museum is broken when one of the gallery's
leading curators is found dead on the grounds, with strange symbols
carved into his body and left around the spot where he died. Hoping
to learn the significance of the symbols, police bring in Sophie
Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a gifted cryptographer who is also the victim's
granddaughter. Needing help, Sophie calls on Robert Langdon (Tom
Hanks), a leading symbologist from the United States. As Sophie and
Robert dig deeper into the case, they discover the victim's involvement
in the Priory of Sion, a secret society whose members have been privy
to forbidden knowledge dating back to the birth of Christianity.
In their search, Sophie and Robert happen upon evidence that could
lead to the final resting place of the Holy Grail, while members
of the priory and an underground Catholic society known as Opus Dei
give chase, determined to prevent them from sharing their greatest
secrets with the world.
Issues in Agricultural Biotechnology Dr. Guy Cardineau
Dr. Cardineau is a distinguished research professor with the Biodesign
Institute at Arizona State University and a Faculty Fellow in the
Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology
and was recently appointed to the USDA Advisory Committee on Biotechnology
and 21st Century Agriculture. He began his career in agricultural
biotechnology more than 20 years ago as a scientist at a Bay Area
technology company. He also worked in the molecular biology, biochemistry
and strategic research and development fields at several other companies.
He has collaborated on several agricultural biotechnology products,
including genetically modified, insect-resistant corn and herbicide-tolerant
cotton, and the world’s first plant-made pharmaceutical, a vaccine
produced from tobacco. His inventions have led to more than 50 patents
worldwide.
Dr. Cardineau will speak with us about the benefits of agricultural
biotechnology and address some of the controversies regarding genetically
modified foods. After his talk, there will be a showing of the documentary,
“History’s Harvest: Where Food Comes From”. On Sunday, we will also
be showing a documentary with a contrasting perspective on the debate,
“The Future of Food”.
For more info about Dr. Guy Cardineau and his recent work, see
http://www.biodesign.asu.edu/
History's Harvest: Where Food Comes From
(Shown in conjunction with Dr. Guy Cardineau's talk on Agricultural
Biotechnology)
History's Harvest presents a sweeping view of 10,000 years of agricultural
history, shown against a backdrop of spectacular footage from locations
in India, Mexico, the United States and Britain. The film is fast-paced,
informative, and visually engaging. The film traces the developments
in agriculture that led to major breakthroughs including the genetic
engineering of crops. It shows how genetic engineering is an extension
of what has gone on before and how new technologies are important for
the developing world. The film talks about the progression of science
and how this has allowed civilization to thrive.
The film takes viewers from the fields where crops are grown, into
the homes in India where food is prepared, into the labs where the
latest research is conducted, and into the grocery stores of America
where every kind of produce can be found in beautiful abundance.
Develop Your Psychic Abilities Carrie Shubert
Carrie Shubert is a clairvoyant/psychic consultant, lecturer, author,
medium, and certified hypnotherapist, and has been teaching college
classes on developing psychic ability since 1979. Carrie has appeared
on both national television and radio programs. She has hosted a
psychic series for the United Artists cable television network; has
been a regular on KZON-FM radio in AZ; has recently hosted an internet
radio show on voiceamerica.com; has authored two upcoming books;
and continues to have a host of celebrity clients she reads for on
a regular basis. In her spare time, Carrie volunteers her time by
offering her special abilities to both national and local authorities
to help solve crimes and find missing persons. She also helps bereavement
groups by offering free counseling when needed. Find out more about
Carrie at http://www.carrieshubert.com!
Trivia Contest Barbara Bradley
Barbara Bradley, a long-time member of GPM, will lead us in a fun group
Trivia Contest, with a prize for the winner!
The Harvey Girls
This glorified Technicolor commercial for the Fred Harvey restaurants
stars Judy Garland as a 19th-century mail-order bride. Upon arriving
in New Mexico, Garland discovers that her husband-to-be is the town
drunk. She cuts her losses and takes a job at the local Harvey restaurant,
an establishment which endeavors to bring a little civilization and
class to the wide open spaces. Harvey's operation is challenged by
saloon-owner John Hodiak, corrupt-judge Preston S. Foster, and local-madam
Angela Lansbury. With the help of tenderfoot Ray Bolger, Garland
and her fellow waitresses foil the corrupt elements in town. Prominent
in the supporting cast are Cyd Charisse, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills,
Kenny Baker and Virginia O'Brien.
Borat
Master of disguise Sacha Baron Cohen hits the road to explore America
as the crude Kazakstani reporter Borat in a feature mockumentary
that brings one of the Da Ali G Show star's most popular characters
to life on the big screen. Sent by the Kazakh Ministry of Information
to gain a better understanding of American culture and bring his
findings back home, Borat and faithful producer Azamat set their
sights in New York City. When the citizens and interview subjects
of the Big Apple seem less than receptive to Borat's distinctively
unrestrained approach and the curious Kazakh television personality
stumbles across an episode of Baywatch while channel-surfing in his
hotel room, he becomes instantly smitten with screen siren Pamela
Anderson. Now confident that the only way to discover the true essence
of America is to travel to California and make the bikini-clad beauty
his bride, Borat purchases a ramshackle ice-cream truck in which
he and Azamat will make their way across the Great Plains and on
to the sunny West Coast -- all the while coming into contact with
a wide variety of "typical" Americans.
Beading Workshop Heather Fallon
Join Heather, our Phoenix PhenoMenon Chair, in the fun and relaxing
hobby of beading. Use your creativity and create your own jewelry
to take home.
Solar Power Installation Clark Jones
Clark Jones, a long-time member of GPM, will share his experiences
with his residential solar power installation. It is a "grid
intertie" system, meaning that it is tied to the electric utility
company, and has been very successful, producing about 40% of his
total energy usage.
Memento
A man is determined to find justice after the loss of a loved one,
even though he is incapable of fully remembering the crime, in this
offbeat thriller. Leonard is a man who is struggling to put his life
back together after the brutal rape and murder of his wife. But Leonard's
problems are different from those of most people in his situation;
he was beaten severely by the same man who killed his wife. The most
significant manifestation of Leonard's injuries is that his short-term
memory has been destroyed; he is incapable of retaining any new information,
and must resort to copious note-taking and Polaroid photographs in
order to keep track of what happens to him over the course of a day
(he's even tattooed himself with a few crucial bits of information
he can't get along without). Leonard retains awareness that his wife
was brutally murdered, however, and he's convinced that the culprit
still walks the streets. Leonard is obsessed with the notion of taking
revenge against the man who has ruined his life, and he sets out
to find him.
Past Life Regression Jackqueline Sutnick
As a Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist and a former owner of
her own alternative therapy practice, Jackqueline has been teaching
college courses for many years. She will talk about past life regression
and how past lives play a major role in your current life path. We
will learn how to relax deeply and use our inner senses. A group
regression will be performed.
The Future of Food
(Shown in conjunction with Dr. Guy Cardineau's talk on Agricultural
Biotechnology)
There is a revolution happening in the farm fields and on the dinner
tables of America -- a revolution that is transforming the very nature
of the food we eat. The Future of Food offers an in-depth investigation
into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically
engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves
for the past decade.
From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca,
Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods
have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications,
government policies and push towards globalization are all part of
the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically
altered crops into our food supply.
Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, The Future of Food
examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing
what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the
world's food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale
industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture
as real solutions to the farm crisis today.
Memorization Contest Tony Jurewicz
Come show how quickly you mastered the memorization techniques Tony
told you about yesterday in his talk. The winner of the memory show-down
will win a prize!
Mensa Testing Session Gordon Tyus
Gordon Tyus, our GPM Proctor, will be holding a testing session for
anyone interested in testing in to Mensa.
If you have suggestions for speakers, or would like to help putting
together our program, please contact the RG Chair, Heather Fallon,
at shmethr@hotmail.com
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