Print a condensed .pdf copy of this newsletter, two web pages per sheet of paper.


Jan Bohall Leads July 5 Tallwood Meeting of
Homer, etc., a Group Dedicated to Analysis of
Classic Literature Through Reading Aloud

July 12, 2019

Editor of the Week: Leslie Vandivere

Table of Contents

Alerts & Notices

  • Board of Directors meeting, Friday, July 19, at 10:00 in TA-1 at Tallwood. All members welcome.
  • Loudoun Program Planning meeting, Monday, July 22, at 11:05 in room 208, Loudoun campus. All members welcome.
  • The next issue of OLLI E-News will be published Friday, July 19; regular deadline for submission of items is Tuesday, July 16, at 6:00.

Back to Top of Page

Computer Club
3rd Saturday, July 20
Watching TV on the Internet
On-Board Diagnostics and Blue Drive
By Paul Howard, OPCUG Program ChairThe Computer Club (OLLI Personal Computer User Group or OPCUG) will meet with its partner, the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society (PATACS), on Saturday, July 20, at Tallwood. Join us at 12:30 for socializing in the Annex. Program activities begin at 1:00 in TA‑1.

Watching TV on the Internet – Presented by Allan Hide
Today’s TV’s, computers, and mobile devices offer “over-the-top” options to watch movies and TV programs via streaming video over the Internet. Services such as Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon, Sling TV, and Apple TV provide new alternatives. “Cord-cutters” are replacing or supplementing their cable television subscriptions with such Internet video sources. Allan will discuss the benefits and limitations of these choices.

Allan Hide has worked as a management analyst for Fairfax County Department of Cable and Consumer Services in the Communications Policy and Regulation Division since 2003. He assists Fairfax County residents by providing outreach and education on communications topics and cable complaint resolution.

Learn in 30: On-Board Diagnostics and Blue Drive – Presented by John Krout
Do you dread the “check engine” light on your dashboard? It covers many different failures. Which one has caused the light to appear? Sometimes the cause is merely short term (e.g., a power surge, road-surface vibrations, cosmic rays, strong magnetic fields). How can anyone tell the difference between a persistent problem and a transient one?

On-Board Diagnostics (OBD), a mandatory standard in all cars sold in the US since 1996, includes both standard numeric codes to identify specific problems in cars and a uniform standard multi-pin connector for external devices to read those problem codes. This session will show you how to read and understand a car’s problem codes using your phone or tablet and the BlueDrive hardware and software, and how to identify and ignore transient trouble codes.

See full details on this meeting by clicking here. For information on the Computer Club, see the OPCUG website. OPCUG dues of $5 for 2019 will be collected at this meeting.

Can’t make the meeting in person? Dues-paid club members may attend via Zoom’s cloud meeting service, beginning at 12:45. Send a message to webinarhosts@patacs.org if you plan to attend in this way. Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/519103813 (meeting ID 519103813)

Back to Top of Page

New Science and Technology Club in Loudoun
By Jim Wentworth, Science and Technology Club Coordinator

Ever wonder why things are or how things work? Join the new Science and Technology Club in Loudoun to discuss scientific research and technologies that have significant effects on society. Some of the topics for discussion include the following: recent predictions on climate change; whether an asteroid really caused the extinction of dinosaurs and many other species about 66 million years ago; the impact of artificial intelligence on our lives and jobs; and the future of high-speed trains in the United States.

Our first meeting is Tuesday, July 23, from 9:40 to 11:05 in room 209 at the Mason Loudoun campus. Questions? Contact club coordinator Jim Wentworth at jimwent@cs.com.

Back to Top of Page

The Tom Swift Squad Needs You!

Interested in technology? Learn with us!
By Paul Howard, Audiovisual Support Committee ChairOLLI’s Audiovisual Support Committee (a.k.a. The Tom Swift Squad) seeks additional volunteers to help ensure the smooth employment of OLLI’s audiovisual resources. Our primary mission is to help instructors, liaisons, and staff with any aud

iovisual issues that might arise during the classes we attend.

We’ll be meeting at 2:00 on Wednesday, July 17, in the Cottage. Our activities for this meeting will be testing several pieces of equipment and organizing storage space in the Tallwood Cottage tech room. (Sound familiar? Yeah, we had to postpone last month’s session <grin>!)

Please let me know if you’re planning to attend or would like to become a “Swiftie” even if you can’t attend this meeting. Contact me by email (preferred) or phone (703-860-9246).

For more information on the Audiovisual Support Committee, see its web page.

Back to Top of Page

Poet’s Corner

Courtesy of the Poetry Workshop
Rhythm of Life            cinquains on a theme

Sparkling
Blue sky of spring
Vibrant daffodils zing
Nature awakens with a ping
Rebirth

Shining
Sun of summer
The hummingbirds hover
And butterflies and bees flutter
New life

Crimson
And red of fall
Time to store summer’s haul
Acorns for winter above all
Feasting

Silver
White of winter
Time to take a breather
Animals huddle and whisper
Torpor

                    Chitra Mohla

Arts & Music at George Mason

Performances July 12 through July 22

By Shelly Gersten, OLLI E-News Staff Writer

For tickets for either Center for the Arts Concert Hall (CFA) or Hylton Center, call 1-888-945-2468, buy tickets online through the event calendar (see links below), or visit the venue’s box office. For more information, see the CFA ticket page or the Hylton Center ticket purchase page.

At the Hylton Center (Manassas Campus)

Prince William Little Theatre: Annie
Sat, Jul 20 and Sun, Jul 21, 8:00
Sun, Jul 21, 2:00
Thu, Jul 25 – Sat, Jul 27, 8:00
Sat, Jul 27 and Sun, Jul 28, 2:00
Gregory Family Theater
Admission: $25 Adults; $20 seniors.

Back to Top of Page

For further details on any of the above events, see the CFA event calendar and the Hylton Center event calendar.

Back to Top of Page

Meetings & Clubs

The following list covering the next two weeks is extracted for your convenience from the master online calendar maintained by the office, with direct web links added when available. The list is accurate as of mid-week but for the most up-to-date information, please view the latest forecast of coming events on our website (News/OLLI Calendar). Note: All OLLI members are welcome at, and encouraged to attend, meetings of the Board of Directors, committees and resource groups, kick-off coffees, etc. (bolded below).

Sat Jul 13 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Mon Jul 15  9:30am
10:00am
10:00am		 What’s in the Daily News?–TA-1
Bridge Club–TA-3
Mah Jongg Club–TA-2
Wed Jul 17  2:00pm Audiovisual Committee Meeting–TA-1
Fri Jul 19  9:15am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft & Conversation–Annex
Board of Directors Meeting–TA-1
Homer, etc.–Annex
Sat Jul 20 10:30am
1:00pm		 Tai Chi Club–TA-3
Personal Computer User Group–TA-1
Mon Jul 22  9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
11:05am		 What’s in the Daily News?–TA-1
Bridge Club–TA-3
Spanish Club–TA-2
Loudoun Program Planning Meeting–Room 208
Tue Jul 23  9:40am
11:50am		 Loudoun Science and Technology Club–Room 209
Loudoun Non-Fiction Book Club–Room 209
Fri Jul 26  9:15am
9:30am
10:00am
11:00am
12:00noon		 Recorder Consort–TA-3
Craft & Conversation–Annex
Theater Lovers’ Group–Tallwood
Homer, etc.–Annex
Photography Club–TA-3
Sat Jul 27 10:30am Tai Chi Club–TA-3

Back to Top of Page

About OLLI E-News

OLLI E-News was created by Rod Zumbro, who served as its editor from 2005 to 2013.

Editorial Staff
Chief Editor: Paul Van Hemel
Associate Editor: David Gundry
Weekly Editor Team: David Gundry, John Nash, Sheri Siesseger, Leslie Vandivere,
Paul Van Hemel 
Proofreaders: Rebecca Jann, Susan Van Hemel, Linda Randall, Tom Appich, Roz Stark,
Jane Hassell
Backup Chief Editor: Alice Slayton Clark

Submissions: Members are encouraged to submit letters to the editor, letters to Ms. Ollie Ettakit (on etiquette matters), OLLI-related news items, articles, and photos. Submit material to: ollienewseditor@gmail.com.
Deadline: Tuesday, 6:00, for that week’s issue (Monday, 6:00, for letters to the editor); early submissions are greatly appreciated. Please limit articles to about 250 words.
Note: You can view past issues of OLLI E-News on the DocStore. To search the content of issues, use Search Our Site or put your search term in Google followed by “site:olli.gmu.edu/” without the quotes.

Back to Top of Page