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      Statue of Plato (detail) by Leonidas Drosis at the Academy of Athens.   Philosophy The word philosophy comes from the Greek meaning ‘love of knowledge’. What can we know and most importantly how can we know it? How can we know what is the Good? How can we know what is Truth? P&D u3a Philosophy Group is led by Ian Gregory with highly convivial sessions of intellectual stimulation held at his home in Barmby Moor.   Ian says that a crucial task is to lay bare the presuppositions at the heart of some of our most fundamental ideas and practices. Concepts such as Justice, Equality, Freedom, the Rule of Law, Citizenship and Democracy are some of the most important subjects for critical dialogue. Socrates was one of the most famous early philosophers who pursued intellectual enquiry in Athens as early as the mid 400’s BC. He taught Plato (a teacher of Mathematics and Philosophy) and he in turn taught Aristotle. Can you believe that these people were seeking Truth and how to kno
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  Pocklington and District u3a Garden Wildlife Group is led by Tony Flavell, founder of popular Greener Pocklington tree planters but here the focus is on wildlife. The group is very sociable and meets in various members’ gardens. They undertake practical projects and swap ideas about the plants people are using – which plants to choose and where to site them in order to look after garden visitors and encourage bio-diversity. The group says four main needs for wildlife are food, water, shelter and a place to breed. Everyone can help maintain a healthy eco-system by making a few small changes in their garden – even doing a little can help a lot. How does your garden rate? A variety of plants will encourage different species of birds, animals and insects. Swifts can be encouraged by fitting special boxes onto houses. Hedges and shrubs provide ideal places for birds to nest and a bird bath doesn’t need to be ornate - just somewhere for birds to feel safe to drink. Small animals will nee
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      Fun and Games on West Green Pocklington and District u3a chose to celebrate National u3a Outdoor Day by meeting on West Green on Friday 22 nd September. Members used the Table Tennis table and Basketball Hoop which are in situ, and had a go at the games Vice Chair, John Senior, had collected from the East Riding store based in Driffield. Thanks to him, many members were able to enjoy Jenga, Quoits, Boules and Croquet. Everyone also enjoyed socialising and sitting for a chat in the sunshine in such pleasant surroundings.   There were conversations about using West Green more and doing more outdoor activity. The new path was appreciated by those with mobility issues with the hope that it could be further improved and there was great interest in looking into trying to help establish a Boules Court. This might only need a lining and gravel. It was thought that the Skate Park was more for the young (at least no-one had a go this morning!) whereas a relatively low-cost Boules Cour
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  Wine Appreciation Pocklington and District u3a has had five Wine Appreciation groups. What does that tell us about the members? – they are all avid seekers of the truth of course, following Pliny the Elder’s statement in the first century AD that ‘in vino veritas est’. All groups meet in each other’s homes and enjoy interesting discussions along with their tasting although there are variations. One group compares different grape varieties, another has traditional tasting notes to accompany the sampling of three reds and three whites and other groups enjoy appraising the host’s eclectic choice of wines. One group leader, John Senior, who is a wine enthusiast, says that discussion in Group 2 is often about current affairs and life in general and the troubles of the world are eased for a while by the relaxing and mellow atmosphere. Pocklington and District u3a members are keen life-long learners and there is certainly a lot to learn about wine. As in every subject, the more you
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