–submitted by Mark Moody
From left: Denny Carey, Carol Koby, Candace Moody, Sally Davis, Jim Davis and Shirley Baum
The dinner and discussion fellowship group met on December 18 at the home of Denny Carey and Carol Koby. Denny and Carol have been hosting this group for a number of months. The discussion is always lively and engaging. Attending on December 18th were Mark and Candace Moody, Jim and Sally Davis, Shirley Baum and Mike Casey.
Our initial discussion, before dinner, focused on hydraulic fracturing to extract oil and natural gas. This topic came up because the state of New York had recently issued a ban on hydraulic fracturing. Jim Davis served as the state geologist for the states of New York and California for a number of years and told us about the history of hydraulic fracturing, how the process works to extract oil and gas as well as about the environmental risks it poses. Jim patiently and expertly answered our many questions on this topic.
During and after dinner we discussed the change in diplomatic relations with Cuba which president Obama had just announced the day before. We also discussed the history of the embargo. From there the topic move to something we all are deeply concerned about; the deeply rooted problem of racial disparities, institutional racism and the de facto segregation in our community.
Denny and Carol were gracious hosts as always. The discussion was open and respectful and engaging as it always is.
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 
