Technology User Group (TUG) Discussions for all users at all levels via hybrid meetings (in-person and Zoom) after the regular meeting, at about 11:45 a.m. (first and fourth Tuesdays of the month).
- July 22 – A look at NVIDIA - past, present, and future.
Timely Topics Discussion in-person and via Zoom, with participation encouraged from all in attendance. Around 11:45 a.m. on the second Tuesday of the month.
- July 8 – The topic will be “Tariffs.” We will explore the history of tariffs, understand the arguments being made by the Trump administration (and certain economists) in favor of tariffs, as well as arguments being made by economists, businesses, and market participants against the tariffs.
Trips Scheduled (For Old Guard members and their guests)
This group needs a chair. Any volunteers?
Walkers Group walks or hikes are once again feasible – but this group also needs a chair or coordinator. Volunteers welcome.
July Program Chair - Jon Reese
- July
1 – Small Business Cybersecurity – Our speaker Greg Schwartz will address the question: What should small
businesses do to protect themselves from the growing cybersecurity
threats? They have these threats in common with larger companies, but
they may have special issues. Greg is the founder of GSIT
Group, which helps small businesses with risk mitigation. He will
describe the system infrastructure risks and challenges for small
businesses, both current and anticipated, and the tools available to
mitigate them. Particular focus will be on cybersecurity exposures and
mitigation, and the issues on the horizon. [video to appear]
- July
8 – Strategic Philanthropy: Charitable Giving If You Are Not Bill Gates – Speaker The Rev. Brooks Smith will explain how you can do your charitable giving in an
effective manner to benefit the causes you care about. Rev. Brooks
Smith is a retired pastor and currently a minister with the Presbytery
of Northeast New Jersey. He will help us by describing what might be
called the five “P”s of donation: the
Passions that drive philanthropy and the Partners, Processes, Projects,
and Pondering that produce effective, mindful giving. [in-person and on Zoom – for access: [email protected]]
- July 15 – An Update on Covid – Old Guard member Bob Martin will return as speaker and give us an in-depth update on the Covid and vaccine situation [online with Zoom only]
- July
22 – HomeWell Care Services for Veterans – Care at home for
seniors and others is an increasing need and can be an efficient way of
providing support. HomeWell Care Services, based in Union, NJ, is
prominent in meeting this need. Our speaker Jen Kelber is client relations manager
for HomeWell. She will describe the different types of services that
can be provided at home by HomeWell, with an emphasis on services for
veterans. [in-person and on Zoom]
- July
29 – Wharton Arts Center: History and Programs – Wharton
Arts is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit performing arts
education center serving nearly 2,000 students, located in Berkeley
Heights, NJ. Our guest speaker Helen Cha-Pyo is the artistic director of Wharton Arts and
is a Julliard-trained musician, award-winning conductor, and promoter
of music arts development among youth. She will explain the history and
development of Wharton Arts and describe its programs, current breadth
and impact, future, and challenges. [in-person and on Zoom]
August Birthday Emcee: Art Mason
August Program Chair - Bill Joyce
- Aug 5 – A History of Humans and the Great Swamp: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – We all know of the Great Swamp. But there is a less known long history of people and the Great Swamp. Thousands of acres of swampland have been a boon to people for thousands of years. Patricia Wells will tell us the fascinating story of how people have used, abused, and finally saved the Great Swamp. She is an educator, historian, and storyteller. Since retiring, she has been deeply involved in the Chatham Township Historical Society and the Friends of the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Aug 12 – Addressing Wrongful Convictions – New Jersey Conviction Review Unit – The criminal justice system in the United States is designed to ensure that only guilty individuals suffer the total loss of freedom of imprisonment. However, a number of factors, including DNA evidence, have demonstrated in recent years that a number of unjust convictions do occur. New Jersey established a Conviction Review Unit to review the cases of individuals who claim to be innocent. Our speaker Carolyn Murray was the first director of New Jersey CRU and will discuss the process used by the unit to review cases for possible wrongful convictions. Carolyn will discuss the process used and the case of a man who was exonerated after serving 20 years. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Aug 19 – The Nature of Addiction – Our speaker Robert Alexander has served for 50 years in the treatment of drug addiction in various positions. For the last 41 years he has served as executive director at the Paterson Counseling Center. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at several universities in our area. Robert will discuss the history of methadone treatment as one of many treatments for addiction. He will describe the introduction of buprenorphine as an alternative form of medication-assisted treatment, and the challenges to effective treatment regimens presented by the AIDS epidemic, and more recently, hepatitis C. [in-person and on Zoom]
- Aug 26 – Managing Life’s Transitions – All of us experience life transitions. Kelly Falcone has spent the past several years helping her clients navigate these changes with more ease, from career reinventions to health transformations to adjusting to new stages of life. She brings to us her experience as a human resources professional and career counselor as well as her personal experience. In this presentation, Kelly will share some common life transition themes she has seen in both her work and research, and discuss how shifting our attention to a few key areas can help us more effectively cope with challenges that come up when we are in these liminal spaces in life. [in-person and on Zoom]
September Birthday Emcee: Steve Waddell
