Spring 2014 Catalog

Below is a list of the courses, special events and ongoing Spring 2014 activities at all three locations (Fairfax, Reston and NOVA-Loudoun). Unless otherwise noted, classes beginning with an F are held at Tallwood in Fairfax, an R at United Christian Parish in Reston, and an L at Mason's Loudoun County location in Sterling. To view non-course information in the catalog, click the following links for the Schedule of Classes (pdf) and Registration Form (pdf). If you plan to print the catalog rather than read it on your computer screen, you may prefer to print the Summer 2014 Catalog (pdf) in its normal two-column format. Class hours are 9:40–11:05, 11:50–1:15, and 2:15–3:40, unless otherwise noted.

 

100Art and Music F101 Intermediate DSLR Photography F102 Music Sampler F103 French Dovecotes and Kiosks F104 Sketching and Drawing Workshop F105 Sketching and Drawing with Pencil and Ink F106 Broadway at OLLI F107 The Art Forgers Craft: An Indignant Obsession and Taunting Mystery F108 Singing for Fun F109 Watercolor Painting F116 Bedside Singing Group R110 Learning How to Listen to Music Intelligently R111 The Ongoing Pleasures of Music R112 Fete Galante: The Evolution of a Genre in the Works of Claude Debussy and Paul Verlaine R113 Meet the Artists L114 Chihuly and the Art of Glass L115 Greeting Card Design 200 Economics & Finance F201 Exploring the Future F202 Estate Planning F203 Current Issues and Trends in Banking F204 The Financial Crisis, its Aftermath and America's Housing Finance System F205 The Tom Crooker Investment Forum F206 Understanding Economics F207 Long Term Care: A New Look At an Old Problem L208 Retirement Income Strategies 300 History & International Studies F301 19th Century Railroading and the Coming Civil War F302 Struggles of Local Citizens during the Civil War F303 Margaret Thatcher: The PM That Mattered F304 America in the Age of Transformation (1865-1900) F305 "Living in troubled and frightening times:" The Fears of 1917 F306 National Security Strategy F307 New York City in the Civil War F308 Historical Studies: Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah F309 Classic Films of the American West R310 The Man Who Loved China R311 The Civil War Beyond the Battles R312 "The world on fire:" The Seven Years' War L313 World War II: Its Origins, Course and Consequences L314 The Kennedy Half Century L315 Will Rogers Tonight 400 Literature, Theater & Writing F401 OLLI Players Workshop F402 Readers' Theater F403 Murder Mystery Writing F404 Memoir Writing F405 Poetry Workshop F406 Richard III: Shakespeare's Villain or Unsung Hero? F407 Explaining Britain One Book at a Time F408 Let's Study a Play Together - Leonard Bernstein's Candide F409 Shakespeare's Henry IV part 1 R410 Spring Film Festival-The Six Wives of Henry VIII R411 Witness Writing Workshop R412 Explaining Britain One Book at a Time R413 Literary Roundtable R414 English Ain't What You Think R415 Jane Austen's Emma R416 Immigrant and Minority Voices in American Literature L417 The New Yorker: A Roundtable Discussion L418 Selling Your Novel or Nonfiction Work as an Audiobook L419 Writers' Workshop: Writing the Mind Alive L420 Readers' Theater and Advanced Acting in Loudoun L421 Two by Dickens 500 Languages F501 French Conversation F502 Spanish Conversational Forum F503 Basic Latin I (continued) F504 Basic Spoken Spanish (continued) 600 Religious Studies F601 Jesus' Final Week and the Beginnings of Christianity F602 Faith, Doubt and Tradition: A Teaching and Sharing Seminar F603 Seminar on the Revelation to John R604 Spiritual Maturity - a Progressive and Rationalist View of the Road to Unity R605 Saving God From Religion L606 Evil, A Liberal Religious Perspective L607 Saving God from Religion

650 Humanities and Social Sciences F651 Cultures Religions of the Middle East F652 The Changing Middle East - A Roundtable Discussion F653 Foundations of Moral Theory F654 Chinese Cultural Lectures F655 The Joy of Mathematics R656 Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World R657 Culture and Spirituality of a Wabanaki Indian Tribe of Maine 700 Current Events F701 What’s in the Daily News? F702 America's Pivot to Asia F703 Great Decisions 2014 R704 Contemporary Issues Forum R705 Social Issues, Religion and the Supreme Court R706 All the News That's Fit to Print L707 Great Decisions 2014 800 Science, Technology & Health F801 Technologies That Transformed the World F802 Engineering Topics F803 Advances in Healthcare F804 Current Topics in Physics and Astronomy Research at George Mason F805 Beginner Chen-Style Tai Chi R806 Cybercrime and Digital Privacy R807 Our Dynamic Planet and Our Environment L808 iPad Basics and Beyond L809 Earthwatch Institute: Preserving the Planet for the Future L810 Current Topics in Physics and Astronomy Research at George Mason L811 Healthcare Topics 900 Other Topics F901 Trip Tales L902 Meditation L903 Mysteries of the Paranormal Special Events 951 A Fine Romance: Songs of Jerome Kern 952 Loudoun County's Real Property Tax Relief Program for Persons 65 or Older or Disabled 953 Mneme Therapy 954 Personal Computer Security 955 George Washington's Last Lecture: "I Am Not Afraid" 956 A Conversation With and Reminiscences of a U.S. Air Force Nurse 957 Mindfulness and Health 958 Give 1.25: How Giving Less Can Lead to Greater Change 959 Is Anything Left from the Arab Spring? 960 The Importance of Pesticides for Feeding the World 961 The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga 962 Prehistoric Nuclear Explosions on Mars 963 Keeping your Memories from Fading 964 Poetry Reading by OLLI's Own 965 Books! Books! Books! 966 Security, Freedom and Transparency: Protecting Civil Liberties and Privacy in the Intelligence Community 967 Dancing the Dream: American Culture in Motion 968 Autism 969 The "Night of Terror" 970 Henry Daingerfield and the Origin of Springfield, VA 971 Human Motor Control Studied Through Motor Adaptation 972 The End is Near! Imminent Natural Disasters Ready to Carry us All Away 973 Intergenerational Travel: Traveling With Your Grandchild 974 Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know 975 Intergenerational Travel: Traveling With Your Grandchild 976 Let's Read: Spring and Summer Book Recommendations 977 Sunnism and Shi'ism: Two Perspectives, One Religion 978 Flute and Piano Duo 979 Judaism and Christianity's Views Regarding the Family 980 AARP Driver Safety Course 981 Matinee Idylls: Dancing Heart Ensemble 982 Glenfiddich Farm Cookery School 983 The Rover 984 Johns Hopkins University Museums 985 Virginia Opera's Carmen 986 A Visit to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton 987 Historic Garden Week in Alexandria 988 Geology Hike in Great Falls Park 989 Bertolt Brecht's The Threepenny Opera 990 Explore Virginia Wines 991 Brunch Murder Mystery 992 Bus Trip to Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah Parks Ongoing Activities Book Club Bridge Club Classic Fiction Book Club Cooking Club Craft and Conversation Group German Club History Club Homer, etc. iPad Users Group Knitting and Needlework Club Mah Jongg Club Memoir Writing Group Personal Computer User Group Photography Club Recorder Consort Tai Chi Club The Tom Crooker Investment Forum Travel Club Ulysses Book Club Walking Group What’s in the Daily News? Continued

100 Art and Music

F101 Intermediate DSLR Photography

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24-May 12
Kellar Annex
Instructor: Dan Feighery
Class limit: 20
This course is about improving your picture-taking ability with an adjustable camera. It assumes you understand how to select what you want to focus on and adjust the exposure. We will depart from the automatic settings and take more manual control of the camera. We’ll work with ambient light and flash. Each week we will have a shooting assignment to improve our “seeing” of what is in the picture space and then sharing and discussing our photos with others in the class. Please become familiar with finding things in your camera user guide before the course. We will briefly introduce “FastStone,” a free downloadable photo-editor, but the focus of the course is Getting it Right in the Camera (GRC).
Dan Feighery is a retired Air Force officer who has attended photography courses at Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason. He founded the OLLI Photography Club and has taught OLLI photography classes.

F102 Music Sampler

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–May 13
Coordinators: Kathleen Meyer, Kathryn Hearden, Margaret Owens Kathleen Meyer with Kathryn Hearden and Margaret Owens from the George Mason School of Music coordinate this course which will highlight examples of the musical talent that abounds at George Mason. Each week knowledgeable and enthusiastic professors from the George Mason School of Music, often accompanied by their most promising students, will generously share their musical gifts with us in presentations that are varied, lively, informative and entertaining.

F103 French Dovecotes and Kiosks

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Apr. 22–Apr. 29
Two sessions
Instructor: Elisabeth Wolpert
These are two whimsical subjects which may interest people who like architectural designs. Dovecotes not only sheltered pigeons but also symbolized power, wealth and the ambitions of their owners. Kiosks were built after the French Revolution for outdoor concerts. They also served as central meeting places, especially in small villages which lacked space. Please join in admiring these unknown and often forgotten treasures of French countryside.
Elisabeth Wolpert was born and educated in France. Her doctoral thesis dealt with 16th century French literature. She taught for 30 years before coming to Virginia to help take care of her grandson. She has enjoyed being a member of OLLI for the past two years.

F104 Sketching and Drawing Workshop

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Kellar Annex
Moderators: Josie Tucker, Kathie West, Susann Hamilton
Class Limit: 14
Those who have taken a previous sketching/drawing class can continue to learn in a cooperative workshop environment where they will have the opportunity to present their work and receive feedback, encouragement and suggestions. Pencil, ink and charcoal will be used, and homework will be assigned. Josie Tucker is a retired editor and publications officer whose hobby is sketching and drawing.
Kathie West is a retired theater teacher whose hobby is painting and drawing. Susann Hamilton is a retired business executive and interior decorator who also enjoys sketching and drawing. All  are OLLI members who have taken or taught several art courses and look forward to sharing their collective knowledge and creativity.

F105 Sketching and Drawing with Pencil and Ink

Tuesdays, 1:45–3:00, Mar. 25–May 13 Note times
Kellar Annex
Instructors: Josie Tucker, Kathie West, Susann Hamilton
Class Limit: 12
Participants with or without previous experience will learn basic techniques for drawing with pencil and ink and will be introduced to materials useful in drawing simple objects, still life and landscapes. Class participation is expected, and homework will be assigned. See F104 for instructor information.

F106 Broadway at OLLI

Tuesdays, 1:45–3:45, Mar. 25–May 13
Note times
Coordinator: Dick YoungAgain this term, our enthusiastic group will gather weekly to enjoy hit musicals from Broadway and Hollywood. Our presenters will describe the background and histories of the shows, and we will see memorable performances by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Maurice Chevalier, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, Ronald Colman, Marlene Dietrich, Ben Vereen, Julie Andrews, Zero Mostel and more. The shows, selected this term by the presenters themselves, will be On the Town, Can Can, The Wizard of Oz, Pippin, Kismet, Victor/Victoria, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Band Wagon. The presenters will be Wendy Campbell (who’s never seen a musical she didn’t love), Marianne Metz (who has led OLLI classes on Gene Kelly and classic American songwriters, among others), Beverley Persell (aka OLLI’s French instructor), Martha Powers (who is delighted to share her enthusiasm with fellow Broadway musical buffs), Kathie West (a mainstay of OLLI theatrical activities) and Dick Young (a longtime musical aficionado who, at OLLI, is mostly a history guy).

F107 The Art Forgers Craft: An Indignant Obsession and Taunting Mystery

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–Apr. 17
Four sessions
Instructor: Christopher With
Over the past several years the murky realm of art forgery has become news and the public has been made aware of it. But the seriousness with which it is viewed today did not exist in centuries past. The belief that art forgeries were anathema to civil society and should be rooted out did not appear until 1860 when the first books on the topic were written. In 1895 the first law making art forgery a punishable offense was enacted in France. But what was the opinion of earlier centuries? Why and how did their more relaxed attitude morph into something more dangerous and intimidating? This reassessment--as well as how it shaped the careers of some modern forgers--will be the focus of this multi-week class. ● Mar. 27: The forgers’ reality prior to 1850. ● Apr. 3: The forgers’ craft in the modern era, 1850-2014. ● Apr. 10: Famous forgers: their careers and downfall. ● Apr. 17: Fakes and the end of the world. Christopher With has worked in the education department of the National Gallery of Art and has a degree in German history from the University of California, Los Angeles.

F108  Singing for Fun

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructors: Linda George, Palmer McGrew
Once again OLLI’s choral group, singing in chorus and ensembles, will emphasize popular music, Broadway show tunes and classic American songbook music. A great voice is not required, just a desire to sing for fun. There is no need to read music or even to have ever sung before. Gayle Parsons will accompany the singers on the piano. Linda George has a degree in music and has taken private lessons in piano and voice for many years. She frequently performs in churches and retirement communities. Palmer McGrew, an OLLI member, has been a longtime performer in Singing for Fun and a substitute instructor/director for the class. He sings in the West Point Alumni Glee Club and in barbershop harmony with the Fairfax Jubil-Aires.

F109  Watercolor Painting

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Leonard Justinian
Class Limit: 15
This class will provide an opportunity for watercolor painters at all levels to develop fresh skills while learning new watercolor techniques. Required materials include: #1, #6 and/or #8 round watercolor brushes; a paint palette for mixing colors; watercolor paper, 140 lb. cold press (Arches is best but you can use less expensive paper); a kneaded eraser; a Staedtler white plastic eraser; tubes of watercolor paint in white, charcoal black, cadmium yellow (medium), cadmium red (medium) and ultramarine blue, or a starter set of watercolors. Leonard Justinian has been painting for more than 60 years. Among other honors, he has received the coveted Grumbacher Award. He teaches watercolor painting in his Fairfax City studio and is also seen on Fairfax Public Access Cable TV, Cox Cable Channel 10 and Verizon FiOS Channel 10.

F116  Bedside Singing Group

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 15
Messiah United Methodist Church, 6215 Rolling Road, Springfield, Room 203
Coordinator: Maury Crallé                    703-455-5606
This class is intended to develop a style of quiet, a cappella singing that will be used to bring comfort to the bedside of an ill person. The class meets each week of the semester to rehearse. SATB sheet music will be provided for use in performance singing. We will become proficient in several songs and develop our own repertoire book. Two different Christian based religious songbooks, Angels Hovering Around and Canaanland Classics (Gospel), will be used to develop our initial common repertoire. Joining the class requires basic musical knowledge and participants should have previously sung in a group situation. Although there is no audition, this is not for beginners. We will rehearse under the direction of Dr. Robert Rudolph, a trained choral director.
Maury Crallé will act as the BSG coordinator. Maury, a former hospice volunteer, is not a trained musician but has sung in barbershop and church choirs for several years.

R110  Learning How To Listen To Music Intelligently

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 21–May 12
Four sessions
Instructor: Irma Collins
According to Aaron Copland, in his What To Listen For in Music, “The intelligent listener must be prepared to increase his awareness of the musical material and what happens to it. He must hear the melodies, the rhythms, the harmonies and the tone colors in a more conscious fashion. In order to follow the line of the composer’s thought, he must know something of the principles of musical form.” Each week we will focus on one of the four basic elements of music and its major historical references. Using CDs and piano keyboard we will explore these elements through discussion, listening, and experiential involvement.

• Apr. 21: Melody.
• Apr. 28: Rhythm.
• May 5: Harmony.
• May 12: Basic Forms, Texture and Tone Color. Aaron Copland’s little book What To Listen For in Music is highly recommended. Dr. Irma Collins is a music professor emeritus from Murray State University (KY) and a recently retired adjunct professor of Music Education at Shenandoah Conservatory (VA). She is a violinist, singer, and choral director. Her book, Dictionary of Music Education, was recently published by Scarecrow Press of Roman-Littlefield. She is the founder of the NAfME-Sage Publication, “Journal of Music Teacher Education.”

R111  The Ongoing Pleasures of Music

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Gloria Sussman
This music listening course has continued to live up to its promising title. We explore with pleasure the many facets of classical music with the help of DVDs and YouTube. You may sample the wide variety of previous term’s musical offerings by searching for Gloria Sussman on YouTube.com.
Gloria Sussman has been teaching at OLLI since 2000 and continues to provide entertaining programs for OLLI at Reston.

R112  Fête Galante: The Evolution of a Genre in the Works of Claude Debussy and Paul Verlaine

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, May 7–May 14
Two sessions Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne Instructor: Carlos Fagundo
Arguably the most important thematic thread in the early work of the great modernist French composer Claude Debussy is the Fête Galante. The term refers to the aristocratic parties of the early 18th century that proliferated after the grand but overly constraining reign of Louis XIV. These elegant and intimate evasions from the formal grandeur of the French court were first immortalized in the paintings of the Rococo school, notably in the works of Antoine Watteau and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. In late 19th and early 20th century France, the idea of these parties again proved a source of inspiration not only for Debussy but for the poet Paul Verlaine. In lecture-recital format, this course will elucidate and give context to this recurring genre through exploration of some of Debussy’s and Verlaine’s most important works.

• May 7: Debussy: Suite Bergamasque and Masque/Verlaine: Les Fêtes Galantes [part I].
• May 14:Debussy: Petite Suite and L’Isle Joyeuse/Verlaine: Les Fêtes Galantes [part II].

Carlos Fagundo is an Instructor of French at Sweet Briar College and an accomplished pianist. His interest in Debussy began in earnest in 2012 during the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth and continues unabatedly in anticipation of the centennial year of the composer’s death in 2018.

R113  Meet the Artists

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 1
Hunters Woods Community Center, CenterStage
Six sessions
Coordinator: Rosemary McDonald

• Mar. 27: Beverly Cosham and Guest. ‘Where do you start?’ Always a favorite performer, singer and actress, much sought after Beverly Cosham has performed at nightspots all over the country, as well as Blues Alley, The National Theatre, Kennedy Center and Lisner Auditorium.
• Apr. 3: Julee An. This talented pianist is the winner of many awards, including first prize at the Young Keyboard Artist International Competition and first prize at the American Music Scholarship International Competition. Julee An began her piano studies at age four in Seoul, Korea with her mother, a former concert pianist.
• Apr. 10: Michael Forest, Tenor; Aime Sposato, Soprano; and Joel Thomas Ayau, accompanist. Michael Forest has performed 17 seasons with the Metropolitan Opera where he has sung more than 250 times in 19 roles. He is an associate professor of music at Shenandoah University. Aime Sposato, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Voice at Shenandoah University. Dr. Sposato specializes in performances of Baroque music. Staff Sergeant Joel Thomas Ayau recently completed a doctoral degree in piano accompanying at the University of Michigan. He is concert pianist and accompanist for the U.S. Army Chorus.
• Apr. 17: Linda Apple Monson and students. A Grand Piano Celebration will feature Dr. Linda Apple Monson, International Steinway Artist and Distinguished Service Professor at George Mason University, in performance of dramatic solo piano repertoire from Spanish composers Albeniz and Turina. The recital will also feature several of Dr. Monson’s talented George Mason University piano students from Seoul, Korea; Lima, Peru; Houston, Texas and Woodbridge, Virginia.
• Apr. 24: The Tallwood Trio. The Tallwood Trio was established on the Tallwood campus of OLLI in October 2012. The group’s repertoire includes music by Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. Alan Wenberg plays piano for various functions including corporate events, parties and weddings. Eric Henderson, Jazz Bass player, worked with area bands in the 1960s and 1970s. David Hirsch, drummer, played his first gig in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Nancy Riley, an accomplished ensemble singer, joins the Tallwood Trio for this performance.
• May 1: The Chamasayan Sisters Plus Two “On a Humorous Note. . .” The Chamasayan sisters present a program that explores humor through music, featuring work from Schubert to Schnittke with a special performance from two young artists.

L114 Chihuly and the Art of Glass

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–Apr. 15
Four sessions
Instructor: Mary Coyne
This four session class will include discussion of the life and influences of Dale Chihuly from his birth in Tacoma, WA to his current world fame. There will be DVDs of his team in the hot shop making his various series of glass, his designs in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and his glass in natural settings and at the new Chihuly glass house and garden museum in Seattle.
Longtime OLLI member Mary Coyne is a retired medical social worker, with degrees from George Mason and VCU. She is currently interested in both creating and viewing art in its many forms.

L115  Greeting Card Design

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Sigrid Blalock
We will analyze greeting card designs, focusing on the aesthetics and effectiveness of the designs. We will then create cards suitable for various occasions and ages, using 5”x7” card stock. Materials needed: white card stock with envelopes, 5”x7”; watercolor paints (cake or tube colors); assorted brushes; container for water; drawing pens with permanent black ink; one set fine-line markers; one box wax crayons with glitter added; pencil and ruler; one pad watercolor paper, 140 lb. wt., cold pressed, 9”x12”; a plastic sheet to cover work space.
Sigrid Blalock, instructor of drawing and painting, has taught art classes for several years at OLLI and the Smithsonian Associates. She has a B.F.A. degree from Syracuse University and a M.A. degree from American University.

200 Economics & Finance

F201 Exploring the Future

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: Joel Ticknor
This course is an introduction to global challenges and mega-trends that will have significant implications for future generations. What do we need to know to live and work in the future? What will it mean to be human? How do we develop alternative, preferred scenarios and use long term thinking to help shape the future? Some topics the course will cover:

• Mega Challenges and Trends -- the diffusion of political power, climate change, the end of plentiful resources: oil, water, food and industrial minerals.
• The 2014 Forecasts of the World Future Society.
• The implications of new technologies and scientific advances: 3D printing, nanotechnology, genetics, synthetic biology, and robotics.
• Big Data and the Internet of Things.
• Artificial Intelligence and Singularity.
• Preventing global catastrophes.OLLI member Joel Ticknor is a professional member of the World Future Society and earned a Certificate in Strategic Foresight from the University of Houston. He has taught OLLI courses on the future and on financial planning. He also taught national security policy at the National War College. Joel retired from the CIA as a senior intelligence officer.z

F202 Estate Planning

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–Apr. 15
Four sessions
Instructors: Sarah Parks, Bob Patton
Sarah Parks will share her experiences on estate planning and retirement living with seniors and their families. Her purpose is to educate seniors about ways to become proactive in planning their estates.

• Mar. 25: An Overview of Estate Planning: gift and estate tax, will and probate, powers of attorney.
• Apr. 1: Trusts. What are trusts and how do they work?
• Apr. 8: Settling an Estate with a Trust versus with a Will.
• Apr. 15: Medical Decision Making. What is a health care directive; how does it work? Hospice – what it is and how it operates.

Sarah Parks is an attorney who limits her practice to estate planning. Her firm is Custom Estate Planning, which she has been operating since 1995. She has a JD degree from the George Mason University School of Law and an LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center. Bob Patton practices estate planning, probate and trust administration, as well as maritime consulting. He works with Sarah at Custom Estate Planning on estate planning matters and is a member of the Virginia Bar and the District of Columbia Bar. In 2000 he retired from the U.S. Maritime Administration, where he was the Deputy Chief Counsel.Z

F203 Current Issues and Trends in Banking

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 22–May 13
Four sessions
Instructor: Al Smuzynski

• Apr. 22: Banking 101. We will discuss the banking industry: the basics of banking, including bank balance sheets, how banks make (or lose) money; bank capital and regulation.
• Apr. 29: Banks as Investments. We will look at bank stocks, including big banks, “regional” banks and banks that are not really banks.
• May 6: Banks in Trouble. How does a bank get into trouble and what happens to it? This session will examine the savings and loan crises in the 1980s and the most recent financial crisis that started in 2007.
• May 13: Where are Banks Heading? We will look at the recent banking legislation and the future of large banks, regional banks and community banks.

Al Smuzynski is a retired bank regulator and an advocate of affordable housing. He currently serves on the boards of Virginia Community Capital and Community Capital Bank of Virginia.z

F204 The Financial Crisis, its Aftermath and America’s Housing Finance System

Tuesdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 25–Apr. 1
Two sessions
Coordinator: Leo Brennan
In this two part series, distinguished professors from George Mason’s School of Management will discuss our recent financial crisis, its causes, the impact of public policies and some alternatives that might have been considered or may be required in the immediate future.

• Mar. 25: Dr. Gerald Hanweck, Professor of Finance at George Mason, will focus on the perilous effects, outlined in his new book, which led to the financial and economic crisis of 2007-2009 and the proposed measures to avoid these in the future. Before joining the faculty at George Mason, Dr. Hanweck was an economist in the Division of Research and Statistics at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
• Apr. 1: Dr. Anthony Sanders is Area Chair of Finance and Distinguished Professor of Real Estate Finance at George Mason. He will focus on issues associated with America’s Housing Finance System and challenge some of the practices with which we are all familiar. Dr. Sanders has testified on numerous occasions in both the House of Representatives and Senate. He is also frequently interviewed by CNBC, Fox Business, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.

 

F205  The Tom Crooker Investment Forum

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–May 14
Moderator: Al Smuzynski
The Investment Forum, which meets weekly throughout the year, addresses investment topics of particular interest to retirees. A weekly agenda is distributed, and each session begins with an open discussion of recent events in the economy and in the financial markets and their impact on investment decisions. Member presentations typically include such topics as recent market indicators, stocks, bonds, funds (mutual, exchange-traded and closed-end), REITS, options, commodities, master limited partnerships, sectors, allocations and investment strategies. We use analyses and data from the financial press. The forum website includes agendas and articles of interest submitted by members.
See F203 for instructor information.

F206  Understanding Economics

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–Apr. 24
Five sessions
Instructor: Stephen Canner
This course is designed for people who never took economics–or never really understood it–to grasp some of the underlying ideas and principles of economics. Reading the business section of the Post or Times is highly recommended. Reading The Economist and/or The Financial Times is preferred.

• Mar. 27: How markets set prices and allocate our scarce resources; different types of markets and different results; why markets matter to the person on the street.
• Apr. 3: How to grow the economy and create jobs while bringing down the deficit? What is our growth potential? Are we/can we fulfill that potential?
• Apr. 10: International Trade: Are exports good and imports bad? What is the basis for countries to trade goods and services? What if all countries try to have more exports than imports?
• Apr. 17: International Investment: Is investment by foreign countries in the U.S. economy good for the economy? And what about U.S. companies investing overseas? Does this activity help or hurt the U.S. in a globalized economy?
• Apr. 24: A look at behavioral economics and what it means for underlying principles of economics.Stephen Canner has a PhD in economics, having served 28 years in the Department of the Treasury, International Affairs, and 18 years at the U.S. Council for International Business.

 

F207  Long Term Care: A New Look At an Old Problem

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, May 1–May 15
Three sessions
Instructor: Elizabeth O’Beirne
2013 was a difficult year for Long Term Care. Traditional policies saw another round of rate increases, and gender-based pricing resulted in 50% higher rates for women. Added to the mix were the stricter health qualifications put in place. This three-session class takes a different approach to Long Term Care by helping students actively assess their financial risk, inventory their financial and non-financial resources, evaluate various options and then create a plan for their care.

• May 1: What is Long Term Care? Discussion of costs by geographic region and type of care, new developments in care technology. Homework: come to Session 2 with your personal projection.
• May 8: How to pay for Long Term Care? Exploration of funding sources will be compared with traditional insurance and the new linked life and annuity plans. Homework: complete the personal inventory of financial and non-financial assets.
• May 15: Exploration of funding sources: Discussion of Medicare, Medicaid, VA programs and county programs. Use your personal inventory to determine how personal assets may be utilized and supplemented to produce a plan of care.

Working with financial planners, estate attorneys and investment advisors to create safe retirement strategies, Elizabeth O’Beirne has been a Long Term Care advisor, specializing in Long Term Care issues, since 2001.

L208  Retirement Income Strategies

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, May 6–May 13
Two sessions
Instructor: Linda Black
It is of vital importance to manage your portfolio and mitigate risks to your investments and income during retirement. This two session course will address investment and retirement income strategies that are practical, relevant and current. Topics will include asset management, Social Security options, taxes and estate planning considerations.
Linda Black, a Chartered Financial Counselor and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®, has extensive experience counseling clients on portfolio construction, retirement issues, estate planning and asset protection strategies.

300 History & International Studies

F301 19th Century Railroading and the Coming Civil War

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–Apr. 14
Four sessions
Instructor: Ron Beavers
This course begins with a review of the U.S. railroad industry from the 1820’s to 1861. Attendees will be amazed at how naïve this country was regarding the iron horse as it came of age. The second meeting will examine the local Northern Virginia railroads immediately before the war–covering how and why they were created, their maintenance facilities, equipment,     rolling stock, their contribution to the war effort and what became of them after the war. The third week’s presentation will cover the United States Military Railroad (USMRR). By late 1861, the U.S. Government knew it had to improve the existing rail transportation system in order to win the war. The last session will cover Civil War logistics. While the Union skillfully mastered the art of logistics, the Confederacy, on paper the fourth largest country in the world, lost its natural advantages, failed to support its armies and thereby lost the war. Period photos, drawings and maps are used throughout these presentations.
Ron Beavers, a retired federal employee, has conducted tours to many Civil War sites throughout Northern Virginia and has been a docent at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum since 1996, a board member from 1998–2010, and a docent in the Robert E. Lee Memorial House at Arlington Cemetery since 2011.z

F302 Struggles of Local Citizens during the Civil War

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Apr. 21–May 12
Four sessions
Instructor: Ron Beavers
With the creation of the new federal government in 1790, Alexandria City and County became part of the District of Columbia and remained in the District until 1847, when they were returned to Virginia. Railroads, including their infrastructures and maintenance facilities, were immediately constructed in this newly retroceded area only to be subsumed 14 years later by the U.S. Army. Once the Union Army entered this area, local citizens lived under army occupation for four long years. Listen to their comments, descriptions of daily life, their fears, hardships and expectations. Sources include diaries, letters and local period photos. The third session will deal with the question “Was the U.S. Constitution violated and ignored during the war?” Presidential declarations and laws passed during that period are compared to the rights written in the Constitution. Not meant to be contentious, this session reminds us never to take our American rights and privileges for granted. Finally we will conclude this series by discussing how Arlington House, built by George Washington Parke Custis and the home of Robert E. Lee and his family for over 30 years, became “The Last Civil War Battle.”
See F301 for instructor information.z

F303 Margaret Thatcher: The PM That Mattered

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–Apr. 15
Four sessions
Instructor: Douglas Hottel
Born above a grocer’s shop in central England on 13 October 1925, Margaret Hilda Thatcher (née Roberts) rose from lower-middle class origins to become the most powerful woman in Britain since Queen Elizabeth the First. “Always right but never wrong,” she was an Oxford student, a Conservative candidate for Parliament and Britain’s first female Prime Minister. Overcoming resistance from her own party, she attempted to reverse decades of post-war decline. Shrewd, combative and governing largely by “a woman’s intuition,” she helped kill global Communism and believed in Britain’s greatness. Acclaimed and despised in equal measure in her own country, Baroness Thatcher remains a unique public figure of the modern era. Margaret Thatcher died on April 8, 2013.
Douglas Hottel, an OLLI member since 2010, is a retired Navy officer and Department of Defense Analyst. He received a BA in History/Political Science from Bethany College, WV; an MA in International Affairs from Catholic University of America; and an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. His previous presentations include The Battle of Britain, the National Intelligence Community, and Disunited We Stand.Z

F304 America in the Age of Transformation (1865-1900)

Tuesdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: Patrick McGinty
The political, social and economic changes that occurred in post Civil War America (1865-1900) were nothing short of breathtaking. Americans were leaving behind an agricultural, rural, underdeveloped economy and culture, and transforming into an industrial nation. The transformation took decades, but its effect proved decisive in creating the modern United States. A listing of the most noteworthy changes would include, but not necessarily be limited to, the rise of industry, the movement to the city, the taming of the western frontier and the agricultural revolution. Come join us as we examine these four areas of change, as well as their consequences, both intended and unintended.
Patrick McGinty, an OLLI member, is a retired naval officer who has an MA and PhD from Georgetown University, where his area of concentration was American History.z

F305 “Living in troubled and frightening times:” The Fears of 1917

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–May 14
Church of the Good Shepherd Coordinators: Michael T. Kelly, Brad Berger, Emmett Fenlon
After word of revolution back home reached him near the front, Russian soldier Vasily Mishnin poured his fears into his diary, contending, “we really are living in troubled and frightening times.” The fears of 1917 enveloped both the Allied and Central Powers amidst instability on the home fronts and the promise of renewed action across the globe. Bitter defeats and limited successes awaited the combatants in this fourth year of the Great War. France protected the war’s best-kept secret while Germany announced a bold gamble for victory. The dynamics shifted as one empire—rocked by revolutions and civil war—bowed out and another major power replaced it on the Allied side. The tide of revolution reached the Middle East, where both sides saw the chance for success. By year’s end it remained unclear whether the combatants approached victory or collapse. As in 1914, 1915 and 1916, the tenor of 1917 found expression through the words of politicians, military leaders, soldiers, sailors, doctors, nurses and civilians. Their words continue to inform later generations.
National Park Service Rangers have participated with OLLI in over 75 thematic courses, special events and trips since 2001.Z

F306 National Security Strategy

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–Apr. 16 Four sessions Instructor: Alan Gropman We hear through the Washington grapevine that a new Obama Administration document on National Security Strategy is imminent. This four week course will discuss the evolution of this document from its beginnings in the Reagan Administration to the new Obama text. The Goldwater-Nichols Act required the President to issue such a manuscript annually; Reagan and his successors George W. Bush and Bill Clinton did, but George W. Bush and Barack Obama have not obeyed the law. There is much to be learned from these documents and the process of making them. We will discuss all of them, with emphasis on the latest National Security Strategy Document. Alan Gropman, a retired Air Force colonel, has a PhD in black military history and was chairman of the Grand     Strategy Department at the National Defense University’s Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He has written four books and more than 300 other publications.

F307 New York City in the Civil War

Wednesday, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 23
One session
Instructor: Jim Anderson
In 1861 New York City was the largest city in the nation and the financial center of the country. It was controlled by the Democratic Tammany Hall political machine, and it was home to thousands of immigrants and a growing black population. This combination made the city critical to Union success but politically and socially explosive. We will examine the role and influence of New York City by focusing on three seminal events: 1) The secession crisis of March-May 1861, when the city attempted to preserve its critical financial ties with the states of the new Confederacy by itself seceding from the Union and forming an independent entity; 2) The riots of July 1863 in reaction to the Emancipation Proclamation and the Draft Act and 3) The desperate attempts by the Confederate Secret Service in the waning days of the war to stave off defeat through widespread and dramatic acts of terror in the City.
Jim Anderson spent 27 years with the CIA, which included six overseas tours in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. He holds degrees in history from Rhodes College and the University of Memphis. For the past seven years, he has conducted corporate leadership training seminars featuring Civil War battlefield visits.Z

F308 Historical Studies: Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 30–May 14
Three sessions
Coordinators: Dick Cheadle, Michael Kelly, Jim Anderson, Emmett Fenlon Note: These classes are designed as a lead-in to OLLI’s bus trip to Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah June 2-6, 2014. You are not required to register for the bus trip in order to register for the course. (See Special Event 992).

• Apr. 30: Dick Cheadle will discuss the white settlement of areas to be visited in June, with particular emphasis on the settlements in Parowan, Cedar City and Las Vegas.
• May 7: National Park Ranger Michael Kelly will present a historical study of Bryce Canyon National Park and Cedar Breaks National Monument, with emphasis on white settlement in these areas, as well as the geological histories of that area.
• May 14: Jim Anderson will present a historical study of Zion National Park, Kolob Canyons Wilderness (a part of Zion National Park) and the Parowan Petroglyphs, with emphasis on early Native American settlement in these areas, as well as their geological histories.Z

F309 Classic Films of the American West

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Bernie Oppel
National mythmaking about the settlement of the American West developed from a combination of history and storytelling. The Western film genre depicted pioneers, cowboys, soldiers and others taming the wild frontier in the name of progress and civilization. Yet the Westward movement was never as morally straightforward as it seemed. Mirroring trends in the rest of the country, violence, economic exploitation, racism and sexism were endemic to the settlement of the West. The goal of this course is to understand how classic Western films reflected the complex nature of Western settlement and contributed to national mythmaking about the West. The films focus primarily on the classics of director John Ford and the novels of Elmore Leonard, including The Searchers and Hombre. They were chosen to reflect artistic merit, historical accuracy, realism and scenic beauty. A few sessions will run 5 to 15 minutes over schedule and there will be split sessions. Expect historical background commentary and class discussion.
Bernie Oppel, an OLLI member, is a retired Foreign Service Officer and retired Air Force colonel. He holds a PhD in modern European/Russian history from Duke University and taught history at the USAF Academy.Z

R310 The Man Who Loved China

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Apr. 7–Apr. 28
Four sessions
Instructor: Tim Long
We will start at with a brief look at the life of Sir Joseph Needham, who chronicled the science and technology achievements of China. Though Needham’s research has been the benchmark for all other subsequent studies on this topic, there are more current assessments that give different interpretations of these historical accomplishments. We will look at these assessments and briefly discuss the implications for U.S. economic and technological security. For the first portion of the course, we will use the biography of Sir Joseph Needham, The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester. Those who want a greater challenge can look at the multi-volume set written by Needham, China and Civilization in China.
Tim Long, an OLLI member, is a retired CIA officer who spent most of his professional life in Chinese-speaking environments. He has taught Chinese politics and national security issues at The Ohio State University.

R311  The Civil War Beyond the Battles

Mondays 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–Apr. 14
Four sessions
Instructor: Jim Anderson
Each of the four lectures covers a different aspect of the American Civil War. We will avoid the usual focus on military campaigns or individual battles in favor of topics tangentially related to the fighting but rarely covered in the usual survey course.

• Mar. 24: The Provost Marshal: Many Hats; Many Roles. Focuses on Marsena Patrick, Provost Marshal or military “policeman,” of the 130,000-man Union Army of the Potomac.
• Mar. 31: Faith in the Fight: Civil War Chaplains. Examines the roles and duties of members of the faith community who volunteered to serve in the armies.
• Apr. 7: Against All Odds: Civil War Medicine. Discusses medical advances made during the war and the impact of both battlefield wounds and disease.
• Apr. 14: Women’s Roles: Plowing New Ground in Forbidden Fields. Explores advances made by women during the war in areas previously denied them, including medicine, administration, the clergy, industrial workforce and the military by serving in combat.

 

R312  “The world on fire:” The Seven Years’ War

Wednesdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 26–May 14
Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne
Coordinators: Michael T. Kelly, Brad Berger, Emmett Fenlon
English author Horace Walpole ascribed the spark that “set the world on fire” in 1754 to “the volley fired by a young Virginian in the backwoods” of North America. That young Virginian, George Washington, endures as just one element that connects this region with those backwoods. The resulting French & Indian War, while of primary importance in understanding what led to our nation’s birth, remains just one stage in a larger conflict. The Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) touched nearly every corner of the globe, prompting 20th century historian Winston Churchill to characterize it as the First World War. Indeed, the name fits, as English Prime Minister William Pitt declared that “America was conquered in Germany” by Frederick the Great. Help commemorate the 250th anniversary of this seminal event and discover how events in our area provoked the worldwide clash of empires that decided the fate of North America. Since 2001 National Park Rangers have participated in over 75 OLLI thematic courses, special events and trips.

L313  World War II: Its Origins, Course and Consequences

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: William Reader
World War II was the most catastrophic and consequential event of the 20th century. Out of it came the Cold War, the Communist regime in China, the bloody and turbulent end of European colonialism and the seeds of several future wars. But World War II, because of the innovations it produced and the things it popularized, also had some interesting and even bizarre social effects that helped create the world we live in today: T-shirts, Coca Cola, American popular culture, DDT, penicillin and Spam. It gave us the electronic computer, the jet airplane, the rocket as a weapon of war (and later as explorer of space), the cruise missile and the concept of frequency-jumping (the basis of cellular telephone technology.) It launched the political careers of Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. The class will cover the key events leading up to the war: the Japanese invasion of China and later Vietnam, the Italian invasion of Ethiopia, the remilitarization of the Rhineland, the Anschluss, Munich and the Nazi-Soviet Pact. It will discuss major events and battles and how they affected the subsequent course of the war, as well as the strategies, tactics and weaponry used to wage it. The class will also relate the world views of Adolf Hitler, the Japanese militarists, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, and American and British political and military leaders to the events leading up to the war, the actions they took during the war and the postwar world they envisioned.
William Reader, an OLLI member, has a PhD in American social history from the University of Massachusetts. He retired in 2008 after 37 years with the federal government and has since taught OLLI courses on The History of Media, American Social and Cultural History, How a Few Simple Things Changed History, How a Few Overlooked Technologies Changed History and America Between the World Wars.
https://olli.gmu.edu/Spring%202014/htm#L313

L314  The Kennedy Half Century

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–May 14
Moderator: Ray Beery
This is UVA Prof. Larry J. Sabato’s online course about JFK’s life, administration and legacy. In the 50 years since the assassination, every U.S. President that followed JFK has used Kennedy’s words and actions in an effort to craft their own political image. Why does Kennedy’s influence persist, and will it continue? What are the effects? The eight-week, massive open online course (MOOC) will be viewed in class, with an hour of video instruction each week. There will be live interaction. The course is from Coursera, an educational website that partners with some of the world’s top universities, including the University of Virginia, to provide free online courses.
Ray Beery is a member of the OLLI Board of Directors and frequent teacher.

L315  Will Rogers Tonight

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–Apr. 17
Four sessions
Instructor: Ray Beery
“This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.”-Will Rogers, humorist (1879-1935). In recent years several prominent actors have presented one-man shows impersonating Will Rogers and other humorists. This course will revive those by video clips and live readings. Discussion time will complement each period with our impressions of the life and times of each subject. In addition to the title session, we will cover Mark Twain, Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman.
Ray Beery a member of the OLLI Board of Directors and frequent teacher. He met Harry Truman in his Kansas City office, but depends upon history for the other figures. See F307 for instructor information. 400 Literature, Theater, & Writing

F401 OLLI Players Workshop

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–May 12
Kellar Annex
Instructor: Kathie West
This is a continuing acting and producing workshop for serious theater-minded participants. “The OLLI Players” is now known as an amateur theater group affiliated with George Mason. This workshop will involve memorization of short scenes and monologues that will then be presented as community outreach. There will also be unmemorized pieces that we can present. Maybe some of you have a scene or a play you would like to see put on; bring it, and we will try it. You will learn the ins and outs of presentation, memorization skills and acting tricks. If we are asked to present at a hospital, senior center or other venues you must be willing to travel during the day. This workshop will be the embodiment of Readers’ Theater and acting combined. The previous workshop group is invested in the success of this one. Be able and willing to tout OLLI and your talents!
For instructor information see F104.z

F402 Readers’ Theater

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–May 12
Coordinator: Norm Nelson, Sandy Lisiewski, Eileen Duggan, Palmer McGrew
Class limit: 28
OLLI’s unique brand of Readers’ Theater is great fun for the hams among us! If the idea of acting appeals to you, come and give it a try. Scripts are usually short skits, acts or scenes from longer plays. Parts are handed out each week for the following week. Occasionally a longer script needs a designated director. We do not memorize parts; instead we rehearse them before class with our fellow actors. Rehearsals often take place between OLLI classes, but also can be done by phone if there are just two characters. Props or costumes are not required, but the actors often dress for the part in some way––perhaps with a hat or scarf. Time between skits allows for kudos, comments and suggestions from the audience.Z

F403 Murder Mystery Writing

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructors: Wendy Campbell, Kathie West
Class limit: 15
The participants in this class will construct a plot, characters and setting for an interactive murder mystery that they will present at the Church of the Good Shepherd in June (Special Event 991). This will be an improvisational performance in which all class members will participate. The audience will be drawn from the OLLI membership and their friends.
See F104 for Kathie West’s information.
Wendy Campbell, an OLLI member, has been a teacher in Fairfax County for 20 years, during which time she was twice nominated for Disney Teacher of the Year. She also has been an active member of a local group of amateur historic re-enactors.

F404 Memoir Writing

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–May 13
Kellar Annex
Instructor: Dianne Hennessy King
Class limit: 24
Learn to write about your individual and shared history in ways that will clarify your vision, whether you are looking into your past, documenting your present or contemplating your future. There will be some writing exercises during class in response to prompts, such as quotations, music and video clips. We’ll also share some ideas on memoir techniques.
Dianne Hennessy King is a cultural anthropologist, writing instructor, editor and television producer. For many years she was the coordinator of the annual “Writing Your Personal History” symposium in Vienna and for three years has helped plan the Virginia Writers Club symposium in Charlottesville. This will be her eighth memoir class for OLLI. Dianne is co-authoring a book, Memoir Your Way, to be published in 2014.Z

F405 Poetry Workshop

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Moderators: Mike McNamara, Jan Bohall
Class Limit: 18
This workshop allows both novice and experienced poets the opportunity to share their work with others and to receive suggestions for improvement. Workshop members should bring an original poem in draft or revised form to each session. Two poems should be sent to the office for duplication one week before the first workshop and a third poem brought to the first session.
Mike McNamara, an OLLI member, has been published in several literary journals and magazines and has been a recipient of awards in the Poetry Society of Virginia’s annual competitions.
Jan Bohall, also an OLLI member, has had poems published in various periodicals and has won awards in the 2012 and 2013 Poetry Society of Virginia contests.z

F406 Richard III: Shakespeare’s Villain or Unsung Hero?

Tuesdays, 2:15–3:40, Apr. 8–May 6
Five sessions
Instructor: Earl Dudley
The course will examine the competing traditions regarding Richard III: the hostile view initiated by the 16th century Tudor propagandists, especially Thomas More and William Shakespeare, and the enthusiastic views of his defenders over the centuries, including historians and literary figures such as Josephine Tey. We will compare both traditions with the extant historical evidence. We will make use of More’s and Shakespeare’s texts and movie versions of Shakespeare’s play, as well as Tey’s detective novel, The Daughter of Time. Reading materials: Thomas More, The History of King Richard III; William Shakespeare, The Tragedy of King Richard III; Josephine Tey, The Daughter of Time. Recommended: Paul Murray Kendall, Richard III.
Earl Dudley graduated from Amherst College in 1961 with a BA in history, and received his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1967. After 22 years of law practice in Washington, D.C., he joined the law faculty of the University of Virginia in 1989, retiring in May 2008. A lifelong student of British history and of Richard III in particular, he previously taught this course at the OLLI chapter in Charlottesville, Virginia.Z

F407 Explaining Britain One Book at a Time

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–May 14
Instructor: Kay Menchel
In this class we’ll take a lighthearted look at some British institutions and then see how they have been depicted in literature. Along the way we will clear up some mysteries: What is an entail, and why would you have one? Why are public schools in Britain private? What should you never say when meeting the Queen? And where and when might we Brits like to have a chin wag? There is no reading ahead required; excerpts will be provided in class to demonstrate how authors such as Austen, Dickens, Hardy, Waugh and Woolf have depicted the Great British people and their multiple eccentricities.
Kay Menchel, who grew up in Yorkshire, England, is a lawyer who also has an MA in English literature from George Mason. She looks forward to sharing her passion for English literature with OLLI members.Z

R408 Let’s Study a Play Together - Leonard Bernstein’s Candide

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 24–May 15
Four sessions
Coordinator: Doris Bloch
Class limit: 28
The course objectives are to read and discuss a play and enjoy doing it in a participatory group setting. During this term, we will study Candide, the musical based on Voltaire’s novel and written by Leonard Bernstein. Voltaire’s spoof on “the best of all possible worlds” was translated to the stage by Bernstein in a contemporary setting with wonderful music. This is a delightful play, not often performed locally, and many may be unfamiliar with it. We will read the text and lyrics. In any performance, the lyrics can be difficult to hear and interpret, but they are quite amusing when you can actually follow the words as text or rhyme. We will take turns reading, not singing, the parts aloud. After the reading we will listen to audio clips of the songs, and, as time permits, we will also view the entire concert performance done at Lincoln Center and televised on PBS. We also will learn about Voltaire the man and his philosophy, Leonard Bernstein and his struggles with the creation of Candide, Lillian Hellman the original librettist, Stephen Sondheim and other collaborators. In addition we will learn about the history of the play and its many revisions and productions. As if that is not enough, we will review “the best of all possible worlds” in the context of 18th century France and 20th century Broadway. Participants will be notified after registration where to obtain the texts.
Doris Bloch is a member of OLLI and a co-chair of the Literature, Language and Theater Resource Group. She has often coordinated Let’s Study a Play Together classes for OLLI.Z

F409 Shakespeare’s Henry IV part 1

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Mike McNamara
Still bashful about the Bard? Skittish with Shakespeare since high school and beyond? Feel you should have read him years since? Now is the time to look again with an easy historical play by Shakespeare that incorporates comedy in the immortal body of Falstaff—the Bard’s greatest character. Do you know someone who weighs 300 lbs, lies, steals, cheats, exaggerates and, in spite of all his faults, is wonderfully funny? This influence on Prince Hal, heir apparent to the English throne in the early 15th Century, presents us with intriguing moral dilemmas. Even if you do know Shakespeare, come and enjoy his timeless presentation of such modern political traits as folly, braggadocio, regal affairs, treachery, low comedy and rebellion. The instructor will use the Folger Shakespeare Library paperback edition of the play, but any other publication will be acceptable in class.
Mike McNamara has degrees in English from Rutgers University and the University of Kansas. He is a retired Army colonel of Infantry with 30 years service and he taught English while overseas in the UK and the Netherlands. At OLLI he has presented classes in Elizabethan plays, International Poetry and Military History. He is also co-moderator of the OLLI Poetry Workshop.Z

R410 Spring Film Festival–The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–Apr. 28
Six sessions
Instructor: Glenn Kamber
Come enjoy the entire 1970 BBC series starring Emmy Award-winning Keith Mitchell and join in a discussion of England’s most colorful king, his wives and his times. Each episode brings us a new wife, a complete drama and memorable performances by an incredible British ensemble.
Glenn Kamber is an OLLI member who enjoys teaching political science and current events classes in Reston. This will be his fifth movie series. As always, refreshments will be served.

R411  Witness Writing Workshop

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: Scott Mack
“Life isn’t something you possess. It is something you take part in and you witness.” Louis C. K. This “Witness Writing” workshop is designed to provide opportunities for writers of all experience levels to tell their    stories of how historic events, eras and trends have impacted their lives and those of their family, peers and communities. The instructor will guide participants with writing exercises and in discussions that address how their experiences with historic events, eras, wars, media, music, fashion, fads and science have influenced their lives. Participants will have an opportunity to share their writing with a writing partner and the group. No one will be required to share work. Writers will be encouraged to put their writing in a final form to be shared with family and friends or to be submitted for publication. The instructor,
Scott Mack, was a consultant for the Northern Virginia Writer’s Project at George Mason, a Gilder-Lehrmen Summer Fellow in Civil Rights History at Cambridge University. He taught American History in Fairfax County Public Schools for 35 years.Z

R412 Explaining Britain One Book at a Time

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: Kay Menchel
This is a repeat of course F407.

R413 Literary Roundtable

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–May 14
Reston’s Used Book Shop at Lake Anne
Moderators: Janice Dewire, Carol Henderson
Class limit: 23
This short-story discussion class will begin reading a new anthology: The Oxford Book of Latin American Short Stories, edited by Roberto Gonzalez Echevarria. This fascinating survey of Latin American storytelling begins in the late 15th century and continues through contemporary authors. Discussions this spring will cover stories from the colonial period through the 19th century. Registrants provide their own copies of the book, a 1999 (copyright 1997) Oxford University Press paperback, available for $15 from bookshops and online vendors.
Janice Dewire and Carol Henderson are enthusiastic Literary Roundtable participants and former OLLI Board members, who some years ago took on the moderator role for this popular course, one of the longest running in Reston.

R414 English Ain’t What You Think

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–Apr. 17
Four sessions
Instructor: Conrad Geller
Using language to express ourselves is the conscious activity that we human beings engage in the most. But what exactly is language? How did it start? How does it work? What are its uses? In four sessions we will explore such questions, finally focusing on our own English tongue, which one linguist called “the whore of the languages.” We will look at the remarkable change our language has undergone, at its traditional grammar as well as at some more recent structural and transformational grammars. Language is an emotional subject. Expect some lively and possibly acrimonious discussions. Conrad Geller is a retired English teacher who has written widely about language, including articles in The English Journal and Verbatim, a publication of the Oxford English Dictionary. He worked on several language texts for Houghton Mifflin publishing company and was a consultant for the American Heritage Dictionary.

R415 Jane Austen’s Emma

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Apr. 24–May 15
Four sessions
Instructor: Beth Lambert
“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich . . . lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.” Austen’s light beginning of her fifth novel belies the complexity of this work where self-deception takes many forms, and a small village mirrors the great world. Furthermore, when considered in the context of Mansfield Park, the novel that precedes Emma, and Persuasion, the one that follows, a reader realizes that Austen has more in mind than a simple romance in which the heroine learns a harsh lesson but gets her man in the end. Some critics call it her “masterpiece” and “one of the greatest novels in the English language.” Is it? One thing is certain: Emma elicits lively and thought-provoking discussions. The suggested text is the Barnes and Noble edition of the work, but it is also available in e-book form (or bring your own favorite copy).
Beth Lambert is a retired professor of English at Gettysburg College, where she taught courses on all aspects of the 18th century. Her biography of Edmund Burke was published by the University of Delaware Press.

R416 Immigrant and Minority Voices in American Literature

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 24–May 15
Four sessions
Instructor: Linda Blair
Contemporary American literary studies often emphasize works of modern writers who focus their narratives on conflicts surrounding immigration and acculturation, infusing their prose with tension and ambiguity. The retelling of similar experiences by divergent writers reiterates a fundamental fact about American literature in general: the expression of American cultural identity emerges from the process of becoming American by subsuming the immigrant self in terms of the cultural other. In this course, the two memoirs under consideration are Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston. Rodriguez writes about the feelings of otherness he experienced growing up as a second-generation Mexican-American. Kingston relates her conflicts through the “talk-story,” an ancient Chinese narrative form. Through lecture and small group discussions, we will look closely at the voices and experiences of each writer to see if and how they share common threads of experience. Linda Blair, a retired Fairfax County high school English teacher, English Department Chair and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Coordinator, earned her doctorate in American Literature at The George Washington University.

L417 The New Yorker: A Roundtable Discussion

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–May 12
Coordinator: Michael Coyne
This class will focus on informal discussions of material from The New Yorker magazine or web site. Class members are encouraged to suggest items from any issue of the magazine. In past sessions discussions have included articles, profiles, fiction, poetry and cartoons. Before each class, the coordinator will distribute the material to participants by email. The class is highly interactive. Discussion usually goes beyond the articles themselves to include personal knowledge or experiences of class members relating to the topic.

L418 Selling Your Novel or Nonfiction Work as an Audiobook

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–Apr. 15
Four sessions
Instructor: Peter Poole
Audiobooks, novels and nonfiction works read by their authors or by trained actors are now a billion dollar branch of the publishing industry. Their most obvious advantage is that they allow for multi-tasking. You can drive to California while listening to the latest adventures of your favorite detective. In this brief course, we will listen to some good examples of audiobooks and discuss the features that make them appropriate for this medium. If you have an unsold novel or memoir or how-to book in a drawer somewhere, we will discuss how to package it for a literary agent or publisher. What genres work best as audiobooks? Are radio stations interested in buying fiction and non-fiction works? What mistakes should be avoided?
Peter Poole has degrees from Columbia, Yale and American University. He has published 12 short stories in literary magazines and many articles in academic journals like Asian Studies and Asian Affairs. He has also published nine nonfiction books with Praeger, Cornell University Press, Holt Rinehart & Winston and other standard publishers. He is a retired FSO and CIA officer and has run graduate programs in international studies at Old Dominion University and the Naval War College.

L419 Writers’ Workshop: Writing the Mind Alive

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–May 14
Facilitator: Ed Sadtler, Ralph Greenwood
Class Limit: 10
This class uses a roundtable format that fosters an environment for writers of all levels to give and receive encouragement, feedback and constructive criticism. All genres of writing are welcome, including poetry, fiction, memoirs and historical pieces. All of these categories share the same underlying commitment: to write a compelling work that fully conveys the author’s intentions.
Ed Sadtler, an OLLI member, has been writing and occasionally publishing poetry for many years.
Ralph Greenwood is a retired project manager with an unusual coming-of-age story to tell. That memoir can soon be found in bookstores everywhere (Hope to God!). With the help of a Turkish fortune teller and sorcerer, he is currently penning his afterlife memoir as well.

L420 Readers’ Theater and Advanced Acting in Loudoun

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–May 14
Coordinators: Kathie West, Charles Duggan, Lynn Gramzow
Class Limit: 24
If you love the theater and are intrigued by the idea of trying to step into someone else’s shoes, join our group. Develop your reading and acting skills, learn more about plays and how to perform them. Practice play-reading and creating characters and enjoy interacting with other “hams.” Each week members of the class either perform or are part of the audience. Participants should plan to set aside time to rehearse with other performers before presenting to the class.

L421  Two by Dickens

Wednesdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 26–May 14
Instructor: Kay Menchel
David Copperfield is widely considered to be Charles Dickens’ most autobiographical novel, and Hard Times is one of his most biting critiques of industrial society. In this eight-week class we will read these two books and spend part of each class focusing on elements of Victorian life and culture as a way of gaining further understanding and insight into Dickens’ work.
See course F407 for instructor information.

500 Languages

F501 French Conversation

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Beverley Persell
This class is for those who have an understanding of French and want to improve their conversation level. Each week we will have a different topic, including current events in France and French literature samplings. All students will be encouraged to speak about a subject of their choice. A French movie will be shown at the last class meeting, and there will also be a French lunch.
Beverley Persell, an OLLI member, taught French in five states for more than 20 years before retiring from the Congressional School of Virginia in 2004. She has studied at the Sorbonne and participated in the French Year Abroad program in Rennes and in the French Traveler for French Teachers program in Sarlat, Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence and  Toulouse.

F502 Spanish Conversational Forum

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–May 14
Instructor: Bernardo Vargas
Limit: 16
This ongoing conversational forum meets regularly during the year. The objectives are to practice the Spanish language and learn about Spanish/Latino culture through articles, photographs, videos and speakers. Classes are conducted entirely in Spanish. English will be used only occasionally to explain grammar and idiomatic expressions. A prerequisite for this class is an ability to converse at the high intermediate to advanced level. Students are encouraged to make presentations in Spanish on timely topics of their choosing. Come join us and improve your Spanish while learning and having fun! Bernardo Vargas, a graduate of the Pontificia Catholic University Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia, is an editor of an online Spanish newspaper.

F503 Basic Latin I (continued)

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Alana Lukes
This continuing basic course is for anyone who always wanted to learn Latin but never did, as well as those who recall little of previous Latin studies beyond amo, amas, amat. We take a modern, non-traditional sight, sound and Internet approach to this ancient language as we explore the Latin grammar, vocabulary and restored pronunciation of the 1st century CE. Class meetings employ a media version of the North American Cambridge Latin Course, Unit 1, 4th edition text. Purchase of the text for home study is optional. A fee of $5 for students not previously enrolled in the fall or winter class will be due after confirmation of enrollment.
Alana Lukes, an OLLI member, has taught Latin for over 25 years at the middle school, high school and college levels. She has published articles and given presentations both locally and nationally on her Latin classroom teaching techniques.

F504 Basic Spoken Spanish (continued)

Mondays, 9:40-11:05, Mar. 24-Apr. 14
Four sessions
Instructor: Ligia Glass
Class limit: 20
This class is for students with no previous knowledge of Spanish (or who do not remember a lot). It will develop basic conversational skills and present everyday situations that students may encounter when traveling or living in Spanish-speaking countries, or when dealing with Spanish-speaking people in the United States. It will provide students with essential vocabulary that they can use in a variety of practical contexts. No text is required.
Ligia Glass, a native of Panama, has master’s degrees from the University of Kansas and George Mason. She has 15 years of teaching experience at Northern Virginia Community College.

600 Religious Studies

F601 Jesus’ Final Week and the Beginnings of Christianity

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Steven C. Goldman
The last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry establishes many basic elements for the foundation of Christianity. However, there are disagreements regarding the historical and spiritual significance of events that transpired during that final week. Major issues that we will explore include the following:

• Why was Jesus welcomed on Palm Sunday and rejected later in the week?
• Did Jesus declare himself to be the Messiah? Did he declare himself to be God, or did others say this about him?
• Did Jesus seek to overturn the existing religious order? Did he pose a threat to Roman rule?
• What was the intent of his commands at the Last Supper?
• What did Jesus teach about “end times” and his “Second Coming”?
• Who was responsible for the execution of Jesus?
• Did Jesus physically rise from the dead?
• Do the different accounts of the Resurrection mean that it is a spiritual myth?

Steven C. Goldman is a member of the OLLI Board of Directors and serves as Chair of OLLI’s Religious Studies Program Planning Group. He has taught many courses on alternative understanding of Biblical doctrines.

F602 Faith, Doubt and Tradition: A Teaching and Sharing Seminar

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Steven C. Goldman
Class Limit: 15
This seminar will explore how people come to faith, why they may doubt their faith and how tradition shapes one’s religious and spiritual expressions. The instructor will begin each class with a 20-minute introduction that frames the issues for discussion. The class size is limited to 15 participants in order to allow for a lively exchange of ideas and experiences. Some of the major topics to be addressed will include the following:

• Do we practice our religion because we are born into it or because we believe it?
• Is “Truth” discernible about the nature, character and will of God? If so, how?
• Is it possible to know what God expects of us regarding our beliefs and conduct?
• What happens when we have faith and then lose it? Can faith be fully restored or will there always be doubt?
• Why not be a “spiritual non-believer” – one who lives a life based on high ethical standards without any belief in a deity?

This seminar is open to members of all faith traditions. Those who doubt or don’t believe are also welcome.
See F601 for instructor information.

F603 Seminar on the Revelation to John

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–May 14
Instructor: Pete Gustin
The only thing more alarming than some of the images in the Revelation to John is the idea that any single person’s interpretation is the only correct interpretation. This eight-week exploration will include some of the classic controversies of authorship, date(s) and specific situations addressed; most of our time, however, will be spent in the text itself to determine how we might approach it, engage in dialogue with it, and allow it to speak to our times, locations, and situations. Thus, a seminar approach will invite a high degree of participation from the group.
Dr. Pete Gustin received his BA (English/Philosophy) from Coppin State College, Baltimore, with a concurrent AB in Theology from St. Mary’s Seminary College, also in Baltimore, in 1979. He received his M.Div. in 1987 from Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, and his D.Min. in 1999 from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, Evanston, IL. He has served congregations in Hanover, Clarke, Loudoun, and Fairfax Counties.

R604 Spiritual Maturity – a Progressive and Rationalist View of the Road to Unity

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–Apr. 14
Four sessions
Instructor: Margaret Placentra Johnston
Dr. Margaret Placentra Johnston, author of Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind, will offer a four session series of discussions on a progressive view of spiritual development as described by five theorists, all of whose work contribute to the overall message that: 1) A unitive worldview (as opposed to divisiveness) is the highest level in spiritual maturity. 2) Greater truth is found in a metaphorical (as opposed to a literal) understanding of religious content. 3) Spiritual development theory and globalization is leading us to the recognition of all religions as localized expressions of a common human search for connection with something greater than ourselves. The sessions will be balanced between didactic lessons and group discussion, depending on the  preference of the class.

• Mar. 24: Walter Clark and Gordon Allport – attributes of a mature faith.
• Mar. 31: Paul Ricoeur – First Naivete, Critical Distance, Second Naivete.
• Apr. 7: James Fowler – 6 faith development stages.
• Apr. 14:  K Helmut Reich (five stages of reasoning) and a general discussion about spirituality.

A long-time local optometrist, Dr. Margaret Placentra Johnston now strives to offer a clearer vision of a different sort. She is confident that an understanding of the spiritual development stages, as elucidated by various theorists, can bring us to a kinder, more gentle world. Her book, Faith Beyond Belief: Stories of Good People Who Left Their Church Behind, is the GOLD WINNER of the 2013 Nautilus Book Award in religion/spirituality.

R605 Saving God From Religion

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Don Prange
Historical and objective honesty make it clear that our major faith traditionshave evolved out of economic, social, political contexts. The Exodusand a story of liberation from slavery in Egypt is central to both Judaism and Christianity. Islamwas born in a context that recognized competitiveness for survival among tribes on a barren Arabian Peninsula was counter-productive. With a recognition that dominant economic and political systems have resulted in ever-increasing economic disparities so that the wealthiest 20% have 83% of world wealth in terms of incomes, with the next 20 % having 12%, and the remaining 60% a combined 5%; how do our faith traditionslook at such inequalities? Given these inequalities and their impact on global peace and stability, how might we get back to some understandings for reclaiming community organizingas the essential meaning of our faith traditionsfor dealing with injustice and oppression today? A process that is fully participatory so that participants can own and define contemporary issues that need to be addressed will focus on the following:

• Discovering “the stories” of particular historical contexts, including our own
• Cultivating a “common memory” aiming for a “common historical perspective”
• Creating and envisioning a “perfect world” based on values of faith traditions
• Identifying blocks to the vision and naming and defining some root problems
• Defining some imperatives and goals for addressing these root problems
• Aiming for strategies and actions in community organizing to achieve these goals

And the bottom line:  Arriving at some economic, political, and social values that might save God…  and ourselves…   from religion.
Rev. Don Prange is Director of Ministries in Economic Justice and Minister, St. James United Church of Christ, Lovettsville, Va. He has over 40 years experience in community organizing in domestic and international contexts. Ordained in 1957, he did graduate studies at Harvard Divinity School and Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh.

L606 Evil, A Liberal Religious Perspective

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–Apr. 7, Apr. 21, May 5–May 12
Six sessions
Note dates
Instructor: Anya Sammler-Michael
Participants in this class will examine an array of theological, sociological, psychological and anthropological based conceptions of evil, all of which could suit a liberal religious perspective. Participants will also craft and re-craft their own personal definition of evil. As the story goes, near the end of his life, Moses, who had led the Israelites through the wilderness toward the promised land, gave his people one last sermon. In it he stated: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV) The experience of having to choose life over death, blessings over curses, justice over injustice, mercy over cruelty, good over evil, is foundational to the human experience. This course is about evil in the abstract, but it is more intimately about the choice  between life and death, a choice that we will examine from a personal perspective.
Rev. Anya Sammler-Michael is the minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Sterling and has dedicated herself to crafting a Unitarian Universalist theology of evil.

L607  Saving God from Religion

Thursdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Don Prange
This course is a repeat of R605

650 Humanities and Social Sciences

F651 Cultures and Religions of the Middle East

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Johnnie Hicks
Class limit: 55
The term “Middle East” often suggests something of a uniformity of culture, history and identity. This misperception fails to take into account the wide ranges of ethnic, linguistic, religious and political diversity within the modern “Middle East,” an area extending from Morocco in the west to the eastern borders of Iran. This cultural journey takes us across one of the most fascinating yet least understood regions of our world. We will become familiar with Arabs, Persians, Turks, Kurds and others as we learn about their ancient histories, cultures, religions and “sacred geographies.” We will also examine the origins and beliefs of the world’s five major western religions ... all of which have their beginnings in these ancient lands. Important references will be made to the carving up of modern countries following World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The impact of these and other outside influences will be considered in examining some of the many issues facing the region today.
Johnnie Hickshas twice lived in Iran where she taught at the Teheran American School. She recently retired from Fairfax County Public Schools and has been an adjunct instructor with George Mason since 1990. She is also a frequent presenter at schools, churches and other organizations on world cultures and religions.

F652  The Changing Middle East - A Roundtable Discussion

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–May 12
Instructor: Johnnie Hicks
Class limit: 55
Vladimir Lenin once said: “Sometimes decades pass and nothing happens, and then weeks pass and decades happen.” Words could not better describe the monumental changes taking place in the Middle East today. The Changing Middle East draws from content in OLLI courses on Cultures and Religions of the Middle East, as well as from current articles, films, and other media to conduct guided roundtable discussions in which participants can share their perceptions and comments. Topics for discussion will include: on-going events of the “Arab Spring,” the war in Syria and its implications, Iran’s new government and the nuclear negotiations, developments in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, cultural and political developments in Turkey, possibilities for an independent Kurdish homeland and other unfolding events. We will also consider the possible role of the United States in the midst of these developments. This course is open to all OLLI members interested in following the dramatic changes going on in the Middle East today.
See F651 for instructor information.

F653  Foundations of Moral Theory

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–Apr. 28
Six sessions
Coordinators: Ted Kinnaman, Abbie Edwards
How can we tell right from wrong? Once we know, what can we do? What is it that gives things we consider to be valuable their value? George Mason philosophers offer introductions to the basic concepts of moral theory.

• Mar. 24: Motivation and Altruism. Ted Kinnaman.
• Mar. 31: Aristotle’s Virtue Theory. Rose Cherubin.
• Apr. 7: Happiness. Erik Angner.
• Apr. 14: Libertarianism. Mark Sagoff.
• Apr. 21: Kantianism. Ted Kinnaman.
• Apr. 28: Ethics of Care. Rachel Jones.

F654  Chinese Cultural Lectures

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–Apr. 16
Four sessions
Instructors: Ning Yang, Lihong Wang, Xiao He
This third series of lectures about Chinese culture will include four new topics contributed by a team of three lecturers. This spring the topics about Chinese culture and society will be discussed from a comparative and cross-cultural perspective to show how Chinese share the universal values of humanity while keeping its cultural diversity.

• Symbols and Chinese Paper Cutting (Ning Yang). Chinese paper cuts have been produced since the invention of paper nearly 2,000 years ago and are one of the most common forms of folk art found in rural China. This lecture will trace the development of Chinese paper cuts and present the various regional styles of paper-cutting. Symbols and images commonly found in Chinese paper cuts will be discussed, including the comparison of connotations of symbols in the East and West. The lecture will present both traditional and modern ways of producing paper cuts and will also compare Chinese paper cuts with silhouette paper-cutting art forms found in other cultures.
• Negotiating Style (Lihong Wang). This presentation will draw on concepts from the field of intercultural communication theories to make a comparison between Chinese and Western negotiating style, in particular American communicative style. The lecture will discuss real cases from business settings to illustrate the findings with the hope that the insights gleaned from this lecture could help Americans and Chinese better understanding each other as they communicate together as neighbors, colleagues, customers or business partners.
• Educational System (Xiao He).This lecture will offer a brief introduction to the Chinese educational system and will compare it with American educational system. The presentation will compare and contrast the characteristics of the two cultures of teaching and learning, discussing both the Confucian and Socratic cultures of learning.  The issue of how Chinese students adapt to the Western educational system and what impact their studying abroad has on their personal development will also be discussed as part of the focus on international and intercultural education.
• Yin, Yang and Chinese Gardens (Ning Yang). Chinese and Western gardens incorporate very different elements and techniques. Chinese garden designs tend to enclose a landscape in miniature format within walls whereas Western gardens may focus on expanses of lawn with flowering plants. This lecture will discuss how the philosophy of yin and yang is continually integrated into the composition of a Chinese garden and will discuss the key elements such as rocks, ponds, paths, bridges, pavilions, galleries and windows frames. Chinese gardens will be compared to garden settings around the world and the question of the correlation between philosophical thinking and architectural design will be explored.

Ning Yang is an Associate Professor of Linguistics in the College of Foreign Languages at Beijing Language and Culture University. She earned her doctoral degree at Radboud University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands and later worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Hong Kong City University. She is currently a faculty member at the Confucius Institute at George Mason University. Her research interests include theoretical linguistics, language acquisition and cultural studies.
Lihong Wang is an Associate Professor at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). In January 2011 she came to the US to serve as resident director of the Confucius Institute at George Mason University. She has her master’s degree in linguistics from Jilin University in China and her PhD in intercultural communication and foreign language education from Durham University in the UK. She has taught general linguistics, English lexicology, grammar, intensive reading, extensive reading, translation, and interpreting.
He Xiao is an Associate Professor at Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU). She is currently an instructor teaching ancient Chinese literature at the Confucius Institute at George Mason University. Before coming to the United States, She taught Chinese at the Confucius Institute at McMaster University in Canada, and taught English as an associate professor at Beijing Language and Culture University. She received her Master’s degree from Sichuan University in China in 1995. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto in 2001, and at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. Her research interests mainly lie in second language acquisition and comparative study in Chinese and English literature.

F655  The Joy of Mathematics

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Instructor: Milt Eisner
A course of 24 half-hour video lectures (3 per session) by Professor Art Benjamin from the Great Courses series, covering many topics in mathematics for the layperson. The course will be presented by Milt Eisner, who will be available to take questions from the participants.
Milt Eisner, an OLLI member, taught mathematics for 29 years, most recently at Mount Vernon College, and has also worked for the U.S. government as a computer programmer and statistician.

R656  Understanding the Inventions That Changed the World

Tuesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 25–May 13
Facilitator: Abbie Edwards
This stunning, visual series from The Great Courses, taught by Professor W. Bernard Carlson of the University of Virginia, will investigate the origins of inventions which have changed the course of history from prehistoric times to the 21st century. Subjects will cover such inventions as steam engines, the airplane, the atomic bomb, the computer chip, as well as beer, pagodas, indoor plumbing and department stores. Because there are many outstanding lectures (36 in all) in this series, this course will continue during the summer and fall sessions. This spring we will cover lectures 1-16 which will discuss inventions from ancient times (Potter’s Wheel and Metallurgy) to the 19th century (Food Preservation). In each lecture we will consider such questions as: How was it invented? How does it work? Why is it important? Did the invention change the world?
Abbie Edwards, an OLLI member, has taught a variety of classes at OLLI since 2001 including World Religions, Eastern Philosophies, Journey of Man and History of Mythology and Evolution. She is co-chair of the Humanities and Social Sciences Program Planning Group.

R657  Culture and Spirituality of a Wabanaki Indian Tribe of Maine

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–Apr. 17
Four sessions
Instructor: Teresa Sappier
The instructor, a member of the Penobscot Indian Nation, will take the audience on a brief historical tour of the ways and traditions of her people. The class will learn the the history of the Penobscot people and be given a brief glimpse of the wisdom and legacy of her ancestors. These sessions will bring alive the memories of culture and spirituality which have been shared with many non-Native people in the southwest, Alaska, Virginia and Maine.

• Mar. 27: Brief History of the Wabanaki; Penobscot Culture: Our Traditions and Way of Life.
• Apr. 3: Our Connection to Our Mother the Earth.
• Apr. 10: Brief Encounter with the Journey to the Drum.
• Apr. 17: Penobscot Indian Nation Today.

Teresa Sappier was a physician’s assistant in the southwest and Alaska, where she learned that many health problems were related to social relationships or the lack thereof. This prompted her to re-examine her culture and the spiritual ways of her ancestors. These sessions will help the audience connect with their own ancestral cultures and spirituality.

700 Current Events

F701 What’s in the Daily News?

Mondays, 9:30–11:00, Mar. 24–May 12
Note time Moderators: Peter Van Ryzin, Dorsey Chescavage
Class Limit: 38
Do you have an opinion on what’s happening in the world today? Would you like to express and share your views with others? If so, join other news junkies each week to discuss, debate and, yes, sometimes disagree as to the significance and meaning of events both great and small. All views are welcomed in a spirit of give-and-take.
Peter Van Ryzin, an addicted news junky and OLLI member, was a career Marine who served two combat tours in Vietnam before retiring as a colonel in 1990.
Dorsey Chescavage, an OLLI member, retired from the Jefferson Consulting Group where she was a registered lobbyist specializing in military and veterans’ health care.

F702 America’s Pivot to Asia

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Church of the Good Shepherd
Coordinators: Rosemary McDonald, Stephen Canner
As America seeks to disengage its global military operations, President Obama declared that the U.S. will make our presence and mission in the Asia Pacific a top priority, a priority which has been called “The Pivot to Asia.”

• Mar. 25: Historical Perspective of America's Footprint in the Asia-Pacific. Dr. Michael Green, Senior VP for Asia and Japan, Center for Strategic and International Studies.
• Apr. 1: Why “Pivot” to Asia? Matthew Goodman, William E. Simon Chair for Political Economy, Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Apr. 8: China: The Economic Relationship. William Reinsch, President, National Foreign Trade Council.
• Apr. 15: China: Its Political Goals Under a New Chinese President. Dr. Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice International Affairs, George Washington University.
• Apr. 22: India: A New Player in the Global Economy. A peaceful partner with China and Pakistan or political rival? Dr. Walter Andersen, Administrative Director of South Asia Studies, SAIS, Johns Hopkins.
• Apr. 29: Japan: An Economic Awakening and Re-affirmation of its Political Importance. Dr. Ellen Frost, Adjunct Senior Fellow, East-West Center.
• May 6: Tensions and Alliances in the Region: Security, Economic and Political Issues and Tensions. Dr. Richard Bush, Director, Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies, Brookings Institution.
• May 13: Wrap Up: Will the “Pivot to Asia” endure? Ambassador David Newton, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Yemen.

Suggested Readings: President Obama’s Speech to the Australian Parliament, Canberra, November 2011. Hillary Clinton: “America’s Pacific Century” in the October 11, 2011 Foreign Policy.

F703 Great Decisions 2014

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Moderators: Gordon Canyock, Ted Parker
Class limit: 30
For over 50 years, the Foreign Policy Association has sponsored discussion groups throughout the United States to investigate some of the world’s greatest challenges affecting our lives. This year’s eight topics for discussion are: Defense Technology, Israel and the U.S., Turkey’s Challenges, Islamic Awakening, Energy Independence, Food and Climate, China’s Foreign Policy and U.S. Trade Policy. A briefing book and video covering each week’s topic will set the stage for class discussion. There is a $22 materials fee payable with registration.
Gordon Canyock is a retired military intelligence officer, former State Department consultant and long-time OLLI member.
Ted Parker, a retiree from the U.S. Department of Education, had a 40-year career in education, which included teaching and managing at all levels of education. He has been a member of OLLI for several years.

R704 Contemporary Issues Forum

Mondays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 24–May 12
Facilitator: Glenn Kamber
Come and participate in facilitated discussions of issues that, as Walter Cronkite used to say, “alter and Come and participate in facilitated discussions of issues that, as Walter Cronkite used to say, “alter and illuminate our times.” Topics to be considered:

• Privacy. Can we, and ought we, strive to preserve personal privacy in the complex age of communications technology and threats to our lives and well-being?
• Ethics and Medicine. With ever-increasing advances in medicine, what ethical issues will we have to address? Will we be able to keep up or will we be overwhelmed?
• Religious Tolerance and Fundamentalism.If religious tolerance is a core American belief, what do we do when confronted by practices and tenets of fundamentalist religions, here and around the world, that often do not comport with our values?
• Growing Income Inequality in this “Land of Opportunity.”As more and more Americans slip out of the middle class and into poverty, and the gap between rich and poor widens, what can be done to stop and reverse these trends?
• Preserving the “Foundation of Democracy.”Is the basic foundation of our democracy--the notion of an informed citizenry--eroding? And, if so, how might it be shorn up?
• “Hooray, We're 27th!”The U.S. is no longer first among nations in many things such as  education, health care, transportation, and economic opportunity. Should we care? How does not being the best, or “exceptional” affect our identity and actions as a nation? What ought we do?
• Diversions, Diversions. Some say that the “real issues” we need to face as a nation and a global community are not being addressed, such as global warming or diminishing natural resources, because media and opinion leaders have overwhelmed us with constant diversions and momentary “crises.” If this is so, what, if anything, will get us to focus on critical issues before it is too late?
• How to begin.......Political and social discourse in America has become toxic. Few on either side of the political spectrum seem anxious to find some “middle ground.” Can this radicalization be reversed, and, if so, how to begin?

Glenn Kamber, an OLLI member and instructor, has taught a number of courses at Reston over the past four years focusing on current events, political and social issues. He is a    retired senior executive from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services where he managed policy and program development in the office of eight HHS Secretaries.

R705  Social Issues, Religion and the Supreme Court

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–Apr. 30
Six sessions
Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center,
Lake Anne Instructor: Bob Zener
This spring the Supreme Court will hear a case raising the issue of whether companies whose owners have religious objections may avoid compliance with the Affordable Care Act. At issue is the Act’s requirement to provide employees with insurance coverage for contraceptive pills. The class will examine the background of that case and hear the oral arguments before the Court. The course also will review the controversy developing around new state laws that seek to limit abortions and test the scope of protections afforded by Roe v. Wade. The class will evaluate the various issues left open by last year’s decisions invalidating the federal ban on gay marriage. These issues include whether states may continue to ban gay marriage, and whether states that ban gay marriage must recognize gay marriages performed in a state that recognizes them. Also, we will discuss the recent federal court decision arising from the threatened prosecution of the cast members of the reality TV show “Sister Wives”—a decision suggesting that there may now be constitutional limitations on a state’s ability to ban polygamy.
Bob Zener, an OLLI member, spent 18 years with the Department of Justice, where he briefed and argued more than 100 cases in the federal courts of appeals. He wrote several briefs for the Supreme Court involving constitutional issues.

R706  All the News That’s Fit to Print

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–May 15
Moderator: Dick Kennedy
This is a chance to discuss news and current events with other seniors who are trying to understand our changing world. More than ever we need to question information that comes to us from TV, radio, the Internet, magazines, bumper stickers and newspapers. How should we filter these sources? We will examine and discuss some of the hot topics of the day in world and national news, science, business, sports and entertainment. All viewpoints and opinions are respected, needed and welcomed. As Walter Cronkite once said, “In a democracy agreement is not required, but participation is.”
Dick Kennedy, an OLLI member, is a retiree from the Senior Executive Service at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He enjoys analyzing the news from multiple sources and engaging in good discussions with colleagues.

L707  Great Decisions 2014

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–May 12
Moderator: Barbara Wilan
Class limit: 22
This class is a repeat of F703. There is a $22 materials fee payable with your registration for the briefing book. Barbara Wilan retired as a full-time English teacher from the Annandale campus of Northern Virginia Community College and is currently an adjunct at the Loudoun campus of the college. She has taught at the College Park campus of the University of Maryland and for the University of Maryland’s European Division. She has taken the Great Decisions class several times and is looking forward to leading the discussions that grow out of the always intelligent and provocative course materials.

800 Science, Technology & Health

F801 Technologies That Transformed the World

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: Stan Schretter
For the last 500 years, crucial changes have jolted the world’s history. This course will discuss eight technological innovations that have helped to shape modern history as we know it and live it now.
Stan Schretter, an OLLI member, worked over 40 years as an electrical engineer applying new technologies to real world problems. He has taught at OLLI for many years, offering classes in photography, mobile technology, history and religion.

F802 Engineering Topics

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 26–Apr. 16
Four sessions
Coordinators: Paul Murad, Palmer McGrew
This four-week session will feature highly-visible engineering projects, two with connections to George Mason. The contractor will tell us about the new West Campus Connector now being built. At the time of the class they will be building an underpass across Rte 123. Another contractor and design firm will tell us about the complete rebuild of University Mall, across Braddock Road from the Fairfax campus. They will also explain another project: completely rebuilding Springfield Mall. This tricky project involves building a new mall while the old mall continues to do business. A fourth as-yet-to-be finalized topic will complete the course. Order of listing does not indicate order of presentation.

F803 Advances in Healthcare

Wednesdays, 11:50–1:15, Apr. 23–May 14
Four sessions
Coordinator: Rala Stone

• Apr. 23: How Does Your Weight Affect Your Health? Dr. Kajal Zalavadia, a double board-certified internist and bariatrician (obesity medicine physician), will discuss how your weight is much more than a number on the scale. Excess weight can affect every system of the body and is associated with significantly elevated risk for dozens of diseases and conditions—many of which may surprise you. She will provide medical insight into maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle.
• Apr. 30: Advances in the Treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. Dr. Dal W. Chun is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and will explainhow this once-untreatable disease can now be diagnosed and effectively treated.
• May 7: Prostate Cancer: Screening and Treatment Options. Dr. Pratik Desai, board certified urologist, will discuss prostate cancer and this serious condition that with early detection and appropriate treatment often has a high likelihood of cure. With many therapies available to a patient it is very important that he be educated about the latest screening, detection and possible treatments.
• May 14: Treating Neck and Back Pain. Dr. Mudit Sharma, MD, FAANS, a board certified neurosurgeon, will present an overview of the latest advances in the treatment of back and neck problems and discuss minimally invasive non-surgical and surgical treatments available to patients suffering from spinal problems.

F804 Current Topics in Physics and Astronomy Research at George Mason

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Coordinators: Jeff Rosendhal, Mike Summers

• Mar. 27: Overview of SPACS physics & Astronomy at George Mason. Michael E. Summers, Director, School of Physics, Astronomy and Computational Sciences at George Mason University. The School of Physics, Astronomy and Computational Sciences (SPACS) was formed in 2011 by merging two prior departments: The Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, and the Dept. of Computational and Data Sciences. The primary intent in forming SPACS was to bring together all four pillars of modern science methodology (theory, experiment, modeling, and data sciences) into one unit with two central goals. The first goal is to enhance traditional science training thereby giving students a more accurate picture of how most large modern scientific collaborations actually work. The second goal is to better prepare students and to better equip them to tackle the vast and complex interdisciplinary problems facing society. All modern science is based upon fundamental physical principles expressed in the language of mathematics. But the approach to large and complex problems, such as climate change, understanding the brain and consciousness, understanding the origin of life, all require collaborative work among scientists from a variety of disciplines. A scientist working alone in a private lab is now a rare exception. Education in the sciences must be modified to reflect how modern science is done, such as using input from multiple disciplines that involve vast quantities of data. The databases themselves have become, effectively, alternative universes that must be explored using appropriately developed tools in data science. In this overview talk about the research currently underway in SPACS I will illustrate this somewhat new approach to science with examples from SPACS research teams.
• Apr. 3: Intricately Searching for Simplicity: An Introduction to Experimental Particle Physics. Phil Rubin. A half century or more of investigations has produced a coherent but incomplete description of the fundamental nature of the universe.  This session will cover the description, the methods for creating and checking it, and outstanding questions about it.
• Apr. 10: Black holes: a Journey through Modern Astronomy. Mario Gliozzi. Black hole systems with their extraordinary gravitational force are among the most powerful sources of the Universe. After a general introduction on the scientific method and some basic concepts of astrophysics, we will take a short journey through modern astronomy that will lead us to the observational properties of stellar black holes in our Galaxy and supermassive black holes at the center of active galaxies.
• Apr. 17: The Dusty Universe. Joe Weingartner. Dust grains, microscopic solid particles, are nearly ubiquitous in the universe. Astronomers have long regarded dust as a nuisance since it partially blocks the light from distant stars and galaxies. However, it turns out that dust plays crucial roles in star and planet formation and galaxy evolution. Dust-related observations can also provide information about the geometry of the Galactic magnetic field. I will review the observational evidence that constrains the nature of dust and describe the ways that dust is important in astrophysics.
• Apr. 24: The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Ever-Changing Dynamic Universe. Kirk Borne. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) will sit on a mountaintop in the Chilean Andes and, starting about 8 years from now, will take repeated images of the night sky for 10 years. The camera will be unprecedented in size and sensitivity. The repeated images will constitute a movie of the sky: cosmic cinematography. This sky survey will do a complete inventory of the Solar System (tracking millions of asteroids), find distances and motions for nearly 10% of the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy (over 10 billion in total), detect supernovae at extremely large distances (by studying nearly 20 billion galaxies in total) in order to characterize the elusive Dark Energy that is causing the expansion rate of our Universe to accelerate. Every night for 10 years it will discover millions of transient and variable objects each and every night for 10 years! Finding the unknown unknowns in all aspects of our dynamic Universe will be made possible by the LSST. The size of the final LSST data collection will be enormous (100 to 200 Petabytes), but the scientific discovery potential is even more enormous. This session will describe the cosmic adventure and its opportunities for exploration, giving particular emphasis to the public engagement opportunities that will be open for everyone to participate in the discovery process.
• May 1: Some Exotic Phenomena in the Quantum World. Indu Satija. Quantization of physical quantities such as energy lies at the heart of quantum science where particles have dual personality because they behave sometimes like particles and sometimes like waves. The subject of this lecture is a very bizarre kind of quantization phenomena, namely the quantization of conductivity in a deceptively simple system of a crystal that is subjected to a magnetic field. Rooted in two competing phenomena, the energies and the quantum numbers of conductivity in this system form an intricate fractal pattern that continues to arouse a great deal of excitement and is one of the most actively pursued topics in quantum science. This lecture will narrate the tale of this exotic behavior that that had also made its appearance in the famous Pulitzer prize winning book, Godel, Escher and Bach. "Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it." Niels Bohr
• May 8: Superfluidity: from a Helium Droplet to the Interior of Neutron.Erhai Zhao. In early childhood humans develop a grasp of fluids and their flow properties. Improvement in our understanding of fluids, such as air, water, and electricity (flow of electric charge), has underpinned the majors leaps in civilization, as well as the transformation of warfare. In the early 20th century a new class of fluids were discovered to have spectacular, counterintuitive properties at low temperatures. These phenomena baffled the great minds in physics at that time, including Einstein, Feynman, and Landau. A proper understanding of these phenomenea had to wait fifty years. The family of these quantum fluids has since steadily increased and now includes liquid helium 3 and helium 4, many kinds of superconductors, ultracold gases of atoms and molecules, and certain nuclear/quark matter such as inside neutron stars. In this talk, I will recount the major discoveries of the past century and highlight a few recent breakthroughs as well as mention the open questions and potential device applications.
• May 15: Cosmic Collisions. Jessica Rosenberg. We know that galaxies evolve over time and that collisions can play an important role in their evolution. We are still learning exactly when, where, and how much the star formation is triggered by these interactions, how and when black hole activity is turned on and how it affects the evolution of the galaxies. I will discuss what we know and what remains to be learned about the impact of collisions on galaxy evolution.

F805  Beginner Chen-Style Tai Chi

Thursdays, 2:15–3:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Note time
Instructor: Jerry Cheng
Class Limit: 25
Tai chi, a form of martial arts that has been practiced for centuries, is meditation in motion that emphasizes balance, posture and concentration. This beginning class will focus on chen-style tai chi, which promotes health and fitness, strengthens the immune system, can relieve neck and back pain, corrects digestive problems, aids emotional and psychological well-being, relieves stress and builds character. Please wear loose clothing and plan to work in stocking feet or soft, flexible shoes.
Jerry Cheng was born in China and started his martial arts training when he was six. He studied under several famous Chinese martial arts masters, including grandmaster Sha GuoZheng, and won four gold medals at the 1997 Atlanta International Martial Arts Championship. He taught tai chi at the University of Georgia for six years and the University of Texas for three years.

R806 Cybercrime and Digital Privacy

Mondays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 24–Mar. 31
Two sessions
Instructor: Dan Venese
Almost daily there is another major computer intrusion where millions of banking or credit card records have been stolen. Chances are you or someone you know has been a victim. We will explore the shadowy actors who commit cybercrime, the ways it is carried out, the vast financial losses incurred and why it is so hard to stop. The class will demystify techno terms such as “botnets,” “zero day exploits,” “advanced persistent threats” and “denial of service attacks.” Aside from computer intrusions, a huge ecosystem facilitated and operated by Internet giants exists to track the behavior of Internet users down to the most minute detail. Information is correlated from a variety of sources to form detailed portfolios. The largely unregulated brokers who collect and correlate this information sell it for use in ecommerce, government tracking and unfortunately to facilitate identity theft. Techniques will be demonstrated to control your personal information and opt-out where possible. These topics will be explored through lectures, videos and audience participation.
Dan Venese, an OLLI member, started working on computer security in the 1970’s and has an MS in Computer Science. He has worked on sensitive computer systems for government and corporate clients.

R807  Our Dynamic Planet and Our Environment

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor and Coordinator: Jim McNeal
This speaker series will focus on the surface of the earth and the interactions between humans and the environment. An emphasis is placed on local and regional issues. Guest speakers will be primarily from the U.S. Geological Survey.

• Mar. 25: This Dynamic Planet: An overview of the structure of the earth and plate tectonics forces that shaped the continents and ocean basins: earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, coastal erosion.
• Apr. 1: The Land Surface: The land on which we live, what it provides humans and how humans interact with it: soil, water, mineral resources, ecosystems.
• Apr. 8: Chesapeake Bay:The geologic history of the Bay, how it is naturally changing, how human activity has affected the Bay and what is being done to help restore the Bay. Scott Phillips, USGS Chesapeake Bay Coordinator.
• Apr. 15: Glaciers: Their “recent” history and how they have changed the surface of the earth and impacted human history. Kevin Kincare, PhD, USGS Research Geologist.
• Apr. 22: Climate and Land Use Change: an overview of the USGS Climate Change Program and some of the key activities of USGS research scientists. Deb Willard, PhD, USGS Research Geologist and Program Coordinator.
• Apr. 29: Paleoclimatology: How has the earth’s climate changed over time, why has it changed and how we know about these changes. Tom Cronin, PhD, USGS Senior Research Scientist and author of Paleoclimates—Understanding Climate Change Past and Present.
• May 6: Medical Geology: where you live can affect your health and the health of the environment. You will learn the stories of the “orange” soils of Fairfax County, asbestos, radon, mercury, selenium, dust and valley fever.
• May 13: Water Resources: How do we know what we know about this critical resource, including its abundance, quality, availability and hazards?

Jim McNeal has a BA in Chemistry from the College of Wooster and a PhD in Geochemistry from Penn State. He taught at a university for three years and was a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey for 36 years. He is currently a scientist emeritus with the USGS and a docent at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. See F803 for instructor information.

R807 How to Look and Feel Younger

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Jan. 22–Feb. 12
Rose Gallery at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne
Coordinator: Mary Kornreich
● Jan. 22: The Science of Looking and Feeling Younger. Scientific studies indicate that simple, gradual changes in lifestyle can produce big dividends in our vitality, mental acuity and health over our lifetimes. Margaret Webb Pressler, award-winning consumer and health sciences reporter for The Washington Post for nearly 20 years, is author of Cheat the Clock.
● Jan. 29: Technology, Our Ally. Technological resources provide greater security, communication and optimal wellness at all stages of life. Examples include: robots, security systems, personal communications systems, NASA-researched infrared energy saunas and other devices. Priscilla Chism develops successful community health projects in her Health Solutions consulting practice.
● Feb. 5: Exercise and Simple Strength Training Can Help. Skip Habblitz, a 72-year-old certified fitness instructor at Ferraiolo Fitness, is a national speaker whose own life shows how being socially active and simple weight training can overcome grief. Denise Lankes, a certified fitness instructor, describes how fitness training has added zest to her life. Jane Nash, Leisure World’s fitness director, is certified as a personal trainer and as a health fitness specialist.
● Feb. 12: Mind and Body Wellness. Emerging scientific research is providing new memory training techniques, methods to enhance brain fitness and ways to promote healthy aging through dance and movement.
Diane Lasichak, a credentialed geriatric care manager, helps clients optimize their health, improve their mental acuity and infuse joy in their days through movement.

L808 iPad Basics and Beyond

Tuesdays, 9:40-11:05, Apr. 29–May 6
Two sessions
Instructor: Charlie Pryor
This two-day session will build on a previous session, iPad Basics. We will go into more depth for specific applications such as mail, iCloud, photos and apps in which you are personally interested. Make sure that your iPad is charged and that you have updated to the latest version of the operating system (iOS). Additionally, you should know your Apple ID and password. Bring pen and paper for taking notes. You must have a George Mason ID number and an active George Mason email address before taking this class. They can be requested at any OLLI office and take approximately two weeks to obtain.
Charlie Pryor retired from the U.S. Army and from his second career as a civil engineer. He has taught at the university level, at military engineer schools and continuing education courses. He has also taught numerous classes on computing at OLLI.

L809 Earthwatch Institute: Preserving the Planet for the Future

Wednesdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 26–Apr. 30
Six sessions
Instructor: Dolores Rothwell
The mission of Earthwatch is to engage and to educate people in scientific field research in order to promote an understanding of the problems affecting our environment. Through a series of slide shows and lectures we will travel to remote parts of the world on six exciting and enlightening Earthwatch expeditions. A cheetah project in Namibia works to save the habitat and ensure long-term survival of these magnificent cats. Research data gathered in the Pantanal in Brazil shows the adverse effect of agriculture and tourism on the bird and animal life of this great swamp. Project Phiri teams in South Africa survey the density of brown hyenas in Pilanesberg Park and work on a local game farm to locate and destroy poachers’ traps. Another project studies inconsistent weather patterns and habitat loss of the mammals in Nova Scotia. In Australia a study was made of the status of koalas, their resilience to climate change and their destruction of the forest habitat. Earthwatch expeditions sent to Costa Rica tagged and counted leatherback turtles and worked with park rangers to safeguard the eggs and hatchlings of this endangered species.
Dolores Rothwell became an Earthwatch Institute volunteer after retirement. Participating in Earthwatch projects led to meeting like-minded people and working on exciting environmental research projects. Sharing this knowledge has now become her avocation. She presently resides in Leisure World of VA.

L810 Current Topics in Physics and Astronomy Research at George Mason

Thursdays, 9:40–11:05, Mar. 27–May 15
Coordinators: Jeff Rosendhal, Mike Summers
This is a videoconference transmission of course F804.

L811  Healthcare Topics

Thursdays, 11:50–1:15, Mar. 27–Apr. 17
Four sessions
Coordinator: Kathleen McNamara

• Mar. 27: All About Pacemakers. During this session, Dr. Tariq Aziz, a cardiologist from Virginia Heart Institute, will speak about what a pacemaker is and how it functions, why someone might need one, how pacemakers impact daily life, what can be expected from the pacemaker implant procedure and many other aspects of living with a pacemaker. There will be time for a question and answer session following the lecture.
• Apr. 3: Cardiac Rehabilitation. This presentation will include a description of the Cardiac Rehab services at Inova Loudoun Hospital. Wendy Johnson, Registered Dietician at Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Adult Rehabilitation Clinic will discuss healthy nutrition and the impact it has on heart health. We will review the anatomy and physiology of the heart and how it relates to heart disease. Lastly, we will discuss how to change one’s lifestyle to create permanent and positive changes in one’s life.
• Apr. 10: Sleep Disturbances and Health: How You and Your Family Can Improve Your Sleep. We spend a third of our life sleeping. When we or our loved ones sleep poorly, we face a myriad of health problems. This interactive presentation by Dr. Michael Mellis, ENT, Northern Virginia ENT Associates, will address the causes of insomnia, snoring, sleep apnea and non-restorative sleep; highlight the effects of sleep disturbance on your health; and showcase ways you can improve your sleep, feel better when awake and live a longer, healthier life.
• Apr. 17: Cancer: Cancer Biology and Treatments. Dr. Amit Sarma, Oncologist, Virginia Cancer Specialists, will cover the fundamentals of the biology of cancer, including basic molecular and cellular biology. This will inform participants as to the rationale for the newest cancer therapies. Questions welcomed!

900 Other Topics

F901 Trip Tales

Mondays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 24–May 12
Coordinator: Tom Hady

• Mar. 24: Lou Coglianese toured smaller towns of northern Italy: the lakes, Alba in the Piedmont wine district, the Palio d’Asti, the back alleys of Venice and the Lombard hill-top town of Bergamo.
• Mar. 31: Jean & Dan Feighrey went to Seattle for Wagner’s complete “Ring” and explored the city from atop the Space Needle to the underground of Pioneer Square.
• Apr. 7: Join Tom and Marilyn Hady for a trip through the Rocky Mountains from New Mexico to Canada.
• Apr. 14: Katie Mitchell’s “Southern Italy Odyssey” includes the familiar (Capri, Sorrento, and the Amalfi Coast) and the less familiar (Paestum, Maratea, Rivello, Aliano, Matera, Alberobello and Ostuni)
• Apr. 21: Lou Coglianese went by plane, trains and ferries through Central Japan, from busy Tokyo to quiet Buddhist retreats on Mt. Koya, from the restful hot springs of Hakone to the moving Peace Park in Hiroshima.
• Apr. 28: Esther Levitan took an educational cruise aboard the MV Explorer from Le Havre to Dover, with stops in Antwerp, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Belfast and Dublin. Tom Hadytells of a short trip to the Maine coast.
• May 5: Alana Lukes toured Scotland from Edinburgh to St. Andrew’s, north to Inverness, southwest to Oban, Mull and Iona, and east to Stirling. Food, lochs, battle sites and a famous monster.
• May 12: Sue Roose took her granddaughter to see the Normandy Beaches, but they also saw Paris, Mont St. Michel, chateaus and Chartres.

L902  Meditation

Tuesdays, 11:50–1:15, April 8, Apr. 22–Apr. 29
Note dates
Three sessions
Instructor: Linda Bender
Class Limit: 15
Here’s your chance to learn more about meditation and then try it out. Linda will discuss the various classifications and types of meditation and how meditation can help in your daily life. While meditation-like practices are part of many spiritual belief systems or faith traditions, our focus will be on the processes of meditation itself rather than on any particular belief system or faith. Class members will have an opportunity to decide on a particular meditation style that suits them and then try it out in class and at home. There will be lots of discussion and an opportunity to talk about meditation experiences and issues and how to handle any problems that may arise. The atmosphere of the class will be such that we can share our own experiences while still respecting the privacy of others. There will be a guided meditation in each class. Linda Bender has been a member of OLLI for not quite two years but has been a meditator for over 40 years. She has a degree in mathematics from Cornell. After spending 20 years as the wife of an Army Intelligence officer, she went back into the work place, learned medical billing and eventually managed billing offices in both hospital and physician environments.

L903  Mysteries of the Paranormal

Tuesdays, 2:15–3:40, Mar. 25–May 13
Instructor: William E. Stoney
“There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” And let me add “or are admitted to in your sciences.” This course will present scientific data that some believe proves our minds function in ways that cannot be explained by the biochemical/electrical activities of our brains alone. It will include laboratory findings on the mind’s extrasensory capabilities, telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition and telekinesis. You’ll learn about the analysis of a wide range of reported spiritual activities, ghosts and apparitions, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, deathbed visions, angels, past-life memories, table levitations, physical materializations and communication with the dead. We will end with UFOs. Don’t miss the opportunity to explore these intriguing phenomena! William E. Stoney holds masters degrees in industrial management and aeronautical engineering from MIT and the University of Virginia.

950 Special Events

951 A Fine Romance: Songs of Jerome Kern

Saturday, Mar. 22, 10:00–12:30
Tallwood
Instructor: Dan Sherman
Jerome Kern had a long and glorious career, writing over 100 works for the stage, including Showboat, one of the greatest of all musicals. Kern’s career provides great insight into the development of musical theatre and film musicals, and many composers cite his influence on their work. This course will give us the chance to hear many classics of American song, including “A Fine Romance,” “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” “All the Things You Are,” “The Way You Look Tonight” and “Long Ago (and Far Away),” as presented on stage and films and also in some wonderful jazz arrangements. Dan Sherman, who has taught OLLI courses on several great American theatre composers, will draw on his exceptional collection of CDs and DVDs to help us enjoy Jerome Kern’s songs by using a multimedia approach to combine pictures, films and sound recordings.

952 Loudoun County’s Real Property Tax Relief Program for Persons 65 or Older or Disabled

Monday, Mar. 24, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructor: Robert S. Wertz Loudoun County offers a very generous real estate tax break to eligible residents who file an application and meet certain qualifying criteria. Program participants are relieved from the payment of real estate taxes on their primary dwelling (condo and garage space) and lot up to 3 acres. Residents must be 65 years of age or older, or totally and permanently disabled and have household income and net worth less than $72,000 and $440,000 respectively. Portions of disability income and income of non-spouse relatives living in the home are not included in the calculation of total combined income. Net worth is the value of all assets minus liabilities and excludes the value of the primary dwelling and land up to 10 acres.
Robert S. Wertz, Jr., Loudoun County Commissioner of the Revenue, will give a presentation about the tax relief program and answer residents’ questions during this session. For more information about tax relief see http://www.loudoun.gov/taxrelief or contact the Tax Relief Division of the Commissioner of the Revenue’s Office at 703-737-8557 or trcor@loudon.gov.

953 MnemeTherapy®

Tuesday, Mar. 25, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructor: Catherine Fetterman of Art Together
MnemeTherapy® is an enjoyable, multi-modality process that engages the entire brain to stimulate its natural ability to rebuild functions that have been lost or not yet developed. It uses the arts in an instructional manner to stimulate the brain’s ability to adapt and find new ways to rebuild functions. It is used with autistic children, as well as adults affected by Alzheimer’s, dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s and traumatic brain injuries.
Catherine Fetterman is an artist, teacher, creativity coach and entrepreneur whose passion for art and teaching spans more than 25 years. She studied art and French in Paris, France, received a BA from Smith College and an MA from Middlebury College. She is currently Virginia’s first and only Certified MnemeTherapist but is the 46th artist nationwide to be trained to offer this therapy.

954 Personal Computer Security

Tuesday, Mar. 25, 2:15–3:40
Reston
Instructor: Dan Venese
Most users are familiar with anti-virus programs and the need to keep their operating system patched. But are there other security measures that can be taken to minimize the risk of computer intrusions? What is a computer virus and how do I know if my computer is infected? What is a firewall and does my computer have one? I’m still using Windows XP, is this a good idea? Am I safe using WiFi for on-line transactions? Are there security differences among the various browsers? I’m overwhelmed by all the passwords I need to keep track of and should I use the same password everywhere? The session will discuss the various types of malware, where to obtain free security tools, the role of backups, WiFi security, password strategies, email security, and present a set of best security practices to keep you safe. The session will be oriented to Windows users. Dan Venese, an OLLI member, started working on computer security in the 1970’s and has an MS in Computer Science. He has worked on sensitive computer systems for government and corporate clients.

955 George Washington’s Last Lecture: “I Am Not Afraid”

Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2:15–3:40
Tallwood Coordinator: Velma Berkey
George Washington gave his first farewell address at the end of the War for Independence and his second and more famous farewell address at the end of his term as President. Professor Peter Henriques argues that there is a third and final farewell address. He will examine what this is and will focus on George Washington’s death, an event which reveals much about America’s greatest leader and can still be inspirational to this day.
Dr. Peter Henriques received his PhD in history from the University of Virginia and is Professor of History Emeritus at George Mason. He is the author of Realistic Visionary: A Portrait of George Washington. His new book America’s Atlas: A New Look at the Leadership of GW is in the works. As a recipient of the George Washington Memorial Award from the George Washington Masonic Memorial Association in 2012, Dr. Henriques presented the Distinguished Lecture Series at Colonial Williamsburg.

956 A Conversation With and Reminiscences of a U.S. Air Force Nurse

Friday, Mar. 28, 1:00–2:30
Tallwood
Coordinated by: Florence Adler
Sally Merten served as a United States Air Force nurse from 1965-1967. During some of those years, she was stationed at Andrews AFB, MD and Travis AFB, CA, where she served in a medical evacuation unit treating the Vietnam wounded. She graduated from Avila University, Kansas City, MO with a B.S. in Nursing and began active duty with the Air Force Nurse Corps in February 1965. She met and married Alan Merten, a fellow Air Force officer and they moved to Madison, WI in August 1967 where both attended graduate school. Sally became a clinical instructor at St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing. Their son, Eric, was born during their time in Wisconsin. After moving to Ann Arbor, MI when Alan completed his PhD, she again worked as a clinical instructor until the birth of their daughter, Melissa. As the couple moved with the progression of Alan’s academic career, Sally became a “professional volunteer” in the areas of health, the arts and education.

957 Mindfulness and Health

Monday, Mar. 31, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructors: Jerome Short, Diane Wagner
Mindfulness is being aware of, paying attention to and accepting our experiences in the present moment. With roots in ancient Buddhist, Hindu, and Greek philosophy, Western European phenomenology, existentialism and naturalism, and American humanism and transcendentalism, mindfulness has captured the attention of leading researchers and clinicians in recent decades. This is not surprising, given the mounting evidence of many positive effects of mindfulness on health and wellbeing, including reducing stress and pain, improving communication and relationships, enhancing attention and memory, and increasing adaptive behaviors. Learn simple ways to become more mindful and how doing this may benefit your health and wellbeing.
Jerome Short is an Associate Professor of Psychology at George Mason and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. His teaching and research focus on promoting mental health and preventing psychological disorders.
Diane Wagner is a fourth year doctoral student in clinical psychology. Her interests focus on promoting psychological wellbeing in older adults.

958  Give 1.25: How Giving Less Can Lead to Greater Change

Tuesday, Apr. 1, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructors: Alec Zacaroli, Amy Zacaroli
Why is it that every year people donate money to programs designed to help the poorest and most vulnerable in the world, and yet the suffering persists and even grows? Is it just too little, too late? Or is it simply a matter of not giving enough? Neither, say Alec and Amy Zacaroli, authors of a new book that tackles this perplexing question. In fact, they suggest, it may be a matter of giving too much. Give 1.25: How Giving Less Can Lead to Greater Change, is a reflection of the Zacarolis’ soul-searching look into lessons they learned from a decade of efforts to help poor, orphaned and vulnerable children in one of the poorest regions of our world through 25:40, a ministry they set up to help children in rural South Africa. During this book talk, the Zacarolis will share some of the lessons they have learned, how these lessons have shaped how they approach serving the poor, and why it is so important to focus on how we give, rather than just how much.|

959 Is Anything Left from the Arab Spring?

Tuesday, Apr. 1, 2:15–3:40
Reston Instructor: Nathan Brown
In early 2011, Arab populations in a number of countries that had seemed stable and even stagnant suddenly rose up in rebellion against authoritarian rulers. Longtime leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen were overthrown and other regimes were shaken. Two years later, however, the uprisings have not led the way to more responsive political systems and authoritarianism seems to be reemerging even in the countries where democratic hopes were the highest two years ago. This lecture will explore the reasons for the uprisings and explore future political possibilities for the Arab world. Nathan J. Brown is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. He also serves as nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Professor Brown has conducted research in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tunisia, the West Bank and Gaza. He also taught for one year in Israel. He has been named a Guggenheim Fellow, a Fulbright Scholar and a Carnegie Scholar for his research and writing on Arab politics. He is author of six books, the most recent of which is When Victory is Not an Option: Islamist Movements in Arab Politics (Cornell University Press, 2012).

960 The Importance of Pesticides for Feeding the World

Friday, Apr. 4, 1:00–2:30
Tallwood
Instructor: Leonard Gianessi
The world’s population will be changing dramatically in the next 40 years. Two billion more people will inhabit Earth. Hundreds of millions of people are leaving rural areas and moving to cities. Diets are changing as hundreds of millions of people are moving into the middle class with more buying power. All of these changes are putting pressure on the need to increase food production and the need to use pesticides. In this course, the need for pesticides will be explained in terms of these population megatrends. Using a PowerPoint presentation, the lecture will cover developed and developing countries. To produce adequate yields without deforestation means more pesticide use. China has warned that without pesticides the country would undergo famine.
Leonard Gianessi is a consultant to the CropLife Foundation and, for the past 30 years, has researched the benefits of using pesticides in world agriculture. He has travelled to Africa to assist in the development of programs to increase smallholders’ access to pesticides. In addition, he has spoken to many audiences about the need for pesticides, testified before Congress, and authored scientific articles on the topic. He has a BA in Public Affairs.

961 The Final Voyage of the Ticonderoga

Monday, Apr. 7, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructor: Mark Weinstein
Once, elegant steam ships cruised along America’s waterways. These beautiful ships were a combination of engineering mastery, style and refinement. It was a genteel mode of transportation; travelers could enjoy the comforts of home, partake of delicious meals and even dance. From our country’s earliest days, passengers and cargo were transported in the rural areas between up-state New York, Vermont and Canada by ship. Eventually railroads and then highways gradually replaced the ships. The last of these vessels—the Ticonderoga, “the mighty Ti”, a 220’ side-wheeler steamboat launched in 1906 on Lake Champlain—sailed for over 50 years. By the 1950s the Ti, at the end of its commercial life, was about to be ignominiously scrapped. But sailing to the rescue was Burlington, Vermont’s Shelburne Museum. Recognizing the Ti’s historical value, the 800-ton ship was successfully lifted out of the lake and moved intact over a special two mile rail link to the Museum’s grounds. Once there, it was painstakingly restored. This session, including a film, reviews the ship’s history and the civil engineering feats to move it.
Mark Weinstein, OLLI member and engineer, visited the Ti last summer.

962 Prehistoric Nuclear Explosions on Mars

Tuesday, Apr. 8, 2:15–3:40
Reston
Instructor: Paul Murad
The high concentration and intense fluxes of isotopes in the Martian atmosphere can be explained by two very large anomalous nuclear explosions in the past on Mars. The explosions were centered in the Northern plains near possible archeological artifacts. The isotope mass spectrum of the atmosphere matches open air nuclear testing on Earth. Modeling the isotope components resulting from fast neutron fission from a planet-wide debris layer we may assume an explosive disassembly of the uranium-thorium body into a planet-wide debris layer with 1% burn-up; estimates arrive at a yield of 1010 Megatons. Absence of craters at the site suggest centers of the explosions were above ground. Hypotheses about the explosions are due either to kilometer scale natural nuclear reactors moderated by groundwater that exploded catastrophically, spreading residues over the planet’s surface, or that the explosions were due to very large fusion-fission devices similar to modern fission-fusion-fission nuclear weapons. Such an energy release is similar to the Chicxulub event on Earth and would be large enough to create a global catastrophe changing Mars global climate.
The presentation will be by Paul Murad. The data and presentation is provided by Dr. John Brandenburg, a Professor at Madison, Wisconsin, who has published several technical papers as well as books on the topic.

963 Keeping your Memories from Fading

Wednesday, Apr. 9, 2:15-3:40
Tallwood
Instructor: Ken Sander
Golden age of home movies. Family slides and photos. Video for everyone! Audio cassettes and reels. DVD, CDs and the “Cloud.” Media or Data Rot: What does it mean? What happens with all those memories on all that old media? How can I preserve them? What can I do to archive all those memories? How can I organize all of my photos, films, videos, slides, audio, etc.? This seminar will help you to answer these questions and to prepare a plan to preserve all your personal and family memories for generations to come.
Ken Sander earned an engineering degree from the University of California-Davis, after which he spent three decades with the FAA, focusing on the safety of the airline industry. During this time he worked with video, graphics and animation as a serious hobby. When he retired in 2006, he decided to turn his hobby into a business and opened a home video studio franchise in Fairfax. Since then he has won a Seven Star Studio Award, a Studio Owner of the Year Award and multiple Hanley Awards.

964 Poetry Reading by OLLI’s Own

Friday, Apr. 11, 1:00–2:30
Tallwood
Coordinators: Mike McNamara, Jan Bohall
April being National Poetry Month, the Poetry Workshop will celebrate by showcasing the work of its members. Many in the workshop have had poems published or have earned awards, and some have published collections of their poems. Non-workshop members will be given time to present original poems (no more than two, each limited to one page). They should contact either of the above coordinators if they wish to participate.

965 Books! Books! Books!

Monday, Apr. 14, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Coordinators: Sigrid Blalock, Kathleen McNamara
If you are a classic book lover, we have a course for you. If you can’t wait for the next mystery by your favorite author, we have a class for you. Whether you like reading family sagas or realizing how one small event can change history, come and share your love of reading with fellow enthusiasts. Tell us what books grip your imagination; bring a smile to your face or just keep you company as a best friend should. Join us.

966 Security, Freedom and Transparency: Protecting Civil Liberties and Privacy in the Intelligence Community

Tuesday, Apr. 15, 2:15-3:40
Reston
Instructor: Alexander W. Joel
The Intelligence Community carefully protects its sources of intelligence and its methods for collecting and analyzing information. Recently, previously secret activities have been disclosed and are now widely discussed around the world, sparking public debate over how to maintain the balance between security and freedom, between secrecy and transparency. A senior official responsible for protecting civil liberties and privacy within the Intelligence Community will discuss how the Intelligence Community is addressing these challenges.
Alexander Joel is the Civil Liberties Protection Officer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), a position he has held since the ODNI was established. His responsibilities include ensuring that the policies of Intelligence Community agencies include adequate protections for privacy and civil liberties, ensuring that the use of technology sustains privacy protections, and investigating complaints of possible abuses of privacy and civil liberties in ODNI programs.

967  Dancing the Dream: American Culture in Motion

Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2:15–3:40
Tallwood
Instructor: Barbara Nelson
In the fall of 2013, the National Portrait Gallery opened the exhibit: “Dancing the Dream,” which celebrates American dancers, choreographers and impresarios. Dance accompanied immigrants to America, but American diversity and dynamism created a uniquely American experience. This presentation will highlight a variety of portraits from this exhibit, and it will also include video of some of these artists performing, including Loie Fuller’s internationally known Serpentine dance, Shirley Temple tap dancing with Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and Michael Jackson’s iconic performance in “Thriller.” We will celebrate the evolution of American dance from Martha Graham to Judith Jamison, from the Nicholas Brothers to Gregory Hines.
Barbara Nelson has presented literature courses at OLLI for several years, but she is also a docent at the National Portrait Gallery and enjoys when these two components of her life intersect.

968  Autism

Monday, Apr. 21, 11:50–1:15

Loudoun
Instructor: Carol Gavin
In this course we will discuss the process of developmental screening of children to include the comprehensive diagnostic evaluation utilized by clinicians. The lecture will examine the Diagnostic Criteria of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in the new DSM V. We will review interventions to include behavioral, psychopharmacological, complementary and alternative medicine therapies. In order to improve understanding of this multilayered spectrum of disorders, the speaker will discuss various therapies. An open forum is planned so that questions and experiences can be shared within the course presentation.
Carol Gavin is an MSN, RN with over 25 years of psychiatric nursing experience. She works full time at Inova Loudoun Psychiatric Unit, Leesburg VA. She is a student in the Shenandoah University Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program in Winchester, Va.

969  The “Night of Terror”

Tuesday, Apr. 22, 2:15–3:40
Reston
Instructor: Kathleen Pablo
One elderly woman was picked up by two prison guards and thrown into a cement cell. The other 32 women arrested in front of the White House that afternoon were beaten, shackled to the bars of their cells, stripped and humiliated, and denied contact with each other and the outside world. Some went on a hunger strike, were strapped down and force-fed through an inserted tube. Where did such cruelty occur? Right here in Northern Virginia, at the Occoquan Workhouse. What crime earned such brutality? Silently picketing the White House for women’s right to vote. Now, when the percentage of eligible voters who actually cast a ballot continues to fall, it’s important to reflect on how and when and why women were so long denied the vote. This lecture will focus on the personalities and singular courage of some of the major figures in the long struggle to ratify the 19th Amendment and the emergence of Carrie Chapman Catt’s “Mighty Political Experiment,” the League of Women Voters.
Kathleen Pablo is a member of the steering committee working to build the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial (TPSM) and is chair of the TPSM Speakers’ Bureau.

970  Henry Daingerfield and the Origin of Springfield, VA

Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2:15–3:40
Tallwood
Coordinator: Florence Adler
Springfield began as a 920-acre farm acquired and named by Henry Daingerfield, a prosperous Alexandria entrepreneur, in 1851. The Orange and Alexandria Railroad, of which Daingerfield was a director, crossed his land that same year. The future of the farm and family looked promising until the Civil War when scandal and family tragedy forced the subdivision and the sale of the farm. All that remains is the name Springfield preserved first as a train station, then as a Post Office and finally as a suburban community.
Jack Lewis Hiller lives in West Springfield and has been a member of the Fairfax County History Commission since 1981. He chaired the History Commission in 1994-1995 and currently chairs the Historical Marker Committee, which places roadside markers at historic sites in Fairfax County. Hiller also writes and speaks on topics about the Springfield area and has written a history of Springfield. He taught    history for 30 years at Groveton High School and West Potomac High School and also at Northern Virginia Community College.

971  Human Motor Control Studied Through Motor Adaptation

Friday, Apr. 25, 1:00–2:30
Tallwood Instructor: Wilsaan Joiner
The mammalian brain generates motor commands to initiate movement. Through interactions with our environment this motor output is adapted in order to reduce the error between planned and actual motion. This lecture will describe one motor adaptation paradigm that has been extensively studied in various research laboratories worldwide and discuss the subsequent insights gained in the neural mechanisms of motor learning and improving rehabilitation. In addition, we will examine the results from research that has examined the generalization of this motor adaptation across (1) different movement speeds and (2) the limbs, and what the results reveal about the processes that underlie this learning.
Dr. Wilsaan Joiner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at George Mason. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 2007. From 2007-2012, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University and the National Eye Institute (The Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research). Dr. Joiner’s Sensorimotor Integration Laboratory at the Volgenau School of Engineering conducts translational research investigating human sensory integration, motor learning and control using computational and experimental approaches.

972  The End is Near! Imminent Natural Disasters Ready to Carry us All Away

Monday, Apr. 28, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun
Instructor: Ronald Goodbread
Aside from man-made catastrophes, such as nuclear war, civilization as we know it is facing several Extinction Level Events (ELEs) that, if any one of them happens, will destroy the world as we know it. People all over the world go about their daily lives in the shadow of widespread disasters that are imminent and about which they know little or nothing. This presentation by Dr. Ronald A. Goodbread, a retired Professor of History, is not a “doomsday prep” course but an informative lecture accompanied by PowerPoint photographs and diagrams which will stop and make you think about the value of civilized life in the world in which we live so precariously.
Judge Ronald A. Goodbread (Ret.) of the D.C. Superior Court previously spent over 20 years as a well-known criminal defense lawyer in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. He is also a veteran OLLI presenter.

973  Intergenerational Travel: Traveling With Your Grandchild

Tuesday, Apr. 29, 2:15–3:40
Reston
Coordinator: Stan Schretter
Dr. Barbara Frank, geologist/educator/tour leader and author of Grandparenting With the Wisdom of Nature, will talk about the latest trend in travel: Intergenerational Travel. She will discuss the benefits to both generations of traveling together and the ways to maximize the experience.

974  Things You Didn’t Know You Didn’t Know

Wednesday, Apr. 30, 2:15–3:40
Tallwood
Instructors: Ed Weiner and Colleagues
Which of these statements is true?

1. If my son is injured on the job, it’s always the employer’s responsibility.
2. Grandparents have visitation rights.
3. If my dog bites someone, I am responsible.
4. If someone runs a red light, the accident is his/her fault.
5. If someone who has no car insurance injures me, I can collect from my own car insurance if I have “full coverage.”

You’ll be surprised to learn what you didn’t know.
Edward L. Weiner, President of the Fairfax Bar Association and President-Elect of the Virginia State Bar, with his colleagues, will present a fast-paced discussion panel covering new and interesting little-known “gems” of Virginia Law. You will be certain to know some new law by the end of the presentation.

975  Intergenerational Travel: Traveling With Your Grandchild

Friday, May 2, 1:30– 3:00
Tallwood
Note time
Coordinator: Florence Adler
Repeat of 973.

976  Let’s Read: Spring and Summer Book Recommendations

Monday, May 5, 11:50–1:15
Cascades Library
Coordinator: Robbie Milberg A
re you looking for the perfect novel to dive into for the summer? Ready to use the longer daylight hours to catch up on the classics? Or maybe after a long, cold winter you’re in the mood to try the hottest new nonfiction books around? The librarians from the Cascades Branch of Loudoun County Public Library will be presenting their suggestions for a variety of spring and summer reading selections. Recommendations will cover current bestselling fiction, as well as non-fiction, classic titles and noteworthy picks from other genres. The librarians will also showcase some of the resources available through the Library that can help you pick out a great book for any time of the year.

977  Sunnism and Shi`ism: Two Perspectives, One Religion

Friday, May 9, 1:00–2:30
Tallwood
Instructor: Maria Dakake
While the overwhelming majority of Muslims are Sunnis, approximately 15-20% of Muslims worldwide (about 250 million) are Shi`ites. The differences between these two ways of practicing Islam are poorly understood, despite the increasing prominence of the Sunni-Shi`ite divide as a factor in the politics and conflicts in Middle Eastern and Islamic regions. Although the difference between Sunni and Shi`ite approaches to Islam can be traced to an early succession dispute after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, it took several centuries for Sunnism and Shi`ism to develop the distinct theological, legal, and spiritual perspectives that continue to divide them to the present day. This lecture will explain the important differences between Sunni and Shi`ite Islam, as well as the historical and intellectual origins of each perspective.
Maria Dakake, chair of Religious Studies at George Mason, holds a BA from Cornell University and an MA and PhD in Near Eastern studies from Princeton University. She teaches courses on Islam and other Near Eastern religious traditions, as well as courses on women in religion. Her research interests lie in the fields of Islamic theology, Qur’an and hadith, and philosophy with a particular interest in Shi`ite and Sufi traditions.

978  Flute and Piano Duo

Monday, May 12, 11:50–1:15
Loudoun Instructor: C. J. Capen, Lauren Sileo
Enjoy a flute and piano performance including pieces such as Variations for Flute and Piano by Schubert, Sonata for Flute and Piano “Undine” by Reinecke and Carmen Fantaisie from the Opera by G. Bizet (Francois Borne).
C.J. Capen is music director at St. John Neumann Church in Reston, Va. He is an active accompanist and recitalist in piano and organ. C.J. and Lauren Sileo, flutist, have been invited to tour China in the fall of 2014 and perform throughout the United States. Ms. Sileo is a 2005 graduate of The Julliard School, having been accepted there with the highest honor of Presidential Distinction. Since then she has performed all over the country with orchestras such as the Baltimore Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra.

979  Judaism and Christianity’s Views Regarding the Family

Wednesday, May 14, 2:15–3:40
Tallwood
Coordinator: Florence Adler
What are Judaism and Christianity’s views regarding the family? What did the rabbis say about marriage and one’s religious life? Is it true that Judaism supports marriage and family whereas the Church prizes asceticism and the celibate life as the highest ideals of religious commitment? Come join Dr. Randi Rashkover in a session exploring how these two different religious traditions understand marriage, family and the spiritual life.
Dr. Randi Rashkover is Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Director of Judaic Studies at George Mason University. Her areas of expertise include Jewish philosophy and political thought, Jewish-Christian relations and Women and Judaism. She is the author of Revelation and Theopolitics: Barth, Rosenzweig and the Politics of Praise; Freedom and Law: A Jewish-Christian Apologetics; Liturgy Time and the Politics of Redemption (co-edited with C.C. Pecknold) and recently, Judaism, Liberalism and Political Theology (co-edited with Martin Kavka). She is a frequent lecturer at universities and religious institutions in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

980  AARP Driver Safety Course

Thursday and Friday, May 22–May 23, 10:00–3:00
Tallwood
Two sessions
Note dates and times
Instructor: Manuel Pablo
Event Limit: 30 Cars have changed. So have traffic rules, driving conditions and the roads you travel. Brush up on driving skills with this driver safety course. Learn the current rules of the road, defensive driving techniques and ways to operate a car more safely. Learn to manage and accommodate common age-related changes in vision, hearing and reaction time. The class covers blind spots, following distances, changing lanes, turns at intersections, safety belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, new technologies, ways to monitor your own and others’ driving skills and capabilities, effects of medications on driving and distractions like eating, smoking and cell-phone use. Cost: $15 for AARP members, $20 for non-members. Bring check and membership card to first meeting. Note this is a TWO-DAY course, and attendance both days is necessary to earn certification, good for a three-year discount from your insurance carrier.
Manuel Pablo is a volunteer instructor who has taught this course for more than eight years, most recently for the Woodbridge Senior Center and for OLLI.

981  Matinee Idylls: Dancing Heart Ensemble

Tuesday, Mar. 25, 12:30
Gregory Family Theater, Hylton Performing Arts Center
Lunch and Concert,
Note day and time
Coordinators: Lorraine and Norm Rosenberg               703-361-4572
The Dancing Heart trio (piano, flute and percussion) performs commissioned works, old favorites newly interpreted by the ensemble and combines pieces in innovative ways around captivating themes. Their accessible and interactive performances provide audience members with insight into the music by creating an all-encompassing program of performance interspersed with discussion. Enjoy a buffet lunch at 12:30 pm catered by a local restaurant, followed by a one-hour concert and a coffee and dessert reception with the artists. The fee of $43 covers the cost of the lunch and concert in the Gregory Family Theater at the Hylton Performing Arts Center, Manassas and is payable to OLLI at the time of registration.

982  Glenfiddich Farm Cookery School

Friday, Mar. 28, 10:30–2:00
Carpool Coordinator: Mary Coyne                 mjcoyne@verizon.net
Limit: 16 By popular demand we will repeat our visit to the 1840’s farmhouse of Olwen Woodier for a hands-on and demonstration class of a 4 or 5 course lunch. Then we will enjoy eating the delicious results. Olwen is a well-known author of cookbooks. Those who were on the waiting-list for the Fall class will be given preference. The school (703-771-3056) is located at 17642 Canby Road, Leesburg. There is a fee of $60 payable to OLLI at time of registration.

983  The Rover

Saturday, Mar. 29, 2:00
George Mason University’s TheaterSpace
Coordinator: Florence Adler                           703-455-6658
Having famously worked as a spy for Charles II against the Dutch, English author Aphra Behn lost her meager income when the king refused to pay her expenses, so she turned to writing. Her play The Rover premiered in 1677 to such great success that Behn wrote a sequel that was produced in 1681, enabling Behn to make a fair living. Set in Naples during the Carnival, the play is about two sisters Hellena and Florinda, one forced to marry and the other banished to a convent. Written in two parts, The Rover, directed here by Kristin Johnsen-Neshati, is an extraordinarily popular example of Restoration comedy. Tickets are $15, payable to OLLI at the time of registration.

984  Johns Hopkins University Museums

Friday, Apr. 4, 8:45–4:30
Bus Trip
Coordinators: Ann Youngren                          703-437-1150
                              Luci Martel                                703-729-3635
Event Limit: 50 Both the Evergreen Museum & Library (Evergreen House) and The Homewood Museum are operated by Johns Hopkins University. These homes, which are on the National Register of Historical Homes, are magnificent examples of mid-19th century architecture. Evergreen Museum and Library, a former Gilded Age mansion (Beaux Arts style), contains an intimate collection of fine and decorative arts, rare books and manuscripts assembled by two generations of the philanthropic Garrett Family. It offers 48 opulent rooms filled with over 50,000 of the Garrett’s extraordinary and eclectic acquisitions including a 23-karat gold plated bathroom and a 30,000 book library. Homewood Museum was originally owned by Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. It has federal-style architecture and exhibits a Palladian-inspired plan that uses the Federal style detailing. It is furnished today as it would have been in the 19th century with period furnishings that complement its architecture. The tour will begin with Homewood Museum, then lunch at Evergreen followed by a house tour. Bus will leave Fair Oaks Mall, Lot 44 promptly at 8:45. Please be at the bus no later than 8:30. A fee of $57 payable at the time of registration includes tour, lunch, bus and bus driver gratuity.

985  Virginia Opera’s Carmen

Sunday, Apr. 13, 2:00
George Mason University’s Center for the Arts
Coordinator: Florence Adler
Virginia Opera presents Georges Bizet’s sultry tragedy about opera’s most famous femme fatale. Thrilling audiences for well over a century, this classic story follows Don Jose and his ill-fated obsession with the alluring gypsy, Carmen. When Carmen tosses aside the naïve soldier for the handsome toreador, Escamillo, Jose’s jealousy destroys them both. This heartrending tale of passion, betrayal and jealousy, with its beloved melodies—including the well-known “Habanera”—and its fiery title role, is one of the most popular works in the opera literature. It is sung in French with English supertitles. Tickets are $68, payable to OLLI at the time of registration. They will be available for pick up at the Will Call window at the Center for the Arts.

986  A Visit to the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton

Friday, Apr. 25, 8:30–5:00
Bus trip
Coordinator: Florence Adler                          703-455-6658
The Frontier Culture Museum, located in Staunton,tells the story of the pioneers who came to America during the 1600s and 1700s from communities in the hinterlands of England, Germany, Ireland and West Africa. Many were farmers and rural craftsmen who came because of changing conditions in their homelands; others came as unwilling captives. The Museum has moved or reproduced examples of traditional rural buildings from those countries. It incorporates a combination of interpretive signage and living history demonstrations showing the lives of these colonists and their descendants. There are four working farms where interpreters are dressed in period costumes to accurately depict what life was like on the farm during that period. Please dress comfortably for lots of walking, as we will be spending most of the day outside. You will need to pack a lunch as there are only some vending machines with snacks and drinks available in the gift shop. The bus will leave promptly at 8:30 from Fair Oaks Mall Parking Lot No. 44, which is outside the circular road across from Macy’s closest to Sears. Please be at the bus no later than 8:15. The fee of $45, payable to OLLI at the time of registration, includes admission to the museum, bus fare and driver gratuity.

987  Historic Garden Week in Alexandria

Saturday, Apr. 26, 9:00–4:00
Bus from Loudoun campus
Coordinator, Mary Coyne                 mjcoyne@verizon.net
Event limit:  30
Five of Alexandria’s finest homes and gardens in the area of South Lee and Duke Streets, including homes dating as far back as 1782, will be open for a walking tour. Lunch will be on your own at any of the nearby restaurants. Be sure to wear comfortable and low-heeled shoes as there will be extensive walking. Please be on the bus at 9:00 at the Loudoun campus; we will leave promptly at 9:15. We will return from Alexandria at 3:00. Price is $70 for the tour, bus and driver gratuity, payable to OLLI at registration.

988  Geology Hike in Great Falls Park

Saturday, May 3, 10:00–3:00
Carpool Coordinator: Florence Adler                           703-455-6658
Event limit: 20
Dr. Barbara Frank, aka “Doc Rock,” invites us to join her on a hike, starting at the Visitors Center at Riverbend Park at 10:00. We will follow the trail along the Potomac River into Great Falls Park, where it drops 78 feet in a magnificent waterfall. The park has many features indicative of present-day erosion, especially well-developed potholes and balanced rocks. The exposed metamorphic and igneous bedrock reveals a history of mountain-building from 500-225 million years ago that was produced by the collision of the African and North American plates. Please bring a picnic lunch which we will eat in Great Falls Park before we hike the trail described in her children’s book The Pothole Mystery and the Secret of Balanced Rocks at Great Falls Park. We will carpool to Riverbend Park. Plan to arrive no later than 9:45, as the hike will begin promptly at 10:00. Directions and a registration roster will be emailed in advance so that those who wish to carpool can contact one another. For those participants who prefer a shorter hike, there is the option to join the group at Great Falls Park at approximately 11:15.
Dr. Barbara Frank is a former geology professor at the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany. She taught geology and environmental science for 15 years and led geology study tours throughout Europe.

989  Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera

Saturday, May 17, 2:00
The Signature Theatre Carpool
Coordinators: Norm and Lorraine Rosenberg                        703-361-4572
Mack the Knife is back in town! The Signature Theatreis reviving The Threepenny Opera, an early example of the modern musical comedy genre, directed here by Matthew Gardiner. This brilliant masterpiece of epic theater with book and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht and music composed by Kurt Weill takes us into London’s gritty underworld in this 1928 parody of A Beggar’s Opera. Brecht’s sharp critique of capitalism originated the popular songs, “The Ballad of Mack the Knife,” “Solomon Song” and “Pirate Jenny,” which were later translated into English and have now become jazz standards. With its haunting jazz score, acid harmonies and biting lyrics, The Threepenny Opera influenced Cabaret and Urinetown. Tickets are $53, payable to OLLI at the time of registration.

990  Explore Virginia Wines

Wednesday May 21, 9:15–4:30
Bus Trip
Coordinator: Eric Henderson
Event limit: 30
The single destination for this trip allows us to explore Virginia wines from several wineries while enjoying Early Mountain Vineyards’ attractive facilities and a leisurely lunch. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Early Mountain sits on land with a deep and rich history, from Revolutionary-war veteran Lt. Joseph Early, the first landowner, to the current owners, Jean and Steve Case. We’ll taste Early Mountain wines in a spectacular tasting room and enjoy lunch facing a window wall or outside on the terrace. In either case, we will have an expansive view of the vineyards and countryside. Early Mountain also       features wines from several premier Virginia wineries, some of them not easily available for tasting. For an extra charge, you can have the opportunity to choose among several flights of these wines. A fee of $60, payable to OLLI at the time of registration, covers the bus, gratuities, lunch and Early Mountain tastings. The bus will leave at 9:30 from Fair Oaks Mall Parking Lot No. 44, outside the circular road across from Macy’s closest to Sears. Please be at the bus no later than 9:15. Estimated time of return is 4:30 p.m.

991  Brunch Murder Mystery

Wednesday, June 4, 10:00–1:00
Church of the Good Shepherd
Coordinators: Kathie West, Wendy Campbell Come and enjoy another spine-tingling Brunch Murder Mystery. Dine with us and help solve another mystery involving nefarious characters. A portion of the $25 charge, payable to OLLI at registration, will be used for enhancements to OLLI facilities under the direction of the Member Services Committee.

992  Bus Trip to Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah Parks

Sunday–Friday, June 1–6, 2014
Four-Day Bus Trip: Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah
Coordinators: Jim Anderson, Dick Cheadle, Emmett Fenlon, Michael Kelly
This bus trip will be preceded by an optional three-session course in the spring term, Historical Studies: Las Vegas and Southwestern Utah, presented by National Park Service Ranger Michael Kelly, Jim Anderson and Dick Cheadle.
The itinerary:

● Sunday, June 1: Optional travel date. Attendees will travel on their own to Las Vegas. Lodging will be at The Treasure Island Resort and Casino. They can then enjoy continuous nightly Cirque de Soleil shows at any of six different hotels.
● Monday, June 2: Mandatory travel date for those who don’t travel on June 1.
● Tuesday, June 3: Travel by bus from Las Vegas to Zion National Park (one-hour time change) and spend the rest of the day there. Lodging will be in Springdale, just outside of Zion Park.
● Wednesday, June 4: Travel by bus to Bryce Canyon National Park and spend most of the day there. After leaving the park we will stop at Mossy Cave on Route 12, then head back west to our lodging in Cedar City, Utah.
● Thursday, June 5: Travel by bus to Cedar Breaks National Monument, then to the town of Parowan for lunch. After lunch we will continue to the Parowan Gap Petroglyphs and will then return to our lodging in Cedar City.
● Friday, June 6: Travel by bus south to Kolob Canyons Wilderness. From there we will drive south to St. George for a late lunch. We will then continue on to Las Vegas (one-hour time change), arriving in mid-to-late afternoon.

Ongoing Activites

Book Club

Wednesdays, Mar. 12, June 11, 10:00–11:30 Apr. 9, May 14, 1:30–3:00 Tallwood Coordinator: Ceda McGrew-323-9671
On March 12 we plan to discuss Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. The April 9 selection will be The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, followed on May 14 by History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason. On June 11 we will discuss The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. All OLLI members are welcome.

Bridge Club

Wednesdays Feb. 19–Mar. 19, May 21–May 28, 10:00–12:00 Mar. 26–May 14, 1:45–3:45
Tallwood
Coordinators: Susanne Zumbro                                703-569-2750
Gordon Canyock                                   703-425-4607
Drop in and enjoy the friendly atmosphere of “party bridge.” Bridge Club meets on Wednesdays in the afternoons when classes are in session and in the mornings when classes are not in session. Skill levels vary from advanced beginner to aspiring expert. Partnerships are rotated every four hands.

Classic Fiction Book Club

Fourth Fridays Mar. 28, Apr. 25, May 23, 10:00–11:30
Loudoun, Room 205
Coordinator: Sigrid Blalock                    703-723-6825
The book selection for March 28 is All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West, and the selection for April 25 is A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain. On May 23 the book selection is Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin (translation by Charles Johnston). The Classic Fiction Book Club welcomes new members.

Cooking Club

Monthly dates to be determined Tallwood Coordinator: Ute Christoph-Hill This is a club for OLLI members who enjoy preparing food and sharing hands-on, homemade dishes in a small-group setting during the day, sometimes in members’ homes and other times at Tallwood or alternative sites. We often have a theme for our meetings, but our format is flexible. We also participate in other food-related events, such as ethnic cooking demonstrations, restaurant outings and grocery store presentations. If these activities appeal to you, please contact Ute at utehill@cox.net for more information. All OLLI members are welcome.

Craft and Conversation Group

Weekly Dates and times to be determined
Tallwood
Coordinators: Doris Bloch                              703-591-3344
Pam Cooper-Smuzynski      703-455-2716
The meeting schedule is flexible, but we plan to meet weekly to work on our craft projects and to share product sources, expertise and inspiration. The date, time and place of our meetings can be found on the OLLI website in the OLLI Ongoing Events calendar for the week. We cordially invite any interested OLLI members to drop in andjoin us, or just see what we are creating. For further information, contact Doris Bloch at dbloch50@hotmail.com or Pam Cooper-Smuzynski at pamcs2@verizon.net.

German Club

Wednesdays Mar. 26–Apr. 30, 2:15–3:40
Loudoun
Coordinator: Vera Wentworth                             verawent@cs.com
This is a new club for OLLI members who are interested in Germany and all things German. We will practice conversational phrases used in everyday life and travel. We also will discuss current events, cultural and sports events based on articles in English taken from German websites. We will occasionally watch German TV shows and movies.

History Club

First Wednesdays Feb. 5, April 2, May 7 2:15–3:40 Mar. 5, 10:00-11:30 Tallwood
Coordinator: Beth Lambert                              703-624-6356
The club welcomes OLLI members who are interested in discussing historical events and sharing reviews of articles, books or interesting topics. The club maintains a list of books that members have found worthwhile, which can be viewed at www.olli.gmu.edu/historyclubbooklist.pdf. If you would like to receive email notification of upcoming History Club meetings, contact elizabethlambert7@gmail.com.

Homer, etc.

Fridays
Feb. 21–Apr. 25, May 9–June 13, 11:00–12:30
Tallwood
Coordinator: Jan Bohall                                       703-273-1146
We get together to read aloud and talk about traditional and contemporary classics. We’ve recently read the first and second volumes of Sigrid Undset’s trilogy, Kristin Lavransdatter and The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. We are now reading George Eliot’s Middlemarch. Drop in at the Tallwood Annex any Friday morning—new members are always welcome. For more information email the coordinator, Jan Bohall.

iPad Users Group

Generally First Fridays
Mar. 7, Apr. 4, May 9, June 5, 10:00–12:00
Reston
Coordinator: Stan Schretter             stanschretter@gmail.com
We welcome all members interested in using the iPad, from beginners to seasoned users. Each meeting will address both technical and how-to topics of interest to our members. Time will be allocated at each meeting to address questions on any iPad-related topic. More details are available on the club section of the OLLI website. Contact Stan Schretter for further information.

Knitting and Needlework Club

Tuesdays
Feb. 18–June 10, 10:00
Reston
Coordinator:  Sheila Gold                      703-860-8798
Do you love to knit, crochet or needlepoint? Do you want to learn? We welcome both beginners and more advanced needleworkers. There is always someone who is happy to teach the new student. Come and join us on Tuesday mornings at the Panera in Herndon. For more information please contact Sheila at sheila.gold@verizon.net.

Mah Jongg Club

First and Third Wednesdays
Mar. 5, Mar. 19, May 21, 10:00 Apr. 2, Apr. 16, May 7, 1:30
Tallwood
Coordinator: Liz Bateman
We welcome all members who want to learn the game of Mah Jongg or already know how to play. Stretch your mind and have fun with a game that is (maybe) easier than bridge, but definitely challenging! For more information, contact Liz at concordiaeb@verizon.net.

Memoir Writing Group

Weekly
Tallwood
Coordinator: Betty Smith
We usually meet on Wednesdays, except during the fall and spring terms when the Memoir Writing class is in session. We bring copies of our writing and gently discuss each other’s work. Our main purpose is memoir but we also include fiction, poetry and personal essay. We’re a small group, mostly students from Dianne Hennessy King’s Memoir Writing class. If you’re interested, please contact Betty for information.

Personal Computer User Group

Third Saturdays
Nov. 16, Dec. 14, Jan. 18, Feb. 15, Mar. 15, 1:00–3:30 Tallwood
Coordinator: Paul Howard                  phoward@gmu.edu
In partnership with PATACS (Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society), we focus on Windows computers and software, smart phones and tablet apps, digital photography, related technology, Android and Linux operating systems and Open Source software. Our aim is to bring broad subject-matter expertise to both groups. Our target audience encompasses beginners to intermediate amateurs and our methodology is “users helping users.” Club dues of $5 are payable at the first meeting attended in each calendar year. More details are available on the group’s website, www.olligmu.org/~opcug.

Photography Club

Second Fridays
Dec. 13, Jan. 10, Feb. 14, Mar. 14, 9:30–11:30
Fourth Fridays Nov. 22, Jan. 24, Feb. 28, 12:00–2:00
Tallwood
Coordinator: Dan Feighery
Meet with others interested in photography and develop skills by participating in the monthly theme photo submissions. Be informed, and perhaps inspired, by expert speakers. The Photography Club welcomes all members, whether they use a basic camera or specialized equipment, and whether they are new to photography or have had years of experience. We discuss technical aspects of photography as well as the artistic aspects of visual design. On the fourth Friday of the month, workshops will cover specific topics in more detail. Contact Dan Feighery at Dandj_ffx_va@cox.netfor further information.

Recorder Consort

Fridays
Nov. 15–22, Dec. 6–13, Jan. 3–Mar. 21, 9:00–11:30
Tallwood
Coordinator: Helen Ackerman              helenackerman@hotmail.com
If you have been a part of the Consort or have previously played the recorder and would like to expand your abilities, join us on Fridays. There will be some on-and-off-campus performances and music may need to be purchased.

Tai Chi Club

Saturdays
Nov. 9–Dec. 14, Jan. 4–Mar. 22, 10:30–11:30
Tallwood
Coordinators: Manny Pablo                                                 703-232-9491                           Susanne Zumbro                                             703-569-2750
The Tai Chi Club meets every Saturday in TA-3. It is intended as a continuation for Dr. Cheng’s Tai Chi students (F804), but is open to all OLLI members on a first come-first served basis.

The Tom Crooker Investment Forum

Wednesdays Nov. 13– 20, Dec. 4–18, Jan. 8–15, Feb. 19–Mar. 19, 10:30–12:00
Tallwood
Moderator: Al Smuzynski
See course F202 for activity description.

Travel Club

Fourth Fridays Jan. 24, 9:00
Tallwood
Coordinator: Shelly Gersten                     703-385-2638
The club welcomes any and all who are interested in domestic or international travel. OLLI members have a vast wealth of experience in both traveling and living in other parts of the United States and the world. Come share your experiences and learn from others. We also try to identify common interests so that members can plan to travel together. In addition, we organize trips where we carpool to sites within a drive of 60 to 90 minutes, including historic homes and museums.

Ulysses Book Club

Fridays Jan. 24–Feb. 14, 11:00–12:30
Tallwood
Coordinators: Bob Zener, Barbara Nelson
This club is being formed to begin a close reading of James Joyce’s Ulysses, which presents a modern reinterpretation of Homer’s Odyssey, centering on a day in early 20th-century Dublin. This club is intended to be an extension for readers of Homer’s Odyssey, but all OLLI members are welcome. The Teaching Company’s 24-lecture course on Ulysses, including at least one lecture for each of the novel’s 18 chapters, will be used to provide direction for our study. During winter term, we will meet weekly and our goal is to cover the novel’s first three chapters in the term’s four sessions. We recommend that members read the first chapter before our first meeting. We have no particular preference among available editions. However, members may want to look at the text of the novel available on the Internet at joyceproject.com, which has several annotations explaining difficulties in following the text.You may also want to consult a widely-used “pony”: The New Bloomsday Book: A Guide Through Ulysses, by Harry Blamire.

Walking Group

Weekly
Tallwood/Fairfax Swimming Pool Parking Lot
Coordinators: Doris Bloch                                                                  703-591-3344                              Sherry Hart                                                                  703-978-0848 When OLLI is in session, the Walking Group meets one morning a week, generally an hour before the first morning class. We gather in the pool parking lot next to Tallwood and walk for about 45 minutes, arriving back at Tallwood in time for the start of classes. All levels of walking ability and speed are accommodated—our goal is camaraderie as well as exercise. We set the day of the week for our walks during the first week of the term, based on which day is most convenient for the majority of participants. Between terms we continue to walk on a weekly basis, but for longer distances and at more varied locations. Contact Sherry Hart at harts66@hotmail.com or Doris Bloch at dbloch50@hotmail.com for more information.

What’s in the Daily News? Continued

Mondays
Nov. 11–18, Dec. 2–16, Jan. 6–13, Feb. 24–Mar. 17, 10:00–11:30
Tallwood
Facilitator: Don Allen                                                                                            703-830-3060 This is an out-of-term continuation of What’s in the Daily News? for news junkies who can’t wait for the next term to express their opinions and discuss current events. It’s a small group and the facilitator expects it to be self-moderating.