The
Social Butterfly
The Paper • Page 3 • March 10, 2016
required. The guest speaker will be sport fishing Captain Ernie Prieto, one of the most popular of all the club’s speakers. Ernie and his boat, the Chubasco II, dock at the Mission Bay sport fishing landing in the Quivera Basin, across from Sea World. Ernie is a third generation of fishermen who have fished the shores of Southern California and Mexico for over 60 years. He loves fishing and knows how to treat his clients. Ernie will be donating a few passes and T-shirts for the club’s opportunity drawing prizes, which help raise money for youth fishing events. If you want to, join some of the members for lunch (Dutch-Treat; separate checks) at one of the local restaurants that sponsor the SAE club. For more information, visit senioranglersofescondido.net or call Ron at 760.736-4009.
Evelyn Madison The Social Butterfly Email Evelyn at:
thesocialbutterfly@cox.net
Senior Anglers to Meet TomorrowFriday, March 11th - The Escondido Senior Anglers club will meet on Friday, March 11th, at 9:30am at the Park Avenue Community Center, 210 Park Avenue, Escondido. This energetic over-50 crowd of men and women participate in both fresh & saltwater fishing, youth trout derbies, various picnics, RV camp-outs & other community service events. Meetings are free and guests are always welcome. Shirts and shoes are
Secret Weapons of WWII Cont. from Page 2
military training is, in retrospect, a most astonishing attempt to ‘think outside the box’ in a last, desperate attempt to decode Germany’s Enigma code which, up to this point, was technologically invincible. The importance of cracking the Enigma code was considered invaluable, even crucial to winning the war: “If Enigma would be penetrated, everything Hitler plotted would be known in advance. Access to the enemy’s inner-most secrets could alter the outcome of World War II.” (“Decoding Nazi Secrets,” Nova Public Television, DVD, 1999.)
Unknown to the world at large, there emerged a most startling secret notion that would parlay into one of history’s greatest secret weapons which would turn the tide of the war in Europe and change the course of history, forever. Recruitment of nondescript civilians began in the late 1930s and continued onward. These newly-hired civilian codebreaking candidates were added to the already established militarytrained codebreakers at Bletchley Park. According to historian and author, Sinclair McKay (“The Lost World of Bletchley Park”), the British already had thousands of military codebreakers in a variety of roles working in different locations, eventually reaching over 10,000 total. So, in light of what Mr. McKay said, why add more at Bletchley Park, especially from the civilian sector? The pivotal idea was to get fresh blood, fresh thinking, and a fresh perspective from potential civilian codebreakers. -In one 1941 recruiting strategy, the British government secretly asked The Daily Telegraph newspaper to organize and publish a very sophisticated and very advanced crossword puzzle competition. From the results of this contest, the best and most perceptive minds were contacted and
Republican Women to Hold Membership Event – You are invited to an Orientation Brunch on Thursday, March 17th from 11am-1pm, hosted by the Executive Committee of the Escondido Republican Women, Federated (ERWF). Meet club leaders and learn about the club structure and objectives, benefits of membership, activities and events, and how you can get involved. To find out where the event will be located, RSVP to Rosalia Zamora at Rosalia1947@att.net or call 760.489.1407.
Women’s Financial Symposium Sponsored by Rady Children’s Hospital – On Thursday, March 17, from 9am-1pm, there will be a Women’s Financial Symposium, sponsored by Rady Children’s
asked to “Be involved in a particular type of work as a contribution to the war effort.” In their own words, the British War Office set about seeking: “Top solvers of cryptic crossword puzzles, as these individuals had strong lateral thinking skills.”
The recruitment of profound and eclectic thinkers, fresh and untainted by conventional warfare tactics was a stroke of genius. With this unorthodox recruiting process, Bletchley Park soon became populated by a very strange and oddball collection of the new soon-to-be codebreakers: chess champions, linguists (experts in languages and the recognizition their various hidden meanings), Egyptologists (experts in ancient Egyptian language, art, and history), mathematicians, students, lawyers, university professors, crossword puzzle fanatics and other riddle-solvers. Yes, they were brilliant, unconventional, and – as genius is often viewed – they were often seen as a collection of rule-breaking eccentrics, even social misfits, perhaps what some today might refer to as ‘nerds.’ These civilian recruits often caused surrounding town folk to view them as weird and sometimes, uncomfortable to be around. In fact, archival records reveal that Bletchley’s surrounding community began to believe that this collection of unusual citizens were, in fact, from some lunatic asylum (Historian, Sinclair McKay, Ibid). One such example of eccentricity was personified by one of Bletchley Park’s most brilliant young recruits, named Alan Turing. A towering genius, Turing was a research Fellow at Cambridge College at the young age of 22. He even created the fundamental basis for the first complicated computing machine. Yet, even his colleagues said of him, “He had funny manners.” (Peter Hilton, Bletchley Park codebreaker). Nonetheless, Alan Turing was an undisputed genius “He constantly surprised us with his originality,” Hilton added. “He was very shy,” fellow
Hospital, to be held at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa, 9700 Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. Registration/Continental Breakfast at 9am; the Workshop starts at 9:15am with three speakers, then lunch at 11:30am, and keynote speaker, Barbara J. Wight, CPA; CFO of Taylor Guitars, speaking on “Creating Security Across Generations.” Register online at www.RadyFoundation.org/WFS. Rady Foundation can be reached at 858.966.5988. Carlsbad Chamber Dinner – The Annual Business Awards Dinner for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce is planned for Friday, March 18, 6-10pm, at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, Golf Club & Spa. “Hooray for Business” is the theme; celebrate the best in business among their membership. Contact the Chamber for more information.
San Marcos Theatre West Presents Pinocchio – The musical production, Pinocchio, will be presented at the San Marcos Community Center, 3 Civic Center Drive, on March 18, 19 and 20. Show times are Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 2 and 6pm; and Sunday at 2pm. The show features a cast of 35 local actors ages 7 to 17. Ticket prices are $7 for youth/students/seniors and $10/adults. Tickets for the 2pm show on Saturday are $7 for all ages. Tickets are available in advance or purchased at the door. For more info, visit www.sanmarcos.net/theatrewest or call 760.744.9000. Volunteers Needed for Panache at Municipal Gallery – On Saturday, March 19, from 4:30 to 8:30+pm volunteers are
codebreaker, Sarah Baring recalls, “He used to — bless his heart — walk down to the canteen and, curiously, walk in a sideways motion with his head down. But, he was a star. We all thought he was such a wonderful person.” But Turing was not the only eccentric at Bletchley Park. In general, they all were perceived as different. Their unusual nature and odd behavior even took British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, by surprise. Inspecting the new experiment with non-military codebreakers at Bletchley Park, on September of 1941, Churchill commented to Commander Alastair Denniston, operations head of the codebreaking school, “I told you to leave no stone unturned to get this staff, but I had no idea you had taken me so literally!” Churchill had met chess champions, Hugh Alexander and Stuart MilnerBarry, mathematicians Derek Taunt, Jack Good, Bill Tutte, and Max Newman, as well as historian Harry Hinsley, and a collection of students, puzzle fanatics and crossword experts. It was the strangest kettle of fish that Churchill had ever seen come together to represent Britain’s top secret military experiment. However, in time, they would not disappoint. They would, in fact, commence to shock the world with their unrivalled, collective genius.
Nevertheless, their often strange and idiosyncratic exploits caused the Government Code and Cypher School to nickname them “The Golf, Cheese and Chess Society.” One unique codebreaker was often seen pacing around the lake drinking coffee while in deep abstract thought. When he would finish his cup of coffee he would, suddenly, look at the empty cup in deep surprise, not remembering that he had periodically drunk from it while lost in thought, contemplating an encoded message. Unsure how the cup even came into his possession, he would simply toss it over his shoulder and into the lake.
needed for food, wine and silent and live art auctions to benefit the Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery. Panache is the main source of operating revenue for the community space and it’s the gallery’s largest fundraiser. Volunteers are also needed for pre-Panache tasks. To volunteer, email Hayley at Hayley.esconarts@gmail.com. The Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery is located at 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido; call 760.480.4101, or visit online at www.escondidoarts.org. Tour Aloha Farms Food Forest - Saturday, March 19, at 1pm, meet at the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens, 1270 Vale Terrace in Vista for carpooling to the farm at 1:15pm. Cost $5; free for AVG members. Explore growing food “Forest Style,” a sustainable method that uses no fertilizer or pesticides and very little water. Learn how to use sheet composting to create healthy soil, how to create simple raised beds, why pruning improves tree health, many ways to conserve water, and even forest friendly hair and skin care. Wear closed-toed walking shoes. Liability waiver required prior to tour. Register in advance: clee@altavistagardens.com.
Poway Symphony Orchestra Concert – will be Sunday, March 20th at 4pm in the Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. Titled “Orchestra Splendor” and led by John
‘Social Butterfly’ Cont. on Page 8
As a whole, these newly-added civilian codebreakers were the exact opposites of their military codebreaker counterparts, in more ways than one. Aside from their unconventional behavior, they were even treated differently by the British Government Code and Cipher School. They were not required to follow military disciplines, such as uniforms, and ranks — none of which would apply to them.
Little did the world realize that this collection of whimsical individuals would become heroic in accomplishing the seemingly impossible: they would succeed in breaking the various German Enigma codes from not only the German ground forces, but also the unique Enigma codes of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force) known as Luftwaffe Red, as well as the German Naval Engima. As a consequence of all this, many key battles now shifted in our favor, and as a result, countless lives were saved within our Allied Forces. For example, breaking Germany’s Luftwaffe Red Enigma code allowed Bletchley Park to inform the British Royal Air Force (RAF) not only how the Luftwaffe was organized, but what it was planning to do in advance. Also, historians agree that the Battle of the Atlantic might have been lost if the Bletchley Park codebreakers had failed to penetrate the German’s Navy Enigma codes, all of which allowed our Armed Forces to prepare and defuse the enemy’s plans. In the summer of 1941 Bletchley Park was able to crack the German Navy’s Enigma code in less than two days. Convoys could now be re-routed on the seas, thus avoiding the deadly German U-boats. On June 23, 1941 Bletchley Park saved a British convoy from a deadly Uboat attack (involving 10 German submarines). Bletchley Park’s decoded Enigma messages even allowed the Allies to setup a
Secret Weapons of WWII Cont. on Page 6