Third Thursday Lunch Bunch

Nuclear Fissions: "It's advantages and challenges"

 Presenter: John Delano

January 16, 2025

Nuclear fission of uranium-235 has provided electricity since 1957. The United States currently has 107 nuclear power plants that provide 20% of the nation’s electricity.  In comparison, Virginia gets 32% of its electricity from two nuclear sites (Surry; North Anna).  Compared to the burning of fossil fuels that release billions of tons (annually) of climate-altering greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, nuclear fission has been environmentally cleaner (with two major exceptions: Chernobyl in 1986; Fukushima in 2011).  Nuclear fission generates highly radioactive waste that must be isolated from the environment for about 100,000 years. Although the United States has spent more than $10 billion since 1987 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada for the nation’s nuclear waste repository, political inaction by successive Federal administrations and agencies has prevented that site from accepting any of the 70,000 tons of radioactive waste. 

Motivation Speaker

Terrie Nathan is a renowned Motivational Speaker, International Best-selling Author, and Positive Psychology Executive/Wellness and Life Coach 

February 20, 2025

No March meeting

Sorry we have no backup to run the presentation

Buffet Lunch 

11:45 am to  1:00 pm

Lunch at Noon presentation starts 12:30

$20/person

Second Floor Conference Room

Charter Senior Living of Williamsburg

440 McLaws Circle, 23185

Email questions to:  thirdthursday49@gmail.com

Previous Presentations 

The Presidential Yacht Sequoia

December 19, 2024

Presenter: Chip Kinsey

Third Thursday will go back in time to describe the history of a vessel that most have forgotten – the USS Sequoia.  It was the former presidential yacht used during the administrations of Herbert Hoover through Jimmy Carter.  President Carter ordered her sold in 1977.

 

Often called the “floating White House”, the Sequoia offered presidents, first families and high-ranking government officials a place to escape the complexities of official life while also serving as the backdrop for significant moments of 20th-century American history.

 

A congressional resolution passed in December 1985 stated, “Sequoia was the setting for Presidential meetings, negotiations and decisions of extraordinary significance for and effect on the history of the United States and the course of world events” and “recognized the unique significance of the former Presidential yacht Sequoia which has made her a symbol of American political heritage and the Office of the President.”

 

Chip Kinsey will describe the history of the vessel and its ups and downs over the years since it was taken out of service. 

Fort Eustis Transportation Museum

November 21, 2024

Sepp Scanlin; Museum Director

The Ninth Patrol

October 17th, 2024

Chris Munson

Kingsmill Yacht Club, Commodore Chris Munson will commemorate Veterans Day with the story of WWII submarine commander, Capt. H.G. Munson, USN via a slide presentation. 

The Ninth Patrol, relates to Capt. Munson’s ninth WWII patrol as Commander of a submarine. But its far more; the families and crews that supported these gallant actions are brought in from personal recollections and meetings with many of his officers and crew at ship reunions and extensive writings and ship logs. The story begins with ancestral history from the late 1800s, and traces the technical and human development of undersea warfare from 1915 thru advanced nuclear boats of the 1960s.

Mosquito Abatement


Presenter: Nate Brauner

Master Naturalist

Techniques that work, and those that don’t.

Mosquitoes are part of life in the Tidewater area, but that doesn’t mean that you have to avoid using your yard because of them.  There are many companies out there promising solutions, but are their methods scientifically proven?  Join us and find out how to successfully control mosquitoes in your yard using techniques backed up by scientific research.

Nate is part of a statewide corps of volunteers providing education, outreach, and service dedicated to the beneficial management of natural resources and natural areas within their communities. Most of Nate’s projects have centered on elementary and middle school education, herpetology and ornithology.

Nate also organizes the outreach and educational efforts of the Colonial Beekeepers Association, a group of over 200 beekeepers in Southeastern Virginia.


Honey Bee Presentation

March 21, 2024

Presenter: Nate Brauner 

“This month we will learn about the importance of of honey bees to our economy and lives, learn about the plants that they pollinate, and what we can do to help them survive.  Honey bees face many challenges from our intensive use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers, and our focus on single crop production.  In this talk we will learn about what happens in a honey bee hive, who lives there, what they do and when, and the issues that they face in terms of parasites that invade the colonies.  We will learn what beekeepers are doing to help the bees overcome these difficulties in order to survive.”


"NASA's Artemis program: America's ambitious return to the Moon"

February 15, 2024 

Presenter: John Delano

The Battle of Guadalcanal

Presenter: John Delano 

June 20th  

(If you prepay and need to cancel we will issue a refund to your credit card)


This is a 45 minute presentation!

11:45 to 1:15 PM


The Liebherr Group 

Liebherr has grown from a small family business based in Southern Germany into a group of companies with a global presence.


In 1949 Hans Liebherr developed the world’s first mobile tower crane, the TK10, for his small construction company.

The rapid success of the first patented Liebherr crane formed a solid base on which the company could grow.


January 18, 2024

Presenter: Ron Jacobson

JCC Solid Waste & Recycling

Bob Dittman  will tell us about recycling efforts and solid waste disposal in the county.  

November 16, 2023


"Medicare Open Enrollment 

What You Need to Know"


Once a year, Medicare beneficiaries have an opportunity to review their insurance choices and make adjustments according to their needs.

October 19, 2023

Presenter:  Mark Faulkner

Estate Planning 

September 21, 2023

Presenter:  Bob Miller

Dominion Energy leading the Country in Offshore Wind

August 17, 2023

Dominion Energy is committed to building a sustainable energy future, with a plan to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions across their 16 states by 2050. When fully constructed in 2026, the CVOW project will deliver up to 8.8 million megawatts per year of clean, renewable energy to the grid, powering up to 660,000 Virginia homes. Providing this power with wind energy will avoid as much as 5 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually — the equivalent of planting more than 80 million trees. 

Presenter: Crystal Bright



"Experimental Investigations of High Altitude Airships for Future Flight Systems Applications" 

July 20, 2023

Presenter: Tom Campbell 

Triple-train wreck

June 15,2023 presentation

Presenter:  John Delano

This is the story of the events that led up to a historic train wreck that occurred in western Pennsylvania.  As a 5-year boy traveling with his mother and younger brother on an eastbound New York Central passenger train (Southwestern Limited), they experienced an event involving the largest number of trains (3) in a single wreck in the United States.  This presentation describes the unusual circumstances that led up to this tragic event and the personal recollections of being on board one of those trains.  


"10th Mountain Division"

Presenter: Sepp Scanlin

April 20th, 2023

What do the Kentucky Derby winner, the Nike Company, the Sierra Club, and US Ski industry all share in common?  These elements grew out of the the U.S. Army’s only Mountain Division, the "10th  Mountain Division". TTLB member Sepp Scanlin, will discuss the unique formation and actions of the World War II "10th Mountain Division". 

"The History of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard" 

March 16, 2023

Jim Shoemaker will be presenting an entirely new, slide-illustrated talk about his latest book — "The History of Norfolk Naval Shipyard".    His book traces the centuries-long history of the nation's oldest naval shipyard which is inextricably linked to the history of Tidewater and Hampton Roads.Presenter:  Jim Shoemaker

Why is the United States planning to send humans to Mars?

The United States is planning to send humans to the surface of Mars. The journey to Mars will take 8 to 10 months and cover about 500 million miles each way. To accomplish this journey, the U. S. has developed a new, very powerful launch vehicle called the Space Launch System (SLS) and a new passenger capsule, called Orion. The SLS and Orion had their first uncrewed flight test to the Moon and back in November 2022.

Presenter: Dr. Joel S. Levine

February 16, 2023


"Little known aspects of the Apollo 11 Mission"

Little known aspects of the Apollo 11 Mission

Lunar Module "Eagle" 

December 15, 2022 

Presenter: John Delano

"The Battle of Williamsburg"

Williamsburg Battlefield Association

November 17, 2022

Presenter: Don Kline

TWA flight 800

August 17, 2022 

Presenter: Tom Campbell